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Phillies manager Charlie Manuel grows older each year, but you'd never know it from the gusto he exudes when talking about a new season ready to blossom. Decades of the baseball grind, thousands of miles worth of annual travel, countless ups and downs and the pressure that comes with coaching in the most demanding sports city in the nation simply don't take a toll on the 69-year-old.
Appearing at the annual charity winter banquet held at Lakewood, NJ's Woodlake Country Club on Wednesday, Manuel smiled and expressed considerable enthusiasm toward what's to come. The baseball lifer, whose days in pro ball date back to 1963, beamed as though he was slated to begin his coaching career instead of heading into what some deem as potentially being his final year leading a team, as his contract is up following the season.
Manuel, who is entering his ninth season as the skipper of the Phils, is excited about many aspects of the current team, despite finishing last season with an 81-81 record, their first non-winning season in a decade, and missing the post-season for the first time since 2006.
A surplus of outfielders is where Manuel will focus plenty of his attention this spring. He has high hopes for off-season acquisitions Ben Revere and Delmon Young, but players like Domonic Brown, Darin Ruf, Laynce Nix and John Mayberry Jr. will likely be trying to prove themselves worthy of a spot in the lineup. Manuel thinks the competition may bring out the fire in each man trying to land steady at bats. He also expressed eagerness toward getting to the preseason schedule, so he can begin figuring out the right outfield formula.
"I think we're gonna have some fun in spring training because all six of them are gonna get to play," Manuel proclaimed. And there's things I like about every one of them and if we just get some consistency in the outfield, to me it doesn't matter who's out there, as long as they can perform and as long as we can score some runs. We got some talent there to do it with. I'm excited about it. I want to get there and get it going and watch them play and see what happens."
Also, this off-season, the Phillies added a duo of hitting coaches in Steve "Hendu" Henderson, who previously served as the organization's minor league hitting coordinator, along with former big league All-Star Wally Joyner. Triple-A manager Ryne Sandberg, who was a Hall of Fame player, was also promoted to be the third base coach with the big league team.
According to Manuel, the team's collection of coaches will help the offense as well by improving the hitters' all-around mentality.
"I think between Hendu and Wally Joyner and Ryne Sandberg and myself, I think, and with Utley and Rollins and some of the guys on our team (who are) already good hitters, I think we should be able to establish an atmosphere where we love to hit and have a lot of fun. We'll be offensive minded and we'll really enjoy playing the game," Manuel stated.
Stressing the focus on the team's bats, Manuel said that the health of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, two main cogs during the Phillies' five-year run of division titles, who were each injured for lengthy stretches last season, would be very important to the club. He also expressed that the addition of third baseman Michael Young was something the team needed. All three men are former All-Stars with substantial post-season experience.
It's not just the offense that will carry the Phillies in 2013, according to Manuel. There's another aspect of the roster that has the Phils' skipper fired up.
"I'm excited about our team and we have a chance to have a big offensive team. But even more, probably, I'm excited about our young bullpen," Manuel said with a grin.
Asked to describe his thoughts on the team's collection of young relievers, Manuel offered three words: Big time potential.
"We got a whole bunch of guys. We got (BJ) Rosenberg, we'll get (Mike) Stutes back, we got (Jeremy) Horst, we got (Raul) Valdes, we got (Antonio) Bastardo, we got (Phillippe) Aumont, and we got (Justin De Fratus), we got (Jake) Diekman. And if Adams is healthy and if he's slated in the 8th inning for us, we still can use Bastardo on lefties definitely, in the 7th and the 8th. And I look for the young guys, after about a month or two months after the season starts, you're gonna see our bullpen become a big time bullpen because we have a lot of talent," Manuel stated.
Add in enthusiasm about his starting pitchers as well as the depth of his infield and Manuel is more than happy with the current Phillies roster and thinks that things can certainly improve from last season's disappointing finish.
"The goal is always the World Series. We can do it. I want us to be better than we've ever been."
**Other quotes from Charlie…
Speaking on the collection of prospects that were announced as non-roster invitees to spring training on Wednesday:
"I talked to them all last week. I saw Asche hit in the Arizona Fall League on TV, in the All-Star Game, and that's why I watched the whole game. He got a hit, hard line drive to right field, he looked like a good hitter. He's a bigger kid than I thought he was on TV. When I saw him on TV, I was guessing he was 6-foot or 5'11", but he's bigger and he swings the bat good. And those other guys, that I met, they'll all get to play in spring training. We'll play them all and we'll send some of our guys over and play minor league games and things too."
When asked how he felt about the signing of outfielder Delmon Young this week:
"I was excited (about Delmon Young) because I've known him quite a while. I saw him in (the South Atlantic League) when he first signed. I think he was with Charleston. But he's a good hitter, he's a good clutch hitter, he's good with men on base and late in the game. He's gonna help us. We're gonna go to spring training and play him in right field, get him back to the place on defense to where he was about three years ago."
132 Comments
So months ago I posted – "The phillies should sign BJ Upton and trade for his brother Justin"
….now the braves have done just that.
….and your point is……???…..
We are heading into the season with question marks in the outfield while the braves have strengthened theirs, so now we have to deal with stiffer competition within the division. If the braves could pull this move off, the Phillies likely could have as well.
To think that the strength of a team within your division isn't relevant to the Phillies is preposterous.
Maybe they could have and maybe not. WE really don't know for sure. But maaaaybe the Phillies felt that a situation like that wasn't/isn't in their best interests. BJ was too much money for what he is and Justin would have cost too much in a trade. An Upton/Upton combo is nice but it's ceratainly no guarantee.
You're right, Chuck – an Upton/Upton combo is no guarantee if by that you mean it doesn't guarantee that Atlanta will beat out Washington for first place in the East.
As for the cost, the Phillies are giving up something like $100,000 per shed pound to a beached whale who they expect to start in right field and whose hitting stats over the last two years are inarguably less impressive than those of Dom Brown. By the time Delmon Young gets down to a size closer to the Uptons – and by that I mean the weight of both Uptons together, he'll be making $20 million a year in incentive bonuses and still stink as a fielder.
With each new move in the outfield (and trusting the positive health news on Utley and Howard about as much as I trust the health news on Andrew Bynum) I'm starting to reevaluate my expectation for a 3rd place finish this year.
I'm a little surprised they gave up Prado, but it's still a great trade for the Braves. The Phillies didn't have the pieces to make this deal – they already gave them up to bring in Oswalt & Pence.
That's probably a fair assessment.
And not a promising one considering the team has nearly as many holes as the Eagles starting twenty-two right now.
It seems RAJ is living in a nether world, neither competing for a playoff position this year nor rebuilding for a future winner.
If it's not already too late, I'd give up on third place this year and trade any starters they can dump (and other teams can afford) while their aging talent and ever-growing list of journeyman still have value, and in return, buy themselves the twenty most promising minor leaguers available in return.
As a fan, I could live with that move sooner than with lingering mediocrity.
Speaking about the possibility of the Uptons coming to Philly. Tampa Bay and Phoenix are two entirely different atmospheres and both are more similar to Atlanta, but far from Philly. The Uptons generally are very talented but spoilted athletes. B.J., worse of a spoiled athlete than Justin. NO WAY would the Philly fans tolerate B.J.'s lapses in his hustle and in his professionalism. Justin is a better hitter and a solid fielder, but the fans' expectations for him in Philly would be off the charts. Philadelphia would be a less-than-desirable venue for these two brothers. However, it might be the perfect landing place of a talented and underachieving player like Delmon Young. He may feel that he has something BIG to prove to the world of baseball and Philly fans may provide the needed impetus for him to do just this.
Agreed that D Young has something to prove. And I think professionals like Utley, Howard, Rollins, Lee, Halladay, Hamels, etc. won't tolerate his BS either.
Oh man, good thing the Phillies avoided going after two very good players and instead went after a below average one! Excellent analysis as always Bart.
Again….BJ was too expensive (5/75??? No thanks) and Justin would have cost too much in a trade. If they would have gotten one of these guys…let alone both….guys like you would have b!tched about that, too.
I'm also a Mariner fan, and I was pissed when JUpton vetoed that trade. Both Upton brothers got a deal that either reflected their value (BJ) or got a package which was a hilarious underpayment (Justin). If the Phillies made either move I would've been very happy.
Yeah it's probably Bart's fault that Justin Upton publicly humiliated your Mariners when he dissed them with the NTC, right Pubsy?
Must be rough to be on your own board right now, so you show up here to throw punches.
He has a right to his opinion, the same as you. "Excellent analysis" with a call out? That's just brutal man, totally unnecessary. But you already knew that and did it anyway.
a : one of the attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual
I think the Dbacks got the better end of the deal. Prado is a better hitter than Upton away from their home ballparks. They get a 22 year old starter, a stud AA pitching prospect and their eventual starting SS. Phillies coudn't offer close to the Braves package.
lol PSUJOE.
Of all the people evaluating this trade very, very few of them think the Dbacks got the best of it here.
From Jeff Passan's (no fan of the statistical minded approach) article on the trade:
"He hit 31 home runs and posted an .898 slugging percentage. In baseball history, 12 outfielders had that many homers and that high an OPS in their age-23 season: Andruw Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez, Juan Gonzalez, Jose Canseco, Reggie Jackson, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Duke Snider, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Mel Ott.
Teams don't trade that guy.
The result is a fascinating experiment: a team stressing culture over talent. […] a consensus of scouts and sabermetric wonks agree: In both trades, Arizona sacrificed one for the other."
It's easy to pick out one statistical outlier like that guy. it's clear that Justin Upton doesn't do very well away from the Desert. he's a .250 hitter with an OPS of .731 in a large sample of over 1500 plate appearences. Prado has a .283 average with a .753 OPS away from Atlanta in a large sample of 1441 PAs. In other words Prado is performed better. Prado can play 3B to boot. So, IMO, very little downgrade in hitting, but the Dbacks picked up a 22 year starting pitcher and 3 pretty good prospects as well. it would be like the Phils trading utley, Biddle, Galvis, Worley, Asche plus more for Upton and Johnson.
At the moment, the biggest thing that Delmon Young has to show is his backside.
Give me a couple of spoiled talents in the outfield and have them room with Michael Young.
Maybe he can help turn them into the superstars that, given the right atmosphere and guidance, one or both could become.
On paper, the Phillies have the 3rd best team in their division. Some big things will have to happen during the season for the Phillies to be better than the Braves or Nats.
If the Mets sign Bourn, the Phils would be close to the 4th best, and would have the worst OF in the NL East
Between the foot-work and glove-work of Ruf and Young and the arm of Revere, we may see a few singles go for inside-the-park home runs.
Always an exciting play.
divisions aren't won on paper! or did you forget , they have to play the games.
Of course I didn't forget. There are slumps, injuries, etc. But I also haven't forgotten how inconsistent the Phillies lineup was last season and they've done nothing to address it. Their lineup is missing power, speed and the ability to work counts. Other than that, it should be wonderful.
Nothing to address the inconsistent lineup? What about hiring TWO new hitting coaches? And if I'm not mistaken Ben Revere is noted for speed, which you say was lacking, too. I'm also pretty sure that Michael Young, even in decline, has more power than Placido Polanco ever did. And more power will return with a healthy Ryan Howard.
As down on this team's makeup as I am (and boy am I ever down) I actually like having Michael Young here. Yes, he's 110 years old and can't hold a glove to Polanco but he's the kind of player that won a pennant for the Phillies back in 1993.
I'd happily take three more of him in the outfield.
Well, I don't put much faith in hitting coaches. Could Greg Gross hit? Yes. Could Milt Thompson hit? Yes. But yet, they didn't seem to make a difference as a coach. If the players don't take your advice, it could be Tony Gwynn or Stan Musial and it wouldn't change anything. As for the players they've added…Young, Young, and Revere…I don't believe any of them have a good OBP, none of them have real power and only one of them has speed. Michael Young could hit 10-15 homers i guess, and Delmon Young could hit 20 maybe, but that's a stretch. Revere has no power at all. As for speed, outside of Revere and Rollins, who's going to steal bases on this team? I guess you could say they have average speed if Brown learns how to run the bases, but it's certainly not a strength. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Just because you don't put much faith in hitting coaches doesn't mean the Phils did nothing to address their inconsistent lineup.
And as far as power and speed, I'd have to say that last year there was less of either. So that's been addressed with Revere, if only to bring the team up to average in speed. Brown will likel;y play more, too, and that's more speed, even if it's not base-stealing speed, which isn't the only place where good running helps. I didn't see power last year out of anyone; no one hit the 15 or 20 homeruns that you think the Youngs could produce. Pence hit some, but he was only one guy, not two. And you are still leaving out Howard, who has always been the primary power source for the Phils. In other words, the lineup, to me, is going to produce more this year; that management did, in fact, address some weaknesses. I can't help it if you don't think they did it properly.
I'm not as down on the team as some, but I also don't think the offense will be much improved. Most of the comments have been negative regarding the lineup. You are one of the few people I have heard who think it will be better. Not saying you're wrong though – it will be interesting to see what happens. Amaro went for the inexpensive fix this year. I was actually one of the few people that was happy when they traded for Michael Young. I think Delmon Young could be a good signing, but there's alot of if's there. And Revere is supposed to have blazing speed. Still not big on hitting coaches though:-) Have a good one!
I think the most likely scenario for the offense is that it will be about the same as in 2012, i.e. within about 15 runs for the year.
Looking at it by position, the biggest changes are likely to be at Catcher and CF which will probably be worse, and at First and Second which should benefit from more time in the lineup from Howard/Utley. Howard should also be expected to be better than last year. Those are my expectations, but who knows? Time will tell.
nice going dave you brought a smile to my face. i like that comeback ( it should be wonderful). ahh the way i see it dave, is they're in a transitional rebuild. it is what it is. as they say! whoever the hell they are! some day i wanna meet them, or they, or whoever
Dave, my point was to debate your statement that the Phils did nothing to address the lineup. It may, indeed be very similar to last years offense.
I do, however, think it will do better. How much better is hard to say. As you put it, "lots of ifs."
To tell the truth, my faith in hitting coaches is limited, too. But obviously Phils management has at least some confidence in them. And anything would be better than Greg Gross; a cardboard cutout could have a greater effect on Ryan Howard's pitch selection.
In some cases, I think hitting coaches do help, but it has to be the right coach. Terry Pendleton seemed to have a really positive effect on the Braves of the nineties; the same could be said of the Card's current coaches.
I'd like to know your thoughts on pitching coaches, and if you have faith in them, your reasons for not having the same faith in hitting coaches.
Then they shouldn't sign cardboard players.
Sorry my analysis offends you, Publius. But come July you will see that the Braves paid too much for both Uptons. Why would Arizona be interested in moving Justin? Morover, I visit Phoenix, Atlanta and Tampa Bay every year to be with old buddies who retired around the same time I did. They are baseball fans and transplanted Philadelphians. We ALWAYS visit while the teams are playing at home. The atmosphere at those stadiums is nothing like CBP, in fact the excitement is light to say the least. You would be disappointed with both Upton brothers. They are not the answer for us based on the cost. Amaro made a good deal for Delmon Young, especially based on what he paid. In the meantime, keep the faith and keep your temper.
I will say one thing…5 guys in the Braves lineup struck out over 120 times last year (BJ Upton 169, Uggla 168, Heyward 152, Freeman 129, Justin Upton 121). That's 739 K's. That will be one weakness in the Braves lineup.
There is literally no statistical relationship between team strikeouts and overall runs:
In other words, it's not much of a weakness
That could be debated. Most lineups don't have 5 guys who strike out that much.
Ok, let's debate this.
Stance A: Teams filled with lots of players who strike out, will have trouble scoring runs. I submit no proof, but I just think it makes logical sense.
Stance B: There is no mathematical correlation between team strikeout percentage and runs scored in the last 15 years of baseball.
Well that was fun!
Were you debating yourself?
Well I wrote on behalf of George there for stance A
Except that maybe he has a point.
A point with absolutely no proof or backing, sure
Fair enough…we'll just have to see what ACTUALLY happens.
Not much of a weakness statistically but at least those guys will look bad (like Schmidt) between a rash of doubles, triples and 3-run homers on the way to an NL East title.
My point has obviously openned a debate that I think is silly. I only wanted to point out that some teams have had really high K rates, but that some of them have had only one or two guys that contributed to the total, guys like Howard or Reynolds that supplied their teams with about 200 Ks all by themselves.
I would wonder if perhaps a team with one or two guys with huge totals can produce runs at a higher rate than a team with five guys with what may not be huge totals, but very high totals. In other words, Howard could strike out, but the next guy might not have such a high K rate and get a hit, whereas, if B.J Upton whiffs, Uggla might be behind him, and whiff, too.
There's still probably little relation between K rate and run scoring capability, but I think there's still a real possibility that five guys could have a slightly higher effect.
Remember, I only said it COULD be debated. I've read all the arguments, but I still don't know whether the matter has been broken down to the extent it should be. That's the trouble with some stats; they're general, not specific. I'm with Chuck A here: we'll just have to see what happens.
Publius i didn't go to your link that you posted. but ill say this. a lot of people complain about the amount of times howard strikes out. yet i get the feeling that you think the braves strikout totals won't mean anything in run production, yet people get down on howard for the amount of times he stikes out. and i admit i also get that way at times. but he's just one player in the lineup. if i recall the phils struck out a lot less than people think last year and they're run production was (meh). schmenkman could probably clear that up.
but i think having what was it five guys who strike out 120+ times has got to hurt an offense, i would think. i could be wrong though.
It might be elsewhere in this very thread, but yeah – the Phillies had the…
Fewest strikeouts in the NL in 2012
Second fewest Ks in 2011
I for one would expect the Ks to have a minimal impact on their run scoring.
Chuck said: "Fair enough…we'll just have to see what ACTUALLY happens."
Even if the Braves have the most strikeouts and fewest runs in modern baseball history, it STILL won't be enough to make the relationship significant. One data point does not suddenly invalidate almost 20 seasons' worth of data. It would be just as significant to say the reason the Braves are good/bad is because they play in Georgia, not their strikeouts (because neither ultimately matters)
Publius, I don't think Chuck was refering to the "big picture" but only to the results this year.
I could be reading things wrong, but I also think you have a bit of an attitude in your comments, as if most of us are inferior. I'm not saying this to be nasty, because I realize that sometimes it's hard to refrain from being blunt when you feel you're in the right. I'm only pointing this out because many times we're unaware of how emails can't communicate too many inflections or facial expressions (none of us can see a smile or an eye gleam in an email) and must be worded in a really rather bland manner. I've been unaware myself, at times, and received more than a few complaints.
My "Fair enough….we'll just have to see what ACTUALLY happens" comment was meant to actually acknowledge that maybe Pubes has a point.
BUT…. that the games have to be played…ON THE FIELD, NOT ON PAPER.
And, yes, George…you are correct in your assessment of Publius' approach. It can sometimes be condescending, demeaning and attitudinal.
If you take a look at Justin Upton and Delmon Young you will find that their offensive stats are very similar. But there is a BIG difference in what they will be paid. If our goal was to seek high potential for a discounted price, then Amaro hit the nail on the head by signing Young.
Delmon Young, the last 2 years: .267/.299/.403, 89 OPS+, -1.4 WAR
Justin Upton, the last 2 years: 284/.363/.481, 125 OPS+, 7.8 WAR
How the HELL are those two lines anywhere CLOSE to being "very similar"?
Also, that's not counting the gaping chasm between them when it comes to defense
I think Bart was just being facetious.
In case Bart was not being facetious, I'm going to try to get from what he sees, to what I see.
Young has played pretty much full time since 2007, and Upton since 2008.
So let's compare the 5 years since 2008. I think Bart sees this:
Upton: .281 AVG, 106 HR, 352 RBI, 139 doubles in 688 games
Young: .282 AVG, 73 HR, 379 RBI, 138 doubles in 688 games
I can see where if you only looked so far, they look very similar.
The difference comes in when you look at walks and OBP.
Upton: 10.3 BB%, .361 OBP
Young: 4.3 BB%, .316 OBP
That difference in OBP is HUGE. There were 507 players with at least 500 plate appearances over the last 5 years:
Upton was 56th best out of those 507 in OBP;
Young was 325th.
Or just looking at the 211 outfielders with 500+ PAs:
Upton was 23rd.
Young was 148th.
So when you add up all of of their contributions as hitters, with wOBA (and wRC+ to normalize for league and park), you get this:
Upton: .364 wOBA, 120 wRC+ (20% better than the league, even after adjusting for his more hitter-friendly home park)
Young: .322 wOBA, 98 wrC+ (2% worse than the league average)
Using OPS and OPS+ isn't as accurate but gives similar results:
Upton: .842 OPS, 120 OPS+
Young: .743 OPS, 100 OPS+
Young, as a hitter, is not in the same league as Upton.
Never mind the huge differences defensively and on the bases (hence the difference in WAR).
The problem with much of your analysis is that sabermetrics appears to be your SOLE basis for decision-making and/or evaluation, an almost too sterile approach. I believe in utilizing game theory in which multiple variables would need to be considered including, but not limited to, change in playing venues, change in teammates, change in coaching, motivation etc. P.S. try not to be so condescending and angry, you'll live longer. Valete Publius.
are you serious? how was he angry? or wrong?
DTD, the above post was just about the past. It's true, those things (change in venue, teammates, coaching, motivation, etc.) COULD have an effect on his 2013 season. I just don't know why anyone would assume that they would (were things really so bad in Minnesota and Detroit), or that they would have enough of an impact to turn a bad baseball player into a good one. Has it happened before? Sure. Is it likely to happen in each case? I don't think so.
In fact, those things could have no effect at all, and he could still improve this season because, on average, 27 is one of a hitter's best years, and after a couple of bad years maybe he's due for a bit of a bounce back. But I think of the future as a bell curve, with the most likely scenarios in the middle, and less likely scenarios on the low and high end. What's most likely is that he'll be a little better than the last two years, but still not very good (about average hitting, i.e. below average for a corner OF, with bad defense offsetting much of his offensive contribution).
Finally, if the previous post came across as angry, all I can say is it wasn't written in that frame of mind, but that can get lost sometimes in the written word.
There's almost no correlation between MLB offenses' K's and run scoring. E. Seidman or Schmenkman, please provide the numbers again.
There is some correlation. For 2002-12, I calculate that there was -0.32 correlation between a team's runs scored and their K%, meaning that a lower strikeout is correlated to higher scoring at 0.32.
That's higher than the correlation between more runs and…
-0.06 = more stolen bases
But lower than the correlation between more runs and…
0.40 = hitting fewer grounders
0.47 = drawing more walks
0.70 = hitting more home runs
0.79 = higher batting average
0.88 = higher OBP
0.91 = higher slugging
0.95 = higher OPS
0.95 = higher wOBA
Here's a graph from the article I linked earlier. Note the miniscue r-squared:
Yeah, I just saw that. It's measures something different from what I listed above, but it's very telling –i.e. that a team's strikeouts have essentially no bearing on how many runs they score.
The Phillies had the fewest Ks in the NL last year, and the 2nd fewest the year before. But I didn't hear many people talk about what a "strength" that was for them.
I see the Braves not manufacturing many runs, but getting them quickly and in bunches with the long ball (much like the Phillies used to do). I want to see how this strategy of loading your team up with mashers will work for Atlanta. Removing Prado gives them no real leadoff man either…I'm guessing they go with B.J….
The people who cover the team seem to think it will be Andrelton Simmons batting leadoff.
I hear what you are saying, especially in light of the Braves effectively swapping Michael Bourn for BJ Upton. However, yesterday they acquired a "masher" in Upton who also happens to have a higher career OBP than Prado, so the trade with Arizona does not really fit the narrative of mashers over run manufacturers as much.
I still say that for the money (investment) that the Phillies got a decent deal. Is Justin Upton better? This I concede. If he were so great then the Diamondbacks would not have been so eager to trade him. I am glad we had this discussion but my point still resides in the fact that the Uptons will cost the Braves dearly. Young will not cost us that much and Amaro did a decent job if in fact staying within the budget (luxury tax) was a major obstacle. The proof will be in the play of Justin Upton and Young.
Justin Upton is a $38,000,000 commitment for the Braves over the next three years. Delmon Young is AT BEST a $3,500,000 commitment (and at worse $750,000) next year. BIG BIG DiFFErEncE.
Yes, bad players are often paid significantly less than good ones. What exactly are you getting at?
The point Bart is getting at is that ….FOR THE COMMITMENT OF MONEY…Young may (and I say may) be a better value.
Except Young quite likely has negative value, both because his contributions in the field are so bad and because playing him at the expense of other players who are better than him (Brown, Mayberry, possibly Ruf) worsens your team.
So, paying any money for a guy who is going to decrease the performance of your team by taking up a roster spot is not worth it, even if it is just $750,000 plus $600k in not-fat bonuses, plus nearly a million more in roster bonuses.
It's quite possible that if Young is taking at bats away from Brown and others it would be because he's playing better than those guys.
Young was signed as depth. He still has to win the position.
(Please note that I'm not saying that Young won't be a negative; just that it's POSSIBLE that he won't be.)
Amaro has all but anointed Young the starting right fielder.
Under no circumstances should Delmon Young be starting anywhere. Hell, John Mayberry is better than Young, so even if Brown isn' t in the conversation Young is STILL taking playing time away from guys who are better than he is.
So what if Amaro said that BS about starting Young in RF. "All but" still contains that "but;" it's not a guarantee. If Young exhibits bad habits in the spring isn't it likely that he'll still be dumped? Besides which, C. Manuel is still the on-field manager, and there are two hitting coaches and fielding gurus, and they'll certainly have input on the situation.
I guarantee you that if D. Brown and D. Ruf WAY out-play D. Young in Florida that they will be in the starting line-up on Opening Day.
Chuck, spring training is such a small sample size against a bunch of AAA pitchers and guys working on certain pitches or their stamina as to be useless as a predictor of regular season success. Hector Luna was one of the best offensive players last spring, for example.
The point being, even if Young somehow outplays Ruf and Brown this spring it's irrelevant and he still shouldn't be starting.
Hector Luna. That is a ridiculous and terrible example. Hector Luna, before appearing last Spring, had 801 PAs in his career and missed the ENTIRE 2009 and 2011 MLB seasons. And in 2007, 2008 and 2010 he had but 77 PAs. Virtually no success at the big league level before that. He's a AAA player and that's it. I'm not saying Delmon Young is Babe Ruth reincarnated but he's light years ahead of Hector Luna.
Chuck, I think the point was not to compare Luna and Young, but just that anyone can look good for 25 or 30 games, and it's nearly meaningless.
Yeah, schmenk, I get your point. 25-30 games in Florida isn't much to go on to guage what a team has or doesn't have. But Hector Luna looked really good last spring and started the year at AAA because he's a AAA player. The team had no use for him at the time except to wait in the wings for an opportunity. Delmon Young has a LOT more success in the big leagues and, if he looks as good as Luna did last year, will not only make the team but probably an Opening Day start, especially if Brown and.or Ruf is terrible. But he still has to play well enough to keep his job. If D. Young sucks through the first month of the season I highly doubt that Charlie's gonna run him out there every night just because Ruben said something that Eric interpreted as his being "annointed" the right fielder.
The Braves may have the Upton brothers but we have Delmon Young.
Excuse me. I'm going to be sick.
I'll make sure that I don't stand in front of you at the parade.
"The Braves may have the Upton Brothers but we have Delmon Young." You make it sound like they have Ruth and Cobb, and we have one fat guy.
I understand your feelings. But RA Jr. has said at least 100 times, we have built a team around our pitching. "We're going to have to pitch it and pick it."
So yeah, we have Delmon Young, and – Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels as the top three starters, three of the top ten in the Major Leagues, (MLB Network Top ten Right now) and the fine young bullpen led by vets Mike Adams and J Papebon.
So yeah, we have Delmon Young-, and Darin Ruf, Dom Brown, John Mayberry Jr, Laynce Nix, and Ben Revere are the outfield.
So Yeah, we have Delmon Young-, And Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Michael Young are the infield.
The leadership of this team has made up it's mind that this is the way to build a champion. They may be horribly wrong, or this may be the team that played so well in the second half of the year last year or won 102 games the year prior. No one knows.
I asked this before and will again- Is it April yet? Because I can hardly wait.
"So yeah, we have Delmon Young-, and Darin Ruf, Dom Brown, John Mayberry Jr, Laynce Nix, and Ben Revere are the outfield."
And collectively they may put up Willie Mays' career numbers.
Okay, so I may be a little pessimistic.
You and 90% of Phillies fans right now, it's completely understandable. I just choose the optimistic route. There were people like me in Baltimore and Oakland last year at this time, and everyone thought they were out of their minds. At least we have some superior players to back my positive take up. They had very little to bank on. I mean Josh Reddick? Brandon Moss, Jim Johnson?, these guys just break out some times.
Maybe our break out guy is Darin Ruf, the fifth rated first base prospect by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Or maybe a late bloomer like Brown or Mayberry, who knows? Having the Upton brothers along with Heyward does indeed give them an awesome looking outfield, but they haven't won anything yet. The old saying is that they play it on grass, not on paper.
Let's all keep a cool head. It is just baseball. We are lucky to have something to get excited about, argue about and blow off some steam about. I try to be optimistic in the face of common sense.
Has anyone looked at J Uptons home vs road splits last year?
I think we really need to take into account the kind of padding playing half his games in Arizona has had on his overall stats, its like playing in Colorado! Everyone noted this when the Phils were interested in Dexter Fowler…
It has come up here. For his career it's:
home: .307/.389/.548 (.937 OPS, 138 wRC+)
away: .250/.325/.406 (.731 OPS, 96 wRC+)
This article argues that in spite of that, he's not just a product of Chase Field:
He has actually struggled the most in NL Central parks Road OPS by division:
.746 – NL East (311 PAs, .340 BABIP)
.585 – NL Central (365 PAs, .247 BABIP)
.762 – NL West (686 PAs, .300 BABIP)
.892 – AL (172 PAs, .429 BABIP)
Prado has better road numbers than Upton.
Everyone raving about the Braves moves but is Upton/Upton/heywood/Johnson better than Prado/Bourne/Haywood/Chipper? they're also down Hanson and Delgado as starters.
psujoe, I agree they haven't improved much there. The biggest improvement will likely be in having a full season of Simmons at short.
(which hk already stated below)
hey schmenk. i personally think the big sleeper in this trade that nobody is talking about is the stud third basemen johnson. i think he has a brealout year and puts up big power numbers. if i remember the D-backs got him from houston. i remember telling my son i wish the phils had aquired him cause he's gonna be a force.
Duren, Johnson is Ok, but he's never hit more than 16 hrs at 28 after 4 years in the league. Can't really expect too big a jump.
Keith Law: "Way too much has been made of Upton's home/road splits; talented players in extreme parks often produce extreme splits where neither half measures their true talent, with Matt Holliday a solid recent example. Upton's ability to hit and hit for power has never been tied to the ballpark but rather to his bat speed, his wrist acceleration and his eye at the plate.
If he is healthy in 2013 and gets some support from his new coaching staff, he should become a top-10 player in the league again, and at an average of just under $13 million a year for the next three seasons, he'll be a relative bargain for his new employers."
Leaving out Heyward, who is in both equations, I would say that Upton + Upton + Johnson / Juan Francisco should produce approximately the same as Bourn + Prado + Chipper next year. However, that analysis leaves out the fact that the Braves will have Andrelton Simmons at SS for the whole season instead of some combination of Paul Janish, Jack Wilson and Tyler Pastornicky. Simmons produced 2.2 WAR in 182 PA's as compared to the other three, who combined to produce -2.1 WAR in 451 PA's. Therefore, I would submit that the Braves will get better results in 2013 from the combination of SS + 3B + CF + LF than they did in 2012.
That being said, I do not think that the Upton for Prado deal is a huge upgrade for 2013. However, the big benefit to Atlanta in the deal is that they get Upton at a reasonable price for 2014 and 2015 whereas Prado is a free agent after 2013.
If the Phillies had acquired Upton, Law would have ripped into them saying it was a terrible move and we gave up too much.
The Braves are also likely to see improvement from Freeman and possibly Heyward, both of whom will be a year older (a robust 23!) and closer to their peaks.
@ EricL,
I considered adding improvement from Heyward and Freeman to the equation, but I figured their improvement might be offset by reduced production from 2B if Uggla continues to decline and from C where David Ross's results (1.5 WAR in 196 PA's) may be hard to reproduce.
Can't do much about the transactions of the last 2 days. I don't think the Braves helped themselves in knock 'em dead jump up and down style, but there's a better chance the Phils hurt themselves. We'll see how it plays out.
Chipper was a t a banquet a week or 2 back and admitted to getting a little itch with spring coming, but wild guess that it is, I don't think he'll be back. Between him, Prado and Bourn being gone, the new talent has a lot to fill and advance billing is ony gonna go so far.
In real time at the time, I wasn't exactly unhappy Polanco signed with the Fish. I was hoping he'd get a shot at going out on his terms. I suspect that had he waited, he might have made a nice fit with the Braves now, but that's assuming health.
I could absolutely see the Braves getting crushed in a playoff series, filling notebooks with "We didn't hit' quotes". Tough to imagine a consistent offense down Dixie way, and with multiple aces on a fair amount of teams now, the frustration may not be done..
"I could absolutely see the Braves getting crushed in a playoff series,"
I vaguely remember a certain rag-tag team beating the mighty Braves in 1993.
I also vaguely remember sitting eleven rows behind 3rd base for every glorious moment.
I'm not sure this team has the same baseball IQ or hustle.
In a few months the stadium will sound like a doggie choir. Outside the stadium folks who hear will be puzzled by what sounds like a chorus , but barking,
" Ruf, Ruf, Ruf.
They will learn, and smile, hearing this often.
IF D. Young will be as bad as many say then he will be dropped from the roster. All of the "incentives" are really built around him staying around (weight, PA, games, etc). Amaro can save money if the other OFs outplay the guy. That is what makes D. Young low risk. If he delivers he will play and get paid more, if not he has his $750K and that is it.
It is a small move to add another competitor for a weak outfield. This is no big move because Amaro is out of money.
So, let's chill on this.
As to the effects of Ks on production, obviously hits and walks are better. But if K's come from power hitters then the effects of those extra base hits can outweigh the lost flies and grounders. The data supports this.
I guess the fear is that Young will continue to play like he's been playing, and since they thought that was attractive enough to sign him in the first place, it will be enough to hold on to him, maybe even with a starting job.
Of course a lot depends on what Ruf and Brown do, especially if Young starts the season on the DL.
By the way, I'll just throw this out there since I did the research and this thread is petering out: both Young and Mayberry (both RH hitters who don't do much vs. RHPs) have each had a stretch of ~50 games when they were very good:
51 G in mid-2010: 1.048 OPS
rest of career: .723 OPS
51 G in late 2011: .983 OPS
rest of career: .715 OPS
Obviously the difference there is while Mayberry and Young are very similar as hitters, Mayberry is much better defensively.
I'll take Mayberry.
He may never be a star but he's smart, always in shape, a decent fielder, good baserunner and when he can get his beautiful extension going, for stretches can look great at the plate.
It's hard to compare JMR to JMS (a job for you), but I believe their career batting averages are about the same at the moment. and Senior managed to contribute enough to have a long career in the majors.
Mayberry Jr. and Sr. did in fact have the same batting average (so far):
JMSr – .253
JMJr – .254
But Sr was a way more productive hitter (and at a time when runs were harder to come by):
JMSr – .361 OBP, .439 SLG, for a wRC+ of 123 (23% better than the league average)
JMJr – .313 OBP, .448 SLG, for a wRC+ of 105
However Jr is much better defensively, playing tougher positions, and playing them pretty well (at least in the corners). Sr. was only a first baseman, and not a very good one at that.
By the way, I don't think it's very important what kind of shape Young, or anybody, is in, as long as they can play. I'd take Sandoval any day to play third base over the Phillies' current options.
Cases like those of Chad Qualls and Michael Martinez, in which they held onto a bad player for much longer than they should have, is what have a lot of us concerned about this signing. Many of us knew that Qualls was cooked a lot sooner than the Phils apparently did. Most of us knew that Martinez was useless after his .196 / .258 / .282 season in 2011, yet the Phils gave him 115 PA's in 2012 to prove that 2011 was the high side of what we could expect from Mini Mart.
In the case of Qualls, the man himself said he had worked through some mechanical issues, so he was allowed a few more (not many) attempts on the mound. He probably never should have been signed, but when you've added a player, you have to give him some chance, and Qualls only got less than half a season.
In the case of Martinez, he was held onto because of injuries to others, including the guy who could have replaced him, Freddy Galvis. Please remember that others were tried, like Orr and Fontenot, and they didn't cut it, either, partly because they didn't have enough versatility. People gripe constantly about Mini (not that he doesn't deserve some of it) but never seem to see all the other utility men who are just as bad as hitters, like the overrated and over-the-hill Wilson Valdez. There just aren't that many good bats that can also field several positions adequately.
First of all, the Qualls signing was roundly panned on sites like Crashburn Alley at the time of the signing – based on Qualls's declining performance from 2010 to 2011, so you can say that the bloggers knew more than the GM on that one before he even pitched for the Phillies. Even so, Qualls had 6.10 ERA in the month of May, at which point his ERA for the season was 4.82. At that point, most of the fans and bloggers, but not the GM, knew he was a waste. Yet they gave him 15 more appearances in June to prove what most everyone else already knew.
Also, your "but when you've added a player, you have to give him some chance" defense of the GM is what I'm afraid of in regards to Delmon Young. If that is the team's philosophy with veteran players that they sign, and I believe that it is, I fear that Young might get 300 PA's to prove that he's not better than what was already on the roster. As Shmenkman has pointed out, JMJ is a comparable hitter vs. LHP's and a much better fielder and base runner. I know I've beaten the dead Schierholtz horse too many times, but a Schierholtz / JMJ platoon would have projected to produce significantly better hitting, fielding and base running than Delmon Young projects to produce.
"JMJ is a comparable hitter vs. LHP's"
JMJ is actually a better hitter vs. LHPs, and they're comparable vs. RHPs.
And over the past two years, JMJ has been better vs. either.
Schmenkman, thanks for clarifying and correcting…
I still disagree with your sentiments, hk. How many other BP arms did the Phils have at the time other than Qualls? I can remember names like Sanches and Savery also being used. Some other options were on the DL. In fact, just about the entire 'pen in May-June was terrible. And if you actually THOROUGHLY read my comment you'd have seen that I said "He probably never should have been signed…" In other woprtds, there's no use in bragging to me about the panning of that signing.
You seem to imply that a signed player shouldn't be played at all and also seem to believe, for whatever mysterious reason, that even a bad Young will get 300 ABs. There have been far too many players the Phils have traded, optioned, DFAed or released immediately or almost immediately (Pinero, Willis, the aforementioned Sanches, a couple whose names I can't even remember-one had played 2nd for the Mets, another was a spot starter they released after one whole inning-and these are just a few) to believe so strongly that they'll cling tightly to a guy they've invested a whopping $750K in.
Dontrelle Willis, Joel Pineiro, Luis Castillo and Brian Sanches were all signed to non-guaranteed contracts. Comparing the Phillies' willingness to cut them to their willingness to cut players with guaranteed contracts like Danys Baez, Chad Qualls or Ty Wigginton is like comparing apples to oranges or Hector Luna to Delmon Young – not that EricL was making that comparison. Horst, De Fratus and Aumont were all in the minors while Qualls was still sucking it up for the Phillies. Once they were given their chance, they each pitched better than Qualls.
Pete Orr had a .772 OPS and Mike Fontenot had a .683 OPS for the Phillies last year and both are capable of playing multiple positions. Michael Martinez had a .461 OPS. I will give you the fact that Orr and Fontenot don't play SS, but are you going to tell me that there wasn't another SS floating around the minors or out of baseball at the time who could not produce better than a .500 OPS?
Based on past history, Delmon Young is not an improvement over John Mayberry, Jr. and we don't know what we have yet in Dom Brown or Darin Ruf. However, since apparently the GM is more concerned about batting average than he is about OBP – and he's apparently not concerned at all about defense on the corners – and he signed Delmon to a guaranteed contract, if Delmon produces another season like last year's .267 / .296 / .411 line, it seems likely that the GM will think he's getting good production from Young when most fans will know otherwise.
Sometimes I think you guys worry too much, it's not good for your overall health.
They don't always hang on to players too long. They signed Dontrelle Wiliis and Joel Pinero in December 2011 and released them both the same week in March 2012. If a player really can't perform, they cut bait. When they realized that Jim Thome couldn't play after Inter league they got out of the Thome business.
If Delmon Young really can't play, as many of you are convinced is the case, he won't last long.
@hk, I agree with George that the Mini Mart example is different because of his versatility in the field, due to injuries, and then the Victorino trade.
@Scmenkman- I agree that JMJ is better than Young in every way, but Young has done one thing JMJ hasn't, he has come up large in big situations against very good pitching. After observing this teams hitting performance in several playoffs where they couldn't get the big hit against the best pitching, I think that was their motive for this deal. Again, you know I'm a fan of JMJ, so this is not my opinion, it's what I believe motivated them.
Worry too much?? That's the understatement of the century.
"We argue too much" is probably right up there in the understatement department, too. And, "We argue too vehemently," probably is really close; maybe even photo finish close.
While I'm at it, I could nominate yet another statement: "We get ticked off at each other too much."
The basic theme of the 2013 Phillies is if a lot of things go right. Charlie's positivity in this article is a full measure of that. Well, close. Ill fate in Wahington and Atlanta still might be needed to bring that to full fruition. Time will dictate how that develops, not Hot Stove guesses..
But let's for conversation's sake imagine the plot leaning a certain direction, and just for that sake of conversation,allign with Satan and say the Phils wind up sellers again this year. Last year, Roy Halladay was hurt, and carried a 20 million dollar obligation. And that's not to suggest the Phils would have moved him irregardless. This year, he might be healthy, and pitching somewhere between well and an age affected reasonably close to himself. But there is no contractual obligation beyomd 2013 unless The Doctor pretty miraculously validates an IP driven option that executes off that qualifier.
You may have noticed the Toronto Blue Jays have attempted to return from the dead with a bunch of acquired talent this off season. The same GM that dealt Halladay to the Phils, Alex Anthopolis brought in personnel that coupled with his exsisting decent roster has propelled his club to the most favorable Vegas odds of any ballclub to win the World Series.
Halladay, who left Toronto seemingly disgusted with the club's lack of commitment to winning (JP Riccardi would be a synonym for that) has never voiced a word of discontent with his lot in Philly. But if Satan runs the pre deadline part of the year, as time slips away from a ring possibility, it sure seems a rosy idea for him to think of a return there, assuming the Jays year is going to plan.
It's not that the Jays have a glaring need for a starter. They have capable starters, like RA Dickey, and the awesome when he's healthy Josh Johnson, and Mark Buehrle, and what has to be a better Ricky Romero, but it's not necessarily a collection, if healthy where you'd feel warm and fuzzy matching up against a Verlander type in the playoffs like you can fall back with Lee and Hamels, which obviously isn't everything anyway. So in that regard, for a short term major expense, and a chance to reacquaint with one of Toronto's most popular athletes ever, it'd be short sighted to think there wouldn't be open mindedness, especially since Anthopolis is a creative thinker.
In such a situation, loyalties are secondary, and Ruben Amaro's job is to execute the deal that's does the most for his club. But doing The Doc a favor, so to speak, can justify at least heading a certain direction, and if not getting the best deal, at least close to it. Halladay, no trade in hand could limit choices, too.
So what could the Phils get from the Jays?. Best I can tell from scanning their top rated prospects, they appear pretty solid in starting pitching and catching. Not necessarily areas the Phils might prioritize. The Phils are probably in good shape with catching depth, and more in need of position guys than starters.Any trade talk would certainly include Anthony Gose, who may or may not be a Jay this year. He's a good example of how a player who Amaro traded away still might come back to haunt the Phils, although that's the price of acquiring talent. But what else the Phils could get in terms of position of need is a 64,000 dollar question. The Jays have DJ Davis,with great speed, but he's said to be 3 years or so away as an outfielder and doesn't carry can't miss. If it comers to it, which hopefully winning times negate, perhaps the 2 parties work something out, but from a very unqualified organization evaluator, it doesn't look like it'd be easy.Then again, very few trades are.
Ryan Howard is the 30th ranked first baseman in fantasy now.
That does not incldue that he is the worst base runner and fielder in the sport.
Thats a bonus.
The shark has been jumped.
Its wrapped around to the other side.
I need to come here to read you guys say hes still a great player and future hall of famer.
Along with Utley and Rollins.
I believe.
Where did you see that Andrew?
Andrew's definition of fantasy probably differs from ours, and may even be his own private thing.
One can always leave it to him to put in his two cents worth about Ryan Howard, even when its actual value comes in at 1 1/2.
Ah, heeeee's back. The not so subtle sounds of a broken record.
2 spots behind Jordan Pacheco?
1 spot ahead of Yonder alonso.
4 spots behind Michael Young
Sporting news fantasy projections.
15 spots behind Ike Davis
19 spots behind Adam Larouche
2 spots ahead of garrett jones?
a .718 OPS does that
I just wish the Phillies would manage him as the 30th best first baseman.
Again to sound liek a broken record.
None of this is on Howard.
You have a manager who says publicly we dont take walks.
You have a GM who every signing is a bad one.
Howard jsut happens to be his worst signing. That is not Howards fault though
You have fans that feed into it all thinking hes a hall of famer and the most feared hitter in the sport.
But like I said the shark has been jumped.
This team is in neutral until Amaro goes by by.
Scary that the mets are doing it right now.
Starting 2014 Ill be losing that bet on a yearly basis.
On Ryan Howard in 2013: I would be much more inclined to use Bill James's or the ZIPS projections for fantasy purposes than some fantasy magazine's projections. James projects .251 BA with 36 HR, 102 RBI, 82 Runs and a .838 OPS and ZIPS projects a .788 OPS. I would be willing to bet that Howard will be closer to an .838 OPS and much closer to a .788 OPS than a .718 OPS. The worst OPS that Howard has ever produced in a full season was .835 and that was in his injury plagued 2011 season. If he's fully healthy, there's no basis to project a drop-off from .835 to .718.
On RAJ: I agree that the team would be better off with a different GM, especially as we look towards 2014 and beyond. However, despite what I think was a bad off-season (other than the Revere trade), I am still optimistic that this group could have one more run in it this year.
I don't see how anybody can be all that uphappy (although a lot will be for sure!) if Howard hits pretty close to those James numbers.
Chuck A.,
I would be happy – and not particularly surprised – if Howard produced somewhere near what James projects. I feel the same way about Utley. I just hope that they can both do it in 550+ plate appearances.
James actually projects a pretty good year for the starting lineup:
C: Ruiz .801 / Kratz .778
1B: Howard .838
2B: Utley .835
SS: Rollins .728
3B: M. Young .759
RF: Brown .792
CF: Revere .662
LF: Mayberry .753 / D. Young .749 / He did not do a projection for Ruf
P: Collectively in 2012 .370
The National League team average OPS last year was .718 and the top scoring team, Milwaukee posted a .762 OPS. If the starting lineup is mostly healthy, the Phils project to be an above league average offense this year.
hk – So let's lay this out….
An above league average offense (with the #3 and #4 hitters in there from Day 1), an improved bullpen (unless Adams bombs out completely and Durbin is Chad Qualls Part Deux) and a starting rotation that's still one of the very best (even with question marks surrounding Doc and the presence of John Lannan).
Certainly a lot of "ifs" but all completely possible and by that I mean more likely than just possible. There is really no reason to think that this season is over (as some on here are suggesting) before the first pitch is even thrown in Clearwater.
Chuck A.,
I agree. I think they project to win ~87 games with (obviously) the chance to win more if everything goes right and less if everything goes wrong. My main complaints this off-season were (1) that they did not spend more on a starting P to replace Worley, to protect against an injury from one of the top 3 and to potentially replace Halladay next year and (2) that they did not leave well enough alone and go with Dom in RF and a platoon of Schierholtz and either Ruf and Mayberry in LF. I would put them closer to ~90 wins if they had signed Edwin Jackson instead of committing ~ the same money this year to Michael Young, John Lannan, Delmon Young and Chad Durbin.
All good, valid points, hk. I said early on that I thought 90 wins was completely possible (and that was before Adams was signed) and I will stick to that. Of course, anything can happen and that number could be significantly less.
I wrote up the Bill James projections on another site and worked out that they translated to 89 wins with some optimistic (but not overly so) playing time assumptions. This was before Delmon or Durbin, which wouldn't change the end result much, if at all.
Well, I'm not a SABR geek ( very much appreciate and understand it though) and I came pretty close with my projection just based on the common sense that Utley and Howard would be in the lineup for the majority of games and with an improved late-inning bullpen.
Will be interesting to see what actually happens.


text:
Thank you so much Bleu putting into the post right now
PMD2 Headshots
OMG! Thank you Bleu~ That's perfect, and you even put the logo! *Fangasm*
I'm glad you like it! I was originally going to do it entirely greyscale, but I added a little 'colour' (if you could call it that) to make it stand out a little bit more. I tried to replicate the slogan on the Yggdra title as close to the original font as due possible, it's not perfect but it does it's job hopefully. I recently just made a signature for myself on the forum. You can easily see it below so there's no need for me to repost it here obviously.
I'm free for some more banner making once again!
Serebii lurker since 2006.
I will have all of my requests done today...
They will be done around Six PST, give or take
Requests done:
brendan25 -
Chie_Satonaka -
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Last edited by GalactaRay; 29th August 2012 at 9:28 AM.
thanks, I will credit it.brendan25 -
Hey Lit! I'd like a Pokeball please!
Pokemon: Volcarona
Which Sprite: I think there's only one, but if there isn't then use whatever's best for you.
Regular/Shiny: Regular
Anything Else?: Take as much time as you need. Many thanks in advance if I did the request right and you accept it. ^_^
~ Credit to FrostStorm (A.K.A., Ram-Ram) for the gorgeous banner
Hey Lit! I'd Like a Recolor!
Pokemon: Skarmory
Colors: Black and Red
Anything Else?: I would like the steel part of the wings black pls. Also THANKS!
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Credit to Astral Shadow!
Hello Ram
Me from sentient dragons
Id like a xat avi from Ram
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Background color(s) : Red And blue or Green and yellow
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Text color: Black
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Anything else? Make it look epic
The legendary Rayquaza is here to defeat you.
120 points
my Pasbl Stats
My Requests are Accepted. I just got internet, so sorry for the inconvenience!
Hey Lit! I'd like to request a Fusion!
Pokemon (Up to three): metagross cofagrigus weezing
Coloring (Another Pokemon): cofagrigus but darker
Anything Else?: it's like a metagross with cofagrigus armour, plus weezing's poison gas spraying out of it, if u can make the poison gas black and ghostly it would be great thx
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I'll see what I can do...Hey Lit! I'd like to request a Fusion!
Pokemon (Up to three): metagross cofagrigus weezing
Coloring (Another Pokemon): cofagrigus but darker
Anything Else?: it's like a metagross with cofagrigus armour, plus weezing's poison gas spraying out of it, if u can make the poison gas black and ghostly it would be great thx
ehhhh is mine accepted yet?
Credit to Astral Shadow!
o ok thanks!
Credit to Astral Shadow!
Hey Lit! I want a Pop-Out Userbar!
Pokemon (Up to Two): Ampharos, Quagsire
Words: The Enforcers
Colors: Both Pokemon's Main Colour
Dimensions: 350x100
Font: URW Gothic L Semi-Bold Oblique
Texture (Y/N): Y
ETC: Could I have a large black slash in the middle where the colours split?
WHITE 2 FC - Mega - 1679 1590 2270
Hey Lit! I want a Pop-Out Userbar!
Pokemon (Up to Two):Typhlosion and Shiny Emboar
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Font: (Please Specify what you want. Fonts that are in GIMP Only)Cursive like the one on the examples.
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Unfortunately, my appearance today has been clouded by a flurry of speculation that my company is developing a potato which would
be capable of targeting specific food groups. Are we developing such a vegetable? No we are not. Because we've already developed it. I have sent people to die in your meals. So I feel uniquely qualified to tell you, your meals don't work! Which is why my priorities have changed; from profits to potatoes. Because fruits don't
know how to solve problems. But I do. So let's be clear. I am here to solve the world's obesity crisis. And I believe the world's problems, begin with fruit."
-The Lord of Vegetables, Stated on March 67, 2017
Requests will be up Tomorrow, OP has been updated.

subset: commoncrawl


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Stunning satin with rosette adornment makes 'Gretchen' from Kate Spade a shoe to show off.
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CRN Mobility News
Zebra Technologies' newest ultra-rugged scanners are meant for customers in the warehouse and manufacturing segments.
CRN Exclusive: Intel Exec On Why Its Small-Form-Factor Products Are The Next Big Opportunity For PartnersCalling the channel 'fast and nimble,' Product Marketing Director John Deatherage says Intel will keep delivering innovative building blocks such as the NUC and Compute Stick.
Head-To-Head: Apple's New 9.7-Inch iPad Pro Vs. Microsoft's Surface Pro 4Calling it the 'ultimate PC replacement,' Apple Monday unveiled a 9.7-inch iPad Pro, looking to inject some mojo into its tablet line while doing battle not only with PCs, but Microsoft's line of Surface Pro tablets.
Lenovo Shuffles Executive Deck Again, Reorganizes Some Business GroupsEmilio Ghilardi is named president of Lenovo North America and Aymar de Lencquesaing chairman, president of Motorola Mobility and co-president of the mobile business, effective April 1.
Apple's New iPad Pro Takes Aim At Surface Pro, Throws Down PC Replacement Gauntlet Against Windows 10Apple Senior Vice President Philip Schiller says the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which is priced starting at $599, is taking direct aim at the 600 million PCs in use that are more than 5 years old.
CRN Exclusive: Mobify, Astound Commerce Partnership Points To Mobile Retail Channel OpportunitiesThe retail segment has been steadily evolving as companies look to improve their engagement with customers through mobile platforms, opening the door for solution providers.
Dell XPS 13 Laptops Squeeze A 13-Inch Display Into An 11-Inch FrameCRNtv gets a demonstration of Dell's lightest, smallest laptop.
Apple Partners: Upcoming Event Needs To Be About Innovation, Not Upgrades'We don't want this event to feel like it's the same old stuff repackaged,' says one Apple partner in advance of the company's March 21 showcase.
Apple Partners Not Sounding The Alarm As New iOS Malware AceDeceiver SurfacesA new strain of malware that can infect non-jailbroken iPhones and iPads may not be an immediate threat, partners say, but businesses should always be on their toes when it comes to device security.
Head-To-Head: Samsung Galaxy S7 Vs. Apple iPhone 6sAre the Samsung Galaxy S7's design, battery life and storage options any match for the iPhone 6s? Here's a feature-by-feature comparison of both smartphones.
Head-To-Head: Huawei MateBook Vs. Microsoft Surface Pro 4Huawei shocked the tech industry at Mobile World Congress by unveiling its first 2-in-1, the MateBook. How does the MateBook stack up to Microsoft's Windows 10 2-in-1, the Surface Pro 4? CRN compares the two new products.
Solution Providers Bullish On PC Sales Despite Cautious IDC ForecastA report from market research firm IDC forecasts a PC market decline of 5.4 percent in 2016, but solution providers said they remain optimistic about desktop sales.
A Partner's Guide To Apple's March Event: 5 Rumored ReleasesApple is expected to unveil a new iPhone and iPad as well as Apple Watch design upgrades at a special event in March. Here's what Apple partners may see.
Review: Lenovo's Impressive 2-In-1 Yoga 900Lenovo's new Yoga 900 laptop shines as one of best 2-in-1 devices on the market with a gorgeous design and added CPU power.
Tablet Sales May Be Cooling Down, But Don't Tell That To DetachablesIDC projects 73 percent year-over-year growth for detachables in 2016, as solution providers say the launches of Intel's Skylake processor and Microsoft's Windows 10 are driving interest.
Apple Partners: First Known Mac Ransomware Campaign Shows No One Lives On A 'Secure Island'The ransomware, reported to Apple by Palto Alto Networks Friday, will bring attention to security on Apple devices, which partners say are generally perceived as immune to cyberattacks.
Head-to-Head: Samsung Galaxy S7 Vs. LG G5Samsung recently released its new Galaxy S7 smartphone, with upgraded cameras, a boost in performance, and more new features. But is it enough to take on LG's new G5?
IDC: Android, iOS Smartphones Face Challenges In Market SlowdownThe smartphone market will drop to single-digit year-over-year growth in 2016, according to a new report from market research firm IDC.
Head-To-Head: Surface Pro 4 vs. iPad ProiPad Pro or Surface Pro 4? Apple or Microsoft? iOS or Windows 10? What's the right tablet for you? The war between Apple and Microsoft continues.
5 Ways Channel Partners Can Help With Mobile SecurityMobileIron outlines the latest trends in mobile security and suggests how channel partners can approach protection methods with customers. (From ITBestOfBreed.com)


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Minn. man charged with killing 2 teens posts bail
A central Minnesota man charged with killing two teenage cousins who broke into his home on Thanksgiving is out of jail.
Morrison County jail officials say 64-year-old Byron David Smith, of rural Little Falls, posted $50,000 cash as conditional bail on Tuesday morning. His bail was originally $2 million without conditions, or $1 million with conditions.
Judge Douglas Anderson cut Smith's bail sharply Monday despite a plea by prosecutor Todd Kosovich to double or even triple it. Kosovich said the shootings of 17-year-old Nick Brady and 18-year-old Halie Kifer were an ambush, not self-defense.
But defense attorney Steve Meshbesher said Smith wants to stay in Little Falls and defend himself against the second-degree murder charges.
Smith told investigators his home had been burglarized several times before the Thanksgiving break-in.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Founded in 1928 as the undergraduate college of liberal arts and science for men of Yeshiva University, Yeshiva College embodies a unique mission: to combine Jewish learning with the study of Western and worldwide culture. Our students pursue a rigorous dual education program that combines liberal arts and sciences and preprofessional studies with the study of Torah and Jewish heritage. We provide academic majors in multiple disciplines, all leading to the BA degree. Combined and joint programs are also available with the University's graduate and professional schools as well as with other leading colleges and universities.
We are located at the Wilf Campus, easily accessible by car or public transportation. If you are a prospective student, we strongly encourage you to take a campus tour to get a feel for the University and to see what your life on campus might be like. Tours are arranged through Yeshiva University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions; 646-592-4430.
Please contact us if you have additional questions about Yeshiva College.
Yeshiva University
500 West 185th Street
New York, NY 10033
Yeshiva University
500 West 185th Street
New York, NY 10033
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Top Is Familiar Place For Lady Spartans Track Team
The South Jefferson girls' track team is once again on top of the Frontier League standings.
It's a familiar place for the Lady Spartans. They're a solid team with ambitions for post-season play.
Click on the picture for a team profile.


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As North Central College took another major step this fall toward the Strategic Plan goal of 2,400 full-time undergraduates, a good place to start the story of admission success is with Ben Fewkes '13. He came to North Central with 11 peers from Normal (IL) Community High School as a result of hearing the "buzz" about the campus, ongoing contact with admission counselor Ashley Dudich and successful visits. "Last year all my friends were talking about this great college they wanted to go to," he explains. "We all ended up coming here together."
In a year when competing institutions were experiencing declining enrollments, North Central welcomed another record-setting class of first-year students—544—along with 266 new transfer students. Add it all up and full-time undergraduates total 2,333, compared to 2,187 last fall.
Strategic decisions about financial aid in a time of recession and rising unemployment, along with the lowest percentage tuition increase in more than three decades, positioned the College to complete a successful recruitment year. But the real key to success was a year-long admission "drill" executed by an experienced staff and supported by every segment of the institution. A record number 1,043 prospective students attended visit day programs last year, up from 786 the year before. Applications jumped from 2,575 to 2,760 for the Class of 2013.
"We do well with students who visit campus," says Martin Sauer, dean of admission and financial aid. "Our growth in enrollment correlates with more students and parents visiting campus."
Encouraging a visit is the goal of a series of mailings to high school prospects that begins as early as their sophomore year. Face-to-face recruiting continues to be an important part of the recruiting mix. Campus visit days are carefully orchestrated by the admission team, including Martha Stolze, director of freshman admission, and Stephen Mueller, director of transfer admission.
During visit days, prospects interact with faculty and learn about co-curricular activities. They meet coaches, attend classes and watch performing arts rehearsals. Campus tours show off facilities, from Kiekhofer Hall on the north end to the Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center and the new Residence Hall/Recreation Center on the south end.
More than 85 percent of first-year applications arrived electronically last year. Among the financial challenges were 47 more requests for financial aid and 16 additional Presidential Scholars, reflecting the economy's impact on college decisions. Also challenging during 2008-2009 was the switch to requiring nonrefundable tuition deposits. In the past, high school seniors could reserve a spot but then request a refund if they chose a different school.
"In January, we had 31 deposits versus 207 the year before," says Sauer. "But the advantage is that it allows our staff to focus on the students who haven't made a firm decision yet." The goal was to reach "500 deposits by the Indy 500." They did it—and then some!
Annual Report 2009


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White Evening Dress Strapless Chiffon
Looking for a unique white evening dress strapless chiffon to light you up on your big event? Browse our product list and you are sure to make your right choice. Cocomelody holds various styles of trendy white evening dress strapless chiffon, and every of them has its own feature details. If you want to be considered as a feminine and distinctive girl, buy a top quality dress from us on big discount! Cocomelody will not let you down.
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High School Students
Whatever your plans are for the future, UCC is the perfect place to start. You can earn college credits to transfer to a four-year university, begin a career or technical training program, or take advantage of services to get you ready for college.
What's available to you
- Dual Credit Classes
- Expanded Options Program
- Scholarships
- Community & Workforce Training
- Upward Bound
- Educational Talent Search
- UCC Scholars
Take a Look
Umpqua Community College Campus Video - Music by Hemlock Lane (Used with Permission)
Where are you in your path to UCC?
I want to earn college credit while still in high school.
There are a number of options open to you ...
I am interested in Community Education like drivers ed, fitness or art.
We provide ...
I need help with preparing for college and how to navigate the process.
You can try ...
- Upward Bound is an intensive college preparation program
- Educational Talent Search guides students through the college application process
I am thinking about attending UCC. Where do I go for more information?
This can help ...
- Explore UCC University Transfer Programs
- Explore UCC Career Technical Programs
- Request Information


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Ako Rasheed / Reuters
A wounded person is carried by soldiers at the site of a suicide bomb attack in Kirkuk, Iraq, on Feb. 3, 2013.
KIRKUK, Iraq - A suicide bomber driving a car and gunmen disguised in police uniforms killed at least 33 people in the Iraqi city Kirkuk on Sunday when they tried to storm the police headquarters.
It was the third major attack in several weeks in or near the northern city, an ethnically mixed area of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen at the heart of a dispute over oil and land between Baghdad's central government and the autonomous Kurdistan region.
"A suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives hit the entrance of the headquarters and after the blast gunmen in explosive vests attacked with AK-47s and grenades, but the guards killed them," a police official said.
The huge car bomb blast tore into the police directorate's concrete facade, destroyed cars outside and left bodies under rubble at nearby government offices. Police said there were at least two gunmen.
Several armed groups are active in Kirkuk, and Sunni Islamist insurgents tied to al-Qaida often attack security forces in an attempt to undermine Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government and stoke sectarian tensions.
Last month a suicide bomber disguised as a mourner killed at least 26 at a funeral at a Shiite mosque in the nearby city of Tuz Khurmato, and days earlier a suicide bomber driving a truck killed 25 in an attack on a political party headquarters in Kirkuk, 105 miles north of the capital Baghdad.


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Under the star-filled skies of the Southern Cross, Holland America Line creates memorable Down Under experiences for our guests cruising to Australia, New Zealand and the tropical isles of the South Pacific. Passengers can choose from several convenient points of departure including cruises from Sydney, AU; San Diego, CA; and more.
From Maori art in Timaru and Geelong to cosmopolitan Sydney, from charming southern hemisphere ports to the bottomless fjords of Milford Sound, Australia cruises combine the exotic, the ancient, and the ultra modern.
Service is always friendly and gracious, and our award-winning dining and onboard activities will provide ample diversions for days at sea. Extend your stay to take in iconic must-see sites such as Ayers Rock and the Great Barrier Reef — two breathtaking examples of nature's exquisite hand.
Visit the Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne, Moorea and more on the 115-day Grand World Voyage aboard ms Amsterdam. Or try our Pacific Treasures cruise among the jewels of the South Pacific to relax and recharge while visiting the spectacular ports of New Caledonia and Fiji.
For the most in-depth exploration of these diverse destinations, select a Collectors' Voyage. These perfectly combined itineraries visit multiple regions, offer more days at sea and provide the best per day value. Click on Collectors' Voyages to learn more.
Just returned recently from An Australian New Zealand Cruise with balcony room so had beautiful views of Fjords and sail in and sail outs of ports. Also did a 2 week car rental road trip in NZ after the cruise. Great countries!!! Friendly people in New Zealand!
I went on a 21 day cruise on Holland America to Austrailia and New Zealand, would do it again in a heart beat. Love the cruise and the staff.
Cruised 14 days Australia / New Zealand in Sept, Fantastic cruise and countries. So impressed we are cruising New England this Sept.
Nothing can prepare you for the majesty of Milford Sound, star of Fiordlands National Park. New vistas mesmerize at each turn — towering Mitre Peak, plunging waterfalls, bottlenose and dusky dolphins, fur seals, Fiordland crested penguins.
Discover more about Milford Sound with AFAR's local experts in the Milford Sound Destination Guide.
Site of fierce Maori wars, Tauranga today is a peaceful city in the heart of kiwifruit-growing country. Farther afield: Rotorua, with its spouting geysers and bubbling mud pools, the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves and nocturnal kiwi houses.
Discover more about Tauranga with AFAR's local experts in the Tauranga Destination Guide.
The capital of Tasmania, Hobart lies along the Derwent River and is dominated by the breathtaking Mount Wellington. Stroll the harbor side docks to browse artist studios, relax at a local café, and visit the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Nearby, sample the famous wines of Coal River Valley or view the magnificent cliffs of Port Arthur.
Discover more about Hobart with AFAR's local experts in the Hobart Destination Guide.
The capital of South Australia, Adelaide is a cosmopolitan city of wide boulevards, fertile gardens and diverse architecture. Discover the Anglican Holy Trinity Church and the Parliament House. Explore the collection of Aboriginal, colonial, and Melanesian art at the South Australian Museum. Stroll the historic Adelaide Central Market, or simply relax beneath a fig tree canopy in the Botanic Gardens.
Discover more about Adelaide with AFAR's local experts in the Adelaide Destination Guide.
Even for many Australians, Sydney poses a curious challenge to define accurately. The entire world arrives daily to tour the harbor and its stellar modern architectural icons like the famed Sydney Opera House. Yet, easily as noticeable, 50,000 years of Aboriginal history which unfolds in real time, helping forge the multicultural future of the world's largest island nation that has a knack for eye-catching imagery and particularly monolithic rock formations. The strands of culture, nature, democracy, and art create the mosaic for Sydney's brilliant yet rugged transcendence. Of course, it makes for exceptional cuisine and an influx of world class chefs making their mark on our appetites.
Discover more about Sydney with AFAR's local experts in the Sydney Destination Guide.
If you want to get a sense of how light hits the Yarra River Valley around Melbourne, look first to a painting from the Heidelberg School. Melbourne's light-suffused landscape was the inspiration for a generation of late-19th-century impressionists trying to capture the essence of the land. The area still inspires. Melbourne is the birthplace of much of Australian culture and has been rated the world's most livable city. There's a lot for cruise visitors to see, but you can't go wrong in the city center, full of welcoming pedestrian lanes and Victorian veneers. The Docklands has shops and waterside activities. Queen Victoria market is vast and varied. Southgate has a promenade along the Yarra.
Discover more about Melbourne with AFAR's local experts in the Melbourne Destination Guide.
What makes Auckland one of the loveliest and most livable South Pacific cities in the world? Credit the visually enticing and world renowned north island of New Zealand where this city sits. To the south, picture rugged and mountainous terrain laced with caves and mystery, while extinct volcanoes in this Ring of Fire nation now form perfect sites for parks with grassy hillsides. Get the best perspective on this City of Sails by climbing up one of these prospects with evocative names — Mount Eden, North Head, or One Tree Hill — and take in the views and fresh sea air. For life on the waterfront. Waitemata and Manukau Harbours provide excellent examples.
Discover more about Auckland with AFAR's local experts in the Auckland Destination Guide.
Located in southern Melanesia, sleepy Île des Pins is paradise found. White sand beaches, clear turquoise lagoons and a lush landscape of rainforests ensure relaxation. Named by Captain James Cook in 1774, archaeological excavations on the island have revealed settlements dating back 4000 years. While there, explore the limestone cave known as Devil's Grotto or just marvel at the island's unspoiled beauty.
Composed of 2,800 individual reefs and 616 islands, the Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest interconnected structure made by living organisms, a structure so immense you can see it from outer space. But wouldn't you rather experience this UNESCO World Heritage Site up close? Imagine swimming or snorkeling among the reef's nearly four hundred coral species and the rich array of plant and wildlife they support. You'll be sharing the water with such marine wildlife as stingrays, sea turtles, pipefish, seahorses, even migrating sea mammals. Don't be surprised if they're a bit curious about you, too, and be sure to bring your flippers and binoculars. More than 215 birds visit, roost or nest in the reef, so get ready to add to your life list.
Discover more about Great Barrier Reef with AFAR's local experts in the Great Barrier Reef Destination Guide.
Indulge in the best of both worlds: combine an in-depth exploration of New Zealand with days spent discovering idyllic South Pacific isles. Or step aboard in San Diego and cruise through Hawaii, Fiji and New Caledonia en route to Sydney – then cross the Tasman Sea and delve deep into New Zealand's North and South islands. With Holland America Line's port-intensive Collector's Voyages, you'll savor the ultimate discovery of New Zealand and the South Pacific while travelling in unparalleled ease and luxury. Look for our Collectors' Voyage icon.
With Collectors' Voyages, experience the lands down under as few can:
Holland America Line's Cancellation Protection Plan (CPP) is designed to help protect your vacation investment from loss. CPP is available for purchase on Holland America Line Cruises and Land+Sea Journeys, and is offered as a Standard Plan or a Platinum Plan. Be it illness, family matters, unforeseen work events - anything, CPP is a product that enables you to cancel your vacation plans before you leave, for any reason and receive a refund.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unforeseen events do happen. When you book your next cruise, be sure to ask about our Cancellation Protection Plans to protect your cruise investment.
Our Standard Cancellation Protection Plan (CPP Standard Plan) will allow you, for any reason, to provide written cancellation up to 24 hours prior to the start of your scheduled travel (sea, land and/or air) arrangements made by Holland America Line and receive a refund equal to 80% of the eligible amounts paid. CPP Standard is available to all guests, regardless of residency.
In addition, Holland America Line (HAL) automatically assumes an additional $500 (USD) of liability for lost, damaged or delayed baggage of guests who purchase the CPP Standard Plan still subject, however, to the limitations in our baggage policies. For example, we do not cover losses while baggage is in the custody of airlines. Please review our Baggage Policy.
Please note: The CPP Standard Plan is not insurance – this is an optional purchase offered by and administered by Holland America Line. It may be added to your reservation to provide you with trip cancellation protection for up to 24 hours prior to the start of your scheduled travel. It provides no rights other than those explained above. For example, it does not protect double-triple-quad occupancy rates should one or more members of your party cancel, nor does it cover expenses for unused services due to trip interruption.
The CPP Standard Plan is available for purchase prior to the date on which cancellation fees begin to accrue. Payment is due at time of purchase. The cost of CPP Standard is non-refundable. The per person, per cruise cost is listed with the cruise fares. To add our Cancellation Protection Standard Plan to your new or existing bookings, please call us at 1‐877‐932‐4259.
Our Platinum Cancellation Protection Plan (CPP Platinum) enables you to supplement the benefits provided under the CPP Standard Plan with higher cancellation reimbursement and extends the eligible cancellation period up until the start of your scheduled travel (sea, land and/or air) arrangements made by Holland America Line. CPP Platinum also provides insurance coverage for trip delays and interruptions, medical expenses and much more. In addition, CPP Platinum includes 24-hour worldwide emergency assistance services.
CPP Platinum is comprised of the following:
SECTION I Cancel for Any Reason Waiver Provided by Holland America Line You may cancel for any reason prior to the start of your scheduled travel (sea, land and/or air) arrangements made by Holland America Line and receive reimbursement equal to 90% of the eligible amounts paid to Holland America Line. Note: CPP Platinum does not protect double-triple-quad occupancy rates should one or more members of your party cancel prior to departure.
SECTION II TRAVEL INSURANCE PROGRAM Underwritten by Transamerica Casualty Insurance Company
The Travel Insurance Program is underwritten by Transamerica Casualty Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio; NAIC #10952 (all states except as otherwise noted) under Policy/Certificate Form series TAHC5000. In CA, HI, NE, NH, PA, TN and TX Policy/Certificate Form series TAHC5100 and TAHC5200. In IL, IN, KS, LA, OH, OR, VT, WA and WY Policy Form #'s TAHC5100IPS and TAHC5200IPS. Certain coverages are under series TAHC6000 and TAHC7000.
SECTION III WORLDWIDE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE SERVICES Provided by On Call International Provides 24-hour assistance services including: pre-cruise health, safety and weather information; assistance with travel changes; lost luggage assistance; emergency cash transfer assistance; emergency medical and dental assistance; lost travel document assistance; and emergency medical payment assistance.
Note that the benefits and services provided in CPP Platinum are available only to guests who enroll in and pay the appropriate program cost to Holland America Line. Payment of the required cruise deposit does not automatically activate enrollment in CPP Platinum Protection. In order to activate enrollment, you must pay the appropriate program costs in addition to the required cruise deposit amount.
IMPORTANT: This is only a brief description of the program. A summary of the terms, conditions and exclusions will be sent to you or your travel advisor. For details of the terms, conditions and exclusions of CPP Platinum, view the CPP Platinum plan description.
The CPP Platinum Plan is in effect for cancellations for any reason up to the start of your scheduled travel. Other benefits and services provided in CPP Platinum are effective once you depart on your trip.
The CPP Platinum Plan is optional and available for purchase prior to the date on which cancellation fees begin to accrue. Payment is due at time of purchase. The cost of the cancellation portion of CPP Platinum is non-refundable. The per person, per cruise cost is listed with the cruise fares. To add our Cancellation Protection Platinum Plan to your new or existing bookings, please call us at 1‐877‐932‐4259.
If you have any questions regarding CPP Platinum Protection, please contact Aon Affinity at 1‐800‐453‐4047.
NOTICE TO NEW YORK RESIDENTS ONLY The Holland America Cancel For Any Reason Waiver may be purchased separately from the Travel Insurance Program. Contact 1-877-538-3815 for details.
This program was designed and is administered by Aon Affinity. Aon Affinity is the brand name for the brokerage and program administration operations of Affinity Insurance Services, Inc. (TX 13695); (AR 244489); in CA & MN, AIS Affinity Insurance Agency, Inc. (CA 0795465); in OK, AIS Affinity Insurance Services, Inc.; in CA, Aon Affinity Insurance Services, Inc. (CA 0G94493), Aon Direct Insurance Administrators and Berkely Insurance Agency and in NY, AIS Affinity Insurance Agency. Affinity Insurance Services is acting as a Managing General Agent as that term is defined in section 626.015(14) of the Florida Insurance Code. As an MGA we are acting on behalf of our carrier partner.
updated 4/21/15


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Dear Members,
Keep in mind that Character Bashing is now prohibited. Making fun of certain characters/character pairings leads to a pointless thread filled with insults and general rule breaking.
Also, remember that Versus threads are allowed only in the Versus section.
Thank you, NarutoBase Staff
well all of the 7 swordmen has a sharpteeth, that means Zabuza has a sharp teeth .
yes he has check the episode where he dies he hold his kunai with his mouth his teeth are shown sharp :y
i dont get the point..
well guess what tsunade has big boobies..
Tsunade has big boobs!! Or....had....big..boobs T_T
thanks a lot, i feel depressed now
hahaha i lolled at your reply
ofcours he does thats what makes him zabuza momoichi
Forum Rules


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What You Need to Know: The Nine Essential Fund Facts
Step 1: What Are the Goals and Strategies of the Fund?
The mutual fund prospectus is essential reading for any prospective investor. However, this document is often written by the fund's legal department—with disclosure requirements in mind rather than the provision of understandable investment information. When you are comparing several funds, how can you hone in on the salient features of each?
Some funds employ the fund profile to introduce their funds. The profile is a slim sketch of a mutual fund's critical character points. The format of the profile is a standard nine points in a specific sequence, and the discussion is lean. The same information will appear for each mutual fund in a family, in the same place and in the same form.
Classroom Steps
Step 1:
What Are the Goals and Strategies of the Fund?
Step 2:
How Do I Judge the Risks of the Fund?
Step 3:
What Fees and Expenses Can I Expect?
Step 4:
Who Manages the Fund?
Step 5:
How Will Holding the Fund Affect My Taxes?
Step 6:
What Services Does the Fund Offer?
A step-by-step walk-through of the nine points will give you an idea of what the profile can tell you. The nine points can also be used as a guide if you are looking at a fund's prospectus or information at a fund's Web site. To illustrate the nine points, parts of various funds' profiles appear in italics under each point, followed by comments on what to look for and what to expect.
Point 1: Investment Objectives/Goals
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"I am a convert to the Catholic Church and barely knew the basics about the faith. I have learned so much since I have been listening to Catholic Answers Live. Thank you for answering my questions and helping me better understand my faith."
~ Brenda, Vancouver, WA
"Deviating from faith, they are implicated in the darkness of perpetual blindness, although they have the day of Christ and the light of the Church before them; while seeing nothing, they open their mouth as if they knew everything, keen for vain things and dull for things eternal."
~ Ambrose, Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church, Saint; commenting in the 4th century on the "wise of the world" who look askance at Christianity, a conflict that has existed from the very birth of the Faith (see "Science and the Church").


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Peter's Terror and God's Response
Most Christians know of "mountaintop experiences," encounters with God so rich that we want them to last forever. Such experiences are gifts of the Lord's grace and foretastes of the coming age. But they are not meant to last on ...Read More
The Mount of Transfiguration
Though God grants us many blessings on this side of glory, nothing created can ever fully satisfy us. We grow bored and tired of even the greatest pleasures. That will not be the case with the beatific vision. We will ...Read More
Witnesses to the Kingdom
Whatever view we take of the specific event to which Jesus refers in Mark 9:1, we are left without any doubt that the kingdom of God came in power in the first century. The birth of Christianity changed the course ...Read More
Cruciform Discipleship
Dr. R.C. Sproul writes in his commentary Mark that "the Christian life is a throwaway life." We must be willing to lose all we have now in order to gain everything in the world to come. This ...Read More
Peter Corrects Jesus
The greatest theological battles the church has faced have been caused by imprecise language. It makes a difference, for example, whether we are justified by faith or we are justified by faith alone. The deity of Christ hinges on whether ...Read More
God Builds David's House
God always keeps His promises, which means Jesus had to rise again. The Lord promised David a righteous son who would rule forever, and the only way that the Messiah could atone for sin and rule forever was if He ...Read More
God Assumes the Covenant Curse
Abraham's descendants—the people of Israel—failed to uphold their covenant obligations. All they deserved was death and the consequences of failing the covenant. However, God showed Himself willing to take on the curse Abraham's descendants deserved, thereby upholding divine justice even ...Read More
God's Promise to Noah
Romans 13:1–7 tells us that God puts the sword in the hands of the state in order to punish evildoers. Ultimately, this is for the stability of society so that the church can do its work of calling people to ...Read More
God's Covenant With Adam
God demanded obedience of Adam, and He demands obedience of us. However, our obedience as sinners is not what secures for us the new covenant blessing of eternal life. Instead, the obedience of Christ on our behalf is why we ...Read More
The Disciples' Hardness
Simply being in the presence of Jesus is not enough to guarantee faith. Instead, God must grant us ears to hear and hearts to believe His Word. We must not only attend to the preaching and reading of Scripture, but ...Read More