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Miss Fire head coach Frank Klopas' in-depth chat with Dave Kaplan last night?
Our friends at CSNChicago.com have the interview archived in four parts here:
Preseason is always a lot of work and a lot of fun.
One of the best parts though is the ongoing saga of number choice throughout camp as players leave, new players come in.
Fire forward Chris Rolfe re-launched his dormant Twitter account (aptly named @ChrisRolfe17) last week to ask Fire supporters their thoughts on his switching back to #17.
Rolfe had worn the number through his first five seasons with the Fire but when he re-joined the side last April, Mexican legend Pavel Pardo had it.
"There was no need to try and shift things around then," Rolfe told Chicago-Fire.com. "While 18 was good for me last year I thought that it would be a good idea to switch back to 17 when it became available."
With Pardo's retirement announcement last month, the opportunity arose and the league recently approved Rolfe's change back to the numerals with which he's scored 40 of his 48 Fire goals across all competitions.
Check out the impromptu and sort of awesome video of the first new "Rolfe 17" jersey being pressed by Assistant Equipment Manager Allan Araujo below...
NOTE: All-Time Fire #17s: Andrew Lewis, (1998-2001), Aleksey Korol (2002), Dipsy Selolwane (2002-2004), Rolfe (2005-2009), Davis Paul (2011), Pavel Pardo (2011-12), Rolfe (2013- )
Kinney's Switch
With the #18 left vacant, renaissance Fire defender Steven Kinney jumped at the opportunity to switch from #28.
"My whole life I had been #18," said Kinney. "Coming here the first year Mike Banner had it and through all my injuries I wasn't going to be switching numbers. Then Rolfie came in and had it last year but when I heard him talk about switching to 17 I knew it was time to make my move.
Asked why #18 had always been his number, Kinney said, "It's always just felt lucky for me. I would have done anything to get my hands on it."
To be fair, he didn't have to do too much.
NOTE: All-Time Fire #18s: Zach Thornton (1998-2004), Matt Pickens, (2005-2007), Mike Banner (2008-2010), Gaston Puerari (2011), Chris Rolfe (2012)
Stay tuned later this week for more updates on Fire squad numbers heading into 2013.
WATCH: Rolfe #17 is BACK!
Feelings on joining the Chicago Fire?
"I'm extremely delighted to be drafted by the Fire. I feel it's a golden opportunity for me to play under better conditions and show what I can do in MLS."
What are the strong suits of your game?
"I think my strengths are my speed, ability and technique. I feel like I have a lot to offer in those areas."
On coming from Cameroon…
"The training conditions I've had to play under in Cameroon aren't as good as in Chicago where they have top facilities and a great stadium. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play in that stadium."
On youth international experiences with Cameroon U-20's
"I feel playing with the Cameroonian team at the U-20 World Cup raised my profile a bit and gave me something more to build towards. Representing your nation in a world championship is an amazing thing and I was very proud to play a part in all four games."
On his combine performance…
"I did feel that I had a strong combine. I came in off of an 18-hour flight and felt a little tired in the second half of games but I think I did very well to prove my abilities at the combine."
His thoughts on joining the Fire…
"I'm happy for a new challenge," Larentowicz told Chicago-Fire.com Wednesday night. "It feels good to go to a place where you're in the plans. Frank has been very forthright in coming after and it's something I look forward to being a part of."
On his contentious years against the Fire…
"In the past in my time in New England the Fire were always our biggest rivals. We were very similar, very competitive teams that were hard-nosed. Its just kind of the nature of things that both teams had wanted to win in the past but now I'm part of the Fire and I still have that same competitive spirit that's going to come and work for Chicago."
On competition in central midfield…
"I'll be competing for a spot and its an opportunity to come in and show that I deserve to be in the lineup and that's what I expect. I know those guys from playing against them – they're all good players and I look forward to competing for that spot."
On ability to stay fit throughout the years…
"The way I look at seasons and playing is the more time you can be available and give the coach the option of playing you, the better off you're going to be and the more opportunity for good things to happen. I think over the past seven years I've been able to do that."
On being part of championship teams in New England and Colorado…
"On all the teams I've been on it was never that they depended on me but it was more of a collective thing and the way I view how I play and what I try to do. The Fire are a playoff team and always in contention. I hope to add to that and be a piece that helps take the team to the next level."
About this time last year I got Patrick Nyarko's pretty clear recollections of his 2008 MLS SuperDraft experience. I followed up a year later with some more in depth (and funny) questions about how he prepared personally for the day itself.
Jeff Crandall: How did you decide what you were going to wear to the Draft?
Patrick Nyarko: (Laughs) Back in 2008 it was easy enough. I just called my mom and asked her what kind of suit I should wear and I don't think I had any say in what it was…she picked it all out. I didn't mind because it made it all easier.
JC: What did you eat for breakfast that morning?
PN: I was actually supposed to get to the hotel the night before but it snowed heavily that night and so I drove up early in the morning and caught up with some of the other guys. I think I just had a regular buffet breakfast served up by the hotel – scrambled eggs, waffles, that kind of stuff.
JC: What thoughts were going through your head when your name was called eighth overall?
PN: It's probably the same for a lot of people but my main concern was not tripping when I got to the stage like Austin Berry did last year. After that it was about who I would be shaking hands with first on the stage. But it was really just don't do anything stupid – every step of the way I made sure I didn't fall.
JC: What advice would you give your future teammate that gets drafted by the Fire on Thursday?
PN: The work starts right now. You've worked hard to get to this spot – to be invited to the draft and have your name called -- that's a lot of fun. After that it's a lot of hard work, moving up from the college to pro level there's a lot more responsibility. As long as you're willing to work hard and with the coaches, you'll be fine.
JC: When you signed your contract with the league, what was the first thing you went out and bought?
PN: I think I bought a Mac Book. I had a regular computer before so I got a Mac. I'm not saying it was an upgrade but that's what I got... It was great.
On Monday I wrote a piece with Wells Thompson reflecting on his experience of getting heckled by Fire fans at the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. Perhaps more importantly, we also talked about the experience and what it meant for him to get drafted.
Wells is a talker and gave some good answers to a few other questions I couldn't fit in the story. Those are below…
What advice would you give to the players that will be selected in Thursday's SuperDraft?
"What's so encouraging is when you look in the league and look at a lot of guys that have succeeded and done well – Jeff Larentowicz comes to mind because I played with him for so long in New England and Colorado. Chris Wondolowski is another name. They both came through the Supplemental Draft and have had fantastic careers. There are a lot of big names that have succeeded and done well in the league after being picked at that stage.
"When I look at my situation, I was very fortunate to be selected by New England. At the time they needed an outside midfielder and the coaches were keen on the type of player and person I was. To a certain extent, it doesn't matter where you get selected in the draft. When you go into training camp, everyone's pretty much starting in the same place. Everyone has a clean slate and it's up to you to prove your worth.
"The wisdom I could give kids is no matter where you're drafted, go in and work hard because there are so many success stories of guys that were taken very low or not taken at all that have gone on to do big things in MLS."
To go from a college player with few if any accolades to the fifth overall selection in the SuperDraft, you must have raised your stock at the MLS Combine. What are your thoughts on that event?
"Yeah I did okay but the combine is such a different thing. Guys are getting together for just a weekend without practice. It's not the fairest assessment of a player's talents in my opinion. Your college career is probably the best judgment still on how a player would do in the league.
"What you can take a lot from those combines is seeing guys that don't shy away from the big stage and wanting to continue to prove to coaches and other players that they do belong in the league. For me it was a confidence thing -- I went down to the combine and realized I was as good, if not better than a lot of these players and I think that confidence showed throughout that weekend."
With today's league-wide announcement of MLS First Kick and Home Opening matches, we wanted to take a photgraphic look back at some of the team's previous matches to open their season...
Major League Soccer today released the final list of players eligible for Stage Two of the MLS Re-Entry process to take place via teleconference Friday afternoon at 2pm CT.
Midfielder Corben Bone, defender Dan Gargan and goalkeeper Jay Nolly remained on the list from the Fire after passing through the Stage One draft last Friday. Of course the Fire were the only team to select a player in that draft, picking Brazilian forward Maicon Santos.
The Stage Two draft typically has more activity as teams who select players on Friday can negotiate their salaries. In Stage Two, teams cannot select their own players until after all 18 other teams have passed on them.
Players that pass through Friday's draft without getting picked are free to sign with any MLS team on a first-come, first-served basis. If you're at all still confused, I explained the entire Re-Entry Process in this blog last Friday.
The list of the 49 eligible players for Re-Entry is below. Salary numbers are from the most recent report by the MLS Players Union.
This is probably a weaker Re-Entry Field than we've seen in the two previous versions. Given the three players the Fire have exposed to the draft and considering the moves made so far this offseason (re-signing Arne Friedrich and Gonzalo Segares; acquiring Maicon Santos), who, if anyone would you want to see the Fire take in Stage Two tomorrow?
Tell us in the comments below...
|2012 Base Salary
|Jay Nolly
|Corben Bone
|Dan Gargan
|Juan Pablo Angel
|Peter Vagenas
|Danny Califf
|Alejandro Moreno
|Will Hesmer
|Julius James
|Tyrone Marshall
|Scott Palguta
|Conor Casey
|Hunter Freeman
|Jamie Smith
|Ian Joyce
|Joseph Nane
|Tyson Wahl
|Mike Chabala
|Bruno Guarda
|Kevin Hartman
|Julian De Guzman
|Scott Sealy
|Colin Clark
|Olukorede Aiyebusi
|Luke Sassano
|Chad Barrett
|Andrew Boyens
|Bryan Jordan
|Pat Noonan
|Shavar Thomas
|Tim Murray
|Blair Gavin
|Bill Gaudette
|Stephen Keel
|Chase Harrison
|Lovel Palmer
|Paulo Araujo, Jr.
|Andrew Weber
|Mike Seamon
|Jean Alexandre
|Tim Ward
|Ramiro Corrales
|Joseph Gjertsen
|Khari Stephenson
|Eric Avila
|Adrian Cann
|Ty Harden
|John Thorrington
Was the 2012 Chicago Fire Goal of the Year tournament just not enough for you? Did you think someone got short-changed?
Check out all 48 Fire goals scored in MLS play this season, put together by our video man, Leo Flores...
Despite going into its third-year of existence, the MLS Re-Entry process still leaves plenty of folks scratching their heads every December. I'll try to explain the ins and outs ahead of today's Stage One Draft...
What is it?
The Re-Entry Process is confusing because its also unique in terms of North American sport. The idea came as a compromise to help settle the latest Collect Bargaining Agreement in early 2010.
In essence, the Re-Entry Process is Major League Soccer's form of free agency, allowing players that meet certain requirements the opportunity to test the waters of moving to another team. Prior to the signing of the current CBA, teams still held league rights to players that were out of contract, meaning that in order for a player to move, a team would need to waive his rights or a trade would have to occur.
Under the new terms, players that have played a minimum of three years in MLS and are at least 23 years of age are eligible for the annual Re-Entry process should their current team decline their option or if they're out of contract. Full eligibility requirements for players can be found in Section II.G here.
There are two stages to the Re-Entry Process, each with different caveats...
Explaining Stage One
Thursday night MLS released the final list of players eligible for Stage One of the 2012 Re-Entry Process set for Friday at 2 p.m. CT. Prior to the release, players had up until 4 p.m. CT Thursday to opt out of the draft.
This was the case for Gonzalo Segares, who re-signed with the club on Thursday. With that transaction, two Fire players, midfielder Corben Bone and goalkeeper Jay Nolly, remained on the list of 52 players eligible for selection.
UPDATE: As of 1:30 p.m. CT, Fire defender Dan Gargan was added to the Stage One Re-Entry list by the league.
Teams that pick players at Stage One on Friday must exercise the option (pick up the player's salary), or in the case of out of contract players, extend a Bona Fide Offer to, the player. If the player rejects the offer, the drafting club will hold the right of first refusal for that player in MLS (the player's league rights). Teams may not select their own players in Stage One of the Re-Entry Draft.
Held via conference call, generally Stage One of the Re-Entry Process is a quick affair, with only five players having been selected in the previous two stages combined. This is generally because of the first caveat above, by which a team must pick up the salary of a player's whose option hae been declined (the majority of players available fall under this category).
Players that are not selected in Stage One are then able to come back to the table with their club and negotiate up until a second blackout period begins on Thursday, December 13 at 4 p.m. CT.
After passing through the first stage of Re-Entry in 2010, Jovan Kirovski re-negotiated his contract to stay with the LA Galaxy another season, prior to Stage Two.
Expaining Stage Two
This is where the magic happens as Stage Two of the Re-Entry Process is one of the biggest days of player movement within the league every year.
In 2010, 11 players were chosen in Stage Two while 10 were take in 2011.
Set for next Friday, December 14 at 2 p.m. CT, players that are selected in Stage Two can negotiate a new salary with the team that has chosen them. As long as that salary is deemed as a genuine offer by MLS, the team retains the player's league rights.
A genuine offer must be placed within seven days of selection, though a signing doesn't necessarily need to happen in that time as negotiations can continue.
A team is eliminated from Stage Two once they pass on their turn. A team can only select it's own player once all other clubs have passed on that player.
Players that pass through both stages of the Re-Entry process are deemed free agents and available on a first-come, first-served basis to all MLS teams.
Fire History in the Re-Entry Process
The Fire have selected two players through the Re-Entry Process and both had different cases.
In 2011, the Fire picked forward Kheli Dube, also from New England but the Zimbabwean forward didn't sign a contract with the club until late January as the two parties negotiated terms of the deal.
The team has also had two players selected from it in the Re-Entry Process.
In 2011, the Fire saw midfielder Baggio Husidic and goalkeeper Jon Conway chosen in Stage Two by the Colorado Rapids and LA Galaxy respectively. Neither player signed with those clubs as Husidic elected to sign for Swedish side Hammarby while Conway announced his retirement.


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- Musician's Friend Best Selection, Price & Service. Guaranteed.
Call our Gear Heads
at: 800-449-9128
Call our Gear Heads
at: 800-449-9128
Rockabilly sounds with a touch of snarl.
The Ultra III Electric Guitar features a mahogany body with raised center and sculpted edge, rosewood fingerboard, pearl block inlays, Duncan Designed FG-101 pickups, and a Tune-o-matic-style bridge with Bigsy B-50 vibrato tailpiece.
3-piece mahogany neck
Made with 3 pieces of mahogany for extra stability, 3-piece necks can withstand the test of time. Where standard necks may show aging defects from temperature and moisture changes throughout the years, the 3-piece neck will stay nice and straight for a lifetime of playability.
Rosewood fingerboard
The most commonly used fretboard wood, rosewood is naturally oily, and works well for any surface that sees frequent human contact. The sound is richer in fundamental than maple because the stray overtones are absorbed into the oily pores.
Duncan Designed FG-101 pickups.
Captures the big, brash sound of the great rockabilly hollow-body guitars with a touch of "snarl" thrown in.
Roller TOM wtih Bigsby B-50
Bigsby B-50 TRUE VIBRATO bridge allows musicians to bend the pitch of notes or entire chords with their pick hand for various effects. The pitch can be shifted up and down. Matched with a Tune-O-Matic bridge with Roller saddles keeps the tuning in pitch even in the most extreme vibrato bends.
Grover tuners
Grover Rotomatics with 18:1 gear ratio. The original Rotomatic with an improved higher ratio gearing. The 18:1 ratio provides for finer tuning and greater stability. The finer gears provide smoother tuning and a higher degree of backlash elimination.
Case sold separately.
Become a string-slinger with sass and class and order the Ultra III today.
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Comments about Schecter Guitar Research Ultra III Electric Guitar:
I can imagine guitar geeks sitting around deciding what kind of new guitars to make. The people who came up with this are beautifully crazy. This guitar was risky: retro body, Bigsby, 3 vintage-type pickups that can also do hard rock; high quality wood and electronics. I'll tell you one thing, it works. This guitar is a masterpiece.
It was set up and ready to go out of the box. Smooth playing, great Jazz, Blues and Rock tones. Every detail appears to be perfect. I hated to put it down to go to bed. I have over 30 guitars, from vintage Les Pauls to Strats, and a few Jazz guitars. I also have a Schecter Hellraiser. I love that for hard Rock and Metal, but I was afraid this Ultra would be another guitar like that. It is not, but it does have Schecter quality. You may not like the way a Schecter plays or sounds (if you are wacko), but you CANNOT say a Schecter is not quality. I am very impressed by this guitar and I applaud Schecter. I have never given a guitar a "5" rating, but this guitar is a great value. Well done! Thank you.
Comments about Schecter Guitar Research Ultra III Electric Guitar:
This is an exelent guitar with only a few minor drawbacks. I highly recomend.
I love the pickup selection, and the pickups themselves sound great clean and distorted, however, the single coils are very low output
I got my '08 Ultra III used and I have had no electrical issues with it whatsoever. However, It did pull a strap button, screw and all, out right before I went onstage. It was an easy fix, but this may be because I jump around onstage alot, and since this is a heavy guitar, I blame myself.
This is exelent value for money
Comments about Schecter Guitar Research Ultra III Electric Guitar:
Cool guitar, would be cooler if it worked right or if you could return/exchange it.
Volume, Tone, three 3-way switches to turn pickups on/off or split the mini-humbuckers to single coil. Bigsby tremolo, Grover turners, graftech nut, roller bridge, set neck...sweet
Minor finish flaws nothing big, but my biggest concern is whether the pickups and switches are working correctly. In single coil it is super quiet, enough that the amp needs to be turned up. I've tried other guitars with the same amp settings and even with single coils they are louder than even the humbuckers on this guitars. Note that this is for some reason a non-returnable item, so if it doesn't work right "tough luck" call Schecter maybe they will care.
Like I said in the quality, not much of a value at this price. There are much better guitars for less.
Comments about Schecter Guitar Research Ultra III Electric Guitar:
I love this guitar. you can play any style. nice price on a great guitar. Goofy shape & extra effing heavy. but its a beautiful guitar. The one i have is cream & black (older discontinued color). build quality is flawless. i picked mine up a few years ago at a local store. hard to find a cheap alt. hard case for. Great guitar.
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subset: commoncrawl


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High-Speed Rail Zhengzhou - Wuhan Debuts
Palabras clave
The first high-speed train between Zhengzhou and Wuhan runs into the... Fotografía de noticiasChina,Finanzas,Horizontal,Negocio,Provincia de Hubei,Transporte,Tren,Tren de alta velocidad,Wuhan,ZhengzhouPhotographer ChinaFotoPressCollection: ChinaFotoPress 2012 ChinaFotoPressWUHAN, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 28: (CHINA OUT) The first high-speed train between Zhengzhou and Wuhan runs into the Wuhan Railday Station on September 28, 2012 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. The high-speed train reduces the time between cities from four and a half hours to just two. It is a major part of the 2300km Bejing-Guangzhou high speed link which will be open by the year end. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)


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20 U.S. Code § 9406 - Program authorized
(a) Grants
From amounts appropriated under section 9404 of this title the Secretary shall award grants to States to enable the States to award grants to Local Councils to pay the Federal share of the cost of carrying out early learning programs in the locality served by the Local Council.
(b) Federal share
(1) In general
The Federal share of the cost described in subsections (a) and (e) of this section shall be 85 percent for the first and second years of the grant, 80 percent for the third and fourth years of the grant, and 75 percent for the fifth and subsequent years of the grant.
(2) Non-Federal share
The non-Federal share of the cost described in subsections (a) and (e) of this section may be contributed in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including facilities, equipment, or services, which may be provided from State or local public sources, or through donations from private entities. For the purposes of this paragraph the term "facilities" includes the use of facilities, but the term "equipment" means donated equipment and not the use of equipment.
(c) Maintenance of effort
The Secretary shall not award a grant under this chapter to any State unless the Secretary first determines that the total expenditures by the State and its political subdivisions to support early learning programs (other than funds used to pay the non-Federal share under subsection (b)(2) of this section) for the fiscal year for which the determination is made is equal to or greater than such expenditures for the preceding fiscal year.
(d) Supplement not supplant
Amounts received under this chapter shall be used to supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, and local public funds expended to promote early learning.
(e) Special rule
If funds appropriated to carry out this chapter are less than $150,000,000 for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants for the fiscal year directly to Local Councils, on a competitive basis, to pay the Federal share of the cost of carrying out early learning programs in the locality served by the Local Council. In carrying out the preceding sentence—
(1) subsection (c) of this section, subsections (b) and (c) ofsection 9409 of this title, and paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of section 9410 (a) of this title shall not apply;
(2) State responsibilities described in section 9410 (d) of this title shall be carried out by the Local Council with regard to the locality;
(3) the Secretary shall provide such technical assistance and monitoring as necessary to ensure that the use of the funds by Local Councils and the distribution of the funds to Local Councils are consistent with this chapter; and
Source(Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(1) [title VIII, § 807], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–82.)
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Will RoganAmerican (Highland Park, Illinois, 1975)
Untitled, from the series Public Sculpture
2001photograph | chromogenic print
Not on view at this time; find out where you can see works from our collection at locations around the Bay Area while our building is closed for expansion
16 in. x 20 in. (40.64 cm x 50.8 cm)
Acquired 2002
Collection SFMOMA
Purchase through a gift of the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation
© Will Rogan