September 2008 Archives

Welcome to the New Server!

Posted by Clifton Labrum – 0 Comments

I know what you're thinking, so I've answered your questions below:

"What!? This looks exactly the same. What are you talking about, Clifton?"

I moved SLI from one server to another in order to cut costs and make some improvements in managing the server.

Do I need to do anything different?

Not after the first 24-48 hours, no. At least not that I know of. All your links should be the same.

I see "sli.cliftonite.org" up in the address bar. Is that the new address?

Only for the first 24-48 hours until sandlotillustrated.com gets propagated throughout the name servers spread across the planet. I don't expect you to know what that means, and I don't expect you to care. :)

Is my email safe? Is it in the same place?

Yep.

Feel free to email me with any questions and for sure let me know if you encounter any problems. This should be a smooth transition and most of you probably won't even notice a change at all.

SLI Email: Who Cares?

Posted by Clifton Labrum – 6 Comments

Would anyone be interested in a free yourname@sandlotillustrated.com email address? I set up a thing where it looks and feels like Gmail, but it's strictly for the Bush League. You can see some screenshots here and here.

You would have awesome spam protection, virtually unlimited space for all your email (it's at 7.1GB and always increasing), and a mega-powerful search. To top it all off, it's banner-ad free (something you can't get with free accounts at Hotmail, Yahoo, Juno, etc.).

You can easily set your current email address to forward to your new one. Using such an address will help advertise the league's website, and will be a less cryptic email address. For example, "jason@sandlotillustrated.com" is easier to tell people than "aoisj190zfds919@hotmail.com" –if you know what I mean.

If anyone is interested, I can give you an account in seconds and you'll be rockin' the yard in official Bush League Style.

TOP 25 HOMERUNS

Posted by Craig Smith – 8 Comments

Sandlot Illustrated, in the most recent issue, documented a top 25 list of the best and most memorable homeruns in the Bush League since 2000 when stats began. That was SI's opinion of the 25 best homeruns, but we want to hear from you! What was your most memorable homerun? What was the most memorable homerun you witnessed? And what was the best one you pitched?

As criteria for our top 25 we looked at a few different aspects. First, what was the context the homerun was hit in, was in a championship game? or a blast off homerun? What kind of pressure was the homerun hit under? Second, what was the reaction of other players present, did the homerun get any ooohs and awes? Were people jumping up and down and going crazy? And third, what do guys talk about after the game? What kind of staying power does the homerun have? Has it become part of Bush League lore? Use what ever criteria you want, but tell us why you picked the homerun you did.

The Bush League is based on the homerun and that's why we swing hard in case we hit. Dudes love the LONGBALL!

League To Possibly Have Major Changes in 2009?

Posted by Doug Sabeh – 4 Comments

Sandlot Illustrated has received information from several members of the league that there is a lot of uncertainty as to where the league is headed in the upcoming months as well as the upcoming year. There is a rumor going around that the present Commissioner, Mark Smith, is planning to resign at the end of the 2008 season. The only reaction to this information is from player representative, Doug Sabeh. Mr Sabeh has been quoted as saying, "If Mark Smith resigns as our league Commissioner, it would be a big mistake. Mark Smith took over our league in a very difficult time and he has faced several difficult decisions lately. I believe that if Mr. Mark Smith steps down, I may have to reconsider retirement. Mark Smith has my endorsement as Commissioner, and I believe that he should have the support of everyone in the league."

There is also a rumor going around the a player in our league has quoted that "Our League is Fake" like another sport that will not be mentioned at this time. If our league is "Fake" why are there articles written about it both in the Internet as well as a printed version of our league magazine. These articles are what someone once termed as "Staying Power." Now if we wish to continue our staying power, we need to continue to enhance the league, Don't you think? This reporter has not only written articles for the league but has lived it as well by playing over 40 games in the league. In some of those games hits or defensive plays by this reporter and other players have been talked about for many years. Is that all fake? This reporter doesn't think so and can probably guess that others in the league would agree.

Another question facing the league is a trophy. Mark Smith and Jason Smith have been trying to look for trophies on the Internet and apearantly there is some concern about placing names on the trophy. Well, if this is a problem, then why not get a trophy that you don't put names on, or better yet create one by making a stickball bat trophy or something similar. This isn't rocket science guys, it is just a symbol of winning a championship. There are still people in our league who haven't won the big championship. So think how special it would be for them.

The last question is going to be asked regarding one last delema that our league is facing. "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is aound to witness it, does it still make a sound?" This may sound comical, but if there are not at least two members from the league to witness an event in our league, can we actually prove it happened? This has been a league concern since Craig Smith was our league Commissioner.

This brings me to why this article was given its title. A lot of people have raised some issues that our Commissioner needs help making rulings on in the league. A suggestion is that the players in the league and our Commissioner should get together and discuss these issues and make some changes. We at Sandlot Illustrated feel that Mark Smith has all the qualities needed to continue his tenure as the League Commissioner with the help of all the players in the Central Arizona Stickball League. The league has "Made it Great in 2008," so "Let's Make it Even More Fine in 2009."