text:
Does Every Post Need A Witty Name?
|SP Sergio Mitre
|SP Roger Clemens
|CF Willy Taveras
|CF Jerry Hairston
|RF *Todd Self
|SS #Neifi Perez
|2B Craig Biggio
|1B Derrek Lee
|LF #Lance Berkman
|RF *Jeromy Burnitz
|1B *Mike Lamb
|3B Aramis Ramirez
|3B Morgan Ensberg
Are the Cubs interested in a
Are the Cubs interested in a catcher?
Sal Fasano, late of the Orioles where he went 3/9 with two homeruns in 4 games, is available. He's gone to make room for Sammy Sosa who has come off the DL today.
Fasano has the option of becoming a free agent, but will return to Ottawa if not claimed off the waiver wire.
The Cubs need a player from the Orioles to replace David Crouthers (obtained in the Sosa trade) who retired after spring training rather than play for West Tennessee.
If the Cubs swap
If the Cubs swap 4-for-Floyd, I'll leap headlong off the Jim Hendry bandwagon. For what we paid Baltimore to take Sosa off our hands for Hairston, a(nother) minor league utility infielder, and a now-retired yutz of a pitcher, we could've just gotten Floyd in the first place.
Instead, Hendry's going to overpay for a guy who's stayed healthy far too long to be trustworthy the rest of the season, considering his injury-plagued history?
No thanks. Personally, I'm hoping Bruce Miles just got this one completely wrong...unless by "left-handed" he really meant "switch-hitting" and by "Cliff Floyd" he really meant "Carlos Beltran."
fasano is as worthless as
fasano is as worthless as the newly released former mets reliever washup scott strickland.
they could use a solid AAA catcher, though...
hey..sammy's mouth is
hey..sammy's mouth is back...and he brought sosa with it, too....
"People were talking [stuff], knowing nothing. They don't know I feel," Sosa said. "Why am I going to be hiding from Chicago? For what? That I'm scared? Never."
dont get me wrong, i could have lived with another year of sosa even though the burnitz trade is playing out for the cubs WAY better than anyone anticipated (hairston has come in handy and burnitz is easily outplaying sosa even before the injury to sosa).
its nice to not have your team defined by the media as a 1-person operation with some "kid pitchers".
wonder if wood is getting sick of being refered to as a kid...he's gonna have to turn 30 before he can shake that tag.
The outfielder must be
The outfielder must be Dubois (if it's not Patterson), the reliever has to be Hawkins or one of the young dudes. The prospects, who knows. Interesting.
burnitz trade = sosa
burnitz trade = sosa trade...
...hell, most of you should know i dont proofread my stuff already heh...
So we are looking possible
So we are looking possible at:
Dubois, hawkins, 2 prospects
Cameron/Floyd and middle releiver
Doesn't look like a good trade to me. It would a huge upgrade in LF, but a possible downgrade in bullpen and then we would lose two prospects.
But this is another example of hendry catering to the fans too much and getting rid of the players they want. Cubs fans have booed hawkins mercifully and Hendry hears that and wants to appease them. UGH!!
By the way, I've realised
By the way, I've realised that Mike Cameron obviously isn't left-handed, so I think that narrows it down to Cliff Floyd, Manny.
Dubois, Hawkins and 2 prospects for Floyd and a middle reliever
Please be wrong, Levine.
John, what is Floyd's
John, what is Floyd's contract situation?
Floyd isn't healthy anymore.
Floyd isn't healthy anymore. He popped a tendon off of one of his fingers, but is going to play through the pain. He's also something like 1 for his last 21.
Floyd's contract-- 2005:
Floyd's contract--
2005: $6.5m
2006: $6.5m
Limited no-trade clause
Floyd in 2005: .280 avg,
Floyd in 2005:
.280 avg, .346 OBp, .553 Slg, .898 OPS, 12 HR, 29 RBI, 15 BB, 25 K
And he is 2 for his 31, maybe due to the finger injury.
JH- thx... looks like Floyd
looks like Floyd is a bit injury prone as in the past 6 years he has played over 125 games only 2 times.
Trade as it is described makes no sense to me unless Hendry feels getting hawkins out of town is soooo important.
Once again trade rumors =
Once again trade rumors = impending doom. These type of moves really won't accomplish anything...
JH, I dreamt for a minute
I dreamt for a minute about Victor Diaz being the OF we're getting in return, but alas he also bats righty... Is there still a chance this is a 3-way with San Diego and the more reliable Ryan Klesko or one of their many many bullpen arms?
I'll believe it when I see
I'll believe it when I see it. So far, none of the rumors make any sense.
astros are scoreless sun
astros are scoreless
sun still rises in the east
the cubs also suck
Am I the only one somewhat
Am I the only one somewhat concerned that C-Pat is not in the starting lineup?
Hawkeye, Patterson hurt
Patterson hurt himself in a collision with Burnitz the other day. Today he couldn't swing a bat.
What happened on the Lee
What happened on the Lee "fielders choice" to score the first run?
Big- Lee went hom to try and
Lee went hom to try and get the runner and he made a gfreat slide around the tag...probally not a great decision.
But thank Mr. Dubois for those 2 runs with his clueless defnese out on LF.
I think the Mets want to
I think the Mets want to move Cameron more than Floyd. His contract is bigger and he whines more.
What happened on the Lee
What happened on the Lee "fielders choice" to score the first run?
The throw was to home and the runner was safe. Close play.
But thank Mr. Dubois for
But thank Mr. Dubois for those 2 runs with his clueless defnese out on LF.
Posted by: mannytrillo
I thought you used to be a Cub fan. That comment really isn't fair. He's a rookie. Dubois simply doesn't have a feel for the left field wall yet and he's not the greatest defensive outfielder to begin with. It was a tough chance. The type of play Moises Alou used to butcher. Almost a homerun, the ball came straight down right at the point where the wall jogs deeper.
Geez, let's bring back Holly.
Was It All Just A Bad
Was It All Just A Bad Dream?
Jeff Gordon just got booed out of the booth as he screwed up singing TMOTTBG during the 7th Inning stretch.
Way too much booin' goin' on .
Who is Jeff Gordon?
Who is Jeff Gordon?
Just some terrible
Just some terrible hitting...
by E Wilson. J Dubois doubles to start the 8th inning. Cubs down by two. Anything hit to the right side moves Dubois to third.
Wilson flies softly to ..left...
part of that red-state
part of that red-state collective called NASCAR
Steve T Jeff Gordon races
Steve T
Jeff Gordon races cars for a living.
Boats: "I thought you used
"I thought you used to be a Cub fan."
I am a Cubs fan. Dubois has looked like a lost child out there all year, not just on that play.
Well, Dad just walked the
Well, Dad just walked the bases full! C'mon Jeromy!
Sometimes I just love
Sometimes I just love listening to Ron Santo. This is one of those times.
Cubs WIN!!!!! In Dusty We
Cubs WIN!!!!!
In Dusty We Trusty!!!!!!!!!
Wow...great game. This is
Wow...great game.
This is the first game I remember all year in which the Cubs snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat. These kind of games happen all too infrequently anymore. Lets get more of these type of games.
Oh and thankyou Houston for blowing this game!!! All those pitches in the dirt and ending up in front of the Cubs dugout didn't hurt too much!!
I loved Lidge when he was
I loved Lidge when he was mowing down the Cardinals in the playoffs last year, and I must admit, I very much love him now.
#26: See
Hey John; The prospects
Hey John;
The prospects theyíre scouting are, apparently, from Peoria. Hands off Eric Patterson!
Unless I am mistaken, they Cubs can't trade Eric Patterson (or Sean Gallagher) until June 7th. They can't trade guys they drafted for atleast a year. June 7th is near, so this leads me to believe Ryan Harvey? Bo Flowers?
jeff gordon is from
jeff gordon is from illinois, btw ;p
on the flip, i'm from north carolina.
im not a fan of autoracing or automobiles for that matter, but one thing that is cool about the "sport" if youre a fan of it is the racers are pretty damn accessable. for a lot of them you can drive up to their garage on an offday and they'll let you have access to all kinds of stuff, including the driver, depending on the mood of the garage and what's going on when you visit.
i doubt gordon is that accessable, though...he's a bit too in the public eye...
there some useless information about the exciting world of turning left really fast.
btw...Baseball America is based outta north carolina, too. some nice baseball minds wandering around the state.
Great to see the win, but
Great to see the win, but please note that Dusty frittered away an out in the big inning by use of his favorite out-wasting tool, the bunt. I don't watch/listen to every game, but I've seen him do that at least five times this year.
Cubs record when Josh S is
Cubs record when Josh S is at the game: 3-0
Maddux 10 Ks
2 homer game by Patterson
Homer for Dubois
Lee walk-off homer
Clemens groin strain
4 run rally in the 8th, BS by Lidge
3 ER in 20.2 innings from the starters
So who is buying me season tickets?
FWIW, while you can't trade
FWIW, while you can't trade draftees for a year, there are a lot of done deals out there for many teams that involve a PTBNL, and I'm willing to bet that most of those guys will turn out to be draftees from the class of '04.
By the way, I knew who Jeff Gordon is. I just don't care.
well...here's something you
well...here's something you might care about...though its just rumor-mongering...mmmmmmm rumors
there's a cubs scout at the pit/stl game
on the flip...there were at least 4 there tonite as spied by the announce crew, 2 are still left apparently.
Isn't Gordon from Indiana?
Isn't Gordon from Indiana?
Bonk: "Great to see the win,
"Great to see the win, but please note that Dusty frittered away an out in the big inning by use of his favorite out-wasting tool, the bunt. I don't watch/listen to every game, but I've seen him do that at least five times this year."
Did you even watch/listen to this game?? When did Dusty waste an out? The only thing I think you could be referring to is Neifi trying to clearly bunt for a basehit (not sacrafice) in the 8th. There was 1 out and guys on 1st and 2nd, Dusty was not bunting there, that was Neifi on his own for a basehit. Come on man, please know your complaint before you actaully complain. UGH!!!!!
Cubfan: "This is the first
"This is the first game I remember all year in which the Cubs snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat."
Have you seen many games lately?? The Cubs have had two late inning comback wins just in the past week before tonight. Last Tue and Wed nights they came back in the last inning and beat Pitt's closer Mesa when they were losing.
Come on guys...
Jeff Gordon was born in
Jeff Gordon was born in Vallejo, CA and now lives in southern FL. I worked with Pepsi Sports Marketing and worked very closely with Jeff for 2 years. Nice guy, quiet and very secluded.
I am a Cubs fan. Dubois has
I am a Cubs fan. Dubois has looked like a lost child out there all year, not just on that play.
As per usual, because Dubois didn't make a leaping catch on a ball hit directly into the well and the wind, it means that every other left fielder in baseball, Hollandsworth and Alou inclusive, would have. I was at the game and didn't catch any replays, but nothing about the play looked routine, at least from my vantage point.
I left after the sixth, but those at-bats in the eighth look wonderful.
Just got home from the game.
Just got home from the game. Refreshing to see someone else's bullpen implode (Ok, so it was especially fun watching Lidge implode...)
Mitre, for the most part, really impressed. He definitely seemed much more accomplished and confident out there.
Dubois' fielding: it's almost as if he's not aware of how the ball will react when it hits the outfield grass. He runs the bases well, but seems to just sorta meander while out in the field. The near-home run was a tough play from my vantage point (right field), but as an eariler comment pointed out, Alou probably would've missed it, too. If he continues to hit the way he has, I don't see how Dusty can take that bat out of the lineup.
And can somebody PLEASE take a pitch?!?!? The crowd hadn't finished booing Gordon over that horrific 7th inning stretch and there were already 2 outs!
Re: Gordon... oh my.
Re: Gordon... oh my.
Ron Galt: "it means that
Ron Galt:
"it means that every other left fielder in baseball, Hollandsworth and Alou inclusive, would have."
I never said that, nor inferred that. Jsut staing the fact that he made a poor play that cost teh Cubs 2 runs and has made many poor plays so far this year. Never compared him to other OF's.
"but nothing about the play looked routine, at least from my vantage point."
I wouldn't call it routine either, like the ball he dropped earlier this year where he was camped out underneath it and dropped it. But it was a play much easier than CPat's the other night that everyone was pissed at Cpat for not making. I think the ball tonight was a ball an average LF should make most of the time.
Jesus Holly cant field to
Jesus Holly cant field to save his life and earlier in the season he was bobbling balls and not even trying to catch some easy singles to the OF that a guy in a wheel chair could get under and make the catch on. Did we hear one single peep from these people? Nope we sure did not.
But these are the same people who can't get off Jason Dubois -the rookie- jock strap for some odd reason. He didn't come in as a defensive super star we all know that, he is here for 1 reason only and that is to hit the hell out of the ball and he has done that to date.
Give the rookie some slack just the same way some of you guys gave Hollandsworth some slack. Again Holly is a 10 year veteran. He has no excuse for his inept hitting and fielding. Dubois is brand spanking new seeing pitchers and a field that isnt exactly easy for an OF to learn on.
This is just part of the
This is just part of the "rookie" fan wars. Apparently you have to be either a fan of jason or a fan of corey, which means you have to rag endlessly on the other.
I'm a fan of both players: I
I'm a fan of both players: I guess I just love watching guys strike out. Honestly, though, I'm happy to have both on my team. Just for the record, Jim Edmonds has struck out more times than Corey and has fewer homers and is hitting only 6 points better (.278 vs. .272).
However, Jim is getting on base at a .399 clip where Corey is stumbling about in the low .300s. I guess my point is I think Corey will become an above average player if he can get that average above .300. Everything else seems to be coming along fine.
That and I hate Jim Edmonds. A lot.
I think Corey will become
I think Corey will become an above average player if he can get that average above .300.
To do that, he's going to need to cut down on the strikeouts. Look at their OBP% difference, 40% and 30%. That means Patterson makes an out 70% of the time compared to Edmonds just 60%.
I'm a Dubois fan but sitting
I'm a Dubois fan but sitting out by the leftfield bullpen tonight I can tell you, that was not a tough ball he dropped. he actually played it perfectly - going back, feeling for the wall, then holding his mitt up and ... dropping it. He just plain dropped it. No mitt full of vines, nothing. He just muffed it.
A post only needs a witty
A post only needs a witty heading if one of the Witt pitchers was involved...
Just got back from the game
Just got back from the game myself. I missed JB's play/muff, but I agree with Andrew about Mitre, he seemed really composed out there, reminded me of the *switch* in Josh Beckett in 2003. I'm not saying he has comparable stuff mind you...
Don't listen to me cause I'm ahead by 8 drinks but Dempster seemed like a closer tonight. We can all agree that a closer has to learn the position as it's a unique assignment especially when it's considered with major league standards in mind. Didn't Eckersley walk a ton of batters as a starter for the Cubs before defining 'light's out' as a closer?
Jeff Gordon is also a sportswriter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I would have preferred him to Jeff Gordon the stock car racer...
Some random thoughts. Boy,
Some random thoughts.
Boy, looking at the box scores for the last few games, Houston has a really pathetic offense. This is what happens when your core gets old/hurt and there are no young studs coming up to replace (as in Atlanta). Beware of trading your potential studs.
Joining the trade discussion on this link, I really hope the Cubs' management can avoid a panic trade for Cliff Floyd (and a dump of Latroy Hawkins). Although he would in theory provide the lefty power hitter they lack (and have lacked the last five years), the magic phrase "if healthy" renders that all meaningless. His contract would be a dead weight on the team's freedom of action to acquire more valuable players later this year or over the winter. At most he would be a bridge until Pie, Murton, or (if he can learn to play left) Sing is ready to play in the majors in 2007. A very rickety bridge.
If the Cubs are going to use prospects in trades, they should use them to find a long term solution for SS (someone who can play the postion and provide acceptable offense for the next five seasons - Do they have Dombrowski's phone number in Detroit?).
Rather than a stupid trade, I would prefer to see how the offense performs after Walker is called back up, starts playing regular at 2d, and Dusty start using Hairston in left, center, and right field as a 4th outfielder/swing man while using him regularly as the lead-off hitter.
Looking at tonight game's box score and recap in the Trib's web site, I would offer the 8th inning as evidence of the power of not making an out (also called taking a walk) can have on a offense. Lee's and Hairston's walks were crucial for a nice long inning, helped to wear down Lidge, and showed how runs are scored without home runs.
I would recommend folks to check out the baseballprospectus web site that is linked from Ruz's and John's blog for for the story they have on the Cubs in their "triple play feature." As their numbers show, we are not imagining that the Cubs bullpen has stunk so far this season. But some of these performances are so far off these pitchers's expected performance levels, I would wait a bit longer and see if some of these guys bounce back before I make trades to pick up somebody else's mediocrity.
Reference SEDAGIVE's post, I am doing this from my memory, but Eckersly normally had good control. What happent to Eck is that he hurt his arm (shoulder I believe) in the 1985 meltdown and when he came back could no longer sustain his velocity as a starter (and started walking more batters as started trying to live on the black as a result). That, and his drinking problem, led the Cubs to give up on him after 1986 and do a contract dump with Oakland in Spring training 1987. In Oakland Alderson, Duncan and LaRussa figure he could still throw hard for one to two innings and come back and pitch the next night. And it helped that Eckersley gave up the sauce. Result: A Hall of Fame career. (It was another historically bad Cubs' trade, up there with the Lou Brock and Bill Madlock fiascos. Trivia question: who did the Cubs get for Eckersley? (hint: he is still working in baseball, but of course not as a player (he stopped being a player in 1987).
Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
Who is Steve T? (He is a
Who is Steve T?
(He is a Cardinal fan).
I knew that. I just didn't care.
A few observations from last
A few observations from last night (since it was actually on tv and I could watch it for once)
1. Dubois looks lost in the field, but damn he hits it hard when he makes contact.
2. Holly is thriving again in the role he should have been playing all along. Big at-bat in a PH role last night.
3. Mitre looks sharp. Granted it was only against Houston, but his breaking stuff was pretty good and when he missed he generally missed low, not in meaty part of the zone.
4. Dempster looked like a closer. Everytime this year Hawkins came into the ninth we had this here we go again feeling. Dempster may not be as good as Hawkins, but he seems to have the closer mentality you need. This coming from me, a guy who thought closer mentality was bunk, until having to watch Hawkins for the past two years.
But another great come from behind win. Very fun game to watch.
Tbone: "I'm a Dubois fan but
"I'm a Dubois fan but sitting out by the leftfield bullpen tonight I can tell you, that was not a tough ball he dropped."
"Dubois looks lost in the field,"
Thank you...the voices of reason.
Jason has done about what I expected him to do. Bat .250 with some power, K a lot and play below average defense. I can't/won't expect him to do much better than that for now. I think he will get better, but it will be a 2-3 year process for sure. But unforunately, at this point, he is the best choice to start in LF.
A the delights of
A the delights of repition...
So what if Dubois is not the next Gold Glove outfielder! As we have all agreed, his hitting is good, his baserunning is good, and he is still fairly young.
We are two months into the season. Dusty is actually playing a ROOKIE! Let the growing pains happen and then we can enjoy the fruits of our farm system.
On a related note, there is not a Mets outfielder (save a healthy Beltran) that I would want this year. It might be a homer bias, but I think that this is a good core. Let's see what happens.
Is everyone so full of bile
Is everyone so full of bile for Hendry's inaction in the offseason that they've forgotten how so many of his past moves were terrific?
Let's assume for a second that the Sosa trade was the Sosa trade and stop expecting that he's going to show enormously bad judgement. I refuse to believe he's going to trade Dubois and Hawkins for anyone.
The Floyd trade rumors don't make any sense and Hendry, while perhaps hamstrung this offseason by both management/fan pressures to dump Sosa as well as serious budgetary constraints, did not all of a sudden become a dottering idiot.
Let's think positively. Isn't it a little possible that this could be of the Nomar/Simon/Lofton/Ramirez/Grudz/Karros/Barrett/Lee variety, and not of the Sosa variety?
Seiously, Hendry's track record is by and large good.
Q 1: What is Wrigley Stadium
Q 1: What is Wrigley Stadium like? Is it close to Wrigley Field?
Q 2: Why no vitriol on the board about sending Grieve down (to make room for Mitre) instead of Macias? Is Macias still around because of his "versatility"/ Is there some roster related reason that it had to be Grieve and not Macias?
Q3: Who's going down to make room for Walker?
Whipple... Hendry has done
Hendry has done a very good job IMO. I wouldn't say the same for Baker.
Hendry had his hands tied with this team. Sosa's contract was simply impossible to deal with and we are still dealing with it. But next year we won't be. I honestly think Hendry took a look at this season and just honestly analyzed that this team would be competitive...but they wouldn't compete for the championship and he knew no matter what he did as far as personnel it wouldn't get them over the hump.
He has a BUDGET the Tribune Co. has given given him...and that's that. We can say all we want that they should be in the Red Sox/Yankee salary range but the tribune has given him constraints. 20% of the teams salary is in BALTIMORE this year and I wouldn't say any other players salary is out of line.
The Cubs haven't won it all in my lifetime and most likely everyone on TCR. It isn't like not winning this year is any different than any other season. But I DO think good things are possible with NEXT years team. Hendry has a ton of possible moves to make with a hell of a lot of FREED up CASH. That to me is more exciting than making A, B and C move come this trade deadline only to get them to a strong 2nd place finish...and 5 games behind the wild card winner. I think next season is truly the one we've been waiting for and Hendry I suspect realized this last October and knew he had no moves that would really make a difference.
About Danny Graves: "The
About Danny Graves:
"The Reds say the decision to designate pitcher Danny Graves for assignment had everything to do with the closer's performance, and nothing to do with the obscene hand gesture Graves made to a fan during Sunday's 9-2 loss to Cleveland. The Reds parted with Graves because they think his stuff is fading. His fastball, which once hit 93 mph, tops out at 87. His ERA was 7.36. He's allowed 30 hits in 18 1/3 innings. A lack of velocity plays a major role in that decline. Graves plans to get his shoulder examined in the next few days."
Dusty!! If the Reds no longer want the guy, that should really tell you something!!! The Reds, Dusty, the Reds!!!
I think when Walker comes
I think when Walker comes back a pitcher will go down. I'm very surprised Grieve went down instead of one of the bullpen guys for Mitre.
As far as Grieve v. Macias, I'm pretty sure Macias is signed to a major league contract (can someone back up my assumption on this?) therefore he'd have to clear waivers to be sent down, where Grieve was signed to a minor league contract so no problems sending him down. Although come to think of it Macias on waivers would be very pleasing to most of us on here.
Mike Kiley in the Sun-Times
Mike Kiley in the Sun-Times this morning (Wednesday - 5/25) is dismissing the Hawkins-to-Mets deal. Headline calls the deal "Bogus."
Thank you, master Jedi. I
Thank you, master Jedi. I know f***all about roster rules. They should just release MAcias anyway.
Does anyone think Macias
Does anyone think Macias wouldn't clear waivers?
Manny: At that point, I was
At that point, I was following it on MLB Gameday - I saw bunt=lead runner out. I assumed that as with many other bunts this year when the Cubs were within a run or two, Dusty called for it because, you know, small ball. If Neifi! did it on his own, Dusty should personally kill him; swing the frickin bat.
I'm also not sure how it would be "obvious" that it was (a) Neifi! deciding, and (b) for a base hit specifically. Does he try and make an out when sacrificing? I mean, isn't he trying to lay down a good bunt either way? That said, I wasn't watching the play, so maybe it was obvious. I for one would sure as hell rather he swung in any case.
If you almost dropped off
If you almost dropped off this string during the Jeff Gordon discussion, you might have missed some nice observations by Cub Fan in Germany in Post 59. Read it!
This was a good win, one that we should be celebrating, not kvetching about DuBois's defense or why Neifi tried to bunt in the 8th (heck, maybe he just didn't want to hit into a DP. He succeeded!)
We should be gazing in awe at the implosion that is the Houston Astros and counting our blessings. Next time someone posts a lament about "Prior not getting run support", think of Clemens...And I think losing Bagwell is hurting the Astros much more than the loss of Beltran and Kent. Biggio is doing fine returning to 2B, mitigating the loss of Kent. But Bagwell's loss just seemed to rip the heart out of this team...they are lethargic, can't mount a sustained rally, and losing every close play. Let's sweep 'em outta here before they wake up!
Biggio is about their only
Biggio is about their only hitter right now, but have you ever seen such awful range at second. I noticed last night and especially in the first series a few balls hit up the middle I thought would be sure outs and somehow they snuck into the outfield. He really kills them in the field.
DC Tom, hallelujah. A win
DC Tom, hallelujah. A win is a win is a win, and to manage it after Clemens was mowing people down, so much the better. I do feel kind of bad for the Astros - the second wild pitch did it.
I'm taking my little girl to her first Cubs game tomorrow. Here's hoping for a Zambrano win to vault above .500.
And God bless Neifi! for avoiding the DP.
I was at the game last night
I was at the game last night too and was very impressed with Mitre - Biggio's ball was the only well-hit ball off of him all night (even including outs). The Stros inning where they scored 2 runs was a reall bummer as they actually didn't record a single hit - Dubois should have caught the ball in left, and Mitre was just a tad slow starting the attempted double play that allowed the second run to score. Mitre's line should have read 7 innings, 0 runs, 4 hits.
On the Mitre ball - both parties are right - it was not a routine ball and it was close to the wall and Mitre clearly did get confused by the bend in the wall - a case of inexperience.
But - it was indeed a very catchable ball and his little jump to get it was pathetic - he just misplayed it - pure and simple and it cost the Cubs 2 runs.
But in the end, all is forgiven - Dubois' double was the ley to starting the 8th inning rally and it was a greta victory. I've never seen Lidge so wild before.
The Astros must really think they're cursed this year. Its good to see the Cubs beating teams they should be beating.
Hawkeye: "As we have all
"As we have all agreed, his (Dubois) hitting is good,"
We all have not agreed to that. I think he hits for good power (.565 SLG), but K's way too much (26 K's), does not BB (2 BB) and does not hit well for average (.261). Actually, thus far this season, the only thing he has done well is hit for power when he does hit the ball.
But again, at this point, there is really no other realistic option in LF and he should be playing there, but he is not hitting good, IMO. And of course that does not take into account his below average fielding.
I know some will attack me for this stance as many really like Dubois, but these are the stats so far and pretty much as expected. An upgrade in LF is needed if this team is to contend.
This team will not contend
This team will not contend this year, if by that you mean winning the wildcard. Give the kid a chance. Sure, he butchered that play, but he's still learning.
I wouldn't call it routine
I wouldn't call it routine either ... I think the ball tonight was a ball an average LF should make most of the time.
Based on Tbone's comment, I'll admit to being wrong about the nature of the play; I thought he'd dropped it mid-leap.
Will Walker be starting
Will Walker be starting again today? He's back from Iowa - anyone know what the schedule looks like with him?
I think he hits for good
I think he hits for good power (.565 SLG), but K's way too much (26 K's), does not BB (2 BB) and does not hit well for average (.261). Actually, thus far this season, the only thing he has done well is hit for power when he does hit the ball.
Good Power, high strikeouts, almost no walks, and bad defense.
Sounds like every corner outfielder the Cubs have had over the past 10 years.
"Good Power, high
"Good Power, high strikeouts, almost no walks, and bad defense.
Sounds like every corner outfielder the Cubs have had over the past 10 years." - Bleeding Blue
There were a few years there where Sammy walked.
a few things: -i am a huge
a few things:
-i am a huge dubois fan, to get my bias out there. it was not an easy play but not the toughest play. i'd say about half the leftfielders in the league make it. that well/ivy/brick wall are a bitch to deal with, and he's just learning it. makeable, not butchered though
- dubois minor league stats had much higher walk rate than he has now. to me, this says that he will likely get more walks as he gets used to and sees more major league pitching, since he understands that it is useful. the double he hit in the 8th last night was a good example of a ball he would have whiffed on in april, in my opinion
- i would put dubois just outside the top ten LFers in the NL. cabrera, dunn, bay, burrell, luis gonzalez, floyd (ahem when healthy), klesko, carlos lee, reggie sanders, craig wilson.
- i'd say that being 11th/16, while not awesome, is not bad at all for being a very green rookie. give the kid some more time and he'll continue to hit for power, and hopefully increase the walks.
all hail the return of todd
all hail the return of todd walker! in any logical world, this would mean that either wilson or macias would go *poof* and disappear, but since we sent grieve down for no particular reason, it pretty much has to be a pitcher leaving. a 13 man pitching staff makes no sense, and i believe that's what the cubs have right now.
finally, this amazing clip from the daily herald today, which shows how inept the cubs have been at improving their main weakness, offensive on-base, which oh just happens to be the most important stat there is (not making outs):
"E-mailer Sanjay H., my favorite GM not working in baseball today, dug up the fact that only three NL teams in the last 10 years have failed to post a .340 OBP in any single season, including this year. They are the Pirates, Expos/Nationals and Cubs. The Brewers even did it twice.
Says Sanjay, ìThereís no excuse for an upper-echelon payroll team like the Cubs to be so dismal in its ability to get on base.íí
Oh, yeah. The last time a Cubs team had an OBP of at least .340? That was 1945, the last year the Cubs went to a World Series."
btw, i believe that a .340 OBP was the NL average for the entire league last year...it's not like we're asking for a team of Ted Williamses here.
Regarding Graves, are the
Regarding Graves, are the Braves interested? If they don't see a reclamation project, then nobody will.
Lantern-- "i would put
"i would put dubois just outside the top ten LFers in the NL. cabrera, dunn, bay, burrell, luis gonzalez, floyd (ahem when healthy), klesko, carlos lee, reggie sanders, craig wilson. i'd say that being 11th/16, while not awesome, is not bad at all for being a very green rookie."
Interesting way of looking at it. By process of elimination that means you think he's better than Barry Bonds/Moises Alou/Pedro Feliz (Giants), Jayson Werth/Ricky Ledee/Jason Repko (Dodgers), Brian Jordan/Ryan Langerhans (Braves), Matt Holliday (Rockies), Ryan Church (Nationals) and Jason Lane/Mike Lamb/Orlando Palmeiro (Astros). I disagree with him being better than the options of the Giants and Dodgers, and being the rest of the others is damning the man with faint praise.
If Levine is correct and the
If Levine is correct and the proposed deal will happen with the Mets, I would think it more likely to be Cliff Floyd and Mike DeJean for LaTroy Hawkins and Todd Hollandsworth (NOT Jason Dubois), plus Ryan Harvey and Bo Flowers. The Mets need to open a spot in the OF for Victor Diaz, and acquiring Jason Dubois wouldn't do that.
Blue: "Sounds like every
"Sounds like every corner outfielder the Cubs have had over the past 10 years."
Sad, but true. :)
For those of you who
For those of you who questioned me when I said some people think OBP is the most important stat of all, here is proof:
Green Lanteren (post #84):"offensive on-base, which oh just happens to be the most important stat there is (not making outs):"
Arizona-- "If Levine is
"If Levine is correct and the proposed deal will happen with the Mets, I would think it more likely to be Cliff Floyd and Mike DeJean for LaTroy Hawkins and Todd Hollandsworth (NOT Jason Dubois), plus Ryan Harvey and Bo Flowers."
That'd be a horrible, horrible trade for the Cubs. We add a tonne of payroll, we get by far the worst of the relievers, we lose a cheap and decent bench bat, we lose one of our top prospects and another more marginal one and all we get in return is stinking injury-prone Cliff Floyd.
For those of you who
For those of you who questioned me when I said some people think OBP is the most important stat of all, here is proof:
It seems to me you said MANY people think OBP is the most important, which to me would be more than one poster over 2 months.
but you made your point.
#68 of 90: By Jedi Knight
#68 of 90: By Jedi Knight (May 25, 2005 07:09 AM)
I'm very surprised Grieve went down instead of one of the bullpen guys for Mitre.
As far as Grieve v. Macias, I'm pretty sure Macias is signed to a major league contract (can someone back up my assumption on this?) therefore he'd have to clear waivers to be sent down, where Grieve was signed to a minor league contract so no problems sending him down. Although come to think of it Macias on waivers would be very pleasing to most of us on here.
JEDI: Once the Cubs acquired Ben Grieve from Iowa, he had a major league contract just like Macias. Not the same money, but a contract with the same MLB rights and guarantees.
Even though he had minor league options left from his days as a hot prospect in the Oakland A's organization, Ben Grieve had to give the Cubs his permission before they could option him to AAA because he has accrued 5+ years of MLB service time. Most players in Grieve's position won't agree to be optioned to the minors unless they have received some verbal assurance that they will be brought back to the majors ASAP, or unless they really like the organization a lot.
SHAME ON YOU FANS....The
SHAME ON YOU FANS....The booing was so totally discusting....maybe Jeff Gordon can't sing but who in the heck cares..you invited him there...he is the GREATEST NASCAR DRIVER you will ever find...now I know why I hate baseball so much..I hope your team doesn't win another game all season..HE RACES, HE'S CUTE AND ALOT BETTER THAN YOUR TEAM COULD EVER BE. GROW UP..I live in Ohio with the Cleveland Indians and I hope they come to Wrigleys field and blow you away....DOUBLE SHAME ON YOU...................
Recent comments
Friday's games will be in Washington, Chicago, Arlington, and Cleveland or Boston. Someone's game is starting laaaaaaaate - 50-50 chance it's the CDT Cubs.
Meh, I messed that up. Mets are in.
Cards and Giants can still tie though.
Kershaw gets hurt by his defense and gave up 2 more runs. Blach has 8 shutout innings.
Mets already won as did Cards.
tomorrow is gonna be helluva fun if Giants hold on. We're all rooting for a 3-way tie I presume.
good news is now 5 K's for Lester through 4 (in a quest for 200 for season). Bad news is he's already at 86 pitches.
be curious how long Maddon sticks with Lester to try and let offense get back into it and get him the win (4-2 as I type, was 4-0)
Fwiw, he needed 2.1 IP to cross 200 for season so he got that at least. He also needs 9 K's for 200K's on season and he has 4 through 3.
cubs score 2 runs thanks to predictable reds pitching and horrible CIN defense...cubs only down by 1 now. heyward even got a gift 2rbi double out of an easy popout. neat.
something named Ty Blach has outpitched Clayton Kershaw through 6 innings (1-0 Giants).
not that finishing 2nd place will matter much nor did this game, but have to think if Hendricks pitches well tomorrow, he could leapfrog Lester in Cy Young voting. Don't see anyway Scherzer doesn't win it regardless and it doesnt' look like Lester has any incentive clauses that matter. Also might give Cueto some votes.
Rather remarkable how many teams have really good 1-2 options this year.
Nats: Scherzer and Roark (and Strasburg was great before injuries)
Cubs: Lester and Hendricks (and Arrietta is still damn good just not as consistently lately)
pretty much what I'm gathering from this thread is that it doesn't matter who you play in 5-game series, but no one wants to have to deal with Cardinal fans if we end up losing.
I can respect that.
first game for lester giving up more than 2 runs since july 24th. hell of a run.
doh, yes...dunno what happened there. jake arrieta is all "bro wut?"
lester going for #20...cubs haven't had a LH (thanks jpep for the correction) 20 game winner since d.ellsworth in 1963.
fwiw, all the games are free on mlb.tv
Short rest for MadBum would be 2 days. WC game is Wed., Games 1 & 2 are Friday/Saturday.
A left-handed one...
J-Hey not finishing with an offensive onslaught.
If Geoff Blum could be a Playoff hero, there is hope still...


text:
After scoring two runs in the first inning against Indiana in the opener, and six to start off its semifinal victory over Claysburg-Kimmel, the Hollidaysburg baseball team had made good use of its early-inning opportunities at the 11th annual Curve Classic.
That continued on Sunday, as the Golden Tigers scored all four of their runs in the first frame, paving the way to their first Curve Classic title since 2005, defeating Bellwood-Antis, 4-2, at People's Natural Gas Field.
"We scored first inning runs in every game [of the tournament]," Hollidaysburg coach Jon Szynal said. "Baseball can be a weird game. You score more in one inning than the other team does in the whole game and it was enough to [win the game]."
Article Photos
Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Bellwood-Antis' Zach Mock gets out of the way of a double play finished off by the Tigers' Trent Sipes.
After Tanner Claar led off the Hollidaysburg first with a single, Bellwood starter Danny Beech walked Trent Sipes and Brett Hileman to load the bases.
With one out, Eric Miller walked to bring in the first run of the game. Jordan McCall then grounded out to plate the second run, before Luke Glass singled in Hileman and Miller to finish the Golden Tiger scoring.
"It was unfortunate," Bellwood-Antis coach Steve Conlon said of his team's early deficit. "[Beech] wasn't able to zone in and throw strikes."
Beech was pulled after the first, while Steffan Wyland came in to throw the last five innings, allowing no runs while scattering six hits.
"[Wyland] came in and threw outstanding," Conlon said. "He threw strikes, which was key, and the defense behind him was great. It kept us in the game at the end."
Four runs of support would be all that Hollidaysburg southpaw Andy Crum would need, as he threw five innings, allowing one run on just four hits.
"[Crum] threw all his pitches for strikes," Szynal said. "He got ahead of hitters and looked strong. I couldn't ask for much better for his first outing [of the season]."
The Blue Devils were able to get to Crum with two outs in the fifth inning. After leadoff hitter Haden DeGennaro drew a walk and stole second, sophomore Chad Luensmann singled to left field to drive him in.
"[Crum] mixed his pitches well," Conlon said. "He threw a lot of strikes and they made the plays behind him on defense which kept our guys off of the bases. We didn't put much pressure on him."
Crum was pulled after Beech tripled to deep right to start the Bellwood sixth. The Golden Tigers brought in Hileman, who struck out Bryan Lynn before catcher Trenton Creppage singled in Beech to close the scoring.
Hileman, who was named tournament MVP, used two strikeouts and a groundout in the seventh to give Hollidayburg the win and the Curve Classic title.
"It's nice to win the tournament," Szynal said. "We're pleased to get out and play on a beautiful ball field, so to win it is an added bonus."
While Bellwood was on the losing end, Conlon was pleased with the effort his team gave against the likes of the local AAAA teams in the tournament.
"If we can carry that same confidence we had playing [Altoona and Hollidaysburg] the rest of the way, we will win a lot of games this year," Conlon said.
The Golden Tigers don't get much of a break, as they head to Punxsutawney on Monday, while Bellwood will travel to Mount Union on Tuesday.
BELLWOOD-ANTIS (2): DeGennaro cf 311, Luensmann 1b 201, Gray ss, 301, Beech p-rf 311, Lynn rf-lf 300, Creppage c 301, Snyder 2b 300, Hunter 3b 300, Wyland lf-p 300, Mock cr 000. Totals - 26-2-5
HOLLIDAYSBURG (4): Claar cf 412, Sipes 2b-ss 211, Hileman ss-p 311, Crum p-1b, Miller 1b-3b 211, McCall 3b 300, Glass dh 301, Sell rf 300, Russell lf 301, Fluke cr 000. Totals - 26-4-8
Bellwood-Antis 000 011 0-2 5 0
Hollidaysburg 400 000 X- 4 8 1
E- McCall. 2b-Hileman. 3b-Beech. RBI-Glass 2, Miller, McCall, Luensmann, Creppage. WP-Crum. LP-Beech. SO- Crum 3, Hileman 3, Beech 2, Wyland. BB- Crum 2, Beech 3, Wyland.
Records: Bellwood-Antis (3-1); Hollidaysburg (3-0).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"His reaction is one of overwhelming sadness because of what has happened to Dylan," Elkan Abramowitz told NBC's Today show when asked how Allen, 78, reacted to his onetime adopted daughter's open letter in The New York Times claiming he abused her.
"She was a pawn in a huge fight between him and Mia Farrow years ago, and the idea that she was molested was implanted in her by her mother," Abramowitz said. "That memory is never going to go away. So the fact that she says this now, that it happened 20 years ago, is totally understandable."
Asked why a grown woman would lie – Dylan is now 28, married and living in Florida under a different name – Abramowitz replied: "In my view, she's not lying. I think she truly believes this happened. That's what the vice of this is. When you implant a story in a fragile 7-year-old's mind, it stays there forever. It never goes away."
Abramowitz pointed to the investigation in the early '90s by Yale-New Haven Hospital that concluded no sexual abuse had taken place. He also said the custody judge who barred Allen from any visitation with Dylan after Allen and Farrow's split was "wrong" and "favored Mia Farrow for a variety of reasons."
Early Tuesday morning, hours before the attorney's appearance on the NBC show, Mia Farrow Tweeted: "I love my daughter. I will always protect her. A lot of ugliness is going to be aimed at me. But this is not about me, it's about her truth."
Asked on Today if Allen wants to press legal charges himself, Abramowitz replied: "Woody Allen is not interested in suing anybody for defamation. He was determined not to have molested his daughter 20 years ago. The case is over. There is no case. The fact that it is being brought up now is suspect. The timing is suspect."
Pressed on that last statement, Abramowitz said of the allegations and their timing: "I think that it's a continuation of Mia Farrow's desire to hurt Woody Allen. And Woody Allen is now riding fairly high. He got the Golden Globe Award for lifetime achievement, which he totally deserved. And I believe it revived the anger that she has toward him."
For much more on this story, including exclusive interviews with Dylan Farrow and her brother Moses, who supports Allen, look for this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, and more coverage on People.com this week
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
David Mcgough / DMI / Time Life Pictures / Getty


text:
Serves 12 |
Prep Time 10 minutes |
Cook Time 35 minutes
2 1/2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Eden Sea Salt
2 cups Edensoy Originalor Edensoy Extra Original
2 Tbsp Eden Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Eden Brown Rice Vinegar
1/4 cup Eden Barley Malt Syrupor organic maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup organic seedless raisins
Preheat oven to 350°. Stir dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine liquids. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir. Fold in the bananas, walnuts and raisins. Spoon into oiled muffin tin. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Yields: 12 large or 32 small muffins
American, Breakfast, Condiments, Dessert & Pastry, Edensoy, Good/High Fiber, Macrobiotic, Oils, Sweeteners, Vegan, Vinegars, Whole Grain


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Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson explains why he is offering an amendment to stop the federal government from offering Detroit a bankruptcy bailout.
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Adopting free and open source software in education
Tackling the challenges of open source adoption in education
In our recent survey on free and open source software in the UK education sectors, we asked colleges and universities for their main reasons for not selecting an open source solution according to 12 criteria. Below you can see how important each of the criteria were rated for software running on servers:
|Interoperability and migration problems
|Lack of support
|Poor quality software
|Not what users want
|Lack of staff expertise, training needs
|There is no open source solution for our needs
|Legal issues including licensing
|Time costs of identifying relevant software
|Migration costs
|Existing contractual obligations
|Poor documentation
|Solution does not scale
The question I'd like to pose today is if we were to consider these as representing the barriers to greater adoption of free and open source software in education, are the barriers to be found within institutions, or are there issues with the available supply of software and services to the sectors?
To answer this I've split the criteria into two groups—supply-side and demand-side. Let's look at the supply-side first of all.
Supply side factors
Three of the top four criteria are supply-side considerations: lack of support, poor quality software, and not offering what users want.
We could also consider "There is no open source solution for our needs" as being largely the same thing as not offering what users want, which would place it as the top concern.
This would imply that, from the perspective of colleges and universities, the open source software community just isn't offering the kind of software products the sectors need.
From our experience in compiling the Open Source Options for Education list, this would seem a bit curious. Perhaps the issue is one of awareness and marketing? Or are there significant niches in education where there really are no open source options? We also know that the procurement processes in many institutions would likely exclude open source from consideration—is this also a factor in this lack of awareness?
The second major issue on the supply side would then be the provision of services and support. As we've seen in the public sector, having commercial partners is a crucial factor in getting solutions adopted. (There is a chicken-and-egg issue here is that there has to be adoption to support a services market, but lack of services hampers adoption.)
Finally there is the quality issue—are open source solutions aimed at education really poor quality? Or is it that the kinds of solutions being considered are not mature?
Now lets look at the demand side.
Demand side factors
The top issue is interoperability and migration problems—if we also add in the respondents who considered migration costs, then it is by far the most cited reason why open source isn't selected.
We've noted before that there is no simple relationship between open source, open standards, and interoperability; while in principle open source affords the adoption of open standards and greater interoperability, the practice is a lot less clear cut.
However, what we haven't untangled here is whether the issue is with open source options lacking interoperability features or standards compliance, or whether the issue lies with the incumbent systems they would replace.
The next ranked issue is lack of staff expertise; again we haven't untangled whether this is a lack of expertise amongst the potential users of the software, the IT operations staff, or the staff involved in the procurement so its hard to interpret precisely. Given the question relates to server software it could be any of these groups.
It may also be the case that this issue goes hand-in-glove with that of lack of support from the supply side; often for server-side software the complexity of configuration and operations can be overcome by contracting a supplier to deal with it on your behalf. For open source options, if there are no suppliers of services available then its up to the institution's staff to figure it out.
Finally, the rest of the issues here fall under the category of contractual, legal and procedural issues with procurement itself. While each individual item is not ranked highly, taken together they suggest there are significant barriers still in place in procurement. This is something we've been looking into recently in more depth, for example in our Decision Factors for Procurement briefing.
Taken altogether, the demand side and supply side issues of open source adoption in education carry pretty much equal weight from the viewpoint of the institutions themselves. But what are we to make of it?
I think we can distill it into five challenges:
- We need to tackle the interoperability question. Is lock-in a problem? Is lack of standards a problem? This is something our friends at CETIS could take a lead on.
- We need to improve awareness of existing open source solutions available within the sector; lists like our Open Source Options for Education are useful here, but projects also need to be more proactive in raising awareness, and may need a higher profile at events such as the UCISA and ALT conferences.
- Institutions need to improve software procurement processes so that they can consider open source solutions effectively and equally with closed source.
- We need to build up the open source services market for education. ULCC have been very effective with their Moodle hosting, but companies supporting other major open source software solutions don't seem to have much of a presence in the education sector. (As I mentioned earlier though, this is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem)
- Bootstrap projects in areas where there are no existing open source solutions. Of course there are well known problems with funded projects, but there are alternative approaches, for example the Jisc Co-Design programme could play a role here.
Originally posted on OSS Watch Team Blog. Reposted under Creative Commons.
7 Comments
Thanks Scott for sharing. I was surprised how high "Interoperability" ranked as an issue, and wondered if you'd lumped Interoperability and Migration issues into a single criteria in the survey, or if you had consolidated two answers into one after the fact. I would think they may be related but they can be very different concerns (i.e. an organization desires interoperability as an attribute of the target application - sees that as a post-adoption benefit - but may have migration issues due to tack of sufficiently skills resources).
Thanks Deb,
We did lump together interoperability and migration issues (though migration cost is a separate category). I agree that there are a number of different issues this broad category covers, and thats something I'd like to look at with some follow on research.
There are two disturbing issues that I have found in past six of total approximating fifteen years working to bring Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) into the education field.
One has been the proclivity of academic institutions to formulate their software requirements by lowest costs of specific "proprietary" applications rather than by clearly defined functionality.
This ties in intricately with the second issue encountered with most if not all of the persons responsibly for technology in their school(s) systems have an intimate and strongly preferential relationship with Microsoft or one of the other large commercial vendors in this sphere. The worst part of this saga is the greed and/or personal financial incentives/ gains of these decision makers for loyalty to entrenched technology suppliers.
The end result of such very closed and regressive attitudes and actions is that exorbitant operational costs related to technology purchase and use will continue to grow significantly, and any progressive educational programs that would benefit from innovative and cost effective FOSS use will suffer badly or disappear.
I think within any organisation there can be a tendency for IT staff to identify with their preferred suppliers as much as with their employers, and some firms seem to actively encourage this identification (one wit on Twitter recently described it as Stockholm Syndrome As A Service). This is something that a transparent procurement process needs to be in place to counteract.
The survey results are an indicator of how deep the hole is that educational institutions have dug for themselves with M$'s tools. I've rescued several schools from similar lock-in, often out of necessity. While the schools could respond in a similar manner to the survey, their IT was practically non-functional, requiring frequent repair/replacements of hardware and software just to maintain the status quo. IT-staff were working so hard keeping the system running they had little time to plan a migration let alone to implement one. My solution was to convert 90% of the PCs to GNU/Linux by re-imaging. That actually took less work than fighting malware, slowing down and outright failure to function. The workload thereafter was greatly reduced. Thus, all the reasons for not migrating vanished in the light of day, replaced by amazement at how fast the old computers had become. In fact, users found the old computers faster than brand new computers using the old software. Users also appreciated that the server now hosted an abundance of good web applications similar to what they were used to on the web, requiring little or no training.
So, the solution to most of those imagined problems is to migrate and deal with the few issues that arise. Compatibility becomes no issue at all if everyone follows open standards. Training becomes no issue if everyone is using a familiar web browser. Migration of data may be a real issue for some systems because of past mistakes but those can always be fixed for less cost than paying M$ and "partners" exorbitant fees for permission to use hardware forever. One can solve a lot of problems in migration simply by allowing a small group of users to keep their present solution, typically 10-20%. That gives a huge savings still and allows FLOSS to flower in education. I found the most locked-in users were in school administration whereas the teachers mostly had a small cache of teacher-generated files which were easily migrated. Students didn't even notice the changes. It's a GUI after all. Students are the ones who can pick up a strange smartphone and have it do magic in minutes. The natural tendency of users to resist change can often be overcome by offering some new gear or improved performance.
All arguments come directly from the marketing indoctrination of M$ and Cy.
"The top issue is interoperability and migration problems—if we also add in the respondents who considered migration costs, then it is by far the most cited reason why open source isn't selected."
This argument is real because closed source will always frustrate open standards.
"We could also consider "There is no open source solution for our needs" as being largely the same thing as not offering what users want, which would place it as the top concern."
This by far the most ridiculous argument when you look at it from an independant position, but not if you know the indoctrination the customer as gone through by M$ marketing FUD.
Conclusion: since the open source community has no army to fight the opponent, we need to get ready to fight a guerilla war against the companies who suppress freedom of software
"not what users want" is not a supply-side problem, it is a marketing and conditioning issue. Users want only what they are familiar with, which is why today people still use Microsoft Office and, yes, even Windows XP. Given the choice, people will not learn something new. This is not just an open source problem, it's a computer education problem.


text:
The final three contestants on The Voice are all cautiously optimistic – and pretty exhausted – as they head into Tuesday's show, where one of them will be crowned the season 3 winner.
"It has been a long haul. I got an ear infection two days ago," Team Blake's Terry McDermott said after Monday's show. "It feels like it's been a constant battle the last few weeks."
While he'll be happy to get some rest, McDermott said he'll miss singing for millions of people each week. "I'm actually quite sad," he said. "You manage to get up every week and perform on this wonderful stage. There is a certain energy about it."
Favorite Cassadee Pope, who's also on Blake Shelton's team, said she's excited after Monday's show. "I feel great," she said. "I feel really good. I loved the tribute [to the Sandy Hook shooting victims] at the beginning. It just set the mood for the whole night. I just felt so thankful to be there."
Asked how she feels being a front-runner, she replied: "That's really nice. I hope so. I've worked really hard, even before this show. If I don't win, I know it's up to me now to take this platform and take it to the next level."
The third finalist, Nicholas David of Cee Lo Green's team, also has mixed feelings about the season coming to a close. He'll miss the national stage, but is happy to get back to his family.
The hardest part of the journey? "To be away from my kids," he said. "It's been the longest time I've been away from my gal. We've been together almost every day basically since we met. That's been seven years. But it's been a blessing, too."
All three contestants praised each other's abilities. "I thought they were unreal," Pope said of David and McDermott. "Nicholas really showed his quirky, crazy personality with his dance moves and high kicks. And Terry is a powerhouse. I'm going to miss hearing him every night. He is just unreal. And he became one of my best friends."
"I thought Cassadee was phenomenal," said McDermott. "And Nicholas David, with flaming piano singing Jimi Hendrix, that will be something that stays with me for the rest of my life."
"We haven't stopped," David said. "I'm just proud and blessed to be in this company."
Reporting by JESSICA HERNDON
The Voice: Bittersweet Ending for Singers as Show Prepares to Crown a Winner
Tyler Golden/NBC
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on December 27, 2012 - 8:10 AM
The countdown to 12 o'clock is the quintessential New Year's Eve activity. Who cares if it's noon, instead of midnight?
The Hamburg Casino will count down to 2013 at noon Monday with the traditional fanfare of a midnight celebration, including hats, noisemakers, champagne toasts, a balloon drop and live music with Lance Diamond from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"We wanted our guests to be able to enjoy the New Year's festivities without having to stay up until midnight," said marketing director Laura Galligan. "We thought this would be a fun way to celebrate the new year, and for those who are dedicated to the traditional midnight countdown, they can now celebrate 2013 twice."
The casino will have another countdown at the traditional time, with music from Disco Duck. A champagne breakfast buffet will be available during both celebrations.


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Jean Jackets For Women
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Submit News
EPA's Corn Ethanol Quotas Could Spell Death for Cattle Farms
Jason Mick
August 3, 2012 6:44 PM
comment(s) - last by
Aug 6
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President Obama's administration fears losing key swing states if it drops corn farmer-friendly quotas
It's a painful memory etched into many chapters of American history -- selling the farm. But amid a
record-setting drought
many farmers fear that may be precisely what will happen. But unlike past farm failures, this one may come not solely from nature, but from the government's
decision to artificially inflate
corn prices by
mandating corn ethanol production
I. Corn Ethanol - Pork 101
It's hard to understand why corn ethanol fuel in the U.S. has stuck around for as long as it has.
Unlike a handful of nations (i.e. Brazil), the U.S. lacks the resources to supply all its fuel needs with sugary food-crop ethanol. Thus, unlike those nations U.S. automakers have been largely unable to sell pure-ethanol vehicles to consumers. That's a game killer for corn ethanol, as it means that consumers pay more at the pump using ethanol than they would using gas as mixed-fuel engines
lack the fuel efficiency
advantages of pure ethanol engines.
The federal government has funneled billions in handouts to the corn lobby. [Image Source: AP]
Then there's the economics -- corn is a food crop, so using it as a fuel source
drives up prices
on everything from snack foods (corn syrup) to beef (cows eat corn feed). Finally, there's the environmental issue. One of the big goals of the alternative fuels movement is to
emissions of carbon and noxious (nitrogen or sulfur containing) gases. But studies have shown corn ethanol actually
leads to higher emissions
than gas.
Corn ethanol's strange status in the U.S. perhaps began when corn producers seized on the experimental fuel as a means of bumping the billions they already received in government subsidies even higher. During the Bush and Obama administrations, the corn lobby opened its checkbooks to many members of Congress, and in exchange reaped a multiplier in the form of billions of grants and subsidies for corn ethanol -- all on taxpayers' dime.
Perhaps most significantly, the federal corn supporters authorized the EPA to mandate all fuel sold to contain a certain percentage of ethanol -- in essence forcing all Americans to pay for corn ethanol, even if it was
bad for their cars
and not something they wanted.
II. Quota Remains Last Major Handout to King Corn
As part of the government's embrace of corn ethanol, the
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
(EISA) -- passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush -- mandated a series of ever-increasing production targets to be
regulated by
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) (a slightly ironic duty consider there was strong evidence corn ethanol
the environment). The idea among corn producers who backed the bill leaning on the candidates they "funded" was ostensibly that this would force future Congresses to commit to ever-increasing subsidies.
But after the recession, public backlash against wanton government spending led to Congress
cutting corn ethanol's subsidies
. But Congress did not bother to overturn the EPA's emissions targets.
Cattle farmers fear they could go under if corn prices stay artificially high. [Image Source: Texas Vox]
While cutting the subsidy, but leaving the quota might seem like adding insult to injury, corn producers were actually happy (mostly) that the quota remained. The quota created higher artificial demand, driving up prices. That artificially elevated demand has helped the corn industry weather the recent droughts, as corn prices have risen 60 percent.
But while that may have saved big corn's profits in a year which otherwise would have been disastrous, the damage has essentially been passed along to livestock producers.
Mike Deering, a spokesman for the
National Cattlemen's Beef Association
, says his organization has pleaded with the EPA to temporarily cut targets to alleviate already drought elevated corn prices made even higher by artificial ethanol demand. He
ABC News
, "Our ears are open and the line of communications is open, [but] we do not have any definitive news at this point and time."
III. Trading Higher Food Prices for Votes
Perhaps this is a case of reaping what you sow, but amid pleas from livestock farmers there's not a drop of relief in sight. The issue lies with how the EISA is structured.
While the EPA has the power to temporarily reduce production quotas, it must receive that request from states or ethanol refiners. An ethanol trade group -- the
Renewable Fuels Association
-- said it "wouldn't be surprised" to see such a request, but none has come yet. The issue is that corn demand actually helps corn farmers, refiners, and corn-producing states.
Currently about a third of corn is used to make ethanol, another third goes to livestock feed, and the remaining third is sent for human consumption either as a vegetable or in various food additives (corn syrup, corn starch, etc.).
The cattle industry warns, "The drought-induced reductions in the corn supply means that the mandated utilization of corn for renewable fuels will so reduce the supply of corn and increase its price that livestock and poultry producers will be forced to reduce the size of their herds and flocks, causing some to go out of business and jobs to be lost."
One problem is that supporting corn ethanol has held the key to Presidents Bush and Obama wining crucial swing-state battlegrounds.
In 2008 President Obama won three of the four largest corn producing state -- Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois. He also won other swing states with large corn growing regions, including Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Support of ethanol earned President Obama and other regional politicians key support -- both financial and in votes. Unsurprisingly politicians in these regions and the President are key supporters of corn ethanol.
Corn ethanol supporters were key to President Obama winning battleground states in 2008.
[Image Source: Wikimedia Commons]
Meanwhile the states who are hurt the most by the quotas -- livestock states like Texas -- are regions where President Obama holds little hope of winning electoral votes.
Of course, there is a risk that supporting government inflation of corn prices could backfire. Outside of corn producing states who directly benefit from higher corn prices, voters in other swing states might look to punish President Obama and the backers of big corn if failing livestock and higher food corn prices could drive up costs of meat and many dry foods.
For now, though, the quota stands.
remember me
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
(1 Hidden)
RE: How would you expect a free market to work
Your environmental working group link is interesting. Clinking through to the list of subsidies for individual crops shows they are using estimated, made up numbers for the last 3 years. So maybe recently they inadvertently entered a couple of numbers multiple times to pad their estimate.
The direct payment is an odd payment. It is paid based on farm history and is payed regardless of whether a farmer plants an acer to crop or not. I don't really understand the direct payment. In the last 5 year farm program the direct payment schedule reduced the direct payment to farmers each year. We will see if the direct payment continues in the next 5 year farm program, the current program is about to expire. So the estimated EWG numbers for the last 3 years do not seem to compute.
It could be argued that the crop insurance subsidy promotes crop production by providing a safety net for corn, soybean, wheat etc producers. I think the idea was to replace what seemed to be annual disaster program monies with the multi peril crop insurance subsidy.
Through the years the EWG seems to think government loans to farmers are somehow farm subsidies rather than loans.
(1 Hidden)
RE: How would you expect a free market to work
I'll try to ignore your posting name and the bias it implies in your posting.
I live in Minnesota I'm well aware of the ethanol subsidy program. It was a $6B a year federal program and was cut by the feds for a better deal: the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which this article in indirectly about. The corn lobby traded a direct subsidy for the Federal Government's agreement to mandate E10-E15 for every state. This means an automatic boost to the ethanol producers larger than the previous $6B subsidy. This is just a subsidy by another name.
You also indicate that ag producers get a subsidy for growing, so that's one more subsidy in the pockets of the Feds. We can debate the rationality of it, but it's still a substantial subsidy.
The fact is, ethanol makes horrible economic sense because it artificially raises the price of corn along with raising the production for corn, pushing out the production of other foods for given acreage. The high price also raises the price of meats that rely on corn feed. It at least as bad for the environment as gasoline and wouldn't stand a chance in a subsidy free market all things being equal. Study after study shows that ethanol is a bad idea on multiple levels.
RE: How would you expect a free market to work
Actually I selected my user name so you would know I have a dog in the race and that I am interested in seeing accurate information used in the discussion of issues that affect me a family farmer.
I don't see where in my post I pointed to a connection in the government program to a farmers decision to add corn or any other particular crop acres to his crop mix. The direct payment is like a payment to get farmers to report planted acres, farming practices, be eligible for government loans and the big one conservation compliance. The reality is a farmer makes decisions based on market forces. From my perspective ethanol is a market force. I do elect to use 89 octane e-10 in my 90 three quarter ton pickup with about 150K miles and also my 04 car closing in on 250K miles. I have had no fuel related issues with either vehicle, but that's just my own experience. In Iowa I could use 87 octane fuel without ethanol.
As far as multi peril insurance is concerned. I would be enrolled for catastrophic coverage, which is basically no insurance, automatically. Or I pay the premium for the coverage I elect based on my 10 year APH. Premiums can get a little pricy. The premium I pay for the coverage I elect is subsidized by the government.
As far as the RFS is concerned I don't see where the government is subsidizing ethanol producers in any way. I'm also not sure you will see e15 pumps in service stations any time soon. I do think the government is looking at a possible tax (I mean fine) on fuel suppliers when they are unable to meet the ethanol from cellulosic sources quota in the RFS. As I understand it the ethanol component from corn is just about maxed out today. The e15 issue is a pretty gray area for me. I guess you must feel we'll soon be seeing e15 pumps.
As far as Cattle Farmers are concerned, many of my best friends are cattle producers. Ruminate animals can max out the feed value of Distillers Grains. Cattle producers were happy to feed their cattle distillers grains when it was almost given away as a waste product from ethanol production distilled from corn. Now there are some cattle producers that want to eliminate a demand source for corn in the middle of a production cycle. Some cattle producers are wanting to change the rules. If the rule is changed it will affect thousands of rule following farmers with market prices that are likely to be well below cost of production. Choose your poison. If you are going to change the rules give producers warning and do it in the winter so a farmer has a chance to adjust his production decisions for next marketing year.
My cattle producing friends are family farmers and produce their own feed. They are calling their insurance adjusters and will likely collect an insurance payment based on their 10 yr corn APH and elected crop insurance coverage on their drought damaged corn. Once the insurance adjuster determines their corn yield per acre they plan to chop the corn for silage to feed their cattle.
"What would I do? I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders." -- Michael Dell, after being asked what to do with Apple Computer in 1997
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The new Volvo FH
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Carrying out rescue operations or maintaining and expanding society's infrastructure, put personnel and trucks to the test. Efforts that can save lives are divided into seconds and every decision counts. It is crucial that trucks and gear are reliable even in the toughest of conditions. And, just as your crew, we have trucks that are dedicated to the task. Specialised in every detail and constructed to be tools to save lives the Volvo FM and Volvo FH are up for the job.
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« Back to Media Releases
City of Little Rock Public Relations
Office (501) 371-4421
Contact(s):Meg Matthews(501) 371-4421
Friday, March 8, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Jon Honeywell, P.E.,
FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013 Department of Public Works
(501) 371-4475
Hinson Road (Pebble Beach Drive – Dorado Beach Drive)
WHAT: Hinson Road between Pebble Beach Drive and Dorado Beach Drive will be closed to through traffic beginning Monday, March 18, 2013 at 6:00 a.m. through Sunday, March 24, 2013 at 6:00 p.m.
The road closure is required to remove and replace a drainage structure located between Woodberry and Carmel Streets. The City of Little Rock will have detour signage posted to route traffic around this project.
Please visit www.littlerock.org and watch the scrolling Calendar of Events for any updates regarding this and other events in the City.
Detour Route Information
To access Hinson Road, traffic will be detoured at Dorado Beach Drive along Valley Park Drive and Pebble Beach to Hinson Road.
Since this major travel route will be closed, motorists traveling this section are urged to seek alternate routes. Barricades and detour route signage will be maintained during the closure, but motorists should add travel time to their routes and could experience delays.
This portion of Hinson Road is scheduled to be reopened to all traffic on Monday, March 25, 2013 at 8:00 a.m.
WHO: Residents & Motoring Public in the area of Hinson Road between Pebble Beach Drive and Dorado Beach Drive
WHERE: Woodberry and Carmel
WHEN: Monday, March 18, 2013 through Sunday, March 24, 2013
© 2016 by City of Little Rock. All rights Reserved.
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text:
GUILFORD LAKE - Less than 24 hours after firefighters battled blazes in Columbiana and Rogers Thursday evening, a home caught fire in Hanover Township.
Hanover Township fire Chief Frank Baker said it was difficult for firefighters to get to the two-story home at 6165 Camp Boulevard due to its location off the main road.
"It was rather hard to get to, up a small back street. We actually fought it from the main road," he said.
Article Photos
Hanover Township firefighters were assisted by Winona and Lisbon firefighters in battling a house fire at 6165 Camp Blvd. at Guilford Lake Friday afternoon. The house owned by Jim Secclar was engulfed with flames shooting through the roof upon firefighters arrival. The 3-story house that Secclar had been working on for over two years was thought to be a total loss and was not insured. No injuries were reported. (Salem News photo by Patti Schaeffer)
The house was located about 75 yards up a steep slope, he added.
"We kind of made our own path, drug our hose up and started from there," he said.
Firefighters from the township's two stations, Guilford Lake and Hanoverton, were at the scene around 1 p.m. Friday. Mutual aid was requested from the Winona and Lisbon volunteer departments.
Baker said it took the 25 firefighters about three hours to put the fire out.
"It was well under way by the time we got there. It was through the roof," he said.
Owner Jim Secclar, who was home at the time and reported the fire, told Baker that he went outside after first smelling smoke and saw flames shooting out of the roof next to the exterior chimney.
The fire appeared to have started in the chimney at the second floor of the home, Baker said.
Secclar was not injured and no one else was inside.
Baker said that while the structure is still standing, the roof and most of the second story was heavily damaged. The first floor and basement sustained water damage.
Secclar had been in the process of remodeling and the materials- which included insulation, drywall and lumber- posed some difficulty for firefighters, Baker said.
"There was a lot of remodeling materials inside the home ... which caused some issues with getting it extinguished," he said.
The local firefighters were back at the station around 4 p.m.
In Rogers, a two-story farmhouse escaped major damage on Thursday after firefighters from the Negley department were able to keep it contained to a bedroom.
Negley Fire Chief Gary Banicki said there was minimal damage to the second-story bedroom inside the home at 8218 state Route 7.
Resident Don Hays Jr. reported the fire shortly before 9 p.m. and he and his wife and three children were able to get out of the home without injury, the chief said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The Lisbon Fire Department was requested for mutual aid but the request was canceled shortly after, he added.
Meanwhile, the cause of a fire at Zarbana Industries on Esterly Drive in Columbiana Thursday evening is still under investigation. Fire Chief Rick Garrity could not be reached for comment Friday.


text:
|New Species of Cyanobacteria Forms Intracellular Carbonates
A new species of cyanobacteria—photosynthetic bacteria that occupy a wide array of habitats—was discovered in the Mexican Lake of Alchichica where massive carbonate rocks form. Cyanobacteria have been impacting the global carbon cycle of the Earth for more than 2.3 billion years by assimilating CO2 into organic compounds and triggering calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitation. Despite the importance of this cyanobacteria-mediated CaCO3 biomineralization, the mechanistic details of this process are still poorly understood. Scientists agree that calcification in cyanobacteria is an extracellular process: Photosynthesizing cells commonly export the photosynthesis byproduct CO32- outside their cells where it bonds with an alkaline earth metal like Ca2+. The cyanobacteria recently found in Lake Alchichica, however, forms amorphous Ca-, Mg-, Sr- and Ba-rich carbonates intracellularly. This discovery significantly modifies the traditional view of how bacteria induce CaCO3 precipitation and may improve understanding of the fossil record by hinting at ancient traces of life in rocks, or designing new routes for sequestering CO2 or 90Sr in minerals.
The new species of cyanobacteria is named Candidatus Gloeomargarita lithophora (gloeo means glutinous, margarita means pearl, and lithophora means "bearing stones"). The team of scientists that discovered this species found that mineral inclusions can compose up to 6% of the total cell volume of Gm. lithophora, increasing cell density by approximately 12%. This extra weight may help to weigh down the microorganisms, which live on rock substrates.
Researchers performed a combination of microscopies, including soft x-ray scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM), on ALS Beamlines 11.0.2 and 5.3.2. When coupled with x-ray absorption near edge spectra (XANES) over a relatively extended range of energies (100–2000 eV), the STXM provided key chemical speciation–sensitive images at a spatial resolution better than 25 nm. The soft x-ray STXM enabled characterization of the type (i.e., coordination and/or reduction-oxidation state) of carbon composing the cells, the carbonates' inclusions could be identified based on XANES spectroscopy at the C K-edge, and the speciation of calcium was based on the Ca L2,3-edges.
Surprisingly, intracellular inclusions formed by Gm. lithophora are amorphous by electron diffraction and have a very different stoichiometry from the minerals forming outside the cells: for example, (Sr1Ba2.7Mg1.4Ca0.9)Ca6Mg(CO3)13 for intracellular inclusions vs. Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2•4(H2O) or CaCO3 for extracellular well-crystallized minerals. This intracellular chemistry represents a 90-fold and 1370-fold increase, respectively, in inclusion Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios as compared to the extracellular solution, suggesting the existence of an unknown biological mechanism concentrating Sr and Ba.
These alkaline earth elements usually have similar chemical behavior, which can make them difficult to separate. This could be useful, for example, in isolating 90Sr contamination after a nuclear accident. It seems that Gm. lithophora have developed a mechanism that allows them to separate Sr from Ca. Studying it will be of interest for designing remediation strategies for such pollutants.
Phylogenetic analyses place this new species within the deeply divergent order Gleobacterales, a branch that diverged genetically from modern cyanobacteria a long, long time ago. If Gm. lithophora is a representative of these ancestral cyanobacteria, this process of intracellular carbonate formation could help explain the gap in their fossil record (read the sidebar for the full story).
Not only is Gm. lithophora the first observed cyanobacteria to form intracellular carbonates, it is also only the second group of bacteria found to control mineral formation. Commonly viewed as a eucaryotic ability, controlling the formation of mineral materials (such as bones, teeth, and shells) has only been observed in one other bacterial system: bacteria forming intracellular magnetites, which are nanomagnets. This research provides a new example.
Research conducted by: E. Couradeau, K. Benzerara, E. Gérard, D. Moreira and P. López-García (CNRS, France), S. Bernard, G.E. Brown Jr. (Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory).
Research funding: CNRS interdisciplinary program "Environnements planétaires et origines de la vie" and Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers (INSU) program "InteractionsTerre/Vie."Operation of the ALS is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
Publications about this research:
E. Couradeau, K. Benzerara, E. Gérard, D. Moreira, S. Bernard, G.E. Brown Jr., and P. López-García, "An Early-Branching Microbialite Cyanobacterium Forms Intracellular Carbonates," Science 336, 459 (2012).
R. Riding, "A Hard Life for Cyanobacteria," Science 336, 427 (2012).
ALS Science Highlight #262


text:
Average Ratings
4 out of 5 people recommended this car.
Consumer Reviews
Best car I have ever owned
by CZ from Houston, TX | March 8, 2011
Bought the car used in December of 2010 with 33k miles on it. Since it was a Lexus, and there was original warrantly remaining, I never considered taking the car to a mechanic to ensure that the engine was sound. To date, this vehicle has been flawless and by far the best car I have ever owned. The reviews indicate that the car goes from 0-60 in 5.4 seconds but it times out closer to 4.9 seconds. Great handling, interior controls are located in convenient position. Lone drawback(s) is navigation system is CD based vs. real time satellite feed and the Mark Levinson stereo sound is very basic and does not give you the same sound as other high end vehicles. Researched and seriously considered purchasing a BMW 750i. In the end the Lexus name and prior ownership experience with Japanese cars such as Acura and Toyota was the deciding factor.
Purchased a new car
Uses car for Work
Does recommend this car
Gas Guzzler
by Lexus GS 460 owner from Los Angeles, CA | October 18, 2009
This car drinks a lot of gas. Nice car though. Would I have preferred the more fuel efficient GS 350? I don't think so. I like the performance that comes with a 4.6 liter 8 cylinder 342 hp. I thought about buying the Infiniti M45 but I feel the GS 460 is a superior car. I didn't buy the LS car because I thought it was too big, & like a older persons car. It is not that easy resetting the oil change reset at least I haven't figured it out but I haven't owned it long. Very roomy and comfortably fits five people. Nice Mark Levenson stereo system. Braking system is impressive as it can stop on a dime. This alone will save you money in avoiding accidents. Also has sports suspension so very safe car to drive. I particularly like the headlights when driving at night. The lights help illuminate the road which I think is a huge safety feature. This car has very nice acceleration and is a nice quite smooth ride. The owners manual says to use the cigarette lighter for no other purpose other than as a lighter. The out let to charge things is actually in the center counsel therefore if you follow the owners manual, it really is not that practical. The Navigation is nice but it does not have a lot of street locations installed. Kind of strange because my portable navigation gps does a better job of finding places that this factory installed navigation system. So the navigation system is overrated and a negative. Overall, the safety features and the performance handling of the car outweigh the poor navigation and gas guzzling. I like the car a lot and recommend it to others.
Purchased a new car
Uses car for Work
Does recommend this car
by Johnjohn from S.F. Bay Area | September 1, 2009
I purchased this car used with 17,000 miles. To me it's like new. I had a BMW 545i before and so my review is based on comparing the two. First the Japanese cars have come a long way in their handling but still FAR behind the German cars. I am a big fan of a good car stereo and the BMW had the L-7 which was incredible. The Mark Levenson in the GS-460 is average at best. It sounds like a cheap stereo with a subwoofer. Very disappointing. I tried to download my contacts into the GS (as I did flawlessly in the 545) and found that the GS does not download contacts from the iPhone 3Gs. Again, disappointing. Lastly, the GS has an increadible GPS system but most of the functions only work when your stopped. I can't even make a phone call while driving. Useless. If it wasen't for my iPhones' features, I'd have to stop everytime I wanted to make a phone call. Unlike the 545, I was able to make calls at all times. Overall, I'm disappointed with the car. Even though it has great electronics, their useless unless I'm stopped. The interior is very nice as is the ride. Very smooth and quiet. But then again so was my 545. BIG mistake.
Purchased a new car
Uses car for Commuting
Does not recommend this car
I highly recommend
by Schwantz Gigante from Vegas baby | February 23, 2009
I bought it in April 2008 fully loaded with alloy wheels (upgrade) in all black. First the negatives: 1. The dealship's service post purchase at the Las Vegas dealerhip was/is pathetic. Many minor problems took too much time to fix though the service people are very attentive. 2. The ipod interface had to be replaced and they finally found one that works beautifully once I kept pesterning them. 3. The tires are thin so it's easier to bang up the wheels so pay close attention. 4. Wood should have also been around the nav and controls. Don't understand why they didn't put it there. My brother's comment was "I would have thought Lexus would have had more wood finish in the interior." I still highly recommend the car inspite of the above problems. I bought this car instead of the 535 because it was $7k cheaper. Handling of this car probably not is good as 535 but I like the interior, exterior and features better of the lexus. The infinity m45 drives as nicely and has a better interior with more integrated stereo features but I still liked the lexus better. I love the car and recommend buying it.
Purchased a new car
Uses car for Just getting around
Does recommend this car
by Ab from Lumberton, NC | December 11, 2008
Got the GS 460 several months ago. Fantastic car. Black on Black with black Lexus rims. Has great curb appeal especially with the rims. Have had BMW 750. Nothing matches the 750 for handling and speed but the GS for the money is wonderful. Luxus has gotten closer to the German cars with handling. This car has minimal lean in curves which is where the Germans definately excel. Of course Lexus destroys the German cars with the Nav/Bluetooth/Backup camera systems. Fantastic quality. Interior is terrific. On long trips, sometimes the seats get a little uncomfy but this is more of a sport sedan feel. Have not had any problems through 20K miles. This is our 3rd Lexus. We favor the Lexus comfort and gadget simplicty over the racey Germans. The GS 460 levels the playing field somewhat, however. In short...GREAT VEHICLE
Purchased a new car
Uses car for Just getting around
Does recommend this car
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