Sunfield Area SPY's Report---8/27/09

SPY’s Barnyard Classic
Basketball Tournament Results

During the Farmer’s Picnic weekend, the Sunfield Area Sponsors of Programs for Youth held their nineteenth annual “Barnyard Classic” 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament. Under the leadership of Tournament Director Darin Weller and his crack crew, there were four basketball courts running simultaneously at the Lenon Courts facility in the park that provided some fast paced action between the eleven competing teams all day long on Saturday. There were a number of great games and hard fought contests. The following are the order of finishers in each of the competing divisions.

Division I—(Adult)
Sponsored by Corporate Sponsors
Wm. Morris & Son General Contractors and Charlotte Wal-Mart

Champions---Valley (Tyler Greenfield, Jesse Bromley, Jesse Miller, Jorge Miller)

Runner-Up---LMFAO

Division II--- (High School)
Sponsored by Corporate Sponsors
Rosier Funeral Home and H.S.V. Redi-Mix

Champions---Who’s Next (Bobby Leonard, Brian Satterly, Dustin Dennie, Adrion Jameson)

Runner-Up---The McCaul Team

Division III--- (7th & 8th Grades)
Sponsored by Corporate Sponsors
Haskin Snowplowing and Richard Lenon

Champions--- The Suntken Team (Connor Hansbarger, Doug Suntken, Spencer Palmer)

Runner-Up--- Four Vikes

Division IV--- (5th & 6th Grades)
Sponsored by Corporate Sponsors
Tico Duckett Distributing and Wolverine Engineering

Champions--- 4 Boys to a Ball (Thomas Wernet, Colton Hill, Hayden Clotz, Phillip Wernet)

Our resident basketball czar Darin “The Dribble Meister” Weller would like to recognize and send out a big round of applause for the fantastic crew that pitched in and helped put on this year’s tournament. Heartfelt thanks go out to:

Casandra Cramer
Bill Weller
John Fisher
Buddy Collins
Craig Cappon
Cris Glazier
Susan Glazier
Jake Bosworth
Mark Huyck

News Briefs

* Another BIG Sunfield Area SPY salute goes out to these following fine folks for their donations to our Dime Pitch Booth activity---

Olivia Louthan
Joey Sharkey
Louie Trowbridge

Thank you all. We appreciate your support!

* We also would like to send out an extra special mega-thank you to our very good and dear friend Margret “The Teddy Bear Lady” Troyer of Lansing for once again rounding up and donating over 100 stuffed animals to our Dime Pitch Booth. She has been doing this for a number of years now and we are truly appreciative of her fantastic support. Thank you Margaret!!!

* Our Dime Pitch Booth CEO, Jamie Peabody would also like to send out his grateful thanks to a wonderful group of helpers that literally "pitched in" and made this year's booth a great success! Jumbo thank you’s go out to booth workers and set-up helpers Buddy Collins; Wendel Peabody; Craig Cappon; Barry Vezino; Susan Glazier; Jesse Peabody; Josh Peabody; Taylor Smith; Sabrina Whartley; Katherine Sharp; Patti Ray; Elli Ray; LouAnn Nash; and Brian Harrigh. Thank you all for helping us make a difference!

Jamie would like to give special acknowledgement to Oren Best for providing storage and transportation for all of the Dime Pitch Booth apparatus and inventory. He also would like to send along an extra special---super-duper---ultra superior thank you to Crystal Peabody for all of her hard work and effort. “I was lost without her!”


* The Calendars are in! The Calendars are in! The 40th. annual edition of the Sunfield Area SPY's "Community Celebration Calendar" is in! If you placed an order for one, it will be coming your way soon, if it hasn't been delivered already. If you didn't get your order in but would like to get one of these great community building / kid's programs supporting items, just contact project chairman Rosie Best at 566-8858, or you can pick one up at the Sunfield IGA.

* The SPY’s fabulous 50’s / 60’s Dance returns on Saturday, October 10th. Tickets are now available! Also, Casting Call #1! Anyone interested in being in any of the acts or skits at this year’s BIG dance are asked to contact Juaise Peabody (566-8547). We'll make you a star!

* We are pleased to announce that Sam Coan has stepped forward and volunteered to take over the reins of our Texas Hold ‘Em events. He’ll be needing some help at our next event October 12th thru the 14th.

* Didja Know Department #1: Michigan’s jobless rate is the highest in the country, that’s no secret. But what is sort of a secret is the real jobless rate in Michigan. It used to be talked about more often, but these days it’s an obscure number within the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth. The Department’s Andrew Levin recently told a legislative panel that in March, for instance, when the jobless rate in Michigan was reported at 12%, the real unemployment rate was more than 22%! The difference is caused not only by those who don’t have a job, but also by those who have stopped looking. The rate is tracked by phone calls, as people are asked if they have a job. If they say no, they ask if they are looking. If they say no a second time, the government (including the federal government) effectively declares that the person is not unemployed, meaning that if you have given up looking for a job you’re not jobless---even if you don’t have a job and need one. (Yet another example of one of our illustrious politicians’ games who are more interested in hiding or down-playing problems rather than solving them!) (Source: Rob Baykian, Director of News & Operations for the Michigan Radio Network)

* Andy Woodman’s Sports Trivia Question-Of-The-Week: What pitcher-turned broadcaster did Missouri English teachers say was corrupting their student’s language and demanded he be taken off the air?
 (Answer later in this column)

* “Honest Roy’s” Quote-Of-The-Week: “Just remember---Socrates was a Greek philosopher who went around giving people good advice-----They poisoned him.”

* The “Sports Trivia Just For Ward ‘Smarty-Pants’ Mac Cready Question-Of-TheWeek: This week we’re really going to stretch “Mr. Know-It-All’s” brain. Bird hunting is a sport---right? Probably one of the most famous bird-hunters of all time is Wile E. Coyote who has chased and attempted to do in the Roadrunner for quite a few years. Your question this week Mr. Smarty-Pants is what does the E stand for in Mr. Coyote’s name? (Answer later in this column).

* Swede’s Groaner Corner: There was once a pirate who wanted to be a Private Eye. Unfortunately, he was blind. So what did he become? (Answer later in this column)

* Louie “Trouble-Shooter” Trowbridge’s Solution-Of-The-Week: Here are some “quickies” for you this week:

+ Mosquitoes are attracted to contrasting colors, like a black shirt on fair skin, or bright prints, so wear clothes that blend with your skin tones.

+ Use distilled white vinegar to repel bees. Spray it on yourself or the area around you.

+ It has been shown that the best time to wait in line at the Secretary of State’s branch office is between 10 am and noon, after the morning rush, in the middle of the week.
+ Idling your vehicles engine get zero miles per gallon, so why waste the fuel? With modern fuel-injected autos, idling for 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting your engine.

* Andy Woodman’s Sports Trivia Question-Of-The-Week Answer: It was Jerome Hanna “Dizzy” Dean.

* The “Sports Trivia Question Just For ‘Smarty-Pants’ Mac Cready Question-Of-The-Week Answer: The “E” in his middle name stands for Ethelbert.

* Swede’s Groaner Corner Answer: He became a privateer.


Highlights From Our Last Meeting

+ Our Fearless Leader Darin “ The Keeper Of Law & Order” Weller ran the show. We had nine members present. Regular business reports were received and approved.

+ Correspondence reviewed consisted of thank-you’s from scholarship recipients Marlena Smith and Ben McKinney; Barb Bosworth; and Sandy Walliczek.

+ A Tripper’s Texas Hold ‘Em event report. The next one we will be working will be held October 12th thru the 14th.

+ Darin Weller gave a Barnyard Classic 3 on 3 basketball tournament report. The number of teams were down this year.

+ Jamie Peabody gave a Dime Pitch Booth report.

+ Jake Bosworth gave a Softball Tournament report. All of the used softballs are being donated to the Boy Scouts for use with their Dunk Tank.

+ The membership voted to appropriate $380 to cover costs associated with girls participating in the Centennial Acres youth golf program.

+ A reminder was given concerning the 50’s / 60’s Dance that will be held on October 10th.

+ Information was passed along concerning our latest Corporate Sponsor and Platinum Sponsors. They are, Devin Dowsett of Down Home BBQ and Sandra Walliczek.

+ A follow-up report was given on our successful “Support Our Local Merchants” initiative.

+ A “Summer Celebration” combined event report was given.

+ Jamie Peabody won the 50/50 drawing. He promptly donated his vast winnings back.

* To find out more about the SPY’s organization, download forms or applications, or catch-up on past issues of the “Dirt Sheet”, go to the SPY’s website at www.sunfieldspys.org.

* MDXXXXV