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I went to Legoland Malaysia on 8 December 2012 with my family. We went on a tour package that picked us up at Jurong East at about 8.45am. By the time we reached Legoland, it was already past the opening hour at 10am.
Legoland is larger than Universal Studios Singapore. The park is divided 7 themed zones. Due to the crowd and the long waiting time for queues, and also that the place is really large with many rides and activities, we missed 2 themed zones - Land of Adventure & LEGO Technic - entirely.
** The Beginning **
The Beginning is the area at the entrance where there are shops and The Cafe for western snacks. After you walk past The Beginning, you can choose to go left or right. Families with children are *recommended (see note at the end) to turn right towards LEGO City as the rides are more suitable for young children.
As we turned right, we saw this amazing Christmas Tree made up of Lego pieces.
** LEGO City **
Here, my nieces immediately queued up for the Junior Driving School (for 3-5 yrs). For kids older than 6 yrs, they can go for the Driving School with bigger driving area with traffic lights too.
The Boating School is a popular ride with never-ending queue, so we missed it. And they went to The Shipyard which is a playground for children to run around. Note that there is a playground at each themed zone which I like and find it very special. Kids who are not going for the rides can have a place to play and adults can take a rest too. Opposite The Shipyard is the Market Restaurant a good place to have your meals.
Next, we went to take the LEGOLAND Express train which brings us for a scenic ride around the park. The queue is long but the train comes quite frequently and can take in quite many passengers so the waiting time is ok. We also took the LEGO City Airport ride (no photo), which is a spinning ride and you can control the height of the plane. Nothing much actually.
** Imagination **
By then, it was already past lunch time, so we skipped The Land Of Adventure and cut across the Miniland to the Imagination zone for lunch at Pizza Mania.
Outside Pizza Mania, the Imagination zone is lots of fun with many LEGO structures for photo-taking.
But of course, the kids are more interested in this DUPLO Playtown. Let me warn you, if you let your kids enter, it will be very difficult to get them out. Cos it is a very large and sheltered playground with lots of playing area to run, climb, slide and crawl!! It's ok, adults can rest here and away from the sun or rain. It's a bit hot though. There's also another mini train ride the DUPLO Express (no photo).
We finally persuaded them to leave the playground. We wanted to go up the Observation Tower but the queue was scary. The LEGO Studios 4D show had super long queue as well. No choice, we had to miss it and escape the heat at the air-conditioned Build & Test where the kids can build cars to see if it can go fast and build a building and test if it can withstand a simulated earthquake.
** LEGO Kingdoms **
When we finally reached LEGO Kingdoms, it was already 4pm plus. No time! So we split. My older niece went to ride The Dragon rollercoaster and my younger nieces went for a kiddy horse ride. the Royal Joust. We also ride the Merlin's Challenge, a high speed carousel, quite fun to me, at least not as scary as rollercoaster which I won't take. Haha!
Time really really flies here. It was already 5.30pm, and we had 1 hour left as we need to catch our coach back at 6.30pm. We went to the Miniland, a must visit to end the day. I took many many photos, so I shall save everything about the Miniland on my next post.
So to sum up, the kids and me too, enjoyed Legoland very much. We were lucky to have a nice hot weather without rain. Time is really not enough to explore the whole area. I have a feeling that the rides here are pretty short. We need to queue many minutes just for a short 1-5 minutes ride. I think rides at the Universal Studios Singapore are longer and more enjoyable to me. And a *note as stated above, if I were to visit again, once I enter the park, I will go straight towards IMAGINATION to go up the tower and to the 4D show which I really wanted to try. :(
A Happy New Year to everyone!


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"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for a good movie, I can tell you I don't have one. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I acquired in the first movie in this series, and then was forced to abandon the acting skills I had honed over a very long career. If you stop coming to these movies now, that'll be the end of it. I can move on, I will not have to make another one. But if you do come to this, and I wind up making Taken 3, I will find you, and I will kill you."
"Taken 2" picks up shortly after the events of "Taken". Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) has returned home to the States, and has brought his daughter (Maggie Grace) home safely, as well. Their current level of difficulty amounts to the fact that she has a new boyfriend, and is having trouble passing her driver's test. They're safe. Her mother (Famke Janssen) is separating from the man she married after she divorced from Bryan, leaving the door open for a potential reconciliation.
What none of them are aware of is that the head of the crime organization that Mills decimated in the first movie is bent on revenge. His son was amongst those that Mills murdered in order to save his daughter.
So when Mills accepts a security assignment in Turkey, and his daughter and ex-wife surprise him with an unannounced, spontaneous, international visit, suddenly all of the eggs are in one basket. Mills and his family are set upon by an endless stream of hapless, disposable, low-level, Turkish thugs.
It's a reasonable excuse to set Neeson up with a new string of bad guys to kill. The revenge part at least. The fact that his ex-wife and daughter:
- Know where his security detail abroad is
- Could get there without his assistance, and quickly
- Would want to go visit him abroad after the trauma his daughter experienced
- Wouldn't get immediately sent home by him, especially since they try to establish how overprotective he is now
strains credulity to say the least. Lame, I believe, is the word. I would say that I would have prefered that they had the bad guys come seek the family in America, but that would deprive the film of its strongest asset, which is sadly, the setting.
Finally, the film lacks that "Holy Shit, Liam Neeson is a badass!" surprise element. The first movie was propelled in large part due to the fact that that was a role we couldn't imagine him in. We've seen his action schtick now, though, it's no longer new. This time we're left to judge it on its own merits, and truthfully, the action here isn't very good. For the most part it's spliced to hell in order to protect Neeson's lack of actual martial arts ability. The car chases are relatively nondescript as well.
It's not entirely without merits, it's always entertaining to hear Neeson giving instructions and/or orders with his Bryan Mills voice. But that's only going to get you so far. What you're left with afterwards is a middling action movie, stemming from a sub par setup.


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Main Page
MMS - Master Mineral Solution - Miracle Mineral Solution - Truthful Wiki
Discovered by Archbishop Jim Humble in 1996 as an effective treatment for Malaria, and as understood in later times, a lot more. MMS stands for Master Mineral Solution. MMS was previously known as Miracle Mineral Solution and Miracle Mineral Supplement. More than 20,000,000 have used MMS and hundreds of thousands of lives have been saved.
Responses to criticism in the media
- Response to ABC 20/20's "investigation" (11-01-2016)
- Response to a TV Reporters Inquiry (04-02-2015)
MMSWiki.org changing main domain to MMSWiki.is - why?
Read about what happened: http://mmsnews.is/mms-newsletters/258-the-genesis-ii-church-stopped-again-genesis2church-org-suspended-and-people-are-listening-11-15-2014 --- The genesis2church.org domain has since been returned to our control, yet we have decided to change our main website domains from .org to the .is (Iceland) top level domain as a precaution, should similiar censorship be attempted in the future.
What is MMS
- MMS is sodium chlorite 22.4% solution
- MMS1 or activated MMS is chlorine dioxide
- MMS2 is calcium hypochlorite that turns into hypochlorous acid in water
- CDS is chlorine dioxide gas put into water
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How to make
MMS Suppliers
Red Cross Malaria Cure Cover-up Scandal
LEAKED VIDEO Undeniably Proves Red Cross Performed a Successful Field Test Using MMS on Malaria (Goes to Youtube page)(YOUTUBE CHANNEL TERMINATED)
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- Red Cross Malaria Cover-up - Press Releases
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Attacks on MMS and Responses
Notable books on MMS
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Facts of Safety
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- Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) has an oxidation potential of .95 volts, which is the weakest of all the oxidizers that are ever used in the human body. For your reference, Oxygen (8O) has an oxidation potential of 1.28 volts.
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Tagged: Career Games Started
A few things had occurred since my last post…
First. yesterday, former Phil Roy Oswalt announced that he was officially retiring, as he signed a one-day contract with the Astros so that he could officially retire as an Astros. Oswalt, who is an fourteen-year veteran, ten of which was spent as an Astros, was a member of the Phils for part of the 2010 season and part of the 2011 season, during which he complied a winning record of 16-11. Oswalt would also play for the Rangers and the Rockies. Oswalt, during his career, would be the NL leader for ERA in 2006 with a 2.98 ERA, wins in 2004 with 20, games started with 35 games in both 2004 and 2005 and in WHIP in 2010 with a 1.03 WHIP. He was also a member of the 2005 Astros team that would win the NL pennant before losing to the White Sox in that year's World Series, being swept by Chicago, 4-0. Overall, Oswalt had a career record of 163-102 with a 3.36 ERA as he pitched in 365 games, 341 of which were starts, as he completed 20 games, including 8 shutouts. He would pitch in 2245.1 innings, giving up 2199 hits and 897 runs, 838 of which were earned, as he struck out 1852 batters, while walking only 520. I wish you luck in your retirement, Roy.
Then, the Phils announced that Comcast plans to hire both Jamie Moyer and Matt Stairs to replace Chris Wheeler and Garry Matthews inside the TV broadcast booth, starting this season during Spring Training. Congratulations, guys. Hope you both do well in the broadcast booth.
Lastly, the Phils announced that they have just signed starter A.J. Burnett, who they have been pursuing during the off-season, to a one-year contract worth $16 million dollars. Burnett, who had pitched for the Pirates last year and in 2012, is coming off a 10-11 season, with a 3.30 ERA, as he pitched in 30 games, all starts, with a complete game, as he threw in 191 innings, giving up 165 hits and 79 runs, 70 of which were earned, as he struck out 209 batters, while walking only 67. Burnett, who has also pitched for the Marlins, the Blue Jays and the Yankees, being a member of the 2009 World Championship team, has a 147-132 record with a 3.99 ERA, as he appeared in 375 games, starting 370 of them, as he threw 23 complete games, 10 of which were shutouts. He threw a total of 2353.2 innings, giving up 2140 hits and 1142 runs, 1043 of which were earned, as he struck out 2180 batters, while walking only 955. Welcome to the team, A.J.
Burnett'll more than likely be the number three man in the starting rotation, after Cole Hamels starts pitching after the start of the season, as the Phils announced that Cole will miss opening day as he has developed tendinitis in his left bicep, which will keep him from throwing the ball for the next eight to ten days, and slow down his participation in spring training, although Cole has said that he should be ready to pitch at some point in April. I'm just hoping that it is only a minor setback, as the Phils will need Cole to back up Cliff Lee, if they expect to get anywhere this season.
Moves the Phils have made during the past off-season…
As the Phils' 2013 season wounded down, with the club wounding up in fourth place in the five-team NL East with a 73-89, .451 record, 23 games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves, the Phils first post-season move was to make interim manager, Hall of Famer Ryan Sandberg, the team's 52nd manager, by signing him to a three-year contract on September 22, 2013. The Phils' next move was to announce on September 30 that Rich Dubee was not returning as the team's pitching coach, ending a nine season relationship with the Phils, as the team started to look for a new pitching coach. On that same day, they announced that they were promoting from the team's Minor League system, Paul Fournier, as the team's new strength and conditioning coach, replacing Doug Lien, who had held that position for the previous six seasons, as the club hopes to improve the team's overall health.
The Phils next move was to make a shake-up in their 40 men roster as they outrighted infielders Michael Martinez and Pete Orr, right-handed pitcher Zach Miner and lefthander Mauricio Robles on October 3, while, on that same day, the Indians picked up right-hander Tyler Cloyd off of the waiver-wire, while the Astros picked up leftie Raul Valdes, opening up six spots on the roster.
Two days later, on October 5, the Phils announced that they would not be renewing the contract of bullpen catcher, Mick Billmeyer, who had been with the club since 2004, first as the catching instructor, then as the bullpen coach in 2009, before becoming the bullpen catcher in 2012. The next Phils move came from out of the blue as, on October 8, former Phils' player and one time Phils' manager, and fan favorite, Larry Bowa, rejoined the team as the new bench coach, while another ex-Phil, Pete Mackanin, would join the team as the new third base coach. The Phils also announced that Steve Henderson would remain as the team's hitting coach while Wally Joyner would leave as the team's assistant hitting coach, later being hired by the Detroit Tigers as their new hitting coach, while John Mizerock would later become the new assistant hitting coach and Jesus Tiamo would become the new catcher coach, as Juan Samuel would stay on as the team's first base coach, while Rod Nichols would remain the bullpen coach.
The next move occurred on October 17 as John Lannan decided to become a free agent after he had been outrighted by the club, after refusing assignment.
Then on November 5, the Phils announced that they were hiring Scott Freedman to help the ballclub better understand the use of analytics in the evaluation of players. Seven days later, on November 12, the Phils announced their first free agent signing, as they signed right fielder Marlon Byrd to a two-year contract worth $16 million dollars. Byrd, who is a right-handed batter, and an ex-Phil, has played in the majors from 2002, having played for the Phils (2002-05), the Nats (2005-06), the Rangers (2007-09), the Cubs (2010-12), the Red Sox (2012), the Mets (2013) and the Pirates (2013), appearing in 1250 games, hitting .280 (1222 for 4367), knocking in 533 RBIs as he scored 600 times. Among his 1222 hits were 252 doubles, 32 triples and 106 HRs, while he has also walked 307 times. The Phils plan to use him in the line-up behind Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, the later of whom the team hopes will bounce back from several injuries plagued seasons and regain his form as the team's RBI and home runs leader. The Phils next announced on November 15 that they have given four players minor league contracts with invites to spring training: right-hander Shawn Camp, left-hander Cesar Jimenez and outfielders Clete Thomas and Leandro Castro.
The Phils then announced on November 18 that they have resigned present catcher Carlos Ruiz to a three-year deal worth $26 million dollars with a team option of $4.5 million or a $500,000 buyout for 2017. The next day, the team announced that they have signed a minor league contract, with a spring training invitation, to infielder Reid Brignac, who would be competing for a utility infielder position with Kevin Frandsen and Freddy Galvis. On November 20, the Phils announced that they were adding four minor league prospects to their 40-man roster to keep them from being picked up by other teams in December's 5-Rule draft: outfielders Aaron Altherr and Kelly Dugan, catcher Tommy Joseph and left-hander Rob Rasmussen.
The following day, November 22, the Phils signed Bob McClure as their new pitching coach, replacing Dubee. On that same day, they announced that they have signed infielder Andres Blanco to a minor league contract, with an invite to spring training.
On December 4, the Phils made a trade with the Blue Jays, receiving right-handed pitcher Brad Lincoln in exchange for catcher Erik Kratz and minor league pitcher Rasmussen. Lincoln, who has pitched for the Pirates and the Blue Jays (2010-13) has appeared in 97 games, 22 of which was as a starter, for a record of 9-11 with a 4.66 ERA. With one career save in two attempts, he has pitched in 220 games, giving up 228 hits, 123 runs, 114 of which were earned, as he struck out 167 batters while walking only 77. The Phils will likely use him in the bullpen. After the trade, the ballclub would sign catcher Wil Nieves to a one-year deal on December 5, as the team's back-up catcher. Nieves, who has played for the Padres (2002), the Yankees (2005-2007), the Nats (2008-10), the Brewers (2011), the Diamondbacks (2012), the Rockies (2012-13) and the Diamondbacks again (2013), has appeared in 385 games, hitting .242 (249 for 1029), with 46 doubles, 2 triples and 8 home runs, as he knocked in 103 RBIs while scoring 78 times. He has also walked 59 times. On that same day, the Phils signed right-handed pitcher Jeff Manship to a minor league contract with a spring training invitation.
Then, on December 9, Roy Halladay announced his retirement from baseball, ending a 16-year career with the Blue Jays and the Phils, as he didn't think he would be able to pitch after his most recent arm injury. Halladay, who said that he had signed a one-day contract with the Blue Jays to end his career as a Jay, and had paid a full page ad in the Philly newspaper thanking the Phils fans for their support during his time as a Phils (2010-13), had appeared in 416 career games, 390 as a starter, with a career record of 203-105, with a 3.38 ERA and a career save, had completed 67 games, 20 for shutouts, as he pitched in 2749.1 total innings, striking out 2117 batters as he walked only 592, as he gave up 2646 hits and 1135 runs, only 1034 of which were earned. He also threw a perfect game and a no-hitter in the post-season, both of which occurred during his first season as a Phil (2010). Thanks for being a member of the Phils, Roy, and being a class act, and wish you luck getting into the Hall.
On December 12, through the Rule 5-draft, the Phils would acquire right-hander Kevin Munson from the Diamondbacks' Reno club, while they would lose right-hander Seth Rosin to the Mets, who would then trade him to the Dodgers for cash in the major league portion of the draft, and shortstop Jonathan Roof to the Red Sox in the Triple-A part of it, both from their Reading affiliate.
Next, on December 18, the Phils signed a one-year deal with right-hander Roberto Hernandez for $4.5 million dollars, plus performance and award bonuses. Hernandez, who has previous pitched for the Indians (2006-12) and the Blue Jays (2013), has appeared in 216 games, 177 as a starter, with a 59-82 record, with a 4.67 ERA. He will be part of the Phils' starting rotation, along with Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Kyle Kendrick and Jonathan Pettibone.
In January, the Phils made a new TV-deal with Comcast for 25-year, which included broadcasters Chris Wheeler and Gary Matthews not returning to the broadcast booth. On the 14, the Phils had four players file for salary arbitration: outfielders Ben Revere and John Mayberry, Jr. and pitchers Antonio Bastardo and Kendrick. The next day, January 15, the Phils announce that former manger Charlie Manuel would be returning to the team as a consultant to general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. On the 17, the Phils announced that two of the four arbitration eligible players have signed one-year deals: Mayberry, who had agreed to a 1.587 million dollar deal, while Kendrick had agreed to one worth 7.675 million. The Phils then signed two minor league deals on the 21, one to veteran right-hander Chad Gaudin, and one to former Phil and veteran outfielder Bobby Abreu, with both being given spring training invites. On that same day, the Phils and Bastardo agreed to a one-year contract worth $2 million dollars. Three days later, on the 24, Ben Revere signed a one-year deal with the Phils for $ 1.95 million dollar.
With that, the last bit of news is that the Phils might be replacing Wheeler and Matthews with former Phils Matt Stairs and Jamie Moyer, both of whom have impressed the Phils in their separate interviews to join the broadcast team, and that finally, yesterday, the equipment truck has started heading south for the spring training facilities in Clearwater, Florida from Citizens Bank Park in Philly. It is now six more days before catchers and pitchers are suppose to appear in Clearwater.
Can't wait for Spring Training to officially start. 🙂
The Phils have announced that they had signed Antonio Bastardo to a one-year deal.
Today, the Phils announced that they had signed to a one-year deal, worth $1.4 million dollars, plus award bonuses, left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo, the only player on the roster who was arbitration eligible.
Bastardo, who had an awful 2012 season, would appear in 65 games, all in relief, as he pitched in 52 innings, compiling a record of 2-5, plus a save in five save opportunities, as he had an ERA of 4.33 with a WHIP of 1.27, as he allowed 40 hits and 26 runs, all but one of which was earned, as he struck out 81 batters, while walking 26. In four season with the Phils, with 2011 being his best season, so far, Bastardo has compiled a record of 12-9 with a 4.02 ERA and a WHIP of 1.20, as he appeared in 160 games, all but 5 games being in relief, as he threw in 152 and a third innings, giving up 113 hits and 70 runs, all but two of which were earned, as he struck out 196 batters, while walking only 70. He also have nine career saves in fifteen save opportunities.
Bastardo, who may be the team's main lefty set-up man when the season starts, have held hitters to a .207 batting average in 2012, being especially tough on lefties as he held them to a .169 batting average against. He ended the season third among relievers in strikeouts per nine innings with a 14.02 mark, despite having a bad season, thanks to being hit hard by batters during the middle part of the season, before finally regaining his grove towards them season's final weeks. Hopefully, he'll regain his form that he had for most of 2011 this season.
The Phils have signed right-handed pitchers Aaron Cook and Juan Cruz to minor league deals, invited to spring training.
Yesterday, the Phils had announced that, along with Rodrigo Lopez, they have signed right-handed pitchers Aaron Cook and Juan Cruz to minor league deals and have given them invitations to spring training, as they continue to add depth to their pitching staff.
Aaron Cook, who had spent part of 2012 pitching for the Boston Red Sox, compiling a record of 4-11 with a 5.65 ERA and a WHIP of 1.47 in 18 starts, in which he pitched in 94 innings, allowing 117 hits and 68 runs, 59 of which were earned, as he struck out 20 batters, while walking 21. Before joining the Red Sex, he had spent 10 years playing for the Colorado Rockies, compiling a career record of 76-79 with an ERA of 4.60 and a WHIP of 1.47, as he pitched in 256 games, 224 of which were starts, as he threw a total of 1406 and a third innings, giving up 1636 hits and 776 runs, of which 716 were earned, as he struck out 578 batters, while allowing 126 free passes.
Juan Cruz, who in 12 seasons have pitched in relief for the Chicago Cubs, the Atlanta Braves, the Oakland Athletics, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Kansas City Royals, and the Tampa Bay Rays, spent 2012 pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates, appearing in 43 games, going 1-1 with three saves in four save opportunities, as he compiled an ERA of 2.78 and a WHIP of 1.63, as he allowed 39 hits and 12 runs, all but one of which were earned, while he struck out 33 batters, while walking only 19. Cruz would compile a career record of 38-36, along with 6 saves in nineteen save opportunities, as he pitched in 447 games, all but 38 of which were in relief, as he appeared in 655 total innings, compiling an ERA of 4.05 and a WHIP of 1.41, as he gave up 576 hits, as 332 runners scored, 295 of which were earned, as he struck out 659 batters, while walking 346.
Both pitchers will more than likely end up pitching for the Phils' triple-A ballclub, the Iron Pigs, unless somebody on the staff gets hurt during the season.
The Phils announced that they have signed veteran pitcher Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal.
Yesterday, the Phils announced that they'd added some pitching depth as they signed veteran starter Rodrigo Lopez to a Minor League deal, while also giving him an invite to Spring Training.
Lopez, who had pitched for the Phils once before, in 2009, before being sent back to the minors by the team when they added future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez to the ballclub during the summer, last pitched for the Chicago Cubs. He appeared in four games in 2012 for the Cubbies, going 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA and a WHIP of 2.05, as he pitched for 6.1 innings, giving up 8 hits and 6 runs, four of which were earned, as he struck out only two while walking five. When he pitched for the Phils in 2009, he had a record of 3-1 with an ERA of 5.70 with a 1.77 WHIP, as he pitched in seven games, five of which were starts, as he appeared in 30 innings, giving up 42 hits and 24 runs, 19 of which were earned, as he struck out 19 batters while giving up 11 free passes.
During a 11 years career, Lopez had been with the Orioles, the Padres, the Rockies and the Diamondbacks, as well as the Phils and the Cubs, compiling a record of 81-89, with a 4.82 ERA and a WHIP of 1.42. He had appeared in 257 games, 215 of which were starts, as he pitched in 1350 and two-thirds innings, giving up a total of 1506 hits and 789 runs, 742 of which were earned, as he struck out 865 batters, while walking 416.
More than likely, Lopez will start the season with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, but he should be available if any member of the Phils' starting rotation gets injured during the season.
The Phils have made several changes towards the end of 2012, which they hope will lead them back into the payoffs in 2013.
First off, I would like to take the time to say, Happy New Year's, folks. Second, sorry for the lack of posts, but, I got too busy with other things to get myself in gear to do new posts. But, I now got the time, and boy, do I have a lot to cover, as the Phils made some wheeling and dealing and small-scale free agent signings which they hope will put them into position to get back into the playoffs this upcoming October.
First, in the Rule Five Draft they picked up outfielder Ender Inciarte from the Arizona Diamondbacks, whom they hope will anchor centerfield in a few seasons, while drafting in the Triple-A Phase of the draft right-handed pitcher Brendan Lafferty from the Kansas City Royals organization, while not losing a player to the draft.
On the same day, December 6, they made a trade with the Minnesota Twins, getting centerfielder Paul Revere, in exchange for minor league right-handed pitching prospect Trevor May and, coming as a complete surprise to most, right-handed starter Vance Worley. Revere, who appeared in 124 games for the Twins, batted .294 (150 for 511), hitting 13 doubles and 6 triples, as he scored 70 times, while knocking in 32. He had also stole 40 bases, ranking him third in the AL for 2012, being caught just 9 times. May spent 2012 pitching for the Reading Phillies (now the Fighting Phillies). Worley, who was placed on the disabled list towards the end of the 2012 season, before having an operation to remove bone chips from his elbow, would pitch in 23 games for the Phils before being shut down, all starts, as he collected a 6-9 record, with a 4.20 ERA and a WHIP of 1.51, as he pitched in 133 innings, giving up 154 hits and 69 runs, 62 of which were earned, as he struck out 107 batters, while walking only 47. Sorry to see you go, Vance, and I wish you luck in Minnesota, as long as you don't pitch against the Phils. And, welcome to the team, Paul. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here.
Then, on December 8, the Phils announced that they had made another trade, this one with the Texas Rangers, as they brought in Michael Young to take over duties at third base, in exchange for right-handed relief pitcher Josh Lindblom and pitching prospect Lisalverto Bonilla. Michael Young, who has also played first base, second base and shortstop, appeared in 156 games for the former American League Champs (2010-11) batting .277 (169 for 611), as he hit 27 doubles, 3 triples and 8 home runs during the season, knocking in 67 runs, while scoring 79 times. He also walked 33 times. Josh Lindblom, who had started the 2012 season pitching relief for the Los Angeles before being traded to the Phils as part of a trade involving Shane Victorino, appeared in 74 games for both clubs, all in relief, posting a combined record of 3-5 with one save in four save opportunities, as he fielded an ERA of 3.55 and a WHIP of 1.35. He pitched in 71 innings, allowing 61 hits and 31 runs to score, of which 28 were earned. He walked 35 batters while striking out 70. Bonilla spent 2012 pitching for Clearwater and then Reading in the Phils' farm system. Welcome to the team, Michael. I hope that you can help the team via both your bat and your glove, especially the later, as it looks like you may not just be covering the hot corner of third base during the season.
After the two trades, the Phils then made a pair of minor free agent signings, both pitchers, one a reliever and the other a starter. First, they signed to a two-years, $12 million dollars contract, with relief pitcher Mike Adams, formerly of the Rangers, who will be acting as the eight-inning bridge to Jonathan Papelbon, as he plans to take over an inning that was a major problem for the ballclub all season long. For the Rangers, Adams pitched in 61 games, compiling a 5-3 record with a 3.27 ERA and a WHIP of 1.39, as well as collecting a save in two save attempts. He would pitch in 52 and a third innings, giving up 56 hits and 21 runs, 19 of which were earned, as he struck out 45 batters, while walking only 17. The Phils then signed former Washington Nationals' starter John Lannan, who is to become the Phils' fifth starter, to replace Worley in the rotation, to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million dollars. Lannan, who had spent his entire career with the Nats, before becoming a free agent, appeared in only six games last year, all of them starts, as he compiled a record of 4-1 with a 4.13 ERA and a WHIP of 1.44, as he pitched a total of 32 and two-thirds innings, giving up 33 hits and 15 runs, all earned. He struck out 17 batters, while walking 14. During his six seasons with the Nats, Lannan had a win-lost record of 42-52, as he compiled an ERA of 4.01 and a career WHIP of 1.42, as he pitched a total of 783 and two-thirds innings, while appearing in 134 games, all starts. He would give up a total of 820 hits, as opponents scored 393 times, with 349 of those runs being earned. He would strikeout a total of 410 batters, while walking just 296. Welcome to the ballclub, guys. I hope that you two were worth the money spent.
The Phils have during the month mention that they would like to add a veteran corner outfielder, either via free agent signing or another trade, but it looks like they have the club they want before they enter spring training next month. I'm just hoping this team will improve on their third place finish last year.
The Phils announced that they have just signed Cole Hamels to a six-year deal worth $144 million dollars.
The Phils have finally cut a deal with Cole Hamels, signing him to a six-year deal.
After waiting for most of the season, the Phils have finally been able to sign starter Cole Hamels to a multi-year deal, which should keep him as a Phil through at least 2018. The deal, which is for six years, with a club/vesting option for 2019, and contains a limited no-trade clause, is worth $144 million dollars. This means that when the Phils retool for 2013 and the years afterwards, Hamels will still be wearing the red pinstripes.
Cole Hamels, who was the Phils' seventeenth pick in the 2002 player draft, has been with the main club since 2006. During his seven years with the club, he has racked up a win-loss record of 85-58, which includes his present record of 11-4, in 200 games, of which all but one was a start, with a 3.38 ERA and a WHIP of 1.14. He has thrown 10 complete games, including four shutouts. He has struck out 1222 batters, while walking only 325, of which 28 were intentional. This season, in 19 starts, he has an ERA of 3.23, with a 1.12 WHIP, as he has struck out 131 batters, while walking only 33.
With Hamels now under Phils' control, it will be interesting to see who they will now trade or keep as the trade deadline looms on the thirty-first.
The Phils appeared to have added to their pitching depth.
The Phils have appeared to have added to their pitching depth by signing Joel Pineiro to a minor league contract, with an invitation to Spring Training.
Pineiro, who in 2011 pitched for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, appeared in 27 games, 24 of which were starts, compiling a 7-7 record with a 5.13 ERA. Being in the majors since 2000, pitching for the Mariners, Red Sox, and Cardinals, along with the Angels, Pineiro has pitched in 335 games, with 263 of them as starts, with a record of 104-93 with 2 saves in 3 save opportunities, with an ERA of 4.41.
It is more than likely that Pineiro will start the year with the Iron Pigs, as an extra insurance policy for the team in case one of the starters get injured during the regular season.
Now it can be told: Oswalt's a Phil!!!!
Oswalt approves deal to go to Phillies
By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com
HOUSTON — Roy Oswalt, one of the greatest pitchers to wear an Astros uniform, is headed to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Oswalt told the Astros on Thursday afternoon he would waive his no-trade clause in order to approve a trade to the two-time defending National League champions, a person close to the negotiations told MLB.com. The two sides were working the final details of the deal, which is expected to be announced today.
The Astros and Phillies reached a deal on Wednesday night to send Oswalt to the Phillies if the pitcher agreed to waive his no-trade clause. Left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ and Minor League outfielder Anthony Gose and shortstop Jonathan Villar are expected to come to the Astros, who are also expected to pay a portion of Oswalt's contract.
When reached by MLB.com earlier Thursday afternoon, Oswalt said he hadn't made a decision.
"No news yet," he said.
Oswalt is owed about $5 million more this year and is due to make $16 million next season in the last year of his contract, but there's a club option for 2012 that would pay him another $16 million.
The Astros had been fielding calls about Oswalt since he informed the team in May he wanted to be traded to a contender. Oswalt said Wednesday he would like to have some time to decide prior to Saturday's 3 p.m. CT non-waiver Trade Deadline if he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause to accommodate any deals the Astros put on the table.
Oswalt is 6-12 with a 3.42 ERA, but he has received some of the worst run support in the league. He has 143 wins and needed just one more victory to tie Joe Niekro for first place on the club's all-time list.
The two-time defending National League champion Phillies are 54-46 and trail the Braves by 3 1/2 games in the NL East. By adding Oswalt, they bolstered a pitching staff, which boasts Roy Halladay, that's ranked seventh in the NL with a 3.99 ERA.
H/T: Phillies.com
Let see his stats: Played almost ten years for the Astros. Career record of 143-82 3.42 ERA, 303 Games Played, 291 Games Started, 19 Complete Games, 7 Shut Outs, 1932.1 Innings Pitched, 1593 Ks, 446 BBs, 1865 Hits, 747 Runs, 696 Earned Runs. Hmm, welcome to the team, Roy 2. Hope you do real well here.
Sorry to see you go, J.A. Happ. Wish you a lot of luck in Houston.
Okay, guys, time to charge after the Braves. Yeeeeee haaawwwwww!!!! Go Phils!!!
Philadelphia Phillies – The Players: Kid Gleason – Pitcher, Second Baseman, Manager, Coach, Part 1.
Although best known as the betrayed manager of the infamous 1919 Black Sox, Kid Gleason began and ended his baseball career in Philadelphia, first as a pitcher for the Phillies and later as a coach for Connie Mack's A's.
William J. Gleason, Jr. was born on October 26, 1866 in Camden, N.J., although at least one biographer claims that he was born in south Philadelphia and that his family would move across the Delaware River to Camden while a toddler. Gleason's father, William, Sr. worked as a foreman for the Pennsylvania Railroad, working out of the Market Street Ferry Terminal. Growing up, Gleason would play baseball, being nicknamed the 'Kid' because of both his short stature and his energetic, youthful play, while also working as a brakeman for the railroad, continuing to perform that duty during the off-season for a short time after becoming a professional ballplayer. After playing for local Camden ballclubs, including the Camden Merrit club in 1885, he would play for a team in Williamsport, PA., in 1887 and then play for a team in Scranton, PA., later that same year. The following year, he would play his first professional ballgame as a member of Harry Wright's Philadelphia Phillies, making his major league debut on April 20, debuting as the team's opening day pitcher. Pitching against the Boston Beaneaters (now the Atlanta Braves), the team would lose 4-3.
Playing in twenty-five games during that first season with the Phillies, all but one of which would be as a pitcher, Gleason would start in twenty-three games and finished the other one. His record for the year would be 7-16 with a 2.84 ERA, as he would pitch in 199.7 innings, giving up 199 hits, 11 of which would be home runs, leading the team in that category that year, allow 112 runs to score, 63 of which would be earned, as he would also walk 53 batters, strike out 89, hit 12 batters, leading the team in that category, and throw 11 wild pitches. The following year, 1889, Gleason would play in thirty games, pitching in twenty-nine of them. He would start in twenty-one games, completing fifteen, and finishing seven other games, being the team's leader in that category. His record for the season would be 9-15 with an ERA of 5.58, as he would pitch in 205 innings, giving up 242 hits, including 8 home runs, while allowing 177 runners to score, with 127 of them being earned. He would also walk 97 batters while striking out 64, hit 9 batters, once again leading the team's pitching staff and throw 14 wild pitches. Gleason would also save one game, putting him in a tie for the team's lead with Ben Sanders.
1890 would be the Kid's breakout year as a pitcher as he would become the team's ace thanks to that year's Players' League revolt. He would start the year off as the team's opening day pitcher, facing future Hall of Famer Amos Rusie of the New York (now San Francisco) Giants on April 19, leading the Phils to a 4-0 victory over the previous season's National League champ. Appearing in sixty-three games that season, he would play sixty games as a pitcher and two as a second baseman. Gleason would start in fifty-five games, completing all but one, while finishing the other five, placing him third in the NL in all three categories. His record for the season would be 38-17 for a .691 winning percentage, leading the team in wins (while setting the team's record for wins in a season, which still stands) and winning percentage and placing him second behind Bill Hutchinson of the Chicago Colts in wins and second behind Tom Lovett of the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in winning percenatge, with an ERA of 2.63, leading the team and placing him fifth in the league. He would perform six shut outs, placing him second behind Kid Nichols of the Beaneaters. Gleason would also have two saves, tying him for first place in the NL with Dave Foutz of the Bridegrooms and Hutchinson of the Colts. He would pitch in 506 innings (3), giving up 479 hits (3), of which 8 would be for home runs. Gleason would also give up 253 runs, of which 148 were earned (4), walk 167 batters (5), strike out 222 (3T), perform one balk and throw 11 wild pitches. The following season, 1891, he would once again be the Phils' opening day pitcher, pitching against the Bridegrooms on April 22, as the Phils would lose the game, 1-0. The Kid would have another winning season, but just barely, as his record drops to 24-22 with an ERA of 3.51, although leading the team in wins and ERA, and, sadly, also losses. In sixty-five games, fifty-three of which would be as a pitcher, Gleason would start in forty-four, completing forty games and finishing nine others, leading the team in all four categories, as well as leading the NL in games finished. He would have one shutout, tying him for the team's lead with Duke Esper and John Thornton and one save. Gleason would pitch in 418 innings, giving up 431 hits, 10 of which would be for home runs, while also giving up 237 runs, 148 of which would be earned, leading the team in innings pitched, hits allowed, home runs allowed and earned runs allowed. He would also walk 165 batters while striking out only 100, and throw 17 wild pitches, leading the team in both walks and wild pitches. This would be his last season as a Phillie as at some point between the 1891 and the 1892 seasons the Phils would either let him go or trade him to the St. Louis Browns (now the Cardinals) one of the four teams picked up by the National League following the folding of the then second Major League, the American Association.
Among Phillies' leader, Gleason is presently still 16th in wins (78), 21st in losses (70), 22nd in ERA (3.29), 58th in games pitched (166), tied for 27th in games started (143), 11th in complete games (132), tied for 37th in shut outs (7), tied for 89th in saves (4), 17th in innings pitched (1328.2), 18th in hits allowed (1351), 12th in runs allowed (779), 23rd in earned runs allowed (501), tied for 89th in home runs allowed (37), 9th in walks (482), 34th in strike outs (475), tied for 12th in hit batters (49), 9th in wild pitches (53) and 176th in winning percentage (.527). But, this would not be the last time that Phillies fans would see Gleason as a Phil, but we are presently getting ahead of ourselves.
Gleason would spend two plus seasons with the St. Louis Browns. He would begin the 1892 season as their opening day pitcher, going against the Chicago Colts on April 12, that would end up as a 14-10 lost for the Browns. Gleason would play in sixty-six games, forty-seven of them as a pitcher, of which forty-five would be starts, completing all but two. The rest he would play as either a shortstop or in the outfield. Gleason's record that season would be 20-24, including two shut outs, with an ERA of 3.33. He would pitch 300 innings that year, giving up 389 hits, 11 of which would be for home runs (7), allow 244 runs to score, of which 148 would be earned (9). Gleason would also walk 151 batters, while striking out 133 and throw 9 wild pitches. He would lead the Browns in all pitching categories mentioned, except for ERA and runs allowed. The following year, 1893, would see him play in fifty-nine games, of which he would pitch in forty-eight games (6T), starting forty-five games (4), completing thirty-seven of them (8), while finishing three, pitching one shut out and saving one game (6T). In 380 and a third innings (7), he would give up 436 hits (5), of which 18 would be for home runs (2), while allowing 276 runs to score, of which 195 were earned, the lead leader in that category. He would also walk 187 batters (3), while striking out 86 and throwing 16 wild pitches (5). He would lead the Browns in wins, games started, home runs allowed, walks, hits allowed, earned runs allowed and wild pitches, while being tied for the lead in games pitched, saves and shut outs.
The 1894 season would see him play for two teams. He would begin the year playing for the Browns, with a record of 2-6 and an ERA of 6.05 in eight games pitched, all starts, with six complete games. Overall, he would play just 9 games with the Browns, playing his other game as a first baseman. He would pitch in only 58 innings, giving up just 75 hits, only two of which would be for home runs, as he would give up 50 runs, only 39 of which would be earned, while walking just 21 batters, striking out 9 and throwing just one wild pitch. On June 23, 1894, the Browns would sell him to the Baltimore Orioles for $2400. Kid would become sort of rejuvenated upon joining the Orioles, as he would end the season with a 15-5 record with a 4.45 ERA, as he would pitch in twenty-one games, playing twenty-six games overall, as he would start twenty games, completing all but one, and finishing one other game. Pitching in 172 innings, he would give up 224 hits, only three of which would be for home runs, allow 111 runs to cross the plate, of which only 85 would be earned. He would also walk 44 batters, while striking out 35 and throwing only three wild pitches, as he would help lead the Orioles to the first of two straight pennants (1894-1895) as a member of their ball club. This would turn out to be his last major year as a pitcher, as the National League, now the only major league in existance, would move the pitcher's mound to its modern distance of 60′ 6″ from home plate, ending his effectiveness as a pitcher. He would appear in just nine more games as a pitcher in 1895, starting in five, completing three games, and finishing the other four, recording one save, as he would record a 2-4 record with an ERA of 6.97. Gleason would pitch in 50 and a third innings, giving up 77 hits, four of which would be home runs, as he would allow 51 runs to score, of which 39 would be earned. He would also walk 21 batters while striking out 6 and throw one wild pitch.
In nine season as a pitcher, Gleason would compile a record of 138-131 for the Phillies, the Browns and the Orioles for a winning percentage of .513, with a 3.79 ERA. He would pitch in 299 games, starting 266 games and finishing 30 others. Gleason would complete 240 games, while throwing 10 shut outs and saving six. The Kid would pitch in 2389.3 innings, giving up 2552 hits, of which 75 would be home runs, while allowing 1511 runs to score, of which 1007 would be earned. He would also walk 906 batters, strike out 744, hit 21 batters, throw 83 wild pitches and commit one balk.
During the 1895 season, Orioles' manager, future Hall of Famer Ned Hanlon, would turn Gleason into an everyday player, mainly playing at second base. During that first season as a regular, Gleason would blossom as a player, hitting .309, with a slugging percentage of .399 and an on-base percentage of .366, as he would go 130 for 421 in 112 games. He would knock in 74 runs while scoring 90, as he would collect 14 doubles and 12 triples, while walking 33 times as he would strike out only 18 times. He would also steal 19 bases, as he would help lead the Orioles to their second straight NL pennant. On November 15, the Orioles would send Gleason and $3500 to the Giants, in exchange for catcher Jack Doyle.
I will continue the story on Kid Gleason next week, starting with his years playing for the New York Giants.
Sources: Wikipedia, Baseball-reference.com, Retrosheet.org, Delaware Valley Rhythm and Blues Society, Inc.com-Camden Sports Hall of Fame, The Baseball Page.com, Phillies.com


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Sunday's media blitz for President Barack Obama wasn't all about defending health care.
The country's most famous Chicago White Sox fan also had to defend the team's chances to make it to the World Series.
During his appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," host David Gregory asked the president who he was going to pick to win the World Series since the White Sox are not looking so hot as the regular season comes to an end.
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"On a lighter note, before I let you go, Mr. President, you were brazen this summer at the All Star game wearing your Chicago White Sox jacket out there to throw out the first pitch," Gregory said. "Hate to break it to you, but doesn't look so good for your White Sox here.
"I think mathematically, the White Sox can still get in the playoffs," the president responded. "So until they are eliminated, I will make no predictions."
After some coaxing, President Obama did give shout outs to the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees.


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Ganoderma lucidum or reishi mushroom is famous in the East as a medicine ingredient. The name 'reishi' mushroom means "mushroom of immortality" with a direct Chinese translation of ling chih.
During the ancient Eastern times, reishi mushroom was even called the "medicine of kings" since it offers unbelievable health benefits that will ward off almost all kinds of illness. Reishi mushroom tea health benefits were highlighted by writer Rebecca Wood in her book entitles "New Whole Foods Encyclopedia" where she said, "Reishi indeed sounds like a cure-all". Her explanation as stated in the Natural News states that reishi is an immunostimulant which has proven to be very helpful for people with HIV and AIDS, Epstein-Barr, leaky-gut syndrome, chronic bronchitis, cancer and other infectious illness. Minor benefits involve the mushroom to take effect as a laxative, as a diuretic, helps those with insomnia and lowers harmful cholesterol in the body.
The Benefits of Reishi Mushroom
It seemed odd that this fungus can make so much benefit to the human body. The medicinal benefits of red reishi mushroom tea are famous for its antioxidant properties wherein it fights irregularity in the cells lowering chances of cancer cell growth. A study published in the journal Experimental Oncology confirmed the effects of reishi on human cancer cells and the fungus astonishingly prevents further cell damage.
Since reishi mushroom is an immunostimulant, it means that it modulates, regulates and supports the immune system. The mushroom contains chemical compounds called polysaccharides like beta glucans that boosts the immunity.
Another benefit is that it lowers blood pressure making it a popular choice for people with cardiovascular issues. It is highly advised in APA's "Practical Guide to Natural Medicine" that people with hypertension should take this fungus as a supplement. In effect, it also lowers cholesterol, stabilizes blood pressure and further prevents blood clotting.
Lastly, a lot of people are suffering from allergic reactions. Reishi mushroom is one of the favorite additive to blend with allergy teas, as stated in Live Strong.
Here's a short summary of the illness that can be treated by reishi mushroom:
- Diabetes
- Liver disease
- Food allergies
- Asthma
- Digestive issues
- Inflammation
- Fatigue
- Cancer
- Heart illness
- Sleep disorders
- Anxiety and depression
- Virus infections
Making Reishi Mushroom Tea
The best way to brew or make reishi mushroom tea is with the use of dried and powdered mushroom. The raw or fresh mushroom is much less preferred since it tastes bitter and awful for most people, as said in the Health Line. it is recommended to drink the herb daily and a daily dose of the recipe will require half an ounce of dried reishi mushroom. The mushroom will be boiled with a pint and a half of water and put to simmer for another 45 minutes. Allow the mixture to stand for at least 30 minutes prior to consumption.
Reishi Mushroom, A Shen Tonic and Immune Modulator
The post Reishi Mushroom Tea and its Health Benefits appeared first on Reishi Mushroom Tea.


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Fat Lady 3 Bunya Blackwood, Ebony board
CCFL3EC-BB Bunya Top with Tasmanian Blackwood Back and Sides.
Product Specifications
All solid timber cutaway dreadnought with internally carved top and back.
Cole Clark 3-way pickup system
Finish: Nitrocellulose (natural satin)
Neck: Queensland Maple Silkwood
Top: Solid Bunya
Back/Sides: Tasmanian Blackwood
Inlaid timber binding, purfling and rosette.
Bridge/Fretboard: Ebony (with ebony bridge pins)
Inlays: Abalone (fretboard, waist and rosette)
Machine Heads: Grover Gold
Nut/Saddle: Graph Tech Tusq
Strings: Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze 12-53
Black pick guard supplied in case
Nut Width: 44mm/1.73?
Left handed version by order (8-12 weeks)


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The success of CREW hinges on interested individuals and organizations taking part in making the Cascadia region more resilient to future earthquakes.
CREW membership is open to any individual interested in advancing mitigation and community resilience to earthquakes in the Cascadia region.
CREW currently includes representation from business, engineering, geology, seismology, regional planning, transportation and utility systems, social science, and risk and emergency management. It also includes individuals from across the Cascadia Region including British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California.
There are two classes of membership that accommodate a member's ability to participate: active and institutional.
- Active: Active members are individuals with a demonstrated interest in the advancement of CREW's mission and goals and must participate in at least one meeting each calendar year and participate on at least one committee.
- Institutional: Institutional members are representatives of public organizations or private firms within the Cascadia Region.
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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson wins the LMA manager of the year award
Sir Alex Ferguson has been named the LMA's Premier League manager of the year.
Last Updated: 21/05/13 1:48pm
The outgoing Manchester United boss picked up the award at a dinner in London and admitted he was relieved the celebrations to mark his retirement were over.
They culminated in his last match in charge on Sunday, a 5-5 draw at West Brom.
Ferguson said: "It has been overwhelming. The club has been fantastic and congratulations to West Brom with the way they handled yesterday.
"In a way I am glad it is all over now - because it has been hard work!
"I think (West Brom manager) Steve Clarke should get an award because anyone who scores five against United deserves it."
Ferguson added that he was confident he was leaving United in good hands, with the club's emphasis on bringing through young players.
United also won the inaugural Under-21 Premier League, beating Tottenham on Monday night.
He said: "It has always placed a great emphasis on youth long before I came.
"Sir Matt Busby started that and took Manchester United into Europe, the first English club to do so.
"It's always been there and I have tried to maintain that though it is more difficult in the present climate - you have to scout abroad now but you are still looking for young people who can do well."
Cardiff boss Malky Mackay was named the Championship manager of the season after winning the title.
He said: "I am just very proud of the whole club - a lot of people in the last two years have put hard work into building this."
Yeovil's Gary Johnson was named the League One manager of the year and Gillingham's Martin Allen won the League Two award.


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Chad Knaus sacrifices to be NASCAR's top crew chief
- Chad Knaus will chase a record seventh title as Jimmie Johnson%27s crew chief
- There is a focus and work ethic within Knaus that some might say borders on the maniacal
- %22Chad has done an amazing job of eliminating his weaknesses%2C%22 said Darrell Waltrip
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In Chad Knaus' meticulously neat office at Hendrick Motorsports, the presence of one memento and the conspicuous absence of so many others reveals much about NASCAR's greatest active crew chief.
Of all his Sprint Cup success with Jimmie Johnson, Knaus keeps only one trophy – marking the No. 48 Chevrolet's first victory at Auto Club Speedway in April 2002.
There are no photos of family – and not because Knaus doesn't desire them.
In the immediate afterglow of Johnson's fourth championship, Knaus spoke longingly of having a wife and kids. After their Daytona 500 victory a year ago, he fawned over his new fiancée and wedding plans.
But entering a season in which he and Johnson will chase a record-tying seventh title in NASCAR's premier series starting in Sunday's Daytona 500, Knaus is single (again), childless and resigned to those being necessary sacrifices.
"Man, I have failed at that one miserably," he tells USA TODAY Sports with a chuckle. "This is my family. It really is. I love my job. I can't put the amount of effort into a relationship that you need. I identify with that now. I thought I could balance both. But ultimately, the personal relationship suffers.
"I have to make sure what we're trying to achieve here is finished."
There is a single-minded focus and insatiable work ethic within Knaus that some might say borders on the maniacal. His fastidious and forthright style has been hailed as NASCAR's answer to Nick Saban among crew chiefs. He doesn't allow his crewmembers to use phones at the track, and he has explored the concept of building cars in 24-hour shifts.
Ray Evernham, who was voted the greatest crew chief in history by a 2006 media panel, hired Knaus at Hendrick more than 20 years ago and recalls the Rockford, Ill., native telling him, "I want to be you within five years." He estimates Knaus has toiled 90-100 hours a week since to achieve it, starting with voluntary double shifts between the team's body shop and a suspension area so he could learn all facets of a stock car.
"This is all that this guy has ever wanted to do and be," Evernham said. "He's made an unbelievable commitment to become the best crew chief of his time, and he's well on the way to being the best crew chief ever. This guy has put everything else second in his life.
"I'm amazed that he's able to keep up with that level of intensity for as many years as he has."
But a softer side has emerged over the past few years as Knaus, who turns 43 in August, has become a surrogate uncle to Johnson and wife Chandra's young daughters, Genevieve and Lydia. Knaus has showered them with gifts -- including a xylophone and a hopscotch mat because "whatever I can do to annoy Jimmie a little, I take pleasure in it" -- and often played at-track babysitter last season.
"Genevieve is loving you one minute, and the next she's screaming, crying and mad, and it's really weird," Knaus said, pausing to chuckle. "But it could be just me and women. I have that effect on women."
It's left Johnson feeling sometimes conflicted about whether his professional triumphs come at the price of Knaus' personal fulfillment.
"I feel for him because I see the joy that being around my children brings, and the respect he has for the relationship Chani and I have," Johnson said. "He seems OK with it, but I know deep down inside, it's something that's been pulling on him for a while."
Fox analyst Darrell Waltrip said it's a trade-off that's common in NASCAR, noting longtime bachelors Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"For a lot of these guys, racing is their mistress, and they can't make room for anything else," Waltrip said. "They just have the capacity for this."
Said ESPN analyst Andy Petree, who won two titles as a crew chief for Dale Earnhardt: "Chad's already married to that 48 car. If he ever got married, it might change his outlook on how long he could do this."
No bedside manner
Over 14 years as a crew chief, much already has changed for Knaus, who has morphed from intransigent crew chief with fingerprints all over the car to being comfortable with delegating authority.
"These hands haven't seen a wrench in years," said Knaus, who spends much of his time monitoring email chains. "There's too much other stuff to do from a personnel and administrative standpoint. But I can assure you I know exactly what's going on everywhere in the team.
"I focus more on communication now than anything else. We have 120 employees and touch all of them every single day. We focus really hard on making sure the messaging is consistent."
He also focuses on the details. During Knaus' walk-throughs of the shop, crewmembers are berated for leaving their shirts untucked, and other elements are scrutinized despite having seemingly little impact on competition.
Michael Landis, the team manager for Hendrick's 48/88 shop, cringed recently when he saw the chrome center hubcaps for the No. 48 hauler had been painted blue and immediately asked if it had been run by Knaus.
"You make any decisions, you have to include him," Landis said. "He might not even respond, but at least he knows. He's not trying to micromanage you. He just wants to know.
"Chad will walk by something that you spent two hours looking at, and he'll catch something you didn't. I think some look at it as, 'He's trying to find a chink in my armor or error in my work to pick on me.' But if he finds something that could have been done better according to directives, you have to wear it."
Ron Malec, who has been the No. 48 car chief since the inception of the Johnson-Knaus pairing in 2001, said Knaus has become a better leader who doesn't snap in public as much but still has a withering glare.
"You have to have thick skin," Malec said. "He's going to tell you when you've done something wrong. Chad always brings up the Yankees. That's how he wants us to be in racing – as an example team and a benchmark for everyone else, and we've accomplished it a lot of years."
As the crew chief for Earnhardt Jr., Steve Letarte is Knaus' partner in co-managing the shop that builds the Chevys for teammates Earnhardt and Johnson. They have a long history at Hendrick, having worked as crewmembers on Jeff Gordon's No. 24 that won the championship in 1995, when Letarte watched Knaus regularly butt heads with his mentor, Evernham.
"He doesn't have the best bedside manner but really gets results," Letarte said. "People think they've met focused or driven people, then they come work for Chad and don't make it. He has a very unique ability to not let anything clutter his drive. Some of it can be good stuff – relationships, personal goals -- but he doesn't let that get in the way, either. Every decision he makes is about winning.
"If you try to relate any communication with Chad to anyone else you've ever met, you're going to be mad and think he's being rude. And it's none of those. He's real direct with no 'please' or 'thank yous.' He doesn't care if you're happy. He doesn't care if you have to work. He doesn't care about a lot of things. You have to credit a guy who doesn't pretend. His directness is 100% authentic. That's why I enjoy working with him."
The stories of Knaus' gruff, dismissive and sometimes smug demeanor are legend and legion.
He once castigated a high-ranking executive from Lowe's, which has spent more than $100million sponsoring Johnson's cars since 2002, for lingering in his pits during a Chase for the Sprint Cup race.
Team owner Rick Hendrick said Knaus is "hard-wired" to thrive on pressure-packed situations with tunnel-vision intensity. On return flights after races, Hendrick has sat wide-eyed as Knaus has explained dozens of contingency plans accounting for miniscule tire pressure changes based on when a yellow flag flies in the final 20 laps.
"He'd have been a hell of a Navy SEAL," Hendrick said. "He's like a general. I've never seen anyone more driven. There are guys who are just as committed and just as smart. But when they get right to the deal, they can't execute like that."
As straightforward as they come
Knaus builds his team through a Management By Strengths program that uses a color-coded chart to rate personalities by directness, extroversion, pace and structure. (Knaus is a "high red" because of his brutally straightforward manner.) After 12 seasons, he feels the 2014 crew is his most self-motivated yet.
"The people who just wanted to talk about winning races, we've weeded them out," Knaus said. "Not a lot of pushing goes on anymore by me. There's a lot of people who want to race. We have a lot of people that race. They're completely different people."
When he meets with prospective employees, Knaus will ask for age and marital status and sometimes follows candidates out to the parking lot so he can observe the upkeep of their personal cars.
"Chad is a major HR violation when it comes to interviewing," Landis said. "But he's not doing it to discriminate but to understand who you are. He evaluates if you have a wife and kids, you have some sense of responsibility."
Landis said Knaus is different than the guy he met 20 years ago because "he realizes better that not everyone is wired like him."
Waltrip, who worked with Knaus while driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 1998, also has witnessed the transformation.
"Chad has done an amazing job of eliminating his weaknesses," Waltrip said. "Because the rap on Chad was he couldn't work with anybody. I've seen him throw hammers and wrenches. But from the time I met him, he had only one thing in mind: He wanted to be the best crew chief in racing."
Chit-chat not his style
Knaus wakes at 5:25 a.m. ("Because I can hit snooze once, and it's still in the 5:30 range") and is at the Hendrick shop an hour later for a 7 a.m. meeting that sets the tone. During the season, he typically doesn't leave before 7 p.m., and the work usually doesn't end there.
"He goes home, spreads out all his notes with a glass of wine and tries to learn more," Evernham said. "It's no different than a musician or somebody that just practices all the time."
On weekends, it's the same routine inside the motor home, which leaves little room for a significant other.
"I can't have someone who travels with me every single week, because I can be a real jerk at the racetrack," Knaus said. "If things aren't going well, I'm not really concerned about someone who's been stuck all day long wanting to go get dinner. I'd rather open up my computer and go to work."
It has limited his interaction in a sport where the downtime often is built around small talk with competitors.
"He's very cordial, but I don't know him that well like other crew chiefs," Petree said. "I don't know anybody who is a close friend of his in the garage."
"Here's the deal: I don't have time for a lot of chit-chat," Knaus said. "I don't go to the racetrack to have a good time. I go to work, race and win. That's it.
"A lot of crew chiefs want to share setup info. Some will tell you exactly what they've got in the race car. Well, I think that's asinine. I don't want other crew chiefs to know what I'm doing. It's proprietary. The only people I share that information with are our teammates."
Malec said Knaus intentionally doesn't fraternize with No. 48 crew members as much because it got awkward when employees were fired.
"Racing is his entire life," Malec said. "Anyone says anything different, they're lying. It's all he's got."
Knaus' closest friend probably is Johnson, who struggles with how to describe him.
"As intense and crazy as he is, he's kind of a teddy bear at times," Johnson said, before a long pause and a laugh. "You know what Chad is? He's complicated."
In the austere environs of his office (which also contains a horseshoe from a fan, a cloverleaf and a "Believe" decal from the Baltimore City Police Department), Knaus has no windows and faces a whiteboard with a multicolored line graph charting the points position, start and finish of the No. 48 in every race.
"This place can turn into a dungeon, even as beautiful as it is, if you just stay in here 24 hours a day," he said. "I've got a bad habit where I don't go out to lunch, and I've looked at that same wall for 13 years. But I don't really have any hobbies because it's just too time-consuming. This is my hobby."
Active in running, cycling and paddleboarding, Knaus has tried to broaden his world beyond NASCAR in other ways. He signed last year with Octagon, the sports management agency representing Johnson, and has started speaking engagements (addressing a group of radiologists is scheduled for May). Last month he met with Charlotte Panthers coach Ron Rivera and team officials for four hours discussing management and personnel philosophies.
He will turn 43 in August and said he will be done as a crew chief by 50. He won't rule out becoming a team owner – or perhaps leaving racing for an executive position in the corporate world.
"You see a lot of board members that are former athletes, coaches and military that are very successful working for big companies," he said. "You could go out and really clean up a lot of places."
And there finally might be time for that long-awaited family.
"It sucks, but I know a lot of guys that are in their early 50s on their second marriage and still having kids and are really, really happy," he said. "So I'm thinking I'm skipping that first marriage and just kind of rolling into that second phase of life. So when I retire, I'll get a red Ferrari and 20-year-old blonde and see how it all works out.
"At some point, I want it. I really, really do."


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If that is how it is coming across, then that isn't what we are thinking. I guess I should have explained that my partner has never had an actual dog of his own and his parents have mostly had small dogs. I have had experience of dealing with different breeds, meduim to big, and have dealt with strays before. He has always experienced them from puppies.
Plus, because he had seen her showing signs of being house trained, he presumed too much, which I have told him as well. I noted that she may have been house trained, but new there would be some kind of accidents while she was adjusting. I think it was mostly that within 24hrs of being in the house, she had done that many accidents it was a shock for him.
As much as he mentions that she has till friday, I very much doubt she will be going anywhere. As far as I'm concerned she's staying, I myself have dealt with people giving up on me in the past and I see that in her. I'm not gonna let him. But he has been talking a lot about future things, taking her to beach in the summer and such things. If he was hell bent on taking her back, he wouldn't be talking like that.
Now that we have a big plastic sheet covering the living room floor, he's calmed down a lot more now. And last night we saw a woman, who we'd seen Friday night when we had brought her home from the kennel, and remarked on how much change she saw in Mishka's attitude, especially as she started interacting with the woman's dog, German Shepard/Husky, and friday she wouldn't have gone near him. So something's working.
So far today, she's had one accident in the house, but that was because we had such horrible weather this morning, gale force wind and rain. I wouldn't want to go outside either, but we left her out there for ages after her walk so she could have a chance to do it but she wasn't interested till she came in.
What I have noticed, is that when she comes in, she doesn't even sniff around but just does it. I always thought, from dogs in the past, they only pee and such after smelling. This is probably one reason why it is so hard to notice if she is about to do something, because she just does it. If anyone has any other tips of noticing when they are going to do it, then I would love to hear them. There's no change in her behaviour before she does it either from what I've noticed.


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All the talk of Obama's visit to Ireland today, brings me back to the evening of his inauguration, January 20th 2009, when Himself came home to find me on the kitchen floor.
On my knees.
Surrounded by the usual mish-mash of baby changing paraphernalia – sudocreme, wipes, tiny nappies and – ahem – masking tape. SKY News was blaring on the TV, the spuds were boiling over on the hob and there was the distinct smell of overcooked fish emanating from the oven.
'Eh – hi honey I'm home!' he ventured, the tentative tone to his voice giving away his unease at the sight of his obviously grumpy, pregnant wife on her knees, immersed in chaos.
'Don't even start', I spat.
'Oh, right. Where is she?'
'Where is she? Where is she? Well I'll tell you where she isn't! She isn't here tending to her responsibilities like she should be.' I brandished a half-dressed baby doll by one leg, nappy half masking-taped to her bottom.
He nodded a pathetic attempt at understanding and turned away, but I could see his shoulders start to shake with poorly disguised mirth. He'd seen this coming and he was right.
It was all my own fault. As a mother of a two-year old with another on the way, I had decided it would be a great idea if Santa brought a baby doll, complete with nappies, bottles and a soother. All in the way of preparation for the new arrival. And in my defence, it had been a huge success. To be really honest, the exact level of success far exceeded both my expectations and my wishes. Baby Millie was changed and fed to a routine that would put the most militant of nannies to shame. And to be fair, for those first three hours on Christmas morning, my enthusiasm surprised even myself. I supplied cheap wipes, an empty tub of sudocreme, an empty tub of talc, all in the name of education and preparation. I may even have shed a hormone induced tear as the brand new Mammy rocked her plastic newborn with the words, 'Go to sleep my liddle baby.'
I was thrilled of course at her dedication to the project and thought it boded very well for the prospective welcome of the new sibling. Then, things started to slide slowly out of control. Due to my over exuberance on the paraphernalia front, baby Millie needed a changing bag. No problem. Mammy had a spare one. Great. Then empty tubs no longer sufficed. 'She needs reeeal cream!' was the wail. Then every time Baby Millie left the house over the course of the Christmas holidays, her little pink nappy bag had to be packed. Bottles, wipes, nappies… Her buggy had to go in the car; her car seat had to be strapped in…
'But it's a doll!' He groaned one day as I ran back into the house to grab Baby Millie's soother.
'Not to her,' I hissed.
By New Year, reality had sunk in. It seemed that not only was Daughter No. 1 being groomed for the new arrival, but so was Mammy. Instead of enjoying my last few tiny-baby-free months, I had given birth 'prematurely' to a plastic nightmare. Sweet, pink, innocent Baby Millie had shot me squarely in the foot. And it hurt. Not only could I now remember only too well the chaos a new baby brings, I was also starting to feel the exhausted pain and weariness of a modern 'granny-before-her-time', left holding the baby of her teenage daughter, at a time when she should be 'finished with all that palaver'. Only this daughter wasn't heading out to party with her friends. No, this one was abandoning nappy changes mid way through to resume a jigsaw, the words 'You do it' carelessly thrown over one shoulder being the only, ominous, similarity.
Of course Himself thinks it's hilarious.
Well, the laugh will be on the other side of his face when I tell him Baby Millie needs a new buggy. After all, you can't expect the child to push that flimsy plastic-rubbish down our potholed driveway. Yes change was coming to our house. As for Barack, I just loved that man. I know I supported Hilary in the early days, but even I know now, that she wouldn't have brought the same wave of hope, of revolution, of thanks. It helps that he's easy on the eye. It even helps that he smokes – ah sure you'd need him to have some bit of boldness about him. Oh, Mister President…
So back to the evening of his inauguration. I know she was only two, but I decided that the day was too historic to let slide. Dragging her onto my knee I explained that the man on the screen was going to save us all, that he was a great man, that he was the first black American President. And then it suddenly occurred to me that his colour would mean nothing to her. That she was possibly belonging to the first generation for whom colour actually made no difference. After all, several of Barney's little gang of friends were of various races and no comment had been passed yet.
Abandoning the history lesson lest I create an issue where none existed, I instead spent a half an hour teaching her to chant with her little fist in the air 'Yes We Can!' and sure she loved that.
Great Stuff.
And then it was time to change Baby Millie again and that was when Daddy walked in.
Finally getting off the floor, Baby Millie, changed and safely hidden behind the sofa for the evening, I called the child prodigy to come and show Daddy her new trick.
'Who was the man on the TV, Belle?'
'Ehmmm,' she thought for a minute.
'Come on Isabelle, What was the nice man's name,' I asked sweetly, whilst silently sending the telepathetic-message-of-a-pushy-parent We've practiced this, don't let me down!
'Obaba!' she cried gleefully, the strange scary look in Mammy's eyes having the desired effect.
'And what does Obama say?' I encouraged with relief.
And with that, she raised her little index finger in the air and exhibiting all the strength, belief and determination demonstrated by the great man himself she pointed straight at Daddy;
'Yes You Will!!'
And now, two years later, she's four. And she has a little sister and they knock lumps out of each other over Baby Millie and the three-wheeled-all-terrain buggy that Daddy was eventually forced to buy. Today, President Obama is coming to Ireland, and this time I'm going to have another go at the history lesson. I'm going to sit them both down, and let them see him on the screen, and hope that they'll take at least some of it in.
Because Change is Coming. I can feel it. I felt it with the Eurovision last week and I felt it again, even stronger, when the Queen of England walked on Irish soil for the first time. And even though I don't even claim to understand rugby, I felt it again when Leinster staged one of the greatest sporting comebacks of all time, to win the Heineken Cup on Saturday.
Can Ireland stage it's own comeback? Not to the heady heights of the Celtic Tiger, but to dignity, pride and the feeling that all will never be lost. Can we combine the energy of Jedward, the determination of Leinster and the beauty, grace and acceptance of the Ireland we showcased so flawlessly last week? Can we stop trying to be something we're not, and instead relish all that we are?
All together now, girls…
'Of course we can!'
Margaret Scott-Darcy lives in Kildare with her husband, daughters and a variety of animals. A full time accountant, she is also currently working on her first novel. Her blog MotherWorkerWriter can be found at www.mscottdarcy.blogspot.com. Follow her on Twitter: @mgtscott.


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Our Perspectives
Creating and sustaining ethical organizational culture
12 Aug 2014 by Alayne Frankson Wallace, UNDP Ethics Advisor
When we speak of organizational culture, we are referring to the way people behave in the workplace, how they go about doing their work and the values that they demonstrate through their actions and decision-making.
Organizational culture passes down from long serving staff to new hires and becomes embedded in how the organization operates. Thus, organizational culture is influenced and impacted not just by written regulations, rules and policies, but also by the unwritten code of 'how we really do things around here.'
So, the organizational culture can be aligned with its stated values and policies (ethical), or it can be contradictory of those written statements (unethical). Very often, employees will do what they know is rewarded and will avoid doing what they know will be punished.
To create and sustain an ethical organizational culture needs constant communication about the ethical values of the organization and ensuring that the behaviors of all leaders and staff members are aligned with those values. This requires going beyond just the written rules to reaching for the highest aspirational behavior. It means living the principles underpinning the values, even when there is no rule or where the written rule is unclear.
An ethical organizational culture is what guides decision-making when no one is looking; it is what staff will rely on when there is no rule in place to address the dilemma being faced; it is what supports open discussion of difficult situations and it is what sustains trust when information is unclear or facts are not known. An ethical organizational culture builds staff loyalty, fosters a sense of responsibility to deliver results through ethical means as well as to protect the image and reputation of the organization. It also promotes the commitment needed to manage the organization's most difficult challenges or to adapt to new circumstances.
Here in UNDP, as we work towards fulfilling our 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, we are individually and collectively responsible to nurture and promote an organizational culture of ethics and integrity where we respect and uphold the organization's values, and where staff are empowered and motivated to deliver stronger and more sustainable development results.
Capacity development Development Effectiveness Knowledge management Accountability