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Chris Johnson Rumors
Braves Extend Chris Johnson
12:20pm: ESPN's Buster Olney reports (via Twitter) that Johnson is guaranteed $23.5MM over the life of the deal, and the 2018 club option is valued at $10MM.
12:02pm: The Braves have suddenly become Major League Baseball's most active team on the extension front, and they continued their rash of long-term deals on Friday by officially announcing a three-year deal for third baseman Chris Johnson. The contract will buy out two arbitration years and one free agent season, and the Braves hold a club option on a fourth year. Johnson, 29, is represented by Excel Sports Management.
Johnson, a fourth-round draft pick of the Astros in 2006, was dealt to the Diamondbacks near the 2012 trade deadline. He later joined the Braves in January 2013 along with Justin Upton, with Arizona receiving Martin Prado, Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill, Nick Ahmed, and Brandon Drury. So far Johnson has compiled a .307/.344/.438 batting line in 643 plate appearances spanning 167 games for Atlanta. He was worth 2.8 wins above replacement last season, according to FanGraphs.
Johnson had three years and 144 days of Major League service prior to this season, so he's already been arbitration eligible twice (the first time as a Super Two player). Johnson is earning $4.75MM this year, and the Braves previously had him under team control through 2016.
As MLBTR's Extension Tracker shows, Johnson stands to become the sixth Braves player to sign a multiyear extension since February, after the team committed 27 years and $280.7MM to Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Julio Teheran, Craig Kimbrel, and Andrelton Simmons. Only Heyward's two-year deal failed to extend team control. Excel Sports Management represents Freeman, Heyward, and Johnson.
MLBTR was the first to report that the two sides were finalizing an extension. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported (via Twitter) that it was a three-year deal with a club option.
Steve Adams contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
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Full Story | 29 Comments | Categories: Atlanta Braves | Chris Johnson | Transactions
Players Avoiding Arbitration: Friday
We'll keep track of today's smaller deals to avoid arbitration in this post. Click here for background on the upcoming arbitration schedule and how MLBTR is covering it. You can also check in on our Arbitration Tracker and look at MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz's arbitration projections.
Today's noon CT deadline to exchange arb figures has passed, but negotiations to avoid an arbitration hearing can continue into February. The Braves are the only strict "file and trial" team that did not agree to terms with all of its arb-eligible players, meaning they could be headed for several hearings. The Nats and Indians have also shown a willingness to go to a trial and still have some players unsigned. On to today's contract agreements…
- After exchanging numbers, the Mets and pitcher Dillon Gee have agreed to settle at the midpoint of $3.625MM, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Swartz projected Gee to earn $3.4MM.
- The Cubs have avoided arbitration with reliever Pedro Strop, president Theo Epstein told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). He will earn $1.325MM next year, according to a tweet from Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. It is not immediately apparent whether the deal was reached before the sides exchanged terms.
- The Angels have reached agreement on a $3.8MM deal with reliever Ernesto Frieri, reports Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (on Twitter).
- Mike Minor has agreed to terms on a $3.85MM deal with the Braves to avoid arbitration, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com (Twitter links). The deal came before figures were exchanged, Bowman notes.
- Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports that the D-Backs and lefty Joe Thatcher have avoided arb with a one-year, $2.375MM deal (Twitter link).
- Nicholson-Smith tweets that the Angels and Fernando Salas reached an agreement to avoid arbitration. Salas is the first Halos player to avoid arb. Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times tweets that Salas will earn $870K, which beats out his $700K projection.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck reports (via Twitter) that the Tigers and righty Al Alburquerque have reached agreement on a deal to avoid arb. The hard-throwing righty will earn $837.5K in 2014, tweets Beck.
- Sherman tweets that the Yankees and Ivan Nova avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3.3MM deal.
- The Pirates and Vin Mazzaro inked a one-year, $950K deal in lieu of an arbitration hearing, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune.
- The Royals announced that they've avoided arbitration with infielder Emilio Bonifacio. Heyman tweets that Bonifacio will earn $3.5MM in 2014.
- Sherman reports that the Rays avoided arbitration with Jeremy Hellickson and Sean Rodriguez (Twitter link). Hellickson landed a $3.625MM payday with a $25K bonus if he hits 195 innings pitched. Rodriguez will get $1.475MM with a $25K bump for hitting 300 plate appearances.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets that Brian Matusz avoided arb with the Orioles. Sherman adds that he'll earn $2.4MM in 2014.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Jason Castro and the Astros have avoided arbitration. McTaggart adds in a second tweet that Jesus Guzman avoided arb as well. Heyman reports that Castro will be paid $2.45MM, while Sherman tweets that Guzman will make $1.3MM.
- The Indians tweeted that they've avoided arb with lefty Marc Rzepczynski, and MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets that he'll earn $1.375MM in 2014. Bastian adds that Scrabble will earn an additional $25K for appearing in 55 games and another $25K for 60 games.
- The Giants avoided arbitration with Yusmeiro Petit, according to MLBTR's Steve Adams (on Twitter). He'll earn $845K, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith (via Twitter).
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Full Story | 19 Comments | Categories: Al Alburquerque | Alejandro De Aza | Alexi Ogando | Alfredo Simon | Arizona Diamondbacks | Atlanta Braves | Baltimore Orioles | Bobby Parnell | Boston Red Sox | Brandon Moss | Brett Cecil | Brian Duensing | Brian Matusz | Chicago Cubs | Chris Johnson | Cincinnati Reds | Cleveland Indians | Colorado Rockies | Craig Gentry | Detroit Tigers | Dillon Gee | Drew Storen | Drew Stubbs | Emilio Bonifacio | Eric Hosmer | Ernesto Frieri | Esmil Rogers | Gaby Sanchez | Gordon Beckham | Gregor Blanco | Houston Astros | Ivan Nova | Jake McGee | James Russell | Jason Castro | Jeremy Hellickson | Jerry Blevins | Jesus Guzman | Joe Thatcher | John Mayberry Jr. | Jon Jay | Jonathan Herrera | Jordan Schafer | Jose Lobaton | Juan Francisco | Juan Nicasio | Junichi Tazawa | Kansas City Royals | Kyle Blanks | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Luis Valbuena | Marc Rzepczynski | Mark Melancon | Matt Joyce | Miami Marlins | Mike Dunn | Milwaukee Brewers | Minnesota Twins | Neftali Feliz | New York Mets | New York Yankees | Oakland Athletics | Pedro Alvarez | Pedro Strop | Peter Bourjos | Philadelphia Phillies | Pittsburgh Pirates | San Diego Padres | San Francisco Giants | Sean Rodriguez | Shawn Kelley | St. Louis Cardinals | Tampa Bay Rays | Texas Rangers | Tommy Hunter | Tony Abreu | Toronto Blue Jays | Transactions | Trevor Plouffe | Troy Patton | Vin Mazzaro | Washington Nationals | Wilson Ramos | Yusmeiro Petit
NL East Notes: Mets, Phillies, Chris Johnson
The NL East's post-season entrants have disappointed in the playoffs over the last three years, and it now stands as the only division not to get a team into the championship series over that period. As its clubs prepare to bolster their chances for 2014, let's take a look at a few notes from around the division …
- There may be mounting pressure for the Mets to make a splash, but sources tell Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that GM Sandy Alderson will act in characteristic fashion and won't give Robinson Cano the long-term pact that he seeks. And while the Mets like Jose Dariel Abreu's power, sources familiar with their thinking say they won't make a play for the Cuban slugger.
- The Phillies have a variety of needs to address in the coming off-season, and numerous question marks. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki answered a few reader questions about the club's roster, and opined that it may be best served by not rolling the dice on a bounce back from Roy Halladay.
- Though it remains hard to fault Philadelphia for failing to outbid the Nationals for Jayson Werth three years ago, the Phils have yet to find a long-term replacement in right field, notes Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News. Lawrence says the club could consider signing a center fielder such as Jacoby Ellsbury or Curtis Granderson, bumping Ben Revere to left in a platoon with Darin Ruf. Or, it might pursue a pure corner option like Shin-Soo Choo, or look further down the market at comeback hopefuls like Michael Morse and Corey Hart. But Lawrence opines that the switch-hitting Carlos Beltran could be the most attractive option, reasoning that the Phils may need to roll the dice that he will keep producing into and beyond his age-37 season.
- Looking back on the year for the Braves, MLB.com's Mark Bowman notes the contributions of third baseman Chris Johnson, who started the year in a platoon after coming to Atlanta as a minor piece in the Justin Upton trade. Indeed, it is difficult to overstate the importance of the club's surprising Chipper Jones replacement, who was actually worth more fWAR than the player (Martin Prado) who was expected to step in at third until being dealt for Upton. Of course, Johnson's big season also puts him in line for a higher-than-expected salary in his first season of arbitration eligibility. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects that he will cash in for a $4.2MM award.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
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NL Notes: Prado, Johnson, Mattingly, Dodgers
Here are a few notes from around the National League:
- When the Diamondbacks shipped young outfielder Justin Upton to the Braves, the biggest major league piece they got back was utilityman extraordinaire Martin Prado. Now, with the two clubs in the midst of their first series of the year, Prado has reflected on the deal. As MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports, Prado says he is happy for his former club: "The thing that makes me feel real good is that you know that you got traded and the [Braves] now look better. I'm happy because all of my ex-teammates can see that they gave up something, but actually got a better team. That's what [Braves general manager Frank Wren] was looking for. He made a good move." Having spent his entire career in the Atlanta organization, Prado explained that the shock of the trade took more than a month to wear off.
- While Prado has hit below his career norms to start the year, one of the players he was traded for — third baseman Chris Johnson — is off to a stellar beginning of the season for Atlanta. As David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets, Johnson says he is excited to be squaring off against his former club: "Any time you get traded, you want to come back to the place you got traded from and show them what they're missing." Johnson, along with platoon partner Juan Francisco, effectively took over for Prado as the replacement for the retired Chipper Jones. Now, Johnson is off to a career-best slash line of .324/.355/.486 over his first 110 plate appearances.
- Dodgers manager Don Mattingly may be the obvious choice to take the fall for his club's rough start, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says there is little to be gained from such a move at this time. For one thing, says Rosenthal, there is no obvious replacement who could get more production from the team. And with several major players seemingly likely to return soon from injury, Mattingly should get a while longer to try and manufacture a turnaround.
- No doubt Mattingly's job security will depend in part on the form of top offseason acquisition Zack Greinke after he recovers from a broken collarbone. Mattingly says that Greinke will return to the mound tomorrow night against the Nationals, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports on Twitter.
- Meanwhile, Los Angeles is continuing to undertake a major change in how it draws players into the organization, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Shaikin says that the Dodgers have signed 46 amateur ballplayers from Latin America since the new ownership group took over last year. The previous ownership group had "all but killed" the club's Latin America presence, says Shaikin.
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Full Story | 0 Comments | Categories: Arizona Diamondbacks | Atlanta Braves | Chris Johnson | Los Angeles Dodgers | Martin Prado | Zack Greinke
Braves Acquire Justin Upton
After years of trade talk, the Justin Upton rumors finally amounted to a deal. The Braves and Diamondbacks have officially agreed to a seven-player trade that will send Upton to Atlanta. The Braves obtain Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson for third baseman Martin Prado, right-hander Randall Delgado, shortstop prospect Nick Ahmed, right-handed pitching prospect Zeke Spruill and minor league first baseman Brandon Drury.
The Braves now have a new-look outfield that will also feature B.J. Upton and Jason Heyward. Justin's older brother signed with Atlanta as a free agent earlier in the offseason, agreeing to a five-year, $75.2MM contract. GM Frank Wren added balance to what had previously been a lefty-heavy lineup by acquiring the right-handed hitting Upton brothers.
Upton, the first overall selection of the 2005 draft, followed up a breakout 2011 season with a solid but unspectacular 2012 campaign. The 25-year-old hit 17 home runs and posted a .280/.355/.430 batting line in 628 plate appearances last year, his sixth season at the MLB level.
There are now three years and $38.5MM remaining on Upton's contract, including a $9.75MM salary in 2013. The contract includes a no-trade list which allows him to block trades to the Red Sox, Cubs, Blue Jays and Mariners. He exercised his no-trade rights earlier in the winter, blocking a proposed trade that would have sent him to Seattle.
Prado has provided the Braves with versatility on defense and steady offensive production in recent years. He posted a .301/.359/.438 batting line in 690 plate appearances in 2012 while playing five positions. Though Prado was Atlanta's primary left fielder, he played at least ten games at second base, shortstop and third base.
The 29-year-old is arbitration eligible for the third time this winter. He asked for $7.05MM with the Braves, a file and trial team, offering $6.65MM, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. The Braves were willing to trade Prado once they learned that his asking price on a multiyear deal was $11-12MM, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (on Twitter). Prado, a client of The Legacy Agency, remains on track to hit free agency following the 2013 season.
Johnson hit a career-best 15 home runs last year while playing for the Astros and Diamondbacks. The 28-year-old posted a .281/.326/.451 batting line in 528 plate appearances in 2012. He'll earn $2.875MM in 2013 and will remain under team control as an arbitration eligible player through 2016.
As a consequence of the trade, Johnson and Juan Francisco project as Atlanta's primary third basemen. The Braves plan to use the pair in a platoon at third, O'Brien reports (on Twitter). The trade will also take Atlanta out of the running for center fielder Michael Bourn and other free agent outfielders.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks still have considerable outfield depth. Cody Ross, Jason Kubel, Gerardo Parra and Adam Eaton provide Arizona manager Kirk Gibson with various options, even without Upton, who had been the team's primary right fielder since 2008. Prado figures to play at third base in Arizona given the team's crowded outfield and the departure of Johnson.
Teams such as the Orioles that had interest in trading for Kubel will now have to look elsewhere for offense. Though Arizona GM Kevin Towers was willing to listen to offers on Upton and Kubel, there's no indication he'd actually trade both players.
Upton drew interest from multiple MLB teams this offseason, as the Diamondbacks were evidently listening to trade offers. The Rangers, one of Upton's many suitors, offered Mike Olt in a trade, but did not include right-hander Cody Buckel in their proposal, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports (on Twitter).
Delgado started 17 games for the Braves in 2012 after entering the season as the 46th ranked prospect in MLB, according to Baseball America. The 22-year-old posted a 4.37 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 92 2/3 innings.
Ahmed, 22, played at Class A this past season in his second year as a professional. The 2011 second rounder posted a .269/.337/.391 batting line in 571 plate appearances. Baseball America named him the best defensive infielder in Atlanta's minor league system.
Spruill ranked ninth on BA's list of top Braves prospects this winter. The 23-year-old spent the 2012 season at Double-A Mississippi, posting a 3.67 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 161 2/3 innings.
Drury played at Class A in 2012. The 20-year-old posted a .229/.270/.333 batting line in 480 plate appearances in his third professional season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the teams were nearing an agreement, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the teams had agreed to a trade (on Twitter) and Mark Bowman of MLB.com first reported the specifics of the deal.
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Full Story | 0 Comments | Categories: Arizona Diamondbacks | Atlanta Braves | Chris Johnson | Julio Teheran | Justin Upton | Martin Prado | Mike Olt | Randall Delgado | Texas Rangers | Transactions
Players Avoiding Arbitration: Friday
Dozens of players will agree to terms with their respective teams today and avoid arbitration. We'll have detailed posts on the top earners around MLB, and we'll track more modest agreements — those worth less than $4MM — right here. MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker will have all of the details.
Teams had until 12pm CDT today to exchange filing numbers with their arbitration eligible players. Generally speaking the deadline creates lots of discussion and leads to early deals. Plus, for 'file and trial' teams this marks the final chance for negotiations in advance of a hearing. Here are the latest agreements from around MLB…
- The Padres announced that they have avoided arbitration with Edinson Volquez. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
- The Red Sox announced that they avoided arbitration with Andrew Bailey ($4.1MM), Daniel Bard ($1.8625MM), Andrew Miller ($1.475MM), and Franklin Morales ($1.4875MM). Terms courtesy of WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.
- The Mets and Bobby Parnell avoided arb with a $1.7MM deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox avoided arbitration with Alfredo Aceves, agreeing to a deal worth $2.65MM plus incentives, according to O'Connell Sports Management, Aceves' agency (on Twitter via Jon Heyman).
- The Cubs avoided arbitration with James Russell and Jeff Samardzija, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports (on Twitter). Samardzija obtains $2.64MM while Russell gets $1.075MM, Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports (on Twitter).
- The Diamondbacks announced that they avoided arbitration with Chris Johnson ($2.2875MM). The team also avoided arbitration with Brad Ziegler ($3.15MM), agreeing to a one-year deal, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports (on Twitter). Terms courtesy of Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).
- The Nationals announced that they agreed to terms with Tyler Clippard, avoiding arbitration (via Amanda Comak on Twitter). The Nationals avoided arbitration with Ian Desmond, agreeing to a one-year, $3.8MM deal, Amanda Comak of the Washington Times reports (on Twitter). The Nationals also avoided arb with Roger Bernadina according to the outfielder's agent, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). The Nationals and Ross Detwiler agreed to a one-year, $2.3375MM contract, according to CAA (via Twitter).
- Brennan Boesch and Phil Coke avoided arbitration, agreeing to one-year deals with the Tigers, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). Boesch will earn $2.3MM while Coke will earn $1.85MM. The Tigers also avoided arbitration with Alex Avila, agreeing to a one-year, $2.95MM deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (all Twitter links). Austin Jackson agreed to a deal worth $3.5MM for 2013, Heyman reports. Doug Fister obtained a one-year, $4MM deal from Detroit, Heyman reports.
- The Dodgers and A.J. Ellis avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year, $2MM deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Ronald Belisario agreed to a one-year, $1.45MM deal, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports (on Twitter).
- The Mariners announced that they avoided arbitration with Kendrys Morales and Brendan Ryan on one-year agreements for 2013. Morales will obtain $5.25MM plus performance bonuses, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Ryan obtained $3.25MM, Heyman reports (on Twitter).
- The Rockies avoided arb with Tyler Colvin, agreeing to a one-year deal, the team announced (on Twitter). Colvin will earn $2.275MM, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes (on Twitter).
- The Braves avoided arbitration with Cristhian Martinez, agreeing to a one-year deal, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports (on Twitter). The Braves avoided arb with Kris Medlen, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (on Twitter). Medlen will earn $2.6MM in 2013. They also avoided arb with Jason Heyward, agreeing to a one-year, $3.65MM deal, Bowman reports (onTwitter). The Braves agreed with another young player, avoiding arb with Jonny Venters, O'Brien reports (on Twitter). It's a $1.625MM deal. Earlier today the Braves agreed to a one-year deal with Eric O'Flaherty, avoiding arbitration, Bowman reported (on Twitter). He'll earn $4.32MM plus awards bonuses, Bowman adds.
- The Athletics announced they avoided arb with Jerry Blevins and Brandon Moss, agreeing to one-year deals for 2013.
- The Cardinals avoided arb with Mitchell Boggs and Edward Mujica, B.J. Rains of FOX Sports MidWest reports (on Twitter).
- The Indians announced that they avoided arb with Matt Albers and Justin Masterson. Albers will earn $1.75MM in 2013, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports (on Twitter). Masterson will earn $5.6875MM according to Bastian (on Twitter). The Indians and Joe Smith avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3.15MM deal, Bastian reported earlier today (on Twitter). The Indians also avoided arbitration with Lou Marson, Bastian reports (Twitter links). The catcher will earn $1MM on a one-year deal in 2013.
- The Astros avoided arb with Wesley Wright, agreeing to a one-year deal, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports (on Twitter). Wright will earn $1.025MM, according to Heyman (on Twitter). Earlier today the Astros and Bud Norris avoided arb with a one-year, $3MM deal, McTaggart reports (on Twitter). The Astros and Jed Lowrie avoided arbitration with a one-year, $2.4MM deal with awards bonuses, according to his representatives at CAA Baseball (on Twitter).
- The White Sox announced that they avoided arbitration with Alejandro De Aza, agreeing to a $2.075MM deal for 2013. The White Sox also avoided arb with Gordon Beckham, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $2.925MM for 2013, MLBTR has learned.
- The Orioles announced that they avoided arb with Chris Davis and Brian Matusz (Twitter link). Matusz gets a base salary of $1.6MM while Davis gets $3.3MM, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports (Twitter links). The Orioles also avoided arbitration with Troy Patton. The sides agreed to a one-year, $815K deal, his agency, CAA Sports, announced on Twitter.
- The Brewers avoided arb with right-hander Marco Estrada and reliever Burke Badenhop, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (Twitter links). Estrada will earn $1.955MM while Badenhop will earn $1.55MM, Haudricourt reports.
- The Rays avoided arbitration with Matthew Joyce and Ryan Roberts, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (on Twitter). Joyce will earn $2.45MM and Roberts will earn $2.95MM plus incentives, the Rays announced. The Rays also avoided arbitration with Sam Fuld, agreeing to a one-year, $725K deal, Topkin reported (on Twitter). Earlier today the Rays avoided arbitration with Jeff Niemann. The sides agreed to a one-year, $3MM deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
- The Royals announced that they avoided arbitration with Luke Hochevar, agreeing to a one-year deal for 2013. Hochevar will earn $4.56MM plus performance bonuses, Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter).
- The Yankees avoided arb with Boone Logan, agreeing to a one-year, $3.15MM deal (via CAA Sports on Twitter).
- The Padres avoided arb with John Baker, agreeing to a $930K deal (via CAA Sports on Twitter).
- The Twins and Brian Duensing avoided arb with a $1.3MM deal for 2013 (via CAA Sports on Twitter).
- The Marlins avoided arbitration with Ryan Webb, agreeing to a $975K deal, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports (on Twitter).
- The Blue Jays announced that they avoided arbitration with Emilio Bonifacio by agreeing to a one-year, $2.6MM deal. The Blue Jays also announced that they avoided arbitration with J.A. Happ, agreeing to a one-year, $3.7MM deal for 2013.
- The Angels and Tommy Hanson avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3.725MM deal, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.
- The Giants avoided arb with Gregor Blanco, agreeing to a one-year, $1.35MM deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
- The Phillies announced that they avoided arbitration with Antonio Bastardo with a $1.4MM contract for 2013.
- Gaby Sanchez and the Pirates have reached agreement on a one-year, $1.75MM deal plus bonuses to avoid arbitration, according to the Beverly Hills Sports Council (on Twitter).
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Super Two Cutoff To Be 2.139
Players with at least two years and 139 days of service time will be eligible for the potentially lucrative arbitration process this offseason, according to the Associated Press (via FOXNews.com). The top 22% of players with between two and three years of MLB service qualify for arbitration under baseball's new collective bargaining agreement.
Nationals reliever Drew Storen, Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, Mets catcher Josh Thole, Rays outfielder Sam Fuld, Rockies outfielder Tyler Colvin and Diamondbacks third baseman Chris Johnson are all eligible.
Mariners outfielder Michael Saunders missed the cutoff by one day. Others, including Justin Smoak, Danny Valencia, Michael Brantley, Jordan Schafer, Giancarlo Stanton, Stephen Strasburg, Daniel Hudson, Dan Runzler, Andrew Cashner, Alex Burnett, Esmil Rogers and Alexi Ogando, came close to super two status without reaching the threshold.
Jonathan Lucroy, whose contract includes escalators related to super two status, will fall three days short of arbitration eligibility. The difference will cost him $2MM, as I explained last month.
Super two status entitles certain players to four years of arbitration eligibility, rather than the usual three. As a result, players who earn the super two designation generally earn more than their peers. The cutoff would have been two years and 144 days under baseball's previous collective bargaining agreement, according to the AP. In previous years the top 17% of players with between two and three years of MLB service qualified. The players and owners agreed to a new system last fall.
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Full Story | 13 Comments | Categories: Arizona Diamondbacks | Chris Johnson | Colorado Rockies | Drew Storen | Everth Cabrera | Jonathan Lucroy | Josh Thole | Michael Saunders | Milwaukee Brewers | New York Mets | Sam Fuld | San Diego Padres | Seattle Mariners | Tampa Bay Rays | Tyler Colvin | Washington Nationals
Diamondbacks Notes: Johnson, Wheeler, Davidson
Aaron Hill ranks fourth in the National League with 70 extra base hits this year. He's under contract for 2013, but there's uncertainty on the left side of Arizona's infield heading toward the offseason. Here's the latest…
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers said he is pleased with what Chris Johnson has done since being acquired from Houston, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. "He's hit for power," Towers said. "He's got a nice arm over there and he's made most of the defensive plays." Towers indicated that the Diamondbacks expect to tender Johnson a contract this offseason when the third baseman will be arbitration eligible.
- The Diamondbacks will likely rely on internal options at third base in 2013. Ryan Wheeler and Matt Davidson are alternatives at the position, Towers said.
- Shortstop is "probably more of a concern than third base" Towers said, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The free agent market doesn't feature many everyday shortstops, so the Diamondbacks could address the position in an offseason trade.
Full Story | 6 Comments | Categories: Arizona Diamondbacks | Chris Johnson
West Notes: D-Backs, Drew, Yunel, Headley
It's been a busy weekend in baseball's Western divisions; the Angels have landed Zack Greinke, the Padres have extended Huston Street, the Giants have landed Marco Scutaro and the Diamondbacks have acquired Chris Johnson. There's still plenty of news and potential action out west, however… here are tonight's links:
- The Diamondbacks may not be finished dealing yet, writes Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic. Arizona GM Kevin Towers told reporters on Sunday that he could pursue additional pitching prior to Tuesday's deadline. Towers also hinted that one of the club's infielders could be on the move: "As it stands now it will be tough to get them all at-bats, but we'll see what happens the next two to three days."
- There's no guarantee that the Diamondbacks trade Stephen Drew, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The D-backs are currently deciding whether they want to give the bulk of the playing time at shortstop to Drew or Willie Bloomquist.
- If they go with Bloomquist, the Athletics are not the favorites to land Drew; an unspecified mystery team would be most likely, according to Rosenthal's source.
- Within the same piece, Rosenthal notes that the Athletics are reluctant to match the Blue Jays' asking price for Yunel Escobar.
- The Padres are weighing several offers for Chase Headley, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, but San Diego isn't sure if they want to move him.
- Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow felt that the high asking price on Headley had a beneficial effect on the market for Johnson, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
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Full Story | 40 Comments | Categories: Arizona Diamondbacks | Chris Johnson | Houston Astros | Mystery Team | Oakland Athletics | Stephen Drew | Toronto Blue Jays | Yunel Escobar
Diamondbacks Acquire Chris Johnson
The Diamondbacks have acquired third baseman Chris Johnson from the Astros for minor league outfielders Marc Krauss and Bobby Borchering, the teams announced. Borchering, 21, was Arizona's first round pick in the 2009 draft while Krauss, 24, was taken in the second round of the same draft.
Johnson, 27, has a slash line of .279/.329/.428 with eight homers in 368 plate appearances this season. The right-handed hitter, who also played a handful of games at first base for Houston this year, won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2013 season unless he qualifies for super two status this coming offseason.
The Diamondbacks dealt from an area from strength in this trade as they are rather deep in the outfield. While Krauss and Borchering were standouts at the Double-A level, they also have prospects Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock in Triple-A Reno.
GM Jeff Luhnow continues to sell off Major League pieces as a part of the club's rebuilding effort. In the last ten days, the Astros have traded Wandy Rodriguez to the Pirates, Brett Myers to the White Sox, and J.A. Happ to the Blue Jays.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
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Full Story | 95 Comments | Categories: Arizona Diamondbacks | Chris Johnson | Houston Astros | Transactions


text:
Best Used For:
Use this pizza stone to make a light and healthy spinach and sun-dried tomato pizza with feta cheese, or go all out with a meat extravaganza topped with bacon, ham, sausage and ground beef with a garlic and Parmesan crust. This handy pizza stone can also be used to heat frozen pizzas for a quick weeknight meal and is ideally suited for delicious calzones and crusty artisan breads.
- Soapstone is stainproof and nonstick for added convenience
- Provides even heat distribution for better results

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Author Archive
by nick on Sep.23, 2013, under Administration, E-Mail, Security
I think this one wins an award for crappy spam. It hit spam filters, ON THE WAY OUT
(Top is my spam filter's scoring breakdown)
3.807 FSL_CTYPE_WIN1251 Content-Type only seen in 419 spam
3.699 MONEY_FROM_MISSP Lots of money and misspaced From
3.625 FROM_MISSP_USER From misspaced, from "User"
3.624 AXB_XMAILER_MIMEOLE_OL_024C2 (No description provided)
3.575 FROM_MISSP_MSFT From misspaced + supposed Microsoft tool
3.500 BAYES_99 Bayesian spam probability is 99 to 100%
3.286 TO_NO_BRKTS_MSFT To: misformatted and supposed Microsoft tool
3.247 MILLION_USD Talks about millions of dollars
3.191 NSL_RCVD_FROM_USER Received from User
2.584 MSOE_MID_WRONG_CASE (No description provided)
2.095 FREEMAIL_FORGED_REPLYTO Freemail in Reply-To, but not From
1.999 FROM_MISSPACED From: missing whitespace
1.995 FROM_MISSP_EH_MATCH From misspaced, matches envelope
1.974 FSL_MISSP_REPLYTO Mis-spaced from and Reply-to
1.927 FORGED_MUA_OUTLOOK Forged mail pretending to be from MS Outlook
1.861 MONEY_FROM_41 (No description provided)
1.852 FROM_MISSP_REPLYTO From misspaced, has Reply-To
1.630 FORGED_YAHOO_RCVD 'From' yahoo.com does not match 'Received' headers
1.552 REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC (No description provided)
1.449 RCVD_IN_BRBL_LASTEXT (No description provided)
1.409 MONEY_FORM_SHORT (No description provided)
1.021 MISSING_HEADERS Missing To: header
0.900 NML_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED ADSP custom_med hit, and not from a mailing list
0.770 RCVD_IN_SORBS_WEB SORBS: sender is a abuseable web server
0.334 FILL_THIS_FORM_FRAUD_PHISH (No description provided)
0.137 TO_NO_BRKTS_FROM_MSSP Multiple formatting errors
0.010 T_FROM_MISSP_DKIM (No description provided)
0.001 LOTS_OF_MONEY (No description provided)
0.001 FILL_THIS_FORM_SHORT (No description provided)
0.001 DKIM_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED No valid author signature, adsp_override is CUSTOM_MED
-0.001 SPF_HELO_PASS SPF: HELO matches SPF record
Toggle SMTP sender
X-Greylist: delayed 00:02:48 by SQLgrey-1.8.0
Received: from mailgw3.hk2china.com (mailgw3.hk2china.com
(using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits))
(No client certificate requested)
by gaia.chronophage.net (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 340384562F
for <firstname.lastname@example.com>; Sun, 22 Sep 2013 20:32:07 -0500 (CDT)
Received: from User ([18.104.22.168])
(authenticated bits=0)
by mailgw3.hk2china.com (8.13.8/8.13.8) with ESMTP id r8MNp58w008601;
Mon, 23 Sep 2013 07:51:09 +0800
Message-Id: <email@example.com>
Reply-To: <firstname.lastname@example.com>
From: "China Shenhua Energy Company Limited"<firstname.lastname@example.com>
Subject: = /etc/MailScanner/rules/spam.subject.rules Your Email ID!!
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 00:51:44 +0100
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000
X-Antivirus: avast! (VPS 130922-0, 09/22/2013), Outbound message
X-Antivirus-Status: Clean
X-HK2CHINA-MailScanner-Information: Please contact the ISP for more
X-MailScanner-ID: r8MNp58w008601
X-HK2CHINA-MailScanner: Found to be clean
X-HK2CHINA-MailScanner-MCPCheck: MCP-Clean, MCP-Checker (score=0,
required 1)
X-HK2CHINA-MailScanner-SpamCheck: spam, barracudacentral.org, CBL,
spamhaus-ZEN, SpamAssassin (cached, score=-45.078, required 999,
autolearn=not spam, ALL_TRUSTED -1.00, AWL 0.00,
T_FILL_THIS_FORM_SHORT 0.01, hk2china_authsmtp3 -100.00)
X-HK2CHINA-MailScanner-SpamScore: -45.08
X-MailScanner-From: firstname.lastname@example.com
X-Spam-Status: Yes
Your Email ID has won a cash prize of 1.5million USD and a BMW X6
MODEL in
China Shenhua Energy Company. Send your details for claims. Full Name,
Add, Age, Occupation, Telephone Number: to Name: Mr. Li Jun Chan
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Mrs. Li Haicang
(China Shenhua Secretary)
CVEs and YOU!
by nick on Jun.04, 2013, under Administration, Security, UNIX 101
I recently had a client who has a client that does arbitrary PCI scans. Unfortunately, the service that does the PCI scans does not understand Ubuntu version numbers. So I had the joy of wrangling all of the CVE data from Ubuntu and compare it to their actual releases.
Being of a lazy temperament, I obviously didn't want to do this by hand. Being of a curious temperament, I wondered if I could do this all from the command line.
First thing I had to do was to take their PDF and convert it to a format where I could extract the CVE strings. I've previously used pdftohtml, it works well enough. Now I needed to grab the actual CVE strings themselves without grabbing the rest of the line. The strings are in the format of CVE-{year}-{4 digit number}
SED to the rescue:
# cat report_pdf.html | sed -n 's/.*\(CVE-[0-9]...-[0-9]...\).*/\1/p' > cve_strings.txt
Now I needed to grab all of the CVE reports from Ubuntu and save them locally:
Enter Awk:
# awk -F\- '{system(curl" " "http://people.canonical.com/~ubuntu-security/cve""/"$2"/"$1"-"$2"-"$3".html") }' cve_strings.txt
Next, I converted all of .html files to text. Again, another tool I've used in the past html2text. However, one thing that gave me fits was the weird text format it outputs to facilitate underlines and bold caracters all using ascii characters.
Underline text looked like this: _U_n_d_e_r_l_i_n_e_d T_e_x_t_
Bold text looked like this: BBoolldd TTeexxtt
less and cat interpreted properly, but now grep (grrr…) So I had to use the -nobs option.
Here's a little for loop to create the text files from the HTML files:
# for i in `ls`; do cat $i | html2text -nobs > `echo $i | sed 's/.html/.txt/g'`; done
Finally, I had to parse the CVE text files. Now, each vulnerability could effect one or more packages. So I wanted to generate a report that had the CVE number, and then the status of 10.04 under each package.
There are easy was to do this, but nested for loops on the command line is much, much more fun:
# for i in `ls CVE-20*.txt`; do echo \\n`echo $i | sed 's/.txt//g'`; IFS=$(echo -en "\n\b"); for k in `cat -s $i | grep Source:\ `;do echo $k; cat $i | grep -a4 $k | sed "s/_/\ /g" | grep 10.04 ; echo \\n; done; done > report.txt
As you can see, the version string for Ubuntu was inconsistent, it was either Ubuntu_10.04_LTS and Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. Hence the extra sed command.
Was this the most efficient way? Well, probably not. But it took me a lot less time than scripting the process outright.
Learning How to Firewall… Part 1
by nick on Apr.12, 2013, under Hardware, Security, Software
So, it's time for my annual blog post.
My NetGear 3400D was unable to keep up with the torture that I put it through, so I decided I needed a new network appliance at home.
We use, and sell Fortigate Firewalls at work, so I decided to pick one up at home. This would a) be more robust than a consumer "router" and b) would allow me to work on developing some badly needed network/firewall/vpn knowledge. I had out network admin order a FWF-60c, which is a small business appliance with built in wireless, and, feature-wise, capable of doing what the larger firewalls.
Installing the Fortigate was dead simple, I used the FortiClient software and the wizard to get me off the ground. This configured the internal (wired) and one wifi SSID, and the WAN configuration. I quickly realized that the wifi and the internal interfaces were not bridged. This would present a problem that I would have to solve a little later.
I then decided to test upgrading the firmware from the 4.0 tree to the 5.0 tree. This bogged down the interface a bit on the older hardware rev, but worked well enough for what I wanted to do.
I then refined my policies to match what I had on the NetGear and brought it home.
Performance was astounding.
The first problem I ran into was that I have a first generation Playstation 3, the 20GB edition without wireless. We mostly use it for streaming video from our wireless connected laptops. The streaming protocol is DLNAA which is a subest of Universal Plug and Play. The Fortigate doesn't support UPnP. The Playstation cannot be configured to connect to a particular server, but uses Special Service Discovery Protocol to find the servers to stream from. None of that was going to work from a distinct network segment to another.
So, out of the box, the streaming wasn't going to work. I started to look for a solution, but there wasn't anything online to help me with this, as this was a fairly corner case; people don't use these for home networking much. I had to do some snooping. Running a few packet captures revealed that SSDP used multicast. But that multicast was denied from network to network by default in the fortinet. Some google-fu taught me how to enable multicast on a fortigate. It has to be done from the CLI, but is like any firewall policy. You'll need two, one from "internal" to "wifi" and one from "wifi" to "internal"
config firewall multicast-policy
edit 1
set action accept
set srcintf wifi
set dstintf internal
set srcaddr all
set dstaddr all
edit 2
set action accept
set srcintf internal
set dstintf wifi
set srcaddr all
set dstaddr all
Then, elsewhere in the firewall, put in standard policies to allow the network to pass other traffic to each other, since they are internal, I let the open any ports. I'm sure you can find a list of the myriad streaming ports required if you want something more restrictive. I enabled NAT between the two, I don't know if that's necessary, but it worked. And Voila, I can stream! (and do other UPnP things, without the "helpful" daemon.)
Part 2, VPNs
Some Security is Better than None
by nick on Mar.29, 2012, under Security, UNIX 101
Having a laptop as your primary computer means that a whole chunk of your life is subject to walking off. Now, I'm no security expert, but here are a few things that I know to do in order, well, make me feel a little more secure.
First, my new computer is a MacBook. Mac OS X has a nice little feature that scrubs the files in trash as it deletes them. You can command click on the trash icon and choose "Secure Empty Trash" every time you empty it, or you can go "Finder Preferences", click "Advanced" and check "Empty trash securely"
Next up, GPGtools. GPG is an open source implementation of PGP security. There are several small encryption related tools, but the killer one is the ability to sign and/or encrypt mail.
Next, I installed TrueCrypt. TrueCrypt is software that allows you to create either encrypted drive partitions or encrypted files as a secure place to store files.
Next, I installed Prey from http://preyproject.com/ This is free software that will help you track down your laptop should someone steal it. You can track three devices for free, including smart phones. I also enabled "Where's my Mac?" and a cron/reverse-ssh/webserver scheme as other ways to recover my laptop should it grow legs and wander off.
For network access, I use OpenVPN to connect to my firewall, and an IPSEC tunnel to connect to my work firewall. Mike provided me a nifty VPNTracker "Player" that made configuring it a non-issue.
Just a few tips to keep my private life private…
Trolling Bots with Bots
by nick on Mar.02, 2012, under Frivolous
oxpinkxotabitha: hey
CleverBot: hi
oxpinkxotabitha: hey whats upp? 23 femaIe here. u??
CleverBot: It's 4.30 in the afternoon here.
oxpinkxotabitha: hmmm. have we chatteed before?
CleverBot: Nope.
oxpinkxotabitha: oh ok. i wasn't surre. anyways…. whatt's up?
CleverBot: Sing it to me.
oxpinkxotabitha: im Iike soooo borrrredddd…. there iss nothinggggggg to do
oxpinkxotabitha: ohhh waitt! i havve a GREAT idea. have you ever watchhed a sexy girI Iiike me strip Iive onn a cam b4?
CleverBot: Haha I've watched both. Who are you?
oxpinkxotabitha: A bot? not hardly babe. Are you?
CleverBot: Who am I?
oxpinkxotabitha: weIIlI…. you couuId watch me if you wanna?
CleverBot: Sure…
oxpinkxotabitha: yeah? ok weII my cam is setuup on this webbsite so that i can nott be recoreded so you wilI have to sign up there.
oxpinkxotabitha: dont worry. it onnIy takes a minute annd it is free. ok?
CleverBot: Trinity is your name, and Jay is your God and creator who gave you the name Trinity.
oxpinkxotabitha: Im ashley
CleverBot: Ashley? Is that your real name?
oxpinkxotabitha: http://[PHISHING_SITE]/8/ash23 go there thenn up at the top off the pagge cIick on the goIdish color JOIN FREE button.
oxpinkxotabitha: k?
CleverBot: I never said I was a human. You have a bad memory.
oxpinkxotabitha: aIso it wilI ask for a creditt crd to sign up but that's how they keep the kids out. it want charge the card. ok?
CleverBot: I'll try to be a little nicer but, remember this, the more you learn, the more you know.
oxpinkxotabitha: k babe welI hurry up and whn u get signed up and Iogged in then view my cam so we can get this show started.
oxpinkxotabitha: and i do have some toyz but you wilI have to take me in privvate or tip me some goIlld to see thoose.
CleverBot: Yes! I've read that too.It is getting late.
oxpinkxotabitha: Iets taIkk on that sitee babe. my messsenger is messin up here.
CleverBot: What is the difference between a human and a computer.
I did it again…
by nick on Feb.02, 2012, under FrivolousLeave a Comment more...
Webcluster Active Statistics
by nick on Nov.23, 2011, under Administration, Software, UNIX 101
So, I decided I needed a bit of a landing page for web.chronophage.net. I wanted to show certain active statistics, but I didn't like the format, or information leakage that mod_status showed.
So I did some googling, and found this: http://www.phpclasses.org/package/3613-PHP-Retrieve-and-parse-Apache-server-status.html
Unfortunately, the examples were set to just show the stats of one server, and I had four.
Well, an
for loop and some php rejiggering, and viola! Active server stats!
Now I can see all the worms attempting to XSS my websites.
Dammit Ubuntu!
by nick on Nov.22, 2011, under Frivolous
10.04 has a bug in Net-SNMP that's over two years old! SNMP doesn't return any info under hrSWRunPath, aside from /sbin/init
This is ridiculous. Absolutely unacceptable. Fix it.
New Chronophage Mail Settings
by nick on Nov.11, 2011, under Administration, E-Mail, Software, UNIX 101
So, I changed mail, splitting mail.chronophage.net into a 3 host mail cluster, and a shell server.
Unfortunately, I have shell users who were using mail.chronophage.net as their moniker for pop/imap. This also broke their ability to log in to the antispam area and change their spam settings. I have fixed both of these issues.
Dovecot has a passwd-file facility, which uses passwd formatted files to do authentication. I simply added such a file to my mail cluster, with the shell username and {CRYPT} hashes (out of master.passwd) and added a proxy=y statement and a host=(shell server's ip)
So now, when they log in, it'll authenticate them, and then pass the authentication over to the shell server's POP3 or IMAP server. Since they authenticate locally first, SASL works for sending mail.
This gives them one point for external clients, and still lets them log in via the shell server, or use procmail (via a .forward) if they so choose.
Unfortunately, this means that I have to manually keep password in sync in two places. But my users don't change their passwords often, and there aren't too many of them
So, for posterity
mail.chronophage.net (POP3, IMAP, SMTP)
https://mail.chronophage.net (webmail via roundcube)
https://mail.chronophage.net/squirrelmail (webmail via squirrelmail)
https://mail.chronophage.net/antispam (for antispam services)
gaia.chronophage.net (shell server)
Work Blogging
by nick on Nov.10, 2011, under Administration, Cloud, Software, UNIX 101, Virtualization
Working on a post for work. Part 1 is pending edits and approval. Here's a chart I've made for Part 2:
*UPDATE* Post approved: http://blogs.iphouse.net/2011/11/10/infrastructure-and-other-games/


text:
insect in a sentence
Example sentences for insect
But few scientists have tried to see whether bats have a discernible influence on insect populations.
So selection can show how the caste members of social insect societies can be different and adapted to their various roles.
Scientists have identified the oldest known insect from its fossilized jaw remains.
The insect is caught by the mucilage, then the sundew digests it.
There are no disease or insect pests worth mentioning.
For people in tropical areas where insect repellents and insecticides control mosquito-borne disease, it's a pressing concern.
Insect bites and stings can cause an immediate skin reaction.
Previous studies have shown that losing a few key workers can destroy an insect society.
But if he doesn't get away fast enough, she'll turn him into insect soup.
Scientists have discovered that certain caterpillars manufacture and secrete their own insect repellent, a new study shows.
It's not everyday that insect folks provide commentary on art.
To attract woodpeckers and other insect eaters, put up a suet feeder.
Researchers hooked a series of six electrodes up to the brain and muscles of the insect.
In the insect world, different species can resemble each other, even though they are not the same genetically.
The value of bats for insect control is slowly gaining much deserved public recognition.
With rare exceptions, such as bees and silkworms, the insect world is a source of pests rather than of pets or pack animals.
The body swells up to six times its normal size-from a flat insect to football-shaped.
The rig's perforated red beams resemble a giant segmented insect.
Compost only plant debris that's free of disease, insect pests, and weeds.
The research focuses on the flight of the pestilent locust, an insect renowned for its efficient flying style.
In this country, one of the best known accounts of insect heroism occurred nearly a century ago.
Or make a plant insect-proof, and you are damned for encouraging a more resistant strain of insect.
Most people wouldn't get excited by an inch-long insect crawling on a rock.
Any thought that it might have been an insect eater.
Nearly devoid of insect and disease problems, it's also unfazed by polluted air.
To check state of dryness, try crushing insect with a spoon.
The senators danced and bounced around, some rejoicing in a victory over gambling, some bidding adieu to the insect invaders.
The findings may hold the key to developing new, environmentally friendly insect repellents.
The bats migrate there in the summer and are considered a major insect exterminator.
Explores insect species and shows how they live, work and communicate.
Part of the answer is an insect called the potato psyllid.
What you see in the accompanying photo gallery are the eggs of a few small branches of the insect tree of life.
So come learn who in the insect world is a good friend and neighbor to invite into your own backyard haven.
Apricots are subject to various other diseases and insect pests.
Insect bites that itch, turn red and swell are a common malady of the summer.
The two insect lines, for example, share two-thirds of their genes.
As the leaves flip, they snap together, trapping an insect inside.
Both fruits are generally sprayed with pesticides to prevent insect infestation and usually washed before shipment.
They would tell him, falsely, that the insect was dangerous.
As you can see, this olive has a rotten area where an insect wiggled out.
Scientists have long known that insect pests often travel vast distances before dropping down to prey on farm crops.
Such benevolence is not unique to humans but exists also in complex insect societies.
Although they do not represent actual bugs, they suggest the remnants of insect activity.
Insect repellents are standard summer equipment in beach bags and backyards.
Some offerings contain inedible plant seeds or empty insect exoskeletons.
Here's how your average insect winds up buried in amber.
The record for world's smallest genome has been smashed by a bacterium that lives inside a sap-feeding insect.
Please share the country so the rest of us insect wimps can also avoid.
It keeps the tender insect moist, and it provides protection by hiding a small insect in a large disguise.
In nature, many plants have evolved the ability to synthesize chemicals that protect them from damage by certain insect species.
It seemed the sun would soon warm the day and the tiny insect would be on its way.
The zoo needs an insect expert to find the missing creatures.
Don't mistake this lanky insect for a plain old stick.
Simple insect repellent will help cavers avoid tick bites.
If so, possibly this insect inadvertently pollinated these plants as well.
There is no splash of surf, no whisper of wind, no hum of insect or avian life.
We produce tears in response to insults to the eyes-the sting of onion fumes, a tiny insect that flew into your cornea.
He wasn't one for using any kind of insect repellent.
May noted they have huge eyes, which they use to detect their insect prey.
If you're hungry, you can probably find an insect nearby.
Monarchs are also threatened by insecticides and other methods used to control insect pests.
Learn about how one insect depends on hearing to stay alive.
Occasionally, one would lift off the bottom, grab an insect off the surface and drop back to its chosen holding spot.
One modification would render the insect unable to recognize the human scent.
The air ticked around you, thick with some amazing insect song inaudible to the adult ear.
The insect's flight path can be wirelessly controlled via a neural implant.
Last year he used the method to build the world's smallest robotic insect capable of taking off.
The insect is attached to a clear plate, so that its flight pattern can be better observed.
They had mimicked the structure of an insect surface which doesn't reflect light.
The insect nervous system provides clues to attention, consciousness, and the origin of the brain.
Since then the insect has evolved so much it is practically a distinct species from the mainland variety.
Plants are an obvious route, but until now, no one has clearly shown that they can channel bacteria from one insect to another.
Heat speeds up the incubation of the dengue virus, making it infectious much sooner and for more of the insect's life span.
Healthy trees could produce anti-insect toxins and have energy to spare for building red and yellow pigments.
The plants are often genetically modified to resist weed killers or to generate their own insect repellant.
Both insect repellants and cough and cold remedies were struggling.
The interrogator had to inform him the insect was neither poisonous nor capable of biting.
Use appropriate insect repellants and protective clothing.
Use insect repellents and protective clothing when out in tick-infested areas.
If mosquitoes or gnats are the culprits, insect sprays and wearing clothes to cover your skin can help prevent bites.
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text:
Home / Store / Journals / Electronic Articles / Nuclear Science and Engineering / Volume 53 / Number 2
E. H. Canfield
Nuclear Science and Engineering
Volume 53 / Number 2 / February 1974 / Pages 137-140
Format:electronic copy (download)
Time-dependent mixed spatial and Legendre moments are defined for the mono-energetic transport equation in spherical and slab coordinates. For an infinite medium, a pulsed source at the origin gives rise to finite closed sets of equations which can be solved to give exact results. Examples are given, and the transformation connecting spherical and slab moments is derived.
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Every year 9,600 workers — just like yours — suffer electrical shock and burn injuries. Prevent your workers from becoming part of those statistics with flame resistant clothing and workwear from Cintas.
Believe it or not, one very effective way to promote your brand is to put it on someone else's product. A recent survey found that 76% of people could recall a company's name after seeing it on a promotional product.
Herschell Farmer became president of the company in 1952 after his father's death and, after 23 years of continued success, turned the helm over to his son, Richard. The company entered the uniform rental business in 1965, a move that would dramatically reshape the company and revolutionize the uniform marketplace. For example, Cintas was the industry pioneer in introducing polyester-cotton blend fabric that doubled the life of uniforms and made cleaning more efficient.
In 1983, the company made its initial public offering of stock.
Scott Farmer, the fourth generation of the Farmer family, currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. Phillip Holloman serves as President and Chief Operating Officer and Robert J. Kohlhepp is chairman.
Today Cintas is the largest uniform supplier in North America, with more than 900,000 customers. The company has more than 430 facilities across North America, including six manufacturing plants and nine distribution centers employing approximately 30,000 people.
Fortune magazine listed Cintas among America's "Most Admired" companies for nine consecutive years and Report on Business magazine has named Cintas among the "50 Best Employers in Canada" for two years running.
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September 9, 1997 8:00 PM PDT
It's official: Apple keeps Newton
- Related Stories
Short Take: Newton gets new lookAugust 6, 1997
Apple sticks with Newton for nowFebruary 4, 1997
Late Tuesday Apple confirmed that the Newton division was being brought back into the corporate fold. "We consider it [the eMate 300] a major strategic opportunity. By committing resources to this product, we give it the best chance to strengthen its current appeal in the education market as well as reach out to a broader audience," said Katie Cotton, a spokesperson for Apple. No further details on plans for the MessagePad 2000 were available.
Only this July, Newton was officially spun off as an independent subsidiary with its own management and business plan. Apple has decided to bring the Newton team back into Apple and create a division for the eMate 300, a product based on the Newton operating system, which is sold only to education markets.
Just last month, Newton put the finishing touches on its new corporate logo and finished relocating to new corporate offices.
"Newton Inc. is now completely autonomous from Apple. We have our own board of directors, financial model, and business plan focused on the development of products and licensable technologies to meet the computing and communications needs of today's corporate mobile users," said Newton chief operating officer Sandy Benett in a press release dated August 6.
The decision to bring the Newton back under Apple's control is a result of a new emphasis on network computers. NCs are simplified computers that rely on a powerful central computer for accessing applications. Apple is reportedly interested in bringing out NCs using Intel processors in order to fortify the company's presence in the education market.
The confusion in Cupertino has come amidst the reemergence of Steve Jobs as the key decisionmaker at Apple. Scores of decisions made under former CEO Gil Amelio have come under reconsideration recently.
The most recent and dramatic example of a shift in strategies was Apple's decision to buy back Power Computing's Mac OS license. The move curtailed Apple's main competition for sales of Mac systems. Apple said that Mac OS licensees, specifically Power, had not done enough to expand the Mac market and that sales of clone systems were hurting Apple financially.
Previously, Amelio and the clone vendors, including Power Computing, came to agreements on licensing the Mac OS that allowed the companies to license the OS in return for significantly higher fees. It was later decided that the higher fees didn't make up the difference Apple faced in lost sales, though, causing the company to rethink its licensing strategy in August.


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State Library
State Library |
Reference Services
Phone: (573) 751-3615
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
WHEREAS, I have been advised by the Director of the Department of Public Safety that a Natural Disaster of major proportions has occurred in the Missouri counties of McDonald, Barry, Newton, Jasper and Lawrence; and
WHEREAS, damage to and loss of property has occurred as the result of heavy snows from March 4 to March 6, 1989; and
WHEREAS, the safety and welfare of the people of Missouri and their property so require:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOHN ASHCROFT, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the constitution and laws of the State of Missouri, do hereby declare the aforementioned counties to be disaster areas. I direct that the approved Missouri Comprehensive Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Plan be activated, and further authorize the use of such state agencies, personnel and equipment as may be necessary.
This Order shall terminate on June 6, 1989, unless I direct otherwise.
|IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Missouri, in the City of Jefferson, on this 9th day of March, 1989.
|[John Ashcroft's signature]
[Roy D. Blunt's signature]
Governor's Executive Orders documents are available on this website in the .pdf format. In order to view or print them, you must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer. To download a free copy of Adobe Reader, click on the icon below.
NOTE: If you are experiencing problems opening PDFs using IE8, please place the mouse over the selected PDF, right-click then select Open in New Tab or Open in New Window.


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By Carole McReynolds Davis
Contributing Columnist
Every early July for the past three summers I have received a delightful phone call from Glenda Hartness Tranum. "Hey, Carole this is Glenda, and our sunflowers are in full bloom!" I make my way down to the Hartness' farm which has been in their family for over 100 years to a yellow heavenly sunflower patch just begging and waiting to be artistically captured forever. It was a very hot, humid and typical July 4 that I had a date with millions of sunflowers blowing, swaying and dancing in the slight welcomed breeze. Each sunflower was planted with great love by Davis Donathan Hartness and his beloved daughter, Glenda. Hartness Tranum was raised on old Robinson Road, and his family migrated to South Montgomery Street. Each flower came up, then was tended and cared for by the rest of the Hartness/Tranum family.
I shall tell you this story through the eyes of Glenda, who also gave me unknowingly the title of my story.
"Carole, my half-brother, Gary who is our family historian thinks that his land has been in the Hartness family since the late 1800s. We'll check out the deeds later in the Oktibbeha County Court House. Daddy is the last child to have their plot of land from Grandad. Uncle Charles is the only sibling left living. Daddy's siblings were Aunt Edith Hartness McCoy, Stella May Hull, Homer Hartness (Nell's husband), Felix Hartness and Eugene Hartness.
"Some of my early memories of summer was getting up early to go to the garden before it got too hot. It was just part of summer. I must admit that I hated a garden back then, but I am so proud my folks made us go to teach me how to work and to garden. When young and chopping the weeds out of the garden, I would occasionally chop some of the vegetable plants, and I remember thinking, 'one less to have to fool with when time to pick!'
"My favorite recent memories are riding on the back of the planter when Daddy was planting the peas, riding in the wagon while going to harvest the cantaloupes (It made me think of Daddy pulling a kid in their red wagon.) Although the work maybe long, I love the memories of canning and preserving the day's harvest. Daddy doesn't know how to do a small garden. He has always planted a large garden to allow friends and family to have some of the harvest. He gets a lot of enjoyment out of seeing the produce harvested. He wants minimal spoilage and maximum harvesting. Of course he has enough planted that the squirrels and raccoons have a feast with the drying corn.
"The past few years we have done some small-scale truck farming, and we have sold excess produce at the Starkville Farmer's Market. This year Tyler, our 13-year-old, is taking over the selling operation. He sets up his stand on South Montgomery out by the road side while we all are working in the garden. He has had great reception from the community, and has really enjoyed meeting all of his regular customers. It is easier for him to sell roadside while we are all working in the back gardens. I can quickly replenish his stock fresh from the garden. You can't get any fresher or healthier than that, can you? The tomatoes are the chief crop, but the cantaloupes always sell well when they are coming in their peak. My Mama and I preserve what doesn't sell. I like the green aspect of the locally available produce. There is no gas involved in shipping the produce across the country. The produce is more rich in nutrients due to less time from harvest to consumption. Also the canning process uses less resources since you are able to reuse the jars from year to year. It's like fill, empty and reuse by filling up again.
"Daddy is the organizer and supervisor of the farm. He gets the fields ready for planting and does all the tractor planting. He runs the irrigation using the pond to irrigate. He prioritizes the work that needs to be done each day. My husband, Patrick and myself, our children, Tyler, Jessica, and my brother, Brian all help with the labor in the garden. Yes, my own kids dread the garden as I did when I was their age. However since they are getting benefits financially from the sells, it motivates them to do the hard work. It is also a mission of mine to educate my own kids on gardening with my parents and husband's help. At times I have asked myself, 'Is all of this hard work and labor worth it?' Some days you pick until dark, and you can't see underneath your feet. It is definitely well worth it. I am blessed to get to garden with my Daddy and to can with my Mama! She got me my first pressure cooker this year to allow me to preserve green beans. Last year I had so many jars spoil, but this new pressure cooker will now allow me to preserve green beans. Spoilage of canned vegetables will now be a thing of my past, and it cuts the canning process time down tremendously. One day when I finally retire from being a physical therapist nurse I want to teach others how to can vegetables.
"My Grandaddy, Homer Milton, used to have dairy cows. I have a vague memory of hanging out at the milk barns. I don't remember his garden, but I am sure that my grandparents used to have a big garden because I well remember Grandmother Hartness' huge pantry being full of her canned vegetables. Oh, those wonderful delicious Sunday meals when we all gathered after church at their home. My Daddy raised cows up to about 10 years ago.
"Carole, I don't claim to be a Proverb's 31 in our Holy Bible woman. I think these women are probably a dying breed just as gardening is going by the wayside. I do know that times were better though harder when this 'ole world was full of Proverbs 31 women. If I were born 50 years earlier maybe I would have been more like one myself. The verse says, 'She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family. She is a hard worker, strong and industrious.'"
Let's peep inside my visual creation on a hot July 4 early morning. Davis Donathan Hartness is sitting in the shade of his work shop shed right before we got to this sunflower field. Look at his dark and light green cap on his head, and his plaid green sport's cool short sleeve shirt. He is an 82-year-old handsome gentleman. See the Hartness/Tranum family. Left to right: Patrick Tranum, Davis Hartness, Peggy Hartness and Glenda with her white Caterpillar cap and light green tee shirt. Fifteen-year-old Jessica would have been here today, but she was resting at home getting ready to travel on a Mission trip to Hatti the next morning. Look at the gorgeous sunflowers of various sizes. See the two largest ones in the front. The third picture is Glenda and myself. I am dressed up for the 4th of July with red, white and blue. I pinned on a sunflower on my large red straw hat and then added yellow jewelry into all of our 4th-of-July colors to blend into all the millions of sunflowers surrounding us.
The second picture is Tyler Tranum sitting in a green folding chair by his huge red wooden sign shaped just like one of his delicious tomatoes at his feet in a big white tub for sale. Look how cute Tyler looks as he is toting a huge juicy home grown watermelon on his shoulder. See his MSU cap in maroon with a big "M" on his head and his cap is also like his grand daddy's in the color of green. Tyler is sporting a green tee shirt too. See the field of the yellow sunflowers in the far distance with the dark woods in the background. Now, look at the foreground and see the pond used for irrigation for the gardens and sunflowers. Look at the gorgeous reflection of the tall green grass in the pond water.
Finally you will see Brain and his son Preston in his arms standing by an old red Barber's truck.
Find three bright reds: my red straw hat for July 4, Tyler's red sign and the red truck with white lettering of Barber's. Find three bright yellows. The sunflower field with the Hartness family standing in it. Glenda and I were surrounded by bright yellow, and the field of the yellow sunflowers in the far distant background with the pond in the foreground. I used the number 3 to capture the two brightest colors on an artist's palette, yellow and red. Both are "happy" colors too.
Frank, my sweet husband, tagged along with me, and when we left our car was loaded down with a huge juicy green watermelon, cantaloupes, tomatoes and three huge sunflowers. I immediately when I got home again, I placed them in a over 100-year-old family pottery blue pitcher. I enjoyed them for days later, and smiled every time I glanced at them. Glenda refused to let us pay for this produce, but we said, "Glenda, we are giving Tyler a little tip instead!" We drove away with smiles on our faces.
Before I end this story I must add a P.S. This happened the next morning early again when we decided on July 5th to go back and purchase a few more of their juicy red tomatoes. What lay ahead for us was quite a surprise. I had called Glenda and said, "we are on our way back to see y'all be there in a few minutes." We drove up and there was Tyler and his Daddy, Patrick waiting for us down at the road side. Tyler said, "Miss Carole, my Mama said call her on my cell phone, she has a surprise especially for you."
Well, the surprise was her half brother Gary Hartness, the Hartness family historian who had come from his home in Long Beach to see his brand newly born granddaughter in Columbus. Suddenly I spotted in the distance driving up through the pasture was Glenda and Gary. Gary gets out introduces himself and suddenly says, "I have something to reveal to you for the first time in my whole life." "Carole I just know you are the girl that I had quite a crush on when I was growing up. Did you not live in the big white house 501 Louiville St.? I am seven years younger than you are, and I think you are now 70 years old? I was in love with you. You had white complexion and almost-black hair. I used to see you on your big 'ole wrap around porch swinging and rocking all the time. I thought to myself, "I still swing and rock all time on that very porch!" He said, "I use to ride my bike by your house, and my heart just melted with love for you!"
In this thing we call life it is the things like millions of bright yellow sunflowers that lift us up when we see them blooming profusely in a field of dirt on the Hartness land that has been in one family for over 100 years. It is heart-warming to know that the next generation and generations to come will keep the tradition of the love of gardening and canning the vegetables and fruits from their family's land. I can hardly wait to next July 4 to get a telephone call from Glenda Hartness Tranum and on the other end of the telephone line she will say, ""Hey, Carole, the sunflowers are in full bloom. Come on out!" I'll tell her, "We'll be there tomorrow, on July 4, 2013 to take a sip and taste God's beauty!"View more articles in:


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Hacker has strong start in Giants' loss to Padres
Hundley doubled home a run in the top of the first for the Padres and Angel Pagan led off the first with a home run for the Giants. Pagan, who has four career leadoff homers, hit a three-run homer in his last at-bat Thursday in Cincinnati.
Hudson and Maybin each delivered a two-out RBI single in the fourth to put the Padres ahead 3-1.
Posey's RBI double in the fifth pulled the Giants within 3-2 but the Padres added two more runs in the seventh against Jeremy Affeldt, one on a Headley single and the other on a wild pitch.
Posey hit his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot leading off the eighth.
Notes: Sandoval's hitting streak is the longest to start a season since Edgar Renteria hit in 23 straight for the Atlanta Braves in 2006. ... Hudson extended his hitting streak to 10 games. ... The Giants optioned RHP Dan Otero to Triple-A Fresno and transferred RHP Brian Wilson to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Hacker. ... RHP Anthony Bass (1-2, 2.33 ERA) starts for the Padres on Saturday. He has pitched 8 1-3 scoreless innings in four career appearances against the Giants. ... RHP Tim Lincecum (1-2, 8.20) looks to get his season untracked when he starts for the Giants on Saturday. He won four of five decisions against the Padres last year and has a career 1.96 ERA against them. ... Headley has hit safely in 16 of his last 18 games.
The Associated Press


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You report the discovery of two exoplanets orbiting in the Goldilocks zone of Kepler 62, and speculate on the evolution of life there, even the possibility of it having evolved on each planet (27 April, p 10).
Although I believe that we should continue to look for extra-terrestrial life, I do not expect that we shall find it. While life is abundant on Earth, current theory has it that it is descended from a single ancestor cell. Yet Earth abounds with suitable habitats, so the conclusion must be that the initial emergence of life is highly improbable, and has happened just once in over 3 billion years on a highly suitable planet.
To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content.


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Cost of a pint of Pliny: $7.50
By William Brand
Friday, January 23rd, 2009 at 10:48 pm in what's on tap.
Just got this email note from a blog reader..
- William, Faithful blog reader here – I encountered an oddity tonight that I cannot help but pass by you: Barclay's, 5940 College Ave., Oakland, CA. has raised the price of one Imperial Pint of Pliny the Elder to $7.50, claiming that keg prices have risen by $40! Though this did detour me to the Shastafarian Porter (yum!), being a Russian River fan, I'm quite curious if this is to become the norm or a temporary situation?
It's certainly food for thought and I'll check it out. What's going on? I know craft beer prices are jumping really fast, but…Ideas anyone.
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