Through all of her trials she maintained a positive outlook. She battled the disease since 1987. It had spread to her liver and bone and you know it wasn’t pleasant.

It’s times like these that I think about my mother, Carol, who died while I was in college. The belief was she died of diabetic complications, as my mother was never one to want to seek medical care. She was found in the hallway by my sister at our childhood home.

Her apparent distaste for medical care was due to her earlier battle with breast cancer. Not many people know my mother also had this disease, which has a way of touching more people than you know.

She underwent a mastectomy, which is the removal of one of her breasts for those who are unaware of the term. I was younger, but it didn’t matter to me, just so long as she was OK.

My memories are cloudy, but I believe she survived 10 years after her ordeal. She very well could have had another bout of cancer for all we know, as to my knowledge there was no autopsy to show why she died, nor was there a reason to find out.

I recently saw on a television show where someone asked a doctor if a woman without a uterus or breasts was still a woman. The answer was yes.

My mother wasn’t any less a good woman because she had only one breast. In fact, she was a stronger woman for going through what she did.

As was Kay Yow, who was an inspiration to many in the face of a daunting disease. She finally gave in to the disease, but her reach and impact will be felt long after these days.

Just like my mother, who comes back to me at times like these. And thought I didn’t say it enough. I love you, Mom.

And I urge people to not be like my mother in the sense of not seeking care. You should do routine checkups so you can be prepared if this happens to you. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Here are a few resources for those wishing to gather information about breast cancer:

breastcancer.org

National Breast Cancer Foundation

American Cancer Society

Post from: Organized Chaos

The holidays will be over soon (I’m on vacation and I hope all is well with you and yours). So, I’ve brought back the Wish List. This is a collection of true and fictional wishes. It’s a way to brighten our spirits.

And maybe it will make you laugh a bit.

I’ll keep the list up through next year. Feel free to add your wishes here and I’ll transfer them, or you can e-mail me at mailchaos@yahoo.com.

You can view the Wish List here.

Post from: Organized Chaos

How you ask?

Well, Axl Rose and the boys have been trying to put out its latest album, “Chinese Democracy” since 1994. Myriad delays made it look like it never would be released.

Dr. Pepper said it would give everyone a free soda if the album came out in 2008. Well, it’s scheduled for a weekend release, so we can rejoice.

Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m. you can log onto Dr. Pepper’s Web site for your free soda coupon. The giveaway only last 24 hours so make sure to get yours. It’s good until February of next year.

If your savvy enough, you could probably get several with different e-mail addresses. But, one is just fine by me.

Post from: Organized Chaos

Barack Obama was elected president in a landslide over John McCain. He spoke to a throng of more than 100,000 people, with most in tears of joy. His speech was moving and he has proved he’s different than the status quo.

But he’s unproved as a major leader. There are tough times still ahead, and he understands this.

But it’s not soothing to know that the change he promises won’t come soon enough for most of us to avoid stress over the mounting bills, rising costs of food, power, water, education and health care and subside the fear that we may not be able to make it to tomorrow. Or for that matter that we won’t be able to retire comfortably and will have to work until we’re 70 or older.

I hope Obama brings the change this country seeks and hopefully the world will move past petty differences by the time he’s done in office. A new start is needed, especially for a new gerneration that will see this country into the next 50 years.

Obama has promised change, and his words will continue to be impressive and moving. However, right now they are just words amid a broken government. There’s little action and there may be little action for months to years. And there’s the chance the great words may never ring true.

The change is here in this historic time. But the question is: when will we be able to really believe in it?

Hopefully it will be soon.

Post from: Organized Chaos

Does Musa think John McCain will win?

The day has arrived, when history is made. No, I’m not talking about a landmark election. I’m talking about a cat predicting the winner, which is rarely, if ever done.

Musa made a choice a few months back. I decided I’d let him sit on it and then have him make another selection the day before the election between Barack Obama and John McCain.

Or will he choose "change" and Barack Obama?

Musa has shown a propensity to watch television (his favorite is women’s college basketball), so it’s not out of the realm of possibilities to think he has endured an attack ad or two or five thousand. Heck, maybe he’s even reading the paper while we’re away.

Musa took no time to make his first choice (here’s the method) those many weeks ago. He chose McCain, who at the time was strong in the polls and fresh off a boost from Sarah Palin.

Then came the change in momentum, the attacks on Palin from every angle. And the debates showed McCain a tired and weary man, while Obama looked every bit as energetic as what the American people would dream to feel like (he has a way of sounding good, at least).

The ads flowed. Obama was on every TV station. He had an informercial, where he sold us Sham Wows and can openers. Ok, that he didn’t do, but that would have been cool.

The tide was turning, but McCain refused to give up. His chances may be slim, but give the guy credit for trying. And stranger things have happened.

I’m sure, in his own way, Musa soaked most of this in. His selection may be influenced by TV, but he’s never logged onto the Internet (not to my knowledge, but if he does I’ll be rich). So he hasn’t seen the fancy delegate maps that all but predict the end of McCain.

And about that, I don’t recall any other election where so much emphasis has been placed on the delegate counts already. It’s almost like the mainstream media wants to call the race days in advance. Previous elections didn’t have this kind of thing, or at least maybe they did but I missed it.

Anyhow, Musa has had several months to make his final decision. And it is, without hesitation: John McCain. Like I said before, he likes the underdog.

My choice: It will be interesting if McCain pulls out some battleground states, but this race will be over early. Here’s change, like it or not, as Barack Obama wins. That’s how I see it, not necessarily how I will vote.

No matter your side, get out and vote. It’s easy and it’s your duty.

Post from: Organized Chaos

Here’s the rundown of how it happens:

My cat, like all animals, likes a bit of attention and petting. He also likes to talk, though my wife believes he can’t understand us. That’s another issue.

I face him away from me and make sure he’s looking straight ahead. And yes, he actually does this. I pet him some then ask him the names of the teams that are playing.

Whichever direction he looks after I call his name is the team he picks. The first team name is to the left and the second is to the right. Pretty simple, eh?

His first weekend he was 4 for 5, hitting on Wisconsin, USC, Georgia and Dallas, while missing the Denver-San Diego game, though that had a controversial ending and really should have gone the way of the Chargers.

I have him pick three college games and two NFL games for the time being, with more in the future. I’ll pick against his choices and we’ll see what happens. I was 5 for 5 on the first picks.

His college picks for this weekend are: Georgia over Arizona State, Florida State over Wake Forest and Tennessee over Florida.

His NFL picks are: Philly over Pittsburgh and San Fran over Detroit.

My picks: Georgia, Wake Forest, Florida, Philly and San Fran.

What do you think?

Post from: Organized Chaos

FSU led 21-7 at the end of the first quarter and 30-7 at the half. The Seminoles responded quickly after Chattanooga quarterback Tony Pastore connected with Jordan Hazard for a 62-yard score to narrow the gap to 14-7.

Starting quarterback Christian Ponder was efficient again, passing for three touchdowns and 183 yards. He now has six TD passes in the first two games. Backup QB D’Vontrey Richardson also looked good again, throwing for 117 yards and a TD to former Bay QB Bert Reed to cap the scoring in the fourth quarter.

FSU had 498 total yards, including 198 on the ground. Antone Smith had 78 of those and a TD to go along with a receiving score.

This was a performance that wasn’t as spectacular as the 69-0 opener, but Chattanooga was noted as a more physical team than Western Carolina. Also, Oklahoma scored 57 against Chattanooga, calling off the dogs after the first half, so this is on par with what a good day looks like.

Standout players: Junior wide receiver Corey Surrency had only three receptions, but two went for scores. He has stepped in nicely, as has Taiwan Easterling, who led the Seminoles with five catches. Reed’s progression also is a positive for FSU.

Inside the boxscore: FSU had one lost fumble, its first turnover of the season. … Chattanooga was held to 55 yards rushing. … Richardson broke free on another long TD run, going 55 yards in the third quarter.

Next up: The first test of the season at home against Wake Forest. A win will put FSU back into the Top 25.

UPDATE, Sept. 15, 9:16 a.m.: OK, so winning against two lackluster opponents has put FSU into the Top 25. The Seminoles are No. 24. You can view the Top 25 here.

Check out stats from the FSU-Chattanooga game by clicking here.

Post from: Organized Chaos

Giving money is easy, but sometimes it’s not feasible. Well, there’s a place where you can give to a charity by simply using a search engine or playing Online games. And best of all, it’s all free.

Searchandgive.com allows people to select a charity to donate to. All you need is an MSN account, such as a hotmail e-mail account. Once you sign up you choose your charity.

One cent is donated for every search you do using the searchandgive engine. You also can play online word and puzzle games and donate your earned points to your chosen charity.

I chose the Anchorage Children’s Home, which helps area youths who have bad living situations or are just looking for a helping hand in a cruel world. It’s listed under Anchorage Children’s Home of Bay County, Inc., if you’d like to give.

There are tons more charities and you can even give to a school, though I didn’t check that list to see if you could donate to local schools or just to colleges.

Post from: Organized Chaos

Having the Olympics in China, which is 13 hours ahead of us in the Central Time Zone, takes getting used to. The important thing to remember is if you’re watching the Games at 3 or 4 a.m., there’s a good chance it’s live.

You can catch the Games on NBC, USA, CNBC, Telemundo and Universal HD, which shows the most competition throughout the day. Boxing was on tap all day on Sunday, while Team USA’s softball opener against Venezuela will be shown live Tuesday morning and again in prime time on Universal HD. By the way, former GC player Yusmary Perez plays for Venezuela so keep your eye out for her.

The best part of this year’s Games is it’s the first time I’ve been able to see it in HD. In fact it’s probably the first for many people, as the HD TV craze has only hit in recent years. And I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again, I don’t know what I did all those years without HD. Man is standard def cruddy.

HD beach volleyball is especially nice, but that’s another topic.

Anyhow, are you watching? And what are you watching? Don’t be afraid to admit it, even if it’s badminton.

Update, Aug. 12, 9:15 a.m.: Early word is that ratings are good, and much of that can be attributed to strong USA performances, such as Michael Phelps’ chase for eight golds and the men’s gymnastics team that placed third. Oh, and if you’re looking for your “stories” Days of our Lives was pushed to 4 a.m. while the Olympics are on.

Post from: Organized Chaos

To that point, I had to place a deadline on my series, “Turning 12″ so I could finish it in time to do ample proofreading and editing. Plus I’m going on vacation next week so time was a factor in more ways than one.

This blog has proved to be a perfect way to incorporate information that couldn’t be squeezed into the series or wasn’t available when I started writing. That’s where Chris Sison comes in.

Sison was one of the few R.L. Turner players who went on to excel at the same position they played in the Little League World Series. He was a catcher for R.L. Turner, and played at that position while pitching for Central High in Grand Forks, N.D.

His family moved from Bay County to North Dakota in 1998. He was Central’s cleanup hitter for four seasons, and Sison was an immediate star in leading them to the state tournament several times. He was the losing pitcher as a senior in a game that would have advanced the team to the state event.

He lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is engaged. He works for Terminix, which he said wasn’t a glamorous living but a living none the less.

His baseball career ended after Tommy John surgery following his senior year. He’s played some amateur baseball, but admitted he hasn’t regained his familiar form.

“I haven’t been able to be where I want to in a good three years,” he said.

Sison, who remains good friends with R.L. Turner teammate Heath Anderson, said he owns videos of every game in the World Series. He takes time to watch most of them, expect for the final game.

“The thing I remember most os that heartbreaking ending,” Sison said. “But I took that as my major leagues. That’s what I’ll talk about with my kids and my grandkids.”

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What isn’t shown on a simple list is the support of every parent, with each father and/or uncle participating in practice. Shields and Sauls both relayed to me how vital the parents were to the success of R.L. Turner that summer.

One in particular was Richard Ogburn. He was charged with working with the team’s pitchers. He spent many years with the group, watching their progression into capable young hurlers.

R.L. Turner had four arms in the mix at the time of the Little League World Series. They were Mark Sauls, Josh Cooper, Trey Shields and Clete Thomas, who participated in the event in relief situations.

Ogburn said the four pitchers were smart and ready to perform.

“Every single one of those guys who worked in the bullpen were quick studies,” Ogburn said. “They worked religiously on mechanics, and we had them throw a lot.”

Back then the most important factor was pitches thrown in an inning. Now coaches are more concerned with strict pitch counts or innings of work. However, when a pitcher throw a lot of pitches in one inning, say 25 or more Ogburn said, that’s when they grew concerned.

“Once you get beyond 25 pitches that’s a tremendous danger for a young pitcher,” Ogburn said.

Luckily for R.L. Turner, it had solid defense to get out of innings in a jam. There were few jams in Williamsport, Pa., save the final loss, and it was due to strong pitching to go with one of the better hitting teams in the field.

Sauls, the youngest on the team, became the ace by virtue of being the most consistent. He had command of the strike zone, he said, which is a key ingredient for a player at that level.

Shields was hot and cold, Ogburn said, but pointed out that he had command of a good curve. Cooper was the fireballer of the group, approaching 80 miles per hour with his fastball.

Then there was Thomas, who was only as good as his instruction, Ogburn said.

“The thing with Clete is you better tell him to do it right the first time because he will do exactly what you told him to do,” Ogburn said.

Ogburn, now 53, had fond memories of the Little League World Series. He was among a group of parents and relatives who made the trek North to see their children play. Ogburn is the father of Josh Ogburn, one of the 14 on the all-star team.

Richard Ogburn has been a local attorney in Panama City for 27 years. He recalled having to close down the office for six weeks, as the team competed in various tournaments in 1996.

He remembered the high points and the low points and everything in between. He was pleased to see his son, like all the other boys, enjoy the ride.

But there was a time when it all needed to end, when the special visits and celebrations needed to cease so they could get back to normal life.

“It finally got to a point when they wanted to be left alone,” Ogburn said. “That happened about four weeks after they got back.”

Be sure to check out the special series, “Turning 12.” You can read the stories and check out a photo gallery by surfing over to newsherald.com

Post from: Organized Chaos

The team’s run to the 1996 Little League World Series was a blur. It played 21 games over the span of five weeks to advance to Williamsport, Pa., culminating what at the time was a lifelong dream.

They spent nearly a week in Williamsport, winning three games and advancing to the United States championship. Fate would have it that Cranston, R.I., the obvious underdog after falling to R.L. Turner in pool play, would exact revenge with a 6-3 victory in a stunning upset.

This team, challenged with major adversity most of the summer, had nothing to fall back on. There was no double-elimination. The loss was final.

The heartbreak was immediately evident. Trey Shields was captured in a photograph with his hands on his head as Cranston scored five runs in the top of the third to take control.

Following the game, players asked Coaches Bill Shields and Dennis Sauls why they weren’t advancing with their 3-1 record, compared to that of Cranston at 2-2.

The simple answer was the rules. They knew it, yet it was hard to grasp.

The sting of defeat didn’t last long, however, as players began fooling around as they made their way back to the team housing. Yes there were tears, but they understood what they had accomplished. They had done something most kids only dream about.

I was able to reach 10 of the 14 players on the R.L. Turner team. I’m in the process of locating an 11th.

Each had great stories to tell, and most of them were happy to be contacted now 12 years later. Most are out of baseball. One, Clete Thomas, is a major leaguer.

But to a man each took a new view of the World Series as adults. Back then they were playing baseball, with little mind to everything going on around them.

Of course, it was fun to play on national television and the autograph seekers were a bit awkward to deal with. But none truly grasped the magnitude of the World Series. They do now.

The group looked back and realized they were competing in one of the largest events in America. They played in the 50th World Series, and it came just days after the Summer Olympics were finished in Atlanta, Ga. This was every bit like their Olympics.

It was nice to speak with these young men, who all shared interesting tidbits that may or may not make it into the special series running this week.

Shields said, “If I had a nickel for every cheeseburger I ate that summer I’d be a rich man.”

Josh Cooper noted how he and Jody Posey were called the Bash Brothers. They were two of the biggest kids on the team, with Posey listed at more than 170 pounds. Their nickname mirrored that of then-Oakland Athletics Jose Canseco and Mark McGuire, but as Cooper noted, their fuel was Whoppers rather than performance enhancers.

Posey’s major concern was that he was listed two inches shorter than he actually was. Josh Ogburn found it odd that there was a dance in the middle of the excitement. And Thomas felt like the whole losing the last game thing, “sucked.”

There was plenty more. And it will all be revealed this week. I’ll have more blog posts about the series.

It was a memorable ride and it was a good time putting it all together.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy it.

*******Check out a photo gallery, with pictures from the Little League World Series, as well as more current photos of several players. Click this link to enjoy the gallery (emeraldcoastphotoseast.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=544083) *******

Post from: Organized Chaos