Hope Springs

Home Cooking

My beloved Kansas City Royals finally returned home to Kauffman Stadium last night
to begin a three-game weekend series with the Atlanta Braves of the National League. Aside from a brief visit home for a three-game series with the Washington Nationals,
the Royals have been on the road since my best friend Skip and I went to the game and saw them beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-1 on April 24.

The team went 3-10 on the road during that stretch, falling below .500 and down to third place in the Central Division race.

"Big park plus Gold Glove defense = Pitcher Heaven."

Royals starter Edinson Volquez really likes pitching in spacious Kauffman Stadium, and last night was no exception. He threw seven strong innings while allowing just a single earned run, as the Royals got the homestand off to a good start with a 5-1 victory over the Braves.

"Boom!"

The Royals offense, which has struggled for the past three weeks, got a spark in the 1st inning when SS Alcides Escobar tripled to lead off. He scored, and the Royals led the rest of the way.

After a tough three-week stretch, I'm sure the Royals are grateful to be playing in front of home crowds for awhile...

"Glad they won. I needed a break from the 'gloom and doom' stuff."

I have no idea what you're talking about...

Feast Day

St. Matthias, by Peter Paul Rubens

May 14 is the feast day of
St. Matthias, the follower of Jesus who was selected to take the place 
of Judas among the 12 apostles following the Ascension of Jesus.

St. Peter and the other apostles felt
it was important to select the 12th apostle before the promised Descent
of the Holy Ghost, which took place 10 days after the Ascension. (Pentecost, which we celebrate tomorrow, is the official feast day for the Holy Ghost's appearance to the twelve apostles.)

Among other things, Matthias is the patron saint of those who suffer from alcoholism, and of those who struggle not to lose hope.

"He could be the patron saint of Royals fans, eh?"

You're not funny...

Ignore Him, Mr. Speaker

From the pen of Henry Payne, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Housekeeping

Just one of my periodic reminders to click on at least some of the embedded links in these posts (like this one, for instance). They're designed to enhance the post's content
in a variety of ways, so you're missing out a bit if you don't click once in awhile.

I also wanted to mention that comments are always welcome. Agree, disagree, or just to share something, I'd love to hear from you!

"Me too! And don't forget @LuckyEatAnter!

Until Next Time...

With the arrival of warm weather comes the season for patriotic celebrations of various kinds, in particular Memorial Day (May 30 this year) and the Fourth of July. The music of American composer John Philip Sousa usually plays a prominent role in such civic celebrations.

Sousa's specialty was military and patriotic marches, including the march considered by most people to be his greatest achievement, "The Stars and Stripes Forever."

Original 1897 sheet music

On May 14, 1897 "The Stars and Stripes Forever" had its public premiere, at the dedication of a statue of George Washington
at Willow Grove Park near Philadelphia.

According to Sousa's biography, he composed the march on Christmas day 1896, as a tribute to the recently deceased manager of his band.

In 1987 the song was officially designated
as America's National March by an act of Congress.




Today's send-off is a live performance of the march by the United States Marine Band, filmed in the John Philip Sousa Band Hall at the Marine Barracks Annex in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2009. Enjoy...