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Canon PowerShot SX200 IS Review
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"...................It's also a little bit heavier and bigger than its main competitor, the Panasonic Lumix SX200 IS…............"
Now that is funny, Mark! You might want to fix it…..........
Thanks for this review, I've been doubting whether to go for the Panasonic or the Canon.
I guess Panasonic finally caught up with Canon and produced a great camera.
Thanks for the review Mark! I'm set on the Panasonic. Now I've just got to wait for it to be released here in the states. Hopefully before my vacation on 04/19..
The comment about videos taking a lot of space may need to be reworded slightly. The SX200 IS uses h.264 compression, and comparing the specs of the AVCHDLite format of the new Lumix, it generates files a little bigger (2125 KBps on Lumix vs. 2955 KBps on the Canon). The benefit of h.264 is that it is a much more supported format—would be worth finding out if this will work on iPods, etc. without any conversion. The review makes it seem like the files are much larger than they really are I think.
I have just bought this and I really like it but there is one absolutely annoying factor. The flash pops up all of the time and gets in the way. They need to apply some firmware fast so I and anyone else can switch this off. Had I known this I would not have bought it, simple as that.
I compared pictures from Panasonic and Canon which was easy, since they both got pictures from exact same places. It seems to me that colours in Canon are in better balance and on some occasions it disturbs me the way Panasonic exaggerates red. In one picture of an alley Canon correctly muted red in shadow areas. Colour was hardly discernible, while Panasonic brightened all reds so that you felt there must be an extra light source.
SX200 is definitely a winner. Samples images prove once again Canon's better IQ compared to Panasonic. canon produces true colors in any condition, however, panny's colors are a little off. thanks for the review. now it is time to order sx200!!
The always-up flash is the deal killer here. How could Canon be so stupid to underestimate the (social) effect of a flash prominently sticking up?
When this camera was announced, I thought it would be perfect as a compact next to a DSLR, and something I'd recommend to friends. Wide angle, manual controls, good looks and all. But the flash always up draws attention, slows the boot process, makes it lots more vulnerable to dust, moisture, wear and damage, wastes battery life, and will make me as an available light street photographer paranoid: will it fire or won't it?
If it does fire, I have two problems: unwanted attention and a horrible picture.
Whereas keeping the flash down when it's off would be perfect assurance it will not fire.
Puzzling how the same company can create the 5Dii and this near hit.
Good day! Are you using Smart Auto Mode with those samples images?
Got my SX200 delivered yesterday. As an ex SLR user very much appreciated the Apature, Shutter and Full manual controls, this gives it the edge over the Panasonic for me. Pop up flash is an annoyance but I found where I naturally put my thumb stopped it from popping up anway!
Another minor issue is very flimsy rubber hinge on cover for AV cable door. Only time will tell if this is more hardy than it looks.
Image quality is brilliant, very easy to use and more features than you could shake a stick at. I'm very pleased with it.
Thanks for the great review and comparison with the TZ7. Just a further comment on Matt's comments on video. h.264 and AVCHD are the same codec. I'm not sure but I think the Lite refers to 720 as distinct from 1080. I think the Canon has bigger video files because it uses a higher bit rate than the Panasonic. (25MB/s vs 15MB/s in your sample videos)
ipods use the h.264 codec as well but the files from the camera would have to be put into the proper ipod container format before they would work.
I'm going for the TZ7.
I guess the flash needs to be up so that when it's needed it'll flash, the alternative would be even more annoyong, pressing the shutter and having to wait for the flash!
@Henri: maybe. Or it could just come up except when you have switched flash off. Switch flash to on or auto, and it comes up, ready to go.
Thanks for your review. I had my heart set on the SX200, but after reading your review on the Lumix ZS3, I'm not so sure anymore. I do like 25mm over the 28mm, but I've always loved the colors that Canons produce (I had a Canon SD800). Is that something I can replicated with the Panasonic through editing somehow? I'm scared to switch and lose that wonderful image quality. Any thoughts?
I just received my SX200 yesterday; I usually shoot with a dslr but wanted something compact-ish to carry about and to use in situations where I didn't want to draw too much attention to myself, something you can't do with a dslr!
The flash popping up all the time is a bit annoying and doesn't help getting a good grip on the camera but its workable.
@Paul - Hardly think it changes the cameras dimensions drastically to draw much more attention than if it were down. And to make sure it doesn't fire, just turn it off. I've kept mine off most of the time, also means it doesn't charge everytime I switch the camera on.
Would be great if the flash just popped up when needed, like on a dslr.
I'm not too fussed about the video aspect, I've bought it for photos, if excellent video quality is what you're after then buy a dedicated video camera, that's my opinion.
I bought this over the TZ7 as I wanted to be able to control aperture or shutter speeds or both. I had the Panasonic TZ4 and only kept it for a day as the lack of manual control just frustrated me beyond belief!
I have to say that the manual control on this camera is nearly as good as auto for beginners. In manual mode I've noticed there's an exposure check guide, quite handy although this seems to replace exposure compensation which isn't so good in manual mode.
In my opinion the lens could be faster, starting at F3.4 is a bit slow. Love the long zoom though and wide angle on this camera is wide enough for my needs.
The colours are lovely from this camera though I think generally the image quality is overall a bit soft. That said I did change sharpening to +2 in the custom colours menu but that was too hard especially for higher iso's so I think I'll stick with the default setting and sharpen as necessary in photoshop.
Another niggle is that the four way dial seems to be a bit loose/flimsy, other than that it feels a good solid camera. Yes, its heavier than a normal compact but normally using a camera that ranges between 700+ grams to 2+ kilos, (depending on the lens I'm using) obviously the SX200 is still as light as a feather to me.
Battery life is apparently an issue with this camera, well, I've taken about 150 photos so far and the battery is still showing as fully charged, so unless it suddenly depletes, it looks good to me. That's one thing I loved about my panasonic FZ8, the battery went on forever!
One thing missing for me is RAW; for the price of this camera compared to say the G10 it would've been the icing on the cake.
It will never replace my dslr but for what I bought this camera for, I'm happy enough, so far.
@Lorraine: thanks for sharing your hands on experience.
Regarding the sample image of the 4 tourists sitting down. I can easily read the yellow on blue logo (Jack Wolfskin) and the one guys jacket, but can barely make out the black on brown text on the other guys brown pullover jacket. It looks like "Q——PLUS" or something like that. Possibly a German brand like Wolfskin is? This is driving me crazy - I must have that jacket :) -Tony
the jacket is a "Surplus Hooded Windbreaker".
Offers in Germany start at 34,00 Euro.
Thanks Michael- you nailed it!
I have pananosic tx5, only thing I dislike is that it is a little bit too big to fit my camera case, especially too thick ( in lens aera). I don't know if canon sx200 has the same size, especially thickness. would anyone let me know? thanks.
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how does the sx200 compare with with sx110 when it comes to image quality both in the dark and light?
This is a great review; I only wish I'd read it before buying my SX200.
For me, the flash issue was just too annoying. It made holding the camera to difficult, as the natural position for you left hand, it exactly where the flash is.
Some more attention need to be draw to the flimsy control dial. Due to the contour on the back of the case and the dial's position next to the screen, you can only really use right-side of it. Maybe I've got big fingers, but I ended up having to use the up/down, left/right controls.
But the deal breaker for me (and it should be highlighted), is the JPEG quality that the images are saved at.
My previous Canon compacts allowed me to select Normal, Fine and Super Fine to control the quality/compression. The SX200 only have Normal and Fine.
This means that it's highest setting, the JPEGs are save with a quality of 89, as opposed to 95 on my older compact.
This may not be an issue for most people, but for me it was a deal breaker. Sorry Canon, you let me down.
If you're thinking of going for the SX200, take some test shots on your own memory card in a shop. Get them back home to your computer and double-check that you're happy.
Thanks for review..
hmm.. it's look like G12 :p
G10 with beauty design, luv it
would you mind putting the example picture online again?
very good review thank you for your good article, here I also have a good share:
there are many kinds of beautiful digital cameras that I like it very much!
I'm looking at getting this camera as a decent, small-enough-but-not-having-an-absolutely-worthlessly-small-zoom camera. I actually really want a dslr (say, the Nikon D80), but am considering this one in the meantime for three reasons: 1) I want something that's small enough to be fairly convenient 2) I still have A LOT to learn about manual controls and 3) given number 2, not sure if it's the right time for me to spend the money on the D80. I played around with it in the store for a few minutes and I don't think the flash will bug me much. My main concerns, though, as trying to find a camera with the best shutter speed and with the best image quality. Recommendations? (P.S. My best alternate so far, despite being a fan of Nikon film SLRs, is the Canon sd 880 as that has gotten splendid reviews from everyone I've talked to).
Would you recommend the SX200 over Panasonic's TZ6?
I too am completely stuck on which camera to get. The SX200 or the TZ7?? Never made a decision so hard…....
I ended up getting the sx200. The lack of manual controls on the panasonic were a deal-breaker for me. I'm loving the canon. Colors are great, manual controls and excellent, and the pictures are wonderful. Great zoom, small size, short shutter lag, enough settings to be an endless source of entertainment. I can see how some despise the pop up flash, but I've gotten used to it and it doesn't really bother me anymore. You can adjust the flash to not go off, so having it pop up is really just as obvious and as having the lens open out. Only thing that's a little annoying is that the zoom control is a little difficult to grasp.
I can't deside either… SX200 or TZ7??
If you don't pay attention to video performance and consider that I can get the sx200 for the same price as the tz7, but with SIX years of garanty, which one would you recommend?
Oh and by the way, I don't need it before end of June, so maybe I should just wait and see if a new superzoom camera shows up? What do you think?
Thanks in advance =)
Three bright colors make the SX200 look elegant.
Comment #26 is blatant advertising.
I have read in many user reviews that the sound from this camera is much better in than the flawed sound on the Panasonic rival, but the sound comparison seems to be completely ignored in this review. I also don't get why the editors trashed h.264 compression, just because the file size is somewhat bigger than the AVCHD files from the Panasonic (if files were twice as big, then maybe it would that important, but then perhaps there would be a noticeable difference in image quality). H.264 is surely a favored and high-quality video format, why don't the editors mention this (they do know this AVCHD is often a pain to work with, don't they?)? The lack of being able to zoom while making a movie seems like the only legitimate complaint of video on this camera vs. the Pani. Wish there was more logical evidence presented over why the editors claim the Panasonic wins so clearly with video, because I feel decent sound is part of the equation when judging a cameras usefullness as a video camera, and from my research, the Canon wins on this count. I would buy the Panasonic if I hadn't heard so many complaint about audio quality. I guess it's back to wanting a camera that does it all…
whatever its other failings, the MOV format is proprietary and means you will no longer be able to edit movie files using vdub or other free video editors. a major fubar on canon's part imo. i won't be buying any more of their cameras. thankfully, the tx1 doesn't suffer from this bit of brain-damage.
I just bought the sx200 yesterday!!! And I am so happy with it!! I have been taking superb macro shots and with iso locked to 80 in P mode I always get fantastic quality :) If the camera isn't able to focus (on a difficult subject) I use MF and it's great!! Shutter and aperture priority are great too! Movie quality is fantastic and @ Edward: I am on a mac and MPEG Streamclip converts everything!! Mov is great, only downside is that it takes a lot of place. I bought the sandisk ultra II 8 gb card with it, so I have plenty space. The sound is great too, I play the indian tabla, and even the bas is great. Who cares about the optical zoom in video?? Real movies don't use zoom, and if you still want to zoom, just stop filming, zoom, and restart filming. You'll loose only 5 seconds or so… After playing some time with it I don't even notice the flash popping up anymore. Colors are fantastic and I will be posting my macro shot for this month's contest on PB.
So in one word: this camera is great =D And I got it for € 349,- with SIX years of waranty (not from canon). Stitch works also very well for making panoramas.
So if you hesitate between sx200 and tz7, I can only tell you that you (very probably) won't be disappointed :)
Thanks everyone on the net for reviews, comments etc..
comparing with panasonic how come not having zoom when filming is a disadvantage if panasonic can do it but do it wrong and in panasonic review is clear that filming with that camera will never have results like a real filming camera?
And I totally desagree with design rating. Canon is by far more well designed and attractive than panasonics.
After all both have rating 4,5 in photo quality.
I Have the same doubts between both cameras but i will choose canon sx200. The only doubt is the great panasonic lens, but i believe that canons are as good as Leicas.
I have owned this camera for almost one month. I purchased this for recreational use & most of all to take pictures of items for sales. The manual controls made it my choice over the panasonic. I am by no means a professional photographer but have had the need for the manual controls a few times for action shots & another time taking some pics of the moon on a clear night. Auto mode for the moon shots worked great but I was able to get better enhancement of the shades & craters manually. The pop-up flash was annoying at first but I have gotten used to it & learned to push it down with my finger if I choose not to use it. I bought a couple spare generic batteries because it seemed to be lacking in comparison to other camera reviews I read. One full battery is sufficient for most but a full vacation day may require 2 batts. Start up to first picture is super fast @ 1.2 sec so turnng it off to conserve battery isn't a problem. The Image stabilization works well producing clear images even when I know I shook the camers. In the past I needed to use a tripod to achieve the needed detail of items, but I packed the tripod away a couple weeks ago & have not needed it since. The Smart Auto is great. I have taken detailed pics of items in direct sunlight, shadows or low light & extreme close-ups of about 2in with excellent results. As long as there is one light on anywhere in the room at night, I can pull off detailed color accurate images. Play mode is fast scrolling images & can zoom in to about one inch square of a 20X16in pic taken @ 4000X3000. Play back speed may vary by the SD card purchased, I am not sure. I bought a 16GB SDHC class6 that is overkill but just in case I needed the room for video. 16GB shows 5001 picture capacity on highest resolution 4000X3000.
500 pics on the counter in a month & I am still impressed with the camera. A good friend will also be getting the SX200 IS for father's Day because of my recommendation as his needs are the same as mine, Car sales, items for sale & recreational use.
Can I ask where you can get this camera with six years warranty? A couple of people mentioned this and it would be nice to have…
You can get six years of warranty at BCC, but that's a dutch electronics shop. I don't know where you live, but that's everything I know
Ah…I'm in the UK so I guess that's not going to work. Thanks anyway…I'll probably still go for the SX200.
You're welcome =)
Well, maybe there IS a shop too in the UK with more than one year of warranty, but that's something you'll have to look for.
I still really like the sx200, so if I were you I would go for the sx200.
BTW, I retract my statement (above) about the SX200 having better sounds than the Panasonic line. I hadn't realized the ZS3 has much improved sound over the older Panasonic Cameras, and so I've decided to go with the Panasonic ZS3.
I did side by side comparison amongst Panasonic ZS3, Canon SX200 and Sony H20 for picture quality in low light environments, which I think that this is the most difficult part for all digital cameras. Please just use red and BLACK colors that are most difficult colors to reproduce. Canon outran ZS3 and H20 by far.
I agree some other people's comments on ZS3: Too much red, too much contract and artificial colors for outdoor shots, which pleased many peoples eyes so they think ZS3 has "outstanding colors". Sony H20 quality is bit rough when in low light although outdoor color quality is OK and competitive to Canon. The SX200 reproduced most accurate and natural colors in both outdoor and low light. I should say SX200 outdoor quality is indeed excellent.
Canon SX200 is the winner!
By the way, during my past digital camera tests, all Panasonic cameras have been at the bottom of list unfortunately, although I like some of Panasonic pro-sumer camcorders.
I have had my SX200 IS for 5 days and am really enjoying using it. Very impressed with the cast aluminium body; gives a nice weight and feel to the camera, also the styling of the camera puts most other compacts in the shade.
The macro works well in all modes; best results are in M where you can use f8 and get good DOF but advise the use of a tripod for maximum results because hand-held shooting is too shaky.
Out and about I am very impressed with colour rendering and detail in my photographs; cloudy blue skies are vibrant. People photos are very good, nice skin tones.
A lot of people have commented on the pop-up flash. There is plenty of room behind the flash for grip or just hold it down if it's that much of a problem. Of course you can always turn the flash off.
One grouse, my Black SX is in fact brown! I have learned to live with it and reckon the colour is Bronze.
Very glad to have the SX 200, well made, lovely simple shape and the colour is not bad either.
you can also get 5 years extra warranty via http://www.pixmania.com.
I can get my hands on a TZ6 for 233 (daily offer) or should I spent 30 bucks more for the SX200?
I don't know anymore.
Thanks for the review.. I am torn between getting the Samsung WB550 and this one. I was all set on picking up the Canon until I went to the store and found out that the "flash" stayed up the entire time. The store employee suggested I consider the Samsung.. and now here I am. Stuck. Any suggestions? Would anybody know if the date displayed on the canon prints on the actual photos as well? (I ask this because my current camera does not print..)
The Flash on the sx200 is really not a problem; there is still plenty of room to hold the camera.
Having used my SX200 practically everyday since I bought it I find that it deals with every situation I've come across and the manual/shutter/aperture modes are so useful.
How can you say in yr review: "The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS dealt extremely well with chromatic aberrations"?
Look at sample #18 ...
Does everything have mauve and green edges in real life?
There is no point in long zoom if it is that bad - the worst i have ever seen - unusable.
Good point. I have to admit that when sample 18 is enlarged to, roughly 53cm x 36cm a bit of fringing is noticeable. Luckily I only have an A4 printer and access to an A3 printer.
When using the function menu has anyone noticed that 'My Colours' Custom mode allows you to set Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, Red, Green,Blue and Skin Tone levels.
I have just adjusted the contrast -1 and sharpness+1 and find the quality of photos even better than before, obviously early days yet but promising.
The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS dealt extremely well with chromatic aberrations ( NOT )
don't care much about the silly pop-up flash - fix that with superglue and duct-tape ...
but for a digicam to promise so much -
aperture priority - yes
manual focus - yes
super-zoom in your pocket - yes
in-camera contrast etc tweaks - yes
nice Canon IQ - - erm - - apart from the CA, doh
i got perilously close to buying one, until i saw the CA on the sample photos - with 12 megapix and 12x zoom i still expect to be able to use 100-percent crops - even if only for 6x4 prints - since framing in the field is a bit hit-and-miss with our feathered and furry friends (and humans too) - and that means you get a good view of the psychedelic green/mauve SX200 art-effects.
That is what is so disappointing - SX200 nearly answered so many prayers.
The Pan'ic TZ7 can all but eliminate the CA. - why don't i buy one then? - no manual control and i already use a TZ3 (also with negligible CA).
Hang on tho' - is it possible that the SX200 in-camera "contrast -1 and sharpness+1" adjustments remove the CA from the CAnon?
Please tell - maybe post samples.
Just bought the SX200. I love the picure quality but am not sure about the colours - in auto the grass is a very unnatural shade of green. Any ideas or advice much appreciated. Mind you, I'm very much a novice so please bear that in mind.
Having read all the favourable reviews, I recently bought the Panasonic TZ7. Although a great camera in many respects, I was not happy with the colours on some shots. For one specific shot, the only way I could get the colours right was to shoot in 'Vivid' mode and then it almost matched the results from my Canon Ixus 40 in auto mode - and match what I could see in front of me. I decided I couldn't live with this and returned the camera - having wasted money on a spare battery, case, etc.
I am now thinking of going for the SX200 but I am nervous of making another costly mistake. Having read some of the comments here I am feeling a bit more confident.
I thought I would share my findings with those of you thinking of going for the TZ7.
Four months on from my first review, (bought for a handbag size/discreet alternative to a dslr) and I really like this camera. Wasn't too impressed at first if I'm totally honest and ended up buying a Canon G10, but now I've got used to it, I love it and have to say it tends to be in my handbag a lot more often than the G10, mainly because of the size and the extra zoom.
I love the colours it produces; very natural shots for portraits, lovely vivid landscapes/sunsets. I've used it a lot for concert photography as well on shutter priority mainly, handheld from between 1/20 - 1/60, ISO: 400 and near enough on constant 12x zoom, no flash and I was very pleased with the photos considering a lot were tight crops! I wouldn't take the ISO over 400 for dark backgrounds or 200 for light backgrounds though because of noise.
Not keen on the video; it's really jerky, thought maybe my memory card wasn't fast enough so used a 8GB Extreme III SDHC card in it but it didn't make any difference, so I stand by what I said before, if video is something you do a lot of, buy a video camera instead.
On the downside; I have encountered a problem with it, my daughter was using it on our holiday after having had hers stolen and it packed up on her. The lens won't extend and I can't even view photos so it'll need to go off to Canon. Hopefully, (for everyone else) mine is just a one-off. I'm a bit peeved its gone wrong so soon, but there's always a bad egg and unfortunately it looks like I got it!
Still doesn't put me off recommending it though and it shouldn't put anyone off buying one, like I said, there's nearly always a bad egg in a batch!
Lorraine, thanks for the update. My only quip is your statement about the poor video performance you've experienced with the SX200. You say "if video is something you do a lot of, buy a video camera instead." But I doubt most people are in the market for a smaller camera like this one, yet want to also carry lug a video camera around too. So for people who are thinking about the SX200 but don't want to lug around two cameras, I think the more obvious suggestion is to consider the Panasonic DMC-ZS3 instead. The biggest complaint I hear about the ZS3 are the colors not always being natural, so that could bother some people (not me, I can fix the colors on my computer). So while the SX200 is probably the better camera for those who don't care about video, want more manual controls, or more accurate color, I assert the Panasonic is the better choice for those who want a smaller camera with a big zoom and very good video capabilities.
Rob - Fair comment and we're all entitled to our opinion but personally I don't agree. Years ago I had a Sony T1 camera, 3/4 the size of this canon at the very most but I still used a video camera. Video cameras are much smaller these days, mine weighs about the same as this camera and the dimensions, though distributed differently, are very similar as well and some have photo capabilities, it really depends what your priorities are I guess. I'm very much a 'buy something for what it's really intended for' woman.
Hi Lorraine. In my case, I have a dedicated camcorder (with accessories) and a DSLR (with several lenses), for those times when quality is paramount. But I have found having one smaller camera that does a decent job at both functions is what I use for 85% of my photos and video. I never know when I'll want to take picture, or video, or both, so I love having a small device that does a good job at both. Why have a video function on a camera at all that isn't as good as it could be? Heck, if you really are buying "something for what it is intended for," then neither of these two small cameras we are discussing take the best quality photos, compared to what you could buy for the same money, if you don't mind a bigger camera. But we are both attracted to the convenience of the smaller device that's effortless to take with you. That same logic is whey I like a small device that allows me to take decent photos and video. I think the idea of getting a separate device for every "intended" function is slowly becoming outdated on the consumer level, and even very high-end DSLRs are adding video capabilities (that often surpass the quality of dedicated video cameras). Anyway, I can't say the SX200 is a bad choice, but I think you're missing the boat if you think a dedicated still and video camera is the only option if you want decent photos and videos.
Rob – I'm exactly the same; dedicated camcorder and dslr, (Nikon + several lenses) for superb quality videos/photos. To be honest, I carry my kit round most of the time. The only difference is that for me, I just wanted a smaller camera for 1) carrying around in my handbag for times when I don't want to carry my kit, for instance, doing the weekly food shopping! You're obviously well into your photography as well so I don't need to tell you 'you'd be surprised what comes up to photograph when doing the most menial of tasks!'. 2) For times when its maybe not security conscious to be carrying expensive kit about, I'm just back from Portugal and the first night there someone tried to snatch my handbag, the 2nd night I saw someone carrying a dslr on their shoulder and again, they nearly lost it!
Yes, I totally agree, neither of the cameras being discussed here take the best quality photos, no way could the SX200 ever replace my dslr. I have the Canon G10 as well and I wouldn't get rid of my dslr for that either! Speaking of which, that might not shoot HD movies, but I personally think the videos I've done on the G10 are better than the SX200! Go figure!
Not overly keen on the dslr doing video thing to be honest, but I will reserve judgement as I haven't actually used one yet - got my eye on that Nikon 300s though I must admit! ;).
Rob, I think we're at least on pages next to each other so how about we call a truce? :)
I also was baffled when I first viewed the videos on the computer screen, they looked way jerky!
Turns out it's my slow computer, which just can't keep up! There are also big differences in the performance of the different viewers, Quicktime seems to be on the slooow side, better to experiment a little. Viewed from the camera, the video is just dandy.
Otherwise the camera is packed with features and I'm happy with the pictures I'm able to produce.
Can't really understand the complaints about the flash popping up, it's actually the quickest way to turn flash off by just pushing it down with you finger, so you can make instant decisions to take a picture with or without a flash.
My only complaint so far is the cracked LCD display. I have handled the thing very carefully and not stored it anywhere besides the good quality case, so it is a mystery what has happened. There are no signs of an impact, just a very thin crack from the corner to the center. Hopefully the warranty will cover it. It's the 7th Canon in the family over the years and the first one with any problems.
SX200 cracked LCD follow up.
I took the camera to the dealer and the took it to the local warranty repair center. The verdict was that broken displays are not covered by the warranty :(
Even if it's not a very expensive camera I'm a bit annoyed as I know I have not done anything to cause the fault.
Please post here if you have similar problems, so we'll know if I just happened to get a bad apple or if it's a more general issue.
Not covered by warranty…never heard such rubbish. They don't have the option of ignoring the law - if you have taken care of it and used an appropriate case etc. then they need to fix it!
Are you in the UK?
If you don't get anywhere with the dealer, go directly to Canon UK and possibly a consumer advice service.
I will be going to malaysia next week and will be purchasing my first digital camera.i really want to buy canon SX200IS. The mixed reviews has really confused me.So for my first digital camera is canon SX200IS will be a good purchase for me.Can anybody please give me some recommendation. Apart from canon SX200IS,two other cameras heve caught my attention Sony cybershot DSC-W290 and canon ixus 110IS. Among these 3 cameras which would be a better buy. Please recommend. A quick response will be highly appreciated
I have actually been rather happy with the results I have achieved with the SX200. I like to have the manual controls available. The other compact long zoom often mentioned is the Panasonic DMC-TZ7, but it has less setting to fiddle with. It has received very good reviews though (I have no personal experience).
If the long zoom is not the key criteria, the Canon Digital IXUS 100 IS is a very nice and tiny camera. The kids have these and have been able to take nice pics with them.
On the very new camera front, Panasonic is just coming out with a very small 8x zoom, the DMC-ZX1 and Sony has a new image sensor on the DSC-WX1 that supposedly improves pictures in low light conditions. These are just two models that I would probably want to see if I was buying a compact now. They may not be in the stores yet, though.
Just don't buy it. I have had mine for a couple of months now. I'm not impressed. I have gradually become used to the annoying flash popping up "ALL" of the time. But the pictures are just not great, ok, but never great. The video is actually quite good although you cannot zoom in which is a shame. The pictures are just not sharp on a larger screen, look good on the camera screen but not when you put them on a monitor and see them for what they are. Don't buy!
Maybe you have a bad unit, as I'm quite happy with the sharpness for a camera this cheap and having the huge zoom range. You have to be careful as to where the camera focuses though. I find it the easiest to set the focus in the center and when I'm taking a picture I will first aim at the main subject, let the camera focus, lock it and then assemble the picture before releasing the shutter.
I don't know wheather to buy the Canon Powershot Ixus 870 or Canon Powershot SX200. I really want a good zoom or at least something between both these cameras.
Can anyone help me?
I bought a ZT7 on Saturday and tested it to its limits. It was a real beauty; especially the zoom in the video shooting and the stereo recording. However, after four days, I felt that something was not right. I could not put my finger on the problem for a while, but then I finally got it; the pics were all too vivid and brilliant. While some may regard this as a plus point ( and there must be many of them out there who think so, since the ZT7 has been the best selling camera in Amazon for a while ), I wanted more natural colors. So I traded it in yesterday for a SX 200 IS.
My first impression on handling the SX was one of shock. How cheap it looked comparing to the ZT7. Then there was the permanently popped up flash. Add to this the lack of zoom and stereo sound in video recording, and bout to high tail back to the store to retrieve my old ZT7. But then I thought I'd take some test shots to see how it went. I was pleasantly surprised. The colors were so natural. The zoom and macro were pretty good, and the icing on the cake was the manual control. As I read the manual and came to understand the camera, I liked it more and more by the minute. Since I do a lot of bird and macro photography, this camera suited my needs better than the TZ7.
At the end of the day, the winner between these two cameras depends heavily on what the owner wants. If he/she wants a sleek and beautiful looking camera with as many bells and whistles possible crammed in, and not bother about the pics not looking natural, then it's the TZ7. However, if he/she wants more natural looking pics, and is allowed by the camera to experiment with manual controls to improve his/her photo taking skills, then it is the SX. Really, there is no winner or loser in this duel.
SX200 cracked LCD follow up:
The story had a happy ending. The local Canon picked up the repair bill after the case was escalated to them. All in all very good customer service by the dealer and by Canon.
Turns out there is a protective 'window' in front of the LCD and the window was broken. Seems to be a 10-15$ part, so it will not break the bank should there be any issues after the warranty period.
The inevitable question. I am considereinf wither the Canon SX200, Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ7 or Ricoh CX1, but which?
I am not specially intereseted in video mode, but want best possible picture quality with particularly accurate colours and a pretty fast response between pressing the shutter and taking the picture.
I notice in the reviews there are no comments about colour accuracy in the sections on image quality. Which of these cameras have the best colour accuracy?
Hello MG,
I can only comment on the SX200 as I have no experience with the others.
I have been happy with the default colors on the Canon. If you are not happy with the default, there are various predefined custom color modes. Additionally there is a mode where you can individually adjust the contrast, sharpness, saturation, red, green, blue and the skin tone. I have not fiddled with these either as the default has produced pleasing results for my taste.
Hi MG ( @70 ),
I have owned both the TZ7 and the SX 200 ( I returned the TZ7 after a few days' use and got the SX 200 - my current camera ). Since these are the two most popular megazoom P&S cameras out there now, I'll confine my comments to these two.
1) Color accuracy - I found the SX 200 gave more natural colors. The TZ7 tended to over saturate the photos, but some people liked it this way, as it tended to make the shots more vibrant. For example, I took a shot of the shoot of a plant. The shoot was of course shoot-green in color, but the TZ7 made it into a deeper green. Another shot was of a plant that had delicate yellow leaves. The TZ7 made the leaves of this plant deep yellow, almost bordering to orange. The SX 200 managed to retain the delicate yellow of the leaves.
2)Quick response - Both seem to be quick, but the TZ7 seemed slightly faster to me. I might be wrong assuming this.
Now these are two different cameras for two different purposes. If you want to take consistently good photos all the time without bothering about camera details, then the TZ7 is for you. If however you want to have some flexibility to produce an image just right for you, then he SX 200 with its manual controls is the camera for you. Be warned however that if you have no knowledge whatsoever about camera settings, there is a learning curve that you have to go through. This will be good practice if you want to upgrade to a DSLR in the near future. Even after you have got your DSLR, the SX 200 will continue to serve as a good backup camera. Some other experiences I had with these two cameras. I took a macro shot of a honey bee with the TZ7, with the lens about 3 cm from the bee. The shot came out perfect. The coloring of the bee looked natural ( sometimes the TZ7 does produce natural color ), and I could blow up the image considerably in the computer without losing any detail. When I got the SX 200, I took about 20 shots of honey bees, but none of them could match the detail and clarity of the bee image produced by the TZ7. After some research, I found that if the SX 200 is in Auto mode ( which it was when I shot the bees ), then the high ISO setting ( 800 ) for the auto mode will not produce good pictures. We have to switch to P mode or to manual controls to get a good image with the SX 200. But once you have mastered all the controls of the SX, it becomes a much more versatile camera than the TZ7. The TZ7's Auto however is so good ( some say too good for its own good ), that it can almost always take good photos, which will even surprise the pros. There are of course pros and cons for both cameras. TZ7 has a noise problem - the noise in the photos can be noticed as early as ISO 200. The SX has chromatic aberration big time. Purple fringing can be seen in most of the max zoom photos produced by the SX. Some people just can't stand the permanently popped up flash of the SX; but I got used to it in a day or two, and it does not bother me now. If you want a camera to take with you on your travels, then the TZ7 is hard to beat. Also, all members of a family can use this camera to produce stunning photos. There are other issues with the SX which will confound most people. For example, super macro ( zero cm )does not live up to its name. The best macro shots produced by the SX are tele-macro shots, where you zoom onto the subject while standing about a meter away from it. This produces the stunning effect of a close up of the subject with the background blurred.
I am happy with my Sx. I'm learning much about how to take good shots using this camera. This will come in handy when I upgrade to a DSLR next year.
Hope this helps.
Thanks Jorma and Pat. I knew that there were no simple answers, but this all helps.
I have used a 35mm SLR for years and am very ussed to setting up speed / aperture/ focus for a shot. I have a Coolpix (5yrs old) at the moment and I am tired of all pictures emphasising the red on auto exposure. Purple flowers invariably look dark pink. I also find that I use the auto mode almost exclusively, partly because it is so much more fiddly than an SLR for setting up a shot manually.
I guess that from your comments Pat I might just look at the TZ7 as a good "point and shoot", and play with white balance to get colour fidelity. I will then get a proper DSLR for more adventurous photography. I must say that the SX macro-zoom sounds interesting, but perhaps the TZ7 could do that too even though it appears to have a smaller apertures at full zoom.
Many thanks for the time spent on your comprehensive view.
Best regards
I really like the macro quality on my ZS3 (TZ7), and don't forget the better movie mode (HD and zoom) than the SX200. Movie quality in any other mode than HD is disappointing. I'm not saying it's a better camera, it depends on what you're looking for. I was also surprised how much reading it takes to really learn the functions (even though there isn't manual control, there are a ton of auto modes to learn).
Stuck between both the TZ7 and the SX 200. Both cameras are now heavily reduced, TZ7 £252 and the SX 200 £200 - £210 inc £40 cash back from Canon. Is the £40 saving a decider over the Panasonic? What is the quality of the HD recordings like on both, is there much in it as photo wise they seem to be very close. Thanks for your honest oppion.
Hi MG,
Seems like I made a lot of incorrect assumptions in my last post. The super macro setting cannot be accessed in the auto mode of the SX - you'll have to use the P or Manual modes for this. Some who have used the super macro correctly say that it's simply out of this world ! Guess I still have a lot to learn about the SX. If you want an extra camera that can quickly take an almost flawless picture or video( like when you suddenly spot a UFO or are the only one with a camera witnessing a terror attack ), then the TZ7 wins hands down. But if you want to take photos that are pleasing to your soul, then the SX is a good camera. I am not going to part with my SX. I'm only half way through the manual, and already I've learned so much. This would not have been possible had I had the TZ7.
PAT,JORMA and LORRAINE,
thanks to you for clarifying my neuronal confusion about my choice of camera.
I plan to keep my SX200.
that ALWAYS-STAYS-UP-FLASH was pissing me off really and I was planing to return the SX200. But this thread has clarified my thought process.
I intend to upgrade to a DSLR in about a year's time and this camera with its manual controls (my reason for purchase of this camera) seems to be the right teacher for learning all the manual modes.
thanks to
Muhammad, as a DMC-ZS3 owner, I'll agree that the Canon is definitely the way to go if you want manual control over your camera. While I'm happy with the ZS3, it has frustrated me a couple of times due to the lack of manual controls.
thanks for your comment there.
I have been using compact digicams for a while now, always getting shots which I felt were missing the "soul" of the scene I had imagined in my head.
thanks to internet, I realized that I needed to learn the manual controls and settings and hence this decision of choosing SX200.
There is another powershot S90 due to be released in October in UK and USA (Australia will be a few weeks to months behind). this appears at least on paper a great camera with manual controls but couldnt wait that long.
Hi Muhammad,
I'm glad you've decided to keep the camera. To fully exploit the potential of the SX 200, you have to thoroughly master the manual. Then you'll know exactly what to do ( whether you're in the " P " mode or " M " mode ) when a situation presents itself. There are of course many categories that you have to master, e.g. portrait, scenery, zoom, macro, night shots etc. All this takes a little time, but as your techniques improve and you see your pics get better and better, a sense of satisfaction is achieved. The Lumix cannot give you this. You will find that the SX 200 grows on you. Even after you purchase your DSLR next year, you'll still want to keep the SX 200 with you so that you don't need to lug around a huge camera bag with you for a short shooting trip. Also try to get your hands on some introductory digital camera books ( or alternatively, try the net ). I got a couple from my local library, and, Boy ! Did I learn from it !
It might please you to know that the lens cover on the Lumix is too thin, and breaks easily. Also, Panasonic's customer service, unlike Canon's, sucks.
The SX 200 is built like a tank, and once you are very familiar with the controls and techniques, photography will give you the kind of pleasure that few things can match.
Happy shooting brother.
Good Day. No man remains quite what he was when he recognizes himself.
I am from Botswana and now teach English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "It is national method's empire will stack more there much that their enough social revenue has been back especially produced."
With love :(, Uriah.
Hi Rob,
thanks for your encouraging comments.
Yeah that was the thought behind this camera when I bought it that I may not want to lug that big DSLR to all places that I go(may not be safe for the camera and my pocket too).
Lets see.
I agree that there is a lot to learn about photography. net is a good resource.
Muhammad Umer
Dear Friends, I would like to buy a camera for hiking. I need strong zoom capabilities, excellent macro mode and I will often encounter poor light conditions (e.g. in forests or in deep, narrow valleys), though I would like to take detailed, vivid-color pictures (if possible). The video does not matter. After a lot of Net, I decided to buy either the Panasonic TZ7 (ZS3) or Canon SX 200. The manual modes of Canon are magnetic, but I had bad experiences with my former Canons (unnatural colors, patch-like appearance of trees etc). The reviews are confusing concerning the priority in image quality of these products. Have you experience the photo quality under the above mentioned conditions? (Sorry, I will post it to the Panasonic forum as well.) Any help would be highly appreciated!
Peter, as a ZS3 owner who has read a lot about these two cameras, I'd suggest the Canon in your case. I would say you shouldn't condemn the Canon brand as a whole due to your bad experience with one camera, because I think in general, Canon's do pretty well with color (but all manufacturers have models that aren't so hot). I chose the Panasonic largely due to it's video capabilities, but do miss manual controls at times, and feel the color from the ZS3 is sometimes a little weird/cool.
Thank you, Rob. Your response confirmed my conception.
How does this camera perform in general indoor low light shots?
well, the greatest advantage with canon is the CHDK Firmware addition…
Since probably less than 1% of users load CHDK firmware, I'm not sure 99% of Canon users would agree with your statement. On the other hand, it's cool you brought it up, since CHDK is something all advanced users should be aware of, if for no other reason than being able to get RAW photos from your point and shoot: http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK
You stated: "The HDMI port makes it easy to connect the SX200 to a HD TV, although we would have liked to see a suitable cable included in the box."
I think you mean an HD TV.
Wow!!! n00b, you're fantastic! I hadn't heard about CHDK, but is seems to be incredible! I'm going to check te wiki for a version for the SX200 and custom scripts. Raw capture, who could have imagined that?
Many thanks!
Hi, I think I'm pretty set on getting this camera. Does anyone know when Canon tends to release updates to their lines (I'm commenting from the US), and whether they'd be updating this model? I am not up on the industry gossip. Thanks!
I've been using it for almost 4 months.
The colors are perfectly natural, unlike my father's panasonic FX-28.
The manual apperture anda manual exposure is great, you won't get it in average digicam.
The flash-popup is not a problem, you'll get used to after a few days.
The best IDR 3.700.000 I've ever spent.
I have had this camera for a few months now and like it very much. Contrary to the statement in the conclusion: "and worst of all doesn't allow the zoom to be used during recording"—YES, IT DOES!!!! this seems to have been written by someone who was not into this camera.
Medar, I don't have this camera, but every review I have read says you can't zoom while recording video. So I'm wondering, did Canon change this? Can anyone else weigh in on this?
Yes, you can zoom during video if you use CHDK, a firmware addon for all canon cameras. Check the right version on http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK
If you have installed it to your memorystick you will be able to zoom and even play games on your SX200 IS (or use more useful things..). You will be able to zoom by first zooming 12x BEFORE starting to record. Then you can zoom out and edit it on the go. You will hear the lens zooming sound though, which is the reason canon left the function out of it..
That's cool, Ivan, another reason to use CHDK with this camera. But it didn't sound to me like Medar was talking about using special firmware to achieve the zoom.
The digital zoom works during video recording in the standard firmware. Optical does not. I think this is confusing some.
I think it's an ok compromise as Ivan mentioned about the zooming noise.
Allright, I haven't installed any firmware and Rob is right, the digital zoom is what I'm able to use during recording. Ivan I will check out your recomendation to see how that works.
TZ7 only have a total automatic mode, but this Canon have a great manual mode. Only for this possibility, the SX200 win every comparison.
i'm looking to get a camera to use manley to take high quality pictures of friends and family and for sceanery and recreation. would the sx200 be good? i already have a fujufilm finepix z20fd camera but want to upgrade to a camera with better quality pictures. i find that the z20fd isn't great for taking high quality pictures,the lighting always seems weird,no mather what setting i put it on,and when taking photos in dark lighting the flash is really bight and the photos come up terrible. a friend of mine has a canon camera and its a lot better for taking pictures of people,the skin tones come up really nice and natural,far from what they look like in the z20fd! is the canon sx200 good for taking photos of people,family and friends,as that would be my main use of the camera.also how does it preform taking pictures of sceanery?,eg.skies,sea,mountains,as i'd also love to be able to take high quality photos of this sort of thing. i don't take videos often, so this part of the camera isn't important. any advice greatly appreciated!
Entry Tags
hd video, 3 inch LCD, compact, 720p, 12 megapixel, beginner, 12x zoom, advanced


text:
GOP's amnesty caucus raises white flag
February 3, 2013
On Monday, Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Jeff Flake and Marco Rubio emerged with an offer of a Republican surrender to Barack Obama....
"Hispanics are not small-government people. They believe in and benefit disproportionately from Big Government."
And there you have it, "those people". And this dolt wonders why they can't win minority votes. Pass the popcorn.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Joyce Ann Spitler, 60, of Niles, Ohio, died Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at her home.
She was born June 14, 1952, to Opal Elizabeth Hieber Spitler and Lester Joel Spitler of rural Tiffin.
She graduated from Mohawk High School in 1970 and from Bluffton College in 1974. She taught home economics/family and consumer science and general science at Niles McKinley High School from 1974 to 2009. She was also the Home Economics Club adviser for most of her career and a Red Cross adviser for numerous years. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Mineral Ridge, Ohio, where she served as an elder and deacon. She also volunteered at Niles Community Services and was a member of the board for the past three years.
Article Photos
Ms. Spitler
She is survived by her partner, Robert Earl Seiple of Niles; two children, Jeffrey Michael Thompson of Addison, Texas, and Julie Marie Thompson of Cleburne, Texas; a grandson, Anthony Joel Thompson of Cleburne, Texas; and two siblings, Barbara Jean (David) Sander of Genoa, Ohio, and David Joel (Barbara) Spitler of Tiffin.
Joyce donated her body for cancer research through Case Western Reserve University. A celebration of life will take place July 6, 2013, at First Presbyterian Church, Mineral Ridge, Ohio with Pastor Jaime Milton officiating.
Memorial contributions can be made to First Presbyterian Church, 3654 N. Main St., Mineral Ridge, OH 44440.


text:
(NAPSI)—Many drivers have found a clear way to protect themselves, their passengers and their wallets with the help of a film they can hardly see.
The Problem
"People don't realize their skin is getting damaged from sitting near glass windows in cars," explains Dr. Dee Anna Glaser, vice-chair of the Dermatology Department at St. Louis University. "Damage from certain kinds of ultraviolet rays is cumulative. These ultraviolet rays penetrate deep into the skin and can silently accelerate the aging process, cause wrinkles and even skin cancer."
Adds the Skin Cancer Foundation, drivers are especially vulnerable on the left side.
An Answer
Fortunately, drivers can apply a clear or tinted window film over the vehicle's windows for virtually invisible protection that blocks up to 99 percent of ultraviolet rays.
Lower Temperatures And Costs
In addition, by reducing the interior temperature of the car, the window film can reduce the need to run the air-conditioning and so burn less fuel, saving money and the environment. Window film can reduce a car's interior temperature by as much as 30 degrees.
LLumar window films by Eastman Chemical Company can be professionally installed at more than 1,100 LLumar and FormulaOne dealers across the country. Manufactured in the U.S., they are backed by a lifetime manufacturer's warranty.
Learn More
Visit www.llumar.com/skinprotection to learn more about window films for skin protection; "like" LLumar on Facebook at www.facebook.com/llumarwindowfilm for more skin protection tips.


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ELKINS - Officials say renovations to the Taco Bell restaurant in Elkins should be completed soon and the business will reopen in weeks.
Lenny Kaschenbach, area manager of Taco Bell stores, said the location is getting a "cosmetic overhaul."
"The chain is required to make renovations and update all of our locations to the latest model after 20 years," he said Monday.
Article Photos
The Inter-Mountain photo by Chad Clem
Workers toil through the nasty weather Monday making renovations at the Taco Bell restaurant in Elkins.
The renovations start in the kitchen and will move forward into the dining room and the rest rooms, and will provide the exterior with a new look, Kaschenbach said.
"We are also installing wi-fi access in the fashion of an Internet cafe, as well as upgrading different pieces of equipment," Kaschenbach added.
Roger Simonds, director of construction, said the project is scheduled to be concluded within three weeks, weather permitting.
"We are hoping that the weather is cooperative throughout the process," he said. "We are working seven days a week to get everything done."
Kaschenback said the Elkins location is one of 60 stores he manages throughout the area, including the new Buckhannon location, which he says has been very successful since it opened in early March.
"We are excited to get everything up and ready again," Kaschenbach said.


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The end of the line is just the beginning of the story.
So it is for Lazaro Arbos, who learned Thursday, after several tough weeks, that his American Idol dream is over.
But all that means is he can focus on his other dreams – one in particular, which involves a visit to the glee club at William McKinley High School.
"My next goal is to get on Glee," Arbos, 22, told PEOPLE Thursday. "I am trying to contact [showrunner] Ryan Murphy. So if he stops by, tell him to call me, so I can be on that show!"
Last season's Idol runner-up, Jessica Sanchez, is filming two episodes of Glee this month, which gives Arbos hope.
"She's doing it! It's possible!" he says. "Ryan, call me maybe! [Sings] Call me maybe!"
As for his elimination, Arbos says he "wasn't shocked" but added: "My main goal wasn't to win a TV show. It's a TV show. My main goal was to get known as an artist and to have people that love to me, and I think I'm one step closer to to that."
With that chapter over, he's also looking forward to touring.
"Six months ago I never rode a plane by myself, I never did anything by myself," he says. "I want to meet my fans so bad. I love to travel, so I'd love to see the whole country and maybe go to the Philippines. I've never gone to the other side of the world, so going to the Philippines will be nice. I am excited."
Reporting by PATRICK GOMEZ
Lazaro Arbos Wants to Visit Glee's William McKinley High School Next
Frank Micelotta/FOX
updated 04/12/2013 AT 02:25 PM EDT
•originally published 04/12/2013 AT 11:25 AM EDT


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"A Year on the Corner of Erie and Niagara,"
oil painting adventure with Linda Banas, through June 29.
Starting on Saturday, June 1, 2013 and continuing through Saturday, June 29, 2013 every week on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.Next Date: This event ended on Saturday, June 29, 2013
Cost: Free
Venue: Partners in Art Studio and Gallery.
74 Webster St., North Tonawanda.
74 Webster St., North Tonawanda.
More Info: www.partnersinart.net | 692-2141.
in Art


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Celebrated by his grandparents, godparents and, to top it off, his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth – as well as uncle Prince Harry – the royal infant marked his first birthday in style at the Kensington Palace home of his parents, William and Kate.
Guests had all arrived by 4 p.m. London time when the Queen was whisked in from Kensington High Street's entrance.
Those waiting for her inside the newly refurbished home were grandparents Carole and Michael Middleton and their children, Pippa and James, and godparents Zara and Mike Phillips and their daughter Mia, along with Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton and Emilia Jardine-Paterson.
George's other grandparents, Prince Charles and Camilla, were away this week, visiting Scotland.
As for what was served, besides birthday cake, speculation ran high that there would be "Jam Pennies" – light jelly-filled sandwiches cut to the size of old penny pieces that were favored by the Queen when she was a baby and copied by royal kitchens ever since, according to chef Darren McGrady.
Another possibility were tiny egg sandwiches. "We would cut them into horse shapes or animal shapes. Even at the younger age the kids associated more with the looks than the taste," McGrady told PEOPLE. "And we would add berries, like fresh strawberries to the table."
Not that George has ever been short of gifts, but some guests were seen arriving with shiny presents.
For her part, the Queen remained at the party for 50 minutes.
On the eve of the happy birthday, William and Kate thanked people "wherever we have met them, both at home and overseas, for their warm and generous good wishes to George and our family."


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A tattoo across Maurkice Pouncey's chest reads 1989, the year the all-pro center was born.
Despite his age, when the Steelers begin the 2013 season, Pouncey will likely have the most career starts under his belt of anyone on Pittsburgh's offensive line.
"I definitely will be taking on a leadership role," said Pouncey, who was at Peoples Natural Gas Field Friday to throw out the first pitch of the Curve game and sign autographs. "I have been waiting for that for awhile now. I've been doing it on the field, but now I'll have to do it a little more in the locker room since some of our older guys are gone."
Article Photos
Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec
Seth Rundle, 9, of Altoona has his jersey signed by Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey at PNG Field.
Other than 27-year-old Ramon Foster, who has 42 career starts, no one on Pittsburgh's roster of offensive linemen has more than six starts, and no one is older than 24.
The 23-year-old Pouncey has made 45 career starts over his first three seasons and has been selected to three Pro Bowls.
"We all made a promise to ourselves that we're going to start Monday and we're going to work out together and build our chemistry better," Pouncey said.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked 30 times last season and missed three games due to injury.
"This year we've got to do a lot better job protecting Ben [Roethlisberger]," Pouncey said. "He was banged up a little bit last year, and I think that was due to some of the offensive line play.
"I think all our guys have it set in our minds that we have to step up a little bit more and help out our quarterback."
Pouncey's offensive line coach, Sean Kugler, who joined the Steelers along with Pouncey in 2010, left Pittsburgh after last season to become the UTEP head coach.
Jack Bicknell Jr. will replace Kugler this season.
"[Kugler] was a great coach," Pouncey said. "I'm going to miss that guy, but he had a great opportunity with UTEP, and hopefully those guys start winning and he turns that program around."
As always, when a Steelers or Penguins player visits Altoona, a huge line of fans turned out to get Pouncey's autograph.
Several wore Pouncey jerseys and expressed excitement about seeing the All-Pro but also some concern about the Steelers' upcoming season.
"I've been a huge Steelers fan my whole life, and I'm a former center myself," Tyrone native Brock Anders said. "It's awesome to come see Maurkice Pouncey and watch some baseball while I'm doing it.
"I'd say I'm a little concerned about the season, but it's the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Rooneys know how to get things done. They'll get the right players in their organization."
Pouncey acknowledged the fans' concerns but stressed patience.
"I think we'll be pretty good, and we just have to stay positive," Pouncey said. "I think the Rooneys and [Steelers GM] Kevin Colbert always do a good job at drafting guys. They always bring good guys in, so we'll see how things turn out."
The Steelers made the Super Bowl in Pouncey's first season but were eliminated in the first round during his second year and missed the playoffs last season. Pouncey was unable to play in the 2010 Super Bowl due to an injury.
"I think about it all the time," Pouncey said. "But you know the Pittsburgh Steelers will be back again. I'll tell you one thing. Before I'm done, I'm winning a Super Bowl ring."
Though winning a ring is still on his to-do list, Pouncey can cross off throwing a good first pitch at a Curve game.
"It was right up there [with the best first pitches]," Curve general manager Rob Egan said. "If there was one better, I can't remember it. He threw a strike. Some of his teammates have bounced them, and we told him about that. We told him to keep it high, and he did."
Pouncey was his worst critic.
"I was nervous walking up," Pouncey said. "I wish I would have just let it fly and put more torque behind it. I think some of the guys in the ballpark out there were laughing at me."
Despite Pouncey's claims of laughter, the most obvious sight in the ballpark were the smiles and excitement of fans standing in line to see their favorite Steeler. The Curve drew 3,020 fans on Friday, most of whom were in line at some point in time.
"We've been very fortunate, and it starts with the fan support," Egan said. "They have shown us with their attendance over the years. Our sponsors have helped us over the years, and we've been lucky on both ends."


text:
on January 17, 2013 - 10:02 PM
, updated January 17, 2013 at 10:59 PM
Hundreds are expected to turn out at noon Saturday in Niagara Square for a "Gun Appreciation Day" rally organized locally by New York Tea Party leader Rus Thompson.
"What started out as a small thing is absolutely exploding," Thompson said.
Close to 700 people already had agreed to come to the rally as of Thursday morning, according to the event's Facebook page.
The rally is one of an array of events being organized nationwide Saturday in support of the Second Amendment.
Participants are being asked to "bring the Stars and Stripes and pro Second Amendment signs," the invitation on Facebook reads.
"Lets show our government that we won't tolerate our rights being infringed upon," it continued.


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Top Definition
wordy and generally unintelligible jargon (nonsense)
He spent all of last week getting clobberfaced and spouting off gobbledygook.
Beküldő: Bob Baxter 2004. január 24.
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
Gibberish; just plain nonsense.
You don't need to tell me all that gobbledy-gook.
Beküldő: Koelli 2010. június 29.
Nonsense, balderdash.
Person 1: Why are you full of so much gobbledygook!
Person 2: It's what I was born to be full of... :)
Person 2: It's what I was born to be full of... :)
Beküldő: PandaGirl xox 2016. május 30.
The act of performing oral sex on a person of Asian descent.
I performed some serious gobbledygook at that Pho house on Saturday.
Beküldő: renton 2009. november 13.
The nonsense that Protestants believe in.
Lutherans don't believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived immaculate. That sounds like a lot of gobbledygook to me.
Beküldő: GuidoPosse69 2005. február 25.
A slang term used to describe persons with one oriental parent and one caucasian parent.
Since Chi was only half Korean, she wasn't a full blown Gook, but rather a gobbledygook.
Beküldő: John Quantum 2006. szeptember 7.


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Source: Anandtech
quote: Ultimately Intel's first smartphone is a foot in the door. It's what many said couldn't be done, and it's here now. What it isn't however is a flagship. To lead, Intel needs an updated Atom architecture, it needs to be on 22nm, and it needs a faster GPU - at a minimum. All of this needs to come in a reference design that's not just good enough, but better than the rest.
quote: Nor was that EVER the intention with this design.
quote: On the one hand it's a good thing that you can't tell an Intel smartphone apart from one running an ARM based SoC, on the other hand it does nothing to actually sell the Intel experience. Intel is never taken seriously in markets where it relies on being good enough, and it moves mountains in those where it's the best. That's what Intel needs to really build credibility in the smartphone space.
quote: As you'll recall, I said that, taken in a vacuum, IVB is a great product, but that it simply does not shine in comparison with its predecessor.
quote: Yep, Intel wants to enter the market and be mediocre. That's exactly how they got to where they are today, right?


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Top Definition
Copypaste (a.k.a. copy & paste function) means copying the contents of a document or a program to be added to another document. The word comes from the property in Microsoft Windows and MacOS windowing systems in which it is possible to copy and paste contents by "painting" the text and copypasting it to another window.
Wow, this website looks useful for my discourse, I think I'll copypaste it.
by DJ FlowFX November 29, 2004
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
The worst example of Internet plagiarism; the act of copying a whole chunk of someone's work and pasting it whereever you see fit for your own use or disguised as your own. Copypasting frequently occurs with web page source codes, signature stealing, "borrowing" from other's guides and posting as your own, etc.
- The asshole copypasted my web source on his site.
- This forum's full of stupid signature copypasters.
- This forum's full of stupid signature copypasters.
by Elvarg February 17, 2005
To rip something off the internet and publish as your own
I copy pasted my homework from Wikipedia.
by pipedreamer August 23, 2007
(verb) (cop-E-pAst) the act of manually copying and pasting a URL from a site such as Myspace into a new browser pane because you can't be sure if they've disallowed the intermediary link they not clip onto every URL added.
Myspace disclaimer: you will have to copypaste all the urls I give you because Myspace has flagged me as a terrorist and breaks any linkage i provide.
by phillydrifter March 11, 2009


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Who doesn't love a good Rube Goldberg machine? Purdue University has been hosting a contest every year since 1983, and nationally since 1989, to see which collegiate team can build the best Goldberg-style contraption, defined as accomplishing a simple task in no fewer than 20 steps. This year, the task was zipping a zipper, and the home team won — Purdue's Rube Goldberg squad managed to contrive about 75 steps to complete the easiest of objectives.
Kudos to Jimmy Kimmel for having the team bring their Rube Goldberg machine on his show. The dumpster-diving engineers who designed and built it are as delightful as you'd expect, and their machine really is quite impressive — though if I were Guillermo, I'd have been pretty nervous near the end, too. There's probably a reason this is the first entry in more than 30 years to incorporate a human participant. --Peter Weber
Not even Glenn Beck — the conservative radio host who reportedly spent $500,000 on travel stumping for Ted Cruz during the Republican primaries — is ready to let the Texas senator off the hook for endorsing Donald Trump. In an interview on Beck's radio show Monday, Beck repeatedly tried to get Cruz to explain his decision to vote for Trump — despite the fact that during the Republican National Convention, Cruz used his speech to advise Americans to "vote your conscience" rather than to endorse the GOP nominee.
At first Cruz tried to paint his convention speech as a way to "lay out a path to uniting Republicans," explaining that this election is "a binary choice" and Hillary Clinton isn't the choice to make. But Beck wasn't ready to let Cruz get away with once again refusing to say whether Trump is fit to be president. "So a man, who you cannot come on [the show] and say, 'Yes, Glenn, he is fit to be president of the United States,' I still am encouraged by you to abandon my principles and vote [for him] because it's a binary choice?" Beck asked.
By the end of the nearly 20-minute conversation, Beck had to admit he "strongly" disagreed with Cruz — and he was reportedly even more candid after he hung up the phone. "I think I have to apologize, and say, maybe, perhaps, those of you who said Ted Cruz is calculating and a smarmy politician, I think I may have to slightly agree with you and apologize for saying, 'No, he wasn't,'" Beck said, as reported by The Daily Beast. Then, Cruz apparently twisted the knife, reportedly admitting that maybe, just maybe, he should've supported Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in the primary instead.
Listen to the entire interview, below. Becca Stanek
The weekend's intense rain in the Midwest may finally be subsiding, but in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, floodwaters are continuing to rise. As of Monday morning, the Cedar River crested at 16 feet, which constitutes a "major flood event," Time reported. By Tuesday morning, the river is expected to crest at 23 feet, which NBC News noted would put the water "11 feet above flood stage." The waters are rushing down to Cedar Rapids from Wisconsin, where two people died last week because of flooding.
Residents evacuate Cedar Rapids homes ahead of flooding in Iowa https://t.co/infdyTbgLj
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 26, 2016
The last time Iowa waters rose this high was in 2008; that flood, which The Des Moines Register called the "worst in the city's history," resulted in an estimated $10 billion in damages.
Residents of Cedar Rapids and in other areas of Iowa have been advised to evacuate, while curfews have also been installed in some parts of the state. CNN reported Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) have "each declared disaster emergencies for 13 counties, freeing up state resources to respond to the flooding." Becca Stanek
Tonight is a big night for the swath of voters who still haven't decided whether they're team Donald Trump or team Hillary Clinton. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday, the day of the first presidential debate between Trump and Clinton, revealed that of the 50 percent of likely voters who are using the presidential debates to guide their decision this November, 10 percent still don't even prefer one candidate over another.
But for all those voters who are hopeful the debates will bring some much-needed clarity, 39 percent of respondents were already resigned to the fact the debates "will not help" them choose a candidate, Reuters reported. Another 11 percent weren't sure how the debates will shape their decisions.
The debate will be moderated by NBC's Lester Holt at New York's Hofstra University. Reuters reported it is expected to draw "a Super Bowl-sized audience of 100 million Americans."
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted among 1,337 likely voters across all 50 states, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Becca Stanek
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will finally face off Monday night, in the first of three presidential debates. For Trump, preparing for the debate has meant getting used to working on a timer and practicing staying even-keeled and optimistic; Clinton, meanwhile, has been holding marathon run-throughs and honing her mental discipline.
But Trump's former campaign manager-cum-CNN commentator Corey Lewandowski thinks Clinton could do without all the formal practice and instead just focus on one thing: becoming human. "What Hillary Clinton has to do here is she has to become human, and I mean that in a good way," Lewandowski said Monday on a CNN panel, per Politico. "There's no question about [the fact that she knows the issues], but what she doesn't have is that compassion that people can see."
Lewandowski's critique of Clinton as coming off wooden is not new, and is a claim that has dogged the Democratic nominee throughout her political life. In a lengthy report for The Washington Post published Friday, writer Marc Fisher explored Clinton's problems with being perceived as even "likable enough," as Barack Obama said memorably in 2008 — to the point where she believed the press would publish even the most bombastic of rumors about her:
This is...kind of incredible. https://t.co/Yh5wMOOy0B pic.twitter.com/DsiOB3Z8E6
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) September 26, 2016
Lewandowski — who is still receiving severance from the Trump campaign while being paid by CNN for his work — also said Monday that he believed Trump would exceed expectations at Monday night's debate. Read more of his comments at Politico, or read Fisher's full story on Clinton's authenticity problem at The Washington Post. Kimberly Alters
If Election Day got bumped up to Sept. 26, FiveThirtyEight predicts Donald Trump would claim a huge victory. In Monday's now-cast election predictor, released hours ahead of the first presidential debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton, the Republican presidential nominee's chances of winning were nearly 10 points higher than Clinton's, 54.9 percent to 45.1 percent.
Of course, a lot can change over the course of 43 days. But the trends over the last couple months in this particular FiveThirtyEight forecast have shown Trump steadily gaining ground and Clinton steadily losing it. After Trump briefly pulled ahead in late July, Clinton's lead peaked on Aug. 8, when she had a 96.4 percent chance of winning and Trump had just a 3.6 percent chance. Since then, it's been a slow but steady downhill slide for Clinton.
Moreover, while Clinton has consistently led since June in FiveThirtyEight's polls-plus predictor, which takes polls, historical data, and the economy into the equation, she now holds her slimmest lead yet in that measure, too: In the polls-plus forecast, Clinton's chances of winning on Nov. 8 are 51.9 percent, while Trump's are 48.1 percent. Becca Stanek
And the hits just keep on coming.
Just days after 21-year league veteran Kevin Garnett announced his retirement from the NBA — joining fellow icons Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan in hanging 'em up after the 2015-2016 season — Garnett's erstwhile teammate Paul Pierce announced Monday via The Players' Tribune that the 2016-2017 season would be his last.
It's time. https://t.co/8f1mtGapAO
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) September 26, 2016
"I'm at peace with retiring, but I've got one more ride left," Pierce wrote. "With the [Los Angeles] Clippers, in the city where I grew up, I feel like I have that opportunity … to win a championship."
Pierce played his first 15 seasons with the Boston Celtics, joining forces with sharp-shooter Ray Allen and the emotional, defense-anchoring Garnett to win a championship in 2008. He then spent one season each with the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards before joining the Clippers in the summer of 2015. He is a 10-time All-Star team selection and was also the 2008 NBA Finals MVP. Below, a look at some of his best career plays. Kimberly Alters
Turns out, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was probably making money off of Donald Trump when he panned the GOP nominee at the Republican National Convention in July and urged Americans to "vote your conscience." Politico reported Sunday that Cruz sold Trump his donor email list just six weeks after dropping out of the Republican presidential primary — an entire month before Cruz's convention speech and nearly five months before Cruz announced he'd decided to vote for Trump after "searching my own conscience."
It's hard to tell exactly how much money Cruz has made from selling his list to Trump's campaign, but Politico estimated he's pocketed "at least tens of thousands of dollars, and more likely hundreds of thousands, that can be used to bankroll the Texan's own political future":
Since he exited the presidential race in May, Cruz's campaign committee has reported a total of roughly $290,000 in list rental income, Federal Election Commission records show. Trump's campaign directly rented Cruz's list five times in June and since early July his joint fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee — which gives 80 percent of its proceeds to Trump — has rented Cruz's list more than 25 times.
The buying and selling of email addresses is standard fare in modern politics — but less typical among bitter rivals. After Cruz failed to back Trump at the convention, he told the Texas delegation he would not "go like a servile puppy dog" and simply endorse after Trump had "slandered" his family. [Politico]
Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier defended Cruz's decision as a move to "help the Republican Party at large."
You can read the full story on Cruz's under-the-radar Trump assist over at Politico. Becca Stanek


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Top Definition
A Computer Version Of AIDS or Herpes, It Is Most Commonly Responsible For Sever Crashes Or Client Timeouts
"dude my computer just spazzed out and dropped me from a left 4 dead server"
"oh you must have gotten herpaderpes from that spiking noob!"
"oh you must have gotten herpaderpes from that spiking noob!"
מאת HunterFan!! 9 בנובמבר, 2009
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Can you define these popular missing words?
Herpes you receive from stupid unprotected sex with a stranger, usually under the influence of one or more drugs including but not limited to alcohol, ecstasy, or dissociatives
Yeah I had a one-night stand with this chick and ended up getting herpa derpes
מאת rawkies 12 ביולי, 2010


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quote: Whatever.
quote: I get about 3-hours from my current 17" MBP for normal use so 8-hours is pretty amazing.
quote: I wanna see this thing run at 8 hours battery life without downclocking the processor and FSB into the ground. Until it can do that, 8 hours is nothing more than a gimmick for word documents.


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Look for Billie Joe on the cover of the new KERRANG!
August 02, 2011
Look for Billie Joe on the cover of the new KERRANG!
August 02, 2011
#12 -- "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day
Green Day packs a powerful message into the video "Wake Me Up When September Ends." The video examines a couple torn apart by war. (Watch)
August 02, 2011
Tim Mosenfelder: "Green Day played the Lollapalooza tour in 1994 and returned to the festival in 2010. Green Day has always been one of my favorites to photograph, thanks to frontman Billie Joe's animated antics while on stage. He has a wild approach to performing that has always surprised me, even after 15 years."
August 01, 2011
Green Day rank #1 in Rolling Stone Readers Poll
July 31, 2011
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of MTV today (August 1), Gigwise has put together a collection of the best 30 videos for each year spanning over the last three decades.


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This is why you're broke, auto pay edition
Like Wile E. Coyote and those canyon walls painted to look like a wide-open road, I can never seem to stop falling into the auto pay trap.
In theory, it's great; having monthly subscription fees automatically debited from your checking account is so convenient it's almost invisible, especially for smaller charges. But therein lies the problem for me: Even if I never use it I'll wait much longer to cut back or cancel a service that's auto pay compared to one where I actually have to log on and pay by hand, or God forbid, mail in a paper check.
(Click to continue reading…)


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Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Now that the gauntlet has been dropped and there will be a new sheriff in town - eventually - let me take a look at what a new statistically inclined general manager may think of the current crop of Cubbies with the predisposition that the Cubs are not going into some full 3-year rebuild mode. That may be a faulty assumption on my part, but I assume the Ricketts would at the very least like to make the appearance of contending and with nearly $50M coming off the books and even more after 2012, no reason a savvy GM could not make things a lot more interesting, rather quickly.
Let me preface this with the explanation that this is intended more as a look at who may stay and who may go, then who will they try to bring in, although they'll certainly be some of that mixed in.
- Geovany Soto
- Koyie Hill
- Welington Castillo
I assume the second pen is laid to paper to sign the new GM's contract, Koyie Hill ceases to be on the Cubs 40-man roster. Soto's patience and power should be appealing as well as his low cost and he has improved his defense a bit this year. He's certainly worth dangling in a trade, but hard to see anyone that could be found that would be a worthy replacement. Castillo's power the last two years in Iowa has been intriguing, but what little I've seen at the major league level has me questioning that his defense would be any better than Soto's to justify what would likely be an offensive drop. And Castillo has shown little ability to stay healthy. If the new GM feels like committing to Soto as the catcher for the next 2-3 years, looking to trade Castillo and leaving back-up duties to Clevenger, Robinson or the like would suit me just fine.
First Base
- Bryan LaHair
- Carlos Pena
I only added LaHair since it seems inevitable he'll be added to the 40-man for a September call-up. But I can't imagine he's part of any future plan despite the gaudy AAA numbers this year. Bringing back Pena next year on another one year deal wouldn't be the worst thing, nor the best thing, but his patience and pop would likely be welcome. Jonah Keri suggests the Cubs pass on Pujols or Fielder because they likely won't be contending next year. This line of thinking always confuses me. If you're signing a guy for 6-8 years, I think you're intending to try to contend beyond just the first season of the contract and I doubt anyone as good as Pujols or as good and young as Fielder will be available anytime soon. There's something to be said about not spending your resources on a 32-year old that no one believes is 32 or a big-boned vegetarian who plays terrible defense and runs the bases poorly, but that something shouldn't be, "well we don't see ourselves winning in the first year of their contract".
Second Base
- Darwin Barney
- Blake DeWitt
- DJ LeMahieu
- Jeff Baker
With the asssumption that no one is going to move Starlin Castro from shortstop anytime soon and my own reservations that Barney would be all that great of a defensive shortstop, I'm guessing one of the first jobs of the new GM would be to let everyone know that barely nipping at a .700 OPS is not good production from your second basemen, regardless how awesome his defense is suppose to be (awesomeness that hasn't really reflected in the defensive stats) or how dirty his uniform gets. I have no idea what kind of trade value Barney has, but I'd certainly look into it, cause guys like Barney run the risk of impressing their managers into playing time with their intangibles rather than their production when they're on the roster. Or to put it another way, do the Red Sox, Yankees or Phillies employ a Darwin Barney as a starter? Marco Scutaro is the closest comp I could think of, but his patient approach fits in better with the Red Sox philosophy and his defense (at least on reputation) is much more well regarded.
That being said, with all of Wilken's middle-of-the-diamond draft picks over the years, it's not a position you want to tie up with an expensive free agent contract. I would hope, just by sheer odds, that one of those picks should inevitably result in a decent enough regular. A Baker/Flaherty platoon would interest me the most for next season, but I could also see Flaherty struggling mightily out of the gate. I guess we'll find out how strong the committment to player development is, when the Cubs are losing lots of games with some of these youngsters.
- Starlin Castro
- Darwin Barney
- DJ LeMahieu
At age 21, Castro is 10th among shortstops in total WAR and 7th in wOBA. I assume that he stays where he's at and continues to get better. Barney as a bench guy makes more sense to me. LeMahieu seems more like a future utility guy and doesn't really have the approach that I care for, but I'm not sure what the the trade value is for a barely top-10 prospect, if any exists at all.
Third Base
- Aramis Ramirez
- Jeff Baker
Is Ramirez worth the $16M next year in a bare free agent market for third basemen? This might be one of the tougher decisions for a new GM. The Cubs have the money to keep him and his production, and even with declining defense, he should justify the cost (for the most part). On the other hand, is it worth taking that $16M and putting it toward Fielder or Pujols contract as an investment for the future.
Left Field
- Alfonso Soriano
If Ricketts is feeling generous, he'd say the sins of the past are not the burden of the future GM. Pay whatever it takes to make Soriano go away as quickly as possible. What that entails I don't know yet. The chatter is that Soriano is suited to be a DH, but I feel the demand for right-handed hitting DH's with wOBA's of .316 and falling and owed $54M for three years is pretty sparse. There's always the swap of bad contracts (Vernon Wells?), but what does that really solve? A deferred buyout or outright release would be the last ditch options. The other option is making him earn his playing time and benching him regularly, something I feel a certain Hall-of-Fame second basemen wouldn't be opposed to doing.
Center Field
- Marlon Byrd
- Tony Campana
On the last year of a rather cheap deal, Byrd should have some suitors in the offseason trade market. The sort of leader type with good enough production that a contending team might look at. It's not a move that needs to be made, but the market should be explored. He certainly doesn't bring the trifecta of patience, power and good defense that a saber-inclined GM would want. Campana could be a perfectly reasonable last man on the bench, or not.
Right Field
- Tyler Colvin
- Reed Johnson
Bringing Reed back again to hit lefties would be fine, he does it well enough and cheap enough, but that's a January decision. I think Colvin truly has 30-HR potential in him if he played everyday, but he'll never have the patience that you'd really want to make him an above average player. With the year he had, his trade value amounts to whatever lies above completely non-existant, so I assume he stays and maybe he earns his full-time shot in spring training.
Starting Pitching
- Carlos Zambrano
- Ryan Dempster
- Matt Garza
- Randy Wells
- Casey Coleman
- Andrew Cashner
Before Hendry got fired, I'd say Ryan Dempster picking up his $14M player option was inevitable. No such loyalty may exist now and Dempster could look to explore a multi-year deal. With a 3.62 FIP, the new GM would probably prefer Dempster stay, unless they'd want the financial resources to play around with. Z seems as good as gone if they can find a team, get Z to waive his NTC and eat some money. Good luck with that new GM. Garza's 3.01 FIP says he should stay, but he's also worth dangling in a trade to see what's available. No doubt he'd be one of the top 3 free agent pitchers if he was available, but I assume he stays a Cubbie. Wells and Cashner really depend on what else may be brought in, but both have their appeal to stay as Cubbies. I mean Cashner's not going anywhere, it's just whether he moves to the pen or sticks with being a starter. Coleman just needs to go away.
Relief Pitchers
- Carlos Marmol
- Kerry Wood
- Sean Marshall
- Jeff Samardzija
- James Russell
- Chris Carpenter
- Scott Maine
- Berg, Cabrera, Caridad, Dolis, Gaub, Mateo, Schlitter, Smit
Unfortunately Marmol's second half implosion is likely to hurt his trade value, as is his declining fastball velocity. That makes trading him in the offseason, likely a poor proposition. If Kerry Wood wants back for $2M or less, that's a no-brainer. Marshall should of course stay, they can even try him out in the rotation or as a closer, but it's also worth seeing how much someone would overpay for him in a trade. I'd probably see if someone is just looking at Samardizja's ERA and not notice his walk rates. The rest are a case-by-case basis that I don't care to delve into today.
P.S. I highly recommend Chris Jaffe's very balanced take on the Hendry years at THT.
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Q-ball needs to be relieved on, and then relieved of his duties today. I didn't watch last night's game to see what Castro was doing, and if he did have his back to the batter while a pitch was thrown, that is a big deal, but Q has been such a hypocrite all year with Castro and Barney while the rest of the team dogs it daily. A manager in any business needs to be consistent.
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Nice article, Rob.
I was talking to a friend last night about the prospect of being able to trade Soriano. I said that even if they ate half of his contract, he's still a $9 million a year DH for another team, and free agent DH's didn't get contracts like that last off-season. Thome got $3 mil, and Godzilla got $4.25 mil. Manny got what, $1 mil? Only Ortiz got more, but that was an option picked up by Boston. True DH's have gotten big contracts for a few years, as the owners have pushed most of the older players without actual positions out of the game. The Cubs would probably have to eat enough of Soriano's contract that he only costs a new team something in the $3-5 mil per year range, I would think.
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
I think you try to trade Soriano by picking up the majority of his contract, or you tell him and his agent that you're thinking of a number between $1 and $54,000,000 that has the first digit of 2. If they're not amenable to that then Fonzie will become the best paid RH pinch-hitter in baseball through the 2014 season.
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Thome only got one year.
$1-3 million sounds about right for Soriano, but only for a year. But then the Cubs are paying 95% of his salary. Only Hendry (who recently agreed to pay 84% of the rest of Fukudome's contract) would be motivated to make a face-saving deal like that.
The new GM and Ricketts will mull this over for about five minutes and then decide to just release the guy. The money is already spent, as Levine has been saying. That's true when the new guy gets here, and it was also true when Ricketts arrived.
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
He did this two days after Szczur hit two home runs?
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Colvin or Sori at first next year.
You can write off next year with lack of starting pitching available and on Cubs.
If Dempster goes, you only have Garza.
/next year rebuild should have been this year
// F U Hendry
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Pena in right field and Dewitt in left?
Even the stupid Royals and Nationals can figure out that you can't sign the perfect free agents when you're "ready" to compete, and that you have to grab one or two a year.
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Gammons tweet
Any Cubs list has to include Larry Beinfest, who has done a remarkable job in Florida on a dime store budget
Twitter for iPad • 8/22/11 5:42 PM
Nope, the rule has to be nothing prior to 2004 can be considered because otherwise you wind up hiring Hendry back.
And the irony involved with asking Beinfest to be the GM is just too heavy. There's the whole 2003 RoY-Dontrelle-Willis Juan-Pierre D-Lee come and gone thing. What's more, Beinfest has the title of President at Florida so Ricketts might have to offer him his job and abdicate.
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
I am getting lazy, letting expecting the Phils to report all of this stuff.
Nice blogical today. The last sentence in the LF writeup had me laughing aloud.
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Oh shit, sorry.
My attention span...look puppies!!!
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
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Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
A minor correction on the Ramirez decision. It's really a $14 million savings if they let him go, because of the buyout.
It's hard to see Fielder coming over without Aram to hit behind him, though. Unless they just blow the competing offers away, they're going to have to do some selling to get him signed.
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
In all seriousness, I really can't wait to see who Ricketts hires to replace Hendry. It's decisions like whether to re-sign Ramirez with the crap of 3B FA's available this off-season or linking that to a Fielder signing, that is going to tell a lot about the direction the team will be heading in. Should be an interesting off-season for once.
Re: Should They Stay or Should They Go?
I'd like to introduce you to our 2012 Chicago Cubs first baseman, Carlos Pena. :)
Recent comments
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.
j.buchanan going friday...should be...baseball...or something like it.
Wow. I didn't know they could do that.
Nice for Willson, not so much for Addy.
Game is officially called...also officially a tie.
Stats count, no make-up date of course.
Yeah -- seeing the weather -- I hope KB and Rizz are inside, wrapped in blankets and drinking hot chocolate.