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March 2011
TV-radio notes: J.D. to moonlight as sideline reporter eye candy.
After more than a month of Spring Training, it's always nice to get some fresh, new faces around camp…especially when those fresh, new faces belong to Bill Brown and Jim Deshaies.
Many moons ago, Brownie and J.D. attended Spring Training for the entire month, like the radio announcers. But in the last several years, their time in Florida has instead centered around the few days before and after the Astros' Spring Training television broadcasts.
FS Houston usually swings through town to show a game or three on TV, and Brownie and J.D. are here now, preparing for two regionally televised games on Friday in Jupiter against the Marlins and Saturday at home against the Cardinals.
Brownie and J.D. will be in the booth together Friday, but because Saturday's game will be delivered to both the Houston and St. Louis markets, they're going with one broadcaster from each team: Brownie, and Cards announcer Al Hrabosky.
Where does that leave J.D.?
"I'm going to be the Tony Siragusa guy," J.D. said, referring to the retired NFL defensive tackle who is now a sideline analyst for football games shown on the Fox Network. "The sideline guy, hanging out, not contributing a whole lot. But it gives the fans a chance to see the games."
"Does Tony Siragusa eat when he's on the air?" Brownie wondered.
"My hunch is that he's got something squirreled away," J.D. said of the 340 pound Siragusa. "That's what I'll do. I'll be the guy eating hot dogs in the stands. They can get a shot of me every now and then and I'll have a different food product every half inning."
So on Saturday, look for hits from Hunter Pence, strikeouts from Wilton Lopez and a little mustard in J.D.'s well-trimmed goatee.
Watch our full interview with Brownie and J.D. here.
Speaking of our television broadcasters, did you know 2011 is Brownie's Silver Anniversary? It's his 25th year as the Astros primary play-by-play voice on television. This season also marks the 15th for Brownie and J.D. as a team.
On that note, Milo Hamilton, the legendary elder statesman on the radio side, will host the second to last Astroline tonight (Wednesday) at 8 ET/7 CT at the ESPN Club on the Disney Boardwalk. His guest will be Nelson Figueroa.
You can listen to the show on 740 KTRH and Astros.com. You can also tweet me questions and comments if you have any…
Camp tidbits:
* Wandy Rodriguez, sidelined with some mild shoulder tendinitis, will throw a side session on Friday and will be re-evaluated before being scheduled for his next start. He is not expected to miss another turn in the rotation, although Brad Mills did not want to reveal the target date he and his staff have for Wandy just yet.
* Angel Sanchez was unavailable for Wednesday's game after tweaking his back on Tuesday in Sarasota.
* The Astros will enjoy their one and only scheduled off day Thursday before resuming the Grapefruit League schedule on Friday in Jupiter. Lefty J.A. Happ will start that game, while the Marlins will counter with right-hander Ricky Nolasco.
The Astros hosted a special guest during their morning routine on Wednesday: 16-year-old Matt Myers, who plays baseball at Seminole High School in Sanford, FL. He was diagnosed with bone cancer in January. His visit was coordinated by third base coach Dave Clark, who introduced Myers and his family to most of the Astros Spring Training contingent. Myers also threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.
In case you missed our #TwitterTuesday contest, our winner was @MigM_, who guessed correctly that Jeff Bagwell's first car was a Mercury Capri (and it was orange. Bags admitted he thought he looked pretty cool in it, but looking back realizes he definitely did not).
Here's Bagwell's video confession.
On to the photos…
Bagwell, Jamie Quirk, Jason Michaels
Clint Barmes, Bill Hall
J.D. signs autographs
Michaels, Hunter Pence, Carlos Lee
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Astros are on MLB Network, and Bagwell's on Twitter (Tuesday only).
As a self-admitted MLB Network junkie, it sure has been a long month without my favorite cable sports station.
The place I rent down here has the bare minimum when it comes to cable programming, so I'm a little limited. After three (three!) Disney channels, TNT, E! and ESPN, the pickings are slim. Sadly, I'm experiencing pangs and withdrawal symptoms without MLB Network — and Bravo, too, come to think of it. Now, not only am I without nightly baseball talk, I also have no way of getting my daily dose of the fantastic train wrecks that are the "Real Housewives."
Anyhoo, I happy to see Greg Amsinger and his crew at our spring complex early Monday morning, shooting b-roll and stocking up on interviews with about a dozen Astros. While I won't be able to actually watch Tuesday night's "30 clubs, 30 days" special featuring your Astros, it was, I suppose, gratifying enough watching the crew gather the content.
A full hour, beginning Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT, will be dedicated to all things Astros. They talked to every prominent player while they were here shooting, and they will also dedicate an entire segment solely to the farm system and the talent that we may see in the big leagues in the not-so-distant future.
"It's for the hardcore baseball fan," Amsinger said. "It gives a little bit of everything, not just the guys at the big league level."
Hopefully you'll watch, enjoy, and give me a proverbial scouting report. For a full schedule of "30 clubs, 30 days," click here.
Question from e-mailer Ben:
I was wondering if you could tell me the following distances (miles/hours to get to certain camps.) Most notably Nationals, Braves, Phillies and Yankees.
Answer from your friendly neighborhood blogger:
The Astros travel anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours for Spring Training road trips, which is why the Braves (30 minutes) and not the Red Sox (three hours) are the official Preferred Opponent of Your Spring Training Houston Astros.
Here's a photo of the entire Grapefruit League schedule, bus-ride version. To calculate the time it takes to get to the road destination, simply subtract the time the bus leaves from 10 a.m., which is the standard arrival time for a 1 p.m. game (4 p.m. for a 7 p.m. game, 3 for a 6 p.m. game. You get the drift).
So, if the Astros are traveling to Lakeland to play the Tigers, that trip is an hour, so the bus will leave from the ballpark at 9 a.m.
I don't know the exact mileage, but you can find that easy enough on Google maps. Enter "Kissimmee" and the road city and it will include how many miles it takes, in addition to directions.
Why is this man smiling?
I can't tell you yet, but you'll find out soon enough when we reveal our #TwitterTuesday question on, well, Tuesday.
Jeff Bagwell is the topic of this week's Google-free trivia question and we'll tweet that question exactly at noon CT. The first correct answer wins two free tickets to any Astros game this season with the exception of Opening Day, the Red Sox series and the final homestand of the season.
The exercise is simple — I tweet the question, you tweet your guesses back to me. When we receive the first correct answer, we'll run a video of Bags giving his answer. Soon after that, we'll also type it out on Twitter, for those who might not be able to access the video.
(Bagwell is here until Friday, by the way.)
The Oklahoma City RedHawks have announced that tickets for the March 29 exhibition game against the Astros will go on sale to the general public beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday (March 15).
Remaining availability is limited, and seats are expected to sell quickly. For the Astros-RedHawks exhibition, Club seats are $20, Field and Bleacher seats are $16, Third Base Terrace seats are $12 and Lawn seating is $10. First pitch on March 29 is scheduled for
6:30 p.m., with gates opening at 5:00 p.m., the same time Astros batting practice is scheduled to begin.
Tickets are available for purchase by phone at (405) 218-1000, online at http://www.okcredhawks.com, or by visiting the RedHawks ticket office on Mickey Mantle Drive in Bricktown.
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Female ballplayer throws batting practice, promotes Baseball for All.
Of all of the life lessons Justine Siegal can pass along to the many kids she's impacted over the years, perseverance could very well be at the top of the list.
Sure, Siegal initially had no choice but to take no for answer when she first reached out to all 30 teams with a request to throw batting practice to Major League hitters during the next Spring Training. She sent emails, and she received no responses. Well, she did get one — "it was a beautiful email," she said. "Telling me, politely, no."
But Siegal was encouraged that at least someone did read it. So she pushed on. She reached out to people she knew who might have an "in" with general managers. She showed up at the Winter Meetings. She got some one-on-one face time with club execs.
"People started warming to it," Siegal said.
First, Oakland A's. Then her hometown Indians. The Rays, Cardinals, Astros and Mets soon followed. By those teams saying yes, Siegal, a 36-year-old former high school and amateur baseball player, became what is believed to be the first woman to throw batting practice to big league hitters.
Siegal threw a round of BP to Astros hitters on the backfields at Osceola County Stadium Saturday morning. The Astros were the fourth team she threw to, but it was "the first time I've done this where I haven't felt nervous when I started," she said.
The batting practice experience helped Siegal fulfill one lifelong goal, but ultimately, her main purpose is to bring awareness to her organization, Baseball For All, which provides girls and women the opportunity to get involved in baseball as players, coaches and umpires. Her web site, baseballforall.com, details many opportunities for girls to play in tournaments and participate in camps and academies.
"They don't want to just watch and wear a pink jersey," Siegal said. "They want to be a part of baseball."
Siegal, who was the first woman to coach men's professional when she coached for the Brockton Rox in 2009, has received a positive response from all of the teams she's worked with this spring. The Rays "almost made it a home run derby," she recalled. "It was a really light atmosphere, with Coco Crisp leading the way. They were having a good time with it. That's what I wanted — for them to enjoy the experience."
Siegal wears a patch, dedicated to the memory of Christina-Taylor Green, on her left sleeve. Green, who was killed during the shootings in Tucson in January, was the only girl on her Little League team and had aspirations to become the first female Major League Baseball player.
"When she was shot, a lot of parents reached out to me, wanting to know what BFA was going to do to help," Siegal said. "I knew I wanted to do something. Then I heard about the patch."
Asked how the Green family reacted to the attention the patch is receiving as she tours the different spring training facilities, Siegal said simply, "They gave me the best compliment possible — they said they're very proud of me."
Play was halted for about 15 minutes on Saturday after a female fan apparently was hit in the head by a foul ball. She was tended to by the on-site EMTs and taken away on a stretcher. There was no indication how severe the injury or the fan's condition available. We will provide an update when we receive word.
Promotional updates:
On March 14 vs. PHI, the first 2,000 fans will receive Astros drawstring backpacks presented by Holiday Inn Main Gate East…Kid's Run the Bases!, for children ages 5-12, will be featured twice this Spring on March 20 and 27 immediately following the game…the March 20 will feature $1 hot dogs and free Astros posters, presented by Florida Operation Lifesaver, while supplies last…Military Appreciation Day, presented by Outback Steakhouse, will be March 27, as well as free Astros posters presented by Florida Operation Lifesaver, while supplies last.
The Astros will play their fifth of six split squad games on Sunday, with half the team going to Disney to play the Braves and the other half traveling to Lakeland to face the Tigers.
The pitchers scheduled to throw in these games are:
ATL: RHP Bud Norris, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Jeff Fulchino, RHP Mark Melancon, RHP Fernando Rodriguez, RHP Henry Villar.
DET: LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith, RHP Aneury Rodriguez, LHP Wesley Wright, LHP Gustavo Chacin, RHP Enerio Del Rosario, RHP Jose Valdez.
Finally, here are some images from Saturday's activities at Osceola County Stadium:
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Focus Friday: Carlos Lee
Every Friday throughout Spring Training, we run non-baseball questions for a feature we call #FocusFriday, where fans tweet their questions and we relay them to the selected player of the week.
Most of the questions for Carlos Lee revolved around ranching and raising cattle — a side business that takes up the majority of the left fielder's time during his offseasons in Panama.
You can watch the video here, while reading along with this transcript…
@CarlaFendley: Do you raise cattle to sell or is this just a hobby?
Carlos Lee: It's part of my business. I raise cattle for mainly slaughterhouses. It's mainly for reproduction.
@irishndude4 How many cattle do you have?
CL: It all depends. In Panama I've got a lot more. In Houston, it's probably around 600. I mainly check them out, brand them, dehorn them, make sure everything is OK, take care of the babies.
@AppyAstros: What do you miss the most about Panama during the baseball season (aside from family/friends)?
CL: I'm pretty used to being in the United States. It's my job and I'm kind of used to it. I know my time here is (until) October and hopefully it'll be November this year. I know when my time is up, then I can start thinking about Panama again.
@allphilla Since you are a rancher, have you ever considered opening a steak house a la Roy Oswalt in Houston?
CL: (laughs) That's a totally different business and I don't think I'm ready for that. But I would be happy to sell my beef to Roy.
@MrBlaineTrain: Carlos, what is your favorite place to eat at in Houston during the season?
CL: I like Vic and Anthony's. It's a really nice steak house and it's really convenient for me after the games. So I just go there a lot.
With Opening Day three weeks away, competition (for jobs) heats up.
MLB.com beat writer Brian McTaggart took his first stab at predicting the Opening Day roster in his latest blog, and for the most part, I agree with his predictions. Mostly.
Tags notes that with three weeks left in the spring, a lot can (and probably will) change. There aren't a ton of roster spots up for grabs this spring, but several players are making cases for themselves for the few jobs that are available.
I agree with Tags that Brian Bogusevic probably has a leg up over Jason Bourgeois for the fifth outfielder job, because he's left-handed (even though it would be a luxury to have someone with Bourgeois' speed on the bench). I like his bullpen mix of Brandon Lyon, Wilton Lopez, Fernando Abad, Jeff Fulchino, Mark Melancon and Henry Villar, although I am more inclined to believe Nelson Figueroa, whom Tags has benchmarked as a long reliever, will instead win the fifth starter job.
That said, I love how 20-year-old Jordan Lyles is giving the front office and coaching staff pause as he continues to pile up the quality innings this spring. He's allowed three runs — two earned — over eight innings and had a very promising showing during a game against the Cardinals in Jupiter (where he was most impressive against the Pujols-Holliday-Berkman trifecta).
Should Lyles force his way into the rotation, that would probably push Figueroa to the bullpen and Ryan Rowland-Smith, possibly, to Triple-A. As Tags notes, the final spot in the bullpen is entirely up for grabs, with Sergio Escalona and Enerio Del Rosario quietly making cases for themselves.
As for the backup infielders, Matt Downs is having a very nice showing this spring and, I feel, has an advantage over the rest to win a roster spot. Another interesting candidate is Tommy Manzella, who has been honing his skills at second and third with hopes to find a niche on this team away from the shortstop position, now occupied by Clint Barmes.
Other candidates for backup infield spots are Anderson Hernandez and Angel Sanchez, both strong offensive players who are having nice springs. Defensively, Manzella and Downs probably have the advantage.
One position that I do not feel is up for grabs is first base. I still believe this is Brett Wallace's job and that he'll be there on Opening Day. Manager Brad Mills has been careful not to make any definitive declarations regarding first base, but he has lauded Wallace on many occasions for his approach and ability.
"He has confidence in his ability," Mills said. "And, quite frankly, so do we."
Mills did reveal that Carlos Lee will probably receive a small dose of playing time at first base once the Astros play their final split squad games (March 20). I would caution not to read too much into that. Lee has been taking ground balls at first base all spring but is preparing for the season as the left fielder.
*Jeff Keppinger is officially out of the walking boot he's been wearing since he had offseason surgery on his foot.
* Michael Bourn was not in Thursday's lineup for no other reason than Mills wanted to give him a rest. Bourn had the most spring at-bats of anyone heading into the game with the Nationals, and the short turnaround following the rare night game on Thursday was a perfect time to give Bourn a short break.
* The Astros will play a day game in Kissimmee with the Red Sox and a night game (5 p.m. CT start) at the Nationals on Friday, the fourth of six split-squad days the Astros have on their spring schedule.
* Justine Siegal is scheduled to throw a round of batting practice to Astros hitters prior to Saturday's game with the Orioles. Siegal is the first woman to throw batting practice to a Major League club, having done so with the Cleveland Indians, Oakland A's and Tampa Bay Rays.
Siegal wears a patch on her sleeve in honor or Christina-Taylor Green, who was killed in the Jan. 8 shooting near Tucson. Green, the granddaughter of former Phillies manager Dallas Green, was the only girl on her Little League team and wanted to be the first woman to play in the Major Leagues.
* Three more games will be aired on MLB Network, in addition to the March 18 and 19 games that will be shown by FS Houston: March 15 at Baltimore, March 27 vs. Detroit, March 30 vs. Red Sox (at Minute Maid Park).
* The Astros now have three active players on Twitter: Hunter Pence (@HunterPence9), Ryan Rowland-Smith (@hyphen18) and our newest addition to the Twitterverse, Chris Johnson (cjastros23). All three tweet regularly and enjoy the give and take with the fans. On Thursday, through Twitter, we learned that Rowland-Smith forgot the Astros had a night game on Thursday and arrived to an empty clubhouse at 8 a.m. (thus ruining his one and only chance to sleep in this spring) and that Pence had seven eggs (five in an omelette), two muffins and potatoes for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. This equated to, quoting the right fielder, a "Happy Hunter."
On to the pictures from an overcast afternoon and somewhat soggy (but playable) field during Thursday's pregame practice:
Clint Barmes
Barmes, Chris Johnson
Bourn and his son, Bryson
Brad Mills, Carlos Lee
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Astros looking for Honorary Bat Girl…send us your story.
One of the best days of the season, in my humble opinion, is the day that Major League Baseball celebrates Mother's Day.
Not only is it fun to watch players wear pink wristbands and shoelaces and swing pink bats, it's all for a great cause, raising millions for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Again this year, Major League Baseball and Susan G. Komen for the Cure are scouring the country looking for Honorary Bat Girl candidates to represent their home town teams this Mother's Day.
If your life has been personally affected by this terrible disease, please consider submitting a 900-word-or-less essay and photo to be the Astros' Honorary Bat Girl. The deadline is April 14.
Mother's Day is on May 8, which will be a road game for the Astros, but Major League Baseball will select another date to honor the winner.
Here is a sample entry, submitted by Karissa Ma, the contest winner in 2009. When diagnosed with breast cancer on March 2, 2005, at age 30, Ma, who had undergone six surgeries, watched virtually every Astros game in the pennant-winning '05 season. And, despite feeling ill and losing all of her hair as a result of the chemotherapy treatments, she attended all of the Astros' postseason home games that season.
"During the 2005 season, they were not only my favorite team, but also an escape from the hospitals and doctors," Ma wrote. "On Opening Day 2005, I attended the game having just been released two days prior from my first mastectomy and still had my drains attached. My husband thought I was crazy, but to me, this was a way to bring some normalcy to our lives.
"Every Friday night we had 'date night' at MD Anderson [Cancer Center]. This was my weekly chemo treatment, but we also watched our Astros and again, it helped us cope.
"While I am still receiving treatment, I am unable to be a mom. However, I know in my heart I will be able to celebrate Mother's Day soon. Until that day, I share Mother's Day with the Astros, watching them with their pink bats. Every day I bat against breast cancer by my countless hours of volunteering with the Komen Foundation and speaking to young women about it."
Random notes: TwitterTuesday, Astroline, TV games and Snooki.
A tip of the cap goes to @mcLeod_jd, who had the only correct answer of the more than 250 guesses that poured in for #TwitterTuesday.
The question — who is Michael Bourn's favorite actress? Answer: Sanaa Lathan.
I suppose I was in the majority in that I had never heard of Sanaa, nor had I heard of any of her movies, even after Bourn rattled them off. But that's what I liked about this question — it had a stronger degree of difficulty than the previous two weeks, which kept the contest going for more than four or five minutes.
As a reminder, we ask a Google-free question on Twitter every Tuesday at noon CT sharp. The first to tweet the correct answer to me wins two free tickets to any game this season, with the exception of Opening Day, the Red Sox series in July and the last homestand in September.
The incorrect guesses are often more entertaining than the actual answer. For example, along with about 175 guesses that Halle Berry is Bourn's favorite actress, I received two votes for Debra Winger and one each for Snooki, Betty White and Rudy from the Cosby Show.
A few news and notes from a relatively quiet day at the Kissimmee Complex:
* Jason Castro began physical therapy in Houston on Monday at the Methodist Rehabilitation Center. After undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn ACL and meniscus, Castro is effectively out for the year, with a small chance of a September return.
* FS Houston will air two Astros games: March 18 at the Marlins, and March 19 vs. the Cardinals. Additionally, four games will be on MLB Network: tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Mets, March 15 at Baltimore, March 27 vs. Detroit and March 30 vs. the Red Sox (at Minute Maid Park).
* Clint Barmes will be Milo Hamilton's guest on Astroline Wednesday at the ESPN Club on the Boardwalk at Disney. The show starts at 8 ET/7 CT and can be heard on 740 KTRH and Astros.com. I'll be asking for some questions through Twitter when the show gets closer, so if you have a question for the Astros shortstop, send it my way: http://www.twitter.com/alysonfooter
* The Oklahoma City RedHawks have announced that tickets for the March 29 exhibition game against the Astros will go on sale to the general public beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday March 15.
Remaining availability is limited, and seats are expected to sell quickly. For the Astros-RedHawks exhibition, Club seats are $20, Field and Bleacher seats are $16, Third Base Terrace seats are $12 and Lawn seating is $10.
First pitch on March 29 is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., with gates opening at 5:00 p.m., the same time Astros batting practice is scheduled to begin. Tickets are available for purchase by phone at (405) 218-1000, online at http://www.okcredhawks.com, or by visiting the RedHawks ticket office on Mickey Mantle Drive in Bricktown.
And we end with a few early-morning batting practice images:
Chris Johnson (@cjastros23) is tweeting. Who's next?
It all started last week, when I asked fans to tweet their non-baseball questions for Chris Johnson for our weekly feature, "Focus Friday."
One of our more loyal followers, @MissSadieK, asked of our third baseman: "Will you ever become a member of our Twitter family?" CJ said he didn't know much about "The Twitter," or how to set it up, but he would give a try if someone would show him how to do it.
Done. After batting practice in Viera on Monday, we got him all squared away, first with his Twitter name, @cjastros23, and next with his first tweet: "As promised I am now a member of the twitter family! Spring training game time at Nationals! Let's get to work!"
As you've probably gathered from the stories and blogs you've read, Johnson is a lot of fun, a total hoot, and I would imagine he'll provide a lot of entertainment (and hopefully some baseball insight too) through his tweets. He's also a die-hard Duke fan and is very happy to have a new communication tool through which to express himself throughout tournament season.
Johnson is the third current Astro to join the Twitterverse. Hunter Pence (@HunterPence9) and Ryan Rowland-Smith (@hyphen18) are the other two. Hopefully you'll give all three a follow.
Pence, flag football, Yogi and Cameron Diaz. Just another day at Astros Spring Training.
It was supposed to be little more than a fun few minutes of catching passes from a Major League ballplayer, but right from the get-go, this flag football game carried with it a little something extra.
Addressing "teams" comprised of boys approximately 10-12 years old, Hunter Pence was fully engrossed in this flag football scrimmage. He huddled. Called plays. Talked strategy. If the kids were at all awestruck by being in the presence of a big leaguer, that quickly faded when the competitive juices kicked in and winning was on the line.
"It was beautiful offensive coordination," Pence quipped, assessing his play calling. "I had a lot of great talent to work with. Those kids were amazing. I had a lot of fun. It brings me back to the old days as a kid."
The flag football game was part of a flurry of activities Pence participated in during his visit to Disney on Friday, as part of the ESPN The Weekend festivities. Pence started in the Fun Zone, where he mingled with fans, signed autographs and, finally, choreographed a well-organized football game.
"That was the most intense flag football scrimmage I've ever been a part of," Pence said. "The kids were actually sharp, paying attention, making great plays. That's what this is all about — hanging with the young guys."
Pence also sat on a panel of baseball players and experts during a special presentation of "Baseball Tonight," staged in front of a live audience. The entire BBTN crew was there — Karl Ravech, Tim Kurkjian, Bobby Valentine, John Kruk and Nomar Garciaparra, in addition to Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista and Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee.
ESPN Deportes held a similar panel discussion on Saturday, with participating from Carlos Lee as well as retired Yankee Bernie Williams.
A full video of Friday's activities can be found here. Here are some photos for further illustration…
Backstage at Baseball Tonight…Pence, Bautista, Lee
And on stage.
As I watched Cameron Diaz make her way to the front row of seats near the visitors dugout during the Astros-Yankees game on Sunday, I couldn't help but wonder if she enjoyed that snail-like crawl down Hwy. 192, or if she stopped by the Firehouse Subs at the corner of 192 and John Young Parkway for a quick bite before the game like the rest of us.
The Astros' spring home was packed to the gills on Sunday, and loosely calculated, the breakdown was as followed: 69.999 percent Yankees fans, 29.999 percent Astros fans, 0.002 percent Hollywood actresses (Diaz, who is famously dating Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, and Amanda Aardsma, girlfriend of Astros pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith).
Mix in a Hall of Fame legend (Yogi Berra) and there were clearly enough distractions to keep people occupied, just in case an exhibition game featuring 25 mph winds and a few Spring Training-ish home runs weren't enough to hold their attention.
I snuck down to the concourse to try to snap a quick picture of Diaz, but needless to say, between the people trying to take pictures of her, the people trying to take pictures of the Yankees and the security gently asking us to "KEEP THE AISLE CLEAR PLEASE!", I
didn't have much luck. So her she is from the side. Sorry, best I could do.
Focus Friday: Chris Johnson
Welcome to FocusFriday, our weekly Spring Training feature that invites fans to tweet non-baseball, human interest questions for various Astros players.
Last week, we featured Hunter Pence, and this week's subject is Chris Johnson. If you're curious about his hobbies outside of baseball, favorite place to eat in Houston or who he's picking to win the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament, read on. You can also watch the video here.
@finalfour: Do you follow college basketball and who do you think will win the NCAA tournament?
CJ: Duke will win. I follow college basketball a lot. I love it. Duke's my favorite team . They had a tough blow with Kyrie Irving going down but I think we'll be able to hang in there and get to the Final Four and win it again for the repeat. They will win the National Championship.
@FreeDrinkPhx: What were your favorite cartoons/kids shows and do you still watch cartoons/kids shows?
CJ: I'm going to have to say Saved by the Bell was my favorite kids show growing up. I don't know anybody who doesn't like the show Saved by the Bell. And what kid when he was younger didn't want to be like Zack Morris? I know I did.
@zackmaddox21: What's your favorite thing to do outside of baseball?
CJ: I'm kind of a movie guy. I like going to see movies. Anything relaxing, anything indoors, just because we're outside so much.
(What was the last movie you saw?)
Last movie I saw…I just rented Due Date. It was OK, pretty good.
@allphilla Are you a video-gamer, and if so, what do you play?
CJ: I play video games a little bit. I like Call of Duty. It's the only game I play — Call of Duty or Madden. I'm not very good because I don't really play a lot but I'm a pretty good gamer.
@EckmanBrandon: What is your favorite place to eat in the Houston area?
CJ: Vic and Anthony's. It was the first place I ever went to when I got called up to Houston and the crab cakes are outstanding.
@MissSadieK: Will you ever become a member of the Twitter family?
CJ: I don't really know much about the Twitter or how to set it up. I'm not a big-time computer guy but I do have an iPhone, so I guess that could make it easy. If I can get somebody to show me how to do it. I'm kind of nervous that I won't get a lot of friends on there. I could probably give it a shot.
(I think the Social Media Director for the Astros could probably help you set it up…)
CJ: OK, then, I will get a Twitter account. I will tweet.
@Evie: We know you like Entourage, but what is your guilty pop culture pleasure?
CJ: I'm a pretty big Justin Bieber fan. I've got the fever. His songs are great. I listen to them on my iPod before the games, try to get pumped up. I haven't been to his concerts yet. He hasn't come through Houston yet, I don't think, but when he does, I'm going to jump all over it. I just hope we don't have a game, because then I'd miss the game.


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Acting with Technology: Activity Theory and Interaction Designby Victor Kaptelinin Bonnie A. Nardi
Activity theory holds that the human mind is the product of our interaction with people and artifacts in the context of everyday activity. Acting with Technology makes the case for activity theory as a basis for understanding our relationship with technology. Victor Kaptelinin and Bonnie Nardi describe activity theory's principles, history, relationship to other theoretical approaches, and application to the analysis and design of technologies. The book provides the first systematic entry-level introduction to the major principles of activity theory. It describes the accumulating body of work in interaction design informed by activity theory, drawing on work from an international community of scholars and designers. Kaptelinin and Nardi examine the notion of the object of activity, describe its use in an empirical study, and discuss key debates in the development of activity theory. Finally, they outline current and future issues in activity theory, providing a comparative analysis of the theory and its leading theoretical competitors within interaction design: distributed cognition, actor-network theory, and phenomenologically inspired approaches.
Information Ecologies: Using Technology With Heartby Bonnie A. Nardi Vicki O'Day
The common rhetoric about technology falls into two extreme categories: uncritical acceptance or blanket rejection. Claiming a middle ground, Bonnie Nardi and Vicki O'Day call for responsible, informed engagement with technology in local settings, which they call information ecologies. An information ecology is a system of people, practices, technologies, and values in a local environment. Nardi and O'Day encourage the reader to become more aware of the ways people and technology are interrelated. They draw on their empirical research in offices, libraries, schools, and hospitals to show how people can engage their own values and commitments while using technology.
My Life as a Night Elf Priestby Bonnie A. Nardi
World of Warcraft rapidly became one of the most popular online world games on the planet, amassing 11.5 million subscribers--officially making it an online community of gamers that had more inhabitants than the state of Ohio and was almost twice as populous as Scotland. It's a massively multiplayer online game, or MMO in gamer jargon, where each person controls a single character inside a virtual world, interacting with other people's characters and computer-controlled monsters, quest-givers, and merchants. In My Life as a Night Elf Priest, Bonnie Nardi, a well-known ethnographer who has published extensively on how theories of what we do intersect with how we adopt and use technology, compiles more than three years of participatory research in Warcraft play and culture in the United States and China into this field study of player behavior and activity. She introduces us to her research strategy and the history, structure, and culture of Warcraft; argues for applying activity theory and theories of aesthetic experience to the study of gaming and play; and educates us on issues of gender, culture, and addiction as part of the play experience. Nardi paints a compelling portrait of what drives online gamers both in this country and in China, where she spent a month studying players in Internet cafes. Bonnie Nardi has given us a fresh look not only at World of Warcraft but at the field of game studies as a whole. One of the first in-depth studies of a game that has become an icon of digital culture, My Life as a Night Elf Priest will capture the interest of both the gamer and the ethnographer.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
As Whitney Houston bares her past troubles to Oprah Winfrey, ex-husband Bobby Brown adds his side of their tragic story, saying both were to blame for their tumultuous relationship.
"I think we corrupted each other," Brown, 40, tells The Insider. "I don't think she hurt me or I hurt her. I just think we had a 14-year marriage that had its ups and downs and not many people understood it."
Brown says he used "an awful lot" of cocaine – "a powerful drug," he notes – starting after his marriage to Houston in 1992.
"I think I was bored," says Brown, who also opens up to VH1's Behind the Music on Sept. 24. "I had just gotten married and things weren't right. Unfortunately, I turned to alcohol and drugs."
Brown still feels the sting of their failed marriage, saying the first time her met her at the Soul Train Music Awards is "one of the things I try to forget."
Bobby Brown: Whitney Houston and I Corrupted Each Other
Debbie VanStory/IPHOTO


text:
Immigration post card
Take action on immigration reform by sending your Senators a post card wishing them a Happy New Year and urging them to work for justice for aspiring Americans. Download the post card below, print, and mail to both your Senators. Please share these with your congregation and community!
- Tags: call to action, immigration, new years
- Departments: Immigration
- Agency: Office of the General Assembly
Immigration reform is WAY over due! The momentum is NOW. Pass it and deliver what the voters want!!!


text: Scaremongering, mostly, like the lead in lipstick articles floating around these days. I mean artificial sweeteners aren't good, they're as processed as they cone, and they will cause negative reactions in some, but for list of us, they're fine. Aspartame and sucralose and tons of other artificial sweeteners are used in plenty of food and drinks and it hasn't been killing many of us. I use aspartame myself in my very hot teas and coffees. I'll let you guys know if I get sick and die.


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Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown has married her "brother" Nick Gordon. The 20-year-old bride posted a photo of the couple's wedding bands on Twitter Thursday night along with the hashtag #HappilyMarried. She announced her engagement to Gordon, 24, on the family's reality series "The Houstons: On Our Own" in October 2012. The public criticized their relationship, but Brown -- whose parents are Bobby Brown and the late "I Will Always Love You" singer -- said Gordon is not her "real brother... nor is he my adoptive brother." Word is Houston never formally adopted Gordon before her death in 2012. A rep for the young couple says they tied the knot in secret earlier late last year.
» Read more at E! News.
Tickets go on sale today for Coachella 2014, but fans will get another chance to see the OutKast reunion in New York this year. Big Boi confirmed Thursday he and Andre 3000 will perform together at New York City's Governors Ball on June 6-8 at Randall Island. It'll be the first time OutKast has performed in the state in more than 10 years. No other performers for the Governors Ball have been named yet.
» Read more at Billboard.
"Pippi Longstocking" star Tami Erin has been charged with hit-and-run and drunk driving. The 39-year-old actress, who played the freckle-faced redhead heroine in the 1988 family film, allegedly hit three cars in Los Angeles last month, hospitalizing one person. Erin was arrested after a field sobriety test but refused a blood alcohol test. She now faces one count of DUI, two hit-and-run counts, and one count of failure to provide proof of insurance. The actress-turned-porn star faces a maximum of 18 months in jail.
» Read more at TMZ.
Dan Fogler, who starred in that ridiculous ping pong movie "Balls of Fury," is back as the title character in the equally absurd movie "Don Peyote." The trailer shows him as co-writer, co-director and star of the film about a prophet who's either crazy or uniquely enlightened. The cast includes a bunch of big names, such as Josh Duhamel, Jay Baruchel, Wallace Shawn ("The Princess Bride") and Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway. Yes, really. "Don Peyote" answers all the big questions when it opens in theaters this spring.
Even weirder is a "Pulp Fiction" video game that looks like the classic 8-bit Nintendo platform -- you know, the kind of retro vibe that Quentin Tarantino would love. It's not a real video game (sorry, Gizmodo) but rather a "gamified" re-creation of the 1994 movie. If it did exist, though, would the Contra code would help John Travolta's dancing with Uma Thurman?
More Buzz:
» J.R. Martinez splits from girlfriend 18 months after she delivers his baby (DMail)
» Oprah Winfrey frustrated within Lindsay Lohan on OWN series (NY Daily News)
» 'Game of Thrones,' 'Veep' season premiere dates set for April 6 (BuzzFeed)
» HBO's 'Girls' renewed for season 4; season 3 premieres on Sunday (SlashFilm)
» Simon Cowell to name Lauren Silverman's baby Simon Cowell, Jr. (Daily Mail)
» Paula Abdul sues L.A. tanning salon UVASUN for burning her leg in 2012 (TMZ)
» 'Orange Is the New Black' cast looks glamorous for Elle magazine (Huff Post)
» Paul Walker's replacement for 'Hitman' sequel may be actor Rupert Friend (E!)
» Ke$ha's mom denies rumor singer's rehab stay is for alcohol (NY Daily News)
» Justin Bieber accused of 'vicious' egg attack by neighbor in L.A. (Daily Mail)
» Cee Lo Green talks new album 'Girl Power,' Gnarls Barkley's return (Rol Stone)
» Arnold Schwarzenegger has 200 million reasons to delay Shriver divorce (TMZ)
» Meryl Streep: Walt Disney was a sexist and an anti-Semite (New York Daily News)
» Sofia Vergara hits Jimmy Kimmel as late night host reads web insults (Daily Mail)
» 'Entourage' cast reunites to begin filming movie with Doug Ellin (Slash Film)
» 'Mean Girls' jewelry line coming out for movie's 10th anniversary (BuzzFeed)
AM Buzz is a weekday morning feature on syracuse.com where we'll post the latest in viral videos, trending topics, celebrity gossip and entertainment news.


text:
xKore - Morning Coffee (NG)
Credits & Info
- Uploaded
- Feb 19, 2010 | 8:37 PM EST
- File Info
- Song
- 4 min 1 sec
- Score
- 4.37 / 5.00
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Licensing Terms
You may not use this work for commercial purposes without making specific arrangements with the artist.
- Score:
- Rated 4.37 / 5 stars
- Plays & Downloads:
- 13,653 Plays | 1,787 Downloads
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- Genres:
- Electronic - Trance
- None
Author Comments
Rated 5 / 5 stars
yo son
yo this beat is so sexy i can smack dat phat ass of this song all day yo'!
No but seriously this is pretty cool. A little different from what I usually hear from you. I really like the guitar choice in here.
I really like that cool filter you used with pads around, :30. I've been doing that alot witht he filter for some pads myself, but I can't get a cleaner sound like you did. You keep getting more and more original with your songs. I'm not saying that it's been done before, but I notice that you try lots of new things with each song you post. Whats really great is that with each song that you post is that you execute them really well. Mastering is always top notch in my opinion. Not much room for critique. But then again my soundcard has been fucked for awhile. Anyways I felt like showing my support in your recent interest in getting some independent labels/getting signed and what-not. You're one of the few people that actually makes me check NG once in awhile for some good music to listen to and even sometimes for inspiration. Wish you luck in the future, and hope to see some more new tracks coming in. Bookmarked your audio page :).
5/5 4.27 / 5.00 (+ 0.088)
Rated 5 / 5 stars
Epicness... name doesn't really fit, though.
At first, I thought this would be a kind of joke song (or not very well made). I was sure suprised to hear this. It little more mastering wouldn't hurt in places, but for the most part, that was amazing. I felt the lead bell thing got a little weird sounding at the first climax it makes. Only slightly, but still.
Anyway, the melody is soooooo epic and conveys alot of feeling. Totally downloaded and 5'd. Now go and get signed, dammit.
Rated 4 / 5 stars
good job fauster
it's good to get that kinda stuff out there.
i think it'd sound neat for the hi-hat to flange a little during the quieter parts, but that's just me.
but it sounded nice anyhoo,
and by the way, i'd be really grateful if you shot a few pointers my way on somma my songs.
pat beetz
Rated 5 / 5 stars
you make me wet


text:
on August 29, 2012 - 7:57 PM
, updated August 30, 2012 at 12:45 PM
FRANKFURT, Germany – Normal-weight people with fat bellies have a higher risk of death than the obese, according to data presented Monday at the European Society of Cardiology conference in Munich.
People with a normal body mass index, or BMI, and "central obesity" as defined by a high waist-to-hip ratio had the greatest risk of cardiovascular-related death and the highest death risk overall, researchers said Monday.
The risk of cardiovascular death was 2.75 times higher and the risk of death from all causes was 2.08 times higher compared with subjects with normal BMI and a normal waist-to-hip ratio.
"We knew from previous research that central obesity is bad, but what is new in this research is that the distribution of the fat is very important, even in people with a normal weight," Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, senior author of the study and a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said. "This group has the highest death rate, even higher than those who are considered obese based on BMI."
The risk of death may be related to a higher visceral fat accumulation, which is associated with insulin resistance and other risk factors, Karine Sahakyan, a research fellow at the Mayo Clinic who is presenting the results at the meeting, said at a news conference. Risk for fat-bellied subjects may also be connected to a limited amount of "protective" fat on the hips and legs and a relatively limited amount of muscle mass, she said.
The study included 12,785 people representative of the U.S. population with an average age of 44 years where 47.4 percent were male. Over a median of about 14 years there were 2,562 deaths, of which 1,138 were cardiovascular-related, the study said.
BMI, which is calculated using a person's height and weight, is considered normal if it's between 18.5 and 24.9, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. A normal waist-to-hip ratio is less than 0.85 for women and less than 0.9 for men, Sahakyan said. The causes of central fat distribution have yet to be determined, she said.


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Explosions thundered across the capital of Libya Thursday as NATO planes struck Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli.
The attack is part of NATO's effort to help the three month old rebellion that is trying to oust the Libyan dictator from power.
NATO, which has hit the Libyan capital repeatedly this week, said Thursday's attack successfully hit "a large command and control bunker complex in downtown Tripoli that was used to coordinate attacks against civilian populations."
Libbyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said three people were killed in Thursday's strikes
Ibrahim spoke out against the way NATO is trying to oust Gadhafi.
"All they want is to break our morale, to cause death and destruction everywhere," he said.
"People are being killed, every single day, every single night," he added.
A defiant Gadhafi appeared on television Thursday with tribal leaders.It was his first public appearance since air strikes killed his son two weeks ago.
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on June 8, 2013 - 12:01 AM
In the early 1980s, when she was a student at Clarence Junior High School (now Clarence Middle School), her theater program fell victim to budget cuts. It's a story familiar to many aspiring thespians and artists whose programs are often among the first to be cut when budgets go down at the ballot box, as Clarence's 2013 budget recently did in a controversial vote.
But unlike many in similar situations who might throw in the towel and, say, sign up for intramural sports or band, MacKinnon and her fellow young theater lovers decided to strike out on their own.
"A very industrious friend of mine started a theater company called the Clarence Young Actors," MacKinnon, 45, said in a phone interview from her home in New York City. "We rented space in the Methodist church right across from school and went around to restaurants and other local establishments and got ads for our programs. It was kind of fantastic."
For MacKinnon, it was the first step in a storied life in the theater that has taken her from major assignments in San Diego, Toronto and Germany to the upper echelons of Broadway. Her directing nomination for the 2103 Tony Awards, which air at 8 p.m. Sunday on CBS, comes just a year after her first Tony nod, for her direction of Bruce Norris' play "Clybourne Park." (That play will be produced locally in November in the 710 Main Theatre by Road Less Traveled Productions.) She is the second woman in the 66-year history of the Tony Awards to be nominated for directing in two consecutive years.
MacKinnon's family moved to Clarence from Toronto when she was 9 so that her father, a geography professor who is now retired, could take a job at the University at Buffalo. Her young life in Clarence was rich with theater and music, MacKinnon recalled.
As a committed viola player and member of the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra, she took frequent trips to Kleinhans Music Hall to see performances by great opera singers and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Those experiences, she said, played a role in developing the musical sensibility she brings to the plays she directs.
She also remembered attending the former Studio Arena Theatre; a production of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" stands out in her memory.
But it was during a performance in a Clarence Young Actors production of George M. Cohan's musical "Forty-five Minutes from Broadway" that her addiction to theater began in earnest.
"There were two times in that really short run where I had to faint, and two of the four times, the audience spontaneously applauded," she said. "It feels really great to have that kind of power."
Though the acting bug crawled into MacKinnon's life early on, her path to a theater career was far from direct. After graduating from Clarence High School in 1985, the self-serious young MacKinnon went back to Toronto to study economics and political science, eventually enrolling in a political science Ph. D. program at the University of California San Diego at the age of 21.
"Maybe because I came from an academic household, theater, while it was very important to me, didn't seem like a career choice," she said.
But after an unhappy 18 months or so, she said, she was struck by the "adult notion" that "it's not the content of what you're interested in which makes something serious, but it's your relationship in it, it's your feeling about it. So I went back to theater."
After that, MacKinnon's rise through the ranks of American theater was at once methodical and meteoric. She rented cabaret space and put on shoestring productions in San Diego, worked with the university's theater department and eventually collaborated with rising directors Anne Bogart and Des McAnuff, then artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse. After a successful stint in San Diego, MacKinnon moved back to Toronto, where she worked on McAnuff's production of "Tommy," which she later took to Germany. And finally, at 27, she made the jump to what she called "scary New York City," where she's been ascending every available ladder for the last 18 years.
Both of MacKinnon's Tony nominations are the fruit of her work with the Chicago-based Steppenwolf Theatre Company, which has sent a string of wildly successful productions to Broadway in recent years. Her production of "Clybourne Park," a mammoth play about race and many other pulsing contemporary issues, won her many accolades and the full confidence of one of the most respected producing companies in America.
In 2011, she was enlisted by the Washington-based company Arena Stage to direct Edward Albee's acclaimed 1962 play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", an acerbic, psychologically complex and emotionally devastating story about an antagonistic married couple that changed the course of American drama and inspired generations of future playwrights. For the role of Martha (immortalized in the 1966 film by Elizabeth Taylor), MacKinnon had her heart set on her friend and longtime Steppenwolf member Amy Morton. (Morton is also nominated for a Tony for her performance, along with co-stars Tracy Letts and Carrie Coon.)
But Morton had her own condition: If she was going to star, the show would have to start in Chicago, at Steppenwolf. All the parties agreed – including Albee, who had refused for decades to allow his plays to be produced at Steppenwolf because of a long-forgotten objection – and one of the most memorable revivals of the last several years was launched.
MacKinnon said the directing process was less intimidating than might be expected, especially because Morton had such a deep relationship with Letts, her fellow Steppenwolf member who would take on the role of George.
"Amy and Tracy actually go back 23 years, the exact number of years that George and Martha have been married, and they've been onstage together I think nine or 10 times," she said. "They've played married couples over the years, so that was sort of homework done in living time, and we could really hit the ground running. So I was much less intimated than relieved."
Many reviews of the production, which were largely ecstatic, pointed out that George's character seemed to take on a more assertive presence than in previous productions. But Morton downplayed the idea that this interpretation was somehow outside-the-box, saying that she's always read Albee's masterwork as "George's play."
"I've always read it as George is, if not asserting himself, desperately trying to assert himself throughout the play, and that's a pretty clear, strong action," she said. "We didn't get around the table and say, 'OK, here's the deal: We're going to crack this open in a new way,' "
What might have been new in the production is the meticulously orchestrated approach MacKinnon and her quartet of actors took to Albee's crackling language, a possible echo of the Clarence-educated director's musical upbringing. It also likely helped that MacKinnon has directed nine plays by Albee, who, more than most other playwrights, is concerned with how the sounds and syllables of his language strike the audience's ears.
"At a certain point, there is a musicality," MacKinnon said. "Whether it's about realizing, oh, in order for this beat, this turn to really land, play it under instead of topping your scene partner... sort of go sotto voce and that will actually give you more power."
During the run of the play, MacKinnon said she often found herself going for the same emotional ride she'd taken so many times in rehearsal and being dazzled every time.
"I used to go to the Booth Theatre at least once a month, maybe every three weeks to get a hit of Edward's brilliance and the humanity of it," she said. "As a director, that was incredibly satisfying, just to witness what the audience was going through, but also genuinely as an individual, to be able to go on that ride, even though I helped to build it."
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A Lucky Star Adventure
September 6, 2008 | Author: Adun | In: Anime Blogs, Car, Everyday Life, Japan, Miscellaneous, Photography
At this point in the trip, it's only a few days left until Comiket74. Normally I would rest up in preparation for such an event, but not for me. It was time for another long trip to the middle of nowhere, but this time Rin from Koi Aichaku and friend tagging along as well as my friend ACQ. Our destination? Washinomiya Shrine, home of the Hiiragi sisters from Lucky Star. Hit the jump to check out how the trip went as well as check out a short day in Shibuya for me.
13th August
It was a pretty early start to the day for me. However my group of friends had enough of shrines and temples and decided not to join me on this little trip. And after making them pose for the photo outside KyoAni, I'm pretty sure they would curse me more if I dragged them out to Washinomiya. Anyway the plan was to meet up with Rin at Akiba, but I arrived a little too early, thus went around to take some photos of Akiba.
Finally meeting up with Rin, we headed off to Washinomiya. Starting from Akiba, we took the Hibiya Metro Line to Kasukabe, which is roughly a 50 minutes. I met up with ACQ there and then we proceeded to find the school from there. However I hadn't written down the directions to the school and was basing it off the top of my head to try and remember. Walking along we stopped by a MOS burger so I could at least eat something before continuing on. After about 40 minutes of walking we decided to give up and head back to the station to head off to Washinomiya. But silly Rin and I, we forgot to take a photo of the entrance to Kasukabe station. Oh well.
Getting back on track, I at least wrote down directions to the Washinomiya Shrine. From Kasukabe station, take the Tobu-Iseasaki line to Kuki station and change trains to take a train heading to Hanyuu on the same line as that will take you to Washinomiya. Upon arriving there was no need to ask for any type of directions to the Washinomiya Shrine as there was a map right at the station pointing it out. Makes sense what with all the attention that Washinomiya must get after the bursting popularity of Lucky Star.
Walking along the main road, you can easily tell that Washinomiya is just a quiet little town with not much happening compared to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. Things like this aren't too bad as I enjoyed walking around quiet areas like this and just simply exploring. But I can imagine this place being a bit more busy many months ago. Of course within the vacinity of the station, there wasn't anything Lucky Star related in site, that is until you cross the bridge.
We started seeing food shops selling items named after Lucky Star characters and such. Too bad most of them were closed at the time. Once we got to the turn off, we could see the Shrine in sight, but Rin had pointed out a building in the other direction with "Shiraishi" on it. Coincidence?? Turning back we headed towards the shrine itself.
Upon entering the shrine grounds, at first it felt like a normal shrine, which is a good thing. That is until you start seeing signs of previous venturers leaving there mark. Most of them I could really read, unless it was in hiragana, but translating some was a different issue. Thankfully ACQ translated a few for me and most of them ended up being pretty average wishes. Though I can clearly remember one asking for a second season of Lucky Star. One can only hope and pray to the gods that there'll be a second season.
And praying is what I did. Though I didn't pray for a second season. But before that, I did the usual of cleansing myself (I did this at every shrine I visited). What you do is scoop up some water and wash both hands. Then scoop another cup of water, pour into your hand and drink. However I have seen many people just drink from the scoops but that's upto you how you want to do it. Once cleansed, I offered my prayers to the local kami to give me guidance from now and the future.
Visiting such an established place, I bought some charms as well as an wooden plaque myself and so did Rin. Yes it's blatant advertisement but I couldn't really figure out what wishes I wanted to write nor do I have the skills to draw. I'm a pretty laid back person that doesn't have many wishes so this is good enough. Though I bet that my plaque has either been taken down or is covered by someone else's plaque by now.
Now that we've finished our little tour of Washinomiya Shrine, it was time to head back to Tokyo, but as we walked out towards the carpark, we noticed a few other otakus were about and they brought about some of their toys:
Seeing a bunch of itasha was certainly a surprise, but I we saw that the guys who owned these cars looked to be in there late 30′s. Not that it's a bad thing, but I find it strange for a bunch of guys like that hanging out in a carpark at a shrine on a weekday. One of the things that I have always questioned about Japanese society is why do you see a lot of young adults out and about in the middle of the day on weekdays. I thought most would at least be working or studying at least. One of the many mysteries that I'll never understand.
We gave our thanks to the owners and headed back to the station to head back to Akiba. An hour and half later we arrived back and I took Rin and his friend to some of the shops that they haven't seen yet. Some of the places I took them to they went nuts about seeing the different types of things to buy, or some of the things they never saw at some of the other stores. Though I would say that Rin's friend was a little worse off. Him being a touhou fan, he was standing in front of the touhou doujin music section for quite some time. For me, I wasn't too phased about seeing all the stuff around in Akiba now, but it's nice seeing first timers of Japan and of Akiba going nuts, reminds me of my first time in Akiba. Ok now I sound like an old man.
After a few hours of browsing, where Rin and friend did most of the shopping, we meet up wih my group of friends and went out for dinner. We randomly found a place on the main street and went in. We ordered food and chat about various things of what it's like living where we live and various other things. Here are some things we had for dinner:
Everything was in small portions and we finished them off pretty quickly. Though it's a good thing we ordered at least two of everything. Once dinner was finished we each went our separate ways and headed back to our hotels. The next time I would meet up with Rin and friend would be at Comiket.
14th August
It was the day before Comiket and I should actually be preparing myself in terms of rest. But I dislike the idea of staying in the hotel room the whole day so I headed out to Shibuya for some exploring. My main aim was to check out Shibuya's Mandarake since Roobar went there and bought his Saber dollfie. But before that it was time for breakfast.
My friends had found a nice soba shop on the main street near our hotel so one of them took me there. Although from what they told me, last time they got hot soba due to one of them getting hot soba and they just ordered the same as him. Why he ate hot soba in Summer is beyond me. But I can certainly say that this was quite filling.
In Japan you'll come across these types of ticket machines at train stations. With the JR pass being useless I got myself a Suica card a few days ago, though this time I had to recharge the card. Having a Suica card makes things much more convenient in Japan as you can not only use this to pay for train fare, but as well as taxi fares, bus fares, buying from vending machines to even buying things from convenience stores. It's simple to buy one and will only cost you ¥2,000 and you get ¥1,500 credit to start with. Buying tickets all the time was becoming a pain and this makes it much more easier as it works on all JR lines as well as all Metro lines.
The trip to Shibuya from Hamamatsu-cho was about 25 minutes, but it gave me plenty of time to update some accounting of mine. I eventually arrived at Shibuya and taking the Hachiko exit I arrive at the huge crossing. Just outside of the station is the Hachiko statue which is a very good meeting point as it's something you can't miss when walking out of the station. I've always like coming to Shibuya as there's plenty of clothes shops around, as well as plenty of cute girls around.
I also made a new discovery that I never found out before and that was the men's section of clothes store in Shibuya. Shibuya is mainly aimed for women but just across the road from the station is Shibuya 109-2, which is the men's branch of clothes store. I kept this place in mind as I planned to come back here to buy some clothes, assuming I had the cash by the time I return. I kept walking along and was rediscovering parts of Shibuya that I saw in my last trip here 2.5 years ago, and a lot of it hasn't changed. Though strange how I came across the Apple store.
Whilst wondering around, I also found COSPA's small sub-branch store. Though unfortunately there store is quite small and they hold very little stock. Just across the road was Tokyu Hands. Now this place is awesome. It's pretty much a place where you can get almost anything household goods wise and more. I bought a towel here in preparation for Comiket74.
Exiting Tokyu Hands, I knew I was close to Mandarake as I walked past there when I came to Shibuya for dinner with Tamarket. I got my bearings and eventually found the entrance. The entrance at first looked fine, but as I walked in and descended down the stairs, it was quite dark and looked pretty seedy. Just when you thought the stairs stop, you find more stairs, and with flashing lights. At this point I wondered if I was really heading into Mandarake and not heading into some kind of seedy place. Once inside, the place is pretty much how I thought it would be like. Plenty of old items, even some dating back to the early 90′s and even the late 80′s. Looking around the one thing that had really caught my eye was a Super Dollfie of Suiseiseki for ¥180,000. Perhaps in my next trip to Japan I should buy it assuming it's still there.
I spent probably a good hour of looking around Mandarake and I got to the artbook section. Looking through the shelves of artbooks I was hoping that I would at least find some of the older Sister Princess books but alas I found only one. However looking at the book I wasn't sure i I had it already, but what the heck, I bought it anyway. I also picked up a Da Capo fanbook at the same time. Sigh. More spending before Comiket74.
Once finished I headed back to the hotel in fear of spending more money and to rest up before Comiket74. Dinner that night was at a Korean barbeque on the main road of Daimon but I had forgotten my camera. At this point I was hella excited about Comiket74 and went to bed early as I had to wake up at 4am.


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College Savings Tips: Interview with Gary Hoover
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One of the big personal finance topics of the last year has been the skyrocketing cost of higher education. It's a big topic because we're talking enormous sums of money. Students are graduating with an absurd level of student loan debt, very little in savings, and with the recent failure of a motion to extend low cost loans, costs are probably not coming back down anytime soon.
We reached out to some experts to try to gain greater insight into these issues. Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Gary Hoover, Professor of Economics/Assistant Dean of Faculty and Graduate Student Development, Ph. D. at the University of Alabama. He's the William White McDonald Family Distinguished Faculty Fellow and has published papers in the American Economic Review P&P, Southern Economic Journal, Public Choice, Journal of Economic Literature, International Tax and Public Finance, Applied Economics, and the European Journal of Political Economy. We reached out to him to get a better idea of what parents can do to help their kids save for college.
Q: Once a child gets accepted into college, the thought of paying for it can be frightening. What can parents do beforehand to help their chances at getting financial assistance?
A: Parents should be willing and able to wade through a mountain of paperwork. In the end, it might not help but has to be attempted. Certain types of funds are available until the source is extinguished. In which case, it is best to get all necessary forms in early. These will definitely include income statements. Making direct contact with personnel in the financial aid office is always a good idea. You cannot address an issue that you are not aware of and who better to know the ins and outs of financial aid better than people working in the area?
Q: How best can a prospective student contribute to their college savings plan?
A: The best thing that a student can do to help with college costs is to get good grades and be an engaged and active high school student. When academic scholarships are available, there is no reason that the decision of administrators should be an easy one. By getting good grades and being actively engaged in high school activities, students make themselves more attractive for partial or full scholarships. If there are more students than money, good. Make administrators do their jobs. However, if grades are set and no scholarships are coming, savings habits (which will last a life-time) can be set by contributing monies from after-school or summer jobs.
Q: Agree or disagree: 529 college savings plans are the way to go.
A: I mostly agree but not entirely. A 529 plan offers parents great advantages in that they can be used nationwide. In fact, you need not be in the state you invest your funds in and send your child to school at an entirely different state. Given that these plans are typically either something like an IRA or 401k (which can go up or down in value) or a prepaid plan, I would probably think the latter is a better option than the former. However, my hesitancy to fully endorse these plans is because all plans are not created equally. Some are well managed while others are facing difficulty. As a result, parents need to do their homework and investigate their plan.
Q: Are parents eligible for any college-savings tax deductions?
A: There actually are. The details are complicated to explain but the tax benefits vary if the funds are kept in certain Education Savings Bonds or the various state 529 plans. Special attention should be paid to maximum contribution limits which allow initial contributions to be larger. In addition, parents should be aware that funds for only "qualified" education expenses can be withdrawn without paying taxes but that varies also.
Q: Bachelor's degrees are quickly becoming a baseline necessity and not a perk; should parents include post-graduate education costs into their savings plan?
A: No. Good performance in undergraduate learning can help to defray costs of advanced degrees. By helping to pay for an undergraduate degree, parents have allowed their children time to concentrate and hopefully receive grades that will allow them to receive advanced degrees at reduced or no costs.
Over the next two days, we'll bring you more of Dr. Hoover's answers along with another expert we spoke to, Professor Warren Smith of Palm Beach State College.{ 23 comments, please add your thoughts now! }


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Top Definition
Monies paid to a toilet attendent.
I was busting for a piss, but had to fork out the piss tax before releaving myself.
viết bởi Arch Crippledick 03 Tháng hai, 2009
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
A revolutionary way to lose weight.To simply put,whenever one takes a piss,they must now do as many push-ups as they can,hence the reason "tax"
Remember Tom,you owe the pisstax!
viết bởi Reggie The Writer 01 Tháng bảy, 2014


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I was recently turned onto the works of Maffetone. When I get paid next week I am buying his latest revised books. I think you are correct and that he employs the same kind of logic to life as Mark. I would like to hear Mark's take on him actually as Mark was involved in Endurance training during the time that Maffetone was actively training. I think that if you are going to be involved with Endurance sports than this info is a worth looking at.
I heard him talking about his training and it sounds like he is all about building your fat burning engine.


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Take a trip to the dark side
The Tunisian territory of Djerba is the largest island off the North African coast and remains a less crowded and stunning alternative to the more popular Tunisian resorts.
Djerba has deep legendary connections with the ancient world and has been the subject of speculation and debate as to whether it was once the island of the Lotus Eaters where Odysseus was marooned on his journey through the Mediterranean as mentioned in Homer"s "Odyssey".
For the benefit of visitors, July"s Ulysses Festival in Djerba town contains a re-enactment of the character"s landing on the island and provides the best of traditional colour and folklore.
Aside from legend, Djerba belongs in the future as science-fiction fans would instantly recognise the permanent film set at the coastal city of Ajim which was used in 1977 as the external location scenes of Mos Eisley in Star Wars IV – A New Hope.
Djerba has remained largely undiscovered and still remains one of the few places in Tunisia where the Berber language is still spoken and when you"ve had your fill of myth and legend, there"s always the beach.
Culture and Sightseeing – City Tours – Whichever city you are in these tours will help to ensure you do not miss a thing.


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Kenny Anderson is in his first season as an assistant coach at Stetson University. He is responsible for guard development, academic monitoring, recruiting, scheduling, and team travel.
Anderson joins the Hatters from Lynn University, where as an assistant coach in 2012-13 he helped guide the Knights to new school-records of 18 regular season wins and 11 conference wins. Lynn also captured the Sunshine State regular season title and participated in the Division II NCAA Championship. Anderson tutored Knights guard Kira Harvey, the SSC Player and Co-Defensive Player of the Year, the Daktronics South Region Player of the Year, and Daktronics third-team All-American. He was also a member of the coaching staff that saw head coach Niki Washington earn SSC Coach of the Year honors.
Prior to his arrival at Lynn, Anderson completed a successful high school coaching career where he served as head coach at Kings Junior High (2010-12) and assistant coach at Lawton Chiles High School (2010). He led Kings to a pair of conference championships and helped Lawton Chiles to its first winning season in school history and a FHSAA Class 4A district title.
Graduating with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Electronic Engineering Technology from Florida A&M University in 2010, Anderson worked with the Rattlers' coaching staff as a sophomore and junior, assisting in practice preparation and scouting. Prior to joining FAMU he was a four-year letterwinner in basketball at Stanton College Prep High School and a state finalist in the 300-meter hurdles. He also worked at Proctor and Gamble as a Control Systems Engineer from 2010-12.


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Capital Plastics offers the largest selection of premium coin holders of any available brand. This holder has 81 holes for the Roosevelt Dimes from 1977 to 1999. It includes holes for the proof only issues. Sized to fit inside a bank vault drawer.
Size: 8x14
Colors Available: Black and White
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Exciting news from across the pond: 'Skyfall,' the next James Bond film, has officially begun shooting! On Monday, at 8:45 a.m. local time, action was called by Sam Mendes for the first time. Where will "Scene 45," the inaugural scene of the 'Skyfall' production, take place? A dirty bathroom, apparently! Check out the first image ahead.
More good news, besides the fact that Bond 23 has started: famed cinematographer Roger Deakins is lensing this edition. The nine-time Oscar nominee -- responsible for the iconic looks of 'The Shawshank Redemption,' 'The Big Lebowski,' 'Fargo,' 'No Country for Old Men,' 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' and 'True Grit,' among others -- has previously worked with Mendes on 'Jarhead' and 'Revolutionary Road.'
'Skyfall' is due in theaters on Nov. 9, 2012.
[via @007]
[Top Photo: Sony]
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The battle over Bible banners at football games in one Texas town could be heading to that state's Supreme Court.
Cheerleaders at an east Texas high school are once again defending the right to display Bible verses at football games. Their bold stand has earned national attention and placed them right in the middle of a heated free speech battle.
In this small town of Kountze, Texas, there is overwhelming support for the hometown cheerleaders who simply believe if God is for them, no one can be against them.
Just one look at the banners the Kountze football players run through just before a big game tells you that the Kountze highschool cheerleaders are not typical teenage girls.
The cheerleaders began writing Bible verses on them last Fall.
"We're just all Christians and believe the Bible is from God and so if it's from God, why not?" one cheerleader said. "That's what we were thinking and it's a positive message and it's uplifting."
The girl's zeal for God's word was so contagious it not only inspired their own football team, it caused the opposing teams to want to do the same thing. They also began writing scriptures on their banners.
But an atheist group filed a complaint with the superintendent and said Bible verses should not be displayed at football games.The Texas Association of School Board Lawyers agreed.
The cheerleaders said that was a violation of free speech and filed a counter suit.
The case went to court and the cheerleaders won a temporary injunction. The judge ruled they could continue to write scriptures on the banners for the rest of the footbal season.
The school board brought the issue before the community to hear their opinions. The cheerleaders stood up for their faith once again and received overwhelming support from the local community.
"They're good kids, they've been raised right. They know what they believe and they weren't afraid to stand up and say what they believe and to take whatever came with it," Mama Jack, a local restaurant owner, said.
Cheerleaders: Small Town Hereos
Kountze is a small town in east Texas with a population of a few thousand. The town is known for having the only pair of married armadillo. However, the cheerleaders now have replaced the armadillos.
Even Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has taken notice.
"When you have the courage of your convictions, you can be a messenger for the entire world," he said. "These are girls who one day were cheerleaders and they were transformed into community leaders. Texas and this country are better and prouder because of them."
Meanwhile the cheerleaders said, "We're still the same people we always were. This has just helped like our football boys and us come closer to each other. But I mean everything is still the same at school. We're all still close. Nobody argues. Like we hardly talk about it anymore."
Breakaway Ministries Sets Texas A&M on Fire for God
School Board Seeks Feedback on Faith Banner Ban
Texas AG Defends Cheerleaders' Football Bible Banners
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Racer X Illustrated
December 2010
Read the Racer X Illustrated Digital Edition! Covering everything from MXoN to Rider of the Year to the new holiday gift guide, our January issue brings the most up-to-date info for fans. You can also have a look at what high-school motocross looked like in SoCal, as well as find out what Grant Langston thought of the rider's supporting autism. These and more are featured in the January issue of RXI, and the digital edition is now available for only $7.98! That is just 66 cents per issue, and it still contains the same great columns and features. Click here to go to Racer X Digital and read the new issue right away for only $7.98 or to preview the issue for free.
Common threads and recurring patterns emerge as we look back at the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Page 130.
Birth of a National
After Glen Helen's sudden departure from the series, young Pala Raceway stepped up to keep AMA Motocross in Southern California. A lot went right, but some changes need to be made. Page 148.
Held in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, the 2010 Motocross of Nations provided a picturesque setting for Team USA's sixth consecutive win. Page 160.
Filmmaker Tyler Congdon's newest moto epic, MOTO2, sets a new standard for motocross cinematography and storytelling. Page 178.
I am the MANager
Now that he's out of the real moto-management game, David Pingree plays fantasy manager and assembles his dream team. Page 190.
The Youth Brigade
The junior version of Team USA competed in August's FIM Youth World Cup in France, and team boss Brian Noah gives us the full story. Page 202.


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An Oklahoma County sheriff's deputy who was accidentally shot in the leg in Spencer will undergo surgery Tuesday.
Investigators said the deputy was checking his gun on Monday when it fired and struck a fellow deputy in the leg. The deputy was rushed to the hospital.
The gun range said it will investigate the incident.
The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.blog comments powered by Disqus


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We surveyed faculty and residents from seven hospitals affiliated with three academic internal medicine training programs about their perceptions of the informational and service benefits vs the risks of ethical compromise involved in interactions with pharmaceutical sales representatives. Questionnaires were returned by 467 (81%) of 575 physicians surveyed. Residents and faculty generally had somewhat negative attitudes toward the educational and informational value of detailing activities at their institutions but indicated that representatives supported important conferences and speakers. Residents were more likely than faculty to perceive contacts with sales representatives as potentially influencing physician decision making. Sixty-seven percent of faculty and 77% of residents indicated that physicians could be compromised by accepting gifts. More than half of the physicians who suggested that such compromise was possible indicated that acceptance of gifts worth more than $100 from drug companies would be likely to compromise a physician's independence and objectivity. A majority of both faculty and house staff favored eliminating presentations by pharmaceutical representatives at their hospitals. Only 10% thought they had had sufficient training during medical school and residency regarding professional interaction with sales representatives.
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hi , i'm having a problem with pointers in C ...
I will give a simple example inspired from my problem :
void change(int *x, int *y){x=y;}
int main(){
int *xx,*yy;
yy = (int*)malloc(sizeof(int));
if(xx == NULL)printf("is null\n");
else printf("---- %d ----\n",*xx);
.................................................. .........
xx doesn't point to the value of yy (*yy) , the program prints "is null" . Why ?
xx and yy must be declared int* , it's something that i must do in my program .
Re: hi , i'm having a problem with pointers in C ...
A quick lesson on pointers. If a function has to change something that is passed in, then you need to pass in a pointer to that thing. For example,
void add1(int x)
void add1(int *x)
The same is true for pointers, if you need to modify a pointer, then you have to pass in the address of that pointer. So:
void incr_ptr(int *x)
void incr_ptr(int **x)
void change(int **x,int *y)
Despite the simplicity of the program there are still two bugs worth a mention:
The value displayed by the program will be unpredictable, because *yy is uninitialised. Also, the program leaks memory, because the malloc() is not matched by a free(). Both these are major bugs; a memory leak in a long running program will mean that the program will eventually stop working because there's no memory left, and uninitialised variables will mean any behaviour dependent on the value of those variables will be unpredictable.
So some good habits for you to develop immediately are:
- ALWAYS initialise variables. Initialise them to zero if you can't think of a suitable value.
- ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS initialise pointers. Initialise them to zero.
- ALWAYS write "free" somewhere, ideally in such a way as to cause a compiler error, when you write malloc(), because that will force you to deal with the free at the most important time (same is true for new/delete/new[]/delete[] in C++). Leaving it will mean that you forget it, which means (a) you'll get a leak and (b) you'll have to spend hours trying to find what is leaking. ALWAYS write resource allocation and resource deallocation simultaneously, or as simultaneously as possible.
- Remember that allocating memory simply gives you somewhere to stuff a value. It doesn't do any value stuffing for you. int **yy=malloc(sizeof int); initialises yy to point to an int, but the int it points to is NOT DEFINED.
|All times are GMT +5.5. The time now is 23:01.


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A note from Deb Martin in Eastern Pennsylvania …
I've been gardening since I was a kid, helping my parents and grandparents pick everything from apples to zucchini. A degree in horticulture from Purdue University put some science behind my practical experiences and set me on the road to helping others find pleasure and success in their own gardens. In one way or another, I've been doing that for more than 20 years now.
I "discovered" composting as a garden book editor at Rodale Press where my very first project was to revise and update The Rodale Book of Composting. I learned so much about "gardener's gold" from current soil scientists and by reading about the work of earlier compost aficionados such as M. Fukuoka, Sir Albert Howard and, of course, J.I. Rodale. Truly, compost turned my view of gardening upside down, and today I can't imagine doing one without the other.
I have so much fun "playing" with my various compost projects that I probably spend almost as much time making compost as I do tending plants. Frankly, compost is more forgiving! And it can help your plants become more easy-growing, too. I'm thrilled to have the chance to share my decadent pastime with you, and I hope you'll discover the compost method(s) that best suit you and your gardens.


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The bride, a former resident of Elkins, is the daughter of Lester E. White of Job and the late Bertha B. White. She is a locomotive engineer employed by Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway in Alliance, Neb.
The bridegroom is the son of the late Richard E. and Dorothy E. Gifford Bashford. He is a conductor, also employed by BNSF Railway in Alliance, Neb.
The wedding was attended by the crew of the train. Fireman Lordes "Louie" Carey served as maid of honor and conductor George Huling was the best man. Brakeman Ryan Rodriquez took photographs and filmed the ceremony. Also in attendance was engineer Charlie Jones.
The couple resides in Alliance, Neb.


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NASCAR drivers are no strangers to heated exchanges, as the photo above should illustrate. In November 2010, after an accident under caution ended both of their days, Jeff Gordon decided to attack Jeff Burton as a way of releasing his frustration.
Neither driver is particularly renowned for his pugilistic skills or dirty driving, and as such neither has a spot on this list. In fact, you can ask just about every driver in the garage, and they'll probably tell you about a time when they lost their cool. It's the ones who do so repeatedly that pose problems.
This list is dedicated to those personalities, the biggest "bullies" in NASCAR, if you will. These guys are the ones that you've heard about whenever somebody brings up a tiff in the garage. They're usually involved when you see somebody getting wrecked on the race track.
But most of all, they keep things interesting and entertaining in a sport that has lost a little bit of flavor due to increased corporate involvement. Without further ado, here are the top 15 bullies to ever make a living in NASCAR.


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Can Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb speak frankly to me? Because I'm real confused. Are they in, or not?
Donovan McNabb spoke to ESPN 980 Redskins Radio yesterday afternoon where the the main topic of interest was his status with the team. McNabb wanted to speak about anything but that, although he knew those questions were coming.
Regarding his agent Fletcher Smith's salvo at Kyle Shanahan and the Redskins, D-Mac said "I support my agent," a statement he was to repeat several times. McNabb later said "He (Smith) put his thoughts into it, not Donovan's thoughts."
Was Donovan saying, "I disagree with what Smith said, but defend his right to say it?" Don't know. I do know this is not a freedom of speech issue.
It's the agent's job to speak up for his client and watch out for his interest. (See Rosenhaus, Drew) It's not clear from the interview whether Smith was synthesizing McNabb's feelings and restating it on his own, or providing cover for McNabb in a conflict with the coaching staff. McNabb does not make clear if Smith's assessment of the situation is a true one. As McNabb put it, "When I read the whole thing, I didn't see nothing wrong with it." If that's so, why say that the statement was Smith's and not his?
Smith, apparently acting on his own, blasted the Redskins and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in particular in a statement released December 23, 2010. The Shanahans have made it extremely difficult for McNabb to maintain a relationship with the team, accused Smith, by statements both disrespectful and unprecedented.
"Unfortunately, it appears as though the Redskins coaching staff decided that their 12-year veteran quarterback, who flawlessly executed one of the NFL's most complex offensive systems (in Philadelphia), is unable to grasp Kyle's offense."
Despite Smith's statement of tension between he and the younger Shanahan, McNabb said he had a good relationship with Kyle, echoing Shanahan's own statement issued the day after Smith's statement was known. Therefore, there must a problem with Smith's statement. Yes?
McNabb expressed his preference for keeping discussions with the coaches private as he made several attempts to move to discussion to the upcoming Giants game. That's the professional approach. But generally, employees insist on privacy when they are discussing termination with their boss (I'm just saying…). McNabb said several times that he wants to remain with the Redskins and forcefully denied Adam Schefter's report that he would ask for his release at the end of the season, the most forthright thing he said in the interview.
After watching Jim Zorn twist with Sherm Lewis calling plays from the game plan that Zorn devised, we know it's possible for McNabb to work in this atmosphere. It's not possible to win with this atmosphere. The Redskins have become as toxic for McNabb as it was for Jason Campbell.
Mike Shanahan has his own issue with straight-forward speaking. Shanahan was for 14 years the unquestioned football authority of the Denver Broncos. I don't think he is used to having his statements assessed for consistency, much less challenged. He's not good at explaining himself, instead coming across in public as an insensitive clod. I'm sure he is not, but poor communication skill is a contributing factor in this dust up with McNabb. It's a critical flaw in leaders.
However this plays out, both sides have to get better. McNabb and Shanahan are new in DC. Neither understood that their credibility stayed behind in Philadelphia and Denver. So yeah, both have to explain themselves better to each other and to the people who buy tickets; for Shanahan because fan buy-in to his leadership has taken a big hit and for McNabb because his fans are confused about what he truly wants.
McNabb's fans are prepared to advocate for whatever he wants to do, once he clues us in on what that is.
Declarative sentences, please.
See also:
DC Pro Sports Report story.
ESPN 980 story
Jason Reid, Washington Post – both sides need a quick end to the relationship
Jemele Hill, ESPN.com – McNabb should set agenda