Super Bowl Update

Few things of interest for readers...

***The Sun Belt extended its relationship with the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile through 2017. The game will continue to match up a SBC team and a MAC team. This year's bowl is on Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. CST (don't like the the start time), and this is usually the bowl that matches up the Sun Belt's best against the MAC's best. It happened in 2009 with Troy and Central Michigan and last year with Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois. Though, the 09 game was Troy getting an at-large berth to the then-GMAC Bowl. My guess is that commissioner Karl Benson is trying to secure a third bowl bid for the league.

***Back to realignment, CBSSports is reporting that Texas State and UT-Arlington will join the Sun Belt in 2013. Texas State would be in all sports, and UTA in the Olympic sports. Texas State is in San Marcos and is 50 miles northeast of San Antonio and 30 miles southwest of Austin, along I-35. This would offset the expected losses of North Texas and FIU to Conference USA.

***Troy baseball (20-24) is on the road Tuesday night at 6 at Samford (29-16). Trojans beat Samford in Troy earlier this year and send junior RHP Cass Abercrombie (1-2, 4.80) to the mound.

To celebrate the opening of their nearly 15,000 square foot flagship store in Taiwan (shown above), Burberry World Live, a 360 immersive experience, began in Taipei on 26 April 2012.



Christopher Bailey designed a custom cylindrical space that brought to life the Burberry worlds of British Heritage, Fashion, Music and Weather to celebrate the opening of the Burberry Taiwan flagship store at Taipei 101.





Combining an eight part 360 degree film, a live musical performance and digital weather experience, Burberry World Live will tour cities globally including London, Hong Kong and Chicago later this year.

This multi sensory experience is the first to blur the physical and digital dimensions of the brand.

Burberry

Golf Pro Kim Hall begins a round of golf with our guys

Last week, four wounded service members and two staff members from Hope For The Warriors® attended the Mobile Bay LPGA Golf Classic Tournament in Mobile, AL.  Two of the men played golf before their injuries and returned to the game that they always loved.  The other two learned the game post-injury and found enjoyment and therapy in the game.

The warriors and their families were flown to Mobile as part of our Hope & Morale Program.  The program is one way that we restore hope in our military families as they recover.

Events began on Tuesday when the guys were introduced to two of the professionals--Wendy Ward, daughter of a retired Army officer and Kim Hall, spouse of an active duty Air Force pilot.  The group of 6 played the 18th hole together, swapping both golf and military stories.

Our wounded heroes with Kim Hall and Wendy Ward

On Wednesday, the four men joined Kim Hall, LPGA Professional, in the Pro-Am event.  This pairing was even more special because Kim's husband Casey is active duty in the Air Force and was her caddy for this week's tournament.

Casey Hall, active duty Air Force, acts as caddy for his wife

Our four warriors were each unique--different backgrounds, branches of service, and different wounds.  However, each talked about how the game of golf was part of their rehabilitation.  One veteran, attending with his family, shared that he grew up playing golf with his grandfather.  His trip to Mobile was a much needed form of respite for him and his family as they continue to struggle with the impact of combat on their lives.


Two of our warriors shared that they had never played golf until after they were injured.  Their injuries forced them to embrace new hobbies and new sports.  Both love the game of golf and play whenever possible.


A huge thank you to the LPGA, the management of The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, and 55 Water--the tournament sponsors.  Finally, thank you to Kim and Casey Hall, Wendy Ward and each individual on and off the golf course that gave our warriors a great week in Mobile.  It was a fun and inspiring event and each of our warriors had a great week!

By Kshell

This week the Seattle Mariners went on the road after a disasterous homestand. The Mariners this week won four games in a row including a couple of dramatic wins. The Mariners swept the Detroit Tigers on the road before dropping two out of three against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mariners saw a big game from Michael Saunders friday night in Toronto as Saunders was playing in his home country. Since the Mariners went 4-2 this week I'll talk about the good(the hitting), the bad(Justin Smoak) and the awesome(more focus on some younger hitters). The Mariners youngsters this week looked pretty good as they took on two very tough teams both on the road.

The Good:

There was plenty of good this week which saw the Mariners sweep the Detroit Tigers in Detroit. Then on Friday trailing 5-3 in the ninth inning the Mariners rallied to tie up the score. In the 10th inning Michael Saunders hit the game winning grand slam to give the Mariners a 9-5 lead which they eventually won 9-5. The Mariners saw their young offense perform this week which was nice to see. With Chone Figgings sitting due to not hitting Dustin Ackley did well in the leadoff role showing that someday down the role he could be the new leadoff hitter. The Mariners offense this week scored 32 runs(5.33 runs per game) which is a huge upgrade from what we've seen the last four seasons and before this week this year as well.

Good Hitting:

Alex Liddi: 7-23(.304), 2 HR's, 3 runs, 3 RBI's, SB
Ichiro: 8-27(.296), 4 runs, SB
Kyle Seager: 5-13(.385), 2 runs, RBI, 2 doubles
Miguel Olivo: 7-25(.280), 2 HR's, 4 runs, 3 RBI's, SB
Jesus Montero: 7-22(.318), HR, 3 runs, 4 RBI's
Dusin Ackley: 7-26(.269), 2 runs, 3 RBI's, 3 doubles, 3 BB's
Michael Saunders: 8-23(.348), 2 HR's, 9 RBI's, 4 runs, SB

Good Pitching:

Felix Hernandez: 1-0, 7 IP, 1.29 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 2 K's
Kevin Millwood: 0-1, 7 IP, 1.29 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 4 K's
Brandon League: 2 saves, 3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, K

For Michael Saunders to have the big week that he did was a huge week for his career. He was off to another slow start in basically a make or break season for him. Saunders showed why he was a former top 100 prospect and hopefully has more weeks like this past one.

The Bad:

The Mariners went 4-2 this week so there wasn't much bad. Still it is getting a little bit annoying seeing the same people slump every week. Mainly Justin Smoak and Brendan Ryan as Miguel Olivo actually had a good week. Smoak the key piece in the Cliff Lee trade is getting off to a horrible start and has yet to produce a good major league season. Hopefully Smoak can turn it around as the Mariners really need his big bat to start providing otherwise he might have to sit on the bench if Alex Liddi keeps hitting. Hector Noesi who was a part of the Michael Pineda trade as a throw in with Jesus Montero has pitched poorly in three of his four starts as a Mariner. Noesi so far is showing that he probably isn't ready for the major leagues quite yet and the Mariners might want to think how they use him going forward before his confidence is totally killed. The Mariners also had two eighth inning meltdowns in their losses to the Blue Jays this week as the bats went silent those two games. After scoring 30 runs in the four game winning streak the offense scored just two runs in the two losses. The Mariners wrap up April later today as they take on the Tampa Bay Rays hoping to break .500 for the month with a win.

Bad Hitting:

Brendan Ryan: 0-14(.000), run, RBI, 4 K's
Justin Smoak: 2-16(.125), HR, 3 runs, 3 RBI's, 3 K's

Bad Pitching:

Hector Noesi: 5 IP, 7.20 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 2 k's
Tom Wilhelmson: 3.1 IP, 5.40 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 4 K's
Hisashi Iwakuma: IP, 36.00 ERA, 4.00 WHIP, 2 K's
Charlie Furbush: 2-0, 2.1 IP, 11.59 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 4 K's

Hector Noesi for the season is 1-2 in four starts having gone just 17.1 innings posting an 8.83 ERA and 1.67 WHIP

Justin Smoak on the year is hitting .187/.238/.320 with three HR's and 20 K's in 75 AB's. Like Dave Cameron wrote earlier this week Smoak has average power to be striking out as much as he has been. Like I said I hope Smoak turns it around but so far it's not looking good for him.

The Awesome:

The young hitters of Michael Saunders, Alex Liddi, Kyle Seager, Dustin Ackley and Jesus Montero all did wonderful this week. The Mariners also scored plenty of runs so Felix Hernandez can finally earn a victory who has pitched terrific this season. With the Mariners sweep of the Detroit Tigers they improve to 8-2 since last year against the team who appeared in last years ALCS. The Mariners hitting still isn't hitting very well but they are scoring runs something they haven't done in the past years. The youth movement has been nice especially by the players I just mentioned. It was nice to see Saunders do something and hopefully this is just the start for him who is in a make or break season. The Mariners young hitters some of them are taking advantage of their player time which is nice to see.

Awesome hitting:

Alex Liddi: Hitting .297/.333/.486 on the year with two HR's. He is showing he can be a solid platoon option this year against left handed pitchers.

Kyle Seager: Hitting .279/.290/.426 with only one HR but seven doubles. Seager rarely strikes out but must walk more to further develope into a good hitter.

Michael Saunders: Hitting . 258/.347/.515 with three HR's and eight doubles. He also has nine walks as well. Saunders had a productive week and was once a top 100 prospect hopefully this is just the start of things to come for him.

Awesome Pitching:

Felix Hernandez: 2-1, 5 starts, 36.1 IP, 2.48 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 33 K's. Hernandez is doing what he always does which is pitch like the ace that he is. Hernandez is showing that the myth about his lack of a fastball is just that a myth.

Brandon League: 7 saves, 0-1,  11.2 IP, 1.54 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 7 K's. League minus that one blown save which is going to happen has been lights out once again this year like he was last year. League who made the all-star team last year is racking up the saves this year and could be going back to the midsummer classic once again.

AL West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 16-6, first place
Oakland A's: 11-12, 5.5 GB
Seattle Mariners: 11-12, 5.5 GB
L.A. Angels: 7-15, 9.0 GB

The Mariners are still under .500 ballclub but it was nice seeing that four game winning streak. The young hitters are finally starting to come around while aging veterans like Olivo, Ryan and Chone Figgins continue to take up space. Despite what Eric Wedge thinks these guys aren't veteran leaders and actually set a poor example. The Mariners two all-star pitchers continue to pitch well and it was nice for Saunders to finally show us something which has been long overdue. Hopefully Justin Smoak can take a page from Saunders and have a big week as he desperately needs one. The Mariners did have a winning week which was the positive in this long season as the first month is over after today.

This weekend we had our 2nd Annual Rosey Golf Scramble at Sanctuary Golf Course in Sterling Heights, MI. There were twelve teams that participated in Saturday's event, but only one team took home the trophies.  The scramble went into an intense overtime between the Grand Rapids team and the Troy & Atlanta team, and the Troy & Atlanta team pulled off the win! John Vance from Detroit Business Consulting got a hole-in-one on a par 4, which made the day all the more exciting!

The golf scramble was part of the annual Rosey Org weekend in Troy. The weekend consisted of conference-style learning on Friday, the golf scramble on Saturday for the guys, a wine tasting for the ladies, and a charity event at Emagine Theatre on Saturday for Donate for Life. It was a full & fun weekend for everyone!

The stone crab claws were good—they are a Florida thing, and they were in season and a decent size.  My only pet peeve about them is because the shells are so hard, they are tough to crack.  But we managed with only a few minor injuries (hubby managed to cut his tongue on one of the shells).  They were served with drawn butter and a mustard sauce, but for me, the butter is the way to go with crab. Simple bite of sweet crab with a little butter.  They aren’t my favorite of the varieties of crab, but really, I haven’t met a crab I didn’t like (although Dungeness will always be my crab sweetheart—so easy to get at the meat!).


Intracoastal Water Maker 60

“Miwa”, a modern, custom home by Phil Kean Designs, Inc., earned one of the home building industry’s highest honors when it captured the coveted Golden Aurora Award in the 2011 Aurora Awards design competition presented at the 33rd annual Southeast Building Conference (SEBC).




Judges’ comments included this from Ed Binkley, AIA, Ed Binkley Design, Winter Park, FL: “This contemporary home blew away the competition from start to finish”, a complete package with clean lines; a spectacular entrance draws in you and does not disappoint. Continuity flows throughout with style, design and merchandising each complimenting and creating a complete package.”




This contemporary home features clean lines and extensive details, a unique entrance of floating steps over moving water, attractive focal points, great flows of volumes and spaces, and incorporates large areas of indoor/outdoor living on both levels.





The challenge was to connect the main home to the existing guest house which was accomplished with a center garden and floating step walkway which mimics the main home’s entrance.




The garden features a fountain, fire pit, pool, outdoor arbor dining area, and LED lighting under the floating steps. Taking aging in place into consideration, there are master suites on both levels, elevator, and garage entrance.






The home’s great room and kitchen open to the lanai, summer kitchen, and garden via folding and pocketing glass doors and uses a retractable screen concealed in the lanai. When the screen is lowered, it holds up to 90% of the home’s conditioned air and keeps out insects. The 2nd floor master and exercise rooms open to balconies.

Foyer, stairs and great room:



Dining area:

Kitchen:


Master Bedroom Suite:



Master Bath:

Alt Master suite:


The home also has a theater room, library, and office/workshop with Murphy bed.

Theater Room:



This home was built for empty nesters who have long term guests, hence the private main residence and the close but not too close guest house.





Golden Aurora
Winner: Phil Kean Designs
Category Name: CUSTOM HOME (One of a Kind) Over $3,000,001

For Project: Miwa located in Winter Park, FL
Team Members include: Phil Kean Designs; Evergreen Consulting; CRT Studio, Inc.; Cabinetry Creations; and Harvey Smith Photography
Size of Unit: 4728
Sales Price: $3,020,000.00

In addition to the Golden Aurora, Phil Kean Designs, Inc. was honored with Awards for Best of State, Kitchen, Interior Detailing, and Interior Merchandising.

The nationally recognized Aurora Awards honor builders, planners, architects, developers, designers, interior merchandisers and other housing-related professionals in a 12-state region stretching from Texas to Virginia plus the Eastern Caribbean.

Phil Kean Designs, Inc. partnered with CRT Studio, Inc. and Cabinetry Creations to produce the 4,728-square-foot, $3 million luxury home in Winter Park that a team of independent judges deemed the best of more than 200 entries.

CRT Studio strives to create artistic, poetic, interior environments that create balance and harmony for our clients and their spaces. Through design communication, conversation and execution we make each project a distinct realization of their dreams.

images courtesy of Phil Kean Designs, The Auroras and CRT Studio