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- Research and Discovery
- Analysis and Evaluation
- Strategy and Implementation
- Guidance and Support
- What is Sustainable PC Gaming? And whats our Gold Seal of Approval?
1) Research and Discovery
It starts with a casual hello, a cordial meet-and-greet and, of course, a smile. You see, we dont operate the way some agencies or consultancy firms operate. You know, the ones that simply jumps into every request that comes our way. For us, the time in getting to know you, your brand, your leaders, your teams, your dreams and your business strategies are as important as developing a tailored strategy that can help you captivate your consumers with your PC Game, DRM or Distribution Platform.
We never apply our lens of analysis and evaluation until we have an intimate understanding of you and your business. You can trust us with complete confidence when you confide your struggles, frustrations even your deepest, darkest problems to us. Our job at RYG is to help you solve your issues and concerns. The more youre willing to show and tell us, the more we can help.
Of course, we dont just accept anyone, even if you offer to pay us a large and substantial fee. Our line of work relies so much on mutual responsibility, trust and a certain willingness to be bold, courageous and daring. It is simply not enough that we perform all the hard work if youre not willing to match our level of passion and dedication every step of the way. This is our way of ensuring that greater chance of success for you and for your consumers.
Still interested in working with us? Give us a shout.
2) Analysis and Evaluation
Our analytical and evaluating process isnt about showing you how poor your PC Games, DRMs or Distribution Platforms performed. Its about defining that unseen potential thats missing from what weve learned and discovered from our meet-and-greet. We analyse a broad spectrum of characteristics, all of which touch upon how your consumer and PC Gamers interact actively and passively with your PC Game, DRM or Distribution Platform. We analyse:
- Your DRM strategy, such as your documentation strategy, product activation technology and sunset strategy.
- Your content strategy, which encompasses your product website, product packaging, documentation and offline support.
- Your Privacy Policies, some of which will tie into your DRM strategy
- Your End User License Agreement (EULAs) in its entirety
- How your PC Game, DRM or Distribution Platform physically interacts with your consumers PCs.
- Your Consumers User Experience as a whole, particularly after theyve used your product
- And your after-sales / technical / customer support.
You can have a look at a number of our evaluation reports in which our analysis and evaluations are based upon. Take heart. Its not such a bad thing if you find one of your products faring quite poorly on our list. Everyone in the Industry, based on long-term research and studies, aren't doing too well either in the core areas of positive consumer experience, branding and satisfaction. Its a dominating reason why we offer this service to you: we want to transform the way PC Games are made for PC Gamers. Ultimately, it starts with you and how you feel about being a part of this positive transformation.
Still interested in working with us? Give us a shout.
3) Strategy and Implementation
Where many will end with an editorial rant about the flaws of the Industry, their passionate, yet loosely documented solutions, or pass on a raft of suggestions for Industry figures to gloss over, we will go beyond the rhetoric and design a series of solutions tailored to you, your product and your brand that positively reflects the expectation and satisfactions of your Consumers and PC Gamers. This is where the actual fun begins: the thoughtful process and hard work in problem solving, strategy and implementation to marry your aspirations and dreams with our experience and expertise in crafting meaningful user experiences for all Consumers and PC Gamers.
Our consumer-experience specialists will work with you in developing and designing tailored solutions that are:
- Realistic
- Achievable
- Useful
- Renewable
- Sustainable
- And Profitable.
At RYG, we make sure our solutions work for you that they meet your creative and financial requirements; that they are practical, forward-thinking and relevant in future projects; that they do meet the demands and expectations of your consumers in winning their confidence, loyalty and satisfaction.
Of course, its not enough for us to just designing solutions for you. Sure, were not in the business of turning tricks. But our no-nonsense strategies and practical advice is only as good as your willingness to work with us and actually take these solutions on board. The very success of your PC Game, DRM or Distribution Platform rests with you. We merely facilitate your path to success and consumer satisfaction, from start to finish.
Still interested in working with us? Give us a shout.
4) Guidance and Support
Why should it end when your PC Game, DRM or Distribution Platform is launched, or relaunched? Success is constantly a process of continuous improvement. At RYG, we provide those regular checkups and after-support reviews to see how youre going in nurturing that PC Platform for your product, be it that PC Game, DRM or Distribution Platform. Most importantly, were interested in how your PC Gamers and Consumers have responded to your new-found attitude to PC Gaming.
Were always interested in working with you on future projects if you feel were a right fit for you, your brand and your teams. After all, our interest always remains on improving the PC Gaming Industry with the ever-present focus on seeing positive and transparent consumer-experiences.
Please contact Lisa or Martin Pham if youre keen on learning more about our services. Were always interested in working with passionate folks that do care and give a damn about PC Gamers and PC Gaming.
5) What is Sustainable PC Gaming? And whats our Seal of Approval?
The term Sustainable PC Gaming was introduced by Aaron Dignan in his first book on behavioural gaming, Game Frame. In it, he explained how gaming generated an infinite supply of fun, which in turn led to his idea of fun being a renewable resource in abundance if harnessed correctly.
Weve decided to appropriate his concept into our business practices as it has always been our goal to provide a strong and stable platform for our clients in creating PC games that are designed to last for generations. But it doesn't have to end there. In fact, why should it end there if it merely serves as the beginning for those that do yearn for a long and successful journey in PC Gaming?
Sustainable PC Gaming, in our belief, builds stronger brands, create more jobs, increase market share and grow customer satisfaction all on the foundations of pure, unadulterated fun. Sure, we know its also about making money, but profits will always come after you have the right foundations that will help any company succeed for years to come. Thats why weve created our Gold Seal of Approval. It represents the positive things about PC Gaming. It exemplifies respect, trust and shows the utmost responsibility to PC Gamers and Consumers for companies that are serious about PC Gaming.
Our job is NOT to hand this to anyone unless theyre 100% committed in making a positive difference for PC Gaming and for PC Gamers everywhere.
So if you see a game with this Gold Seal of Approval thats on our footer, youll know that the companies involved have gone through great lengths to make this game playable, enjoyable and fun for you without complicated EULAs, poor website content, sketchy privacy policies and, above all, irresponsible DRM practices. If youre in the video gaming industry and you would like this Seal of Approval stamped on your game, DRM or distribution platform, then please give us a shout and well see what we can do for you.


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By Amaani LyleAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2013 The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today recognized eight organizations whose sense of community, creativity and innovation has improved the quality of life for military families.
In the Pentagon Hall of Heroes, Navy Adm. James A. "Sandy" Winnefeld Jr. joined sponsor representatives from Newman's Own Inc., Fisher House Foundation and Military Times to present a total of $100,000 in grant money to the organizations and to personally commend the Newman's Own Award recipients.
Actor Paul Newman formed Newman's Own Foundation in 2005 as an independent, private foundation to sustain the legacy of his philanthropic work. He died in 2008.
"[The award recipients] embody Paul Newman's belief that each of us has the potential to make a difference in this world," Winnefeld said. "He would be very proud to know where his legacy has extended."
While many are familiar with the late Hollywood icon's prolific acting career and spectrum of signature foods, spices and sauces, Newman also established a revolutionary philanthropic goal to give away 100 percent of after-tax product profits to educational and charitable organizations.
By the end of next year, the Newman's Own Foundation will have given away more than $400 million with more than 100 military-servicing organizations receiving about $10 million.
This year's grants, Winnefeld explained, provide not only the funding for immediate assistance such as respite care, but also enable the organizations to offer tools of empowerment to help service members and their families excel beyond their current situations.
"Whether it's the child of a fallen service member who finds solace at weekend camp with other surviving children or a female veteran trying to transition back to civilian life after a tour in a war zone, the Newman's Own Foundation is there behind the scenes … to provide support," the admiral said. "Long after today's wars have faded into the distant memory, we will still have many service members and their families who [will] need our support – the support of the entire country."
Women Vets and Transitional Living Program, a project originating from Virginia-based Final Salute Inc., earned the largest grant award of $25,000.
Final Salute founder and president Jaspen Boothe is a 13-year Army veteran who deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Facing her own challenges stemming from health issues and the loss of nearly everything she owned due to the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005, Boothe became a stalwart advocate for soldiers and their families.
She recounted her experience undergoing transit treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center on Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
"We remember the ones who have fallen on the battlefield, but often forget those that have fallen on hard times," Boothe said of the estimated 55,000 homeless women veterans in the United States. As a former soldier, she noted, she took an oath never to leave a fallen comrade. "No veteran should be homeless," she said, "but women are now the fastest growing homeless population and most are single mothers."
Since 2000, the Newman's Own Award program has awarded a cumulative grant total of $925,000 to 153 organizations.
The following organization also received grants at today's ceremony:
-- The Jonas Project, Laguna Woods, Calif.;
-- Caregiver Retreats, Yellow Ribbon Fund, Bethesda, Md.;
-- Military Helpline Texting Service, Lines for Life, Portland, Ore.;
-- Veterans Aging in Place, Purple Heart Homes Inc., Statesville, N.C.;
-- Regional Military Survivor Seminars and Good Grief Camps, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Arlington, Va.;
-- Respite Care for Military Families/Children with Intellectual Disabilities, Jill's House, Vienna, Va.; and
-- Blue Star Jobs, Blue Star Families Inc., Falls Church, Va.
Related Sites:Newman's Own FoundationFisher House Foundation

subset: commoncrawl


text: Prev | Next Robert Redford, founder and president of the Sundance Institute, addresses the audience on the opening night premiere of the film "May in the Summer" at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Gallery: Sundance Film Festival Jan. 20, 2013 @ 07:46 AM Celebrities from the music world and politics joined with film stars in Park City, Utah, this weekend for the opening of the Sundance Film Festival. (u'nobuy',)


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Results tagged ' Melky Cabrera '
Kuroda, Tex Help Yankees End Skid Against Jays
There are some managers who will say that their team needs to learn how to win. After four straight losses, Yankees manager Joe Girardi must have given his team a master class in Winning 101 on Wednesday.
Hiroki Kiroda gave the Yankees a solid effort, pitching into the seventh inning, and Mark Teixeira homered and drove in three runs as New York salvaged the final game of a three-game set against Toronto in front of a paid crowd of 34,710 at Rogers Centre.
Kuroda (5-5) yielded three runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings to win his first game since May 28 when he defeated the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Initially, it did not look good for Kuroda when Jose Reyes led off the bottom of the first by cranking Kuroda's first offering into the second deck in the right-field bleachers to give the Blue Jays an early 1-0 lead.
However, Huroda settled in and the Yankees were able to score four runs in the third inning off right-hander Drew Hutchison.
Kelly Johnson opened the frame by drawing a walk and Francisco Cervelli slammed a double into the gap in right-center to score Johnson and tie the game. It was only Cervelli's second RBI of the season.
Two batters later, Jacoby Ellsbury singled up the middle to score Cervelli and Teixeira then launched a 0-1 change-up into the right-field bleachers to give Kuroda and the Yankees a comfortable 4-1 lead. It was Teixeira's 14th home run of the season and his second in three games in Toronto.
"The whole dugout was excited about those four runs," Teixeira told reporters after the game. "It had been a while since we had a lead."
The Blue Jays, however, did draw closer in the bottom of the fifth.
Munenori Kawasaki drew a one-out walk and with two out Reyes stroked a ground-rule double. Then Melky Cabrera slapped an opposite-field single to left to score two runs to cut the Yankees' lead to a run.
Hutchison (5-6) left after six innings having given up four runs on seven hits and two walks while he fanned six batters.
The Yankees did add a run in the sixth after Blue Jays left-hander Rob Rasmussen walked Brett Gardner, hit Derek Jeter in the foot with a pitch and then issued another free pass to Ellsbury to load the bases.
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons summoned right-hander Sergio Santos to pitch to Teixeira and Teixeira was able to loft a sacrifice fly to deep center to score Gardner.
The Yankees' bullpen took it from there as Shawn Kelley, Matt Thornton, Adam Warren and David Robertson held the Blue Jays scoreless on just two hits with no walks and three strikeouts over the final 2 2/3 innings.
Robertson retired all five batters he faced, including striking out the first three batters he faced, to earn his 18th save in 20 opportunities this season.
The victory improved the Yankees' season record to 40-37 and they are now 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Blue Jays in third place in the American League East. The Blue Jays dropped to 44-36.
- After poor outings from Chase Whitley and David Phelps the past two games, Kuroda was able to keep the Blue Jays contained to allow the Yankee offense to get untracked. Kuroda, 39, has been somewhat of a disappointment after he pitched so well in 2012 and 2013. With his 4.23 ERA, Kuroda could stand to start putting together some good outings and pitch more consistently.
- Teixiera's three RBIs give him 39 on the season, which currently leads the team. The Yankees are nearly at the halfway point of the season and it is embarrassing that their team leader only has 39 RBIs. But with Teixiera slowed by a hamstring injury and a sore right wrist and Brian McCann, Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Beltran all underperforming the Yankees will take anything they can get from Teixeira.
- Ellsbury was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Ellsbury has now put together a stretch of eight games in which he is 11-for-31 (.355). But he only has one extra-base hit (a double) and three RBIs in that span.
- Brian Roberts was the only Yankee starter who failed to reach base in the game. He was 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Roberts was 7-for-18 (.389) with a home run and two RBIs in his previous five games. Roberts, 36, had his season average fall to .240.
- Despite the victory the Yankees were just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and they left the bases loaded in both the fifth and seventh innings. It is getting to the point where pitchers might just as well just intentionally walk the first three Yankees each inning because the odds the Yankees will score any runs is virtually nil.
The Yankees will have a day off on Thursday before opening a three-game home series starting on Friday against the reeling Boston Red Sox.
Left-hander Vidal Nuno (1-4, 5.88 ERA) will begin the series for the Yankees. His one victory was on May 7 and he is 0-4 with a 6.12 since then. He gave up four runs on six hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
The Red Sox will pitch right-hander Brandon Workman (1-0, 2.88 ERA). Workman surrendered two runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in six innings in a no decision against the Cleveland Indians on June 15.
Game-time will be 7:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.
Yankees Force Jays Back To Earth With Sweep
When the Yankees came off their recent West Coast road trip to face the first-place Blue Jays at home they were hoping that they could just gain some ground on them. After completing a three-game sweep of them on Thursday the Yankees have to feel extremely blessed.
David Phelps pitched seven very gutty innings and the offense, while it did not send a single ball into the seats, wore down their American League East rivals as New York won its 16th straight game against Toronto at Yankee Stadium in front of a paid crowd of 40,169.
Phelps (3-4) held the booming bats of the Blue Jays in check except for a two-out two-run home run he served up to Melky Cabrera in the third inning that tied the score at 2-2. Those two runs were all Phelps would give up while holding the Jays to six hits while he walked two and struck out seven.
Phelps even helped himself out with a do-or-die fielding play in the fifth inning. With two out and Colby Rasmus on third, Cabrera hit a rocket shot that ricocheted off Phelps and rolled behind the mound. Phelps scrambled back to the ball and fired quickly to Mark Teixeira at first to barely nip Cabrera.
Meanwhile, the Yankees hitters were putting right-hander Drew Hutchinson (5-4) through a draining pitch-count wringer.
They scored single runs off him in the first two innings on sacrifice flies by Jacoby Ellsbury in the first and Kelly Johnson in the second. They then broke the 2-2 tie in the third inning when Ellsbury led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a single by Teixeira.
One batter later, Carlos Beltran scored Ellsbury with the Yankees' third sacrifice fly of the evening. In the meantime, they had forced Hutchison to throw 76 pitches in the first three innings.
The Yankees added a run in the fifth when Ellsbury laced a one-out single and, again, stole second. Then Teixeira drew a walk that ended the night for Hutchison.
Left-hander Aaron Loup was able to retire Brian McCann on an infield liner but Beltran lofted a ground-rule double into the bleachers in left-center to score Ellsbury.
Hutchinson was charged with four runs on six hits and four walks while he struck out three in 4 1/3 innings.
The Yankees added single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to extend their lead to 6-2 on a night when two big contributors to their bullpen, Dellin Betances and closer David Robertson, were unavailable.
Brian Roberts and his base-running keyed the sixth inning when he led off the frame with a single and stole second and third base. But manager Joe Girardi deserves some credit for some strategy after Brett Gardner drew a one-out walk.
Girardi elected to send Gardner as Derek Jeter bounced a ball to Jose Reyes at shortstop. Instead of being able to turn a double play, Reyes was forced to retire Jeter at first as Roberts scored and Gardner was standing safely at second.
The Yankees were able to load the bases on right-hander Steve Delabar in the seventh inning when Roberts drew a walk with two outs. Delabar then walked Yangervis Solarte to force in a run.
The Blue Jays did manage to make things interesting in the eighth inning when Jose Bautista drew a one-out walk from right-hander Shawn Kelley and Edwin Encarnacion followed by planting his 21st home run of the season into the left-field bleachers.
However, Kelley retired Dioner Navarro and Matt Thornton got the final out in the eighth and the first out in the ninth before he was touched for a single off the bat of Rasmus.
Adam Warren then came in to get pinch-hitter Munenori Kawasaki and Reyes to complete the sweep and earn his second save of the season.
With the victory, the Yankees are 38-33 and they are 1 1/2 games out of first place in the A.L. East. The struggling Blue Jays fell to 41-33.
- Phelps lost four consecutive starts from May 22 through June 7 and he was 1-4 with a 4.88 ERA at that point. But in his past two starts he has defeated the team with the best record in the American League (Oakland) and the best team in the A.L. East (Toronto). In those two starts he has given up two runs on eight hits and two walks and struck out 11 in 13 2/3 innings. He is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA in those starts, which has lowered his season ERA to 4.11.
- The Yankees very much need Beltran's bat and they got it on Thursday. Beltran was 1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs. It was his first multiple RBI game since he drove in two runs against the Boston Red Sox on April 22 at Fenway Park. Beltran entered the contest 7-for-40 (.175) with a home run and three RBIs since he came off the disabled list on June 5.
- Ellsbury had another good night in going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs scored and an RBI. Ellsbury is now hitting .279 with four homers and 31 RBIs. But he also has stolen a team-best 20 bases and has an on-base percentage of .346. Add his skilled fielding in center and you have a very good player and a very smart free-agent signing by the Yankees.
Why complain when starters Masahiro Tanaka, Chase Whitley and Phelps combined to give up just five runs in 19 innings (a 2.37 ERA) in the three games against the hard-hitting Blue Jays. Whitley and Phelps may be considered as blowout patches for a starting rotation that lost Ivan Nova, CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda. But they are more than holding their own for Yankees at a time when they are very much needed. No complaints about this game.
The game was delayed for some time in the fourth inning when a rare base-runner interference play was called on Encarnacion after he led off with a single. Navarro followed with a routine pop fly to Teixeira just inside the first-base bag. Encarnacion used both of his hands to slide around Teixiera to return to first base while the ball was in the air and he was immediately called for interference by first-base umpire Chris Conroy. After initially calling Navarro out on the pop fly, the umpires conferred and placed Navarro at first base on a fielder's choice. . . . Johnson had to leave the game in the sixth inning when the fingers on his left hand were struck with the ball as he was attempting a bunt. Johnson was removed from the game and replaced by Solarte with a 3-2 count. Solarte struck out but the Yankees later scored Roberts on Jeter's groundout. Johnson underwent X-rays that did not indicate any broken bones. But Johnson is listed as day-to-day.
The Yankees now hope to continue their momentum against their A.L. East rivals when they begin a weekend three-game home series against the Baltimore Orioles.
Right-hander Hiroki Kuroda (4-5, 3.42 ERA) will open the series for the Yankees. Kuroda lost his start on Saturday, giving up four runs on five hits and three walks against the Oakland Athletics. Kuroda is 1-0 against the Orioles this season after beating them 4-2 on April 7 at Yankee Stadium in his second start of the season.
Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (2-8, 4.86 ERA) will start for the O's. The disappointing free agent gave up two runs on three hits and five walks in six innings in a loss to the Blue Jays last Friday. He has not won a game since May 8 and he was the losing pitcher to Kuroda in that game on April 7.
Game-time will be 7:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by MY9.
McCann-ical: Yankee Catcher's 5 RBIs Dumps Jays
For most of the season, the Yankees have been wondering where their All-Star slugging catcher Brian McCann was because the one they have been watching was hitting ,220 with seven homers and 28 RBIs. Well, cross your fingers and do a sign of the cross, but there was a rare McCann sighting at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.
McCann lined a two-run home run to put the Yankees ahead and later added a three-run triple as part of a career-best-tying five RBIs to lead New York past Toronto to bring them to within 2 1/2 games of the first-place Blue Jays in the American League East.
A paid crowd of 41,342 in the Bronx, N.Y., watched the Yankees win their 15th consecutive game over the Blue Jays at home.
Chase Whitley (3-0), buoyed by an early 1-0 lead, held the Blue Jays scoreless until the fourth inning when he was stung by back-to-back two-out RBI singles by Dioner Navarro and Colby Rasmus, who was just activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the game.
But the Yankees were able to answer in the bottom of the fourth against left-hander Mark Buehrle (10-4), who has now lost his past three starts.
Carlos Beltran led of the frame with a single and McCann, after battling Buehrle to a 2-2 count in a nine-pitch at-bat, lined a curveball into the second row of the bleachers in right-field to give the Yankees a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the evening.
The home run was McCann's eighth of the season but his first since May 23 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.
Buehrle was also touched for an unearned run in the first inning when Brett Gardner led off with a single, one of his four singles on the night. Derek Jeter then reached when Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie misplayed Jeter's slow roller into an error.
Two batters later, another one of the Yankees struggling sluggers, Alfonso Soriano, slapped Buehrle's first pitch up the middle to score Gardner.
Buehrle was charged with three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in six innings.
Whitley, however, was able to hold on for his third straight victory and the Yankees are now 7-0 in his starts since he was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 15. He yielded two runs on five hits and one walk with two strikeouts in five innings.
The Yankees were able to put the game away in the seventh inning against right-hander Chad Jenkins and left-hander Brett Cecil.
Gardner singled and, two outs later, Jacoby Ellsbury and Mark Teixeira hit consecutive singles to load the bases. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons replaced Jenkins with Cecil and pinch-hitter Ichiro Suzuki drew a walk for score Gardner.
McCann then followed with a base-clearing triple into the gap in right-center to become the first Yankees catcher to hit a home run, a triple and drive in five runs in a game since Elston Howard did it in 1962.
The Blue Jays scored a run in the eighth off rookie right-hander Jose Ramirez on a leadoff double by Melky Cabrera and an RBI double off the bat of Jose Bautista. But the bullpen combination of Adam Warren, Dellin Betances and David Robertson pitched four scoreless innings on no hits, one walk and six strikeouts to close out the victory for Whitley.
The Yankees' season record is now 37-33 and they only trail the Jays by one game in the loss column in the tightly bunched A.L. East. The Blue Jays fell to 41-32.
- McCann was 2-for-3 with a walk and his five RBIs on Tuesday leave him in a tie with Teixeira for the team lead with 33. McCann, 30, a career .274 hitter, is still hitting only .226 but the Yankees are hoping that he is about to break out of what has been a prolonged power and hitting drought to provide what he did for the Atlanta Braves in his previous eight seasons.
- Gardner entered the game hitting .325 at Yankee Stadium this season and he added to it with a 4-for-5 night with four singles and two runs scored. In 30 games at home, Gardner is now 41-for-119 (.345) with four home runs and 15 RBIs. In his past nine games, Gardner is 14-for-38 (.386) with two homers and five RBIs.
- Whitley, who turned 25 on Saturday, got caught up in a heavy pitch count in trying to battle the major league's best home run hitting team. But he kept the Yankees in the game until the Yankees were able to take the lead in the fourth. Whitley's walk to Cabrera with one out in the fifth was the first he has issued since May 21 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. In 38 2/3 innings, Whitley has walked just four batters. It looks like he is going to be a keeper in the rotation.
There are hints that the Yankees may be ready to bust out of their offensive funk and it could not have come at a better time because the Yankees are in the midst of 15 games against teams in their division. They have now won the first two of those 15 games against the best team in the division. They need to keep it going.
Left-hander CC Sabathia threw a bullpen session at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday for a second consecutive day and he is expected to throw another bullpen session on Saturday. Sabathia, who was limited to throwing just fastballs on Tuesday, mixed in some sliders on Wednesday and reported no problems with his right knee after the session. Sabathia has been sidelined since May 10 after having a stem-cell injection in his right knee. . . . Manager Joe Girardi told reporters on Wednesday that he is not considering any shakeup in the starting rotation but he is watching left-hander Vidal Nuno closely. Nuno is 1-3 with a 5.90 ERA this season and he was shelled for eight runs on eight hits in three-plus innings against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. With right-hander Shawn Kelley back in the bullpen after a stint on the DL, Warren could be inserted into the rotation if Girardi needs to make a move.
The Yankees have a chance to sweep the first-place Blue Jays on Thursday and draw to within 1 1/2 games of the lead in the division.
Right-hander David Phelps (2-4, 4.32 ERA) gets the start for the Yankees. Phelps, 27, is coming off what may have been the best start of his career on Saturday when he shut out the A's on two hits and three walks while fanning four in 6 2/3 innings. That victory broke a string of four straight losses for Phelps.
Right-hander Drew Hutchison (5-4, 3.62 ERA) will pitch for the Blue Jays. Hutchison, 23, shut out the Baltimore Orioles on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts in seven innings for his fifth victory on Friday. He was lit up for six runs on six hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings by the Yankees in Toronto on April 6.
Game-time will be 7:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast by the YES Network.
Tanaka Earns 11th Win As Yankees Top Blue Jays
Whispers around the American League caution teams that to beat Masahiro Tanaka you better get to him early in the count and in the game. The Toronto Blue Jays applied that game plan in Tanaka's first major-league start and again on Tuesday and it did not work either time.
In Tanaka's major-league debut, Melky Cabrera led off the game with a home run and the Blue Jays lost the game 7-3. Jose Reyes led off Tuesday's game by hitting Tanaka's first delivery into the right-field bleachers and Toronto still lost the game.
Tanaka (11-1) pitched six innings to record his major-league-leading 11th victory as New York cut a game off the Blue Jays' lead in the American League East with a victory over Toronto in front of a paid crowd of 41,834 at Yankee Stadium.
The 25-year-old right-hander yielded just that one run on five hits and two walks and he fanned 10 to lower his A.L.-leading ERA to 1.99 and post his 14th quality start in as many games pitched.
"What he's done has been remarkable," Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters.
The victory also was Girardi's 600th in his career as the team's manager, the sixth skipper to reach that mark.
Tanaka and the Yankees weathered the early 1-0 deficit before taking the lead in the bottom of the third against rookie right-hander Marcus Stroman, who is a native of nearby Medford, N.Y.
Kelly Johnson laced a one-out double to the wall in right-center and Brett Gardner followed by lining a 2-1 slider off the netting of the right-field foul pole for his sixth home run of the season.
Stroman (3-2) was charged with two runs on four hits and three walks while he struck out two in 3 2/3 innings.
The Yankees pushed across another run against left-hander Aaron Loup when Derek Jeter reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Jacoby Ellsbury's groundout advanced Jeter to third, Loup made a mistake by failing to walk Mark Teixeira on a 3-1 pitch.
Instead, the switch-hitting Teixeira lined Loup's inside fastball up the middle for a one-out RBI single with the left-hand-hitting Brian McCann on deck.
Meanwhile, Tanaka got even tougher, striking out Cabrera, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion on swinging strikes in succession in the fifth inning.
Rookie Dellin Betances pitched a perfect two innings, striking out three, and David Robertson pitched around a two-out triple by Munenori Kawasaki to notch his 17th save in 19 chances this season.
The victory improves the Yankees' season record to 36-33 and boosts them into second place in the A.L. East 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Blue Jays. The Jays are now 41-31.
- The conventional wisdom prior to the game was that because Tanaka's loss came against the only team he has faced twice this season, the Chicago Cubs, that the Blue Jays would have success against him in their second meeting. It did not happen. Tanaka was even better. "They mowed us down pretty good tonight," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons told reporters.
- If you combined the numbers this season for Tanaka, Betances and Robertson they are 15-3 with a 2.09 ERA with 224 strikeouts in 164 innings. I doubt seriously you can name a better starter and two-man bullpen combination in baseball today. They just dominate hitters and they combined on Tuesday to strike out 15 batters against the best home-run hitting team in baseball.
- Gardner was batting .344 in his past 14 home games and his home run on Tuesday was his fourth at Yankee Stadium. Overall, Gardner is hitting .325 at home this season and he also leads the Yankees in bating with runners in scoring position at .315. Despite mostly batting in the leadoff spot, Gardner is tied with McCann and Yangervis Solarte for third on the team in RBIs with 28.
The Yankees probably could have done better than just six hits against Stroman and the Blue Jays relievers but with Tanaka on the mound it just does not seem to matter. The Yankees face the Blue Jays in five of the next 10 games. So winning the first one is a good start in cutting their lead in the division.
As expected on Tuesday, the Yankees activated catcher Francisco Cervelli from the 60-day disabled list and John Ryan Murphy was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Cervelli, 28, has been sidelined since April 13 with a torn right hamstring and just completed a 10-game minor-league rehab stint. Murphy, 22, hit .286 with a home run and eight RBIs and drew raves about his play over 24 games. Cervelli, however, was out of options and the Yankees did not want to risk losing him. . . . CC Sabathia reported no issues with his right knee of Tuesday after throwing a bullpen session at Yankee Stadium on Monday. Sabathia, 33, has been on the 15-day disabled list since May 11 after requiring a stem-cell injection to his knee when some degenerative breakdown in the cartilage was discovered by Dr. James Andrews. There is still no firm date for Sabathia's return but it likely will be sometime after the All-Star break.
The Yankees will continue their three-game midweek series with Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Rookie right-hander Chase Whitley (2-0, 2.41 ERA) will make his seventh start of the season. Whitley is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in past two starts including giving up just two runs on five hits with no walks and six K's in his major-league best 7 2/3 innings against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.
Left-hander Mark Buehrle (10-3, 2.28 ERA) will pitch for the Blue Jays. Buehrle is coming off back-to-back losses and yielded four runs on eight hits and one walk in 6 1/3 innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.
Game-time will be 7:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast by the YES Network.
Jays Fall As Gardner Hits First Yankee Homer
The Yankees entered play on Sunday without a home run in their first five games. How can the Bronx Bombers be the Bronx Bombers when they are not hitting homers?
Well, it finally was taken care of by, of all people, Brett Gardner. The 30-year-old outfielder lined a 3-2 slider over the right-field wall in the fourth inning to give the Yankees a 6-1 lead and New York held on edge Toronto in front of a paid crowd of 34,067 at Rogers Centre.
Gardner's blast capped a three-run third inning after they had scored three runs on the first inning off right-hander Drew Hutchison (1-1).
It was just the fifth time since 1923 the Yankees have gone this far in to the season without hitting a home run and the first time since 1990 when Mel Hall hit the team's first home run in the eighth game of the season.
Meanwhile, left-hander CC Sabathia (1-1) rebounded from a bad first outing to record his first victory of the season.
The Yankees broke out on top early, taking advantage of Hutchison's poor command.
Hutchison walked Gardner to begin the game. Gardner then stole second and advanced to third on a Derek Jeter ground-out. He then scored on Jacoby Ellsbury's ground-out.
Brian McCann then drew a two-out walk and Hutchison hit Alfonso Soriano with a pitch. Kelly Johnson then laced a two-run double off the wall in center-field, which gave the Yankees an early 3-0 lead.
After former Yankee Melky Cabrera clubbed his third home run in three days against his former teammates to lead off the bottom of the first inning, Sabathia settled in and held the Blue Jays to only two more hits through the first five innings.
The Yankees added to their lead in the third when Hutchison walked Brian Roberts to start the frame. Roberts then stole second and he scored one batter later on an RBI double off the bat of red-hot rookie Yangervis Solarte, who was 5-for-12 with five RBIs in the three-game series.
Gardner then homered to give the Yankees a commanding 6-1 lead.
Hutchison gave up all six runs on six hits and three walks while he struck out six in 3 1/3 innings. Four of the six runs he gave up scored after reaching base without the benefit of a hit.
The Blue Jays did mount a two-out rally in the sixth inning off Sabathia to get back into the game.
Jose Bautista hit a bloop opposite-field single and Edwin Encarnacion followed with an opposite field single of his own. Dioner Navarro then slapped a double down the left-field line to score Bautista and Eric Kratz followed with a two-run single to center.
But Sabathia got Brett Lawrie out on a fly ball to center and relievers Adam Warren, Shawn Kelley and David Robertson protected Sabathia's lead the rest of the way to allow the Yankees to win the three-game series against the Blue Jays.
Sabathia gave up four runs on seven hits no walks and he struck out six in six innings.
Robertson did allow the Blue Jays to get the potential winning run to the plate with one out in the ninth when Lawrie singled and Robertson walked pinch-hitter Adam Lind. But Robertson retired pinch-hitter Colby Rasmus on an infield popup and Cabrera flied out to right.
Robertson earned his second save in two opportunities this season.
With the victory the Yankees evened their season record at 3-3. The Blue Jays fell to 3-4.
- Gardner's home run was only the 24th of his career but it was his fourth against the Blue Jays. Gardner may only be 5-for-18 (.278) this season but his on-base percentage is a sparkling .409. When the Yankees are struggling to hit home runs it is vital that Gardner get on base and use his speed to get into scoring position as he did on the first inning.
- Solarte has only started in four of the Yankees' six games but he is 8-for-15 (.533) with four doubles and five RBIs in those four games. There is a good chance that Solarte will cool off as opposing teams find out what his weaknesses are. But for now, Solarte looks to be the real deal and he is providing a spark to an offense that is not hitting on all cylinders yet.
- For a team struggling to hit with runners in scoring position, Johnson's two-out double in the first was huge. They were Johnson's first two RBIs of the season and it hopefully will get him started because he is just 4-for-18 (.222) in the early going.
- If it had not been for the sixth inning Sabathia would have had a very good outing. But the Blue Jays were able to take the veteran left-hander's pitches to the opposite field. In his first two starts, Sabathia has yielded 10 runs on 15 hits and one walk in 12 innings. His ERA stands at 7.50. He is going to have to do better than that if the Yankees are to contend in the American League East.
- Robertson is 2-for-2 in save situations but his work on Sunday was a bit shaky. Lawrie ripped a single up the middle and Robertson pitched too carefully to Lind and walked him. That allowed manager John Gibbons to go to his bench to use Rasmus and Cabrera has been the hottest hitter on the Blue Jays since spring training started.
- Though Soriano finally singled in the fifth inning off right-hander Todd Redmond, he is still 1-for-19 (.053) to start the season.
Jeter was 2-for-5 on Sunday and those two hits moved him past Paul Molitor for eighth place on the all-time hits list with 3,320. The 39-year-old team captain singled in the first inning off Hutchison to tie Molitor. He then singled again in the fourth inning to pass Molitor and he chased Hutchison from the game. Jeter is also fourth on the all-time American League hits list. . . . Francisco Cervelli took ground balls at first base on Sunday as manager Joe Girardi said the backup catcher could be called on to play first base while Mark Teixiera is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. Cervelli has never played first base but has appeared in four games at third base and two at second base.
After a opening week on the road the Yankees will play their home opener on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles.
Right-hander Hiroki Kuroda (0-1, 3.00 ERA) will get the start for the Yankees. Kuroda lost his first start on Wednesday against the Houston Astros despite yielding just two runs in six innings. The Yankees did not score any runs for him and he took a tough loss.
The Orioles will counter with right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (0-1, 6.00 ERA). Jimenez was tagged for a pair of home runs in a loss to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. He is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in two starts at Yankee Stadium.
Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.
Yankees Knuckle Under To Dickey, Jays' Bullpen
The Yankees have been around enough to know that facing a knuckleball pitcher is always a 50-50 proposition. When the knuckleball is not working the game is easy. When it is working you can probably figure on losing.
R.A. Dickey held the Yankees scoreless for 6 2/3 innings and the three relievers who followed him completed the shutout as Toronto downed New York on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd of 45,446 at Rogers Centre.
Dickey (1-1) was shelled for six runs by the Tampa Bay Rays on Opening Day on Monday but he rebounded to yield only five hits and one walk while he struck out six to get credit for the victory on Saturday.
His mound opponent, Michael Pineda, was making his first major-league start since the end of the 2011 season and he deserved a better fate.
Pineda (0-1) held the Blue Jays to just one run on five hits, he did not walk a batter and he fanned five in six innings. He ended up on the short end because the Yankees could not solve Dickey or his knuckleball.
The Blue Jays lone run off Pineda came in the second inning when Adam Lind led off with a double and one batter later Josh Thole blooped a single into left to score Lind.
That run held up until the Blue Jays decided to play "Home Run Derby" in the eighth inning off reliever David Phelps. Melky Cabrera cranked a one-out solo shot, his second in two nights against his former teammates.
After Colby Rasmus stroked a ground-rule double, Jose Bautista blasted his third home run of the season to cap the scoring.
Sergio Santos pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays to earn his second save.
The loss dropped the Yankees' season record to 2-3. The Blue Jays evened their record at 3-3.
- After Pineda missed two full major-league seasons recovering from shoulder surgery the Yankees have to be extremely pleased with what the 25-year-old right-hander did on Saturday. His fastball reached as high as 95 miles-per-hour. Even more important was that Pineda did not issue a walk. If Pineda is the team's No. 5 starter they have the makings of one of the best No. 5 starters in baseball.
- Yangervis Solarte continues to be impressive with the bat. The 26-year-old rookie was 2-for-3 with two singles and he is 7-for-13 (.538) on the young season. I was honestly stunned the Yankees would designate for assignment Eduardo Nunez to make room on the roster for Solarte. But now that they have made the move it looks like they made the right choice. The youngster is something special.
- Francisco Cervelli started behind the plate while Brian McCann was the designated hitter and Cervelli was 2-for-3 with a double and he threw out a runner on the bases. Jacoby Ellsbury, who was 3-for-4 on Friday, was 3-for-5 on Saturday. Cervelli, Ellsbury and Solarte combined to collect all seven of the Yankees' hits.
- The middle of the order had a really rough time with Dickey and the Blue Jays' relievers. Carlos Beltran, McCann, Alfonso Soriano and Kelly Johnson combined to go 0-for-16 with four strikeouts and they stranded nine base-runners. Beltran killed a big rally with no outs in the sixth after Ellsbury singled and Derek Jeter walked by hitting into a double play. After Ellsbury singled and and Jeter walked to start the eighth off left-hander Aaron Loup, Beltran struck out on a pitch that bounced in the dirt.
- It goes without saying that the Yankees were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. That hit came in the third inning after Cervelli had doubled and Ellsbury delivered a two-out single to center. However, Rasmus' throw to Thole at home plate beat Cervelli as he slid into home plate. That is pretty much the way the day went for the Yankees.
- Phelps gave up eight home runs in 86 2/3 innings last season. This season he already has given up three in 3 1/3 innings. Phelps, 27, needs to start doing a better job of keeping the ball in the yard.
Before the game started the Yankees placed first baseman Mark Teixeira on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. Teixeira, 33, sustained the injury in the second inning of Friday's game against the Blue Jays as he tried to field a ground ball in foul territory. Teixeira will have an MRI on Monday in New York to determine the severity of the strain. To take his place on the roster the Yankees recalled catcher Austin Romine from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Johnson will take Teixeira's place at first base and Solarte will take Johnson's spot at third.
The Yankees will try to win the three-game series against the Blue Jays on Sunday.
Left-hander CC Sabathia (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will start for the Yankees trying to atone for a horrible Opening Day start in which he gave up six runs in the first two innings to the Houston Astros before finishing with four scoreless innings.
Sabathia, 33, will be opposed by 23-year-old right-hander Drew Hutchison (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who shut out the Rays on three hits and three walks while striking out four in 5 1/3 innings in his 2014 debut.
Game-time will be 1:07 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.
Tanaka Bows To Pressure But Still Wins Debut
With the crush of American and Japanese media on hand and an unfriendly sellout crowd at Rogers Centre on Friday it was understandable if Masahiro Tanaka was a little nervous making his major-league regular season debut.
After Melky Cabrera deposited his third offering over the center-field wall reality set in. But Tanaka gradually overcame his nerves and settled in to win his first game in the United States as New York pounded out 16 hits to defeat Toronto in front of paid crowd of 48.187.
Tanaka (1-0) actually lost a 2-1 lead in the second inning when two hits and an error loaded the bases and Jonathan Diaz touched him for a two-run single. But after that hit, the 25-year-old right-hander retired 16 of the next 18 batters he faced, striking out six of them to allow the Yankees to come back and win the game.
Tanaka's final line was excellent. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and no walks and he struck out eight batters in seven innings.
"I was missing some spots earlier in the game, but as the game progressed, I think I was getting better out there," Tanaka told reporters through an interpreter. "Obviously I'm happy. I think No. 1 is that I'm relieved."
Meanwhile, the Yankees' offense was once again sparked by rookie infielder Yangervis Solarte, who was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI in his major-league debut against Houston Astros on Thursday.
With the Yankees trailing 3-2 in the third inning, Brian Roberts drew a one-out walk from Blue Jays right-hander Dustin McGowan (0-1) and stole second. One out later, Ichiro Suzuki bound a ground ball to Ryan Goins at second base and Suzuki was called out on a close play at first.
However, manager Joe Girardi successfully overturned first-base umpire Dana Demuth's call through a instant-replay challenge, which put Roberts at third and Suzuki at first for Solarte.
The 26-year-old switch-hitter Solarte then laced a two-run double to right-center to give the Yankees a lead they would never relinquish.
That hit also ended McGowan's evening. The 32-year-old right-hander, who was making his first major-league start since 2011, was charged with four runs on eight hits and a walk while he struck out three in 2 2/3 innings.
The Yankees took an early 2-0 lead against McGowan in the first inning as Jacoby Ellsbury, who was 3-for-4 with a walk, stole two bases and scored two runs in the game, cranked a double to deep center. Brett Gardner advanced him to third on a hard-hit single to left.
Carlos Beltran then scored Ellsbury with a bloop single to left-center and Mark Teixeira scored Gardner with a single to right.
The Yankees only bad news of the evening came in the third inning as the Blue Jays took the lead against Tanaka. Teixiera injured his right hamstring while moving to field a foul ball. He was forced to leave the game and his immediate status is unclear.
The Yankees padded their lead in the fourth when Brian McCann scored Ellsbury with a one-out RBI single off left-hander Aaron Loup after the Blue Jays elected to intentionally walk Beltran to face the lefty swinging McCann.
They added single runs in the eighth on Gardner's RBI single off right-hander Steve Delabar and in the ninth on another RBI double by Solarte off right-hander Jarred Jeffress.
With the victory, the Yankees evened their season record to 2-2. The Blue Jays fell to 2-3.
- Tanaka's ability to recover from the mistakes he made pitching to Cabrera and Diaz are a testament to the fact he is not just a thrower. Tanaka knows how to pitch and make adjustments at a very young age. That attribute actually may be just as valuable as his split-finger fastball. The $155 million the Yankees invested in him may end up being a bargain. He is that good.
- After two games, Solarte is 5-for-10 (.500) with three doubles and two runs scored. He also leads the team in RBIs with four. If Teixeira is sidelined for any length of time it is a pretty good bet that Kelly Johnson will move from third base to play first and Solarte will become the starting third baseman. The Yankees may have found a real gem in this youngster.
- Ellsbury showed what he can do from the leadoff spot on Friday. His two doubles, two stolen bases and two runs scored really set the tone for the evening. To top it all off, Ellsbury also made a nice sliding catch of Dioner Navarro's sinking line drive in the sixth inning.
- Teixeira's injury exposes the weakest area on the Yankees' roster. Johnson is not an experienced first baseman and he will be asked to fill in while Teixiera is out. The Yankees do have corner infielder Russ Canzler at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but he is not anywhere close to Teixeira in offense or defense. he also is not on the 40-man roster. The Yankees have to hope Teixiera is not sidelined for an extended period of time.
- Dellin Betances was brought in to the game in the eighth to face Jose Bautista with two out and a four-run lead. He walked him. Although he got out of the inning by retiring Edwin Encarnacion, he opened the ninth by walking Adam Lind on four pitches that were nowhere near the strike zone. Girardi then summoned David Robertson to close out a game in which he should not have had to appear. Betances has had control issues in the past so he bears watching.
Teixeira will be re-evaluated on Saturday but it is highly unlikely he will play. The strain is is considered mild but Teixeira is scheduled to have an MRI on the right hamstring in New York on Monday. Teixeira played in only 15 games last season before having to undergo surgery to repair a torn sheath in his right wrist. . . . After Solarte got his first major-league hit in his debut on Thursday, Dean Anna singled in the ninth inning in his first major-league start on Saturday. Anna, 27, was in the lineup at shortstop to give Derek Jeter a rest. Anna was 1-for-4 with a walk and scored a run.
The Yankees wil continue their three-game series with the Blue Jays on Saturday.
After trading top prospect Jesus Montero to the Seattle Mariners before the 2012 season the Yankees will finally see Michael Pineda on the mound for them in a major-league game. Pineda, 25, was 2-1 with a 1.20 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 15 innings this spring after missing almost two seasons due to shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum.
He will be opposed by right-handed knuckleball specialist R.A. Dickey (0-1, 10.80 ERA), who was out of sync in his 2014 debut against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. Dickey walked six batters and ended up surrendering six runs on five hits in five innings.
Game-time will be 1:07 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast by the YES Network.
Blue Jays Batter Claiborne To Rally Past Yankees
Melky Cabrera and Brett Lawrie combined for five hits and four RBIs to lead Toronto on Wednesday as they rallied from a 6-0 deficit to pound New York in front of a paid crowd of 5,541 at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, FL.
The Yankees jumped on the Blue Jays' Opening Day starter R.A. Dickey for six runs on seven hits and four walks in four innings.
Carlos Beltran led the assault with a two-run double in the second inning and Kelly Johnson added a two-run single in the first as it appeared the Yankees would coast to an easy victory.
However, Preston Claiborne (0-1) had his spring nightmare continue as the Blue Jays scored eight runs in the fifth inning, six of them courtesy of Claiborne. The 26-year-old right-hander was shelled for six runs on four hits, a walk and a hitter batter as he did not retire any of the six batters he faced.
The big blows in the inning were a pair two-run singles by Adam Lind and Maicer Izturis. The hit by Izturis turned a 6-6 tie into a 8-6 lead for the Blue Jays.
Left-hander Brett Cecil (2-0) struck out a pair of batters en route to a perfect inning in the fifth to get credit for the victory.
With the loss, the Yankees dropped to a 15-12-2 Grapefruit League record. The Blue Jays improved to 13-13.
- Beltran was 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored and two RBIs in the game. Beltran is now 14-for-48 (.292) with two homers and nine RBIs this spring. The 36-year-old outfielder has at least one hit in his past seven games and is 11-for-23 (.478) during that span.
- Johnson has quietly had a productive spring. He was 1-for-2 with a walk, scored a run and drove in a pair. The 32-year-old infielder is 11-for-42 (.262) with a home run and seven RBIs this spring. He has been a bit shaky in the field at third but it looks as if he is going to contribute a lot offensively.
- The only pitcher who contributed much was Dellin Betances, who pitched a perfect sixth inning and struck out a batter. It appears that Betances, 26, has earned a spot in the bullpen after posting a 0.79 ERA in 11 1/3 innings over nine appearances. He also has struck out 10 batters while walking four.
- The Claiborne of 2013 was a promising right-handed reliever who sported a great ERA up until he was sent up and down to the minors four times in August. His final 13 appearances were awful but there was plenty to build upon entering 2014. But this spring Claiborne's struggles have continued. He is 0-1 with a 14.29 ERA having been shelled for nine runs on 14 hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. It appears that Claiborne is heading back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to regain his confidence.
- After getting the final two outs in the fourth, Fred Lewis was tagged with a leadoff double by Ryan Goins and an RBI single by Cabrera. He ended up giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. Lewis entered the game having not yielded an earned run in his first eight appearances this spring. Lewis, 27, is battling Cesar Cabral for the lefty specialist role in the bullpen.
Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury played five innings in center-field in a minor-league game on Wednesday and he reported no problems with his sore right calf that has shelved him since March 14. Ellbury was 1-for-4 with a walk in a Class-A game against the Pirates at the team's minor-league complex in Tampa, FL . . . The Yankees optioned catcher Austin Romine on Wednesday, which officially makes Francisco Cervelli the backup catcher to Brian McCann. Cervelli, 28, won the job by going 15-for-36 (.417) with a team-leading four homers and seven RBIs. . . . Outfielder and designated hitter Alfonso Soriano is receiving treatment for a sore right shoulder. Soriano was 1-for-2 with an RBI on Wednesday against the Blue Jays. Soriano will get a day off on Thursday and manager Joe Girardi told reporters he will re-evaluated.
The Yankees travel to Bradenton, FL, on Thursday to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at McKechnie Field.
Left-hander CC Sabathia (2-1, 1.59 ERA) will make his fifth and final start of the spring before pitching the team's opener on April 1 in Houston against the Astros.
The Pirates will counter with right-hander Stolmy Pimentel (1-0, 3.86 ERA).
Game-time will be 1:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast live locally by the YES Network and on tape-delay nationally by the MLB Network at 6 p.m.


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Quinnipiac University Bobcats (2-5, 0-1 GWLL) at
The Ohio State University Buckeyes (4-4, 0-0 GWLL)
Saturday, March 28, 2009 1 p.m.
Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Columbus, Ohio
Live Video Available To Bobcat Channel Subscribers
GWLL Play Resumes At Ohio State
The Quinnipiac University men's lacrosse team returns to Great Western Lacrosse League action Saturday, when the Bobcats travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State. Quinnipiac is coming off a convincing 15-4 win against Detroit, snapping a five-game losing streak. The Buckeyes have dropped their last two contests, at UMBC, 9-8 (OT), and at Colgate, 9-4. The Buckeyes have defeated Detroit, Bucknell, Fairfield and Robert Morris this season, while also falling to nationally-ranked Navy and Penn State.
Scouting the Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes are led by 2008 First Team All-GWLL pick Joel Dalgarno, who's compiled a team-high 31 points, including a team-best 15 assists. Jeff Ryan leads the team with 18 goals, while Mario Ventiquattro (13) and Mike Pires (12) have also posted double-digit goals. Nick Carr has won 54-of-96 face-offs and picked up a team-high 26 ground balls. Brandon Freeman has seen the bulk of the action in net for Ohio State this season, compiling an 8.59 goals-against average and a .552 save percentage.
Dimond Shines In Quinnipiac Victories
Junior Ted Dimond scored three goals and added two assists in the Bobcats' 15-4 win against Detroit, March 22. He also scored three times to lead the Bobcats to a 13-5 win at Wagner, Feb. 14.
Bobcats Pick Up 57 Ground Balls
The Bobcats scooped up 57 ground balls against Detroit, March 22. The 57 ground balls are a Quinnipiac single-game high for the last two seasons. 25 QU players picked up at least one.
Mullaney Milestone
Junior Ben Mullaney became just the 11th Bobcat to scoop up 100 career ground balls in the Bobcats' loss at Providence, March 18. With 101 ground balls, he's tied for ninth in Quinnipiac Division I history.
Shots Bouncing Off Benzing
Kevin Benzing entered the week ranked 20th and 24th in the nation in save percentage (.566) and goals-against average (8.50), respectively.
Oppenheimer: The Right Way To Play
Jack Oppenheimer owns the team lead in goals (10) and points (14), and is second in assists (4). After opening the season with a goal and four assists against Wagner, Oppenheimer followed with three goals at St. John's, two at Lafayette, two against Air Force and one each against Brown and Detroit.
Kelly Creeping Up The Charts
With two goals each at Providence and against Detroit, sophomore Kevin Kelly is now third on the team in goals (8) and points (11).
3-D Scoring
The Bobcats got a goal apiece from Alex DeAlmeida, Zach Dendas, and Ted Dimond, Feb. 28, at Lafayette. Dendas and Dimond also added an assist each.
Dendas Delivers; Kerr Connects
Zach Dendas and Garett Kerr scored twice each in the Bobcats' Feb. 21 loss at St. John's. Dendas also added an assist.
Gast From the Past
After missing all of last season due to injury, Mike Gast scored two goals in his return to the Bobcats' line-up, Feb. 14 at Wagner.
Benzing Begins Strong
Goalie Kevin Benzing stopped 15 shots, while allowing just five goals at Wagner.
Mullaney Picks Up His Game
Ben Mullaney scooped up seven ground balls and won 12-of-20 face-offs in the Bobcats' season opener at Wagner.
Top Cats Return
Top point scorers Gary Messina, Ted Dimond and Garett Kerr all return for the Bobcats. Messina led Quinnipiac with 26 points, including 10 goals and a team-high 16 assists last season. Dimond scored a team-high 17 goals, while Kerr added 16 goals.
Didn't You Used To Play Here?
2008 All-GWLL Second Team selection Drew Maceranka returns to the Bobcats as an assistant coach. Maceranka anchored the Quinnipiac defense last season and earned a spot on the North team at the USILA North/South All-Star Game.
On Deck
The Bobcats return to GWLL action, April 4, when they begin a three-game homestand against Denver. The opening face-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Quinnipiac Field Hockey & Lacrosse Turf Field.


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Javs men edge ENM on late tip
KINGSVILLE - Remi Yusuf broke out of a scoring slump with a career-high 31 points and Stephen Story tipped in a shot with three seconds left to give the Javelinas a wild 85-84 victory over Eastern New Mexico.
Yusuf, who had made just 30 percent of his shots over the Javelinas last five games, was unstoppable Saturday, hitting 11 of 12 shots from the floor and 7 of 8 free throws.
Senior forward Kia Griffin blocked two shots and broke up a pass in the final minute to help preserve the victory.
The win improved the Javelinas to 15-5 overall and 2-3 in the Lone Star Conference South Division, while the Greyhounds fell to 9-11 overall and 3-3 in league play.
Bobby Pandy had 15 points and Wendell Mulkey came off the bench to score 13 for Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Pandy, Griffin, and Story each had five rebounds for A&M-Kingsville.
Justin Redman-Trotter had 19 points to lead the Greyhounds.
The Javelinas shot a season-best 66 percent for the game and outscored the Greyhounds 50-36 in the paint.
Texas A&M-Kingsville had lost their last two home games by a combined five points with both games being decided in the final 20 seconds.
"We never quit. We had it and gave it to them but fought hard to get it back," Javelinas coach Pete Peterson said. "The effort on Kia's block after a big turnover, not be shy and not worry about fouls, was big."
Texas A&M-Kingsville led 81-79 with under a minute to go when Griffin threw the ball away, but hustled down the court and blocked a lay-up by Stephen Wilson. Yusuf grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 28 seconds left.
Yusuf hit both free throws to increase the lead to 83-79, Griffin blocked another Greyhound shot on a drive to the basket, but Dwight Collins hit a 3-pointer and Wilson then stole the ball and laid it in with 11 seconds left to give the Greyhounds their only lead of the game, 84-83.
Out of timeouts, Mulkey drove the length of the court, missed a running jumper, but Story was able to tip the ball in with three seconds. Griffin then knocked a long inbounds pass out of bounds at half court with just over a second left. The Greyhounds then threw the ball away on the ensuing inbounds play to seal the victory for the Javelinas.
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By Libby Kane
Have you ever heard the phrase "we're tough because we care"?
That's the philosophy LearnVest C.E.O. Alexa von Tobel abides by when it comes to personal finance, noting that tough advice can often be great advice.
"One of the most valuable pieces of advice that I ever heard was from an investor who told me that 'people simply live too big,' " she says. " It's one of the main reasons why we have so many financial problems in this country today, because it's such a hard thing to reverse. That advice has stuck with me for years—and it influences how I manage my money and my company every day."
Of course, tough advice can have a lasting impact on any aspect of life—be it retirement, your career and even accepting credit where it's due. So we reached out to readers to hear about the hardest to hear—but best—life advice they've ever received … because we care.
On Saving for Retirement
When I first met with a financial planner, she looked at my retirement savings and said:
"That's it?! Do you have a winning lottery ticket somewhere? You should be maxing out your 401(k), seeing as you're now in your high-earning years."
I was shocked because I'd been socking away a little money in a 401(k) since I got my first job at 22. It had never occurred to me that these were my "high-earning years"—and the time when I could afford to put away the most. The advice was so sobering, in fact, that my husband and I made ramping up for retirement our number-one priority.
Sharon Edwards, 36, online marketer
RELATED: Why You Should Leave Your 401(k) Alone
On Owning a Home
When I was in college, my mom started telling me:
"Stop paying your mortgage and you'll see whose house it really is!"
What she meant is that, until you get the deed, it isn't yours. After all, they won't let you keep the house if you stop paying. My sister bought her first home with this advice in mind, and I saw this idea in action when I paid off my car. Getting that title in the mail felt felt good—I consistently paid on time, it helped my credit and now it's really mine!
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Linguistik-Klassifikation: Computerlinguistik / Computational linguistics
Document Type
- Preprint (2) (remove)
- English (2) (remove)
- Vagueness and referential ambiguity in a large-scale annotated corpus (2009)
- In this paper, we argue that difficulties in the definition of coreference itself contribute to lower inter-annotator agreement in certain cases. Data from a large referentially annotated corpus serves to corroborate this point, using a quantitative investigation to assess which effects or problems are likely to be the most prominent. Several examples where such problems occur are discussed in more detail, and we then propose a generalisation of Poesio, Reyle and Stevenson's Justified Sloppiness Hypothesis to provide a unified model for these cases of disagreement and argue that a deeper understanding of the phenomena involved allows to tackle problematic cases in a more principled fashion than would be possible using only pre-theoretic intuitions.
- A declarative characterization of different types of multicomponent tree adjoining grammars (2009)
- Multicomponent Tree Adjoining Grammars (MCTAGs) are a formalism that has been shown to be useful for many natural language applications. The definition of non-local MCTAG however is problematic since it refers to the process of the derivation itself: a simultaneity constraint must be respected concerning the way the members of the elementary tree sets are added. Looking only at the result of a derivation (i.e., the derived tree and the derivation tree), this simultaneity is no longer visible and therefore cannot be checked. I.e., this way of characterizing MCTAG does not allow to abstract away from the concrete order of derivation. In this paper, we propose an alternative definition of MCTAG that characterizes the trees in the tree language of an MCTAG via the properties of the derivation trees (in the underlying TAG) the MCTAG licences. We provide similar characterizations for various types of MCTAG. These characterizations give a better understanding of the formalisms, they allow a more systematic comparison of different types of MCTAG, and, furthermore, they can be exploited for parsing.


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Eugene DePasquale, current auditor general of Pennsylvania, visited the area Wednesday to discuss his office's recent findings.
"We're lucky enough to have good stories about what we do and how some of the things we do can help the state budget as well as all over the state, and the kids as well," he said. "Many of the things that we find, I have to come and tell the story because the leverage of the auditor general is the soapbox; we do the audits but they're not mandated so we have get our work out to the public."
For the first time in a few years, there was no threat of rain Wednesday night as volunteers gathered at both the Catholic and Protestant cemeteries to place flags at the graves of deceased members of the armed forces.
"It's a little cool, but it's nice," said Tom Price, Sergeant-in-Charge of the St. Marys Servicemen's Detail.
RIDGWAY – CAPSEA, Inc. (Citizens Against Physical, Sexual and Emotional Abuse), through funding provided by the Elk County Children and Youth Services, will be hosting a free 12-week Incredible Years workshop series that will be open to parents in Elk and Cameron counties.
This particular workshop series provided by CAPSEA will focus on parents with children between ages 2 and 8, but Billie Jo Weyant, CAPSEA executive director, said that CAPSEA plans to expand the program in the future to cover kids of all ages.
Incumbent Republican Elk County Commissioners Dan Freeburg and Jan Kemmer won the nomination in Tuesday's primary election.
They will be on the ballot in November alongside Democrats Matt Quesenberry and Ron Beimel.
Quesenberry, director of the county's planning department and a member of the St. Marys Area School District Board of Directors, had a strong showing from his fellow Democrats with 1,494 votes. He garnered the most votes in the commissioners race overall.
With Memorial Day weekend approaching, the St. Marys Community Pool is preparing to open for its summer season.
Weather permitting, the pool will be open on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 1-5 p.m. It will then be closed Tuesday through Friday next week before opening again for the weekend, with hours of operation once again being 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31. The pool will then close again until it opens for the summer on Saturday, June 6.
This year marked the eighth in a row that the Shade Tree Commission has given fourth grade students in St. Marys tree saplings in conjunction with Arbor Day. What made the occasion extra special is that this also marks the year when the very first group of students to receive trees will graduate from high school.
Rick Gabler, a member of the Shade Tree Commission and an instructor at St. Marys Area High School, recently polled 42 of the seniors at SMAHS and found that the trees given to nearly one fifth of that small sampling of students were still alive and thriving.
A lengthy discussion took place about the status of the Penn Highlands Elk (PHE) hospital facility during Monday evening's St. Marys City Council meeting. PHE President Rose Campbell presented a wide variety of information to council which was followed by questions and comments from members of council and the audience.
Joining Campbell at the meeting was Raymond Graeca, Penn Highlands chief executive officer.
RIDGWAY – The Elk County Solid Waste Authority is looking at the possibility of purchasing property that abuts their current piece of land in St. Marys that will be used for a new recycling center.
They previously purchased roughly 1.3 acres from North Central Enterprise for $11,000. St. Marys Holdings reportedly owns land abutting the property and is in the process of developing the site. There is a 1.879 acre parcel of land that will not be used in the development that is being offered to the authority.
RIDGWAY – May was proclaimed National Mental Health Month in 2013 by President Barack Obama in an effort to bring the issue of mental health to the forefront of the country's thoughts.
Kathy Kroeger, administrator for Cameron and Elk Counties Behavioral and Developmental Programs, highlighted various mental health issues Monday morning during a presentation.
Elk County Catholic High School recently inducted its newest members into the National Honor Society. They included Stacie Werneth, Lexi Knight, Elise Stebick, Ashley Lenze, Mary Kraus, Devyn Condon, Maddi Ehrensberger, Grace Bobby, Abbey Gerg, Maddie Cashmer, and Ashley Schwabenbauer. The induction ceremony included a prayer service and was followed by a social for the students, their families and faculty.


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vintage rockabilly green swallow dress
Added Apr 7, 2011
by deejade
Russell Vale, Au...
for an awards night i attended i wanted something that looked a bit more vintage and original, i went for a classic vintage pattern from vouge and altered the back so it was lower, with embroided swallows wrapping around from the front bottom of the skirt all around the back to my opposite breast.
i was originally going to use blue fabric but when i found this green fabric i fell in love! it is like a rayon (i think) and then added a contrast black satin for the front sleeve section. ( i actually found the sleeve satin bit was the most difficult?! – go figure)
putting on the swallows was a bit tricky, i had designed the swallow design on my embroidery macheine. once i had the pattern cut out i basted the whole thing together and pinned it on to my dressmaker dummy, i then took a printed to scale image of the swallows and marked on the dress where i wanted to embroid them… this took time especially lining up the embroidery frame so the swallows were all facing the same direction. un basted it and embroided all swallows, as i said it took time!
once i had the swallows all on i then sewed the dress together added invisable zipper and hemmed…
again this dress took a lot of time getting the swallows right but it is exactly the dress i dreamed of when i was designing it.
i finished the dress off with a very thin black patent leather belt and some funky shoes also did my hair pin up style to match the style of the dress… unfortunatly the photos i have have streached on this site i will refresh asap also i have no photos of the front so once i get one i'll add it on :)
i hope you enjoy!
Material Notes
rayon – i think – sorry i missed fabrics 101!
embroidery thread
8 Comments Sign in to add a post
Jun 9, 2011, 12.07 PMby deejade
thanks all for these comments! :)
Apr 7, 2011, 10.21 PMby nookie
the dress looks superb on you and the swallows are such a unique and interesting feature.
Apr 7, 2011, 09.41 PMby peaches2218
Love the swallows! My best friend has a tattoo similar to this dress.
Apr 7, 2011, 08.10 PMby Testosterone
You are an artist!!!
The swallows put the entire garment into another league. Outstanding placement and editing on you part.
Oh, and your physique rocks that dress too. Work those curves!
Apr 7, 2011, 07.42 PMby Tea Mileta
1 Reply
Jun 9, 2011, 12.05 PMby deejade
pattern is Vouge Easy Options V8280 view A without the band. :)
Apr 7, 2011, 06.49 PMby Priscilla Folley
Oh wow, that dress is awesome!!
Apr 7, 2011, 05.41 PMby frkbustad
I really like the embroidered swallows! That gives the dress that little extra.
Apr 7, 2011, 04.28 PMby deejade
sorry about the photos people! i will refresh asap! :)
Add to Favorites 2 people added it


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Racing greyhounds fall between the cracks
West Yorkshire, England
By Chris Helgren
I met Alice at a rescue center in West Yorkshire. She was skin and bones, flea-ridden, and half the weight of the dog she should have been. Alice was a greyhound bred for racing, who was picked up wandering the busy Doncaster Road, the victim of an uncaring owner who had dumped her rather than continue feeding her. She was brought to Tia Greyhound & Lurcher Rescue center, a sanctuary sited on the edge of a moor near Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.
Tia was borne of the need to house dogs which were either abandoned or whose owners or trainers could not find space at regular welfare kennels. The Retired Greyhound Trust is doing an admirable job in housing and arranging for homes for about 4,000 dogs per year through their 72 branches, but their space is limited to about 800 kennels. Also, kennels charge up to 300 pounds for a new dog to be admitted. What happens in the cases seen by Rothery in Yorkshire is that if a greyhound owner cannot place their dog in one of these kennels, the pressure is on to move it out of their care in other ways, such as by advertising via websites Gumtree or Preloved. These new onward owners are not vetted, and there is no return policy if it doesn't work out.
Debra Rothery, who runs the Tia center, said that at any given time they house 80 dogs which would "otherwise be dead". The animals coming into her care are from a region surrounding the center, where there are six regulated and non-regulated racetracks. She said that about 50% of her greyhounds were abandoned, the remainder brought in by owners and trainers. Rothery said that the operating costs of Tia, which run at £1000 per day, are met by donations.
I'm not a dog person, I've always had cats, so my motives behind pursuing this story were not sentimental. I merely sensed a story of injustice, one of the classic themes for reportage. When I saw the state of dogs that had been freshly retrieved from the streets of Yorkshire, and heard what had happened to some of them, to me it was an obvious story. Former working dogs that should be enjoying their retirement are being cast aside or killed because elements of the declining racing industry turn a blind eye to the problem. The Greyhound Board of Great Britain does not believe the dogs registered with them are being set loose on the streets in large numbers, and have a set of standards that they maintain are vigorously enforced by their welfare officers who report breaches to prosecuting authorities. The GBGB say that the greyhound is now the most protected of all canine breeds after the introduction of the 2010 Racing Greyhounds Regulations. However, despite the tough talk, Tia's kennels continue to fill with unwanted animals.
The project started originally from a simple exercise in environmental portraits at Wimbledon Stadium for my MA course in photojournalism and documentary photography at London College of Communication. When I lived in London in the 1990s, I visited the now-derelict Walthamstow racetrack on several occasions. A friend of mine introduced me to the place, a grand palace of the sport, and I felt an affinity with the atmosphere. Later, I brought friends of mine to experience racing nights there and witnessed what appeared to be real Londoners enjoying themselves. Central London seemed to me at the time to be filled with transients, both foreigners like myself and office staff who had migrated from the rest of the United Kingdom. Real Londoners seemed to have kept themselves segregated and went off to live their lives apart from us. But here at the track in east London, this was where to find them, their stock was undiluted.
Trainers and owners are now leaving the sport in large numbers because their margins are so low they cannot continue. Blaming track closures in Reading, Walthamstow, Hull, Portsmouth, Coventry and Oxford, the GBGB say that the number of professional trainers has fallen by 129 in the last five years, from 510 in 2008 to 381 today. Those that remain must cut costs wherever possible. The vast majority will not mistreat their animals but a few, when faced with the inability to place their retiring or injured dogs with a limited number of welfare kennels, have decided to give them away to the first person they find, let them loose, put them down or sell them to research labs rather than continue housing and feeding them.
Campaigners are asking for more transparency in the record keeping of racing greyhounds, including where they are from birth to death, but opposition to this comes from people saying data protection laws would be breached. The GBGB maintains a database and say that they share their microchip information with "responsible re-homing organizations" and dog wardens. However, what happens once a dog has been passed on from its original registered owner? Surely there's a way around it.
For further information view:
Abandoned greyhounds fill Tia rescue sanctuary in south Yorkshire
Welfare managers discuss the problems of re-homing racing greyhounds
Former Sunday Times journalist speaks of the greyhound killing field
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/


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There has been a lot of discussion about how the Ravens might fill the void left by running back Ricky Williams surprising decision to retire.
The Ravens have stated theyre going to give Anthony Allen, their 2011 seventh-round pick, every chance to take over the job as Ray Rices backup, which certainly would be cost effective.
But knowing how much they value the position seeking production while limiting the wear on Rices tires -- I suspect theyll eventually dip into the free agent market, which features such possibilities as Cedric Benson, LeRon McClain, Ryan Grant and Ronnie Brown.
Heres another thought, admittedly outside the box, but worth contemplating...Peyton Hillis.
The Cleveland Browns want to keep him, but they reportedly arent going to use their franchise tag on him to make sure he stays, which means hell hit the open market with the others on March 13.
Having churned through several agents recently, Hillis the NFLs surprise sensation of 2010 -- obviously believes he deserves a big contract. But after a disappointing 2011 on the field and some curious behavior off the field, he might find the market for his services cooler than he expects.
The Ravens have enough cap issues that they probably wouldnt offer more than 2 million a year for two years roughly what they paid Ricky but its not impossible that enough teams would be scared off by Hillis antics (ESPNs Adam Schefter reported Thursday that he considered walking away from the NFL and joining the CIA last season) that common ground could be found.
Hillis, 26, certainly would give the Ravens an effective weapon behind Rice, fitting right into their power running game. He has produced a 100-yard rushing game against Baltimore in each of the past two season, so the Ravens know his talents well.
As a backup, he wouldnt run up the big stats you need to generate the big contract he wants, but he would go from last place in the AFC North to the top of the division, playing on a winner for the first time. That might sway him. And the money wouldnt exactly be paltry.
A year or two of quietly producing on a winner could set him up for a big payday.
As for the case of superstar-itis he clearly contracted after his big performance in 2010, he wouldnt be close to the biggest name in Baltimores locker room, which should keep him in line.
The odds of it happening are long, but the upside would be considerable. If the Ravens really are intent on putting a better offense on the field, they could do worse than add Hillis to their mix.


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5 Steps to Creating Your Own Tribe
Posted by Melissa Galt in Best Business Practices, Marketing Strategies, Melissa Galt, Mindset, Motivation
Whether it is in business like the loyal tribe of raving fans that companies like Nike, Zappos, and Apple have created, or in a family like the tribe of the Kennedy's or the Trumps, you have the opportunity no matter where you are in life and business to build your own tribe.
A tribe is no particular size, and occurs organically (this is not about spamming or buying lists). A tribe matters because together we all go farther. A tribe is another word for a community. A community is a collection of like minded people who share common values and beliefs and will put their joint efforts toward a common goal. The goal is about a big impact; it could be more sales, a political victory, a cure for disease, philanthropic achievement, or anything else imaginable.
What may take an individual a lifetime or longer to accomplish, a committed community, henceforth known as a tribe, can achieve in much less time. It is the 1+1+3 formula and in a tribe that becomes an exponential and unstoppable force. Yes, that force can be good (Mother Theresa's Tribe) or evil (Taliban.)
There are five essential building blocks to create, grow, and maintain your tribe.
- Define Your Ideal Tribe. You must know clearly WHO the right fit is for your tribe. What are the qualities, experiences, backgrounds, values, beliefs, and more that they hold in common?
- Create a Manifesto. This defines the beliefs and values concretely and simply both for the tribe and for those who want to understand the tribe and know more about it. It can take the form of an engaging series of statements like Women in Business (Australia) or can be a multi-page document that goes into great detail like the Blogger's Manifesto.
- Act Consistently and Persistently. As the leader of your tribe, you must be consistent and persistent in your actions and your presence. Whether you use the social networks, blogging, an ezine, email, speaking, or other means of communication, you are the core of the tribe and as that core, must be a cornerstone and a rock.
Nourish Your Tribe with Value. Your tribe builds around you because they know, like, and trust you. They feed on the value, experience, expertise, and warmth you bring to them. Feed them well.
- Reward Your Tribe with Gratitude. Always be gracious with your tribe, it is an honor and a privilege to have a tribe. They may be in more than one tribe for more than one reason, what matters is that they are in yours and because of that expect something from you consistently and persistently and will give back with their support, their sharing of your words, and their own gratitude.
Building a community, fostering your own tribe is about stepping out of the small self you are and moving into the bigger self you can be when going farther together. This is about making a difference not one at a time but instead a tribe at a time.
What ways have you tried to build a community? Share what has worked and what hasn't worked for you!
Read my related post on Finding Your Tribe: Close Encounters of the High School Kind
Don't forget to Subscribe to my RSS feed, Like me on Facebook, or Follow me on Twitter!
7 Responses - Join the Discussion!
Great post, Melissa!
I think you have done a great job outlining some of the key fundamentals to building an engaged and valuable tribe (or community). At the end of the day it comes down to understanding the importance of the tribe (what will the focus and purpose be), and making sure that this aligns with the core value of who you or your organization are. This allows either an individual or organization to act consistently with their own beliefs and culture and have those actions resonate with the identity of the tribe!
Thank you for your great post,
I look forward to staying connected and continuing to read your posts!
Tyrell Mara
Melissa Galt
Thanks Tyrell,
Glad you liked it and betting you have a tribe in the growing! Look forward to hearing more.
Hugs, Melissa
Your "consistent and persistent" concept is the key. It takes great focus and the ability to eliminate (much less not to create) distractions which deter you away from your herd.
Melissa Galt
Hey Steve!
Ah yes that dangerous and distracting BSOS, better known as Bright Shiny Opportunity Syndrome. Just remember the tortoise wins the race and hedgehogs outrun foxes all day long according to Jim Collins in Good to Great.
Hugs, Melissa
Awesome stuff.
What hasn't (doesn't ever work) worked for me is making it about me. What you bring to people, your tribe, has got to be more than you and bigger than you. Even though your pushing yourself and you are the one behind it. It's a kind of irony that has to be worked out, but at the end of the day, people will see right through if you're not passionate about them.
Melissa Galt
Thanks Jon,
You are so right! It does have to be about them, because we are part of who they are.
Hugs, Melissa
July 12, 2013
[…] trying to please absolutely every possible client? Get over it and get clear on who your ideal HOT & BUYING target market is. The narrower the niche is, the easier it will be for you to clearly establish your […]


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Precalculus, Fifth Edition, by Lial, Hornsby, Schneider, and Daniels, engages and supports students in the learning process by developing both the conceptual understanding and the analytical skills necessary for success in mathematics. With the Fifth Edition, the authors adapt to the new ways in which students are learning, as well as the ever-changing classroom environment.Edition/Copyright: 5TH 13
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Summer 2009 - Vol IV Issue 1
Two School of Nursing faculty have been recognized for their outstanding teaching by the National League for Nursing (NLN).
Associate Professor Greg DeBourgh, who has been at USF since 1993
and has a doctoral degree in education, was recently named an NLN
Academy of Nursing Education Fellow (ANEF), one of just 65 selected for
the honor nationwide.
Nursing instructor Elizabeth Cooper, who graduated in December from
USF with a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP), became the School of
Nursing's first faculty member to receive NLN Certification as a
Nursing Educator (CNE).
The NLN is a professional organization dedicated to promoting
excellence in nursing education and building a strong and diverse
nursing workforce. The organization strives to recognize and capitalize
on the wisdom of outstanding individuals in the profession who have
contributed to nursing education in sustained and significant ways.
The "highly prestigious honor" means DeBourgh will travel to New
York City this spring to serve on the panel that selects the next group
of NLN fellows, as well as work to advance the educational initiatives
of the academy – including such projects as embedding simulation into
nursing curricula, and using technology to engage learners in
developing clinical reasoning.
"Well respected in the university community, Dr. DeBourgh has earned
every teaching award available (at USF)," said School of Nursing Dean
Judith Karshmer, when asked about DeBourgh's influence in the school.
DeBourgh, who teaches advanced therapeutics and reasoning and
supervises students in their hospital-based care requirement, is known
for his multimedia classroom approach, opening his classes with a
streaming video history of his evolution as a nursing instructor, which
"hooks" students and allows them to connect with him, Karshmer said.
Cooper, a full-time faculty member in the School of Nursing who also
works in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at the University of
California San Francisco, specializes in adult health and
cardiovascular intensive care.
The CNE puts her in a select group of nursing educators with a
combination of advanced course work and on-the-job experience in both
nursing and teaching who have passed the requisite exam.
"Liz is the first person in the School of Nursing to take the
national nurse educator certification exam," Karshmer said of Cooper's
certification. "This commitment to excellence in education is typical
of Liz's passion to link clinical practice to the student experience."
Among the skills that make Cooper outstanding is her ability to help
students apply classroom content from the textbook to the clinical
setting and ensure evidence-based practices, Karshmer said.
Telephone: (415) 422-6681Email: email@example.com