who hit the first home run at the new yankee stadium

Before the official Opening Day against the Cleveland Indians on April 16, 2009, the Yankees hosted a two-game exhibition series at the stadium in early April against the Chicago Cubs.[81] Grady Sizemore of the Indians was the first player to hit a grand slam off of Yankee pitcher Dámaso Marte. The Indians and 2008 Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee spoiled the opening of the new stadium by winning 10–2. Before the Yankees went to bat for the first time, the bat that Babe Ruth used to hit his first home run at the old Yankee Stadium in 1923 was placed momentarily on home plate.[82] Jorge Posada hit the first Yankee home run in the new ballpark hitting his off Lee in the same game. Russell Branyan, while playing for the Seattle Mariners, was the first player to hit a home run off of the Mohegan Sun Restaurant in center field.

Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium is a stadium located in the Concourse neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. It serves as the home ballpark for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB), and is also the home park for New York City FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). The $2.3 billion stadium, built with $1.2 billion in public subsidies,[17] replaced the original Yankee Stadium in 2009. It is located one block north of the original, on the 24-acre (9.7 ha) former site of Macombs Dam Park; the 8-acre (3.2 ha) site of the original stadium is now a public park called Heritage Field.

The stadium incorporates replicas of some design elements from the original Yankee Stadium, and like its predecessor, it has hosted additional events, including college football games, soccer matches, two outdoor NHL games, and concerts. Although Yankee Stadium's construction began in August 2006, the project spanned many years and faced many controversies, including the high public cost and the loss of public parkland. The overall price tag makes the new Yankee Stadium the most expensive stadium ever built.[21]

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner began campaigning for a new stadium in the early 1980s, just a few years after the remodeled Yankee Stadium opened. Steinbrenner at the time was reportedly considering a move to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in New Jersey. Governor Thomas Kean in 1984 authorized the use of land for a new baseball stadium in the Meadowlands, but the state legislature did not provide financing for the stadium.[22] In a statewide referendum in 1987, New Jersey taxpayers rejected $185 million in public financing for a baseball stadium for the Yankees.[23] Despite the rejection from New Jersey, Steinbrenner frequently used a threatened move there as leverage in negotiations with New York City.

In 1988, Mayor Ed Koch agreed to have city taxpayers spend $90 million on a second renovation of Yankee Stadium that included luxury boxes and restaurants inside the stadium and parking garages and traffic improvements outside. Steinbrenner agreed in principle, but then backed out of the deal. In 1993, Mayor David Dinkins expanded on Koch's proposal by offering his Bronx Center vision for the neighborhood, including new housing, a new courthouse, and relocating the Police Academy nearby.[24]

In 1993, New York Governor Mario Cuomo proposed using the West Side Yard, a 30-acre rail yard along the West Side of Manhattan and owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, as the location for a new stadium for the Yankees. However, Cuomo lost his re-election bid a few months later. By 1995, Steinbrenner had rejected 13 proposals to keep the Yankees in the Bronx.[25]

In 1998, Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer proposed spending $600 million in public money to add dozens of luxury boxes to the stadium, to improve highway and public transportation access, and to create a Yankee Village, with shops, restaurants, and a museum. Steinbrenner rejected this as well. That same year, Mayor Rudy Giuliani unveiled a plan to relocate the Yankees to the West Side Yard for a $1 billion stadium. However, with most of the funding coming from taxpayers, Giuliani tabled the proposal, fearing rejection in a citywide referendum. The West Side Stadium plan resurfaced in December 2001, and by January 2002, months after the September 11 attacks, Giuliani announced "tentative agreements" for both the New York Yankees and New York Mets to build new stadiums. He estimated that both stadiums would cost $2 billion, with city and state taxpayers contributing $1.2 billion.[26]

Michael Bloomberg, who succeeded Giuliani as mayor in 2002, called the former mayor's agreements "corporate welfare" and exercised the escape clause in the agreements to back out of both deals, saying that the city could not afford to build new stadiums for the Yankees and Mets. Bloomberg said that Giuliani had inserted a clause in this deal which loosened the teams' leases with the city and would allow the Yankees and Mets to leave the city on 60 days' notice to find a new home elsewhere if the city backed out of the agreement. At the time, Bloomberg said that publicly funded stadiums were a poor investment. Bloomberg's blueprint for the stadium was unveiled in 2004, at the same time as the plan for the Mets' new stadium, Citi Field. The final cost for the two stadiums was more than $3.1 billion; taxpayer subsidies accounted for $1.8 billion.[17]

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the stadium took place on August 16, 2006, the 58th anniversary of Babe Ruth's death, with Steinbrenner, Bloomberg and then-Governor of New York George Pataki among the notables donning Yankees hard hats and wielding ceremonial shovels to mark the occasion.[27][28] The Yankees continued to play in the previous Yankee Stadium during the 2007 and 2008 seasons while their new home stadium was built across the street. The community was left without parkland for five years.

During construction of the new stadium, a construction worker and avid Boston Red Sox fan buried a replica jersey of Red Sox player David Ortiz underneath the visitors' dugout with the objective of placing a "hex" on the Yankees, much like the "Curse of the Bambino" that had allegedly plagued the Red Sox long after trading Ruth to the Yankees. After the worker was exposed by co-workers, he was forced to help exhume the jersey.[29] The Yankees organization then donated the retrieved jersey to the Jimmy Fund, a charity started in 1948 by the Red Sox' National League rivals, the Boston Braves, but long championed by the Red Sox and particularly associated with Ted Williams.[30][31] The worker has since claimed to have buried a 2004 American League Championship Series program/scorecard, but has not said where he placed it.[32] These attempts didn't have much effect upon the home team, though: the Yankees went on to win the 2009 World Series at the end of their first MLB season in the new stadium.[33]

The new stadium is meant to evoke elements of the original Yankee Stadium, both in its original 1923 state and its post-renovation state in 1976. The exterior resembles the original look of the 1923 Yankee Stadium. The interior, a modern ballpark with greater space and increased amenities, features a playing field that closely mimics the 1988â€“2008 dimensions of the old stadium. The current stadium features 4,300 club seats and 68 luxury suites.

The stadium was designed by the architectural firm Populous. The exterior was made from 11,000 pieces of Indiana limestone, along with granite and pre-cast concrete.[34] It features the building's name V-cut and gold-leaf lettered above each gate.[34] The interior of the stadium is adorned with hundreds of photographs capturing the history of the Yankees. The New York Daily News newspaper partnered with the Yankees for the exhibition "The Glory of the Yankees Photo Collection", which was selected from the Daily News' collection of over 2,000 photographs.[35] Sports & The Arts was hired by the Yankees to curate the nearly 1,300 photographs that adorn the building from sources including the Daily News, Getty Images, the Baseball Hall of Fame and Major League Baseball.

The seats are laid out similar to the original stadium's stands, with grandstand seating that stretches beyond the foul poles, as well as bleacher seats beyond the outfield fences. The Field Level and Main Level comprise the lower bowl, with suites on the H&R Block Level, and the Upper Level and Grandstand Level comprising the upper bowl.[36] Approximately 2⁄3 of the stadium's seating is in the lower bowl, the inverse from the original Yankee Stadium.[36] 50,287 fans can be seated, with a standing room capacity of 52,325.[37] The new stadium's seating is spaced outward in a bowl, unlike the stacked-tiers design at the old stadium. This design places most fans farther back but lower to the field, by about an average of 30 feet (9.1 m). Over 56 suites are located within the ballpark, triple the amount from the previous stadium.[34] Seats are 19–24 inches (48–61 cm) wide, up from the previous stadium's 18–22-inch (46–56 cm) wide seats, while there is 33–39 inches (84–99 cm) of leg room, up from 29.5 inches (75 cm) of leg room in the previous stadium.[36] Many lower level seats are cushioned, while all seats are equipped with cupholders.[36] To allow for the extra seating space, the stadium's capacity is reduced by more than 4,000 seats in comparison to the previous stadium.[36]

Many design elements of the ballpark's interior are inspired by the original Yankee Stadium. The roof of the new facility features a replica of the frieze that was a trademark of the previous ballpark.[36] In the original Yankee Stadium, a copper frieze originally lined the roof of the upper deck stands, but it was torn down during the 1974â€“75 renovations and replicated atop the wall beyond the bleachers.[36] The new stadium replicates the frieze in its original location along the upper deck stands.[36] Made of steel coated with zinc for rust protection, it is part of the support system for the cantilevers holding up the top deck and the lighting on the roof.[38] The wall beyond the bleacher seats is "cut out" to reveal the 4 subway trains as they pass by, like they were in the original facility. A manually operated auxiliary scoreboard is built into the left and right field fences, in the same locations it existed in the pre-renovation iteration of the original Yankee Stadium.[36]

Between the exterior perimeter wall and interior of the stadium is the "Great Hall", a large concourse that runs between Gates 4 and 6.[39] With seven-story ceilings, the Great Hall features more than 31,000 square feet (2,900 m2) of retail space and is lined with 20 banners of past and present Yankees superstars.[39] The Great Hall features a 5-by-383-foot (1.5 by 116.7 m) LED (light-emitting diode) ribbon display as well as a 25' by 36' LED video display above the entrance to the ballpark from Daktronics, a company in Brookings, South Dakota.[39][40]

Monument Park, which features the Yankees' retired numbers, as well as monuments and plaques dedicated to distinguished Yankees, has been moved from its location beyond the left field fences in the original Yankee Stadium to its new location beyond the center field fences at the new facility. The newly relocated Monument Park is now situated under the sports bar; black shades cover the monuments on the back wall during games to prevent interference with the vision of the batter.[41] The new location of the monuments is meant to mirror their original placement in center field at the original pre-renovation Yankee Stadium, albeit when they were on the playing field. The transfer of Monument Park from the old stadium to the new stadium began on November 10, 2008.[42] The first monuments were put in place on February 23, 2009.[43] Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera requested that the Yankees reposition the team's bullpen, as well as add a door to connect the Yankees' bullpen to Monument Park, in order to allow access to it by Yankee relievers. The organization complied with his request.[34][44]

The field dimensions for the outfield fences have the same distance markers as the original facility prior to closing yet the dimensions are not identical.[45] Due to the design of the right-field stands and the inclusion of an embedded manual scoreboard, the right-field wall is an average of 5 feet (1.5 m) closer to home plate.[46] Overall, the fences measure 318 feet (97 m) to left field, 399 feet (122 m) to left-center field, 408 feet (124 m) to center field, 385 feet (117 m) to right-center field, and 314 feet (96 m) to right field.[36][37] At the old Yankee Stadium, the right field wall curved from the right-field corner to straightaway center, while at the new ballpark the fence takes a sharp, almost entirely straight angle.[46] This results in a difference at certain points between the right field markers of as much as 9 feet (2.7 m).[46] The dimensions in left field are substantially the same despite the presence of an embedded auxiliary scoreboard there as well.[46]

The outfield fences measure 8 feet 5 inches (2.57 m) high from the left-field foul pole until the Yankees' bullpen, when the fences begin to gradually descend in height until the right field foul pole, where they are only 8 feet (2.4 m) tall.[36] This also marks a decrease from the previous Yankee Stadium, where the outfield walls stood at a height of approximately 10 feet (3.0 m).[45] The distance from home plate to the backstop is 52 feet 4 inches (15.95 m), a reduction of 20 feet (6.1 m) from the previous facility.[37] The field is made up of Kentucky bluegrass, the same surface as the previous stadium, which is grown on a 1,300 acres (530 ha) farm in Bridgeton, New Jersey. The grass is equipped with a drainage system (featuring over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) of pipe) that makes the field playable an hour after taking 2 inches (51 mm) of rain.[36]

Yankee Stadium features a wide array of amenities. It contains 63% more space, 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) more in total, than the previous stadium, with wider concourses and open sight lines on concourses.[34] Along with 227 miles (365 km) of wired Ethernet cable, the building has sufficient fiber-optic cable wiring that Cisco Vice President and Treasurer David Holland calls the building "future proof".[34] Over 1,100 high-definition video monitors are placed within the stadium and approximately $10 million worth of baseball merchandise is housed within the ballpark.[34]

The center field scoreboard, manufactured by Mitsubishi Diamond Vision, measures 59 x 101 feet (31 m) and offers 5,925 square feet (550.5 m2) of viewing area. It was the third-largest high definition scoreboard in the world when it opened (behind the 8,736-square-foot (811.6 m2) board at newly renovated Kauffman Stadium and the new 8,066-square-foot (749.4 m2) board at the renovated Tokyo Racecourse).[47] Since then, it has also been surpassed by the world's largest scoreboard at AT&T Stadium and the new scoreboard at the Philadelphia Phillies' Citizens Bank Park.[48][49] Displaying 5,925 ft (1,806 m)² of video, the scoreboard can display four 1080p high definition images simultaneously.[36]

The Yankees clubhouse features 30,000 square feet (2,880 m²) of space, over 2.5 times the space of the clubhouse from the previous facility.[50] The dressing area alone features 3,344 sq ft (310.7 m2) of space, with each locker equipped with a safety deposit box and touch-screen computer.[50] The Yankees clubhouse features a weight room, training room, video room, and lounge area, while both teams' clubhouses have their own indoor batting cages.[50] The Yankees' therapy room features a hydrotherapy pool with an underwater treadmill.[50] The Yankees are believed to be the first team to chemically treat their uniforms, as well as the showering surfaces with an anti-bacterial agent that reduces the risk of infection.[50]

The New York Yankees Museum, located on the lower level at Gate 6, displays a wide range of Yankees' memorabilia.[51] A "Ball Wall" features hundreds of balls autographed by past and present Yankees, and there are plans to eventually add autographs for every living player who has played for the Yankees.[51] The centerpiece of the museum is a tribute to Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, with a commemorative home plate in the floor and statues of Larsen pitching to Yogi Berra.[51] Along with a facsimile of a current locker from the Yankees' clubhouse, fans can view the locker of the late Thurman Munson, which sat unoccupied in the previous stadium's Yankee clubhouse in honor of Munson.[51]

The ballpark offers a wide choice of restaurants. There are 25 fixed concessions stands, along with 112 movable ones.[39] A Hard Rock Cafe is located within the ballpark, but it is open to anyone at the 161st St. and River Ave. entrance year round.[39] The Hard Rock Cafe at Yankee Stadium officially opened on March 30, 2009, and an opening ceremony took place on April 2, 2009.[52] A steakhouse called NYY Steak is located beyond right field.[39] Celebrity chefs will occasionally make appearances at the ballpark's restaurants and help prepare food for fans in premium seating over the course of the season.[39] Above Monument Park in center field is the Mohegan Sun sports bar, whose tinted black glass acts as the ballpark's batter's eye. After the 2016 season, the Yankees began doing updates to Yankee Stadium including the Masterpass Batter's Eye Deck and Frank's Red Hot Terrace and Toyota Terrace. The Masterpass Batter's Eye Deck above the Mohegan Sun sports bar is an outdoor gathering space in center field with clear full views of the playing field available to all ticketed guests. The Frank's Red Hot Terrace and Toyota Terrace overlook the visitors' and Yankees' bullpens respectively. The new AT&T Sports Lounge is behind section 134 on the main level and features a full bar, tables, stools and large screen TVs. The new Budweiser Party Decks located at sections 311 and 328 in the upper deck feature shaded standalone bar areas serving beer, cocktails and food. There is a new SunRun Kids Clubhouse located on the 300 level in right field and outfitted with Yankees-themed playground equipment.[53]

Although Yankee Stadium has been praised for its amenities, it also has been widely criticized for high ticket prices.[54][55] Seats within the first eight rows in the lower bowl, called the "Legends Suite", are among the highest-priced tickets in professional sports. Tickets cost $510 on average; the most expensive tickets cost $2,600 each.[54] Legends Suite Seats have been regularly empty, with many ticket holders in this section having given up their tickets, and others remaining unsold, despite most other seats in the ballpark selling out. This has created an embarrassing image on television of the seats behind home plate being almost completely vacant.[54] Consequently, a surplus of tickets for Legends Seats have emerged in the secondary market, and with supply exceeding demand, resale prices have dropped. Empty seats in the Legends Suite could even be seen during the 2009 playoffs, including World Series games. Even though all playoff games were sellouts, Legends Suite ticket holders were in the lounges and the restaurant underneath instead of their seats.[56][57] Overall, the average ticket price is $63, the highest in baseball.[58]

Legends Suite seats are also separate from the other lower bowl seating and are vigorously patrolled by stadium security, with the divider being described as a "concrete moat."[54][55] Fans who do not have tickets within this premium section in the front rows are not allowed in the section. This includes standing behind the dugouts during batting practice and to seek autographs.[54][55] The least expensive seats, the bleachers, initially left many fans disappointed, as the indoor club seating area in center field obstructed the views from bleacher seats on both sides in sections 201 and 239. These severely obstructed sections would ultimately be removed during the 2016-2017 off-season in favor of outdoor bars and patio areas complete with standing terraces accessible to all ticket holders, in addition to replacing the seating on top of the center field club with standing terraces, drastically reducing the number of obstructed views from center field in the process.[59]

The Yankee Stadium staff was also criticized for an incident during a May 4, 2009 game, which was interrupted by a rain delay.[60] Fans were told by some staff members that the game was unlikely to resume and consequently, many fans exited the stadium, only for the game to eventually resume play.[60] The fans that left the ballpark were not permitted to re-enter, per the stadium's re-entry policy, and many subsequently got into arguments with stadium personnel.[60] In response to the backlash the Yankees received for the incident, the staff members were required to sign a gag order preventing them from speaking to media, but they did indicate that communication for rain delays would be improved.[60]

Late in the stadium's first season, cracks were seen on the concrete ramps of the Stadium. The Yankees are trying to determine whether there was something wrong with the concrete, or the ramps' installation or design. The company involved in inspecting the concrete was indicted on charges that its employees either faked or failed to perform some required tests and falsified the results of others.[61]

The stadium has also been criticized for its lack of fan noise. During a Sunday Night Baseball telecast in 2012, commentator and former Red Sox manager Terry Francona spoke about the different atmospheres in the old and new stadiums saying that "As a visiting team, especially for the Red Sox, by the time the (national) anthem was over, you couldn't wait to get back in the dugout. Now (there is) a little different (kind) of fan sitting around down there by the dugout." Games at the new stadium do not feature the same deafening crowd moments and often sound eerily silent.[62] The lack of fan noise was noticeable in the 2012 playoffs as well, with thousands of unsold seats for Game 5 of the ALDS and Games 1 and 2 of the ALCS. "This is a very easy place to play now", said Quintin Berry of the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees' ALCS opponents. "Coming from Oakland, the fans there were so rowdy. It was easier to come here."[63] In his autobiography "The Closer", the Yankees' longtime relief pitcher Mariano Rivera wrote these comments about the new stadium's atmosphere: "It doesn’t hold noise, or home-team fervor, anywhere near the way the old place did. The old Stadium was our 10th man—a loud and frenzied cauldron of pinstriped passion, with a lot of lifers in the stands. Maybe I’m wrong, but it's hard to see that the new place can ever quite duplicate that."[64] Derek Jeter echoed this sentiment in a September 2014 article in New York magazine, in which he said he missed the original Yankee Stadium: "It was a different feel. The new stadium, it's second to none—all the amenities. For the players, it really doesn’t get any better. The old stadium, if you were at the stadium, in the stands, the only place you could see the game was in your seat. Now there's so many suites and places people can go. So a lot of times it looks like it's empty, but it's really not. The old stadium, it was more intimidating. The fans were right on top of you."[65]

In its first season, Yankee Stadium quickly acquired a reputation as a "bandbox" and a "launching pad" because of the high number of home runs hit at the new ballpark.[66][67][68][69][70][71] Through its first 23 games, 87 home runs were hit at the venue, easily besting Enron Field's (now called Minute Maid Park) previous record set in 2000.[72] Early in the season, Yankee Stadium was on pace to break Coors Field's 1999 single-season record of 303 home runs allowed, and the hometown Daily News (using the back-page headline "HOMERS ODYSSEY") started publishing a daily graphic comparing each stadium's home run totals through a similar number of games.

ESPN commentator Peter Gammons denounced the new facility as "one of the biggest jokes in baseball" during an appearance on Mike and Mike in the Morning, and concluded that "[it] was not a very well-planned ballpark".[68] Likewise, Gammons' ESPN colleague Buster Olney described the stadium as "a veritable wind tunnel"[66] and likened it to his childhood Wiffle-ball park.[73] Newsday columnist Wallace Matthews joined in the criticism, labeling the stadium "ridiculous" and accused "the franchise that took ownership of the home run" of cheapening it. He suggested that Babe Ruth could have potentially hit 120 or more homers if he played in the new Stadium. For his column, Matthews interviewed former Yankee Reggie Jackson, who termed the park "too small" to contain current player Alex Rodriguez. Jackson estimated that the park might enable the third baseman to hit 75 home runs in a season.[67]

A variety of theories have been posited to account for the dramatic increase in home runs at the new Yankee Stadium over the original stadium, foremost among these the sharper angles of the outfield walls[46] and the speculated presence of a wind tunnel.[66] During construction of the new ballpark, engineers commissioned a wind study, the results of which indicated there would be no noticeable difference between the two stadiums.[74] The franchise planned a second study, but Major League rules prohibit a team from making any changes to the playing field until the off-season.[74]

An independent study by the weather service provider AccuWeather in June 2009 concluded that the shape and height of the right field wall, rather than the wind, is responsible for the proliferation of home runs at the stadium.[75] AccuWeather's analysis found that roughly 20% of the home runs hit at the new ballpark would not have been home runs at the old ballpark due to the gentle curve of its right field corner, and its 10-foot (3.0Â m) wall height.[75] Nothing was observed in wind speeds and patterns that would account for the increase.[75]

The number of home runs hit at the new stadium slowed significantly as the season progressed,[76] but a new single-season record for most home runs hit at a Yankee home ballpark was nonetheless set in the Yankees' 73rd home game of 2009 when Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hit the 216th home run of the season at the venue, surpassing the previous record of 215 set at the original Yankee Stadium in 2005.[77] However, the Yankees offense, as in previous years, had employed many home run hitters in 2009. The Yankees hit 108 home runs while playing on the road, the second most in baseball behind the Philadelphia Phillies.[78]

In 2010, the early rate of home runs were markedly less through May 15, 2010, with 35 home runs hit in 14 games for 2.5 per game (a projection of 205â€”in 2009, the stadium finished at 2.93 per game for a total of 237). Even though the stadium's home run rate decreased slightly for the 2010 season to 2.73 per game, it was still the highest figure in the majors.[79] However, the prolific home run rate of April and May 2009 that drew criticism has not sustained itself over any season thus far, and while through the first two months of the 2011 season the Yankees hit far more homers than any other team in the majors,[80] Yankee Stadium was not the top home run park.[79]

Like its predecessor, the new Yankee Stadium hosted the World Series in its very first season; in the 2009 World Series, the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4 games to 2. It also became the latest stadium to host a World Series-clinching victory by its home team in the venue's first season (after the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series at Busch Stadium in 2006), when, on November 4, 2009, the Yankees won their 27th World Series championship against the Phillies. The Yankees are the only team to inaugurate two stadiums with World Series wins and also appeared in the 1976 World Series following the refurbishment of the original Yankee Stadium, losing to the Big Red Machine in four straight. On October 6, 2011 Detroit Tigers in game five of the ALDS were the first team to eliminate the Yankees at the new Yankee Stadium in the postseason.

Many historic milestones and records have been achieved at Yankee Stadium. In 2009, Derek Jeter became the Yankees all-time hits leader with his 2,722nd hit, surpassing Lou Gehrig's 72-year record.[83] The following season, Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th home run at the Stadium, becoming the youngest player to accomplish the feat.[84] In 2011, three significant milestones were achieved at the stadium. In July, Jeter became the first Yankee to join the 3,000 hit club and collect all 3,000 hits with the franchise.[85] The following month, the Yankees became the first team in history to hit three grand slams in a single game.[86] As the regular season drew to a close, Mariano Rivera became the all-time leader in regular season saves, when he earned his 602nd save.[87]

On April 20, 2016, the Oakland Athletics' Kendall Graveman became the first starting pitcher to bat at Yankee Stadium.[88]

The stadium is reachable via the 161st Street – Yankee Stadium station complex, the same that served the old Yankee Stadium, by the 4, B, and D trains of the New York City Subway. It is also served by the Yankees – East 153rd Street station of the Metro-North Railroad, opened on May 23, 2009;[89] this station routinely features Hudson Line train service, but on game days, Harlem Line and New Haven Line trains from upstate New York and Connecticut—as well as shuttle trains from Grand Central Terminal--also stop there. The stadium is also served by the Bx1, Bx2, Bx6, Bx6 SBS, and Bx13 New York City Bus routes. For selected games, SeaStreak provides high-speed ferry service to Highlands, New Jersey.[90]

Yankee Stadium is accessible by car via the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87), with connections to the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95), Bruckner Expressway (I-278), and other highways and roads. Aside from existing parking lots and garages serving the stadium, construction for additional parking garages is planned. The New York State Legislature agreed to $70 million in subsidies for a $320 million parking garage project. On October 9, 2007, the New York City Industrial Development Agency approved $225 million in tax-exempt bonds to finance construction of three new parking garages that will have 3,600 new parking spaces, and renovation of the existing 5,569 parking spaces nearby.[91] Plans initially called for a fourth new garage, but this was eliminated before the final approval. The garages will be built (and renovated) by the Community Initiatives Development Corporation of Hudson, New York, a nonprofit entity that will use the parking revenue to repay the bonds and pay a $3 million yearly land lease to the City of New York. Parking is expected to cost $25 per game.[91]

As part of the 2012 World Football Challenge, Chelsea played with Paris Saint-Germain on July 22, 2012 in the first soccer (football) match at Yankee Stadium, the match ended in a 1â€“1 tie, before a crowd of 38,202. The Stadium hosted another soccer match between A.C. Milan and Real Madrid on August 8, 2012. Real Madrid won 5-1, before a crowd of 49,474.[92] Chelsea also played Manchester City there on May 25, 2013, which ended in a 5-3 win for City. On June 11, 2013, Spain defeated the Republic of Ireland 2-0 in a friendly match at the stadium.[93]

On April 21, 2014, it was announced that New York City FC, a Major League Soccer expansion team owned jointly by the New York Yankees and Manchester City, would play in Yankee Stadium from 2015 until their new stadium site is determined and the stadium is built.[12] NYCFC played their first game at Yankee Stadium on March 15, 2015. Because of the unique dimensions of the Yankee Stadium field, the playing surface of the soccer pitch is 110 yards (100 m) long by 70 yards (64 m) wideâ€”the smallest field in all of Major League Soccer, and the smallest allowed by FIFA's international guidelines.[94]

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish played a college football game at Yankee Stadium against The Army Black Knights on November 20, 2010, with the Irish defeating the Black Knights 27–3. This marked the two teams' first meeting in the Bronx since 1969.[96] Army played Rutgers in 2011 (Rutgers defeated Army 27–12),[97] and played against Connecticut in 2014. Also in 2014, Lehigh and Lafayette played the 150th edition of their college football rivalry game at Yankee Stadium on November 22, 2014. Both teams played to a sold out stadium; Lafayette winning, 27-7. On November 12, 2016, Fordham University beat Holy Cross 54–14 in the 53rd meeting of the Ram–Crusader Cup.[citation needed]

Since 2010, Yankee Stadium has hosted the Pinstripe Bowl, an annual college football bowl game. The inaugural bowl pitted Syracuse (3rd place Big East) against Kansas State (7th place Big 12) on December 30, 2010. Syracuse defeated Kansas State 36â€“34 in a shootout, before a crowd of 38,274.[98]

The stadium was intended to host a game between Rutgers and Maryland on November 4, 2017, but this event was cancelled in October 2017 due to potential conflicts with the Yankees' postseason.[99]

The first National Hockey League event took place on January 26, 2014, between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils as part of the 2014 NHL Stadium Series. The Rangers also faced off against the New York Islanders on January 29, 2014, under the deep cold outdoor weather. The Rangers won both matches 7-3 and 2-1 respectively. Both games drew a little bit more than 50,000 spectators, almost the full capacity of the stadium. The Devils and Islanders never played an outdoor game before this series.[100]

The promotional tour for the Manny Pacquiaoâ€“Miguel Cotto fight began with an event at Yankee Stadium on September 10, 2009.

On June 5, 2010, Yuri Foreman fought Cotto in the first boxing match in The Bronx since 1976. The fight was referred to as the "Stadium Slugfest". Cotto defeated Foreman with a TKO in the ninth round. Cotto captured the WBA super welterweight title and his fourth world title, before a crowd of 20,272.[105]

The first non-baseball event at the current version of Yankee Stadium took place on the evening of Saturday, April 25, 2009, when Senior Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church held what was dubbed as a "Historic Night of Hope" Christian prayer service.[106]

A New York University graduation ceremony took place on May 13, 2009 with the address being delivered by U.S. Secretary of State and former New York Senator Hillary Clinton. The 2010 NYU ceremony featured alumnus Alec Baldwin as a speaker.[107] President Bill Clinton spoke at the 2011 ceremony.[108]

Effective 2016, printed electronic tickets cannot be used at New York Yankees and New York City FC matches at Yankee Stadium. Only traditional hard-stock tickets, and those issued via a mobile ticketing system, are accepted. The team justified the decision by stating that it was meant to combat fraud associated with printed digital tickets. However, it was also believed that the team was trying to specifically hinder the ticket resale service StubHub, which competed against an official resale service run by TicketMaster known as the Yankees Ticket Exchange. The YTE is subject to a price flooring policy, meaning that tickets may only be discounted up to a certain amount. Although StubHub is the official ticket resale partner of Major League Baseball, the Yankees, as well as the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs, had opted out of this agreement.[109]

Owing to the Yankees' ownership of the team, New York City FC announced on March 11, 2016 that its matches would also be subject to this policy. At the team's March 13, 2016 home opener, although the team stated that they would be phasing in mobile ticketing by introducing additional verification steps for printed tickets before the policy takes full effect in April, reports indicated that the stadium was turning away fans with printed tickets, leading to long queue lines, as well as few attendees inside the stadium itself.[110][111] In an interview with WFAN radio, Yankees COO Lonn Trost explained that the measures were to help combat ticket resale, arguing that the team did not want fans to purchase "premium" seats at bargain prices, because they would be filled by "someone who has never sat in a premium location [before]".[112]

On the April 3, 2016 episode of the HBO news-comedy series Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver responded to Trost's remarks, arguing that he was "saying that rich people couldn't bear to sit next to people who aren't as rich." As a further satire of Trost's arguments against discounted resale, Oliver then announced a contest in which viewers were invited to send photos of themselves dressed as if they had "never sat in a premium location before", with winners offered the ability to purchase a pair of Legends Seats from one of the first three home games of the season for 25 cents. The stunt was successful, leading to the presence of several costumed attendees in Legends Seats during the opening games. Team president Randy Levine responded positively to the stunt, thanking Oliver for having bought tickets to begin with, and remarked that everyone was welcome at Yankee Stadium.[113][114][115]

On June 27, 2016, the Yankees announced that it had reached a deal with StubHub for it to become its new official ticket resale partner beginning on July 7, 2016, and allow season ticket holders to sell electronic tickets, rather than mail physical tickets to the buyer. The service will still be subject to a price flooring policy, but the team stated that the new arrangement would provide a "superior, more secure, [and] better experience".[116][117]


who plays maggie horton on days of our lives

Suzanne Rogers (born Suzanne Cecelia Crumpler; July 9, 1943)[1] is an American actress with film and television credits. Her stage name was inspired by Ginger Rogers, whom she cites as a personal inspiration for joining the entertainment industry. Rogers got her start as a dancer/performer at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, but she is perhaps best known for playing Maggie Horton, a role she originated and has played since 1973 on the NBC dramatic serial Days of Our Lives.

Suzanne Rogers

Suzanne Rogers was born Suzanne Cecelia Crumpler on July 9, 1943, in Midland, Maryland.[1] While growing up in Colonial Heights, Virginia, she took an interest in dancing. She expressed interest in it at the age of two and started taking dancing lessons during her childhood.[1][2]

At the age of 17, Rogers left her hometown and decided to pursue a dancing career. She moved to New York City and became one of the dancers at the Radio City Music Hall.[1][2] Along with becoming a Rockette, Rogers performed in several Broadway musicals including Coco, Hallelujah Boy and Follies, distinctly heard on the original cast album and mentioned in the book Everything Was Possible which covered the creation and history of the hit Broadway show.[1] After spending 10 years in New York City, the actress wanted to try out an acting dream and moved to California in January 1973.[1]

She attended acting classes in California with Stella Adler at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Soon after, she landed the role of Maggie Horton on NBC's Days of Our Lives.[2] Maggie was introduced as a guest character in August 1973, by scriptwriter William J. Bell and executive producer Betty Corday.[3] From the beginning, Bell considered the role ideal for her. He approached Rogers about taking the role of Maggie, and she agreed.[4] She was immediately described by critics who gave reviews of the show as being one of the most energetic girls on daytime television. The news of Rogers being cast as Maggie was a different move, taking an actress who loves to dance, to a character of a crippled farm girl. This was her first television assignment, after being the youngest girl to take the stage at Radio City Music Hall.[4]

In 1984, Rogers was diagnosed with the rare muscle disorder myasthenia gravis.[5] This disease affected her facial muscles, and the medicine the doctors put her on made her feel ill, and her face appeared swollen while also suffering hair loss.[6] She temporarily left the show after 11 years when the effects of the disease became increasingly worse.[7]

Her entire appearance changed, and she did not return to Days of Our Lives for a year. Rogers returned to the serial when her health became better. Rogers, wanting to educate viewers about the disease, confronted executive producer Betty Corday about her character being diagnosed with the disease. Corday agreed, and a storyline played out with Maggie learning she has myasthenia gravis. The actress went into remission in 1995, and has remained in remission since. In 2010, after her character's husband is killed off, Maggie began to notice some effects she experienced when diagnosed with the disease in 1984.[8]

In 2003, a major series of serial killings occurred on the show. Maggie was "killed off" in a "whodunnit?" murder storyline involving a serial killer.[9] Maggie's murder forced Rogers to depart from the series, although she made occasional appearances as Maggie's "spirit", appearing with all of the other victims when the apparent cuplrit, Marlena Evans, attacked Alice. To help with falling ratings at the time, current head writer James E. Reilly decided to bring all the characters back from the dead. They all turned up in the fictional town of Melaswen, or New Salem spelt backwards.[10][11] This storyline sparked major controversy, and proved to be a daring move.[12]

Since the death of original cast member Frances Reid (Alice Horton) in 2010, Rogers is currently the longest-running actress to appear continuously on Days of Our Lives as the new Horton family matriarch.[13][14]

Rogers married Sam Groom in 1980. They divorced in 1982.[citation needed] She lives in Studio City, California.[citation needed]


dram of liqueur taken after small strong coffee

In Italy, grappa is primarily served as a digestivo or after-dinner drink. Its main purpose is to aid in the digestion of heavy meals. Grappa may also be added to espresso coffee to create a caffè corretto, meaning "corrected" coffee. Another variation of this is the ammazzacaffè ("coffee-killer"): the espresso is drunk first, followed by a few ounces of grappa served in its own glass. In Veneto, there is resentin ("little rinser"): after finishing a cup of espresso with sugar, a few drops of grappa are poured into the nearly empty cup, swirled, and drunk down in one sip.

Grappa

Grappa is an alcoholic beverage, a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume (70 to 120 US proof).

The flavor of grappa, like that of wine, depends on the type and quality of the grapes used, as well as the specifics of the distillation process. Grappa is made by distilling the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems (i.e., the pomace) left over from winemaking after pressing the grapes. It was originally made to prevent waste by using these leftovers. A similar drink, known as acquavite d'uva, is made by distilling whole must.

Grappa is now a protected name in the European Union. To be called grappa, the following criteria must be met:[citation needed]

Criterion 2 rules out the direct fermentation of pure grape juice, which is the method used to produce brandy.

Criterion 3 has two important implications. First, the distillation must occur on solids. Thus, it is carried out not with a direct flame but with a bain-marie or steam distillation; otherwise, the pomace may burn. Second, the woody parts of the grapes (the stems and seeds) are co-fermented with the sugar-rich juice; this produces a very small amount of methanol, which is much more toxic than ethanol. Unlike in the similar process of making red wine, in grappa the methanol must be carefully removed during distillation. That is why there is an Italian law requiring winemakers to sell their pomace to grappa makers; this is a measure that was taken against moonshine operations, which are now very rare in Italy.

Use of the word grappa for product distilled in the United States is still allowed and falls under the Class definition of brandy further classified type as pomace, specifically grappa or grappa brandy.[1]

Among the best-known producers of grappa are[citation needed] Bepi Tosolini, Berta, Bocchino, Brotto, Distilleria De Negri, Domenis, Jacopo Poli, Nardini, Nonino, Sibona, and Villa de Varda. These grappas are produced in significant quantities and are exported; there are also many small local or regional grappas.

Most grappa is clear, indicating it is an unaged distillate, though some may retain very faint pigments from their original fruit pomace. Lately,[clarification needed] aged grappas have become more common, and these take on a yellow or red-brown hue from the barrels in which they are stored.

Grappa is also well known in South America, particularly in Uruguay and Argentina, due to the significant Italian immigration in those countries. It is served as in Italy, after the main meals. In Uruguay, a local version called grappamiel has also been created, which sees honey added to the traditional grappa. It is widely served and mostly drunk in winter because it "warms" the throat.[citation needed]

Distillation is an ancient practice that can be traced back to the first century AD.[2] While the distillation of alcohol may have been carried out reliably by the School of Salerno in the 12th century,[2][3] fractional distillation was developed by Taddeo Alderotti in the 13th century.[4] There is a legend that tells of a Roman soldier who first distilled grappa in the northern Italian town of Bassano del Grappa using distilling equipment stolen in Egypt ("Crisiopea di Cleopatra" 2nd century AD). However, the story cannot be considered reliable as such equipment could not produce grappa. Distillation useful for producing beverages was not discovered until the eighth century, and it likely took about two more centuries for the technology to travel from its home in the Levant and Persia to Italy (likely by route of the Crusades).

Around 1300â€“1400 AD, however, the introduction of water as a coolant in the distilling equipment made it possible to produce a substantially larger amount of distilled wine and to distill pomace. Around 1600 AD, the Jesuits in Spain, Italy and Germany studied and codified the techniques used to produce brandy or grappa, and their methods were used until recent times.[5] The Museum of Wine and Grappa shows historical equipment used in the early years of grappa distillation.

The modernization of grappa distillation is relatively recent, probably in 1979 in Northern Italy. Initially it was carried out by direct flame but soon the advantages of a bain-marie or steam distillation to obtain a better product became obvious. Modern refinements included the distillation of pomace under vacuum, the use of varietal grapes and aging in casks of various types of wood to improve the flavor of the liquor. Oak is the most used, but some high-end grappas are aged successively in casks of acacia, ash and cherrywood, an innovation introduced by the Marzadro Distillery. In Sardinia, Grappa is colloquially known as (iron wire)as most of the distillation was homemade and illegal to avoid customs and excise taxes. The illegally made liquor was bottled, sealed and then buried in orchards fields and pastures, awaiting commercialization. A bit of iron wire was tied around the bottleneck, barely protruding the soil. after some time the wire would rust and disappear completely save for a faintly brown red color stain to the topsoil on the spot where the bottle was buried. While the peasant distiller could easily recognize the colored spot, the urban-bred Guardia di Finanza officers were generally unable to tell the difference.

Professional tasters distinguish among four categories of grappa: young, cask-conditioned, aromatic, and aromatized. Grappa tastings begin with young grappas, then continue with cask-conditioned and aromatic grappas, and finish with aromatized grappas.

When the tasting involves more than one grappa from the same category, the examination begins with the grappa that has the lowest alcohol content and concludes with the product richest in alcohol. When two grappas have the same alcohol content, the tasting begins with the smoother and less markedly flavoured product, which the organizer of the tasting will have selected beforehand.

Another way to "taste" grappa is by rubbing a small amount on the back of the hand and sniffing. If the aroma is pleasant, the grappa is well made. Impurities in grappa come out in the vapour and can be easily distinguished in this way.

After each tasting, and before sampling another glass, some tasters recommend drinking half a glass of milk to refresh the taste receptors on the tongue.

Various other food products can help stop taste-characteristics of one grappa from "dragging" or carrying over to the next. Foods that are effective in this role as well as provide an agreeable accompaniment to grappa's own flavour include:

With the introduction of "boutique" grappas, elaborate flute glasses have been promoted; traditionalists continue to taste grappa in shot glasses.[citation needed]


when was the crow and the pitcher written

The fable is made the subject of a poem by the first century CE Greek Poet Bianor,[1] was included in the 2nd century fable collection of pseudo-Dositheus[2] and later appears in the 4thâ€“5th-century Latin verse collection by Avianus.[3] The history of this fable in antiquity and the Middle Ages is tracked in A.E. Wright's Hie lert uns der meister: Latin Commentary and the Germany Fable.[4]

The Crow and the Pitcher

The Crow and the Pitcher is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 390 in the Perry Index. It relates ancient observation of corvid behaviour that recent scientific studies have confirmed is goal-directed and indicative of causal knowledge rather than simply being due to instrumental conditioning.

The story concerns a thirsty crow that comes upon a pitcher with water at the bottom, beyond the reach of its beak. After failing to push it over, the bird drops in pebbles one by one until the water rises to the top of the pitcher, allowing it to drink. In his telling, Avianus follows it with a moral that emphasises the virtue of ingenuity: "This fable shows us that thoughtfulness is superior to brute strength." Other tellers of the story stress the crow's persistence. In Francis Barlow's edition the proverb 'Necessity is the mother of invention' is applied to the story[5] while an early 20th-century retelling quotes the proverb 'Where there's a will, there's a way'.[6]

Artistic use of the fable may go back to Roman times, since one of the mosaics that has survived is thought to have the story of the crow and the pitcher as its subject.[7] Modern equivalents have included English tiles from the 18th[8] and 19th centuries[9] and an American mural by Justin C. Gruelle (1889-1978), created for a Connecticut school.[10] These and the illustrations in books of fables had little scope for invention. The greatest diversity is in the type of vessel involved and over the centuries these have varied from a humble clay pot to elaborate Greek pitchers.[11]

The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder is the earliest to attest that the story reflects the behaviour of real-life corvids.[12] In August 2009, a study published in Current Biology revealed that rooks, a relative of crows, do just the same as the crow in the fable when presented with a similar situation.[13] The ethologist Nicola Clayton, also taking the fable as a starting point,[14] found that other corvids are capable of the thinking demonstrated there.[15] Eurasian jays were able to drop stones into a pitcher of water to make the water level rise. Further research established that the birds understood that the pitcher must contain liquid rather than a solid for the trick to work, and that the objects dropped in must sink rather than float. New Caledonian crows perform similarly,[16][17][18] but Western scrub-jays appear to fail.[19] The findings have advanced knowledge of bird intelligence; the Eurasian jay had not been scientifically observed to use tools either in the wild or in captivity before. The research also indicated that physical cognition evolved earlier in the corvid family than previously thought as the not closely related crows and ravens were already known to score highly on intelligence tests, with certain species topping the avian IQ scale[20] and tool use is well-documented.[21] Such tool use has been observed in great apes as well and the researchers were quoted as drawing a parallel between their findings and the fable.[22]


who represents the crown in a british colony

Crown, or royal, colonies were ruled by a governor appointed by the monarch. By the middle of the 19th century, the sovereign appointed royal governors on the advice of the Secretary of State for the Colonies.[1] Under the name of "royal colony", the first of what would later become known as Crown colonies was the English Colony of Virginia in the present-day United States, after the Crown, in 1624, revoked the royal charter it had granted to the Virginia Company, taking over direct administration.[2]

Crown colony

A crown colony, also known in the 17th century as royal colony and since 2002 known as a British Overseas Territory, was a type of colonial administration of the overseas territories of the British Empire.

Until the mid-19th century, the term "crown colony" was primarily used to refer to those colonies that had been acquired through wars, such as Trinidad and Tobago[3] and British Guiana, but after that time it was more broadly applied to any colony other than the Presidencies and provinces of British India and the colonies of settlement, such as The Canadas, Newfoundland, British Columbia, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, and New Zealand, later to become the Dominions.[4]

The term continued to be used until 1981, when the British Nationality Act 1981 reclassified the remaining British colonies as "British Dependent Territories". By this time, the term "crown colony" referred specifically to those colonies ruled directly by a Governor appointed by the Monarch (as was the case in Hong Kong before the 1997 handover to the People's Republic of China), with or without the assistance of some form of council appointed by the Governor. The term was not used to apply to those colonies which were substantially autonomous, usually described as "self-governed colonies" (at that time, primarily Bermuda, which had become a crown colony, according to an older definition of the term, when the Crown revoked the Royal Charter it had given to the Somers Isles Company, successor to the Virginia Company, in 1684. This meant that the Crown, from then onwards, appointed the Governor of Bermuda, previously appointed by the Company. Bermuda had already been internally self-governed for sixty-four years, however, and by the Twentieth Century the definition of "crown colony" had narrowed to include only those territories without internal self-government. The House of Assembly of Bermuda had existed continuously since its first session in 1620, including through the Commonwealth of England, when for some years the Mother Country itself had no parliament. From 2002, all remaining British colonies, whether Crown Colonies or self-governed, have been known as British Overseas Territories.[5]

There were three types of crown colony as of 1918, with differing degrees of autonomy:

Crown colonies with representative councils such as Bermuda, Jamaica, Ceylon, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Fiji contained two legislative chambers, consisting of Crown-appointed and locally elected members.

Crown colonies with nominated councils such as British Honduras, Sierra Leone, Grenada and Hong Kong were staffed entirely by Crown appointed members, with some appointed representation from the local population. It should be noted that Hong Kong had a representative council following the introduction of election for the Hong Kong Legislative Council in 1995.

Crown colonies ruled directly by a Governor such as Basutoland,[6] Gibraltar, Saint Helena and Singapore were fewest in number and had the least autonomy.

The following list includes territories belonging by settlement, conquest or annexation to the British Crown or to an independent Commonwealth nation.a

^a Source:  This article incorporates text from a work in the public domain: Great Britain Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Chronological table of the statutes. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London part of the Office of Public Sector Information.Â


who hit the shot heard round the world golf

In a change from the first year, the nines were switched to their present order, with the finishing hole at "Holly." In the fourth round, Gene Sarazen holed a double eagle (235 yards, 4 wood) to tie Craig Wood and force a 36-hole playoff.[4][5] This second shot at "Firethorn," the par-5 15th hole, then 485 yards (443Â m), is referred to in golf as the "shot heard 'round the world."

1935 Masters Tournament

The 1935 Masters Tournament was the second Masters Tournament, then still known as the "Augusta National Invitation Tournament," held April 4â€“8 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

Sarazen won the Monday playoff by five strokes, even-par 144 to 149 (+5), and parred the 15th hole in both rounds.[6] Tournament co-founder and host Bobby Jones finished at 297, fifteen strokes back in a tie for 25th place. The purse was $5,000 and the winner's share was $1,500.[7][8]

Thursday, April 4, 1935

Friday, April 5, 1935

Saturday, April 6, 1935

Sunday, April 7, 1935

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par
Source:[4]

Monday, April 8, 1935

Cumulative playoff scores, relative to par
Source:[6][8]


where does drag me to hell take place

In 1969, Pasadena, California, a couple seeks the aid of the medium Shaun San Dena, saying their son has been hearing evil spirits' voices after stealing a silver necklace from a “gypsy wagon”. San Dena aids the family by carrying out a seance, but they are attacked by an unseen force (revealed later to be Lamia) that pulls the boy into Hell. The medium says she will encounter the force again one day.

Drag Me to Hell

Drag Me to Hell is a 2009 American supernatural horror comedy film co-written and directed by Sam Raimi. The plot, written with his older brother Ivan, focuses on a loan officer, who, because she has to prove to her boss that she can make the "hard decisions", chooses not to extend an elderly woman's mortgage. In retaliation, the woman places a curse on the loan officer that, after three days of escalating torment, will plunge her into the depths of Hell to burn for eternity.

Raimi wrote Drag Me to Hell with his brother, Ivan, prior to working on the Spider-Man films. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was released to critical acclaim. It was also a box office success, grossing over $90 million worldwide. Drag Me to Hell won the award for Best Horror Film at the 2009 Scream Awards and the 2010 Saturn Awards.

In present-day Los Angeles, bank loan officer Christine Brown hopes to be promoted to assistant manager over her co-worker Stu Rubin. Her boss, Jim Jacks, advises her to demonstrate that she can make tough decisions to get a promotion. Christine is visited by an elderly woman, Sylvia Ganush, who asks for a third extension on her mortgage payment. Despite knowing Ganush is on a fixed income, and that she suffers from medical ailments, Christine denies Ganush an extension to prove herself to her boss. Ganush begs Christine not to repossess her house and kneels in front of her. Christine becomes frightened of the woman's persistent, desperate pleading as she is helping her to stand up and calls security, who take Ganush away while Ganush blames Christine for "shaming" her and vows to take revenge. Jim compliments Christine on how she handled the situation, and embellishes his positive statements, alluding to a promotion.

When Christine leaves work and gets to the parking garage to drive home, Ganush, hiding in the backseat, attacks Christine in her car. Despite sustaining what should be fatal injuries, Ganush rips a button off Christine's coat and uses it to place a curse on Christine. Later, Christine and her boyfriend Clay Dalton meet fortune teller Rham Jas, who tells Christine that she is being haunted by a dark spirit, likely the result of a curse. At home, Christine is attacked by the entity and has repulsive nightmares about Ganush. At work the next day, after hallucinating flies buzzing in her stomach and Ganush’s hands in place of Stu’s, Christine snaps at Stu and has a projectile nose bleed that soaks her boss in blood. She runs out of the office, and in the occurring panic, Stu steals a file from Christine's desk.

Christine goes to talk to Ganush for forgiveness in efforts to lift the curse. Ganush’s granddaughter answers the door, skeptical of Christine’s remorse, and Christine finds that Ganush cannot lift the curse, seeing as Ganush has died, and her granddaughter was hosting the funeral/viewing for her in the basement.

Christine returns to Rham Jas, who explains that as long as Christine is the owner of an accursed object, she will be haunted by a powerful demon called the Lamia (loosely based on the Greek Lamia, a child eating demon), that will torment her for three days before taking her to Hell for eternity. He suggests a sacrifice to appease the demon. Desperate to stop the attacks, Christine reluctantly sacrifices her pet kitten. At a dinner party, she meets Clayâ€™s parents for the first time,. She is again tormented by the Lamia, plagued with grotesque hallucinations like bugs appearing in a cake she bought for the night, and auditory illusions which cause her to scream abruptly and frighten Clay and his parents.

Christine returns to Rham Jas who says that Shaun San Dena will risk her life to stop the demon for a fee of $10,000. San Dena prepares a seance to trap the Lamia's spirit in a goat and kill it, and then allows the Lamia to inhabit her body. Rham Jas tries to persuade it not to steal Christine's soul, but it vows never to stop until Christine dies. Christine then places San Dena's hand on the goat, causing the spirit to enter its body. San Dena's assistant, Milos, attempts to kill the goat, but is bitten by the goat and becomes possessed and attacks the members of the seance. San Dena banishes the Lamia from the seance, but dies in the process. Christine thinks the medium has overcome the Lamia, but Rham Jas explains that she only managed to drive the spirit away until the next day. Then, he seals the cursed button in an envelope and tells Christine that she can get rid of the curse by giving the button to someone as a gift, thereby passing the curse on to that person.

Christine decides to give the envelope to Stu in revenge for his stealing her work, but changes her mind after seeing how pathetic Stu is when he meets up with her. With guidance from Rham Jas, Christine learns that she can give it back to Ganush even though she is dead. Christine digs up Ganush's grave, and after struggling momentarily with the corpse, Christine “formally” gives back the button, and callously jams the envelope in Ganush’s mouth just in time before dawn, seemingly ending the curse.

Christine returns home and prepares to meet Clay at Los Angeles Union Station for a weekend trip. She gets a message from her boss telling her that she landed her dream position after Stu confessed to stealing her work and was fired. At the station, Christine buys a coat that she has been wanting as a sign of a new beginning. Clay, planning to propose, reveals to Christine that he found the envelope containing the cursed button in his car; Christine then realizes she mixed up her envelope with another that she gave to Clay when she accidentally dropped it and that the curse was never lifted. Horrified, Christine backs away and falls onto the tracks. As Clay looks on, unable to reach Christine, a train barrels towards her, while fiery hands suddenly emerge from the tracks and drag Christine into what looks like the pits of Hell. Clay, holding the button in his hand at the edge of the train platform, with tears rolling down his face, stares at the tracks in utter disbelief and horror.

The film includes cameo appearances by Raimi himself as an uncredited ghost at the seance, Raimi's younger brother Ted as a doctor, members of Raimi's family Emma, Henry, and Lorne in minor roles, frequent Raimi collaborator Scott Spiegel as a mourner at the death feast, and John Paxton and Irene Roseen as the old couple at the diner.

The original story for Drag Me to Hell was written ten years before the film went into production and was written by Sam Raimi and his brother Ivan Raimi. The film went into production under the name The Curse.[3] The Raimis wrote the script as a morality tale, desiring to write a story about a character who wants to be a good person, but makes a sinful choice out of greed for her own betterment and pays the price for it.[4] The Raimis tried to make the character of Christine the main focal point in the film, and tried to have Christine in almost all the scenes in the film.[3] Elements of the film's story are drawn from the British horror film Night of the Demon (itself an adaptation of M.R. James' short story "Casting the Runes") such as the similar-shaped demons and the three-day curse theme in the film.[5][6] The most significant parallel is that both stories involve the passing of a cursed object, which has to be passed to someone else, or its possessor will be devoured by one or more demons. Unlike his past horror films, Raimi wanted the film to be rated PG-13 and not strictly driven by gore, stating, "I didn't want to do exactly the same thing I had done before."[3][7]

After finishing the script, Raimi desired to make the picture after the first draft of the script was completed, but other projects such as the Spider-Man film series became a nearly decade-long endeavor, pushing opportunities to continue work on Drag Me to Hell to late 2007.[3] Raimi offered director Edgar Wright to direct Drag Me to Hell which Wright turned down as he was filming Hot Fuzz and felt that "If I did it, it would just feel like karaoke."[8] After the previous three Spider-Man films, Raimi came back to the script of Drag Me to Hell, wanting to make a simpler and lower-budget film.[9] In 2007, Sam Raimi's friend and producer Robert Tapert of Ghost House Pictures had the company sign on to finance the film.[3] Universal Studios agreed to distribute domestically.[3]

After completing the script and having the project greenlit, Raimi started casting the film.[3] Ellen Page was originally cast for the main role of Christine, but dropped out of the project due to SAG strike-related scheduling issues.[10] The main role eventually went to Lohman, who didn't enjoy horror films, but enjoyed doing the stunts during filming.[3] Stage actress Lorna Raver auditioned for the role of Mrs. Ganush. Raver was not aware of the specific nature of her character until being cast, stating that all she had read was "about a little old lady coming into the bank because they're closing down her house. It was only later that I saw the whole script and said, 'Oh my!'"[3] To prepare for this role, Raver met with a Hungarian dialect coach and asked to have portions of the script translated into Hungarian.[3] Raimi would later ask Raver to use some of the Hungarian words in the scenes of Ganush's attacking Christine.[3] Dileep Rao, who plays Rham Jas, made producer Grant Curtis mildly hesitant in casting him, stating that during his audition "he was a little bit younger than he read in the script. But as we were looking at his reading, Sam said, 'There's no minimum age requirement on wisdom.' Dileep has that wisdom and presence on screen, and that’s what made him right. Once he got on camera, he brought that shoulder for Alison to lean on."[3] Many of the actors playing secondary characters in Drag Me to Hell have appeared previously in Raimi's films, including Joanne Baron, Tom Carey, Molly Cheek, Aimee Miles, John Paxton, Ted Raimi, Bill E. Rogers, Chelcie Ross, and Octavia Spencer.[3]

Raimi said he set out to create “a horror film with lots of wild moments and lots of suspense and big shocks that’ll hopefully make audiences jump. But I also wanted to have a lot of dark humor sprinkled throughout. I spent the last decade doing Spider-Man and you come to rely on a lot of people doing things for you and a lot of help, but it’s refreshing and wonderful to be reminded that, as with most filmmakers, the best way to do it is yourself, with a tight team doing the main jobs."[11]

Production for Drag Me to Hell began on location in Tarzana, California.[3] The production team included director of photography Peter Deming (Evil Dead II, Mulholland Dr.), production designer Steve Saklad (Juno), and visual effects supervisor Bruce Jones. The film was produced by Grant Curtis and Rob Tapert. Tapert and Raimi are longtime collaborators, having attended college together in Michigan.[11]

Drag Me to Hell was edited by Bob Murawski, who has collaborated with Raimi on several films including the Spider-Man series, The Gift, and Army of Darkness.[11]

Raimi has said of working with Murawski on Drag Me to Hell, "He’d come (down to the set) to see how things were going and to let me know if he’d just cut something that wasn’t working the way he’d wanted it to, or to suggest a pick-up shot I should get for a piece he felt we needed in a sequence I hadn’t realized I needed. He’s very detail-oriented... So we’re very close collaborators."

Raimi finds editing with Murawski to be "relaxing", adding, "I love it. For me, it's so relaxing, unlike pre-production, which is fraught with anxiety and fear about how we'e going to do things, and production, which is so rushed and a sleepless time and you're just racing to finish every shot and worrying about focus and so on. So post is soothing and I can watch the film come together, so it's a time of discovery for me as Bob and I fit all the pieces together. I see new possibilities in post, as Bob puts the film together, sometimes in a way I never imagined..."[11]

The film was edited by Murawski on an Avid computer system in a West Los Angeles facility. The color grading was completed at Company 3 with colorist Stephen Nakamura. Nakamura used DaVinci Resolve. It was CO3's first start-to-finish feature in 4K resolution.[11]

"For us, post is a very creative time where it's not just about this factory producing the blueprinted product. It's really a very creative, experimental time where we try and take everything that's been written and then shot to the next level," said Raimi.[11]

The final sound mix was completed at the Dub Stage in Burbank with mixers Marti Humphrey and Chris Jacobson.[11]

The effects in Drag Me to Hell were created in many different ways, including green screen, puppets, prosthetics and computer-generated imagery.[3] Bruce Jones was the visual effects supervisor on the film. Of Jones, Raimi commented, "He brought a great can-do approach to the film... He's got a great team of artists and technicians with him, and he's got great instincts."[11]

There were hundreds of visual effects in the film, and different effects houses were utilized. According to Raimi, the Bay Area's Tippett Studio was a big player. "We also had work done by Amalgamated Pixels, Ghost VFX, KNB Effects, Home Digital, Cinesoup and IE Effects," said Raimi. According to Raimi, “Bob (Murawski) and I kept adding visual effects as post proceeded. In this film, the supernatural, the unseen, is almost another character, so sequences were developed — even in post — that would suggest the presence of the supernatural, and we kept on adding. The same with the sound effects, so it was a very ongoing, very live process in post."[11]

Director of photography Peter Deming tried to use realistic lighting in the film. Said Deming, "Normally, you'd put all corrected bulbs in, but we went with what was there, including the shots in the street. We used the streetlight look and mixed that with interior lighting. There were a lot of odd color sources that we chose to leave the way they would be naturally. It's a heightened sense of realism."[3] One of the earliest projects the special effects teams did was the scene in which Mrs. Ganush attacks Christine in her car. To film the action, which included close-ups of Christine jamming her foot on the pedal, hitting the brake, and shifting gears, the team created a puzzle car which allowed the front engine compartment and back trunk — as well as all four sides and doors — to come away from the car. The roof came off in two directions.[3]

The film score was composed by Christopher Young. Young has worked with director Raimi previously on his films The Gift and Spider-Man 3. The soundtrack was released on August 18, 2009.[15] Sam Raimi stated that emphasis was on using the soundtrack to create a world that didn't exist, a world of the "supernatural".[11] The score contains elements of Young's previous work on Flowers in the Attic. This is particularly apparent in the utilization of the ethereal childlike soprano vocals that feature prominently throughout the soundtrack.

All tracks composed by Christopher Young.

Drag Me to Hell was first shown to the public as a "Work in Progress" print at the South by Southwest festival on March 15, 2009.[16] The film debuted in its full form at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where it was shown out of competition on May 21 as a midnight screening.[17][18]

The film was released in American theaters on May 29, 2009.[19] The film opened at #4 with $15,825,480 from 2,900 screens at 2,508 theaters, for an average of $6,310 per theater ($5,457 average per screen). In its second weekend, it dropped 56%, falling to #7, with $7,040,550 from 2,800 screens at 2,510 theaters, for an average of $2,805 per theater ($2,514 average per screen), and bringing the 10-day gross to $28,233,230.[20] Drag Me to Hell closed on August 6, 2009, with a final gross in the United States and Canada of $42,100,625, and an additional $48,742,021 internationally for a total of $90,842,646 worldwide.[2]

Drag Me to Hell received mostly positive reviews from critics upon its release. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 254 reviews, and an average rating of 7.6/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Sam Raimi returns to top form with Drag Me to Hell, a frightening, hilarious, delightfully campy thrill ride."[21] On Metacritic the film has received an average score of 83 out of 100, based on 32 reviews, signifying "universal acclaim".[19]

Positive critical reception of the film generally praised the film's scary but humorous and campy tone. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an A rating, stating that "Raimi has made the most crazy, fun, and terrifying horror movie in years."[22] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times praised the film, stating that it "should not be dismissed as yet another horror flick just for teens. The filmmakers have given us a 10-story winding staircase of psychological tension that is making very small circles near the end."[23] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune described the film as a "hellaciously effective B-movie [that] comes with a handy moral tucked inside its scares, laughs and Raimi's specialty, the scare/laugh hybrid."[24] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, and stated that the film "is a sometimes funny and often startling horror movie. That is what it wants to be, and that is what it is."[25] In a positive review, Variety said of the film: "Scant and barren of subtext, the pic is single-mindedly devoted to pushing the audience's buttons... Still, there's no denying it delivers far more than competing PG-13 thrillers."[6]

Bloody Disgusting gave the film four and a half stars out of five, with the review calling it "quite simply the most PERFECT horror film I've seen in a long, long while... [It's] a blast and moved quickly from start to finish [and] is well on its way to becoming an immediate classic."[26] The film was then ranked thirteenth in Bloody Disgusting's list of the 'Top 20 Horror Films of the Decade'.[27]

Kyle Smith of the New York Post thought it was cheesy, with too many "gross-outs",[28] Rex Reed of the New York Observer thought that the plot wasn't believable enough,[29] and Peter Howell of The Toronto Star disliked Lohman's performance and thought it was "just not very funny".[30] The film was nominated for "Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller" at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, which the film lost to Friday the 13th (2009).[31][32] At the 2009 Scream Awards show, Drag Me to Hell won the awards for Best Horror Movie and Best Scream-play.[33][34]

Reviews have also received the film as a comedy horror in a more classic Raimi vein. Vic Holtreman of Screenrant claims the film is a long-awaited movie that combines both genres as Army of Darkness had done.[35] A reviewer at UGO Networks says that the film is very much more a comedy than horror and that this is in keeping with Raimi not having produced a "true horror" film since he began directing.[36]

Drag Me to Hell was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the US on October 13, 2009. Both media include an Unrated Director's Cut as well as the Theatrical Version.[37] In its first two weeks the DVD sold 459,217 copies generating $7.98 million in sales.[38] It since accumulated $13.9 million in DVD sales in the United States.

On February 13th, 2018, Scream Factory released a two-disc Collector's Edition of Drag Me to Hell, which included both edits of the film remastered from the 2k digital intermediate, archival interviews and featurettes and all-new interviews with Alison Lohman, Lorna Raver and Christopher Young.


when did walvis bay become part of namibia

In August 1993, prior to the end of apartheid, the Multiparty Negotiating Forum in South Africa passed a resolution calling for "the incorporation-reintegration of Walvis Bay and the Off-Shore Islands into Namibia." [25] The Transfer of Walvis Bay to Namibia Act was passed by the Parliament of South Africa that year.[26] Following the signing of a treaty between the two countries, South Africa formally transferred sovereignty of Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands to Namibia on 1 March 1994.[27]

Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay (Afrikaans Walvisbaai, German Walfischbucht or Walfischbai, all meaning "Whale Bay") is a city[2] in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. The town covers a total area of 29 square kilometres (11 sq mi) of land.[3]

The bay is a safe haven for sea vessels because of its natural deepwater harbour, protected by the Pelican Point sand spit, being the only natural harbour of any size along the country's coast. Being rich in plankton and marine life, these waters also drew large numbers of southern right whales,[4] attracting whalers and fishing vessels.

The Dutch referred to it as Walvisch Baye and the English as Whale Bay. In its eventual formal incorporation, it was named Walfish Bay, which was changed to Walvish Bay, and ultimately to Walvis Bay. It has also been referred to as Walwich Bay[5] or Walwisch Bay.[6] The Herero people of the area called it Ezorongondo.[7]

A succession of colonists developed the location and resources of this strategic harbour settlement. The harbour's value in relation to the sea route around the Cape of Good Hope had caught the attention of world powers since it was discovered by the outside world in 1485. This explains the complicated political status of Walvis Bay down the years.

The town is situated just north of the Tropic of Capricorn in the Kuiseb River delta and lies at the end of the TransNamib Railway to Windhoek, and on B2 road.

Walvis Bay, with its large bay and sand dunes, is an important centre of tourism activity in Namibia. Attractions include the artificial Bird Island, centre of a guano collection industry, the Dune 7 sand dune, the salt works, the abundant birdlife, and a museum. Kuisebmund Stadium, home to two clubs in the Namibia Premier League, is also located in the city. The beach resort of Langstrand lies just a few kilometres north. The Walvis Bay Export Processing Zone is an important facet of the local economy.

Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão reached Cape Cross, north of the bay, in 1485.[8] There followed Bartolomeu Dias, who anchored his flagship São Cristóvão in what is now Walvis Bay on 8 December 1487, on his expedition to discover a sea route to the East via the Cape of Good Hope.[9] He named the bay "O Golfo de Santa Maria da Conceição."[10] However, the Portuguese did not formally stake a claim to Walvis Bay.

Little commercial development occurred on the site until the late 19th century. During the scramble for Africa, the British Empire occupied Walvis Bay with a small area surrounding the territory. They permitted the Cape Colony to complete the annexation of the territory in 1884, following initial steps which had been taken in 1878.[11]

In 1910, Walvis Bay, as part of the Cape Colony, became part of the newly formed Union of South Africa.[12] Subsequently, a dispute arose with Germany over the exclave's boundaries, which was eventually settled in 1911, with Walvis Bay being allocated an area of 1,124 square kilometres (434 sq mi).[13]

The exclave was overrun by the Germans during the South West Africa Campaign early in the First World War, but South African Forces eventually ousted the Germans in 1915.[14] Subsequently, Walvis Bay was quickly integrated into the new martial law regime established in South West Africa.[15]

South Africa was later awarded control (a Class "C" mandate) over South West Africa by the League of Nations to administer the territory.[16] Civilian rule was restored in South West Africa in 1921 and administration of Walvis Bay was transferred to South West Africa under the South West Africa Affairs Act of 1922.[17]

Despite the territory never having been part of German South West Africa, the Act stated that: "the port and settlement of Walvis Bay, which forms part of the Cape of Good Hope, shall for judicial and administrative purposes be regarded as if it were part of the mandated territory of South West Africa".[13] However, South Africa had also sought to annex South West Africa itself, and had presented such a proposal to the League of Nations.[11] Consequently, in 1949, the Act was amended to give representation in the Parliament of South Africa to whites in South West Africa.[18]

In 1977, following increasing international pressure to relinquish its control over South West Africa, South Africa repealed the Act, but transferred control of Walvis Bay back to the Cape Province, thereby making it an exclave.[19] From 1980, it was represented in both the Provincial Council and the House of Assembly as part of the Green Point constituency in Cape Town, before becoming a separate constituency in 1982.[20]

In response, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 432 (1978), which declared that "the territorial integrity and unity of Namibia must be assured through the reintegration of Walvis Bay within its territory".[21]

In 1990, South West Africa gained independence as Namibia, but Walvis Bay remained under South African sovereignty, with South Africa increasing the number of troops.[22] However, in 1992, the two countries agreed to establish a transitional Joint Administrative Authority for Walvis Bay and the Offshore Islands.[23] The Authority was headed by two Chief Executive Officers, Nangolo Mbumba, then Secretary to the Namibian Cabinet, and Carl von Hirschberg, former South African Ambassador to the United Nations.[24]

Walvis Bay features the very rare mild variation of the desert climate (BWn) according to the Köppen climate classification. It is caused by the rain shadow of the Naukluft Mountains and the cooling effect of the coastal sea temperature by the Benguela Current. Walvis Bay receives only 13.2 millimetres (0.52 in) average precipitation per year, making it one of the driest cities on earth. Despite its dry climate, the city is relatively humid. Average relative humidity throughout the year remains above 80%. The warmest month is February with average temperature 17.9 °C (64.2 °F), while the coolest months are August and September with average temperature 13.2 °C (55.8 °F). The diurnal temperature range is also low, averaging only 5.7 °C (10.2 °F). As one of the effects of manmade climate change, there has also been considerable warming at the airport in recent years. On 17 May 2015, the temperature at Rooikop near Walvis Bay International Airport reached 37.4 °C.[28]

Walvis Bay is governed by a municipal council that currently[update] has ten seats.[31]

The 2015 local authority election was won by the SWAPO party which gained eight seats (5,818 votes). One seat each was won by the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA, 565 votes) and the United Democratic Front (UDF, 433 votes).[32]

Walvis Bay contains open spaces, scenic beauty and unique marine and plant life. It is well suited for the outdoor lifestyle, boasting sports such as sandboarding, kiting, surfing, swimming, angling, sailing, golf and other indoor and outdoor sport codes. There is Walvis Bay Lagoon and Aquatic Activities, Kuiseb River Delta and the beach itself where people enjoy swimming and catching fish.

The 2-kilometre (1.2-mile) sand spit allows the adjacent water to remain smooth in very strong winds, ideal for record attempting vessels like that by the Vestas Sailrocket. [33]

The ocean-facing side of the sand spit includes a world-famous surf spot known in the international surf media as "Skeleton Bay."[34]

It is home to Eleven Arrows F.C. and Blue Waters F.C., local football clubs that compete in the Namibia Premier League. The Sparta Cricket Club Ground is also located in Walvis Bay.[35]

Walvis Bay is an important logistical port for the southern African region, providing port facilities for the import and export of cargo for the rest of Namibia, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Botswana. Since the year 2000 when the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) was established, cargo moving through the port has increased from 30,000 containers a year to 370,000 containers in 2016. As of 2017 the port was being upgraded to increase its capacity to move 1 million containers a year by 2019. Bureaucratic and logistical problems at the city's competitor port at Durban, South Africa have diverted traffic to the port at Walvis Bay. Ninety-five percent of all cargo hauled overland through Walvis Bay is carried by truck.[36]

In Walvis Bay there are different fishing companies like Hangana Seafood, Caroline Fishing, Benguella Fishing Company, Cadilu Fishing, Etosha Fisheries, Kuiseb Fishing Enterprises, Blue Ocean Products, Benguella Sea Products, Consortium Fisheries, Talanam Fish Processor. These companies catch different types of fish like snoek, horse mackerel, anchovy, white steenbras, kabeljou, kingklip, hake, catfish, tuna and sardines. Hangana Seafood are processors and exporters of fish and fish products. As such, the fishing enterprise accounts for a major part of Walvis Bay's economy.

Walvis Bay has a number of public (government-run), semi-public, and private schools. Among them are Duneside High School, Duinesig Primary School, International School of Walvis Bay, The Dolphin Schools, Alexanders Private School, Kuisebmond Secondary School, Walvis Bay Private High School and others. A number of kindergartens cater to young children.

The Namibian Maritime and Fisheries Institute (NAMFI) is a tertiary education institution based in town.[37] International University of Management (IUM) and Monitronics Success College both have branches in Walvis Bay.

Walvis Bay is twinned with:


how many teams make the division 3 football playoffs

The Division III playoffs begin with 32 teams selected to participate in the playoffs. The Division III championship game, known as the Stagg Bowl (named after Amos Alonzo Stagg), has been played annually at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia since 1993. It was previously played at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, Alabama (1973–1982, 1985–1989), at Galbreath Field at the College Football Hall of Fame, when the Hall was located in Kings Island, Ohio (1983–1984), and at Hawkins Stadium in Bradenton, Florida (1990–1992).

NCAA Division III Football Championship

The NCAA Division III Football Championship began in 1973. Before 1973, most of the schools now in Division III competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).[citation needed]

Mount Union has appeared in eleven consecutive Stagg Bowls, and all but three since 1996. The Purple Raiders defeated Wisconsin–Whitewater in 2005, 2006, and 2008; lost to Wisconsin–Whitewater in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014; and defeated the University of St. Thomas in 2012 and 2015. The only two times since 2000 in which Mount Union did not appear, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor did. They lost the 2004 championship to Linfield College and won the 2016 game over University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh.

Mount Union defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor for the 2017 season championship.

In 1969, the NCAA started two regional championship games for small college teams: the East Regional's Knute Rockne Bowl and the West's Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. When the NCAA developed a national Division III championship game in 1973, the Stagg Bowl name and the host city of Phenix City, Alabama was chosen.

As voted by the media at the game since 2000.


why is the floor raised at williams arena

Williams Arena features an unusual raised floor design. The court surface is raised above the ground approximately two feet so that players' benches, officials tables, etc., are actually below the court. The same goes for fans with the first row looking at players at about knee-level. Normally, other than the officials and those players actively playing, only head coaches are allowed to be on the court itself. The raised floor is one of only a few remaining examples left and contributes significantly to the historic aura of the 80-year-old arena. This served as the inspiration for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship to host stadiums for their Final Four as of 2009 to have the floor about three feet off the stadium floor as part of an increased capacity to a minimum of 70,000. The floor in Williams Arena recently underwent a replacement. PCL Construction began work on May 11, 2009, replacing the original playing surface from 1928 with a new floor along with new basketball goals. This was the first major upgrade to the facility since a renovation occurred in the early 1990s. Memorial Gymnasium at Vanderbilt University[10] and Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University[11] are two other existing arenas with a raised floor. Robertson Memorial Field House at Bradley University, since demolished, also used a raised floor.[12]

Williams Arena

Williams Arena, located on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota is the home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's and women's basketball teams. It also housed the men's hockey team until 1993, when it moved into its own building, Mariucci Arena. The building is known affectionately as "The Barn", and its student section is known as "The Barnyard".

Williams Arena is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of University Avenue and 19th Ave. SE in Minneapolis on the U of M's East Bank campus. It is in a neighborhood called Stadium Village, named for the old Memorial Stadium that stood there until its demolition in 1992. The arena is adjacent to TCF Bank Stadium, Mariucci Arena, and Ridder Arena, where the football and hockey teams respectively play.

Initially known as the Minnesota Field House (another building has that name today), Williams Arena was constructed in the 1920s and opened in 1928. The original construction of Williams Arena cost $650,000.[6] The arena was remodeled in 1950, and renamed Williams Arena after Dr. Henry L. Williams, the football coach from 1900 to 1921.

As part of the 1950 renovation, it was divided into two separate arenas within one buildingâ€”a larger one for basketball and a smaller one for hockey. Both arenas were called Williams Arena until March 2, 1985, when the hockey section was renamed Mariucci Arena after longtime Gopher hockey coach John Mariucci. The hockey team moved into a new building across the street from Williams in 1993, also named Mariucci Arena. The old Mariucci Arena within Williams was remodeled into the Sports Pavilion and now houses the volleyball, wrestling, and gymnastic teams.

The venue hosted the 1951 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament championship game and the 1964 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Mideast Regional. Williams Arena has hosted the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA women's basketball tournament in 2005, 2007, and 2010. The hockey portion of Williams hosted the Frozen Four in 1958 and 1966. The Minnesota Lynx played all of their 2017 postseason home games at Williams Arena, ultimately winning the franchise's fourth WNBA championship in the building.[7]

Williams Arena was used for the filming of scenes in Columbia Pictures' 1978 motion picture release, Ice Castles.[8]

The building has an arched roof, in the same manner as an airplane hangar. The double arch steel beams allows an open space for the bleachers and floor. There are some seats with partially obscured views due to the upper deck extending past the trusses. Over the summer of 2012, a new Daktronics videoboard and fascia displays were installed as part of a sporting facility update, replacing the older board. The new board is 11'7"x13'8" with LED rings above and below the main display. The fascia extends 360Â° around the arena.

From 1950 until the opening of Marriott Center at Brigham Young University in 1971, it had the largest capacity of any collegiate basketball arena in the country. Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University also was constructed in 1928, and held the honor of being the highest capacity arena until the remodeling of Williams Arena in 1950.

When the Gophers basketball team first organized, they played games in the on-campus YMCA. In 1896, the team moved into the campus Armory, a large building with gymnasium space for the team to use, even if basketball was not its primary purpose.[13]:6 The Gophers remained in the Armory for almost thirty years. Halfway through the 1924–25 season, coach Harold Taylor moved the team from the University Armory to the Kenwood Armory in downtown Minneapolis.[13]:50 This significantly increased the attendance: capacity at the University Armory was 2,000, but it was 6,500 at Kenwood. The team only played at Kenwood for a few seasons, however, as the University of Minnesota Field House (later known as Williams Arena) opened partway through the 1927–1928 season. The team moved in on January 31, 1928.[13]:50