I mentioned Thursday that I was invited that night to the Tribe Social Deck, which is 10 seats next to the Home Run Porch with wireless Internet and a TV. The deck seats people active in social media so they can communicate with each other and their social media followers throughout the game. Rob Campbell (who works with Indians PR) invited me via Twitter, and I brought my good friend Molly O'Hare to take part in the social media experience.

I felt pretty VIP on the Social Deck, which is an actual deck. Although I would have preferred a better view of the entire field (right field was mostly obscured by the Social Deck banner), I liked that we had our own space, and the HD TV tuned in to STO caught me up each time I missed a play because I was tweeting or chatting (the cable feed is 10 seconds behind). I also got to meet someone I had been following on Twitter, who also had been following me. It's sort of a surreal, bizarre experience to meet someone in real life after you've been learning about them through 140-character bits and pieces.

The strangest thing about the Social Deck might not have even been related to the Social Deck at all. In the ninth inning, the Indians were down 4-2. I tweeted that the game had looked promising earlier on (because I was predicting [correctly] that they weren't getting this one). A minute or two after I sent the message, a male voice from rows up and behind us loudly said, "It's still a pretty close game." I immediately felt a little self-conscious that he might have been responding to my negative tweet but didn't want to identify himself by replying directly to me on Twitter. 

Other than that somewhat awkward moment, I really enjoyed being on the Social Deck and am looking forward to going to more games on it next year. I would love to see more teams doing stuff like this to get fans involved in conversation. What an easy way to get immediate feedback about your team, your stadium, your service and more.

Oh and about the Indians ... They lost, 4-2, so it wasn't an awful game. And my often used phrase of the night: Trevor Crowe, the new Grady Sizemore. I hope we keep that guy around. (But Assistant Sports Editor Kevin Kleps is telling me that he wouldn't be a starter on another team and just happens to be because the Indians haven't been that great.)


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

As my father always tells me, there’s never enough time in the day.

As busy and convoluted as our lives can become, some people find the time to volunteer.

Covering a story for the News-Herald, I was, once again, reminded of the importance of service.

At the Cleveland Sight Center & Highbrook Lodge, several Chardon High School students rolled up their sleeves and began cleaning up the nonprofit organization’s Chardon campus.

Let me be clear. This was not easy work.

Students did everything from raking, hauling mulch, constructing wooden beds, scraping and painting. I almost chuckled a few times when I saw a trio of students painting some metal law furniture.

At one point, I could swear they had more paint on themselves than on the furniture.

Despite the intensive work, most of the students had a smile on their face. The volunteer work was optional since many students could have chosen to stay at home during the district's waiver day.

One of the organizers behind the Chardon High School Club Service Day was Scott Brown, a high school math teacher and advisor to the Interact Club.

The Interact Club is a high school affiliate of the Rotary Club. Aside from Interact Club members, student volunteers came from the school’s student council and National Honor Society.

All told there were at least 180 student volunteers. Even some Chardon Schools administrators stopped out to help out later in the day.

With just one maintenance worker covering more than 60 acres, Brown said it’s difficult for him to get everything done.

Imagine spending eight hours a day repairing buildings and providing other maintenance work and yet never quite catching up.

According to one Cleveland Sight Center employee, this one day of service is the equivalent of almost two months of work by one maintenance worker.

Brown said he hopes this is something they can continuing doing in the future.

“There’s so many things that need to be done. Don’t wait for someone else to do it,” Brown said.

-Jacob Lammers
JLammers@News-Herald.com

Mentor's Katie Spotz solo row across the Atlantic Ocean this winter was a tremendous feat, chronicled as it happened in The News-Herald.

Now the intrepid traveler will recall her 70-day journey in a special program as part of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Explorer Series. Spotz' "Rowing the Atlantic" is set for 7:30 p.m., October 29 in the Museum's Murch Auditorium.

The Museum notes in its promotional material that the 22-year-old Spotz became the youngest person ever to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She departed on January 3, 2010 from Dakar, Senegal, Africa, and landed March 14, 2010, in Guyana, South America.

She will share stories from her adventures on the high seas, as well as discuss her philanthropic efforts.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History annually presents its Explorer Series, a forum in which renowned scientists, authors and adventurers address topics relating to natural history, the natural sciences and challenges facing our environment.

Each evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with live music, Museum exhibitions and galleries, shopping and raffle sign up in the Museum Store, and food and beverages for purchase.

Following each program, there will be time for questions and answers.

Individual lecture ticket prices are: Museum Members: $8 for adults; $7 for students and seniors; Non-members: $10 for adults; $9 for students and seniors.

To order tickets, call 216-231-1177 or 800-317-9155, ext. 3279. Or order online at www.cmnh.org/site/explorer.aspx. Tickets may also be purchased on the night of each presentation, if they are not sold out.

The Museum is located at 1 Wade Oval Drive in University Circle, 15 minutes east of downtown Cleveland.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com

Some News-Herald staff members who were foolish enough to bring their yearbooks in to the office (or unlucky enough to be pictured in a yearbook another staff member had).

Cavs writer Bob Finnan and jack-of-all-trades Robin (George) Palmer were both graduates of the Kent State University Class of 1979:

Bob Finnan

Robin (George) Palmer

Copy Editor Cheryl Sadler was a graduate of the Westerville North High School Class of 2002:

Cheryl Sadler

Staff Writer Nick Carrabine was a graduate of the Mentor High School Class of 2003:

Nick Carrabine

Who else can we trick into bringing in their yearbooks? Which News-Herald employees do you want to see?