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Results tagged ' Nelson Cruz '
What If………..
"What if…….."
Some say that is the first phrase uttered by those in denial or left wanting for an answer. Two words shouted to the heavens asking for some divine or intelligent intervention into how their beloved team could have fallen this far from their past grace and the lofty expectations transposed on this team even before they began play in April.
No one who follows, plays for or works with the Tampa Bay Rays could of possibly imagined this stark reality that would be evident about this team's 2014 campaign 5 months later. No matter the Rays rise or fall during these terse 6 months, no one envisioned the team not playing for anything in the last 10-odd games of their season.
So maybe it is time to possibly throw out some opinions, rely on some facts and maybe come to terms with a season that sent us on a pure emotional rollercoaster ride to the greatest heavens and at time tumbling right back down to Earth with the stark realization that sweat, talent and confidence are not the sole catalysts to winning games.
Remember as you read this, it is only my personal guesswork and not a certification of the direction the team will take, should of taken or will entertain this winter….It is just my humble words thrown out for everyone to dissect into a million characters. Enjoy.
What if the Rays had signed free agent Nelson Cruz as their Designated Hitter? Would he have duplicated his 2014 season in Carolina Blue?
This was actually a question someone asked me on Sunday and it does have merit, but I think besides the steroid residue that would have followed Cruz here to Tampa Bay, the $8 million the Orioles paid Cruz might have been a bit steep for the Rays to handle financially. Plus the Rays Clubhouse culture might not have been a good fit for Cruz, but we also will never know if he could of adjusted and been a key component of this year's squad.
Who knows, Cruz should be a free agent after the season, and with him showing he can still power the ball as well as be steroid free, the Rays would kick the tires, but even with Cruz's current '14 resume of 39 HR and 106 RBI (as of 9/22) it might not be enough as a '15 salary seeking $ 9-10 million and someone wearing his favorite #23 jersey (Jake Odorizzi should quickly end the Rays interest.
What if Jeremy Hellickson, Alex Cobb and Matt Moore had stayed injury free?
Wow! Without a shadow of a doubt this team would have been different. Would it have been enough change to possibly change the end of the season outcome…..Without a doubt, but I'm a card carrying optimist.
But that doesn't mean I would be calling out another revival of rising to the Rays 2008 level, or anticipated the backward tumble of 2009. I hate to admit it, but a few good things did happen for the Rays rotation because of those setbacks.
We found out the true fire and nature of Chris Archer, Cobb when he got healthy took the reins and never let go possibly posting one of the 6 best ERA (with possibly 2 starts to go) in the American League….And we saw the maturation process that beset Jake Ordorizzi from rookie nerves and indecision to transforming into a true 5th starter for this team.
What if we had held onto David Price instead of trading him to Detroit?
This is a question that will take a few more seasons before we know the true essence of this trade. I am also one of those anxious to see how young prospect Willy Adames advances in the Rays farm system. Also a post Trade Deadline Price has produced a 3-4 record and a 4.09 ERA (possibly 2 more starts) since the trade, the Southpaw sent as a left-handed option for the Rays rotation has been pretty Price-like. Drew Smyly posted a 3-1 record with a 1.70 ERA while also putting up 44 K's on 47.2 innings.
I think this trade worked in the Rays future favor as Smyly is a salary friendly option and Adames is already viewed by some as a future Rays SS and he is still at the Class-A level.
What if Wil Myers had not missed 81 games with his wrist injury?
My ESPN Fantasy League stats predictions for Myers showed him posting numbers like: 81 runs, 25 HR, 91 RBI and a .267 average. At the beginning of 2014 he was owned by a majority of the teams in the leagues, but today only 35.3% of people have stuck with Myers.
His offensive output was missed extremely by the Rays, but his absence also got us a great introduction to some future Rays "Outlaw" ways. If you had to find any shining moment out of Myers pain it was the pure fact we got to see over 103+ games with Kevin Kiermaier on the squad. With them both playing together here in the latter days of the season, we might be witnessing transformation of the Rays outfield to a bit more speed and aggression in 2015.
What if Grant Balfour had retained that same fire and not lost some of his edge?
When Balfour signed that 2-year contract everyone was on his bandwagon. After a few stellar years showing his stuff on the West Coast with the A's, the Rays envisioned Balfour taking the back end of the Bullpen and stabilizing it while Jake McGee slowly moved his way to that spot.
Balfour's falling from grace and possibly a bit of "dead arm" for a spell pushed McGee into the spotlight and for a guy doing the closer's role for the first time, his game was more hit than miss. With Balfour taking a step back into a set-up role now I can see the Rays using him as bait to a team that might need a proven closer and potent rally killer. This is not to mean the Rays will accept small fish for Balfour, but he could easily be in another uniform if the right return can be found for him.
Okay, that is just a few of the "what If" trains of thought that were thrown my way during the last home stand. After these final 6 away games the Rays will conclude their season, return to the Trop and pack for home.
At that moment the questions will immediately change from "What if" to "What can we expect" as we begin another off season with question galore and many 2015 answers to ponder.
What direction can we expect the Rays to go?….T B D.
My Tweak to the Home Run Derby Selection Process
Everyone might remember I had some reservations on the new "Captains" format for the State Farm Home Run Derby. After thinking about it for a day, it might have some legitimate merit, but maybe it can be tweaked a bit, just like the selection process. Hopefully today I can outline my ideas, and maybe some day M L B will take credit for it ( just kidding).
The Captain format did take the selection process out of Major League Baseball fingers, but it ended up being a collection of "buddies" taking turns hitting a baseball more than a competition that let fans from all over the country, and other countries outside the United States see our budding stars. Sure American League Captain David Ortiz made an overall very impressive four-some, but even Ortiz made sure to mention several times that he picked his "boys".
So why not make the American League and National League leaders at the All-Star Break the Captains in the future? That would give more of a guarantee to the assembled baseball fans the best long ball hitters from both leagues at the top of the equation. In 2011, that would have made Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista and St. Louis Cardinal Lance Bergman the first 2 players selected for the Home Run Derby. Combined the pair have crushed 55 balls into the stands heading into the All-Star Break.
From there I would love to trash the current "Final Vote" premise and re-institute it with 8 names from each league to have a week's worth of voting to decide the final 3 candidates to stand with Bautista and Bergman as members of both the American and National League squads. Sure there is still the horror of the large market teams stuffing the ballot box, but I have a solution to keep multiple players from each squad off the final selection team.
To keep the Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, Cardinals and possibly the Dodgers from stuffing the ballot boxes, there can be no multiple players selected from the same franchise. That ruling would have split up the 2011 pairings of Adrian Gonzalez and Ortiz, plus would have made either Rickie Weeks or Prince Fielder the Brewer possibly selected to the team. This rule would have also eliminated Matt Holiday since Bergman would have been the Cardinals representative.
Such a regulation would keep an unbalanced Home Run Derby squad that should of included players like Cincy's Jay Bruce, White Sox Paul Korneko, Ranger Nelson Cruz or even Oriole's Mark Reynolds.
This system also has a flaw or two that need to be ironed out, like this year's winner Robinson Cano might not have been picked with this format since Mark Teixera and Curtis Granderson had more Home Runs heading into the break than Cano.
Sure there are thing to be worked out, and holes to fill by players not wanting to participate, but M L B could get those "Yeahs" or "Nays" at the conclusion of the All-Star voting and hype up the Home Run Derby selection process with an entire week of plugging certain players, or maybe even trying to get a up-and coming player most of the country has not seen hit the ball like the Marlins Mike Stanton a chance on the big stage.
M L B made an honest effort this season to correct some past Home Run Derby wrongs, and they are steps in the right direction. Now by also involving the fans in the process, we can get a more suitable and diverse selection that will have people again excited about the event.
Watching Bautista and Weeks struggle last night was painful at times, and there is no doubt some people changed the channel……With a few slices and dices, the Home Run Derby can come back in Kansas City for the 2012 All-Star game lean, mean and pounding balls after ball into those fountains. That would be a pure joy to watch.
Options for Broadcast changes to the Home Run Derby
Here we go again people, eight hours until all the fun starts all over again. But hopefully tonight;s game will not have that rambling and prognostic feel of last night's State Farm Home Run Derby. Oh, don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching a home run as much as the rest of us, but it did not have the same flavor this season for some reason. Not to say there was not a few majestic swats into the outfield caverns there at Busch Stadium. There were a few blasts that evoked an awe factor from me watching on my big screen, but for some reason the anticipation and the true spectacle of it all was dulled for some reason.
I sat there and tried to remember, or even fathom why I felt this way until I heard the "back, back back!" thundered over my television screen by ESPN legend Chris Berman. It was then that it all finally began to click and fall into place. The event was not falling by the wayside for me, it was the stale and predictable audio coming out of the mouth of commentators Berman, Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, and former Met GM Steve Phillips. Sometimes I think they should instead maybe pick some of the great voices of the Major Leagues to come out and broadcast the Home Run Derby as a tribute to their announcing chops.
Locally here with the Tampa Bay Rays we have been blessed with a pretty good broadcast crew on both the television and the radio. But then again every city has that distinction. But maybe MLB can regenerate the enthusiasm and the bravado of the Home Run Derby by instituting a chance in the on-the-field staff to cover the event to maybe include a member of the MLB family who usually only does their own local broadcasts. Not that I would not like to see Joe Buck maybe pop down there like he did last night, but he is reserved for the big game. I am all for maybe one of the voices being from the home stadium crew, which would replace Phillips and do a better job just by sitting down in the chair.
I hear too much of Phillips just on "Baseball Tonight", do I have to be subjected to him again during a fun event like the Home Run Derby? So with that in mind, even thought the event is now over, we could have gotten Al Hrabosky, who is not only a St. Louis folk legend and former Cardinal player, but a pretty good broadcaster in his own right.
Hrabosky has been up in the television booth for the Cardinals now for his 13th straight season for FSN-Midwest. He started with the team back in 1985 doing broadcasts on several different venues before finally finding his home on FSN-Midwest. "The Mad Hungarian" would have been a instant hit for the fans watching at home who used to watch his antics on and behind the mound during his playing career. But also of note would have been the telling of stories by fathers and grandfathers to the kids watching about this great reliever legend.
That would bring a spark to the Home Run Derby. To bring a local figure onto the broadcast team for the entire event. It will also add a air of local pride and resources as this is their domain, and they know the nooks and crannies of Busch Stadium as well as the men who built it. They are there every day and would have additional stories and ad libs that would keep the audience interested even during a lull in the action at the plate. Do not fret Phillips, I do not instantly dislike you banter on the panel, but I want to All Star game to be about special instances and situation, not the one guy I get to hear 162 games a year and beyond every night on ESPN.
By me picking Hrabosky is no slight to the other broadcasters like Mike Shannon in the radio booth ,or even Jay Rudolph or Dan McLaughlin. I am only trying to find the diamond-in-the-rough that most people do not get to hear during their team's broadcasts. Who knows, maybe in the 2010 event hosted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim we can get ex-player Rex Hudler or Mark Gubicza to come on board and bring some special Angels flavor to the Home Run Derby panel.
And Joe Morgan, well I love your stories sometimes, but maybe you need to go for someone else who can keep me doing more than re-twitting and pausing away hoping for a break in the action to see some more exciting commercials than your re-hashed speculations about the Derby hitters. I am beginning to see a pattern in your observations on the hitters. I have heard the same lines, but tweaked a bit left or right about hitters for the last few years by you on the ESPN Sunday Night games, and it is growing old to me. So my idea to replace Morgan might be the best one yet.
You see, I am not voting for myself or another fan to replace Morgan, that would be too easy, but maybe MLB, which is spending millions on this 3-day festival can get ESPN to waiver a bit from their mundane announcers to let a current MLB legend or newcomer take the reins from Morgan. I am going to use the Rays Dewayne Staats only because I have some familiarity with him. He is someone who will be the in the broadcaster wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame before it is all said and done and would be a breath of fresh air not only for the fans to get another perspective, but to hear a voice that has called some of the most remarkable and memorable games.
To let the youth, and the older generation like me enjoy some of the voice around the league at that table would be an true All Star experience. Maybe if not Staats, then Seattle Mariners voice Dave Niehaus, who was admitted into the broadcasters wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. He is a voice that people on the east coast of the United States do not get to hear, and would bring about more energy and substance to the game knowing it is their national time to shine.
That is not to say I would not like to hear others like Arizona's Daron Sutton, who is in his third year with the Diamondbacks. Each of these guys, even at their opposite points in their careers would be another taste of the MLB for each of us to savor during the All Star week. To bring about the change where the MLB audience gets to hear some of the voices and charisma that fans throughout the league and America get to hear each night might be a great influx of new energy and enthusiasm at the broadcast table during the Home Run Derby. They are voices that do not get to be heard unless it is below a clip on the Internet or ESPN now. Or their voices get echoed around the playoff times for substantial calls or historic moments.
The third change might be the hardest for ESPN to imagine, but it might also be a great springboard for their broadcasters. Each segment of their network seems to have their gems, or up and coming guys/gals who have displayed their talents and the crowd has warmed to them during that season. Maybe the broadcaster who is considered their number one person that year, be it a newcomer or an old veteran gets a shot at the big time stage by sitting in Chris Berman's chair.
I have loved Berman for year and years, but in that statement is the problem. Years and years I have also heard the same phrases rolled over and over until they should have a toe tag attached to them. How many time last night did Berman try and elevate Pujols to cult status during the broadcast even though he was involved in a 3-way tie in the first round.
Josh Hamilton last season deserved that praise, Bobby Abreu a few years ago also garnered that respect and attention, but Pujols was not the giant that night. After his first round 11 home runs, you really did not get the feeling the panel really was going for Prince Fielder until his semi-final round was complete. But the worst thing about last night was the odd comment getting thrown around left and right to fill air time.
There could have been better stories about players like Carlos Pena or even Nelson Cruz that would have made you root for them. Like the fact Pena had a dream before the end of the 2007 Spring Training with the Rays, where he was a non-roster invitee, about getting on the plane with the players for the first series against the Yankees. About how and injury in the last Spring Training game to Greg Norton opened the door for Pena to hit 101 Home runs since that moment in the major leagues.
Or maybe a short stint to show he went from a scrub and almost a non-issue minor leaguer with the New York Yankees system in 2006 to the 2007 Comeback Player of the Season, to a 2008 Silver Slugger in the American League, to a Gold Glover last season. The elevation of his game was the reason for his All Star selection, not just his current home run total. It was the mythical rise of the phoenix of his career from the bottom to the top.
Heck, I even got a few people twitting I should do the broadcasting of the Derby. First off, I am honored, and I did take a aptitude test back at Eckerd College in 1976 that told me my two vocations that stressed my strengths was law and radio in that order. But that is another chapter to discuss at another time. I have some ideas to maybe invite fellow fans who love to broadcast to maybe be invited to participate in the on-air duties during the Taco bell celebrity and athletes softball game to give it a different flavor. Maybe that is the stage for me to see the MLB break out of the norm and have a good time with it all.
I have to admit, I did have more fun watching Nellie make diving catches and Shawn Johnson doing her rendition of Ozzie Smith's flip. It made me want to watch the softball game. And that is new for me. I usually watch about 10 minutes of it all then click to something else, but last night I got interested. And no, it was not because I fell in visual love again with Jenna Fisher from "The Office". I have had a TV crush on her since I first saw her, but that is fantasy people. Anyways, the Home Run Derby was based on a 1959 show with the same title. That show evolved into the present day model we see during the All Star game.
For this event to again evolve might take some hard stances by MLB with their broadcast partners, but for one night shouldn't the event be about the broadcasters of the MLB and their premier hitters. A combining of the two forces both vocal and physical could bring about a renewed interest in the viewing of the Home Run Derby. The All Star game is still going to be the focal point of the three days, but to elevate the Home Run Derby a bit would only bring more money and more exposure to other facets of the MLB.
By letting their league broadcasters showcase their talents during the event would make someone in San Diego, California, or even another country want to hear a game called by Boston Red Sox's Jerry Remy or maybe the Chicago White Sox's Ken Harrelson or Steve Stone. It would mean more revenue for the MLB through the MLB.TV packages, and also retain some interest of fans outside their current markets.
To expand the minds of baseball fans is not always an easy task, but for us to enjoy hearing some of the legends and growing talent around the league maybe call the Home Run Derby would be a deep, deep shot into the night. It is now your choice MLB. You can take this advice and use it as your own, or you can just let the Derby stagnate until the viewership goes down and you do not know why. It is time for a change, and here I listed a few easy solutions, the rest is up to you. Do it for the fans. Do it for the International viewers. Do it for the expansion of the sport around the globe. Or like Nike loves to say………"Just Do it!"
2009 State Farm Home Run Derby thoughts
Most people call it the "most exciting play in baseball." I am talking about the one play that can make even a visiting crowd stand up and rise to their feet and cheer and celebrate the true nature of the play. No, it is not a around-the-horn ( 5-6-3 ) double play but the always exciting home run. It doesn't matter if it is a solo shot or a Grand Slam, people love seeing that ball take its extreme flight path from home plate to its final resting place hopefully in someones hands in the stands. It is a play that in one swing of the bat can take a game and transform it in so many different directions for the two teams involved in the contest.
It packs the essence of power, of skill and of will power all compacted in that one solid swing against that little white ball. But it can also hold the hopes and dreams of winning with it's majestic path towards the outfield walls. There is no other play in baseball that is held in such a high level of respect and admiration when it comes to hitting.
So we have come to that point just beyond the halfway mark where we celebrate everything that is great about the long ball for one long night. The stage and the players have been set, and their game faces will be different tonight because they will get to also celebrate with fellow teammates and All Stars from both leagues sitting right there within eye sight of the participants.
At today's media day, there will be a million questions thrown at the participants in this seasons State Farm Home Run Derby. Some asking about totals, distance, or if they can hit the Mastercard banner and win someone some extra spending money for the week. But hopefully someone will remember to ask this one question, this one simple thing that could bring a bold smile to each of their faces. " What is your motivation for tonight's event?"
Some of those questions will merit unique answers that might take a player back several years into their past. Others might speak of recent injuries or events that have shaken their core and made them a better player. And other might just see it as an opportunity to introduce themselves to the world's audience as both a player and as a person.
The event had grown into a huge precursor to the All Star Game itself. To say the Home Run Derby event has taken on a life of its own would not be too far fetched at all. E Bay will be full of 2009 Home Run Derby balls on Tuesday morning, including the gold-colored balls used to escalate the fortunes of charities tonight. For some to be at the event is enough, to celebrate the act of the Home Run and see the cheers of the crowd will be like drinking 5 Amp energy drinks in a row. Sparks will fly, minds will wander and kids will fall all over the outfield trying to catch these hit balls.
Heck, I even took a gander over there today and saw a ball from the 2008 Home Run Derby signed by Hamilton up for bid right now at $ 169.99. But then again that is a "Buy now" option that might not be met. But there is a smattering of about nine past HR Derby balls from 2001 to 2005 all running under $ 40 right now. It is great that this event has elevated itself to its current stature in the 3-days events surrounding the All Star Game.
It is hard to even remember that this event might have been made possible by a simple television program stated in the 1960's. The black and white "Home Run Derby" show was so popular in the 1960's that it had to have spawned the current event. Even though these shows only pitted two of the best home run hitter of that season, it did have a huge impact on the future of the art of hitting the long ball. I remember seeing a few dozen of these shows as a kid and trying to copy the swings in Little League. But you did try and copy them because they were your heroes and you wanted to see them blast the ball into the stands with every pitch.
And the Home Run Derby did not hurt its image last season when the world got to see the re-emergence of Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. From the great personal story of Craig Counsel, his former AAU coach and personal Home Run Derby pitcher, to the struggles and demons Hamilton had to wash away to get back to this stage, it set up a heroes return to the game that impassions him from top to bottom. And his shattering of the events record books only goes to show that anyone can take the stage. But how many people remember that he did not win the event?
And America ate it up like a hot, creamy plate of mac & cheese. But it was also the kind of message that needs to be delivered to the youth of this country. That even if you hit rock bottom and the depths of despair, with a little faith and the courage to change, the world is at your feet.
But what will be the story this year? Will it be another coming out party for another one of baseball's stars. You know one of the great "feel good" stories will be the coming back from injury of Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, which also rhymes with power, this season. The young catcher has been known for his scattering of hits and his placement of the ball in achieving his current AL leading .373 average. It will be exciting to see him bend his back and thrust that bat to produce some power tonight in the Home Run Derby.
It might also be one of the "coming out" parties I eluded to in the beginning of the blog. Most people associate him with hitting in general. With a good showing in the H R Derby, he will also put his name on you mind when you think of Home Run potential. It is another aspect of his hitting game that might not get the attention it deserves, before tonight's event.
Then you have someone like the Tampa Bay Rays Carlos Pena, who had been tossed around the league for a few years from teams from the Rangers,Oakland A's, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees before he got a non-roster invitee invitation to Spring Training in 2007 from the Rays. Pena has always had the great glove, awesome power and the ability to pull a team together, but they had not all combined together at the same time before his stint with the Rays.
That spring in St. Petersburg, Florida his game came together and his power numbers have been impressive over the past 2 1/2 seasons. Pena has hit 101 homers with 282 RBI since his Opening Day start for the Rays in 2007. To even hear the story of him dreaming he was going to be on the plane to New York for the opening series after Rays Manager Joe Maddon informed him he was going to Triple-A to begin the season is amazing.
An unfortunate injury to Greg Norton opened the door for Pena to fly with the team to New York, and he has been with them ever since. Pena has a very natural home run swing, and the rightfield fence in Busch Stadium, which is 335 feet down the line, could play a major role in how he does tonight. But when you see him lean back and swing through the ball you have the thought in your mind each hit could go over the wall. He has the ability to take any pitch and drive it, so tonight might make people remember his name.
Brandon Inge, here is a guy I have been pulling for all year long for the Detroit Tigers. He has more homers and RBI than Miguel Cabrera, but most people outside of the American League do not even know his name. Because of his pairing with Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino in the All Star Game Sprint Final Vote, he has been dubbed the front part of the "Bran Torino" pairing.
This former catcher, turned third baseman has been doing the same thing for years without the acknowledgments, but tonight he can also get his name out there for future shots at the All Star team. Hidden beneath the names of Magglio Ordonez and Cabrera, Inge has been the consistent power monger on the Tigers this season. With 21 homers and 58 RBI, he is showing his numbers fit right into the program for the Home Run Derby. He even hit two on Saturday night to maybe get some extra momentum going into tonight's event.
The reason you have seen only AL names listed here is because of the recent video by Harold Reynolds that put all the focus on the NL first baseman getting ready to participate in the event tonight. I am not taking Adrian Gonzalez, Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder or Ryan Howard for granted at all, but to single out the four first baseman and not even chat about the AL competitors is just wrong.
It is for that reason I want to see Mauer,Inge,Pena and Ranger Nelson Cruz slam the door shut on the National League guys. That is right, I want to see a barn burner where the AL comes out on top…again. I am sorry if it is Albert's house, but it is our event to win tonight. By Reynolds putting that video out with so much emphasis on the NL and not a word about the AL is good old fashioned bulletin board fodder that will be eaten up by the AL participants.
Let the balls fly where they may, but I am going to throw out my final round prediction here: Mauer versus Inge for all the marbles. And if you want a great story, either one of these guys could win it all tonight. But the best part is all of us get to witness some awesome power tonight, and maybe another player will step from the shadows tonight and become another favorite of the world and of your kids.


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A New Era
Today is my last day at Wufoo / SurveyMonkey. I spent about one year at Wufoo after moving to Tampa, Florida, then we were acquired and moved to Palo Alto, California Then I spent about another year at SurveyMonkey, bouncing between the two products.
I'd say they were the best two years of my life.
I've worked with incredibly smart people whom I admire. I worked on products that I truly care about and that helped an enormous number of people. I've learned more about the web that I thought there was to know (and now realize how little I still know). I've grown in all ways. I've made friends for life.
Now I've decided it is time for me to move on and devote my time to my own projects for a while. After doing some travelling this summer, I'll be spending a lot more time on CSS-Tricks. I have a list of videos I want to record and articles I want to write a mile long. I want to be making more demos. I want to be finishing the almanac. I want to make the gallery more useful. And before the year is out (hopefully much sooner) I want to do a v10 of the site.
I'm also working hard on a new project called CodePen with some good friends of mine. Hopefully that will be in public Beta soon and I'll be able to share it with you all.
For the first time ever, I'll be able to dedicate all my time toward making these personal projects as best as they can be. I'm pretty stoked to see where they are able to go. I'm also going to be losing a significant amount of income, so you might see me trying to sell a few things here and there. I'm also thinking about doing a Kickstarter for the big CSS-Tricks redesign, where the rewards start with access to screencasts of the entire process and going up from there. Not entirely sure exactly what I'll do, that's part of the fun!
UPDATE: I'm doing the Kickstarter thing!

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Allen also has classes to further advance your employment skills, along with certification and vocational programs to help you prepare for a new career.
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The Game Speaks On 50 Cent's Low Album Sales! "I Bought 17 Albums. Its Sad. He Will Figure Out A Way To Sell G-unit Tampons"
"Watch Game get his Star Trak tattoo and react to the sales of 50 Cent's latest album "Before I Self Destruct."" - Rap-Up
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Advances in sensors, networks
and observational technology
At the core of the Treaty's verification regime are four ground-based global sensor networks to measure signals in the atmosphere, solid earth, and hydrosphere that are relevant to nuclear explosions occurring underground, underwater, or in the atmosphere. Together, these observing networks form the Treaty's multi-technology International Monitoring System. Contributions are sought in relevant areas of sensor network design and observational technology. Presentations are welcome on next-generation sensors and networks; increasing the reliability, robustness, and potential of sensor networks through their calibration, sensitivity, sustainment, power and communication systems, technical specifications; improving data quality; strategies for sampling and tuning network sensitivity; improving networks through performance modelling; mitigating background noise; physical layout of networks and sensor distribution; and complementing permanent networks with dense deployments and instrument campaigns.
View other conference themes:
- The Earth as a complex system
- Understanding the nuclear explosion source
- Advances in sensors, networks, and observational technology
- Advances in computing, processing, and visualization for verification applications
- Creating knowledge through partnerships, training, and information/communication technology


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New key factor identified in the development of Alzheimer's disease
Inheritance of an extra copy of the gene- β -amyloid precursor protein, APP, in individuals with Down syndrome leads to the inevitable development of early onset Alzheimer's disease, known to be linked to the deposition of Amyloid β peptide or Aβ in the brain. However, a new study published online by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identifies βCTF, a small protein found in APP, as a novel factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease related endosome abnormalities, which have also been tied previously to the loss of brain cells in Alzheimer's disease.
"In the study, using the cells from individuals with Down syndrome that are genetically predisposed to developing Alzheimer's disease, we showed that elevated levels of βCTF, independent of Aβ, cause a specific pattern of endosome defects with similar pathology of brain cells in Alzheimer's disease," said Ying Jiang, PhD, lead author and clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center. "Our research was successfully able to pinpoint that βCTF causes Alzheimer's disease -related endosome defects and that we could successfully reverse these endosome defects by lowering βCTF levels in the cells."
Endosomes are membrane compartments in cells that support cell survival by absorbing outside nutrients and are crucial in neuronal functions. In Alzheimer's disease, endosome abnormalities are the earliest neuropathologic features to develop, appearing even earlier in cases where one of several major genetic risk factors for the disease in inherited. Endosomes are also suspected sites of Aβ production in the cells.
"In the field of Alzheimer's research, we have been questioning whether Aβ is the only target to better understand the progression of Alzheimer's disease and if lowering Aβ is the only hoped-for therapy," said Ralph Nixon, MD, PhD, professor, psychiatry and cell biology, director, NYU Center of Excellence on Brain Aging and the Silberstein Alzheimer's Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center. "This study demonstrates that an alternative protein factor, βCTF, derived from the gene APP, is also unequivocally involved in Alzheimer's disease and may be of additional importance for the development of future effective therapies."
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To start things off I'm going to go over what you will and what you won't learn in this tutorial. First off I won't be covering anything about inheritance in this tutorial, this is strictly a beginners tutorial on how OOP works and I don't want to be throwing too much information right off the bat. Depending on how well this tutorial turns out I will create a part two that goes over more advanced topics like inheritance, and polymorphism. This tutorial WILL cover the basics of creating your own objects, good practices for creating objects and why using OOP over procedural oriented programming is much more efficient and better.
Why OOP?
Object's are one of the most powerful tools a programmer has, it allows the programmer to easily reuse code, create a data type for a specific task, and easily manage data without worrying about it changing or becoming stale through the use of encapsulation. Objects should be used whenever possible to save in development time and code needed to write. If you look at the Java API you'll see an almost endless list of objects to do just about any task you would want to do.
Basic Terms:
Class- A class is the blueprint of the object that you will be creating, it is where you build an object. Every instance of the object you created uses your class to build it.
Instances- Instances are simply an object with its own set of data. When you create an object each object gets its own set of data separate from all the other instances of the same object. Each instance is unique.
Constructor- This is what will be used to create an object, it dictates what information should be passed to the object (if any) at the time of its creation and is the first thing that is called when an object is created. There can be multiple constructors for a single object.
Fields (or Attributes)- These are the variables you use to store the information in your object. Objects can contain any number of fields of any data type.
Methods- This is what you will use to change the state of a field, grab the state of a field or perform a calculation on a field. Methods are split up into two main categories, setters and getters (also known as mutators and accessors respectively).
Encapsulation- This is used to keep the fields integrity safe from being changed outside of the object. Instead of giving the programmer that is using your object direct access to the objects fields you give them methods that are used to modify and access the fields.Access specifiers are used to allow (or not allow) access to the data contained in the fields in your object. Methods are usually public while fields are usually private (this will be explained in more detail later in the tutorial).
Static- When a method is static it means it doesn't need an instance of the object to be created to use the method. This may not make much sense now but it should by the end of the tutorial.
Method Signature- A method signature is what defines a method. There are six components to a method, which will be covered later in the tutorial.
UML Diagram- A UML diagram is a tool that programmers use when creating objects. It allows the programmer to view and build the object from an abstract level.
What is an Object?
You may be wondering what an object is and what you would ever need to use one for. Well if you've ever used a Scanner to get input from a user then you have used an object before. In fact you've most likely used dozens of objects before without even knowing it. An object is a kind of data type that you use to complete a specific task or store data about a specific entity. Objects have certain traits and certain behaviors that make them different from other objects. Think of an object in programming as any old object in the real world, for example a car. What traits does a car have? Well a car has a make, model, color, and mileage (obviously there are more traits for a car but we're just going to cover the basics). What behaviors does a car have? A car starts, goes forward, goes reverse, parks, and turns off. These are the most basic of features a car has, obviously there are other objects that are more simple then a car, like a switch. A switch has only two traits, on or off and has two behaviors, close the circuit or open it. When you create a software object you will be doing this exact process, determining what traits the object should have (also known as fields or attributes) and what behaviors the object will perform (also known as methods or functions).
Taking A Look At the Code
Now that you understand what an object is made up of we can start to take a look at some code and understand what it means. First we're going to look at the syntax for a constructor and some sample constructors. Then we're going to do the same thing for methods.
Constructor and Method Syntax
Below we have the syntax for a constructor. The constructor header is the first line of the constructor, it tells us what the constructors name is, what has access to the constructor (will be explained in more detail) and what parameters the constructor takes if any. There are two rules you must follow when you make a constructor:
1. A constructor must have the same name as the class that it is in (i.e. if you created a Car class you must have your constructors name be Car too).
2. If there is more then one constructor for a class they must not have the same header (i.e. you can't have two constructors in the same class with the header public Car(), they must be different).
AccessSpecifier ConstructorName(Parameter Variable Declaration) { //Do something }
Above is the syntax for a constructor. The access specifier is what determines what code can see and use this specific constructor, there are three values it can be, public, private and protected. Public means that code that is outside of the constructors class can see and use it. Private means only code inside of the constructors class can see and use it. We're not going to go over what protected means as it is not in the scope of this tutorial.
After the access specifier you must type the constructors name (remember the constructors name must be the same as the class name) followed by a pair of parenthesis. These parenthesis can be left blank or contain Parameters. If a constructor contains a parameter you must declare the parameters data type followed by the name of the parameter. If a constructor contains 2 or more parameters you must declare the data type and name for each parameter, even if the parameters are of the same type (i.e. you can't do the following public Rectangle(Double w, h) as it will cause an error).
Now lets take a look at some sample constructors. The first constructor is for the class Car and doesn't have any parameters. In most cases a constructor like this would set the fields of the object to 0 or null.
public Car() { //Do something. }
This next constructor is also for the Car class but this time it takes an argument of type Double called m. The constructor takes the value in m and assigns it to the mileage field (the this keyword is used to reference the current object being used).
public Car(Double m) { this.mileage = m; }
Below is the syntax for a method. As you can see it looks a lot like the syntax for a constructor except for one difference, a method has one more field called a return type (along with one optional field called static). The return type field is used to specify what type of value (if any) should be returned when the method is done executing. You can have the return type be anything from String to int as long as it is a valid data type. You can also have your method return any type of object. The last value a method can return is void, which means "don't return anything". One other not so obvious difference between a constructor and method header is the method name, since it isn't a constructor you can name the method any legal name. That being said there are some guidelines for naming methods (I say guidelines because you don't have to follow them but it is good practice to do so). Remember that we use our methods to access our fields in our class, because of this methods are almost always set to public.
1. The first letter of the method should be lowercase, followed by camel case (i.e. getField()).
2. For getter and setter methods you should have the first word of the method be get or set respectively.
AccessSpecifier ReturnType methodName(Parameter Variable Declaration) { //Do something }
Now lets look at some sample methods. We're going to look at both setter and getter methods. The first method is a setter method, notice how its return type is void. This is because when we set a field in our class we don't need to return anything, just set it. We instead set up a parameter and assign the value of the parameter to the value of the field we want to modify.
public void setField(int f) { field = f; }
Next we have a getter method with the return type of String. Whenever a method has a return type you must have the keyword return in your method. This keyword must then be followed by a variable or value of the return type (i.e. you can't have a return type of String and try to return an int, it will give you an error).
public String getField() { return field; }
Creating an Object
The first thing we want to do is decided what type of object we want to create. For this tutorial I'm going to create a Rectangle object as they are easy to understand, don't contain many fields or methods and is the unofficial universal beginning object. Before we jump into coding we need to think about what fields we should have for our Rectangle object. A rectangle contains both a height and width, those will be our fields. For our methods we can do a few things, we can have our rectangle compute its area and perimeter, along with set its length and width, and return its length and width. Below is a Rectangle class that I wrote along with a UML diagram of the Rectangle class:
public class Rectangle { //These are the fields used to store the width and height of your Rectangle object. private double width, height; //This is a static field used to keep track of the number of Rectangle object instances. private static int counter = 0; //Constructor for the class, used to set up all data when a //Rectangle object is created. This default constructor creates //a Rectangle object with a width and height of 1.0 public Rectangle() { width = 1.0; height = 1.0; counter++; } //This is another constructor for the Rectangle class that accepts //two arguments that are of the type double. This is what the you //will use when you know what the width and height of the Rectangle //object is when you create it. The constructor takes w and h and //sets them equal to width and height respectivley. public Rectangle(double w, double h) { width = w; height = h; counter++; } //This is a setter method, it is used to change the value of width //to whatever w is. public void setWidth(double w) { width = w; } //This is a setter method, it is used to change the value of height //to whatever h is. public void setHeight(double h) { height = h; } //This is a getter method, it is used to retrieve the value of width //at the current time. public double getWidth() { return width; } //This is a getter method, it is used to retrieve the value of height //at the current time. public double getHeight() { return height; } //Here is the getArea method, it uses the width and height //field that is stored in your rectangle object to //calculate the area. public double getArea(){ return width * height; } //Here is the getPerimeter method, it uses the width and height //field that is stored in your rectangle object to //calculate the perimeter. public double getPerimeter(){ return (2*width) + (2*height); } //Here is a static method used to count the number of Rectangle instances //are currently created. public static int getInstances() { return counter; } }
Now lets take a look at the code one block at a time. First lets look at the fields in the class:
private double width, height; private static int counter = 0;
As you can see both of these fields are doubles and private, this means that code outside of the rectangle class can't directly access the width and height fields. Since the fields are private it helps keep the data's integrity through encapsulation. Under the width and height field you'll see a field called counter that has the keyword static between private and int. When this keyword is used it allows us to access the data without needing an instance of the object created.
Next we're going to look at the two constructors for the rectangle class:
public Rectangle() { width = 1.0; height = 1.0; counter++; } public Rectangle(double w, double h) { width = w; height = h; counter++; }
Here you can see the keyword public. This means that this constructor can be seen and used outside of the Rectangle class, constructors are almost always public. In the first constructor you can see it doesn't take any arguments, and sets both the width and height field to 1.0. The second constructor looks the same as the first but takes two arguments, w and h both of type double. This constructor allows the programmer to specify what they want the width and height of the rectangle object to be the moment the object is made.
public void setWidth(double w) { width = w; }
public void setHeight(double h) { height = h; }
Above we have two setter methods, one for width and the other for height. They both perform the same task but on different fields in the class.
public double getWidth() { return width; }
public double getHeight() { return height; }
Next we have our getter methods, again one for width and the other for height.
public double getArea(){ return width * height; }
public double getPerimeter(){ return (2*width) + (2*height); }
Now we have two methods that look similar to a getter method. These methods are used to calculate the area and perimeter of the rectangle object and return the result. Neither the area or perimeter are stored in the rectangle class since both can be found through a calculation.
public static int getInstances() { return counter; }
The last method in the class is a static method, again meaning we don't need an instance of the Rectangle class to use the method. To access this method all we have to do is call the name of the Class followed by the name of the method, like this:
Using Objects
Now that we know how to make an object I'm going to demonstrate how to use one. Below is a sample program that creates two instances of the Rectangle class and finds their area and perimeter.
import java.util.*; public class test { public static void main(String[] args) { double area, perimeter; //This instance of Rectangle, called rec1, uses the default //constructor for our class, thus it sets width and height //to 1.0 Rectangle rec1 = new Rectangle(); //This instance of Rectangle, called rec2, uses the second //constructor from our class it sets the width to 2.3 and the //height to 1.3 Rectangle rec2 = new Rectangle(2.3, 1.3); Scanner keyboard = new Scanner(System.in); //This asks the user to enter a double for the width of rec1 //and sets rec1's width equal to the input by using the setWidth() method System.out.println("Enter the width for rec1:"); rec1.setWidth(keyboard.nextDouble()); //This asks the user to enter a double for the height of rec1 //and sets rec1's height equal to the input by using the setHeight() method System.out.println("Enter the height for rec1:"); rec1.setHeight(keyboard.nextDouble()); //Now that the width and height have been set in rec1 were going to calculate the area //and Perimeter of that Rectangle object. area = rec1.getArea(); perimeter = rec1.getPerimeter(); System.out.println("The area for rec1 is: " + area); System.out.println("The pereimeter for rec1 is: " + perimeter); //We can do the same thing with rec2 and get different results since they are different //Rectangle objects and hold different data. System.out.println("The area for rec2 is: " + rec2.getArea()); System.out.println("The pereimeter for rec2 is: " + rec2.getPerimeter()); //Prints out the number of Rectangle instances in the current program. System.out.println("There are " + Rectangle.getInstances() + " instances of the Rectangle class."); } }
Output from the program, input was 2 and 3:
Enter the height for rec1:
The area for rec1 is: 6.0
The pereimeter for rec1 is: 10.0
The area for rec2 is: 2.9899999999999998
The pereimeter for rec2 is: 7.199999999999999
There are 2 instances of the Rectangle class.
Closing Statement
I hope after reading this you have a good foundation of what objects are, how to create your own objects and how to use your own objects efficiently. If you have any questions, comments or concerns feel free to state them in a comment below.
This post has been edited by giggly kisses: 08 July 2011 - 12:02 PM


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Yep, I am as worn out as my prims! Boy this has been a busy holiday season....I am kinda glad it is over, but I just love Christmas, so I want it to stay around a little longer...I still have my lights on....Some people take their lights down the day after Christmas....NOT me ;)....I have been known to leave them up till July...lol.....Well, as Gretchen Wilson said...."I keep my Christmas lights on my front porch all year long".....I DO live in Tennessee ;).......Yes, that was a joke! ;)
I love it here in Tennessee! I wouldn't live anywhere else in the whole world....I was born and raised right here! And I love it!
I am going to post a couple of pictures of my gorgeous kids....(they get that part from ME)....;) I took this black and white picture of them on Christmas morning...aren't they just darlin'??? ;)
Here is Jake.....Santa FINALLY brought that Xbox 360!!!! ;)
And here is Kolbi...Just excited to open presents!!! LOL
Waiting on Christmas Dinner at my parents house! My mom is the BEST cook in the whole world!! :)
Well it is late, I'd better sign out for now...Thanks for letting me share my awesome kids with you :)
Until next time........Stay warm and be safe!!!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Just worn OUT!!!!!!! ;)
Yep, I am as worn out as my prims! Boy this has been a busy holiday season....I am kinda glad it is over, but I just love Christmas, so I want it to stay around a little longer...I still have my lights on....Some people take their lights down the day after Christmas....NOT me ;)....I have been known to leave them up till July...lol.....Well, as Gretchen Wilson said...."I keep my Christmas lights on my front porch all year long".....I DO live in Tennessee ;).......Yes, that was a joke! ;)
Posted by Becky at 12:09 AM 0 comments
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Christmas Past~In Tennessee :)
Here is a picture of a similar one.....lol
Either way, my head wasn't cold when I went to school...;)
Christmas time at our house was GLORIOUS! My sister and I would wear the pages out on the big Sears Christmas Wish Book, making our list out to Santa. We made out several lists throughout the month, changing things, adding things, etc. I can remember the year that I wanted a "Mrs Beasley Doll"....The same doll that Buffy had on the show "Family Affair"........I just HAD to have that doll..and of course, I got it ;)....Here is a picture of me with Mrs Beasley, and my sister, Donna, and my grandaddy :) I sure miss him!
Wasn't Donna so cute!????? :) I could just pinch her cheeks.....hehe ;) But I won't do that now, since she might not like that....lol
Our Mom and Dad are the BEST, most AWESOME parents! Now I know that a lot of people think that about their own parents, but I tell ya, if I can do one half as good as they did with us, and not meaning money or how much they could buy us! I mean by how much love they gave us! If I can do as good as them, then my kids will grow up and look back on me and my husband like that, and I'll know I did a job well done with them! My Dad always made sure that Christmas was a magical, special time! Of course, he DID say he was gonna break both of Santa's legs on Christmas eve, or at least bruise his shin bones so he couldn't get down the street to our house....LOL...We KNEW he was kidding, but then we DID wonder sometimes....LOL
Yes, our dad IS THE BEST dad in the world!!! And so is our Mom! The same woman who used to stay in her robe all day long with a phone on her ear talking while she watched soaps..:) The same woman who has made EVERY SINGLE Christmas filled with Christmas candy, apples, oranges, tons of awesome twinkling lights and decorations!
She is the best cook in the world, too!! Turnip greens, turkey and dressing, and of course, her famous buscuits and gravy! Make my mouth water! :) She is also GORGEOUS...I hope I look as good and she does at 63!!!! She was also my inspiration and the whole reason I wanted to be a stay at home Mom! She always stayed at home with us when we were little, and I REMEMBER that! I remember how good it felt to be able to come home from school and there she would be waiting on us! I wanted my kids to have that same feeling ;)
I can remember staying in our darkened livingroom with nothing on but the Christmas tree lights..Laying in the floor watching the colorful lights blinking with butterflies in our stomach, nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs! Wondering if we were good enough that year to get what we wanted from Santa! What a magical time in my life! I can also remember the year I saw Santa peek in our livingroom window! OMG I was scared speechless!!!! LOL
I can remember never getting any sleep on Christmas eve night! We went to bed at dusk! lol....Or at least it seemed so...We would listed to a record on my parents' big HUGE stereo that took up most of our living room area! We had an album of "Scrooge"...I can still hear the cracking and popping that old album would make when the record player needle would fall on the album to start! (Shame, my kids don't even know what a record player looks like!!!) Soooo exciting to hear that voice say......"Long, long ago, on a cold bleak Christmas Eve, there lived a grumpy old man, named Ebenezer Scrooge".........And my sister and I just LOVED David Cassidy, on the Partridge Family! The song "Cherish" by David Cassidy, my sister played it OVER AND OVER AND OVER one Christmas, so many times, that it became a traditional Christmas song in our house! And it still is today...even in mine :)
Traditions are so important! Remember to start your own! And be sure to watch "Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story"! No holiday can be complete without those movies ;)
I hope you have a VERY MERRY Christmas!!! HO HO HO!!!!! ;)
Posted by Becky at 6:54 AM 0 comments
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Want your own Auction template? I know where you can get one JUST FOR YOU :)
Changing the subject real fast........ It is COLD here in Tennessee!!! Officially about 17 degrees at my house here in Tennessee Ridge! I never know how to dress.....Last week it was 78 for the high................UGH........I just want some SNOW! ;) I am hoping we get some this year......it was terrible last year..Hardly any snow at all!!!
Until next time....................................................................................................................
Posted by Becky at 8:27 PM 0 comments


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Case Studies
Albuquerque Public SchoolsAlbuquerque Public Schools (APS) in New Mexico uses technology to stimulate learning in the classroom and to prepare students for higher education. Over the past two years, the district has been using NBC Learn K-12 on a regular basis. Read case study >
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North Forest Independent School DistrictIn April of 2010, NBC Learn headed to Houston, Texas and conducted a teacher training session with the North Forest Independent School District (NFISD), one of the lowest-performing districts in the state. NBC Learn worked together with teachers to integrate real-world video clips into the district's science curriculum, increasing the student's engagement and knowledge. Read More >
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Less than two minutes into the second quarter of Northside�s 41-13 victory over Croatan on Friday night, coach Bob Eason had reason to be taken aback at the start, elated moments later and worried not once, not twice but three times after three of his top players went down with injuries.
Less than two minutes into the second quarter of Northside�s 41-13 victory over Croatan on Friday night, coach Bob Eason had reason to be taken aback at the start, elated moments later and worried not once, not twice but three times after three of his top players went down with injuries.
In the end, however, Eason couldn�t help but be pleased as the Monarchs remained unbeaten while continuing their all-over-the-field, shutdown defense, which on this night picked off three passes and recovered a fumble against a foe off to its best start in school history.
�Good win,� Eason said. �We faced a little adversity, came out and played hard and won.�
The Monarchs (7-0, 3-0 East Central 2-A Conference), who are ranked No. 3 in this week�s 2-A Associated Press poll, turned in another solid performance despite being without starting quarterback Jake Erickson as well as leading rusher Dwayne Johnson and their best defensive lineman, Zach Sinclair, for most of the game.
Sinclair broke his hand on the second play of the game, Erickson went down with an injury to his left ankle or leg � Eason wasn�t sure which after the game � and Johnson suffered a hip injury with 10:30 left in the second quarter.
Given that and Northside�s margin of victory over the Cougars (4-2, 2-1), Eason was asked what that said about his team.
�That we got a lot of good players,� he replied. �We�ve got a lot of guys working hard to be good. So those people got their chance and made the most of it and did a good job.�
Eason said he knew the Monarchs had solid depth.
�But sometimes you need to be forced to use it a little bit,� he said. �Tonight we were.�
That depth came through to help stymie any thoughts of an upset by the Cougars, who hurt themselves with four turnovers as well as a muffed punt and not coming up with a surprise � to everyone, including Eason � pooch kickoff to open the game the Monarchs recovered.
�You play the No. 3-ranked team in the state, you�ve got to come out and play perfect football,� Croatan coach David Perry said, �and in the first half (if) we don�t turn the ball over it�s 7-7 at halftime and we�re in the game.
�First time this year we�ve made mistakes. We�re averaging one turnover a game and then tonight we had, I don�t know, six? You can�t do that. As good a team as they have, you�re not going (to win).�
And given the injuries Northside suffered early, Perry agreed the Monarchs might have been there for the taking had the Cougars not given the ball up so often.
�I think this was a night we could have competed. It could have been a good game,� he said. �But we would have played perfect football. We picked a bad night not to.�
The night got off to a bad start for the Cougars and a surprising good one for the Monarchs.
Gage Eason plopped the opening kickoff just over the Cougars� frontline and Cee Jay Lopes jumped on the football for the Monarchs at the Croatan 32-yard line.
�It wasn�t (called),� Eason said. �I told him not to kick it deep, just chip it up. � I told Gage, �Put it in the hole.� He did a great job. It was good to get that ball. Good start of things. Good for us.�
The kick obviously caught the Cougars by surprise.
�I don�t know if it was planned or not. It�s hard to tell, but it worked,� Perry said. �That got us off to a bad start coming right out of the box. After that, I think our defense isn�t ready. You rush them out on the field. You always try to tell the kids, �Hey, you�ve got to play well after a turnover; you�ve got to handle adversity.� But we didn�t.�
On Northside�s first play from scrimmage Johnson sliced around the left side and raced 32 yards for a touchdown for a 7-0 lead.
The Monarchs made it 14-0 after Lopes recovered a muffed punt by Marshall Judon at the Croatan 4-yard line. Taking the handoff from backup quarterback Courtney Piatt, fullback Trey Eason rumbled around left end into the end zone on the first snap with 1:11 left in the opening quarter.
Croatan cut the lead in half on the first of two trick plays that got the Cougars into the end zone. The first came with 7:25 left in the half off a double-reverse throw that saw quarterback Andrew Colborn hook up for a 17-yard touchdown to Mitchell Smith, who had 8 catches for 125 yards.
But Northside answered after Markel Jones returned a fumbled handoff 35 yards to the Croatan 15. Two plays later, Blair Adams, who rushed for 112 yards on 14 carries, scored on a 15-yard run to make it 22-7 after Trey Eason�s 2-point conversion with 2:38 left in the half.
The Monarchs scored on their opening possession of the second half to put the game away.
On third-and-7, Piatt, who is only a sophomore but played solidly in relief of Erickson, threw bomb that the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Cabrera caught at about midfield and turned into an 84-yard touchdown reception down the sideline to make it 29-7.
�The QB did a good job of faking the run,� said Cabrera, a junior, �and I got out and the cornerback bit a little bit and I got a good run out of it.
That wasn�t the last time Cabrera was heard from. Having already come up with one of the Monarchs� three first-half interceptions, Cabrera also returned a punt 53 yards to the Croatan 10 to set up Adams� second TD on the first snap after the return.
�There was so many people I didn�t know which way to go,� Cabrera said.
Not a bad evening for Cabrera.
�He had a pretty good night,� Eason said. �He�s a damn good player.�
Just one of many the Monarchs have, including a number who came off the bench to sub after injuries left two of the team�s top players on the sideline and Erickson in the hospital as the game continued without him.
�It was a little sloppy,� Eason said, �and that was to be expected when you lose some (key players). But I thought we played good. We scored 41 points.�
And they held Croatan�s spread, pass-oriented offense to 170 yards total offense and just two touchdowns.
�I feel good,� Eason said.
Croatan 0 7 0 6 � 13
Northside 14 8 13 6 � 41
First Quarter
NS � Johnson 32 run (T. Eason kick) 11:42
NS � T. Eason 4 run (T. Eason kick) 1:12
Second Quarter
C � Smith 17 pass from A. Colborn (K. Colborn kick) 7:25
NS � Adams 15 run (T. Eason run) 2:38
Third Quarter
NS � Cabrera 84 pass from Piatt (T. Eason kick) 10:23
NS � Adams 10 run (run failed) 5:00
Fourth Quarter
NS � Miller 37 run (kick failed) 11:01
C � Bannigan 40 pass from A. Colborn (kick failed) 4:30
First downs 7 11
Rushes-yards 16-21 34-207
Passing 159 103
Comp-Att-Int 13-22-3 2-8-1
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-1
Penalties-Yards 3-24 8-73
Punts 4-37.3 4-30.0
RUSHING�C: K. Colborn 3-23, Judon 1-22, Murray 2-1, Bannigan 1-(-1), K. Colborn 9-(12). NS: Adams 14-112, Miller 4-52, Johnson 8-32, Markee 3-6, T. Eason 3-5, Piatt 3-0.
PASSING�C: A. Colborn 13-22-3 159 2 TDs. NS: Piatt 1-6-0 84 TD, Erickson 1-1-0 19, Johnson 0-1-1- 0.
RECEIVING�C: Smith 8-125, Murray 2-11, Bryan 2-9, K.Colborn 1-5, Judon 1-(-1). NS: Cabrera 1-84 TD, Johnson 1-19.


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yeahduff wrote:And there's just no way homosexuality itself warrants an M-rating.
theamazingsquad wrote:In Poland, that was yesterday...
Mercury Hat wrote:However you feel about the post, godai, it was made in January 2005 and, as far as I know, theamazingsquad has all but disappeared off the board.
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text:
Author: Suisei
Illustrator: La-Na
Youki died in a traffic accident and was reborn in a fantasy world! However, instead of being the hero of legends, he ended up reincarnating into an overpowered demon. Having no desires to become the Demon Lord, he sits around in the Demon Lord's castle as a random low rank guardian.
One day, the Hero's party comes to attack and on a whim he knocks out the entire hero party. Healing up the Hero party and then preparing to send them back to town, he notices the female priest and falls in love at first sight!
(Description from: Novel Updates)
Associated Names
Yuusha Party
Support the author: Volume 1
Support the author: Volume 2
Chapter 02: I tried to regain my composure
Chapter 04: I tried to find out the secret of the date (part 1 | part 2)
Side Story ② : I tried making candy (part 1 | part 2)
Chapter 06:
Support the author: Volume 3


text:
The small, slim volume is quite minimalist in terms of what's on the page, but at the same time is emotionally rich and complex.The Quietus
Girard revisits the childhood death of his little brother – his most emotional and spare work
Burdened with grief, confusion, and anger, Pascal Girard explores the childhood passing of his five-year-old brother. Girard delves into the emotional repercussions of this life-changing trauma, from his memories as a nine-year old struggling to understand up until present day, twenty-five years after the shattering loss. At the heart of Nicolas lies the question shared by most undergoing bereavement: why? This confusion multiplies for a young boy with few answers to his questions, lacking even a basic explanation of the cause of his brother's departure. As sorrow and guilt are muffled by time and the flurry of even the most typical childhood and adolescence, this is a story of grief not grieved, and a glimpse into the ongoing process of reckoning. Pascal struggles to reconcile the magnitude of this tragedy with the minutiae of his daily experience of loss. Nicolas is a delicate, minimalist portrait of the many faces of mourning, identified with surprising humor and pathos by an artist who knows them intimately.
Originally published in a micro-run ten years ago, Girard creates new comics and an introduction that contemplate the larger effect of Nicolas's death on his current behaviors and habits. With masterful visual restraint, Girard pens a work of great honesty and integrity: Nicolas resonates long after the book is closed, the weight of the story echoing closely the heft of the personal loss.
Nicolas has been translated from the French by Helge Dascher. Dascher has been translating graphic novels from French and German to English for over twenty years. A contributor to Drawn & Quarterly since the early days, her translations include acclaimed titles such as the Aya series by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie, Hostage by Guy Delisle, and Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoët. With a background in art history and history, she also translates books and exhibitions for museums in North America and Europe. She lives in Montreal.
Praise for Nicolas
This graphic stream of consciousness about his life — before and after — is a powerful testament to brotherly love and healing.The Miami Herald
Girard captures a high level of intimacy, though the book is composed solely of scene drawings.Rookie Magazine
The honesty and immediacy of Nicolas take my breath away. There's humor in it, but there is also real, gut-wrenching grief. I feel thankful that this book exists, and that Pascal allows us into his heart so completely.Melissa Mendes
I can think of few graphic novels that pack more emotional punch per page than Pascal Girard's Nicolas.London Free Press
In a small volume that is both gorgeous and raw, Pascal Girard generously shares his own story of loss and coping in an extremely affecting manner. I love it very much.Leslie Stein
The result is raw, rough and unpolished but brutally affecting for something so simple in style and story.Herald Scotland
Girard tells his own story with clarity, never letting himself off the hook easily, nor coming down too hard on himself. He has patience for his own life — and if he doesn't, who will?Comics Beat
Through the course of the years, Girard sees beyond his veil of accustomed loneliness into a new world of possibility. While the original piece was emotionally powerful in its never-ending journey through the experience of loss, the addition of the continuance of Girard's life adds to it that there is always hope.Blog Critics