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The Sports Curmudgeon
Don't Get Me Wrong, I Love Sports…
Category: Daily Rants
Nothing For Nothing…
The NBA season of free agency is in full swing. Rather than hyperventilating about every signing or rumored signing, I prefer to watch the whole process to see where all of the players realign before investing any analytical energy. However, the trade earlier this week between the Sacramento Kings and the Philadelphia 76ers stands out as so bizarre that it deserves comment.
For the record, neither team is any good; this exchange will not make either team any good; whatever passes for the "balance of power" in the NBA is unaffected. While all of that is true, the exchange of assets here is stunning.
The Sixers get:
Nik Stauskas: He was the 8th pick in last year's draft but his rookie year was disappointing to say the least. He averaged 4.4 points per game in only 15 minutes per game. Perhaps, he will benefit from the Sixers' "up-tempo" style – – or not. He fits the Sixers' mold of young player with potential.
Carl Landry: He is a 31-year old power forward whose career averages are middling at best and whose contract runs through 2017 at $6.75M per year. He will lead no one to the Promised Land.
Jason Thompson: He is a 28-year old power forward who does not score as much as Landry but who gets a couple more rebounds than Landry. He too has two more years left on his contract and his total salary for the next two years will be $13.25M. Ho-hum.
They also get a future first round pick from the Kings (GM Sam Hinkie loves those draft picks) plus the Sixers have the right to swap two future first round picks with the Kings.
The Kings get:
The rights to two foreign players the Sixers took in the second round of this year's draft – Luka Mitrovic and Arturas Gudaitis.
A future second round pick.
To summarize, the Sixers get two mediocre journeyman power forwards and a guy who did not come close to living up to his lofty draft status as a rookie plus draft picks in the future that they can use on players that do not fit into a team. The Kings dumped a little more than $30M worth of salaries over the next two years and got two players who are not going to play in the NBA any time in the next two years. Oh, and they also got a second round pick they can use on some other player who will not play for them.
The key question to ask about this trade is:
It sure looks to me as if neither team got much of anything out of this – unless you count the Kings' added cap room as "something". I do not think that is a big deal because I doubt that the Kings are going to get a couple of top-shelf players to sign on in Sacramento and there is a truism in the NBA that is irrefutable. "Cap room" does not win games. Nonetheless, some analysts are saying the Sixers made out like bandits here. If you say so…
CBSSports.com has a report this morning involving Rush Limbaugh and the NFL. As soon as you see those two entities linked in a report, you have to check it out to see just how off-the-wall the story is. Here is the gist:
Limbaugh said that the reason the media has been so harsh with regard to RG3 and his struggles at QB after a very successful rookie season – despite the fact that RG3 is an African American QB which Limbaugh has said the media pines after – is that "it's suspected that RG3 is a Republican".
Seriously, that is the report. You can read it here if you think I am making it up…
Personally, I think RG3 is struggling because I suspect he is actually a Jupiterian sent to Earth to check out the environment here just in case Jupiter's Great Red Spot blows its cork and the inhabitants there have to evacuate quickly. Since Jupiter's gravity is much greater than the Earth's and the atmospheric pressure here is so much lower, RG3 is having trouble adjusting his metabolism to these new conditions. Makes sense to me…
If you are looking to grill hot dogs for the Fourth of July, let me suggest that you do not attempt to emulate one of the "augmented" hot dog offerings on the Chicago Cubs' menu at Wrigley Field. This concoction is a hot dog – beloved in Chicago – topped with mac-and-cheese and garnished with Cheetos. That is a culinary and chemical concoction that even a Jupiterian would find hard to digest.
Finally, here is a baseball note from Greg Cote in the Miami Herald:
"Here is another example of the change in Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria. His players have a new private team jet that includes a massage table. They used to have to make their own bats on a wood lathe."
But don't get me wrong, I love sports………
Author JackPosted on July 3, 2015 Categories Daily Rants2 Comments on Nothing For Nothing…
Sports And Kabuki
Kabuki is a Japanese art form that involves ritualized dance moves as a means to tell a story. It is very precise and calculated; it has a long history. Here in the US, there are events related to the sports world that emulate kabuki in the sense that the events are very precise and calculated; the history is not nearly as long, but there is a history to all of it.
Naturally, I am referring to the ritualistic events that must occur over a long period of time when a pro sports franchise thinks about relocation – either thinks about it for real or thinks about it to extort more "goodies" from its current location. That kabuki dance is ongoing now involving the NFL and several of its franchises and the City of Los Angeles. Two days ago, an important element of the dance took place involving a meeting between the mayor of Los Angeles, the owner of the Chargers and the owner of the Raiders. Even if those three men only discussed their mutual admiration for medieval Norse needlepoint, the meeting was required by the precision and calculating nature of the franchise relocation kabuki.
That meeting got me to thinking and it dawned on me that the City of Oakland is the pro sports franchise punching bag of the moment.
The NFL Raiders are looking to move to LA – jointly with the Chargers and hence Tuesday's meeting – so long as owner Mark Davis can come up with his portion of the costs to build that stadium complex in Carson. Some say he does not have the liquidity to do that and so he may have to ponder a move for the Raiders to San Antonio without a new facility in Oakland.
The NBA Warriors already have a new arena in the works in San Francisco. Yes, San Francisco is part of the Bay Area as is Oakland, but in terms of neighborliness, most denizens of Oakland consider SF a neighbor about the same way astronomers consider Mars a neighbor of the Earth.
The MLB A's have been trying to leave Oakland for at least the last 5 years but the venue they covet is part of what the Giants claim as their territory and MLB has had a "Blue Ribbon Committee" studying this matter for most of those last 5 years to no avail.
Oakland is not a city with lots of surplus cash rolling around in its checking accounts. Several years ago, the state took over the school system in the main because the school system was financially strapped. The city itself has had years of "budget shortfalls" and at least for a while had to cut back the police department to the point that USA Today reported in 2013 that the California Highway Patrol was assisting in policing the city.
It is a given that the stadium for the Raiders and the A's is antiquated and sub-standard; any time you have raw sewage backing up through the drains and onto locker room floors, you are being most diplomatic using the label "sub-standard". The city's problem is that a new stadium for either the A's or the Raiders – and neither one would prefer to share the venue with the other – will cost hundreds of millions of dollars that the city does not have and may only be able to borrow at extremely high interest rates if they could borrow that much money at all. Oakland's finances seem to be such that they would be called "an adversity" at the moment; paying for a new stadium or two might change that descriptor to "ruination".
There was another report earlier this week that made me recall the old TV show, Lost in Space. A robot was programmed to guard a young boy named Will Robinson; whenever there was any threat, the robot would intone:
"Danger, Will Robinson!
That phrase immediately entered my mind when I read an SI.com report that Brett Favre told them that he thought he could play in the NFL once again. Favre said he could still throw 50 yards where it used to be 80 yards but that it did not matter being able to heave the ball more than 50 yards. He did say that he was not thinking of coming out of retirement but still… I would like to have a picture of him saying that with both hands in plain sight to know that he did not have his fingers crossed. Sports fans have been relieved of the necessity of following the yes/no oscillations of Favre and his play/retire decisions for several years now. Frankly, it has been an enjoyable several years.
Memo to Sports Media Folks: Please do not ask Brett Favre any leading questions that might get him thinking of coming back – or worse yet thinking about all the publicity he could get by letting all of you know that he is thinking about coming back.
Go and read the Uncle Remus story about Br'er Rabbit and the Tar Baby…
Last weekend, the small town of Swaton, England hosted the World Egg Throwing Championships. Swaton is in Lincolnshire in the British Midlands. I have to admit that I did not know that there were such championships until I read this Reuters report but evidently there is a World Egg Throwing Federation that sanctions the event and that Federation claims that egg throwing is at least a sport with a 700-year history.
The "main event" is a team event. A thrower and a catcher stand 10 meters apart; the thrower tosses an egg and the catcher catches it. If the egg breaks, they lose and go off to clean up the mess. If the egg survives, they step back and continue playing catch with the egg until it eventually breaks. Clearly, the team that achieves the greatest separation prior to breaking their egg is the winner.
Finally, speaking of obscure sports, here is an item from Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times:
"And the latest drug scandal in sports involves … Russian racewalkers?
" 'It's a bad sign if you can't distinguish between a sport and a group of people rushing to the bathroom,' said CBS's James Corden. 'Doping for racewalking is like robbing a bank that you know has only $2 in it.' "
Author JackPosted on July 2, 2015 Categories Daily Rants2 Comments on Sports And Kabuki
More Golf Stuff Today
I wrote about golf yesterday and I want to start with two golf items today. I suspect that has never happened before in the history of these rants. There were reports a few days ago that Phil Mickelson had something like $3M of his money linked to a Federal money laundering investigation involving someone who transferred sums of money approximating that amount among bank accounts to fund illegal gambling activities. Mickelson is not a suspect in the investigation nor is he charged but the report of that much money nominally belonging to him and "illegal gambling" makes you sit up and take notice.
Recall a couple of years ago that Mickelson was investigated – and ultimately cleared – in an investigation involving insider trading. I do not remember the details, but "insider trading" like "illegal gambling" conjures up a set of images that is not nearly congruent with the public image that Mickelson works to portray. Perhaps, Messr. Mickelson should consider the advice contained in an old aphorism:
You are known by the company you keep.
If I mention the name Beau Brinkley, you will probably furrow your brow and try to figure out if this is Beau Bridges' real name or if he is the son of David Brinkley – unless of course you are a Tennessee Titans' fan. In that case, you would know immediately that Beau Brinkley is the long-snapper for the Titans. This week, Brinkley was playing in a golf tournament in Nashville and one of the sponsors was the Jack Daniels bourbon folks. Brinkley sank a hole-in-one on a par 3 hole and won a sponsor's prize – a full barrel of Jack Daniels bourbon. He even gets to go to the distillery and sample from barrels to pick the one he wants. I know it is a real long-shot but if the titans win the Super Bowl there will be some kind of team celebration at Brinkley's place…
The US Women's National Team advanced to the finals in the World Cup tournament last night beating #1 ranked Germany 2-0. The US will play the winner of the Japan/England game next Sunday in Vancouver for the championship. This is the fifth consecutive shutout for the US women and what makes this shutout all the more impressive is that the Germans had scored 20 goals in the tournament coming into the game. I will not pretend to be an expert in soccer strategy and tactics, but the defense line and the mid-field players on the US team were all over the German attackers from start to finish.
A few days ago, Yahoo! Sports reported that John Calipari had been in several discussions with the Sacramento Kings and this led to the speculation that the Kings might offer Calipari the jobs of coach and GM there. Yesterday, there were reports from several outlets saying that Calipari would stay at Kentucky and that his "discussions" with the Kings' owner related to former Kentucky players who were now with the Kings like Boogie Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein.
Normally, I would take that kind of deflection/denial to be a half-truth in the sense that the former players were the justification for the initiation of the discussion but then, things evolved. In this case, I tend to believe Calipari for a simple reason:
John Calipari is a very intelligent man and I think he realizes that whoever is the coach/GM of the Sacramento Kings is doomed at the outset. At least for now, the job(s) in Sacramento are about as attractive as a tire fire.
Calipari's contract at Kentucky reportedly will pay him $7.05M this year – with incentives on top of that. Of course, an NBA team can offer him more than that if they want to, but it is not as if Calipari is working for chump-change in Lexington. If he were to make the move to the NBA, I would have to think that he would be looking to go to a team that is at the very least poised to be a contender for a Conference Championship. The Sacramento Kings are nowhere near that baseline level of competence. Moreover, the Kings' owner has a ton of money but also has a seemingly irrepressible urge to meddle in the basketball operation of the franchise. I am sure that fans and alums put pressure on Calipari at Kentucky, but I would be shocked if the AD or the University Chancellor would dare to interfere with the running of the team itself.
I would not be surprised if John Calipari decided to take an NBA job one of these days before he hangs up his whistle. Moreover, he will get offers to do that because he is a good coach – and because he has plenty of his former players in the league. However, I do not think he will be going to one of the "outposts" of the NBA or to a franchise with a meddlesome owner.
In another NBA-related report, the Knicks are supposedly the leaders in the race to sigh Aaron Afflalo and they are offering a 3-year deal worth $38M. Afflalo is a good defender who shoots at a decent percentage aided somewhat by the fact that he only averages 7 or 8 shots per game over his career. Clearly, the Knicks can use any player who is even average on defense; and Lord knows, they do not need anyone else on the floor who wants/needs to take lots of shots. Having said that, I suspect that Knicks' fans will not create a flash mob that stops traffic for 3 blocks around Madison Square Garden when/if the Knicks finalize this deal. Nor should they…
Finally, an item from Dwight Perry's column, Sideline Chatter, in the Seattle Times:
"NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally popped the question to longtime girlfriend Amy Reimann.
"In keeping with the theme, they'll be exchanging his and hers piston rings."
Author JackPosted on July 1, 2015 Categories Daily Rants3 Comments on More Golf Stuff Today
Golf And Baseball Today
The July/August issue of Men's Journal has an article by Karl Taro Greenfeld entitled:
The Death of Golf
He paints a rather bleak picture of golf today and has serious misgivings about its future as a major sport; I certainly agree with his assessment that golf is in decline at this time, but I am not yet ready to put a toe tag on the corpse. He begins his essay with the story of his daughter who decided to try out for her high school golf team. Greenfeld recalled his days in school when the golf team was made up of people who had played regularly and had had some tutelage in the game. That was not his daughter. So, when she made the team, he spoke to the coach about how things were different. Here is the golf coach:
"There just isn't the interest we used to have 14, 15 years ago. Now, I have kids showing up who have never hit a golf ball before. Kids are just less aware of golf. They have too many other options. And then when they find out it takes five and a half hours to play 18 holes, they're just not interested."
It is dangerous to draw conclusions from anecdotes because anecdotes are not data; it is more than merely dangerous to do so on the basis of one anecdote. However, the article goes on to cite statistical data showing that the number of golfers has dropped from 30.6 million in 2003 to 24.7 million in 2014. There are still plenty of golfers but that drop does represent a 19.3% decline. Other data shows that young folks playing golf dropped almost 30% over the same period of time.
Golf as a professional sport faces a challenge similar to the one facing MLB. Young folks are not drawn to the game in the same numbers as before and "pace of play" or "lack of attention span" or whatever similar label you might attach is part of the problem. Moreover, just like baseball, golf is never going to be converted into a fast-paced, action-packed event. It is more drama than adrenaline. Proposals to speed up golf have included things like cutting a round back to 15 holes; that is the same as changing baseball to a seven-inning event. If that is the "solution", it may be time to consider pulling the plug.
Greenfeld points out another serious problem facing golf in California and in desert areas. On average, it takes 135,000 gallons of water each day to maintain a golf course. In California's draught conditions, that could become a social issue giving golf courses a "black mark" and without courses there will be less participation.
The folks who promote golf and use it as the economic basis for a business or a club have to deal with an iron triangle of issues. None of the issues can "be solved" but they all need to be ameliorated to a degree:
Playing golf is a very expensive pastime for kids. Lessons and coaching are expensive and so are rounds of golf.
Playing golf is difficult. Most kids – indeed most people – do not walk out on a golf course and play well from the moment they pick up a club.
Playing golf is time-consuming. In these days of two-career families where parents take turns helicoptering in on their kids, golf can be difficult to schedule.
As I said, I am not yet ready to send golf to "The Sports Coroner" just yet; but the arguments made in this article do indicate that there is indeed weakness on the links out there. Folks who love to golf – or to watch it on TV – may want to read this article in its entirety here.
Since I mentioned above MLB as being in a similar situation to golf, I find it interesting to see what may be in store for MLB in the future. Reports from just last week indicate that Commissioner Rob Manfred may be considering expansion of MLB. Recall that when he took over from Bud Selig he said one of his objectives was to grow the game internationally – particularly in Mexico. Now, the idea that the Commissioner might have expansion as an issue that holds even a tiny part of his attention leads me to wonder where MLB might put a new franchise. Here are eight candidate cities in alphabetical order so that no one might surmise that I think there is a "pecking order" established:
Charlotte: The market supports the NFL and the NBA and it has a minor league baseball team too. The NHL franchise is in Raleigh not Charlotte.
Las Vegas: They would have to have a domed stadium, wouldn't they? They would not dare enlist Pete Rose to be their "point-man" when making their pitch.
Mexico City: The Commish said he wanted to grow in Mexico and I presume that does not mean putting a team in Juarez.
Montreal: Many people believe there is lots of support for baseball in Montreal so long as they play in a reasonable stadium. This also fits the criterion of "growing the game internationally".
Portland: Probably a long shot because the city has not had a good history of supporting its minor-league teams over the years.
Salt Lake City: They have had a AAA team for most of the time since the late 50s and they support an NBA team. The downside is that this would be a very small market team forever.
San Antonio: The NBA does well there and the city is trying to lure the Oakland Raiders. If they pull that off, why not MLB too…?
Vancouver: This checks the "international" box and it provides a natural rivalry with Seattle on day one.
Finally, here is a golf item from Brad Rock in the Deseret News recently:
"Sweden announced recently that newborn Prince Nicholas Paul Gustaf will also go by the title Duke of Angermanland.
"But sources say the country will have to purchase the naming rights from Tiger Woods, who has been using it ever since his career started slipping."
Author JackPosted on June 30, 2015 Categories Daily Rants4 Comments on Golf And Baseball Today
Correcting An Omission From Last Week…
In last week's comments on the NBA Draft, I omitted one of the notes I made while watching the event. For the sake of completeness – and not because I think there is some fundamental wisdom contained therein – I shall include it today:
I think the Utah Jazz made an interesting pick at #12 in Trey Lyles from Kentucky. I thought Lyles was the most complete big man on the Kentucky team last year but he definitely will need to add muscle to be effective in the NBA. Utah is one of the NBA's "middling teams" at the moment. They are not nearly poised to make a run at the Conference Championship; they are not nearly as bad as a half-dozen other teams. The questions – I believe – are whether the Jazz can or will be patient with Lyles as he develops and whether Lyles puts in the work to get a lot stronger. He is only 19 years old.
What I really want to talk about this morning is the resignation of Ryne Sandberg as the Phillies' manager last week just before game time. Let me be clear about one thing from the start:
The Phillies have not done well in the time that Ryne Sandberg was their manager. That is not Sandberg's fault; it would have taken a miracle worker to get the extant Phillies' roster to play .500 baseball. When he took over for Charlie Manuel, the team was aging fast and the star players that had won the NL East routinely for the past several years were already on the wane.
Having said that, Sandberg's sudden departure is strange. First of all, he resigned in the middle of his contract meaning that he left money on the table. I know that money is not the most important thing in the world and that Sandberg has made more than a little bit of it over his career such that he does not dine in soup kitchens. Nonetheless, that is not an exit path used by many coaches/managers in sports these days.
Like many other players who made it to the Hall of Fame, managing did not come as easily to Sandberg as did playing the game. However, unlike many other Hall of Famers who went onto the managerial track, he was not handed a top job on a platter. Sandberg spent years in the minor leagues in the Cubs' system and then in the Phillies' system. In the minor leagues, his teams won. However, the Phillies with their aging roster and depleted farm system had no chance and it was all unraveling on Sandberg's watch. I presume – because I cannot possibly know – that the frustration of that situation is what kicked him over the edge and into resignation.
I am sure that Phillies' fans who watch every game can point to errors in his judgment and/or strategies. Looking at the bigger picture, I think it is fair to criticize Sandberg for not getting the team to over-achieve – and by "over-achieve" I mean play such that they would not lose 100 games this year. [The Phillies are on pace to lose 105 games this year.]
Measuring a manager by the criterion of "over-achieving" is a tough one. Paul Molitor – another Hall of Fame player – surely seems to be doing that in Minnesota so far this year with the Twins 5 games over .500 and in second place in the AL Central as of this morning. Ryne Sandberg clearly did not make that happen in Philly this year or last.
One interesting outcome from all of this will be to see when/if Ryne Sandberg gets another job with an MLB team – as a manager or a coach or a minor league manager or a front office guy. Obviously, he knows something about the game and how to play it; however, he resigned – which some may equate with "quit" – in the middle of a disastrous situation in Philly. I wonder if that decision by itself will pollute the waters should he seek another job in another venue.
One other interesting thing to keep an eye on will be the Phillies' scouting system. Only the Brewers have a record nearly as bad as the Phillies so it would not be outrageous to suspect that the Phillies will have one of the top three picks in next year's draft – if not the top pick. The pressure is on…
Bob Molinaro had these two comments in his column last week in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot:
"Adding spirits: The University of Maryland submitted a proposal to its local liquor board to sell beer and wine during football and basketball games because, says Maryland president Wallace D. Loh, 'it will enhance the fan experience.' But fans have always found a way to, ahem, enhance their game-day experience with tailgate drinking and by sneaking flasks and miniatures through the gates. For college crowds, locating booze is not a problem, though if Maryland gets its way, Terps fans finding their cars after the game might be."
"Boo to booze: Texas is another institution of higher learning that wants to sell beer and wine at games. Noting that his school is resisting the trend, Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp wryly commented: 'Our athletic program has not reached the point where we require the numbing effects of alcohol.' A zinger that good deserves a toast."
I would respect Maryland president, Wallace Loh, if he simply spoke the truth here. Selling beer and wine at the football and basketball games is a new revenue stream and the school needs to find way to increase its athletic revenues. If, in fact, the objective was to "enhance the fan experience", then Maryland would be selling the stuff at cost with no mark-up. If they REALLY wanted to "enhance the experience" they would be handing the stuff out. Does anyone actually think either of those scenarios will come to pass?
I went to college in the 1960s; I went to an Ivy League school where football was not nearly the iconic part of campus life that it is at Texas. Nonetheless, in the student sections, at least 25% of the students could not have passed a breathalyzer test by halftime. Some were over the limit when they entered the stadium with pre-game parties often starting at 0900 and bringing adult beverages into the game was not even a challenge.
This entire business is just that; it is a business decision to dip deeper into the pockets of the fans. It has the potential to go way down south…
Finally, here is a cogent observation from Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times:
"The Indianapolis Colts hung a '2014 AFC Finalist' banner at Lucas Oil Stadium to commemorate their 45-7 loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
"Yes, and Custer was a finalist at the Little Big Horn."
For the record, Custer was a "finalist" in more ways than one at the Little Big Horn…
Author JackPosted on June 29, 2015 Categories Daily Rants8 Comments on Correcting An Omission From Last Week…
Last Night's NBA Draft…
Mercifully, the NBA Draft is over and we can put Mock Drafts on ice for a while. I did not watch all of the festivities last night, but I did make a few notes and I have looked over the entire draft list quickly. Here are first impressions – which ought never to be confused with giving teams a grade for the draft before these guys ever set foot in a real NBA game.
Sam Hinkie, GM of the Philly 76ers, has a plan. He has been there for several years now and it seems as if the plan is to put 5 players on the court all of whom are 6' 11" tall – or taller. After taking Nerlens Noel two years ago and Joel Embiid last year, the Sixers took Jahlil Okafor at #3 last night. Maybe that will work; Noel can play defense and not worry about shooting which he cannot do. Okafor can play offense and not worry about defending which he cannot do. Embiid can rehab his foot.
If you think I am exaggerating here, check the Sixers' 2nd round picks:
Guillermo Hernangomez is a 6' 10" center from Spain. He is headed to the Knicks for 2 future draft picks one of whom will be used to secure the rights to Andre the Giant should he return from the grave.
Arturas Gudaitis is a 6' 11" center from Lithuania. Playing in the Lithuanian League last year, he averaged 6 points and 4 rebounds per game. Oh swell…
Luka Mitrovic is only 6' 9" so he can be the Sixers' point guard on their skyscraper lineup. In the Serbian League, he averaged 8 points per game and 5 rebounds.
The Knicks took Kristaps Porzingis at #4. They say he is a shooter who cannot/will not defend. Knicks' fans loved Andrea Bargnani, right? They may have found his clone…
I think the Heat got a steal at #10 in Justise Winslow.
If the Sixers are trying to corner the market on centers, maybe the Celtics are trying to do the same with guards. Taking Terry Rozier in the first round is not surprising; having the Celtics take him with their top pick was indeed surprising. Their next pick was another guard, RJ Hunter who will be a 3-point shooter but will give up a ton of points too.
The Cavs taking Tyus Jones was a good move. Now they have someone to bring up the ball and set the offense other than LeBron James.
The Rockets got Montrezl Harrell in the 2nd round. How did that happen?
I shall put the NBA in the rear view mirror for a while with this comment from Brad Dickson in the Omaha World-Herald as he gets to the heart of the story in the NBA Finals:
"Golden State defeated Cleveland for its first NBA title in 40 years. That's the uplifting part of the story. The downside: The last time Cleveland won a professional sports championship, the team's punter was Meriwether Lewis."
If you believe the talking heads on ESPN, Roger Goodell is going to "take his time" before rendering a decision in the Tom Brady appeal matter. That means that we will have a period of time where this story is like the Chinese water torture. The reports will come regularly and will have no new content – because until he renders his decision, there is nothing new to report.
Some folks say that this episode is important to Goodell because his job may hang in the balance. Obviously, I do not know if that is the case; but if it is, let me remind everyone of something I wrote last September. The job of NFL Commissioner – and the Commissioner of all the other major sports too – is to grow the league and to do so in a way that maintains labor harmony. That is the job.
The conundrum for Roger Goodell now is similar to the one he sort of found his way out of in the Ray Rice Affair. He has to grow the league and keep peace with the NFLPA, but – and this is as big a "butt" as any nose tackle in the league – he is also required by the CBA to be the NFL disciplinarian. Those two things just do not fit together well and in the next CBA the league and the union need to come up with a way to have an independent person or body take care of the discipline business.
Please note that this is an issue that needs attention by the league and the union jointly. To my non-legally trained mind, a Collective Bargaining Agreement is analogous to a contract; and in order for it to be a contract and not an edict, there needs to be at least two signatories. The NFL pushed to have the discipline power in the hands of the Commissioner over the years; the NFLPA acquiesced to that – and probably got some concession somewhere in return for that concession. In any event, the two sides need to correct this situation the next time bargaining happens.
Finally, here is – hopefully – the final word on the 2015 US Open golf course from Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times:
"Hear about Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Billy Horschel teaming up to bankroll a line of Chambers Bay wine? It's 100 percent sour grapes."
Author JackPosted on June 26, 2015 Categories Daily Rants2 Comments on Last Night's NBA Draft…
Just Stuff Today…
I am sure you have read about Sean "Diddy" Combs' arrest in California on charges that he assaulted an assistant UCLA football coach with a kettlebell at a practice there. Evidently, the coach had been yelling at Diddy's son who is a DB on the team and things escalated from there. Diddy is out on bail and his PR folks released a statement saying that Diddy was merely trying to defend himself in the matter. This is a tempest in a teapot but it does boil itself down to a very simple question:
Diddy do it – – or not?
My apologies, I will go and sit in the corner for five minutes…
A friend and former colleague spent a lot of time as a youth baseball coach and one of his protégés went on to college and was recently taken in the third round of the MLB Draft by the Arizona D-Backs. His first assignment will be in Hillsboro, OR pitching for the Hillsboro Hops in the Northwest League. That sent me to check out the MLB Draft – something I never do in any detail – and that led me to some interesting player names:
Skye Bolt was drafted by the A's. It seems to me that he ought to play Thor in the next Avengers movie.
Bowden Derby was also drafted by the A's. His name sounds like a horse race for 3-year olds.
Icezack Flemming was drafted by the Yankees. His name sounds like a cure for a respiratory infection.
Bucket Goldby was drafted by the Marlins. Do you think Bucket has a list?
Tucker Tubbs was drafted by the Red Sox. If his baseball career does not pan out, he should be a natural for NASCAR.
Ever since folks have used Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide women's sports a sort of equal footing with men's sports in college, one of the long-range goals was to have professional athletic opportunities available for women similar to those of men. That is not in the law of course, but it has been a tacit objective. To date that has not come to pass here in the US. However, Bob Molinaro had this observation in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot recently:
"Controversy: It's a gross understatement to call U.S. women's soccer goalie Hope Solo a polarizing figure. From the New York Times to ESPN's Keith Olbermann, she's being portrayed as unfit – or at the very least, an uncomfortable fit – to represent her country in the World Cup after her arrest last June on domestic violence charges. There's plenty to read about that on the Internet, and Olbermann's video pulls no punches. But whatever your take on Solo, there's no denying her abilities in goal, where her presence strongly suggests that women's sports are becoming more like the men's, in which talent trumps character."
The matter involving Hope Solo and the alleged domestic violence remains in medias res. I agree with Professor Molinaro that this is not the way folks envisioned women's sports becoming akin to men's sports – but it may indeed be one of the leading similarities for the moment. I suspect that it will not be long into the future when I choose to put Hope Solo into my Just Go Away Club. In that club, talent does not trump character; the major criterion that gets one there is the achievement of sustained annoyance to the general public. I see the potential to achieve sustained annoyance in Hope Solo…
I ran across this item from Brad Rock of the Deseret News from a time when I was on my road trip:
"Miami Dolphins kicker Caleb Sturgis was injured last week during a team-endorsed kickball game. He'll be sidelined at least four weeks.
"Sources say the Dolphins are compiling a list of other risky activities they plan to ban, including Twister, hopscotch and door-crasher sales on Black Friday."
Just a quick Google search for what this is all about reveals that the kickball game was part of the Dolphins' OTAs and that Sturgis' injury was a pulled quadriceps muscle. If he pulled that muscle trying to kick the ball in the kickball game, the Dolphins need to worry; kicking a ball is what they pay Caleb Sturgis to do. It would be of much lesser concern if he pulled the muscle jumping to catch a ball someone else had kicked…
One of the trade-rumor stories that has filled a lot of space in a lot of newspapers recently is the Kings' possibly trading Demarcus Cousins. Of course, they deny that he will be traded and he swears that he is committed to staying in Sacramento; without those elements the story would not have legs. The latest rumor has the Kings in discussion with the Lakers with regard to such a trade. I have exactly no insight into what is ongoing here but I do want to make an observation:
I have difficulty imagining a smooth working relationship between Cousins and Kobe Bryant. They are very different kinds of people with regard to the way they approach the game. There is certainly room for both men in the NBA based on talent, but I seriously wonder if they will be an effective pairing.
Finally, since I mentioned Hope Solo above, here is an observation from Jimmy Kimmel regarding the Women's World Cup:
"The Women's World Cup is under way again. Soccer, of course, is the sport in which you're only allowed to use your hands if you're the goalie or taking a bribe."
Author JackPosted on June 25, 2015 Categories Daily Rants2 Comments on Just Stuff Today…
Quiet Time In The NFL…
The NFL will move into a "quiet time" in terms of on-field events even as the commissioner and Tom Brady and the NFLPA begin the process of appealing Brady's 4-game suspension coming out of Deflategate. OTAs and mini-camps are over; reports say that every high draft pick for every team looked good at those events. Of course, they take place in shorts and not in pads so the high picks had damned well better look good there or the GMs who made the picks need to be looking for other lines of work. I mention that because there were a plethora of reports about how good Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariotta both looked with their new squads. And that got me to thinking:
When quarterbacks are taken with the overall #1 pick AND the overall #2 pick in the draft, it seems that one does pretty well and the other flames out.
That is just a gut feeling from recent happenings and so I did a tad of research – nothing like what Dan Daly might do at profootballdaly.com to be sure – and here is what I came up with:
2015 Jameis Winston #1 and Marcus Mariotta #2: The jury is out and should not render any verdict before 2019.
2012 Andrew Luck #1 and RG-3 #2: Preliminary results say that Luck is the significantly better QB but neither career has run its course yet.
1999 Tim Couch #1 and Donovan McNabb #2: McNabb was clearly the better pick here. Oh and by the way, in 1999 another QB, Akili Smith, was taken with the overall #3 pick and he was the worst of the trio.
1998 Peyton Manning #1 and Ryan Leaf #2: There is simply no comparison here…
1993 Drew Bledsoe #1 and Rick Mirer #2: Bledsoe played for more than a decade and went to the Super Bowl with the Pats; Mirer played well as a rookie but never really was more than a journeyman.
1971 Jim Plunkett #1 and Archie Manning #2: In this case both QBs played well. It took Plunkett a while – and a change of scenery from New England – to blossom; Archie Manning played very well for a series of Saints' teams that were significantly short on talent. Oh and by the way, in 1971 another QB, Dan Pastorini, was taken with the overall #3 pick. Interestingly, it was Pastorini's broken leg that gave Plunkett the opening to start and to lead the Raiders to a Super Bowl victory in 1981.
1954 Bobby Garrett #1 and Lamar McHan #2: I have to admit I had to look both of these guys up. Garrett was drafted by the Browns but played the 1954 season for the Packers. That was his only year in the NFL. McHan played in the NFL for 10 years with four teams. His stats were not stellar but he clearly had the better NFL career.
Only in the 1971 Draft did both of the QBs taken at the top of the draft do well in their pro careers – with the caveat that RG-3 may improve to the point where he adds the 2012 Draft to that list. Three times, the player taken #1 overall had a significantly better career than the player taken #2; twice the player taken #2 overall had the significantly better career.
What does this portend for Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariotta? Probably nothing. However, it is "quiet time" for the NFL and that allows one's mind to wander a bit…
Bob Molinaro of the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot had these two cogent NFL observations recently:
"Static alert: Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant has every right to seek a long-term contract, but by complaining that he's making only $12.8 million and threatening to hold out, he's violating the first rule of rich people – no whining on the yacht."
And …
"In passing: Johnny Manziel says he's ditching his immature, look-at-me 'money sign.' Maybe he's just realizing that there would be no sense in flashing it from the bench."
In general, I am at the point where I am looking forward to the start of the football season with one minor hesitation. When the NFL games are on for real, that means the NFL Network is prone to put Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders on the same set with both of them in possession of live microphones. Let me just say this…
If there were such a thing as Crimes Against Syntax, Michael Irvin would have long ago been indicted, convicted and sent to 10 years of diagramming sentences.
When he and Deion are on the same TV set and I am sitting on my couch with the remote in my hands, the TV set is in danger of having the remote arrive at the screen traveling at a significant velocity.
Finally, here is a college football related observation from Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald:
"According to a World-Herald breakdown, NU [Nebraska University] is paying Bo Pelini $29,490.91 per week, $737.27 per hour, $12.29 per minute or 20.4 cents per second to not coach. For comparison's sake, we only pay our state legislators $12,000 per year to not work.
Author JackPosted on June 23, 2015 June 23, 2015 Categories Daily Rants6 Comments on Quiet Time In The NFL…
Cut The Complaining…
As golfers finished the US Open, several of them vented their spleen about the course conditions. Ian Poulter used Instagram for his criticism; Billy Horschel just dropped his words of wisdom in front of the TV cameras. Look, I am all in favor of free expression but this kind of griping annoys me about as much as the condition of the golf course and its greens seems to have annoyed various golfers.
Everybody played the same course. It is not as if any individual golfer had to putt on "horrible greens" while others putted on billiard tables.
Everybody had a chance to see/walk the course before the tournament. It is not as if they thought they were playing Pebble Beach and were suddenly dropped in on Chambers Bay.
No one forced any of the complainers to play. If the conditions were so awful, why did they come back for the second round on Friday – or even finish their first round on Thursday?
Frankly, the reason I like the US Open and the British Open are that they do not always take place on a course that has been manicured to make scores low. When a ball goes in the rough; you have to look to find it; in a PGA event, if the ball goes into the rough, that means it is not sitting atop grass that all has been cut to the same length and is all pointing in the same direction.
I will probably watch some of the upcoming British Open but I will probably not watch even a minute of the PGA Championship where the only real challenge to the contestants will be to keep the ball out of the minimal water hazards.
There have been a couple of marginally interesting happenings related to the Arizona Coyotes and their contretemps with the city fathers in Glendale. Recall that the city voted to abrogate the lease deal with the Coyotes which had the city paying the Coyotes $15M annually to stay in town and play in the Glendale arena.
1. Moody's Investment Services made favorable comments about the city's move to get out from under that lease deal. Moody's is one of the sources of bond ratings and bond ratings determine the interest rate that the city will need to pay in order to borrow money. Here is what Moody's had to say:
"Voting to cancel the 15-year arrangement is credit positive because it reduces the city's costs related to professional sports enterprises and provides additional resources for critical services."
A rough translation would be along the lines of:
The city needs to spend money on critical services and the fact that it is spending so much on sports enterprises (hockey and spring training baseball facilities) means they do not have enough to pay for those critical services. That is not financially smart. So, the city acted intelligently to get to a position where they can fund critical services without having to borrow lots of money to do so.
2. The majority owner of the Coyotes, Andrew Barroway, opted to take a lesser share of the franchise. Reports say that other partners in the enterprise will buy the share that he wants to get rid of. The timing of this announcement is interesting because Barroway only acquired the majority interest in the Coyotes only about 6 months ago. Moreover, he has had previous interest in buying into the NHL having unsuccessfully trying to buy the New York Islanders when they were previously on the market. One has to wonder about just how critical that city payment to the Coyotes is with regard to the solvency of the franchise…
It is "Rumor Time" in the NBA as players get some time off and front offices begin to think about how to restructure teams. The Lakers are the subject of lots of rumors – probably because the Lakers played uncharacteristically badly last season. We do know for certain that the Lakers will draft second in the upcoming NBA Draft. Beyond that, here are some of the "rumors" floating out there. Recall that Kobe Bryant is expected to play one final season in LA next year according to Lakers' GM, Mitch Kupchack:
1. The Lakers may want to acquire Rajon Rondo from the Dallas Mavericks but there are also stories that the Houston Rockets may want Rondo too.
2. The Lakers may be trying to get Dwayne Wade to leave Miami and come to LA to join up with Kobe Bryant. That would have been a dynamite pairing in 2011; given the recent injury history of both players, that Lakers' roster might lead the league in "games missed by starters".
3. If Kevin Love "opts out" of his contract in Cleveland, conventional wisdom is that this child of So Cal will strongly consider going home to play there. That puts the Lakers squarely in the middle of any such speculation about Kevin Love.
The best way to weather the storm during "Rumor Time" is to sit back and wait to see what actually happens and then analyze the possibilities. I am confident, however, that no matter how much the Lakers and their fans might wish for it to happen, Magic and Kareem will not be coming back to suit up in the purple and gold next year…
Finally, here is some sage financial advice from Greg Cote of the Miami Herald:
"A pair of sneakers Michael Jordan supposedly wore in a game in 1984 is expected to sell for $50,000 or more at auction. I'd spend that for a pair of old sneakers only on the assurance I'd find a blank check for $49,995 stuffed in one of the shoes."
Author JackPosted on June 22, 2015 Categories Daily Rants15 Comments on Cut The Complaining…
Football, Golf And Baseball Today…
I mentioned recently that the American Enterprise Institute had done a study analyzing the Wells Report which forms the basis for Tom Brady's suspension. The appeal of that suspension will happen next week and Sally Jenkins had a column in yesterday's Washington Post that you should read in its entirety. What she says is that the AEI report demolishes the factual bases underlying the Wells Report and it paints Roger Goodell into a corner of his own making.
Toward the end of the column, she notes that DeMaurice Smith said of the Wells Report when it was issued that it "delivered exactly what the client wanted." That observation is absolutely germane here because it is fundamentally true. It underlies most if not all of the polls, surveys and studies with regard to public opinion and political/social issues. It also works here. And that fact leads me once again to wonder why the American Enterprise Institute studied air pressure in footballs in the first place. If they have a "client" here who paid for the study, it would be important for Roger Goodell – and the public – to know who that client is. If the two researchers just did it on their own, that changes markedly how I would weigh the credibility of the two studies/reports.
Next week could be interesting…
Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson are not household names and so it is inconvenient that they share the lead after the first round of the US Open shooting rounds of 5-under par 65. Therefore, more than a couple of sports websites this morning have headlines regarding the US Open that run along these lines:
Tiger Struggles In Round One
Well, I should say so… Tiger Woods shot a 10-over par round yesterday; he shot 80. He trails the leaders by 15 strokes but more outrageous is the fact that he trails 15-year old Cole Hammer by 3 strokes. I was grazing through the channels last night and happened upon the FOX coverage of the tournament and was surprised to see the brown grass on the course so I tarried for a while. This course is very different than any that the PGA would employ; there is lots of sand; the undulations on the greens look as if they were used as scale models to build roller coasters; freight trains rumble by several of the holes every few minutes and shockingly, the trains do not obey the signals to be quiet given by officials.
There are actually a few interesting story lines going on here:
Rickie Fowler shot an 81 and finished ahead of exactly one other player in the tournament.
Only twenty-five golfers (out of 156 starters) broke par. In a normal PGA tournament, you can expect to find more than half the field under par after round one.
Phil Mickelson continues to chase the "Career Grand Slam" here and he is still "in the mix" at 1-under par.
Tiger Woods' playing non-competitive golf in a major tournament is no longer news. Currently, the cut line to make it to play on the weekend is at +2. To get there, Woods will need to shoot a 62 today. I hope you did not draft him for your fantasy golf team this week…
In baseball news, we are approaching Fathers' Day and I have a four observations:
The Astros are still in first place in the AL West. The Astros have won 5 in a row and currently sport the second best record in MLB.
The Mets are still in first place in the NL East. The Mets are 4 games over .500 despite being outscored by 12 runs for the season.
The Cardinals no only lead the NL Central, they have the best record in MLB by a 4-game margin. No, this is not the result of any hacking…
The Phillies and the Brewers are the only teams winning less than 40% of their games and they are careening out of control as their seasons go down the drain. For the moment the Phillies are 1 game worse than the Brewers in the race to the bottom.
Before leaving on my "road trip", I suggested that it was still early in the season but that A-Rod's performance might just make him the Comeback Player of the Year. He has now collected his 2,999th base hit; when he reaches the 3000 mark he will join only 28 other players in the 125-year history of baseball to do that. For anyone else, that would be major news but given all of the PED use and the prevarication about that PED use and the yearlong suspension, it is difficult to celebrate that accomplishment to the degree that it was celebrated when someone like Tony Gwynn or Cal Ripken joined the club.
Nevertheless, A-Rod still belongs in the conversation for Comeback Player of the Year for 2015. He is hitting .278 with an OPS of .888; he has hit 12 home runs and driven in 34 runs in 216 at-bats at age 39 after sitting out all of 2014. If you look at the numbers without attaching those numbers to a name…
Finally, Dwight Perry had this baseball item (sort of) in the Seattle Times recently:
"Walmart is taking songs sung by Celine Dion and Justin Bieber off its in-store playlist after complaints from employees.
"But when it comes to assaulting the senses, why stop there? No more Phillies games on the TV sets!"
Author JackPosted on June 19, 2015 Categories Daily Rants6 Comments on Football, Golf And Baseball Today…
Did Antonio Brown Just Catch A Break?
Rest In Peace, Kobe Bryant
Too Much Ado About Nothing…
A Shocker In Evansville
It's About People Today …
Daily Rants
NCAA Wagers
NFL Wagers
Topical Rants
Columnists I Read
Mike Bianchi – Orlando Sentinel
Gene Collier – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Greg Cote – Miami Herald
Dan Daly – Pro Football Daly
Brad Dickson – Omaha World-Herald
Gregg Drinnan –Taking Note
Frank Fitzpatrick – Philly Inquirer
Bob Molinaro – Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot
Scott Ostler – San Francisco Chronicle
Dwight Perry – Seattle Times
Brad Rock – Deseret News
Steve Rosenbloom – Chicago Tribune
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text:
Weighing in on mining rules
Heather Abel July 7, 1997 From the print edition
When the Bureau of Land Management announced in early May that it would hold forums around the West before changing its mining regulations, both mine operators and mining opponents rallied their troops. GREEN, a program of Defenders of Wildlife, sent an e-mail asking environmentalists to attend the scoping meetings "if it is humanly possible." Laura Skaer, president of the Northwest Mining Association, sent out an alert by fax: "Environmental activists are encouraging their supporters to attend. We must outnumber them."
Industry groups did outnumber citizen activists, at some meetings by a ratio of 4-to-1, and the mood was pro-industry, says the Mineral Policy Center's Aimee Boulanger. When an activist at the Phoenix, Ariz., meeting suggested that mines should not be allowed to alter public land, "the room exploded with yells, boos, hisses, outrage," she says.
Industry groups see no reason to change the current regulations that require hardrock mining companies to use the best available technologies to prevent "unnecessary or undue damage" to public lands. Environmentalists point out that, since the rules were established in 1983, hardrock mines have continued to leak cyanide and kill rivers with acid mining drainage.
The move to reform mining on BLM land came from Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, who directed the BLM to rewrite its regulations after Congress refused to reform the 1872 Mining Law. The BLM will use the comments from eight meetings for its rewrite, due in 1998.
An earlier attempt to change one regulation may flop. The Northwest Mining Association is suing the BLM for revising its bonding regulations without soliciting public comment since 1991.
* Heather Abel

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Rwanda.

Incumbents
 President: Paul Kagame
 Prime Minister: Anastase Murekezi

Events

January
 January 23 - Two Rwandan policemen charged in the murder of an anti-corruption activist are sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Deaths
 January 8 - Jean-Claude Gasigwa, 31, Tennis player (Davis Cup team)

References

2010s in Rwanda
Years of the 21st century in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Don La-Ray Agee
December 3, 1946 - November 2, 2018
Rev. Don La-Ray Agee, 71, of Sheffield was called home by his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ November 2, 2018. He loved the Lord and preached the gospel for 33 years following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Charlie Berryhill. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Herbert L. Agee and Luddie Agee and brother, Gene Agee. His survivors include Greshia his loving wife of 49 years, who will miss him greatly; stepsons, Jimmy Smith (Shannon) and Jeffrey Smith (Stacy): brother, Jerry Agee (Margaret); sister, Martha Williams (Ed) and numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren and nieces and nephews. Visitation will be Sunday, November 4, 2018 between 11 a.m. and 12 Noon with the funeral service to follow at 12 Noon with Rev. Roger Reece and Rev. Edwin Williams officiating at the New Gardendale Funeral Home, 2214 Decatur Hwy, Gardendale, AL 35071. A graveside service will be at 3 p.m. at Colbert Memorial Gardens in Tuscumbia, AL
Rev. Don La-Ray Agee, 71, of Sheffield was called home by his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ November 2, 2018. He loved the Lord and preached the gospel for 33 years following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Charlie Berryhill. He was preceded... View Obituary & Service Information
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text:
Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 board a plane at Naval Air Station Point Mugu to begin an eight-month deployment to Afghanistan. NMCB-5 is deployed to Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Turns out the military could do a speedy withdrawal from Afghanistan after all
But questions remain about private security contractors and the ongoing debate over counterterrorism capabilities.
Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
The New York Times is reporting that U.S. forces should be out of Afghanistan by July — a full two months before President Biden's imposed Sept. 11 deadline, and two months after the original May 1 deadline under the Doha Agreement.
Well, well, well. This kinds puts to rest all those hysterical warnings about the logistical nightmare the U.S. military would face if Biden went along with the total withdrawal of (2,500 troops) earlier this year. It just couldn't be done, critics said. These things take time.
"Where there is a will there is a way," says my colleague, Adam Weinstein, who deployed to Afghanistan as a Marine and has been advocating for withdrawal from the start. He acknowledged that there was always some "inflation" of the real logistical acrobatics that might hinder a rapid withdrawal, but once Biden laid down the marker, the military snapped into action.
This of course means leaving a lot of stuff behind, and destroying a lot of U.S.-taxpayer-paid materiel, too. According to a Newsweek article earlier this month, 1300 pieces of equipment have already been trashed while the military broke up Bagram air base. That would include sensitive items that the military says they don't want to get into Taliban hands. They may also be trashing vehicles and other equipment that no longer work. Of course Afghan scrap sellers are angry because a lot of the stuff being destroyed could be sold —they say — if it were left intact, like tents and office equipment. One wonders why these things couldn't be given over to some of our partners, you know all of those Afghan civil organizations we helped to fund?
There was a similar critique in 2014 when, during a big withdrawal of U.S. forces, the military ended up leaving $6 billion worth of gear (170 million tons) behind, including, as I reported at the time, 850 MRAPS (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles.
Interestingly, the aforementioned New York Times article points out that the approximately 17,000 U.S. contractors, which include over 6,500 Americans, will be leaving too. That doesn't quite square with other reports that contractors are hustling for new deals or planning to stay under old ones.
From New York Magazine on May 12:
So far, nothing is changing," said a contractor working for a U.S. company based in Bagram. News from the Pentagon has yet to trickle down. "I am not aware of any changes to my job or of any contracts being passed to the Afghan government. These are American companies and these contracts will remain under private payroll."
Perhaps he didn't get the memo. However, as the piece by Lynzy Billing points out, there are contractors paid for by other government agencies like the State Department who will staying, and a flurry of new contract bids going out for post-withdrawal work:
In April, 70 American security and defense firms started advertising more than 100 new security and intelligence positions, some with year contracts that go beyond September 11, 2021.
One such company is Triple Canopy, which is owned by Constellis, a company that also owns Academi, the most recent iteration of Erik Prince's notorious Blackwater private-military contractors. Triple Canopy is hiring armed guards at Bagram to provide security for remaining U.S. personnel at four sites across the country. Raytheon Technologies is posting for logistics and intelligence analyst positions in Bagram. CACI and BAE Systems both posted jobs for signals intelligence specialists for an estimated term of 12 months. SOSi posted openings for intelligence analysts for yearlong deployments, where "the work environment could require 100 percent of time spent outdoors." PAE, Inc., who scored nearly a billion dollars' worth of contracts with the Pentagon over four years, is hiring for a contract for the State Department. Fluor Corporation is hiring for technicians, working for both the U.S. and the private sector. Louis Berger, who built and maintains the country's largest power plant, inside Bagram, is posting more than 20 new positions at the base.
Of course the post-withdrawal security question is a big one. Billing's piece suggests that private contractors would be providing security for U.S. personnel at remaining sites, but a new report suggests that some 600 active duty troops will be left behind to secure the U.S. embassy compound. That hasn't been confirmed of course, but sources say that it is a possibility — especially after Gen. Frank MacKenzie, head of Centcom, told Congress in April that Afghan troops could not be counted on to protect the American compound once we leave.
This begs the question of whether the military might use the embassy as an excuse to leave a military thumbprint for more than just protecting the personnel and facilities. MacKenzie was adamant that the Afghan forces will likely fold in the face of a Taliban offensive without help, and there is ongoing speculation about how Washington will conduct "counterterrorism" there in the future without a standing force.
So while it is good news the military is "leaving" ahead of schedule, as always the devil is in the details.
Diplomacy Watch: Switzerland weighs break with policy of neutrality
by Connor Echols
A group of lawmakers in Bern wants to allow states to re-export Swiss weapons to support the fight in Ukraine.
More from Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
What foreign policy elites really think about you
If public opinion doesn't match up with the Washington program then it must be wrong, misunderstood, or worse, irrelevant.
by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
Zelensky in Washington today to address Congress, meet with Biden
Visit will include an address to Congress and announcement of Patriot Missiles and precision guided weapons for Ukraine.
'About $45 billion' in new Ukraine aid tucked into omnibus bill
If the spending measure is passed this week, that will mean assistance to Ukraine will top out at more than $100 billion in 2022.
China dips toes in the Gulf, puts Iran on the defensive
Beijing and Iran always had 'convenient' relations, but the former's visit to Saudi Arabia exposed some new limits.
by Sina Azodi


text:
Kansas, Villanova bounced from tournament
The Taunton Daily Gazette
In an NCAA tournament full of upsets, Northern Iowa pulled off the biggest one: The Panthers took down mighty Kansas.
Playing with poise down the stretch and getting another big 3-pointer from Ali Farokhmanesh, Northern Iowa pulled off one of the biggest NCAA upsets in years by knocking No. 1 overall seed Kansas from the bracket with a program-defining 69-67 win on Saturday.
Northern Iowa (30-4) won the tempo tug-of-war, grounding the high-flying Jayhawks with in-their-jersey defense, then withstood a furious rally to become the first team to beat a No. 1 seed in the second round since UAB and Alabama did it to Kentucky and Stanford in 2004.
There have been 10 double-digits seeds to pull upsets this year; eight in the first round. No. 10 Saint Mary's beat Villanova on Saturday, and No. 11 Washington beat New Mexico.
But the ninth-seeded Panthers pulled the shocker of them all.
Farokhmanesh, Northern Iowa's first-round hero, had the biggest play of all, burying a 3-pointer in transition with the shot clock still in the 30s to end a dominating start-to-finish win that sends the Panthers to the round of 16 for the first time. UNI will face the Michigan State-Maryland winner in St. Louis.
Kansas (33-3) fell behind early and never made one of its anticipated runs, bowing out of the tournament with another disappointing NCAA loss to a mid-major. Cole Aldrich had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Marcus Morris added 16 points.
Farokhmanesh, who finished with 16 points, celebrated by jumping into a huddle of teammates to a chant of "U-N-I!" while Jayhawks Morris and redshirt senior Mario Little crumbled to the floor, tears streaming down their faces when they finally rose.
Yes, this was monumental.
Kansas, the storied program with the blue-blood pedigree, went down for the mid-major count like it did to Bradley in 2006 and Bucknell the year before.
Kansas sneaked by Lehigh in the first round, using a spirit-crushing run to turn a scare into a 16-point win.
Northern Iowa had a fight all the way through its three-point win over UNLV in the opener, breaking a 20-year NCAA winless drought on Farokhmanesh's 25-footer with 4.9 seconds left.
This game was like opposite poles of two magnets; One of the nation's highest-scoring teams against Northern Iowa's stuck-in-the-mud mentality.
The Panthers faced the tougher task.
They had never played a No. 1-ranked team and no one from their conference had beaten one since 1962. UNI also seemed to be overmatched against KU's lineup of pros-in-waiting. When asked if any of their players could start for Kansas, Farokhmanesh and Adam Koch gave an uncomfortable laugh.
The thing about the Panthers is they know defensive positioning as well as any team in the country, moving in a symphonic dance of denial. Northern Iowa has become the most consistent team in its state, too, reaching the NCAA tournament five of the past seven years, good enough that Kansas coach Bill Self said there's no way Cinderella's shoe fits anymore.
UNI went right at the Jayhawks, opening with a 10-2 run that had Self burning an early timeout against a mid-major for the second straight game.
The Panthers kept attacking, leading all but 56 seconds of the first half, by as much as eight. Farokhmanesh was at his quick-shooting best, hitting all four of his shots — three 3s — for 11 points to put UNI in the upset position, up 36-28 at halftime.
The Panthers kept it up.
Northern Iowa kept forcing Kansas into mistakes, didn't stop making shots and built the lead to 47-35 with 12 1/2 minutes left.
That's when Kansas starting inching back.
Turning up their defensive pressure, the Jayhawks clipped the lead down to 56-53 with just 4 1/2 minutes left as their fans made the Ford Center feel like Allen Fieldhouse.
The Panthers didn't blink, answering every challenge for the monster upset.


The premier of the eastern German state of Saxony, Stanislaw Tillich, has said he disagrees with Chancellor Angela Merkel on the status of Islam in Germany. But he says he wants more immigrants in his state.
In an interview published on Sunday, Tillich told the newspaper Welt am Sonntag that he did not hold Chancellor Merkel's recently expressed view that Islam was a part of Germany.
"I do not share this opinion," Tillich said. "Muslims are welcome in Germany and can practice their religion. But this does not mean that Islam is part of Saxony."
Tillich's remarks come amid a series of weekly marches by the "anti-Islamization" group PEGIDA ("Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West") in the Saxon capital, Dresden.
While condemning the xenophobic views expressed by some PEGIDA members, Tillich, who belongs to Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, called for continued dialogue with the organization. He said many of its fears were born of a dissatisfaction with the "political decision-making process and decisions."
"To counter misleading rumors, you need objective arguments and information. To counter fears, education and information are necessary," Tillich said.
He also called on Muslim organizations to do more to distance themselves from radical Islamist terrorism, saying that they could calm people's fears by making it clear that such terrorism constituted an abuse of Islam.
"That would be a convincing way of helping to reduce fear in this country," Tillich said.
In another article in the same paper, Tillich joined with fellow state premiers in calling for more immigration to German states that once formed part of communist East Germany - a move that is in direct opposition to the anti-immigration stance of the PEGIDA movement.
Tillich said that in view of problematic demographic developments, more foreigners were needed in Saxony.
"The east in particular needs more migrants," he said.
His view was echoed by Thuringia's state premier, Bodo Ramelow of the Left party, and by the state premier of Saxony-Anhalt, Christian Democrat Reiner Haseloff.
Describing Thuringia as "cosmopolitan," Ramelow said, "We can't have enough hands and minds for the work that needs to be done." Haseloff spoke of the "chances for development" offered by more immigration.
As a means of attracting more immigration, Tillich proposed lowering the mandatory minimum pay needed by would-be immigrants to obtain a so-called "Blue Card" permit for German residency.
He said the current 40,000 euros ($42,826) per year called for by German immigration authorities was too high in light of the level of pay in eastern German states, where lowest-paid skilled workers earn some 25,000 euros annually.
"We must be guided by this [lower] sum, as the demographic deficit is larger here," he said.
Economists have been warning for some time that Germany's lack of skilled workers and low birth rate means that the country needs more immigrants.
Angela Merkel has just returned from her summer holidays and she's already braving enemy territory. DW followed her to Dresden, a stronghold for far-right populists who have no affinity for the German chancellor.


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Home Featured Automated Cybersecurity: Helping or Hindering Big Data?
March 20, 2018 Wes O'Donnell 0
Automated Cybersecurity: Helping or Hindering Big Data?
March 20, 2018 Wes O'Donnell
By Susan Hoffman
Contributor, InCyberDefense
Automated cybersecurity for big data is becoming popular with many organizations, because this automation has several benefits. According to Karin Shopen of Palo Alto Networks, "Automation levels the playing field, reduces the volume of threats, and allows for faster prevention of new and previously unknown threats."
But can automated cybersecurity keep up with ever-evolving cyber threats? Kuman Saurabh of Chief Security Officer notes, "Solving the cybersecurity crisis can't start with the assumption that humans should be automated out of the system – in fact, it should be quite the opposite."
What Is Big Data?
Some organizations, such as Google, Amazon and LinkedIn collect a huge amount of data each day from sources inside and outside the company. For these companies, it is impossible for traditional data processing software to process the massive amount of information they receive.
Big data can be analyzed to provide C-level executives with the information they need to make data-driven decisions. However, processing huge amounts of data is time-consuming and requires considerable effort by company employees.
To handle the demands of big data, several products and languages are on the market today. For example, Apache created Hadoop, a type of open-source software capable of summarizing, querying and analyzing the big data it receives. According to Apache, there are other tools designed to work with Hadoop, such as Hive (software that aids reading, writing and managing large datasets) and Pig (a query language that permits parallel computation).
How Automated Cybersecurity Protects Big Data
Like other types of data, big data is a tempting target for hackers. Big data contains sensitive and personal information that could be sold for a profit.
The automation of cybersecurity has helped the problem of defending big data databases. Teradata and the Ponemon Institute point out that when automation is used properly, it can detect anomalous and malicious traffic in organizational networks.
Cybersecurity Challenges of Big Data Continue to Increase
Due to its size, big data is dispersed in cloud-based and on-site locations. This multi-location storage system presents more security problems because the data isn't stored in one central location. In an August 2017 Silicon Angle article, writer R.D. Danes quoted Druva's Chief Marketing Officer Matthew Morgan: "Data protection built specifically for the cloud doesn't work for the business applications they leave on premise….Likewise, old methods for protecting data on premise are too stiff and monolithic for the cloud and distributed applications."
As the volume of big data continues to grow, automated cybersecurity at operating system and cloud services levels must grow along with it. CSO writer Roger A. Grimes predicts the following changes in the cybersecurity market:
The protective services of security event information monitoring, such as the aggregation of security events, the reporting of security events, and corrective actions, will get better over time.
Operating system vendors will allow trusted, cloud-based third parties to securely configure an organization's computers.
More security configuration vendors and more security configuration options will be available in the future.
Security configuration vendors will be able to respond to security threats more quickly.
Career Opportunities Likely to Grow in Automated Cybersecurity
There is already a shortage of skilled professionals in the cybersecurity field, according to Tom Davenport and Adnan Amjad of Deloitte Insights. While artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have helped to automate some cybersecurity tasks, the need for human experts to monitor threats, interpret data and convey insights will remain.
As the challenges of cybersecurity and big data increase, there will be a need for skilled professionals to handle these challenges.
tags: automated cybersecurity big data cybersecurity featured original
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Marketing, BA Hons, Eligibility, Syllabus, Courses, Program, University of Greenwich,UK
Marketing, BA Hons
University of Greenwich, UK
courseinfo@greenwich.ac.uk
The Marketing, BA Hons programme ffers value to our students, as it is cutting edge and offers the necessary skills for jobs in marketing.
Level of Study : Mode of Study :
Exam : Tuition Fees :
The University of Greenwich offers the best of both worlds, city and country. As a student you are on the doorstep of London, but with the cream of Kent - rolling hills, pub-to-pub walks, seaside resorts and historic sites - not far away.
Education is about breadth as well as depth. It is about places and people, sights and heritage as well as books and keyboards.
The university has three campuses: Avery Hill, in the south-east London district of Eltham; Greenwich, in the historic London borough; and Medway, which is in Chatham Maritime, Kent.
Diversity and distinction
The university is proud of its diverse student body. People from more than 100 countries choose to study at Greenwich, part of an international student community of 4,000. Services for students with disabilities or who have dyslexia give support to more than 1,000. Students benefit from a research environment where staff share their expertise and specialist facilities. At Greenwich they set high standards for teaching quality and provide professional training opportunities for all lecturers. They also measure students' views on their services through the annual student satisfaction survey, and if shortcomings are found they address them.
Each year the university offers its most distinguished buildings as part of the London Open House architectural festival, an event enabling the public to appreciate some of the capital's architectural gems.
The university also takes part in the annual Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, a celebration of music, theatre, dance and other performing arts in and around the borough. Our ongoing support of Black History Month has brought a range of special events to the Greenwich Campus, including talks, presentations and exhibitions.
Students and staff have the opportunity to engage with the arts by performing with the university band, which plays music from the Swing era, and with the university choir.
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The Dpulze Cyberjaya business center is located in the heart of Cyberjaya - the silicon valley of Malaysia and one of the designated Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) locations with state of the art technology. Located right opposite the Cyberjaya Transport Terminal, the area is home to many renowned multinational companies. It is also home to the nation's top educational institutions.
This 15 storey building is the only fully integrated commercial and lifestyle mixed development in Cyberjaya with 4 star Hotel, residential, retail mall with variety of business restaurants, health fitness, entertainment and lifestyle retail shops. It offers the most prestigious location for all types of businesses and easily accessible by major highways and rail and is 30kms from Kuala Lumpur.


Soviet Union. And as this collapse was legalised, everyone forgot about Crimea and Sevastopol – the main base of the Black Sea Fleet. Millions of people went to bed in one country and awoke in different ones, overnight becoming ethnic minorities in former Union republics, while the Russian nation became one of the biggest, if not the biggest ethnic group in the world to be divided by borders.
Today we can speak about it openly, and I would like to share with you some details of the negotiations that took place in the early 2000s. The then President of Ukraine Mr Kuchma asked me to expedite the process of delimiting the RussianUkrainian border. At that time, the process was practically at a standstill. Russia seemed to have recognised Crimea as part of Ukraine, but there were no negotiations on delimiting the borders. Despite the complexity of the situation, I immediately issued instructions to Russian government agencies to speed up their work to document the borders, so that everyone had a clear understanding that by agreeing to delimit the border we admitted de facto and de jure that Crimea was Ukrainian territory, thereby closing the issue.
Ukraine's independence. Presidents, prime ministers and parliamentarians changed, but their attitude to the country and its people remained the same. They milked the country, fought among themselves for power, assets and cash flows and did not care much about the ordinary people. They did not wonder why it was that millions of Ukrainian citizens saw no prospects at home and went to other countries to work as day labourers. I would like to stress this: it was not some Silicon Valley they fled to, but to become day labourers. Last year alone almost 3 million people found such jobs in Russia. According to some sources, in 2013 their earnings in Russia totalled over $20 billion, which is about 12% of Ukraine's GDP.
I would like to reiterate that I understand those who came out on Maidan with peaceful slogans against corruption, inefficient state management and poverty. The right to peaceful protest, democratic procedures and elections exist for the sole purpose of replacing the authorities that do not satisfy the people. However, those who stood behind the latest events in Ukraine had a different agenda: they were preparing yet another government takeover; they wanted to seize power and would stop short of nothing. They resorted to terror, murder and riots. Nationalists, neo-Nazis, Russophobes and antiSemites executed this coup. They continue to set the tone in Ukraine to this day.
Ukraine's own interest to ensure that these people's rights and interests are fully protected. This is the guarantee of Ukraine's state stability and territorial integrity.
I understand the people of Crimea, who put the question in the clearest possible terms in the referendum: should Crimea be with Ukraine or with Russia? We can be sure in saying that the authorities in Crimea and Sevastopol, the legislative authorities, when they formulated the question, set aside group and political interests and made the people's fundamental interests alone the cornerstone of their work. The particular historic, population, political and economic circumstances of Crimea would have made any other proposed option only temporary and fragile and would have inevitably led to further worsening of the situation there, which would have had disastrous effects on people's lives. The people of Crimea thus decided to put the question in firm and uncompromising form, with no grey areas. The referendum was fair and transparent, and the people of Crimea clearly and convincingly expressed their will and stated that they want to be with Russia.


Los Angeles sees a lot of action when it comes to filming, especially when it comes to filming, well, action movies. From 80s classics like "Commando" and "Beverly Hills Cop" to more modern features like "Iron Man" and "Transformers," the L.A. area has been home to some of cinema's biggest adrenaline-filled moments. Read on for a list of locations where some of the genre's most memorable scenes were shot. Lights, camera and…action!
With its gorgeous weather and breathtaking scenery, Los Angeles offers countless running paths for health-conscious locals and visitors to get their hearts pumping. There are always excellent running trails nearby, from the heart of L.A. to the spectacular coastal views of the beach cities, here are some of the best running paths in Los Angeles.
Artist Tiphanie Brooke shares some of her favorite "LOS ANGELES" hearts, which are quickly becoming urban art icons.


Party Name: Michael D. Reed, Jr., Appellant, v. State of Florida, Appellee.
Attorney: Michael D. Reed, Jr., pro se, Appellant. Ashley B. Moody, Attorney General, and Michael McDermott, Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellee.
Judge Panel: Lewis, Rowe, and Makar, JJ., concur.
On appeal from the Circuit Court for Alachua County. Mark W. Moseley, Judge.
Michael D. Reed, Jr., pro se, Appellant.
Ashley B. Moody, Attorney General, and Michael McDermott, Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellee.


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Climate change has increased world economic inequality, study says
By Martin Finucane Globe Staff,April 22, 2019, 5:18 p.m.
The map shows changes in GDP per capita by country, with increases in cooler countries and decreases in warmer countries, from 1961 to 2010 (left) and 1991-2010 (right).
A new study from Stanford University says global warming has increased the wealth gap between the world's countries by enriching cooler, wealthier countries and dragging down growth in hotter, poorer countries.
The study found that "most of the poorest countries on Earth are considerably poorer than they would have been without global warming," climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh, lead author of the study, said in a statement from Stanford.
The study, which looked at the period from 1961 to 2010, was published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It was co-authored by Marshall Burke, a Stanford assistant professor of Earth system science.
Overall income disparity between countries has dropped in recent decades, but the gap would have narrowed faster without climate change, the study found.
Burke and co-authors had previously looked at the records of annual temperature and GDP measurements for 165 countries to estimate the effects of temperature changes on economic growth.
"The historical data clearly show that crops are more productive, people are healthier and we are more productive at work when temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold," Burke said in the statement. "This means that in cold countries, a little bit of warming can help. The opposite is true in places that are already hot."
In the new study, the researchers combined their previous work with data from more than 20 climate models developed around the world. Researchers used the models to figure out how much each country had warmed over the period, and then, after thousands of simulations, determined what the country's economic output would have been if the temperatures had not warmed, the statement said.
Burke said that as far as tropical countries go, "There's essentially no uncertainty that they've been harmed" by the increasing heat.
Diffenbaugh noted in a telephone interview that there was less confidence about the beneficial economic effect of global warming on cooler countries. "That's a less robust result than the negative impact," he said.
Countries in the mid-latitudes, including the United States, haven't seen as large an effect, but that could change if there's a large amount of warming in the future, Burke warned in the statement.
"A few of the largest economies are near the perfect temperature for economic output. Global warming hasn't pushed them off the top of the hill, and in many cases, it has pushed them toward it," Burke said. "But a large amount of warming in the future will push them further and further from the temperature optimum."
Here are some examples of what the researchers found in terms of the difference between what their economic growth could have been and where they actually were in 2010, in terms of per capita gross domestic product:
Countries whose economies were harmed by the warming
Sudan (population 41 million): -36 percent
India (population 1.3 billion): -31 percent
Nigeria (population 191 million): -29 percent
Indonesia (population 264 million): -27 percent
Brazil (population 209 million): -25 percent
Countries who were helped by the warming
Norway (population 5 million): +34 percent
Canada (population 37 million): +32 percent
Sweden (population 10 million): +25 percent
Great Britain (population 66 million): +9.5 percent
France (population 67 million): +4.8 percent
The countries with the three biggest economies
USA (population 327 million): -0.2 percent
China (population 1.4 billion): -1.4 percent
Japan (population 127 million): -1.1 percent
Diffenbaugh said that the study also offered looked at how much each country had been affected economically by global warming, relative to its historical greenhouse gas contributions.
"Our results show that, in addition to not sharing equally in the direct benefits of fossil fuel use, many poor countries have been significantly harmed by the warming arising from wealthy countries' energy consumption," the study said.


When he's not conducting research in the lab, Blake loves to travel both for work and for fun. He especially enjoyed a recent trip to China where he hiked across an abandoned section of the Great Wall, as well as a visit to Australia where he toured the exquisite Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. Blake strives to balance his family life with his science, and he also enjoys reading cookbooks and experimenting in the kitchen at home.
Blake grew up in an academic family, so he was interested in becoming a professor from a young age. He spent a lot of his time outside, and his choice to pursue science was a departure from his family's background in the humanities. After taking a biology class his freshman year of college, Blake began to think science might be a good fit for him. During his sophomore year, he became more interested in agriculture and discovered his passion for plants.
Blake's lab has characterized unusual pathways for production of RNA in plant reproductive organs (the anthers). They discovered there were rapid and extreme bursts of RNA production (especially small RNAs), whose functions were still unknown. This work was really challenging to get published. He and his colleagues thought the project was novel and exciting, but the reviewers and editors of journals were not as impressed. Blake spent a year submitting the paper, getting rejected, making changes, and re-submitting. Eventually everyone's hard work paid off, but it was a long process.
Getting the paper on small RNAs in plants published was a huge success. They used different genetic mutants and microscopy techniques to provide a spatiotemporal map of small RNAs to show where and when these were produced. Current projects in Blake's laboratory are continuing to build off this work now.
New Zealand was Blake's all-time favorite travel destination. He went there about 10 years ago for a conference, and his wife was able to travel with him. They took a vacation afterwards, visiting the North and South Islands. Blake was blown away by the incredible geography of the country. He saw breathtaking coasts, pristine forests, volcanic regions, and lakes. His stay in the town of Rotorua was one of the major highlights of the trip.
Blake maintains a supportive and fun atmosphere in his lab. The lab is very culturally diverse, and it has been fun to share different things that are unique to each person's own cultures. One thing that blake has enjoyed is teaching international students the quirks and weird expressions in our language.
Careers in science are exciting and rewarding, and it's important to stick with it even during the tough times.
Plants are sometimes underappreciated, but they are critical to our survival. There are so many exciting unanswered questions in plant research.
Blake's work focuses on genome-scale studies of RNA and components of RNA silencing pathways, with a recent emphasis on plant reproductive biology and the evolution of plant small RNAs. Blake has been involved with next-generation DNA sequencing since its earliest days, and he has developed a number of applications of this technology, including computational methods, that have had a deep impact on plant genomics.