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on December 18, 2012 - 11:47 PM
LOCKPORT – The Niagara County Legislature adopted a 2013 budget Tuesday night that reduced the increase in the property tax levy from the 3.7 percent in the tentative budget to a final figure of 1.89 percent.
The three-member Democratic minority proposed amendments to the spending plan that would have eliminated the tax hike altogether, but the 12-member Republican-led majority wouldn't go that far.
"We did our job. We had all the resolutions that reduced the budget. They didn't have any," said Minority Leader Dennis F. Virtuoso, D-Niagara Falls. "The minority caucus was able to deliver a 2 percent tax increase, which could have been zero."
The budget passed by a 10-5 vote, with Republicans Kathryn L. Lance of Wheatfield and Cheree J. Copelin of Niagara Falls joining Falls Democrats Virtuoso, Owen T. Steed and Jason A. Zona in voting no.
The Republicans did adopt the Democrats' suggestion for a $900,000 increase in the estimated sales tax revenue for next year. The GOP initially had proposed a $500,000 increase, which was the most County Treasurer Kyle D. Andrews, D-Wilson, felt was prudent.
However, Virtuoso distributed a chart showing that the county exceeded the sales tax projections in the budget in each of the past six years, including a $7.2 million overage in 2011.
The jump from 2010 to 2011 was a record $5.2 million increase in one year, which Andrews attributed to a spike in gasoline prices, increased auto sales and the opening of the Walmart supercenter in Niagara Falls.
"When we put the 2012 budget together, we didn't know if it was sustainable," Budget Director Daniel R. Huntington said.
The budget as proposed by County Manager Jeffrey M. Glatz estimated next year's sales tax at $60,950,000, which in itself was a $2.5 million increase from the 2012 budget estimate.
Friday, Glatz had criticized a further $900,000 increase in the sales tax estimate as "like playing Russian roulette."
But Tuesday night, he noted the Legislature dropped the notion of cutting the county self-insurance fund by $360,000. It went down by $68,000 to counteract the need to restore some overtime to the Sheriff's Office budget.
"The way I look at it is, it's kind of a wash," Glatz said.
As a result of that and numerous other changes, the final budget of $321.8 million showed a spending increase of $5.3 million, or 1.67 percent.
The tax levy was trimmed by $1.3 million as a result of the amendments, with a 1.89 percent increase remaining.
Property tax rates for the individual municipalities are:
Cambria, $7.73 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, an increase of 9 cents from 2012; Hartland, $7.74, up 10 cents; Lewiston, $9.43, unchanged; City of Lockport, $7.74, up 9 cents; Town of Lockport, $7.75, up 9 cents; Newfane, $8.05, up 26 cents; Town of Niagara, $13.16, up 14 cents.
Also, Niagara Falls, $8.43, up 18 cents; North Tonawanda, $8.03, up 9 cents; Pendleton, $7.96, up 17 cents; Porter, $8.14, down 26 cents; Royalton, $7.89, up 2 cents; Somerset, $7.73, down $2.33; Wheatfield, $11.22, up 13 cents; Wilson, $8.40, up 18 cents.
The variations are caused by changes in each community's assessment rolls. Somerset's, in particular, was altered by its first townwide reassessment in many years, Real Property Services Director John E. Shoemaker said.
Lawmakers rejected a Democratic proposal to eliminate three patronage jobs: Legislature clerk, county auditor and public information officer. Counting benefits, that would have saved $270,489.
The GOP also turned down Virtuoso's proposal to cut $150,000 by having county workers instead of a private company move stored records from the Lockport storage buildings to a former Newfane mattress factory leased from Lockport developer David L. Ulrich.
Other budget amendments included pay raises of 2.5 percent per year for the next four years for Sheriff James R. Voutour, whose pay was flat during the past four years.
The Legislature majority refused to cut the pay of the administrator of the conflict defender's office even though the incumbent, Robert M. Pusateri, is retiring. Also, it gave a 33 percent raise to part-time Personnel Officer Joseph A. Vacanti Jr., from $15,000 to $20,000 a year. The Democrats sought to delete that raise.
The Legislature voted to drop Capital Public Strategies, the lobbying firm that was working on support for the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. That work will go to another firm, Masiello, Martucci and Calabrese, Glatz said.
The county's 2014 budget process already begins with a 3 percent tax increase lined up, Huntington said.
The county already knows Medicaid costs will rise $475,000 in 2014; pension fund contributions will have to increase $1.2 million because of a decision by the State Comptroller's Office; and the county will lose $858,000 in revenue from the restructuring of the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, or PILOT, arrangement for the Somerset power plant formerly owned by AES Corp.
email: email@example.com


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Bose Soundtouch 20 WI-FI Music System - Wireless Connection, Infrared Remote, One-Touch Access, Clear Full-Range Sound, Free SoundTouch App - 355589-1200Item#: BOE-102031153 | Model#: 355589-1200
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- Bose logos are registered trademarks of Bose. All others trademarks and copyrights mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Jose Fonseca is in his 10th year as basketball athletic trainer at Duke University. Fonseca arrived at Duke after spending two seasons in a similar role at University of Nebraska, where he also assisted with the Cornhuskers' nationally-ranked football program.
Prior to Nebraska, he was the athletic trainer for men's basketball and baseball at East Tennessee State University from 1999-2002.
Originally from San Salvador, El Salvador, Fonseca earned a bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science with an emphasis in athletic training at The Pennsylvania State University in 1997. He returned to Penn State to earn his master's degree in kinesiology in 1999.
He is married to the former Janna Cinnamon of Omaha, Neb. The couple has one son, Pedro "Pete" and one daughter, Alexis.


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One of the first areas to show the tell-tale signs of premature aging, our neck + décolletage is often one of the most neglected too. Restore elasticity and youthful radiance with some of these targeted treatments like neck firming cream and tightener!
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text: Susan C. (Halbritter) Patterson, 59, Altoona, passed away unexpectedly Friday at Altoona Regional. Friends will be received from 6 until the 7 p.m. memorial service Wednesday, March 27, 2013, at Axe and Santella Family Chapel, 1534 Fourth St., Altoona. A complete obituary will appear in Monday's Mirror. Arrangements are by Leslie E. Axe Funeral Home.


text:
Santa Barbara raced out to an 18-3 lead after one quarter and cruised to a 58-21 Channel League win at San Marcos in girls high school basketball.
Sophomore Amber Melgoza scored 17 points while Michaila Miller tallied 10 points and four rebounds.
The Dons are 18-3 and continue to be the top-ranked team in the CIF Division 3AA.


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I am a children's book author/illustrator/blogger. I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I have three younger sisters, we grew up with the love for music and dancing and continue to share this bond today. My wish is to share my love for music & dancin
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text:
Who knows the toolkit from Mauritius?
In the latest edition of Kudumail (Read more
Posted 4th Mar 2014
In the latest edition of Kudumail (Read more
Hello Kaddi, The Toolkit contains 111 actions that can be done locally for young people to combat climate change. The Tooktit was officially launched this Tuesday 04th March by the Ministry of Environment and Sustanaible development, the Ministry of Education in the presence of the Deputy Chief Commissioner of the Mauritius Scout Association, Mr Jaywunt Tannoo. A soft copy of the toolkit shall be soon available on the Ministry's website: http://environment.gov.mu/English/Pages/default.aspx Translate


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Top Definition
Buying a Microsoft product and getting the "shaft"
Another "most secure ever" OS only to find out we've been Microshafted again
by lore November 13, 2003
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
microsoft is also the evil empire micro$oft and microsloth
I am proud of microshaft they shaft there customers a little more each day and they are still in bussiness
by tom December 18, 2003
The product brand Bill Gates created not only to sell products, but to describe the size of his penis.
Duuuude, Bill Gates has a Microshaft in his pants!
by ASN(ail) July 06, 2009
unusually small penis
I had to ditch that dude - he had microshaft
by Schizo319 March 29, 2006
A person who has an abnormaly small penis or "shaft".
crikey mate! you've got a micro-shaft.
Sorry, i dont do micro-shaft
Sorry, i dont do micro-shaft
by luke riordan, nick brewin April 05, 2006


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Top Definition
The steamy, liquid-based excrement that requires deployment after a night of drinking copious amounts of alcohol followed by a greasy kebab or indian.
Usually leaves a foul stench that lingers on throughout the day.
Usually leaves a foul stench that lingers on throughout the day.
The piss up last night really screwed up my insides - as soon as I had awoken I went to the toilet for an alcopoop.
от Dirty Daz 18 юни 2006
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
The really satisfying dump you take when you're hungover. (Alcohol is a laxative, apparently).
It sucks to be hungover, but then there's always that great alcopoop the next morning.
от Checkmate33 05 октомври 2009


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Home Decorators Coupons and Promo Codes
The Home Decorators Collection is a branch of The Home Depot that has everything for any room in your home. You can find high quality furniture, rugs, lighting, and home décor. Shop by category, room, styles, and even baby and kids. Don't buy anything without checking out The Home Decorators Collection, the largest direct sellers of home décor, for their great deals while furnishing your whole home with the best selection of home décor. Email subscribe for special, exclusive notices about new products, special promotions, design ideas, and much more. Get free shipping on blinds and shades, custom framed art, all lighting, and indoor throw pillows. The Home Decorators Collection ships to over 100 countries worldwide, with your preferred currency. Look for Martha Stewart Living items, and use your Home Depot Consumer credit card for special financing, low monthly payments, and view/manage/pay your account all online.


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The appearance of a set of hate sites with contents created specifically
by and for extremist women, such as Her Race, Women for Aryan Unity,
and World Church of the Creator Women's Frontier, heralds a new
development in online hate. By speaking up and working to define their
own roles in the white supremacist "movement," these female
extremists have appropriated feminism's struggle for women to be heard
for the despicable purpose of spreading intolerance.
Some hateful women on the Web echo the positions promoted by their male
counterparts: opposition to non-whites, hatred of miscegenation, and anger
at "anti-White" control of the media.
From the Her Race Web site, which is housed at Don Black's Stormfront,
comes "Gaia: Everyone's Mother" by Inga Niteau. Niteau declares,
"Whites are facing extinction as more non-Whites reproduce and invade
our lands." She asserts that "Whites have a right to have many
more children than non-Caucasians."
"Lights, Camera, Action," by Lisa Turner, declares that "White
people are subjected to anti-White images via television and motion pictures"
because "the enemy forces have total control of the film world and
movie-making business." Turner dreams of a "White people's 'Oscars'"
at which whites "all sit together in a dazzling hall and applaud
as our enemies do now for their lackeys."
Though these articles bear some resemblance to those created by racist
men, most women's hate tracts focus on discussions about proper roles
for extremist females. Interestingly, the positions voiced at these sites
mirror those expressed in conventional discussions about women's roles
in mainstream society, contrasting "stay-at-home" mothers with
working women.
Like their male counterparts, extremist women on the Web deny that Blacks,
Jews and other minorities are equal to whites. Yet many extremist women
argue that they themselves should be given the same consideration as white
men in the workplace. By joining the workforce, these women believe they
can better aid the white supremacist "movement."
At the Her Race Web site, Nancy Jensen, who claims to be "a
staunch National-socialist female majoring in pre-medicine at an Ivy League
institution," explains that she does not "intend to solely raise
children and be a house-wife." Describing staying at home in an extremely
denigrating and anti-Semitic way, she states:
Nature intended that women use their brains to advance their race...For
comrades to suggest that women squelch this natural instinct by solely
being a house-wife, they are acting unAryan and clearly violating laws
of Nature. I mean look at the Talmud Ł the Jews are the ones who advocate
treating women as breeding tools and property. How dare NS [National
Socialist] comrades stoop to the level of the Jews in such a manner.
Nature intended that women use their brains to advance their race...For
comrades to suggest that women squelch this natural instinct by solely
being a house-wife, they are acting unAryan and clearly violating laws
of Nature. I mean look at the Talmud Ł the Jews are the ones who advocate
treating women as breeding tools and property. How dare NS [National
Socialist] comrades stoop to the level of the Jews in such a manner.
Also at the Her Race Web site, Jane Burton presents an article
about appropriate "Careers for White Women," such as "Lawyer,"
"Human Resources Worker," "Advertising Writer," and
"Real Estate Agent." Telling women "the White race needs"
their help, Burton writes, "You need to work; so work in the right
Many other racist women suggest that females should be equal partners
in the extremists' struggle, even when that struggle involves violent
action. Nancy Jensen believes that women who would choose to lead the
"movement" on the battlefield should be given the opportunity
to do so. "As for the issue of women physically defending their race
or country," she writes, "if they possess that desire and ability,
than [sic] they should go for it."
Other sections of the Her Race Web site also promote female extremist
political activism. "Diana, Love of a Princess" by Lisa Turner
recognizes "the unique power a woman can have in the political world."
Writing without any apparent sense of irony, Turner states that the white
supremacist "movement" "desperately needs more women"
because "women can represent nurturing, love, reaching out, touching,
bridging a gap, and bringing a gentle, diplomatic approach to the problems
at hand."
Sharron Edwards, writing at the Web site of the fascist British National
Party, encourages "less faint-hearted women to stand as candidates"
for public office. Though she claims not to be "just another passenger
on the feminist bandwagon," she believes it "only right that
women join our men in the battle to alleviate the perils of the present
age" and sees "the contesting of elections" as "inevitably
an important part of the struggle."
Even some bigoted sites created by men promote active female participation
in the "movement." Thom Robb's Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Web
site features an "Aryan Women's Page" that boasts, "the
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan under the leadership of David Duke was the
first Klan organization to include women in its general membership."
The Australian Revolutionary Movement (ARM) Web site declares, "If
a woman has the desire to serve her nation in an active service role,
she should be encouraged, if she desires to work alongside her male comrades,
she should be commended." ARM also suggests that "if a woman
can defeat a man in combat, then the woman should be revered."
In contrast, other Internet documents composed by women promote child
rearing and other "domestic" tasks as women's greatest contribution
to the "movement," echoing Hitler's view that women should focus
on "Kirche, K³che, Kinder" (church, kitchen, children).
While some articles at the Her Race Web site promote extremist
women's political activism, others advocate more "traditional"
female roles. For instance, Kate Bell offers a detailed account of childbirth
in "Birth of a White Child," asserting that she's "actually
doing something that helps our cause" by giving birth to white
children. "Race Mixing," an article by "Zennia," urges
white women to stay away from non-white males.
The Women for Aryan Unity Web site urges racist women to "stand
by" their husbands by keeping their homes and providing for their
"comfort." These women are upset that they have been taught
they "are no longer needed in the home as wives and mothers"
and angered that they "have been forced to compete with men for the
males' jobs."
Calling for women to balance domestic duties and white supremacist activism,
World Church of the Creator (WCOTC), a pseudo-theological extremist group
that attacks Christianity, Judaism, Blacks and immigrants with equal vehemence,
has made a special effort to reach out to females. WCOTC has created three
Web sites devoted to women: WCOTC Sisterhood, Pulcher Candidus Dea
("Beautiful White Goddess"), and the extensive Women's Frontier
Web site. The Women's Frontier site is coordinated by "Sister"
Lisa Turner, who has also written articles for Her Race and Aryan
Female Homestead Web sites.
In a document at that site entitled "The Woman's Role in The World
Church of the Creator," Turner outlines the group's position on women.
She explains that WCOTC sees the white woman primarily as "mother
to beautiful White children" but also points out that women, like
men, "can become Reverends and rise to positions of influence"
in the Church. Turner believes WCOTC "must utilize all the talent,
all the brainpower and man and womanpower" it can get because most
of "the White male population has completely and utterly abdicated
and abandoned their responsibility to defend the Race." If this was
not the case, she feels that women "wouldn't be needed to step into
front-line, defensive positions at all."
Significantly, Turner singles out Internet propagandizing as a way that
women can serve as mothers and activists at the same time. "For the
first time in the history of racial activism, women with children can
get on the Internet and promote Creativity without ever leaving home or
taking away from their family responsibilities," she writes. "This
technology can be utilized by women at all stages of life Ł our young
mothers, our older women activists who have acquired organizing abilities
and skills, and our teenage young women who are learning about their racial
The Women's Frontier Web site tries to motivate the Church's female
members, calling for Women's Frontier "chapter leaders." The
site features interviews with women "Creators" (as the Church's
members call themselves); articles glorifying "white" women
(such as Queen Isabella, who ordered the expulsion of the Jews from Spain
in 1492, and Hypatia of Alexandria, the only recorded female scholar in
the ancient world); and a section entitled "The Mud Chronicles,"
which recounts "the bizarre, disgusting and criminal behavior of
the inferior mud races," i.e. Blacks, Asians, and other non-whites.
Additionally, the site provides "The Creator Connection," a
"service designed to link Women Creators around the world with each
other so that they may share ideas, projects and provide mutual support
and Comradeship for one another."
In addition to its sites devoted to racist females, World Church of the
Creator has established an impressive, well-designed stable of hateful
Web sites that are not gender-specific, from WCOTC Teens to
Skinheads of the Racial Holy War.
Also Online:
Special Report - October 1998
Feminism Perverted:
Extremist Women on the World Wide Web
Special Report - October 1998
Feminism Perverted:
Extremist Women on the World Wide Web
Next: World Church of the Creator


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WASHINGTON — The barbs are personal, the differences are multiplying among Republicans, a party divided over spending, foreign policy, a willingness to risk a government shutdown in order to defund the health care law and more.
"I didn't start this one, and I don't plan on starting things by criticizing other Republicans," Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said recently as he and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie likened one another to various cuts of a butchered pig.
"But if they want to make me the target, they will get it back in spades."
No matter who started it, in the past few months, one Republican called others "wacko birds," another said some of the party's lawmakers were "stale and moss-covered" and a third suggested one member of the GOP was a tool of the White House.
A recent flare-up over defunding the health law prompted Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to question the political manhood of fellow Republicans unwilling to risk closing down the government over the future of "Obamacare," as GOP critics call the law they want to repeal.
Not all the disagreements are dipped in acrimony. Some are re-emerging after the party papered over its differences in an unsuccessful campaign to defeat President Barack Obama last year. This spring, 14 Senate Republicans supported legislation that included a chance at citizenship for millions living in the country illegally. The other 32 opposed it, including the entire top leadership.
In some cases, though, policy or strategic differences are overshadowed as Republicans simply call one another names, a type of clash that frequently pits newer, tea party-backed lawmakers against more experienced conservatives.
Two months ago, Sen. John McCain of Arizona likened Cruz, Paul and others to "wacko birds" for their style of confrontational politics.
Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan responded from across the Capitol. "Bravo, senator. You got us. Did you come up with that at #DinnerWithBarack?" he tweeted, a suggestion that McCain was parroting a line he had heard at the White House.
Paul responded a while later to McCain. "The GOP of old has grown stale and moss-covered. I don't think we need to name any names, do we?" he told an audience of conservatives.
Other, more recent clashes appear born of political calculations and fall just shy of personal criticism.
Cruz, along with Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Marco Rubio of Florida, recently urged Republicans to swear off voting for any year-end spending bill that includes money for the health law.
Others countered that the result could be a partial shutdown of the government and a political windfall for Democrats.
"I think it's the dumbest idea I've ever heard," said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.
Burr was in the House nearly two decades ago when Republicans threatened they would shut down the government in hopes of winning spending concessions from President Bill Clinton. They followed through but were forced into a retreat as the White House held firm and public opinion turned against them.
All Republicans say they want to repeal the health law, but the tea party-backed campaign has thrust some lawmakers into difficult positions as they juggle competing political imperatives.
Differences among rank-and-file lawmakers make for bipartisan agreements, but they also can make it hard for party leaders to negotiate effectively with the White House and Democrats.
Among Republicans, disagreements over foreign policy and national security are "normal, kind of an ideological contest that's been with the party in the 20th century and will be in the 21st," said McCain.


text:
0:51 minutes
The astonishing conclusion to the series, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN, PART 2, illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.
0:51 min
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text:
Oscar Wilde's classic endures with its gems of astute observation and cynical wit. The eerie story follows a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty in the form of a supernatural portrait. Life's mysterious paradoxes are laced throughout Lord Henry's brilliant aphorisms. Gray is urged by Henry to "love the wonderful life that is in you." The novel's qualities are mired in decadence, "art for art's sake," the new hedonism of the Victorian-era upper class, and societal moral corruption. Simon Prebble perfectly achieves Lord Henry's "low, languid voice" and sparkling conversation, while avidly expressing the other characters' more torrid emotions. Prebble brings the fable's gothic horror to life, but the more youthful characters lack believable intonation.
(P)2008 Tantor
"Beautifully written, brilliantly read."
Having listened to samples of most other readings of this book, I can assure you that this is the most captivatingly read. Simon Prebble conveys the cynicism, wit and drama of the text in a fashion that truly draws you into the world. I'd recommend it to anyone.
Indiscriminate Reader
"Satire of aestheticism"
Oscar Wilde's only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray tends to be classified as "horror" because the underlying premise is indeed one of supernatural horror: a dissolute young man is blessed/cursed with eternal youth, thanks to a portrait painted by an artist friend of his which reflects all the sins and depravities of his debauched life. As Dorian Gray stays young and beautiful, his portrait becomes more and more ghastly, until the karmic climax.
Nonetheless, if you actually read the novel, the "horror" aspects, particularly the supernatural parts, are understated. Dorian Gray, who begins as a rather callow but not evil youth, falls under the cynical influence of Lord Henry Wotton, a professional member of the do-nothing aristocratic class. When the painter Basil Hallward captures Dorian's Adonis-like perfection on canvas, Dorian is overcome with the tragedy of his own face growing old and wrinkled while the painting will always capture him as he was, young and perfect. He wishes it could be the reverse, and gets his wish.
Unlike in the movie versions, there is no magical Egyptian cat-god or explicit deal with the Devil that makes this happen — for Oscar Wilde, Dorian Gray's selling of his soul was entirely metaphorical. He was apparently satirizing the Aesthetic Movement (though he was himself one of its more prominent representatives) which can best be summarized as "Art for Art's Sake." It was associated with decadence and disregard for social and moral judgments; Dorian Gray was a literal manifestation of the Aesthetic ideal: he sold his soul for Art (or rather, a piece of art).
Dorian becomes increasingly heartless after his cruel treatment of Sylvia Vane, whom he loved for her art but then jilted when she let him down artistically. After a brief attempt at redemption, he becomes one of the most notorious men in London, though notably, the precise nature of his many evil deeds is never described, leaving it all up to the reader's lascivious imagination. He ruins lives and destroys everyone close to him, yet still manages to keep a few close friends like Lord Henry and Basil.
(I definitely picked up some homoerotic vibes between Dorian, Lord Henry, and Basil, which is interesting since apparently Wilde had to cut out some of the more overt homoeroticism when it went from serialization in a magazine to publication as a novel.)
So, read as a horror novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray is kind of lightweight — it's definitely not "scary" — and as a satire/criticism of the Aesthetic Movement, it is not terribly subtle. However, Oscar Wilde was most famous for his bon mots, and reading Dorian, Lord Henry, and Basil exchange wry witticisms is the real pleasure of the novel, even if none of them talk like actual people having real conversations. This book could be mined for quotable lines on every page, and as a story of a man falling headfirst into Faustian temptation, it definitely has its literary moments. It is not perfect (it's awfully convenient how often Dorian escapes judgment by someone else's timely death, and the prose is a bit turgidly Victorian), but it's a solid 4 star book. Definitely worth reading for the one-liners and for absorbing a very readable literary classic.
"Simple Enjoyable Sci-Fi..."
In this novel, you can expect enough science fiction to make it interesting to sci-fi buffs, yet it is not the hyper sci-fi we find in current novels. There is no diving into the 'Why' something super natural has happened, it just did. In modern texts, I would consider some sort of explanation a must in a good sci-fi story, but considering that this text is 100 years old, I seemed to not mind that absence. It really is about the human heart's struggle to deal with one's immorality without going mad. The narrator performed well with a pleasing accent and I could listen comfortably at 2X speed. I would spend a credit on this one. For my favorite read on Audible, check out Ken Grimwood's 'Replay'. Hope this helps someone. Later.
"This Should be Next In Your Library, Period"
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a stunningly beautiful book, among my very favourites. I had not read it for many years when I stumbled upon this performance of it, and it has instantly rocketed to the top of the "Top 10" list in my Audible library.
This cautionary, "be careful what you wish for" tale contains many of Oscar Wilde's most celebrated lines, including my personal favourite, "There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." Beautiful-but-outrageous dialogue like this brings a lightness and some comedy to this otherwise sad story.
I'm not sure if I've ever given 5 stars across the board before, but this performance of this wonderful book is surely deserving of it. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Prebble gives a near-perfect performance. Each character has a distinctive voice, but the distinctions are subtle and totally believable, unlike some narrators who I think go overboard. His "Basil Hallwood" in particular is beautifully human; every ounce of the characters kindness, and his love for Dorian, comes shining through.
Count Westwest
"Beautifully Damaged."
I really enjoyed this book. Lord Henry is wicked and wise all in the same breath and you don't know how to feel for Dorian Gray. I would definitely recommend this to anyone.
"A Cautionary Tale"
Really would rate this 4 1/2 stars overall. A classic novella from one of the best prose writers of all time. Wilde was a master at the "turn of phrase", and in this story the character of Lord Henry (called "the prince of paradox") is a stand-in for Wilde himself. This is a novel that needs to be read (or listened to) more than once to catch all the philosophical ramblings. I did not think that Dorian should be blamed for all the degradation he believes he caused. After all individuals are responsible for their own actions and have a choice - they followed Dorian willingly. He himself was greatly influenced by the cynical Lord Henry. The idea of having the picture change with each cruel action was a brilliant literary device. Simon Prebble's narration was excellent although I did have some problems telling Lord Henry and Dorian apart.
I have edited 38 national best sellers and had a writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
"Oh, this narrator!"
At times while listening to this novel, I was astonished to realize that only one individual was reading it. Simon Prebble creates so many distinct voices, one might think several men and women are huddling around the microphone, and they call their ensemble "Simon Prebble." Bravo.
I suppose most people dive into this book already knowing what it's about, so the narrator's talent is especially important. The plot holds few surprises, so it's the performance that delights.
I also guess that most of Audible's subscribers are familiar with Oscar Wilde, his sexual preferences, and where they landed him because of where he lived and when. He was, I think, very courageous for including so many overt references in his book to homosexuality and the tragic end suffered by the men due to shame and the fear of being outed. (Excuse my use of that modern term in reference to this book. It worked better than "exposed.")
A few of the plot developments were easy to guess in advance, but that did not lessen my enjoyment. Sir Henry's worldview is interesting and thought provoking, and he is a solid, consistent character to whom Prebble gives voice.
"My new favorite among the classics"
I would absolutely recommend this to a friend. Firstly Oscar Wilde is always a good decision. Secondly it's just a great story. So many films have tried to adapt this but until you read the scene where Dorian mentally justifies his involvement in a major tragedy you will never truly understand why this qualifies as a horror story.
I liked the performance of Lord Henry. He's an interesting character because you never really get a bead on what his motivations are. Is he being serious when he says horrible things? Is he just goading people? The way he's played you are never really sure if he's being genuine when he encourages Dorian to be a terrible person or if he's running some kind of personal social experiment.
I was genuinely horrified when reading the passage where Dorian convinces himself that Sibyl was just dumb and that he didn't really have anything to be sorry about concerning her. Following the thread of his logic is just tragic.
It's an easy listen as classics go as it's relatively short. It's also interesting to decipher the real motivations of a lot of the characters.
"Absolutely Incredible"
Artistic, dark, philosophical
I'll never forget the ending, nor the climax. I don't really want to give either away to anyone who hasn't read it.
All of it was perfect, in regards to Simon Prebble's performance. Prebble and Jim Dale are my two favorite narrators.
Yes. Though it was too long for me to do so. It only took a few sittings.
This book has a lot to do with what "sin" or evil is. It also has a lot to do with corruption and the purpose of the conscience. Yes, it is fiction, but it is extremely philosophical. It is a worthwhile read, but not a light one, by any means. This is a book you read when you're in the mood to think and feel deeply. Naturally, the language is beautiful.
"Inimitable Lord Henry"
No one but Prebble could interpret so well the languid tones and phlegm of Lord Henry. In the narrator's voice I could visualise the character's affected smile and slow gestures. Dorian also, from a youthful voice at first, becomes more detached, sophisticated, and Lord Henry-like in tones as the book develops. I cannot think of a more appropriate narrator. This is a priceless interpretation of the The Picture of Dorian Gray.
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Chevrolet Volt is undeniably the most high profile project going on
at General Motors these days. The vehicle was first
unveiled as a concept
back at the Detroit Auto Show in January of 2007 and since that time
has gone through a long gestation period.
version of the Volt
is unrecognizable from the original concept that debuted in 2007, but
its mission remains the same: to provide 40 miles of electric-only
propulsion and an additional
300 miles
when the 1.4-liter gasoline engine/generator kicks in.
GM has announced official pricing for its Chevy Cruze-based vehicle.
The vehicle will be priced at $41,000
net of full federal income tax credit). Fully loaded, the vehicle will run you $44,600 before the tax credit. It will also be available for a 36-month lease ($350 per month with
$2,500 due at lease signing)."The Chevrolet Volt will be the best vehicle in its class… because it's in a class by itself," said Joel Ewanick, vice president of U.S. marketing for General Motors. "No other automaker offers an electrically driven vehicle that can be your everyday driver, to take you wherever, whenever. The Volt will be packed with premium content and innovation, standard."
When it
comes to "mainstream" electric vehicles, the pricing of the Volt
puts it a few pegs above Nissan's Leaf electric vehicle (EV). The
Nissan Leaf has a base MSRP of $32,780 before the $7,500
federal tax credit
for EVs. Depending on what state customers live in, the final price
of the Leaf can drop down to around $20,000 after local and state tax
to GM's
Online Order/Reference Guide, the Volt rides on a 105.7"
wheelbase and measures 177.1" x 70.4" x 56.6" (L x W x
H). Cargo capacity for the vehicle is listed at 10.6 cubic feet.
Standard features for the Volt include a GPS navigation system (7"
display), 30GB hard drive for audio storage, XM Radio/XM NavTraffic,
OnStar, MyVOLT.com Vehicle Connectivity, and Bluetooth.
Volt's 1.4-liter engine/generator also inexplicably requires premium
fuel to operate. The gasoline generator is rated at 80 hp while the
electric motor is rated at 74 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. Total rated
system power is 150 hp according to GM. The Volt's battery pack will come with an 8-year/100,000 warranty.According to Green Car Advisor, the Chevy Volt can accelerate to 60 mph in about nine seconds. Top speed for the vehicle will be 100 mph.When it comes to charging the vehicle, GM had this to say:
While the Chevrolet Volt will come standard with a 120-volt charge cord that will provide owners with the ability to charge their Volt directly from a standard home electrical outlet, a total of 4,400 Volt buyers in launch markets could be eligible for a free 240-volt charging station, including home installation. The installations are part of a program developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to install approximately 15,000 240-volt home charging stations across the U.S.
Chevy Volt will be available in Silver
Ice Metallic, Black, Crystal Red Metallic Tint,White Diamond
Tricoat, Cyber Gray Metallic, and Viridian Joule Tricoat.
customer-ready production models of the first generation Chevy Volt
have yet to hit U.S. streets, GM is already brainstorming about
it will make to the second generation model.
The current Volt uses an off-the-shelf engine that it shares with the
Chevy Cruze. Such a large and complex motor that is merely serving as
a generator is both wasteful and expensive. GM instead wants to look
at other options such as a smaller two-cylinder gasoline engine,
rotary engine, or a small displacement diesel engine.
Volt will also get a larger sibling in the form of the Volt
The Volt MPV5 trades the rather restrictive 4-passenger sedan
configuration of the standard model for a crossover configuration
that seats five and offers a more generous cargo area (62 cubic feet
with the rear seats down). Due to the more compromised aerodynamics
and heavier body, the Volt MPV5 can achieve a battery-only range of
32 miles instead of the Volt's 40 miles.
quote: Depending on your driving habits, the Volt can save you close to $2000/yr on fuel over your Lancer (based on 15k miles per year).
quote: Over 5 years that means the TCO of your Lancer will be $48,500 (36k + 5 x 2500). The Volt will be $36,000 (41k - 7500 + 5 x 500).
quote: The real punchline here is that you actually paid $36K for a frickin turbo'd Lancer.
quote: Don't you think you're being just *slightly* best-case in favor of the Volt?
quote: You aren't "saving" anything when you start at a MUCH higher initial buy-in. Total value needs to be assessed, not just gas savings
quote: Sorry but it doesn't work that way in real life.
quote: Crackheads of the world unite! Please explain to me how the Volt is not a big steamy stinking pile of taxpayer funded USSR-style boondoggle crap?
quote: The vehicle will be priced at $41,000 ($33,500 net of full federal income tax credit). Fully loaded, the vehicle will run your $44,600 before the tax credit.
quote: The vehicle will be priced at $41,000 ($33,500 net of full federal income tax credit). Fully loaded, the vehicle will run your $44,600 before the tax credit.
quote: And yes, I'm none too happy about the massive rebate that each purchase of this car the taxpayer will be fronting.
quote: Have any of you actually bought a car in your life? That might be their list price, but without a trade in or money down, you will NOT be driving these off the lot for 41k or 44k.
quote: The Volt's MSRP will start at $41,000 ($33,500 net of the full federal tax credit, which ranges from $0-$7,500) including a destination freight charge of $720.
quote: I would definately call that no where near 50K. If pricing got closer to 48K-49K, then I'd agree with you.
quote: If we take the price of gas, currently ~$2.50/gallon
quote: And LOL about your comparison to a $20k car. The Volt is the size and would compete with larger cars, such as the Accord. It's not a tiny econobox like the LEAF is. Accords/Camry/Fusion have prices that approach 30k. So this (after the credit) is close in price and ammenities to the competition.
quote: Long distance trips are not what the Volt is suited for, it is for short commuter travel, ideally under 40miles/day.
quote: Don't like, fine, don't buy it. Simple as that.
quote: And LOL about your comparison to a $20k car. The Volt is the size and would compete with larger cars, such as the Accord. It's not a tiny econobox like the LEAF is.
quote: ideally under 40miles/day


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on September 15, 2012 - 11:00 AM
, updated September 15, 2012 at 11:44 AM
The last official weekend of summer brings sunshine and temperatures in the high 60s. If you're looking for a way to enjoy the beautiful weather, Buffalo has plenty of fun family events to check out. Here is a sampling of events today:
*Hispanic Heritage Day at the Buffalo Zoo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free with the cost of admission and will feature musical performances, vendor tables and demonstrations.
*The Taste of East Aurora runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. along Main Street between Olean Road and Riley Street. The event will feature food from more than 20 restaurants in the greater East Aurora area.
*"Farewell to Film" Beatles tribute concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Aurora Theatre. Tickets cost $20 for adults.
*Bakery cake auction hosted by Buffalo CAN to support the AniMeals program, which provides free pet food to Meals on Wheels clients. The event runs from 6 to 10 p.m. at Floral Explorations on Hertel Avenue. Tickets are $20, and will include wine, champagne and hors d'oevres. The auction will include cakes from local bakeries, as well as a silent auction featuring a Mario Williams autographed football and other Buffalo Bills memorabilia.
* The Wise Traditions health and wellness conference will be held today and Sunday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Convention Center. The event focuses on traditional foodways and holistic health, and will feature panels on nutrition, dairy farming, business opportunities in the real food movement and cooking demonstrations. One-day and weekend registration is available.
*The 12th Annual Fall Festival at the Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve in Cheektowaga from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature nature activities, exhibits, live animals, food and music. The theme of this year's event is "water," with water-related exhibits such as "Amazing World of the Lily Pond."
*The Music is Art Festival, bands and dancers performing, artists of all types, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. today at Delaware Park.
*A free showing of the puppet show "Ferdinard" hosted by Young Audiences of Western New York to begin the celebration of its 50th year of service. The show is at 1 p.m. in the Central Library's auditorium. The performance is free and appropriate for all ages. It is the story of a young bull who would rather enjoy nature than fight.
*Ballpark Brew Bash from 4 to 8 p.m. at Coca-Cola Field. Tickets cost $35 the day of the event, and proceeds will benefit Team Cure for Roswell Park. The event features a music and beer from more than 50 breweries from around the nation. Flying Bison and Great Lakes brewing have brewed special beers specifically for the event.
*The 15th annual "Kidz 'n' Kites" event from noon to 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park on Lockport Road. Registration for the event begins at 11 a.m., and the first 1,000 kids registered get a free kite, T-shirt and a hot dog lunch.
*Chocolate and Wine Festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Gateway Harbor on Sweeney Street in North Tonawanda.
*Naval and Military Veterans Appreciation Tribute Award Ceremony at 2 p.m. at Naval Park Cove. The event will honor retired United State Army Captain John Kasmer and Flight Buffalo.
*Pumpkinville, a fall attraction in Cattaraugus County, opens its season today and will remain open through Halloween. Pumpkinville is located at 4844 Sugartown Road off Route 98 in Great Valley.


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1838 the Choisy-le-Roi factory in France was producing uranium glass. In 1843 the French glassworks, Baccarat, started making uranium glass, which they called "cristal dichroide" and also introduced an opaque apple-green version which they named "chrysoprase"
Chrysoprase (also chrysophrase) is a gemstone variety of chalcedony (fibrous form of quartz) that contains small quantities of nickel. Its color is normally apple-green, but varies to deep green
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Product 1076/1955
Things changed when Clint Simonson of Destijl stumbled on one of
Michael's records - Border of My Mind - in the late 90s. Brothers Jim
& Mike Blaha also lucked their way into Michael Yonkers world by a
chance encounter with a 7" put out by Get Hip Records. All three set off
to find this fascinating musician...and they did. While Simonson heard,
fell in love with, and finally released Microminiature Love, the Blaha
brothers and their band The Blind Shake chanced into a jam session with
Yonkers. That jam was to lead to a fantastic collaboration by Michael
Yonkers with the Blind Shake entitled Carbohydrates Hydrocarbons.
Carbohydrates Hydrocarbons is not only a great collection of
punk-induced psychedelia, as heavy as anything can be without sludging
to death; it was also the best thing Yonkers had done since
Microminiature Love, and a high point of the Blind Shake. A few years
later Yonkers and the Shake got together for a brief split/collaborative
album on Learning Curve Records. Good stuff but not quite as powerful
as the two aforementioned monsters. Now comes Period, Michael Yonkers
and the Blind Shake's first full album together since Carbohydrates
Hydrocarbons and their best yet.
Like Yonkers and the Shake's previous work, Period is tuneful and heavy
and punk and psychedelic, but there is also something more. The album
has an energy which is dark but not sinister. Yonkers' lyrics are
intense, even painful, but his voice is strong. The swirl of sound
created by his homemade guitar is other worldly, and when woven into the
guitar/baritone guitar/drum throb and punch created by the Blind Shake,
Period is nothing less than great. Seriously, after six straight months
of listening to Period, I think it is a classics of heavy weirdness - a
melding of Von Lmo's Future Language, High Rise II, and Monoshock's
Walk to the Fire. Period is even worthy of a listen next to Blue Cheer's
Vincebus Eruptum. Yeah, it is a pretty good record.
Vinyl copies of Period are housed in a Stoughton "old style" tip-on
This product was added to our catalog on Wednesday 21 March, 2012.


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the sounds around town a simple story about a baby and the sounds of life through out the day. The illustrations are colorful and big. You know at 20 months its hard to keep that attention until the end of the book but the pictures in this case are the trick. The pages are thick so it is sturdy enough to withstand anything that comes its way plus it makes for easier page turning for little hands.
The real princess a mathemagical tale which is a mathematical twist on "The princess and the Pea" but with this book you also get a fun way of practicing math. I love the learning opportunity's that just come naturally and I don't have to force it. My daughter is all about princesses right now so anything with that title will capture her attention but can it keep it? This book has done that and I also love the CD option that comes with this book. Instead of television, I give my daughter headphones and she can follow the audio with the book that is read by the actress Juliet Stevenson. After the story there are also games to practice your math skills.
Purchase your own Award winning children's books from www.barefootbooks.com
One lucky Table for five follower will win their choice of book, just go to Barefoot books and tell me which title you would love to win. This is the first and mandatory entry. Ending 4/19 US and Canada
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- I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of the product for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my and families experience.


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Family and friends are invited to attend a celebration of the life of Nancy Hoover Williamson, who passed away Aug. 13, 2012. The gathering will be held Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, 2 p.m. at the old Squirrel's Nest in Homewood, Calif.
Remember when the lights went out
About a month ago?
'Twas not because the grid shut down,
But Nancy, don't ya know.
She never liked to cause a scene.
That just was not her way.
But she decided this last time
She'd finally have her say.
Once again we'll all assemble
To celebrate her best.
What other spot could be so grand
As her fabled Squirrel's Nest?
So join us, won't you? Saturday
The thirteenth of October,
And we'll all remember Poppy -
To Hell with being sober.
But when you quaff a drink or two,
Make sure to raise your glass.
Recount a thought or two of Nance,
A local classy lass.
She left us all too early
And way before her time,
But she'll be smiling down on us,
And back within her prime.
The hour to show is 2 p.m.
Please bring something to share.
The event will be a potluck,
So impress Nance with your fare.
Her extended family will be on hand,
So join us up on high
To recollect and fondly recall
Her life at Lake of the Sky.


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Posts Tagged 'wedding venues'
Weddings at Carson Ridge Cabins
Saturday, June 4th, 2011
Relaxed. Serene. Perfect. It is the goal of all of us here at our Columbia River Gorge Cabins to help create a most relaxed, serene, and perfect wedding for our guests. This starts with our location; though we are located just an hour outside of Portland, Oregon, our setting in the Columbia River Gorge feels… Read more »


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on October 19, 2012 - 2:39 PM
A member of the state board overseeing Erie County finances Friday asked County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz to try again on his proposed budget.
"On behalf of the taxpayers, I would ask you to go back," said Brian Lipke, finance committee chairman for the Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority. "I know you've done a very, very thorough job to get to where you are today, but I'd ask you to go back and see if there aren't some more things that could be done to close that very narrow gap."
Lipke urged Poloncarz to see if he and his staff could squeeze additional money out of the proposed $1.38 billion spending plan and eliminate a potential property tax increase.
"You've come very close to balancing the budget without a tax increase and that's admirable," Lipke told Poloncarz as the Fiscal Stability Authority's finance committee kicked off its review of the budget. "But in this day in age, when we look around the world, around this country, every state in the union, probably every county and every city, everybody is facing the fact that our citizens in general – and this is a nationwide point right now – are overtaxed."
Lipke, who said he was making a personal request rather than a formal directive from the committee, challenged county officials to find additional areas of discretionary spending that could be cut in order to spare taxpayers from a tax increase.
Poloncarz has proposed a $1.38 billion budget that relies on a 3.4 percent property tax increase, as well as job cuts and surplus funds, to balance spending as expenses increased and revenues decline.
Most of the spending increases, he said, are in areas over which the county has almost no control, such as Medicaid expenses and pension costs.
The county executive has described the proposed tax increase as necessary to maintain services such as libraries and aid to arts and cultural organizations during what he describes as a "perfect storm" of rising costs and a loss of revenue.
Robert W. Keating, Poloncarz's budget director, said the proposal to increase taxes was made only after staff ruled out other ideas – such as using additional surplus funds – that would have made balancing future budgets more difficult.
"That was a last resort," Keating told the committee. "The alternatives were bad."
Not every member of the finance committee agreed with Lipke.
"I think our charge as a committee is to look at the budget to determine whether or not it's balanced," said fiscal stability authority member Louis J. Thomas, who is also a member of the finance committee. "I think after I go through this, I'm going to have some questions to ask that might answer that question."
Lipke also sought to make it clear he was not criticizing the county executive's efforts.
"I believe there was a very sincere effort made by the county executive and each member of his team in putting this budget together and trying to maintain a budget without having to raise taxes," Lipke said. "I understand many of the issues that are driving the increase in expenses each year as a person in the business community who faces those issues each and every day."
The stability authority will continue to review the 2013 proposal and the county's four-year plan to determine if it is structurally sound. The full board is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Oct. 26, in the Central Library in Buffalo.
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Top Definition
A seemingly random phenomenon where urine does not go where a male is aiming for it to go. Can occur when skin surrounding the urethra sticks together causing a side stream alongside the main stream of pee. It usually clears itself after a couple of seconds into the urination process, but can cause quite a mess before it does.
My wife'll kill me if I don't clean up all that stray spray I left all over the toilet seat.
লিখেছেন- Polamalu27 3 de জুলাই de 2011
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Can you define these popular missing words?


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Cocktail Napkin Trading
My how the sports writers love to speculate. They don't start a rumor mind you, they get a few out of context quotes to make it seem like it's from a real "the trade's just about ready to be completed" source. We all know Captain Wrongway Phil Rogers loves to do this stuff in his Sunday 'mlb whispers' column. The newest wanna-be GM rumor comes from Paul Sullivan, the Cubs beat specialist from the currently bankrupt (can I count the ways) Chicago Tribune.
Pseudo GM, 'Paul Sully-My-Reputation' pulls out the two martini cocktail napkin and draws up trade possibilities for Milton Bradley this offseason. On a bigger picture level he categorizes two "how to unload Bradley scenerios". Then he paints a classic bad contract for bad contract, real dollar salary swap with the Giants that oddly makes some sense (accent on odd).
Sully Scenerio #1:
A reverse salary dump or more accurately a salary eat and swallow (definitely not tasty). The team that will take on Bradley and the $20+ million remaining on his deal has no "bad" contracts of near equal value (because their inherently low payroll doesn't have any big contracts of similar value). Kansas City and San Diego get mentions here. KC will have 2 years remaining on Gil Meche's 5/55 deal but Meche has let everyone know he doesn't like the big market spotlight. He was a passing consideration during the 2006 off-season where the Cubs rightly preferred to sign Bulldog Teddy Roosevelt Lilly. A deal with these teams would essentially be the Cubs unloading Bradley but still paying the rest of his contract for minimal minor league talent in exchange. I'm not sure if it's worth discussing this since it's probably about the same as just releasing him and eating the collard "green"(s). The Cubs have done this before and gotten Jerry Hairston Jr., Mike Fontenot and Jose Ceda level value as players on previous trades to get bigger salary players out of town. So current GM Hendry has gotten something out of that situation before with the most value extracted from the unloading of Todd Hundley's big contract (2 years remained on a 4/24 deal) for Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek.
ESPN even got Padres GM, Kevin Towers to add this nearly tampering quote:
"I haven't had any calls from Jim about him," Towers told ESPN.com.
"But I think people kind of know what players we target. We have to take chances sometimes."
"We took a chance on Milton the first time we had him, and he actually played pretty well [before his knee injury].We could be in the market for an outfielder. I'm not saying it's necessarily Milton. But our experience with him was rather a positive one. It wasn't really a negative one."
So it looks like Towers is trying to 'target' ex-Cubs in a paint-by-numbers fashion, starting at #22. That makes Bradley his obvious next target. I'm thinking Ryne Sandberg will be the Padres next manager based on this logic.
Here's the inside poop from KC:
According to Royals insiders, upper management still considers Bradley a talented hitter who could thrive in a low-key environment such as the one in Kansas City.
Sully Scenerio #2:
Finding a trading partner with an ugly contract that makes a bigger financial committment than the current Bradley deal...and Sullivan seems to have found one!
So here's the punch line:
Aaron Rowand for Milton Bradley. Doing the math it's a 3/36 vs 2/21 swap. The Cubs would be on the hook for an albeit deferred, $15 million more. Hey, everybody likes Rowand and we all knows how laid back things are in northern California. Bradley would look a bit small (but comfy) in the Barry Bonds barkalounger. Hitting in front of happy go lucky Kung Fu Panda just might work for Milton.
If the Cubs want to swap bad contracts, as they did in the Hundley deal, the Giants may be Hendry's best option. Center fielder Aaron Rowand has not put up the kind of numbers expected in San Francisco and has three years remaining for $36 million.
Rowand is two years removed from a 27-homer, 89-RBI season for the Phillies and would be a good fit in the Cubs clubhouse.
(addition: and Bradley would be two years removed from a 22-homer, .321/.436/.663/.999 line in Texas)
I hope that Paul Sullivan uses the napkin on that blue cheese (from the olives) dribbling down his chin. A deal like this would make Hendry's biblical acquisitions: 3 Aaron's and 1 Moses...shouldn't the counter move really be a Pharoah Ramses II? That should get the Cubs a player who can really provide "protection" for the middle of the order (of course, that depends on how well the late Yul Brynner can hit).
One last thing...
As suspended Milton Bradley isn't with the team, I'm thinking I should be looking for him under the bus. Shouldn't players (in this case Reed Johnson) just keep their mouths shut rather than putting broken feet in them?
"Cubs fans would fall in love with him (Rowand), for sure," Cubs outfielder Reed
Johnson said. "He did well on the other side of town, and I know people
... appreciate the way he plays the game."
"But he (Rowand) takes responsibility for stuff," Johnson said. "If you ask him, he'll tell you he could be playing better than he is now."
**The Grand (where's) Waldo Hotel Bus**
Oddly, if they do get Rowand, it might just mean Reed Johnson might not be affordable as a 4th outfielder with Sam Fuld as a much cheaper option for that roster spot. With Fuld, the Cubs would be one player closer to a minyon, so that prayers for a World Series win could possibly get answered.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
The Aarons and Moses' can join the Von Joshua. Somewhere (Dominican?) there must be a Jesus in the org to bring in the New Testament. This trend may keep the f-bomb to a minimum here before long, what with the Exodus of Bradley to the promised land.
Re:Shouldn't players (in this case Reed Johnson) just keep their
Dear Cubster, please take the following rant for what it is, just a rant...but
I don't get it, you're a fan who goes to games. You're a season ticket holder.
Milton Bradley threw you under the bus Mr. "racist" Cub fan.
How could ANYONE expect him to produce with the likes of YOU in the stands?! And yet you're dumping on Reed Johnson for putting in the word (when asked) for his best friend and buddy, Aaron Rowand---something MB would never do because he has no friends. And if you can't make friends with ANYONE on the Cubs, in the stands, or up in the booths, you, Milton "Piece of Shit" Bradley and your deck of race cards, belong under the bus. No one had to throw you there. Under the bus is your home.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
In my opinion the Orioles (again) line up as the ideal trading partner-outside of Bradley.
Luke Scott and Brian Roberts would be the targets.
If we essentially stand pat, I'd see our rotation like this:
1. Lilly
2. Zambrano
3. Dempster
4. Wells
5. Samardzija/Gorzelanny
1. Marmol
2. Grabow
3. Guzman
4. Caridad
5. Berg
6. open
This means I think the Cubs will deal or attempt to deal Sean Marshall. I also believe they will trade Jake Fox (surprise).
To get Scott and Roberts we'll have to include a high end pitching prospect and possibly a shortstop (blanco?)I'm guessing we may have to part with Casey Coleman (i hope not) or a pitcher that has some upside.
Needless to say, Roberts in the leadoff spot and Luke Scott hitting 5th and playing right would improve our offense significantly.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
Consider me a fan of acquiring Luke Scott.
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I'd love to acquire Roberts, but ... the Orioles have him signed down and look to start making a push in the next year or two. I think they are more likely to hold onto Roberts now, look for a middle of the order bat, and add a veteran starter and see where their youth can take them. Even if they do ponder dealing Roberts, I would expect our top names to get involved, ranging from Castro to Jackson to Cashner to Vitters and so forth. I'm not saying that the Cubs would deal any one of them, but with the Orioles having no real need to move Roberts, with the Orioles having one of the deeper collections of young pitching out there, I just don't see them dealing a guy like Roberts unless it's for an elite return, in a deal that makes sense for them, and I think they'd shoot quite high in their demands.
Scott, I think it's possible he could be acquired (although it's equally possible they shift him to first base, ponder Josh Bell at 3rd, and sign a DH and let things fall), but I would prefer to acquire a CF and shift Fukudome to RF if at all possible.
If we're talking random scenarios, the Rays have been mentioned as willing to listen on BJ Upton. That's a player I'd take a gamble on - they are looking for catching and pen help according to Ken Rosenthal. I'd be willing to shop a package of Soto and others for BJ Upton. Not sure if the Rays would be, but that'd be something I'd be open to pondering, depending on who the others are.
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The part I took issue with was:
"But he (Rowand) takes responsibility for stuff," Johnson said.
I stand corrected as my issue should be with Sullivan for putting it in a context that makes that quote a slap at Bradley. Unless RJohnson really said that as a slap at Bradley.
for RJohnson, ARam, DLee and Dempster to be quoted with things that by implication point at Bradley was pretty interesting since supposedly it goes beyond the code of what happens in the locker room stays there. Clearly bridges are being burned here and the sportswriters wanted a bonfire and they got it.
I wonder if RJohnson was even thinking of Bradley with that quote? Maybe. I have no problem saying he likes the way Rowand plays the game or takes responsibility for stuff when not used as a contrast to what the Cubs just went through with Bradley. It seems to be piling on at this point and the writers who hate Bradley much more than the fans, want to do that every chance they can.
As a fan, I just want the Cubs to win. This other stuff was on the level of distraction leading to a failed season, reminiscent of the 2004 team with Farnsworth, Merker, Alou. Which also had alot of battling with the media issues. When it gets to a player who then can't perform because he's distracted, it's best to get that person to another town.
Somebody threw this Cub season under the bus. Hendry is more to blame than anyone else but the finger pointing list is long and the writers are gleaming with that being so.
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I vote for a 3-way deal, Bradley and cash to somewhere, Wood to Cubs and some cash to somewhere, somewhere sends some C-level prospects Cleveland's way...
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Somewhere Over the Rainbow
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Oh Carmen. The Orioles are a no-go as long as their crazy owner insists on buggering up each trade. Let Roberts go. The Cubs's biggest problem with any trade they might want to make is that they have so little to offer over other teams (Angels) that have a lot of talent.
Rowand would be interesting. I'm sure the WSox fans would love this. Here's some wish list people I would like to get but not bloody likely:
Lackey - pipe dream
Aaron Harang -(may be injured, more likely just burned out from the Reds by lack of run support)
Ichiro Suzuki- again hah! but I do like him.
DeRosa-no comment needed
Pitching coach- Orel Herscheiser or Leo Mazzone
coach/babysitter-Hank White
That's all for now. Hope you chuckled a little bit.
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Twittenmeyer: Lineup vs. Zito: riot, gooch (7), rami, fox (3), bake, rejo (9), soto, fuld, gorz.
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I'm so tired of hearing of the racist Cubs fans. I'm sure there are jerks everywhere, but one thing Jock Jones, Latroy Hawkins, and now Milton Bradley can't seem to grasp is the fans loved Sammy Sosa. If we are all racist to the bone we would have ripped Sammy daily. The team ended up throwing Sammy under the bus, not the fans.
Bottom line, produce for the team and the fans will not only accept you but love you. Suck and you'll get your ass booed constantly. Does anyone really think the ushers at Wrigley let people scream racist threats at players? The moment that is heard the fan would be kicked out. I've been to Wrigley a hundred times, heard some heavy duty heckling, but never racist stuff.
Personally, instead of trading or releasing Bradley, if I owned the team I would buy a semi-pro team in Siberia and transfer Bradley's contract there.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
Sammy was Dominican. Way different.
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I don't intend to argue that all Cubs fans are racist. That's absurd.
However, racism is more than just hating all people with certain perceived physical similarities. It also includes assigning roles for those people based on the perceived physical similarities. I suspect that Bradley (or anyone accusing Cubs fans in general of racism) would counter that, sure, Wrigley loves black players that stay in their place, never make a fuss, and perform extraordinarily.
Again, I wouldn't necessarily agree with any one of those points, but they are arguments that one could make regarding racism at Wrigley.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
Wrigley loves black players that stay in their place, never make a fuss, and perform extraordinarily.
I think you have a much truer statement if you simply remove the word "black' from this sentence.
Cubs fans love just about any player, regardless of skin color, who plays hard and doesn't make a fuss. Do you think Ryne Sandberg or Mark Grace or any of the other "fan favorite" white players over the years would have been fan favorites if they had behaved like Bradley? I doubt it.
It's pretty universally accepted that Bradley is a jerk. And generally speaking, fans don't like jerks, regardless of their skin color.
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I'm a Cubs fan and I know I'm not Racist.
Hell, by Pot dealer is Black. What more proof do I need?
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
Ken Rosenthal was just on TV during the Cubs game and said the Cubs have already had contacts from other teams regarding Bradley. San Fran, San Diego, Mets, Texas and Tampa were mentioned.
Also said that the Cubs are confident they can trade Bradley this off-season and do the sliding scale in paying Bradley, the more we pay the better player we get back.
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Would be curious to know if MB has played on any of those other teams.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
Bradley has played for San Diego and Texas.
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I wish someone would develop a website where one could go find all the historical information on baseball players' careers. That sounds like a goldmine.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS officials dismiss — in strong terms — reports of possible interest in acquiring outfielder Milton Bradley from the Cubs. "Idiots" was one of the nicer comments directed at those offering such speculation.
The Royals are likely linked to Bradley because they nearly acquired him from Oakland in 2006 for reliever Leo Nuñez. The deal was voided at the last moment when Bradley suffered an injury.
It was former manager Buddy Bell who pushed to acquire Bradley because the two had an amicable relationship in Cleveland (where he was a coach).
Re: IDIOTS!!
"Idiots"... lol. I had the same thoughts back in January.
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Paul I. Sullivan
now you know the rest of the story
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Twittenmeyer still spewing distaste vs MB:
cst_cubs: 6-1 post Milty.
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Muskat tweeting more useful stuff:
Don't expect D-Lee in #cubs lineup Sunday; he's still bothered by neck spasms
Lou Piniella is first cubs mgr since Charlie Grimm to have winning record in first 3 years with team; Grimm's first years were 1933-35
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at least Rosenthal didn't mention KC
...maybe he'll get invited to the minyon
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A couple things:
There were FIVE games the Cubs EASILY choked away this season with Gregg - and I would have to admit with DeRosa in the early part of the offensive drought lineup, and subbing for A-Ram, the team adds on another 2-4 wins no problem.
With that scenario, the team is right in the thick of the Wild Card race.
Bradley/No Bradley - Hendry royally fucked the team with these two decisions.
I really think that even a "closer by committee" without Gregg would have done a better job.
On the bright side, in spite of a few of you who constantly trash out Minors - and BP or whatever tip sheet you read, the team's inexperienced players did an admirable job this year and could be at least bench players on nearly all MLB squads. There are 800 total players in the entire major leagues - and making it to this level is a success. OK - we don't have another Albert Pujols perhaps - but servicable Major League caliber players - which is the true objective of the farm system. Plus using players in trades...
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
"There are 800 total players in the entire major leagues"
Not in total. 30 teams. 25-man rosters: 750 MLB players. 40-man rosters, full: 1200 MLB players.
However you count, it doesn't change your point that it's a hell of an accomplishment to be on a big league roster.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
"...trash out minors" = "trash OUR minors"
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
If only there were an edit button.
Oh wait...
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I really think that even a "closer by committee" without Gregg would have done a better job.
(Bradley/No Bradley)
aka Wuertz and Ceda/No Gregg?
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Just not Oh-Man! on principle
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Yeah, small sample size and everything, but...
Who needs Soriano and Bradley?
Definitely looks like the Cubs do NOT. Do NOT need those dudes.
Pack ya bags, leave the bill on the table.
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I guess they don't need Lee either...
I know I'm fine with Fuld, Fukudome, Colvin or Scales, Ramirez, Theriot, Baker, Hoff/Fox and Hill/Soto
that's got World Series written all over it...
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
You are Bradley's Babby Momma. And you know it.
Also...you know it.
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It is amazing the record without Bradley any where around maybe:
Should have done this earlier.
Its just a small sample size.
When Scales starts are record is?
We are 1-0 when Taguchi starts.
The clubhouse is less stressful with no Bradley.
Or could it be no Bradley and no hope of post season which takes
all the pressure off and makes team relax.
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I think the team is happy for the first time this season.
Trust me, it takes alot out of you to deal with assholes like Bradley.
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The thing is MikeC... in the long run they're going to miss that high OBP. Plus, he's hitting a whole 7 batting average points over Bobby Scales.
Now Bobby Scales... talk about an asshole and clubhouse cancer.
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Those are the NUMBERS. Way better than Scales.
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and the Cardinals clinch...
magic death number is 3 for the WC...
I didn't think about it...
Sullivan takes another shot at MB, manipulating a quote out of Jake Fox:
Is it just a coincidence, or has the removal of Bradley from the picture improved the team's chance of success?
"It might be," Jake Fox said with a laugh. "That's a funny point to bring up because I didn't even think about it. I guess it could be, but guys are playing relaxed, and guys are playing fun.
"It's a learning experience because it shows you if you just play that way every day, regardless of what kind of pressure is on you, regardless of what people may be saying or not saying about you, [it] shows you a lot about what we can do as a team."
The operative word is "team." The Cubs never could be a true team with one player going in another direction for 5 1/2 months. Now that everyone is relaxed, there's much more camaraderie in the clubhouse.
Re: I didn't think about it...
Sounds to me like Fox was trying to turn it back around to talk about the overall reduction of pressure, perhaps including the near impossibility of making the playoffs at this point?
Still, Fox would've been better off dodging that question; rookies are not allowed to criticize anyone.
Re: I didn't think about it...
Is it ironic to anyone else that roughly the same people who by into the 'clubhouse atmosphere wins games' theory are the same ones who say "I should boo a ballplayer for whatever I like, and they should perform better"?
Re: I didn't think about it...
That's a legit argument. Still, it's my opinion that part of being a professional is ignoring a drunk, unruly mob.
I didn't think about it...
and Twittenmeyer piles on, he uses the same quote as well as his chunks of wood for the MB bonfire:
If the worst move of the Cubs' season was signing Milton Bradley, the best has proved to be giving him the boot a week ago....
The Cubs are 20-10 when Bradley doesn't play.
Re: I didn't think about it...
So this teams true talent level without Bradley is a winning percentage of .667. So without Bradley, this team would have won 108 games this year. Sure.....
Re: The Cubs are 20-10 when Bradley doesn't play.
I don't know where Twitten-Witten gets his numbers from but Baseball Reference had the Cubs at 21-9 when Bradley doesn't play.
Make that 21-10 after today's game.
It was even more spectacular when Bradley was still actually on the team. The Cubs were 15-6 when he didn't play.
The Cubs were 60-64 when he did.
And, fwiw, 31 games is a sufficient sample size to say with 99% confidence that it's not just luck that the team played better when he wasn't on the field.
Re: The Cubs are 20-10 when Bradley doesn't play.
"And, fwiw, 31 games is a sufficient sample size to say with 99% confidence that it's not just luck that the team played better when he wasn't on the field."
bwhahahahah. you rule.
Re: The Cubs are 20-10 when Bradley doesn't play.
I'm hoping that last line was an attempt at humor. It can be hard to pick up sometimes on the internets
Re: The Cubs are 20-10 when Bradley doesn't play.
72% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
Re: The Cubs are 20-10 when Bradley doesn't play.
Too much to think about, Joe!
Re: The Cubs are 20-10 when Bradley doesn't play.
This is not in any way a defense of anything about Milton Bradley.
Typically with a sample size of thirty data elements you can say create a 'confidence interval' that allows you to say, that you're 90% certain that the element you're looking at is withing 1 standard deviation of the mean, 95% within two SD's and 99% withing three.
It's totally OK to apply that to this sample of 31 games.
All you need is:
1. The same teams
2. The same ballpark
3. The same weather conditions
4. The same lineups, including pitchers
5. Who are pitching on the same amount of rest - and all the bullpen pitchers have the same amount of rest
6. The umpires are exactly the same
7. Everyone on both teams have had the same amount of rest, and have had the same diet for the last few weeks
9. The players all have the same level of health
10. Etc etc
If you had all those things, you could say that the Cubs were 99% likely to be a better team with Bradley, assuming that the 21-10 record was 3 standard deviations away from their record in other games, with the exact same situation, the only variable being that Bradley was in one set and not in the other.
Re: The Cubs are 20-10 when Bradley doesn't play.
No, you don't need everything else the same. When you estimate models they control for the differences in the other variables you put in. That's why you put them in.
Re: The Cubs are 20-10 when Bradley doesn't play.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
Bruce Miles on the other hand is writing about "Tampering Towers"
Z says he'll quit if he has another season like this one
Re: Z says he'll quit if he has another season like this one
Does he know Milton Bradley won't be back?
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72% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
So the more precise stats, the other 28% are on the...
Gee, spot?
Hendry traded him away for nothing (continued)
The A's didn't know Michael Wuertz, obtained from the Chicago Cubs last winter, would become a dominant setup man. Wuertz entered Sunday leading AL relievers in strikeouts.
Wuertz struggled with his slider last season, but he identified and fixed a mechanical flaw in his delivery while watching video during spring training. A July report in the Wall Street Journal found Wuertz's slider to be the toughest pitch to hit in the majors in 2009 (not Marmol's), based on a 49.7 percent swing-and-miss rate.
He is the third reliever in Oakland history to reach 100 strikeouts, joining Hall of Famers Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers.
Wuertz, rumored to have garnered trade interest near the July 31 deadline, is arbitration-eligible but very much in the A's plans for 2010
If you recall, the conventional wisdom last year was that Wuertz was having trouble locating his fastball and as a result started relying on his slider "too much." He wound up throwing fastballs 28.9% of the time, 60.8% sliders, and 9.5% changeups. For some reason this drove Lou batty and Hendry gave Wuertz to the A's. (Did I mention that I really really hated this "trade")
So what is Wuertz doing differently this year? Surpise! He's throwing MORE sliders and dumped his change. 30.9%FB, 65.1%SL, 2.2%CH
Re: Hendry traded him away for nothing (continued)
Wuertz struggled with his slider last season, but he identified and fixed a mechanical flaw in his delivery while watching video during spring training.
And the fix has lasted the whole season. Just had to get out of the inept clutches of "Lethal" Larry Rothschild.
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Z won't just quit. Two things amaze me about this story:
1. People still take everything he says seriously
2. Zambrano hasn't figured out that everything he says will be taken seriously.
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From Ben Maller's site...
Because there was so much negative reaction to their "bomb" celebration at home plate when Prince Fielder hit a walk-off homer against San Francisco three weeks ago, the Brewers had a muted reception for Ryan Braun after he beat the Phillies with a ninth-inning homer Saturday night. Macha was afraid to look, however. "I told (Dave) Bush, 'If we have a walk-off, I'm going straight into the locker room. I don't know what's going to happen at home plate,'" said Macha. -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
WTF? What was wrong with Fielder's celebration? I thought it was fun.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
Wrongway Phil Rogers "whispering" at his dumbest...
Some baseball people believe the White Sox could have interest in the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano, possibly even for the newly acquired Jake Peavy. It would be a way for two teams without much money to spend to shake things up, but wouldn't Peavy have more value than Zambrano at this point?
The Padres and Rangers aren't the only potential destinations for Milton Bradley. The Rays also are on that list, but it's hard to see a fit, as they would look to dump underachieving designated hitter Pat Burrell on the Cubs. The Padres know Bradley from his previous stay there and might welcome him back, but only if the Cubs pay most of the $21 million left on his contract. The Cubs might ask for right-hander Chris Young in the deal, assuming the risk that he will bounce back from shoulder surgery in June.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
Why wouldn't the Cubs ask for Chris Young from the Pads?
Why not ask for Adrian Gonzalez too?
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
The Rays also are on that list, but it's hard to see a fit, as they would look to dump underachieving designated hitter Pat Burrell on the Cubs.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
Bruce Levine also mentions Tampa/Burrell
I don't see it. I thought Hendry liked collecting secondbasemen but it's tough to collect LF's when he's stuck with Soriano thru 2014.
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at this point it's take what you can get and then deal with that problem...
as for the Chris Young talk, he had surgery in August...
Two Padres doctors found he had multiple tears in his right labrum
as well as fraying. They smoothed the edges around the labrum that were
causing severe bursitis, then repaired the two small tears in the
There was no damage to the rotator cuff or Young's shoulder capsule, which will cut his rehab time in half.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
Get rid of Milton Bradley, put Chris Young's locker right next to Derrek Lee. Hooray chemistry.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
chris HR young? yeeesh.
i still don't know why he was so overhyped, but it probably helped that he was stolen from TEX is a horribly lopsided trade.
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Cubs' magic number is now one. They will not be eliminated today, however, as both they and the Rockies are off. I venture no prediction about tomorrow. A few weeks ago, I though there was a high probability that they would be eliminated during the road trip they just completed.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
Well if the Rox go on a 6-game losing streak and the Cubs go on a 6-game winning streak...
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
. . . then Bobby Cox will be happy. His Braves finish the season with four at home against the Nats.
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Cubs need a 7-game winning streak...actually not completely unbelievable. They've been great at home and Pirates and DBacks are scuffling badly.
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it's the death magic number :)
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It's the tragic number
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My thoughts on another possible trading partner:
Texas has a glut of outfielders-Hamilton, Borbon, Byrd, Cruz, Jones and Murphy.
I would consider trading for David Murphy. He's lefthanded and has good power numbers. Perhaps Sean Marshall for David Murphy?
Another guy who could help the Cubs would be Hank Blaylock. He could back up Ramirez and Lee, hits lefthanded and has some pop. He makes over 6M and might be adverse to coming off the bench, but he could be viable in exchange for Bradley.
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I'd prefer Hamilton. I'd even throw in Theriot if they'll give us Elvis.
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Blalock and Marlon Byrd are impending Free Agents
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Don't put it past Hendry...
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"Another guy who could help the Cubs would be Hank Blaylock."
Ouch. Blaylock's OBP this year was .280 (.239/.280/.470). Not showing much plate discipline this year -- only 24 BB in 482 PA. So yeah, some "pop" but only a 93 OPS+. Would we be hoping for improvement from coming to the weaker league? Hoping for a bounce back year stat-wise? At any rate, he'd hardly be a sure thing.
Re: Cocktail Napkin Trading
You have to look no further than one Milton Bradley to realize the premise that players always improve when they move to the NL from the AL is a complete myth.
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Chad Tracy = Hank Blalock
Seperated at birth?
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Ugh... No offense to the poster here, but I always cringe when I see something like "Eww, Blalock? He only hit .239..."
Dude. There's an actual game with actual humans that is played and only a very small part of this game is batting average.
But yes, Blalock's 93 OPS+ is nearly equal to Milton Bradley's OPS+. And Blalock doens't have the Milton Bradley baggage.
It doesn't matter much, if I'm the Rangers I don't make this trade, even if the Cubs cover the entire paycheck.
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An inflated SLG% isn't all that impressive for a guy who hits half his games in Texas.
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"An inflated SLG% isn't all that impressive for a guy who hits half his games in Texas."
That's what I was thinking, too -- until I checked his splits and found his Slg% at home was .427 (OPS .674) and on the road was .519 (OPS .836). Go figure.
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getting rid of bradley to pick up a near useless piece of crap who's upside isn't near milton's is of no interest to me, honestly.
a bad contract of a bad player's year in exchange for a bad contract of a bad player...meh.
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I would hope hendry has learned lessons :
1. Towers likes to talk to the press about possible cub trades, much surprised he has not been hit with tampering charge.
When Towers was negotiating to trade Peavy to the sox how come we were surprised
when Kenny Williams and Towers made that trade it was a total shock.
2. Trade with orioles WHY should hendry even try.
Recent comments
Kershaw gets hurt by his defense and gave up 2 more runs. Blach has 8 shutout innings.
Mets already won as did Cards.
tomorrow is gonna be helluva fun if Giants hold on. We're all rooting for a 3-way tie I presume.
good news is now 5 K's for Lester through 4 (in a quest for 200 for season). Bad news is he's already at 86 pitches.
be curious how long Maddon sticks with Lester to try and let offense get back into it and get him the win (4-2 as I type, was 4-0)
Fwiw, he needed 2.1 IP to cross 200 for season so he got that at least. He also needs 9 K's for 200K's on season and he has 4 through 3.
cubs score 2 runs thanks to predictable reds pitching and horrible CIN defense...cubs only down by 1 now. heyward even got a gift 2rbi double out of an easy popout. neat.
something named Ty Blach has outpitched Clayton Kershaw through 6 innings (1-0 Giants).
not that finishing 2nd place will matter much nor did this game, but have to think if Hendricks pitches well tomorrow, he could leapfrog Lester in Cy Young voting. Don't see anyway Scherzer doesn't win it regardless and it doesnt' look like Lester has any incentive clauses that matter. Also might give Cueto some votes.
Rather remarkable how many teams have really good 1-2 options this year.
Nats: Scherzer and Roark (and Strasburg was great before injuries)
Cubs: Lester and Hendricks (and Arrietta is still damn good just not as consistently lately)
pretty much what I'm gathering from this thread is that it doesn't matter who you play in 5-game series, but no one wants to have to deal with Cardinal fans if we end up losing.
I can respect that.
first game for lester giving up more than 2 runs since july 24th. hell of a run.
doh, yes...dunno what happened there. jake arrieta is all "bro wut?"
lester going for #20...cubs haven't had a LH (thanks jpep for the correction) 20 game winner since d.ellsworth in 1963.
fwiw, all the games are free on mlb.tv
Short rest for MadBum would be 2 days. WC game is Wed., Games 1 & 2 are Friday/Saturday.
A left-handed one...
J-Hey not finishing with an offensive onslaught.
If Geoff Blum could be a Playoff hero, there is hope still...
Giants scare me. I think you're wrong about Bumgarner, he would pitch on short rest for Game 2 and then full rest for Game 5. Cueto would go Game 1, then short rest in game 4. Add in some really tough outs in that lineup and I want nothing to do with them. With that rotation they can easily steal a series.
Cards are a tough matchup. The rivalry evens out their comparable lack of talent. And like someone said, they love HRs, which is how to beat the Cubs. The upside is that I would feel really good about Lester twice against STL.
j.buchanan with a nice start...5ip 2h 1bb 3k, 0r/er
zobrist with 2HR and a double through 8
heyward 0-4 :(