Flight attendant careers with any of the major or legacy airlines are sought after for good reason. The lifestyle and benefits of an airline flight attendant is envied by all and sought after by many.

Benefits such as:

• Travel benefits around the world that can include your family and friends.
• Medical coverage including dental plans and vision care
• Life insurance for you and your partner
• Intra-company profit-sharing plans and retirement plans
• achievement awards
• holiday rewards
• gift programs
• Human resource support, including worker assistance for emotional health safety.

Is it any wonder that flight attendant careers Are they sought after for the many benefits they offer alone?

And while benefits are one thing, the lifestyle of a flight attendant can also be bubbly. With 5-star luxury hotels to stay in while you rest, the chance to see the world at literally no cost, the thrill of shopping to your heart’s content, and the educational brilliance of meeting and experiencing foreign cultures. Yes, you can literally travel and experience the world and get paid for it.

Be one of those who maintain flight attendant careers with Delta Airlines, for example, and the world will literally be your oyster with flight services to six continents and some 575 destinations, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa , Australia and New Zealand. The Caribbean and South Pacific, Indonesia and the Middle East. Perhaps Southwest Airlines is more your preferred airline type or route structure with service to 35 states and 68 cities, including Chicago, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Okland, Olando, and Los Angeles.

Flight attendant careers are open to anyone who can meet minimum educational requirements and certain restrictions. Delta Airlines requires you to be at least 18 years of age just like Southwest Airlines; however, some airlines stipulate a minimum age of 21 years. Educationally, you must possess at least a HS diploma/GED equivalent or a similar year out of 12 in other parts of the world. A common requirement for flight attendant careers with any airline is that you be a people person, as you are the source line service professional for your customers. Delta Airlines states that ‘you are the face of the company’ and that you ‘must be passionate about maximizing each customer’s experience while promoting the brand’.

Similarly, Southwest Airlines asserts that ‘our people are our greatest strength and long-term competitive advantage’. In essence, your service acumen, customer focus, and ability to represent and promote the company in a positive manner are just a few of the factors you’ll need to consider if you’re applying for the HR Assistant Careers Department. flight. Your grooming must be impeccable and your communication and teamwork skills must be a proven skill on the day of the interview.

Other ‘must have’ requirements will be a Senior First Aid certificate and a Responsible Alcohol Service certificate. Practically, you should be able to swim 150 feet (50 meters) fully clothed and then be able to board an airplane life raft without assistance. And while you should be able to speak the native language of the airline you’re joining, a foreign language in any of the destinations you fly to will put you well on your short list of flight attendant career applications.

Flying is a passion for some. and for others it is a lifelong dream for obvious reasons. Turning dreams into a lifestyle starts with taking the first step and before you pursue flight attendant careers with any airline, your first step is to be able to meet the minimum requirements. This will open the front door to search for your chosen airline and you will see that you have the opportunity to literally make your dreams of flying come true.

The NBA Playoffs are just around the corner as there are only nine days left in the regular season. Five of the six division titles have been settled, while San Antonio and Dallas battle it out for the Southwest title and the first overall seed in the West.

Below is a look at all six NBA games for Tuesday night, including all the key injuries and playoff scenarios for each team.

TORONTO at MIAMI (-11,205)

Double-digit underdogs on extended losing streaks are a long-term 65% ATS game over the years, but the Raptors are a risky proposition as they seem to have thrown in the towel on the season. Toronto is 26-51 SU and has lost eight straight since leading scorer Chris Bosh was injured against Milwaukee on March 26. Bosh is now out for the season and led the team in scoring (22.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.2 rpg).

Miami has clinched the Southeast Division, but they still need to play hard as they only hold a 2 1/2 game lead over New Jersey for the second overall seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Despite the need to win, the Heat are just 5-6 SU in their last eleven games, including a weak 2-4 SU this month.

Toronto has played well against Miami this season and the Raptors led by 16 points at halftime in the most recent meeting on March 29. Miami played without Shaquille O’Neal in that game and rallied for an eventual 98-94 victory. Toronto is still covered as a 5 ½ point home underdog and overall the Raptors are 3-0 ATS against the Heat this season.

MINNESOTA at MEMPHIS (-11 ½)

The Timberwolves are having a very disappointing season and have long since been knocked out of the playoff race with SU’s record of 32-45. Minnesota has been particularly bad on the road going 8-30 SU (16-22 ATS), including a recent record of 0-13 SU on the road since early February.

Minnesota committed to youth as the Timberwolves sat out their two leading scorers, Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis, in Sunday’s 84-83 home win over Atlanta. Garnett had started a league-high 351 consecutive games through Sunday and could miss the rest of the season with right knee tendinitis, while Davis is also questionable to return to play due to a groin injury. .

Garnett leads the team in scoring (21.8 ppg), rebounding (12.7 rpg), and blocks (1.4 bpg), while ranking second in steals (1.4 ppg) and third in assists (4 .1 app). Ricky Davis is second on the team in scoring (19.1 ppg) and assists (4.8 ppg) since he was traded from the Celtics in late January.

The Clippers’ loss on Monday has now moved the Grizzlies to the fifth seed in the Western Conference, which is actually bad news for Memphis as they would now face either Dallas or San Antonio in the first round. Had Memphis remained in the sixth seed, the Grizzlies would have faced Denver.

SEATTLE at SAN ANTONIO (-10 ½, 201)

The Supersonics were one of the best teams in the league last season, but they haven’t made it this year and Seattle is out of the playoff race with a 33-43 SU (33-42-1 ATS) record. Despite the disappointing season, the Sonics are actually playing their best basketball of the season and are 6-2 SU/ATS in their last eight games, including an impressive outright win over Phoenix on Sunday as a 4-point home underdog.

San Antonio is currently the top seed in the Western Conference, but they are only a half game ahead of the Mavericks in the Southwest Division and San Antonio would drop to the fourth seed if Dallas overtakes them.

The Spurs overcame a nine-point deficit to defeat Memphis 83-81 on Sunday, and they did it without Manu Ginobili, who missed the game with a calf injury. Ginobili is likely to return tonight and leads the team in steals (1.6 spg), is second in assists (3.6 app) and third in scoring (15.1 ppg).

NEW JERSEY (-1 ½, 182 ½) at CHICAGO

The Nets remain the hottest team in the league, going 15-1 SU (11-4-1 ATS) over the past month. New Jersey’s only loss during this span came last Saturday when they blew an 11-point home lead against Cleveland. New Jersey rebounded with an easy 95-83 road win at Milwaukee on Sunday and is now just 2 1/2 games behind Miami for the second overall seed in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago is also in the playoff race and the Bulls are currently a half game behind Philadelphia for the final spot in the East. Two very different results for the Bulls in their last two games, as Chicago easily won in Philadelphia last Wednesday, 99-92, in which they led by 17 points and never trailed. Then the Bulls struggled against Philadelphia at home on Saturday, losing 89-75 in a game trailing by 26 points.

PHOENIX in SACRAMENTO (-4 ½)

The Suns have clinched the Pacific division and are locked in the second seed in the Western Conference. The Suns can neither improve nor hurt their position and have nothing to play for over the next week as they are eight games behind Dallas and 6 ½ games ahead of Memphis with just six games remaining.

Phoenix will finish with the third-best record in the conference and is likely to rest key players over the next week, including point guard Steve Nash, who is battling a hamstring injury.

Sacramento is currently 41-37 SU and tied with the Lakers for the seventh seed in the Western Conference. The Kings have the tiebreaker and are just 3 ½ games behind the Clippers for the sixth seed.

GOLDEN STATE at THE LAKERS (-8 ½)

The Warriors were 4-1 SU (5-0 ATS) after losing point guard Baron Davis for the season in mid-March, but have since struggled and gone 0-8 SU (2-5-1 ATS) in the last eight games. The Warriors were also without leading scorer Jason Richardson on Saturday when they lost 95-92 in Denver. Richardson is averaging 23.5 points per game and is expected to return tonight.

The Lakers are currently tied with Sacramento for the last spot in the Western Conference playoffs, but Los Angeles would be the eighth seed due to a tiebreaker deficit.

Los Angeles recently committed to defense and are 10-2 under in regulation over their last twelve games. The team is also a solid 8-2-2 ATS during that span. The Lakers’ recent success in the Under will be put to the test tonight as the Over is 9-1 in the last ten head-to-head meetings against Golden State.

STEVE MERRIL is a professional sports handicapper and a documented member of The Professional Handicappers League. Get your Premium plays here.

Mark Nash, author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home, gives homebuyers home runs and punches when looking for a home. It may not be obvious that what he wears when he looks for a house can affect what he pays for a house. Years of showing homes and introducing potential buyers to home sellers, the way buyers project themselves fashionably makes quite an impression.

First impressions of real estate agents and home sellers are all they have when evaluating potential buyers. If you look well-groomed, low-key, and wear clothing appropriate for your home’s price range, you could pay less than the tattooed, long-haired, over-jeweled, and ripped-jeans buyer you’re competing with multiple bids for the same home. . Buying a house is a business transaction, so think about business clothes when buying a house.

Women

-The pants are fine, but make sure they are not low riders.

-Get rid of t-shirts, tanks, and tank tops. House hunting is not a vacation.

-Skirts are great. The minis send the wrong message.

-Wear comfortable but presentable shoes. You will be doing a lot of walking, climbing stairs, and going in and out of transportation.

-Forget about high heels. Spiked heels on shoes can easily dent bamboo and other softer hardwood floors. Also, if you went into the yard to take a look at the roof, you could end up aerating up your lawn.

-Leave the animal prints for when you’re in a disco. Busy or fussy fashion styles can be distracting and not make everyone’s top ten fashion list.

-Simple jewelry and limited quantities accentuate your business outlook. Skip the bling, otherwise you could end up paying more for a house, because sellers think you can afford it.

-Simplify makeup, hair and manicure styles to appeal to most people. You won’t get a better deal because sellers love your fabulous acrylic nails.

-No fur coats, ever. It’s an outlandish, political statement that could cost you a house or an extra $10,000.

-No low cut or revealing look. Very rarely do homebuyers get a gender discount.

Men

-Check that the soles of the shoes are not covered in mud before entering any open house. Many homebuyers never made it to the kitchen after walking on a freshly cleaned carpet in dirty shoes.

-No jogging, gym clothes, bike shorts or bathing suits. Unless you’re trying out the workout facility in a condo building on your second visit.

-Business casual pants are best, but if you must wear jeans, make sure they are clean and not ripped.

-Open-necked shirts work well, but real estate agents and home sellers don’t need to see your polished or not-so-polished chest or four gold chains.

-Think twice before wearing more than one earring. If we were all equal, life would be boring.

-Skip the tank tops and muscle shirts and no showing elastic waistbands on your underwear, please. You can activate Mr. Houseseller, but Mr. Houseseller may not appreciate it.

-Limit the exposure of tattoos, they are fashionable, but not for everyone. The same goes for checkers in this case.

-Wear simple patterned shirts with matching plain pants. Remember that red denotes power.

Don’t dress too much to impress. Leave the cufflinks and French cuff shirts at home.

Both

-Coffee “cups to go” are not a fashion accessory. Coffee easily spills onto carpets when climbing stairs or opening cupboards and cabinets when touring properties.

-Baseball caps are for bad hair days. Plus, they send the wrong trading message by buying the biggest asset you’ll ever own.

-Wet umbrellas should be parked outside the front door, not on hardwood floors or entryway tables and chairs.

-Wear slip-on shoes when touring the open houses. You may be asked to remove your shoes out of cultural respect for the owner, inclement weather, or newly installed floor coverings.

-If you don’t want to take your shoes off buy and wear blue disposable surgical booties-or ask your agent for a pair.

-You must wear socks or stockings. No sandals, period. If you are asked to remove your shoes, homeowners may not necessarily want your feet bare on their floors.

-Cell phones. If you need to make or receive a call, please go to a place where you will not disturb others at the open house. Never negotiate a home purchase contract into a different property contract while you are looking at a house.

-Carry bicycle and motorcycle helmets with you. Ask before parking them on any surface.

-Shorts are okay if they are close to the knee. No ripped or too tight styles.

-Dress for the season. Don’t wear shorts in snow or black wool in August, even if it’s your best househunting outfit.

-Remove sunglasses when inside buildings. People expect some eye contact.

-Be careful with perfume. Lots of people are allergic to it nowadays and they could be the owners of the house you fell in love with.

-Put cigarettes, cigars and pipes out of sight. They’re not exactly a popular fashion or political statement in 2006.

Kids

-T-shirts, pants, shoes and socks are required.

-Diapers are not in fashion.

For the second year in a row, the rookies defeated the sophomores in the NBA All-Star Rookie Challenge. Are rookies trying harder than sophomores, or are players from the last two drafts better than last year’s picks? Before the 2010 game, the sophomores had won the last 7 games, usually by a wide margin.

In 2010, standout sophomore players were Michael Beasley, Marc Gasol, Danilo Gallinari, Eric Gordon, Kevin Love, OJ Mayo, and Russell Westbrook (Derrick Rose did not play). Notable rookies were DeJuan Blair, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, Taj Gibson, James Harden and Brandon Jennings. Gordon, Love, Mayo and Westbrook should have been enough to hold off the rookies, but led by game MVP Tyreke Evans, the rookies cruised to a 140-128 victory.

The sophomores definitely had the best heavyweight talent in this game, but the rookies have a bit more depth. Gordon, Love and Westbrook may be a contender’s second-best player, especially with a couple more years of growth, but the talent fades after that. The rookies have a lot more players who could be the third or fourth man in a contender with Curry, Harden, Gibson, Blair and Jennings. Other than those players and OJ Mayo for the sophomore team, there’s not much to like. The 2011 game features more players who could emerge as the best players in the future.

In 2011, the top rookies are Demarcus Cousins, Blake Griffin, John Wall, Landry Fields, Gary Neal and Eric Bledsoe. The best sophomores are Wes Matthews, DeJuan Blair, Stephen Curry, Serge Ibaka, and Brandon Jennings. John Wall was awarded MVP with a Rookie Challenge-record 22 assists, but Cousins ​​might as well have been MVP with all of his points. Kentucky’s former teammates combined to win the game for the rookies. Wall and Cousins ​​had talked before the game, Wall wanted the assists record, Cousins ​​wanted the MVP. No other player tried as hard as those two in the game, so it made sense that the rookies would win. Wall probably won MVP when he made a ridiculous half-court alley-oop bounce pass to the Clippers’ Griffin in front of the Los Angeles crowd. Watching the game, it was easy to see that Cousins ​​took the game very seriously, as he recently got into some trouble with the Kings over fighting with a teammate. Maybe that’s why the rookies won over the sophomores.

As the sophomores emerged last year and with the incoming rookie class, there’s a lot to like for the future of the NBA. There are plenty of young players who could help contending teams with superstars in their prime. Wall looks like a great PG from the future, and Cousins ​​is a headcase who probably won’t mature until he’s 20 if you can afford to keep him that long. Griffin is exciting and gives the Clippers hope along with Eric Bledsoe. Landry Fields and Gary Neal are two draft steals who can help their team in the playoffs. Greg Monroe will emerge as a talent on the Pistons that people will be talking about if they can finally gut the old team. The sophomores have had another year to develop, and the future looks bright for them as well.

The NBA definitely seems ready for supporting and role players with these rookies and rookies like Durant, LeBron, Melo and the rest of the superstars in their prime looking to start NBA dynasties.

Collecting sports memorabilia is a hobby that can fill your free time with importance and distract you from everyday life. Most of today’s collectors began collecting baseball cards of their favorite players as children. Whether it’s vintage cards like Ted Williams Play Ball Rookie or Joe Dimaggio Goudey Rookie card or 1951 Bowman or Topps #311 Mickey Mantle Rookie from 1952 or modern day rookies like Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr. or Albert Pujols If you collect cards as a child, chances are you’ve moved on to collecting larger pieces or memorabilia. Collectors who collect sports memorabilia as a hobby consider their memorabilia to have sentimental value; they can view it as a childhood memory or an important life moment shared with their favorite star or team. What you decide to collect is a matter of personal preference.

Some people collect items from a wide range of different sports, while others only collect items related to a particular sport or athlete. The sports memorabilia that you collect makes a statement about you as a collector. Every sports collectible you’ve acquired over time tells a story and signifies an important moment in sports history. Some collectors choose to focus on a larger collection of an entire team within their sport of interest, for example; New York Yankees baseball memorabilia, Detroit Pistons basketball memorabilia, or Indianapolis Colts football memorabilia. Other collectors may prefer to maintain a more general collection, acquiring some or all of the memorabilia, diecast collectibles, Bobble Heads, or sports art from their sport of choice. Some collectors choose to collect items from a specific era of a sport or “vintage” items from the team.

Then there are collectors who like a specific player or players within a specific sport or sports and enjoy collecting items only related to that player or players. Since collecting depends on the interests of the individual collector, it can cover almost any topic, including sports collectibles and sports memorabilia. The depth and collection can also vary. There are numerous items a collector can collect anywhere, from autographed baseballs of their favorite player or team to more unique and rare items such as game-used gear (gloves, bats, jerseys, even cleats) to limited edition pieces. such as dolls and figurines, Perez – Steele Postcards and Autographed Sports Art.

Collecting sports memorabilia as an investment

While most sports memorabilia collectors collect as a hobby, or simply for the love of the sport or athlete they admire. Some sports memorabilia collectors go a step further and carefully choose the sports memorabilia they acquire as a sound investment that will increase in value year after year. The more significant the item that is signed, the more value that item will have for years to come.

By purchasing unique, rare, or vintage sports memorabilia, you’re not only making a good investment for the future, and you’ll find that it’s much more fun to collect the kind of sports memorabilia that others don’t have, while at the same time investing in your future. is inundated with items like 8×10 photos or baseballs with only the signature of many of today’s players, a more exclusive or rare item will always have a higher value, for example, there are numerous Albert Pujols autographed baseballs that are find on the internet that it has a book value of $175.00, but if you find one that has an inscription like “2001 NL ROY” for his 2001 rookie season or his “03 Batting Champion” for the batting title of the national league that you won in 2003 or “2005 MVP”, then your investment will at least double or even triple from the start, thus you will have acquired a valuable piece of sports memorabilia that will increase enormously. Find out their value over time as your incredible career progresses. As you can see, collecting sports memorabilia is not only a fun hobby, but also a wise investment.

Yankees Sports Collectibles and Yankees sports memorabilia

Talk about your forgotten record holders! Has anyone heard of Jim Benton? The split end for the Cleveland Rams (not a typo, kids) was the first NFL player to gain 300 receiving yards in a single game. Benton caught ten passes for a staggering 303 yards in a 28-21 win over the Detroit Lions on November 22, 1945. But he is now completely forgotten.

Many people know that Wilt Chamberlain has never been left out of an NBA game, but on the other end of the spectrum is the shadowy figure of Don Otten, who, while playing for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in a game on November 24, 1949 against the Sheboygan Redskins, committed EIGHT personal fouls, setting an NBA record for hacking that will never be reached as long as the six-foul disqualification rule is in effect.

Exactly eleven years later, on November 24, 1960, Chamberlain set one of his many records by grabbing a staggering fifty-five rebounds in a game against the Boston Celtics. Does anyone out there think that record will ever be broken?

One of the most astounding records in all of Major League Baseball history belongs to Owen “Chief” Wilson, who while playing for the 1912 Pittsburgh Pirates hit 36 ​​triples, a record that on the surface may seem unbeatable, but one that has passed the test. of time – 88 years, to be exact. The truth is, since Wilson, no one has come anywhere near that three-packer total. In fact, the last time a player had that many 25s in a season was 1925, when Hall of Famer Kiki Cuyler recorded 26 3-pointers, once again for the Pirates. But Wilson is not only forgotten by virtually all but the most avid baseball historians, the record is rarely mentioned, possibly because, unlike most other long-standing records, it is never seriously threatened!

Throughout the history of Major League Baseball there have been good trades and bad trades and then there are some that are so bad you wonder what the team was thinking. In this blog I’m going to discuss some trades and some other mistakes that teams would like to have “repeated”. These examples for the most part involve Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers.

The big one

I’ll start with the most obvious; the Boston Red Sox selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. If you follow baseball, you know that the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $100,000 during the 1919-1920 offseason. Prior to that transaction, the Red Sox had been one of professional baseball’s most successful franchises, winning the first World Series and capturing five World Series titles. After the sale, they went without a title for 86 years and the Yankees became one of the most successful franchises in North American professional sports. Ruth’s last year with the Yankees was in 1934, so he didn’t make much of an impact for the 70 years until they finally won in 2004.

Boston Red Sox trade Jeff Bagwell

The Red Sox made another trade that, in hindsight, they wish they could get back. This time the player was Jeff Bagwell. In 1990, the Red Sox were in a pennant race and needed a veteran pitcher. At the same time, the Houston Astros were going nowhere and were in a rebuilding phase. So, the Astros feel Larry Andersen for the Red Sox. Andersen pitched in 15 games and compiled an impressive 1.23 ERA. However, in the playoffs he recorded a loss and after that he was finished with the Red Sox.

To get Andersen, the Red Sox agreed to send Jeff Bagwell to the Astros. Bagwell began his career with the Astros by winning the 1991 National League Rookie of the Year. In 1994 he won the MVP award and finished second (1999) and third in MVP voting (1997). Four All-Star Game appearances, three Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove Award later, in my opinion, Bagwell had a Hall of Fame career. Bagwell finished with 449 home runs and if injuries hadn’t shortened his career; he probably would have hit over 500 home runs.

Mets trade Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver

The Mets didn’t do it just once; they traded two Hall of Fame pitchers, Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver. Imagine a starting rotation that included Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. Together they won 867 games. In the Mets’ defense, Ryan’s four years with the Mets were not speculation. He was traded to the Angels with several others for Jim Fregosi. Fregosi played a total of 146 games for the Mets hitting .233.

For whatever reason, teams have signed Nolan Ryan, then after a few years have tried to trade him or let him go, thinking the end of his career must be in sight. Every year he proved those teams wrong, but the worst story is the team that let him go before he became one of the best pitchers in baseball history.

Once in California, Ryan became a star. So maybe we could give them some slack with Ryan, but Tom Seaver was the Mets’ ace. How do you justify trading a pitcher who has won three Cy Young Awards and been a 10-time All-Star?

The Mets had to answer this in 1977 when they traded Seaver to the Reds for Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson and Dan Norman. In the five and a half years that Zachry spent with the Mets, he compiled a 52-62 record. Meanwhile, during the same period, Seaver compiled a 75-49 record for the Reds. The other three players are not worth mentioning.

The Mets made another significant airhead move. In 1966, the Mets got the first overall pick in the MLB draft. They make fun of catcher Steve Chilcott. They could have drafted outfielder Reggie Jackson. Chilcott, is one of the first two overall players to never play a game in the major leagues. The other is Brien Taylor, drafted by the New York Yankees in 1991. Jackson went on to have a Hall of Fame career with 563 home runs, 1,702 RBIs, fourteen All-Star appearances and the MVP in 1973.

Houston Astros trade Joe Morgan

After nine mediocre years with Houston, the Astros gave up on Morgan and traded him to the Cincinnati Reds. There must be something in Cincinnati that agrees with him. In each of his eight years with the Reds, he was selected to the All-Star team and won two MVP awards and led the Reds to two World Series titles.

As with the Mathewson trade, Morgan returned to Houston for a year during which they won the National League West title. Morgan was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Philadelphia Phillies trade Ryne Sandberg

Ryne Sandberg was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 20th round of the 1978 amateur draft. Sandberg played 13 games for the Phillies in 1981. The Phillies traded him with Larry Bowa to the Cubs for Iván De Jesús.

There are some players whose name makes you think of a team. When you hear the names Ron Santo or Ryne Sandberg, you automatically think of the Chicago Cubs. Sandberg went on to have a Hall of Fame career.

In three seasons with the Phillies, De Jesus never topped .257.

Chicago Cubs trade Lou Brock

Lou Brock was with the Chicago Cubs for four seasons, but only played two full seasons before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.

In 1964, the Cubs sent Brock and two others to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ernie Broglio. In three seasons with the Cardinals, Broglio compiles a 6-21 record with a 5.12 ERA. Meanwhile, Brock’s career took off leading the Cardinals to a World Series title in his first year. Brock went on to have a Hall of Fame career.

Detroit Tigers trade John Smoltz

The Detroit Tigers drafted John Smoltz in the 22nd round of the 1985 amateur draft. Before Smoltz reached the major leagues, the Tigers traded him to the Atlanta Braves. In 1987, the Tigers were in a pennant race and the non-contending Braves easily traded Doyle Alexander for Smoltz. Alexander went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 11 starts, helping the Tigers reach the playoffs.

Unfortunately, he sucked in the playoffs going 0-2 with a 10.0 ERA. Smoltz debuted on July 23, 1988, joining Tom Glavine and Greg Maddox in one of the best starting rotations in baseball history. Smoltz became a reliever from 2001 to 2004. He is the only pitcher in Major League history to surpass 200 wins (213) and 150 saves (154). He is also a member of the 3,000 strikeout club.

St. Louis Cardinals trade Steve Carlton

In 1972, the St. Louis Cardinals traded 20-game winner Steve Carlton to the Philadelphia Phillies for 17-game winner Rick Wise. At the time, Carlton was the number two pitcher behind Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson. They had already won one World Series, and Carlton seemed to be the heir apparent to Bob Gibson.

In Philadelphia, Carlton won 241 of 329 games and won four Cy Young Awards. Wise lasted two years with the Cardinals compiling a 32-28 record.

Montreal, Seattle, Houston, Arizona (twice) and the New York Yankees traded or released Randy Johnson

For some reason, trading Randy Johnson always makes at least one team look stupid. The Montreal Expos traded him in a package to the Seattle Mariners for Mark Langston. This was obviously a big deal for the Mariners, as they now had their ace for the ’90s. The Expos could have had a top of the rotation with Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez.

Yet for all the bad trades the Mariners have had, at least when they traded Johnson to the Astros in 1998, they received Freddy Garcia and Carlos Guillen. Garcia finished second to Carlos Beltrán for Rookie of the Year in 1999, finishing with a 17-8 record and winning 76 games in the 4 1/2 years he was with the Mariners. Guillén had a decent career with the Mariners.

The Astros got what they needed. In 11 games, Johnson compiled a 10-1 record with a 1.28 ERA.

For the Expos, though, these kinds of trades explain everything.

Montreal Expos Trade Pedro Martinez

It’s hard to trade your best player when you feel like he’s going to leave in free agency, but at least you can get something for him when you do.

After the Dodgers traded Martinez for Delino DeShields, one of those; I wish we could make trades, Martinez went 17-8 with a 1.90 ERA and won the Cy Young Award in 1997. I guess the Expos weren’t impressed as they traded him to the Red Sox where he won two more Cy Young Awards. Instead of acquiring a few quality prospects, all they got was Carl Pavano (24-35) and Tony Armas, Jr. (32-41).

In addition to Randy Johnson and Martinez, the Expos traded Larry Walker, Andre Dawson, Vladimir Guerrero and several other really good players.

Chicago White Sox trade Sammy Sosa and move to another slugger

The Rangers originally traded Sosa to the White Sox after he played a total of 25 games for them. After three seasons with the White Sox, they saw nothing to make them think he would be a powerhouse home run hitter, so they traded him to the Cubs for George Bell.

Bell’s career was all but over and after two seasons he retired. Meanwhile, Sosa displayed the exact power the White Sox were trying to turn around. The extra power could have helped them compete in the AL Central.

Like the Mets 20 years earlier, the White Sox with the fifth pick in the 1985 draft took a high school catcher from California named Kurt Brown; he never made it to the majors. With the sixth pick, the Pirates selected Arizona State outfielder Barry Bonds. Do you think the White Sox could have won a division title or two with Bonds in left field?

Imagine a lineup that included Frank Thomas, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa. The White Sox could have made it happen, but they didn’t.

Stay tuned, as I doubt we’ve seen the latest “airhead” moves. I will be watching the races of Jesús Montero and Michael Pineda.

The world of ice dance has had some good news recently. Canadian ice dance duo Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who set the competition on fire at the Vancouver 2010 Games with their shimmering golden moves, took the floor this month at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. This is their first performance together in almost two and a half years; the last time they skated they won the silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Games in Russia. And unsurprisingly, the score of 77.2 points they earned in the Short Dance was well ahead of the Danish pair who finished in second place.

However, there is still the Free Dance part of the competition ahead.

Ice dancing is a popular sport that is part of the discipline of figure skating; it became an official Olympic sport in 1976. As the term implies, the routine involves a couple consisting of a man and a woman performing twists and rhythmic dance moves to a piece of music. There are strict requirements for performance to be judged, such as no jumping or throwing, and no more than two arms spread apart.

Ice dancing differs greatly from figure skating, where the skaters’ skills focus on jumping and spinning and precision footwork. This is one of the reasons why the Artistic Director of Ice Dance International, a professional company that performs all over the world, is interested in moving the activity from a ‘sport’ to an ‘art’. Ice dancing is all about expansive power and speed, flow and flight and the pattern that we can see on ice and is therefore more of an art than a sport discipline.

In the 1930s, many elements of what are known as compulsory dances comprised movements developed by ice dances from Great Britain. Since joining the World Championship in 1952, British teams have won twelve of the first sixteen world championships. Movements back then were directed more towards a vertical carriage and angular movements. However, beginning in the 1960s, as more ice dances from Europe began to join in, a new trend in dance moves began to emerge that involved more upper body movement and increased speed.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Soviet dancers took center stage through their more theatrical styles based on ballet elements that emphasized extended line and speed rather than difficult footwork. The Russian couple of Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov won the first international title when the ball became an official medal event.

Knowing how to care for your canvas prints is important to make your canvas wall art last longer. You’ve already invested some of your money in your prints and you really should take extra steps to prevent them from fading or getting damaged. The beauty of the wall and interior decoration will also depend on how well you take care of your design accents and wall art.

Here are some tips on how to keep your wall decor looking like you just bought it at the art store:

1. First of all, when you buy your prints or canvases, make sure you have made some preparations to hang them on your wall. These types of decorations should be hung on a wall or at least placed in a safe part of the house like a shelf next to the wall. It will be safer there than anywhere in the house.

2. At least twice a month, dust your prints with a soft-bristled brush or feather duster. Never use a damp rag or sponge to remove dust from your wall art. Rubbing the surface of canvas prints can remove the protective varnish.

3. Although professionally produced canvas photos are printed with high-quality ink, you should still keep them out of direct sunlight. Lightfast inks commonly used for photographic prints must maintain the bright colors of the image for a long time. The anti-UV varnish is also supposed to protect images from fading for at least 70 years. But exposing prints to sunlight every day will eventually take its toll and shorten the lifespan of the colors’ vibrancy.

4. Another thing to avoid besides the UV rays of the sun is heat. The materials used to create canvas paintings are often of the highest quality. The canvas is of the highest quality for artists and the stretcher bars are pre-treated to prevent warping, but hanging the canvases directly over a fireplace or radiator may not be the best idea. It can still be damaged if the temperature around it is constantly high. The canvas can become brittle and the wooden frame can warp.

5. Even though you try to be very careful with your canvas, sometimes you can’t avoid accidents. Should your canvas get dented, this can be easily fixed by moistening the dented part on the back of the print and allowing it to dry naturally. Avoid using a hair dryer. Hours later, you will notice that the tooth will disappear after the canvas dries. The canvas expands when wet and then shrinks when it dries. The tooth is literally stretched.

The NHL Playoffs are about to start, the second season is ready to go.

The 2009-2010 NHL season started with 30 teams, we are in the last 16.

Eight will represent the Western Conference and eight the Eastern Conference.

The Eastern Conference Representatives are as follows, Capitals, Devils, Sabres, Penguins, Canadians, Flyers, Bruins, and Ottawa.

The Western Conference features the Black Hawks, Sharks, Canucks, Predators, Redwings, Avalanche, Kings, and Coyotes.

The matchups are as follows in the East: Heavy favorites No. 1 seed Washington Capitals vs. Eight seed Montreal Canadiens No. 2 seed New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers, the number seven seed, the Buffalo Sabres, the number three seed, against the Boston, the number six seed. Bruins and the number four seeded Pittsburgh Penguins against the number five seeded Ottawa Senators.

Puck Video Predictions in the first round. Washington Capitals in five games, Philadelphia Flyers in seven games, Buffalo Sabers in six games, and the Pittsburgh Penguins also in six games.

Heading west, the repeating number one San Jose Sharks will face off against the Colorado Avalanche, the number two Chicago Black Hawks and number seven Nashville Predators will face off against the third seeded Vancouver Cancuks and the The sixth-seeded Los Angles Kings and the number four-seeded Phoenix Coyotes will face the defending Western Conference champions, the five-seeded Detroit Redwings.

Some good matchups out West, but expect the San Jose Sharks to avenge their early exit last season with a sweep of the Avalanche, the Black Hawks to top the Predators in five games, and now the good stuff. The Kings and Cancuks will go to seven home-field advantage games on the Cancuks road. The Redwings have been the hottest team in the league since winter break, expected to take down the upbeat Coyotes in six games.

There you have it, the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup playoff first round game with predictions. We’ll see you in the second round, but you’ll see us before then as we’ll have all the game highlights posted on the puck video.