'Oh, Say, Can You See' Dancing Bears?

Gaetano sent me link to a notice about teams of dancers that the Newark Bears baseball organization is forming. Auditions for the little kids (girls only? the accompanying foto shows what appears to be one little boy and 8 girls) were held last week, but older kids (only girls? — it's not stated) are to be held this Saturday. May I say that boys can dance too, and a dance team associated with a baseball team should assuredly welcome lots of boys. But names like "Bearettes" and "Honey Bears" have what in law might be called a (discriminatory) "in terrorem effect", in suggesting to boys that only girls are welcome. When I went to the Bears' home page, I discovered that they are also holding auditions for people who want to sing the National Anthem, at 1pm that same day.

Bears Promotional Dance Team Third Open Audition!

This is your chance to be a Bearette or Honey-Bear!

Aggressive Promotions is seeking sizzling models for a Dance and Promotional Street Team to do various promotional events for the Newark Bears Professional Baseball Team! Two teams are being composed: The Bearettes (ages 5+) and the Honey Bears (ages 17+).

The third open audition for the Dance and Promotional Street Team will be held on Saturday, March 19th, from 10:00am-1:00pm, at the Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium located at 450 Broad Street in Newark, New Jersey. Parking will be located on Division Street. Everyone should arrive within the first hour to register and expect to stay the duration of the audition. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

All dancers that auditioned on February 20th during our first round of auditions, please come to the third round of auditions on March 19th.

Applicants for the Honey Bears must have a professional appearance, and own a valid drivers license/reliable transportation. Please come dressed in your dance attire with a resume and headshot (does not need to be professional).

Contact Courtney at THEViiBE@gmail.com to secure your spot in the auditions!

Coach, can we get a proofreader over here?

I'm vaguely interested in singing the National Anthem, tho I have to start at just the right point to get both the highest and lowest notes. A friend I worked with in Manhattan for years, Michelle Rosen, has sung the National Anthem at a Mets game TWICE!

Oh, say, can you sing?

Audition for National Anthem singers on March 19!,

The Newark Bears will be holding auditions for talented singers to perform the Star-Spangled Banner at home games and other home events at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

Singers of any age are welcome to audition! Just bring your talent, your smile, and let the judges see what you can do on March 19 at 1:00pm at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium. Parking will be located on Division Street.

Please arrive within the first hour of auditions to register. Expect to stay the length of the audition. Please bring a headshot if you have one (does not need to be professional). Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Contact Kim at kim@aggressivepromotions.com to secure your spot in the audition!

Gaetano took me to a Bears game early in the 2010 season, May 4th. He had season tickets. I don't know if he'll get season tickets again this year. The weather was still pretty cold, and the stands were almost empty. I hope they fill up during the warm weather mid-season, but someone Guy spoke with said attendance was way down the prior year.

The Stadium is a very pleasant place to be, but somehow the Bears have failed to connect with the people of this city, despite seasons in which they did very well. This is doubtless due in part to the nearness of Newark to NYC's two Major League Baseball teams, and to the fact that the Atlantic League that the Bears play in is independent of MLB, so we don't have, for instance, a Yankees or Mets — or even Boston Red Sox — farm team. Thus, fans don't come to Bears games looking to spot players who are destined to play in the majors.

Mind you, José Canseco (now on Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice TV show) and his twin brother Ozzie did play for the Bears during at least one season after José left the majors. But even José Canseco's fame/notoriety didn't much help turnout at Bears games.

Seats are cheap, and a lot more happens during the event than at an MLB game, which is all baseball. There are events for kids, and quizzes for adults, between innings. Team mascots come up into the stands. It's cute. They even threw out some soft rubber baseballs to the fans, so my cats later shared in the fun.

The field is lushly verdant, and the views are sensational.

Note the fat shadow of the slender, ornate top of 15 Washington Street (partially obscured by a liting array in the middle of the background of the foto above) on the side of the IDT Building due to the diagonal surface of the IDT Building relative to the late-afternoon sun.

A group of friends can talk among themselves freely, which they can't do (well, shouldn't do) in a movie theater, for instance — tho they can talk about artworks (and other things) in one of Newark's many galleries or the Newark Museum. Yes, you can talk in the Newark Museum. You may not want to bother people, but you don't have to whisper. In fact, some people nearby (especially those who are visiting the Museum by themselves) might like to overhear other people's thoughts about works they are viewing. You shouldn't shout across the room, of course, but you don't have to whisper either. A museum or gallery is not a church during services, nor even a library's reading room.

Townhouses in Harrison are visible across the Passaic, along with one former factory building of the old Guyon pipe manufacturing plant and (the silvery building to its right, with the rounded top) the "New York" Red Bulls (soccer) Arena. You can't read it at this resolution, but the slogan at the bottom of the NJIT banner ad on the right says, "THE EDGE IN KNOWLEDGE". The NJIT Highlanders play in the Stadium too. Does Rutgers-Newark have a baseball team to play there too? How about other college sports? Could the Stadium be reconfigured for college football? soccer? field hockey?

Some of Newark's 45,000 college kids, as well as Newark-area families in search of wholesome outdoor activities, should find an afternoon or evening at Bears & Eagles Stadium very congenial. I've been there at least three times, and had a good time every time. Oh, and the Bears have won every time I've been there.