A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

My world

Photo Blogging Challenge (August 2019): The Written Word

NOTE: It seems the Simply Linked thing we used the past two months is now gone. I am attempting inLinkz again, though they are now image based. So you will have to add an image, I believe. It should work out decently, though. That does mean that when going back June and July linkups are now gone (those who linked up anyway). 

The fall seems to be arriving sooner, rather than later.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I can handle that in regard to weather. It’s probably my most favorite time of the year in regard to weather. It can still be warm, and not overly hot. And then have that good crispness when the evening rolls around.

And as the summer slowly eases into the fall, we continue on with the Photo Blogging Challenge and see what we came up with for August. This one intrigues me and I look forward to seeing what others have come up with.

So, let’s get underway with this month! My five are below!

1. Back in my day…

My previous career came in the form of newspapers. I spent many years as a sports writer. I loved the aspect of newspapers and always got a chill and thrill seeing my byline. At times, I’d go in the back after deadline and watch the press run, just because it was so magical. That time in my life unfortunately (though, I’d argue fortunately now) ended back in 2013, but it’s something I will always look fondly back on. I still read a newspaper pretty much every day, though it doesn’t take too long to get through the local one as there’s not a lot of substance to it anymore. 

2. Tapping away

The written word these days, as we are all doing here, is mainly done with keyboards. I guess, to a point, it’s still a written word. 

3. The younger generations

This pretty much speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

4. Our hands can still write, though

Sometimes, there’s nothing better than writing things down. With pen to paper. I have a few subscriptions to notebooks. And I’m trying to get better with utilizing them more. I have realized that, even if you don’t go back and look at everything, just writing things down can help. My chosen pens lately, too, have been fountain pens (this is a selection of ones I have). The writing seems more pure and it’s easier to take care of what you are doing. 

5. Keep writing

We need to keep writing. Make sure our hands can do what they are supposed to do. Grab a notebook and a pen and jot some notes down. It’s better than tapping away on a small screen. 

If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: I set up a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

A ‘lil HooHaa: August 2019 linkup

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Social media blunders: Why open the gates so late?

Social media in 2019 is a powerful tool. 

It can be a lot of fun, it can sometimes be mean, and it can be somewhere in between. It’s also a place for a lot of information, which is great. But, if you are putting out information and something seems a bit off or fishy, then somebody likely will be there to call it out.

That seems especially true on Twitter.

For those who don’t follow minor league baseball teams, there are a lot of teams who embrace social media (especially Twitter) and really have a lot of fun with it. And, at the same time, if they post something not fully right, they will usually man up and take the blame and try and have fun with it. 

Not so, recently, in the case of the Trenton Thunder, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. 

Now, before I get into the whole situation, let me be clear on one thing – I have no issue in what they did in regard to gates and such. It is their right, and they had reasons. But, the fact that they gave false information, then basically doubled-down on it before giving away their true reason (without admitting the first was false) is where this goes wrong. 

Look, I understand what Minor League Baseball is all about. And I love it. But I don’t like when teams swerve fans, especially when there are facts to back up the fan side of things. 

Trenton is one team that usually has a pretty good grasp on things. I even blogged about it in 2016 (https://hoohaa.com/?p=10103). This time, not so much. 

With that in mind, here’s the story. 

It started with a simple Tweet on July 22 – talking about the game that night being postponed. The kicker is that it was a scheduled bobblehead day. For those not into minor league baseball – bobblehead nights are usually massive draws and most of the time only with a limited amount to give away (usually anywhere from 500-2,000). When some stadiums seat upward of 8,000-10,000 people, it’s often necessary to get in line an hour or two early to have a chance. 

So, Trenton postponed this game. And then posted these two tweets:

And …

Harmless, right? People seemed OK with it, but something stood out.

The gates for season-ticket holders would open at 5:30 p.m. – the same time as the first pitch was scheduled. And if you weren’t a season-ticket holder, then you were stuck waiting for the gates to open at 6 p.m. – 30 minutes after first pitch.

People picked up on this. Check out some of the responses, as well as the replies from the team (these are from each of the original tweets, not just one of them):

I mean, really?

I’ve probably been to a dozen or more Eastern League doubleheaders – single-admission and starting earlier than “normal” and been allowed in at least 30 minutes before the first pitch. This got me really wondering. So I had to ask.

And while asking, I got a more truthful answer.

I responded to that with this, which didn’t receive a reply.

On the other thread, they were questioned, too:

This received the “real” answer as well, along with a funny response from their opponents – Akron.

In searching other social media for this situation, Trenton held the line with the Eastern League rule, but when called out, the team again noted the bobblehead deal.

Those responding didn’t seem thrilled with this. And one idea came out that made sense (and I had wondered why they didn’t do this initially, either) — why not have a different entrance for those wanting to just get into the game and not worry about a bobblehead?

So, let me share some of the Facebook goodness, too.

You have to give the team credit for sticking to their stance — but the rule. This is what really got to me. They said it was a league rule, but haven’t shown anything about it. And, in the end, if you were doing this for the bobblehead (which, to be honest, makes no sense why not to open early… if people want the bobble, they’ll be there. Reality is… the night you were washed out was the bobble night — so all bets are off after that. I guarantee you’d still give away 1,500 bobbles), then say so from the beginning without throwing your league and some “rule” out there.

Especially when not everybody cares about the bobblehead. This, from the night of the doubleheader:

But, being the former newspaper person I am, I was really curious. Could this possibly be a true rule?

I think we all know the answer, but I needed to at least try and find out. So, I tweeted at the Eastern League.

Shockingly enough, I never received a response. I’m guessing it isn’t a rule.

And then …

I’d like to point out that I went to a Binghamton Rumble Ponies doubleheader on July 31. First pitch was scheduled for 5:35 p.m. Sound familiar?

Note when the gates open.

Apparently if it was an Eastern League rule… Binghamton didn’t get the memo. Or maybe it was just for a week or so. And why would I think that?

Well, on August 1, Trenton was again scheduled for a single-admission doubleheader. Note the start time. And note the gate time.

Fireworks and drink special night, but doesn’t appear to be a bobblehead night. Maybe that’s the rule they were referring to … or maybe …

Here’s the kicker to this doubleheader — in the opener, Trenton had a no-hitter. Only the sixth in franchise history — yet the second this season. In the minors, doubleheaders are seven-inning games. That no-hitter took 1 hour, 27 minutes to complete.

Let that sink in for a second — 1 hour, 27 minutes. The Trenton’s Brian Keller needed just 70 pitches for this dandy. IF, this had been a bobblehead day. And IF they had pulled the same bull about when the gates open. And IF you are were toward the back of the line because you got there a little later, there’s a chance you aren’t in the stadium and to your seat until about an hour into the game, give or take.

IF that had happened, the Trenton Thunder would have robbed fans of watching a dandy of a game, seeing history, and seeing something that not everybody gets to see on a regular basis in it entirety. And if you had stopped off to grab a hot dog or something, who knows how much you would have seen.

IF that had been me in that situation, I would have flipped. I love bobbleheads. And I have a lot of them. And I like giveaways like anybody else. But when I go to a baseball game, it’s for the game first — everything else second. Maybe Trenton will realize moving forward that many others think this way as well and not rob a possible amazing experience for a rescheduled giveaway item.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Photo Blogging Challenge: August 2019’s theme is …

I’m in a lot of shock thinking that we’ve reached August already. This summer has been crazy busy at work (and I can’t wait for the vacation I have planned in September!).

And, for the record, I’m trying to keep on time for these posts and I’m doing well this month at least! Alas, it’s odd how the blogging world changes over and over. It’s something I’ll tackle another time in a different post, but it’s interesting how things evolve.

But, no matter how many people participate, the Photo Blogging Challenge will move on in one form or another.

I’ve been trying to come up with new and interesting themes for the challenge, with the hopes of keeping it fresh and exciting. With that in mind, I’m trying to build a list of themes to use.

As of this writing, not many had linked up for July yet. Hopefully more will. The linkup stays open for about a week or so, so there’s plenty of time to check it out. And, give it a week and if you are participating, hop back and check some of the other posts.

Before we get to this month’s theme, let’s do our monthly “group” challenges:

Challenge 1: Tell others about this photo blogging challenge and get some friends to come join us.  Let’s see if we can get people interested in the challenge again.

Challenge 2: Make friends with your camera and see what you can come up with. Have fun!

Challenge 3 is at the end of this post (the theme!).

Before this, here’s some housekeeping items. For those who might be new to the challenge, here’s how it works.

  • See the theme (first day of the month);
  • Take photos throughout the month (don’t use old ones!);
  • Select five photos and create a blog post;
  • Come back here and link up on the final day of the month;
  • Use the official hashtag — #Photoblogchal — on social media posts;
  • Hopefully go visit and comment on other blogs.

That’s it. There’s no rules on equipment or anything else. Blog posts can be short and to the point, or in-depth. Interpret the themes as you see fit.

The one big rule?

Have fun!

This month’s theme? The Written Word! I will be highly interested to see what people come up with for this one! Please make sure your blog post publishes Saturday, August 31. Then come back here and link up.

If you think you are going to take part in this, drop a comment below so we can see who all might be trying to tackle this challenge!

There is also a Facebook group for those who are interested.

If you would like to visit the history of the challenge, which started in 2013, please go to the Photo Blogging Challenge page for more!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!



Photo Blogging Challenge (July 2019): Patriotic

Another month has gone by and here we go with a linkup. And a fun one it had the making of being. I didn’t get everything as I would have liked, but it’s all good.

I took some liberties with patriotic.

I looked at it from my country (US) and what kind of things I felt were not just “patriotic,” but things that maybe symbolized the country as whole — at least in my eyes. I look forward to seeing others, especially if not in the US!

So, let’s get underway with this month! My five are below!

1. Baseball

On July 4… it was worth taking in America’s Pastime!

2. Fireworks

What a way to end July 4 — with fireworks after a baseball game!

3. Hot dogs and baseball

Catch a theme here?

4. Flags

I’ve seen a lot of these mini flags around the town; though I don’t like seeing them touching the ground.

5. Hydrant

Fire hydrants around our town are painted up .. this is one of them.

If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: I set up a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.  

A ‘lil HooHaa: July 2019 linkup

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Photo Blogging Challenge: July 2019’s theme is …

Here we go! 

It seems I wrote this post and didn’t hit publish. See, I usually schedule things to go at a certain time, and with the new WordPress setup with blocks and all, I haven’t always done it right. 

So, my apologies. Especially seeing as I said I would have this published later in the day to a post in our group! 

Anyway, the month is long. For man, it will probably be hot. Hot isn’t fun, at least in my world.

Anyway, I know.. on with the theme! But first … here are those other challenges!

Challenge 1: Tell others about this photo blogging challenge and get some friends to come join us.  Let’s see if we can get people interested in the challenge again.

Challenge 2: Make friends with your camera and see what you can come up with. Have fun!

Challenge 3 is at the end of this post (the theme!).

Before this, here’s some housekeeping items. For those who might be new to the challenge, here’s how it works.

  • See the theme (first day of the month);
  • Take photos throughout the month (don’t use old ones!);
  • Select five photos and create a blog post;
  • Come back here and link up on the final day of the month;
  • Use the official hashtag — #Photoblogchal — on social media posts;
  • Hopefully go visit and comment on other blogs.

That’s it. There’s no rules on equipment or anything else. Blog posts can be short and to the point, or in-depth. Interpret the themes as you see fit.

The one big rule?

Have fun!

This month’s theme? Patriotic! This will be very open to interpretation and it doesn’t matter what country you are in — celebrate it! Please make sure your blog post publishes Wednesday, July 31. Then come back here and link up.

If you think you are going to take part in this, drop a comment below so we can see who all might be trying to tackle this challenge!

There is also a Facebook group for those who are interested.

If you would like to visit the history of the challenge, which started in 2013, please go to the Photo Blogging Challenge page for more!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!