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Charter Schools FAQ
Charter schools are public schools operated by independent, non-profit governing bodies that must include parents. In Tennessee, public charter school students are measured against the same academic standards as students in other public schools. Local boards of education ensure that only those charter schools open and remain open that are meeting the needs of their students, district and community. Local boards do this through rigorous authorization processes, ongoing monitoring of the academic and financial performance of charter schools, and, when necessary, through the revocation or non-renewal of charters.
The questions below are sorted by subject area. The Tennessee Public Charter Schools Act is contained in Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.). Title 49, Chapter 13. Accept the terms of agreement by clicking the "I Agree" button. To access, enter "49-13" in the Search Field and hit "Search".
Many of these answers are adapted from the FAQs provided by the Tennessee School Boards Association More questions, particularly those for authorizing local boards of education, are answered in TSBA's FAQ document.
Changes to Tennessee's Charter School Law
- How did legislation passed during the 2016 session of the Tennessee General Assembly affect charter schools?
Public Chapter 673 allows the State Board of Education to collect an authorizer fee of up to 4% from the charter schools for which they are the chartering authority. Effective July 1, 2016.
Public Chapter 928 specifies that educational institutions which have been approved to operate by a local board of education, the ASD, or the State Board of Education are exempt from the registration requirements for persons who make charitable solicitations. Effective July 1, 2016.
- How may public charter schools be formed in TN?
- A sponsor may apply directly to a local board of education to receive a charter.
- A local board of education may convert an existing school to a charter school (but the local board must give control of the charter school to an independent governing body).
- Parents or teachers (60%) at a particular school may petition the local board of education to convert an existing school to a charter school.
- Starting in 2011, sponsors may apply to the Achievement School District (ASD) to be qualified to help turnaround one or more of the State's lowest performing schools. This may be done through conversion of a school to a charter school or by formation of a new charter school serving students zoned to attend ASD eligible schools. More details on chartering schools within the ASD are available here.
- Charter schools may be authorized by the State Board of Education upon appeal from a denial of approval of a charter school application by an LEA that contains at least one (1) priority school on the current or last preceding priority school list.
- Who may authorize a charter school in TN?
Pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-13-104(5), the chartering authority may be the local board of education (LEA), the achievement school district, or the state board of education.
- May a for-profit entity operate a public charter school in Tennessee?
Though a few states allow for-profit entities to operate public charter schools, and many states allow non-profit charter school governing bodies to contract with for-profit entities to operate or manage charter schools, Tennessee law prohibits either of those arrangements. Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-13-104(7) defines the sponsor: as "any individual, group, or other organization filing an application in support of the establishment of a public charter school . . ." That section notes that "a sponsor cannot be a for-profit entity." The law requires the governing body, which operates the charter school to be "a not-for-profit organization" with 501(c)(3) exemption. The law in that same section (§ 49-13-106)(b)(1)(B)) says "no charter shall be granted to a for-profit corporation." Tennessee law does allow a charter school governing body to "contract for services," but it specifically limits that authority: "except for the management or operation of the charter school by a for-profit entity." So, a charter school could contract with a for-profit entity for limited services, but cannot give up the actual management or operation of the school to that entity.
- Must charter schools follow all the same laws, rules and policies as other non-chartered public schools?
No. The governing body of the public charter school is responsible for managing and operating the public charter school. There are certain laws (or statutes) and rules that charter schools must follow, such as licensing of teachers, open meetings and public records, civil rights, health and safety standards, public records, immunizations, open meetings, etc. (see Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-13-105 and 111), the sponsor of a proposed charter school may apply either to the local board of education or the commissioner of education for a waiver of any state board rule or statute that inhibits or hinders the proposed charter school's ability to meet its goals or comply with its mission statement. Charter schools are not required to follow local board of education policies, but the policies of the governing body of the charter school.
- Who may attend charter schools?
All students residing within the jurisdiction of the chartering authority may attend a public charter school. Also, chartering authority may authorize charters to enroll students residing outside the LEA in which the public charter school is located pursuant to the LEA out-of-district enrollment policy.
For those charters authorized by the Achievement School District, all students within the LEA who are zoned to attend or enrolled in a school that is eligible to be placed in the achievement school district are eligible.
A charter school authorized by the state board may enroll any student in the LEA in which the charter school is located. A charter school authorized by the state board may accept students from outside the LEA if certain conditions apply (TCA § 49-13-113).
Charter schools must enroll all students if they submit a timely application and if space permits.
- What happens if the school does not have space for all the students who want to attend the charter school?
Subject to T.C.A. § 49-13-113, if the number of applicants exceeds the capacity of the school, then preference must be given to students in the following order:
- Pupils in attendance in the previous school year at any public school that converts to a charter school;
- Pupils attending another charter school during the previous school year that has an articulation agreement with the enrolling charter school, provided the articulation agreement has been approved by the chartering authority;
- Pupils attending a pre-K program operated by the charter school sponsor during the previous school year;
- Pupils attending public schools within the school district in which the charter school is located, if those pupils would otherwise be included in the area in which the public charter school will focus;
- Children residing within the school district but who are not enrolled in public schools;
- Children residing outside the school district whose needs are included in the area in which the charter school will focus.
- May charter schools deny enrollment to students based on eligibility for special education services?
No. Charter schools may not refuse to enroll students because of their eligibility for special education services. T.C.A. § 49-13-111(b). Though charter schools may not presently have the infrastructure or personnel to meet the needs of special education students identified in the students' individualized education programs (IEPs), charter schools are responsible for ensuring their students receive those services.
Because Tennessee charter schools are considered part of the chartering authority, the chartering authority must treat the chartered schools just as any other school in the district in the provision of and monitoring of special education services.
In some cases, the charter school may contract with the local board of education to provide the services through a separate fee for services contract to ensure funding is directed to the entity providing the services.
A team of LEA special education directors, State Department and Board of Education staff and national special education experts developed primers for charter school sponsors, authorizers and operators relative to the provision of special education services.
Special Education in Tennessee Public Charter Schools Primer
- How are charter schools different from non-chartered schools in my district?
Charter schools, by law, have a different governance structure, but their formation alone does not distinguish them. Differences and similarities vary based on the individual charter school and the public schools located within the same community. As authorizers of public charter schools, the chartering authority can determine what kinds of charter schools are authorized.
The purposes of the Public Charter Schools Act, including providing "options relative to the governance and improvement of high priority schools, the delivery of instruction for those students with special needs, improv[ing] learning for all students and clos[ing] the achievement gap[s]," can be accomplished in any LEA school. T.C.A. § 49-13-102. However, chartered schools "provide [one] alternative means within the public school system for ensuring accomplishment of the necessary outcomes of education by allowing the establishment and maintenance of public charter schools that operate within a school district structure but are allowed maximum flexibility to achieve their goals." T.C.A. § 49-13-102.
- Can a religious entity sponsor or operate a charter school?
No. T.C.A. § 49-13-104(7) defines sponsors of charter schools (those who file the applications). That subsection includes this prohibition: "a sponsor cannot be . . . a religious or church school or promote the agenda of any religious denomination or religiously affiliated entity."
Federal law also prohibits a charter school from being operated by a religious organization.
ESEA Sec. 5210(1)(E) defines a charter school as "a public school that . . . is nonsectarian in its programs, admissions policies, employment practices, and all other operations, and is not affiliated with a sectarian school or religious institution."
- What happens if a charter school student wants to leave the charter school during the school year?
Public charter school students are students of the school district (LEA). If they want to transfer from one public school to another (whether chartered or not), they would have to comply with the LEA's transfer policy (and they would have the same right of appeal as all students eligible to attend the public schools).
- Whom do I contact with a concern about something that happened at my child's charter school?
At any public school, including a public charter school, concerns about school operations should first be directed to the school, starting with the teacher or school administrator with oversight over the particular issue. From there, you can take concerns to the charter school's governing body—an independent, non-profit governing body that must include a parent of a child at the school.
The chartering authority has the ultimate purview over a charter school, and failure to comply with the law or meet the terms of the charter agreement (including meeting academic performance goals) may be grounds for the LEA or state board to revoke the charter and close the school.
So, if you do not feel that your concern was adequately addressed by the school leader or the governing body, you can share your concerns with the LEA or state board staff member with responsibility for charter school issues.
If you feel that a child is being discriminated against because of disability, national origin, sex or race, you should contact the local school district's civil rights officer and/or the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.
If you believe that child abuse has occurred, you should contact the Department of Children's Services.
Application, Approval and Revocation
- Is charter school data (e.g., academic achievement, free or reduced price lunch eligibility) included in district level data for accountability purposes?
Data from Tennessee charter schools approved or overseen by a LEA is included with LEA level data (the charter schools, of course, must provide the data to the LEA).
Data from Tennessee charter schools approved by the state board of education and not overseen by a LEA is not included with LEA level data.
- Can chartering authorities, after voting to approve a charter school, require further negotiation over the terms of the charter agreement?
No. The law does not allow further negotiation after approval of the charter by the chartering authorities. Just like any other contract approved by the chartering authorities, the charter agreement should be ready to sign when the board votes to approve the charter. See T.C.A. § 49-13-110 and this AG opinion.
- In the approval process,what is the role of the local board of education? What is the role of the State Board of Education? What is the role of Tennessee Dept. of Education?
Local boards of education are the authorizers of public charter schools. They decide which charter school applications are approved or denied.
The state board of education may receive appeals of denials of charter school applications by the local school district.
If the application is for a charter school in an LEA that does not contain a priority school on the current or last preceding priority school list and if the state board finds that the local board's decision was contrary to the best interests of the pupils, school district or community, the state board shall remand the decision to the local board of education with written instructions for approval of the charter.
If the application is for a charter school in an LEA that contains at least one (1) priority school on the current or last preceding priority school list and if the state board finds that the local board's decision was contrary to the best interests of the pupils, school district or community, the state board may approve the application for the charter school. The state board shall be the chartering authority.
Pursuant to State Board of Education Rule 0520-14-01, the department of education provides the application charter school sponsors must use when applying to a local board of education for a charter school, and sample scoring criteria for the local board of education to use when evaluating applications.
Other than providing those materials, the department of education does not play any role in the approval process. The State Board of Education (not the department.) may hear appeals of denials by local boards of education. T.C.A. § 49-13-108.
- Once a charter school is authorized, what oversight does the chartering authority have? And what oversight role does the State Department of Education fill?
Charter schools are public schools operated by independent, non-profit governing bodies that must include parents. In Tennessee, charter schools are still part of the LEA in which they operate (in some states, charter schools function as their own LEA).
The chartering authority ensure that only those charter schools open and remain open that are meeting the needs of their students. Chartering authorities do this through rigorous authorization processes, ongoing monitoring of the academic and financial performance of charter schools, and, when necessary, through the revocation or non-renewal of charters. See, e.g., T.C.A. §§ 49-13-108, 111, 120, and 122. Charter schools must provide annual audits, performance and financial reports to the chartering authority (and to the department of education). One year prior to the renewal application deadline, the chartering authority shall send the charter school a performance report that directly reflects the renewal evaluation.
The Dept. of Education currently oversees a federal charter schools program grant that includes competitive sub-grants for the planning year and first two years of operation of charter schools that receive the grants ($600,000 spread over those three years). The department of education has ongoing monitoring of those schools receiving grants, including on-site visits and data collection.
The department also provides regular training for local boards of education to help them increase their capacity as authorizers.
Out of the annual reports required in T.C.A. § 49-13-120, the department of education provides an annual report to the legislature on all public charter schools in Tennessee. The department also helps disseminate best practices between charter and non-charter public schools, T.C.A. § 49-13-131, and has served on legislatively appointed task forces studying charter school issues in the State.
- If the operator of an existing charter school applies for a new school, may the authorizer consider the performance of the existing school in reviewing the application for the new charter school?
Yes. T.C.A. § 49-13-107 requires sponsors to include in their applications the "proposed instructional goals and methods," the "proposed rules and policies for governance and operation of the school," "the qualifications required of employees of the proposed public charter school," and identification of the sponsoring individuals and proposed governing body members. If those or other elements of the application are common to an existing school, it would be reasonable for the authorizer to assess whether approving another school with similar leadership, operational plans or instructional methods would be "in the best interests of the pupils, the school district, or community." T.C.A. § 49-13-108.
- If a sponsor applies to open more than one school at the same time, could the authorizer deny one or more schools, but approve others?
Yes. Authorizers are required to review the capacity of the sponsoring organization and proposed governing body to comply with applicable laws; hire, supervise and train staff; implement an academic program; and manage millions of dollars in order to help students meet the goals established in the charter application. T.C.A. § 49-13-107. If the same organization is proposing to launch multiple schools, the authorizer may determine that the sponsor has only demonstrated the capacity to do all of those things in some, but not all of the proposed schools. The authorizer may determine that approving all of the schools at the same time would not be "in the best interests of the pupils, the school district, or community." T.C.A. § 49-13-108. Tennessee law does not allow an authorizer to approve a single charter for multiple schools. However, a sponsor seeking to open additional schools could duplicate applicable portions of the sponsor's earlier applications and include the performance of existing schools in applications for new schools.
- I've heard that "the money follows the child" to public charter schools. Is that accurate? Is the education of public charter school students funded in the same way as the education of other public school students?
Yes, the money does follow the students, to the entity responsible for educating those students. In the case of students attending non-chartered public schools, the LEA (or central office) decides how to spend most of those funds. For public charter schools, however, the money flows all the way to the school the students attend. The principal of a public charter school and the school's governing body decide how to allocate funds for personnel, facilities, curriculum, supplies and other operating costs. Details about which funds follow charter school students, broken down by each LEA, are available here.
Tennessee law requires local boards of education to "allocate to the charter school an amount equal to the per student state and local funds received by the LEA and all appropriate allocations under federal law or regulation, including, but not limited to, Title I and ESEA funds." T.C.A. 49-13-112(a). All local and State funds generated for education, "excluding the proceeds of debt obligations and associated debt service," are paid to the charter schools, on a per pupil basis. Federal funds, such as Title I funds (funds dedicated to helping students eligible for free or reduced price lunch) flow to the district or school, based on federal regulations. LEAs submit a plan for a portion of these funds to be used for district-wide services. Another portion is dedicated for schools (whether chartered or not) with a majority of poor students, for school-wide services. Public charter schools may participate in district-wide programs funded with those federal funds in the same manner as other non-chartered public schools.
Just like other public schools, public charter schools may fund programs by applying for local, State and federal grants, and seeking donations from individuals and organizations.
Because public charter schools do not receive proceeds from existing bond offerings used to pay for new construction or capital improvement of other public school facilities, charter schools often use more of their existing revenue to cover facilities costs than LEAs. Public charter schools may seek their own bond funding for facilities, with the chartering authority's approval, or may have their request included with an LEA's bond request. T.C.A. 49-13-124(b).
- How does special education money flow to charter schools?
Charter schools may receive funds to meet the needs of eligible students through the BEP, federal IDEA Part B funds and high-cost reimbursements if received by the LEA from the State. BEP funds are generated on an on-going basis, regardless of the level of need at an individual school. IDEA funds are provided on a reimbursement basis for services provided. LEAs submit high cost reimbursement from the State at the end of each year. Qualifying services provided to students at any public school in the LEA, including charter schools, should be included in that LEA request to the State.
The BEP Blue Book shows that several positions are generated specifically for special education. Those positions are generated and then funded at a certain rate. By taking those special ed. positions generated (classroom teachers, supervisors, assistants, etc.), multiplying them by the appropriate rate (includes salary & benefits), and then divide by the prior year's total average daily membership, a charter school can determine the amount generated for special education. This funding is not additional funding, but it is generated for charter schools to help meet special education needs.
- Must charter schools provide transportation? If they do, how is the amount of funding for transportation calculated?
A charter school, like an LEA, is generally not required to provide transportation to students. If the charter school decides to provide transportation and does so in compliance with Tennessee statutes on transportation (§ 49-6-2110 et. seq.), the transportation component of BEP funds would flow to the charter school. The BEP transportation component is paid for all students at the school, not just those actually using the transportation (just as the State pays LEAs transportation funds regardless of how many students use the service).
State and Federal special education and homeless education laws (e.g., IDEA or McKinney-Vento) may mandate charter schools provide transportation to certain students, even if the school is not otherwise providing transportation.
The applicable laws are found in T.C.A. § 49-6-2101 through 2118, and State Board of Education Rule 0520-01-05. These include the following provisions:
- Annual inspection of buses by the Department of Safety (49-6-2109(d)), and
- Limits on the age of school buses used to transport students (49-6-2109 and rule 0520-01-05-.01(6).
More information on pupil transportation can be found:
- On the department of education's website. The TN Pupil Transportation Resources Directory, available there, provides an overview and links to extensive resources on pupil transportation.
- By contacting Sam Cameron, who oversees transportation issues for the Dept. of Education, firstname.lastname@example.com or (423) 883-3527, or
- By contacting Lt. Ray Robinson, who oversees pupil transportation and school bus inspections for the Dept. of Safety,email@example.com or (615) 812-8435.
- By contacting your LEA's transportation office.
- How do blended learning models fit into Tennessee charter schools?
Any public school in Tennessee may use blended learning as part of its curriculum. Blended learning may be defined as mixing different learning environments. Today, "blended learning" is usually used to describe environments that use computers and online resources instead of or in addition to a reduced amount of paper-based materials like workbooks and worksheets.
The Virtual Public Schools Act regulates situations where students could participate in public education from someplace other than a public school. It does not appear to prohibit blended learning in any public school. T.C.A. § 49-16-203(2) defines a "virtual school" as "a public school in which the school uses technology in order to deliver a significant portion of instruction to its students via the Internet in a virtual or remote setting." And, T.C.A. § 49-13-106(c)(2) states that "no cyber-based public charter school may be authorized." In this context, "cyber-based" seems synonymous with "virtual." Neither the Virtual Public Schools Act nor the Public Charter Schools Act seems to prohibit a charter school from incorporating computers and online resources as part of the instruction overseen by licensed teachers in the school building.
Students in any public school may use online or computer-based materials as part of the instruction overseen by licensed teachers (T.C.A. § 49-13-111(i) requires all teachers in a public charter school to be licensed.). Tennessee law allows teachers to deliver instruction in a variety of ways, including through physical textbooks and workbooks, student-led instruction, online or electronic media, and in coordination with tutors or educational assistants or specialists. In other words, Tennessee public school teachers may send students to a computer lab monitored by an educational assistant, to complete assigned online or electronic materials. This is similar to students spending time in a study hall, monitored by an educational assistant, completing material in a physical workbook for social studies or history class.
A school incorporating blended learning can meet the class size requirements set in T.C.A. § 49-1-104. The law sets specific average class sizes per grade level unit (K-3, 4-6 and 7-12) and maximum class sizes that schools must adhere to. Certain classes may exceed the limits (e.g., art or physical education), and the limits do not apply to pullout classes. Having students spend parts of their day in a learning lab (overseen by an educational assistant) would not negatively affect the class size as long as the groups of students meeting with the licensed teachers met the applicable limits. Public charter schools may apply for waivers from the average class size, if compliance with the statute would hinder the school's proposed mission.
Below are examples of public schools that purposefully incorporate "blended" learning into their academic programs:
Merrol Hyde Magnet School (Hendersonville, Tennessee):
A PLATO/Learning Lab provides computer based differentiated instruction to help students who may need remediation or enrichment in various courses. The lab director coordinates assignments with individual teachers.
East End Preparatory School (Nashville, Tennessee):
Students rotate through classes with three teachers each day: language arts, math and science, and a third block of time that includes either supplemental, individualized work in the learning lab, arts or social studies.
Rocketship Education (California):
Time in class with teachers is focused on "instruction, guided practice and extending critical thinking skills." This work in the classroom builds on online instruction in a learning lab and response to intervention (RTI) programs with tutoring and small-group work.
- How may an existing public school be converted to a public charter school?
An eligible public school may convert to a public charter school in three ways. The parents of sixty percent (60%) of the children enrolled at the school or sixty percent (60%) of the teachers assigned to the school may petition the LEA. The LEA must agree for the school to be converted. Or, an LEA may convert an eligible public school on its own initiative. Or, a charter school sponsor may apply to an LEA to convert an existing public school to a charter school to serve the students zoned to the school. Decisions to convert a public school to a public charter school are not appealable to the state board of education.
- What is the application process for conversion charter schools?
Tennessee law requires charter school applications initiated by sponsors to follow the same application timeline and process used for new charter schools.
However, if sixty percent of the parents or teachers petition for conversion of a school, or if a local education agency initiates conversion of a school to charter school status, the application process and timeline for new charter schools outlined in the law do not apply.
An LEA might, for example, require parent or teacher petitions to be submitted earlier than letters of intent for new charter schools (currently 60 days prior the application deadline). Doing so would allow the LEA time to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for sponsors to apply to run the converted school if it desired to do so.
If the parents or teachers initiate the conversion, the process could be as follows:
- Parents or teachers gather required support and
- Parents or teachers appoint a charter school sponsor; or
- Parents or teachers petition the LEA to convert the school and solicit applications from charter school sponsors. If the LEA agrees to the conversion, the LEA would then solicit applications.
- Charter school sponsor or sponsors submit charter school application(s) to the LEA (and copy the department of education), along with evidence of support from 60 percent of the parents or teachers.
- The LEA reviews the application according to its timeline and process (which may mirror its timeline and process for new charter school applications).
- To approve an application, the local board votes and then signs a charter agreement that includes all components of the application and is binding on the local board (the chartering authority) and the governing body of the charter school. T.C.A. 49-13-110.
- The conversion takes place at the beginning of the school year and the charter school governing body operates the school (the charter school may convert all of the grades or convert one or more each year until it operates all grades in the school).
If the LEA initiates the conversion the process would be as follows:
- The LEA solicits one or more entities to submit charter school applications. The LEA may use a request for proposals (RFP) process and include specific guidelines for the sponsors to address in their applications.
- Each sponsor submits a charter school application to the LEA (and copies the department of education).
- The LEA reviews the applications according to its timeline and process (which may mirror its timeline and process for new charter school applications).
- To approve an application, the local board votes and then signs a charter agreement that includes all components of the application and is binding on the local board (the chartering authority) and the governing body of the charter school. T.C.A. 49-13-110.
- The conversion takes place at the beginning of the school year and the charter school governing body operates the school (the charter school may convert all of the grades or convert one or more each year until it operates all grades in the school).
A sample timeline is below:
Date Action Potential Ongoing activities
January 1, 2017
Parents or teachers submit petition to LEA
LEA verifies petition includes signatures from 60% of parents or teachers.
February 15, 2017
LEA (optional) issues RFP for charter school sponsors to apply to operate the school.
LEA and petitioners could collaborate on this RFP.
LEA could also discuss other conversion options (magnet, Innovation Zone, e.g.).
April 1, 2017
Applications submitted in response to RFP received by LEA.
LEA forms and prepares review team(s).
Reviewers interview applicants, and
Prepare recommendation to local board.
If recommending approval, charter contract prepared.
July 1, 2017
Local board votes on applications, signs charter agreement.
Fall 2017
Transition activities
LEA informs parents and teachers of conversion to occur in 2014, provides information on school and employment options.
Charter school operator recruits students.
Winter 2017-18
Preparation for transition.
Parents and teachers at current school apply to transfer to other schools (if desired).
Spring 2018
Charter school conducts enrollment period and lottery.
August 1, 2018
Converted school or grades open.
If converting less than the whole school, transition activities would continue until conversion complete.
Depending on the LEA's approach, the converted school may remain the school of zone, or become a choice school open to students from a larger geographic area.
- Parents or teachers gather required support and
- What options are available to students and teachers in a school that converts to charter status?
Parents may enroll their children in another public school without penalty. If the converted school has more applicants and has to conduct a lottery for enrollment, students previously enrolled at the school receive first preference. The transfer rights of teachers, administrators and other personnel outlined in T.C.A. § 49-13-106 must be protected. Unless noted otherwise within Tennessee Code, conversion charter schools must comply with the requirements in Title 49, Chapter 13 of state law.
- What happens if the LEA is agreeable to a parent or teacher petitioned conversion, issues an RFP for sponsors, but no sponsors apply to run the school?
Given this unlikely but possible scenario, it is important that parents or teachers petitioning to convert a school, and the LEA discuss alternative plans throughout the process. Instead of chartering the school, for example, the LEA might convert it to a magnet school or move the school into an Innovation Zone, allowing for more school level autonomy, regardless of the governance type of the school.


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February 2, 2013
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – About a year ago to the day, the Lady Mustangs were staring at a 10-14 overall record, and trying to figure out a way to salvage their 3-9 conference record.
They seem to have succeeded.
After their 93-49 shellacking of the Arizona Christian Firestorm Saturday night in Bross Gym, the No. 9 nationally ranked Lady Mustangs now carry a newly-minted 20-2 overall record. Within the last two weeks, those two losses came by conference opponents Vanguard (4th in the NAIA), and Westmont (8th in the NAIA).
The win advances The Master's College to a 6-2 GSAC record, and puts them in a solid third place of the conference. Needless to say, the 2013 Lady Mustangs are a far cry from the squad that placed 8th in the Golden State Athletic Conference a year ago.
The drastic turnaround of records forces a resounding question of "What's different this year than last year?" The answer can be best summed up in one word: Leadership.
Take senior guard Kimberly Iverson (San Clemente, CA) for example. In Saturday's match against the Firestorm, Iverson led all scorers with 19 points, 15 of which came from behind the arc (5-11). On a national level, Iverson ranks 11th in the NAIA in three-pointer percentage (0.4190), 24th in the NAIA in total three-pointers made (49), and 26th in the NAIA in three-pointers made per game (2.333).
But Iverson's leadership reaches beyond the scoreboard. Illustrating the importance of leadership, Iverson encourages team unity and demonstrates the total commitment and diligence necessary for success. In a recent interview, Iverson commented that the difference between this year's team and last year's is that this year's squad understands that team success is "something so much bigger than ourselves."
Another contribution to the Lady Mustangs' success lies largely in the solid recruiting done in the most recent offseason. Jacquelyn Masrshall (San Clemente, CA), who transferred to The Master's College after a two-year stint at U.C. Irvine, stands testament to that as the junior forward went 8-10 on total field goals putting up 17 points along the way, and led the Mustangs with seven rebounds and two blocks Saturday night against the Firestorm. Marshall's defensive expertise speaks for itself as she currently ranks 14th in the NAIA in total blocks (38), and 15th the NAIA in blocks per game (1.810).
And how about senior guard Lena Rivera (Allen, TX)? In Saturday's GSAC showdown, Rivera led all players with four steals. Saturday was no fluke as Rivera currently ranks 17th in the NAIA in steals per game (2.857), and 19th in the NAIA in total steals with 60. Not to stand in her shadow is younger sister Millie Rivera who posted 13 points in Saturday's match.
While the last three Lady Mustang leaders are upper classmen, excellence can be found on the greener side of the roster as sophomore Whitney Best (Snohomish, WA) led TMC Saturday night with four assists. Best currently places 27th in the NAIA in assists, by averaging 4.286 per game.
If anything, the Lady Mustangs have demonstrated an evident cohesiveness and camaraderie during their 2013 campaign that cannot be taught during practice. A small glimpse of their evident teamwork can be seen by all active players posting points in the 93-49 routing of GSAC newcomer Arizona Christian. At one point, the Lady Mustangs enjoyed a 49 point lead over the Firestorm. Collectively, the Mustangs finished Saturday with a 40.7% accuracy.
The Lady Mustangs now look to continue their drastic turnaround Tuesday in a 5:30 PM road match against conference opponent Concordia (5-16, 3-5 GSAC). The last time the two teams squared off, TMC took the Eagles in a 78-67 victory.
And while Saturday's victory leaves head coach Dan Waldeck and his Lady Mustangs "cautiously optimistic" for the remaining seven games of their regular season, the squad cannot let their confidence get the better of themselves as the GSAC is still for the taking by the seven other conference teams.
GSAC Women's Basketball News:
In other GSAC action, Hope International took down Concordia 70-61, San Diego Christian fell to No. 8 Westmont 75-57, and No. 4 Vanguard edged Biola 72-61.

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(Editor's Note: April is National Autism month.)
I see the way you look at us and read your mind so well. Little brat or no control? It's really hard to tell. I've seen the view from your eyes and thought the same things too.
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Thanks for your thoughts...all!!!
Its a 50 degree beautiful day for a short run before giving my last final! Friday I hear if I am picked for the NY marathon and if not I will do the Juneau marathon.
Imminent Catastrophe
Thanks for your thoughts...all!!!
Its a 50 degree beautiful day for a short run before giving my last final! Friday I hear if I am picked for the NY marathon and if not I will do the Juneau marathon.
They aren't the same day!
"Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"
"To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain
"The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.
√ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015
Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016
Western States 100 June 2016
They aren't the same day!
Ha Ha...Funny!. You may not know this about me, but I am a one marathon a year kind of gal.
Right now I can barely imagine a HM. But hey spring has sprung!
Well, you'll know about NYCM in a few minutes. Good luck to us both!
No NYC Marathon for me . Anyone else have better luck?
New Orleans Marathon - 2/24/2013 4:16:32
Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon - 4/27/2013 4:09:56 PR!
Honolulu Marathon - 12/8/2013
Nope. 4-time loser but had automatic entry last year so it's not so disappointing.
3 time loser for the NYC lottery. At least I know I'm in next year.
It's my night shift day off again and I'll be heading out for my 3 AM run shortly. I've got some confidence from last weeks outing so I'm going to take advantage of my day off and do my long run.
Sorry about the NYC disappointments.
Not me this year either! Will try again. Juneau anyone? Salmon bake afterwards and I can promise a nice tour of the Juneau trails.
Not me this year either! Will try again. Juneau anyone? Salmon bake afterwards and I can promise a nice tour of the Juneau trails.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the event website, Crabby. It looks very inviting!
Not that I could run a marathon or travel anywhere in the near future, but maybe someday.
Go as long as you can, and then take another step.
Its a very Friendy marathon and sometimes the weatehr is HORRIBLE (45 degrees wind and rain) and sometimes perfect (55 and clear). The middle 9 miles are beautiful (glacier views, waterfalls, waterfront) the the beginning 8 and last 8 are the same (in reverse) and for me are a bit monotonous along the road. The whole thing is an out and back but there is great local support and it is a small one if you want the opposite of NYC.
I think I may try for a 2011 WestCoast Trail HM...will have to research this
Paced the Country Music Half-Marathon today at 2:45. That's a 12:35 pace which turned out to be a little harder to hold than I expected. It's not fast enough to jog, but not so slow that you can walk a lot. Wound up deciding on a 3@11:30/1-1.5 minute walk plan. Worked out well for me as I finished around 2:44:58, but I don't know that it worked so well for those in the group. The big problem was that it warmed up quickly and it was downright hot for the last 4 miles or so. Unfortuately, the profile of the course prevents you from banking much time early so, even though I knew the last miles would be harder, we had to hold pace the whole way. I think I lost a lot of runners those last miles, even though we were right on pace. Still, several people achieved their goal time so that's something.
Hope things are going well in NJ and NZ.
Ran the 15k Mountain Ranger run, put on by the Army Ranger School in Dahlonega. Nice, efficient and low-frills hilly course on fire roads, nonstop hills. Felt good. Just over 9-minute pace, I'm happy with that on this hilly trail run, although it felt strange to run up the hills as I usually powerhike them for ultra training.
Planned on doing my 10-mile out-and-back rolling hills route on the bike trail today - which I did - but added on a mile at the turnaround, going up a side road which turned out be a really nice addition. My avg pace was probably around 10:30. Then since I was tired at the end, I decided to run faster for the last mile - and ended up running 9:15 ! Surprised the heck outa me!


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Ocean 46 — By Capt. Patrick Sciacca —
January 2005
Lines of Legacy
Dave Martin redraws one of his most popular designs to make it work with a new generation of big iron.
In the early 1980's, Ocean Yachts gave naval architect Dave Martin a task: design a hull that would be seakindly and quick. How quick? The goal was 30 knots on the top end with twin 450-hp Detroit Diesel 6-71TIs. Martin's solution was a planing-hull form that measured 46 feet LOA and transitioned from a 24-degree deadrise forward to three degrees at the transom (more on this later). He met the 30-knot goal, and from 1982 to 1985 the Ocean 46 Super Sport was a hit with bluewater anglers and cruisers alike.
Fast forward 20 years. Ocean Yachts once again calls upon Martin to design a hull with the same LOA, only this time with with nearly double the horsepower and a 30-knot cruise speed.
I never had the chance
to test the original 46 SS, but I can say that Martin's current
design, matched with Ocean's boatbuilding expertise, has produced
a winner.
To that end, the 46's hull starts with a 34-degree deadrise forward, ten degrees more than the original. Like the first 46, this entry represents 25 percent of the total waterline length. The hull then transitions to 23 degrees amidships (nearly 12 degrees more deadrise than the original 46) for 50 percent of the waterline length, and ends with a moderate 14 degrees for the last 25 percent of the waterline length (the preceding 46 ran a flat three degrees at the transom). In addition, Martin designed this boat with lifting strakes down-angle at 32 degrees and farther apart forward of the hull than aft. This, combined with the more sharply transitioning deadrise, helps prevent hull suction at speed and provides a flow of undisturbed water to the 28x38 four-blade props, enhancing both the feel and efficiency of the 46.
I found that whether I ran this boat down-sea or into a head sea, she ran true. I liked her best cross-sea but found some tab was needed here and there to deal with the wind and occasional spray. Sightlines at the helm are clean all the way around, and a great view of the cockpit is afforded here, a plus when backing down on big fish. However, I did find the side-by-side single-lever MTU controls to the right of the wheel oddly placed. I prefer one to either side of the wheel or single levers flanking the small helm pod. The standard hydraulic steering reacted in real time and helped show off the 46's nimble nature. She turned on a dime and carved symmetrical figure-eights without much wheelwork. It reminded me of a similar ride I experienced last year on Ocean's 50-footer. While my test boat's helm station was bare, I noted large spaces for a multiscreen electronics suite.
Next page > Part 2: The original 46 was quick for her time, and advancements in hull design and diesel technology have made this second generation even quicker. > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
This article originally appeared in the December 2004 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.


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Three Devils advance at state wrestling tournament
February 22, 2013
DENVER – It's the littlest thing and it's so quick.
Welcome to the state wrestling tournament in Denver at the Pepsi Center, where the Devils learned that lesson, mostly on the positive side of the ledger. Eagle Valley's Ty LaFramboise (182 pounds), Joey Sanchez (195) and Andy Armstrong (220 pounds) won their first-round matches Thursday night, while Cole Nielsen fell at 170.
Going back to the quick theme, Armstrong didn't take long to dispose of Mountain View's Mason Barber. Dandy Andy took all of 64 seconds to up his record to 37-0.
He had a quick takedown for two points against Barber, who then needed blood time. Once coagulation was achieved, Armstrong had Barber's shoulders on the mat. Armstrong faces Pueblo South's Hunter Reinert in the quarters today.
Sanchez was on the wrong end of 1-0 score for most of his match against James Garrett of Mesa Ridge. It wasn't until late in the third period, that Sanchez busted out of Garrett's grip for an escape and a 1-1 tie.
Sanchez wasn't going to overtime, however. He threw down Garrett for a two-point takedown and earned a three-point near fall in the final seconds for a 6-1 win. Sanchez gets Longmont's Ramos Vega today in the round of eight.
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LaFramboise stopped hearts a little bit by going to overtime at 182. He overcame a 4-0 deficit against Tony Molinaro of Pueblo County in regulation with a third-period takedown and near fall. In the extra time, LaFramboise kept a tight hold on Molinaro to prevent his opponent from getting an escape.
On the reset, from the down position, LaFramboise burst Molinaro's hold for an escape. For good measure, he turned that into a takedown and got some back time for a 10-4 win. LaFramboise meets up with the top seed at 182, Mead's Kyle Couch, today.
At 170, Nielsen was simply on the wrong end of the decisive moment of his bout. Nielsen led Pueblo County's Chandler Montes, 1-0, and looked like he was going in for a takedown. Instead, Montes flipped him and ended up defeating Nielsen, 8-1. Nielsen is still alive in the consolation bracket as he takes on Golden's Brad Blackstock.
Delta beats Devils girls
GRAND JUNCTION – Eagle Valley girls basketball did what it wanted.
The Devils held Skylyn Webb to a measly six points. Caillie Gafford only had 12. Despite holding Delta's duo of scorers to 16 points – they averaged 37 per game throughout the season – the No. 2-ranked Panthers still topped Eagle Valley, 52-27, in the quarterfinals of districts.
Eagle Valley will take on the loser of Montrose-Palisade, likely the latter, at 3 p.m. at Central High School in Grand Junction.
"We executed our game plan perfectly," Devils coach Sam Bartlett said. "We did everything we wanted except to make our shots."
Eagle Valley trailed just 22-17 at halftime against Delta, which ran the Western Slope table with a 14-0 mark. The Panthers are co-favorites in the tournament with Montrose.
Bartlett gave postgame props to Mariel Gutierrez for her defense and Taylor Martin, who had an outstanding game in the paint with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Again, it's important to remember that the top-seven teams from districts make the state tournament, so the Devils (12-10) are by no means out of the hunt.
Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 970-748-2934 or email@example.com.
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Forms Jobs
Posted: Wednesday, November 19, 2008Department: Information Systems
For the seventh year in a row Winston-Salem has been ranked as one of the top 10 most technology-advanced cities in America of its size by the Center for Digital Government.
Winston-Salem tied for second in the center's 2008 Digital Cities Survey of cities with a population of 125,000 to 249,999. The annual study examines how city governments are using digital technologies to better serve their citizens and streamline operations. The Digital Cities rankings were announced in conjunction with the annual meeting of the National League of Cities last week in Orlando, Fla. "This year's winners reflect that even with budgetary challenges, cities are placing a high value on citizen engagement and improved services," said Cathilea Robinett, the executive director for the Center for Digital Government.
Over the past year, the city enhanced its digital services to include online requests for services through City Link and to look up the status of special Sanitation services, such as an online leaf collection schedule, said Dennis Newman, the city's chief information officer.
"There were more questions in this year's survey about the use of best practices related to the oversight and management of technology operations," Newman said. "New initiatives within the Information Systems Department using industry-recognized programs in such areas as strategic planning and management practices helped Winston-Salem stand out."
The rankings were compiled by the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute. The city tied for second place with Salt Lake City, Utah. The only other North Carolina city in the rankings was Durham, which tied for 10th place in the same population category.
For list of services available through the city Web site, click on the "Online Services" link in the left column of the home page.
Center for Digital Government web site


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Is anyone interested in playing some NCAA Football 07 online or maybe a few of us could start a league? There seems to be a bunch of football fans on here and I just thought I would throw it out there.
If we could get enough people, we could start a league and a web site to go along with it. It would be a ton of fun and good way to get to know some people on here.
If you are interested in playing "sim" style football please apply. No "cheesers" please. If you haven't picked it up yet, I would highly recommend it. It's probably the best football game EA has released in several years. We could also do the same type of thing with Madden, when it's released, if there is enough interest.


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BRITISH cycling academy and Halesowen A&CC sensation Bethany Crumpton started her 2014 cross country campaign recently with a promising start to the season.
With this being a Commonwealth games year, she was keen to put her name to the fore to gain selection for the England team and with all the other rides from the Scotland and Wales fighting for their selection, competition is fierce.
The first round being down in Essex saw Beth come up against some European as well as domestic opposition where she was to find the pace quick from the start taking the lead and taking control of the contest. As the race progressed she began to move off the front in a group of three riders but then dropped off the pace.
She was able to regain places towards the end of the race, closing in on third, but any ideas of making the podium were quashed with an untimely puncture which dropped her down to an eventual sixth place finish.
Round two moved down to Redruth, Cornwall, last weekend where battle was to resume. With a few notable names missing, but still tough opposition present, she took to the start line eager to put in a good performance. Starting on the front row she shot off the front fighting against former world downhill champion Tracy Mosely to get into the first downhill single track where they were shoulder to shoulder, but with Beth coming out on top. A group of five riders moved away off the front of the race on the first lap and with Beth pushing the pace on the front this was to be whittled down to two by the start of the second lap as she was joined by Kerry MacPhee.
As the race progressed, Beth set about trying to break her break away companion and was to find that she was quicker on the down hill sections which was to be the turning point of the race as on lap three she began to push on the descents and again on the climbs. By lap four she was well clear and riding a very controlled race and looking mature beyond her years and by the end of the race on lap six she had taken her first carrier win in the elite women's category.
This now puts her in second overall in the series and in the spotlight for selection for England for the Commonwealths and now moves on to her world cup campaign in Europe at the end of this month.


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• robot •
Pronunciation: ro-baht • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. A mechanical device designed to do the work of a human being. 2. A person who performs repetitious work mechanically, without feeling or emotion. 3. (South Africa) A stoplight, an automatic traffic light.
Notes: C3PO and R2D2 from Star Wars have now become the quintessential robots of modern times with their ingratiating human mannerisms. Keep in mind, though, automobiles and many other appliances are built by robots that bear no resemblance to humans. Robots do not necessarily look human—no more than a traffic light does! The adjective is robotic and the adverb, robotically. The study or use of robots is known as robotics, a singular mass noun: Robotics is an interesting science.
In Play: The central meaning of today's word is a machine without human feelings or emotions: "Mick Annicle talks to customers like a robot; we've got to find him a more robotic job." On your next visit to South Africa, however, remember the surprising meaning of this word: "My South African friend directed an American she really didn't want to see to her house by telling him to turn left at the second robot—and no one has seen him since."
Word History: This Good Word comes to us from Czech, the stem of robotiti "to work as a slave or a drudge". It was originally applied to the mechanical men and women in the play R. U. R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) by Carel Čapek (1920). The root in the Czech word is rob-, also found in Russian rab "slave" and rabota "work". If you metathesize (switch) the [r] and the [a], as has often happened naturally in Indo-European languages, you get arb-, the root in German Arbeit "work", also found in other Germanic languages. (The interesting 3rd meaning of today's word was brought to our attention by the most human-like Chris Stewart, our friend of many years, in Johannesburg, South Africa.)
Use this forum to discuss past Good Words.
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Re: ROBOT
Dr. Goodword wrote:...
It was originally applied to the mechanical men and women in the play R. U. R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) by Carel Capek (1920)...
Please, Dr G, Karel Čapek !...
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Words of Hope
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Tomorrow is a different day.
Nancy Nason-Clark
RAVE is an initiative that seeks to bring knowledge and social action together to assist families of faith impacted by abuse.
Our logo, featuring the white dove whose wings are outstretched, is meant to represent the centrality of…


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WASHINGTON — Recent restrictions imposed on flexible spending accounts appear to be the first piece of ObamaCare to be challenged by the new Congress.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., on Thursday respectively introduced The Patients' Freedom to Choose Act, a bill that would repeal two provisions in the Obama healthcare law that limit a patient's choice in how to use consumer-directed health savings plans, to the Senate and House of Representatives.
"Under the health law, the federal government is stifling patients' flexibility and freedom to use health benefit accounts that have helped make care more affordable for tens of millions Americans," Hutchison stated. "Our bill strikes these arbitrary limitations and puts patients back in charge of how and when they'll use [health savings account] and [flexible spending account] benefits."
The move was met with wide support from retail pharmacy associations. "The legislation introduced by Sen. Hutchison and Rep. Paulsen is a critical step to ensure that the 19 million American households who have FSAs regain their ability to purchase [over-the-counter] medicines with pre-tax dollars," stated Scott Melville, president and CEO of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. "With the country's annual cough, cold and flu season upon us, now is the time for Congress to support this bill and reduce the cost of health care for millions of consumers."
Retail associations, including the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the Food Marketing Institute, added their support of the legislation.
On Jan. 1, a provision in the new healthcare legislation took effect, prohibiting individuals from using funds from either HSAs or FSAs to purchase OTC medications without a prescription. In addition, starting in 2013, the Obama healthcare law will institute a $2,500 federal cap for all FSA contributions. More than 80% of all large employers that offer an FSA to their employees include a limit that is more than the $2,500 threshold, Hutchison noted.
A recent survey found that more than 90% of Americans preferred to seek treatment with OTCs before seeing a healthcare provider, the CHPA stated. In addition, nearly 90% of the physicians surveyed recommended that patients use OTC medicines before seeing their physicians. Under the new restriction, however, an overwhelming majority of physicians surveyed believed there will be an increased burden on medical professionals.


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October 12, 2007—In a survey just released by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review, Rice University's Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management was ranked 22nd among top graduate entrepreneurship programs in the U.S. The fifth annual ranking surveyed more than 900 schools, revealing the nation's top 25 undergraduate and top 25 graduate programs for entrepreneurship. The survey was based on key criteria in the areas of academics and requirements, students and faculty, and outside-the-classroom support and experiences. "The Jones Graduate School is thrilled to receive this level of recognition as being the best in Texas and 22nd overall among top graduate programs in entrepreneurship," said Bill Glick, dean of the Jones Graduate School. "This achievement captures the exceptional entrepreneurial spirit of our students, alumni, and faculty of the Jones Graduate School as well as the contributions of Rice and the Houston business community." Just recently, the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, a strategic alliance among academic institutions at Rice University including the Jones Graduate School, the Brown School of Engineering and the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, was recognized as the top university entrepreneurship center in the U.S. for the creation of successful new enterprises. The award was announced at this year's National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (NCEC) Conference. The Jones School and the Rice Alliance is also credited to hosting the largest and richest intercollegiate MBA/graduate-level business plan competition in the world, the annual Rice Business Plan Competition. To better serve the growing demands of an entrepreneurial focus in business education, the Jones School soon will offer a concentration in Entrepreneurship in its Full-Time MBA program "and further the mission of the Jones School, to excel in developing principled, innovative thought leaders in global communities." Glick added. The results of the survey, along with the analysis, will appear in the November issue of Entrepreneur.


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A federal grand jury has indicted Stephen Joseph Woods, 33, of Savannah, on three counts of advertising for child pornography over the Internet and two counts of attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
Woods, who went by the screen name casonova2842, was arrested last week in St. Augustine.
If convicted, Woods faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each advertising charge. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the attempted enticement charges.
This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, the Clay County Sheriff's Office, the Volusia County Sheriffs' Office, the Bay County Sheriff's Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Copyright 2012 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Braves ride loud opening act past Pirates
Back-to-back HRs from Heyward, Simmons spark six-run first
PITTSBURGH -- Given the tremendous struggles they had experienced before sweeping the A's this past weekend, there was not much reason to believe the Braves would experience a letdown. But if there were any concerns, they were likely erased during a six-run first inning that proved decisive in Monday night's 7-3 win over the Pirates at PNC Park.
After Jason Heyward and Andrelton Simmons opened the game with back-to-back home runs, Ervin Santana battled through 5 1/3 innings that proved much more challenging than expected after he was given a six-run advantage before throwing a pitch. But the three solo home runs surrendered by Santana were not enough to defeat the Braves, who have won four straight games since exiting last week's Dodgers series with 12 losses in their previous 15 games.
"This is good," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "This is a carryover of the last five or six days where we've been playing good baseball. Hopefully, the season is full of ebbs and flows. Hopefully, we're on top of one and we can ride it out a little bit."
With their sudden surge, the Braves have stayed within striking distance of the first-place Nationals in the National League East. Along with attempting to defend their division title, the Braves are also now just one game back in the battle for the NL's second Wild Card spot.
"It's good to keep this streak going at the moment and good to win the first game of a series," said Heyward, who has seen the Braves go 5-1 since he moved back to the leadoff role.
Heyward and Simmons became the fifth duo in Braves history to open a game with consecutive home runs. More importantly, they created the spark that led the Braves to put five guys on base before Vance Worley recorded his first out. Worley surrendered hits to five of the first six batters and found himself staring at a six-run deficit when a pair of runs scored on a Santana grounder that would have been an inning-ending double play had Neil Walker not made an errant throw.
This certainly did not look like the Worley who produced a 2.32 ERA in the previous 10 starts he made for the Pirates. Instead, he looked more like when he last faced the Braves on May 22, 2013. Pitching for the Twins that day at Turner Field, he allowed eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings and exited during a five-run fourth inning.
"I was throwing east-west, missing, staying flat," Worley said. "After that, I figured it out, and I was able to drive the ball down in the zone and get the results I needed."
Instead of adding to their comfortable early advantage, the Braves allowed Worley to settle into a groove, holding them scoreless over the remainder of his six-inning stint. Meanwhile, Santana had no answers for Starling Marte, who accounted for two of the three homers that allowed the Pirates to keep things interesting.
Along with going deep in both the second and fourth innings, Marte also doubled to begin the sixth inning. When Travis Snider followed with a double of his own, it looked like the Pirates might cut into their three-run deficit. But after Santana ended his night with a strikeout of Brent Morel, Luis Avilan entered and got Ike Davis to line into an inning-ending double play.
Given that he lacked a feel for his slider and struggled to keep his fastball down, Santana had reason to feel fortunate about allowing just the three earned runs while surrendering nine hits over 5 1/3 innings. The third-inning solo shot he surrendered to Neil Walker was the first home run to enter the Allegheny River this year.
"I didn't have my stuff today, but for me it was one of my best games because I gave up three runs," Santana said. "When you don't have your best stuff and you only give up three runs, that's huge. Three solo homers, that doesn't hurt."
Heyward provided some cushion with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. But it was his third leadoff homer of the season that got things rolling for the Braves, who received RBI singles from Chris Johnson and Gerald Laird during Worley's 36-pitch first inning.
"I think it was just one of those nights," Heyward said. "I looked at the pitch I hit out and it wasn't a bad pitch. We just kind of ran into some barrels. We had some good swings and we went up there confident. Once one guy saw it, we were like, 'OK, let's go up there and get something to hit,' and we didn't miss."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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This is an excellent run down of a particular type of 'bad boss' that folks might run into out there. The article also talks about what to look for when finding potential leaders for an organization, in order to avoid these narcissistic toxic leaders. They boil it down to having emotional intelligence or the ability to focus on others (respecting others) as opposed to focusing purely on self (narcissism).
Under Jundism, you will find a couple of concepts that promote emotional intelligence. One is to 'take care of your people' and another would be 'people support what they help to create'. Both of these concepts require knowledge of your people. With that knowledge, you will have the brain power and experience of the group to tap into so you can build a better product or service.
Another more simplistic way to look at this, is to find and hire those individuals who are there 'to do' the job of a leader, and not there just 'to be' a leader or 'To Be, Or To Do' in the words of Col. John Boyd.
One final point that the article mentioned that rang true for both the military and any organization, and goes well with 'the courage to do what is right', is this quote.
"If the leader walks by and observes something wrong without making the correction, he has just established the new standard of behavior."
If a company or military unit knows they have a toxic leader within their ranks, and they do nothing about it, they in essence are saying that it is acceptable. The troops are left wondering, does the organization as a whole really care about their welfare, if they knowingly allow these individuals to stay in these positions of power, or promote folks whom are toxic into these positions of power within the organization?
To that end, I would say that another quote from Boyd is in order–'people, ideas, hardware–and in that order'. Companies and the military must make the effort to ensure that good leaders are within their ranks, representing the organizations well, managing the mission and contract well, and taking care of their people. That they are exhibiting the necessary emotional intelligence to properly use an organization's most important resource–it's people. –Matt


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Police have identified the victim struck by an Amtrak train this afternoon in Precinct 11/Essex as Kenneth Joseph Grabenstein, 55, of Delaware.
BCoPD officers responded at 11:12 a.m. to the railroad tracks along Orems Road near Entrance Road, where they found the victim dead on the scene. Witnesses, including the train engineer, said they saw the victim standing in the middle of the tracks, facing the train as it approached. The engineer said he was unable to stop the train, which was traveling at 135 mph. Police say the incident may have been a suicide.
Amtrak Police will handle any additional investigation of this incident.


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BP Comment Quick Links
November 14, 2013
Skewed Left
Why Deserving MVPs Don't Win
When Mike Trout—okay, fine, if Mike Trout—gets robbed of the American League MVP award tonight for the second straight year, the explanation won't be so easy. Last year, the excuse for excusing one of the best seasons of all time, not just by a 20-year-old but by anybody, was readymade. He was going up against the Triple Crown—an achievement that, while not all that indicative of overall value, is still so steeped in historical value that it can be blinding.
This year it's not so simple. The voters won't have one obvious reason for dismissing the best super-young position player in the history of the game again.
But according to research on more than six decades of MVP voting patterns conducted with the help of some Baseball Prospectus colleagues, they will have several less obvious reasons for dismissing him. Combine the biases exposed by an examination of some of the worst votes in history, and you can basically pre-construct the case against Trout.
Trout was the best player in baseball this year, and since I would pay more to have his season than anyone else's season, I consider him the most valuable player.
However, he is everything that BBWAA voters have hated in the years when their results have been most misaligned with what the numbers say. He plays the wrong position for the wrong team, doing so with the wrong skill set and yes, it can be shown, at the wrong age.
The following is a look at all the history he's fighting against that's arguably more powerful than a triple crown, and some insight into the biases of MVP voters over generations of head-scratching results.
It's hard to define a bad vote, especially so far after the fact when we've lost sight of all the lesser elements of value that could be tilting judgment away from statistical performance, whether rightly or wrongly.
I've tried to go about this in the most lenient way possible. In coming up with the 25 MVP robberies from the WARP era of 1950-present, I've ignored any year when a pitcher won the award, mostly to avoid a mess. And while a comparison of WARP vs. the vote would be a simple way to go, I've given my peers in the BBWAA a little longer leash. To count as a bad vote, a different position player not only had to lead all of that league's position players in WARP, but he also had to do so in Fangraphs' WAR and Baseball-Reference's WAR, and he had to beat the named MVP by at least 1.0 win above replacement in all of them.
That brings us to a list of 25—13 in the NL, 12 in the AL—with a nice lull of some pretty good voting in the 1970s and 1980s.
The biggest victims jump right out immediately given their clustering on the page. Two-time MVP Willie Mays was robbed of four more over a full decade of dominance. The other greatest Giant, Barry Bonds, was robbed of three more that would have given him an unbelievable 10 trophies over his career. Mays' contemporary over in the AL, Mickey Mantle, was robbed of three, including two that were given to his lesser teammates.
Trout has been compared to at least a couple of those guys, and his career is starting out just like theirs—impressive, yet largely unrecognized in the postseason awards.
But what specifically is the cause? Before even seeing the names, we went into this exercise wondering what these robbed players might have in common, and whether there was any characteristic we could isolate that voters tended to either react badly to or ignore in snubbing these players.
We went into it with five hypotheses from myself and the editors:
These five didn't all hold true, but there are clearly some patterns in the writers' voting—and even with only 25 pairs of players, some statistically significant ones.
1. Were players robbed of MVP awards on bad teams?
However, that's not the whole story. The 25 players who won the award over them were, on average, on great teams. Here's the first of a few tests of significance (t-tests) for these samples.
Of the 25 players robbed of MVP awards:
Six were on better teams than the MVP's
Average win total of players robbed: 91.88
Voters will often admit that team accomplishment—often disguised as "playing in high-pressure games"—had something to do with it, but there are hidden biases ahead.
2. Are there positional biases?
Contrary to the hypothesis, it's not really true across the spectrum that voters don't value premium defensive positions. There have been more undeserving winners at shortstop than there have been players robbed at shortstop. Same thing behind the plate, by a huge margin.
Now, there's a possibility that the voters have been right, that none of the three major value metrics has been putting the right numbers on catchers' huge defensive value and that all of them have been overrating center field. But there's obviously a huge disconnect historically between how the statistical community sees center field and how the voters do, and that's not going to help Trout either.
3. Do walks go unrecognized?
Of the 25 players robbed of MVP awards:
22 had a higher walk rate than the MVP
Average walk rate of players robbed: 14.98 percent
4. Is the value loaded up in defense and baserunning?
Just like we didn't expect voters to value walks or necessarily know how to adjust for position, it can be easy to ignore defense and baserunning in the face of offensive mismatches. This certainly happened in the KO that was Cabrera-Trout I.
Using our BRAA statistic in conjunction with WARP, the robbed players' batting accounted for approximately 66.9 percent of their value, while the undeserving MVPs' batting accounted for 69.0 percent of their value. While this isn't a huge difference, and isn't something that's noticeable to the naked eye or that I would consider "loaded up," it is indeed in the direction we would expect.
5. Is there ageism in MVP voting?
I don't know about the McCutchen-Harper hypothetical, but it does appear to be true in our most egregious examples that the voters have favored the older player. The robbed players were on average more than a year younger than the undeserving MVPs, which is a big difference with these small deviations around players' general peaks.
Of the 25 players robbed of MVP awards:
13 were younger than the MVP
Average age of players robbed: 27.68
Often, there are multiple factors at play, and I must admit that there's some potential for confounding variables here, so this hasn't been statistically rigorous. There is a correlation between youth and playing center field, for instance, so those factors can get in the way of each other.
Just like Trout is nine years younger than Cabrera, a 24-year-old Mays should have beaten a 33-year-old Campanella in 1955, but he had to wait his turn for a second MVP. And besides, the Dodgers had overtaken the Giants that year and this was the 1950s, when catchers were hoarding MVPs and outfielders largely need not have applied.
Mays should probably have three times the MVP awards that he actually retired with, and there's a good chance we'll say the same about Trout someday. There is no Triple Crown to contend with this year, but history tells us there will be plenty working against him.
Zachary Levine is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @zacharylevine
42 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
Okay I don't want to go all crazy but these are the kinds of articles that drive me nuts! WAR or WARP no matter what site it comes from is a "SUBJECTIVE" number. Notice I did not say stat. There are subjective overtones when arriving at that number especially when it comes to Defense. Now I am not a SABR hater but I am someone who believes the human element and common sense is being lost with SABR metrics. I don't mind them for statistical trends and things of that nature but choosing an MVP based on WAR is plain silly.
Nov 14, 2013 07:26 AM
I see where you're coming from; I'd choose a different word than "subjective" to describe WARP and related numbers, though. These numbers seek to remove the subjective from consideration to the extent possible, by defining and measuring aspects of the game that can be defined and measured. The whole intent of such an exercise is to remove the viewer's subjective biases when assigning value to a player. This exercise is, of course, incomplete; there are aspects of a player's value that cannot be measured. Few here would argue otherwise.
Nov 14, 2013 07:51 AM
It's not even particularly about Trout/Cabrera. Let's not get away from the simple fact that, as far as we can currently measure, Trout has been better than Cabrera over the last two years. Nobody says this makes Cabrera bad, or not good at baseball, so it's not anti-Cabrera in any way.
Nov 14, 2013 08:50 AM
I don't think this single piece is particularly anti-Cabrera. But it's part of a larger Trout-versus-Cabrera narrative, the underlying question of which plays into the hands of whatever you want to call people that have a bone to pick with WARP and spreadsheets and the like. Put it this way: Why not write write this article about Paul Goldschmidt (1B, 7.5 WARP) versus Andrew McCutchen (CF, 6.1 WARP)? (Perhaps McCutchen didn't meet the multi-source criterion, winning out in others' metrics. But the question is still revealing.)
Nov 14, 2013 09:25 AM
P.S. Fangraphs put McCutchen ahead of second-place Carlos Gomez by 0.6 WAR and ahead of fourth-place Paul Goldschmidt by 1.8 WAR. (Matt Carpenter came in third.) Baseball-reference put Gomez in the lead, 0.2 WAR ahead of McCutchen and 1.3 WAR ahead of third-place Goldschmidt. So, the article's criteria don't apply to the 2013 NL MVP race.
Nov 14, 2013 09:37 AM
there's so much misdirection and misunderstanding in this post that I'm left wondering why it's author left it here of all places. I will not be one of the people down voting this.
Nov 14, 2013 07:52 AM
I son't believe in down-voting posts because I disagree with them, but this just translates as "I like Cabrera more than Trout, and I don't care about any reasons why I'm wrong."
Nov 14, 2013 08:46 AM
I'm a SABR member and never considered that baseball was played on a spreadsheet, but it might explain how Shelby Miller could have been hiding in Column CX, Row 9378 during the World Series.
Nov 14, 2013 08:56 AM
Didn't think the Shelby Miller MIA meme would persist into November, but there were several quite legit reasons he wasn't given innings in the postseason (a few articles have spelled out the logic behind the Cardinals' thinking). It's all very harmless and of course not a big deal, but I'm not sure why this has been the go-to joke among seamhead types for so long.
Nov 14, 2013 10:18 AM
I completely understand getting tired of the Miller jokes. I actually think they're still funny. I respectfully disagree that Miller's lack of use was harmless. It became a waste of a roster spot that could've been better used on somebody else. I would've went with Adron Chambers or Ryan Jackson instead.
Nov 14, 2013 10:48 AM
I meant the jokes are harmless. And yes, I'd've preferred the Cards used Miller's roster spot more optimally, but I can see how an emergency long reliever might be more valuable than Chambers or Jackson. Either way you're talking about moving the WPA needle fractions of centimeters, so I can't get all that exercised about it.
Nov 14, 2013 11:04 AM
Scott Jones
So one issue to you is the team he is on? So if Mike Trout had been drafted by the Red Sox and was still playing for them this year, he'd be more deserving of the award? But since the Angels had a poor pitching staff, his accomplishments are lessened?
Nov 14, 2013 09:48 AM
You're right Tarakas. I still don't see why people don't get it. Confirmation bias perhaps? The MVP is an individual award. MVP = best player. If you're going to factor in criteria that is beyond a player's control, such as team performance, then it is a worthless award. Congratulations Mr. Cabrera on your award that you wouldn't have won even if you were twice as good but played on the Astros! As we've all seen, narrative does a great job of clouding judgement.
Nov 14, 2013 10:32 AM
So voters of the MVP are given this as the criteria to vote on:
Nov 14, 2013 16:14 PM
I have a lot of problems with the "pressure" argument. It's completely subjective and full of post hoc analysis. A player who can't handle pressure never makes it to the majors in the first place. Think about it: a player has to play in high school and college in front of scouts. A bad day can cost you a lot of money in the draft. Then in the minors a player is competing with everyone else to make it to the show while constantly being evaluated by scouts. Finally, in the majors, a player plays in front of tens of thousands of people live everyday and who knows how many millions more on TV. There's ALWAYS pressure.
Nov 14, 2013 20:17 PM
Matt Sussman
BP staff
I'm seeing a lot of East Coast over West Coast picks too, at a glance
Nov 14, 2013 08:12 AM
Geoff Young
Good stuff, Zach. Given the apparent bias against catchers in Hall of Fame voting, I'm surprised to see the opposite hold true in MVP voting.
Nov 14, 2013 08:45 AM
Good point. Most of the pro-catcher votes were in the earlier end of the time frame. Though while Ivan Rodriguez's MVP wasn't a robbery by this liberal definition, the numbers didn't really agree with it.
Nov 14, 2013 08:49 AM
Good stuff, but I'm shocked to see RBI omitted from your hypotheses. It is such a huge part of the narrative today. That traditionalists have tried to avoid using it in the face of sabermrtric critique only underline's it's historically significant role.
Nov 14, 2013 08:57 AM
RBI is another good one. I thought about it and was more interested in getting walks in there as the one addressing how their offensive value was distributed and didn't really want both. I thought the walks difference was really clear, but maybe RBI would have been a more interesting study.
Nov 14, 2013 09:46 AM
RBIs are a big one. It makes for great narrative since nothing gets a crowd more excited than to see runs get driven in. I wouldn't be surprised if RBIs had the biggest correlation with MVP awards. The problem, of course, is that RBIs are not a skill. It is a context dependent stat that falsely assumes that hitting with RISP is a skill. The RBI as a poor measure of player performance didn't come to light until 10 to 20 years ago I'd say, maybe more. I don't think it's fair to hold that against voters before that.
Nov 14, 2013 10:59 AM
One more hypotheses to consider: The losers tended to be all time great offensive players (Mays, Mantle Bonds)so their accomplishments were taken for granted. The voters paid more attention to a great season from a lessor player.
Nov 14, 2013 09:05 AM
That begs the question though, doesn't it? No one knew in 1955 that Mantle and Mays were going to be inner circle Hall of Famers (or Bonds in 1991). At the time, the guys who won were all considered the superior, if more seasoned, players.
Nov 14, 2013 09:42 AM
It's the Establishment Clause.
Nov 14, 2013 13:05 PM
Great article Zachary. I think all your points can be boiled down to one word that has applied to MVP voting since it was first started: Narrative.
Nov 14, 2013 09:59 AM
Another testable hypothesis: Size of team's market and/or media coverage. Does a player get more consideration if they play for a team like NYY/BOS/LAD, vs. the same performance in a less media-friendly town?
Nov 14, 2013 10:49 AM
Well, finally a few guys hit on what all of us outside the NE Megalopolis know: There is EVERY kind of prejudice against anybody who plays in "flyover country," and West Coast games are too late for most of us and worst for those who believe the USA revolves around Megalopolis. For sure, park effects that were not quantified and thus underrated even by those in the game who knew how severe they could be (read: Polo Grouds and Candlestick and thus: Mays) skewed even the "old stats." The prize-winning Mays bio of a few years ago made this point over and again by the testimonials of interviewed players, and the author was not ignorant of at least some newer metrics.
Nov 14, 2013 12:55 PM
"P.S. Fangraphs put McCutchen ahead of second-place Carlos Gomez by 0.6 WAR and ahead of fourth-place Paul Goldschmidt by 1.8 WAR. (Matt Carpenter came in third.) Baseball-reference put Gomez in the lead, 0.2 WAR ahead of McCutchen and 1.3 WAR ahead of third-place Goldschmidt. So, the article's criteria don't apply to the 2013 NL MVP race."
Nov 14, 2013 16:09 PM
I doubt that baseball-reference.com is making a case for Gomez as MVP. Like any other stat, WAR is one measurement, not a be-all end-all. Sabermetrics is about getting as much information as possible. And accurately determining the relative, actual values of those various pieces of information, to come up with a decision actually supported by the evidence. As opposed to, say, appeals to authority (like relying on Rivera's opinion).
Nov 14, 2013 18:46 PM
This is really the problem. Sabermetrics suggests that he is one of a number of reasonable contenders for NL MVP given that his offence is good, his baserunning is good and he plays elite defence at an important defensive position. Yes, it's possible that his defence isn't as good as all that, but maybe you'd do better to explain why you think that an all-star who had 24 homers, 40 steals and won a gold glove in CF is not a credible candidate for MVP.
Nov 15, 2013 02:09 AM
Miguel Cabrera was the AL MVP.
Nov 14, 2013 16:10 PM
Re the 1962 NL MVP result, I'll never forget the impassioned plea for Mays in "The Steagle", an otherwise pretty forgettable movie about the Cuban missile crisis.
Nov 14, 2013 18:52 PM
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