ALTOONA, Pa. – If you’re a baseball fan, you’ve likely been to a game on “Dollar Hot Dog Night” or maybe “Get Some Kind of Bag or Hat or Something Not Too Terribly Exciting Free at the Door Night.”
But if you happen to be a fan of the Altoona Curve, you can take yourself out to the ballgame on a themed evening that’s a wee bit more … creative.
Inspired by MLB's Los Angeles Angels fan who sued the team because he didn’t get a tote bag at the club’s Mother’s Day promotion last year, the Curve are inviting fans to attend “Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit Night” on July 2 at Blair County Ballpark, according to the team’s Web site, altoonacurve.com.
So what exactly does “Frivolous Lawsuit Night” entail? For starters, a whole bunch of lawsuit-friendly giveaways.
In case they, too, are a little miffed about being denied any Mother’s Day freebies, the first 137 guys at the park will be given a pink tote bag.
The first 137 thirsty but thermally unaware women in attendance will get burn-proof lukewarm coffee.
And the kiddos have a treat coming their way too. The first 137 inexplicably hungry children will get a beach ball, complete with a warning not to ingest it.
But the facetious fun doesn’t stop there.
In another nod to the Mother’s Day suit, Angels merchandise will be dished out throughout the game, and some of history’s finest frivolous lawsuits will be honored.
“We realize that these giveaways as part of our Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit Night are fairly stupid and serve no real purpose,” said Curve General Manager Todd Parnell. “But if our fans don’t like them, then they can sue us!”
Practicing corporate and sports attorney Chuck Greenberg, who also serves as the president and managing partner of the club, declined to comment on the festivities in fear his remarks could lead to — you guessed it — a frivolous lawsuit.
And it seems this isn’t the teams first foray into the realm of the outlandish theme night — they were honored by Minor League Baseball as the winner of the 2004 Larry MacPhail Award for promotional excellence.
Like to Get Busy on Bearskin Rugs? You're Not Alone
NEW YORK (New York Post) — We’ve all heard about obsessive stamp collectors, Trekkies and people that go to Renaissance fairs. But who knew that somewhere out there was a group of people united by, say, their love of Chef Boyardee canned goods, making whoopee in the back seats of cars, and dancing in their underwear?
Welcome to the bizarre world of MySpace groups. If you have a passion, no matter how obscure, the social network seems to have been created to connect you with others — and provide the comfort that you're not alone.
From the "Merlot? Hell No!" group devoted to the promotion of pinot noir, to "Ponytails and Popped Collars," an organization intended for "preppy girls who wear ponytails with popped collars and guys who think preppy girls are hot," you need not stand alone anymore. The latter group boasts 75 members, and asks participants to take a stand on such hard-hitting issues as Lacoste vs. vintage Izod.
There's the "Really Awesome Hula-Hoop" group, the "Wet Shoe Fetishists" and "Lip-gloss-aholics Anonymous." There's also the "I Love Boobies" group, which, not surprisingly, has 767 members — not to mention countless mammary-advocate rival gangs, such as the "Boob Fan Club," the "We Love Boobies Group," and "Straight Chicks Love Boobies, Too."
Then there's the "We Hate Jessica Simpson Club," the "Let's Talk About Cockatiels!" group, "Mormon Dudes/Dudettes," and the group with perhaps the best title of all: "People for Making Savage Animal Love on Bear-skinned Rugs Before Roaring Fires."
Discussion is limited to one question and one question only: Have you, or have you not, made savage animal love on bearskin rugs before roaring fires?
So what's the point of all these organizations? With the exception of groups devoted to political and environmental causes, about 80 percent of the groups on MySpace are completely without purpose.
ADELANTO, California (AP) — It was a sod story for a Mojave Desert homeowner whose entire front yard — grass, bushes and sprinklers — was hauled away by a thief.
The homeowner telephoned law officials to report the yard in front of his under-construction home on was gone, a sheriff's spokeswoman Staci Johnson said Tuesday.
Witnesses told the homeowner they saw the thief taking the sod, plants and irrigation system to a nearby residence, Johnson said.
David Roger Bowers, 34, was arrested at the home and booked for investigation of grand theft and possession of stolen property, the sheriff's spokeswoman said.
The landscaping materials were returned to the victim.
Behold! Mt. Peoplewithalotoftimeontheirhands
LONDON (AP) — Volunteers tidying up Britain's highest mountain have found a piano near the summit, a conservation group said Wednesday.
The instrument was discovered at the weekend under a pile of stones near the top of the 4,418-foot Ben Nevis, according to the John Muir Trust, which owns part of the Scottish mountain.
"Our guys couldn't believe their eyes," trust director Nigel Hawkins said. "At first they thought it was just the wooden casing, but then they saw the whole cast iron frame complete with strings.
"The only thing that was missing was the keyboard, and that's another mystery," Hawkins said.
A cookie wrapper with an expiry date of Dec. 12, 1986, was found underneath the piano, suggesting it may have been there for 20 years.
Hawkins said he suspected the piano was carried up as part of a charity fundraising effort by a group who decided it was easier to bury it under a pile of stones, or cairn, than carry it back down.
"People have played rugby up there, and someone drove up a herd of llamas," Hawkins said. "It does attract a lot of wacky things."
Volunteers, who were also clearing trash left by some 120,000 people who visit the mountain every year, have broken up the piano and carried down the pieces.
For That Price, It Better Play Itself
NEW YORK (AP) — The bids for a nearly 300-year-old Stradivarius violin opened at $700,000 and quickly soared to $1 million. Gasps, whispers and titters occasionally punctuated the room as the price tag climbed even higher. Soon it was at $2 million, then $3 million.
The violin sold Tuesday for more than $3.5 million in what was a record for the most paid for a musical instrument at auction, Christie's said. The violin is one of the world's most prized musical instruments.
The instrument, made in 1707 by Italian violinmaker Antonio Stradivari, sold for $3,544,000. The winning bid, which included the house's commission, broke a record of $2,032,000 paid for another Stradivarius at Christie's in April 2005, the auction house said.
The new owner bought the violin anonymously via telephone.
Kerry K. Keane, who heads Christie's department of musical instruments and was the bidder's proxy, described him as "a gentleman who is international" and a "benefactor and patron of the arts" who loves classical music.
The violin, which had been expected to sell for $1.5 million to $2.5 million, will probably be heard soon on stages worldwide, Keane said, declining to elaborate.
"It's always been fashionable to own a Stradivari," Keane said.
Compiled by FOXNews.com's Taylor Timmins.
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