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Where the lastest news never gets old.
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Highlander Partners Announces Acquisition of Twitchell Technical Products, LLC
Dallas, Texas – July 9, 2015 – Highlander Partners, L.P., a leading middle market private investment firm based in Dallas, Texas, today announced the acquisition of Twitchell Technical Products, LLC ("Twitchell") from a Capital Partners affiliate. Twitchell is a Dothan, Alabama-based manufacturer of engineered polymer fabrics and coatings that are inputs in a diverse set of end products, including interior window shades, awnings, screens, wall and floor coverings, environmental protection and containment products, surgical gowns, absorbents, automotive components and industrial packaging.
Twitchell will continue to operate under its existing operating structure with its current management team, led by President and CEO, Jeff Register, an industry veteran with 28 years of experience in engineered fabrics and coated films. Since assuming their current positions in 2008, the Company's management team has executed upon numerous growth initiatives and positioned the business as an industry leader.
Mr. Register commented, "We are excited to be working with Highlander Partners, which has a strong track record of building long-term value for its portfolio companies. With Highlander's financial, strategic and operational support, we will continue to expand upon our leading market position."
In connection with Highlander's investment in Twitchell, Highlander President Mike Nicolais will join Twitchell's board and serve as Chairman. Mr. Nicolais stated, "Twitchell's superior service and customized solutions have formed a loyal and growing customer base. We are excited to partner with such an experienced and proven management team to continue growing and developing innovative solutions for the Company's customers. In addition, similar to our other portfolio companies, we intend to supplement organic growth with strategic acquisitions that will help us increase scale and broaden product offerings."
Mr. Register, who will continue to lead the business as Twitchell's President and Chief Executive Officer, added, "While our ownership has changed, our commitment to our customers remains stronger than ever. We look forward to working with our new partners to accelerate our positive momentum in the marketplace—driving growth by better understanding our customers' needs and providing differentiation through product innovation and customer service."
Piper Jaffray served as the exclusive financial advisor to Capital Partners in connection with this transaction. Regions Capital Markets arranged the senior credit facilities in support of the transaction.
About Highlander Partners
Highlander Partners, L.P. is a Dallas-based private investment firm with over $1 billion of assets under management. The firm focuses on making investments in businesses in targeted industries in which the principals of the firm have significant operating and investing experience, including basic manufacturing, food, chemicals, building materials, consumer products, and more. Highlander Partners uses a "buy and build" investment approach, creating value by helping companies grow organically and through acquisitions. For more information, visit www.highlander-partners.com.
About Twitchell Technical Products, LLC
Twitchell is a manufacturer of fibers, textiles and coatings. The company offers a broad range of specialty woven and knit fabrics, as well as technical coatings and laminates for a wide variety of applications from designer outdoor furniture to commercial products. For more information about Twitchell, please visit www.twitchellcorp.com
© 2021 Highlander Partners


Last week (Oct 18), I updated my Note 2 LTE (GT- N7105) phone (not rooted) as usual. After updates, the S Pen keyboard becomes malfunctioning and the "enter" key is not responding at all.
Of course, I went to Causeway Bay branch Samsung Customer Center for help, the customer representatives formated my phone first and then later told me that there is a bug on the latest Samsung updates, so there is nothing they can do about it. As a result, Customer representatives erased all my phone data for no reason and send me home empty handed with frustration.
Now I don't know what should I do to fix my S Pen. I never use Samsung Kies before.
Should I back up my phone data with Samsung Kies on my PC now?
After this incident, I searched the internet and find out that some people commented the Samsung Kies updates is not supporting Note 2 LTE.
I am so confused right now and seriously need your help.
I will be much appreciated if you can email me back.
@lanthe Seems you found the software bug of SNote, I just upgraded my N7105 to firmware N7105ZZHDMI2 today, and get the same issue with the default's IME ie. Samsung Keyboards. It can be solved by using another IME in Snote to resume the Enter key function.
Now I can use my S note instead of endlessly waiting for next Samsung updates to fix its own firmware bugs.


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package config_test

import (
	"github.com/dcwangmit01/goapi/config"

	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo"
	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
)

var _ = Describe("Config", func() {

	Describe("AppConfig", func() {
		Context("When created via NewAppConfig", func() {
			ac := config.NewAppConfig()

			It("Should have default settings", func() {
				Expect(ac.Settings.LogLevel).Should(Equal("debug"))
			})

			It("Should have a default admin user", func() {
				Expect(len(ac.Users)).Should(Equal(1))
				Expect(ac.Users[0].Name).Should(Equal(config.DefaultAdminUsername))
				Expect(len(ac.Users[0].Id)).Should(BeNumerically(">", 0))
				Expect(ac.Users[0].Role).Should(Equal("admin"))
			})

			It("Should have a valid admin password hash", func() {
				err := ac.Users[0].ValidatePassword(config.DefaultAdminPassword)
				Expect(err).Should(BeNil())

				err = ac.Users[0].ValidatePassword("not the right password")
				Expect(err).ShouldNot(BeNil())
			})
		})

		Context("AddUser", func() {

			It("Should increase the user count", func() {
				ac := config.NewAppConfig()

				Expect(len(ac.Users)).Should(Equal(1))

				u := config.NewUser()
				ac.AddUser(u)

				Expect(len(ac.Users)).Should(Equal(2))
			})
		})

		Context("GetUserByUsername", func() {
			ac := config.NewAppConfig()
			ac.Users = append(ac.Users, config.NewUser())
			ac.Users[1].Username = "user@domain.com"

			It("Should return an admin user", func() {
				u, err := ac.GetUserByUsername("admin")
				Expect(u).ShouldNot(BeNil())
				Expect(err).Should(BeNil())
			})
			It("Should return a user, user", func() {
				u, err := ac.GetUserByUsername("user@domain.com")
				Expect(u).ShouldNot(BeNil())
				Expect(err).Should(BeNil())
			})
			It("Should return nil when a user does not exist", func() {
				u, err := ac.GetUserByUsername("nonexistant@domain.com")
				Expect(u).Should(BeNil())
				Expect(err).ShouldNot(BeNil())
			})

		})

		Context("ToYaml and FromYaml", func() {

			var err error
			var ac1Str, ac2Str string

			ac1 := config.NewAppConfig()
			ac1.Users = append(ac1.Users, config.NewUser())
			ac1.Users[0].Username = "user1@domain.com"
			ac1.Users[1].Username = "asdf"

			It("Should both match", func() {
				ac1Str, err = ac1.ToYaml()
				Expect(err).Should(BeNil())

				ac2, err := config.AppConfigFromYaml(ac1Str)
				Expect(err).Should(BeNil())

				ac2Str, err = ac2.ToYaml()
				Expect(err).Should(BeNil())

				Expect(ac1Str).Should(Equal(ac2Str))
			})
		})
	})

	Describe("User", func() {

		Context("When created via NewUser", func() {
			u := config.NewUser()

			It("Should have an ID", func() {
				Expect(len(u.Id)).Should(BeNumerically(">", 0))
			})

			It("Should have a Role", func() {
				Expect(u.Role).Should(Equal("user"))
			})

			It("Should have an Empty Password", func() {
				Expect(u.PasswordHash).Should(BeZero())
			})
		})

		Context("HashPassword and ValidatePassword", func() {
			u := config.NewUser()
			myPassword := "1234asdf!@#$"

			It("Should create a hash of the password and validate", func() {
				var err error

				err = u.HashPassword(myPassword)
				Expect(myPassword).ShouldNot(Equal(u.PasswordHash))
				Expect(err).Should(BeNil())

				err = u.ValidatePassword(myPassword)
				Expect(err).Should(BeNil())

				err = u.ValidatePassword("not the right password")
				Expect(err).ShouldNot(BeNil())
			})
		})
	})
})

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Reliable garbage pickup in Goffstown, NH or the surrounding area, is extremely important, so having a company you can trust makes all the difference. This is why Casella provides residents with professional waste control and garbage pickup in Goffstown, NH that works for them and is eco-friendly. Contact Casella now to receive a price quote on our garbage pickup in Goffstown, NH.
Our services and garbage pickup in Goffstown, NH works with your schedule because we work with you to create a personalized routine that meets your waste control needs. Choose between simple weekly pickups or personalized waste collections programs. Casella is also as an industry leader, and leads in waste reduction and provides solutions for communities when it comes to garbage pickup in Goffstown, NH.
For our business customers, Casella provides a wide selection of services that may be required including reliable and environmentally safe garbage pickup in Goffstown, NH. If you're looking for the best garbage pickup in Goffstown, NH and are in search of a simple, affordable and headache-free rental experience, you can stop your search at Casella.
You will feel satisfied once you receive the garbage pickup in Goffstown, NH from Casella. Our primary concern is your customer satisfaction. We pride ourselves on providing exemplary service over the last 40 years, not only for our customers, but for the environment and the communities in which we live and work. We also do our part to ensure a safe, sustainable community, protecting resources, people and the community in which we live and work.


Newborn twins again!! I was thrilled when I got another call to photograph some newborns at a home in Denver. These two little girls are going to grown up to be fishermen, according to their dad, an avid fisherman himself. He can't wait!


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Q: how to display notification for every record added in db ASP.NET I have two web pages

*

*Display record

*Insert record

Whenever I add record I want a notification on homepage saying 3 records are added. Just like FB notifying number 3 for 3 new notifications.
I am completely blank on this one.
Can you guys please refer me to some tutorials and links?

A: This can be achived using notifications via SignalR.
Check out SignalR at http://signalr.net and http://www.asp.net/signalr

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Ingende est un territoire de la province de l'Équateur en République démocratique du Congo.

Subdivisions
Le territoire d'Ingende est divisé en une commune et 3 secteurs :
 Ingende, commune
 Bokatola, avec 6 groupements de 118 villages ;
 Duali, avec 5 groupements de 143 villages ;
 Eungu, avec 4 groupements de 94 villages.

Démographie

Références

Territoire dans la province de l'Équateur (RDC)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Menlo Park native Taylor Eigsti set to perform with Peninsula Symphony
by Linda Hubbard on January 17, 2016
Jazz pianist Taylor Eigsti, who grew up in Menlo Park, returns to the Bay Area for two performances with the Peninsula Symphony. He'll perform great classics by Brubeck and Gershwin, his own latest jazz composition and a special tribute to the 49ers (die hard fan that he is!).
On Friday, January 29, he'll be at the Flint Center, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, at 8:00 pm. On Saturday, January 30, he performs at Capuchino High School, 1501 Magnolia Ave., San Bruno, also at 8:00 pm
Under the direction of Maestro Mitchell Sardou Klein, Peninsula Symphony comprises 90 professionally-trained musicians who are members of the local community and features frequent guest appearances. For tickets and directions, please visit: peninsulasymphony.org/2016january
Photo by Scott R. Kline, taken at the SFJAZZ Center after a pre-performance sound check, © 2015
Faces of Menlo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The Evolution of Political Behavior Research, 1980–2009 (WP-17-05)
Joshua Robison, Randy Stevenson, James Druckman, Simon Jackman, Jonathan Katz, and Lynn Vavreck
What are the most important concepts in the political behavior literature? Have experimental data sources supplanted surveys as the dominant method in political behavior research? What role does the American National Election Studies (ANES) continue to play in this literature? The researchers utilize a content analysis of over 1,100 quantitative articles on American mass political behavior published between 1980 and 2009 to answer these questions and thus provide a novel snapshot of the evolution of the field of political behavior. Four key takeaways are apparent. First, the agenda of this literature is heavily skewed toward understanding voting, rather than looking at specific policy attitudes and other topics. Second, experiments are ascendant, but nowhere close to displacing survey data sources, and particularly the ANES, as the central workhorse of American political behavior research. Third, while important changes to this agenda have occurred over time, it remains much the same as it was in 1980. Fourth, the centrality of the ANES seems to stem from its time-series component. In the end, the researchers conclude that the ANES is a critical investment for the scientific community and a main driver of political behavior research.
Joshua Robison, Postdoctoral Fellow, Aarhus University
Randy Stevenson, Professor of Political Science, Rice University
James Druckman, Payson S. Wild Professor of Political Science and IPR Fellow, Northwestern University
Simon Jackman, Professor of Political Science, University of Sydney
Jonathan Katz, Kay Sugahara Professor of Social Sciences and Statistics, California Institute of Technology
Lynn Vavreck, Professor of Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles


How have you configured your wibiya bar?
You've implemented a Wibiya bar on wpmu.org and it's awesome.
I would love to know how you've managed to wrangle that beast into such good shape! I'm not a Wibiya customer, but I would be if there was a preset/option they offered which was close to your own. From what I've seen their default presets are not nearly as nice as your current version.
I wonder if you are able to pass on your secrets on that one?! Or do you already offer some Wibiya mastery plugin/guide?
Thank you for noticing our site and layout and yes it is custom coded as most everything is that WPMU DEV produces and very rarely if almost never do the lead developers disclose how they did it or the coding within.
Similar to this theme here on WPMU DEV that we are working within, literally hundreds want it but the silence on it is .... well silent and nobody is going to tell.
Ha! Good to know that there are still some secrets on the Internet!!
Appreciate your response. If you sold a Wibiya configuration script/demo I'd buy that, straight up.
I bet you're fed up fending off proposals to purchase your theme as well. It's really lovely. Great work.
Thank you for the response and the kind compliments.
The theme is a tricky one because it is all based on the no longer available and heavily custom coded bbPress version 1.
So to replicate it that would be the starting point.


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2016 30-1 MLB countdown team previews: #11 Toronto Blue Jays
The discussion continues with the 30-1 MLB countdown previews. To this point, 18 of the 30 MLB teams have been previewed and based off the results, many of the teams are not separated by many games at all. In fact, 17 of the 30 teams, according to this particular countdown, will finish with a winning record with an 18th team finishing at an exactly .500 (winning percentage). (I totaled up the total amount of games played in a season and broke them down, distributing the total of wins and losses to all 30 teams. In other words, if you total the amount of wins for every team I preview throughout the 30-1 MLB countdown, it will equal the amount of losses tallied up by doing the same.) The bottom line is that the parity of the game of baseball has put many teams in the same boat. Most have a chance to compete and their success and failures will be determined by intangibles including clubhouse commendatory and injuries. Because of that, all we have to use to determine records before the season starts is the composition of the respective rosters, the direction the team is going and the prospects of what young players and healthy returnees are set up to help. My opinion will be different than yours and my opinion will be different than digitally generated previews.
The Toronto Blue Jays made it to the postseason for the first time since their last World Series victory in 1993. The past 22 seasons have been a struggle but the Blue Jays had managed to finish with a .500 or better record in 10 of those 22 campaigns. The building of what has become a championship caliber offensive team started in the 2012-2013 off season, when the Jays added shortstop Jose Reyes, along with pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle- none of whom are currently part of the ball club. However, after the emergence of late blooming power hitters Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, this was the first sign that the Blue Jays were looking to base their team on offense, a formula that has proven to be a wise one. This past off season, the Blue Jays made a trade that did not involve a lot of though behind it. It, quite frankly, did not need to. The Oakland Athletics dangled All Star third baseman Josh Donaldson as if he could be had. General manager Alex Anthopoulos (who has since left the organization) jumped on the opportunity. In fact, the Blue Jays pulled off one of the biggest heists in years getting Donaldson from the Athletics in exchange for four players, one of whom was removed from their 40 man roster (Sean Nolin) and another was traded away to the White Sox (Brett Lawrie). Having Reyes allowed the Jays to make the deal with the Colorado Rockies for Troy Tulowitzki right before the 2015 trading deadline.
The Blue Jays most recent off season has consisted on the re-inventing of the team's pitching staff. Gone are David Price (18 wins, 5 losses, 2.45 earned run average, 225 strikeouts, just over 220 innings pitched) and Buehrle (15-8, 3.81, just under 199 innings). They will be replaced by one time Blue Jays left hand pitcher JA Happ (11-8, 3.61, 151 Ks, 72 IP) and Jesse Chavez (7-15, 4.18, 136 Ks, 157 IP). They also added reliever Drew Storen (2-2, 3.44, 29 saves, 67 Ks, 55 IP) in an off season deal with the Washington Nationals in exchange for Ben Revere. Also brought in are veteran starters Gavin Floyd and Roberto Hernandez and relievers Pat Venditte and Randy Choate. All the moves were may by new team president Mark Shapiro, who hired Ross Adkins as the team's new general manager after Anthopoulos resigned.
The Blue Jays are blessed with one of the better assembled offenses the game has seen in years. Bautista (.250 batting average, 40 home runs, 114 runs batted in, .913 on base plus slugging) and Encarnacion (.277, 39, 111, .929) were enough on their own. The addition of Donaldson (.297, 41, 123, .939), the 2015 American League Most Valuable Player, and catcher Russell Martin (.240, 23, 77, .787) is a blessing by itself. The emergence of center fielder Kevin Pillar (.278, 12, 56, .713, 25 stolen bases) and first baseman Chris Colabello (.321, 15, 54, .886) made the lineup even more potent. Tulowitzki (.280, 17, 70, .777) is hoping to be healthy enough to be around all season and the Blue Jays get left fielder Michael Saunders (just 31 at bats in 2015, 19 home runs in 2012) after missing most of last year. Toronto will go with a combination of Ryan Goins (.250, 5, 45, .768) and Devon Travis (.304, 8, 35, .859) at second base once Travis has recovered from his November shoulder surgery.
The lineup I would go with is Saunders LF, Donaldson 3B, Bautista RF, Encarnacion DH, Tulowitzki SS, Colabello 1B, Martin C, Pillar CF, Goins/ Travis 2B. Travis, in my opinion, is the better full time option as long as he proves he is healthy. The Jays also have veteran Darwin Barney to provide insurance in the infield and Justin Smoak, Ezequiel Carrera and Junior Lake should all be in the mix with Josh Thole serving as the team's backup catcher. Domonic Brown comes in hoping that a change of scenery will get him back to being the player that hit .272 with 27 home runs in 2013. Casey Kotchman is also looking at another MLB shot.
The Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation will hinge this season on the impact of Marcus Stroman (4-0, 1.67, 4 starts, 27 innings pitched), who missed most of the season due to a torn ACL. However, his unprecedented return last year was a huge boast for the team and he was able to pitch in the playoffs for them. With Price no longer around, Stroman will be counted on to be the team's ace. Marco Estrada (13-8, 3.13, 28 starts, 181 IP) was a great story last season after seemingly hitting a wall in Milwaukee. If he duplicates his 2015, the Jays will be okay. The addition of Happ may be one of the more underrated moves of the entire off season. The adjustments he made under Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage could have totally resurrected his career. If so, the Jays may have made a great investment even though the 3 year, $36 million contract commitment may seem like a lot for a .500 career pitcher with a slightly above 4.00 career ERA. Veteran RA Dickey (11-11, 3.91, just over 214 IP) is entering his forth season in Toronto and hopefully can gracefully provide insurance as a forth starter. The fifth spot could go to Chavez, but also look at Floyd, Drew Hutchinson (13-5, 5.57, 150 IP), Hernandez or Aaron Sanchez (7-6, 3.22, 41 games, 11 starts). I still believe in Sanchez and would like to see him get a full season as a starting pitcher.
Sanchez and Chavez may be vulnerable to the fact that they have succeeded in a relief role. With essentially one starting spot available in the rotation, unfortunately, both may not be given the attention they deserve. Storen will serve as the closer with incumbent closer Roberto Osuna (1-6, 2.48, 20 saves, 75 Ks, just under 70 innings pitched) serving as the eight inning guy. Left handers Brett Cecil (5-5, 2.48, 70 Ks, just over 54 IP), Aaron Loup (2-5, 4.46, 46 Ks, just over 42 innings), Choate, and the switch pitcher Venditte will round out what could be a deep bullpen. The Jays will have to decide if they are better with Sanchez as a late game reliever or their rotation is deeper with him as part of it.
A couple sons of former major leaguers highlight the Blue Jays top minor league players. Dwight Smith Jr could debut this season but may be better off spending one more season in the minors. Vladimir Guerrero Jr was signed this past off season, but just turned 17. Even if he is as good as his father, I cannot imagine him being close to major league ready for at least three more full MLB seasons. The Blue Jays also signed right hander Yennsy Diaz, a solid young arm that will also be a ways away from the big leagues.
The Blue Jays have a chance to be the best team in the American League if they get some solid pitching. Happ and Sanchez have a chance to be great, if Happ continues in his progression from last season and Sanchez first gets a chance to be a starting pitcher all season and second pitches as well as I think he can. That will change my overall outlook on this team. In all reality, I see the Blue Jays scoring more runs than they did last season, but giving up way more runs than they give in 2015. Stroman will be great, but I cannot expect Estrada to repeat his improbable campaign of a year ago. The American League East teams will feast off the Toronto pitchers and there are few examples of teams that are all offense that get to the postseason, let alone advance in the postseason. Las Vegas has the Blue Jays at 87 and I take the under, with a record of 84-78, second place in the American League East. However, the fact that they are ranking at 11 means they are the non-playoff team that is closest to being a playoff team. I think the Jays are that close and if they can be in the race come July, look for them to make a similar acquisition to what they did last season when they added Price.
2015 30-1 MLB countdown previews: #6 San Diego Padres
I am not breaking any news when I say that the San Diego Padres won the 2014-2015 off season. I don't feel that it was particularly for the trades for Matt Kemp, Will Myers and Justin Upton. The Padres have had a difficult time identifying itself with what they were about. A series of the Padres younger prospects either never panned out or were not as good as expected. This led to the firing of GM Josh Byrnes, who was replaced on the interim by Omar Minaya and on August 6th by Rangers Assistant GM AJ Preller.
Many on the mainstream feel the only way to rebuild a team is from the ground up. While examples such as the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates show how complete rebuilds do work over time, it also doesn't account for all the years of competitive baseball lost in the process. There have been examples of the "retool" which worked in the case of the 2009 Yankees and the 2013 Red Sox. The building of a team through trades and free agent signings- in one particular off season is the least popular one. Not just because experts and fans do not like it, but percentages do not favor them winning. The 1992 Mets are the worst team money can buy for a reason, the same can be said about the 2002 version. Other examples include the 2012 Miami Marlins and 2013 Blue Jays who did not have the expected success. The only one that seems to have worked is the 1997 Florida Marlins. Because of this, many feel that if any team makes "too many" transactions in one off season, it is destined for failure. I think it depends on the transactions that are made.
The Padres of 2014 actually had a winning record in the final three months of the season of 41-38. The starting pitching had a lot to do with that success, as the offense was a joke all season long. The Padres had a series of the worst offensive stats the game has seen in recent years. Due to injuries and trades, the team only had 7 players finish the season with more than 100 games played, led by SS/ CF Alexi Amarista (148 games, .239, 5, 40) and RF Will Venable (146 games, .224, 8, 33). Among key players to miss a lot of time in 2014 were CF Cameron Maybin (95 games, .235, 1, 13), 1B Yonder Alonso (84 games, .240, 7, 27), LF Carlos Quentin (50 games, .177, 4, 18), 2B Jedd Gyorko (111 games, .210, 10, 51) and SS Everth Cabrera (90 games, .232, 3, 20). Because of this, the Padres team leader in runs scored was Seth Smith with 55, hits- Smith with 118, 2Bs- Smith-31, 3Bs- Smith- 5, HRs- Yasmani Grandal- 15, RBIs- Gyorko- 51, batting average- Yangervis Solarte- .267 (in 56 games after being acquired in the Headley deal with the Yankees), otherwise it was Smith at .266.
It did not take a rocket scientist to show that this team needed to redefine itself with an offense that can produce above the level of replacement player. Because the Padres, led by Preller, simply did not want to quit professional baseball for the next couple of seasons- like many in the media think they should do- they brought in three proven offensive players in Kemp (.287, 27, 89), Myers (.293, 13, 53 in 88 games winning the AL ROY in 2013) and Upton (.270, 29, 102). Those three additions would be enough to bring optimism to the fan base and enough to coincide with the decent to strong starting pitching the team has led by RHPs Andrew Cashner (5-7, 2.55, 19 starts), Tyson Ross (13-14, 2.81, 31 starts) and Ian Kennedy (13-13, 3.63, 33 starts, 207 Ks in 201 IP).
What I like most about the 2014-2015 Padres off season is the fact that they finished it off by adding a proven starting pitcher. Though James Shields was not good in the postseason in 2014 (25 IP, 36 hits, 17 ER, 7 BB, 4 HR), he still has a track record of winning. Shields has been part of a winning team each of the past 6 seasons, which includes the last two years in Kansas City. His impact on the Padres starting staff is something that cannot be measured in stats. He may not be their ace by the second half of the season. But his presence in the clubhouse and how his string of 200 inning seasons lengthens the rotation is something the Padres will get value out of. Additionally, the Padres upgraded at both 3B and C, with Will Middlebrooks (.288, 15, 54 in 88 games during rookie season of 2013) and Derek Norris (.270, 10, 55) both just 26 years old.
The biggest question about the Padres going into this season is how the new players, most of whom have never played together before, mesh well in the clubhouse. Proven leaders like Shields and Norris could allow for the team to gel together, but like I said before, it is all about the players that are in the clubhouse. The fact that Bud Black has made it clear who will be playing in all three OF positions- Myers in CF, Upton in LF and Kemp in RF, better allows for the new OFs to get used to each others' company. Chemistry could still destroy this team. That being true, it cannot be a guarantee that will be the case.
Hope for the Padres is that Gyorko and Alonso can stay healthy and develop with others in the lineup producing. The same can be a benefit for Middlebrooks (.191, 2, 19). What I like about this team is the fact that they do have depth and other options in case a Middlebrooks or Amarista or Gyorko do not pan out. Solarte (.260, 10, 48) probably has a good chance of winning the starting job at either 2B or 3B by simply having a good spring. Gyorko and Middlebrooks are capable of being better offensive players, but neither have proven it yet. The Padres have also signed SS Clint Barmes, a longtime MLB starting SS, to give Amarista a push. They also still have a major part of their 2014 OF, with Venable, Maybin and Quentin all projected to return. Wil Nieves, who has driven over 20 runs three times as a backup catcher, is the likely backup for Norris, with Tim Federowicz possibly out for the season.
Though I will be quick to put a Solarte, Barmes or Quentin (who is playing a little 1B) in to replace a struggling infielder, the following is the lineup I will go with: Amarista SS, Myers CF, Kemp RF, Upton LF, Alonso 1B, Norris C, Middlebrooks 3B, Gyorko 2B. The primary bench consists of Venable, Quentin, Solarte, Barmes and Nieves. Maybin provides depth in CF in cases Myers struggles, but he has not been able to stay healthy himself.
The rotation will start out with Shields, Cashner, Ross and Kennedy. I'd go with Odrisamer Despaigne (4-7, 3.37, 16 starts) as the number 5 starter though Brandon Morrow is intriguing is he is fully recovered from his arm woes. Josh Johnson and Cory Luebke will both return this year from Tommy John surgery to add some depth. Thinking outside the box, I like the thought of using Morrow as a late inning reliever, something he did early on in his career with Seattle. His ability to miss bats is something that can be an absolute asset in the Padres pen. Joaquin Benoit (4-2, 11 saves, 1.49, 53 games) is the Padres closer. Kevin Quackenbush (3-3, 2.48, 56 games), Nick Vincent (1-2, 3.60, 63 games) and Dale Thayer (4-5, 2.34, 70 games) are all decent relievers, but none have a strikeout ratio that puts fear in the opposition. LHP Alex Torres (2-1, 3.33, 70 games) is a solid lefty specialist. RHP Shawn Kelley (3-6, 4.53, 67 Ks, just under 52 IP) can be that pitcher but he did have a rough go of it in 2014 for the Yankees. Also coming back from TJ is RHP Casey Kelly, acquired from Boston in the trade that sent Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox.
Kelly tops the most intriguing younger Padres players, along with C Austin Hedges and OF Hunter Renfroe. RHP Matt Wisler is a 2011 7th round draft pick that could help this season in the bullpen. All in all, big things are expected for the Padres in 2015. As in most other cases where teams make a lot of off season moves, there will be doubters over whether a team like this can pull it off. I think the team will be fine as it has a solid balance. Las Vegas has their O/U projected at 85 1/2. I think they can win 88. I think that will stop them short of winning the NL West division. The Padres will return to the postseason once again, with the 1st Wild Card in the National League. It will be only the 5th time in the Padres franchise history that they make the playoffs- the first since 2006.
Prince Joe Henry secured pensions for Negro Leagues ballplayers
By the time of the mid 1950s, all teams had finally integrated African American ballplayers to their teams. As mentioned during my interview with Negro Leagues Museum President Bob Kendrick, he talked about how the Negro Leagues were losing business as fans would rather watch their favorite players play in the Major Leagues. The thought was, to this point, that if a Negro Leagues player was good enough, they would soon be signing with a MLB team. For the first time ever, the Negro Leagues of the early 1950s were thought of as a farm club of future MLB players.
By this time, the top African American players were being signed out of high school and college by MLB teams. Most of their first professional baseball experience was in minor league baseball. The Negro National League folded after the 1948 season when the Homestead Grays withdrew. The Negro American League reportedly played its last game in 1958, though there is some dispute over whether games continued to play through 1960. With all the top African American players going into the Major Leagues, it is understood why there was a direct parallel between the success of MLB and the demise of the NNL and NAL.
Some of the greats of the history of the game debuted in the Negro Leagues, including Willie Mays and Henry Aaron. Both, as well as many others, played in the Negro Leagues after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. However, there were also others who signed a MLB or minor league contract without ever playing in the Negro Leagues.
In 1950, there was an infielder, a third baseman, by the name of Joe Henry. He was given the nickname of "Prince," which would follow him throughout the rest of his life. He would make his debut for the Memphis Red Sox, where he would play from 1950-1952. He would then play professional baseball in the minor leagues for the Canton Citizens and Vincennes Velvets of the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League in 1952. He then played for the Mount Vernon Kings in 1953 and 1954 before going back to the Negro Leagues playing for the Indianapolis Clowns (1955-1957), Detroit Clowns (1957-1958, 1959) and the Detroit Stars (1958-1959).
Henry played in the Negro Leagues through 1959, proof that Negro Leagues Baseball existed past 1958. After Henry was finished playing, he returned to the spotlight in the 1990s. Major League Baseball had agreed to give pensions to retired Negro Leagues players in a similar way to the way MLB players had gotten them. Just like with other things, MLB had yet to come through with their promise to many of these players. Prince Joe Henry fought a major part of the battle to get these players, all of whom getting up there in age, the pensions that they deserved. My open question is this: Are most living Negro Leagues players receiving pensions from MLB? Through my research, the answer is seeming like a yes. But I am sure that is not the case with all players who played in the Negro Leagues. MLB players need to play a certain amount of time in the big leagues to receive a pension so I am sure there would be some sort of condition for Negro Leagues players to receive one as well.
Henry had played softball as a kid until he was convinced to try baseball by Negro Leagues C Josh Johnson. He played professional baseball for the majority of the decade of the 1950s. It was five years ago today, on January 2, 2009, that Prince Joe Henry left us. RIP
Mike Pelfrey and Ricky Nolasco: a tale of two completely different career paths
Perhaps it seemed like no big deal when RHP Ricky Nolasco took the best offer to sign his 4 year, $49 million contract with the Minnesota Twins. While the results have not been there yet, Nolasco joined fellow newcomer Phil Hughes and veterans Kevin Corriea and Mike Pelfrey to support a young Twins team. Nolasco was a rookie in the 2006 season, pitching for the Florida Marlins. On July 8th, he was matched up in the second game of a double header against the New York Mets. The Mets, on their way to their first NL East title since 1988, sent a former first round pick out to make his MLB debut. His name was Mike Pelfrey.
While it was Pelfrey's debut, Nolasco had been on the Marlins staff all season. He had made his MLB debut the prior April 5th, throwing 3 scoreless innings of relief in a loss to the Houston Astros. Overall, it was Nolasco's 21st appearance and his 10th start of the season. The 23 year old was taking on a difficult Mets lineup, one that featured Carlos Beltran, David Wright and Cliff Floyd but did not have Carlos Delgado in its starting lineup. The Marlins still had Miguel Cabrera and also had Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla and Cody Ross to protect Miggy in the order. The Marlins had won the first game 3-2 as Josh Johnson outdueled John Maine.
Nolasco could not have gotten off to a worst start, as he yielded a triple and an RBI single before he loaded the bases in the first inning. Mets 2B Jose Valentin hit a grand slam to make it 5-0. As the Mets added 4 more in the 2nd inning, Nolasco left the game with a line of 1 2/3 IP, 9 ER, 6 hits, 3 walks and a strikeout. Pelfrey would throw 5 innings and 104 pitches in his debut, giving up 3 runs (2 earned), on 5 hits, 4 walks and 3 strikeouts. The Mets would win the game 17-3, with Pelfrey earning his first MLB win. Future Met and current Royals LHP Jason Vargas came on in relief and pitched the final 6 1/3 innings for the Marlins. Though he gave them length, the results were not very good as he gave up 8 runs and 10 hits.
Nolasco's slow 2014 start aside, it is safe to say he has been the better pitcher since that day. After an injury in 2007, Nolasco would go 15-8, 3.52 with 186 strikeouts for the Marlins a year later. His 13-9, 5.06 2009 season was a bit deceptive as two games similar to the 2006 Mets game were a major factor in his ERA being so high. He struck out a career high 195 in just 185 innings pitched. The next four seasons saw Nolasco go 49-45 with an ERA in the low 4.00s, averaging 198 innings pitched over the past three seasons. To this point, he is 2-2, 6.67 in 5 starts giving up an AL high 43 hits so far in his 29 2/3 innings.
Pelfrey has not fully recovered from his 2012 Tommy John surgery. From the seasons of 2008-2011, Pelfrey and Nolasco were on the same track. Nolasco was 52-38 in 132 starts, while Pelfrey was 45-45 in 129 starts over the same time frame with similar ERAs and Ks per 9 IP. Had Pelfrey not had the TJ, he'd likely be on pace to receive a similar deal to what Nolasco got. Pelf, to this point, is 0-2, 7.32 in 4 starts for the Twins this season.
Somehow, the Twins are 12-11 and sitting in 2nd place in the AL Central. And its not like Correia (7.33 ERA in 5 starts) and Hughes (5.14 ERA in 5 starts) have pitched any better. RHP Kyle Gibson (3-1, 3.63) has been the best starter.
Based on the hype of Pelfrey being a first round draft pick and the fact that Nolasco was a 4th round pick by the Cubs, the thought was that Pelfrey would be a solid 2 or 3 in a rotation and Nolasco would have to fight to be a 5th starter. The events of the next several seasons make it very clear that Nolasco is more of a 3 and Pelfrey will have to fight to be a 5. Just don't look at this seasons stats.
30-1 MLB countdown previews 2014: #26 Toronto Blue Jays
I'm happy to be putting together my annual MLB team previews for the 3rd consecutive March. Each of the past seasons, I have learned from my experience that I have to make adjustments to my initial thoughts. My beef has been with all the experts just piggy backing off Baseball Prospectus to rank the teams to prospective finishes. Before the 2012 season, I tried to make a point that they are never completely correct. By doing so, I made some bolder predictions to try to stand out. I also noticed that the know it alls simply like to predict that the same teams that were successful last season will automatically be great the following year. While that is not necessarily true, there is no formula to pick that "sleeper team" for any given season. Doing this for the 3rd season, I've put together a better balance of logic and in the belief of the up and comer. Feel free to comment both on the outlook of each team I preview as well as where I rank them among the 30 in MLB.
Even if the Jays would have signed RHP Ervin Santana, I am still down on this team this season. Does it have to do with the fact that I had much higher expectations for them last season? Perhaps. When trying to point out what went wrong last season, the expectations had a lot to do with it. But mainly, it was the starting pitching, which was lousy and missing Jose Reyes for two months after the team already had a slow start. It was the slow start, then the Reyes injury surrounded by starting pitching that was not that good. Because of that, the Blue Jays were never in the AL East race. They have followed up the disappointing season with a quiet offseason.
However, bringing in Dioner Navarro should add a little production both offensively and defensively. Last year, he hit (.300, 13, 34 in 89 games for the Cubs) in place of JP Arencibia (.194, 21, 55 in 138 games and 148 strikeouts). Acquiring Erik Kratz from the Phillies gives them a legitimate backup and solves their catching woes of a season ago. With Reyes around and hopefully healthy all season, I think this team can surprise, but I am going in with a cautious approach.
The question over whether this team will be any good will rest in their starting pitching. RA Dickey (14-13, 4.21. 34 starts) was better than his numbers and pitched as well as he did in 2012 during the second half of last season. Mark Buehrle (12-10, 4.15, 33) pitched like a workhorse who is on the decline. Neither were the issues, it was the rest of the rotation that gave them little to nothing. Josh Johnson, who came over in the same trade that brought the Jays Reyes, was terrible, going 2-8, 6.20 in 16 starts before getting hurt. He is off to San Diego. Brandon Morrow (2-3, 5.63, 10 starts) was counted on to be the number 2 starter in the rotation behind Dickey after pitching to a 2.94 ERA with 3 shutouts in 2012. Morrow will be back in the mix along with JA Happ (5-7, 4.56, 18), who has hit with a linedrive during a game last season. Drew Hutchison, who was 5-3, 4.60, 11 during the 2012, but missed the 2013 season, has the edge on being the 5th starter. Esmil Rogers, Todd Redmond and former top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek will all get a chance at some point this season. A dream scenario would see LHP Ricky Romero return to form. Once of the nicer guys in the game deserves to return where he was from 2009-2011, where he won a total of 42 games. Also keep an eye on top pitching prospect Aaron Sanchez, who may be up by seasons end.
Casey Janssen (4-1, 2.56, 34 saves) is one of the more underrated closers in baseball and leads a very good bullpen. Sergio Santos (1-1, 1.75, 29 games) returns to anchor the 8th inning. Amazing that the Jays had two All Star relievers and neither were Janssen. Steve Delabar (5-5, 3.22 in 55 games) and Brett Cecil (5-1, 2.82, 60) made the AS team last year. The depth continues with Dustin McGowan (2.45 ERA in 25 games) coming off his arm injury and LHP Aaron Loup (4-6, 2.47, 64). Neil Wagner (2-4, 3.79, 36) and Rogers (5-9, 4.77 in 44 games, 20 starts) will round out what has the makings to be one of the better bullpens in all of baseball.
Reyes (.296, 10, 37 in 93 games) stole just 15 bases but did get off to a great start before getting hurt. Having 3B Brett Lawrie (.254, 11, 46 in 107 games) and Melky Cabrera (.279, 3, 30 in 88 games) back from injury should make the lineup stronger. The same can be said about Jose Bautista (.259, 28, 73 in 118 games) and Colby Rasmus (.276, 22, 66 in 118 games). 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion (.272, 26, 104) and DH/1B Adam Lind (.288, 23, 67) had very good 2013 seasons. The team plans to go into the season with 2B Ryan Goins, who got a little experience last season, but will also consider Munenori Kawasaki and Chris Getz. The lineup I would go with is Reyes SS, Rasmus CF, Bautista RF, Encarnacion 1B, Lind DH, Navarro C, Lawrie 3B, Cabrera LF, Goins 2B. On the bench will be Moises Sierra, Anthony Gose, Kevin Pillar, Macier Izturis, Kratz, Josh Thole and maybe Dan Johnson- in on a minor league contract.
Injuries destroyed the Blue Jays last season. It is tough to expect the same group of players who were hurt last year to all be healthy this season. Morrow and Happ can make the team forget about the starting pitching woes it had in 2013. I really like their bullpen and their offense can be dangerous if everybody stays healthy. I just don't expect health to fall out of the sky. Vegas has them at 79.5 which about where they should be predicted to be. I am taking the under, going 72-90, last place in the AL East. If I am correct, it is unlikely manager John Gibbons makes it through the season. I was wrong by picking them to take the division last year, maybe I will be incorrect taking them to finish in the basement.
Evaluating RA Dickey's first season in Toronto
Toronto Blue Jays RHP RA Dickey has completed his first season as a starting pitcher in Canada. Even though he has plenty of experience pitching in the American League in his days in Texas, Minnesota and Seattle, this was his first AL season after redefining himself as a knuckleball pitcher. If the question was openly asked, "RA Dickey's first season in Toronto, was it a success or failure?", many would answer that it was a failure before even looking over the season.
For the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays, the season was a big disappointment. If the word "failure" was used, it would not be an over statement. The Blue Jays were picked to win the AL East by several people associated with the game. A team that already had star hitters Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion as well as proven pitchers Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero made the two well publicized trades with the Marlins and Mets. Adding Jose Reyes to the lineup and three successful starting pitchers, Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle expected to put the Blue Jays in a much better position to succeed than in the prior two seasons. A win today would put the Blue Jays at 75-87, a loss at 74-88. A team that seemed to be so much improved on paper will show no more than a two game improvement from last season.
Dickey finished this season at 14-13, 4.21 while leading the AL with 34 games started. Though it is a far cry from his 20-6. 2.73 NL Cy Young season of a year ago, I would not consider Dickey a disappointment. I'm sure if RA was asked, he would discuss things he would have liked to do better. He did pitch his best game of the season in his third to last start against the Yankees. This could be considered the game that most damaged the Yankees playoff hopes. He pitched into the 8th inning in his last start, leading the Jays to a win against the Tampa Bay Rays in a game the Rays needed to win.
Dickey's season can be considered decent; he finished 14-13, 4.21 with 224 1/3 IP, giving up 105 ER, 71 BB and 207 hits. His 177 Ks go along with his 1.237 WHIP. Obviously, the numbers did not match up to his 2012 season, where he was 20-6, 2.73, 233 2/3, 71, 54, 192. He also had 230 Ks last season with a WHIP of 1.053. His numbers do not tell justice for how well Dickey pitched in the second half of the season. From July 21st, he made 14 starts. During that time, he was 8-6, 3.62 as opposed to 6-7, 4.75 beforehand. In the second half, Dickey also averaged 6.857 innings/ start, 7.97 Ks/ 9 IP and had a WHIP of 1.166. Prior to the All Star break, Dickey was averaging 6.126 IP/ S, 6.43 Ks/ 9 IP and had a WHIP of 1.290. The fact that his Ks were up, base runners down and innings per start up make a case that Dickey can be better next season. If he pitches closer to the way he did in the second half of 2013 next year, the Toronto Blue Jays could become a contender in the AL East again. Having Reyes healthy for a full season helps as well (obviously).
If the Jays choose to trade Jose Reyes, how do you gauge what the return should be?
Jose Reyes left the Mets as a free agent following the 2011 season. A season in which he won the NL batting title, the first in the history of the New York Mets franchise. He led the National League in triples and scored over 100 runs while playing in just 128 games. Always a threat on the bases, he also would bring the obtaining team defensive prominence at a position that defense is very important, SS. Reyes signed a deal with the Miami Marlins for 6 years and $106 million with a team option for the 2018 season. As with all other long term contracts involving the Marlins, there was no no trade clause put into it, leading the Marlins to trade him to the Toronto Blue Jays along with Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio for Adeiny Hechavarria, Jake Marisnick, Henderson Alvarez, Justin Nicolino and Jeff Mathis.
This deal, as well as the one that brought the Jays RA Dickey from the Mets, put the Toronto team in a position where they could have been considered favorites to win the AL East division or at least compete for a Wild Card spot. It didn't work out that way. An early Reyes injury coupled by the lack of production from the team's starting rotation has the Jays playing out the string like they have been since their last World Series Championship in 1993. There are several key decisions they have to make to plan for next season. It will start out with who their manager will be. Should they retain John Gibbons? How do they address what has been a terrible starting rotation? Do they need to get younger?
Reyes, because of his ability, will be sought after whether the Jays are willing to deal him or not. The New York Yankees will probably inquire on his services, with the thought in the back of their mind that maybe it would be better to pursue him after the 2014 season. The same can be said for the Yankees, Troy Tulowitski and the Colorado Rockies. Because of the value of a productive shortstop, the Jays may not be interested in trading Reyes at any cost.
Because of this, an interested team has to look at giving up something valuable in a deal to land Jose Reyes. The Yankees, for example, do not have enough MLB ready prospects to suffice the Jays needs. It could change after this season, as prospects like Mason Williams, Slade Heathcott and Gary Sanchez move up through the team's system. The St Louis Cardinals have gotten by with a .218 hitting Pete Kozma playing SS. They have the farm system to get a deal like this done. It would be interesting to see if the Tampa Bay Rays would be interested in paying Reyes for the balance of his contract, however, that seems unlikely.
Jose Reyes made a ton of fans during his time with the Mets. A bunch of fans did want to see him go. Many are content with the probability that Reyes will never play for the Mets again. Those who want to see the Mets trade for him, would never want to see the team part with guys like Zack Wheeler, Travis d'Arnaud and others. The Jays would probably want multiple players back including a middle infielder. While I do not think it is likely that the Mets and Jays can agree on a deal, I have one to propose. I think this is a deal that can help out both teams. As with any other proposed trades, people will disagree on both ends of the spectrum. A suggest the Mets give up a young pitcher who many Mets fans think will be a very important part of the team's future, Noah Syndergaard, a pitcher who the Jays probably did not want to give up in the first place. With Syndergaard going to the Jays would be Ruben Tejada, a player who has upside but has worn out his welcome with the Mets. Reyes would come back to Queens, with perhaps a pitcher like JA Happ, Brett Cecil or even take a chance on Ricky Romero. Syndergaard may be considered too much to give up, but the thought of him and Tejada being enough to get Reyes back could make this deal seem like it might make sense to make. Of course, simply signing Reyes two offseasons ago would have allowed the team to retain him for nothing.
Reyes' 6 year contract does not seem so bad right now, two seasons in. But after being owed $16 million for next season, he makes $22 million a season from 2015-2017. Maybe the Jays would be asked to take on some of the contract. If that is the case, then maybe there is a deal. I am sure the thought of paying Reyes and trading Syndergaard is probably the last thing New York Mets fans want to think about. But, understand this, the Mets will be paying one or two players a lot of money for the distant future. Whoever it is, many will complain about what they are getting paid.
Jays, Angels, Dodgers: which team will turn it around?
I bought into the thought that some of the best teams in baseball in 2013 would be the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. Lets face it, even if you were not impressed with the Jays offseason, a logical baseball mind would not have Toronto AND both Los Angeles teams in the position they are in right now. Of course, that is why the games are played and nobody really knows what teams will be at the top each season. Chemistry is usually an issue with teams that make a lot of changes, and though that could be the case in Toronto and with the Dodgers, the Angels added Josh Hamilton, Tommy Hanson and Jason Vargas to a team that put together a solid second half to finish with a 89-73 record.
The Angels right now seem to be playing their best baseball right now out of the three. They have played .500 baseball over their last 30 games, going 12-8 in their last 20 and have won 8 of their last 10. They have been without their best starting pitcher Jared Weaver since April 7 and their starting CF Peter Bourjos since April 29. However, injuries are not an excuse- just ask the Yankees. The Angels have used 10 different starting pitchers (7 for the final two spots) and have suffered through a bad start from Hamilton, though Hamilton has started to hit of late. Weaver is set to return soon and I think that will help the Angels tremendously. In addition, this is a team that should make up some wins against a bad Astros team and a team in Seattle that is expected to faulter. At least for now, it looks like the talk has calmed over the imminent firing of manager Mike Scioscia.
The Blue Jays have been a big disappointment. Yes, the injury to Jose Reyes is a big blow to the team, but what has been so baffling is the poor performance from the team's starting pitchers. RA Dickey has been inconsistent, but has still been the team's best starting pitcher (4-6, 4.85). Josh Johnson could miss the rest of this season, but the team was counting on guys like Brandon Morrow (2-3, 5.50) and Mark Buehrle (2-3, 5.51). JA Happ has been out since he was hit in the face with a line drive, but his 4.91 ERA was not what the team expected when he made the team out of spring training. Other facets of the game have worked out, as the bullpen has been good and they have hit. But, at 22-29, this is unacceptable for this point of the season. Of late, the Jays have played better, going 12-8 in their last 20 games.
The Dodgers were thought of to had the best group of players, hands down, in baseball. But if you watched the way they played after they made the trade with the Red Sox last season, it was not like they were playing at a higher level. In fact, a once poised team to make the playoffs were eliminated in mid September last season. They continued to go for it this past offseason, adding Zack Greinke and Hyun Jin Ryu to their starting rotation, with Greinke being out since his fight with Carlos Quentin. Hanley Ramirez has also been out. But a case could be made that the Dodgers have played worse than the other two teams. Matt Kemp has hit just 2 HR and is hitting .253. For a team that had spent a lot of money, they went through a lot of options until sticking with Nick Punto at SS. As far as 3B, they have used Jerry Hairston, Luis Cruz, Juan Uribe, Dee Gordon, Justin Sellers and Skip Schumaker filling in for Ramirez. A once overfilled starting rotation is now using guys like Matt Magill and Stephen Fife in their rotation. Clayton Kershaw has pitched phenominal (5-3, 1.68) and Ryu has pitched well (5-2, 3.30). The other starters have not with Josh Beckett and Chris Capuano a combined 1-8 with an ERA at about 5.50. Of course, Beckett is on the DL as well. Remember when the Dodgers had Kershaw, Greinke, Ryu, Beckett, Chad Billingsley, Capuano, Ted Lilly and Aaron Harang. Harang just pitched a complete game for Seattle and three of the other starters are now injured. To me, this is a team that has underperformed all around.
When it comes to the managers, it is understandable that Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is on the hot seat. He may not make it to the All Star break if the Dodgers do not turn it around or show some signs that they can. Larry Bowa could be a logical replacement. Little discussion has been heard regarding Blue Jays manager John Gibbons and his job security, which may suggest he has little to worry about. I do think he should be held responsible for what has transpired here. In the Jays situation does not improve, particularly with the starting pitching, I would expect to see Gibbons removed for a more pitching oriented manager like a Larry Rothschild or Ray Miller. As for Scioscia, the Angels have improved and should get even better with Weaver coming back. However, if Scioscia was let go, he would have a new job in a week.
30-1 MLB countdown previews: #5 Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays have won the offseason award for busiest team. Obviously that means very little as they have to back up their moves with some solid play. Critics complain that the Jays have not been to the postseason since they last won the World Series in 1993. They say the 2012 Marlins sucked and the Blue Jays just went out and traded for them. They say RA Dickey won 20 games but the Mets still won 75 as a team. And they bring up the fact that the 2012 Blue Jays won just 73 games last season under former manager John Farrell. The problem is too many people use last season's record as the sole determining factor in whether a team will be good or not.
The Jays had a rough 2012 season, even with the emergence of 1B Edwin Encarnacion (.288, 42, 110). Ricky Romero had an atrocious 2012 season, going 9-14, 5.77 with 116 ER and 105 BB, and will be starting the season in the minors. Injuries to Brandon Morrow (10-7, 2.96, 21 starts, 3 shutouts) and Jose Bautista (.241, 27, 65 in 92 games) held the team back and projected closer Sergio Santos pitched in just 6 games.
The team returns Bautista (54 HR in 2010 and 43 in 2011) and Encarnacion are joined by Jose Reyes (.287, 11, 57, 40 SB) and Melky Cabrera (.346, 11, 60 in 113 games). 3B Brett Lawrie (.273, 11, 48) will start the season on the disabled list. Macier Izturis and Mark DeRosa will fill in temporarily. DH Adam Lind (.255, 11, 45) and catcher JP Arencibia (.233, 18, 56) are expected to perform better this season. Colby Rasmus (.223, 23, 75) will patrol CF with veteran Rajai Davis (.277, 8, 43, 46 SB) as as good a forth OF as their is around. Emilio Bonifacio (.258, 1, 11, 30 SB) will play 2B and gives the lineup a fair balance of power and speed. My line up would look like this: Reyes SS, Rasmus CF, Bautista RF, Encarnacion 1B, Cabrera LF, Lind DH, Lawrie 3B, Arencbia C, Bonifacio 2B. DeRosa, Izturis, Davis and Henry Blanco give the team a veteran bench.
The acquisition of RA Dickey was the biggest move the team made this off season. The NL Cy Young Winner went 20-6, 2.73 with 230 Ks and 3 shutouts last season and anchors a staff that also has Morrow and Josh Johnson (8-14, 3.81). Mark Buehrle (13-13, 3.74) and JA Happ (10-11, 4.79) gives the team potentially the top rotation in the AL East. If Romero works out his kicks, it becomes a bonus. Top pitching prospect Aaron Sanchez, intelligently held back in the deals with Miami and New York, is at least another full season away, but should be the real deal.
The bullpen should be better than it was last season, led by closer Casey Janssen (1-1, 2.54, 22 saves) and a healthy Santos. Darren Oliver (3-4, 2.06 in 62 games) had his best MLB season as he enters age 42. Esmil Rogers comes over to add depth and former top prospects Brett Cecil and Jeremy Jeffress have made the team.
I can see how their is some doubt over whether the Jays are as good as it seems on paper. I think their starting pitching will stand out and they will score more runs than they did last season. Vegas was high on them too, putting their over/ under higher (86 1/2) than it has been in years. I take the over, but I am going with 91-71. While it is good enough to win the AL East, it may not be as much as those who are believing the hype will say. As I have said before, the parity in the AL East will affect all the teams in the division. By getting the Jays into the playoffs, manager John Gibbons will do something that has not been done since the last Jays manager to serve two terms, Cito Gaston did.
30-1 MLB countdown previews: #29 Marlins
According to many people, the Miami Marlins had the worst off season in the history of MLB. It is certainly a stark contrast from last off season where many thought the Marlins bought themselves a pennant. One thing the Marlins have been known for is having a good fire sale, which started last season when they traded Hanley Ramirez, Omar Infante, Anibal Sanchez, Edwin Mujica, and Gaby Sanchez. It continued into this off season when they moved Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell, Josh Johnson, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio. Just that alone is enough to give the Marlins one of the worst forecasts of this preseason.
The Marlins will start out by leaving a lot to be desired offensively. If I wanted to compare them to, lets say the Astros, I think the Astros lineup is deeper. However, the Astros do not have any single player as good right now as Giancarlo Stanton or Logan Morrison. The Marlins are counting on a couple Phillies castoffs, Juan Pierre and Placido Polanco to come in and provide leadership. Pierre, who is the active leader in stolen bases with 591, is coming off a solid season where he hit .307 for Philadelphia. However, he did in a lessened role, playing 130 games last year where he had been a 158-160 game player each season. I would expect to see Pierre play closer to 160 than 130 this season. Justin Ruggiano was a bright spot and gets the CF job, with newcomers Rob Brantly (from Detroit in the Sanchez/Infante trade) and Adeiny Hechavarria (from Toronto in the Reyes/ Johnson trade) filling up the lineup. Donovan Solano will be the second baseman. I'd order it like this: Pierre LF, Polanco 3B, Stanton RF, Morrison 1B, Ruggiano CF, Brantly C, Hechavarria SS, Solano 2B.
The bench is not much to brag about, but Greg Dobbs is a very good role player. Backup catcher Jeff Mathis is solid for that role and former NL Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan is still around. Brian Petersen and Gorkys Hernandez will fill in as extra OFs.
In my opinion, the starting pitching of this team may be better than people think. Ricky Nolasco (if he is not traded) will be the opening day starter. They have traded for the rest of their rotation, all of whom are young. Jacob Turner (from Detroit), Henderson Alvarez (Toronto), Nathan Eovaldi (from LA) and Wade LeBlanc (from San Diego) round out the rotation. All of whom have gotten their feet wet, but may have to work out some growing pains. They have a decent closer in Steve Cishek, with Ryan Webb and Mike Dunn expected to be the primary set up men.
New manager Mike Redmond is going to have it difficult in this first season. The problem I have is most of the players the Marlins traded for are expected to be on the opening day roster. That does not improve the farm system. Zack Cox is worth watching this season. I expect him to become the team's 3B of the future. In my opinion, I think Christian Yelich has a very good chance of making the team out of spring training. Jake Marisnick, the OF prospect obtained in the deal with Toronto, has a chance to be the real deal. Those two, as well as LHP Justin Nicolino (also obtained in the Toronto trade), should be the players to keep an eyes on as Miami builds for the future. I would expect to see Marisnick unseat Ruggiano as the team's starting CF at some point this season. However, I expect to see the Marlins lose a lot of games this season. I think Las Vegas was generous to them putting their over/under at 64 1/2. They should win much less than that; I see them finishing 55-107, last place in the NL and NL East.


Endorsing a campaign by UK churches, Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba of Hiroshima has stressed the crucial role of British citizens alongside others in helping to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
The Mayor's statement came just days before the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, which will take place 3 - 28 May 2010 in New York, USA.
The campaign, entitled Now is the Time, has invited people to sign an online petition (www.endnuclearweapons.org.uk) calling on all governments to demonstrate their commitment to a nuclear weapons-free world at the forthcoming conference.
The Churches are pressing for governments to put all bomb-grade material under international control and commit to making the use and possession of nuclear weapons illegal through a new Nuclear Weapons Convention.
Mayor Akiba added: "I am delighted that Churches in the UK have contributed to the call for governments to commit to a world free of nuclear weapons. I hope the Churches in the UK will do everything in their power to mobilize their congregations to let the government know that they are ready to live in a world free of nuclear weapons." In a letter to the British Methodist Church, he added that "Eliminating nuclear weapons from the world will be one of humanity's greatest achievements".
The alliance includes the Church of England, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), the United Reformed Church, the International Affairs Department of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Scotland and the Archbishop of the Church in Wales.
Representatives of the World Council of Churches will be attending the NPT Review Conference and will present the campaign's petition to the UK delegation to the conference.
In the sixty-five years since Hiroshima experienced the atomic bombing that made it synonymous with the disastrous effects of nuclear weapons, the city has continued to appeal for their abolition. Through Mayors for Peace, Hiroshima is working with 3,680 other cities to promote the 2020 Vision – a campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons by the year 2020.


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Sverrir Þór Sverrisson (born 5 August 1977), known under his stage name Sveppi, is an Icelandic comedian, actor and writer. He started his career in the TV show 70 mínútur on Popp TV in 2001.

Early life
Sverrir grew up in Breiðholt, Reykjavík. He played handball for Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur and appeared in a few games in the Icelandic top-tier handball league, Úrvalsdeild karla.

Filmography
Astrópía (2007) – Flóki
The Big Rescue (2009) – Sveppi
The Secret Spell (2010) – Sveppi
The Magic Wardrobe (2011) – Sveppi
The Biggest Rescue (2014) – Sveppi
Amma Hófí (2020)
Cop Secret (2021)

References

External links

Living people
1977 births
Sverrir Þór Sverrisson
Sverrir Þór Sverrisson
Sverrir Þór Sverrisson
Sverrir Þór Sverrisson
Sverrir Þór Sverrisson
Sverrir Þór Sverrisson
ÍR men's handball players
Sverrir Þór Sverrisson
Sportspeople from Reykjavík


The 2018 Best of Woodbury survey is here! Don't miss your chance to vote for your favorite shops, restaurants, hot spots and more. The results of our annual readers' choice survey will be printed in May, in our special Best of Woodbury edition of Woodbury Magazine, and we'll need your help to fill it with the best Woodbury has to offer. (The results will also be posted here at woodburymag.com on May 1).
Take a look at this year's voting rules and guidelines and our full list of categories. Voting is open from December 15, 2017 to January 15, 2018.
Many common questions are answered on this page in the FAQs section below! Other questions can be sent to our digital editor, Caitlin Crees, at caitlin.crees@tigeroak.com.
One entry allowed per person; each ballot must include a first and last name and contact information.
One entry allowed per IP address.
Ballots must be completed by 5:00 p.m. on January 15, 2018.
Voters must vote in at least 5 categories to have their ballot counted.
From December 15 to January 15, we invite readers to go online to tell us their favorite local businesses, people and organizations in each category.
The top finalists from last year's (2017) contest are the nominees on this year's ballot (including any write-in choices that received a significant number of votes). As always, readers and readers only decided on last year's top finalists and on this year's ballot.
Each category includes a write-in field. If your choice doesn't appear on the ballot, simply write them in. If a business isn't included on the ballot, that business was not one of the top finalists in the 2017 contest (see previous question for more details).
Readers cannot vote more than once from the same IP address. Each device—phone, computer, tablet—has its own IP address. We automatically eliminate any additional votes from an IP address to control any possibility of ballot-stuffing.
Readers must vote in a minimum of 5 categories for their ballot to be considered valid; ballots with votes in fewer than 5 categories are eliminated.
The top three vote-getters in each category become finalists, and the top vote-getter is the winner. When votes have been tabulated, our editorial team fact-checks the contact information for each finalist. If the finalist is no longer a valid selection due to a closed business, etc., we move to the next highest vote-getter, who then becomes a finalist.
We rely solely on readers to select or write in their pick for each category. We invite you to spread the word! If your business wasn't one of the top finalists in last year's contest, it will not appear on this year's ballot. This year, encourage your clients, fans and friends to fill out the write-in section in your category. Note that only one ballot is accepted per IP address. (Each device—phone, computer, tablet—has its own IP address.) We automatically eliminate any additional ballots from an IP address to control the possibility of ballot-stuffing. Encourage your clients to vote from their own smartphone, tablet or home computer.
Finalists (the top three vote-getters in each category) will be posted online on March 1, 2018.
The winners will be announced in our special Best of 2018 edition of the magazine, which comes out on May 1, 2018. Winners will also be announced online on May 1, 2018.
Winners can request a free digital copy of the Best of 2018 magazine cover design, which also indicates your winning category and your business or organization name. Winners can also purchase a framed award certificate with 2 window clings. (The framed award certificate is 14 x 17 inches and features a black wood frame.) The cost is $75 per framed award certificate and includes shipping and handling. Ordering opens on May 1 and closes on September 14.


It is not very often that the average stitcher manages to get something stitched by one of their favourite designers.
This is one of the cover samples from Dragon Dream's Castle in the Clouds. I won it as a door prize at one of Jennifer Aikman-Smith's classes at the 2011 Creativ Festival. She's been bringing a few models to the show for the past few years, awarding them through a draw during her classes.
It is another one of those pieces that has pride of place in my collection. Not just because Jennifer stitched it, but also because it is a design really love. I mean, I'm sure there isn't one of us who wouldn't like to retreat to a castle in the clouds at least once in a while.
This entry was posted in Cross Stitch and tagged Cross Stitch, Dragon Dreams. Bookmark the permalink.
Pretty! How big is it?
Castles and needlepoint = my two favourite things! Love it.
That must be ever so precious to you! Dragon Dreams have few designs that I would love to stitch as well, my ever growing to do-list starts to be endless.
And I absolutely adore the embroidered jewelry in your earlier posting!


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Minneapolis Police Injured Protesters With Rubber Bullets. The City Has Taken Little Action.
By Kaiser Health News May 26, 2021
A year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis while in police custody, there is scant evidence the city has changed how its police officers use less-lethal weapons or strengthened its oversight. Instead, it may be a study in stymied reform, unenforced policies and a lack of transparency.


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A new collection of porcelain stoneware marbles; four new tones that have been inspired by four marvelous varieties of marble. An exclusive appeal, luxury and a natural appearance stand out in our new collect Select.
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Decades of research into the effectiveness of employment interviews has shown one consistent result: we are terrible at conducting them. Our ability to predict success from a typical unstructured job interview is roughly the same as flipping a coin. A round up of 85 years of research by leadership scholars showed that unstructured interviews were ranked so low in effectiveness that they only explained 14% of an employee's performance.
There are a host of reasons why interviews are so unreliable. We're susceptible to a wide-range of influences and unintended forces during them. We fall victim to confirmation bias, where we look for information that informs what we already think. For example, if someone went to our alma mater, we'll look for evidence that she is as capable as we are. Further, we decide fast. Much of the interview is determined in the first 10 seconds.
There's a continual barrage of findings around how we're more likely to hire someone who is tall, attractive, male, and of the same race. We also get influenced by those who flatter us.
Interviews may even make hiring harder than no interviews at all. One study from the University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon showed that we're more effective at selecting good candidates if we look at their resume only without an interview. The researchers call it a dilutive effect: we're bombarded by so much extraneous data in the interview that we overlook what's truly important.
By the way, if you think that you're the exception and interview well, think again. Researchers have also shown that we're susceptible to attribution error in interviewing. We give ourselves ample credit for our good hires, but explain away our bad hires to circumstances beyond our control.
Despite this research, most hiring managers can't imagine offering someone a job without interviewing them first. Certainly, interviews weed out the clear no-hires, and help us get a sense of another person. Luckily, there are interview techniques that are far more effective than the typical conversational interview: well structured, behavioral interviews.
Behavioral interviews are based on this tenet: the biggest predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Behavioral interviews are designed to get candidates off their well-worn talking points, and to demonstrate real action similar to what you're asking the person to do in the future. Here are steps to conducting your own.
1. Determine the competencies you're seeking.
We primarily look for functional competencies, which are important, but only tell half the story. Decide what kinds of cultural and interpersonal competencies are also needed, such as initiative, flexibility, communication skills, and conflict management. These are the qualities that often make or break a successful employee. Do the work ahead of time so you know going in the full picture of what you are seeking to discern in your limited interview time.
2. Develop open-ended, curious questions to get to the underlying behaviors.
Ask deep, involved open-ended questions that invite the candidate to discuss their past behaviors. Use "How" and "What" questions rather than "Why" questions. It's helpful to have the questions ready ahead of time. For example, to determine initiative, ask the candidate to describe a time when they were able to complete a successful project despite significant odds. How did they overcome resistance? What did they learn in the process? You may find some inspiration for questions here.
3. Look for the situation, action and outcome.
As you listen to the candidate's answers, tune your ear to hear the situation, the action they took, and the outcome that was achieved. If you need more understanding on any of those three, ask follow up questions that probe the candidate's perspective and move them beyond any prepared talking points.
4. Put a numerical value to your findings.
Before the interviewers compare notes, have each person rate the candidate on each competency on a predetermined scale. A simple 1-5 works fine, as long as you have a key for what each number means. By forcing the interviewers to put a value to each competency, they put some analytical muscle into their findings, and offer an additional data point for comparison.
5. Calibrate with the other interviewers.
After every one has rated the candidate, bring the interviewers together to compare scores. This calibration session should allow everyone a chance to voice why they gave the ratings they did, what they saw in the interview, and how strongly they feel about it. In the end, the hiring manager needs to determine what's acceptable to make an offer, or if another interview might be needed.
For many people this process may feel onerous or even rigid – but take heart. As with anything, the more you do it, the easier it gets. As you develop your own best questions for top competencies, you'll find that you learn far more about the candidate, and whether or not he or she can truly be successful.
Talent HQ is a premier information channel and empowers education for the recruiting and HR communities through regional events including Minnesota Recruiters, Wisconsin Recruiters and California Recruiters. This article was written by Kristi Hedges from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.


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Please visit SEEC's COVID-19 page to help you manage your business through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schoharie Economic Enterprise Corp
SEEC Roundtable update
On Thursday, November 12, 2020, SEEC, along with its SchoCo Promise Alliance partners, launched the second in a series of COVID-19 related Recovery Roundtable discussions. Entitled, Access to Capital, the Roundtable featured presentations from various financial experts.
If you were unable to attend the discussion, the links to speaker presentations are listed below. Please click HERE to view a recording of the session.
Jim Becker, a SEEC founding member and chair of its Resiliency Fund, as well as president of MIDTEL and INOC Datacenters. Mr. Becker will talk about the emergency grant and zero interest loan program available to Schoharie County businesses through SEEC. SEECNY.org/funding-tools. Click HERE to view Jim's presentation.
Anne Morton, representing SALT Development, a 10-year-old local community organization offering not-for-profit and small business grants. Click HERE to view Anne's presentation.
Jamie Casterlin, business development officer at the National Bank of Coxsackie, NBCoxsackie.com. Also expected are panelists from the STEED Emergency Loan Fund and the New York Forward Loan Fund. Click HERE to view Jamie's presentation.
Kate Baker as Certified Business Advisor with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University at Albany, she is responsible for executing the SBDC, UAlbany's extensive, relevant and FREE business training programs. Newly launched covid-series is focused on financing and digital strategies. In her 12 years with the SBDC, Kate has been recognized as a top 5 Business Advisor statewide 4 times. Click HERE to view Kate's presentation.
Steve Smith, executive director of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, which has recently launched a CARES Act Revolving Loan Fund with terms that include principal payments only and low interest rates. MVEDD.org. Click HERE to view Steve's presentation.
Cynthia Shannon, representing Empire State Development (ESD) small business division, presented funding programs as well as the first in the nation, negotiated digital deals. ESD has partnered with leading e-commerce companies to help small business grown their online presence. Click HERE to view Cynthia's presentation.
Jeffrey Smith, co-owner of Municipal Solutions Inc., which has been providing independent financial and management advisory services to public and non-profit organizations for decades. MunicipalSolution.com. Click HERE to view Jeffrey's presentation.
Category: NewsBy schoharie November 12, 2020 Leave a comment
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Mohawk Valley Investment Webinar
STERLING INSURANCE WILL AWARD SMALL BUSINESS RECOVERY GRANTS
Webinar Featuring New Grant Opportunities
Schoharie Economic Enterprise Corp Announces New Headquarters
SEEC Secures $25,000 Appalachian Regional Commission Grant for Regional Feasibility Study Focused on Post-COVID Dairy & Food Supply
Resiliency Fund Helps Local Farm Pivot – SEEC commits another $5,000 award
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Star-One EDM, Inc. was founded in 1989 by Howard White and three of his sons, Mike, Sam and Tim. Howard recognized that by utilizing the individual talents of each of his boys and by providing his guidance and support that a successful business could be established. Star-One officially opened its doors on May 1st 1989 in a 660 square foot building with a single wire EDM, three employees and a lot of drive and commitment.
We had outgrown our initial facilities by the mid 90s and began the process of deciding on a new location, designing our new building and planning our move. Our current facility is now located in a 6,500 square foot building that is ten times as large as our first. We have eight EDMs, a fully equipped tool room and 25 years experience Our customer base has expanded to include over 400 companies.
Howard passed away in 2008, but his vision remains. His legacy is our mission to provide personally dedicated and unparalleled service to each and every one of our customers.


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Lucy gets dream job
By Tina Heath
FOURTEEN years ago she limped away from a terrible accident lucky to be alive - today determined Lucy Reeves is in the limelight for altogether more cheerful reasons.
FOURTEEN years ago she limped away from a terrible accident lucky to be alive – today determined Lucy Reeves is in the limelight for altogether more cheerful reasons.
For the 21-year-old, who spent her childhood treading the boards on the Suffolk amateur dramatics circuit, has just clinched a dream job as one of the youngest ever entertainments managers at a Warners theme hotel.
Working at the Norton Grange Hotel, in Yarmouth, on the Isle of Wight, she is up on stage every night singing and dancing – and no one is more proud of her than her mum.
"She was so single minded about everything. From the age of four that was what she was going to do. She has achieved her main ambition," said Jane Reeves of Sproughton Road, Ipswich.
Lucy was just seven-years-old when she fell 30ft from the roof of an industrial unit along Sproughton Road after climbing a drain pipe to see how far her toy balloon would float.
She broke her wrist and as reported in The Evening Star at the time was devastated when she missed her audition for the Co-op Juniors because of the injury.
Today she is busy booking cabaret acts, choreographing dancers and organising bands and competitions as well as taking her turn on the stage – and it couldn't be any other way.
Entertainment runs in the family. Her grandparents had a band and used to entertain the troops and her uncle, Nigel Closs, was once a magician at the same centre.


400 year old hotel with a Voluminous L-shaped bar. Tasteful(?) red & yellow decor with the odd potted plant. Plenty of seating and food menues. The garish silver lager fonts tend to make the ale rather secondary.


A chance meeting at the Entrepreneurial Exchange helped paintball king Roman Rock expand his range of attractions.
The managing director of Bedlam Group bumped into Stagecoach chief executive Brian Souter at an event held by the EE.
And Rock enquired if there was any chance of recycling buses which had reached the end of their road worthiness for use in the paintball arena. Souter was happy to oblige and now the Stagecoach Stand-off is installed at Bedlam's sites.
Rock said: "The Stagecoach Stand-off is probably our most challenging and extreme game yet, putting players' agility, tactics and communication to the ultimate test as two teams engage in a fierce battle sheltered by two Bedlam Stagecoach hideouts before attempting to navigate their way through a speedball arena."


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UNI wrestling signs five incoming Panthers for next season
This news story was published on January 13, 2022.
Advertise on NIT • Subscribe to NIT
CEDAR FALLS – UNI has signed five new Panthers for the 2022-23 season, including three who sit among the top-25 in national rankings.
"I'm excited for what this class is going to bring to the table when they arrive on campus," said head coach Doug Schwab. "They will make an immediate impact with the mentality they bring to the practice room and classroom. This group has won a lot of matches, but more importantly they display that grit, coachability and selfless nature this program is built on. They will help move us forward as a program and can't wait to get them on campus."
UNI added four native Iowans and one senior from Alabama.
TREVER ANDERSON
Trever Anderson is a two-time state champion from Ankeny, Iowa.
"I love his mentality and love for the sport," Schwab said. "He showed an incredible amount of toughness and heart last season finding a way to win while not being 100%. Watching him recover from surgery while he found ways to give back to his club and still move forward as a competitor impressed me."
He won titles in 2019 and 2021 at 106 and 120 pounds, respectively. He took third place in 2020. He was a member of the 2019 Elite Team All-State and 2021 First Team All-State. Anderson is currently a team captain for the Ankeny High School Hawks. He was part of the team that placed fifth at the traditional state championships last season.
He opens his senior season with a 107-5 career record. In addition to earning varsity letters in wrestling, Anderson earned a letter in soccer.
Anderson has been named to numerous academic lists, including DMACC Dean's list this last spring. He earned First Team Academic All-State honors in 2020 and was an All-Academic Recognition winner in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
"I love the UNI wrestling coaching staff, and it felt like home the day I stepped on campus," Anderson said.
While in high school, Anderson has served in the community by packing Thanksgiving Day meals with the American Legion in Polk City. He also volunteered as a coach for an Ankeny-area youth wrestling club.
Anderson is the son of Sundae Anderson and Robert Anderson. He plans to major in marketing at UNI.
He also was recruited by Iowa, Northern Illinois, Edinboro and Grand View.
CHET BUSS
Chet Buss, a two-time state champion from Allison, Iowa, is currently ranked 16th in the nation at heavyweight by FloWrestling.
"We love small-town Iowa boys with incredible work ethic and drive, and Chet has both of those," Schwab said. "I had the opportunity to watch that drive and effort out on the football field this fall, and you see it every time he hits the mat. Chet is a great athlete, has some great attacks, and we know we have only tapped the surface of his capabilities."
He was undefeated at heavyweight for the last two consecutive seasons. Buss was third in 2019.
"I like the program the wrestling team is building and the family aspect," Buss said. "It is also close to home."
He is a three-sport athlete for North Butler High School, earning varsity letters in wrestling, football and baseball. He played on both the offensive and defensive lines in football. He has earned MVP conference honors for wrestling and Offensive Player of the Year for football.
Buss was part of the high school baseball team that qualified for districts and the 2021-22 state qualifying playoff team for football.
Buss, the son of Shane and Lori Buss, plans to major in movement and exercise science.
When Buss' hometown suffered damage from storms and floods, he helped clean up the town and also painted fire hydrants. He enjoys hunting, fishing and being outside.
He also was recruited by South Dakota State.
GARRETT FUNK
Garrett Funk is a two-time place winner at the Iowa state championships.
"We have some advantages with local kids," Schwab said. "I have watched Garrett grow up and have seen his love for this sport and his drive to be great in this sport continue to grow. He continues to improve, and we love the trajectory that he is on. He has had some big wins and many more are coming."
Funk is a Waterloo, Iowa, native from Don Bosco High School. He has medaled twice at the Iowa High School State Wrestling Championships, competing at 120 pounds. He was fifth as a sophomore and took third last year as a junior.
Funk has helped Don Bosco collect three consecutive class 1A team titles and two state dual championships. He is the reigning Iowa/USA junior freestyle champion at 126 pounds.
He joins Gable Fox and Cael Rahnavardi to become the third Don Bosco graduate on the Panther lineup. He is a three-sport athlete who also competes in wrestling, football and baseball and has been on the honor roll every year.
Funk plans to major in business finance. He is the son of Mark and Traci Funk.
CORY LAND
Cory Land is a four-time state champion from Moody, Alabama. He's currently ranked fourth in the nation at 126 pounds in FloWrestling's poll.
"Cory is a wrestling junkie," Schwab said. "He loves the sport, knows it well, and can wrestle through almost every position. He scores in a variety of ways and will be a crowd favorite. Cory is one of three guys to bring a Greco medal home for the USA last year. He is a high level competitor."
He holds state titles at three different weights. In 2018 and 2019, he won the 106-pound weight class at the Alabama state championships. He moved up to 120 pounds in 2020, and last year won the 126-pound state title. He has a 127-2 career record with 96 career falls.
Land has competed internationally, taking second at the Cadet Greco World Championships in Budapest. He was third at the Junior Folkstyle National Championships in March 2021.
Land is the son of Eric Land and has one older brother. He plans to major in movement and exercise science. He enjoys cooking and playing disc golf.
WYATT VOELKER
Wyatt Voelker is a three-time place winner at the Iowa High School state championships. He is the reigning champ for West Delaware High School and ranked eighth in the nation at 195 pounds by FloWrestling.
"I love how coachable this guy is," Schwab said. "He's eager to learn and improve, great combination with the strength, speed and mentality he displays on the wrestling mat and football field. He's a leader and that becomes clear when you watch how his teammates respond to him."
Voelker won Class 2A at 195 pounds in 2021. He took third place at 195 pounds in 2020 and was fourth in 2019 at 170 pounds. He is a two-time reigning conference champion.
In July 2021, Voelker won the Junior Greco-Roman national title at 195 pounds and was second at the Junior folkstyle national tournament.
He is a two-sport athlete who also plays football as a running back and middle linebacker. He was all-district and all-state three times and a captain for two years on the football team.
He was named to the National Honor Society his junior and senior years of high school. He was also recruited by Iowa and Iowa State.
He is the son of Corey and Jenne Voelker and is a native of Manchester, Iowa. He plans to pursue chiropractic medicine and enjoys hunting and fishing.
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