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Short Corner
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What's stood out so far in the Copa?
Michael Bradley was bad but maybe that isnt his fault
EDGAR ZUNIGA - Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Well, you've got to hand it to Bob Bradley.
Despite growing criticism of his call-ups, lineups, tactical decisions and second-half meltdowns of his teams, he has, nonetheless, brought the US National Team to the brink of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
I know I've been rough on Bob repeatedly, but God knows I probably wouldn't cut it as a head coach or tactical director for a national team representing a nation as large as the United States, with the resources available to someone in that position.
Although the US has to officially qualify for the World Cup, it is practically a given (unless Team USA suddenly turns into this year's Detroit Tigers and falls apart at the end). This is a considerable accomplishment for Bob because the US is now expected to qualify every time, despite having to deal with some of the most threatening and intimidating away venues of all FIFA regions.
Yeah, the crowds in most CONCACAF nations support their national teams with ferocious zeal, but, at least, the US does not have to deal with playing in politically hostile areas like Palestine, Iraq or North Korea.
Wait...wait...Things in Honduras aren't exactly peachy keen right now, are they? Just in case you're stuck in the bubble of MTV News, Honduras has been undergoing a lot of political strife, centered on the arrest and coup of leftist President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted and dispatched to Costa Rica.
There were riots, mass protests from both sides and, when things seemed to be hot already, Zelaya snuck back into Honduras, taunting interim President Roberto Micheletti and presenting himself as a martyr.
Initially, there was talk of moving the game to a neutral venue to avoid any potential hazards or disturbances. However, the Honduras Soccer Federation was not about to yield their valuable home-field advantage, arguing they would make sure the game would go on and would take preventative measures to ensure the safety of both teams and fans.
As if going to Honduras and getting a positive result wasn't difficult enough, now Team USA (an occasional anti-American political lightning rod when playing on the road) has to, at the very least, be aware that they are about to enter a potential war zone.
Add to this boiling pot a strong Honduran team that had to swallow a very tough loss against Mexico in Aztec Stadium and wants nothing more than to rebound at home against a high-caliber opponent like the US.
As if that wasn't enough to make Bob furrow his brow, he has to deal with an injury to Clint Dempsey, who suffered a sprained shoulder in Fulham's match against West Ham.
Without a doubt, Deuce, who has scored five goals during the World Cup qualifiers and is one of the cornerstones of the national team, will be missed. This means more pressure on Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore, which means the US may just hang back and try to counter (nothing new here).
So, as you can see, Bob has a lot on his mind right now.
Under normal circumstances, expecting the US to win in Honduras would be too much to ask. Taking into consideration all the political turmoil and distractions that come with that, it would seem that things could not get more complicated for Bob and our boys.
Nevertheless, this situation can be viewed as a double-edged sword.
Emotions are running high in Honduras and the political morass might actually unsettle the Honduran players - even those who live and play overseas. Coming home to see your beloved country in such a mess can be demoralizing. While they were already expected to beat the US, they might feel added pressure get that win and bring some joy to their beleaguered countrymen. That pressure might get to them.
While it would be nice to draw or win in Honduras, the main objective is to finish atop the CONCACAF hexagonal; losing to Honduras would not be disastrous. However, it would set up a very tense rematch with Costa Rica at RFK Stadium, on Wednesday.
No one wants to finish in fourth and have to deal with a potential home-and-away series with Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay or even Venezuela. Yeah, Venezuela isn't a South American powerhouse, but socialist loudmouth Hugo Chavez is turning Venezuela into the next Cuba.
If the US turns in another of their recent ho-hum performances, where they do just enough to scratch out a win, they will find themselves having to deal with a Costa Rican team desperate to avoid the fourth and final spot and who might potentially recapture the play that had them flying high midway through the hexagonal.
Yeah, all signs point to a US victory and a huge collective sigh of relief from the team and a nation of followers, but, damn, did it have to come to this point?
Well, Bob will be the first to tell you that qualifying to the World Cup is not easy. And, this is why we owe Bob a lukewarm applause (for now), and hopefully a standing-O after a win over Costa Rica.
Although he will accomplish one of the goals of the US Soccer Federation, things have not come easy to Bob, and it is easy to point fingers at him from the security of our computers, living rooms, sports bars and stadium seats. After all, we are not privy to what happens on the practice fields, and the drama that his players might bring to the team.
Who knows why he is reluctant to call up Marvell Wynne, start Jose Francisco Torres or how long he will continue to use Michael Bradley, despite diminishing returns?
Recently, a good friend, with a good soccer mind, pointed out that the US is actually going through a rebuilding phase and expecting our current crop of players to go out and crush CONCACAF is asking too much. It is a valid argument, which means that if Bob can get us to the World Cup with these guys, they are going to be much better in the near future.
So, give Bob a hand.
I applaud him for all the great accomplishments of this year...
Defending the Gold Cup! No, wait...
Winning the Confederations Cup against all odds! Uh, no, hold on...
Getting us to the World Cup..?
Yay, Bob!
Now or never?
Americans thumped by South Korea
No tags available
Monday October 12, 2009 4:40 am
Well, I have to admit that Bob rolled the dice a bit and it paid off. I was really perplexed at putting Casey in over Altidore. Jozy not getting playing time at Hull was the likely culprit. Also, having Holden on the right, who can actually cross the ball in unlike our other Right Mid (who I didn't miss once during the match), made using a bigger target in the middle not a bad idea.
I thought the team responded amazingly to the Honduras goal. A switch went off and they just took over the game for the next 30 minutes - what a sight (too bad so many people missed that display of heart). I think the players probably made up for anything Coach could have done to hurt the team.
Michael B. was pretty bad in the first half and Coach still showing that he doesn't want grief from Mrs. Bradley for sitting his behind for a while.
My guess is that we see the same starting line-up that we saw on Saturday. A win gives us a slim shot at a seeded position by winning the CONCACAF region. Also, a win puts a better team in the World Cup (Honduras over Costa Rica).
Friday October 9, 2009 11:24 am
Bora was by far the best US coach, ever! Arena and Bradley do not even come close.
Considering what he had to work with, the man definitely knew how to get results, not only with the US, but with Mexico, Costa Rica, Nigeria and China. Definitely, from the Fabio Capello school of coaching (Or Capello is from the Bora school of coaching), he realized that for the US to succed, it all started with a solid center (Lalas and Balboa), while using two quick wing backs (Caliguari and Clavijo) to cover for the center backs' lack of pace.
Dooley kicked anyone who ventured in the "hole" in front of Lalas and Balboa, while the wings were protected by his two best players (Ramos and Harkes). In essence, the US played with seven defenders. Offense was left to setpieces and counterattacks by Wynalda and Stewart (left pretty much to their own devices). Which left, Sorber, one of the most underrated (and best) holding mids the US ever had, to try to link with the others to attempt a few moments of possession.
Bora drove the purists nuts with his lack of style. But, unlike so many "experts," he truly knows the game.
Friday October 9, 2009 9:51 am
I like the line up Scott,,i prefer Felhaber over Bradley with that line up USA can play juego bonito
Friday October 9, 2009 9:47 am
USA has the best team in 1994 with semi professionals players,, don't take me wrong they where good players ,,,but we have to give credit to Bora ,,, why they can't call him ,,i thing he would get the best of our players,,
Friday October 9, 2009 5:02 am
Well I've got to agree with Scott about the line-up, but skeptic that I am, I really do expect us to take the points at home against Costa Rica. But I bet that the fifth place team isn't Argentina, I think it's more likely to be Ecuador slipping from 4th or Uruguay moving up from 6th.
Personally, I'd love to see us play a slightly Less conservative line-up with Donovan playing up top on the right in place of Altidore and Torres comming in at left wing halfback... but whatever line-up we use, we MUST try to attack and keep possession in THEIR half of the field. If we just bunker down and try to defend all night... we will lose the match.
I just wonder which of our starters picks up that second Yellow card and has to miss the crucial home match next week in DC? My bet, is Bocanegra.
Thursday October 8, 2009 6:14 am
the most threatening and intimidating away venues of all FIFA regions??
the above statement is just silly
usa should be a lock for qualification every time. concacaf is terrible
Thursday October 8, 2009 6:05 am
Better hold up on that YAY Bob! Although I think we have a slightly better chance of getting a result in this match than we will playing Lionel Messi's Argentina in Buenos Aires on November 18th down 1-2 after losing 2-1 to Argentina in front of a pro-Argentine crowd at Pizza Hut Park on 11/14 (a Saturday, making it necessary to use a soccer-specific stadium due to our "big" stadiums being used for College and NFL Football that weekend).
Also, my line-up:
Although I could be talked into a little more conservative line-up using Torres (who's used to hostile, frenzied hispanic crowds) as an additional midfielder and pulling Jozy or Davies out....
Coach will probably go a bit more defensive and use Clark as defensive mid and Mike in the middle. He may also revert to some old habits and play Ching over Altidore. He also seems to have faith in Bornstein over mis-positioning one of his right backs on the left, so look for that in the soccer tracker updates (since we can't watch the actual game).
Wednesday October 7, 2009 6:06 pm
U.S. Soccer needs an overhaul. While Bob Bradley's tactics and selections continue to be questioned, what his squad does at the World Cup is the best, most objective measure of his efforts. But our nation's soccer woes go far beyond the tactical decisions of our Nat head coach. Our entire system needs to be overhauled. We are missing out on lots of homegrown talent because our youth programs price them out of participating at the higher levels. Two solutions to this youth problem would be to increase funding for players who cannot afford it, and restoring the MLS reserves. Getting Klinsmann as a coach is an important step; as he understands the American player, but his hire is only a first step towards progress.
Wednesday October 7, 2009 5:43 pm
If bruce arena would have played more of the younger players during his tenure then relying on the same old veterans every game, then we would have a better understanding of the players we are relying on now and bob would have an easier time selecting his squad. Don't lay all the blame on bob, bruce has a lot to do with some of the poor performances of our younger players. I do believe that bob has been very stubborn and made some questionable decisions but I think there may be bit of over villification (if that's a word) towards bob going on. We can call for his head after an underperforming world cup if we make it and if we don't, I truly think soccer in America is going to suffer in the eyes in regards to the rising popularity of the general public towards soccer.
Wednesday October 7, 2009 3:57 pm
The worst thing that happen to the USMNT was the win over Spain in SA. If we lost we would have been forced to reflect on the leadership of Bradley and the selection of players. The win over Spain has Davies talking about winning the WC over in Europe - I like the confidence but it is a cocky statement.
We need a coach that is not a product (pawn???) of the MSL and from the NCAA ranks. We need a professional coach that understands talent and getting them to rise to thier highest levels. Bradley is not the guy.
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Jesse Marsch has claimed a personal accolade as he's been named Coach of the Year in Austria.
American Trio Wins 3. Liga Title
Konrad Commits To Barcelona
Matarazzo, Stuttgart Eye Promotion
EPB Returns To Action In Austria


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Suspected Darien burglar nabbed in Florida
Darien police have obtained an arrest warrant for Dirk C. Lloyd, 36, of 68 Melrose Ave., Bridgeport, in connection with the November theft of more than $20,000 in gold jewelry and coins from a West Avenue home.
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More InformationFact box
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James De Mille (23 August 1833 – 28 January 1880) was a professor at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, and an early Canadian popular writer who published numerous works of popular fiction from the late 1860s through the 1870s.
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Spalding County authorities were out in force Wednesday morning searching the Griffin home of Dan Keeley who has been charged with child molestation. Keeley coached at St. George's Episcopal School in Milner until earlier this month. He had been at the school for 12 years.
UPDATE: Spalding sheriff Wendell Beam has released additional details on this case.
[Full Story »]


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SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – A car break-in suspect who led Southfield and Detroit police on a high-speed chase last week has been charged.
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New Orleans Cocktail Crawl: Where to Drink Like a Local in the French Quarter
Drinking isn't just sport in the city of New Orleans, it's a means of survival. In summer, it's about wading through the muggy noontides. In winter, it's a countdown to Mardi Gras. And while the masses may descend on this Crescent City for a few notable occasions each year, it's the locals who make New Orleans truly a city like no other.
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About the Author: W.S. Lyon wanders high and low places with a book in one hand and a drink in the other. He writes, works and lives in Nashville, TN.
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• Feb. 11, 2005 |
6:35 p.m. ET
Your messages for E.T.: Should we tell the aliens anything, or should we keep our existence in this little corner of the universe a secret? Most of the readers who responded to Wednesday's item about interstellar communication say broadcasting the whole Internet to the stars, as SETI astronomer Seth Shostak suggested, would tell E.T. and his pals way too much.
But have we already been blabbing to the aliens? You might think that E.T. could just pick up on our decades-old broadcasts of "I Love Lucy" and other shows from the Golden Age of Television, but Shostak says those signals might be too faint to be detected, say, 100 light-years away.
"The best SETI experiments today are seven orders of magnitude too poor to be able to detect a comparable signal," Shostak writes in his research paper on the subject. Military radar signals are a different story: They're more detectable, but they cover only a fraction of the sky at a time. So it could be that our secret is still safe.
Here's a selection of your e-mails on the subject:
Pete Howell, Reno, Nev.: "If we make contact with extraterrestrials, I expect we'll learn more about ourselves, in how we react, than we will will about them, physics, philosophy or anything else. On the other hand, the nutcases standing on top of the building in L.A., in the movie 'Independence Day,' may be right."
Craig Rothstein: "Why should we assume that an alien race is more 'technologically advanced' than we are? What is 'advanced,' for that matter? Does it mean they are civilized, or have flat-screen televisions? Does it mean they know binary programming language or javascript? Does it mean they've constructed eco-friendly dwellings, or learned to live with the trees in solace and friendship? ...
"We gloss all things with our veneer of technology and plasma and microchips, thinking there is only one way: our way. But in a universe of infinite possibility, must the red cloud around the Crab Nebula equal deuterium? Must light always travel at 186,000 mph? Must 3 minus 2 always equal 1? Logic, like all other things, is a relative notion. Before we so haughtily send our grand message to the stars, perhaps we ought to consider that our very notions of logic, distance, speed, physics, math and language itself are only as influential as the human eye can see. Maybe then we will be able to understand why, when they do come, the 'aliens' will be far different from anything we've ever imagined."
Ting Liang: "Even an advanced civilization will still need an interstellar equivalent of GPS system to navigate accurately. Instead of sending them information about us, how about duplicating some signals they might use as a beacon for interstellar travel to confuse them, and let them send their technicians over here to investigate. A little cosmic mischief will definitely get their attention."
Mark: "Since our part of the galaxy is relatively young, compared to the rest of the neighborhood, there is a good chance intelligent life is all around us. Then why no contact? Heck, would you want to contact a species that lies, cheats, kills and murders each other on a daily basis! Fore...gedda about it. Let's slap a quarantine sticker on the planet and wait to see if they will finally grow up and act like intelligent beings worthy of contact."
Katrina Erickson, Villa Park, Ill.: "My first question would be asking what they know about us. I believe we could probably have had contact long ago, if our world was not so worried about who was in control all the time. With years of studies and sightings that people have said they've done or seen I would assume we have had contact, we just have not opened the doors of communication. Plus if they are beyond our intelligence, why would they want to talk to such undisciplined, selfish and controlling people as we have here on earth. Do not get me wrong — not all of us are like this, but majority rules. And I would ask them why they have waited so long to communicate with us."
Patrick Bishop: "The first thing we should do is ask (not tell). A good place to start might be, 'Would you like to communicate with us, and if so, what would you like to know?' Next, wait for a reply before doing anything fresh or pushy like uploading an encyclopedia, or God help us, the Internet. How interested would I be, were a caveman to stand outside my door screaming his lifetime's accumulated wisdom at me? If I'm a decent sort of fellow, I'll just wait it out until he runs out of gas ... wondering why I'm not congratulating him on being so smart. If I'm not a decent fellow, I may tell him to bug off.
"Our entire experience dealing with civilized species is limited to dealing with our own. From a sample size of one, it is unwise to make extrapolations to civilizations which have developed in other places under circumstances which are very likely much removed from our own. The psychology of E.T.s, if they exist, could differ from our own as much as ours differs from the humpback whale. With a sample of one, there is no reason to think otherwise, though admittedly, no reason not to.
"As for the best way to get E.T.'s attention, it is unlikely that any civilization sufficiently sophisticated that it can transmit and receive signals across interstellar space would fail to miss Earth. A random radio survey of its (E.T.'s) night sky would reveal our solar system as an anomalously bright object (in the radio frequency range of the spectrum). It would not take them long to learn why. They may have made this same assumption, and rather than attempting to 'ping' civilizations directly, are waiting to be noticed just doing their normal thing, assuming they care whether civilizations other than their own exist.
"Perhaps all we need do is wait and watch our instruments for that suspiciously bright radio source in a suspiciously small patch of sky."
Barbara Bowen: "I think that scientists considering how to communicate with aliens should talk to the scientists who are working on communicating with apes and dolphins. They're the only ones who have any experience talking to alien intelligences. (Other than anyone who has tried to reason with a toddler.)"
James Host: "I recently read Charles Pellegrino's 'The Killing Star' and Greg Bear's 'The Forge of God.' In these two science-fiction novels, the Fermi Paradox is explained by postulating that a planet that sends radio messages out to the stars is apt to get unwanted attention from a paranoid culture which would send bombs to sterilize the noisy planet. The Pellegrino book was especially compelling, and details the reasoning behind such unfriendly neighbors (on the order of 'I thought he might hit me, so I hit him back first.') Read these two books. Then you'll understand why I'd suggest not sending any messages to the stars at all — and why we should look into reducing the amount of information-bearing traffic that we're already broadcasting."
Based on Host's recommendation, I'll list those two books as this month's dual selection for the Cosmic Log Used Book Club, which highlights books with cosmic themes that can be found at your local library or used-book shop. As a reward, Host will receive a proof copy of Stephen Baxter's evolution sci-fi novel "Exultant."
• Feb. 11, 2005 |
6:35 p.m. ET
Weekend field trips on the World Wide Web:
• 'Nova' on PBS: 'Saving the National Treasures'
• The Economist: Love me, love my dog
• Discovery.com: Do valentines hinder love?
• Celestial valentines from NASA
• Feb. 10, 2005 |
9:35 p.m. ET
Space safety first: Now that space entrepreneurs are getting down to the nitty-gritty of building a suborbital tourist industry, everyone agrees that passenger safety is the No. 1 concern. But how should those safety concerns be addressed in an inherently risky, experimental business?
The space-tourism law that took effect late last year provided an extra opening for spacecraft operators to push the envelope: The Federal Aviation Administration would safeguard national security and the uninvolved public, but its role in regulating crew and passenger safety would be limited. Tighter regulations would kick in only if someone got killed or injured, or was involved in a close call. Then, in 2012, the FAA could start regulating the industry as it saw fit.
The idea was to give spacecraft operators an experimental period, analogous to the barnstorming era in early aviation. But for some lawmakers, particularly on the Democratic side of the aisle, that plan sounded too risky. Why wait to enforce crew and passenger safety until someone dies?
The main spokesman for that point of view is Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation Committee. "The current statutory language amounts to, in essence, the codification of what has come to be known in aviation safety parlance as the 'tombstone mentality,'" he said in extended remarks to his colleagues. "For years, both I and many of my colleagues on the Aviation Subcommittee have criticized the FAA for waiting until after a disaster to take safety actions, and have urged more proactive safety oversight."
In an effort to remedy that, Oberstar introduced a new bill that he said would mandate "minimum standards to protect the health and safety of crews and spaceflight participants," while taking into account the "inherently risky nature of human spaceflight."
Most observers give Oberstar's bill zero chance of passage. But Polispace's James Muncy, a policy consultant who helped push along last year's law, says he and his clients in the suborbital spaceflight industry are sympathetic to the safety concerns.
"It is the industry's absolute paramount goal to learn to fly these things as safely as possible, because obviously it's not a good idea to kill your customers," Muncy told me.
"The question is, how you can become safe. The way you're going to become safe is by flying. You can compress that period of barnstorming that happened in early aviation, but you can't compress it to zero," he said.
That's why the leading entrepreneurs are working with the FAA to flesh out industry-enforced safety standards. Their grouping is known as the Personal Spaceflight Federation , and they hope to spawn a Voluntary Personal Spaceflight Industry Consensus Standards Organization that would operate as Underwriters Laboratories does for electrical items, or the Motion Picture Association of America does for movie ratings.
Although the federation is still getting organized, it's likely to come up with guidelines in the next few months that will flesh out the draft recommendations from the FAA. A spokeswoman for the federation, Diane Murphy, signaled that tomorrow's space passengers will definitely face a much higher safety bar than today's airline passengers. In fact, even the word "passenger" rubs Murphy the wrong way.
"We don't call them passengers, and that's for a good reason," Murphy told me. "They're public astronauts. 'Passengers' are passive, and everybody on these flights will be trained."
• Feb. 10, 2005 |
9:35 p.m. ET
Spacewalk on the wild side: After a round of denials from Moscow, a U.S.-Russian investigation has confirmed that at least one of the international space station's astronauts roamed into a "keep-out zone" (or KOZ, in NASA-speak) during a spacewalk last month. In a worst-case scenario, the spacewalkers' Russian-made Orlan-M suits could have become contaminated with toxic fuel from the station's thrusters.
The internal NASA memo confirms James Oberg's report for MSNBC.com that the mistake raised concerns at the U.S. space agency, even though the Russians said "nyet problema" at the time:
"Safety procedures are being modified on both sides to ensure future prevention of KOZ violation during spacewalks," according to today's status memo, obtained by MSNBC.com. "No traces of contamination on the Orlan-M suits were found after the EVA-12 incident."
• Feb. 10, 2005 |
9:35 p.m. ET
Scientific smorgasbord on the World Wide Web:
• The Guardian: We are the final frontier
• Defense Tech: Flops, new threats behind Star Wars cuts
• New Scientist: Alphabet similarities come in threes
• Science @ NASA: Video munchies for your mind
• Feb. 9, 2005 |
7:55 p.m. ET
What to tell the aliens: For decades, researchers involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence have puzzled over how to code (and decode) messages meant for other civilizations. That goes for science-fiction tales such as "Contact" as well as a long list of real-life attempts to send messages, beginning with the Pioneer plaque and the Arecibo message in the early 1970s.
Such messages usually use intricate coding, including hieroglyphs that refer to the wavelength of the hydrogen transition and mathematical functions. But Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the California-based SETI Institute, suggests that you needn't bother with all that cosmic cryptography. Streaming a cached copy of the Internet should do just fine, he says.
"What we should send is the content of the Google servers on a light beam," Shostak told me. "Don't worry about the coding. That's like the artists in the Lascaux cave worrying about how to paint an antelope so that anthropologists could figure it out 17,000 years later."
Shostak bases that strategy on the idea that any civilization receiving the message is likely to be far more advanced than ours — after all, we've been capable of transmitting signals to the stars for only a few decades. Thus, E.T. and company should be smart enough to figure out the digital encoding on their own.
"If there are truly sophisticated societies out there, that may not be a problem," Shostak said.
OK, so maybe the aliens would see our civilization's seamy side as well as the lofty images we'd like to convey — but at least we'd be providing a realistic representation of our society, without revealing the secrets or horrors that are too hot for the search engines.
But is it realistic to upload huge chunks of data to distant stars? That was the subject of a research paper Shostak presented a few months ago, titled "Limits on Interstellar Messages" (Here's the PDF version of the abstract). Shostak found that it all depends on how you transmit, and how much.
Some scenarios require more electrical power than the current demand for the entire state of California. Others require a transmitting antenna half as wide as Earth itself. On the other end of the scale, Shostak figures that a highly focused infrared laser signal could be sent out by a square mile's worth of transmitting surface and just 10 watts of power.
Shostak said that under the theoretically optimal conditions, it would take less than a tenth of a second to send out the equivalent of the Encyclopedia Britannica — a mere 5 billion bytes, far less than the quadrillions of bytes building up on the Internet. That would make it possible to "ping" a million stars capable of supporting life, delivering a digital encyclopedia for each star system to peruse.
Shostak sees that as the most efficient way to send out a beacon letting other civilizations know they're not alone. But this reasoning doesn't apply merely to transmitting signals. "It also suggests that SETI researchers should consider looking for stars whose infrared luminosity regularly spikes," Shostak observed.
He laid out yet another potential strategy for interstellar contact: The aliens might set up their transmitters so that they shoot out tightly focused signals, in a direction exactly opposite from that of an interesting cosmic object such as a pulsar. That way, another civilization studying the pulsar would pick up E.T.'s signal as well.
For that reason, pulsars could be among the first targets for observation when the initial group of antennas in the Allen Telescope Array begins operations later this year, Shostak said. "You know that the aliens will be studying pulsars, too," Shostak said.
Some researchers disagree with the whole idea of sending out signals, saying that the best way to contact other spacefaring civilizations is to send out cosmic messages in a bottle . What would you want to tell E.T., and how would you do it? We've addressed this subject before, but this is another opportunity to let me know what you think. I'll publish a selection of your suggestions on Friday.
• Feb. 9, 2005 |
7:55 p.m. ET
Red teams rising: More than 100 teams have signed up so far for the second DARPA Grand Challenge, the $2 million robo-car race aimed at encouraging the development of autonomous transport vehicles for the U.S. military. But until recently, the list of confirmed entrants didn't include the front-runner from last year's unfinished race , Carnegie Mellon University's Red Team.
Now the Red Team is back with a vengeance, not only with the upgraded Sandstorm vehicle, but also with another, newer Hummer-based robo-car called H1ghlander. In fact, the Red Team is the first to complete its five-part application for the next phase of the competition. Click on over to the Web site for the Red Team (and "Red Team Too") for video of the vehicles in action, as well as the latest words of wisdom from team co-leader Red Whittaker.
To find out even more about the "Red" behind the Red Team, check out today's profile of Whittaker on Space.com.
• Feb. 9, 2005 |
7:55 p.m. ET
Wonder and whimsy on the World Wide Web:
• Tech Central Station: Hubble, Hubble, worth the trouble?
• Discovery.com: Octopus sheds light on arms
• 360-degree views of Apollo moon sites (via Slashdot)
• The Onion: English major vs. physics major on love
• Feb. 8, 2005 |
10 p.m. ET
Saturn's blue heaven: The Cassini spacecraft has sent back some Saturnian snapshots of a different color, tinged with a heavenly blue rather than the typical butterscotch yellow.
Why so blue? The scientists behind Cassini say it's because the upper atmosphere in Saturn's northern hemisphere is relatively cloud-free. Thus, the shorter, bluer wavelengths of sunlight are scattered by atmospheric gases, resulting in the azure appearance. A similar scattering effect is the reason why Earth's skies are blue .
But why are Saturn's northern fringes so cloud-free? The scientists aren't so sure about the answer to that one, although they say the phenomenon "may be related to colder temperatures brought on by the ring shadows cast there."
You can also feast your eyes on our Cassini slide shows on Saturn as well as its mysterious moon Titan . To keep up with the daily flow of Cassini imagery, click on over to the Web sites at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Space Science Institute.
• Feb. 8, 2005 |
10 p.m. ET
Your daily dose of science on the Web:
• Scientific American: String revival
• Discover Magazine: Think tank
• BBC: Underground search for 'God particle'
• Wired.com: What exactly is under the sea?
• Feb. 7, 2005 |
8:30 p.m. ET
Mars seen on wide-screen: It's been weeks since the Mars rovers marked their anniversaries on the Red Planet, but the happy returns are still being processed back on Earth.
Over the past few days, the rover team has released jaw-dropping, true-color panoramas from Spirit as well as Opportunity. The Opportunity rover's panorama shows the place where its heat shield crashed during the probe's descent a little more than a year ago, making a light reddish mark on the brick-red plain called Meridiani Planum.
The imagery was taken back on Dec. 28 by Opportunity's panoramic camera, but stitching the mosaic together required additional time. Check out the detailed description and the higher-resolution views, which can fill your computer monitor to overflowing.
Spirit's panorama shows what the rover saw during the Thanksgiving weekend back in November, when it was climbing toward Husband Hill. The peak is named after Columbia commander Rick Husband, who died with his six crewmates when the shuttle broke up a little more than two years ago.
Stay tuned for updates in our "Return to the Red Planet" section.
• Feb. 7, 2005 |
8:30 p.m. ET
Boldly going, and going, and going ... You haven't seen the last of that man behind the Virgin Atlantic astronaut visor. The Super Bowl commercial hyping Volvo's XC90 sport utility vehicle and a space-ride sweepstakes will be showing up again and again on cable TV over the next couple of weeks, spokesman Eric Davis told me today.
The ad hypes the BoldlyGo.com Web site, where Internet users can sign up for a chance to win a suborbital space trip on one of the spaceships being built for Virgin chief Richard Branson , the man behind the visor. Monday-morning TV quarterbacks didn't give the spot that high of a rating: The Wall Street Journal, for example, said it "seemed to lack rocket fuel" and struck an unusual risk-taking tone for a company that has traditionally hyped safety.
But the bottom line, I suppose, is whether Volvo will be satisfied with the buzz generated by the promotion over the next few weeks. The contest still has a couple of weeks to run, and the announcement of the winner should make a splash in late March.
Whoever that person is, he or she shouldn't expect to collect the prize anytime soon: The spaceships are still being designed, and it's not yet certain that the venture will fly. In fact, the rules state that if Virgin Galactic doesn't have its commercial spaceflight service up and running by March 2009, the contest winner will get $100,000 in cash instead.
• Feb. 7, 2005 |
8:30 p.m. ET
Your daily dose of science on the Web:
• Space Race News: This space for rent
• Nature: Friendly foxes are cleverer
• ABC (Australia): Laughter plays tricks with your eyes
• New Scientist: Journey to the center of a quake
The fine print: Looking for older items? Check the Cosmic Log archive. Share your perspective on cosmic subjects with Alan Boyle. If you link to this page, you can use http://cosmiclog.msnbc.com or http://www.cosmiclog.com as the address. MSNBC is not responsible for the content of Internet links.


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Welcome to Newton Abbot HeliClub
A Local flying club, which is located at Buckfastleigh in Devon, dedicated to flying model helicopters. At the club we fly a variety of IC engine and electric helicopters with the ability of our pilots ranging from beginner level to advanced 3D. Please feel free to browse our website for further information, and if you are thinking of joining the club, please come along to the flying site or contact us here.


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PHOTOPHILE- Heeere's Tony: Bennett makes UVA debut
Before a crowd of hundreds at John Paul Jones Arena, the University of Virginia's new head men's basketball coach Tony Bennett officially met and greeted the media and the community on Wednesday, April 1.
"We're going to be unified, and we're going to play with passion," Bennett said. "Those are the intangibles that you need to build a program."
Bennett promised the University that any achievements his team earns under his tenure will be earned "the right way."
"We want the most talented kids," said Bennett, "but never will we compromise character."
The Hook was there, and found a who's 'Hoo on hand to greet the new coach.
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There aren't that many universal truths, but here's one:
"Everyone loves to save money," says LaTonya Patterson, who sells high-end chocolates for a living and shops for fun.
Yes, we all adore our bargains — and half the fun is bragging about them. To let you do just that,
. Did they ever.
Are you thinking that now that the holidays are over the best buys are over too? Fear not.
In today's retail reality almost everything is on sale all the time, says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for NPD Group, a market research firm.
Remember the old days when there was an actual sales calendar of the best time of year to buy certain things, like the towels and sheets classic "white sale" in January?
"The old calendar? Throw it away," Cohen says. Great news for us bargain lovers. Cohen says, "All the time, every month somebody's going to be offering a deal."
Bargain tips from an expert
NPD Group chief analyst Marshal Cohen says:
Latest Lifestyles
•Shopping online "there's a deal 24/7." Do your research.
•Look for coupons in stores, online, in newspapers and "Don't be afraid to ask: 'Do you have a better deal on this or if I come back later?'"
•Many stores will match the lowest price elsewhere for 30 days, so learn the pricing policy and coupon codes.
•"A little bit of homework, and you can save hundreds of dollars a year."


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Celebrating the life of Andrew Avery Coates
Be the first to share your favorite memory, photo or story of Andrew. This memorial page is dedicated for family, friends and future generations to celebrate the life of their loved one.
We ask on behalf of the family that you keep your comments uplifting and appropriate to help all who come here to find comfort and healing.
Born to eternal life on July 5, 2020, at the age of 21 years. Memorial Service, Sunday, July 12, 2020. Visitation: 1-2 PM and Funeral 2 PM at Paradise Memorial Funeral and Cremation Services.
Interment: Private
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The revised edition of the Series of Social Studies is designed in Five Parts. These books are informative, conceptual, illustrative and easy to follow the topics and concepts suggested in the syllabus laid by NCERT for Classes I to V.
NCERT Social Sciences Practice Books for classes 6 to 8 is a workbook that supplements and supports the NCERT Social Science textbooks.
Awareness Social Sciences revised edition for classes 6 to 8 is based on the syllabus as specified by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). This revised edition has an updated content, new features, latest maps and pictures and a completely new layout.
It's All About Us is a series of Social Studies textbooks for classes 3 to 5. The series follows the latest syllabus guidelines of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations. The books have interesting features that encourage the learner to ponder, comprehend and infer knowledge from the content that has thoughtfully designed and presented.
Earth Alive Social Studies is a social studies course for classes 3 to 5. The
books aim to familiarise primary students with history, geography and civics
in an easy-to-understand and child-friendly manner.
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can't call soul own
can't call (one's) soul (one's) own
Spends most of one's time working for others. Now that I've started working overtime four days a week, I really can't call my soul my own.
can't call one's soul one's own
Fig. working for other people all the time. Jane has to work two jobs and take care of both her aging parents. She can't call her soul her own. Between supporting his family and working off his brother's bad debts, Bob really can't call his soul his own.


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My approach to A MEMORY OF LIGHT was dictated by unfamiliarity with the series. Not having read The Wheel of Time books, I focused on the scene provided and the characters therein while also keeping in mind that this book was the culmination of many years of reading for devoted fans.
It seemed best to start with the focus of the painting: Rand himself.
My initial sketches explored the pose he might adopt as he entered the dark confines of the cave. I attached light sticks to a wooden bokken and descended a flight of stairs with the lights off, trying to get a feel for how he would be holding the sword to light his way into darkness. (Since early in my career, I've found a kinesthetic sense of the figure's pose is helpful before attempting to recreate it in it's variations.)Continue Reading


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This Beau products flowerpaste is perfect for creating sugar flowers, models and decorations for your celebration cakes.
Beau Flowerpaste is used to make sugar flowers, leaves and any other sugar decorations you require.
This paste has been developed for the sugarcrafter to use straight from the resealable pot, Due to its consistency it is easy to work with and doesn't dry out too quickly giving you plenty of time to work the paste.
Even if you need to make changes or alter your project until you are happy with the finished results; giving you a very life-like finish. It is recommended that when working with this paste you use cornflour when kneading and rolling out.
Store in the tub with the lid on away from sunlight at room temperature. Do not use cling film.
The paste can be frozen - but must be defrosted at room temperature before using.
Bovine Gelatine (Halal Certificated), non hydrogenated vegetable oil, Glucose, Icing Sugar, Water, Gum E413, Dried Albumen, Cornflour, Preservative E202. Food Colours: E555,E171,E153,E129,E122,E133.
Some of these may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.
Nutritional Information: Typical values per 100g


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Pages: 1
I have a panel in deskbar mode. I want to increase the width of the deskbar in order to display text. This can be achieved by increasing the "row size", but has the side effect of making huge any icons placed on the panel. I attempted to work around this problem by increasing the number of "rows" on the panel. However, this value is capped at 6 (the slider not going any higher on the gui). Changing this value through the settings editor to a value greater than 6 appears to have no effect on the panel. Is there a way I can solve this problem, whether it be by somehow exceeding the row limit of 6, or by changing the width of the panel by other means?
Yes, the number of rows in the panel is limited to six. It is an arbitrary limit so you can edit the source, recompile the panel and have any number of panel rows you like.
How many rows do you want, and can you produce a screenshot/mockup of what you want to achieve?
This is a picture. The panel is on the left. As is apparent, the width is too low, and text is cut off.
Last edited by janDoe (2013-03-30 00:43:00)
the number of rows in the panel is limited to six. i need 10 rows. how can i set up?
What is your use case for requiring that many rows?
As @andrzejr mentions above, it is hard coded and you'll need to edit the source if you want that changed. Or create a bug report requesting the change and presenting a use case for requiring a higher row limit.
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We all have heard the jokes about Japanese and new technological toys. Something along the lines of teenage school girls wasting money the latest digital pet or networking device. Meanwhile Americans wait five years and pick up what they once mocked. Well, Intel Corporation decided to look into the stereotypes and see why certain cultures adopt technology faster than others. The results are somewhat surprising.
The research showed countries with agile governments willing to implement new ideas, cultures with "offline" networks already established, and a bad past all aid in technological adaptation. So being brave, wanting to improve what one already has, and wanting to be new and different are all elements of success. Meanwhile, subsidized societies (foreign aid, welfare-like mentally) have less motivation to adapt to the rapidly changing technological landscape. These slowly fall behind and are less competitive in the world. Old stovepipe cultures like governments agencies and authoritative regimes would do well to loosen their tight control on innovation. Look at the People's Republic of China's lightning quick rise to world power.
For a higher quaility map click here (PDF).


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Players like shapeshifting classes because they're cool, because they have a wide range of cool abilities... and because they're massively breakable. DMs can often hate them because of the breakableness, because of the headache of keeping track of what the player's doing, and because of the player always being able to pull something out of a hat that counters what the DM is doing.
The intention of the Shapeshift Druid in PHBII was to keep the cool, and some of the range of cool abilities, whilst removing the brokenness and making it managable for the GM to know what you're doing and can do.
So, here's a question: Could the Master of Many Forms be converted in a similar fashion? The point of MoMF is to take the adaptability of Wildshaping to the max, whilst still remaining 'natural' insofar as you turning into specific and distinct forms, rather than becoming a shifting mass of flesh and bone.
The way that occurs to me is to nick a trick from the Master of Masks, and have you pick the abilities/forms you want, though in this case gaining multiple extra forms each level, I'd say. Then have some inherent upgrading as levels go by. One big question is whether you should've picked up all the forms by the end of the class, I'd somewhat lean towards yes. Another question is size. Either have a general size-shifting ability, or give each form various sizes it can be.
You'd keep the Shapeshift druid's unrestricted number/duration of shifts, and swift action changes. I'd also give feats in a similar way to Shapeshift druid does. You'd get the various Shapeshift forms as stuff to take too, possibly with buffs – for example gaining Earth Glide when in Earth Elemental form. The idea is to have a manageably trackable number of of abilties, not to get rid of all the abilities that let you get around stuff.
An ability that would seem to be worthwhile would be letting magic items still work without having to pay extra for them to meld. You wouldn't get the Armour bonus of your armour, but you'd get the enhancement and abilities of it.
Dragonic form. Probably a level restricted form. Firebreath with a cooldown, flight, various sizes, fair bit of natural armour, stat increases, lots of natural attacks, possibly flyby attack, Elemental damage resistance, possibly immunity (at 10th). Probably get to pick a number of different dragons equal to your class level that you can turn into.
Aquatic form: Fairly fast, blindsense underwater. Not sure what else to give this one. Possibly get huge and be a ship sinking sea monster at high levels.
Thousand Faces: Look like who you want. Not sure what to stick on this.
Aerial form (from Shapeshift Druid): Get faster and maybe perfect manuverability, possibly get extra attacks, get improved flyby attack, adroit flyby attack.
Predator form (from Shapeshift Druid): Get a bit faster, possibly more attacks, scent and track, Stealth bonuses, HiPS at 10th?
Ferocious Slayer form (from Shapeshift Druid): Get even bigger, stronger, etc. Cleave/Great Cleave, or Power attack?
Venomous stalker form: Decent poison, good stealth, climb. Sneak attack? Quite possibly let it get pretty tiny, whilst retaining strong poison. Tremorsense? Probably medium level restricted.
Forest Avenger (from Shapeshift Druid): Talk to plants, better DR, treewalk? Probably level restricted.
Elemental Fury (from Shapeshift Druid): Earthglide for Earth, flight for Fire and Air, ability to flow through anywhere water can fit as water. Whirlwind as Air, Vortex as Water, earth tremor ability as Earth, Burn as fire. Probably level restricted.
Fey form: Charm/Illusion abilities. Possibly sneak, possibly flight, possibly invisibility. DR/cold iron.
Ooze form: Blindsight, squeezyness, acid. Not sure what else. Probably level restricted.
Giant: Get steadily huger, to Gargantuan or Collosal. Get rock thowing. Overrun/stamp. Possibly some ability to (relatively) easily rip apart/break down walls/buildings that aren't magically protected.
Animated Item: Turn into something that looks like an ordinary item, but is animated. Immunity to crits, strong, the utility of having your cart being a party member.
The one thing it seems to be lacking ATM is enough utility abilities. Shapeshift Druid has Druid spells to do that, Master of Many Forms has the specific abilities of its specific class. Possibly allow this to have slowed druid spell progression, or just add in a number more utility abilities.
So, thoughts, suggested forms, adjustments?


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Beat the Streak Report: Weekend, July 9-11
Who's got two thumbs and watched Brandon Phillips go 0-for-5 to snap a five-game streak?
This guy. And apparently 10.9 percent of Streakland too.
Phillips, the day's most popular pick, tag teamed with Jorge Cantu (4.6
percent) and Hanley Ramirez (2.2 percent) to zap the streaks of about
18 percent of the universe combined.
The good news is that our old reliable, Miguel Cabrera, is back
in action tonight and takes his Major League-leading 16-game streak to
Comerica Park to face Francisco Liriano.
And Cabrera (.357 AVG; 5-for-14 lifetime) <3s hitting off Liriano
Over/under on percent of streakers who select Miggy tonight as their choice: 20.5 percent.
I'll take the over, Johnny.
On to the weekend's picks …
Oh, hello there …
? Miguel Cabrera: 16-game hitting streak; .357 AVG (5-for-14) lifetime vs. Twins starter Francisco Liriano
? Denard Span: .435 AVG (10-for-23) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Justin Verlander
? David Ortiz: .500 AVG (6-for-12) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero
? Brian McCann: .419 AVG (13-for-31) lifetime vs. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey
? Martin Prado: .467 AVG (7-for-15) lifetime vs. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey
? Miguel Cabrera: .455 AVG (10-for-22) lifetime vs. Twins starter Nick Blackburn
? Matt Diaz: .522 AVG (12-for-23) lifetime vs. Mets starter Johan Santana
? Magglio Ordonez: .444 AVG (8-for-18) lifetime vs. Twins starter Carl Pavano
? David Wright: .368 AVG (7-for-19) lifetime vs. Braves starter Derek Lowe
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Ryan Theriot: .545 AVG (6-for-11) lifetime vs. Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley
? Willie Bloomquist: .455 AVG (15-for-33) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Mark Buehrle
? Jhonny Peralta: .471 AVG (8-for-17) lifetime vs. Rays starter Matt Garza
? A.J. Pierzynski: .419 AVG (13-for-31) lifetime vs. Royals starter Brian Bannister
? Aaron Rowand: .450 AVG (9-for-20) lifetime vs. Nationals starter Livan Hernandez
? Milton Bradley: .429 AVG (6-for-14) lifetime vs. Yankees starter CC Sabathia
You'll thank me later …
? Carlos Lee: .043 AVG (1-for-23) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright
? David DeJesus: .181 AVG (13-for-72) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Mark Buehrle
? Dexter Fowler: .000 AVG (0-for-12) lifetime vs. Padres starter Kevin Correia
? Paul Konerko: .161 AVG (5-for-31) lifetime vs. Royals starter Brian Bannister
? Adrian Gonzalez: .176 AVG (3-for-17) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Jason Hammel
? Brandon Phillips: .111 AVG (2-for-18) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Cole Hamels
? Alexei Ramirez: .150 AVG (3-for-20) lifetime vs. Royals starter Zack Greinke
Leaderboard time!
The good news is that Josh Hamilton's hit fiesta vs. the
Orioles vaulted our Beat the Streak leader, "scott.fredrickson" to a
36-game streak.
The bad news is that our Home Run Beat the Streak Miss Cleo
extraordinaire, "tpw", is donesky, after Corey Hart was unable to go
yard off Manny Parra and Co.
But a big hearty round of applause for "tpw", everyone. An eight-game streak is quite the swank accomplishment.
Top MLB streakers
? Miguel Cabrera: 16 games
? Austin Jackson: 11 games
? Ichiro Suzuki: 10 games
Five players tied with eight-game streaks.
114 Comments
still riding the hot bats of the 1st basemen. taking votto for the 2nd straight day and then miggy tomorrow
2 for 3 last night. Votto in bts and Pena in HR…I was among the 34% who rightfully thought the Rangers could NOT lose to the Orioles…survivor is not my friend. Word of advise from an Astros fan for survivor tonight: stay away from Astros-Cardinals…I know Wainwright (2+ ERA) vs Norris (6 ERA) looks like a no brainer, but Norris has OWNED the cards since his debut last year (4-0, 0.35era, 1.038whip against them). Actually the only 2 wins he got this year were against the cards…don't say I didn't warn you.
Speaking of riding the hot bat of 1st baseman (why does this not sound right 🙂 ), for the 1st time this year I'm gonna be riding the big puma gravy train…tomorrow against Suppan. Berkman has been red hot lately!
Figures.. Last night I picked Votto for a HR and changed it at the last second to Vernon Wells. That's the second time I've done that. My HR streak died at a measly 2. My longest of the season. My hit streak is up to 8 though. Had Longoria last night and Crawford tonight.
If NYY-SEA deal on Cliff Lee before tonite's game (read the wires), Lee probably won't pitch. Might be worth monitoring.
@LaVolpe: You would think Seattle would takes its time with the deal to get as much out of Lee as possible. The Yankees might have a nice package, but there are a LOT of teams out there that want this guy and might get more desperate as the deadline creeps up.
My weekend picks: bts:McCutchen/Berkman/Cuddyer…
HR bts: Oliva/Pence/Pena, Survivor: Reds/Giants/Twins.
Am I feeling spicy or what?!
Well my pick for tonight may be a little bit out there but taking a shot. I have Kemp tonight against Lilly. He is hitting Lilly at a .300 clip and he is due.
@vinny1979: Be careful that "he is due" doesn't end up meaning Lilly 😉
I know but I don't like to change the day of game and I had Wright until I saw he was facing Hanson who is 0 fer 5 against so I had to change to somebody on the Dodgers as they are facing the Cubs.
Lav, I also should of said this game is about taking risks if you want to have a shot of getting the big money so why not right.
@vinny1979. This game is nothing but risks. Whenever your pick gets a hit off relievers — lucky (no inkling who reliever is when you picked). Whenever your pick fails off starters (assuming good stats against) — unlucky. Whenever pitcher changes last minute, intentional walks, double switches, bad temper (Votto), etc, and your streak ends — unlucky. And even if your pick hits off starter; many times just a matter of inches made difference — lucky. So, in my opinion, minimize risks: select pick that has best opportunity to succeed. Sounds easy, but no one has won this game yet.
Kemp vs Lilly ?you?re feeling even spicier than I do! I don?t like picking against a pitcher that has a 239 opp avg.
Is Kemp due? I'd say so: batting 233 in July & 227 over past 30 days. Is today the day? Be confident & good luck.
P.S. I don't make picks in advance; I do research day of game so I can have most current stats/info; changing my pick 15 mins prior to game time is not uncommon for me.
I've got Miguel Cabrera on hit and hr beat the streaks and the Tigers on survivor.
"I've got Miguel Cabrera on hit and hr beat the streaks and the Tigers on survivor."
Man! that's putting your eggs in one basket right there!
Lav, I hear what your saying but be warned. I have changed my pick 4 times this year the day of game and every single time I did my new pick didn't get a hit but the original pick did.
Oh man. 27 game streak is over thanks to a no selection. How can that happen? My lord.
Cliff Lee traded; not pitching tonite. So who is?
Friday's Top Picks of the current Top2500
All games included, 145 batters picked overall
Batter, Times Picked, Percentage
Ichiro Suzuki, 257, 10.28%
Vladimir Guerrero, 194, 7.76
Miguel Cabrera, 164, 6.56
Joey Votto, 150, 6.0
Josh Hamilton, 123, 4.92 (Leader)
Albert Pujols, 113, 4.52
Ryan Braun, 96, 3.84
Michael Young, 88, 3.52
Brandon Phillips, 81, 3.24
Carl Crawford, 66, 2.64
Billy Butler, 65, 2.6
Robinson Cano, 49, 1.96
… No Selection, 33, 1.32
Highest "No Selection": Page #1 with a streak of 27 back to zero (hello?)
Yesterday = ouch. 29% reset
Bloggers Group Top2500
UserName, Streak, Page#, Pick
mreck13, 14, pg14, I.Kinsler (43x by Top2500)
LaVolpe, 13, pg21, C.Hart (34x by Top2500)
Deb23, 11, pg31, M.Young
dalywalker322, 11, pg43, I.Suzuki
laker001, 10, pg52, C.Hart
RIP2TheCompetition, 8, pg91, R.Cano
00Liber, 8, pg93, M.Young
Lee out. Milton Bradley will be pitching. He said he will show Carlos Silva who got the better end of the deal. I just pulled my Cano pick. No way I am going against Bradley.
Some guy named David Pauley is pitching for the Mariners. Career numbers are terrible.
No selection for a 27 hit streak, now going back to 0.
I think pinklilli forgot to pick because she probably thought Pujols went 0-fer last night. She probably didn't stay up to see him hit on his last AB.
"lavolpe – ATT U-verse is a great deal and you would see all Cub games. They are always running a special deal.
Rangers – Friday v. O's
Kinsler – .471 v. lefties
Young – .360 v. lefties
O'S Matuz lefty
Cabrera still hot too"
Why is there two sets of stats with the lefty/righty splits?
I saw Kinsler hitting .440 against lefties coming into today from the MLB.com player splits page.
"My weekend picks: bts:McCutchen/Berkman/Cuddyer…
HR bts: Oliva/Pence/Pena, Survivor: Reds/Giants/Twins.
Am I feeling spicy or what?!"
Who is Olivia?
"changing my pick 15 mins prior to game time is not uncommon for me."
If you do your research day of game, why would you change your pick right before the game routinely?
"I think pinklilli forgot to pick because she probably thought Pujols went 0-fer last night. She probably didn't stay up to see him hit on his last AB."
But you do not even check the box score the next morning?
There is even less excuse here because the first game did not start until after 7 o'clock.
Who is Olivia?
Maybe he meant Miguel Olivo?
@champ88: Once I pick, usually couple hours before locked, I will mull it over and change if desired. I never have just 1 pick, usually 2-5 picks I am considering. Just the way I do it… walk away, think, re-pick maybe, rinse &repeat
Unless you discover a powerful new stat or if someone is scratched though, you should just put some energy in and make your decision in one thought session.
Otherwise, you are going to second-guess yourself every single day you lose.
@champ88: Well, I'm trying a new system/formula and am tweaking it as I go along; so re-thinking needed. Started this new formula at beginning of my current streak. So far so good.
^^ except for tomorrow: no-brainer for a pick
My pick for tomorrow will be the same as today. Hint: his team is currently leading 7-2.
@Vinny1979: He was due!
See Lav. I felt good about him and I'm not changing my picks the day of game. On to tomorrow for me and you too as well Lav. Your pick came through as well so good job and good luck to all tomorrow and the rest of tonight if your pick didn't come through yet.
@lavolpe: congrads on a good streak! I am glad that your system is working. You're also smart enough to figure out that it always need some tweaking. I think that is the way to do this. I also went with CH today. He bats 2nd with 2 feared hitters behind him plus he kills left@home@night.
I will share my new thinking with the board: If you look @ who has the most hits in the season & match that up with weak pitching for the day, it is not bad set-up. Obviously, this is a rough sketch but this avoids the downfall of hitters who walk a lot but have high avg (Youklis).
I am now beginning to look for guys who has lot more hits than game played v. pitcher who give up more hits than innings pitched. I know this is basically a same old formula.
Wow. O's tied the game. Man, someone will be crying betting big against them. And you know people have. I am glad to see Os fans getting some fun time here.
And JH is killing it. This guy is smoking something 4 sure. How does a power hitter hit like Ichiro @ his price but with 10x the slugging power?
Maybe Rangers should try Cliff Lee as their closer? 🙂
Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval – Needs to get in the gym and turn that fat into muscle.
Today I feel really good about my pick. Today I am going with Furcal as he is super hot right now. Gorzelanny has been tough but last time he faced Dodgers he gave up 7 hits and BAA was .304 so like my odds.
Yesterday's collapse by the Rangers made Thursday's loss feel much better. I won with the Tigers last night and I'm taking the Phillies today in survivor. I have Joe Mauer on beat the streak and Ryan Howard on hr.
@btsPlayer: Ignoring my new system today. Thinking 1-3 hitters for MINN will get better pitches to hit than Mi.Cabrera. Twinkies 7 games out & need a win. Over analyzing?
"Over analyzing?" Possibly. The thing w/ tx, nyy and det line-up is its very hard to pitch around their bomb hitters. Many times, Cano, MCab and JH come up in situations where the pitcher cannot pitch around. They have to throw strikes and hope for the best and nobody scores.
Saturday's Top Picks of the current Top2500
All games included, 152 batters picked overall
Batter, Times Picked, Percentage
Miguel Cabrera, 462, 18.48%
Ichiro Suzuki, 306, 12.24
Josh Hamilton, 207, 8.28
Matt Holliday, 110, 4.4
Carl Crawford, 107, 4.28
Martin Prado, 98, 3.92
Joe Mauer, 71, 2.84 (Leader)
Vladimir Guerrero, 62, 2.48
Ryan Braun, 60, 2.4
Albert Pujols, 54, 2.16
Evan Longoria, 53, 2.12
Highest "No Selection": Page #12 with streak of 15 now back to zero
Yesterday was gold-star day resulting in just 11% reset
Bloggers Group Top2500
UserName, Streak, Page#, Pick
mreck13, 15, pg12, J.Hamilton
LaVolpe, 14, pg17, M.Ordonez (29x by Top2500)
Deb23, 12, pg30, M.Young (28x by Top2500)
dalywalker322, 12, pg38, I.Suzuki
laker001, 11, pg61, M.Prado
RIP2TheCompetition, 9, pg80, Mi.Cabrera
00Liber, 9, pg90, Mi.Cabrera
Let's hope today is the start of the slump for Mauer. I am glad Morneau is not batting behind him.
Champ88. They were talking about Corey Hart.
I joined The Bloggers group. Hope that's OK with you guys. Anyway, I have a question. The streak I have now on my own doesn't carry over to the group? Sucks cuz I have a good one going. Oh well. GL everyone!
like many others i took miggy today against blackburn. hes on a 17 game hit streak, to hitter in the AL, has boesch protecting him and blackburn is throwing like **** this year. i couldnt be any more confident in this pick than i already am.
Top2500 No Selections: 42, 1.68%
@nymets1979: What's your streak? When you hit the Top2500, I'll include it in my daily posts.
@nymets1979. Streak starts back at zero when u join group. But you're main streak is unchanged.
I got Miggy in bts, Josh in HR (holliday starts me off yesterday) and Tampa in survivor ( was at 3 and went to bed (was 6-2) before Texas decided to blow another one.
I won't be posting untill probobly thursday or Friday. Going camping for the week. But I'll still be reading and enjoying all posts. @btsplayer always keeps it intesting.
GL to all today and tomorrow. Then a nice couple day break.
Should Texas move CJ back as the closer? Now that Cliff is joining the rotation.
Ok. Streak is low now, but season high is 11. Thanks guys!
"^^ except for tomorrow: no-brainer for a pick"
You mean Miguel Cabrera?
"My pick for tomorrow will be the same as today. Hint: his team is currently leading 7-2."
lol, if someone did not read this right away, they are going to have no idea which player you meant.
I have no clue either.
"@lavolpe: congrads on a good streak! I am glad that your system is working. You're also smart enough to figure out that it always need some tweaking. I think that is the way to do this. I also went with CH today. "
True, but you should figure out what you are going to tweak before you go into the new day's games.
Otherwise, you are susceptible to leaning on guys with big streaks by continually tweaking your system until it gives you your desired player.
Also, who is CH?
"Today I feel really good about my pick. Today I am going with Furcal as he is super hot right now. Gorzelanny has been tough but last time he faced Dodgers he gave up 7 hits and BAA was .304 so like my odds."
Did we look at the same stats?
I could have swore I saw .241 BAA for Gorzelanny?
"My pick for tomorrow will be the same as today. Hint: his team is currently leading 7-2."
lol, if someone did not read this right away, they are going to have no idea which player you meant.
I have no clue either.
At the time I wrote that, the Detroit Tigers were leading the Minnesota Twins 7-2. My pick yesterday/today was/is MiCabrera. Sorry to be so vague.
Well Champion I was talking about when he faced the Dodgers earlier in the year. He gave up 7 hits and they hit .304 against him in that game.
Damn. Was kinda hoping that Buttera was gonna start today and Mauer would be a pinch hitter cause minny played last night. Oh well.
Champ88. I'm still taking the iPhone with me. It's just time consuming to post messages.
Btw I hate how the posts organize themselves based on time zones.
@champ88. Regarding the formula & tweaking; it isn't a streak-driven one; rather fuzzy logic with my biases sprinkled about. But my gut feeling today was overwhelming. Went with gut & not trusting my formula's picks: CarGon or Miggy. Fingers crossed.
"I won't be posting untill probobly thursday or Friday. Going camping for the week. But I'll still be reading and enjoying all posts."
Don't forget the picks for tomorrow before you leave!
Also, everyone should be careful not to lose the day before the all-star break, because then you have to sit on that loss for 5 days!
Finally, are there going to be blog posts for the HomeRun Derby and All-Star Scoreboard challenges?
MCab is basically a grown man playing in a peewee league. He is just talking batting practice in a stadium with 150ft to the outfield.
There you go lavolpe! Your strong hunch was very strong. It went the yard!
@btsPlayer: Whew! Wish I was lucky in the HR BTS – 3 of my last 4 picks went yard.
Here's hoping close game forces DET to pitch Mauer very carefully.
lavolpe, I am suddely thirsty. I think I am gonna go get a diet Coke with lime wedges. You know what? I will live a little & go for the non-diet. I will get some M&M also.
Spoke too soon. So much for a close game as Damon goes yard scoring three.
Mauer storing up his hits for the All-Star game. 0-4 & unlikely to come up again. Scotty can only hope against hope.
I had to have the same pick as the leader so everyone roots for an 0 fer Mauer result and have a 0 streak now like the leader. If only there was a way to see the picks before they lock I would not have fallen for the only other common picker as the leader curse.
How do you spell HOT?
Miguel Cabrera
Cubs Aramis Ramirez
Ian Linsler
Chicago White Sox
Alex Rios
Corey Patterson of O's not a misprint Corey Patterson of O's!
@yanksgiantsdevils33: It's just tough luck. Mauer had good numbers but went 0-fer. When anyone of us picks same as leader, we know mostly everyone else is hoping for us to fail too; nature of the game. You just have to be confident about your pick; regardless if the Leader made the same pick or not. In cases like this, we generally tell ourselves: "I took one for the team by taking the leader down with me too"
Mauer simply was q bad pick today. As soon as I saw the pick, I thought to myself there is a good chance he won't come through. First, m&m boys are not as strong when one is out. Second, Mauer is actually slumping now.
There goes the kid's no hitter. I am glad that O's are doing well against TX. The fans of O's finally have some fun this wk for a change.
To be fair to the fallen leader, I just realized Mauer pick really was sabotaged to some degree by O. Hudson as well. He stole all the thunder upfront by getting 3 hits. This is another factor to watch out for when 2 or 3 top line hitters bat in a row but in this case nobody expected OH to do this.
My estimate is this happens in 1 out 4 games where 2 BTS fav. duos bat in a row. Sometimes very hesitant to pick one from these pairs beause you don't know which one will screw you.
m&m boys, m&m boys #2 from Det, pujols-holli. There are a couple of more combos that I don't recall now.
i bet votto will hit won of halladay and wood will win his first mlb game
nl will win the all star game
One game at a time….. Hoping Miggy can just bring me to three tomorrow so I can start fresh with a head start after the break.
taking adrian beltre today to get me to a 10 game streak heading into the all star break. he has decent numbers against litsch and is having his best season in a couple of years while litsch is really struggling to get outs
I wanted to go into the all start break at 7 ever since I got an 0 fer with Cano last Sunday that broke a 12 game streak. Instead it's going to be 0 or 1 fun break coming, NOT! If not for failing to realize slumps with Cano and Mauer I might be at 19 going for 20. But instead I'm having the worse possible streak lengths going in to the all star break and I'm pissed about that because my goal was to have a good streak going into the All star break. Who could predict that the Twins would have 6 hits (and only 4 off of Bonderman) and Orlando Hudson (who bats right before Mauer) would have 3. As for last Sunday who would think that Ramiro Pena would have 2 hits and Marcus Thames would go 1 for 1 as a PH but Cano would be 0 fer. 2 picks I thought could not go 0 fer did. I'm sorry for being so bitter. I should just be happy I ever reached 17 in the "year of the pitcher".
As for survivor I got a great win with the Phillies pick yesterday, now I'm taking Tampa to see if I can go into the break at 3.
I'm hoping to go into the break with my streak still in tact and hoping to do it with Texeira. He is hot right now and has been for the last week so I'm loving my pick. Numbers aren't great against Smith but all it takes is one hit and hoping I get that today. Quentin in HR BTS and Rays in Survivor.
Top o the morning all. Road trip commencing and the wife decided she's driving, works for me. Now I can follow all games and posts.
10 in bts for the forth time this season.
Going with Pappi in HR, Rays in survivor, and still quite haven't decided on Bts. Do I dare Miggy again? Looking at matt holliday, Wandy has pitched pretty decently his last few starts but I like my chances. Matt is batting like .406 vs lhp on road during the day.
Best of luck to all today. And let's enjoy the couple days off.
M & M- both out
O. Cabrera-Cin
Grienke- KC
Above players are out for morning games. Don't know who's available to PH or not.
for anyone thinking about possibly taking mauer against the tigers rookie pitcher. he will not be in the starting lineup but is available to pinch hit
KC-CWS. Greinke out, Lerew in. Wanted to go with NYY tonite but not knowing if Swisher will be rested or not is stopping me. Will probably pick from the CWS instead.
Great. More Chinese knockoff garbage website spam. It seems a good portion of that country lives off doing this. Funny how the spammer timed the messages write around 1pm.
Haha. Crap.
LaV: where's the stats at?
Sunday's Top Picks of the current Top2500, 139 batters picked overall
Batter, Times Picked, Percentage
Josh Hamilton, 298, 11.92% (Leader)
Ichiro Suzuki, 228, 9.12
Robinson Cano, 158, 6.32
Adrian Beltre, 147, 5.88
Magglio Ordonez, 135, 5.4
David Wright, 96, 3.84
Derek Jeter, 94, 3.76
Justin Morneau, 93, 3.72 (pinch?)
Miguel Cabrera, 92, 3.68
Matt Holliday, 87, 3.48
Carl Crawford, 80, 3.2 (pinch?)
Albert Pujols, 75, 3
… No Selection, 53, 2.12
Highest "No Selection": Page #6 with streak of 17 now back to zero
Painful day yesterday as 29% fell
Bloggers Group Top2500 posted separately today
Bloggers Group Top2500
UserName, Streak, Page#, Pick
LaVolpe, 15, pg10, A.Rios (30x by Top2500)
Deb23, 13, pg18, D.Jeter
dalywalker322, 13, pg28, Mi.Cabrera
RIP2TheCompetition, 10, pg58, C.Crawford
00Liber, 10, pg59, M.Holliday
Schenk015, 9, pg76, A.Beltre
mreck13 @ 15 reset by J.Hamilton
laker001 @ 11 reset by M.Prado
@00Liber: Blog blocks my large posts sometimes; telling me to wait — so I must.
Fair enough. Was just curious.
Beltre 0-2 and out with a hamstring injury. Tough break
Well Hamilton isn't starting so maybe he will pinch hit?
Hamilton (Leader's pick) may only pinch in 8/9th if score remains tight; doubt it but we'll see.
Well got my hit so I'm good going into the break.
Josh Hamilton pickers best go out & buy lotto tickets. He comes in to pinch hits & gets a hit!
I was just thinking the exact same lavolope. respy is one lucky leader! Alex Rios got a hit so I'm back to 1 in bts and the Rays won in 10 so I'm at 3 on survivor going into the break.
Well, have a nice few days off and see y'all back here on Thursday. Don't forget to get that first pick in for MLB's 2nd half.
Hoping that Dave Feldman will be posting some All-Star Game items the next few days.
Do the group hits take longer to update? I should be at 2 after a hit yesterday and today, but it still says 1. My main streak is at 5. Thanks!
"Josh Hamilton pickers best go out & buy lotto tickets. He comes in to pinch hits & gets a hit!"
As soon I saw him come up & he wasn't being intentionally walked, he was gonna get a hit. I mean 80mph pitch down Broadway, even I would have hacked that one for a hit. What were they thinking. You don't give JH anything in the middle of the plate. He will kill it. Better to either walk him or hope that he pops/flies out a bad pitch.
Corey Hart in HR Derby
Not picking Cabrera after HR Derby until he appears back to normal — Pujol's affect of last year?
I would rethink that Lav as Tigers are facing Indians after the break and Westbrook on Friday. I have Ortiz winning the Derby tonight.
@Vinny: I can wait a game or two. Looking at Vlad @ BOS vs Wakefield for 1st 2nd half pick. Can't imagine Vlad not bouncing one off that wall.
Unfortunately my formula/system needs a solid week worth of data which I won't have coming out of the break. So I will just have to wing it for the 1st 6 games. Gonna be a nervous week for me!
HR Derby……..
"You gotta have HART"
13 HRS in round 1
Including a 494 ft bomb.
His last 5 HR's all over 450 feet.
@Vinny. Cabrera didn't over-extend himself in the derby; think he's a good pick for Friday
@Bloggers Group. Expect the Bloggers Group Top2500 to be posted separately from the standard Top2500 until number of players decrease to a few, may have up to 10 Top2500 right now. Blog has issues with very large posts at times. Worse case, the Bloggers Group Top2500 can be posted up to an hour after the Top2500 is posted. Just FYI.
@All. Monitor the wires for any injury updates related to the All-Star game, enjoy the ESPYs, & get your thinking caps on & lucky rabbit feet out for Thursday's 2nd half start.
@Lav: I have Cabrera on Friday as he looks like the logical pick but we will see if I keep him or not.
@All: I have a doozy of a pick for the start of the second half on Thursday. Very odd pick but one I think will come through.
My top 5 prediction as most picked for Thursday. It's not going to be in this order but this will be the top 5 I feel.
Prado, Hart, Mauer, Morneau, Hamilton.
@Lav: I have Cabrera on Friday as he looks like the logical pick but we will see if I keep him or not.
@All: I have a doozy of a pick for the start of the second half on Thursday. Very odd pick but one I think will come through.
My top 5 prediction as most picked for Thursday. It's not going to be in this order but this will be the top 5 I feel.
Prado, Hart, Mauer, Morneau, Hamilton.
@Lav: I have Cabrera on Friday as he looks like the logical pick but we will see if I keep him or not.
@All: I have a doozy of a pick for the start of the second half on Thursday. Very odd pick but one I think will come through.
My top 5 prediction as most picked for Thursday. It's not going to be in this order but this will be the top 5 I feel.
Prado, Hart, Mauer, Morneau, Hamilton.
I hate the all-star break.. this is the only time of year where you come home from a hard days work and no sports is on tv.. no hockey, baseball, basketball, football… worst 3 days of the year in my opinion! Where is Thursday when you need it?


text:
Boston EMS commitment to pre-planning and training saved lives
One of the stories yet to be told about the Boston bombing is the tremendous work done by the Boston Emergency Medical Services team. If one considers the nature of the event, it as astonishing that only three people died. It's easy to credit the poor quality of the explosive devices, the timing of the attack, or even luck with the low number of fatalities. But luck had nothing to do with it: Boston EMS was ready.
As do most large cities, Boston takes large civic events seriously and does considerable pre-planning. The Boston Marathon is certainly THE signature event for Boston and was no exception. What is different about the planning in Boston is that Boston EMS, as a matter of policy, treats the Boston Marathon and other large events as a mass casualty event. That means that all the equipment, facilities and staff required to respond to a mass casualty event were fully deployed at the time of the attack. Note that this does not mean they were "on alert" or "on standby" but were actually in the field with medical caches available, ambulances staged, and staff on scene.
The results speak for themselves. According to Boston EMS Chief James Hooley, his team was able to clear the scene of victims in 18 minutes. A medical tent for triage was already set up. Ambulances were available to transport the injured without the need for an uncoordinated evacuation by civilian vehicles. A well-practiced communications system with local hospitals ensured that no one hospital was overloaded. Mutual aid partners were in constant contact with the on-scene management team.
There is no question that such a heavy deployment of resources is expensive and can't be done for every event. However, the larger issue is Boston EMS commitment to training for mass casualty events. It is a task they take seriously. The deployment of resources would not have been so effective without a trained and experienced team of professionals to use them.
The Boston experience highlights the importance of both training and planning for mass casualty events. A small jurisdiction may not be able to pre-stage resources as Boston does but it can certainly plan for how it would handle a mass casualty event. It's all in the commitment.


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text:
Wilson roughed up as Phils escape with series win
Four-run ninth inning overshadows Gonzalez's game-tying homer
LOS ANGELES -- The last time Brian Wilson took a loss was March 30 in San Diego, and the next day he went on the disabled list.
So Friday could be interesting after Wilson was charged with all four runs in the ninth inning on Thursday night as the Phillies beat Wilson and the Dodgers going away, 7-3.
The Dodgers got three hits each -- including home runs -- from Juan Uribe and Adrian Gonzalez. But Gonzalez also committed an error at first bae that led to a pair of unearned runs in the fifth inning.
And the bullpen took another loss, its seventh of the 10 Dodgers losses this year.
The postgame questions to manager Don Mattingly focused on Wilson, who allowed only one run in 18 appearances last year. If the reliever is hurting, as he was during Spring Training and again at the end of last month with an irritated ulnar nerve, Mattingly isn't aware.
"We feel like he's healthy," said Mattingly. "Obviously, his location is not where he wants it. This guy barely misses his spots at all."
In the ninth inning, Wilson allowed a leadoff single to Cody Asche, a one-out single to Ben Revere, a two-run double to Carlos Ruiz, an intentional walk to Chase Utley and then hit slumping Ryan Howard with a pitch before he was removed.
"The only thing we can do is ask," Mattingly said of Wilson, who conceded a month ago that he tried to compensate for lack of arm strength after a compressed Spring Training by muscling up with his pitches, only to irritate his twice-repaired elbow.
"We think it's a matter of not executing. That's where we start if nothing is wrong physically. We have to make sure he's being honest and he feels good. We know if Brian is throwing the way he's capable of, it makes us pretty strong."
Because Kenley Jansen had pitched five of the six preceding days, Wilson was Mattingly's closer for this game, which is why he took over in the ninth with the score tied, 3-3. Mattingly mentioned Chris Withrow and Chris Perez, each having pitched a scoreless inning in this game, as potential replacements for Wilson if it comes to that, but the manager said that decision hasn't been made.
Ruiz's double was his second of the game and sixth extra-base hit of the four-game series. The Phillies won three of the four, Ruiz going 0-for-3 in their only loss. Marlon Byrd helped in this win with four RBIs. Ruiz and Byrd had three hits each.
Dan Haren started for the Dodgers and struck out seven in a six-inning no-decision, charged with three runs, one earned.
The Dodgers had two-out singles in each of the first three innings without scoring off Kyle Kendrick. In the fourth, Gonzalez led off with a double. Yasiel Puig, who slammed his left shoulder into the box-seat padding chasing Byrd's foul ball in the third inning, bounced out to third. Andre Ethier struck out before Uribe hit his towering shot for a 2-0 lead.
Philadelphia came back with three runs in the top of the fifth when it executed and the Dodgers didn't. After a one-out single by Revere, Ruiz sent a perfect hit-and-run single into the hole that shortstop Hanley Ramirez vacated to cover second base. Utley sent a bouncer to Gonzalez, but he booted it as Revere scored.
"I realized I couldn't get two and took my eye off the ball to see if I had a play at home," said Gonzalez. "It would have been a bang-bang play at home, but I've got to make sure I catch the ball first, then look."
Howard's grounder back to Haren moved the runners over and Byrd brought them home with a double that barely eluded the laid-out dive of Puig in right-center for a 3-2 Philly lead.
The Dodgers had a chance to respond in the bottom of the fifth, putting runners on first and third with one out on singles by Ramirez and Gonzalez. Puig bounced over the bag to third baseman Asche, who flipped home ahead of Ramirez, standing up as he was tagged out by catcher Ruiz.
Mattingly argued that Ruiz blocked the plate in violation of the new rule designed to avoid home-plate collisions, but the call was confirmed after a crew-chief review for the second out and Ethier grounded to first to end the threat.
In the bottom of the sixth, Uribe was safe at first on a leadoff infield single that would stand after a replay challenge by the Phillies. With two outs, Dee Gordon singled Uribe to second. Jake Diekman relieved and faced pinch-hitter Matt Kemp, who struck out.
Mike Adams took over for the Phillies and allowed Gonzalez's sixth home run with one out in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 3-3 and take Haren off the hook.