NEWS: Cedar Point "mystery song" identified!

Last year, before the park opened, I had a hankering for music from Cedar Point, I was just months into having my first iPod, and the iTunes Music Store just a few clicks away.
There was this one instrumental jazz song with steel drums that played on the midways, no lyrics, and therefore was very obscure.

Before the season started, I e-mailed Cedar Point to see if they knew what it was called. Unfortunately, I did not get a reply... (or so I thought.)
Eventually, May 2005 had arrived, and so did the new ride, maXair. I heard the song once again as maXair roared above me, but still no idea who did the song. I did a video recording, which I took audio from, and posted on my website as well as on the forums on PointBuzz... still no answer.

Then came March 30, 2006: today. My webmail was acting slower and slower than ever, and word was that I was getting my emails bounced, as a coaster buddy from Pennsylvania called me on my cell phone tonight. This was a sign that I should move me e-mail to another application.
I decided to give the application "Mail" on my iMac a try. Within minutes, I was away, deleting old emails that were either spam or no longer needed.
Then I came across one of the e-mails that I thought I had never received, from Cedar Point.


And, so, here's the text of the e-mail:

Dear Mr. Allen,

Your question regarding the "smooth/lite jazz-like tune that has a guitar leading the main tune, which seems to switch between the guitar and something else" was forwarded to me for a response.

Frankly, I didn't think there was any way we could answer your question, but our Ace Jazzman Technical Manager, John Lyle, came up with what he's pretty sure is the answer:

BRAVE NEW WORLD from the BRAVE NEW WORLD album by Russ Freeman and/or the Rippingtons

If that's not it, three other songs by Lee Ritenour might be the one you're looking for:

GOIN' TO DETROIT on the WES BOUND album
A LITTLE BUMPIN' on the WES BOUND album
RED BARON on the HAPPY ANNIVERSARY,CHARLIE BROWN album

All four of the songs are great, so I don't think you'll be sorry if you go buy any or all of them.

Enjoy,
Marje Rody, Vice President
Cedar Point Live Entertainment

I immediately began searching the iTunes Music Store. John directed me to the right album and artist, but not exactly the right song. However, I clicked on some of the songs, and the fourth one was suddenly a direct hit.

Song: Hideaway
Album: Brave New World
Artist: Russ Freeman and/or the Rippingtons

Here is the link.

I feel so complete, as of right now. I'm going to celebrate by going to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom on Saturday... Not exactly Cedar Point, but okay.

Visionland is now Alabama Adventure... What if?

Visionland theme park, located in Bessemer, Alabama, has been renamed "Alabama Adventure."
I assume that the name change is based on two things:
- To better market the park to the region, so people have a general idea where it is
- What the hell did the "Vision" part of 'Visionland' mean?

So, here's my latest "What If?" entry:
What if they kept the Vision name, and became a large chain that acquired other parks?
Here's their potential names:

• Visionland
• Vision Gardens
• Vision Adventures
• Vision Kingdom
• Visioncot
• Vision Studios
• Vision Island
• Vision Dominion
• Visionwinds
• Vision America
• Vision Wonderland
• Vision Point
• Vision Lake
• Vision Park
• Visionfair!
• Vision Fun
• Vision Berry Farm
• Vision World
• Vision Beach
• Vision Mountain
• Vision Adventure
• Visionwood
• Vision Grove
• Visionpark
• Vision over Texas
• Vision over Georgia
• Vision St. Louis
• Vision New England

A Universe in the Making

Check out "A Universe in the Making," Ronny Salerno's video documenting the construction tour at Kings Island held back on February 25, as well as the dinner and meeting at International Restaurant.

You'll get to see lots of dirt, lots of people, the picnic grove, ride units in storage, my fat ass, and much more.


You'll have to see the video to guess which fat ass is me. I'm not seen in this shot.

The Revolving Door in the College Basketball Arena moved rapidly today...

The Revolving Door in the College Basketball Arena moved rapidly today as three coaches associated with the University of Cincinnati Bearcats found new positions within the same day.

First, "The Big Guy," Bob Huggins, accepted an offer to become the head coach at Kansas State. The press conference began at around 5 pm ET in Manhattan, KS, just one hour before the Bearcats took the court to play South Carolina in the Elite Eight round of the NIT.

Not long after Huggins' conference, I learned that two Bearcat seniors were ineligible: Jihad Muhammad and James White - which helped conrtibute to their loss, 65-62 in the NIT.

Just after that game, interim coach and former UC assistant under Huggins Andy Kennedy accepted the job at Ole Miss.

And after that, former UC assistant under Huggins, Louisville assistant to Rick Pitino, and head coach at Murray State, Mick Cronin, was given the head job in Cincinnati. Cronin is a Cincinnati native, a graduate of La Salle High School.

And beyond Cincinnati, there was NCAA action in the 'Sweet 16' round. #1 Duke and J.J. Redick lost to Glenn "Big Baby" Davis and #4 LSU, 62-54. My YTMND site. The madness simply moved south to Altanta.
And my bracket is officially, fudged, as I picked Duke to win it all.

In Oakland, Memphis beat Bradley 80-64. WKRC-TV channel 12's Brad Johansen's alma mater had a great run, but Memphis was seeded #1 for a reason, so SOMETHING was normal tonight.

Back at the Georgia Dome, West Virginia played Texas, another close one. Just after WVU's Kevin Pittsnogle tied it up with a 3-point 71 apiece with seconds to go in the game, Texas decided to end the suspense by answering with their own 3-pointer at the buzzer. The game went to the Longhorns 74-71; at least I picked Texas in this one.

It would only heat up back in Oakland. UCLA, whom Dick Vitale picked to win the Oakland bracket, defeated Gonzaga 73-71. Another Final Four team on my bracket is out, and we see a sad Adam Morrison laying on the floor at the game's end.

In High School, despite the suspension of star O.J. Mayo, North College Hill won their state semifinal against Archibold in Columbus today, 49-34. Lockland lost to South Webster though, 61-58.

I think I'm done, and tomorrow, I might have enough energy to talk Busch Stadium.

Then again, there are more games tomorrow...

Bob Huggins is new Kansas State head coach

Our good friend and local sports icon, Bob Huggins, has passed the "Point of Know Return" and has just been named the new men's basketball head coach at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. He is speaking now, answering some of his critics and talking about a return to "normal" family life.
I wish Bob the absolute best of luck at K-State.

On a side note, his former assistant, Andy Kennedy, might be coaching his last game, at least at Fifth Third Arena, tonight in the fourth round of the NIT against South Carolina. UC plays tonight at 6PM. Go Bearcats! The winner plays next in the final four of NIT at Madison Square Garden.

The Weekend In Review

Who Says You Can't Go Home?
Saturday night at the historic Coliseum at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Lancaster HS basketball told Cincinnat's own Elder Panthers just that, as they beat Elder 52-49 in front of several thousand, more than half supporting the Lancaster team, who goes onto the Division I basketball semifinal at Schottenstein Center on Friday. They will face Trotwood Madison, who knocked off another local team, Lakota West, also this past Saturday Night at Cintas Center.
I made the trip up to Columbus for that game, hoping for a magical run for the Panthers. While the game was exciting, the finish was a downer (no, Rachel Dratch was not in attendance).

Again, NO, I did not attend Elder High School, but have met some friends who did, especially Eric Wood, who is center of University of Louisville Cardinals' football team, who had a great first season in the Big East conference last fall. When Jim Scott said "The guys swing Big Wood in the morning," he was referring to my boy Eric... whatever the hell that means.


Proof that I can be an ass(hat):
I've said often that individual businesses, corporations, and consumers should regulate smoking policies at restaurants and bars, and not government. I watched an Channel 9 I-Team segment about the pollution levels caused by second-hand smoke in area bars and restaurants - some ranged from 'Moderate 'to 'Dangerous.' Even with the bad levels, despite state-of-the-art ventillation systems at some places, as well as good Smokeeters... some of these establishments will sink if they go smoke-free - either by choice or through regulations. The libertarian in me wants to keep things status quo around here, but the health and moral side says, for the best interest in the public, children, and employees, says to support a general ban.

However, at some places, while they have large non-smoking areas, the TVs showing NCAA tournament games are located in the bar areas - almost all bar areas with TVs are smoking-designated. Because I have skin issues right now, going a few places close to home, trying to find one that havs TVs in NON-Smoking areas, was a real pain in the ass today. I settled upon Willie's in West Chester today, where while they have a bar and some seating that's designated for smoking, there are Smokeeters that make it comfortable for non-smokers like me. Honestly though, I've been to Willie's a lot, and would like to try something else once in a while.

If anyone knows of another place on the northern suburbs of Cincinnati that:
- Has lots of TVs
- Has good food
- Is smoke-free or has many TVs in the non-smoking area physically separated from smoking
Let me know!


Mixed Bracket
Bad: I picked many of the higher-ranked teams to advance, into the Sweet 16. Unfortunately, Syracuse, Kansas, Marquette, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio State, and Oklahoma (Kevin Bookout's size wasn't enough... or too much for the Soonners), left earlier than I picked.

Good: My Final Four remains intact. Gonzaga, NOT Memphis, will be the winner of the Oakland Region. Villanova will beat Connecticut to reach the championship game at RCA Dome, but Duke will be the sole champion of 2006.

Tuesday night at 9pm is UC versus Minnesota in the second round of the NIT. I may be picking the Bearcats over the Golden Gophers, but I wish I lived closer to the historic Williams Arena "the Barn" rather than the stale Fifth Third Arena.


Another Great 'Point' to visit this website:
Cedar Point just updated their website. Not only do I think it's the best amusement park around, they quite possibly have the best official website for a park. You can see (and download!) good quality videos of their roller coasters, as well as check out their Blog, OnPoint! It's been updated with an actual photo of Tony and Tyler. And on the front page is the top banner - you can see many of the park's rides come to life! The latest addition, Skyhawk, is shown in the top banner, but has not "run" yet.
For more info, especially to see what others are saying, also check out PointBuzz, the top non-official Cedar Point site.


Why I envy some people
This past Saturday, a winter construction tour was held at Holiday World to see the progress on the behemoth coaster, The Voyage. Paul Drabek's great site, Negative-G, chronicles this tour, and is quite possibly the most comprehensive set of photos I've seen of Voyage so far. (If you don't know, Paul lives in Santa Claus, Indiana, just minutes from the park)
While it looks like Voyage will be up and running for the park's opening day in May, some attractions in the new Thanksgiving section won't quite be ready yet, such as the restaurant, and the Gobbler Getaway interactive dark ride. But you can't go wrong with Voyage!

Today, Beech Bend Park, located near Bowling Green, Kentucky was also scheduled to have a construction tour of their new GCI wooden twister, Kentucky Rumbler. Beech Bend is located about two hours or so from Santa Claus, IN, so it was convenient for enthusiasts to travel and do both in the same trip. Inexplicably, however, it was more than a simple construction tour. NOPE! Paul submitted a photo from today's tour - showing him SEATED in a MOVING train on the new wood coaster. It's not even May - let alone APRIL, and Drabek has 10 rides so far on a brand new coaster in KENTUCKY!

The Jim Scott Soundboard!

Today, I must announce that I have finally completed my first Flash project, the Jim Scott Soundboard! It is dedicated to the welcoming and often raunchy host of 700 WLW's morning show here in Cincinnati.
I will apologize in advance for the slow load and unevenness of volume between the sounds, but I think you will enjoy it so much you'll ask for more soundboards. I am considering making a Bill Cunningham soundboard, surely to contain many more sounds than Jim's - and quite possibly a "Seg Man" Dennison board, too!

The Start of the "Big Dance!"

After I wake up, the first games of the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament will have begun.
In this super-region, Xavier, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio State are in, and the Musketeers, whom I saw win the A-10 tournament on Saturday, play Thursday in Salt Lake City. Of the four teams mentioned, I think Thad Matta's Ohio State guys will go farthest, making it to the "Sweet 16" round. They open up on Friday, at the convenient site of UD Arena.
UC not getting into the big tournament has to be one of the biggest errors I've seen as of late... then again, Kings Island can outdo that if they pass on a great mega steel coaster for 2007.

This week is has been a little more miserable, and not just because no UC in Tournament, nor my lack of employment. It's because of the air plane crash death of game show host Peter Tomarken on Monday. You may remember him best for hosting the 80s show Press Your Luck, which still airs regularly on Game Show Network. They announced that they will run a PYL marathon on Sunday in memory of Peter.

One of my latest ideas has been a result of seeing the documentary on Music Hall on PBS station WCET, as well as the race to complete the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The new Busch will be nice, but even after I visit, for some odd reason, I'll feel like there's something missing.

This big idea is a new arena for Cincinnati near downtown. I've been a sports, building, arena, stadium, and architecture buff for many years, and would love to see the "fusion" of the past, the future, and so on.

When compared to other similer cities, I beleive Cincinnati lacks a major, large (18,000 seat+), and fully state of the art indoor arena. Comparing what exists:

- Cincinnati Gardens (1949) is a nice, historic facility, and just about perfect for a minor-league hockey team, which the building's owners are desperately campaigning for. However, it hasn't had any major renovations since then, and its remaining life is getting shorter. If they don't get the team, all bets are off on the Gardens' future.

- U.S. Bank Arena (1975) is the city's largest indoor arena (over 16,000), and is the most comfortable as well. A complete renovation (1997) of the former Riverfront Coliseum replaced the seating, added a center scoreboard, and improved the main concourse - but it is just not the kind of place for major sporting events, if the city should pursue an NBA or NHL team. NBA will be very tough to get, and an NHL franchise competing with Columbus and Nationwide Arena just isn't going to happen. Next year, it will be as old as the former Riverfront Stadium was when it was torn down. The Arena won't suffer the same fate quite yet.

- Fifth Third Arena (1989) has quite possibly become the most uncomfortable and outdated large arena I've seen in modern days. Going up lots of stairs just to get to the lower level seats, the bleachers, and just about everything else gives it this "temporary" look. It just doesn't fit in with the revamped UC campus full of amazing and cutting-edge buildings. Shoemaker Center is the one arena of the four I'd love to dynamite.

- Cintas Center (2000) on Xavier University's campus is a serious improvement upon "The Shoe" - all individual seats, a simpler concourse, and slightly more restroom fixtures. Cintas has the concrete and plastic look like the UC counterpart, but it's still a nice on-campus arena, that, if kept up right, will be a good facility for decades to come.

This is why I propose a new arena to be located near or in the Downtown and/or the Over-The-Rhine district. It will carry the look of the old WPA-style auditoriums built in the 1930s and 1940s - architecture similar to Carew Tower and Union Terminal, both long-standing Cincinnati art deco landmarks. With attention to detail throughout, it could almost be the "Music Hall" of arenas (though not in the Victorian Gothic style), quite possibly being the best in the nation.
This new arena, or "Auditorium," will seat 18,000 to 20,000 patrons, similar to other modern arenas in Cleveland, Columbus, and Indianapolis. All seats will be vintage auditorium-style chairs, upholstered. The seating bowl will be somwhat asymmetrical - while part of the ring will be surrounded by suites and club seating, the rest will be exclusively standard seating.
Like in modern large arenas, there will be multiple wide concourses, with plenty of concession stands and restrooms. The primary method of moving up and down will be by way of escalators - yes, descending escalators at all times. Elevator banks will be located on the corners of the building, and transport VIPs, disabled guests, and suite patrons to differnt floors. Standard stairs will be available, but de-emphasized.
Again, attention to detail will prevail: artwork and carving will dominate the exterior as well as the interior. Signage and materials throughout will make one feel they have been taken into the 1930s, but the facility will function with the latest of technologies. A state of the art video scoreboard system will be placed a the heart of the auditorium, while physical signage will attempt to symbolize the past. Widescreen monitors and speakers will be placed throughout concourses.
The new Auditorium will be at the center of a revitalized center city area. As new structures will be placed around the facility, existing buildings will be rehabilitated for use as restaurants, entertainment, shopping, offices, and residences, as well as some smaller hotels. New parking structures will be erected in this neighborhood, tying into existing facilities; while this plan will accomodate a future rail transit line.
So far, that's my idea for the future Cincinnati Auditorim.

Results: The True Geek Test

The Poser Geek You answered 58% of the questions as a geek truly would.

As a poser geek, you're trying too damned hard. There's a strong possibility that you think you're a geek because you own your own computer, however you're truly missing the bigger picture. You aspirations of being a geek mainly come from your friends, who are probably slightly cooler. Get rid of those thick black-rimmed glasses. Being a geek isn't about style, it's about substance! So what's this all mean? It means you're probably a pretty cool person. You've probably got social graces and are well liked by many people. While not a complete conformist, you do prefer to follow along with popular culture. True geeks probably laugh at you behind your back. In a nutshell, you answered most question how you thought a geek WOULD answer, but your misconceptions deceived you. Truth is, 60% of people are geekier than you.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 10% on geekness

Link: The True Geek Test written by ambientred on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Super Saturday: Cardinals Busch TIX and UC-WVU

Today is a big day if you're a sports fan.

First, single game tickets for the Cardinals' inaugural season in the new Busch Stadium went on sale at 10am (9 am STL time). It was guaranteed to be a frenzy because only around 500,000 tickets would remain after Season Ticket and ticket packages were sold. Hell, they had to stop selling season tickets recently at 27,500.
Not to mention that about 6,000 seats may not be available until the All-Star break in July, which has the new stadium at a starting capacity of 10,000 less seats than old Busch Stadium had.

SOOO... I got up and got online before 10am (again, Eastern here), and tried for Opening Day, Monday April 10 vs. Milwaukee, but no luck as the sold out message came up around 10:30, but since I was really aiming for the first weekend, was still in good shape. I had two computers in the "queue" - this iMac running Safari, and the PC downstairs running Internet Explorer, and tried for two different games of the Reds series - Fri 14 and Sun 16.
Running back and forth was my game. but just after 11:30, I finally got a chance to buy for the Sunday game in my IE window downstairs. Yes, it set me back $85, but the print-at-home ticket is in my hands, and will be sitting on the Redbird Club mid-level at home plate.
This will be my first time sitting behind home plate at a Busch Stadium! Of course, I'll have many photos of this great new stadium - but if you can't wait, check out this great photo tour KMOV took on Friday!
Not long after getting the ticket, I landed a downtown hotel room off Priceline, $60 including fees/taxes. Add this to some time at Six Flags St. Louis, it'll suck to have to wait over a month, but it'll come eventually.

But thinking of today, UC is hosting West Virginia at Fifth Third Arena live on ESPN, and the Bearcats lead 37-31 at halftime. If UC wins, they're hopefully going to the NCAA tourney, and Andy Kennedy just might get promoted!
Tonight is the big Duke-UNC game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on ESPN at 9pm. UNC looks good, but it's time for the Blue Devils and J.J. Redick!

'Texas vs. Texas A&M' or 'Leave the Paper at Home'

In Thursday's Bryan-College Station Eagle, Texas guard Daniel Gibson goes up against Texas A&M's Acie Law during Wednesday night's game. While Law may have the ball, Gibson is apparently showing something more than his defensive skills - shold we say, something located between two balls?

Due to content, you are only seeing the upper half of the photo. The Eagle claims that it is an optical illusion, but if you check the full photo (preferably NOT at work), you might disagree.