It was declaration of war by stateless actors bent on changing our way of life who believed these horrible acts, horrible acts of terror directed against innocence could buckle our knees, could bend our will, to begin to break us and break our resolve. But they did not know us. Instead, that same American instinct that set all of you under the breach, galvanized an entire new generation of Patriots. The 9/11 Patriots. Many of them were just kids on that bright September morning. Well like their grandparents on December 7th, 1941, they courageously bore the burden that history had placed on their shoulders. As they came of age, they showed up, they showed up to fight for their country, and they are still showing up. 2,800,000 of that 9/11 generation moved to join our military since the attacks on 9/11 to finish the war begun here that day.
It's always exciting to see two great pitchers in MLB going head-to-head in what appears to be a duel for the Cy Young award. There is no denying that Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers are excellent pitchers this year. They are both the same age, with very similar records.
Today's match-up took place in Comerica Park, in Detroit. There was no doubt that it would be a good game. Both teams remained at 0-0, until the bottom of the 3rd inning, when Magglio Ordonez of the Tigers hit a 2-run home run. Aside from the runs scored, there's no harm in a home run, right? Well, if you take your time out of the batter's box and admire your shot before you start running, then there's a problem. I will give Magglio the benefit of the doubt, though. It does look like the reason why he took a while was he was looking to see if the ball was fair or foul. That could be why he took a while.
Fast forward to the bottom of the 7th inning. Jered Weaver throws a 3-2 pitch to Carlos Guillen, who smacks the ball for a solo shot to right field. Another batter, who takes his time leaving the batter's box, starts walking, and let's go of his bat in a rude fashion. After a few steps, Guillen and Weaver exchange words as Guillen picks up the pace to round the bases. Home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt notices the exchange and issues a warning to each bench.
What happened next is what got things very interesting. The following batter, after Guillen, was Alex Avila. Jered Weaver, displeased with the two home runs, decides to throw at Avila's head. I understand that Weaver is upset over the two batters, but to throw at someone's head intentionally? That's a big no-no. I was hoping Weaver took the high road and just let things go, but he didn't. As a result, Weaver was ejected from the game.
I never was a fan of pitchers throwing at batter's heads. I like Weaver, but I don't agree with what he did. I'm thinking his actions might affect the outcome of his Cy Young chances at the end of this year.
In the 8th inning, Erick Aybar of the Angels attempts to drop a bunt for a single, which can be seen here. Aybar reaches first base on a throwing error by Verlander. Apparently, Verlander was upset at this because he felt Aybar was trying to ruin Justin's no-hitter with such a cheap base hit. That's what all the Tiger fans seem to think... that it was OK for Verlander to be upset. I guess they don't know what type of player Erick Aybar is.
Aybar drops bunts for base hits all the time, maybe not so much as before, but that's what he does. Especially when the Angels are only down by 3 runs. It's a close game, and his job is to get on base. He's helping his team. Aybar eventually ends up scoring for the Angels' first run. So why is Verlander upset?
He was so upset, that he decides to threaten Aybar. Yes.. threaten.
Really?
As far as I can see, if you're down by 3 runs, it's a situational bunt. It just so happens that Verlander is throwing a no-hitter up to this point. All Aybar was trying to do was get on base and help his team.
After the game, Verlander called Aybar's bunt "Bush League". He also went on to say "that little guy.. he threw an elbow at me" after Aybar scored from third during a rundown.
It's funny how Tiger fans only mention Aybar's bunt, yet they have nothing to say about their two batters showing off after their respective home runs. I can assure you that if any two batters hit home runs off of Verlander, and performed the same actions, Verlander would also be upset.
There is no doubt that there two teams will remember today during the upcoming match-ups. Next year should be interesting, unless they meet up in the 2011 post-season.
Today's project (4/19): Illustrate connection in a photograph today.
A connection... not too bad, right?
Once again, I'm at the mall. Nice how the mall provided me with some shots I could use for the assignments.
This is the connecting bridge that connects the main half of the mall with the Barnes and Noble, The Landmark theater, and a cafe that are located across the street.
Today's project (4/17): Make a low-key photograph today.
I didn't know what to make of this assignment. Low-key? At first I thought it was from a low angle. Nope. It's not. A low-key is similar to a low contrast photo, expect the difference is you use lower tones to set a dramatic feel to the photo.
This photo was from my friend's new restaurant that's opening very soon. I went for a visit when they just placed the dining tables and chairs.
Today's project (4/16): Make a photograph that features you in some way.
In a way, I didn't want to take a self portrait of myself today. Especially since I'm not feeling all that well.
So once again, I went back into my collection. I pulled this one up. It's from where I went to Salem, Or. The waterfall is in Silver Falls State Park, just outside Salem.
Today's project (4/14): Make a photograph that features repeating patterns.
There's not much for today's project. I used a weird angle to capture the brightness from the kitchen window. I tried keeping it as straight as possible.
Today's project (4/13): Make a high-contrast photograph today.
This assignment wasn't terribly difficult. I wanted to go to a place where there was some darkness as well as some light. Luckily, I found a place.
This is the bridge over a street that connects two sides of a mall. It was still early morning, so no one was around when I took it. The sun wasn't really out, as it was a cloudy day, but it was still bright. The bridge doesn't have windows on both sides, just on the side I was focusing on. I wanted to also capture the dark inside part of the bridge, where the couches and tables are.
