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The McHenry Police Department will host its first Running Scared event for Special Olympics Illinois.
This is a costume event consisting of both a 5K run and a 2-mile family fun run/walk. The event is being held at 8:30 a.m. Saturday(Oct. 27).
This event will start and finish at Shamrock Farm Park in McHenry, and the course runs through the Legend Lakes subdivision.
This course offers low traffic, a paved running surface, and several water stations. The run portion of the event will be timed, and there will be a finish line Halloween celebration for all the participants at Shamrock Farm Park.
There also is a door prize drawing for all registered participants.
Event registration is available online at https://www.signmeup.com/site/online-event-registration/86664 or on race day starting at 7 am at Shamrock Farm Park.
Registration is $25 for an individual, $35 for couples, and $45 for family registration.
All money raised from this event go directly to Special Olympics Illinois.
For information visit www.runningscared.webs.com or call Cmdr. Laura King at 815-363-2218.


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Police: 2 teens missingStaff Report | July 16,2013SUDBURY Vermont State Police are looking for two missing teenagers.
Police said Dylan Hickey, 16, and Mikayla Ellis, 18, were last seen together in Sudbury on Saturday. Ellis was in a vehicle with Hickey, and the vehicle was found the next day at his grandmothers house on Oxbow Road in Chittenden.
Ellis is reported to have diminished mental capacity, according to police, and her parents have state-granted custody. Hickey is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall, 205 pounds with brown hair. Ellis is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 177 pounds with brown hair.
Anyone with information is asked to call Vermont State Police at 773-9101.MORE IN This Just InNEWBURY Police said somebody stole booze and change from a Welch Road residence. Full StoryBRATTLEBORO Six people were displaced by an apartment fire on South Main Street Saturday morning. Full StoryPolice: Chase
men also stole
CHELSEA Police say two men involved in a... Full Story
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subset: commoncrawl


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Thank you to Amy Coffin of the We Tree for the series 52 Weeks of Personal History & Genealogy. My topic for Week 10 is: Disaster by Fire.
On February 17, 2011 I wrote about the Sigford home on Matney Way. My mother's parents suffered a great loss and in many ways never fully recovered from the effects of the fire that took the only home they ever owned. Not only were they nearly fifty years old, but in just a few short years they would be devastated by the Great Depression. They were also caught in the changing times; the burgeoning industrialized world had little use for their skill set of ranching, farming, and horse drawn transportation.
A few years earlier, in October, 1918, my father's parents suffered a similar catastrophe. At that time, the close-knit McPherson clan lived in close proximity to one another in the area around Little Falls, Minnesota. Jabez' older brother Jim had lost his wife and then moved in with his parents so they could help raise the family – and Jim to help support his aging parents. They all lived fairly close to Crow Wing Lake, which was the site a a well-photographed family get-together the previous summer.
At the time of the fire, my Uncle Ralph was about 14 years old and the fire was indelibly etched in his mind. The following is hs account of the fire that burned their house to the ground:
The year 1918 was quite a year, 1st Bertha & Cecil were married. Dad had the Newman & Foster places under rent. Walt & Grace Mc lived on the foster placer we worked the land. Walt & his family moved to Little Falls in the spring of 1918 & Dad rented the house to a Norwegian couple & also early that Fall Clare was going to give up his lease on the Clute place in the spring of 1919 so Dad leased the Clute place & to take possession in the spring of 1919. In July of 1918 a family from Montana bought the Newman place. Our lease wasn't up till Jan of 1919 so Newman gave Dad 250.00 to move by Sept meanwhile Dad sold 6 of the cows & a team of horses with a few other things to the family from Montana. We moved into the place by the lake. It was 17 rooms & was really built for two familys as both Clare & Goldie & Elmer Schamp & his family both lived there before the grandfolks. We were all moved there stock & everything by Oct 1sr. Gladys or Jerry as she liked to be called was married in that house the day it burned down.
On there wedding day it was snowing, Clare & Walt were both out west but there were about 30 people there for the wedding not counting the kids. I was upstairs changing into my suit of clothes when I heard someone yet the house is on fire. I run down the stairs & outside & looked up & the whole roof was a fire. I run back up stairs & change into my work clothes again & instead of throwing everything I could out the window I left everything upstairs. With that much help we got everything out downstairs, I can still seek like carrying the stoves out with fire still in them. It was still a big loss because there was 600 bushels of potatoes, 100 gal of sorgham 700 to 800 jars of fruit in the cellar besides most of the bedding , clothes & so forth besides a tough winter to get thru, we had another house a mi from there to move to but all the stock & fee had to stay at the place on the lake so it was a chore to go over twice a day to milk & take care of the animals.
We were able to stay over at the Wright farm while the Petersons were able move off of the Foster place that winter. They got out in a couple of weeks so we could have it, The only thing was all the food for the stock was on the place by lake so we only kept 1 team on the Foster Place that winter but it was quite a chore going back & forth between the two places to milk & do the chores twice a day.
By 1922, the idyllic life by Crow Wing Lake was gone. With all of their belongings and eight of their 10 children packed into their 1914 Studebaker touring car, my grandparents, Jabez and Elizabeth McPherson began their long trek to California. [Note: One daughter and her husband were already living in Calipatria, and the baby of the family would not be born for another three years.]
In many ways, the fire of 1918 affected my McPherson grandparents as the later fire of 1921 affected my Sigford grandparents. Both men were in their fifties and their best working years were behind them. Although my McPherson grandfather was a bit more comfortable in the automobile age, he had spent his life "wheeling 'n' dealing" with horses, cards, and hard physical work. After the Great Depression had lifted, the jobs available were made for living in a different world than he knew – just as they were for Frank, my Sigford grandfather.
* * *
For other postings on Gladys/Jerry and the tragic shooting of her father and grandmother, see the following:
Shooting Deaths
Newspaper Account of Sentencing
Tragedy in the Life of Jerry Rose
Shooting Deaths
Newspaper Account of Sentencing
Tragedy in the Life of Jerry Rose


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Do not adjust your screen.
This is really a two-faced cat. Her name is Venus.
She's called a Chimera cat, and her dramatic black-and-tan fur and different colored eyes have taken the internet by storm.
Known as Venus the Amazing Chimera cat, she's got 205,000 Facebook fans and nearly 3,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Venus was found in 2009 as a stray on a North California dairy farm, but now has a loving owner named Christina who helps her manage her massive fan base.
Watch video of Venus below or by clicking here:


text:
See permission.
|The Bulletin
of the Center for Children's Books
|The Big Picture, a
regular Bulletin feature both on-line and off, is an in-depth
look at selected new titles and trends. See the
archive for selections from previous months.
Cover image from Cosmic
by Bill Mayer. Used by permission of Walden Pond/HarperCollins
This page was last updated on February 1, 2010.


text:
Got a Buc?
Got a Buc?
The Pirates are bringing back the popular $1 tickets for a game this season – scheduled for Sunday, April 22nd. Typically, the Pirates have done this in the past for the first night game of the season to draw fans in. It was always a bit of a downer some years when there would be 37,000 fans for Opening Day, and then 10,000 the next night for game 2 – so the Pirates have been doing this for a few years now.
However, the Pirates open the season against the Phillies at home and their second game, a Saturday night game, is nearly sold out, which is why the Pirates likely chose this game to be their $1 promotion day.
Last year's Buc Night was April 8 and drew 29,000
In 2010, Buc Night was April 7 and drew 31,000.
In 2009, the first ever Buc Night, April 15 – drew 20,000.
In 2008, there was no Buc Night for game #2 – the second game of the season drew just 9,735.
So, I think it's a nice idea to get fans to the ballpark early in the season and boost attendance numbers.
What does Buc Night mean to ballhawks? Stay away. Stay far away. Sunday BP's are rare. This is to allow players more time to sleep after a night game. Even when there are Sunday BPs, there is no early entrance for season ticket holders, so you'll likely only see one team hit, if at all. The outfield will be packed, so toss up balls between innings will be terribly tough.
In addition to the $1 tickets fans can buy hot dogs and popcorn for just a buck.
That's not all… Every kid in attendance age 14 or younger will receive a Kids Recycled Cap.
So what tickets are available? The entire upper deck, minus the club level is $1. All outfield box seats are also a $1. The only seats not priced at a $1 are the infield boxes. The Pirates could open those up to be $1 though if they sell out of all other seats. They did it before in the past…
There aren't 2 lower level outfield box seats left together, as tickets are selling fast, but there are still lower level seats in the upper rows of the outfield box seats, as well as outfield reserved seats on the wall. So don't delay!
I bought a bunch of $1 tickets in the lower level in section 131. I was thinking about giving them away as prizes, maybe after all of the $1 tickets are exhausted from the Pirates.
Just thought I'd like to let you know in case there is anyone looking for a cheap game at PNC Park – or in case any entrepreneurs want to make some money by reselling their tickets (like a bunch of others on Stubhub).
There are only 20 more days until Opening Day, and you have until Sunday to win the Sabathia shirt.
And I extended my posting streak to 56 straight. What does Joe Dimaggio have on me? By the way, I just made it by 1 minute. It's 11:59!
2012 Cleveland Indians Season Ticket Design
While at work today, Amy sent me this text:
There's something waiting for you at the door! 🙂
I knew what it was. My Indians season tickets!
I raced home and met Amy and Olivia on the porch, as they were waiting with the tickets. We went inside and I opened the fedEx box. Here were the contents:
The package featured a Day Planner, which was the nicest of the three plans that I received. The Pirates sent out no such planner, the Reds sent a cheap calendar, but the Indians sent a nice bound book.
Inside there is a day by day space for you to plan your days around Indians games. Game dates and TV information is also listed.
The beginning of the planner has 18 pages of information for season ticket holders about their benefits, exchange privileges etc.
Next I looked at the part that is most exciting. The season ticket books. The covers of the books were beautiful, featuring Progressive Field beneath a setting sun.
This cover blows away the Pirates cover, and beats the Reds cover too, in my opinion.
I had high expectations when I opened the Indians ticket book to check out what the tickets themselves look like.
Are you ready to see?
Here's sheet one, games 1-6
And sheet two, games 7-12
The tickets feature Justin Masterson, Shin Shoo Choo, Chris Perez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Manny Acta, Carlos Santana, Travis Hafner, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Grady Sizemore. They then cycle through several more times through game 81.
What do you think of the design?
I think its far too repetitive and boring. I like the idea of featuring players on the tickets. The Pirates and Reds also featured their stars on their tickets. However, the Indians tickets just look bland and plain after you look at them for a bit. All of the player portraits are painted in the exact same style, with the exact same background.
I'm going to go with Reds as the best design, Pirates as second best, and Indians third for 2012 season ticket designs.
You can read about the Reds tickets that I received HERE, and the Pirates 2012 season tickets HERE.
The package also contained a letter from the Director of Season Ticket Sales.
It reads:
Dear Mr Jabs:
The Indians 112th Opening Day as a charter member of the American League is fast approaching and we look forward to having you at Progressive Field for the 2012 season. The Tribe's strong campaign in 2011 positioned us well to achieve our ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland. Our talented young group of players has shown success at the Major League level and has propelled us from a developing team to contenders.
Our commitment to you, our most loyal fans, extends well beyond the field. We are extremely proud of our heritage as one of Cleveland's longest standing institutions and strive every day to live our guiding commitments to create memories, connect generations and celebrate families. Baseball is unique in its ability to produce special moments nearly every day and we strive to foster an environment that celebrates the heritage of the game and the Indians, and gives you superior fan experiences that create a one of a kind, multi-generational memories.
Enclosed please find your Indians Season Ticket Holder Packet of Information which includes:
*Season ticket books
*Club Seat Test Drive Vouchers
*2012 Season Ticket Holder Guide and Planner
*Indians Team Shop Discount Coupons
*Pocket Schedule
*Parking passes
In addition, we have a number of exciting events for 2012 including post-game concerts, Indians Rally Alley Days, Fireworks Shows, Dollar Dog Nights, Kids Fun Days, and more. Also, five bobble head nights and four replica jersey nights are on the calendar, offering the first 15,000 fans through the gates on each of these nights a keepsake of one of their favorite Indians players, past and present.
Last June, we added a dedicated staff to provide you service and maximize your investment in the Cleveland Indians. This season, look to hear from your Client Service Specialist often with updates and invitations to exclusive events. If at any time you have questions related to your season ticket package, please call 216-420-HITS, and we will connect you to your Service Specialist.
We thank you for your support and loyalty.
Go Tribe!
Nick Arndt
Director, Season Ticket Sales.
By the way, if anyone is every going to be at Progressive Field and needs a 20% coupon, let me know – they sent me 12 of them.
So, ticket wise, I'm all ready to go for the 2012 season. I have tickets to every game that I plan on attending except for the games that I'm heading to out West. I'll probably just turn to stubhub for those.
There's only 21 more days until Opening Day. Wow. Also, you have until Sunday to win a CC Sabathia shirt. To enter, all you have to do is comment.
Spring is here in PA!
In Pennsylvania and across the country, records are being set for warmth. It was 77 degrees in Milwaukee today. 81 in Chicago. I checked my phone, it was 73 degrees outside. I asked Amy if she wanted to go hit, she said 'Of course!' We went to a local little league park for 11-12 year olds. Its three fields in one giant space, so there's really no fences to gauge distance or power, but I just wanted to get some swings in.
I was stuck using my new bat, which I hate.
It's BBCore so it acts like a wooden bat rather than my old illegal 34 inch 30 ounce bat that balls flew off of like golf balls. That bat, if you remember, met its death in December of 2011 when it broke while facing minor league pitcher Matt Barnes.
I had brought 17 balls with me to the park, and was focusing on making solid contact.
For the most part, I started terribly. I kept yanking grounders into foul territory.
I guess I could blame the winter months for the rust. Possibly the gym. The bat felt like a wiffle ball bat, so I was out in front of a lot of my self-tosses.
Things came together in my last six swings or so as I started to find my home run swing.
I had one bomb that rolled up the hill behind left field – it was my last hit of round 1.
I had enough energy for another round, but I wanted to make things more interesting, so I headed to right field and hit towards the third base dugout to give myself a fence/target.
I'd say it was only about 275′, so it wasn't too hard to hit some homers.
I had never tried hitting in this area of the field before, but it was fun.
I like putting on a show for Olivia and Amy.
Here's a couple more pics and then we'll wrap this up:
Amy's favorite pic:
My farthest hit:
Check out the 10 day forecast for Pittsburgh:
Who needs spring training when we have Florida weather here now!
What's everyone doing to enjoy this nation wide warmth?
On another note, I organized all of my Reds Season Tickets on my lunch break:
And Pirates tickets.
I tear them all out, put each game in its own envelope and sort them by date and venue.
This helps since I do a lot of exchanges.
Can you believe Opening Day is only 22 days away? And you have until Sunday to win this CC Sabathia shirt!
24 hour Nick Markakis Shirt Trivia Contest
It so nice outside – and the blog that I'm working on will take at least an hour to complete, so I'll save it for another day, and do a quick blog that I can edit easily from my phone. I've decided to give away this Nick Markakis shirt. It's a medium, and I originally bought it for Amy to wear to one of our games during the Opening Week, but it has a small stain on the back. I'm no laundry expert, but a little tide to go should take it right out. Anyway, she's getting a new one, and I'm giving this one away right now!
Here's the front:
The back:
The tags:
The tiny tiny stain:
To win, it's simple:
Get the most points. You earn points by answer questions correctly. The questions can be about anything. Baseball, Ballhawking, Nick Markakis, Me, Random Trivia, etc.
Since most people check my blogs at different times of the day, I decided that it's only fair to leave the contest open for 24 hours. Throughout the next 24 hours, I'll post quick questions from my phone and compile standings from time to time.
Whoever answers correctly first wins. You must comment on this blog to enter. When you answer a question, you MUST put the question number with your answer.
For example: 11. What is my favorite team? You MUST answer: 11. Pittsburgh Pirates
If you don't put the question number, then people's responses will get all jumbled and make it harder for me to sort through to find who's first.
You may think you've answered first, but maybe not – because sometimes I have to approve new commenters' comments. So, a new commenter may answer a question at 5:13pm, and you answer one at 5:14pm – the blog will show you as the first commenter until I approve the other person's comment. At that time, the blog will show the comments in the correct order – with the new commenter winning the question if correct.
Sound confusing? Hopefully not. You may want to look at the comments so you don't waste your time with duplicate answers because whoever is first obviously would get the point.
Here's your questions:
1) What nationality is Nick Markakis?
Greek and American, Paul Ellis
My user handle on this site when I comment is 333greystreet.
2) Where does the 333 come from?
House number of boyhood home
3) Where does greystreet come from?
Dave Matthews Band song, my favorite from 2000-2003ish, Ian Weir
4) Who is my favorite Pittsburgh Pirates player?
Evan Meek, Matt Jackson
5) Where did I meet Amy, the love of my life?
PNC Park! Nick Badders
6) What car part gave me trouble during the 2011 season-especially on a trip to Cleveland?
Radiator, PhilliesWSChamps
7) Who do the Orioles play on Opening Day?
Minnesota Twins, TeenRedsFan
8) I've played catch with 2 major leaguers prior to games. Name the players.
Ramon Troncoso, Sean Gallagher
9) I used the Cleveland stick to snag a game home run off the bat of this former AL MVP.
Justin Morneau, TeenRedsFan
10) I injured my finger by jamming it on a railing while racing Nick in 2011 for a ball hit by what former Pirate?
Xavier Nady, TeenRedsFan
11) I did a book report in 8th grade on the book 'My Favorite Summer 1956'. Who was the book about?
Mickey Mantle, TeenRedsFan
12) Who was my favorite Pirates player when I was growing up?
Andy Van Slyke
13) My ballhawking glove features whose signature in the pocket?
Ryne Sandberg, TeenRedsFan
14) What was the first ever commemorative ball that I snagged?
2006 Futures Ball
15) In my ballfields of PA series, what was the lowest rated field that I visited?
West Field, TeenRedsFan
16) My Oakland Athletics ballhawking shirt is a jersey shirt of this former A's player.
Nick Swisher
17) The first time I saw Dave Matthews Band was in 2000 at this venue.
Three Rivers Stadium, Matt Jackson
18) How many parking tickets have I received during my ballhawking career.
2, in 2007 and 2011
19) What powerful politician lived 2 doors down from me during my freshman year of college?
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
20) Before becoming friends with Nick Pelescak, he and his brother called me by this nickname amongst themselves, since they didn't know my name.
Enemy #1
21) Who did I ballhawk regularly with during the 2008 season at PNC Park?
Andrew McDonald, NYBisons
22) Nick Pelescak broke the single game PNC Park record on a weekday when I was absent for what reason?
Coaching volleyball
23) Who was my guest the first time that I hit on the field at PNC Park as part of my season ticket benefits package?
My dad – 2008
24) Where was my first ever job? (restaurant)
Burger King, NYBisons
25) My dad once had triples of this man in his baseball card collection, so he gave me his 1962 Topps Card. I thought it was awesome. Who was that player?
Stan Musial, TeenRedsFan
26) What was the first year/set that I started collecting in baseball cards?
1989 Topps NY Bisons, Paul Ellis
27) What 1989 Fleer Baseball Card had 'The F-word' on display on the bat knob that the player was holding?
Billy Ripken, NYBisons
28) Nick Markakis hit his first major league home run off of what former Pirates pitcher?
Dan Miceli, TeenRedsFan
29) This long time Pittsburgh ballhawk has snagged 1000 balls over 40 years at Forbes Field, Three Rivers, and PNC Park.
Harold, Ian Weir
30) I've attended 2 games with my brother while ballhawking. What's his name?
Jon Jabs, NY Bisons
31) This Orioles broadcaster committed suicide during the 2011 season.
Mike Flanagan, TeenRedsFan
32) Who is my least favorite Pirates player?
Joel Hanrahan, Mateo Fischer
33) I drove past 2 stadiums that I've never set foot in on other trips during the past 2 years. What are those 2 stadiums?
US Cellular Field, NY Bisons (0.5 pt)
Safeco Field, Seattle (2010 when seeing DMB at the Gorge)
34) Players throw balls into the stands, Dave Matthews flicks pics into the crowd at DMB concerts, but you could also snag this item thrown by Carter Beauford.
Drumstick, NYBisons
35) I've never been crazy in love with Camden Yards like other ballhawks. Perhaps it has something to do with what happened to me 30 seconds after entering the stadium for the first time. What happened?
Badly twisted my ankle, PhilliesWSChamps
36) I got into ballhawking later than most. Things could've been different. When I was 10, I narrowly missed catching a foul ball while sitting past third base off the bat of this San Diego Padre. Had I caught the ball maybe I'd have gotten into ballhawking earlier.
Tony Gwynn
37) I've been buying a few jerseys throughout the offseason. I bought one last week for a colossal discount. A stitched jersey for $19.99? Couldn't pass it up. Whose jersey did I buy?
Prince Fielder
38) Every Wednesday as a kid I would rush home to read what Baseball publication?
Baseball Weekly
39) I once lost my glove while attempting a ridiculously hard to reach ball in the Cleveland bullpen. What Brewers coach graciously returned my glove? (no more difficult glove tricks for me after that episode)
Marcus Hanel
40) What baseball book did Amy get me for Christmas 2010?
Moneyball, NYBisons
41) What team were the Pirates playing when my daughter was born?
Chicago Cubs, NYBisons
42) Who led the majors in home runs the year I was born?
Mike Schmidt 48, PhilliesWSChamps
43) I was at my grandma's house in Connecticut when I received one of the worst kind of news that a kid could get on August 12th 1994. What had happened?
MLB Strike, NY Bisons
44) I don't count Spring Training balls in my career numbers but how many have I snagged?
45) I attended one game at Citizens Bank Park. What historic achievement did the Phillies accomplish in the first inning of that game?
10 Runs in the First, James
46) This Orioles player was one of my favorites when I was growing up, in fact, I had a whole binder dedicated to him filled with all of his baseball cards.
Cal Ripken Jr, NYBisons
47) The first time I attended a Reds game in Cincinnati, I went with my best friend from my childhood. Who was it?
Joe Filipowski, TeenRedsFan
48) Who is the Pittsburgh Ballhawk who was given unrestricted access behind the outfield wall during the 80's and 90's at Three Rivers Stadium and claims to have picked up and kept over 5,000 baseballs?
Baseball Joe, Ian Weir
49) What National News program interviewed me live in the Spring of 2011?
Fox News, NYBisons
50) In my classroom at school I have a life sized poster of what baseball player?
Andrew McCutchen, Connor
51) I snagged a Carlos Santana AA home run baseball at what Minor League Park?
Canal Park, James
52) When I started my blog, how many baseballs had I snagged?
132, NY Bisons
53) What player predicted a 50-50 season for himself in 2012?
Matt Kemp, James
54) What Pirates player face-planted when reacting to the ball off the bat of a home run surrendered by Jo-Jo Reyes during a recent Spring Training game?
Alex Presley, NYBisons
55) I once scaled a building to get a ball. What was that building?
Concession Stand, Connor
56) From 2008-2011 I held season tickets in what section of PNC Park?
Section 327, TeenRedsFan
57) Who hit the longest home run at PNC Park and how many feet?
Sammy Sosa 484′, NY Bisons
58) Zack Hample mentions my name on what page of his book 'The Baseball?'
Page 329, TeenRedsFan
59) When looking for a baseball last season in the grass surrounding the base of trees at Heritage Park, I found this object hidden and immediately turned it over to a supervisor.
A cellphone
60) This Pittsburgh coach has held a grudge against me since catching me switching shirts to the visiting team. He punishes me by throwing Nick a ball every day right in front of me, while ignoring me.
Heberto Andrade, TeenRedsFan
61) This item dropped out of my backpack as I raced towards an Easter Egg in Cleveland in late 2011. I got the ball – an Angels commemorative, but someone stole this item – because it was gone when I went back 30 seconds later.
Cleveland Stick, TeenRedsFans
I apologize that most of my 2009 and 2010 entries are all messed up. When mlblogs converted to WordPress they all got deleted/severely truncated.
Your winner is: NYBisons!
With TeenRedsFan finishing a close second!
Point Standings:
NYBisons 15.5
TeenRedsFan 14
PhilliesWSChamps 3
James 3
Ian Weir 3
Paul Ellis 2
Matt Jackson 2
Connor 2
Nick Badders 1
Mateo Fischer 1
Thanks to all those that played. We'll have to do that again!
I hope the questions weren't too hard. I tried to make a lot of them questions that you would only know if you were a long time blog reader, because many baseball trivia questions are so easy to look up quickly via google.
CC Sabathia Yankees Shirt Giveaway
I'm giving away MLB Stuff every week on this blog to reward my readers.
I've given away a Matt Wieters shirt to Joey Orr,
a Brandon Phillips shirt to Matt Jackson,
a Dustin Pedroia shirt to Stephen D,
a Phillies shirt to Connor,
a Dodgers shirt to Matt Jackson,
and this Ryan Zimmerman shirt to Big Brown Fox.
This week, I'm giving away this CC Sabathia shirt:
It's has the NY logo on the front:
And costs $25 – it still has the tags!
Sabathia is the Yankees best starter, and has been for the past couple years. I'll never forget the one hitter he threw against the Pirates back in August of 2008. The only hit was a swinging bunt off the bat of Andy LaRoche. Sabathia fielded the ball, but threw it away. If fielded cleanly, LaRoche surely would've been out. However, the official scorer awarded a hit rather than an error, thereby robbing me of seeing a no hitter. I still have never seen a no hitter in person.
Anyway, since joining the Yankees, Sabathia has had 19, 21, and 19 win seasons. He's thrown at least 230 innings in each season with the Yankees. He's struck out at least 197 in each of his 3 seasons with the Yankees, and posted ERA's between 3.00 and 3.37 over those 3 seasons. Statistically, its amazing to see how consistent he's been.
Now you can own a jersey shirt of his!
Here's how you win the shirt:
I post blog entries every day. All you have to do is leave a comment or retweet my blog link on twitter.
So, again, to enter:
1) Leave a comment.
You can enter up to seven times per week simply by leaving a comment. Non-pertinent, spam, or inappropriate comments will not be accepted. If you comment multiple times on the same blog entry, it still counts as one entry. For example, if you commented on three different blog posts from this week, you'd have three entries. If you'd comment three times on the same blog posting, it would could as one.
2) Retweet (RT) my posts on Twitter
You can find me on twitter under 333greystreet. Simply retweet my daily posts of my blog link and I'll count that as an entry. My blog is connected to my twitter so that I automatically tweet once I post a new entry. Each day, I'll search who's retweeted me and enter those users into a hat along with the commenters. By the way, you do not need to retweet my every tweet, only the tweets that announce a new blog post and url. For example, if I tweeted, 'Rerun of the Pirates Opening Day 2011 on tonight,' if you retweeted it, it wouldn't count as an entry.
At the end of the week on Sunday, I'll have Olivia, Amy or myself choose a name from a hat and announce the winner.
There's only 24 more days until Opening Day!
Ryan Zimmerman Shirt Winner
It's time to announce the winner. In what Amy called the worst idea for picking a winner ever (due to the set up and clean up process), the winner is…
Here's your past winners:
I've given away a Matt Wieters shirt to Joey Orr,
a Brandon Phillips shirt to Matt Jackson,
a Dustin Pedroia shirt to Stephen D,
a Phillies shirt to Connor,
and this Dodgers shirt shirt to Matt Jackson
Check back tomorrow for our next giveaway.
25 more days until Opening Day!
2012 NL Central Predictions & Preview
Today, I've decided to focus on probably the hardest division to predict. In case you missed my division previews, you can read my AL East Preview, AL Central Preview, AL West and NL East preview by clicking on the links provided.
I've used the Major League Baseball Yearbook magazine to provide the statistical projects.
Here's how I think the Central will end up:
1st place: Cincinnati Reds (My prediction 90-72)
This pick may surprise a lot of people as many national publications list the Reds as the third best team in their division. The Reds were great in 2010, but stumbled in 2011.
Devin Mesoraco is a strong candidate for NL Rookie of the Year. He's been a major offensive threat in the minor leagues, hitting .302 with 26 homers in 2010, and .289 with 15 homers and 36 doubles last year.
Joey Votto is one of the best players in the game and is a candidate to be extended by the Reds, although it would likely take a $100 million+ commitment. He led the league in walks and Is a career .313 hitter. Votto has never hit less than 24 homers in a full season. He led the NL in doubles last season. He's a beast. He's 'Votto-matic.'
Brandon Phillips is one of the best second basemen in the league. He is a gold glove fielder and a major offensive threat with power and speed. Phillips is a complete player.
Scott Rolen is a veteran third baseman that has been unpredictable the last few seasons. He had poor seasons in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2011 – but had good seasons in 2006 with 22 homers and 2010 with 20 homers. Which Rolen will show up in 2012? It will be rather important to the Reds season. Rolen also plays a solid third base, winning eight gold gloves in his career.
At shortstop, the Reds will give youngster Zack Cozart the chance to establish himself as a starter.
The outfield is anchored by Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs and Chris Heisey. All three have moderate-good power although their averages are suspect.
Jay Bruce is the big bat of the group, and will be a middle of the order force.
Drew Stubbs is a speedster, but struck out over 200 times last year.
The Reds offense is slightly better that the Cardinals, but their rotation is slightly worse than the Red Birds. The Reds have Johnny Cueto at the top of the rotation. He was great last year, posting a 2.31 ERA.
Walt Jocketty traded for Mat Latos to be another front line starter in the rotation. It will be interesting to see how well Latos does away from cavernous Petco Park. Great American Park is a bit of a bandbox, where the ball has been known to carry well.
Mike Leake and Hoemr Bailey are slightly above average, and Bronson Arroyo is average.
I like the backend of the Reds bullpen. Ryan Madson proved himself as a closer in Philadelphia and will shut the door for the Reds this year.
The Reds also have Aroldis Chapman, Sean Marshall and Logan Ondrusek to set up Madson. Not too shabby at all.
Most people are picking the Cardinals or Brewers as the division champs, but I'm telling you, its going to be the Reds. They are going to the playoffs, and hopefully to the World Series. If that happens, I'll be at my first ever World Series game as a season ticket holder.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C Devin Mesoraco .244-16-50
1B Joey Votto .310-31-103
2B Brandon Phillips .294-18-76
3B Scott Rolen .265-14-76
SS Zack Cozart .274-12-50
LF Chris Heisey .256-20-55
CF Drew Stubbs .246-16-60
RF Jay Bruce .258-28-86
SP Johnny Cueto 10-6, 3.08 ERA, 167 IP, 119 K
SP Mat Latos 15-10, 3.71 ERA, 196 IP, 191 K
SP Bronson Arroyo 12-11, 4.43 ERA, 205 IP, 112 K
SP Homer Bailey 17-12, 4.02 ERA, 210 IP, 190 K
SP Mike Leake 15-9, 3.67 ERA, 208 IP, 152 K
RP Ryan Madson 2.56 ERA, 27 SV, 59 IP, 64 K
RP Logan Ondrusek 3.44 ERA, 16 SV, 65 IP, 43 K
RP Sean Marshall 2.62 ERA, 3 SV, 76 IP, 81 K
2nd place: St Louis Cardinals (My prediction 88-74)
The Cardinals won the World Series last year after sneaking into the playoffs by winning the wild card after the Braves collapsed in September. They lost Albert Pujols to free agency, and are getting back Adam Wainwright from injury. I think that the Cardinals probably have the best pitching staff in the division, but I'm not completely sold on their offense.
Yadier Molina just signed a $75 million contract. He's probably the best overall catcher in the division, and hit .300 last year with some power.
Ok, Lance Berkman had the best season that's he's had in awhile in 2011. He's 36 though this year. I think Berkman will have a good year, but not nearly what he did in 2011. Prove me wrong Lance.
Up the middle, the Cardinals have Daniel Descalso, who hasn't exactly proven himself as a major leaguer, and Rafael Furcal, who is an aging veteran.
David Freese looks to be a superstar in the making at third base. He reminds me of a young David Wright. His heroics in the postseason will be talked about for years. However, the Cardinals infield just isn't as good as the Reds.
The Cardinals outfield is better than the Reds, but not by much. Allen Craig will get more playing time in 2012 than last year,
Carlos Beltran will try to prove that he's not an aging veteran, although he is. Personally, I hate Beltran for snubbing the Indians free agent offer this offseason, as well as nixing a trade to Pittsburgh last year.
Matt Holliday had a bit of a down year last year, only hitting 22 homers, but he still made the All Star team.
The Cardinals rotation is the best in the National League Central. Chris Carpenter is the ace of the staff. However, he threw 276 innings between the regular season and post season in 2011 and could be headed towards an injury riddled season, or at least a sub par season by his standards.
Adam Wainwright was a Cy Young caliber pitcher before he had surgery prior to the 2011 season. I think he'll still be effective – but as effective as he was in 2010 when he was 20-11? Probably not.
Jamie Garcia is a quality #3 starter and proved himself in 2011, winning 13 games while posting a 3.56 ERA.
However, Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook are just average.
At the back end of the bullpen, the Cardinals have Jason Motte, possibly the biggest a**hole I've ever witnessed in batting practice.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C Yadier Molina .300-12-64
1B Lance Berkman .290-26-87
2B Daniel Descalso .267-6-46
3B David Freese .292-20-100
SS Rafael Furcal .241-8-41
LF Allen Craig .292-17-55
CF Carlos Beltran .299-17-65
RF Matt Holliday .298-26-94
SP Chris Carpenter 15-8, 3.22 ERA, 229 IP, 182 K
SP Adam Wainwright 16-8, 3.15 ERA, 214 IP, 182 K
SP Jaime Garcia 13-8, 3.34 ERA, 181 IP, 144 K
SP Kyle Lohse 12-10, 3.99 ERA, 183 IP, 111 K
SP Jake Westbrook 11-9, 4.35 ERA, 172 IP, 110 K
RP Jason Motte 2.23 ERA, 30 SV, 69 IP, 58 K
RP Fernando Salas 4.73 ERA, 4 SV, 72 IP, 72 K
3rd place: Milwaukee Brewers (My prediction 85-77)
The Brewers lost the heart of their order when they lost Prince Fielder to free agency. Fielder provided protection in the lineup for Ryan Braun, who saw a lot more pitches with Fielder looming behind him. His loss will be large. The Brewers picked up an aging veteran in Aramis Ramirez, who could conceivably still have a good season or two left in him, but he's no Prince Fielder. The Brewers also acquired Jose Veras from the Pirates. It won't be long until Brewers fans are taking anxiety meds every time Veras takes the mound. Trust me – you'll see what I mean.
Jonathan Lucroy is an above average catcher, belting 12 homers last year. Personally, I like him, having caught one of his foul balls on the fly in 2010.
The big hole in the Brewers line up will be at first base. Losing Prince Fielder hurts. Mat Gamel should finally get a chance to show what he can do. He could be acceptable, but he'll be no Prince Fielder.
Rickie Weeks is awesome. We could argue all night about if Weeks is better than the Reds' Brandon Phillips – it's a pretty good argument. The Brewers though have a star at second. Weeks clubbed 20 homers last year.
Third base this year features Aramis Ramirez. Ramirez was brought in to help make up for some of the offense that the Brewers lost when Fielder departed. Ramirez is in his mid 30's now, and hasn't hit over 30 homers since 2006. He's good, but I hope Brewers fans are expected 40 homers out of him.
At shortstop, Alex Gonzalez will be average.
All eyes will be on Ryan Braun throughout 2012. Most people will watch to see how Braun follows up his MVP season. Braun tested positive for performance enhancers at the end of the 2011 season, but won his appeal on a technicality and won't face a suspension. I think his numbers will drop off this season. He won't have Fielder hitting behind him. He'll be booed and taunted mercilessly at all road games. He'll have immense pressure on him from the media. It will affect his play on the field.
Nyjer Morgan, an ex-Pirate, will continue to rub the opposing team the wrong way. He plays will a lot of intensity though, which is why Brewers fans love him. I'm predicting at least one bench clearing brawl incited by Morgan in 2012.
Corey Hart will play right. He'll miss a few weeks in spring training to have his knee cleaned up, but otherwise he'll be ok to go for 2012. He's got some pop, clubbing 26 homers in 2011.
The Brewers rotation put up decent numbers in 2011, with Yovani Gallardo, Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and Randy Wolf all posting sub 4.00 ERAs. I like Gallardo and Greinke's chances on repeated success in 2012, but I'm not sure about Marcum or Wolf. I think they'll be slightly above average this year. Marcum had some trouble in the playoffs and seemed very hittable.
The Brewers back end of the bullpen is the best in the division. They've got John Axford to slam the door shut at the end of the game.
Francisco Rodriguez will set him up.
The Brewers will compete for the division title. It's going to be a logjam at the top of the division between the Reds, Cardinals, and Brewers.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C Jonathan Lucroy .260-11-54
1B Mat Gamel .262-15-78
2B Rickie Weeks .267-25-96
3B Aramis Ramirez .295-29-102
SS Alex Gonzalez .245-16-62
LF Ryan Braun .322-22-75
CF Nyjer Morgan .289-3-40
RF Corey Hart .284-29-77
SP Yovani Gallardo 15-9, 3.61 ERA, 194 IP, 204 K
SP Zack Greinke 18-9, 3.62 ERA, 197 IP, 224 K
SP Shaun Marcum 12-7, 3.59 ERA, 191 IP, 152 K
SP Randy Wolf 13-10, 3.80 ERA, 211 IP, 123 K
SP Chris Narveson 11-8, 4.60 ERA, 157 IP, 123 K
RP John Axford 2.00 ERA, 38 SV, 68 IP, 81 K
RP Francisco Rodriguez 2.35 ERA, 8 SV, 65 IP, 73 K
4th place: Pittsburgh Pirates (My prediction 81-81)
You can read my Pittsburgh Pirates preview here. I did it separately because it ended up being such a long preview.
5th place: Chicago Cubs (My prediction 68-92)
I think the Cubs are going to be pretty bad. They have a new manager in Dale Sveum, and added Theo Epstein to the front office, but they don't play the games. It all comes down to the talent on the field.
Geovany Soto is above average. He's got some good power, although he struggled at the plate often last year, hitting just .228.
Bryan LaHair replaces Carlos Pena at first base. He's a young prospect and will get a chance for the rebuilding Cubs.
Darwin Barney is a prototypical second baseman, he's a decent fielder, but has almost no power.
His double play partner, Starlin Castro, is the Cubs best offensive threat. He was charged with assaulting a girl though during the offseason, which could cause him to lose focus this season.
The Cubs have to plug another hole at third base, having lost Aramis Ramirez to free agency. They'll likely do it with Ian Stewart or Jeff Baker, who aren't nearly the players that Ramirez is.
In the outfield, it looks like the Cubs will run out Alfonso Soriano, who had 26 bombs last year, but only hit .244,
and Marlon Byrd – a solid player offensively,
and David DeJesus, who had a bit of a down year last year, hitting just .240 with 10 homers.
The Cubs offense is below average to say the least. Without Pena and Ramirez, its lost much of its punch.
The rotation is anchored by Matt Garza.
Behind him though, there's Ryan Dempster, Randy Wells, Travis Wood, and Chris Volstad. I'd classify all of them as average.
Carlos Marmol of course is the closer. He's got one of the most devasting sliders in the game, and will strike out a ton of guys.
The Central is a tale of two classes. We have the Reds, Cardinals, and Brewers, who should be lumped up at the top of the division, and the Pirates, Cubs, and Astros that will battle it out for 4th. I don't really see any justification to put the Cubs ahead of the Pirates though. Hell, they could lose 100 games. Although, not having Carlos Zambrano around will be a huge plus. I'd vote for him as the worst teammate in baseball. He's the Marlins problem now.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C Geovany Soto .238-20-64
1B Bryan LaHair .260-15-50
2B Darwin Barney .269-1-25
3B Ian Steward .233-8-32
SS Starlin Castro .316-12-60
LF Alfonso Soriano .243-27-91
CF Marlon Byrd .277-11-47
RF David DeJesus .262-11-53
SP Ryan Dempster 12-13, 4.32 ERA, 204 IP, 193 K
SP Matt Garza 15-10, 3.48 ERA, 202 IP, 180 K
SP Chris Volstad 13-10, 4.51 ERA, 194 IP, 129 K
SP Randy Wells 10-9, 4.35 ERA, 163 IP, 107 K
SP Travis Wood 10-9, 4.16 ERA, 175 IP, 134 K
RP Carlos Marmol 3.63 ERA, 33 SV, 74 IP, 100 K
RP Jeff Samardzija 4.76 ERA, 0 SV, 74 IP, 67 K
6th Place: Houston Astros (My prediction: 57-105)
The Astros are in the middle of a massive rebuilding process. They lost 106 games last year, and likely will struggle through the season again.
I don't even feel comfortable offering comments on any of these guys. Most of them would still be in AA or AAA if not for the Astros needing bodies to fill out a 25 man roster at the major league level.
Veterans Carlos Lee
and Wandy Rodriguez could serve as trade bait at the trading deadline if they perform well.
It'll also be interesting to see how JA Happ, the center piece of the Roy Oswalt deal, does. I always expected him to become a pretty decent starter, but he was horrible last year.
Do you think the Astros will lose more games in 2012 than last year? I mean, at least last year they had Hunter Pence for half the season.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C Jason Castro .252-7-54
1B Carlos Lee .272-20-93
2B Jose Altuve .287-4-49
3B Jimmy Paredes .266-5-43
SS Jed Lowrie .251-11-52
LF JD Martinez .287-15-88
CF Jordan Schafer .244-3-22
RF Brian Bogusevic .267-10-40
SP Wandy Rodriguez 11-11, 3.46 ERA, 192 IP, 173
SP Brett Myers 10-11, 3.91 ERA, 214 IP, 165 K (however, projects as a closer)
SP Bud Norris 7-11, 4.03 ERA, 176 IP, 170 K
SP JA Happ 10-12, 4.48 ERA, 167 IP, 137 K
SP Jordan Lyles 10-10, 4.58 ERA, 173 IP, 128 K
RP Juan Abreu 3.03 ERA, 26 SV, 59 IP, 75 K
RP Wilton Lopez 3.02 ERA, 0 SV, 63 IP, 47 K
So, to wrap it up, I have the
Agree or disagree?
How do you think they'll finish?
There's just 26 days until Opening Day, and tomorrow (Sunday) you can win this Ryan Zimmerman shirt.
MLB At Bat '12 = Best App Ever
I've had a subscription to MLB.tv for several years now. It allows me to watch tons of games (although I never really do because I attend so many) and also it lets me go back and re-watch plays unfold of games I was at. Did a home run sail over my head in a game? If so, I can go back and check the tape and find myself.
This year, those users who buy MLB.tv also get the At Bat '12 app for free. It's worth it. Trust me. It's the greatest app ever.
Here's a little bit of what it can do.
First, the app asks you to identify your favorite team. Every time you log in, you get this screen first.
You can quickly check the score of your favorite team, look at a schedule, buy tickets, etc. Click on schedule and you can view all of the recent scores from any game of your choosing, or check out what teams are coming up next.
There's also a news tab at the bottom that allows you to keep up on every little thing that happens:
Want highlights? MLB At Bat has video highlights:
Believe it or not you can also buy tickets with a couple of taps of your finger on your phone:
You'll never need to open another slow internet browser page on your phone again. Everything can be done on the At Bat 12 app.
One of my favorite features is the roster. It usually takes me at least 15 minutes prior to a series to make a roster. I have to find the current 25 man roster, copy and paste. Then go through and get a picture of each player that I don't recognize, which can be a lot if its a team that's not from the NL Central Division that I see often, such as the Royals. Anyhow, the MLB At Bat '12 Roster tab brings up an alphabetized list of the players which is also sortable by position. Most useful is that the roster also includes the player's number and a face picture!
I use At Bat mostly for checking the scores of games. I can quickly see what the scores are and check box scores in the blink of an eye.
But I can also check league leaders
and standings.
I also like the ability to see all of a particular day's games. It will make looking for a day game after a day game much easier (since day after day games likely have batting practice).
If you aren't able to watch a game on your phone because you're driving, you can listen to the game easily. And you can choose the home or away feed. I usually use this feature when driving home from another stadium to Pittsburgh to check in on the Pirates.
Lastly, the coolest part of the app is watching live games. You get the same feed that everyone else would be seeing on TV:
In amazing quality:
I'm watching the Pirates take on the Red Sox right now:
It's amazing to think all this is done on a cell phone. Who even needs a computer anymore?
While watching games, you can click the line score in the top right of the screen to bring a drop down box of other games that you can scroll through to check other scores, without ever leaving the game:
You can do the same thing with a transparent box score to see how each player is doing in the game, and you never have to leave the video feed.
If you don't have MLB.tv and At Bat '12, I'd highly recommend that you do. If you're a big baseball fan you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!
Does anyone else love this app? Or are there other great baseball apps you use throughout the season?
There's only 27 more days til Opening Day, and you have 3 more days (Sunday night) to win this Ryan Zimmerman shirt.
MLB Fan Cave Finalists Announced
Last month, I reviewed the top 50 MLB Fan Cave Finalists, and wrote what I thought about each one. You can see that post here.
Today, MLB unveiled the winners. Last season it was two people who inhabited the fan cave – this season it will be nine.
The winners are:
I found Ashley's video to be boring, Benjamin's video to be okay, but not superior, and Lindsay's video to be dull.
Shaun's video was boring and monotone, Gordon's video was annoying with a God-awful rap song, and Ricardo Marquez was actually funny, which is why he made my top 10.
Ricky Mast also made my top 10 – the guy was funny and collects baseball cards. Eddie came off as super passionate, but almost seemed desperate in his video. Kyle was creative in his video, altering the lyrics to 'Like a Boss' to 'In the fancave,' which became annoying after awhile.
I ranked the finalists as to who I thought were the funniest and would be the best for the Fan Cave.
So only two of my top 10 made it.
I'm not sure why they have chosen 9 winners, rather than one winner and a wingman. What's wrong with having Ricardo by the winner and Ricky his wingman?
With 9 people it will seem like a reality show.
I don't get the MLB Network because I have basic cable, so I probably won't see many of the characters throughout the season, but when thinking about a baseball reality show, my mind started to wander.
If the MLB wanted some more programming for the baseball season, I've got some reality shows for them:
Meet the Ballhawks: A show that would chronicle the ballhawking seasons of several ballhawks and their race to be the top ballhawk on mygameballs. It would show the near misses of home runs, the circus catches during BP, interactions with the players, etc. I think it would be really interesting.
Juiced: Put Jose Canseco in a house with players that he threw under the bus in his book 'Juiced,' and make them coexist. Canseco, by the way, was kicked out of the Mexican League today for taking testosterone. If you follow him on twitter, you probably saw a flurry of crazy tweets from Canseco challenging his 'haters' to MMA fights, etc.
Keeping the Dream Alive: Follow former major league players such as Armando Benitez as they continue to play baseball far away from the spotlight in lowly independent leagues. By the way, besides Benitez, what other players have turned to independent ball after the majors. I know there's got to be a bunch.
Any other ideas?
Will anyone else be visiting the Fan Cave website to watch the winners throughout the season? I probably won't, I got interested in the whole Fan Cave thing when fellow ballhawk Zack Hample applied, and I figured he would be a shoo-in.
That's all for today folks, time to watch the Office, run five miles, and play MLB the show for the rest of the evening.
There's only 28 days until Opening Day, and you have until Sunday to win this Ryan Zimmerman shirt.
Ryan Zimmerman Nationals Jersey Shirt Giveaway
Recently, the Nationals made news when they signed Ryan Zimmerman to a $100 million, six year contract extension that runs through 2019. The deal featured a full no trade clause, and made him the highest paid third baseman in the game behind Alex Rodriguez.
I'm giving away a shirt each week as we head to opening day.
To date, I've given away away a Matt Wieters shirt to Joey Orr,
a Brandon Phillips shirt to Matt Jackson,
a Dustin Pedroia shirt to Stephen D,
a Phillies shirt to Connor,
and this Dodgers shirt shirt to Matt Jackson.
This week, I'm giving away this Ryan Zimmerman shirt:
It says Nationals across the chest:
And has Zimmerman's name and number on the back.
A great shirt for a Nats fan, or for a ballhawk that might want to throw this on when the Nationals are taking BP to get a few balls tossed their way. (If you're in Pittsburgh, that would be early Mat when the Nationals visit PNC Park).
The winner can choose their shirt in a Medium, Large, or 2XL.
With the option, the contract will keep Zimmerman in a Nationals uniform through 2020, his age 35 season. What does everyone think of the contract? Too much?
The Nationals handed out a $126 million, 7 year deal to Jayson Werth, and it turned out to be disastrous after only one year. Werth is a mere shadow of the player he was before signing the deal. Hopefully Zimmerman doesn't become injured or just fade – because that would seriously hinder the Nationals ability to compete for the next six years. The Nats are going to need to come up with big time cash to keep Stephen Strasburg in a few years, and will probably want to lock up Bryce Harper too.
By the way, here's how you win the shirt:
I post blog entries every day. All you have to do is leave a comment or retweet my blog link on twitter.
So, again, to enter:
1) Leave a comment.
You can enter up to seven times per week simply by leaving a comment. Non-pertinent, spam, or inappropriate comments will not be accepted. If you comment multiple times on the same blog entry, it still counts as one entry. For example, if you commented on three different blog posts from this week, you'd have three entries. If you'd comment three times on the same blog posting, it would could as one.
2) Retweet (RT) my posts on Twitter
You can find me on twitter under 333greystreet. Simply retweet my daily posts of my blog link and I'll count that as an entry. My blog is connected to my twitter so that I automatically tweet once I post a new entry. Each day, I'll search who's retweeted me and enter those users into a hat along with the commenters. By the way, you do not need to retweet my every tweet, only the tweets that announce a new blog post and url. For example, if I tweeted, 'Rerun of the Pirates Opening Day 2011 on tonight,' if you retweeted it, it wouldn't count as an entry.
At the end of the week on Sunday, I'll have Olivia, Amy or myself choose a name from a hat and announce the winner.
Good luck!
It's been a busy day around here with more season tickets arriving, buying MLB The Show 2012, and keeping up with spring training box scores!
There's only 30 more days until Opening Day!


text:
FOR RELEASE: 09:00 am (EDT) August 31, 2011
Donna Weaver / Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
410-338-4493 / 410-338-4514
email@example.com / firstname.lastname@example.com
Jade Boyd
Rice University, Houston, Texas
Patrick Hartigan
Rice University, Houston, Texas
RELEASE: STScI-PR11-20
Hubble Movies Provide Unprecedented View of Supersonic Jets From Young Stars
New movies created from years of still images collected by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope provide new details about the stellar birthing process, showing energetic jets of glowing gas ejected from young stars in unprecedented detail.
The jets are a byproduct of gas accretion around newly forming stars and shoot off at supersonic speeds of about 100 miles per second in opposite directions through space.
These phenomena are providing clues about the final stages of a star's birth, offering a peek at how our Sun came into existence 4.5 billion years ago.
Hubble's unique sharpness allows astronomers to see changes in the jets over just a few years' time. Most astronomical processes change over timescales that are much longer than a human lifetime.
A team of scientists led by astronomer Patrick Hartigan of Rice University in Houston, Texas, collected enough high-resolution Hubble images over a 14-year period to stitch together time-lapse movies of the jets ejected from three young stars.
Never-before-seen details in the jets' structure include knots of gas brightening and dimming over time and collisions between fast-moving and slow-moving material, creating glowing arrowhead features. The twin jets are not ejected in a steady stream, like water flowing from a garden hose. Instead, they are launched sporadically in clumps. The beaded-jet structure might be like a "ticker tape," recording how material episodically fell onto the star.
"For the first time we can actually observe how these jets interact with their surroundings by watching these time-lapse movies," said Hartigan. "Those interactions tell us how young stars influence the environments out of which they form. With movies like these, we can now compare observations of the jets with those produced by computer simulations and laboratory experiments to see what aspects of the interactions we understand and what parts we don't understand."
Jets are an active, short-lived phase of star formation, lasting only about 100,000 years. Astronomers don't know precisely what role jets play in the star-formation process or exactly how the star unleashes them. The jets appear to work in concert with magnetic fields. This helps bleed excess angular momentum from infalling material that is swirling rapidly. Once the material slows down it feeds the growing protostar, allowing it to fully condense into a mature star.
Hartigan and his colleagues used the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 to study the jets, called Herbig-Haro (HH) objects, named in honor of George Herbig and Guillermo Haro, who studied the outflows in the 1950s. Hubble followed HH 1, HH 2, HH 34, HH 46, and HH 47 over three epochs, 1994, 1998, and 2008.
The team used computer software that wove together the observations to generate movies showing continuous motion.
"Taken together, our results paint a picture of jets as remarkably diverse objects that undergo highly structured interactions both within the material in the outflow and between the jet and the surrounding gas," Hartigan explained. "This contrasts with the bulk of the existing simulations, many of which depict jets as smooth systems."
Hartigan's team's results appeared in the July 20, 2011 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.
For images and more information about these results, visit:


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KEF M200 Hi-Fi In-Ear Headphones, Aluminum/Black
" I purchased these earphones a couple of weeks ago and have had the urge to write a review. However, I needed too make sure that they were fully "burned" and used in different environments to see how they performed before taking the plunge. This is my first ever headphone review, so please bear with me - I can't say that I know all the right terms or generate scientific diagrams and..." --mcook1970
Phillips SHN2500: Active Noise Canceling Earbuds
Philips Noise cancel earbuds active noise reduction cuts out the background noise that spoils the listening pleasure and delivers pure sound on the move. Slip in these comfortable noise-canceling earbud headphones and let the outside world melt away. These earbuds combine high-quality sound with cutting-edge, 10-db noise-reduction technology. Planes, trains and busy offices fade out as the...


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Take a picture; it'll last longer!
After months of anticipation, my calendar informed that the Allyson Whitney Foundation (www.allysonwhitney.org) 5k run/walk was about to commence and I arrived early at Kauneonga Lake to set up my equipment (I mean remember to turn it on) and prepare to get some action shots as 880 registrants and more than 150 volunteers showed up for the third annual fundraiser, dedicated to Allyson. Founded to "empower and fight for the interests of young adults with rare cancers," the organization provides "emotional and financial support to patients in order to ease their financial burden so that they can concentrate their energy on healing."
Since I'm living proof that anyone can take a decent picture, I wasn't surprised to see social media playing a huge part in the event, which raised over $70,000, and everywhere I looked, folks were taking "selfies," tweeting, (@allyson4rare) and posting pics to Facebook and Instagram (instagram/allyson4rare) as the incredibly successful day unfolded. Using the hashtag #awf5k, a few hundred photos popped up on Instagram in real time, while I took sixteen hundred pics. I've posted some of them (Thanks, Ansel!) to our own social media page (www.Facebook.com/theriverreporter) for sharing, tagging and reliving the day. A real photographer, the incomparable Michael Bloom, (www.michaelbloomphoto.com) created the AWF photo-calendar (May-to-May, in honor of Ally) with graphic designer Bobbi Jo McCauley (www.bobbijomccauley.com), which is available now. Purchasing one supports the cause and is a good example of what genuine talent can accomplish, so I heartily recommend snagging one, before they're gone.


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Chemistry and Biochemistry's Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium
Thu, 21 Mar 2013 2:15 PM - 5:15 PM
2:15-5:15 p.m.
Oral Session I
(2:15-4 p.m.), Room 259, ISAT/CS Building
Poster Session (4:15-5:15 p.m.) in Physics-Chemistry Building lobby
The first day of the two-day event highlights undergraduate research. For details and full schedule see http://www.jmu.edu/chemistry/38ssymposium.shtml. Free.


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Casual Bermuda Shorts
Style: 570109039
Out of Stock
Crafted from smoothing stretch cotton and rhinestone touches, these flat-front shorts deliver a flawless fit— putting it at the top of our can't-live-without-it list.
- Sits just below the waist.
- Center front button shank with zip fly closure.
- Belt loops.
- Rolled hem. Welt pockets.
- Side patch pockets with silvertone zipper pull
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RUSH: Barack Obama was on our San Antonio EIB affiliate WOAI with anchor Jim Forsyth. Forsyth said, "Senator Obama, what's your feeling on this picture incident," where you're dressed up out there like Bin Laden, "and politics like this?"
OBAMA: I think the American people are saddened when they see this kind of politics. Everybody knows that whether it's me, or Senator Clinton, or Bill Clinton, that when you travel to other countries, oftentimes they ask you to, you know, try on a traditional, uhh, garb that has been given as a gift. Uh, the notion that the Clinton campaign would be trying to circulate this, um, as a negative, uh, on the same day that, you know, Senator Clinton was scheduled to make a speech about how we repair our relationships around the world, uh, I think is sad.
RUSH: We turn now to the Official EIB Obama Criticizer, Bo Snerdley.
SNERDLEY: This is Bo Snerdley, Official EIB Barack Criticizer, African-American, certified black guy, black enough to criticize. I have a statement: "Senator Obama, your reaction to the release of the picture showing you in native garb with your extended family in Africa was...regretful. While the motives of the Clinton camp in disseminating the image are clear, your response was baffling. Instead of acting wounded, whining, and like you're ashamed of the photo in the first place; it would have been wiser for you to take pride in the photo. Explain that world leaders, such as yourself, often wear the traditional garb when you visit foreign lands -- especially if you're visiting your family! You could have also dug up the pictures of both Bill and Hillary Clinton attired in similar African garb while they were pretending to be the black president and first lady. Bad form, Mr. Obama. You need to develop a much thicker skin, and not fall for Clinton tricks."
Now, the translation for EIB brothers and sisters in the hood. "Yo, oh! What's up with you acting dissed when they only rolled out a shot of you with your African garb. Yo! You were in the mother land with the peeps. That was lame, yo! These are your peeps. You were stylin'. Instead of acting dissed, you shoulda rolled out large and told Clinton and everybody else what was up. This is what the big dogs do, yo, not like Bill faking it, putting on some kente cloth when he goes to Africa, then forgetting all about the home boys when he comes back home. Like that. You shoulda also told Hillary: 'Yo, baby, maybe if you dress up in some costumes and get out of that bumblebee outfit, you might keep your man at home for a change.' Okay? You feel me? Don't fall for Clinton 'trickinology,' bro." That concludes this statement.
RUSH: That's Official Obama Criticizer Bo Snerdley, ladies and gentlemen, here at the EIB Network. Bill Clinton also wanted to weigh in today...
(playing of Bill Clinton spoof)
(playing of Obama Hope spoof)


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Boy, it's hard for our comically-bad state legislators to get good help these days.
The Rockford Register Star is reporting today that a 420-word guest column from state Rep. Charles Jefferson urging state regulators to reverse an electric rate cut was in fact written by – drum roll please – ComEd.
I don't think this kind of thing really surprises anyone in Illinois, Land of Corruption. I mean, I've won many a journalism award exposing just how much of the McHenry County Department of Health's "study" of McCullom Lake brain cancer cases came courtesy of the chemical company accused in 33 lawsuits of causing them (stories here and here).
But it's how Jefferson, D-ComEd, got found out that stood out and gave me a chuckle. Did it involve filing a Freedom of Information Act request or sifting through musty old records? Nope.
The email in which the column was sent accidentally contained text from previous replies showing that it originated with ComEd.
"Attached for Rep. Jefferson's review is draft content for an opinion/editorial piece to submit to the Rockford Register Star today," the Sept. 27 email from a senior ComEd spokesperson to Jefferson's legislative aide. "Providing that Rep. Jefferson agrees with the content, please submit directly to the Register Star at your earliest possible convenience."
The column urges the Illinois Commerce Commission to reverse its decision to cut energy delivery rates by about $168 million, which ComEd/Jefferson says will impede the company's smart-grid modernization plan.
Campaign finance disclosures filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections reveal that Jefferson since 2009 has received more than $24,000 from ComEd, parent company Exelon, and downstate energy provider Ameren, the Register Star reported.
I'm beginning to think former Minnesota governor and full-time conspiracy theorist Jesse Ventura may have been on to something when he suggested that politicians should wear NASCAR jumpsuits with the ads stitched on them so we can see with a glance who owns them.
In the case of our health department, its connections with chemical manufacturer Rohm and Haas took a little bit more work than an ill-conceived email. While department officials clearly labeled pollution maps as having come from the company, it took FOIA requests and the court deposition of the former county epidemiologist to reveal that health officials held a secret meeting with company executives, who got to review the department's all-clear before it was shown to the County Board and the public.
The news outraged many McCullom Lake residents and the village president. County leaders (and the the county Good Ol' Boys Network that shields the faithful), not so much.
Senior Writer Kevin Craver can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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By Judy Sedbrook, Colorado Master GardenerSM, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, Denver County
The European earwig is the most common of the species. It is an elongated, flat insect, reddish-brown to black in color, and 1/2 to 1 1/4 inches in length. The earwig is easily identified by forceps-like appendages (cerci) found at the base of its abdomen. These forceps are used primarily for defense and during courtship. The name "earwig" originated from the widespread superstition that the insects purposely crawl into the ears of sleeping persons and bore into their brains. In fact, other than an occasional pinch, earwigs can't harm people.
Earwigs are primarily scavengers of dead insects and rotted plant materials but may also feed on live plants. They are a natural enemy of some mites and aphids. Earwigs can become a problem in the garden, feeding on the roots and leaves of flowers, vegetables and shrubs. Common targets include marigolds, dahlias, zinnias, roses, lettuce, and strawberries. They may also feed on corn tassels and blossoms, reducing kernel set. Plants defoliated overnight, in the absence of pests in daylight or the telltale signs (slimy trails) of slugs, may have been attacked by earwigs.
Earwigs are most common in the summer and most active at night. During the day they usually find shelter in dark, moist places beneath stones, boards, sidewalks, debris or in the soil. Since they multiply fairly quickly, an infestation can number in the thousands
When dry weather sends them in search of moisture, earwigs can become an indoor pest as well. Here they will seek shelter under rugs, cushions, and baseboards, and in dark, damp crevices, especially in basements. After entering houses, they feed on sweet, oily or greasy foods or houseplants.
Chemical: Chemical control are most effective when applications are made outdoors, since the problem originates outdoors.
For further information on earwigs, see CSU Fact Sheet 5.533.
Photo: Judy Sedbrook
Contact Us | Disclaimer | Equal Opportunity
© CSU/Denver County Extension Master Gardener 2010
888 E. Iliff Avenue, Denver, CO 80210
(720) 913-5278
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Date last revised: 01/05/2010


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- Game Details
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Need for Speed: Most Wanted News
Displaying 1–4 of 4 articles
Need for Speed Movie Coming In 2014 From Dreamworks
A Need for Speed movie is in the works. Dreamworks has acquired the movie rights to the franchise, and EA will produce along with John Gatins and Mark Sourian. Scott Waugh (Act of Valor) is attached to direct, and the project will be fast-tracked at DreamWorks with a target production start date for early next year, for a 2014 release. ...
Criterion Games' Need For Speed Described As "Action" Oriented
Electronic Arts and Criterion Games keep teasing about what the Burnout developer has planned for their reinvention of Need For Speed. But we have a slightly better idea of what's coming. John Schappert, who left EA to join Microsoft before returning to EA last year as COO, described the upcoming collaboration as an "action-based Need For...
Criterion Showing Electronic Arts Their Need For Speed Game Today
The next game from Criterion Games most likely won't include the name Burnout. Instead, Electronic Arts has tasked the UK developer with aiding in the reboot of Need For Speed. Criterion Games is actively developing their take on Need For Speed and announced on Twitter today they would be showing off their hard work to a number of EA employees...
Need for Speed Franchise Passes 100 Million Units Sold
Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version Electronic Arts' Need for Speed franchise has been a fixture in the gaming world for many, many years, and thanks to the success of the latest installment, Need for Speed: Shift, the racing franchise has passed the 100 million units sold mark. That translates into over $2.7 billion in sales,...
Articles 1–4 of 4
Need for Speed 100 Milliion Milestone Trailer
5,633 Views | 02:00
Gaming Update 01.30.09
3,936 Views | 02:35 | 1 Comment


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Day 14 & 15: Houston, we have no problems
Trip Start Jul 01, 2008
38Trip End Sep 27, 2008
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a bit more physical activity on this 93 degree day by hiring a paddle boat. The plan was for Matt & Susie to do 15 mins of paddling each, but according to Park regulations we could not moor and switch paddlers
Two weeks today on the road, and still loving it. We've settled into a really happy travelling caravan and each day throws up new and exciting adventures. Some we capture on film, some we giggle over in the car for hours on and off, and some provide an interesting 'teaching moment' for the kids. To quote Oprah, "Some things we do know for sure", is that Tom is in heaven having his siblings to himself every single day, the Wii no longer dominates our life, and Matt is as dedicated a family-traveller as he is Altium employee. Life is great!


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A Tribute to Paula
Although I wasn't really allowed access to "secular" music growing up, I sometimes managed to sneak in a little listen from time to time. Strangely, Paula Abdul quickly became one of my favorites. Between the poppiness, the perkiness and the just straight up catchiness, I still find myself whistling her tunes from time to time.
As if the songs weren't enough, the videos also became legendary. This was the time when movie stars often showed up and Paula made her mark by costarring with Keanu Reeves in the "Rush, Rush" video. This was also the era of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Paula followed suit with the "Opposites Attract" video.
Strangely, though, the song that I remember the most and probably liked the most is the one I really can't place as far as videos go. However, if I would have been the director, I may have started "Cold-Hearted" off something like this:
Happy Saturday. Once you've cleaned yourself up, go get some brunch.
Video courtesy of Barstool Sports: Boston
4 Comments
Very funny. Happy Saturday to you too.
You'd remember the Cold Hearted Snake video if you'd seen it. It was Bob Fosse-esque and more than a little hot. *she says as her husband nods most enthusiastically in the background*
This is a very simple game…
Ok, that might officially be the biggest snake I have ever seen and I used to work at a zoo. Wow.
My favorite little firecracker that has strutted from the NBA court to our hearts with song. I do not hold against her that she is a formner Estevez, but that might be where get got the "Sheen"-type reputation later in life. A QVC magnet for bobbles and glittery things, Miss A will always "Be My Girl".
Cue the backbeats…..
Rays Renegade