The Class AA minor league franchise of the Pittsburgh Pirates — the Altoona Curve — has opted for an unusual gimmick to not only attract some additional people to its ballpark on Sunday, but to attract what it hopes will be widespread attention to the team.

If and when Butler attracts a minor league team to a renovated Pullman Park, that team should similarly be on the lookout for ideas for unique special promotions, as well as other more conventional attractions.

Baseball will be the main focus of the team, but fans love prizes, giveaways and visits by sports stars and other celebrities.

In Altoona's case, on Sunday the Curve will host "Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit Night." The observance will be a response to a lawsuit filed against the Los Angeles Angels by a man who felt discriminated-against by that team's Mother's Day 2005 promotion.

The man cried "discrimination" because he did not receive one of the pink nylon tote bags given to women 18 and older who attended the Mother's Day game.

So, this Sunday, the Curve will give pink tote bags to the first 137 adult males, "lukewarm coffee so they won't burn themselves" to the first 137 adult females, and "a beach ball with a warning not to ingest it" to the first 137 children.

"We realize that these giveaways . . . are fairly stupid and serve no real purpose," said the Curve's general manager, Todd Parnell. "But if our fans don't like them, then they can sue us."

The Curve deserves a cheer for calling attention to a problem that is much too common in America today.

Presumably Pennsylvania residents will be presented most of the details of the state's 2006-07 budget during the coming week.But again it has taken the General Assembly until the last minute to complete this basic task of the legislative process.Grounds for suspicion are what deals might have been made as the deadline for budget passage closed in on the lawmakers.Having endured a year of extraordinary voter anger and outright disgust stemming from last year's outrageous legislative pay-raise vote, it might have been anticipated that lawmakers would be encouraged to produce a smooth, efficient budget process, for once.Not so for this legislature; it never changes.The fact that this is a legislative and gubernatorial election year, while it produced a less-contentious budget process, nevertheless failed to achieve the kind of harmony and expediency that many state residents might have expected.And then there are the ominous words that came from the mouth of Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, who called the budget package a "feel-good" budget that "will lead us down the path to a major tax increase in the future."Lawmakers and Gov. Ed Rendell have some explaining to do.

Some people complain about a problem but aren't willing to do anything but complain.Tony Livorse of Zelienople demonstrated last Monday that he isn't one of them.Livorse went before the borough council to try to find a solution to a persistent speeding problem on his street, Marion Drive. He's concerned not only about his children's safety but about his neighbors' children as well — as well as the adults who stroll the street.The street has no sidewalks.While it was disclosed at the meeting that a four-day traffic-speed measuring study had been conducted — a study that uncovered no significant pattern of when speeding occurs — perhaps part of the solution now is more police patrols in that area, perhaps coupled with a lowering of the street's current 25 mph speed limit.Speed bumps were another option mentioned at the meeting.The study did show that the biggest volume of traffic using the street was in the early afternoon.In response to Livorse's decision to become involved with the speeding problem, the council and police Chief Jim Miller will consider how best to address the situation. New, reflective "Watch Children" signs might be posted, as part of the overall solution.In many communities, problems languish uncorrected because people aren't willing to step forward and discuss the problems with the appropriate officials. Livorse has done himself and his neighborhood a favor by his unwillingness to sit back and watch the problem continue or worsen.It is to be hoped that his efforts will be rewarded with measures that will end the problem.