| Community calendar
(770) 718-3435; e-mail: news@gainesvilletimes.com (please put "Community Calendar" in the subject line); mail to Community Calendar, c/o The Times, P.O. Box 838, Gainesville, GA 30503; or fax (770) 532-0457. Today Blood drives LifeSouth Community Blood Centers. 9 a.m.-7 p.m., 1200 McEver Road Extension, Gainesville. (770) 538-0500. American Red Cross. Noon-7 p.m., Chapter House, 311 Jesse Jewell Parkway, Gainesville. (770) 532-8453. Civic organizations Gainesville Lions Club. Noon, Gainesville Civic Center. Herman Jones, (770) 536-2418 or (770) 532-8143. Gainesville Kiwanis Club. 12:30 p.m., Gainesville Civic Center. Gainesville Evening Optimist Club. 6:30 p.m., dinner meeting at Fire Mountain restaurant on Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville.
Community News Briefs
Downtown's free green trolleys celebrated their one-year anniversary this week. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority replaced its downtown bus loop service last April with buses built to look like old-fashioned trolleys. Weekday use of the E and B lines has grown to an average of more than 2,000 trips. Average weekday ridership on the old loop buses was about 700 a day, according to RTA. Sponsorship, first by the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland followed by the Corner Alley bowling alley and restaurant, has kept the service free. For more information on hours and routes, go to www.riderta.com. Zoo bargains on EarthFest The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is offering discounted or free admission rates on EarthFest Day on April 22. Tickets are $7 for adults, $4 for kids 2 to 11, and free for children under 2.
There's No Chatter in Little League?
When I was of Little League age back in the 1980's, the area code for Worcester County was 617, Fraggle Rock was a popular Sunday evening program on HBO, food at McDonald's came in Styrofoam containers, and when we were out in the field, coaches wanted to hear a little chatter so we could keep our heads in the game. Now that I'm 27 days away from turning 30, there are two area codes for Worcester County (and neither of them are 617), Fraggle Rock is out on DVD (I was watching it last week), food at McDonalds is either wrapped or boxed (have to save the world, I guess), and chatter is discouraged in Little League Baseball unless you happen to live outside Cincinnati. Earlier this week, I read a story online that said that parents in the city along the Ohio River dont want their kids affected by hearing the players in the field yakking it up and encouraging their own pitcher to strike their kid out.
Timing was on his side
TORONTO -- While one future Hall of Famer, Alex Rodriguez, has rocketed this month to heights reached by only a few players, another future Hall of Famer, Manny Ramírez, has been hovering beneath the Mendoza Line, a low-rent district in which he has seldom appeared over the course of his career. That should help explain why the Red Sox, on the eve of their first meeting of 2007 with the Yankees this weekend in the Fens, were as excited about Ramírez's first home run of the season, a game-tying, two-run blast in yesterday's 5-3 win over the Blue Jays, as the Bombers were about A-Rod's 10th home run of the month, a three-run walkoff against the Indians in the Bronx. "That was big," said pitcher Julian Tavarez, who was watching on a clubhouse TV when Ramírez hit a changeup from Blue Jays reliever Shaun Marcum into the right-center-field seats in the eighth.
Patrick Reusse: Between the quotes
"Ive enjoyed myself more in one week here than I did the past three years in Minnesota." -- Dan Monson, Long Beach States new mens basketball coach, to the Long Beach Press-Telegram.Another failed excuseThe Wild was whipped twice in Anaheim to start the playoffs. Coach Jacques Lemaire offered this excuse -- the Ducks were getting away with interference -- and asked the St. Paul fans to hoot at the officials when they spotted those tactics.It didn't work, and the Ducks cruised to a five-game victory.And now this is the excuse offered by Lemaire: He had a bunch of fuzzy-cheeked lads not experienced in the playoffs.Among the players mentioned was Nick Schultz, who was in the Wild lineup during the 18 games played on the run to the Western Conference finals in 2003.Here was the playoff experience for other Wild players entering the Anaheim series:Marian Gaborik, 18 games as the star of the Wild's '03 run; Keith Carney, 80 games and led Anaheim in ice time on the way to Stanley Cup Finals in '03; Martin Skoula, 68 games; Pavol Demitra, 66; Brian Rolston, 47; Todd White, 39; Kim Johnsson, 33; Wes Walz, 27; Branko Radivojevic, 24; and Mark Parrish, 21.Bottom line: The Wild skaters logged 1,469 minutes in the five games with Anaheim, and 913 minutes (62.2 percent) went to players with 18 or more games of NHL playoff experience.Missing piece: $734 millionThe interactive display and drawings for a new Vikings stadium were very impressive.
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