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Archive for Other Teams
Saturday Night Open ThreadPosted by: | Comments
I don't want to make too much of one game, but that was a really big win this afternoon. The Yankees were staring a one-game division lead in the face as late as the seventh inning, but they rallied late to hand the Orioles their first one-run loss since June 20th. June 20th! That's insane. Three of Baltimore's seven one-run losses on the season have come courtesy of New York. Now the Yankees are guaranteed to go into Tampa with at least a two-game lead on Monday, but I would much rather it be four. Let's worry about that tomorrow and just enjoy the win.
It's gorgeous outside (in New York, anyway), so I hope you're out enjoying the evening and the long holiday weekend. If you have some time to kill, use this as your open thread. The Mets are playing the Marlins (Hefner vs. Johnson) and MLB Network will air a game as well. Who you see depends on where you live. I'm sure there's a bunch of college football on as well. Talk about whatever you like here.
The trade deadline and the AL playoff picturePosted by: | Comments
The trade deadline passed yesterday, and as usual there were a number of deals. While blockbuster trades for the likes of Justin Upton, Cliff Lee, or Matt Garza never happened, there were still a number of impact players that changed teams Contending teams looked to bolster their squads for the stretch run, while the teams who are out of the playoff hunt dumped assets to save salary and strengthen the farm. In this post, I will take a look at the moves made by the Yankees and their competition, both within the division and within the AL, to see how these deals will impact the 2012 playoff picture.
As has become customary for the Yankees this time of year, Brian Cashman and crew did not make any big, splashy moves, citing the excessive costs demanded in prospects and players. However, they did make a few moves to improve the team's depth, fill holes created by injuries, and set the Yankees up for a deep run in October.
The Ichiro Suzuki acquisition was one where the hype and excitement is probably disproportionate to the expected impact of the player. Nonetheless, it was an important acquisition, giving the Yankees speed and defensive prowess that they have missed because Brett Gardner has missed most of the season, and shows no signs of returning anytime soon. While Ichiro had had a disappointing 2012 so far, anything the Yankees can get from him offensively is gravy. I think he still has something left in the tank, especially against right-handed pitchers, and he can be an effective table-setting presence from the bottom of the order.
The swap of Chad Qualls for Casey McGehee served two purposes. Not only did the trade rid the Yankees of an ineffective bullpen arm to clear a spot for the return of Joba Chamberlain, it also brought in a backup corner infielder with some right-handed pop who can fill in for the injured Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, and give the notably fragile Eric Chavez some extra rest.
Red Sox
While Boston is 7.5 games out and just 2 games over .500, the team is too talented to count out. However, they didn't do very much at the deadline in terms of either buying or selling. They re-acquired lefty reliever Craig Breslow, but they didn't make any moves to deal underachieving pitchers Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, as some speculated they might. Rob Bradford of WEEI reported that they did discuss a blockbuster deal with the Rangers that included Josh Beckett, Kelly Shoppach, and Jacoby Ellsbury, but nothing ever emerged from those talks. While the Red Sox did not wave the white flag by selling off any impact players, they didn't exactly do anything significant to improve their team. This indicates that they think that they will improve naturally as their players get healthy and start playing better, or consider them too worthwhile to give up long-term assets to increase the small likelihood that they make the playoffs (though they are only 3.5 games out in the Wild Card).
Rays and Orioles
The Rays are 6.5 games behind the Yankees in the division and 2.5 games back in the Wild Card standings, and the Orioles are a game ahead of the Rays. Nonetheless, neither team showed a sense of urgency, as they didn't make any trades that would increase their likelihood of winning the Wild Card or catching the Yankees.
The traditional thorn in the Yankees' side made one of the biggest moves of the trading period, acquiring RHP Zack Greinke for Baseball America's #55 prospect Jean Segura and 2 others. Greinke, who was having a strong season with the Brewers, adds another frontline-caliber pitcher to an Angels rotation that already includes Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, and Dan Haren. With Greinke in the fold, the Angels' deep rotation becomes even deeper, and that quartet of starters could prove formidable come playoff time. As a Yankee fan, it's hard not to be nervous about a Weaver-Greinke-Wilson-Haren rotation come playoff time, especially when paired with Yankee-killer Mark Trumbo and 20 year-old superman Mike Trout.
The Rangers, the current AL West leaders, made two moves to improve their team in expectation of a trip to October. They acquired RHP Ryan Dempster, who was also connected to the Yankees, Dodgers, and Braves in trade rumors. Dempster is currently #2 in the majors in ERA, and while few expect him to finish that well after moving to the AL and Texas' hitter-friendly park, Dempster should be a big addition to a pitching staff with some injuries and question marks. They also added catcher Geovany Soto, who will improve the Rangers' defense behind the plate and allow them to use Mike Napoli at DH or 1st base more often. These two moves strengthened an already-formidable team, and while the Rangers still have questions in the rotation due to injuries, adding Dempster will provide some important stability.
White Sox
The White Sox own a 2.5 game lead in the AL Central and made some additions at or around the deadline. While GM Kenny Williams reportedly tried and failed to acquire Zack Greinke, he did make a cheaper addition to the rotation in the form of Francisco Liriano. While Liriano has had an uneven season and injuries have kept him from fulfilling his incredible potential, he is talented enough that if he figures things out, he could be a major force in the Chicago rotation. Although the deal happened well before the deadline, the Kevin Youkilis acquisition has already paid dividends for Sox. He provides their lineup with some power and patience, and can adequately fill the 3rd base slot that was causing the Sox problems earlier in the year.
As we can see, almost all of the Yankees' playoff competitors made significant improvements this trade season. The Angels adding Greinke is the move that scares me the most, but Texas's acquisition of Ryan Dempster also provides a major upgrade to an already-strong team. The Yankees' divisional competition didn't do much to improve, which bodes well for their chances to win the division. While the Yankees failed to make any flashy trades, they filled some holes and should be well-positioned to win the AL East and enter the playoffs as a World Series contender. Healthy and effective returns by Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte will be of utmost importance here.
2012 Season Preview: The Senior CircuitPosted by: | Comments
We've just about wrapped up our 2012 Season Preview. We've covered various aspects of the Yankees as a team, and have even examined the competition. There's only one thing left: the National League. Of course, since the Yankees play just 18 games against Senior Circuit competition, we needn't go into great detail. But, since we always look forward to the Yankees making a World Series trip — especially now that Kentucky has won the NCAA basketball title — a little closer look at the NL is warranted.
Cincinnati Reds
Every year MLB has one stray interleague series in May. This usually pits geographic against one another: Giants vs. A's, Dodgers vs. Angels, Cubs vs. White Sox, and of course Yankees vs. Mets. This year, however, things have changed a bit. The Yanks will still play two series against the Mets, but they'll bookend the 5-series interleague run in June. For the stray May series, they'll face the Cincinnati Reds at The Stadium.
Last year the Yanks traveled to Cincinnati for a three game series, including a rainout and a doubleheader. The Yanks took the first two contests, but got demolished in the nightcap of the doubleheader. That was, if you'll remember, Brian Gordon's final start in pinstripes. The Reds have changed a bit after their disappointing 2011 season. They'll prove formidable in 2012.
Their offense is headed by the fabulously wealthy Joey Votto, who just signed a 10-year contract extension, which will keep him in Cincinnati through 2023. It will cost the Reds a total of more than $250 million, but they apparently consider Votto, a perennial MVP candidate, worthy of the cost. He'll also have Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips to provide some production around him. If secondary guys such as Drew Stubbs, Zack Cozart, and Chris Heisey step up, the Reds will be in fine shape offensively.
On the mound the Reds have added a potential ace to go along with Johnny Cueto. They sent a huge package of players to San Diego this winter, and in return got Mat Latos. They'll also have Mike Leake, Bronson Arroyo, and Homer Bailey to round out the rotation. In the bullpen the Reds are strong, despite the loss of Ryan Madson before he threw a pitch for them. Sean Marshall is one of the league's best relievers, and he has Aroldis Chapman, Jose Arredondo, and Bill Bray setting up for him. With both the Brewers and the Cardinals losing a bit this off-season, the Reds could certainly step up in 2012.
Atlanta Braves
While the Yankees got to break in the new Marlins ballpark this week, they won't face the Fish during the regular season. Instead, they'll play two series against the Braves. Despite their late-season collapse out of what was thought to be a sure playoff spot in 2011, the Braves come back with few changes on the surface. They essentially signed no significant players during the off-season, leaving them with an older version of last year's team. Considering the ages of some of their most important parts, however, that might not be a bad thing.
Their biggest issue is the loss of Chipper Jones, though he could be back by mid-April following surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee. Once he's back the Braves offense will be solid at worst. Along with Jones in the heart of the lineup, they'll have Brian McCann and Dan Uggla. Freddie Freeman could continue making strides this year. If Jason Heyward fixes his swing and starts to fulfill his promise, the Braves should have few problems scoring runs at an above-average clip.
On the mound they're missing Tim Hudson, who will miss at least April following back surgery. The Braves do have plenty of depth in the minors, though, and they'll start to exercise that at season's start by slotting Randall Delgado into the fifth starter spot. He'll be joined by fellow youngster Mike Minor. The other three starters — Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, and Brandon Beachy — are also young. In fact, no Braves starter in April will be above age 26. Mix that with a powerful bullpen built on 2011 NL Rookie of the Year Award winner Craig Kimbrel, and you have a young and exciting pitching staff.
Washington Nationals
One of the bigger series this year for Yankees fans takes place from June 15th through the 17th in Washington, D.C. The Yanks make a trip to the nation's capital to play a strengthened Nationals team. After finishing at .500 in their first year since moving from Montreal, the Nationals have failed to reach that mark for the last six seasons. This year figures to be different for a number of reasons, not least of which is their revamped pitching staff.
Last year the Nationals starters allowed 3.99 runs per game, which was a tick better than the league average. This year, however, only two pitchers who started more than 15 games will return to the rotation. Jordan Zimmermann enters his age-26 season with plenty of potential, especially after his 3.18 ERA in 2011 — which included a phenomenal 1.7 per nine walk rate. The other is John Lannan, though he's just keeping a seat warm while Chien-Ming Wang recovers from yet another injury.
Taking the spots of retreads such as Jason Marquis and Livan Hernandez are Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, and Edwin Jackson. All three should certainly produce above-average numbers, and all three could conceivably rank among the NL's top 15 or 20 starters. That will give them an immediate boost. Add in their relatively strong bullpen, and you have a much-improved pitching staff in a pitching-heavy division.
On offense they might struggle to score runs. They lack a true leadoff hitter, and stand to get below-average performances from two key up-the-middle spots, shortstop and center field. That could change when Bryce Harper makes his debut, though. Missing Mike Morse at the start of the season will also hurt a bit. But if they really do have something in Danny Espinosa, he could eventually take over at short and strengthen that position. Ryan Zimmerman's steady production will certainly help as well. There's certainly potential there, though not everything seems to be in place right now.
New York Mets
As they have since the start of interleague play, the Yanks and Mets will square off twice in 2012. It's too easy to rip the Mets at this point. They have owners with documented financial issues. They lost their star shortstop this past off-season. Their pitching staff is pieced together with superglue and duct tape. Yet there might be a glimmer of hope for the Mets; their season might not be all terrible.
They need a lot to break their way. Jonathon Niese needs to take a step forward in terms of results, though his peripherals signal positive developments. Andres Torres needs to be more 2010 than 2011. David Wright needs to stay healthy and make more consistent contact than he has since CitiField opened. Jason Bay needs to bounce back. Ike Davis needs to prove that his 2011 injury and his bout of Valley Fever are behind him. Johan Santana needs to figure out how to succeed with diminished stuff. Mike Pelfrey needs to avoid being a punching bag.
While there are a lot of big question marks in there, every one is do-able to some extent. The chances of all them breaking right, however, are slim to nil, which means the Mets will likely struggle at many points throughout the season. But they do have some upside. It might not be division-winning upside, but it definitely includes a non-disaster season.
Arizona Diamondbacks
No, the Yankees don't play the Diamondbacks in 2012. They are, however, my pre-season pick to make the World Series. In a division full of highly flawed teams, they're the clear favorites. While the Reds, Phillies, and Braves could do some serious damage, I still like the Diamondbacks for their well-rounded approach. They have weapons on both sides of the ball that could propel them to their first pennant since winning the World Series in 2001.
Justin Upton leads an offense that, while probably not leading the league in runs scored, will provide a balanced attack. They have Chris Young and Willie Bloomquist to provide some speed. Miguel Montero is a pro hitter that adds some power at a mostly powerless position. Paul Goldschmidt can also add some power to the fold, as can Jason Kubel. Aaron Hill performed better once he left Toronto, and could be in for a big 2012. If Ryan Roberts's breakout season is remotely for real, the Diamondbacks should have little trouble scoring at an above average clip.
In the rotation former Yankee Ian Kennedy looks to repeat his breakout 2011. He might not do quite as well — that's a high bar he set — but he figures to produce above-average numbers at least. Daniel Hudson pitches behind him, and should also produce above average marks. The bottom three in the rotation are decent if unspectacular. Trevor Cahill has a lot to prove now that he doesn't pitch in an enormous ballpark. Josh Collmenter had a decent 2011, and could build on it. Joe Saunders is nothing but filler. But it's the reinforcements that could push the Diamondbacks over the top.
At some point during the season we could see pitchers Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs, both of whom come with plenty of hype. They're the kind of pitchers who have the potential to make an immediate impact. This goes especially for Bauer, who seems major-league ready in terms of stuff and makeup. It might be a little while, but they could turn a good rotation into a very good one.
* * *
The Yanks get an interesting bag of interleague opponents in 2012. There has been much talk about the NL East starting to rival the AL East in terms of divisional dominance. I don't quite buy that; the AL East features three of the best teams in the AL, with a fourth that would fare pretty well in another division. The NL East has some new talent, but they're not quite to the point where they have four teams of the AL East's caliber. Still, it makes for some good match-ups, especially the dual series against the Braves.
Overall, it's hard to see how the AL isn't the superior league again in 2012. True, they've been the better league for many years now. Maybe it's a matter of sending a more worthy representative than Texas to the World Series. In 2012, the Yankees could be just that team.
2012 Season Preview: Rest of the ALPosted by: | Comments
Last week we took a nice long look at the teams who figure to be the Yankees' primary competition this season, meaning the Red Sox, Rays, Tigers, Angels, and Rangers. There are eight other clubs in the American League though, and the Yankees are going to play those eight teams quite a bit more than the five other contenders. Most of those eight teams aren't very good, but every game counts the same.
Rather than doing a boring old offense/defense/pitching preview for each of those eight non-contenders, I decided to have a little fun with this one and put together some haikus. I encourage you to leave your own in the comments.
Baltimore Orioles
No pitching, few bats.
Buck is all talk and no bite.
Don't dare dis Flanny!
Chicago White Sox
Rebuild or contend?
Kenny can't seem to decide.
I wish we had Danks.
Cleveland Indians
Some funny names,
Asdrubal and Ubaldo?
Not winning this year.
Kansas City Royals
Hosmer is the shizz.
Young pitching ain't quite there yet.
LOL Frenchy.
Minnesota Twins
Mauer and Morneau
Used to be really awesome.
Now they are broken.
Oakland Athletics
Yoenis is here.
Trade all of the pitchers!
Where are the fans?
Seattle Mariners
Felix is the man,
The rest of the team sucks.
I miss Montero.
Toronto Blue Jays
AA the best,
Until he gets Jeff Mathis.
New unis do rule.
2012 Season Preview: AL ContendersPosted by: | Comments
The Red Sox and Rays will be the Yankees' primary competition this season, but the American League also boasts three more powerhouse teams. With only five playoff spots available for these six teams and greater emphasis placed on winning the division, it's going to be a pretty hectic summer around the so-called Junior Circuit.
Detroit Tigers
The team that knocked the Yankees out of the ALDS last year got better this offseason. The Prince Fielder contract — nine years and $214M — is completely ridiculous, but he and Miguel Cabrera now form the best three-four lineup combo since David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez circa 2004-2006. A full year of Doug Fister makes then better as well, though I seriously doubt he will pitch as well he did after the trade over a full season. The Tigers won the AL Central by 15 games last year and only improved while no other club in the division got appreciatively better. I think the gap between Detroit and the second best team in the division is greater than any of the other five divisions by far.
As good as the offense and rotation is, the Tigers will probably field the worst defensive team in baseball if they stick with Cabrera at third base. Austin Jackson in center field is more than fine and Ramon Santiago will be solid on the days he plays, but otherwise you have bad glovemen at first (Fielder), short (Jhonny Peralta), third (Miggy), and the corner outfield spots (Delmon Young and Brennan Boesch). I don't think they'll be 2005 Yankees bad, but there are going to be a lot of balls in play not converted into outs that extend the inning and overly tax that quality rotation. With a shaky bullpen beyond cardiac closer Jose Valverde and dynamite setup man Joaquin Benoit, losing outs from the starting staff could be bad news. I just don't think it'll be nearly enough to sink their season.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
No team grabbed headlines quite like the Angels this offseason, who hired a new GM (Jerry Dipoto), imported an MVP candidate (Albert Pujols), and stole an ace-caliber pitcher away from their division rival (C.J. Wilson). The top four of the rotation — Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Wilson, and Ervin Santana — is the best of the game and the clear strength of the team. The defensive unit is solid overall and only figures to get better once Mike Trout wrestles playing time from Vernon Wells. With a favorable home park, the Halos should be among the best run prevention units in all of baseball.
On the other hand, the lineup around Pujols is sneaky bad. Howie Kendrick is a very good hitter and the return of Kendrys Morales would be a significant addition, but Wells, Torii Hunter, and Bobby Abreu are teetering on the edge of disaster. They'll score enough runs, but it's not a powerhouse offense. Scott Downs and Jordan Walden make for a fine end-game tandem, but the rest of the bullpen is retread city, I'm talking Jason Isringhausen, LaTroy Hawkins, and Hisanori Takahashi. Rich Thompson is quite underrated, however. Starting pitching depth is also an issue beyond top four, with prospect Garrett Richards and the former prospect Jerome Williams the best bets for the fifth spot. The Angels made some major improvements this offseason, but Pujols and Wilson mask some serious deficiencies.
Texas Rangers
Call me a homer if you want, but the two-time defending AL Champs are the only club that can give the Yankees a run for their money as the most complete team in baseball. They did take a gamble by replacing a known quantity in Wilson with an unknown but potentially great hurler in Yu Darvish, but they do have pitching depth to spare. Alexi Ogando and Scott Feldman would be the third and fourth starters for most teams but are Texas' sixth and seventh starters behind Darvish, Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison, and Neftali Feliz. That is certainly enviable.
The bullpen also offers depth and high-end performance. Joe Nathan isn't the guy he once was in the ninth inning, but he's still effective and is more than capable of replacing Feliz as closer. Setup men Mike Adams and Koji Uehara will be around for a full season, and Ogando gives them another power arm. Michael Kirkman will likely replace the reliable Darren Oliver as the lefty specialist and is probably the weak link out in the bullpen. Feldman, Mark Lowe, and screwballer Yoshinori Tateyama fill out the rest of the relief corps.
Offensively, this team can do pretty much everything. They get power from Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, and Mike Napoli. Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, and Craig Gentry provide the speed. Michael Young does a little bit of everything in the classiest of ways. Hamilton, Kinsler, and Gentry are strong defenders while Beltre and Andrus are flat-out elite. If you want to highlight the negative, it's durability. Hamilton and Cruz never make it through a season without a DL stint and up until last year, the same could be said of Kinsler. Feliz hasn't started in more than two seasons and Darvish will have to adjust to a five-day schedule and the Texas heat. The Yankees and Rangers are the two best teams in baseball as far as I'm concerned, and you're free to quibble about who's first and who's second.
2012 Season Preview: Tampa Bay RaysPosted by: | Comments
The Tampa Bay Rays have made life quite difficult in the AL East. Previously a two-team powerhouse, the East saw Tampa Bay's rise to prominence in 2008. That year the Yankees boasted the fourth-best record in the American League, but missed the playoffs thanks to Tampa's presence atop the standings (among other factors). The Rays sunk a bit in the 2009 season, but in 2010 they came back to win the AL East, and then made the playoffs as the Wild Card in 2011. They return in 2012 with a slightly heftier payroll. Will it be enough for a third straight playoff berth?
Tampa Bay's chances — and, really, everyone's chances — have increased thanks to the second Wild Card spot. But it's not Tampa's bid for a Wild Card spot that should have Yankees fans worried. They've built another strong team in 2012, one that will likely contend for the AL East crown. They're the early-season sexy picks for the title, too; ESPN.com's Buster Olney dubbed them baseball's best team earlier this year. Let's take a closer look at what makes them tick.
Starting Pitching
Once again, the Rays will go with a homegrown rotation in 2012. For the last 165 games they've used a homegrown starter, an MLB record. They will, however, finally use a starting pitcher over the age of 30 in 2012, the first time since 2007. To compensate, they'll also employ one of the youngest and most highly touted pitchers in the league. In other words, the Rays will again boast a formidable pitching staff.
The rotation starts with James Shields, who will face CC Sabathia on Opening Day next Friday. He's been a workhorse since his full-season debut in 2007, making at least 31 starts and pitching at least 203 innings in each year (and in all but one year he pitched at least 215 innings, including nearly 250 last year). Last season Shields held the Yankees in check, allowing just 10 runs in 38.2 innings, striking out 31 to just 10 walks.
While Shields has been impressive on his own against the Yankees in the last three years, throwing 81.2 innings in 12 starts to a 3.20 ERA, they have gotten the best of him; Shields is just 4-5 against the Yankees in that time. Then again, Shields has pitched a bit better against the Yankees in that span than he has overall. From 2009 through 2011 he sports a 3.96 ERA, which is league average.
After Shields, the Rays have lefty David Price as a strong No. 2 starter. He can even be considered the staff ace, despite Shields holding that spot nominally. Price's 2009 debut was rough, but that can be expected of a 23-year-old in baseball's toughest division. He came back in 2010 to produce one of the best seasons in the AL, even finishing second in the Cy Young voting. His ERA jumped in 2011, but all of his peripherals improved. Most notably, he trimmed nearly a walk per nine off his rate. If he can continue striking out nearly a batter per inning while refusing to walk too many batters, his results will follow.
The 2011 AL Rookie of the Year Award recipient fills the third spot in the Rays rotation. Jeremy Hellickson got off to a rolling start last year, throwing 189 innings to a 2.95 ERA. He's not exactly a strikeout artist, and he didn't demonstrate great control in 2011. In fact, his peripherals were fairly mediocre. But he does have a chance to take a step forward in 2012.
The big difference between the 2011 and 2012 Rays rotations is Matt Moore. One of the game's most highly touted prospects, Moore will get his chance in the rotation. It's hard to undersell his potential. He simply plowed through the minors, dipping below 12 K/9 just once — and even then it was 11.5 K/9. He's going to give the Yankees fits for years to come. If everything goes well, he'll join Price atop the rotation, leaving little room to miss Shields once the Rays inevitably trade him.
It might be easy for a Yankees fan to write-off a bullpen that features Kyle Farnsworth as closer, but he's not the same Farnsworth that plagued the Bronx from 2006 through mid-2008. He has found some semblance of control, which has in no small way led to his prominence in the last few years. He'll get the nod again as closer in 2012, but he has some reinforcements.
Joel Peralta is a name that probably doesn't register on many Yankees fans radars.
Since debuting in 2005, at age 29, he's pitched for five different teams. Yet he's been quite effective in the last two seasons. In that span he has boasted a 2.55 ERA in 116.2 innings, striking out 8.5 per nine while walking just 2.1. One of his big assets has been the ability to suppress hits. He has allowed just 5.7 per nine in that span, which leads to an otherworldly 0.87 WHIP. His key is the splitter, which he uses to generate swings and misses as well as poor in-air contact.
The Rays have some depth behind those two late-inning guys as well. Jake McGee had a middling 2011, mostly due to his home runs allowed. If he can get them under control he'll provide some power out of the pen. Wade Davis, who just lost the fifth starter competition to Jeff Niemann, could very well be one of those guys who flourishes in the pen after struggling in the rotation. There's also Fernando Rodney, whom the Rays brought in on a flier, and J.P. Howell, who, given his injury history, is also essentially a flier.
Even with some riskier guys at the end of the pen, the Rays do have some depth to cover them. There's Josh Leuke, whose fastball command, combined with quality breaking ball and splitter, could provide value out of the pen later in the year. Brandon Gomes, who pitched well in his 37 innings out of the pen last year, could provide reinforcements later as well. Combine those with a few other up-and comers, and the Rays do have some pen depth this year. That afford them the opportunity to take risks with guys like Howell and Rodney.
In 2011 the Rays actually finished with a below average AL offense, scoring just 4.36 runs per game. The Yankees actually scored one run per game more than the Rays, which is no small difference when spread over 162 contests. They have, however, added a few key pieces this off-season that could boost their offensive profile.
At first base the Rays were particularly abysmal. They hit a combined .288/.357/.388, placing them 13th out of 14 AL teams in OPS. To help remedy the issue they brought back Carlos Pena, who spent 2011 with the Cubs. In his four years with the Rays Pena consistently supplied power, even if he didn't hit for a high average. The walk rate, combined with his 20-30 home run power will bring a big improvement to the Rays' overall first base numbers.
The Rays weren't quite as bad with the DH spot in 2011, though they did rank 10th out of 14. Even still, there was a pretty sizable gap between 10th and 9th, and the Rays DHs did combine for a .320 OBP. To remedy this they signed Luke Scott, who has certainly hit for power in the past. From 2008 through 2010 he hit .266/.348/.497 with the Orioles, a 123 OPS+. He did struggle through an injury plagued 2011 season, but if he rebounds to his former self he'll provide another boost to the Rays offense.
Another improvement the Rays will realize comes from Desmond Jennings. In left field the Rays were above average last year, due in no small part to Jennings's .259/.356/.449 line. Yet he appeared in only 63 games, after starting the season in the minors. A full season of him, even a little below the level he established in 2011, will be a big boost to the overall offense. Add in his ability to swipe a bag — he was 20 for 26 in those 63 games, after going 17 for 18 in AAA — and he becomes a legitimate offensive threat.
Last season Evan Longoria's production dropped off a bit at an age where we expect improvement. He did suffer a foot injury, which cost him a number of games. Perhaps that's part of the reason for his drop-off. One big reason, however, might be the ebbs and flows of a career. Fancy this: Longoria produced a career-low .239 BABIP in 2011. This isn't to say that he was merely unlucky. It is to say that it's considerably out of line with his .301 career BABIP, and the .336 and .313 marks he produced in 2010 and 2009. At the same time, his walk rate jumped, as did his power production. If he brings his average back up into the .280 neighborhood with those power and patience improvements, he could be an MVP contender.
In addition to Longoria and Pena in the middle of the lineup, the Rays also have Ben Zobrist. His numbers might not stand out, .269/.353/.469 in 2011, but that was good for a 132 OPS+. Combine that with his defensive versatility and you have a highly valuable player who can hit essentially anywhere in the lineup. B.J. Upton and Matt Joyce are also quality hitters to round out the outfield. The only real hole in the Rays' offense, then, comes at shortstop, where Reid Brignac and Sean Rodriguez both provide little. Rodriguez is the better bet to provide near league average numbers, as he did in 2011, so it won't be as though they have a gaping hole there.
One area where the Rays receive universal praise is their defense. Longoria, Zobrist, Pena, Upton, and Jennings are all well above average defensively, and the rest of the team, from the starters to the bench, fields well too. The Rays boasted the best defensive efficiency — number of balls in play turned into outs — of nay team in the majors last year, and by no small margin. In terms of Baseball Prospectus's PADE, which adjusts defensive efficiency for park effects, the Rays demolished every team in 2011 (4.30, with the next closest being 1.98). That will make things quite easier on their already quality pitching staff.
* * *
Once again, the Rays will complicate the AL East. They might not have the on-paper powerhouse lineups that both the Yankees and the Sox boast, but they do have a number of high-quality hitters throughout the lineup. One through seven, in fact, will comprise above-average hitters, with only the shortstop and Jose Molina dragging them down. They also have five high-quality starters that can rival any rotation in the division. It might take a few things breaking their way, but the Rays do have a legitimate shot at the AL East crown this year.
2012 Season Preview: The Boston Red SoxPosted by: | Comments
Much has been made of the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry over the years, although for my money the so-called "rivalry" didn't really earn its name until the 2003 season, as the teams locked horns in the first of consecutive classic seven-game American League Championship Series. For a rivalry to exist, one presumes that both sides are relatively evenly matched, and prior to the 2000s this generally wasn't the case for a good majority of Yankee-Red Sox teams.
In addition to the Red Sox of the aughts finally fielding a team as-good-as if not outright-better-than the Yankees, also helping dramatically ramp up the intensity between the two franchises was MLB's implementation of the unbalanced schedule at the outset of the 2001 season. This of course expanded the number of times the Sox and Yanks faced off from 12-13 games a year to 18-19.
To illustrate just how closely matched the Yankees and Red Sox have become, the following two graphs depict the Yankees' and Red Sox' offense and pitching staffs since 1995, which seemed like a notable cutoff as it marks the advent of LDS play. There's too much information presented to include labels, so if you're interested in the raw data behind the creation of the graphs, please feel free to click here.
The two teams have been in a near-dead heat offensively since 1995, with the Yankees leading all of baseball with a .351 wOBA during that time frame (112 wRC+) and the Sox boasting the second-most-potent offensive attack at .349 and 107 wRC+. While the Sox have generally out-slugged the Yankees, the Bombers have typically been a tad more adept at getting on base. Additionally, given the favorable offensive environment that comes with playing 81 home games at Fenway Park, the Yankees have led the Red Sox in adjusted offense (wRC+) in 12 of these 17 seasons despite only bettering the Sox in wOBA in nine of them. Perhaps even more impressive regarding the Yankee offensive attack is that it's been above average (100 wRC+) in each and every season depicted here, while the Sox actually posted below-league-average offensive attacks in 2000, 2001 and 2006.
On the flip side, the rich offensive environment at Fenway makes pitching in Boston a tougher-than-normal task — that difficulty level has helped propel the Red Sox to tie or better the Yankees in adjusted ERA (ERA-) in 10 of these 17 seasons, and even more impressively, tie or better the Bombers in adjusted FIP (FIP-) in 13 of the last 17 seasons. However, one thing I was not expecting to find was that the Yankees actually lead the AL in both ERA and FIP since 1995, with 4.25 and 4.17 marks, respectively. The Sox are fourth in ERA, at 4.32, and second in FIP (4.19).
Even though the rivalry didn't really heat up until the early aughts, if you go back to 1995 the two teams really have been quite even head-to-head over the last 17 seasons. Since 1995, the Yankees are 145-134 against Boston, with a 75-64 record at home and 70-70 mark at Fenway Park. However, if you change the cutoff to 2003, the Yankees have actually been slightly outplayed by the Red Sox, with an 82-84 record (42-41 at home and 40-43 at Fenway). Additionally, since 2003, the two teams each feature identical MLB-leading .352 wOBAs (though the Yankees get the slight edge after park adjusting, with a 114 wRC+ to Boston's 111).
After years of essentially playing each other at a .500 clip, things spiraled comically out of control last season, as the Yankees started the year out losing eight of their first nine against Boston (a showing of ineptitude eerily reminiscent of the 2009 team's 0-8 start against the Sox), due in part to an obscenely prolific Boston offense that was treating seemingly every member of the Yankee pitching staff as if they were Jose Cano in the 2011 Home Run Derby. However, instead of rallying to tie the season series like they did two years prior, the Bombers ultimately finished 2011 with a 6-12 record against the Sox — the Yankees' worst winning percentage against Boston in a season since going 4-8 in 1999.
Despite dropping 12 of 18 contests against a heated division rival, the Yankees still managed to not only win the 2011 AL East, but also finished the season with the best record in the league, while the Fenway faithful had to endure perhaps the most historic (and horrific) late-season collapse in baseball history. Of course, even though the Red Sox have now missed the playoffs two years running — while boasting the top offense in baseball this past season (116 wRC+) and the second-best in 2010 (109 wRC+) — and haven't won a postseason game since 2008, they remain one of the top teams in the American League and will undoubtedly give the Yankees fits again in 2012.
Starting Pitching
For one, if Josh Beckett can come close to approximating his 2011 against the Yankees — a season in which the Bombers acted as if they'd somehow never before seen Beckett, whose 1.85 ERA vs. New York in 34 innings was bettered only by Brandon Morrow's 1.74 among pitchers who threw 20 or more innings against the Bombers — they'll be trotting out a near-unhittable righty in probably five to six of the 18 games the two teams will play.
For another, if Jon Lester returns to his pre-2011 form, which saw him toss to a 1.19 ERA against the Yankees in 2008, a 4.43 ERA in 2009 (if you take out the aberrant 2.1-inning, five-run outing on September 25 of that year, the ERA drops to 2.70) and a 2.13 ERA in 2010 — including carrying no-hitters into the sixth inning in both his August and September starts — they'll be trotting out a near-unhittable lefty to take up another five to six of the remaining games, which means Boston will likely have a big-time pitcher on the mound in more than half their contests against the Yankees. Throw in Clay Buchholz, who has historically tended to struggle against the Yanks but appeared as though he'd finally figured something out in limiting the Bombers to two runs over seven innings in his last start against them on May 13, and Boston looks to have as formidable a top three in its rotation as any team out there.
With punching bag John Lackey out for the year and Daisuke Matsuzaka not expected back until late May, question marks abound surrounding the fourth and fifth slots in the Boston rotation — can Daniel Bard successfully make the transition from top-flight fireballing set-up man to successful starting pitcher? Will southpaw Felix Doubront or old friend Alfredo Aceves grab hold of one of the available holes in the rotation? And can the Red Sox's starting pitching situation possibly be as bad again as it was in September of 2011, when they were forced to give nine of 27 starts to the troika of Andrew Miller, Kyle Weiland and Tim Wakefield while watching their stalwarts turn in enough ineffective performances to let the Rays come all the way back and sneak past them on the very last day of the season? Fortunately for Boston — whose pitching staff turned in a 5.84 ERA in the month of September — the answer to the latter question is almost certainly no, although whether any of the in-house candidates can step up and solidify the team's biggest area of need will likely determine if the Sox make it back to the playoffs or get relegated to their couches for a third straight October.
The Bullpen
Though they lost elite closer Jonathan Papelbon to the Phillies during the offseason, new Boston GM Ben Cherington rebuilt his bullpen on the fly with a series of interesting moves, acquiring former Athletics closer Andrew Bailey for outfielder (and designated-player-who-gets-a-hit-every-time-up-against-the-Yankees-even-though-he-sucks-against-everyone-else) Josh Reddick, and replacing Bard with former Yankee wunderkind Mark Melancon, acquired for Jed Lowrie (see Reddick's description). Given the fungibility of relief pitching performances, I wouldn't expect the Red Sox 'pen — which actually finished the year with the fourth-best ERA and top FIP in the AL despite a wretched April — to miss a beat. Expect Aceves to log his share of relief innings, while Michael Bowden, lefty Franklin Morales, Matt Albers and Andrew Miller appear to be on their way to at least starting the year in the Boston bullpen.
As for the 2012 Red Sox offense, while I'm certainly pleased as punch that flies-in-the-ointment Lowrie (.330/.423/.534 career against the Yankees) and Reddick (annoying walk-off hit) are gone, Boston's offensive attack remains relatively unchanged from the relentless machine that pounded out an MLB-high .347 wOBA last season. Jacoby Ellsbury will look to prove the doubters that the adjustments he made are here to stay, while Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis (if he can finally stay healthy) and Adrian Gonzalez make for one of the most potent hearts of any order in all of baseball. Add in another presumed solid season from David Ortiz (who is apparently immune to the dead cat bounce) and a year that has no choice but to be better from Carl Crawford (whenever he returns from the DL), and the Sox have no holes from 1-6 in their lineup.
Additionally, as if they weren't already potent enough as it is, this is a crew of hitters that seems to save its best work for when they play the Yankees — Pedroia hit .406/.463/.565 (!) across 81 PAs against the Bombers last year, and has a career .392 OBP (again, !) against the Yanks; Youk has a career .313/.442(!)/.498 line against the Yanks; Ellsbury tagged the Yanks for a ridiculous .375/.439/.708 line last year to bolster his .291/.356/.443 career line; and of course, there's Big Papi, who hit .282/.378/.577 with five bombs against the Yanks in 2011 and has utterly annihilated the Bombers throughout his career to the tune of a .303/.391/.559 line across 741 PAs, including 800,000 (fine, 36) career home runs. Given these numbers, it feels like nothing less than a minor miracle any time a Yankee pitcher can actually retire one of these batters.
However, some cracks in the armor start to appear in the lineup's lower-third, where new manager Bobby Valentine will generally be starting some combination of Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.319 wOBA in 2011), Cody Ross (.321), Ryan Sweeney (.306), Mike Aviles (.307 wOBA, though .338 as a Red Sock) and Nick Punto (a completely out-of-character .350 wOBA in 2011; .296 for his career). While Saltalamacchia looked like he was finally coming into his own last season none of these players seem overly threatening, although then again I'm sure I would've said the same thing about Mark Bellhorn had I been blogging during the 2003-2004 offseason, who rebounded from a .296 wOBA in 2003 to post a .360 mark in 2004 after he joined the Red Sox. For whatever reason, donning a Boston uniform seems to turn even the scrubbiest of players into superstars from time to time, so I'm prepared to eat my words when Boston's bottom third starts tearing the cover off the ball.
CAIRO has the Red Sox at 92-70, tied with the Rays for second place in the AL East; PECOTA pegs them at 90-72, also in second place in the ALE; and Oliver has them at 92-70 and second-best record in the AL. All three of these scenarios would entail the Sox securing one of the two AL Wild Card berths and playing the one-game playoff to advance to the LDS round, and so barring another disaster, Boston is most likely playoff-bound in 2012.
The Yankees' first set of the season against Boston is at Fenway Park from April 20-22, and as ridiculous as I find conspiracy theories, at this point I almost can't help but wonder whether the schedule-makers have it in for the Yanks by once again scheduling an April series at Fenway. Since the advent of the unbalanced schedule in 2001, the Yankees are — believe it or not — a ridiculously bad 8-22 at Fenway Park in April, and have only won their annual April set at Fenway against the Red Sox once (back in April 2010) in that 11-year span. Not only that, but prior to their April 2010 series win, the last time the Yankees had won an April set against Boston at Fenway was in 1975. So yeah, needless to say I'm really excited to be playing the Red Sox in April at Fenway again, you guys.
A division turned upside downPosted by: | Comments
- Blue Jays (4-1, +17 run differential)
- Orioles (4-1, +9)
- Yankees (3-2, +4)
- Rays (0-5, -15)
- Red Sox (0-5, -21)
Those are the AL East standings as of this morning. The teams in Baltimore and Toronto are overachieving due to pitching and timely hitting while the Rays and Red Sox have fallen victim to a lack of offense and pitching, respectively. Tampa has scored seven runs total in their five games and haven't even held a lead yet all season. Seriously, they've been nothing but tied or behind in 2011.
And then there are the Yankees. Right in the middle of the division, winners of three (really should be four) games and the only club in the East doing pretty much exactly what was expected of them. The offense is averaging just over six runs a game but is doing so with heavy reliance on the long ball. Take out their league-leading 13 homers, and they're hitting just .190 with a .261 OBP as team. Of course it doesn't work like that, those homers count so we can't just take them out to fit a narrative, but at some point the balls won't be flying over the fence with the same frequency. Neither the team ERA (4.89) or FIP (3.56) represents the pitching staff's true talent level, which is probably somewhere in between those two numbers. We're still well short of the point where some of these statistical indicators stabilize, so there's no sense in obsessing over numbers just yet.
While it's certainly fun to watch Boston and Tampa struggle out of the gate, we know it won't last. The Red Sox will win a game soon enough, and if it doesn't happen against the Indians this afternoon, then there's a really good chance that it'll happen against the Yankees over the weekend. That will probably begin a stampede toward to top of the standings. The Rays' offensive ineptitude (.212 wOBA) won't be around to make fun of all season, unfortunately. On the other side of the coin, eventually the Orioles' team ERA will climb north of 2.00 (probably once their .212 BABIP and 87% strand rate returns to Earth). Reality will slap the Blue Jays in the face once they stop playing games against AL Central and AL West opponents.
There's nothing special about the first five games of the season, at least not when it comes to predictive value. We just happened to remember these games more because we've been baseball-starved for the last five months or so. The first five games are really no different than a randomly selected five-game stretch in June, it's just one small slice of the bigger picture. We're talking about five games people, which is just slightly more than three-percent of the season. If the season was a nine inning game, there wouldn't even be one out in the top of the first yet. That how much is still left to be played.
By all means, enjoy the Rays inability to get a hit (.152 BABIP) and Boston's hilariously bad pitching performances (8.25 FIP) while they last. Reality is going to rear it's ugly head soon enough, crashing through the wall like the Kool-Aid guy saying "OH YEEEEAH!!!" The standings right now are pretty much the exact opposite of what one could reasonably expect coming into the season, but the power of small sample sizes can work in mysterious ways.
2011 Season Preview: Toronto Blue JaysPosted by: | Comments
Last year the Blue Jays surprised us by belting homer after homer en route to an above-.500 season. It made me kind of embarrassed to have written this before the season, but then again, who could have guessed that so many Blue Jays would go on power streaks? (In my defense, I had the right idea with the pitching staff.) The Jays have made a few changes this year, and in some ways they're a weaker team than they were in 2010. But they're set up for an AL East run in the not so distant future.
Despite losing Vernon Wells, the Blue Jays still possess plenty of power. Clearly they think that Jose Bautista's breakout is real, since they signed him to a five-year, $65 million extension this past off-season. He won't smack 54 homers again, but even if he hits 35 this year it will be a huge plus for the Jays. There are other hitters around him who can also crush the ball.
This year Travis Snider figures to get his chance to break into the bigs. He's been in the league for the last three years, but has just 675 PA to his name. This year he's starting with the big club and figures to stick around all season. What's crazy is that he's just 23. If he hits his stride this season he'll provide an excellent left-handed power complement to Bautista. There's also Adam Lind, a former top prospect who destroyed baseballs in 2009. He had a down year in 2010, but if that's just a fluke then the Jays have just added even more power.
Another Jay who had a down year last year was Aaron Hill, who also broke out, at least in terms of power, in 2009. his 2010 was poor, but he still hit for some power. If he brings his average up, he'll add some more right-handed pop to the lineup. The same goes for new acquisition Juan Rivera. He seems like the perfect fit for hitting coach Dwayne Murphy's system. The same goes for rookie catcher J.P. Arencibia, whose No. 1 tool is his power. Finally, let's not forget Edwin Encarnacion, who hit 21 homers in just 367 PA last year.
While the Jays led the majors in SLG last year, they finished 26th in OBP. That's why their runs total ranked ninth. The power was there, but they just didn't produce enough base runners. If Lind recovers and Snider approaches his ceiling then they will get a boost in that department. If not, they could be in for a year where they hit for plenty of extra bases, but don't have enough runners on base to crack the top five in runs scored.
The bullpen has to be something of a concern, since the Jays lost a few key contributors in Scott Downs and Kevin Gregg. They did add Frank Francisco, which helps shore up the unit. But they also added Octavio Dotel, who could detract from it. Jon Rauch might actually be the best addition they made. Jason Frasor stays around, too, but it's not as though the Blue Jays had a knock-out bullpen last year. That could be one of their most glaring weaknesses in 2011.
The starting staff, too, took a hit during the off-season. The Jays traded Shaun Marcum, perhaps their most effective pitcher, and inserted Kyle Drabek, a rookie. There are also reports that Brett Cecil's velocity is down considerably — not good, since he didn't throw all that hard to begin with. Brandon Morrow will miss the start of the season, which further hurts the staff. It figures to be pretty good once it's completely assembled: Ricky Romero, Cecil, Litsch, Drabek, and Morrow, with Jo-Jo Reyes filling in.
Overall Outlook
I don't want to make the mistake of underrating the Jays again, but unless they have breakout years from just about everyone, I doubt they'll do much but play the spoiler in the AL East. This won't be the case for long. The Jays have a good core of players and a fine farm system. They'll be contending before we know it. In fact, this could be the last year where I write that they don't appear to have it all together. At this time next year we could be looking at a four-team dogfight in the AL East. Hell, maybe even five.
2011 Season Preview: Tampa Bay RaysPosted by: | Comments
These aren't your grandfather's Devil Rays anymore. Since losing the Devil, the Rays have won the AL East twice in three seasons, including last year by one game over the Yankees. The front office, led by acting GM Andrew Friedman, continues to squeeze valuable water out of the payroll rock with some help from manager Joe Maddon, who is willing to buck convention more than any other skipper in the game. Nine players from Tampa's 25-man ALDS roster will be playing elsewhere this season, and a tenth (Rocco Baldelli) moved into a front office role. They've proven adept at rebuilding on the fly, but a roster overhaul of this caliber might have been too much at one time.
If you want a full preview of the 2011 Rays, I highly recommend purchasing The Process Report 2011, the best $15 you'll spend this spring. The 103-page document includes in-depth articles and player profiles written by the brightest minds on the Rays' blogosphere. In the interest of full disclosure, our own Joe Pawlikowski contributed an article about former Yankee and new Ray Johnny Damon. Think of TPR11 as the Mariano Rivera of season previews while what you see below is more … Kyle Farnsworth.
It wasn't long ago that a three-game series against the Tampa franchise meant good times for Yankees hitters, who routinely pounded inferior pitching staffs. Things have changed now, and the Rays' starting rotation is the backbone of the club. David Price broke out and became one of the very best pitchers in the game last season, a hard-throwing lefty with strikeout stuff that has not yet reached his 26th birthday. Number two starter Jamie Shields is one of just eight pitchers that have thrown at least 200 innings in each of the last four seasons, so if nothing else he provides innings. He fell victim to some back luck last year (.341 BABIP, 68.4% strand rate), but his 3.55 xFIP was his best ever. Still just 29-years-old, a rebound is possible, if not likely.
The three and four spots go to 28-year-old Jeff Niemann (4.18 xFIP last year, 4.35 career) and 25-year-old Wade Davis (4.61 xFIP as a rookie last year). Matt Garza takes his three straight years of 180+ IP to Chicago's north side and in steps young Jeremy Hellickson, who is arguably the best pitching prospect in the game. The soon-to-be 24-year-old had a fine big league cameo last year (3.83 xFIP in 36.1 IP), and is just the latest product from the game's premier player development franchise. Right-hander Alex Cobb (2.80 FIP in Double-A last year) and left-hander Alex Torres (3.47) are next in line and will start the year in Triple-A. Behind them in Double-A will be Matt Moore, Alex Colome, and Nick Barnese. All five of those guys represent some of the better prospects in the game's second best farm system.
Now that we're past the starting rotation, we have to talk about Evan Longoria, arguably the best all-around player in baseball. His 19.6 fWAR since 2008 trails only Albert Pujols (25.3) and the now-hobbled Chase Utley (20.9). Still just 25, Longoria has three seasons of .370+ wOBA's, .210+ ISO's, and 10+ ADR's (aggregate defensive rating) to his credit all ready. Plus he packs some serious heat. Simply put, he's a superstar of the first order and the best player in the division.
The team defense as a whole has been a strength for several years and figures to be one again in 2011. Losing Carl Crawford definitely hurts, but they're still very strong up the middle with Reid Brignac at short, Ben Zobrist/Sean Rodriguez at second, and B.J. Upton in center. Maddon also has a deep and versatile roster at his disposal, allowing him to take advantage of platoon matchups and defensive shifts and what not. That farm system also provides a friggin' ton of ammo for trades, and Friedman has shown a willingness to make huge splashes.
As I said earlier, the Rays' roster took a really big hit this winter. Crawford is the best player in franchise history, but he left for Boston. Carlos Pena fled for Chicago. Say what you want about his poor 2010 season (.196 AVG, .326 wOBA), but he hit at least 28 homers for the fourth straight year, and that will be missed. In their place will be old buddy Damon (coming off a .340 wOBA with Detroit, his lowest in the last seven years) and old nemesis Manny Ramirez (his .382 wOBA last year was excellent, but his second worst since becoming a full-time player). Both are on the wrong side of 35, but Tampa didn't bring in either guy expected them to perform like they did three or five years ago. Either way, going from Crawford and Pena to Damon and Manny is likely to be a three or four-win downgrade, maybe even five.
The rest of the lineup, beyond those two and Longoria, is almost like a patchwork group. Zobrist won't ever have another .408 wOBA season like he did in 2009 again, but his career .346 OBP and .168 ISO are fine marks for a guy that can legitimately play seven positions. B.J. Upton is now two years from free agency and it's looking less and less likely that he'll turn into the megastar everyone though he would after a stellar (.387 wOBA) 2007 campaign. His .317 OBP over the last two years won't get the job done, even when combined with 40+ steals. Dan Johnson's late season heroics over the last two years are well-known, but his big league career features a decidedly un-first baseman-like .333 wOBA. Brignac has some pop but is in there more for his glove than his bat, and the catching platoon of John Jaso and Kelly Shoppach is fine as long as they have bats in their hands and not gloves. I like Matt Joyce as a breakout candidate, but he's a bit of a question mark until he actually does it.
And then there's the bullpen. The Rays lost almost everyone from their relief corps over the winter, with the one holdover being the forgettable Andy Sonnanstine. The dominant late-game trio of Rafael Soriano, Joaquin Benoit, and Grant Balfour has been replaced by Kyle Farnsworth, Adam Russell, and Joel Peralta, a step down no matter how you look at it. Dan Wheeler goes from righty killer to Red Sox, Randy Choate from lefty killer to Marlin. Those two will essentially be replaced by a pair of rookie left-handers: Jake McGee and Cesar Ramos. A couple of guys named Mike Ekstrom, Rob Delaney, and Brandon Gomes provide the depth. Russell and McGee have big-time arms but are unproven, and will be thrust in high-leverage spots this summer. That's not to say it can't work, but I'm sure Maddon and fans alike will be reaching for the Tums much more often this year than last.
Of course, the team's biggest weakness is it's financial situation. Payroll shrunk down to something like $45M after topping out at close to $73M last season, and it's not because ownership is cheap. The franchise simply can't sustain anything higher. Tropicana Field has some appeal in a grungy "it's a dump, but it's our dump" kind of way, but it's poorly located and the attendance totals reflect that. When the star players start calling fan attendance "embarrassing" … yeah it's bad.
Overall Outlook
There's no question that the Rays lost a lot of firepower this offseason. Crawford is irreplaceable, but remaking an entire bullpen and finding suitable offensive fill-ins in a single offseason is a minor miracle. Are they as good as last year? Almost certainly not, but Tampa is still extremely dangerous and very capable of winning the division. They have two bonafide stars in Price and Longoria plus a strong supporting cast, not to mention the deepest and most talented rotation in the division. Don't kid yourself, Maddon's club is a very real threat to the 2011 Yankees.


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Parking for the disabled
Information on blue badges and disabled parking spaces in the town centre
The Blue Badge Scheme provides a parking provision for people with disabilities who either travel as drivers or passengers. A blue badge allows a vehicle to be parked near to where the badge holder needs to go.
To be eligible for the provision the blue badge must be valid and displayed correctly. Blue badges should be displayed with the badge expiry date facing forward and be clearly visible from outside the vehicle. Motorists/badge holders who do not comply with all requirements of the scheme may receive a Penalty Charge Notice. To find out more information on where blue badge holders can park please follow this link .
Blue Badges are only valid for parking when the badge holder is either driving the vehicle or is being transported in the vehicle. The badge holder must be present when the vehicle is parked, if the badge holder has already been dropped off before the vehicle is parked the driver cannot use the badge. Blue badges are not for use by family or friends of the badge holder to obtain free or more convenient parking, use of a blue badge by a person other than the badge holder is a criminal offence and can lead to a £1,000 fine. Parking Civil Enforcement Officers as well as Police Officers have the right to inspect blue badges to ensure that they are being used correctly, badge holders should show their badges when requested. Additional powers introduced in October 2013 allow Civil Enforcement Officers to retain a blue badge in certain circumstances including if the badge is being misused or has been reported lost or stolen.
Suspected misuse of blue badges can be reported on-line, you do not have to give your name or contact details.
Changes to the Blue Badge Scheme
In an attempt to counter fraud, bring in better controls and stop badges being abused, changes have been introduced to the way they are issued.
Badges will only be given out following a local authority assessment, which does not require a report from a GP.
The charge for issuing a blue badge is £10, this charge will only apply to those whose application is successful.
A Blue Badge lasts for up to three years before holders have to re-apply.
People who do not qualify for a full badge will have an assessment to see if they qualify for a discretionary badge if they have trouble walking long distances.
Disabled Parking Places in Middlesbrough
The Council allows free parking without time limits for disabled badge holders in all its pay and display car parks and pay and display on street parking areas. This provision applies to all types of parking places including long, short and limited-stay spaces and not just dedicated disabled bays (excluding the private permit parking area on level 4a of the Captain Cook Square Car Park and level 6 which is also for private parking Monday to Friday).
Use of disabled bays is controlled by the Civil Enforcement Officers who issue a Penalty Charge Notice to motorists abusing these facilities.
Dedicated disabled parking bays (no time limit) are available in the following Council car parks:-
Buxton Street Car Park - 3 spaces
*Captain Cook Square Multi Storey Car Park - 45 spaces (situated on upper level 0, upper level 1 and level 4a)
Civic Centre Car Park (Saturdays only) - 5 spaces
Fairbridge Street Car Park - 6 spaces
*Ferry Road Car Park (Transporter Bridge) - 2 spaces
France Street Car Park - 5 spaces
Gurney Street Car Park - 3 spaces
MIMA Car Park - 6 spaces
*Zetland Multi Storey Car Park - 15 spaces (situated on level 1 and level 2)
*these car parks have an entrance height barrier of 2.1 metres
Total dedicated disabled parking bays in car parks - 90 spaces
On street disabled parking bays (no time limit) can be found in the following locations: -
Abingdon Road (outside of the International Centre) - 3 spaces
Baker Street - 3 spaces
Bedford Street - 3 spaces
Beresford Buildings (outside Thorntree Surgery) - 2 spaces
Binks Street (Linthorpe Village) - 2 spaces
Bolckow Street (close to Marks and Spencer) - 3 spaces
Clive Road (outside Linthorpe United Reformed Church) - 2 spaces
Ferry Road (close to the Transporter Bridge) - 2 spaces
Grange Road (opposite MIMA) - 15 spaces
Grange Road (outside YMCA Charity Shop, 59 Grange Road) - 2 spaces
Harris Street (outside Haven Medical Centre) - 1 space
Hill Street - 1 space
Linthorpe Road (located on the unnamed road alongside The Village Medical Centre at 400-404 Linthorpe Road) - 1 space
Newport Crescent (outside Binns Store) - 3 spaces
Oak Street - 3 spaces
Park Road (outside the Dorman Museum) - 2 spaces
Viewley Centre Hemlington - 10 spaces
Westward Street (paved area in between 117 & 121 Linthorpe Road, access off Fairbridge Street) - 4 spaces
Woodlands Road (outside Woodlands Surgery) - 1 space
Zetland Place (outside Teesside Archives) - 1 space
Total dedicated disabled parking bays on street - 64 spaces
Blue Badge Applications
Follow the link to find out information on how to apply for a blue badge.
There is a Shopmobility Centre in Middlesbrough based on the 1st floor car park of the Hill Street Shopping Centre. Shopmobility is a hire service that provides wheelchairs and mobility scooters for people with limited mobility to access the town centre. Further information can be found by calling 01642 254545 or visit www.middlesbroughshopmobility.co.uk

subset: commoncrawl


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Initial Activation and Setup - Verizon Jetpack® 4G LTE Mobile HotSpot - MiFi® 5510L
- Install the SIM card.
- Insert the battery.
Prior to using the device, ensure that the battery is fully charged.
- Press and hold the Power button until 'MiFi' appears on the display then release.
Activation is performed automatically and may take several minutes to complete.
- From the 'Welcome to the Jetpack MiFi 5510L' screen, select Next > Next > Close to navigate to the home screen.
Utilize the Scroll buttons to highlight and the Select button to select.
- Establish a Wi-Fi network connection with the device.
The Wi-Fi Name and Password can be obtained via the external LED of the MiFi device.
Select the appropriate Operating System for assistance:
- Launch a Web browser.
Last Modified: August 28, 2013


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Played in 30 of 31 games, recorded three double-doubles and scored in double digits in 10 games. Recorded a career high of 20 points against Wyoming. Averaged 24.6 minutes per game. Ranked 20th in the conference in rebounding averaging 5.0 boards per game and 151 total rebounds. Ranked 13th in the conference in offense rebounds with an average of 2.0 per game and 60 total offensive boards.
Started in 31 of 32 games played, including 13 of 14 conference games...Set a personal best with 17 points at Weber State...Tallied a career-best 15 rebounds at Idaho...Set a personal record with 42 minutes against San Francisco...Ranked as the team's second-leading scorer with 7.5 points per game...Led the Rams with 215 rebounds on the season, averaging 6.8 boards per contest...Her 215 total rebounds and 70 offensive rebounds, both 18th in a single-season at CSU.
Started in 28 games, recorded two double-doubles and posted double figures in scoring 10 times...Finished second on the team in steals, rebounds and average minutes played...Attempted the most free throws by a freshman with 15 against New Mexico...Finished in the top 10 in free throws made, steals, offensive rebounds, rebounds per game and rebounds for a freshman...Finished the season averaging 7.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
Bishop Amat High School
Was a two-sport athlete - basketball and volleyball - for Bishop Amat...Won the Del Rey League and CIF championships in basketball in 2005 and 2006, and took home the state championship in 2006...Guided the 2006 squad to a perfect season record of 35-0 and was the team captain her junior and senior seasons...Named first-team Del Rey League in 2004-05, earning league MVP honors...Selected as the CIF Co-Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006...Was an All-America nominee in 2006...Received all-league honors and all-state honors in 2005 and 2006...In her four seasons, guided the Lancers to a school-best record of 119-7...Played for the NJB Stars club team.
Full name is Juanise Antoinette Cornell...Born on Dec. 31, 1987, in Gardena, Calif. ...One of eight children of Valerie Thomas and Juan Cornell...Brothers' names are Marcus, Jonathan and Jack, and sisters' names are Lakeysha, Bridgette, Shakira and Jasmine...Speech communications major at Colorado State.
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Giving Free Rein to Your Vices in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Your floppy hat and sundress are no good in the so-called Paris of the South. The Palermo Hipódromo is a beautiful, swanky racetrack with seats for over 10,000 cigar-puffing porteños, but is not as ritzy as Buenos Aires claims. The Gran Premio Nacional is the Buenos Aires Derby held every year during mid-November and the track usually fills with families and friends happy to spend a day out in the sun with a gourd of mate. Enter a bet with the word apuestas, but unless your Spanish is flawless, make sure to keep a good eye on your horse. If you lose to the track don't fret. Downstairs is a seemingly endless casino filled with over 2000 twirling, flashing slot machines.


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This outfit was inspired partly by some of the really wonderful costumes in Game of Thrones and the Elfs in Lord of the Rings such as Thranduil and others. All parts of this were made by myself, the pattern is my own, other than the boots of course, however I did have to learn a little leather working to make them fit right (no one on earth makes knee highs that fit me)….
The nails are also crafted, lavenderlace showed me how to make them on a costume we worked on together last year and i just duplicated her process, she also showed me how to do the knot work!I made this outfit for my schools Annual Masquerade and a Emilie Autumn Concert as well, I might also wear it for Anime Boston this coming May but we will see.There will be a detachable cloak that goes with this that is not yet finished. As well as a bottom part for the mask that will also be detachable that will go over my mouth and the rest of my nose, I will post those when they're done. This is one of the hardest designs I've every tried pulling off, I hope you guys like it.-Dustin J Panzino
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As the Austin-Healey 3000s long production run was coming to an end during the mid-1960s BMC felt it needed another large comfortable six-cylinder sports... More
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text: Admissions & Aid / Statistics & Profile print Statistics & Profile ABA Required Disclosures Admission Statistics Recent Placements Attrition Rate Graduation Rate Bar Pass Rate Total Enrollment Statistics Our History 2013 Total J.D. Enrollment As of October 5, 2013, our total enrollment was 1,117. Total number of students Percentage of the student body Full-time students 909 81.4% Part-time students 208 18.6% Men 625 56.0% Women 492 44.0% Students of color 292 26.1% Meet our 2014 entering J.D. Class! Related Links: Employment Statistics Our Strategic Edge Future Students News Join Our Admissions Social Networks Have questions? We have answers. Admissions Office One Boerum Place, 4th Floor Telephone: (718) 780-7906 Fax: (718) 780-0395 Email: email@example.com Office Hours Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and until 6:00 p.m. Tuesdays during the academic year. Admitted Applicants Please log on to BLSConnect to access important information about your admission to the Law School. New App Tour Take a guided walking tour of our Campus by downloading our free app. iPhone. Droid. More info. Start Here Brochure 2013-14 BLS Start Here Why BLS? Beautiful and affordable housing, guaranteed during your first year, allows you to relax and focus on your studies.


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John Marshall Law School in Chicago and the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University were among a group of law schools sued over claims they misrepresented employment data, leaving graduates with mounting debt and limited job prospects.
Outside New York's Winter Garden Theatre, where "Mamma Mia" is nearing the end of a 13-year Broadway run, unwitting tourists board a bus bearing the name of a company U.S. regulators tried to close two years ago.
In 1984, Eric Dobkin was working for Goldman Sachs Group Inc., selling large blocks of stocks to fund managers, when he was handed an assignment: The bank ranked ninth in equity underwriting. Fix it.
The tan, three-bedroom house on Chicago's North Side sits half a block from a Family Dollar store and a pawn shop -- an unlikely patch of gold to mine for Blackstone Group LP in the single-family rental market.
Jaimie Adler said it's getting cramped in the Lexington, Massachusetts, house she shares with her husband, two daughters and an au pair who occupies the former office. They'd sell, Adler said, if more homes were on the market in the Boston suburb.
Duke University became the only top-three seeded team to lose so far in the women's college basketball tournament, falling 74-65 to DePaul University.
Riding BoltBus, Megabus and other discount bus lines costs less for average trips between the largest 50 U.S. cities than taking a train, plane or car, a DePaul University transportation institute study found.
When trying to revive one of the world's most iconic consumer-electronics brands, it pays to have a mollusk on your side.
DePaul's Bergen Sees No Winner in NCAA Bracket Bets (Audio)
Sherman Says Facebook Should Be Egalitarian


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OfficersAnn Braun (President) A. L. Hobgood III (Treasurer) Edwina Woodbury (Secretary) Betty Whichard (Assistant Treasurer) Nicole Brancato (Assistant Secretary)
Executive CommitteeJohn W. Alexander (Chair)
George W. Cox, MD Frederick "Fred" M. Dula, Jr., MD A.L. Hobgood III Myla Lai-Goldman, MD
George D. Renfro William L. Roper, MD, MPH
Cecil W. Sewell, Jr. Edwina D. Woodbury (Vice Chair)
Ex Officio DirectorsAnn Braun President, The Medical Foundation of NC, Inc.
Gary L. Park President, UNC Hospitals William L. Roper, MD, MPH Dean, UNC School of Medicine CEO, UNC Health Care
Directors EmeritiStuart Bondurant, MD Arthur W. Clark
John W. Foust, MD
Board Members
Class of 2015
Katrina Avery, MD Lucius "Luke" Blanchard, MD Jean Carter, MD Myla Lai-Goldman, MD Garnette "Dee" LeRoy William "Bill" Brooks Millis Bryan Morris John Strickland, Sr Richard "Rich" Vinroot, MD
Class of 2016John W. Alexander
Thomas "Tom" Edward Capps George W. Cox, MD Frederick "Fred" M. Dula, Jr, MD
Amy Edge
A.L. Hobgood III
Theodore C. "Ted" Kerner, Jr., MD
Christopher "Chris" B. Smith Edwina D. Woodbury
Class of 2017
Robert "Rob" E. Barnhill III
Barbara H. Curtis
Scott M. Custer
Paul Fulton
D. Russell "Rusty" Harris James D. "Jim" Hundley, Sr., MD
George D. Renfro
Charlotte Battle Robbins
Cecil W. Sewell, Jr.
© 2012 The Medical Foundation of North Carolina, Inc.


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Section Editors
- Peter-Bram 't Hoen, Leiden University Medical Center
- Shane C Burgess, University of Arizona
- David Burt, University of Edinburgh
- John K Colbourne, The University of Birmingham
- Ivo G Gut, Centro Nacional de Analisis Genomico, Barcelona
- Scott E Hemby, Wake Forest University
- Hans Lehrach, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics
- David Lightfoot, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
- Paul Pavlidis, University of British Columbia
- Daniel Sargent, Fondazione Edmund Mach - IASMA
- Leonard Schalkwyk, King's College London
- Fabiano Thompson, UFRJ
- Stefan Wiemann, German Cancer Research Center
Executive Editor
- Derek Anane, BioMed Central
Editorial Board | Editorial Team | Instructions for authors | FAQ
Exon skipping and PIRM syndrome.
PIRM syndrome casts a number of morbidities on finnish Ayrshire cattle including retardation and mortality. Following an exhaustive GWAS the syndrome has been traced to a G>A mutation caused by In frame exon skipping.
Loci involved in Klebsiella susceptibility
The genetic underpinnings of susceptibility to Klebsiella pneumonaie are poorly understood. Following a large scale QTL investigation utilising over 70 collaborative cross mice lines 3 loci have been identified important for susceptibility.
Cure for a broken heart
Zebrafish display a unique ability to regenerate heart tissue. In the present study, transcripts expressed in response to cardiac damage were identified using a range of techniques which may be useful in the future treatment of cardiac diseases.
Breakthrough in Hemicellulose Breakdown.
Comparative analysis of genes from the recently discovered hemicellulose hydrolytic locus from Geobacillus have revealed a number of variances. This discovery provides a blueprint for the development of Geobacillus species able to degrade a wide variety of cellulose containing bio waste.
Crab Acclimation to increasing ocean acidification levels
Giant spider crabs experience an increase in expression of stress related genes at intermediate ocean acidification levels whilst this effect is attenuated at higher levels. This may leave the species vulnerable to increasing ocean acidification.
miRNA driven phenotypic plasticity
Following mating female fruit flies experience decreased lifespans in relation to their non-mated cohorts. Through assessing genome wide mRNA microRNAs and histone modifications, microRNAs have been implicated as the major driving force of this phenotypic plasticity.
Beyond ENCODE?
In their open peer reviewed correspondence piece, Tagu and colleagues discuss the opportunities afforded by neoENCODE initiatives to understand how genetic systems react in the natural context of living ecosystems. Do comment!
Venom gland transcriptome in black widow spiders
RNA-seq and proteomic analysis uncover 695 black widow venom gland-specific transcripts, including putative unknown toxins and a high diversity of associate proteins, suggestive of a rapid evolutionary expansion of the toxin arsenal in these spiders.
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Correction of values in Table 2-Transcript Coverage. Six values were skewed in Table 2 (Transcript Coverage) during the formatting process and are thus wrong in the current version of the manuscript. These are the correct values:>Column: "PolyA Tot RNA Qiagen"; Row: "Genes with only 1 read":correct value: 268>Column: "PolyA Tot RNA Qiagen"; Row: "Genes with > 5 reads":correct value: 16697>Column: "RiboZero Tot RNA Qiagen"; Row: "Genes with rpkm >0.5":correct value: 12115>Column: "RiboZero Tot RNA Qiagen"; Row: "Genes > 50% covered":correct value: 14448>Column: "RiboZero Tot RNA Qiagen"; Row: "antisense":correct value: 742>Column: "RiboZero Tot RNA Qiagen"; Row: "sense intronic":correct value: 42 Best regards,Marc Sultan
What Matters: Balance Between Coverage and Sequencing Costs Nice and very interesting paper! We agree on everything especially on the performance of the assemblers and the observed sub-sampling effects. Hence, we want highlight that we just published a de novo assembler comparison, which are corroborating your conclusions [PLoS ONE 9(9): e107014, 2014]. Albeit we didn't have the opportunity to include the PacBio system in our study, we used a wider range of assemblers, three different bacterial references, and more data sets. We agree with you that the consensus and not the read level accuracy is of major importance (see also our second generation sequencer comparison publication [Nat Biotechnol 31:294–296, 2013]) when evaluating performance. We also consider QUAST as a very useful evaluation tool. However, we wonder what was the specific reason behind using the N50 metric for comparing the de novo assemblies? In particular with regard to the two contigs (>1Mb) assembled with the PacBio system, the NA50 or the NGA50 metric (both correcting for mis-assemblies) offered by QUAST would probably reflect the assembly quality more precisely. This also applies for the other platforms, of course. An almost perfect assembly contiguity must be put into perspective of the assembly quality to provide a meaningful assessment. In addition, your results demonstrate that the other assemblies have a very low rate of mis-assemblies (even zero mis-assemblies for the GS Jr and Ion PGM), the corresponding description (Table 2) suggests that for measuring mis-assemblies only the "large" mis-assemblies as reported by QUAST were used (i.e. no local mis-assemblies were reported, where the affected genomic area is less than 1kb in size). We consider this threshold of 1kb as somewhat arbitrary and mis-assemblies within smaller genomic regions are still mis-assemblies. Therefore, we would appreciate if you could comment on the local mis-assembly rates. Next to k-mer optimization, we also investigated in our recent PLoS One paper the effect of different genomic coverages on the assembly outcome by performing in-depth random sub-sampling. For Illumina and Ion Torrent data we observed the very same effect, i.e., that "excessive number of reads does not help and can even harm genome assembly". We believe this finding is of major practical importance as lower experimental coverage means a lower price per sample! Looking at the results given in your Figure S2, there seems to be quite some high variation in the 100 random data sets for each coverage cutoff (a lot of points are located outside the quartiles), which is very interesting. Do you have tested whether this variance was mainly induced by the sub-sampling procedure or was it caused by or cumulative with the assembler? Do you have applied the same method on the MiSeq assemblies and if so, what was here the variance?
Correction to article title in citation 13, Peterlongo et al. The correct citation for Peterlongo et al, [13] in this article is Peterlongo, P., Schnel, N., Pisanti, N., Sagot, M.-F., Lacroix, V.: Identifying SNPs without a reference genome by comparing raw reads. In: Chavez, E., Lonardi, S. (eds.) String Processing and Information Retrieval. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, vol. 6393, pp. 147–158 (2010)
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Gene expression patterns and sequence polymorphisms associated with mosquito resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis toxins
Gene expression patterns and sequence polymorphisms associated with mosquito resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis toxins
BMC Genomics 2014, 15:926
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BMC Genomics is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of genome-scale analysis, functional genomics, and proteomics.
BMC Genomics is part of the BMC series which publishes subject-specific journals focused on the needs of individual research communities across all areas of biology and medicine. We offer an efficient, fair and friendly peer review service, and are committed to publishing all sound science, provided that there is some advance in knowledge presented by the work.
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Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual Research in Computational Molecular Biology (RECOMB) Satellite Workshop on Comparative Genomics
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Kevin Spacey will portray former UK prime minister Winston Churchill in Captain of the Gate, a new biopic from Sierra/Affinity. It would capture his time during World War II and his opposition to Adolf Hitler. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that StudioCanal may come aboard to help produce.
Ben Kaplan has been hired to write the screenplay. He has previous experience writing television documentaries about World War II and Vietnam. No director is yet attached.
Churchill won't be the first historical figure Spacey has tackled. He's played the lawyer Clarence Darrow, the singer Bobby Darin, and the fundraiser Jack Abramoff. Meanwhile, Spacey's Netflix series House of Cards has been picked for a third season, and he's also reprising his role as Dave Harken in Horrible Bosses 2.


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Alle Posts mit dem Tag "yoko ono"
There are so many ways to exercise influence and power in the art world, but one thing is abundantly clear: Women play a leading role.
We present the 100 most powerful women in art in collaboration with Cartier.
- 2 days ago,
- 309 notes
The top 25 women in the art world, from Dasha Zhukova to Yoko Ono.
- 6 months ago,
- 76 notes
Your Monday morning news: Everything you need to know to start your week, from Yoko Ono's Guggenheim Bilbao retrospective to the Neue Galerie's "Degenerate Art."
- 7 months ago,
- 52 notes
Yoko Ono's Festival
Yoko Ono, who turns 80 next year, has just been announced as director of the next Meltdown Festival, the annual 10-day music festival at London's Southbank Centre.
The iconic artist follows in the footsteps of some impressive directors, including David Bowie and Patti Smith!
The festival runs from June 14 to June 23, 2013.
- 1 year ago,
- 33 notes
Lennon Exhibition in NY
Yoko Ono has lent some personal drawings by John Lennon to New York gallery 130 Prince St. for an exhibition that would have marked the singer's 72nd birthday.
Most of the works are quick sketches and display Lennon's experimentation with the technique of sumi ink drawing. Some of the drawings created on his honeymoon were famously confiscated by police in 1970, on account of their explicit content!
The Artwork of John Lennon will feature 100 drawings and sketches by the late Beatle. A US$2 donation is suggested, and all proceeds will benefit the charity Citymeals-on-Wheels.
The show runs from Friday, October 5 through Tuesday, October 9, John Lennon's birthday.
- 2 years ago,
- 38 notes
Yoko Ono Gives Prize to Pussy Riot
Performance artist Yoko Ono has presented this year's LennonOno grant for peace to the jailed Russian punk band Pussy Riot.
"I thank Pussy Riot for standing firmly in their belief of freedom of expression and making all women of the world proud to be women," said Yoko Ono at the ceremony, as she presented the award to Pyotr Verzilov, husband of one of the members of the group.
The presentation of the award coincides with the global commemoration of the International Day of Peace.
- 2 years ago,
- 34 notes
Be Part Of Yoko Ono's Project
"My ultimate goal in film-making is to make a film which includes a smiling face snap of every single human being in the world." Yoko Ono, 1967
Check out how to be part of Yoko Ono's #SmilesFilm project, it is super quick and simple.
- 2 years ago,
- 7 notes