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Mailbag: Giants, Catching, Swisher, JeterBy
Just four questions this week, nothing crazy. Please use the Submit A Tip box in the sidebar whenever you want to send us something, mailbag questions or otherwise.
Many of you asked: Can the Yankees trade Rafael Soriano to the Giants? What could they get in return?
As soon as the news broke that Brian Wilson will miss the season with his second Tommy John surgery, our inbox was flooded with "trade Soriano to the Giants!" comments and questions. Seriously, you guys didn't hesitate. San Francisco is going use a closer platoon for the time being, with
Jairo Garcia Santiago Casilla getting the majority of the save chances.
Can the Yankees trade Soriano to the Giants? Sure, his contract does not include a no-trade clause. His salary — $11M this year and $14M next year, plus the opt-out — effectively serves as a no-trade clause for him, however. Given his erratic performance over the last season and his injury history, Soriano has negative trade value. They're not getting Brandon Belt for him, they're not getting a Grade-B prospect, they're not getting anything of value. It would be another A.J. Burnett trade, with the Yankees eating money and receiving what amounts to nothing in return. The Giants do a wonderful job of evaluating pitchers — Barry Zito notwithstanding — and are unlikely to overvalue a Proven Closer™. The Yankees made their bed with Soriano, and now they have to sleep in it.
Steve asks: What is the status of Austin Romine and the Yankees' strategy for the system's catching depth? With the recent injury to Brett Gardner, it's evident how quickly a strength can turn into a problem.
Forget Gardner, it was evident how quickly depth can disappear when Romine got hurt. Apparently it takes two defense-first guys — Chris Stewart and Craig Tatum — to replace him. Anyway, there has not been a Romine update since Spring Training and I can only assume that he isn't close to returning. Backs are tricky, especially since he had a similar issue last summer and suffered a setback in camp.
The Yankees continue to say that if Russell Martin were to get hurt, Frankie Cervelli would take over as the everyday catcher, not Stewart. Frankie's toiling away in Triple-A with Tatum as his backup while Gus Molina and Jose Gil handle catching duties in Double-A. Most of the club's high-end catching depth is in the lower minors, specifically J.R. Murphy and Gary Sanchez. Murphy could probably use a couple hundred at-bats in High-A this season, though Sanchez is probably just a weeks away from a promotion to that level after starting the season back at Low-A. They can split catching and DH duties for a few weeks, it's not the end of the world. Those guys are certainly not big league options this year and are unlikely candidates for next year as well.
Jon asks: Do you see any scenario where the Yankees keep Nick Swisher instead of Curtis Granderson?
Sure, I could absolutely see something like that playing out. It all depends on the kind of contract Swisher wants, but something a little north of Michael Cuddyer money (three years and $31M) is perfectly fine by me. He's a year younger than Granderson will be when he hits free agency, so you wouldn't be buying as many decline years as you would by re-signing Grandy after next season. Swisher is also likely to cost less given Granderson's offensive showing over the last year and a half. With Brett Gardner capable of stepping into center fielder, it makes a lot of sense to re-sign Swisher this offseason and let Curtis walk after next year.
Daniel asks: With the way that Derek Jeter has performed since coming back from his injury and if he can continue his performance this season and next, what are the chances that Jeter declines his player option after next season and asks the Yankees for another 15+ million per year? Also, how might this influence the 2014 budget plan?
Jeter has been brilliant since coming off the DL last Independence Day, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. He still has all of this year and all of next year to go before that player option becomes an issue. The Cap'n would have to maintain this level of production for the next 18 months before this becomes a realistic scenario. At that point he'll be 39 years old and I have a very hard time thinking any team will pay a shortstop that age $15M annually. Maybe the Yankees would do a two-year, $20M deal if he declines the option and keeps hitting like he has, but even that's pushing it. They've already paid Jeter very handsomely for what he's done for the franchise, at some point reality has to come into play.
91 Comments»
His salary — $11M this year and $14M next year, plus the opt-out — effectively serves as a no-trade clause for him, however. Given his erratic performance over the last season and his injury history, Soriano has negative trade value. They're not getting Brandon Belt for him, they're not getting a Grade-B prospect, they're not getting anything of value. It would be another A.J. Burnett trade, with the Yankees eating money and receiving what amounts to nothing in return.
We will not keep Swisher over Granderson. Yeah, let's keep a worse defender and a worse offensive player because of a couple of bucks. If Swisher wants to stay in NY he'll have to come back at a discount. We need that money for Cano and Granderson. Mo comes off the books. If only we could get Soriano off the books, too.
Clearly, this is someone in the know.
::Rolls eyes::
Posts like that make me wonder what screenname the former Hester Prynne is now using.
You should see her on last night's game thread, boldly declaring that the "Phil Hughes experiment is over!" – it's actually pretty funny.
So Swisher has to come back at a discount but they should keep Granderson no matter what? That's a total contradiction. If money isn't important than they should keep Swisher even if it's not at a discount. If money is important than obviously you sometimes do have to keep an inferior player over "a couple of bucks"(maybe fifty million dollars in this case).
They see me trollin'…
Wow someone gets canned for saying Granderson is more valuable than Swisher? His worst year in NY is a typical year for Swisher and Granderson even missed a month of playing time.
There's a 189 million dollar budget and even all the Swisher overdefending can't drive away form the fact Granderson is a much more important piece for this team.
Yes, Granderson is the better player at the more premium position, but his new contract will reflect that. Swisher will be cheaper than Granderson, and with Gardner being able to step over to CF, a competent left fielder will be easier to replace.
Nobody is denying that Granderson is the superior player, but the Yankees will likely have to fork over a much larger contract for Granderson.
We need some better outfield depth. I need to keep my wife happy. Therefore, I respectfully submit my trade offer of Soriano for Melky.
*runs and ducks*
I have no problem at all with Melky coming back in 2013
Just as I have no problem with the Yankees signing Jesus Montero (if he doesn't get extended by the M's) as a 1st base/DH bat off the bench.
Former Yankees prospects and farm hands are always welcomed back.
You rang?
Haha, +1
A fact they took so literally that they made Dave Eiland pitching coach.
Ahhh Randy Levine… the gift that keeps giving. You guys know a lot more about baseball than I do, but has there ever been a worse contract in baseball? What was the Yankees' best case scenario with this abomination?
I would say it's a great contract for Soriano.
Soriano's contract sucks the big one but Pavano, Igawa and Burnett's all were worse.
Signing free agent pitchers usually doesn't work out, especially for the Yankees
the pavano contract is overrated in its awfulness. dude made what? $10M a year? he was like the 10th highest paid player on that 05 team. it has the repuation for being zito-like, and it just wasnt.
all that is beside the point, though. the soriano contract isnt good.
It's not just the money, but also what you get for it.
Pavano gave them 125 IP and 1.1 fWAR in 4 years… it was pretty bad.
Zito has given the Giants 7.1 fWAR in about 838 IP the last 5 seasons and change. They've paid less than twice as much and gotten 7x the production.
So, Pavano's contract was pretty terrible value.
A-Rod's contracts – both of them – were worse. Barry Zito's and Kevin Brown's, too. Pavano's? Igawa's contract?
arods first contract certainly wasnt worse… have you seen that dudes numbers starting in 01?
Jason Schmidt deal ended up being miserable
Denny Neagle to Colorado
Hampton and Kile to Colorado
Albert Belle may be the worst since he refused to retire… and to think the Yanks were in on him
Just the mere mention of Mike Hampton feels like passing a kidney stone.
Belle didn't retire because the O's had an insurance policy that required he be on the active roster for the O's to receive insurance money. http://www.baseball-reference......abled_list
I used to draft him at the end of fantasy drafts and stash him on the DL for the season.
If Belle retired the O's wouldn't have owed him the money, and thus wouldn't have needed to collect insurance
Why would he retire? Very, very few people would retire in that situation.
Bubba, meet Barry Zito.
I don't know if all of those contracts sucked before the first pitch was thrown or bat was swung. Best case for the Soriano contract was he pitches lights out for 2011 then opts out. For that privilege, the Yankees gave up a 1st rd pick to a division rival and paid Soriano closer money not to close. How super sucky is that.
Still not as sucky as staring at Barry Zito for 8 years or sharing the wealth of paying for Mike Hampton's latest injury with half of baseball.
It's not even the worst contract given out to someone with the last name Soriano….
Comment of the day RIGHT HERE. Check is in the mail.
When you see closers like Soria, Wilson, Madson and Bailey drop like flies all at a relatively young age, it just makes what Mariano has been able to accomplish all that more remarkable.
….and those are just the more recent examples. The Marlins made great use of disposable closers in their firsts years. Hello Robbie Nen and Matt Mantei. Even our favorite analyst, Rob Dibble, didn't last long.
Wait till you guys hear that Randy Levine extended Soriano as an overreaction to Mo's retirement.
Randy will then sign Madson and K-Rod to 5 year deals.
Grandy is four months younger than Swish.
That caption is spot on. I dislike his beard so much. With the obvious die job it doesn't even look real. And real closers don't need gimmicks to be popular. They just need an untouchable cutter and a whole lot of class.
You may be too young to remember Al Hrabosky (AKA the Mad Hungarian) who was closer for the Royals in the 70s who used to do a little act getting all fired up storming around the mound before throwing a pitch.
He pulled his act with Reggie Jackson at the plate in a playoff game and Jackson hit one into the fountains in center field. It was awesome.
Oh God. Too young to remember him in real time, but own the baseball card.
I am just a little too young to see that. In relation to that story, I hope that Granderson-ARod-Cano-Teixeira go back-to-back-to-back-to-back on Jose Valverde numerous times this season. That joker needs to be put in his place.
Someone should buy Valverde's son a trampoline.
Hahaha I almost spit out the pizza I was eating. Someone introduce Valverde to "Stairs"!
to me, granderson seems just as much of a dead pull hitter as tex, but teams seem to shift less against him for whatever reason. he loves that hit directly down the right field line. still, i could see his dead pull tendencies as a problem in the future.
what about letting swisher walk and offering grandy a nice contract to play RF going forward? put gardner in CF and figure out a stopgap for LF or something.
would grandy be open to this if we paid him well?
I don't think Granderson has the arm for right field, I think they would sooner move him to LF and find a stopgap in RF.
good point. same idea, though. would grandy be open to moving to LF permanently starting next year? we rip up his 2013 option and give him a 5/85 contract or hopefully 4/72(im just guestimating) or something and tell him hes the everyday LF. i dont think its unreasonable.
I think that is a possibility. My concern with Granderson is that if he continues to show the power he has shown since making the adjustments to his swing is that he will look at contracts like Crawford and Braun, and will want similar money. If he wants around 20 mill per year, I think the Yankees will need to make a decision between him or Cano. With the the money already tied up in CC, Arod, and Tex, it seems like it would be nearly impossible to add on 2 other 20 mill contracts and stay under the 2014 luxury tax.
They could do it, but would have to go with a cheap rotation behind CC and younger guys at catcher and RF.
I don't buy the Murphy/Sanchez idea. Both need to work on their defense a lot so I can't see them being at Tampa together for any length of time. If Murphy can hit his way to AA, they'd promote Sanchez to Tampa — but I can't see them splitting defensive development time.
To my fellow Yankee fans, WTF is this infatuation to trade Soriano? Seriously, I hear and read it all the time and I just don't get it. Yeah, sure, the guy is way overpaid, considering his role, but I absolutely think he would be valued in the range of $7mm on the open market. The Yankees made the difference of $4mm back as I write this comment and the same will likely apply next season. So I don't get it. He is a terrific arm to have in the pen as added depth. He has actually been pretty decent outside of the first few months last season. While, I still think the deal as a whole, on a dollar basis, was nuts for Levine to offer, I actually understand why he did it. Some commenters think this is the worse imaginable contract of all time. Seriously? Far from it guys, let's please move on from the Rafael Soriano talk.
The Romine injury really bothers me too. I was very high on this kid and I still am, but back injuries are not good and I'm not feeling good about his future behind the plate and unfortunately, he's not Mauer and can't be a DH or 1st baseman.
Like most fans, I am completely hung up with the Granderson and Swisher conundrum. Part of me is very concerned about the clubhouse if Swisher were to leave. He is the Ying to everyone else's Yang and the guy is a great presence. He truly wants to stay in New York it seems and for a lot of reasons, including his wife and personal life. While no baseball player would "take significantly less" to play somewhere, this could be that rare exception where Nick takes a 2-3 year deal for $27mm-$30mm. Very unlikely as I think he'll be coveted on the open market. Granderson is perhaps one of the best current day ambassadors to baseball. He is a highly intelligent, very well spoken, dynamic player. His value is not only on the field. I'm really conflicted about these two if given the choice of who to sign. The Yanks have no choice, but not to get under the $189mm threshold for 2014, so I unfortunately don't see them retaining both.
Jeter is playing great and his contract is now looking very good. Even if he regresses significantly later in the season or early next season, it will be only 1 year left (excluding player option). I agree with Mike's sentiment. I don't see Jeter approaching the Yanks and at best, if he keeps the production up, through the end of next season, perhaps he declines his player option and re-signs for 2 years and $20mm. Part of me is starting to believe that we will see Jeter in pinstripes, manning SS for another 3 full seasons.
regarding soriano, i think most peoples problem with it is that we already had an established bullpen. soriano probably would get $7M on the open market, but that would go to a team looking for a closer, not a team who already had a HOF closer and a good setup man (joba) and another good setup man waiting in the wings (robertson).
theres already higher leverage innings going to other guys. soriano would be valuable as the top man if a team didnt have one (someone like the red sox), but theres just not enough high leverage innings to give out on the yankees to justify $36M commitment.
I agree about Soriano. I didn't like the contract, but there's no denying he makes the team better. He certainly has more value in our bullpen right now than he would have in a trade.
While there are definitely more costly contracts out there, this one sucked and sucked from day one regardless of performance.
1. Grossly overpaid
2. Not even remotely an area of need
3. Give a first round pick to a division rival
4. Give extreme leverage to the agent in the form of opt out after each year
All of the above negatives were known before performance is taken into account. This contract was DOA.
Yo Bubba,
1. Yankee's made $20mm rolling out of bed this morning.
2. See Red Sox. You can go from 4 to 1 in a day.
3. Yeah that sucked.
4. I do not see how the agent comes into play at this point. The deal is agreed and signed. If Soriano wants to opt out or threaten to opt out, then ok, see ya later. I don't get point.
If Soriano were signed to the same exact terms, except total dollars, call it $18mm, not a single person would be complaining right now.
Not advocating they trade him, but it would be interesting to see what Robertson's trade value would be right now, would a team needing a closer pony up way to much to get D-Rob?
i bet he could fetch a nice haul at the trade deadline to some NL team that really needed a closer.
by nice haul i mean relatively, obviously. not several good prospects, but one good one. matt freaking capps got wilson ramos
Robertson may be worth more to the Yankees than he is another team right now.
I get the sentiment regarding relievers in general, but has his general filthiness gotten him over some sort of hump where it's silly to even consider whatever "selling high" would mean? The better he looks, the less I envision Soriano for a year as rebound closer.
It's a lot. His value is pretty immense, considering his ability, and relative to age and cost. It ain't going to happen. You're talking a single swap of a top 3 prospect from most teams, imo.
agreed with your post, but what does your screen name mean?
Just a continuation of my earlier comment in response to the overall discussion. See above.
I like Soriano for the "year of he's not Mo" that will follow this season.
Perhaps someone would offer quite a bit, but how do you replace him, both short and longer term? Soriano for now, I guess, but until Joba comes back and proves he can fill that role again, or Hughes is moved to the 'pen and performs solidly there, I don't see this happening. Just my opinion.
I actually think his value's being overstated in this thread.
I think Yankee fans value him quite highly. Not sure how the rest of the league views him, but I can see a team in need of a closer, looking at his performance, age, and salary, making a nice offer for him. But again, as we've seen, unless there's a replacement plan in place that doesn't involve injured players, I don't see the Yankees making a move.
Dude, Matt Capps netted Wilson Ramos, and while he's not the next Mike Piazza, Robertson would definitely bring back a single top 3 prospect. We're not talking Trout or Harper, of course, but to 28 other teams, they'd without question have to cough up something big. You say overstated too. There is nothing about Robertson delivery that is cause for concern. He's really a smooth pitcher. He's got a good future ahead of him and there is a very VERY good chance we already have our Mo successor.
See my comment below. Capps sucks, but he had 9th inning experience, and I think teams place some value in that (though I don't). D-Rob is awesome, but I think this is another case where he has more value to us as a set-up man or closer after Mo retires than he would in a trade.
Now if Robertson takes over as the closer next year and pitches like he has been, racks up a bunch of saves, then I would totally agree with you.
I fail to see what the value of trading Robertson for someone else's prospect is. So many comments on here focus on not-prospect-hugging but, inherent-volatility-of-relievers aside, you're going to pick now to trade a 26 year-old pretty well positioned as your closer of the future once Mariano retires for someone perhaps three years younger who will have to show they can cut it in the majors? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Frankly it speaks more to people's concerns as to potentially replacing position players as it does to their concerns about Dave Robertson.
Yeah, I think teams put a lot of value in the "proven closer" thing. I'm sure D-Rob is worth more than most other set-up men, but his value won't skyrocket until he racks up a few saves.
This is actually a very interesting thought. Very interesting. I LOVE D-Rob, I think he might develop into a great closer…BUT
Only three high leverage relievers (that I can think of) have been consistently great for a long period of time: Mo, Hoffman, Eck.
Other than those three, we've seen people dominate and then quickly fade for some reason(usually injury (Nathan), finishing a roids cycle (Gagne) or suffering the ill-effects of giving up a big HR at the exact wrong time (Lidge for every year except '09 since Pujols took him deep)).
So–as much as we love D-Rob the person, the homegrown prospect success story, and the pitcher–the odds are his time as an elite reliever will be short lived.
And yet we also know that, despite all the evidence telling them not to, teams STILL over-value high leverage relievers. Given this, and the fact that he still has a few years of team control left, the Yanks might be able to get back a pretty big haul for Robertson if they trade him at the right time to a team that is desperate enough.
As a fan, I'd rather D-Rob continue his ascent to greatness while wearing the Yankee pinstripes and eventually become Mo's successful replacement. But if I were Cash, I'd have to think about the fact that he's an asset who is likely to be overvalued on the market…which is pretty much the best trade chip you can have.
Trade Robertson and Hughes to the Angels for Peter Bourjous and Jean Segura. Flip Boujous and Adam Warren to the Nats for Anthony Rendon.
Boom problem solved.
Yankee infield of the future. Rendon, Segura, Cano!
There's a confidence-inspiring scenario.
In a scary way, it actually makes sense. Everyone fills a need (Angels are desperate for two arms like this now) and finding a player of Bourjous caliber has been Rizzo's White Whale to date. The Yanks plug both those guys in the minors for another year or two. Rendon likely two, which would work perfectly. Ain't going to happen, however.
Actually if you dig a little deeper you´ll find quite a few "high leverage" relievers who had success over long periods of time.
The Giants have a young closer at Fresno Heath Hembree who they feel is the real deal, but still needs a little more time at Fresno. He´ll if all goes well be called up mid-season.
"At some point reality has to come into play."
Exactly. So when is everyone going to wake the F up and accept that the REALITY that Jeter has ALREADY exceeded every projection of what is supposed to happen to a shortstop as he hits his mid 30′s. To continue to look at what happens to 99.9999% of all shortstops, when Jeter has already shown he is in the other .0001% is just as foolish as not looking at any numbers.
Basically, if – obviously it's a big if – Jeter continues to hit above .300 for the next 18 months and looks the same in the field (steady & quick), the most important reality will be Jeter's track record and not the fact that Walt Weiss or whoever declined at 35. Giving Jeter another 2-3 year deal at 15 million would be good BASEBALL sense, not just rewarding Jeter for ticket selling ability and past heroics.
Didn't you see what he did last year for his 3,000 hit? Don't you relaize he is not just a normal shortstop?! Get you heads out of your calucaltors for a minute and enjoy the show.
THAT is the more important reality than the uninteresting fact that he's 37.
You should have read the whining and jeter bashing on this blog when they signed the deal. They obviously don't realize what they have. Spoiled children sounds more like it
I like Derek Jeter. I greatly enjoy the show when he's on the field. He was a great, great player at his peak and he's still (in my estimation)a slightly above average shortstop and a valuable player which is absolutely amazing at age 37. That said, giving any 38 year old a 3 year 45 million dollar deal is insanity, and calling it "good baseball sense" shows an absence of just that. Derek is hitting great right now, but he recently went through more than a full year of being below MLB average as a hitter and he has always been a very bad fielder. We've seen bad Derek. It exists and it could easily return any day. You can't take that risk if you're on a budget.
Slightly above average shortstop? You relaize he's one of the best 6 in the game? As in right now?
Jeter is not "any" 38 year old. Can you say that giving "any" 40 year old reliever a two year $30mm deal doesn't make sense? It sure as hell made sense with Mo didn't it? And it would with Jeterif he keeps this up, which would not be shocking at all. Shocking compared to other shortstops. Not shocking compared to Jeter.
If you think Jeter has always been a very bad fielder you simply have never watched a game or you don't know how to express yourself. An accurate description is to say that
Jeter has always been an extremely steady fielder, with incredible field knowledge (which is not just an intangible), some amazing flashes of brilliance and one obvious, not insignificant flaw – his lack of range to his left. Which is made up for x10 by his hitting ability. So focus on that one flaw and use it to characterize him as a very bad fielder ruins any shred of an argument you would have had.
Will Jeter fall apart this year? I'll put $200 that he won't. Care to take the bet?
Not sure by what measure Jeter is the 6th best SS in the game. From 2010-present day he has the 10th highest fWAR at SS. He is probably overrated by fWAR on defense (I'll be addressing that below), so that might be a little bullish on him. I'd say he's somewhere around the 10-15 range. I'd call that slightly above average, but it's mostly semantics.
As for his defense, very bad might be generous to it. I think a case can be made that accounting for longevity Jeter is the worst defensive shortstop of all time, and possibly one of the worst defensive players at any position of all time. I'm sure that's not a popular opinion around here, but there is a large body of evidence for it, much of which is summarized well in the comments of this thread:
Really, very bad is the best thing you could say about his defense. It is probably too generous, and maybe far too generous. He's a great player and a hall-of-famer, but even at his peak he wasn't really at the MVP level that perception had him at, and he's not that player any more. I'm not saying they shouldn't resign him, just that they should proceed with caution.
I hope and pray that we all can have this conversation about Jeter's "next contract" at the end of 2013 since it means he's continued to hit at a high-enough level for it to merit serioius consideration.
He's killing the ball right now, but let's not forget that he hit great in April 2010, triple slashing at a .330/.354/.521 rate before setting Yankeedom into a panic by being quite mediocre for the next year, May 2010 through May 2011. The same can happen again. Yet his April 2012 hitting is not quite the same as his April 2010 hitting. Jeter right now is more similar to the Jeter of old, hitting the ball with the authority since June of 2011. In April 2010, there were developing signs that something was off with Jeter's hitting approach. I seem to remember FanGraphs did an article on it before Jeter's season went south. He was a bit lucky to start the season, and the pitchers caught up. I'm not seeing similar signs this year, so that's good.
Last, I do agree with you that comparing Jeter to past shortstops is not helpful. I've made that point in the past, such as before 2009, when some would note that no team in MLB history had ever won a World Series with a 35-year-old shortstop. That could no longer be said by the end of 2009. It's an example where people try to apply sabermetrics without acknowledging that the aggregate means little when applied to an individual like Jeter. He's an outlier; always has been.
How long is this going to continue? I don't know, but I'm not looking to the past for the answers.
I don't agree that the past is not informative with regards to Jeter. Sure, he's an outlier, but even outliers are related to the majority of the data. If I asked you: Will Jeter be an effective major league shortstop at age 50? You're not going to tell me: "There is no way to say, Jeter has no relationship to all the data gathered in MLB history" are you? While Jeter is aging far better than most shortstops he is still clearly aging (last 2 years were more than a full win below anything since his rookie year by fWAR).
The past isn't going to give us any exact readings on Jeter, but it doesn't do that for any player. Every player is unique. That doesn't mean it provides no information.
Well expressed, thenamestsam.
Yea, people have been claiming Jeter is done or declining for years now. Seems like they are the ones who can't accept reality.
You're absolutely right, Mike. And when FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference.com show him having a dramatic decline in WAR in 2010 and 2011 to the lowest level since they've been keeping the stat in the case of the former and since he was a 21-year old rookie in the case of the latter, they're not accepting reality either.
Thank goodness we have you and other Jeter fanboys to explain to us that all the stats and stat services and the rest of us who see him declining are delusional.
With Joba out perhaps forever, I wouldn't be in such a rush to trade Soriano. The money they're paying him remains stupid, but he has value. Trading AJ made sense. They had too many starting pitchers. Trading Soriano, and throwing in millions of dollars to offset the contract, makes little sense.
The Soriano contract was overkill. But why trade a proven, really good pitcher out of your pen when you can end games after 6 innings?
1) Who would replace him as the 7th inning guy?
2) What are you trading him for? And how much of the salary would you have to pay?
Does the salary suck? Yeah. But he's already here. He hasn't been AJ Burnett horrible.
Mike, if you have time, could you make a post comparing Swisher and Granderson to the other possible FA outfielders due to be free in 2013 and 2014?
Not just their stats, but what the other teams outfielders could project to be paid?


text:
The Disco Biscuits have just released video for "On Time," a breezy and infectious electro-pop anthem from their latest album, Planet Anthem. This new video, which made its debut on MTV2 and MTU, was directed by Noah Rappaport and Ghost Town Media. It follows the sexual escapades of a skinny disco robot on a wild night on the town.Planet Anthem, which was released on March 16th, debuted at #140 on the Billboard Top 200 and #5 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart.
On the new album, The Disco Biscuits break out of the jam band-meets-electronica sound they have been known for. This time around, they've opted for danceable pop and rock grooves, plus a touch of hip hop thanks to collaborating with producers Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry (Ludacris, Chris Brown, Beanie Sigel).
The Disco Biscuits also recently announced the lineup for the two annual festivals they put on. Bisco Inferno will take place on May 29th at Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Morrison, CO. In addiction to the Biscuits, headliners include The Glitch Mob and The Crystal Method. Camp Bisco 9, the band's ninth annual three-day music and arts festival, will be held in Mariaville, New York from July 15-17th. The Disco Biscuits will perform all three nights, and other headliners include LCD Soundsystem, Ween, Girl Talk, and Major Lazer. As true road warriors, The Disco Biscuits have a slew of additional dates throughout the US.
The Disco Biscuits Tour Dates:
4/14 @ Charleston Music Hall, Charleston, SC
4/15 @ Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh, NC
4/16 @ The National, Richmond, VA
4/17 @ The National, Richmond, VA
4/18 @ The NorVa, Norfolk, VA
4/20 @ 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
4/21 @ The Jefferson Theatre, Charlottesville, VA
4/22 @ The Klein Memorial Auditorium, Bridgeport, CT
4/23 @ Kirby Center For Performing Arts, Wilkes-Barre, PA
4/24 @ House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ
4/25 @ Webster Theatre, Hartford, CT05/27: Boulder, CO @ Bopulder Theatre05/28: Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
05/29 @ Red Rocks Amphitheater, Denver, CO (Bisco Inferno)
06/03 @ Wakarusa, Ozark, AR
06/04 – BamaJam Music and Arts Festival, Enterprise, AL
06/05 – Starscape, Baltimore, MD
06/10 – Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN
07/15 – Indian Lookout County Club, Mariaville, NY (Camp Bisco)
07/16 – Indian Lookout County Club, Mariaville NY (Camp Bisco)
07/17 – Indian Lookout County Club, Mariaville, NY (Camp Bisco)
08/28 – Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre, Atlanta, GA
08/29 – The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
The 1974 septet release entitled Lookout Farm distinguished saxophonist Dave Liebman as a rising bandleader and top-notch improviser. Along with Liebman, the collective featured Richie Beirach on piano, John Abercrombie on guitar, East Indian percussionists Badal Roy and Armen Halburian, drummer Jeff Williams, and upright bassist Frank Tusa. With this all-star lineup and the production values of ECM's award-winning Manfred Eicher, Lookout Farm gained iconic status in modern jazz as it pushed the limits of how far a group could go artistically while still maintaining a definitive identity. For this special four-day run, Liebman reunites with original members Beirach and Williams, along with later member, bassist Ron McClure to mark the 35th anniversary of this one of a kind ensemble and recording..
Birdland Jazz Club 315 West 44th Street btw 8 & 9th avs New York, NY 10036-5402 (212) 581-3080 http://www.birdlandjazz.com/
Wednesday-Saturday, February 17-20 @ 8:30 & 11pm Music Charge: $30, side seating; $40 center seating
On the Thursday of Jam on the River weekend in Philadelphia, there was no better way to kick off the festivities then with a raging show by a new band that has the potential to be a household name in

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Safari Books Online is a digital library providing on-demand subscription access to thousands of learning resources.
Get a Blog Plug-In to Fit with Your Web Site
If you don't have a Web design software (or a Web host provider) that comes with blog functionality, but you'd prefer not to use a blog host site, get a blog plug-in that will fit with your Web site. A plug-in is an additional software that you can install. It uses a template to create a blog page that's part of your own Web site, and allows you to manage it yourself.
But be aware—there aren't many companies that offer this service. And they may not be easy for a beginner to use. So investigate your plug-in carefully before you buy. In the end, you may decide it's easier to switch to a Web host that offers blog capability—or that you'd rather buy a Web design software that does the same.
Where Can I Get a Blog Plug-In?


text:
Jobs at Curse
Curse Inc. is Hiring! Please select the position you would like to apply for in the list on the left hand side.
Working at Curse
Open Positions
- Marketing
- Technology
- Accounting and Finance
What it's like to work at Curse Inc.
At Curse, you will have the opportunity to work with a young, growing team of passionate and talented individuals making a living doing what they love. Curse's mission is to provide information and tools to help core gamers succeed in online worlds.
We are a team that builds web properties ranging from databases and wikis to guild hosting and add-on management. Curse has a start-up atmosphere, combining the hunger for success with a work environment that revolves around what we have a passion for – online games. With offices in San Francisco and Huntsville, a solid, profitable business model providing the foundation for growth and competitive salaries and benefits, Curse empowers its employees to accomplish great things.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA (Finance & Sales)
Curse's San Francisco office houses the finance and sales teams. It features a fun, fast-paced and collaborative environment where employees live and breathe the online gaming space.
Reasons to live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area:
- The food, weather and people - San Francisco is one the most diverse cities in the world
- San Francisco is a hub of culture, arts and gaming
- Work in the fast-paced Silicon Valley
Huntsville, AL (Development, Design, Marketing)
Curse's Huntsville office houses the development, sales, design and marketing teams. Huntsville was named by both Fortune and Kiplinger magazine as one of the best places to live and work in the U.S. It has an enthusiastic and hard-working culture that allows developers to create cutting edge web properties.
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- Huntsville is home to the 2nd largest research and technology park in the U.S.
- Salary.com lists Huntsville as the US's Best Value for Salaries and Cost of Living
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text:
Click here for the Student Page
Barn Roofs, Quail Coveys, and General Mischief
By Laurie J. White as told to her by Alfred W. Jones (more or less)
60 pages
For Age 8–Adult
This book presents three short tales from a childhood lived during the early 1900′s in the small, north Georgia town of Dalton. They are told from the perspective of my dad, Alfred Jones, as he told them to me. I had heard these stories all my life, but shortly before he died, I interviewed him to get more of the details.
Following the stories, a section of History Tidbits offers entertaining background facts on related topics, such as shooting marbles, electric cars, and shoveling horse manure in New York City in 1920–it was everyone's hope that the car would clean things up!
Table of Contents
Student-Teacher page
The Student-Teacher page gives more background information and offers students a chance for some fun and interesting supplementary research.


text:
By curating this page, you will get permissions to update as well as add content to this page. Page views on this page will count towards your incentive program.
Sir Clive Ronald Woodward OBE (born 6 January 1956) is an English former rugby union player and coach. He was coach of the England team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He is currently the British Olympic Association's Director of Elite Performance.


text:
mbryceolson's Profile
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Latest Comments...
i am a house painter and use almost exclusively sherwin williams paint, this is a great looking room! this color works with its space and enhances its surroundings. i also love the map and feel that the aged look of it as well as the couch look great together. sure looks like a comfy couch to crash on or to curl up and read a good book. not to get too allegorical but this makes me think of the scriptures in Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest". this is a very peaceful place and it has my vote!
Allie's "Contrasting Neutrals" Room Room for Color Contest


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Front page
LA Biz
Our blogs
Archive by Date
July 31, 2009
LA Observed on KCRW: Lily Burk
My commentary today talks about the murder of 17-year-old Lily Burk and the strong reaction it has evoked in the city. The piece airs at 4:44 p.m., can be heard... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Sketchbook: Hey dudes
See more from Steve Greenberg in LA Sketchbook... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Restoration a dying art
Nice science column in today's Wall Street Journal by Robert Lee Hotz on the lost art of restoring and conserving masterpieces. It's set at the Getty, which is spearheading a... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Friday 7.31.09
News and notes are after the jump. Also see Mark Lacter's morning headlines at LA Biz Observed, and follow Mark and Kevin on Twitter.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 30, 2009
Westwood's Mann Festival, RIP
Hat tip to the New Beverly Theater's Twitter poster for noticing that the Mann Festival has put up a final message to patrons. Known previously as the Egyptian (and as... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Anne Thompson moves blog
The film writer's affiliation with Variety has finally played its last note. She posts there that as of Sunday night, her Thompson on Hollywood brand will be housed at IndieWIRE.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Who left the light on?
Most nights, it seems, one window remains brightly lit on the west face of the City Hall tower. Lisa Napoli emails that she and her neighbors on Bunker Hill watch... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Investigative reporter gets a gig
The Center for Investigative Reporting received more than 600 applications for its new California Watch project. The winner, to be announced soon, is Lance Williams, who has been part of... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Vintage street scene: The Go-Gos
The Go-Gos tool around early '80s Los Angeles in a convertible, vamp outside Trashy Lingerie on La Cienega and frolic in the electric fountain at Wilshire & Santa Monica in... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Odom and Lakers kiss and make up
Lamar to sign a four-year deal for $33 million, J.A. Adande reports at ESPN. Broderick Turner at the LAT agrees. Dodgers note: They get lefty reliever George Sherrill for two... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Mayor's vacation on KPCC
Patt Morrison will be talking to Eric Spillman of KTLA, whose blog post I mentioned here yesterday, and I presume others about Mayor Villaraigosa jetting off to Iceland so soon... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Frank Gehry on Disney Hall design
"Forget the exterior," Gehry says in this recent interview at the Aspen Ideas Festival, via Curbed LA. Covering the interior in wood cost an extra $5 million, and was... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Why didn't Lily call out? *
It's an unanswerable question probably, but the LA Weekly's Christine Pelisek says police are puzzled by an aspect of the Lily Burk murder. Surveillance video shows the 17-year-old walking with... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Manny positive for doping in '03, NYT says
Manny Ramirez and his Boston Red Sox teammate David Ortiz were among the 100-plus major league players who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003, the New York Times... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Turan slaps LACMA over film
Cari Beauchamp took her deep personal umbrage at Native Intelligence the other night, and now you can add the LAT's Kenneth Turan to the list of Hollywood and film aficionados... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Kaye's meltdown 'denier' called out
Ron Kaye's new organ for his activist brand of politics and news, OurLA.org, ran a long piece yesterday claiming to debunk the "meltdown myth" regarding the 1959 nuclear reactor incident... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Thursday 7.30.09
News and notes are tucked away there after the jump. Also see today's Mark Lacter morning headlines at LA Biz Observed, and follow Mark and Kevin on Twitter.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 29, 2009
What's up with the Burbank PD?
Another lawsuit has been filed against the city of Burbank by officers (or former officers) in the city's police department. This is the second suit alone by former detective Christopher... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Lily Burk case on WWLA
This evening's Which Way, L.A.? on KCRW sets up the discussion this way: "The murder of 17-year-old Lily Burk has received saturation coverage. Does a brutal crime contain any lessons... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Maxine Waters the beautiful
Who is the first female Congress member mentioned on The Hill's new list of the 50 Most Beautiful hill people? Why, our own Rep. Maxine Waters, who comes in at... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
HuffPost looks for L.A. editor
The Huffington Post is moving ahead with its long-talked-about local pages for Los Angeles. The site has "yet to set a launch date but is actively looking for the right... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Times to deliver OC Register
The Times and Register have announced a deal in which L.A. Times delivery people will deliver both papers. The Register will thus become the Times' largest commercial delivery client. If... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Eddy hires on the business side
L.A. Times publisher Eddy Hartenstein has turned to the San Diego Union-Tribune for his newest executive. The post is a hybrid that carries the title of Executive Vice President/Business and... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Wednesday 7.29.09
News and notes are hidden after the jump. Also see today's Mark Lacter morning headlines at LA Biz Observed, and follow Mark and Kevin on Twitter.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 28, 2009
Vin Scully: One more year then out
Vin Scully told Bill Plaschke tonight that if he feels OK this winter he'll come back to the Dodgers next season — his 61st — but then that's it. Retirement?... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LACMA goes dark on films
Museum director Michael Govan announced the film program will be closed and rethought — audiences were down, he said. LA Observed contributor Cari Beauchamp, an author and film historian, calls... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Hiring at the Daily News
The Daily News is looking for an online breaking news reporter to replace Jason Kandel, who is moving to KPCC as online managing editor. Job description is after the jump... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Mayor on Ice(land)
Mayor Villaraigosa has been busy online today, sending out Twitter updates (and email) on his new Ask a Mayor feature, replying to this morning's dissing of LAX and, just forty... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Marciano for guv campaign dealt blow
A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury today assessed $370 million in damages against Guess? Inc. co-founder Georges Marciano for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress in a case... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Graduation stunt doesn't help 'Beth Cooper'
Today's front page of the Wall Street Journal talks about Hamilton High senior Kenya Mejia receiving $1,800 to plug the movie "I Love You, Beth Cooper" in her valedictorian address... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Huell Howser tripping, the video
Yesterday on Twitter I re-tweeted this affectionate parody of Huell Howser on a road trip of another sort, but forgot to post it here. The creator calls it California's gold... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Correction o' the day
The L.A. Times does Ted Kennedy no favors with this one: Sen. Kennedy: An article in Sunday's Section A about Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's role in Congress' healthcare debate said... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Sketchbook: Higher Ed
Steve Greenberg picks up on the lost story of the California budget mess. The crunch and the political fallout of kids being kept out of college in California — and... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Seeing the news sausage
An LA Observed reader grabbed this screen shot of the half-digested front page that appeared on the Los Angeles Times website when he clicked print edition this morning. Still no... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LAX drops to #6 *
Los Angeles International now ranks as the world's sixth busiest airport, just behind Paris' Charles de Gaulle. Of course, on any ranking of airport amenities, transportation, signage or comfort of... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Tuesday 7.28.09
News and notes are hidden after the jump. Also see today's Mark Lacter morning headlines at LA Biz Observed, and follow Mark and Kevin on Twitter.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 27, 2009
KPFK loses another general manager
It seems the Pacifica radio station just can't keep a GM. Here's Sean Heitkemper's resignation letter to Grace Aaron, Interim Executive Director of the Pacifica Foundation, after just a year:... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Unofficial Thomas Pynchon guide to L.A.
Wired magazine's Mark Horowitz has created a Zee Maps-assisted guide to the Los Angeles locations in Thomas Pynchon's novels and real life, based on the presumption that "Pynchon, the paranoid... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Newsom's top strategist exits
Eric Jaye, Gavin Newsom's longtime political strategist, tells the San Francisco Chronicle's Matier and Ross that "there was a fundamental difference in how to run" the mayor's campaign for governor.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Hank Stuever takes over for Tom Shales
The Washington Post has a new TV critic in Stuever, whose job will be "exploring the medium across the many platforms and in the many ways it now traverses our... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Parolee named in Lily Burk abduction, murder *
Police said today that they took transient Charlie Samuel into custody by 5:30 p.m. Friday on drug charges in Downtown. They now have a pretty horrific chronology of the events... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Gawker grabs from LAT *
Gawker just put out the word that the site's new West Coast editor will be Richard Rushfield, currently at LATimes.com. The note from Gawker's editor in chief is below (and,... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
More turnover at LAT
When Jack Klunder returned to the Los Angeles Times in 2005 to run circulation, the crowing from Spring Street was that he was a brilliant choice to turn around the... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
'Hancock Park,' the debut bestseller
Isabel Kaplan is 19, got her book deal when she was a high school junior, and now is enjoying "Hancock Park" hold a spot on the L.A. Times bestseller list... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
New publisher at LAT magazine
The memo to the sales and marketing staff says it's Steve Gellman. External announcement to come later, tied to a launch (finally?) of the Los Angeles Times magazine website. Remember,... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Watch for subway crews
This week's exploratory subway drilling is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday at San Vicente and Gracie Allen (that's near Cedars-Sinai), Wednesday in UCLA parking lot 36 near Wilshire and Veteran,... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
That's one way to get in the NY Times
Sunday's New York Times published a letter to that newspaper's public editor from the publisher of L.A. Youth, the paper run here by teenagers, commenting on a column about how... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Arrest in Lily Burk killing
Police announced that a 50-year-old man named Charlie Samuel has been booked on suspicion of murder in Friday's killing of 17-year-old Lily Burk. A press conference is scheduled for 11... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Monday 7.27.09
Some week-starting news and notes for today are after the jump. For a quick look back at the past week at LA Observed, click here. Also see today's Mark Lacter... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 26, 2009
Salonen's musical sauna
Esa-Pekka Salonen's house in upper Brentwood has gone on the market for $4.1 million. It has six bedrooms, 5.5 baths and a chilly Scandinavian demeanor throughout. Check out the sauna... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Koreatown boom a dud
After the U.S. waived the visa requirement for South Korean tourists, and Seoul loosened controls on foreign investment, Koreatown was expected to take off. Instead, the Los Angeles Business Journal... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
City Hall office shuffle
City Council President Eric Garcetti grabs Wendy Greuel's old suite on the fourth floor where they keep the elected inmates. Same square footage but more windows, says Rick Orlov at... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Job: Latino-themed content chief
The formal title is Chief Content Officer, and the employer is Radio Bilingue. The project takes a little more explanation. A major new public media programming service in Los Angeles... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Chasing desert storms
We've all seen the enormous white thunderheads build up on summer afternoons out beyond the San Gabriel Mountains, over the Mojave Desert. Photographer Gene Blevins chases the storm cells; check... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 25, 2009
Lily Burk, 17 *
The daughter of Los Angeles journalist Greg Burk and Southwestern Law adjunct professor Deborah Drooz was found slain this morning in her car near Alameda and Fourth Street downtown. A... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 24, 2009
Best city for deli: L.A.?
From the Jewish Journal's food blog, posted by editor Rob Eshman: I just got a peek inside David Sax's new book, "Save the Deli," due out Oct. 19, and can... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Best of LA, the blog
Los Angeles Magazine is out with its annual Best of LA issue, and #16 among its 101 favorite things is "Blog by an ex-LAT staffer." By that they mean Craig... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Chez Manny, the hair salon chain
Not really. But Frank Coffey at eTrueSports has fun with the concept of a chain of shops where everybody can just be Manny. Noted: Time Warner Cable's official story is... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Assembly approves most of budget
Oil drilling off Santa Barbara and borrowing of transportation funds from local governments are dropped. Mayor Villaraigosa tweets that it's a big victory for cities, plans 4:15 news conference. "This... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Author E. Lynn Harris dies here at 54
The best-selling writer of gay black fiction fell ill yesterday at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. He lived in Atlanta. LAT... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Friday 7.24.09
Whoa, the news and notes run a bit long today — that's what happens when you take the night off. The buzz is after the jump. Also see Mark Lacter's... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 23, 2009
Attention Internet Explorer users
Just a heads up to the 12% of LA Observed visitors who still drop in using Internet Explorer version 6 or earlier. The bane of web designers everywhere may soon... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Time Warner and Manny's home run *
Synthesizing the emails I've received and comments I've seen about Time Warner Cable cutting to commercial and missing Manny Ramirez's sensation of a home run last night, it sounds as... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Sketchbook: Honored budget traditions
Sacramento's fragile deal on the state budget is in the best tradition of California governing, according to editorial cartoonist Steve Greenberg. See more of LA Sketchbook by Greenberg in... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Put words in Antonio's mouth
Mayor Villaraigosa is apparently looking for a director of speechwriting, based on this job posting that just dropped in the mailbox. Salary commensurate with experience, and who knows, you may... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Bukowski tours Hollywood & Western
Charles Bukowski narrates a tour of the Hollywood and Western area, highlighting his favorite bars, hangouts, hookers and dope-dealers. From "The Charles Bukowski Tapes" (1985), by Barbet Schroeder, via... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Thursday 7.23.09
News, notes and observations are after the jump. Also see Mark Lacter's morning headlines at LA Biz Observed and follow us on Twitter.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 22, 2009
Time Warner Cable misses Manny homer *
Manny Ramirez just hit his most dramatic home run as a Dodger, a first-pitch grand slam coming off the bench in a tie game on Manny bobble-head night — and... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Glendale's first homicide of the year *
An unidentified man was shot dead in his black Lexus about 11 a.m. today in the parking lot of Allstate Insurance in Glendale. Police were searching for a man who... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Rebranding the duopoly
Channels 2 and 9 will be known, as of the fall, as CBS 2 NewsCentral and KCAL 9 NewsCentral. Behold the joint logo. Release is after the jump.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Daily Breeze editor flips
Phillip Sanfield announced in the newsroom (well, technically in the publisher's conference room) this afternoon that he's leaving as executive editor and interim publisher of the Breeze to become director... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Laura Chick slams Trutanich
Well, that honeymoon's over. Twenty-two days into City Attorney Carmen Trutanich's term, campaign backer and ex-Controller Laura Chick called him a liar and a demagogue this morning on Doug McIntyre's... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Wednesday 7.22.09
Wednesday's news, notes and observations are after the jump. Also see Mark Lacter's morning headlines at LA Biz Observed and follow us on Twitter.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 21, 2009
Century Plaza goes national
Tomorrow's New York Times real estate page ventures into the Century Plaza preservation dispute. Diane Keaton, listing the hotel's supposed glories, likens the design to a "sexy woman surrounded by... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
TMZ falls for hoax
TMZ.com received a lot of attention and some praise — including from me — for scooping the rest of the media on the cardiac arrest and later death of Michael... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Replacing newspaper sports coverage
L.A. Times coverage of the Los Angeles Kings is the poster child in a Sports Business Journal examination of waning sports reportage in newspapers and how worried pro sports teams... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Manny taken for x-rays
Manny Ramirez was hit on the left hand by a pitch early in tonight's game at Dodger Stadium. He shook the hand and flexed his fingers for a few minutes,... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Busy local news day
LA Biz Observed has followed some of the state budget fallout over there. Cal State university and colleges trustees raised student fees 20% and furloughed employees, as California's higher ed... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Plot thickens in broker murder
That South Bay real estate broker whose body was found inside a home for sale in Westchester has the kind of checkered past that will certainly perk up the ears... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Shulman radio documentary
Nice photograph by Juergen Nogai of Julius Shulman at John Lautner's Chemosphere house. Nogai, Frank Gehry, Dion Neutra and others, including Shulman himself, talk during a radio documentary on the... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
HuffPost grabs from WashPost
Jose Antonio Vargas, a national reporter at the Washington Post who covered the intersection of politics and technology during the 2008 campaign, was named Technology and Innovations Editor of the... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Tuesday 7.21.09
Tuesday's news, notes and observations are after the jump. Also see Mark Lacter's morning headlines at LA Biz Observed and follow us on Twitter.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 20, 2009
North Korea, U.S. negotiating on Ling & Lee
The South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo says that the U.S. and North Korea have "started delicate negotiations" over the future of Los Angeles journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, citing... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Sacto says it has a budget deal
Deal requires "significantly scaling back many services that have been offered to residents -- particularly the elderly and the poor -- for years," says the LAT story. More: Bee, Capital... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Janice Min resigns at Us Weekly
Min announced today that she's leaving next week to do something else unspecified. "The top spot of US Weekly may be a coveted job, but its by no means be... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Sketchbook: Cloudbreak at LAPD
News item: LAPD consent decree lifted See more in the LA Sketchbook by editorial cartoonist Steve Greenberg.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Antonio's dinner date
TMZ videotaped Mayor Villaraigosa and Lu Parker coming out of Mozza just ahead of the newly enriched Ryan Seacrest this weekend. The site says the trio was eating together. Watch... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
What Padilla does for Newsom
State Sen. Alex Padilla's title as campaign chair may help Gavin Newsom grab some Latino votes away from Jerry Brown, but even Padilla's political mentor — James Acevedo — says... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Sports editor named at L.A. Times
I mentioned in last night's ESPN item that the Times was about to name a new editor for sports. It's Mike James, a veteran of the LAT's sports desk. The... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Conde Nast to 'realign'
The magazine publisher is struggling, so here comes McKinsey and Co. to study all aspects of the company. Ominous memo from the CEO this afternoon to employees in Los Angeles... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Changes in WSJ bureau
Alexandra Berzon's addition isn't the only move this summer in the Wall Street Journal bureau here. I'm told that when Berzon arrives, Tamara Audi is expected to slide from casino... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Monday 7.20.09
Monday's news, notes and observations are after the jump. Also see Mark Lacter's morning headlines at LA Biz Observed and follow us on Twitter.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Postcards from Mayor Villaraigosa
In her weekend column, Daily News editorial page editor Mariel Garza imagines what the mayor might have written if he had sent back postcards from his recent Africa trip. The... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 19, 2009
Don't block the driveway in Venice
When visiting Venice, notes the blog Yo Venice, "it is advisable not to block a driveway when you park your vehicle. Odds are that two towing trucks, two parking enforcement... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
ESPN invading Los Angeles
The cable sports giant will announce plans Monday for a website devoted to covering Los Angeles sports teams. It has worked for ESPN in Chicago, but L.A. Times sports boss... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Lee Abrams innovates his hobby
Remember Sam Zell's chief innovation officer, the irrepressible Lee Abrams? Turns out he has been a pilot since he was 17, and like many hobbyist pilots across the U.S. he... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Chicken Corner returns
Jenny Burman is back and blogging at Chicken Corner after a bit of hiatus. She explains. Watch for her blog to expand beyond the borders of Echo Park.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 18, 2009
500 Days in Downtown L.A.
"We're young, we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, we might as well have fun while we can," Zooey Deschanel's character says in "500... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Sketchbook: Walter Cronkite
Cronkite passed away Friday at age 92. Here's our earlier link. More from LA Sketchbook by Steve Greenberg... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 17, 2009
LAPD consent decree lifted
U.S. District Court Judge Gary A. Feess freed the Los Angeles Police Department from most of the federal oversight that has been in place since the Rampart corruption scandals of... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Friday desk clearing
Thomas Saenz talks about the MALDEF job and being passed over by the Obama Administration. NPR's Tell Me MoreMarc Haefele says the debate over paying for police services during the... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Walter Cronkite, 92
Media sites are saying that the longtime CBS News anchor has died, according to his family. Cronkite announcing the assassination of President John Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963:... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Talking about Shulman
In today's LA Observed segment on KCRW, I honor Julius Shulman as a foremost chronicler and interpreter of Los Angeles and get personal on behalf of my wife, who has... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Pulitzer winner coming to L.A.
Alexandra Berzon, the Las Vegas Sun reporter whose four-part series on the high death rate among construction workers on the Las Vegas Strip won the Public Service medal in this... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Friday 7.17.09
Friday's news and notes are after the jump. Also see Mark Lacter's morning headlines at LA Biz Observed and follow us on Twitter.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 16, 2009
Farmers Market through a new eye
Los Angeles photographer Iris Schneider attended this week's birthday party for Farmers Market and took in the USC band and "hokey card trick" spelling out 75 years. Schneider covered news... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Nikki Finke as Hollywood's 'feared blogger'
David Carr came through town a week or so ago and lands on the New York Times' front page tomorrow with a piece on Nikki Finke. Her deal to sell... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
L.A. Jewish history on Flickr
Frances Dinkelspiel, the author who talks tonight at ALOUD about "Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California," is also president of the board at the... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Julius Shulman, 1910-2009
Julius Shulman, the dean of Los Angeles photographers, died Wednesday at home in Laurel Canyon. He was 98 years old. "He led a charmed life right up to the... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Mike Woo gets academic gig
The former City Councilman and current planning commissioner will be dean of Cal Poly Pomona's College of Environmental Design, effective July 30. Release after the jump.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Zac excitement in the Marina
An LA Observed reader phoned in this photo from Marina Del Rey, where they're expecting Zac Sunderland's return this morning from his round-the-world solo sail. Sunderland's blog says he is... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Thursday 7.16.09
Quick first read of the day's news and notes is after the jump. Also see Mark Lacter's morning headlines at LA Biz Observed and follow us on Twitter.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 15, 2009
Afternoon politics notes
Busy day on the local politics front: State Sen. Alex Padilla was named statewide chairman of Gavin Newsom's campaign for governor, a pretty blatant appeal to SoCal Latino donors and... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Sam Nazarian named to airport commission
Nightlife and hotel impresario Sam Nazarian is Mayor Villaraigosa's choice to fill the Chris Essel opening on the Board of Airport Commissioners. A release from Villaraigosa is going out this... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Ex-LAT photogs hang out shingle
Pro Photography Network is a new business offering photo services from recently departed Los Angeles Times photojournalists, including Pulitzer winner Annie Wells. From today's release: A funny thing happened on... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Sketchbook: Out of Van Nuys
In honor of Sherman Oaks adding a new precinct of ex-Van Nuysians, here's the latest by Steve Greenberg. For the heck of it, here's my timeline of San Fernando... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Reminder to Trutanich
Today's Daily News, in an editorial, reminds new City Attorney Carmen Trutanich that as a candidate he promised to reverse Rocky Delgadillo's legal opinion that prohibited audits of his office... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Wednesday 7.15.09
Quick first read of the day's news and notes is after the jump. Also see Mark Lacter's Wednesday morning headlines at LA Biz Observed and follow us on Twitter.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 14, 2009
The Valley's nuclear past
With local media obsessing a bit this week on the 50th anniversary of the partial meltdown of an experimental nuclear reactor above Chatsworth, here's the first comprehensive news story on... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Piece of Van Nuys OK'd to move
Sherman Oaks now extends north of Burbank Boulevard, at least in one neighborhood, in another blow to Van Nuys. Lots of levity during the City Council debate, so to speak... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Sketchbook: Farewell to Hollywood
Sing along with Steve Greenberg as he mourns runaway production from Hollywood. Click the cartoon to view it larger. See the entire LA Sketchbook archive and Steve's bio in one... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Doug Jehl, ex-L.A. journo, goes to Wash Post
Doug Jehl is a former Los Angeles Times White House reporter who jumped years ago to the New York Times, where he is deputy editor in the Washington bureau. He... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Columnist takes leave of absence
Tina Daunt, who writes the Cause Celebre political column for the L.A. Times' Calendar section, posted on her blog that she's taking time off to care for her ailing father.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Saenz to be head of MALDEF *
Thomas Saenz, Mayor Villaraigosa's in-house legal counsel, will become president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund next month. Saenz, 43, says in the Los... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Tuesday 7.14.09
A quick first look at today's items on politics and the city, with a media obit. Inside after the jump.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 13, 2009
Riding Route 66 to Tennessee
This morning there was the guy running from Burbank to Texas. Now KPCC's John Rabe, riding his bike into work today, ran into a South Korean native named Shine who... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Mayor: Never mind on MJ donations
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has changed his office's tune on donations to defray expenses of the Michael Jackson memorial, saying this morning that providing police services is what cities do and... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Free tix to Chris Anderson
Mark Lacter has ten tickets for Thursday morning's appearance by Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson to talk about his book, "Free: The Future of a Radical Price," at the ALOUD Business... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Violinist found dead
Robert Korda's body was located by LAPD detectives Sunday in the county morgue. His death is under investigation. Korda disappeared on Wednesday and his son Noah had been seeking help... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LAPD vs. NYPD, on TV
Los Angeles and New York both make great settings for police dramas on TV. But why, over the last decade or more, are most of the better ones located in... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Monday 7.13.09
A mix of today's news and observations and some from the weekend. Inside after the jump.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 12, 2009
Violinist Robert Korda is missing *
Korda, 69 and a veteran of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has not been seen since Wednesday, the day before he was supposed to drive from home in Van Nuys to... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Little piece of Canada in July
Four minute LAO video: Young (mostly 17-20) not-yet-pro players in the Los Angeles Kings system came to L.A. this weekend for the team's summer prospects camp. They worked with the... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
John Arthur's LAT exit note
John Arthur left the L.A. Times newsroom Friday, eight days after being told that a masthead reorganization meant his services as executive editor were no longer needed. Staffers, including managing... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 11, 2009
Hotel Rosslyn neon, all lit up
I can't remember the last time I saw the Hotel Rosslyn roof signs on display over Downtown, but I was pleased to see the northern one of the pair fired... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 10, 2009
Mayor is back
Well, he is if his Twitter posts are real. @villaraigosa Good to be back in LA! And good to see @revcarr 's work in action: check out this Summer Night... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Friday desk clearing
Former UCLA chancellor Charles Young filed suit asking the California Supreme Court to invalidate the state's 2/3 vote requirement for raising taxes. Dan Walters More chest-beating and attention-seeking by... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Observed on KCRW: Downtown
For the first time in what feels like forever, Michael Jackson isn't mentioned in this week's LA Observed segment airing at 4:44 p.m. on KCRW. The subject this time is... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Sketchbook: Freedom of screech
I don't know — I'm kind of thinking Steve Greenberg is no fan of the distracting digital billboards popping up around Los Angeles. With the issue due to get hot... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Rev. Lee in hot water over Prop. 8 opposition
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is trying to remove its Los Angeles president, Rev. Eric P. Lee, over his support of gay marriage. It's reopening the rift over African American... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Friday 7.10.09
Abbreviated Friday edition... Chief Bratton says he's selling his Los Feliz home to get free of the unused pool and will buy another home in or around Los Angeles. L.A.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 9, 2009
Jackson casket moved by LAPD, Channel 7 says
Channel 7 reported tonight that Michael Jackson's casket was removed from Staples Center after Tuesday's memorial while hidden in a SWAT van. Chief Bratton would neither confirm nor deny, saying... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Hitler's music exiles in Southern California
Jonathan Kirsch reviews "A Windfall of Musicians: Hitler's Émigrés and Exiles in Southern California," Dorothy Lamb Crawford's study of the 1930s emigres to Los Angeles such as Igor Stravinsky, Arnold... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
'Moneyball' back on
Aaron Sorkin will take over the script, Steven Soderbergh will no longer direct, but Brad Pitt is still attached to star and the movie remains at Sony, says Variety's Marc... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Bratton puts house on the market
Hmm, selling in a down market. Let the speculation begin. The Times' Hot Property column says that LAPD Chief William Bratton and his wife Rikki Klieman are asking 1.875 million... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Times critic Ann Powers moving to Alabama
Her husband Eric Weisbard posts on Facebook that he will be teaching in Tuscaloosa. Powers says in a Facebook note that she will continue to write as L.A. Times pop... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Who killed California's economy?
Joel Kotkin posits five suspects in a new piece at Forbes. It took some amazing incompetence to toss this best-endowed of places down into the dustbin of history. Yet conventional... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Kmiec named ambassador to Malta
Catching up to this via the SoCal Minds blog: Pepperdine law professor Douglas Kmiec, a regular on op-ed pages and elsewhere in the media, was nominated by President Obama to... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Thursday 7.9.09
The Getty remains closed today due to that mostly contained fire in Sepulveda Pass, and Sepulveda Boulevard is still closed from Sunset to Mulholland. LAT, KNX Capitol Weekly's Anthony... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Villaraigosa tweeter uncovered
Back in June, when I posted about Mayor Villaraigosa's Twitter updates lagging behind by hours, the account at HTRimalower tweeted the link and a question: "Why is L.A.Observed hating on... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LAPD maps miss 40% of crimes
The L.A. Times says its comparison of LAPD crime stats to the department's online maps that are supposed to show what's going on in neighborhoods found that 40% of serious... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
'Spamalot' finally hits L.A.
Wednesday night's opening performance of "Monty Python's Spamalot" at the Ahmanson ended with creator Eric Idle taking the stage (to a standing ovation, though his name was never used) and... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 8, 2009
Laura Ling and Euna Lee: 113 days
The Los Angeles staffers for Current TV have now been held in North Korea for 113 days. Lisa Ling sends word of a new website — lauraandeuna.com — to galvanize... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Lu Parker likes Africa
Mayor Villaraigosa's posts on Twitter during his Africa trip have all been about Los Angeles — and until further evidence appears I'll assume they have been written by @Matt_Szabo or... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Fire moving away from Getty, Mt. St. Mary's
Smoke is much reduced out here. Jonathan Alcorn shot this photo when the plume was still growing.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Wildfire forcing evacuation of the Getty
The Getty Museum is being evacuated down through Brentwood as a precaution due to a fire burning in brush a ridge or two to the north in Sepulevda Pass. Damn... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Biz Journal back online
The Los Angeles Business Journal site went dark on Tuesday and didn't come back until late this morning. No, they weren't mourning Michael Jackson. Editor's note posted today: The Business... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Sketchbook: Who pays the MJ bills?
Steve Greenberg picks up on the local politics of the Michael Jackson event seen 'round the world. Click to view larger; see more cartoons by Greenberg in the LA... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Wednesday 7.8.09
City Attorney Carmen Trutanich appeared at the City Council podium to say he is investigating how the city got the tab for the police costs of staffing the Michael... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 7, 2009
Ray Watt, developer was 90
The real estate developer who may have had a hand in 100,000 new homes was a condo and strip mall pioneer in Southern California and built office towers in Century... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Leiweke: shame on Zine
AEG chief Tim Leiweke, asked by Mark Coogan on Channel 2/9 to respond to Councilman Dennis Zine's demand that the company cover the public costs of the Jackson memorial, sounded... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Where does MJ go now? *
Eerie media silence regarding the return trip to wherever Michael Jackson goes now, and the continuing buildup of costs for public services. Will freeway closures occur again this afternoon? 1:28... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Jackson memorial ceremony *
Live in Los Angeles on channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 34 and 52 (translated), MSNBC, Fox News Channel, CNN. And on many L.A. radio stations, as well as... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Jackson's funeral procession
A hearse is driving through Forest Lawn and falling into procession formation. Which route to Staples Center? Updates: Left the cemetery at 9:25, east on Forest Lawn Drive. 134 eastbound... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LAPD detective kills herself *
The Times is reporting that the unidentified detective shot herself last night after walking into the Santa Clarita sheriff's station and speaking to a deputy. She placed a box of... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Mayor missing the party
Wags are cackling that Mayor Villaraigosa is on vacation in Africa and missing the city's biggest media day in years — all those cameras, perhaps a billion people watching L.A.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Motorcade leaving Encino *
Several dozen black limousines (and other vehicles) are starting to move away from the Jackson family home on Hayvenhurst Avenue, presumably headed toward Forest Lawn. They have a police escort,... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 6, 2009
Kevin Starr's California
In the same issue of The Atlantic where Sandra Tsing Loh finishes off her marriage, the editor's choice book is Kevin Starr's eighth in his series on Golden State history:... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Nomar returns to Fenway Park
Ex-Dodger Nomar Garciaparra took the field today in Boston for the first time since the 2004 trade that broke off one of the great sports love affairs. The Red Sox... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Joe Torre on drugs, the Yankees and Manny
Dodgers manager Joe Torre is on Fox Business Network today talking with David Asman about, of all things, the Yankees he used to manage. Some highlights from FBN: On Roger... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Sketchbook: Ringmaster of Calif. Circus
Who's the ringmaster of the circus in Sacramento? We are, ultimately. Steve Greenberg nails it. See more by Greenberg in the LA Sketchbook archive.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Jackson to be buried in the Valley
The Forest Lawn cemetery wedged between Griffith Park, Burbank and Toluca Lake calls itself FL Hollywood Hills for marketing purposes, but make no mistake: it's in the San Fernando Valley.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Zell may be rid of Cubs
Sam Zell's Tribune Company has a written agreement to sell the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field and other assets to the Ricketts family for about $900 million, says the Chicago Tribune.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Good luck downtown on Tuesday
City Council prez pro tem Jan Perry has released the city's map on street closures designed to keep the ticketless masses far away from the Michael Jackson memorial at Staples... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Monday 7.6.09
So to attend the Michael Jackson memorial, you have to be a web user, able to print your instructions, have free time today and the transportation to get to... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
On Fox 11's 'deaths in the family'
Channel 11 reporter John Schwada blogs that the recent layoff of 99 staffers cost his newsroom "a lot of good young people, with energy and dreams (fortunately, not all of... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 5, 2009
When bin Laden was in L.A.
I skipped right past this Steve Coll piece in last week's New Yorker skimming revelations from a forthcoming book by Osama's first wife, Najwa Bin Laden, and his son. Coll... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
'Ungovernable' California
Today's New York Times Magazine devoted more than 8,000 words to the question: "Who can possibly govern California?" Reporter Mark Leibovich gets at his inquiry through Gavin Newsom, the other... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LAT cuts back weather map, comics
In a move to save space, the Los Angeles Times weather page dropped 43 international cities, 16 U.S. cities and four California locales — Blythe, Mt. Wilson, Rialto and Santa... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Little Tujunga brush fire *
Lori Jablons sends this photo of a brush fire burning this afternoon in the hills behind her Lake View Terrace neighborhood. "You can see the flames within the smoke, and... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Latest on Michael Jackson plans
They're talking now about a private family funeral at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, with no motorcade through the city. Cops will have their hands full with Tuesday's Staples Center memorial,... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Where Farrah Fawcett is buried
From the Adventures in Grave Hunting blog: While the world's media focused on speculation about where Michael Jackson would be buried, lovely Farrah Fawcett was quietly laid to rest two... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 3, 2009
Manny talks, walks
Manny Ramirez rejoined the Dodgers tonight in San Diego, was greeted with a loud mix of boos and cheers when he came up in the first inning, and drew a... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 2, 2009
Villaraigosa off to Africa
Did Lu Parker go along, as she implied she would in that first public glimpsing of the couple at Chevalier's bookstore a month ago? Mayoral spokesman Matt Szabo isn't saying.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Steve Brennan, Hollywood Reporter editor
Cynthia Littleton at Variety reports that Brennan, a longtime reporter and editor for The Hollywood Reporter, died today at Cedars-Sinai after a yearlong struggle with cancer. "He was my friend,... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Eater LA apologizes
Eater LA, through a post signed by Curbed creator Lockhart Steele, says its post earlier this week leveling blind charges at downtown wine bar The Must "didn't rise to our... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Inside the Las Virgenes landfill
Veronique de Turenne drops off a load, posts some pictures at Here in Malibu: "Kind of freaks me out, but it's also fascinating, this other world where tons of junk... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Pre-holiday putsch at L.A.Times *
Newsroom groups are being informed right now that John Arthur is out as Los Angeles Times executive editor — that's number two on the paper's masthead. Sports editor Randy Harvey... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Holiday observed
LA Observed will begin observing the first holiday weekend of summer by switching early to infrequent posting mode. Enjoy the weekend!... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Remembering Manson
In this issue of Los Angeles Magazine and on the website, Steve Oney revisits the summer of 1969 when Hollywood figures, and then much of the city, were terrified by... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
LA Sketchbook: Pico Rivera
Steve Greenberg is traveling this week to the annual convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. While he's gone, we'll post some previously unpublished work. This one was... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
July 1, 2009
Antonio's security detail: $450,000 a year
An elected San Francisco supervisor has been agitating up there for details on the cost of Mayor Gavin Newsom's security detail, without much luck. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, however, easily tracked... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Hymon working in City Hall again
Steve Hymon, who covered the City Hall beat (and later transportation as the Bottleneck blogger) for the Los Angeles Times, is back again, at least virtually. This time, he's doing... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Ex-candidate looking for a job
Emanuel Pleitez is the 26-year-old who may have played a bit of a spoiler role in the 32nd congressional district by taking votes from Gil Cedillo in the Democratic primary... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
American Apparel in trouble with ICE
Dov Charney's L.A. firm today was "fingered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for employing some 1,600 workers at its Los Angeles factories whose eligibility documentation is 'suspect and not... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Top 10 July 4 mistakes
Actually, the tongue-in-cheek list at LatinoLA is titled Top 10 Mistakes You Made Last July 4, But Not This One. Favorites: 3. A Congresswoman was still asleep on the sofa... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Read Michael Jackson's will
TMZ has posted the PDF. Plus: We may not know when or where [or if?] Jackson will be buried, but it won't be at Neverland. L.A. Now... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Lu Parker attends Villaraigosa's ceremony
Channel 5 reporter Eric Spillman posted the photo on Twitter of his KTLA colleague, the mayor's girlfriend, in the invited crowd at Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's pre-swearing-in church gathering this morning.... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Morning Buzz: Wednesday 7.1.09
Homies Unidos director Alex Sanchez was denied bail even though former Senator Tom Hayden offered his home as security and support at the hearing included a deputy to City... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
Now they put Chick on the cover *
One day before she would have left elective office, Governing magazine features former Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick on its July cover. She stepped down early, of course, to... $MTEntryExcerpt$>
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Teamsters victory in harbor may have impact
Garcettis out of state on vacation again
8:10 AM Tue
| The City Council returned this week from a summer recess, but the office of Mayor Eric Garcetti informed the media that "Mayor Garcetti will be traveling with his family out of the state from July 25 until August 4."
7:41 AM Tue
Truman Capote's typewriter added to Soboroff collection
7:19 PM Mon
30 years ago today: 'Rhapsody in Blue' in the Coliseum
Go to Kevin's blog
Mark Lacter funeral services
2:07 PM Sat
| The funeral for Mark Lacter will be held Sunday, Nov. 24 at 12 noon at Hillside Memorial Park, 6001 W. Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles 90045. Reception to follow.
11:47 AM Thu
Sad news about our friend Mark Lacter
11:49 AM Tue
American-US Air settlement with DOJ includes small tweak at LAX
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5 Lame but Common Interview Responses
If these are in your interview repertoire, remove them immediately!
Hiring managers hear these five unimpressive statements from job applicants over and over. A few of them are actually recommended in some job-seeking guides, much to the detriment of job-seekers. If these are in your interview repertoire, remove them immediately!
[See the best careers for 2010.]
1. "I'm the best qualified person for the job." This one is almost always used in cover letters, not in person, and those who say it are usually wrong. More importantly, it reeks of ego and naiveté. I don't want to feel like you're doing a hard sell. From my side, the hiring process is about an honest assessment of whether you're a good match (because I don't want to have to fire you later). Hyperbole just gets in the way.
2. "Right now, I'm not as concerned with salary and am more interested in learning about the position and your needs." Really? Unless you're independently wealthy, I doubt you really mean this. But in any case, I'm concerned with salary, even if you're not, because I don't want to waste my time or yours if our salary expectations are in wildly different ranges.
[See how much interview follow-up is too much.]
3. "I can't think of any real weaknesses." Did you really have no inkling that this is something you should be prepared to talk about in an interview? This doesn't make you look good. You look unprepared, or lacking in self-awareness, or just unwilling to have an honest discussion about your fit for the job. It's a terrible answer. I think fairly highly of myself, and there are still hundreds of things I could rattle off at a moment's notice that I'd like to be able to do better.
4. "I'm a perfectionist." Similar to "I work too hard," this is one of the phony weaknesses that candidates think they can offer up. It screams "fake answer" and makes you look disingenuous.
5. "I don't have any questions." You're talking about the place where you might spend half your waking hours, and you don't have any questions?
Unsurprisingly, the common denominator in all of these is a lack of genuineness. Hiding who you are in an interview may get you a job, but it's unlikely to be one you're a good fit for, since the person they hired isn't who you really are. Being more upfront about who you are will land you a job where you're exactly what they want--and that's what you're after.
Alison Green is the author of Managing to Change the World: The Nonprofit Leader's Guide to Getting Results. She is chief of staff for the Marijuana Policy Project, a nonprofit lobbying organization, where she oversees day-to-day management of the staff as well as hiring, firing, and staff development. Her writings have been published in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Maxim, and dozens of other newspapers. She blogs at Ask a Manager.


text:
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Changes to this policy
WIF reserves the right to change this policy at any time. Please check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of our site following the posting of changes to these terms will mean you accept those changes. Information collected prior to the time any change is posted will be used according to the rules and laws that applied at the time the information was collected.
These Terms of Use will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to principles of conflicts or choice of law. In addition, the application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, including any amendments thereto, is expressly excluded hereby. Except for disputes arising from an alleged violation of intellectual property rights or breach of confidentiality, for which the injured party may suffer irreparable harm and may seek a restraining order, preliminary injunctive relief, an injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief and/or legal remedies, and actions to enforce the decisions of the arbitrators, for which action may be taken in any court of competent jurisdiction, all disputes arising out of or related to this Agreement, including the scope, the construction or application of this Agreement, shall be resolved by arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association then in force. The arbitration hearings and all meetings pursuant to this section shall be held in Los Angeles, California, USA, and shall be conducted in English. If the parties cannot agree upon a single arbitrator within fifteen (15) days after demand by either of them, each party shall select one arbitrator knowledgeable about Internet commerce in California and the USA generally, and notify the other of its selection, and such two arbitrators shall select a third from a list of arbitrators (with knowledge of the Internet industry) qualified by the American Arbitration Association in California. If this procedure for selecting arbitrators fails, then a neutral arbitrator based in California with knowledge of Internet commerce in California and the USA generally shall be selected by the American Arbitration Association to resolve the dispute. The arbitrator(s) shall conduct a hearing within thirty (30) days after their selection. A majority of the arbitrators (if there is more than one pursuant to this clause) shall determine the decision/award, which shall be rendered within five (5) days after the completion of the hearing. The decision of the arbitrator(s) shall be final and binding upon the parties both as to law and to fact, and shall not be appealable to any court in any jurisdiction. The parties shall share the expenses of the arbitrators equally. Nothing in any indemnification provision hereunder shall be construed as having any bearing on the award of attorneys' fees or arbitrators' fees under this section. If you are located outside the United States, please note the information you provide to us will be transferred to the United States. You hereby consent to this transfer.
In the event case of any conflict between the terms of this policy and the terms of any electronic or machine readable privacy policy (for example, a P3P electronic privacy policy), the terms of this written policy shall control.