My first attempt at graphic design

Last night around 11 pm I got the idea that I should just create a logo myself.  So I searched for a free graphic design program, downloaded it, then set to work trying to figure out how to use it (for anybody familiar with this kind of thing, it's called Serif DrawPlus).  A couple hours later I think I had successfully mastered about .04% of what it is capable of.  By 3:30 am, here is what I'd come up with:

This is the prototype.  LucidSportsFan Logo Version 1.0.  My early tracking numbers are very positive, especially in the 45-65 age demographic.  I think it should appeal to younger audiences as well though.  Let me know your thoughts.  And don't just be nice.  I want actual useful information.  If you think it's too boring or looks like it was made by an 8 year old, tell me.  Leave a comment below.  Or on the facebook page.  Or on the twitter.  Especially twitter.  It's been a little while since I've tried to convince my readers to join twitter.  Seriously, it's fantastic.  And make sure to express your opinions in the poll on the side.  You can vote for more than one option.

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Three 3-run homers in two games?

I've got my best people working on it, but without any conclusive data I think it's safe to say Cody Ross' heroics from the last two games are one of the more unusual occurrences Major League Baseball has seen in a while.  I have a feeling today may be the day the Red Sox bandwagon begins to come back to life.  A friend of mine texted me this morning: "I'm excited to start following baseball again.  I kinda re-like these guys."  My guess is that's a fairly popular sentiment around here right now.  I on the other hand picked last June 17th as the day the Sox season would turn around, and so far they've proven me right.  Go read my story "Inspired Red Sox Host Blue Jays for Weekend Series" at clnsradio.com.


11:55 PM UPDATE: The last person to hit 3 three-run home runs in that short a span was Sammy Sosa almost 10 years ago.  He did it in one game, 8/10/02.

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The CitiBank London Olympics commercial is just not true

This ad has been airing all the time for about 6 weeks, and it really bothers me.  Don't get me wrong, I love the idea for it and I think it's a funny little story.  But here's the problem: It's in the past tense.  The whole time the narrator is talking about stuff her town did, and it hasn't even happened yet.  Citi loses some credibility in my book by trying to convince us this is something people do with their "thank you points" when they're telling a story that's obviously made up.  Now I have to rethink my whole stance on their rock climbing commercial. 

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That's the Carl Crawford I remember!

Before last season started I was extremely excited about the Red Sox additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford; Crawford in particular I couldn't wait to see in a Boston uniform.  In Tampa he'd been a stud on my fantasy team for years, and he'd always torched the Sox whenever he came to town.

Sometime during the winter/spring of 2011 I was in either Marshalls or T.J. Maxx (why do they both still exist anyway?  They have exactly the same stuff, are owned by the same company, and whenever you see one the other is usually lurking nearby.  It just makes no sense!), and they had a bunch of Gonzalez and Crawford jersey t-shirts for sale.  Since they were less than half of what they normally cost, I bought one of each.  There is statistical evidence to suggest that Gonzalez's success last year was directly related to my t-shirt.

On the other hand, my Carl Crawford shirt has been sitting neatly folded in my closet for 18 months, brand new with the tags still on.  I decided over the weekend it was time to bust it out.  I'd look like a genius (um, Youk?) if I'd written this a couple of days ago.  In two games back, the Devil Ray I remember is 4-7 with a walk, 3 steals, and 4 runs scored since returning to the Sox lineup.

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Another reason you gotta love Paul Pierce (even if you're not a sports fan)

It's mid summer, there's not a lot happening in the sports world, and I'm having a bit of Celtics withdrawal.  So, I'm going to tell you a story about Paul Pierce from last March; 3/6/12 vs the Houston Rockets to be exact.  It has nothing to do with the fact that on that night he scored 30 points for the second game in a row, or that two days before he'd nailed a ridiculous clutch 3-pointer to send a game to OT (Pierce led the C's to consecutive overtime wins against the Knicks and Rockets on March 4th and 6th).  This is not about Paul Pierce the basketball player, it's about Paul Pierce the human being.  This story is for the ladies, non-basketball fans, my mother, and people who might prefer to watch awards shows instead of sporting events.


On this night shortly after the start of overtime, Pierce drove to the basket, made a tough layup, and had his head band knocked off in the process.  He hustled back on defense, and as play shifted to the other end of the court a ball boy picked up the head band and tossed it into the crowd.  I saw this happen from my seat in Section 8 of the Garden, and commented that it was a strange thing for the ball boy to do.  As I suspected, Pierce wanted the headband back.  After playing about a minute without it, at the next whistle he ran over to the crowd frantically looking for it. The fan who caught it was nice enough to throw it back to him, and Pierce finished the game wearing the headband.  But, the second the final buzzer sounded, Pierce ran back to that same section of the crowd searching for the fan.  He found him, thanked him, and let him keep the souvenir.   

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Awesome Old Song of the Week: "Joyride" by Roxette

Roxette

Emily Valentine

Roxette was a surprisingly spectacular Swedish pop duo from the late 80's and early 90's; consisting of a spiky haired blond girl who sang (and looked a lot like "Emily Valentine," the crazy girl Brandon dated on 90210), and a dark haired guy who played the guitar (and was a cross between David Copperfield and "Uncle Jesse" from Full House).  They had some pretty huge songs, including The Look, Listen to your Heart, Dangerous, and It Must Have Been Love (from the Pretty Woman soundtrack).  But if you ask me, the best thing they ever did was Joyride. 

David Copperfield

Uncle Jesse

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I've created the first LucidSportsFan hat

Here's my second ever piece of brand clothing.  First I made a shirt back in April.  Now there is a hat.  Unfortunately lids.com screwed it up and sent a large instead of a medium, so it's not ready for game day action until they replace it.  

And while I'm on the subject, I really really need a LucidSportsFan logo at this point.  I'm working on cross promotions with other websites, and I've got to have something for them to use on their sites that represents mine.  Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.  Here's a post I wrote a while ago describing what I'd like it to include.  The logos for the other sites I write for on the left side of the page are a good guide as to the kind of thing I am looking for.  SupahFans.com is also trying to help me out with this.


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