Sports Icons Dedicate Memorial to Fast Pitcher

There will be special memories today in St. Petersburg, FL, as sports icons gather to dedicate a memorial to Sidd Finch, the pitcher who threw fast balls at more than 160 miles per hour.

The enigmatic Finch, whose Zen philosophy guided his sports development, only appeared briefly on the sports scene. George Plimpton was able to interview him before Finch's brief stardom, and his arm, disappeared.

This is an especially poignant event for me as I am a Finch. My family also includes a pioneer cross-country motor car driver, who enigmatically used a different name for those exploits.

Plimpton's story on Finch, who was also a musician and mountain climber, is here.

Some say that Robert Redford's "The Natural" was based in part on Finch. The violence, some believe, was added in to the film "for Hollywood's sake," noted baseball historian Eddie "Fast Ball" Harrigan said.

"He inspired me," declared Larry Anderson.

After the dedication, several old-time greats will take the field against the Senior League Champions in St. Petersburg.

Note: Anderson is no relation to pitching great Larry Anderson. Although the story of the motor car driver is true, the exploits of Sidd Finch are under scrutiny.

Yep, check out the date of this story. ;}

Eyewitness Video: Florida Power Blackout; Affects Millions

Estimates of those affected have ranged up to four million. As if the shutdown of nuclear reactor power stations for "safety" reasons weren't enough, many regions of Florida are also under a tornado watch.

CSI Daytona: Cops Using DNA Testing to Hunt a Serial Killer

In Daytona Beach, FL, police are using high-tech in their quest to stop a serial killer before he strikes again. They're collecting DNA samples on the scene during prostitution stings and from "persons of interest" found during traffic stops.

A special task force hit the streets in January. Police Chief Mike Chitwood and profilers have warned that "no woman" is safe even though those killed so far have been connected to prostitution, drug use, or a borderline existence.

Authorities say that the killer, who may also be linked to a murder in nearby Sanford, FL, will appear normal, seem trustworthy, and probably is married or in a relationship. They caution that his ability to blend in, like that of Ted Bundy, is a mask for a monster.

Bundy, whose killings began in 1974 in Washington State, was executed in Florida in 1989. After escaping from prison in the Northwest, Bundy killed two students and battered tow more during a bloody rampage at a Florida State University sorority house in 1978.

A few weeks later, he kidnapped and killed 12-year-old Kimberly Leach in rural Lake City, FL. Bundy confessed to more than two dozen killings, and police across several states believe that there were more victims, possibly up to a hundred. Experts say that Bundy's first kill may have occurred when he was 15 years old..

Ironically, Bundy's last arrest was during a traffic stop--as was his first arrest. In gathering DNA samples gathered during traffic stops, Daytona police are effectively using one of the most common ways in which criminals get caught. Known to be one of the most dangerous things a police officer does, traffic stops routinely yield felons, those fleeing warrants, drug users, and other wanted persons. The DNA will be compared to samples from the killer's prior murders.

Police also are going cyber in their manhunt. They're checking blogs and discussion boards, and recently subpoenaed The Daytona Beach News-Journal to gain information on a person who'd posted several comments of interest.

Four women have been killed execution-style since 2005. They range in age from 30 to 45, and include one black and three white victims.

McDonald's Customer Goes Nuts Over Lost Fries in FL

Twister Slashes Through Central Florida

Update: So far, no injuries have been reported, although almost two dozen homes were totally destroyed and at least three dozen more damaged. People launched a door to door search overnight to check on residents.

Power is out in sections of three counties. Shelters are opening for those who lost their homes or had them too damaged to live in. In Eustis, a small town, some looting has been reported.

I lived in Florida for many years. Eustis, Florida is slightly northwest of Orlando, a popular tourist destination. It's not far from Disney World, Epcot, and Universal Studios.

The weather patterns have definitely changed. Although I've ridden out many hurricanes and tropical storms, I truly can't recall a tornado. Recently, Florida has been beset with a number of tornadoes every year.

And, like the famed U.S. Tornado Alley, that twister-prone area that spreads across several states, there now seems to be a developing "Tornado Strip" within the Central Florida area.

Severe weather, including a possible tornado, damaged about 50 homes, shearing the entire second story off one home, authorities said Friday.

Radar indicated a tornado spun off from a storm system that crossed through central Florida before spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, touching down late Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Source: msnbc.msn.com

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