Your guide to Spring Training baseball

by Aaron Hotfelder on

It seems like just yesterday that the Boston Red Sox swept the surging Colorado Rockies to win their second World Series in four years.

Yes, it’s hard to believe, but in two short weeks, baseball’s Spring Training will begin. For the uninitiated (or the un-American), Spring Training is the month-long period of exhibition games before the Major League Baseball season. Every team travels to either Florida or Arizona to play these games, and it’s a time of great hope and excitement for fans of every team (with the possible exception of the Kansas City Royals), who believe that this might finally be their year.

Spring Training games are wonderful opportunities to laze around in some great weather and sip on a cold one (or five). And since players are much more accessible than during the regular season, Spring Training is also your chance to get your favorite player’s autograph– or to tell your least favorite player that you think he’s a bum.

Here’s a short guide for those of you thinking about heading south this spring for baseball at its purest:

Where does my favorite team play? As always, Wikipedia has the answer– here.

Are there, like, leagues or something? Those teams that play in Arizona make up the “Cactus League,” while those who play in Florida are in the “Grapefruit League.”

Hey, I’m not made of money. How much does all this cost? It depends. Flights into Phoenix and Fort Lauderdale, for example, shouldn’t be more than a couple hundred dollars, depending on where you’re coming from. That’s a steal compared to the ridiculous mark-up on tickets to most Spring Break destinations right now (i.e. St. Louis to Cancun, usually $300, is about $800 during Spring Break week).

Tickets to the games themselves are almost never more than $20, and can be had for as little as $4 or $5 at most stadiums. As a general rule, the crappier your team is, the cheaper (and more available) the tickets will be. Unless the game is sold out, tickets can always be bought at the stadium’s box office prior to the game, and scalpers can hook you up in the case of a sell-out.

Your biggest expenses will likely be renting a car and finding a place to stay. Priceline has never steered me wrong on a car rental, and Couchsurfing is available for those of you too cheap to pay for a hotel room. Like me.

If organizing all these logistics is too much of a hassle, many travel agencies offer Spring Training package deals, in which airfare, tickets, accomodations, and a rental car are included in the price. Three-game deals are available for most teams start at about $600 with everything included.

Are beer and concessions available at these contests? In copious quantities. Sadly, though the games may be only exhibitions, the prices are in mid-season form.

Want more Spring Training info? Here’s some tips, news, and guidance. And Go Cardinals!

Make Mozart Balls like a master

by Jamie Rhein on

One of the finest discoveries I experienced when I first went to Europe as a junior in college was the European version of chocolate. In Denmark, I savored Anthon Berg. In Switzerland it was Toblerone. In Austria I became quite fond of Mozart Balls. Had I been eating only Hershey bars and Almond Joys up until that point? I don’t remember, but what I do remember in a semester of college travel was savoring chocolate very, very slowly since I was on a budget and wanted every bite to last. Just this past week, I had a Mozart Ball, my first in about a year. It lasted several minutes. Yes, it was great.

As I’ve found out, one can learn to make Mozart Balls according to the original recipe passed down from1890. Making Mozartkkugein, the original fancy name, is one of the draws to St. Gilgen, a small village on Lake Wolfgang near Saltzburg At the Konditorei Dallmann, you can take a 30 to 40 minute course in Mozart Ball making. Included in the price is a confectioner’s hat, apron, cake and coffee.

Should you bring your own food when visiting China?

by Jerry Guo on

There was a big New York Times story this weekend about the US Olympics delegation’s plan to ship in 25,000 pounds of their own food to Beijing this summer.

Here’s what one caterer for the delegation had to say about an innocent looking piece of chicken he found at an everyday supermarket. “We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could have given it to athletes. They all would have tested positive.” And more:

In recent years, some foods in China have been found to be tainted with insecticides and illegal veterinary drugs, and the standards applied to meat there are lower than those in the United States, raising fears of food-borne illnesses.

If Chinese food isn’t good enough for US athletes, is it good enough for you? I think the surprising answer is no–if you have a sensitive stomach. My girlfriend got deathly sick for a week this past summer from eating a cantaloupe from a street vendor. I had similar problems a couple years back buying octopus from a street vendor. I think it goes to show: stick to actual restaurants.

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Big in Japan: Drinking breast milk and other bizarre fetishes

by Matthew Firestone on

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, which means that a lot of people out there are searching for Mr. and Mrs. Right…

But, in this bustling modern day age of midnight deadlines and overtime-laden schedules, who has the time to put themselves out there and find true love?

Then again, for anyone keen on avoiding the trials and tribulations of the dating game, you can always take out a classified advertisement.

Although it may not be romantic, classified ads are certainly quick, easy and functional.

And, if you happen to be looking for something a bit more – how shall we say this – kinky, they’re also a great way of maintaining your anonymity.

In Tokyo, the much-loved Metropolis magazine runs what is perhaps the most famous classified ads section in Japan, especially for anyone out there with an unusual fetish.

In a special list compiled this week, Metropolis gave us all an insight into just how bizarre Tokyoites and resident foreigners can be.

Don’t believe me? Check this one out:

Breast milk wanted. British guy, 33, looking for a kind woman of any nationality, ideally under 40, who can feed a hungry boy. 100% confidential. My first time.

It gets weirder…keep on reading if you don’t believe me!

This Valentine’s Day, it seems that infidelity is in the air, especially since breaking the sacred bonds of marriage seems to be about as popular here in Tokyo as the new line of Luis Vuiton handbags.

Looking to put a bit of spice back into your married life?

Try having an affair!

Not sure where to start?

Here are some lonely people who can help you rekindle that old flame:

– Unhappily married man. Love humor, fun, relaxing, playing, thinking, sex, reading, learning, honesty, trust, really bad jokes, singing off-key. Hate vegetables, Bush, unhappiness.

– JM, married but tall, fit and very handsome, seeks woman for discreet meetings. I’m tired of marital days. Good-looking Caucasian or Asian girl preferred.

– Bored.in.my.marriage.com. Are you stuck at this address? If your husband doesn’t love, physically excite or listen to you, I’ll do it for him. For both of us. Lovers first.

– Fun sex friend. Seeking discreet sex friend for rendezvous in Shibuya. Ideally looking for a sex-starved married woman. I’ll bring the Viagra, you just have to bring yourself. Handsome, kind and fit American seeks married Japanese lady for nothing but good times! Remember, you only live once. So come on.

Of course, for those of us not into extra-marital affairs, there’s no shortage of strange fetishists out there looking for a special kind of love/lust this V-day season.

How strange is the dating scene in Tokyo you ask?

Let’s just say that the following classified ads certainly speak for themselves!

Kinky lady. Open-minded, uninhibited, wild, curious, humorous, good-looking, SJM, 30s, seeks female for kinky fun. Just licking and cleaning all her holes, and drinking and wearing her golden water!

Italian man, new in Kawasaki, wants chubby or quasi-fat lady to be with. Should enjoy eating. Any nationality.

(Here’s the kicker…)

A little different. 55-year-old Western businessman, into wearing diapers. Who wants to email me?

Wow – you know what? I think this Valentine’s Day, I’ll just settle for a cold beer and dinner for one at my favorite ramen noodle shop…

From all of us here at Gadling to all of you out there in cyberspace, hope you’ve found love this V-day season that doesn’t involve drinking breast milk, golden water (gross) and wearing diapers!

** All images sourced from the Wikimedia Commons Project **

See all the Best Picture nominated movies in one day

by Jamie Rhein on

A friend of mine, her husband and their college age daughter are heading to an AMC movie theatre in Columbus, Ohio on February 23 for a day of movie watching and all the popcorn they can eat. By 11:00 a.m. they’ll be settled in their seats watching “Micheal Clayton.” At 9:00 p.m., the opening credits of “No Country for Old Men” will have started and by 11:30 p.m., they should be on their way home after their marathon of seeing all the films nominated for Best Picture.

This is not a do-it-yourself event of seeing how many movies you can sneak into at a multiplex theater, but one orchestrated by AMC. The Easton Mall movie theater is the only one in Ohio offering the movie marathon billed as “Best Pictures Showcase” but, across the U.S. there are others. (The Cincinnati location is actually in northern Kentucky across the river) For $30 you can see all five Best Picture Oscar nominated films spaced out with just enough time so you can take a bathroom break, get something to eat, and prevent thrombosis from setting in. I imagine there’s some chat time with your fellow movie-goers as well. To find a theatre near you, go to the drop down menu on the event page.

The schedule is the same at all participating AMC theatres. After “Michael Clayton” comes “There Will Be Blood” followed by “Atonement” followed by “Juno.” With the pass you can come and go as you please. I’ve seen all five movies, and for what works out to $5 bucks a pop if you paid for each ticket separately, this is a deal worth the money. Each of these movies is superb for entirely different reasons. Don’t forget; there’s all that popcorn.