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November 15, 2013
Baseball ProGUESTus
Pitch Types and the Times Through the Order Penalty
Most of our writers didn't enter the world sporting an @baseballprospectus.com address; with a few exceptions, they started out somewhere else. In an effort to up your reading pleasure while tipping our caps to some of the most illuminating work being done elsewhere on the internet, we'll be yielding the stage once a week to the best and brightest baseball writers, researchers, and thinkers from outside of the BP umbrella. If you'd like to nominate a guest contributor (including yourself), please drop us a line.
Last week, in this article, I discussed a starting pitcher's "times through the order penalty" (TTOP)—the tendency for the pitcher's performance to suffer with each trip through the lineup. In the comments section, several readers wondered whether pitchers who throw primarily one type of pitch might have a particularly large penalty as opposed to pitchers who throw a greater variety of pitches. The speculation was that it would be harder or take longer for a batter to acclimate himself to a pitcher who has a lot of different pitches in his arsenal. In addition, since most starters tend to throw more fastballs the first time through the order, pitchers who follow that up with a higher frequency of off-speed pitches might have an advantage over those who continue to throw mostly fastballs, in terms of the TTOP. Let's see if that is true.
First I split all the starters into three groups: one, over 75 percent fastballs, two, under 50 percent fastballs, and three, all the rest. The data is from 2002-2012, and includes Baseball Info Solutions' pitch-type information from FanGraphs. The results are illuminating.
Pitchers who throw mostly fastballs lose 47 points in wOBA against (columns eight plus nine) by the third time through the order. (For those who are just joining us, wOBA is an all-in-one offensive rate statistic in the same vein as TAv, but on the OBP scale instead of the BA scale.) Those with a much lower fastball frequency lose only 18 points. Interestingly, the "fastball" group reverts back to better-than-normal levels the fourth time (I don't know why that is, but I'll return to that issue later), but the latter group continues to suffer a penalty as do all the others. Keep in mind that the fourth time numbers represent very small samples for the first two groups, since starters don't often make it past the third time through the order.
The takeaway here is that a starter's pitch repertoire is extremely important in terms of how long he should be left in the game and whether he should start or relieve (we already knew the latter, right?). If we look at columns three and four, we can get some idea as to the difference between a pitcher as a starter and as a reliever, at least as far as times through the order is concerned (there are other considerations, such as velocity—e.g., when a pitcher is a short reliever, he can usually throw harder). The mostly fastball group is 16 points (around .5 runs per nine innings) more effective the first time through the order than overall, while the low-frequency fastball group has only a six-point (.20 RA9) advantage. Keep in mind that some of that first-time-through-the-order advantage for all groups is due to the "first inning" effect (see my original article).
Next I split the pitchers into four groups based on the number of unique pitches they threw at least 10 percent of the time. The categories of pitches (from the FG database) were fastballs, sliders, cutters, curveballs, changeups, splitters, and knuckleballs.
This is even more interesting. It appears that the fewer pitches a starter has in his repertoire, the more quickly batters become familiar with him, as we might expect. One-pitch pitchers lose 36 points by the third time through the order, while four-pitch pitchers lose only 24 points. The fourth time through the order is exactly the opposite. Against one-pitch pitchers, pitchers gain 61 points (small sample size warning—639 PA). Again, I have no idea why. Maybe fastball pitchers are able to ramp it up in the later innings, or maybe they start throwing more off-speed pitches later in the game. (A PITCHf/x analysis would shed some more light on this issue.) Against the four-pitch pitchers, batters gain 19 points the fourth time around compared to the third. If we weight and combine the third and fourth times in order to increase our sample sizes, we get this:
Again, we see by far the largest second-time penalty for the one-pitch pitchers (27 points—column seven), and a gradually decreasing penalty for two, three, and four-pitch pitchers (16, 13, and 11). Interestingly, they all have around the same penalty the third time and later, other than the one-pitch pitchers, who essentially retain their quality or even get a bit better, although this is driven by their large fourth-time advantage, as you saw in the previous table.
It is not clear that you should take your one-pitch starters out early and leave in those who have multiple pitches in their arsenal. In fact, the opposite may be the case. While the one-pitch pitchers would do well if they faced the order only one time (as would the two-pitch starters, actually), once you allow them to stay in the game for the second go-around, you might as well keep them in there as long as they are not fatigued, at least as compared to the multiple-pitch starters. Starters with more than one pitch appear to get 10-15 points worse each time through the order even though they don't have the large penalty between the first and second time, as the one-pitch pitchers do. Remember, for the last two tables, a pitch is considered part of a starter's repertoire if he throws it at least 10 percent of the time.
I'll now split the pitchers into four groups again based on how many pitches they throw. But this time, the cutoff for a "pitch" will be 15 percent rather than 10 percent. The number of pitchers who throw four pitches at least 15 percent of the time each are too few for the their numbers to be meaningful, so I'll throw them in with the three-pitch pitchers. I'll also combine the third and fourth times through the order again so that we don't have those nasty small samples in the "fourth time" data.
As you can see, the three- and four-pitch starters are better overall by three or four points of wOBA (.11 RA9). The first time through the order, however, the one-pitch starters are better by five points or so (.15 RA9). The second time around, the one-pitch pitchers fare the worst, but by the third and fourth times through the order, they are once again the best (by six or seven points, or .22 RA9). It is difficult to say what the optimal use of these starters would look like. At the very least, these numbers should give a manager/team more information in terms of estimating a starter's penalty at various points in the game, based on his pitch repertoire.
I'll try one more thing: two groups. The first group consists of pitchers who throw at least 80 percent of one type of pitch, excluding knuckleballs. These are truly one-pitch pitchers. The pitchers in the second group throw three or more pitches at least 20 percent of the time each. These are truly three-pitch pitchers. Let's see the contrast.
It certainly looks like the 42 one-pitch pitchers (47 is the number of pitcher-seasons) would be much better off as relievers, facing each batter in the lineup only one time. They are not very good overall, and after only one go-around, they are 25 points (.85 RA9) worse than the first time facing the order! The three-pitch pitchers suffer only a small (eight-point) penalty after the first time through the order. Both groups actually suffer the same penalty from the second to the third (and more) time through the order (nine points).
So who are these 42 pitchers who are ill-suited to being starters? Perhaps they are swingmen or emergency starters. Here is the complete list from 2002 to 2012. The numbers after the names are the number of TBF faced as starters and as relievers.
Mike Timlin 20, 352
Many of these pitchers barely had a cup of coffee in the majors. Others were emergency starters or swingmen, or changed roles at some point in their careers. Others were simply mediocre or poor starting pitchers, like Kirk Rueter, Jarrod Washburn, Mike Pelfrey, Carlos Silva, and Daniel Cabrera, while others were good or even excellent starters, like Kevin Brown, Mark Mulder, and Bartolo Colon.
I think the lesson is clear. Unless a team has a compelling reason to make a one-pitch pitcher a starter (perhaps he is an extreme sinkerballer, like Brown, Cook, and Masterson), he should probably only relieve. If a team is going to use a swingman for an occasional start, or a reliever for an emergency start, they would do well to use a two or three-pitch pitcher or limit him to one time through the order.
If we remove the swingmen and emergency starters as well as those pitchers who faced fewer than 50 batters in a season, we get this:
Even if we look only at regular starters with one primary pitch other than a knuckleball, we still see a huge penalty after the first time facing the order. In fact, the second-time penalty (compared to the first) is worse than when we include the swingmen and emergency starters. Although these pitchers overall are as good as multiple-pitch starters, they still would have been much better off as short relievers.
Here is that updated list of starters once we remove the ones who rarely start. These guys as a whole should probably have been short relievers.
You might think that the one-pitch starters in the above list who are good or at least had one or two good seasons might not necessarily be good candidates for short relief. You would be wrong. Those pitchers had huge second-to-first penalties and pitched much better the first time through the order than they did overall. Here is the same chart as before, but including only above-average starters for that season.
Here is a list of those pitchers from row one above who pitched very well overall, but were lights out the first time facing the lineup (and still very good for the remainder of the game). Remember that these pitchers were above average in the season or seasons that they went into this bucket—they were not necessarily good or great pitchers throughout their careers or even in any other season.
Kevin Brown
Interestingly, the very good multiple-pitch pitchers (row two above) had very small penalties each time through the order. These are the starters whom teams should not mind going deep into games on a consistent basis. Here is a list of those starters:
Andy Sonnanstine
Finally, in case you are interested, here are the numbers for all of the one-pitch knuckleballers whom I have been omitting in some of the tables thus far:
Where are all the knuckle ball relievers? Although we don't have tremendous sample sizes here (3024 second time TBF), it looks like knuckleballers are brilliant the first time through the order. But once a batter has seen a knuckleballer one time, he does pretty well against him thereafter (although we do see a six-point rebound the third and later times through the order).
More research, especially using PITCHf/x data, is probably needed. However, I think that teams can use the information above to make more informed decisions about what roles pitchers should occupy and when to take out a starter during a game.
Note: In the original article, I discussed the "curious case" of the fourth time through the order penalty. Basically, it shows up only in indoor games. The way that I calculated all of the TTOP was not 100 percent correct, although it was probably good enough for government work. What I did, and what other researchers have done, is this: I separately computed the wOBA against for each time through the order independently and adjusted for the quality (in wOBA for that season) of the batter and pitcher pools in each TTO group. That is not the best way to do it, although it usually yields results that are just fine. The proper way is to compute the TTOP penalties for each pitcher and then compute the weighted average for each segment (second minus first, third minus second, and fourth or later minus third). Using this method, it is no longer necessary to adjust for the pitcher pools. Again, both ways should yield almost the same results, but not always.
In this case, that solved the mystery of the "fourth time penalty." It no longer vanishes for all games combined when I calculate the TTOP using the rigorous "delta method." Here is the first chart in the original article:
Now, here is the same chart, from the same database, but using the "delta method." Note the difference in the last column.
Despite the fact that it is colder in the late innings of night games, we see a solid 11-point penalty from the third to the fourth times through the order. We also see slightly larger penalties for the second and third times. Although it is not evident from the above chart, using the "delta method" for computing the penalties (that's the method I used throughout this article), the second-time result is one point higher than the pitchers' overall results based on their per-season stats—for all starters in the database combined.
17 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
"I'll also combine the third and fourth times through the order again so that we don't have those nasty small samples in the "fourth time" data." It is tempting to read this as "I don't like what the data are telling me, so I'll manipulate the data until the message becomes more palatable." While I appreciate the effort you've made here, this bothers me.
Nov 15, 2013 06:24 AM
First of all, I don't think I'm "brushing it off." I briefly discussed possible reasons for the fourth time "rebounds" that some groups of pitchers seem to have. I also suggested that an analysis of PITCHf/x data could shed some more light on it.
Nov 15, 2013 11:44 AM
You don't find a "solid 10 point penalty for all starters," unless you hand-wave it away; that's the whole point. For the power pitchers (or at least the ones who throw predominantly fastballs, who I presume are power pitchers by and large), it's the other way around, as your first table irrefutably shows. Making that table vanish, rather than trying to understand its message, is what I object to.
Nov 15, 2013 14:22 PM
I am afraid we are talking past one another, so we might want to start all over again.
Nov 15, 2013 17:07 PM
Torii Hunter?? I'm guessing you were trying to link to Tommy.
Nov 15, 2013 06:37 AM
One possible explanation for a lesser penalty for fourth time through for one-pitch pitchers may be an advantage from loss of velocity. The trick in hitting them is likely timing (rather than, say, picking up rotation) and a loss in velocity from fatigue on the fourth time through may throw that off.
Nov 15, 2013 08:21 AM
That is possible but it seems far-fetched to me. If that were the case, we would see pitchers purposely throwing less hard as the game goes on, and being more successful in doing so. I don't think we see that.
Nov 15, 2013 11:46 AM
Have you considered that by the fourth time through the lineup it is maybe no longer the same lineup? Pinch hitters, defensive replacements...those guys are first -timers. Not to mention the nature of the score and the pitch count. Is the starter still in there because his pitch count is low and the game is easily in hand and he's being given the opportunity to get the CG/PG/No-No? Have the hitters just given up more or less because it's a blowout and their best team is no longer playing (garbage time)?
Nov 16, 2013 10:09 AM
I only include batters who were in the lineup when the game started (I also don't include 9th innings or later - those are usually the blowouts with starters still in the game).
Nov 16, 2013 11:04 AM
well, that was my first reply to this thread, so I'm not certain it's fair for you to wonder why I'm searching for reasons against your results. Maybe you aren't directly adressing "me."
Nov 16, 2013 13:22 PM
MGL, can you verify that pitchers such as Kevin Brown and Bartolo Colon actually have shown a times through the order penalty rather than assuming that the group average applies to them?
Nov 15, 2013 08:25 AM
Lots of pitchers in each group will show all kinds of different TTOP patterns, just by chance alone. It would be almost impossible for all of the pitchers in the one-pitch group to all have the same types of penalties. We are dealing with relatively small samples for each pitcher. In a small sample anything can happen. So Brown and Colon may or may not show the same types of penalty patterns that the group as a whole shows. They likely do, which is the case for any individual pitcher or pitchers in the group, but they easily could not.
Nov 15, 2013 11:32 AM
This is really cool, thanks.
Nov 15, 2013 13:15 PM
Sure, the 80%, 10%, 15% cutoffs are pretty arbitrary. I usually try to find a balance between creating "opposing" (like one-pitch pitchers compared to multiple-pitch pitchers) categories that are meaningful yet contain large samples of data. I can't always do that of course.
Nov 15, 2013 17:11 PM
What I don't understand about the article is why virtually none of the "Second Minus First" and "Third Minus Second" columns actually match the numbers listed in their antecedent columns.
Dec 16, 2013 09:50 AM
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Three bodies were recovered Thursday morning from a manure pond at a dairy near Kennedyville, Md.
The victims were a father and two sons, aged 48, 18 and 14.
According to WBAL Radio, other farm workers found a tractor parked and still running near the manure pond where the three had been working. Read more.
And, family members became concerned when the three did not arrive at home to milk their own cows Wednesday night.
Autopsies revealed that all three victims died of asphyxia (or deprivation of oxygen). The 14-year-old had an additional cause of death listed as multiple injuries, which investigators believe were inflicted by the large propeller on the end of the auger that circulates the liquid manure in the pit, according to CBS 21 in Harrisburg, Pa.

subset: commoncrawl


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Not once since the wild-card era began in 1994 has baseball seen a complete repeat of division champions.
This season, however, could be historic in that respect.
The way I see it, four of last season's division winners—Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants—will open this season as favorites to repeat. A fifth, the New York Yankees, can't be disregarded for no other reason than winning is in their DNA. And after last season, one would be foolish to count out the Oakland A's before a single game has been played.
The chances of last season's division champions defending their titles (ranked by likelihood of a repeat):
Reason to believe: This is their time. Detroit not only boasts an abundance of stars, its prime-time players are in their primes. Superstars Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder are between the ages of 28-30. So are starters Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer and Doug Fister. Austin Jackson and Alex Avila are 26.
Biggest obstacle: Closing out games. Over-relying on rookie Bruce Rondon could lead to an unsettled bullpen and a grumpy Jim Leyland.
Prediction: With the return of DH Victor Martinez, the arrival of right fielder Torii Hunter and the continued rise to stardom by Scherzer, the Tigers will be better than they were last season. So their margin of victory in the AL Central should be greater than last year, when they finished three games ahead of the Chicago White Sox.
MLB 2013: SN's Top 25 players
Reason to believe: They have baseball's best rotation, led by the happily unshackled Stephen Strasburg and 21-game winner Gio Gonzalez. To get a sense of the strength of the Nationals' starters, consider: John Lannan couldn't make Washington's rotation last season. This season, he has found a spot with the Philadelphia Phillies, who not so long ago boasted the top staff in the NL East.
While the top of the Nationals' rotation draws the most attention, watch out for Ross Detwiler, a lefty with a 95-mph fastball who is beginning to trust his off-speed stuff. He would be better than a No. 5 on any other team.
Biggest obstacle: The Atlanta Braves. If Julio Teheran can carry his strong spring into the regular season and if Kris Medlen can come close to duplicating his incredible second half (9-0, 0.94 ERA), the Braves will have a rotation to challenge the Nationals. Atlanta already has the better bullpen, and the Upton brothers should negate the losses of Chipper Jones and Martin Prado.
Prediction: Strasburg will win the NL Cy Young Award, left fielder Bryce Harper will finish in the top three in NL MVP voting, the Nationals will win the NL East by five games and the rest of baseball will bemoan the good fortune of a franchise that had the first pick in the draft in the two years when Strasburg and Harper were available.
WITRADO: Who's in and who's out of the postseason for 2013?
Reason to believe: Keeping Aroldis Chapman as the closer might not be the best decision for the future, but it will pay off now. With Chapman working the ninth inning, the Reds have a bullpen to rival the Braves' as the game's best. As well as righthander Mike Leake has pitched this spring, the rotation doesn't need Chapman. By season's end, don't be surprised if righthanders Homer Bailey and Mat Latos have dropped Johnny Cueto (19-9, 2.78 ERA in 2012) into the No. 3 spot.
Biggest obstacle: When the St. Louis Cardinals are healthy, they have a roster to equal the Reds'. But injuries already have cost the Redbirds righthander Chris Carpenter and shortstop Rafael Furcal for the year. Plus, third baseman David Freese and closer Jason Motte will start the season on the disabled list. Finally, right fielder Carlos Beltran already is less than 100 percent because of a broken right toe, and left fielder Matt Holliday was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with soreness in his side.
Prediction: The Reds will become the first team since the Chicago Cubs in 2007-08 to win back-to-back NL Central titles. It won't be easy, though, with the Cardinals hanging tough until the final weekend.
Reason to believe: They are managed by Bruce Bochy, who rightfully has assumed the distinction as the game's best manager. He guided the Giants to the World Series championship last season despite the loss of closer Brian Wilson early in the season, the loss of All-Star left fielder Melky Cabrera later in the season, the season-long struggles of righthander Tim Lincecum and a typically mediocre offense.
Biggest obstacles: Because of their newfound financial power, sooner or later the Los Angeles Dodgers will prove to be a worthy rival. That is looking more like later, though, because of injuries. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez is out, and starters Chad Billingsley and Zack Greinke already are less than 100 percent.
Prediction: Lincecum will not return to his Cy Young form, and third baseman Pablo Sandoval will fall behind in his never-ending challenge to keep off the poundage. But it doesn't matter. Bochy will masterfully manipulate his bullpen again, and the rotation and lineup will do enough to allow San Francisco to hold off Los Angeles in the NL West.
Reason to believe: Remember last year. Oakland was expected to finish below .500 but beat out Texas for the division crown on the final day of the regular season.
Biggest obstacle: The loss of Jonny Gomes. Seriously. The outfielder/DH was the heart of a team that relied largely on heart. The Boston Red Sox thought enough of Gomes to give him his first two-year contract.
Prediction: Until the season starts, there is no better predictor than what is seen on paper. And this looks like a third-place team.
Reason to believe: History, as in 17 trips to the playoffs in the past 18 seasons. Mariano Rivera's return and a healthy CC Sabathia atop a solid rotation don't hurt their chances, either.
Biggest obstacles: Injuries and age. Or should that be age and injuries? Either way, the Yankees' chances have gone from promising to painful during a spring training in which center fielder Curtis Granderson and first baseman Mark Teixeira have followed third baseman Alex Rodriguez to the disabled list. And righthander Phil Hughes and shortstop Derek Jeter are expected to join them by opening day.
Prediction: In an AL East, where picking the first-place team is as difficult as picking the last-place team, expect New York to finish in the middle. (Come back Wednesday for my AL predictions column to find out who will finish ahead of and behind the Yankees.)


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Aiming for as much public consensus on an alternative water supply as possible, the co-sponsors of Wednesday's public water forum are calling the event an opportunity for everyone to make the case for their preferred project.
Supervisor Dave Potter, who has taken the lead in organizing the forum, called it a kind of "public mediation" in the effort to come up with a plan for a replacement source of water for the Peninsula, which is facing a state-ordered cutback in pumping from the Carmel River that takes full effect by the end of 2016.
Potter said the event is a chance to consider the various proposed alternatives on equal footing in the wake of the failed Regional Water Project, following California American Water's decision to withdraw support for the $400 million public-private proposal in January.
"We've got to have a public discussion with results because it's pretty clear the state won't back off on the (cutback)," Potter said. "I don't think this community will ever agree 100 percent on a solution, but 60-40 might be doable."
Cal Am spokeswoman Catherine Bowie said the forum is the "key opportunity" for the public to weigh in on a potential alternative solution before the company applies for a new proposal to the state Public Utilities Commission on April 23. Bowie said the public will also have a chance to participate in the review process after Cal Am submits its project application.
The three-hour forum is set to begin at 5 p.m. at Seaside's Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Avenue. It's co-sponsored by Monterey County, the Monterey Peninsula Regional Water Authority, the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency, and Cal Am.
After an introduction, the agenda calls for an overview from Cal Am director of engineering Rich Svindland about the state-ordered cutback, its potential consequences, the nature of the demand for a replacement water source, and constraints such as the short timeline, financing, environmental review, and other risk factors.
Then, a variety of organizations will be allowed five minutes to make presentations, including the regional authority's Chuck Della Sala, County Counsel Charles McKee, DeepWater Desal's Brent Constantz, water management district general manager Dave Stoldt, pollution control agency general manager Keith Israel, and the People's Desal Project partner George Schroeder.
Following the presentations, breakout group discussions will be conducted for an hour on six alternatives, including: a North Marina desal plant project thought to be Cal Am's preference; the People's Desal Project backed by developer Nader Agha; DeepWater Desal; aquifer storage and recovery backed by the water management district and Cal Am; groundwater recharge backed by the water pollution control agency; and other alternative solutions.
The forum will conclude with a report of each group's discussion.
Potter said the results of the forum will be posted online, and there will be an opportunity for follow-up. He said previous efforts to identify alternatives, including a public forum in Monterey last fall, were a bit of a "free-for-all" and included no effort to reach an agreement. This time, he said, those backing various alternatives should be ready to address a range of questions including cost, timeline, environmental impact, and risk factors.
Bowie acknowledged that Cal Am has concluded that any solution will need to include a mix of a smaller desal plant than previously proposed with aquifer storage and recover, and groundwater recharge, as recommended by RBF Consulting in a study considered as part of last fall's forum. But she said Cal Am's consideration of alternatives has moved past RBF's largely technical analysis and will now include other factors.
"We know we have to choose a path with the least risk, including with permitting, financing and avoiding litigation," Bowie said.
Bowie said Cal Am is still working with RBF, but did not offer comment on a report that an RBF official, who also serves on a Southern California water board, had voted for a pollutant discharge permit for a proposed desal plant that RBF had reportedly made hundreds of thousands of dollars on for project studies, including environmental impact reports.
Stoldt said he believes there will be plenty of opportunity for everyone involved to weigh in on a potential solution, even after Cal Am's application to the CPUC, and suggested that other alternatives could proceed on a "parallel" track with the commission's review.
Jim Johnson can be reached at 753-6753 or firstname.lastname@example.com. If you go ·What: Monterey Peninsula Public Water Forum
·When: Wednesday, 5 p.m.
·Where: Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Ave., Seaside
If you go
·What: Monterey Peninsula Public Water Forum


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Main Page | Risk Factors | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Screening | Reducing Your Risk | Talking to Your Doctor | Living With Erectile Dysfunction | Resource Guide
Surgery is an option when all other efforts to restore or bypass your erectile dysfunction have failed. In fact, there are several possible alternatives that will permit you to have satisfactory sexual intercourse.
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Penile Implant
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
This prosthesis (implant) consists of 1 or 2 bendable rods that are inserted into the penis. Once installed and healed, the penis and the prosthesis can be bent into position. It can be placed upward for intercourse or downward for clothing and urination.
There are 3 pieces to this device:
The penis is normally limp until the pump is repeatedly squeezed, filling the balloon from the reservoir. After intercourse, the balloon in the penis can be deflated.
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If circulation is reduced to your penis due to vascular disease, reconstruction of your arteries may restore erectile function. This is complex surgery which is performed only in a few hospitals in the US. Occasionally, in these rare cases, the vascular defect can be repaired.
Erectile dysfunction. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T113875/Erectile-dysfunction. Updated February 29, 2016. Accessed October 4, 2016.
Erectile dysfunction. National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases website. Available at: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/ED/index.aspx. Updated November 2015. Accessed March 8, 2016.
Erectile dysfunction. Urology Care Foundation website. Available at: http://www.urologyhealth.org/urologic-conditions/erectile-dysfunction. Accessed March 8, 2016.
Guay AT, Spark RF, et al. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists medical guidelines for clinical practice for the evaluation and treatment of male sexual dysfunction: a couple's problem: 2003 update. Endocr Pract. 2003;9:77-95.
Sivalingam S, Hashim H, et al. An overview of the diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction. Drugs. 2006;66:2339-2355.
Webber R. Erectile dysfunction. Clinical Evidence. 2005;13:1120-1127.
Last reviewed March 2017 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Adrienne Carmack, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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Glancing up from trying to form a pleated pea pod, I saw a row of backs, heads down in concentration. All around my kitchen, using every inch of available counter space, stood friends absorbed in the task of shaping Asian dumplings. Each had a stack of round gyoza wrappers in front of them, and a bowl of various fillings—pork and napa cabbage, pork and shrimp, or tofu and shiitake mushroom. Spoons clinked against bowls like muted temple bells. Fingers flew, jokes were tossed over shoulders, appetizers and drinks were disappearing. Outside the window the evening was blustery and dark, trees dripping with chill autumn rain. But here in the kitchen were warmth and light, good smells and good humor.
A couple of weeks before, my friend Christie had given a wonderful dinner party while I was visiting her in Eastern Washington. When she came over to Seattle to stay with me, I thought it was high time for a dinner party of my own. I wanted to do something interactive, get everyone's hands dirty helping with dinner. I had just checked out a gorgeous book from the library–Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More by Andrea Nguyen, with photos by Penny De Los Santos. The book was not only full of beautiful photos, it provided excellent recipes and tips for making all sorts of Asian dumplings from scratch—even instructions for making the actual dumpling wrappers, for the intrepid. Which I am not.
A dumpling party, I decided, should fit the bill.
Christie and I made the rounds of the Asian grocery stores, shopping lists in hand. We spent the afternoon chopping and measuring and stirring, making the dumpling fillings and dipping sauces. We folded origami cranes for the table, squinting at a set of instructions and murmuring "fold corner D toward center…" with furrowed brows. I made Thai fresh rolls for appetizers, and a plum crumble for dessert, and Christie set the table. Michael assumed his duties as bartender extraordinaire, mixing Moscow Mules with a liberal hand for the vodka. All was festive and shining with readiness when the guests arrived.
Maybe those potent drinks had something to do with it, but I had such a good time at my own party. I had brought together a group of people, many of whom didn't know each other—a few of my oldest friends, a few I wanted to get to know better–and everyone was busy, engaged, and laughing. Forget awkward conversational pauses, there were dumplings to make!
Half moons, pleated pea-pods, closed satchels, big hugs, pleated crescents, and some original dumpling designs invented on the spot. As the finished dumplings piled up, plump and neat as coin purses, all were fitted into the bamboo steamer, to emerge ten minutes later, translucent and puffy.
At last we all gathered at the table, to pass bowls of dumplings, rice, baby bok choy, sesame noodles, and dipping sauces before digging in. The first bite of each dumpling was a surprise, as we didn't know which of the three fillings we would get, but all were delicious. The dumplings were tender, yet chewy. They burst with the fresh flavors of pork, mushrooms, or shrimp, and the savory notes of ginger and sesame. Everyone there could feel justifiable pride in the meal before us.
How to Host Your Own Dumpling Party:
It's fun to have a group of friends in the kitchen, cooking together. But a little advance planning improves the experience for everyone. If everything is organized in advance, you and your guests can turn out an abundance of dumplings within half an hour or so. Here are some tips:
Assemble and/or cook your dumpling fillings and dipping sauces earlier in the day or the day before, and refrigerate. This will allow the flavors to meld, and will allow your dinner guests to concentrate on the fun part—filling and shaping dumplings.
Organize work stations for your guests. Two people can share a bowl of filling, but everyone will need space to assemble their dumplings, access to a small bowl of water for sealing the edges of the wrappers, a plate for their finished dumplings, and somewhere to put their drink.
Keep the drinks full and the appetizers handy. Starving dinner guests can be surly guests. It's no fun to learn to shape dumplings under those conditions!
Provide brief instructions, and photocopied diagrams of how to fold some common dumpling shapes, for inspiration. Then let your guests unleash their creativity.
If you want to be able to identify a particular filling, as for vegetarian guests, make sure that all of those dumplings are shaped differently than the rest. For example, the pleated pea pod shape can be designated for the vegetable dumplings.
If you are planning to serve side dishes with the dumplings, have your ingredients and tools assembled near the stove in advance, to avoid interrupting the groove of your dumpling makers to get at items in drawers and cupboards. Have the rice in the cooker, the water already in a pot on the stove waiting to be heated for noodles, etc.
Pork and Napa Cabbage Dumplings
(adapted from Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen)
- 1 package round gyoza wrappers
- 2 cups lightly packed finely chopped napa cabbage
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp shredded ginger
- ¼ cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
- 2/3 lb ground pork
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 ½ tbsp sesame oil
Put the cabbage in a bowl and toss with the salt. Set aside for about 15 minutes to draw excess moisture from the cabbage. Drain in a mesh strainer, flush with water, and drain again. Squeeze cabbage in your hands over sink to remove more moisture.
In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground pork, breaking into small pieces. Drain fat, and add pork to cabbage in a large bowl, along with all other ingredients. Stir together. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes. Filling can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.
To make basic dumplings: Place 1 tsp filling in the center of a gyoza skin. Dip finger in water and run it around the edge of the skin. Fold in half, to make a half moon shape. Pinch edges together to close.
Steam dumplings in a bamboo or metal steamer over boiling water, for 8-10 minutes, or until translucent. Serve with dipping sauce.
Korean Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp finely shredded ginger
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 small scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Set aside for at least an hour to allow flavor to develop.


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After extremely hot temperatures last month receded some, natural gas demand for power generation decreased below last year's levels. Despite this week's declines, power burn this summer has been at historically high levels, partly because of a much warmer-than-normal July. In particular, the Southeast has shown large year-over-year increases in power burn. Southeast power burn peaked this summer at 12.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per day on July 26, according to BENTEK Energy LLC (Bentek) data.
According to NOAA, temperatures over much of the United States are forecasted to be above normal in the next weeks, which may result in a rebound of natural gas demand for power generation. NOAA predicts high temperatures in the 90s and above over much of the country in the next few days.
(For the Week Ending Wednesday, August 1, 2012)
- Natural gas prices increased modestly for the report week (Wednesday to Wednesday) at many of the country's trading locations, with an exception at the Algonquin Citygate trading point (for delivery into Boston), which registered an increase of 39 cents per million British thermal units (MMBtu). The Henry Hub price closed at $3.20 per MMBtu, up 1 cent for the week.
- The natural gas futures market trended steadily higher over the week. At the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), the September 2012 natural gas contract gained 12 cents per MMBtu to close at $3.171 per MMBtu yesterday.
- Working natural gas in storage rose last week to 3,217 Bcf as of Friday, July 27, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report (WNGSR). An implied storage build of 28 Bcf for the week positioned storage volumes 472 Bcf above year-ago levels.
- The natural gas rotary rig count, as reported by Baker Hughes Incorporated on July 27, declined by 13 to 505 active units. Meanwhile, oil-directed rigs increased by 2 to 1416 units.
Natural gas prices increased modestly over the report week at most spot market locations. At most trading points across the country, spot prices increased less than a nickel for the week. Moderate temperatures in most regions over the week contributed to the low price variance. The largest price increase occurred at Algonquin Citygate trading point (for delivery into Boston), which increased by 11 percent from $3.58 per MMBtu last Wednesday to $3.97 per MMBtu yesterday. A forecast of warmer-than-normal temperatures for New England likely contributed to the increase.
The NYMEX September 2012 futures contract rose by 4 percent from $3.052 per MMBtu last Wednesday to $3.171 per MMBtu yesterday. The settlement price increased significantly on Monday to $3.214 per MMBtu, the highest level since January. The 12-Month Strip (average of August 2012 to July 2013 contracts) also increased by 3.7 percent over the same period from $3.412 per MMBtu last Wednesday to $3.539 per MMBtu yesterday.
Total consumption for the report week registered an overall decrease, with slightly higher industrial sector demand being offset by decreases in other sectors. According to estimates from Bentek, domestic natural gas consumption declined by 2 percent from last week, driven by decreases in power, residential, and commercial demand. Industrial sector consumption increased slightly by 0.3 percent.
Total supply for the week was essentially unchanged, and registered a slight decrease of 0.3 percent, reflecting the drop in dry gas production. According to Bentek estimates, domestic weekly dry gas production was 0.1 percent lower than the previous week (although 3.2 percent above the same time last year). Imports from Canada decreased by 1.9 percent. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) sendout dropped sharply, down 10.7 percent from last week; sendout volumes remain well below (39 percent) year-ago levels.
Working natural gas in storage increased to 3,217 Bcf as of Friday, July 27, according to EIA's WNGSR. This represents an implied net injection of 28 Bcf from the previous week. This week's injection was 28 Bcf below the 5-year (2007-2011) injection of 56 Bcf, and 15 Bcf below last year's injection of 43 Bcf. Since April 27, injections of working natural gas into underground storage have fallen short of both year-ago levels and the 5-year average, although stocks remain well above historical levels. Inventories are currently 472 Bcf (17.2 percent) greater than last year at this time and 407 Bcf (14.5 percent) greater than the 5-year average.
Two of the three storage regions posted increases this week. Inventories in the East and West regions increased by 30 Bcf over the week (with the 5-year average net injection of 49 Bcf) and 4 Bcf (with the 5-year average net injection of 5 Bcf), respectively, while the Producing region posted a decrease of 6 Bcf in working gas stocks (with the 5-year average net injection of 3 Bcf). In the Producing Region, working natural gas inventories decreased 8 Bcf (3.3 percent) in salt cavern facilities and increased 3 Bcf (0.3 percent) in nonsalt cavern facilities.
Temperatures during the storage report week were 2.6 degrees warmer than the 30-year normal temperature and 1.9 degrees cooler than the same period last year. Temperatures in the lower 48 States averaged 77.9 degrees, compared to 79.7 last year and the 30-year normal of 75.3. While overall temperatures were a few degrees warmer than normal, temperatures varied somewhat across Census Divisions. The West North Central and East North Central Census divisions in the Midwest were particularly warm, averaging 6.4 and 4.9 degrees, respectively, warmer than the 30-year normal. Temperatures in the New England Census division were cool, averaging 0.7 degrees cooler than the 30-year normal.


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more wood + I'll be back
I've been a little preoccupied this week and haven't been a great
blogger. I will be back next week with something much more exciting!
Until then, here is part of the Mjolk showroom-an all wood interior
much like last Friday's post but beautiful nonetheless.
Have a great weekend!
Other Stories
4 comments:
thank you for your comments!
if you have any questions please email me via the 'contact' link.


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"A lot could be said of Regier and Ruff for about the first 10 years of their run, but the last six have been difficult. Regier certainly has an eye for young talent, and his drafting has been above average during most of his tenure. But there comes a time when a coach's message turns stale for that young core group of players and when that happens, and the coach isn't held accountable, the GM has to be blamed as well. Ruff's career would probably benefit from a change of scenery, just like some players' careers would. Several coaches have been hired and fired since Ruff took over, and many of those coaches have seen success in the league.'
You are here: Home / SabresBeat / Rewarding Inconsistency


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A Study to Monitor Patients With Primary or Early HIV Infection
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The purpose of this study is to monitor patients who recently have been infected with HIV in order to learn how their immune systems respond to HIV infection and to study how the virus acts in their bodies.
Primary HIV infection occurs within 20 days to 8 weeks following exposure to HIV. The symptoms of primary HIV infection are usually fever, tiredness, headache, or muscle aches. However, symptoms vary greatly from person to person, and some people might not experience any symptoms at all. Because these symptoms also resemble the cold or the flu, it is difficult to identify patients with primary HIV infection. Information gathered from this study will help doctors decide what kind of treatment is best to give patients who recently have been infected.
|HIV Infections
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Observational Model: Case-Only
Time Perspective: Prospective
|Official Title:
|An Observational Study of Subjects With Primary HIV Infection: A Study of the UCSD Acute/Early HIV Infection (AEHIV) Clinical Studies Unit
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|October 1999
|Study Completion Date:
|June 2007
|Primary Completion Date:
|June 2007 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Primary HIV-1 infection is frequently identified as a nonspecific viral syndrome occurring within 20 days to 8 weeks following a documented HIV exposure. However, symptoms vary from person to person, and some people undergo asymptomatic seroconversion. Because of the difficulty identifying patients with either acute HIV infection (within 30 days of initial infection) or early infection (within 12 months of initial infection), no systematic review of viral dynamics or immunodynamics in this patient population has been undertaken. A better understanding of the virologic and immunologic parameters during acute and early HIV infection should provide information relevant to the optimal design of future clinical therapeutic trials.
The only patient intervention is obtaining blood, lymph node tissue, CSF, and semen or vaginal secretion specimens at designated intervals according to the schedule of evaluations. Patients are followed for 5 years. Patients may elect to start or discontinue antiretroviral therapy at any time; however, no antiretroviral therapy is administered as part of this study. Descriptive analysis includes tolerance and toxicity, magnitude and durability of RNA suppression, magnitude and durability of immunologic responses (CD4 and CD8 cells), and decay and emergence of resistant virus in tissue reservoirs (CSF, genital secretions, and lymph nodes).
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|13 Years and older (Child, Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Non-Probability Sample
Inclusion Criteria
Patients may be eligible for this study if they:
- Are at least 13 years old (consent of parent or guardian required if under 18).
- Have acute or early HIV infection. The stage of HIV infection will depend on the results of certain lab tests.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00000911
|United States, California
|University of California, San Diego
|San Diego, California, United States, 92103
|Principal Investigator:
|Susan Little
|Principal Investigator:
|Diane Havlir
|Responsible Party:
|Rona Siskind, DAIDS
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00000911 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|November 2, 1999
|Last Updated:
|October 21, 2015
Keywords provided by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID):
Immunity, Cellular
Lymph Nodes
Antibodies, Viral
Viral Load
Acute Infection
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Communicable Diseases
HIV Infections
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Lentivirus Infections
Retroviridae Infections
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Immune System Diseases
Slow Virus Diseases
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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But sometimes it just seemed easier to spread it around with your hands . . .
We also got in the box and stamped down the soil with our feet, which was pretty effective.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
I want it all -- your grow boxes, your brand new soil, your helpful nephews, your tarragon! Now I'm itching to start planting in my garden, though herbs and veggies are a few weeks away.ReplyDelete
Wow that is mighty incredible! You are headed for an incredible garden! Any cold nights, a simple bucket or a pot over the plants should protect them.
Wish I had all that space and those neighbors!
Hi Kalyn. I have a very small balcony here in London but I do my best to grow what I can! You are so lucky to have this space, it looks amazing. I can't wait to see how it grows and develops. As far as plants, tomatoes are a must for me! I love them and so easy to grow and exciting to watch them develop. I'm sure you grow those already though. Do you grow rocket (arugula?) It is unbelievable easy to grow and it just keeps coming back. I love growing chillies and sweet peppers too.ReplyDelete
I got the main part of my garden planted this weekend. This is what we planted...
29 tomato plants
11 assorted pepper plants
3 zucchini
3 yellow squash
3 armenian cucumber (seed)
3 spaghetti squash (seed)
rainbow swiss chard (seed)
green swiss chard (seed)
spinach (seed)
lettuce (I tried one of those seed tapes this year)
A flat of marigolds scattered around to keep the bugs away.
Later when it gets warmer I will plant okra and green beans.
I love your grow boxes and your composted soil is beautiful.
Another option for your plant tags is to cut up an old, vinyl mini-blind and write the names on them. Tags forever, and ever and ever.... :)
How exciting!! And that soil looks amazing!! I can't wait to see what it produces!ReplyDelete
Very nice, Kalyn. That soil looks great. And it is nice to have hands helping with the job. I also planted some tarragon and a bunch of kale. But spring seems to be still sitting on the fence.ReplyDelete
Can't wait to see more of your beautiful bounty!! We just started some new seedling in some recycled whiskey barrels we found for $20. These are our "growboxes" for the season!ReplyDelete
Lydia, I've seen your fantastic kitchen, so maybe we can work out a trade!
Thanks Tanna and Helen, I'm very excited.
Anonymous, sounds like a great bunch of crops!
Donna, don't have any mini-blinds, but it is a good recycling idea.
Tabatha, it's the best soil you can buy (and not especially cheap, but I consider it an investment.)
Simona, thanks for the idea of kale. I've never grown that.
WORC, love the idea of using whiskey barrels! (Much cheaper too!)
I want your backyard! I am so envious! Looks fun and rewarding!ReplyDelete
what a huge garden you have, really envy you, heh. I stay in an apartment so I can only keep a few pots of edibles along the corridor. Wishing you a good harvest! :)ReplyDelete
Rainbow carrots! I ordered a couple of different kinds of carrot seed this year, and one was rainbow (mostly to freak my three-year-old out). Your boxes look great. We've finally been able to start to turn some dirt here this week (VT)... all is good. :-)ReplyDelete
Yes, I am very lucky to have such a big back yard. Rich, I might be as excited about the rainbow carrots as your three year old is going to be!ReplyDelete
We'll be ordering soil later this week. Wish I had handsome nephews like yours to help me :) (Mine are just 4 and 8, so way too young:)ReplyDelete
It's times like these I wish I had a garden! :) My mom's got a pretty big backyard. She grows all sorts of vegies and herbs and they seem to just thrive and thrive (unlike my puny efforts in pots on our balcony).ReplyDelete
This year I'm trying a little bit of everything, but to me the new standouts I'm trying are fennel and tomatillos. I have no idea how they'll do, but it will be fun experimenting.ReplyDelete
Gorgeous garden an such handsome helpers!ReplyDelete
Yeah Kalyn, when I came to your page and saw that picture I thought it was some kinda Oreo crumb dessert. Good thing I didn't come to your house, you would find me out back munching the dirt pile...ReplyDelete
this is the first i have heard of rainbow carrots. after reading about them here, i did a little research and want some of my own! i live in utah too...can you tell me where i can get the seeds?ReplyDelete
What a fantastic garden area you have! That is wonderful.
I'm a big fan of those stick labels too - and they're invaluable the following spring for people like me who can't quite remember which perennial herb was where. (It means I won't dig up something I shouldn't be digging up....)
You mentioned in my comments section that you had planted Greek oregano and Italian oregano and how differently they tasted. I wonder if people in your area are the same as here. The Italian immigrants insist that "summer savory" is oregano and always label it as oregano.
Porter family, I got the seeds at Smith's Marketplace on 4th South.
EJM, haven't heard of savory being called oregano. The Italian oregano I have (not in the photos on this post) looks a lot like Greek oregano, but the leaves are more shiny.
If the leaves look the same, then it sounds like oregano alright. I don't know that I've ever seen anything but Greek oregano at our garden centre. And at the corner stores that sell herb flats, I have actually been corrected when I've pointed at summer savory and said how great summer savory is with steamed green beans. The proprietor will smile and look at me pityingly and say "that's oregano in that pot". :-D
I've just been recently reading about artichokes that can be grown like annuals - they fruit in the first year. (Green globe?? Your garden centre might know) I think they do take up a lot of room but wouldn't it be cool to go out to the garden to harvest your own artichokes?
If we had any significant sun, that's what I'd want to try!
Hi Kalyn,
You are going to so love those raise beds. What a beautifully ordered garden! Just remember that raised beds tend to try out more easily, so you have to keep an eye on the watering. I just got some cheapo water meters to help me keep an eye on mine. Very useful.
I'm so happy you're taking the time to comment on Kalyn's Kitchen! I love hearing from people who stop by, especially if you're sharing feedback or asking questions about a recipe I've posted here.
I've recently changed my comment settings so people can comment without signing in, but you will need to check the box to show you're a live person, and comments on older posts won't show up until I publish them. Thanks for understanding!
And if you really like the recipe, Pins, Shares, Tweets, and Yums are always appreciated!


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SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Zito starred as Justin Verlander, and Justin Verlander starred as Barry Zito.
Both played their adopted roles to perfection.
Everyone expected one guy to walk off the mound proud of the work he had done by shutting down the opposing lineup. Just like everyone expected the other guy to leave with his head down after being rocked in Game 1 of the World Series.
The exact opposite happened Wednesday night at AT&T Park.
Zito, who was left off his team's playoff roster in 2010 and undisputedly has one of the worst contracts in the sport based on money made vs. production, was the man leaving the field in triumph.
Verlander, one of the majors' most dominant arms and the American League's reigning Cy Young and MVP award winner, was the one leaving it in shame.
The San Francisco Giants stunned the Detroit Tigers by rocking Verlander on their way to their most impressive postseason win in a postseason full of impressiveness. The Giants whipped the Tigers 8-3, and Zito was the one looking ace-like.
If you had never watched a baseball game in your life before this one, took a look at Zito's contract (seven years for $126 million) and Verlander's (five years for $80 million), you'd surely wonder why the Tigers were overpaying for such a bum.
MORE: Recap | Box score | Play-by-play | Schedule
When the Giants signed Zito to his deal in December 2006, the decision was crushed by critics, who came out in hoards and noted how Zito was due for regression. For pretty much the entire life of the deal to this point, those critics have been correct as the Giants have gotten negative return on their investment.
It got so bad in 2010 that Zito was told his services wouldn't be needed during the playoffs as the team went on to win its first World Series since moving to California.
That all changed over the last six days. First, Zito saved the season by throwing 7 2/3 shutout innings in an elimination game in St. Louis. Then, as maybe the most belittled Game 1 World Series starter in recent memory, Zito was equally impressive for 5 2/3 innings on Wednesday. He allowed one run and made the blowout possible by bending for six hits, but never breaking. He even drove in a run off Verlander with a single in the fourth.
"Not once did he complain that he didn't make (the postseason roster). He just kept working hard every day," teammate Aubrey Huff said. "He's taken a lot of flack from the press, the fans and everything, but to stay strong, stay committed, stay focused and do what he's been doing, it's great stuff. You can't write a better story than that."
When Zito was taken out of the game and walked off the mound, the fans in San Francisco showed they had forgiven Zito for all his struggles over his six seasons with the team by giving him the loudest standing ovation they've given anyone during this postseason.
"I battled in September to make the postseason roster," Zito said. "The last thing I expected at that point was to be starting Game 1. The opportunity was magical.
"It's kind of all surreal. It was just a pleasure to be a part of it all."
The fans roared nearly as loud in the fifth inning when Danny Worth pinch-hit for Verlander, ending his night after four innings and five runs, all of which scored with two outs.
The Tigers had the perfect set-up coming into this series. They tossed aside the New York Yankees in four games in the American League Championship Series. That sweep allowed manager Jim Leyland to line up his rotation exactly how he wanted, with Verlander at the top. Then the plan was for Leyland to sit back with his cold hands tucked into the top of his baseball pants while he watched his ace get surgical on the Giants.
That plan lasted for all of two batters and then seriously unraveled.
Pablo Sandoval hit his first of three home runs on a 0-2 fastball around his chest for the first dinger. Two innings later the Giants got one of those breaks they seem to have a patent on this October when Angel Pagan's chopper detoured away from Miguel Cabrera after hitting the edge of the third-base bag for a double.
Two batters later, with Pagan scored on a Marco Scutaro hit, Sandoval got Verlander again with an opposite-field homer. To that, Verlander could only mouth the word "wow" while looking confused.
He was out of answers.
Verlander lacked a finishing pitch. He wasn't getting swings-and-misses like he normally does — he had 12 out of 98 pitches thrown — and the Giants were fouling off pitches to extend at-bats and drive up his pitch count.
"I was getting a lot of run on the fastball, and I can usually tell that's when I'm a little out of sync," Verlander said. "In these situations you really don't have time to rein it back in and figure it out. You've got to just get outs the best you can."
For one night, the best was at his worst. On the same night, one of the most reviled pitchers in his franchise's history was the perfect man for the job.
"You can't let your nerves get to you," Zito said. "You can't go out and try to make things happen. You can't go try to strike guys out or get ground balls. You just have to take every pitch one at a time and give everything you've got to each pitch and let baseball play out from there."
Because you never know when fortunes might change or roles might reverse.


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Recently Played (out of ten):
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)- 9.5
Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4)- 8
Shovel Knight (Wii U)- 9
The Last Of Us: Remastered (PS4)- 10
Kirby: Triple Deluxe (3DS)- 8.5
Say my name and his in the same breath, I dare you to say they taste they same.
To hell with insincerity. Fuck you!
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Retail banks have an opportunity to better understand and serve their customers when they successfully combine the insights from web and mobile behavior with traditional branch and call center activity.
When RBS strategically targeted content to return visitors, it found that people were 70–80% more likely to adopt the product.
Use analytics to better understand your customers' behavior by connecting digital interactions with offline activity at the branch or over the phone.
Solutions: Adobe Analytics
White paper: Big Data for Marketing in Financial Services
Deliver consistent brand experiences across web, mobile, and social channels while increasing efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Solutions: Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe mobile services
White paper: Engaging Financial Services Customers in an Omni-channel World
Personalize each customer interaction through 1-to-1 targeting, cross-channel campaign management, and relevant product messaging.
Solutions: Adobe Target, Adobe Campaign, Adobe Social
White paper: Personalizing Experiences to Attract and Retain Customers in Financial Services
U.S. Bank integrates online and offline data to improve customer engagement and call center results.
SunTrust Bank improves the customer experience across channels through analytics and targeting.
UniCredit uses Adobe Marketing Cloud to enhance online experiences, reduce costs, and acquire new customers.
Understanding customers' usage patterns helps Danske Bank deliver exceptional experiences across devices.


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The LEED AP Building Design & Construction (BD&C) specialty replaces the LEED AP for New Construction accreditation. This accreditation is geared toward professionals participating in the design and construction phases of durable, economical, and efficient high-performance buildings. BD&C-accredited professionals apply their knowledge to commercial, institutional, and high-rise reside…
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Services: Using the Collection
Reference Services
Specialized reference assistance for newspaper research, accessing microformed sources, database searching and other related fields is available. Individual and group orientations can be arranged by contacting Glenda Pearson, Head of the Microform and Newspaper Collections or Jessica Albano, Communication Studies librarian.
A number of electronic news databases are available that provide either citations or full text to a wide number of news sources, including television, radio and wire news transcripts, as well as many print based newspapers. Retrospective databases include The Pennsylvania Gazette (full text of the colonial American newspaper articles, 1727-1749) and an electronic version of Palmer's Index to the Times of London, covering the years 1790-1905.
Locating and Borrowing Materials
The UW Libraries Catalog provides access to many but not all of the items in the Microform & Newspaper Collections. The Collections' card catalog contains unique finding aids for newspapers, including a chronological list and a place of publication file, as well as main entries for some of the materials held here. Separate printed guides and other finding aids are available for many specialized microform sets.
Most microfilm is identified and arranged by call numbers starting with an A. Most microfiche is arranged by M numbers. There are more than two dozen other filing systems in use for particular sets (U.S. Superintendent of Documents, United Nations documents, etc.)
These collections do not circulate other than through formal interlibrary borrowing services.
Microform Readers, Printers and Scanners
Microfilm, microfiche and microcard readers are available for use. A limited number of microfilm and microfiche printers are also available for 30 minute time periods as necessary.
It is possible to scan microfilm, microfiche, and microcards. We have two Microdax MS 6000 scanners, two ScanPro 1000 scanners, and a ScanPro 2000 scanners. Scans can be saved to a flash drive / memory stick, burned to CD/DVD, emailed, or printed to a networked printer.
Class Orientations
Microforms and the equipment needed to use them can be intimidating. Schedule an orientation to the library unit where you and your students will learn how to identify, locate, use, and duplicate information on microform.
More in-depth research sessions are also available. Schedule a session with a librarian to teach your students how to find information using the research tools (ex. news article databases such as LexisNexis) available in the library.
To schedule an orientation or a research session, contact Glenda Pearson, Head of the Microform and Newspaper Collections or Jessica Albano, Communication Studies librarian.
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Thoughtful Reminders You Won't Forget
It happens to the best of us—you blank out on stuff you need to do, then end up wondering how important it was. Just write down your reminder in a bubble, and place the bubble where you'll see it. That way, the thought is sure to stick with you.
Instructions: Open the one-page template for the thought bubbles.
Instructions: Print on Avery White Sticker Project Paper.
Instructions: Cut out the thought bubbles with scissors. The template is designed so you can easily peel the label by cracking the precut lines in the backing.
Instructions: Keep a couple extra sets of these thought bubbles on hand at home and at the office. Need help remembering to backup your computer files? Stick a reminder on your computer. Don't want to forget to pick up your carpool buddy? Place the reminder on your key chain or purse, so you'll see it when you leave the house.


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Michigan's long-term unemployed suffer the brunt of sequestration. Case in point is there are approximately 75,000 long-term unemployed workers in Michigan who have been severely hampered by sequestration with their Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) extension benefits cut by 10.7 percent, which equates to $39.00 less per week for workers who receive the maximum weekly benefit amount of $362.00.
The average weekly benefit amount in Michigan is $300.00 which impacts a great many number of unemployed workers in our state who now have $33.00 per week less to put food on the table for their children or purchase gasoline for their next job interview.
Washington's sequester games are a nasty and negligent way to score political points because this method of federal budgetary reductions hurt regular people and their families who depend on federal unemployment extension benefits to pay household bills.
Sequestration can only be fair if every lawmaker in Washington D.C. has serious skin in this game with their salaries being retroactively decreased by 10.7 percent beginning March 31, 2013.
If even the threat of this occurring would happen, it could almost be guaranteed that the end of the sequestration games would come to a screeching halt.
But because many in Washington are more self-absorbed with their own entrenched political ideology and limelight, this will never happen. They care not about the regular working people who are struggling to find employment, people who in the interim depend and need their full unemployment extension benefits to survive.
Elected leaders in Washington ought to be ashamed of themselves for signing onto sequestration and picking on regular working people by short-changing them out of their full unemployment extension benefits. Full restoration of Emergency Unemployed Compensation weekly benefit amount payments needs to be enacted immediately.


text: In his new book, "The Swerve: How the World Became Modern," author Stephen Greenblatt unearths the tale of a book collector whose discovery of poet Lucretius' "On the Nature of Things" helped change the direction of human thought. Jeffrey Brown and Greenblatt discuss the book and its many cross-generational messages. Continue reading


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KEXP Reviews
|Browse by one of the following:
- (Island)
After her comparatively hopeful 2000 release (Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea), this British rocker returns with one of her bleakest albums to date. The sound of Uh Huh Her is raw and primitive, the lyrics dark and sometimes disturbing. While some of the songs seem like half-finished sketches, they're also potent expressions of intense emotion that coalesce into a powerful musical experience. 6/8/2004 - Don Yates
Other PJ Harvey album reviews:
Let England Shake - 2/7/2011
White Chalk - 9/19/2007
The Peel Sessions 1991-2004 - 11/15/2006
Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea - 10/15/2000
Is This Desire? - 10/15/1998


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Limiting mistakes vital to Marlins' success
WASHINGTON -- Executing the little things looms big for the Marlins in their hopes to building toward being a contender.
The team lacks the firepower offensively to overcome too many mistakes.
Miami's has got off to a fast start at the plate. But as the season settles in, the club will likely be involved in plenty of close games.
In the Marlins' two losses on their homestand, they committed more than one error.
"Those are things we need to work out," manager Mike Redmond said. "We've talked a lot about eliminating our mistakes, offensively, defensively, and pitching as well. Really, that's the key from an average year to a great year. We have to make the plays.
"We talked about that all spring, 27 outs. We're not going to be able to be good enough to give teams more than that. The nights that we do, we're probably going to be in trouble. We have to make the plays. That gives us the best chance."
The miscues are not just in the field. Already, a few pitchers have been unsuccessful dropping sacrifice bunts.
"Offensively, we have to situational hit," Redmond said. "We've got to be able to drive runs in. That's the key. That's something we've struggled with in the past."
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. He writes a blog, called The Fish Pond. Follow him on Twitter


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|Caronne Ste Gemme after the attack
About 2,000 young vines have been vandalised causing tens of thousands of euros damage at a Medoc estate.
The plot of Merlot vines at Chateau Labat, a 7-hectare cru bourgeois estate in AOC Haut-Medoc, was attacked on Friday night, possibly by a gang, the owners suspect.
'We have been racking our brains as to who could possibly have done this. Clearly they were very determined. For one person alone, cutting this many vines would have taken around six hours of work, so I have to assume there may have been more than one criminal.'
Nony is vice-president of the Alliance Cru Bourgeois, working to promote the wines of the Medoc. 'As part of the promotions team, I deal with the good news, not the bad news, and can't see why that would attract anger. We do have occasional staff issues at the estate, as does everyone, but again I can't see that they have been so severe as to cause this anger towards my family.'
It was reported that the vines had been vandalized and destroyed, possibly by more than one person. Note, the word gang was used, not mafia or mafioso.
I have kept up with situation though a colleague who talks to Nony weekly. There was word of a person who worked on the farm, a pruner, who was fired and seemed to be very emotional about the firing, maybe even to the extent of violence against the vines. The case has yet to be resolved, according to my source, although now they think it was essentially a one-man job. It was a big job, whether it was done by one or a gang. But the French, and the English journalists who wrote about it, didn't go crazy. They reported it and didn't resort to hyperbole or invoking the evil mafioso.
Corriere della Sera that Gianfranco Soldera called the act, "un vero atto mafioso."
Unfortunately on that same interview at IlCittadinoOnline.it there was a commenter that affirmed their bigotry (even after Soldera said it wasn't so), suggesting this is an ongoing "l'incedere delle mafie nel nostro territorio" (march of the mafia in our territory).
Perhaps the Italian language uses the words mafia and mafioso in the same way some Westerners throw out the phrase "Middle Eastern," with the subtext that anyone from the Middle East is a terrorist. Consequent raves on the internet found people saying:
I'm sure that what happened to #Soldera in #Montalcino is a revenge. He is right when he talks abou [sic] #mafia.
A restaurant in Rome, La Veranda, tweeting as @LaVeranda3
"Non ci faremo intimidire da questo atto mafioso e intimidatorio" Famiglia #Soldera #Brunello #Montalcino pic.twitter.com/La0olGCs
and linked the official Soldera statement, which did not include the words "quoted" above.
Giampero Nadali was more restrained when he wrote with sadness but in a calm tone:
Mentre proliferano le reazioni online e offline sul "chi" e "perché" (mafia, invidia, antipatia, vendetta...), ad Aristide mancano sinceramente le parole.
Thank you, Giampero, for resisting hyperbole.
Nelle Nuvole from Montalcino dispatches the mafia conspiracy theory with another word: Faida (feud).
Per la rubrica "parole di cui non possiamo fare a meno, purtroppo: MAFIA", ci viene riproposta riguardo al vinocidio operato a Case Basse. A caldo, la eviterei. Un comportamento mafioso avviene quando c'è un crimine organizzato che lo opera.
Nel caso mi sembra forse più utilizzabile la parola FAIDA.
Dopo lo sdegno ci vuole silenzio in attesa di sapere gli sviluppi delle indagini.
On her Nelle Nuvole's Facebook page one of her followers, Alberto del Buono, wrote this:
"Mi sembra lampante si tratti dun atto di Mafia. I grandi produttori di vino non perdonano a Soldera il fatto di produrre attenendosi al disciplinare e denunciando le deviazioni. Questo è un Paese a mafia diffusa e quella del vino è solo meno potente di quelle delle droghe, ma quanto a metodi non ha nulla da invidiare. D'altronde nella (ex) provincia di Siena quella del vino non è la sola. Ce n'è un'altra che risale al 1472, ben prima di quella siciliana."
Is there yet a measure of prejudice in the hearts of some Italians, a reserve that hasn't yet been drained?
The important thing to remember is that a man's work, six years of his life, have just been flushed. No he wasn't murdered, and yes he had insurance. As if that will make up for the loss. But moreover, why, at so early a juncture, do folks resort to the hackneyed use of the term mafia without knowing what they are talking about? It's insulting to Soldera and the rest of us.
It fuels the "industry of outrage," as writer Salmon Rushdie calls it, an industry co-opted by folks who would rather lob an outrageous accusation than wait to discover who really perpetrated this heinous act.
I find it refreshing and enlightening in these two similar situations that the French with their Gallic control realized there might be other issues at play in the world of misdeeds besides an endless conspiracy of calamity the Italians get so wrapped up in.
Fortunately the Consorzio in Montalcino, is also taking a more restrained approach.
"The [Consorzio's] post also quotes the mayor of Montalcino, Silvio Franceschelli, who expressed the town's 'utmost solidarity with Case Basse for this villainous and cowardly act.' "
Franceschelli is also quoted as saying that "any allusion to phenomena that bear the mark of the mafia are entirely imaginary."
The sky is not always falling. I for one will embrace my inner sfumato (over fear of mafioso). Things aren't always so chiaroscuro. Areas blend into one another through miniscule brushstrokes. Yes it makes for hazy viewing at times, without the clear-cut edges and direction we all want so very much in our lives. Better to take a deep breath and step back for better perspective.
It's a lesson to learn from our French brothers. Calm, restraint, pursuit. We have only to look to Da Vinci's La Giocanda in the Louvre to recall the serenity of sfumato and surrender to the facts, not manufactured drama.
written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy
wine blog + Italian wine blog + Italy W


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Showing 1 - 24 of 110456 V-Neck T-Shirt


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Note: This item is more than 10 years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references.
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News Release
Media Contact: TPWD News, email@example.com, 512-389-8030
July 13, 2007
Managing Your Land for Wildlife Workshop Set for Aug. 15 in West Texas
EL PASO, Texas — A workshop to be held here Aug. 15 will help people who own or manage property in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas and in neighboring southern New Mexico and northern Mexico learn about healthy land management practices for wildlife habitat and sustainable methods to diversify their income.
Land fragmentation, habitat degradation and associated non-native invasive species are the main threats to wildlife in Texas and around the world. Urbanization and other development decrease available wildlife habitat, eliminating travel corridors and disrupting wildlife access to essential feeding, cover areas and space. However, experts say there are beneficial tactics for holistic land management and conservation development.
The Aug. 15 workshop in El Paso is part of a statewide series designed to address the growing problem of Texas rural lands being fragmented into smaller tracts. Workshops often engage urban-based owners who are interested in wildlife conservation but may lack experience in wildlife or land management. Workshops provide tools and resources to help landowners achieve their individual goals while managing property to benefit wildlife.
The El Paso workshop includes an introduction to holistic ranch management presented by West Texas landowners who will share their know-how and first-hand experiences with wildlife and habitat management on their Trans-Pecos properties. In addition, participants will learn the critical niche of bats and their free services, such as agricultural insect pest control and crop pollination.
Other workshop topics include the essentials of wildlife and habitat requirements, restoring the land to health, biological monitoring techniques, as well as vital information on providing water for wildlife in arid regions, how to write a wildlife management plan, qualify for wildlife tax appraisal and management of both game and non-game species.
Other speakers include wildlife biologists from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), and experts with Texas Cooperative Extension, Carlsbad Caverns National Park and the Bureau of Land Management State Wildlife Coordinator from New Mexico.
"Landowners have the distinctive ability to assist in restoring habitat and wildlife diversity by participating in holistic habitat management for wildlife and partaking in one of the many private landowner programs offered by various agencies," said Lois Balin, TPWD urban wildlife biologist in El Paso.
TPWD and the Texas Cooperative Extension are co-sponsoring the event, which will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 15 at the Texas A&M University Research and Extension Center, 1380 A&M Circle (near I-10 East at Americas Ave.) in El Paso.
The cost for the workshop is $20 per person or $35 per couple, which covers lunch, refreshments and materials. Registration is requested by August 13 to ensure that organizers have sufficient workshop materials for attendees; however, registration will be accepted at the door. For more information and reservations, contact Lois Balin at (915) 774-9603 or firstname.lastname@example.com or see the Landowner Workshops calendar on the TPWD Web site.
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Breast Cancer Symposium
September 11, 2012
In a recent review of previous studies, researchers found that bone scans, liver ultrasounds, and chest x-rays are not good tests for finding cancer that has spread for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer who have no symptoms of the disease. Bone scans, liver ultrasounds, and chest x-rays are called imaging tests and are used to create pictures of the inside of the body. These tests are often used to find possible metastases (areas where cancer has spread), but there is no standard procedure or solid evidence that they are beneficial in this situation.
For this study, researchers combined the information from eight previous studies and found that regular screening for metastases with these three tests did not result in the detection of metastases. For women newly diagnosed with stage I and II breast cancer, about 2% of metastases were found with bone scan and less than 1% were found with liver ultrasound and chest X-ray. For women with stage III cancer, about 13% of metastases were found with bone scan, 4% were found with liver ultrasound, and 5% were found with chest x-ray.
What this means for patients
"Our study suggests that these three tests are of little use for screening women with early-stage disease for metastases. But a comparison of these tests with more sensitive imaging tests, such computed tomography and positron emission tomography scans, would be needed to know more." said study author Stuart-Allison Moffat Staley, MPH, a medical student at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. It's important to talk with your doctor about any tests you may need and why. Weighing the benefits of certain tests with the risks and the costs is different for each patient.
Questions to ask your doctor
- What stage of breast cancer do I have?
- What is the chance the cancer has spread?
- What additional tests will I need?
- How will each test help you understand my cancer better?
For More Information
Choosing Wisely®: Top Five Cancer-Related Tests, Procedures, and Treatments That Many Patients Do Not Need


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ALBANY -- More than ever before, with a roster swelled to 29 players thanks mainly to the NHL owners' lockout that is now in its 33rd day, Albany Devils head coach Rick Kowalsky had plenty of options when it came to naming a team captain for the 2012-13 season.
Really, he only considered one name.
Defenseman Jay Leach, a 33-year-old native of Altamont now in his 12th professional season, became the fourth player in franchise history to be chosen captain, given the honor prior to Albany's season-opening loss to the Manchester Monarchs on Oct. 13.
Since the franchise moved to Albany from Lowell, Mass. In 2010, Leach is the first captain other than Stephen Gionta, who wore the 'C' from 2009-12.
"For us, as a staff, it really was a no-brainer when it came time to name a captain," Kowalsky said this week. "Jay is the consummate pro."
This will be the fourth time the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Leach has captained an AHL team, including the 2008-09 Lowell Devils. He also served for the Providence Bruins from 2005-07 and the Worcester Sharks in 2010-11, before the trade which brought he and forward Steve Zalewski to Albany.
Leach also captained the Providence Friars in his senior year of 2000-01, and has a team award named after him there for the player with the best plus-minus rating during the season.
"It's kind of by default," Leach joked. "I'm the oldest guy; I've played the longest. Who else are they gonna give it to? I do take pride in it. It's an honor to be named captain. I'll do my best to lead the way that I can, and hopefully the guys will follow and we'll have a good year."
In all, Leach has played 690 pro games, including 440 in the AHL with Springfield, Providence, Bridgeport, Norfolk, Portland, Lowell, Worcester and Albany, and another 180 in the East Coast Hockey League for Mississippi, Augusta, Long Beach and Trenton, where he was a teammate of Kowalsky in 2004-05.
Drafted in the fifth round, 115th overall, by Phoenix in 1998, Leach also has 70 NHL games to his credit with Boston (two), Tampa Bay (two), Montreal (seven), San Jose (28) and New Jersey (31).
"I've known Jay a long time," Kowalsky said. "We've played with and against each other. I like him (as captain) not just because he played in the NHL, but because of the way he got there. He did it the hard way. He started in the (ECHL) and worked his way up. He got a taste (of the NHL), then got sent back down and kind of toiled in the minors again. But, he loves the game, and he stuck with it, and the guys respect that. I also think Jay is a guy who is respected around the league for the way he plays and approaches the game."
Surgery on a troublesome knee ended Leach's 2011-12 season early, after just 21 games where he had two assists and 12 penalty minutes. He re-signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Devils organization this summer.
"I talked with management and we both expressed mutual interest in me coming back," Leach said. "This organization has been very good to me, and I wanted to come back and have a better season than I did last year. I was disappointed playing only (21) games. I am getting a bit older now, so I'd like to try to have a full season here and get something going."
Kowalsky, who was 33 when he retired following the 2004-05 season, believes Leach will be able to bounce back.
"The surgery was really a long time coming," Kowalsky said. "He probably played most of the season with 50 percent or less on one leg. The surgery was kind of a last option, because he knew it would mean the end of his season, but when he decided to do it, he did it with the thought that it would give him a full spring, a full summer and training camp to get himself back. If you ask him, it's probably the best his knee's felt in five years.
"He keeps himself in great shape. The game's getting faster and he's getting older, and maybe it's me speaking from experience, but it does catch up with you. Jay is in the gym with the guys, he rides the bike; he's at a stage where other guys might let that part slip, but he's always been very good about that and the guys see that. He's always been a guy who's not afraid to hold guys accountable, including himself, and that's a big thing. He's not afraid to stand up in the room and say what needs to be said."


text: Lottery revenues have plunged since peak year of 2007 By Phil Kabler March 4, 2013 Story Share CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- State Lottery revenues have plunged $233 million from the peak year of 2007, and are expected to continue to decline in the face of growing competition from Ohio, Maryland and Pennsylvania, Lottery Director John Musgrave said Monday."We're conservative in our estimates, but you can see we expect another impact from Ohio when they get all their casinos operating," he told the Senate Finance Committee.In 2007, the two Northern Panhandle racetrack-casinos, Mountaineer and Wheeling Island, began losing customers to two new casinos located in and near Pittsburgh.The hit got worse last fall, when newly legalized casinos began opening in Ohio, including two facilities in Columbus."Columbus has got a casino right in downtown, and you've got a racetrack outside of Columbus," he said.In addition to the fourth major casino that opened last week in Cincinnati, six additional racetrack-casinos are slated to open in Ohio, he said."The competition is still building over there," Musgrave said. Senate Majority Leader John Unger, D-Berkeley, said it is clear the panhandle casinos are hemmed in geographically, with competitors on both sides."They're in a pinch. The only option is to try to increase in West Virginia," he said.However, Musgrave noted that only about 13 percent of patrons at Wheeling Island and 3 percent at Mountaineer are from West Virginia. "If we relied on West Virginia players, we wouldn't have many people coming," he said.Senate Finance Chairman Roman Prezioso, D-Marion, asked if Wheeling Island -- the hardest hit of the state's four casinos -- can survive."We feel there are things that might be done," Musgrave responded, saying that both Wheeling Island and Mountaineer will have to scale back operations."We're hoping people will try out the new locations, the new facilities, with all the glitz and glitter, and maybe they'll try them out, and eventually come back," he said.Also Monday, Musgrave told the Finance Committee: • The Lottery Commission has no plans to seek legislation to legalize online Lottery gaming."We don't have any plans right now to move in that direction," Musgrave said, commenting on legislation passed in New Jersey to allow casinos in that state to operate websites offering video poker and blackjack.Musgrave said the Lottery is tracking industry trends, but said the commission would probably be more interested in online versions of scratch off games, and to allow purchases of Powerball, MegaMillions and daily lottery drawings via computer or cellphone apps.• Mardi Gras casino in Nitro has been able to buffer the impact from Ohio competition somewhat better than the Northern Panhandle casinos, thanks to its location off of Interstate 64.Noting that about 27 percent of the casino's players are from North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky, Musgrave said many players from those states stop off at Mardi Gras for lunch or dinner and gaming while traveling.Reach Phil Kabler at email@example.com or 304-348-1220. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 Facebook founder visits Charleston restaurant 2 Innerviews: Dual-identity surgeon riding high in horse racing world 3 Gazette editorial: Capito has second chance to do the right thing 4 Safety shutoff disabled prior to June coal-mining death, report says 5 Doug Smock: AAC not ready for Power 6 quite yet Former Fayette whitewater complex to be sold Previous Story Oil near $90; drivers see some relief at the pump Next Story


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Punto, Melvin ejected after arguing final out
SEATTLE -- Like most closers, Mariners right-hander Fernando Rodney is a bit quirky.
So when he struck out Athletics second baseman Nick Punto on a borderline 3-2 pitch to end Friday night' game, his response was fitting, if not totally accurate.
"All my pitches are strikes," Rodney said after the Mariners took the series opener, 3-2.
After getting called out, Punto slammed his helmet to the ground, began arguing and was ejected by home plate umpire James Hoye. Oakland manager Bob Melvin was ejected by Hoye shortly after.
"Just look at it," Melvin said of the last strike. "Tough way to end a game."
As the beneficiary of the call, mariners catcher Mike Zunino was more diplomatic.
"I thought it was in the upper, inner quadrant," Zunino said. "He threw a good two-seam right there. We were trying to go in there and he made a good pitch."
Adam Lewis is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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The 2013 Home Run Derby is the first big event of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, scheduled for Monday at Citi Field in New York. The game will be televised on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET.
Here are the complete rosters:
The Linemakers: Why Harper is the favorite to win
National League
David Wright, New York Mets (captain); Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals; Michael Cuddyer, Colorado Rockies; Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates.
American League
Robinson Cano, New York Yankees (captain); Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles; Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers; Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics.
Home Run Derby: See every winner since 1986 | A look back the Home Run Derby TV show
All-Star Game 2013: AL roster | NL roster | How they voted | Dates to know


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work harassment
The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case about work harassment that depends on defining who is considered a supervisor and who is considered a co-worker. Jeffrey Brown talks to The National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle about the case and how the ruling will likely affect how liabilities are measured by employers. Continue reading