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ERIE - It's a small thing, said Anne Pedersen, clinical director of UPMC Hamot hospital's Emergency Department, when a Mirror reporter visited here recently.
New chairs in a conference room - no big deal.
But to Pedersen, they're a telling indicator of the benefits Hamot realized after its acquisition by UPMC in 2011.
Article Photos
Mirror photo by William Kibler
UPMC Hamot staffers prepare for a procedure area in the hospital's heart catheterization laboratory.
"We have the resources here now to do the things we needed," she said.
UPMC has acquired many hospitals over the years to create its world-famous western Pennsylvania system, but the Hamot acquisition is the one most similar to the takeover of Altoona Regional Health System, which UPMC is hoping to complete by July 1, officials say.
In taking over Hamot, UPMC has committed $300 million, incorporated the Erie hospital into its computer system, added services by sending specialists routinely from Pittsburgh, provided easy access for Hamot doctors to consult with experts in Pittsburgh and generated credibility that helps recruiting and enhances Hamot's service to smaller hospitals in its region, according to Hamot officials - including President Jim Fiorenzo, who spoke at a meeting of the hospital's community "corporators" on the day of the reporter's visit.
"It's all positive," said corporator Laurie Root of her hometown hospital's affiliation with the Pittsburgh giant.
She lived for 30 years in Washington D.C., where it's easy to take first-rate health care for granted.
It's not so easy to take it for granted in Erie, but it's available nonetheless, she indicated, because of the UPMC affiliation.
The care is personal for her, because it has enabled her husband to avoid the stress of traveling to Pittsburgh - as he would have had to do otherwise - for treatment of a back problem, she said.
Facilities upgraded
UPMC is investing the $300 million over 10 years to upgrade facilities and secure the hospital as a regional hub and referral center, according to officials.
That investment includes the expansion of Hamot's "horribly undersized" emergency department, according to medical director Dr. Fred Mirarchi.
Independent hospitals in similar need find themselves in a "devastating situation," he said.
With 83,000 visits a year, Hamot's emergency department is the busiest in the UPMC system, but it only has 34 beds.
Ideally, it should have 70, he said.
UPMC has already upgraded two trauma bays at $40,000 each, with another on the list.
The trauma upgrade will include the addition of intravenous fluid warmers, which can be critical in treating hypothermic patients.
The emergency department work has also included installation of a secure electronic medication dispenser, which tracks who removes what pills and when and how many pills of each type are left.
The dispenser system replaces a more time-consuming and inefficient procedure that involved the emergency department contacting the pharmacy and it sending the pills through tubes.
UPMC incorporated Hamot into its electronic records setup one night last September after 500 workers from Pittsburgh spent two weeks in Erie, according to Hamot Chief Medical Officer Dr. Richard Long.
Hamot's old system had 64 subsystems, according to Long.
It now operates on two, according to Fiorenzo.
Hamot had spent $30 million over 10 years on the old setup, which had deficiencies including limited programs for doctors, finance and human resources and some components' inability to "talk" to others, Long and Hamot spokeswoman Carly Manino said.
An unaffiliated Hamot would have struggled to keep up with future technology development, Fiorenzo said.
The kind of change UPMC bestowed would have cost $40 million if Hamot had remained independent, according to Long.
UPMC has spent billions on its technology systems, which are "the Cadillac versions of everything," Long said.
Specialists added
UPMC's visiting specialists include five from Magee-Women's Hospital of Pittsburgh, whose need-based appearances "enhance the local gynecologic care women are already receiving from their own physicians in the Erie region," according to Debbie Burbules, president of UPMC Women's Hospital and the Hamot website.
Those doctors' services include maternal-fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, urogynecology, reproductive endocrinology and multiple births, according to the website.
Hamot couldn't have afforded those services on its own, because it lacks the population base to support them, Burbules and Long said.
Specialists come to Erie also to cover patient needs when there's a shortage of a particular kind of doctor, Long said.
Of all Hamot's departments, the Women's Hospital probably benefitted most from the merger, Burbules said.
"There hasn't been a downside," she said.
UPMC pediatrician specialists in gastroenterology, pulmonary care, endocrinology and cardiac care also come routinely for clinics at the Shriners Hospital in Erie, helping to keep it open, Long said.
Patients appreciate having services in town, Long said.
"No one wants to drive to Pittsburgh," said neonatal specialist Dr. Michael Balsan.
Local care is less expensive, more efficient and more satisfying to patients, Balsan said.
Consultations easier
Hamot doctors can now consult comfortably with top UPMC experts and make referrals more knowledgeably.
They have unfettered access to first-rate "intellectual resources" like renowned "thought leader" Dr. Andrew Peitzman, chief of the Trauma and General Surgery Division, Pedersen said.
Ditto for Dr. Joseph Darby, medical director for critical care outreach at Presbyterian-University Hospital.
Doctors can email Peitzman and get a reply immediately, Pedersen said.
The merger has also "cut through some of the stuff" that sometimes make referrals difficult, Balsan said.
It has helped create a network of relationships that can make it "seamless" for patients who need to go to Pittsburgh for services not available in Erie, like heart transplants and complex valve replacements, said Theresa Kisiel, executive director of cardiovascular nursing and quality at Hamot. "You know the protocols," Kisiel said.
Those kinds of patients come back to Hamot for follow-up care more often than before the merger, and their doctors in Pittsburgh are easily available for follow-up consultations, Kisiel said.
Those network connections allow an Erie-area patient who has lost 90 percent of his heart function to live at home after getting a ventricular pump implant in Pittsburgh, according to Kisiel.
"Doctors my doctor trusts," she said. "Not just somebody we hear is good."
Practices upgraded
The merger has given Hamot access to various best practices through regular committee meetings with representatives from all the hospital affiliates, according to Long.
A "huge initiative" is the Clinical Decision Unit that congregates observation patients - those too sick to go home, but not sick enough to admit.
Their numbers were up to 7,000 last year, 1,500 more than the year before, Long said.
Grouping them allows nurses to focus on getting them in and out - or admitted - quickly, without compromising safety.
The hospital gets only about 25 percent as much reimbursement for observation patients as the $7,000 a day it has been getting recently for inpatients, and payers expect those observation patients to be out of the unit within 24 to 36 hours, according to Long.
"It behooves you to move them through," he said.
There's also patient satisfaction.
"If you come in with a minor problem, [you] don't want to sit in here," Long said.
A common observation diagnosis is chest pain, and the unit nurses are focused on EKGs, blood tests and stress tests that can differentiate between those who need help and those who don't.
It was much harder to focus on patients who ended up with indigestion under the old system, when they were next door to one recovering from open heart surgery patients, Long said.
Every day the clinical decision staff reviews the status of all its patients, with the expectation of moving a percentage along.
"Every hospital in the country is dealing with this," Long said. "It's the new normal."
Another best practice initiative seeks to quicken emergency department "throughput" with the help of UPMC Mercy.
The goal is to get patients out the door within 150 minutes or admitted to the hospital within 210 minutes.
Since Hamot began working on the problem, its numbers have improved, and are now within the guidelines, Long said.
"You hear stories of eight-hour waits in emergency rooms," he said. "You can't have it."
The best-practice committees cover issues such as quality metrics, information technology, purchasing and pharmacy, and the best ideas get adopted by vote, Long said.
It's a two-way street, for UPMC adopts ideas from local affiliates.
It has adopted Hamot's clinical information system and its practice of posting banners with a slogan to encourage frequent hand-washing systemwide, according to Long and Manino.
It's easy to share best practices when you're in a hospital "family," Burbules said.
It's not so easy when you're independent, because of pride and competitiveness among hospitals, Burbules said.
Attracting doctors easier
The credibility injection from merging with UPMC has made it easier to attract doctors who might previously have hesitated for fear they "were coming to Podunk, Pa., never to resurface," Burbules said.
"You are tapping into a world-renowned system," she said. "They'll give us a try."
They know if it doesn't work out in Erie, there's a "lifeline to a bigger entity," with other options, she said.
Those can include a professorship, Fiorenzo said.
The additional credibility has enabled Hamot to exert its influence more effectively within the Erie area, according to Kisiel.
On one ambulance call, emergency workers transporting a Jamestown, N.Y., patient to a helicopter landing site felt enough confidence to open an artery under guidance by Hamot personnel, who were working with protocols partly devised by UPMC, Kisiel said.
Only one official encountered by the reporter expressed reservations about the merger: corporator Steven Simon, a Russian Orthodox priest, community activist and former practicing lawyer.
Overall, the affiliation is probably good, Simon said.
But many people in Erie remain skeptical, having seen companies leaving town after they passed out of local control - including Hammermill Paper, he said.
He doesn't like cynicism and is willing to trust "people in really high positions who continue to tell us how wonderful [the UPMC merger] is," he said.
"But there's a certain element of 'let's see,'" he said.
The UPMC affiliation agreement includes promises to maintain specialty services at Hamot for at least 20 years - including level two trauma, cardiac, neurosurgery, neurology, orthopedics, oncology, plastic surgery and women's and children's health.
But after that agreement expires, Simon wondered, is UPMC going to be sensitive to local needs or simply "look at the bottom line?"
Health care is highly complex, and UPMC is "world-class," he said.
"[But] in the long run, Pittsburgh calls the shots," he said. "There's a certain sorrow that we're not running the show anymore."
Fears unfounded
Many Hamot doctors were worried when they first learned about the possibility of merger with the "giant to the south," Long conceded.
There's always some "angst" when a hospital contemplates being acquired, said Balsan, who worked as a UPMC contract employee at Hamot for years before the merger.
They worry about loss of local control and a mass exodus of patients to the takeover hospital's main campus, he said.
But the fear of loss of local control is always "illusory" because there isn't any real local control in health care anyway, Balsan said.
And rather than a mass exodus of patients, the UPMC merger has actually resulted in more local care, he said.
Statistics bear that out: since UPMC acquired Hamot on Feb. 1, 2011, 7 percent fewer Erie County residents have left the county for care - even as 8 percent more out-of-county residents have come in, according to a hospital-generated chart.
That happens because of the strengthening of care at the local hospital, according to Balsan.
The fears have not come true, Long said.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.


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NILES The retail holiday hustle isn't over until all the gift cards are maxed out and the return lines are unoccupied.
One such return line was occupied Wednesday by Kelly Masterson, who was less than pleased with a Christmas gift.
"What do you tell a 5-year-old? Santa's got sheisty elves?" said Masterson of Newton Falls, who was at the Super Kmart to return a Barbie Dreamhouse - or rather a box full of trash.
Article Photos
Tribune Chronicle photos / Margaret Thompson
Despite severe weather warnings, stores were somewhat busy Wednesday with returns and people using gift cards received for Christmas. Here, three lanes are roped off at Super Kmart on state Route 46 to handle refunds and exchanges.
She said she purchased a dollhouse for her daughter, but when she opened the box early Christmas Day to set it up, she found the box sealed with duct tape and full of garbage, packing foam and Tupperware plastic. She was the victim of an apparent theft.
According to Adrienne Steward, a supervisor who was working the aisle Masterson came to, she doesn't typically see odd returns like Masterson's. Steward called for the store's hardline manager, who covers the seasonal items, electronics and toys departments. After examining the box's contents - which were as Masterson described - and checking her receipt, the manager brought her a new dollhouse.
This is Steward's fourth year working at Kmart.
"I thought it would have been a lot more busy," she said.
Steward attributed lower numbers in returns to the weather and the fact that many customers were doing returns before Christmas.
Everything from Hurricane Sandy at the end of October to the presidential election to bad weather and an impending fiscal cliff have affected sales for the worse this season. Nationwide, the last week in December accounts for close to 15 percent of the month's sales.
As long as customers have their receipt and clothing tags, Steward said everything goes smoothly.
"It gets easier the more years you work," Patti Hudnell said as she wrapped up her shift on the return aisle.
Hudnell, of Niles, has been working at Kmart for 12 years.
"Actually it is pretty nice, considering the weather outside is frightful," she said.
Hudnell and the other clerks said most of the returns have been exchanges on clothing.
Nicole Hudak was at Kmart around 1 p.m. with her two sons and a nephew to exchange clothes for different sizes. She said she and the boys had been out since around 10:30 a.m. spending Christmas money and making returns. They had just came from the Eastwood Mall when Hudak got a call from her sister about the snowstorm, saying, "You all take care of business and come back here."
The weather didn't keep everyone from going to the mall complex to spend their gift cards and holiday cash.
Inside the Eastwood Mall, Shelley Myers and her family looked over a map of the building, deciding where to shop. The family had already visited several stores in the mall complex, including T.J. Maxx and Kohl's, to spend gift cards and Christmas cash.
"You might as well get it now," Myers said she told her children, "so you can stay all nestled inside."
Meanwhile, Andre Coleman with his daughter, Ameera Coleman, 4, both of Warren, waited outside of Forever 21 for his wife and two other daughters to finish up their shopping.
Coleman said the women are spending their holiday cash.
"They're going to come out successful," Coleman predicted.
Janet Stein of Sharon, Pa., and her granddaughter, Katarina Rodriques, 13, of Vienna, found their shopping trip successful.
"I have in mind what I am going to get before I go," Stein said.
The pair hit up several stores in the mall where Rodriques had gift cards, including Aeropostale, where Stein said Rodriques bought a coat for $12 that Rodriques' mother had previously purchased for $40.
Even with huge discounts being offered before Christmas, holiday sales have been their lowest this year since 2008. Retailers are aiming to increase revenue through sales and discounts. Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity. Retailers can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue during November and December.
Yet in light of the heavy snow, Ken Kollar, property manager of the Eastwood Mall, said they were considering closing the mall early on Wednesday. Kollar said the mall administration factors in the safety of customers and employees who are driving to the mall as well as the weather forecast.
"There are things out of our control," Kollar said about the weather.
He said in his long time working at the mall, it has only closed three times, twice in the same year about 12 years ago, and all on account of snow. Kollar said they sent snow plows out and at about 1 p.m., a few hours after the snow deluge began, a Facebook notice announced that the mall would remain open until 9 p.m., its normal closing hour.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

subset: commoncrawl


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The night he killed a man, Ronald Reid spent eight hours in an interview room at the North Charleston Police Department — four hours on either side of midnight.
He was alone most of the time as he sat in a wheeled office chair. He wore blue hospital scrubs. His leg throbbed from a bullet wound. He hadn't taken painkillers.
Police officers walked in and out. One presented him with papers. Reid signed away his right to remain silent. He let another officer swab his mouth for saliva and the DNA it contained. Several policemen listened to his story about what happened earlier that day, June 29.
He told it 17 times.
To him and his attorney, that's not what a man guilty of murder would do. To the police and prosecutors, he was revising the events of that deadly day so they fit his argument of self-defense.
Each time he gave his account, he was ducking for the cover of a white pickup as a man waved a gun in front of Cycle Gear, a motorcycle equipment shop on Dorchester Road.
That's when he heard it: Pow. Pow.
And he felt it: A bullet pierced one part of his right leg.
Two other men he knew suffered fatal wounds.
Reid, while seeking cover, drew his .380-caliber Smith & Wesson Bodyguard, a compact pistol. He channeled what he learned during a class he took before he applied for a concealed-weapons permit. He squared up to his target, aimed at the gunman's chest and squeezed the trigger.
One bullet hit the man's heart, and he crumpled. Reid figured that the man was dead before he hit the pavement.
The 44-year-old father of three doesn't like telling that story. But he didn't think he would have to repeat it again and again after that Saturday. He thought that the evidence and the witnesses would support his account.
But the police didn't believe him. Detectives thought he had been involved in a skirmish between members of two rival motorcycle clubs, and if that were the case, he didn't have the right to defend himself. Reid had shot the man, police said, who was just trying to defend his friend from Reid and others who had ganged up and beaten him.
Two months later, though, Reid still hasn't seen the evidence of the crime he's accused of. The main reason the police said they locked him up: his own story.
He repeated the story to The Post and Courier when the newspaper sat in on a videoconference call with his attorney, Andy Savage. He maintained that he walked into a skirmish that he had nothing to do with, and shot Maurice Horry only when he thought his own life was threatened.
"I don't understand why I'm being held accountable," he said. "I followed the rules. I did not intentionally leave my house wanting to shoot anyone. I never imagined doing it."
After 61 days in jail, Reid left Friday when a judge pointed out the self-defense question and set his bail at $100,000. What's likely to follow are more hearings to determine whether Reid was within his rights under South Carolina's "stand your ground" laws when he pulled the trigger.
His story
Reid's fate will hinge on what happened before anyone drew a gun.
About 3 p.m. that afternoon, Reid rode his Harley-Davidson Road King near Dorchester Road alongside one of his best friends, 36-year-old Theodore Waymyers.
They wore vests bearing a patch of the Wheels of Soul Motorcycle Club. The two had joined the group when it came to the Charleston area a year ago. For its dozen members, the club brought long rides with friends, canned-food drives and merrymaking.
The riding buddies were headed to a club cookout, but Reid knew they couldn't stay long: He wanted to get home to his wife, who was caring for their infant grandson.
They decided to run an errand first. Reid wanted to buy a helmet at Cycle Gear. He needed it because he had planned to ride with his son to a softball tournament out of state.
The parking lot seemed ordinary — motorcycles parked outside a motorcycle shop. But when Reid and Waymyers stepped inside the store, Reid said, they didn't know what they were walking into.
He saw a commotion off to his right and stood still near the entrance.
"What the (expletive) is going on here?" Reid said, recalling the only words he remembers saying.
He later learned what police said was happening.
Wheels of Soul bikers had seen two members of the Real Kings Motorcycle Club ride by their cookout and rev their engines. They followed the two riders to the store and confronted them about the show of disrespect.
Carlos Davis and Barry Stinson, two Wheels of Soul members who each had at least a half-dozen arrests in their pasts, beat up Horry's friend, the police said.
Reid wanted to stay out of it, he said — even though Davis and Stinson wore the same vest he had donned. But the skirmishing people came toward him like a wave. Someone flailed wildly. He was elbowed in the mouth, so Reid said he responded with one or two jabs of his own.
He was standing feet away from the metal detectors at the front door when he saw the man with a gun. Horry yelled and shook the pistol. Police said Horry was nervous and was shouting for the men to leave his friend alone.
Reid still didn't know what was happening, he said. He bolted through the doorway and darted to the left. That's when he heard the shots and felt the pain in his leg.
When the bullet that he fired hit Horry's heart, Reid thought the man died.
But police have said that Horry might have uttered something after he was wounded. If that's true, they said, Horry could have been able to fire his own gun, also in self-defense.
His interview
Paramedics took Reid to a hospital, where doctors treated his wound. He soon left in a police car.
Officers put Reid in the interview room around 8 p.m., five hours after the shootings. His interrogation was recorded on video, which his attorney shared with The Post and Courier.
Reid thought he had acted lawfully that day, so he was eager to talk.
To get a concealed-weapons permit four years ago, he completed a state-required class at the ATP Gun Shop and Range in Summerville. To pass a range test, he needed to be on the mark with at least 35 of the 50 bullets he fired at a paper target featuring a silhouetted man. He hit it 48 times.
As he prepared to talk with the authorities, he recalled what he had learned in the class: Be truthful if you ever use deadly force.
An investigator walked into the interview room. He told Reid about Cycle Gear's "excellent" surveillance system that caught the entire fight on video.
Reid then told his story.
When the investigator left, Detective Christopher Terry walked into the room. Not only was the fight on video, but the camera captured who said what, Terry said.
"Be careful," Terry warned him. "I know what happened."
Reid insisted that he had said nothing to instigate a fight, and he told his story again.
"I had no intention of doing harm," he told Terry. "I didn't know that was going on when I arrived at the store."
He grew frustrated. If the interrogators had seen video of the melee, he asked himself, why didn't they believe him?
At one point, he limped out of the office chair and tried to re-enact his motions at the time Horry shot at him.
"Do you remember that?" he asked.
But the detectives hadn't seen the video. It didn't exist. They had used a bluffing tactic that authorities commonly used to goad a suspect into telling the truth.
"It makes it look like you're separating yourself from it," Terry said. "That's what suspects do."
Reid never changed his story, Terry later said during court testimony, except to adjust the extent of his punching when the commotion approached him inside the store.
After 4 a.m. the day after the shootings, Reid stood in the interview room as officers tightened handcuffs around his wrists.
'People I love'
Jennifer Reid waited outside police headquarters as detectives questioned her husband, the man she called her high school sweetheart.
She had been assured that the process was just a formality, but as the minutes turned to hours, she began to wonder.
"An officer said he did what any man would do in that situation," Jennifer Reid said. "They just needed to talk to him."
She left to get some sleep at her home in Summerville. She learned of her husband's arrest when jail workers called to ask what medications he needed.
Reid suffers congestive heart failure, a disease that he said would make it difficult for him to participate in a fist fight. A defibrillator implanted in his chest jolts his heart if it can't keep up.
Two months after the shooting, Reid's health is one subject that popped up in the videoconferencing session with Savage, his attorney.
They talked about his case, his chances of freedom, the evidence that the attorney's investigators found.
The investigators gathered video from a bus stop and from the auto garage across the street, where the Wheels of Soul bikers were having a cookout. They didn't notice any signs of Reid at the get-together said to be the source of the dispute.
Savage told him that police have no evidence of him being at Cycle Gear, except "for what came out of your own mouth." Detectives showed a photo lineup to a witness, who picked No. 5. His photo was No. 4.
They talked about his emotions. "I relive what happened every day," Reid said.
They talked about what people thought of him. "I've always tried to keep any image of myself to be friendly," he said. "I enjoy people. I enjoy laughter. I'm not like the police officers are saying."
They talked about life behind bars. Reid, who has only one misdemeanor conviction for disorderly conduct 23 years ago, wasn't used to jail.
Soft-spoken and quick to laugh, he told stories about the roommate he had shared a cell with. The alcoholic had been arrested for urinating in his own driveway, and his family refused to post his $250 bail in hopes that he would sober up.
The cellmate struggled physically and mentally. On a recent night, he removed his diaper and urinated on the cell wall. Reid cleaned up after the man and changed his diaper. The man's wife finally posted his bail last week, but Reid missed his company.
Reid's tendency to steer clear of jail food whittled his stocky figure by 30 pounds. He has seen what other inmates will do for treats from the jail canteen. One man was beaten bloody over a honeybun and some potato chips.
"I don't want anyone to live this way," he said. "If I could afford to buy everybody food, I would."
The conference call came Thursday, just after a magistrate ruled that the murder charge should continue toward trial. Reid apologized to his wife for not being with her that day — the birthday they share. It was her 40th, his 44th.
He thanked her for the cards she had sent. One from his grandson unfolded and stretched across his entire arm span. It called him "the best grandpa in the world."
But he asked his wife to keep his mail at home. Getting mail in jail made him think about being there forever.
"You can lock me up, but lock me in with my wife and kids," he said. "I just want to be around the people I love."
The next day, he got his wish. A judge, citing how Reid's self-defense argument might hinder his prosecution, granted him bail and told him to stay home.
He stepped out of the jail. He hugged his wife, his children, his 1-year-old grandson.
With his left arm around his wife's waist, he walked away from the plain concrete facade. He didn't look back.
"Never again," he said. "Never again."
Reach Andrew Knapp at 937-5414 or twitter.com/offlede.
Ronald Reid is released from jail Friday, Aug. 30, 2013, after posting bail on the murder charge he faces in a June 29 shooting outside Cycle Gear in North Charleston. Reid has said that he was acting in self-defense. (ANDREW KNAPP/STAFF)×


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on February 8, 2013 - 7:43 PM
, updated February 8, 2013 at 7:44 PM
CLARENDON – The State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team and troopers from Troop A arrested two Jamaican nationals in the Orleans County town of Clarendon Thursday and seized about 450 pounds of marijuana in the latest bust linked to a continuing investigation of marijuana trafficking in the greater Rochester and Western New York areas.
Calvin A. Bennett, 37, of the Bronx ,and Roderick R. Johnson, 29, of Rochester, are being held in the Orleans County Jail in lieu of $200,000 cash bail each.
The two suspects were found to be in possession of a container that held a few pieces of office furniture and nine cardboard boxes that each contained a large, wrapped bale of marijuana that weighed approximately 50 pounds. They were arraigned in Clarendon Town Court Thursday. The state police were assisted by members of the Orleans County Major Crimes Task Force.


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New lenses soon?I have received my first announcement date of 2013. It's apparently going to be January 8, 2013.
What is coming that day?I am told 2 new L lenses. The EF 35 f/1.4L II and EF 14-24 f/2.8L will be announced. Both lenses would be available by the end of March 2013. The EF 35 f/1.4L II is a complete redesign and has 2 UD elements.
This is a [CR1] for now as I try and get confirmation of the announcement date and the lenses that are coming.
I don't think the old 35L will sell for more than it sells now used (max. 1100 USD).
Quote from: criza on December 23, 2012, 09:35:39 AMI don't think the old 35L will sell for more than it sells now used (max. 1100 USD).Did you price the 24-70 MkI before the MkII vs. now? $900-1100 a few months ago, $1400 today. When the MkII came out, retailers immediately raised prices on remaining MkI stock to full MSRP (well above street price), and used prices followed suit. Same with the 70-200/2.8 IS, and it was about 2 years (i.e. beginning of this year) that used MkI prices returned to their pre-MkII levels. So I think it's quite probable the same will happen with the 35L...


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INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Local martial arts leader, Mark Shuey, Sr. of Cane Masters in Incline Village was recently honored by the most elite and prestigious Grandmasters Council in the world, the World Head of Family Sokeship Council, during its 20th Anniversary Celebration and Awards Banquet this June, 2012 in Orlando, Fla.
The World Head of Family Sokeship Council (WHFSC) is the world's largest and most elite gathering of Martial Arts Grandmasters and Masters worldwide. The Awards Ceremony honored influential martial arts leaders representing a myriad of martial arts styles hailing from Israel, Japan, Denmark, Switzerland, England, the USA and more.
Grandmaster Mark Shuey, Sr. was awarded the Outstanding Seminar Leader Award for Cane Fu, the internationally recognized cane exercise and self-defense program for seniors, veterans, and the disabled.
Cane Masters is located at 288 Village Blvd. in Incline Village.


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Top Definition
Repeated into a microphone in a busy shopping mall, this will have absolutely no affect in attracting dragon-like flying alien life forms. As established in the cinematic power-house, Evolution.
See also Tuki-Tuki.
See also Tuki-Tuki.
"I think we've established that Ka-Kaa Ka-Kaa and Tuki Tuki don't work."
автор: funsize phil 10 октября 2013
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
for a memeber of the female gender to have a really nic ass
Brittany has the ka-kaa!!
автор: __ 11 января 2005
when a Kung-fu dude smashes into 10 planks with his bear hands, he makes this sound
Jet lee, chops a guys head off.... Ka-Kaa
автор: Louis 18 февраля 2005


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Systemwide Events Calendar
German Film Series - Fall 2013October 30, 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Manoa Campus, Moore Hall 258
Wings of Desire (1987), directed by New German Cinema director Wim Wenders. An angel tires of overseeing human activity and wishes to become human when he falls in love with a mortal. Set in 1980s Berlin, the film captures the city just a few years before the fall of the wall.
128 mins.
In German with English sub-titles.
Ticket Information
Event Sponsor
LLEA/German, Manoa Campus
More Information
Prof. Christina Gerhardt, 956-4182, firstname.lastname@example.com, http://manoa.hawaii.edu/llea/german/faculty/christina-gerhardt/
|Wednesday, October 30
|The Wellness Center - Fitness Class Schedule
Maui Campus, Pilina Bldg., Wellness Center
|Agree to Degree
Honolulu Campus, Campus Mall
|Nursing Transfer Workshop
Honolulu Campus, Bldg.6, Second Floor, Conference Room
|Hands on Workshop: Searching in the HDNP
Manoa Campus, Hamilton Library Rm 156
|Chinese Studies Seminar
Manoa Campus, Tokioka Room (Moore Hall 417)
|Strategies for Taking Notes
Maui Campus, The Learning Center
|"Love in 2046: Feminist Heterotopia in Wong Kar Wai's 'Love in the '60's' ..."
Manoa Campus, Burns Hall 2118, East-West Center
|German Film Series - Fall 2013
Manoa Campus, Moore Hall 258
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Kauai Campus, One Stop Center, Rm. 204
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Manoa Campus, Crawford 115
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Manoa Campus, Hamilton Library Room 301
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Manoa Campus, Marine Sciences Building, MSB 100
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Manoa Campus, Campus Center 310
|Presentation: Māori Artist Rangi Kipa
Manoa Campus, Hālau o Haumea, Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, 2645 Dole Street
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Manoa Campus, Center for Korean Studies Building 1881 East-West Road
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The author of the critically-acclaimed illustrated memoir "Fun Home" was so horrified by the actions of South Carolina lawmakers and College of Charleston officials that she quickly joined an effort to bring the off-Broadway show based on her book to campus, according to local organizers.
Alison Bechdel and the cast of the New York City show are volunteering to present a concert version of the musical in Charleston. Two performances will be offered, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Monday, at Memminger Auditorium, 56 Beaufain St.
College of Charleston spokesman Mike Roberston said tickets went on sale Tuesday, and about 750 of them were sold in the first 24 hours they were available.
The book "Fun Home" was the selected title for the College Reads! program and made available to all incoming freshman in the fall of 2013. It recounts Bechdel's upbringing and explores themes of sexual identity.
In the book, which Bechdel has written and drawn in comic-strip form, she describes her childhood with a closeted gay father, who was an English teacher and owner of a funeral home; the trial he faced over his dealings with young boys; his possible suicide; and her own coming out as a lesbian.
In February, some lawmakers took issue with the book, and the S.C. House budget-writing committee moved to withdraw $52,000 of school funding, the cost of the summer reading program.
The censorship controversy flared, prompting acrimony on both sides and concern from supporters of academic freedom.
State Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Charleston, an outspoken opponent of "Fun Home" being selected for the freshman reading program, said that he has heard about the play and believes it is a direct response to the House's decision to cut funds due to the college's controversial summer reading choice.
That "protest" move is not wise, Grooms said, and he plans to bring it up as the Senate debates this year's budget.
"If lessons weren't learned over there, the Senate may speak a little bit louder than the House. There would be a number of members in the Senate that would have a great interest in fixing the deficiencies at the College of Charleston," Grooms said.
He declined to say specifically what action or cuts he had planned.
Several members of the College of Charleston's Board of Trustees expressed concerns about the book to a legislative panel that screens candidates for seats on public college and university boards. But then last month, the board unanimously passed a resolution supporting academic freedom.
On April 14, it was announced that the musical "Fun Home" had been named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It also was nominated for nine Lucille Lortel Awards. The production premiered at New York's Public Theater in September 2013, and its run was extended multiple times because of demand. The production closed in January 2014 and is now Broadway bound.
The 2006 memoir was adapted by Lisa Kron, who wrote the book and lyrics, and Jeanine Tesori, who wrote the music. The show will be presented in concert format and include the original cast: Tony Award-winner Michael Cerveris as Bechdel's father, Bruce; three-time Tony Award-nominee Judy Kuhn as Bechdel's mother, Helen; Griffin Birney as John Bechdel; Roberta Colindrez playing Joan; Noah Hinsdale as Christian Bechdel; Sydney Lucas as Small Alison; Beth Malone playing Alison; Joel Perez portraying Roy; and Emily Skeggs as Medium Alison.
The event is "an incredible academic opportunity for our students and the chance for our community to see off-Broadway stars sing inventive and complex works from a popular musical fresh from the New York stage," said Todd McNerney, chairman of the Department of Theatre and Dance, in a statement.
Kron, Tesori, Bechdel and musical director Chris Fenwick will be in attendance, giving students "the added bonus of interaction with major theatrical and writing professionals," he said. Two students will serve as production assistants and theater and dance majors can observe the rehearsal.
Lynne Ford, associate provost for curriculum and a member of the College Reads! committee, said the show is a natural follow-up to the campus visit paid by Bechdel in October. That visit was "incredibly productive," she said, "there was no controversy at all."
But when Rep. Garry Smith, R-Simpsonville, and others began to protest use of the book, the college community decided to respond.
"We started thinking about what else we could do here," Ford said. "The theater department reached out to see if we could get rights to do the show in fall." But it's on the way to Broadway, so that was impossible.
Instead, Bechdel and those involved in the production offered to bring it to Charleston.
"It's their own way of making a statement," Ford said. "I just can't imagine a greater outcome."
But Ford hastened to add that this should not be interpreted as retribution for legislative meddling. Instead, this provides an important educational opportunity for students who can view an acclaimed musical, consider its important themes and interact with its cast and crew, she said.
Still, "it's true (that) without the Legislature's punishment we wouldn't have this incredible opportunity for students and the college," she said.
Robertson said no state funds are being used for the performances.
The production is partially funded by the Sam and Regina Greene Fund at the Coastal Community Foundation.
"The Sam and Regina Greene Fund at the Community Foundation was set up by my parents, Holocaust survivors, to fund educational and other activities to teach about the Holocaust and to prevent similar events from happening," wrote Harlan Greene in an email. "The sort of hate and discrimination voiced by many in this state about gay books and the gay 'lifestyle' mirrors the same type of rhetoric that was voiced in those events that led to the events now known as the Holocaust, where gays were among those singled out for destruction."
All four children of Sam and Regina Greene voted to contribute $7,500 to the effort, Greene said.
The total bill will run about $18,000, according to McNerney. The cast and crew will get travel and accommodations paid for, along with a modest per diem, he said. Additional funding is coming from more than a dozen College of Charleston Foundation accounts,
"All that support allowed us the capability to keep the ticket price down," McNerney said.
General admission tickets are $15; senior citizens, College of Charleston students and employees pay $10. Tickets may be purchased online at theatre.cofc.edu or at the door up to 30 minutes prior to the start of the show.
Jeremy Borden and Diane Knich contributed to this report.


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LaCie XtremKey reviewTechRadar Pro
Ever been out firefighting and left your USB stick in your pocket, burning your files to a crisp? You need the XtremKey!
Ever been out firefighting and left your USB stick in your pocket, burning your files to a crisp? You need the XtremKey!
Kingston's HyperX brand strikes gold with this USB 3.0 Flash Drive
At first glance the iTwin appears to be a double sided USB drive, but it's more advanced than that.
The A-Data Nobility Series N005 USB 3.0 flash drive is capable of holding a huge 32GB of data. Because it's a USB 3.0 device, when plugged into a compatible port it means transfer speeds are much zippier.
Along with AES 256-bit encryption, iStorage devices include a numeric pad for typing in a pin, for even greater security. With the iStorage datAshur USB flash drive, physical security is packed into a nicely compact device not much bigger than a lot of other USB flash drives.
The big letdown for the flash drive is the odd write performance. Sequential speeds seem as good if not better than the Kingston DT Ultimate, however as soon as random access and small files are thrown into the mix all hell breaks loose and performance tanks , which is very off putting for such a premium product.
As the name would suggest, this USB hub allows you to connect seven devices to it. The Connect 7 is small and compact. It measures just 94 x 53 x 18mm and fits in the palm of your hand.
We've reviewed drive docks before – devices that let you mount hard disks on your Mac without wrestling them inside an enclosure first – but none so compact and handy as this one. It has three ports for three different types of drive: there's a slot for a CompactFlash card so you can easily import pictures from a digital camera that uses it.


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Serves 8 |
Prep Time 1 hour |
Cook Time 30 minutes
2 cup Eden Dried Montmorency Cherries, 4 packages
3 cups Eden Apple Juice
1/4 tsp Eden Sea Salt
4 Tbsp Eden Kuzu Root Starch, dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
Place the cherries, juice and sea salt in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn off the flame and let the cherries soak for 1 hour. After soaking, bring to a boil again without a cover. Slowly add the dissolved kuzu root starch, stirring constantly to prevent lumping. When thick, turn off the flame. The filling is now ready.
For a slightly sweeter flavor you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons organic maple syrup, if desired.
American, Condiments, Dessert & Pastry, Fruit, Gluten-Free, Good/High Fiber, Japanese Food, Low Fat, Low Sodium, Macrobiotic, Snacks, Vegan, Wheat-Free


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As the deadline to renew season tickets for the 2014 Stetson Football season nears, Stetson Athletics is making a change to required donation for some seating areas.
Previously, tickets in the John B. and Hatter Booster sections required a donation of $5,000 (John B.) or $1,000 (Hatter Boosters) in order to purchase up to four tickets in those areas. The donation will now reflect a per ticket cost for fans who only want to purchase more or fewer tickets.
The donation to purchase seats in the John B. section will now be $1,250 per ticket. Seats in the Hatter Booster section will now require a $250 donation per ticket. This ticket price is in addition to the actual cost of the tickets. Seats in the John B. section are $215 for the season while tickets in the Hatter Boosters area are $190 per seat.
Ticket buyers who have already made the lump sum contribution while renewing their tickets for the 2014 season will be contacted by April 11 and, if eligible, will be given the option to have a portion of their gift refunded.
"We knew going in that one of the keys to success for the football program from year one to year two was going to be about improvements," Associate Director of Athletics Jeff Higgins said. "We think this change in our pricing system represents an improvement in the level of service to our fans and supporters.
"Fan loyalty is critical to the success of any program, and we believe this change will generate the kind of fan loyalty Coach Hughes and his team are going to need to be successful in the coming years."
The deadline for renewal for all season ticket holders (including alumni, general public and faculty/staff) remains Friday, April 11. Fans who wish to purchase season tickets for the first time will be able to get their orders in starting June 2.Fans with questions about John B., Hatter Booster, or any other season ticket renewals should call 386-738-HATS between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday thru Friday.


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Advent Calendar Tree
This item is currently not available.
Additional Information
Exclusive | Charming Wool Felt Birdhouse Advent Calendar Counts Down to Christmas
- Unique, handcrafted Advent calendar is made from felted wool
- Numbered birdhouses snap open so you can add a note or treat
- Heirloom-quality Christmas decoration
A new twist on the traditional advent calendar, this handcrafted, felted wool version features an 18" H wrapped-wire tree adorned with 24 petite, hand-embroidered birdhouses. Each house snaps open so you can add a small treat or special note.
Product Details
- Felted wool birdhouses; wrapped-wire tree
- Tree measures 18" H
- Birdhouses measure about 2-1/4" H each
- Folds for storage
- Not for use by children under the age of 3
- Imported
- Gardener's Supply Exclusive
There are no special shipping restrictions or charges associated with this item. For detailed information about our delivery methods and charges, click here.
We're proud of the fact that this item is shipped to you directly from our warehouse in Vermont, by one of our 250 employee-owners. In-stock items are packed with care and shipped within the next business day to ensure prompt delivery to your home and garden!


text:
Mark Coleman is wrestling coach for Team BJ Penn on TUF 19
Mark Coleman, 48, retired from fighting early this year as the first ever UFC heavyweight champion, creator of The Hammer House, UFC Hall of Famer, and the Godfather of Ground n Pound. And his extraordinary resume just grew – "The Hammer" will be the wrestling coach for team BJ Penn on the 19th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
"Me and BJ Penn have been friends since the beginning of this thing, and I consider him a great friend," Coleman told FOX Sports on Friday. "Hopefully he respects my ability to coach some wrestling and hopefully help his team win this Ultimate Fighter. That's the goal to win in the end. I guess he's got confidence in me and he offered me the position to be his wrestling coach on the show. I'm extremely honored and excited to be on the show."
"The word 'honored', everybody uses it too much, but I really am just honored that this guy would want to use me as his coach. I'm honored that he respects me enough to handle this position. I don't take it lightly. It's going to be a serious job to me out there. I don't have a whole lot of idols, but BJ Penn is one of them. I love the guy."
"I've always wanted to be able to give back somehow, and one of the few ways I can give back in general is to help kids like this achieve their goals. I absolutely love being able to help somebody and give back. Hopefully these kids remember me, and if not I'll remind them. We're going to have a great time."
"I'm hoping to do my best to turn one of these guys into a champion. The closest thing to actually being in the ring and fighting is getting to know a fighter, and training him and actually watching him in there."
With the announcement that Coleman will be handling wrestling, Penn appears to have the mix in mixed martial arts convered, with Nova Uniao founder Andre Pederneiras teaching BJJ, Rob Kaman teaching striking, and Jason Parillo handling boxing.
Shooting of season 19 begins in a few weeks, and will debut on FOX Sports 1 in early 2014.


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A River Ran Through It
I wandered down to the ballpark yesterday. Nothing better to do.
Two years ago at about this point of the season Iowa and Memphis hooked up with a division title and playoff spot on the line. Yesterday they took the field a combined 64 games below .500.
Standing out in the center field picnic concourse I gazed across the street at what remains of the Des Moines River after a severe drought. Kids were using the middle of it for a sandbox. Hard to believe this puddle flooded Sec Taylor Field more than once in recent years. Yesterday it struck me as the perfect metaphor for the 2012 Chicago/Iowa Cubs.
A decent crowd shuffled in on a comfortable day as the club again inches toward the 500,000 mark for season attendance in this the final home stand of the year. But nobody's heart was in it. I could plainly hear a peanut vendor working the GA section in the left field corner. We could have had a conversation, no cell phones required. A group in that bank of otherwise empty seats clad in yellow t-shirts resembled the last kernels on a mostly eaten cob of corn.
Rizzo, Jackson and Vitters are gone, leaving behind a rotting carcass of I-Cubs. Not that the team was flying high with them on the roster, but it's more interesting to watch a bunch of up-and-comers than a patchwork of refugees from the independent leagues, many of whom aren't even on first name bases with one another. They come and they go. Only the uniforms remain the same.
In the bottom of the 1st with two aboard Greg Rohan got down a couple of quick strikes and started fouling off pitch after pitch. The PA blared a couple bars of "Stayin' Alive" and then abruptly shut it off. Nobody gave a damn. Then, sudden as a siren in church, Rohan reached out and banged one the other way, a three-run homer that rattled off the metal bleachers to my left and beneath the right-field scoreboard. There was a ballgame going on.
I didn't stay long, just long enough to be reminded of what I'll be missing all winter, starting a week from today.
Re: Giolito
not to be all told you so...but it bears mentioning
Nationals prospect Lucas Giolito reinjured his elbow and is headed to see Dr. Yocum: klaw.me/NXzmiV
Re: A River Ran Through It
What did you tell us so?
Re: A River Ran Through It
there were a few comments (and it may have all been from one person for all I remember) that the Cubs should draft Giolito at #6
Re: A River Ran Through It
I don't know if it was only one person, but I certainly was a proponent of drafting Giolito. You definitely were right on that point.
Re: A River Ran Through It
oh, I've got plenty of wrongs on other points...
Re: A River Ran Through It
nationals prospect + injures elbow = cy young candidate 1-2 years later.
boo hiss.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Re: A River Ran Through It
I'm sorry but neither Geiger nor Soler are the star of this pic:
RT @D_Geiger: Me and Jorge Soler during yesterdays game!
Re: A River Ran Through It
Is there a hot babe in the background or what?
Re: A River Ran Through It
that's where I went too...
I'm thinking the mascot maybe.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Re: A River Ran Through It
"Carl Crawford will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on his left elbow on left elbow on Thursday."
this was a very preventable injury.
he could have kept his wallet in his right pocket.
...also, roger clemens just signed an indie ball contract...50 years old, 87mph fastball.
here comes another roider to take yet another record from someone...sorry, moyer....and sorry the astros probably have a place for him once he gets his pitching stamina up.
at least we'll always have minnie minoso.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Why would Clemens want to play pro ball again? He retired of his own free will, didn't he? Hard to see him working hard to join a terrible, terrible Astros team.
Re: A River Ran Through It
clemens is one of those hyper-motivated types...which is probably why he was able to take good skills and turn them into a great career.
this is a guy who threw a young mussina...a visiting player...into a locker when he ran him down to tell him how he wasn't taking his talents seriously enough...and clemens was barely 30 years old, himself.
he's also got a reputation for being social/friendly.
he probably just wants to see if he can still compete. he's about to be pitching for the hell of it in a low indie-league (not a "retirement league" like the Golden League).
Re: A River Ran Through It
OR he loves to be in the news and hasn't been in a while and so now he gets attention again.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Uhhhh i am pretty sure Clemens was found not guilty. The governments key witness was a guy who lied and even admitted on the stand that his so called evidence was tainted with other peoples DNA and kept in a beer can.
McNamee repeatedly changed his story in order to fit the prosecutions case and admitted on the stand his stories changed.
You probably have a clear cut case of someone using the steroids era to blackmail and take down a player when he was more than likely never a roid user. The governments case proved Clemens was more of a "never was" user than a user.
Re: A River Ran Through It
yeah, i'm pretty sure clemens was found not guilty too.
i'm also pretty sure ryan braun didn't get banned for roids.
i'm also pretty sure OJ Simpson was found not guilty.
i don't share your belief that he was not a roider.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Uh....I'd be willing to say that I think Clemens was a roider....but hey...he was found "not guilty" so meh..whatevs.
Re: A River Ran Through It
well, let's talk about someone who we all know is a roider...jose canseco and how awesome he is.
seriously...he's just...awesome.
time traveler...religious philosopher...indie ball hanger-on.
for those that don't read his twitter...and i recommend it at least once every few weeks, minimum...
it's been like this for years. he crazy.
"Jose Canseco [email protected]
My life sucks but it's better than yours"
Re: A River Ran Through It
MMA fighter
Re: A River Ran Through It
I think the "Not Guilty" verdict was a "failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt", which is a pretty high standard in legal circles. It is not a "more likely than not" standard, i.e., 50.1% proof guilt vs. 49.9% proof of innocence standard. "Beyond a reasonable doubt" is more like a 90% proof of guilt vs. 10% proof of innocence standard.
To prove someone guilty of criminal charges, you gotta have overwhelming evidence of guilt, otherwise the prosecution has not carried its burden of proof.
The fact that some doubt remains doesn't mean that I believe you -- it just means I won't be able to send you to jail. For what it's worth (which isn't much), I don't believe Clemens was clean. And that's just my opinion. That's all it is.
Re: A River Ran Through It
didn't help petite basically recanted his testimony
Re: A River Ran Through It
Well my problem with the steroids era is what happens if your innocent and your accused? The court of public opinion will crucify you and there is nothing, i mean nothing, you can ever do to erase that damage.
Re: A River Ran Through It
what happens if you're innocent in court/procedure, but have a pile of crap against you?
sammy sosa can't even be linked...at all...to anything. you're not going to find many people at all that think he was clean, though.
roger has more going against him than just some dna/needles a guy saved.
Re: A River Ran Through It
I suspect most of the players were using some form of roidishness. Rather than seeing the players come clean, I'd rather see the people who oversaw their activities come clean. I don't believe for a minute that guys like LaRussa and Dusty didn't see guys injecting shit into their ass.
Re: A River Ran Through It
everyone knew...front offices knew.
it's about time it's mostly over. it'll never be fully over, but the days of wild-west PED/speed use is finally over...except for the larger-than-expected "for some reason" anxiety/mental-health exemptions so players can keep pumping adderall.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Why do the Cubs keep hitting Josh Vitters second? Getting more at bats?
Re: A River Ran Through It
Almost definitely. Dude has had a learning curve at every level, and there's no reason to think he won't have the largest learning curve at the highest level. He's probably not going to do much this year, but this is the best time to keep getting him ABs in games that don't really matter. Then, assuming the job is still his in April, you put him 7th or 8th and hope he's ready to start producing.
Re: A River Ran Through It
he's not contact, he's not speed, and he's not ob%...it pretty much has to be to get him some ABs.
...or we got a really weird manager.
Re: A River Ran Through It
It'd be better if he batted seventh, but was in the lineup every game.
Re: A River Ran Through It
"Why do the Cubs keep hitting Josh Vitters second?"
a) Not to have three lefty hitters in a row, which would make it too easy for a loogie in the 7th or 8th innings.
b) Not to have Barney hitting second. Vitters is a better hitter.
c) Not to have Castro hitting second. Vitters is a better on-base guy.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Uh..Vitters is a better hitter or on-base guy.
So far, not so much.
Let's wait and see his major league numbers....eh?
Re: A River Ran Through It
"Let's wait and see his major league numbers"
Sure, but meanwhile you have to look past his current numbers and look at what he did recently at Iowa, and what you expect of him, and slot him in the lineup accordingly. Otherwise you bench him and there's nothing to "wait and see."
Re: A River Ran Through It
I'm not saying bench Vitters. I think he should be playing every day.
But hitting him second this year? I don't agree with....he's not patient enough at the plate. The PCL is as notorious for inflating hitting stats as the Florida State League is for depressing stats.
Vitters should play every day. but hit him 6th or 7th is all I'm sayin'.
Re: A River Ran Through It
"But hitting him second this year?"
It is not like the games this year mean anything.
Re: A River Ran Through It
So let's play him at catcher, since games don't mean anything too.
Or we can bat him in a spot in the order where he might play if he sticks?
Re: A River Ran Through It
i still wanna see casey weathers stretched out and starting for the cubs in Sept.
fill up the clown car with gas and tear ass all over the national league.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Sorry when you said that you didn't want Vitters hitting second this year, I assumed that you were open to the posibility of him hitting second during his career. Clearly you are not.
As for playing catcher. I don't see the point as he needs work at third base.
Re: A River Ran Through It
when you throw 5 changeups in a row...at what point does it no longer matter than it's a changeup?
that was a weird pitching sequence to aram...fly out to LF on a 3-1 count, fwiw.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Hahaha. After two I think it is just a slow pitch.
Re: A River Ran Through It
woo...brett jackson brought his glove tonight.
not bad for a guy that's barely seen the warning track @miller.
Re: A River Ran Through It
vitters hits hit 1st HR...nice/legit shot...slider down the middle.
Boom Time!
Vitters crushes a hanging breaking ball...shows some swagger for a guy hitting under .100.
Re: A River Ran Through It
link to video in the twitter box, didn't hang as much in real-time as it did in slo-mo when I first saw it.
Re: A River Ran Through It
tie game in the 5th...meh. 3-3.
...make that a 6 run MIL lead in the 5th...sigh. ...this is getting silly.
Boom Time Brewers
8-3 or something at this point...that's what I get for turning the game on.
Rockies winning 3-1 in the 9th, Cubs would move into the #2 spot of the draft.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Moved into #2...is it Cubbery when we are this bad and we still can't get the number 1 draft pick? Houston might be the worst team I have in my 35 years of watching baseball.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Re: A River Ran Through It
before anyone makes the comp, the Astros traded away B. Myers, Wandy, C. Lee and JA Happ during the season, leading to their current run of ineptitude.
The Tigers were so bad, they didn't even have anyone to trade away...although I'm surprised no one took a run at Dmitri Young that year.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Eh, the 2003 Tigers were really just one Joe Mather away from contending.
Re: A River Ran Through It
S. Drew to A's for Sean Jameison
Roster Moves a Coming
Left-hander Alex Hinshaw, who was claimed off waivers from the Padres on Sunday, is expected to be activated, as is lefty Chris Rusin, who will start the night game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The likely candidates to be sent down in order to make roster space are left-handed reliever Jeff Beliveau and left-handed hitting infielder Adrian Cardenas.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Cardenas has just 10 at-bats since he was called up on July 31. He's actually 4 for 10 but I think Dale just forgot about him. He should be sent back down if he is not going to play.
Joe Mather is 2 for 23 during that same period. I just don't get him at this point. He is hitting .208 for the year and brings no power, speed, or good defense. I guess its the fact that he can play 3B and OF, but now with Vitters and Valbuena, 3B is covered. I would have released Mather long ago and given Cardenas or Campana those at-bats to get a better sense if they have any long term value.
Speaking of Valbuena, he has raised his average almost 40 points in the last 2 weeks, going 12-32 - .375 / .487 / .625. I am sure it won't last, but he walks a lot has some doubles pop (he has 14 in just 184 PAs, a rate that would be over 40 for a full season) and can play all 3 infield positions. He could end up being a good super utility infield guy next year perhaps.
Re: A River Ran Through It
I like what you are saying about Mather. Totally agree, wtf is he doing on this team?
I want to go on record of sayin I REALLY LIKE Valbuena as a long term Cub. To me he passes the eye-test and looks like a ballplayer, he is definitely batting better than his numbers . . . I think he is a keeper. I think the Cubs do too, based on his playing time and the general way he's been handled. Lefty batting infielder, patient, better fielder than advertised, some pop, and Cubs had him at cleanup in the game Rizzo rested. I'd say get used to him. Personally I can watch him play any day.
Re: A River Ran Through It
Yeah, I always feel like in lost seasons like this your goal is to gain as much information as possible about as many players as possible, figuring out which 2-3 might be worth keeping.
C - Castillo needs more at-bats, he has an .813 OPS so far, but in limited action. But he is seemingly showing that he is at least a #2 catcher. Clevenger started hot and was still hitting . 280 on July 2nd, but since then he has hit just .121 and his season line is all the way down to .222/.276/.304. We probably found out that he can't cut it. He generally has decent at-bats and walks a bit though, so he could be good AAA depth going forward, but probably nothing more.
1B - Since June 6 LaHair is hitting just .191 and appears to have no long term major league value. So the organization found that out. Rizzo is doing well and is going to get a half season of experience.
2B - Barney's defense is great and now with over a 1,000 at bats we can see that he is probably a .270 hitter with a an OPS in the high 600s. He is what he is, probably a fantastic middle infield bench player, or a dependable starting second basemen if the rest of the lineup is full of solid hitters.
SS - Castro is struggling a bit this year, but still doing well, making adjustments, and is now signed long term.
3B - Stewart was a turd. Perhaps if he heals he will rebound, but no one will be holding their breath. Vitters is now getting his first major league at bats in an absolutely 0 pressure situation. Valbuena is showing that he can be a major league bench player I think.
IF - Cardenas has not done particularly well, but has only had limited at-bats and this was his first taste of major league pitching, and he is doing well still at AAA (.891 OPS), so at age 24 I expect him to be kept and get another shot to do well off the bench next year and/or remain as AAA depth.
OF - Soriano is having a solid year all around, and I don't think they will pay him to play somewhere else unless they can save a good chunk of salary somehow. He is healthy, productive, and not blocking anyone. Dejesus is pretty much what we thought he would be. He has a career OPS of .776 and is at .770 right now. He is not particularly good at anything, but is an acceptable starter. Mather has no value at all and should be discarded, we found that out. Jackson is getting his first taste of the big leauges. Campana showed that he is an awesome pinch runner but probably cannot hit enough to justify significant playing time. A great 25th man on a contending team, but probably not much more.
SP - Samardzija impressed and has shown that he can be a legit major league starter. Garza's rate states have been pretty consistent over the last 6 years as a starter, and so it is pretty easy to guess what he will produce going forward. Wood seems capable of being an OK #5 lefty starter, and is only 25 and could improve. Volstad really sucks, but will get more time to turn it around given that he is 25 and has a wealth of big league experience already, but no one has high opes. Wells was inconsistent and then had surgery and it seems like his window of opportunity is almost shut. Germano is 30 and seems no more than AAA depth, but better depth than Coleman who has shown nothing. Raley has done well at AAA and is getting his first look.
RP - Marmol has the stuff but is inconsistent. He has a 0.90 ERA over the last month and 13 strikeouts in those 10 innings and can be a dominant closer. We knew that already. Russell now has 180 games pitched over the last 3 years and has improved each year. He has shown that he can be a nice bullpen piece; a good discovery this season.
Camp was a good pick up and while he won't be a dominant set-up man, he seems capable of serving as a middle-inning reliever for a couple of more years in the bigs. Corpas was also a good snag off the scrap heap, and has about the same ceiling going forward. While Maine has struggled a bit this year, he has had good success at AAA and is a lefty so he will likely get another shot to prove he can stick in the bigs. Similarly, Bowden has not shown much in the bigs, but is just 25 and done well at AAA and struck out more than a batter an inning there so he will get more looks. Asencio walked too many guys and is 28, but might remain as AAA depth.
4 guys in the bullpen made their major league debuts this year. Dolis got his first look and will continue to have an opportunity to show he can stick over the next year or two. Beliveau is doing well in his first chance in the bigs (3.18 ERA over 11 innings). Cabrera has struggled, but is just 23 and has struck out 74 in 55 minor league innings this year, so he will be given a shot over the next couple of years. Parker also got his first look, did OK before getting injured, but has done well at AAA on his rehab and will get more of an opportunity.
All in all, a ton of young guys getting and opportunity to show what they can do all across the roster and any information the front office can gather on their potential will aid them in making roster decisions going forward.
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Nice little assessment there. I know it's crazy, but I still have some hopes for Volstad. Just keep throwing him out there. If he keeps getting pounded, it helps us in the reverse standings. If he figures it out, we have possibly a back end rotation guy, maybe even mid rotation guy.
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I agree with you about Clevenger: tried and found wanting. They're just using him now to prod Castillo into studying harder and calling a better game. Castillo is the guy. In addition to having a gun, he's a real hitting prospect, better than people realize.
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"Totally agree, wtf is [Mather] doing on this team?"
Trading Reed Johnson left the Cubs with only one righty-hitting OF besides Soriano--Mather. And don't forget, the Cubs are trying to trade Soriano before 9/1.
I know this is the same answer I gave to why Vitters bats second, but you can't ignore handedness. You can't have a lineup of lefty hitters, or the Cubs will find themselves facing only lefty pitchers, many of them temporary callups from AAA or AA.
I certainly agree that Mather stinks. I expect Greg Rohan--the only righty slugger right now at Iowa--to be the first callup in September.
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Rohan is not even on the 40-man, so I suspect he won't be called up.
And handedness is fine to be aware of, but Mather can't hit lefties or righties so it doesn't really matter, it's not like the other team will bring in a different pitcher to face him.
"Oh no, I have my lefty reliever in to face Rizzo and I would like to keep him in to face Valbuena, but SHIT, what if they pinch hit JOE FUCKING MATHER, we'd lose this game."
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Mather may hit lefties and righties the same (which is highly unusual), but the lefty hitter he would be replacing doesn't.
I'm not defending Mather, just saying that Hoyer will not construct a roster with only one righty-hitting OF.
Mather can give his 40-man roster spot to Rohan on his way out.
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Nice job. I agree with most of your comments. The only I disagree with is Campana. I don't think we still know exactly what he can be. We know he is excellant at stealing bases, but do we know for sure if he can get on consistenly? I would have like to see him get a longer look at lead off. My gut feeling is he is only a 4th or 5th OF, but I don't know for sure. It would be great to have a lead-off man that can steal 60 -70 bases. Let's find out!
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His body of work and the eye test so far combine to paint a dismal projection, but I don't really see why we shouldn't give him a shot. Problem is, he'd have to displace one of two free agent outfielders. So it's not gonna happen. At this point, it may be better to just get him some at bats down in the minors.
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You're right that is probably isn't going to happen. I was commenting more on what we should have learned this year, but didn't. The perfect time was after Byrd was gone and before Rizzo came up, or even before Byrd was gone and he was playing poorly. I'm sure some one can give exact dates, etc, but my memory is that Campana was playing enough to lead the league in steals and was batting about .270 or so and suddenly he wasn't playing any more at the expense of Johnson and Baker. My only point is we should have found out if Campana could be anything worthwhile and we didn't. A really good lead-off man is something we rarely had in my years as a Cubs fan.
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Byrd was traded on April 21 and Campana was recalled from Iowa that day to take his roster spot.
Starting then Campana played in 50 of 55 of the next Cubs games, with 34 of those being starts. He hit .275/.313/.310 and was 24 for 27 in stolen bases. This was through June 20th.
On June 18th LaHair played his first game in right field, and Rizzo was recalled on June 26. LaHair got most of the starts in RF for the next month, with Dejesus sliding to center. Reed Johnson also got 40 PAs in July prior to the deadline (hitting .342 in them).
So from late June until early August Campana received only 17 plate appearances, went just 2 for 16 and stole 2 bases and then was sent down to Iowa.
From the Cubs perspective, it was difficult. Soriano and Dejesus were going to play. And LaHair had a .960 OPS still at the time he moved to RF. It was difficult to justify sitting the All-Star (though after a month of tanking they eventually did). AND they wanted to increase Johnson's trade value. And while Campana did hit .270 and prove that he can steal bases with the best of them, he had essentially a 1/4 of a season's worth of at-bats and put up an OPS of .623. Only five qualified players in the majors are worse than that right now, it's really just tough to put that line out there, especially at the top of the lineup. He has absolutely no power at all (career .296 slugging) and so simply has to get on base at a high clip to be valuable, higher than his career .301 OBP.
The thing is, Campana's career BABIP is .333 because he hits everything on the ground and is so fast, but he walks in just 5% of his PAs and strikes out in 20% of his PAs. So if he could walk more, and cut down on the Ks, and put the ball in play, he could get his OBP up and be serviceable, but time is running out for him to do that.
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Thanks for the facts. I guess he had some opportunity, but other factors came into play. I still feel I would have liked to see more. I believe he did walk more in the minors, so if he had more of an opportunity it may have translated to the majors.
Different topic. When Jackson was thrown out stealing third last week, Sveum seemed to imply he went on his own. Do I understand this correctly? Frankly, I'm surprised that a player with about 10 games of major league experinece could steal on his own. He made a bad decision given the circumstances, but I couldn't believe that a player at his level could make that decision on his own. Is this a case of the coaching staff not telling him he could only go when they told him, or do they really have a perpetual green light?
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Seinfeld: Damn you Rizzo!
delusions of grandeur
According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Nick Swisher may seek a contract similar to Jayson Werth's seven-year, $126 million deal when he hits free agency this winter.
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I might seek a similar contract. With just about as much luck as Swisher is going to have.
I'll predict 3/36 to 4/52 absolute tops.
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WSCR Cubs in negotiations to move Peoria affiliation to Kane County.
Sorry Peoria.
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What about Harry's old friend Pete Vanockin (sic). Is his still the owner/alive?
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The Major League rules, which govern the business of baseball, stipulate a $500,000 fine for major league teams and a $100,000 fine for minor league teams that publicly discuss future re-affiliation agreements.
If the report is correct that the Cubs and Cougars are close to an agreement, however, the two organizations still would have violated Rule 56 of the rules.
Either the parent club or affiliate must present written notification either to the office of the commissioner or the president of Minor League Baseball at the conclusion of the season. Negotiations outside of the existing relationship cannot begin until Sept. 16.
AZ PHIL: You have seen Belliveau in your neck of the woods. It seems like he is the typical player that does really well in the minors, but just clearly gets the Profound Yips in the MLB and pees in his pants. We have had many of these great players on the Cubs.
In Iowa, the dude had almost a 3:1 K-BB ratio and seemed to have several pitches.
He is 25 right now, and while not an "old-timer" yet (half the age of Jamie Moyer, right?), did he show you anything in AZ? What's his status, anyway? Will HoyStein give the kid the boot anytime soon?
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roid check on ninja...his voice has dropped very deeply.
short/funny MLB Network interview...oddly, or not, mostly talking about the footsballs.
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M's are 23-13 since the break...wtf?
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garza confrimed done for the season according to mr manager and ms beat writer.
Two of these guys will be on Cubs Roster opening day of ST 2013
Erik Bedard (34)
Kevin Correia (32)
Jeremy Guthrie (34)
Francisco Liriano (29)
Shaun Marcum (31)
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Add Anabel Sanchez (28) to the list.
Odd as it seems, the list might also include Dempster (65, give or take), without a no trade this time.
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These are the guys I figured the Cubs may go after.
E. Jackson
F. Liriano
S. Baker
C. Lewis
S. Marcum
B. McCarthy
We'll see how expensive Anibal gets, but I don't see the Cubs going over 4 years on anyone. I'd throw Dempster in that mix as well. There wlll be some trade options as well.
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I will eat my pillow without any water if Dempster re-signs with the Cubs. There is NO WAY, after that mess AND after the Kerry Wood fuzzy-goodness signing that Theo let's Dempster back in that uniform. No way in hell.
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i doubt things got toxic. dude was in the room seeing how the process worked (much to the horror of other front offices) with theo as he was being dealt.
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Perhaps, I obviously have no idea what transpired except for news stories. It's just not gonna happen. Dempster needs to move on and keep on moving. Nothing in Theo/Jed's bag of tricks indicates wanting any reminders of the old ballclub. Wood was the last of that and it was a flop. There have been reports in recent days about changing the culture of comfort, they don't need a 36 year old reminde either, from an entertainment point of view he has no intrigue, and to many has worn out his welcome - to the rest he feeds the warm fuzzy contingent which is not what the FO wants for the Cubs. I just really think anyone who thinks they would bring him back is barking up the wrong tree big time. I would also hope Dempster wouldn't want back into this ratrap as well. But theo: NO WAY! (why the caps? I have no idea...)
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dumpster will most likely be looking a 2+ year deal anyway...dunno if the cubs would want a piece of that at his age even with a decent deal.
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yah know...he's not going to carry the team, but how about wellington castillo finally...finally...getting his shot. he's quietly been playing some awesome ball since his callup. seems like 2013 is his to lose as far as getting the most time at C.
he needs some polishing on the D everywhere but his throwing arm, but meh...i like the dude....when he's healthy.
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Looks formidable at the plate, and in control behind the plate. Love him, even with the occasional jogging etc. I think he's a keeper.
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never played more than 100 games in 6 pro seasons, doesn't walk much, makes me want to watch Michael Barrett catch a game.
I like him as as long as he's under $1M...he's the Ryan Theriot/D. Barney of catching, useful only while he's cheap.
He does have decent power and the right age to put up a few good seasons, hope TheJedi trade high on him at some point.
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Castillo has a 1.079 OPS at all levels against LHP this year. Slammin.
Clevenger can't hit lefties at all, but he's not so hot against northpaws either. It'd be nice to see a catcher splitting the duties who could kill it against righties. I wonder what John Jaso might cost in a trade. Or even, if he can't get a starting job anywhere this winter, AJ Pierzynski. God help us.
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oh Castillo should play everyday, Clevenger is AAA material imo.
Just don't expect a long, illustrious career from Castillo...the next 2-3 years he might be an average hitting catcher though, maybe even slightly above. Hopefully he can learn how to frame a pitch or at least just catch the damn ball.
I just don't see a long term solution there, but that's not necessarily a bad thing....few of those around.
for a split second, I thought the Cubs should see how badly the Twins want to dump Mauer's contract, but it goes all the way through 2018 and age 35. Since there's no DH and Rizzo should be playing 1b for awhile, that's a bad idea that didn't last long in my head. I also presume the Twins are going to want more than just salary relief.
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i think welington is capable of a 15hr, 30+ double season without embarrassing himself on avg/ob%...even on a 130-140 game "catcher's schedule" with rest. if he can deliver the pop with a .260/.330 avg/ob% i'll take it.
his receiving skills and game calling is debated, most on the side of "needs work." he's got a +arm, though.
i feel a lot better about him than soto.
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the next time he plays 100 games in a season, will be the first...
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And he's gimpy right now . . .
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His absolute ceiling does involve a long career. Illustrious ... not.
Heh, Chris Rusin
triples in first AB...throwing a shutout through 2
retire now, it'll only get worse.
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Vitters strikes out after 3 balls on strikes 2 and 3 looking, both fastballs down the middle. Not sure exactly what he was looking for there with Rizzo on deck.
I still believe, but he might need 700 PAs before he's on equal footing. Will he get it with the Cubs?
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he seems to suck a lot at guessing pitch sequences so far.
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I want to slap Jackson and Vitters . . . Both watching strike 3 with runners on 3rd to end innings. Hey guys? Really? Grow a pair . . . Remember watching all those games as kids when real major leaguers would protect the plate with two out and two strikes and runner on 3rd. Now quit being so damned nervous and act like those guys. It's baseball assh%les... Play like you've seen a game or two at least.
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Knarly Carlito!
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Haha! Looking particularly bad now that we haven't crossed the plate! Get the bats off your shoulders in that situation boys! Close your eyes and swing! Ugh . . .
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"Protecting the plate" is too often a euphemism for hacking away with two strikes. I saw enough of that when Colvin was around. It's not a good way to go deep into counts, since the count doesn't change when you foul off what would have been a ball.
To me, the secret of hitting is getting to three balls after you've been behind in the count. Called strike three is just a chance you have to take, especially when umps expand the strike zone for inexperienced hitters.
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Your point is well taken, but I think the key to hitting is knowing and controling the strike zone.
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Dale Sveum in yesterday's Trib / Sullivan article:
"We're super young right now. That's part of the gig and we knew it. … But if you are going to struggle, I'd much rather see you have (a) plan and not go down looking so much in key situations."
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The question is what is the "plan" Sveum is referring to: "I'd much rather see you have [a] plan and not go down looking so much . . ."
Vitters took a couple of third strikes against Estrada on Tuesday. In the third inning, Vitters took four pitches to arrive at 3-1. Next he took a fastball down the middle. On 3-2, he took a fastball at the knees.
Six pitches, zero swings. Vitters took a 3-1 fastball and a 3-2 fastball in the strike zone, with a runner on third and two out. If he was looking for a walk, that's not a good plan. But maybe he didn't have a plan.
In the sixth, Vitters swung at two low sliders and then took a slider strike. Why swing at that first pitch? Are you looking for a breaking ball on 0-0?
So there was more going on--or less going on coherently in Vitters' brain--than just taking a couple of third strikes.
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It's curious you cut off the Sveum quote with ellipses at exactly the point that matters to me. "...in key situations."
I do not have a problem with these guys practicing patience and working the count. My issue is with guys continuously watching the final strike hit the outside corner in tight games with two outs, two strikes and a man on third. A professional cannot be guessing a zone in that situation.
I am happy to agree to disagree with you. I appreciate what you are saying, but a pro must have the ability to cover the strike zone with the bat in that situation.
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"a pro must have the ability to cover the strike zone," etc.
When Jaramillo was let go, apparently for focusing on mechanics instead of teaching his hitters an approach (or a "plan"), Sveum was asked how he coached hitters. He said:
You'll get your walks if you don't swing at pitches that you can't hit out of the ballpark -- that's my philosophy.
It's also Adam Dunn's philosophy, and that of many sluggers who amass a lot of walks, strikeouts and home runs. They tend to lay off of offspeed pitches on the corners, even with two strikes.
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Two posts in a row where you quote my posts and delete the word 'situation'.
Is this a performance art piece?
You are cracking me up!
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Situation is a vague word. What we're mainly arguing about here is how to describe the situation.
E.g., a 1-2 count and a 3-2 count are very different situations to me, but I gather to you they're the same: a professional hitter has to protect the plate.
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No I was very specifically talking about man on 3rd, two outs, and guys watching a third strike consistently. But no need to address it now. I call:
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No, no, you win.
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8 HBP in AAA for rusin...
3 in 4ip (so far) tonight.
2 hit batters and a walk with 1 out in the 4th...how about getting someone up in the pen?
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woo...gets out of it with only 1 run damage...which is good, imo...cuz that was ugly.
The Laugh Riot
if you look at the twitter box, Giants are trying Theriot in the outfield again...for those that remember 2007, he had some issues out there.
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"VogyVog24 Getting a txt from dad before every game never gets old!!"
vogelbomb via twitter.
btw, do modern cell phones still actually make phone calls?
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Soler 3-4, RBI in a 4-2 Peoria win.
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Rockies win again...Cubs gonna lose again.
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Yessssssss! We're #2, we're #2!
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billy hamilton has broken coleman's record...and counting (second game of a double-header in progress)
4sb tonight...147sb/33cs
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As CRUNCH says: "He's just a leg injury away from being useless."
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no use worrying until it's time to pay him $10m+...or if he sticks at SS, $15m+
but yeah, his game...including his ob%...is highly dependent upon his legs.
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lulz...MLB Network with Smoltz outting Maddux's rep for picking up Gold Golves.
he was going on about how maddux was willing to bet Smoltz (and others) he was going to win the GG the season he made 7 errors...amongst other years he probably shouldn't have won one (btw, he won).
he never said "maddux" until the ragging and laughter of his co-anchors dragged it out of him...but that made it a bit more funny.
also, to be fair...maddux (and smoltz pointed this out, too) averaged a lot more chances than most pitchers because of how he pitches and his aggressiveness in fielding.
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The Cubs' second-best starting pitcher currently in the rotation is 4-9 with a 4.83 ERA and has peripherals suggesting that he's been extremely lucky this year (.245 BABIP, 5.59 FIP).
Is this rock bottom?
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On the bright side, we got one of the better minor league TMJ patients.
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I'm predicting that EVERY player in Peoria will be playing in Chicago next year.
Okay, maybe not Chicago, but close. Harry is rolling in his grave.
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Maybe if DeJesus stays on his homerun tear, the Cubs can trade him in the offseason for a half-decent pitching prospect.
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@BruceMiles2112: #Cubs amateur scouts fired: Charlie Aliano and Rick Schroeder. Pro: Richie Zisk, Joe Housey, Tom Shafer, Tom Bourque
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good luck finding work with that resume
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Ouch! :D
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Ricky Schroeder is already busy acting. Or, I guess he was acting as a scout too?
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Research for a new role?
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richie zisk?
that's cold. he's getting old, though...and it's not like S.Florida has produced for the cubs.
BA Prspect Chat
Who gets your nod as the Cubbies' top prospect at present - Baez or Soler?
Jim Callis: Baez. Big offensive upside and may just stay at shortstop for a while. I'd take Almora over Soler, too.
Most of the Cubs top prospects either seem to be at 3B (Vitters, Villanueva, Baez) or OF (Jackson, Szczur, Soler, Almora). Who do you see as the keepers and what would you do with the rest?
Jim Callis: A lot of those guys will have to move anyway. I think Baez winds up at third base (though reviews of his shortstop defense have been positive) and Almora winds up in center field. Chicago's future outfield will be Soler in left, Almora in center, Jackson in right.
Brooks Raley, Chris Rusin, Erik Jokisch, Austin Kirk. Which soft-tossing lefty starter has the best stuff/future with the Cubs? Can any of them stick around long term as maybe a #4 starter?
Jim Callis: I ask myself that question every year when I do the Cubs Top 30 list. I'll say Raley, and he has a chance to be a No. 4 at best. I'm not in love with any of those guys. They're all similar, finesse lefthanders who can pitch a little bit.
Which of the young pitchers the Cubs drafted early are you most excited about? Blackburn, Underwood, or McNeil?
Jim Callis: Underwood has the most sheer upside.
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Padres put Edinson Volquez on waivers. I know, it means nothing.
Back in the day he was a straight up trade for Josh Hamilton.
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it took long enough for someone to be hacky-as-shit and write a "oh no, johan santana threw 134 pitches and now he's ruined!" piece.
it says a lot of nothing except to bring up that hot button again.
i'd like to see him write an article on justin verlander (2 130+, 6 120+ in 2012...not unusual for him).
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So your argument is Justin Verlander vs. everyone else?
Seems fair.
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i forgot baseball history started in 1990.
i just find the link applied careless in many cases.
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Not everyone who smokes gets cancer
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that's kinda the point...just because johan threw 15ish-too-many pitches...just because WAS brought S.Straw along slowly only to see him rip his elbow up on a baby'ing schedule...
there's less micro-managing-panic of guys throwing 10-20 "too many pitches" compared to years past...i was just waiting on the santana one...every failed start up'd the ante. someone had to "break."
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No the point is when you pay your pitchers a lot, if you're smart you're going to play the odds in terms of keeping them healthy. If, overall, throwing 20 more pitches leads to more injuries, it'd be dumb to chance it unless you desperately need those pitches.
Just because things used to be done a certain way that doesn't mean it's the right way.
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and we come full circle to and alternate reality where justin verlander never provides his full potential because he was allowed to do it to begin with.
i do appreciate how writers aren't throwing it around for everyone these days...and "something" may have happened when he pushed it for those extra pitches that night...but it was one of those oldschool "well, he threw a lot of pitches and well...you do the math -wink-" articles.
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Jim Hendry: Hey Andrew, what do you. want for Garza?
Andrew Friedman: How about four of your top guys. I like Archer or McNutt, Your pick. Plus we want Sam Fuld. He needs a shot anyway.
Hendry: You can't have McNutt.
Friedman: Garza has never been on the DL.
Hendry: Yeah. It's one reason why we like him.
Friedman: Ok Jim.Let me give thus some thought.
Hendry: Ok. Sounds good. I wanna check if Garza has an NTC.
To Randy Bush: Ha Randy! We'll give him Archer!! Our scouts tell us that McNutt is a CAN'T MISS PROSPECT! Haha! It still takes two to play poker!
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i saw the archer game tonight on tv (in progress)...it wasn't THAT good, though he's had his best results in a while.
he's not giving up as many walks, but the counts ran deep...similar to last game.
i'd rather have garza...
unless garza's arm is toast i'd be willing to bet you could easily replace what was lost in talent to obtain him.
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How could we replace Sam Fuld, or Robinson Chirinos???
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hj lee is still waiting on the power that came with his growth spurt. he's supposedly playing a decent SS for a guy who's 6'3" though.
he had a nice 30-ish (maybe more/less) hitting streak going earlier in the summer, but it was built on a lot of 1-4 type appearances. he's still waaaaay too young developmentally and physically to say what he's capable of as a 21 year old in AA, though he didn't live up to expectations this season.
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he's still waaaaay too young developmentally and physically to say what he's capable of as a 21 year old in AA
I don't see why it isn't too early to give up on him if some folks are giving up on the ceiling of a shortstop who is one year older currently playing in the majors who will end the season with 500+ career hits.
Recent comments
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 :(
Mark Gonzales @MDGonzales
Soler likely to return Sunday, Maddon says
Right now, I'd like to see the Mets first, Giants 2nd.
I believe that since most of the team from last years' NLCS is on the squad this year, they will really amp their game up even more to kick their ass in payback for 2015.
The Giants just do not have the depth in years past, and I think all things equal - and at Wrigley - they could handle them.
I do not want to see the Cards, period. Or their fans, media, or Joe Buck.
I don't want to play Braves in the first round. Any friggin team in the league can win 3 of 5..I hate the first round. Furthermore, I wanted to play the Marlins in 2003 and the Mets over Dodgers last year.
With that said in reverse order:
3. Cardinals: It will be devastating to lose in the first round, but even worse to their main rival. It is increased incentive for the Cardinals, especially after last year. Cards would have nothing to lose, Cubs have everything to lose.
2. Giants: Rotation in the playoffs scare me a bit, but what a lousy team.
1. Mets--because of the losses in the rotation
2. Giants--because they're not the team they were BUT they maybe have bullshit even-year magic?
3. Cardinals--because rivalry and not making the playoffs hurts them more than losing in the NLDS plus getting eliminated by them in the playoffs would make for horrible sports commentary next throughout next season.
Who's asking?
CLE/DET rained out last night already, possible rain-outs in New York (vs. Baltimore), Boston(vs. Toronto) and Philly(vs. Mets) this weekend too.
Not only games involving playoff spots that would need to be played, but any that involve home field advantage.
I got the first one! Second one I'm not even sure what even/odd betting is.


text:
Source: Microsoft
quote: Once you realize that that metro tile screen *IS* a larger start button, you get past it very quickly.
quote: However, now instead of it being a tiny fraction of the screen in which you tried to cram the top 10 apps you launch, now you can have dozens of apps, and you can arrange them any way you like, and they all can have status information on them (if the app supports it).
quote: I mean really, how on earth does Win8 reduce productivity when you're clicking less and see more information?


text:
Charles Dharapak/Associated Press
Charles Dharapak/Associated Press
DENVER � The manager of a Denver Chipotle restaurant has become an Internet celebrity thanks to the wide-eyed pose he struck alongside Mitt Romney when the Republican presidential candidate stopped by for lunch.
Twenty-year-old Marty Arps struck the pose during a group photo with Romney and Chipotle employees Tuesday afternoon. Arps is seen making a wide-eyed expression while pointing at Romney.
Arps told The Daily he makes the expression when he�s excited
He said he doesn�t know yet who he�ll vote for, and says he�s �not too hip to elections and stuff.�
The Associated Press photo is being shared extensively via Twitter and is making the rounds on websites.
Romney ordered a pork burrito bowl with guacamole during a brief lunch break from practice for Wednesday�s debate with President Barack Obama in Denver.