wing it and smile

Tuesday, September 5, 2017 by Wade Kwon

Their plans were simply
to hang out and see where the
day and night take them.

• • •

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The Birmingham channel: The ram and the obelisk

Monday, September 4, 2017 by Wade Kwon

A look at Birmingham in videos …

Memphis rappers La Chat and Project Pat perform in August at the Birmingham Entertainment Center in the ACIPCO-Finley neighborhood (our vertical video of the week). From Certy Mac.

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Dance battle featuring the Dancing Dolls of Birmingham. From William Mcintyre.

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Driving on I-65 near West Valley Avenue (our other vertical video of the week). From Sam Aden.

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Highlight reel for Wenonah High junior pitcher Gregory Wright at July’s Baseball America Camp held at Birmingham-Southern College. From Katressa Wright-Cooper.

More Wright highlights of fielding and hitting. From Katressa Wright-Cooper.

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Orange County hip-hop violinist Josh Vietti performs at Jazz in the Park in August at Arlington Antebellum Home and Gardens in Arlington-West End. From Ron P.

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Los Angeles drummer Glen Sobel performs at the Nick on Southside. From Birmingham Bandstand Open Mic.

Birmingham musician Rebecca Egeland performs at the Nick. From Birmingham Bandstand Open Mic.

Birmingham musician Chris Seifert performs at the Nick (our other other vertical video of the week). From Birmingham Bandstand Open Mic.

Birmingham’s People of the Internal Sunshine Band performs at the Nick (our other other other vertical video of the week). From Birmingham Bandstand Open Mic.

CJ GetLive performs at the Nick. From Birmingham Bandstand Open Mic.

Dr. D and Saylor perform at the Nick. From Birmingham Bandstand Open Mic.

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An old-fashioned tent meeting (our other other other other vertical video of the week). From Joey Sammons.

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The Velocity Accelerator program’s Demo Day and graduation in August at Covalence downtown. From Covalence.

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Jamie White, owner of Brown Heating and Cooling in Hueytown, shows off a Bryant air conditioner. From Brown Heating and Cooling.

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Is that Baphomet at the Storyteller fountain? From Mysteries of the Kingdom.

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An 11th grade lesson on “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” from the Dr. Nermien Ismail Schools. From NIS 5PRO.

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Austin country singer Tyler Dial performs at Uptown in August. From Deirien Howard.

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Red Diamond’s role in Birmingham Restaurant Week. From Alabama NewsCenter.

Meeting restaurateurs at the Birmingham Restaurant Week Preview Party in August at the Upside-Down Plaza in Five Points South. From Lorenzo March.

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Mobile’s Allante Jowers talks about the Innovate Birmingham Workforce program. From UAB News.

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A look at the Flats on 4th apartments near Region Field. From Urban Spaces.

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“CBS This Morning” interviews Birmingham mayor William Bell on the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Linn Park downtown. From CBS This Morning.

More on the Confederate memorial. From DeffMind Film Production.

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Atlanta rapper J.I.D performs “Ed, Edd and Eddy” in June at Avondale Brewing Company (our other other other other other vertical video of the week). From J1 TG.

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A trip to 2017 National Speech and Debate Tournament in June in Birmingham. From Brann Done.

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“Lunch with Mee Mee: When Daddy was a Barber,” part of the series “Great Depression Stories” featuring a 90-year-old resident of Birmingham. From Genesis Media Solutions.

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Driving north on I-65 from Montgomery to Birmingham. From Big Rig Travels.

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Landing at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. From Ph80sy.

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James Harden of the Houston Rockets visits Parker High School in Smithfield as part of promoting the team’s 2018 pre-season game in Birmingham. From Alabama NewsCenter.

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Historical footage of Birmingham in 1963 around the civil rights movement. From Professor Creviston History Channel.

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Hanging out at the Birmingham Zoo. From Playing with Z Play.

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A Vietnamese Catholic church procession at Our Lady of La Vang, St. John Bosco Church in Woodlawn. From Lymvideolth.

• • •

Send us links to your videos. | More videos on the Birmingham channel.

Posted in B'ham, Culture | Permalink | Add a Yip »

Happy Labor Day!

Monday, September 4, 2017 by Wade Kwon

Video: John Oliver with some tips
for Labor Day (and other holidays)

Happy Labor Day!

Posted in Grab Bag | Permalink | 1 Yip »

fanfare for the working man

Monday, September 4, 2017 by Wade Kwon

No vacations, no
rest. In this country, every
day is Labor Day.

• • •

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#sundayread for September 3, 2017

Sunday, September 3, 2017 by Wade Kwon

Photo: Dean Hochman (CC)

My picks for #sundayread for September 3, 2017:

Please follow these women for amazing #sundayread picks and so much more!
- Akinyi @kikiochieng
- Evelyne @EvyCoul
- Victoria @vsisson13
Soccer and the pursuit of meaning inside Kakuma, by @LouisBien (via @edsbs)
Boomtown, Flood Town: Climate, flooding and Houston by Neena Satija @neenareports, @KiahCollier
Y’all Connect: Our annual 10-day video sale … 2017 sessions nearly half off!
Driverless Ed-Tech: History of Future of Automation in Education by @AudreyWatters /RT @PPTAWeb
How Tesla changed the auto industry forever, by @AndyJayHawk (via @pizzaphants)
Tweet tweet! Live-tweeting with style and substance
The big bike helmet debate, by @PeterWalker99 (via @JakesBikesUK)
Great chef takes on fast food. It’s harder than he imagined. By @DanielDuane /RT @401Erin
Wade’s 101: #Haiku retrospective 43
Homewood Library @WeKnowBooksETC has $50 prize for its adult reading program in Sept. #bham
The Desperate Journey of a Trafficked Girl, by @BenTaub91 (via @kikiochieng)
Meet Man Who Living Alone on Island for 28 Years by @GulnazKhan (RT @MARTIN_CASAS)
Home Is a Cup of Tea, by @CandaceRardon (via @Melaniegouby)

Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 43

Sunday, September 3, 2017 by Wade Kwon

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garden buffet
The leaves have little
bite marks where wild visitors
stop for healthy snacks.

a trip to the beach
Find the perfect spot
for catching rays, reading trash,
making sand castles.

kiss track
When artists feud, let
them make up with lip-locks set
to a funky beat.

canning fodder
The fight for freedom
never ends. Must we always
send them in harm’s way?

eternal summer
Rising seas, flooded
coasts, ancient viruses, wide-
spread decimation.

stirrings
A gentle breeze lifts
my aching heart to new heights.
Love is in the air.

frustration without representation
No one else was in
the room where it happened, the
room where it happened.

a mom’s poetry journal
First words, first steps, first
day of school. Write it all down,
even when it hurts.

a sorta fairytale 2.0
Once upon a time.
Boy swipes girl. Boy loses girl.
Boy friends girl. The end.

logged out
They dismantled the
giant oak, its wooden bones
left out on the curb.

the path once taken
Ugly gardens, mean
mutts, a falling piano
and a touch of puke.

we take it for granted
The long forgetting
of little niceties done
without need of praise.

alternative fiction
The edges of the
reality distortion
field grow unbounded.

the patriarch, the baby and the father
The specter of death
came calling and never left
our once happy home.

james and the giant (im)peach
The corridors of
power echo with the words
of the lone top cop.

restless heart syndrome
Insecurity,
a faithful companion to
keep me uneasy.

as goes flint
Water comes in both
leaded, unleaded. Make sure
yours is the right one.

cardiac conditioning
Love, however brief,
strengthens a heart against the
loss that often comes.

keys to resiliency
Be realistic.
Believe life is meaningful.
Wing it when needed.

a time of renewal
Withered vines and dead
leaves cleared for a row of new
seeds and some sunshine.

the monster at the end of this preview
All movie trailers
end the same way: with shameless
pleas to buy tickets.

curse of the attentive
Staring at the back
of everyone else’s phones,
waiting to converse.

what i call my junk
The exclamation
point delivers excitement
in a slim package.

you do you
Her tirades against
the universe came from her
weird Twitter outbursts.

all sweat, all the time
After a shower,
waking up, getting something
from the car, breathing.

then ludicrous plan it is
A reasonable
course of action is seldom
called upon to try.

vox unpopuli
The most persuasive
voice is the one nagging deep
from inside the head.

the wake of cindy
Rain nourished the land
in a reassuring caress
on a darkened day.

woes before doze
Night becomes prison
for insomniacs who want
parole to dreamland.

a greedy cancer
Corruption poisons
the powerful, infecting
people with mistrust.

rip megan rondini
She was raped. She cried
for help. They shunned her, blamed her.
Then she killed herself.

sitcom scrum
The idiot ball
bounces from character to
character for laughs.

bles this mess
It’s easy to write
haiku when you don’t have to
count out the sylla—

post-lunch lull
The afternoon is
for wrapping napkins, flirting
with fellow servers.

creative input
Knowing trivia
answers: good. Making up the
answers: much better.

the finicky gourmand
She would eat only
chicken fingers, potatoes
(mashed) and M&Ms.

every day’s a vacation in the ocean
Even the sharks are
headed to the beach for some
swimming and nibbling.

salt water tally
Waves write their names in
lattice letters of foam with
disappearing ink.

certain unalienable rights
That among these are
Life, Liberty and the pur-
suit of Happiness.

declare and conquer
The Founding Fathers
understood all too well the
power-mad tyrant.

the zen of baking
The pan holds batter.
The oven radiates. The
cake rises or falls.

two out of three on the grateful list
Being in great health.
Having great abdominals.
Great at telling lies.

grateful on the go
Discount muffins and
cheap gas and a car that lasts
for some 20 years.

grateful on the net
The fellowship, the
friendship and the endless wealth
of cute videos.

body positivity gratitude
Grateful for teeth that
chew (but not great at tearing),
soft lips and soft hands.

are you not grateful to be entertained?
Peak television.
Audiobooks on demand.
Superhero flicks.

a grateful spirit embiggens the smallest soul
Grateful for things that
last, relationships that grow,
a heart that accepts.

on the road to gratitude
Hospitality
in strange places, a kind heart,
inviting cuisine.

the good place
The friend zone is where
I want to be, gossiping
laughing and scheming.

the blogging fairy
The blogging fairy
brings good ideas and lots
of site visitors.

an introvert in hell
Just need that one lone
hour away from people
and charts and mingling.

finite jest
Considering how
stupid life is, it’s better
that we are mortal.

winky face heart eyes
The journey of a
thousand texts begins with a
single emoji.

the mask of zero
Sometimes, character
is revealed under the most
mundane conditions.

flash film binge
They watched a bunch of
nobodies bring everything
to life in 2 days.

a soul so light
Unburdened with lies
and mistakes, grasping for love
and understanding.

battle of the networker stars
He passed out business
cards like candy, the kind that
rots your will to live.

heads, we’re good
The choice to be nice.
The choice to be kind. The choice
to be fair. Take it.

perhaps a second intermission
The tenor declares
mild weather in a 20-
minute aria.

kids’ matinee
They marched into the
theater single file and
watched without a peep.

home remedies
Take a bee’s stinger,
mix it with ointment and brine,
inject rectally.

a minor legal matter
A Boy Scout is blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah and blah.

after employee chip insertion
Make them dance like the
puppets they are, then charge them
double for vending.

a type of food group
His idea of
cooking was to open a
bag of chips, served fresh.

at the reunion of former classmates
Everyone’s bigger,
balder, gauntier, louder
and mostly sadder.

imposters
They share our first and
last names, but their faces and
minds are different.

it’s been a privilege
We do the same things
but get different outcomes. It’s
like the system’s rigged.

not quite hitchcockian
The audience seemed
dazed once the lights came up and
the credits rolled by.

party hats optional
She spent her birthday
under the knife and fed by
an array of tubes.

high praise from the orchestra
The brass bumped fists, the
strings tapped bows, and the woodwinds
trilled for no reason.

guess who’s coming to instagram?
The pork was simply
photogenic, while the beets
blushed under the lights.

a mind left to its own devices
Boredom should be a
crime when imagination
can sustain us all

surrounded by greatness
He was last in the
batting order and worked to
play better with less.

the invisible woman
No eyes were on her.
No greetings to welcome her.
A soul in shadows.

flash flood flash
A harmless creek swells
into a tsunami of
tumbling cars set free.

just another day during world war 3
Leaders trade barbs while
missiles strike their objectives.
Let’s watch it all die.

a slight tenor
His voice was his meal
ticket, one that fed him with
ramen and bean soup.

a cooked book
The recipe called
for 2 cups of plot and a
dash of character.

love the brazilian way
A sultry fling with
heat, passion and some sandy
settings at sunset.

the sold-out talent show
Little performers
rehearsed their modest acts to
torture their parents.

educators when time permits
Teachers are half moms,
half counselors, half wardens
and all underpaid.

fighting the nazis
Yell at them. Insult
them. Spit on them. Drive them off.
Punch them in the nose.

but what about
Stop defending the
evil forces. Start taking
care of each other.

expressway to far away
The highway will be
rebuilt, but without all those
cumbersome exits.

floral camouflage
Snapdragons lined the
forest floor, giving cover
to the wee creatures.

newton’s lol
Quietly the kids
texted absurd nicknames for
the science teacher.

molecular attraction
Oxygen had a
three-way with some hydrogen
and made a big splash.

letters in a time of unrest
He sent handwritten
missives to his beloved
while fighting back tears.

reflect to deflect
A chunk of rock casts
a mighty shadow with help
from a nearby star.

the knight at the end of this book
Each new page brought her
closer to the past, finding
love in the castle.

conversational flow
I like how she pelts
me with questions, plus answers
all the ones I ask.

accounting migraine
Cash flow barely a
trickle, struggling to make the
figures keep in shape.

harvey, wallbanger
The hurricane tore
through the gulf to pummel the
coast and its neighbors.

normalizing the new normal
The new normal is
not new nor normal. It is
fascism renewed.

a city underwater
The rain would not stop.
Streets, homes, cars flooded, buried.
The rain would not stop.

the innings that pass
They paid almost no
attention to the game while
lost in tender gaze.

11 trillion gallons
Noah looked at the
flood, gasped and swam for safety
away from Houston.

nursing home rescue
The residents are
evacuated safely,
but what of the cats?

the home of the future today
The kitchen doesn’t
clean itself, nor the bathroom.
The maid goes to work.

will of the triumph
Our sorrows consume
our thoughts, but our blessings need
guided remembrance.

the signal
Her lips said nothing
but kiss me again and a-
gain and again and …

• • •

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will of the triumph

Saturday, September 2, 2017 by Wade Kwon

Our sorrows consume
our thoughts, but our blessings need
guided remembrance.

• • •

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the home of the future today

Friday, September 1, 2017 by Wade Kwon

The kitchen doesn’t
clean itself, nor the bathroom.
The maid goes to work.

• • •

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nursing home rescue

Thursday, August 31, 2017 by Wade Kwon

The residents are
evacuated safely,
but what of the cats?

• • •

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11 trillion gallons

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 by Wade Kwon

Noah looked at the
flood, gasped and swam for safety
away from Houston.

• • •

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the innings that pass

Tuesday, August 29, 2017 by Wade Kwon

They paid almost no
attention to the game while
lost in tender gaze.

• • •

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The Birmingham channel: Say so long to summer

Monday, August 28, 2017 by Wade Kwon

A look at Birmingham in videos …

Nonprofit group Member Political Advocacy and Campaign Team conducts training in February at Birmingham-Southern College. The event included Birmingham chapters of Black Lives Matter and Showing Up for Racial Justice. From Howard Garcia.

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Taking a tour of Sloss Furnaces. From SquirmyFeet Explores.

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Consultant Rich Grehalva discusses “Change to an Elder Culture” at a 2014 TEDxBirmingham Salon in Trim Tab Brewing in Lakeview. From Rich Grehalva.

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St. Petersburg, Fla., rock band Frostfang performs “Desert Waves” in July at the Syndicate Lounge on Southside. From Jared Caprio.

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Running at Veterans Park in Hoover (our vertical video of the week). From Rance Reed.

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A World Changers mission team spends a week in July in Birmingham working on a house. From James Savage.

Promo for Mission Serve mission trips in Birmingham. From Mission Serve.

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Trains in Irondale. From Brickbuilder711.

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Counting Crows performs “A Long December” earlier this month at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre (our other vertical video of the week). From Mikey Bookout.

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Interview with Birmingham painter Sarah Webb. From Summer Classics.

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Meet Marn Hoe Chong, a Samford student from Malaysia. From Samford Admission.

“A Day in the Life of a Samford Student” promo for Samford University. From Samford Admission.

Hanging out with Ralph Waldo Beeson, a founding donor of Samford. From Samford Admission.

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Rockin’ in Lakeview. From Eduardo Spock.

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Highlights from the second annual Served Back-to-School Rally and backpack giveaway earlier this month at Urban Attic in East Lake. From DeffMind Film Production.

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A look at sweet tea, filmed in part in Birmingham. From Neoteotihuacan.

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Promo for free biweekly Pop-Up Pilates in the Park classes, from 6 to 7 tonight at Homewood Park. From WellDunn Entertainment.

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Zip-lining at Red Mountain Park. From Adrian Christian H. Opinion.

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Birmingham fun includes Vulcan, Steel City Pops and Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. From Olivia Morris.

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Bike flip! From Ricky Rogers.

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Vlogging while driving about unsafe driving (our other other vertical video of the week). From the Adventures of Kara Marionette.

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Behind the scenes at the JCC Maccabi Games opening ceremony earlier this month at UAB’s Bartow Arena. From Billy Goat.

Dallas’ winning goal against Denver in soccer at the JCC Maccabi Games. From JCC Dallas.

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Singing in church. From Alexander Popov.

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Birmingham rock band Wray performs earlier this month at the Nick on Southside. From the Nick Bham.

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Fishing for bass. From John Sieweke.

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Birmingham trivia. From Simply4Me.

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On preparing wills. From Christopher Reid.

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Highlight reel for senior lacrosse goalie Nico DePaoli from Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Ga., during July’s Birmingham-Southern Pantherlax Showcase. From Nico DePaoli.

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Commercial for Cahaba Cycles. From Meredith Anderson.

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Flooding downtown. From Timbo a k a Sledge.

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Promo for working at WVTM-13. From Hearst Television Careers.

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Spanish band La Voz del Desierto stops by EWTN in Irondale in July. From La Voz del Desierto.

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Promo for the Embers to a Flame Conference in January at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Vestavia Hills. From Briarwood Presbyterian Church.

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Dance party (our other other other vertical video of the week). From Catedratico DJ.

More dancing. From Catedratico DJ.

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Stormy evening (our final vertical video of the week). From Ron Whit.

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Barons second baseman Toby Thomas makes a diving catch against the Jumbo Shrimp’s David Vidal earlier this month at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. From Minor League Baseball.

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