Infringement?

I read a headline that stated Walgreens (WAG) (on my watch lists) is suing Wegmans over the use of their scripted "W".

Walgreens claims the script is too confusing to consumers.

The stylized “W” that Wegmans uses in its logo is too close to the style of the letter Walgreens uses, according to a Walgreens lawsuit filed in Virginia.

Wegmans said they used the logo style decades ago, and resurrected it recently.

“We were surprised to learn of this lawsuit, since Walgreens did not contact us with any concerns prior to filing it,” said Jeanne Colleluori, Wegmans spokeswoman.

“Our script design has been in use since 2008, and was crafted to look like the logos our company used in the 1930s and 1940s. We don’t think that there is any real risk of customer confusion between the two companies.”

OK, so I do see that it is similar but not exact.
In reality, I think the fonts are totally different.

I do see the value in a company protecting it's brand.
And I do see Wegmans arguement that they have used that font before and that, according to them, Walgreens did not even attempt to contact them before filing the suit.

But Wegmans also uses different fonts for their logos as well.

Such as this one...







If I were Wegmans, I wouldn't worry. I do not see the similarity nor do I find these logos the least bit confusing.

What I do find confusing is this!



The Washington Nationals Logo.









If I were the Nationals, I'd be worried.

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Our last great hope

ESPN said that Strasburges injury devastates not only Washington but the entire baseball world.

Does it really?

Now don't get me wrong. It is a total shame that this happened to him, the nationals and yes even the sport, and I wish him all the best for a successful surgery and complete recovery.

But is it really devastation?

A crabgrass infestation in all major league ballparks would be devastating. Trust me, once weeds take over, the grass never comes back.

From all accounts, the recovery, though long, is nearly 90% successful. And some say he has a chance to come back with an even stronger / more durable arm.

So, what would devastation in the sports world really be?

No Strasburg.

No 2011 NFL, or Fantasy, Season.

No Hockey.

No Basketball.

OMG! Ted, you better watch out! You, and your two teams are the last, best, greatest hope for saving the world of sports!

If they fail, then THAT would truely be devastating!

Forget about 2012 being the end of the world. If we loose sports, we loose all hope.

Come on Ted, if anybody can pull us through this tough time, you can.

But, until then, I have a few more practice mock drafts and over analyzing of draft boards to do before our Borderless League Fantasy Football Draft and Party on Sunday.

And perhaps this is the greatest thing about sports. There is always something to look forward to. Something to get excited about.

Queue the music...

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The other debut...

Yes, Strasburg actually lived up to the hype, for one game at least.

There was another opening, albeit one night, at DAR Constitution Hall of the traveling "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television" Conan O'Brien show.

Apparently his debut was just as entertaining and lived up to the hype of his fans (who obviously are not big baseball fans) and also managed to sell out the venue.

One "feature" of Conan's show is that he usually has at least one or two surprise celebrity guests show up sometime during the show. Except last night.

Guess they were all at Nationals Park.

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A Hit

Sunday was Marks birthday and like I mentioned in a previous post, instead of having a party with a bunch of people, he wanted to go to a Nationals Game with one of his best friends.







Even though the Nats lost, we all had a really good time.

First, we got there early enough to get the free kids batting helmets and an autograph. Number 32 is (c) Jamie Burke









This is the line of fans waiting for autographs.










I especially like this shot of the line because if you look towards the top left corner, well, that is real close to where our seats were. They were up on the second level and under cover from which ever ol' man weather decided to throw at us.
And believe me, Sunday had both a little rain and hot sun.









Sundays game started out with both teams getting a lead off double and advancing the runner via a sacrifice bunt and then scoring run run off of either another sacrifice hit or single.




After that we had a bit of everything.

A tornado warning.
A Thunder and Lightning Storm.
A close game which with the Nationals leading 2 - 1 going into the ninth inning.
The Nationals allowing 3 runs in the ninth.
The Nationals coming back to tie the game with 2 more runs to send the game into extra innings.
Finally, loosing 4 - 5 with two men on, two outs, and the count going 3 and 2.

Oh and this guy who combined his two passions of music and baseball to create and play the Electric "Batolin" Slugger.






All in all, it was a big hit.

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Strasburg Hype

Stephen Strasburg baseball card tops $17,000 mark on eBay.

WOW! All that for a guy, OK so yes he is pretty good at throwing around that baseball, who has yet to pitch a single major league game. Let alone win one.

I know, I know, he will...



And there have been plenty of rumors going around as to when he will make his debut.














First it was speculated that it would be at the Friday June 4th game. This promptly started a rush on ticket sales which nearly sold out the game.

Now another rumor has him potentially starting during the next home stand June 8 - 10th. I bet tickets for those lowly weekday games have suddenly seen an uptick.

I bet good ol' Ebayers are not the only ones who know how to get the most bang for the buck on something that has not even happened yet.

Unfortunately all this hype and rumor mill activity is causing some fans distress at having potentially paid a lot of money to "not be there when".

The Nationals Front Office has of course not released any formal date for Strasburg or admitted to any authenticity to any rumors...

How much do you want to bet that there will be another rumor for him starting later in June....


BTW: I too have June tickets to a Nationals Game. Not for Strasburg, or hype, but for my 9 year old, (soon to be 10), birthday on June 6th.

He gets to bring along a best friend, other than me..., to enjoy the game and hopefully catch some fly balls and autographs.

I can't wait...

Oh, and just in case anybody from the Nationals organization is reading this, I wouldn't mind you fooling everybody and starting Strasburg on Sunday June 6th. Not for me of course...

For my sons birthday!

Thanks and see you at the Park!

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