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Stephen Strasburg innings limit
Mike Morse a Useful Bat and Not a Huge Difference-Maker
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The Nationals are listening to offers on outfielder/first baseman Mike Morse after re-signing first baseman Adam LaRoche to a 2-year, $24 million contract. With the presence of Denard Span, Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper in the outfield and the retention of LaRoche, there's nowhere for Morse to play. He's stated that he'd be uncomfortable as a designated hitter, but given that he is under contract for one more year at $6.75 million and is a free agent after 2013, he doesn't have any say in the matter. He's a below-average defensive player, but he's not an outright liability in the outfield or at first base.
The Nationals are counting on several variables to repeat their 2012 division-winning performance and 98 wins. Dan Haren is replacing Edwin Jackson in the starting rotation and while Jackson was a guaranteed 190-200 innings, Haren's back injury limited him to 176 in 2012 and he's not a certainty to return to durability and form in 2013. On a one year contract, he's worth the risk at $13 million in comparison to the 4-year, $52 million deal Jackson got from the Cubs. Stephen Strasburg's limits are gone, so they can count on him for 30 more innings than the 159 he was allowed to throw in 2012. With Haren and Strasburg's newfound freedom, that should counteract the loss of Jackson.
They've lost their two lefties out of the bullpen Tom Gorzelanny and Sean Burnett. Unless they replace them from the outside or get another starting pitcher in order to place Ross Detwiler in the bullpen where he belongs, these departures are going to hurt the Nationals.
They're said to be seeking lefty bullpen help in exchange for Morse or young starting pitching. Teams in need of Morse's bat include the Braves, Mets, Rays, Phillies, Orioles, Yankees, Mariners, and Indians. If the Nats think they're getting at top-tier starting pitching prospect for Morse, they're deluding themselves.
Morse has tremendous power, but his walks dropped significantly in 2012 in spite of his pitches-per-at-bat percentage remaining static for what it's been for his career. That could be explained by several things. The Nationals' batting order, with LaRoche having a very good power year and batting behind Morse, might have led to pitchers challenging Morse a bit more. He could have altered his approach and gotten too aggressive with pitches that he shouldn't have—that was the case on 2-0 counts and it was a detriment to his production. Or the league might have, to a certain extent, figured out that he's not an elite slugger and a power fastball up in the zone can get by him with breaking stuff in the dirt leading to strikeouts.
He has legitimate 25-30 homer pop, but not overwhelming value.
What I would try to do if I were the Nationals is to seek something a bit more out of the box than what's been mentioned as a return in a Morse trade. The likeliest combination of return for Morse would be, for example, from the Mariners Charlie Furbush and Hector Noesi. That's not a bad deal for either side.
From the Yankees, I wouldn't ask for young pitching they don't have, but I would ask for another pending free agent after 2013, one who's fallen out of favor with the club from his days as a big time prospect: Joba Chamberlain. I'd also ask for Clay Rapada. This would bolster the Nationals bullpen with a situational lefty and possibly give them a shutdown seventh, eighth and ninth innings with Chamberlain, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen with three pitchers who can interchangeably close.
They won't get a ton for Morse, but they'll get useful pieces. The team that gets Morse will get a power bat who hits righties and lefties equally as well and won't be affected by ballpark factors because he's big enough and strong enough to hit the ball out of any park. He's not a major difference-maker, but he's a chip they can trade to fill immediate needs.
January 9, 2013 Paul Lebowitz Tagged Adam LaRoche contract, Braves, Bryce Harper, Charlie Furbush, Clay Rapada, Dan Haren, Dan Haren back, Dan Haren contract, Denard Span, Edwin Jackson, Edwin Jackson Cubs, Hector Noesi, Indians, Jayson Werth, Joba Chamberlain, mariners, Mets, Mike Morse, Mike Morse contract, Mike Morse defense, Nationals, Orioles, Rays, Ross Detwiler, Sean Burnett, Stephen Strasburg, Stephen Strasburg innings limit, Tom Gorzelanny, What do the Nationals want for Mike Morse?, Which teams can use Mike Morse?, Will Stephen Strasburg have an innings limit in 2013?, Yankees	2 Comments
Final Analysis on the Strasburg Shutdown
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The shutdown of Stephen Strasburg has taken the tone of an overhyped movie marketed to an increasingly uninterested public. It's been talked about for so long that when it finally happens, no one's going to notice or care. The Nationals say they're going to do it and, judging from the latest statements emanating from the club, Strasburg's last start will be on around September 12th. Then the rest of the team will head for the playoffs without him. Perhaps they'll need a coping device such as imagining that he's injured and lost for the season. Maybe it can be treated as a delusional fuel in a formulaic drama of triumph over adversity in which you know the ending before you walk into the theater, but do it anyone for a moment of predictability amid the randomness of reality.
We don't know what's going to happen for the Nationals in the playoffs; we don't know what's going to happen with Strasburg in the future, whether this decision will be seen as wise or a retrospective waste of time and energy. If Strasburg were allowed to pitch for the rest of the season, started a playoff game and got blasted, the inevitable snark, "Looks like they should've shut him down after all," would be predictable and reminiscent to Sandy Koufax refusing to pitch in the opening game of the 1965 World Series because he's Jewish and it was Yom Kippur. Don Drysdale started and got rocked. So began the jokes that the Dodgers would've been better off if Drysdale had been Jewish too.
But they're doing it. At the very least, they're following through on their statements—statements that began the whole mess in the first place.
Let's look at some questions regarding Strasburg once and for all and end this manufactured story in advance of its implementation.
What do other players think about this?
His Nationals' teammates are, to a man, sticking to the script. Jayson Werth put it succinctly when asked about it by essentially saying that they knew it was coming and they'll move forward without him. It's best to ignore what the Nationals and their players are saying about this because you're not going to get an honest answer. I'd venture a guess that they're saying something drastically different in private than they are in public.
Broadcasters like Ron Darling, who has a foundation to speak out on this subject as a former top 10 starting pitcher in baseball and the intelligence to express it as a graduate of Yale, has ridiculed the notion that Strasburg shouldn't go beyond X number of innings. Darling takes his old-school sensibilities to the extreme by shaking his head at pitchers who notify their pitching coach and manager when they're tight or can't get loose and are removed from games. Darling himself logged a great number of innings and racked up high pitch counts as was commensurate with his era. Darling also lost his fastball before he reached age 30, hung on until he was 35 using his ample mind rather than stuff, and was finished when he could conceivably have had 4 or so more years of effectiveness and paychecks.
Would he trade the work he did in the 1980s with the Mets to hang on for a couple of more years? Would he have wanted to be perceived as self-interested enough not to pitch late in the season or give a few more innings, a few more pitches in the interest of the club and not himself? Probably not.
The culture and era has dictated much of what's gone on with Strasburg. If this were 15-20 years ago, his innings limit wouldn't be a story because it wouldn't exist.
That said, there are undoubtedly people in baseball who think Strasburg is a wimp (and would use a more coarse vernacular than that) because he's gone merrily along with the puppeteers telling him what he's going to be doing rather than saying he wants to pitch and taking steps to make sure it happens such as going on a media blitz of his own. There have been the made-for-media soundbites like, "They'll have to rip the ball out of my hand," but it's easy to say that knowing they are going to rip the ball out of his hand.
The "I just work here and do what I'm told" stuff doesn't wash when he has more leverage than his employers.
Could Strasburg prevent this?
Of course he could. The Nationals and Strasburg could've put their money where their guidelines and the "future" are by agreeing to a long-term contract so Strasburg wouldn't have to worry about financial security and the Nationals would have their investment locked up so they're not saving the bullets they're allegedly trying to save for him to sign with another team after the 2016 season. How's that going to look if the Nats get bounced early in the playoffs and flounder in upcoming years, realize that 2012 was their chance, and then agent Scott Boras and Strasburg leave Washington? Will it still have been the "right" thing to do?
The money aspect is a bit silly as well. Boras is looking at $200+ million in contracts over the next ten or so years for his client, but it's not as if Strasburg is a third year player, waiting for arbitration and making a pittance in comparison to what other starting pitchers are making nor is he encumbered by the new rules regulating how much bonus money a drafted player can make. He received a $7.5 million bonus to sign and is being paid a guaranteed $3 million this season. It's not an amount of money that's on a level with what he'll make if he stays healthy from now through 2016, but it's substantial. The "future" argument could be rendered meaningless and the concerns about his health tamped down if the Nationals and Strasburg agree to a down-the-line contract for mutual benefit.
The Nationals arguments for the shutdown
GM Mike Rizzo can chafe at the repeated questioning of his decision—and I do mean his decision since he's gone to great lengths to make clear that he is the decider—but he brought this on himself. The Nationals could have kept quiet about the innings limit without giving a number. This isn't politics and they didn't need to provide a background to sell to the world as to why they're doing what they do. But they did. Rizzo can cite medical studies until the end of time suggesting that this is the "right" thing to do, but it seems as if they had an end in mind and made sure they had the medical data to back up what they were doing. If they went to a truly independent doctor and that doctor said that he saw no physical reason to make Strasburg stop pitching if the Nationals and Strasburg do X, Y, and Z, then it would oppose what they want to; what's safe for them to do; and more importantly, what Boras wants them to do to protect his client.
The NY Times published a piece about Strasburg on August 21st. In it, random cases for both sides are cited. Jordan Zimmerman has been healthy and very good in 2012 after operating under these identical constraints last season and after having undergone the same Tommy John surgery that Strasburg did. Pitchers who have not been under such limits are also mentioned. Greg Maddux, Matt Cain, CC Sabathia on one end; Steve Avery, Mike Witt, Bret Saberhagen on the other.
It never ends if you continually point of examples where there's no baseline breaking point of what's enough—no one knows.
The Nationals could very easily have copied what the Tigers did with Justin Verlander in 2006 when he was the exact same age as Strasburg; has an almost identical pitching style; both had very short stays in the minors; and the 2006 Tigers and 2012 Nationals made rapid and relatively unexpected leaps into title contention. But Verlander pitched in the playoffs and World Series and Strasburg won't.
People can mention the Tommy John surgery as a notable difference between Strasburg and Verlander, but the surgery is supposed to make the ligament stronger than before. Why should it be an issue if Strasburg's recovered from it? Wouldn't the wear-and-tear prior to the surgery be more of a reason to limit him than after it?
In the NY Times article, the ones who stay healthy with a bigger workload are referred to as "physical freaks"; the ones who get hurt are considered the normal end result of overuse. But you can't reference studies and reams of reports to justify Strasburg's case and chalk durability up to random "freakishness". It doesn't mesh.
If you look at any medical malpractice trial, any lawyer can find a doctor who's willing to say whatever is in the best interests of his client be it the plaintiff or the defendant. Are they truly independent doctors who are providing the truth to the entities—the Nationals and Boras—who are retaining them? Highly doubtful.
This isn't to say the Nationals are wrong. Protecting that gifted arm is a wise thing to do, but doing it at the expense of their own personal interests and not taking steps to prevent this shutdown from becoming reality when the Nationals are going to need him most showed a remarkable lack of foresight.
They could've gone to a 6-man rotation; they could've shut him down at mid-season for 3-4 starts; they could've done a number of things to have him available for the playoffs. They didn't.
And the idea that the Nats didn't expect to be this good, this fast is contradicted by reality. If they didn't have an intent on trying to win, then why did they gut the system to get Gio Gonzalez? Why did they pay Werth all that money before the 2011 season? Why sign Edwin Jackson?
The Nationals tried to win and are winning. This is not the developmental phase of a team that they hope to be good 3 years from now. Their future is now and Strasburg is not going to be a part of that "now" as soon as the clock strikes midnight on his season—that midnight is apparently coming on September 12th.
September 3, 2012 Paul Lebowitz Tagged Bret Saberhagen, CC Sabathia, Detroit Tigers, Dodgers, Don Drysdale, Edwin Jackson, Gio Gonzalez, Greg Maddux, Jordan Zimmerman, Justin Verlander, Justin Verlander 2006, Justin Verlander workload, Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Cain, Mike Witt, Nats, New York Times, NY Times Strasburg, Ron Darling, Ron Darling Stephen Strasburg, Sandy Koufax, Sandy Koufax Yom Kippur, Scott Boras, Stephen Strasburg, Stephen Strasburg agent, Stephen Strasburg contract, Stephen Strasburg innings limit, Stephen Strasburg Nationals, Steve Avery, Tigers, Tommy John, Washington Nationals, When will Stephen Strasburg be a free agent?	Leave a comment
What To Watch For Over The Final Month—National League
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I discussed the American League and what to watch for over the final month on Thursday along with a warning for those seeing the Wild Card as an oasis in the desert. It's not.
Now let's take a look at the National League.
The Nationals shutdown of Stephen Strasburg
I'm planning a more in-depth discussion of this in an upcoming post, but Strasburg's imminent shutdown has become the dominant story for a team that should be talking about the positive aspects of their rise to a legitimate championship contender instead of this Strasburg silliness.
I'm beginning to believe that they're not going to shut him down and as an organization, they're coming up with alternatives to: A) keep his innings limit within reason and use him in the playoffs; and B) create a story to sell to the media as to why they fudged on their prescribed innings limit.
A really isn't all that difficult. Their lead in the division is secure enough that they can give him extra rest in September. B shouldn't even be a factor, but since GM Mike Rizzo has been so stupidly forthright regarding his plans, it is a factor.
Don't be shocked when Strasburg is standing on the mound and starting in game 2 of the NLDS.
Chipper Jones's farewell tribute from the Mets
I gotta see this thing.
Jimmy Rollins's behavior
He's being selfish and setting a terrible example for the rest of the team with his lack of hustle, embarrassing for the supposed "heart and soul" and clubhouse leader. Manager Charlie Manuel's benching of Rollins and Rollins's subsequent apology isn't worth much since he's definitely going to do it again over the final month, probably multiple times.
Rollins is guaranteed $22 million for 2013-2014 and he has a vesting option for 2015 that he won't reach based on the contract kickers of plate appearances (the Phillies won't let him), but if the contract doesn't vest, the club has an $8 million option that they won't exercise and Rollins has a $5 million option that, at age 36 and with his performance declining and his reputation soiled, he very well might exercise to get one last paycheck. So the contract actually calls for him to make $27 million through 2015.
The "everything is hunky dory" tone of the Rollins apology story glosses over the facts that he's declining as a player, is signed for several more years, and the Phillies on the whole are old, expensive and not good.
The Marlins attendance
They're currently 12th in attendance which is a step up from finishing last every season, but in context with a beautiful, brand new park and a team that had spent money to try and win, one would think they'd have been better than 12th—a position they've held steady from the beginning of the season until now.
They're in last place and traded away most of their stars. They're not likable, nor are they fun to watch. Football season is starting next week. No one's going to pay attention to the Marlins and no one's going to go to the games.
I'm not sure where they, as an organization, go from here. The fans just don't care.
Dusty Baker's contract
It's not right that Baker has the Reds steamrolling towards the playoffs, has done a fine job in handling the club from top-to-bottom, and is functioning without a new contract. One would assume that he's safe, but he also led the Giants to the World Series in 2002 and was out of a job that winter in a contract-based dispute that turned ugly. I would say he'll definitely be back, but in 2002 I would've said the same thing.
The Dodgers playoff push
With all the headline-blaring moves they made, their playoff spot is far from guaranteed. Now they may have lost closer Kenley Jansen for the season with a heart ailment. He'll find out on Tuesday if he can pitch again this season. If they lose Jansen, they have two options: 1) use someone they already have on the roster like Brandon League; 2) trade for someone for the month of September to make the playoffs and use Jansen when he's able to pitch again.
Considering the moves they've made this season, I'd say they're going to lay the foundation to trade for someone who can do the job if League falters and Jansen's out. GM Ned Colletti is probably making calls now to that end.
September 1, 2012 Paul Lebowitz Tagged American League September, Brandon League, Braves, Charlie Manuel, Chipper Jones, Cincinnati Reds, Dodgers, Dusty Baker, Dusty Baker contract, Dusty Baker Giants, Giants contract breakdown Dusty Baker, Jimmy Rollins, Jimmy Rollins apologizes, Jimmy Rollins benched, Jimmy Rollins contract, Kenley Jansen, Kenley Jansen heart, Los Angeles Dodgers, Marlins, Marlins attendance, Mets, Mets farewell to Chipper Jones, Miami Marlins, Mike Rizzo, Nationals, Ned Colletti, New York Mets, Reds, Stephen Strasburg, Stephen Strasburg innings limit, Strasburg shutdown, Washington Nationals, What to watch for in MLB September National League, When will the Nationals shut down Strasburg?, Wild Card, Will Kenley Jansen pitch again this season?	2 Comments
Leo Mazzone's Criticism of the Nationals' Handling of Stephen Strasburg Invites a Strong and Selective Reaction
Leo Mazzone's reputation as a pitching coach guru was bolstered by having three Hall of Famers and a pretty good background cast of characters with the Braves and was subsequently ruined by going to the Orioles and functioning without much talent. Like most coaches (and managers for that matter), it's more about the talent than it is about any set of principles implemented by the coach or organization.
When Mazzone had Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz, he looked smart. He had Rodrigo Lopez and Kris Benson with the Orioles and therefore, didn't look as smart.
That said, it can't be ignored that Erik Bedard had his two best and healthiest seasons working under Mazzone; that relatively pedestrian pitchers Denny Neagle, Kerry Ligtenberg, Greg McMichael, Mike Remlinger, and John Thomson blossomed with him as their pitching coach and did nothing notable anywhere else; that Kevin Millwood and Steve Avery developed under Mazzone; that Russ Ortiz, John Burkett, Jaret Wright and Mike Hampton all experienced a renaissance under him; or that the Braves came undone after Mazzone left.
Was it talent? Was it Hall of Famers? Was it technique? Was it Bobby Cox? Was it that the Braves in those years were super good and could've shuttled anyone out there and had them look better than they were?
Or was it a combination of everything?
Or is it something that can't be defined as "this is why"?
Mazzone hasn't gotten a pitching coach job since he was fired by the Orioles which leads me to believe that his reputation as someone who doesn't adhere to organizational edicts—a version of going along to get along that's been in place forever—is preventing him from being hired. Or perhaps it's something else.
I don't know and nor do you. This is why it's silly to take Mazzone's quotes about the Nationals' parameters and much-discussed decision to limit Stephen Strasburg as the ranting of a has-been baseball dinosaur by referencing Steve Avery as "proof" (as Craig Calcaterra does here on Hardball Talk) that Mazzone's way is one of the past and his opinions carry zero weight.
With the proliferation of self-proclaimed experts, stat sites, and insertion of viewpoints available at the click of a button, it's hard to know which end is up. Everyone's knows better than the previous person whether that person is an experienced baseball man or not. Dave Righetti and the Giants' methods involving their young pitchers functioning similarly to the Braves of the 1990s drew old-school respect as Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum flourished. But Lincecum wasn't working under the Giants' program and was essentially left on his own. So where does the credit lie? Is it Lincecum's dad? Is it the Giants for their willingness to let Lincecum pitch without limits? And who gets the blame for his poor season and decreased velocity? Does Righetti get the accolades for Cain and Madison Bumgarner? How does it work?
The Yankees can provide reams of printouts and cutting-edge medical recommendations for their treatment of their young pitchers, but all are either hurt (Jose Campos, Manny Banuelos); inconsistent or worse (Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain); stagnant (Dellin Betances); or have the fault shifted elsewhere for the Yankees' shoddy assessments (Michael Pineda).
Did Avery get hurt because of the Braves' overusing him or would he have gotten hurt anyway? Avery was another pitcher who learned his mechanics from his dad and was left to his own devices. It was only after he got hurt that those mechanics were deemed as the culprit. And now, years after the fact, Mazzone's getting the blame.
Would he have gotten hurt anyway? Judging from the way pitchers are constantly injured—clean mechanics or not—it's a pretty safe bet that he would've.
Will Strasburg get hurt? He was babied from college onward and still needed Tommy John surgery.
Some pitchers are overused at a young age and get injured; others stay healthy. Why doesn't Calcaterra reference Maddux, who as a 22-year-old was handled by another old-school manager Don Zimmer and pitching coach, Dick Pole, and allowed to throw as many as 167 pitches in a game in 1988? Maddux credited Pole for teaching him proper mechanics and Pole has bounced from team-to-team because he—guess what?—asserts himself and doesn't go with the organizational flow.
Jim Bouton wrote about this phenomenon in Ball Four when discussing why Johnny Sain hopped from club-to-club and never lasted very long in any one place. Ego and control are far more important to an organization than getting it right and iconoclasts don't last unless they have massive success.
Mazzone's not wrong here. In truth, nor are the Nats. There is no "right" or "wrong". I disagree with the way they've implemented their plan because there were methods to keeping Strasburg's innings down without going to the controversial extreme of shutting him down when they're going to need him most in the playoffs (the 6-man rotation for example), but the smug condescension and retrospective denigration of Mazzone's work is pure second guessing and random outsider expertise to prove an unprovable theory with the selective references to match.
August 17, 2012 Paul Lebowitz Tagged Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Bobby Cox, Braves, Craig Calcaterra, Dave Righetti, Dellin Betances, Denny Neagle, Dick Pole, Don Zimmer, Erik Bedard, Greg Maddux, Greg McMichael, Hardball Talk, Jaret Wright, Jim Bouton, Jim Bouton Ball Four, Joba Chamberlain, John Burkett, John Smoltz, John Thomson, Johnny Sain, Jose Campos, Kerry Ligtenberg, Kevin Millwood, Kris Benson, Leo Mazzone, Leo Mazzone Braves, Leo Mazzone guru, Leo Mazzone Nationals, Leo Mazzone pitching coach, Leo Mazzone Stephen Strasburg criticism, Madison Bumgarner, Manny Banuelos, Matt Cain, Michael Pineda, Mike Hampton, Mike Remlinger, Orioles, Phil Hughes, Rodrigo Lopez, Russ Ortiz, Stephen Strasburg innings limit, Stephen Strasburg shutdown, Steve Avery, Steve Avery mechanics, Tim Lincecum, Tommy John, Tommy John surgery, Yankees pitching development	Leave a comment
The Nationals Need a Pitcher More Than a (Prince) Fielder
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Any team can use a bat that will hit 30-40 homers and get on base 40% of the time, but when that bat is attached to a body of jiggly flesh that's going to grow larger and more jiggly as time passes; when the team doesn't have the DH available to stash said player to account for his defensive deficiencies that are going to grow worse as he grows older (and larger); when the player is represented by an agent whose demands are starting at 10-years; and when the team has holes on the mound bigger than in their lineup, it makes little sense to spend the vast amount of money it's going to cost to sign that player.
The Nationals have the money to sign Prince Fielder; they can certainly use his power; their ownership is very wealthy; and the team is on the cusp of legitimate contention, if not already there. But do they need him?
Their offense finished 12th in the National League in runs scored, but that's misleading. Jayson Werth was awful in 2011 and will absolutely be better in 2012—in fact, I think he'll have a very good year. Ryan Zimmerman missed a chunk of the season with an abdominal injury. They're replacing offensive hindrances with occasional power, Rick Ankiel and Laynce Nix, in the regular lineup.
If Adam LaRoche returns and hits his 20 homers, they'll score enough to win if their pitching performs; the rotation as currently constructed is good enough to loiter around contention; the bullpen is shutdown with Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen shortening the game. But they need another starting pitcher who can be trusted to take the ball every fifth day and give them a designated number of innings. Mark Buehrle would've been perfect, but he signed with the Marlins.
The Nationals will eventually start to win as a matter of circumstance even as the front office does baffling things like trading a package for Gio Gonzalez that would've been suitable for a far better pitcher like Matt Garza; signing a good background player like Werth to a contract befitting a star; or seriously considering meeting agent Scott Boras's* demands for Fielder.
*Do people realize that Boras was a minor league player before becoming an agent of evil? Click on his name above; he was actually a good hitter.
As much as the Nationals are playing up their starting rotation with the addition of Gonzalez, they don't have a horse at the front. Stephen Strasburg is an ace talent, but your number one starter cannot be on an innings/pitch count—he's not going to give them 200 innings next season. John Lannan is a good pitcher, but he's not an every fifth day, "put the team on his back" guy either. No one can predict what Chien-Ming Wang is going to do. Jordan Zimmerman is in the same position as Strasburg.
The Nationals have talked about moving Werth to center field until next winter when B.J. Upton—in whom they've long had interest—will be available; Werth can play center field serviceably enough, but the smart thing for them to do would be to steer clear of Fielder; sign a pitcher who will give them 200 innings like Edwin Jackson; sign Cody Ross as a left field stopgap; and install Michael Morse in right.
Also, Bryce Harper is going to get a legitimate shot to make the team out of spring training. The Nats have to be careful with Harper and manager Davey Johnson must learn from the mistakes he made with a similarly hyped prospect and immature personality, Gregg Jefferies. Johnson coddled Jefferies and enabled the diva-like behaviors exhibited by the then 19-year-old; when he stopped hitting and his self-centeredness drew the ire of the Mets veterans, Johnson continued writing his name in the lineup creating a fissure between himself and the players with whom he'd cultivated a relationship from their formative years.
He cannot do that again.
If Harper is in the big leagues and Werth or Zimmerman feel the need to dispense old-school clubhouse discipline on the mouthy youngster, Johnson has to stay out of it; and if Harper isn't hitting, he shouldn't play simply because his name is Bryce Harper.
The one free agent bat at a key position they could've used was Jose Reyes; like Buehrle, he signed with the Marlins. Now the big offensive name remaining on the market is Fielder. But having a lineup inhabited by two players who are going to be contractually locked in for the next eight years limits flexibility and will result in diminishing returns quickly. If the Nationals have a budget, it will hamstring them financially as well.
They don't need Fielder.
Signing him would be spending just for the sake of it and not help them achieve their goals any faster than they are now.
They'd be allowing Boras to play them just as they did last winter with Werth and it's a mistake.
January 3, 2012 Paul Lebowitz Tagged 1980s Mets, Adam LaRoche, B.J. Upton, Bryce Harper 2012, Bryce Harper big league 2012, Chien-Ming Wang, Cody Ross, Davey Johnson, Drew Storen, Edwin Jackson, Gio Gonzalez, Gregg Jefferies, Gregg Jefferies Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth, John Lannan, Jordan Zimmerman, Jose Reyes, Laynce Nix, Mark Buehrle, Matt Garza, Mets, Mike Morse, Nationals, New York Mets, Prince Fielder, Prince Fielder Nationals, Prince Fielder Scott Boras, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Zimmerman, Scott Boras, Scott Boras minor league baseball player, Scott Boras minor league stats, Scott Boras playing career, Stephen Strasburg, Stephen Strasburg innings limit, Stephen Strasburg pitch limit, Tyler Clippard, Washington Nationals	4 Comments


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    </membership>

    <roleManager enabled="true" />

    <authentication mode="Forms">
        <forms name="MyAppCookie"
             loginUrl="~/Registration.aspx"
             protection="All"
             timeout="30" path="/" />
    </authentication>

A: Does "LocalSqlServer" exists as connection string?
What errors are you getting?
You should find in your ConnectionString section something like:
 <add name="LocalSqlServer" connectionString="<YourConnectionString>" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient"/>

And did you enabled FormsAuthentication?
  <authentication mode="Forms">
     <forms loginUrl="<YourLoginPage>" timeout="2880"/>
   </authentication>

A: Are you resetting the password or being emailed your actual password?
Have you checked the Membership table to make sure that you have not been locked out?
I can see you have maxInvalidPasswordAttempts="1000" but if you have been playing about with the config the maybe you locked yourself out before changing the settings.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Grangewood Brickwork Services are pleased to announce the successful completion of this new iconic Art Gallery, for Main Contractor Walter Lilly.
The precise quality and finish of this New Art Gallery is one of our finest achievements to date, months of forward planning and a feasibility study were carried out prior to this project being awarded to determine if the exact specifications and the absolute minimum of tolerances could be achieved. The execution and delivery of the work to the strictest guidelines resulted in an amazing piece of architecture.
Externally the existing façade was restored and extended either end with bricks carefully chosen to match the existing, for size colour and texture, laid in lime mortar and incorporating bespoke brick arches, numerous special handmade special bricks and feature "saw tooth" gable ends.
Internally, Oslo Pearl White bricks, laid in lime mortar were used to construct 4 number Ellipse stair cases from ground level to roof, the setting out and control tolerances were at an absolute minimum as the stair cases incorporated feature brick lintels and soffits, bespoke inset curved stone hand rails and wooden stairs, all finished to the highest and most exacting standard.


Blå Brigader est un groupe de viking rock de Nyköping en Suède.
Fondé en 2000, ils ont participé à la compilation Carolus Rex V et ont fait 3 albums par la suite.
Blå Brigader is a Vikingrock Band from Nyköping, Sweden.
Established in 2000, they participated in the compilation Carolus Rex V and after they also made 3 albums of their own.


Summary: Researchers report older adults who take up drawing are better able to retain new information than those who write notes.
Original Research: Abstract for "Drawing as an Encoding Tool: Memorial Benefits in Younger and Older Adults" by Melissa E. Meade, Jeffrey D. Wammes & Myra A. Fernandes in Experimental Aging and Research. Published October 9 2018.
University of Waterloo"Drawing is Better than Writing for Memory Retention." NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 6 December 2018.
University of Waterloo"Drawing is Better than Writing for Memory Retention." http://neurosciencenews.com/drawing-memory-retention-10307/ (accessed December 6, 2018).
In a recent study, drawing pictures relative to writing words at encoding has been shown to benefit later memory performance in young adults. In the current study, we sought to test whether older adults' memory might also benefit from drawing as an encoding strategy. Our prediction was that drawing would serve as a particularly effective form of environmental support at encoding as it encourages a more detailed perceptual representation.
Participants were presented 30 nouns, one at a time, and asked to either draw a picture or repeatedly write out the word, which was followed by a free recall test for all words (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2, we added an elaborative processing task in which we asked participants to list physical characteristics of the objects. In Experiment 3, we probed recognition memory for the words.
Of the words recalled in Experiment 1, a larger proportion had been drawn than written at encoding, and this effect was larger in older relative to younger adults. In Experiment 2, we demonstrated that drawing improves memory in both younger and older adults more than does an elaborative encoding task consisting of listing descriptive characteristics of the target nouns. In Experiment 3, older and younger adults drew or wrote out words at encoding, and subsequently provided Remember-Know-New recognition memory decisions. We showed that drawing reduced age-related differences in Remember responses.
We suggest that incorporating visuo-perceptual information into the memory trace, by drawing pictures at study, increases reliance of the memory trace on visual sensory regions, which are relatively intact in normal aging, relative to simply writing out or elaborately encoding words. Overall, results indicate that drawing is a highly valuable form of environmental support that can significantly enhance memory performance in older adults.
Thank you for the article! This problem is now very relevant for many people on our planet. The article provides examples for improving memory using drawing for the elderly. It is very good that science does not stand still and is constantly evolving. I think that memorizing information using drawing can help not only an elderly person, but also anyone who memorizes information in some other way. And we are not talking about treatment. rather, it will be a preventive measure for improving memory.
I find this very interesting as I am terrible at drawing, yet intrigued by this concept. The idea of colored pencils is something I would like to know about.
assai interessante e da interpretare con la Gestalt .
This is very interesting, overview.
Have you researched the benefits of using colour pencils or pens? Will this further increase the memory?
Are you able to direct me to a study where this research has happened.
Could you show us- the readers, some examples of the drawings..?


FAQ: Why hasn't an Admin or Mod replied to my PM?
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Thinking about going to Floriade this year.
I have a caravan, limited budget and no knowledge of Canberra or Floriade.
Places to stay not too far from Canberra- I think I have underestimated how popular Floriade is and so get the feeling the caravan parks within Canberra itself are quite packed. So, perhaps somewhere not too far from Canberra?
The cheap/free fun things to do at Floriade/Canberra.


text:
Modell-Airliner stellen ein besonderes Kapitel des Modellflugs dar.

Modell-Airliner sind zumeist recht detailgetreue Nachbauten von Airlinern, also von Verkehrsflugzeugen der bemannten Luftfahrt.

Aufgrund der größtenteils komplizierten Konstruktion der Modelle ist diese Sparte des Modellflugs nur wenig verbreitet.

Mit der Weiterentwicklung der Modellantriebe hin zu Elektro-Impellern und zu Modell-Turbinen war es etwa ab Mitte der 1990er Jahre möglich, nun auch im Antriebsbereich absolut maßstäbliche Optik und bei den Modellturbinen sogar authentische Akustik für die Modell-Airliner zu erreichen.

Mit den gewaltigen Leistungen der Modellturbinen wuchsen auch die Modellgrößen immer mehr. Die in Deutschland geltende Grenze von 25 kg für zulassungsfreie Luftfahrzeuge wird bereits von vielen Modell-Airlinern zum Teil erheblich überschritten, das eindrucksvolle Modell eines Airbus A380 mit über 60 kg Abfluggewicht und vier Modellturbinen ist hier nur ein Beispiel.

Die Kosten für einen Modell-Airliner können 20.000 € überschreiten, selbst Bausätze können mehrere tausend Euro kosten.

Flugmodellbau

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Cats are favorite animals for many of us. They are usually associated with independence, free spirit, mystery and feminine or goddess energy. That's why cat tattoo images are often considered as typical for women.
These pictures are usually made in minimalistic, cute style. Though, some of them are made in tribal or realistic style as a photo of beloved feline. The most popular places for cat tattoos are ankle, wrist, collar and shoulder.


I've, finally, made a working ALS, it's a great mod to use in your rally/drag/race config as it reduces considerably the turbo lag.
It's fully customizable from the turbo's jbeam file. more details here.
Note: the ALS pressure now is no longer in PSI but it's a percenual of the actual Wastegate limit of the current gear.
fixed an issue with the 423 CUI burnside's engine.
Removed some print statements as well some unused files.
I mean, when I have the ALS disabled, the turbo does make some hissing sounds like usual, but when I turn it on the hissing goes and instead of anti-lag, I get a faint high-pitched beeping sound.
very good mod, but 1 problem: my car doesnt shoot flames it just burbles and cracks.. what can i do to shoot flames?
Hi, with so little details, it's not easy to understand the cause of the problem but I think that you should try to change the exhaust system: some stock pipes are made such as that they kill all the afterfire flames.
This mod is so amazing, but theres a bug i found where i cant enable the anti-lag on trucks, and some other vehicles after the new update.
Hi, I just finished checking the behaviour of the mod on the T series and it seems to work as it's supposed to... Have you tried disabling all the other mods?
Hello, I have a problem with the two step controller, nothing happens when I enable it. I have the message that tell me the 2 step is enabled, I can change the RPMs but my engine still revs up all the way.
But for me it removes the engine from the engine bay when I select the ALS Turbo? It just disappears. This looks especially weird in the Autobello Piccolina Can this be fixed?
Hi, thanks for the report! If you mean that it removes the intake manifold it can be easly fixed!
the lastest version didnt work with Beam ng drive 0.15. The game say to me Error .
Love the new update, but how do I adjust the two-step?
Hi, I'm glad to hear you love my mod! To enable the two-step you have to map 3 keys from the game setting to "toggle two-step launch", "two-step RPM +", "two-step RPM -" then you'll be able to use this keys to control the two-step system.
I love this mod, but I think it could have more boost, if possible.
Hi, of course it's possible to add more boost! I will raise the boost limit in the next update(is 100 psi enough?).


Good nutrition is essential for everyone. Regardless of age or gender, ensuring you get enough (and the best) nutrients from the foods we take is the key to leading a healthy lifestyle. I'm at Alexandra Technopark to share with employees of Omron Asia Pacific this afternoon on a nutrition talk.
Why is healthy eating important? It is important, crucial even, because like a car, our body cannot function without fuel. And the best form of fuel has to come in two forms – both liquids (think water) and solids (think food). Besides this, we need to ensure there is regular maintenance (in terms of exercise, stress management control and giving ourselves a break from time to time).
I'm sure everybody knows this. But how many of us actually put this into practice?
In a food haven like Singapore, where the biggest challenge is not the lack of food, but rather over-supply of food 24/7, wanting to stay healthy can pose a little problem. I'm sure you are, like all my clients, in search of a nutritional diet plan that works.
Walking down memory lane, I brought the audience back to the science classrooms when our teachers told us to adopt the food pyramid. Eat more of this, do more of this. Eat less of this, do less of this. But honestly – ask yourself: how much is more? Your "more" could be a lot more or not so much more than my "more".
So guess what? Guess what? Everyone in the room was all smiles when I told them to throw away the food pyramid. It is old school, passé even. And that is true. We need something quantifiable, not something so abstract.
Out goes the food pyramid and in comes the food plate. It's not my invention (though I wished it was), but the ingenious collaboration between the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health. Just think about it – as Asians, we eat our meals using plates or bowls. Both plates and bowls are round in shape. So the food plate works best for us.
The food plate basically teaches us to divide up our plate into quadrants. Depending on what your health goals are (lose weight? gain weight? tone up?), you increase or decrease the size of the quadrant accordingly. Brilliant! Easy! And no counting of calories whatsoever!
If you want to lose weight, you will reduce the carbohydrates quadrant. We all know that carbohydrates (or carbs) for short is the culprit why most of us put on weight.
If you want to build muscles, you will increase the proteins quadrant. We also know that proteins are the building blocks for muscles and tissues.
Like the staff at Omron Asia Pacific, I'm so looking forward to using the food plate as an indicator of a healthier lifestyle. You should try it too.


text:
Connecting Adelaide through Spokes in the Wheel
Mixed Use & Hospitality
As cities continue to recognise the health and environmental benefits of bicycle transport, more bike routes are opening up in our urban spaces to promote safe and enjoyable cycling. Adelaide is one of the cities leading the way and is increasingly recognised on the world stage as a leader in bicycle transport. ASPECT Studios and our locally based wayfinding and graphics studio, Urban and Public, has been instrumental to the success of some of the city's bike routes. The South Australian Government, in association with a number of local authorities, have implemented a series of key bike routes extending out of the Adelaide CBD. The first cab off the rank was the City to Belair Link, which connects the Frome Street Bikeway to Belair in the Adelaide Hills through the creation of a 13km dedicated bike route. Our Urban and Public team developed the wayfinding and signage strategy for the Adelaide City component of the bikeway, which has subsequently been extended through the cities of Unley and Mitcham. A focus on cycling is also happening in Adelaide's east. The recently completed award-winning planning study undertaken by GTA consultants, which includes urban design input from ASPECT Studios, looks at a transformation of Beulah Road into a bike-friendly corridor, providing a vital east-west link from the City to Magill. Planning is continuing on the extension of these key arterial routes both north and west to complete the network. The aim is to create key bicycle transit corridors to further improve the city's commuter and recreational cyclist capacity. These projects will significantly improve the urban environment by revitalising the streetscape and activating key Park Lands destinations. Major open spaces within the Park Lands that are benefitting from this increased cycle activity include Park 19 (Pityarilla) - or as it's most commonly known, Marshmallow Park. ASPECT Studios, in collaboration with Adelaide City Council and the State Government's Office of Design and Architecture, is leading the transformation of this key urban play space. The wheels are officially in motion!
SHARE THESE PROJECTS
ASPECT Studios
ASPECT Studios Pty Ltd
CURRENTLY VIEWING Australia (AU)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
@ACTFL ON TWITTER
ACTFL ACTFL releases new Statement on Diversity and Inclusion in World Language Teaching and Learning: t.co/NHTSOqU51b
ACTFL We agree with @EDCtweets that new #skills & knowledge can provide life-changing opportunities. Discover how learnin… t.co/GMyaGZU9om
Diversity and Inclusion In World Language Teaching & Learning
February is Discover Languages Month
CONTACT: Marty Abbott
FEBRUARY IS DISCOVER LANGUAGES MONTH. ACTFL INITIATIVE CALLS FOR K-16 SCHOOLS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND ADMINISTRATORS TO SPEAK UP FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING
January 26, 2011 Alexandria, VA – The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is pleased to announce that February 2011 marks the 6th annual national celebration of Discover Languages Month. Part of a sustained effort, Discover Languages Month was developed to raise public awareness about the cognitive, academic, cultural and economic benefits language learning provides and to help all U.S. students Discover Languages…Discover the World!®
ACTFL is spearheading efforts and has created a website filled with ideas and classroom activities, information and research studies and step-by-step guidelines to help teachers, students, parents and supporters communicate, educate and advocate about the benefits of language learning. The campaign also seeks to provide a unifying effort among all language professionals to help them work collaboratively, promote language education, and identify resources to meet the needs of the constituent groups of language professionals.
As part of the advocacy campaign, ACTFL helps shape policy in a variety of arenas, with particular focus on helping educators, parents and citizens appeal to their representatives in an effort to re-introduce and co-sponsor for the Excellence and Innovation in Language Learning Act (formerly H.R. 1994) that was introduced by Congressmen Holt and Tonko in September 2010.
"We want to help teachers, parents and students spread the word to business leaders, decision-makers and political leaders at the local, state and national levels," said ACTFL Director of Education Marty Abbott. "The research is clear and measurable: Learning languages boosts cognitive ability and improves academic performance across all subject areas, including English," Abbott said. "Now is not the time to cut language programs. Now is the time to do more and start earlier."
Each year ACTFL sponsors a National Student Video Podcast Contest that challenges world language students of all languages and all levels of instruction to create a 1-minute PSA to promote the value of learning a second language to their peers. "The quality of this year's videos is astounding," said ACTFL Executive Director Bret Lovejoy, "Nothing is more powerful than watching and hearing students explain why learning languages is key to participating in our global community." ACTFL invites everyone to view the videos and vote for their favorite. Winners will be announced in February, during Discover Languages Month. For information on how you can celebrate Discover Languages Month, visit the website at www.actfl.org.
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is the national association for world language education professionals representing all languages and across all levels of instruction. ACTFL provides guidance to the profession and to the general public regarding issues, policies, and best practices related to the teaching and learning of languages and cultures. With more than 12,000 members, ACTFL is a leading national voice among language educators and administrators and is guided by a responsibility to set standards and expectations that will result in high quality language programs. For more information, visit the website at www.actfl.org.


The information contained in our page was put together with great care. We cannot guarantee its correctness, completeness and/or actuality. As service distributor we are – according to paragraph 6 subsection 1 MDStV and paragraph 8 subsection 1 TDG – accountable for our own contents presented on these pages.
Yet service distributors are not compelled to monitor external sources or information or to investigate in any possible illegal activity committed by a third party. Obligations leading to deletion or blocking of the usage of information following general law remain untouched hereof. However a liability in this regard is only possible in the case of acknowledgement of a certain infringement. The emergence of respective infringements will lead to the immediate elimination of those contents.
Within our pages we supply links to external sources of third parties in whose contents we do not have any influence. Thus we cannot give warranty for any of those contents. For the contents of linked pages responsibility always lays within the hands of its respective operators. The linked pages were checked upon possible violations of law at their moment of linkage. Illegal contents were not visible to the observer at the moment of linkage. A permanent control of the linked pages is not reasonable not being given any indications of infringement. In the instant of the emergence of such we will eliminate any links of this kind.
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text:
Home » Vatican - Pyramid NWO Apex » AGAIN – Vatican bank chief investigated over money laundering evidence
AGAIN – Vatican bank chief investigated over money laundering evidence
AGAIN -Vatican bank chief investigated over money laundering claims In unprecedented move, judge freezes €23m held in account at financial institution with close church links
The head of the Vatican bank has formally been placed under investigation in an inquiry into a suspected violation of Italy's money-laundering laws, judicial sources said today.
At the same time, a judge in Rome ordered a freeze on €23m (£19.5m) held in an account opened by the Vatican bank, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), at another financial institution in the Italian capital. It was thought to be the first time such action had been authorised against the IOR in Italy.
Since last September, the Bank of Italy has classified the Vatican bank as a non-EU institution whose dealings with other banks are thus subject to especially close scrutiny.
The sources said that last Wednesday, on the eve of Pope Benedict's departure for Britain, a unit of the Italian revenue guard alerted prosecutors to an anomaly in an account owned by the IOR at the Rome branch of Credito Artigiano, which has close historic ties to the Catholic church.
Of the €28m deposited, €23m was destined for transfer to JP Morgan in Frankfurt and another €3m to another Italian bank. But in neither case, it is alleged, had the Vatican's bankers supplied details of the individual or corporation for whom they were acting, as required by a 2007 legislative decree.
The sources said the president of the IOR, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, and another senior executive were under investigation. It was not immediately clear whether there was any connection between this inquiry and another in which the Vatican bank has been named, which concerns suspect property dealings.
The Vatican has a long history of withholding co-operation from Italian investigators seeking access to its bank's books. The IOR was involved in a major scandal in 1982 arising from the fraudulent bankruptcy of Banco Ambrosiano, then Italy's largest private bank. END.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/21/vatican-bank-chief-investigated-laundering


text:
The Europe/Africa Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1993.

In the Europe/Africa Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams competed against each other to advance to the upper tier. Winners in Group II advanced to the Europe/Africa Zone Group I. Teams who lost their respective ties competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group II, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Europe/Africa Zone Group III in 1994.

Participating nations

Draw

, , , and  relegated to Group III in 1994.
 and  promoted to Group I in 1994.

First round

Bulgaria vs. Poland

South Africa vs. Ivory Coast

Greece vs. Tunisia

Senegal vs. Egypt

Ireland vs. Ghana

Morocco vs. Cyprus

Monaco vs. Algeria

Nigeria vs. Romania

Second round

Bulgaria vs. South Africa

Senegal vs. Greece

Morocco vs. Ireland

Monaco vs. Romania

Relegation play-offs

Ivory Coast vs. Poland

Tunisia vs. Egypt

Ghana vs. Cyprus

Nigeria vs. Algeria

Third round

Senegal vs. South Africa

Romania vs. Morocco

References

External links
Davis Cup official website

Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone
Europe Africa Zone Group II


Exploiting the tropes of the publishing house and the think tank, Stimuli explores new forms of co-opted authorship. Its spectrum of activations relies on the proposition for a critical-contextual reading of images, and the links sustaining their economy. Stimuli commissions products that reside outside of the traditional realm of publishing, implementing new structures of research and dissemination, put into practice close partnership with the artists. An agency operating across the expanded field of internet-awareness, image-based capitalism, and the politics of publishing.


With melomind™ by myBrain Technologies: relax your mind.
Closely linked with the medical and research communities, and founded by two PhDs in Neuroscience, myBrain Technologies develops real-time evaluation tools of human mental states by measuring brain activity.
Our first product melomind™ is a new solution to help people cope with stress, based on the last neuroscience results and technologies, and developed in collaboration with the Brain and Spine Institute (Pitié-Salpetrière Hospital, Paris, France). This new generation of connected devices is meant to help people improve their health and wellness by learning how to control their brain activity by them-selves.


Financial data has been among the most commonly exposed and stolen forms of data. Credit card issuers, banks, retailers and payment processors have been experiencing increased frequencies of breaches. A data breach or data leak can be either intentional (e.g., data theft by intruders or sabotage by insider attackers) or accidental (e.g., accidental disclosure of sensitive information by employees and partners). Data leakage can also occur during data entry tasks. If the financial data entry task is performed by an unreliable or untrustworthy employee, there is a possibility that he/she may disclose confidential information to a third party. Outsourcing data entry tasks to a reliable data entry company is one way to ensure confidentiality of data and minimize cyber security risks. This is because professional data entry providers will have advanced security measures to safeguard the information they handle.
According to the 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report, the financial services industry experiences 35% of all data breaches. It is because the industry is known for its wide array of interconnected systems and the processing of millions of transaction factors that make it more vulnerable to attacks. Nowadays, financial institutions are adopting various measures to increase data security. For instance, of the 200 U.S. financial services executives surveyed by Forbes Insights, about 92% are currently using encryption technology. To stay ahead of hackers, the financial service industry should understand the dangers that lurk outside the organization. The following are some of the top cyber security threats faced by financial services.
Web Application Attacks – The financial sector depends on business-critical web applications including Google docs, calculator tools, webmail platforms, and financial records to serve customers and promote their services. Most of these applications are hosted on the web. These can be easily attacked, as they are the most accessible and rely on user input. The types of web application attacks range from buffer-overflows to SQL injections attacks.
Using an intelligent Web Application Firewall (WAF) along with the behavioral firewall will help block cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. Auditing your databases regularly will help you identify and deal with any vulnerability before they are exploited. It is also essential to clear stored cookies, avoid untrustworthy websites, and scan for viruses and malware.
DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) Attacks – DDoS attacks slow down websites by making them unavailable to users. 1/3rd of network downtime incidents are attributed to DDoS attacks, which costs businesses financial losses and reputation damages. There are DDoS protection tools and integrated preventative services available. Cisco has produced a helpful guide outlining the different DDoS methodologies and prevention steps. Remotely triggered black hole (RTBH) filtering helps prevent attack traffic before it hits the network. Anycast, a routing methodology routes traffic through various nodes, which in turn dilutes malicious traffic from DDoS attacks. Other tools, such as reputation-based blocking, help identify malicious URLs and establish a database to protect against future attacks.
Third-Fourth-Fifth Party Vendors – Managing the risk of third, fourth, and fifth-party vendors is quite difficult. When you begin working with other vendors, you need to assess the cyber security threats associated with third-party agreements. Even though you are not in control of your third-party vendors, you can decide whether they should remain as your partner. It is crucial to ensure that the vendors you work with have strong security measures in place. Also, ensure that the other parties they work with have secure networks. It can be an extremely complex network, however, assessing and developing a risk management plan is essential to protect yourself from these unknowns.
Where are my third and fourth-party vendors located?
What regulations are affecting my business and those of my third-party vendors?
Are the security risks to my business different in different locations? How so?
What security measures do we need in these different regions?
Are we expanding? Will our cyber security risks expand as well?
Then, it is essential to determine whether your team has the resources necessary to ensure protection of consumer data.
Insider Threats – Harvard Business Review reports that 60% of cyber attacks come from inside the company. According to IBM report, financial firms and financial services were in the top three sectors targeted by insider attacks. From dissatisfied employees to poorly-compensated bank tellers, 75% of the internal attacks were intentional. These employees can provide their credentials to a hacker or decline to seriously review cyber security concerns due to poor morale. The remaining 25% of internal attacks are due to human error. Phishing scams and malware downloads can work on even the most loyal and hard-working employees.
It is necessary to protect the most valuable data, tighten access controls and make sure that your employees are satisfied and feel valued for their contributions.
In addition, financial institutions can consider the following steps to ensure greater data security and minimize legal exposure.
If possible, partner with a third-party cyber security team that can help manage internet security and prevent cyber attacks as well as data breaches.
Nowadays, in the financial services sector, data security breaches, DDoS attacks and insider threats are on the rise. However, executives in the industry can take action by outsourcing financial data entry tasks to professional data entry companies. The right data entry outsourcing partner can help minimize cyber security risks.


BOSTON -- The Sentinel & Enteprise and its staff received two awards from the New England Newspaper and Press Association on Saturday night.
Judges from across the country pored over more than 3,000 entries in the 2017 New England Better Newspaper Contest, the region's largest writing, photography and multimedia contest.
Awards were presented at the annual NENPA dinner held at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.
* Former sports staffer Chad Garner, first place, Obituary Writing. Garner wrote about the untimely passing of a beloved Leominster youth football coach.
Judges wrote: "Mike Austin's obituary began with his description as "a leader, mentor and a coach" who had "a heart of gold." It went on to tell the story of a person who certainly left his mark, not only with those he coached, but the community as well."
* Peter Jasinski, honorable mention, Reporting on Religious Issues. Jasinski told the story of a woman who divorced her husband, but was not allowed to sever ties from their church.
Newspapers in Digital First Media's Lowell/Fitchburg cluster, which includes the Sentinel, won 13 total awards.
* Rebecca Duda, first place, Best Blog on a Newspaper Website. Duda, an historian from Dracut, writes weekly on "Discovering the Historic Merrimack Valley.
Judges wrote: "This well-researched and well-written blog is a joy to read, Rebecca Duda brings readers back in time to learn about the not-so-distant past. Every newspaper should have a local history blog like this one!"
* Second place, Audience/Community Involvement. The Sun's Schools pages were opened up to opinion articles written by Jessica Landers' students at Lowell High School.
Judges wrote: "The Schools page is a fresh take on school, community and social issues by ESL students at Lowell High School. The students' writing is described as "passionate voices" and they do not fail to enlighten and educate."
* Editor Jim Campanini, second place, Editorial Writing. Campanini wrote powerful editorials in support of the construction of a new Lowell High School, against a parking perk for Lowell teachers, and a criticism of action by the Townsend "Truthers" and the lives they ruined as a result.
Judges wrote: "Almost colloquial in tone, but forceful. Makes its points effectively."
* Todd Feathers, third place, Investigative Reporting. Feathers cracked the story of overdose deaths of veterans under the care of the Bedford VA.
Judges wrote: "An important investigation, especially given the current crisis. Well-documented and written in a compelling style."
* Matt Langone, third place, Sports Feature Story. Langone chronicled the effort by Bryan Riley of Tyngsboro to run every street in Lowell.
Judges wrote: "Interesting story about a quirky runner who wants to cover all 1,100 streets. Good sense of feel."
* Chris Lisinski, third place, Feature Video. Lisinski created a video story of a blind Littleton man who would run the Boston Marathon using remote video technology.
Judges wrote: "This video demonstrates how cutting-edge technology can assist visually impaired runners. It was interesting to see how it works."
* Sun sports staff, third place, Sports Special Section. "Cheering Section" contained profiles of Sun All-Stars in the fall 2016 season.
Judges wrote: "A good, solid section. Effort applauded. Love the supplement's title."
* Third place, Spot News. The Sun team of Amaris Castillo, Todd Feathers, Robert Mills, Rick Sobey and Kori Tuitt spent two days covering one of the most tragic stories of 2017 -- a murder, manhunt and suicide in Lowell and Chelmsford -- in real time.
Judges wrote: "As with so many award-winning news stories, this two-story package has so much news and detail about the shooting murder that a reader would not have to look anywhere else to answer the perennial questions of who, what, when, where and how. This was an outstanding job of reporting by The Sun staff."
* Chris Lisinski and former staffer Anne O'Connor, first place, Government Reporting. Lisinski and O'Connor teamed to cover the upheaval in Shirley: The demotion of a police sergeant, the recall of selectmen and the officer's rehiring.
Judges wrote: "Residents rely on the local newspaper to be their eyes and ears in the halls of government. The Nashoba Valley Voice provided a stellar example of fulfilling that role in its coverage of Shirley town government. The stories dug deep and provided multiple viewpoints, giving members of the community vital, evenhanded information over a sustained period."
* O'Connor, first place, History Reporting, for a story about the discovery of old letters.
Judges wrote: "Interesting and well-researched account of a trove of WWII letters, tied nicely to local history."
* O'Connor, third place, Reporting on Religious Issues. O'Connor told the story of the Groton-Dunstable High School Chorus, which had been scheduled to sing in a basilica in Rome, but had to give that up because a resident complained about church/state separation.
Judges wrote: "Good handle on a culturally significant topic."