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Chat with Keith Law
Welcome to SportsNation! On Thursday, MLB Insider Keith Law will be here to take your questions on anything baseball related.
Law is the senior baseball analyst for Scouts Inc. Before joining ESPN, Law served as special assistant to the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays and was a writer for Baseball Prospectus.
Send your questions now and join Law Thursday at 1 p.m. ET!
More Keith Law: Search | Chats | MLB Draft | MLB draft blog | Law blog
Klaw (1:02 PM)
When that eureka moment hits you like a cop car ... it's probably just Klawchat.
Jason (Wash DC)
Is Zunino ready for a call-up? Is he the M's catcher by June with Montero moved to DH?
Klaw (1:04 PM)
Ton of questions reacting to a week of stats from top prospects. The answer is pretty much the same for everyone - it's one week, and we don't know more about those players today than we did on April 3rd. I said before the season I thought Zunino would be ready by June or so, and that he is Seattle's long-term catcher - all of that still holds true.
Kevin (SF Bay Area)
Who would you say is the best player currently in the league that was eligible for your top 100 but never made it? I was thinking Pablo Sandoval.
Klaw (1:05 PM)
That's a pretty good choice.
Jamie (QC)
I know it's a small sample size, but Kevin Plawecki is ranking in Savannah. Obviously he's not as important as he once was to the Mets now that they have Travis d'Arnaud, but what kind of prospect is Plawecki? Does he have a chance to be a No. 1 backstop?
Klaw (1:07 PM)
Not only is it a SSS, he's old for the level. Most likely a backup, outside chance to start, but he should have started the year in high-A.
Blake (Winston Salem)
Colin Moran seems to have found his power. Are you a believer?
Klaw (1:08 PM)
That he has power? No. He can hit, though, maybe the best pure college bat in the class - but lack of a position is a problem.
Andrew (Raleigh. )
Asked this on Twitter yesterday. You responded with a joke (which was funny) Is Trea Turner a legitimate candidate for the top 10 in 2014?
Klaw (1:08 PM)
Glad you liked it - yes, he is.
Scott (Scranton) [via mobile]
Will we be getting a movie review of "42"?
Klaw (1:09 PM)
Posted it yesterday: http://klaw.me/10Mjd6X Includes a link to this week's Behind the Dish podcast, with guest John C. McGinley (Red Barber in '42').
Andrew (St. Paul)
Bigger bust in 3 years: Donovan Tate or Bubba Starling?
Klaw (1:10 PM)
Tate, but Starling would probably surprise me more as I liked him far better out of HS. Tate never made my top 100 lists and I think I had him in the early 20s on my last draft ranking that year.
Jason (St Louis)
Do you think MLB putting a committee together about the decline of black players is kind of pointless? Four years in and the A's committee has accomplished nothing.
Klaw (1:10 PM)
It's for PR, pure and simple.
Sean (Georgia)
Bubba Starling, who was high risk to begin with, has K'd in 11 of his first 26 ABs. Bust potential rising?
Klaw (1:12 PM)
Just to follow up ... no, same as it was eight days ago.
Andrew (CA)
On Marwin Gonzalez' hit to break up the perfect, do you think Yu picked a good pitch but just missed his spot, or should he have avoided fastballs entirely?
Klaw (1:12 PM)
Missed his spot, badly.
Ian (OK)
Do you think the decline of black players in baseball is something that should be looked at or ignored?
Klaw (1:13 PM)
"Ignored" is a little strong, but MLB is somewhat powerless to address the socioeconomic variables behind the declining participation rates of African-American players.
Jay (MN)
When a young player who maybe shouldn't be in the majors yet is struggling (Hicks), what is the fine line between giving him a fair chance and keeping him up too long so his confidence disappears? How long of leash should they be given to start the season? A week? Two weeks? A month?
Klaw (1:15 PM)
When the promotion was aggressive to begin with, then the leash should be shorter. But I'd never give a kid an OD job unless I was prepared to ride out a bad start for at least a month. The same applies to Brandon Maurer, who couldn't get anything down the other night, especially that slider that was so sharp in March (and last year).
Kyle P (Phoenix)
Thoughts on Desert Ridge HS SS Riley Unroe? Being scouted heavily and is hitting well in a tough league.
Klaw (1:16 PM)
Might go higher than this, but I think he's a 3rd/4th round type, and that might be a touch aggressive.
Brian (California)
any opinion on Bud Selig declining to meet with the mayor of San Jose? You'd have to think that the city of SJ is pretty annoyed with MLB at this point.
Klaw (1:17 PM)
That's a PR blunder by Selig. Meet with the guy and you avoid some easy criticism from ... well, from people like me, really. I wonder at what point San Jose tries to use the legal system and/or push Congress to revoke MLB's antitrust exemption.
BuccoFan33 (Pittsburgh, PA)
As we concede to #21 consecutive losing seasons. How long before Nutting makes a change to the front office? With your FO experience, would it set us back even more to do that type of change in the middle of the season?
Klaw (1:19 PM)
I don't know Nutting's thought process at all - I actually tried to speak to him over the winter during the "investigation" into the player development controversy, but he declined. I do think timing is key when making any kind of FO change. We might be too close to the draft now to make a change to any amateur scouting department, for example. Similarly, firing a GM in mid-July carries a high cost with it, because of the trade deadline. I'm not saying you stick with a guy longer than you should, but that you need to be decisive early in those situations - if you are thinking about a change in late May, you should have been thinking about it in mid-April. None of that is specific to Pittsburgh - it applies to every team.
@Jaypers413 (IL)
Jordan Sheffield is having TJ today. Could you see the Nats taking a flyer on him with their first pick, given their fascination with TJ recipients?
Klaw (1:21 PM)
I don't think the Nats have a fascination with TJ recipients. They do tend to take the most famous player on the board, which is usually the highest-upside guy or a "name" player who slid for money or injury reasons. They also like their pitchers big and strong, which does not describe Sheffield.
Graham (Pittsburgh)
I get that the Gattis love from the media and fans is over the top. I was against the braves ever even giving the guy a shot at spring training.However, after seeing him for a week now, isn't the truth somewhere in the middle? As in, no, he will never be an everyday player and you are delusional if you think he is, BUT, he is a good candidate for keeping his roster spot as a pinch hitter?
Klaw (1:21 PM)
That's very fair.
Bill (DC)
Is there a team worse at big league player development than the M's? I'm almost scared that Zunino will get called up because they'll ruin him.
Klaw (1:22 PM)
Their recent track record is poor. The question I cannot answer is why. Is this a run of terrible luck, or are they doing something with these prospects, mostly the bats, that is causing them to bust. Did Smoak lose his bat speed because of injuries, instruction, or something else?
Brian (California)
SJ Mayor threatened "additional litigation" and Selig said that was "unproductive" of him to do. Does MLB's antitrust exemption have a shot of holding up, if challenged in court?
Klaw (1:23 PM)
Better question for an antitrust lawyer. I just hope San Jose challenges it. It's been too long since anyone took MLB to task over this kind of monopolistic behavior.
Aaron (SF)
Coachella is this weekend and next. Any desire to ever attend?
Klaw (1:24 PM)
I would have loved to go this year, but I'm headed out to see a couple of first-rounders again. The timing just stinks.
Nick (Topeka)
Do the braves need to get better at drafting or is the lack of development in the lower levels the reason they don't have a deep farm system overall?
Klaw (1:24 PM)
Their drafts have been among the least productive in the game over the last 3-4 years.
berry (md)
Why is Tommy Hunter so amazing at giving up home runs? Is it the straight as an arrow fastball?
Klaw (1:24 PM)
Yes, and no third pitch for LHB.
Gray (Chicago)
Rafael Montero is off to a solid start this season with a 15/0 K/BB ratio thru 11.2 innings. Long-term, is he a middle-of-the-rotation type starter?
Klaw (1:25 PM)
Yes, but that's also what I said about him this winter.
Justin (Chicago, IL)
People in town are already comparing Jorge Solar to Carlos Zambrano because of his "latin temper." The racial resentment associated with this is nearly palpable.
Klaw (1:25 PM)
fred (nyc)
Not sure if you have delved heavily into the 2014 draft class yet, but do you think Beede has somwhat closed the gap on Rodon for top pick? Beede's been lights out whereas Rodon, while still very good, has been a bit inconsistent. Who else can you see challenging Rodon as top pick?
Klaw (1:26 PM)
Beede isn't remotely close to Rodon - you're looking at performance rather than repertoire and upside. There are some HS kids with a chance to push for the top 5, and Michael Cederoth at SDSU has been hitting 100 as a starter lately and could be in the 1-1 mix.
Owen (DC)
Keith, what is your general time table for changing your mind on considering something being SSS versus being legit? Is it 300-400 PAs? A season? Two? Or does it depend on the player?
Klaw (1:26 PM)
Depends on the player, and who he faced too.
Bobby (Gilbert, AZ)
I keep hearing their is a chance Dustin Peterson has a chance to go higher than his brother D.J. Any validity to that?
Klaw (1:28 PM)
At this point I'd say that's 80% likely. I'll see Dustin a little later this month for two games before writing more about him.
Tim (AZ)
How is the Braves drafting bad? Freeman, Heyward, Simmons, McCann, Gattis. Minor Beachy Medlen Kimbrel all drafted. Seems like the team is loaded with home grown talent.
Klaw (1:30 PM)
Freeman and Heyward were '07. McCann was '02. Beachy was undrafted, I believe. Medlen was '06. Kimbrel was '08. They've been much less productive in the last 3-4 years, and the Simmons pick, while absolutely a good one in hindsight, has been a little fluky too.
Pierre (South Dakota)
Have you changed your mind on Puig? He looks mighty good.
Klaw (1:30 PM)
Again, it's a week of stats. I think he's an above-average regular, now that he's got his body in ideal shape.
Yannick (Missouri)
Has a pop up prospect ever gone 1st Overall in a draft?
Klaw (1:32 PM)
Good question. I can't think of one since I've been in the business. Every first overall pick was someone known as a top prospect at least by the end of the preceding summer.
Andy Carrier (Washington, D.C.)
Is DOMA constitutional?
Klaw (1:33 PM)
Not a lawyer, again, but the Fourteenth Amendment seems to make it fairly clear we can't grant rights to one segment of the population and deny it to others. Nor should we.
Nonito (Petaluma, CA)
Corn or flour tortillas?
Klaw (1:33 PM)
Corn, but only if they're made fresh. Tortillas from a bag are about as pleasant to eat as a paper towel.
Bob (Springfield, MO)
I completely get SSS--and it cuts both ways for good performances and bad--but when you see things like Halliday with his decreased velocity and Lincecum struggling, you at least have to sit up and take notice, don't you?
Klaw (1:34 PM)
Sure, but those aren't stats arguments, they are (in effect) scouting arguments. And Doc's velo was down all of March, while Lincecum's been like this for a year now.
Nadav GovAri (Missouri)
Compared with this year's draft, which I believe I've heard you describe as not that deep or loaded at the top, how is the early outlook on next years'? Any names to get really excited about?
Klaw (1:35 PM)
Definitely looks stronger next year, with the college guys I mentioned, Alex Jackson, Jacob Gatewood, Touki Toussaint, etc.
Jasper (San Diego)
Is Josh Beckett done? I think Capuano is being wasted in the Dodger pen.
Klaw (1:36 PM)
Beckett is in the "has to reinvent himself" category. Those guys don't usually succeed with that whole reinvention thing.
Blake (Chicago)
Local writer thinks the Cubs may draft Jonathon Gray as their 1st round pick. What say you?
Klaw (1:37 PM)
I've been saying that for a few weeks - if Appel goes one, I believe the Cubs would take Gray two. If Appel doesn't go 1-1, I think the Cubs would take him. There isn't a great third option for either spot - taking one of the Georgia prep OFs would be a clear step down.
Ryan (Pittsburgh)
Saw on Twitter you are reading Infinite Jest. Are you finding it enjoyable, and what kind of pace are you on with reading it? I'm glad I read it a couple years ago, but it was tough and I would never want to read another book like that again.
Klaw (1:38 PM)
It's interesting, sometimes very funny, sometimes desperately overwritten. It'll take me about two weeks, maybe two and a half, to read the whole thing.
Todd (Pasadena)
This years draft seems to have a lot of high school C prospects, with such high failure rate for high school C do you think teams will still be willing to use their picks and money on them in the first round?
Klaw (1:39 PM)
I think three go in the first round - McGuire, Denney, and Ciuffo. But yes, the horrible history of prep catchers will enter everyone's minds on draft day and I think all three guys will go a little lower than expected because of that.
Jason (San Antonio)
Klaw,You obviously make your living as a baseball expert, but is it your favorite sport?
Klaw (1:39 PM)
There are other sports? When did that happen?
Garrett (Tacoma)
Mariners getting Harang (according to Rosenthal). This mean Maurer is going to AAA?
Klaw (1:40 PM)
I assume he goes rather than Beavan. That's too bad - Maurer may not have turned it around right away, but two starts is too little to judge anyone you considered one of your top prospects.
Matt (MA)
So now wielding a bat as a weapon isnt a big deal?
Klaw (1:41 PM)
Has anyone said it wasn't a big deal? I've just said I wanted legitimate confirmation on the entire incident, not just some unconfirmed tweets.
Lance (Dayton)
Every start Tony Cinagrini has is outstanding. Is he really an end of the rotation starter at best?
Klaw (1:42 PM)
I think he's a little better than that. It's a terribly unconventional arm action for a starter, and he gets most of those strikeouts with one pitch - the fastball, which minor league hitters just don't pick up. Major league hitters are, by definition, the best in the world at making adjustments, and if they adjust to Cingrani's deception, what does he have for a plan B?
Mike (San Diego)
To follow up on Maurer, what good does having Harang on the roster do for Seattle in any way?
Klaw (1:43 PM)
He's better than what they got from Maurer so far. It's a short-term move, not a long-term one.
Bob (Springfield, MO)
You're drafting in the late first round of a weak draft. No one on your board excites you as a guy you want to even pay slot for. Do you just punt by drafting a player who you are pretty sure will go to college or just draft the best player available because, even if he won't be a star, he could be a serviceable major league player?
Klaw (1:43 PM)
No - I would never punt a first-round pick. You may not be employed long enough to get the pick the following year.
Calvin (Oregon)
Henry Owens created quite a stir in spring training with his performance. Do you see him as a #3 with potential for more?
Klaw (1:44 PM)
If he holds that newfound velocity for most of the season, yes.
Rick (Pittsburgh)
Last year you said to keep an eye on Clayton Holmes as a Pirates' prospect that was off the radar. Got one for me this year?
Klaw (1:46 PM)
Nick Kingham. Sleeper prospects for all five NL Central teams are with my top 10s: http://klaw.me/WRhb5O
Jeff (Kingston)
If you're Toronto, would you consider punting your first round pick to next year in a much stronger draft, and maybe have a shot at hometown boy Gareth Morgan?
Klaw (1:47 PM)
Answered the first part earlier. There are no extra points for drafting a hometown guy.
Mike (Mission Viejo, CA)
What is your take on the DH being added to the NL? I think that it is necessary in order for NL teams to compete in free agency with the AL.
Klaw (1:48 PM)
I think it's necessary to make NL baseball watchable.
Jerry (NYC)
I remember you saying in the past that sudden velocity spikes may cause an increase in injury risk. Does that apply also to improved off-speed stuff, such as Harvey's slider which you mentioned came from nowhere?
Klaw (1:48 PM)
I believe that sudden velocity spikes are often followed by injury - correlation, but not necessarily causation. I have only noticed this with velocity, specifically.
Rob (DC)
What was your opinion of Arrieta when he was breaking in to the majors? League average starter or not as optimistic?
Klaw (1:49 PM)
Was not that optimistic. Didn't see near enough command from him.
Keith (NYC)
The Daily News is reporting that if Stanton were made available a Wheeler and D'Arnuad package would make sense on both ends. As a Mets fan I'd jump on that, what do you think?
Klaw (1:49 PM)
I think I would too.
Ray Gillette (Cleveland)
In a vacuum, would Bradley be a better option in center than Ellsbury?
Klaw (1:50 PM)
In a vacuum, they would both be dead from lack of oxygen, which would seriously hamper their range in center.
Mike (Mississippi)
Has outfielder Hunter Renfroe finally put it all together or should teams still be weary of how his hit tool projects?
Klaw (1:51 PM)
Well he'd be a definite first-round pick if the draft were today. I'll see him later this month but scouts have told me that he has indeed put it together - tools were always there, but he's advanced enough as a hitter to get to the big-time power.
Gary (Sacramento)
Was Matt Bush really seen as a top prospect when the Padres took him 1-1? I seem to recall he was drafted because he was the only person who would sign for the amount offered by the Padres.
Klaw (1:51 PM)
He was a definite first-rounder and maybe a top 10 guy, just nowhere near 1-1.
Robert (Kentucky)
Since one week samples meaning nothing, is it too early to call the Braves/Dbacks blockbuster one way or the other?
Klaw (1:52 PM)
You shouldn't view it differently than you did a week ago. I thought it was a heist for Atlanta then, and I still think so now.
David (Denver)
Thoughts on the Dahl situation? There has to be more to the story, otherwise on the surface it looks like a big overreaction by the organization.
Klaw (1:53 PM)
Missed a flight, didn't handle it well, and probably deserved the demotion, albeit I hope it's a brief one. That said, they didn't do squat with Todd Helton, who could have killed someone by getting hammered and choosing to take the wheel. That's the far more egregious offense.
Ian (OK)
How much of Appel's improvement is him essentially redoing a level?
Klaw (1:54 PM)
Slider is better, command is better. You're asking about stats, but that's not why the industry is higher on him this year.
mike (saint louis)
Matt Adams Joe Kelly and Carlos Martinez for Tulo. Who hangs up first?
Klaw (1:54 PM)
Unless they just want to save money, the Rockies wouldn't want to do that.
Jonathan (Los Angeles)
Are comparisons of Puig's raw strength to Harper & Stanton legitimate?
Klaw (1:55 PM)
Very different kinds, not the comparison I would make. Harper and Stanton have enormous leverage in their swings. Puig is more hand strength - he has huge hands and forearms, but his swing isn't as rotational. I saw him twice, once last summer, once this spring, and didn't see 80 power from him, which the other two guys have.
Eric (PA)
Odds that Houston or whomever takes Appel puts him in on the big league roster by September? I just don't see that happening based on the culture of the league, though I agree it should happen
Klaw (1:56 PM)
I'd take him first, offer him $5 million or so - under slot, but more than Pittsburgh offered him last year - with an unofficial agreement that he'd make a few big league starts in September if he threw well after signing. No one loses there.
Bret (Toronto)
Josh Johnson throwing 88-89 on route to getting destroyed by Detroit and taken out in the second inning. Can that be chalked up to awful conditions in Detroit?
Klaw (1:57 PM)
Throwing 88-89 isn't likely due to conditions in Detroit, but maybe conditions in his arm.
Diana (Brigantine)
My boyfriend is really good at "Ticket to Ride" and keeps taunting me when I lose. Do you have any tips for how to beat him?
Klaw (1:58 PM)
Well, I know one sure way ... but other than that, in the base game the long routes are usually key. Getting one or two of those and then drawing more routes that you've already finished or almost finished is usually a good route to a high score.
Eric (PA)
Richard Blais will be on chopped on Sunday Night!! you need to watch it
Klaw (1:58 PM)
I will, especially after that great meal at the Spence last week.
Kyle (Utah)
Are there any guys that you have further down on your draft prospects list who you could see pushing their way into the top 10 before draft day?
Klaw (2:00 PM)
I don't think so, but we'll see guys push their way into the top 30. Except for cold-weather guys like Ryan Boldt (who hasn't played yet) or Trey Ball (throwing well, not hitting well), most guys have been playing long enough that we at least know roughly where they stack up.
Jeff (Kingston)
In reply to the Gareth Morgan question. While there are no extra points for drafting a hometown/country player, it does have marketing value especially in Canada. Brett Lawrie who is from Langley is a huge draw in Toronto and his Jersey/Mechandise sales across Canada are more than any other Toronto player. Surely that has to count for something, assuming the player's talent is comensurate with their draft position.
Klaw (2:01 PM)
Winning is a much bigger draw.
Studebaker (NJ)
Have you been to any of Michael Symon's restaurants in Cleveland?
Klaw (2:01 PM)
Lola. Outstanding.
Jake (Birdland)
What did the Orioles get in Chris Jones, who came over in the Ayala Trade?
Klaw (2:02 PM)
Organizational arm. Maybe a lefty specialist - soft-tossing guy, can sink it a little.
Chris (Boston)
I'll be in Buffalo next month. Have you been? Best place to eat?
Klaw (2:03 PM)
Only briefly. Ate twice at the Lake Effect Diner - highly recommended.
Eberle (Alberta)
Even though Billy Hamilton wasn't well known as a prospect back when he was a 2nd roujnd pick, boy GM's must be kicking themselves on how they didn't do their homework enough on a guy with game changing lights out speed. If GM's could have a redo and Billy Hamilton were available in the 2014 draft with the tools he has right now, where would he go in that draft?
Klaw (2:04 PM)
He was well-known, but his present hit tool at the time was maybe a 30. Even now, while he's an elite prospect, there's still some skepticism about his hand strength and ability to hit for enough contact in the majors to let the speed play. He's an all-or-nothing guy - if he hits, he's a game-changing player, and if he doesn't hit, he's a pinch runner.
Ben (Tempe)
If Baez does pan out for the Cubs, does Castro move to 3rd?
Klaw (2:05 PM)
Baez at short, Castro in left. Also possible Baez outgrows short and goes to third.
Chris (Athens)
So Austin Meadows isn't in the same class as Appel and Grey?
Klaw (2:06 PM)
He's still third on my board, but I would not consider him over the two arms.
Chris (Alabama)
Would you want to take Appel, who started seriously ramping up in January and by the end of the season threw 100+ innings, then give him two months off and have him ramp up and pitch again in the big leagues? That sounds like an injury waiting to happen and not worth the risk on a big investment.
Klaw (2:07 PM)
That's a pretty strong assumption about a connection between workload and injury. This isn't asking a kid to throw 200+ innings, or work 140 pitches in a start.
Matt (Chicago)
I don't disagree, but why left instead of center for Castro?
Klaw (2:07 PM)
He can't run well enough for center.
Matt (DC)
To Eberle, I'm sure there are countless instances where that happened. Mike Trout and Jordan Zimmermann come to mind immediately.
Klaw (2:08 PM)
Very true.
Andrew (Wheeling)
During your CMU days, did you ever go to Pamela's Diner?
Klaw (2:08 PM)
Of course.
Mark (Boston)
You tweeted recently that there was a good chance Correa moves to third. Has something changed since the top 100 when you seemed more optimistic about him staying at SS?
Klaw (2:09 PM)
I wrote this in the top 100: "...he's going to be so well-built and physical that it's hard to imagine that he'll stay in the middle of the field. Third base is the most likely destination, one he should be able to handle without trouble."
Ben (Leland Grove)
How many games do you think Soler should miss, if the decision were yours?
Klaw (2:10 PM)
Depends on exactly what happened, but in general, I think charging a player with a bat in your hand, even if you never swing it, should get you at least a week on ice.
Derek (Bay Area)
What is the downside of the Rangers just telling Kinsler he's moving to 1st? They have that right.
Klaw (2:10 PM)
Nothing. Not sure why teams fear doing that. You play where we ask, or you go on the restricted list. It's not like they're asking him to catch or pitch.
Eric (NJ)
Andrus, SImmons or Iglesias - who has best glove
Klaw (2:11 PM)
Iglesias, Simmons, Andrus for glove. But Simmons has the best arm so he's the best overall defender.
Andrew (Manhattan)
Is Mike Morse the real deal or is his below average swing bound to revert before the all-star break?
Klaw (2:12 PM)
He'll hit for power, but the contact rate is still low and I don't think he'll post a good OBP. Of course, we're all thinking that, after six homers in ten days, he's back on the juice, right?
Barry (New York)
Do you like brussel sprouts? Favorite way to cook them?
Klaw (2:13 PM)
Yes. Love them with bacon. Anything you do that results in getting them nice and brown so they swap the bitterness for some sweetness is key. The Spence has a great fried Brussels sprouts dish.
Matt (DC)
My wife bought thinly sliced veal strips. What the hell do we do with them?
Klaw (2:13 PM)
Veal piccata.
Steve (California)
I asked you last week about Brian Cole. Did you read the SI article on him? Reading comments from guys like Pujols and CC make him sound like a sure fire star, so now I'm even more confused.
Klaw (2:13 PM)
I didn't read it, but he wasn't a surefire star - he was probably a fourth outfielder.
Matt (DC)
I give you this question all the time, but wondered if your stance has changed: can Rendon profile at 2B, and if he could, would you move Espinosa to accommodate him when he'd ready?
Klaw (2:14 PM)
Unless Rendon has acquired cyborg ankles, I would not put him at second base, ever.
RBI, Runs, Wins, Saves (Cooperstown)
We're thinking of adding Sacrifice Bunts to our family, just to please Dusty Baker...
Klaw (2:15 PM)
He'll write a nice letter of recommendation.
Louis (Quebec)
Do they test for steroids or other performing enhancing drugs at the college or high school level. If not, does that explain how a power pitcher throwing in the mid to high 90s in hs might suddenly lose 4-5mph off their fastball after being drafted into pro ball.
Klaw (2:16 PM)
MLB tests the top 200 players, as determined by their own Scouting Bureau, in each draft class.
Gold (Rye City)
Do Mike Morse and Crush Davis are smacking homers why do you assume they are on the juice, why can't you admit you are just wrong about these kind of players for once
Klaw (2:18 PM)
I was joking, of course, but Morse was actually suspended for PED usage back in 2005. I'm just amused by the double standard. As for Davis, he's always had raw power - he made my top 100 once, back in 2008, because of it. He could just never make enough contact to get to it.
Wim (Texas)
You panned both Moneyball and 42 for similar reasons I dislike most sports movies (cliches, oversimplifications, mawkishness). Are there any sports movies, or baseball in particular that you like? I wonder if you've ever seen a movie called Sugar, a small movie that came out about 5 years ago about a young Dominican pitching prospect in the KC farm system.
Klaw (2:18 PM)
Loved Sugar, reviewed it here: http://klaw.me/sxb5zg Much better baseball movie than the two you mentioned or the delightfully awful Trouble with the Curve.
Rob (Alaska)
Carlos Carrasco: just back from TJ, apparently now touching 97, poor results, can't stop throwing at guys' heads. What do you make of him at this point?
Klaw (2:18 PM)
Reliever, same as before. And perhaps a knucklehead too.
Steve (Brooklyn)
May 26 - 15 episodes of AD are released. Do you ease yourself in or marathon through?
Klaw (2:19 PM)
Right before the damn draft. Figures.
John (Austin, TX)
When you scout players, do you make notes on others you may see for future drafts? Do you try to scout ahead?
Klaw (2:19 PM)
If I run into someone who's obviously that good, yes. I rarely do, though.
Kevin (SF Bay Area)
I know you had Mac Williamson as a sleeper prospect for the Giants. Have you had a chance to see him or heard any reports since you wrote that?
Klaw (2:20 PM)
Yes, two weeks ago: http://klaw.me/XwMhBH
Are you keeping up with "Psych" ?
Klaw (2:20 PM)
Yes. Last night's was great. The Mr. Bean reference was perfect.
Scott (Northglenn, CO)
Delightfully awful - you're not insinuating that Justin Timberlake wasn't believabale as an ex-power pitching prospect?
Klaw (2:21 PM)
The most ridiculous part was that the scouts stayed in a fleabag motel. Everyone knows scouts will do anything to rack up Marriott points.
Scott (Gary)
With sizemore tearing his ACL, is now the time that Grant Green finally gets a shot?
Klaw (2:22 PM)
He's not going to be very good defensively. I'm not sure the A's want to run that risk, although they may not have a choice.
Dick (Asbury Park)
How about answering some non-movie,literature, and food questions?
Klaw (2:22 PM)
If you don't like my chats, door's on your left.
Mike C (NJ)
What is the percentage of these questions that you answer? I've sent in 3 and haven't received a response Mr. KLAW.
Klaw (2:23 PM)
I've got about 1000 total in the queue.
Jeff (DC)
Playing Yonder Alonso at 2B, then 3B, then 2B in the 9th last night: crazy or genius?
Klaw (2:23 PM)
Daniel (Boone)
Thoughts on the NHL/YCP partnernship?
Klaw (2:24 PM)
Approve. Would love to see MLB do the same.
Mike (Brooklyn)
.300/.380/.500 reasonable for The Justin Upton this year?
Klaw (2:24 PM)
I'll take the over.
Dick (Asbury Park)
Chat's called Keith Law - Sportsnation not Keith Law - Pretentiousnation
Klaw (2:25 PM)
What exactly am I pretending? I'm certainly not pretending that I care about what Dick in Asbury Park thinks.
Eddie (Fresno)
Jumped into the chat late...why do you think HS catchers have has such a failure rate as high draft picks?
Klaw (2:26 PM)
That's a $2 million question. Are their bodies too worn out by the time they get into pro ball? Do we obsess too much over catching/throwing skill and not enough over the bat? The last drafted HS catcher to amass over 3 WAR as a big league catcher was Brian McCann in 2002. That's a pretty big sample.
Joe (Chicago)
Reports are coming out that Soler is getting a 5 game suspension. So it looks like Twitter overstated the seriousness of the situation if that's all he's getting.
Klaw (2:26 PM)
That does sound light.
Mike (San Diego)
Are there any chain restaurants that you like besides burger places like Five Guys and In 'N Out?
Klaw (2:29 PM)
I don't love Chipotle's food (too much garlic, I think), but their business model and commitment to sustainable agriculture are a model for the entire food industry. I suppose Shake Shack is big enough to be a chain, although that's another burger place. Grimaldi's is a local chain, and they're pretty good. But in general, no, I hate chain restaurants. The food tends to be very bland and overcooked, they don't buy locally, they rarely cook from fresh ingredients, and their overall impact on the environment is worse. There are plenty of good local options in any moderately-sized U.S. city to keep you completely free of chains.
dc (dc)
How do you keep track of so many HS, College, and Pro players? What's your system... Gigantic Excel spreadsheet? I just can't image being able to recall so much about so many players so quickly.
Klaw (2:30 PM)
Crawford, Churchill, and I keep a master spreadsheet we work from for each draft, mostly so I don't screw up things like school names or commitments.
Matt (Boise)
My birthday is Saturday and the girfriend asked what kind of cake I wanted....any suggestions?
Klaw (2:31 PM)
There is no cake other than chocolate. Otherwise, you want pie.
Scott (Northglenn, CO)
Most un-ridiculous part of Trouble with the Curve was that scouts pull in chicks like Amy Adams, I presume...thoughts on Baby Bull, Wilin Rosario? Seems like the Rox actually made a smart move bringing back Torrealba to show him how to call a game...
Klaw (2:32 PM)
Oh please, the ladies flock to the scouts' seats every game. Rosario can't catch and doesn't walk. The game-calling thing is trivial compared to his flaws.
Morgan (Somewhere)
Now that we're two weeks into the season, are you ready to admit that you were wrong about MY team?
Klaw (2:32 PM)
dan (san diego)
Do you love chocolate melting cake?
Klaw (2:33 PM)
Molten chocolate cake? Yes, although it's more like a souffle. How could you not like that? Warm, gooey, dark chocolate.
Joe (Orlando)
I know keeping books after you read them is generally pretty pointless, but wouldn't it be cool if you had a library full of books right now? Similar to a room full of vinyl?
Klaw (2:34 PM)
They'd have to put me on Hoarders.
Jonny (L.A.)
I miss Fire Joe Morgan!
Klaw (2:34 PM)
We all do, Jonny. We all do.
Klaw (2:35 PM)
That's all for this week. I'll be at Kennesaw State tomorrow night for Chris Anderson's start, so please stop by and say hi if you're at the game. Thanks for all the questions, as always. I appreciate your time and support.
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text:
Fine words, Mr Cameron….
Now for some action.
On the use of London property for money-laundering.
It is a deep-rooted problem and action will have a damaging impact. The spate of high-profile developments in London, particularly but not exclusively on Battersea Reach – either side of Nine Elms Lane, where the new American Embassy is being built and by Battersea Power Station – depends on this foreign investment to be economic. Even with it, it would seem that there's building up for an over-supply at the high end, where one-beds are up to a million. But if you take the 30,000 units used to launder money out of the equation: price crash inevitable. Lots of Cameron's mates will be hurt.
The issue is relatively easily solved, if Mr Cameron is willing. First, insist that all UK property be owned by individuals or by EU-incorporated companies subject to full disclosure of beneficial ownership. Transparency, as ever, is key.
Secondly, stop these properties being left empty. Keeping property empty in London, with its housing shortage, is nothing short of criminal. Properties left empty should be subject to punitive taxation, ideally through a reformed council tax, although if that can't be done, they should be subject to business rates.
The Leftie's Dilemma
I make no bones about being a leftie, but leftism isn't why I decided to join the Green Party. Climate change matters. Even if the GP never get to win power, their popularity influences policy in the parties that do. Whatever I think about the rest of the GP's policies, they get my vote because climate change.
Now, Labour.
Roughly speaking, I'm with Corbyn 80% of the way. He's right about railways and Trident and austerity, but wrong about renationalising electricity generation (we do it in our back yards now). And I'm deeply suspicious of arguments to preserve or rebuild union structures that gave corrupting levels of power to barely-accountable General Secretaries.
I'm about 55% with Burnham and Cooper, and about 35% with Kendall.
And maybe 5%, being generous, with Cameron or Osborne/Bojo/TessaMay
But I'm also 90% against Tories, 5% meh.
45% against Kendall, 20% meh
30% against Burnham and Cooper, and 15% meh.
10% against Corbyn and 15% meh.
So – if I paid my £3, which I won't – who should I vote for?
It all depends on what is the probability of their beating the Tories. As it happens, I don't agree with the Blairist analysis that Labour can only win from the centre-right. The difference between 1997 and 2020 is generation rent, and if they bother to vote the left can win. But the Tory press have a lot of power and will stir up the immigration question, about the only rightwing issue that will motivate generation rent outside the capital.
Corbyn doesn't pander to it, the others do.
Now, could I really bring myself to vote for centrist Labour candidates who would pander to the implications of the immigration question, and go soft on media ownership, to avoid a skewering?
If the Blairist view is right, then – holding my nose – it might be the only way to prevent five more years of rampant Tory rule.
The struggle against Daesh will be won or lost in cyberspace
This is a long post in response to David Cameron's speech, delivered yesterday at the Ninestiles school in Birmingham, about dealing with and countering extremism; and also to his support for further air strikes against Daesh in Syria.
David Cameron's speech is one of the best he has ever given – which is not a particularly high accolade. On much of the diagnosis I agree with him wholeheartedly. Where I disagree is on the prescription. Much of his plan will make things worse.
I argue the case that the struggle against Daesh will be won or lost in cyberspace, and not on the battlefields of the Middle East. A military solution there will only entail more loss of life and more suffering. It is in cyberspace that the critical battles will be fought: on two grounds: the battle for ideas, and the battle for the command and control infrastructure. The battle for ideas is the one that must be won; but the battle for the command and control infrastructure is the most exciting. On both of these grounds, the West's defences are lacking, its thinking constrained by the very military metaphor I am employing. Cameron, and the West – like Daesh – fall into the trap of believing that battles of ideas can be won by military means – whether in cyberspace or on the ground. They cannot: they win or lose purely on the merits of the ideas themselves.
The war against Daesh is part of a larger struggle that is already defining the first half of this century as the two world wars defined the first half of the last. Then it was empires against ideals, kings against republics, Germany against France, might against modernity. Now it is East against West, Islamism against what? against Christianity? against capitalism? against liberalism? against secularism? Against us, against our wooly universal values of freedom, secularism and democracy. Our enemy is what the fanatics at the heart of the movement see as Islam, not the Islam practised by most Muslims. It is what David Cameron describes as Islamic Extremism, and while we are the enemy of its practitioners, its enemy is our liberty.
In 1992, Francis Fukuyama announced The End of History, the triumph of liberal democracy over socialism. Fukuyama was describing the events that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989. It was an important victory in the battle for free expression – but it was not the end of history, nor the inevitable success of capitalism over socialism. The Soviet Union was a regime so afraid of ideas that every typewriter and photocopier had to be registered with the authorities: but it was videotapes rather than the samizdat press that undermined it . Throughout the final quarter of the twentieth century, authoritarianism was in retreat: the military dictators of Latin America as much as the communist ones of Eastern Europe being replaced by relatively liberal democracies. Both communism and anti-communist militarism have been discredited as justifications for repression, but in the first half of the twenty-first century, Islam is being repurposed for the task.
It is not Islam's fault that some people are hijacking it for the purposes of implementing repression. Nor is this hijacking purely the work of the daeshbags and others who believe what they are doing is somehow Islamic – the Taleban, what remains of al Quaeda, Boko Haram. It is just as beneficial to the West's military-industrial complex to have an enemy to replace socialism. On both sides there are groups that benefit from conflict and who are using an ancient religious divide to foster it. That is to say, the frontline of the struggle that matters does not run between Islam and the West, but between those who would resolve matters with violence and repression, and those who choose the resolution of ideas on their merits, in a world where ideas and people are free.
Ideas are discredited, never destroyed.
The existence of the class of idea that Cameron calls "non-violent extremism" is an inevitable consequence of free expression. Some truly terrible ideas get out and about and are expressed. Most of them involve some censorship of countervailing ideas. The only effective way of dealing with them is to make our own countervailing ideas better – to win the argument on the merits, by letting all ideas compete for what global marketers like to call mindshare so the bad ones are discredited. This is an old argument and it needs to be made again and again, because there are always people who will try to censor ideas they do not like. Censorship strengthens a bad idea.
Non-violent extremism is best addressed by allowing it to be freely and openly expressed, so that it is discredited by its own contradictions. Cameron's attack on the expression of non-violent extremism is the second biggest mistake we can make in dealing with it.
Military intervention will fail
The biggest mistake is to address it with military force. This is also what Cameron is proposing to do, in extending air strikes to Daesh bases in territory to the northwest of the Sykes-Picot line (that is, in the part of the world we decided in 1915 should be called Syria). Even the armchair generals agree that it is not likely to be particularly effective: they are calling for tanks on the ground. A sufficiently large tank force might be able to inflict military defeats on Daesh in the Levant, but it will be a very costly skirmish that could yet lose us the greater struggle.
The recent history of military intervention by the west is not even chequered: it is almost all failure. Two modest successes – Sierra Leone and Kosovo – stand against a depressing catalogue of failure. Of the others, the best result has been the long stalemate in Afghanistan. Libya, Iraq, Somalia and Bosnia were failures; the latter two's emergence into relative liberty only occurring long after the military withdrew to lick their wounds. In Vietnam, a generation earlier, vastly superior American military expenditure and hardware failed to defeat the Vietcong and the brutality of the war strengthened the very bad idea that was Soviet communism.
Choosing favourite proxies on the ground to support with weapons and training is equally dangerous. It has certainly helped the emergence of Daesh in Syria, as the west assumed that any enemy of Assad must be a friend of ours. By focusing our diplomatic efforts on regime change rather than on conflict resolution we have helped to solidify Assad's grip on power and hardened the divides in that country which was once a beacon of interfaith tolerance in the region. The inspiring Boys' Own stories of the courage of the women and men of the Kurdish YPG in the battle for Kobane are a distraction, misleading us down the route of a military solution. This is a battle of ideas; there is no military solution.
Islam isn't a bad idea
At the heart of Islam is a really rather beautiful idea. It's the idea that there's One God, for the whole world, not lots of different Gods for different communities. One God, One Love, One World. You don't have to believe in the idea to appreciate its power and its beauty. It's the idea that made Islam traditionally so tolerant of others – particularly other "people of the book". The bundle of bad ideas we do have to discredit and defeat includes the murderous doctrines that drive Daesh, which are absolutely antithetical to the universal inclusiveness of Islam.
Communities count
Cameron is, however, right to say that we need to build strong, tolerant multifaith communities at home as well as abroad. Such communities are witnesses for universal peace. It is, therefore, regrettable that much of what he prescribes – both within his Birmingham speech and as wider Conservative policy, is calculated to undermine them. Cuts in welfare aimed at larger families will disproportionately affect Muslim families and leave young men to grow up in the very conditions of deprivation that lead to alienation. The obligations and encouragement to report extremism are more likely to provoke a defensive closing-in of communities. Grassing-up your family or neighbour has never been a core British value.
So if not Cameron's prescription – a revamped Prevent as a Tory Stasi operating in Muslim communities – what then? What can the Government do, what can we as citizens do, and what – in particular – can good Muslims do?
Support interfaith work.
As it happens, the Muslim community in Britain is already doing a lot. Interfaith work between many of our faith communities is growing. During this year's challenging Ramadan fast, a group called The Big Iftar invited people to share with Muslims the iftar night-time meal at their local mosque. I am ashamed to say that I didn't manage to go to one at mine. The heartwarming story of the Bradford reform synagogue, saved by its local Muslim community is another great example. These things are happening all over the country, quietly and prayerfully as communities understand that their common humanity is reflected in their common God. The secular community tends to be rather dismissive of faith, but it too needs to join the interfaith movement with love and respect: respect for humanity is the common feature of all the world's great religions, and it's shared by secular humanists.
Deal with racism , doh!
In his speech, Mr Cameron said,
"Over generations, we have built something extraordinary in Britain – a successful multi-racial, multi-faith democracy. It's open, diverse, welcoming – these characteristics are as British as queuing and talking about the weather".
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. The project to build the utopia Mr Cameron describes is far from complete. We are building such a thing. We are leading the world and doing it more successfully than most, but there is still a very long way to go. We won't succeed unless we neutralise the toxic racism that still permeates British society. Countless academic studies show that, despite legislation, racism, sexism and classism still influence housing, education and employment. The evidence is clear that the colour of your skin (as well as the shape of your genitals and the sound of your voice ) has a disproportionate effect on your life-chances.
Populist anti-migrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric, which does win votes, is highly destructive of the sort of equal society we need. It undermines everything done to tackle racism by providing a subconscious justification for the natural prejudices that need anti-racist effort to challenge. It helps to alienate many people with a Muslim, migrant heritage and undermines anti-racism work.
Embrace jihad
It is not for nothing that I used the word "struggle" in the title to this piece. It is as direct a translation as possible of the Arabic jihad; far better than "holy war". Muslims identify the greater jihad as the perpetual struggle between good and evil, between Allah and Satan, in which Muslims engage in their daily lives as they try to live in virtue. Daesh would like to see the great jihad as being the battle they are fighting, but it isn't. However, the struggle to resolve conflict wherever it occurs is part of the great jihad.
Create attractive youth opportunities
There have always been, and there will always be, disaffected youth. There will be fewer of them if there are more opportunities for all young people – and that does not mean opportunities to become a corporate drone, a wage-slave in major organisation. It is simplistic, to imply that all extremists come from the alienated fringes of society, but the fact that many of the most notorious terrorists have had prosperous backgrounds does not discredit the notion that repression and alienation contributes to the pursuit of extremism.
Replace "moderate Muslim" with "good " or "devout Muslim".
A good Muslim is one who serves Allah and the ummah without violence. A good Muslim will never engage in forced marriage, fgm or other unIslamic practices; a good Muslim will also pray five times a day and observe the fast in Ramadan. Britain welcomes good Muslims and should make life easy for them to pursue the dictates of their faith. "Moderate Muslim" implies something half-hearted. What else makes a good Muslim is a matter for debate in the community – we kuffars can't get involved, but we can be quite clear that good Muslims are also good Britons.
But most of all: engage the battle of ideas in cyberspace.
Cameron made much of conspiracy theories in his speech. The weakness of all conspiracy theories is that they assume the existence of a much cleverer cadre of privileged conspiracists. Those familiar with real life know that anything that can be explained by a conspiracy can be much more convincingly explained by a cockup. Nevertheless, conspiracies have mileage. Were Daesh a Zionist conspiracy to discredit Islam, it would be working very well. Every beheading video the daeshbags release discredits Islam a little more. Either it is a Zionist conspiracy, and the Zionists are very clever – or it isn't, and the daeshbags are really stupid. Likewise the use of Anjem Choudhury as a regular Muslim TV talking head looks to many Muslims to be a similarly dastardly Zionist plot: he is a terrible advertisement for the faith. But there are more mundane explanations both for Daesh and for Mr Choudhury's frequent television appearances.
At the start of this post, I suggested that the struggle in cyberspace will be engaged on two grounds: the battle for ideas, and the technical battle for command and control. Daesh would love to be able to hack into the West's drone control networks; the West feels it needs to be able to intercept and read Daesh's internal communications. Probably, neither will happen: strong cryptography will protect both. But Daesh, unlike its extremist predecessor al Quaeda, seems to be far more capable of exploiting technology. It's important that we in the west both maintain superior cryptanalytic skills and do not delude ourselves that we can use legislation to insert back doors or otherwise cripple crypto technology that is already out there. If we ban Whatsapp and Snapchat, the daeshbags will use them anyway.
Not that we cannot, but that we must.
The Summer Budget
As you can imagine, the summer budget was not entirely to my liking. I'm not sure what my reaction would have been had it been.
But it's not quite as bad as I expected, and contains some interesting and good surprises.
If I were Chancellor, I'd cut inheritance tax allowances, not extend them. But I'm relieved that his latest extension ("for the family home") is going to be transferable when home is downsized. The biggest weakness with the proposal as leaked is that it would lock old people into unsuitable family homes when they should be downsizing to some form of sheltered housing. In the announcement, he's recognised that problem and said he will allow for it.
The Northern Powerhouse is another good thing. I think these things should be done by a more deliberative constitutional process, rather than by the Chancellor freelancing. But however it's done, it's a good thing; and the announcement that there'll also be a midlands powerhouse is very welcome. What we now need is proper devolution to these powerhouses – and devolution to London. Osborne's politics has always been better than his his economics.
His attack on working credits however is a disgrace. What it does is increase the marginal effective tax rate for those moving off benefits and into work. The corresponding change to the minimum wage – the introduction of a new higher minimum wage, which he has disingenuously called the National Living Wage – will not be sufficient compensation.
This shows that resolving the problem of the poverty trap is expensive – we always knew it would be, and Working tax credit didn't finish the job. But while its there, we will get both the social and the economic fallout of this glaring discrepancy in the marginal tax curve.
The Productivity Conundrum
As George Osborne wallows smugly in the better economic figures – which are, in my opinion, as misleading as ever and reflect mainly the return to the bubble conditions of before 2008 – he faces one undeniable problem, the productivity stats. The fact is that productivity growth is lower in Britain than in most of our competitors.
It is a conundrum that has puzzled the sharpest minds in economics, or something like that.
But at least they are agreed that unless we get productivity up, growth will be unsustainable.
I think the explanation for the productivity gap is simpler than has been said. And, guess what, George Osborne's policies are going to do precisely the opposite of what is needed to redress the problem.
Consider these two facts:
(1) Productivity often rises towards the end of a recession, but it did not do so this time; and
(2) Unemployment usually falls during a recession, but it did so far less this time.
Productivity is output per worker-hour. It rises towards the end of a recession when employers delay taking on new staff by making existing ones work harder. But that didn't happen this time because they hadn't laid them off in the first place. I think this effect explains most of the productivity conundrum. Working tax credits and a relatively low minimum wage make it possible to keep staff on during a downturn.
Productivity is boosted by capital investment. If you buy a machine to help your staff work better, productivity will increase. In other words, it is closely related to capital investment. But investment in productive capital does not produce the kind of returns that investment in property (which is static capital) does. That's why we're not getting the productivity growth we should be getting. This is the key to the problem at a national level.
Trading hours and retail productivity.
Mr Osborne has announced that he intends to reform the Sunday trading laws so that local authorities can decide trading hours based on local needs. On the whole, I think this is a good idea; but it's important to consider how extended trading affects retail productivity. The retail sector is an important part of our economy, accounting for about 11% of output. Extending opening hours will tend to reduce retail productivity – unless, which is most unlikely, the volume of trade goes up proportionally. What actually happens is that at best a marginal increase in volume is spread over a significantly longer trading time. The result is a fall in retail productivity.
Greece Should Launch its Own Digital Currency…
Alongside the Euro, and with no paper counterpart.
Cut out the Greek banks. They're part of the problem.
To be used in its own online-mobile payment system.
Instead of paying pensions and other social obligations in Euros (which the authorities and the markets are not lending it any more), Greece pays them to its citizens in eDrachma. Better some money that not everyone takes than no money at all.
Greece accepts tax payments from Greek residents in eDrachma.
The eDrachma is nominally at parity with the Euro. eDrachma can be bought from the Greek authorities at par.
The eDrachma system collects its own taxes.
Transparency in the Aid Business
I listened to this File on 4 programme about the aid business last night.
Quite extraordinary. It was almost enough to make me vote UKIP.
No one who has travelled or worked in any developing country will be surprised at the stories of corruption. It's how things get done. Yes, we all know that we shouldn't. You get pulled over for a traffic offence you didn't commit because you're a white guy in a car. You can pay the bribe to the traffic policeman, or you can protest your innocence while your car is impounded and your day is ruined and you face paying ever higher bribes to end the whole nightmare. And that little bribe to the traffic policeman, well, it's a tip really. In Nigerian English, it's the same word: dash. You dash the waiter and you dash the traffic cop.
But everyone knows that corruption is the single factor, above all else, that prevents these nations realising their potential. Reducing it is essential if the aid budget is to have any effect. We know why it's there – complex reasons of different loyalties to family and tribe, inadequate official salaries – but we wring our hands and continue our complicity.
The one thing that makes corruption easy is the proliferation of secret deals. We should not be complicit in any secret deals.
Solutions are complex, but they start at home and all involve transparency. Let me get this clear: transparency means publishing loads of stuff. In particular, contracts and accounts. Publish exactly who gets the money and exactly what it is spend on. Publish all the project details, the project assessment criteria and the project assessment results.
Transparency isn't what someone who had worked for the body that regulates DfIDs projects said. He used the word in relation to them being transparent to the aid providers (but not the rest of the world) about the criteria on which projects are assessed. That's weaselly dilution of an important concept.
Publish, publish, publish. No secret deals, particularly in the aid sector.
Geeks for Greece
There's a cool IndieGogo campaign to raise £1.6bn for Greece. After a flurry of Twitter activity it's raised about €113k in less than a day, which is pretty good going for any crowdfunding but a long way short of what's needed.
Crowdfunding the money for one instalment of its debt – €3 for every European – isn't going to save Greece's bacon. There are many smarter ways for geeks and Greece to stick one to the bankers.
Maybe Greece could shift to Bitcoin instead of the Euro?
How quickly could the world come up with an online, open, digital solution to Greece's problems? Make the new drachma an ecurrency, with mobile payments?
The IndieGogo site is offering rewards and such in return for donations, with all rewards sourced from Greece. This will get money into the hands of actual Greek people and is a far smarter way of helping them than paying of bankers who really don't need the money any more.
The collapse of Greece's Euro institutions provides an ideal ground in which innovative finance and settlement solutions can thrive, disintermediating banks, bankers and even governments.
A quick one on Greece….
We should not be scared of the Greek situation, but excited. Yes, it is unfortunate and it would be better otherwise, but there is no doubt that this is a pivotal moment for the Eurozone and for the politics of austerity.
First, read this: Stiglitz explains why Greeks should vote "no" on Sunday.
He's right. If there's a "Yes" vote, anti-austerity worldwide is set back by years. Tsipras resigns, to be replaced by a puppet for the Troika, and Greeks lose control of their own destiny. Vote "No", and they retain it. The Troika are mad because Tsipras has played the joker they always knew he had: democracy, and exposed the gap in their hand.
Then, listen to this: Giles Fraser – no stranger, you will remember, to controversy when forced to resign as Dean of St Pauls for sympathising with the Occupy demonstrators – giving a most scholarly and eloquent explanation of Helleno-germanic differences on Thought for the Day today,
Dr Fraser leaves it to us to consider the the third apex of the triangle: capitalist greed. It is the financial sector's avarice (compounded with the other six) on which we should focus our concern, not Lutheran redemption or Orthodox forgiveness.
There's an intriguing tree of possible outcomes after a No vote, some disastrous, some not so disastrous. The Troika back down slightly, and Greece accepts? Can they contain the consequences so that Podemos and the others aren't too encouraged to follow suit?
Much more exciting: Greece defaults. Issues its own virtual digital-only currency using mobile payments, as in Kenya. Opens up and radically deregulates its enterprise sector. Processes citizenship for the migrants on its doorstep to liberate their economic potential at home and abroad. Exploits solidarity networks so supporters can buy goods directly from Greek producers, paying online in eDrachma bought online with Euros from the Greek government – which it then uses to pay for further green infrastructure investment.
Banks entirely disintermediated.
It is getting more interesting.
Stories About Secrets
It is alleged – in the Sunday Times yesterday – that Russian and Chinese intelligence agents have cracked encrypted data in the Snowden files, thus compromising the cover of British and American agents who have had to be moved to ensure continuing operational security. No one has been harmed.
Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who co-ordinated the release of the Snowden files, has written an article here claiming that the Sunday Times piece is wrong. I haven't read the Sunday Times story. It is behind a paywall and I have vowed for many years that the Murdoch family will never get another brass farthing of my money.
No independent person can have any way of knowing which side to believe. So, for the sake of argument, I will assume that the Sunday Times is right – that it's not just acting as a mouthpiece for ASS propaganda. (ASS abbreviates for Allied Security Services, meaning essentially the UK and US intelligence services – CIA, NSA, GCHQ, MI6 and MI5 – and their champions and apologists in government and media.)
I assume that The Snowden Files, the data dump taken by Snowden consisted of:
- A lot of cleartext procedural information about the extent and nature of data surveillance by the ASS (this is mostly what has already been revealed); and
- Some cyphertext files containing ASS operational information (this is what is alleged to have been compromised, and which Snowden promised would not be revealed).
Procedural information describes how the ASS operate. It is information which might understandably have been available to a security contractor such as Snowden and would generally be accessible to everyone in the organisation. This is why it was held in cleartext on ASS internal servers and Snowden could download it all.
Operational information would include things such as agents' identities, their location, their cover, and reports they may have submitted. It is highly sensitive and even within any branch of the ASS would be available only on a need-to-know basis. It should be encrypted with a long symmetric key, which itself would be encrypted using an asymmetric algorithm to the key pairs assigned only to those need-to-knows.
- This encryption should be secure enough to allow the cyphertext to be transmitted over public networks.
- If any of the key material to access this data had been available to Snowden, it represents a scandalous lapse in ASS internal security.
If the Sunday Times story is true, then either:
- Russian and Chinese intelligence have broken ASS cryptography; or
- ASS internal security was already compromised.
ASS cryptography is broken?
Modern cyphers are vulnerable to various attacks. The simplest is a brute-force attack, and it has been demonstrated to work for short key-lengths around 128 bits using a network of computers running in parallel over several hours. Increasing the key length by one bit doubles the effort for a brute-force attack. It is a trivial problem for a large enough quantum computer but no one is known to have built one sufficiently capable yet. ASS should have been using long keys – at least 256 bits. A network of computers that could crack 128-bit encryption in a second would take about ten followed by twenty zeroes times the age of the universe to crack 256-bit encryption. So a brute force attack is unlikely.
More complex attacks use weaknesses in the encryption algorithm or software. Usually this involves a lack of randomness. Symmetric keys are long random numbers; if they are not truly random, they are much easier to break.
Most successful attacks use the human vector: procedural errors, or getting someone who does know a key to disclose it. (Despite Alan Turing's genius and the new computers, it was Nazi procedural errors that let Bletchley Park into Enigma).
Most likely explanation
The Sunday Times story is partially true. ASS have assumed that the operational information has been compromised, because the Russians and Chinese have had access to the cyphertext, and they have made the necessary operational adjustments to protect their agents. Which they would do anyway, because you should always assume that your enemy can access your cyphertext.
ASS are very keen that the mass surveillance revealed by Snowden should continue and they want the legislative framework right. In both countries – the US and the UK – they are fighting political battles to give them the legal and political powers to do so. They want to discredit Snowden and show him as a traitor rather than a patriot, and the planted story is intended to achieve this.
However, if it shows anything, it shows first that ASS internal security procedures are not as good as they should be. And for lots of reasons, that should worry us, regardless of our position on Snowden.

subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome to Scottish Life Magazine
Scottish Life is a lively and entertaining blend of everything you love about Scotland. It's your passport to Scotland's enchanting destinations, history, culture, people and events... so beautifully presented and so full of useful information, you won't know whether to keep it on your coffee table or pack it with you on your next trip. Enjoy 80 pages of fascinating articles, informative columns and truly stunning photos, all elegantly designed and printed in full color. It's as magnificent as Scotland itself.
FEATURING: Sutherland's Splendid Isolation; Edinburgh's Amazing New Bridge; Handcrafted Bagpipes; Walking In The Footsteps Of Saints; Hidden Masterpieces Unveiled; Portsoy's Boat Festival; A 21st-Century Stonehenge.


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Cause of packaging fire in Columbus under investigation
Columbus - The cause of a small explosion and fire at American Packaging Corp. in Columbus is under investigation.
Fire officials say a sprinkler system helped contain the fire to the room where it started Monday. Workers were evacuated from the building. And, one person thought to be missing was later located outside.
The Beaver Dam Daily Citizen says the company recently underwent a $17.5 million expansion. An explosion at the factory in 2009 killed 47-year-old Jeffrey Doxtater.
Cardinals 10, Brewers 3: Brewers host another Cardinals hitting clinic
Militants, Iraqi forces fighting over Fallujah
Neenah man struck and killed by vehicle in Winnebago County
Man shot inside downtown apartment building
Woman killed by semi while running after dog in Racine County
Local firm launches ultrafast residential internet service
Cliffs shares soar on iron-ore supply contract
Starbucks aims to rule cold coffee market with launch of nitro brew
Graphic video shows fight at Texas Jay's strip club
Could the Cincinnati gorilla incident happen in Milwaukee?
Dell shareholders underpaid in buyout, but most won't benefit from court ruling
2 left lanes of southbound I-43 reopen at Hampton
Wal-Mart's Sam's Club: A bright spot in China
Wal-Mart steps up online efforts in China as a key to future
16-year-old boy on probation arrested in Riverwest armed carjacking
Beer Here: Good City Brewing will open June 17
TierPoint completes data center expansion
17th PianoArts festival welcomes 10 competitors
Stocks ended May with another monthly gain
Hope Christian announces voucher school at Lighthouse site
Greenfield police looking for hit and run suspect
Motorcycle showman embroiled in fraud case kills himself
Search on for man who fired gun at deputy at golf course
Ryan Braun back in Brewers lineup vs. Cards
'We failed to get it done,' official testifies of Tomah VA
Lands' End wins customer service award
Reliever Neil Ramirez in, Colin Walsh out
Suburban Milwaukee and Lake Country's 2016 WIAA State Track and Field Meet Special Section
Miller Park to host special dinner for Brett Favre
Stolen car crash victims ID'd as family on its way to movie
Surveillance videos released in search for suspects in 2 robberies
Jim Gosz leaves King for job at Dominican
Aurora launches new Karen Yontz Center for Cardio-Oncology
Wauwatosa alderman calls 1979 parking ordinance 'nitpicky,' looks for change
IT director who scammed Ripon College sentenced in tax fraud
Daniel Bice: Investigators suspected drug use by Tomah VA doctor, nurse
Energy savings almost pay for new gym floor at Muskego High School
'Bachelorette' recap: No 1-on-1 for Jordan Rodgers
Consumer spending rises most in 7 years
OF Domingo Santana begins minor-league rehab assignment
East side high-rise developer proposes lower apartment count
50 things to do in Lake Country this summer
2 dead, 2 hurt in head-on crash in Columbia County
On Tap Today: 'Kinky Boots' kicks off its Milwaukee run


text:
Welcome to Santiago Canyon College's (SCC) fall classes web page. We're currently accepting applications for the Fall 2015 semester which runs from Monday, August 24, 2015 through Sunday, December 13, 2015. If you were enrolled in Spring 2015 classes at SCC you can register online beginning July 15.
If you were NOT enrolled in Spring 2015 classes will need to
apply to the college before registering.
Apply Now!
You can view classes being offered this fall by downloading a PDF version of the schedule of classes using the link below.
View/Download PDF version of 2015 Fall Schedule of Classes
View 2015 Fall Registration Calendar
For the most up-to-date list of available 2015 fall classes, please visit
For more information or if you have a question, please call the Office of Admissions and Records at (714) 628-4900.


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Updating the E-M5
Started Nov 4, 2013 | Discussions thread
Shop cameras & lenses ▾
revio • Senior Member • Posts: 1,437
Updating the E-M5
I haven´t yet performed any update of my E-M5, bought around September 2012.
I know a few updates have come since then, and this is my question regarding updating my camera:
Is it enough to download only the latest firmware (think it´s version 1.7 now) or should I download all of them, one after another?
I´m not sure I need every little bit of the various "adjustments/imoprovements" these updates may offer, but for my part I do suppose that the 1.7 (or any latest firmware available) would "do it all" for my camera. Is that so?
Thanks in advance for enlightening me on this matter!
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If you need Pastor Chuck or Church or even Pastor in CA, look no further. www.hotfrog.com showcases more than 14 Pastor Chuck businesses across CA. To find more related businesses and to filter by locality, use the left navigation menu.
Foresthill, CA
We are a non-denominational fellowship that is affiliated with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa CA., pastor Chuck Smith
Santa Ana, CA
… We are part of the Calvary Chapel family of churches, in fellowship with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, under Pastor Chuck Smith Our members are Spanish speaking or bilingual, so our services are mainly in the…
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We are committed to bringing you the solid and consistent teaching of the whole Bible taught by Pastor Chuck Smith We are dedicated to bringing you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help …
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Our pattern of study is verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and book by book, right through the Bible We emphasize worship in our services and encourage people to grow in the expression of their love and adora…
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A Surfer's Chapel. Worshiping Jesus at Seal Beach, CA, we come together to praise His name, hear His word, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform our lives from the inside out
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Calvary Monterey in Monterey Bay California led by Pastor Nate Holdridge. Check out some of Calvary.com's teachings, sermons and video downloads
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We're always on the lookout for interesting uses of social media by companies and organizations, and right now there are two groups on Facebook using photos as part of extensive social media campaigns. One is the Inbal Hotel, which is holding a contest whereby the person with the best photos of Jerusalem wins a night Continue »
3 Reasons why sliders are bad for your website's health
10 ways to get more people to read your non-profit email newsletter
I got to talk about the future of WordPress for two hours, and it was awesome. #WPThinkTank
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HourlyHours to be determined
Looking for help in setting up my Infusionsoft account. We are switching over from Office Autopilot. We have an active membership site using the OAP membership plugin, and would like to transfer those users over to Infusion. We also have active triggers that we would like to re create. 10 order pages. And create roughly 20 to 50 automation triggers.
Skills: infusionsoft
About the Client
United States
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Jobs Posted
66% Hire Rate, 2 Open Jobs
Over $30,000
Total Spent
111 Hires, 15 Active
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3,104 Hours


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Hello people. I am asking spider webbing fans, DiD fans and the people of a question: What should I put in Webnapped?
For example, you could suggest that someone could try to save Urblake and Rebecca or that gothic girls would be webbed by Alicia.
Webnapped!: fav.me/d4mc4c6
For updates of Urblake and Rebecca, add to your watch and join the Fan group
Update: I modified this post to ask the following: What should I put in Urblake and Rebecca: Webnapped!?
What should I put in U and R Webnapped? by DIDLilGirlsWatch
©2012-2016 DIDLilGirls
I would have someone save them. Protect the Gothics and give the Persons Empire a Run for their money.
If you want, I do have a couple OC's hiding in my room if you want to borrow them to help out.
Sure, I'll borrow them for my story. I'll need their character info and I'll be all set.


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Exposed: How Rapists Get Taxi Licences
Byline: Claire Gorman
PASSENGERS are being put at risk because of the high number of taxi drivers with a criminal record, including for the rape of young girls, it was revealed last night.
Many also have unsafe cars.
The dangers came to light in a Prime Time Investigates documentary. A survey showed that one in seven drivers holding a licence has a criminal conviction, about 6,000 of the 42,000 licensed drivers.
Gerry Hutch, who had been known as the Monk and whose record stretches back many years, is proof that having a criminal conviction doesn't prevent you holding a licence. His nephew, Jonathan Hutch, has convictions for handling stolen property, larceny and traffic offences relating to his taxi. One worried Assistant Garda Commissioner, Martin Donnellan, called on tighter regulations for the industry. He said: 'I believe that all taxi drivers should be fingerprinted as part of getting their licence.' The report focused on Sean O'Brien, the man at the centre of the X case, who was jailed for raping a 14-year-old girl. On release from prison, he applied for and was granted a taxi licence. He got around the system by not disclosing his previous convictions and using a different address.
Within 18 months, O'Brien had sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in his taxi and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. …


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From academics to extracurricular activities, technology to dining, and athletics to residence halls, Morrisville State College's video tours give you quick and complete access to the college, our students, and the campus.
See what sets us apart from the rest.
Campus News
- May 25Morrisville State College horse comes home a champ
- May 17Teachers' Retirement System Pension & Retirement Education Program
- May 14Morrisville State hosts 105th commencement ceremony, presents first President's Medal of Distinction Award
- Jul 10Morrisville State College horse, alumnus harness another victory for the college's equine racing programs
- Jun 3Two Morrisville State College athletes receive Chancellor's Scholar Athlete Award
What has been your favorite campus event or activity?
"I think watching all the sports and teams play on campus is my favorite thing to do. I spend a lot of my time playing volleyball, so I've missed a lot of the fall activities. I look forward to attending some in the spring."
May 27, 2016
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Things you'd change?
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May 16th, 2013 (1:17 PM).
i'll take two
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Posts: 10,431
Originally Posted by
Audy, I just want to point out that it's not that mods want to take over the discussions and such for major changes. It's just that it would be nice if we could know when a decision is made instead of signing on to something totally unexpected. At least with letting us know, we have time to adjust and think, "okay, things are going to be different soon" and prepare for it. It'd be nice if members could know too. Just a little announcement in Community Announcements or the forums that will be affected. That'd be nice. That's all we want, really.
I know, Syd. Really. My problem is that your only valid reason is "it would be nice." There's no
reason and it's adding a whole other step into a process that already usually takes weeks from start of discussion to implementation as it is.
I don't at all think anybody needs to "prepare" to having a forum listed in a different category. You're either going to sign on and be surprised by reading a thread saying it'll happen or you'll sign on and be surprised by seeing it done. What... is the difference to you? While for us (hstaff), again, it's adding another
step into a bigger process that already has a thousand other steps. I hate the bureaucracy that already plagues making decisions in HQ so forgive me if I loathe the idea of things taking even longer.
Big things, like deleting tabletop games? Yes. Of course. No brainer, it needs to be announced. Moving forums from one category to another? No valid reason beyond your own curiosity.
I know it seems like a big mountain/molehill issue at this point and I don't expect you to fully understand because you've never had to experience the tooth-pulling it takes to get stuff done in HQ. The thread we were discussing these category changes in was started two weeks ago. It took two separate "bump" posts from two different people in order to get enough votes to get it done. It's already complicated enough. I don't want to add more time, even 24 hours.
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Video games are often blamed for a wide range of problems that affect today's youth. From increases in childhood obesity to desensitizing kids to violence, the list goes on and on. Because of this overemphasis on the negative effects of video games, the benefits often go unseen.
Studies have shown that some video games can promote spatial skills and hand-eye coordination, and even improve practical skills. Quicken Loans Zing blog previously discussed some video games that bolster basic arithmetic and financial understanding in Five Games That Teach Good Financial Habits. But what else can games teach you? The answer is more than you would think.
Both kids and adults enjoy playing video games. But which ones are both entertaining and best at improving your child's skills and knowledge? Let's look at games that help develop science skills, for elementary kids to high schoolers and beyond.
JumpStart (PC, Mac)
JumpStart is intended to supplement a student's early elementary education (preschool to third grade) in the home in an entertaining way.
Each JumpStart game is tailored to a specific grade level, and improves your child's skills based on the expectations for their age.
Spore (PC, Mac, Nintendo DS)
Spore is an online gaming experience that's part of a larger series. Spore is intended to teach children about basic scientific principles, with a focus on the early principles of biology. In later games in the series, such as Spore Galactic Adventure, the focus broadens to include other sciences such as astronomy. With this game carrying an Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating for ages 10 and up, game play is intended for children in late elementary school through early high school.
Portal 2 (PC, Mac, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
Portal 2 is the second installment in the Portal series, but boasts dramatic improvement in gameplay and hosts a wide range of new features. The game itself challenges you to use your intellect and futuristic advancements in science to escape your captors. In this world, you're encouraged to use your limitless potential to create, break and solve puzzles, all while creating an understanding of scientific rules. While this game may involve the least amount of educational lessons on the list, there's no doubt that it will encourage your kids to pay more attention in their science lessons. This widely popular game is for the little kid in everyone. ESRB rates this game for everyone ages 10 and up.
While not all video games are intended to be educational in nature or appropriate for all audiences, some video games offer more benefits than most people would believe. If you'd like more information about video games that can benefit your children in educational ways, be sure to check out the Open Education Database for a great list of games.
Do you or your kids play any educational games? What are your favorites?
Let us know in the comments below!
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I only know played Portal flash version, is PC version any better?


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Costa Cruises' holidays packages can take you to the most fascinating travel destinations in the world: Western and Eastern Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Baltic, Western and Eastern Caribbean, Red and Arabic Sea, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean. No matter what travel destinations you're considering, a cruise holiday is the best way to travel in comfort and style. Select your country of residence below: Americas, Europe, Scandinavia, Pacific Asia, Middle East, Africa
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: Emerald hack:
Pokemon Expert Emerald~ FINAL BETA RELEASED (Project Complete)
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July 22nd, 2013 (11:47 AM). Edited July 22nd, 2013 by Projectwolfie.
I play for keeps!
Join Date: Jan 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 410
Originally Posted by
Nya, if he's going to add Gen IV pokes, why not my beloved Glaceon? ;_;
Probably same reason as Leafeon, barely usable at all.
An already subpar movepool in Gen IV would render Glaceon with just at four moves correctly usable with it in Gen III mechanics: there would be literally nothing to run off of the huge Sp. Attack outside of ice moves and Hidden Power (every single idea in modern game uses Shadow Ball thanks to damage split because it's the only other type attack move to use with anything that resists, which would be an entire half of the game in Hoenn), and only hail with Ice Body/Substitute would be the viable way to use it ingame with maybe Wish.
It would maybe work with damage split, but even that would be hard with the before mentioned entire half of Hoenn. What a Glaceon would really need is not damage split but just a new movepool in general.
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Taylor Schilling Biography
Home > Actresses > S > Schilling, Taylor > Biography
Birth Name: Taylor Schilling
Born: 07/05/1969
Birth Place: Los Angeles, California, USA
Born: 07/05/1969
Birth Place: Los Angeles, California, USA
The apple didn't fall far from the tree when it came to the career of Jenji Kohan. She built a CV for herself almost as storied as that of her father, Buz Kohan, whose credits included such mainstream family entertainment favorites as "The Carol Burnett Show," "The Odd Couple" and a healthy list of awards shows and Christmas specials. Jenji Kohan, however, followed a completely different course. She became synonymous with complex and groundbreaking adult-themed comedies that dealt with prison, drugs, murder and transgression.
As the daughter of writer/producer Buz Kohan and writer/actress Rhea Kohan, Kohan was primed for success from the start, but the path she forged was a testament to her finely tuned eye for up-and-comers. In 1992 she kicked off her career as a producer on the hit sitcom created by comedian Paul Reiser and starring an up-and-coming Helen Hunt, "Mad About You" (NBC 1992-99). Kohan also wrote a teleplay in 1994 for an episode of the show that launched rapper Will Smith's acting career, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (NBC 1990-96).
By 1996 Kohan had also penned one episode for "Boston Common" (NBC 1996-97), a short-lived sitcom created by her brother David Kohan and his producing partner Max Mutchnick, whose follow-up project was the hit show "Will & Grace" (NBC 1998-2006). That same year Kohan began a long association with comic Tracey Ullman, serving as writer, producer and supervising producer on "Tracey Takes On... "(HBO 1996-99), a show that featured the UK virtuoso playing characters of varying genders and races. Throughout her tenure on the one-woman comedy sketch show, Kohan produced 12 episodes and wrote 18 of them.
During this period Kohan also did one-offs on a variety of other comedies. In 1997 she rejoined with collaborator Paul Reiser and wrote one episode of "Mad About You." The following year, she was the storywriter on the first season of a show that was soon to become a cultural phenomenon, "Sex and the City" (HBO 1998-2004). In 2000 Kohan signed on to the comedy-drama "Gilmore Girls" (The WB, 2000-07), and during the next year served as writer on one episode and producer on 12 more of this critical favorite. In 2002 Kohan was the writer and executive producer on a pilot for a failed Ally Walker sitcom "My Wonderful Life" (ABC 2002).
After this decade-long crescendo of notable projects and collaborations, Kohan eventually struck pay dirt in 2005 as creator, writer and executive producer of "Weeds" (Showtime 2005-2012), a series in which the protagonist takes up the drug trade on order to financially survive the premature death of her husband. The show planted Kohan firmly on the map and became the crown jewel in Showtime's lineup, garnering critical accolades as well as a Golden Globe for Mary-Louise Parker and a Writers Guild of America award for Kohan.
Many show creators might have had trouble following up such a solid success, but in 2013 Kohan panned for gold again as creator of another complex and transgressive cult dramedy, "Orange Is the New Black" (Netflix 2013 -). The series, based on the prison memoir by former inmate Piper Kerman, proved wildly popular with both critics and audiences, and developed an immediate cult following with LGBT viewers due in part to the work of transgender actress Laverne Cox.


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|Bainbridge Island, Wash.
|High School:
|Bainbridge HS
|3 Letters
JUNIOR (2012-13) – Appeared in 30 games for the Cougars, including three starts…averaged 16.3 minutes, 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds…started the season with a career-high 3 assists and a career-high 3 steals at home against Eastern Washington (Nov. 10)…dished out 3 assists again at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff to match his career-high (Nov. 24)…made his first career 3-pointer, on his way to a career-high 3 made shots from beyond the arc to score a career-high 9 points at home against Washington (Jan. 5)…led team with 5 rebounds against Stanford (Jan. 9)…played a career-high 36 minutes, made a career-high 4 field goals, and collected a career-high 7 rebounds at home against UCLA (March 6)…missed two games with an ankle injury suffered against Gonzaga (Dec. 5).
SOPHOMORE (2011-12) – Appeared in 19 games, including one start against Sacramento State (Nov.17)... played a career high of 25 minutes against Sacramento State (Nov. 17)…grabbed 25 total rebounds this season…recorded 17 points during the season for the Cougars…earned a scholarship in December during the season.
FRESHMAN (2010-11) – Appeared in 21 games throughout the season…recorded first points of career, and also career-high, seven, against Sacramento State (Nov. 30) in a then-career-high 13 minutes…played a career-high 20 minutes at Arizona State (Feb. 19) when he recorded a career-high four rebounds, two steals, and three assists…matched career-high in assists against UCLA (Mar. 5), playing 18 minutes.
HIGH SCHOOL – Earned three letters under head coaches Scot Orness and Steve Henderson at Bainbridge High School…earned all-Metro League honorable mention as a JUNIOR, averaging eight points and five rebounds a game…as a SENIOR averaged 18.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per outing and served as team captain… named Metro League Player of the Year and All-Metro first team…was a McDonald's All-America nominee and earned All-Kitsap County accolades…participated in the Cloud 9 All-Star game.
PERSONAL – Born William DiIorio in February of 1992…father William 'Bill' Ayears was a member of the track and field team at Washington State… served as team captain in 1988 and holds the third-best long jump mark in WSU history…mother Rosalyn DiIorio is a lawyer and stepfather Paul Triesch is a WSU graduate…brothers Gabriel DiIorio and Charlie DiIorio Triesch and sister Sophia DiIorio Triesch…grandfather George DiIorio played football for Idaho State and uncle Rodney Holland played football at Montana State and later played for the Dallas Cowboys…enjoys camping and music…majoring in communication at WSU.
Minutes: 36 vs. UCLA, 3/6/13
Points: 9 vs. Washington, 1/5/13
Field Goals Made: 4 vs. UCLA, 3/6/13
Field Goal Attempts: 6 (twice) vs. UCLA, 3/6/13
3-Pt Field Goals Made: 3 vs. Washington, 1/5/13
3-Pt Field Goal Attempts: 4 vs. Washington, 1/5/13
Free Throws Made: 4 (twice) vs. Buffalo (Seattle), 12/21/12
Free Throws Attempted: 6 (twice) vs. Buffalo (Seattle), 12/21/12
Rebounds: 7 vs. UCLA, 3/6/13
Assists: 3 (three times) vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 11/24/12
Blocks: 1 vs. Buffalo (Seattle), 12/21/12
Steals: 3 vs. Eastern Washington, 11/10/12
Most Recent Occurrences Noted