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Tonight's game
I'll take a quick break from parking and restaurant reviews and give today's lineup, as well as the unfortunate news that Matt Kemp is going to go on the disabled list and Chin-hui Tsao has been recalled from Las Vegas. I haven't been downstairs yet for a medical update on Kemp, but be on the lookout for Ken Gurnick's notebook, as I'm sure that will have the first bit of news from Grady/Stan Conte, etc.
Here's the lineup:
Pierre, CF
Martin, C
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzalez, LF
Valdez, SS
Ethier, RF
Betemit, 3B
Tomko, P
One last thought on the restuarant critics…if they write off of their first visit, how is it that they can weigh in on five or six different appetizers, entrees and desserts? They just take one bite of everything and then give their opinion? Or do they leave every meal stuffed beyond all belief? Anyway…
76 Comments
I'm hoping Matt Kemp's DL stint isn't to serious. Like a 3 month stint would be really really bad. judging from his interviews yesterday it sounds like he'll be o.k
I rather stay way from the whole parking situation I know my way around the situation so what ever…
I grimace each time I check the line-up card and see Pierre at the top of our order.
I know its a 162 game season, but he's been killing us so far; and I simply can't see things changing. What a terrible signing!
We can't un-ring that bell, so i guess all we're left with is hoping for the best.
Lets get-em tonight fellas!!!
Kemp going on the DL even with negative x-rays? Is this more serious than just a bruise, or is Stan Conte going to actually – dare I say – err on the side of caution and try not to mess Kemp up even more? And complete with a callup of the fireballing Tsao, I like the move.
I predict Pierre will snap out of his funk tonight with a 4-5 game and the Dodgers win big. Andre will also make the most of the unfortunate Kemp news.
Go Blue!
Valdez is batting before Ethier?
I agree Josh – restaurant critics are taught to at least come back a second time if it's a new restaurant, if not wait awhile for even the first one, because it takes time to iron out the kinks and so on. It's part of the critic's creed. (Of course, restaurants are different than parking lots…)
Meanwhile, I hope it is true that Kemp did have a contusion and not something more serious, and that the team is being cautious. Tsao is probably up in part because Tomko isn't going longer then 5 or so, even if he pitches well, and who knows what else the rest of the week will bring. Also Anderson and Valdez can play OF if needed. When Furcal comes back, things'll change once more. Still they're going to need Kemp to come back healthy. Better safe than sorry.
Most critics (and people in general) go out to eat with people. In the foodie community it is common to let everyone try everything on the table (especially appetizers and desserts). It would be prohibitively expensive to have to keep going out to eat until you have tried everything on the menu. However, it is true that most restaurant critics won't go to a place on opening night and slam it if things aren't perfect.
Dodgerdude, when Furcal comes back he'll be the leadoff hitter, so rest easy. His return may also make things easier for Pierre and get him started a bit more (I hope).
This is something of an odd move I think… curious why we need a 12th pitcher? I would have thought Loney. The pen is far from over worked- even with yesterdays game.
Lets see, Kemp goes down (hope it's not serious) so we call up a pitcher. Makes perfect sense, unless they feel Tomko will get shelled.
Player to watch tonight IMO Ethier, I didn't check the stats or anything but my DODGER MOJO tells me so.
You know- I just looked at 1 last year with the Dodgers and 2 2004-2006 three year splits and Tomko has a 2.60 ERA at Dodger stadium in both cases. I sorta forgot about that. Maybe he pitches well tonight!! We need to get back on track.
agreed fliegel, they need as much offensive help as they can get…plus the pen hasn't been overworked at all. Hopefully a DFA for Seanez is coming.
Activate Furcal, DFA Seanez?
A few questions.
When Raffy come back, will he bat lead-off or in the 2 spot? I really love having Martin in the 2 spot, its gonna be a shame to see him moved out of there.
Doesn't it make more sense to putting Raffy at the 2-spot since he's a better contact and power hitter than JP? I fear that having JP batting second will produce a high number of DP's.
Also, I realize JP's hitting game will improve. However, I only thinks thats half the story. Does anyone really expect that he'll ever become more patient so he ups his OBP and/or he'll do something to improve he's extremely week throwing arm? I just can't see how he helps us more than hurts with his inability to have productive at bats and with opposing teams' increasing tendency to run wild every time the ball is hit to him.
Someone, please shed some light on what I see as bleak situation in CF.
Dodgerdude, i have a feeling Pierre will stay in the leadoff spot when Furcal comes back. If you remember earlier this year Grittle Cakes played with the idea of having Pierre first, Martin second and Furcal third.
would be ideal though,
It was my understanding during Spring Training that the Dodgers were planning on going with 12 pitchers during the season. They were afforded the extra bench spot only until Tomko made his first start (tonight).
"I predict Pierre will snap out of his funk tonight with a 4-5 game and the Dodgers win big."
I hope your are right. If Pierre goes an unlikely 4 for 5, that would raise his .188 OBA to .270 which is still pretty pathetic. He's killing us at the top of the lineup. Pierre really needs to bat 8th when Furcal comes back. Any sane manager should be able to see this!
"any sane manager should be able to see this!"
LOL you do know grady little is our manager right?
Pierre leadoff?
Valdez 6th?
This organization has become a sick joke.
Hey Max. I like your style. If you swing both ways send me an EMail. Maybe we can hook up.
Someone in the bully is going to be sent down when Furcal comes in…that is unless Tsao fails the audition. I think it's a good move bringing him up and letting the rest of the bullpen sweat it out a bit.
why has dodger management lost confidence in andre ethier? what has he done wrong?… and now i hear him pull a james loney(although not to that extent)… they need to get at bats for my kids, otherwise they are just wasting their talent.
c'mon Ray you know as well as the rest of us that it falls into that what have you done for me lately catagory and lately Eithier hasn't done much with the bat Loney is sulking his chance away down in AAA Nomar should be spending time at home not on the diamond Parking and Traffic still ***** in LA but at least we are not The Mariners with Weaver on the mound……
Go Big BlueRollercoaster 2007!
Ray couldn't agree more. It seems like they really don't have him in their future plans. But without him last year I don't believe they stay in the race. I am sure he is frustrated getting off to a slow start and then getting limited at bats. I think he will get a chance now with Kemp out. Unless they decide to give Clark some starts. Prove them wrong Andre!
Why cant we bring up Loney and send down Seanez? Rudy is garbage and has nothing left in the tank…..He is the prototypical spring training pitcher.
Ray, I agree. Maybe early to say, but I feel the kids are ready — numbers say so too.
At the risk of jinxing things, Tomko is looking better than any starter thus far.
Go Blue!!!
"I think he will get a chance now with Kemp out. Unless they decide to give Clark some starts."
I'd be very disapoited/feel bad for Ethier if that happened. The kid is gonna produce if given the chance. IMO.
c'mom andre, dont become the next todd hollandsworth. management dont like him as it is, imagine if he goes hitless today?…
tomko – 1 h, 0 r, 8 so through 5
he looks real good so far
why is chad in the pen?.. he should be starting… i dont care how good of a start tomko had today, you know hes going to be awful… let the kid start
Ethier has got to start believing in himself and start producing. It's a case of "what have you done for me lately", and he hasn't shown anything since August of last year.
Agreat outing for Tomko…Martin is incredible… Billz can do better…stop bashing Coletti and GO BLUE!!!
My Dodger Mojo failed me today. But I still believe in Ethier.
Is there a way to start a Russell Martin All-Star ad campaign? It seems like so many of the all-stars are picked because of their popularity from previous seasons. If we could get something going early it may help Martin's candidacy.
I Stuffed the write in box with Martins name last year and I'll vote every vote I'm allowed again for Martin he is a one man Highlight reel this year so far.
believe in ethier all the way!!!
Great win tonight! Just got back from a very fun opening night.
Traffic was not that bad getting in and getting out. I even stayed behind a bit to take some pics. What I liked was coming in you immediatly are directed to a parking lot. I came in through the Sunset entrance and had to park in the lot immediately to the left (lot 2). Plenty of people with flags directing me where to park. Only slight inconvenience was the fact that I had 1st base side tix so I had to trek along ways through the stadium to get to my seat. Didn't mind too much though as I got to catch a good amount of the first inning as I walked. For the fans, I recommend knowing where you'll be sitting and trying to come in through the entrance closest to that side. Since I usually get tickets on the third base side Sunset will be my permanent way.
On the way out I was able to get into a line and 15 mins later I was out of Dodger Stadium. The only suggestion I can make to Josh and the Dodgers is to perhaps have a parking attendant helping with the merging of traffic before the exiting instead of just having someone directing on the main street. I think having someone there will further speed up the process rather than people trying to pick who gets to be nice and yield first. It could be easily 10 cars from the center, 10 from the right, 10 from the left and so on. Think this will allow it to flow even smoother.
Hopefully tomorrow night will be just as smooth!
Tomko's a streaky kind of guy, and I'll give Grady credit for recognizing one of his good ones. That was the high game score of the year so far at 76 (last year's was Billingsley at 79), and NINE STRIKEOUTS? Wow. I think we might see a few more of these.
hey david, what are you talking about? high game score?
Tomko pitched a fabulous game tonight! Watching on TV you could really see that his stuff was electric… the best word I can find to describe it. Simply electric. Whatever his "new" approach is, I hope he doesn't lose it, because it was by far the best start from a Dodgers' pitcher this young season. He was hitting Martin's glove at will…
What a game Russell Martin had! He called a great game and was involved in both runs tonight. The kid is the best number two hitter we have… but Grady won't leave him there when Furcal returns. Little has no balls to drop Pierre in the order… having spent way too much for him, they will feel justified for putting him in Martin's slot in the lineup upon Furcal's return.
Which leads me to agree with jspelk's previous post about Seanez being DFA'd when Furcal is activated. Why he's even on the staff is beyond comprehension.
Also, Tomko had a no hitter going into the fifth until Pierre muffed what should have been a catch at the wall on Holiday's fly ball double… which brings up…
Why is it with Pierre's speed that he makes the easy plays look so hard? And has he even once made an honest attempt to dive for a ball yet? I've seen at least three balls that normally would have a play made on them yet Pierre remains on his feet. And lets not even get me started on the seventh inning base-hit to center that scored the "speedy" Brad Hawpe from third without even so much as a throw home with Hawpe lingering around third to make sure the ball wasn't caught. I didn't know Pierre's arm was so bad that he doesn't even attempt a throw in that situation from short center field. Five years? Amazing…
All in all a good win, despite Pierre's lack of arm… and hopefully Tomko will provide more reason to keep him in the rotation.
Go Dodgers!!
Oh yeah… and what's with Valdez batting sixth??? Grady? Grady?? Are you in there???
Well, nothing says bad day like waking up at 0600 to watch your dodgers on gamecast only to find that your generator has gone out again. But I can't complain, many, many soldiers here in Iraq are always without electricity. Speaking of power…looks like I'm not the only one without it, but who are we kidding, we are dodger fans. Should we be suprised? Its not too early to start talking trade for a big bat, I think its our only chance. I like Andruw Jones. Talk about killing two birds with one stone because then you can move JP to left, althought I'd rather see him play left bench. Nomar, please come back. I know you just got two guaranteed years and twins at home, but we need you. Kudos to Tomko, if only a couple other dodgers felt like that had to step up to keep their jobs we might get something going. Someone have a Dodgerdog and a beer for me.
I love the over-criticism in our young season. Why is Tomko pitching, why is Billingsley in the bullpen, when Furcal gets back they better not drop Martin out of the 2 hole etc. Did anyone ever stop to think that Grady gets a real close look at all of these guys on a daily basis. What Tomko did last night shouldn't be a suprise, he started off hot last year, let's ride that momentum until its dead (which hopefully won't happen). As for Martin moving down in the line-up, I'm all for it, the guy seems to produce well with RISP so the 2 hole does not suit him best in our line-up. Pierre for all with short term memories had the key hit that put Betemit at 3rd for Martin to drive in so hold off on the bashing. I like this line-up when Furcal is back
Martin (let the kid have more opportunities to drive in runs)
oops Betemit in the 8 hole
Yes, I like that lineup very well.
I agree with you. I made the argument in the off-season that JP's tools will be excellent with Furcal in front of him – especially his ability to bunt and bunt for hits. As a good contact hitter, we'll see a lot of hit-and-run plays when Furcal gets on base, which will avoid the DPs frequently and will send Furcal to 3b when the ball reaches the outfield. I actually project that Pierre will be much more valuable in the 2 slot than as a leadoff hitter.
Can't wait to see Furcal in the lineup again…he will score a lot of runs and drive in many more than JP has done with RISP.
Great to hear from you- sorry about the power outs…. but liek you said: Its Dodger baseball!!!
Eeeked that one out yesterday.
Im really starting to think Martin is the best player on the team.
"Im really starting to think Martin is the best player on the team."
Until Rafael Furcal comes back that is… they're both very good athletes. The Colorado broadcasters last night commented that when standing next to Russell Martin, one would guess he might be a running back on a football team… he's built that well.
Let's not forget Nomar…he's an incredible athlete, and was batting around .360 with some pop before his injuries last season…
charris: "As for Martin moving down in the line-up, I'm all for it, the guy seems to produce well with RISP so the 2 hole does not suit him best in our line-up."
The problem with your logic is two-fold:
— RISP is a meaningless statistic and is mostly a product of players in front of you getting on base. Clutch hitting is mostly a figment of one's imagination.
— Martin's OBP was 20 points higher than Juan Pierre's last season and Martin was a rookie. I think Martin will approach a .400 OBP where as we already know from history that Pierre is only good for .330-.340 range. There is no sensible argument that points to Pierre as the logical #2 hitter. He is the prototypical #8 hitter. If he had less speed, he wouldn't even be worthy of a starting job in the eyes of knowledgeable managers and coaches.
I was just looking at team stats on mlb.com…Dodgers hitters have the fewest strikeouts of any team in the NL thus far. They're obviously putting the ball in play a lot…how much of this low team average has to do with balls not finding the holes in the infield/outfield?
Here's a "sensible argument" for Pierre at #2 – his ability to make contact and move the leadoff man into scoring position. Argue if you want, but it's not "insensible."
puppyhead: "Here's a "sensible argument" for Pierre at #2 – his ability to make contact and move the leadoff man into scoring position. Argue if you want, but it's not "insensible."
I'd rather have a guy who is more capable of getting a hit or a walk and putting two men on base rather than a guy who "makes contact" and uses up a valuable out in getting a runner over. I'm not sure how "sensible" it is to stick a guy in the #2 slot who has a lower OBP and less power just because he can bunt.
I need an education. Is anyone able to explain to me,
why NO ONE seems to post on
Dodger Junkie Blog ???? Did I miss, something….Help…
I read it a lot, but never post there. Props to whomever writes it. Good work.
Its not like Pierre only "makes contact"– the guy averages 200 hits…
Oh no not the Pierre-gate scandal again…I guess I have to comment on it though. Let's say that Pierre's OBP this year is .350 and Martin's is .400, that would mean that Martin gets on base 1 additional time in 20 ABs. With Pierre's contact hitting, bunting ability and overall speed I would take that trade off. For one, having two speedburners at the top of the line-up puts pressure on not only the defense (to hurry plays) but also puts pressure on the pitcher (to throw strikes) which is why Pierre's OBP is probably lower in the 1st place, pitchers have to go right after him because he is such a nusance on the basepaths. Secondly, Martin is an ideal fit in our 5 hole this year and Pierre obviously is not. Pierre would do our team no good hitting in the 8 hole, it's simply a waste of his speed and basebrunning ability. Our team needs to utilize our players in a way that best helps our team and in my opinion the hypothetical line-up that I posted above does just that. Hitting with RISP is just the luck of the draw, why do you think guys like Vlad and Manny have had consistantly higher BA's with RISP. It's about being clutch in key moments, which Martin has definitely shown so far inn his young career. Maybe you don't think it's a sensible argument but I think my potential line-up would produce more runs in the long haul.
Ray, Game Score is one of those Bill James statistics used to measure how dominant a pitcher is during a game. Durability is rewarded and strikeouts are too. Hits, runs and walks are penalized. ESPN generally puts these in the box scores. To figure out how to calculate this, see the following:
While not entirely defense-independent, it is usefull for comparing starts for each pitcher or across pitchers for certain teams.
Charris. That a very generous estimate for JP's OBP v. a very realistic one for Martin.
Personally, I'm of the opinion that you should have your best "hitters" at the top of your lineup; primarily because that's where they're likely to get the most AB's. Best hitters at the top of line-up = Best hitters get most AB's.
Factoring BA, HR, OBP, OPS, and even ewk216's precious "hits", Pierre is probably weakest hitter in our lineup. Now, if didn't have another option in terms of a speedy lead-off guy (because i realize there is some importance in having some speed at the top of the line-up), I'm totally fine with having Pierre bat first. However, I'd much rather see our better hitters get more AB's than have second lead-off man at the top of the order (when raffy gets back). Some of you will disagree, but I think there is more value getting in on base and hitting for power than I do having a guy creates a ton of contact outs and does not walk; even if he can get 200 hits and steals 50 bases.
charris: "…which is why Pierre's OBP is probably lower in the 1st place, pitchers have to go right after him because he is such a nusance on the basepaths"
No, Pierre's OBP is low because he's a punch and judy hitter with no patience who relies on seeing-eye ground balls to find holes for singles.
If Pierre is such a great hitter, why not put him in the #8 spot where he can steal or be sacraficed by the pitcher and get into scoring position for Furcal and Martin? I hate giving up a free out, especially with the #2 hitter. I'm much more comfortable with the pitcher being the guy to give up that precious out with a sacrafice.
And 200 hits is not too hard for a major leaguer who comes to the plate 730 times and has 700 official at bats. The following Dodgers would have all had 200+ hits if they had 700 at bats last year: Nomar, Kent, Martin, Furcal, Ethier, Lofton, JD Drew, Saenz, & Loney.
And get this: every one of them had a higher OBP and Slugging Average than Pierre as well.
Which Penny will show up tonight? Half-Penny, Two-Penny, Gold Krugerrand? : )
The idea of having Pierre bat 8th is horrible. The guy has consistently averaged 200 hits over the past how many years. He is still pretty young, so he is not slowing because of age. If furcal and him are both on the bases think of how many meat balls Nomar, Kent, Gonzales, and Martin will see. The teams homerun numbers will go up just because the pitchers have to concentrate on the double steal, the single steal, hit and run, so many different possibilities. Remember also Furcal was putting up these similar numbers in April last year and he went on to be our best player. Pierre may not have the greatest OBP (which will be fine because he will be # 2) but the benefits you get from having a guy who makes great contact will outweigh that. Furcal gets on and hes almost a guarentee score as long as they manufacture. Pierre bunts him over (possibly beating out the bunt because of his speed), Pierre can hit and run and any single puts Raffy at 3rd where a fly ball scores him. It is so important in MLB to score in the 1st inning I immagine with Raffy and Pierre at the top of the order they will score a run in the first inning about 30-40% of the time. Oh ya might I remind you the only guy to have mor ehits than Pierre in the last 6 years is a Mr Ichiro Suzuki.
Also Having Martin in the #5 spot makes so much sense, hitting with RISP is not a luck of the draw thing, if that were so you would not see the same guys lead that category year in and year out. Anyone who plays baseball knows its completely different getting a hit with no one on compared to getting a hit with RISP. Martin also can hit for some power with a lot of gap strength which will be good because Furcal and Pierre can score from first on any gapper. What about this lineup?
1.Furcal SS
2.Pierre CF
3.Martin C
4.Kent 2nd
5.Nomar 1st
6.Gonzales LF
7.Ethier/Kemp RF
8.Betemit (Sigh) 3b
Or even Nomar #4 and Kent #5
I havent really thought about it too much just thought I would throw it out there for discussion.
I wish we could see Loney at 1st and Nomar at 3rd, Betemit just isnt hitting. Although Loney hasnt been doin too well either.
I like your line-up also spanky, but I still think Nomar is our best overall hitter (when healthy) so I still think he should hit 3, why not Martin at 4 though, that might work out well. I can tell that both you and puppyhead understand the nuances of the game and that its not all about bottom line stats, especially OBP. If Juan Pierre is such a terrible hitter, why has he consistently hit at the top of the line-up in his career? He has been on some great offenses too (better than what we have this year IMO)…the Rockies, the Marlins (He and Castillo were monsters at the top of the line-up the year they won it all-hmm maybe he and Furcal could do the same) he even hit at the top of the Cubs line-up last year before the injury bug made their line-up a joke. Bottom line, Pierre has never hit in the 8 hole and for good reason, its a waste of his ability. Other people can argue that fact until their blue in the face but I'll go ahead and agree with all the other managers that he's ever played for, including Grady.
spanky: "The guy has consistently averaged 200 hits over the past how many years."
Did you ignore my point that every Dodger in the lineup last year would have had 200 hits if they had 700 at bats last season? Ramon Martinez would have missed by just 6 hits. Why is 200 hits such an important number to you? It is less meaningful in the proper context.
sparky: "It is so important in MLB to score in the 1st inning"
Are runs in the first inning now worth more than those scored in later innings? I'm not sure I see this point.
Sparky: "Oh ya might I remind you the only guy to have mor ehits than Pierre in the last 6 years is a Mr Ichiro Suzuki."
Are you trying to tell me that Pierre is one of the best hitters over the previous 6 years? Are you kidding me? I can list 25 outfielders who performed better than Pierre over the last 6 years (unless you think hits is the best or only way to measure performance, then you got me there).
Sparky: "Also Having Martin in the #5 spot makes so much sense, hitting with RISP is not a luck of the draw thing, if that were so you would not see the same guys lead that category year in and year out. Anyone who plays baseball knows its completely different getting a hit with no one on compared to getting a hit with RISP."
Wow, this one really rocked my world. You mean major league hitters try harder with RISP? Are you trying to say they don't care as much or try as hard when the bases are empty? I'm really at a loss as to what you mean here.
charris: "Other people can argue that fact until their blue in the face but I'll go ahead and agree with all the other managers that he's ever played for, including Grady."
So Charris, you are going to completely abandon the logic of my post and instead go with blind faith? If it is good enough for Grady/Dusty Baker/Jack McKeon/Buddy Bell/Clint Hurdle than it is good enough for me! Aside from McKeon, none of Pierre's other managers have won a World Series. The only World Series team than Juan played for, he was statistically the 8th best hitter on that team that year.
Just a thought…is a guy more valuable if he has great hitting stats but is an awful baserunner? Would poor baserunning detract from a solid statistical hitter's value? It doesn't, in the world of OPS. It does in reality, however. I think any quantitative analysis of a player's offensive performance should include runs scored, steals leading to runs vs. steals leading to outs, etc. JP's batting statistics are not way above average, but his value to the team on the basepaths increases his offensive value. You can't just put someone in the leadoff spot because they have high OBP…although that is very valuable, if they can't score from 1b on a double, then they are not as valuable offensively as someone with JP's speed.
I'm rambling now. But I think that baserunning is overlooked quantitatively as to how it impacts a player's total offensive output. Yes, we quantify SB, CS, runs scored, etc., but I would love to hear of a stat that quantified how frequently a player goes 1b to 3b or 1b to home VERSUS the league average.
I'm not a huge JP fan. But I am a huge Dodger fan and I see what he can bring to the team in spite of his shortcomings. Let's deal with it…he's not moving to the 8 hole…he's not going to become JD Drew. It ain't perfect, but I'll take it if he can score 100 runs this year, which I believe he and Furcal will both do.
In defense of Sparky, some guys deal with pressure situations better and thats why their RISP BA is higher and why they always drive in 100+, they don't try harder, they just deal with those situations with more calm than others. Its not blind faith that I see with my last post as much as finding support from professional baseball minds, look around the league and you'll see several teams that have guys with lower OBP's hitting in the 2 hole in front of 3,4,5 guys that have higher ones, Should Pujols bat 1 or 2? How bout Vlad? No you see these guys hitting after Eckstein, Taguchi and Matthews, Cabrera because that is whats most functional for their respective teams. Using your one dimensional logic the conclusion that I'd draw would be let all the guys hitting 3 in their line-ups right now shift to the 1 or 2 hole because after all the best hitters in a line-up should get the most ABs…doesn't make much sense to me. Your best hitters should get ABs that impact games, in other words they should hit in situations when they can change the score.
Thank you livnlegent1!!!
It boggles me why people are so willing to sacrifice clear logic (which you have exhibited) in favor of so called "baseball nuance" and the "conventional wisdom" of coaches and managers.
I don't think its all about stats…but when a player's statical deficiencies screams out like they do with Pierre then I think people have to pay attention. Sparky sites stats that are either poor indicators of productivity (scoring runs in the 1st inning) or understood in a faulty context (hits v. official at bats/ hitting with RISP).
It just occurred to me: Have the people who drew up the new parking plans actually driven to and from the stadium, during the times fans normally do it, and often enough to experience what it is really like?
Also, when there's only that many roads going out of the stadium, bottlenecks gets created out on the surface streets too, not just inside the parking lot. Any possibility that traffic lights can be timed or a street or two close to the stadium temporarily turned into a one-way street after the game to help the traffic dissipate quicker?
livinlegend- your not making very much sesnse buddy.
first you said that hitting with runners in scoring postion is a meaning less stat. and that its a figment of ones imagination?? are you kidding me?? so your saying that everyody in the majors can do it? no they cant. because when your in that situation you get pitched differently, and theres more pressure on the batter. your only bashing pierre because he has a low obp. thats all you got on him buddy and thats all you can say bad about his offense. he gets on base, yes he doesnt walk but pitchers go right after him because hes a slap hitter, not a home run hitter. and if they walk him theres a good chance hes gonna make them pay with his speed. hes the best bunter on the team and thats def. wat a typical #2 hitter does. gets the leadoff hitter in scoring postion for the 3,4,5 hitters. the odds of having a leadoff hitter and the second batter getting a hit are not very likely. but if pierres in the #2 spot then furcal can run and pierre(a slap hitter) can hit the ball on the ground where the fielders are out of position. russell martins my favorite player but hes a better 5 hitter because of these reasons:
1) he will get to hit with runners in scoring position, which is good for a contact hitter with some pop.
2) he will protect kent and garciaparra better than gonzo, and betemit.
3) he doesnt have teh speed to make the pitchers worry about him when hes on the basepaths like pierre does.
..and if you havent noticed, when pitchers worry about the runners a lot, they dont focus on the batter as much meaning more mistakes. and garciaparra and kent, verteran hitters will take advantage of that. and it is more important to score runs in the first inning because that gives the team a boost. baseball is a game of mommentum and if you get out to a lead, you feel better about the game and you tend to do better because your spirts are higher. you also said that you can name 25 better outfielders than pierre…so go ahead buddy and name them…seriously.
and you said that sparky was trying to say that hitters try harder with men in scoring position, well he wasnt, so your wrong again on that buddy.
im just guessing that you REALLY dont know how baseball REALLY is. you prolly didnt play it that well. your one of those stat guys and thats nice but baseball isnt jus based on stats or the yankees would win every world series. its a bunch of little things put together and when all those little things are put together, great things can happen…the cardinals werent the best team last year statisically but they won…so how do you explain that stat boy??…stop bashing everybodys opinions!! because yours arnt better enough to do that
I see someone is complaining over Valdez over Ethier already lol. Valdez was batting .538 and Ethier is batting .182. I think the batting average has something to say about Valdez batting over Ethier and I don't see a problem that Valdez is in that 6th hole and to be honest I think Valdez should be batting 2nd and Martin 6th.
Pierre's got the intangibles that win games. He's clutch. And offense ain't everything – that speed he has really puts pitchers off their game. He's no Maury Wills, but I'd rather see him in a Dodger uniform than some muscle-bound slugger who can't leg out an infield hit.
Totlly. I wish Colleiti would relize that we need more veteran experience like Risugm and joey_rock said – they kno how to handle pressure dude, not like those yung guys. I wish they would trade for a porven OF like that Garret Anderson guy (what good are Elbert, LaRoche, and those other prospects doing for us anyway), and get some clutch vets in.
Really, Juan Pierre is not a bust like Hinksi so there. I bet LivinLegend is a Giants fan for real LOL.
long time lurker, first time poster here. It is really disapointing to see people ripping on Pierre just because he had a few bad games, especially at this time when all eye's in MLB are turned towards honoring the late, great Jackie Robinson. With his hustle and determination, Pierre reminds me a lot of #42's qualities, in so many ways. But I suppose somepeople would have traded Jackie for a guy who would rather watch pitches than slap them to the shortstop and beat out an infield hit, not to mention showing so much determination to overcome adversity. I just can't believe it sometimes how the younger modern baseball fans dont really appreciate the true spirit of the game anymore 😦
unabashed Grady Little fan here. I was a Red Sox fan when he was their and now I'm a dodgers fan. Let me tell you about Grady, he's old skool and he knows his baseball. If he thinks Pierre should bat in the 2 hole, it shouldn't be a question. Seriously, some of you statheadz should have you're headz examined if you know what I mean. Pierre puts the ball in play and if he doesn't get on, he's moved the runners up. THATS IMPORTANT. Great teams are built on pitching and defense and all the offense has to do is build some runs and that makes Pierre ideal batting 2nd. If it's good enough for Grady, it's good enough for me.


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Looking at international stock index there are some I would invest by looking to see if there are any ETF 's for them so that I can limit my exposure yet gain value. I would look at Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Mexico and Chile as well as the Eurozone. These are places with god growth.
Tag: Bitcoin
Empire State of Mind
It has recently been announced that a major hurdle to having an Empire State IPO has been cleared. According to CNNmoney.com " the Malkin Group, the controlling shareholders in the iconic building, announced Wednesday that they have the votes to move ahead with plans to take the building public.The group has been pushing for an IPO for months and said in a filing Wednesday that they now have the support of 80% of shareholders, which is required by law.But the proposal, to roll the skyscraper and 17 other Manhattan buildings into a common ownership group known as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, has sparked a bitter fight led by some of the building's minority shareholders. They argue that the Malkin Group and the heirs of late former owner Harry Helmsley stand to unfairly benefit more than the other shareholders". Should it go cleared I will be the first one to invest. It's an iconic building in one of the biggest cities in the world. There is still demand for room in the building and so long as demand is their money will come. I would initially get one and depending how it acts after the first day I would consider more. Investing in the Empire State building IPO has a lot of risk but I feel like the reward is a lot greater. No matter who you decide to assign as a broker look for how much the fee is for every stock purchase because it will add to the cost of final purchase.
Recently there has been an upsurge in the stock market. Below are some of the ways analyst use math to figure out where the market could go in the future:
Elliot Wave Theory: Uses crowd behavior and financial markets follow distinct cycles and patterns
Fibonacci Ratio: The math of 1.618 prevalent in natural systems
Breakout: Following stocks as they rise beyond a well-defined trading range
Technical Analysis: Basically using patterns found in the market in the past to predict the future.
I actually feel more comfortable with the Fibionacci Ratio because there is a lot less room to play with situations beyond your control. I got description and names of the four methods from the Wall Street Journal. Remember to never invest in where there is no long term demand and easy to replicate. If you go through a private broker look at how much you are paying per trade cause that will drive up the final price of each transaction.
For a long time I avoided Yahoo and actually thought it would be gone by now. After the Tumbler acquisition by Yahoo I have changed my mind. Perhaps, Yahoo still has some fight in it and think its good time to buy into the company. If you have Yahoo and Google in your portfolio you are thinking very good. I like that Yahoo has a lot of room to grow while Google seems to be slowing down a bit. In fact I think that continuous rise of Google price has actually set it up for a downturn; I am not sure how much the downturn will be but Google's continuous climb is not sustainable. According to CNNMoney.com the estimated increase of yahoo is $31.00 but it could settle at $27.00 or go as low as $22.00. Even if Yahoo looses value it's not going to be much which in my opinion makes it a safe bet to make. According to Cnnmoney.com "The current consensus among 33 polled investment analysts is to hold stock in Yahoo! Inc. This rating has held steady since May, when it was unchanged from a hold rating." Just remember to do your own research and be cautious. As Much as I like Yahoo I would not buy more than one stock.
New Horizon
It seems that there are ETF's for just about everything this days. With so much opportunity to make gains using ETF's its extremely important to do your homework before investing. Below are some interesting ETF's worth doing some exploration for.
|MSCI Turkey Investable Market Index Fund
|Emerging Markets Equities
|ALPS/GS Momentum Builder Growth Markets Equities and U.S. Treasuries Index ETF
|Emerging Markets Equities
Internet Sales Tax
According to CNNMoney.com " The Senate voted 69 to 27 to approve the bill, which enjoyed bipartisan support. But before it can become law, it must be approved by the House, where Republicans are split on the issue. Some House Republicans have already expressed support for the bill, arguing that it would level the playing field for small brick-and-mortar retailers. They say it would not create a new tax, but rather enforce the collection of taxes already charged at traditional retailers. But other House Republicans still view that as a tax increase on consumers or say it would overburden Internet businesses in their states.The Obama administration has endorsed the bill, so if it can gain approval in the House, it is likely to become law."
Do I want to pay more ? no but I believe that its good for leveling the playing field between internet companies and brick & Morter businesses. Online stores have infinite advantages over brick and mortar stores. According to the same report, if the bill is enacted, academic studies estimate more than $12 billion in additional sales taxes will be collected from online purchases each year Sometimes its good to do things for the greater good of the society you live in. What do you think?
I have never used layaway plans and I dont think I ever will. During the holidays theres more pressure to use layaway but I rather pay for it now and not have to worry about it later. The following guidelines are some things suggested by reputable sources on how to avoid trouble in layaway:
Before you buy on layaway, know
■ Terms of the layaway plan
■ Store's refund policy
■ Location, availability, and identification of layaway merchandise
■ Store's reputation
Once you begin a layaway plan
■ Keep good records of your payments.
The 20-10 Rule
Never borrow more than 20% of your yearly net income
■ If you earn $400 a month after taxes, then your net income in one year is:
12 x $400 = $4,800
■ Calculate 20% of your annual net income to find your safe debt load:
$4,800 x 20% = $960
■ This means, you should never have more than $960 of debt outstanding.
Note: Housing debt (i.e., mortgage payments) should not be counted as part of the 20%, but
other debt should be included, such as car loans, student loans and credit cards.
Monthly payments shouldn't exceed 10% of your monthly net income
■ If your take-home pay is $400 a month
$400 x 10% = $40
■ Your total monthly debt payments should not total more than $40 per month.
Note: Housing payments (i.e., mortgage payments) should not be counted as part of the 10%,
but other debt should be included, such as car loans, student loans and credit cards.
On a side note according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the month of April 165,000 jobs were created. More will be created should we embrace environmentally friendly policies and assists entrepreneurs in creating new businesses. 165,000 jobs may not seem like a lot but its something for that man or woman who has been out of work for months. LETS KEEP TRUCKING ON AMERICA !!!
CD's: Not What You Think
What they are and how they work
Bank pays a fixed amount of interest for a fixed amount of money during a fixed amount of time.
- No risk
No fees
Offers higher interest rates than savings accounts.
Trade Off
Restricted access to your money
Withdrawal penalty if cashed before expiration date (penalty might be higher than the interest earned)
Types of certificates of deposit
1. Rising-rate CDs with higher rates at various intervals, such as every six months.
2. Stock-indexed CDs with earnings based on the stock market.
3. Callable CDs with higher rates and long-term maturities, as high as 10–15 years. However, the bank may "call" the account after a stipulated period, such as one or two years, if interest rates drop.
4. Global CDs combine higher interest with a hedge on future changes in the dollar compared to other currencies.
5. Promotional CDs attempt to attract savers with gifts or special rates.
5 Hottest Stock Markets
#5 Philippines growing by +20%
According to cnnmoney.com the iShares MSCI Philippines Inevitable Market Index ETF (EPHE) has raked in more than $180 million this year, and is up almost 20%. The country has also earned and investment grade. I would dip my entire foot when it comes to investing in Philippines.
#4 Kuwait growing by +23%
Despite its strong economy and its vast resources of oil its situated in a very volatile region but I would still dip my foot toe in just not the whole foot yet.
#3 Argentina growing by +27%
I am not sure about Argentina but if you find a good deal in an investment I think this would be it. Just remember to take extreme caution and think long-term.
#2 United Arab Emirates growing by +28%
I would dip my entire foot when it comes to investing in UAE. It has a strong economy, hot real estate and a lot of oil. There's a lot of money going into the UAE why not be part of it.
#1 Japan growing by +34%
It's the third largest economy in the world. Strong currency and stable government. What more can I say; I love the idea of investing in the Japanese economy.
Click on the picture to read the full cnnmoney.com article on the world's 5 hottest stock markets.

subset: commoncrawl


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There's no question that the classic PC stealth game Thief: The Dark Project was a big influence on Arkane's masterful new game Dishonored.
The folks at Gamefront are up to their usual tricks tracking down easter eggs and references, and have found this just lovely Thief reference in one of Dishonored's later levels. I don't think there are any significant story spoilers in here, though it is from one of the third-act levels.
I'll have to keep an eye out for this on my second playthrough. I just played that part of Thief for the first time a few weeks ago!
Dishonored: How to Find the Thief Easter Egg [Gamefront]


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You are hereHome >
Our mission is to advocate for the public interest—to speak out for a healthier, safer world in which we're freer to pursue our own individual well-being and the common good.
Whether it's working to stop the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture, addressing our country's plastic waste crisis, or alerting people to threats in the marketplace, the problems we work on aren't progressive or conservative. They're just problems that our country shouldn't tolerate any longer.
We have a 45-year track record of winning laws and policies that make a real difference in people's lives. Take clean air for example. Deaths from air pollution dropped nearly in half between 1990 and 2010. The laws and policies that we won to limit pollution from power plants, cars and other sources helped save tens of thousands of lives.
If you are ready to roll up your sleeves and win more results for the public, we'd love to hear from you. At our online jobs center you can find out more about all our positions including:
U.S. PIRG is hiring national campaigndirectors to lead our program teams. We're looking for an experienced political advocate who will be responsible for organizing, media outreach, recruitment, developing staff, fundraising and coalition-building to drive the program. MORE | APPLY
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We're hiring fellows to work on big problems: whether it's stopping the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms, checking the influence of billionaires and Super PACs over our elections, giving consumers the right to know if GMOs are in their food, passing new recycling laws, or promoting smart transportation options for a 21st century economy. By becoming a fellow with U.S. PIRG, you will learn how to become an experienced organizer and advocate for the public interest. MORE | APPLY
How will you get results on important issues? Well, for one thing, you won't spend a lot of time sitting behind a desk. Instead, you'll get out and organize where there are young passionate people, people who care as much about these issues as you do, and who have the drive and energy to make change happen. That's why we're sending organizers to college campuses around the country. MORE | APPLY
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Are you ready to help build the grassroots power it takes to stand up to special interests and give the public a voice? For years, Iowa PIRG has won real victories to protect our democracy, our health and safety, and our financial wellbeing. Yet we still face enormous challenges, from a flood of big money in our democracy, to protecting public health by keeping our antibiotics safe and effective. That's why we've partnered with the Fund for the Public Interest to help us bring together thousands of like-minded students and activists to work on campaigns to win real progress for the public. We need people like you to go out into communities to talk with citizens about the issues, raise money, and build membership. You will also have the opportunity to work with the media, build coalitions and mobilize community activists. Positions are available in state, as well as in more than 50 offices across the country. For more information or to apply, visit www.jobsthatmatter.org.
Get a chance to work side by side with one of our lead Iowa PIRG staff, focusing on real problems that affect people in their daily lives. We are currently hiring undergraduate, graduate and JD interns on a rolling basis to work with us on our various campaigns. To find out more about internships and volunteer positions, click here.
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Homewood Suites
The Homewood Suites by Hilton® Jacksonville - South/St. Johns Center hotel in Florida is located in the St. Johns Town Center, the newest and most talked about upscale shopping and entertainment destination in Jacksonville. Centrally located, our Homewood Suites hotel guests can stroll through the shops, play championship golf at the Tournament Players Club Sawgrass, take a break at one of the many inviting Florida beaches or enjoy professional football excitement at a Jacksonville Jaguars game.
Our 119 all-suite hotel is located off J. Turner Butler Boulevard and Gate Parkway, the city's fastest growing business and entertainment district. Downtown Jacksonville is only a 15 minute drive away.
Dick's North lot
Directly behind Maggiano's and across from Dick's Sporting Goods


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Our sleekly designed Cube and CubePro desktop 3D printers have turned the heads of media and consumers alike since their announcement at January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but today we are happy to announce that we are taking pre-orders effective immediately. The Cube (starting at $999) and the CubePro (starting at $2,799) are available from Cubify.com with shipments launching June 2nd.
Each printer is equipped with intuitive features that make 3D printing easier than ever before, including WiFi connectivity and print management with the Cubify Print app for iOS and Android.
The Cube now prints in dual-color with snap-in instant load cartridges, an auto-leveling print pad for fuss-free print calibration, and it maintains its distinguishing home-safe certification with plug-and-play simplicity. The CubePro enables prints up to 2.5 times larger than other 3D printer in its class with triple color capability, a controlled print environment for reliable and professional, ultra-high resolution prints and it has introduced nylon to its materials portfolio.


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I decided to focus my attention on Devin Clark's video which features a "dancing building" when superimposed with CNN's official video footage. I fired up Google Earth and created some polygons and markers to see if the buildings would match up.
Sure enough, the "dancing building" does line up perfectly with the line that stems from the right-most part of One Penn Plaza to the core of the North Tower. I was immediately convinced that there is something very wrong when judged against CNN's official footage.
I was able to pinpoint Clark's office location at approximately 315ft (96m) from the ground, based on the building's total height:
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Penn_PlazaThe skyscraper was designed by Kahn & Jacobs and completed in 1972. It reaches 750 feet (229 m) with 57 floors.
Based on Clark's testimony, his office sits on the 24th floor, so a simple calculation gave me the approximate altitude, which is marked by the 2 red lines coming from the building.
I also placed a marker right on top of the "dancing building", which is split cleanly in half by the right-most red line.
Of course this is far from scientific evidence, and I hope that you can verify my findings by opening up this KMZ file and seeing for yourselves. If you find any discrepancies I'll be sure to correct them and post an updated version of the file up here.
The best way to navigate through the markers is to double-click on the KMZ file and then click on "Play Tour", which is located at the bottom of the "Places" panel inside Google Earth. You can also of course navigate manually if you so wish.
I hope this small contribution can help in some way. Thanks again for such a valuable resource.


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- Citado por SciELO
Links relacionados
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Phyton (Buenos Aires)
versión On-line ISSN 1851-5657
Phyton (B. Aires) vol.79 no.1 Vicente López ene./jun. 2010
Apparent cross-talk of two signaling pathways that regulate Zea mays coleoptile growth
Aparente entrecruzamiento de dos vías de señalización que regulan el crecimiento del coleoptilo en Zea mays
Buentello Volante1 B, F Díaz de León-Sánchez1, F Rivera-Cabrera1, R Aguilar Caballero2, M Ponce-Valadez1, E Sánchez de Jiménez2, LJ Pérez-Flores1
1 Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco No. 186 Col. Vicentina Iztapalapa 09270 México, D.F.
2 Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Circuito Institutos, Ciudad Universitaria 04510 México, D.F.
Address Correspondence to: Dra. Laura Josefina Pérez-Flores, email: email@example.com; fax 052-55-58044727, phone 052-55-58046481 and E. Sánchez de Jiménez, email: firstname.lastname@example.com; Fax 052-55-56225329, phone 052-55-56225278.
Recibido - Received 24.I.2010.
Aceptado - Accepted 7.V.2010.
Abstract. Auxin and insulin promote Zea mays embryo growth, induce S6 ribosomal protein (S6rp) phosphorylation, and promote specific protein synthesis. The objective of this research was to test a possible cross-talk between insulin and auxin transduction pathways in Z. mays coleoptiles, typical auxin target tissues. Auxin and insulin produced differential quantitative and qualitative stimulation of cytoplasmic and ribosomal protein phosphorylation, and specific patterns of de novo synthesized cytoplasmic proteins. In addition, insulin induced S6rp phosphorylation was strongly inhibited by rapamycin, indicating target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase participation; auxin-induced S6rp phosphorylation was insensitive to this inhibitor. Phosphatidic acid (PA), a second messenger of TOR in metazoan, was also tested. It produced similar results to insulin and rapamycin sensitiveness, supporting the existence of TOR pathway in plants and the participation of PA as an intermediate of insulin action. These results seem to imply that auxin and insulin induce Z. mays coleoptile growth through two independent signal transduction pathways.
Keywords: Auxins; Insulin; Phosphatidic acid; ZmS6K; TOR; Plant growth.
Resumen. Las auxinas y la insulina promueven el crecimiento de embriones de Zea mays, inducen la fosforilación de la proteína ribosomal S6 (prS6) y promueven la síntesis de proteínas específicas. El objetivo de esta investigación fue probar el posible entrecruzamiento entre las vías de transducción de insulina y auxinas en coleoptilos de Z. mays, tejidos blanco típicos de auxinas. Las auxinas y la insulina produjeron una estimulación diferencial cuantitativa y cualitativa de la fosforilación de proteínas citoplásmicas y ribosomales, así como patrones específicos de proteínas citoplásmicas sintetizadas de novo. Además, la inducción de la fosforilación de prS6 por insulina fue fuertemente inhibida por rapamicina, indicando la participación de la cinasa blanco de rapamicina (TOR), mientras que la fosforilación de prS6 inducida por auxinas fue insensible a este inhibidor. Se probó también ácido fosfatídico (PA), un segundo mensajero de TOR en metazoarios. Esto produjo resultados y sensibilidad a rapamicina similares a los de insulina, apoyando la existencia de la vía TOR en plantas y la participación de PA como un intermediario de acción de insulina. Estos datos parecen implicar que las auxinas y la insulina inducen el crecimiento de coleoptilos de Z. mays a través de dos vías de transducción de señales independientes.
Palabras clave: Auxinas; Insulina; Ácido fosfatídico; ZmS6K; TOR; Crecimiento vegetal.
Auxins regulate many processes such as growth, cell proliferation and plant development and differentiation (Dharmasiri& Estelle, 2004; Weijers & Jürgens, 2004; Overvoorde et al., 2005; Benjamins & Scheres, 2008). However, the auxin-induced signaling pathways involved in these processes are at present not fully understood. The search for auxin receptors has led to the isolation of auxin-binding proteins, the best characterized being the ABP1 (Chen, 2001; Delker et al., 2008). Overexpression of ABP1 in plant leaves has resulted in cell number reduction but increased cell size, indicating that auxins can regulate both cell elongation and cell division through different pathways (Hobbie et al., 2000). Moreover, two different ABP1 auxin receptors have been identified in N. tabacum, suggesting that they correspond to each of the two modes of auxin-induced cell growth, elongation or cellular division (Campanoni & Nick, 2005). Another auxin-receptor has also been reported, the transport inhibitor response 1 protein (TIR1), a member of the plant SCF complex of the proteasome. This receptor mediates auxininduced transcriptional responses, and thereafter regulates the expression of auxin-regulated genes (Kepinski & Leyser, 2005; Badescu & Napier, 2006; Mockaitis & Estelle, 2008). All these responses seem to be tissue and developmental stage dependent events (Dharmasiri & Estelle, 2004).
On the other hand, cell growth and cell proliferation are regulated by insulin/IGFs (insulin-like growth factors) in metazoans (Meyuhas & Hornstein, 2000; Hannan et al., 2003; Oldham & Hafen, 2003). These effectors induce a signal transduction pathway known as the PI3K-TOR pathway, that targets the translational apparatus selectively inducing protein synthesis (mainly proteins of the translational apparatus) (Ruvinsky & Meyuhas, 2006; Patursky et al., 2009). A central role in this pathway is played by TOR (target of rapamycin) kinase, a highly conserved cell growth controller which regulates the downstream signals initiated by the effector (Hay & Soneneberg, 2004; Lorberg & Hall, 2004). Recently, PA has been demonstrated as a critical intermediate of mTOR pathway. Mitogenic stimulation of mammalian cells led to a phospholipase D-dependent accumulation of cellular PA (250% at 5 min of treatment), which was required for activation of mTOR downstream effectors (Fang et al., 2001). In plants, PA has been identified as an important signaling molecule, triggered in response to various biotic and abiotic stress factors; it has also been implicated in seed germination. In general, PA signal production is fast (minutes) and transient (Munnik, 2001; Testerink & Munnik, 2005; Carman& Henry, 2007).
Among the best known targets of mTOR pathway is the phosphorylation of S6rp by activation of specific S6 kinase (S6K). In mammals, S6K can be phosphorylated by at least two different protein kinases, TOR and 3-phosphoinositide dependent kinase 1 (PDK1). These kinases phosphorylate different residues of S6K; TOR commonly accepted targets are S411 and T389 (Dennis et al., 2001; Ruvinsky & Meyuhas, 2006), whereas for PDK1 are T229, T252 and T412 (Templeton, 2001; Rebholz et al., 2006). Moreover, the S6K1 phosphorylation at S411 is required for the rapamycin-sensitive phosphorylation of T389 and the subsequent activation of S6K1 (Hou et al., 2007). Recently, it has been shown that this pathway is also functional in plants. TOR and S6K plant ortholog enzymes have been reported for Arabidopsis thaliana (Menand et al., 2002; Turck et al., 2004) and Z. mays (Reyes de la Cruz et al., 2004); they demonstrated to perform similar roles and regulatory effects as in other non-photosynthetic eukaryotes (Mahfouz et al., 2006; Dinkova et al., 2007). In Arabidopsis thaliana, a PDK1 ortholog has been identified; this enzyme phosphorylates AtS6K2 and can be regulated by their association with different proteins (Otterhag et al., 2006).
In Z. mays, an insulin like growth factor (ZmIGF) has been isolated (García et al., 2001) and proved to stimulate TOR and S6K, and phosphorylate S6rp (Dinkova et al., 2007), the main S6K substrate. This pathway is also responsive to insulin in Z. mays (García et al., 2001; Beltrán et al., 2002).
Interestingly, recent reports have shown that auxin also induces S6rp phosphorylation in Z. mays (Beltrán et al., 2002), as well as in A. thaliana (Turck et al., 2004). This suggests that S6rp phosphorylation in Z. mays, and likely in other plants, might be regulated by two different effectors -auxins and insulin/ ZmIGF. This opens the question of a possible "crosstalk" between these two cell growth signaling pathways. This question is very interesting since peptide-induced signal transduction pathways are at present not widely known in plants (Ryan et al., 2002). The term "cross-talk" has been proposed to refer to situations where different signaling pathways share one or more intermediates/components or have some common outputs. However, signaling pathways sharing common components may not necessarily "cross-talk" if the common components are scaffolded into distinct protein complexes (Park et al., 2003; Chinnusamy et al., 2004).
The main objective of this research was to test whether insulin and auxin induce signaling pathways cross-talk at common steps, to understand the meaning that this phenomenon might have in regulating plant cell growth. The participation of PA as an intermediate of TOR pathway in plants was also analyzed. Since Z. mays coleoptiles are typical targets of auxin responsive tissues (Woodward & Bartel, 2005), they were chosen as the model system to pursue this investigation. The results from the present study demonstrated that PA is triggered by both effectors (auxin and insulin) and that auxin, insulin or PA confluence at the phosphorylation of S6rp. However, insulin induced S6rp phosphorylation was strongly inhibited by rapamycin, supporting the involvement of TOR kinase. At the same time, S6rp phosphorylation induced by auxin was insensitive to this inhibitor, suggesting a TOR kinase independent pathway. The rapamycin inhibition of PA induced S6rp phosphorylation supports the participation of PA as an intermediary of insulin pathway. Furthermore, the output events induced after S6rp phosphorylation by either effector were not biochemically equivalent.
Biological material and treatments. Seeds from Z. mays L. var. Chalqueño were disinfected with 10% (v/v) sodium hypochlorite solution and imbibed in sterile water for 22 h in darkness at 25 °C. Embryonic axes were manually dissected and incubated for 2 h at 25 °C in Murashige Skoog medium containing any of the following effectors: 200 μmol/L auxin (indole acetic acid, IAA), 200 μU insulin or 100 μmol/L PA. Rapamycin (100 nmol/L) was also added for some experiments. At the end of the treatment, coleoptiles were excised, frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -70 °C until used. Auxin and insulin concentrations and time of treatments have been previously demonstrated to be effective in inducing coleoptile growth (Beltrán et al., 1995; Reyes de la Cruz et al., 2004). Due to its availability, insulin was used to stimulate Z. mays coleoptiles. The concentration of PA has been used in mammalian cells to stimulate TOR pathway (Fang et al., 2001).
Quantification of PA concentration. Phospholipids were isolated and separated according to Munnik et al. (1995). Embryonic axes from 22 h germinated seeds were excised and then labeled with 3.7 x 106 Bq [32P]-orthophosphate. They were then incubated with either of the above mentioned effectors and 1% (v/v) butanol for 5, 10, 15 and 30 minutes. After this incubation period, coleoptiles (200 mg) were dissected, pulverized with liquid nitrogen, and frozen powder was homogenized with 6 mL of extraction buffer (250 mmol/L sucrose; 3 mmol/L EDTA; 2 mmol/L EGTA; 14 mmol/L 2-mercaptoethanol; 2 mmol/L DTT; 30 mmol/L Tris-HCl, pH 7.4). The homogenate was centrifuged at 100000 g at 4 °C for 1 h. The pellet was resuspended in Hepes 50 mmol/L, and the lipids were extracted with 1.5 mL of CHCl3 / methanol (1:2 v/v), 0.5 mL of HCl 2.4 mol/L and 0.5 mL of CHCl3, vortexing for 30 s. A two-phase system was observed by adding 2 mL of HCl 1 mol/L / methanol (1:1 v/v). Organic phase was recovered and dried under nitrogen atmosphere. [32P]-Phospholipids were separated on heat-activated silica 60 thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates (20 cm x 20 cm; Merck) with a mixture of ethyl acetate / iso-octane / formic acid / water (13:2:3:10 v/v). Radiolabeled phospholipids were visualized by autoradiography and bands corresponding to PA or PA-BuOH were recovered and quantified by scintillation counting. PA can be produced by two ways: (1) phospholipase C (PLC) in combination with diacylglycerol kinase (DAGK) and (2) phospholipase D (PLD).
Isolation and analysis of phosphorylated ribosomal and cytoplasmic proteins. Embryonic axes from 22 h germinated seeds were excised and then labeled in vivo with 7.4 x 106 Bq [32P]-orthophosphate and incubated with either of the above mentioned effectors for 2 h. For some experiments, 100 nmol/L rapamycin was also included in the incubation medium. After this incubation period, the embryonic axes were dissected and their coleoptiles separated. The coleoptiles (200 mg) were homogenized in liquid nitrogen, and the frozen powder was mixed with three volumes of extraction buffer (50 mmol/L Tris-acetic acid (pH 8.2); 50 mmol/L KCl; 5 mmol/L magnesium acetate; 250 mmol/L sucrose; 5 mmol/L 2-mercaptoethanol; 5 mmol/L NaF, and 1 mmol/L PMSF). The ribosomal and cytoplasmic proteins were obtained as reported by Beltrán et al. (1995). The homogenate was centrifuged at 27000 g for 30 min. The supernatant was centrifuged during 4 h at 280000 g in 1.6 mol/L sucrose cushion to isolate the ribosomal fraction. The ribosomal pellet was resuspended in 1 mL buffer (20 mmol/L HEPES; 20 mmol/L KOH; 5 mmol/L magnesium acetate; 125 mmol/L potassium acetate, and 6 mmol/L 2-mercaptoethanol). Ribosomal proteins were extracted with acetic acid-magnesium acetate precipitated with acetone and centrifuged at 3000 g. Pellets were dried at room temperature and resuspended in water. The supernatant of the 240000 g centrifugation was treated with cold TCA [(10% (w/v) final concentration]. Precipitated cytoplasmic proteins were centrifuged at 3000 g; washed again with cold TCA [10% (w/v)] recentrifuged at 3000 g; the pellet was resuspended in water, and neutralized with 1mol/L KOH for further analysis. Protein concentration was determined according to Bradford (1976), using bovine serum albumin as standard. Scintillation counting was used to determine [32P] incorporation. Labeled ribosomal proteins were resolved on one dimensional 12% acrylamide gels; cytoplasmic proteins were separated by 2-D gel electrophoresis using IPG ReadyStrip with 5 to 8 pH gradient (BIO-RAD) and 12% SDS polyacrylamide gels. Labeled proteins were analyzed by Phosphorimager (BIO-RAD GS-525).
2-D gel electrophoresis of newly synthesized proteins. Embryonic axes from 22 h germinated seeds were excised and incubated with 1.48 x 107 Bq [35S] methionine for 2 h, and exposed to the effectors as mentioned above. After incubation at 25 °C, the coleoptiles were separated. Thereafter, cytoplasmic proteins were isolated as described above, and analyzed by 2-D gel electrophoresis as indicated. Labeled proteins were analyzed by Phosphorimager (BIO-RAD GS-525).
Statistical analysis. All experiments were repeated at least three times using extracts from different biological samples. [32P]-Orthophosphate and [35S]-methionine incorporation values were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's mean comparisons (p<0.05 or p<0.01), using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 16.0.
PA levels. Recently, it has been shown that PA is an important component for the mTOR signaling pathway and for protein synthesis in mammalians cells (Fang et al., 2001; Foster, 2007; Toschi et al., 2009). Moreover, PA has been implicated in the regulation of seed germination and as an intermediary in the response to several stresses (Munnik, 2001; Testerink & Munnik, 2005). Therefore, the levels of this phospholipid were quantified in Z. mays coleoptiles exposed to IAA or insulin for different time periods. Incubation with butanol allowed the identification of the PA originated from PLD activity, since this phospholipid binds to the alcohol, while when it is originated from the combined actions of PLC and DAGK this binding does not occur. Results of the present research indicate a higher contribution (almost 80%) of PLD in PA biosynthesis. A significant transient increase in total PA levels was observed at 5 and 10 min with IAA or insulin treatments (p<0.01); however, this stimulation was higher with insulin (175%), than with auxin (120%) in comparison to the control (Fig. 1). This stimulation is in the same order of that reported in mitogen activated mammalian cells (Fang et al., 2001). The induction effect diminishes after 15 minutes of treatment. These results support the participation of PA as an intermediary on the insulin and auxin transduction pathways in Z. mays.
Fig. 1. Auxin and insulin effects on PA levels from Zea mays coleoptiles. A) PA-BuOH, PA and PA-total levels are shown as mean values ± 1 SD (n=3 measurements of the incorporated [32P]-orthophosphate into phospholipids). B) Autoradiography of a TLC plate of [32P]-phospholipids obtained at 10 minutes after treatment.
Fig. 1. Efecto de auxinas e insulina en los niveles de PA en coleoptilos de Zea mays. A) Los niveles de PA-BuOH, PA y PA total se presentan como los valores de las medias ± 1 DE (n=3 mediciones de [32P]-ortofosfato incorporado en fosfolípidos). B) Autoradiografía de una placa de TLC de los [32P]-fosfolípidos obtenidos a los 10 minutos de tratamiento.
Auxin, insulin or PA phosphorylate cytoplasmic proteins. The effect of auxins, insulin or PA on cytoplasmic protein phosphorylation was determined in Z. mays coleoptiles to track the phosphoproteins involved in the signaling pathways activated by these effectors. [32P]-Orthophosphate was applied to the 24 h germinated maize axes, previously stimulated with either of the effectors. Coleoptiles were excised and the [32P]- orthophosphate incorporation into the cytoplasmic proteins was measured. Results indicated a general increase of [32P] incorporation into these proteins, which was significantly more pronounced for insulin- or PA- (approximately 80%) than for the auxin-stimulated coleoptiles (approximately 35%) in relation to the control treatment (p<0.05) (Table 1).
Table 1. Auxin, insulin and phosphatidic acid effect on cytoplasmic and ribosomal protein phosphorylation from maize coleoptiles. Results are shown as mean values ± 1 SD of n=3.
Tabla 1. Efecto de auxina, insulina y ácido fosfatídico en la fosforilación de proteínas citoplásmicas y ribosomales de coleoptilos de Zea mays. Los resultados se muestran como los valores de las medias ± 1 DE de n=3.
Furthermore, autoradiographies of 2D gel electrophoresis of the phosphorylated cytoplasmic proteins were performed. They showed that application of IAA also induced changes in the phosphorylated protein patterns with respect to the control (arrow heads), although different from those promoted by insulin (arrows with close head) or PA (arrows) (Fig. 2). Even though these effectors stimulated the phosphorylation of some common proteins, PA and insulin were more similar than that produced by auxin. These data suggest that insulin- and auxin-induced coleoptiles do not internalize the signal through the same pathway. On the other hand, these results further suggest the role of PA as an intermediary on the TOR pathway in Z. mays tissues.
Fig. 2. Autoradiography of 2D-gel electrophoresis of phosphorylated cytoplasmic proteins induced by auxin, insulin or PA on Zea mays coleoptiles. The experiment was independently reproduced at least three times with similar results. The arrow heads indicate phosphorylated cytoplasmic proteins induced by auxin; the arrows with closed heads those phosphorylated by insulin, and the arrows represent phosphorylated proteins by PA.
Fig. 2. Autoradiografía de electroforesis en geles 2D de proteínas citoplásmicas fosforiladas inducidas por auxinas, insulina o PA en coleoptilos de Zea mays. El experimento se reprodujo al menos tres veces en forma independiente con resultados similares. Las puntas de flecha indican proteínas citoplásmicas fosforiladas inducidas por auxinas; las flechas con puntas negras, indican las fosforiladas por insulina y las flechas representan las proteínas fosforiladas por PA.
Ribosomal protein phosphorylation after auxin, insulin or PA induction. Auxin and insulin are known to induce phosphorylation of the S6rp in Z. mays and A. thaliana (Beltrán et al., 2002; Turck et al., 2004), a protein known to be targeted by activation of the PI3K-TOR pathway in mammals. Thus, the possibility of cross-talk at this step by the auxin- or insulin-induced signaling pathways was analyzed. With this purpose, the ribosomal fraction from Z. mays axes [32P] labeled and stimulated by either auxin, insulin or PA was isolated, and the ribosomal proteins were obtained. For some samples rapamycin, an inhibitor of TOR kinase, was applied to the tissues in combination with the effector. [32P] incorporation was determined as mentioned above. Significantly higher [32P] incorporation (approximately 400% with respect to the control) was found in ribosomal proteins from insulin or PA-stimulated coleoptiles than for the auxin-treated coleoptiles (approximately 225% with respect to the control) (Table 1).
The phosphorylated ribosomal proteins were further resolved by SDS-PAGE (Fig. 3A). The correspondent autoradiographs showed again three different patterns, one for each effector (auxin, insulin or PA). A phosphorylated 32 kDa band was observed in all samples, which corresponded to S6rp identified by Western blot (data not shown). The densitometric analysis of this protein indicated a significantly higher level of [32P]-incorporation (approximately 250%) in the insulin or PA-stimulated samples, whereas the stimulation was significantly lower (150%) in the auxin-induced ones, relative to the control (Fig. 3B). Regarding the rest of the phosphorylated ribosomal proteins, important qualitative differences were also observed. Insulin or PA induced phosphorylation of 42 kDa and 51 kDa ribosomal proteins. Auxin induced phosphorylation of a ribosomal protein of approximately 24 kDa, and of a smaller one (14 kDa), which possibly corresponded to the so called acidic ribosomal phosphoproteins (Montoya et al., 2002; Santos et al., 2004) (Fig. 3A). Addition of rapamycin to the axes resulted in a dramatic decrease of the insulin or PA-induced S6rp phosphorylation, but almost no effect was observed in the S6rp phosphorylated protein induced by auxin (Fig. 3A and 3B). This suggests that TOR pathway is involved on insulin and PA action, and that PA is an intermediary of the insulin effect.
Fig.3. Analysis of phosphorylated ribosomal proteins, induced by auxin, insulin, or PA on Zea mays coleoptiles. A) Autoradiography of phosphorylated ribosomal proteins resolved by SDS-PAGE. B) Densitometric analysis of phosphorylated S6rp. The experiments were reproduced independently at least three times with similar results.
Fig. 3. Análisis de las proteínas ribosomales fosforiladas, inducidas por auxinas, insulina o PA en coleoptilos de Zea mays. A) Autoradiografía de las proteínas ribosomales fosforiladas resueltas por SDS-PAGE. B) Análisis densitométrico de prS6 fosforilada. El experimento se reprodujo al menos tres veces en forma independiente con resultados similares.
Auxin, insulin and PA effect on protein synthesis of Z. mays coleoptiles. TOR activation of S6K by insulin is known to target the translational apparatus regulating de novo synthesis of proteins in the stimulated cells. To test whether auxin and insulin differentially affected the pattern of protein synthesis in Z. mays coleoptiles, the next step was to analyze the proteins synthesized after coleoptile stimulation either by insulin, PA or auxin. Excised embryonic axes from 24 h germinating seeds were incubated with [35S]-methionine and stimulated by either effector. The total amount of [35S] incorporated into cytoplasmic proteins was determined and resolved by 2D gel electrophoresis.
Slight quantitative changes were found on the [35S]-methionine incorporated in the cytoplasmic protein fraction, by either IAA, insulin or PA induction. The incorporation ranged within 25% to 31%, as compared to the control. These proteins, further resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, showed specific patterns for each effector in the correspondent autoradiographs. IAA samples showed changes in the pattern of synthesized cytoplasmic proteins compared to the control (arrow heads), and were different from those induced by insulin (arrows with closed head) or PA (arrows). It is important to emphasize that PA induced the synthesis of an extra protein with respect to insulin, and inhibited the synthesis of a protein with respect to the control (Fig. 4). These data clearly indicated that each effector (auxin, insulin or PA) caused a different biochemical output after coleoptile stimulation.
Fig. 4. Auxin, insulin and PA effect on de novo synthesis of cytoplasmic proteins from Zea mays coleoptiles. Autoradiography of 2D-gel electrophoretic patterns of de novo synthesized cytoplasmic proteins. The experiments were reproduced at least three times with similar results. The arrow heads indicate de novo synthesized cytoplasmic proteins induced by auxin; the arrows with closed heads those synthesized by insulin, and the arrows represent those induced by PA.
Fig. 4. Efecto de auxinas, insulina y PA en la síntesis de novo de proteínas citoplásmicas de coleoptilos de Zea mays. Autoradiografía de los patrones electroforéticos en geles 2D de las proteínas citoplásmicas sintetizadas de novo. Los experimentos se reprodujeron al menos tres veces con resultados similares. Las puntas de flecha indican proteínas citoplásmicas sintetizadas de novo inducidas por auxinas; las flechas con puntas negras indican aquellas sintetizadas por insulina, y las flechas representan aquellas inducidas por PA.
Plants have two different modes of growth.Plant growth follows two different modes in response to various stimuli: cell elongation and cell division. The balance between these two growth modes depends on the stimulus, the type of target tissue and its developmental stage (Eckardt, 2005). Our results seem to be consistent with this proposal, since two growth regulators produced different biochemical events after targeting the same tissue in Z. mays, even when these effectors have some intermediates in common. Coleoptile elongation is well known as an auxin effect (Benjamins & Scheres, 2008). On the other hand, insulin as well as insulin-like growth factors such as ZmIGF have been recognized to exert mitogenic activity in plant tissues, inducing DNA synthesis in Z. mays seedlings, and cell division in both Daucus carota and Z. mays in vitro cell cultures (García et al., 2001; Yamazaki et al., 2003). The literature support the proposal that auxins might be considered growth stimulators by promoting cell elongation, whereas insulin might do so by preferentially stimulating cell division.
Biochemical differences between two signaling pathways. In general terms, the data presented here support a model for coleoptile growth through two different pathways induced either by auxin or by insulin. The interpretation of two different pathways induced by auxin or insulin is consistent with the different phosphorylation patterns of cytoplasmic proteins found after stimulation by each effector (Fig. 2). Furthermore, although both effectors stimulate S6rp phosphorylation, a different set of other specific phosphorylated products were identified for auxin and insulin (Fig. 3). More important and consistent with these differences are the specific rapamycin inhibition observed for insulin-induced S6rp phosphorylation, which was not observed when this phosphorylation was auxin-induced (Fig. 3). This indicates that in the first case the TOR pathway was activated (Fang et al., 2001; Hay & Sonenberg, 2004), whereas induction by auxin did not follow this path. An explanation for this difference might be the activation of two different ZmS6 kinase isoforms responsible for S6rp phosphorylation by each effector (Table 1, Fig. 4). This possibility is supported by the literature, indicating the presence of two S6K isoforms in many organisms, one of which could be a nuclear enzyme (Panasyuk et al., 2006). The different S6rp phosphorylated products obtained after stimulation by either effector, as well as the different rapamycin sensitivity of S6rp phosphorylation observed in this research are consistent with this explanation (Fig. 3). In addition, there are reports indicating that S6K might also be activated by another kinase, closely related to the TOR pathway, namely PDK1, which is Ca2+ dependent activated (Bögre et al., 2003). Since it is known that auxin induces a cytoplasmic Ca2+ increase, after cell stimulation (Macdonald, 1997), these data suggest that auxin-induced S6 kinase activation in Z. mays coleoptile might be due to this second pathway. On the other hand, our results indicate that insulin-activated ZmS6K was mostly phosphorylated via TOR activation, since S6rp phosphorylation showed to be sensitive to rapamycin inhibition (Fig. 3). Previous results have also demonstrated that a TOR-S6K signaling pathway is functional in Z. mays during germination, targeting the translational apparatus through a TOR kinase that is inhibited by rapamycin (Dinkova, 2007). Interestingly, auxin, but not insulin or PA, induced phosphorylation of low molecular weight ribosomal proteins (Fig. 3A, 14 kDa approximately), which most likely correspond to acidic phosphoribosomal proteins (ARP) (Montoya et al., 2002; Santos et al., 2004). These proteins are known to play a central role in the regulation of translation due to their interaction with elongation factors (Vard et al., 1997; Santos et al., 2004). These data are consistent with the differential functional proteomics observed on the 2D-gels of de novo synthesized proteins induced by each effector: auxin or insulin (Fig. 4), which induced distinctive sets of synthesized proteins.
Auxin, as well as insulin induced an increase of PA levels. However, insulin stimulation was higher than that produced by auxin (Fig. 1). In addition, insulin and PA effects on cytosolic protein phosphorylation, de novo protein synthesis and ribosomal protein phosphorylation (among them S6rp) were more similar between them than to those produced by auxin. Moreover, rapamycin sensitivity of PA-induced S6rp phosphorylation supports the participation of PA as a second messenger of insulin action involving the TOR pathway in plants, as it was demonstrated to occur in metazoans (Fang et al., 2001). However, PA and insulin responses were not identical, possibly indicating the participation of PA as an intermediary of other pathways induced by other hormones or stresses. PA participation as an intermediary of auxin action requires further studies.
Overall, the present research contributes to the understanding of the possible mechanisms involved in plant growth regulation. The data support the proposal that auxin and insulin triggered Z. mays coleoptile growth by distinctive mechanisms, through two independent signal transduction pathways. Even when both effectors share some intermediates, they do not seem to share neither the same target products nor induce the same downstream biochemical events, particularly on the synthesis of proteins.
We thank Dr. T. Hernández, Dr. L. Brito, Dr. H. Estrada for help in establishment of methodologies; Dr. H. Gonzalez, Dr. J. L. Gómez, and Dr. H. Reyes de la Cruz for their technical assistance. This work is part of the BBV PhD dissertation. This research was funded by Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, CONACYT (Grant No.2006-1-61424) SEP-PROMEP (Grant No. UAMI-CA-26), DGAPA UNAM (Grant No. IN207903). BBV holds a fellowship from CONACYT (No. 153010) during her studies in the Experimental Biology PhD Program.
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Fourteen Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpipers were hatched in captivity last week after precious eggs were rushed thousands of miles from Arctic Russia to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Slimbridge Wetland Centre in the UK. This operation is part of an SOS - Save Our Species supported project implemented by IUCN (International Union of Conservation of Nature) Member, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT).
These chicks, only the second flock ever to be born in captivity, are part of an urgent conservation breeding project supported by SOS and other conservation organisations across the world to save the species from global extinction. In the coming days the newly born flock is expected to reach 30 individuals.
"The level of support for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper has been phenomenal," said Dr Debbie Pain, Director of Conservation, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. "It is only thanks to donations from thousands of individuals plus a major grant from SOS - Save Our Species, that we are able to put this emergency plan into action."
It is estimated that there are fewer than 100 pairs of breeding individuals. A dramatic decline in the number of Spoon-billed Sandpipers was first observed in 2000 and Russian and international field workers travel each year to Chukotka in Russia to monitor numbers at the species' breeding ground.
The long-term decline of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is thought to have been caused by the loss of inter-tidal habitat in which these birds feed during their 8,000km migration between Russia and South and Southeast Asia. The current crisis facing the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is suspected to be a result of local people trapping birds in coastal Myanmar and Bangladesh, where the birds spend most of the year outside of the breeding season.
Once these threats have been tackled further by local and international conservationists, including helping villagers find and fund alternative livelihoods, the birds from the conservation breeding programme will be returned to the wild.
To find out more read the full story here.


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My TdF 2 Cents
With all the incredible coverage floating around out there about the Tour de France and all that has occurred, it's tough to add anything new or fresh to the mix. But what the heck, seeing as we've now completed the Prologue and 6 Stages, I thought I would lay down a few thoughts and words.
My general overview would be that it's been a fairly calm first week. Lots of crashes, some nice sprints, and a little bit of changeover in the yellow jersey….but all in all, I have an inkling to say that so far it has just occurred. Now I say an inkling because although there has not been anything Earth shattering taking place, there is still that aura of magic that has filled the air. There is just something about the Tour de France that sets it apart from any other cycling event.
Even an average stage where a break away occurs, followed by an attack, then a chase by the Peloton, followed by a sprint finish….feels so much more interesting and exciting when it happens in the Tour de France. I can't explain it, but I know you feel what I'm saying. The TdF is just plain old magic happening at top speed.
My 2 Cents:
- We do have a Canadian in the top 5…not sure how expected that one is, but I was pretty shocked to see Ryder Hesjedal of team Garmin in there.
- And the Lanterne Rouge that people for some reason like to track, is now Jesus Hernandez Blazquez of team Astana. He just took the honors over in today's stage. This Red Lantern is for you, Jesus.
Please drop back on Monday when we'll be posting our insiders view of Stage 9…the first of the Alpine stages. This is where things start getting serious and my buddy, Chris Russell, takes us up close and personal with the Col de la Colombière and the rest of the stage.
It's On.