Total Pageviews

Sunday, May 31, 2020

SUNDAY REVIEW / CASEY AT THE BAT




By Ernest Thayer, 1863-1940, from the public domain.

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to the hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, "If only Casey could but get a whack at that—
We'd put up even money now, with Casey at the bat."

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a speedster, while the latter was a flake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey getting to the bat.

But Flynn legged out a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the over rated, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile lit Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt;
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance flashed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped—
"That ain't my pitch," said Casey. "Strike one!" the umpire said.

From the stands, loud with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore;
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And it's likely they'd have harmed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew;
But Casey still ignored it and the umpire said, "Strike two!"

"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered "Fraud!"
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate,
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate;
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,
But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.


Saturday, May 30, 2020

COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / BLUE BOTTLE’S ARTFUL CUPS



Blue Bottle Coffee's Tokyo flagship, Kiyosumi Shirakawa Cafe is the namesake of the company's custom cappuccino cups
We’ve always admired the coffee produced by Blue Bottle Coffee, but we’ve found the company’s design flair from packaging, store décor and logo integration just as remarkable. 

In time for Father’s Day, Blue Bottle commissioned Japanese designer Shin Azumi to create ceramics just for Blue Bottle to use in its cafes.

To toast the fifth year in Japan, Azumi has designed a limited edition coffee cup in a subtle grey hue to match the exterior of Blue Bottle’s Toyko flagship store, the Kiyosumi Shirakawa Café.
The Kiyosumi grey cappuccino cup and saucer, $30.  Click here  for 
the Blue Bottle online shop. 

The idea to hide the logo under the cup came from Bb founder, James Freeman, who believes in minimizing distractions every time you pick up your cup to take a sip.

The cups and saucers are manufactured in Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, famous for producing Mino ware as far back as 1,300 years ago. Each one is lovingly crafted and then the logos are hand-pasted on them one by one.

More locally, Blue Bottle, a unit of the Nestle empire, has opened a second coffee operation in San Diego (just before the pandemic hit).  This one in a revamped glass tower at 180 Broadway near City Hall, where it competes with three other coffee houses amid a three-block stretch of Broadway. 

Others: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Peets Coffee & Tea, and West Bean Coffee.
Blue Bottle Coffee, 180 Broadway, Downtown San Diego
BREAKING NEWS:
Downtown San Diego is one of few select Blue Bottle outlets now open for sidewalk take out service only and with a limited menu.  



Friday, May 29, 2020

THE BREWSPAPER / SAN DIEGO BREWERIES CAN OPEN ON LIMITED BASIS WITH RESTRICTIONS

Mike Hess brewing operations in San Diego is now open offering rotating food trucks to satisfy the new meal regulations.



GUEST BLOG / By Ryan Lamb, Editor-in-Chief, West Coaster Beverage News (www.westcoastersd.com)—This week on social media you will likely see posts from breweries re-opening their spaces for on-site alcohol consumption. In order to so, those businesses must sell “bona fide meals” along with the beer, whether it’s through their own kitchen or a caterer/food truck/partnering restaurant. The businesses are to follow this industry guidance made for dine-in restaurants, which includes social distancing, face coverings, etc.

Additionally, bar areas must be closed (except for order taking) with customers seated at tables. In some cases, breweries will be able to expand their footprint to areas like courtyards and parking lots. More information on the regulatory relief is available here.

The Brewers Association’s Great American Beer Festival is moving to an “immersive online experience October 16-17.” The fest and its accompanying awards ceremony were to take place in Denver from September 24-26. According to a press release, “this decision was further confirmed with the announcement on May 20, when Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued an Executive Order temporarily suspending certain statutes to allow the operation of alternate care sites in Colorado because of the presence of COVID-19, rendering GABF at the Colorado Convention Center infeasible.”

Also, in other news, local hard kombucha maker JuneShine is hiring a packaging specialist (part-time, Carlsbad); packaging technician (full-time, Scripps Ranch); brewer (full-time, Scripps Ranch); and a logistics and distribution coordinator (full-time, Scripps Ranch). Learn more and apply here: https://juneshine.com/pages/join-team

THE BREWSPAPER / BALLAST POINT AND PADRES TEAM TO SUPPORT COVID-19 RESPONSE





From West Coaster Beverage News website: WWW.Westcoastersd.com

Point Brewing Company and The Padres Foundation are teaming together to benefit Feeding San Diego’s COVID-19 relief efforts through sales of the official craft beer of the San Diego Padres, Ballast Point’s Swingin’ Friar Ale. For each case sold from March (when California’s mandatory quarantine began) through June 30th, Ballast Point and The Padres Foundation will donate $1 each toward Feeding San Diego, one of the city’s top hunger relief organizations.

“No one should go hungry and Feeding San Diego continues to do a tremendous job making food accessible to those in need, now more than ever,” says Ballast Point CEO, Brendan Watters. “We want to do our part to help and along with The Padres Foundation, we hope to bring those numbers down and continue to raise awareness around the issue.”

“The Padres are proud to partner with Ballast Point on this initiative to help combat food insecurity in our San Diego region,” says Padres President of Business Operations Erik Greupner.  “Feeding San Diego needs our support during these challenging times to provide meals for individuals and families in need.”

In response to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Feeding San Diego has increased emergency food distributions to help meet the surge in demand throughout San Diego County, maintaining its operations and striving to minimize disruption to hunger-relief services while implementing new methods of food assistance.