text:
Ryno Part Deux
This sounds like an article about a Cub fan's primal desire to bring back an old Cub to manage the team next year. Maybe, maybe not. Consider it an invitation to speculate about the next Cub GM and the first few trades the next Cub GM will make. The key to my thinking is that Tom Ricketts said the next GM was coming from outside the organizaton as in: the club management desparately needs a breath of fresh air.
That's where Sandberg comes in. In 1981, new Cub ownership, aka The Chicago Tribune, brought in GM Dallas Green from the Phillies organization only one year after the Phils won the 1980 World Series. Green raided the Phils for players he had some hankering for. His first trade (12-8-81) was sending pitcher Mike Krukow to the Phils for Keith Moreland, pitchers Dickie Noles and Dan Larson. A year later (1-27-82) out went Ivan DeJesus (SS and current 3B coach) and in came oldster, Larry Bowa and youngster, Ryne Sandberg.
If we are to believe the media speculaton about the top GM candidates, we should be looking at the Red Sox, Rangers, Braves, White Sox, Yankees, Rays and Giants for that first trade.
Tom Ricketts in his press conference yesterday listed the main qualities he's looking for:
A commitment to player development.
A strong analytical background, someone who has worked with some of the "new tools" (sabermetrics).
A background in a winning culture and a track record of success.
Fangraphs article lists Rick Hahn (White Sox), Thad Levine (Rangers), John Coppolella (Braves) and Kim Ng (MLB operations, previously Dodgers).
Tribune's Wrongway Phil Rogers gives his kiss of death recommendation to WSox Rick Hahn but also mentions 37 year old Ben Cherington (Red Sox) and former Diamondback GM Josh Byrnes. He also says there is the possibility that Yankees Brian Cashman, Dodgers Ned Colletti (just say no) and Rays Andrew Friedman could become available.
Sun Times Gordon Wittenmeyer's list of 5 candidates repeats Hahn, Byrnes, Friedman, Colletti and adds Nationals Mike Rizzo.
Baseball America's Will Lingo ranked Top GM Prospects back in March 2010. Rick Hahn was #1 followed by Jerry Dipoto (Dbacks), Dan Jennings (Marlins), David Forst (A's), Tony Lacava (Blue Jays), Bill Geivett (Rockies), Thad Levine (Rangers), Kim Ng (Dodgers and MLB), Logan White (Dodgers) and Damon Oppenheimer (Yankees). The BA links may need a current subscription.
I found a Baseball America ranking of top 10 GM prospects from December 2003 somewhat amusing, listing Tim Wilken, Josh Byrnes, Ned Colletti, Thad Levine and Kim Ng way back then. KC's Dayton Moore was #1 back then coming out of the Atlanta system.
In July, Sports Illustrated.com and former Baseball Prospectus baseball injury guru, Will Carroll tried his hand in ranking his 10 front office assistants in line to become MLB GM's. Rick Hahn was his #1 and Thad Levine as #2 but he had to reach for #10, listing current Cub statman Ari Kaplan. He has some nice detail on the candidates strengths and weaknesses.
As a recent example of that first trade coming from the GM's former organization, last year the Padres raided the Red Sox talent by making Jed Hoyer their GM. Among Hoyer's first trades was to move Adrian Gonzalez and his upcoming mega-contract demands for top Bosox talent, acquiring pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and OF Reymond Fuentes.
We all know Tom Ricketts has a man-crush on what Boston has done since owner John Henry took over. I'm sure Ben Cherington will get a close look. Here's a Chicago Now article by John Arguello on Cherington. He indicates Cherington is a line by line match for Ricketts GM criteria.
Bruce Levine on his radio show and blog has been particularly high on White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn. He also looks like a Ricketts criteria match, not to mention Hahn grew up in Winnetka as a Cub fan. Hahn has turned down GM offers from the Cardinals and Mets in the past few years. So he's clearly on the threshold of a GM position.
Completing the circle back to Dallas Green, I found this article about Hahn as a 12 year old writing to Cub GM Dallas Green:
In the early 80's at the age of 12, Hahn wrote letters to Cubs GM
Dallas Green with trade ideas. Hahn recalls, "He was nice enough, or
perhaps foolish enough to write back. Rightfully or wrongly, it
encouraged me to throw different ideas at him, which I did every so
often. Candidly, at that time, I just thought it was pretty cool to get a
letter back in big league stationary."
So I'm thinking we've got the next Ryne Sandberg coming our way. With a new GM coming, we should get to speculate on a new manager too. I didn't see anyone predicting the assistant GM of the Phillies, Scott Proefrock. I think I'll add him to the list. He might know of a manager who the young Cubs could grow with as well as some mlb ready talent from Lehigh Valley.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
3.62 era...1.29 whip...6-9 record after 24 games (only 2nd win since June 27)...sigh...garza.
at least it's one less thing to worry about in 2012 since it seems the Z situation is pushing the cubs to pick up 2 SP next year rather than 1 SP.
i still have faith in wells as a back-end rotation guy...i have no faith in casey "broken down maddux" coleman
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I have faith enough to believe Cashner deserves another shot at the rotation. That leaves Demp, Garza, Wells and Cashner as set and a fifth spot open (if Z isn't here). I'm not that interested in signing any free agent, but I assume tat is what will happen.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
yeah...they have room to let cashner have a false competition with c.coleman for a slot...hope cashner is up to coming through.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Submitted by springs on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 6:43pm.
I have faith enough to believe Cashner deserves another shot at the rotation. That leaves Demp, Garza, Wells and Cashner as set and a fifth spot open (if Z isn't here). I'm not that interested in signing any free agent, but I assume tat is what will happen.
SPRINGS: If the Cubs have to fix their pitching from within (given how hard it is to trade for a #1 or #2 starter and how much it would cost to sign one), the best bet would be to move Sean Marshall and Andrew Cashner to the starting rotation at Spring Training next year, and then re-construct the bullpen with some combination of Marmol, Samardzija, Russell, Carpenter, Mateo, Maine, Dolis, Beliveau, Chen, Gaub, Roderick, Kurcz, and/or Zych (TBD).
It's generally much easier to find bullpen arms and build a bullpen from scratch than it is to find Top-of-the-Rotation (TOR) and Middle-of-the-Rotation (MOR) starters, and Garza and Cashner have the potential to be TOR guys and Marshall should be at the very least a MOR #3, if not a #2.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
could be wrong, but it seems a given that k.wood is going to get a multi-year contract as part of the pen...unless wood really wants to get paid and this year was just a gift to the cubs while building his FA value.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Submitted by crunch on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 7:28pm.
could be wrong, but it seems a given that k.wood is going to get a multi-year contract as part of the pen...unless wood really wants to get paid and this year was just a gift to the cubs while building his FA value.
CRUNCH: Although it does seem a bit odd that Kerry Wood would accept a one-year $1.5M contract (albeit with incentives) for 2011 when he could have gotten more money and more years elsewhere, the Cubs could have just given him a back-loaded two or three year deal ($1.5M-$6M-$6M) if the intention was to keep him beyond this season and there wasn't enough money left in the 2011 payroll budget to pay him more than a $1.5M base salary.
I do think he was probably promised a job with the Cubs when he retires, though, and it's certainly not inconceivable that the Cubs will re-sign him to an extension, or at least offer him salary arbitration (which he would probably accept if it was offered).
It's fairly obvious that he can still pitch effectively in the big leagues, and he really seems to truly love playing for the Cubs.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
AP, glad you chimed in.
Marshall, any concern about his career 'splits' starting vs. relieving? He's been great the last couple years, but any previous attempts at the rotation have not gone... well.
Also, what do we collectively think (realistically) the chances are on ditching Dempster and/or Z this year? I'm afraid the Z thing will 'blow over' yet again, and while I think Demp has been more than serviceable in his time here, that arm has to be getting tired, especially as evidenced by his performance this year. I'd love to believe that his personality and sense of humor would drive him to perform better if the team as a whole was less dysfunctional, but I just don't think he has much left in the tank.
As for Z, I'd like to think his time here has passed, and we will look back on someone (I've cried this for years) who wasn't an Ace but was paid like one and asked to perform like one simply for being good but not great and the last man standing in the rotation from the 'Big 3' that weren't.
But I'm afraid the Cubs as an organization may not be that smart.
I would think common sense would dictate that based on this year's standings in starters' ERA, etc, that the rotation badly needs to be addressed/overhauled, and I'm pretty unhappy with thoughts of even 4/5 of it returning (even if Cashner breaks out, which seems unlikely in his first full season in the bigs).
Best dream is something like Garza-Cashner-Marshall-Wells-Dempster, with Dempster becoming the wily veteran fifth starter. I don't think that's realistic.
Thoughts?? (I'm more or less babbling here, but I'm concerned about the rotation options as they stand...)
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Z pretty much has to go...he's already been buried and hendry did the dirty work as his exit. that's one instance where hendry probably did consult others besides the manager before making a roster move.
i like Z. i dunno if the cubs do, anymore. dumpster seems sick of it, and though people stick up for Z the pitcher and Z the person...Z the teammate isn't getting much love. these days he doesn't seem physically violent when he loses control of his emotions...and his damage control after all this has been classy, imo...but he's still got issues dealing with his emotions.
he's young, he can still throw low 90s, and the cubs are probably willing to suck up more money than they were a month+ ago for the guy.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
TONY: Sean Marshall is a different (better) pitcher now than when he was a full-time or part-time starter in 2007-08, so I don't think the starter/reliever splits matter.
And I would be surprised if Carlos Zambrano ever pitches again for the Cubs, although it is not inconceivable that he could return. The thing with Zambrano that did not apply to the Milton Bradley Affair is that Zambrano has a full "no trade," so he could force the Cubs to decide between allowing him to return to the team versus releasing him and eating the entire $22M in remaining salary, just by refusing to OK any trade offers the Cubs might get for him (presuming they do get any offers).
But there certainly are some bad contracts out there that could be exchanged for Zambrano, in case the Cubs don't want to eat the contract, and presuming Zambrano approves the deal.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
AZ Phil,
I like Marshall a whole lot and I would also like to see a return to the rotation for him. However, I wonder if he wouldn't continue to be a "different (better) pitcher" if he had to start again. He's pitched backwards pretty dramatically as a reliever (using his secondary stuff to get ahead and in counts where hitters will expect fastballs) and I wonder whether his success doing that is possible as a starter. I wonder what you think about that. (I'd still love to see him do that, but I kind of doubt that Cubs management is willing to move a guy who is doing so well in his current role.)
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Traditionally guys add about one run to their ERA when they become a starter. He is a better pitcher than he was back then (he didn't stand out immediately when he went to the bullpen, you may recall. He is likely to need a third pitch, again though. Facing a guy three or four times in a day is going to give them a pretty good idea about that curveball.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I've been watching Marshall more closely lately and he has three distinct pitches, a high-70s curve, a high-80's slider or slurve (or cutter?) and a fastball at 92-93. Hitters have trouble with all three.
I've become a fan. I think Marshall could start, and he could also close.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Submitted by Charlie on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 10:05am.
AZ Phil,
I like Marshall a whole lot and I would also like to see a return to the rotation for him. However, I wonder if he wouldn't continue to be a "different (better) pitcher" if he had to start again. He's pitched backwards pretty dramatically as a reliever (using his secondary stuff to get ahead and in counts where hitters will expect fastballs) and I wonder whether his success doing that is possible as a starter. I wonder what you think about that. (I'd still love to see him do that, but I kind of doubt that Cubs management is willing to move a guy who is doing so well in his current role.)
CHARLIE: I don't think moving Marshall (back) to the starting rotation would cause problems for him. And I would suspect that he would be thrilled with the oppportunity, since he can be a free-agent after next season, and FA starting pitchers generally make more $$$ and get more years than do relievers (even good ones like Marshall).
Marshall has developed an effective slider to go along with his plus-curve (without losing anything off the curve, BTW), and he also has a solid two-seam sinker and a four-seam cutter. The lack of a decent change-up was a problem for Marshall a few years ago, but I think he could thrive as a starter just by mixing the four pitches he now has in his repertoire.
As for stamina issues, he has been a starter before in his career (and he wasn't bad), and so he should know how to get himself ready to throw 100+ pitches and go deep into games.
But best of all, after working as an 8th inning set-up guy and occasional closer, he is not going to wet his pants and disintegrate if he gets into a jam. Being a late-inning reliever has helped his mental toughness.
BTW, I would not want to see him moved to the rotation this year. I think it should be done in Spring Training 2012. Same goes for Andrew Cashner.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
If Marshall did well would he stand a chance of reaching at least type B free agency. I believe that it takes a couple years into account - not sure how they would blend his time as a reliever/starter.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I don't know how they would handle the starter/reliever thing. But currently he is one of the higher ranked type A's as a reliever (with a year for changes to occur.)
Re: Ryno Part Deux
If he raised his ERA enough as a starter he might reach B status, or if he kept his ERA low enough he might be an interesting enough free agent for other teams to pursue despite the A status.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I look forward to a GM that accumulates compensation picks. The Cubs spent about $20M on the draft and international signings this year, much more than in previous years. If we could pick up a few extra picks here and there that would be exciting, even if it means we lose players like Marshall.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Speaking of a transition to starting, why isn't there more concern about Cashner's longevity? If the guy has electric stuff and top-of-the-rotation potential, then why wasn't he a starter in college? I have to think that, given his injury shortly after becoming a starter, there was some kind of worry about his longevity. Clearly I don't know much about his college career other than the position he pitched in, but would the Cubs be acting recklessly with his arm by moving him to the rotation and having him throw starter innings?
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Kind of been my thinking on Cashner as well. He hasn't thrown 100 innings on any level before. Not sure what the Cubs expected a 200 inning workload was supposed to do for him?
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Best dream is something like Garza-Cashner-Marshall-Wells-Dempster, with Dempster becoming the wily veteran fifth starter. I don't think that's realistic.
Pretty sure Dempster is the number 2 in that rotation.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
They need to make some plan for Wells, either he gets his missing 3 MPH back, or he goes to Iowa to be an insurance policy.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I would be all for Wells starting next year in Iowa, much like Cashner should have started last season in Iowa while Silva did his best to impersonate the 2010 Silva.
Not sure who would fill out the 3-5 slots if Zambrano is actually gone, even if Marshall converted to starter we'd still have a couple spots to fill.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Aaron Heilman released by DBacks a month ago now released by the Phils.
Another bad idea on the Hendry +/- list.
Memo to JH: Aaron works better in baseball as a last name.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
It's too bad Hahn would have zero talent to steal from the Sux. It's moot anyhow as we have nothing to trade them either.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
brett jax 3-3
And its only thru 4 innings.
Next year, BJax and Castro should be a fun watch.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
bjax in RF (or moving byrd to RF) for 2012 would make me puke.
hell, bjax at this point projects as byrd with a more speed...and a whole lot more Ks.
i don't mind him if they should happen to shift byrd, though i dunno if the lockerroom's mood can handle losing a legit veteran with his kind of mood and attitude.
i wouldn't mind seeing him as an occasional/injury callup in 2012...pretty much expect to see him in CF in 2013 full time.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
"bjax at this point projects as byrd with a more speed...and a whole lot more Ks."
If you look at walks, home runs, runs scored and RBI, Jackson is much closer to Pena than to Byrd. So which is it--or does he remind you of both of them? This is a little like the confusion between Theriot and Barney.
Check out YouTube for some of those Sesame Street tutorials on "same and different."
Re: Ryno Part Deux
yeah, im not giving him much credit for his walks, but i sure as hell won't give him that much credit for power.
i think you're giving minor league numbers a lot of mlb-world weight when it comes to a bjax...i wouldn't expect 90 walks a year out of the guy....maybe 2/3rd of that.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Probably later in his career he gets 90 walk seasons, if he hangs around, but next year, I'd expect about 60-65 to go with 160 to 180 K's, if he plays every day for us. To me, he's got the strength to be a 25-30 HR guy, but it will probably be a while before he learns to do that.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Brett Jackson is like Carlos Pena in the sense that he is a very patient hitter who is willing to go deep into the count and take a walk (or get called out on strikes), but he is not like Pena in that he is a fast & aggressive baserunner who steals bases and who can score from 1st on a double and advance from 1st to 3rd or score from 2nd on a single to the outfield. B-Jax is also more of a slash/spray hitter than dead-pull, and he plays a "crash & burn" style of CF defense like Reed Johnson or Sam Fuld.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I've actually been quite pleased with Pena on the bases. He's not a burner, or anything, but he doesn't do a lot of stupid things and he can run.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I agree, he runs quite well. So does Byrd, for that matter. Cub fans have seen a lot of over-thirty players lose their speed: Soriano, obviously, but also Lee and Fukudome and others. I suspect that Pena and Byrd work very hard to keep their legs under them. It's nice to see guys working for their millions!
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Flaherty and LeMahieu getting acclimated to Iowa. Last 10
Flaherty 361/400/556/956
LeMahieu 342/372/447/819
For that matter, BJax 356/408/533/941
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Damn, last 10 for Junior Lake 314/385/629/1013
Has 35 steals on the season to only 6 CS. A big guy at 6'3/215. I'm not sure you could be an average speed crafty baserunner and have that kind of efficiency.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I think I read somewhere that a lot of those SB's were delayed steals for Lake. Did anyone else see that? It's been a few weeks.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
QuietMan - You're right regarding the delayed steals, at least that was Lake's MO in the FSL before getting promoted to Tenn. Too lazy to look it up in the TCR archives, but an article was linked to that stat around the time of the FSL All-Star game.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I think it was a Baseball America comment from one of the prospect guys, and it was a very high percentage, like 70% of his steals were on delays - which obviously won't translate to the bigs. It does show he's got some brains though.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Lake has 6 HRs at Tennessee now, 12 including Daytona. Not too shabby for a 21-year-old shortstop.
It's an interesting question, to me at least, who's a better third-base prospect right now, Vitters or Lake. They're on the same team, although Lake spent half the season at Daytona. Lake is about 8 mos. younger. Both have 12 home runs. Again allowing for the Daytona component of Lake's numbers, both are hitting .280 with an SLG around .440. Both have a lot to learn as hitters. Lake much better on defense and on the bases, and could play any infield position.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 9:02am.
Lake has 6 HRs at Tennessee now, 12 including Daytona. Not too shabby for a 21-year-old shortstop.
It's an interesting question, to me at least, who's a better third-base prospect right now, Vitters or Lake. They're on the same team, although Lake spent half the season at Daytona. Lake is about 8 mos. younger. Both have 12 home runs. Again allowing for the Daytona component of Lake's numbers, both are hitting .280 with an SLG around .440. Both have a lot to learn as hitters. Lake much better on defense and on the bases, and could play any infield position.
VA PHIL: I would say Junior Lake is the better 3B prospect of the two, but I say that only because I believe Josh Vitters is best-suited to play corner OF and should be moved to either LF or RF. Actually Lake probably profiles as an offensive-first supersub.
Lake has a plus-arm, plus-range, plus-speed, HR power, and the ability to steal bases, but has always been EXTREMELY aggressive at the plate and lacking the ball-handling skills you would want to see in a middle-infielder (basically the exact same skill-set as Shawon Dunston, Sr).
If it wasn't that the Cubs already have a bevy of CF prospects (Brett Jackson, Jae-Hoon Ha, Matt Szczur, Taiwan Easterling, and Pin-Chieh Chen), I would say Lake should be moved to CF to take advantage of his speed, range, arm, and athleticism, because he plays SS with the touch of a bull in a china shop.
Back in 2008, the Cubs had Starlin Castro, Junior Lake, Marwin Gonzalez, and Gian Guzman together at Extended Spring Training, and to get them all enough playing time, the quartet was moved around to different positions, with Castro playing SS-2B-3B (best positions were 2B #1 and SS #2), Lake playing SS-2B-3B-CF (best positions were 3B #1 and CF #2), M. Gonzalez playing 3B-SS-2B-1B-LF (best positions were 3B #1 and SS #2), and Guzman playing 3B-SS (best position was 3B).
No question Lake had the best natural tools of the four. He also was the most erratic (in the field, on the bases, and at the plate, making lots of errors, running into outs, and striking out with regularity). But three years later it appears that Lake might possibly be finally putting it together, and could be about ready to realize his enormous potential.
While Castro is the better hitter, the better SS, and the better student of the two, Lake is faster, has more power, more range, and a stronger arm. If he played football, Lake would probably be a free safety.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Muskat seems to think that Baez is heading straight over to Mesa,and getting straight to work... Do you think that's right, AZ Phil? I know you were saying that you didn't think the late signing would do anything until the AZ Instructs...
Re: Ryno Part Deux
if he's going to do anything he's got about 2 weeks to do it before the regular minor league season ends.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Submitted by Jace on Sat, 08/20/2011 - 8:35pm.
Muskat seems to think that Baez is heading straight over to Mesa,and getting straight to work... Do you think that's right, AZ Phil? I know you were saying that you didn't think the late signing would do anything until the AZ Instructs...
JACE: While it's possible that he could get into an AZL Cubs game next week, the AZL season ends a week from tomorrow and Instructs starts on 9/15, so I would think Javier Baez will be at Fitch Park getting into playing shape for Instructs.
The Boise Hawks season runs a week beyond the AZL, so it's possible that some of the guys who signed late (like Baez) could go there for a few days if the Cubs want to get them some game action but they can't get ready in time to play for the AZL Cubs.
The pitchers who signed at the deadline will almost certainly be held back until Instructs, though. That's what happened last year with Ben Wells, Kevin Rhoderick, Casey Harman, and Brian Smith.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Consider it an invitation to speculate about the next Cub GM
1. I don't want to have to choose between 'new school' and 'old school'. I want a GM that makes smart baseball decisions and doesn't live and die by the spreadsheet.
2. I want to see a productive farm system. One that teaches plate discipline and defense.
Less trying to win the world series and more trying to build an organization that we Cub fans can be proud of.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I totally agree with point 1. On point 2, I agree that we need to focus on better situational baseball, knowing when/how to work counts, defense, etc.
I also think that more drafts (and draft strategy) like this year will help building the talent base (and hopefully we will see that we can sign some prospects who have fallen and will take more next year). Once we build this base, then your analysis about improving player development becomes even more important.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
didnt have the game today...Fox decided i needed to watch the mets.
Top 1st: St. Louis
- J. Jay doubled to shallow left center
- A. Craig grounded out to shortstop
- A. Pujols intentionally walked
...really? IBB pujols in the f'n 1st? ...with berkman up next? (who walked, btw)...man. have some f'n faith.
for those that want more info to handicap the situation further, jay stayed stranded at 2nd after the craig groundout.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Garza went 3-0 on Pujols. Then the bench told him to just put him on. He was pissed about it.
He may have been having a tough time focusing with the Air Force buzzing the field (Air & Water Show.)
Josh Lewin and Mark Grace had the call. Should have just listened to Pat & Keith.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
gotcha...that makes sense.
i thought it was a straight up IBB.
also, ha on grace...i love listening to him, but his best skill seems to be not creating dead air...he says a lot of stupid/weird/awkward stuff, but he occasionally gets into a gem of a rant.
just saw the video of it...ha...garza was not happy at all. also of interest...12 of aram's 24 homers are on the 1st pitch. neat-o etc.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
After Garza walked Berkman to load the bases, Quade came storming out for a pep talk. Grace suddenly starts complementing Quade for doing such a great job this year.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
No to hahn and coletti
Re: Ryno Part Deux
The only problem with all this speculation about assistant general managers is that at least one mainstream reporter is suggesting Ricketts wants a proven GM:
I wouldn't necessarily put a huge amount of stock in an article like that because it could be simply a reporter reading too much into a comment like:
Asked if he would interview current assistant general managers, Ricketts replied, "I'm not sure yet.
"There's obviously some good (ones) out there," he said. "If one of those candidates would have interest, then we would speak to him but …"
That last quote shows some possible manipulation for the article's sake, since the reporter doesn't say what he said after "but..."
Re: Ryno Part Deux
could have something to do with not being able to interview guys already with organizations.
it's not uncommon for clubs to give permission to guys to interview elsewhere, even if under contract...but it's tricky when the season is still going on.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Not to mention, that the guys we want are mostly competing for playoff spots.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Buster Onley said Cubs and Astros will look for Friedman.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Probably the Rays, too?
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Zeke DeVoss is showing crazy patience at Boise: .273 average with a .446 OBP, 21 BB: 15 Ks in only 101 PAs. That's a 20.8% walk rate and a 14.9% K rate. He collected 4 BBs last night and also on August 13.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
He really needs to be moved up at this point, although there may be some service time issues that would stem from moving to a full season league. I like the kid - I just hope he can continue to be patient as he moves up and become passable at 2B instead of just CF.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
There's no point, really in moving him up with such a short amount of time left in the season. You're not going to find out what you want to know about him because he's not going to face the same pitchers twice.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
He'd probably have to show some pop to have much value as a CF, or he'd have to continue to steal a lot of bases. At this point we have no idea what he can do, but it is nice to see a few minor leaguers in the Cubs system that value patience and will take a walk (B. Jackson, Zeke DeVoss, Matthew Cerda, and even Paul Hoilman), even if they don't all have a ton of other skills that stand out.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Center field and second base are pretty close on the "defensive spectrum", though right now, for whatever reason center fielders are pretty good hitters (better than left fielders actually). I think Kemp, Ellsbury and Granderson are ruining the curve.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I am putting my money (what little I have left) on current Rays Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman as the next Cubs GM.
Friedman and Ricketts come from the same background (investment banking) and would seem to be a baseball philosophical match, too.
If you haven't seen this yet, here is a short but somewhat interesting interview with Friedman from a few years ago (just after Tim Wilken left the Rays to join the Cubs as Scouting Director).
Of particular note is Friedman's explanation of the power-sharing approach the Rays took in their front office with Friedman and Gary Hunsicker. It sounds like Hunsicker is to Friedman as Oneri Flieta was to Jim Hendry, which could mean that Friedman would be OK with retaining both Fleita (Player Development & International Scouting) & Wilken (Amateur & Professional Scouting) if he were to be hired as Cubs GM.
BTW, I doubt that Fleita or Wilken would leave voluntarily (resign) just because Hendry got fired, unless Hendry gets another GM job (which is unlikely). It's far more likely that Hendry will be hired as a Special Assistant to a GM (good bet would be Hendry ending up in Detroit with old buddy Dave Dombrowski) or as a scout, and if that happens, Fleita and Wilken aren't going to follow.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Based on that interview, I am not sure if he's qualified to fill the role that Hendry did. It sounds like Hunsicker did the majority of the "minors" stuff.... he sure took Hendry to the wood shed last January, though. This is the first time the Cubs made a splash in the draft since the Prior signing. Was it just the ownership's lack of committing resources to signing bonuses that's been the system's problem, or were Fieta and/or Wilkens the problem? It would be interesting to know what Ricketts thinks about that.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Submitted by The Real Neal on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 1:21pm.
Based on that interview, I am not sure if he's qualified to fill the role that Hendry did. It sounds like Hunsicker did the majority of the "minors" stuff.... he sure took Hendry to the wood shed last January, though. This is the first time the Cubs made a splash in the draft since the Prior signing. Was it just the ownership's lack of committing resources to signing bonuses that's been the system's problem, or were Fieta and/or Wilkens the problem? It would be interesting to know what Ricketts thinks about that.
TRN: One thing I have noticed about the Cubs Player Development Dept that does not reflect favorably on Oneri Fleita is the apparent disinterest in using technology to help assess player development.
For example, most every other team out here has a qualified tech-geek in charge of video-recording the pitchers and the hitters at Minor League Camp, Extended Spring Training, AZL, and Instructs, but the Cubs only do it occasionally (they were video-recording Hayden Simpson a couple of weeks ago), and when they do employ video, it's usually done by one of the minor league pitchers equipped with a camera phone.
A coach from one of the other teams thought that was a real hoot.
Also, several teams out here use a system where the pitcher "charting" the game from behind home plate inputs the pitch-by-pitch information (type of pitch, velocity, outcome) directly into a lap-top using software that is specifically designed to analyze the pitcher's outing, and the Player Development staff can immediately access the info from anywhere in the world.
The Cubs pitchers keep pitching charts by hand (pencil & paper).
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Why would you want to invest $600 into a camcorder to help get the most out of your million dollar investments?
Maybe you should point it out to Ricketts if he ever does his "minor league tour" in the Arizona leagues.
Re: camera phones, paper and pencil charts
This is sickening news when you consider that Tom Ricketts gives Fleita an A+.
As I write, any amateur golfer with three hundred bucks to spare can get his swing analyzed by high tech video programs at swing centers all across the country.
But the Cubs seem to believe baseball is all art and magic.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
As I write, any amateur golfer with three hundred bucks to spare can get his swing analyzed by high tech video programs at swing centers all across the country.
MAYBE navigator, but you still shank the ball and lose them in the water, so what good are they? ;)
Re: I doubt that Fleita or Wilken would leave voluntarily (resig
"I doubt that Fleita or Wilken would leave voluntarily (resign) just because Hendry got fired, unless Hendry gets another GM job (which is unlikely)."
Interesting that you bring this up since so many in the Chicago media used Wilken and Fleita leaving if Hendry was fired as a reason not to fire fatso. Wilken was hired by Chuck LaMarr who was soon after dumped in 2005 when Sternberg cleaned house and made Friedman GM, although he wasn't given that title. However, if Wilken can be believed, he wasn't fired by Friedman but left TB voluntarily after all around him were canned by the new owner. So, it's not clear what will happen with Wilken should Friedman get the Cubs GM job. If he in fact did fire Wilken it's not likely he'll keep him now with the Cubs. And if Wilken did indeed leave on his own when Friedman took over, what are the chances he'll stay now? And why would Friedman want him because as we all should know by now, baseball organizations run on trust.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Submitted by navigator on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 1:44pm.
"I doubt that Fleita or Wilken would leave voluntarily (resign) just because Hendry got fired, unless Hendry gets another GM job (which is unlikely)."
Interesting that you bring this up since so many in the Chicago media used Wilken and Fleita leaving if Hendry was fired as a reason not to fire fatso. However, if Wilken can be believed, he wasn't fired by Friedman but left TB voluntarily after all around him were canned by the new owner. So, it's not clear what will happen with Wilken should Friedman get the Cubs GM job. If he in fact did fire Wilken it's not likely he'll keep him now with the Cubs. And if Wilken did indeed leave on his own when Friedman took over, what are the chances he'll stay now? And why would Friedman want him because as we all should know by now, baseball organizations run on trust.
NAVI: I think what Friedman said in that interview is what probably happened...
The Cubs Scouting Director job opened up when John Stockstill left to join Andy MacPail in Balimore (Stockstill's brother was also there), Hendry and Wilken were HS buddies back in Dunedin and Hendry likes to surround himself with familiar faces, and the Rays did not object when Hendry asked for permission to hire Wilken.
That doesn't mean Friedman (if hired) would want to retain Wilken as Scouting Director, but it also doesn't mean that Wilken (or Fleita) would necessarily get the boot, either. By all accounts Ricketts is satisfied with the Cubs scouting and minor league operations, and might not want to disturb that by bringing in a new Scouting & Player Development team. It's also possible that Fleita could be reassigned exclusively to run the Cubs International Scouting, with a new Player Development Director brought on board to run the minor leagues.
Re: By all accounts Ricketts is satisfied with the Cubs scouting
"By all accounts Ricketts is satisfied with the Cubs scouting and minor league operations"
I wonder if that's true with Angelos over in Baltimore?
The rumblings out of Baltimore are that MacPhail is out on the way and I just noticed that President of Baseball Operations MacPhail has Baltimore set up with a very small front office similar to the way things were when he ran the Cubs. John Stockstill is head of International Scouting, brother Dave is Director of Player Development. Lee MacPhail IV is Director of Professional Scouting.
At any rate, wouldn't it be ironic if Baltimore replaced MacPhail with Hendry? He's buddies with almost everyone there.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
"Hendry and Wilken were HS buddies"
I didn't know that. I always assumed that when Hendry hired Wilken, he used good judgment for once.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Apparently Darwin Barney is now the face of the 2011 Cubs.
That's from ESPN here in the UK, they make some very strange choices. Last Sunday night baseball they had Spilborghs (-1.7WAR) v Theriot (-0.2WAR)
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Quade just streamlined Buster Olney's name into "Bust" in an interview. His nickname efficiency is unrivalled.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
he should just call everyone "skippy"
butt slaps for everyone!
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Cashner threw in the bullpen Sunday and will board a plane Monday to join the Cubs' Class AA Tennessee farm club to begin a minor-league rehab assignment.
The 24-year-old right-hander said he hopes "to start a couple games" for Tennessee and maybe finish his rehab at Class AAA Iowa before rejoining the Cubs in early September in a bullpen role. Cashner is scheduled to start Tuesday night for Tennessee.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
ESPN announcers were ripping on Castro for his lack of focus in the field during the Sunday night game vs. the Cardinals, and the visuals along with the commentary were pretty convincing. Thoughts from anyone? I wonder if AZ Phil has anything to say about Castro's focus between pitches or his tendency to get lost in his own thoughts on the field (if he does indeed have that tendency).
Re: Ryno Part Deux
From the comments in Bruce Miles' Blog:
The Twitter world was atwitter tonight as TV watchers heard ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine criticize Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro for what he thought was inattentive play. Mike Quade said he was not aware of the alleged transgressions. We'll follow up tomorrow to see if Quade had a chance to see the tape.
"Did he screw up?" Quade asked. "I can't watch everything. I certainly try to. I'll have to talk to Zeus (coach Ivan DeJesus) and Pat (bench coach Listach) about that. I didn't recognize any of that.
"I probaby tend to focus when there's a situation I expect him to be involved in (such as when Castro and pitcher Rodrigo Lopez worked a successful pickoff play). I'll have to ask those guys about that or maybe call Bobby to see what he said."
Posted by Bruce on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 21:59
Re: Ryno Part Deux
This was just painful to listen to. Some of it may have been legit, but it went on for the entire half inning. Then Castro came to the plate and it continued. I realize that the game is 3 hours plus and they need to fill that air, but I am very disappointed that they chose to rag on Castro. There was one clip where he wasn't watching when the ball was pitched, which is of course unacceptable. Then Valentine went on to rip Castro for taking his glove off in between pitches. Then he said that Castro wasn't positioned properly between pitches and didn't make instinctive enough breaks on the ball. He moved on to Castro eating sunflower seeds as another sign of his lack of focus. The whole time the camera is zoomed in on Castro's face, while he cracked and spit sunflower seeds obliviously. There is no graceful way to eat sunflower seeds with no hands, and the ESPN crew seemed fine with painting a sloppy picture of Castro. I had to fast forward through some of it. Had I been watching in real time the mute button was coming fast.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I generally agree. I thought Bobby's points were mostly valid, but overstated. He had the right tone as far as Castro not facing the plate when the pitch was delivered, but the rest of the stuff could be stated softly as lead-by-example put-yourself-in-the-right-state-of-mind-on-the-field stuff--kind of like body language for pitchers.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
They caught Castro facing in the direction of the dugout or the Cub bullpen on one Russell pitch, and they went on about it for a half hour. Except for the one incident, what they were saying was mostly bogus. For example, they showed Castro holding his glove in his right hand until just before the pitch was thrown; and they compared Castro unfavorably to Barney in terms of being ready on the pitch. So then Barney does the same thing--holds the glove in his other hand until just before the pitch--and they don't mention it. They started using a lot of behind-the-plate shots so you could see both middle infielders and the pitcher, and I thought Castro and Barney were both leaning forward on their toes at the right time. Castro is always going to look a little more relaxed than Barney, because he is.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I need to be out there and do what I do for my 5-year old daughter during t-ball... "Watch the ball... keep your eye on the ball... keep watching the ball... where's the ball?"
That said... ESPN went way overboard here.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Well, heck, Castro has such outstanding role models in Soriano and Ramirez. I mean the way they always hustle in the field and sprint down to first on all ground balls because they just know that Q-less would bench them too if they didn't. Right?
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Matt Szczur hit two homeruns tonight to raise his total for the year to 9 in 434 plate appearances and his first full season of pro ball. If he turns into a 15-20 HR center fielder, coupled with his ability to put the bat on the ball, run the bases, and get after it in the field, he could be very valuable. Certainly seems like a strong enough kid to drive the ball a bit.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
It's hard not to be pleased with Caesar given that he's just now fully devoted to baseball. I think all evaluations agree that he has a plus hit tool, and we all know he has plus speed that should help his defense. If he can get the power tool to at least average or above average that would be very nice.
I wonder if Jackson can handle RF defensively. He should have plenty of range, but his arm is just average as far as I've heard. That could make for an outstanding defensive outfield, even if we have a Flaherty/Vitters type in LF.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Looks like his time with the Cubs hitting instructors is starting to take a toll on his penchant for walking, though. In high A, he's walking about half as often as he did last year. Hopefully he gets that back on track.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I optimistically am just chalking that up to adapting to a slightly higher level and a fairly small sample size. We'll see though.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
the whole idea of "teaaching" patience is a joke, anyway.
if a kid sees something he thinks he can hit he swings...the only fix to that is the kid realizing he shouldn't swing at certain things. if the kid can actually do that they already have a skill you can't teach and it's a matter of getting the kid to listen and situationally apply his skill.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Although AZ Phil confirms the Cubs Player Development people haven't joined the 21st century in technology, a new GM could change that. There's plenty of software programs out them that could use 'Pitch Trax' data to show a prospect the pitches he shouldn't be swinging at. A real hitting coach could then throw soft toss to that hitter and work on when he should/should not swing. I agree totally with your point, and the sad part is that Cubs minor league coaches have let this go on for years.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Jackson doesn't have enough arm to be an ideal defensive RF, but by the time Szczur is ready, Soriano likely won't be in LF anymore, so you could see Jackson in LF and Szczur in CF with someone else in RF. Vitters has enough arm for RF, so if he could track fly balls, he'd probably be okay out there. I don't know about Flaherty, but he'd probably be subbing/starting on the infield mostly anyway.
The Cubs played a lot of Floyd and Murton and Ward in RF in 2007 and generally got away with it, so I'm sure they could live with Jackson out there if it mattered.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Looks like a misprint, but I don't think it is: Jackson has 8 outfield assists in 34 games in CF for Iowa.
Guess who has the most outfield assists in the organization?
Anybody guess Giansanti? (Anybody ever hear of Giansanti?) Peoria right fielder, 20 assists, 14 from right field, 6 from left. Not a good hitter so far but some pop.
Jackson has 11 assists overall, Burgess 10, Perez and Ha 9, Snyder 8.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I think BA rated his arm the best in the organization, or maybe best outfield arm
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I mentioned it the other day, but he was either rated by BA or voted by the Midwest League managers as the best arm in the league.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
.694 OPS in Daytona is a bit troubling for Szczur. Blake DeWitt has an identical .694 OPS in Chicago this summer. And we know how much people love Blake DeWitt.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
This is Szczur's first full season of baseball. I'm willing to be a little patient with him. Now if it's say....summer of 2014 and he's shuttling from Tennessee to Iowa with a sub.700 OPS, I'd be disappointed then.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
What do you think is an acceptable OPS for a major league backup infielder? For a developmental CF in high A?
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I'd like to see it in the mid 800's if he's the prospect people are hyping him to be.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
You do realize that there are not a great number of qualified major league hitters with an OPS over 800, right? I looked it up a while back and there were only 60-some in all of baseball.
The minors are all about players being challenged and adjusting in order to continue to move up. Few prospects never struggle in the minors.
Hence, it is not reasonable for you to complain about him having a low OPS. Mainly I'm just tired of seeing your posts complaining about prospect X because of their OPS when you don't seem to have a grasp of what a good OPS is these days.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I'm not saying I don't like the kid. I'm not saying he won't ever me a major league player. I just think the hype on him is completely unwarranted at this point.
Not his fault its the case. If our system was better then it probably wouldn't be the case.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
The hype, in large part is based on his athleticism... OPS doesn't take fielding or baserunning into account, and it's pretty much understood that because he's big and strong that he'll hit for more power with more experience.
There's probably 10 middle infielders and center fielders in the minors with an 850 OPS.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
There's probably 10 middle infielders and center fielders in the minors with an 850 OPS.
Thank you. This is my point in continually asking what an acceptable OPS would be for Szczur
Re: Ryno Part Deux
There are 25 qualifiers at CF who have a better MLB OPS than Szczur has in A ball.
Maybe the kid develops and becomes something worthwhile? However at some point it needs to translate to some actual usable production. Haven't we all been watching the same franchise value "intangibles and tools" over the guy who hits time and time again.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Agreed..I mean, it IS Szczur's first full season concentrating on baseball. I mean, if he hasn't shown anything by now, he probably won't...time to cut him loose I suppose....
Re: Ryno Part Deux
If intangibles means your head is in the game, I can't think of a Cub prospect who had intangibles AND tools.
Theriot had no tools; Patterson and Pie were not very aware of their surroundings.
"Intangibles and tools" would be a powerful combo.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Patterson and Pie were not very aware of their surroundings.
Are you talking about Corey Patterson? Because I have never heard that criticism of K-Pat.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
fwiw, via rotoworld...via j.heyman (sup dude)
"When asked on ESPN if he was open to Carlos Zambano pitching for the Cubs again, owner Tom Ricketts said, "I have a hard time imagining that.""
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I was watching this last night and just assumed that Ricketts would give the typical PR type answer. "He's on the roster and until he isn't we're going to plan on him being with us" etc. I suppose there's no point in trying to fool the rest of baseball into thinking that he's an angel or that there's no way he'd be traded, but I really don't see the value in showing your hand. It is refreshing to hear a straight answer though.
Immediately after the interview the cameras showed Ricketts chumming around with fans in the upper deck, giving a baseball to a kid. The only problem was a guy in a Brewers shirt standing behind Ricketts. He held his shirt up repeatedly as ESPN continued to keep the guy in frame.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Brewers fans are so stupid that they cannot even figure out when they're team is playing. I see that sometimes here in Houston as well... I don't get it. Also the guy wearing the Ulracher jersey to the Cubs game here had me a bit curious.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
thanks for the article btw, Dr. Hecht, good read.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Can anyone tell me WTF Phil Bourbon Rogers is trying to say about Sandberg?
Re: Ryno Part Deux
seemed to be saying Sandberg would be a good choice for the next GM to deflect attention away from the GM, or something like that.
also, with a pretty big turnover in roster expected, not like they need to hire someone (not that they needed to in the first place) to appease some of the veterans.
In fact, his addition might be so popular that it would re-engage fans who otherwise could be screaming about the team's unwillingness to invest in Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols (consider the Cubs a huge long shot in both cases).
in other words, the Cubs will definitely be signing one of them now.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
"in other words, the Cubs will definitely be signing one of them now."
Re: Ryno Part Deux
some minor league moves...
The Chiefs welcome back Dallas Beeler, also add RHP Yoanner Negrin. Frank Del Valle promoted to Daytona, Daniel Berlind to Iowa.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
and this...
#BoiseHawks 1B Ryan Cuneo Northwest League Player of the Week. .375/.444/1.042 in 7 G. 9-for-24 with 4 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 5 R, 2 BB, 8 BB.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Is that a total of 10 BB's?
Re: Ryno Part Deux
typo on their part I'm sure...
not sure what their week entails, but appears it was 2 BB, 8 K
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Rick Hahn has a clause that lets him interview with Cubs (and a select few other teams), I assume without the formalities of asking the WSox for permission and such.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I would imagine they ask, or at least notify the Sox regardless. I am sure it's happened, but anyone know what's the penalty for not seeking (and obtaining) permission? Is it a fine? Draft pick?
Re: Ryno Part Deux
forced to listen to a Michael Bolton mix tape on a 24 hour loop
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Pena finally goes on trade waivers today, see if everyone is scared away by the $5M payment for next year.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
Re: Ryno Part Deux
I wonder how the salary works if someone claims him? I'd imagine the deferred signing bonus would transfer along with Pena?
Re: Ryno Part Deux
if he's claimed and Cubs just let him go, the claiming team would take on his contract and be on the hook for the remainder of his salary (whatever he's owed the rest of the year and the deferred money due Jan 1st I believe).
that's why no one will likely claim him, leaving the Cubs the chance to trade him to anybody and likely having to assume some part of his salary to get anything decent in return.
Re: Ryno Part Deux
more castro fallout from last night...
PWSullivan Paul Sullivan
Castro on the bench tonight after looking focus-challenged on Sunday night.
CarrieMuskat Carrie Muskat
No Castro in #Cubs lineup for Monday. It's either a day off or a day to get schooled after criticism during Sunday night game
Barney SS
DeWitt 2B
Ramirez 3B
Pena 1B
Byrd CF
Soriano LF
Colvin RF
Hill C
Dempster P
Re: Ryno Part Deux
This may achieve Q-Ball's goal of denying Castro a 200 hit season. That's about all.
Recent comments
A left-handed one...
lester going for #20...cubs haven't had a 20 game winner since d.ellsworth in 1963.
J-Hey not finishing with an offensive onslaught.
If Geoff Blum could be a Playoff hero, there is hope still...
Giants scare me. I think you're wrong about Bumgarner, he would pitch on short rest for Game 2 and then full rest for Game 5. Cueto would go Game 1, then short rest in game 4. Add in some really tough outs in that lineup and I want nothing to do with them. With that rotation they can easily steal a series.
Cards are a tough matchup. The rivalry evens out their comparable lack of talent. And like someone said, they love HRs, which is how to beat the Cubs. The upside is that I would feel really good about Lester twice against STL.
j.buchanan with a nice start...5ip 2h 1bb 3k, 0r/er
zobrist with 2HR and a double through 8
heyward 0-4 :(
Mark Gonzales @MDGonzales
Soler likely to return Sunday, Maddon says
Right now, I'd like to see the Mets first, Giants 2nd.
I believe that since most of the team from last years' NLCS is on the squad this year, they will really amp their game up even more to kick their ass in payback for 2015.
The Giants just do not have the depth in years past, and I think all things equal - and at Wrigley - they could handle them.
I do not want to see the Cards, period. Or their fans, media, or Joe Buck.
I don't want to play Braves in the first round. Any friggin team in the league can win 3 of 5..I hate the first round. Furthermore, I wanted to play the Marlins in 2003 and the Mets over Dodgers last year.
With that said in reverse order:
3. Cardinals: It will be devastating to lose in the first round, but even worse to their main rival. It is increased incentive for the Cardinals, especially after last year. Cards would have nothing to lose, Cubs have everything to lose.
2. Giants: Rotation in the playoffs scare me a bit, but what a lousy team.
1. Mets--because of the losses in the rotation
2. Giants--because they're not the team they were BUT they maybe have bullshit even-year magic?
3. Cardinals--because rivalry and not making the playoffs hurts them more than losing in the NLDS plus getting eliminated by them in the playoffs would make for horrible sports commentary next throughout next season.
Who's asking?
CLE/DET rained out last night already, possible rain-outs in New York (vs. Baltimore), Boston(vs. Toronto) and Philly(vs. Mets) this weekend too.
Not only games involving playoff spots that would need to be played, but any that involve home field advantage.
I got the first one! Second one I'm not even sure what even/odd betting is.
any opponent preference for NLDS?
Mets are down to 1 great pitcher instead of 4. Syndegaard may pitch Sunday which means if Mets win the WC game, he'd be set up for Game 1. There's a chance they clinch a spot by Sunday so he'd pitch the WC and then we'd probably get Colon for Game 1. They've certainly had the hottest bats over the last week and month out of the WC options.
A couple of Cub related puzzles.
Can't teach height and thinness
Hopefully Pirates don't call up A. Lincoln.


text:
Salem Health Dept. passes license fee hikes
December 28, 2012
SALEM — New food service license fees for 2013 will take effect Feb. 1 after the Salem City Health Board approved the third and final reading for the fee increases Thursday....
No comments posted for this article.
Post a Comment
You must first login before you can comment.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Coldplay brought confetti, lights and thousands of fans to the American Airlines Center; see photos from their colorful show
Photo: Kye R. Lee/Staff Photographer
Coldplay performs at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX on June 22, 2012.
We Were There: Coldplay brought us Christmas in June during colorful, exhilarating concert at American Airlines Center
Must-see concerts coming to DFW soon, from Coldplay to ZZ Top
Guide Picks: Top 5 things to do this weekend in Dallas-Fort Worth
Coldplay brings us grandeur, wistfulness — and wristbands — to pair of American Airlines Center concerts
To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.


text:
Tour The Brooklyn Brewery
Head to Williamsburg one of these summer weekends and get a tour of the Brooklyn Brewery (it's free1). In the old days, Brooklyn used to have tons of brewery's, but not so much anymore. Every Saturday and Sunday you can tour the Brooklyn Brewery at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, and 5pm (minus the 5pm on Sunday's). Doors open at 12pm and they close at 8pm, so you have the whole day to get there. Before your tour, wait in the bar area where beers are $4 each, or 6 for $20. There are plenty of tables to hang out, and you can ever get lunch delivered! You'll find tons of people hanging out, enjoying pizza and beer with their friends. When it's time for a tour, they'll call it out and you can go get in line. You'll see the various equipment they use to brew their beer and learn some fun facts about their history. Their summer ale is out right now, so go and get some on tap!


text:
Inspiring students with science
"I know you know the answers to this," Paul Skrade recently told a Des Moines seventh grader who was diagraming the parts of corn kernel. "You're doing awesome today, dude."
Skrade – friendly, chatty and energetic – certainly knows his way around a science lesson. He's an Iowa State University doctoral student studying ecology and evolutionary biology. And he's a fellow of Symbi, a program that places Iowa State graduate students in Des Moines middle and high school science classrooms.
Symbi is the only program of its kind in the state. It's part of a National Science Foundation effort to put graduate students studying science, technology, engineering and math into K-12 classrooms.
The program's primary goal is to teach the graduate students how to communicate their science. Another benefit is the chance to inspire school students and their teachers with the excitement and importance of science, engineering and university research.
Tom Garrison, an Iowa State doctoral student in chemistry who helps in high school science classrooms, applauds the Symbi program for "putting a face on science."
"I never met an engineer until I went to go get an engineering degree," Garrison said. "And I never really talked to a scientist until I went to college. I think that's too late."
Read more about Iowa State's Symbi program in a Nov. 1 news release.
- Turning his dream into an adventure
- An adventure with open arms
- An adventure of their own design
- Five places to see on your campus adventure
- Adventure grows by leaps and bounds
- 2016 February
- 2015 December
- 2015 August
- 2015 May
- 2015 February
- 2014 December
- 2014 August
- 2014 June
- 2014 May
- 2014 April
- 2014 February
- 2014 January
- 2013 November
- 2013 September
- 2013 June
- 2013 May
- 2013 March
- 2012 December
- 2012 November
- 2012 August
- 2012 July
- 2012 February
- 2012 January
- 2011 December
- 2011 November
- 2011 August
- 2011 July
- 2011 June


text:
Top Definition
A stylish and classy abbreviation of "Souvlaki", a food of Greek origin which has become popular worldwide, particularly with students of the University of Canterbury. Consumers of "souv" may experience a "souving" sensation upon consuming their "souv".
"I am going to go and buy a souv for lunch"
"Anna, would you like a Souv?"
"Anna, would you like a Souv?"
بواسطة souvlover فبراير/شباط 26, 2012
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?


text:
A gateway to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Santa Cruz is sixty-five miles south of San Francisco and 35 miles north of Monterey, offering convenient access from anywhere in California.
Hugged by majestic redwoods and blessed with cool summers and mild winters, Santa Cruz County features 29 miles of long sandy beaches, ocean cliffs and California's best surfing. In addition to the world-famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the fun-loving city features a lively downtown with great shopping, entertainment, restaurants and cafes. Whether you're looking for a romantic weekend getaway, a family vacation, an outdoor adventure or a place to simply relax, Santa Cruz has it all.


text: A real mixture of the good the bad and the ugly! Singing ghosts, spiders, strung-up witches and bats and snakes in the tunnel are all part of the fun, and, on the spot to please our little guests and create a spooky and exciting atmosphere in this otherwise dreamy winter paradise. But the ghost train is not only reserved for children: Mum and dad are also welcome to climb aboard and partake in a downhill run of a somewhat different kind! The ghost train is centrally situated in the skiing area and initiates its descent through the woods towards Danusa directly behind the snow bar.


text:
This is an excerpt from my upcoming book, Organizational Psychology for Managers
So how do we escape from the motivation trap?
I�ve frequently walked into an organization and been told, �The problem is Phil. He�s unmotivated.�
When I chat with Phil, I quickly find out that he�s a marathon runner, or a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, or volunteers in a homeless shelter, or one of dozens of other activities that require a great deal of consistent, focused, effort. In other words, motivation.
Phil isn�t unmotivated. He�s just not motivated to do the thing his manager wants him to do at that moment.
The first step to escaping the motivation trap is simply the realization that people are always motivated to do something. We want to make it easy for them to channel that motivation into their jobs.
When it comes right down to brass tacks, an organization is a community of people with a purpose. It doesn�t matter whether we�re looking at a corporation, a non-profit, a school, a hospital, or a cycling club. Every organization has a purpose, expressed through its culture and conveyed in its vision and organizational narrative.
People who join the organization are going to be at least open to the organization�s vision. At best, they are already excited and eager to be part of it. If either of these points is not true, you have a serious problem in your organizational culture and narrative, the ability of your people to convey the purpose, or your hiring process � we�ll discuss that last point in the next chapter.
The next point is that it is the rare person indeed who comes to work wanting to do a bad job. However, if we just get wrapped up in our use of rewards and punishment, it is possible to turn enthusiastic people into people who no longer care or are happy to do a bad job. Unfortunately, we have some cultural beliefs that tell us that people don�t want to work and are lazy, uninterested, and take no pride in their work. The myth that workers don�t want to be there and have to be forced to work is a cultural value dating back to a time during the industrial revolution when horrible working conditions did, indeed, destroy motivation. As is often the case, cultural values have not yet caught up with reality.
People who are part of a community seek to gain status in the community. Thus, given the opportunity, members of an organization will act in ways which increase their status in the organization, provided they believe their actions matter and can see a path from where they are to a place of higher status. That status will typically translate into greater referent, legitimate, or expert power as well. We can take this a step further and observe that people always choose actions that they believe will increase their status in some way: we need to feel we are making progress in the activities to which we devote our time and energies.
The other side of the equation is that any large project is going to be draining at times. There will be moments of frustration and points where people are so tired, angry, or upset that they feel like just throwing in the towel and storming off. This is not something to just ignore or say that �professionals keep going� and other trite phrases. Professional athletes have people cheering them on and helping them through the long down periods.
Thus, motivation really comes down to unleashing people�s natural desires to do well, increasing their competence and status, and supporting them during difficult periods. It�s about using referent power to build those individual relationships we discussed in the previous chapter, and being there for people.
In this case, a necessary component of referent power boils down to how do you present yourself and what sort of example are you setting?
Are you genuinely interested in your team members as people, or is your interest in them only to further your own career? As Google found out, employees respect and trust managers who have the employee�s interests at heart. Similarly, if you want people to respect and trust you, you have to respect and trust them first. Motivation comes from working with someone who respects you and cares about your career: that is what makes it possible to trust the feedback that you are making progress.
Do you have strongly held beliefs and values? In other words, are you committed to something other than yourself? When someone is only committed to themselves, it�s very hard to trust them; you never know which way they�ll jump. However, people who are committed to a clear set of values can be trusted to hold those values even when it�s inconvenient.
Along the lines of strongly held values, do you demonstrate integrity? Remember that all leadership is at least partially transactional. While transactional leadership is quite limited on its own, it is the basis for anything deeper and more powerful. Without integrity, that transactional foundation will be unstable. Without the transactional foundation, inspiring others becomes impossible, and you�re back to using force: inspiring promises won�t work particularly well if no one believes you. At one company I worked with, a certain manager always found a reason to not follow through on promises he�d made; it wasn�t long before he had a department full of people who spent most of their time sitting around grumbling and doing the minimum amount of work necessary to keep getting a paycheck. The most bizarre part of the experience was that he seemed genuinely bewildered by their reactions, which brings us to the next point.
Can you make an emotional connection to other people on the team and in the organization? Logic is all well and good, but when it comes to deciding whom to trust and whom to listen to, emotion drives the train. If your team can�t make an emotional connection with you, they�ll never really trust you and will abandon you when a better opportunity comes along. Sometimes, they won�t even wait that long. That was, in the end, what happened to the manager I just mentioned. His personal brand became toxic; no one would stay in his department. He went back to being an individual contributor, where he was much happier.
So, with these points in mind, how then do we actually enable motivation?
Before answering that, let�s recognize something very important: there are no magical motivational techniques. Although the techniques we will look at are ones that can be easily done with people rather than to them, it�s still possible to turn each �with� into a �to.� It depends on your presentation.


text:
Dentures Center - Davenport, IA
- WebMD Physician Directory of Davenport Doctors
- Related Dentures Articles
- Davenport Emergency Contacts
- Nearby Davenport Hospitals
- Find a Local Pharmacy on RxList - Davenport
Davenport Doctors and Specialists for Dentures
What are dentures?
When a person is missing teeth, he or she may experience a variety of problems. The person may become less confident in their smile and have difficulty speaking and eating certain foods. Dentures are appliances that ar...
Other Related Dentures Articles
Emergency Contact for Davenport
- In case of Emergency, call 911
Nearby Davenport Hospitals results
- 1Genesis Medical Center-East
1227 E Rusholme St
Davenport, Iowa 52803
(563) 421-100
- 2Genesis Medical Center-West
1401 W Central Park Ave
Davenport, Iowa 52804
(563) 421-100
- 3Trinity Bettendorf
4500 Utica Ridge Rd
Davenport, Iowa 52722
(563) 742-500
- 4Trinity Medical Center
2701 17th St
Davenport, Iowa 61201
(309) 779-500
- 5Genesis Medical Ctr - Illini
801 Illini Dr
Davenport, Iowa 61282
(309) 792-936
- 6Trinity Medical Ctr Moline Camp
500 John Deere Rd
Davenport, Iowa 61265
(309) 779-500
- 7Genesis Medical Center De Witt
1118 11th St Stop 1
Davenport, Iowa 52742
(563) 659-420
- 8Hammond Henry Hospital
600 N College Ave
Davenport, Iowa 61254
(309) 944-643
- 9Mercer County Hospital
409 NW 9th Ave
Davenport, Iowa 61231
(309) 582-530
- 10Trinity Muscatine
1518 Mulberry Ave
Davenport, Iowa 52761
(563) 264-910
- 11Mercy Medical Center Clinton
1410 N 4th St
Davenport, Iowa 52732
(563) 244-555
* Provider Directory Terms of Use:
The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval.
You are prohibited from using, downloading, republishing, selling, duplicating, or "scraping" for commercial or any other purpose whatsoever, the Provider Directory or any of the data listings or other information contained therein, in whole or in part, in any medium whatsoever.
The Provider Directory is provided on an "AS-IS" basis. WebMD disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for particular purpose. Without limiting the foregoing, WebMD does not warrant or represent that the Provider Directory or any part thereof is accurate or complete. You assume full responsibility for the communications with any Provider you contact through the Provider Directory. WebMD shall in no event be liable to you or to anyone for any decision made or action taken by you in the reliance on information provided in the Provider Directory.
The use of WebMD Provider Directory by any entity or individual to verify the credentials of Providers is prohibited. The database of Provider information which drives WebMD Provider Directory does not contain sufficient information with which to verify Provider credentials under the standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) of the Utilization Review Accreditation Committee (URAC).
By using the WebMD Provider Directory, you agree to these Terms and Conditions.


text:
Top Definition
The act of shitting and sneezing at the same time.
Jason Liu shneeted in my face and on my lap at the same time, FML!
di gunnhigh123 17 agosto 2009
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
The act of pooping your pants and sneezing or picking your nose at the same time.
Cooper was walking down the hallway and shneeted. He then ran to the bathroom with poop in his pants and snot on his shirt.
di Clawson33 22 novembre 2010


text:
Welcome to our weekly edition of what's hot in social media news. To help you stay up-to-date with social media, here are some of the news items that caught our attention.
What's New This Week?
YouTube Releases YouTube Analytics: YouTube Analytics now gives you a quick overview and more detailed reports for tracking your audience building and retention statistics. Be sure to check out the updated YouTube Creator Playbook to learn how to take full advantage of the new YouTube Analytics features.


text:
Ready for Spring? If so, check out these signs of spring shared by u local members for a quick pick-me-up.
Check out these signs of spring from u localUPDATED 10:07 AM CST Mar 06, 2014
CommentsThe views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.blog comments powered by Disqus


text:
The Canadian term for a coffee with double cream, double sugar.
*ordering at a coffee shop* "Could I get a double-double and a donut?"
লিখেছেন- Manchester Rain 16 de অক্টোবার de 2005
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
Top Definition
A Canadian term used to describe how you take your coffee - two teaspoons of sugar and two creams. Preferably used in any Tim Hortons location.
Server at your local coffee shop: Can I take your order?
You: Ya, I'll have a medium double-double.
You: Ya, I'll have a medium double-double.
লিখেছেন- Tania J 24 de সেপ্টেমবার de 2004
A way Canadians order coffee, meaning double cream and double sugar. Most commonly heard at Tim Hortons coffee chain. Even in Quebec the same term is used but pronounced in French of course.
I'll have a large double-double and a boston cream donut.
লিখেছেন- Neil Jamieson 26 de এপ্রিল de 2004
Two cream, two sugar in a Tim Horton's Coffee (Canada's most popular donut/coffee shop)
"I'd like a large double-double and an old fashioned plain donut please."
লিখেছেন- Bruce McDonald 10 de এপ্রিল de 2006
A burger at IN-N-OUT with two meat and two cheese.
Yeah, I'll have a double double animal style with animal fries and a large lemonade.
লিখেছেন- Mike 12 de এপ্রিল de 2005
double double
A coffee from Tim Horton's, a coffee and donut chain in Canada and north east USA. A double-double is two cream two sugar in your coffee.
A coffee from Tim Horton's, a coffee and donut chain in Canada and north east USA. A double-double is two cream two sugar in your coffee.
You going to Timmy's, get me a double-double.
লিখেছেন- Rick Barnes 1 de এপ্রিল de 2008
A fast food order made at an In-N-Out burger resteraunt in the southwestern region of the US. A burger named for it's ratio of two hamburger patties to two slices of cheese per bun.
Did you get a double-double when you went to In-N-Out?
লিখেছেন- <3core 13 de জানুয়ারি de 2006


text:
ROCKFORD — The Illinois Society of Professional Engineers Rockford chapter and TAC Rockford will sponsor Discovering Engineering from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Discovery Center, 711 N. Main St.
Engineers from local firms will give kids and adults a hands-on experience for National Engineers Week. The event includes challenges, high school robotics teams, make-and-take activities and science demonstrations.
Cost: $8 per person. For information: 815-963-6769, discoverycentermuseum.org.
Location, ST | website.com


text:
Much to the surprise of fans – and other riders – Geri Halliwell attempted to blend in with fellow travelers as she took public transportation in London ... and then breathlessly documented the experience on Twitter.
"Not so bad!!" she Tweeted, sharing a photo of herself posing with a newspaper underneath a sign displaying train times.
Next, Halliwell, 40, shared a photo of her posing by the subway station to show she survived the ride.
"Loved it!! I'm a Londoner! I'm liberated!!" she wrote.
Halliwell soon revealed why taking the tube – something more than three million commuters do every day without spectacle – was such a big deal: it had been more than a decade since she'd taken the train.
Forgive me for being a brat:-after 17 years & yesterday's 2 hrs of traffic-lets save time & money-the tube! twitter.com/GeriHalliwell/…— Geri Halliwell (@GeriHalliwell) March 13, 2013
But for someone who hadn't used the public transportation service in nearly two decades, she was quick to dole out advice to fellow riders.
Rules of the tube, I notice no one smiles or looks at each other ,like stay out of my zone.— Geri Halliwell (@GeriHalliwell) March 13, 2013
"Tube tip – dews stops at platform entrance, or below sign, more seats at end carriage. oh & it's not smelly just saying," she wrote.
Although she navigated the underground system like a pro, the journey seemed to be a lot for the singer, who later confessed, "I'm knackered. London has worn me out."
What a day. hope your was / is great.Xx twitter.com/GeriHalliwell/…— Geri Halliwell (@GeriHalliwell) March 13, 2013


text:
Top Definition
The name was coined to describe Arnold's (from the show Hey Arnold) grandpa, Phil, when he was a young boy playing chess. The term describes that Phil had nerves of steel. Today it is used to describe another boy named Phil that you all may know.
Steely Phil! Aceromente Felipe! Whats happnin? How bout those Patriots?
от Marbs 07 октомври 2006
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?


text:
Systemwide Events Calendar
SEOTY 2013 Craft Fair & Silent AuctionNovember 22, 9:30am - 2:00pm
Manoa Campus, Campus Center Mall
2013 Craft Fair & Silent Auction featuring 24 vendors selling Christmas crafts and specialty items. 70 auction items including: hotels, golf, restaurants, gift cards and much more. All proceeds benefit Manoa Career Center's Student Employee of the Year (SEOTY) program.
View auction items on our Website: manoa.hawaii.edu/careercenter Facebook: facebook.com/UHMCareerCenter
Event Sponsor
Manoa Career Center, Manoa Campus
More Information
Linda Miyake, 956-3722, email@example.com, http://manoa.hawaii.edu/careercenter/craftfair.php
|Friday, November 22
|The Wellness Center - Fitness Class Schedule
Maui Campus, Pilina Bldg., Wellness Center
|Career Day
Maui Campus, 'Ike Le'a and Ka Lama Buildings
|Social Welfare Final Oral
Manoa Campus, Henke 109
|SEOTY 2013 Craft Fair & Silent Auction
Manoa Campus, Campus Center Mall
|Geology and Geophysics Final Oral
Manoa Campus, POST 723
|Career Fair and Transfer Fair
Maui Campus, Pilina Building Student Lounge
|FUTURE PRIMAL: How Our Wilderness Origins Show us the Way Forward
Manoa Campus, Saunders 624
|Ocean and Resources Engineering Final Oral
Manoa Campus, MSB 114
|German Club - Stammtisch
Manoa Campus, Manoa Garden
|Ohana Outing
Manoa Campus, Stan Sheriff Center
|UH Chorus, Concert Choir and Chamber Singers
St. Andrew's Cathedral, Queen Emma Square
|A Tribute Concert in Memory and Honor of Lina Jeong Doo
Kapiolani Campus, Maile Building
|Dance Anniversary: Look Back Move Forward
Manoa Campus, Kennedy Theatre Mainstage
|Doubles Table Tennis Tournament
Manoa Campus, Studio 3
|Queens of the Night
Manoa Campus, Earle Ernst Lab Theatre
- Highlighted dates have scheduled events.
- Select the date to view all events for that day.
Ongoing Events
- The Wonder of Learning: the Hundred Languages of Children Exhibit
- Red Hat System Administration I
- EWC Arts Exhibition: Bollywood & Beyond: Costume in Indian Film
- Kalaupapa -- A Source of Light, Constant and Never-Fading
- Convergence: Glitch_Click_Thunk, Featuring Mark Amerika
- Trip Around the Island
- Trip Around the Island exhibit
- Waikiki Parc Features Ashley Huang
- Holding On, Letting Go
- Mark Amerika's image-Exchange for Convergence


text:
When it comes to the birthplaces of celebrities, they're all over the map. See which celebrity was born where.
Celebrities: Where were they born?UPDATED 1:00 AM CDT Jun 16, 2016
CommentsThe views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.blog comments powered by Disqus


text:
Virgin Australia operates flights to Hervey Bay every day from Sydney.
Hervey Bay Airport Information
Hervey Bay Airport is located in Urangan, approximately 10km from Hervey Bay's city centre, and can be accessed by various transport options, including:
- Car Hire: Receive mates' rates when you choose from a great choice of hire cars from our car partners.
- Taxi: Hervey Bay Taxis can be pre-booked.
- Bus Transfers: Bundaberg & Wide Bay Shuttle Service provides Hervey Bay Airport transfers to and from Bundaberg, Childers, Maryborough, Hervey Bay and surrounding areas. Shuttles must be pre-booked and pre-paid.
Things to do in Hervey Bay
The Fraser Coast is a tapestry of natural wonders. Whales frolic in the calm protected waters of Hervey Bay. Dolphins feed and play in Tin Can Bay. Sea turtles nest just east of Bundaberg. While vacationers and adventurers snorkel the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef and four-wheel drive Fraser Island – the world's largest sand island. Awarded Biosphere Reserve status by UNESCO, the Great Sandy Strait – the sand passage estuary that separates mainland Queensland and Fraser Island – is revered in the same class as, and protected in the same way as, the Galapagos Islands and Central Amazon.
Hervey Bay is a peaceful and picturesque seaside city with plenty to offer. Best known as the whale watching capital of Australia, it is home to the biggest show on earth, Harvey and the Humpbacks. Nearby World Heritage listed Fraser Island is great destination for thrill seekers, boasting opportunities to kite surf, wakeboard, go kart and sky dive. The southernmost tip of the Great Barrier Reef is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Lady Elliot Island. While the historic Urangan Pier offers guests the opportunity to do as the locals do – relax, cycle and cast out a fishing line.
The Fraser Coast has a number of national retailers, contemporary stores, boutiques, shopping malls, arcades and markets. Station Square Shopping Centre in Maryborough is the region's largest shopping centre; a one stop shopping location, boasting major retailers, more than 40 specialty stores and a 200 seat food court. Stockland Hervey Bay is a convenient single level centre, with more than 40 specialty stores and services. Pialba Place located in the heart of Hervey Bay has something for everyone, stocking a diverse range of retailers. The Fraser Coast's shows its personality at its regional markets. The two main markets in the area are the Maryborough Heritage City Markets and the Nikenbah Markets. The Fraser Coasts also enjoys a rich artistic culture, with a wide range work including painting, carving, ceramics, photography, printmaking, sculpture and much more on show at local galleries.
Thanks to a booming tourism trade, Fraser Coast prospers with a number of regional and cosmopolitan eateries – spanning country pubs, boutique coffee haunts, alfresco cafes, wineries, fine dining restaurants and traditional fish and chip shops. Make the most of Hervey Bay's scenic setting; head to one of several cafes or restaurants on the Esplanade to enjoy stunning views of the Bay, ocean breezes, and menus comprised of fresh local and seasonal produce. Regional produce is rife on the Fraser Coast; local specialities include gourmet jam, chutney and relish, hand-made ice-cream, freshly ground coffee, and home-made macadamia treats. Seafood is the centrepiece of the Fraser Coast food scene. Hervey Bay scallops and locally harvested prawns, fish and calamari can be bought cooked or fresh at retail outlets, or enjoyed at local restaurants. Held at Fishermen's Park, at the Urangan Boat Harbour on the second Sunday in August every year, The Hervey Bay Seafood Festival showcases wild catch seafood harvested by the local commercial fishing industry from the Fraser Coast's pristine waters.
Fraser Coast doesn't overflow with drinking holes, but when the weather turns warms the area's cafés and pubs turn into late night haunts. As the southern gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Hervey Bay is a prominent backpacker holiday destination. A number of establishments along the long Esplanade and on Boat Harbour Drive particularly cater to backpackers. Local taverns and pubs also appeal to thirsty tourists looking to relax after a big day sightseeing. A trip to the Fraser Coast can't be deemed complete without visiting the Bundaberg Distilling Company, home to the world-famous Bundaberg Rum. Local wineries also speckle the fertile Isis District, boasting a number of white and red variants.
Hervey Bay Holiday Packages
Experience all that Hervey Bay has to offer, our holiday partner Virgin Australia Holidays has a great array of Hervey Bay holiday packages. Packages include flights, accommodation and a great variety of extras.


text:
on September 17, 2012 - 12:01 AM
, updated September 17, 2012 at 8:57 AM
In recent years, layaway, the old-fashioned financing option, has made a remarkable comeback fueled by the financial slump. Layaway can make purchases more affordable, but they do come with some fees, which increase if the layaway contract is canceled.
But unlike credit cards, the souped-up layaway programs are free of finance charges, interest and late fees. So if you don't have the cash on hand to pay the full price, layaway has increasingly become an option as national retailers have reinstated or introduced and expanded their programs.
But layaway can have its drawbacks. If you purchase an item through a layaway plan that charges fees, you'll end up paying more for that item than you would if you simply waited to make your purchase until you'd saved enough to pay for it. And even if you don't pay a fee, you're essentially still giving the store an interest-free loan until your purchase is paid off.
Consider this option a sort of reverse layaway plan: Instead of buying the item and paying for it in installments, simply set aside however much money you'd pay in those layaway installments at regular intervals over the next two to three months until you've got enough to go out and pay cash for it. Nothing will be cheaper than that.
Yet with the economy sputtering and money still tight for many shoppers, layaway is enjoying a resurgence among shoppers who still yearn to buy now and pay later. Layaway has become a viable alternative for shoppers who don't have credit cards or are trying to use them less.
The financing option, which is offered year round at various retailers from clothing to furniture stores, has grown in popularity with a greater number of shoppers each holiday season opting for layaway plans. These plans typically allow four to 12 weeks to complete payments. TJ Maxx and Marshall's are among the list of area stores that offer layaway.
Computers, video game systems, flat-screen TVs and jewelry are among the hot gifts usually set aside for the program. Shoppers make a down payment and, depending on the store, perhaps a service fee, while the items are held aside at the store as incremental payments are made. Websites also have emerged and gained popularity, with numerous retailers offering installment payment plans for a wide selection of merchandise.
This year, the resurgence could reach new heights with national retailers' promotions. Toys R Us is waiving its $5 service fee for in-store layaway items and it's lifting its minimum purchase requirement until Oct. 31. After that, there will be a $5 service fee.
At Kmart and Sears, layaway customers won't have to pay the $5 or $10 initiation fee for orders started in-store and online before Nov. 17. Walmart isn't doing away with its layaway fee, but it is cutting it to $5 from $15 and extending its payment time frame from 60 to 90 days. The nation's largest retailer holiday layaway program is no longer open to just electronics and toys. It's been expanded this year to include small appliances and other items.
While some retailers have temporarily eliminated the major hang-up of layaway contracts, others are still charging them. For example, Best Buy charges a service fee of 5 percent of the total value of orders.
There are cancellation costs too. It could result in the loss of the initiation fee and come with fees from $10 to 10 percent of the total layaway. Layaway items are usually not eligible for price adjustments and don't apply to clearance items. Experts warn consumers to be wary of exorbitant fees that exceed interest charges on credit cards and essentially make layaway plans expensive.
Typically, service fees are $5 to $10, and 10 to 20 percent of the purchase price is required upfront. Payment schedules can be flexible or fixed. At Sears and Kmart, payments must be made in a store or online every two weeks, but at Burlington Coat Factory, you can pay as you please within the 60-day period.
The Federal Trade Commission recommends knowing the terms of your layaway agreement and getting the store's refund policy in writing when you buy.
The fine print on layaway plans
Several major retailers have made changes to their layaway programs heading into the holiday shopping season. Here's a rundown:
. Walmart - Reduced fee from $15 to $5. Starting program a month earlier, beginning on Sept. 16 and running through Dec. 14. Once the item is paid for, Walmart will give the consumer a $5 gift card. All items must cost at least $15. Total layaway purchase must be at least $50.
. Toys R Us - Layaway program is open now and won't charge a fee on items ordered by Oct. 31. After that, a $5 service fee will apply. Consumers must make a 20 percent down payment and pay 50 percent within 45 days. Item must be paid in full by Dec. 16.
Babies-R-Us has the same layaway policy.
. Kmart and Sears - ?No service fee on layaway purchases, but a $10 fee will apply if a layaway order is canceled. Requires an initial payment of $15 or 10 percent of the item's purchase price. Repayment period runs from eight to 12 weeks, with biweekly payments required. The Kmart program is running now. Sears is expected to launch its layaway promotion in October.
. T.J. Maxx and Marshall's - Offers a 30-day layaway program. Requires a down payment of 10 percent of the item's cost, or $10, plus a $5 service fee. Charges a $5 cancellation fee.
. Best Buy - Charges a 5 percent service fee. Requires upfront payment equal to 25 percent of the purchase price and subsequent payments every two weeks over an eight to 12 week repayment period. Item must cost at least $250. Not available at Western New York stores.
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Create a free account to check out faster, store multiple shipping addresses, view and track your orders in your account, and much more.
Please enter your password to continue.
All too often, style and substance are mutually exclusive—it's rare that the stuff that gets the job done also looks good doing it. One exception to the rule: the contents of this sleek matte black bottle. The hydrating formula goes on smooth and helps protect your skin while allowing for a close, clean shave. This superlubricating cream will also wash off the blade a lot easier than heavier and denser shaving agents.
I have been impressed with all the products in this line, this cream is excellent for shaving just apply a little bit to the end of a shave brush and you are ready to go. I find using the shave brush gives you better coverage but you can also smooth it on. No strong odors to compete with your after shave or cologne.5
Used the sample that came with the "summer special" Birchbox that was $48. The smell is nice. The fact that it does not make a foamy mess is nice. What I did not like is that contrary to the description above, the cream did not come off of the blade that well. In fact, it was VERY hard to get the blade clean. Maybe a fresh blade would yield better rinsing results?
Overall, it's a great product.


text:
Clearly, Lauren Conrad's dog prefers to cap off a ruff day at the office the same way you do: with a nice, relaxing bubble bath.
The fashion expert's most recent canine addition, Fitz – whom she adopted last year – gets the spa treatment in a photo she shared on her blog.
But the bath isn't just for Fitz's enjoyment, explained the mom-of-two dogs, 27.
"[The dogs] have a walker who takes them for two hours a day just to make sure they get enough exercise, so Fitz comes home every day with a cloud of dirt around him. Literally, like every other night, this dog gets a bath because he is just the dirtiest dog," she said.
"If you pat him on the back, a little puff of dirt comes up. It's adorable until he's on your light-colored sofa, and you're like, 'Nooo!'"
The Daily Treat: How Lauren Conrad's Dog Unwinds After a Ruff Day
Courtesy Lauren Conrad
The Latest
Only on People.com


text:
Online Balboa Dance Lesson Pack: Mind Bending Modern Balboa (7 lessons)
Pack Details
Title: Mind Bending Modern Balboa
As Balboa continues to evolve, so do its movement possibilities develop in increasingly fascinating and challenging directions. Explore some of those newer moves and concepts with the lessons in this pack of Adam and Nelle's observations and innovations.
Dance genre: Balboa
Packs are 15% off!
$13.93 $11.84
Lessons in this pack (1-7 of 7)
(1-7 of 7)
(1-7 of 7)


text:
Crowdfunding Lent Key Customer Insights to Connected Data
Geoff Barrall, a long-time data storage entrepreneur, didn't need any capital to get his latest venture started, but he still turned to Kickstarter where he generated $260,453 and something far more important.
Though Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites are seen as somewhere entrepreneurs, artists and others with good ideas but little access to capital, Barrall and his team found it a valuable window into how potential customers think.
Barrall's latest company, Connected Data, is taking a different angle on cloud storage– a market that's been saturated by start-ups and offerings from big technology companies to enable people and businesses to share files and back up important data.
Its product, Transporter, is a networking device with a hard drive that uses a cloud service to link together different Transporters or a Transporter and a different computing device. Unlike other cloud backup and filing sharing services, Connected Data only makes the connection between the devices; it doesn't store or send and files, file names or metadata about files.
Customers can share files with others or use a second device as off-site backup.
Barrall's first company, data storage maker BlueArc, sold to Hitachi Data Systems in 2011 for almost $600 million. His most recent, Drobo, a maker of simple storage arrays for the consumer market, has raised $63 million from investors such as Greylock Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Sutter Hill Ventures.
Connected Data itself raised $6 million from Floodgate Fund and Northgate Capital, so Kickstarter isn't about access to funds. "The ability for us to reach out to customers, to get feedback and understand how they'd use it… was hugely informative," Barrall said.
For example, Transporter is sold with a terabyte or a two-terabyte drive. The team wasn't sure whether to launch a version with no storage, where the customer could add their own hard drive, he said.
But when the company offered a zero-drive Transporter on Kickstarter, it was the most popular option. "We did some [pre-Kickstarter] testing that showed otherwise, but when people are parting with their money, it's different," Barrall said.
Also, the company realized that building connections to Android devices needed to be a much higher priority than it had made it and that there's greater international demand than it had anticipated.
To get similar insights when Drobo launched in 2005 took months of selling on the Web, he said.
Write to Scott Denne at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at @scottdenne


text:
Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, there with their children Harlow and Sparrow, snapped a fun photo with Disney's Princess Tiana. (Don't worry, Harlow and Sparrow got their turn with the princess, too!)
Richie was quite the star backstage, too: According to a source, several ice skaters asked to take a photo with her, and she kindly obliged.
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart were also there with their daughter Billie – who dressed up as Cinderella and held a Cinderella doll – and baby Georgia, as well. Before leaving, both families donated diapers to Baby Buggy, a charity that benefits needy Los Angeles mothers, fathers and children. – Melody Chiu
Spot a celebrity? Tweet us your sighting— People magazine (@peoplemag) August 7, 2012
@peoplemag with #CITA and it could appear on PEOPLE.com!


text: Postemergence, nonselective herbicides are classified as either contact or systemic. A Non Selective Herbicide cannot differentiate between weeds you would like to kill and the plants you want unharmed. Contact herbicides kill only the green tissues that are contacted by the spray. Systemic herbicides move within the plant from the point of application to other plant parts. There are some systemic herbicides are can move easier and further in plants than others. The Amount of Movement Systemically also depends on the season you are applying the herbicide. Therefore, to obtain optimum pest control, herbicides must be applied at the time of year when weeds are most susceptible and actively growing.