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June 12, 2013
Pebble Hunting
How Beanballs and Brawls Could Be Avoided
I'm a scaredy-cat, and a pacifist, so I come to these sorts of discussions from a place that won't appeal to everybody. When I see a pitch going toward Zack Greinke's face, for instance, I think of it as the culmination of a violent series of events that could have easily killed a man; that it didn't kill a man makes me only marginally less queasy about the whole thing. At the risk of going into unnecessarily macabre territory, I want us to imagine for a moment here that it did kill a man; the difference between that universe and ours is perhaps mere inches. Had it killed a man, there would be reckoning, soul-searching, panels to study the issue. There would be vigorous discussion about whether the criminal justice system should be brought in. There would be, mostly, an attempt to figure out how this happened, and what went wrong, and where we could have prevented it.
So how did the beanball that touched off a brawl between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks on Tuesday night happen? What went wrong? Where could somebody have prevented it?
The final act
I'm going to assume the best about everybody's motives, as much as possible, and so here I'll assume Kennedy wasn't aiming for Greinke's face (or even shoulder), but threw a pitch that was supposed to be a bit lower but got away from him. One might note that Kennedy is a control specialist; a couple years ago, when Jered Weaver threw a pitch head-high, I saw some suggest that he must have been head-hunting because a pitcher as good as Weaver would never miss by such a wide margin. But of course pitchers miss by eight or more inches constantly, on practically every pitch, and on top of that throwing at the numbers on the batter's back means throwing to an unfamiliar target at an unfamiliar angle. So it's very easy for me to imagine that Kennedy missed his target, that this wasn't an attempted murder. Just simple, common-law-sanctioned assault.
That's just the point, though: throwing anywhere near a batter's upper body is reckless. Reckless drivers aren't trying to crash into things; they're just driving recklessly, and the law holds responsible those whose reckless behavior leads to damage and/or injury. Pitchers are pretty good, but they're also pretty terrible at throwing the ball precisely where they want, and aiming for a spot close to a face isn't much different than aiming for a face.
So Kennedy could have thrown at a lower target. Greinke's legs, for instance. That's not the way these things are done, but we're talking about what could have been done differently. Now, pitchers would never consent to give up the upper/inner part of the plate when they're trying to get batters out—they'd be hopeless without the implicit fear such pitches plant in the hitter's mind, and the support that an up-and-in fastball provides to subsequent breaking balls is invaluable. But in retribution cases, there's no intention to try to get the batter out, merely to deliver a message. That message is supposed to be pain but not injury. Kennedy, and all pitchers, could have aimed for his target's lower half. It's harder to hit a batter's lower half, and there are places down there that can get injured, too. But baseball's first on-field death since 1920 is unlikely to come on a pitch aimed at the knees.
Kennedy could also have not thrown at Greinke at all. This is a premise that won't find much traction unless a) Kennedy and everybody else in the majors turns into a scaredy-cat pacifist like me or b) the retribution is relocated somewhere else. We'll get there.
If the pitcher must aim high, any higher than the waist, then the catcher could warn the batter. Presumably, the target typically knows enough to expect a retribution pitch, and the whole point is that the pitch is supposed to be seen as intentional, to make the point. So this wouldn't be all that dramatic a change, though it would obviously be a bit awkward for everybody involved—"so, uh, hey, just want to make sure you stay safe, we're about to throw a thing near your face"—including the umpire. His obligation would be to conveniently forget that he heard anything, for the safety of all future targets who will benefit from the heads-up.
Kirk Gibson could have prevented it by telling his pitcher that he was, under no circumstances, to hit Zack Greinke with a pitch above the waist, or at all. He needn't even have had to worry about being seen as some awful scaredy-cat pacifist, either. The pragmatic explanation—not wanting to lose players to suspensions in the middle of a pennant race—should be plenty. It's not an easy decision to make, and it wouldn't be an easy decision to explain to Miguel Montero, but there's a reason the manager gets tossed from the game, too. The manager has the power to stop these things.
Frankly, though, there isn't a great way out of the situation once it escalates to this point. That's how it goes with cycles of violence: they're a lot easier to stop before they start cycling. So let's go back further.
The intermediate act
At this point, there are a lot more options that might have headed off the pitch to Greinke. On the first pitch to Montero, which was up and in, umpire Clint Fagan could have ejected Greinke. On the second pitch to Montero, which was well inside, umpire Clint Fagan could have ejected Greinke. In either case, it would have taken some gifted mind-reading to deduce clear intent, but perhaps intent is beside the point. In fact, intent is beside the point. If the goal is to incentivize pitchers to avoid the escalating violence of beanball wars—and, remember, we're talking about this in the context of a man dying, in which case this would be a less controversial point—then surely an innocent pitcher or two being ejected over an accident is a fair sacrifice for safety.
Similarly, baseball could take on the role of ending the violence by severely suspending pitchers who are suspected of abusing their inside privileges. Rarely are pitchers suspended if there isn't a brawl immediately afterward, or an injury to the player. The beanballs that follow cases like this, then, are the players' attempts to mete out justice that they don't consider otherwise served. If Greinke had been tossed after hitting Montero, and if precedent suggested that he would certainly be suspended 15 games, would Arizona have insinuated itself into the disciplinary process? Perhaps not, if only for the safety and availability of its own players.
Baseball might not consider it to be the league's role to read pitchers' minds, or to keep the sport's best players off the field. But just because the league doesn't take action doesn't mean the crime goes unpunished; unsurprisingly, the revenge-fueled punishments are arguably worse for the game (and certainly worse for the game's safety).
After the pitch comes in, Montero takes a step toward the mound. Fagan runs out to get between the two. What if he hadn't? The point of Kennedy's retribution pitch the next inning is that it was a proxy for the violence Montero wished to do, or perhaps had justification to do, to Greinke. This is what most beanballs are: attacks that supposedly account for offenses that are only tangentially related, or are totally unrelated, to the pitch. Beanballs for showy home run trots; beanballs for hard slides; beanballs for words said in interviews; beanballs for stealing signs; beanballs for, according to C.J. Wilson, using steroids. But proxy wars are supposed to be less lethal, less expensive; that's the whole point! So why allow a proxy fight that is actually more dangerous, more lethal, than simple fistfights or brawls? Why has baseball decided that there's only one way to settle a score, any score, and it's the most unpredictable and dangerous way possible?
Presumably because fistfights and brawls are ugly in a way that a pitch between the shoulder blades isn't. Presumably, even the players (many, at least) would be ashamed to be seen constantly fighting with other grown men. It'd be a shame if baseball had fights like hockey has fights. It'd be a shame if somebody died in front of us, too.
The first act
Kennedy's reaction here makes it easy to accept that this was unintentional. Maybe it was a knockdown pitch, but let's assume it was an accident, a pitch that was supposed to be low and in but that started a series of events that might have led to a tragedy. So what do we do to keep accidents from happening?
Bill James wrote in his 1985 Abstract about "The Frank Robinson solution."
Before he was a manager and known for having the league's most antagonistic pitching staff, Frank Robinson had a solution that he liked to recommend: Forget all about the intent of the pitcher. If a pitcher comes inside two or three times, tell him to take the rest of the day off. The umpire doesn't need to make any judgment about what the pitcher has in mind; he just needs to say, "It looks like you're a little wild today, son, we'd better get another pitcher in here before somebody gets hurt."
As James notes, the rules prohibit pitchers from throwing the ball in the batter's space, intentionally or not. So why be so passive about punishing pitchers who can't follow the rules, particularly when they endanger their opponents?
Getting away from the messy business of intent opens up all sorts of possibilities. If pitchers who hit batters are penalized regardless of intent, then they'll not just avoid the violent pitches that end these brawls but be more cautious about avoiding the accidents that beget them. It's happened before. In 1884, so many overhand throwers were hitting (and hurting) batters that the American Association allowed such batters first base. Writes Peter Morris in A Game of Inches,
Some found the whole concept bizarre, such as the sportswriter who filed this report: "Five of the Quincys were given first base yesterday under the rule awarding the batter a base for being struck by a pitched ball. None of those so struck was injured in the least, and it was noticed that they finally scored without exception. Another such farcical innovation was never introduced into the game."
Any rule that stiffens penalties for hit batsmen would hurt pitchers' ability to control the inside of the plate; would, then, increase offense, shift the offense/defense balance so delicate in baseball. This is an easier sell in these low-offense years, but one can imagine how out of control the 1990s would have been if you shaved a couple inches off the pitchers' territory on the inner half.
Today, as the league ponders suspensions, there will be debate about who was most at fault. The focus will be on Greinke and Kennedy, and which was most wrong, and how wrong. But the cycle of violence that we saw Tuesday night was just an echo of the larger cycle that has been going for a century and a half in baseball. The status quo is that beanballs are the appropriate way to deal with all manner of offenses. So long as that's the status quo, the focus shouldn't be just on Greinke and Kennedy, so much as it should be on the status quo.
Sam Miller is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @SamMillerBB
49 comments have been left for this article.
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My problem with the Frank Robinson solution is do you really want to yank your #1 pitcher after two innings of wildness in the middle of pennant race.
Jun 12, 2013 04:25 AM
A pitcher cannot possibly become successful in the major leagues without a moderate level of control. I wonder how often a batter is struck by a pitch. My guess is around 1%, probably less. These guys know where they want to put a pitch. There are no coincidences.
Jun 12, 2013 05:24 AM
That's just not true. Control is a function of muscle memory, which is built by repetition. Pitchers rarely throw a ball to the coordinates associated with the middle of a hitter's back, so there is naturally a lot more variance in where a pitch intended for that location ends up.
Jun 12, 2013 09:41 AM
Bryan Cole
For the record, there have been a total of 5,219 HBP since 2010 in 627,927 PAs, which works out to a little less than 0.84%. So you're right on that front.
Jun 12, 2013 10:00 AM
Another way to penalize the pitcher more would be to award a hit batsman a free trip to second or third, depending on the severity of the hit--to be decided at the discretion of the umpire. (Balls that brush uniforms would still warrant only first base.) Not too many managers would find that worth the payback.
Jun 12, 2013 05:57 AM
Lou Doench
I like the Frank Robinson solution, but it runs into another problem and that is that the umpires are hardly the neutral observers that would be necessary to make such a scheme work. Too many umps are adversarial showmen who see the players as little better than children to be controlled. Watch their body language whenever they warn a pitcher or bench. Until we approve the professionalism of the umpire core (Joe Sheehan wrote a great newsletter about it recently) we can't depend on them being the ones to prevent escalation.
Jun 12, 2013 05:57 AM
A baseball to the head can kill, paralyze, whatever- lots of sports have trash talking and poor sportsmanship- rarely in those sports does one player decide he is going to do something back that could end someone's career. Why does baseball think it's so special? Baseball also had a tradition of not playing Black/African-American players and that tradition stopped. There is a HUGE liability/legal issue looming when an organization knows they are allowing something to happen that's dangerous and doing nothing about it.
Jun 12, 2013 06:22 AM
Paragraph 3 speaks of Kershaw. I think that should be Greinke.
Jun 12, 2013 06:56 AM
Very compelling ideas here. A couple related points:
Jun 12, 2013 07:18 AM
I like your first and second points (although not the third one), and they fit nicely with my own preferred solution to this problem, which is very different from the one proposed in this article, and is also rather radical -- which means it's never going to be adopted. My solution: Give the pitcher complete, 100% immunity from consequences of a hit-by-pitch -- unless that HBP does lasting damage. And then throw the book at him.
Jun 12, 2013 08:15 AM
David Jackson
That'd be awesome. The Giants pick up a 42-year old benchwarmer. Have him take a shot in the back. Claim disc injury. Never play baseball again.
Jun 12, 2013 08:47 AM
Do you really think that MLB would be so stupid as to not see something like that coming? Of course there would be review processes and appeals.
Jun 12, 2013 09:27 AM
David Jackson's example instantly forced you to turn your "objective" solution into a subjective nightmare of reviews processes, appeals and opinions.
Aug 02, 2013 23:32 PM
I think a pitcher throwing at the opposing pitcher because he threw at someone else is crossing a very dangerous line.
Jun 12, 2013 07:39 AM
I thought "No throwing at the opposing pitcher" was one of the unwritten rules of baseball.
The Tigers' Doug Fister leads the league in hit batters this year, over 10 I think. But yet nobody ever says he's a headhunter or anything like that. In fact, in a game earlier this year, he hit 2 or 3 batters; I was wondering if the Ump was going to toss him. But he wasn't, and none of the batters I've seen him hit have taken offense.
Jun 12, 2013 08:33 AM
Puig's beaning should have been a warning for both teams. Greinke would have been launched and Kennedy's intentional retaliation on Greinke would most likely have been prevented. I agree with Sam in that the beaning of Puig was not intentional but everything after that was. You could also make an argument that there were two earlier acts, including the HBP of Montero by Greinke that was followed by a Kubel home run.
Jun 12, 2013 08:35 AM
I think the fault lies with Montero. D-backs got Puig, Dodgers got Montero. It should have ended there with all sides feeling "even." "baseball code" calls for Montero to just walk to first base there. The subsequent beaning of Greinke was completely unneccessary. Watching Mattingly's yelling at Montero after the Greinke beaning leads me to believe that was his issue.
Jun 12, 2013 10:22 AM
Its also possible the Greinke beaning wasnt retaliation for Montero but for Greinke's slide into 2nd in the top half of the inning. Lot of nuances on this one, but I think we havnt seen the last of it.
Jun 12, 2013 10:40 AM
According to the "unwritten rules" per Buster Olney, a pitcher only gets one shot to throw a retaliatory pitch aimed at a batter. Greinke took 3 and that's why Kennedy re-retaliated. You'd think hitting Puig in the head would have caused Kennedy to think twice about throwing at Greinke, especially around the head.
Jun 12, 2013 10:40 AM
I wouldn't have a problem with ejecting pitchers that consistently throw at the batter, however I also think batters that make little effort to get out of the way or, worse yet, actively try to get part of their uniform hit, should not be awarded first base.
Jun 12, 2013 08:54 AM
Solution..... Let the person who was hit get a free throw at the person who threw it. quid pro quo. Ian (chicken bleep) Kennedy, which is the nickname I will always call him from now on, stands on the wall and has to take one from Mr. Puig. How about them apples?
Jun 12, 2013 09:17 AM
Okay, that was funny. Though maybe better posted on the Dodgeball Prospectus site.
Jun 13, 2013 19:19 PM
I think MLB should consider balls hitting the edges of loose, baggy and flappy uniforms the same way as they do balls that hit batters who do not try to get out of the way. No free base.
Jun 12, 2013 09:30 AM
Jun 12, 2013 10:23 AM
Two nights ago, Nolasco hit Aoki in the elbow with a pitch. The catcher (Brantly) pointed out to the umpire his contention that they pitch was actually a strike, i.e., that the ball was crossing the inside corner of the plate when it made contact with Aoki's elbow. I don't know if it did cross the plate, but even if it missed, it couldn't have missed by more than a couple of inches.
Jun 12, 2013 10:38 AM
Pretty sure the hitting of Montero may or may not have been retaliation for hitting Cody Ross prior to that?
Jun 12, 2013 12:11 PM
Where was Montero setup for the Puig pitch? If it was a mistake he should have been on the outside corner or standard middle zone. Pics here don't let us see that earlier frame. Still no excuse to throw toward the head even if coming inside. Kennedy knows this and certainly Montero does. I fault Gibson since he prides himself on being such a hardass with his gruff reputation. I guarantee no one on the Dbacks would want a piece of Puig in an agitated state without 30 guys around to stop him. Love the shots of Mattingly tumbling to the ground with Trammell on Yahoo. Must have been a lot of pent up energy or bad blood from the old days in these two dugouts.
Jun 12, 2013 13:35 PM
Can't really see how there would be a problem with an automatic 12-15 game ban for hitting someone in the head. It doesn't really matter if it was allegedly unintentional.
Jun 12, 2013 14:12 PM
1. You hit someone in the head once and you are immediately ejected. You can claim intent or just a lack of control for the day based on humidity, illness, whatever it's too unsafe to ignore.
Jun 12, 2013 15:16 PM
Look into Earl Weaver's philosophy on intentionally hitting the batter. Earl wasnt fucking having it, for strategic reasons.
Jun 12, 2013 14:20 PM
Carlos Quentin wonders why he wasn't invited to the party.
Jun 12, 2013 14:48 PM
Were knockdown pitches a big problem in Bob Gibson's era? Why are they such a problem now?
Jun 12, 2013 15:53 PM
Tim Lowell
I wonder how much of this episode is related to Greinke's well-publicized mental health issues?
Jun 13, 2013 06:07 AM
Every account I've read says Greinke went after Montero twice. I think if he stopped after one (so he missed, too bad, Zack), then Miggy doesn't stay upset and Kennedy doesn't go after Greinke, and all hell doesn't break loose, and we have nothing to talk about.
Jun 13, 2013 13:36 PM
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'The move has suited the 23-year-old veteran fifth-year pro. In just eight games since his late arrival last month, Pyatt has produced six goals and four assists and is quickly moving up the fourth-place team's scoring parade. He's currently on a five-game goal scoring streak with the Swedish club, all of which resulted in wins for his team.'
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text: No decision in 1-2 showdown By Tommy R. Atkinson October 11, 2012 Story Share Chris Dorst Parkersburg's Evan Rhodes (left) and Hurricane's Daniel McKnight (4) battle for possession. HURRICANE - What a tune-up for next week's postseason tournaments.Junior Evan Rhodes scored a goal for Parkersburg while senior Felipe Thompson answered less than a minute later for host Hurricane in the opening half and the top two teams in the state coaches association rankings stayed that way for a 1-1 draw Thursday night. A crowd of about 150 attended the No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown.Rhodes netted an unassisted goal with 27:14 left in the first half to stake the No. 2 Big Reds to a 1-0 lead. Rhodes gained control of a loose ball and uncorked a shot from about 25 yards away that was just inside the left post.Thompson, an exchange student from Chile who is the leading goal scorer in the Kanawha Valley with 38, knotted the game at 1-all 41 seconds later on an assist from senior Trevor Cunningham for the No. 1 Redskins. Cunningham gathered the ricochet from Daniel McKnight's shot and passed to Thompson in front of the net for the equalizer.Hurricane (18-0-1) had plenty of chances to pull away but was off the mark on five shots on goal in the second half. Parkersburg (13-3-4) was off target on its only two chances.Redskins senior Rodrigo Bevaqua, an exchange student from Brazil, sent a shot over the goal from inside the penalty box with less than two minutes to go.Big Reds senior defender Tyler Broadwater was given a yellow card with nine seconds remaining, giving Hurricane one more shot on a direct kick from about 40 yards out. Hurricane senior Matheus Morgan, an exchange student from Brazil, placed the shot on goal and Parkersburg junior keeper Reid Strobl made a leaping two-handed save as time expired."We looked at this as a great preparation for next week,'' said Hurricane coach Jim Dagostine. "I think it was. I'm not disappointed in the way we played. We had some chances and didn't finish. I'm very proud of my guys. They've had a wonderful season. This team deserves to move on, but it doesn't mean it's going to happen.'' "Our team doesn't have a star,'' said Parkersburg coach Don Fosselman, whose team scored two goals in the last four minutes to forge a 3-3 tie Tuesday with AA-A No. 1 and undefeated Charleston Catholic. "We don't have a Felipe or a [Bevaqua]. We just have kids that grind it out and play hard and go the extra mile and never quit. They've really come together. We're battle hardened.''Hurricane junior keeper Tim Hayslett turned in four stops while Strobl finished with seven for Parkersburg.It's the third time in the last four years that Hurricane has finished the regular season with an unbeaten record. The Redskins were 20-0 in 2009 and saw its undefeated and scoreless streak stopped in the sectional finals with a 2-1 loss to Huntington. Hurricane finished 13-0-7 in 2010 and fell 2-1 to Wheeling Park on penalty kicks in the state tournament semifinals. Redskins seniors Evan and Ian Miles, who were freshmen on the '09 squad, have seen this movie before and are looking to write a different ending."We got a good game and we always need good games to get better,'' said Ian Miles. "From now on all games are going to be like that, tough and grind it out.''"This year is our team,'' added Evan Miles. "We'd just like to play hard and get to the championship. We need to come together better as a team. It's been like that all year. We get a lot of shots, but few of them hit on goal. We just have to continue to work.''Reach Tommy R. Atkinson at email@example.com or 304-348-4811. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 Facebook founder visits Cabin Creek Health Systems 2 Teen pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Oakes Field shooting 3 'Report for America' pilot project begins in Appalachia 4 Rhode Island bank claims Justice companies owe $4.2M on helicopter loan 5 Congressional opioid investigation targets drug wholesaler Miami-Luken WVU's rise in the polls began with a meeting in Stillwater, Okla. Previous Story Roundup: WVU hoops tickets go on sale Monday Next Story


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The new Lancia Stratos is a one-off wonder that took the automotive world by storm. Commissioned by German collector and former racing driver Michael Stoscheck and designed and built on a Ferrari F430 chassis by Italian styling house Pininfarina, the new Stratos was supposed to be a one-off project. And then the orders started coming in; it looked like a limited run of less than 100 Stratos' would be built, again using the engine and chassis of the Ferrari F430 or 360 Modena. Ferrari however, isn't happy sharing with its Lancia cousins and Pininfarina has announced that they can't build any more without Ferrari's permission.
According to New-Stratos.com Pininfarina has advised them that neither they, nor any dependent suppliers will be able to carry out production of the new Lancia Stratos, "without the express permission of Ferrari." Even though Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo's supposed reaction after driving the new Stratos was "bellisima!", it doesn't seem as if Ferrari wants another in-house brand with a car capable of competing with its own.
Ferrari not wanting to share its discontinued F430 or even 360 Modena chassis and engines with Lancia is a shame. While the original Stratos was built with a Lancia-derived V-4 engine, the Stratos we came to know and love was powered by a Dino Ferrari V-6. The new Stratos packing a Ferrari V-8 under the hood.
New-Stratos.com reports that Pininfarina is currently looking into the feasibility of using engines and chassis from other manufacturers to satisfy the more than 40 customers who have expressed interest in the new Stratos. Maybe the Pontiac Fiero finally has a calling. Just kidding.
Source: New-Stratos.com


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ZeitgeistRebus brain teasers use words or letters in interesting orientations to represent common phrases.
What phrase is represented here?
8:15 am = Leo,
18th April = Aries,
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Leo = ?
AnswerSign of the times
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Hi, apologies if this was already discussed, or for some reason it doesn't work on my computer:
1. It would be very useful if posts in a thread were individually numbered - in a really long thread that has a lot pages, it'd be very useful for precision sake if I could refer to a previous post by number (like "please check out what was said in post #88"), rater than saying something like - "what was said a few posts ago" which is not very clear, or having to requote the text that was said already and thus further clutter the thread.
2. It would be even more useful if those post numbers were linkable - i.e. if I say something like "please check out what that person said in post #98", and that #98 is linked - then the reader is one click away from the post, which saves time.
Best wishes


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Regional Theater of the Week: Stageworks Theatre in Tampa, FL
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BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theatre site on the Internet, is excited to announce a new feature to its comprehensive regional coverage - the Featured Regional Theater of the Week! Each week, BWW will introduce its readers to a regional theater located in one of our (over 130!) coverage cities. By exploring these different venues, their history and showcasing the production seasons, BWW continues its commitment to expand our presence in communities and cities across the United States.
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The rest of the 2013 lineup includes: Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker, March 7-24, 2013; John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, May 2 - 19, 2013; and How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Karen Zacarias, based on the acclaimed novel by Julia Alvarez.
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Sound Off for Dec. 9, 2012
Published 12:00 am, Saturday, December 8, 2012
Church Groups have won a tremendous victory over the Obama health mandate that would crush religious liberty in America. U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn, New York, strongly rejected the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's request to dismiss the case, ruling that the archdiocese, which includes 370 parishes and insures 9,000 people, is facing impending injuries from the rule, even though it doesn't take effect until January 2014, according to a court filing today. The church group's fight for religious freedom was warmly received by the court, "Plaintiffs here have demonstrated how the enormous changes to their plans required by the coverage mandate currently exacerbate their preparation costs," Cogan said. "They have also demonstrated that the imminent operation of the coverage mandate has already caused them to divert funds from their ministries." Critics have charged that Obama's health mandate violates freedom of religious belief by forcing religious groups under pain of fine or prison to fund medical practices that violate church teaching and protected by the First Amendment.
There is a maniacal mind at work in the White House that is willing to risk the American economy and a financial collapse because of his hatred of rich, white Republicans. How else do you explain Obama's demand for unlimited spending of money we don't have, No cuts to entitlements which are bankrupting us, NO feredal debt limit ceiling and No compromise with conservative Republicans while he holds the U.S. hostage. I have no doubt that Obama is perfectly willing to see the U.S. go over the cliff to get his way. America should be terrified about what Obama is determined to do.
Before the City of Torrington continues on its grand plan to revitalize downtown I suggest all involved take a walking tour of Main Street and up Water Street. Look up, look down. When you look down you will see what your desired "foot traffic" sees. The streets need to be swept! And, have needed a thorough sweeping for quite some time.
Why are hate crimes against Christianity always called pranks. And if they are against any other minority they are called what they really are.
Someone commented on a letter regarding the big box stores, restaurants and the unions and they mentioned Hostess. You know what it is not the unions problem. Its not the demands that the unions made, it's mismanagement. Because you are in business doesn't always mean you know how to run a business properly. Don't always blame the working people. You would love to see people quit their jobs if they are dissatisfied. But you know what the tides are turning my friend people are not going to quit anymore. People are going to stand for what is right.
I was reading the Waterbury Republican and I get the Register Citizen. I am appalled to think that kids broke into the shed at Christmas Village in Torrington and stole baby Jesus and broke it. Baby Jesus was ceramic. It has been there as long as the Christmas Village has been there. I think it is a shame, Torrington police should really do them in. Because it is just not fair, especially baby Jesus. These kids are pranks and they have nothing better to do. Have them do something, make them pay big time.
Now that President Obama has been joyfully re-elected. I read some where in Harwinton and the surrounding towns there will be a tractor trailer truck visiting your area and you will be required to turn in your firearms. Just putting you on notice.


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Bombers need to start plugging holes and have less focus on bringing in competition at positions where they are already set.
I get that Lafrance is a Winnipeg guy and he had a good finish to last year but there are far more pressing needs at this time then adding a backup running back. Normand is very comparable and may be a better blocker.
I keep telling myself it is too early to get excited but solidifying QB depth is a higher priority on my list.
Or just make Kienan the highest paid backup national RB in the league and add him to the list. Then float some bs story about a hometown discount.
These guys make it so tough to be a Bomber fan.


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Chiropractor Little Rock
Chiropractor Little Rock
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5814603


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Prize Recipient
Timothy Sanchez
Brandeis University
"Self-Organization in Active Cytoskeletal Mixtures: Cilia-like Beating of Microtubule Bundles and Spontaneous Bulk Mixing."Background:
Timothy Sanchez received his Ph. D. in Physics, with a specialization in Quantitative Biology, from Brandeis University in 2012 under the guidance of Zvonimir Dogic.
Using purified cytoskeletal components, he developed a robust and well-controlled experimental system for studying self-organized phenomena, important biological functions, and far-from-equilibrium materials. His system was composed of microtubules (MTs), kinesin motor clusters, and a depletion agent that bundles MTs. First, he demonstrated a range of self-organized biomimetic functions, including the cilia-like beating of MT bundles, the synchronization of many active bundles to produce propagating metachronal waves, and internally generated flows in 3D MT networks that generate super-diffusive transport. The occurrence of these biomimetic functions as self-organized processes provides unique insight into the mechanisms driving their biological analogues. Beyond biomimetic behaviors, Sanchez then engineered novel active materials which have no biological analogues: active streaming 2D nematics, and finally self-propelled emulsion droplets. These experiments were deemed to be of broad impact, leading to publications in both Science and Nature, and Sanchez also received the Brandeis Physics department's annual Berko Prize for his thesis research.
Dr. Sanchez studied physics as an undergrad at New College of Florida. He is currently doing further postdoctoral research at Brandeis until Spring 2013.


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How to raise happy toddlers
Welcome to the happy toddler zone that has everything parents need to know about this oh-so special age group. more
Kids music is a magic way for kids to learn, especially through singing children's songs. The repetition of the children's song lyrics, along with simple counting and discovery, make learning kid songs a fun favourite for babies through to school age kids.
Here are the favourite children's songs:
10 Little Indians
Here We Go 'Round The Mulberry Bush
The Ants Go Marching
If You're Happy and You Know It
The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round
This Old Man (Knick Knack Paddy Whack)
Where is Thumbkin?


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BP Comment Quick Links
|Strength of Schedule Report
May 21, 2013
Overthinking It
The Pitches No Zone Can Contain
There's a story about Gene Bearden in Veeck as in Wreck that I've written about before. As a 27-year-old rookie in 1948, the knuckleballing Bearden posted a 2.43 ERA in 37 games and 29 starts for the Indians, winning 20 games and finishing second to Alvin Dark in Rookie of the Year voting. But he couldn't sustain his success. In Bearden's sophomore season, Casey Stengel, who had managed Bearden during his successful 1947 PCL campaign with the Oakland Oaks, was hired to manage the Yankees. Stengel, the story goes, knew that Bearden's knuckleball "usually dipped below the strike zone after it broke, which meant that [he] was totally dependent upon getting the batter to swing." So he instructed his hitters not to swing at the knuckler until there were two strikes, forcing Bearden to elevate it or throw his unremarkable fastball or curve. The scouting report spread around the rest of the league, Bearden became more hittable, and his walk rate rose. Working primarily out of the bullpen, he posted a 90 ERA+ from 1949 on and was out of the majors after 1953.
It's an interesting story, and the stats mostly support it. Bearden was probably due for some regression, Stengel's advance scouting aside—his BABIP in 1948 was some 40 points below the AL average (low even for a knuckleballer), he walked more batters than he struck out, and he allowed only nine home runs in 229 1/3 innings. But in 1949, his walk rate rose by more than two batters per nine, and he allowed 11 runs in nine IP against the Yankees, posting a lower strikeout-to-walk ratio (0.17) against them than he did against any other team. (Admittedly, Bearden struggled against the Yankees in 1948, too. The Yankees were good.)
Since I read that Stengel story, and especially since Daniel Rathman mentioned to me that Joel Hanrahan got only 11 called strikes in 254 sliders last season, I've been wondering about the modern-day equivalents of Bearden's knuckler: pitches that often end up outside of the strike zone and would usually be balls if batters could learn to lay off. Of course, laying off isn't always as easy as it was against Bearden. Bearden's knuckler was his primary pitch, and his subpar supplementary stuff made it difficult to disguise. The pitches most often thrown outside of the strike zone today are designed to get chases and grounders and be difficult not to swing at. For the most part, they've succeeded at what they were designed to do, which is why the pitchers who throw them are mostly A) still throwing them and B) still in the majors. The point of this article isn't to say, "Hitters should just stop swinging at [Pitcher's] [Pitch Type]!", as if that were a simple thing to do. It's to say "If hitters were somehow able to stop swinging at [Pitcher's] [Pitch Type], it would very often be a ball." (At least until [Pitcher] made some sort of adjustment.)
For reference, here's how often each pitch type is thrown outside of the typically called strike zone (using Harry Pavlidis' custom pitch types, as seen at Brooks Baseball):
Splitter: 62.9%
And here are the top 10 pitches in out-of-strike-zone rate (OSZ%) among pitchers who've thrown at least 200 pitches of a given type from 2012-13. (Joel Hanrahan's slider, by the way, ranks no. 19.)
I've included pitch type-specific league averages in the tables, and GIFs of each pitch functioning as intended.
10. Brandon League: Splitter
In 2009—his first full, healthy, season—Brandon League struck out over a batter per inning. His splitter earned internet fame as the most unhittable pitch in baseball; 35 percent of the times he threw it, he got a swing-and-miss. No other pitch thrown by any other pitcher topped 30 percent. This is what the splitter looked like then:
The following spring, the Mariners—who had traded Brandon Morrow for League after his unhittable-splitter season—altered his delivery, and he adapted to Safeco Field by throwing the splitter less and pitching to contact more. Ever since, his splitter hasn't had the same bat-missing ability:
Although he throws it as hard now as he did then, League's splitter has yielded fly balls almost twice as often this season as it did in 2009. Without as many whiffs, it's not much of a weapon. In related news, League has struck out 4.4 batters per nine innings and nearly lost his hold on the Dodgers' close role, despite his big contract. I wrote in the intro that most of the pitches on this list remain effective, but League's splitter looks like an exception.
9. Stephen Strasburg: Changeup
The second-highest whiff rate (Tim Collins) and the third-highest groundball rate (A.J Burnett, Zack Greinke) of any changeup in baseball. Strasburg's change normally runs about eight miles per hour behind his heater, which means it's averaged almost 89 this season. Yeah, this one will work. After the April start that produced the ugly Votto swing above, Kurt Suzuki called the changeup "dirty," saying:
That pitch to Votto was the fourth changeup he'd seen in the at-bat, and the second in a row. And still he looked like that.
8. Carlos Zambrano: Splitter
Zambrano's splitter, like League's, has shown a steep decline in whiff rate since 2010, his last successful season. However, unlike League's, it's still getting grounders. The Phillies recently signed Zambrano to a minor-league contract, so we might soon see the splitter again.
7. Jonathan Papelbon: Splitter
At this point, Papelbon uses his splitter almost exclusively to lefties, most often with two strikes. It's gotten a below-average whiff rate this season—a lot below average for Papelbon—but that's in a small sample, and it's still getting grounders.
6. David Robertson: Curveball
Robertson is a two-pitch pitcher who throws the same pitches at the same rates to both lefties and righties and owns a sizable career reverse split. Only David Hernandez and Craig Kimbrel have higher curveball whiff rates. Even though he throws his curve outside of the zone far more often than average, its ball rate is barely above average. That's a testament to his ability to miss bats, his extra-long stride and deception, and the catchers who've caught him over the past season-plus.
5. Jonny Venters: Slider
No pitch had a higher whiffs/swing rate than Venters' slider in 2012. The best stat: batters swung at the pitch at roughly an average rate, even though Venters threw it out of the strike zone almost 40 percent more often than the average slider. It's a shame that we won't see it for some time, even if it survives a second Tommy John surgery intact.
4. Hiroki Kuroda: Splitter
Kuroda's splitter gets more whiffs with his splitter than he does with his slider, and more grounders with his splitter than he does with his sinker. Pitch per pitch, it's his most effective offering, and he's roughly doubled its usage rate over the past few seasons.
3. Zack Greinke: Slider
Swings against Greinke's slider come up empty more often than swings against any other starter's save Patrick Corbin. He doesn't throw it often, because he has five other pitches. But when he does it gets whiffs, because batters are often expecting one of those five other pitches instead. In order to have success when throwing a pitch outside of the strike zone, you have to have set it up with something else or be setting up something else. Greinke can do both.
2. Jake Westbrook: Splitter
Westbrook switched from throwing a changeup to throwing a splitter last season, according to Brooks Baseball's classifications, perhaps because the change wasn't missing as many bats as it had in the past. He's a groundball guy, and while the sinker is his bread and butter, he gets grounders at an even higher rate with his splitter. However, that's easily the lowest called strike percentage of any pitch. Westbrook has walked 18 batters in 39 innings this season, but double plays help limit the damage.
1. Lance Lynn: Changeup
Nearly 60 percent of Lynn's changeups are called balls, the highest rate of any pitch. And unlike many of the pitches on this list, his changeup doesn't induce chases: only Jonathan Niese and Zach McCallister gets swings as rarely on their changeups, and both of them get more called strikes. Lynn throws his changeup rarely, which might be for the best.
Thanks to Harry Pavlidis for research assistance.
Ben Lindbergh is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @benlindbergh
8 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
Is that GB/BIP also a percentage? Doesn't seem like a ratio. Or am I reading it wrong?
May 21, 2013 07:30 AM
No Darvish slider?
May 21, 2013 08:05 AM
Dan Rozenson
BP staff
Interesting that after all the "wipeout" pitches on the list -- Greinke slider, League splitter, Strasburg changeup, etc. -- the top of the list is a comparatively weaker offering.
May 21, 2013 09:52 AM
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BWW's Top Wichita Theatre Stories of 2012
BroadwayWorld brings you the Best of Wichita in the year 2012. Check out the Top Theatre Stories from each month during in the year 2012. We look forward to another exciting year of theatre in 2013!
Wakarusa Makes First Artist Announcement
Wakarusa has released the first of three artist announcements for 2012.... (read more...)
Tech N9ne, Theory of a Deadman, et. al. Set for Shows at The Cotillion
Tech N9ne, Theory of a Deadman, and Tracy Lawrence are set for upcoming performances at The Cotillion in Wichita, KS.... (read more...)
William Inge Play to Preview at Inge Festival, 4/18
Stage plays customarily undergo long periods of development-though not as long as a half century. Yet such is the case for the opening presentation at the 31st annual William Inge Theatre Festival in ... (read more...)
Inge Festival Honors Elizabeth Wilson WIth Founder Award
Elizabeth Wilson, one of America's most successful career actors and a Theatre Hall of Famer, will be saluted with the Jerome Lawrence Award, in a small Kansas town that celebrates a hometown playwrig... (read more...)
9 TO 5, SOUND OF MUSIC, et al. Set for Theatre Lawrence 2012-2013 Season
Theatre Lawrence has announces its upcoming 2012-2013 season. The season includes 9 TO 5, the SOUND OF MUSIC, and more. Tickets will go on sale in May.... (read more...)
Annalee Jeffries Heads Cast of OFF THE MAIN ROAD, 4/18
Director Michael Wilson, straight from the Broadway opening of "The Best Man," has lined up a cast of New York veteran and major regional performers for the preview presentation of a "new" William Ing... (read more...)
Wakarusa Kicks Off Today, Runs Now thru 6/3
Wakarusa will take place today, May 31 through June 3, 2012 on Mulberry Mountain near Ozark, Arkansas.... (read more...)
Tenor Anthony Kearns to Perform at Bell Cultural Events Center, 9/15
Tenor Anthony Kearns to Perform at the Bell Cultural Events Center on Saturday, September 15, 2012 OLATHE, KS - Internationally-acclaimed tenor Anthony Kearns will make his debut performance at the Be... (read more...)
Photo Flash: First Look at Anne Horak and More in MTWichita's LEGALLY BLONDE
The Music Theatre of Wichita presents LEGALLY BLONDE, opening August 8 and running through August 12. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production below.... (read more...)
Music Theatre Presents LEGALLY BLONDE, Now thru 8/12
The Music Theatre of Wichita brings LEGALLY BLONDE to audiences from tonight, August 8th through August 12th. Based on the hit movie, LEGALLY BLONDE is described as 'a fresh and effervescent evening o... (read more...)
The Orpheum Presents Bryan Adams: Bare Bones Tour, 9/21
The Orpheum presents Bryan Adams: Bare Bones Tour, Friday, September 21, 2012 at 8:00pm. Reserved tickets: $75 Orchestra A-Q, $55 Orchestra R-W; $55 Lower Balcony; $55 Upper Balcony BA-BH, $39.50 Upp... (read more...)
Wichita Theatre Presents ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, 9/14
The Wichita Theatre presents ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, September 14-29.... (read more...)
THE LION KING Opens Tonight in Wichita
The Wichita premiere of Disney's THE LION KING opens tonight, Friday, September 7, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. at Century II Concert Hall for a limited engagement of four weeks through Sunday, September 30, 201... (read more...)
Disney's THE LION KING is Highest-Grossing Theatrical Production in Wichita History
Disney's THE LION KING continues to reign across North America with a sold-out, record-breaking engagement in Wichita, which concluded on Sunday, September 30 at the Century II Concert Hall. The premi... (read more...)
Sean McDermott, Cady Huffman, Nellie McKay Featured in Two Readings at Inge Center, 11/3
Nellie McKay, Cady Huffman, and Sean McDermott and additional guest artists contribute their talents to the public reading of a new play and musical at the William Inge Center for the Arts. The readin... (read more...)
The William Inge Center for the Arts at Independence Community College Receives NEA Grant
The William Inge Center for the Arts at Independence Community College (ICC) has landed a prestigious award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) of $50,000.... (read more...)
Scott Johnson Headlines Special Performance at Liberty Hall, 12/14
Scott Johnson, a New York City comedian and University of Kansas alumnus, returns to his hometown Lawrence, Kansas, for a special one night only performance at the historic Liberty Hall. Liberty Hall ... (read more...)


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I'm not perfect and neither are you.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the esteem of Elohim,
Ephisians 4: 32 And be kind towards one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as Elohim also forgave you in Messiah.
To settle into his Greg Kite goon role.
I'm done discussing it. We'll see.
Effectively handing towels to Jeff Pendergraph.
"Your course, your path, is not going to be like mine," West says. "Everybody is not called to be a multimillionaire. Everybody's not called to be the president. Whatever your best work is, you do it. Do it well. You cease your own greatness when you aspire to be someone else."
I'm expecting Tyler to be a nice 4 Mil dollar expiring contract to be shopped around the league along with a combination of other servicable players to a contender in the West for a 1st rounder and a garbage expiring.
He's good enough to help a team out off the bench late in the year and in limited minutes in the playoffs. A team desperate enough for some depth might give up a first for Tyler and DJ if Lance has matured his game enough where he can help out at point and Young, Green/Plumlee are able to pick up the slack at the vacated SG and PF Minutes. I like DJ so far, but if we can steal somebodies first, knowing he and Tyler won't be re-signed next year. We gotta do that... Especially with D-Wests contract looming.
Just my take...
Everything he was coming into the NBA has been scouted and contained. He has to be a better midrange shooter and rebounder. Defensively he has to rotate quicker.
I say he becomes a better shooter and that is it. And that is not what we need alone.
To hit his 15'-18' shot at a much better efficiency. To block out his man and rebound better. To hopefully pass the ball and find a way to average 3 assist per 40 minutes. To be a beast in the paint more often. To slam the rock with attitude, like he did on Amare. To take advantage of every minute played like a veteran and not a one dimensional black hole.
Garbage players get 1st round picks, (WTF)! All of the NBA must hate the Pacers! LOL
I hope his leash is short. Lance never really gets a chance, yet Tyler is trotted out like he's earned it. He's played pretty bad.
I would rather see Plumlee just for the fact that he can rebound. Green, Lance and DJ will score for the second unit, so a black hole guy like Tyler isn't really needed.
First time in a long time, I've been happy with the team that was constructed, and now they struggle. I blame the coach.
However if a young player really needs to improve to create a future in the league, than giving up vacationing in the summer to workout with specific coaches is what it takes. That's the difference between successful players and the guys who seem to flounder.
You can bet Derrick Rose's summer before his MVP season wasn't a vacation. He spent the summer in california with one of the best off-season coaches in the country. Rose new that down the line when he wants to party in cancun, or LA or wherever he would have the opportunity, but at such a young age he was out to prove himself, and he did.
(obviously the point of that story wasn't a comparison between Tyler and Rose's talent, but their work ethic)
I wouldn't blame Tyler either if he didn't want to work out all summer with Vogel. However, I know what I would do if I was in danger of losing a roster spot..
I have a feeling that Tyler is going to come out kicking some a**, he is finally going to have a point guard that can actually pass the ball, how many times we saw where he was by himself under the rim and never got the ball? Tyler is also pretty good at running down the court with the point guard but as always he never got the ball, I expect Augustin to make Tyler a better player, he better get ready because some passes are going to hit him in the face.
I have almost zero expectations for Tyler this year.
In some ways, I'm hoping my little tiny contribution might allow him to actually play up to his capabilities.
I think he choked under expectations... remember, some had him listed as MIP and 6th man of the year last year heading into the season?
If he doesn't produce this year, his future in the NBA is in serious jeopardy. So, I think we'll see a closer representation of what we actually have with him this year.
Sink or swim time, Tyler. But I for one, have no expectations.
I really like Tyler, a whole lot actually. I love his hustle. I love his aggressiveness and toughness. I think he actually moves pretty well without the ball as well. I just think he doesn't always make the smart play. Is he trying to prove too much by taking every shot that hits his hands or what? I'm not sure where his head is at to be honest. Does he think that passing to his teammates is a weakness? Does he think that he can dunk over anybody in the NBA? I don't know.
I broke down Tyler a week or two ago, but there are a couple of things I would like to see from him in condensed form:
Ball movement
More arc on his jump shot
Passing out of the post when he gets in trouble
Don't get too far under the basket with the ball in his hands
Waiting for the pick to be set before he rolls (a lot of that was on Collison setting up picks)
Roll to the basket more instead of settling forthe jumper
Set more post to post picks
OK... so I think Tyler could see a lot of improvement in his game due to Augustin being a better PG. DC did not do a very good job of setting up or defending pick and rolls. I don't know why the two of them couldn't get on the same page. I think Hans could be an elite pick setter in the NBA. He just is too focused on getting his shot from 17 feet than setting up the rest of the team.
I tell you that we can get what we got last year from Tyler right now from Pendergraph, with someone who will finish around the rim. If Hansborough doesn't seem to grow as a player, then I'd rather see Pendergraph earlier in the season. I think I'd even like to see some minutes from Plumlee if it continues.
"Your course, your path, is not going to be like mine," West says. "Everybody is not called to be a multimillionaire. Everybody's not called to be the president. Whatever your best work is, you do it. Do it well. You cease your own greatness when you aspire to be someone else."
What it comes down to is that we don't know how Tyler spent his summer. I prefer to have faith in Tyler and Vogel's coaching staff until I see differently. There's no good reason not to. Time will tell whether they accomplished anything or not. I'd rather wait and see the results instead of jumping on the hate bandwagon. (Of course, even if he doesn't improve, I'm not going to hate him or the coaches or the front office. That's just silly.)
We should have our answer fairly soon. And if we see improvement then we'll have to be patient to see if he can sustain it throughout the season. Hopefully he'll turn into a solid, consistent player that will make all of us happy.
Needs to make open jumpers this year for starters.. Missed many open looks last season.
I'm on the fence about him. If he is smart, he will improve his rebounding, defense, and FG%. Because he is in a contract year. His next contract depends on what he does now. Which is no news to anyone here.
The alternative is that he loses minutes and sits the bench. Possibly he is trade bait because of his expiring deal.
I prefer to think that he is smart and improves this year. At least I hope so. If he improves and plays like he did against the Bulls 2 years ago, we will have a very potent bench.
I expect the same predictable robotic movements down in the post and getting called for traveling alot, but obviously I hope he shows me that I'm wrong.
Larry Bird and Ryan Grigson- wasting the talents of Paul George and Andrew Luck
Not much.
So I'll amend my statement to ask if someone on Twitter can ask Wells if Tyler worked out with Pacers coaches over the summer.
However, I do think that given what a disappointment Tyler has been so far, it would be better for him to stay in Indy where he could have complete access to his coaches for the entire summer, rather than having the coaches coming to him periodically. Really, it doesn't even have to be with our coaches, necessarily. There are other great coaches for hire out there. I just don't want him working with UNC coaches summer after summer since that approach hasn't worked so far (I acknowledge that we don't know that he has *only* worked with UNC coaches this summer. But we do know that he spends at least part of his summer with them). I wish we got more info about what the players are doing workout wise during the off-season.
Ugh, October always feels soooo long. I'm ready to stop speculating and start seeing how this is all going to play out on the court!
Last edited by gummy; 10-03-2012 at 03:30 PM.
"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." - Albert Camus
"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." - Voltaire
"Everyone's values are defined by what they will tolerate when it is done to others." - William Greider
I'd be happy if he "accidentally" broke Dunleavy's nose for that childish crap Dun pulled last season.
"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel
"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
He's open for a reason.
Those missed looks last season were not some startling new development that can be attributed to a bad year. At some point, you have to call a spade, a spade. He isn't a good shooter. He takes a ton of shots, and some of them go in, but that doesn't make him a good shooter. Defenses leave him open, because they know it is unlikely he's going to make it anyway. If he was a smart player, he would stop shooting so much, but he won't, because that's all he's ever known.
I'm hoping he's improved his relationship with God, so that at least when he's rooted to the ground under the basket, and he flings those horrid one-handed, over-the-shoulder prayers, that seem destined to break the backboard, more of them actually get answered and go in.
Obviously, I have extremely high hopes.
I saw Psycho T and his brother at Champs downtown tonight.
Croshere didn't sound optimistic about him on the Grady show today.
I think we will see him in a new uniform soon. While he is my avatar, I'm not a big fan so I'm fine with that. I was hoping he would turn out to be Jeff Foster plus good offense, but I was sorely disappointed. I expected him to be money from midrange, but quite frankly I didn't follow him in the NCAA's. He's not shown he can drain it...and unless that changes he needs to go. Plumlee will help more in the paint IMO.


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Hello fellow island and fishing folks. Today we are gonna talk about some serious situation that can and may happen while fishing in the summer in Cedar key or any other body of water.
As I started my trip at daylight last Saturday it was super hot as I started gathering bait I started to sweat immediately. There was no wind at all and which caused my skin to leak ALOT!
Well Cedar Key folks and visitors ended up with quite a nice weekend of weather. The beach and park was busy and water was very busy Saturday lots of folks came in to visit for the day and enjoy mother nature as she was taking it easy on us for a change. We had a great bite most of the time due to a great incoming tide. Water temperatures stayed around 83 most of the days and that has helped tremendously.
Many of us think of recycling as a recent trend but humans have been recycling for a very long time, all the way back to prehistory. Early man would rework broken arrowheads so that they could be reused and not thrown away. In 1690 the first recycled paper manufacturer in the U S was established near Philadelphia using cotton and linen rags to make paper.
My daughter, Donna Leeward and I were showing in the Spring Art Show in Cedar Key this past March. When I looked at the old Island Hotel I was getting a strong feeling of déjà vu.
In my mind I was going back 59 years to my first trip to Cedar Key. It was funny because at that time I didn't even know where Cedar Key was.
One day out of a clear blue sky my dad asked me, "How long has it been since you had turtle steak?"
Well, I guess it was at the Green Turtle Inn, halfway down the over-seas highway to Key West.
If you watch the news on a regular basis, you know that good news is hard to come by. The nightly news content is usually about war and hatred, crime, natural disasters and various other sad stories with a feel good story thrown in at the end of the broadcast. But there is good news, especially concerning the environment. You just do not hear about it very much. So the following is just a few of the positive stories about the environment.
By Bob Denny
My friend's blood pressure jumped to 160/110! He told me he thought he was going to explode! It was a serious clash with a dominating supervisor. That was one of the most painful and challenging times of his life! It hurt so bad that he took a month off of work. With some helpful counseling, he worked out a good solution with the employer, and was able to return to his job and stay on until a happy and successful retirement. (His supervisor was transferred and given appropriate training on "management skills.")
A couple of years into my cowboying in Marion County I got a call from a man who was living on the Castro farms, northwest of Ocala on Highway 27. He told me he managed the cattle operation for Bernard Castro and he had heard that I was day working and had some good dogs. He had a similar arrangement with Castro that I had with the Double F Ranch out at Moss Bluff - we could day work on the side on our own time.
The Double F at Moss Bluff in Marion County was like about every other ranch I ever worked on; it had one or two bad cows that would go out of their way to hook your pants off. Once we identified them, we made it a practice to tip their horns, so they couldn't do as much damage.
One time while receiving cattle from Dixie County for the Perry Brothers at the Baseline cow pen at Belleview, one of the semi-drivers told us to watch out for a little scrub cow and don't turn your back on her. She had killed a horse back in Dixie County.
By Bill Roberts
I was day-working in Marion County for a group of cattlemen that had cattle in several pastures, including the Ocala National Forest, where the cattle, more or less, roamed over a large area.
This was the end of the open range, as encounters with automobiles became more frequent, especially of Highway 40 from Ocala to the East Coast.
Copyright © 2017
The Cedar Key Beacon is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Levy County and Cedar Key Florida, and the surrounding area.


text:
Job Hunting in a Tough Economy
Are You Ready to Re-Enter the Automation Job Pool and Compete with Other Professionals Just as Qualified as You? Here Are Things You Can Do to Stand Out from the Crowd
This article was printed in the CONTROL's March 2009 edition.
Nobody's escaping today's tough economy. Veterans and newbies alike are nervous about their jobs. Every day, multi-billion-dollar companies and small privately owned businesses make personnel cuts. Whether you're working for a historic business icon or new kid on the block, it doesn't matter. Now everyone's job is at stake.
The U.S. Dept. of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in January that manufacturing had 871 mass layoff events, resulting in 105,402 initial layoff claims in December 2008 (www.bls.gov/news.release/mmls.t01.htm).
Now more than ever, veteran automation professionals and youngsters just starting out are competing for the same jobs.
In July 2008, ISA reported layoffs of more than 35,000 workers in the auto industry, including related auto parts manufacturers. Business News reported that last September, Rockwell Automation froze hiring, shortened work weeks at various facilities, stopped salary raises for the year, and laid off 600 people. (Recently, word on the street is that Rockwell's hiring freeze has thawed somewhat.)
In December 2008, Dow Chemical Corp. announced it would shut down 20 plants in the U.S. and Europe and lay off 5,000 employees. Meanwhile, the recent shutdown of the 90-year-old General Motors plant in Janesville, Wis., along with several nearby suppliers, created a loss of 4,000 jobs.
It wasn't always this way.
In the not-so-distant past, the automation industry had low employment turnover rates. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employee separations for manufacturing, meaning employee turnover resulting from all voluntary and involuntary employment terminations, has not fluctuated greatly over the years. From 2001 through 2006, the annual employee separation percentage changed by less than 3.5 percentage points from year to year.
But that was then. This is now.
As an automation professional, what would you do if you lost your job tomorrow? Are you prepared to go back into the job pool? Are you ready to compete with other equally qualified professionals?
Qualifications and Job Skills
Are your qualifications and job skills the desirable ones? In today's economy, cross training is essential, but knowing how to do multiple jobs isn't even enough. Having the certifications to prove that you qualify to perform different jobs is key.
For the automation professional, the choice between obtaining a PE or CAP certification is complex. Both certifications have their virtues, and some believe that having both is an advantage. PE licenses are state-specific, and were established to ensure the safety of public works designs. PE certifications require automation professionals to obtain a formal education, such as a university engineering degree in civil, electrical or mechanical engineering. The ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP) designation is a relatively new certification program that helps define control systems professionals. The CAP is open to individuals with a four-year technical degree. While a PE certification concentrates on process controls, CAP targets a wider range of automation topics. Both licenses are intended for people working at the highest levels in their field.
[Read more about these two programs in "PE Registration Versus ISA CAP Certification" by Paul Darnbrough, Control, October 2008.]
Re-Education Programs
The process industries rarely undergo technological changes. This lack of industry technology change has caused industry professionals to disregard the importance of cross-training and having multiple industry certifications. The necessary skills an automation professional needs to succeed in his or her job may not be as current as they could and should be as a result of this disregard. However, the current economic crisis and its massive industry layoffs have motivated individuals to pursue additional training, additional certifications and/or a higher education degree. Universities across the country are currently seeing an increase in enrollment numbers.
Queensborough Community College in Bayside, Calif., has increased its student enrollment by more than 12% this spring semester. Bakersfield College in Bakersfield, Calif., enrolled 18,000 students this spring as well. This is the first time in more than 30 years for Bakersfield College that enrollment numbers have reached that number.
"Projections of Education Statistics to 2011" from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, estimated the total college enrollment number to grow from 14.8 million students in 1999 to 17.7 million by 2011, an increase of 20%
A survey done in early 1990s by the American Council on Education, a Washington, D.C., association of 1,700 colleges and universities, shows that the quick growth in enrollment for two-year community institutions was due to the return of people to the workforce who wanted to strengthen their job skills.
ISA prepares individuals to become better automation professionals through its various certification and training programs (see sidebar "ISA Certification Programs" below).
Companies such as Rockwell Automation also offer their own training courses, which are open to the public. Rockwell's courses cover subjects such as communications, drives, condition monitoring and visualization among others (www.rockwellautomation.com/services/training/techareas.html). Other organizations, such as the Fieldbus Foundation and the OPC Foundation also offer training in specific automation technologies.
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text:
Cruz, Gonzalez rejoining Dodgers after eventful Classic
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Adrian Gonzalez and Luis Cruz will rejoin the Dodgers on Monday after escaping without injury or suspension following Team Mexico's World Baseball Classic fracas with Team Canada on Saturday.
With a 9-3 lead in the ninth inning, Canada catcher Chris Robinson dropped a bunt for a base hit. Mexico took exception. Relief pitcher Arnold Leon appeared to throw at the next batter, Rene Tosoni, on three straight pitches, finally hitting him with the third, and both benches emptied.
Cruz appeared to be an instigator to the incident. He was playing deep at third base, where the bunt went for a single. Cruz fielded the bunt without throwing to first, then gestured with the ball into his ribs to Leon, then pointing at Tosoni, who was the next hitter.
Though the bunt would normally be a violation of baseball etiquette, in the World Baseball Classic, the primary tiebreaker in three-way ties is based on a run-differential formula. Thus, teams have a vested interest in scoring as much as they possibly can.
"I saw a little of it. You don't want anything to happen," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "Baseball etiquette, you don't play like that. I've been in Pony tournaments, round-robins with tiebreakers [based on runs scored]. I don't think you can ever say [fighting] is OK, but that's just not good baseball.
"Cruz texted me and something happened earlier in the game he didn't like with Ramiro Pena. I didn't see it, but the guys took exception to it."
Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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text:
Kevin Pietersen, and his supporters, can no longer be in the slightest doubt that he will ever play for England again - after the clearest of management statements at Lord's.
England and Wales Cricket Board managing director Paul Downton was utterly unequivocal - during Saturday's press conference to confirm Peter Moores' second stint as head coach - that Pietersen will never be invited back.
It was Downton who oversaw England's decision to part ways with the South Africa-born batsman two months ago, having witnessed for himself and heard from others that Pietersen's presence no longer seemed to be in the team's best interests.
Within days of taking up his new role at the start of this year, Downton was struck by Pietersen's evident 'disengagement' in the England team which lost the final Test in Sydney to confirm their embarrassing Ashes whitewash.
The ECB's explanations for effectively ending Pietersen's international career have contained only limited detail - with reference to issues of "trust" and "team ethics" - but assurances of permanence have always been steadfast.
Downton was all the more so, interjecting after Moores was asked whether there might ever be any prospect of a return for Pietersen.
"The sooner we understand that Kevin has had his time, the better," said Downton, who made it clear that the player himself eventually concluded it was best for his central contract to end.
"We are moving on without him.
"We sat down, talked through it over a number of hours - and he was the one, in the end, who wanted to terminate his contract.
"We came to an agreement to do that.
"He is free to play wherever he wants around the world, but the sooner we can focus on young players coming through the more everyone will enjoy it."
Downton was convinced almost immediately that England needed a solution to the Pietersen problem.
"Go back to Australia and watch what happened.
"What you saw was a senior England player who had become disconnected from the team.
"I watched every ball of that Sydney Test, and I've never seen anyone so disengaged from what was going on.
"What you need from a senior player is backing, support, everyone working together - and we'd just got to a stage where that was no longer the case."
Downton's first significant task in his new role was to address difficulties which were becoming apparent during England's Ashes defeat.
"I arrived in Sydney on December 31, and it was clear from meeting [then team director] Andy Flower that there were two major issues.
"He was uncertain about his future and whether he wanted to stay and what we were going to do about Kevin.
"The issue was that you had a senior England player who had got disconnected from the team.
"I spent two to three weeks speaking to all the coaches who were on that trip, several senior players, to the captain, to James Whitaker - and we came to the conclusion, a unanimous one, that if England will rebuild after a very disappointing loss then we had to make a decision."
Downton's hope is that, without Pietersen, a 'new era' can flourish under Moores and captain Alastair Cook.
"We had to build not for the next three months, but the next two, three, five years.
"For the side to grow... we had to invest in new players and we had to build a new team with some core values.
"It was decided that wouldn't happen with Kevin in the side.
"We decided not to select him. I don't see any intention of going back."
Speculation has been rife about what may or may not have happened between Pietersen and his team-mates.
But Downton added: "If you are looking for a smoking gun, there are no specific issues.
"During 10 years we had a strong side, strong leadership in terms of established captains and coaches, and that side could accommodate Kevin.
"That balance has shifted. We have to invest in new players and a new side won't accommodate Kevin. It's as simple as that.
"It's about... what is best for English cricket."
Moores, whose first stint as England coach ended in his sacking in 2009 after a power struggle with then captain Pietersen, will not have to renew the association.
Pietersen, perhaps pre-empting England's confirmation of Moores as coach, this morning tweeted: "Everyone deserves a 2nd chance!"
Asked to respond, a chuckling Moores said: "Good tweet."
Pushed on the same topic, he added: "I never fell out with Kevin. Kevin fell out with me.
"There's a noble difference."