text:
BP Comment Quick Links
September 13, 2005
Prospectus Matchups
40-40, and 20
The fact that Andruw Jones has hit more home runs in a season than any Brave--up to and including Hank Aaron--will blind many voters when it's time to make their marks on official MVP ballots. While on the surface 2005 seems like the monster season everyone always assumed Jones was capable of having, when it's all said and done, this will not be his best year, or even his second-best. He could, with a strong finish, work it up to third-best by season's end, though. By Wins Above Replacement:
Year WARP3 2000 10.3 2002 9.7 1998 9.1 1999 9.1 2003 8.9 2005 8.7Obviously, given his career-high .311 EqA in 2005, he's hitting better than ever, so what's the holdup? It's his defense, which is experiencing a down year. Looking at his Batting Runs Above Replacement and Fielding Runs Above Replacement, we find that he is, conversely to his offensive output, having his least successful year with the glove. Combining the two, we get this:
Year BRAR FRAR Total 2000 51 43 94 2002 48 40 88 1998 36 46 82 1999 36 46 82 2003 39 41 80 2005 54 21 75What Jones has done with the glove in his best seasons is remarkable. The game's greatest defensive center fielders have failed to match Jones' six different seasons with a FRAR of at least 40. Curt Flood did it three times, and his three best years (45, 43, 43) are about equal to those of Jones, but his next three fall short. Willie Mays peaked at 45 and 42 but he drops to 34, 33 and 33 after that. Joe DiMaggio, "The man who made everything look easy?" Are you kidding? His all-time best was 31. Now Dom DiMaggio had a 44 once, but that his was his only plus-40 season. Tris Speaker? Topped out at 40. Jim Edmonds? 38 is his high. The multiple hardware winners of the Gold Glove era: Ken Griffey Jr., Garry Maddox, Kirby Puckett, Paul Blair? 37 was the highest among them. While Devon White did have a single-season score higher than Jones, (47 in 1989), he cracked 40 only one other time.
No, the only center fielder who can challenge Andruw Jones' best five years is Fielder Jones. His best seasons came right around 100 years ago with the White Sox. He has the single-best FRAR ever for a center fielder, 51 in 1907. His next four are: 45, 44, 44 and 32.) The total FRAR for their five best seasons is 216 for both of them.
In all, there have been 26 40-plus FRAR performances by center fielders since 1901. Andruw Jones has six of them.
Looking at Jones' seasons listed above, perhaps it's time to redefine what is meant by "40/40 Club." Maybe it should be a player who cracks 40 in both BRAR and FRAR, something Jones did in his two best seasons. It's not as rare as the 40-homer/40-steal accomplishment, but it's certainly a lot more telling of a player's contribution to his team's performance. There are quite a few Hall of Famers--even some with sterling defensive reputations--who do not make this 40/40 Club. The most surprising is probably Mike Schmidt. (Among his relative peers at third base, Graig Nettles and Brooks Robinson both did it once, and Darrell Evans did it in both 1973 and 1974.)
To rarify the air a bit, perhaps it might be necessary to up the thresholds to 50/50. Johnny Bench managed this feat three times. Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Collins and Ernie Banks also pulled it off. I'll present a more complete list at some point in the future.
Now that Barry Bonds has reported for duty for the last three weeks of the 2005 season, what is the upper limit we can expect from him? With 20 Giants games to go heading into his debut last night, how much damage can we expect him to do in such a limited amount of time? Putting a cap of 75 plate appearances, these are the nine men who managed to get into double figures in VORP:
YEAR G MLV VORP Shane Spencer 1998 26 15.7 15.8 Mike Ryan 2003 27 12.2 13.0 Craig Wilson 1998 12 12.0 14.4 Rudy Pemberton 1996 13 11.4 12.2 J.D. Drew 1998 14 11.0 11.5 Walt Bond 1962 12 10.7 10.6 Gary Ward 1980 13 10.5 10.6 Mike Kinkade 2002 36 9.7 10.4 Darryl Strawberry 1999 24 10.5 10.0A couple of notes: For the longest time, the late Walt Bond was the Kall-up King. Where did his spectacular short run get him? A trip to Jacksonville of the International League for 1963. That's not the Pirates' Craig Wilson, by the way, but the White Sox player who was done by the time the current Craig Wilson got to the majors.
Let's look at the EqAs for these players, adjusted for all-time:
.428 Pemberton
If Bonds comes back at his playing level of the recent past (.424, .449, .410 and .453 adjusted EqAs over the past four seasons), we can expect him to dial in somewhere around the Pemberton level. If he takes it easy and only plays nine or ten games, he won't quite get there, but, given no signs of rustiness or inhibition from his injury, it would be realistic to expect a VORP of around 11 or 12.
James Click and Keith Woolner contributed research to this column.
0 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
Not a subscriber? Sign up today!


text:
A WOMAN who kept 200 snakes in her York home has been handed a 12 month community sentence for nine animal neglect offences.
Pauline Wallace, 64, had the snakes in specialist tanks, plastic tubs and stacking boxes all over her house on Osbaldwick Lane in conditions described as horrendous when they were discovered by RSPCA inspectors in August 2012.
In November Wallace pleaded guilty to seven charges of causing unnecessary suffering to three of the snakes and two similar charges about a border collie called Alfie, and was sentenced at York Magistrate's Court today.
RSPCA solicitor Phil Browne said Wallace had more than 186 live snakes in the house. Around 66 were kept in the garage , but 114 lived in Wallace's bedroom and some were infested with mites.
Inspectors first visited the house in early Augst 2012 to check on reports about a border collie in the home, and revisited three times in the following weeks taking first only six snakes and then more than 80 when the realised Wallace had not followed the vet's instructions and improved her care of the animals.
Many of the snakes since had to be put down, or died of illness the RSPCA vets blamed on the unhygeinic conditions they had been kept in.
The court saw video of a vet inspecting the snakes and their containers - some stinking of urine and fecal matter.
Inspectors also found 20 dead snakes in a freezer.
"Mrs Wallace said those were her favourites, and she could not bear to part with them, " Mr Browne added.
The dog, which belonged to Wallace's mother, was found to have flea allergic dermatitis and had scratched much of hair from the back of its body.
Wallace's defence solicitor David Ward said his client begged the court not to stop her keeping snakes because "they are her life".
Sentencing Wallace the magistrates gave her a 12 month community order with supervision, ordered the dog and 60 of the remaining snakes be left with the RSPCA to be rehomed.
They also banned Wallace from keeping reptiles for one year and gave her three weeks to find new homes for her 14 remaining snakes.
RSCPA inspector Heidi Cleaver lead the investigation, and speaking outside court said she was delighted with the outcome of the case.
"The conditions in the house were horrendous.
"The boxes were stacked floor to ceiling. I have never seen anything like it, it was quite overwhelming.
"I don't understand how anyone who loves animals can keep them in those conditions."
Ten other charges were dropped after the November hearing

subset: commoncrawl


text:
With more than 140 degrees to choose from, UA Little Rock offers its students the opportunity to learn from top-ranked faculty and provides invaluable internship opportunities in several in-demand career fields.
Ready to get your textbooks? Visit the bookstore online.
Start now…
Get hours and more…
Before you start in the fall semester, come to New Student Orientation.
Find out more …
UA Little Rock Trojans compete in 14 varsity sports as a full-time member of the Sun Belt Conference and an affiliate member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Follow the Trojans ...
The Community Connection Center represents a vital part of UA Little Rock's mission - building high-impact programs and partnerships that inspire students to become active citizens, change agents and leaders in our community.
The Arkansas Studies Institute combines 10 million archival items under one roof.
The Emerging Analytics Center propels economic development with data solutions and visualizations.
Find out how…
UA Little Rock is a metropolitan research university that provides accessibility to a quality education through flexible learning and unparalleled opportunities.
Little Rock
"I love to write, and I believe it's essential for everyone to find their voice."
Clark Harris originally visited the UALR campus, not for an education, but for a job in custodial services.
When he was advised that a large percentage of his tuition at UALR would be covered, he began to reconsider his path.
"I looked at education as a gateway to doing what I want to do. A lot of my professors have helped me along the way," Harris said.
Harris, a recent graduate with a degree in English, said his dream is to become a university professor. He is currently pursuing his master's degree at UALR.
"I love to write, and I believe it's essential for everyone to find their voice," he said.
Harris' educational pursuits have inspired others around him.
After completing his first semester, Harris' mother enrolled in classes at UALR. And his 13-year-old daughter has now begun researching where she might like to attend school some day.
"It has changed my family, just by me going to school," said Harris.
Today Harris is a graduate assistant in the UALR Academic Success Center's reading lab, mentoring students five days a week.
"I love what I do while earning my masters in writing," he concluded.


text:
117 Cherry St. Seattle, Wa. 98104
(206) 587 - 5737
Open: 10 - 5 Monday - Saturday, 12 - 5 Sunday
The Kings of Cool (Hardcover)
Published to coincide with the release of Academy Award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone's major film of Savages from Universal Pictures in July 2012--starring John Travolta, Blake Lively, Benecio Del Toro, Uma Thurman, Emile Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, and Salma Hayek--this is the much-anticipated prequel to Don Winslow's acclaimed New York Times bestseller. In Savages, Don Winslow introduced Ben and Chon, twenty-something best friends who risk everything to save the girl they both love, O. Among the most celebrated thrillers in recent memory--and now a major motion picture directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone--Savages was picked as a best book of the year by Stephen King in Entertainment Weekly, Janet Maslin in The New York Times, and Sarah Weinman in the Los Angeles Times. Now, in this high-octane prequel, Winslow reaches back in time to tell the story of how Ben, Chon, and O became the people they are. Spanning from 1960s Southern California to the recent past, The Kings of Cool is a breathtakingly original saga of family in all its forms--fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, friends and lovers. As the trio at the center of the book does battle with a cabal of drug dealers and crooked cops, they come to learn that their future is inextricably linked with their parents' history. A series of breakneck twists and turns puts the two generations on a collision course, culminating in a stunning showdown that will force Ben, Chon, and O to choose between their real families and their loyalty to one another. Fast-paced, provocative, and wickedly funny, The Kings of Cool is a spellbinding love story for our times from a master novelist at the height of his powers. It is filled with Winslow's trademark talents--complex characters, sharp dialogue, blistering social commentary--that have earned him an obsessive following. The result is a book that will echo in your mind and heart long after you've turned the last page.
About the Author
Don Winslow is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels. He lives in Southern California.
Praise For…
"Blazing . . . Mr. Winslow's keen attention to drug culture isn't going to keep readers away from him. He's too damn good to be polarizing. His characters are smart about their self-interest. His dialogue is tight, laconic, and razor sharp; if Elmore Leonard or Lee Child discovered surfing, they might sound something like this."
-Janet Maslin
"Made funnier by the seditious spin Winslow puts on the romanticized 1960s hippie culture of peace and love and hard drugs . . . [and boasts] the same pulsing rhythms and raw vocals that made "Savages" feel a little dangerous."
-Marilyn Stasio
"Don Winslow, whose book The Kings of Cool, just came out, is a rarity among writers of fiction: He doesn't just make it up."
-Chip McGrath
"A fast, fun, smart jazz-riff of a book, a prequel to Savages and every bit as good. . . . What sets Winslow apart in the crowded field of crime/mystery/thriller writers is the white-knuckled way he writes and thinks. The dialogue is sharp and funny, full of knowing nods to pop culture, history, and geography. . . . A frenzied ride into the heart of what family and love and loyalty mean."
-John Wilkens
"Don Winslow's crackerjack Laguna Beach thriller The Kings of Cool . . . gives background and back story to Mr. Winslow's novel Savages, published in 2010 and just made into a film by Oliver Stone. . . . It's a treat to trace the crossings of this trio's paths with those of other characters over the years. . . . One way or another, they scheme and tough their way through this often gruesome, sometimes witty saga and into the future fates already devised for them."
-Tom Nolan
"Blistering . . . Winslow serves up nonstop action, tempering the tension with his trademark razor-sharp wit. . . . This cool, clever entry is sure to be a royally popular summer read."
"Another Winslow roller-coaster thriller."
"A brilliant, hypnotic novel . . . So much more than a mere backstory . . . With a stylistic swagger and bucketloads of empathy to go with a scintillating, perfectly executed crime-novel plot."
"As a former private investigator, Winslow knows his crime scene. . . . It's tough not to be hooked."


text:
The Big Bang Theory/The Pulled Groin Extrapolation
From The TV IV
|The Pulled Groin Extrapolation
|Season 5, Episode 3
|September 29, 2011
|Production Number
| Bill Prady
& Steven Molaro
& Dave Goetsch (teleplay)
Chuck Lorre
& Eric Kaplan
& Jim Reynolds (story)
|Mark Cendrowski
|← 5x02
The Infestation Hypothesis
|5x04 →
The Wiggly Finger Catalyst
|The Big Bang Theory — Season Five
| This article about an episode needs to be expanded with more information.
Please help out by editing it.
The Pulled Groin Extrapolation is the third episode of the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory, and the nintieth episode overall.
Starring: Johnny Galecki (Dr. Leonard Hofstadter), Jim Parsons (Dr. Sheldon Cooper), Kaley Cuoco (Penny), Simon Helberg (Howard Wolowitz), Kunal Nayyar (Dr. Rajesh "Raj" Koothrappali), Mayim Bialik (Amy Farrah Fowler), Melissa Rauch (Bernadette Rostenkowski)
Guest Starring: Carol Ann Susi (Mrs. Wolowitz (voice))


text: Perth Serviced Offices Home > Business Centres Testimonials FAQ Gallery Serviced Offices in Perth With a population of over 2,200,000 people and the fourth largest city in Australia, Perth has emerged to be the centre of attention. Well-known for its mineral resources and led by the booming of mining and energy industries, Perth has become one of the fast-growing cities in the country. St Georges Terrace of Perth is the centre for financial, commercial and political activities. The Executive Centre located at 108 St. Georges Terrace in Perth provides you with accessible Serviced Offices at reasonable pricing and flexible terms. Our comprehensive administrative support allows you to focus on what matters the most – your business. CONTACT US 108 St Georges Terrace