"Marlon Jerrard Byrd (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Indians. He was suspended twice for using performance-enhancing drugs. ==High school career== Byrd is a 1995 graduate of Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia, and won All-State honors in baseball and football. He played on the 1993 state runner-up team as a sophomore, and was part of the 1995 state championship team. ==College career== Byrd began his college baseball career at Georgia Tech. As a sophomore in 1996, after experiencing discomfort in his leg, Byrd was diagnosed with an infection in his tibialis anterior muscle, the largest muscle in the lower leg. After considering amputation, doctors chose to perform surgery to remove the muscle entirely. Between Thanksgiving in 1996 and January 1997, Byrd underwent a total of three operations. He spent nearly two years rehabbing the injury, during which time his body weight rose from 225 to 315 pounds. He shed the weight by approximating a bodybuilder diet and then enrolled at Georgia Perimeter College where he played his final season of college baseball in 1999. ==Major league career== ===Philadelphia Phillies=== Byrd reached the major leagues in 2003. He came in fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting, batting .303 with 86 runs scored, 28 doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 11 stolen bases in 135 games and 495 at-bats. During his rookie season, Byrd and the team were sued by a fan who suffered a concussion from a ball that Byrd threw into the stands as a souvenir after making the last out of an inning. Both he and the team were granted summary judgement in their favor by the trial court, but the plaintiff appealed. A three-judge panel of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania heard the case, and two of the judges affirmed the judgement, holding that while such gifts to the fans are not part of gameplay, they are a common enough aspect of baseball games today that the Baseball Rule, which limits teams' liability to spectators injured by foul balls, applied to Byrd's throw as well. "I do not doubt that Marlon Byrd threw the ball that hit [a]ppellant without malicious intent," wrote the dissenting justice, John Bender. "[But] if a baseball player wants to go beyond the confines of the game and provide a gratuitous souvenir to a fan, he should be charged with the obligation of doing it in a reasonably safe and prudent manner. Here, there is certainly evidence from which a factfinder might conclude that the manner in which Byrd threw the ball into the stands was imprudent." Bender said a jury should have been allowed to decide that question.Loughran, 877–82 ===Washington Nationals=== Byrd was traded to the Washington Nationals in 2005 for Endy Chávez. On July 15, 2006, Byrd was designated for assignment and assigned to Washington's Triple-A affiliate, the New Orleans Zephyrs. Texas Rangers in 2009 Byrd was signed as a free agent by the Rangers on December 8, 2006, to compete for the starting position in center field. After failing to make the Rangers' major league roster out of spring training, Byrd was assigned to the Triple-A Oklahoma RedHawks. Byrd's contract was purchased on May 26, 2007, following injuries to outfielders Brad Wilkerson and Jerry Hairston, Jr. Making the most of his call-up by hitting over .400 for the month of June, Byrd played his way into the line-up, allowing the Rangers to trade center fielder Kenny Lofton prior to the trading deadline. On August 4, 2008, he hit a walk-off grand slam to help the Rangers beat the Yankees 9–5. Byrd had a career season in 2009, hitting 20 home runs and collecting 89 RBIs. Following the 2009 season, Byrd filed for free agency, declining the Rangers' offer of salary arbitration.Sullivan, T.R. Byrd, Rodriguez decline arbitration , MLB.com. Published December 7, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2009. On December 31, 2009, Byrd signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. In his first season with the Cubs, Byrd had his best season. He was selected for his first All-Star Game. Byrd entered the game as a substitute and drew a walk off of Matt Thornton. He scored from first base on a double by Brian McCann. In the ninth inning, while playing right field, Byrd made an outstanding play, forcing Boston DH David Ortiz at second after fielding what normally would have been a base hit. On May 21, 2011, while batting during the 2nd inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, Byrd was hit near his left eye by a pitch from Red Sox pitcher Alfredo Aceves. The pitch was, according to Aceves, unintentional. After the pitch hit him, Byrd dropped to the ground, covered the area by his left eye and rolled in pain; he was helped off the field by Cubs medical personnel and taken to the trainer's room in the clubhouse. Byrd did not return to the game. He was taken to Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he stayed overnight to be examined. The incident marked the fifth time that Byrd had been hit by a pitch in a ten-day period. Byrd was placed on the 15-day disabled list the following day. Justin Berg was called up to take his place. After coming off his stint on the disabled list, Byrd wore a protective mask customized to his helmet in order to shield his weakened facial bones. After the 2011 season Byrd began practicing Muay Thai and started a new diet and lost 40 lbs. ===Later career=== Boston Red Sox in 2012 On April 21, 2012 Byrd was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Michael Bowden and a player to be named later. Minor league pitcher Hunter Cervenka was the player sent to the Cubs May 15. On June 9, Byrd was designated for assignment by the Red Sox in order to make room for Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was returning from the disabled list. On June 12, 2012 Byrd was released. On June 25, Byrd was suspended 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance. Byrd was placed on the restricted list and remained there until August 20. On February 1, 2013, Byrd signed a minor-league deal with the Mets. Byrd hit a walk-off 2 RBI single on April 7 for the Mets on their way to a 4-3 victory over the Miami Marlins. Before a game on June 5, 2013, Byrd joked with Mets teammate Anthony Recker that he was going to hit two home runs in the game. Byrd did hit two home runs in the Mets 10-1 win over the Washington Nationals. Byrd hit .285 with 21 home runs and 71 RBI in 117 games for the Mets before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. On August 27, Byrd and John Buck were traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for infield prospect Dilson Herrera and a player to be named later, identified on August 29 as Vic Black. In his first game with the Pirates, Byrd hit a 3-run home run in Pittsburgh's 7-1 victory over Milwaukee. In the 2013 National League Wild Card Game, Byrd went 2-4 with a home run and 2 RBI, as the Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 6-2. Byrd takes a practice swing in a 2014 game On November 12, 2013, Byrd agreed in principle to a two-year contract worth $16 million to return to the Phillies. The deal included an $8 million club option for 2016 that vested based on plate appearances. Unlike his previous years, Byrd began to strike out more often. In 154 games of 2014, Byrd struck out 185 times while batting .264 with 25 home runs and 85 RBI. On December 31, 2014, Byrd was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for starting pitcher Ben Lively. As of May 14, 2015 Byrd was hitting .342 with six home runs and 14 RBIs in the month of May. He reached 19 home runs before being traded to the San Francisco Giants. On August 20, 2015, Byrd was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Double-A reliever Stephen Johnson. He hit a home run on his first at-bat with the Giants on August 21, 2015 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Byrd hit the Giants' record-breaking 8th grand slam of the season against the Cardinals on August 28, against Michael Wacha. This was Byrd's first career hit against Wacha, and it was Wacha's first grand-slam given up. In 2015, he batted .247/.290/.453, and swung at 60.5% of all pitches he saw, tops in the major leagues.Major League Leaderboards » 2015 » Batters » Plate Discipline Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball After becoming a free agent following the 2015 season, Byrd signed a minor-league contract with the Cleveland Indians on March 18, 2016 with an invitation to major-league spring training camp. The Indians purchased his contract and added him to the active roster on April 3. In 34 games, he hit .270 with 5 HR and 19 RBI before being suspended. On June 1, 2016, Byrd was suspended 162 games for his second positive PED test. The day his suspension started, he told his teammates that his career was over. ==See also== *List of Major League Baseball players suspended for performance-enhancing drugs ==References== ==External links== *Marlon Byrd at Baseball Almanac *Marlon Byrd at Ultimate Mets Database Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Boynton Beach, Florida Category:Major League Baseball outfielders Category:Baseball players from Florida Category:African- American baseball players Category:All-Star Futures Game players Category:National League All-Stars Category:Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Category:Philadelphia Phillies players Category:Washington Nationals players Category:Texas Rangers players Category:Chicago Cubs players Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:New York Mets players Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players Category:Cincinnati Reds players Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:Cleveland Indians players Category:Georgia Perimeter Jaguars baseball players Category:Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball players Category:Batavia Muckdogs players Category:Piedmont Boll Weevils players Category:Reading Phillies players Category:Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Category:New Orleans Zephyrs players Category:Oklahoma RedHawks players Category:Iowa Cubs players Category:Tomateros de Culiacán players "

— Marlon Byrd 🍇

"Walter Peter "Babe" Pratt (January 7, 1916 – December 16, 1988) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman/left winger who played for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League. He is the father of the NHL hockey player, Tracy Pratt. Babe was an important member of two Stanley Cup winning teams, the 1940 Rangers and 1945 Maple Leafs. He won the Hart Trophy in 1944. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966. In January, 1946 Pratt was caught betting on hockey games and was subsequently suspended from the NHL. Pratt admitted to gambling but denied ever placing a bet against his own team. After promising to quit betting he was reinstated to the Toronto Maple Leafs. His last NHL season was with the Boston Bruins in 1946–47 and he played in the minors after that. He subsequently worked as an analyst for CBC Television's Hockey Night In Canada telecasts from Vancouver in the 1970s and served as a goodwill ambassador of the Vancouver Canucks. Pratt collapsed and died of a heart attack in the media lounge of the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver during the first intermission of a Canucks game on December 16, 1988. The Canucks honored Pratt's memory by stitching "BABE" on their sweaters for the remainder of the hockey season. Despite the brevity of his career, the time passed since it ended, and a reputation for rough play, in 1998, he was ranked number 96 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. == Awards and achievements == *MJHL Scoring Champion (1935) *Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1934) *Stanley Cup championship (1940 and 1945) *NHL First All-Star Team Defence (1944) *Hart Memorial Trophy winner (1944) *NHL Second All-Star Team Defence (1945) *Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966 *Inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1990 *Selected to Manitoba's All-Century First All-Star Team *"Honoured Member" of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame *In 1998, he was ranked number 96 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players * In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, was ranked No. 47 all- time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons *Tied for most assists by a defenceman in one game with 6 *Scored the game-winning goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1945 Stanley Cup Finals "

— Babe Pratt 🍇

"Senior offering Dashain Tika on great Nepali Hindu festival at a traditional home. The culture of Nepal encompasses the various cultures belonging to the 125 distinct ethnic groups present in Nepal. The culture of Nepal is expressed through music and dance; art and craft; folklore; languages and literature; philosophy and religion; festivals and celebration; foods and drinks. ==Dance and music== Women in cultural costume at Ubhauli Kirati festival 2017 at Gough Whitlam Park, Earlwood Nepali traditional Pahadi dress used for dance Legends state that dances in this country originated in the abode of Lord Shiva — the Himalayas, where he performed the tandava dance. This indicates that dance traditions of Nepal are very ancient and unique. With altitudes and ethnicity, the dances of Nepal slightly change in style as well as in the costumes. The Dishka, a dance performed at weddings, includes intricate footwork and arm movements. Accompanying music and musical instruments change in tune with the themes, which revolve around topics like harvesting of crops, marriage rites, war stories, a lonely girl's yearning for her love, and several other themes and stories from everyday life in the villages. The famous Tharu stick dances, and the crazy peacock dance are two highlights, but there are plenty of other surprises. Expect to be invited to join in the dancing, as the evening reaches its climax. ==Nepali== As per the 2011 census, 123 languages are spoken in Nepal. Nepal's linguistic heritage has evolved from three major language groups: Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman, and indigenous. The major languages of Nepal (percent spoken as mother tongue) are Nepali (44.6%), Maithili (11.7%), Bhojpuri(6%), Tharu (5.8%), Tamang (5.1%), Nepal Bhasa (3.2%), Magar (3%) and Bajjika (3%) Limbu script, Yakkha language, Sunuwar language, Rai, Gurung. Nepali, written in Devanagari script, is the official national language and serves as lingua franca among Nepalese ethno-linguistic groups. Extinct languages of Nepal include Kusunda, MaWalinga and Waling Religions and philosophy of Nepal Nepali Hindu Wedding; Groom being carried by a bride brother or relatives A Buddhist monastery in southern Nepal. The 2011 census identified 81.6% of the population being Hindu. Buddhism was practiced by about 9% of the population. About 4.2% practice Islam and 3.6% of the population follows the indigenous Kirant religion. Christianity is practiced officially by less than 1.0%. Hindu and Buddhist traditions in Nepal go back more than two millennia. In Lumbini, Buddha was born, and Pashupatinath temple, Kathmandu, is an old and famous Shiva temple of Hindus. Nepal has several other temples and Buddhist monasteries, as well as places of worship of other religious groups. Traditionally, Nepalese philosophical thoughts are ingrained with the Hindu and Buddhist philosophical ethos and traditions, which include elements of Kashmir Shaivism, Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, works of Karmacharyas of Bhaktapur, and tantric traditions. Tantric traditions are deep rooted in Nepal, including the practice of animal sacrifices. Five types of animals, always male, are considered acceptable for sacrifice: water buffalo, goats, sheep, chickens, and ducks. Cows are very sacred animals and are never considered acceptable for sacrifice. ==Festivals and celebrations== Senior offering Dashain Tika to junior Costumed Hindu girls of Kathmandu during festival time in Nepal Several of the festivals of Nepal last from one to several days. As a predominantly Hindu and Buddhist nation, most of the Nepalese festivals are religious ones. The festivals of Nepal have their roots in Hinduism as more than 80% of the population of the country is Hindu. Buddhism, the second-largest religion of the nation which accounts for 9% of the population, has influenced the cultural festivals of Nepal. Dashain or Vijaya Dashami is the longest and the most important festival of Nepal. Generally Dashain falls in late September to mid-October, right after the end of the monsoon season. It is "a day of Victory over Demons". The Newars celebrate the festival as Mohani, Tihar or Dipawali, Holi, Saraswati Puja, Rakshabandhan, Bhai Dooj, Janmashtami, Gai Jatra, Nag Panchami, Teej, Chhath, Kartik Poornima, Maghe Sankranti, or Makar Sankranti Maha Shivratri and Chhechu are widely celebrated important festivals of Nepal. New Year's Day of the lunar calendar Nepal Sambat occurs in November. Several Jatras take place throughout the year and public holidays are declared in some regions. Other important festivals include Buddha Purnima (the celebration of the birth of Buddha) Maha Shivaratri (a festival of Lord Shiva) and during Maha Shivaratri festivities, some people consume excessive drinks and smoke charas. Sherpas, mostly located at higher altitudes and in the Mount Everest region, celebrate Mani Rimdu, for the good of the world. Most festivals include dancing and music, and a variety of special foods are consumed during festivals and on special occasions. The Sagan ceremony is the ritualized presentation of five food items (boiled egg, smoked fish, meat, lentil cake and rice wine) to a person which is done to bring good fortune as per Tantric tradition. Available from: https://www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/culture.html Nepal Tourism Board, 2020, Culture of Nepal. Retrieved April 2, 2020|Customs Available from: https://www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/culture.html Nepal Tourism Board, 2020, Culture of Nepal. Retrieved April 2, 2020|"There are various sets of customs in Nepal. Most of the customs go back to the Hindu, Buddhist or religious traditions. Marriage is the interesting rules in the religions in which it is done by the parents after their children came of age. Available from: https://www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/culture.html Nepal Tourism Board, 2020, Culture of Nepal. Retrieved April 2, 2020|In Nepal, killing cows is illegal and considered a Universal Mother, symbolizing motherhood, charity, and pity. "Non-violence" is an important component of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In temple, people are asked to take off your shoes to make the pure interiors clean. Some temples are forbidden to non-Hindus. Food habits is also different from region to region and much of Nepal food has been influenced by Indian and Tibetan styles of cooking. The most popular cuisine for Nepali to eat is The Thakalis which include the same daal and bhat. The regular Nepali food includes daal, bhat, tarkari and often pickle. Curried meat is also very popular but some saved it for special occasions. Momos is also the most popular snack among Nepalis. Roti and dhedo are also the famous cuisine in Nepalese homes."l Nepal Tourism Board, 2020, Culture of Nepal. Retrieved April 2, 2020] ==Architecture and archeology== Statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, gilded bronze, Nepal, 16th century CE A 1905 painting of Nepalese woman Nepal Sampada Sangha (Nepal Heritage Society) has compiled an inventory of 1,262 significant architectural and archeological sites in Nepal outside Kathmandu Valley. The government declared Volleyball as the national game of the country. Before it use to be "Dandi Biyo" A Cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's residence in Baluwatar took the decision. The Ministry of Youth and Sports had put the proposal to declare volleyball as the national game. Nepal Volleyball Association had been demanding that the sport, which is played in all 75 districts of the country, should be the national game. National Sports Council's former Member Secretary Yubaraj Lama had initiated the process of deciding the national game, while the current Member Secretary Keshab Kumar Bista had recommended for the national game.https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/volleyball-declared- national-game/ ==Gallery== File:Nepali Hindu Wedding (42).jpg|Procession of Nepali Pahadi Hindu Wedding File:Nepali Hindu groom.jpg|Nepali Pahadi groom File:Nepali Hindu Wedding (26).jpg|Procession of Nepali Hindu Wedding File:Narayangarh-52.JPG|Nepali Pahadi Hindu marriage at Narayangadh, Chitawan ==See also== * Boudhanath * Chitrakar * Cinema of Nepal * Dhunge Dhara * Languages of Nepal * Media of Nepal * Menstruation hut * Music of Nepal * Naga Panchami * National Museum of Nepal * Nepal Bhasa literature * Nepalese architecture * Nepalese cuisine * Nepali literature * Newa art * Religion in Nepal * Thangka * Traditional Newar clothing ==References== ===Further reading=== * Kramrisch, Stella. "The Art of Nepal and Tibet." Philadelphia Museum of Art Bulletin 55.265 (1960): 23–38. * Hutt, Michael. Nepal: A guide to the art and architecture of the Kathmandu Valley. Kiscadale Publications, 1994. * Pal, Pratapaditya. Art of Nepal: a catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art collection. Univ of California Press, 1985. * von Schroeder, Ulrich. Nepalese Stone Sculptures. Volume One: Hindu; Volume Two: Buddhist. (Visual Dharma Publications, 2019). ==External links== * culture in nepal * Nepal Encyclopedia culture category * Culture, religions and festivals of Nepal * Ethnic groups of Nepal * Languages of Nepal * Literature of Nepal * Nepal Travel information * Photographs of Heritage Sites of Nepal * Cultural Do's & Dont's in Nepal Nepal Category:Folklore by country Category:Folklore by region "

— Culture of Nepal 🍇