text:
Open sourcing the technology of running a business
We wanted to level access to the technology of running a business, like open source software levels access to the underlying infrastructure to create wonderful new software products. We published a variety of guides on topics like pitching investors, bookkeeping and business taxes, the basics of negotiating contracts for software companies, and everything else you see above. We're also adding to the guides regularly, once or twice a month.
Our guides are written at Stripe by experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts; where appropriately marked, they've been vetted by external lawyers and accountants for accuracy. We strive for them to be comprehensible by first-time entrepreneurs without a business background but still useful to more experienced founders.
We give more detailed and specialized advice to members; join Stripe Atlas today to get the opportunity to ask questions of our experts, interact with other founders on our forums, and participate in events like the Q&A session with Marc Andreessen which we periodically host. You can also sign up free for email updates from us when we publish new guides.
Email us at email@example.com if there are any topics that would be particularly useful to your business.


text:
Community Business Development Partners (CBDP) administers the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) programs. These programs promote economic opportunities for minority, women, and emerging small businesses.
CBDP determines the eligibility of small businesses to participate in Milwaukee County's small and disadvantaged business opportunity program initiatives in accordance with Federal Regulation, State Law and Milwaukee County Ordinance. Certification opens the door to targeted government contracting opportunities.
CBDP is a certifying member of the Wisconsin Unified Certification Program (UCP), a cooperative of Wisconsin cities, counties, and airport authorities that benefit from USDOT funding.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
I'm Brett Slatkin and this is where I write about programming and related topics. You can contact me here or view my projects.
08 June 2014
@ 12:03
I'm the author of the book Effective Python. I'm a software engineer and I've worked at Google for the past 14 years. My main areas of focus are survey statistics and A/B testing. I formerly worked on Cloud infrastructure and open protocols.
Follow @haxor if you'd like to read posts from me in the future. You can also email me here if you have questions. If you enjoyed this post, look here for some of my other favorites.
© 2009-2020 Brett Slatkin


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Grand Rapids: 429M gallons of wastewater released
Staff reports
Grand Rapids says recent flooding sent 429 million gallons of partially treated sewage into the Grand River.
That's the equivalent of filling 8.5 million bathtubs at 50 gallons each. The overflows occurred at retention basins where wastewater doesn't get a complete treatment.
The newspaper says the overflows were reported to the state.
West Michigan Environmental Action Council spokesman Dan Schoonmaker says it wasn't raw sewage. He says there were worse threats to the environment during intense rain and floods in the Grand Rapids region.
The Grand River dropped below flood stage Thursday. About 1,700 people have been evacuated in Kent County.


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Venture Firm?
Fund: Brook Venture Partners
Posted by Anonymous on 2009-02-18
These guys do debt deals at fairly high rates and look to take substantial equity positions as sweeteners to the deal rather than warrants which is more typical of this kind of firm. If you can stomach the deal, they could be an asset.PRIVATE: Members Only


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Cubs 2020 Rule 5 Draft & Minor League Free-Agent Watch List
As things stand right now...
57 Cubs minor leaguers are eligible for selection in the December 2020 MLB Rule 5 Draft, and 24 Cubs minor leaguers (18 post-2020 6YFA and six second-contract players) are eligible to be declared MLB Rule 55 minor league 6YFA at 5 PM Eastern on the 5th day following the final game of the 2020 World Series (or at 5 PM Eastern on October 15th if the 2020 World Series is cancelled).
LHP Matt Dermody, OF Ian Miller, LHRP Josh Osich, and INF-OF Hernan Perez, and 1B-3B Patrick Wisdom were outrighted to the minors during the 2020 season and had the right to either elect free-agency immediately or else defer free-agency until after the conclusion of the MLB regular season, and all five accepted their respective outright assignments and deferred their respective option to elect free-agency until after the conclusion of the MLB regular season, and then Dermody, Miller, Osich, H. Perez, and Wisdom elected free-agency prior to the 10/15 deadline.
The Cubs will have until five days after the final game of the 2020 World Series (or until October 15th if the World Series is cancelled) to either sign a post-2020 MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agent (including any Article XIX-A or Article XX-D player who did not file for free-agency by October 15th) to a 2021 minor league successor contract or add the player to their MLB 40-man roster, otherwise the player will automatically be declared a free-agent.
Also, any 2020 Rule 5 Draft-eligible player who is not eligible to be a minor league free-agent after the World Series but who was sent outright to the minors after signing a 2020 MLB contract (Trevor Megill and Michael Rucker) must be added to the MLB 40-man roster no later than 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the 2020 World Series or else the player cannot be added back to the MLB 40-man roster of the club that outrighted the player until after the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft.
Then the Cubs must decide by November 20th which 2020 Rule 5 Draft-eligible players (including any player eligible to be a minor league free-agent post-2020 who has signed a 2021 minor league successor contract) to add their MLB 40-man roster (to keep the player from being eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft).
The Cubs also must decide by November 20th whether to place a 2020 Rule 5 Draft-eligible minor league player who is not added to the MLB 40-man roster on 11/20 on their AAA Iowa reserve list or on the reserve list of an affiliate of a lower classification. At most 38 of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft-eligible Cubs minor leaguers can be placed on the AAA Iowa Reserve List on 11/20. However, although the AAA Reserve List limit is 38, probably more like 35 of the Rule 5 Draft-eligible players will actually be placed on the AAA Iowa reserve list on 11/20 (the Cubs placed 35 players on their AAA Iowa reserve list in both 2018 and 2019), because slots need to be left open for players the Cubs might want to select in the AAA Phase of the Rule 5 Draft, as well as for free-agents signed to minor league contracts or players outrighted to the minors after 11/20 but prior to the Rule 5 Draft. (Any Rule 5 Draft-eligible player who signs a 2021 minor league contract prior to the Rule 5 Draft will be eligible for selection). Any 2020 Rule 5 Draft-eligible Cubs minor leaguer who is not placed on the AAA Iowa Reserve List on 11/20 will be eligible for selection in the AAA Phase of the Rule 5 Draft).
Here are some of the more-noteworthy Cubs minor leaguers who are either eligible to be a minor league free-agent post-2020 or eligible for selection in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft (full lists further down the post)...
GROUP 1 (Eligible to be Minor League FA post-2020 - MLB ready or near-MLB ready):
1. Rex Brothers, LHRP - 4+161 MLB ST - has Article XX-D rights and no minor league options left if added back to te 40
2. Pedro Strop, RHRP - 9+092 MLB-ST - has Article XIX-A rights & no minor league options left if added to the 40
34. Joe Wieland, RHRP - 3+035 MLB-ST - has Article XX-D rights & no minor league options left if added to thd 40)
4. Danny Hultzen, LHRP - 0+023 MLB-ST - has Article XX-D rights & no minor league options left if added to the 40
5. Tyler Olson, LHRP - 2+114 MLB-ST - has Article XX-D rights & no minor league options left if added to the 40
6. Mark Zagunis, OF - 0+103 MLB-ST - has Article XX-D rights & no minor league options left if added to the 40
7. Jerry Vasto, LHRP - 0+037 MLB-ST - has Article XX-D rights & two minor league options left if added to the 40
NOTE-1: Article XIX-A means player can't be optioned or sent outright to minors without his consent once he is added to MLB 40-man roster
NOTE-2: Article XX-D means player can elect free-agency if sent outright to minors after being added to 40
GROUP 2 (Eligible to be Minor League FA post-2020 - not ready for MLB):
LEGIT PROSPECT (50/50 CHANCE TO BE ADDED TO 40 POSt_WORLD SERIES)
1. Jerrick Suiter, RHP (ex-1B)
2. Luis Lugo, LHP - SWING
3. Jordan Minch, LHRP
4. Ryan Lawlor, LHRP (second-contract player)
5. Erling Moreno, RHP - SWING
6. Corey Black, RHRP
7. Erick Castillo, C
8. Eugenio Palma, LHRP
9. Ivan Medina, RHRP
10. Luke Hagerty, LHRP (has Article XX-D rights & three minor league options left if added to the 40)
11. Vance Vizcaino, OF (second contract player)
12. Eric Gonzalez, C
13. Garrett Kelly, RHRP (second-contract player)
COMMENT: Only Jerrick Suiter has an outside chance to be added to the 40 post-World Series, but all of the pitchers and players in this group will likely be offered a 2021 minor league successor contract, although if offered one, the player does not have to sign it.
GROUP 3 (Eligible for selection in 2020 Rule 5 Draft - likely on AAA Reserve List if not added to MLB 40-man roster)
1. Cory Abbott, RHSP (AAA - likely to be added to 40 on 11/20)
2. Christopher Morel, INF (Hi-A - likely to be added to 40 on 11/20)
3. P. J. Higgins, C-INF (AAA - 50/50 chance to be added to 40 on 11/20 if not during season)
4. Michael Rucker, RHP - SWING (AAA - 50/50 chance to be added to 40 after World Series - has Article XX-D rights & three minor league options left if added to the 40)
5. Duncan Robinson, RHSP (AAA - 50-50 chance to be added to the 40 on 11/20)
6. Trevor Megill, RHRP (AAA - 50/50 chance to be added back to the 40 after World Series - has Article XX-D rights & three minor leaguie options left if added back to nthe 40)
7. Dakota Mekkes, RHRP (AAA - 50/50 chance to be added to 40 on 11/20)
8. Keegan Thompson, RHSP (AAA - 50/50 chance to be added to 40 on 11/20)
9. Brendon Little, LHSP (AA - 50/50 chance to be added to 40 on 11/20)
10. Aramis Ademan, SS (AA- 50/50 chance to be added to 40 on 11/20)
11. Juan Gamez, RHRP (Hi-A - 50/50- chance to be added to 40 on 11/20)
NOTE: The ten players listed above are good candidates to get selected in the Major League Phase of the 2020 MLB Rule 5 Draft if not added to the AAA Iowa reserve list by 11/20 (depending on how many AAA slots the Cubs leave open going into the Rule 5 Draft, there could be as many as 38 Rule 5 Draft-eligible players placed on the AAA Iowa reserve list).
12. Trent Giambrone, INF-OF
13. C. D. Pelham, LHP - SWING (0+027 MLB-ST - has Article XX-D rights & two minor league options left if added back to the 40)
14. Wyatt Short, LHRP
15. Matt Swarmer, RHP - SWING
16. Craig Brooks, RHRP
17. Donnie Dewees, OF
18. Erich Uelmen, RHP - SWING
19. Ben Hecht, RHRP
20. Bailey Clark, RHP - SWING
21. Eddy Julio Marttinez, OF
22. Javier Assad, RHSP
23. Jeffrey Passantino, RHP - SWING
24. Bryan Hudson, LHSP
25. Jared Young, 1B-OF
26. Delvin Zinn, INF
27. Zach Davis, OF
28. Tommy Nance, RHRP
29. Scott Effross, RHRP
39. Tyler Payne, C
31. Jose Albertos RHSP
32. Cam Balego, C-INF
33. Yunior Perez, RHSP
34. Danis Correa, RHRP
35, Aneuris Rosario, RHRP
36. Peyton Remy, RHP - SWING
37. Yonathan Perlaza, OF (ex-INF)
38. Fernando Kelli, OF
NOTE: All of the players listed above are good candidates to get selected in the AAA Phase of the 2020 MLB Rule 5 Draft if not added to the AAA Iowa reserve list by 11/20 (depending on how many AAA slots the Cubs leave open going into the Rule 5 Draft, there could be as many as 38 Rule 5 Draft-eligible players placed on the AAA Iowa reserve list).
Fact is, it is not unusual for veteran players who are added to the MLB 40-man roster during the course of the season to be removed from the 40 when they are no longer of use to the club. For example, RHP Jason Adam, LHP Rex Brothers, LHP Matt Dermody, 2B Jason Kipnis, OF Ian Miller, INF Hernan Perez, C Josh Phegley, and 1B-3B Patrick Wisdom (all eligible to be minor league free-agents post-2020) were added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster just prior to or during the course of the 2020 MLB regular season, although Dermody, Miller, Perez, and Phegley were subsequenjtly outrighted back to the minors and Wisdom was Designated for Assignment prior to the conclusion of the season, and in 2019 RHP Allen Webster, Of-1B Jim Adduci, OF Carlos Gonzalez, LHP Tim Collins, INF Robel Garcia, and LHP Danny Hultzen (all eligible to be minor league free-agents post-2019) were added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster during the course of the 2019 season, although Adduci was outrighted back to AAA in June and elected free-agency aftef the conclusion of the MLB regular season, Webster was outrighted back to Iowa after the season and was declared a Rule 55 minor league 6YFA after the World Series, CarGo and Collins elected to be free-agents after being outrighted in July, and Hultzen was non-tendered in on 12/2. Robel Garcia (a second-contact player signed by the Cubs to a 2019 minor league contract post-2018 and who was added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster in July) was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds in July 2020.
Besides adding players who are eligible to be minor league free-agents to the 40 during the MLB regular season, a player eligible to be a Rule 55 minor league free-agent (second-contract or 6YFA) is sometimes added to the club's MLB 40-man roster post-World Series just to keep the player from becoming a minor league free-agent, especially if the player declines to sign a minor league successor contract. That's what happened in 2018, when the Cubs added RHRP Matt Carasiti (eligible to be a Rule 55 second-contract minor league FA post-2017) to the 40 after the 2017 World Series to keep him from walking away as a free-agent, although he was released about a month later so that he could pursue an opportunity to pitch for the NPB Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Japan. (The Cubs received a substantial cash payment from the Swallows as the release fee).
But even if a minor leaguer who is eligible to be a free-agent signs a successor contract, the club might choose to add the player to the MLB 40-man roster because the club doesn't want to risk losing the player in the Rule 5 Draft. In fact this happened in 2016, when LHRP Jack Leathersich (who was eligible to be a Rule 55 second-contract minor league FA post-2016) signed a 2017 minor league successor contract prior to the conclusion of the World Series, only to be added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster on 11/18 so that he would not be eligible for selection in the December 2016 Rule 5 Draft.
The bottom line is, if a player eligible to be an MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agent (either 6YFA or second-contract FA) is not added to an MLB 40-man roster or does not sign a minor league successor contract by 5 PM Eastern on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series, the player will be automatically declared a free-agent and the player's former club receives no compensation if the player signs elsewhere. So minor leaguers like Jerrick Suiter, Luis Lugo, and Jordan Minch (as well as the other players eligible to be a minor league FA post-2020) have leverage other Cubs minor leaguers do not have.
As far as players who are eligible for selection in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft are concerned, only one (LHP Brailyn Marquez) was added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster during the 2020 MLB regular season (and that was on the last day of the season!).
The Cubs did not add players who were Rule 5 Draft eligible to their MLB 40-man roster during the course of the 2019 MLB regular season, but they did add three (RHP Tyson Miller, C Miguel Amaya, and INF Zack Short) to the 40 on 11/20.
NOTE: INF Nico Hoerner was added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster during the 2019 season, but he would not have been eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft until post-2021.
In 2018, the Cubs added RHRP James Norwood to the 40 during the course of the MLB regular season and LHSP Justin Steele to the 40 on 11/20. By comparison, during the course of the 2017 MLB regular season the Cubs added four players to the 40 (RHP Dylan Floro, RHRP Dillon Maples, RHSP Jen-Ho Tseng, and OF Mark Zagunis) who would have been eligible for selection in the December 2017 Rule 5 Draft, although Floro was subsequently claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
NOTE: INF-OF Ian Happ was also added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster during the 2017 season, but he would not have been eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft until post-2018.
The Cubs then added three more post-2017 Rule 5 Draft-eligibles (RHSP Adbert Alzolay, INF David Bote, and RHSP Oscar de la Cruz) to the 40 on 11/20 of 2017, Bote after hitting a robust 333/395/536 for the Mesa Solar Sox in the post-season Arizona Fall League. (It's not unusual for the Cubs to assign a Rule 5 Draft-eligible player to the Arizona Fall League, as the AFL is often used as a "proving ground" for pitchers and position-players who are under consideration for promotion to an MLB 40-man roster).
NOTE: Prior to 2019, players who were eligible to be MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agents after the World Series could not be assigned to the AFL unless the player had either been added to an MLB 40-man roster or had agreed to a minor league successor contract, but with the AFL season now starting and ending three weeks earlier than in prior years, the AFL season will end prior to MLB Rule 55 minor league players becoming free-agents, and so players eligible to be MLB Rule 55 minor leaguers five days after the final game of the World Series can play in the AFL even if the player has not signed a minor league successor contract).
The MLB Rule 5 Draft is held on the 2nd Thursday in December and is presently the last order of business at the MLB WINTER MEETINGS. It is a mechanism that allows MLB clubs to select (draft) players off minor league reserve lists.
There is a "Major League Phase" where an MLB club can select Rule 5 Draft-eligible players off the reserve lists of minor league clubs (any minor league classification) for $100,000 ("Major League Phase" Rule 5 Draft price increased from $50,000 to $100,000 beginning with the December 2016 draft), and a "AAA Phase" where a club's AAA minor league affiliate can select Rule 5 Draft-eligible players off the reserve lists of minor league clubs of a lower classification (below AAA) for $24,000 (Rule 5 "AAA Phase" draft price increased from $12,000 to $24,000 beginning with the December 2016 draft).
NOTE: Effective December 2016, the "AA Phase" (where a club's AA minor league affiliate could select Rule 5 Draft-eligible players off the reserve lists of minor league clubs of a classification below AA for $4,000) has been eliminated.
There is no limit on the number of rounds in each phase (there could be one, there could be three, there could be five or more). As long as at least one club is still selecting players, the phase will continue, but as soon as all 30 teams have a full reserve list (so that clubs can no longer make selections) or have passed, the phase is over.
There is no limit on the number of Rule 5 Draft-eligible players any one organization can lose in a Rule 5 Draft.
1. A minor league player who was 18 or younger on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract is eligible for selection starting with the 5th Rule 5 Draft following his first qualified season, and a minor league player who was 19 years or older on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract becomes eligible for selection starting with the 4th Rule 5 Draft following his first qualified season.
2. If a player signs his first contract after the conclusion of the season of the MLB or minor league club to which he is first assigned (even if he signs prior to the Rule 5 Draft), the next season is considered to be the player's "first qualified season" for Rule 5 eligibility purposes. (Depending on the minor league, the conclusion of a minor league club's season could be as early as the first week of August, or as late as the second week of September).
3. A player eligible to be an MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agent who signs a minor league successor contract prior to being declared a free-agent and a free-agent with prior MLB and/or minor league service who signs a minor league contract prior to the Rule 5 Draft is eligible for selection if the player was 18 or younger on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract and it is at least the 5th Rule 5 Draft since he signed his first contract, or the player was 19 years or older on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract and it is at least the 4th Rule 5 Draft since he signed his first contract.
4. Any player on a minor league reserve list who has either been released or had his contract voided and then re-signs with the same MLB organization within one year is eligible for selection.
5. Any player on a minor league reserve list who has been outrighted to the minors previously in his career is eligible for selection.
6. A player on the Voluntary Retired List, Disqualified List, or Ineligible List is not eligible for selection.
7. An MLB club can designate any player on a minor league reserve list "eligible for selection" in a Rule 5 Draft even if the player would not normally be eligible, but once a player is designated "eligible for selection," he remains eligible for selection in all subsequent Rule 5 drafts.
NOTE: A club might do this if the club is planning to release the player during the off-season.
8. A minor league player-manager who would be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft if he was only a player can be selected, but if he is selected, the player-manager can reject the selection and retire. He has 30 days to decide. If he rejects the selection and opts to retire as a player, the player-manager is ineligible to be reinstated as a player for a minimum of one year.
CUBS MINOR LEAGUERS ELIGIBLE FOR SELECTION IN 2020 RULE 5 DRAFT (last updated 10-15-2020)
Cory Abbott, RHP
Aramis Ademan, INF
Maikel Aguiar, RHP
Jose Albertos, RHP
Javier Assad, RHP
Cam Balego, C-INF
Craig Brooks, RHP
Jesus Camargo, RHP
Bailey Clark, RHP
Danis Correa, RHP
Yovanny Cuevas, OF
Zach Davis, OF
Donnie Dewees, OF
Christian Donahue, INF
Scott Effross, RHP
Juan Gamez, RHP (signed 2021minor league contract)
Trent Giambrone, IF-OF
Jose Gutierrez, OF
Ben Hecht, RHP
Ferrol Heredia, LHP
P. J. Higgins, C-INF
Bryan Hudson, LHP
Brandon Hughes, LHP (ex-OF)
Ryan Kellogg, LHP
Fernando Kelli, OF
Brendon Little, LHP
Eddy Julio Martinez, OF
Hector Matos, RHP (Restricted List)
Trever Megill, RHP (Article XX-D player)
Fidel Mejia, INF
Dakota Mekkes, RHP
Christopher Morel, INF
Connor Myers, OF
Tommy Nance, RHP
Carlos Ocampo, RHP
Jeffrey Passantino, RHP
Tyler Payne, C
C. D. Pelham, LHP (Article XX-D player)
Raymond Pena, C
Henderson Perez, C
Yunior Perez, RHP
Yonathan Perlaza, INF
Gustavo Polanco, C-1B
Eury Ramos, RHP
Peyton Remy, RHP
Duncan Robinson, RHP
Aneuris Rosario, RHP
Michael Rucker, RHP (Article XX-D player)
Wyatt Short, LHP
Jonathan Sierra, OF
Matt Swarmer, RHP
Keegan Thompson, RHP
Erich Uelmen, RHP
Didier Vargas, LHP
D. J. Wilson, OF
Jared Young, 1B-OF
Delvin Zinn, INF
Additionally, a free-agent who signs a 2021 minor league contract prior to the 2020 Rule 5 Draft or a minor league player who is eligible to be a minor league free-agent post-2020 but who signs a minor league successor contract prior to becoming a free-agent will be eligible for selection in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft if the player was 18 or younger on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract and it is at least the 5th Rule 5 Draft following his first qualified season, and a minor league player who was 19 years or older on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract becomes eligible for selection starting with the 4th Rule 5 Draft following his first qualified season.
Corey Black, RHP
Rex Brothers, LHP (Article XX-D player)
Erick Castillo, C
Eric Gonzalez, C
Luke Hagerty, LHP (Article XX-D player)
Danny Hultzen, LHP (Article XX-D player)
Luis Lugo, LHP
Ivan Medina, RHP
Jordan Minch, LHP
Erling Moreno, RHP
Tyler Olson, LHP (Article XX-D player)
Eugenio Palma, LHP
Pedro Strop, RHP (Article XIX-A player)
Jerrick Suiter, RHP/1B
Jerry Vasto, LHP (Article XX-D player)
Joe Wieland, RHP (Article XX-D player)
Mark Zagunis, OF (Article XX-D player)
SECOND CONTRACT MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS (see NOTES below)
Aneudis Beard RHP (previously released by TEX)
Garrett Kelly, RHP (previously released by MIN)
Ryan Lawlor, LHP (previously released by ATL)
Jorge Ramirez, LHP (previously released by TEX)
Juan Vasquez, C (previously released by SD)
Vance Vizcaino, OF (previously released by KC)
NOTE-1: With mutual consent (player & club), a second-contract minor league player who has accrued fewer than seven minor league seasons can be signed to a multi-year minor league contract with club control extending up through the player's seventh minor league season.
NOTE-2: RHP Aneudis Beard (previously released by TEX) and LHP Jorge Ramirez (previously released by TEX) are second-contract minor league players, but neither of the them is eligible for selection in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft if signed beyond 2020.
1. A minor league player eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft cannot be added to an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster), traded to another organization, or transferred from one minor league reserve list to another within the same organization, starting with the filing of minor league reserve lists on November 20th (or November 19th if November 20th falls on a Saturday or November 18th if November 20th falls on a Sunday) up through the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft.
2. A Rule 5 Draft-eligible player cannot be sent outright to the minors beginning at 5 PM (Eastern) on the third day prior to the Rule 5 Draft through the conclusion of the draft.
3. A club must have as many slots open on its MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) prior to the Rule 5 Draft as the number of players it selects in the Major League Phase, and an MLB club's AAA affiliate must have as many slots open on its reserve list prior to the AAA Phase of the draft as the number of players the affiliate selects in the AAA Phase.
4. A club can select a player off the reserve list of one of its own minor league affiliates, but if the player is selected in the Major League Phase, the club is bound by the same Rule 5 roster restrictions as if it had selected the player off the reserve list of another club's minor league affiliate.
NOTE: This actually happened at least once a number of years ago, after a club (Atlanta Braves) inadvertently left one of its top prospects off its MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) when minor league reserve lists were submitted to the MLB Commissioner on November 20th.
5. A player eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft cannot be "covered up" from selection, either by agreement between two clubs or by effect (such as by concocting a phony injury and placing the player on the Injured List in an attempt to decrease a player's value when the player is not really injured). Also, a player selected in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft cannot be "hidden" to help the drafting club fulfill Rule 5 roster obligations (such as by leaving the player on the Injured List after he is healthy enough to play). If the MLB Commissioner believes a club "covered up" a player to avoid losing the player in the Rule Draft or "hid" a selected player on an Injured List, the offending club or clubs are subject to a penalty (TBD by the MLB Commissioner).
idn't Mike Freeman just get
Didn't Mike Freeman just get DFA'd by Cleveland? That's an infielder with MLB experience at SS.
"Sahadev Sharma of The
"Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports that Joe Panik "is a name that has come up" as the Cubs look for a second baseman."
tony kemp, daniel descalso, and joe panik. what a powerhouse use of roster space.
evidently this is because the cubs couldn't afford eric sogard or cesar hernandez. wow. phew. alright.
"Cubs signed RHP Ryan Tepera
"Cubs signed RHP Ryan Tepera to a one-year, $900,000 contract."
i guess we're going to go on a tear of adding bargain bin talent like this. another reliever that likes to give up homers, too. neat.
300K split contract if he ends up in the minors.
in isolation, a signing like this would be nice. however, what we seem to be seeing is a slew of guys like this being brought in as a main approach to see if they can find the next pedro strop. good luck, etc. hopefully they can find a couple good ones...
----------------- -----------
gio gonzalez returns to the team that drafted him, wsox...1yr/4.5m with a 7m team option for 2021.
wsox also add d.keuchel
wsox also add d.keuchel 3/55m
he was cubs-rumor-linked early on, but that one doesn't seem like a strong rumor based on recent roster moves involving spending any amount of cash. seems like the cubs big splash is gonna happen via trade, or after freeing up $$ with trades.
PHIL: Do you know if it's
PHIL: Do you know if it's possible to include more than one PTBNL in a trade? Thanks!
blah blah not phil over here,
blah blah not phil over here, but....
yeah. the big dodgers/redsox trade in 2012 is one of the more recent bigtime multiple PTBNL trades (agonz/beckett/crawford trade with 2 PTBNL going one-way to BOS invovled).
Thanks crunch and Phil.
Thanks crunch and Phil.
This site is broken.
This site is broken.
so is the cubs offseason so
so is the cubs offseason so far...
I had been having trouble
I had been having trouble logging in until just now. Figured it was my end, but it's possible others are/were experiencing similar issues?
"Sports Hochi reports that
"Sports Hochi reports that Shogo Akiyama has narrowed his choices down to the Padres and Reds."
he was also linked to the cubs, but a strong rumor that he would actually want to be paid money screwed that up for the cubs.
Akiyama to Cincinnati. Guess
Akiyama to Cincinnati. Guess he opted for money instead of Buona Beef coupons.
Site glitches are my fault. I
Site glitches are my fault. I have been doing a lot of work on the back end and was improperly caching things that messed up accessing the site and proper display. Really sorry for the issues.
I forgive you.
I forgive you.
Perfect time of year for that
Perfect time of year for that maintenance to happen! Thanks!
Although there was some
Although there was some discussion of Rule 5 pick Jerrick Suiter switching to pitcher, this article might have more specific insight into that: https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/baseball/professio...
"While Suiter said Cubs player development guru Matt Dorey sees him as a pitcher long-term, his versatility gives him an edge thanks to new roster rules.
Suiter anticipates reporting to spring training in Mesa, Arizona, on Jan. 24. The Times 2011 Athlete of the Year has only made two appearances on the mound as a pro and said he's not sure what velocity he tops out at — he hit 93 miles per hour in high school. But he's hopeful that shifting that direction can extend his career.
"It's huge," Suiter said. "It gives me a chance to stay in the game."
That's awesome! Great find.
That's awesome! Great find.
cubs doing nothing worth
cubs doing nothing worth mentioning aside, it has been one hell of an early busy free agent market compared to the past couple years. good to see the market moving agian. all of this without CHC or BOS participating in any notable way so far.
on the cubs side of things, i do like b.morrow at $1m base + bonuses if gets called up. that's a cheap gamble on the other side of a minor league contract. it helps hedge the pile of bargain bin crap they're throwing at a wall to see what sticks (d.winkler, t.megill, r.tepera...and whatever the hell their plan is for j.cotton).
Happy New Years folks, lets
Happy New Years folks, lets hope it's a good one
I will drink to that.
I will drink to that.
the cubs need to make a trade
the cubs need to make a trade for cole tucker...or pablo sanchez if they can get him...
darwin barney new manager of
darwin barney new manager of AAA Nashville Sounds (TEX)
flashback to a year ago on his effort to help bring baseball to portland, oregon and his desire to not stray too far from the game even though he's missed his family while being a player.
starlin castro to WAS on an
starlin castro to WAS on an assumed 2/16m deal. not bad for castro.
hard to believe it's still a few months before he turns 30.
Is it possible that he winds
Is it possible that he winds up with 3000 hits? I think he has 2000 already.
Unlikely... he's got 1,617
Unlikely... he's got 1,617 currently. has a great shot at 2k though.
unless something changes
unless something changes about his hitting approach, probably not even if he plays another decade.
a notable chunk of his hits come from busting ass out of the box on stuff that slower or less determined hitters would turn into an out. he's got a small combo of beating stuff out and forcing bad throws to beat out for hits that pad his hit total. that kind of thing is nice, but it tends to not age well with the player's decreasing speed and mobility. he's shown absolutely no change in his hitting approach since his early days. he makes contact and busts ass out of the box. not much going on with patience or pitch selection.
btw, this deal might also spell the end of the bryant/nats trade talks since castro is considered a decent enough 3rd option as well as 2nd. it at least hedges their future plans. quite honestly, i dunno how much time bryant has left at 3rd before he's a corner OF'r anyway.
Regarding trade ramifications
Regarding trade ramifications, just to be devils advocate, would it perhaps open up top Nats prospect Carter Kieboom to being available via trade?
I just can't believe Castro is just entering his age 30 season.
i dunno a lot about what WAS
i dunno a lot about what WAS is trying to do this offseason, just that WAS/CHC have been linked multiple times to trade talks involving bryant.
early reports have castro expected to mostly play 2nd, though they've noted his versitility at 3rd/SS.
i think WAS is in the mix for j.donaldson, too. things might shape up more for bryant after someone locks donaldson down.
Kieboom is absolutely a top 5
Kieboom is absolutely a top 5 in baseball prospect name. If they trade with the Nats, I'll be disappointed with anything less.
kieboom or v.robles has to be
kieboom or v.robles has to be the starting point for anything involving bryant, i'd imagine...at least one of them. either would be high end pickups for the cubs. WAS -really- likes robles, though...so he's most likely staying put.
He has to be 47 in baseball
He has to be 47 in baseball years.
How much is the new TV deal
How much is the new TV deal worth to the Cubs per year?
$40-50 million, according to
$40-50 million, according to the Sinclair CEO last February. Epstein was quoted in September as saying the team would feel no immediate boost from the deal.
Carlos Asuaje? Magic 8 Ball
Carlos Asuaje? Magic 8 Ball says: My Reply is No.
there goes the remaining
there goes the remaining budget.
it makes strategic sense, though. the needs of the club dictates that if they don't make the post-season then they'll have more time to prep the field for college football in november.
i just hope they have the will and fortitude to find some more concerts to hold at the park during the season, itself. the hotel zachary upgrades, including the "glamping" tents, could use some financial fortitude.
plus, there's various elections coming up in multiple states and nation-wide that need financial support.
Everybody In™
...seriously, though...just waiting around for whatever trade is going to make the team better since that seems to be step 1 of doing anything going forward with 2020 improvements... also keeping an eye on nick "opening day everyday" castellanos's free agent status...etc.
AZ Phil: There is a recent
AZ Phil: There is a recent article (12/31/19) in The Athletic by Sahadev Sharma predicting a fast track future for Cubs 2018, 2nd round pick, OF Brennen Davis. He seems to be showing hitting talent but had limited exposure because he missed August from a hand injury. Can you update your thought on his status for 2020? Thanks, as always.
AZ Phil - Seeing Davis play
AZ Phil - Seeing Davis play in person, do any current/former MLB players come to mind as comps, e.g., a young Dave Winfield?
sun-times with some shots
sun-times with some shots fired at the cubs for the off-season priorities so far...
"For the Cubs, bricks and mortar come before pitchers and catchers"
Really eviscerating the
Really eviscerating the Ricketts for this nonsense. As well they should be. They've really paved the way for other businesses looking to burn goodwill at a record pace.
i don't understand how anyone can defend it.
i'm glad they've sunk loot in
i'm glad they've sunk loot in and all that...top spender already, etc...but you get windows of victory and we're still right in the prime of one. it seems like a crap time to go cheap.
outside of that, it seems the team's offseason is being held hostage by a future trade freeing up money or delivering the talent through the trade, itself.
It's also bizarre to do a
It's also bizarre to do a front office shuffle which seems to have added one or two senior people, then go cheap on the player payroll. Good businesses usually go lean on management headcount and treat the workers fairly generously. Pro baseball is definitely a business.
dbacks sign trevor clifton to
dbacks sign trevor clifton to a minor league deal. he fell of a cliff real hard last season for the cubs. shame.
I'm betting he figures it out
I'm betting he figures it out now that he's got a fresh start.
it could be "weeks" before the bryant service issue thing is settled. this just keeps dragging on and on and on and on... it is highly unlikely he'll be traded until a team knows whether they have him for an extra season or not...
also, it's getting a bit weird to see nick castellanos linked to a TEX pursuit for almost a month now without any movement. it has me wondering if bryant-out/cast-in might be on the table.
i know w.contreras has been rumor linked to be the one to go, but with lester around and the team not trying to snap up a D-heavy catcher i dunno if they're looking to move him and his 4.5m yet. lester is around another season with a 2021 team option for 25m, 10m buyout, auto-renew with 200ip in 2020 (hasn't thrown 200+ ip since 2016 despite only skipping 1 start since then).
Baez can just catch on days
Baez can just catch on days Lester starts if they trade Contreras. There--solved.
we wasted all that money d
we wasted all that money d.ross for manager when we could have just had Charlie. this front office is a mess.
Stick Bote at SS, Happ at 2b
Stick Bote at SS, Happ at 2b and Javy at C for Lester starts - we good.
if lester pitches from 1st
if lester pitches from 1st base then he'll never have to throw over there to cover it. someone should look into that.
That will really free Rizzo
That will really free Rizzo up to play first base from 15 feet in front of the mound. Not sure how they would align for a lefty shift, but they can figure that out in spring training.
I'll stop thinking Cubs
I'll stop thinking the Cubs Performance Academy is cutting-edge until I hear all three of you have been brought on board.
i'm aiming higher...something
i'm aiming higher...something in the front office.
i have an idea to make high end pitchers pay for themselves by having them scream "Diet Pepsi presents..." as loud as they can before every pitch they throw.
Pepsi may not be on board at first, but they'll start cutting big checks eventually.
I got Arbys as a legit backup plan so no one thinks this is a one-dimensional approach. We could actually get both going on, having Kimbrel scream "Arbys sliders presents..." before he throws a slider. Some would argue that would be a disadvantage by tipping his pitch, but realistically anyone who saw him last year knows that 100% doesn't matter at all because it's going 500ft over a fence anyway.
Laughed a lot during this
Laughed a lot during this thread! Good to laugh at something other than the Cubs' off-season moves for a change. ;)
Someone mentioned bringing Brailyn Marquez to MLB camp. I don't remember the specifics, but I remember there is a sort of financial blowback if a minor league player gets injured in big league camp.
Refresh my memory.
If he'd make it through healthy, him having a chance to learn from older pitchers could be very useful. TIA.
t.kemp to A's
t.kemp to A's
Carlos Asuaje takes his spot?
Carlos Asuaje takes his spot?
I'm a little more than a
I'm more than a little disappointed and puzzled that a prospective Tony Kemp trade to Oakland is not taking center stage in the baseball world today? Can't imagine anything else could top that.
James Loney too maybe?
James Loney too maybe?
I'm actually not sure he's such a lug. He's only about 6'0" and has decent fielding grades from MLB Pipeline (50 field, 55 arm, but only 40 run). I wonder if he would be playing 3B if he didn't throw left handed. The 40 run might keep him out of the OF, but his arm would play there.
mark grace is the most
mark grace is the most athletic pack-a-day of smoker of the steroid era...i'm sure he could have played somewhere besides 1st, but he'd have to cut back to a half a pack. marlboros > stanozolol.
Phil, when does the
Phil, when does the Instructional players report?
WAS is now floating c.kieboom
WAS is now floating c.kieboom as a 3rd base option...along with asdrubal cabrera backing him up there.
the bryant service issue delay may end up lessening his trade value as teams (especially his #1 rumored suitor, WAS) prepare their teams in the offseason.
it's unfortunate that the cubs major offseason team building is based on waiting to find out how much getting rid of bryant is worth because of service time concerns.
As part of the 2019-2020 Cubs
As part of the 2019-2020 Cubs offseason dumpster diving extravaganza, I wonder if they will kick the tires on Zack Cozart. Can handle 2B SS 3B and isn't far removed from being a great defender and at least decent hitter. 2 years of injury is a concern, but he'd receive only ML minimum.
Theo got a good question at
Theo got a good question at the conference on minor league salaries and went on record that they are unfair. That was followed by "keep your ear to the ground" or some similar cliche. I find this interesting. Fan dissatisfaction this offseason is maily focused on ownership being cheap but you have to admit there is a (slim?) chance that the baseball moves we want to see are not currently possible. It's hard to say the same about MiLB salaries. Those don't even factor in the luxury tax. You could raise every player in the system to middle class for the cost of one mid-level free agent deal and let your future big leaguers focus on training, development and nutrition instead of what part-time job they need to find in the off season to scrape by. Or, you can be greedy. If the Cubs don't make a unilateral move on MiLB salaries this season, has Epstein thrown ownership under the bus? If the club president and GM want team policy on this to change, I can only think of one person who could stand in the way.
there are more than a few
there are more than a few minor league players that have to "retire" from minor league ball in order to start making real money in the real world for their real lives while those from more wealthy families get to follow their dreams a bit longer.
that's a real shame.
it's not that these "rich kids" are bad...rex rundgren was/is known to be an extremely nice guy, for instance...but it's a shame that some guys have had to leave the game solely because an extra 10-20K a year (and in low levels, sometimes that's not even enough) is the difference between a highly stressful life and comfort, especially when you factor in all the travel time away from home.
So true. The minors these
So true. The minors these days is an odd mix of the few who get big bonuses with Hispanic guys for whom $1,200/month might be good money and college guys being partly subsidized by middle or upper-middle class families. You don't hear much about minor league economics when the discussion turns to lower participation by black players but I believe it's a big factor. If you need to use sports to get ahead, would you rather have your "internship" involve a free college education, or $6,000 a year?
without fail, at the end of
without fail, at the end of every minor league spring training period (which is extremely poorly paid, not at all for the most part) there comes some retirements that seem to be a bit "early" in their development when players slog through weeks of low/no pay only to find out they're being assigned to a low level that barely pays them. it's a real morale crasher after going through weeks of poverty that breaks some guys. that's no way to run things...
Fair pay or minor leaguers
Fair pay for minor leaguers and international free agents would soften the blow of nickel and diming the MLB payroll for sure. It won't happen until the players union represents minor league interests, of course, unless an outside law suit forces the minimum wage issue.
meanwhile "bitpartisan"
meanwhile "bitpartisan" lawmakers are working as hard as they can to make sure many labor/pay protection laws applicable to other workers don't apply to minor league teams for many years now by coding it into law or attempting to...
some of these same people are now crying foul over MLB team owner's plan to get rid of dozens of minor league teams for restructuring in order to save $$ by billionaire team owners.
"hey, we're doing this favor for you at the expense of workers. remember this!" - lawmakers
"oh, we will." - MLB team owners
exhibit A - https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2018/3/23/17152778/sp...
exhibit B - https://wqad.com/2019/12/04/new-save-minor-league-...
"Ben Nicholson-Smith of
"Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports that the Marlins, Cubs, Rangers, and Brewers are "believed to be among the teams with some interest" in free agent reliever Pedro Strop.
Nicholson-Smith on Sunday that Strop had three offers in-hand (two from NL clubs and one from an AL club) and will likely make his decision soon."
some good news...or bad news
some good news...or bad news depending on how you feel about it...for the k.bryant trade market...
"Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich on Monday indicated that Nolan Arenado will not be dealt prior to spring training and trade talks involving the third baseman are off for now."
now MLB and crew need to decide whether bryant has an extra year of club control or not...still waiting...
rangers, braves, and nats are supposedly looking at 3rd base upgrades. cards are, too, but bryant to the cards would be a mutiny level trade decision.
""There's a lot of disrespect from people there that I don't want to be a part of," Arenado said. "You can quote that." Arenado added, "You ask what I thought of Jeff's quotes and I say I don't care what people say around there. There is a lot of disrespect."
The third baseman didn't want to elaborate on what he felt was disrespectful, but clearing the relationship between Arenado and the front office needs to be repaired."
nice. i love seeing the
nice. i love seeing the undrafted who still try to make a career get a shot.
it seems he's somewhat recently hit 97mph on his fastball which helped attract some interest.
good luck to the dude.
d.jeter and l.walker (10th
d.jeter and l.walker (10th and final year on ballot, 76.6%) are going to the HOF.
jeter got 99.75% of the vote...highest for a position player (griffey jr 99.32% 2016). m.rivera got 100% last year.
larry walker decided to dress up for his first post-election interview. class act.
That's a significant boost
That's a significant boost for being the face of the Yankees. Expected, but in retrospect he wasn't that much better than plenty of people who didn't have full support for the hall (Santo comes to mind).
*Tries to start an "over-rated" chant.*
5x gold glove...and earned 0
5x gold glove...and earned 0 of them.
whatever. hell of a hitter, and he played SS "good enough" to not embarass himself or the team.
but yeah, overrated even if he's a no-doubt 1st ballot hall of famer...which seems like an odd thing to say even if it's true (at least in the eyes of many).
I mean, the "overrated"
I mean, the "overrated" criticism is always more about other people deserving of the honor being snubbed or put through more rigamarole. Jeter was definitely a great player for a long time. I just want people to remember that guys like Scott Rolen are not 60% less deserving, as the current voting system seems to indicate.
m.ozuna signs with the braves
m.ozuna signs with the braves 1/18m.
he was expected to sign for similar pay over a number of years. the cards must be "wtf?" about him walking away from the 17.8m qualifying offer, though. at least they get a draft pick out of it.
meanwhile, the cubs have announced they're adding the Zac Brown Band as the 4th in-season concert to ruin the surface at wrigley field during the season while increasing profits for the team. fun stuff. hey, anyone remember that whole "cubs are gonna have so much $$ when they start their new broadcast network in 2020!" thing? that's a fun memory.
speaking of the HOF...
speaking of the HOF...
schilling had a nice bump in his 8th eligable year going from 60.9% to 70.0%. he's probably gonna get in next year...and if not for his abrasive personality and questionable interests outside of baseball he would probably already be in. he's good enough to be there based on performance alone.
fellow 8th year guys bonds and clemens held steady, going up around 1% point to 60%-ish range. they may or may not get some love entering their 9th or 10th years.
o.vizquel jumped 10% points to 52.6% in his 3rd year and is looking favorable going forward. it may not be 2021, but he's starting to get attention.
b.wagner nearly doubled his total in his 5th eligable year after spending 4 hovering around 10-15%, but that's only 31.7%. his low career 903ip total and single-inning-closer-only status isn't helping his case even though it was a dominate 903ip. i have a feeling he'll eventually make it, but it will probably be a few more years. dude only had 1 bad season in his entire career.
2021 is going to be a weak HOF class for new guys, featuring dudes who may not ever get in...torri hunter and mark buehrle leading the pack.
cubs trade for travis lakins
cubs trade for travis lakins for a PTBNL or cash considerations from the rsox.
RH reliever...low/mid 90s fastball and a mix of off-speed stuff (cutter, curve, change) he varries quite often...bit of control issues, but not wild...
Tommy Birch tweets that
Tommy Birch tweets that Taylor Davis has signed with the Orioles. Hate to see him go. I will never forget his GS against the Deadbirds.
Cubs on the brink of actually
Cubs on the brink of actually signing a free agent to a major league contract
replies are hillarious...
replies are hillarious...
also, i hope this is an expected bench player move...especially since he destroyed his left knee in 2019 missing the entire year...and wasn't healthy in 2018.
Have to believe it's a bench
Have to believe it's a bench move. Souza has an interesting background - pretty quick synopsis of him as a player and teammate in Bleacher Nation:
yeah, but he severely wrecked
yeah, but he severely wrecked his left knee, like 3-4 different structures in his left knee. he had to have a total reconstruction.
he must have had something resembling a decent workout if he got a MLB deal, though...or the front office feels pressured to do something. it's no secret the cubs checked in on his availabilty years ago so they do have a historical interest in him.
found an article... https://www.mlb.com/news/steven-souza-jr-has-knee-...
"Souza sustained a torn ACL, LCL and partial tear of his PCL and posterior lateral capsule while slipping on home plate in the second-to-last exhibition game of the spring."
I thought he might be getting
I thought he might be getting a minor league deal or like you suggest be rehabbing from the IL to start the year. But Rosenthal tweeted yesterday that it's expected to be a major league deal and Souza's twitter account shows videos of him running bases, taking BP, etc. Supposedly has been running at 100% since November.
Sure would be nice to rehab a
Sure would be nice to rehab a player and then have them stick around and help out the team. Fingers crossed for Souza.
Since the deal isn't official
Since the deal isn't official, I wonder if the Cubs will wait until camp opens to finalize the deal and then put him on the 60 day IL as soon as it's available (assuming it's a major league deal). That doesn't really make sense in light of their luxury tax maneuvering though. If he's gonna miss a third of the season they'd probably only offer a minor league deal I guess.
cd pellham outrighted to AAA
cd pellham outrighted to AAA and off the 40-man roster.
Pelham has cleared waivers
Pelham has cleared waivers and was assigned to Iowa.
left handed tyler chatwood
left handed tyler chatwood can go ahead and get picked in the rule5 if he puts up numbers like he has recently...
MLB released their 2020
MLB released their 2020 prospect list... http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2020/?list=prospects
#51 nico hoerner
#68 brailyn marquez
#78 brennen davis
#95 miguel amaya
Morosi apparently reporting
Morosi reporting that the Reds are favorites for Castellanos. Seems like a good direction for them if they can deal with his defense in LF. They look to have the best sarting rotation in the division (or close to it) as things stand. If they can squeeze more offense out of the OF and skate by with their bullpen, they could hang reasonably close to the Cards-Brewers-Cubs pack. I'll be curious to see how much money they throw at him if they do sign him. Being younger has to get him more money than Ozuna, right?
I'm not really on the Castellanos hype train. But it must feel nice to see your team doing something to improve.
maybe if the cubs can squeeze
maybe if the cubs can squeeze a 5th in-season concert at wrigley they can sign addison russell.
What's pretty obvious is that
What's pretty obvious is that the Cubs 2020 salary budget is $208m AAV. Whatever Theo/Jed can field with that number (existing players, trades, and/or signings). They could generate $100m from Marquee, concerts, Wrigleyville, etc and it's NOT going to translate into more $$$ for players. Very sad, frustrating, and maddening.
If I was negotiating the next CBA for the MLBPA, I would make clear to the owners we will be signing NO agreement that includes the AAV Salary provision. That gets stricken. MLBPA will negotiate on arbitration, free agency years, benefits, etc but NO defacto salary cap.
in all honesty, the team is
in all honesty, the team is spending a healthy amount that i only jokingly complain about...but...it was not just fans talking about the extra perks the new revenue streams and tv contract would open. it was ownership and front office at points in the past bringing it up.
i feel a little dissapointed, but at the same time i appreciate this is a top tier spending team. i also see what's here vs what's in the minors and i feel like this could be a missed opportunity by waiting for the trade deadline to see if the front office gets additional inputs (if that's even in play). i'd rather the gamble be funded up front. april and may wins count the same as august and september wins.
There seemed to be a least an
There seemed to be a least an tacit understanding between ownership and fans during the rebuild that we as fans should support the organization when it was intentionally underspending and tanking. When it was time to be competitive, you know when the greatest core of Cubs players in my lifetime are in their prime, ownership would make the most of that window. That doesn't appear to be the case with the team shedding around $40 million in salary.
I understand the need to reset the luxury tax penalities, but it seems 2022 would be a good year to do so. We can all take off that season and I could pursue my interests in competive checkers or whatever.
nick castellanos to the reds,
nick castellanos to the reds, 4/64m...opt out after 1 year.
meanwhile, on the cubs front...
"Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reports that the Cubs continue to have interest in free agent Scooter Gennett. "
Good for Nick. Good luck to
Good for Nick. Good luck to him and the Reds improving his defense. That park should very much play to his offense.
Interest in Gennett is strange. If you are going to pick up a bench infielder at this point, shouldn't it be someone with SS chops?
the entire cubs offseason has
the entire cubs offseason has been "wow, this guy was good 2-3 years ago, but didn't play or sucked in recent past."
houston finished using their trash can and the cubs are rooting around in it looking for players.
speaking of...it's taken MLB longer to figure out bryant's service time complaint than the entire astros cheating scandal.
"Chicago Cubs selected the
"Chicago Cubs selected the contract of LHP Adam Choplick from Southern Maryland Blue Crabs."
okay. sure. congrats and good luck.
It's great to start getting
It's great to start getting reports from the Instructs. Keep them coming Phil!
cubs signing jeremy "smoke 2
cubs signing jeremy "smoke 2 joints" jeffress
s.souza 1/1m finalized.
s.souza 1/1m finalized.
could be up to 3m after performance and non-IL (injury list) incentives.
it seems he'll be giving rest to schwarb/heyward vs lefties at a minimum. it will be interesting to see him play OF this spring to see how much distance he can cover (and on back-to-back days).
dusty baker confrimed new HOU
dusty baker confrimed new HOU manager.
news was up/down all day with "confirmations" and "not confirmed yet" but other candidates have evidently been notified they're out of running and dusty's their dude.
his wheelhouse is reigning in "troubled" clubhouses in need of focus and direction, and that's what he's inheriting.
also, tony barnette has retired.
Kinda surprised it was Lakins
Kinda surprised it was Lakins and not Sadler. Lakins could have ridden the Iowa shuttle, no such luck with Sadler.
AZ Phil, are Quintero, Altuve
AZ Phil, are Quintero, Altuve, Made, Jose Lopez, and Simon at Instructs.?
b.colon has signed to a
b.colon has signed to a mexican league team. woo old dudes. he turns 47 in may...believed by some to be older.
Baseball America is showing a
Baseball America is showing a big group of players that have been released.
Some of the players cut I am
Some of the players cut I am not too surprised by. Some of them I think are definitely victims of the minor league pay thing and being squeezed out.
That said, I am very surprised they gave up already on Riley McCauley and Niels Stone.
Years of over-drafting
Years of over-drafting pitching shown here. A lot of pitchers cut today accomplished something, had a setback or plateaued, then got no second chance because of too many pitchers for too few innings. I've heard Theo's line about how it's easier to identify the hitters than pitchers. That doesn't change the fact that if your MLB team is 50% pitchers or less, drafting 60%+ pitchers year after year puts enormous stress on player development and evaluation. I'm willing to bet that at least one of the guys cut today throws a pitch in the big leagues someday, which is more than has happened for the vast majority of the pitchers who have remained in the Cubs' system in recent years.
Jim Frey passed away on
Jim Frey passed away on Sunday. He was 88 yrs. Az Phil probably has some good stories especially the 84 Cubs. We lost Glenn Beckett last week too. Wonderful hitter and told great stories as one could imagine because he was Ron Santo's roommate.
Totally missed that one.
Totally missed that one. Bummer.
Him and Don Zimmer went to highschool together (and part of the reason Zim became a Cubs manager).
Just a few wild and wacky
Just a few wild and wacky thoughts while in hibernation.
Given that at most there will be 100 games (probably less) and Jon Lester discussing his future thoughts beyond his current contract (on MLBTR today) and David Ross as manager...could John Lackey be having thoughts of un-retiring to be 5th starter again? (ducks from thrown pitchfork). Alas, the gang's all back never works (recalling Ryno un-retiring), Dexter Fowler (the Cub version, not the Cardinal DF) I miss you too.
Did Trump really go to Phoenix to see Honeywell make facemasks or was the real reason to meet with Arizona Phil and discuss when the baseball season will resume?
i hope we get enough 2020
i hope we get enough 2020 games to remember 2020 as a season. at least we have another year of k.bryant under contract unless the cubs plan on trading him in his last year of club control...
i was looking forward to seeing david ross run a roster/game and the marquee network hinted strongly during sping games that we could be seeing an elevated TV role for mark grace (though some may not look forward to grace having too much mic time).
I hope Grace and JD and Len
I hope Grace and JD and Len are on frequent Zoom calls to build rapport. The inning or so I heard of them early on was rough.
nothing based on anything of
nothing based on anything of known fact...but i would not be surpirsed to see len and grace in the booth when jd's contract is up. marquee was very stoked to sign grace and added grace to additional spring broadcasts to be in the booth beyond what was expected going into spring...which didn't happen because the world shut down while shopping for toilet paper became the new national pasttime.
there were also plans to give JD time off later in spring to get grace/len/sutcliffe into the booth as a trio...which didn't happen because...yeah...
that said, len + 2 ex-players might be something marquee is going for. the 3-man booth isn't anything new or out of the ordinary...
I would definitely miss JD. I
I would definitely miss JD. I'm sure Sutcliffe and Grace have more appeal for casual, older fans. But JD is the better analyst and a much chiller and more humble commentator.
Agreed. JD is awesome. He
Agreed. JD is awesome. He would be missed.
I wouldnt shed a tear if Len got let go though.
i'm still missing len/bob
i'm still missing len/bob over here. they had crazy good chemistry and could play off of things they were setting up for each other really quickly.
i like jd and he was by far the best (at least one of the best) options for the cubs booth...nice pickup. len/jd took a while to warm up to proper temperature, though.
"Javier Baez told ESPN's
"Javier Baez told ESPN's Marly Rivera that his contract extension negotiations with the Cubs have been put on hold.
Baez said he and the Cubs had multiple "really good" conversations about a long-term deal this spring, but the parties involved have not reconvened on the topic since camps were shut down in March amid the coronavirus outbreak. "Obviously, we want to reach an agreement, but right now everything is on hiatus," said Baez, who is currently under contract through 2021."
2020 draft will take place,
2020 draft will take place, but it will only be 5 rounds. june 10-11...
undrafted players still fall under the 20K singing limit. 2021 draft should be deep.
So should 2023.
So should 2023.
"The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal
"The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports that MLB will try for a regular season in the 80-game range and expanded playoffs.
The league is set for a conference call with the 30 owners on Monday, and if all goes well then, the league will sent a proposal to the MLBPA on Tuesday. The season would likely begin in early July in as many cities as possible and without fans present."
Owners voted to restart in
Owners voted to restart in July. Players union now to negotiate deal with owners.
82 game schedule.
14 teams make the postseason.
players union already "hell
players union already "hell naw" the owner's revenue pay structure proposal (owners proposing players get 48-50% of revenues as payment)...this might take more than a day or 2. they had to expect this, though.
Can't wait for the owners'
Can't wait for the owners' smear campaign against the players!
Lol. Might be time to just
Lol. Might be time to just start the strike and begin CBA negotiations.
2021 WBC moved to 2023.
2021 WBC moved to 2023.
a couple of unrelated views
a couple of unrelated views on covid from some ballplayers...
sean doolittle - https://twitter.com/whatwouldDOOdo/status/12599204...
corey black - https://twitter.com/CblackCHC/status/1258123066405...
Corey "drastically less
Corey "drastically less talented Trevor Bauer" Black
a few more details from AP
a few more details from AP/Tribune...
MLB owners OK plan to start season without fans in July
by Ronald Blum Associated Press
Major League Baseball owners gave the go-ahead Monday to making a proposal to the players' union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans, a plan that envisioned expanding the designated hitter to the National League for 2020.
Spring training would start in early to mid-June, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the plan were not announced.
Each team would play about 82 regular-season games, most against opponents in its own division with interleague matchups limited to AL East vs. NL East, AL Central vs. NL Central and AL West vs. NL West.
Postseason play would be expanded from 10 clubs to 14 by doubling wild cards in each league to four.
Teams would prefer to play at their regular-season ballparks but would switch to spring training stadiums or neutral sites if medical and government approvals can't be obtained for games at home.
The All-Star Game, scheduled for Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on July 14, likely would be called off.
Cant Kushner settle this.?
Cant Kushner settle this.? The twirp can do it all.
it's already settled. in
it's already settled. in fact, the cubs are in 1st place bigly and thanks to great presidential leadership ballpark attendance is at record levels. ...and the ratings, oh man the ratings, all time high. never bigger. the teams are all thankful for great presidential leadership. baseball was over during obama and trump brought it back, but you won't hear that from the lamestream media.
george steinbrenner personally called trump without a clue what to do about this and the modelo virus task force created a plan, the likes of which no one has ever seen before. baseball is re-opening thanks to this administration and only they could have done it. they call it "baseball opening plan for opening baseball in order to watch baseball"...that's what they call it. you've seen it.
also, uniform number 42 is no longer retired across all teams because that's Chinese commie nazi socialism caravan stuff and we stand for the flag.
If I may offer a critique...
If I may offer a critique... not enough exclamation points. Also no misspelled words or odd and random capitalization.
I know, I know, everyone's a critic. I do give very high marks to the tone and balance between attacking/ blaming others for failures and taking all credit on anything portrayed in a positive fashion.
file this under DESPERATELY
file this under DESPERATELY missing baseball...
Andre Dawson makes it to MSNBC cable channel. He's being interviewed by Craig Melvin to see how his current job as funeral home director is being affected by coronavirus impact on South Florida families. They did mention his 49 HR season and Cub MVP with a few old photos. Odd seeing him in this context. Hawk was wearing a mask in multiple pics. Back of parlor rooms full of coffins and boxes and plastic covers (labeled Head). The universe is not going to be the same for quite some time.
and his cell phone reception
and his cell phone reception was crap...
also, the rooms full of coffins packed in closely was/is a creepy reality.
He used to bury pitchers.
He used to bury pitchers.
art howe in ICU with covid..
art howe in ICU with covid...73 years old, btw.
he's awake, aware, and communicating.
some audio from him
some audio from him describing his symptoms...
So the Minneapolis cop who
So the Minneapolis cop who murdered George Floyd is on suicide watch. Gosh, I sure hope that pathetic piece of shit doesn't take his own life. How can MAGA be true if pigs like this fuck die? Think of the white people!!!
if he does die by "suicide",
if he does die by "suicide", I would blame Bill Barr and look into a real conspiracy.
Crunch, I'm looking at you.
Crunch, I'm looking at you. You dominate this site, you never don't comment. Say something meaningful now this country is effed if our current pussy is reelected. Personally I would love tomorrow's headline to be he died an agonizing death. It's time we bring this motherfucket down.
i'm not a fan of this
i'm not a fan of this administration. i'm not a fan of someone holding office who's rise to political prominence involved insisiting, with proof he clamed, that the current elected president at the time was not a citizen of the United States.
we watched as state after state was slowly "won over" by promises of keeping out muslims and hispanics as the most important issue that could help elevate the state of our country.
we saw him lie about the size of his inauguration and continue to insist his lie was the truth even with photo and video evidence very obviously showing otherwise. this was the beginning of a long post-election trend.
the attacks on the media should be more universally alarming, but getting into that could lead to about 20 more paragraphs...
to this day donald trump still polls among GOP voters as the most popular president they've ever elected. he gets record support not just amongst his hardcore base, but the entire GOP.
we have a donald trump problem, but he may be a highly advanced and dangerous symptom rather than the actual disease.
go cubs.
Well said, Crunch.
Well said, Crunch. #Resistance
'we have a donald trump
'we have a donald trump problem, but he may be a highly advanced and dangerous symptom rather than the actual disease.'
Surely true, dear Crunch. Trump has emboldened the ugly fact that America's cruel underbelly is still racism and police brutality that forwards that original sin.
America NEEDS its HEROES.
Baseball always reflects America. Time for this generation's Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson to bravely step forward.
Go Cubs. I miss Ernie Banks.
P.S. Don't call me Shirley, surely.
Bravo Crunch!
Bravo Crunch!
Well said.
Well said Crunch.
In other words: This lineup
In other words: This lineup sucks.


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Apple is again the target of a class action lawsuit over power adapters, this time stemming from complaints about the company's MagSafe power adapters for its MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air computers. The complaint, filed in California Northern District Court's San Jose office last Friday, alleges that the MagSafe power adapter is prone to frayed wires and overheating, and as such represents a fire hazard.
The complaint naturally accuses Apple of being negligent in the design of the power adapter, and claims violations of various consumer warranty laws. The suit also alleges that Apple "has not taken action to remedy the defects," but then notes in brackets this may not be known for sure (actually, the filed complaint contain several notes in brackets that appear to have escaped editing). However, the complaint does cite numerous reviews on both the online Apple Store as well as Amazon.com which note problems with fraying wires, shorting, overheating, and melting.
To be fair, Apple acknowledged a problem with strain relief near the MagSafe connector last year, and notes in a knowledge base article that you "may be eligible for a replacement adapter free of charge provided there are no signs of accidental damage" even if the adapter is out of warranty. Also, these problems aren't for a majority of users. Anecdotally, my own MagSafe adapter has worked well for three years now, and two of those were spent being constantly wrapped up and tossed in a backpack nearly every day.
The suit is asking for replacement cost of the damaged adapters as well as the replacements that class members purchased on their own, plus requisite punitive damages. Given that tens of millions of these adapters have been sold in the last few years, we'd be hard pressed to call the design faulty. But if we were bettin' folks, we'd wager that Apple settles this lawsuit quietly, like the one settled last year over faulty PowerBook and iBook adapters.
Further Reading:
- If you have PACER access, search the California Northern District Court for case number 5:2009cv01911.


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peace be upon u
happy birthday adam!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
.:F1 and adam:.
peace be upon u
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peace be upon u
happy birthday adam!
Posted by .:anna:. at 3:00 PM
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A Leavenworth man has been found guilty of rape stemming from the sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl.
Jurors found Kevin Skaggs guilty of three counts of rape involving sex with a child younger than 14, one count of aggravated criminal sodomy, two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of promoting obscenity to minors, according to Deborah Owens, spokeswoman for the Leavenworth County attorney's office.
Skaggs was found innocent of a second aggravated criminal sodomy charge.
The verdict came at about 10:30 p.m. June 25, Owens said.
This was about five hours after Judge Frederick Stewart asked jurors to begin their deliberations.
Skaggs, 29, reportedly sexually molested an 11-year-old girl in late 2004 and early 2005. The victim was the daughter of a friend. The girl and her sister were sometimes left in the care of Skaggs.
Skaggs showed the victim child pornography in order to groom her for a sexual relationship, according to Deputy County Attorney Roger Marrs.
Skaggs, who had been free on bond during the trial, was taken into custody after the verdict, Owens said.
A hearing for post-trial motions has been scheduled for July 11. A date for Skaggs' sentencing may be set at that time.
Before the verdict was reached Monday, Marrs said the possible maximum sentence in the case was about 27 years.
The verdict followed a six-day trial that began with jury selection June 18. Because of the anticipated length of the trial, two alternate jurors also sat through the presentation of the evidence.


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The fall 4-H Shooting Sports workshop will be October 19-20-21 at the Millstone 4-H Camp.
The workshop is designed to equip adult volunteers to work with youth in 4-H Shooting Sports Clubs. Participants will have the opportunity to share ideas and information while enhancing their skills in teaching youth through the use of the National 4-H Shooting Sports curriculum.
We will limit each discipline (archery, shotgun, pistol, rifle, hunting) to 15 participants. Each adult volunteer may only be trained in one discipline at a time and all participants should be registered with their local Extension office as a 4-H volunteer prior to attending the workshop.
This is a hands-on workshop, participants will be required to pass a written test in their discipline and required to teach portions of their curriculum as part of a practicum test. Participants should be familiar with their shooting discipline as we will not be teaching participants to shoot but rather how to use shooting sports as a youth development tool. There is a $75 participant that covers food, lodging, curriculum and shooting supplies.
We will select participants using a registration screening process. To receive a 4-H Volunteer application and a training registration form please contact April Bowman at 703-2855 or email@example.com. Completed applications must be received in the Forsyth Extension Center by Tuesday, October 2nd.


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VIDEO: Clumsy burglary attempt goes viral
Police in a far Northern California city are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect in a botched burglary. But if the man is wearing the same bright pants and jacket seen in surveillance footage, they may not need it.
The video released Wednesday by Redding police shows the man walking up to a closed grocery store in the middle of the night and looking inside through its front window.
He walks away but quickly returns, his face covered with what appears to be a black stocking. He throws something at the window, cracking it.
The man then flees, tripping twice, once on a parking curb. He is wearing a brightly patterned jacket and pants.
Police say they responded to a burglary alarm at the grocery store at about 1 a.m. on March 5.


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The recent deployment of backscatter scanning devices meant for airline passengers has caused controversies focused on both the privacy issues of the scans and the safety of the devices themselves (not to mention the unpleasant alternative of an aggressive frisking). The discussion of safety issues has been clouded by two competing narratives. On one side, there's radiation exposure that's comically low compared to what comes from simply boarding the aircraft and being lifted above a lot of the Earth's atmosphere. On the other, there are arguments that the sort of exposure generated by backscatter devices is somehow different.
To provide a better perspective on matters, we'll explain why both of these arguments are right.
What is backscattering?
In a traditional medical X-ray, the imaging is based on sending a lot of high-energy X-rays at an object of interest, such as a sore ankle. The film or sensor that creates the images is placed on the opposite side of the object from the radiation source. If the object has some materials that aren't very dense—like, say, a liver—the X-rays will pass straight through and expose the film. Denser objects, like bones, absorb more of the X-rays, and so leave an area of film underexposed compared to the surroundings. That's why bones appear as white on a traditional black-and-white film X-ray.
The key thing to note here is that the image is created by the X-rays themselves. The photon source is what exposes the film (or sensor).
That's not how backscattering works. For a backscatter system, the X-ray source and the sensor are placed on the same side of the object being imaged. The X-rays themselves are lower energy, and nearly all of them are absorbed within the first few millimeters of the object; effectively, none of them will pass through all but the thinnest of objects.
Instead, backscatter systems take advantage of what happens when the X-rays are absorbed by the object. When they strike an atom and get absorbed, some of that energy gets used to kick an electron off the atom, creating an ion. Some of the remainder gets bounced back out as a lower-energy photon. The sensor in a backscatter device picks up these photons as they come off the object that was exposed to the X-rays, and can use these photons to create an image of the object in question.
There are some good and bad things about this process. For starters, the energy of the re-emitted photons depends in part on the atom doing the absorbing. As a result, the spectrum of the light coming back off the item being scanned provides some rough information—metal vs. organic material—about what's doing the scattering. From a security standpoint, this can be very helpful.
The other thing is that the process requires that the X-rays be absorbed efficiently. This is in contrast with a standard medical X-ray, which requires the use of high-energy photons that are more likely to penetrate the thing being imaged and reach the film or sensor on the other side. The wavelengths used for the security scanners are lower energy, and they're efficiently absorbed within the fist few millimeters of the object's surface. Really, they have to be in order to ensure there are enough backscattered photons to create an image.
That's the good stuff.
The primary downside of this technology is that it's ionizing radiation by definition—it wouldn't work if electrons weren't popped free from atoms. And that poses a health risk, since the resulting ions can be rather energetic, and undergo chemical reactions, either internally within an ionized molecule or with another substance in their environment. Damage to DNA from ionizing radiation is a known cancer risk, and steps are generally taken to minimize this.
But we're all exposed to ionizing radiation every day, since there's a constant flux that originates in everything from small quantities of radioisotopes in every-day items to cosmic rays arriving from space (both of which act much like medical X-rays in terms of their ability to pass through objects). The body scanners have been measured as producing a three microREM dose of radiation; a typical cross-country flight will produce exposures over a thousand times higher, and a chest X-ray is 10 times higher again than the flight. But, because of the differences between those sorts of exposures and the backscatter dose, it's not clear whether the same risk analysis applies to both, as we'll discuss in the next section.


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Pharrell Williams, "G I R L", (I Am Other/Columbia), ***1/2
There's no question Pharrell Williams went into his second solo album — and first in eight years — with an enviable head of steam. The pop and R&B auteur from the Neptunes production team and N.E.R.D. was part of two of 2013's biggest hits, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" and Daft Punk's "Get Lucky," while first single from the record, "Happy," had plenty of push from "Despicable Me 2." Williams takes advantage of the momentum with a buoyant collection of old-school style but timeless jams whose airy arrangements and punchy kinetics are a decidedly contemporary fit. "G I R L" is loosely themed as Williams' salute to female empowerment and sexuality, though the lusty booty calls of "Gush" and the slinky, Princely "Come Get It Bae" (with Miley Cyrus on guest backing vocals) prove that he's still a M A N. Justin Timberlake duets on the bouncy "Brand New" while Alicia Keys brings a silky counterpoint to the smooth "Know Who You Are," and Daft Punk's robots lend some cyber vocalics to the loping "Gust of Wind." The only miscue of "G I R L" is the nearly eight-minute "Lost Queen," a kind of messy three-part suite that moves from hollow-sounding polyrhythms to the sound of waves crashing in the ocean and then a slower, string-laden third section. It speaks of big creative ambition but in actuality misses the energetic, inspired and concise bite that makes "G I R L" such an early-year standout.
Sara Evans, "Slow Me Down", (RCA Nashville), ***
Sara Evan's "Stronger," a country chart-topping comeback in 2011, was no fluke. On its follow-up, and Evans' seventh album overall, she's in fine voice and solid country-pop crossover form, especially as she goes tonsil to tonsil on duets with The Fray's Isaac Slade on "Can't Stop Loving You" and Gavin DeGraw on the Ryan Tedder co-write "Not Over You," as well as "Put My Heart Down" and the whistling "Sweet Spot." But Evans shows her full-on country heart on "Better Off" (with Vince Gill) and "Good Love is Hard to Find," and the high-velocity "Revival" shows Evans isn't about to be slowed down any time soon.
New & Noteworthy
Aloe Blacc, "Lift Your Spirit" (XL/Interscope): The Panamanian-American soul/pop singer's third album is a career highpoint that's making waves with the Elton John-assisted single "The Man."
Architects UK, "Lost Forever//Lost Together" (Epitaph): The British headbangers' latest was recorded in Sweden and features a guest appearance by Murray Macleod of the Xcerts.
Paul Carrack, "Rain or Shine" (Proper Music): The former Ace, Squeeze and Mike + the Mechanics member covers Ray Charles and Luther Ingram on his new solo set.
Cowboy Troy, "King of Clubs" (Warner Bros. Nashville): The original country rapper is still kicking on his fourth solo album outside of Big & Rich.
Elbow, "The Take Off and Landing of Everything" (Fiction/Concord): The British alt.rock group's sixth album has gone through three titles, finally taking its name from the set's penultimate track.
Juanes, "Loco de Amor" (Universal Music Latino): The Colombian singer and songwriter teams with hitmaking rock producer Steve Lillywhite on his sixth solo album.
kxm, "kxm" (Rat Pak): The debut outing by the hard rock supergroup featuring members of Korn, King's X, Dokken and Lynch Mob.
Ledisi, "The Truth" (Verve): The sharp New Orleans R&B singer's seventh album was preceded by the single "I Blame You."
Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Ranchers featuring Edie Brickell, "Live" (Rounder): The bluegrass-and-beyond troupe is captured in concert, on CD and DVD, with four songs not included on last year's "Love Has Come For You" album.
Metronomy, "Love Letters" (Atlantic): The fourth studio album from the British group that's gained notice with its remixes for U2, Gorillaz, Franz Ferdinand and others.
Lea Michele, "Louder" (Columbia): the Glee star's first solo album includes an emotional tribute to late co-star and boyfriend, Corey Monteith.
nine inch nails and Coil, "Recoiled" (Cold Spring): A four-song EP sporting rare remixes of nin songs by Coil before two of its original members died in recent years.
Ozomatli, "Place in the Sun" (Vanguard): the multicultural rabble rousers are back, bringing friends such as Eurythmics' Dave Stewart and WAX Ltd.'s Xandy Barry with them.
David Pack, "David Pack's Napa Crossroads" (Concord): The former Ambrosia frontman's guest list on this winery-inspired outing include Todd Rundgren, Alan Parsons, Bela Fleck and the Doors' late Ray Manzarek.
Sabina, "Toujours" (Bar/None): The Brazilian Girls co-founder dives into '60s European ye-ye styles on her solo debut.
The Shrine, "Bless Off" (Tee Pee): Another set of blistering, hardcore rock from the underground southern Californians.
Seeming, "Madness & Extinction" (ArtOfFact): The debut album from the new electronic duo hailing from Pittsburgh's acclaimed industrial group ThouShaltNot.
311, "Stereolithic" (311): The rock/rap/reggae group returns to the independent label ranks for the first time since 1998.
Various Artists, "Divergent — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (Interscope): Head into battle with new material from Ellie Goulding, Zedd, Snow Patrol, Tame Impala with Kendrick Lamar and more.
Various Artists, "Young Money: Rise of an Empire" (Young Money/Ca$h Money/Universal Republic): the rap label's latest compilation features tracks from Drake, Nicki Minaj, Kil Wayne and many more.
Dean Wareham, "Dean Wareham" (Double Feature): The first-ever solo album by the Galaxie 500 founder was produced by My Morning Jacket's Jim James.
Don Williams, "Reflections" (Sugar Hill): The Country Music Hall of Famer has cut songs by Merle Haggard, Townes Van Zandt, Jesse Winchester and others on his latest release.
From The Vaults
Chicago, "Live in Japan" (Rhino)
Michael Picton, "Flash Gordon Vol. 1: Original Television Score" (Perseverance); Various Artists, "Veronica Mars: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (Water Tower)
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This is the third in an occasional series of posts on whether the winners and finalists for major book awards deserved their honors.
Title: The Inheritance of Loss. By Kiran Desai. Grove, 357 pp., $14, paperback.
What it is: A novel about a cynical Indian judge and his orphaned granddaughter who live with their dog and cook in a Himalayan village that sinks into violence and terror in the 1980s when Nepalese insurgents "demand their own country, or at least their own state."
Winner of … the most recent National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction and Man Booker Prize (formerly the Booker Prize).
How much I read: About 60 pages (the first two chapters and the last eight.)
Why I stopped: Desai evokes deftly the "voluptuous green" terrain of Himalayan foothills awarm black cobras as thick as a biscuit jar. But I agree with Lee Langley, who wrote in the Spectator that her Indians come across "as figures in a landscape rather than characters we are gripped by," except for the cook and his son. ("Life on the Brink," The Spectator www.specatator.co.uk, Sept. 9, 2006.) Because her novel involves an orphan and her grandfather living in isolation in the mountains, I also kept thinking, irrationally, that it read like a postcolonial Heidi as envisioned by Salman Rushie, which is unfair not just to Desai and Rushdie but to Johanna Spyri.
Was this one of those book awards that made you wonder if the judges were on Class B controlled substances? Or if the publisher had pornographic videos of all of them? No. But the ten chapters I read were no match for such great Booker winners as Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day.
Best line in the pages I read: "Could fulfillment ever be felt as deeply as loss?"
Worst line in the pages I read: "Chuckling, the boys stepped off the veranda and out into the fog carrying the two trunks."
Reading group guide: The paperback edition includes a grim three-page reading group that reads as though it had been written by an SAT examiner. The "questions" often bark orders at you beginning, "Explain," "Discuss" or "Compare and contrast … " The author of this one seems unaware that many people go to book clubs to have fun, not to feel as though they're being grilled by an eighth-grade English teacher. Masochists can find the guide online at www.groveatlantic.com (though the page for The Inheritance of Loss is, at this writing, out of date and does not mention that the novel won the NBCC fiction award more than two months ago).
Published: January 2006 (Atlantic Monthly press hardcover) and August 2006 (Grove paperback.)
Links: See the March 7 post on www.bookcriticscircle.blogspot.com for an interview with Desai and other posts on the site for information on her NBCC fiction award.
© 2007 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.


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Pair of Howard and Sons Armchairs
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Williston rallied past Lake Region women
Journal Staff Report
For much of the first half on Wednesday night, the No. 24-ranked Williston State College Lady Tetons couldn't find an answer for the Lake Region State College Lady Royals. When the wanted to take away the inside game, Becca Scheer lt them up from the outside.
When they moved out of their zone defense, Jordyn Kirk wreaked havoc from the baseline.
Unfirtunately for the Lake Region Lady Royals, games aren't decided on one half.
Williston State College. Which trailed by as many as six points in the first half, rallied to claim a tough 73-69 win in Mon-Dak Athletic Conference action in the Devils Lake Sports Center.
Lake Region State College, now 19-5 overall, proved Williston State's equal throughout the first half. The Lady Royals erased several WSC leads in the first half behind the offensive charge of Kirk and Scheer.
Both Kirk and Scheer blistered the Lady Tetons' defense in the first half, combining to tally 30 of the Lady Royals' 39 first-half points.
Scheer was especially deadly from behind the three-point arc, draining four treys, including one with 11:50 left in the first that staked Lake Region to a 17-16 advantage.
Less than five minutes later, she delivered the big shot for the LRSC women again, hitting from the outside and staking the Lady Royals to a 5-point lead, at 29-24, cushion.
Overall, Scheer accounted for 13 of the Lady Royals' initial 29 points in the first 14 minutes of action.
Williston managed to catch fire late in the first half. Led by point guard Jazmine Robisnson, the WSC women reeled off 17 points in the final 6:44 of the half to grab a shaky 41-39 halftime lead.
Kirk was just as impressive as Scheer in the LRSC first-half run. She pumped in 15 of her game-high26 points in the frame.
Lake Region opened the second half with a big trey from Tabitha Vigan and regained the lead, at 42-41.
Unfortunately for the Lady Royals, Williston State righted its ship from there. The Lady Tetons outscored Lake Region by a slim 32-30 margin in the final 20 minutes to net the win.
Kirk powered the LRSC offense and defense in the bout. In addition to her offensive totals, the freshman pulled down 15 rebounds.
Leslie Hairston added 16 points and had eight rebounds.
Maggie Lorenz led all Williston scorers with 18. Jackie Lee and Robinson chipped in 14 and 13, respectively.