Entertainment

Take me out to the Ball Game

By Kathryn Smith katmsmith@lc.edu

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME! We all know the American-loving sport, baseball, where you get to attend and cheer on your favorite baseball team, wear all of your favorite apparel, and eat lots of delicious foods.

One of my favorite things to do in my free time is to watch baseball, especially with my friends and family. As I write this story, some friends and I are presently attending an afternoon St. Louis Cardinals baseball game.

Woohoo! We are in the stadium enjoying the game, eating a delicious hotdog, and drinking a nice, cold beverage. Hey, wait a minute! The kiss cam just caught a couple in love. That brings a smile to my face!

Any wild guesses on the weather? Well, it is August, in St. Louis. It is hot and steamy, but I am pretty cool since I am wearing my favorite shirt representing my favorite player, Yadier Molina. Yadier Molina is one of the most popular cardinal players and has currently been with the cardinals for about 17 years. No doubt...he is definitely a fan favorite, evident from the yelling and screaming by our devoted fans when his name is announced.

We all are comfortable in our seats ready for the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates to start. We are eating tons of food and ice cream. One of the best things about attending a baseball game in person is the delicious food. There are a variety of options ranging from hotdogs, burgers, tacos, nachos, fries, and so on. Don’t even get me started on the mouth-watering dessert options! Ice cream, frozen lemonades, cookies, and candy are just a few steps away. We never pass up on the peanuts and cracker jacks! They even have a variety of drink options ranging from water, soda, juices, coffee, and any alcoholic drinks you can think of. Well, I am pretty full from all of the delicious foods, but hey, the St. Louis Cardinals won the game. One of the cool things about attending Busch Stadium (where the cardinals play for their home games), is that fireworks go off after every cardinal player hits a homerun and if they win a game. Those fireworks just went off, with a final score of 3-0. All of the fans are going crazy!

If you ever catch yourself thinking about watching a baseball game, go out and support your local team. You can enjoy the game by watching at home or if you want the same experience as I had. I highly recommend attending in person. GO CARDS!

This photograph of Busch Stadium is taken by Kathryn Smith in St. Louis. In this photo, the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team is currently playing a baseball game. She has added a graphic image on top of the photo to represent the action of playing the game.

Lunch with Lin

By Linsa Dean lndean@lc.edu

Sometimes life hits a bit hard and we just need good, easy-to-make food. That was what inspired this recipe. I’ve been making versions of this since I was in high school (which was almost a decade ago). It’s easy, versatile, and changeable!

I recommend using a pot to boil pasta and a high-sided skillet for sautéing everything! That said this can easily be done as a 1 pot meal by only cooking in a large pot, just be aware to stir frequently and scrape the bottom of the pot.

I present to you: Lin’s Fried Pasta. For my version you will need:

1-2 Tablespoons of minced garlic (store-bought is fine!) 1 Bell pepper of your preferred color, diced ½ - 1 small onion, diced Approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter. 1 box of your fave pasta 1 Pound of protein: I used a cheap sirloin from Schnucks and cubed it. About 1-2 inch cubes. Salt Pepper Garlic Powder (about 2 Teaspoons) Onion Powder (about 2 Teaspoons)

Prep all of your ingredients.

Boil a large pot of water with 2 teaspoons of salt added. Once boiling add the box of pasta and cook until slightly firm. It will cook a bit more once added to the other ingredients so don’t overcook! Once cooked, drain into a colander and allow to sit.

While the pasta cooks, brown your protein in a tablespoon of oil. Medium to medium-high heat. Be sure to add salt, pepper, and spices to taste! Once the meat is browned (but not fully cooked!) add in your peppers.

Wait for the peppers to begin to soften and then add in your onions and garlic. Stir everything together until the meat is mostly cooked (I use a meat thermometer). I like my steak a bit pink so I keep an eye on the temp and the lesser cooked sides of the meat. Make sure you follow appropriate cooking directions for your chosen protein. Chicken must be cooked to 165 degrees, and have no pink. Once the veggies have softened, add your pasta and more oil. Toss everything together to coat with oil. Taste your pasta and adjust the seasoning as needed (I normally need to add more salt).

If cooking in a skillet then look for the edges of your pasta to become a bit crisp and the spice powders to be browned. If cooking in a pot you may find the pasta stays a bit softer. Look for the spices to taste cooked and everything to be evenly seasoned. You may need to add more oil depending on your cooking times and method. This whole dish should only take about 20 minutes to make and makes enough for a week’s worth of lunches!

Suggested adaptations: Add in some cayenne for some heat. Replace the beef with tofu, chicken, or pork (If you try fish with this let me know!) Add as much or as little veggies as you want! Goes really well with garlic bread!

Robert Ripley

by Krystie Morrison kemorrison@lc.edu

As you all have learned by now, I have an addiction to the weird and the strange. How did I become addicted you may wonder? Well, it started whenever I was first introduced to Ripley’s Believe It or Not, which was created in the early 1900s by a man named Robert L. Ripley.

Leroy Robert Ripley was born in 1890 in Sarasota, California to David Isaac Ripley and Lily Belle Yucca. Unfortunately, his father passed whenever Ripley was young. Not long after the passing of his father, Ripley started making money from his passion; drawing. He would sell cartoon posters for local sporting events.

His mother, Lily, decided to use their home as a boarding house for travelers and this is when Ripley was noticed for his unique talent. Carol Ennis, who worked for a publication in San Francisco, took the young boy’s cartoons and promoted them. This eventually landed Ripley his first job in publication with the San Francisco Bulletin as a sports cartoonist. However, Ripley did not stay with the San Francisco Bulletin very long.

He eventually made his way east for new opportunities. He managed to acquire a job at the New York Globe as a sports cartoonist as well. At this time, Robert adopted his trademark attire of a bow tie and spat shoes and would begin to go by “Bob” or “Rip” instead of his given name. While working for The Globe, he began to have a case of “cartoonist’s block” and couldn’t think of what to do for the paper the next morning. This led to the creation of his famous “Champs and Chumps” cartoon that skyrocketed his career into the weird and strange.

Two years after his sports cartoon attracted fans of the strange, Ripley set out on a worldwide adventure. He traveled to Hawaii, Japan, China, India, the Middle East, Europe and finally returned to New York with new visions for his cartoons. By seeing all of the strange things the world had to offer, Ripley decided to create cartoons about more than just sports. In 1929, he signed on with newspaper mogul, William Randolph Hearst. From there Ripley quickly became the first millionaire cartoonist in history and the Golden Era of Ripley’s Believe It or Not began!

In 1939, the first of many permanent Ripley’s Odditoriums had opened in New York City. People claimed that Ripley was a customs officer’s nightmare as he filled his Odditoriums to the brim with medieval torture devices, gaudy furniture, shrunken heads and whatever else Ripley thought was of interest to bring back to the states from his adventures. Many believed Ripley to be a liar and he took that as a compliment. It showed that somebody found the facts that he reported about too bizarre to believe. “I make a living out of the fact that truth is stranger than fiction,” Ripley once said when asked about his profession. In 1949, at the age of 59, Ripley suffered a massive heart attack while on the set of his television show. He never recovered. Robert L. Ripley dedicated his life pursuing weird things and strange people even until the day he passed.

“Some of the most wonderful things in the world will seem dull and drab unless you view them in the proper light.” - Robert L. Ripley.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum Photo via Pixabay