Don't Bother

Sometimes I think about stuff. And it's damned aggravating.

Amazing!

Guess what it is! Guess what it is!

It's a Red Blood Cell squeezing through a hole in the spleen. Newer red blood cells are pretty deformable... which is how they fit through your tiny capillaries and provide oxygen to your body. Older red blood cells are not able to deform as well, and are filtered out by the spleen because they can't squeeze through these holes!

This picture was taken by an electronmicrograph.

Sending the Right Message

Two brothers, aged 4 years and 6 years, arise one morning and agree that it is time they begin "cussing".

Down the steps they go and Mom asks the six year old, "What do you want for breakfast?"

The six year old replies, "Ah, hell, I'll just have some Cheerios."

WHACK! CRACK! SPLAT! Mom chases the six year old back up the stairs to his bedroom and declares, "You stay here and think about what you just said. I'll be back."

Mom returns to the kitchen and asks the four year old what he wants for breakfast.

The four year old replies,"I don't know, but you can bet your sweet ass it's not Cheerios!"

Mentzer College Football Rankings in Review

How did the Mentzer Rankings do in the 32 Bowl Games?

Using the Regular season ending rankings found here, if the higher ranked team won, then that is one in the win column.

Overall 23 - 9 - Not too bad for a 72%

There were 16 bowl games that involved at least 1 team in the Mentzer Top 25. Of those games the rankings were 11 - 5 for a 69%

There were 9 bowl games that involved 2 teams in the Mentzer top 25. Of those games the rankings were 5 - 4 for a 56%.

Penn State was one of the losses for the rankings in all 3 categories as they bull-rushed through Tennessee and Ohio State, Michigan, and Notre Dame did not live up to their billing within the rankings accumulating the other 3 losses for the 9 game subset. The other loss in the 16 game subset was Virginia Tech getting beat by Georgia.

I hope you enjoyed the rankings, and if time allows, I'll post them again next year.

Be sure to review the final rankings with the 2007 NCAA National Champion of the Mentzer Rankings being the Boise State Broncos.

Boise State - 2007 National Champs for NCAA Division 1A Football

Mentzer College Football Rankings (All D1A) - Final

Final rankings after last nights shellacking. It's a somber place here in Columbus Oh.

1. Boise State 1.0000
2. Ohio State 0.9850
3. Wisconsin 0.9776
4. Florida 0.9759
5. Michigan 0.9705
6. Louisville 0.9540
7. LSU 0.9524
8. Auburn 0.9360
9. USC 0.9331
10. Notre Dame 0.9226
11. Rutgers 0.9167
12. Arkansas 0.9150
13. West Virginia 0.9140
14. Wake Forest 0.8968
15. Oklahoma 0.8928
16. TCU 0.8911
17. Penn State 0.8801
18. Tennessee 0.8723
19. California 0.8667
20. Oregon State 0.8585
21. Texas 0.8397
22. Brigham Young 0.8253
23. Virginia Tech 0.8240
24. Hawaii 0.8153
25. Maryland 0.7994
26. Texas A&M 0.7989
27. South Carolina 0.7880
28. Georgia 0.7865
29. Kentucky 0.7860
30. Nebraska 0.7720
31. Boston College 0.7605
32. Georgia Tech 0.7556
33. Cincinnati 0.7484
34. Central Michigan 0.7382
35. South Florida 0.7071
36. Houston 0.6774
37. Clemson 0.6769
38. Oregon 0.6678
39. Southern Mississippi 0.6623
40. UCLA 0.6552
41. Navy 0.6541
42. Tulsa 0.6536
43. Missouri 0.6284
44. Oklahoma State 0.6136
45. Washington State 0.6078
46. Texas Tech 0.6047
47. San Jose State 0.5939
48. Purdue 0.5887
49. Arizona 0.5862
50. Arizona State 0.5853
51. Miami (FL) 0.5768
52. Florida State 0.5685
53. Minnesota 0.5574
54. Ohio 0.5445
55. Kansas State 0.5444
56. Washington 0.5424
57. Utah 0.5330
58. Middle Tenn State 0.5058
59. Western Michigan 0.4920
60. Rice 0.4914
61. Troy 0.4904
62. East Carolina 0.4865
63. Indiana 0.4858
64. Iowa 0.4621
65. Pittsburgh 0.4549
66. Wyoming 0.4545
67. Kansas 0.4326
68. Northern Illinois 0.4306
69. Nevada 0.4257
70. New Mexico 0.3991
71. Connecticut 0.3709
72. Colorado State 0.3684
73. Alabama 0.3624
74. Baylor 0.3598
75. Air Force 0.3589
76. Virginia 0.3409
77. Southern Methodist 0.3395
78. Tulane 0.3333
79. Louisiana-Lafayette 0.3313
80. Arkansas State 0.3134
81. Ball State 0.3132
82. North Carolina State 0.3104
83. Fresno State 0.2993
84. Vanderbilt 0.2925
85. Akron 0.2848
86. Syracuse 0.2833
87. Kent State 0.2825
88. Toledo 0.2811
89. San Diego State 0.2723
90. Texas El-Paso 0.2702
91. Northwestern 0.2664
92. Michigan State 0.2491
93. Iowa State 0.2479
94. Marshall 0.2411
95. Mississippi State 0.2361
96. Florida Atlantic 0.2267
97. Alabama-Birmingham 0.2128
98. Army 0.2113
99. Mississippi 0.1990
100. Central Florida 0.1909
101. Bowling Green 0.1821
102. Louisiana-Monroe 0.1731
103. North Carolina 0.1435
104. Idaho 0.1395
105. North Texas 0.1380
106. Colorado 0.1311
107. Illinois 0.0983
108. Buffalo 0.0921
109. Stanford 0.0921
110. Miami (OH) 0.0909
111. UNLV 0.0900
112. New Mexico State 0.0890
113. Utah State 0.0831
114. Louisiana Tech 0.0760
115. Temple 0.0607
116. Eastern Michigan 0.0557
117. Memphis 0.0449
118. Duke 0.0000
119. Florida International 0.0000

Was that necessary?

The Yankees are sending their Big Unit to Arizona but they're keeping their Wang.

On Politics

The people have spoke - the bastards.

- Dick Tuck

Except for me

Bylaw 2.9 of the NCAA Manual states:

"Student participation in intercollegiate athletics is an avocation, and student-athletes should be protected from exploitation by professional and commercial enterprises."

Bad Form #$@!%#$

The 1991 Guiness Book of World Records has a category of Board Games in which they list records for Backgammon, Chess, Checkers, Monopoly, Scrabble and Goose.

There is no mention of Parcheesi.

NFL Playoff Predictions

NFL Playoff Round 1 predictions:

Chiefs defeat Colts
Seahawks defeat Cowboys
Patriots defeat Jets
Eagles defeat Giants

Weigh in with a comment or your own post.

Oh..My..God!

Some years ago, a good friend of mine advised me that "the Big 10 is first and foremost, a basketball conference". I'd never viewed the Big 10 in such a light and wasn't convinced at the time of the significance of the declaration.

This morning, however, my friends' words came back to me in haunting fashion when my father announced "Penn State is undefeated in the Big 10! They're on their way to the Big Dance!"

Penn State (10-4 overall, 1-0 Big 10) defeated Northwestern (10-4 overall, 0-1 Big 10) 83-57 last night in a basketball contest.

Now, my father competed in high school football and wrestling and was an All State performer in both sports. In my entire life, he has held any contest other than football, wrestling and baseball in some degree of disdain. The fact that he even knows Penn State plays basketball is unsettling, let alone expressing optimism that the roundballers are going to have a good season.

Coming off a 20-10 Outback Bowl victory over Tennesee on New Year's Day, all expectations would be that the discussion around here would center on how well the football team played and how this performance would bode well for the 2007 campaign.

But just 3 days after a big victory by the football team, my father is crowing about the Penn State basketball team.

And I'm blogging about it.

The basketball team.

The Debate Is On

Boise States' thrilling OT victory over Oklahoma has initiated the following debate amongst the talking heads on ESPN:

Is it "Hook and Ladder" or "Hook and Lateral"?

NCAA re-classification?

The Boise State Broncos won an 43-42 OT thriller over the Oklahoma Sooners last night in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Boise State did the same thing they've been doing for several years now in football games. They blocked, they tackled, they moved the sticks, they won the game.

The pre-game hype of "David" (BSU) vs. "Goliath" (OU) was always just hype. The notion that the non BCS conference team (BSU) wouldn't be able to "hang" with the BCS conference team (OU) was disproved. Again.

The BSU victory invokes cries of "We deserve a chance for a National Championship" from the BSU faithful. Alas, it is not to be.

For the distinction of being classified a "BCS" or "non BCS" conference has nothing to do with quality of football play and everything to do with the number of television sets in a conference' regional viewing area.

There simply are not enough television sets in Idaho for the Boise State Broncos to have done anything other than "catch lightning in a bottle".

O('s)ffseason

The O's have been busy wheeling and dealing this offseason and I have become hopeful for a winning 2007 campaign.

The acquisition of SP Jaret Wright and RPs Scott Williamson, Jamie Walker, Danys Baez and Chad Bradford mildly aids the starting rotation and almost completely revamps one of the worst bullpens in the AL.

Pitcher	W	L	ERA	WHIP	Saves
Jaret Wright	68	57	5.07	1.55	0
Scott Williamson	27	28	3.32	1.29	55
Jamie Walker	15	16	3.95	1.26	5
Danys Baez	31	37	3.79	1.31	111
Chad Bradford	27	18	3.40	1.4	9

There is hope that the addition of Wright will be more valuable than his career stats indicate. In his one full season under Mazzone (O's pitching coach) while with Atlanta, Wright posted a 15-8 record with a 3.32 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.

The corp of acquired relievers is stellar when compared to recent O's bullpens. The fact that this group has 180 Saves among them, means that O's closer Chris Ray should not have to carry the entire late inning load. In 2006, Ray was a dominant closer when rested. He was hittable when pitching for the 3rd or 4th day in a row.

The offense has been bolstered with the addition of Jay Payton (OF, .284 BA, 10 HR, 42 RBI career averages) and Aubrey Huff (1B/3B/OF, .285 BA, 20 HR, 70 RBI career). Both Payton and Huff have been solid bats throughout their careers as well as versatile defenders. This should provide O's manager Sam Perlozzo with valuable flexibility in crafting a starting lineup on a day-to-day basis that keeps hot hitters in the lineup, removes cold hitters from the lineup and provides favorable matchups against the opposing starting pitcher.

Of course, as with any baseball team, starting pitching will primarily decide a winning or losing campaign. Erik Bedard, Kris Benson, Daniel Cabrera, Adam Loewen and Jaret Wright provide 5 talented arms. If this group can realize its' potential, it will be happy days on the Chesapeake once again.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Perhaps I'll pass on the wakeup call......

Mentzer College Football Rankings (Top 25) - After 12/03 Games

With the season finished and prior to the bowl games, here is the Mentzer Top 25. USC lost moving them down to 9th, and Notre Dame, who lost to USC moved in front of them. The fan favorite Penn State comes in at number 16 and the 4 teams they lost to are in the top 7. Boise State should be playing the Buckeyes for the National Championship, but the BCS struck and annointed Florida as the 2nd best team in the nation. If Ohio State wins, they will have beaten the #2 ranked team in the nation 3 times this season, Texas at the beginning of the year, and Michigan and Florida at the end of the year. I'll post my picks to the Bowl Games later based on my rankings.

Rank	Team	Percentile
1	Ohio State	1.0000
2	Boise State	1.0000
3	Michigan	0.9926
4	Wisconsin	0.9829
5	Florida	0.9700
6	Louisville	0.9683
7	Notre Dame	0.9607
8	LSU	0.9429
9	USC	0.9359
10	Auburn	0.9245
11	Arkansas	0.9208
12	Rutgers	0.9111
13	Tennessee	0.9102
14	Oklahoma	0.9093
15	West Virginia	0.9042
16	Penn State	0.9000
17	Wake Forest	0.8932
18	TCU	0.8726
19	California	0.8600
20	Virginia Tech	0.8571
21	Texas	0.8528
22	Texas A&M	0.8494
23	Oregon State	0.8485
24	Nebraska	0.8243
25	Hawaii	0.8144

Progress?

Today, we let the gals play.

Mentzer College Football Rankings (Top 25) - After 11/18 Games

Rankings after The Big Game and all others that occurred this past saturday. The beloved Nittany Lions climbed 3 spots for beating Michigan State, and the 4 teams that beat Penn State are in the top 5. Ohio State took over the top spot followed by Boise State and Michigan. Rutgers dropped 10 spots to number 13.

1. Ohio State 1.000
2. Boise State 1.000
3. Michigan 0.992
4. Wisconsin 0.982
5. Notre Dame 0.982
6. West Virginia 0.972
7. Arkansas 0.970
8. Louisville 0.964
9. Florida 0.961
10. USC 0.954
11. Auburn 0.932
12. LSU 0.927
13. Rutgers 0.927
14. Penn State 0.909
15. Tennessee 0.906
16. Georgia Tech 0.896
17. Wake Forest 0.892
18. Oklahoma 0.892
19. Virginia Tech 0.886
20. Texas 0.869
21. California 0.865
22. Maryland 0.854
23. Nebraska 0.850
24. TCU 0.832
25. Texas A&M 0.829

Mentzer College Football Rankings (Top 25)

Being the week that it is in Columbus, OH I thought it good time to publish my rankings for 2006 season. In case you don't know what week it is in Columbus, the FRONT PAGE of the Columbus Dispatch had a full blown picture of Ohio State vs. Michigan. Not the front page of the Sports section, but the front page of the entire newspaper. People around here seem to think that this game is a big deal.

It is the first time ever that the two teams have met ranked #1 and #2 and I'm pretty sure the first time they have met since 1934 with both teams undefeated. This may actually turn out to be a good game. Anyway, here are the rankings as I have put them together.

As for the rankings, note that Penn State is ranked 17th. This is because they have lost to #1 Michigan (0 losses), #2 Ohio State (0 losses), #5 Wisconsin (1 loss to Michigan), and #6 Notre Dame (1 loss to Michigan).

Team Points

1. Michigan 1.0000
2. Ohio State 1.0000
3. Rutgers 1.0000
4. Boise State 1.0000
5. Wisconsin 0.9868
6. Notre Dame 0.9864
7. Louisville 0.9851
8. West Virginia 0.9702
9. Arkansas 0.9630
10. Florida 0.9551
11. USC 0.9440
12. Wake Forest 0.9182
13. Auburn 0.9150
14. LSU 0.9132
15. Maryland 0.9123
16. Oklahoma 0.9048
17. Penn State 0.9007
18. Tennessee 0.8927
19. Georgia Tech 0.8916
20. Texas 0.8809
21. California 0.8762
22. Virginia Tech 0.8503
23. Nebraska 0.8469
24. Clemson 0.8315
25. Texas A&M 0.8253

Orioles Mailbag: should Hernandez DH more? Will big Russ Ortiz and Rodrigo be back?

Mailbag: Should Hernandez DH more?
Beat writer Spencer Fordin answers Orioles fans' questions

Would Ramon Hernandez have had a better season if he caught less games or spent more time as the designated hitter during the hot summer months?-- Walter B., Las Vegas

Hernandez just had the best offensive season of his career, so it's hard to say whether he would've been able to do even better. The backstop went into 2006 as Baltimore's most heralded acquisition, and he justified the acclaim by handling his job behind the plate and setting career highs in home runs (23), RBIs (91) and hits (138). Hernandez also set personal bests for a full season in both on-base percentage (.343) and slugging (.479).
The veteran managed all those numbers despite a wicked midseason slump that dropped him from the middle of the batting order to the bottom. Hernandez hit .260 or better in every month except July, when he hit .180. His power numbers dropped in the second half, but he finished the year with three homers in his last five games. In Baltimore's anemic offense, Hernandez ranked second in homers, RBIs and extra-base hits (54).
The Orioles are counting on Hernandez to produce a similar year in '07 -- preferably without the midseason swoon. And his bat is just an added benefit. The former All-Star was signed for his ability to work with young pitchers, a trait he showed in prior stops in Oakland and San Diego. If Hernandez can coax the best possible results out of pitchers like Erik Bedard, Daniel Cabrera and Adam Loewen, the O's won't care how he hits.

What are the Orioles going to do about Rodrigo Lopez? As a starter, he had the most losses in the Major Leagues. Is he going to stick in Baltimore as a reliever?-- Joshua S., Centreville, Va.

Lopez might be a lost cause. Baltimore gave him every chance to succeed, but he became just the third pitcher in franchise history to lose more than 17 games. Lopez had an ERA under 5.00 in just two months -- August (4.85) and September (3.97) -- and both came way after his season was beyond redemption. Despite all that, Lopez is still under contractual control, and the O's will likely try to trade him in the early part of the winter.
That's really the only recourse. Lopez, who holds a career record of 60-61, is a year shy of free agency. The Orioles will likely decline to offer him arbitration, because the process would all but guarantee a raise. In this case, that would mean a salary of $4 million or more. If a trade proves unlikely or impossible, Baltimore's only other option is to refuse to offer him a contract. In that case, Lopez would become a free agent.
What would be the point of losing him without compensation? In this case, it would mean saving $4 million or more. Baltimore isn't going to pay a reliever that much, and Lopez has pitched himself out of the rotation permanently. The Orioles will shop for a starting pitcher to take his spot -- even if it means paying more money. Lopez would do well to land with a National League team, where he could miss some of the game's biggest bats.

Angel Chavez, who came to the Orioles in the Jeff Conine trade, appears to be Baltimore's best shortstop in the Minor Leagues. Is he the fall-back option if the O's opt to trade Miguel Tejada?-- Jeffrey B., Camden, Maine

Chavez is an interesting player, but he can't fill Tejada's cleats. The infielder showed some pop last season -- which he split between Double-A and Triple-A -- but his true purpose in the organization is to add depth. Think of him as a supercharged Brandon Fahey, but without the ability to play left field. Tejada is the team's most indispensable player, and if the Orioles trade him, they'd likely need to land a replacement in the deal.
Chavez, meanwhile, may fit into the team's plans as a future utilityman. Second base and shortstop are the team's two strongest positions -- thanks to Brian Roberts and Tejada, respectively -- but Baltimore sorted through its utility options last season. Ed Rogers, Howie Clark and Fernando Tatis were all given chances to stick as reserve infielders, but none grabbed the job. If he ever gets the chance, Chavez may fare better.

What's the deal with Russ Ortiz? Will he be back next season?-- Emmaleigh O., Clay, W.Va.

Ortiz recently filed for free agency and most likely won't be back in Baltimore next season. The veteran went winless in 26 appearances last season and lost starting jobs with both Arizona and the Orioles. He allowed 18 home runs in 63 innings and may never regain the form that made him a strong starter with San Francisco and Atlanta. Ortiz doesn't have much velocity anymore and can't fool hitters with his breaking stuff.
Another Oriole, infielder Chris Gomez, filed for free agency at the earliest possible moment. Gomez spent two years in Baltimore and proved that he can still field adequately at every infield position. The 35-year-old does most of his damage against left-handed pitchers and will be searching for a utility job. Two years ago, Gomez signed as a Minor League free agent. This time, he may have to look for the same kind of deal.

O-R-I-O-L-E-S: Millar & Hawkins are now free agents

BALTIMORE -- Kevin Millar and LaTroy Hawkins filed for free agency on Monday, rounding out Baltimore's list of eligible players. Both veterans played with the Orioles for one season, and both may still be in the team's plans for next season.
Millar signed with Baltimore last winter and started at first base for most of the season. He surged in the second half and finished with the second-highest on-base percentage (.374) of any Baltimore regular. Millar had spent the previous three seasons with division rival Boston.
Hawkins, meanwhile, was one of the only veterans in a youth-laden bullpen last season. Baltimore leaned on him heavily late in games, and he responded with a 3-2 record and a 4.48 ERA. Hawkins served as a role model for many of his younger teammates and was popular inside the clubhouse.
Three Orioles filed for free agency over the weekend, which was the earliest possible time under the league's basic agreement. Utilityman Chris Gomez and reliever Russ Ortiz filed Saturday, the first day after the World Series, and backup catcher Chris Widger followed suit on Sunday.
Gomez spent two seasons with Baltimore, but the other two were relative newcomers. Ortiz joined the Orioles after getting released by Arizona, and Widger was a late signing after Baltimore traded Javy Lopez to Boston. Neither player contributed much in their brief auditions.
Widger got just 17 at-bats with the Orioles before a pinched nerve cut his season short. Ortiz, on the other hand, made five starts and 15 relief appearances for the Orioles. The right-hander went all season without a win and allowed 18 home runs in 63 innings as an Oriole.
Gomez missed two months with a broken bone in his right hand and only had 14 hits when September started. But he had a huge month, batting .437 (31-for-71) and finishing his season with a career-best 18-game winning streak. Gomez can still play all four infield positions.

"L-O-U-S-Y"

'Lousy' most fitting word for performance

Joe Paterno needed just six words to perfectly describe his team's performance during a 26-12 win against Illinois on Saturday.

Lousy, lousy, lousy, lousy, lousy, and for good effect, lousy.

"We're just lousy," Paterno said for the sixth and final time during a brief postgame press conference. "Can I get that across? It's spelled L-O-U-S-Y."

A graduate of Brown University's English program, Paterno probably has other words in his vernacular to sum up the Nittany Lions' effort.

Disgusting, horrendous and miserable come to mind.

"We struggled a little bit today," senior running back Tony Hunt said before reconsidering. "Well, a lot."

For the second straight week, Penn State's rushing attack faltered behind a porous offensive line. The last two games, Penn State has rushed for 26 yards on 49 attempts.

"I didn't feel like most guys out there -- including myself -- were making the second effort to get on blocks and things like that," All-America tackle Levi Brown said. "You can't have that if you want to win games."

The lack of effort was clear, as the Lions had just 184 offensive yards.

"[Paterno] used the word lousy for our offense, and I have to totally agree," said sophomore wide receiver Derrick Williams, who finished with 26 receiving yards and seven rushing yards. "Everybody needed to pick it up everywhere."

But nobody did. For Penn State's offense, momentum was nonexistent. Even after sophomore safety Anthony Scirrotto intercepted a Juice Williams pass on the Penn State 17-yard line and returned it to the Lions' 47-yard line, the offense started with no drive -- literally.

The next three plays, Penn State moved three yards, all on a run by Hunt on first down. Two incomplete Anthony Morelli passes later, Jeremy Kapinos punted, his fourth of eight eventual punts.

Subtract Dan Connor's safety, Tony Davis' fumble return for a touchdown and Scirrotto's kickoff return for a score, and Penn State's offensive production was nine points.

And while it's easy to credit Penn State's defense with the win, Juice Williams constantly confused the Lions' defense with the option, helping his team to 202 total rushing yards. Over and over again, the Illini ran the option to defensive end Tim Shaw's side, usually with success.

This week, Mike Hart, Brent Bracket and walk-on wide receiver Patrick Mauti all tried to play Juice Williams' role on the scout-team offense. Defensive end Josh Gaines even said Mauti broke a few runs for touchdowns in practice. With that said, it's not so surprising the defense couldn't stop Illinois.

If Penn State hadn't had a few timely defensive plays and a solid special teams performance, Illinois would have easily spoiled a perfect homecoming weekend in Happy Valley. In fact, the Fighting Illini should have. Penn State didn't deserve a victory Saturday, and the alumni didn't deserve an abysmal performance.

And at the end of the day, Paterno didn't even need six words to accurately judge the Lions' play. He could have done it in one -- lousy.

Arthur Rhodes files for free agency (10/29/06)

(10/29/06)

NEW YORK - One day after the World Series ended, baseball’s business season began Saturday when San Francisco’s Barry Bonds, Oakland’s Frank Thomas and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Nomar Garciaparra headed 59 players who filed for free agency.

Oakland pitcher Barry Zito and Washington’s Alfonso Soriano are the biggest names available in this year’s free-agent class. Approximately 200 players are eligible to file by the Nov. 11 deadline, and free agents can start talking money with all teams the following day.

Under new rules this offseason, free agents do not face any deadlines to re-sign with their former teams. In the past, players had to re-sign by Dec. 7 (or Jan. 8 if offered salary arbitration) or else could not return to their former teams until May 1. The deadlines were eliminated in baseball’s new labor contract.

Among pitchers, the Chicago Cubs’ Kerry Wood and Houston’s Andy Pettitte could attract some interest. The Astros’ Roger Clemens also is eligible, but the 44-year-old hasn’t indicated whether he wants to pitch in 2007 or whether he’d consider leaving his hometown team.

Outfielder Luis Gonzalez, not wanted back by Arizona after eight seasons with the Diamondbacks, plans to play next year.

Bonds completed a $90 million, five-year contract with the Giants. He has 734 homers, 21 shy of Hank Aaron’s record, but it isn’t clear whether the Giants want him back. After missing most of 2005 because of a bad knee, Bonds batted .270 with 26 homers and 77 RBIs in 367 at-bats this year.

“A lot of players are somewhat nervous or apprehensive about becoming free agents because of all the uncertainty,” Bonds’ agent, Jeff Borris, said Saturday. “Barry has nerves of steel. That’s also evident in the way he plays baseball.”

Five players filed Saturday from the New York Mets: outfielders Cliff Floyd and Ricky Ledee, pitchers Orlando Hernandez and Steve Trachsel and shortstop Chris Woodward.

Five players also filed from Philadelphia — catcher Mike Lieberthal and pitchers Arthur Rhodes, Rick White, Randy Wolf and Aaron Fultz — along with five from San Diego.

Three players filed from the New York Yankees: infielder Miguel Cairo, reliever Octavio Dotel and outfielder Craig Wilson.


© 2006 The Associated Press.

Insight

Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel.
-- Homer Simpson

Gettysburg Times (10/23/06: Officials pestered by pigeon population

BY SCOT ANDREW PITZER
Times Staff Writer

Gettysburg leaders are pestered by pigeon droppings peppering the rooftops of borough buildings.
For years, Gettysburg Borough Council has explored methods of ridding the municipality of the havoc-inducing winged pests.
The borough has budgeted $2,000 in past years for poisoning related purposes.However, that method doesn’t appear to be working.
Borough officials discussed the pigeon matter during a budgetary workshop Thursday evening.
Officials want to invest in a better population control option.
“We’ve been paying to poison the pigeons for a long time,” said finance director Ramona Overton. “It’s not working.”
The pigeon problem is frequent in at least five or six quadrants of the borough.Particularly, the burgeoning population flutters through the heart of town — Lincoln Square.
The birds frequently deposit waste products, which decay buildings, vehicles, and destroy property.
“They’re bad at my house,” said councilman John Murphy, a Long Lane resident.
The birds are also spotted regularly atop the roof at the historic Gettysburg Railroad Station on Carlisle Street.
Overton suggested investing in a method that would permanently address Gettysburg’s surging pigeon community.
“We should spend it once, and then we’re done,” Overton told borough officials, “insteadof paying for it again and again and again.”
Permanent deterrent methods — such as roof top metal spikes — could replace the present day pigeon control poison.
The borough finance director said ample funds are poured out of the municipality’s wallet,year after year, and it might be financially prudent to invest in a permanent solution, instead of temporary relief.
“Has the previous method not worked?” asked councilwoman Holly Giles.
Overton replied: “Don’t you see the pigeons? There doesn’t seem to be many solutions.”
Councilman Marty Qually suggested another solution.He said he was in favor of creating a municipal policy that would require property owners to help dispose of the unwelcome feathery creatures.
Contact Scot Pitzer at 334-1131, ext. 247 or spitzer@gburgtimes.com.

Pumpkin Carving

Happy Halloween!

P.S. My friends and I did this!

Your hangy ball...

...has a purpose! You've seen it. It dangles in the back of your throat like a piece of jewlery. I've always wondered, but I've never really known what its good for.

Somewhere along the way, I learned that the hangy ball (uvula) serves as a barrier against bacteria and other sources of infection along with the tonsals. This turns out to only be partially true. Interestingly, the tonsals and uvula aren't very good at this job and get infected themselves regularly. Their removal is one of the most common surgeries in all of medicine.

The uvula actually serves its most important purpose in newborns! It turns out that in newborns, the back of the throat is still developing, and these newborns haven't quite mastered the skill of breathing and eating separately and getting everything down the correct holes in the back of the throat. In these newborns, the uvula is positioned so that as they nurse they can drink milk and breath at the same time! As we grow, the back of the throat becomes elongated, so that the uvula no longer can hang in such a position, and thus we have to choose between swallowing and breathing, and can no longer do them simultaneously.

Election Season

The 2006 national election season is well under way. The most notable twist so far, the Republicans have sex scandals and the Democrats have money scandals.

Go Team!

It's been a treat to follow the Vikes so far this season. Although the offense has been anemic, the defense has been solid. In their worst effort of the first 5 games, they surrendered 19 points to the Bears, who lead the NFL in scoring thru 5 games.

Of course, the Vikings have produced respectable defensive efforts in September and October of past seasons, only to falter in the stretch.

This is a new team, though, with a new owner, a new head coach, much new personnel and a refreshingly new attitude. They have some young receivers on the offense that could develop into a reasonable offensive threat.

The Vikings are currently 3-2. If the defense stays tough and the offense comes around a little, they've got a shot at the post season.