text:
High-powered Rox a worthy test for Crew
DENVER -- Playing half of their games in the hitter friendly confines of Miller Park, the Brewers don't consider the Coors Field altitude to be a test for the their pitching staff.
What will be the true measuring stick for the rotation in manager Ron Roenicke's opinion is the Rockies' lineup, which owns the best average in the Majors at .281.
"I think their offense is the test," said Roenicke. "I believe they've got some guys hurt, but it's still a great offense. If you're going to succeed and you're going to be a top notch pitcher, you've got to be able to shut down some big offenses."
The Brewers enter the series tied with the Braves for the Major League lead in quality starts at 50 and they haven't had a pitcher issue a walk in the past two games. If the Brewers' staff continues at their current pace, they'll finish the season with 109 quality starts, nine more than their 2011 rotation had when it tied the franchise record of 98.
But then again, Milwaukee has had the luxury of avoiding Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki up until now.
Tulowitzki is hitting .404 (55-for-136) with 13 doubles, 12 home runs, 32 RBIs and 30 runs against the Brewers since entering the league in 2007. That average is the highest in the Majors among batters who have had a minimum of 135 at-bats against Milwaukee.
Numbers like that aren't lost on Roenicke, who considers Tulowitzki's approach at the plate to be one of the finest in all of baseball.
"Tulowitzki has got the stats," said Roenicke. "If you look at Tulowitzki's walks and strikeouts, they're almost the same, which is very rare in today's game. With him not chasing a lot of pitches, [it] helps him to be a consistent hitter."
Cody Ulm is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
lindsey: hi. are u training for anthing right now, or run for fun?
The TURTLE ROOM (4:30 +/-, less a pace than an attitude)
lindsey: hi. are u training for anthing right now, or run for fun?
DRok- Maybe checking out your race website, either packing your bag or at least making a list of what you will pack will get you excited about your races. Glad you felt better after your run. Often getting out the door is the hardest part.
Scubed- That's a lot of races and a lot of miles.
Paxx and others re: running clothes: I don't know if there is one near you, but I have had great sucess getting running clothes from TJ Maxx. It is all name brand, quality stuff, probably last year's styles and colors, but who cares? Over the years, I have built up a good collection. Also, Active.com has a newsletter that offers deals on all sorts of athletic stuff. For example, I have gotten compression shorts (real ones, not bike shorts) for $20. I think you can go to the site as well.
Matt: LifeProof case for iphone. Has a built in screen protector and is pretty sleek. No need to worry about having a ziplock or leaving phone by the pool. Pricey, but deals abound.
Me: great run this morning. 7.25 at average 11:16, but my fast portions were fast (for me) 10:36, 10:33, and 10:10 were my three best miles with sustained paces in the 9s and high 8s. I just leaned forward, relaxed, and kept breathing. It didn't even feel hard. Love these kind of days. Really glad I got it in early, too, because when I came back out to go the work, the heat and humidity just smacked me. Weights tonight.
D Rok,
I am leery about using this race company again. They seem to keep screwing up things that are important to runners:
1. On their 4th of July 10k (which I did not run), the route was only 5.8 miles due to construction and they ran out of medals.
2. They changed the start time of my HM to 10:30 (in August !) because there was another race that morning on the same route. Duh! How could they not know this? On reflection, this was really unsafe for us slower runners. The only medical support on the route was an ambulance at the start, and the middle of the route was only watched by (untrained) volunteers--high school kids, mostly. In the middle of the route, in the suburbs, there were a lot of turns with just arrows pointing the right direction. It seemed pretty isolated.
What if one of my fellow slow runners had overheated? I definitely had signs of heat exhaustion by mile 10 (goosebumps on my arms).
The plus was that they had full bottles of ice cold water just about every mile. I poured so much water on my head that I was making squishy noises by the end.
I was a little upset that they had no free race food at the end.
The bummer of it is that this company runs some of the most popular races in the Portland area--including the Hood to Coast Relay.
Had a good 15 miler on Sunday but ran out of water at 10 miles...got permission to stash a water jug at the house of a person who watches me lope by while slowly shaking his head each Sunday morning...yay! Feeling better each week about the marathon, excited even.
5k race this weekend which I really want to do well in, debating wisdom of running 7 miles of intervals tomorrow...whadyathink?
DRok - Thanks for the info....
Deadlegs - Welcome! We are apparently at the same place in our training...best of luck to you
Yuha - I agree with you...stay away from that company's events until the get themselves sorted
Kikini - Great info about TJMaxx's running apparel...gonna check that out because I'm running in t-shirts from 30 years ago races....hahahaha
Hope everyone has a super day!
Nice run, kikini!
We did a "mile test" in class a few weeks ago. We ran a circle around the capitol building and the instructor said that was a mile. I finished in 7:20 and was very very skeptical about running a mile that quickly. We calculated it out, and it was actually about 0.92. But that meant I probably could run a < 8 min mile. Never thought that was possible. I attribute it to the fact that someone was right in front of me and I didn't want to lose them, so I ran faster than I normally would have even when pushing myself. I can only hope that there is someone about my speed at my marathon or that the people in fat suits / blerch costumes will be chasing me at a good clip...
Kiniki! Nice run and awesome speed! Even 1 mile right under 9 minutes makes me super excited. And I usually try to make the last one my best and finishing ona good note is always super encouraging!
Gramma- great job on the 15! Glad you're getting excited for the marathon! Im training for my first and im definitely nervous. By after my first 14 miler last weekend I feel like I could pretty much go forever!
TA- awesome run! Even if it wasn't a mile seems like you could run a speedy one with a time like that! What school are you going to? And what class is having you run? Sounds fun!
Nice run, kikini!
We did a "mile test" in class a few weeks ago. We ran a circle around the capitol building and the instructor said that was a mile. I finished in 7:20 and was very very skeptical about running a mile that quickly. We calculated it out, and it was actually about 0.92. But that meant I probably could run a < 8 min mile. Never thought that was possible. I attribute it to the fact that someone was right in front of me and I didn't want to lose them, so I ran faster than I normally would have even when pushing myself. I can only hope that there is someone about my speed at my marathon or that the people in fat suits / blerch costumes will be chasing me at a good clip...
That's awesome!! Reminds me of my goal to break the 8:00 pace barrier in a 5k. I was so excited when I not only broke that barrier, but shattered it. Im just so amazed how people can run so fast for so long and I feel like Im sprinting if I just get below an 8:00 pace. LOL (The Turtle curse! Or blessing, since I found you guys!)
Tough day for the fat man. Woke up feeling ok - pulse low, weight low. Ran 5m, slightly down hill @ 11:16. Stopped at the park behind town hall and did 3 sets of pull-ups and 3 sets of push-ups. Ran, if you can call it running, 2.6 miles home. That was awful - could hardly keep moving forward. Hope tomorrow's better.
TAS- that's a good pace. I have found that I simply cannot go as fast as I used to for whatever distance. I never timed miles or had a GPS watch (didn't exist) when I was in my 20s and 30s. In my 40s I ran sub 25 5Ks and averaged about 8:11 to 8:20 per miles. I placed in my AG fairly regularly in small local races. Terrain was mixed, and I probably could have been faster on a dead flat course. Now, I cannot hit that pace in a sprint. My Garmin (on the read on the computer) occasionally shows my fastest pace as 7 something, but it was probably for 3 steps. Once it showed 4 something, which I attributed to a malfunction. Blondy posted the Galloway magic mile calculator a short time back. It was pretty accurate in predicting paces. Might be interesting to check out even if you are not using run/walk.
Yuha- Sounds like a badly organized race. The 10-miler I ran in July was pretty similar, but at least it started at 8:15. I wasn't expecting much either. It was a pretty low-frills production. It had the minimum required in terms of markings and water, but volunteers were scarce and there was only water at the finish. It was OK, though because it wasn't billed as a big deal. I would do my race again though, because it did have everything NEEDED, just not anything more.
Grammadog--how important is the interval workout to your marathon training as opposed to the importance of a good showing in the 5K? The 5K will be your speed workout for the week, and you will likely do better if you do not do the intervals. I eliminate weight training the week before a goal race, and 2 weeks before a marathon. I do nothing special for most short local races because I run just for fun or to support the local race. I also ran my HM PR a week after running 18 miles with no taper. I'm sure all that gave you very clear concise answer to your question.
Tough day for the fat man. Woke up feeling ok - pulse low, weight low. Ran 5m, slightly down hill @ 11:16. Stopped at the park behind town hall and did 3 sets of pull-ups and 3 sets of push-ups. Ran, if you can call it running, 2.6 miles home. That was awful - could hardly keep moving forward. Hope tomorrow's better.
You did great!! You did better than 99% of the population, and far better than 99.999999999999% of people your age!!
Kikini - You're thinking the same as I am...I'll probably hold myself to a fartlek run tomorrow and then rest Thurs/Fri for Saturday's race. I have a very wide streak of competitiveness right through me and I want to move up a step on the podium this year. This is a well attended event and I'm always surprised how many really, really old women can still run a pretty good pace...hahaha! When my Garmin shows my fastest pace in the 7's I try to remember if I tripped anywhere, 'cause the only way I'd hit that pace on my own would be if I was falling down....
Busy turtles!
Yuha, what company is that? That is unacceptable. They should have known about that other race.
Hello to all. Still in conference call from hell.
Busy bees today!
TPM-Sorry about the hard run.That was my yesterday.
Gramma-Your 5 K is this weekend? Have you done intervals before? Speed work is where I always get injured. Your 5K this weekend will be a speedy workout, so I wouldn't do anything else. Remember your long term goal is getting to the marathon uninjured.
Paxx-Way to get out there and get it done. I think alot of us lately have had not so great runs, and are feeling unmotivated. I think it's the summer heat!
Kikini-But you had a great run. Glad it went well!
Scubed-How in the heck do you have time for horses?
DR-Enjoy the 5 and Piyo tonight!
Hi to everyone. Me-didn't get up this morning, I was dreading the early am hot run so I decided to sleep in and hit the TM tonight. Then on the way to work I notice it was only 84 which meant it was probably only 81 at 5:00 AM so it would have been a cooler run. Damn weathermen!!! Oh well, it was nice to sleep in. So I decided either TM tonight or a trail run, it will be 102 but shady...Hmmm...what would you all do? (It's only a 4-5 miler)...decisions decisions......
lindsey: it's a gym class. We alternate between intervals on the treadmill one day and outdoor running and boot camp type stuff other days.
Got lots of sleep, drank coffee, and my ankle was feeling better. That meant a really good 9 mile run @ 10:49min/mile. Felt pretty good. So good I even tried some planks. Still working on that situation...
Just got invited to a baseball game (Yankees). Don't have to pay or drive, so I guess the weights will have to wait. I can make up the workout on Sunday. Promised myself I would not obsess over missing a workout this summer, so here goes.
Easy come, easy go. We are not going to the game. Guess I am going to the Y.
Quick drop in. Worked my legs in the gym after I skipped the morning run due to knee issues. Gonna try a 4 miler in the morning if my knee will let me..
Scubed- that is an amazing schedule - are you a half fanatic or full fanatic? I think that club would be something fun to achieve...
Paxx - nice 6 and pace too!
Ondeadlegs - welcome!
Kikini - nice run, don't you love it when everything all comes together in a run and it feels so good? Those are the best!
Yuha - rough race - definitely sounds disorganized! good for you on getting through it
Gramma - great 15!
Tracey - I'm not a 102 degree runner here so I'd have to opt for TM
Me- my assignment from Galloway for the day was to do 4 different run/walk ratios in 800m increments - 15/15, 25/20, 20/20 and 20/15 - all trying to hit a certain pace (6:15 for each 800M-I was under every time)...the goal is to teach you pace judgment vs. try to be super speedy. So i think the full 4.5 miles were about at a 11:50 pace or so. I was fastest on the 25/20 which just makes sense to me intuitively, so the exercise was a bit odd. Need to get more info from him once I report in on my results this weekend. Tomrrow is SRD and Thursday is hill workout....
blondy - That's an interesting workout. I would be interested in seeing how my times would be if I tried those different intervals. I'll probably forget to try it once I start running though.
bicklebok - Good luck with your 4 tomorrow. Listen to your body if it hurts, slow down or cut the run short.
TAsunder - Great pace for your 9 miles! Don't give up on those planks. They are tough.
tracey - Hmmm tough one. 4-5 miles could go either way. The trail run in the shade sounds good.
tpm - Some days are harder than others but good job getting out there! Tomorrow will be better.
yuha - Sounds like the race company didn't do their job and get the permits for the race. I'm pretty sure our city would not allow 2 races at the same time along the same route. That's pretty surprising too coming from the Hood2Coast company since that is such a big race. It's on my bucket list actually.
ondeadlegs - Welcome!
Paxx - Way to get out there when you weren't feeling like it. Great pace!
lindsey - Yay for running with friends!
scubed - Wow, that's quite the schedule. You are awesome!
Docket - I looked into PiYo at the Y. I haven't made it to a class but it looks interesting.
D Rok - Glad you felt better after your run.
me - Body Pump this morning and then did some lap swimming after. 6 laps and I was breathing harder than if I had been running for 2 hours. Whew.
Morning! My 5 miles last night were hotter than weather.com told me. Sigh. I did a kickboxing drill workout afterwards. Today, it's core and 4 miles.
You were a chatty bunch yesterday so I cannot keep up with 4-5 conferences from hell. Some shouthouts, though.
Kikini, say yes to the Yankees. Enjoy!
TA, nice job.
bicklebok, good luck with the knee today.
Blondy, nice job.
tsy, I can imagine doing the same if I ever swim, ha. If you try the class, let me know.
ondeadlegs, which marathon is it? I am excited for you!
scubed - that's quite a schedule coming up over the next 8 weeks or so!
ondeadlegs - Welcome. I've been incorporating speedwork into my workouts for this training cycle and I love it! When so much of marathon training is about the slow runs and just putting in time, it's fun to blast through a run around 10k pace once in awhile
lindsey - glad to hear the run went well with your friend. Inspire
Paxx - Great job just getting out there. Just remember this quote,
"I really regret going out for that run today"
-No one, ever.
kikini - Thanks for the ideas I checked out the marathon website, ogled the pics of the medal, and traced the course in mapmyrun so I could 'measure' the grades and stuff, since the profiles are so exaggerated that they make molehills look like mountains (literally) Awesome running. Glad to hear you got some nice paces in ! Sucks about the baseball game tease.
yuha - ugh. That does sound awful.
Grammadog - Sorry I couldn't be much more help with the hotels. But if you need to know anything else about the area let me know. Have you run Columbus before?
TAs - Nice mile run
tpm - sorry to hear that yesterday didn't qute go like you wanted. We all have some crap days like that.
traceyp - Hope you were able to get a run in either inside or outside.
bickelbok - how is the knee behaving?
blondy - nice job. Does seem a little strange, but, hey, I won't question it.
tsyms - nice job on the swimming and body pump.
DocketR - dang weatherman lying! Enjoy the core 'n' four tonight. Hope work stuff settles down.
Last night, did 9x800 (well, actually 9x0.5 mile) on the treadmill last night. Planning on 5 miles and a few bodyweight exercises tonight.
Have a great day!
ondeadlegs - welcome. We look forward to hearing about your adventures
Grammadog - have you tried airbnb? I've had amazing luck in obscure locations
tpm - bummer, but the good thing about running is there is always another day
kikini - nice faster work
tsyms - at the start of every summer, I plan to swim more and then I don't! Nice job.
Docket - I feel your pain. I've been spending 60 hours a week at work recently. On the other hand, it has been unseasonably cool for August here
Drok - hope the treadmill run felt better than the prior. Are you sure you are physically back to 100%? That can definitely impact the mental side.
Me - more riding
deadlegs, it is! I've done MCM twice and it's a great race, no matter if it's your 1st or 30th. Good luck!
D Rok, 9 X 800s IS 9 X 0.50, no? Good job.
scubed, enjoy the ride.
Unscheduled Rest day for me Yesterday. Grand kids come over every Tuesday. They are in Montana on Vacation. Wife was off all day waiting on me to get off work......well.....Long workout today for me.
Docket Rocket. Nice workout. Kickboxing sounds like fun. Don't think I could get my legs up to the bag. I think .50 would be an 880. Funny all this race math. The only metric I know are Race distances.
Great Job Scubed. 60 hours a week at work, yuck.
I cant say I Love speed work D Rok. It is however nice to change up the workouts. Great Job.
I so wish I could swim Tsyms. I have lived right next to the Red River in Southern Oklahoma all my life. I don't swim in it however. Not enough water and what there is is well Red colored. Nice job on the swim and body pump.
Interesting workout Blondy. Enjoy the rest day before the Hills.
Hope your knee issues clear up Bicklebok.
Bummer Kikini. Sorry the Game didn't workout. Great job on the run. I dream of a mile in the 8's.
Great Long Run TAsunder. Looks like you wont have any problems beating that Blerch.
Welcome Ondeadlegs.
Nice Paxx. Good job getting out there when you just don't feel it.
Never be sorry that you got to sleep in Tracey.
Way to knock out that tuff Run TPM.
WOW Grammadog. 15 miles is a bunch.
Good Job Lindsey. Fun to watch a friend progress.
Hey All.Happy Hump Day!!!!........ I must be coming down with something. I am just feeling tired and worn out all the time and that is unusual for me. I notice that my resting HR is a bit higher than normal as well. I'm usually 45-47 and the last few days it's been +50. So probably fighting something I'm not aware of. Even though I didn't want to run again this morning I drug my butt out of bed and by the time I got ready to run I was feeling like this would be good. I read some posts this morning before my run and D Rok thanks for the quote reminder!!! It gave me a good reminder that I really never have regretted getting the shoes laced up and getting out the door!!! So out the door I went. Was just going to run a nice slow one but turned into a 10K at a 9:50 pace and soooo enjoyed the run. I do feel that I am getting stronger as the miles build. I frequently run a hill that my garmin tells me is a 110 ft elevation gain and this morning I felt I had better strength and endurance than I did even a month ago. So Something must be working. Anyway I feel it was a good run and glad that I got myself up and out the door.
Tracey - You may be right about the temperatures affecting us. It does cool down at night and for that I I am grateful. But the humidity is killing me!! this morning a nice 55 F but 95% humidity!!! It has been a very very unusual year in that regards!!
Deadlegs - You are gonna the training this time and kick some genuine Marathon Butt this time, eh?
TSY I applaud all of you that swim!!! In the famous everlasting words of Andre the Giant (in Princess Bride) "I only dog paddle!!" Thanks for the encouragement!!!
Pintail - Haha!!!! I resemble that comment!!! I know what a workout the kiddies can be!!! Gotta love it, eh!!!!
Well, I wish my summer days work/play load would let up a bit, but I have another big day ahead of me today!!! Hope you all have a fantastic hump day!! Lace 'em up and hit the trails!!! Go play and then play hard!! And treat yourself to a big laugh today!!
DRok- Now, you're getting it. Compulsive marathoner behavior. Next step is to keep checking the 10-day forecast and being elated or depressed as it changes from day to day at your race location. I also enjoy the faster running. I only do it on the flats or slightly downhill parts, so it is a big change from the uphill slog.
ondeadlegs- Have heard great things about MCM. I did OBX as my second marathon after hearing so many good things from random people. It was a nice course, really well organized, and lots of fun. Decent expo, too, for a relatively small race.
tpm- as you well know, there are ups and down. Hope it turns up for you soon.
pintail- Got my front planks to 2 minutes. Side to barely 45 seconds. Thanks for the inspiration.
tsyms- you are making good progress on the swim. Try to relax and take long easy strokes. I know it is easier said than done. I count my strokes. Got into the habit somehow long time ago, but it quiets my mind. I breathe every fourth stroke, so it is 1, 2, 3, breathe, 2, 2, 3. breathe, 3,2, 3, breathe, and so on. The breath is there anytime you want it, so just plan for it and relax in between.
Docket- wishing you cooler days.
Great Job on the Planks Kikini! Don't you just love Side planks? 45 second is a long time. Sometimes my shoulder feels like it is going to break off. Don't you just Love how Planks make you feel afterwards.
Quick update: Took some Aleve this morning and ran my scheduled 4 miles with no knee pain! Yippie! I was even able to pick up the pace a little for this turtle and ended up with a 9:02 pace. Thank you all for the support about my knee.
Shout outs later. Gotta get a report submitted to the boss.
45 second side plank is long? This explains why the entire right side of my body is sore today after holding it for that long.
Yakoff Smirnoff mode: In Soviet Russia, PLANK holds YOU for 45 seconds. Then you die. Same difference.
Well, whether to run intervals this morning became a non-issue since other problems (gluten intolerant) set in within the 1st mile...not to mention that I am just dead tired. Today's 7 miles became 3.5 miles and really glad to get home. Resting the remainder of the week. It's been 12 weeks of hard running and my body and mind both need a break.
Paxx - The high heart rate and insidious tiredness are both good indications of over training...maybe a short break from everything for a few days?
Deadlegs - feels great getting close doesn't it?!
DRok - checking yesterday, found a nice motel north of Columbus...means I will have to drive in that morning, but the downtown hotels have their rooms blocked for 5 day stays (really?) I haven't been in Columbus for so many years ... does the race still start on North High? It was sponsored by Nationwide when I did it...hahaha, tells you how long it's been (1989)
Tracey - been alternating intervals and hill repeats on alternate Wednesdays...weirdly, I like doing intervals (possibly because I'm not doing them hard enough?) This 5k on Saturday is my last short race of the year, from there on it is all marathon training.
TAsunder - Yakoff Smirnoff, hahahahaha! Love him
Have a great day everyone!
b...bok Glad the knee feels better. What's the hurry? Take your time and enjoy running longer.
7.7 miles this morning. Hilly course, 6 X 10 second strides, overall pace 11:41. Felt normal enough to do a quick loop in the woods, then steep climb, walk break - climbing- and an easy 1/2 mile down hill to the house. Nothing remarkable, just a good every day run.
TAsunder - Hah about the planks!
kikini - 2 minutes is great! I'm still at 90 seconds front only. I haven't tried side yet. Just like pintailman mentioned...my shoulder may not be able to handle that. As for the swim/breathing I am taking a breath every other stroke which makes me feel like I'm rushing it. I tried 1,2,3 breathe and I can do that a few times and then I start feeling like I'm not getting a good enough breath and end up stopping 1/2 way down the lane. I know a lot of it is just practice so we'll see if I can keep it up.
Paxx and pintailman- I'm not really a swimmer yet. Sometimes I feel like I'm just flopping in the water. Honestly, I hate water in my face so this is a big deal for me.
D Rok - I'm with Docket...I thought 800m was 1/2 mile?? Either way, good job on the speedwork.
me - Not sure if/when I can run today. Severe thunderstorm warnings all around for the next several days still. My son has swim lessons this morning. I might take today off and figure out something for tomorrow.
TAS- nice plank pic
tsyms- I assume you are wearing goggles? If not, please get some; it will make a huge difference. You might also try fins. If you don't want to purchase them, they might be available at your pool. My Y has them, but I have my own. Speaking of, the new silicone ones are awesome. A friend let me try hers, and I loved them. At $70, though, mine will do. I am watching for bargains, though. I noticed active.com has the plastic split fins on sale of $16.95 (reg about $40). They are what I have, and they have lasted for years and are perfectly fine, just not AWESOME. Fins will help align your legs and give you some additional buoyancy, which might make you feel more secure and help you relax. I suspect your issue is stressing out, not lack of fitness. Once you can relax, it will be a completely different experience. I do the every 4 breaths technique because of all the ocean swimming I did. I would always breathe with my face away from the breaking waves. On the return, I did breast stroke so I was breathing in front.
Tpm- glad your workout was good.
Great Job on the Planks Kikini! Don't you just love Side planks? 45 second is a long time. Sometimes my shoulder feels like it is going to break off. Don't you just Love how Planks make you feel afterwards.
Yes. They are the last thing I do, so my workout is over and I can go home and have a beer. I feel good after the front ones, but the side ones are unpleasant.
deadlegs, it is! I've done MCM twice and it's a great race, no matter if it's your 1st or 30th. Good luck!
D Rok, 9 X 800s IS 9 X 0.50, no? Good job.
scubed, enjoy the ride.
Basically. I was just being facetious even noting a difference. Or showing everyone know that I'm a badass overachiever by running an extra 0.003 miles per interval.
scubed - thanks. I feel fine physically.
pintail - hope you enjoyed the RD
kikini - thanks for the reminder. Only 8 days until I can start checking the 10-day forecast for my HM.
bickel- good to hear the knee is behaving
Grammadog - the race starts and ends just west of downtown now on Long Street (just checked the course map and it's different this year).
tpm - nice job with the run.
Morning friends! Had the most beautiful run today. 7 miles into the sunrise... Didn't have my camera today so I decided to draw it!
Kiniki- way to plank! The side ones are definitely harder!
tsyms- Hope you get to get out today! It was suppose to rain here this morning but it missed us.
TPM- Nice run!
Gramma- At least you were out there! Enjoy the rest!
TAsunder- Love the pic haha!
bicklebok- Yay for no knee pain! I know the feeling! It's great when you come out of a hurting week and the next week is pain free! Hope it keeps holding up!
Question: If I am going out of town and don't have time for a 2+ hour run (I'm up for 16 this weekend), how should I go about moving my long run to next Wedesday (when I return). Should I run an extra mid-length run on the weekend? Or maybe just do back to back 8 milers Saturday and Sunday? I think I could do that if I wake up early enough, I'm just trying to figure out how to go about the rescheduling due to not being in town...
lindsey- Lovely picture. In answer to your question: When I know I cannot do my long run on Saturday, I try to flip it with my Thursday run of 6 ish miles. As long as the long run is 12 or under, I can get up early enough to do it before work. Then, if I can run the 6, or something, on Saturday, I do. Otherwise, I have missed a regular run, not a long run. I prefer this to running after work or even on Sunday. If your schedule allows it, I would run your long run during the week in place of a shorter run and adjust any others accordingly. For example, you probably do not want to do another hard effort the day after or before your long run.

subset: commoncrawl


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(We interrupt this announcement to bring you the direct link to this year's PECOTA weighted-means spreadsheet.)
In order to access the PECOTA forecasts, you need to be a Premium (or soon-to-be-available Super-Premium) subscriber to Baseball Prospectus. Monthly subscribers will have access to certain PECOTA features but will not have access to downloads like the PECOTA spreadsheets. The best value we offer is a yearly subscription, which not only gives you access to the full PECOTA product offering, but also unrestricted access to our website's extensive baseball coverage.
In the 11 years since the first "Introducing PECOTA" article in Baseball Prospectus 2003, PECOTA has proven to be one of the best predictive systems in the industry. The current edition was the brainchild of Colin Wyers, who was hired by the Houston Astros as this winter's work took place. Colin's core concept of having the batter-pitcher matchup quantification center around batter TAv and pitcher Fair RA remained untouched, and the annual weights that Colin explained in detail back in 2012 remain intact. Without his work, PECOTA wouldn't have been possible this season, and Baseball Prospectus' loss is the Astros' gain.
This does not mean that innovation and improvement have stopped—several improvements took place, with the most visible example being that minor-league players will now appear in the comparables lists, though only if they subsequently went on to have major-league careers.
Our playing time estimates are based on the input of the Baseball Prospectus staff and coordinated by Tim Collins. Keep in mind that these aren't etched in stone: pitchers and catchers still haven't reported to camp, and some key free agents still haven't signed. We will be updating these playing time estimates frequently as teams make moves and we see how rosters shape up in advance of Opening Day.
One other note: players who aren't projected to play in 2014 have hypothetical projections that can be seen atop the player cards, with fictional playing time numbers. This fiction is based on actual playing time from past seasons (with MLB playing time much more highly weighted) or a minimum of 250 PA for hitters or about 33 IP or more for pitchers, depending on role. As an example, here's Matt Harvey, who had 59 and 178 MLB IP the past two seasons, respectively (and a lot more MiLB IP in 2012):
Of course, we don't think Harvey will actually pitch nearly 150 innings in 2014. We know he's hurt, which is why the Mets Depth Chart doesn't include him. This is a "what if" scenario that should give an idea of what he could have accomplished (in even more innings) if he'd been healthy.
Right now, we're rolling out the following:
Click the "Feature Focus" links below for an explanation/walkthrough of each BP product
Between now and the start of the season, we will roll out additional parts of the PECOTA product:
Downloading PECOTA:
Then, on that page, simply locate the item entitled "2014 PECOTA Spreadsheet Digital Download." You can look for the green highlighting, which we use to differentiate downloads that have been recently updated:
New versions of the spreadsheet will be released during the spring as rosters shape up, and you can always check your profile page to see if a new version has been released.
Customer service FAQ on downloading the spreadsheet:
*Update* Ben Lindbergh's quick tour through the 2014 PECOTAs can be found here.
Rob McQuown is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @robmcquown
94 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
It's Christmas in February! I feel like I am five years old and waiting for my parents to give me the go ahead to come downstairs and see what has been left for me (maybe a bit of an exaggeration but conveys the excitement well). I think I may be late for work today! Thanks guys.
Feb 04, 2014 04:45 AM
The link on the very front page is to the old spreadsheet.
Feb 04, 2014 04:49 AM
Thanks. Please keep your promise to update the playing time projections. IMHO, the stale playing time projections are the biggest weakness of PFM, BP's fantasy content and probably the whole site. I had hoped that the addition of Jason Martinez last year would have improved things but alas that thorn remained. BP would gain a real edge over the other baseball projection sites if you could update the PT projections once daily starting in mid-March. Fantasy players would be able to immediately evaluate the impact of the change and gain a real advantage. For me, that would be worth a super-premium subscription fee.
Feb 04, 2014 05:26 AM
Joe Hamrahi
BP staff
We will do our best to update the depth charts as often as possible and much more frequently than last year. I don't want to set the expectations of once daily, but we will be staying on top of them. Tim Collins has been doing a fantastic job in that regard.
Feb 04, 2014 06:16 AM
Agreed. Fangraphs really raised the bar last year in terms of near-daily updates to playing time projections. Hopefully BP can follow suit and provide another source of updated PT projections.
Feb 04, 2014 14:18 PM
Case in point: with the news that Kris Medlen may require TJ, I would expect his playing time to be lowered considerably.
Mar 13, 2014 08:57 AM
The dates for latest update of batters or pitchers for a given team are listed on the Depth Charts page, and PFM draws from exactly the same data used by the Depth Charts.
Mar 13, 2014 09:14 AM
Thank you all for this!
Feb 04, 2014 05:45 AM
Good question. For players with Depth Chart entries, pitcher VORP is on the PFM (http://pfm14.baseballprospectus.com/pfm/), which has CSV and TSV download capabilities. That won't cover all the pitchers on the spreadsheet, but it's a start. We'll take the request for pitcher VORP being added to the spreadsheet on advisement for possible future editions. Sorry that doesn't help right away.
Feb 04, 2014 05:55 AM
Thanks so much! Wasn't pitcher VORP on previous spreadsheets? It seems so from what I've saved over the years. I hope there's a way to bring it back! Appreciate all you do.
Feb 04, 2014 06:53 AM
How has PECOTA stacked up against some of the other projections out there, like Zips, Marcel, Steamer, Oliver?
Feb 04, 2014 06:03 AM
We have an article in the works on this very subject.
Feb 04, 2014 06:44 AM
Great, I've been waiting several years for such an article.
Feb 04, 2014 08:34 AM
what we have planned is analysis of roughly six metrics for hitting and pitching -- basically the five roto categories (we figure that's a common use for PECOTA, planning a draft or dynasty roster) and wOBA for an all-in-one metric.
Feb 04, 2014 08:56 AM
Please analyze rate projections (e.g., HR/PA) as well as playing time projections for each source. I would would consider both types of projections to require skill, but unless they are separated, it is very difficult to tell if the source was good at just PT or just stat rates, or perhaps both.
Feb 04, 2014 14:32 PM
In a parallel universe, Kila Ka'aihue is plugging away towards 1000 career RBI.
Feb 04, 2014 06:25 AM
He annually battles OBP machine Daric Barton in the all-star vote.
Feb 04, 2014 08:02 AM
I feel Bob Hamelin must also be mentioned here, for some reason.
Feb 06, 2014 10:18 AM
Are the team level projections (2014 standings) available somewhere on the website?
Feb 04, 2014 07:00 AM
The main Depth Charts page has them: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/fantasy/dc/
Feb 04, 2014 07:01 AM
Can you provide any insight as to why PECOTA (and other projection systems) seem to lean conservative? PECOTA projects only one team to finish with more than 89 wins, whereas the amount of teams to do so in the last 5 years is: 11, 9, 9, 9, 7.
Feb 04, 2014 08:42 AM
I realize this is an overly simplified answer, but the reason is based on the way randomness works.
Feb 04, 2014 09:37 AM
Is it possible for the team projections to utilize such a Monte Carlo system in addition to the average? Is that how the preseason playoff odds are compiled?
Feb 06, 2014 08:05 AM
Yes, that's how Playoff Odds are calculated.
Feb 06, 2014 09:16 AM
Thank you for all your hard work. The PFM projects zero net saves for everyone. Please let us know when that will be updated.
Feb 04, 2014 07:06 AM
John Geer
Holy crap, Chris Davis is projected to fall off the face of the earth. And a .330 BABIP but a .259/.324/.481?
Feb 04, 2014 07:35 AM
John Geer
"I'm a believer in Davis, so this decline seems somewhat harsh, but even he's not projected to be bad. Other than Gomez (another player I like), all of the decliners here are still projected to be well above average. They're just in line for regression from some pretty steep peaks."
Feb 04, 2014 07:39 AM
Some regression, sure I can see that. But this projection brings him up short of his rate and counting stats for 2012 when he played only 139 games. If he was older I might see an argument for that. But for a player entering his age 28 season it seems extremely conservative.
Feb 04, 2014 08:12 AM
Rob, much thanks for including the MLB #s. A great help.
Feb 04, 2014 08:30 AM
I'm going to be the good guy here and let you know the spreadsheet is available under the monthly subscription instead of just the yearly.
Feb 04, 2014 08:57 AM
Joe Hamrahi
BP staff
Thank you. Really appreciate that.
Feb 04, 2014 09:46 AM
PFM does a weird thing for me; when I used my saved league settings and filter to a single position, it instead kicks me back to the default PFM page. Is there something I can do about this?
Feb 04, 2014 09:19 AM
You are not doing anything wrong, and I'm working on this, hopefully will have it fixed today.
Feb 04, 2014 09:37 AM
I feel like I knew the answer to this, but can't recall and my searching of BP hasn't turned up the answer? Are Pecota projections park-neutral? Or would a player's Pecota projection change if they were traded?
Feb 04, 2014 11:07 AM
Free agency starts in my Diamond Mind Baseball league today. Spent a good part of the morning working the Pecota projections into my FA spreadsheet. I've been a worthless employee all day!
Feb 04, 2014 11:21 AM
Karl T
Great service for the scoresheet players getting all of the info to us so early this year, thanks! Also looking forward to the 10-year projections and upside, thanks for bringing those back.
Feb 04, 2014 11:28 AM
To pick up on a theme in today's Effectively Wild, here's the top of the BRR leaderboard:
Feb 04, 2014 11:28 AM
Pretty stunning that the Dodgers are projected to be 9 games better than EVERY other team in baseball
Feb 04, 2014 11:56 AM
I don't seem to be able to get the Pecota forecast into my Team Tracker team. Is anyone else having that problem? if so how do I fix it?
Feb 04, 2014 12:07 PM
You clicked on the radio button by "Forecasts" and clicked the "View Stats" button?
Feb 04, 2014 12:26 PM
I did. Some problem with my selection?
Feb 06, 2014 12:40 PM
How about adding 2014 projected stats to each block of stats on the page (e.g., Standard Stats, Advanced Stats)? I am not talking about percentiles or 10 years, but rather presenting the 2014 stats in line with the players career stats for easy visual comparison.
Feb 04, 2014 14:48 PM
In the Mariners' Depth Chart, Ackley is projected to bat 8th and 9th. I think it just puts the player who will have the plurality of PAs at that spot, but it seems weird to me that the projected "lineup" is impossible*.
Feb 04, 2014 16:36 PM
Yes, as you think, it's just listing the guy with the most PA in bold. Agreed that it's inconvenient that the "lineup" of bold names doesn't really exist, but expect that to get ironed out as we approach the season start date.
Feb 04, 2014 16:42 PM
Tim Collins
BP staff
Indeed-- this is a function of (sometimes) players appearing frequently at multiple lineup positions, but also those lineup positions (ie the Mariners' 8/9 spots) being a bit muddled at the moment.
Feb 05, 2014 05:38 AM
Any chance you can make the Team Tracker stat tables sortable?
Feb 04, 2014 20:14 PM
Good suggestion, we've been considering how to make the TT reports better, and this is definitely on the list.
Feb 06, 2014 09:11 AM
I think it would be nice to get a somewhat in-depth discussion of how best to use PFM. For instance, I'm in a league with lots of bench spots. Should I ask it to value based on the whole roster, or just the starters? And how reliable is the SGP setting? That sort of stuff.
Feb 05, 2014 08:27 AM
Seemingly, there's a significant benefit to being able to steal third-base; and it's a rare trait when a player can do so regularly. Billy Hamilton is that rarity and I assume Pecota has his 15+ steals of third calculated into the values?
Feb 06, 2014 07:43 AM
In going over the PECOTA forecasts I discovered an interesting aberration, namely ALL NL relievers are projected to win more games than they lose.
Feb 07, 2014 10:44 AM
Thanks for the heads-up. I'm investigating this as top priority now - the wins and losses projections are definitely supposed to be realistic, and there are numerous checks in place to insure this happens.
Feb 07, 2014 11:00 AM
The online (depth charts, PFM, etc) is now updated with corrected values, expect a new spreadsheet (version 3) to be available tonight.
Feb 07, 2014 13:41 PM
First time subscriber and I just can't figure out the discrepancies with PFM. The 1st baseman tier rankings have Chris Davis as a 5 star 1B with a value of $39.45. Just hitting "submit" on PFM without changing any parameters, and he is the 16th 1B and a $9 player. I change some settings to match my league and he is a dollar player.
Feb 09, 2014 11:40 AM
I see now dollar values are from last year's PFM on the tier rankings. Regardless, I'm still worried that I'm using PFM wrong.
Feb 09, 2014 12:21 PM
I don't think you were doing anything wrong. That link you were using was bad, and it's been changed to redirect to the correct location now, so everything should work fine.
Feb 09, 2014 13:03 PM
I know you mentioned above that depth charts would be updated on a regular basis. There were some roster changes over the last few days, but I don't think the depth charts have been updated. Any news on when charts will be updated or is this still the best projection you have?
Feb 11, 2014 06:31 AM
Does PECOTA project Holds? I can't find them in the weighted means spreadsheet, and my fantasy league uses them. Thanks.
Feb 11, 2014 12:32 PM
Holds projections can be found in the Player Forecast Manager (PFM).
Feb 11, 2014 14:06 PM
Matt Sussman
BP staff
David Ross first comp: Jason Varitek
Feb 13, 2014 12:42 PM
Miguel Gonzalez (bpid 101994, mlbid 646057) is listed twice in the pitchers list of pecota_2014_02_08_18339.
Feb 16, 2014 07:04 AM
Back in the day, the player cards had pecota 10%, 25%, 75%, and 90% projections. I really miss that. Is there a reason y'all removed them?
Feb 16, 2014 12:05 PM
When are long-term projections due out? Opening Day is creeping up.
Mar 08, 2014 01:45 AM
Not a subscriber? Sign up today!


text:
The activities of the Northern Cycling Group of CTC Birmingham District Association have grown and expanded under the leadership and guidance of John Bedford. His list of past achievements is enormous, but he has won this award in particular for his commitment to the role of publicity officer for his District Association.
For a number of years John organised the distribution of recruitment leaflets into doctors' surgeries. Last year he negotiated with North Birmingham Primary Care Trust to place leaflets directly into the waiting rooms of its 27 surgeries.
John is currently trying to develop a Family Section and a faster midweek ride, to complement the 7 rides each week.


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|Report Number:
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Video captures confrontation as Portland police shoot, kill suspect
PORTLAND, Ore. - The man shot and killed by police in a hospital parking lot Sunday charged at police and was holding a black phone handset that officers mistook for a gun, police said Wednesday.
During a 5:30 p.m. news conference, police showed an approximately three-minute video shot by a nearby resident to show what happened during their confrontation with 50-year-old Merle Hatch who police said charged at them, forcing them to shoot and kill him. | Watch the video (warning: graphic content)
The incident happened Sunday night around 9:30 in a parking lot at Portland Adventist Medical Center in Southeast Portland, where Hatch was a patient.
Police said no gun was recovered at the scene of the shooting; however, they said before he confronted police in the hospital's parking lot, Hatch stole a telephone handset, broke it in half and used it to simulate a handgun. | Click on the "listen" icon to hear police radio traffic from the incident
Security images show he confronted hospital security on two different occasions, police said.
The video captured Hatch taunting police, swearing at them and threatening to take hostages.
"Come on, play?" he yelled at police. "Close as you gonna get? That ain't close enough. Come on!"
Police Chief Mike Reese narrated a few times during the video. At one point the suspect was seen running across the parking lot. Reese said he was running toward officers. Moments later shots rang out.
The video captures the intensity of the situation that came to a climax during the last 30 seconds of the video.
As Hatch runs toward officers, an officer can be heard yelling, "Stop! Hands up!"
Hatch begins counting: "One!"
The officer yells again to Hatch to get his hands up.
Hatch yells, "Two!" and then "Three!"
Police open fire when Hatch is about 40 feet away. A cluster of shots is heard, followed by a single shot.
City officials also released audio from police radio traffic. Officers could be heard saying the suspect was walking toward them. They demand that he put up his hands and then the officers report the suspect has a gun.
During the news conference, police also displayed two still photographs from hospital security cameras showing Hatch confronting a security guard with the broken receiver before his confrontation with police. According to police, Hatch threatened the security guard.
In addition to the chief of police, Mayor Charlie Hales was at the news conference.
He said Reese contacted him immediately after the shooting, and he went to the scene and was there for a couple of hours. Hales said his staff was involved in the initial briefing the next day and he's having an ongoing discussion with Reese on the use-of-force issue and "those larger questions, obviously, are for another day."
He added that the police bureau has kept him fully informed about the incident.
Law enforcement sources told KATU News that Hatch was serving a 10-year sentence at a federal corrections institution in Sheridan, Ore. after being convicted in a 2004 bank robbery. Sources said Hatch was given a plane ticket and sent to a halfway house in Colorado on Feb. 12, but he never showed up.
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday identified Hatch as the suspect in a bank robbery on Feb. 15. Sgt. Adam Phillips said Hatch robbed the Wells Fargo Bank located at 12072 SE Sunnyside Road in Clackamas. Hatch presented a teller with a note that said he had a gun. No one was hurt in the robbery.
Police said they have linked Hatch to another bank robbery that occurred Wednesday, Feb. 13 just after 2:30 p.m. at the Albina Community Bank at 5636 Northeast Sandy Blvd.
Portland police said Hatch was a career criminal with arrests in California, Arizona and Colorado on a variety of charges that included homicide, theft, burglary and bank robbery. Hatch appeared to have multiple aliases, investigators said.
The officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave during the shooting investigation, which is standard procedure. They have been identified as:
- Sgt. Nathan Voeller, a 12-year veteran
- Officer Andrew Hearst, a 3-year veteran
- Officer Royce Curtiss, a 7-year veteran
After police conduct their investigation, the case will be handed over to the Multnomah County district attorney. The case will then be presented before a grand jury.
The officers involved in the shooting will remain on paid leave until after the grand jury completes its work.
Police said they will also conduct an internal investigation.
Authorities, citing privacy laws, have yet to say what problem led Hatch to seek medical attention.
Portland police have been under increased scrutiny since federal investigators determined last year that officers have engaged in a pattern of excessive force against people with mental illness. Police said Hatch had no documented history of mental illness.
Supposed to be in a halfway house
Last week Hatch was driven from the federal prison in Sheridan to Portland International Airport after getting out of prison a bit early with good behavior. He was sent on his way without any supervision.
That same scenario plays out with federal prisoners across the country every day, and it's rare they take off.
Every year the Bureau of Prisons sends inmates on their own to halfway houses.
Most federal prisoners live in a halfway house for the last several months of their sentence. A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson says the inmates are trusted to fly by themselves to their new halfway house home because "they have a lot to lose" by taking off and "the closer a prisoner gets to release, the risk of that activity declines."
A recent federal report says nearly 30,000 prisoners a year travel to their new halfway house without an escort. About 150 make a run for it.
It is unknown why Hatch did not get on that plane at PDX.
KATU News reporter Dan Tilkin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Are you being serious?This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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Are you being serious?
First time in a long time, I've been happy with the team that was constructed, and now they struggle. I blame the coach.
And you don't see something wrong with that one player being out and the team collapsing as a result?
Seriously? This team had a ton of injuries last year(but still had Manning) and we managed to win a division and almost won our playoff game if not for the ineptitude of Caldwell and ST (wow this is a familiar theme)
I just don't get you people that think its okay that this team lives and obviously dies by Manning did they not think this day would come? What was their Plan B? They clearly did not have one and have nobody to blame but themselves for this.
I mean even the Pats as much as I loathe them were able to win without Brady and went 11-5 and if not for a tiebreaker would've made the playoffs with that record.
The Colts can't even win a game without Peyton. Its inexcusable.
Yes Caldwell needs to go but the Polians have to go with him because they're living on past reputation and with each loss a rather overrated one. Firing Caldwell doesn't fix everything the entire system is flawed and Polian created it if he can't adapt to what needs to be done to succeed in today's NFL yes he needs to go the sooner the better.
If you want to fix the system then Bill has to go along with Caldwell but I am not sure of Chris.
Our DC had the LB's blitz the run which has impacted the Colts defense in good and bad ways. Our corners simply have regressed and can't handle most teams wr's.
IF the Colts can upgrade the coach and the GM then they should but we all know this probably won't happen.
Went to the game and there was a ton of Blue there at Paul Brown field. Nice city, folks were cool, and once again proved Indy is not the only fair weather fans. A ton of empty seats but maybe their fans will get on board since they are 4-2. Doubt it because most thought they still suck and we just watched two really bad teams out there.
Side note: Went to Izzy's but didn't do the Man VS Food challenge on the 110 reuben. Honestly I preferred Shapiro's reuben in Indy where the sauerkraut has a little more bite.
You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....
Do you purposely distort what people say to get a kick out of it, or do you simply not have the ability to understand?
I've been calling you out, not because you disagree with the direction, but because you're so over-the-top it can't be ignored.
You tried to insult the Colts by comparing them to the Packers. Wow, what an insult.
Then you've tried claiming that the only good player the Colts have is Peyton.
Instead of just acknowledging how far fetched you go in order to criticize, you've simply dug you're head in the sand further. Great strategy.
Stay classy.
Of course I see something wrong with it. I'm not happy about this state of affairs either, but firing everyone in one of the smoothest run, successful NFL franchises because of one catastrophic season is not a smart way to run a business.
We will win a game without Peyton too. We lost our first six, which sucks, but we aren't going to go 0-16. Caldwell is a crappy coach and always has been, which is why I'm fine with axing that goon. The Polians have made some mistakes in recent years with personnel (understatement, I realize), but they still are the architects behind our success the past decade+. You can argue that is all because of Peyton, but I don't think that's true.
We will be fine. We picked a great year to be horrible. The team wasn't going to be a contender even with Peyton imo, and there is one elite prize at the top of the draft this year. Keep in mind that if we finish with a horrible record it will make our schedule easier next season. Instead of playing all those first place teams we get every year we will get all the last place teams with a healthy Manning. A year from now we could very easily be 6-0 or 5-1 and all you people clamoring to blow the organization up will be contentedly cheering on our once again successful football team.
Drafting Andrew Luck does NOTHING to address this teams real problem and that's the fact that the Cover 2 blows, and they NEVER, not even once, acquired the 2 run stuffing fatties in the middle it takes to REALLY make it work. The only reason they won the SB is because Sanders came back healthy and creamed every runner that touched the ball for 5 straight games. He was basically doing the jobs of two DT's in those games. The Cover 2 needs to go out with the bathwater, and any coach or GM who supports keeping it and not getting the personnel to properly use it should go right with it.
Theres a difference in winning in the regular season vs winning in the post season and the criticisms of a lot of people on here reflect the latter.
Last edited by Gamble1; 10-17-2011 at 05:54 PM.
I've been to Cincy many times. It's a nice small city. Much like Indy.
Also much like Indy, their sports fanbase is very fair weathered.
So, the Bengals to the Colts is like the Pacers to the Bulls.
In 49 states it's just basketball, but this is Indiana!
Bball has the same views, but doesn't post them every 5 seconds. He waits until it's relevant to the conversation and makes coherent points. I actually look forward to reading his posts about the subject even though I disagree generally.
I can't even see Basketball Fan's posts, but I could probably post them myself at this point and I probably wouldn't be too far off. It's entirely predictable.
Pot calling the kettle black here about distorting what people say. Really? The Colts seem content with winning the division and being one and done. Its a shame because we had Manning and we squandered his best years by not even trying to improve special teams or an outdated Tampa 2.
And of course the coaching.
Regular season success is one thing with Manning that was never really in doubt we're talking about postseason where it really counts and what you're judged by and yes the Colts left a lot to be desired.
And yes I think Irsay is back on drugs again I saw him on TV when he was talking about Peyton he looked rather bloated in the face more than usual and its not just old age weight gain.
But hey you keep believing what the FO is shoveling I mean being 0-6 without Manning for a team that's supposed to be an SB contender is acceptable for some people.
See Chris is Bill's son and its pretty obvious that despite Chris being the "GM" Daddy is still pulling the strings here. You have to get rid of them both because they seem like a package deal.
They think being in the playoffs is okay and well forget about fixing a special teams that blows coverage or a defense that can't stop the run and is undersized and expect it to work(now they can't stop the pass either). The O-Line doesn't seem nearly as bad compared to those two things.
If they actively fixed these problems and we still fell short I can accept that because we did something.
But they didn't do anything they choose to ignore the obvious bury their head in the sand until it can't be ignored anymore(like now without Manning)
I mean we had Peyton he can put up enough points on the board and keep the defense off the field and we can win the game. That was what they really thought. And its so incredibly ignorant and arrogant all at the same time.
Sure works in the regular season but the playoffs? Coaching and talent win out more often than not.
And now without Manning this team has been exposed as below average( to put it mildly).
ya he looked like a average WR until he gave the other team the ball and the game.


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Kenshou wrote:Fear is no motivator for me, at least not in this sense. If anything, Buddhist practice makes me feel more confident in the face of the possibility of such a bad destination.
However, and I say this only from a personal standpoint, but I have absolutely no way at this point in time to verify the truth of rebirth for myself, so I have no reason to allow it to take a significant role in my practice.
Lazy_eye wrote:Hi all,
The questions to follow were prompted by another thread; I thought it might be beneficial to explore them separately. Here goes...
The Dalai Lama has defined a Buddhist as "one who, motivated by fear of suffering in the lower realms, takes refuge in the Triple Jewels" (my paraphrase...I don't have the specific passage in front of me just now). Elsewhere, he writes "to take refuge, two conditions must be present -- fear of rebirth in the three lower realms, and faith in the power of the objects of refuge to protect you from this threat".
H.H. the Karmapa writes: "with no conviction in future lives, naturally there is no genuine concern about falling into the lower realms. Indeed there are many who lack conviction in the very existence of these lower realms ... Our practice of the Dharma itself is likely to be motivated by the eight worldly concerns, and if that is the case, it becomes doubtful whether our practice actually qualifies as a Dharma practice."
Atisha, in the 11th century, set out five levels of refuge. The first, "Worldly Scope", does not even qualify as Buddhist. The first Buddhist level (initial scope) is defined as "taking refuge to gain higher rebirth as a human or god, and to avoid the lower realms such as animal, hungry spirit, or hell being."
My questions for Dhammawheel members:
-- Do you agree with this definition of a Buddhist?
Lazy_eye wrote:Are these statements from Vajrayana practitioners consistent with the Theravadin view of taking refuge?
Lazy_eye wrote:-- Has fear been an important motivator in your practice/decision to take refuge?
Lazy_eye wrote:Is it fear of hell/preta/animal rebirth etc specifically, or do you see it in a different way? Do you entertain a hope of being reborn as a god?
Lazy_eye wrote:-- Do you have a powerful belief in the existence of hells -- powerful enough to motivate you to make life decisions based on that fear? On the flip side, do you have a powerful belief in the existence of heavens? What is your belief based on? Did you have it before you came to Buddhism?
Lazy_eye wrote:-- If you became convinced that the threat of rebirth in the lower realms is not real, how would your practice be affected (if at all)?
Lazy_eye wrote:-- If you have ever considered (or might consider) ordaining or otherwise renouncing worldly life, how contingent is this decision on the possibility of (literal) rebirth in the lower realms -- or the possibility of heaven? If you did not believe these are real possibilities, would there be any point to a monastic life? Would you still "give it all up" if there was no (literal) benefit to be gained in the afterlife, or would you look instead for worldly fulfillment?
notself wrote:It bothers me that someone else will suffer because of my unskillful actions in this life. At the same time I am extremely grateful for the skillful actions of those who preceded me.
Am I off base with my understanding?
Dukkhanirodha wrote:I was not attracted to the Buddha's teaching by fear. But I don't take any pride in this. This fearlessness was rather based on ignorance than wisdom.
Over time, seeing suffering all around, getting conviction in the Buddha's words, I began to get this fear. I used to strive for enlightenment out of craving for attainments. I would say that now, it is rather the fear of great future suffering, and the fear of becoming lost in dukkha and samsara as the people I see all around which makes me strive even harder.
I remember the day I started reading the Buddha's words. I was in Bodhgaya and I had just bought 'Numerical discourses of the Buddha' by BB. And I came across that sutta where he says that few among humans are those who are not reborn in decrease. It shook me deeply, and I can't explain this reaction on the basis of logic. Then I set out of my guesthouse and I was receptive to these qualities within people which are conducing to lower states of being. And I noticed that even in such a place, everyone, Indian or Asian, or westerner was filled up with those qualities. And I was as well.
Anyway, 'Taking refuge' is something which is done out of fear of a danger isn't it?
And I came across that sutta where he says that few among humans are those who are not reborn in decrease.
Anyway, 'Taking refuge' is something which is done out of fear of a danger isn't it?
I was receptive to these qualities within people which are conducing to lower states of being. And I noticed that even in such a place, everyone, Indian or Asian, or westerner was filled up with those qualities. And I was as well.
Laurens wrote:I think that any faith that speaks about life time after life time of suffering is based upon fear.
Suffering is something we naturally fear as humans, and it is given an awful lot of weight in Buddhism. I would say definately there is a large element of fear involved.
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Adrian Beltre Signed OML Gold Glove Baseball Sweet Spot GAI Global Coa Auto Rare Inscription - "4x Gold Glove" WOW! Very Rare Inscribed Gold Glove Baseball! This Ball is signed on the Sweet Spot, With the Rawlings logo on the above panel, and the Gold Glove logo on the underneath panel. See photos. We have some signed both ways, see listings. Please Look at our other items, Mr. Beltre signed Balls, Bats, Jerseys, and more! We even have rare inscribed items. *PLEASE NOTE* We held a rare signing with Adrian Beltre at our store, Legacy Sportscards in Las Vegas on 1-11-14 and have multiple signed pieces available online, including multiple of this item. All items were signed by Mr. Beltre in our shop and authenticated by Global Authentics on the same day. The item you purchase will have the autograph and inscriptions (if applicable) as listed in the description. Items may vary slightly with placement and quality of autograph and inscriptions (if applicable). Your item will have a matching GAI Sticker and GAI Coa, The ones in the listing are samples from the signing. Thank You!
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It may not be pouring but we'll take whatever moisture we can get from the sky.
Woodland had received just over half an inch of rain as of early Thursday, for a total of 3.45 inches since July, according to the UC Cooperative Extension Service in Woodland.
That total has undoubtedly climbed throughout the day. The same time last year, Woodland had received 15.15 inches, with a 10-year average of 11.95 inches.
The rain is scheduled to last in Woodland through Sunday, with the heaviest day on Saturday. Next week will be cloudy with a chance of rain on Monday.
The rain on Thursday offered a little bit of help to drought-stricken California and is also a prelude to a bigger storm for parts of the state over the weekend that could dump as much as 2 feet of snow in the northern Sierra and 6 inches of rain on Bay Area mountains.
While the overdue wet weather is welcome and may be a sign of things to come, forecasters say California needs much more rain and snow to make up for one of the driest rainy seasons so far.
"I won't say the storm door is open, but maybe we'll get into more of a routine storm pattern now," said Bob Benjamin, a National Weather Service forecaster in Monterey.
In the northern Sierra, the National Weather Service was forecasting as much as 6 inches of snow at higher elevations.
Southern California, meanwhile, experienced scattered showers early Thursday, with more expected through the day, though totals there were expected to be small.
But that's just the beginning - at least in Northern California. The Sacramento area could get a couple of more inches of rain over the weekend, the National Weather Service said.
The rainfall prompted state fire officials to lift a ban on outdoor open burning in parts of northern and central California.
Still, the state would remain well off its normal rainfall totals for the year. February is normally the wettest month. Sacramento normally experiences more than 12 inches of rainfall between July and now, George Cline, another National Weather Service forecaster, said. Even if the weekend storm dumps as much rain as expected, Sacramento will only be at half its normal levels.
Follow The Democrat at twitter.com/woodlandnews


text: Taking the first leap By Sarah Francke August 31, 2013 Story Share LESAGE, W.Va. -- I've never trusted a person more than when I was strapped to my skydiving instructor's chest, as he launched our bodies out of a tiny plane at an altitude of 10,000 feet.He gave me a "3-2-1" count by rocking our bodies forward, legs dangling over the edge of the plane, and in that moment I had to dismiss all of my creeping fears and recite in my mind everything I had just been taught to do before, during and after the fall.Still, I couldn't stop thinking, "How in the world did I end up here? How the heck did I get myself into this situation?"Despite having a knack for adventure, skydiving was never on my bucket list. It was an adrenaline rush I was OK about never experiencing, figuring there are endless other ways to have much safer and paralleled excitement.For one reason or another, though, this was the summer I caved. I started thinking about experiencing what everyone else has always raved about. Next thing I knew, I was on the phone with West Virginia Skydivers, scheduling an appointment for a tandem jump.To be honest, I called to just get information about their skydiving business and to feel it out before I made a commitment. As I listened to the skydiver instructor explain all the different types of jumps they offer (while also answering all of my skeptical questions about safety), I decided on the spot that I was going to follow through with this.I realized on the phone that for them this was more than just a fleeting adrenaline rush. This is their profession and they are willing to prove to anyone who dared, that if you're going to trust anyone with your life, they wanted to be the ones to step up to the plate. I was very grateful for that professionalism as my instructor rocked my body forward on that third count, and I felt our bodies fall out of the plane. Suddenly I was freefalling from 10,000 feet and despite reciting everything I had been taught before I jumped, for the first few seconds of the freefall my mind went blank and I couldn't process any instructions.I was falling so hard and so fast that all I could do was try to breathe, in and out, fighting the force of the wind on my face. Finally, reality kicked in, and I felt my instructor's hand nudging my shoulder, telling me to shift from the jumping position into the falling position -- an upside-down backbend, with your stomach parallel to earth.Shortly after that, my instructor pulled our parachute and it was a slightly jolty transition from the freefall to the gliding. In one second I went from experiencing the most exciting rush of an adventure, to immediately finding myself in a moment of undisturbed placidity. It was the best view of West Virginia I've ever seen, and an entire perspective I didn't expect to encounter when I booked the appointment. I was even appreciative of the bird's-eye view I had of the Ohio River as I glided above it, which originally terrified me -- the thought of skydiving above a river.Instead, my only fear was that this experience was actually too fleeting, that it would be over sooner than I was ready for it to be. It was so much to take in all at once, the feeling of being suspended by a harness in the sky, steering the parachute to position us above the landing zone, the stillness of the altitude, and the view -- in every direction -- that was ever evolving and changing with our descent. I'm sure I had a ridiculous grin on my face the entire way down but I couldn't help that. My mind was enthusiastically overwhelmed.We glided in for a smooth landing in the same grassy field from where we had taken off in the single-propeller plane. My instructor told me that our landing was so smooth that we could have probably landed standing, if I weren't so tall, which would have created too much unevenness to land in tandem.As soon as we landed, I wished that I was right back on the edge of the plane, being rocked forward and getting ready to experience the entire fall again. We were greeted on the field by several other instructors, who were there to help with the parachute, take photographs and, of course, hear all about my own bucket-list experience.In the weeks leading up to the jump, people tried to explain to me the whirlwind of sensations I'd experience, from the climb to 10,000 feet in the plane (that has only three enclosed walls), to the steering and guiding that goes into landing the jump -- and everything in between. I had moments of doubt, though, in the days before the jump. I even called the company two days before, to warn them that the forecast showed rain and to let them know that it was OK if they had to cancel or "reschedule" my appointment. Once again, I was met with the utmost comforting and professional guidance on the other end of the line that reminded me to be excited and confident for this upcoming adventure.When I arrived for my appointment, I was greeted with the same zeal and confidence from the entire team of skydivers. Any ounce of fear and doubt that entered my mind that morning was quickly replaced by a smile and a laugh because above all, these guys just know how to have fun while running a successful business. I hadn't even started to suit up before they invited me to stick around for their famous Saturday night cookout and bonfire.I didn't get to stick around for the cookout, but I did get to hang out for a bit to hear from co-owner Bob Dolin, whom I suspect deserves a lot of credit for making everyone feel at home and part of the family when they step onto his property. He pulled up a chair with me while I picked his brain about the history of the business and his personal skydiving career, which consists of more than 1,200 jumps.I also learned that Dolin and co-owner Carl Bailey are running more than a skydiving business. They've taken full advantage of their riverside land in Lesage, and have established a camping ground complete with river access, nature trails, a volleyball court, recreation hall, clean and spacious restrooms, swimming and boating areas and, as I mentioned above, their campground cookouts make a notable Saturday night.The men take their business very seriously, but with a healthy balance of enjoyment. I'd recommend them to anyone who may be considering skydiving as their next bucket list goal.Sarah Francke is a business-development professional living life to the fullest in Charleston. Follow her lifestyle ideas on Twitter at @WVstyleteam and read more of her twentysomething adventures on her blog, www.sarahfrancke.com. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 'Heroin(e)' spotlights women helping combat Huntington's drug crisis 2 Philanthropist Betty Schoenbaum of Shoney's fortune turns 100 3 WVU pulls away from Kansas for 56-34 win 4 New company planning $73M synthetic fuel plant in Greenbrier County 5 WVU notebook: Defense feeling a bit run down Food notes: Aug. 28, 2013 Previous Story Want to check skydiving off your bucket list? Next Story


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Topic: New to Board, to CC, that's what they think I have now...
Hi everyone. I just found this site last night and have been poking in every corner!
I was diagnosed 8/1/07 with adenocarcinoma in my liver - of unknown primary (they didn't know what kind it was) I had a biopsy that confirmed the cancer, but still no origin. So they treated me with several courses of chemo. I've had Gemcitibine and Carboplaxin and then Carbo and Taxol. The first batch wasn't bad, but the second really wore me out, lost my hair, etc.
Since then and many CT scans, they have found no change in the tumors in my liver. No growth, no shrinkage...at all. So they stopped the chemo and for the last 13 weeks (another CT in between with no change) I have been just sitting here wondering "what the heck?"
I have a CT scan tomorrow. My oncologist called me yesterday to tell me she was not going to be there for my appt. next week for the results (AUGGH!) but she told me that she had my biopsy slides re-evaluated and worked with the GI expert who thinks I have cholangiocarcinoma!!!!!
Now I do not have any symptoms. certainly nothing like you all on this board talk about. But then, the only reason they found the masses in my liver (many, 3 main ones up to about 4mm) is because I had a CT scan due to a lingering cough. Recently I'm getting pains in my right side, but that's it.
Do you know Anyone who presents like this? Am I just so early that I don't have the jaundice, etc? My doctor told me that if it is cc that it's "intra" within my liver, not outside and though I've had PET scan and many CT's, nothing has shown up. I don't know much about my blood tests, apparently nothing to indicate anything specific. BUT the biopsy is confirmed for adenocarcinoma.
Having cancer of unknown primary (it's called CUP and is rare too) is bad enough, and I am sort of wishing I knew at least what kind of cancer I have, but from poking around on this site (thanks SO MUCH it exists!!) it sounds like I've jumped from the frying pan into the fire!
Prognosis for mets cancer to the liver with unknown primary is pretty dismal too. I'm already half way through THAT guesstimate!
It would be a dream if I could consider a surgical procedure - they said a definite NO before, but I've been hearing that Mayo will consider it for cc if there are no lymph nodes involved. As far as I know to this point, all of my masses are all over my liver, but no where else.
Anyone have any comments or insight or suggestions for me? I go to the Az Cancer Center (UMC) which is supposed to be pretty good, but with an unknown cancer type no one has really known what to do with me anywhere!
Thanks for letting me spout off, and if you don't mind, I'll hang around here for a bit. :-)


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What combines rides, waterparks, Boardwalk food and fireworks? 4th of July weekend in Wildwood of course! What's your perfect 4th of July? I'll tell you mine…waterpark in the morning, beach in the afternoon, rides at night and then the fireworks! Not to mention a slice of Jumbo's pizza and a LARGE ice cream cone!
Fireworks are at 10 PM on Friday, July 4th
See you there!


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There's one thing supermodels and racers are always concerned about--losing weight. However, unlike a rabbit food-munching, two-pack-a-day-smoking, bulimic supermodel, your everyday gearhead is constantly trying to find ways to make a car lighter and faster. Racers have gone to extremes to shave weight, purchasing titanium connecting rods, knife-edging crankshafts, titanium valves and retainers, etc. These options lead to performance gains, but they're often very expensive.
Unorthodox Racing, Inc., which has been researching and developing lightweight underdrive pulleys since 1995, found huge benefits with lightweight pulleys. In-house testing revealed 85 percent of performance gains came from reduced weight and 15 percent came from underdriving. So Unorthodox Racing concentrates on manufacturing lightweight pulleys instead of just underdriving the pulleys.
Most of the Unorthodox Racing pulleys feature only a 15- to 20-percent underdrive. All Unorthodox pulleys are constructed from billet aluminum, which are then machined on computer-operated CNC machines to .001-inch tolerances.
For our testing, we chose a 2003 Nissan 350Z track model equipped with an Invidia exhaust, AEM intake and Sun Automobile Hyper Ground System. The 350Z baselined at 238.8 rear whp on the Dynojet chassis dyno. Installation of the pulleys requires new alternator and air-conditioning belts due to the smaller diameter crankshaft pulley. It's a direct R&R affair.
The Unorthodox crank pulley is only 1 pound 5.2 ounces, compared to the stocker's 6 pounds 3.2 ounces. The Unorthodox alternator pulley is 3.0 ounces, while the stock measured 6.8 ounces. And the water pump pulley came in at 7.6 ounces vs. the stock of 14.0 ounces. That's a total weight savings of 5 pounds 8.2 ounces. On the dyno, the reduced weight, along with the pulley's 15 percent underdrive design, resulted in a gain of 6.1 peak hp as Peak output checked in at 244.9 hp. At 5500 rpm, we witnessed a gain of 9 hp.
The increase in output was noticed in quicker revs and a stronger pull to redline. At $399 for the pulleys and $35 for a new drivebelt, the Unorthodox pulleys are a must-do performance modification. Lighter is better.


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Harang falters in fourth during loss to Reds
Righty makes mental mistake in frame; ninth-inning rally falls short
CINCINNATI -- Aaron Harang pinned this loss on himself.
The veteran right-hander made a critical mental mistake by not covering first base on a ball hit down the first-base line in what became a three-run fourth inning for the Reds as Cincinnati beat the Braves, 5-3, in the series finale on Sunday at Great American Ball Park. Trailing by two after scoring two runs in the ninth, Atlanta loaded the bases, but Justin Upton grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game.
With the Nationals' win over the Giants, the Braves find themselves a season-high eight games behind Washington in the National League East while remaining one game behind San Francisco for the second NL Wild Card spot.
Harang was cruising until the fourth, when Todd Frazier and Brandon Phillips opened the frame with back-to-back singles. Following a lineout to left by Devin Mesoraco, Jay Bruce hit a sharp bouncer down the first-base line that Freddie Freeman grabbed and looked to toss to the bag, but no one was at first to take the throw.
The next batter, Ryan Ludwick, hit a sinking liner to right that was caught on a dive by Jason Heyward, but Frazier tagged and scored.
The next two batters, Brayan Pena and Zack Cozart, hit RBI singles to make it 3-0.
"It's something as small as covering first, which I've done thousands of times in my career, and the one time you don't do it, things come unraveled," said Harang, who pitched for the Reds from 2003-10 and lost to his former club for the first time in five starts. "I thought when Jay hit that ball, the way Freddie was going after it, I just assumed it was foul, so I kind of broke down. And by the time I get started again, I'm not going to beat him to first.
"I take the blame for the whole thing, because if I cover first like I routinely do, the next guy flies out to right, the inning's over and no runs score."
Harang got into another bases-loaded jam in the sixth. David Carpenter came on in relief and got Cozart to ground to third, but Atlanta couldn't complete the 5-4-3 double play and Bruce scored to make it 4-0.
Cincinnati tacked on another run in the seventh on a Todd Frazier home run to left off reliever David Hale.
The Braves didn't go quietly, though.
Atlanta got on the board on back-to-back doubles by Evan Gattis and Tommy La Stella against Reds starter Alfredo Simon in the seventh. They also scored two more in the ninth on a solo homer by Gattis off Reds reliever Logan Ondrusek and an RBI single by Jason Heyward off Jonathan Broxton.
But Braves hitters squandered other chances, such as in the eighth, when Atlanta put two runners on with nobody out to start the inning but came away empty handed. Freeman grounded into a fielder's choice, and the next two batters, Upton and Chris Johnson, struck out against Cincinnati reliever Jumbo Diaz.
With two outs in the ninth and the Reds clinging to a 5-3 advantage, the Braves got the tying run to the plate in Phil Gosselin. Broxton helped Atlanta's cause by walking both Gosselin and Freeman to load the bases and place the tying run at second, but Upton couldn't deliver.
The Braves went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position on Sunday, and in the final three games of the series, combined to go 3-for-22 in that situation. They left 10 runners on base on Sunday and stranded 38 over the four-game series.
"That's just baseball, man," La Stella said. "It's one of those things where you can't pick and choose, unfortunately, when you're going to have your knocks. Ideally, you'd like to have them all come with runners in scoring position, but all you can do is put together a good at-bat and get good wood on it, and whatever happens, happens."
"We put up a good fight and we had the right guys at the plate at the right time," Freeman said. "We've been good; you can't really get on us, we fought all game, put up nine, 10 hits and had a lot of opportunities. It was just one of those days, and in the last inning we just didn't get the big hit. We're not going to win every game, but we gave a good fight today."
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was pleased with the fight his club showed even though he wasn't pleased with the outcome.
"I feel like we didn't lose the game," he said. "I feel like we just ran out of outs."
Manny Randhawa 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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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/12/2013 (1366 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
After a first period that saw the Winnipeg Jets head to the dressing room up 4-3, the team managed to hold on to beat the visiting Minnesota Wild 6-4.


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BP Comment Quick Links
|Strength of Schedule Report
April 26, 2013
Fantasy Starting Pitcher Planner
Week Five
Welcome to the Weekly Pitching Planner. Each week I will cover the pitchers are who slated to make two starts and help you decide who you should start and who you should sit. Sometimes guys will be in the "consider" where they might have one good start, but a second tough one and then your league settings might determine whether or not you should go forward with him. The pitchers will be split by league then by categories:
Auto-Starts – These are your surefire fantasy aces. You paid a handsome sum for them either with an early draft pick or high dollar auction bid so you're starting them anywhere, anytime. Guys can emerge onto or fall off of this list as the season evolves. There won't be many – if any – notes associated with these groupings each week. We are starting them automatically so why do I need to expound on how awesome they are and will be in the coming week?
Starts – These are the guys I'm recommending you put into your lineup this week. Some will be obvious, but not quite auto-start excellent while others will be waiver wire fodder who find themselves with a pair of favorable outings that you can take advantage of in your league. There will be accompanying notes supporting the decisions.
Considers – As mentioned earlier, these guys will be on the fence and your league settings and position in the standings will really be a decider here. If the Minnesota Twins fifth starter is slated to face the Astros at home followed by an interleague trip to San Diego, he will appear on this list because the matchups are great though he isn't and if you are in a 10-team mixed league you probably don't need to take the risk, but a 10-team AL-only leaguer might see it as a nice opportunity to log some quality innings from a freely available resource.
Sits – These are the guys I'm getting away from this week. They will range in talent from solid to poor. Rarely will you see a really good pitcher here unless he gets an "at COL, at TOR" slate. Speaking of the fateful "at COL", any mediocre talent with a trip to Coors Field will be a sit until further notice. If they turn the humidor back on, I'll reconsider, but after last year there is just no reason to throw any non-stud in that park.
And with that, here is our week five slate…
Auto-Starts: Stephen Strasburg, Adam Wainwright, Gio Gonzalez, Mat Latos, Matt Cain, Matt Harvey and Jeff Samardzija
How bad was Halladay's start? He had logged 21 innings in his last three starts (75 percent of his season total) with a 1.71 ERA, and yet his composite ERA is still 5.08 because of his first two outings. Ready to snuggle up with a nice wet blanket? Halladay's three outings have come against three of the league's worst offenses by True Average: the Marlins (30th), the Cardinals (22nd), and the Pirates (20th). It is at least worth noting that the Cards have the fifth-most runs, though. He's a start this week, even facing the Indians (seventh in TAv).
The only thing that could make Kennedy's week better is if the Giants start was in AT&T Park. The San-San Two Step™ in AT&T and Petco is the best setup an NL West pitcher can get in a given week.
Estrada has given up homers in every single one of his starts, and he is lucky to have a 3.86 ERA despite his 17.5 percent HR/FB. But he faces the 22nd- and 23rd-ranked teams in home runs this week, so I'm sticking by him. Plus, he strikes out plenty of batters and walks very few, which lessens the potential damage of the long balls.
There are enough good things in E-Jax's game early on that make him worth sticking by, especially with a Padres start mixed into his week. He is fanning 22 percent of the batters he faces, he has a 59 percent ground-ball rate, and he's not allowing homers (0.32 HR/9). He needs to stop walking so many, and if he does, his ERA will plummet.
Slowey is healthy and off to a great start. My continued support of him is finally paying off. He could be missing a few more bats, especially since wins will be tight with the Marlins, but I'll take the quality ratios, as he walks nobody. His homer issue plays down in Miami, too.
Fernandez will go six if you're lucky, putting the chances of a win in serious peril, given his supporting cast both in the lineup and bullpen. So, if he's not missing a ton of bats (42 percent strikeout rate in his debut, 17 percent in 15 innings since) then he has little use in most formats. If you have a starts limit in your league, he is doing more harm than good, as he eats precious starts with little return.
Auto-Start: Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Yu Darvish, James Shields, and Jon Lester
Paul Sporer is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @sporer
5 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
I hope you're right about Morrow. I jumped off that train in 24 team dynasty league last week. He's just Too frustrating to own. The only thing you can say for certain about him is you never know what you're gonna get. Opponent quality, ballpark, most recent starts -none of that seems to matter when trying to determine how he is likely to perform.
Apr 26, 2013 13:20 PM
Blank Roster Spot definitely has its uses. Earlier this month I swapped it in to take the place of Anderson...
Apr 26, 2013 14:01 PM
I'm definitely sitting Moore for his Mountain High start, but considering Cobb. Other option would be my brand new toy, Cashner, starting vs his old ballclub in Wrigley. 4X4 no Ks. Which one would you choose? Cashner btw has a really great slate of matchups for the next 8 weeks, so maybe I save my new toy for later weeks ...
Apr 27, 2013 15:19 PM
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In between shots, we asked our talented crew for their green-fingered tips.
Name: Monica
Role: Digital Assistant
Gardening tip: Basil plants are really easy to look after. Keep one in your kitchen and you'll never have to buy another jar of pesto again!
Favourite vegetable: Anything cooked with garlic
Name: Tim
Role: Lighting Assistant
Gardening tip: Don't forget to water your plants!
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Name: Natasha
Role: Hair and make up
Gardening tip: Always wear gloves to protect your nails
Favourite vegetable: Sweet potato
Name: Beth
Role: Stylist
Gardening tip: Always buy plants in odd numbers, it looks more natural in your garden
Favourite vegetable: Garlic
Name: Ian
Role: Digital Assistant
Gardening tip: Consult the Gardener's World blog for tips
Favourite vegetable: Sweetcorn
Name: Andy
Role: Lighting assistant
Gardening tips: Put basil around your tomato plants- it fends off bugs!
Favourite vegetable: Butternut squash
Name: Jonathan
Role: photographer
Gardening tip: When choosing an allotment plot, always go for an open spaced area rather than anywhere with shade or under trees
Favourite vegetable: Potato with butter and parsley
Name: Ryan
Role: Set dresser
Gardening tip: Get a scary scarecrow
Favourite vegetable: Peas


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CHRISTMAS may be over but budding shepherds still have the chance to tend a flock.
Roly Puzey, 38, who runs Hill Farm Little Wittenham, near Abingdon, with his wife Camilla, said: "We started 'Shepherd for a Day' last year and believe we are still the only farm to offer the experience.
"Many people who learned shepherding with us did it at lambing time and loved it."
The couple took on Hill Farm from the Northmoor Trust in 2009, after deciding to swap their office jobs for the farming life.
They now have a flock of 300 ewes and 70 ewe lambs.
Trying their hand – and their crooks – at the ancient skill last week were brothers William, left, and Jack Parry, from Little Wittenham.
William, nine, said: "It was really good fun. We rounded the sheep up into the pen with Belle the sheepdog."
Jack, seven, said: "It wasn't that difficult, but the sheep were a big naughty. They felt soft, prickly and cosy."
For details call 07776 393072 or visit camillaandroly.co.uk


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You gotta give it to those right-wingers; they are some persistent folk.
On Monday, Sept. 12, less than 10 days until the date set for repeal of the military's anti-gay "don't ask, don't tell" rule to finally go into effect, House Armed Services Committee Chair Rep. Buck McKeon, a Republican from California, and Military Personnel Subcommittee Chair Rep. Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, tried one more time to keep the repeal from happening. The two sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Monday, claiming that repeal can't happen yet because "all the policies and regulations necessary for the transition are not yet final," according to Lisa Keen with Keen News Service.
As Keen reports, McKeon and Wilson were particularly concerned that the Department of Defense had not yet sent them "revised regulations and a summary of all the specific policy changes, especially with regard to benefits, that will take effect upon repeal."
(Just a side note: Wilson is the guy who made headlines in 2009 when, during a speech by President Obama to a joint session of Congress, he hollered out,"You lie!" He later apologized to the president, but was officially rebuked by his congressional colleagues.)
A DOD spokeswoman said Thursday, Sept. 17, that DOD officials have, indeed, apprised Congress of all the changes to policies and regulations associated with DADT repeal, that none of the service secretaries, service chiefs or combatant commanders had long ago submitted all their recommendations regarding repeal, that none of those folks had suggested a delay, and that repeal will most definitely go ahead as planned next Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Let's hope the DOD folks are right and the right-wingers don't manage to find a way to stall things, because DADT repeal parties have been planned across the country for next Tuesday, including one at Resource Center Dallas (and later at Pekers). Gay Air Force veteran and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network board member David Guy Gainer will be at the RCD event, donating his collection of materials related to DADT and its repeal to the Phil Johnson Historic Archives and Library.
And while this will certainly be a day for celebration, SLDN is warning lesbians and gays still on active duty in the military that there are still plenty of dos and don'ts for them to keep in mind. You can read the SLDN's guidelines on what parties lesbian and gay servicemembers should and shouldn't attend here.