Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Philadelphia Phillies seek rebound in 2014


Ryne Sandberg, with mentor, coach and blood red brother Larry Bowa, to his left.) 
(Photo courtesy of ReadingEagle.) 

Ryne Sandberg has a plan. Just as he did during his playing career and now, during his second baseball go-round as a minor and major league manager, 'Ryno' knows how to go about things in the right way. More than just a cliche, his work ethic and heart will push a revived Phillies' team toward relevance. 

Moving forward

Yes, this doesn't appear to be a World Series, or maybe not even a playoff, year. But, crossing the 2014 regular season .500 line is within reason. 

With Comcast dollars set to fully flow into Citizens Bank Park within two seasons, this year and next should serve as transitional years that lead to a new Philadelphia baseball era. Unless unexpected circumstances intervene, Sandberg will be at the helm as soon as this fall, but more likely by next year, as the team's playoff skipper. 

In the game

The team's first spring training game was a rain-shortened 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. But, the first new point I noticed was that every Phillie appeared to be draped over the dugout rail when the game started. That was an encouraging sign of the better days that lie ahead - Sandberg's team will be in the game.

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My illustrated children's book: Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile officially became a Top 10 Amazon best-seller as of January 29, 2014. 

Since December (2013) Maddie has appeared within Amazon's Top 50, 40, 30, 20, and 10 illustrated children's books. 

The ongoing public response to this real-life story continues to be deeply humbling for everyone who was involved in creating this illustrated children's book.

Children's Alopecia Project

50% of all proceeds from the sale of our book (in both print and ebook forms) are being donated to the Children's Alopecia Project (CAP).

What a ride

This incredible and unexpected ride began in the spring of 2011. By August 2013, the book was published by the Children's Alopecia Project in print form. We have been very pleased with sales of that edition. Use, or share, this link --->>Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile to purchase the printed book directly from CAP.

I published a special ebook edition within weeks of the print book release. After starting in the tens of thousands (in terms of Amazon's children's book rankings), Maddie broke into the Top 50 just prior to Christmas. It climbed through the 30s and settled in the upper 20s before breaking into the Top 10.  

Use, or share, this link --->>Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile to see a 'free-view' of the special ebook edition. 

I've included extra bonus features in this version that provide background information, extra photos, and illustrations. Each item helps to tell the complete story of this book's birth. 

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Here's a link to this great (print and online) article that the Reading Eagle recently published about our story Maddie: Teaching Tolerance with a Smile: Book chronicles Wyomissing teen's journey since being diagnosed with alopecia

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Thank you to Stacey Stauffer (Fox 29 Philadelphia). She interviewed Madison Woytovich, her parents (Jeff and Betsy Woytovich) and me about the latest chapter in this inspiring story. Here's a video link to Stacey's wonderful feature. 

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Feel free to click on any of my interviews with famous athletes and sports' personalities...
Martin Brodeur: Discusses His Record-Setting Shutout Total and Key Rivalries 
Jaromir Jagr: Current NHL Forward and Future Hall of Famer
Philadelphia Flyers' Bernie Parent: Postgame reflections 
Bobby Clarke: Philadelphia Flyers' Legend Talks Hockey
Ron Hextall Recalls His Greatest Season
Kerry Fraser: NHL Referee is Still Making the Right Calls
Here's a selection of my interviews with broadcasters, actors, models and more...
Fox Television's Erin Como Reveals Her Timeless Model for Success: Interview
Amazon.com is the number 1 online publishing platform in the world. That's why I used it to publish my first ebook: 
Fast Fiction and Other Stuff.

This mini-tome is a collection of stories and poems for readers who don't take themselves too seriously. I hope that you enjoy it and am always interested in your feedback. 

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Visit my Examiner Contributor Page, 
or my Yahoo Contributor Page.

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