This is how we do it in the heartland....

Once in a while you have to catch the young athletes doing something right. Great kids, great school, great story.

FROM THE DAILYHERALD.COM
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=333086

Tanner Robertsen has seen his mother and a grandmother deal with breast cancer this year.

And although both have finished chemotherapy treatments and are hopefully through battling the disease, he wanted to do something to honor them and raise awareness about breast cancer.

Inspired by NFL teams who wore pink accessories during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, he asked his dad, Mike, to get him a pair of pink socks to wear when he played for the Elburn Lions football team. Robertsen bought a pair from a Kaneland High School athletics group raising money for a breast cancer charity. They kept it a secret from mom Donna, who cried when the announcer said why her son was doing it.

And that might have been it. Except that Tanner, 12, has very supportive friends.

"The next week the whole team got them," Mike Robertsen said. "It was cool."

Robertsen said he and his wife were worried about how their children would handle the affect of her cancer. "To see his friends come to his side" showed integrity and good sportsmanship, values the Robertsens believe participation in youth sports can develop.

The Lions will wear the pink socks at their last game of the season at 3 p.m. Saturday at Aurora Christian School in Aurora.

There's talk, Robertsen said, that next year the whole Aurora Superstars league might wear the pink socks during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"To see something like this, it really inspires hope" that the next generation is becoming dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer, he said.

"When I was a kid you'd have had to tie me down to get those things on me."

Hallelujah, are they finally starting to see the light?

FROM THE WASHINGTON POST:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103004194.html


It's about time they realized that this bank scheme where by default you are "opted-out" of overdraft protection unless you "opt-in" was a license to steal. I shouldn't have to walk down the street and alert every passerby to not dip into my wallet, the presumption is to stay out of my wallet. The banks can easily decline the transaction, as is done with credit card transactions where you are over-limit. Instead, they opted to institute a practice of "legalized thievery".

The real hero in this is Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) who has done the heavy lifting on issues like this on behalf of consumers for years now. Congratulations to her that finally some of her colleagues are beginning to see the light. Finally some aid and comfort to Main Street at the expense of the "robber" banks.

BARNEY FRANK AND I ARE ON THE SAME PAGE - NEXT CATS AND DOGS LIVING IN HARMONY?

Bank overdraft fees as high as $39 on debit card transactions aren't "favors" for consumers if they haven't asked for them, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said.

"We wouldn't be in a situation where we're considering legislation if you would have had an opt-in regime from the beginning," said Frank (D-Mass.), addressing the banking industry at a hearing in Washington on Friday. "Don't do people favors without asking them."

For years, the banks have been using misleading internal polls saying people favored this form of thuggery. It's clear that they did not. For once, Washington listens.

Giants sign Freddy Sanchez

from sfgiants.com:

Freddy Sanchez signs two-year contract

Veteran expected to play important role in lineup
Keeping an eye toward bolstering the offense, the Giants made a somewhat expected move in that direction Friday by re-signing second baseman Freddy Sanchez to a two-year contract.

The Giants acquired Sanchez from the Pirates for right-handed pitching prospect Tim Alderson on July 29, believing the three-time All-Star and 2006 National League batting champion would strengthen their batting order. But shoulder and knee injuries limited Sanchez, 31, to 25 games. He hit .284 with one home run and seven RBIs for the Giants, and .293 with seven homers and 41 RBIs in 111 games overall.

This move was expected considering they gave up a top of the line prospect in Alderson to acquire Sanchez. The hope is they get a healthy Sanchez, one who is closer to the 2006 version than the one displayed in 2009. His defense is a plus as well.

Just thinking.....Game 1 Thoughts

Good first game last night. The umpires got the one "weird" call that came up correctly as Rollins was going to "drop" the ball and turn the D.P. Matsui handed him a gift by straying off the bag. It would have been a more interesting play if he had dropped it.

REPLAY FROM MLB.COM

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091028&content_id=7568728&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb



Gerry Davis is one of the better plate umpires out there--he has an umpiring stance named after him and everything--although some find his strike zone a bit tight. And I'm not referring to Phillip Hughes. Hughes is a AAAA pitcher at this point, who hasn't really earned the right to bark at all. Throw some strikes first, get some guys out. Last night, you were just begging and that should be beneath a pin-striper.

If it was me, I would have gone Lee-Hamels, but you can't argue against the drama and theater that is going to come along with Pedro Martinez returning to Yankee Stadium. Pedro looks like an artist out there, I just worry that his stuff might be too much like Lee's and the Yankees will adjust. Plus, the Yankee lefty hitters will have more of an impact and Pedro doesn't really hold runners on really well. But, we shall see.

GO PHILLIES!!!

Are we just building a new house of cards?

An alternative lesson from the double dip the economy took in 1938 is that the GDP created by massive fiscal stimulus is artificial. So whenever it is eventually removed, there will be significant economic fall out. - David Einhorn, Greenlight Capital

Are people are finally "getting" the media?

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 85% of U.S. voters trust their own judgment more than the average reporter when it comes to the important issues affecting the nation. Only four percent (4%) trust the average reporter more.
Eleven percent (11%) aren’t sure.

Ninety percent (90%) or more of voters ages 40 to 64 trust themselves more than the average reporter.

In part, this is because just 23% of all voters say the average reporter is about the same as they are ideologically. Fifty-three percent (53%) think the average reporter is more liberal than they are, while 16% say more conservative.

I did not know that, JK...

One of the most pervasive political visions of our time is the vision of liberals as compassionate and conservatives as less caring.

People who identify themselves as conservatives donate money to charity more often than people who identify themselves as liberals. They donate more money and a higher percentage of their incomes. - Thomas Sowell

Constitutional Myths: How the Supreme Court mangles the Constitution

The Separation Of Church and State - from Crosswalk.com

The phrase "separation of church and state" does not appear anywhere in the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson wrote that the 1st Amendment erected a "wall of separation" between the church and the state (James Madison said it "drew a line," but it is Jefferson's term that sticks with us today). The phrase is commonly thought to mean that the government should not establish, support, or otherwise involve itself in any religion. The Religion Topic Page addresses this issue in much greater detail.

But in early 1947, an entirely new agenda gripped the Court. In Everson v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment erected a "wall of separation" between church and state which must be kept "high and impregnable." Astonishingly, the Court cited no precedent from previous rulings. The case was an official betrayal of America's Christian heritage.

In this landmark decision, the Court lifted the words "separation of church and state" totally out of context from a single Thomas Jefferson letter, not even an official document, changed his intent, totally ignored the context of the message, Jefferson's many other words, and the many utterances of other Founding Fathers and all legal precedents, and instituted this radically new concept in law.

Jefferson's letter was to a group of Baptists who were concerned about a rumor that another denomination was about to be made the official national denomination. He wrote to assure them that such would not happen because the First Amendment has erected "a wall of separation between church and state." This, however, was in the context of the entire letter, emphasizing that God's principles would remain in government, but that the government would not run the church. The words "separation of church and state" do not appear anywhere in the U.S. Constitution or amendments. The First Amendment merely states that the Congress shall make no law that establishes a religion, or prohibits its free exercise. The purpose of the First Amendment was to prevent what the Founding Fathers had experienced in Great Britain: government control by a single denomination. In those days, the word "religion" was synonymous with the phrase "Christian denomination."

Is it time to * the Yankee$ or to praise them?

Now this is Moneyball!!

A match-up between the two largest payroll teams in each league. The Phillies and their $129 million dollar payroll do battle with the Yankees $207 million dollar payroll.

This follows a lead-in where every playoff series except one was decided by the team with the largest payroll winning over the team with the smaller payroll. And the one series where the smaller payroll did win, it was a virtual toss-up (Angels over the Sawks).

So you would have won five of the six playoff series simply by picking the team with the larger payroll. Following the trend, pick the Yankees to win easily over the Phillies.

Fun Moneyball Factoid:
The difference between the Yankees payroll and the Phillies payroll ($78.2 million) is greater than TOTAL payroll of 14 of the 30 franchises in major league baseball.

Is this good for baseball?
Is this a level playing field?
Isn't this rigging of the game in favor of the large media, large population franchises good for TV ratings in the short-term, but bad for the game long-term.

And then to hear my favorite little doorstop of a reporter from New York make the case that Yankee fans are the best fans in the world. For what? For continuing to come through the turnstiles in record numbers in the midst of the recession. Wow, they really have it tough.

Tell your problems to Saints fans who continued to support their team after their city nearly got blown off the map. And who continued to support the team even after losing a significant chunk of their population in the aftermath.

The New York metropolitan area, even after the current financial crisis, still has a population base of over 10 million fans to draw from and only one other team to share that base with.

It must be hard for New York fans when the system hands them the baseball version of the Globetrotters and invites the Washington Generals in on a nightly basis to "compete". And then puff out your chests and act like you accomplished something real or "earned" the title of "best fans in the world". Please!!!

Someone do a public service and please seat Mr. Lupica under the already crumbling structures around the "new" Yankee Stadium. I guess a billion dollars doesn't buy quality stadium construction these days.

Baseball's problem now and in the future is that a city like New Orleans--that supports the NFL and the NBA--would not be able to compete in the current economic and competitive environment of major league baseball. So where to expand? What community leader is willing to subject himself, his city and his wealth to this kind of a rigged game. Go to Vegas, at least you might get a free drink and a dancer.

In 1990, the Kansas City Royals had the top highest payroll in major league baseball. And the Yankees were somewhere in the middle of the pack. The Pirates were a viable, competitive franchise.

In 2000, the Yankees and Red Sox were nudging to the top along with the Braves and the Texas Rangers under owner Tom Hicks. Even then there were other teams within shouting distance of the leaders.

Today, we see a "haves" and "have-nots" division of the teams, with the top two or three teams having the odds of making and advancing deep into the playoffs heavily stacked in their favor. We have the top franchises treating their "business partners" with a "let them eat cake" attitude regarding revenue sharing.

It may be good for New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and maybe Chicago (eventually) but last time I checked, that accounts for eight of the thirty franchises in baseball. I'm not sure how long fans in the other cities will continue coming in record numbers to see AAAA baseball in their towns.

It is time to admit that the increasing disparity in payrolls--that has grown ever greater since the mid 1990s--is an indication that the so-called "luxury tax" has been largely ineffective. It functions as little more than temporary "hush money" to the smaller markets so that the larger market teams can continue to treat them like doormats under the facade of competitive balance.

Even MLB knows this. This is another George Mitchell Report that is gathering dust or being used as a doorstop at the league offices. This report is from 2000!!! And nothing substantive has been done to address the problems identified.

http://www.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20000701&content_id=388144&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

"Baseball's current economic system has created a caste system in which only high revenue and high payroll clubs have a realistic opportunity to reach the post-season," Mitchell said. "That is not in the best interests of baseball fans, clubs or players."

The economic analysis set out in the report further indicates that the limited revenue sharing and payroll taxes approved as part of the 1996 Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association have "produced neither the intended moderating of payroll disparities nor improved competitive balance."

It is past time for these guys to take another more serious run at this issue. For the good of The Game.

GO PHILLIES!!!! I'm sorry but rooting for the Yankees to do well is like rooting for Goldman Sachs. It just doesn't seem right.

Sportsmanship: Pre-Game Handshakes

IF YOU DON'T SUPPORT ACTS OF SPORTSMANSHIP, YOU PROBABLY LACK THE OTHER TWO QUALITIES LISTED - ETHICS AND INTEGRITY


Are you kidding me? We can't get together as leaders (coaches and officials) of young people and implement something as simple as a handshake? The mandate is supposed to be to build up these student-athletes in areas that transcend their athletic gifts.

Here we see where the competing interests fail once again to see the big picture. The fact that several NCAA teams declined to participate says all you need to know about the coaches involved and my hope is they get killed on the recruiting trail as a result. This "football game as war mentality" is one of the most foolish relics of the era of "old-school" coach mentality that is out there.

The fact that the University of Connecticut and West Virginia will get together, on their own volition--to remember and respect a fallen teammate and opponent--should give the knuckle-dragging cretins who oppose this "intrusion" into their pre-game motivation strategy all the perspective they need.

Sadly, most of them will still not get it.

THE COACHES DEBATE: (from the athleticmanagement.com story linked below)

To Shake or Not to Shake?
Some teams decided to answer Teaff's question and find out what happens when teams don't start the game by wringing hands. In one of the weekend's marquee games, Oklahoma State University decided against shaking hands with University of Georgia players.

"Our first concern was (we'll) have 115 guys out there and they'll have 70, it just takes one guy to pop off," OSU Head Coach Mike Gundy told The Oklahoman. "Then I don't know how you're going to break it up. How do you control something like that?"
But many teams participated in the sportsmanship initiative without incident.
"It's just another gesture to send a message that football is not a gentle sport by any measure but gentlemen can play it," Marshall University Head Coach Mark Snyder told The Herald-Dispatch
•••
Coaches React
At Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, every game is followed by a handshake, an act that is not likely to change because a college football player several states away punched an opponent. Montgomery County coaches view the incident as isolated and have seen much worse. In 2007, a James Hubert Blake High School player in street clothes carried a knife into the handshake line and cut three opposing players' hands.

"Ever since then, we've been able to use it as a teaching tool," Tony Nazzaro, Head Coach at James Hubert Blake, told The Gazette. "In that case, the person gave no indications beforehand of what he was going to do. But I've had kids who should be held out of the handshake because their emotions are still running too high ... Those type of incidents are few and far between, so we shouldn't let a couple of bad incidents ruin what is still a positive experience 99 percent of the time."
•••

MORE FROM THE NCAA AND THE AFCA:

http://www.athleticmanagement.com/2009/10/01/handshake_headlines/index.php

Handshakes and Fisticuffs
By Kyle Garratt

When the NCAA and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) named the first round of college football games "Respect Weekend" and encouraged teams to shake hands before each game in a show of sportsmanship, they probably didn't envision what would actually follow. The first game of the college season ended with a player punching one of his opponents, several teams declined to shake hands, and many were not shy to voice opinions for and against the pregame formalities. As it turns out, would-be friendly handshakes can turn quite volatile.
•••
Shakes Turn to Swings
Perhaps it was bad luck that the first game, and first pregame handshake, of the 2009 season packed more emotion than a typical non-conference contest. The University of Oregon was attempting to avenge a loss to Boise State University in which the Broncos knocked the Oregon quarterback out of the game. Senior running back LeGarrette Blount created bulletin board material before the game and a fiasco after. Blount used colorful language to imply his team owed Boise State revenge, rushed eight times for negative-five yards in the game, punched Boise State defensive end Byron Hout in the face before attempting to start fights with teammates and Boise fans, and was suspended from the team.

AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff did not blame the handshake for the ugly events after the game.
"I thought to myself, 'What would have happened if they hadn't shaken hands before the game?'" Teaff told ESPN. "This wasn't a fight. This wasn't a brawl. I was impressed by the coaches and players who showed restraint and self-control last night."
•••

-----

THE REPORT CARD

From Indystar.com 9/9/09

The NCAA and the American Football Coaches Association kicked off the 2009 season with a “Respect Weekend” in which all teams were encouraged to hold a pregame handshake ceremony to promote sportsmanship.

How did it go?

How did it go?

First, the players. With players cranked up before the opening games of the season, the concern was that one player saying something could mutate the handshake line into a riot. Didn’t happen. Not one pregame incident anywhere. A

Second, the spectators. On talk shows and sports blogs around the country, the majority of fans were fervently against pregame handshakes. When teams met in the middle of the field across the country, would they be drowned out by a chorus of boos? Didn’t happen. On TV screens across the country, stadium crowds spontaneously stood and cheered. A

Third, the coaches. With so many coaches growling at the formality, the concern was that colleges would refuse to do it. Didn’t happen. Other than Oklahoma State and Illinois, the vast majority of schools complied graciously.
For every Joe Paterno (Penn State) saying he didn’t need handshake ceremonies to instill sportsmanship, there was a Jim Tressell (Ohio State) saying the opportunity to shake hands with Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy “was something our kids will probably never forget.” B

Fourth, the aftermath. The NCAA and AFCA hoped the pregame gesture would reduce bad sportsmanship and carry over the camaraderie to the postgame atmosphere. Didn’t happen. After the Boise State-Oregon game, victorious Boise State players taunted Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount for making comments about them earlier. Blount retaliated with a sucker punch, for which he was suspended for the entire season. C-

--------

THE OFFICIALS POINT OF VIEW:

http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/football/articles/2008/12/12/referees_lose_on_handshake_rule_in_court/

Referees lose on handshake rule in court
By Dave Nordman
Worcester Telegram &Amp; Gazette / December 12, 2008

Official Protest
The football field hasn't been the only home for recent handshake debate. In October 2008, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) adopted a rule requiring basketball officials to stay on the court during the postgame handshake. The Massachusetts State Basketball Officials Association (MSBOA) objected to the rule on grounds that it put officials in danger of fans or coaches who were upset by calls during the game.

"Anyone who picks up a newspaper knows that we're living in a violent society," Alan Goldberger, lawyer for the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials, told The Boston Globe. "The rule is so absurd as to border on delusional."
The MSBOA filed a temporary injunction with the Worcester Superior Court, and the MIAA fired back.

"There is no merit to their case," MIAA lawyer James Long told the court. "We haven't had any problems. It's history vs. speculation."
Ultimately, the court ruled the officials must stay on the court until the handshaking is done.

As a high-school official in basketball, baseball and softball I can tell you I have always found the officials position of turning tail and retreating into the locker room after a contest to be one of the most chicken-hearted (I cleaned that one up) pieces of advice given to us at various clinics and from officials associations.

If you are afraid of abuse from fans you probably did not do a good enough job on the floor. The school is still required to provide for your protection even if you are required to stay longer to observe the post-game handshake. It is simply an extension of your job from the moment you hit the floor, which is to enforce sportsmanship and fair play from the get go. To duck and run after the final horn reflects a lack of seriousness and sincerity to that #1 priority of your job. What a poor image to reflect to fans, players and coaches.

I have stayed after games to watch friends work a higher level game and have never had a problem with fans, players or coaches, in fact quite the opposite. You can sometimes have an opportunity to explain rules or calls after the game in a less pressurized environment and help educate those that have never been there, done that.

At issue was a ruling by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association that referees, part of the Massachusetts State Basketball Officials Association, not leave the court until teams have exchanged the traditional handshake. In the past, the referees left the court immediately after they signed the score book.

After hearing arguments in a courtroom filled with referees, high school administrators, and MIAA officials, Judge Christine M. Roach ruled against the MSBOA. During the two-hour hearing, the group argued that the rule might cause physical harm, expose them to added liability, and interfere with their contractual relations.

The MIAA countered by saying there has never been an incident in which an official has been assaulted during a post game handshake.

From personal experience, I agree with the MIAA here, in fact the only incident I have had was with a parent, well after the game, outside the gymnasium. I don't see much risk in taking part in a school sanctioned, high-school association approved act of sportsmanship. And the officials association should have backed it to the hilt. So shame on us as well.

The IOC gets one right?

Couldn't agree with them more on this point of emphasis.

FROM THE WEBSITE OLYMPIC.ORG

05 OCTOBER 2009

Youth and Athletes at the heart of Congress discussions

http://www.olympic.org/en/content/The-IOC/?articleNewsGroup=-1¤tArticlesPageIPP=10¤tArticlesPage=1&articleId=73362

The XIII Olympic Congress today approved a set of recommendations with a strong focus on youth and athletes, declaring that “youth and athletes are equally at the heart of the Olympic Movement.”

Wrapping up a three-day meeting in Copenhagen’s Bella Center, the Congress embraced digital technology and the Youth Olympic Games as powerful tools for sharing Olympic values with the world’s youth. The 66 recommendations included proposals to get young people engaged in sport; to better protect athletes — medically, psychologically and after their sporting careers; to take full advantage of new digital technology; and to use the new Youth Olympic Games as a model for youth competition.

“The XIII Olympic Congress will be remembered as the Congress of Youth and Athletes. It has delivered clear guidance that serving young people and athletes should be our top priorities,” IOC President Jacques Rogge said. “We will find new ways to share the Olympic values with the world’s youth and get them involved in sport. We will redouble our efforts to protect the health and safety of athletes, and help them prepare for life after sport.”

The Congress also highlighted the problem of inactivity and called for action to address it, especially among young people. Delegates asked for closer cooperation between governments and sports organisations, and said governments should build more sporting facilities and offer more time for sport in schools, “at all ages and at all levels.”

The Congress called the new Youth Olympic Games “a unique opportunity in the history of the modern Olympic Movement to raise the bar worldwide in terms of the delivery of educational and sport programmes for all young people.”

emphasis added - C.S.

Does the stock market imitate baseball?

BULLS OR BEARS? FUNDAMENTALS OR TECHNICALS? SCOUTS OR STATS?


Fundamentals or Technicals, that is the question.
Is DOW 10,000 an important psychological number or just a number?
Time will tell.

FROM MARKETWATCH.COM

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/traders-mark-50-retracement-for-sp-500-2009-10-14

Yet traders who rely on technical analysis were focused on a different number and index. Specifically, 1,121 on the S&P 500 (SPX 1,088, +14.37, +1.34%) , another popular benchmark to take the market's pulse. Chart watchers have marked 1,121 for the S&P 500 as a crucial point because it represents a 50% retracement of the epic market crash that played out between October 2007 and March 2009. The 50% level is a favorite among traders because stocks have historically tended to move even higher once they clear that hurdle. Retracements of 38.2% and 61.8% are other key points, based on the Fibonacci series. 'Important level' The 50% retracement level of 1,121 is the midpoint between the S&P 500's all-time high of 1,576 in October 2007, and the bear-market low of about 666 in early March.

In regard to the lingering Moneyball debate of employing statistical analysis vs. old-school scouting of physical tools to evaluate players, I do see a bit of a parallel. The stock market has its own philosophical divide in the battle between those who employ fundamental analysis and those who believe in technical analysis to guide their evaluation of the market and how to trade.

And why not? Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball, previously wrote "Liar's Poker" which was about the financial industry and the big money players on Wall Street.

I think one of the lessons that baseball should have been learned from Moneyball was not to rely on just one method or the other, but an intelligent blending of the most effective information obtained from both methodologies. They complement rather than compete with one another.

One of the lessons learned the hard and expensive way from the recent market collapse was being blind or ignorant to the signals given by one methodology that are not looked at through adherence to the other can lead to repeated errors and frustration.

For what it's worth, my predictions for the market:
The DOW reaches 11,300
The S&P500 reached 1,295

mainly because,

The Dollar Index continues its slow death spiral and moves from $75 to $65. But hopefully, it does so in an orderly fashion. Doesn't that sound like how one would exit a burning building?

"The dollar worth less (two words) on the road to worthless (one word)"

The Treasuries are about to get their come-uppance with
The 30 year rising from 4.25% to 4.75% or higher shortly. Get your refi or your mortgage now, people.

which dovetails to,

Oil rising from $75 to $95 on the road back to triple digits.
Gold marches from $1,050 to $1,300--but it is....
Silver that shines brightest moving from $17.50 to $25
Ag Prices will rise with the Goldman Sachs Ag Index rising from 325 to 400
The CRB index rises from 270 to 320

So if you eat it, fuel your vehicle with it, produce anything with petroleum products, or use dollars to buy it, it will be more expensive in the future.

And tell your damn CPI to shut the heck up.

If the frauds in government had not criminally manipulated that statistic to rip off grandma and grandpa's Social Security cost of living adjustments, then we wouldn't be offering them $250 dollar "guilt" checks after the fact now would we?

These can't be any worse than my baseball predictions, can they?

Enjoy DOW 10K while you can folks, because we will ALL surely pay for it in the future. Let the great shell game of life continue.

Go Scorpions? I mean Giants in the AFL...

The Arizona Fall League season has begun and the following Giants have been assigned to the Scottsdale Scorpions. This is an elite "winter" league for those prospects the organization thinks highly enough of to want to give them experience against elite competition on a consistent basis.

The season never ends. Would I watch these games if they were a part of my cable/satellite package? Yes I would.

Pitchers:
RHP Joe Martinez
RHP Daniel Turpen
LHP Steve Edlefsen

Interesting choices here. Maybe they don't trust some of the arms to a coaching staff that is not under organizational control. Martinez could use the innings, having lost a lot of time after getting hit by a line drive early in the season. I guess they want to see if Turpen and Edlefsen can help on the middle of the bullpen next year. Turpen has not really impressed to date and Edlefsen has really been off my radar, so a bit of a surprise pick.

Position Players:
C Buster Posey
SS Brandon Crawford
OF Thomas Neal

This confirms the Posey era begins in 2010 unless he hits somewhere near the Mendoza line. I still think the Mets, Rays or even the Cubs could be possible suitors for Benji Molina. Brandon Crawford has to exhibit the one quality the organization cannot seem to impart to its young hitters, PATIENCE and PLATE DISCIPLINE. Too many K's not enough walks will get you killed in AA or above, and in an elite league like this. Thomas Neal could really cement his fast-track status as an elite prospect with a good showing here.

Happy 99th Birthday to John Wooden

John Wooden - Pyramid of Success

His record and accomplishments would stand by themselves in listing Coach Wooden at the top of the list of the greatest coaches of all-time. However, his approach to developing the athlete as a person as well as a player, IMO puts Wooden over the top.

Coach John Wooden: Pursuing Victory With Honor and the Teacher-Coach You Tube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvX0fkEp0cs

Pursuing Victory With Honor gives coaches and athletic administrators the tools they need to foster good character and positive sportsmanship in their young athletes. PVWH recognizes the unique learning opportunity that athletics has in shaping the character of today's student-athletes while still encouraging the competitive pursuit of victory.

John Wooden's Seven Point Creed

John Robert Wooden (born October 14, 1910, in Martinsville, Indiana) is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (Class of 1961) and a coach (Class of 1973). He was the first person ever enshrined in both categories.

John Wooden's Seven Point Creed, given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from grammar school:

Be true to yourself.
Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
Make friendship a fine art.
Build a shelter against a rainy day.
Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

From CharacterCounts.org

The Five Principles of Winning Honorably

Sports best achieves its positive impact on participants and society when everyone plays to win. Winning is important, and trying to win is essential. But so too is how you win. Below are five principles that all sports programs should follow:

1. Winning is important, but honor is more important. Quality sports programs should not trivialize or demonize the desire to win. It’s disrespectful to athletes and coaches to say, “It’s only a game.” The greatest value of sports is its ability to enhance the character and uplift the ethics of participants and spectators.

2. Ethics is essential to true winning.The best strategy is not to de-emphasize winning but to more vigorously emphasize ethical standards and sportsmanship in the honorable pursuit of victory. That’s winning in its truest sense.

3. There’s no true victory without honor. Cheating and bad sportsmanship rob victories of their value.

4. Ethics and sportsmanship are ground rules. Sports programs must never be subordinated to the desire to win. It’s never proper to act unethically to succeed.

5. Benefits of sports come from the competition, not the outcome. The vital lessons and great value of sports are learned from the honorable pursuit of victory, not from victories, titles, or win-loss records.

What did you say, coach?

SORRY COACH, NO CUSSING TODAY.


Some may feel like this is going a tad too far but...

Under the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules, which govern athletic contests nationally, coaches agree to abide by a Coaches Code of Ethics which includes the following:

- Each student should be treated with the utmost respect and his/her welfare should be considered in decisions by the coach at all times.

- The coach shall uphold uphold the honor and dignity of the profession.

- In all personal contact with students, officials.....the coach shall strive to set an example of the highest ethical and moral conduct.

...so I'm not sure how ANY coach can justify the use of profanities or vulgar language in the conduct of his duties representing himself, the school, the city or town the school represents and himself.

Now, having said that, I don't necessarily want the tape of some of my demonstrations as a coach rolled before my eyes again. But those were hopefully filed under the category of youthful indiscretions that I've learned from.

That is the main reason why I don't believe in a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY in this regard. When I referee or umpire if a player utters a profanity under his breath-- with no other overt demonstration--I just caution them to keep it down and try to control themselves a bit better. If it continues, then we may have a problem.

And there are certain words that will get you closer to trouble than others. The F-word and the G-D combination come to mind. But a zero tolerance policy doesn't allow for a teaching moment or a chance for the player or coach to gather themselves and make the correction. I don't go along with that. Because most do make the adjustment and there is no further issue.

I'm glad to see that it is being taken more seriously and emphasized to the coaches, players and officials. Like the games themselves, you can take it too seriously and create more problems than you solve.


From Tbo.com: Cursing Coaches get the message
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/oct/04/na-cursing-coaches-get-the-message/sports-prepsports/

Published: October 4, 2009

TAMPA - Mike DePue has spent nearly three decades as a football coach at Robinson High School. He has built a reputation for being among the more volatile coaches in the county, he says.

"I wear my passion on my shoulder," said DePue, now in his seventh season as the Knights' head coach.

Occasionally, like a lot of coaches, that passion has led to profanity.

"This is an emotional, violent game," DePue said. "Does it (profanity) happen? Absolutely. Has it happened in the past? Of course it has."

Two Hillsborough County volunteer assistant football coaches are no longer coaching after recent incidents of cursing on the sidelines during games. Now DePue - and every coach who has the occasional slip of the tongue - will be much more cautious.

"If you aren't cognizant and aware of what's going on, you're a fool," DePue said, "because the hammer is coming down."

Nevertheless, the dismissals have caught the attention of football coaches, including those at private schools.

"Are we perfect? No, we're absolutely not perfect," Jesuit football coach Joe Ross said. "But based on what's been going on around here lately, we certainly will try to be."

Zero tolerance

Lanness Robinson, Hillsborough schools' director of athletics, insists the district isn't cracking down on cursing coaches any more than usual. Robinson said coaches in all sports, paid and volunteer, are required to sign a form outlining the school district's conduct expectations. He said upholding those expectations always has been a priority, and the district's zero-tolerance policy regarding profanity always has been enforced.

"We don't allow our coaches to curse," Robinson said. "Period."

Profanity is prohibited by the state's athletic governing body, the Florida High School Athletic Association. The FHSAA handbook calls profanity unsporting conduct. The association's spokeswoman, Cristina Alvarez, said unsporting conduct can lead to fines, suspensions or both. The punishment depends on the severity of the incident.

Cursing 'commonplace'

No coach interviewed for this story condoned the use of profanity. Nearly all, however, admitted to their language fallibility.

"It's sad to say for the most part, but certain words in this day and age are commonplace," Riverview football coach Bruce Gifford said. "It's the everyday language now."

Most coaches said they see a difference in letting a profane word or two slip during a pregame speech to fire up a team and berating a player with a profanity-laced tirade. But the school district wants the athletic environment to be an extension of the classroom, said Alonso athletic director Kent Glover, and that means coaches must adhere to those standards.

Wharton football coach David Mitchell said coaches shouldn't rely on profanity to get their message across. They are supposed to be shaping the lives of the student-athletes.

Profanity is "going to happen. That's just the nature of the game. But you have to have control over it," Strawberry Crest football coach Todd Donohoe said. "You've got coaches that are slinging that (language) left and right, and they aren't the role models for what we want these kids to turn in to.

"I've been around long enough to know how difficult it is, believe me. But you've got to be able to look in a mirror and ask yourself, 'Is that the direction I want to lead my team?'"

One of the (many) qualities I admired in Tony Dungy as a coach was that he did not allow himself to slip into the mire of the culture and he asked his NFL teams to follow suit. It is a credit to the respect he had from his players that from all reports, they did not curse on the field while Dungy was the coach.

I know a couple of years back the NCAA promised a crackdown on coaches (basketball I believe) and their use of profanity. I am sure it applied to other sports as well.

From The Indianapolis Star and the Charlotte Observer:

The Star reports that college referees this year “will be cleaning up bad language” from college basketball coaches. Apparently this means that coaches will be given a technical foul whenever a dirty word is heard, without warning.

The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER adds-on about the move, reporting that some coaches are concerned the NCAA “will award postseason officiating opportunities based on how those rules are applied.”

Giants renew the Sabean-Bochy show for two years

San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean, left, and manager Bruce Bochy ponder questions during a news conference Monday, Oct. 5, 2009, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/giants/detail?entry_id=49464

As expected, the Giants have extended the contracts of general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy. The deals go for two seasons with club options for 2012.

As we all knew, Neukom approached this with a lawyer's mindset of setting and reaching objective benchmarks. That the Giants went from 72 wins last year to 88 this year boded extremely well for Sabean and Bochy to return.

The last line is good enough reason for Bochy to be retained, Sabean just got sucked in by the organizational euphoria. Hopefully, they don't get too giddy and think "we're only a player or two away" and overpay for another lousy free agent.

The organization still has to digest the Renteria-Rowand-Molina deals.

The credit for the turnaround really belongs to the scouting department. Another good year from Linceum, Cain showing signs of being a big time pitcher, a big hit with Sandoval rocketing through the organization, hope for the future with big time prospects like Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner showing signs of being big league ready.

All of these recent developments can be laid on the doorstep of the scouting department and the player development staff.

How about the future? On the major league roster, Jonathan Sanchez needs to have a breakout, plus .500 year and provide a power lefty arm to the starting rotation. The team needs to flesh out the 1B and corner OF positions with some combination of Travis Ishakawa, John Bowker, Nate Schierholz instead of Randy Winn and Freddie Lewis. A healthy, returning Freddie Sanchez helps add some diversity to the lineup, but more power from the traditional power spots in the lineup is a MUST.

From the minors, another good season even after the Angel Villalona debacle. After Posey officially comes off the prospect list (100+ Major League AB's) and Villalona is removed due to his transfer to the Dominican Penal League, who's next?

Michael McBryde comes off the list (25 year olds become suspects) and he really has not hit enough to be much more than a AAAA player. SS Brandon Crawford stalled a bit at AA, but he looks good to be a potential heir apparent once the Renteria contract expires. Conor Gilaspie seemed to regress a bit, but his numbers continue to be second to Posey in the organization. Ehire Adrianza continues to impress at Low-A. He's likely never going to light it up with the bat but he is a defensive wizard. Nick Noonan continues to struggle with plate discipline and that may be his eventual downfall. Of the potential power hitting, corner OF front I think Thomas Neal may have vaulted past Roger Kieschnick as a prospect. Both need to perform at the AA level before any definitive conclusions are drawn, but Neal may be a high riser.

OF prospect Wendell Fairley continues to languish. He has all the tools, it seems he just can't figure out how to use them. Charlie Culbertson may be odd man out at SS, perhaps a move toward 2B is in his future. Hector Sanchez showed promise at the Rookie level as a 19 year old catching prospect who hits. Rafael Rodriguez is only 17 and I am not falling into the "Villalona trap" of ranking teen-agers in the top ten anymore.

On the pitching front, the Bumgarner question need to be settled early. His late season drop in velocity may be a concern. Was it his youth contributing to his lack of durability rather than arm issues? He did pitch well after the drop, bit if he pitches into the 90's, he's a top of the rotation prospect, lower than 90 he may be a Noah Lowry clone. Either way, he should not be counted on for more than 150 innings if he's in the major league rotation. We have to find out what Kevin Pucetas can do as well as Daniel Otero in the bullpen. Both are 25, so we should be seeing about the best we're going to get out of both of these guys. Henry Sosa and Kelvin Pichardo are next on the "let's see what we have" crowd.

Dan Runzler made a meteoric rise through the organization. He is 24 years old so not as great a surprise. Jesse English, another LHP may surprise. There is no shortage of young, left handed prospects in the organization. Craig Clark add his name to the list this year. Ben Snyder LHP showed signs of life, but needs to do it at the AA level or above.

Of the draftees, Third round pick 3B Chris Dominguez showed some power at the short-season level. It will be interesting to see where he is placed next year. Seventh round pick 2B Nick Liles could be a surprise.

At what age should kids begin to compete in sports?

One of the age-old arguments in youth sports revolves around the question of when should kids begin to participate in sports competitively?

Are we "playing to win" or do we "just let them have fun and be kids"?

Many old-school, traditionalists feel like sports have become emasculated by the current "everyone gets a trophy", no winners or losers philosophy that has infiltrated sports recently.

Some question whether this helps kids make the transition to competitive situations they will certainly face later in life. Teens will compete for the limited numbers of placements in a favored college, for summer jobs, etc. Is sports the proper venue to teach kids how to compete? And if it is when is the proper time, if there is one?

As is true in many areas, experts continue to differ:

Rachael Lever of the Salt Lake City Parenting Examiner says “fun policy” leagues are wrong and teaching children that everything has to be fair sends the wrong message.

“It doesn’t teach them about being a gracious loser. It doesn’t teach them about being a gracious winner. They gain a false sense of fairness. If no one ever gets out, they don’t learn the real rules of the game.”

“People lose games. People have accidents. People die young. You don’t always get an equal portion of ice cream. Sometimes your words are misinterpreted. Sometimes you get blamed for something you didn’t do. Life is not fair. But it’s a great learning experience, and we are taking that away from our children.”

From the same article child psychologist Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., says children are more resilient than we give them credit for.

“If we want kids to see how they can ride out disappointment we need to let them stay on the ride.”

On the other hand, the “just let them have fun” advocates feel that serious competition should not be introduced until age 10.

Before age 10, sports should be about fun, skill development, coordination, and physical fitness.

Before age 10, children should be introduced to the concept of rules and how to cooperate.

Jay Coakley, professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Colorado, told the magazine. By age 10, most kids are ready to keep score and compete to win.

“Cooperation is the foundation of ethical competition. Unless they have those kinds of experiences, they’re going to turn into difficult-to-coach 12-year-olds.”

“Kids are going to lose in life. If we explain that that’s a terrible thing, they’re going to become competition-avoidant. Instead, use the opportunity to instill meaning in winning and losing and that the way we improve at anything is by trying.”

-------
The consensus seems to be that somewhere around nine or ten years old is the pivot point where competition can be introduced. The best work I have seen on the subject has been the concept of Long Term Athletic Development popularized by Dr. Istvan Balyi of the National Coaching Institute in British Columbia, Canada.

A summary of Balyi's work provides a common-sense outline for youth sports that I hope catches on south of the border.
- Balyi believes that from ages six to ten the objective should be for kids to have FUN in sports, participate and concentrate on general motor skill development.
- Learn to run, jump, hop, skip, climb, fall, tumble.
- Competition and results are not a priority.
- One or two practice/games per week for six to twelve weeks.
- If the child participates in other sports/activities 2-4 times per week, all the better.

- From ten to twelve fourteen old, INTRODUCTION to competition can begin.
- Some form of general training or sports specific conditioning can begin.
- The season can extend from the 6-12 weeks to as long as 20-30 weeks.
- Training and practicing should occur over game competition at a 3:1 ratio.
- 3-4 games/practices per week is preferred
- Participation in other sports/activities should still be encouraged at this age.

- From fourteen to eighteen years of age, the objective and focus turns more to athletic and sports skills development with competition an increasingly important issue for players and coaches.
- Coaches are focusing on developing and consolidating the physical, mental, technical and tactical skills and abilities of each player so they can compete at the appropriate level.
- Length of seasons progress to 35-45 weeks in length.
- Training/practicing and competing occur at a 1:1 ratio.
- As many as 6-9 games/practices per week are preferred.
- Participation in other sports would still be encouraged, but not during the same season.

- After 18 years of age, competition and high level performance are the objectives. Competing to WIN.
- Physical abilities should continue to be developed and maintained at a high level.
- Mental, technical and tactical skills are improved and developed according to the level of competition.
- Program length can extend to 45-50 weeks.
- Competing and sports specific practice is conducted over training at a 3:1 ratio.

A long-term outlook and commitment to both training, practicing and competing is required to produce elite athletes in virtually every sport. The good news is that the late specialization sports--like baseball--do not require a manifestation of immediate results for success at an elite level.

Your son does not have to be Tiger Woods, demonstrating precocious skills at age 3, to reach the top of the sport.

In sports like baseball, if you have the basic, fundamental athletic skills, you can be up to 16 years old before you start learning the technical aspects of the game itself and still reach your peak.

It is easier to teach an athlete to play baseball than it is to teach a baseball player to be an athlete.

Think Long-Term Athletic Development and not Short-Term Specialization.

It takes ten years of extensive training to excel in anything - Herbert Simon, Nobel Laureate

- Current research indicates that it takes between eight and twelve years of training for a player to reach the elite/expert level.

- Those involved in developing expert performance in sports believe that it generally takes up to 10 years or 10,000 hours of focused practice to achieve elite level of performance in sports activities (as well as playing an instrument, chess, etc.)

- Parents should avoid the tendency to push kids into "peaking by age twelve". Nothing is fundamentally determined by this age that is going to impact the players future.

Conclusions:

- Parents and Players are always searching for the magic drill or the magic coach that is going to take them to the promised land. It's a fallacy.

- There are no short-cuts to success in athletic development.

- An over emphasis on competition in early phases of training or development will always lead to shortcomings in an athlete's abilities later in the process.

- Due to the wide variation in development or maturity for athletes between the ages 10 through 16, any attempts to rank or order players are basically meaningless in the long-term. Some kids are early bloomers, others are late developers.

- Multi-sport participation should be encouraged over early sports specialization in order to develop a wide, solid base of motor skills in young athletes. Guys like Cal Ripken, Carl Crawford, Joe Mauer and many others have not been hurt by multi-sport participation.

I will also say that the biggest fallacy that exists is that some coach or instructor was responsible for a specific player making it to the major leagues. Nothing could be further from the truth, in my opinion. And parents shouldn't rest their hopes and expectations on any one coach or team to elevate the player into being anything he is not capable of being based on his work ethic or love for the game. Those two qualities will overcome a multitude of mistakes.

It is the player who gets himself to the major leagues. In my opinion, the people most responsible for helping a player succeed are his parents. Getting to the major leagues is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week, 365-day-a-year task. No coach or instructor is capable of making that happen individually. Unless, of course, the coach/instructor is the player's parent. Players will go through many different coaches in their climb up the ladder of success, they will only have one set of parents.

Sadly, in sports it seems as if success has many parents, but failure is an orphan.

The parent-child relationship is more important than any parent-coach relationship in determining the child's future development in and love for the sport. If that relationship is tainted or dysfunctional due to unrealistic or unhealthy expectations, no expert coach will be able to repair the damage.

Twins - Tigers: Let's get this party started

Maybe a poor choice of words. For the Tigers, maybe it should be "let's get Cabrera sober".

What was this jackass thinking? His team is involved in a down-to-the-wire pennant race with the Twins--and by being involved I mean gagging up a lead the way a cat gags up a fur ball--and this guys is carousing with his buddies on the White Sox until after 2 a.m.

With an alcohol reading three times the legal limit at 6 a.m. it would be amazing if dude sobered up entirely by game time that evening. AYFKM??

If I were a Tigers fan or Jim Leyland, he would sit tonight. I would rather lose without him than win with him at this point. His shenanigans helps explain his late individual late-season slump which has contributed to his teams slump. Put someone else in.

One good thing that may come after tonight is the Twinkees may get the respect and recognition they deserve as the best run franchise at this point.

They CONSISTENTLY get the most out of the least in terms of payroll resources.
They play the game right fundamentally and can play small ball or power ball.
They lose key guys for extended stretches (like Morneau this year) and keep on winning.

Maybe they need some Wall Street financial writer to fall in love with them or their GM and write a book about how they do it in order to get the respect they deserve. But knowing the way this organization operates, they'll probably just win tonight and let the results speak for them.

A very old school approach that works. HOW ABOUT THAT!!!!

The Smoking Gun that killed Chicago 2016?

At least according to NBC Sports & Olympics Chairman Dick Ebersol, who speculated that the USOC's move to create a separate cable channel for broadcast was a less than genteel attempt to grab an even larger portion of the pie than ever.

IOC members currently feel the USOC peels off a greater portion of the pie than they should be entitled to. The USOC I believe takes the position that since the lions share of the money comes from US TV networks and sponsors the money should be divided up proportionally rather than evenly.

EBERSOL INTERVIEW WITH CNBC:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232/?video=1282880714&play=1


Sounds like the MLB owners to me.

USOC NETWORK STORY FROM SPORTS-CITY.ORG
http://www.sports-city.org/news_details.php?news_id=9329&idCategory=24


USOC admits it badly miscalculated anger over TV plan
(Gee, you think?)

The United States Olympic Committee has conceded it badly miscalculated the angry IOC response to its plans for an Olympic television network but believes the row will not affect Chicago's bid for the 2016 Games.

"Simply put, we miscalculated the negative response to the launch of the United States Olympic Network," USOC acting chief executive officer Stephanie Streeter said on Wednesday.

"While we received many positive statements of support at home and from international members of the Olympic and Paralympic families, we have put the network on 'pause'."

The USOC announced in Berlin last month that it would delay launching a cable television network devoted to the Olympics.

Streeter, who was making a keynote speech to the U.S. Olympic assembly, said she did not think the dispute would adversely affect Chicago's bid.

The International Olympic Committee will choose between Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid in Copenhagen on October 2.

Streeter offered a conciliatory tone during her speech, saying the USOC hoped to work on the television project with the IOC.

So it sounds like it wasn't Obama's fault, not Bush's fault, maybe not even Daley's fault....all right I got carried away there for a minute, let me take a deep breath.

Whew, that's better.

But hey don't worry about Chicago, we'll move on. People are used to tough defeats up here. C'mon we have the Cubbies and the Bears to keep us in shape in the life disappointment department.

And to prove it, this was posted by a fellow Daily Herald reader earlier today.

From the Daily Herald comments section. Sometimes you find a diamond in the sewer.

10 Reasons Chicago Didn't Get the Olympics [from Rich Lowry]

10. Dead people can't vote at IOC meetings
9. Obama distracted by 25 min meeting with Gen. McChrystal
8. Who cares if Obama couldn't talk the IOC into Chicago? He'll be able to talk Iran out of nukes.
7. The impediment is Israel still building settlements.
6. Obviously no president would have been able to acomplish it.
5. We've been quite clear and said all along that we didn't want the Olympics.
4. This isn't about the number of Olympics "lost", it's about the number of Olympics "saved" or "created".
3. Clearly not enough wise Latina judges on the committee
2. Because the IOC is racist.
1. It's George Bush's fault.

That's just some funny stuff there, regardless of party affiliation.

It's all good though, there will be other Olympics. But they've just stiffed NYC and Chicago in the last two bids. Maybe they just love LA.

CHICAGO 2016 BOUNCED IN THE FIRST ROUND

Turn out the lights...
the party's over...
They say that all...
good things must end....
turn out the lights.......

WOW!!!! A first round knockout. Didn't see that one coming.

This is not referendum on President Obama. If anyone LOST the bid, I would gladly blame Mayor Daley. But even with his sub-Bush approval rating, he keeps getting re-elected. You get the government you ask for I suppose.

The late slump in local support (from 61% to 47%) has been widely attributed to Daley putting the taxpayers on the hook for any cost-overruns (in Chicago???). This was a no-win situation as well however, since if you do not put that safety net in place, the IOC doesn't bless the bid.

So the lesson learned when you deal with these scoundrels is that it always seems to be a no-win, damned if you do-damned if you don't scenario and that is where most of the local ambivalence comes from.

It will be interesting to hear the post-mortem blame game. The far-right and the far-left seemed to team up to rip Obama for supporting the "home" team. Lets' hear what each says now. It will also be interesting to hear the bleating coming from the Mayor's office. Can they possibly blame IOC corruption and insider dealing? With a straight face?

Maybe now the city of Chicago can dial back the hourly rate on their parking meters to somewhere south of the hourly minimum wage.

There's really no perceived upside to having this event anymore, except for a Rio that wants to CHANGE their image around the world. Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid seemingly do not need that as much as perhaps a Rio does.

I wish them luck. I hope for a lot of reasons that it is one of the most poorly watched and sponsored Summer Games in history. I was hoping for that result from the Games held in China, but no such luck.