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Camirand Academy of Magic
Silver Sanctum
Silver Sanctum
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Item #11-2933
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Guaranteed to be one of the best buys of the year! While the magician's back is turned, a spectator hides a match or other small object in one of two gleaming cylinders. Both cylinders are closed, then covered with ordinary opaque cups. The magician does not see anything, does not feel anything and does not hear anything, and yet, he unerringly picks the correct cylinder!
* No sleights required!
* The spectators handle the cylinders themselves!
* Uses a cunning principle that fools both magicians and laymen alike!
Comes complete with nickel-plated cylinders and booklet written by David Acer and routined by Guy Camirand and Gary Ouellet.
Notice: this item has been sold in the 1970 up to 1986 under the same name by many magic dealers in the USA. At the time they were manufactured by Phil Matlin' Perfect Magic, the routine was then written by Gary Ouellet and it was Gary Ouellet who gave the trick the name Silver Sanctum. Later some pirated version appeared also under similiar name such as Brass Sanctum etc. This version is manufactured by The Camirand Academy of Magic Inc. under an agreement with Phil Matlin of Perfect Magic of Montreal.
I must admit I laughed when I found out how Phil Matlin's 'Silver Sanctum' worked. Not that the method is preposterous, far from it, just that it is one of those things that proves that magicians can be extremely devious when it comes to simulating the impossible.
The magician displays two metal cylinders, one end of each unscrewing to provide access of a hollow interior. The cylinders are placed on the table about a foot apart. A spectator is handed two cups or other opaque containers. The magician turns his or her back to the spectator. The spectator is instructed to place one cup over one cylinder. Then the spectator is told to open the other cylinder, place a small object inside, replace the cap and cover that cylinder with the other cup. When the spectator announces he is done, the magician turns around and immediately points to the cup covering the cylinder which contains the object. Matlin's method results in the magician not doing much of anything except for telling the spectator what to do.
There are no external gimmicks or gaffs, no particular handling and no sleights. The only things required are the props and the ability to present the effect in the manner it deserves.
The two cylinders supplied are very well made in heavy, chromed metal and measure 2-1/8" tall by 5/8" in diameter.
Included with the props is an instruction booklet written by David Acer which explains the working in detail plus a routine by Guy Camirand and Gary Ouellet.
The instructions suggest a match stick be used as the object the spectator puts in the cylinder. Interestingly enough, the interior is large enough to take a small folded billet. Using standard mentalist dodges the effect could be expanded so the performer not only magically knows which cylinder the billet is in, but mysteriously also what is written on it.
The literature of mentalism contains a good many 'turn your back to the audience' effects, most of which may result in turning around to discover the spectators have gone home. 'Silver Sanctum' makes better use of this theatrical device than most effects that incorporate it. Also the time involved is short and the instructions to the spectator simple enough that the performer can maintain control of the situation.
-- Robinson
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Sure they have an allergen menu, they don't however have a dedicated fryer. There are breaded wings made in the same fryer as the traditional so if you have celiac disease, I don't recommend their wings.
When I go here, I only drink the hard cider. They don't have a gluten free menu, they have an allergen list which is utterly ridiculous to read. When you do read it you understand almost nothing is safe. You can't have almost any of the sauces or spices and fries are not in dedicated fryer. The service is hit or miss as well. Last time we went I had a friend who is vegan who asked for no chicken on his Salad and of course it came out with chicken and it took 2 hours to get his food. He ended up saying take it back and leaving with no food as well.
there is no GF menu there. just a hard-to-read chart. with an X or no X. says no separate fryers. a star goes for GF bottled beer. :)
I LOVE to eat here!!! I first discovered their gluten free menu when I went to mall of America I was sooo happy with all their options. When I came to this location they had the same options! my favorite food to get there is definitely the original honey barbecue wings. I go to this location every other week because it is my favorite place to eat! :)
985 Fort Union Boulevard, Midvale, UT 84047
Unlike most other locations, this one in Midvale uses a dedicated fryer for their fries. The staff is excellent and willing to verify what is safe and what isn't. Naked tenders with most sauces are GF and come with fries.
7524 Bluebonnet Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70810
BWW has a great allergen list that shows lots of wheat-free items. So it's a shame that there is so much variation by location in terms of cross contamination. This location does not segregate fryers, so all those delicious, gluten free chicken wings and the huge list of gluten free sauces end up being contaminated. Confirmed by manager who flat out recommended I eat elsewhere.
2109 West Roosevelt Boulevard F, Monroe, NC 28110
The employees work with you to provide Gluten Free options.
1794 South Road, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
Wings are not fried in dedicated fryer. Be careful. Only GF thing is nachos, maybe. Not knowledgable staff either.
4600 Silver Creek Drive, Sherwood, AR 72120
Got glutened despite being told everything is in a dedicated fryer and sauces are gf. The service was horrible also.
140 Hays Ln B15, Wilmington, NC 28411
Spoke with the General Manger, Wayne, tonight. He assured us that they do have a dedicated fryer for all bone-in-wings where nothing with breading enters that fryer (except on Thursday nights, boneless wing night specials). They have an allergen list for all items. This is a new restaurant and also a training restaurant the General Manager took our satisfaction very seriously! Of course there is the general disclaimer of cross contamination.... But they were willing to listen to our concerns.
8301 On the Mall, Buena Park, CA 90620
I worked at Bdubs for 4 years. nothing is gf. too much shared equipment and fryers.
2905 Geyser Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80906
they are gluten free they have a gluten free menu!
4104 Central Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71913
I love the traditional wings, loaded nachos, and buffalo chips!
5533 Carolina Beach Rd, Wilmington, NC 28412
Don't have dedicated fryer! So we Left! At home where the managers know us personally they guarantee a dedicated fryer for folks that NEED to eat gf. Very disappointed hopefully they will fix this problem since we would visit our local bw's a few times a week.
1794 South Road, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
Always a great option for gluten free! Traditional wings have many gf sauce options and the naked tenders are another option as well! Also serve gf beer and cider which is a plus!
3625 Central Expressway #100, Plano, TX 75023
Not gluten free AT ALL!! They didnt know what gluten was, they reuse bowls for the auce with breaded foods, they say the fries are in a separate frier but then say thry arent, and I found out after eating half my salad that there were croutons underneath. side note, my tenders werent done and they tasted like fish. never. again. Im gonna go be sick now, cause I got glutened.
2137 Polaris Pkwy, Columbus, OH 43240
once again a place states GF but doesn't consider cross contamination
1887 Pulaski Hwy, Bear, DE 19701
I love Buffalo Wild Wings!! I've been to two different locations in Delaware, Middletown and Lewis, and both experiences are fantastic. When you tell them about your allergy they will clean the area for your food and the fries have their own fryer. They also have a gluten free menu and when ordering with people who eat gluten they will put a sticker on your order so they know it's yours.
901 Interstate 30 Frontage Road, Rockwall, TX 75087
I just order the original bone in and I don't have problems. Love wings..
2151 N High St, Columbus, OH 43201
They don't have gluten free menu I asked manager and the deep fry everything in the same deep fryer waiter brought out there gluten-free and then said it's all cross contaminated
3812 Wards Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502
almost nothing on their menu is gluten free including all but one sauce
2133 Upton Rd, Suite 100, Virginia Beach, VA 23454
My go to place when we all want to eat out. Be sure to mention allergy when ordering as the cooks are trained for certain procedures to try to limit cross contamination. I don't chance cross contamination with eating the fries.
70, Nitro Market Pl, Cross Lanes, WV 25313
From what I can see, they have grilled chicken tenders and other grilled options now. Very convenient for me when everyone else wants to eat here.
3701 W Division St, St Cloud, MN 56301
don't eat at bdubs if you are gf. I worked at one for 4 years allergen list may say gf but cross contamination is out of control. no dedicated fryers or grill.
5590 W Broadway Ave, Crystal, MN 55428
worked at bdubs for 4 years. allergen list may say gluten free but cross contamination is out of control. don't eat at bdubs if you are gf.
500 South Koeller Street, Oshkosh, WI 54902
Made in same bowl. Not celiac friendly
5001 Sergeant Road, Suite 355, Sioux City, IA 51106-4775
The BWW website says they have a dedicated fryer for GF food like regular wings and fries but when I called to ask they made a big deal out of having to find the manager to ask her who wasn't very pleasant and said they don't.
6406 University Avenue, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
I asked the hostess for a gluten free menu (knowing they had one online) and she said they didn't have it but was obviously confused and chose to say no rather than finding out. Once seated I asked our waitress and she gave it to me. They had different symbols for items containing gluten and ones possibly cross contaminated. They did not have a seperate fryer so a lot of the GF options were cross contaminated and not labeled as such. Since my diagnosis I only order the naked tenders (with or without seasoning) and choose a GF sauce to go with. I have tried eating there 4 times and gotten sick every time. also ordered a salad as a side and specified no croutons but they were still on the salad when I got it. Due to a long wait and running short on time I didn't bother with it and just didn't eat the salad. I feel bad because it's one of my husband's favorite places but I have decided I'm giving up on them despite their "GF menu" they provide.
2151 N High St, Columbus, OH 43201
The manager hand delivered an allergen list so I could easily choose GF items. The GF selection was pretty good too- wings, fries, chicken fingers, and a few appetizers. The server and manager were so nice and accommodating!
9263 N Owasso Expy, Owasso, OK 74055
Gluten-free options for my celiac wife.
7111 Kingery Hwy, Willowbrook, IL 60527
They no longer have a dedicated fryer for GF items, so the GF selection is pretty slim. Disappointing when looking for a place to have dinner with my celiac 4-yr old.
7551 Egan Dr, Savage, MN 55378
Same experience as other reviewer... I am intolerant, do not have celiac, but everytime I have eaten here I have gotten sick.
4711 West 29th Street, Greeley, CO 80634
Tell your waiter our waitress you are a Celiac and they make sure your TRANSITIONAL WINGS ONLY are fried in clean, non cross contaminated oil. Very knowledgeable.
2670 Tuscany St #101, Corona, CA 92881
My go-to place for sporting events, wings and beer! They have a designated fryer for their traditional wings and the managers take their time to speak with you if there are any concerns. Besides being able to eat wings again I can also enjoy 'em with a nice cold one (Omission beer) and not just cider.
1640 Camino Del Rio N, San Diego, CA 92108
The staff could not even figure out what is gluten.
2530 Sardis Rd N, Charlotte, NC 28227
Nice array of gluten free options. French Fries cooked in separate fryer.
970 S Gilbert Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85296
I don't know.....it was absolutely delicious. I got the naked tenders either medium sauce. I got sick but I don't know if it was from here or not. give it a try, it might have been something else that got me sick.
3090 Old Todds Rd, Lexington, KY 40509
Staff tended to be unhelpful, and didn't know what I was asking for. Also has gotten very expensive. Was over 60 for two adults getting a couple of baskets of wings and one basket of fries.
106 Magnolia Dr, Georgetown, KY 40324
Staff seem offened I was asking questions and asked for special prep. Still got sick.
7741 Beechmont Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45255
Had the naked tenders and buffalo chips with no adverse reaction.
1710 Hilliard-Rome Rd, Hilliard, OH 43026-7534
Tasty but I always have a reaction. They admit to cross contamination being an issue, and for me it really is.
1050 Stafford Market Place, Stafford, VA 22556
Sucks. Only 1 option of wings and a burger.I got the burger which was topped with shredded lettuce and had to be eaten with a fork. To me that defeats the purpose of a burger and is basically a crappy salad. The hamburger wasn't even a real patty and tasted very low quality. Also the only gf side is veggie sticks! Yuck! I'll never go back
500 South Koeller Street, Oshkosh, WI 54902
I love the naked tenders with mild, spicy garlic, or Parmesan garlic sauce.
970 S Gilbert Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85296
We've never had a problem, never been sick here! They have a list of all allergens and the fryers ARE indeed separate. When an allergy is notified, they do toss the wings in the sauce you order separately as well. If you do get a server that does not understand, just ask for the manager to help you.
702 West Riverdale Road, Riverdale, UT 84405
ordered the nachos for my son. they assured me that the chips and shredded chz was not x contaminated. they would not give me a kids size or price. came out wrong. sent it bavk. my son ended up eating after everyone else.
2016 W 4th St, Mansfield, OH 44906
Nothing is safe at a franchise. They do not honor allergen lists and cooking methods
461 Stillwater Avenue, Bangor, ME 04401
Great as always, didn't get sick at this location!
1819 Stewart Avenue, Wausau, WI 54401
I get the screaming nacho burger with no bun, and never have an issue. Love that the fries are cooked in their own fryer so they are celiac friendly.
13215 Meridian East, Puyallup, WA 98374
We love it here. We always get the Ultimate Nachos with chicken, it's super filling and the best nachos you could have. They also have some wings that are GF but we have never tried them. Service is usually good, but can be slow at times.
900 E Battlefield Rd, Springfield, MO 65807
I haven't been to this one yet, but have been to the one in Branson @ the Landing.I will say that I called tonight & asked about fries & wings (my boys only eat fries...ugh) & the Mgr said that he does watch what's going on, but can't guarantee anything as they do serve food with Gluten in it. However, they will do their best to accommodate. The fries & regular wings are GF & most of the sauces are as well (& Ranch). I was told that a Thurs night (during football season) isn't a good night due to how busy they are, they put wings in whatever fryer is available. So, the wings could go into the same fryer that the boneless breaded wings were in & that contaminates them. Fries are cooked in a separate fryer so they're all good.He did say a Tues is a better night to go to ensure everything is done properly. Just an FYI! I had no issues in Branson so, I don't expect any in Spfld either. I appreciate how forthcoming the Mgr was about it all & warned me it wasn't a good night for it... much appreciation on that one! Saved me from a horrible night & weekend!!!
2080 Michigan Street, Sidney, OH 45365
it depends upon your server! I went two weeks ago and got sick. Went again for football and had a great server who really helped me with the menu items.
17020 Twin Lakes Ave, Marysville, WA 98270
They have naked chicken tenders and GF wings. They have a list of GF sauces for dipping your chicken in. They also have veggie sticks you can dip in ranch. So good!!
22849 NE Glisan St, Wood Village, OR 97060
Had a disaster of a meal tonight. They have a gluten free menu so I ordered pulled pork and coleslaw. I asked if I could have extra coleslaw instead of french fries and they said yes. I ordered the bun on a separate plate so it wouldn't touch my food (but my husband uses the bun). Explained why I had to have it this way and was assured it would all come out as I had asked. When they food arrived, the bun was on top of the meat. So frustrating. So I explained again what I needed and asked for new meat. When it came back, the bun had simply been removed and put on a different plate and it was the same meat. Both my husband and I were pretty frustrated at this point and asked again for new meat. Finally it came out but it took a while. At the end of dinner we were both disappointing and found out the extra coleslaw cost money....which wasn't explained to us. Just added to the disappointment. After all was said and done, I am now having a gluten reaction (probably from cross contamination). I would say this place is not safe for celiacs or at least not for those very sensitive.
1231 Moro St, Manhattan, KS 66502

subset: commoncrawl


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Budget debate heating up before propsals even released
The debate is already heating up over Wisconsin's next state budget even before Governor Scott Walker releases his proposals.
State Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee), the new Senate Minority Leader, joined area Democratic lawmakers for a town hall meeting Tuesday night in La Crosse.
Democrats do not have enough votes to stop Republicans from passing most measures in Madison the coming two years. However, they're promising to make sure the concerns of constituents are heard during the upcoming budget debate.
Staet Sen. Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) says many people remain concerned about the funding for public schools, especially with plans to possibly divert some of that money to expand vouchers to private schools.
"The idea of expanding the voucher program, which does not have the same accountability on students that need to be met for public schools, that's troubling to them," said Shilling.
It's not clear yet whether the program would be expanded state-wide or just to certain areas, but La Crosse County Republican chairman Julian Bradley says Governor Walker will have to explain why it's a good use of taxpayer money.
"They're going to have to make sure they have some real good statistics that back up the reasoning," said Bradley.
Legislation that would pave the way for an iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin is also on the agenda. There's only been one public hearing so far on the bill and it could come to a vote soon.
"This is being done before there's been any hearing up in the part of the state where the people who would be impacted the most have a say in the process. I think it's a bad start to the session," said Larson.
Larson and other Democrats say promises by Republicans to make compromises on the mining legislation have so far fallen short.
Bradley believes Republicans in Madison are listening seriously to the concerns of their Democratic colleagues.
"They need to present a bill that can pass and not just across party lines. We need to make sure we have a bill that encompasses what both sides are looking for," said Bradley.
Copyright 2013 by WKBT News8000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
April 21, 2011 —
Everyone wants me to celebrate Earth Day. My inbox is full of green mail—no trees were harmed in the making—urging me to buy shoes and cosmetics, go to a yoga retreat and help Robert Redford rally the American people. Of all these, I'm most likely to buy shoes, but I'm not deluded that it will help the earth.
One of my earliest efforts to rescue the planet ended in an emergency room in Manhattan, tending to my big brother Chris, who had broken his nose doing chin-ups on a tree near Central Park's Sheep Meadow. Maybe it was Earth's revenge. That was at the great Easter Be-In, the precursor to what we now know as Earth Day. Hippies were ahead of the curve in saving the earth. (They did it by smoking the weeds.)
My editor encouraged me to write an Earth Day column, perhaps thinking it would be earnest and heartfelt. Poetic. But this year, with the earth's axis tilting after the Japan earthquake, I'm a little cynical that my shopping-for-the-environment plan is going to work out well for anyone. Although I do need a new pair of shoes for my niece Abby's spring wedding.
The wedding is in California, and instead of paying to offset our carbon footprint for air travel, my daughter and I are driving across the country. Hold the cards and letters, readers, we're driving the Prius. I was going to drive the minivan, thinking we could bunk down in the back instead of at a Motel 6 along the way. But Andrew Revkin convinced me to take the Prius. Revkin is an environmentalist who writes for The Times' Dot Earth blog. He's also a certified MacArthur Genius who is known for warning that by 2050 or so, the earth's population will reach 9 billion. And you thought the traffic on Route 17 was heavy now.
Like me, Revkin drives a Prius and a minivan. He's no saint, mind you. Sometimes he even drinks orange juice that has had to travel 1,000 miles to his breakfast table. But this genius knows enough to drive the Prius on long trips and save the minivan for trips to the dump.
Still, I was looking forward to the idea—if not the reality—of sleeping in the blue van in National Parks in Tennessee and Illinois and California in May. I figured the extra money we would spend on gas would be saved in motel bills. Then I remembered my carbon footprint. If I really cared about my impact on our planet, I should just stay home and send the happy couple a gift certificate to a farmer's market via email.
But a girl's gotta live. And a cross-country road trip is something I've always dreamed of. I had planned to do it 40 years ago in my little Karmann Ghia, when gas prices were 36 cents a gallon, but life got in the way. Now I have a grown daughter and gas is $3.99 and rising. We are still planning to stay in National Parks along the way. We have a reservation at the Donley cabin in Tennessee. It's a primitive cabin without electricity or running water, but I think we'll manage for a night.
So this trip is not going to save anything. I'll still need those shoes, some make-up and maybe a yoga retreat after all that driving. I'm even thinking of helping Robert Redford out. And now at least my editor will be happy. I've written an Earth Day column. Happy Earth Day, everyone. Do your best.


text:
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If you wish to attach one or more files enter the details below. You may also attach files by dragging and dropping them in the message box.
Post by miamibunnie » Wed Jul 07, 2010 09:12 pm
quote:Originally posted by marmeedr
I ma angry and I need to cry and I 'm not able to. I am carrying in my wom my dead son till wednesday and I don't know what to do I just want all of this to be a nightmare and that on wednesday my baby will cry when he enters this world but I know that is not going to happen cause he is a little angel already and this is killing me.
Post by wrennie » Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:08 pm
Post by brianned5 » Tue Jun 01, 2010 04:37 pm
Post by annes » Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:14 am
Post by marmeedr » Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:17 am


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INDIA: Parle launches Parle Milk Power
India's largest biscuit and confectionery manufacturer Parle has launched a new biscuit brand called Parle Milk Power.
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Stanislaw Burzynski: The Early Years, part 1
It's been a week now since I got back from TAM, where Bob Blaskiewicz and I tag-teamed a talk about a man who has become a frequent topic of this blog, namely Stanislaw Burzynski. I've been meaning to come back to the topic of Burzynski, but from a different angle. There hasn't been much in the way of news lately other than the release of Eric Merola's most recent propaganda "documentary," Burzynski: Cancer Is A Serious Business, Part 2, but, believe it or not, there remain lots of loose ends that I haven't covered. This time around, the angle is this: How did Burzynski get his start? His is a story that goes back over 46 years, and in the beginning he seemed to be a promising young academic physician and a perfectly respectable researcher. So what happened? How did he evolve from a seemingly idealistic young Polish physician to what he has been for many years now?
I started to think about this when I was writing my post about "alternative cancer cures" circa 1979, because one of the three articles written by Gary Null and various coauthors that appeared in Penthouse magazine in the fall that year, The Suppression of Cancer Cures, was dedicated primarily to Stanislaw Burzynski and his "antineoplastons," which at the time were new news, so to speak. However, Null's article, even though it was contemporaneous with Burzynski's having recently struck out on his own and started his own clinic, didn't reveal everything that I was interested in learning. Actually, the more I read, the more I realize that no source really reveals everything that I want to know about that time period in the 1970s and early 1980s that produced the Stanislaw Burzynski that we know and don't love today. Available sources all tend to be either pro-Burzynski, Burzynski himself, or vague in the extreme about what happened. Fortunately, my research for my TAM talk will serve multiple purposes. Since the talk was so brief and required me to cover 40+ years of history in a mere 20 minutes, there was a lot left out. I hate to let all that research go to waste; so I'm going to use it for an intermittent series of blog posts.


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Man remains in critical condition following Thursday's crashStaff Report | April 11,2014A West Rutland man remains in critical condition a day after his truck collided with the rear of an empty school bus on Route 3 in Rutland Town.
A spokeswoman at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., said at 12:30 p.m. today that Nathan Whitehorne, 41, remains hospitalized and in critical condition.
Whitehorne was one of two people injured in a crash that occured at 8:40 a.m. Thursday on Route 3 just south of the intersection with East Proctor Road.
Whitehorne was trapped in the truck for about an hour while firefighters from Rutland Town worked to free him from the wreckage of his 2013 Toyota Tacoma.
No children were on the damaged school bus, but police said driver Kimberly Baird, 52, was taken to RRMC for minor injuries. She was treated and later released.
Whitehorne's truck was also carrying three dogs; two in carriers in the back of the truck and one in the cab. Two of the dogs were injured and taken to a veterinarian clinic where state police Trooper Erin Hodges said Friday they were recovering.
One dog escaped and ran around the accident scene while troopers tried to call it closer to attach a leash. The dog, a Belgian Malinois, eventually calmed enough for police to capture it, Hodges said.
The Rutland Town Fire Department, several state troopers, Rutland Town Police, the Rutland County Sheriff's Department and Regional Ambulance Service responded to the scene.
Police said the crash remains under investigation and asked any witnesses to call 773-9101.MORE IN This Just InMONTPELIER A new report from a commission that studied the cost, availability and quality of... Full StoryVermont fish hatchery changes focus, looks inland
BETHEL, Vt. Full StoryHONOLULU (AP) A group of Hawaii musicians and a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant provided... Full Story
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It must be acknowledged, in addition to a logical desire to improve, we are moved by envy, wishes of being better than the neighbor, partner or friend. This gives rise to situations which, analysed from the cold prospect of numbers they are, at the very least, curious. Suppose that I am a Chairman of autonomous community. As usual, I'm going to fight to get a good piece of pie in the allocation of regional funding. To simplify, let us imagine that the previous year received 10 billion euros, and that 10% of the total that supposed to distribute. Case to) due to the crisis and the increase in the deficit, all we have to tighten the belt. The total deal is reduced 10%, 90,000 million, I business and that my part is only minore by 5% have lost 500 million euros, but it is considered a great success.
Case b) the pie remains the same as last year, and back to receive 10 billion, i.e., I maintain my part in the same proportion. However, the neighbouring Autonomous Community and some other than It is similar to mine in terms of economic development, population, degree of transfers, etc, have improved (obviously, there are others that have worsened). I complain bitterly about the cast, and I remember the Government has a historic debt with my community, and that the fiscal balance of my autonomy (which simply put, would be the difference between the taxes paid on the territory and the services that it receives by all public authorities) is negative, I have much to recover. Case c) because of the crisis, the Government decided to distribute more money, so everyone is satisfied. Passes from 100,000 to 120,000 million, i.e., a 20% increase. However, the autonomous community which I am only get 1.2 billion additional euros (12%). I receive strong criticism from the opposition and within my party, since we have been clearly prejudiced in the partition. Of course, as in the latter case have gone losing in relation to others, but if you were the President of the community Autonomous, what would you prefer, can be in the case or in c?


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This is what the NICU had me do:
I started out with just pumping. They would give my LO the milk that I pumped in a bottle or a feeding tube (sometimes he was too tired even for the bottle). Then, we replaced one bottle feeding a day with actual nursing. Once he got better at nursing, we replaced another bottle feeding with it. The NICU also started fortifying my bottled breast milk with formula (if your LO doesn't like it, try switching formulas and see if he likes a different one better). Once I got him home, we were doing 3 fortified bottle feeds, and the rest was all nursing. After a week or so, I dropped a bottle, and another week after that, I dropped another bottle. We kept one bottle (but stopped fortifying it with the doc's okay when he was about 5 weeks old) simply so that my husband could enjoy feeding our son at bedtime.
So, basically, work up to exclusive nursing gradually. It will take time, and it will be frustrating, but you and your baby will get the hang of it. There's nothing better than breast milk for your preemie. Even just a little bit of it a day is beneficial. So, even if you do still end up switching to formula, I would highly recommend continuing to pump so that you can at least give your baby a little bit of what my husband likes to call "Momma Good Stuff."


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No. 6 Mercyhurst Fends Off No. 8 Mercy
from press release
Erie, Pa. - In a game befitting its billing, the #8 Mercy College lacrosse team dropped a hard fought 9-7 decision to #6 Mercyhurst today.
Mercy suffered its first loss of the season, falling to 5-1 overall, and 2-1 in the East Coast Conference. Mercyhurst, meanwhile, is now 4-1 overall, and also 2-1 in the ECC. Mercyhurst is an affiliate member of the ECC in men's lacrosse.
Mercyhurst, who had been ranked as high as #2 in the USILA poll, had dropped to #8 this week. Mercy, meanwhile, had been tenth, and had climbed to eighth.
The first quarter was very even, with both sides looking good. The host Lakers got on the board early, when Kyle Kallay took a feed from Brian Scheetz at the 11:49 mark and scored. The Mavericks responded with a pair of goals from sophomore Mike Marzocca (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) and junior Sal Spinelli (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip/Suffolk CC), and Mercy was up 2-1. The teams traded goals in the waning minutes of the first quarter, and, with 15 minutes gone, Mercy led 3-2.
Just two and a half minutes into the second stanza, the Lakers knotted the game on an Andy Winslow tally. Freshman Jesse Wood (Binghamton, N.Y./Seton Catholic) scored a man-up goal, and once again the upstart visitors led. It would be Mercy's last lead of the game.
Mercyhurst scored a pair of goals barely a minute apart late in the quarter, and led 5-4 at the half.
Midway through the third quarter, Kallay scored back-to-back goals three minutes apart, and the Lakers had built a three-goal cushion at 8-5.
Before the third quarter expired, Mercy's Sean Wallin (Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes) ripped a goal on a pass from Wood, and Mercy trailed by just two heading into the final 15 minutes.
Kallay scored his fifth goal of the game midway through the fourth quarter, reclaiming a three-goal margin for the Lakers. But the Mavericks continued to fight. With three minutes to play, sophomore Alex Martello (Montville, N.J./Montville) scored an unassisted goal, providing the final score of 9-7.
Both goaltenders played well, with Mercy's T. J. DiCarlo (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) making 17 saves. Zach Nash, his counterpart for the hosts, made eight stops.
Balanced scoring kept the Mavericks in the game. Leading the way with five points was Wood, who finished with a pair of goals and three assists. Spinelli added a pair of goals as well.
Mercy will host local rival Pace University on Wednesday, March 23, in a game that is expected to be played on Mavericks Field, on the Mercy College campus in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
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The NBA isn't a point guard's league, it's a swingman's league now.
That being said I agree with the above assertion. If we gut our team and it doesn't lead to a championship, we're left with little to improve on and are stuck with that same team forever. Amar'e + CP3, while awesome, does not yet guarantee us a title. And if we don't get a title, then we've wasted the time.
Amar'e + Melo + CP3, on the other hand, is as close to guaranteeing a title as you can come, so I say we hold out on that one. Plus imagine if either Anthony Randolph or Danilo Gallinari becomes an all-star caliber player, then we might not even need to get another superstar via FA or trade


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The Players In The Battle For India's Soul
By editor • Apr 19, 2014
Originally published on April 19, 2014 6:28 pm
The numbers from India's election are staggering: 814 million potential voters, nine stages of voting over six weeks. They are the biggest in the world. Correspondent Julie McCarthy talks with NPR's Arun Rath about the candidates vying for power.


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The Steiner 10x26 Predator Pro binoculars are designed for big game hunting and rugged outdoor use. High contrast Predator optics give wildlife no place to hide. The high power light-weight binoculars have a strong aluminum housing with a specially designed, rugged armor covering that insures a firm grip. The large center focus wheel is perfect for operation even in cold, wet weather.
The green-tinted Predator lenses filter out the colors of haze and foliage and amplify the visibility of colors common to wildlife and game animals. The light weight Predator Pro binoculars incorporate the newest Steiner PC-5 optics and are fully multi-coated on every lens surface throughout the system, delivering game-sensing contrast and exceptional light transmission.
All Predator models come with a Limited 10 Year Warranty and are equipped with a rain guard, and carry case for travel and storage. The Predator Pocket binoculars are ideal for rugged hunting environments or any outdoor endeavor where walking and climbing are involved, regardless of the season or weather. With their waterproof seals, users won't have to worry about rain, snow or changes in temperature.
Includes the Predator Case - Thermo molded and fitted specifically for your binocular.
Mack's Prairie Wings is not responsible for typographical errors in pricing or product specification inaccuracies in our web site. Prices are subject to change without notice.
Copyright © 2016 - Mack's Sport Shop LLLP - All rights reserved. Site Developed and Maintained by Ability Commerce
Copyright © 2004-2013 - Mack's Prairie Wings, Inc. - All rights reserved. Site Developed and Maintained by Ability Commerce


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Route Stats
40 km Mapped distance
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This route is based on data from OpenStreetMap, a world map that you can edit. This route may be incomplete, feel free to improve it!Learn more
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rcn 51 - Säuliamt–Schwyz (Zürich–Schwyz)
Dietikon, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland
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Home List of Titles A QSQL-based service collaboration method for automatic service composition and optimized execution
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/80472
- Title
- A QSQL-based service collaboration method for automatic service composition and optimized execution
- Author(s)
- Ren, Kaijun; Chen, Jinjun; Xiao, Nong; Zhang, Weimin; Song, Junqiang
- Abstract
- In scientific computing environments such as service grid environments, services are becoming basic collaboration components which can be used to construct a composition plan for scientists to resolve complex scientific problems. However, current service collaboration methods still suffer from low efficiency for automatically building composition plans because of the time-consuming ontology reasoning and incapability in effectively allocating resources to executing such plans. In this chapter, the authors present a QSQL-based collaboration method to support automatic service composition and optimized execution. With this method, for a given query, abstract composition plans can be created in an automatic, semantic, and efficient manner from QSQL (Quick Service Query List) which is dynamically built by previously processing semantic-related computing at service publication stage. Furthermore, concrete service execution instances can be dynamically bound to abstract service composition plans at runtime by comparing their different QoS(Quality of Service) values. Particularly, a concrete collaboration framework is proposed to support automatic service composition and execution. Totally, the authors' proposed method will not only facilitate e-scientists quickly create composition plans from a large scale of service repository; but also make resource's sharing more flexible. The final experiment has illustrated the effectiveness of their proposed method.
- Publication type
- Book chapter
- Research centre
- Swinburne University of Technology
- Source
- Quantitative quality of service for grid computing: applications for heterogeneity, large-scale distribution and dynamic environments / Lizhe Wang, Jinjun Chen and Wei Jie (eds.), Chapter XIV, pp. 249-270
- Publication year
- 2009
- FOR Code(s)
- 080399 Computer Software not elsewhere classified; 080501 Distributed and Grid Systems; 080699 Information Systems not elsewhere classified
- Keyword(s)
- Automatic service composition; QoS values; QSQL; Quality of Service; Quick Service Query List; Service execution
- Publisher
- IGI Global
- 9781605663708, 1605663700
- Publisher URL
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2009 IGI Global. All rights reserved.
- Peer reviewed


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Dordt College News
Dordt College students spent spring break doing mission work
March 26, 2012
Over 130 students from Dordt College spent their spring break serving others throughout the U.S. and Canada by participating in PLIA (Putting Love Into Action). Groups of eight to 10 students traveled to one of 15 locations including Argentine, Kansas; Carmel, New York; Inez, Kentucky; Cincinnati, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; Neon, Kentucky; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cary, Mississippi; Bozeman, Montana; Las Vegas, Nevada; Camden, New Jersey; Shiprock, New Mexico; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Toronto, Canada.
The goal of PLIA is to share Christ's love with people in diverse communities; to challenge participants to adopt a more service-oriented lifestyle; and to assist and encourage the growth of ministry centers with which they work.
Argentine, Kansas
The Argentine team fixed up the house where they were staying, cleaned up an abandoned community center, and hosted a free garage sale. In addition to the work, the group was able to explore Monkey Mountain and an old abandoned miner's cave.
"This was my third time on PLIA, and if I wasn't graduating, I would totally go again because it is an awesome way to spend spring break, growing in faith, meeting new people, serving God, and traveling to different places," said senior Rachel Endicott of Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. "This trip was different than the others I had been on. It gave me a great chance to interact with a community and gave me a new perspective on those living in the city."
Atlanta, Georgia
Ten students spent the break in Atlanta working primarily at a school by assisting teachers with whatever projects they needed help with. They also worked at a camp called God's Farm doing more manual labor.
For many students, volunteering on PLIA is more than a week-long service project; it is a spark that ignites a passion for life-long service. This was true for sophomore Jesse Anderson of Fremont, Nebraska, who "learned how valuable it is to make an effort to give back in your own community. I plan to make an effort to volunteer a lot more of my time to others now."
Bozeman, Montana
Amid the breathtaking mountainous landscape of Bozeman, nine volunteers participated in Love Inc., painting their newly renovated church building, delivering furniture to those in need, and working in the office and warehouse.
Working so closely with a church inspired the team to see that churches have a role to play in making social change. The PLIA experience "opened my eyes to the different needs in a community and what amazing things churches can do to meet those needs if they work together," said junior Chelsea Gross of Gilbert, Arizona.
Camden, New Jersey
The volunteers who went to Camden worked with large group of inner city kids in a week-long Olympics camp. They also spent time at a Catholic AIDS relief shelter called Francis House where they cleaned, organized, weeded, and shared the love of God with people with HIV and/or AIDS.
"The Francis House strives to educate as many people as possible about the lies and inaccurate judgments people have about AIDS," said senior Kristen Janssen.
"PLIA taught me that as a Christian, putting love into action isn't something we need to do only on spring break trips. As Christians, putting love into action should be an occurrence that happens everywhere all the time because God showed us how to love first by loving us enough to sacrifice his own Son's life for us. Putting love into action means striving to demonstrate and share as great a love as God has for us with all people."
Carmel, New York
The Carmel group worked in the Bronx, feeding the homeless and playing music in churches. They also led a kid's club where children came for music, story time, and a puppet show.
For senior Laura Schrotenboer, of Sunnyside, Wisconsin, this was her fourth and final PLIA experience, and her third time leading a team. Handing out pamphlets and talking about Jesus with people walking by was a new experience, but one that left a profound impact. "While some people were receptive, we also encountered anger, were spit at, cursed at, mocked, or ignored. Yet those few that wanted to hear what we had to say, asked questions, or asked for prayer made the whole experience worth it," she said. "We saw people come to Christ for the first time, gave children their first Bibles, prayed with families, individuals, and kids."
Cary, Mississippi
Nine students who went to Cary, Mississippi, did construction, remodeled the inside of a home, accompanied a social worker on a house visit, and helped lead a prenatal class on health and nutrition.
Junior Jon Luetchens of Murdock, Nebraska, said of his experience, "The Bible says that even the gifts we are given are useless unless love is involved. Therefore, not only did the trip remind me of the power of love, but I was also delighted to spread the love to others who, sadly, may not have experienced much of it before."
Cincinnati, Ohio
The Cincinnati team grouted floors, worked in the community garden, screened t-shirts. "It was so fulfilling to see tasks being accomplished," said sophomore Rachel Mulder of Blaine, Minnesota. "Our team worked really well together, and we got along so well."
Denver, Colorado
Members of the Denver group painted houses and worked with Denver Rescue Mission where they served lunch to homeless people and those working at the mission.
"I was challenged to love actively and to remain 'on mission' even after PLIA ended," said freshman Lauren Opp of Garner, Iowa. "I am focusing on serving God and others here at Dordt and on not letting PLIA be one of those spiritual-high experiences that fades away once everyday life starts up again. I want to love in action and in truth even when school seems tedious and activities pile up."
Las Vegas, Nevada
"In 'Sin City' it was easy to see the brokenness and hurting, but we looked deeper and found hope," said sophomore Kelli Longman of Lennox, South Dakota, of her group's trip to Las Vegas. The group of eight partnered with the Las Vegas Rescue Mission where they worked in the kitchen, served meals to residents and the homeless, and led church activities for children ages four to 10.
For Longman, the trip was a mission project that also helped solidify a calling. "The PLIA trip really made me realize that even in the darkest places God's light shines. It was solidified for me that God is calling me to work in an inner city."
New Orleans, Louisiana
The New Orleans team saw instantly that the city is full of life. "The city definitely had its own unique personality, and you could feel it in the air, hear it in the music, and taste it in the coffee and beignets," said freshman Kelsey Sederstrom of Mesa, Arizona.
The team worked with the Touch Global organization that sent them on daily prayer walks where they went to different neighborhoods and prayed with homeless people and others they met along the way. They also deconstructed a house that rotted in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Neon, Kentucky
For freshman Courtney Bjorklund of Buffalo, Minnesota, the hard work of PLIA was worth it. "It was my first time going on PLIA, and I cannot wait to do it again! I had an amazing time, and it was definitely my best spring break so far."
Shiprock, New Mexico
Economic conditions on the Navajo Indian Reservation of Shiprock are extremely difficult, with 50 percent of the residents unemployed and 40 percent of the homes without running water.
The PLIA team of nine installed trailer skirting around a mobile home, cleaned the church, pruned trees, rebuilt a chicken coop, and helped with the Cadet pinewood derby races.
As a graduating senior, this was New Sharon, Iowa, native Kurt Franje's fourth and final PLIA trip. "This PLIA trip provided another opportunity to see the brokenness in our world. At the same time, we were able to be channels of God's love by putting love into action. When the hurt of the world and God's love meet his faithfulness shines through."
Toronto, Canada
"This was my first PLIA experience, and I can't believe I waited until my senior year to go on PLIA. I never knew what I was missing out on!" said senior Kelly Smies from Oostburg, Wisconsin, of her trip with a group of 10 to Toronto. The group worked with a church and helped run a Vacation Bible School for five and six-year-olds and shared the love of God with several homeless people.
The experience reminded freshman Tanner Brasser from Buena Vista, Colorado, of the power of love. "I was reminded how important it is to love all those you come in contact with. The language of love is one of the most universal languages and is fairly difficult to misinterpret. To put others first is a Christian principle that can easily be overlooked in a fast-paced, busy environment," he said.
Because of its commitment to service, Dordt College has been named an honor roll member by the President's Higher Education community Service Honor Roll. Learn more about service projects that Dordt College is involved in at www.dordt.edu/campus_life/service_projects.
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Buyer Interest Accelerates in Homes for Sale in Denver
Denver's real estate climate is bolstered by a number of unique factors, including a healthy, increasingly diverse regional economy, enviable natural assets and an ample supply of undeveloped land on its fringes. By several different metrics, the metro area is among the country's most vibrant and attractive markets. This presents a tremendous opportunity for individuals and families seeking homes for sale in Denver.


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WordPress App
As a big time smartphone user, I wanted to let my fellow bloggers know about a cool app that I've been using a lot recently. It's the WordPress app, and it makes running and updating your blog a lot easier.
Let's say you want to edit a blog entry because you made a mistake. Or, you could even be at a ballgame and editing/updating your blog as the action is unfolding in front of you. You just have to click the entry you want to work on, and from there it's easy.
Simply type away, like you would do if you were at a keyboard. You can do pretty much everything that you could do on a computer, even put in pictures and all that jazz. If you have an Iphone 4S, you can just dictate your text and the phone will do everything for you.
One of the chores of running a blog is keeping up with the comments. Its really tough to write daily and respond to comments all the time, and lots of time, comments need to be approved if the commenter is posting from a new IP address or is a first time commenter. You can easily read and respond to all comments on this app too:
The other thing I love about this app is the ability to monitor your site stats. Sure, you can do it on the computer too, but if you just want to do a quick check of how your blog is faring , just click the stats in the toolbar at the bottom.
You can see monthly:
Weekly (runs Monday to Sunday on the app):
You can also see you daily views as numerical data:
You can also see what your most popular posts have been over the past 7 days. For me, my divisional previews have been big time view builders for a few weeks now:
You can also check out your referrers to see what sites are sending your blog traffic, as well as what search terms people are using to land on your blog.
It's a useful too, so if you're a blogger, I suggest you check it out.
There's only 5 more days until Opening Day. Wow. It's the end of March. Time has flown. Tomorrow I'll be giving away this Andrew McCutchen shirt, and I'm thinking about doing a tournament to give it away. Check back for details soon!
By the way, the Opening Day forecast is looking good. It'll likely be a bit chilly during BP, but I'll take it if there's no rain:
Shirt Contest: The Glove Trick
I assembled my glove trick today.
It's the first time that I put the glove trick together since I had my glove redone this winter. The tape was used to tape the pen to a strap on the glove so it won't fall out on the field. The pen holds the glove open. The rubber band holds the ball in place.
Amy, Olivia and I went to a deserted mall parking lot and I placed five balls on the ground. I then went up to the second level of the parking garage. From a height of about twenty feet, I glove tricked the five balls.
The height is way more challenging than the six foot wall at PNC Park. There was a wind to deal with today too, of about 15 mph. This was my first practice with the glove trick since the end of 2011.
Your challenge is this:
Guess how long it took to glove trick all 5 balls. You guesses should be in intervals of 5 seconds. For example, a guess could be 0:05, and that's all you'd have to post in the comments.
I will also give each commenter 2 guesses. You can use both right away, or be strategic and save one or both for later, as I will close this contest after the FIRST CORRECT ANSWER.
I will then post the video for your entertainment and proof.
The winner gets this shirt:
Its never been worn, its one of the many free shirt giveaways from PNC Park that I got in 2011. It's a size XL, but the PNC park giveaway shirts wear about a size small, so it fits almost like a large.
Good luck!
Contest closed. Here's the video:
I've determined that the official time is 5:05.
I've got to get to bed, so I'll comb through the responses, do the math, see who's closest, announce the winner, and email them tomorrow.
Goodnight all.
8 Days til Opening Day Contest: Guess how many HR
If you read this blog regularly during the baseball season, you often only read about my glove work and snagging. That's only part of what I love about baseball. I also love hitting. Ever since I was little I loved hitting, I would often go to an empty field and hit off of a tee or throw balls up and hit them just to practice my swing and try to hit balls over fences. Hitting home runs is something I've always enjoyed.
Today was a rather nice day in the Pittsburgh area, so Amy, Olivia and I headed to a park.
I brought along my bat and 17 baseballs to practice my home run swing and try and hit some deep flies. I did ok in the first round until I tweaked my back because my front foot slid while I was swinging, thanks to a ridiculously wet infield.
I was still able to swing ok with just a little discomfort, so I decided to continue with my hitting.
The field that I hit at is a large space where three little league fields converge. I moved to the right field corner of this field to hit with the intent of hitting the balls over the backstop and dugout opposite me on the third baseline:
This was the view that I was looking at:
I stationed Amy ( who was holding our daughter Olivia) on the hill up above the dugout. I made sure that she was about 400 feet away or so and out of the range of getting drilled with a baseball. I then asked her to film me hitting my 17 baseballs.
This is the view from the fence that I was trying to hit it over. I stood at the base of the right field score board.
I measured the distance to be 275 feet from where I was standing to the backstop.
The contest is this: Guess, by posting a comment, how many baseballs (0-17) I hit over the fence on the fly for home runs.
Let's give you some biographical info so that you can make your best educated guess.
Height: 6'4″
Weight: 240 pounds
Bench press max: 285 pounds (I've been working on this all winter)
Bat Length: 33 inches
Bat Weight: 30 ounces
*Bat is BBCor standard.
If you need to see my swing, you can watch a video in this blog entry.
So, how many of the 17 balls ended up being home runs? Post your guess!
Contest overview:
-One guess per person
-There can be more than one winner.
-Guesses should be a number between 0-17.
-At the end of the contest, I will post a youtube video for you to watch the results – it's under 5 minutes long.
-The winners will be contacted by me via email, so make sure the email you use when leaving a comment is current.
-If you won and you don't get an email, check your spam folder.
So what will you win?
You'll get an unopened pack of vintage baseball cards from 1985-1995, AND a Dave Matthews Band DVD. The DVD is not a copy, its an actual pressed DVD! Why? Because I love Dave Matthews Band too, not just baseball.
Leave a comment to enter!
Good luck and thanks for reading!
Here's the video: Remember, whoever guessed it dead on wins, if not, the next closest guess wins:
Count 'em up! (You may want to make it full screen, I'm like a spec off in the distance)
I realize now it's a little tough to tell. I hit 12 out of 17 for homers. Connor picked 13, Casey Ward 11, so you both win! Check your email.
Pirates Preview : Pre Opening Day Workout April 4
The Pirates sent out an email inviting their season ticket holders to come out and watch as the Pirates and Phillies take batting practice and run through drills the day before the Home Opener, April 4th.
Admission will be free. There is no actual game, the game will be the next day. Kudos to the Pirates for doing this. I know that the Reds also open up their gates the day before the opener for their fans, and always thought it was a great idea.
Anyhow, the gates open at 2:30, which poses a problem to me, since I am still working at that time. I should be able to make it down to PNC Park in time to catch part of the Pirates batting practice and all of the Phillies BP. Therein lies a potential problem for me. Should I could the balls I get at the workout in my official stats or not?
Here's why I shouldn't:
1) There isn't an actual game
Here's why I should:
1) Almost all ballhawks count the balls they snag at the Home Run Derby in their collection. That isn't a game. If I remember correctly it's All Star 'work out' and Home Run derby. I don't see much of a difference between this and that.
2) The balls are hit by major league players
3) The balls are snagged at a major league park, hit by MLB players
4) Other fans will be in attendance, creating competition
5) Spring Training is over, so these wouldn't be considered spring training balls
6) I've seen other ballhawks count less than credible balls such as ball found on tours when no game was taking place, balls that were purchased or won in a team store raffle, balls that were found by another person and held until the ballhawk could claim it, etc etc. Some ballhawks even count spring training balls in their stats. I've been to spring training. I once snagged about 10 balls and I was literally the only person standing there.
I don't see why I shouldn't count these balls in my collection, so I think I'm going to.
What do you think? Should I? Should I definitely not?
Also, I'm doing a contest tonight. I'm so pumped for the season that I may just do a giveaway every single day leading up to Opening Day. So check back soon. Tonight, the first correct answer wins!
There's only 9 more days until Opening Day, and you have until Sunday to win this Andrew McCutchen shirt.
In case you're wondering, here's the forecast for Opening Day, April 5:
Not good – 60% chance of showers. What else is new in Pittsburgh?
Marlins Park Tour
Not too long ago, the Marlins opened up their park to their season ticket holders to take a lot around and familiarize themselves with the brand new stadium. I went digging around various websites recently to show you what the new park looks like.
Here's your sneak peak:
A view from the seats to the right side of home plate, facing left field:
Another view from roughly the same angle:
From farther back:
And looking slightly to the left:
So what are we looking at out there? If you look closely, left field is awful for BP. There are 2.5 sections of seating with maybe nine rows. The rows look like they could be a bit steep, like right field in PNC Park and Cincinnati.
There are bullpens there too that will swallow up most of the home runs hit in batting practice.
Then there's also a huge sculpture in left center field.
I'm not really sure how I feel about that sculpture. At first I thought it looked pretty hideous, but I thought the Marlins new uniforms looked awful, but they are starting to grow on me. Maybe in time the oddly placed piece of art will find a home in my heart.
What do you think of it? Personally, I would've rather them put more seats out there.
Here's another angle of the Marlins Park sculpture in left center field. No matter how many angles I look at, I still just don't really care for it.
Anyhow, here's a side view of the sculpture. Take a look at those steps leading down behind it. Where do they go? Why isn't anyone on them? Are they closed to the public? That is prime real estate for a home run ball. If I was a Marlins ballhawk, I'd probably just hang down there all game and gobble up game home runs.
Those steps have to be open to the public! Look how many of them there are! It's wide enough that it looks like it was built for public use.
I tried to find pictures to see where the steps went to, but couldn't. Check this out:
That's right ballhawks. RAILINGS. Oh man, LF is going to be awful for batting practice.
Since we're talking about left field, here's a view of home plate from left:
That picture kind of sucks, so here's a better one:
Let's move over to center field:
Here's a dead on view of center field:
And here's the batting eye, looking toward right field.
Notice right field also has those dreadful railings. That's not the only problem. There's also an overhang, and it looks like it covers nearly the entire lower level of right field. Getting home runs balls during BP there will be limited, a la Citi Field right field.
You can see the outfield set up from this photo:
Here's the main seating area in foul territory. It reminds me of PNC Park with the cross aisle running around the field several rows behind the dugout:
The press box behind home plate:
A look in from near the left field foul pole:
And the right field foul pole:
A view from third base looking out towards right field:
Have you heard about the live aquariums behind the plate?
Should be pretty cool for anyone sitting down close:
A batting practice shot:
And finally, here's a shot of the scoreboard:
Let's head out to the concourse:
They look rather crowded, and this was just at fan fest. If there's one thing I hate its a crowded concourse. There's nothing worse at a baseball game than tiptoeing through a crowd.
Parts of the concourse look pretty snazzy thought:
Here's a crowd waiting to get in outside:
It will likely look like that before every game, as the Marlins, using poor judgement, are only opening the park 90 minutes early before the games. STUUUUUUPID!
Finally, the exterior of the building:
Another area outside of the park:
And finally, an aerial of the new Marlins Park:
And there you have it!
What do you all think? I think the park is nice looking, but I wouldn't rank it in the top 5 of all of the baseball parks based off of the pictures, maybe not even in the top 10.
I think its going to be h*ll for batting practice, given the layout of the outfield and the late gate opening times.
What's everyone else think? Anyone planning on going there this year?
There's only 11 more days until Opening Day, and you could win this David Wright shirt tomorrow!
Chipper Jones to retire
Yesterday, Chipper Jones announced that the 2012 season would be his last. Jones has been somewhat of a polarizing figure in his career. Atlanta Braves fans love him, while fans of NL East teams, particularly the Mets, seem to hate him.
Well fans, you'll have one more chance to boo or cheer Chipper Jones this season. Jones will have a farewell tour in the fact that fans will know that this is the last time that they will ever see him play. If the Braves don't make the playoffs, (which they may not since the NL East is much improved) your last chance to see Chipper Jones will be at PNC Park on October 3rd.
Personally, I like it better when a player of Jones' caliber lets the baseball world know that this will be it. This way, fans can watch them play one more time. Jones was special in the fact that he played his entire career for one team – a feat that is becoming more rare as the years pass.
Is Jones a first ballot Hall of Famer? Let's look at his numbers.
He hit 454 home runs, 2615 hits, .304 batting average, .533 slugging, .935 OPS, won an MVP award, 7 All Star appearances. I'd say he is. He's had a great career.
How'd you feel about Chipper Jones? Like him? Hate him? Indifferent?
I used to hate him because I hated his wry smile and his sunflower seed stuffed cheek. However, after watching him play and watching him hit in batting practice I grew to appreciate him.
I think I'll be posting more today – maybe another mini contest for a shirt. Check back soon.
2012 Milestone Homeruns + First day of Spring
Have any of you ever been on a home run chase before? Where you've attended a game just for the chance of catching a player's milestone home run?
I attended 3 games in Cleveland in 2010 in pursuit of Alex Rodriguez's 600th home run and a possible $250,000 payday. I had it played perfectly too. The first two games, I waited alone down in Heritage Park in dead center field. I couldn't see the game, but it the ball landed in the trees or flew into the monument sections, I'd have a good 20 second before anyone else could get down there to corral it.
Like most home run chases, it ended in disappointment, A-Rod failed to hit #600 in Cleveland. I also was in on Albert Pujols when he was at #399 at PNC Park, and Derrek Lee & Alfonso Soriano when they were both stuck on #299 at PNC Park.
If you caught a milestone ball what would you do? Would you give it back, no questions asked like this guy did? Or would you sell it, like this fan did?
Personally, I'd sell it. To give it back to the player would be nice and all, but to a regular fan, it's like hitting the lottery.
So, here is a look at players who are approaching milestone home runs in 2012:
In parentheses are the home runs still needed to reach the milestone.
650 Home runs – Alex Rodriguez (21)
450 Home runs – Albert Pujols (5), Vlad Guerrero (1)
400 Home runs – David Ortiz (22), Adam Dunn (35), Paul Konerko (4)
300 Home runs – Ryan Howard (14), Miguel Cabrera (23)
250 Home runs – Derek Jeter (10)
200 Home runs – Jose Bautista (44), Curtis Granderson (33), David Wright (17), Nick Swisher (15), Justin Morneau (15), Chase Utley (12), Travis Hafner (11), Dan Uggla (10), Adrian Gonzalez (5)
Looking over my master schedule, I could possibly have a shot a Miguel Cabrera's 300th if he gets out to a hot start near the end of May in Cleveland. If Adam Dunn rebounds, I could have a shot at his 400th at the end of the season, also in Clevelnad. If Justin Morneau can recover from his concussion symtoms, he could be around 14 homers when the Twins visit PNC Park in June.
Will any of you alter your plans this summer for a particular chance at a milestone?
In other non-baseball news, its the first day of spring.
It was 80 degrees in PA, so Amy, Olivia and I headed out to Linn Run state park near Ligonier PA. Olivia was loving the water at this area known as flat rock, which is a giant flat rock over which a rushing stream flows. It's a natural water slide – but I didn't swim. I just held Olivia as she kicked in the water.
We were having a blast.
Olivia couldn't get enough of the water.
Anyway, the wonderful day then took a turn for the worst. Three college aged girls came and joined us at the rock.
There really wasn't anyone else around. Moments later, two random guys walked up the trail and stopped at the rock too. Our tranquility had been ruined. The girls kicked off their sandals and waded onto the flat rock, just to get their feet wet.
We were about to leave, when one of the girls slipped on the slippery rock and face planted hard onto the unforgiving rock and got washed downstream a bit. Her friends thought it was funny at first. However, her face was split open and it was gushing blood.
It was ridiculous. And gruesome. Blood was running down her arms. Amy offered a diaper to keep on it to absorb the blood, but was turned down, as the girl decided to remove an article of her clothing to use as a compress. She couldn't walk because she was losing so much blood. The walk back to the parking lot was at least a half mile. Craziness. Thankfully the two random guys carried her back.
I didn't think it was right to take a picture of it, but there was blood everywhere. After we got back to our car and left, I did snap a photo of the ambulance that came.
Just thought I'd share about my first day of spring. Sheesh.
There's only 16 more days until Opening Day, and you can win this DAVID WRIGHT shirt on Sunday – the more you comment and read, the better your chances are! And, I'm thinking about doing another one of those 24 hour contests soon…
David Wright Jersey Shirt Giveaway
I'm giving away MLB Stuff every week on this blog to reward my readers.
I've given away a Matt Wieters shirt to Joey Orr,
a Brandon Phillips shirt to Matt Jackson,
a Dustin Pedroia shirt to Stephen D,
a Phillies shirt to Connor,
a Dodgers shirt to Matt Jackson,
a Ryan Zimmerman shirt to Big Brown Fox
a Nick Markakis shirt to NYBisons,
and this CC Sabathia shirt to Teen Reds Fan.
This week, I gave readers a chance to pick this shirt, and then the player.
They picked a Mets shirt:
And the player is David Wright:
Here's the full front of the shirt:
And with tags:
I believe I have this shirt available in a small, medium, large and XL.
Here's how you win the shirt:
I post blog entries every day. All you have to do is leave a comment or retweet my blog link on twitter.
So, again, to enter:
1) Leave a comment.
You can enter up to seven times per week simply by leaving a comment. Non-pertinent, spam, or inappropriate comments will not be accepted. If you comment multiple times on the same blog entry, it still counts as one entry. For example, if you commented on three different blog posts from this week, you'd have three entries. If you'd comment three times on the same blog posting, it would could as one.
2) Retweet (RT) my posts on Twitter
You can find me on twitter under 333greystreet. Simply retweet my daily posts of my blog link and I'll count that as an entry. My blog is connected to my twitter so that I automatically tweet once I post a new entry. Each day, I'll search who's retweeted me and enter those users into a hat along with the commenters. By the way, you do not need to retweet my every tweet, only the tweets that announce a new blog post and url. For example, if I tweeted, 'I'm going to bed,' and you retweeted it, it wouldn't count as an entry, only RT with blog links count.
At the end of the week on Sunday, I'll have Olivia, Amy or myself choose a name from a hat and announce the winner.
So, what's everyone think of the Mets' chances in 2012. In my NL East preview, I buried the Mets in last place and predicted them to lose 100 games. By the way, Spring Training isn't really a good indicator of how a team will do in the regular season due to the amount of minor league players involved, players just getting their work in, regardless if they're struggling, etc… but the Mets are 3-11 this spring – worst in the MLB.
As far as David Wright in 2012, things aren't getting underway well for him. He has a torn abdominal muscle and may not be ready for opening day. Hopefully for Wright, he can recover without surgery. Ryan Zimmerman had surgery for a torn abdominal muscle last year and missed half of the season.
How do you think the Mets will fare in 2012? How about David Wright? Will the moved in fences at Citi Field help him? He hit 30 homers in 2007 and 33 in 2008 – while only hitting 14 last year and posting a career worst .771 OPS and .254 average.
On another note, there's only 17 more days until Opening Day. And it's been in the 70's for about a week here in PA with highs forecast at about 80 for the next three days. Olivia and I are loving this. We can sit on our deck at 7:30 PM and enjoy the birds singing and the sunset behind us.
There's just one thing missing – baseball games. Soon we'll be listening to the crack of the bat. Almost there…
Vote for next shirt! Mets?
We just gave away the CC Sabathia shirt in the previous entry.
I've narrowed it down to the following teams for next week's giveaway, that will be revealed sometime tomorrow afternoon/early evening.
Commenters were asked to choose from these teams by posting a comment (the comment also counts as an entry in next Sunday's drawing):
The results were
It looks like the Mets win.
Now, should I give away a David Wright shirt, a Jason Bay shirt, a Johan Santana shirt, or a Classic Print (black shirt/orange letter L,XL) shirt?
Let me know what you think and I'll decide and post pics for the next contest after dinner.
2012 NL West Predictions & Preview
Today, I've decided to focus on the final remaining division in my 2012 MLB Predictions series. In case you missed my division previews, you can read my AL East Preview, AL Central Preview, AL West, NL East and NL Central preview by clicking on the links provided.
I've used the Major League Baseball Yearbook magazine to provide the statistical projects.
Here's how I think the NL West will end up:
1st Place: San Francisco Giants. (My prediction 88-74)
The Giants finished in second place to the Diamondbacks last season, but I think that they'll win a few more games in 2012 with the return of Buster Posey to the lineup. I had trouble picking a winner for the NL West, because I love the Giants starters, the Diamondbacks are solid offensively and pitching wise, and the Rockies offense looks great. Ultimately, I had to go with the starting pitching.
Posey suffered a gruesome injury on a home plate collision that cut short his 2012 campaign. The former Rookie of the Year is healthy now, which should help an otherwise below average offense.
Aubrey Huff struggled a bit last year, hitting just .246 with 12 homers. At age 35, you have to wonder how much he has left in his declining skill set. Ideally, you'd like to see more production from your first baseman than Huff offered last season.
Freddy Sanchez dealt with shoulder issues last year and hopes to be ready for opening day. The former NL batting champ gives the Giants good defense and a solid average year in a year out.
"The Kung Fu Panda" Pablo Sandoval should provide the most pop in the lineup. He walloped 24 dingers last year. Sandoval just needs to keep his weight in check so it doesn't hinder him defensively.
The Giants outfield is sub par. There's Melky Cabrera, who has bounced around in recent seasons and would classify as an above average outfielder,
but then there's Angel Pagan, who doesn't offer much of anything offensively,
and Nate Schierholtz, who doesn't offer much either.
The Giants playoff aspirations will hinge on Tim Lincecum and the starting staff. Lincecum has arguably been the best pitcher in the National League since his debut several seasons ago.
Matt Cain, who becomes a free agent at the end of the season, should be motivated to put up huge numbers in his 'contract' year. Cain would be the ace of most staffs, but fits in nicely behind Lincecum as the #2 of this staff.
Is it just me, or does Cain look eerily similar to this guy in that picture:
Actor John C Reilly.
Madison Bumgarner had a 3.21 ERA last season. That's amazing for a #3 starter.
Ryan Vogelsong had the comeback of the decade, rebuilding his career and posting a 2.71 ERA while becoming an All Star at age 34. Vogelsong struggled mightly in Pittsburgh when he was the centerpiece of the Jason Schmidt deal that sent Schmidt off to the Giants. After a couple seasons as a mop up man in the Pirates bullpen, Vogelsong disappeared – he went and played in Japan for awhile – before resurfacing last year to baffle NL batters. What a story.
The 5th man of the rotation will be Barry Zito, who will make 19 million dollars in 2012, and still hasn't posted a winning record or sub 4.00 ERA in his 5 seasons with the Giants. His contract has really hurt the Giants, who could've used those millions and millions of dollars to add more offense. Maybe he should focus more on pitching and less on guitar and destroying his liver:
The closer will be the crazy Brian Wilson. I vote for his 2013 Topps Card to be a landscape of this shot: Nothing more:
Wilson surely will look creepier and creepier as the season progresses. What's he planning on doing with his beard? Will he ever cut or trim it?
2012 Statistical Projections:
C Buster Posey .297-18-75
1B Aubrey Huff .258-15-63
2B Freddy Sanchez .291-8-56
3B Pablo Sandoval .306-24-77
SS Brandon Crawford .243-6-38
LF Angel Pagan .272-10-73
CF Melky Cabrera .314-11-65
RF Nate Schierholtz .273-11-53
SP Tim Lincecum 14-12, 2.91 ERA, 213 IP, 223 K
SP Matt Cain 12-11, 2.97 ERA, 218 IP, 174 K
SP Madison Bumgarner 13-11, 3.05 ERA, 195 IP, 176 K
SP Ryan Vogelsong 11-10, 3.89 ERA, 204 IP, 174 K
SP Barry Zito 5-9, 4.73 ERA, 116 IP, 85 K
RP Brian Wilson 2.85 ERA, 35 SV, 60 IP, 67 K
RP Sergio Romo 1.99 ERA, 1 SV, 50 IP, 65 K
2nd place: Arizona Diamondbacks (My prediction 85-77)
The Diamondbacks won the division last season with 94 wins, which shocked baseball, especially since they had only won 69 games the year before. 25 win improvements are very rare. Nearly the same team returns in 2012, with new additions Trevor Cahill and Jason Kubel. However, I think that the Diamondbacks greatly overachieved in 2011, and probably won't quite duplicate their success.
Miguel Montero is one of the better young catchers in the game. He'll also be a free agent soon and may look for Yadier Molina type money.
Paul Goldschmidt will man first base. He's some power, but he's a young player who could face difficulty. He'll be one to watch.
Aaron Hill used to be really good with the Blue Jays, but lost his way last year when he only hit 8 homers. He hit 36 homers in 2009. What happened?
Ryan Roberts is a defensive liability, but has some power to go along with all of those crazy tattoos.
Stephen Drew had a down year in 2011 and could bounce back after only hitting .252-5-45 in 2011.
The outfield of the Diamondbacks is solid – way better than the Giants. They've got Justin Upton, who hit 31 homers last year,
Chris Young, who also has pop – 20 homers in 2011, but has struggled with his batting average and on base percentage,
and Jason Kubel, who only hit 12 bombs in 2011 with the Twins, but hit at least 20 in his previous three seasons.
The starting rotation is anchored by Ian Kennedy, who had the best record in Major League baseball last year at 21-4. Can he duplicate it? I say not likely.
Daniel Hudson will be the #2 starter, who posted a record of 16-12 last year.
Trevor Cahill, and Josh Collmenter are slightly above average and round out the rest of the rotation. The #5 job could go to Barry Enright or Wade Miley.
The Diamondbacks were extremely strong in the bullpen last year. Their weakest link was Craig Breslow, and his ERA was a decent 3.79. JJ Putz had the second best season of his 9 year career when he posted a 2.17 ERA with 45 saves.
Bullpen pitchers are tough to predict though from season to season. I think the Diamondbacks may see a bit of a regression in the later innings this year.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C Miguel Montero .292-17-80
1B Paul Goldschmidt .275-24-78
2B Aaron Hill .265-15-76
3B Ryan Roberts .247-16-57
SS Stephen Drew .261-11-68
LF Jason Kubel .264-20-87
CF Chris Young .235-19-69
RF Justin Upton .286-30-90
SP Daniel Hudson 17-12, 3.23 ERA, 231 IP, 180 K
SP Ian Kennedy 17-8, 3.13 ERA, 207 IP, 185 K
SP Trevor Cahill 15-13, 3.86 ERA, 200 IP, 143 K
SP Josh Collmenter 13-13, 3.50 ERA, 193 IP, 125 K
SP Wade Miley 10-10, 4.32 ERA, 154 IP, 127 K
RP JJ Putz 2.41 ERA, 40 SV, 52 IP, 57 K
RP David Hernandez 3.98 ERA, 6 SV, 75 IP, 72 K
3rd place place: Colorado Rockies. (My prediction 82-80)
Even though the Rockies have used the humidor for a few years to negate the effects of high altitude offense, the Rockies look to have a potent lineup for the coming year.
Ramon Hernandez, formerly of the Cincinnati Reds replaces Chris Iannetta at catcher.
Todd Helton, who once put up ridiculous stats, hasn't hit 20 homers since 2005, but still can deliver a decent batting average.
Second base could feature Eric Young Jr, Jonathan Herrera or Chris Nelson
I'm not a fan of Casey Blake as the team's third baseman. He's 38, and the Rockies should be nervous that this is the season where everything kind of falls apart for him and he needs to be a backup or retire.
Troy Tulowitzki is the Rockies best player, and could possibly win the NL MVP award if the Rockies have a decent year. Not too many shortstops in the game can provide 30 homers and 100+ RBIs anymore.
The outfield looks great. The speedy Dexter Fowler, rumored to have increased his muscle mass, will roam center field.
At the corners, the Rockies have a star in Carlos Gonzalez – who belted 26 homers last year,
and free agent acquisition Michael Cuddyer. Cuddyer hit 20 bombs for the Twins and has been a consistently solid performer.
The Rockies rotation looks iffy. Without Ubaldo Jimenez, there is no clear ace. Possibly Jhoulys Chacin could fill that role. He pitched well at just 23 years old last year.
There's also Jorge De La Rosa. He was injured last season, but went 5-2 with a 3.51 ERA when he did pitch.
Who will be the closer this year? Rafael Betancourt? He's got good stuff, but his career high in saves is 8. How will he handle the pressure? I guess we'll find out.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C Ramon Hernandez .278-13-42
1B Todd Helton .292-13-66
2B Chris Nelson .263-7-32
3B Casey Blake .281-15-73
SS Troy Tulowitzki .311-34-117
LF Michael Cuddyer .301-26-101
CF Dexter Fowler .268-7-51
RF Carlos Gonzalez .307-32-110
SP Jorge De La Rosa 10-4, 3.33 ERA, 127 IP, 126 K
SP Jhoulys Chacin 13-13, 3.58 ERA, 193 IP, 161 K
SP Juan Nicasio 9-10, 3.95 ERA, 171 IP, 140 K
SP Tyler Chatwood 8-13, 4.54 ERA, 157 IP, 86 K
SP Esmil Rogers 9-11, 5.35 ERA, 168 IP, 137 K
RP Rafael Betancourt 2.82 ERA, 27 SV, 61 IP, 78 K
RP Matt Belisle 3.16 ERA, 0 SV, 83 IP, 72 K
4th place: Los Angeles Dodgers (My prediction 76-86)
The Dodgers went 81-81 last year thanks mostly to the MVP caliber season of Matt Kemp and the Cy Young season of Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw was valued at 7 wins above a replacement starter,
and Matt Kemp, a whopping 10 WaR. That's 17 wins.
Without those 2 guys, the Dodgers might have been 64-98 last year. The fact of the matter is, that they have those two guys, and although I think Kershaw and Kemp will do great in 2012, I don't think they'll match their 2011 campaigns.
Matt Kemp however, disagrees. He's projecting a 50 homer, 50 steal season from himself. For the Dodgers sake, hopefully he can, because the rest of their team is very average.
AJ Ellis as the starter? Replacement level player.
James Loney hasn't nearly done anything close to what he's capable of doing. As a youngster in 2007 he hit 15 homers with a .331 average. He's never bettered either of those numbers since.
Mark Ellis is average at best. He had some good seasons in Oakland years ago, but he's 35 years old now.
Dee Gordon brings blazing speed to the top of the lineup. He has no power whatsoever, but will make pitchers sweat a little extra when he takes his lead off of first base.
Juan Uribe was horrendous in 2011, hitting just .204 with 4 homers. Ugh.
Andre Ethier didn't contribute much last year, hitting only 11 homers in 135 games. Where did his power go?
Juan Rivera could take the other outfield spot, hitting 11 homers last year, although personally, I'd rather see Jerry Sands there. Sands hit 35 homers in 2010 and 33 in 2011 between AAA and the bigs. Big power.
Besides Kershaw, the Dodgers also have Ted Lilly – who is a class A jerk during batting practice. Lilly is a soft tossing lefty who has been moderately successful in the major leagues.
Chad Billingsley has had some decent seasons in the past, and is young enough that he could return to the Billingsley of 2007-2008.
The other starters, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang, are just average at best.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C AJ Ellis .279-8-54
1B James Loney .287-12-72
2B Mark Ellis .260-7-43
3B Juan Uribe .227-8-36
SS Dee Gordon .285-0-29
LF Juan Rivera .261-13-73
CF Matt Kemp .308-35-115
RF Andre Ethier .287-14-66
SP Clayton Kershaw 18-7, 2.41 ERA, 224 IP, 234 K
SP Ted Lilly 11-12, 3.67 ERA, 189 IP, 160 K
SP Chad Billingsley 11-11, 4.03 ERA, 185 IP, 156 K
SP Aaron Harang 13-9, 3.80 ERA, 211 IP, 168 K
SP Chris Capuano 9-10, 4.65 ERA, 163 IP, 149 K
RP Javy Guerra 3.11 ERA, 30 SV, 64 IP, 55 K
RP Kenley Jansen 3.69 ERA, 9 SV, 63 IP, 69 K
5th place: San Diego Padres (My prediction 65-97)
The Padres are in rebuilding mode and went 71-91 last season, quite a disappointment after winning 90 games in 2010. I expect things to get a little worse before they start to get better in San Diego.
Of all five players in the infield, none hit more than 9 home runs in 2011. That's a major offensive power outage. Granted, the Padres play their home games at the cavernous Petco Park – but they also get to play 81 games on the road.
Nick Hundley looks to be the starter until top prospect Yasmani Grandal, acquired in the Mat Latos deal, is ready.
Yonder Alonso, also acquired in the same deal, will man first.
The O-Dog, Orlando Hudson, has had a nice career as a middle infielder, and will hope to rebound from a .246 avg from last year.
Remember when Jason Bartlett was an All Star and getting votes in the MVP award race as a Rays shortstop? Well he's far from that now, hitting just 2 homers last year to go along with a .245 average. His WaR last year was a 0.1, meaning he was basically a scrap heap replacement level player. He definitely needs to improve or the Padres could give at bats to Everth Cabrera.
Chase Headley was once a top prospect, ranked #32 overall in the pre-2008 season. It's four years later, and he only has 36 homers in 2,114 plate appearances to go with a .269 average. He needs to produce, or could risk being non-tendered after the season.
The outfield features Carlos Quentin, Kyle Blanks, and Cameron Maybin. They all possess the potential to put up power numbers and should make for interesting batting practices.
Quentin is still only 29 and may have some good years left in him.
Maybin is the face of the franchise now, signing a five year, $25 million contract in the offseason.
There's also big Kyle Blanks, who could potentially hit 20 homers.
The rotation features Edinson Volquez, acquired for Mat Latos. Volquez needs a bounce back season after posting a 5.71 ERA in 20 starts last year.
Tim Stauffer could be the ace, posting a 3.73 ERA last season.
The closer this year will be Huston Street, brought in to replace Heath Bell.
It's going to be another long year for the Padres.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C Nick Hundley .286-13-45
1B Yonder Alonso .285-13-67
2B Orlando Hudson .256-8-53
3B Chase Headley .276-6-46
SS Jason Bartlett .254-3-38
LF Carlos Quentin .251-19-74
CF Cameron Maybin .260-11-42
RF Will Veneable .248-11-47
SP Tim Stauffer 9-12, 3.47 ERA, 171 IP, 118 K
SP Edinson Volquez 7-9, 4.32 ERA, 144 IP, 140 K
SP Clayton Richard 12-11, 4.00 ERA, 191 IP, 130 K
SP Cory Luebke 12-10, 3.64 ERA, 195 IP, 184 K
SP Dustin Moseley 8-11, 3.46 ERA, 182 IP, 106 K
RP Huston Street 3.99 ERA, 27 SV, 56 IP, 51 K
RP Luke Gregorson 3.06 ERA, 4 SV, 65 IP, 59
So there you have it.
How do you think they'll finish?
There's only 19 more days. NineTEEN – we are officially in the teens. It won't be long now. Also, you could win this CC Sabathia shirt tomorrow, so check back for that.


text:
What is in this article?:
- Depreciation: useful tool for farmers
- Bonus Depreciation
- Producers need to be aware of recent depreciation rules changes as they consider late-year investments.
- Bonus Depreciation is available to any size taxpayer but conformity varies from state to state.
- Section 179 is available for new or used property.
Depreciation is a valuable tool for farmers and ranchers to use in limiting tax liabilities, but they should be cautious about over-using some options and also should determine the most advantageous time to take advantage of certain opportunities.
"Producers need to remember how important a tool depreciation can be and take advantage of opportunities in the tax code," says Robert Gunther, CPA with Frost PLLC.
Gunther, along with Roger McEowen, professor of agricultural law and taxation at Iowa State University, discussed how changes in depreciation rules will affect farmers and ranchers during a recent webinar. The webinar was sponsored by TractorLife.com.
Gunther and McEowen said producers need to be aware of recent depreciation rules changes as they consider late-year investments.
"Consider when to place items in service," said Gunther. "That can affect tax benefits."
They discussed new developments in depreciation brought about by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 as well as changes in Bonus Depreciation made by the 12/17/10 Act. Specifically, that legislation increased Section 179 expensing and increased Bonus Depreciation. Section 179 expensing "generally allows a 100 percent write-off of qualifying asset costs (with limitations)." Section 179 is available for new or used property.
Limits will change. For 2011, the Section 179 expensing limit is $500,000 with a phase-out threshold of $2 million. In 2012, those limits change to $125,000 and a $500,000 threshold. In 2013 the limit drops to $25,000 with a threshold of $200,000.
McEowen said some changes may be extended as Congress takes up individual parts of the jobs bill.
Bonus Depreciation is available to any size taxpayer but conformity varies from state to state. Bonus Depreciation generally allows a 50 percent to 100 percent write-off of a fixed asset cost in the year the asset is placed in service. Bonus Depreciation applies to new assets only.
Pending changes include a reduction from 100 percent Bonus Depreciation in 2011 to 50 percent in 2012.
McEowen says qualifying property for Section 179 includes tangible personal property,structures that store fungible commodities, single-purpose agricultural structures, off-the-shelf software (through 2013) and qualified real property (for 2010 and 2011).
"Property must be placed in service during the tax year," McEowen said. He said producers can "make or revoke an expense method depreciation on an amended return for 'open' tax years. That's good through 2012. That's a good tool if you make a mistake or change tax strategy."
Not all property is eligible for Section 179 depreciation. The unqualified list includes: air conditioning and heating units; property owned by estates and trusts; property acquired from a related party; carryover part of basis attributable to traded property; property not used in the taxpayer's trade or business at time acquired; and property used less than 50 percent in a taxpayer's trade or business.
McEowen said using a farm building for a non-farm business could disqualify the property for Section 179 depreciation.


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The Genomics Law Report (GLR) posted an interesting blog about the emergence of mobile health (mHealth) and the role many believe it could play in improving the quality and delivery of health care. It discusses how the mHealth regulatory landscape is still in its early stages of formation and has many key players and components that will help guide its development. It then outlines many of the players, such as the FDA, FCC, FTC, and HHS, and the various ways in which each organization might help shape the future of mHealth.
The story also makes mention of the FTC's "privacy by design" recommendation for mobile applications, which is undoubtedly a critical component to protecting patients' privacy as more innovative technologies and apps hit the marketplace. However, aside from ensuring that strong privacy controls are built into the apps up front, it will also be important to make sure patients have other important privacy protections, like control over their sensitive health information, no matter the medium used to collect and share it.
To read the full blog from GLR, click here.


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For the second time in three years, the Dodge Durango has been named the Full-Size SUV of Texas at the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) Texas Truck Rodeo.
At the 21st annual rodeo on Monday, October 14, more than 40 journalist-members of TAWA cast their votes following two days of both on-road and off-road vehicle evaluations, rating the Durango the best of the Full-Size SUV category. While overall vehicle capability is the key element in the competition, the judges also consider design, utility, value…Read More