Daily Archives: February 24, 2017

Vin Scully has hung up his microphone after 67 years as the Dodgers play-by-play man nearly half the entire history of Major League Baseball.

Still, there was plenty that came before him in the evolution of fans efforts to follow the action in real time when not sitting in the ballpark.

Here, in recognition of the first Scully-less season since 1949 and the return this weekend of the Yankees and Mets to TV and radio for spring games from Florida is a brief stroll through the timeline that led to live streaming on mobile phones, something that would have seemed like science fiction in 1876 . . . or 1976.

Commercial telegraphy is even older than the National League, and a good thing it was for early fans interested in what was going on in games they did not attend. By the late 1870s, businesses realized customers might enjoy updates on games being played around the country, and contracted with Western Union to obtain results every half inning. One early adopter was Massey's billiard hall in St. Louis, where fans presumably could play pool, drink adult beverages and follow games at the same time. (Shout-out to Peter Morris' 2006 book, "A Game of Inches.") Newspapers, which already were receiving updates via telegraph, caught onto the trend and started posting scores outside their offices.

Raw data was better than nothing, but even better was something with visual aids. Creative minds in places such as Nashville and Atlanta soon were conjuring boards illustrated with baseball diamonds and pegs that moved from base to base to represent players. The gimmick spread to New York in the late 1880s, including outside the offices of Joseph Pulitzer's "The World." In 1886, the opera house in Atlanta tried something wackier: actual, uniformed people moving around a faux diamond on the stage, based on results coming in via telegraph. (Shown: M.D. Compton's Baseball Illustrating Apparatus, U.S. patent 540, 089 issued May 28, 1895.)

By the 1890s, electricity began to add more information - and more pizzazz - to the updates fans had come to rely on, in the form of machines that recounted many aspects of game action, including lights that followed the path of players and/or the ball. Such displays got increasingly elaborate, including mechanized, miniature "players" who mimicked the actions of the actual athletes in the distant stadium. (Shown: Nokes ElectraScore from Popular Electricity Magazine, v.5, October 1912: 584.)

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The electronic bulletin boards outside newspaper offices not only kept fans informed into the early 20th century, but served as a communal experience that replicated the in-stadium vibe. World Series in the early 1910s attracted huge, raucous crowds in Manhattan and other major cities. Before, during and after Game 3 of the 1912 World Series between the Giants and Red Sox - played in Fenway Park - throngs clogged the streets in and around Times Square, often shouting complaints and/or encouragement at players who were more than 200 miles away. "There could have been no more interest shown in the game," The New York Times wrote, "had the scene been the ball grounds at Boston instead of Times Square."

Commercial radio was in its infancy when baseball first came to the new medium, on Aug. 5, 1921, when the Pirates defeated the Phillies, 8-5, in a game played at Forbes Field. Initially some radio announcers merely read scores via telegraph updates from another location, but soon they were sitting in the stadiums themselves and enhancing the drama rather than dryly reciting results. By the 1923 World Series between the Yankees and Giants, radio use was widespread, and Graham McNamee became the first true baseball broadcasting star. Radio has endured as a staple of baseball fandom, sometimes even for those in the ballpark. Dodgers fans used to bring transistor radios to listen to Scully at the massive Coliseum in the Dodgers' early L.A. years. The three New York teams were radio holdouts -- they did not allow games to be broadcast live until 1939.

Commercial TV still was largely experimental on Aug. 26, 1939, when Red Barber called the first televised major league game from Ebbets Field, in which the Reds and Dodgers split a doubleheader on station W2XBS (later WNBC.) There were only two cameras in use and not many people watching, but it marked the first time anyone outside a ballpark had observed major league players in action live. World War II slowed the spread of television drastically, but it grew rapidly in the post-war years, and the first World Series aired in 1947. More and more games began to be televised - locally and nationally - through the 1950s and 1960s, exposing the game at its highest level to a far vaster audience than ever before.

Cable television transformed baseball in the late 1970s and 1980s, starting with superstations that allowed fans all over the country to see teams such as the Braves, Cubs and Mets. ESPN furthered the expansion of nationally televised games, finally rendering the old notion of a national "Game of the Week" on Saturday afternoon as a quaint relic. Soon games on cable outlets far outnumbered those available on local broadcast channels. Later, the rise of regional sports networks - especially team-owned ones such as the Yankees' YES Network, which launched in 2002 - further consolidated the power and profitability of baseball's pay TV model.

The World Wide Web came along in the early 1990s, sparking the most recent evolution/revolution in live major league coverage, one that continues apace in 2017. Initially, the Internet primarily was a way to discuss the game with fellow fans and check up on news and results in real time, something that continues on 21st century social media. Then it became a vehicle, through Major League Baseball Advanced Media, to see video highlights. Now, increasingly, it is a way to watch live games streamed to PCs, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The Yankees were pioneers in the area, first offering live streaming (for a price) in 2010. SNY announced just this winter that it would begin streaming Mets games in 2017.

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Oh, one more thing: Newspapers have covered baseball pretty much from the time the game was invented, well before the major leagues came along, and with more depth than any medium mentioned above. And we still do today. Just sayin'.

Continued here:

The evolution of how we consume baseball games - Newsday

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Only One In A Thousand PokStops Are Giving Out Pokmon GO's Gen 2 Evolution Items - Forbes

Edsa will always be best remembered for the historic, peaceful uprising that unseated a dictator.

Along the stretch of Edsa happened the People Power Revolution in 1986, during which Filipinos from all walks of life linked arms to topple the dictator, former President Ferdinand Marcos and to reclaim true democracy.

Over the past 31 years, Edsa then bore witness to a series of major transformations, as the rapid urbanization of the metropolis saw massive infrastructure and property development projects rising along this 24-kilometer stretch.

Today, Edsa remains a major thoroughfare in the metro but one that exudes a highly different character and vibe compared to more than three decades ago. Here are some of the property and infrastructure projects that have changed the landscape of this historic avenue.

Edsa Shrine

It was formally known as the Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, and sits at the crossroads of Edsa and Ortigas Avenue in Quezon City.

Established in December 1989 with Fr. Socrates Villegas as its first rector, the shrine was a brainchild of the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, who convinced the families of Paquito Ortigas and John Gokongwei to donate the lot.

Arch. Francisco Maosa designed the church with preparatory work from National Artist Leandro Locsin and Architect William Coscolluela.

National Artist Napoleon Abueva meanwhile designed the 14 Stations of the Cross and the main altar table cast in bronze; sculptor Ramon Orlina created the glass and stainless steel sculpture of the Risen Christ and other artworks; and Virginia Ty-Navarro sculpted the bronze statue of the Virgin Mary.

People Power Monument

Located at the corner of White Plains and Esda, the bronze tableau is comprised of 37 figures depicting the various sectors of the Philippine society that joined the People Power Revolution in 1986, surrounding Inang Bayan as the dominant figure.

Created by award-winning sculptor Ed Castrillo, it was installed in 1993 and had cost P100 million. It has since served as among the main venues for the governments commemorative activities.

LRT-1 North Extension

Dubbed the closing the loop project to connect Light Rail Transit 1 (LRT-1) to Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3) system, it involved construction of a 5.4-km elevated line from LRT-1s Monumento Station in Caloocan to MRTs North Avenue Station in Quezon City.

It was completed in 2010 with additional two stations, Balintawak and Roosevelt, both in Quezon City. The LRT-MRT common station has yet to be constructed.

Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3)

Its full operation began in 2000 with a 17-km track comprising of 13 stations starting from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay. The rail project has a fleet of 73 Czech-made modern and air-conditioned rail cars, of which up to 60, in three-car trains, operate daily.

Manhattan Garden City

It is a residential development project expected to consist of 20 residential towers on a 5.7-hectare property at the Araneta Center in Quezon City.

Gateway Mall

Opened in 2004, the flagship mall of Araneta Center has five levels and directly linked to Araneta Coliseum and LRT-2. It has a total floor area of 100,000 square meters. Lakbay para sa Kapayapaan sa Edsa

The street mural project was launched in 2013, adorning the walls of Camp Aguinaldo, the general headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, in Quezon City.

It spans about 3.8 km, of which 1.7 km stretches along Boni Serrano Avenue; 1.3 km along Edsa; and 1 km along White Plainsmaking it the worlds largest peace mural.

C-5 Ortigas Avenue extension interchange

More known as Ortigas Flyover, it was completed in 2004 to decongest traffic volume on Edsa. It has two flyovers: a three-level, four-lane flyover along C-5 and two-lane left-turn flyover.

Robinsons Galleria Complex

It is the countrys first mixed-use facility that combined a mall, hotels, offices and condominium residences within one development.

On its site is the Robinsons Galleria Ortigas, the flagship mall of Robinsons Land Corp. established in 1990. The five-level shopping mall houses over 500 highly recognized local and international shops, dining outlets and service centers.

Other establishments in the complex are the two high-rise office towers, Galleria Corporate Center and the Robinsons-Equitable Tower, deluxe hotels Holiday Inn Galleria Manila and Crowne Galleria Manila, and the Galleria Regency.

SM Megamall

Considered one of the countrys biggest malls, the SM Megamall is among the pioneer shopping malls established by Henry Sy Sr. in 1991 when he started the malling phenomenon in the 90s.

From its initial total floor area of 311,898 sqm, SM Megamall has undergone several renovations since then to reach its current floor area of 474,225 sqm when the Mega Fashion Hallwhich houses some flagship international retail brandswas unveiled in 2014.

To celebrate its 25th year, the construction of a 50-story, curvy S-shape office tower has begun last year and is expected to open in 2019.

Edsa Shangri-La

Opened in August 1992 at Ortigas Center in Mandaluyong, it is the first of the five Shangri-La hotels and resorts in the country. It has a total of 632 rooms which consist of 607 guestrooms and 25 suites.

It also has four international restaurants, two lounges, cafe and bakeshop, two ballrooms and 19 meeting rooms, among other amenities and features.

Starmall Edsa-Shaw

Situated at the corner of Metro Manilas busiest avenues, it is directly linked to the MRT Shaw Station and hosts a busy transit terminal, drawing a huge cross-section of daily commuters and shoppers.

SMDC Light Residences

A three-tower project, it is strategically located at Madison Street corner Edsa in Mandaluyong and conveniently linked to MRT Boni Station. It boasts of five-star amenities, its own mall and is deemed perfect for people on the go.

Avida Towers Centera

The four-tower development in Mandaluyong provides a unique in-city living experience divided into five different zones.

(Sources: edsashrine.org, quezoncity.gov.ph, robinsonsproperties.com, robinsonsmalls.com, sminvestments.com, shangri-la.com, dotcmrt3.gov.ph, jica.go.jp, starmalls.com.ph, megaworldcorp.com, gatewaymall.com.ph, avidaland.com, smdc.com and Inquirer Archives)

Read more here:

The evolution of Edsa - Inquirer.net