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5 US Destinations to Visit By Rail

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When you think of traveling via train, your mind instantly goes to Europe. In one day, you can travel by rail and see several countries, and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. In fact, you can see more than two dozen countries in Europe for around $300, making it a massive bargain. In North America, however, and the United States specifically, traveling is done mostly by vehicle or airplane rather than a train.

One of the biggest reasons why passenger cars aren’t more popular in the United States is that most of the rails are owned by freight companies, making it difficult to schedule passenger cars without being a logistical nightmare or constructing a whole new set of rails. Still, there are some places in the United States that you can reach by train rather easily, with these five being the top spots.

New York City

New York City is the largest and most popular city in the United States, and one of the easiest to get to when traveling by car or plane. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to know that getting there by train isn’t too difficult, either. New York City is easily reachable from other major hubs in America’s northeast, and the local rail scene makes it so that you don’t need a taxi to get around.

The Big Apple has the largest local rail system in the country, and it isn’t even close. More than 2.7 billion (yes, billion) people ride the rails of the New York City Transit Authority each year, which offers around 250 miles in track length. With nearly 500 stations, you can visit Yankee Stadium, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and more all easily within the same day.

Chicago

Outside of New York City, perhaps the only other city where you could get away with absolutely never needing to drive a car in your life is Chicago. Chicago offers the third-largest local rapid transit system in the country with over 218 million riders per year and over 100 miles of track that take you from airport to airport and baseball stadium to baseball stadium.

Getting to Chicago via train isn’t all that hard, either, as pretty much every railroad eventually leads to Chicago. Outside of New York, it’s one of the biggest hub cities for rail transportation, serving as the midwest’s de facto train capital. Whether you’re coming from Detroit, St. Louis, or Milwaukee, any long train trip will connect through Chicago.

Seattle

The Pacific Northwest is a bit of an outlier when it comes to any sort of travel in the United States as it serves as basically the only major hub of travel in the area. Whether you’re in Southern California or in Minneapolis, there’s a railway that leads to Seattle.

It can be a bit tricky to get there if you’re heading from the southwest as you have to make your way to Sacramento to get to the northbound train that heads to Seattle, but you’ll be glad that you made the trip. You’ll also get to stop in beautiful Portland, Oregon along the way to spice up the deal.

Washington D.C.

The nation’s capital is known for gridlock traffic from outsiders, but it should get a lot more praise for its public transport. Washington D.C. offers some of the best in the country, allowing those that live in the city the opportunity to get anywhere without needing to get stuck in some of the nation’s worst traffic jams.

Even getting to Washington D.C. is easy as it serves as the major hub of the east coast for national travel. Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and more all make their way to D.C. so you don’t have to fly.

Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio is a fantastic city that serves as the connector for railways that are heading from the Atlantic coast to the Chicago hub. Washington D.C., Boston, Albany, and Pittsburgh connect from the east while Chicago feeds in from the west.

Though the local rail system isn’t one that gets a lot of love from around the world, it’s still one of the largest (ranking in the top 15). Starting at the Airport, you can travel by train to landmarks including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

5 Tips To Make The Most Of Google Forms

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Google has provided a lot of free services online that have eliminated the need for expensive software for the most part. From having a word processor to spreadsheets and pretty much everything in between, Google Forms has made life easier for people to be more efficient. While larger companies may use Microsoft products like Word and PowerPoint, Google Forms offers similar products entirely for free for those that are self-employed or simply want to use them for fun.

With that said, there are a lot of different ways that you can use Google Forms to increase your efficiency and learn a lot about collaborating with people and creating surveys. Let’s take a closer look at how Google Forms works and give some tips on how to get the most out of the web application.

Let The App Guide You

Those that are using Google Forms for the first time will likely be treated to a pop-up window showing you the basic ins and outs of the application. While a lot of people will skip this and try to figure things out themselves, it’s important to take heed of the advice that Google offers when you open Forms.

These pop-up windows will show you how to add a question, how to format, change the style, and much more. If you ignore Google’s guidance, you might miss out on some of the key features that Forms offers and not finish your document the right away. Just like video games, it’s best to not skip the tutorial.

Quiz Grading

One of the many uses of Google Forms is the ability to create a quiz. Whether you’re using this option for a fun quiz on your blog or you’re a teacher that’s running a quiz that counts toward a grade, Google Forms can help. What some users might not know is that Google can automatically grade a quiz for you.

Under the settings options on Forms, you can set the document to be a quiz and assign set answers and point values. From there, you can set the Form to immediately show the grades and even the answers after they’ve been guessed. This can help students know what they got wrong right away, allowing them to jot down what they should be studying.

Get Your Responses

You don’t have to wait until everybody has finished the form to see the results, and you can have those real-time results sent right to you. Under the responses tab, there will be an icon of three dots that allows you to find more options. From there, you’ll be able to change the destination for the results or responses, creating a spreadsheet that gets emailed directly to you.

This spreadsheet will also change in real-time so that you can see the trends in the responses. You can set up notifications so that you get an email for each new response, or set a number of responses before you get an email. After all, if 10,000 people are taking your survey, you don’t want an email for each one.

Templates Galore

There are options for scripting on Google Forms, but not all of us are very good at scripting and coding. With that in mind, there are plenty of templates that Google has available, and it’s best to use these if you want to make sure you have a foolproof option for making a survey. There are templates for all sorts of categories, including personal use, education, and office.

These templates are incredibly handy and perfect for those that aren’t tech-savvy. If you’re in that intermediate level between a novice and a coding master, you can add your own template from scratch. It’s fairly easy to do and allows you to give your own spin on each template.

Visualize Results

While the standard is to have the results of a survey listed in numerical form, there are many other ways to visualize the end data. When clicking on the settings tab, go to ‘general’ and then ‘respondents’ to select the different ways to show the data provided.

From there, you can select whether or not to see your summary in chart form along with the text responses. Many people love this option since it allows them to get a better visual of how the data stacks up. Don’t be afraid to play around with all of the features of Google Forms and you’ll be an expert in no time!

5 Best Beaches In The World For Surfing

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There are more than 3 million people in the United States alone that surf at least once per year, with hundreds of thousands doing so at least once per week. Around the world, the number is even larger as there are plenty of global beaches that surfers flock to religiously because they have the best waves and are easily accessible for surfers.

With plenty of options to choose from, it can be hard to narrow it down to just a few beaches around the world that rank as the best. However, we did our best research and concluded that these five were the best of the best. So grab your board and make sure that your passport is handy so that you can enjoy these fine beaches.

Black’s Beach  

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Southern California has at least one entry on the list as the stereotype around the world is that everyone from the area is laid back and loves surfing. The Los Angeles area isn’t the only part of SoCal that’s known for surfing, as you can travel south down the Pacific coast to find some amazing spots in the San Diego area.

Swimmers are encouraged to stay away from getting deep into the water due to the swells, but experienced surfers will find Black’s Beach appealing for the same reason. The beach itself is beneath Torrey Pines in La Jolla, which many know for its amazing golf course, but the surfing is just as big (if not bigger) of an attraction. Just make sure that you dress warmly as the water can be awfully cold throughout the year.

Surfrider Beach

Sticking in Southern California, we head back up the coast to an area that’s synonymous with surfing: Malibu. Though the official name of this area is the Malibu Lagoon State Beach, there’s a reason that it’s known as Surfrider Beach to those that live nearby. In fact, this beach was the first to be dedicated as a World Surfing Reserve, earning that honor in October 2010.

Surfing became popular around the world thanks to this beach, which started seeing an uptick in people during the 1960s. Now, it’s considered one of the Meccas of surfing and has areas for those of all skill levels to try their hand at our favorite water sport. The late summer is the best time to visit Malibu and ride the long waves.

Gold Coast

Most of the people of Australia live on the eastern coast, and for good reason. Not only is this where all of the favorable weather is, but it’s also home to some of the best surfing in the world. More specifically, the Gold Coast of Australia is where the surfers down under heads to have a good time.

Situated in the state of Queensland, the Gold Coast has a sunny climate that allows people to head out for surfing on a year-round basis. Even as far back as the 1920s, the Gold Coast has been drawing in surfers with signs and buildings dedicated to the sport. Even one of the suburbs of the region is called Surfers Paradise, and it’s hard to argue with that name when the waves and weather are so perfect.

Banzai Pipeline

Like Southern California, you can’t think about surfing in the United States without mentioning the state of Hawaii. The 50th state brings in surfers from around the world all year, and there are a lot of beaches to pick from. If you were to ask all of the expert surfers what their favorite spot in Hawaii is, though, there’s a good chance that they would say it’s the Banzai Pipeline.

Known by some simply as “The Pipe”, this area of the Ehukai Beach Park is in Oahu and is where a reef break creates some of the best waves that have ever been seen. It wasn’t until the 1960s that it became a popular destination for surfing, and since then has been home to a lot of competitions. Be warned, though, as the waves at Banzai Pipeline can be so large that even the most experienced surfers can face danger.

Jeffreys Bay

We end the list with a visit to South Africa where the small town of Jeffreys Bay is home to the best surfing spot on the continent. When surfing became a worldwide phenomenon in the 1960s, Jeffreys Bay exploded in popularity and was established as a “hippie” spot in the country.

In the years since, Jeffreys Bay has been known as a great tourist destination with world-class waves. Even the famous film “The Endless Summer” was shot at Jeffreys Bay, helping it gain worldwide recognition.

5 Celebrities Who Love Surfing

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There are a lot of hobbies to pick from when you’re a celebrity, but not many of them end up picking surfing as a hobby. Some don’t want to be bothered while at the beach, receiving a lot of paparazzi attention, while others might not want to be photographed. However, these five celebrities have shown that it’s worth getting into the water for one of the world’s greatest hobbies:

Matthew McConaughey

Among the biggest stars in Hollywood since the early 1990s, Matthew McConaughey has appeared in a wide range of roles that includes “Dazed and Confused” and “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” while also winning an Academy Award for his role in “Dallas Buyers Club”.

One of the films that McConaughey has starred in was called “Surfer, Dude”, which was the brainchild of McConaughey himself. When talking about his character, he’s talking about himself. “He’s a guy who loves to surf,” McConaughey said. “The one thing he needs in life is a good wave. A board and a swell. He’s addicted to a very pure thing…so when it is taken away, how do you navigate the drought?”

Chris Hemsworth

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Chris Hemsworth was a surprise pick and a relative unknown when he was selected to play the role of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since then, Hemsworth has been synonymous with the character, while also starring in films including “Red Dawn”, “Men in Black: International” and “Ghostbusters”.

Everyone in the Hemsworth family is all about surfing, and Chris especially is one that can be seen on the open waters with his children. “I started surfing when I was 6,” Hemsworth said. “The ocean gives me such joy. It’s my place of grounding any time I feel out of balance.” Early on in his career, many thought Hemsworth was just a surfer guy from Australia, but he would wind up being a huge star in Hollywood.

Helen Hunt

After spending the 1980s playing smaller roles, Helen Hunt broke through into stardom during the early 1990s when she landed a leading role on the sitcom “Mad About You”. She would use her TV fame to land big screen roles in movies such as “What Women Want”, “Cast Away” and “Twister”, just to name a few.

Hunt has not just picked up surfing as a hobby, but a true passion, to the point where she has starred in two films about surfing. No matter what continent she’s on, Hunt grabs her surfboard to take on the trip, and it dates back to when she was nine months pregnant and staring at the ocean. She took on the lead role in the film “Ride” about a middle-aged woman learning to surf, essentially becoming a documentary.

Liev Schreiber

A darling of the independent scene during the 1990s and early 2000s, Liev Schreiber first started getting mainstream attention thanks to his roles in the “Scream” films, as well as “The Hurricane” and “The Sum of All Fears”. In 2009 he had a breakthrough playing Sabretooth in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and has starred as the title character in “Ray Donovan”.

If you don’t see Schreiber at work, there’s a good chance that you’ll find him out in the water. There have been countless photos of Schrieber surfing over the years, including teaching his sons how to surf off the coast of Malibu. Thankfully, Schrieber was able to survive a surfing accident that he suffered back in 2009. “It was like a washing machine,” he said. “I’ve never experienced a break like it.”

Rob Lowe

Originally a member of the “Brat Pack” during the 1980s, Rob Lowe starred in films including “The Outsiders” and “St. Elmo’s Fire” before transitioning into television roles in the 21st century including “The West Wing” and “Parks and Recreation”.

Lowe has been known for his calm demeanor ever since the 2000s started, and a lot of that stems from his passion for surfing. “I learned to surf when I was 40 and it’s become a huge thing for me,” Lowe said. “If I had learned (as a teenager), I promise you, we would not be here having this conversation (in regards to doing celebrity interviews).” Lowe added that if he could be in the water all day, he would, and that he appreciates nature when on the waves and that life is bigger than him.

5 Greatest Nebraska Sports Stars

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When people think about Nebraska sports, only one thing comes to mind, and that’s football. The Nebraska Cornhuskers have won multiple national championships in football and have produced some of the biggest star players in the college landscape. From Heisman winners to certified star players that made it into the NFL, there are a lot of great Cornhuskers.

Out of the many that have made their way through Nebraska, though, which ones truly stand out as the best? Here are our picks for the five greatest Nebraska sports stars from the gridiron and what made them so special.

5. Lawrence Phillips

The story of Lawrence Phillips is undoubtedly a tragic one, but there was no doubt that when he was on the field, he was the best player. The athletic running back dazzled in his freshman season with 508 yards on just 92 carries. The following year, Phillips gashed defenses for 1,722 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding another 172 receiving yards.

Phillips was well on his way to being the Heisman favorite in 1995, but he got suspended from the team after the Cornhuskers defeated Michigan State. Phillips returned for the Fiesta Bowl and helped Nebraska to win a national championship. He then declared for the NFL Draft and didn’t last long in the league due to off-the-field issues and sadly took his life while imprisoned in 2016.

4. Mike Rozier

The other running back on the list is Mike Rozier, who made his way to Lincoln in 1981 after spending a year in junior college. As a sophomore, Rozier saw significant playing time and collected 943 rushing yards with five touchdowns. Given the starting role the next year, Rozier was able to gallop for 1,689 yards and 15 touchdowns, finishing in the top 10 of Heisman voting.

Rozier then exploded in his final season with Nebraska in 1983. He rushed for 2,148 yards and a jaw-dropping 29 touchdowns. He’d finish his college career with 4,780 rushing yards and 49 touchdowns while also winning the 1983 Heisman Trophy. Rozier then spent his pro career in the USFL and NFL, making the Pro Bowl twice.

3. Ndamukong Suh

Many feel that Ndamukong Suh not winning the Heisman Trophy while at Nebraska was one of the biggest snubs in college football history. Suh played for five seasons in Nebraska, including a redshirt freshman year where he had one tackle. He became more explosive as the years went on, and by 2009, he was the best defensive player in college football.

Suh, in his final season, had 85 total tackles including more than 20 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. Suh was absolutely disruptive but still finished just fourth in the 2009 Heisman voting. He finished his college career with 24 total sacks and even added four interceptions on his way to being drafted second overall by the Detroit Lions in 2010.

2. Eric Crouch

Now we get to the quarterback section where we find Eric Crouch. Hailing from Omaha, Crouch decided to stay in-state for his college career and had an immediate impact on the Cornhuskers following a redshirt season. Crouch had 459 rushing yards and 601 passing yards as a freshman and only got better with time.

By his final season, Crouch was the biggest impact player in the nation. In 2001, he won a second Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Award while also taking home the Camp, O’Brien, and Heisman Trophies. He finished his Cornhuskers career with 3,434 rushing yards and 59 touchdowns while adding 4,481 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air. 

1. Tommie Frazier

Like Eric Crouch, Tommie Frazier was a player that continued to get better after seeing the field slightly as a freshman. Frazier would win two national titles after coming to Nebraska by way of Bradenton, Florida during the 1990s. Though he didn’t win a Heisman, Frazier still stood out as an all-time great as a dual threat.

Frazier had 1,955 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns on the ground while passing for 3,521 yards and 43 touchdowns during his four-year career. He also threw just 11 interceptions, which is astonishing for a four-year span at any level of football. Unlike the rest of the players on the list, though, Frazier went undrafted into the NFL.

5 Longest Home Runs of the Statcast Era

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There was once a time in baseball when the distance of a home run was essentially measured by eye, with estimates of how far a ball flew out of the park. Since 2015, though, Major League Baseball has officially used a tool called Statcast that measures a lot of different data with extreme accuracy, including home run distance. The game’s measurables have been on full display in the Statcast era, with launch angle, exit velocity, and more all included with every swing.

Because of Statcast, we no longer have to guess how long a home run was, and gone are the days of anecdotes of 600-foot home runs. With that said, there have still been some absolute bombs hit during the Statcast era of Major League Baseball. Let’s take a look at the five longest home runs since the measuring tool was introduced.

5. Five Tied (495 Feet)

Strangely enough, there have been five batters to reach 495 feet with their home runs, with two of them appearing later in the list. Aaron Judge hit the first 495-footer of the Statcast era, hitting a missile off of Logan Verrett of the Baltimore Orioles in June 2017.

The second man to reach 495 feet was Joey Gallo while he was a member of the Texas Rangers, doing so in July 2018 on a bottom-of-the-ninth shot that tied the game and forced extra innings against Cleveland. Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves joined the party in September 2020 against the Red Sox, with Miguel Sano following up the next year (also against the Red Sox). Finally, Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies hit a 495-footer against the St. Louis Cardinals in August 2022.

4. Three Tied (496 Feet)

There have been three instances during the Statcast era in which a batter has launched a home run of exactly 496 feet. The first came with American League home run record-holder Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees in one of the final games of 2017 against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the 33rd home run of the year for Judge, which he would obviously build upon a few years later.

The next 496-footer came off the bat of Miguel Sano with the Minnesota Twins. He did so against the Chicago White Sox late in the 2019 season and it was his 30th home run of the season. Finally, there was Jesus Sanchez of the Miami Marlins, who took advantage of the thin air at Coors Field to mash a 496-foot home run during a 7-1 loss.

3. Christian Yelich (499 Feet)

Another slugger to take advantage of the Coors Field air, Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers helped keep his team in the thick of the playoff race in September 2022 by launching a 499-foot home run. The game would end up being 10-7 in favor of the Rockies, and Yelich got the party started with his massive home run.

The home run came off of Rockies pitcher Chad Kuhl, and for Yelich it was his 12th home run of the 2022 season. While it ended up being a ‘down’ season for the former MVP, it was still the longest home run of Yelich’s career by a wide margin.

2. Two Tied (504 Feet)

In 2016, Giancarlo Stanton, who was then a member of the Miami Marlins, set the then-Statcast record with a 504-foot home run off of the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning of a game on August 6, 2016, to give the Marlins a 3-2 lead. Again, it was a product of Coors Field allowing the ball to continue to carry into the stands, and had an exit velocity of 115.8 miles per hour.

Six years later, C.J. Cron added to the lore of Coors Field by pulling a 504-footer of his own down the left field line against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The crowd was nearly empty as both teams were out of the playoff hunt, but the home run made a lot of highlight reels.

1. Nomar Mazara (505 Feet)

Finally, we reach the only man on the list to hit 505 feet with a home run, and that’s Nomar Mazara of the Texas Rangers. On June 2019, he faced Reynaldo Lopez and the Chicago White Sox at home and didn’t waste any time doing so.

The home run came in the bottom of the first of a 0-0 game, with Mazara breaking the tie on his two-run shot. Mazara’s home run was his 10th of the year at that point and had an exit velocity of 109.7 miles per hour.

The Shortest Players in Baseball History

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Baseball is one of those sports where you want to try to be around six feet tall as you want to generate power while also not giving too big of a strike zone. However, there have been plenty of short players that made their way to the MLB with the hopes of taking walks and stealing bases.

Then, there were a few players that were really short to the point where they became famous due to their small statures. Here’s a look at the five players to reach the MLB standing at 5’3” or shorter:

5. Pompeyo Davalillo

Also known as Yo-Yo, Pompeyo Davalillo came from Venezuela, which made him one of the first from the country to join Major League Baseball. Davalillo spent much of his time playing in the Minor Leagues due to the fact that he didn’t like flying on airplanes while also getting injured multiple times. Still, Davalillo was able to get at least a little bit of time in the MLB.

Standing at 5’3”, Davalillo appeared in just 19 games, all during the 1953 season with the Washington Senators. During that time, he collected 17 hits in his 64 plate appearances. He was also able to steal one base and knock in a pair of runs. Like everyone else on the list, Davalillo failed to hit a home run during his Major League career.

4. Stubby Magner

When you’re short and played baseball at the turn of the century, you’re bound to have a matching nickname. Born as Edmund Magner in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1888, Magner earned the nickname Stubby due to his 5’3” frame. Magner attended Cornell and turned his attention to professional baseball afterward. 

In 1911, Magner made his Major League debut with the New York Highlanders (now the Yankees). It would be Magner’s only season in the MLB as he had 41 plate appearances. He collected seven hits and four walks en route to a .212 career batting average. Instead of sticking around baseball, Magner returned to Cornell where he coached hockey.

3. Bob Emmerich

Another member of the 5’3” members of the list, Bob Emmerich was a New York City native that was born in the 1800s. Emmerich took many years to reach the MLB as it wasn’t until 1923 he finally made his debut at the age of 32. Emmerich was a member of the Boston Braves during all 13 games of his Major League career.

During that time, Emmerich made 27 plate appearances but collected just two hits and two walks. He was also able to steal one base, though it wouldn’t be enough to keep him on an MLB roster. Emmerich lived until 1948 after his MLB season ended, passing away at the age of 57.

2. Jess Cortazzo

While he’s another 5’3” player on the list, Jess Cortazzo didn’t last as long as the others that have been mentioned already. A native of Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, Cortazzo was just 18 years old when he made his Major League debut in 1923. He did so with the Chicago White Sox, and his debut was his only MLB game to boot.

Cortazzo, as the youngest player in the league at the time, had just one at-bat and didn’t reach base. It was interesting to see that he never got another chance since he was so young, making it so that he had the absolute minimum time that you can get while being in the Major Leagues. Cortazzo lived until 1963, returning to Pennsylvania after his brief MLB stint.

1. Eddie Gaedel

The rest of the list is comprised of players who were the only 5’3” members in league history, but Eddie Gaedel stands well below the rest of the list. Gaedel was just 60 pounds and was 3’7” when he was working on airplanes with the United States Army before turning his attention to performing arts.

St. Louis Browns owner Bill Beeck discovered Gaedel’s showmanship and signed him to play a game with the team to drive up ticket sales. Gaedel, like Cortazzo, had just one plate appearance but was able to reach base. On four straight pitches, Gaedel drew a walk and was pulled for a pinch runner. The next day, American League president Will Harridge voided Gaedel’s contract and his plate appearance was temporarily lifted from the MLB record books.

The Tallest Players in Baseball History

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There are certain sports where being tall isn’t the biggest advantage. Unlike football or basketball, sports like baseball tend to be advantageous for those that are around the average height. However, there have still been plenty of players that made their way into the MLB while towering over most of their teammates and fans.

Some players round up and say that they’re seven feet tall, but when using official heights, there hasn’t been any seven-footer in baseball history. There are a few that were awfully close, however. Here are the tallest players to make the MLB and how they fared on the field.

6’10”:  Andy Sisco

Andy Sisco was a second-round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2001 and made his debut four years later with the Kansas City Royals. Sisco appeared in 151 Major League games with both the Royals and Chicago White Sox but never got back into the league after 2007. In that season, he had an 8.36 earned run average in 19 games.

6’10”:  Aaron Slegers

Born in Long Beach, California, the 6’10” Aaron Slegers made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Minnesota Twins as a relief pitcher and bounced around the league quite a bit over the next few years. Used as a call-up guy with multiple teams, Slegers has appeared in over 45 Major League games with an ERA of over five.

6’10”:  Andrew Brackman

While most of the players on the list saw significant playing time in the MLB, the same can not be said for Andrew Brackman. Brackman was a first-round selection in 2007 by the New York Yankees, but spent much of his career in the minors. Brackman finally made his debut in 2011, but played in just three Major League games (all with the Yankees), pitching a total of 2.1 innings.

6’10”:  Randy Johnson

Without a doubt, the best player on the list is Randy Johnson, who was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. Johnson was a near-unanimous selection thanks to his dominant career. Known as “The Big Unit,” Johnson was a 10-time All-Star and had the best earned run average in the league on four different occasions. He finished his career after the 2009 season, and over 22 years with six different teams, had 303 wins with 4,875 strikeouts. Johnson also won the 2001 World Series MVP to cement his legacy.

6’10”:  Eric Hillman

Eastern Illinois University hasn’t produced a lot of big leaguers, but it did so in 1987 when Eric Hillman was drafted by the New York Mets. Hillman waited in the Minor Leagues for several years to get his opportunity but finally made his Mets debut in 1992. Hillman didn’t last on the big league roster very frequently, though, as he played in just 49 games with the last coming in 1994. Hillman finished with a record of 4-14 and a 4.85 earned run average.

6’10”:  Chris Young

Not to be confused with the centerfielder, this Chris Young was a solid pitcher throughout his Major League career. After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, he made his Major League debut in 2004 as a member of the Texas Rangers. Young would play in the MLB for 13 seasons and spent time with five teams. During that time, he made one All Star Game appearance (2007) and won the 2015 World Series as a member of the Kansas City Royals.

6’11”:  Jon Rauch

The first of the two 6’11” men to make their way into Major League Baseball is Jon Rauch, who made his debut in 2002 at 23 years old. Rauch ended up having a longer career than some might remember, as he lasted for 11 seasons and played for seven different franchises. Rauch finished his career with a record of 43-40 and actually had a solid earned run average of 3.90.

6’11”:  Sean Hjelle

Sean Hjelle made history in 2022 when he was called up to the San Francisco Giants roster to appear in eight games during the season. The call-up made him the first man since Rauch to join the 6’11” club. Hjelle made his way through the minors after getting to all levels of it, meaning that it was a long time coming.

5 Best Moments in Atlanta Sports History

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Atlanta, while starving for a championship for an extended period of time before the 2020s broke the curse, has had a ton of great sports moments throughout the city’s history. It’s hard to narrow it down to just five great moments, but we’ve done our best to sum up the ones that made the entire city stand and cheer until their hands were sore. Here are our top five:

5. Primetime Shines

A lot of athletes end up playing multiple sports while they’re in high school or maybe even college, but it just doesn’t happen in the pros very often. Deion Sanders was a one-of-a-kind athlete who excelled in both baseball and football, and in 1992 he found himself on both the Atlanta Falcons as the team’s top cornerback and the Atlanta Braves as a part-time centerfielder for several seasons.

The man known as Primetime would split his duties between the Falcons and Braves, and in 1992, he became the only person to pull off the feat of playing an MLB game and an NFL game on the same day. Sanders suited up for the Falcons early in the day as the team played the Dolphins, and was able to make it to the National League Championship Series in time for the Braves. Though he didn’t see the field in the NLCS, what made it all the more impressive was that neither game was played in Atlanta.

4. Falcons Upset Vikings

Coming into the 1998 NFC Championship Game, all anybody could talk about was the top-seeded Minnesota Vikings. They had just capped off one of the greatest NFL regular seasons of all time with a historic offense and a 15-1 record. They were heavy favorites at home against the Falcons, but many people forget just how good Atlanta was that year.

The Falcons came in just one game behind Minnesota at 14-2 but were still 11-point underdogs. After three quarters, the Falcons trailed by three and were down by seven when Vikings kicker Gary Anderson missed for the only time in the 1998 season. The Falcons stormed back and won in overtime, stamping their ticket to the Super Bowl for the first time.

3. Braves Win 1995 World Series

The 2021 World Series was special for the Atlanta Braves, but it came as more of a surprise for a team that was ahead of schedule in a rebuild. The 1995 Braves, however, felt like the culmination of years of being oh-so-close and a massive sigh of relief. The Braves took on the Cleveland Indians, who were looking to break an extremely long World Series drought of their own, too.

The Braves took the first two games in Atlanta while Cleveland took two out of three at Jacobs Field. In game six, pitchers Tom Glavine and Jim Poole were in an absolute duel, and the game ended in a 1-0 win for the Braves for their first title in Atlanta. That one run came off the bat of David Justice, who bombed a solo shot in the sixth inning that would ultimately decide the Series.

2. The 1996 Olympics

Between 1905 and 1995, the only United States city to host the Summer Olympics was Los Angeles. That would change in 1996 when the city of Atlanta held the opening ceremonies to the Summer Games, and it ended up being one of the most-watched and successful Olympics in history. Atlanta was chosen to showcase a more modern version of the US south, while also serving as a great hub for travelers.

There were plenty of highlights for the 1996 Summer Olympics, as well. From Muhammad Ali holding the torch during the opening ceremonies to Michael Johnson and Kerri Strug becoming Olympic stars, the 1996 games had a lot to talk about.

1. The Home Run King

One of the most sacred records in all of sports is baseball’s career home run record. There were a lot of people who thought that Babe Ruth would never be topped when he hit home run number 714, but that would change when Hank Aaron started to get on that pace that would put him ahead.

On April 8, 1974, Hammerin’ Hank topped the ‘unbeatable’ record and rounded the bases in Atlanta in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans. Along the way, there’s a memorable shot of Aaron being greeted by two fans, which is something that seems unfathomable these days.

5 Best Atlanta Rappers

Posted on by scatty

When it comes to cities that are known for rap music, it’s hard to top Atlanta, Georgia. Though it wasn’t until the late 1990s that the city was known on a national level, it quickly became one of the go-to’s in the genre. As a result, there have been a lot of legendary rappers from the ATL, but which ones are the best? Here’s our ranking of the top five.

5. Future

Born in Atlanta as Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, he adopted the name Future early on in his rap career and signed with A1 Recordings in the city during the late 2000s, and started performing with The Dungeon Family. He started writing more heartfelt lyrics and saw his mixtapes start to pick up steam, leading him to a contract with Epic Records thanks to his songs being featured at a local gentleman’s club.

Future was a big hit right from his debut album “Pluto”, which reached the top 10 and was certified platinum. Since then, Future has released more than a half-dozen number one albums including “DS2” and “Evol” and hit songs like “Mask Off” and “Life Is Good”.

4. T.I.

Clifford Harris was raised by his grandparents in Atlanta and started rapping in the ATL while he was still in elementary school. Though his nickname was ‘Tip’ as a child, he shortened it to T.I. and started making waves in the late 1990s when he signed with Arista Records, part of LaFace. His name ultimately came about because his first label didn’t want to market him as Tip or T.I.P.

After his first album “I’m Serious” was met with mild success, his sophomore album “Trap Muzik” put T.I. on the map. Over the years, he has released a long list of hit singles including “Whatever You Like”, “Bring ‘Em Out” and “Live Your Life”, just to name a few.

3. Ludacris

Though he wasn’t born in Atlanta since he was born in Champaign, Illinois, Christopher Bridges moved to Atlanta toward the end of his high school years and stayed in the city throughout college. Throughout the entire time, Bridges began rapping as Chris Lova Lova while working in radio but changed the name to Ludacris when he hooked up with Timbaland and recorded his first album.

After his first two albums found regional success, Luda hit it big in 2001 with the release of “Word of Mouf”. With songs like “Rollout”, “Move B****”, and “Stand Up”, Ludacris became Atlanta rap royalty. Though he started getting away from rap in the 2010s, he’s still regarded as one of the kings.

2. Big Boi

One-half of the legendary Atlanta rap duo Outkast (you knew they had to be on the list), Big Boi made his way to the ATL in high school by way of Savannah, Georgia. It was while at Tri-Cities High School that he started to take his music more seriously, though he was less into hip-hop than he was into art pop. Still, he was able to make up one-half of Outkast in 1992 and take over the rap world.

Big Boi had a ton of hits with Outkast including “The Way You Move” and “Hey Ya”, and went into a solo career shortly after Outkast split. He released his debut solo album “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” in 2010 and has released two more since then. His biggest solo hit came in 2017 with the release of “All Night”.

1. Andre 3000

Of course, the other half of Outkast is Andre Benjamin, also known as Andre 3000. Benjamin was born and raised in Atlanta where he attended multiple high schools before landing at the same one as Big Boi. It wasn’t much longer after the two joined forces that they were able to receive their first record deal with LaFace and released their debut album in 1994.

After taking some time away from rap following the split of Outkast, Andre 3000 returned in 2007 and mainly worked on joint creations with other rappers. It wasn’t until 2021 that he released his first single as a lead artist titled “Life of the Party” with Kanye West. In 2018, he released his first EP titled “Look Ma No Hands”.