The San Francisco Giants' biggest offseason move this year hasn't worked out yet. Blake Snell, the National League Cy Young Award winner for the 2023 season, has pitched in three games so far, recording 15 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings. His ERA of 11.57 is as bad as it's ever been for a left-handed hitter.

Snell hit the IL with an adductor strain, which may have played a role since he was unable to jump on the floor. At least this should give the 31-year-old a start in rehab, which he obviously needed, even if he said he didn't believe in it.

The Giants, currently 13-15, are just 4.5 games out of the National League West. If they can play the way they were expected to after Snell's return early in the season, this will be a team that has a chance to reach the postseason and even win the division if all goes well.

If that doesn't happen, Snell could be a potential trade candidate.

YanksGoYard's Adam Weinrib listed options for the New York Yankees after Jesus Luzardo suffered an injury and named Snell as an option for the Yankees.

There was interest from New York before he landed in San Francisco, and if they believe he can help them at the deadline, it wouldn't be a surprising result. The Yankees also have a top farm system, so trading with them could interest the Giants.

Snell would be back in the AL East, a division many consider to be the best in baseball outside of the NL West.

If Snell comes back and doesn't look the part, it could be the smart decision from a front office perspective to terminate that contract. Moving him would depend on many factors, but he needs to start being himself to justify sticking around if a postseason bid is out of reach by July.

The post San Francisco Giants Ace Considered as Yankees Commerce Candidate appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

• Under the terms of the agreement, ACE Solves It All will continue to operate under its current name and brand
• Gryphon is based in San Francisco and is aimed at medium-sized businesses

Southern Home Services, backed by Gryphon Investors, has acquired ACE Solves It All, a Florida-based HVAC company. No financial details were disclosed.

Southern is a home service provider.

Commenting on the deal, Jarrod Brinker, chief strategy officer, said in a statement: “As we are based in Orlando, we have long admired ACE's reputation for excellence and are pleased to have their team join Southern.” Our home office Support staff will help the company achieve its growth objectives while maintaining its local identity.”

Under the terms of the agreement, ACE Solves It All will continue to operate under its current name and brand.

Gryphon is based in San Francisco and is aimed at medium-sized businesses.

The post Gryphon-backed Southern Residence Providers acquires HVAC agency ACE Solves It All appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

This story is part of WBUR’s “The Third Act” series, highlighting people who worked full careers and re-invented themselves later in life, often in surprising and inspirational ways.

In 1967, the all-girl band Ace of Cups burst onto the San Francisco rock and roll scene, attracting a big following and touring with some of the most famous musicians of the era. They earned a rave review from Jimi Hendrix.

It was a dream while it lasted. A documentary called “Revolution” about the 1960s West Coast counterculture shows the five bandmates playing barefoot as they rip through a raucous rendition of their song, “Stones,” before a crowd of ecstatic, dancing fans.

The Ace of Cups were having their moment — and then they disappeared.

Now, more than a half-century later, the band members are back together, with an unlikely third act proving rock and roll dreams never die.

Some of the stories in WBUR’s “The Third Act” series are about people who reinvent themselves later in life because they’re not ready to stop working. Some are about people who have no choice but to keep working. This story is about musicians who are using their third act to reconnect with their past and pursue a passion.

Ace of Cups was born at the end 1966, when 19-year-old Denise Kaufman, a singer who played harmonica and guitar, met guitarist Mary Simpson-Mercy at a New Year’s Eve party hosted by the psychedelic rock band, Blue Cheer, in Haight-Ashbury.

“She was jamming some blues up in this bedroom, and I wandered in, and I pulled out my harmonica and we started playing together,” Kaufman said.

Simpson-Mercy asked Kaufman if she wanted to join an “all-girl band” that she and her friends were starting.

“My first reaction was, ‘Well, that sounds really weird,'” recalled Kaufman. She had played in plenty of groups in which she was the only woman, but had never even seen a band made up only of women.

“I’d never thought of it, truly,” she said.

Of course, there were plenty of women rock stars at the time, from Janice Joplin and Grace Slick to Tina Turner. But they all fronted bands of male musicians. An all-girl band that played barefoot and rocked their own instruments? That was something different.

Ace of Cups from the 1960s. In back, from left: Mary Simpson-Mercy, Diane Vitalich and Marla Hunt. In front, from left: Denise Kaufman and Mary Gannon. (Courtesy High Moon Records)

Along with Kaufman and Simpson-Mercy, Ace of Cups included drummer Diane Vitalich, keyboardist Marla Hunt and Mary Gannon, who played bass and called the chance to play in the band “miraculous.”

“I grew up in New York and girls just didn’t play guitar in my era,” Gannon said. “What could I do to perform and be the artist that I was?” Ace of Cups provided the answer.

In bootleg tapes from the ’60s that captured Ace of Cups practice sessions and performances, you can hear the band’s energy — as it embraced folk, soul and unbound rock and roll with edgy grooves and sharp songwriting.

Ace of Cups performing in Dolores Park, San Francisco. (Courtesy High Moon Records)

“It’s bad for you but buy it,” the women chanted in one of their songs that poked fun at the commercialization of 1960s America, adding, “If you had our product, everyone would love you.”

“They were great players and played some great music,” former Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen told Rolling Stone magazine in 2022. “They put it all out there.”

It didn’t take long before the group gained an enthusiastic following around San Francisco, while getting to know some of the biggest names on the rock scene.

“We were just living sort of a dream in a way,” Simpson-Mercy said. She recalled seeing Jimi Hendrix for the first time at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.

“I had never heard anything like this,” she said. And she had never seen anyone set a guitar on fire, as Hendrix did to conclude his performance.

“I couldn’t believe it, because I had learned that you always treat your guitar with respect,” Simpson-Mercy said. “When he did that, I just thought, ‘Oh my God, he’s flipped out.'”

A week later, at Golden Gate Park, Ace of Cups opened for Hendrix, who, while touring abroad a few months later, told Melody Maker, the British music magazine: “I heard some groovy sounds last time in the States, like this girl group, Ace of Cups, who write their own songs and the lead guitarist is hell, really great.”

To the band members, it felt like they had reached a kind of pinnacle. Simpson-Mercy said after that experience she dreamt about Hendrix for years and imitated the way he played barred chords, using her thumb to cover the sixth string.

“I still play that way,” she said.

The late rock guitar virtuoso Jimi Hendrix during a performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1970. He called Ace of Cups “groovy,” and said lead guitarist Mary Simpson-Mercy was “hell—really great.” (Evening Standard/Getty Images)

From there, Ace of Cups continued to take off. They toured with Jefferson Airplane, played shows with Joplin, Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Grateful Dead and opened for The Band’s first show ever.

But for all their young success, they never recorded an album. Some record companies expressed interest, but nobody offered them a contract.

“I think that they weren’t quite sure what to do with us, how they were going to market us,” Gannon said.

Even landing gigs could be a challenge, like when they tried to book San Francisco’s Peppermint Lounge.

“Our manager called there and talked to the booking guy,” Kaufman recalled. “And he goes, ‘Yeah, an all-girl band — absolutely — we’ll book them. But they have to play topless.'”

The Ace of Cups passed on that gig. Sexism was a real challenge in the business, Kaufman said. By 1972, the band was pretty much done.

“We started having children, so that kind of changes your whole situation if you want to go out of town for a gig,” Kaufman said.

“Before too long, a little baby is gonna be born,” they sang in “Life in your hands,” one of the last songs they performed before splitting up.

Simpson-Mercy lived off the grid for a while, embracing the back-to-nature movement in northern California, and eventually became a mental health counselor. Vitalich worked as a massage therapist. Kaufman co-founded a school in Hawaii, worked as an EMT, and then moved to Los Angeles, where she went to music school and taught yoga to celebrities, from Quincy Jones and Jane Fonda to Madonna and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

As a single mother, Gannon found the transition difficult, and for a time relied on odd jobs and food stamps. “I was pretty lost when the band stopped playing,” she said. “That was really my dream of everything, the band.”

Eventually, Gannon got a degree in special education and launched a new career. But the music dream never died. The band would get together every now and then, until finally, in 2011, George Wallace of High Moon Records saw them perform and was bowled over.

Wallace became a mentor and a backer for the group. He encouraged Kaufman, Simpson-Mercy, Vitalich and Gannon to go into the studio and record some of their old ’60s songs and develop new material. (Hunt did not continue with the band.) In 2015, he offered them a contract. Three years later — more than 50 years after they first played together — the four remaining members of Ace of Cups released their debut album.

Ace of Cups, together again: Mary Gannon, Diane Vitalich, Denise Kaufman and Mary Simpson Mercy in the studio. (High Moon Records/Rachel Wright)

“The Ace of Cups, why they weren’t signed — it’s unimaginable to me,” Wallace told KQED, the NPR affiliate in San Francisco, in 2018. “They were ahead of their time. And at the age of 70-something, they haven’t lost a step — in their playing and their songwriting and their spirit.”

Suddenly, the band was on NBC’s Today Show, playing their song, “Feel Good,” their first single since splitting up in the early ’70s. Older and grayer, perhaps — three of them are now grandmothers — but still playing with the energy of a half-century ago.

“Working in the studio was just the most incredible thing to happen to us at this time,” Simpson-Mercy said. “In some ways, it was just as incredible as what happened back in the ’60s.”

The record includes appearances by Taj Mahal, Buffy Saint Marie and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. And thanks to all the songs they wrote decades ago, there was no shortage of material to fill the double album. Kaufman said the recording finally proclaimed to the world that Ace of Cups actually existed — and is still going.

“We had nothing to show except for some posters,” Kaufman said. “We never got to go in the studio with our music and create it. It was like having children that never got to be out in the world and play.”

When the band started touring again, Kaufman would tell audiences, “We’re from the ’60s, in our 60s.” Now in their 70s, they’re reminding people that this stage of life can still be the start of something new, rather than the beginning of an unavoidable decline.

“I think there are new possibilities there to really make that last third of your life really as good as it can be,” Gannon said. “It’s something to look forward to now.”

Since their debut album, Ace of Cups has released a second album and an EP. They’re still rocking, well into their third act.

Mary Simpson-Mercy, Mary Gannon, Diane Vitalich and Denise Kaufman of the Ace of Cups. (High Moon Records/Rachel Wright)

Have you re-invented your life in a surprising or inspiring way? If so, we want to hear about it. Email us at thirdactstory@gmail.com.

The post Born in ’60s San Francisco, all-girl rock band Ace of Cups roars again a half-century later appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Ace Hardware Corp. won its first court battle with a San Antonio handyman who had sued the retail chain for trademark infringement.

State District Judge Karen Pozza ruled Friday that Ace Hardware may use the Ace Hardware Handyman Services name to advertise its startup repair, maintenance and improvement services company in Bexar and the surrounding counties.

San Antonio handyman John Allen, who owns Ace Handyman Services Inc., rejected the name on the grounds that it was too similar to his company name.

“I think Ace Hardware Handyman Services is fine,” Pozza said of granting the request. She did not elaborate on her decision.

On ExpressNews.com: Ace Hardware gets in trouble with a San Antonio handyman

Last summer, Illinois-based Ace Hardware completed the acquisition of Handyman Matters, a home improvement franchisor. This month, Ace Hardware rebranded the “Ace Handyman Services” franchise across the country.

However, shortly before the transition, San Antonio’s Ace Handyman Services sued Ace Hardware and obtained an injunction preventing the chain from using the name “Ace Handyman Services or a confusingly similar trademark” in Bexar and the seven adjacent counties.

As a result, the two San Antonio-area franchisees in Ace Hardware’s Ace Handyman Services network are not identified on a website that lists 57 other franchisees in 29 states.

Allen, 50, who founded his company in 2015, was visibly disappointed by Pozza’s verdict. His attorney, Nick Guinn, declined to comment after the hearing and did not respond to an email Monday.

“Trademark infringement depends heavily on whether there is likelihood of confusion,” Guinn told the judge. “In this particular case, we have identical brands. Not just similar brands, but identical brands. Ace Handyman Services, Ace Handyman Services. The services are identical.”

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A restraining order hearing was scheduled for Friday to consider whether the restraining order should remain in effect substantially pending the outcome of a trial.

However, prior to Friday’s court hearing, Ace Hardware filed a motion to have the restraining order dismissed and the restraining order hearing postponed to a later date.

The TRO remains in effect and the restraining order has been reset for April 17.

Arthur Gollwitzer III, an Austin attorney representing Ace Hardware and its two local Handyman franchisees, argued that there is no evidence of confusion with Allen’s Ace Handyman Services because the local franchisees used the Ace Handyman Services name, the Ace Hardware used in other areas have not adopted.

It is clear, however, that Ace Hardware ultimately wants to use the name Ace Handyman Services here.

“Every day this case goes on … (the defendants) suffer various types of harm,” Gollwitzer said in court. “The local (franchisees) are small businesses, just like the plaintiff. You will be excluded from receiving endorsements from the Ace Hardware website. You are barred from using any online appointment service and business management services.

“We are locked out of Bexar County pending resolution of this matter,” he added. “To move forward with a strategy in the rest of the country but not here also comes at a cost.”

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based editor specializing in banking and civil courts. Read it on our free website, mySA.com, and on our subscriber website, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD

The post Ace {Hardware} scores early victory in trademark battle with San Antonio handyman appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

To celebrate and honor our angels, a Phoenix local has been nominated by the community to be rewarded with a brand new air conditioner to be provided and installed free of charge worth up to $10,000

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The post ACE House Companies Donates New A/C Unit to Deserving Native in 4th Annual ‘Honor Our Angels’ Giveaway | Ap appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

To celebrate and honor our angels, a Phoenix local has been nominated by the community to be rewarded with a brand new A/C, provided and installed at no charge valued up to $10k

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The post ACE Dwelling Companies Donates New A/C Unit to Deserving Native in 4th Annual ‘Honor Our Angels’ Giveaway | Ap appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — The Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce hosted its first ribbon cutting of 2022 Wednesday with Ace Handyman Services South Bay.

This family-owned business opened its Manhattan Beach location in January 2022. The company provides handyman services in the South Bay, including the communities of Manhattan Beach, Marina Del Rey, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, Palos Verdes and more.

“We are excited to be part of the Manhattan Beach small business community, providing both quality workmanship and superior customer service to the residents of Manhattan Beach,” said Scott Weller, Owner of Ace Handyman Services South Bay.

The event marked the first in-person event in 2022, as many public events were on pause during the pandemic.

“There was a noticeable excitement in the air as we gathered to celebrate in-person, once again,” said David Archer, President/CEO of the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce. “The businesses are looking forward to connecting with its community now that the mask mandate has relaxed.”

The post Ace Handyman Companies South Bay Opens In Manhattan Seaside appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

To celebrate and honor our heroes, a military member/veteran will be nominated by the community to be rewarded with a brand new a/c unit valued up to 10k

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The post ACE Dwelling Providers Honors Our Warriors by Offering a New A/C to Navy Veteran for the third Annual Giveaway | Ap appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Andy Bell puts his good luck at work. In 2001 he was running a small company called Handyman Matters and won $50,000 worth of legal services from a business contest. He used the windfall to draft a franchise disclosure document and operations manual, which ultimately helped him begin franchising his company. Then, in 2019, just months before the onset of the pandemic, he sold that company to Ace Hardware. His company was transformed into Ace Handyman Services, which was perfectly positioned to assist people in their homes during COVID. It now has 252 territories across 42 states, having added around 100 in the past year, and has landed almost squarely in the middle of our list.

Here, Bell explains how that explosive growth happened.

Who approached who about the acquisition?

[Ace Hardware VP and CFO] Bill Guzik called me one day. He was seeing the “do it for me” economy start to emerge, and he wanted to position Ace to bring help into people’s homes. It took me a nanosecond to say “absolutely” to partnering with them.

What is the “do it for me” economy?

People see home as a sacred place and want to make it more comfortable and useful for not only their personal lives but also their careers. So this economy creates more services to assist with the greatest investment many of us have.

How has the association with Ace helped you during COVID?

We were really fortunate to rebrand in March 2020. There are some statistics that say 9 out of 10 people recognize the Ace brand in America, and that really inspired our franchise owners. The consideration that potential franchise owners gave us was greater and more profound than before.

Related: Balance Growth vs. Profitability With These 4 Tips

You’ve more than doubled your locations since the acquisition.

Ace has continued to invest in us. We’ve doubled our staff, training, marketing, support, and administrative capabilities. There are disciplines within Ace that we’ve been able to leverage, like accounting.

But that would’ve only gone so far had the fundamentals of the business not been so strong. We answer the phone and show up on time. We’ve got technology that tells the customer who’s walking into their home and what their credentials are. We kept doing everything we’ve done in a lot of respects, but now we’ve been introduced to millions of Ace Hardware customers.

Why do you think you’re now drawing many new franchisees with corporate backgrounds?

People who did a lot of face-to-face sales tend to not be the biggest proponents of doing everything on Zoom. They see this as an opportunity to change direction but not change how they do business.

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Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks. Now, it also wants to be known as the place to go for handyman services.

That’s not going over well with a San Antonio businessman who’s been offering home-repair services under the name Ace Handyman Services for 4½ years.

John Allen’s Ace Handyman Services Inc. this week sued Ace Hardware Corp. to stop the retailer from using the name Ace Handyman Services in Bexar and surrounding counties for a new franchise business offering home repairs, maintenance and improvement services.

“We have built a strong reputation for high-quality work and service,” Allen, 50, said Thursday. “If Ace Hardware were to start using the name ‘Ace’ for the same services we provide, it would cause serious confusion for our existing customers and potential customers.”

That would run Allen out of business, his suit adds.

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A representative for Ace Hardware, a retailer-owned cooperative based in Oak Brook, Ill., said in an email the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation. The company, with more than 5,300 hardware stores in 70 countries, generated $6.1 billion in revenue last year.

Ace Hardware jumped into the home repair and improvement business in September when it acquired Handyman Matters, a Denver-based franchise that handles homeowners’ to-do lists and larger projects. Handyman Matters had 56 franchisees employing about 250 people in 23 states.

Two of the franchisees operate in the San Antonio area, according to Allen’s lawsuit. They’re also defendants in his complaint.

At the time of the deal, Ace Hardware announced it would change Handyman Matters’ name to Ace Handyman Services — the same name as Allen’s business.

The re-branding was expected to be completed this quarter. San Antonio trademark and patent lawyer Ted Lee, who represents Allen, said he understood the switch takes effect Monday.

Ace Hardware is following in the footsteps of larger competitors in offering home repair and home improvement services.

Home Depot and Lowe’s each use independent contractors to offer a range of home services. In its 2018 annual report, Home Depot attributed an uptick in demand for installation services to shifting demographics, including “baby boomer customers who may have historically been DIY customers but who are now looking for someone to complete a project for them.”

Amazon is tapping into the market, too. The company rolled out a program in 2015 that connects customers with professionals who can put together furniture, install ceiling fans and replace light fixtures. Online marketplaces such as Thumbtack, TaskRabbit and Handy have also developed a following.

On Monday, simultaneously with filing the lawsuit, Allen’s lawyers obtained a temporary restraining order against Ace Hardware and the San Antonio franchisees. They are barred from using the mark Ace Handyman Services in Bexar and seven adjacent counties under an order signed by state District Judge Norma Gonzales in San Antonio.

The judge issued the order “ex parte,” meaning lawyers for Ace Hardware were not present to argue against it. A hearing on a temporary injunction is set for next week.

The suit also seeks unspecified actual and punitive damages.

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Lee said use of the word “Ace” in connection with a home repair and improvement business would create an issue locally because of Allen’s use.

“We wouldn’t have the right to prevent anybody from using ‘Ace’ for all kinds of different things,” Lee added. “But when they come into our trade territory, with the same name, for the same services that we’re offering, there’s a problem.”

The lawsuit describes Allen as a disabled veteran. He served in the Marine Corps from 1988 to 1991. He sustained a neck injury during aerial gunner training in a helicopter and subsequently was discharged as a result of the injury, he said. A bulging disk causes nerve issues in his neck and arms, and he routinely suffers migraine headaches, he said.

Allen’s business has one employee and three contractors.

After Ace Hardware acquired Handyman Matters, it filed five trademark applications with the intent to use Ace Handyman Services and other names.

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About three weeks ago, the lawsuit says, Allen visited one of the local Handyman Matters franchises. A representative said he had contacted Handyman Matters corporate offices to inform them that an Ace Handyman Services already operated in San Antonio.

The representative was told “not to worry about it. Handyman Matter would handle it,” the suit says.

Allen’s claims in the lawsuit are for common law trademark infringement and unfair competition.

Staff writer Madison Iszler contributed to this report.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD

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