Man About Canton: BATTER UP!
By Joe DeFeliceDID YOU KNOW…
Before anything else, MAC needs to clarify that the charity hockey game between the Canton Fire/Police team and a team from the Boston police will take place on on Saturday, February 27, starting at 8 p.m. at the Metropolis Skating Rink. MAC incorrectly said last week that the game was on Sunday. Admission is free. There will be a 50/50 raffle, a “chuck-a-puck” contest, and a silent auction to raise funds, which will go directly to the Ricky Shannon 27 Foundation as well as to two $1,000 scholarships.
If you are a serious baseball player, the Brockton Rox will be hosting the Pro Showcase Tryout Camp on May 1 and 2 at Brockton’s Campanelli Stadium. Several managers and former major league players will be on hand to offer helpful advice and instructions, and players will take part in drills and live games during the two-day showcase. Scouts from several major league clubs, as well as representatives from seven independent leagues, will be on hand.
The tryout is open to college players, former professionals, and other players who have been overlooked. Players are asked to arrive at 8 a.m. on the morning of May 1. The cost is $199 per player, and all must register beforehand, either through the Rox office (508-559-7000) or at the club’s website, www.brocktonrox.com.
The Brookings Institution has released a report that indicates a rise in poverty in Boston’s suburbs. They found that the percentage of people living below the official poverty line of $24,834 (for a four-person family) increased from 6.7 percent in 2000 to 7.6 percent in 2008.
Congratulations to Frank Woodruff Buckles of Charles Town, West Virginia, who recently celebrated his 109th birthday. He is the last surviving veteran of World War I.
In the last couple of months, another shopping mall has been foreclosed upon and auctioned off. This time it was the 76-acre, 706,000-square-foot Hanover Mall, which sold for $36.7 million, despite having over 93 percent occupancy. The problem appears to be that the mall lost several national tenants in the past year. The Westgate Mall in Brockton has also been foreclosed.
Reebok of Canton launched a new shoe called the “Zig Tech” during the recent Super Bowl game. Reebok claims the brightly colored shoe with a zigzag-shaped foam sole is the most technologically advanced running and training shoe available and is designed to absorb the impact when the heel strikes the ground, sending a “wave of energy” along the length of the shoe that helps move the wearer forward. It provides a “safe and springy ride” and allows athletes to train longer because it puts less strain on key muscles. The shoe will be available on March 11 at a cost of $100.
Incidentally, did you notice the large, quarter-page political advertisement by the Canton Republican Town Committee for Senator Scott Brown? Where were the ads by the Canton Democratic Town Committee for Martha Coakley?
For your information, Massachusetts became a “two-party consent” state in 1968, one of 12 currently in the country. Two-party consent means that all parties to a conversation must agree to be recorded on a telephone or other audio device; otherwise, the recording of the conversation is illegal. The law was adopted to protect the privacy rights of individuals.
Little League reportedly plans to add a new age division this year in hopes of keeping more children and teams involved in baseball. The pilot program for 12 and 13 year olds is designed to ease the transition into playing on regulation-size fields with pitching distances of 60 feet, six inches, and base paths of 90 feet. Currently, the Little League Division, mainly for 11 and 12 year olds, is played on a field with a 46-foot pitching distance and 60-foot base paths. The new division will use a 50-foot pitching distance and 70-foot base paths.
A group of investors has purchased the Sheraton Braintree Hotel for $9.1 million and has closed the 374-room hotel for extensive interior and exterior renovations. The hotel will be closed for about six months; however, both the TGI Friday’s restaurant and the Atlantis Sports Club at the hotel site will stay open during the renovations. Originally known as the Charter House in the 1970s, the hotel name was changed to Sheraton Tara by the late Tom Flatley when he purchased it. Flately sold the hotel in 1997.
According to Representative Bill Galvin, the Human Resources Division of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is now accepting applications for the upcoming entry-level civil service exam for municipal firefighters on April 24. For information, contact Caitlin O’Neill at Galvin’s office at 617-722-2582. The application-filing deadline is Tuesday, March 16.
Congratulations to John Jorgensen, who is retiring on June 11 as foreman of the Water Department at the Canton DPW. John worked at the DPW for 43 years. We hate to see him and all his years of valuable experience go; but he has earned his retirement, and he deserves the pleasure of enjoying it.
If love means never having to say you’re sorry, then marriage means always having to say everything twice.
This is all for now folks; see you next week.
Joe DeFelice can be reached at
manaboutcanton@aol.com
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=1595
Posted by Joe DeFelice
on Feb 25 2010. Filed under Man About Canton, Opinion.
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