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Veteran deejay, producer and mixtape master Tony Touch has been on hiatus for some time, from releasing albums. His 2000 debut, The Piece Maker included appearances from Wu-Tang Clan, Gang Starr and Mos Def, among others. After a 2004 follow-up, the onetime Tommy Boy Records, and later Koch Records artist, appeared to focus on his Toca Tuesdays Shade 45 radio show and events.
Yesterday (April 4), Tony Toca announced that he's reached a new agreement with Sony/Red to release Piece Maker 3 (50 MC's Reunion). The June 25 retail mixtape will pay homage to the Rocksteady Crew member's 1990s works, specifically the Power Cypha series, that was famous for featuring upwards of 50 freestyles from New York Hip Hop legends and rising stars.
BREAKING NEWS!!!!!…….. Just finalized my deal with SONY/RED to drop Piece-Maker 3 (50 MC's Re-Union) JUNE 25.. The wait is over!
— TONY TOUCH (@DJTONYTOUCH) April 4, 2013
At this time, it is not yet known which artists include the 50 emcees Tony Touch is working with.
(April 5)
UPDATE: Now called Piece Maker 3 (Return Of The 50 MC's), Tony Touch has a new release date to his 2013 album. MissInfo.TV reports the tracklist and artwork to the album that according to HotNewHipHop.com, will now release on July 9.
Guests include Eminem, The L.O.X., M.O.P., Kool G. Rap and members of the Wu-Tang Clan, among many others.
1. Tony Touch / D Stroy – "Touch And D Stroy"
2. Rah Digga – "Freestyle"
3. A.G. & Masta Ace – "Double A"
4. Busta Rhymes, J. Doe, Reek da Villian & Roc Marciano – "Hold That"
5. M.O.P – "You Know You Love This"
6. Too Short, Kurupt & Xzibit – "V.I.P."
7. B-Real – "Hit This (Freestyle)"
8. Papoose & Uncle Murda – "Brooklyn's The Borough"
9. Sean Price & Guilty Simpson – "Random"
10. Black Thought – "Thought Process"
11. Styles P, Sheek Louch & Jadakiss – "B.A.R.S."
12. Liknuts – "World Premier"
13. Raekwon, JD Era, Ghostface Killah & RZA – "Unorthodox"
14. Twista & Bun B – "Bounce"
15. Thirstin Howl III – 'One Person Thirstin'
16. Willie The Kid – "Power Cypha"
17. Action Bronson & Kool G. Rap – "A Queen's Thing"
18. KRS-One, Fat Joe & Sadat X – "Take It To The Bronx"
19. Termanology – "Aw Shux"
20. Joel Ortiz, Royce Da 5'9" & Crooked I – "Slaughter Session"
21. Eminem – "Untitled"
22. Redman, Method Man & Erick Sermon – "Let's Go"
23. Prodigy – "Untitled"
24. N.O.R.E., Al Joseph & Reek da Villian – "Questions"
25. Gob Goblin, Starvin B & Spit Gemz – "Untitled"
(June 7)
UPDATE #2: DJBooth.net has premiered the full album stream of Tony Touch's Piece Maker 3: Return Of The 50 MC's. The album releases tomorrow (July 9).
RELATED: Tony Touch – Toca Tuesdays – The Best Freestyles of 2011 [MIXTAPE]


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Thursday, Jun 15, 2017, 2:00 pm
Wisconsin Dairy Farmers Have Been Duped into Producing Too Much Milk
For a farmer, getting the news that you no longer have a market for your product is devastating. I know—I got one of those letters a few months ago. It is especially problematic if you are a dairy farmer, since cows need to be milked every day. So, in April, when 75 Wisconsin farmers were notified by their milk buyer, Grassland Dairy Products, that they would no longer have a market, state government officials took notice.
While our government officials appear to be concerned about the well-being and economic viability of Wisconsin's dairy farmers, I wonder if they are really more interested in the viability of the "dairy industry."
Are they concerned about fair farm prices and the environment, or keeping the economic engine rolling?
Gov. Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection have done all they can to encourage Wisconsin farmers to produce more milk—never questioning how much milk might be too much—because their concern lies with a dairy industry that depends on cheap milk.
In 2003, the Wisconsin Legislature passed Act 235, a bill that limited the ability of local communities to oppose large farms.
In 2011, the State Assembly voted to provide dairy farmers tax credits for modernizing or expanding their operations.
In 2012, Walker introduced his "30x20" plan to grow Wisconsin's milk production, to 30 billion pounds annually by 2020, by offering grants to dairy producers to help them grow their businesses and Wisconsin's dairy industry.
Dairy economist Bob Cropp, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, thought the initiative was a good idea and that it would not lower milk prices. He apparently agreed with the governor, who noted: "The reality is, that the growth is not fast enough for the opportunities that are before us." But Wisconsin dairy farmers met the 30-billion-pound goal last year. The predictions of no downside to the increased milk production, however, did not work out so well.
Over the past 10 years, the number of Wisconsin dairy farms has fallen from 14,265 to 9,230. Those that remain have gotten larger, much larger. Concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, are now the preferred model for the future of dairy production in Wisconsin. Their numbers have grown from 50 in 2000 to 252 in 2016. But the support for larger farms and more milk does not end with the governor and Wisconsin Legislature. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) seems to be very interested in being a partner to large-scale farms. This isn't totally wrong, but the partnership must ensure environmental protection standards are followed.
As former DNR Secretary George Meyer noted, "The standards aren't really at stake, those are set in law." However, complaints of non-enforcement by the DNR are increasing under the Walker administration. Since the governor took office in 2011, he and the Republican-controlled Legislature have co-opted the administrative rule-making process, taking that power, basically, into their own hands. Even the Wisconsin attorney general got into the act with his legal opinion stating that the DNR had no authority to consider the cumulative effects of high-capacity wells on the waters of Wisconsin—a gift to CAFOs but a real problem for the environment and the citizens of Wisconsin.
Gov. Walker on the campaign trail. (Photo: urbanmilwaukee.com)
Wisconsin is open for business...the CAFO dairy business.
By doing all they can to support the growth of dairy CAFOs—whether by gutting the DNR's enforcement capabilities through staff and budget cuts, or by appointing a DNR secretary who says she has "brought customer-friendly private-sector principles to the agency"—the governor and state Legislature have encouraged large dairies to locate and expand in Wisconsin and produce as much milk as they can.
While far too much emphasis has been placed on increasing milk output in Wisconsin and the rest of the nation, solutions to the consequences are falling short. Governor Walker blames Canada for supporting Canadian dairy farmers over U.S. farmers. Not to be outdone in stupidity, the state Assembly's answer was sending a letter to University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross, asking him to direct some research funds into exploring alternative uses (beyond consumption) for milk.
They encourage farmers to overproduce, cry crocodile tears over low prices and lost markets, then, despite the $250 million they cut from the University of Wisconsin budget, they ask for research on alternative uses for milk...
What about just producing less milk?
Supply management would promote fair prices for farmers, a stable supply for consumers and possibly some protection for the environment by limiting the growth of CAFOs. But no—that would make too much sense and might cut into industry profits.
Farmers have been duped into producing too much milk. Their profitability is gone and, as they are suffering, so is the quality of Wisconsin's environment.
("Jim Goodman: Wisconsin dairy farmers have been duped" was originally published on host.madison.com and is reposted on Rural America In These Times with permission from the author.)
Jim Goodman
Jim Goodman is a retired dairy farmer from Wonewoc, Wis., and represents Family Farm Defenders as National Family Farm's Coalition board president.
More by Jim Goodman
- The Bright Side of the Current Farm Crisis: An Opportunity For Change
- With the USDA's Blessing, CAFOs Are Driving Organic Dairy Farmers Out of Business
- Dairy Farmer to Donald Trump: "Replace NAFTA, It's Not Good For Farmers Anywhere"
- Wisconsin Dairy Farmer to GOP: Your Estate Tax Claims Are Bogus
- Wisconsin Dairy Farmers Have Been Duped into Producing Too Much Milk

subset: commoncrawl


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You might think a kid doesn't have to file his first federal tax return until he's finally launched and holds his first real job. Unfortunately you'd be wrong. The rules governing who must file a return are surprisingly complicated, and a teen might have to file if he has earned as little as $400 from babysitting or mowing lawns.
"People get nailed," says Sherrill Trovato, an enrolled agent in Yorba Linda, Calif. "They'll say, 'I'm only 18; I don't have to file a tax return.' But it's not driven by age; it's driven by income," she explains.
Moreover, some of those who should file and don't end up shorting themselves, not the government. How so? They lose out on claiming refunds of taxes withheld from their paychecks or miss out on refundable tax credits they might qualify for.
Whether you're a parent trying to figure out if your dependent kids should file returns, a college student, or a young worker out on your own, here's a primer on filing your first tax return.
The Basic Filing Threshold
If you're a dependent (that means someone else pays more than half your support, including college tuition, room and board) whether you have to file depends on not only the amount of income you have, but also the source of that income.
Here's the rundown: If you have earned more than $5,700 working as someone's employee, you have to file. If you have unearned income (from interest or dividends) of more than $950, you have to file or your parents can elect to put your income on their own return. (More on that later.) Finally, if you have a combination of earned and unearned income that totals more than $950 and at least $300 of that is unearned, then you have to file, says Mel Schwarz, a partner with Grant Thornton in Washington, D.C.
The Self-Employment Catch
Those are the basic thresholds for a dependent. Things get more complicated if a kid is self-employed. For the high-school lawn-mower, babysitter or dog-walker, the duty to file kicks in as soon as he or she earns $400 net. That's because Social Security and Medicare must be reported and paid as "self-employment" taxes on Schedule SE of the Form 1040 income tax return, even if no income tax is due. True, if a kid is paid in cash the IRS is unlikely to know about the income, and most dog-walkers, babysitters and lawn-mowers probably don't report. But if a teen works for someone else (say a lawn service) and gets paid $600 or more as an independent contractor, both he and the IRS will be sent 1099s reporting his earnings.
Either way--whether a 1099 is issued or not--self-employed folks are supposed to report what they earn on Schedule C of the 1040. If you or your paid-in-cash teen is reluctant to comply, remember that he can deduct expenses (say, printing flyers to advertise his lawn business, or getting the mower repaired) against the gross revenue he takes in, reducing his taxable net. (That net is what he pays self-employment taxes on.) Consider it a learning experience.
The Form 8814 Option
If a dependent child reaches the filing threshold and some of his income is earned, he must file a separate tax return. But if he has unearned income from interest and dividends only, and is above the $950 threshold, his income can be reported on Form 8814 of his parents' return (up to a $9,500 maximum).
Craig Eaton, a CPA with Moody, Famiglietti & Andronico in Tewksbury, Mass., says his clients are often surprised to learn about yet another twist: If a child has any potential gains at all--meaning if he has any sales of stocks or bonds, including those sold in a custodial account for him--he must file a separate return, including a Schedule D.
Gross stock sales are reported to the IRS by the broker on a 1099-B, so this reporting is required, even if the child had no gains from the sale as long as the child had total investment income, including gross sales, of more than $950. In one case last year, Eaton says, clients switched investment advisers and liquidated their 8-year-old's $300,000 portfolio so it could be reallocated by their new financial guru. The stocks were sold at a $2,000 capital loss, but the parents still had to file a separate 1040 for their child, complete with a Schedule D for gains and losses. True, the kid gets to carry the loss forward the same as anyone else. But there's a little gotcha here: If the child's only income the next year is a $500 capital gain, it sops up $500 of the carryover loss--even though this income would have been tax-free (since it was below $950) on its own.
The Independent Filing Threshold
What if a young person can't be claimed as a dependent on someone else's return? Then he doesn't have to file a return unless gross income from all sources is over $9,350. (Provided, that is, he's not netting more than $400 from self-employment income.)
The W-4 Trap
A teen who earns less than the filing threshold may want to file anyway if he had income taxes withheld from a paycheck and is entitled to a refund. "You always have to file if you want your money back," Schwarz notes.
To avoid unnecessary filing, Schwarz says, be careful about how your teen fills out his W-4 when he snags a new job. Often, he notes, a boss will mistakenly tell a teen to put down zero exemptions on the W-4 wage withholding form, and money will be withheld when it shouldn't be. Instead the young employee should write "EXEMPT" on line 7 to certify that he had no federal tax liability the year before and expects to owe no federal tax this year. It's the same procedure for state income taxes. Watch out for separate forms in some states. Schwarz laments he just got W-2s for his own teenagers saying the state of Virginia had withheld $2 for one kid and $3 for the other.
Claiming Your Credits
Another reason a young worker who doesn't have to file might want to is the many tax credits out there. A tax credit reduces any tax you owe dollar for dollar, and some credits are even "refundable"--meaning you can get money back even if you didn't pay any taxes.
If a college student paid more than half his own expenses, he might be able to grab the American Opportunity Credit--a $2,500 credit for college expenses, $1,000 of which is refundable. A student who, for example, is living off a part-time job and selling stocks given to him by grandma, might qualify.
Assuming he's not someone else's dependent, a young worker might also be able to claim the $400 refundable Making Work Pay Credit for 2010, or the refundable earned income tax credit.
The Parent Trap
A kid who is under 19 or under 24 and a full-time student and who has more than $1,900 of unearned income is subject to the kiddie tax: Unearned income above $1,900 will be taxed at his parents' (usually higher) tax rate. The parents must attach Form 8615 to their own return. Forbes contributor Kaye Thomas has a detailed explanation of the "kiddie tax" rules at his website, Fairmark.com.
I cover personal finance, with a focus on retirement planning, trusts and estates strategies, and taxwise charitable giving. I've written for Forbes since 1997. Follow me…
I cover personal finance, with a focus on retirement planning, trusts and estates strategies, and taxwise charitable giving. I've written for Forbes since 1997. Follow me on Twitter: @ashleaebeling and contact me by email: ashleaebeling -- at -- gmail -- dot -- com


text: AY Honors are a core portion of the overall Pathfinder curriculum. There are close to 300 AY Honors that can be earned, covering a wide variety of interests, from art to music to vocational pursuits. This page lists all the AY Honor Resources that we have available for you to download.


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Registration is now open for the 20th Annual Lou Brock Golf Classic on Monday, Aug. 13, at Whitmoor Country Club, located at 1100 Whitmoor Drive, St. Charles, Mo. 63304. The tournament is one of St. Louis' most exclusive, with all proceeds benefiting Lindenwood University athletics and the Lou Brock Scholarship Fund.
The event will include registration and lunch at 11 a.m., a "Chip off the ol' Brock" contest at noon, and a shotgun start at 1:00 p.m. A social hour will take place at 6 p.m., and an awards dinner is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Tournament polo shirts and other souvenirs will be given to each player. The cost to participate in the golf scramble is $1,000 per four-person team or $300 per individual.
All golfers and sponsors are invited to attend a dinner auction at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11, at Whitmoor Country Club. The cost to attend is $100 per guest.
To register for either event, contact the Lindenwood University Institutional Advancement Office at 636-949-4424 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com. To learn more about available sponsorship opportunities, contact Jane Baum, athletic development director, at 636-949-4427 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Lindenwood University, founded in 1827, is an independent liberal arts university offering 84 undergraduate degree programs and 37 graduate programs in diverse areas of study in traditional and accelerated formats.
Lindenwood operates campuses in historic St. Charles, Mo., and Belleville, Ill., as well as numerous other extension centers throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.


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We visited Mark Jordan, Marketing guru at Fox Racing Shox and he quickly gave us a peek into their new 650b/27.5 trail fork featuring 140mm of travel. Currently, they have a 160mm travel fork and a 120/160mm Talas CTD fork that feature 34 mm stanchions. Both forks are big and are well over four lbs. in weight so they are suited for burly, All Mountain bikes. Most of these bikes are very capable of going up and down any terrain but they are usually 30 lbs or heavier. Many of the new bikes are featured here in the 650b/27.5 Round Up.
Mark explained that this new fork will feature an all-new 32mm stanchion chassis so it will be optimized and very light. The crown is new, stiff and light and the brake posts are beefy and mounted low. Mark said they their goal is to be "the leader in this new wheel size platform" so expect great things from Fox when it comes to 650b/27.5.
The big question of course is availability and no one will be excited about this answer. "It will be featured on many bikes at Eurobike and Interbike 2013 so it really is for 2014 model year bikes."Expect the consumer to be able to purchase these as original equipment on bikes at the end of 2013.
What are the specifics on the fork?
Well, this fork is a Float air fork on the all new 32 mm chassis so expect it to be light and stiff. It has 140mm of travel and of course will be available in Kashima and their standard stanchion coatings. The weight for the 15mm thru-axle, tapered steer version will be in between:
32 FLOAT 120 FIT CTD w/Trail Adjust – 3.22 lbs
32 FLOAT 29 100 FIT CTD w/Trail Adjust – 3.43 lbs
So expect 3.3 lbs. Given that the current Fox 650b/27.5 fork weighs about 4.38 lbs with 160mm travel, this new fork will open up a new array of trail bikes. The current big fork is really driving manufacturers to make big, capable bikes so most of the bikes weigh 30+ lbs. This new fork will forge the way towards 25 lb. 650b/27.5 bikes as pound shaving occurs in frames and wheels as well.
What else did we learn from Mark?
Well, Mark came from a bike shop, RST Suspension, Marzocchi, Decline Magazine and now Fox Racing Shox so he is one of the smartest and most respected guys in the bike industry. He said Fox Racing Shox participates in high-end motos, trucks and snowmobiles yet their bike division accounts for arond 70% of sales. "Most of the folks here ride and love bikes," he says.
We also learned that almost all their forks now are air suspension based. The coil spring front fork is almost dead as the the advancement in front air suspension has been dramatic. Out of their 40 fork models, only a couple DH ones are coil spring based and even those are going away. Air is just so much more configurable, tuneable and controllable. "Even supercross forx are air forks now," he said. So the technology should be able to handle all bicycle needs. "The new Honda 450 model motorcycle runs an air fork," Mark also said. On rear shocks, coil spring still has its place in downhill applications.
Asked about dropper posts, he said "I wouldn't ride without them." In fact Mark says experienced riders are now using their dropper post remote lever more than their front shifter. "We want the dropper post lever to take the place of the front shifter." he said. "Most often used is the right shifter, then the dropper post lever, then maybe the front shifter," he explains. This is indeed enlightening as equipment is changing and dropper posts are becoming more important. Read about mtbr's Dropper Post Round Up here.


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Scrum Sevens
Blue is the colour
Tom Hamilton
December 8, 2011
Oxford's Brian Smith passes the ball on © Getty Images
The 130th Varsity Match will take place at Twickenham on Thursday with Cambridge and Oxford set to renew their age-old rivalry.
Over the years some of the world's greatest players have donned the dark blue of Oxford and the light blue sported by Cambridge with many of those also boasting Rugby World Cup pedigree. This year is no different with Cambridge captained by former Canadian international Matt Guinness-King - who turned out for the Canucks in the 2003 World Cup.
The nine-cap centre - who also appeared for Cambridge in the 2010 match - follows in a long list of stellar names who have graced both a World Cup and a Varsity match - a fact celebrated by the latest edition of Scrum Sevens that includes a World Cup winning-captain, one of rugby's great comeback kings and a former England coach.
David Kirk - New Zealand and Oxford
Kirk captained the All Blacks to World Cup glory in 1987 in what many thought was surely going to be the first of many. The scrum-half, who famously boycotted the 1986 tour to South Africa along with team-mate John Kirwan due to that country's apartheid system, stepped up to lead his country at the sport's first World Cup after original skipper Andy Dalton was ruled out on the eve of the tournament with an injury.
New Zealand powered into the final where Kirk played a key role, scoring a try to help dispatch France 29-9. Kirk would only play one more time for the Kiwis - against Australia in July 1987 - before leaving to take up a Rhodes Scholarship at Worcester College, Oxford, to read PPE. He played in the 1987 and 1988 Varsity matches - winning the second. Fellow New Zealand international Anton Oliver also went to Worcester College and lined up in the 2008 Varsity.
Mike Hall - Wales and Cambridge
Hall left Cambridge University in 1988 to take up a post with a Cardiff-based property surveyor but by this time he had already turned out for Wales and in the Varsity Match. Hall played for Cambridge against Kirk in 1987 and 1988 and the centre was on the winning side in the first of those two clashes with Cambridge outscoring their rivals three tries to one.
The Welsh centre appeared in the 1991 World Cup starting against France, Western Samoa, Argentina and Australia. He went on to accrue 43 caps scoring seven tries in the process. Hall is a former rugby pundit and is now involved with Cardiff City football club.
Brian Smith - Australia, Ireland and Oxford
Finding himself behind Nick Farr-Jones and Michael Lynagh in the Wallabies' pecking order, Brian Smith turned his back on his international career to pursue a one-year course at Oxford. However, after enjoying his first year - which included lining up alongside Kirk in the 1988 Varsity - Smith ended up transferring to a full three-year course. He went on to captain the Oxford side in the 1989 Varsity clash, but they lost 22-13.
Smith added Ireland to his international CV before taking on coaching roles with Bath, London Irish and then England, but he still looks back on his time at Oxford with fondness. "I'm a kid from the Bush in Australia - I grew up in the Outback to a certain extent, so going to Oxford, well, it was a magical place," Smith said. "The architecture blew me away - the wonderful sandstone buildings and the colleges were just beautiful. If you took the cars away and changed everyone's fashion, you could have been there at any time over a 500 year span. It really is a magical place and it was a great time."
Phil de Glanville - England and Oxford
The England centre turned out in the 1995 and 1999 World Cups during an international career that earned him 38 Test caps. De Glanville was handed the England captaincy in 1996 following Will Carling's demotion in the wake of his 'old farts' outburst his midfield rival's partnership with Jeremy Guscott would eventually limit his international outings.
De Glanville turned out in the 1990 Varsity Match for Oxford after spending three years at Durham doing an Economics degree. That specific year boasted a host of international stars with the likes of Welsh international Adrian Davies and Japan's Toshiyuki Hayashi also playing who along with De Glanville helped Oxford claim a 21-12 win.
David Humphreys - Ireland and Oxford
After captaining the Irish Schools team to a Triple Crown in 1990, Humphreys opted to study law at Queen's University of Belfast. His career began to take shape at Ulster before he took a year out to journey to Oxford where his star continued to rise with a record-equalling 19 points (a try, conversion, drop goal and three penalties) in the 1995 Varsity Match. But it was not enough to prevent Cambridge running away with the spoils with the light blues scoring the winning points 50 seconds into extra time.
His Ireland debut followed a year later and he went on to play in the 1999 and 2003 World Cups. Humphreys qualified as a solicitor and joined the same law firm as Mike Gibson - a fellow Varsity participant and Ireland international - and went on to accrue 72 caps for Ireland.
Simon Danielli - Scotland and Oxford
Born in Edinburgh, Danielli studied at Cheltenham College before going to Oxford's Trinity College to study Philosophy and Theology. During this time he shared in two Oxford victories in both 1999 and 2000 and could lay claim to being one of the few Scottish players to have triumphed at English rugby's HQ in recent times. Danielli went onto feature in the 2003 and 2011 World Cups for the national side but has never forgotten his university days.
"I've won at Twickenham before, twice in the dark blue of Oxford, and those varsity matches are among the best memories of my rugby career," Danielli said. "Elements of those occasions are so unique and even though it's old school we had some terrific camaraderie and sunk a few beers.
"We played several top-quality sides - I remember once playing Bath and they had a number of British Lions in their line-up and everything in the season builds to the varsity game. There's a chance to claim a few big scalps on the way but I recall winning very few games one year yet we came from behind to defeat Cambridge and the whole campaign was considered a success. That's the uniqueness of it - lose every game in the season yet win the last one and it's a success."
Dan Vickerman - Australia and Cambridge
Having featured at the 2003 and 2007 World Cups for Australia, Vickerman was firmly established on the international scene. But in 2008 he chose to withdraw from the Wallabies to pursue a degree at Cambridge University and went on to play in the 2008 Varsity Match and skipper the side the following year.
Vickerman led the light blues to a 31-27 victory in 2009 and returned to Australia in time for the 2011 Super Rugby competition where he did enough to force his way back into the international reckoning. Vickerman was a fundamental part of the Wallabies side during the 2011 World Cup, playing five of their seven games.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Tom Hamilton is the Assistant Editor of ESPNscrum.
Communication error please reload the page.


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Fearless Friday, Black & White Checked Bunnies & Eggs
Today we are going to paint bunnies
But not on paper
Actual bunnies!
How sweet are these??
Inspired by Etsy and MacKenzie Childs
I started with a trip to Hobby Lobby and found 2 sweet wood bunnies and a shiny white egg
My gray bunny was $14 compared to the similar size Etsy bunny which is $74
My brown bunny with a bloom was $9 compared to MKC's Radish Rabbit which is $98
My egg was $4.25 compared to MKC's similar large stand alone egg at $48
White paint for the gray bunny and the brown bunny's belly and paws
a green vest
A spring blue coat
Courtly Checked pants
For the checks, use a square flat brush and choose a start point. Make a row skipping a space after every black check. Next paint a row to the side, alternating the checks to form the black and white check pattern
Dots on his forehead and a dab of pink on his nose and toes
A checked ribbon bow tie
The brown bunny with the bloom was inspired by the MKC Radish Rabbit
He got a shiny black coat, a pretty pink and green tulip, pink cheeks and polka dot ears and a checked bow tie
This very shiny white egg is flat on the bottom so it can stand
I started with black checks down the center
I did four rows of checks on 2 opposite sides
The other sides got simple 3 stroke flowers
Load a small round {#4 or#6} brush with paint and make a short quick stroke
load brush again and make another stroke next to the first
but in a slightly different direction and repeat again for the final stroke
Practice on a sheet of paper to get the feel of it
The green stems are done with a liner brush
Load brush with paint and make a short stroke down
going from the base of the flower petals in a slight curve
and ending in a point
Reload brush and stroke up and out from the middle of the stem
Dabs of aqua were added with a small flat rectangle brush
These will be starring in an Easter tablescape soon!
Be Fearless and transform something!
🎨 🎨 🎨
I used several types of acrylic paint that I had on hand for these crafts
Rosie the Rabbit is available in my Society 6 Shop here on a pillow and many other items
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Meal Plan Monday Dishing it & Digging it, Between Naps on the Porch,
Merry Monday Make it Pretty Monday Celebrate and Decorate,
Tasty Tuesday Oh My Heartsie Girl Full Plate Thursday
Thursday Favorite Things Creatively Crafty Home Matters
Comments54 Responses to "Fearless Friday, Black & White Checked Bunnies & Eggs"
Wonderful tutorial Jenna! The rabbits will be the star of your Easter tablescape!
Wonderful work. Very nice.
What a lovely and cite display of all your work.
Just adorable!! Especially like the egg!!
Jenna, you know I;m smiling big! These bunnies are adorable, and the egg is spring perfection. I have my assortment of Easter needlepoint eggs and bunnies on the buffet with a few other eggs and bunnies in the mix. I'm eager to see your tablescape staring these new cuties! Happy weekend!
What a fabulous job in painting these bunnies, Jenna! I've always admired MKC's design patterns and thought about trying to paint some using purple. Lol! They have expanded their line so much using their signature design in so many different ways. You have definitely inspired me to paint something, too!
Your paintings are gorgeous and those black/white checked bunnies are just perfect! I love that you share your awesome talents with us and show us how we can replicate some of your creations! Happy Sunday! Hugs!
Hi Jenna, I just love these pretty bunnies and the egg that looks like MacKenzie Childs. You did a great job and thanks for the tutorial on how to paint them! Looks like you are already for Easter.
Enjoy the weekend.
Jenna, I wanted to let you know I will be featuring your post on Monday, 7:00 pm CST at Celebrate Your Story! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talents! Hugs!
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A new generation of young urbanised Maori are being enticed back to farming and taught valuable skills at Taratahi Agricultural Centre thanks to a new scholarship.
Two scholarships each worth $18,750 have been offered to young urban Maori by Motutapu Farms Ltd chairman Rick Braddock.
The scholarship offers by the Pakeha businessman stem from his enthusiasm to see Maori involved in farming on Motutapu Island, outside Auckland.
Mr Braddock believes the opportunity for Maori farmers to work on Motutapu should be "their entitlement".
Nigel Udy, education delivery manager at Taratahi Agricultural Centre said the scholarship was a significant step.
"We are giving scholarship opportunities to students who would not normally be able to do this," he said.
"We are trying to eliminate the barriers, which are mostly financial barriers, are in talks to highlight further training opportunities and we are identifying other ways to engage with young men and women, mostly Maori, to give them a head start in farming."
Mr Braddock is hoping the scholarships will prove attractive to young urban Maori who want to return to farming despite many Maori families having lost their ties to the land.
He praised the facilities, the guidance and the opportunity to learn varying dairy, cattle and sheep farming skills at the centre under the programme.
Auckland students Estelle Harimape, 21, and Josh Wilson, 20, are the first scholarship recipients. They began their training in July. Both had never worked on a farm previously, but have strong ancestral connections to the land.
The students said that starting the programme at the beginning of the calving season at Taratahi was a great experience.
Ms Harimape said she has "really enjoyed" her training and learned new skills such as butchery. She has her sights set on a career in agricultural management and she is looking forward to working at Mototapu during the holidays.
Mr Wilson believes the programme has provided him with "lots of opportunities" for a future career in agriculture.
He said he has gained useful understanding of stock management and and he has thoroughly enjoyed learning to navigate agricultural vehicles.
Although Motutapu Island is public land, there is a possibility that Maori could soon be granted a future lease to farm it as part of Auckland's Tamaki Collective settlement.
Over the last 20 years, Mr Braddock has worked extensively with the Department of Conservation to restore Motutapu Island to its former glory. The island is now a beacon of natural wildlife and it is also completely pest-free.
Mr Braddock is keen to develop the scholarships over the coming years in collaboration with Ngai-Tai-Ki-Tamaki and Taratahi Agricultural Centre.


text:
(Consumers' Page)
These programs consist of entities who are state licensed, or state certified, to provide care and services to a designated population. In most cases, payment source is either private pay or Medicaid. To help determine if/when care may be appropriate, and the type of care setting, please visit this web site Elder Care
Residential Care or Assisted Living:
Consumer and Provider information relating to care and services in residential care or assisted living facilities.
Certified Family Homes:
Consumer and Provider information relating to care and services in Certified Family Homes.
Developmental Disabilities Agencies (DDA) and Residential Habilitation Agencies (ResHab):
Consumers and Providers will find information on these pages to help participants receive quality services. Additional information is also available relating to the Community Care Advisory Council.
Link to Providers' Page
Certified Family Homes
Children's Residential Licensing
Residential Care/Assisted Living
State & Federal Programs:
<Program title>
PO Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0009
Protection & Advocacy


text:
This site is the archived OWASP Foundation Wiki and is no longer accepting Account Requests.
To view the new OWASP Foundation website, please visit https://owasp.org
OWASP EJSF Project
Category:Vulnerability Category:Access Control
Modern web application frameworks have made it easy to develop high quality web applications, but developing a secure application still requires programmers to possess a deep understanding of security vulnerabilities and attacks. Sometimes it is difficult for an experienced developer to find and eliminate all the vulnerabilities. This demo represents the JSF-ESAPI framework based on JSF2.0 and OWASP ESAPI. It helps developers write a secure and lower-risk JSF based on a web application with minimal configuration and without extensive prior knowledge of the web security. The figure below shows a complete integration of the JSF-ESAPI framework with JSF2.0 and ESAPI. It works as a middleware and consists of four important modules. ESAPI Validation is the first module which verifies the user input as given in the XSS prevention cheat sheet provided by OWASP. It consists of many user-defined validator tags and generates appropriate error messages if the user input is not valid. In this way it performs a strong validation. There are also some tags available in the correspondence validators in ESAPI, and they also filter the XSS relevant code from the input. The file-based authorization module simplifies the user's role, such as admin, user, etc. and gives the permission to visualize certain components at the presentation layer based on assigned roles. ESAPI Filtering layer compares the valid form token with tokens stored in the session for that user. If the token is mitigated or changed by man in the middle during the process of a request-response exchange, it will give the appropriate exception. The last module is a render module, which renders the output after filtering the XSS content and encodes the vulnerable characters such as <,>,",' etc. as given in the XSS prevention cheat sheet provided by OWASP. This framework will help developers to prevent a myriad of security problems including cross-site scripting, CSRF (cross-site request forgery), automatic input validation, and automatic output validation with escaped "true" or without this parameter, authorization. All the features are included in one framework. Advantages:
- It requires minimal configuration to use the framework.
- It ensures retrofit security in the existing application.
- It provides the same performance as JSF framework.
- Automatic filtering of the XSS vulnerable code from output takes place when escape equals true" or "false".
- The input validation is easy and no additional coding is required.
- It has a layered architecture. It uses what you need and leaves what you don't need at the moment.
- One framework includes the most secure features."
This project is a continuation of the Master thesis (Master Thesis - Applied Computer Science, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau - "Development of the Security Framework based on OWASP ESAPI for JSF2.0" by Rakeshkumar Kachhadiya) created in May 2012.
The goal is to facilitate the work of computer scientists, when they will implement a new application, it will be automatically safe without them realizes. It is important to improve more security on the 'File based authorization' module.
The 'File based authorization' module gives permission to visualize some areas or pages at the presentation layer as per given user rights.
It's responsible to maintain the user information in the file with their assigned roles but also setting the rendering components false if the accessible user tries to retrieve the page.
- Download esapi_final.jar file
- Download all external librairies in the 'Downloads' section. Not all librairies are required! Check all librairies dependencies for this project in this page
- Download the config files (taglib.xml, faces-config.xml, validation.properties, ESAPI.properties, web.xml and users.txt)
- Add all librairies to your JSF project buildpath
- Make the same with the esapi_final.jar file, this jar archive contain all important classes
- Copy the files (taglib.xml, faces-config.xml, validation.properties, ESAPI.properties) to your web/WEB-INF directory of your JSF project
- Update your web.xml file
Go to the 'Example' section and download the guess example and the auction example. You need to install this projects in Eclipse and then download the pdf files corresponding to each example in the 'Documentation' section for step by step installation.
Master Jar file : esapi_final.jar
The full Master project jar from Rakeshkumar Kachhadiya updated : Jar file Rakeshkumar esapi project
This zip contain all config files (taglib.xml, faces-config.xml, validation.properties, ESAPI.properties, web.xml and users.txt) : Config files
Two Eclipse projects for the demonstration (Both contains a login page, this login needs some class available in the esapi_final.jar file):
PDF file containing a presentation and a demonstration of a 'file based authorization' attack and a solution to protect it.
Step by step installation guide for the two examples :
Example with File based authorization protection (guess_example documentation)
Example with CSRF and validation protection (auction_example documentation)
Project About
What does this OWASP project offer you?
What releases are available for this project?


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Personalized Jerseys
There was a question about getting personalized jerseys and while I haven't been able to get an answer yet on the online store, you can call the Top of the Park store at Dodger Stadium and order a Billingsley jersey (or whoever) that way. The number is (323) 224-1334.
Here's tonight's lineup:
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Martin, C
Kent, 2B
Loney, 1B
Nomar, 3B
Ethier, LF
Kemp, RF
Penny, P
The team has fared pretty well against lefties thus far (17-8), the best mark in the NL. And a win tonight would put the Dodgers at a season-high 13 games over .500 and would mark the first time they've won five in a row this season.
Also, if you're at home tonight (not at the game), stay tuned on FSN Prime Ticket after the game for "Randy Wolf, Before the Bigs." He grew up locally, as most of you know, so there should be plenty of interesting references to things from the Valley.
Another Valley guy (and another former Philly), Mike Lieberthal, hit his first big league homer on this date in 1994 and it was against the Dodgers. Incredibly, his teammate at the time and the starting third baseman that day was Mariano Duncan.
And phinally, with the Phillies losing their 10,000th game yesterday, it begs the question of how close the Dodgers are. The answer: Not very. The team has lost 8,573 games since 1890 when it joined the National League.
Also, here's an answer to some of your questions about spam which came from the guy at MLB who runs the blogs:
"Everyone's comment at MLBlogs is followed by their email address as we are an open community and people can email each other — unlike other typical blog sites where you can't contact anyone unless you register there. If the person wants his/her email address to be hidden, s/he must be a subscribed MLBlogger, and then can choose to have a first name only show up (it would be clickable to a URL or email address of that person's choosing).
We can't do anything about the spam, sorry…and of course that's making an assumption that it's coming from MLBlogs exposure, as it's a Yahoo! account that can be spammed from anywhere. Six Apart is the No. 1 blog software company and this is their Typepad environment that we are using, at least for now.
Also, this is the first such comment I've received in 2-plus years of MLBlogs community, so it's generally not a concern among users…even though I certainly hate spam as much as anyone."
143 Comments
I noticed that often, Tracy tried to alternate the heart of the lineup righty-lefty-R-L, whenever possible, but I haven't seen that much with Little. Any thoughts?
I'm delighted to see that we have both Kemp and Ethier in the lineup together for a change. Nothing against Gonzo, but he needs to take a day or two off as well.
Let's take this one, DODGERS!!!
Now, replace Nomar with Betemit, and thatis the perfect lineup
That's exactly what I thought, good to see Loney getting the spot above Nomar. That is a solid lineup right there. Especially with Gonzo not in there having no success against the lefty Moyer and Nomar in there who is home and has had great success against Moyer. Hope the blister won't get in the way tonight for Penny.
Go Dodgers!
I think Nomar gets these next seven games to prove that he is not washed up. Even the biggest fan has to admit that this guy is toast!
I just read that Nomar is the weakest corner infielder from a power/Slugging standpoint in all the Major Leagues. Now that is pretty bad!
Great to Ethier and Kemp in there, I hope this is the OF that we see in 2008 and beyond.
Speaking of spam…
I no longer can use the email address I joined this blog with (shown below) because of the spam. I get 10-20 pieces a day, most of it consists of "ATTN LOTTERY WINNER!" and other such assorted Nigerian type scams. For some reason Yahoo's spam filter does not catch them. No biggie, I've moved onto another email address but since I created it only for mlb.com, I have to think this is where the spam is coming from.
I'm going to get out to at least one game against the Phillies, probably tomorrow. My wife grew up in Philly so she likes to see her childhood team, 10,000 losses and all! She's a Dodgers fan first though so there is no conflict in her rooting interests.
"License to Wed" was cheesy.
Thanks for the store info josh. As soon as i get paid on friday im calling.
oh no Grady's off his rocker now. Loney is hitting in front of Nomar
russell in the lineup again?!?!?! geez, i figured he'd take this day off. this is why this guy is just so awsome. he loves to be out there. incredible.
when he got hit in the wrist on saturday and we had to go through extra innigs, i thought he would have the next day off.
this kids got energy man. i love it!!
Perfect lineup. WIN tonight looks good!
Wow we have the best record in the NL!!
I agree with everyone, it's really great to see Ethier and Kemp in the same starting line up. I wish it would happen more often. Gonzo has been valuable to the team but I'd shed no tear having him sit a few games here and there.
Also, I have to admit (to myself if no one else) that Pierre has picked up his game over the last month or so. I've seriosly enjoyed watching him turn his singles into doubles and triples via the stolen base. His attitude also makes it really hard for me to dislike him. Though, again, I'd shed no tear if he sat here and there to get Kemp and Ethier more simultaneous play time.
On another note, I drove up to SF over the weekend and caught Saturday's game. My girlfriend, friends and I came sooo close to getting Russ to join us for a drink on Saturday night! He was really cool when I said, "Come on Russ, this is our only chance to get to hang with you." He paused, looked at his buddy, pondered, smiled and said "Maybe on the way back, man." Oh well. It was good seeing him hanging out on the streets with everyone. Also, I got James Loney to autograph my hat after the game! What a great weekend!
This is FAR from a perfect lineup. If the Dodgers used their best resources, this is how they'd stack up:
Hu, SS
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
Kemp, CF
LaRoche, 3B
Ethier, RF
D Young, LF
Abreu, 2B
Anyone think Piazza could be a good acquisition for a package of Lieberthal and Martinez/Saenz? He could be a pretty good power bat off the bench (easily better than Saenz), in a familiar ballpark, and would probably be more effective than Lieberthal when Martin actually takes a day off.
Since the A's are in position to sell, what do you think it would take to get Joe Blanton from them? He hits arbitration next year, and has a nice low ERA and a good WHIP.
Good one momo. A minor league lineup with 2-3 major leaguers. That'll DEFINITELY win 100 games.
Those players are the most talented at their positions in the Dodgers organization. So yes, they will win games. Though not 100 right off the bat.
I'm looking forward to the day, momo, but not very likely very soon with this management.
Nice I can see this gaining steam. The national media is now on top of it.
Nomar Garciaparra this season: .270/.315/.327. Wilson Betemit this season: .223/.351/.489. Betemit since the beginning of May: .275/.384/.659 in 91 at-bats. Is this really so difficult? The Dodgers have the NL's best record anyway, but at some point, production is going to have to matter more than name recognition. It's not like Garciaparra is just slumping. He also had a sub-700 OPS in the second half of 2006. .
I think it was max that originally proposed looking into Blanton, something that seems like a great idea. But im afraid it would take something considerable to get him, but who knows. I also thuoght abuot the Piazza thing when the A's announced pieces were available. It would be great. We only use a backup every other week anyways, but Lieberthal is still probably a much better defensive catcher that Piazza. And i dont know how Piazza would feel about being nothing more than a pinch hitter and an occasional backup.
That minor league team would not win 85 games. No power in there either.
Akinori Otsuka..we should trade for him.
Good call jungar, he's pretty close to lights out and would enjoy playing with Saito I would think. Otsuka-Broxton-Saito, thats pretty filthy! I'd take that over the Pads trio.
no…Aki will cost far too much for what he is worth b/c he is under contract for several more years cheaply. Plus, he is an injury risk. Thats why (gasp) Gagne would be a better pickup for several teams.
Piazza is thought to be too fragile to catch at this point, so that trade wouldn't work. Although how cool would it be to have him back as a pinch hitter!
Wow very nice line-up i see here! Could be the line-up we will see in 08, very nice i like i like …… Gotta love some of the guys that are really contributing to this winning spree of ours:
Last 4 games
Pierre- .368 AVG, 7 R, 2SB, 2 RBI's (wether you like it or not, Pierre's 7 runs scored is what we signed him for)
Furcal- .400 AVG, 4 R, 3 RBI's
Martin- (obviously) .642 AVG, 4R, 5 RBI's
Kemp- .666 AVG +average defense
Ethier- .615 AVG, 3R, 6 RBI's
….. Ethier has been a very bright spot these past 4 games and it seems as though Grady has noticed and is rewarding him in playing time. I love that Kemp and Ethier are in the same line-up tonight and i look forward to seeing them both smash this lefty! ….. I have trouble with all the rumors about the deals that are to be made and im sure none of them have much substance, but what bothers me most is that Ethier gets mentioned as the one to be traded if we were to get rid of one of our OF? Why? The guy not only raked most of last year (during his first big league appearance i might add) and won a starting job, and sure he slumped at the end of the year but he was having troubles with his shoulder and plus he is starting to pick it back up again this year. IMO getting rid of Ethier would hurt this club in more ways than i can explain, Kemp is a great ball player and will be for some time but Ethier has the same if not more value as Kemp does and has more experience than Kemp does so to me Ethier is untouchable and i hope Ned see's it that way to!
I can see us going after one of these guys.
Jaimie Walker
George Sherrill
Casey Janssen
Scott Downs
Joaquin Benoit
Octavio Dotel
Joakim Soria
Al Reyes
Santiago Casilla
David Riske
Rafael Soriano
Matt Capps
Ryan Franklin
Damaso Marte
Jesus Colome
wow momo that would be terrible, not only is there no power but no experience to go with it. Sure they have loads of talent but come on you can only do so much with a young team, just look at the Marlins. They are a good team and are getting better but it will take time for them to let there talents show.
trade Hu. We won't need **** for awhile!
I think with Ethier what we see is what we get and thats good enough for me, a guy who will hit between .280-.300 and OPS between 800 and 900. My take has been all year that he is one of our 3 best OF (Kemp, Ethier, Gonzo) and shouldn't sit.
With Kemp what we see is only scratching the surface. He is 3 or 4 years younger than Ethier. Kemp is gonna mash. He really is. He has dominated all levels he has played while being younger that those he is playing against.
yeah i mean no one *wants* ethier traded, i just think people if pressed, would prefer him to be traded over kemp. of course, i like most would like to see them both stick around.
jungar—what about the proctor/brunney rumor? although i can't imagine who we would trade to the yanks…
i think Hu, LaRoche and Young are the prospect Ned is throwing out there. Maybe Betemit as well. I think we are stuck with Nomar sadly.
Posted by: email@example.com | July 16, 2007 04:43 PM: "jungar—what about the proctor/brunney rumor? although i can't imagine who we would trade to the yanks…"
NY needs a 1B; SEND THEM NOMAR! Seriously, like everyone else, they need starting pitching and we won't want to send them any. They would probably like Loney as well – NED: DON'T TRADE HIM!
I just finished reading Sarah D. Morris's column and before I write anything I have to say that that gal's quite an inspiration. Also that her love for the Dodgers shows up in her columns more than anyone elses. The one thing that stands out in this latest column ____although I feel this team can make it to the post season as is____ I agree when she says the Dodger should sacrifice a playoff birth this season rather than give away their future. Yes, and the fact that GONZO's contract ends at the end of the season, ETHIER should go back to LF thereby leaving RF to KEMP. Although we do lose out on a lotta HRS that can come from an outfield position when we have PIERRE, he does posses a lot of offensive talent(although I wish he was an infielder). No he's not Ichiro Suzuki but he is Juan Pierre. I believe he racks alotta pitchers brains when they're on the mound and he's on base or at the plate in a given situation. Sarah says the Pierre acquisition was a mistake____ maybe it was_____ but I have to disagree in the fact that many times it's paying off. Well I'll be wearing the BLUE Our Lady of Mount Carmel San Paolino Giglio T-Shirt with the WHITE lettering and my matching LA cap tonight for all to see and hoping we keep on winning. GO YA BUMS___GO DODGERS!!!!
I think many posters look at trades backwards (junger a notable exception). Generally, and particularly for deadline deals, GMs make their target list first, then inquire. While they have their internal list of "untouchables", etc., that doesn't matter until they have a target. It's not, "hmm let's trade Tomko, Hu and Young; now what could we get for that?"
i agree…you have to look at both sides of the coin. imo laroche/meat/hu or someone of that caliber for a midline SP is the deal we should make. Relief pitchers are seriously inconsistent and i'd be weary to give up ANYTHING of value for them. otherwise its shades of the jeff shaw trade…lets not go there again.
even though yes, shaw was useful for a while.
The guys on that list above are all mid reliver/set up guys who are not on first or second place teams (a few exceptions). All have lots of "holds" and do pretty well on Batting Avg against and do well with inherted runners. I'd then look at a list of the top 20 starters available who throw well historically at dodger stadium. Someone else mentioned for example Wood Williams. One quick look and you say no way…Another look and you say, hmm maybe with a chance at a ring and his career success in these parks, lets roll the bones…
Williams this year:
4-10 5.34era 1.44 whip (barf)
Williams at Dodger Stadium:(career)
6-2 2.96 era 1.07 whip
9-9 3.38 1.18 at Petco
8-8 3.42 1.24 at Arizona
I hope we don't do much wheeling and dealing this year. Not much out there, and everything that is out there is way overpriced. I'd rather have Houlton, Tomko, and Hendrickson start games for us occasionally than go out and make trades. Randy will be back soon, and hopefully he'll be effective, he's still a good pitcher. Also, this may be a bit premature, but why not call up Kershaw for a few starts if we're really struggling with our SPs? Not saying give him the full time gig, but a few starts in the majors could boost his development even more, and could help the team out as well for a few games.
For those who are unaware. In Sun,'s game, with Robert's @ bat,Broxton's pitches, were
98; 97 & 100 mph. Roberts fouled them all off. He came back, with a change-up @ 87 mph (Inside corner) to strike Roberts out. That was awesome.
It was the 8th inning with the bases loaded….
I have to agree with those on the board that believe the Dodgers number one target should be a RP to pitch the 7th inning.
Dotel, Reyes, Lidge, Marte, or Otsuka would be my top five choices.
This is contingent on the fact that Wolf will be a decent number four starter the rest of the way…
As for a bat, the Dodgers have too many good offensive players to work in the lineup as it is, no sense adding another.
Both Kemp and Ethier should play everyday.
Betemit should play everyday.
Two of those three almost always sit!
i agree with mpdclarke.
they shoudl give kemp a shot in CF. and either right.
betemit is pretty good when he's off the bench.
Momo, you have to be kidding, right? I want LaRoche to be as successful as the next guy but did you see him when he was called up?? If you are truly set on ridding 3rd base of Nomar, Betemit is a much better option. The kid has pop, he plays good D, and he gets on base (in spite of his 25 points over Mendoza average). And an unproven Hu over Furcal? Craziness! Pierre and Gonzo, well, they are what they are but to say they're both worth ditching for D.Young?? C'mon. As of late, Pierre has been taking good at bats and Gonzo is the most patient hitter on the team. Abreu will be great (possibly 2nd is his next year) but while we have Kent, we have to take advantage of his bat.
Anyone see this from baseballsavvy.com:
"More importantly, the idea that the Dodgers might have to trade a player like Matt Kemp or James Loney or Chad Billingsley or Jonathan Broxton or Andre Ethier to get something valuable in return is total ****. There are always salary dumps, fine pieces to the puzzle, who can be had for less than the best prospects. Sometimes much less. There are always things you can do. Always, always, always.
Again, as I said last week, I'm talking about starters like Bronson Arroyo, in particular, and Woody Williams. And while I won't take credit for it, since Tim McCarver said it first, Octavio Dotel is a great idea. Look for Colletti to get one or two of these guys."
Just to reiterate others' earlier points:
Wilson Betemit since May 1st (107 PA) .275/.383/.659
James Loney (101 PA) .385/.446/.593
Matt Kemp (100 PA) .380/.420/.554
So why doesn't Wilson start more?
betemit is pretty good when he's off the bench.
Posted by: email@example.com | July 16, 2007 05:39 PM
Betemit was 4-6 when he started on Saturday. STARTED.
Wilson Betemit has 10 HRs since May 1st in his last 107 AB's Thats not bad guys.
since May 1st .275/.383/.659
By comparison A-rod has 12 in his last 136AB's and Morneua has 9 in his last 134.
Is he a perfect player, no, **** no. But throw out April and the kid has been pretty decent. since May 1st .275/.383/.659
The Kid is 25.
Last season Maddux was acquired for the stretch drive for a fine-fielding, little-hitting SS, Cesar Izturis.
The quote firstname.lastname@example.com | July 16, 2007 05:40 PM
posted from "baseballsavvy.com" is right on, along with the list in:
Posted by: firstname.lastname@example.com | July 16, 2007 04:33 PM
first of all, meat is not 25…whatever birth certificate he fudged to get i that way, fine. He is at least 26…he's not a kid and he's not a prospect anymore…but none of that is important. If it weren't for salaries/blind loyalty to nomar he would be playing more. The FO isn't THAT stupid, they're just stubborn.
jspelk… he is 25… remember the braves got in trouble for signing him because he was too young. They were trying to say he was older than he was.
The story with Betemit is simple: He can't hit lefties to save his life. So immediately he cannot be a full time third baseman. So you need somebody to platoon with him when we face left handed starters. Betemit is going to get his fair share of starts, he's earned them. But they will only come against righties. Nomar can't hit for whatever reason on the road, so if Nomar is not going to the DL, start him against lefties like tonight and even righties he's had success against at home. But on the road Betemit should start all games against righties. For games on the road against lefties you can start Nomar or Abreu.
Personally, I don't care if he's 25 or 28- he doesn't appear to be on the verge of breakdown. He looks good at 3rd and you can't argue with the numbers that jungar posted. I think we all feel the same- he should be playing more often than Nomar. We love Nomar because of his years with the Sox, he seems like a great guy and he was a **** of a pick up last year. But last year was a long time ago and we're in the second half of this year's season. Production should trump all. Which, if they're going to keep playing Nomar, it's at least a start to put Loney ahead of him in the order.
ok i still don't believe he's only 25 but whatever, its not really the point i was trying to make. He's been around for years and years. He had a few years playing behind chipper and renteria on the braves and subbing at various positions, i get that he never got his chance to start in ATL. Well, he got one here, and when you get your chance, you run with it and you don't let go of it because you never know when you're going to get that chance again. And that's just what he did, he lost it. He IS the best option at 3b but Im just saying that he's been around awhile and has yet to hold on to an everyday job in the majors. that's all. i still believe he should be playing regularly because he's the best option. I defer to alex's plan.
To be fair he was buried behind two all stars in Furcal and Chipper. Like I say, like Alex is saying and many others are saying. Is he perfect no, is he bad enough that we need to trade top prospects in order to get a 3b, no. But he needs to play over Nomar . Nomar's OPS is below Pierre's and Brad Penny.
And Alex:
.231/.286/.385/.670 vs left (WB)
.190/.277/.241/.518 vs left (NOMAR)
.194/.256/.389/.645 abreu vs lefties.
Ok so we need to trade for a 3b who can hit lefties. How about we just throw olmedo out there! he kills lefties.
Olemdo would be a great idea 3 years ago. He's a defensive liability and he hasn't exactly shown he can hit anybody lately.
I pretty much agree Alex. That was sorta in jest. Olmedo might not be long for the roster. Without being able to play a spot and as u say his decline, how long can we keep him?
But vs lefties this year. that on base and power is pretty mean.
There are three N.L stadiums Nomar is batting over .300 in this season: Dodger Stadium (.329 avg/.387 OBP), RFK Stadium (.385) and Petco Park in San Diego (.357 avg/.379 OBP) Here's the scary stat: There is not another N.L ballpark Nomar is hitting over .182 in this season. Those numbers tell you everything you need to know.
Lefty starter with Ethier 7 and Kemp 8 is a little weird. How about this, which still have some nice alternation:
Furcal, SS
Loney, 1B
Martin, C
Kent, 2B
Kemp, RF
Ethier, LF
Nomar, 3B
Pierre, CF
Penny, P
penny looks fat. man im already nervous about the second half
Max: anything can happen, but the team IS in first place.
hahaha is kents walk up song Oye Como Va?
whew…..nice all around play for the boys in blue..including JP with the steal of 3rd and nomar with the rbi double….
looks like we might be able to score some runs tonight against that slow stuff moyer is throwing …
JP on base again!
Man, JP has a 80% or so success rate on steals. Hope nobody is still down on him.
He has zero power but he gets on and gets around. He may not be the best in the world but he's what we've got and it's working right now.
yay kent!
Looks like the Phillies have thrown in the towel. They are more interested in saving the arms in the bullpen in a 6 to 1 ballgame then they are pinch-hitting for a high count pitcher and trying to get themselves back into the game.
(1)Not until tonight did I realize my nearly lifelong love affair with the Dodgers is responsible for my incredible streak of winning lotteries and having nice people from all over the world offering to send me very large sums of money just because they know that I'm nice. As soon as the checks arrive I will be making a generous offer to buy the Dodgers and you loyal fans will never have cause to complain about ownership again.
(2)While we wait back to…:alex at 5:53 suggested that Nomar start at 3rd against LH. Not a good idea as
jungar pointed out at 6:04.With his RBI double in the 1st, Nomar lifted his batting average against LH 13 points to 203 and his RBI total against them to 7.We are 17-8 against LH starters while carrying Nomar and Pierre because the other
starting position players hit LH so well. Our problem is our record against RH staters.A positive step there would be for Pierre to lead off against them at least until Furcal is 100%.
(3)alex,I read your post from 6:19 about Nomar's hitting in NL parks but didn't understand the lesson. I did note these were 3 big ball parks so I guess your commenting on Nomar's lack of power but I wanted to be sure.
(4)Liked the line-up posted by old fogey against LH because it has Pierre batting 8; didn't like it because 7,8,9 are relatively easy outs in a row.
(5)Why do you fans who post here prefer it to Dodgers.com?Wouldn't it be better if these two sites were combined?
**** did Moyer throw a 5 pitch inning?
Hate to post so much all at once, but it looks like Penny is throwing all fastballs this inning.
Wonder if he's trying to just get his 5 innings in and take his sore finger into the trainers room and let the relievers take over.
I wouldn't mind if he goes 6.
That's why I'm starting to love Pierre 5 run lead he already has two hits and he's going full speed on a routine groundball to short. People need to relax and appreciate him like our boy Scully says " speed doesn't slump"
lol Moyer keep on letting 2 guys get on. Iin't this like the 3rd times so far?
oops I mean isn't this like the 3rd times so far?
yeah KEMP!!!
Man! this kid amazes me every time he steps up to the plate.
And i also don't think it's a coincidence that since Bill Mueller has taken over as hitting coach the dodgers have averaged 5 runs and 11 hits per game.
Is this fun or what? And no I meant to show how big a difference there is between home and road for Nomar. Aside from S.D and Washington D.C he hasn't hit better than .182 in any other N.L ballpark this season.
Come on METS!!
Nice Penny and to think I wouldn't mind you to only pitch 6th innings.
11 pitches, 3 K for Penny in the 7th! 104 total pitches. Nice work, and way to help out the pen.
Some guy called me a trader because I root for the Los Angeles Dodgers the team that deserted Brooklyn. He told me his father was a Dodger fan until they left and then he became a Met fan. I told him his father was the trader because he went against his old team and I stuck to the same team all my life. Most people agree with him GO FIGURE.
Two three-run homers – you gotta love games like these.
Posted by: firstname.lastname@example.com | July 16, 2007 09:47 PM
Now if only I would quit drinking!
yea… games like this would make me go easier on the old liver.
Lol @ the friendly alcoholic bloggers.
Vin seemed pretty adamant last night that Mueller was a big reason behind the D's offensive turnaround. Looking at the numbers, it's a pretty stark difference. Of course having Loney and Kemp just destroying the baseball and getting on base a lot helps a ton, and Murray didn't have any such opportunity. But Ethier, Betemit, and Pierre are all having markedly better at-bats and swings, and you'd think that change comes from somewhere, esp. with the younger two guys. I was even impressed by one of Pierre's groundouts last night – he was much more patient, working the count, and he was a half-step from beating the throw.
From Gurnick's article on last night's game:
"Dodgers now lead the league in team batting average (.275) and have climbed to third in on-base percentage [.344]. When Mueller took over for Eddie Murray as hitting coach on June 15, the Dodgers were seventh in both categories."
"…Bill Mueller's torrid offense went double-digits in hits for the sixth consecutive game."
Over the last 30 days, the Dodgers as a team are batting .317/.382/.457. That INCLUDES the pitcher's spot. Team OPS over .800 = not too shabby. They're actually 5th in the NL in slugging pct. in that timeframe, 1st in OBP and 1st in AVG (leading the majors in OBP and avg), tied for 1st in runs, 1st in hits (by a margin of 36 hits), 1st in triples, 2nd in BB, 14th in SO. Also, in that timeframe, 30 SB with 7 CS for an 81% success rate and more steals than any ML team.
I'm not saying Mueller did all of that. But I think that if the offense stays anywhere NEAR this productive, Coletti should be looking for pitching help instead of a power bat, waiting until the offseason to find a hitter. The power is actually starting to surge a little bit, and I'm not too worried now that the team is starting to hit better w/ RISP.
Great #s puppyhead, I don't think they're a coincidence. Remembering Mueller's approach when he played it seemed as though he hit the ball the other way with ease, something that our line-up has been doing consistently since he has taken over.
Those #s just go to show that our offense is fine, Steve Phillips listed a Dye to LA trade as the most likely to take place before the trade deadline. Has he even watched the Dodgers play over the past 12 games or so? Not only does that trade make no sense, it goes to show you why Phillips is no longer a GM and that ESPN apparently has no interest or insight on west-coast teams.
I agree with you 100% puppyhead, the other day I was syaing we need a third basemen tbecause that is our biggest whole. I kind of like the idea of having Nomar start at home(w/ normal days off of course) and platoon him and Betemit on the road because Nomar continues to hit well at home. The offese is just firing on all cylinders and although it wont stay this hot the rest of they I dont see any signs of them returning to their 1 run status. A No. 2 or 3 pitcher now would make this team a virtual lock for the playoffs, although I think they are anyways because good hitting with really good pitching is better then no hitting with great pitching (Pads). But like I have been syaing all year, you get this Dodgers team into October ball and it will be very tough to beat a three man rotation of Penny, Lowe and Bills. Plus if Wolf comes back like he did in April you could use him as the No 3 and hae Bills dominate out of the bullpen like he did earlier this year. The main thing the front office needs to do is to decide which 3b is the 3b of the future and trade the other one(meat/laroche). So the Dodgers COULD make a trade but only if they keep Ethier, Kemp, Loney, Bills, and I also like Kuo when he's healthy. So my advice would be only trade for a starter if we can get one packaging Laroche/meat and/or D young which come salary dump time will look really good.
The latest trade buzz I've heard is Octavio Dotel for either Delwyn Young or Kuo. Both seem expendable in my mind and Dotel would serve our team well as the 7th inning guy. Dotel-Broxton-Saito seems pretty imposing.
You know I'm either way on trading for a 7th inning guy… I think we are fine how we are with Beimel or Seanez, now obviously Dotel would be better and that way Beimel can be strictly situational and Seanez can be the long reliever (more or less). But I also think they could aquire a decent starter packaging D Young, and a starter I believe is more important than a reliever right now. I think the Dodgers have the availability of prospects that dont seem to have much future with the dodgers to go ahead and go after both a starter and a 7th inning type guy.
The astros are def. sellers and Brad Lidge has been struggling on their team, how about packaging something to get wood williams/jason jennings and Lidge? What would we have to give up?
I thought he wasnt closing for the stros but apparently he is still their closer, but they got some decent guys in th epen why not go after a 7th inning guy and a starter in the same deal is what I'm tryin to say.
This today from MLB.com:
"White Sox right-hander Jose Contreras is drawing attention from several teams, including the Dodgers, Braves, Phillies and Indians. Contreras is signed through 2009 and is due $10 million each of the next two years."
I can't believe that Ned would be interested in this guy. His numbers look Odalis-like to me…and so does his salary. Pass.
We won't sign Contreras, I think the White Sox are stuck with that $20 million mistake. Their are better, less expensive options out there.
Def. pass on Contreras.. I love the idea of us going after woody williams, and never thought about him as a trade opp. Didnt he just sign with the stros last year? And just to add fuel to the third base fire, La Roche is tearing it up in vegas since he took that week off for his shoulder. He hit two more bombs last night… And for us this year, a solid 3/4 starter like williams, jennings is more valuable that the oft-injured dotel… but we will see. We are in a great situation where we dont really need to make a move, but it can also be dangerous bc any move that Ned makes pretty much has to pan out.. We really should be able to package D.Young, Kuo, Betemit/Laroche, Hu, Meloan into something really good. OSWALT!!
Just imagine the rotation next year– Penny, Lowe, Oswalt, Schmidt, Bills. It might be a bit of a pipe dream, but its a beautiful one…
I agree completely. We could even get W WWilliams this yr instead of Jennings and not have to sign Oswalt next year. Instead we could go after A Rod…..I know thats an even bigger pipe dream lol. I think the Dodgers arein a great sit. They can make a move and become even better, or stand pat and be just as good…so it must be the perfect move if Ned does any move at all.
Contreras is a bum. He's been horrid this year and he would get lit up even in the NL.
What is KC smoking with Dotel? They'll be lucky to get Delwyn and or Kuo..nothing better. Why can't we try Meloan before trading for someone, more importantly…
Why are people so high on Williams? Jennings is clearly a better pitcher this year. Williams is 40 and his best years are behind him, Jennings is 28 and has never had the luxury of playing his home games outside of a launching pad (Coors/Minute Maid). Williams only put up good #s in St. Louis and San Diego.
Im high on Williams bc of how well he always pitched against the D's and in Dodger stadium. He is a veteran one year rent a player who we could probably get for next to nothing, and he would really solidify the back end. With a guy like Jennings the stros are more likely to demand something legitimate, which i dont want to give up. D. Young for Jason Jennings just isnt worth it in my opinion..
We would have to give up more for Jennings but he would clearly be worth it. Young is blocked and Jennings is a solid back-end guy. Besides once Wolf comes back how much more value do you think Williams will bring us in comparison to Hendrickson? I can only see a push there in an absolute best-case scenario.
If Hendrickson and Tomko can hold it together, i think the Blue needs to go after a big bat!!! Mark Teixeira is there and available..I know that we would have to give up Loney, but, Tex is only 27 and already a proven HR hitter!!!
So we should stick with Hendy and Tomko, trade a bunch of our young talent and bench a guy hitting .380 to pick-up a guy coming off an injury in a down year? That move will never happen.
Sorry Kiper, no deal. Teixeira seems like a classic home wrecker to me and anyone who WANTS to play for Baltimore must be a little unhinged. I like our homegrown talent…
Your talking about trading Loney, probably a couple of minor leaguers. Loney is hot but, he is 24 and has "potential" where as Teixeira has a track record of hitting HR's and again is only 27.
If we need a setup man, why Dotel? Let's go get Gagne!! He's out there and available.
For the reasons listed above, that deal will not happen. Loney has more than potential, he has enough of a successful MLB track record that we can go ahead and start calling this kid the real deal. Teixera is an upgrade in the power department, but we'd also be taking a hit in average and defense. If it ain't broke don't fix it!
sure, i mean. lets deal kemp for dye too, he's only potential, dye is proven. seriously people, we can only hope our FO isn't that stupid. I wonder how many times people will have to hear this, but…without an extension for tex, there will be no trade, and with boras as his agent, there will be no extension. Done.
Point well taken!!! I remove the Teixeira deal from consideration.
jspelk2, wow!! We're just talking here, sorry to have offended your intelligence. Obviously, you have some GM experience… Good luck.
don't get me wrong…what do i know? i just don't see anyway that deal makes sense for us…yet people keep talking about it like its the savior for our team or something!
i mean obviously tex>>>than loney right now. but thats not the deal. its a year a two months of tex for loney under control for the next 5 years for pennies…is that worth it? maybe. but maybe not.
I guess the solution is, shore up the bullpen, tweak the starting rotation and hope we can continue to ride the resurgent offense for the next 2.5 months.. The Padres can be had, they're offense is worse and i believe the D-Backs are going to start to fade…
right and just remember, the pods have barely had any injuries to deal with. imagine if 2/5 of their rotation had gone down…they'd be in bad shape. they are vulnerable b/c they have little minor league depth.
Great win last night. I forgot my labtop at work so I missed all you guys!! Nice hitting by everyone, Nomar included!! Let's keep it going.
In general I would be happy with no trades this year but depending on what we would have to give up i'd think another reliver (although personally I would call up Meloan and try him before trading) or another starter can't hurt. You can never have to much pitching and i'll belive wolf to be effective again this year when i see it.
Per my post above: hitting is doing fine. Extra power would be nice, but let's obtain it in the offseason and not sacrifice any of our top prospects. I think the best thing for this team would be a reliable back-end starter or a 7th-inning guy. I love Beimel as a situational lefty; I'm not sold on him as a regular 7th-inning guy d/t his numbers vs. RH. Seanez has been a wonderful surprise this year, however, I'd rather have him as a long reliever or extra-innings innings eater than as a 7th-inning guy.
I like the idea of Williams or Jennings in the 4-5 spots in the rotation. The Ds have enough farm depth to unload someone talented who will likely never be a Dodger to shore up either the 'pen or the rotation; those moves, without giving up Broxton/Bills/et al, are all I would like to see done. If no moves are made, I wouldn't be too sad.
And what about Piazza for Saenz/Martinez/Lieberthal and a low prospect? The A's probably don't want him anymore, and if he's healthy he's a better bench hitter than Saenz (this year) I'm sure. The bench will be important down the stretch, and so far our pinch-hitters haven't been what they were in the past.
But Piazza is hardly serviceable as a backup catcher, and you never know he would be satisfied being simply a pinch hitter. If we did that we would almost have to call up a third catcher from triple A… Granted Lieberthal only catches once a blue moon, you still need a backup catcher if, GOD FORBID, anything were to happen… And in late inning situations, you cant use your backup catcher as a pinch hitter. Personally, id like to see us call up ben davis or something and let Lieberthal pinch hit occasionally…. We are paying him a lot of money to do pretty much nothing…
Good points, ewk. What if he were OK with pinch hitting? He was not healthy this year even as a DH; he'll probably retire after this season. Who knows, maybe he'd love to end his career with the Dodgers in a pennant race…I'm sure he'd rather do that than do nothing for the A's in his final season.
Keep Kemp
Screw Dye
Keep Loney
Keep Billingsley
Conner Jackson may be on his way to the white sox for jon garland or prehaps john danks.
Id LOVE him as a pinch hitter– i just think it means we have to pull up another catcher which could throw in wrench in the 25 man roster… But im sure he'd love it, and im sure the A's would be happy to take any one young decent player for him….
If Lieberthal stayed and they traded Saenz/Martinez, it would open up a bench spot…
Is Williams sending $20 million with Contreras to get someone to take him off his hands?
Seriously, this guy is killing the White Sox with one terrible start after another. If he placed him on waivers nobody would claim him.
He has negative trade value.
I would love to add Dotel at the cost of a B or C Prospect.
No way keep the kids we don't need a bat. We need a starter but I don't think we can get anyone better than Hendrickson. Keep the team in tact we have a future!!!!
Kendall was traded so Piazza can catch again.
"This also gives Jason an opportunity to get into what he relished when he got over here, which was to be with a team that is right there knocking on the door," A's general manager Billy Beane said. "I think it's a place he'll thrive in and people there in Chicago will also identify with a guy like Jason."
Last month, the A's announced Mike Piazza would be a catcher again once he recovers from a shoulder injury — so he could be Suzuki's backup while also doing some work as designated hitter. Kendall has caught at least 143 games in each of the past seven seasons and 150 or more in four of those years.
For the reasons listed above, that deal will not happen. Loney has more than potential, he has enough of a successful MLB track record that we can go ahead and start calling this kid the real deal. Teixera is an upgrade in the power department, but we'd also be taking a hit in average and defense. If it ain't broke don't fix it!
Posted by: email@example.com | July 17, 2007 11:32 AM
Im sorry charris but i just had to correct you. Teixiera is a lifetime .283 hitter and has won gold gloves the last two years. He's a great player.
Jspelk… Teix is under control for at least one more year after this year I believe. And LA would have the money to keep him.
I am not advocating a trade for him, I'm just stating facts and what i believe to be true.
It's not a question of Texiera vs Loney. It's a question of Texiera for Loney and two top prospects.
OK dodgerdude you got me on defense there as Teixera has won gold gloves but is he as athletic at the position as Loney has shown? Loney seems to be making highlight plays on a nightly basis. And do you really think that Loney is only a .283 type hitter? Listen, I think Teixera is an awesome player but do we really need to upgrade on Loney right now? Texeira will require the type of $ that will keep us from landing a huge 3B in the offseason while Loney is under contract for several years on a much lower pay scale. Tex would have been a good move if Loney wasn't panning out but he is so I still believe that move makes no sense.
the only trade that make sense to me right now is to find a mediocre number 4/5 starter… the relief is not a problem if we can find a number 5 starter… it's just a problem rayt now coz we don't have a real number 5 starter so we can put Hendy back to the pen…
we don't need to give youngsters rayt now for a months rental power bat…
Loney, Kemp, Ethier are Untouchables…
and in the nomar, betemit issue…
i think nomar is the best option…
nomar plays everyday…
betemit gets his average more on coming of the bench…
when betemit is starting he doesn't usually hit…
we all know that when betemit hits 2 or more it usually comes from giving nomar a day off…
so i think nomar to third this year before acquiring our dream guy in third(A-ROD)next year…
dodgerdude..you're forgetting about the fact that Tex a. doesn't want to play in LA, he's a east coast dude and he's expressed his desire to stay there and b. i doubt mccourt is breaking out the checkbook for what boras will be asking for. so if you feel like looking for a new 1b in '09, sure, lets trade for him. He's a great player.
charris… i agree. Like I said, I am not advocating for us to trade for Teix because Loney is doing very well and will be making far less money than teix over the next 5 years. I do believe teix is better than loney in most every way, even defense, but overall it doesn't make sense for us to do that trade. BA to me is not as important as OBP and SLG, and i think teix is superior in those two stats. Loney is still very good though, teix is a good amount better but way more expensive in terms of money and talent that it would get to trade for him. Stick with our kid.
jspelk… do u not read what i post? I am not saying trade for teix. I'm am just saying he's good, and better than Loney. Also, he'd go where the money goes, so don't say stuff like its a "fact" Tex doesnt want to play on the west coast. Maybe he has preferences but enough cash will get him out here.
dd–then you should read my post, where i clearly typed tex>>>loney. so i agree with you. and i do think that where someone plays has an effect on where they sign,and i don't think mccourt will outbid everyone else for him. do you?
again, i understand and agree with what you're saying in theory. i just can't see us a. getting tex to agree to an extension giving boras is his agent b. us shelling out what boras will be asking for. and lets make no mistake it would take one of our top pitching prospects to get it done too, since that is what texas really wants anyways.
naw, especially not with loney around and doing well. If we did the trade for Teix, I could see McCourt ponying up the dough though. But I dont think i'd want that, its not worth it and that money could go to other places like keeping all our kids here longterm.
so we've been agreeing the whole time… why we gotta argue so much? ha. and no, i didnt see your Teix >>>> Loney post.
I've even heard that a lot of power hitters refuse to sign with NL West teams because their #s will depreciate at our Yosemite sized parks out here. For that reason, A-Rod might be out of the question next year, which ***** but when career and season #s drive contract values, I guess you can't blame them.
as long as ARod doesnt go to the Gnats I'm fine with us not getting him. If he does, all bets are off. you bring up a good point also. tex-playing in a bandbox. same with dye. same with dunn(although he can hit it out anywhere).
about the NL west parks thing, its really only SD and SF that hurt hitter in terms of homers. Dodger Stadium doesn't yield as many total runs as most other NL parks, but homer totals are average at worst when compared to the rest of the NL. Mix in those few road trips a year to COL and its not so bad. LAD wouldn't be that bad for A-Rod in terms of homers lost due to NL West Parks. SF is friendlier to right handed hitters too. I think the same is true in SD. Again, A-Rod will go where the money goes.
Here's a link to ESPN's park factor system in case you are interested.
A-Rod will be in LA next year, just not in Blue!!!He will be an Angel, and that's OK as far as baseball goes, but business wise the Angels would really put a dent in the Blue's domination of the SoCal dollar..
The Dodgers need to stay the course. They need to find 1 or 2 pitchers, starter or setup/closer, and i think the rest will take care of itself. The young guys will hit and the veterans will lead so let's hang on and we will win the WEST!!!
I'd really hate it if the Angels for A-rod… I'm pulling for the Red Sox to get him… talk about high drama.
Well, if it's about ego's you know Theo Epstein has a huge one!!!