“Marvel Super Heroes Unite at AllPosters.com - Forbes” plus 2 more

Marvel Super Heroes Unite at AllPosters.com - Forbes
Mauer's status for KC series in doubt - New York Yankees
Arizona Diamondbacks Best Los Angeles Dodgers In Final Home Series of 2010. Up Next: A ... - Phoenix New Times

Marvel Super Heroes Unite at AllPosters.com - Forbes

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 08:09 AM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- AllPosters.com, a division of Art.com Inc., the world's leading online specialty provider of wall art, today unveiled a new gallery of high quality wall art featuring iconic characters and images from leading comic book publishing company Marvel Publishing, Inc., many of which have never before been available to consumers in this artistic format.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20091208/ART-COMLOGO)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091208/ART-COMLOGO)

This introduction coincides with a recent national survey that illustrates the nostalgic, enduring nature of the Marvel Comics brand. Of the hundreds of adults surveyed:

-- 66 percent of people surveyed read Marvel Comics as a child -- The ability to fly was selected as the most coveted superpower -- X-Men was selected as the top comic book of all time -- If they could choose to be any Super Hero, 46 percent would be Spider-Man, 25 percent would be Iron Man and 10 percent would be Captain America -- 99 percent of respondents recognized a photo of Spider-Man versus only 63 percent who recognized a photo of Vice President Joe Biden and 51 percent who recognized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

These survey results point to the broad appeal of Marvel Comics, as does the new wall art collection on AllPosters.com. The collection offers fans more than 200 of these vintage images, available in different wall art formats including museum-quality giclee prints, master prints with glossy heavy card stock paper, wall murals and canvas. Prints can be customized further by adding a hand-made frame. Characters featured include X-Men, Spider-Man, Silver Surfer, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Luke Cage and Mighty Thor.

"With over 850,000 images, AllPosters.com offers one of the world's largest assortments of quality wall art and we're pleased to introduce these iconic Marvel Comics images to comics fans of all ages," said Andrew Wait, chief marketing officer of Art.com Inc. "Our new Marvel Collection brings these Super Heroes to life, allowing them to make that leap from the comic book to any wall, be it in the bedroom, living room, family room, den, office or any other place of honor in your home. Aside from the stunning imagery, what makes this collection particularly unique is the ability to personalize each piece of artwork by choosing from a wide range of formats and custom framing options."

The Marvel Collection at AllPosters.com currently consists of two galleries, Marvel Vintage Covers and Spider-Man, with additional galleries for Marvel Heroes and Marvel Extreme to launch later this year:

-- Marvel Vintage Covers: Illustrates iconic comics throughout Marvel's history in a series of vintage comic covers and select comic pages, dating as far back as the 1940s -- Spider-Man: Highlights one of the most revered characters in comic book history through an extensive collection of Spider-Man images -- Marvel Heroes: Unites Marvel's most famous figures in unique prints that pair multiple heroes such as Wolverine, Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Hulk -- Marvel Extreme: Presents adult comic fans a unique collection of artist renderings of Marvel Super Heroes

"We're pleased to partner with AllPosters.com to offer this amazing collection of wall art to both Marvel fans and art lovers alike, helping expand the consumer experience with Marvel brands through new mediums and new formats," said Paul Gitter, president of consumer products for North America, Marvel Entertainment. "We know that AllPosters.com will honor the artistic integrity of these high-quality Marvel Comics images to offer the best possible product in the marketplace."

"We've all had heroes growing up and this exceptional collection allows us to relive some of those happy memories and introduce that tradition to the next generation," continues Wait. "This collection is all about 'fun,' and whether you're 7 or 70, parent or kid, comics collector or enthusiast, or just young-at-heart, there's no better place to indulge your passion for Marvel imagery and wall art than AllPosters.com."

AllPosters.com's Marvel Comics collection includes an assortment of products ranging from wall posters, retailing for as little as $14.99, to higher-end specialty wall art, such as stretched canvas and oversized wall murals, up to $279.99. The new line is now available for purchase online at www.AllPosters.com/Marvel-Collection.

About AllPosters.com and Art.com Inc.

AllPosters.com is a division of Art.com Inc. Art.com Inc. is the world's leading online specialty provider of posters, prints, and framed art. Since 1998, Art.com Inc. has sold high-quality wall art online to more than 10 million customers -- including students, teachers, home decorators, interior designers, businesses, art collectors and art lovers -- in over 120 countries worldwide. The privately-held company is headquartered in Emeryville, CA, with other facilities in Ohio, North Carolina and the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.art.com and www.AllPosters.com. "art.com" and "AllPosters" are registered trademarks of Art.com Inc.

SOURCE Art.com Inc.

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Mauer's status for KC series in doubt - New York Yankees

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 05:56 PM PDT

KANSAS CITY -- Joe Mauer is getting closer, but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said there are "no guarantees" that Mauer will play against the Royals.

The All-Star catcher, who jammed his right knee on Sept. 19, had an encouraging workout on Monday. Mauer is expected to come back as a designated hitter for a game or two before taking his place behind the plate.

"Mauer swung [Monday] and ran around," Gardenhire said. "He feels a lot better. I don't know if he's going to play here or not. He might want to DH [Tuesday] or the next day."

If Mauer doesn't play in Kansas City, he would still have four home games against Toronto in which to tune up for the playoffs.

Hardy heads home with knee problem

KANSAS CITY -- Shortstop J.J. Hardy wasn't even going to take batting practice on Monday in Kansas City, so the Twins sent him back to Minneapolis for further evaluation of his swollen left knee.

"He's going home to get it checked out," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "It's a lot better than [Sunday], but there's still swelling and it's still stiff."

Hardy woke up on Sunday with the swelling and can't pinpoint what caused it. The Twins are sending along an initial MRI that Gardenhire said showed no damage.

Jim Thome, who has been battling a sore lower left back, also contemplated a return to Minnesota, rather than continue to receive treatment at Kauffman Stadium.

Thome missed his fourth straight day, as the Twins took on Kansas City in the opener of a three-game series that will conclude regular-season road play. Thome would have access to more treatment amenities if he heads home to Target Field in advance of the ballclub.

"We'll sit and talk about the options," Thome said. "This is something I've dealt with in the past."

The Twins are striving to have a roster that's as healthy as possible heading into the American League playoffs. Even Gardenhire is nicked up after undergoing right ear surgery following a Saturday batting practice accident, when he was hit by Alexi Casilla's throw in batting practice.

Gardenhire, who will have a followup exam on Tuesday, insisted he's fine and had no air pressure complications during the Twins' flight to Kansas City.

Valencia brushes up on his defense

KANSAS CITY -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was able to fulfill a two-pronged mission when he moved third baseman Danny Valencia into the designated hitter slot on Monday.

Gardenhire wanted to give Valencia a break in the field, but not before a thorough pregame defensive workout.

"We wanted him to work on staying down and not standing up on ground balls," Gardenhire said. "Overall, he has played great defense. But he got a little sloppy there, and whether it's because he's leg weary, I don't know. There has been a lot going on over the last week."

Valencia, who entered Monday's game hitting .324, has been one of the many heroes for the Twins in their runaway march to the American League Central title. Valencia said he's taking Gardenhire's words to heart.

"He played infield, so he can pick up on those things," Valencia said. "I take his advice seriously."

Benson, Gibson earn Minor League honors

KANSAS CITY -- Outfielder Joe Benson and right-handed pitcher Kyle Gibson on Monday were named the Twins' Minor League Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.

Benson, 22, combined to hit .259 with 31 doubles, eight triples, 27 home runs and 62 RBIs for Double-A New Britain and Class A Ft. Myers.

Gibson, 22, combined to go 11-6 with a 2.96 ERA for Ft. Myers, New Britain and Triple-A Rochester. He walked 39 and struck out 126 in 26 starts.

Robert Falkoff is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Best Los Angeles Dodgers In Final Home Series of 2010. Up Next: A ... - Phoenix New Times

Posted: 28 Sep 2010 12:30 AM PDT

It was by no means perfect, but it'll do nicely.

The Arizona Diamondbacks won their last home series of the 2010 season by taking two of three victories from the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend. It started off rather inauspiciously on Friday night with a 3-1 loss to the Boys in Blue, only to get better as the weekend went on as the Snakes won back-to-back games to close out their year at Chase Field.

One of Arizona's biggest heroes in the series was Daniel Hudson. The starting pitcher nearly went the distance on Saturday as he pitched 8.2 innings before interim manager Kirk Gibson pulled the plug. It's kind of a shame, really, since Danny had did some of his best work this season during the game (including throwing 70 strikes out of 112 pitches) until he chose to walk Andre Ethier with two away in the ninth.

His performance begs the question: Has science advanced enough to be able to clone Hudson for next year? Seriously. It certainly would help the Diamondbacks alleviate some of their many deficiencies, particularly the pitching problems that helped cost the team the game on Friday.

Barry Enright had his moments during his six innings on the mound during the first game of the series (including striking out four and only earning five hits), but he gave up two crucial triples to former D-Backs player Trent Oeltjen and El Lay all-star Andre Ethier in the middle innings that generated two runs. Coupled with a spotless pitching job by the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw spelled certain doom for the Diamondbacks as Los Angeles triumphed 3-1.

Things were much brighter during Saturday's 5-2 win due to Hudson's aforementioned actions. He held things down with the Dodgers (resulting in only one earned run) until Arizona's offense came alive in the fifth inning. Stephen Drew's triple landed him on third base, only to be brought to the plate by Tony Abreu's sacrifice fly.

Things got especially stunning in the sixth when Cole Gillespie came through with a three-run homer to make things 4-1. Adam LaRoche had doubled and Brandon Allen was intentionally walked before the 26-year-old outfielder walloped a 382-foot jack into the left field seats. (LaRoche also had a sac fly in the seventh to score Kelly Johnson and add another run).

Both the score and the game were much tighter during Sunday's rubber match as both teams found themselves in a back-and-forth contest. Arizona's Joe Saunders dueled with opposing pitcher Chad Billingsley kept the score knotted at 0-0 until the fifth when El Lay drew first blood. James Loney broke the tie by doubling to deep center and bringing in Ryan Theriot and Matt Kemp.

The Diamondbacks struck back in the bottom half of the inning when Gillespie's sac fly enabled Miguel Montero to dash home, only to see the Dodgers extend their lead when Rod Barajas (another former hometown hero) plunked a two-run jack over the left field wall thanks to Sam Demel's execrable pitching.

Sounds like the makings of yet another Diamondbacks defeat thanks to bullshit from the bullpen? Not this time, pardner. Both Abreu and Chris Young stepped up to save both the day and the series by each knocking titanic two-run homers in the eighth inning. Abreu's went 396 feet and brought in Drew, while C-Young's 393-foot moonshot took Kelly Johnson to the dish. Final score, 5-4 in Arizona's favor.

It enabled the Boys in Sedona Red to end their final home stint of 2010 on a hugely positive note before they hit the road for their last two series of the season. They're headed to the Bay Area for three games this week against San Francisco (88-68) and have a perfect chance to sully the Giants' postseason hopes just like they did to the Colorado Rockies this past week.

The Jints are a half-game ahead of the San Diego Padres for the National League West crown, and only one game in front of the Atlanta Braves (who are hoping to nab the Wild Card spot since the Philadelphia Phillies have already locked up their division). Arizona can most definitely play the spoiler roll this week by taking two of three from San Francisco and allowing either the Padres or Braves to overtaking them in the standings.

The Snakes will send Rodrigo Lopez (7-14, 5.04 ERA) out to battle Jonathan Sanchez (11-9, 3.16) on Tuesday, with Ian Kennedy (9-9, 3.76) matching up with Madison Bumgarner (6-6, 3.06) on Wednesday. Barry Enright (6-6, 3.73) faces off with Tim Lincecum (15-10, 3.51) during the finale on Wednesday. First pitch during tomorrow's game is at 7:15 p.m. TV: Fox Sports Arizona. Radio: KTAR 620-AM. For more information, go to www.diamondbacks.com.

Heroes Series

Tuesday, September 28, 2010