text:
Results tagged ' 2014 '
2015 Spring Training Autograph Requests
Spring Training has officially begun for the majority of teams around baseball. Over this past week, pitchers and catchers have made their way to either Florida or Arizona to start their training for the long 162-game 2015 season. Meaning, there are a mere ten days until Spring Training exhibition games get under way and just 43 days before Opening Night between the Cardinals and the Cubs on April 5th.
But I'm not quite ready to jump ahead to the start of the regular season just yet, as I still have a lot I want to talk about in the coming weeks on this blog. Therefore, for the time being, I'd like to take a minute to discuss something I love to do this time of year (besides watch Spring Training games on TV.)
Every Spring Training, for the past three or four years, I've sent out a handful of through the mail (TTM) autograph requests to different players around the league. This year, I'm going to be sending out several TTM's, with the best player I'm sending to being the Astros' 2013 number one pick, Mark Appel.
Other top prospects that I'm planning to send to throughout the spring include Sam Tuivailala (an under the radar, underrated flamethrower in the Cardinals' farm system), Jacob Gatewood (41st overall pick in the 2014, known for his extreme power), Rob Kaminsky (a highly praised pitching prospect with St. Louis), and D.J. Peterson (a breakout slugger in the Mariners' system who hit 31 homers in 2014).
As far as major leaguers are concerned, I'm sending to just a few of those this year. I got tired over the past few years of taking the time to put together an autograph request and wasting stamps to not receive anything back in return. So this time around, I'm only sending to big league players that I feel confident will return the cards signed, either because they have a good record of signing TTM or because they told me they would on Twitter.
Players who fall into that category include Patrick Corbin, Scooter Gennett, Joe Kelly and Dustin Ackley. They won't wind up being the only MLB players I send to before Spring Training is over, but right now that's all I'm sending out. I'll keep an eye on who's signing very well over the coming weeks and if they're a good enough player, I'll likely send something out to them like I did with James Paxton last year and Mark McGwire a few years back. (Both were returned signed, just as had been advertised those springs.)
Last year I sent off fourteen total autograph requests to Spring Training and received back six of them, from Eddie Butler, Clayton Kershaw, Albert Almora, Kyle Zimmer, James Paxton and David Robertson. That's pretty good as far as TTM's go, but not getting back the other eight really made me think about who I sent to in 2015. So I'm sending off just nine to start off, with there being a good possibility I'll add a few more to the list of autograph requests before Spring Training ends.
No matter what I decide to do, and no matter how many I successfully receive back signed, I'm planning to post a blog entry every time I receive back 2-3 autographs from the players I'm sending to, just as I did last year. Hopefully it won't be all that terribly long before I start getting them back (maybe a few weeks?). So be sure to check back over the course of the next couple months to see how well I do this Spring Training.
Multiple 100-Game Winners In 2015?
When you think of a magic number for a pitcher in a season the first number that will likely will pop into your head is twenty wins. For a hitter, when you think of a solid season, it likely involves around a .300 average, 20-30 home runs and/or around 100 RBI's. And when you think of a so called magic number for a team as a whole, the number 100 probably stands as the number that everyone pictures each team shooting for but very few teams hitting.
While a twenty win pitcher occurs seemingly every year, and a player (or several) always reaches the aforementioned magic numbers for a hitter, it is becoming more and more rare for a team to pick up 100 wins in a season. In fact, there hasn't been a single 100-game winner in all of baseball since the 2011 Phillies. Taking things even deeper, two or more teams haven't reached the 100-win mark in a single season since 2004, after a streak of multiple 100-game winner from 1998 through 2004 (with the exception of 2000).
It would appear, however, that both droughts could be broken in 2015.
With that in mind, I decided to take a look at the division winners from 2014 — the teams with the best shot at making a strong run in 2015 — and attempt to project how many, if any, of the teams could potentially obtain 100 wins in 2015:
2014 American League Division Winners
East – Orioles (96-66): The Baltimore Orioles completely blew away all of the competition in the American League East last season, winning by a total of twelve games over the second place Yankees. But while they were a terrific ball club last season, things are likely going to take a bit of a downfall in the coming season.
The biggest reason for the fall being that they O's lost a good chunk of their offense via trades and free agency throughout the past few months. No longer possessing slugger Nelson Cruz, veteran outfielder Nick Markakis or reliever Andrew Miller, things are sort of up in the air for how the Orioles will perform in 2015.
Therefore, even if they surprise some people, I don't think they'll be able to pull off the stunning feat of winning 100+ games.
Central – Tigers (90-72): For the Detroit Tigers, they are a particularly intruiging team. For the past couple of years, there's no reason they shouldn't have been able to pull off a 100-win season, playing in somewhat of a weaker division, however, the Tigers have disappointed to a degree.
Having a great lineup and pitching staff, the Tigers have recently been in the preseason World Series predictions by a number of people throughout the baseball world. But things just haven't panned out.
Having lost Max Scherzer — their undeniable ace of the pitching staff — to the Nationals, and with certain players not performing up to their potential, I'd say it's going to be tough for the Tigers to even hold off the Royals from taking the division crown. A 100-win season was doable over the past few seasons, but the opportunity for them has come and gone.
West – Angels (98-64): The Angels fall into a category much like the Tigers. The slightly more successful version of Detroit, many people saw the Angels winning it all in 2012 after the acquisition of Albert Pujols, but injuries and underperformance in general have caused the Angels to come up short.
But falling just two wins shy of the coveted 100-win plateau in 2014, things look promising that the Angels could become the first team in four years to hit triple digits.
Their lineup is there — with the exception of Josh Hamilton, who is a huge question mark — and their pitching is good as well.
The only thing standing in their way are the other teams in the West. The Athletics — despite an offseason deconstruction — always seem to be in the mix, and the Mariners are very good as well. It will be exciting to see what happens.
2014 National League Division Winners
East – Nationals (96-66): Without question, the number one team to watch throughout the 2015 season is the Washington Nationals. After putting together a 96-win season last year — winning the National League East division by a major league best 17 games over the Braves — the Nationals could likely make a run at 100 wins if they put out the exact same roster from 2014. But their roster is better than last season — much better.
Picking up Max Scherzer who has gone 39-8 with a 3.02 ERA over the past two seasons, their pitching staff is the top one or two in all of baseball. If Scherzer can continue to pitch as he has over the recent history of his career, and if supposed phenoms Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg can finally put up super star caliber numbers, the sky is truly the limit for what appears to be an extremely dominant Nationals team.
Central – Cardinals (90-72): I am a strong believer that the National League Central Cubs will make a run at the postseason as soon as 2015, but they by no means will win 100 games. The Cardinals, though, stand a chance, however slight it may be. Given, it would have to be a ten win jump from their record in 2014, the Cardinals are one of those teams that could surprise some people.
With a decent rotation that includes the always reliable Adam Wainwright, and a lineup that possesses All-Star catcher Yadier Molina, who can make any pitcher look like a former Cy Young winner, the Red Birds will win a lot of games moving forward. The division isn't extremely strong, and their track record has proven that the Cardinals can go on a run with the best of them. Still, it won't likely add up to a 100-win year for them.
West – Dodgers (94-68): A pitching rotation that includes Clayton Kershaw is always sure to be a terrific one. But the Dodgers' staff doesn't begin and end with Kershaw. He's their best pitcher, no doubt, but the addition of Brandon McCarthy to go along with Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu will go a long way in a 2015 quest for 100+ wins.
But the Dodgers will be without on and off superstar Matt Kemp in the outfield — the hope is that Joc Pederson will fill the role there — and the loss of Dee Gordon and Dan Haren will certainly have an impact. The lack of those players could be enough to keep them from winning the division like they were able to do in 2014.
Nonetheless, despite all of the losses, the pickup of veteran infielder Jimmy Rollins in addition to promising backstop Yasmani Grandal should lead to a decent enough lineup. If I had to guess, though, the Giants will be riding them too closely for the Dodgers to break 100 wins.
In conclusion, while every season is unpredictable, this year could see a 100-game winner (or two) for the first time in four seasons. But even if that doesn't happen, there are teams such as the Cubs, White Sox and Padres who will make legitimate playoff runs after failing to do so in quite some time. That alone is enough to cause any baseball fan to continue counting down the days until Opening Day.
Oakland Athletics Continue Their Offseason Overhaul
It may be a brand new year, but it's proving to be the same old Athletics.
A team known in recent history for their offseason trades and signings that leave them with a completely different looking ball club from one year to the next, the A's have once again used the offseason to this point to make a lot of moves (some good, some bad) to change up the overall structure of their team.
The most recent case coming on Saturday with the trading away of John Jaso and a couple of top prospects, in Daniel Robertson and Boog Powell, to the Rays in exchange for Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar, who will both help what has the potential to be a good A's team in 2015.
Despite losing John Jaso, who was a solid player for the Athletics in 2014, as well as Robertson and Powell, the A's got back a fairly good package in return.
After an extended period of trade rumors surrounding Ben Zobrist, a transaction for him finally occurred, sending Zobrist off to the A's. Two years removed from back-to-back 20 homer seasons, Zobrist hit a mere 10 bombs in 2014, but is still more than capable of impacting any team he's on, as he has over the course of his All-Star career with the Rays.
Other moves the A's have made so far to go along with the Zobrist and Escobar trade that could turn out to have major impacts began with the pickup of Billy Butler on a three-year, thirty million dollar contract. The Athletics then proceeded to swap their All-Star third baseman, Josh Donaldson, for fellow hot corner defender, Brett Lawrie, from the Blue Jays.
While the Butler deal was applauded by many, the Donaldson move was one that left many people scratching their heads. However, they weren't done there.
Following the initial offseason additions of Butler and Lawrie, the Athletics kicked off the 2014 Winter Meetings, trading slugger Brandon Moss to the Indians, and almost immediately after departed ways with Jeff Samardzija for a few potential valuable but unproven players from the White Sox.
Even though there are some things the Athletics have done that I don't agree with, for the most part I like where the A's are headed.
Losing Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox via a trade for Jon Lester, and knowing they wouldn't likely retain Lester upon the end of the season, the moves the A's are making should help them in their attempt to make up for those losses.
Even after losing Lester, the Athletics' rotation will still be decent, with Sonny Gray leading the way, along with Jarrod Parker who is set to return to health, and their lineup always seems to find a way to produce runs. Having finished with a win-loss record above .500 for each of the past three seasons, things are seemingly lining up to make it four.
Blogging Resolutions for 2015
Happy New Year, everyone!
As I've done for the past few years, I wanted to take the time to go over the main things I'm hoping to accomplish, blogging wise, throughout the coming year. Some of them are the same as my 2014 goals, but a few of them have been altered a bit.
The five main resolutions/goals I have for this blog in 2015 are as follows:
1. Blog at least once every 5 days:
Last year my goal was to blog at least once every four days. I was able to accomplish that goal, but not without a great deal of work. There were a few times that there was simply nothing to write about, and I had to basically make things up as I went along due to it being the fourth day and not wanting to break my goal. It was very stressful at times. And therefore, while I'm not saying I won't be able to get a post up every four days or less in 2015, I'm adding one more day to my maximum gap in entries to give myself a little slack — just in case.
2. Post 100+ blog entries:
Because I'm adding a day to my goal of number of days between entries, naturally the number of blog posts I publish this year will decrease. In 2014, while blogging at a breakneck pace at times, I was able to put together 128 blog posts — the most in a single year in the history of this blog. I'm going to be a lot busier this year for several reasons, and thus I had to keep close to my 2014 goal of blogging 100 times. My only other option was to give up blogging altogether. But I didn't want to do that; at least not yet.
3. Get more views than 2014:
Every year of this blogs existence, I've recorded more views in each year following the previous one. With that said, I'd love to keep that going in 2015. While I'll be blogging a little less than I did in 2014, I really hope to get more views than I did last year. Even one more total blog visit would make me happy. Having accumulated just over 80,000 views in 2014 — around 3,000 more than 2014 — I would really be astounded if I could get to a nice round number of 100,000 blog views for 2015. But if I could get to even 81,000 visits between now and December 31st, I would consider this blogging year a success.
4. Go on a 3-post-blogging-streak:
In 2014, this goal was a five-post-blogging-streak. But just like some of the previous goals, I'm changing this one a bit to go a little more conservative for 2015. Last year I was able to get up five blog posts on five consecutive days, but it was difficult. It started with my post on the MLB award frontrunners at the All-Star break, on July 14, and continued through the entry I posted on the second half of the MLB season setting up to be exciting, on July 18th. Even though I did that five post run, I'm only shooting for three this year. Easier, but still not extremely easy.
5. Reply to every comment that is left:
This is one of the two goals from 2014 that stayed exactly the same. The reason for that is it's very easy to accomplish, as it takes less than a minute (usually) to answer a comment. I don't get too many comments left on my blog, but when I do I want to always make sure I reply to them. Whether the comment is a question, about something I'm up to or the post itself, or a general comment or statement, I feel the obligation to reply back. Without the readers this blog wouldn't be what it is. Replying is my way of saying that the reader is appreciated.
So, there you have it. My top five blogging resolutions/goals for 2015.
As I stated last year — a recurring theme in this blog post — I hope to make this my best year of blogging yet. If I can accomplish what I want to (and plan to), I feel it truly will be. That's always the overall goal, to get better and better. I think 2015 is going to be an exciting year.
Last Blog Post Until 2015
Back on January 1st of this year, when I posted my blogging New Year's Resolutions/Goals, I stated that I was going to attempt to blog at least once every four days in 2014. I tried doing so in 2013, and with the exception of the month long vacation I took, I was able to accomplish that goal. But this year, I took it a step further, and successfully blogged at least once every four days, achieving that goal along with every other blogging goal I set.
After such a successful year of blogging, this will be my final post until 2015 rolls around. It's Christmas time, and therefore I don't want to spend it working multiple hours on putting any blog posts together. I'll save that for January. Meaning, if any major baseball news stories break, no matter how big they are, I won't be writing about it. At least not until 2015.
My first post of the new year will be my blogging resolutions/goals for 2015, followed by my Hall of Fame ballot a few days after. Then I'll take the time to recap the elected members after they're announced, and write a four year blog anniversary post on the 20th. Along the way I'll hopefully post an interview or two, in addition to providing my thoughts from time to time on the latest baseball news. After that, heading into February, things are up in the air.
Lastly, I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who's read my blog throughout the past year, and throughout its nearly four year existence. Whether you're a regular or just check in from time to time, if it weren't for you all I'd have no reason to blog. So thank you. I'm going to do my best to make 2015 the best year yet — even better than 2014, if that's possible — and hopefully you will all continue to come back every so often to read what I have to say.
Merry Christmas, and best wishes for a Happy New Year.
I'll be back in 2015.
Padres Going All In for Next Season
When the dust settles a couple months from now, and spring training begins to kick off, the Padres could turn out to be the winners of the entire offseason. While the Red Sox are arguably the most improved team, with their pickups of both offensive presence and starting pitching, it's the Padres that have done the most to improve their club in a very short amount of time.
Finishing with a record under .500 for the fourth straight season in 2014, not a lot of people likely had the Padres doing much of anything impactful this offseason that would give them any chance against the division dominant Dodgers and Giants moving forward. However, the Padres are seemingly putting together a competitive ball club, and are losing very little in the process, all thanks to their new general manager, A.J. Preller, who was given the daunting task of turning around one of the worst offenses from the previous year.
News of the Padres' team revamp first arose during the Winter Meetings, when a trade for Matt Kemp was first reported. Although it took them over a week to finalize the deal due to a concerning physical of Kemp that showed arthritis in his hips, the Padres landed their man, getting Matt Kemp (along with 32 million dollars) and Tim Federowicz from the Dodgers, in exchange for Yasmani Grandal, Joe Wieland and Zach Eflin.
Following that initial announcement of the Kemp deal, the Padres proceeded to further improve their outfield for next season, acquiring Wil Myers as part of a three team, 11-player deal with the Rays and Nationals.
In the large swap, the Padres received Myers, Ryan Hanigan, Jose Castillo and Gerardo Reyes from the Rays, and sent Rene Rivera, Joe Ross, Burch Smith, Trea Turner, and Jake Bauers back to Tampa. The Rays then flipped Turner and Ross to the Nationals for Steven Souza and Travis Ott. (Follow all that?) In short, the Padres acquired promising young outfielder Wil Myers without giving up too much in return — just as they did with the Matt Kemp trade.
But the little loss, big return trade pattern didn't stop there for the Padres. Shortly after announcing the Wil Myers acquisition, the Padres made yet another trade, once again for an impactful outfielder, bringing over Justin Upton and a low level prospect to be named later from the Braves. In return for Upton, San Diego didn't have to part with too much, sending away just Max Fried, Jace Peterson, Dustin Peterson and Mallex Smith. Although three of those four players were in the Padres top twenty prospects list, the Padres were still able to maintain their top two prospects in Austin Hedges and Matt Wisler, which is truly remarkable when you think about it.
Not all of the moves the Padres have made have been large, though. Some of the smaller changes the Padres have completed that could turn out to have major impacts have also taken place over the past day or so.
As replacement for the slot lost when they traded away Yasmani Grandal, the Padres traded Jesse Hahn and R.J. Alvarez to acquire former All-Star catcher, Derek Norris, along with Seth Streich and an international signing slot from the Athletics. In addition, the Padres made a smart small move on Friday, flipping Ryan Hanigan, who they just acquired in the Wil Myers trade, to the Red Sox in return for Will Middlebrooks, who will now man the hot corner in 2015.
All of these moves for a brand new outfield, as well as an improved infield, will go a long way in improving the Padres next season. Their lineup is undeniably better, and one that will be a force to reckon with for sure. But what about their pitching? As has been proven time and time again, you don't win games with just hitting, you have to have pitching as well. But surprisingly, despite the Padres' dismal win-loss record from 2014, they did in fact have a good, under the radar pitching staff made up of solid players.
Due to the bad offensive production, which saw the Padres finish the season last in batting average, last in RBI's and 28th in home runs, it was overlooked that the Padres had the fourth best team ERA in all of baseball on the season, coming out to a mere 3.27. With their big name pitchers from 2014 — Tyson Ross (2.81 ERA), Andrew Cashner (2.55 ERA), and Ian Kennedy (3.63 ERA) — still on the roster, to go along with newly acquired Brandon Morrow and Josh Johnson, who is reportedly close to returning, the Padres truly have a solid team for 2015.
But they still aren't likely done.
After obtaining Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Justin Upton via trades, San Diego now has a surplus of outfielders — Seth Smith, Will Venable, Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin — whose spots have been filled. That assuredly means that at least one of them will be on the move, and that could end up bringing the Padres yet another piece of the puzzle.
But while the Padres are no doubt headed in the right direction and will show drastic improvement as soon as next season, I don't think it will be enough to win the National League West division. The Dodgers and Giants are still too good, and will likely make moves of their own to get a little better before April. After finishing 17 games back of the division winning Dodgers last season, that's too far of a jump for the Padres to make in a single season, in my mind.
However, despite that, I applaud the San Diego Padres. Following a season in which they were at the bottom of the pack in nearly every offensive category, the Padres look to have solved that in a matter of a couple weeks. If the new additions of Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, Justin Upton, etc., can play to their full potential, and if the down seasons by former standouts Jedd Gyorko and Yonder Alonso can be turned around, things look to be bright for the Friars.
Even if they don't make a run at the division title, the Padres are in line to compete for at least the second Wild Card spot in 2015. Having not made the postseason since 2006, fans in San Diego have been waiting for quite awhile to see a team with this talent level be presented on the field, long wishing that some major changes would be made.
It would appear Padres fans have finally received their wish.
Yankees Setting Up for Contention In 2015?
As everyone is aware, the New York Yankees failed to make the playoffs in Derek Jeter's farewell 2014 season, which was very disappointing to a great number of people. One of the few times in their storied franchise history that the Yankees went consecutive seasons without making the playoffs, things are currently in somewhat of a lull for the Bronx Bombers.
Now that Jeter is officially retired, and with the loss of their 2014 closer, David Robertson, to the White Sox via free agency, many are beginning to wonder just how much of a competitive team the Yankees will be in 2015. After finishing twelve games back of first in the American League East last season, they have a lot of ground to make up, but a division title isn't seemingly as far out of reach as it would appear.
Some of the Yankees offseason pickups last year failed to produce in 2014, due to either injury or a down statistical season. From Masahiro Tanaka to Jacoby Ellsbury to Carlos Beltran to Brian McCann — if those players can get back to their normal selves next season, combined with the already good bullpen of Dellin Betances and recently signed Andrew Miller, things should be better in 2015 for the Yankees.
But that's without any changes whatsoever.
The Yankees, however, have in fact made a few tweaks to their roster that could have a big impact on their season success throughout the 162 game stretch.
Beginning with a trade that saw promising young shortstop Didi Gregorius coming to New York to take over the vacant spot left by Jeter, the Yankees would appear to have a long term "replacement" for the long time Captain.
Though Gregorius won't be able fill the enormous legacy of Derek Jeter — no one could ever do that — he will give them a little added thump in their lineup and defense at the position. Another such player being Chase Headley, who the Yankees signed to a 4-year, 52 million dollar contract on Monday.
There's a slight issue in the signing that everyone is pointing out, however: Headley plays third base. With the Yankees still owing third baseman Alex Rodriguez — who was out all last season due to a PED suspension — over 20 million a season for the next few years, it would be hard to envision them filling A-Rod's place at the hot corner with a bargain priced third baseman. But it appears that the Yankees are doing just that.
Although the Yankees could move Headley around from time to time as the season progresses, it lines up that A-Rod is headed for merely a designated hitter role in 2015. After hitting 31 home runs to go along with 115 RBI's back in 2012, Headley hasn't been that MPV-type of player since, but really impressed the Yankees after coming over from the Padres last season, hitting .262 in the 58 games with them to finish out the year.
If Headley can be solid at third base, and if Rodriguez can provide any sort of offensive production at the plate, the Yankees should be in good shape next year. But, where exactly would they fall if the season began tomorrow?
For me, I see them being like they were last season — a team that could potentially win a lot of games, but has to have a lot of things go right for them to post those type of collective numbers they're capable of.
As stated earlier, if the Yankees can get full, healthy seasons out of Masahiro Tanaka, Brian McCann, etc., their overall production will increase naturally.
Another team in the division that should see their production increase due to several key moves is the Blue Jays. Signing veteran catcher Russell Martin, and trading for All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson, the Blue Jays could be a very competitive team in 2015. Though I feel they still need another year or two to put everything together, you never know for sure how a team will fare.
Even so, I feel the Red Sox are the team that has done more than enough to put themselves in line to win the American League East division. Signing Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez a few weeks ago, and adding much needed starting pitching in Justin Masterson, Rick Porcello and Wade Miley, Boston has put together a very solid team after their disastrous 2014 season.
Just the opposite, the Orioles have seen their team taken apart. Losing breakout slugger Nelson Cruz, veteran outfielder Nick Markakis, and dominant reliever Andrew Miller (to the Yankees), Baltimore certainly has some work to do before the start of the season in April. (The Rays also fall into that category, in my opinion.)
So, with such a packed division, seeing that every one of the teams in the east could potentially make big runs towards the division title, it should be fun to see how things play out. If I had to predict things right now, though, I feel confident in saying that the Yankees are setting themselves up to break their postseason drought in the coming year.
Recap of the 2014 Baseball Winter Meetings
For the most part, I like to write about big time trades and/or signings within a day of when they occur. I feel that waiting too long to give my thoughts on a particular transaction causes it to become old news and therefore not really relevant to the everyday fast developing topics around baseball.
However, for the 113th annual baseball Winter Meetings that took place this past week in San Diego, things were happening so fast and at such a high volume that I would've been blogging multiple times a day to keep on top of the action. I didn't have time to do that, nor did I want to do that. And thus, I decided to post this recap upon the conclusion of the Winter Meetings. (Keep in mind, not every single signing or trade is included in this post; just the major ones, in my mind.)
Ending on Thursday, this years meetings saw an unprecedented amount of teams signing or trading players. Practically every ten minutes news broke of a new deal or trade that was sure to shake things up in 2015 and beyond. Seeing more trades go down over the past week than the last three Winter Meetings combined, a lot of exciting things look to be in store for the 2015 season.
The Winter Meetings were kicked off with a trade of Brandon Moss by the Athletics on the very first day. Getting sent to the Indians in return for minor leaguer Joe Wendle, Moss will certainly add a bit of pop to Cleveland's lineup, having hit 25 or more home runs each of the last two seasons.
But the A's weren't done parting with players. Following the departure of Moss, Oakland traded away pitching prospect Michael Ynoa to the White Sox along with breakout pitcher Jeff Samardzija, whom the A's gave up a few of their extremely promising prospects for in a trade back in July. In return for Samardzija, the White Sox simply had to toss a few prospects to the Athletics, in Marcus Semien, Chris Bassitt, Josh Phegley and Rangel Ravelo.
In my opinion, and the opinion of many others, the Athletics didn't get back quite enough in that deal. All of this coming after the trade of Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays, many are really questioning the A's logic.
No one, however, is questioning the White Sox. After acquiring Samardzija, a lot of people began to talk about the White Sox' playoff chances in 2015 with their improved pitching staff. But those talks only increased when the Sox announced a four-year, 46 million dollar signing of David Robertson. After the past few seasons Robertson has been able to put together, saving 39 games last year for the Yankees, he was near the top of available free agent relievers. The White Sox adding Robertson to their roster gives their fans hope for a promising upcoming year.
The White Sox aren't the only Chicago based team that's setting themselves up for a nice 2015 season, however. Across town, the Cubs are also in line to be much improved. Following the addition of veteran catcher Miguel Montero to their lineup in a trade that sent two minor leaguers, Jeferson Mejia and Zack Godley, to the Diamondbacks, the Cubs obtained one of the biggest free agents heading into the Winter Meetings.
While it took awhile for him to decide on the Cubs, Jon Lester made the choice to head to Chicago for the next six years, signing a contract worth 155 million dollars. Combined with a new manager in Joe Maddon, and a talented young roster of players, it should be fun to watch the Cubs moving forward.
But although there were large deals such as the one Jon Lester signed with the Cubs that went down over the course of the Winter Meetings, there were also multiple smaller deals that could end up having large impacts on the given team(s) involved.
Francisco Liriano resigned with the Pirates on a deal worth 39 million over the next three years; and the Twins picked up Ervin Santana for the next four years, set to pay him a total of 55 million over that span. But the smaller signings I like the most are the ones the Astros made by adding Pat Neshek and Luke Gregerson to their struggling bullpen, which had the worst ERA (4.80) in all of baseball in 2014. After not getting David Robertson or Andrew Miller, the Astros had to settle with these two relievers, but Neshek and Gregerson will go a long way in helping a bullpen that had 26 blown saves in 2014. Even so, the Astros aren't likely to make the playoffs just yet.
Just the opposite, the Dodgers have been a playoff team for the past two years and seemingly would be so again in 2015 regardless of if they did anything to change their roster. But that didn't at all stop them from making moves — big moves.
After making an impactful 4-year, 48 million dollar signing of free agent starting pitcher Bandon McCarthy, who was terrific in the second half of 2014 with the Yankees after an up and down career, the Dodgers proceeded to reshape a good portion of their team.
Coming after weeks of rumors that the Padres were interested in Matt Kemp, the Dodgers complied with the Friars, sending Kemp and Tim Federowicz to San Diego for Yasmani Grandal, Joe Wieland and Zach Eflin.
The fact that this trade went through came as a shock to many, as Kemp is a superstar when healthy, and the Dodgers didn't get much in return, but it needed to be done with the overcrowded Dodgers outfield.
Although the Dodgers were quoted as saying that their All-Star second baseman, Dee Gordon, was not being considered for a possible trade, the baseball world did in fact see Gordon, along with Dan Haren and Miguel Rojas, leaving the Dodgers. Unlike the Kemp trade, Gordon and company getting shipped off to the Marlins in a trade for Andrew Heaney, Chris Hatcher, Austin Barnes and Enrique Hernandez made sense, as this swap seemingly would help both sides.
Part of the trade, though, wouldn't last even an hour. A brief time after obtaining promising pitching prospect Andrew Heaney, the Dodgers flipped him to the Angels in exchange for Howie Kendrick. In addition, the Dodgers also flipped Zach Eflin, whom they received for Matt Kemp, and another prospect to the Phillies, in a swap for Philadelphia's franchise hits leader, Jimmy Rollins.
Doing so subsequently fills the holes left by the loss of Hanley Ramirez and Dee Gordon, and now gives the Dodgers a double play combo of Rollins and Kendrick. That's certainly not bad at all, especially with Kendrick basically coming over for free with the trade of the newly acquired former Marlin Heaney.
But the Andrew Heaney deal with Los Angeles didn't quiet the Marlins. After locking up Giancarlo Stanton to a 13-year, 325 million dollar deal last month, the Marlins made a promise that they would surround Stanton with talent capable of winning a lot of ballgames, and so far they're keeping good on it.
Following the addition of Dee Gordon, Dan Haren and Miguel Rojas, Miami later made a trade for another key piece to place in their starting rotation — Reds' solid pitcher, Mat Latos. Getting Latos for the price of Anthony DeSclafani and Chad Wallach, the Marlins could very well be setting themselves up to be a playoff contender as soon as 2015.
That's what the Red Sox are attempting to do. Going from last to best to last over the past number of years, logic would tell you that the pattern indicates that 2015 would be another up year. Unfortunately, things don't always follow patterns. And thus, things have to be done to actually improve the Red Sox' team and not leave them merely hoping for a miracle season.
The main need for Boston heading into the Winter Meetings was pitching. Signing Justin Masterson to a 9.5 million dollar contract for 2015; trading away Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster and another prospect for Wade Miley; and acquiring Rick Porcello from the Tigers by trading off Yoenis Cespedes, Alex Wilson and Gabe Speier; the Red Sox quickly added three solid pitchers to their poor rotation in a matter of days. Those three should drastically help them next season, as they already own a great lineup following the signings of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval.
So there you have it — a recap of the majority of the deals and trades that took place at the 2014 baseball Winter Meetings, and the possible impacts each move will have for each given team. As many have pointed out numerous times, this was one of the most active Winter Meetings in their long history. But nonetheless, there are still a number of valuable free agents that remain on the market.
From James Shield and Max Scherzer to Melky Cabrera and Chase Headley, there are multiple impact players that are available to any team that does what it takes to get them. With every free agent having to find a home somewhere, the exact ball club they wind up with could have a big effect on the outcome for teams in 2015.
Q and A With Billy McKinney
Billy McKinney was drafted by the Athletics in the 1st round of the 2013 draft, after batting .372 with 4 home runs and 17 RBI's during his senior year of high school.
Since the draft, McKinney has posted solid numbers between three different levels of professional baseball, hitting a combined .283, and truly showing why he was so highly thought of by the A's in the 2013 draft.
However, despite seemingly being a big part of the Athletics' future, McKinney was traded to the Cubs' organization in July as part of the trade that sent Jeff Samardzija (now with the White Sox) to the Athletics.
But the trade turned out to be great for McKinney, who was batting just .241 through 75 games worth of at-bats before the swap.
Following the team change, McKinney hit .301 to finish out the season, bringing his combined average for 2014 up to .264 to go along with 11 home runs and 69 RBI's. A great turnaround after the slow start McKinney had to begin 2014.
If McKinney can continue to develop into the player he's expected to become, it won't be long before he's a part of the Cubs' future at the major league level.
Billy McKinney — top prospect in the Cubs' organization — took the time recently to answer some of my questions:
1.) At what age did you first become interested in baseball? Who was your biggest baseball influence growing up?
I started playing tee ball when I was 3 years old. My parents [were my biggest influences], as both of them helped me in different ways. My mother helped me keep a positive attitude regardless of the situation, and my father helped with my development.
2.) Who was your favorite baseball player growing up? Why?
Josh Hamilton, [for] two reasons. One: I admired his swing and power. Secondly: I respected him for the challenges he overcame to become an MLB player.
3.) You were drafted by the Athletics in the 1st round of the 2013 draft. What was that process like for you? Where were you when you first found out? Initial thoughts?
It was an exciting and enjoyable time, balancing all the scout home visits, hitting sessions for various teams, and playing my final high school season. My family was fortunate to be asked to attend the draft at the MLB Studio. It was an opportunity to be there with eight other players who were expected to be drafted. When Mr. Selig called my name as an Oakland Athletic I was ecstatic, as I had always admired them being a great baseball team. I was pumped being picked by such a strong baseball club that focused on solid fundamentals.
4.) After finishing out 2013 with short-season Vermont, you were moved all the way up to High-A Stockton to begin 2014. Struggling at times with Stockton, what did you find most challenging about making the jump to that level of baseball so quickly?
Most definitely was adjusting to the quality of pitching in High-A. Some very, very good pitching in both the California League and the Florida League.
5.) In July, you were a part of a multi-player trade for Jeff Samardzija that sent you from the Athletics' organization over to the Cubs'. How did you react when you first heard about the trade? What was it like making the switch in organizations mid-season?
I was shocked at first, although as time passed I quickly realized baseball is a business and the Cubs are a quality organization with great leadership. At first it was different, although my Daytona Cub teammates made it a very easy transition, welcoming me to the team.
6.) Upon your transition to the Cubs' system, you were able to get a fresh start, recording solid numbers with their High-A club to finish out the year. What was it about your new team that made it easier for you to perform at a higher level than you did the first half of the season?
It was basically making adjustments in my approach to the quality of pitching in High-A and learning from previous experiences.
7.) Talk a little bit about life on the road: What's the most difficult aspect of it? What do you do to pass the time?
Bus rides and downtime, although being together as a team helps ease the boredom. [We] hang out together and/or watch TV.
8.) What do you feel went well in 2014? What are your goals for 2015?
[In 2014, I] learned throughout the year and appreciated the opportunity to play for the Florida State League Championship with the Cubs. [Goals for 2015 are to] help the Cubs in anyway I can and to continue to develop as a player and person by being challenged.
9.) Favorite TV show? Favorite food?
'Modern Family'. Steak.
10.) Lastly, what advice would you give to kids who are just starting out that dream of playing professional baseball one day?
Work hard and never give up, regardless of the situation. Also, embrace your teammates, as baseball is a team sport.
Big thanks to Billy McKinney for taking the time to answer my questions.
You can follow him on Twitter: @billy_mckinney
2014 Greatness In Baseball Yearly Awards
The 2014 Greatness In Baseball Yearly (GIBBY) award winners were announced Saturday night on MLB Network. The GIBBY awards — which began in 2002, but were referred to as the 'This Year In Baseball Awards' until 2010 — are awarded annually for a number of different categories (25 this year), including Rookie of the Year, Play of the Year, MVP of the Year, etc.
These awards are voted on by the media, front office personnel, former players, fans and the fans society for American baseball research, and given to the winner seen as the best for each category. Below are the 2014 GIBBY award winners with my thoughts on each:
Most Valuable Major Leaguer
My pick: Clayton Kershaw
Winner: Clayton Kershaw
This was the year of Kershaw. After winning the Cy Young award and picking up the Most Valuable Player award as well for the season, Clayton Kershaw also takes home the Most Valuable Major Leaguer award. Leading all of baseball in wins (21) and ERA (1.77) despite missing the first month of the season, Kershaw was pretty remarkable.
Everyday Player of the Year
My pick: Jose Altuve
Winner: Mike Trout
This category was origninally refered to as the Hitter of the Year award, which is why I went with Jose Altuve. But Mike Trout was in fact the most deserving player of the honor. Having a career high in both home runs and RBI's, with 36 and 111, respectively, Trout takes home this award with ease.
Staring Pitcher of the Year
My pick: Clayton Kershaw
Winner: Clayton Kershaw
As with the category of Most Valuable Major Leaguer, this was a no brainer. Having won so many awards this year, I've run out of things to say about Kershaw. So I'll just say something everyone already knew: Kershaw was brilliant this season. It's as simple as that.
Rookie of the Year
My pick: Jose Abreu
Winner: Jose Abreu
Although there were many good candidates for Rookie of the Year from the 2014 season, one player stood far above the rest. Slugging the sixth most home runs ever by a rookie, with 36, Jose Abreu takes home this GIBBY, after becoming the first rookie in history to finish the year in the top five of all three Triple Crown statistics.
Closer of the Year
My pick: Craig Kimbrel
Winner: Greg Holland
I had Craig Kimbrel winning this award after the great season he put together once again for the Braves, but instead it was Greg Holland receiving the hardware. I can't argue too much. Holland had a season worth of recognition, posting a 1.44 ERA over the course of 62.1 regular season innings, and was a valuable asset of the Royals' postseason run.
Setup Player of the Year
My pick: Dellin Betances
Winner: Wade Davis
This was a rather difficult award to pick a winner from, but although I had Dellin Betances winning the GIBBY, it ended up going to the Royals' Wade Davis. Coming over from the Rays a couple of seasons ago, Davis used to be a starting pitcher, but after recording a 1.00 ERA on the season, it's likely he's going to stay put as a setup man.
Defensive Player of the Year
My pick: Andrelton Simmons
Winner: Andrelton Simmons
Although another tough choice, this award was made for guys like Andrelton Simmons. Seemingly making an unbelievable play every single night, Simmons is one of those players that makes even the most difficult of plays look routine. In addition to the GIBBY, Simmons also won his second career Gold Glove last month.
Breakout Everyday Player of the Year
My pick: J.D. Martinez
Winner: Jose Altuve
I chose J.D. Martinez, simply because of the amazing season he had after the Astros released him in March, but you can't argue with Jose Altuve winning. Becoming the first player since Ichiro in 2001 to lead the league in average (.341), hits (225) and stolen bases (56), Altuve had a special season extremely worth of the GIBBY.
Breakout Pitcher of the Year
My pick: Corey Kluber
Winner: Corey Kluber
The Angels' Garrett Richards likely would've been the recipient of this award had he not gotten injured towards the end of the season. But regardless, Corey Kluber more than did enough for the GIBBY. Kluber started with a decent season, posting a 3.01 ERA before the All-Star break, but finished strong, closing out the second half with a 1.73 ERA.
Bounceback Player of the Year
My pick: Casey McGehee
Winner: Johnny Cueto
I found it hard to believe that Casey McGehee wasn't even a finalist after the year he put together following a 2013 season in Japan. But I don't disagree with the award winner. Johnny Cueto would've won the Cy Young award, had it not have been for Clayton Kershaw, as he went a great 20-9 with a 2.25 ERA over 34 starts this year.
Manager of the Year
My pick: Bruce Bochy
Winner: Bruce Bochy
Usuably the manager that leads their team to a Fall Classic victory is the winner of Manager of the Year. However, while Bruce Bochy takes home the GIBBY for this category, the official manager of the year for the N.L. went to Matt Williams. Still, what Bochy has been able to do over the course of his career is unbelievable.
Executive of the Year
My pick: Brian Sabean
Winner: Dayton More
Making the postseason for the first time since 1985, it's little surprise that the Royals' general manager won the GIBBY for Executive of the Year. He was very deserving, despite the fact that I had the Giants' general manager, Brian Sabean, taking home the hardware.
Postseason Most Valuable Player
My pick: Madison Bumgarner
Winner: Madison Bumgarner
What Clayton Kershaw was to the regular season, Madison Bumgarner was to the postseason — and then some. Setting a new postseason innings record by throwing 52.2 innings over the span of the playoffs, there is little doubt that the Giants wouldn't have won the Championship without Bumgarner, who now holds a career 0.25 World Series ERA.
Play of the Year
My pick: Souza saves no-hitter
Winner: Souza saves no-hitter
There were numerous terrific plays throughout the season, however, Steven Souza's diving catch to save Jordan Zimmermann's no-hitter was the one that everyone agreed was the best. Coming on as a defensive replacement, Souza's catch, happening on the last day of the regular season, secured the first no-no in Nationals' history.
Outfield Throw of the Year
My pick: Cespedes' incredible throw
Winner: Cespedes' incredible throw
I've seen a lot of great throws in my time as a baseball fan, but few top the one made by Yoenis Cespedes against the Angels in June. After bobbling the baseball, Cespedes turned a sure run into an amazing out. Just as "The Catch" made by Willie Mays is forever tied to him, "The Throw" made by Cespedes will forever be linked to him.
Moment of the Year
My pick: 2 good to be true
Winner: 2 good to be true
No moment this season topped the walk off hit by Derek Jeter in his last game of his career at Yankee stadium. Though Jeter has dozens of amazing moments to choose from, this may be the most incredible of them all. This becomes the seventh career GIBBY award for Jeter — a sure first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Storyline of the Year
My pick: Farewell, Captain
Winner: Instant Improvement
I had Derek Jeter's final season being the storyline of 2014, but it didn't end up winning. Instead, the topic of expanded instant replay takes home the GIBBY. Admittedly, it was interesting to see the great progress made by instant replay this season, but I still think Jeter should've won. However, even he can't win them all.
Hitting Performance of the Year
My pick: Chisenhall's career night
Winner: Chisenhall's career night
There were several superb hitting performances this season, including Yasiel Puig recording three triples in a game (that's something you may never see again). But in the end, none could overtake the night Lonnie Chisenhall had in June. By going 5-5 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI's, Chisenhall earns this award without much argument.
Pitching Performance of the Year
My pick: Kerfection
Winner: Kerfection
Every time Clayton Kershaw takes the mound, I find myself tuning in to see him pitch. Every single time. Kershaw is one of those once in a generation players that is must see T.V. He sure was that way back in June when he tossed his first career no-hitter — a 15 strikeout gem in which he came a single error shy of a perfect game.
Oddity of the Year
My pick: Wild pitch scores three
Winner: Wild pitch scores three
Have you ever seen a single wild pitch score three runs? No? Me either. That is, until it happened to the Brewers against the Rockies in Denver earlier this season. While there were a few other "odd" moments from 2014, this was by far the most unusual of the entire season.
Walk-off of the Year
My pick: A night 2 remember
Winner: A night 2 remember
Already winning an award for 'Moment of the Year', this GIBBY once again honored Derek Jeter's walk off single against the Orioles in one of the most memorable moments in recent baseball history.
Cut4 Topic of the Year
My pick: 50 cent throw
Winner: Boy Gifts Baseball
The first pitch made by 50 cent at Citi Field this season was hands down the worst I've ever seen in my life, but it wasn't bad enough, apparently, to win the GIBBY for topic of the year. That honor went to the boy who gave a souvenir baseball to a girl sitting behind him. For me, I've seen that too many times. I don't agree with this GIBBY.
Postseason Play
My pick: No Panik
Winner: No Panik
There were several great plays made throughout the postseason that could've won this GIBBY, but the double play started by Joe Panik during game seven of the World Series was the best. Given its importance, with the Giants going on to win the championship, the diving stop and flip throw by Panik was one of the best double plays you'll ever see.
Postseason Walk-off
My pick: Wild ending spurs Royals
Winner: Walk-off Down Memory Lane
While I had Salvador Perez's walk off hit to send the Royals to the American League Division Series being the winner, the home run by Travis Ishikawa was deserving too. The first walk off homer to send a team to the World Series since Bobby Thomson in 1951, Ishikawa put his name in the history books with his memorable blast.
Postseason Storyline
My pick: Wild win sparks Royals' run
Winner: Wild win sparks Royals' run
If it couldn't win for the last category, I'm glad to see that the walk off single by Salvador Perez took home the GIBBY for postseason storyline. With the Royals making the playoffs for the first time since 1985, the hit by Perez started the amazing run by the Royals that saw them coming up a win shy of a World Series title.


text:
A couple of cast members of the truTV hidden-camera prank series "Impractial Jokers" visited New Orleans' Pat O'Brien's on Thursday (Jan. 10) for an impromptu viewing of an episode.
Sal Vulcano and Brian Quinn invited fans via Twitter to the party. Below are a few photos of the event, sent along by Scott Touchton, the bar's operations manager. Looks like fun was had.
Click on this post's byline for Dave Walker's contact information.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
According to curator Dan Cameron, one of the goals of Prospect.1.5 is to reintroduce New Orleans art lovers to hometown artists who have gone off to establish careers elsewhere.
Known as both a longtime gallery owner and cutting-edge conceptual artist, Sam Still was a Crescent City art scene stalwart before departing to try his luck in New York in 2000. Still said he moved to Manhattan "because I felt like if I was going to pursue art, there was going to be a bigger payoff. There's just a lot more money in New York."
He says it has taken a decade to learn the ropes, but his career is beginning to blossom. "I think I've done fantastically in terms of what I learned and how my work has grown. It's taken me 10 years to get a handle on it and see what it's all about."
On the subject of returning to show in his old hometown, Still said: "New Orleans is a really cool place. I can't think of a better place to have come from. I lived there 20 years; it let me experiment with what I wanted to do."
Still's large, labor-intensive drawings of stylized bombs -- that can take as long as 120 hours to produce -- began as his take on the recent economic crisis.
Sam Still: Recent Works
What: A Prospect.1.5 exhibit by a former New Orleans artist who now lives in New York.
Where: LeMieux Galleries, 332 Julia St., 504.522.5988.
When: Opens with a reception Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m., and runs through Nov. 27. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Read: "Prospect.1.5 Art Exhibits Focus on New Orleans Artists," here.
Read the exhibit preview: "Prospect.1.5 features Crescent City newcomers," here.
Read: "Prospect.1.5 artists perform living pictures on Julia St. Saturday."
Prospect.1.5 NEW ORLEANS
What: Art exhibits, performances
and presentations, curated by Dan Cameron.
Where: In scattered locations.
When: The first set of exhibits opens Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m., with more exhibits opening Nov. 13 and later. Through Feb. 19.
Visit the P.1.5 website at prospectneworleans.org.
Read: "Prospect.1, and the city that holds it, are together a big hit."
Read: "The Trouble with Prospect. 2" here.
Arts writer Doug MacCash can be reached at email@example.com or 504.826.3481. Follow him on Twitter.


text:
The Westwego City Council on Monday night voted to preserve a bit of city history that's hidden somewhere inside Weswego City Hall: The city's 1920s-era jail. That is, if there's money available to do it.
Councilman Ted Munch of the 2nd District offered a resolution calling on the city to salvage the former jail when City Hall is demolished at some point, after the city replaces it. The city plans to have a new City Hall built by October 2014.
Munch's colleagues on the council voted in support of the idea. Munch said the old jail could be moved and overseen by the Westwego Historical Society as an educational piece, "to assist the historical society in telling the Westwego story," Munch said.
He provided no estimates on how much such an endeavor would cost. Nor did he suggest a funding source.
Munch said the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will pay $3.6 million to build a new City Hall, has required that the city demolish its current one on Avenue A. That would mean the old jail would be destroyed, he said.
Somewhere inside the walls sits the original jail. Through the years, City Hall was built up around the brick and mortar structure with metal bars over the windows, so much so that the old jail is no longer visible.
"It was a locker room, and it was an office for a while," Munch said. "Now it's just storage. Behind some very thin walls and Sheetrock, it's there."
He said with the exception of a window that was converted into a door, the original jail is largely intact. "With some work, it can very easily be returned to the 1920s," Munch said.
He announced the proposal last week, during a public hearing the council held to discuss plans for the new City Hall. The council voted to direct the city's engineers to begin drawing up detailed plans for the new government buiding, which will be built on Fourth Street at Central Avenue.
"We're excited about it, and we're moving forward with that project," Mayor Johnny Shaddinger said Monday night.


text:
STATEN ISLAND -- The Staten Island Hunger Task Force is holding its annual legislative breakfast Friday from 9 to 11 a.m. at Wagner College, and the free event is opened to the public.
The breakfast will be held in the Grymes Hill school's faculty dining room.
"The Staten Island Hunger Task Force is launching its Food For All movement to strengthen individuals' access to food stamps, more food resources and to accommodate the hunger need," said the Rev. Terry Troia, the executive director of Project Hospitality and a board member of the task force.
The key note speaker will be Dominique Jones, chief program
officer of Food Bank NYC, who will discuss what it means having enough
to eat. Island lawmakers and their representatives will also remark on legislating hunger issues.
The group represents more than 30 food pantries and soup kitchens and the organizations that fund them on Staten Island.
Hurricane Sandy and, more recently, cuts to the federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) in November have pushed more hungry Islanders in need to seek assistance at local food pantries, which are having difficulty keeping up with the increased demand.


text:
Baldwinsville, NY — The Priscilla Mahar Animal Welfare Foundation donated nearly $8,000 to animal rescue organizations in 2011.
Wayne Mahar, CNY Central chief meteorologist founded the organization in 2008 after his mother died. His mother, Priscilla Mahar, was an animal lover.
The money raised was from 2011's Canine Carnival, sponsored by Wegman's and CNYcentral, which was held at the Wegman's Good Dog Park in Liverpool. Planning is under way for next year's Canine Carnival, which will be held on Aug.4 at Longbranch Park near Liverpool.
The following organization received donations:
Sunshine Horses
SANS Spay and Neuter Syracuse
Humane Association of CNY
German Shepherd Rescue
Kitty Corner
Operation Wildcats
Chow Chow Rescue
The organization's next event is Paws for Pucks at the Syracuse Crunch Hockey game on March 23 at the Onondaga County War Memorial.
"This is a one of a kind event where fans bring their dogs to the game," Mahar said. "Several vendors of animal related items for sale will also be set up along with a PMAWF information booth."


text:
Go Mining!
Purchase sapphire gravel to 'mine'
sapphires from the comfort of your own home. Makes a great gift idea!
Dear Russ and Deb Thompson,
"Hello, this is Deana. My husband Clay, my girls and my obnoxious dog as
well as myself were there this past Monday and Tuesday. I just thought I'd
drop you a brief line to let you know that we found 20 sapphires totaling
38 carats, many of them 2 carats and over. We had a great time! I really
enjoyed myself. Thanks you." Deana
So, does EVERYONE find
sapphires in their shipment of gravel?
"We don't go through
each unit we ship and check to make sure each has at least one
sapphire stone in it. That would be impossible." says
Deb Thompson, owner. "However, stories like the one
above are normal and common."
Will we be able to order
from you as often as we wish?
"Yes," says Deb
Thompson, owner. "Unless the sapphires run
out. This is a natural deposit and there is no guarantee
that it will last for 10 years. We continue to ship gravels
out while the natural deposit lasts. When it is all gone, it
is all gone. Get your orders in before that time."
You are welcome to send your rough stones
to Deb for grading first before sending to the
facetor. If you provide a self addressed
stamped return envelop, Deb will grade your
stones free (presently), identify them, and let you
know which ones would be worth finishing -then
return them to you in the envelop you provide.
[ Download/Print ]
[ Download/Print ]
Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine
and Gold Fever Rock Shop
5360 Castles Road Helena, MT 59602
1-877-DIGGEMS (Toll Free) 406-227-8989 (Local)
email@example.com |
Site design and architecture by
& Associates, Inc.


text:
Remove Ads x
huesos, articulaciones y musculos del miembro superior - download at 4shared. huesos, articulaciones y musculos del miembro superior is hosted at free file sharing service 4shared.
| Uploaded via: 4shared site
Share Add to my account
Is owner
View only
Upload & Edit
Members may only view items in this folder.
Members may view, add, edit and delete items in this folder.
Checked by McAfee. No virus detected.
0 comments Add new comment
Wrong code entered. Please, try again.
Enter the code above to post message:
Remove Ads x
Download all files from this folder
Download folder as:
This file will be created in your 4shared folder
File name:
Zip as:
Download as B1
huesos, articulaciones y musculos del mi...File QR Code


text:
Affluent Lifestyle Guide
After years of rapid growth, residential solar-power installations in Arizona are likely to slow down some in the near future as prices tick up and utility incentives shrink, some experts say.
There are few signs of that predicted slump yet in the Southwest Valley, solar installers say. Solar installers that do business in the region report strong sales recently, particularly in March, because of lower prices for panels and improved financing.


text:
That most dreaded time of the semester had rolled around - starting research papers - and I was going over proposed topics with my students.
Per usual, they ran the gamut, from the hackneyed to the horrific - from the History of the Ford Galaxy (no) to French Revolution Torture Techniques (NO!), from the Kennedy Assassination (sure, why not) to Origins of Beer (absolutely not).
They marched before me in a mind-numbing parade - The White Tailed Deer, Bigfoot, Capital Punishment, Psychics and Astrology, Breast Implants, Bubonic Plague, Drugs in Sports, Drugs in Hollywood, Drugs in the Workplace, Drugs in Drugs.
Suddenly, I snapped out of my coma. There was a subject that I'd not only never seen, but was interesting to boot: "How the Typewriter Is Superior to the Computer."
"Where'd you get this idea?" I asked the gal who'd submitted it.
"Oh, I saw an article about it," she said. "It was pretty funny."
"So how would you develop it?"
"I don't know," she said. "Like how could I develop it?"
"Well, first it'd depend on what you know about typewriters," I said. "So what do you know?"
"Nothing," she said.
"Nothing?" I asked. "Nothing at all?"
"Uh-uh," she said. "I mean, I've never seen one."
"You mean you never used one, right?"
"No," she said. "I've never seen one."
I went into shock. Never seen a typewriter? Wasn't that like never having seen a clock or a television or a car?
And, of course, it wasn't. Once the shock wore off, reality hit me: The typewriter is as dead and long-gone as Hupmobiles and Hudson Hornets. And why wouldn't it be? It's a simple fact of life that once a superior technology replaces its predecessor, that's all she wrote. And so it was with the typewriter, having been banished to the hinterlands of history by the computer.
Still, it rankled. I thought young people should have at least seen a typewriter. But then I realized it would've been like saying when I was her age I should've seen ear trumpets, ice boxes and whalebone corsets - technologies long defunct before I opened my eyes (though I'm not so sure about the corset: Given the generally cinched-up and frugal state of the old babes of my youth, probably a bunch of them were wearing whalebone corsets).
Of course, my reactions were due only to my prejudices, having had a five-decade love affair with the typewriter.
Love at first sight
It started with my earliest memories, watching my mother type. She was a teacher, first of hearing-impaired people and later of Head Start, so she was always typing lesson after lesson. And while I didn't care at all about the lessons, I was fascinated by her typewriter. It was a real beaut - a Smith Corona portable with a pebbled gray body and dark green keys that made a musical zing whenever the type hit the platen.
My mother took scrupulous care of her typewriter, taking it out of its case only when she used it and putting it away immediately after she was done. But one day when I was around 12, she got distracted and left it on the table while she did some chore in the next room. I immediately hopped up in the chair and started playing with it. Of course she heard me and was back in a flash.
"Hands off, shtunk," she said.
Then she put it in its case and put the case in its usual storage place - the closet. After that, she came back and spoke to me.
"If someone is using a typewriter and doesn't know how to do it right, they'll damage it," she said. "So you need to leave it alone, understand?"
I told her I did, and she went on.
"But if you really want to type, I'll tell you what. You learn how to touch type, and I'll buy you your own machine. How's that?"
To me right then, that was the Deal of the Century.
Now all I had to do was learn how to touch type, something that proved to be a lot easier said than done.
First, my mother rented a typewriter from Munn's and got me a Gregg Teach Yourself Typing book. I tried, but truth be told, only halfheartedly, and you can figure the results or lack thereof.
Skills and thrills
I gave up on my typewriter fixation till I was 14, when I decided to take a typing course at school, and I ended up in Mrs. Adelaide Coyne's class.
Mrs. Coyne was a real character. She was a rugged old gal who wore only Pendleton shirts and men's suit pants with suspenders. She had steel-grey hair so thick and slick that for all I know it was steel. When a few years later I found out she smoked cigars, I wasn't the least surprised.
But in addition to her being an authentic gender-bender, she was a magnificent teacher who'd figured out the pace and progression of the course to perfection. Each class followed the previous one clearly, logically and more difficultly. So I was always challenged and always learning.
And beyond that, I enjoyed her class: It seemed as if none of the material was repetitive and all of it was interesting. I can remember only one specific lesson, which was writing up an international telegram, using specialized format and abbreviations. With my overactive imagination, it made me feel like I was a diplomat, a spy, or some other such man of intrigue.
The course was only a half-year long - entirely too short, considering how much I liked it. But it wasn't only fun and games, because by its end I was a competent typist.
This in turn signified two great milestones in my life: One, I'd now have my own typewriter. And two, I'd begin writing my novel and other great fiction.
I did indeed get the typewriter. But as for writing the novel, I'd made a major miscalculation - I confused the ability to type with the ability to write. Not that I didn't start to write my novel and short stories and essays and plays - I sure did.
But the sad truth is that for years and years I wrote nothing but unmitigated swill.
Of course, that's still what I do but at least now I get paid for it.


text:
Ed McMahon
30,755pages onAdd New Page
this wiki
this wiki
Ed McMahon (1923-2009) guest-starred on episode 205 of Muppets Tonight.
He was the announcer for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson on which the Muppets appeared several times.
For years he was also the announcer on Jerry Lewis' MDA Telethon on which Johnny Fiama and Sal Minella have appeared.
Guy Smiley spoofed McMahon in the 1974 special Out to Lunch in a Tonight Show parody with Cookie Monster playing Carson.
The unmade Muppet television special Johnny Carson and the Muppet Machine was to have included a scene with a talking boulder bearing McMahon's image.
McMahon voices himself in the Muppet Babies episode "This Little Piggy Went to Hollywood," where he invites Baby Piggy to appear on Star Search.


text:
Regional Activities / PITTSBURGH GUIDES & INFORMATION
Sports & Recreation
|Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Riverhounds
Professional sports in Pittsburgh: football, baseball, hockey, outdoor soccer
|Venture Outdoors
|Focused on year-round outdoor activities like river kayaking, guided hikes (including night hikes), and more.
|Bike Pittsburgh
|Bicycle rentals, trail information.
|Places to shoot pool
|Minnesota Fats would sure be proud of how popular pool is in Western Pa. Here's a list of some of the best, and cleanest, pool halls in the area.
|Golf Courses
|There are ample opportunities for golfers in Western PA, no matter what your skill level or budget. These courses are open to the public.
|Climbing & Hiking
|Mountain Dreams leads trips and classes.
|Pittsburgh Green Map
|Interactive map showing attractions, roads, rivers, trails, and more.


text:
SCOTTSBORO - The attorney for former University of Alabama booster Ray Keller believes the $5 million awarded him in a civil suit against the NCAA sends a clear message.
"The NCAA serves a very important function," said Archie Lamb. "College athletics is one of our greatest natural resources. It needs an enforcement agency that can stop grievous cheating.
"The message here is not to stop enforcing the rules. It's don't cheat, don't go on a witch hunt, don't violate your own rules."
A Jackson County jury found in Keller's favor Thursday afternoon in his defamation and invasion of privacy suit against the NCAA.
In February 2002, Keller was one of three unnamed boosters lambasted in a report and a news conference detailing recruiting violations by the University of Alabama football program.
Thomas Yeager, then the chairman of the NCAA Committee on Infractions, used harsh language, referring to "Boosters A, B and C" - later revealed as Keller, Logan Young and Wendell Smith - as "rogues," "pariahs" and "parasites" while announcing their permanent disassociation from Alabama athletics.
But a jury of eight women and four men agreed with Keller's argument that the NCAA went too far, damaging his reputation and inflicting harm on his ability to do business as a Stevenson lumberman.
"I'm thankful after eight years for me and my family," Keller said. "I made a big deal (in court testimony) about me going to church. I just don't want to embarrass my God."
Keller asked for a $35.5 million judgment. Instead, the jury returned a $5 million verdict in his favor.
The jury allotted $1 million for mental anguish, $500,000 each for economic loss and damage to reputation and $3 million in punitive damages.
NCAA spokesman Chuck Wynn, in a telephone interview from the organization's Indianapolis headquarters, said attorneys will ask Judge William Gordon to set aside the verdict. "If needed, we'll appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court."
In its 2002 findings, the NCAA said Keller was involved in four rules violations: conspiring with Young and Smith to pay blue-chip prospect Kenny Smith $20,000 to steer him to Alabama; buying the prospect's family dinners during his recruitment; paying former Crimson Tide linebacker Travis Carroll $400 in cash; and making impermissible contact with prospect Eric Locke at an Alabama A-Day game.
In the four-week trial in circuit court, Keller's attorneys convinced jurors that the NCAA's case against Keller was questionable and the organization's investigative procedures were faulty.
Expert witness David Swank, dean of the University of Oklahoma law school and a former chairman of the NCAA's infractions committee, condemned the enforcement division's prosecution of the Alabama case and its failure to turn over all evidence to the infractions committee - including evidence that contradicted the allegations against Keller and Alabama.
Lamb, a Birmingham lawyer, said the decision was landmark in "the most important sports case" in history because it clearly showed the NCAA overstepped its own boundaries in pursuit of Alabama.
"A lot happened in this case that speaks volumes," Lamb said. "This case clearly showed the NCAA set a trap for Logan Young and the University of Alabama. Ray was swept up in the trap, and his reputation was damaged as a result."
Lamb said there was no defense for Young, a Memphis businessman who was convicted in federal court of paying $115,000 to land prospect Albert Means for Alabama.
But the NCAA erroneously lumped Keller in with Young, Lamb said.
The jury began deliberating Wednesday afternoon, meeting for 60 minutes, then returned to court Thursday morning, reaching a decision at 1:48 p.m. after more than five hours in conference.
"The fact that this jury spent time (deliberating), believed Ray's cause and believed him in every category was deafening," Lamb said. "It sent a message that the NCAA shouldn't have done what was done."
Lamb said the harsh language offered by the infractions committee in its printed report and oral rendering of Alabama sanctions was harmful, but he believes members of the committee are "good people" who went too far.
"They just got drunk on their own power and destroyed Ray Keller and destroyed the University of Alabama in the process," Lamb said.
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Al's Garden Center
Some 90 percent of Al's Garden Center's plants are grown locally at one of their five growing centers. And the center has all the gardening supplies and tools you'll need to maintain them. In addition to its Gresham nursery, the com ...
Athene Construction
In the trades since 1986, Dave Champawat started Athene Construction in 1992. Though his bread and butter is kitchen remodels and room additions, he's built cabins on stilts and renovated commercial buildings in the Pearl District.
Electrical Contractors & Design Inc.
Since 1985, this company has taken care of everything from computer installation service to rewiring for their residential clients.
Rick's Custom Fencing & Decking
Whether you want a traditional cedar fence or a property divider that makes more of an architectural statement, Rick's Custom Fencing & Decking is up for the job. Its product line includes cedar and composite decking, as well as cedar, viny ...


text:
Home » Essay » A Short Overview Of Hurricanes 1
While over the ocean, these winds can create waves that are taller than three story buildings. But while they are over land, they can tear apart homes, uproot trees, and cause an enormous amount of destruction.
The eye of a hurricane is the low-pressure region in the center...Showed first 250 characters
The size of the eye depends on the strength of the surrounding winds. Stronger winds wrap themselves more tightly around the eye so that it becomes smaller. The average eye of a hurricane is about twenty miles wide with an oval shape although they can be round, too...Showed next 250 characters
For your convenience Manyessays provide you with custom writing service. All papers are written from scratch by only certified and experienced writers.
The service is available 24/7
Please contact our custom service if you have any questions concerning our service.


text:
CHARLOTTETOWN - Farmers Helping Farmers recently presented its 2014 awards, recognizing the contributions of the organization's volunteers, supporters and members. Awards were presented to friends of FHF who help with the annual fundraiser, a Grade 6 class of Kenyan Cousins, and a long-time FHF member.
© Submitted photo
Aidan Marsh, (from left) Ian Kerr, and Abby Saunders, representing the West Kent Kenya Kousins group, are presented with the Farmers Helping Farmers Youth Award by FHF president, Carolyn Francis.
Sandra MacKinnon, awards committee chair, says the success of any organization is dependent upon the commitment of its volunteers and others. "The award winners this year represent those who have made outstanding contributions to the organization," she said.
The Friend of Farmers Helping Farmers was presented to Jewell's Produce Inc. (Parker and Irene Jewell, Irwin and Barb Jewell). This award recognizes individuals and groups who are not members of the organization, but who have made a lasting contribution.
Jewell's Produce Inc. has supported the Farmers Helping Farmers annual barbecue for over 30 years by donating over five tonnes of potatoes.
The West Kent Kenya Kousins group was this year's recipient of the Farmers Helping Farmers Youth Award. It recognizes individuals and youth groups who have made outstanding contributions to FHF and its work in Kenya.
The Kenya Kousins is a group of Grade 6 students who are actively involved with the Mitoone School in Kenya. They fundraise for their twinning school, teach others at West Kent School about Kenya, and share their twinning letters with classmates.
Lydia MacKay, their teacher, states that, "The leadership demonstrated amongst these students is outstanding and honourable for their age."
The Honourary Life Membership was presented to the Dr. Linnell Edwards, who has been an active member of Farmers Helping Farmers for the past 32 years.
He served two terms as a member of the board of directors. He was part of the committee that helped lay the groundwork for the working relationship with the Canadian International Development Agency. Dr. Edwards continues to be involved with fundraising for the organization.
Farmers Helping Farmers is an Island-based organization of community-minded people with agricultural backgrounds. Its goal is to assist Kenyan farmers in becoming more self-reliant in agricultural food production. The group assists with the development of small-scale, practical agricultural projects, focusing on direct person-to-person interaction.
For additional information on the organization visit www.farmershelpingfarmers.ca.


text:
A stylish take on a traditional mirror design.
This frameless mirror features an elongated hexagonal shape to add style and dimension. The beveled edges offer a sleek, clean finish to this traditional mirror design. Great for over your vanity or to dress up an empty wall.
Free Shipping on Most Orders
Our associates are standing by to assist you.


text:
I am an ex-smoker and an ex-beer addict. I feel for you, buddy. I know what you are facing, and the cigarette companies have made quitting worse by spiking the damnable things with extra nicotine.
I suggest giving up wheat first. It is addictive & will give you withdrawal symptoms for the 1st few weeks, not nearly as bad as withdrawal from nicotine. Once you have mastered withdrawing from wheat, it is time to quit smoking.
There is a MIRACLE BOOK that will make it easy to quit. Order this book now to get ready to quit when the time is right.
Alan Carr book,"The Easy Way to Quit Smoking"
Amazon.com: The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-Smokers Using Allen Carr's Easyway Method (9781402718618): Allen Carr: Books
90% success rate is reported for this book.
The beer? After you have succeeded in wheat & nicotine, beer will be easy. Just don't hang around people who drink or smoke.
Best of luck to you,
I feel for you. Been there, done that. For smoking, I found Smoker's Rescue very helpful. Been over 3 years since I've smoked and hardly ever have a craving any more.
For being Primal, it's all about choices IN THE MOMENT. I'll probably get flamed for this, but if you have to go to Wendy's, go. But make the choice that this time you won't eat the bun. Next time, no fries. One step at a time is sometimes easier than that total commitment of jumping off the cliff. Got to admit though, I'm a cliff jumping kind of guy and just went 100% Primal as soon as I could. I think I had MAYBE two days transition, then I really started to feel better and jumped the rest of the way.
Just remember, with smoking or eating, you have choices. Just try to make the healthier choice more often and it becomes easier each time.


text:
Think of Fourth of July fireworks in Birmingham, and chances are you'll think of Vulcan.
The statue atop Red Mountain is the focal point of Thunder on the Mountain, the area's biggest fireworks display each year.
We know you've watched the fireworks through the years, and chances are you've taken some photographs of them along the way. Now's your chance to win a prize for your picture.
Between now and Sunday, June 29, you can enter the Thunder on the Mountain photo contest presented by Vulcan Park and Museum and AL.com.
Share your best photo of Vulcan and fireworks on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and make sure you use the hashtag #VulcanFireworks. You can also mail your pics to:
2014 Vulcan's Thunder on the Mountain Photo Contest
Vulcan Park and Museum
1701 Valley View Drive
Birmingham, AL 35209
Three prizes will be awarded:
- 4 tickets to the VIP viewing party of Vulcan's Thunder on The Mountain fireworks show.
- $100 gift certificate for any fireworks of their choice, courtesy from Crazy Bill's Fireworks.
- $50 gift certificate for any fireworks of their choice, courtesy from Crazy Bill's Fireworks.
Read the official rules here, and remember, the deadline to enter is June 29.


text:
Winning pitcher Shane Lopez fanned seven and Lou Rossi and Anthony Laudani each had two hits and combined for six RBI as the Sluggers beat the Bandits 11-1 in the Staten Island United Federation 12s B division championship game. Richie Lepardo excelled at shortstop.
The Robert Curatolo Rangers swept a pair of 14s playoff games, defeating the Sharks 9-4 and 8-0.
In the opener, Terrence Kennedy fired a three-hitter and Fred Sabido (three hits, three RBI) and Jake Marlon (two hits, two RBI) supplied the offense. Sabido, meanwhile, tossed a one-hitter with nine strikeouts and Connor Smith, Mark Mandala and Brandon Pasquale added two hits and two RBI apiece in the second contest.
Greg Ruocco had four hits and Justin Sommers knocked in four runs as the Islanders defeated the Cadets 7-1 and 7-5. Bobby Alberino and Sommers were the winning pitchers.
Sal Novello pitched a complete-game one-hitter with 15 strikeouts as the Gators blanked Chili's 4-0 in the 7-8s B division championship game. Nick Psathas (double) and Sebe Caruso (two hits) each knocked in a run.
Glen Gerhard and Josh Schwartz (one-hitter) were the winning pitchers as the Stingrays defeated Smitty's Reds 7-2 and the Bandits 11-1 in Mid-Island BRL 16s play. Anthony Varone had two hits in the second game.
In BR Interleague 16s play, Nick McLendon tossed a one-hitter as the Dodgers (Great Kills) blanked Ferrantino Fuel (Mid-Island) 5-0.
NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Dean Arnica homered and Chris Parrinello notched the win as the Richmond County Prospect beat the East Brunswick Bears 7-5 in a Richmond County Federation Caruso Tournament 13s semifinal playoff game. Christian Bruno (two-run single) and Joe Pucciarelli (two hits) contributed.
SIU Federation
*Sluggers 11, Bandits 1
*Gators 4, Chili's 0
*RC Rangers 9, Sharks 4
*RC Rangers 8, Sharks 0
*Islanders 7, Cadets 1
*Islanders 7, Cadets 5
RC Federation
*RC Prospect 7, East Brunswick Bears 5
Mid-Island BRL
*Stingrays 7, Smitty's Reds 2
*Stingrays 11, Bandits 1
BR Interleague
*Dodgers (GK) 5, Ferrantino Fuel (M-I) 0


text:
Fall 2016
Mon.-Thur.: 9am to 8pm
Fri.: 9am to 5pm
Sat.: 1pm to 5pm
Sun.: 1pm to 8pm
Changes in this schedule during exams, interim periods, and holidays are posted on the library door. Schedules and locations for other campus library units can be found at www.library.illinois.edu.
Journals Received in Mathematics Library
Advances in mathematics v.220:3 (Feb 2009)
Annals of applied probability v.18:6 (Dec 2008)
Bulletin (new series) of the American mathematical society v.46:1 (Jan 2009)
Bulletin of the Belgian mathematical society simon stevin v.15:4 (Oct-Dec 2008)
Communications on pure and applied mathematics v.62:1 (Jan 2009)
Computational geometry theory and applications v.42:3 (Apr 2009)
Discrete & computational geometry v.41:1 (Jan 2009)
Discrete applied mathematics v.157:3 (Feb 2009)
Discrete mathematics v.309:2 (Jan 2009)
Graphs and combinatorics v.24:6 (2008)
International journal of pure and applied mathematics v.49:2 (2008)
Jahresbericht der deutschen mathematiker-vereinigung v.110:4 (Dec 2008)
Journal of algebra v.321:2 (Jan 2009)
Journal of applied non-classical logics v.18:4 (2008)
Journal of computational and graphical statistics v.17:4 (Dec 2008)
Journal of geometric analysis v.19:1 (Jan 2009)
Journal of mathematical analysis and applications v.350:1,2, v.351:1,2 (Feb,Mar 2009)
Journal of nonlinear and convex analysis v.9:3 (2008)
Journal of the London mathematical society ser.2 v.78:3 (Dec 2008)
Matematicheskii sbornik v.199:11 (2008)
Mathematical research letters v.15:5-6 (Sep-Nov 2008)
Moscow mathematical journal v.8:3 (Jul-Sep 2008)
Newsletter of the European mathematical society no.69 (Sep 2008)
Proceedings of the National academy of sciences of the United States of America v.105:49-52 (Dec 2008)
Proceedings the Royal society of Edinburgh section A mathematics v.138:5 (2008)
Statistics & probability letters v.79:1 (Jan 2009)


text:
This deal has ended.
Register for the Special Offer: Free 4 Week Member Trial and you'll get $25 in postage coupons ($5 during your trial and $20 after your trial period is complete), a free digital scale, and $5 supply kit all valued at $80 at Stamps.com . Pay only shipping and handling (usually $9.99 or less). Please note: After the free trail period is over, if you do not cancel, you will be charged $15.99 a month for the Stamps.com service. You are allowed to cancel your service at any time.No longer available


text:
What you see is a project in which I am investing a lot of my resources.
It is a product on which they work in just a few in the world, because it is very complex as regards mechanical and programming, I'm talking about of medical-robotic Bionic Hand.
The goal is to get a hand at a cost much lower than those in commerce today, these cost about 20 thousand Euro.
With the diffusion of 3D printers, low-cost microcontrollers and servos I think we can develop something new, that may finally bring down the costs.
In the images you can see how the study of the project is well under way and lets hope and shows off my goal.
In the meantime, I'm looking for Venture Capitalists interested in supporting this great project.
Of course I will keep you updated on developments in the channels that you know.
Here you can see HANDeBand SLIDE band]]>


text:
Results tagged ' Kim DeJesus '
Now Playing: The Cubs ring in the holidays
The Cubs kicked off the holiday season in fine fashion on Friday with the second annual lighting of the holiday tree and the grand opening of the Rink at Wrigley. Hundreds of fans were on hand to watch Tom and Todd Ricketts, David and Kim DeJesus, Fergie Jenkins, Congressman Mike Quigley and many others light the 30-foot tree, which is located in front of the famous Wrigley Field marquee. Chicago Cubs Charities and WGN also kicked off a toy drive at Wrigley. All presents will be donated to Jennifer Hudson's Julian D. King Gift Foundation.
Kim DeJesus: Road Warrior
In the November issue of Vine Line, our Better Half feature looks at the work the Cubs wives do behind the scenes to improve their communities. Writer Jim Distasio also wanted to get a feel for what the life of a major league spouse is like. Given the travel—major league ballplayers are on the road for 81 games each year and spend a month and a half at Spring Training—and erratic daily schedule, it's far from routine.
We didn't have room for this piece in the November issue, so we wanted to share it here. It's something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving: family. Kim DeJesus, wife of Cubs right fielder David DeJesus, spoke with us about how she keeps her family together given the Cubs rigorous schedule.
The Cubs play 81 away games each season, and Kim DeJesus likes to be in the stands for every one—cheering for husband David and logging some impressive frequent flyer miles.
In fact, Kim has no hesitation proclaiming, "I travel more than every baseball wife."
Four years ago, when David played for the Kansas City Royals, Kim was a fixture on nearly every road trip. And those early days were "fabulous."
"We would stay up until 3 a.m. watching movies, order room service and wake up at 11 a.m.," she said. "Dave would leave for the field around 1 p.m., and I would spend the day exploring a new city and then go to his games at night."
The trend continued after the couple married and had their son. Three weeks after the baby was born in 2010, following approval by her doctor, Kim and little Kingston were on the road so the family could be together during its infancy. In 2011, when David played for Oakland, Kim went on every single road trip, save for one. David and Kim both wanted to have a strong family unit, and they didn't want David to miss all the first in their child's life.
Kim cut back on the travel during Dave's inaugural season with the Cubs to start working again part time and spend more time with her family in suburban Wheaton. Yet, even though she was "taking a little break this year," Kim still attended more than half of the Cubbies' away games.
"For me, the coolest thing is getting to see my husband live out his dreams," Kim says.
—Jim Distasio


text:
Xbox 360 News
Too little, too late
Although Microsoft is aiming for a casual audience with Kinect, the company is promising hardcore titles within 18 months of its launch.
GamesIndustry.bizspoke with Microsoft about the possibility of hardcore titles coming to Kinect. European executive Chris Lewis explained that hardcore games are coming, but it'll be a long wait.
"I think all of the different types of gaming experiences you describe will become available over the coming 18 months or so."
Nintendo made a similar promise following the launch of Wii. Remember how well they fulfilled that promise? Enjoy the wait.
Latest News
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 after all
- Tomonobu Itagaki's Devil's Third gets a release date
- Adr1ft is coming to PC and consoles at the end of the summer
- EA gives the new Mirror's Edge a name – Mirror's Edge Catalyst
- ZombiU PS4 and Xbox One port reportedly in the works
- Mike Bithell's Volume to be released this August
- Gearbox's new shooter Battleborn gets a pre-E3 trailer
- Steam Controller launches in October, Steam Machines arrive in November
- Gears Of War devs Black Tusk change their name to The Coalition ahead of E3


text:
Lettere Amorose; Magdalena Kožená, Private Musicke, Pierre Pitzl
(Deutsche Grammaphon)
While the recent influx of baroque vocal albums has tended to focus on virtuoso opera seria, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená takes a step back to 17th century "Love Letters." In doing so, she uncovers one gem after another.
There's a naturally plangent and androgynous character to her tone that works well in the album's many songs about unrequited love from a male point of view. And her vibrato, while noticeable, unobtrusively cushions her voice, and she's not afraid to iron it out when it's dramatically effective.
The drama, above all, is what's so affecting about "Lettere Amorose." Often strophic and with a sound much closer to contemporary folk than to stylized opera, these songs also can be lyrically startling.
In "Crudele Amarilli" by Claudio Monteverdi's contemporary Sigismondo d'India, Kožená sings of cruel Amaryllis — whose name contains the word "amar" — "bitter" for the bitterness of love. The vocal lines snake around, sometimes directly against the harmony of the instruments, to convey anguish, and Kožená revels in the dissonances.
As she does throughout, she navigates the song expertly, like an actor gauging the beats of a monologue. Even as she considers Amaryllis' purity and loveliness, the sentiment turns quickly into heated frustrations with her unresponsiveness, underscored by heavy, percussive strumming from the strings, then into a stoic vow of silence in death.
The Private Musicke ensemble is as expressive as Kožená, and the CD's instrumental interludes just as compelling.
Monteverdi's "Sì dolce è 'l tormento" ("How sweet is the torment"), an ode to the pain of love, starts a cappella, with Kožená's unusual instrument tantalizingly exposed. It's clear that she takes advantage of her freedom with tempi to savor the Italian words.
The desperate desire of Giulio Caccini's upbeat "Odi, Euterpe" contrasts the haunting "Canzonetta spirituale sopra alla nanna" ("Sacred song on a lullaby"), a crucifixion narrative from the Virgin Mary's point of view by Tarquinio Merula.
With Spanish-sounding guitar skitterings and harp figuration, the work begins on uncertain harmonic terrain and then features a flagellating descending motive. Kožená's voice comes in slow, eerie and calm, with a repeated lilting incantation: "My beloved, my love, sing lullaby."
The torment grows with each refrain, and she rushes through a phrase about a "graceful face" as though she can't bear to look at it.
Kožená also deserves credit for drawing attention to the work of Barbara Strozzi. The leading female composer of her day and a vocalist, believed by some to be a courtesan on the side, she's a fascinating figure. But in "L'Eraclito amoroso" ("Heraclitus in love"), she outshines her contemporaries in writing for the voice.
All of this bodes well for Kožená's upcoming performance in Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande" at the Metropolitan Opera beginning Dec. 17. This is a work that demands that every word be sung with the conviction of a classical actress.
— Ronni Reich
Kirill Gerstein plays Liszt, Schumann and Knussen
Kirill Gerstein (Myrios Classics)
Pianist Kirill Gerstein made headlines this year for winning the 2010 Gilmore Artist Award and Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Career Grant. On his first CD since those announcements, he doesn't disappoint. With brilliant technique, he keeps melody paramount throughout. He opens Schumann's "Humoreske," op. 20 with music-box simplicity, then brings rambunctious energy to the dynamic contrasts and the unshakable light mood that prevails in the first movement. He is especially evocative in the third movement, which often sounds like music for a solo autumn stroll. In Oliver Knussen's "Ophelia's Last Dance," op. 32 — a new work featuring stumbling rhythms and a harmonic palette recalling Messiaen — he maintains grace and delicacy, gliding through repeated singsong fragments and imbuing final passages with a soft-edged touch that gives an impression of fading. Liszt's Sonata in B minor, S. 178 shows off more of his ability to handle both introspective elements and torrents of notes, and his fervent interpretation could easily convert the composer's detractors.
— Ronni Reich
Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager
Kid Cudi (GOOD Music)
As Kanye West's go-to guy for blunted grandeur, Kid Cudi deserves acclaim for his contributions to the beautifully woozy sound of West's "808s and Heartbreak" (2008). "Day 'n' Nite," his debut single and one of the best of 2009, anticipated the light-dark dichotomy that West developed so effectively on his new album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy." But while West's albums are like Kubrick films — every element carefully arranged for maximum impact — Cudi's are more like stoner flicks. Good ideas and boring ones are jumbled together, and the emcee's self-indulgence is inescapable. This album is often at its best when Cudi floats furthest out, as he does on "The Mood" and "GHOST!," both of which draw on the "808s" production team of No I.D. and Jeff Bhasker. However, psychedelia exacerbates Cudi's two big problems: he's an average (at best) lyricist obsessed with his own banal drug problems, and he delivers all his verses in the same intoxicated drawl. Like any controlled substance, Cudi's music is most survivable in small doses.
— Tris McCall
No Mercy
T.I. (Def Jam South)
Rubberneckers, move on. Straight out of the lockup on gun charges, the self-styled King of the South barely addresses his prison experiences on "No Mercy." As a concession to the kids of America, or maybe to his attorneys, T.I. has cut out all the gun references; but what does that leave him with? When he does talk about his trials, he does so in the colorful and forceful but shopworn language of industrial-strength rap cliché. Since "King" in 2006, his only consistent album, he's been content to rehash his major themes while top-flight producers match his slick flow to diamond-studded beats. The tracks on "No Mercy" rise or fall on their production, and the most inventive, unsurprisingly, is "Welcome to the World," a collaboration with the team behind Kanye West's "808s and Heartbreak." The worst, the title track, is a rare misstep by The-Dream — it tries to rock hard, but ends up simply sounding silly. "That's All She Wrote," produced by Swedish pop confectioner Dr. Luke, is a pleasant surprise.
— Tris McCall