OMAHA, Neb. - Kent State played its first College World Series game with a heavy heart after learning the mother of junior catcher Jason Bagoly had died unexpectedly late Thursday evening.
The Golden Flashes' players wore white stickers on their hats with the initials "CM" printed in purple to remember the life of Cheryl McHenry on Saturday at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.
Bagoly, of Austintown, was in uniform during the Flashes' 8-1 loss to Arkansas.
"We all feel awful for Jason," said KSU coach Scott Stricklin. "We gave Jason the option to do whatever he wanted to do, if he wanted to fly home. But the fact is most of his family is here. And then his second family, his team, is here. He made the decision that there was nothing he could do if he went home. Arrangements are still being made and he'd end up wishing he was back here with his teammates."
Bagoly, who high school ball at Austintown Fitch, is hitting .264 this season in 91 at bats spread over 33 games, including 24 starts.
He was on deck waiting to pinch hit in the ninth inning when a double play ended the game.
"We really wanted to get him an at-bat today," Stricklin said after the game. "He is definitely going to get an at-bat on Monday."
The Flashes will play either Florida or South Carolina in an elimination game at 5 p.m. EDT on Monday.
"Our prayers are with Jason's family and our thoughts are with him," said Stricklin. "He has gotten a lot of hugs from our kids the last couple days. We love him to death and he loves us back because he wants to stay with us."
FACES IN THE CROWD ... The blue-and-gold Kent State T-shirts started pouring into the Old Mattress Bar and Grill a little more than two hours before the first pitch of the Golden Flashes' first College World Series game.
More than 400 KSU alums and fans mingled with the families of the Flashes' players on the second floor of the famous bar and grill located just one block south of TD Ameritrade Park.
The official pre-game party hosted by the university gave old friends, former teammates and classmates the chance to reconnect and celebrate Kent State's historic season before making their way down 13th street to the ballpark gates.
In one corner of the bar, 1980-81 KSU baseball co-captain Jeff Kurtz shared a hug with Melanie Spiroff, a 2012 Kent State grad and the daughter of Kurtz' classmate and co-captain George Spiroff.
"George was a catcher and the first All-American for Kent State after Thurman Munson, but most of all he was a great teammate and a fantastic guy," said Kurtz, who is the longtime public-address voice of the Flashes at both the M.A.C. Center and Dix Stadium. "He passed away unexpectedly about four years ago. When I saw Melanie walk in the bar, we just hugged and cried and talked about how much her dad would have loved to be here."
Melanie Spiroff made the snap decision to make the trip to Omaha on the bus organized by KSU alum and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Joshua Cribbs.
"It will be four years in August since my dad died, and I can't imagine spending this weekend any other way," said Spiroff, who lives in Kent but will be attending medical school at the University of Texas. "I feel blessed to get this gift the same year I graduated … The program meant so much to my father. I grew up around the program. I started crying when I saw Jeff, and I know if my dad was here with us, he'd be crying right next to us seeing the team he loved in the College World Series."
GET OFF THE BUS … When the "Flash Mob" from the @TeamCribbs bus arrived from its 16 hour tour, some of the 46 passengers who disembarked found their way to "the Blatt." From TD Ameritrade Park's home plate, the bar is about a 450-foot shot straight down the right field line.
Former and current KSU students Keith Potoczak, Jay Bell and Ryan Orr of Cleveland, Britton Miller and Billy Hostetler of Wooster, and Michelle Martinez of Valley View were were part of that mob scene.
For alums Potoczak and Bell, celebrating a Cinderella Kent State story is not a new experience. They were KSU students when the Flashes' men's basketball team made it to the Elite Eight in 2002.
"This feels a lot like that Elite Eight run," said Potoczak. "That was a pretty good party. We watched the first game against Pittsburgh at the (Phi Sigma Kappa) fraternity, and then the next game we were on spring break … But this, being able to come down here and cheer on the baseball team is an awesome experience.
"College basketball is a little more mainstream with so many games on television. But now with people getting on the bandwagon, it's cool to see so many people enjoying this."
Orr said they "tossed around" the idea of going to Omaha when KSU won the Super Regional on Monday. When they saw the bus deal offered by Cribbs on Twitter, "it was a done deal."
"We called and within five minutes we were signed up and ready to go," said Orr. "The ride was a lot of fun."
All 46 passengers were scheduled to re-board the bus for the return trip after the game.
FUN EXPERIMENT FOR CRIBBS … Cribbs flew to Omaha from Las Vegas, arriving at TD Ameritrade Park around the fourth inning and immediately joining the crew from the bus to cheer on his alma mater.
"It's a good showing," he said. "This is a once in a lifetime thing and I'm glad it came together to help people get out here. I actually was offered some seats up in a suite but that's not me. I'm cheering them on from here.
"(KSU baseball) Has been so good for so long, finally making it here now, I knew I didn't want to miss it. I'm glad this whole thing kind of came together."
Source: www.the-daily-record.com
Heidi Klum and Seal Divorce; GroundForDivorce.com Announces Free Report - YAHOO!
With super model Heidi Klum’s divorce to singer Seal officially underway, divorce planning site GroundForDivorce is launching a new free report offer aimed to help couples looking for a similar, smooth divorce proceeding.
Houston, TX. (PRWEB) June 18, 2012
After Heidi Klum’s divorce proceedings against husband Seal became official and the couple announced plans for a cordial split to benefit their three children, divorce planning site GroundForDivorce announced a new report for couples looking to do the same. Despite the massive media attention surrounding the celebrity couple’s divorce, both Heidi Klum and Seal have made attempts to make the divorce as amicable as possible. Singer Seal has also made several public appearances discussing the divorce and the couple’s plans to look out for the well-being of their children.Once many of the millions of couples dealing with divorce in America, saw the way in which Heidi Klum and Seal handled their divorce, the former power couple had many couples looking to handle their divorces in a similar manner. The public’s interest in the Seal and Heidi Klum divorce has sparked a new free report for separating couples from divorce planning experts, GroundForDivorce. The comprehensive guide was created to help couples like Heidi Klum and Seal, who attempt to handle divorce without extensive repercussions and move on from this difficult time. The book covers topics regarding children of divorce, finical planning and divorce acceptance.
The company just made the public announcement regarding the launch of the report, which is currently being offered for free on the company website.
For more information on this new free divorce planning guide and a look at Seal’s approach to handling divorce issues, visit http://www.betterbehavedkids.com/.
Graham Herbert
groundfordivorce.org
561-544-7411
Email Information
Source: news.yahoo.com
Queen’s birthday honours for wildlife expert and PC Kate! - eastbourneherald.co.uk
THE man who founded the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service along with a Hailsham police officer have been honoured in the Queen’s birthday honours list.
Trevor Weeks who founded the East Sussex WRAS in 1996, is to receive an MBE, while PC Kate Brookman, who has been a Neighbourhood Schools Officer covering south Wealden for 17 years, has been awarded the Queen’s Police Medal.
Eastbourne-born Trevor has spent all of his life living in East Sussex, and was just 13-years-old when he first became involved with wildlife rescue and conservation work.
It is estimated that Trevor has now been on call helping wildlife in need for over 145,000 hours for the Stone Cross-based charity and helped rescue approximately 50,000 animals over the last 27 years.
He said that he would not be receiving this award if it was not for the help and support of WRAS’s supporters, its volunteers and committee.
The first he knew of the honour was a letter from the Cabinet Office a month ago. He said: “I opened the letter whilst in a long queue of traffic on my way to the Casualty Centre one morning, I had to pull over into a lay-by to re-read it several times. To say the least, I was shocked. I never thought I would ever be accepted for anything like this. I feel privileged to be named for such an prestigious award.”
Trevor is now awaiting an invitation to an investiture ceremony organised by the Central Chancery of the Order of Knighthood at St James’s Palace. Once this has taken place WRAS hope to hold a small celebration as a thank you to its supporters and volunteers.
He added: “I would like to express my personal thanks to all our loyal volunteers and supporters without whom WRAS would not exist and my role helping wildlife would not be possible. I do not see this award as being mine, but as a national acknowledgement of everyone past and present who have helped make me who I am and have made my involvement in WRAS what it is today.
“I feel deeply honoured to receive this award, and I hope this will help bring in funding and prove our commitment to help wildlife in need.”
PC Kate Brookman has worked with thousands of children over many years and is affectionately known as ‘PC Kate’.
She explained: “It started when I went to my first school assembly for children aged only four or five. I thought it would be simpler for them to remember my first name, but it was also important to keep the ‘PC’. I wanted them to learn that police are people who are friendly and who they can trust.
“Since then, it’s stuck! In the local area, everyone calls me that. Some of the young people I used to work with now have children of their own at school, so there are whole generations who call me ‘PC Kate’. I love it, but it’s sometimes confusing when people come to the police station or call asking for me!”
PC Kate first joined Sussex Police as a special constable, because she wanted to see what it was like before deciding if it was the right choice for her. She has been a full-time officer for 26 years - with roles including neighbourhood officer in Eastbourne, communications officer at Gatwick and crime scene support officer - before she found her passion working with young people.
Talking about what she enjoys most about her role, she added: “I am lucky to meet so many great young people, especially as they can unfairly get a bad name from others. I feel privileged already to work with them, so could hardly believe when I was told I’d be receiving an honour from the Queen.
“Of course, I also help schools and families deal with some really difficult issues. What makes me most proud is when I can help a young person through a really rough patch or when they come back when they’re older and tell me I helped keep them on the right path and out of trouble.
“I’m a huge believer in working with the community. The police cannot identify issues or solve problems on our own. I am lucky to have schools who phone me regularly, shops that let me know what’s going on, not to mention all the assistance from young people’s families and friends and the wider public.
“The world changes, but young people and their issues stay largely the same. I’m still doing the safety talks in schools and speaking with head teachers like I did 17 years ago, but these days I also have 1,900 Facebook friends who I share advice with and who sometimes ask me for help.”
PC Kate Brookman is married to Sussex Police officer Chief Inspector Steve Brookman, who works in the Operational Communications Department, and they have two teenage boys. Her family are excited to be accompanying her to Buckingham Palace later in the year where she’ll receive the honour.
Chief Constable Martin Richards adds: “I am delighted that Kate’s passion to serve her local community has been recognised. The way Kate has dedicated her career to working with young people - from giving them the knowledge to stay safe at a very young age through to helping them during really challenging times in later years - is an inspiration to us all.”
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