Now To beat St. Lousi1

Photo belongs to MLB, not me Hallelujah, the Pirates are now set to play the Cardinals in the real playoffs, not that silly one game against the Reds they had to play yesterday.

LET'S GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Personalized Balls

A personalized soccer ball to be exact. Put your name on there as well as a photo, like this one:
Pretty snazzy looking, isn't it? Imagine having your photo on one of these lovely soccer balls to show off to family and friends. You can look like a pro! And, when you are not handing it over to show it off it can sit in its own black acrylic display stand. How cool is that? You don't want your personalized soccer ball rolling around the house. Not into soccer? Not to worry. This website has other sports as well like football, volleyball, baseball, softball, basketball. Well, you get the picture. Heck they even have home plate plaques where you can put a team picture on or just one person (you). Really nice looking too. Everything on the site looks very professional and well done. They also offer a trophy catalog if you are in need of trophies for your sports team. Into sports? Go check out all the goodies there and order something personalized for you. Then show it off to everyone just like the pro that you are!

Gifts For The Coach

Many people play sports, from Little League kids up to adults that play for fun (although many take it way too seriously). Not only is it good exercise, it (should) can be fun as well.
Normally people think about buying gifts for the team, especially if the team is made up of kids, like Little Leaguers. This helps with the team's morale and camaraderie and is always nice. I'm sure a nice gift for the adult players would be nice as well, but if there is none I doubt any of them would complain that much.
But, what if you are on a team and you really want to make a great statement about that team and how much fun it was? How about getting coach gifts? They work just as hard as the players, sometimes they seem to work harder. And, a gift to say "thanks for a great job" would always be appreciated by any coach. And, if you really want to go all out, you can always buy your coach an engraved, personalized gift that they will treasure forever.
So, if you play sports, or your children play sports, you really should take a gander at what the website has to offer in the way of gifts. As I said, gifts are always appreciated by the person receiving them, especially the coach.

Sports Is Personal

I believe that every child and young adult should be involved in some sort of sports activity. Not only is it good for the body to get some actual exercise but it also helps with people skills. There is a real sense of camaraderie among people that play sports, whether they are your own teammates or players from the opposing team.
When my boys were kids they were interested in playing Little League baseball, which is a great sport for kids. It's a lot of work for the parents as there is always some sort of work to be done whether it is working the snack bar at the games or doing some sort of fundraising to help the team get better equipment. Let's face it, baseball bats break, gloves and shoes wear out.
A great fundraising idea for a sports team like Little League is personalized baseball bats. A fan of the team can have something great for their donations. Not all fans of Little League or Pony League games are parents. As a teenager I would often go watch baseball games being played on the local fields. I enjoy baseball and, since I could not play it, at least I could watch others having fun.
Sometimes at the snack bar I would see a jar or a large can with a sign asking for donations. Toss in your spare change or a dollar or so and feel good about helping the youngsters. Now imagine that, instead of a large jar, you could actually give the donor something physical. I should think that People would be more willing to donate for the cause this way. These personal items are not only cute but they can have your team logo on them making them quite the item!
So, your child or young adult is not into baseball? Not a problem. They also have other personalized sports items on this site, hockey,football, basketball and soccer. Very nice items at an affordable fundraising price. So, if fundraising for your team is part of your life you should check out the site and see what they have to offer you and your team.
Give your donors something tangible that they can hold in their hands as well as something personal, just for your team.

Why Baseball Is Complete Garbage

One of the people I love to read is Daniel Negreanu. I read his blog faithfully and I also follow him on Twitter. He's an intelligent young man that makes his living playing poker professionally. I like watching him play, he's very friendly at the tables and seems like a down to earth sort of fellow. Sometimes his thoughts get away from the poker tables and he blogs about other things, like baseball.
I read this blog entry this morning and I have to say that I agree with his points, although I don't totally consider all of baseball as garbage. Yes, the big money teams seem to win a lot of the time but any team can be beaten by any other team on any given day. Like any other sport there is always the luck factor to consider. Maybe that's why teams that don't ever seem to have a chance have such diehard fans, like the Cubs or my team the Pirates. We all hope that someday we shall break out of that losing mold and be a brilliant team that goes all the way.Just like a poker player thinking his pair of tens is really the best hand to wager on and sometimes it is.
Here is his baseball thoughts:
Baseball is a joke. The game is great, awesome actually, but the way major league baseball is structured is just awful. It is the only major sports league in North America without a salary cap and makes it extremely difficult for teams to stay competitive with the big spenders who stack their teams with all-stars. As a fan, I'd personally find it extremely boring to essentially get a bye into the playoffs each season just because you are able to buy the best players available every year. Just doesn't seem fun at all to me. I honestly don't know how a Yankees fan, or even a Red Sox fan can get remotely excited about the regular season anymore.

This is a sick stat, but the Yankees have qualified for the post-season 14 out of the last 15 years! Boston, with the second highest payroll, has made the post-season 6 out of the last 7 seasons. Boston and New York have finished in the top two in the AL East for 10 of the past 12 seasons. Yankees spend over $200 million on their team and finished first overall, while Boston spends $120 million and finished 3rd overall. The Angels have the 4th highest payroll in the league and finished with 97 wins.

It annoys me to no end when people say, "Well the other teams could just spend more to make their teams better." Baloney! All that would do is mean payrolls across the board would escalate, because New York would just spend $230 million and Boston would spend close to $200 million to stay in front.

Teams like Tampa Bay occasionally have a miracle year with a cast of young players, but guess what happens when their contracts are up? They end up in Boston or New York.

I can't bring myself to care about a league that is going to have such rare turnover, not because the team is genius at drafting, but simply because they can just buy a better team with money. Boring. Totally, and insanely boring to me.

TV networks love it, obviously, and wouldn't change the status quo because it's in their best interest to have NY and Boston vying for the World Series each year, but I think they are shortsighted as well and eventually it will come back to bite them in the butt. There is no end in sight to this madness, so I gave up caring. The league will never implement a salary cap, and because of that, I'll never be a baseball fan every again. It's so beyond stupid to me that I'd feel dirty watching it.



If you'd like to read Daniel's blog and I hope you will, it's located here...
http://www.fullcontactpoker.com/poker-journal.php

Ah, Spring

It's finally Spring. Okay, not on the calendar but for baseball. Spring Training has started and the players, like the fans, are happy to get back into the game.
I was just surfing through the channels hoping to catch the Angels game but, alas, it wasn't there. Instead I watched a show about Old Time baseball, Baseball's Golden Age. This is a great show! They have all these clips from old home movies, many of them taken by the ball players. What a collection!
The part of this show that really got to me was about the All Star game. This was a true joy when I was a kid as you got to see the players that normally you'd never see because they didn't play in your league or their team never made it to the World Series. Guys that you secretly rooted for. For me that would be guys like the great Mickey Mantle of the dreaded New York Yankees. Players that you knew were great even if they played for teams you didn't like.
The other nice thing about the game back then was that you took great pride when one of your team members was there. I, like any Pirates fan, knew Roberto Clemente was fantastic. Imagine the sell of pride to see him at an All Star game. There he was, hanging out with other greats like Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. What a combination of talent!
It's kind of funny to look at things back then. Players actually played the entire game then. They weren't there just for an inning or two only to be replaced by someone else the way they are today. They were there to play and to compete. Foremost of all they were there to win! The game was important to them. Sure, the players today all say they are proud to be there, heck, who wouldn't be happy to be recognized by the fans? But, somehow, it just isn't the same.
It is time for Spring Training, so get out your mitt. Sit at home and watch your favorite team get ready for the season and cheer them on. Watch with excitement as they use some of the "kids" who won't make the roster this year but surely will make it to the Bigs sometime soon. And if the team isn't on today, try to catch up with a great show like Baseball's Golden Age. it's on Fox Sports network. I hope they show it wherever you live.
Now, pass me some popcorn and soda.

Sore, very, very sore

I finally got to bowl yesterday. First time I've bowled since May and my old body is letting me know that it is sore, very sore. Mostly it's my bowling hand. My wrist feels terrible.
But, it was fun to bowl and hang out with the other bowlers. I am happy that I joined this league because everyone in it is just there to have some fun so it's not cuthroat and competitive like the mens league is. And, I bowled good for someone that's been off for month.
I established at 157. It might have been higher but I pretty mcuh ran out of steam by the third game. Part of that may have been because we bowled unopposed and we were going pretty quickly.
The biggest concern was that I was tired so quickly. My teammates kept asking me if I was okay, and they sounded very concerned about my health. I've got to get more exercise during the week and build my stamina back up. I don't want to be scaring people who are supposed to be having fun LOL
Have a great weekend, everyone :)

4 Out Of 9?

Of the 9 position players that started the season, we have 4. And they wonder why they don't have winning seasons? get a grip,management, get a grip :(

Typical, Sadly

The trading season is over and, as usual, my Pirates have traded like there is no tomorrow :(
I can only hope and pray that I live long enough to see this "future" that management has been building towards for the past 17 years LOL

I hate this time of year

It is baseball trading season and I really do hate it. Every day I go, with trepidation, to the MLB website. Every day I hope that I will not find stupid news about how my favorite team has traded away another good player for some minor league players as we "build for the future".
Who cares about the future? I want a team that can stay together for an entire season and do their darndest to win their division! I want things NOW, not next year or five years down the road. NOW! *sigh*
Being a baseball fan can be tough when you have idiots in the front office that have been building for the future for the past 17 years and still haven't gotten it right :(

Why Harass Erin Andrews?

I've seen this lovely young lady doing her job on ESPN many times. She is as good as any of her male counterparts. Yes, she is a lot better looking than her male counterparts too, but why on earth would anyone want to do damage to this woman?? There are too many sick people out there who need lots of psychiatric treatment :(
Here is the story, as reported on Yahoo:

By Maggie Hendricks / Y! Sports Blogs

It's never been easy for female sports journalists. From Lisa Olson being sexually harassed while covering the New England Patriots to Suzy Kolber having to fend off the advances of a drunk Joe Namath on national television to MMA reporter Loretta Hunt being called an unacceptable name for women on camera by UFC president Dana White, women have had to overcome obstacles not faced by their male counterparts.

That doesn't even take into account that women on television are judged for not just what they know but what they look like. Most female sports journalists have dealt with these difficulties with aplomb. However, they were magnified considerably this week when ESPN reporter Erin Andrews became a victim of video voyeurism after someone shot video of her in a private moment through her hotel room peephole.

In conjunction with ESPN and her attorney, Andrews is working with authorities to catch the perpetrators of this heinous act, but the damage has been done. Her privacy has been invaded, and the video of her naked body is out there. Most Web sites have deleted the video under threat of legal action, but that can't undo the fact that it was shot and posted in the first place.

Nor will it change what could be a ripple effect on women working on-camera in sports. Until now, most of the attention around Andrews has been harmless fun. She is attractive, friendly and knowledgeable about sports, which made her a magnet for attention. Blogs were smart enough to take advantage of that. Her nickname is "Erin Pageviews" because any mention of her is an automatic traffic boost.

That sort of attention wouldn't keep most women from working in sports. Sexual assault -- and, make no mistake, Andrews was assaulted -- will. Voyeurism isn't "boys will be boys," or realizing that men are ogling your (clothed) picture. Voyeurism is about taking safety and security from a victim in a place they should feel comfortable.

Now that Andrews is a victim of this crime, why would a woman want to follow her on camera? That's not the sort of thing that ESPN co-workers Chris Berman or Stuart Scott have to worry about.

It's crazy how much Andrews, and all female sports journo-types, get judged for what they look like, what they wear, even the food they eat, rather than simply the work they do. While that sort of scrutiny is unfair, it can be tolerated to a point. But for a woman to have her security and her dignity robbed from her because she is famous? That's unbearable, and might be too much for a young woman who dreams of working the sidelines to handle.

Another Slam?

When you are a Pirates fan, you really need to have tough skin. Seems like the Pittsburgh Pirates are always the team to talk trash about. I reported a while ago about ESPN's coverage of things and they seem more than willing to continue their ways.
Today, while watching a show about the All Star baseball game, they were discussing the pros and cons of having the winner of this exhibition game get home field advantage for the World Series. One of the experts said that he wondered if a player like Freddie Sanchez of the Pirates was going to be in the dugout all excited about the National League winning so that they could have home field advantage.
Excuse me? Are you snidly implying that the Pirates are out of the race with half a season to go? True, we are in last place. True, we are 9 games behind the first place team. But, stranger things have happened in baseball. The Pirates could go on a winning streak and have a shot at the playoffs. Don't count out a team halfway through the season, unless, of course, you are the idiots in the front office who are busy thinking of who to trade away so that, at the end of the year they can wonder why we didn't do well but we sure are building "towards a brighter future".
Give me a break. If you must have maligned a team, why not the Washington Nationals, the worst team in both leagues!

The Heat and Other things

No walk last night. It was such a warm and humid day and night that I just couldn't stand to move. I shall try my best to take a walk this evening though, even if it is humid.
I'm becoming a poker addict. I'm not a very good poker player though, I can lose 50 thousand in nothing flat LOL
In the meantime, in between hands, I shall listen to the Pirates play baseball. I am very glad that I paid for this package, I really enjoy listening to my hometown team :)

Wanna Buy A Duck?

Here is the reasoning of the Pirates GM on the recent trade:
June 6, 2009

Dear Pirates Fan,

On the heels of this Wednesday's trade with the Atlanta Braves, I felt it was important that you hear directly from me as to why this move brings us closer to our goal of building a consistent championship organization and providing you a team of which you will be proud.
Neal Huntington

Obviously this was a very difficult decision as Nate is a quality player and person. We knew this move was not going to be popular in the clubhouse with our players or among our fan base who have suffered through a long stretch of losing seasons. Despite recognizing the probable unpopularity of this trade, we believed it to be the right step for our organization and made a sound baseball decision.

The quality and quantity of the players we received in this trade was the crucial component to this trade. We are excited about the three young players we received. We have been interested in and closely monitored all three of these players for some time as they are highly regarded by us and by most within the industry.

Charlie Morton is a power right-handed starting pitcher with upside, who should be ready to help us this year in Pittsburgh. In fact, in his first outing for our Triple-A affiliate, he tossed seven scoreless innings, giving up only four hits while striking out seven. Jeff Locke is an intriguing young left handed starter with the frame, athleticism and stuff to become a quality major league starting pitcher. Gorkys Hernandez is a dynamic athlete who has the speed and potential to become an above average everyday major league outfielder. It is worth noting that these three players were rumored to be sought by the Padres when they were talking to the Braves about trading former Cy Young award winner Jake Peavy.

Additionally, Andrew McCutchen has proven that he is ready to take the next step and begin his career at the Major League level. Andrew has done what we have asked of him in Triple-A and showed he was ready for the challenges of the Major League level. Andrew is an intelligent, hard working player that has shown the present ability to play impact defense in centerfield. While we do not expect Andrew to replace Nate's power production immediately, Andrew is an exciting top-of-the-order player who proved this spring that he can be an exciting part of a productive offense.

Ultimately, to become a championship team we need more championship caliber players at all levels. As difficult as these types of trades are to make, they are an important part of the talent acquisition and development process that will position us to be a consistent championship caliber organization sooner rather than later.

I understand why some people at first glance may believe this move was financially motivated, but I can assure you that this was strictly a baseball decision. In fact, our owner Bob Nutting was as surprised as some of our fans when we sought his approval for this trade. I am grateful that he has the faith in me, our baseball operations staff and the processes we have in place to approve a move like this, despite the risk of public backlash on him personally and the organization as a whole. Furthermore, I am appreciative that he continues to provide us with the resources necessary to build a championship caliber organization. Whether we sought to build our new facilities in Bradenton and the Dominican Republic, sign our young major league players to long-term deals, triple our amateur signing bonus budget in order to be aggressive in acquiring talent both domestically and internationally or significantly increase our scouting and development budgets, Bob was willing to provide the resources necessary to make these fundamental changes.

We have said several times that tough decisions will need to be made as we build and sustain a championship caliber organization. The decision to trade Nate was perhaps the most difficult one both personally and professionally that we have made to date. Tough decisions are not always popular. However, we have a singular focus on our goal of building an organization that can consistently compete for championships, not simply finish above .500. The organizational talent level has been vastly improved during the past two years and, as a result, we are a much stronger organization and closer to our ultimate goal.

Your understanding of the situation is greatly appreciated by all of us in the organization. Your passion for this team is the driving force behind our motivation to bring winning baseball back to you, the fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sincerely,

Neal Huntington
Senior Vice President and General Manager
Pittsburgh Pirates

Screwed the fans again, did ya?

Pirates trade McLouth to Braves
Deal for center fielder nets three players for Pittsburgh
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com

06/03/09 7:31 PM ET

PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates have traded center fielder Nate McLouth to the Braves in exchange for three players -- outfielder Gorkys Hernandez, left-hander Jeff Locke and right-hander Charlie Morton.

McLouth left PNC Park earlier in the evening after the Pirates' game was postponed due to rain.

The trade sends two of Atlanta's top eight prospects, as ranked by Baseball America, to the Pirates. Hernandez, a center fielder with the Braves' Double-A affiliate, was ranked No. 4 heading into the season. Hernandez has hit .316 through his first 52 games this season.

Locke, Atlanta's seventh-best prospect, was a second-round Draft pick in 2006 and has pitched for the Braves' high Class A affiliate this season. He is 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA in 10 starts.

Morton, who went 4-8 with a 6.15 ERA in 15 starts (16 appearances) for the Braves last season, was 7-2 with a 2.51 ERA at Triple-A Gwinnett this season.

McLouth, a first-time All-Star in 2008, was in his second season as the Pirates' everyday center fielder. He had signed a multi-year contract with the Pirates this offseason.

The trade clears the way for the promotion of center fielder Andrew McCutchen, who is batting .303 with four home runs and 20 RBIs at Triple-A Indianapolis.

Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
MLB.com Comments


Ya know, it can really difficult at times to be a Pirates fan. I wish they'd hire someone for the front office that really gave a damn about THIS season, you know the one we are playing now? The one where, if we have a losing season we'll set the record for the most losing seasons in a row? I wonder how these folks sleep at night, knowing how they consistently screw things up? Maybe it would be better if the people in charge knew absolutely nothing about baseball or sports, then when they made bonehead moves like this one it would make sense. THIS SUCKS BIG TIME!!!!!

I Am Shocked And Saddened

Wife of D-backs' Schoeneweis found dead

by Steve Gilbert and Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com

05/20/09 6:29 PM ET

The wife of Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Scott Schoeneweis was found dead Wednesday in their Fountain Hills, Ariz., home, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's office.

Gabrielle Dawn Schoeneweis, 39, was unresponsive when sheriff's deputies came to their home at 12:11 p.m. MST on Wednesday after responding to a call made by the couple's 14-year-old daughter.

According to the release, Gabrielle Dawn Schoeneweis was found on the floor of the master bedroom. Lindsey Smith, spokesperson for the Sheriff's office, said that there were no signs of foul play and while they are not ruling anything out, they are not treating it as a homicide at this point. More will be known once the medical examiner determines the cause of death, she said.

"Words cannot describe how shocked and saddened we are this evening," D-backs team president and CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement issued Wednesday evening. "This is a tragedy for the Schoeneweis family, who we naturally consider members of our family. We are here to support Scott in any way during this traumatic period in his life."

The news reached Scott Schoeneweis about an hour before the D-backs were scheduled to begin a doubleheader against the Florida Marlins in Miami. Schoeneweis immediately left the team to head back to Arizona and be with his children.

Scott and Gabrielle Dawn Schoeneweis celebrated their 10th anniversary in January. They had three children together, and she already had a daughter when they were married.

"I'm at a loss for words," D-backs manager A.J. Hinch said after Game 1 of the doubleheader. "In the baseball side of things, our families are our rocks. And as much travel as we do, as much strain as it puts on them to take care of our kids, take care of our houses, take care of our lives back home, I can't imagine what that feels like to go through for him. So, as I told the team, it's time to just give him as much support as you can and really, really tell people you love them that you do, because you never can expect something like this to happen."

Game 1 starter Doug Davis had never met Gabrielle Dawn, but his mind still couldn't help but be somewhere else as he got ready to take the mound against the Marlins.

"We're all shaken, including myself -- warm-ups and everything like that," Davis said. "Just thinking about it. You have to think about your loved ones at the same time. The first thing you want to do is call your spouse and, in my case, fiancée, and make sure everything is OK. It's tough. Like I said, I feel for him, and I definitely will pray for him."

Executive vice president and general manager Josh Byrnes said Schoeneweis will be placed on the bereavement list, and the club will eventually have to make a roster move.

Byrnes offered to have Jon Garland -- a former teammate with the White Sox -- fly back with him, but Schoeneweis preferred to be alone.

"Primarily, right now, we're just trying to support Scott any way we can," Byrnes said. "It's devastating news, and I know everyone in [the clubhouse] is taking it very hard.

"He had four kids. These guys, at their age, a lot of them have young families and they're very close with the teammates, so it's very devastating."

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez found out about the tragedy moments before the game.

"It's very, very sad, and my prayers go out to his family and the kids who found her," he said. "It's a sad day, it really is."

Added right-hander Chris Volstad, who became aware right after he came out of the game after six innings: "It's devastating. I couldn't imagine anything like that. It's a horrible situation. I'll be praying for the Schoeneweis family, for sure."

Schoeneweis was acquired by the D-backs from the Mets during the past offseason. In 19 games, he has compiled a 2.53 ERA.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel said he still considers Schoeneweis part of his family. "I mentioned that to our people, that we've got to reach out and do all we can to help support him at this time," Manuel said. "And whatever he needs from us, we'll be here for him."

Francisco Rodriguez, who was a teammate of Schoeneweis with the Angels in 2002 and 2003, said he was "speechless" when he heard the news.

"I'm sad for him," Rodriguez said. "I can't imagine what he's going through right now, all the pain he's going through."

Steve Gilbert and Alden Gonzalez are reporters for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

How Odd

This year I subscribed to MLB's Gameday audio so that I can listen to my favorite team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, play baseball. It didn't cost that much compared to their Gameday where you can actually see the game instead of just listening.Since I am poor, I went the cheap route LOL
Here's the odd part. I'm looking at the window while listening to a game and down at the corner there's this small box that says Highlights. I clicked on it thinking that I would hear a replay of some great part of the game. Wrong! It isn't an audio replay it's the video! How cool is that? I saved a lot of money by choosing to listen to the games and can still watch the highlights!
Instead of looking cheap and poor, I'd say I now look like a pretty smart shopper :)

Listen Up, ESPN!

I really enjoy watching ESPN, and most especially Baseball Tonight. But, I really think that today the crew of BT dropped the ball.
Come one guys, I realize the Pittsburgh Pirates are not the hottest team in the sport and they are not even having that wonderful a season. BUT, how many other teams scored ten runs in one inning today??? The Bucs just ran away with that game with those ten runs.
But, in typical "we don't care what small teams do" mentality, this is one of the very last things you talk about on the show? And, you only show one brief snippet??? Thanks for nothing!
You all know damned well that if the Dodgers or the Yankees had scored ten runs in one inning you'd be bringing it up all over the place. And I'd bet there would be more than a few seconds of clip to show, just because they did it. I guess the folks in Pittsburgh, or those of us that are Pirates fans outside of Pennsylvania (like me here in Southern California) don't rate as high as fans of those bigger teams.
Face it, ESPN, you guys dropped the ball. For that, YOU get the baseball error of the day!

Nostagia

While surfing through some Google images, I came across a section of old Life magazine photos dealing with baseball and its fans. I had to chuckle at most of them, they brought back memories of a much simpler time of life. But this one below I had to save and put here on my blog. It was a great year, when the underdog Pirates defeated the team that couldn't possibly lose, the dreaded New York Yankees. After all, they had Mantle! But, in the end, we had Maz!
Could 2009 be like 1960?

Baseball: World Series. Pitts. Pirates fans victorious walking on streets w. sign that reads MAZ FOR PRESIDENT.
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, US
Date taken: October 1960
Photographer: George Silk

Is This Our Year?

Okay, I know it's way too early. But, the Pirates swept the on fire Florida Marlins and are simply on a great roll already this year :)
The nicest part? Tuning in to ESPN and actually seeing highlights of the game. Not at the very last few seconds either. They are taking the Bucs seriously for a change :)
It's amazing! And, it's been a long, long time of waiting too LOL