Dick Allen hits 2 inside the park HRs against the Twins
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
On this day... Juan and Von lead off back to back
On this day in 1984 at Veterans Stadium... Phils rookie second baseman Juan Samuel leads off the game against the Expos by taking a Bill Gullickson pitch over the wall. Samuel's home run is immediately followed by another deep blast off the bat of center fielder Von Hayes. This is the first time in franchise history the Phillies have opened a game with back-to-back home runs.
This home run was the second of 14 career lead off home runs Samuel would hit during his playing days in Philadelphia.
The Phillies walk off with the win 6-4 after Len Matuszek takes Jeff Reardon deep in the bottom of the ninth inning.
This home run was the second of 14 career lead off home runs Samuel would hit during his playing days in Philadelphia.
The Phillies walk off with the win 6-4 after Len Matuszek takes Jeff Reardon deep in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Friday, July 27, 2012
George "Heavy" Wheeler
A couple of months ago, my wife had opened up an ancestry.com account and had some fun researching her family tree. I initially resisted the temptation to follow suit because clearly I have more hobbies than time. At some point, I gave in and installed the Ancestry.com app on my iPad. As expected... a passionate and time consuming addiction followed as I started building my tree. Through the process, I discovered many wonderful things about my family heritage including soldiers from the Civil and Revolutionary wars plus successful business and community leaders.For me, the best discovery in the tree was a professional baseball player named George Harrison Wheeler. Nicknamed "Heavy", he is my great-grand Uncle (translation: he is my father's grandmother's brother).
Born in 1881 outside of Terra Haute, Indiana, he played minor league baseball for eight seasons from 1907 to 1914 for clubs located in South Bend, Terra Haute, Troy (NY), Jersey City, and Indianapolis. This 1912 Imperial Tobacco C-46 is the only baseball card of him I am aware of.
He was pretty good. According to his minor league Baseball-Reference page: In 1908, he played outfield for the Central League's Terre Haute Hottentots (love that name!) and hit .303 in 119 games. In 1913, he split 113 games between the Terre Haute Terre-iers (Central League) and Indianapolis Indians (American Association) he hit .320. For his minor league career, Wheeler hit .287 in 810 minor league games.
Today is a special day... it was 102 years ago today (July 27, 1910) my great-grand uncle George "Heavy" Wheeler made his Major League debut with the Cincinnati Reds. In his 4th season of professional baseball he was sold for $1000 to the Reds by the Terra Haute Stags. On this day, against the Pirates, he pinch hit for pitcher Jack Rowan in the seventh inning. The Reds lost 8-4.
Sadly, his major league career was short lived. George only appeared in a total of 3 Major League games, each of them as a pinch-hitter. He never recorded a hit and struck out twice. He was released by the Reds following their double-header on August 3rd against the Boston Doves.
He played another 4 minor league seasons before leaving the game in 1914. He died at the young age of 36 of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Thome at 611
I was fascinated to the point of frequenting Edward Tufte's web site, purchasing other Edward Tufte books and actually attending one of his day long seminars with my team.
This journey towards better data visualization has led me to become a big fan of Craig Robinson and his awe inspiring baseball site called FLIP FLOP FLY BALL. He hooked me in August of 2010 with his roster display of the 1972-74 Oakland Athletics dynasty and I have been an Flip Flop addict ever since. Here is a handy link to all FFFB's tagged infographics, prepare to spend a couple of hours savoring these. Although not heavy with data, the lesson on ball cap sticker removal is an absolute classic. Also, his own personal log of headwear should resonate with hat lovers every where.
If you are mildly interested in this stuff... I strongly suggest you follow Craig on Twitter and Tumblr.
Where is all this going? This weekend I couldn't stand watching the Phillies continue to fall into the abyss and I changed the channel to watch the Orioles instead. I got to enjoy Jim Thome smashing his first two dingers in a Baltimore uniform. These were career home runs #610 and #611 for Big Jim. I was inspired to sit down and take a shot at my own "visualization" of Thome's career:
I had forgotten that Thome did not homer during his 17 game pinch hitting stint with the 2009 LA Dodgers. In the event that blogger re-sizes the original image, here is a link to inteneded 1680x1050 resolution. I just hope I have left enough room for more "Orioles Orange" dingers at the bottom.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Cole times 144
Celebrating today's contract extension news with...
144 pictures of Cole Hamels
actual size 1680x1050 pixels
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The Devil came up to Seattle
The devil came up to Seattle, he was looking for a soul to steal.
He had plenty of bread and the Yankees were well ahead
And he was willin' to make a deal.
When he came across this old man swingin' his bat and enjoyin' it not.
And the Devil jumped upon the dugout roof and said:
"Dude let me tell you what:
"I guess you didn't know it, but I have a baseball team too.
"And if you'd care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you.
"Now you play a pretty good outfield, boy, but give the Yankees their due:
"I bet a ring of gold against your soul, 'cos I think we are better than you."
The man said: "My name's Ichiro and it might be a sin,
"But I'll take your bet, your gonna regret, 'cause I'm the best there's ever been."
Ichiro you loosen up your arm and play your outfield hard.
'Cos hells broke loose in Seattle and the Devil deals the cards.
And if you win you get this shiny ring made of gold.
But if you lose, the Yankees get your soul.
The Devil opened up his bag and he said: "I'll start this show."
And fire flew from his fingertips as CC tossed his throw.
And ARod swung his bat across the plate and it made an evil hiss.
Then a band of pinstriped demons joined in and it sounded something like this.
When the Devil finished, Ichiro said: "Well you're pretty good ol' George.
"But sit down in that chair, right there, and let me show you how its done."
Fire up on the mountain, run Mariners, run.
The Devil wants the star of the risin' sun.
Ichiro in the batters box, slapping' out hits.
"Girardi, does your boss bite? No, child, no."
The Devil smiled a toothy grin because he knew he had a deal.
He laid that golden ring on the ground at Ichiro's feet.
Ichiro said: "Just happy to be a Yankee, they win a lot of games...
'cause I told you once, you son of a gun, I'm the best there's ever been."
Familiar Faces / Strange Places: Ichiro / Yankees
Monday, July 23, 2012
2012 White Sox
Tough road-trip Chicago White Sox, including a spirit breaking sweep at the hands for the 'now sitting in first place' Detroit Tigers. It is a long season and unlike my Phillies, I still believe the 2012 Sox are going to make the playoffs.
For the record: Well before this weekend's meltdown I had been planning this card set showing off a couple of my photos from the June 24th game. My timing is just off, but what else during my #SummerofPain would you expect?
1972 White Sox template here
For the record: Well before this weekend's meltdown I had been planning this card set showing off a couple of my photos from the June 24th game. My timing is just off, but what else during my #SummerofPain would you expect?
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Sunday, July 22, 2012
Induction Weekend
Congratulations to former Michigan Wolverine All American Barry Larkin on his well deserved induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Leaders and Best.
Friday, July 20, 2012
1952 Topps Dick Allen
I couldn't decide if I should do this card for the White Sox or the Phillies.
So, I decided to do both:
So, I decided to do both:
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Parade of Ridiculousness: CANDY-CORN Cal
"Someone said it looked like Halloween candy corn...
Take a picture. You won't see them again."
Take a picture. You won't see them again."
~ Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter
August 13th, 2010 after his team donned the "all orange" in Tampa
The original Oriole all-orange alternate uniforms debuted on September 16th 1971, the night Frank Robinson hit his 501st home run and Brooks Robinson hit a grand slam. This was appropriate because the fancy new threads were actually sold to the club from the Brooks Robinson Sporting Goods Company.
The unis were only used in three games, twice in 1971 and once more in 1972. Our friends at the Fleer Sticker Project have already collected and documented with a comprehensive set of images so I don't have to.
I started thinking: How fair is this? If Boog Powell, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Bobby Grich, Pat Dobson, Earl Weaver and rest of the Oriole dynasty all had to wear those mono-orange uniforms... it only seems fair that Cal Ripken Jr. should have to wear them too.
After numerous requests and the overwhelming guilt I feel when promises I make remain undelivered, I will start posting some of the card templates I have created. Here is a link to the re-tooled 1971 Topps card I used for this post.
Disclaimer: Going forward, I will share template files when it makes sense. They will be posted as PSD files. A basic understanding of photoshop and layers is required. I will make the layers as simple as I can, but I am not going to be able to help provide tech support. In some cases, you will also need to download a new font to achieve the correct look. In this case, the font used at the top of the card is called MAXIMUS -- it is not a standard font preloaded on most computers. I downloaded it from a very useful website called: DAFONT.COM
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
On this day... The Pope takes over
This was the second run for Owens in the dugout as the Phillies manager. In 1972, he replaced manager Frank Lucchesi for the final 80 games of the season. At that time, Owens wanted to get a closer look at the young (and last-place) Phillies roster.
The 1972 experience helped him shape the franchise that eventually won 3 straight NL East flags and the 1980 World Series. His farm system, one of the most productive in the game at the time, developed stars Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, Bob Boone, and Larry Bowa. In addition, Owens aggressively swung trades to add pieces such as relief pitcher Tug McGraw and outfielders Garry Maddox and Bake McBride. He also managed to sign Pete Rose as a free agent before the 1979 season.
Under "Pope's" direct leadership, the '1983 Wheeze Kids' go 47-30 and deliver an unexpected National League pennant. The four game NLCS victory over Dodgers help erase the painful memories of the 1977 & 1978 NLCS defeats. They would eventually fall in the World Series to the Baltimore Orioles in five games.
Owens stayed in the dugout for the 1984 season. The roster from the previous season was dismantled and the Phillies delivered a 81-81 4th place season. The club finished 15½ games behind the division champion Chicago Cubs.
In the end, Owens spent 48 years in the Phillies organization as a scout, farm director, general manager, manager and senior advisor. In 1986, the franchise established the annual Paul Owens Award for the top players in their minor-league system. He died in 2003 at age 79.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
On this day... The Streak ends at 56
On this day in 1941 ... thanks to the outstanding defensive work of Indians' third baseman Ken Keltner, Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak ends in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium in front of 67,000 fans.
The 'Yankee Clipper ' batted .408 during his record breaking streak. He will begin another streak that will last 17 games, extending the remarkable span of hitting safely to 73 of 74 games.
When Keltner met DiMaggio years later after both men had retired, Joe signed a ball for him, inscribing it "To the culprit."
The 'Yankee Clipper ' batted .408 during his record breaking streak. He will begin another streak that will last 17 games, extending the remarkable span of hitting safely to 73 of 74 games.
When Keltner met DiMaggio years later after both men had retired, Joe signed a ball for him, inscribing it "To the culprit."
Monday, July 16, 2012
Parade of Ridiculousness: Reggie as a Mariner
My love for the original Seattle Mariners Trident logo is well documented and Reggie continues to be one of my favorites. Combining these two is not something I would have ever considered. The interesting and best thing about this Reggie Jackson/Seattle Mariner post is it actually happened.
In never knew about this. Last week, because there was no real baseball on the TV... I occupied myself by watching the marathon of All Star Game Highlight films on MLB Network.
The '79 Midsummer Classic was held in Seattle, a strange choice considering the Mariners were only in their 3rd year of existence. Appearing in his 9th of what would be 14 career All Star Games, somehow Reggie Jackson arrived at the Kingdome without his Yankee pinstripe uniform. Not sure if his luggage was lost or he was just looking for a reason to piss off George Steinbrenner. This was before the general availability of authentic uniform jerseys from retail shops inside each stadium and their surrounding neighborhoods. Reggie was stuck.
Instead of missing the American League All Star team picture, someone convinced Reggie to just put on a Mariners home uniform and take his place in the shot (2nd row, 2nd in from the left). If this happened today... it would take about 5 minutes for someone to fix it with photoshop. Fortunately for us, no one did that.
Still don't believe me? I made a video.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Greatest Non-Hall of Famers
In the process of cleaning up some things from the DVR and discovered a previously recorded show from MLB Network: Top 40 Countdown of the "Greatest Non-Hall of Famers". Interesting list, neither Bagwell or Belle were caught or admitted they used PEDs but both are suspected given the era they played in, their associations, unnatural body changes, and of course... eye-popping numbers. That being said; three players on this list are confirmed PED users. I am not sure I would hold my breath for McGwire, Palmeiro, or Juan Gonzalez. The writers and current Hall of Famers are not going to be very forgiving.
Dick Allen checks in at #9. Here is DA's segment:
The entire Top 40 list looks like this:
Dick Allen checks in at #9. Here is DA's segment:
The entire Top 40 list looks like this:
| 1. Tim Raines 2. Jack Morris 3. Mark McGwire 4. Minnie Minoso 5. Jeff Bagwell 6. Lee Smith 7. Alan Trammell 8. Ted Simmons 9. Dick Allen 10. Jim Kaat | 11. Luis Tiant 12. Dale Murphy 13. Ken Boyer 14. Joe Torre 15. Dwight Evans 16. Rafael Palmeiro 17. Steve Garvey 18. Gil Hodges 19. Don Mattingly 20. Keith Hernandez | 21. Edgar Martinez 22. Tommy John 23. Lou Whitaker 24. Larry Walker 25. Will Clark 26. Tony Oliva 27. Dave Parker 28. Ron Guidry 29. Maury Wills 30. Buck O'Neil | 31. Albert Belle 32. Dave Concepcion 33. Juan Gonzalez 34. Jimmy Wynn 35. Bill Freehan 36. Bobby Grich 37. Harold Baines 38. Fred McGriff 39. Mark Grace 40. Roger Maris |
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Letters in the Dirt
I can't believe I have never seen this before on YouTube. Here is our friend Chuck Brodsky singing and explaining the background of his song "Letters in the Dirt". Even though Chuck gets a few details wrong (the Frank Thomas incident happened in 1965), it is still a moving and beautiful song.
This and many other Chuck Brodsky songs are available on iTunes. Do something nice for yourself and download it today. I did.
On This Day... All Star Home Run Derby
July 13, 1971. Detroit's Tiger Stadium: In an All Star game featuring six home runs, highlighted by a young Reggie Jackson blasting a Dock Ellis fourth inning pitch off the power generator located on top of Tiger Stadium right-field roof 520 feet from home plate, the American League beats the NL, 6-4. All the players who homer, Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew as well as Reggie, will eventually become members of the Hall of Fame.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
1976 Topps Bobby Tolan
Here is how author Bruce Markusen described Bobby's brief time in red pinstripes:
After two mediocre seasons in Southern California, the Padres gave him his unconditional release. Unemployed for the first time since his pro debut in 1963, Tolan signed a bargain basement free agent deal with the Phillies.
Tolan hit .261 as a part-time outfielder for the Phillies, who advanced to the National League Championship Series before losing to Tolan’s former team in Cincinnati. But a terrible start to the 1977 season resulted in his release. Tolan cleared waivers and signed with the Pirates, but continued to struggle with a sub-.200 batting average and was allowed to become a free agent at season’s end.
To me, Tolan was such an memorable player for one reason: the crazy high level he held his hands at the plate. I really don't think his 1977 Phillies card does his unique batting stance the proper justice... I remember his hands being even higher. Of course, I attempted to mimic it during one of my little league games, struck out a couple of times. After being ridiculed by everyone watching, I changed to something less noticeable.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
New CBP Wallpaper
No baseball today.
I wanted to share the new computer wallpaper I created today. This is an image I took last week at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. It has been an absolutely dismal season so far for my Phils... but the ballpark looks great.
Image is 1366x768 (the resolution of my current work laptop). Let me know if you want this in a different size, I will be happy to share.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
On This Day... Chuck Klein x4
Chuck started the day with a 1st inning three-run homer off Pirate starter Jim Weaver. With a little more wind, Chuck would have had 5 home runs because when he next came to the plate in the 2nd inning, he drove a long, high fly ball toward the right-field wall. But the ball came to rest in the glove of Paul Waner, whose back was to the wall as he made the catch.
In his next three at-bats, Klein blasted three more solo shots, one off Weaver in the fifth, another in the seventh inning against Mace Brown, and the last off reliever Bill Swift in the tenth to help the Phillies pull out a 9-6 victory.
In his 17-year big league career Klein batted .320, with 398 doubles, 1,201 runs batted in, 1,168 runs, 2,076 hits (870 extra-bases), and 300 home runs. He retired in 1944 and like many ballplayers of his era, he died young (age 53) in 1958.
As they have for all of their Hall of Famers, the Phillies have honored Chuck Klein with a "retired" uniform. The confusion exists because Phillies didn't begin using numbers until 1932. Klein wore some of the most famous numbers in Phillies history. He wore #3 in 1932 and 1933 before he was then traded to the Chicago Cubs. When he returned to the Phillies in 1936, he initially wore #32 (later retired for Steve Carlton), but soon switched to #36 (later retired for Robin Roberts). In 1938 he wore number #1 (later retired for Richie Ashburn), and #26 (Chase Utley). In 1939 he donned #14 (later retired for Jim Bunning and worn by Pete Rose). In 1940-41 he wore #29 (John Kruk before he sold it to Mitch Williams for a case of beer) and switched back to #3 in 1942. In 1943 he grabbed #8 (Tony Taylor, Bob Boone, Joe Morgan, Juan Samuel and currently Shane Victorino) and back to #26 (Utley) again in 1944, his last major league season.
Personally, I would have just retired #3 and called it a day. But, as they did for Grover Cleveland Alexander (another pre-numbers Hall of Famer) the Phillies simply retired a "P" for him. After years of lobbying for his entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame, The Veterans Committee finally voted him in 1980.
| Player | Date | Team | Opponent |
| Bobby Lowe | May 30, 1894 | Boston Beaneaters | Cincinnati Reds |
| Ed Delahanty | July 13, 1896 | Philadelphia Phillies | Chicago Colts |
| Lou Gehrig | June 3, 1932 | New York Yankees | Philadelphia Athletics |
| Chuck Klein | July 10, 1936 | Philadelphia Phillies | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| Pat Seerey | July 18, 1948 | Chicago White Sox | Philadelphia Athletics |
| Gil Hodges | August 31, 1950 | Brooklyn Dodgers | Boston Braves |
| Joe Adcock | July 31, 1954 | Milwaukee Braves | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| Rocky Colavito | June 10, 1959 | Cleveland Indians | Baltimore Orioles |
| Willie Mays | April 30, 1961 | San Francisco Giants | Milwaukee Braves |
| Mike Schmidt | April 17, 1976 | Philadelphia Phillies | Chicago Cubs |
| Bob Horner | July 6, 1986 | Atlanta Braves | Montreal Expos |
| Mark Whiten | September 7, 1993 | St. Louis Cardinals | Cincinnati Reds |
| Mike Cameron | May 2, 2002 | Seattle Mariners | Chicago White Sox |
| Shawn Green | May 23, 2002 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Milwaukee Brewers |
| Carlos Delgado | September 25, 2003 | Toronto Blue Jays | Tampa Bay Devil Rays |
| Josh Hamilton | May 8, 2012 | Texas Rangers | Baltimore Orioles |
Monday, July 9, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
1974 All Star Project: NL Bullpen
Finishing the 1974 All Star Project with the National League pitching staff.
Interesting in seeing all the cards for this project? You can view them here.
 | Ken Brett: George Brett's older brother played in the majors for 14 seasons, on 10 different teams. 1974 was the only All Star team he would make. A great hitter, his .310 batting average was higher than six of the eight starting position players on the Pirates in 1974, a team that won the National League Eastern division title. Ken was credited with the win in this game, pitching scoreless 4th and 5th innings. |
 | Buzz Capra: Like Ken Brett, 1974 was the only All Star game Buzz Capra would make. He was in the middle of best big league season, he would finish 16–8 with a NL leading 2.28 earned run average. He did not pitch in the game. |
 | Steve Carlton: A dominate ace, Lefty would be named to 10 All Star games and win 4 NL Cy Young Awards during his Hall of Fame career. In 1974 he led the NL with 240 strikeouts. He did not pitch in the game. |
 | Mike Marshall: The leading bullpen workhorse in the National League, Marshall made the All Star team in both 1974 and 1975. He led the league in appearances 4 times, including a record 106 games in in 1974. He was also named the Cy Young Award winner in 1974. In this game, he pitched the final two innings without giving up a run. |
 | Jon Matlack: This was the first of what would be 3 consecutive All Star appearances for the Mets lefthander. He would win the MVP of the 1975 game. He pitched a scoreless sixth inning for the NL. |
 | Lynn McGlothen: Appearing on his only career All Star team, Lynn McGlothen would finish the season with a 16–12 record with an impressive 2.70 ERA. He pitched a perfect 7th inning for the NL. |
 | Steve Rogers: As the lone rep for the lowly Expos, this was the 1st of 5 career All Star appearances for Rogers. He would end the season with a league leading 22 losses. In 1982, he would start the the All Star Game for the NL. He did not pitch in this game. |
Interesting in seeing all the cards for this project? You can view them here.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
1974 All Star Project: NL Bench
My 1974 All Star Project continues with the National League non-starting position players.
 | Lou Brock. Selected to six All Star squads during his 19 year Hall of Fame career, Lou Brock was still a few weeks away from breaking Maury Wills' single-season stolen base record of 104. He ended the season with a new major league single-season record of 118 stolen bases. He entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 5th inning and delivered a single. Appropriately, he stole second base, went to third on a throwing error, and scored on Joe Morgan's RBI sacrafice fly. |
 | Dave Cash. Originally a Pirate, Cash made the All Star team in all three seasons he played with the Phillies ('74, '75, and '76). In this game, he entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 7th, flying out to center. He replaced Joe Morgan an finished the game at second base. |
 | Cesar Cedeno. Never living up to the "Next Willie Mays" billing he was given by Leo Durocher... Cedeno made 4 career All Star appearances for the Astros. He started in centerfield for the 1973 game. In this game, Cesar replaced Hank Aaron in the 4th inning and went hitless in 2 plate appearances. |
 | Ralph Garr. This was the only All Star game for the 1974 NL Batting Champion. Ralph had 149 hits heading into the All-Star break that year, a record that stands to this day. Garr was the first NL reserve to get into the game when he pinch hit for the starting pitcher Andy Messersmith in the 3rd inning. He stayed in left field through the 7th inning and went 0 for 3. |
 | Jerry Grote. Making his second and final career All Star appearance, Grote was a favorite of NL manager Yogi Berra. In the game, he replaced starter Johnny Bench to catch the 9th inning. He never came to bat. |
 | Johnny Grubb. Someone from the San Diego Padres had to make the All Star team in 1974, and Grubb was that man. It would be his only career selection. He popped out to the shortstop in his only at bat. |
 | Don Kessinger. Playing in his sixth and final career All Star Game, Kessinger was the starting shortstop for the NL four times. He made the most of his one at bat, tripling to the gap in right-center field in the bottom of the 8th inning, driving in Mike Schmidt. He later scored on Fingers wild pitch. |
 | Tony Perez. Overshadowed by his more popular teammates, Perez made seven All Star games in his career. He won the 1967 All Star MVP when he hit a game winning walk off HR in the 15th inning. He appeared as a pinch hitter in the 6th inning and struck out. |
 | Mike Schmidt. 1974 was the first of 12 All Star Games for the greatest third baseman in baseball history. He would go on to win his first of 8 NL HR crowns this season. Schmidt replaced Ron Cey in the sixth inning and walked in both of his plate appearances. He scored on Kessinger's triple in the 8th. |
 | Ted Simmons. Although he was overshadowed by Johnny Bench, made 8 different All Star teams in his 21 year career. He did not play in this game. |
 | Reggie Smith. In his 17 year big league career, Reggie Smith made 7 All Star Games with three different teams. He started the 1980 game as a member of the Dodgers. This game featured 17 future Hall of Famers, but Reggie Smith was the only player to hit a home run in this game. |
 | Chris Speier. 1974 was the third straight (and final career) All Star appearance for Chris Speier. He was the lone representative for the Giants. He did not play. |