Strawberry

NEW YORK -- The latest collapse by the Orioles' bullpen turned ugly last night.With closer Armando Benitez as the erratic centerpiece, the Orioles fumbled a 9-5 decision to the New York Yankees, lowlighted by a wild brawl that spilled dangerously into the visitors' dugout at Yankee Stadium.Protecting a 5-4 lead, Benitez allowed a game-winning three-run home run to Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams on his fourth pitch in the eighth inning. On his fifth pitch, Benitez hit first baseman Tino Martinez between the shoulder blades.

New Brunswick, N.J. Spring Date Night at the George Street Playhouse The work is basically done for you. Just get the tickets, and your date night is all planned. Two glasses of wine and a box of chocolates from Thomas Sweet will top off your evening after a performance of "Venus in Fur," a sultry comedy based off of the romance novel by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. Just relax and enjoy this romantic evening. To make it a weekend getaway, book a room at the Heldrich, a hotel in downtown New Brunswick (theheldrich.com)

Strawberry margarita Serves 1 This is my version of the margarita. It’s like a margarita got stilettos. 1 oz tequila blanco 1 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice Splash of lemon-lime simple syrup (see recipe below) 1 C strawberries and 1 C ice Combine all ingredients together in blender and blend until smooth. This recipe is a little light on the tequila, as I have some tequila horror stories I’m still living down. Feel free to ramp it up if you’re of stronger stock.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Right around the time major league teams first began taking notice of a talented young outfielder playing at Crenshaw High in South Central Los Angeles, a harsh reality check came for Trayvon Robinson. The Orioles outfielder was in the 10th grade when his mailbox started to fill with questionnaires from big league clubs, inspiring hope in a place where young men are far more likely to become gang members than major league baseball players. Then, one day, shots rang out from outside his family's housing complex.

For a limited time only, Baltimore-based Berger Cookies is bringing back three iced cookies that they stopped making when Spiro Agnew was vice president. The throwback icings are strawberry, lemon and rum. They're available for order on the Berger Cookie website . Has anybody seen them in stores? I've been told that the TV commercials say that they're only available by order.  

Slugger Darryl Strawberry reportedly will make his New York Yankees debut tomorrow afternoon.Although the Yankees have not made an official announcement, the New York Daily News is reporting that Strawberry will be called up from Triple-A in time for the game.The outfielder was suspended by the league for drug abuse and was sentenced to a 60-day period of house arrest for tax evasion regarding income from autograph signings.

What Darryl Strawberry brings to the New York Yankees, besides a record as a two-time drug loser and income tax evader, is more power with a bat in his hands than any player on the roster. Those who contended his entrance into the clubhouse would cause open revolt are wrong.His new teammates have greeted him with affection, even a hug and kind words from Don Mattingly, the playing captain. Strawberry's presence hasn't hampered the Yankees or torn them apart with dissension. It didn't figure to have any such negative impact because professional athletes don't think that way. Only sportswriters do, figuring something called "team chemistry" is a part of winning when, in truth, natural God-given ability is the paramount factor.

Darryl Strawberry doesn't want to play with Kal Daniels. Fine, Daniels says, I don't want to play with Strawberry. It's not exactly off-season harmony for a couple of Los Angeles Dodgers."

Darryl Strawberry credits his pastor and prayer for healing a separated left shoulder in time to face his former teammates, the New York Mets, last night at Dodger Stadium."

The San Francisco Giants apparently are in a gambling mood, now that they find themselves two months into the season and still unable to assert themselves in the soft NL West. General manager Bob Quinn confirmed on Thursday that the club is investigating the possibility of signing troubled outfielder Darryl Strawberry to replace Willie McGee, who has been lost for the season with a torn Achilles' tendon. Who knows whether the addition of Strawberry would help put the Giants over the top, but wouldn't it be ironic if he turned out to be the only member of the Los Angeles Dodgers spring roster to make the playoffs?

Patricia O'Neill from Granger, Ind., was seeking a recipe for making rolled sponge cake filled with strawberry-flavored whipped cream. She said she enjoyed this cake at a wedding when she was a child and has tried to reproduce it but has always failed miserably. I located a delicious and relatively easy recipe for a strawberries-and-cream sponge cake roll on noemptychairs.me , a blog about "good food and good times around the kitchen table," written by Kelly Smith from Pittsburgh.

Which came first? The bird or the egg? The answer is both. The clever combination inspires these bird seed eggs from Gardener's Supply. Hang them in your favorite tree and watch the birds flock to them this winter. The colorful seed eggs come in an egg carton, a unique gift for the birder or for kids just learning to appreciate wildlife. Gardener's Supply also offers a pint of seed strawberries to tempt birds. Like the eggs, each is solid seed with a built-in jute hanger. The cost is $15.49 and $19.95, respectively, at gardeners.com.

Federal prosecutors in August 2012 announced that two men, Bryan Eammon Williams and Lawrence Lee Hayes, had been sentenced to 11 years and 15 years respectively for their roles in a cocaine distribution conspiracy. The details of the case are rather fascinating if you keep reading, and even moreso if you start connecting dots.  The press release about Hayes' and Williams' sentences includes a canned quote from Ava Cooper-Davis, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Washington field office, calling the case "drug interdiction at its best.

The strawberries you find at area you-pick farms and farmers' markets bear no resemblance to that waxy fruit from the mega mart. They are smaller, uglier, and richer in color and flavor. They taste like a strawberry should taste. They are best if eaten immediately, paired with fresh whipped cream (my favorite way to eat them), but if you need to store them in the fridge, just place them in a plastic bag with a paper towel. Their flavor will change, but they will keep better than being out all night on the counter.

United Methodist Church of Savage, 9050 Baltimore St., will hold its annual Strawberry Festival Saturday, June 2 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Menu includes open pit roast beef sandwiches, pulled beef barbecue sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, hot dogs, chips, cole slaw, baked beans, potato salad, ice cream, strawberries, shortcake and beverages. There will also be a bake sale. Call 301-725-7630.

I don't know about you, but this weather has made me want to drink. Hoping to will sunshine and cool breezes, I've been ordering every fruity, refreshing cocktail I can get my pasty, white hands on. I yearn for a summer tan, sun dresses, surf, sand, picnics in the park. Perfect timing, then, for Miss Shirley's to answer the call with their spiked take on a summer classic: the Strawberry Margarita Spritzer•. You may be familiar with the non-alcoholic version; it's Shirley's most popular drink.

Something is happening. The chemistry of the National League West race has changed and the reason just might be the return of Darryl Strawberry. The troubled outfielder who once insisted that he would not play again this season is playing up a storm in a San Francisco Giants uniform, which could spell trouble for the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.Strawberry has had a catalytic effect on the Giants' offense, particularly this weekend in Montreal. He hit a grand slam Thursday, added a home run Friday and an RBI yesterday as the streaking Giants cooled off one of the hottest teams and extended their winning streak to eight games.

NEW YORK -- One of George Steinbrenner's proposals for Darryl Strawberry's contract that kept the slugger from joining the New York Yankees, as scheduled, on Sunday would have subjected Strawberry's children to drug tests as beneficiaries of a trust created with his Yankee salary.Another would have given the club the right to release Strawberry if he violated a deal the owner wanted him to make with the Internal Revenue Service.Strawberry's agent rejected those proposals and others, people familiar with the dispute said.

For a limited time only, Baltimore-based Berger Cookies is bringing back three iced cookies that they stopped making when Spiro Agnew was vice president. The throwback icings are strawberry, lemon and rum. They're available for order on the Berger Cookie website . Has anybody seen them in stores? I've been told that the TV commercials say that they're only available by order.  

Six thousand years before Christ, a large island in the middle of the Mediterranean was settled by people who had sailed there from the Italian mainland. Although unified by a common language, they divided into tribes that warred with each other on occasion. By 1500 B.C., their masonry skills were such that they built large fortresses for protection and smaller lookout fortresses on hilltops, both of which were called nuraghi. Today, 7,000 such surviving structures dot the landscape, echoes of a time when the world was built of sticks of stones and both could and would be used to end territorial disputes.