If you go out today and ask an Angelino (someone who lives in Los Angeles) when “opening weekend” is, he’ll probably ask you, “For which movie?”

If you ask a Minnesotan when opening weekend is, he’ll instead ask you, “For pheasant (a type of bird) or deer?”

In Los Angeles and in most parts of the country, opening weekend usually refers to the first weekend a movie is released (shown in the theaters).

In Minnesota and neighboring (nearby) states, opening weekend refers to the first weekend of the fall (autumn) when you can go out and hunt (try to kill) certain kinds of animals.

Hunting is part of the culture of many areas in the Upper Midwest, a part of the country that includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, and Iowa (and maybe parts of Michigan).  Although my father was never a hunter (and neither am I), I had lots of friends who hunted deer and other animals each year. My uncle hunted deer with a bow and arrow (see photo). A good friend of mine would (used to) hunt pheasant with a rifle.

Hunting may seem cruel (mean; unkind) to many people, but hunters say that it actually helps keep the animal population from getting too big. (Animals probably have a different opinion.)

Hunting is still mostly a man’s sport; you’ll find very few women in a hunting party (group of hunters). But although hunting is supposed to be for tough guys (men who are strong), many hunters try to provide themselves with a little comfort by building deer stands to keep themselves warm during the cold Midwest hunting season (time of year).

A deer stand is a place you can sit and wait for the deer to walk by. It can be as simple as a small chair, but more elaborate (complicated; complex) deer stands are like little houses, with doors, windows, heaters, and a place to eat!

The problem with deer stands is that some men build them on public (government) land (property) without the government’s permission (saying it is okay). The stands sometimes are abandoned (left without anyone taking care of them) and often kill the trees they are attached (connected) to.

As a result (because of this), officials (government workers) in some states have started to crack down (to punish) on the owners of these illegal deer stands, especially the larger stands. Hunters can now be fined (punished by being made to pay money to the government) for building deer stands on government land.

So, when is opening weekend?

For the latest James Bond movie, it was last weekend. For hunting deer with a rifle (large gun) in Minnesota, it’s this weekend.

Both involve guns, but only one will have beautiful women.

~Jeff

Photo credit: Hun bow, Wikipedia CC

Baseball may be the great American pastime (enjoyable activity), but it is so boring! That’s what some people say. They say the game moves too slowly – there are short periods (times) of action, but they’re separated by longer periods of boredom (the feeling you have when you’re bored).

I beg to differ (politely disagree).

Baseball is a team game. But much of a team’s success depends on the results of an ongoing (continuous) battle between two men, one from each team. One is the pitcher (who throws the baseball). The other is the batter (who tries to hit the ball). Each team has only one pitcher. But all the team members take turns being batters, trying to hit the ball. This battle, IMO (in my opinion), is what makes baseball fun and, often, exciting.

The pitcher tries to throw the ball so fast or make it move so much that the batter can’t hit it. The names we use for pitches (the act of throwing) tell us something about them. Fastballs are fast – often around 100 miles per hour (160 kph). Curveballs curve (turn) – left, right, or down. Sinkers sink (drop). A changeup looks fast but isn’t.

A good pitcher uses a variety of pitches to try to confuse the batter and make it even more difficult for him to hit the ball. The hitter must anticipate (to expect something and be prepared for it) what kind of pitch the pitcher will throw and try to hit it.

Speed, control (ability to make the ball do what you want), strategy (a planned series of actions for achieving something) – these are the pitcher’s tools. And this year, one of the best pitchers in American baseball had none of them. That’s right. One of the best pitchers in baseball, the pitcher who won the battle between pitcher and batter more times than any other pitcher, did it without the tools a pitcher usually uses.

So, what was his secret?

Let’s begin with a little science. When a ball flies through the air, it spins (turns round and round very quickly) – usually. The spinning action determines whether the ball will fly straight, curve, or sink. A baseball pitcher learns how to spin the ball so it will do what he wants. That is, every pitcher except R. A. Dickey.

When R. A. Dickey throws the baseball, it doesn’t spin. When a baseball doesn’t spin, it becomes unpredictable (don’t know what it is going to do). It may curve left. It may curve right. It may sink. And sometimes it seems to do all of those and more! We call this pitch a knuckleball. The pitcher can’t control it. And the batter can’t predict (say what will happen before it happens) what it will do. The result – the batter can’t hit the ball, and the pitcher wins the battle.

Dickey always wanted to be a professional baseball pitcher. He tried, but failed. He couldn’t throw the baseball well enough to make it (have success) as a professional pitcher. Doctors discovered that a ligament (material that holds bones together) was missing from his arm. And without that ligament, he couldn’t throw the ball the way pitchers usually do.

Dickey decided to learn how to throw the knuckleball, something very few pitchers have ever done. It’s easy on the arm (doesn’t hurt the arm), but difficult to do well. It took six years for him to perfect (make something as good as possible) the knuckleball, but he did. And this year he was one of the best pitchers in professional baseball.

If you’d like to read R. A. Dickey’s story, you can do it here. And if you’d like to learn more about baseball, read Jeff’s blog post Pinch-Hit Grand Slam or listen to English Cafe #50.

~ Warren Ediger – creator of Successful English, where you’ll find clear explanations and practical suggestions for better English.

Photo of R. A. Dickey courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Tomorrow is Halloween, a night traditionally (typically; usually) associated (connected; related) in the United States with young children dressing up (putting on clothes) in costumes (clothes that make you look like someone else) and going door to door (house to house) asking for treats (sweets; candy). (We talked about it here, here, and here.)

Halloween has usually been thought of (considered) as a holiday for young children. Not any more.

When I was growing up, you stopped celebrating Halloween sometime in junior high (grades six to nine). Adults sometimes had parties where they would also dress up in costumes, especially in college, but the focus of the holiday was almost always on the children.

According to a recent article, however, this has changed dramatically (significantly; a lot) in the past few years. Consider the following facts on what has been called the “adultification” (making of something into an event for adults) of Halloween:

• Adults will spend $8,000,000,000 on Halloween costumes and parties this year (yes, you read that correctly: eight billion dollars!).
• In 2005, when asked if they were going to celebrate Halloween, 52% of adults said yes. This year, in 2012, it’s 71.5%.
• Ten years ago, fewer than three out of 10 Halloween costumes were purchased (bought) for adults. In 2012, it’s more than six out of 10. More Halloween costumes are now sold to adults than to children.
• The average Halloween customer (buyer) will spend $123 on a costume this year. That’s more than double what was spent only one year ago!
• Halloween is now the #2 holiday for spending on decorations (things you put in a room to change its look or appearance), after Christmas. It’s also the #2 holiday for spending on alcohol, after New Year’s Eve (celebration on December 31st).

Why this sudden popularity of Halloween for the 18 and over (adult) crowd (group of people)?

Some attribute (give as the cause or reason) it to the success in the late 1970s of the Halloween franchise (a collection of related films, books, and products).

Others have claimed (stated; said) that Halloween is something you celebrate with friends, whereas (while) the other holidays are more for your family. The thinking goes (The idea is) that as families become less important in the lives of adults, friends take on (acquire; get) more and more importance in one’s social life (non-work activities).

I last celebrated Halloween more than 30 years ago by going to a friend’s party. Most of the people there didn’t even wear a costume (I didn’t).

I don’t plan on celebrating this year, either. But apparently (it seems), I am in the minority (a group with less than 50% of the population).

~Jeff

*The title of this post comes from an old expression, “It’s like taking candy from a baby,” which refers to something that is very easy to do. Here I am talking about literally (actually) taking candy from the babies and giving it to the adults!

Photo credit: Jack-o’-Lantern, Wikipedia CC