Alibaba, the Chinese E-Commerce Giant IPO in August of 2014

What will the Alibaba IPO mean for it's original investor, Yahoo!  Yahoo invested 1 Billion dollars in 2005 for a 40% stake in Alibaba. After pulling out $7.6Billion in 2013, they still have a 23% stake in the company that will be valued from $100 Billion to 200 Billion. Yahoo is about to get a huge cash infusion.

Alibaba is the Chinese E-commerce site. They are to China what Amazon is to the United States but with a distinct difference that they are the exclusive middlemen to a purchase between a buyer and a seller. That leaves Alibaba in the advantageous position of not having to inventory product. Alibaba is a conglomerate of businesses consisting of their main Alibaba brand that links business to business transactions and it's consumer to consumer business portal called Taobao that functions similarly to Ebay and offers over 1 billion products for sale by over 7 million unique sellers at any given time. They also own Alipay which is the Chinese Paypal and has 300million users and controls half of the market. They also own Tmall, Juhuasuan, e Tao, Ali Express, Ali Cloud Computing, ChinaVision Media Group, Laiwang, Youku Tudou and US shopping site 11 Main. All develop different aspects of the internet like social networking, instant messaging, video sharing and archiving, and cloud storage to be brief.


Alibaba files for their Initial Public Offering (IPO)

In April 2014, Alibaba filed the paperwork disclosing their future public offering. It was a placeholder filing for only $1 billion dollar but the consensus opinion is that in August when the IPO happens the company valuation should be in the $150-$200 Billion ballpark. To put this in perspective, Facebook IPO had the company selling shares at $38 per share for a valuation of $104 Billion, so the Chinese E-commerce company IPO will dwarf that by the factor of two possibly.


What does this mean to it's original investors.

Two companies were the original venture capitalist stake horse for Alibaba in 2005. One was Yahoo! And the other is Japan's Softbank with a 36% share. Both publicly traded companies. Yahoo! Invested $1 Billion dollars in 2005 for 40% of the company. It currently has a 22.6% after selling stock back to Alibaba for $7.8 Billion in cash in September of 2003. Since the IPO filing disclosed that Yahoo! will be required to sell 40% of it's outstanding shares for the IPO, Yahoo! will in turn get a cash infusion between $24 and $44 BILLION Dollars depending on valuation An interesting observation is that at a current price of $33 a share for YHOO, the stock valuation in Alibaba may be greater than the total valuation of Yahoo! As a whole. Yahoo current valuation is at $33.8Billion dollars


What will Yahoo do with the money?

In my opinion, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has done an amazing job so far She has acquired 37 companies in the two years since becoming CEO. She has hired Katie Couric from Television to be the Yahoo Spokesperson and hired the New York Times Tech editor, David Pogue to start a digital tech magazine. Her strategy focusing on smaller business acquisitions to introduce a new customer to Yahoo! and integrating new products and services into the business model takes time to evaluate it's success but is a logical move to strengthen it's core business and compete with Google and Facebook . The coup de grace is the acquisitions of major companies with high profiles on the internet like Tumblr, Snip IT, and Wander. These acquisitions when looked at as an overview fill some of the niches that Yahoo needed in the mobile, social networking, instant messaging and video necessities of the web. I foresee a major purchase by Yahoo before the 2014 calendar year ends that will bring all 37 of these acquisitions to a pinnacle of usefulness through integration.


How to capitalize on the Alibaba IPO

Buy either Yahoo or Softbank and hope for a higher valuation. Yahoo is on a dip on their high price of $41 in January 2014 and closing today under $34. TheStreet has given it a B rating and a BUY determination. Soft Bank on the Tokyo Stock Market closed at $74.75 with a yearly high of $88. Softbank has announced that it has plans to hold on to 30% of it's shares after the IPO so they are obviously bullish on the long-term future growth and business model of Alibaba. At the end of May 2014, Softbank stock slipped below $70 and I feel that is an extremely profitable target price to buy. Alibaba is a giant of a company with huge potential and little concrete competition with a huge head start and now a cash infusion. Old expression, “the rich get richer.” This is as true a statement as you can make concerning the longtime potential of Alibaba as an investment vehicle for outstanding performance and long term growth in the largest business and consumer market in the world. You can take advantage now by buying shares of Yahoo! And Softbank.
Sources: NBC News, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Forbes, IBN Live, TheStreet, Market Watch

Children's Free Clinic of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas

Children's Free Clinic of Southern Nevada is a no-cost health clinic for 120,000 children that is 100% funded by donations from the community. Because they refuse to participate in a sliding fee scale they have zero infusion of federal monies. The founders of the Children's Free Clinic of Southern Nevada believe that the "shared responsibility" platform that a sliding fee in the case of the poor is the difference in them getting check-ups for their children thus alleviating a future financial burden on an already overburdened and understaffed city hospital system.

Children's Free Clinic of Southern Nevada Medical Director, Dr. Noah Kohn

Dr. Noah Kohn is the founder of Clinics in Schools which focuses on the 120,000 children in Nevada schools that have no health insurance. If these children get sick, their school work suffers and their chance to get out of that economic pit strangles them and another generation is lost to a cycle of poverty and unhappiness. Every human being is entitled to health care especially the youngest and most vulnerable members of society that don't have any financial way to provide for themselves yet.

Children's Free Clinic of Southern Nevada

Dr. Noah Kohn left the financially secure world of pediatric private practice and made a commitment to take his knowledge and training and devote his life to the underprivileged children of the world, not just his own neighborhood. He has traveled to Haiti to provide medical treatment to the victims of the Hurricane that devastated the island nation. He has been awarded a "Community Spirit Award," by Channel 8 KLAS and the United Way of Southern Nevada. He has also been awarded the "Healthcare Headliners Award" by In Business Las Vegas. Swiss watchmaker, Frederique Constant nominated him as one of the seven considered for the 2010 Passion Award.

Services and remedies

It costs $250,000 a year to run the Children's Free Clinic of Southern Nevada. These monies go towards rent and utilities but more importantly the monies provide children with free prescription medications, free vision screening, immunizations, wellness checkups, routine camp, school and sports physicals, laboratory services, assessment, treatment, and management of acute and chronic illnesses and injuries. Referral services to free and low cost dental and vision providers and pediatric specialists. Additional treatment services for treatment off-site include: pregnancy tests, PAP tests, Testing and treatment for STDs, and teen health exams.

Sponsorships

Many people and companies around the Nevada region donate to keep the Children's Free Clinic of Southern Nevada financially stable. We all know that medical and prescriptions drugs are not luxuries in life. The sponsors and the companies that give to this worthy cause are owed many thanks by the community. It takes a village to rear a child and it takes a community to care for it's sick. Nevadans all should seriously consider donating what they can to this fine organization where even a small donation will go a long way and change the life of a child. To become a sponsor of the Children's Free Clinic of Southern Nevada, click here. To make a donation, click here. A $25 donation pays for the full vaccinations for one child, and $40 pays for acute care for one child. Can't we all afford to care for one child?

Need care for your child or teen?

Need an appointment to the Children's Free Clinic of Southern Nevada or more information. Contact the clinic at 702.826.2300 and find it at 1140 Almond Tree Lane, Suite #306, Las Vegas, NV 89104.

Sources: Children's Free Clinic of Southern Nevada, Clinics in Schools, KTNV Channel 13 Action News

Book Review: Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky

Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals teaches the lessons any community organizer needs to learn to understand how to effect social and political change through tactics and fundamentals in community organizing. The Alinsky "play-book" has been used by the Clintons and the Obamas.

 

Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky was published in 1971 during one of the most explosive times in the history of the United States. It was the time of the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the desegregation of education, women's rights movements. In the tumultuous decade of the 1960s, we saw the assassinations of leaders from both the political and civil rights movements: John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers and Malcolm X. Mr. Alinsky was inspired to write this book that serves as the playbook for many organizers and politicos today. It was born from Mr. Alinsky's 40 years as a community organizer. Before we get into the aspects of the book, we need to know the background of the author.

Who was Saul Alinsky

Saul Alinsky was born in 1909 and died June 12, 1972, one year after Rules for Radicals was published. He was one of the founders of modern community organizing and perfected his craft over four decades. Mr. Alinsky was a champion of the poor and a leader in the African-American ghettos becoming their champion fighting to improve their living conditions and opportunities for employment and betterment. His focus in his early days were the ghettos in Chicago but soon took his fight on the road to major cities across the country focusing again on the ghettos in Michigan, California, and New York City. His work has been commended many people and adopted by many in the mainstream as well as counter-culture organizers.

Testimonials to Alinsky and his thoughts on organizing

Time magazine once said about Alinsky, " American democracy is being altered by Alinsky's ideas." Both Hilary Clinton and President Barack Obama have both said that they were indirectly influenced by the doctrines of community organizing that Alinsky preached. Conservative pundit and author William F. Buckley once said, "Alinsky is very close to being an organizational genius." In Hillary Clinton's 1969 college Political Science Thesis, she wrote it on the 1946 Saul Alinsky book, "Reveille for Radicals." Her thesis title was "There is only the fight..." An Analysis of the Alinsky Model. This totally refutes Hillary Clinton saying that Alinsky was only an indirect influence.

Life thru the eyes of Saul Alinsky

Alinsky saw the United States fight two World Wars, Korea and the Vietnam War. He saw the country change from peacetime to war time and back again many times over. He experienced the Great Depression as a 20 year old man and even though he was an archaeologist by education, he found his way naturally to become a leader and a person that changed the mindset of a nation for the betterment of entire classes of people thru community organizing.

"Rules For Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer For Realistic Radicals"

The book is an amazing look at the times of a community organizer that effected change for 40 years of his life. The book is a how-to for modern organizers to follow to effect change. The tactics used in the book are the playbooks that many have used to change political elections to effecting change for better health, laws giving people equal rights, and recently seen in the legalizing of gay marriage and the legalization of marijuana. The 2008 Presidential election saw the Alinsky rules laid out in the book used effectively for the second time in political history with it's fundamentals in grassroots political campaigning. Bill and Hilary Clinton used these rules the first time when Bill was elected President and Obama used the same playbook when he ran and successfully became President of the United States even though he had such limited political experience. Barack Obama has always been a community organizer and follower and practitioner of Alinsky rules for organizing. Companies use Alinsky's rules everyday to get support of their bad business practices like: lack of medical plans for their employees, justification not to raise the minimum wage above poverty levels, fracking, tax loopholes, and government tax credits and subsidies that afford them the opportunity not to pay any federal corporate taxes, etc.

The Basic Ideas of Rules for Radicals

Saul Alinsky laid out his Rules for Radicals very simply. He stated that there are three classes of people: "The Haves," "The Have-Nots," and "Have-a-Little, Want Mores," they are the rich, the poor and the middle class, respectively. In the book, each chapter has one lesson to teach a rule to empower a community to organize and effect social and/or political change. All of these rules have been used successfully by labor unions, governments, politicos and community organizations.

Criticisms

Rules for Radicals and Mr. Alinsky have been criticized and demonized as a brand of socialism and communism. It's funny to me, the people that do this demonizing are actually taking a page straight out of Alinsky's book and trying to influence people by making Alinsky the evil party. A great tactic and Mr. Alinsky would be the first to applaud them. Some say the Alinsky movement is akin to a "movement without morals," but I think it is a pragmatic dogma of realism. All things have a duality. The discovery of nuclear energy was a great day for mankind, it gave us a source of clean energy and allowed us to move away from oil and coal as our primary methods for generating electricity and power. But at the same time, some genius figured out that the splitting of the atom could be used to kill millions of people at a touch of a button. Mr. Alinsky's words have the same duality of purpose. Some will use it to fight the good fight. They will use his ideas for noble thoughts to help mankind. Others will use the same thoughts for evil. This duality of man has nothing to do with Alinsky but is a barometer of the human spirit and that can't be changed.

My opinion

I feel empowered everytime I read the book. I have read it a least 10 times, re-discovering many new ideas as I re-read certain chapters. I look at some of the political and social organizing today and as a "graduate" of the books of Alinsky, the tactics they use amuse me as they are readily identifiable to any student of Alinsky, which I am. I don't of course agree with Alinsky on all points and I am NOT affiliated with any political party nor have I ever been. I have voted both sides of the aisle and see intelligence and stupidity in both party's rhetoric. I see myself as a fiscally responsible libertarian on some issues and a conservative on others. I am torn on many political issues like gun control. I respect that all people have a right to be treated equal but am also realistic to understand that even though some may say it is okay to behave a certain way, that doesn't make it so. I love the book, Rules for Radicals, and think that it should be a mandated read in high school. Every American should want to read it to understand when they are being played for a sucker by some slick community organizer or corporation. Read the book and become educated. It is a short book, 244 pages in total length and under $8.44 at Amazon. You will have a knowledge but few possess in the general populace of he United States.

Sources: Hilary Clinton College Thesis, Best of Beck , Crossroad, Nuke Gingrich, Townhall, Front Page Mag

Book Review: “How We Die” by Dr. Sherwin Nuland

This book will prepare each person with the understanding that dying with dignity is all about dying on your own terms according to your own set of values. The process of dying is a personal experience and it is not a universal rule that all must do "whatever is available" to prolong life regardless of the cost to mind, body or soul.

 


Brief Overview

Sherwin Nuland was a doctor, surgeon, author, speaker, teacher, philosopher, husband, and father. His life was quite extraordinary and filled with amazing highs tumultuous lows. Sherwin battled through debilitating depression that was successfully treated in the 1970s by electroshock therapy. Dr. Nuland through his own experiences as a doctor coupled with his own personal experiences with the process of dying, wrote a book that is a must read for every person. It explains in detail the six ways most of us will meet the end of life.


Sherwin Nuland Biography

Sherwin Nuland was born in the Bronx on December 8, 1930 to immigrant Russian Jewish parents. He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish manner but later in life became an agnostic. Sherwin was a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, New York University and the Yale School of Medicine where he also did his surgical residency. Sherwin's mother died from colon cancer when he was 11 years old and the treatment and kindness shown his mother at such an early age influenced him so much, he decided at a young age o become a doctor to help other people and always remembered the doctor who treated his mother as a pseudo-mentor to him his whole life. Dr. Nuland was married twice and had four children, two from each marriage. He has two daughters and two sons from these marriages. His daughter, Victoria Nuland is the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State.


Sherwin Nuland and his depression

Because of a troubled childhood and a fear and shame relationship with his father, Dr. Nuland suffered severe bouts of depression. These bouts became more severe and so debilitating that in his early 40s, he was institutionalized for more than a year for treatment. Senior staff at the psychiatric hospital recommended a lobotomy but thankfully a young resident psychiatrist interceded and his recommendation for electroshock therapy was the path of treatment that was chosen. After twenty sessions it became clear that the treatment was a success but was he direct cause of the dissolution of his first marriage. Dr. Nuland returned to medical practice and his surgical duties and still had some issues of depression but they were more manageable and had less negative impact on him.
"How We Die"

Written in 1994, Sherwin Nuland took on the medical profession by writing this book challenging the long standing paternalistic role of the physician that lent it self to a less pragmatic philosophy on treating death. The prevailing philosophy was that the doctor was the only one who knew the proper treatment to handle disease and all avenues of treatment would be expended even if they were in fact pointless treatments that exacerbated the suffering of the dying patient. This book arrived at the perfect time as palliative medicine and hospice care was in it's infancy. Dr. Nuland arrived at this philosophy at embracing death watching his brother try every means necessary to beat his terminal colon cancer. The treatment in his case and many people is worse than the disease and robs people of a dignified death.


The "Ah-Ha" moment in the book for me

A particular aspect of the book talked about the psychological make-up of doctors which I found interesting. Dr. Nuland hypothesizes that doctors by nature are high functioning, "type A" intellectuals with massive egos and the unrelenting desire to succeed. They are highly competitive and without that ambition would not have survived and excelled in the competitive and grueling study to become a doctor or a surgeon. He opined that many doctors think of medicine as a battle of wills between the disease and the doctor. And because of their competitive drive and wantonness to succeed will often become apathetic to the patient and their emotional well being and sacrifice that for even the slimmest chance at conquering the disease.


Dr. Nuland's evolution in philosophy on treating terminal patients

Dr. Nuland concludes that life and death are parallel journeys and that a dignified death is preceded by a life of dignity. That people should not blindly follow the advice of the medical establishment but to follow their own set of values regarding quality of life and death. Dr. Nuland realized this when his brother was dying. He did him an injustice by not telling him how dire and hopeless his prognosis was and this lapse in judgment, withholding the severity of his brother's malignancy, caused more harm than good. It gave his brother unrealistic hope when there just was no hope with the universal spreading of the cancer beyond his colon into almost every organ in his abdomen. His brother chose to try an experimental treatment that caused him to become a shell of his former self and die a death that was not in any realm associated with dignity. It was the exact opposite, he did extend his brother's life for a few months, but the cost was so high that his brother and his family suffered more than peacefully succumbing to the ravages of the disease with acceptance and giving closure to his family.


The Cure is sometimes worse than the disease

In summary, I have a new philosophy on life and death after reading this book. I read it many years ago when it first came out and before writing this article, just finished re-reading it as a 50 year old man. This book will be a game changer for me one day in the not-so distant future. It will give me the courage to say no to my doctor if I feel that the quality of my life will be forsaken for a few more miserable months doing anything to "beat" the disease. One thing is for sure, we will all go to our death alone. It is one of the few experiences in life that is a journey you take by yourself. The question is, should the time preceding the inevitable be a time of peace and comfort, or pain, discomfort and sadness trying to grasp at anything to extend life regardless of cost to quality of the final days of life.


Dr. Sherwin Nuland's Legacy

Dr. Nuland died on March 3, 2014. The world is not a better place with his absence and he will be missed but he left us all his legacy. He helped and cured thousands of people in his career and he helped many meet their dignified death. He has also given us all the gift of his philosophy on life and death. It is up to you if you want to listen to his advice. Dr. Nuland would tell you to read his book and then with your own set of values, come to your own working philosophy on what life and death means to you and figure out at what point should death be accepted as the right path to a dignified life.


Sources: The New York Times, NPR , Los Angeles Times, "How We Die"

Lessons for the Novice Internet Content Writer

Writing online comes with many early lessons needing to be learned. The learning curve for some can be tricky and time consuming understanding the differences in writing style, writing level and the way people read online content.

 

Writing for publication on the internet is a totally different experience than writing for other media mediums. Careful thought about how people search for information coupled with strong use of search phrases and article structure will be the keys to reaching and engaging the readers.


Early Lessons I learned writing on the Internet

• Be direct with short, concise sentences.


• The appropriate writing level needed to reach the reader.


• Small blocks of text comprised of one or two thoughts set off by a bold sub-heading.


• The use of action oriented sentence structure rather than passive tenses.


• Thought about search engine popularity when it involves words and phrases.


• The “Golden Triangle” and the importance of front loading major information early in the article to engage and keep the reader.


• The use of referencing to credit for information sourcing.


• The importance of respecting the copyright of photos and information.


• Understanding that when reviewing copy for typos, the eye reads differently online as opposed to print. Get someone to proofread for you if possible.

Be Direct

When writing online, it is imperative to think about time restraints of the reader. Understand that hey want the information delivered without any pomp and circumstance. Writing creatively is fine in novels and short stories but the ability to deliver information in short, concise sentences is important to keeping the reader engaged.


Structure of online content differs than conventional print content

The average internet reader spends as little time as possible devouring information. They tend to read 25% slower than print medium and scan pages on the web rather than reading them. This is the reason that 5 and 6 sentence blocks of information are important with bolded sub headings to keep the reader engaged. The average internet reader reads at a 7^th grade reading level so the use of complicated words or writing styles is adverse to most readers and will result in them finding more “friendly” writing.


Search Engine Optimization

The focus of every writer online needs to focus around how the search engines will receive an article. If an article is filled with typos, too wordy, too many backlinks, the “Search Engine Spiders,” will discredit the importance of the articles content and give I a terrible search ranking.. That will negatively affect future potential readers finding the content. An article that can't be read is like a masterpiece from DaVinci sitting in a storage locker. If no one sees it, the best written article on the planet will be unread and mean nothing to the world.


Words and Phrases needed to be Search Engine friendly

Thinking about how people search for words and phrases is of prime importance and critical to the success of an online writer and how the article ranks on search engines in that category. These key words and phrases need to be included multiple times throughout an article for the “Google Spiders” to index the keywords into a category. Learning this early online lesson will result in more readers engaging with your content and a higher chance of better search engine rankings and other mainstream major websites backlinking to your article.


The Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is a term used on the web in the writing community on how the reader scans a web page. It is of extreme importance to understand how people read on their PCs, Mobile phones and Ipads. All of these devices offer different experiences for the user and require the writer to write with the focus on where things are placed on the page in the article. The Golden Triangle rule is keep your most important information on the left side of the page and at the top and funnel the less information down he page. In general, keep locations and dates to the right side of the page.


Proper Referencing and Respecting Copyrights

All information taken or farmed from other places whether it be print, web, television, or radio needs to be referenced in the article. Use of backlinks to that information is critical for credibility and preventing accusations of plagiarism. Respecting copyrights needs to be maintained. Crediting and/or obtaining permission to use content and photographs is common courtesy and also keeps you on the right side of the law.


Proofreading

Nothing reads as poorly as a page full of typos. Poor grammar, bad sentence structure, misspellings and poor punctuation make a reader uncomfortable in accepting the content's credibility and makes them want to just click on another article. Google Spiders also hate typos and misspellings as it influences their decision to classify an article as quality or poor content. The Google Spiders can make or break the success of an article so a thorough proofreading is an important lesson for the online writer to learn as early as possible. Try to get an uninterested third party to proofread the article before submitting for publication.


Let an article sit for a day before publication

It's important to let an article sit before publication. This way, you will return the following day to an article that is “new” to you again and typos that you skimmed past will be blatantly obvious. Also, every proofread leaves us with opportunity to rewrite wordy sentences or choose more search engine optimized words. Proofreading will never cost you anything but a few minutes but catching a few typos and improving he article is worth every second of effort.

Annual Bacon and Brew Classic

The Bacon and Brew Classic takes centerfield on July 26, 2014 at Citi Field and Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on September 27, 2014 and for a bacon and beer fest. 60,000 people are expected at the yearly event.

Bacon And Brew Classic At Citi Field on July 26, 2014 and at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on September 27, 2014. The Bacon and Brew Classic is all about tasting craft beers offered by almost 100 of the finest macro and micro brewers in the United States. It is also about the one thing all people love, Bacon. Bacon and beer will be the stars of the evening as the New York Mets are playing the Milwaukee Brewers so the team will be in the brew capital of the country and beer will be the home team at Citi Field in Queens that day and evening. Coincidentally, Houston Astros will be playing the New York Mets on September 27 when the Bacon and Beer Classic rolls into Houston' Minute Maid Park.

The Event

This is a doubleheader event. A day and night game so to speak of beer and bacon versus the great people of New York. Each guest will be able to sample 3 ounce pours of hundreds of craft beers from top breweries. A list of the top breweries can be found here. Sponsoring restaurants will be offering each guest, one bacon inspired treat so it will be a day of suds and pig fat on the home field of the Mets. A list of some of the restaurants can be found here. Live music and demonstrations will highlight the event besides the 80 breweries and restaurants taking part in this food and drink extravaganza.

Judging the bacon and brew

There will be two celebrities judging the bacon treats and the craft beers. They are Adam Poch, aka the “Bacon Minister,” and former Big Brother cast member. Judging alongside Adam will be David “Rev” Ciancio. David is well known in the East Village of New York City being the co-owner of Idle Hands Bar. David also runs one of the top burger blogs called Burger Conquest. Guests will also be able to download an application for heir smartphones that will provide interactive features for the event and also allow them to vote for their favorite brews and bacon treats. All votes will be tabulated at the end of the event and prizes will be awarded to the top restaurants and brewers.

Sponsors of the Event

Cannonball Productions is the event planner but the sponsors are the ones enabling this unique experience. The charity partner for the event is Citymeals on Wheels. D'artagnan meat purveyors is supplying the delicious bacon. Clearchannel Q104.3, iheartradio are the event's media sponsor. Another sponsor of the Bacon and Brew Classic is the Baconeers.

Time of the events

One ticket for each event, either the 12-3PM brunch session or the 7-10PM evening session. Guests can attend one or both sessions, but each ticket is specific to each time. VIP ticket holders will be admitted one hour earlier.

Price

Both day and evening sessions are the same price but there is a two tier pricing level for the event.

General Admission:

Entrance to the event, access to the demonstration and educational sessions and the interactive games. The cost is $59.00 per person and a non-alcoholic, designated driver ticket is $39.00

VIP Admission:

Entrance to the event, all the perks of general admissions PLUS one hour early entrance, exclusive access to the stadium warning tracks and dugouts. VIP exclusive brews and bacon tastings and access to the VIP lounge and cooling areas. Each VIP can also take advantage of exclusive stadium tour and they will receive a VIP souvenir glass. The cost is $129 per person. All tickets are non-refundable but transferable. To purchase tickets, Eventbrite.

Source: Bacon and Brew Classic

Which NBA Team Will Carmelo Anthony Choose in Free Agency?

Carmelo Anthony opts out of final year of contract to test his value in the free agency market. Will he sign for less money and a shorter contract to play for a playoff contender like the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers or re-sign with the New York Knicks.

 
Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks sent a letter to the team by FedEx opting out of his option year of his contract passing on the $23 Million yearly salary. He wants to explore his value in the free agency market. The Knicks have the ability to resign Carmelo to a 5 year $129 Million deal having an advantage on every other team because of the collective bargaining agreement cap limiting the contract offered by other teams to 4 years and $96 Million. Carmelo has expressed interest in staying and signing for less if the team commits to adding better players making them a playoff caliber team.


Where would Carmelo go if he decides to leave the Knicks?

Carmelo has four teams actively and publicly vying for his services and most of the teams would be offering the maximum contract allowed of $96 million over 4 years so it would have to do with depth of talent or change in location for Carmelo Anthony personal benefit to leave the New York Knicks. The teams besides Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks pursuing Carmelo are the Houston Rockets, the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers.


Odds Carmelo joins the Houston Rockets

Long-shot in my opinion. Carmelo isn't going to like playing in Texas. Houston is a similar team to the New York Knicks and adding Carmelo would just deduct from their chemistry. Houston doesn't need a guy who wants to shoot he ball everytime down he court and disregard defense. He won't make Houston stronger, just more dysfunctional. He would be better off staying in New York and asking the larger and longer contract. Odds he signs with the Rockets is 15-1.


Odds Carmelo joins the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat saw that Dwayne Wade is losing steps and Chris Bosh isn't the answer. With Lebron James entering free agency, Carmelo will focus on what Lebron does before he commits. Lebron is younger and a better player than Carmelo so the watch won't be on Lebron's wallet but rather the question of staying in Miami or leaving. Personally, I see Lebron staying as Miami is his home and his wife and children have a strong base there. No reason to uproot from sunny Florida for some miserable weather, and play for a North or West based team. Lebron has his rings so no necessity for the Championship win anymore. Carmelo MIGHT consider Miami if Lebron stays. If Miami added some three point shooters with Carmelo and Lebron's ability to drive the paint, they would be a tough combination to defend if there was true chemistry and communication between the two players. Odds he signs with Miami is 5-1.


Odds Carmelo joins the Chicago Bulls

Joakim Noah and the Bulls have been courting Carmelo since the All-Star break and talking about how he would instantly make Chicago a serious contender. BlogaBull has been reporting about this speculative Carmelo landing spot. I definitely don't see it happening. Yes, Carmelo instantly transforms the team if everything goes as planned on paper. But everyone knows that Derrick Rose NEVER finishes a season. Look at his record over the last three years. In 2011, he played 39 games, in 2012 he did not play for the entire season and in 2013, he played 10 games. This can't be ignored by Carmelo and why in the world would he leave the Knicks for less money and security. Odds he signs with Chicago in my mind is at 10-1.


Odds Carmelo joins the Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles area is where Carmelo makes his home in the off-season. With Donald Sterling selling the Los Angeles Clippers to Microsoft former CEO Steve Ballmer. There is new competition in town to steal he spotlight from the NBAs #1 franchise. It's time for the Lakers to make an investment in the fans and give them a reason to support the Lakers over the Clippers who surely will have deep pockets to buy the talent to take them to the next level. I positively see Carmelo leaning towards returning to his home state and playing for the Lakers. Would love to see the Lakers make a move and try o get both Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony. That would diffuse the new ownership of the Clippers and keep the Lakers at the top of the list of most valuable NBA franchises. Odds are 2-1 that Carmelo chooses the Lakers.


Odds Carmelo stays with the New York Knicks

I think the odds are very good that Carmelo stays because of the extra year in the contract and the $33 million more over the contract. Carmelo can leverage this free agency period to force Phil Jackson's hand to make room to add another star player. One thing history has taught us about the 7-time NBA All Star is he likes money and is the total dominating factor behind his motivation. Odds are Even Money that Carmelo stays with the Knicks if they commit to improving their player personnel which shouldn't be a stretch since owner James Dolan brought GM Phil Jackson to New York to win and compete against the attention given to the Brooklyn Nets.
Sources: ESPN New York, New York Daily News, Blogabull