text:
18 Things You Need To Know Before Renting A House
East, west, home's best. Everything you need to know about renting in the UK.
Ailbhe Malone
Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed
1. Research the area.
Think about the area before you move in. Is it near a hospital? If so, can you hear ambulances all the time? Is it near a noisy pub? Check all the surroundings before you sign.
"It is up the tenant to do their own research and inspect the dwelling and surrounding area before they sign the agreement and move in," James Plunkett, head of consumer research at Citizens Advice, tells BuzzFeed Life.
2. Discuss pets early.
dailybunny.com
"Bring up pets early in negotiations with your prospective landlord," Plunkett says.
"If the landlord does not want pets at the address, then the tenant should look elsewhere. Having a pet in breach of a tenancy agreement that prohibits pets will generally lead to a possession action and eviction further down the line."
3. Check out the white goods.
Inspect the white goods (fridge, freezer, washing machine, cooker, microwave, dishwasher, etc), and report any defects as soon as you move in, Plunkett advises.
"If white goods are included in the inventory on the agreement, then the tenant should visually inspect them and get the landlord to confirm in writing that they all work satisfactorily," he says.
"The tenant should seek clarification in writing as to whether the landlord agrees to repair or replace said items if they break down.
"Responsibility will be determined purely by evidence of what has been agreed between the parties so it's important to get these agreements in writing."
4. Don't forget to check the water pressure too.
When you first inspect a property, run the taps and the shower.
If there's a problem with the water pressure, you can negotiate with the landlord before signing the agreement.
"If the tenant does not comprehensively inspect the property before entering into the agreement, they may not be able to resolve these problems later," Plunkett warns – although in some cases inadequate water pressure may fall within the landlord's legal obligations.
5. Find out if your contract contains a release clause.
Titanic/ Paramount Pictures
There are two things to look out for here:
A break clause means a "fixed-term tenancy can be ended at 6 months", Plunkett explains.
However, it's important to check out the specific wording of the clause to see the conditions: "For example, that there are no existing rent arrears when the tenant wants to activate the clause."
A release clause runs along similar lines, but might involve the tenant "paying a fee to release themselves from the agreement at any time", Plunkett says. It also usually means that the tenant has to find someone to replace them, as well as paying the fee.
6. Ask the landlord if they will repaint the walls before you move in.
Tangled/ Disney
If there are tasks you want to landlord to do before you move in (for example, painting the front door or steam-cleaning the carpets), then it's a good idea to have them completed before you sign anything.
Plunkett says: "The tenant can ask the landlord to do this [i.e. clean and repaint the house before you move in], but they can't compel a landlord to do anything before a tenancy agreement is set up."
The most important thing is to make sure everything is done before you sign the tenancy agreement and before you have made any payments.
"It is not uncommon for tenants to assert that promises of this kind have been broken," Plunkett says, "and because tenants usually can't supply evidence of the agreement, they are still liable for their tenancy and rent."
So if you want something spruced up, ask for it, agree upon it, and complete it before you transfer any money.
7. Conduct a thorough inventory.
When going through the property's inventory, make sure you point out any defects and take a note of the state of the items (by taking photos of broken bannisters, for example).
"Give a copy of the amended inventory to the landlord, keeping a copy for yourself," Plunkett says.
If your landlord has not prepared an inventory, you can prepare your own, and then ask your landlord to sign it. If not, make sure you have taken photographs, and ask an independent witness to sign the document.
8. Find out how much money will need to be paid in advance.
Arrested Development / FOX
There is no "normal" amount of rent to pay in advance. Generally, landlords will ask for one month's rent in advance, although it can be more, Plunkett says.
When it comes to the deposit, the amount is also at the landlord's discretion. "Usually landlords ask for the equivalent to one month's rent as a deposit, but some ask for more (or less) than that; six weeks' rent is also common," Plunkett says. "Some landlords do not ask for a deposit to be paid at all."
9. Check if you will need a guarantor.
AMC/ Breaking Bad
Even if you have a steady job, you might still need a guarantor. There is no set income threshold that will exempt you from needing a guarantor.
"A lot of landlords insist on guarantors before any tenancy can be agreed, particularly if they feel that the tenant is on a low income," Plunkett tells BuzzFeed Life.
"The decision on insisting on a guarantor is down to the landlord's perception of the risk of the tenant having difficulties paying the rent."
10. Challenge any terms and conditions you're not happy with.
Sometimes you can challenge terms and conditions you're not happy with, but this must be done before you sign the tenancy agreement.
This can also apply to the landlord's repair obligations (fixing a broken cupboard door, for example). "Many repair obligations are legal requirements, but the landlord might agree to additional repairs under the tenancy agreement," Plunkett says.
"If the landlord will not change the disputed term or condition, the tenant should not enter into the tenancy."
11. Find out where your deposit will be held.
Landlords are required by law to protect tenants' deposits in a deposit protection scheme.
This means that any deposits taken (or carried over) on new tenancies have to be protected in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days.
There are three in England and Wales: Deposit Protection Service (Custodial and Insured), MyDeposits, and Tenancy Deposit Scheme.
The timing is important, Plunkett adds: "Failure to protect the deposit within the set time limits means that the tenant can potentially take action by applying to court for an order.
"The order can force the landlord to either return the deposit or protect it in a scheme, and can also fine the landlord up to three times the amount of the deposit, to be paid to the tenant."
12. And when it comes to your money, know your rights.
Remember, Plunkett explains, if the landlord has not protected the deposit within the required 30-day deadline, they cannot serve notice to end the tenancy until:
– They have returned the full deposit to the tenant.
– They return a lesser amount of the deposit with the agreement from the tenant.
– A compensation claim brought by the tenant for non-compliance has been awarded or dismissed by the court, or withdrawn by the tenant, or settled between the parties.
13. Understand how rent increases work.
My Little Pony/ Hasbro
If the tenancy is within a written fixed-term (one year, etc), then the rent cannot be lawfully increased without the agreement of the tenant.
If the tenancy is a periodic assured shorthold tenancy (one which runs from month to month, for example), the rent can only be legally increased by one of three methods, Plunkett says:
1) The landlord proposes a rent increase and the tenant agrees to pay it.
2) The written tenancy agreement allows for a rent increase by a clearly defined formula (such as the rent being increased by 5% every 12 months).
3) The landlord uses a statutory procedure to increase the rent. In this case the tenant should seek advice from Citizens Advice. A tenant can contest a rent increase done this way by appealing to the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
14. Remember, if you're moving into a room rather than a house, you still have the same rights.
New Girl / FOX
"A tenant in shared accommodation with other tenants and no residential landlord will have the same rights as any other assured shorthold tenant," Plunkett says.
"They may have a sole tenancy in their name only, or could be on a joint tenancy with the other tenants."
15. (But things vary slightly if your name is not on the lease.)
"If a person is living with other tenants and they are not on the tenancy agreement," Plunkett says, "they will be known as an excluded occupier living at the accommodation with the permission of the other tenants, who have exclusive occupation of the whole dwelling.
"Tenants in this situation do not have any liability for rent arrears to the landlord, but they could be removed from the accommodation by the other tenants without any need for a court order."
16. Understand what an estate agent is allowed to charge you for.
"In England and Wales, an agency can charge an unlimited fee once a client has signed a contract to accept the tenancy," Plunkett says.
"Most agencies that do charge fees will expect to be paid the equivalent of one or two weeks' rent plus VAT. The agency can ask the client to sign an agreement promising to pay this fee if and when the agency has found suitable accommodation and the client accepts it. This request is legal only if no money is paid by the client before they agree to take the property.
"In England and Wales, an agency is also allowed to charge a client for extra services it provides, but only if the client requests these services or agrees to the agency supplying them.
"For example, an agency may negotiate the terms of a tenancy agreement with a prospective landlord, draw up the agreement, and compile an inventory. The agency can ask the client to pay for this, whether or not the client finally takes up the tenancy."
If you think the agency's charge might be illegal, seek free help from Citizens Advice.
17. Ask for everything in writing.
Harry Potter/ Warner Bros
"There is no legal requirement for an inventory or survey, or even for a written tenancy agreement, so it is important tenants request these things if they are not provided," Plunkett warns.
The landlord is legally required to provide a gas safety certificate, and the landlord (or agent) has to provide in writing the name, address, and contact details of the landlord on request.
And read the tenancy agreement thoroughly.
According to Plunkett, it's particularly important to check the following:
The names of the landlord and tenant(s) and the address of the property which is being let.
The date the tenancy begins.
Details of whether other people are allowed the use of all or part of the property, and, if so, which parts.
The duration of the tenancy: that is, whether it expires on a certain date, in which case it is a fixed term tenancy, or whether it has no fixed term, in which case it is a periodic tenancy.
The amount of rent payable, how often and when it should be paid, and when it can be increased. The agreement may also state what the payment includes – for example, council tax or utility bills.
Whether the landlord will provide any services – for example, laundry, maintenance of common parts or meals, and whether there are service charges for these.
The length of notice the landlord and the tenant need to give if the tenancy is to be ended within the fixed term (break clause).
If there is a weekly tenancy, the landlord must provide a rent book to the tenant. (The landlord commits a criminal offence if they fail to do this.)
If the tenant does not know the name of the landlord, they can make a written request for the full name and address of the landlord to the person who receives the rent. (The agent must supply the tenant with this information in writing within 21 days.)
The landlord must provide an address in England or Wales to which notices should be sent – for example, notices requiring repairs to be carried out. Rent is not lawfully due until the landlord has served these details on the tenant.
If the tenancy is an assured shorthold, the landlord must provide basic written terms of the agreement within 28 days of the tenant requesting this in writing.
Show me my results!
Citizens Advice is currently campaigning for tenants to be entitled to rent refunds where the property they're living in is dangerous or not fit to live in.
If you are a private tenant renting through a letting agent or have been in the last couple of years, you can help Citizens Advice fight for your rights by filling out this survey online.


Superfoods don't have to be exotic or expensive — in fact, many are grown in Canada, easy on the budget and readily available at the grocery store. Here, some of our top choices.
How to use it: You can use quinoa in place of rice or couscous in side dish recipes, soups, stews and salads, or enjoy it as a breakfast cereal topped with fruit or honey. Buy it in the bulk food section (rather than fancy packages) to save money.
Cranberries. Some berries get all the glory — like blueberries, strawberries, acai and goji berries — but they can be expensive or hard to find during certain times of year. Cranberries offer the same antioxidant benefits as other red berries, not to mention vitamins A and C and 2 grams of fibre per 1/2 cup, but we often neglect this potent fruit outside of holiday season because they're too tart to be eaten alone.
How to use them: Use fresh or frozen berries in a rice pilaf or bruschetta, in a fruit crumble or crisp, in stuffing, chutneys or jams and in breads. Watch for recipes that incorporate other super-fruits like cherries, blueberries and pomegranate — the sweet will balance the tart. Dried cranberries can be enjoyed alone or used in trail mix, cookies and baked goods, or toss a handful on your cereal or salad.
Pumpkin. This food gets top marks from health experts, yet we often ignore it once the fall harvest is over. However, there are many reasons to eat it all year long because it's packed with beta-carotene, vitamin A and other antioxidants. It helps support the immune system, provide protective benefits for the heart, fight aging and protect our eyes.
How to use it: Pumpkin doesn't need to be fresh to be healthy. While canned pumpkin has less fibre, thanks to the heating process it often has more bio-available beta-carotene. Like winter squashes, pumpkin can be roasted, stuffed, used in baked goods (like muffins, pies and cakes) and soups.
If you're using fresh, don't throw out the seeds! They're high in magnesium and a source of plant proteins and healthy fats. Roast them up for a snack, use them in baking or toss them on a salad.
Because legumes are staple foods around the world, they're also a great ingredient for international cuisine enthusiasts.
Kale. You can buy it just about anywhere, and it's one of those essential leafy greens we hear so much about. It's got a solid fibre content, calcium, iron, vitamins A, C and K. Kale is also packed with antioxidants, and sulforaphane and a compound called indoles — both of which are known to help prevent cancer. Like cabbage (and unlike spinach), kale holds its shape well when cooked.
How to use it: Use it as a salad green, shred it in stews, stir fries, soups and omelettes, braise it, steam it or sauté it with garlic and soy sauce. You can even bake it to create kale chips — or blanch and freeze for future use.
If kale isn't your taste, try Swiss chard or cabbage — both have topped experts' superfood lists.
Allium family vegetables. We're familiar with the health benefits of garlic and onions, but experts like Dr. Perricone extol the virtues of the entire Allium family, including chives, leeks, shallots and scallions. This family contains flavonoids which prompt the body to produce more glutathione — a chemical which helps get rid of toxins and carcinogens.
Members of this family can also help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, reduce the risk of blood clots and certain cancers and help fight neurological diseases. They also help support the immune system.
How to use them: Cooked is okay, but the best benefits come from the raw, fresh form. Grate it onto a salad or vegetable dish for an attractive splash of colour. You can also marinate them in olive oil, fresh lemon juice and herbs.
How to use them: Enjoy them on their own, or chop them up and use them as a topping for cereal or in a trail mix. You can also use them in appetizers, stuffing and with roasted meats. Serving sizes don't have to be huge — a quarter cup is sufficient.
Dark chocolate. Yes, experts agree that chocolate can be part of a healthy diet. Various studies have shown that chocolate has antioxidants which help decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke. It's also a great way to give our mood a little boost.
How to use it: Do we really need advice on how to enjoy chocolate? Yes, because dietitians warn to keep the portion sizes small — a small piece each day is enough. Sprinkle some chocolate shavings on a fruit salad, or make your own hot chocolate from scratch. Many appetizer, side dish and main course recipes also use chocolate as a flavouring so they're a good way to get some of this superfood without the fat and sugar of chocolate desserts.
Super spices. What you put on your food can be just as important as what you cook. For example, one teaspoon of cinnamon has as many antioxidants as a serving of blueberries — making it a superfood favourite. Hot pepper (think cayenne or ground red pepper) contain capsaicin, another antioxidant which is also thought to boost the metabolism. Allspice, cloves, ginger, oregano and sage are also packed full of antioxidants.
How to use them: Give bland cooking a pass and get creative in the kitchen. Cook vegetables in ginger or your favourite herb blend. Try a Mexican Hot Chocolate or sprinkle some cinnamon in your coffee, or on your toast or oatmeal. Look for soups that contain turmeric, or add some herbs to your grilled cheese or mashed potatoes.
This story was originally published on EverythingZoomer.ca.


View Gallery of White Gloss Dining Tables And 6 Chairs (Showing 23 of 25 Photos)2018 White Gloss Dining Tables And 6 Chairs Pertaining to Stunning Dining Set White Gloss Dining Table Glass Leg 6 X White | Find the Best Interior Design Ideas to Match Your Style.
The easiest way to decide the most suitable dining room is collecting a good dimensions of its room in your home and a number of existed furnishings theme. Ordering the appropriate white gloss dining tables and 6 chairs comes with a nicely layout, beautiful and fascinating space or room. Browse from the web to make ideas for the dining room. And so, take a look at the place you have available, as well as your family members requires and you are prepared to make a space that you really take pleasure in for long periods.
It is important for your room to be furnished with the perfect white gloss dining tables and 6 chairs together with properly established to provide maximum coziness to everyone. An effective mixtures and arrangement for the dining room can certainly contribute to the room decoration of your living space thereby making it a bit more attractive and also functional, resulting into a meaningful lifestyle to your place. Before commit to ordering a product also in fact, before you can even decide on searching for a potential thing you buy there are some things you should be sure you complete before anything else.
Selecting the right dining room consists of several options to analyze regardless of it is quantity and also concept. To stay off from furnishing the home strange feeling of discomfort, think about a number of suggestions that said by the advisers for making a choice on the white gloss dining tables and 6 chairs. It's good in case you create creative style. Color style combined with personality help to make each and every place feel like it is actually all yours. Combine your incredible theme implementing the persistent color preferences to ensure that it give the impression of being successfully more desirable. The ideal colour, pattern and texture have the ability to make wonderful the presence of your incredible interior.
Either you are redecorating your living space or alternatively decorating the first space, thinking about your white gloss dining tables and 6 chairs is a very important attention. Use all these instructions to produce the space you seek regardless of what the living space you have to work with. The best solution to set up arranging dining room is to make sure you determine a core for the room, then simply make plans for the others of the pieces complement all-around the dining room.
So what is considered more, it is easy to find out offers on dining room the moment you research before you buy and even commonly when you look to shop for white gloss dining tables and 6 chairs. Prior to you buying any type of household furniture by yourself, it is advisable to have the correct techniques to guarantee you are absolutely ordering whatever thing you want to buy finally, make sure you are getting your attention through online for your order, so you might be sure to enable you to discover the great cost at all possible.
It truly is really useful to decide to buy white gloss dining tables and 6 chairs after taking a good comparison at the unit in the market today, check for their costs, comparing and then pay money for the right products at the best bargain. This can in some cases help out in having to get the proper dining room for your household to make it more interesting, and also furnish it with the perfect furnishings and decors to let it be a house to be valued for long periods.
You will find numerous options to check when deciding on any white gloss dining tables and 6 chairs. Get the most with the dining room by using a few home furniture guidelines, the most suitable start line is to know what you plan ahead on utilizing the dining room for. As determined by what we expect to apply on the dining room would help with the items you create.
The advice will be helpful everyone to consider white gloss dining tables and 6 chairs all at once, by learning you may find number of pieces rearrange an area. The best part can be you are able make your house lovely with decoration which fits your incredible model, there is large numbers of a solution to get motivated in relation to planning the house impressive, even with the your chosen preference and preference. Then, our suggestions is to spend time thinking of your own personal models and also figure out anything you like and even creating the house an object that is good-looking to you.


Here is Dormy mouse in her cosy needle felted nest. Dormy is made from a very beautiful, dusky pink viscose, incredibly soft to the touch and very fine. It has been very slightly shaded on her face. Her ear inners are Thai silk and she has lace rimmed, black, glass eyes and hand embroidered features. Dormy has a sculpted clay nose for a special mouse shape, which is hand painted and varnished. She has a needle felted tummy and head detail.
Dormy's nest is both wet and needle felted, with lots of extra features, including a string for hanging, with loop. It measures 23cms excluding the string.
Please email Penny at: pennypaul@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to adopt these mice.


This stylish curb chain is a versatile addition to her jewelry wardrobe. Crafted in sterling silver, this 1.7mm-wide chain looks great when worn alone or dressed up with a favorite charm. Buffed to a brilliant luster, this 20.0-inch necklace secures with a lobster claw clasp.
1.7mm Curb Chain Necklace in Sterling Silver - 20"


Loads lifter for cement products – fireplaces Loads lifter Partner Equo, column mounted version, equipped with jaws tooling for the gripping and pneumatic inclination of cement products – fireplaces.
Ergonomic handling of tanks. Partner manipulator, overhead version, equipped with jaws tooling for the picking of tanks.
Lifting systems for cement products.


text:
Munu Adhi (4 September 1926 – 21 June 2005) was an Indian politician of the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. He served as the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 1977 to 1980.

Notes

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politicians
1926 births
Speakers of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
2005 deaths
Tamil Nadu politicians
Tamil Nadu MLAs 1977–1980

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Wear Resistant Irons are also referred to as High Chrome Cast Iron, Abrasion Resistant Irons, White Irons and Ni hard. This family of materials has been developed for a variety of applications where abrasion is evident. Those high Chrome iron parts includes wearing plates, iron hammer and grinding balls used in the fields of Mining, cement, electricity, road construction machinery and refractory material, etc.
We can produce those high chrome cast iron parts according to the standards of ASTM A532M, BS4844, DIN1695, and NFA32401.


Snowman Game Studio that brought us Alto's Adventure (and soon Alto's Odyssey) has released a couple teaser trailers for two other games they are collaborating with. One of them is "DISTANT" made by Slingshot and Satchel. A side-effect of having a really successful game such as Alto's Adventure for a small indie-studio is that you can help produce, distribute and raise awareness other indie developers games. Personally I think this is a win for everyone in the indie game community. Kill Screen has more from Ryan Cash of Snowman on what to expect from a game play stand-point. We will sure be following the process and development as more becomes available. Here is the trailer below.


text:
Category Archives: Matt LaPorta
2011 Season Forecast: Cleveland Indians
Posted on March 2, 2011 by Paul Proia
Last Five Years:
2010: 69 – 93 (Fourth in AL Central)
2009: 65 – 97
Remember 2007, anyone? the Indians were a game away from getting to the World Series.
Runs Scored: 646 (12th in the AL)
Runs Allowed: 752 (12th in the AL)
With this combination of runs scored and allowed, the Indians would have been expected to win 69 games – which is what they did.
Season Recap:
Most experts had the Indians and Royals battling for the bottom of the AL Central, and the Indians did just that – edging the Royals by two games to claim fourth in the division.
The Indians got off to a moderately slow start, but fell way off the pace in May, going 9 – 18. Other than that month and a rather poor August (10 – 18, but played better than that), the Indians roared down the stretch with a 15 – 12 September, catching the Royals to get out of the cellar. Part of this was adding a few nuggets – like rookie catcher Carlos Santana and infielders Jason Donald and Jayson Nix – who were happy to get playing time and helped lead the charge.
Starters:
Fausto Carmona returned to form, tossing sinkers and sinking fastballs, and giving the Indians 210.1 innings of solid baseball. Justin Masterson's first season as a regular in the rotation wasn't a complete loss. Sure, he allowed a lot of runs, but he had decent strikeout numbers and hung in there for the whole year. He needs to work on his control, but there's something to build on here. Mitch Talbot won 10 games, but I'm not sure how. He doesn't strike a lot of guys out and he tends to walk even more guys than Masterson. Jake Westbrook returned to make 21 fair starts before being shipped off to St. Louis for the stretch run. David Huff, Josh Tomlin, and Jeanmar Gomez served as fifth starters – only Huff looked way out of place and of the three, Tomlin looks to be ready to take a turn 30 times and be successful.
Looking forward, a rotation of Carmona, Masterson, Talbot, Tomlin, and another kid named Carlos Carrasco has some potential for growth. I see Talbot falling off a little, but if Carmona can hold form, the other three guys could certainly shave 30 – 40 runs off the runs allowed side of the ledger.
Relievers:
Chris Perez did a great job as the closer and returns for another season. Tony Sipp, Rafael Perez, Joe Smith, Jensen Lewis, and Frank Herrmann will tote some innings as well. Justin Germano did an okay job last year and gets a non-roster invitation to training camp. He has a shot at being the 11th man on the staff. Of these, I am less inclined to believe that Perez and Smith will be as successful, so Lewis, Herrmann, and SOMEBODY will have to step up. I think the bullpen may be off by 10 runs over the course of the season.
Catching:
Carlos Santana had a great first 40 games. He's a convert – came to the Dodgers in 2005 as a third baseman and played all over the infield and outfield – an Elmo Plaskett sort of career. I 2007, he was switched to catcher and has shown himself to be a quick learner with a strong arm. As a hitter, he has a .401 OBP in the minors with 25 homer potential. His backup, Lou Marson, has solid defensive skills but struggled at the plate last year – even after being sent to AAA. I don't think this will happen again.
Last year's infield started out as Russell Branyan, Mark Grudzielanek or Luis Valbuena, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Jhonny Peralta. By August, Grudzielanek was released and now is retired. Branyan was returned to Seattle, and I have no reason why they would have done that – but what the hey. Matt LaPorta came in to play first. Jayson Nix outplayed Andy Marte to win the third base job, and Jason Donald earned a shot at second base. Only Cabrera played most of the season – but even he, by the end of the season, was seeing less playing time because his bat had tanked from where it was in 2009.
Looking forward, Donald or Nix looks to be the third baseman, LaPorta will get one more shot at first base, and Asdrubal Cabrera will get a shot to return to form at short. More importantly, the Indians have imported Reds infielder Orlando Cabrera to play second base. Jayson Nix and Valbuena return as depth. I like adding Orlando Cabrera, though he's getting long in the tooth and hasn't really played a whole lot of second base in his career. Donald can hit as well as Peralta these days, and LaPorta has room for growth. Defensively, it's not awesome – but it's not bad either (well, LaPorta didn't impress me). If nothing else, it's an infield that gives a manager a lot of daily options if necessary.
In right field, Shin Soo Choo is awesome – 20/20 with a high batting average and on base percentage. He's one of the best in the game. The problem is the other two positions. In center, the Indians are hoping that Grady Sizemore can return from microfracture surgery on his left knee. At peak, and Sizemore is just 29, Sizemore is a potent bat in the middle of the lineup. He hasn't had centerfield range in years, though, so I'd rather see him play left field. That leaves Michael Brantley or Trevor Crowe in left (or center) and neither impressed at the plate, being low average, low power guys with speed. Crowe might be the better defensive option in center, but neither has 1000 innings in the field yet, so it's still open for debate. Austin Kearns returns to be a fourth or fifth outfielder and DH option.
DH:
Travis Hafner, no longer the threat he once was, still helps put runs on the board. Carlos Santana, Shelly Duncan, or Austin Kearns will be the other half of a platoon arrangement.
Down on the Farm:
The guys at AAA who looked like they could play a little, Brantley, Crowe, Donald, LaPorta (who caught in AAA), all got shots with the parent club. Of those who did not, Jose Constanza hit .319 with less power and a lower OBP than Brantley, so that won't work. Cord Phelps moved up from AA, is just 24, and hit .317 with a little power. Phelps is a 3rd round pick out of Stanford in 2008 who has been moved up quickly and played better at each level. That being said, the entire Columbus AAA team hit .285, so I wouldn't put stock in those averages holding up at the big league level. None of the guys who hit .300 in AAA hit anywhere near .250 in the bigs in 2010. A couple of pitchers were rushed to the bigs, including Gomez and Huff, while Carlos Carrasco pitched better than all of them (10 – 6, 133Ks in 150.1 innings, good control, 3.65 ERA in a hitter's park). So of the young arms in camp, I like his the best.
AA Akron features a couple of pitchers who might make you look for them in a year or two. Alex White is just 22, had a 2.28 ERA in 17 starts, and had good control, decent K numbers, and kept the ball in the park. The UNC grad was the #1 pick of the Indians in 2009 and appears to have a fast track to the majors. Chen Lee pitched relief, fanned 82 and walked just 22 in 72.2 innings of work.
The second round pick of the 2009 draft, Jason Kipnis, hit well at A+ Kinston, batting .300 with a .387 OBP and power, earning a trip to Akron, where he continued to hit well (.311/.385/.502). I like him because he's from Northbrook, IL – a graduate of Glenbrook North, where a bunch of my cousins went to school. He's still figuring out second base, but he will be in the majors before you know it. The 2008 #1 pick, Lonnie Chisenhall, has migrated to third base and shows power – but right now projects out as an Andy Marte clone – and that's not MLB ready yet.
Let's call it guarded optimism. The young pitchers should be able to build on 2010, but I think the defense will suffer if Sizemore is allowed to play center and with Orlando Cabrera learning a new position (and LaPorta likely getting 1000 innings at first). It's not a total wash, but it's at least mitigating some of the potential improvement. If Sizemore plays left and Crowe plays center, the team will remove 30 runs from the runs allowed side. If Sizemore is still in center, I don't see any change.
The offense will certainly be better at catcher, and if Sizemore can hit, that's another huge plus – possibly 80 extra runs on the board between the two positions. Cabrera or Donald or Nix will be better than a full season of Luis Valbuena, too. When I feel optimistic, the system says that the team should score 725 runs and allow about 740 – but managerial decisions and Sizemore's health aren't guarantees, so I'll hedge my bet and guess it will be more like 700 and 750 instead. That puts the Indians at 75 wins – a nice step in the right direction. On the other hand, the potential is there to get to 80 games if a lot of things work in their favor. Besides, Cleveland could use some good news from a sporting standpoint. As such, I'll be rooting for the pleasant surprise…
Posted in Alex White, Andy Marte, Asdrubel Cabrera, Austin Kearns, Carlos Carrasco, Carlos Santana, Chen Lee, Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians, Cord Phelps, David Huff, Fausto Carmona, Frank Herrmann, Grady Sizemore, Jake Westbrook, Jason Donald, Jason Kipnis, Jayson Nix, Jeanmar Gomez, Jensen Lewis, Jhonny Peralta, Joe Smith, Jose Constanza, Josh Tomlin, Justin Germano, Justin Masterson, Lonnie Chisenhall, Lou Marson, Luis Valbuena, Mark Grudzielanek, Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, Mitch Talbot, Orlando Cabrera, Russell Branyan, Shelly Duncan, Shin Soo Choo, Tony Sipp, Travis Hafner, Trevor Crowe | Leave a reply
2010 Top AL Third Basemen
Posted on February 24, 2011 by Paul Proia
Evan Longoria – TB (125.6 Runs Created, 31.1 Runs Saved = 156.7 Total Runs Productivity)
Not sure if people thought he was as good as Robinson Cano last year (including me), but once you add up the numbers, he was the most valuable player in the AL last year. A remarkable ballplayer.
Adrian Beltre – BOS (116.5 Runs Created, 19.0 Runs Saved = 135.5 Total Runs Productivity)
Now THAT's a contract year season, huh? He has this kind of ability, and if he did this every year he'd be headed to the Hall of Fame. Instead, he's heading to Texas. Kevin Youkilis, certainly capable of this kind of productivity when healthy, will get the nod in 2011.
Jose Lopez – SEA (60.7 Runs Created, 36.9 Runs Saved = 97.6 Total Runs Productivity)
Handled the move from second to third very nicely, playing with surprisingly good range and avoiding mistakes often made by first timers to the hot corner. Doesn't have much power left, and I don't think he can repeat this performance. Now, he's in Colorado, which means that Chone Figgins will return to third base.
Miguel Tejada – BAL (75.8 Runs Created, 21.2 Runs Saved = 97.0 Total Runs Productivity)
Wasn't really cutting it offensively, but did a great job as a third baseman. Was sent to San Diego for the stretch drive where he returned to the shortstop position and gave him a little bit of life. He can still play well enough to help somebody. Josh Bell didn't cut it as his back up, and former Snake basher, Mark Reynolds, will get the job in 2010.
Michael Young – TEX (94.0 Runs Created, -10.3 Runs Saved = 83.7 Total Runs Productivity)
Plays every day, hits a bit, and got better defensively in his second year at the position. Yes – Beltre is a step up from Young, but you don't want guys like Young to go away. Could get 150 games backing up both Kinsler and Beltre and playing DH from time to time.
Alex Rodriguez – NYY (85.0 Runs Created, -2.4 = 82.6 Total Runs Productivity)
Superficially, he hit the 30/100 milestones. Defensively, he's gotten better the longer he has played third base, but his bat is slipping (age, lack of chemical help) and his health is no longer dependable for 150 games.
Mark Reynolds, your new Oriole 3B, would rank here at 79.7 Total Runs Productivity…
Brandon Inge – DET (67.6 Runs Created, 11.0 Runs Saved = 78.6 Total Runs Productivity)
Can still play the position well, but is – at best – a league average hitter.
At 71.8 Total Runs Productivity, former Indian Jhonny Peralta would rank here. I just can't tell if he's moving back to third base soon.
Kevin Kouzmanoff – OAK (64.0 Runs Created, -1.5 Runs Saved = 62.5 Total Runs Productivity)
A dependable player, but not one you can build a team around.
Alberto Callaspo – KC/LAA (66.4 Runs Created, -7.5 Runs Saved = 58.9 Total Runs Productivity)
Has had better years, but I'm not sure he's a long term solution for the Angels, who gave up on their other options in 2010. The Royals gave the job to Wilson Betemit, but he'll be a bench option before too long. For the Angels, it's hard to see who might be the third baseman of the future – so Callaspo better put his career back in gear.
Danny Valencia – MIN (48.8 Runs Created, -1.2 Runs Saved = 47.6 Total Runs Productivity)
The Boca Raton native and Hurricane grad got the call in 2010 and did well enough, helping produce a few runs and battling the position to a draw. He might show a little more power as he ages, but isn't going to be a bomber. I'd call him the new Joe Randa. Nick Punto and Brendan Harris are both pretty good third baseman (Punto with the glove and Harris, occasionally, with the bat), but Punto will start 2011 on the DL following surgery to repair a sports hernia and Harris is in Baltimore where he may or may not play 100 games.
Edwin Encarnacion – TOR (48.1 Runs Created, -4.5 Runs Saved = 43.6 Total Runs Productivity)
Not very consistent, but he really can be a good player. Bautista, if he played here every day and hit like he did last year would move WAY up the list, and he handled the position defensively better than Edwin did.
Jayson Nix – CLE (35.0 Runs Created, 1.8 Runs Saved = 36.8 Total Runs Productivity)
Not even sure he'll start, since MLB.com lists Jason Donald as the prospective starting third baseman (and he didn't log an inning at third in 2010) – which makes it hard to figure who to draft in a full AL Only fantasy league. Neither Donald, Nix, or Andy Marte cut it last year after Peralta left.
Wilson Betemit – 53.4 Runs Created, -21.4 Run Saved = 32.0 Total Runs Productivity)
Hit better than he would have expected (13 – 43 – .297 in 84 games), and fielded much worse than expected. He's really somewhere in between there and worth having on the team. However, the Michael Moustakas era will begin in 2011 – and the question is how long will the Royals wait for that to get started? Opening Day? June – to push back arbitration eligibility a year? Moustakas hit 36 homers in AA and AA last year and is just 22.
Mark Teahen – CHI (28.0 Runs Created, -9.9 Runs Saved = 18.1 Total Runs Productivity)
Reason #2 why the White Sox didn't win the AL Central. Teahen was brought here from Kansas City to at least give league average production, and he couldn't stay healthy, he couldn't hit enough, and his glove wasn't working either at three positions. May get another chance, but I'm not sure I'd want to be the guy to give it to him. Brett Morel may be the man of the future, having earned a shot after three solid years of growth in the minors. Morel looks like he has a little power and a little speed – and at 24 just after Opening Day, he has room for growth.
Omar Vizquel – CHI (38.8 Runs Created, -27.0 Runs Saved = 11.8 Total Runs Productivity)
Reason #1 why the White Sox didn't win the AL Central. Vizquel was pressed into playing more than 500 innings here, after never being a third baseman before. He's not the run producer most teams expect at this position, and he looked very much old and out of place.
Brandon Wood – LAA (8.9 Runs Created, -11.4 Runs Saved = -2.5 Total Runs Productivity)
Can we declare his days as a prospect over now?
Posted in Adrian Beltre, Alberto Callaspo, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Marte, Brandon Inge, Brandon Wood, Brendan Harris, Brett Morel, Chone Figgins, Danny Valencia, Edwin Encarnacion, Evan Longoria, Jason Donald, Jayson Nix, Jhonny Peralta, Jose Lopez, Josh Bell, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Kevin Youkilis, Mark Reynolds, Mark Teahan, Matt LaPorta, Michael Moustakas, Michael Young, Miguel Tejada, Nick Punto, Omar Vizquel, Robinson Cano, Wilson Betemit | Leave a reply
2010 Top AL First Basemen
Posted on February 7, 2011 by Paul Proia
Mark Teixeira – NYY (97.7 Runs Created, 31.7 Runs Saved = 129.4 Total Runs Productivity)
His batting average never recovered from a miserable .136 April but he continued to show power (69 extra base hits) and kept reaching base. Additionally, he had one of those years where his defensive stats were outstanding – nobody fluctuates more than Teixeira for some reason, but he's been in a lot of different stadiums over the last few years. I'm not sure that I'd take him over Cabrera or even Butler for 2011, but he's been the new Rafael Palmeiro in terms of hitting consistency. Will pass 300 homers this year assuming he staus healthy (never less than 30 since 2003) and probably 1000 RBIs, too (seven straight over 100 RBI). Turns 31 just after Opening Day, so he's got at least five or six good years left, wouldn't you think?
Miguel Cabrera – DET (147.0 Runs Created, – 19.9 Runs Saved = 127.1 Total Runs Productivity)
The most feared hitter in the AL right now – power, batting average, decent enough eye. He's starting to look thicker like Manny Ramirez, who is the the person Cabrera reminds me of the most. Per game, Youkilis is more productive, but Cabrera doesn't miss games. The Marlins should have kept him and just given him shares of ownership or something.
Paul Konerko – CHI (119.0 Runs Created, -10.2 Runs Saved = 108.8 Total Runs Productivity)
A fantastic season for the White Sox first baseman. Konerko hit a ton, doesn't necessarily help with the glove, and has been rather productive for a number of years now. It was his sixth 30 homer season, fifth of at least 100 RBI, and third time clearing .300 in batting average. Turns 35 in March, so don't be surprised if there's a drop off this year. Adam Dunn will give Konerko a break between DH duties and add even more thunder to the middle of the lineup.
Billy Butler – KC (109.3 Runs Created, -1.3 Runs Saved = 108.0 Total Runs Productivity)
Konerko edged Butler by a shade less than a run, but I'd rather have Butler. He's worked hard to become a tolerable defensive player, he doesn't have the top end power of Cabrera but he's a threat to get 200 hits a year, and he's capable of hitting 25 homers (or more) at some point – based on his hitting 45 doubles last year and 51 in 2009. If you are in a keeper fantasy league, go get him.
Kevin Youkilis – BOS (82.8 Runs Created, 17.8 Runs Saved = 100.6 Total Runs Productivity)
An injury ended his season after just 102 games, but few people actually produce a full productive run per game and Youkilis nearly did just that. When Mike Lowell was forced to play there more regularly, he looked okay defensively (as you might expect), but he didn't generate any offense, which contributed to the Red Sox falling off as the season progressed. Is Kevin Youkilis a potential Hall of Famer? Let the discussion begin. Adrian Gonzalez, imported from San Diego, will take over the role, moving Youkilis over to third base.
Michael Cuddyer – MIN (88.9 Runs Created, 1.2 Runs Saved = 90.1 Total Runs Productivity)
Justin Morneau was hitting like Ted Williams when a concussion ended his season after just 81 games. Cuddyer took over down the stretch and was very good. He played the position well enough (he actually saved 4.5 runs as a first baseman but gave a few runs away in the outfield) and hits for power among his other virtues. Morneau says he'll be ready for spring training, and the Twins hope he's at 100% when the season starts. If not, Cuddyer is a fine alternative.
Ty Wigginton – BAL (72.2 Runs Created, 15.0 Runs Saved = 87.2 Total Runs Productivity)
Wigginton, who can play all over the infield and outfield, got the lion's share of innings and was surprisingly effective as a first baseman, if not quite a solid offensive contributor. His 22 homers and 76 RBIs look okay, but the .248/.415/.316 percentage line as a bit weak for the position. In the SI baseball preview, Joe Sheehan suggested that Garrett Atkins was a lousy short-term solution for a team that should be focusing on youth. Atkins hit .214 with 1 homer in 140 at bats – nailing that prediction.
Daric Barton – OAK (92.7 Runs Created, -17.3 Runs Saved = 75.4 Total Runs Productivity)
Oakland says they are happy with Barton, who is a poor man's Mark Grace. Barely enough power but gets on base a lot, hits a few doubles. However, he doesn't seem to have Grace's defensive skills. To his credit, he's gotten better every year, he's just 25, and he has room to grow. If he can find his comfort zone defensively and add a little more offense, he'd get to 100 runs of productivity for sure, which would make him a more valuable commodity.
Carlos Pena – TB (72.6 Runs Created, 0.5 Runs Saved = 73.1 Total Runs Productivity)
The Cubs payed $10 million for a guy who got 95 hits in 571 plate appearances. Still has power, still has a great eye, but strikes out a ton and is no longer a defensive force as he ages. If he hits .240 as a Cub, I'll take it – but I'll also be surprised.
Justin Morneau – MIN (81.9 Runs Created, -12.0 Runs Saved = 69.9 Total Runs Productivity)
A concussion suffered when getting kneed in the head while sliding into second base ended his season. A ferocious hitter, but a brick with the glove. See Michael Cuddyer, above.
Lyle Overbay – TOR (74.4 Runs Created, -6.5 Runs Saved = 67.9 Total Runs Productivity)
Showed a little power to make up for his fading batting average, still draws a few walks. His strikeout rate makes you nervous and he no longer flashes the leather as well as he used to. He's outside the top ten at his position, and that means he's won a job in Pittsburgh. At least he's durable, right? Looking over the Blue Jays roster, does this mean Adam Lind or Travis Snider or Jose Bautista or someone is moving over? Watch the Jays in Spring Training and see what happens.
Justin Smoak – TEX/SEA (40.6 Runs Created, 17.5 Runs Saved = 58.1 Total Runs Productivity)
Should get the Seattle job in 2011, unless Mariners management goes through another round of goofiness. Didn't hit very well and needs to show improvement, but he did flash leather in two cities. Still a kid – worth giving 500 at bats to see what happens. See Casey Kotchman, below.
Mike Napoli – LAA (73.1 Runs Created, -19.2 Runs Saved = 53.3 Total Runs Productivity)
See Kendry Morales, below. Played first because he was probably the best option when Morales went down but really isn't a first baseman. May get time there in Texas for 2011, but I'd rather see him catch five days and DH twice a week.
Kendry Morales – LAA (35.1 Runs Created, 11.2 Runs Saved = 46.3 Total Runs Productivity)
Mike Napoli played 140 more innings because Morales went down to a freak leg injury celebrating a home run. Morales was pacing for about 135 runs of total productivity, which would have placed him ahead of Cabrera, when he was sidelined. Hits for power and average, great range – a fantastic player. His injury, as much as anything, cost the Angels the AL West. It forced an out of position player to first and put a bad hitter in the lineup – costing the team about 80 runs over the course of the season.
Casey Kotchman – SEA (43.4 Runs Created, -5.9 Runs Saved = 37.5 Total Runs Productivity)
I'm not sure what Seattle was thinking here – Kotchman hasn't been consistent as a Mark Grace type, falling off to hitting just .217 last year. He gets raves for his glove, but hasn't been consistent there, either. They should have just committed to Russell Branyan, given him a decent check, and let him come to the park confident in having a job. If Seattle is serious about contending, they need to find 70 more runs at this position in 2011. Justin Smoak was imported from Texas for Branyan and has power and a decent eye, seems to be a much better fielder. A full season of Smoak, especially if he can improve from .218 to .260 and hit 25 homers, would be worth at least 45 more runs. If Kotchman gets a full season of at bats anymore, I'll be stunned.
Mitch Moreland – TEX (24.5 Runs Created, -3.3 Runs Saved = 21.2 Total Runs Productivity)
Chris Davis had the job but couldn't hit .200. Justin Smoak got a chance, wasn't horrible, but was sent to Seattle for Russell Branyan. Jorge Cantu was imported from Florida and didn't really earn much playing time. Mitch Moreland took over down the stretch and was pretty good – hit for power, got on base, did the job at first – though he needs to get comfortable there and a full season later he might not be too bad. He's low down the list now, but expect him to move up a few notches in 2011.
Matt LaPorta – CLE (42.9 Runs Created, -25.0 Runs Saved = 17.9 Total Runs Productivity)
Russell Branyan came over from Seattle and was far more productive in his 47 games at first (32.8 total runs) than LaPorta, who played 93 games at first and another seven in left field and butchered it both offensively and defensively. Of course, Branyan doesn't have a job and LaPorta is listed at the top of the depth chart heading into Spring Training. Pity my friends who are Cleveland fans.
Posted in Adam Dunn, Adam Lind, Adrian Gonzalez, Billy Butler, Carlos Pena, Casey Kotchman, Chris Davis, Daric Barton, Garrett Atkins, Jorge Cantu, Jose Bautista, Justin Morneau, Justin Smoak, Kendry Morales, Kevin Youkilis, Lyle Overbay, Mark Teixeira, Matt LaPorta, Michael Aubrey, Michael Cuddyer, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Napoli, Mitch Moreland, Paul Konerko, Russell Branyan, Travis Snider, Ty Wiggington | Leave a reply
2010 AL Gold Glove and Dirty Brick Award Winners
My fielding ranking system is a method that looks at the number of plays made per 800 balls in play. In effect, if someone makes one play more than another person at the same position, he reduces the batting average of the hitter by a point. The best fielders occasionally make a run at 15 plays per 800 balls in play more than average, the worst can go 15 in the other direction. Then, I convert those plays made into runs saved (or not saved, if the number is negative) based on the types of hits allowed on balls hit toward that fielder. I also convert double plays and errors into runs based on Pete Palmer formulas found in the old Total Baseball encyclopedias.
Does it work? Actually – yes. It passes the eye ball test (Elvis Andrus, when you watch him, looks like an impressive fielder), and the system is comparable to other methodologies. I've used this for about ten years, when I was first trying to rate fielders to make player cards for the old Superstar Baseball board game.
I try to remove biases for groundball/flyball tendencies, and for lefty/righty balls in play. If there is one position where I am always concerned, it's first base because much of that is based on the rest of the infield – so I essentially remove infield assists from the first baseman's putout total. Even with that, there is usually a greater range between the best and worst fielders. However, after doing this for years, I have reached the conclusion that the reason for this has more to do with the fact that the worst fielders are, indeed, the least mobile athletes on the field and if you get someone at first base who is young and still fleet of foot, that person is going to make GOBS more plays than a big lumbering first baseman whose first move is to start heading to first to catch a throw on almost any ball hit to his right.
Mighty Casey generally doesn't rank pitchers individually, but the best team in this regard was probably Cleveland. Cleveland pitchers had a positive ratio of double plays to errors (19/13, where the league pitchers participated in 180 DPs and made 181 errors) and also handled about 5 chances more than the average team per 800 balls in play. The worst was easily Detroit (17 DPs, 18 errors, 6.4 plays below average per 800 balls in play).
I also rank catchers differently, choosing to score them as a team. There are seven categories for which a team of catchers could be graded: ERA, Winning Percentage, SB%, Fielding Percentage on plays not including strikeouts, Mistakes per Game (passed balls, errors), Plays Made per Game (or Mobility), Other Assists per Game (not including Caught Stealing). The catchers get a point for each category in which they are above the league average, and lose a point if below league average. The highest score, theoretically, is seven and the lowest would be -7. Nobody was that good, nor that bad.
Catcher:
Toronto had the best rankings, being above average in six categories and dead even on Mobility. John Buck did the yeoman's share of the work, but his backup Jose Molina was also exceptional against the run, tossing out 15 of 34 runners. That being said, I don't think that John Buck is the best catcher in the AL, it's Joe Mauer. But the rankings say that Toronto's catchers held their own collectively.
Behind Toronto, the White Sox scored at positive four, failing only in mobility categories, and then a tie between Boston, Detroit, and Minnesota at positive three.
The worst catching was a toss up between three teams that all scored at -3: Seattle, Los Angeles, and Kansas City.
First Base:
For the first time in several years, the stats matched the reputation. Mark Teixeira earns the nod, saving his team nearly 32 runs with his range and ability to avoid errors and turn double plays. I was surprised at how good Ty Wigginton was, showing even better range, but then again – he's an infielder moving over to first – and frequently those guys are used to straying as far as possible to get grounders where many first basemen will give up on balls to the right and let the second sacker get them while moving to first base.
I'm not totally certain that Teixeira would have won the award had Kendry Morales not gotten hurt. Morales, in just 51 games, had a slightly higher range and was on pace to save just as many runs as Big Tex. Two others who didn't get 1000 innings at the position also scored well here – Kevin Youkilis and rookie Justin Smoak.
Player Innings Range Runs Saved
Mark Teixeira 1291.2 10.2 31.7
Ty Wigginton 787 12.5 18.7
Justin Smoak 807.2 10.3 17.5
The Dirty Brick goes to Cleveland's Matt LaPorta, whose poor range didn't help a season where his bat wasn't very strong – negating half of the runs he created offensively. The other two shouldn't be a surprise. Miguel Cabrera is looking less and less lean, and Mike Napoli is a catcher playing first.
Matt LaPorta 791.1 -13.5 -25.0
Miguel Cabrera 1285.1 -5.6 -19.9
Mike Napoli 586.1 -12.7 -19.2
Dishonorable mentions go out to Daric Barton, Justin Morneau (on pace to match LaPorta, but he missed half the season), and Paul Konerko…
Second Base:
Robinson Cano had an amazing year with the bat, and was equally strong with the glove. His range factor was nearly 11 plays per 800 balls in play more than average, and he made just 3 errors while turning 114 double plays. As such, he not only saved his team 26 runs just by eliminating hits, but he took more than seven more runs off the board by avoiding errors and helping with the DP – the most at his position by far. Orlando Hudson provided value for Minnesota, and KC's Mike Aviles returned and made a positive contribution with the bat and glove, too. Regular leaders here, Ian Kinsler and Mark Ellis, fell back as both missed about 500 innings at the position due to injuries. Honorable mention to Sean Rodriguez at Tampa who nearly made the list in just a half season of innings, and to Gordon Beckham who switched over from third and was solid for the White Sox.
Robinson Cano 1393.1 10.9 33.3
Orlando Hudson 1067 7.4 16.3
Mike Aviles 765.2 14.8 15.8
The Dirty Brick goes to a position switch as well – Seattle's Chone Figgins. He was a decided bust at second base, making 19 errors and making an adjusted 4.11 plays per nine – 11.9 plays fewer per 800 balls in play than the average second baseman. Seattle signed him as a third baseman, switched him over to let Jose Lopez play third. Thankfully, Lopez was fantastic over there – else it would have been a total loss… Brian Roberts, a regular to the brick list, was abhorrant in a shade under 500 innings, 20 plays worse than the average second sacker per 800 balls in play, and Aaron Hill took his struggles at the plate with him to the field. Dishonorable mentions to supposed glove man Chris Getz (-7 runs) and rookie Scott Sizemore (-11 runs in must 314 innings). So much for replacing Placido Polanco…
Chone Figgins 1417 -11.9 -33.3
Brian Roberts 498.1 -19.5 -17.1
Aaron Hill 1188 -6.1 -14.5
Third Base:
As poorly as Chone Figgins played second base for Seattle, converted third baseman Jose Lopez was a decided success. His range was superior, and he didn't disappoint in terms of errors or double plays. Evan Longoria remained in the 30 runs saved range – a remarkable player, really – and Adrian Beltre continued to field his position remarkably well. An honorable mention goes to the reluctantly converted Miguel Tejada, who had greater range than even Longoria, but played just 808 innings before being shipped out. Nick Punto played an out shy of 345 innings there without making an error…
Jose Lopez 1252.2 13.3 36.9
Evan Longoria 1330.2 8.7 31.1
Adrian Beltre 1342.2 6.6 19.0
The dirty brick goes to a part-timer, Royals infielder Wilson Betemit, who must have had ball repellant on him, making barely 2.2 plays per nine and having a range about 17 plays worse than the average player per 800 balls in play. Another halftimer, Omar Vizquel got close to 600 unnecessary innings at third base for the White Sox – he's an ancient shortstop who hadn't played there for his entire career. You want to know why the White Sox lost the division – look right here. Of the regulars, Michael Young was, again, a lousy third baseman – but he did make improvement over last year. No wonder he volunteered to be a DH.
Wilson Betemit 455.1 -16.9 -18.4
Omar Vizquel 582.1 -19.4 -17.4
Michael Young 1370.1 -3.3 -10.3
Shortstop:
Nobody was more surprised to see this than I, but Alexei Ramirez had a remarkable year at shortstop, showing great range – as good as he ever played. He was one assist shy of 500 – a great season by any measurement. Cliff Pennington helped out the young A's staff by making his share of plays, and Elvis Andrus remained among the best fielders of his time. Seattle's Jack and Josh Wilson, if combined, saved Seattle more than 20 runs.
Alexei Ramirez 1376.2 12.8 32.1
Cliff Pennington 1304.2 12.0 26.9
Elvis Andrus 1291.1 10.3 26.0
At least the reigning gold glove winner didn't finish last, but he did have the worst range amongst the regulars. This year, Marco Scutaro's 18 errors and only contributing to 57 double plays made up for making slightly more plays than Derek Jeter, who had just 6 errors and 94 double plays. The 11 run swing gave the brick to Scutaro, who killed the Red Sox infield. He'll need to be replaced soon if the Sox want to be competitive. Third place went to Jason Bartlett who no longer looks like the slick fielding shortstop he was before all the ankle injuries in 2009. Thankfully for the Rays, they have other options for 2011.
Marco Scutaro 1166 -13.2 -32.0
Derek Jeter 1303.2 -15.0 -27.4
Jason Bartlett 1104 -8.9 -16.4
Left Field:
A centerfielder playing left who also had his best offensive season heading into free agency, the gold glove goes to the perennially amazing Carl Crawford. Crawford was the only left fielder to save his team more than 10 runs, but only because the next closest guys played too few innings to save enough runs. Only three left fielders played 1000 innings there in 2010.
Carl Crawford 1260.1 4.2 13.1
Michael Saunders 647.2 6.3 9.6
Alex Gordon 486.1 7.6 9.0
One of those three was Dirty Brick winner Delmon Young, who abused left field until he cost the Twins 25 runs out there. At least he found his bat last year… Fred Lewis played a disinterested left field for Toronto, and Daniel Nava was the Boston representative of the list of bad outfielders who played between 200 and 500 innings in the AL.
Delmon Young 1277.2 -8.5 -25.0
Fred Lewis 726.1 -7.8 -13.2
Daniel Nava 380 -12.9 -10.4
Center Field:
The Angels are rightfully excited about the defensive capabilities of their new centerfielder, Peter Bourjos. The man can fly – reminding you of a young Gary Pettis. He can throw, too – ten assists in what amounts to a third of a season in the field. This allows Los Angeles to move Torii Hunter, who is now a slightly below average centerfielder to right (where he was really good), and makes room for another below average centerfielder, Vernon Wells, to move to left. As it was, there isn't a whole lot of difference amongst the starting centerfielders, except for Bourjos, in terms of overall range.
Peter Bourjos 449.2 12.0 12.4
Adam Jones 1298.1 2.9 7.9
Alex Rios 1246.2 2.8 7.1
The Dirty Brick goes to a guy whose body and game are falling apart, and that's Grady Sizemore. One hopes he can heal and start to put his career back in the right direction, but it's probably going to have to be at a different position. Sadly, his replacement (Brantley) doesn't look much better, and among those who played at least 1000 innings, Vernon Wells, who was healthier than in recent seasons, is still the worst of the lot (costing his team about 7.5 runs). Thankfully, he's done as a centerfielder.
Grady Sizemore 269.2 -17.5 -11.2
Michael Brantley562.2 -6.9 -9.4
Gregor Blanco 347 -11.2 -8.4
Right Field:
For the second year in a row, Nelson Cruz was a remarkable outfielder, though he threw hardly anybody out from right. I was surprised to see how well Nick Swisher did, but that could be because opponents may allow more lefties to bat in the new Yankee Stadium. Honorable mention to Ben Zobrist, who has to play everywhere but looked solid enough in right. I wonder if there isn't some form of statistical bias in Texas, though, as even Vlad Guerrero showed up as above average in his 118.2 innings there. Not WAY above average, but slightly.
Nelson Cruz 799.1 15.2 25.9
Nick Swisher 1102 6.1 14.5
Jason Repko 226 16.4 9.3
The Dirty Brick goes to the surprise hammer of the league – Jose Bautista, followed by a bunch of guys who are either ill-suited for the outfield, aging, our out of position (David DeJesus). The worst right fielder who played at least 1000 innings was Shin-Soo Choo, who barely edged out the immobile Nick Markakis and the aging J.D. Drew, and were all between -7.02 and -7.17 runs in the wrong direction.
Jose Bautista 982.2 -6.8 -14.6
Carlos Quentin 897 -5.3 -13.6
Bobby Abreu 805.2 -3.4 -7.9
Posted in Aaron Hill, Adam Jones, Adrian Beltre, Alex Gordon, Alex Rios, Alexei Ramirez, Ben Zobrist, Bobby Abreu, Brian Roberts, Carl Crawford, Carlos Quentin, Chone Figgins, Chris Getz, Cliff Pennington, Daric Barton, David DeJesus, Delmon Young, Derek Jeter, Elvis Andrus, Evan Longoria, Fred Lewis, Gordon Beckham, Grady Sizemore, Gregor Blanco, Ian Kinsler, J.D. Drew, Jack Wilson, Jason Bartlett, Jason Repko, Joe Mauer, John Buck, Jose Bautista, Jose Lopez, Jose Molina, Justin Morneau, Justin Smoak, Kendry Morales, Kevin Youkilis, Marco Scutaro, Mark Ellis, Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, Michael Saunders, Michael Young, Miguel Cabrera, Miguel Tejada, Mike Aviles, Mike Napoli, Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis, Nick Swisher, Omar Vizquel, Orlando Hudson, Paul Konerko, Peter Bourjos, Robinson Cano, Scott Sizemore, Sean Rodriguez, Shin Soo Choo, Torii Hunter, Ty Wiggington, Vernon Wells, Vladimir Guerrero, Wilson Betemit | Leave a reply
Smoltz For the Birds; Votto's Struggles Continue
Posted on August 20, 2009 by Paul Proia
John Smoltz joined the Cardinals yesterday and will open this weekend as the fifth starter against San Diego. The reason Smoltz is getting a start is to get him some innings and give the team a chance to see what Smoltz has left. After two or three starts, Smoltz may stay in the rotation or move to the bullpen. [ESPN]
Cincinnati's Joey Votto's 2009 season continues to provide new challenges. First, it was dizziness caused by inner ear infections, followed by a DL stint to deal with anxiety and depression. Now, Votto left a game with blurred vision. He's day-to-day. [ESPN]
Cleveland prospect Matt LaPorta will get another shot with the big league club as Trevor Crowe needs a DL stint to deal with an oblique strain. LaPorta struggled in a previous call up and needs to demonstrate why he was the centerpiece of last year's C.C. Sabathia deal. [SI]
Milwaukee sent outfielder Bill Hall to Seattle for minor league reliever Ruben Flores. Gordon Ash, Brewers GM, admits that this is a cost saving move. [SI]
Los Angeles signed Vincente Padilla – who now heads to Albuquerque to make a warm up start before taking Hiroki Kuroda's spot in the rotation. [SI]
FoxSports reported that D-Backs starter Jon Garland cleared waivers, meaning any team willing to absorb a few million dollars for a six week stretch run can consider adding Garland to their roster. [FoxSports]
Houston's Mike Hampton has a partially torn rotator cuff, but isn't getting another operation and hopes to pitch one more time this season. [ESPN]
Mets reliever Billy Wagner is ready to make his return from Tommy John surgery, but if he gets a shot with New York, it's as an audition… The Mets are looking to move Wagner before the waiver trading deadline (8/31). Wagner has a lot of money left on his final contract year and becomes a free agent for 2010. Again – the Marlins could use someone for the stretch run and it would be a gas if he had anything left… [ESPN]
Braves infielder Martin Prado is suffering from exertional headaches and is hoping that inflammatory medicines help reduce the strain. [MLB]
Hurry Back! Willy Taveras (CIN) goes to the DL with a strained left quad. Everyday Eddie Guardado (TEX) heads to the DL with a strained knee.
Posted in Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Bill Hall, Billy Wagner, C.C. Sabathia, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Eddie Guardado, Joey Votto, John Smoltz, Jon Garland, Los Angeles Dodgers, Martin Prado, Matt LaPorta, Mike Hampton, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, Ruben Flores, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Vincente Padilla, Willy Taveras | Leave a reply
Prospect Week in MLB!
Posted on May 27, 2009 by Paul Proia
This is prospect week, if you were paying attention. David Price was brought up by the Rays and given a start on Monday. Injuries to just about everybody on the Mets means that their top prospect (according to Baseball America), Fernando Martinez, will get a shot at the outfield. And, the Orioles announced that catcher Matt Wieters will be on the big league roster on Friday.
Price's first outing wasn't much to write home about – he couldn't get through four innings and 100 pitches, but he left with a lead. Wild as all get out – but he'll be fine.
Wieters – I saw him play and he's the real deal. Big, strong, good catching instincts. He'll catch for a few years and then become a first baseman DH hitting a ton. I think Steve has him – he'll be an impact player. Think Joe Mauer, but bigger (and probably not as good defensively).
Fernando Martinez I know less about. He's 20, though, which means there's upside. He's shown improving power and hits well enough (.282 in the minors, .294 in AAA Buffalo) and he can run a little – though he's not asked to run much. I can say this, though, if some kid is 20 and performing well in AAA, he's a prospect. We may not own him this year (but you might consider it), but somebody will own him by 2011.
The Mets keep winning, though. Last night was 1997 Marlins retro night – Gary Sheffield (roid!) homered in support of a Livan Hernandez complete game. Earlier in the day, the Mets finally put Jose Reyes on the DL (calf), and they put Ryan Church on the DL (hamstring). And, Carlos Beltran is day to day – won't play until the weekend at the earliest. Delgado is already out with a bad hip. So, that's four of the top six batters in the lineup??? Wow.
Tommy Hanson is expected to join the Braves this week – Hanson is the top pitching prospect for the Braves and is mowing down AAA pitching. 446Ks in 376 minor league innings, good control, and could be Rookie of the Year material if he gets 20 starts. (Nice pickup, Steve.)
I forgot – another prospect got a start last night – Jason Berken of the Orioles. Just 25, has great command and keeps the ball in the park. I think he looks good, and he won last night in his MLB debut. If you are rotating pitchers and he comes up, you might consider giving him a shot.
Too bad Andy couldn't have taken his kids to the Royals game last night. Another Greinke gem.
Cubs finally win (rain stopped it in six), Padres finally lose (but nearly pulled it out with a ninth inning rally). The days of a Jays pennant seems a distant thought now.
Ryan Braun was hit by a pitch on his right wrist last night; x-rays were negative for the Brewer Bomber.
Roy Oswalt has a bruise on his throwing hand, hopefully won't miss a start.
People who will miss a turn? Scot Shields has a left knee injury and joins the DL – the Angels can't keep a pitcher healthy.
Jason Bartlett's sprained ankle is enough to head to the DL. The Rays infield is now Brignac and Aybar (or Zobrist) instead of Bartlett and Iwamura – which might be a big decline in skills. Bartlett is one of the best, and Aki was playing great this year. Called up? Utility player, Joe Dillon (former fish!).
Lou Montanez, Orioles DH/OF prospect, is now on the DL with his thumb injury. Hope surgery goes well; he can hit.
Brian Bruney, Yankee Reliever, goes to the DL with elbow discomfort – and Joe Girardi was not happy with Bruney's communication skills.
Braves pitcher Buddy Carlyle heads to the DL, back comes Jorge Campillo. The Reds activated Nick Masset from the DL. The Giants get back Andres Torres, a CF burner, and send Jesus Guzman back to Fresno (AAA).
Hurry Back! Matt LaPorta, Indians 3B prospect, heads back to AAA – which was surprising…
Posted in Akinori Iwamura, Andres Torres, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Ben Zobrist, Brian Bruney, Buddy Carlisle, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Chicago Cubs, David Price, Fernando Martinez, Florida Marlins, Gary Sheffield, Jason Bartlett, Jason Berken, Jesus Guzman, Joe Dillon, Joe Mauer, Jorge Campillo, Jose Reyes, Kansas City Royals, Livan Hernandez, Lou Montanez, Matt LaPorta, Matt Wieters, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Nick Massett, Reid Brignac, Roy Oswalt, Ryan Braun, Ryan Church, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Scot Shields, Tampa Bay Rays, Tommy Hanson, Toronto Blue Jays, Willy Aybar, Zack Greinke | Leave a reply

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
, anche conosciuto come Sonic 3D Blast nel Nord America, è un videogioco isometrico a piattaforme della serie Sonic. Il titolo è stato sviluppato da Traveller's Tales e Sonic Team e pubblicato da SEGA per le console Sega Mega Drive, Sega Saturn e per i PC basati su Microsoft Windows tra il 1996 ed il 1997.
Vent'anni dopo (23 Dicembre 2017) venne rilasciato Sonic 3D: Director's Cut, una versione rivista ed espansa, che corregge le criticità del tiotolo originale e ne migliora la rigiocabilità, versione creata dal programmatore originale Jon Burton e fondatore della Traveller's Tales.

Trama
Dopo Sonic & Knuckles, il Dr. Robotnik ha scoperto che i sette Chaos Emerald si trovano a Flicky Island ma non conosce il luogo esatto per trovarli. Più tardi viene a scoprire che i Flickies residenti sull'isola possono viaggiare attraverso diversi mondi mediante l'utilizzo di grandi Ring. Lo scienziato comprende che vi deve essere un collegamento tra gli uccellini e gli smeraldi, perciò decide di catturarli e trasformarli in robot tramite il Dimension Ring Generator, un nuovo macchinario costruito da Robotnik. Successivamente, Sonic, Tails e Knuckles arrivano a loro volta sull'isola per fermare il malvagio scienziato e ritrovare i Chaos Emerald ma si accorgono di essere arrivati tardi. Sonic trova i suoi amici Flickies trasformati in robot, dopodiché decide di liberare i suoi amici e fermare lo scienziato prima che questo trovi gli smeraldi.

Modalità di gioco
Il gioco utilizza una grafica isometrica, la quale mischia elementi 2D con altri 3D. L'obiettivo di Sonic è quello di salvare i Flickies e portarli con sé per poi farli teletrasportare mediante l'utilizzo di un Ring di dimensioni elevate per avanzare nel livello. Ogni zona consiste in due atti regolari ed un atto dedicato ad un boss da affrontare. In ogni atto regolare vi possono essere 10 o 15 Flickies mentre nel terzo atto di ogni zona, il giocatore dovrà affrontare il Dr. Robotnik a bordo di uno dei suoi macchinari.

Zone
Il gioco si divide in sette zone principali più un'ottava dove il protagonista deve combattere contro il boss finale. In ordine, i livelli sono:
 Green Grove Zone (Zona alberata nell'edizione italiana per Mega Drive e Zona del boschetto verde in quella per Saturn): Una collina verde ambientata in un paradiso tropicale con un pavimento a scacchi.
 Rusty Ruin Zone (Zone rovine rugginose nell'edizione italiana per Mega Drive e Zona delle rovine arrugginite in quella per Saturn): I resti emersi dal letto del mare di una civiltà antica.
 Spring Stadium Zone (Zona delle stadio a molle nell'edizione italiana per Mega Drive e Zona dello stadio delle molle in quella per Saturn): Una zona dove sono presenti prevalentemente palloncini e trappole.
 Diamond Dust Zone (Zona polvere di diamanti nell'edizione italiana per Mega Drive e Zona della polvere di diamante in quella per Saturn): I pendii ghiacciati dell'isola.
 Volcano Valley Zone (Zona della valle dei vulcani nell'edizione italiana per Mega Drive e Zona della valle del vulcano in quella per Saturn): Un vulcano attivo.
 Gene Gadget Zone (Zona industriale nell'edizione italiana per Mega Drive e Zona del congegno dei geni in quella per Saturn): Il laboratorio di ricerca genetica di Robotnik.
 Panic Puppet Zone (Zona dei pupazzi impazziti nell'edizione italiana per Mega Drive e Zona dei burattini del panico in quella per Saturn): Una fabbrica fortificata e cuore della base di Robotnik. Questo è l'ultimo livello del gioco nel caso in cui il giocatore non abbia raccolto tutti e sette i Chaos Emerald.
 The Final Fight: Una zona d'acciaio situata al di sotto di Panic Puppet Zone. Il giocatore può accedere a questo livello solo dopo aver raccolto tutti e sette i Chaos Emerald.

Special Stage
Per accedere ad uno Special Stage, luogo in cui il giocatore avrà la possibilità di ottenere un Chaos Emerald, dovrà recarsi da Tails o Knuckles e pagare una somma minima di 50 Ring per accedere al livello speciale. Inoltre non è obbligato a pagare i 50 Ring in una sola volta, infatti può versare una porzione degli anelli richiesti e poi tornare più tardi per dare i restanti.

Vi sono tre versioni alternative dei livelli bonus, le quali cambiano a seconda della piattaforma di gioco:
 Mega Drive: Sonic deve attraversare un ponte, collezionando i Ring e schivando le bombe.
 Sega Saturn: Sonic deve percorrere un tubo tridimensionale, nel quale vi saranno sempre dei Ring e delle bombe ma con l'unica differenza che dovrà raccogliere un numero quantitativo di anelli pari o superiore a quelli richiesti sullo schermo per poter avanzare nel corso del livello.
 Windows: Sonic deve passare su un tubo tridimensionale simile a quello presente in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ma il resto delle caratteristiche rimangono quelle della versione Saturn.

Una volta che il giocatore avrà pagato i 50 Ring a Tails o Knuckles e Sonic sarà tornato nel livello, i due personaggi non porteranno il giocatore nuovamente nello Special Stage ma daranno dei punti extra che verranno aggiunti al termine del livello una volta che lo stesso avrà donato ai personaggi dei Ring.

Tipi di Flicky
I Flickies che vengono salvati da Sonic in ogni livello presentano quattro colori diversi. Ogni colore ha una sua personalità:
 Flickies blu: Cercano di avvicinarsi a Sonic. Nel caso non riuscissero a trovarlo, questi cominciano a volare in un cerchio stretto in modo tale che sia facile da notare.
 Flickies rosa: Svolgono le stesse azioni dei loro fratelli di colore blu, l'unica differenza è quella del cerchio, il quale è di dimensioni maggiori. Nel livello Volcano Valley Zone della versione Mega Drive, i Flickies rosa vengono sostituiti da alcuni uccellini di colore arancione brillante.
 Flickies rossi: Continuano a muoversi tra due punti delineati, senza cercare l'eroe. I loro movimenti sono lenti ma in compenso possono effettuare dei grandi salti, facendoli così diventare difficili da avvicinare.
 Flickies verdi: La maggior parte di questi Flickies non ha alcuna intenzione di farsi trovare da Sonic, mentre una minor parte cerca di avvicinarsi a quest'ultimo.

Colonna sonora
La colonna sonora della versione Mega Drive è stata curata da Jun Senoue mentre nelle versioni Saturn e PC è stata composta da Richard Jacques.

La maggior parte delle tracce musicali presenti nella versione Mega Drive utilizzano quelle già create in precedenza per i titoli Sonic the Hedgehog 3 e Sonic & Knuckles. Inoltre, buona parte della musica del gioco è stata riutilizzata in titoli successivi a questo: alcune tracce musicali sono identiche anche in Sonic Adventure, altro titolo per cui Jun Senoue ha lavorato, la musica del Game Over è stata inserita in Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure e una versione alternativa del livello Panic Puppet Zone è stata utilizzata nei titoli Shadow the Hedgehog e Sonic Chronicles: La Fratellanza Oscura.

Le versioni per Saturn e PC presentano anche una canzone intitolata You're My Hero, composta da Richard Jaques e cantata da Debbie Morris.

Produzione
In origine il gioco uscì sulla console Mega Drive nel 1996, in seguito venne reso disponibile anche per la console Sega Saturn per compensare la cancellazione di Sonic X-treme, il quale doveva appunto uscire alla fine del 1996. La versione originale è stata convertita su Sega Saturn sette mesi più tardi alla pubblicazione sulla console a 16-bit. La riedizione presenta delle scene animate, la grafica con una definizione più elevata, una colonna sonora inedita composta da Richard Jacques, che aveva composto in precedenza anche le tracce sonore di Sonic R ed infine l'aggiunta della possibilità di salvare i progressi di gioco.

Nel settembre 1997, la versione per Sega Saturn venne convertita a sua volta per i PC basati su Microsoft Windows. Questa versione contiene gli stessi elementi grafici e sonori dell'edizione precedente ma con la mancanza di diversi effetti sonori in alcuni livelli e le fasi legate agli Special Stage che mischiano elementi 3D della versione Saturn con altri 2D della versione Mega Drive.

Accoglienza

Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island ha ricevuto recensioni miste. IGN ha criticato il gioco per i controlli non del tutto accurati e per la visuale isometrica. Inoltre ha criticato anche il cambiamento di stile di gioco affermando che il senso della velocità e delle azioni sono completamente assenti. GameSpot ha valutato il titolo in modo più positivo, apprezzando la grafica, la colonna sonora e le battaglie contro i boss ma discutendo per quanto riguarda lo stile di gioco dei livelli. Entertainment Weekly ha apprezzato di più invece la versione per Mega Drive che quella per Sega Saturn, affermando che il titolo è godibile per gli standard della console a 16-bit mentre si rivela poco interessante su una console a 32-bit come il Sega Saturn, in quanto quest'ultima è in grado di utilizzare una grafica 3D più sviluppata di quella presente nel gioco.

Marco Esposto di IGN trovò che il gioco avesse migliorato di volta in volta il suo aspetto passando da una piattaforma ad un'altra, ma confermò che i controlli imprecisi e la scarsa sensazione di velocità non gli hanno permesso di ottenere il successo sperato.

Nonostante ciò, entrambe le versioni per Mega Drive e Saturn furono ottimi successi commerciali per SEGA, con circa  copie vendute fino ad ora.

Versioni alternative e conversioni

Compilation
Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island nella sua versione per Mega Drive è stato convertito per diverse compilation per console casalinghe e personal computer. La prima in cui ha fatto la sua apparizione è stata Sonic Mega Collection (2002) per GameCube. In seguito è stato incluso in Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004) per PlayStation 2, Xbox e Windows, Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection (2009) per Xbox 360 e PlayStation 3, Sega Mega Drive Classic Collection Gold Edition (2011) per Windows e Sega Mega Drive Classic Collection (2018) per PlayStation 4 e Xbox One.

In Sonic Gems Collection (2005) per GameCube e PlayStation 2 è possibile sbloccare nella modalità Museo una demo del gioco che presenta un conto alla rovescia di dieci minuti e che permette di iniziare la partita direttamente dal boss finale, una volta sconfitto quest'ultimo il giocatore potrà continuare la partita fino allo scadere del tempo.

Originariamente doveva comparire anche in Sonic Classic Collection (2010) per Nintendo DS, ma non fu incluso per motivi sconosciuti.

Distribuzione digitale
L'edizione Mega Drive è stata resa disponibile per il servizio Virtual Console ad ottobre 2007 in Giappone ed a novembre dello stesso anno nel resto del mondo, su PlaySEGA nell'ottobre 2008 e successivamente è uscita la versione per Saturn su Steam il 1º giugno 2010.

Adattamenti
Archie Comics ha pubblicato un adattamento della trama del gioco nello speciale di 48 pagine chiamato Sonic Blast. Un altro modo più libero per quanto riguarda lo svolgimento della storia, è stato pubblicato all'interno di Sonic the Comic.

Note

Bibliografia

Voci correlate
 Sonic Team
 Traveller's Tales
 Sega (azienda)

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Videogiochi di Sonic


text:
Gas markets, regulation and politics: implications of the energy transition
Agenda / Gas markets, regulati...
Until recently, gas was seen in Europe as a complement to renewable energy—i.e. a cleaner (albeit costlier) alternative to coal. Since 2017, opinions have been changing, primarily as a result of stronger evidence on the pace of climate change. Nonetheless, as Sir Philip Lowe, Oxera Senior Adviser, explains, gas will continue to have an important role—albeit this is contingent on future innovation and the roll-out of gas investment, both of which in turn depend on politics and market regulation
Sir Philip Lowe is Chair of the Energy Trilemma initiative at the World Energy Council, and former European Commission Director-General for Competition (2002–10) and Energy (2010–14). This article is based on his keynote address at the Future of the Gas Industry seminar, hosted by Oxera in collaboration with Energy Delta Institute on 28 February 2019.
For the last half a century, energy policies have placed increasing emphasis on the environmental sustainability of energy sources and use. Initially the major objectives were to halt an irrevocable destruction of natural resources, to prevent loss of biodiversity, and to protect human health. Subsequently the environmental concerns relating to energy have extended to preventing all forms of land, water and air pollution, as well as to the need to recycle waste.
In the last ten years, the increasingly strong scientific evidence of climate change has widened the notion of environmental sustainability to include a substantial reduction of greenhouse gases and a move towards a carbon-free energy sector.
Gas as a complement to renewables
Given that fossil fuels, and the technologies that exploit them, have dominated energy supplies in Europe for more than two centuries, the change to a low-carbon economy and carbon-free energy is by any standards a radical one. What is now called an 'energy transition' requires changes that are arguably more about revolution than evolution. Seven years ago, the European Commission's Energy Roadmap to 2050 certainly projected substantially more electricity in energy use and a majority share of renewables in the energy mix.[1] But the anticipated progression towards the 2050 objectives looked fairly smooth.
As far as gas was concerned, its lower CO2 content, combined with the shale gas boom in the USA and expansion of production in particular in Qatar, Australia and Angola, gave rise to some very optimistic scenarios. I am sure that many people will remember the IEA's 2012 'Golden Rules for a Golden Age for Gas'.[2] According to the report:
Natural gas is poised to enter a golden age, but this future hinges critically on the successful development of the world's vast unconventional gas resources. North American experience shows unconventional gas – notably shale gas – can be exploited economically. Many countries are lining up to emulate this success.
Public debate at the time also centred on whether gas could be a transition fuel (up to 2035) or a destination fuel. Gas was seen as an ideal complement in power generation to intermittent supplies of renewable energy. The consensus view was also that natural gas delivered by pipeline would be competitive in the medium as well as the short term. It was cleaner than coal even if it was not as cheap.
In the very short term, some forecasts have been even more optimistic. Alexander Medvedev from Gazprom was able to state confidently in 2016 that:[3]
this year we are going to supply a record amount of natural gas to Europe…We believe that Gazprom's gas will remain competitive in the European market throughout next year and beyond…We assume that the share of Russian gas in European consumption will, at the very least, remain at its current level and is likely to demonstrate slow but sustainable growth.
He was right for 2016 to 2018.
A changing mindset?
However, since 2017 opinions have been changing, primarily as a result of the stronger evidence on the speed of climate change and the Paris Agreement.[4] Boersma and Jordaan concluded a 2017 article on the energy transition by saying that:[5]
natural gas is no panacea, and there is little evidence to support the idea that the fuel can play a role in a low-carbon economy, absent dramatic breakthroughs in technology that are currently not on the horizon
Equally, the European Commission's strategy for a climate-neutral Europe by 2050, published in November 2018,[6] does not currently seem to see a 'destination role' for gas. As Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, declared at the press conference on the launch of the strategy:[7]
Going climate neutral is necessary, possible and in Europe's interest. It is necessary to meet the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. It is possible with current technologies and those close to deployment. And it is in Europe's interest to stop spending on fossil fuel imports and invest in meaningful improvements in the daily lives of all Europeans
Bearing in mind the EU's gas import bill of €23bn in 2018, the Commissioner's statement offers no endorsement of gas as an integral part of Europe's energy mix in the longer term.
But there are several reasons why this strategy may not be decisive for the future of gas.
First, demand for gas in Europe is no longer necessarily the primary influence on the supply and price of gas at a global level. Asian countries have become the primary destination for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, in particular from Australia and the USA. By the 2040s, China is predicted to overtake the EU as the world's major importer of gas.[8] The primary reason is almost certainly not CO2 reduction. Dealing with air pollution in China, and in India, will require a shift from coal-burning to gas, and this move is already in progress. Gazprom may now be relying on its bedrock of European sales, but wants to develop pipeline links to China, India and South Korea. The price incentive is there, so despite political difficulties, it seems inevitable that Russia will sell more and more of its gas in Asia. Perhaps, given the prices obtained there, this will have a dampening effect on demand for gas in Europe and favour the application of carbon-free technologies there.
Second, and contrary to Boersma and Jordaan's view, things are unlikely to stand still. There will be attractive alternative uses for gas and technological breakthroughs. Use of gas in maritime and heavy road transport, as well as in industry and defence, will develop due to environmental, if not cost, advantages. Power to gas technologies will also develop—at present more than 50 demonstration projects are ongoing in Europe.[9] With a continuing increase in the price of carbon, some of these projects are likely to become viable, provided that existing gas infrastructures can accommodate higher percentages of biogas. There are around 2.2m km of gas pipelines in the EU, with an enormous potential to accommodate biomethane and hydrogen, although existing national limits vary between 1% and 12%.[10] There is also a strong financial incentive to create alternative uses for existing network assets, which are otherwise likely to be stranded on a large scale.
A joined-up (but flexible) approach
More widely, some commentators have pointed to the potential for coupling the use of electricity, gas and heat in transport and industrial infrastructures with a view to greater penetration of renewables and more decarbonisation of the economy at lower overall cost. Full substitution of gas by renewables for heating would seem to be a technically inefficient and costly alternative, even if there are considerable advances in storage technologies. With carbon capture, usage and storage and a high carbon price, there could also be scope for maintaining gas demand for industrial use.
Policies and regulations, at national and EU level, arguably need to create a framework in which alternative, innovative solutions can be developed and implemented without leading to a plethora of uncoordinated systems and consequently to significant wasteful public investment.
All this being said, current forecasts by the IEA and other bodies suggest that EU gas demand will rise to around 400 bcm p.a. in the 2020s, then decline slightly to around 375 bcm p.a. in the 2030s. According to the 2018 figures, 47% of gas imports came from Russia, 34% from Norway, 8% from North Africa, and 11% from LNG imports originating in several countries.[11]
Given the political implications of a high level of import dependence on Russia, a number of European countries are likely to favour diversifying suppliers, either through new pipelines such as the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), or through increasing recourse to LNG. There are already 28 large-scale LNG terminals in the EU, which are sufficient to cover 40% of total EU demand.[12] Further terminals are also either approved or in construction (such as the one on the island of Krk in Croatia) or are planned (as in Tenerife and Gran Canaria). With an average utilisation rate of 20% between 2008 and 2014, regasification capacity is unlikely to be a major constraint on the use of imported LNG, although the price differential with pipeline gas remains a challenge.
Indeed, the low level of utilisation of LNG import terminals highlights a potential risk to the transition, which is that infrastructure investments are not sufficiently well integrated with policies for the development of a wider low-carbon energy system for power generation for heating and cooling, for transport, and for industry. Failing to ensure a sufficiently 'joined-up' approach to investment can increase energy costs to consumers, potentially to a point where the infrastructures concerned become unaffordable.
Conversely, adopting a rigid, centrally planned approach to infrastructure investment could frustrate the development of innovative services. In turn, this could reduce the productivity of the energy sector and undermine European competitiveness.
Avoiding these risks by simultaneously achieving a necessary degree of system planning, supply diversity, and competition will be a challenging task for regulators. Meeting this challenge is likely to require innovative approaches to the design of infrastructure access arrangements and tariffs, as well as providing greater incentives for transmission system operators (TSOs) and distribution system operators (DSOs) to facilitate the development of new markets.
On the same line of argument, plans such as the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, which aims to increase natural gas capacity to the EU, have the potential to offer gas at very competitive prices relative to LNG, provided that these increased supplies can be shared across the EU's internal market without creating significant price differentials between northern and southern member states and regions.
A question of interconnectivity
This brings us to the increasingly vexed question of future gas infrastructure development within the EU. Historically, the most important transmission infrastructure links within Europe were constructed east to west to bring Ukrainian gas to Russia and then the reverse, and then Siberian gas through the Ukraine and through the Baltic Sea (via the Nord Stream pipeline system) to Eastern and Western Europe. Gas from the North Sea (from Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and in limited proportions from the UK) found its way through important cross-border interconnections into continental markets.
However, North Sea-supplied markets remained relatively isolated from those supplied from Russia. The concern about connecting 'energy islands' such as the Baltic countries has resulted in strengthened connections, such as those between Poland and Lithuania, among the three Baltic countries, and between Estonia and Sweden. The conversion of many pipelines to make them bidirectional has improved market operations. The recent 2018 decision on the Baltic Pipe Project will enable Norwegian gas to pass through Denmark to Poland, as well as the reverse: from Poland to Sweden and Denmark.[13] Work has also started on a Greece–Bulgaria gas interconnector which will bring additional non-Russian sources of gas to South-East Europe.
However, there are some doubts as to whether the existing organisation of the internal EU gas markets offers timely incentives to construct incremental and/or new capacities in order to ensure that infrastructure bottlenecks do not undermine the integrity of the market and produce unacceptable price differentials. This issue explains to a large extent the opposition of some Southern European member states to the Nord Stream 2 project. In their view, the project may well provide substantial additional liquidity in Northern Europe, but its advantages are unlikely to be shared with Southern European neighbours due to insufficient interconnections through Germany and Austria.
This question goes right to the heart of the debate as to whether ACER's Gas Target Model, together with the Commission's latest revised Network Codes on Capacity Allocation and Tariffs, provide the right incentives for infrastructure enhancements.[14] The discretion given to national regulators to take different decisions on projects under different regimes (e.g. exemptions, open seasons, and specific national legislation) also adds a level of complexity to the way the market is supposed to work.
This article seeks to widen the debate on the future of gas in Europe, to speculate about future innovation in the use of gas and gas infrastructures, and to highlight some issues about the way in which the EU's internal gas market operates and the political pressures surrounding it.
Some years ago, when the direction of EU–Russia relations was towards continuity, rather than confrontation, we developed with Russian colleagues the concept of 'a tolerable level of uncertainty' about the future of gas, which would allow both exporters and importers to plan and invest. I sincerely hope that future discussions will help to develop such a concept between energy providers, investors, systems operators and regulators within Europe.
In addition, involving Europe's major gas suppliers in Russia, Norway and North Africa in these discussions could help them to orient their own commercial strategies within Europe, whether in terms of the mix of their sales (natural gas, hydrogen, biogas, etc.) or in terms of total sales volumes. Overall, these discussions could also make a positive and constructive contribution to the preparation of any future proposals of the European Commission for the gas sector.
Sir Philip Lowe, KCMG
[1] European Commission (2011), 'Energy Roadmap 2050', COM(2011) 885 final, 15 December.
[2] International Energy Agency (2012), 'Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas', 29 May.
[3] Pravosudov, S. (2016), 'Boosting supplies. Interview with Alexander Medvedev', Gazprom Magazine, 10, 2 November.
[4] United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 'Summary of the Paris Agreement'.
[5] Boersma, T. and Jordaan, S.M. (2017), 'Whatever happened to the Golden Age of natural gas?', Energy Transitions, 1:5, 21 August.
[6] European Commission (2018), 'A Clean Planet for all: A European strategic long-term vision for a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate neutral economy', COM(2018) 773 final, 28 November.
[7] European Commission (2018), 'The Commission calls for a climate neutral Europe by 2050', press release, 28 November.
[8] Eurostat.
[10] Eurostat.
[14] Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, 'Background: Gas Target Model'. European Commission (2018), 'COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2018/496 of 22 March 2018 on the establishment of the 2018 annual priority list for the development of network codes and guidelines', 22 March. European Commission (2017), 'COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2017/460 of 16 March 2017 establishing a network code on harmonised transmission tariff structures for gas', 16 March.