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Brantley's 1st (Mild) Concussion
FUCK YOU John McDonald! >O
why the vitriol towards this former Indians player you ask? cause he did my boy dirty, and i don't like it. for the first time in Michael's career, he has a mild concussion. and i am pissed.
how did this happen? well i'll tell you. with 1 out in the bottom of the 3rd inning in a game against the LA Angels on June 16, Michael hit a go-ahead RBI single and was at 1st base. then when the next batter, Jason Kipnis, hit into an inning-ending double play, Michael tried to break it up when sliding into 2nd base. unfortunately for Michael, the Angels shortstop at 2nd base, John McDonald, didn't even try to avoid the collision and just kneed Michael in the fuckin head like it was nothing as he turned the double play.
photo courtesy of The Plain Dealer
that's a dick move and it's not the first time McDonald's done this. he did the same thing before to 1st baseman Justin Morneau on July 7, 2010, and Morneau's concussion was so bad that he did not return that season. the concussion also negatively impacted his playing ability for some time after that year as well. most guys who turn a dp know enough to at least try and avoid contact when a runner tries to interfere with his path. old man McDonald, who isn't even a good player and should probably just retire anyways, needs to take a Baseball 101 course again or something.
so after Michael got bonked, he just kinda sat on the infield for a bit.
screenshot taken from a live look-in
then when he got up, he didn't look right.
screenshot taken from a video on Indians.com
i was "lucky" enough to have a live look-in on my computer for his RBI single and then Kip's inning-ending dp. so i saw how Michael was looking into the dugout, almost as if to say, 'did you see that? should i keep playing? should you take me out of the game?' i think if Michael had gone back into the dugout once the 3rd inning ended, he never would have gone to left field and played the top of the 4th inning. but since he was already on the field when the inning ended, his hat and glove were brought to him, as is common practice, and he trotted back out to left field. Michael even managed to record the 2nd putout of the inning. but something didn't look right about his catch. he was looking into the dugout and rubbing his eye or his head afterwards.
series of screenshots taken from a video on Indians.com
he probably should not have been out there in the first place and he was removed from the game before the top of the 5th started.
later on in the game it was revealed that Michael left the game with head/neck soreness. my immediate fear was concussion. after the game they said Michael passed all the initial concussion tests, but it didn't make me feel better because i knew he very well could show up to the ballpark the following day with a concussion.
on June 17, the starting lineup was released online with Michael batting 3rd. a short time later, a new lineup was released without Michael's name. it was then that i learned that while Michael was performing his pregame baseball routine, he started feeling pressure in his head and had a stiff neck, though he claimed he was feeling fine prior to this. the Indians then sent him off to Cleveland Clinic for further testing.
we did not get another Michael update until June 18, when it was finally confirmed that he did have a mild concussion. "i just didn't feel perfect (Tuesday)," Brantley said. "it's a day-by-day process. i don't want to put a deadline on anything, but my goal is to get back out there with my team as fast as possible. that involves listening to the medical staff and making sure i'm ready to go 100 percent. i'm making progress each and every day. it's all positive."
because of the progress he's making and the fact that he already played catch and hit off the tee today, they opted not to put him on the special concussion DL. Francona said, "the way it was explained to me, it's the type of concussion that should go away faster. and i think we're actually seeing that. Brantley already looks more clear-eyed. i think he's doing very well. every activity that's been given to him (Wednesday), he's handled without any occurrences of anything. there's a progression in place."
they're hoping Michael will be okay to play again on Saturday, June 21. (coincidentally, that is the next Tribe game i'm going to. so i REALLY hope he's back then.) if this happens, he would only miss a total of 3 games, which isn't that bad. but it still doesn't make me forgive McDonald.
let me tell you how angry i was with McDonald the night this all went down. i threw things, i swore (way more than i've written here lol), i tried not to cry. then i thought shit, could this have been a set up? we have no idea what goes on in players' heads and we've all seen how some athletes will play dirty to get ahead. maybe it was planned on the part of the Angels. like, the players came together in a meeting and said 'if anyone gets a chance to take out Brantley, go for it,' as a way to ensure Mike Trout wouldn't lose his starting spot on the All Star team or something. who the fuck knows. okay maybe i was reaching there but i was fuckin furious and i needed to place blame somewhere. McDonald called the "accident" unfortunate, but did he even apologize? cause i never heard anything about that. he did ask Michael if he was okay afterwards, because that's what he "tends to do," then didn't give it a second thought. but that doesn't exactly make him or the situation look better imo.
if Michael had done this purely on his own, like banged his head against the left field wall while making a catch, i'd be less upset. but the fact that it was done to him and that it was avoidable, has me fired up. Michael was killing it on the field prior to all this. the hits just kept on coming for him and his batting average kept going up every game he played. Michael had a .323 BA with 11 home runs and 46 RBI before the incident. he also had a 5 multi-hit games streak going, which McDonald abruptly ended. additionally, he had an 8-game hitting streak and a 15-game reached-base streak. if when Michael comes back on June 21 his streaks come to an end, i am gonna be fuckin infuriated.
Michael has not been on the DL since he broke his hamate bone in late July 2011. so he's gone quite a while without needing to be put on the DL for anything, which is good because it shows he's not injury prone. missing games due to a concussion, however, is still worrisome to me because i'm not sure how that will affect him. he could lose his timing and the roll he's been on. this could ultimately fuck up his entire season. as i said, he was literally on the up and up, on his way to challenging for the AL batting title, and now i fear when he comes back he'll be on a downward trend. it would have been nice to see how long Michael's multi-hits streak could have continued, but now we'll never know.
another cruel twist of fate? when Michael is scheduled to come back, he'll have 2 games under his belt before...wait for it...more goddamn interleague play. why?! ugh. that's the last thing Michael needed, to sit out a while and then have to come back and play interleague games, the one area where he's struggled this year. IL games have messed up his numbers every month this season. in April, before the IL games, he had a respectable BA. then after that dreaded San Fran series, his BA became unacceptable. and who can forget how at the end of May, Michael's overall hitting streak and franchise home game hitting streak both ended during IL play. so this is just fuckin typical that he's gotta come back and try to find his momentum again during another IL series. grrr.
i'm also concerned that Francona will put Michael back to his original 5th spot in the batting order when he comes back. i liked Michael batting 3rd when Kip was out, and was happily surprised when Francona let Michael stay there even when Kip came back from his DL stint. but now, i figure Francona will just let Kip have that spot again and Michael will go back to 5. goodbye regularity, it was fun while it lasted.
don't get me wrong, i am very grateful that nothing more serious occurred (even though a concussion is kind of serious), and that no bones were broken and he doesn't need surgery or a DL stint or anything like that. but it still agitates me that this whole thing could have been a non-issue if McDonald would have just moved out the damn way. my advice to Michael, next time someone hits into a double play, just let it happen. don't risk injury to yourself just cause the player behind you is a shit situational hitter. i don't ever wanna see this happen again.
Posted by 216clevelandgirl at 4:50 PM No comments:
Labels: 2014, 2nd base, 3rd inning, Cleveland Indians, collision, disabled list, double play, Dr. Smooth, injury, Jason Kipnis, John McDonald, June 16, Los Angeles Angels, Michael Brantley, mild concussion, Tribe
Brantley's 1st Career American League Player of the Week Honor
let me take a minute to get my scream outta the way... AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! lol
Michael Brantley has been named the American League Player of the Week for June 9-15, 2014! this is Michael's first career AL POTW honor. he's also the first AL POTW for the Tribe this season. the last Indian to receive this honor was Jason Kipnis on July 1, 2013.
Michael led all major leaguers in batting average (.538), runs scored (9), and on base percentage (.625). he led all American League players in hits (14), total bases (23), and times on base (20). and mind you, he did all this on the road.
Michael had a hit in 7 of the 7 games he played from June 9-15 and reached base safely in 7 games. he currently has a 7-game hitting streak and 14-game reached base streak. he also had 6 multi-hit games during this time.
in the past week, Michael bat. 588 (10-for-17) against right-handed pitchers and .444 (4-for-9) against left-handed pitchers. he bat .333 (2-for-6) with runners in scoring position, with 1 single, 1 double, 1 RBI, and 2 walks. he also hit .667 (2-for-3) with 0 outs and runners in scoring position and .429 (6-for-14) with 2 outs in an inning.
on June 9, Michael hit his 10th home run of the season, tying his career high from last year. then on June 15, Michael hit his career high 11th home run. i have a blog about that here.
additionally, Michael had 2 nice outfield assists, both at Fenway Park. my boy knows how to work that left field Green Monster wall lol
June 9-15 batting average: .538
OBP: .625
SLG: .885
OPS: 1.510
Michael played in 7 (of 7) games, 6 complete, from June 9-15. he started and played left in 7 games, completing 6 of those games. he left 1 game early after 7 innings because it was a blowout and Michael had done more than enough.
Michael bat 3rd in 7 games.
Michael played left field in 7 games. (6 complete, 1 started: 7 innings)
from June 9-15, Michael had a total of 32 plate appearances and 26 at bats. here is how he fared:
3 doubles
2 home runs
5 extra base hits
3 RBI
9 runs scored
3 walks
3 hit by pitches
1 stolen base
3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)
4 first at bat hits
23 total bases
6 left on base
10 putouts
59 innings, 7 games
(6 complete games)
June 9-15 batting average: .538 (14-26) (7 games)
everyone knows i'm well aware of all the stats Michael's been racking up lately, but i never once thought about him being named the AL Player of the Week. this season just seems to be getting better and better by the day for my boy. congratulations, Michael!
Labels: 2014, AL, AL POTW, American League, Cleveland Indians, Dr. Smooth, June, June 9-15, Michael Brantley, Player of the Week, Tribe
Brantley's Career High 11 Home Runs
Michael Brantley was not projected to be much of a home run hitter. year after year, writers talked about how he lacked power. and i would defend him against this, saying that with all the other things he does for the team, he doesn't need to worry about being a power hitter. well, i think Michael had enough of that because it's June 15, and he's already hit his 11th home run, most on the team by 3 right now. he leads the team in pretty much every category that matters, and it's pretty obvious he's on his way to the first All Star game of his career. there are more career highs coming, he's hitting too good right now for there not to be. he's going to shatter some of his other previous career highs this year, no question. but right now, let's talk about his latest feat.
with 2 outs in the top of the 1st inning at Fenway Park, Michael hit home run #11 on the 7th pitch of a 2-2 count from Brandon Workman of the Boston Red Sox. 11 home runs is now a career high for Michael. during his at bat, Hammy was talking about how Michael went 3-for-3 against Workman when we played Boston in Cleveland on June 9. so i thought back to what Michael did against him, and i remembered that was when he hit his 10th home run. so then i thought, "he's gonna hit another home run off this guy." because sometimes you just know, you can sense these things. the count was 1-2, then Michael fouled off 2 pitches in a row before ball 2 came. and then bam! the next pitch was hit to right field, just inside Pesky's Pole =D
picture courtesy of The Plain Dealer
i knew when this day came it would be special, for him as a player and for me as a fan. and maybe Father's Day (Michael's first officially) had something to do with it, maybe not. but either way, the pride i am feeling for this modest, underrated athlete is immense. it's going to be a season of happy tears for me, and i can't wait to see what he accomplishes next.
Labels: 11th home run, 1st inning, 2-2 count, 2-out, 2014, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Workman, career high, Cleveland Indians, Dr. Smooth, Father's Day, Fenway Park, June 15, Michael Brantley, Pesky's Pole, team high, Tribe
Brantley's May 2014 #s
at the end of last month, i said there was nowhere for Michael to go but up, and up he went. forget about a gradual progression. he put his foot down on the pedal and didn't let up. this is the best May Michael's ever had in the big leagues. shit, it's the best month he's had period. he accomplished things he's never accomplished before, he set a new franchise record, and he brought his overall batting average up .048. my boy played the hell outta this month and it was more than i could have asked for.
i have a plethora of statistics in this blog because Michael did so many things worth mentioning, so bear with me. this really was the shortest synopsis i could write lol but if you're not big on reading long blogs, then just direct your eyes to the parts in bold italics, cause that's the best stuff ;D
we're only two months into the season, yet we can already see some big changes in Michael's ABs. and i don't just mean his power equating to more homers. for example, he's hitting more ground balls and less line drives. he has 81 groundouts through May versus 59 flyouts. his fly ball percentage is down quite a bit, which is clearly a result of the increase in balls going out of the park for home runs instead of being caught at or near the wall on the warning track. his home run to fly ball ratio is near 17% so far this year, compared with 6.2% for his career.
at the plate, Michael has also been seeing fewer fastballs and more breaking and offspeed pitches. because of this, he's swinging earlier in the count and taking less pitches. he's swinging less overall on pitches inside and outside the strike zone. he'll jump on a pitch early if he thinks he can do something with it. consequently, that's made his swing-and-miss rate increase to 4.1%, the highest of his career. (thank you to Jordan Bastian for these percentages.) i'm very curious to see how these numbers change as the season continues and if possible future movement in his batting order position has any effect.
on May 2, Kipnis went on the DL and Michael was quickly inserted into his spot in the 3 hole, where he remained for the rest of the month. he proved to be a more than adequate replacement. however, there were two things i disliked about this new BOP. the first thing was that Santana was then batting behind Michael. because Santana was still struggling, he didn't hit to get on base much and that hurt Michael's chances of scoring many runs. the second thing was that hitting higher in the order took away some of Michael's RBI opportunities—at first. it certainly wasn't due to lack of hitting; Michael was swinging the bat well and getting himself on base. it's just that a lot of times there wasn't anyone on base or in scoring position when it was his turn to bat because Swisher was totally lost at the plate in the 2 hole and Bourn wasn't getting on base much then either. the fact that over 30% of Michael's RBIs this month came when he hit his 5 home runs proves this.
but thankfully on May 18, Tito moved both Swisher and Santana down in the order, giving Michael a better chance to add to his RBI total. oddly enough though, Michael hit a solo homer on this date, giving him his first RBI in 9 days since he hit his last (solo) home run on May 9. it measured 423 feet, one of the furthest he's hit in his career. moving Santana down also improved Michael's odds to score more runs other than just from the homers he hit himself.
when Kipnis came off the DL on May 28, Tito opted to keep Michael in the 3 hole and have Kipnis bat cleanup. he thinks Michael has done a great job there and, for once, does not want to move him. Tito believes giving guys some regular spots in the lineup will help the team overall, and i'm all for that where Michael is concerned. i'd love to see Michael finally get one regular place in the batting order after being moved around so much in the past 2 years. so i am hoping now that this will be Michael's new permanent spot in the lineup regardless of whatever handed pitcher is on the mound.
Michael had a hit in 25 of the 27 games he played in May and reached base safely in 25 games. he only had two 0-for games this month.
Michael had 3 significant hitting streaks this month, each a team high. the first was an 11-game hitting streak from April 29 - May 11. during his hitting streak, he bat .356 (16-for-45) with 16 hits and 29 total bases. 7 of those hits were extra base hits, 4 being doubles and 3 being home runs. he also tallied 11 RBI, 7 runs, 3 walks, and only 6 strikeouts. his OBP was .388 and his SLG was .644, making his OPS 1.032.
Michael reached base in 12 straight games from April 28 - May 11 as well.
Michael's second hitting streak this month was a 15-game hitting streak, longest on the team and 3rd longest in the American League this season, from May 14-30. during this streak, he bat .383 (23-for-60) with 23 hits, 7 for extra bases. he hit 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 home runs, giving him 35 total bases. he also had 9 RBI, 14 runs, 6 walks, 4 stolen bases, and just 4 strikeouts. his OBP was .456, his SLG was .583, and his OPS was 1.039. this streak is also the longest streak by an Indian since last year when Jason Kipnis had a season high 16-game hitting streak from June 18 - July 5.
Michael also obviously reached base safely in 15 straight games from May 14-30.
additionally, Michael set a new franchise record with his 19-game hitting streak at home (Progressive Field/Jacobs Field), longest in the major leagues, which was snapped on May 31. it dated back to April 20, 2014. during this streak, he bat .408 (31-for-76) with 31 hits, including 7 doubles and 6 home runs equaling 56 total bases. he also had 20 RBI, 19 runs, 7 walks, 4 stolen bases, and just 3 strikeouts. defensively, he recorded 4 of his current 6 outfield assists as well.
Michael is now batting .309 (43-for-139) against right-handed pitchers and .290 (20-for-69) against left-handed pitchers. these are both great improvements from April, especially with the righty pitchers. and like i said last month, these numbers are closer together and fairly comparable because Michael is a good hitter no matter who is on the mound.
Michael's ability to hit in the clutch has not wavered. he's batting .302 (16-for-53) with runners in scoring position, producing 29 RBI. he's also hitting .222 (2-for-9) with 0 outs and runners in scoring position, .400 (8-for-20) with 1 out and RISP, and .250 (6-for-24) with 2 outs and RISP. Michael's batting .326 (30-for-92) with 33 RBI with runners on base, and .667 (6-for-9) with 16 RBI when the bases are loaded. lastly, he improved to hitting .303 (20-for-66) with 2 outs in an inning.
Michael continues to quickly increase his home run total. he hit 5 homers in May, a career high for the month. he had back-to-back home run games on May 8 and 9, and again on May 18 and 19. the home run that he hit on May 19 was his 9th home run of the year, a walk-off no less. 9 home runs at this point in the season is another career high for Michael, and he still holds the team high HR total. last season, he didn't hit his 9th home run until September 21! i might be a believer now that he can finish the year with 20 homers or so.
Michael now has a team high 39 RBI, also a career high for him through May. his 39th RBI didn't come last year until June 28. he's ranked 8th in the American League and 10th overall in the league with his 39 RBI as well.
it's interesting to note that 6 of Michael's 9 home runs have been solo, while the other 3 were 2-run homers. therefore, 6 of his 39 RBI have come from solo homers, and 12 of his 39 RBI (just under one-third) have come from all 9 of his home runs. this shows that Michael doesn't need necessarily need to hit home runs to drive guys home, as has been the case throughout his career so far.
when asked about his newfound power, Michael jokingly credits it to the daddy strength he's acquired from carrying around his newborn baby girl during the offseason. "i'm just putting good swings on good pitches," Brantley said. "i worked hard this offseason to mature my swing and grow as a hitter. i feel like i'm doing a great job at it."
Michael said working in the offseason to have more of a "mature" swing this year was key. "that means just trusting my swing," Brantley said. "it's trusting that every time it's going to be all right and not trying to tinker or make adjustments when there's no need to."
this season he's tried to be the same hitter with the same swing and not toy with his mechanics, as he's sometimes done in the past when going through a little slump. "i was young. i was trying to do whatever worked that felt good at the time, instead of going back to the basics and doing exactly what i was doing before. that's just not trying to do too much and putting good swings on good pitches." sounds like a good strategy to me.
but with newfound power comes responsibility and i do have one concern. it's very important that Michael does not start to get pull happy now and try to knock one out of the park every time he's at the plate in a big situation. he had some poor at bats during the Orioles series this month where he wasn't using the entire field and his fluid swing was absent. he can be too anxious during certain at bats, sometimes swinging at the first pitch and/or not working the count much, resulting in a quick out. he's also striking out more than normal. i just don't want him to lose what's made him such a great hitter to this point--intelligence, confidence, patience, and of course the swing that dubbed him as Dr. Smooth.
aside from once again leading the team in home runs (9)* and RBI (39)*, Michael also leads the team with: 63 hits*, 22 extra base hits*, 104 total bases*, 34 runs*, 8 stolen bases, 54 games*, 231 plate appearances*, 208 at bats*, .303 BA*, .368 OBP*, .500 SLG*, and .868 OPS*. he also leads the outfielders with 6 assists*.
he's tied for 2nd on the team with 12 doubles, and is 3rd with 19 walks. he has the least amount of strikeouts with 19 as well.
(*denotes these are also career highs for Michael through May. these rankings include qualifiers only.)
after doing extensive research, i found that Michael set career highs for himself in the month of May with the following: 38 hits, 13 extra base hits, 62 total bases, 5 home runs, 19 RBI, 21 runs, 9 walks, 2 hit by pitches, 121 plate appearances, .345 BA, .405 OBP, .564 SLG, and .969 OPS.
among Indians players with at least 100 at bats, Michael's slash line of .345/.405/.564 in May was the best in one month since Grady Sizemore's line of .377/.455/.642 in June 2005. before Grady, there was Roberto Alomar in July 2001, Manny Ramirez in September-October 2000, and Alomar again in September-October 2000. besides that, the last Indian to hit .345 with at least 5 home runs, 19 RBI, and 21 runs in one month was Shin-Soo Choo in September-October 2008.
want to know some other facts about Michael's season thus far? okay. he's hit safely in 24 of 28 home games overall. he has 14 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games. he has 11 go-ahead hits and 11 go-ahead RBI this season. and these all rank towards the top of the American League.
now let's get into a couple of the more noteworthy events of the month. a minor scare occurred on May 14 when Michael left the game early with mid-back tightness due to playing on the astroturf in Tampa and Toronto. luckily he only missed 1 game and it didn't hurt his timing or his stats.
on May 19, Michael hit his first career walk-off hit, a home run, on a full count (6 pitches) with 2 outs and no one on in the bottom of the 10th inning against Detroit's Al Alburquerque. Michael got mobbed at home plate, literally running into a waterfall and his excited teammates. it was so funny to me because he is always the guy on the outside of the home plate mob when other guys get walk-off hits, because he doesn't want to get injured. but he had no choice other than to be right in the middle of it all this time, and he loved every second of it. this was his 9th home run of the season and his 33rd RBI. i have a separate blog commemorating this occasion here.
on May 21, Michael tied the franchise record of hitting in 18 straight games at home. the last player to accomplish this was Roberto Alomar in 2000, and Kenny Lofton before him in 1996.
also on May 21, Michael recorded the seventh 4-hit game of his career with 3 singles, 1 double, 3 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. the last player in the big leagues to accomplish this was Alex Rios (then of the Chicago White Sox) on October 3, 1999 at Detroit.
Michael became only the 6th Indians player in history (dating back to 1914) with at least 4 hits, 3 RBI, and 2 stolen bases in a game. the last player to do so was Franklin Gutierrez on July 16, 2007 in an 11-10 loss to the White Sox at Progressive Field. the other Indians who achieved this were Joe Carter on June 10, 1986; Chuck Hinton on June 27, 1965; Lew Fonseca on April 18, 1929; and Charlie Jamieson on June 15, 1925. (thanks to TribeVibe for these statistics.)
on May 30, the next home game following May 21, Michael set a new record by extending his home hitting streak to a franchise high 19 consecutive games (as i mentioned earlier). his historical streak ended the following day when he went 0-for-4. (blame it on bad timing/more goddamn end-of-the-month interleague play again lol) i wrote a blog with all the details about his record here.
Michael is making a strong case to be named to the All Star team this year. compared with other qualifying outfielders in the American League, Michael ranks 2nd in RBI (39) behind Jose Bautista; 4th in batting average (.303) behind Alex Rios, Bautista, and Melky Cabrera; 3rd in OPS (.868) behind Bautista and Mike Trout; and tied for 5th in extra base hits (22) behind Yoenis Cespedes, Trout, Bautista, and Cabrera. (apparently Nelson Cruz is not counted in the rankings since he's played almost half his games as a DH.)
keeping in tune with Michael's outstanding offense, he had a great month defensively. Michael spent the majority of May playing left field, as was expected now that Bourn is back. also as expected, Michael did not commit one error and his fielding percentage for the month is a perfect 1.000. he had 45 putouts this month. on May 21, he played 13 innings in left field and did not record one putout. the major league record for zero putouts is held by Chuck Hinton in an 18 inning game way back on June 14, 1963.
also this month, Michael had 3 more nice assists. his 6 total outfield assists tie him for the lead in the major leagues. his 5th assist came on May 20 at Progressive Field, when he caught the ball off the 19-foot left field wall, spun around, and threw a runner out at 2nd base. don't run on Michael! or no, please do, so he can continue to add to his assist total and hopefully get some consideration for a Gold Glove this year ;D
now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his May #s, the 6th spot #s, the 3rd spot #s, and the DH #s, as well as the left field #s, the center field #s, and overall outfield #s.
May batting average: .345
OPS: .969
Michael played in 27 (of 28) games, 26 complete, in May. he started and played left in 25 games, completing 21 of those games. he left 1 game early with mid-back tightness and played 4 innings. he started and played center in 1 game, and completed it. he was part of a defensive switch in 3 games, moving from left to center. he played 10 innings when he moved over to center with 4 official at bats. he started and was the DH for 1 game. he missed 1 game with mid-back tightness from playing on astroturf.
Michael bat 6th in 1 game.
Michael bat 3rd in 26 games. (Kip DL)
Michael played left field in 25 games. (21 complete, 4 started: 22 innings)
Michael played center field in 4 games. (1 complete, 3 defensive switches: 10 innings)
Michael was the DH in 1 game.
Michael played in 26 complete games.
in May, Michael had a total of 121 plate appearances and 110 at bats. here is how he fared:
25 singles
19 RBI
21 runs scored
4 stolen bases
4 GIDP
11 strikeouts (9 swinging, 2 looking)
41 left on base
232.1 innings, 27 games
(26 complete games)
May batting average: .345 (38-110) (27 games)
now let's break down his numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.
when Michael bat 6th in May, he had a total of 5 plate appearances and 5 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 home run
1 strikeout (swinging)
1 first at bat hit
6 total bases
9 innings, 1 game
(1 complete game)
May batting average in the 6th spot: .600 (3-5) (1 game)
overall batting average so far in the 6th spot: .257 (9-35) (10 games) (85.1 innings)
when Michael bat 6th and played left in May, he had a total of 5 plate appearances and 5 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
May batting average in the 6th spot while playing left: .600 (3-5) (1 game)
overall batting average so far in the 6th spot while playing left: .333 (4-12) (4 games) (27 innings)
when Michael bat 3rd in May, he had a total of 116 plate appearances and 105 at bats in 26 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
May batting average in the 3rd spot: .333 (35-105) (26 games)
when Michael bat 3rd and played left in May, he had a total of 103 plate appearances and 94 at bats in 24 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
May batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .351 (33-94) (24 games)
when Michael bat 3rd and played center in May, he had a total of 8 plate appearances and 7 at bats in 4 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 single
1 walk
2 strikeouts (swinging)
1 total base
7 putouts
May batting average in the 3rd spot while playing center: .143 (1-7) (4 games)
when Michael bat 3rd, he was the DH in May for 1 game. he had a total of 5 plate appearances and 4 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
May batting average in the 3rd spot as the DH: .250 (1-4) (1 game)
May/overall batting average so far as the DH: .250 (1-4) (1 game)
now let's break down his outfield numbers.
when Michael played the outfield in May, he had a total of 116 plate appearances and 106 at bats in 26 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
May batting average while playing the outfield: .349 (37-106) (26 games)
overall batting average so far while playing the outfield: .304 (62-204) (53 games) (466.1 innings)
now let's break down his numbers specific to where he played in the outfield.
when Michael played left in May, he had a total of 108 plate appearances and 99 at bats in 25 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
May batting average while playing left: .364 (36-99) (25 games)
overall batting average so far while playing left: .320 (54-169) (45 games) (377.0 innings)
when Michael played center in May, he had a total of 8 plate appearances and 7 at bats in 4 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
May batting average while playing center: .143 (1-7) (4 games)
overall batting average so far while playing center: .229 (8-35) (13 games) (89.1 innings)
May #s while playing left: 38 putouts, 3 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (214.1 innings, 25 games)
overall #s so far while playing left: 68 putouts, 5 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (377.0 innings, 45 games)
May #s while playing center: 7 putouts, 0 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (18 innings, 4 games)
overall #s so far while playing center: 24 putouts, 1 assist, 1 error, 0.962 fielding percentage (89.1 innings, 13 games)
May #s while playing the outfield: 45 putouts, 3 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (232.1 innings, 26 games)
overall #s so far while playing the outfield: 92 putouts, 6 assists, 1 error, 0.990 fielding percentage (466.1 innings, 53 games)
now my game-by-game numbers and notes.
Game 28/Game 1, May 2: 3-5, single (first at bat), run scored, home run, run scored, 2-run single. AVG: .272
(6th/LF/CG9)
Game 29/Game 2, May 3: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .271
(3rd/LF – 3 i, CF – 6 i/CG9)
Game 30/Game 3, May 4: 1-5, single, run scored. AVG: .268
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 31/Game 4, May 5: 1-4, double (first at bat). AVG: .267
(3rd/LF – 8 i, CF – 2 i/CG10)
Game 32/Game 5, May 6: 1-3, RBI single (first at bat), run scored, walk. AVG: .269
Game 33/Game 6, May 7: 2-4, 2-run double, single. AVG: .276
Game 34/Game 7, May 8: 3-5, double (first at bat), run scored, single, 2-run home run, run scored, RBI fielder's choice. AVG: .289
Game 35/Game 8, May 9: 1-5, reached on fielding error (first at bat), home run, run scored. AVG: .286
Game 36/Game 9, May 10: 1-3, walk, single. AVG: .287
(3rd/CF/CG8)
Game 37/Game 10, May 11: 1-4, walk (first at bat), single. AVG: .286
(3rd/DH/CG)
**Michael's 11-game hitting streak and 12-game reached base streak end**
Game 38/Game 11, May 13: 0-4. AVG: .278
Game 39/Game 12, May 14: 1-3, double. AVG: .279
(3rd/LF/GS4)
^^Michael left the game after the top of the 5th inning with mid-back tightness and is day-to-day^^
May 15: precautionary day off, should play tomorrow.
Game 40/Game 13, May 16: 1-4, single. AVG: .278
Game 41/Game 14, May 17: 1-3, walk (first at bat), single, run scored. AVG: .279
Game 42/Game 15, May 18: 2-3, walk (first at bat), single, home run, run scored, RBI walk. AVG: .287
Game 43/Game 16, May 19: 2-4, double, walk, hit by pitch, home run, run scored. AVG: .292
(3rd/LF/CG10)
^^Michael hits first career walk-off home run^^
Game 44/Game 17, May 20: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .291
Game 45/Game 18, May 21: 4-7, 2-run single, stolen base, run scored, double, single, stolen base, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .302
Game 46/Game 19, May 22: 2-6, RBI triple, run scored, single, run scored. AVG: .303
Game 47/Game 20, May 23: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .302
Game 48/Game 21, May 24: 1-3, walk (first at bat), stolen base, RBI hit by pitch, single, run scored. AVG: .303
Game 50/Game 23, May 26: 2-3, RBI single, walk, stolen base, run scored, single. AVG: .307
Game 52/Game 25, May 28: 2-4, single, single, run scored. AVG: .310
(3rd/LF/CG8.1)
Game 53/Game 26, May 30: 1-4, reached on fielder's choice (first at bat), run scored, double, run scored. AVG: .309
^^Michael sets new franchise record with 19-game home hitting streak^^
**Michael's 15-game hitting streak and 19-game home hitting streak end**
so far in 2014, Michael has a total of 231 plate appearances and 208 at bats in 54 games (466.1 innings). in total, he has 63 hits, 41 singles, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, 39 RBI, 1 sac fly, 34 runs scored, 19 walks, 3 hit by pitches, 8 stolen bases, 7 GIDP, 19 strikeouts (14 swinging, 5 looking), 12 first at bat hits, 104 total bases, 89 left on base, 92 putouts, 6 assists, and 1 error.
2014 season batting average: .303 (63-208)
Posted by 216clevelandgirl at 11:44 PM No comments:
Labels: 2014, 3rd, 6th, batting average, BOP, career high, center field, Cleveland Indians, DH, Dr. Smooth, franchise record, hitting streaks, left field, May, Michael Brantley, team high, Tribe, walk-off home run
Brantley's 1st Career American League Player of th...


You know, I'm certainly no stranger to hard work, long hours, all-nighters and I'm sure many of you can relate as well, but yesterday I felt like FloBot.
Approximately 3 to 4 hours of sleep across two days and very little to eat catches up with you in a way I've never known before and I thought of FloBot. Heck, I thought I was FloBot.
You have probably seen Flo, the insurance agent on the Progressive insurance commercials. Well one day FloBot is added to the staff and is doing a great job. So Flo walks over, gives her a little hug and accidentally, on purpose, unplugs her. FloBot without warning, of course, just stops in her tracks.
That's just how I felt yesterday. I was in the middle of things. I wanted to accomplish things. I was thinking, I was doing, I was writing I was fine then suddenly I'd realize my eyes were closed. ???? When did that happen, I was in the middle of a thought, a sip, a turn, a pen stroke. What the?!? Just like FloBot I just stopped. Weird.
Thank goodness, I was able to get a little sleep last night. Who knew sleep was sooo good! Well, I certainly have a new-found appreciation.
Hey ~ Ecuador Makes ELEVEN!


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So I am getting married in August but my fiance wants to do a legal wedding now. It's mainly just for insurance, housing, stuff like that. For whatever reason, the insurance I was on with my family is now only partially covering me and it's getting expensive to pay for appointments out of pocket. As you know, he can't apply for housing until we're married. I can't be covered by his insurance until we're married. All of these little things that keep building to be big things. So, is it wrong to get married at the courthouse just to have it on paper so we can get on the housing waitlist and get insurance and all of that? I wouldn't change my name until after our ceremony in August and nobody would know about the legal route that was taken early. I feel like that's dishonest though and don't like to feel like we'd be lying. Is it worth it to get some of the benefits now or just wait the five months? Has anyone else done this?
Get married now at the courthouse if you are really hard up for insurance. Own your choice. Tell everyone you got married and why. people will get why you chose to do it. In August, throw an awesome celebration of marriage party, similar to a reception, but without any wedding elements since you are no longer a bride and groom. Have good food, dancing, booze, and cake. Hire a photographer. Just don't pretend your are something you are not. You are married.
Pretend I said everything she said.
If you feel like it'd be dishonest and like you'd be lying, there's probably a reason for that.
The "legal route" would be your wedding. You would be married, whether you change your name or not. And, yes, it's dishonest to reap the benefits of marriage while pretending you're not married so you can still get a big ceremony later.
Jells had the right advice: get married now and tell people, they will understand. Then have a big celebration of marriage party at a later date.
My fiance tried to get me to do something similar to this so that he could get me into DEERS sooner. He said when we go get the license, why don't we just have them do the deed right then and there (he wasn't 100% serious, just wanted to see if I thought it was a good idea). I had to set him straight on that - I want to actually get married on my wedding day - not have a playact of getting married in front of friends and family.
The day you legally sign that paper is your wedding.
If you need to get married now because money and reasons, then do it. But that would be your wedding. Your wedding is the day you get married. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a courthouse wedding!
It sounds like you're already planning a wedding for August. If you go to the courthouse now, just adjust your plans for August to only include a party. No ceremony, no big white dress, no bridesmaids, no showers, no first dances, etc. Just a kickass party with a DJ, a photographer, a caterer, etc.
It would look very silly to have the two of you pretending to be a bride and groom. Also, be sure you're clear with your guests that the two of you are married. It would be misleading to invite people under the false pretense that they're witnessing the two of you becoming husband and wife.
It warms my bitter icy heart to see everyone saying the same, correct thing.
I did that with my first marriage! I will tell you that people WILL know! Marriage licenses have to be published in the paper. We weren't aware of that. A few days later--EVERYONE found out. I suggest telling the people you need to tell. No one else needs to know. However, my friend did that in Hawaii, then a wedding in NY. Only her mother and the pastor knew that they were already legally married.
I suggest telling the people you need to tell. No one else needs to know. However, my friend did that in Hawaii, then a wedding in NY. Only her mother and the pastor knew that they were already legally married.
Bad advice. Everyone needs to know what they are being invited to, and their feelings will be justifiably hurt about being lied to if you keep secret the fact that you had a courthouse wedding in advance and what they are being to is a reenactment and not the wedding.
Don't do it. If you do, don't have a "real wedding" later. Marrying legally for the benefits and having a fake wedding later is cheesy. I can also tell you I've seen sooooo many people go that route and never have a "real" wedding later; either because they don't last or because they realize other things are more important.
If the big, traditional wedding is that important to you, make it happen without a courthouse wedding first. Can it be difficult on the pocket? You betcha. I personally know how much an enlisted service member makes. My FH and I were both active duty when we moved in with each other, not rating BAH. We only recently became engaged, despite people telling us we should get married so we could get BAH ages ago, since it was obvious to everyone we would eventually marry. He really wants a traditional wedding, so we are saving and scraping to make it happen and make it happen RIGHT.
If you really, really, really need the benefits, like everyone else has said, do it at the courthouse or have a small wedding, then do a celebration/party later that is clearly not a wedding. Either way, I wish you luck.
Something else: the US military service branches come down hard on people who get married in secret legal ceremonies for the benefits while pretending their legal ceremonies never took place and that they are still unmarried while awaiting the day with the ceremony they "consider" their wedding day.
For a good reason: it's deceptive and perhaps fraudulent.
No, they don't. They come down hard on people who have no intention of ever really being married. Case in point: When my son in law deployed there were actually 2 or 3 guys from his unit who married strippers from the gentleman's club downtown, strictly for the benefits and planned on divorcing when they got home. That is what they come down hard on - fraud.
If you get married and have intentions of being husband and wife it is not fraud. The military doesn't give a flying frog's fanny what you do when you go back home on leave to reenact your wedding. If you get married and turn in the documentation you are married in the military's eyes. they don't interrogate you to see if you are telling your family and friends. As long as the intent is to be married there is no issue.
Wouldn't it depend on how far apart the legal ceremony and the PPD are? I've heard of instances where they can be a year or more apart. During the interim between the two events, while you're still holding yourself out as "not married," wouldn't they consider it, at best, dishonest if not fraudulent and wouldn't they consider that a moral issue or dereliction of duty?
You have to remember that you are only holding yourself out as not married to your family and friends, not to the military. You are presenting yourself as married to the military and your intention is to actually be married, albeit secretly to those you are supposed to hold as your nearest and dearest. If you present a marriage license to Uncle Sam you have fulfilled your obligation to the military (unless of course you are temporarily marrying a stripper from down town to gain family allowance).
From a military standpoint, they can't tell you that you can't hold a party when you are on leave and tell you how you can dress and what that party can look like. As long as you aren't doing anything illegal they don't care.
I can understand where you are coming from and I detest secret PPDs as much as the next person. From a moral standpoint towards family and friends I think the secrecy is deplorable and have posted more than once that I have seen 2 family torn apart by this. From the military's standpoint, you are free to throw whatever kind of party you want to because you have presented yourself as married to them and your intent is to truly be a married couple.
As long as a couple doesn't keep it secret I dont care if they have the dress, the cake, the party, the first dance, etc as long as they have been honest with everyone. I attended 4 of those. Keep it a secret and (if I find out about it) I will know that is one Soldier whose leadership I can't trust because integrity obviously means nothing to them.
Those are not my experiences, as an MP. I have seen SMs punished because they married with intentions of having a ceremony later while lying to family. Those people pretended to be engaged while really married. I've seen charges in my own unit of conduct unbecoming an NCO and fraud with intent to collect benefits.
This question gets asked over and over again. It always come down to "I need insurance" what about all the other people who get married to people not in the military? My ex-husband and I set out wedding date for Sept. He got his deployment orders a few months after we set the wedding date AND planned everything. WE MOVED the wedding up to have the type of wedding we wanted. It can be done. I believe it ended up being moved up 6 months. He left 3 weeks after and was gone for almost a year. It can be done. It's hard and it required us to be flexible but if you want the dream wedding then you can do it without having a PPD or misleading people.


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Shipowner and Art Collector, he gifted his collection to what is today the famous Burrell Collection.
Businessman and Philanthropist, starting from the bottom, he became MD of Great Universal Stores and made a fortune, establishing the WOLFSON Foundation in 1955; he continued to support charitable aims, particularly Jewish causes. He founded Wolfson College, Oxford in 1966, and was a major benefactor to Glasgow University.
Archaeologist and Numismatist, Professor of Roman Archaeology at Glasgow University, she curated the Roman collections in the Hunterian Museum, including the famous Hunter Coin Cabinet. She was an expert on the Antonine Wall.
Theatre and film actor, singer, producer and director.
Famous for "Weir's Way", climber, walker, journalist and photographer.
Award winning actor, mimic and impressionist.
Designed the Park area and the design of Trinity College (1850-61), and the 3 hilltop towers which are the great landmarks of Glasgow's West End. He also designed the domed Neilson Institution, which similarly dominates the Paisley skyline, and the neo-Tudor Mental Hospital at Gartnavel (1841-3).
Pupil of David Bryce and G.G. Scott. Designed the "Red House" in Bayswater, St. Leonards in the Fields, Perth and the Stevenson Memorial Church at Belmont Bridge, Glasgow.
Designed Wellington College, Glasgow, the Clyde Yacht Club and Hunter's Quay.
The first Scottish Architect to train at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He designed the Clyde Trust Building in Glasgow. He later studied in the US, and designed American influenced office blocks, and Department Stores in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London. He was selected to design the Edward V11 Galleries at the British Museum in 19034.
Architect, Artist and Designer, one of the most original, artistic talent to come out of Scotland.
Partner of Burnett, Tait and Lorne in London, a classical modern designer St. Andrew's House in Edinburgh (1934-9) and the Glasgow Empire Exhibition of 1938.
Designed the Glasgow Dental Hospital, the Scottish Legal Life Building and architect to the Scottish Industrial Estates.
Children's writer "Wee Willie Winkie".
Poet and critic, in 2004, was the Scots "Makar", the equivalent of the UK's Poet Laureate.
Writer of "Swing Hammer Swing", which won the Whitbread prize for a first novel in 1992.
Poet and essayist, he travelled widely before settling in Brittany. Innovative, philosophical insights, Professor of 20th Century Literature at the Sorbonne (1983-96). Most widely received as a "Geopoet" and he set up the International Institute of Geopoetry in France in 1989.
Poet, Editor and Critic whose "Elegies" (1985) drew a moving account of his first wife's death, became a popular success. Author of of over ten collections of poetry, whilst editing several anthologies, and the Faber Book of 20th Century Poetry (2000). He was Professor in the School of English at St. Andrew's University from 1991, and awarded an OBE in 2003. In 2003 he won the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry 2013, in recognition of his lifelong contribution to Literature.
By the late 18th century had become the most important portrait and antique gem modeller in Scotland, using a special paste, which he had co-invented in Dublin. There is a large collection in the Scottish Portrait Gallery. In 1792 commissioned by Catherine the Great of Russia to produce 12,000 pastes.
Known for his landscape paintings of the Moniaive area. In Paris he had met some of the Glasgow Boys, and he helped establish the journal "The Scottish Art Review".
Winner of the National Portrait Gallery's annual portrait competition in 1987, which led to a commission to paint her Majesty Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
She is a Berlin based visual artist,whose multimedia artworks concern translation,distance and scale.She holds a BA from the Edinburgh College of Art(2004), and an MFA from the Slade School of Fine Arts (2007). She is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Edinburgh (2013).
In one project she created a map of 27,000 dead stars. Her ongoing project "History of Darkness" is a series of slides and photographs of the dark, all "numbered with distance in lights years from Earth". She has had solo exhibitions at Modern Art Oxford, Kettle's Yard Cambridge, Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre, Selfridges London, BAWAG Contemporary Vienna, Haunch of Venison London and PKM, Seoul. She was a winner of a South Bank Sky Arts Award in 2014, and a Leverhulme Fellow at University College London. In July 2014, she sent an artwork into space to the International Space Station aboard ESA Georges Lemaitre ATV.
In August 2014 she launched the Future Library Project, a 100 year long artwork in Oslo's Nordmarka Forest and New Public Deichmanske Library, and announced Margaret Atwood as the the first writer.
What next one wonders will this extraordinary lady produce?
a) David Livingstone (1813 – 73) b. Blantyre.
First man to explore and discover the Victorian Falls, and strove passionately to abolish slavery.
Aviator, made record breaking flights from Australia to England in under 9 days in 1931, and then from England to South America in 1933. Husband of Amy Johnson.
Lt. Colonel The Hon James McGill: (1744-1813) b.Glasgow.
Scottish-Canadian businessman and philanthropist, best known for being the Founder of the McGill University in Montreal, by leaving £10,000 and his summer house to the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning. The bequest not only funded the McGill University, but it also stretched to establish several other colleges and universities, including the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria and Dawson College.
With his brother James, he developed steam navigation on the Clyde, and was one of the founders of the shipping company Cunard.
Shipowner – in 1851 together with David and Alexander Hutchison, he formed a shipping line, and in 1852 obtained a mail contract for the Western Isles. The firm he founded became part of the Caledonian MacBrayne in 1973.
Scottish campaigner for Women's University Education, Women's suffrage and effective, well-organised nursing company. Founded the Edinburgh School of Cookery with Christian Guthrie Wright, the founder of the Queen Margaret University.
d) James Templeton b. Glasgow?
Founder of the carpet manufacturer in 1839.
Philosopher and Educationalist, Professor of Moral Philosophy at Glasgow University from 1922-24, and a pioneer of the Workers Education Association, before becoming Master of Balliol College, Oxford, and later Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, before finally founder and first Principal of Keele University. His works include the "Modern Democratic State" in 1943.
Founder of the retail group "The House of Fraser".
Businessman, established his reputation through his Clansman Group of companies. He then returned United Distillers to respectability, which was of utmost importance for the reputation of Scottish business in general, and of the Scottish Whisky Industry in particular. He retained the post until a further merger in 1997, which created the Diageo Corporation.
Fashion Designer specialising in cashmere with outlets in Edinburgh, Birmingham and London, attracting International acclaim and awards.
Shipbuilder and Engineer. The international reputation of Clyde Shipbuilding was largely founded on his work. He was the first Clyde Shipbuilder to provide ships for the Navy, and formed a partnership with Canadian Samuel Cunard to build steam powered transatlantic vessels.
A Scot of huge significance.
Inventor and Engineer. In 1829 he invented the hot-blast system of Iron production, which reduced coal consumption and increases efficiency. As a result, cheap iron from Scottish "blackband" ores became more readily available, and as a result Glasgow emerged as a market leader in Heavy Engineering, and turned the Clyde into the world's largest shipbuilding area.
Yet another Scot who influenced Glasgow and the Clyde as an area of huge Industrial importance.
c) Sir William Arrol (1839 – 1913) b. Houston.
Engineer/Industrialist. He began his working life at the age of 9 in Coats' thread factory in Paisley. By 1953 he had set up his own boiler-making business and in 1872 set up a large ironworks. The works undertaken by his companies include the second Tay Railway Bridge, Forth Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, London. He developed hydraulic machinery.
Is there a builder of more famous landmarks?
d) Sir Robert MacAlpine (1847 – 1934) b. Lanarkshire.
Known as "Concrete Bob" because of his early promotion of the use of concrete in construction. He is especially remembered for the viaducts at Glenfinnan and Borrodale on the West Highland Extension Railway. He founded the eponymous company in 1869, now one of the best known building contractors in the world.
e) John Craig (1874-1957) b .Mossend, North Lanarkshire.
He was a religious man and a keen member of the Free Kirk and a strong Protestant, brought up thus with a strong work ethic by his Mother.
Knighthood in 1943 and an Honorary Degree from Glasgow University in 1951.
Son of James Weir, one of the founders of G and J Weir, Engineers, of the Holm Foundry, Cathcart. He rose to prominence in World War 1, when the company made military aircraft and shell cases on a large scale. In 1918, he became Secretary of State for Air, and was responsible for the creation of the RAF. Between the wars, he served as a Government advisor, recommending the creation of the National Grid for the distribution of electricity. He was instrumental in the direction of rearmament after 1936, especially the re-equipment and expansion of the RAF from 1936.Weirs again contributed to the war effort in World War 11.The Weir Group is one of the largest pump-making concerns in the world.
Another example of a truly great Scot.
Designed the Monkland Canal, developed the steam engine with the concept of the separate condenser and air pump amongst other improvements of the Steam Engine, whilst going into partnership with Matthew Boulton in Birmingham in 1774.The introduction of the Watt beam engine for pumping water for coal mines was a major contribution to the Industrial Revolution.The watt, a unit of decimal energy, is named after him.
One of the truly great Scots.
Devised improvements in mine-pumping engines, and patented a steam-powered road vehicle in 1787, and built a steam-driven paddlewheel boat in 1788.In 1802, he built the Charlotte Dundalk, one of the earliest working steamboats. Sadly he died in poverty.
He discovered dissolved India rubber to make the Mackintosh raincoat, named after him. He also invented bleaching powder with Charles Tennant.
d) David Napier (1790 – 1869) b. Dumbarton.
One of the most innovative of the early Marine Engineers, he built the boiler for Henry Bell's pioneering steamship Comet, and vessels engines by him made cross-channel navigation practicable. He invented the surface condenser, which later became a universal feature of steamship propulsion, and still used in steam driven power stations. He founded a London firm famous for motor cars and aero engines.
A great pioneering Scottish inventor who truly influenced the shipping world.
The pioneer of television poor health led to a move to the south of England, where he demonstrated the first television picture in 1926.The BBC used his systems from 1929-37, before adapting the EMI-Marconi system. His research projects included colour television and stereophonic sound, and also secret signalling and fibre optics, but were cut short by his continuing ill health and financial troubles.
A quite outstanding inventor, who changed the world.
Publisher. A Glasgow schoolmaster who set up a publishing business in 1819 in partnership with Charles, brother of Thomas Chalmers. They published schoolbooks and religious works, including temperance material, but most notably copies of the Authorised version of the Bible. The firm expanded and continued under his son and further descendants, all named William Collins, until 1990, when it became part of HarperCollins.
Journalist and Broadcaster, editor of the Sunday Times from 1983-94.
a) William Wallace died in 1305 executed in Smithfield, London b. Elderslie Nr. Paisley.
Great soldier and hero patriot, who led the revolt against the attempt to reside English.
Soldier and warlock, a Covenanter, later Captain of the Town Guard of Edinburgh and respected preacher. He was burnt at the stake as a witch, and his ghost haunts the West Bow of the Lawnmarket.
Much travelled soldier in Austria, France, Holland and Egypt, and very successful against the Napoleon. His final victory was at Corunna where he was killed "The Burial of Sir John Moore at Corunna" poem by Charles Wolfe.
Commander in Chief of the Chilean, Brazilian and Greek navies, in their wars of Independence. After this he returned to his Royal Naval rank, and became the last British seadog, in the tradition of Drake and Hawkins, rather than Nelson. He was also a prolific inventor, successfully inventing the use of compressed air for the construction of the Blackwall Tunnel in London, and had patents for and attempted to develop gas lighting (before William Murdock), steam turbines and screw propellers for ships.
An extraordinary man of many talents, together with his earlier radical Whig political views as an MP in 1806.
Scottish conductor and teacher. His opera "Diarmid", was produced at Coventry Garden in 1897. His other works included: "The Land of the Mountain and the Flood", "The Dowie Dens o'Yarrow" and the opera "Jeannie Deans".
b) Sir Alexander Gibson (1926 – 95) b. Motherwell.
Conductor, he was the first Scottish director of the Scottish National Orchestra, pioneering the performance of avant-garde music. He played a key role in establishing Scottish Opera.
Founder of the College of Piping.
Famous Scottish tenor very well known on radio and TV.
Founder of the renowned Alex Harvey Band.
Singer and song writer, associated with the group The Humblebums, but perhaps his greatest hit "Baker Street".
Charismatic and bouncy pop singer with many hits e.g. "Boat That I Row".
Pop band formed in Glasgow in 1990, released 7 albums and were twice awarded the best band at the Brit Awards.
Angus is an Australian guitarist of Scottish origin, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter and sole constant member of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC.
Anthony James DONEGAN, referred to as the "King of Skiffle". The British Hit Singles and Albums list him as "Britain's most successful and influential recording artist before the Beatles." He had 31 UK top single hits and 3 at no.1, with 2 US top 10 hits. He achieved a lifetime achievement award in 1997 and an MBE in 2000. He moved to London as a boy with his family, but a truly great Glasgow musician.
He started off as a brilliant young chemist who by the age of 19 had invented a new method for refining sugar beet. After patenting it, he set up sugar refineries in London and Suffolk, and by the age of 30 had accumulated a vast fortune.
He gave a fifth of his personal annual income to churches and charitable causes, often anonymously, and he improved the welfare, pay and conditions of his factory workers well beyond the norm for Victorian Britain.
In 1870 he bought Benmore Estate near Dunoon, planting more than 6 million trees, creating a forested landscape and creating an impressive fernery.
He also had a passion for innovative art, and by the 1880's his collection represented every major development in French 19th Century Impressionism, which was unparalleled in Scotland at the time, opening his gallery to the public in 1881.
However due to changing economic changes in the late 1880's, with subsidised French and German sugar exports flooding the British market, his business empire crumbled and he was forced to sell off the art collection together with the estate.
The Benmore was eventually gifted to the nation by the Younger family and came into the care of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1929.
Duncan commissioned the Golden Gates in Berlin,and duly restored they now take pride of place at the southern end of the garden.
He made his name during the American War of Independence, where the public saw for the first time saw images of war dead. He also took some special pictures of President Lincoln.
At 20, he worked with his brother the academic anatomist William Hunter. In 1763, after 3 years as an army surgeon, he ran a private practice and built up a museum of 14,000 preparations of 500 different plant and animal species, which informed his ideas about the body. Hunter believed that surgeons should understand how the body adapted to and compensated for damage.
c) Gordon Mackay: schooled in Erskine and qualified from Glasgow University in 1987.
Pioneered a bracing technique to treat ligament injuries for athletes, and has become one of the most famed sports surgeons in the world. His greatest achievement is the invention of a technique known as "Internal Bracing" which has the potential to fast track sports back to full recovery, that maybe could have been career threatening.
Liberal PM in 1905, and an opponent of the Boer War.
Founder of the Scottish Labour Party in 1888.
Founder of the SNP in 1934 he was involved in the mystery disappearance of the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey in 1950.
Famous Trade Unionist and Politician.
Labour Politician who played a major role in obtaining Devolution for Scotland, and became Scotland's first First Minister in 1999.
Conservative MP for Glasgow Cathcart from 1964-79, then for Rockford and Southend East from 1980.
Ming, in his youth a sprinter of re-known, and held the British record for the 100m sprint from 1967-74 in 10.2 seconds. He captained the GB Athletics team in 1965-66. He later became an advocate and leading politician with the Liberal Democrats, as MP for N.E Fife. He was leader of the Party from 2006-7, but affected by ill health. He is currently Chancellor of the University of St. Andrews.
h) Margo MacDonald (1945 – 2014) b. Hamilton.
A charismatic politician with the SNP and later as an Independent, and a strong believer in Scottish Independence.
i) Robin Cook (1946 – 2005) b. Bellshill, Lanarkshire.
Labour MP, serving in Tony Blair's Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997-2001, when he became Leader of the House of Commons. He resigned from the Cabinet in 2003 in protest against UK involvement in the war in Iraq.
Privateer. Sea trader out of NY, he was rewarded for pirate activity protecting Anglo-American trade in the W.I. and in 1695 was entrusted with an English expedition against pirates in the Indian Ocean. However his victims included merchant ships, was tricked into surrendering in Boston, shipped to London and hanged.
a) Thomas Graham (1805 – 69) b. Glasgow?
Son of a successful Glasgow Textile manufacturer, he defied his Father's wish for him to enter the Church, instead studying Chemistry at Glasgow University. He worked on the diffusion of gases, resulting in "Graham's Law", but it was his work on separating colloids and crystallised using a "dialyzer", a precursor to the modern dialysis machine, for which he was renowned.
As a result known as "Father of Colloid Chemistry".
Industrial Chemist, his experiments with paraffin that developed the shale industry in Scotland, and became known as "Paraffin Young". He endowed a chair of Chemical Technology in what is now Strathclyde University.
A condenser – matter physicist, and joint winner of the Wolf prize andlLaureate of the 2016 Nobel Prize for Physics, together with Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz, for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological matter.
Very successful manager of Glasgow Rangers from 1920-53.
c) Sir Matt Busby (1909 – 94) b. Bellshill, Lanarkshire.
Famous Manager of Manchester Utd. There is a sports centre in his home town named after him.
e) Jock Stein (1922 – 85) b. Burnbank Nr Hamilton.
Famous Manager of both Celtic and Scotland.
Great manager of both Manchester Utd. and Scotland.
Charismatic Manager of Scotland in the 1980's, and the Tartan Army formed during his time.
Another very successful football manager, reaching the final of the UEFA Cup in 1987, and forming the other half of Scotland's new firm with Aberdeen.
World Champion Formula One Racing Driver 3 times in 1969, 71 and 73.
j) Mike Denness (1940 – ) b. Bellshill.
Cricketer for Scotland, Kent and England, captaining the latter two.
Arguably the best Football Manager the world has seen, winning the European Cup Winners Cup with Aberdeen, and then wonderful success with Manchester Utd. He also managed Scotland for a short time.
l) Jimmy Johnstone (1944 – 2005) b. Lanarkshire.
The "Flying Flea" mercurial winger for both Celtic and Scotland.
Great footballer with Celtic, Liverpool, going on to manage both Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers.
n) Ally McCoist (1962 – ) b. Lanarkshire.
Footballer with Rangers and Scotland, now manager of Rangers.
International Golfer of great repute, but never to win a Major.


Hortencia Rivera, of Jersey City, visitation at the funeral home on Tuesday, November 13 from 4 to 8pm. A Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday at 10am. Interment to follow at Bayview Cemetery, Jersey City.


text:
Things in TV Land should pick up next week with the start of November sweeps, though we did get a lot of good Halloween episodes (I love Halloween on TV because all the costumes are unrealistically elaborate and everyone can trick-or-treat in temperate, not-near-freezing weather). In addition to what I write about below, I did watch the Halloween episodes of Modern Family, Suburgatory, Big Bang Theory and Happy Endings. I don't have much to say about them (other than to say that you should be watching Happy Endings, the best non-Parks and Rec and Community comedy on TV) but feel free to bring them up in the comments if you're so inclined.
Once Upon a Time: The Doctor
The revelation that Dr. Whale is Dr. Frankenstein (clever naming, by the way) opens a whole new avenue for this show. While it's already dipped its toes into the characters of public domain novels, in the forms of such characters as the Mad Hatter and Captain Hook, most of those dalliances involved characters with some ties to Disney. Frankenstein is the first literary character the show has used without any strong connection to the world of fairy tales and/or Disney. It opens a (potentially) troublingly deep well of characters, but with this episode making clear something the show has hinted at before, that there are all kinds of different "realms" (some a conglomerate of stories like Fairy Tale Land while others represent a specific fictional story like Wonderland or Neverland), each accessible by various magical items (like the Hatter's hat), with Storybrooke/the real world as just one more such realm, I think this expanded well of characters can ultimately work to the show's advantage. So long as the writers continue to find new and clever ways to re-imagine the characters and work them into the ongoing narrative (and in the case of someone like Dr. Whale, explain why he got pulled into Storybrooke by the curse that was placed on FTL), I have no objections to seeing a wide and varying range of public domain characters pop up on the show.
Though the idea that potentially all fictional worlds exist as one of numerous realms further complicates the question of how "our" realm/the real world/the realm in which Storybrooke resides came to depict these other realms as fictional stories, particularly when the events occurring in, say, the Enchanted Forest are happening simultaneously to the events of Storybrooke, while Frankenstein's story is rooted to a very specific time that mimics a very specific time in the "real" world, despite Victor having interacted with Regina just roughly 30 years ago in Storybrooke/FTL time.
Now my head hurts. Maybe time just works differently in each realm?
After being annoyed to hell by her first adventure in FTL, it was nice to see Emma be a little less grating and immediately cotton to Hook's ruse.
Some decent character work with Regina in this episode; I continue to enjoy what the show's doing with her so far this season. I'm kinda jonesing for a Regina/Cora magic showdown in Storybrooke with Regina on the side of the angels.
That said, the whole "Henry gets a horse" and the resultant "Daniel attacks him at the stables" bit was pretty weak sauce.
I would love for the show to reveal that all the various Universal monsters, like Dracula and Wolf Man, exist inside Frankenstein's realm.
Rumpelstiltskin mentioned magic slippers, making a trip to Oz seem more and more likely. Was the crystal ball the Hatter brought back instead something from something (if you know what I mean), or just, you know, a random crystal ball? I wasn't sure.
Revolution: Sex and Drugs
This one fails squarely into the realm of "treading water"; nothing terribly bad, but nothing terribly important to the plot either. It makes sense to address Nora's injury, we got a little bit of setup for the show's presumed new big bad (now that Neville's been promoted), and it was interesting to watch Charlie's developing edginess (you guys, she tore up her postcards!!!!), but little of this added to the show's overall narrative. Which is fine, on occasion, but hopefully the onset of November sweeps will bring back some of the momentum established by "Soul Train".
Aside from his episode-ending reunion with his mother (which just amounted to a hug), even Danny's story was treading water; after arriving in Philadelphia last episode, in this one he essentially arrived in Philadelphia more.
I would totally be the Aaron of any apocalypse. Mrs. Teebore says that's okay though; she'd take care of us.
That said, his dispatch of Drexel was pretty awesome (even though, despite what TV and movies have taught us, I'm pretty sure a bullet from that gun at that range would have shredded his flask).
Miles: Aaron shot Drexel? This Aaron?
30 Rock: Unwindulax
Not surprisingly, 30 Rock eschewed a Halloween episode (and put aside its larger overarching plots) in favor of a two-part political episode, one that mined a fair amount of laughs out of not just the current candidates, but the political system (specifically, the electorate) in general. The climax of which is Jack and Tracy's duel rundown of which states will vote for which candidate (Pennsylvania is going for Obama because the voting machines are sentient and ruling in favor of gay marriage) which was hilarious and (sentient voting machines aside) kind of spot on. Plus, I will never not tire of any reference to Florida as America's penis.
I also really enjoyed Jack's mounting terror at the notion that money can't buy all the votes, and his subsequent Romney ad aimed at African-Americans (featuring a hilariously-pained Don Cheadle and Jazz, the "black" Transformer).
Plots involving Frank and/or some combination of the writers usually do little for me, but their attempts to prank Jenny made for a decent B-plot. And the idea that Kellen Lutz is Lutz's nephew was amusing.
Parks and Recreation: Halloween Surprise
To say this was the first character driven episode of Park&Recs' season sounds odd, because this is a show that does a masterful job of grounding even its whackier antics in its characters. But this was the first episode of the season without any major plotline (ie no bill to pass, no outdated law to fight, etc.), allowing us instead to just hang out with the characters while Ben and Leslie struggle with their future together and Ron tries to come to terms with dating a normal woman with little girls, with the idea of organizing a rummage sale for Jerry giving events a loose spine on which to hang. All of which leads up to a fantastic ending, in which Ben surprises Leslie with a proposal, and Leslie, true to character, hilariously won't let him finish until she's memorized the moment. It was a terrific bit of acting on the part of both Poehler and Scott, and a wonderfully sweet moment.
Ron's pirate costume is the same one he wore in the show's previous two Halloween episodes.
Loved April bolting out of the office when given the chance, though I wouldn't have minded seeing her and Andy's reunion in Pawnee.
I love that the joke regarding Chris' costume (that he went as his greatest fear: old Chris) went unstated.
Of all the boxes of boyfriend stuff Ann had, there wasn't a box for poor forgotten Mark.
I hope the show is setting up Tom's new idea for a rent-a-swag company to succeed; the poor guy deserves a win, and unlike Entertainment 720, this isn't such a bad idea.
Last Resort: Skeleton Crew
Maybe I'm just a sucker for scenes of intense negotiation, or stories where a leader finally wins the respect of their followers, but this was hands down the best episode of the series since the pilot. Even more importantly, it put the conspiracy story front and center, even finding a way to make Marcus more aware of it as well. The show's episode-by-episode narrative and overall goal (beyond the vague "expose the truth") going forward isn't any clearer than it was after last week's episode, but if the show can keep churning out episodes like this, I'm fine just going along for the ride.
Nice to see Not Sawyer involved in some non-Gelfling action again.
I also gained a ton of respect for both Jesse Schram's character and the writers for making it clear from very early on that she isn't buying what her lawyer friend is selling.
The constant sniping between Grace and the COB aboard the sub was a lot of fun. I'm glad she gave as good as she got.
I doubt the show can put Marcus in the same room with Washington power players/elements of the conspiracy like it did in this episode very often, at least not without stretching credibility, but hopefully they find a few more plausible ways of doing it in the course of the series.
Things are getting worse in the outside world: the UN condemned the US attack on Pakistan, China is invading Taiwan, gas prices are skyrocketing. I like these little glimpses of the bigger picture.
Posted by Austin Gorton at 9:00 AM
Labels: 2012-2013 TV Season, 30 Rock, Last Resort, Last Week in TV, Once Upon a Time, Parks and Recreation, Revolution, TV, TV reviews
Matt November 2, 2012 at 11:32 AM
"And the idea that Kellen Lutz is Lutz's nephew was amusing."
Wikipedia thinks this is true, but since I can't find anything else about it with a Google search, I'm inclined to think it's fake info.
Also -- no mention of Gary Cole's appearance? Even when he's not the funniest thing in whatever he's in, somehow he's always my favorite thing in whatever he's in. If that makes any sense...
"Of all the boxes of boyfriend stuff Ann had, there wasn't a box for poor forgotten Mark."
He really is forgotten, too. I forgot he was ever on the show till you mentioned him just now.
Teebore November 2, 2012 at 11:59 AM
@Matt: Even when he's not the funniest thing in whatever he's in, somehow he's always my favorite thing in whatever he's in. If that makes any sense...
Ha! I follow you. I did enjoy both him and Amy Sedaris. I should have mentioned them both.
MOCK! November 2, 2012 at 4:03 PM
Dr. Whale is Dr. Frankenstein (clever naming, by the way)
Neither I nor my wife get why....clue us in?
Maybe time just works differently in each realm?
That's what we've been thinking. My son and I keep talking about making a character chart and timelines to keep things straight.
My wife also thinks Baelfire will end up being Henry's father....
Teebore November 2, 2012 at 4:13 PM
@Mock: Neither I nor my wife get why....clue us in?
James Whale was the director of the original Universal Frankenstein in 1931 (as well as Bride of Frankenstein).
I didn't make the connection (nor never would have) until the episode starting hinting that he might be Frankenstein.
I've seen that idea discussed in a few places. I could see it (at this point, Henry's father has to be SOMEBODY, so unless it's going to be a new mystery character they haven't introduced yet, Baelfire seems a logical choice. And it adds some thematic resonance to everything).
Blam November 2, 2012 at 7:00 PM
I love Halloween on TV because all the costumes are unrealistically elaborate and everyone can trick-or-treat in temperate, not-near-freezing weather
Ha! You're right on both counts. It sucked so bad having a great costume (or any costume, really) and needing to wear a coat on top of it.
I got it when he said that the procedure was "experimental". His Storybrooke identity nodding to James Whale is a real head-twister when you think about it, because the curse would have to know that Whale had directed the 1931 Frankenstein as opposed to just consider a synonym or character trait like Ruby / Red and Archie Hopper / Jiminy Cricket.
The fact that his world was black-&-white was awesome. One potential nitpick is that Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein was renamed Henry Frankenstein in the 1931 Universal film — which like the Universal Dracula movie was actually adapted more directly from a stage play based on the book than the book itself, although I don't recall if the play used Victor or Henry — so the Whale name and the stagey laboratory setting mix allusions a bit. Despite Universal having merged with NBC, however, I would love it if some licensing detente could be reached such that the trademarked Universal Monsters versions of the characters could be fairly explicitly referenced and, as you say, all be shown to reside in that realm.
One more potential nitpick, I guess, whether meta with script or in-story with character I'm not sure, is that I gotta disagree with Victor. It was magic. If what he's saying is more powerful than magic is science as we know it then, yeah, sorry, introducing magic to science to create a hybrid procedure is magic. And if the way science works in his realm is more fantastic than it does in ours then it's just basically a different kind of magic, too (at least from our perspective, so maybe he gets a pass there).
*cough*gratuitousnudity*cough*
Yes, I've caught up with Revolution. A lingering cold left me more useless than usual last week so I had time to burn through some TV.
I did read your intervening entries on the show but decided not to comment in past posts. My only specific comment about previous eps is that the last one was a major bummer in terms of having our heroes catch up to the train only to neither stop it nor rescue Danny nor even surreptitiously ride it to its destination. They got aboard, then got thrown off. You can't bring the opposing sides or the seekers and object or whatever face-to-face just to separate them again, especially with no loss and no real gain. I appreciate that Charlie got a greater resolve out of it, but I feel like there was a way to have her get Danny within her sights without the total climax followed by frustrating return to status quo.
even though, despite what TV and movies have taught us, I'm pretty sure a bullet from that gun at that range would have shredded his flask
Well, I'm considering it a victory that he was even breathing hard due to the impact. On the other hand I really wish that there had been a character savvy enough to call him Flask Gordon and confuse the hell out of Charlie.
So I had this theory forming as I mini-marathon'd the show that perhaps Miles was initially the power behind what became the Monroe Republic but Monroe made a better face for it or Miles just had no stomach for the politics. This is partly drawn from Miles being so much more active than Sebastian in the flashbacks of them together but largely, I admit, from the lingering shots of the M sigil that I feel practically beg us to consider whether the M didn't stand for "Miles" or "Matheson" rather than "Monroe" — although we did see Monroe, at least, with a tattoo of it in the earliest flashback of them on base; I don't remember if we're supposed to know whether it's a reference to their Marine division or just something Monroe got for himself or whether it was a bond between Sebastian and Miles.
I like that they called it a Jimmy Buffett rip-off straight out of the gate.
Alec Baldwin has been looking pretty good this season, but his hair in this episode was unbelievably, distractingly brown.
Jack: "I needed to unite the room around a common enemy and Ed Bagley Jr. was unavailable because the sail on his car broke."
Leslie dressing as Rosie the Riveter is brilliant. Of course she can't go as Hilary Clinton for meta reasons, and Doris Kearns Goodwin is hard to pull off, so it was probably Rosie the Riveter or the 19th Amendment.
It was a terrific bit of acting on the part of both Poehler and Scott, and a wonderfully sweet moment.
That it was.
April: "Shhhhhh..."
Perd Hapley's book: The Thing About Me Is, I'm Perd Hapley
I'm with you that this was another confoundingly solid episode, particularly in terms of how the chaos of the outside world is being sketched, but I have questions.
What's Magic-Dirt Lady's boyfriend doing back? (Or is this a different guy?)
Am I really supposed to believe that the NATO crew didn't think to mention that those batteries were overdue to be changed?
How does Bruce Davison get on a primetime network TV drama playing a respected admiral without somebody trimming his eyebrows?
COB: "Interrogative, Ma'am: Why is there a French girl on my boat?"
apparently we've gotten to the point where we really don't watch any of the same tv- other than Sunday cartoons and Walking Dead
@Blam: His Storybrooke identity nodding to James Whale is a real head-twister when you think about it
I try not to. :)
If what he's saying is more powerful than magic is science as we know it then, yeah, sorry, introducing magic to science to create a hybrid procedure is magic
Sideboob!
I feel like there was a way to have her get Danny within her sights without the total climax followed by frustrating return to status quo.
That was my frustration with that episode in a nutshell.
I don't remember if we're supposed to know whether it's a reference to their Marine division or just something Monroe got for himself or whether it was a bond between Sebastian and Miles.
I think we're not supposed to know what it's a reference to at that time, but I could totally see Miles having been the real power behind the throne, so to speak, at one point.
so it was probably Rosie the Riveter or the 19th Amendment.
I would love to see what she came up with for a 19th Amendment costume...
Different guy. That's her co-worker, who was at the station with her in the first episode. Her boyfriend/husband/whatever left shortly before the US blockade went into effect.
French jokes are beyond cliche at this point, but I have to admit, I did enjoy some of Robert Patrick's in this episode, in large part, I'm sure, because of Robert Patrick.
@Anne: apparently we've gotten to the point where we really don't watch any of the same tv- other than Sunday cartoons and Walking Dead
Sounds like you should be watching better TV. Now that House is gone, what's your excuse? ;)
Seriously though, we've also got Top Chef and Glee again.
@Teebore: Different guy. That's her co-worker, who was at the station with her in the first episode. Her boyfriend/husband/whatever left shortly before the US blockade went into effect.
I thought that her co-worker was her boyfriend/husband/whatever — i.e., the same bearded French guy with glasses all along — hence my confusion at him being there after he left when the episodes clearly didn't air out of order.
Last Week in TV #11
X-amining New Mutants #13
Walking Dead 3x07: When the Dead Come Knocking
X-aminations in December
The Walking Dead 3x06: Hounded
Ten Pop Culture Things For Which I am Thankful
The Walking Dead 3x05: Say the Word
One Sentence Reviews
X-amining Uncanny X-Men Annual #7
The Walking Dead 3x04: Killer Within

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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GREATER NEWS OBJECTIVITY, CHANGES IN TOP MANAGEMENT EXPECTED
Domain change further separates ex-Minister Rusko from Markíza
A CHANGE in ownership at Slovakia's most popular television station, TV Markíza, promises to improve the objectivity of its news programming as well as likely change the TV's top management structure.
Pavol Rusko.
photo: SITA
Central European Media Enterprises (CME), run by US business magnates, will pay $28.7 million for a controlling stake in Markíza Slovakia, which is TV Markíza's licence holder, and its servicing company, Slovenská televízna spoločnosť (STS).
CME announced the ownership changes in TV Markíza on October 31 after meeting with the Slovak Broadcasting and Retransmission Council (RPVR).
According to CME, the sum will be paid in two installments. Approximately $23.8 million is payable at closing, and up to $4.9 million is payable on May 31, 2006.
The deal increases CME's economic interests in TV Markíza from its previous 70 to 80 percent share. It thus gains a decisive economic majority, as well as voting rights, in the broadcaster.
CME's stake in Markíza Slovakia also increases, from a previous 34 percent to 80 percent, while its stake in Slovenská televízna spoločnosť increases from 49 percent to 90 percent.
Ján Kováčik and Milan Fiľo, the Slovak co-owners of Markíza Slovakia, will keep their minority stakes in the company.
Pavol Rusko, a businessman who entered politics after the 2002 national elections with his New Citizen's Alliance (ANO) party, founded private television station TV Markíza in August 1996. When he entered top politics, Rusko, who later became Slovakia's economy minister, transferred his stake to his colleague, František Vizváry. Nevertheless, critics blamed Rusko for influencing the television station while in office and using it to forward his political agenda.
TV Markíza's objectivity has long been an issue because of the Rusko connection. Even the US co-owners were allegedly concerned over the former economy minister's influence.
Maroš Havran, Rusko's spokesman, told the press that Rusko was among the parties involved in the latest transaction at TV Markíza. According to Havran, the transaction "fully satisfied all of the parties involved".
Although the matter is considered a done deal, it must be formally approved. Valéria Agócs, the chairwoman of the Slovak Broadcasting and Retransmission Council, told The Slovak Spectator: "Preliminarily, the changes [in ownership] are on paper but the station must still officially ask the council to issue an agreement with the transfer of the ownership rights."
She added that the council expects to issue the approval provided all legally required aspects of the contract are met. The deal should be completed by the end of this year.
Hoping for balance
According to Agócs, the Slovak Broadcasting and Retransmission Council hopes the changes in ownership will result in "mainly more balanced news and political analyses and opinion programmes as TV Markíza originally promised".
TV Markíza has had to repeatedly answer to accusations of bias. Even after Pavol Rusko gave up his stake in TV Markíza after becoming an active member of politics, the television station still attracted attention for its lack of objectivity. In fact, bias in its news programming was the subject of two annual reports on human rights abuses released by the US Department of State.
The most recent report, submitted to the US Congress February 28 of 2005, stated that then-Economy Minister Pavol Rusko "influenced TV Markíza's editorial policies, despite having divested his ownership interest". It also said that media watchdog organizations criticized the station and that the ruling Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) decided to boycott TV Markíza, "refusing to grant that station personal interviews because of perceived unfair treatment".
TV Markíza's news programmes have not met with kindness at home, either. The local media-monitoring watchdog organization, Memo 98, repeatedly criticized Markíza for its lack of objectivity and political bias, citing "evident manipulation of public opinion".
According to Agócs of the Slovak Broadcasting and Retransmission Council, the CME perceive the issue of fairness in broadcasting as one of the crucial areas for improvement at TV Markíza.
"CME's chief operating officer, Robert Burke, told me on Monday [October 31] before announcing the ownership changes that he personally guarantees that they will go for achieving a European standard in terms of content in the main news programmes," Agócs said.
According to her, the COO ordered an analysis of TV Markíza's news service from international organizations and the results were not satisfactory to the US owners.
In an official statement, Michael Garin, CME's chief executive officer, said that "acquiring control of this outstanding station has been one of the highest priority goals of CME. We expect improved performance to result from control of both the operating and licence-holding companies. Our ability to fully consolidate the results of TV Markíza for the first time will also improve the transparency of our results to investors."
"We are pleased to be increasing our investment in the Slovak Republic and acquiring control of TV Markíza in advance of the station's licence renewal next year. CME is strongly committed to broadcasting in the Slovak Republic and ensuring that TV Markíza operates to the highest international standards."
The Rusko connection exodus
People close to Rusko have already started leaving TV Markíza.
Peter Višváder stepped down as editor-in-chief of the station's news department. Stanislav Pavlík, the former head of the news centre, recently lost his post and is currently only responsible for sports. Rusko's wife, Viera Rusková, former editor of the main news programme, Televízne noviny, left as well, the SME daily reported.
The station's general director, Vladimír Repčík, will temporarily step in for Višváder. Repčík's replacement will be discussed once the Slovak antitrust authority, Protimonopolný úrad, approves the CME deal.
CME has so far said nothing about whether individual reporters would be replaced.
CME has networks in six Central and Eastern European countries reaching an aggregate of approximately 90 million people, according to the CME website. CME is traded on the NASDAQ and the Prague Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CETV".
CME's TV stations are located in Croatia (Nova TV), Czech Republic (TV Nova, Galaxie Sport), Romania (PRO TV, Acasa, PRO Cinema), Slovakia (TV Markíza), Slovenia (POP TV, Kanal A), and Ukraine (Studio 1+1).
7. Nov 2005 at 0:00 | Martina Jurinová


text:
Home Entertainment A tale of bitter realities
Entertainment - June 18, 2019
A tale of bitter realities
Staff Reporter June 18, 2019
LAHORE-As much as the original soundtrack of the drama "Ajnabi Lage Zindagi"mesmerized us with its aesthetic touch and a sensational melody, the phenomenal acting skills of each character have literally got our eyes glued to the TV screens in just 6 episodes.
It would be difficult to define the drama under one subject as it touches upon several social problems and the loopholes in our moral standards that each one of us can indubitably relate to.
The story begins by showing one of the ugliest realities of our society where a woman does not have a right to take the decision of her own life. The common practice of women sacrificing their own preferences about making a choice in marriage to accept their parents'decision has become a deeply rooted issue and a prominent plight of our tradition.
These orthodoxic practices have taken the form of the sacred values and frozen norms that are meant to be kept intact only by the women of the society. The whole burden lies in the role of a woman she has to play to save her married life.
Without having to consider the consequences of imposing the freight of responsibilities and values, many women are brainwashed to protect the honor of their family at any cost.
While as the story progressed, the untouched topic of society being the culprit is exposed in the serial, despite Tabeer being victim, Ahmer is still not depicted as a wrongdoer; he himself is portrayed as a sufferer of the society.
Through the sequence of mishaps taking place, the drama accentuates the cliched beliefs of relating every bad omen or a predicament to the presence of a newly wedded woman and her budding relationship with her husband.
Not only this, it sheds light on an important reality that money does not buy happiness and how hasty decisions can turn someone's life into the worst nightmare.
While on one hand, Ahmer's family leaves no stone unturned to make Tabeer's life a living hell, she is expected to stay strong headed only to save herself from the label of divorce.
Whereas unlike other dramas where a character a playing the antagonist, In Ajnabi Lage Zindagi, society is playing its role,Ahmer is still illustrating the victim rather than a culprit, he is compelled by the society to react in a helpless way.
The drama stabilizes the plot of the story by showing the brighter side of today's generation that tries to normalize the concept of equality and eradicating the conventional and stereotypical culture of class difference that somewhat has secretly entrenched and has been mushrooming to the greater extent.
In every drama, a bunch of real-life incidents or a lesson is always hidden. The very reason for"Ajnabi Lage Zindagi" to gain massive popularity with a great viewership is its ability to relate with the audience through each social issue that is being addressed in this terrific storyline.
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