2014 Major League Baseball preview

 

By: Peter Lewis

 



            It may be hard to believe, but it’s only been four months since the 2013 MLB (Major League Baseball) season came to a close with the Boston Red Sox besting the St. Louis Cardinals four games to two in the World Series.

                With less than a month left until the new seasons starts, teams in the American and National Leagues have reported to Arizona and Flordia for Spring Training.  The four months leading up to this moment have not been quiet, in only four months, the 32 teams of MLB were hard at work to contend for this new season as well as react to changes around them.

                The biggest story to come out of the offseason has clearly been the continuation of Alex Rodriquez’s fall from grace.  A-Rod has been suspended by MLB for the entire 2014 regular season, including post season play, for his role in the Biogenics scandal. 

The Red Sox World Series team lost valuable players, including Jacoby Ellsbury, Stephen Drew, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, with little to new additions.  The Tigers parted ways with Prince Fielder and Doug Fister, but did get Ian Kinsler and Joe Nathan to keep them in contention.  The Yankees attempted to build up the pitching signing Japanese phenomenon Masahiro Tanaka and picked up Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran to attempt to bring life to the lineup with A-Rod gone and Derek Jeter announcing 2014 will be his final season in MLB.  The Mariners though may have made some of the biggest moves in the offseason: picking up Robinson Cano, Corey Hart, Logan Morrison and Fernando Rodney.  While time and the season will tell if they’re ready to contend, it’s clear that the US Northwest is ready to compete.

                Out in the National League the defending league champion St. Louis Cardinals lost 2011 World Series MVP David Freese and Carlos Beltran, but quickly picked up Jhonny Peralta, Mark Ellis, and Peter Bourjos to continue the past seasons success and compete in an ever more difficult NL Central. The Nationals after a stunningly disappointing 2013 campaign, signed Doug Fister and have made all moves they saw fit to get back into contention with divison rivals the Atlanta Braves.  The Braves look poised to go farther in the 2014 post season.  The San Francisco Giants, after a disappointing and quiet 2013 season, avoided an offseason disaster by re-signing their top players, as well as adding help to left field and the batting to get the team back into contention.

 

WHAT TO EXPECT:

 

THE NATIONAL LEAGUE

 

NL CENTERAL:

 

With the moves needed made and the bullpen and rotation looking good enough to compete, the St. Louis Cardinals are in very good position to go back to the playoffs and redeem themselves in a possible return to the World Series in 2014.  Yet, the road will not be easy by any means.  The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds have shown they have the talent and coaching to go far in the season and postseason. 

            By letting go Manager Dusty Baker and bringing in Bryan Price, the Reds show that they want their talent to go further than losing in the wild card game year after year. 

In Pittsburgh, the rebuilding years are over and the Pirates turned the new success from 2011 and 2012 into postseason play in 2013 and their re-signing of important players and farm system look to be the Cardinals biggest obstacle in the NL Central. 

            The Milwaukee Brewers will get back Ryan Braun from his season ending suspension in 2013 after this role in the Biogenics scandal, yet their other problems will hold the team back from being a major contender for the division and wildcard. 

            The Chicago Cubs will begin renovations of Wrigley Field after the 2014 season.  This may be Cubs fans only thing to look forward to as the Cubs look to, be in an awful position with a lack of talent to compete for the wildcard, let alone the NL Central.

                The Cardinals, Pirates, and Reds are the clear top tier teams in the division, but it will most likely come down to the Cardinals and Pirates.  One will win the division and the other will be the first wild card and receive home field advantage in the wild card game in most scenarios.  Either way, it will come down to if both teams can overcome their usual season problems: bullpen troubles arising for the Cardinals and the Pirates’ difficulties keeping streaks going, plus momentum swings for both teams.  Nevertheless, come postseason time, both the Cardinals and Pirates will be major threats out of the NL.

 

The most likely final standings for the NL Central:

 

1. St. Louis Cardinals

2. Pittsburgh Pirates (WILD CARD)

3. Cincinnati Reds

4. Milwaukee Brewers

5. Chicago Cubs   

 

NL East

 

            After a miraculous turn around by the Washington Nationals in the past years, 2013 was a colossal disappointment to Nationals fans.  Injuries and controversies that plagued the 2013 campaign are over and the Nationals are ready for a dramatic turn around in 2014 at the mound and the plate.

            The Nationals main foe in the NL East during their turn around as well as last year, the Atlanta Braves.  The Braves without a doubt are stacked with talent and well able to win a lot and give the National League trouble. 

            The Mets looked to be ready for major postseason ambitions in 2013, until star pitcher Matt Harvey went down with an injury and will be out the entire 2014 season. The signing of Curtis Granderson and Chris Young shows some hope for the batting order and defense, but big positions at catching and first base remain a question. There is hope for a winning record for the Mets without a doubt, but postseason play may be a long shot.  For the Mets, the may just try to make it through 2014 without any problems and look to 2015 and beyond as their return to big time contention.

            In Philadelphia, hopes for the Phillies to get back to their winning ways as seen before 2012, will not be back in 2014.  Since Ryan Howard went down with an injury in the 2011 NLDS, 2012 and 2013 became underproductive and injury plagued for the former allstar.  Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels will keep the team from totally faltering, but an aging roster of over paid and past glory players will keep the city of Philadelphia unhappy, at least until the Eagles season starts.

            As for the Marlins, the hopes of becoming a major threat with the opening of their new stadium in 2012, new coaching, and new players are long gone and reality returned to Miami.  The roster is in shambles and on paper new players should help, but how many times have we heard that out of Miami in the past.  If anything, the Marlins have a shot at not having the worst record in MLB this season, but even that wouldn’t bring fans to the ballpark.  In all honesty though, is anyone in Miami even aware they have an MLB team?

            The Marlins, Phillies, and Mets are not a threat for the NL East or wild card, plain and simple.  The Nationals and Braves, however, will most likely be locked in battle for the NL East, the wild card looks to be out reach for either team due to the talent in the NL Central and West.  Expect a battle that could easily come down to the last game of the season to decide the NL East.

 

Projected final standings for the NL East:

1.      Atlanta Braves

2.      Washington Nationals

3.      New York Mets

4.      Philadelphia Phillies

5.      Miami Marlins        

 

NL West

 

The Los Angeles Dodgers after a change in management put a lot of money into new players in hopes of turning the team around, while it looked like it wouldn’t work at the beginning, the Dodgers made a quick turn around and become a major contender in the NL.  The offseason moves made by the team only add to the power of the bats and pitching looks to still be a challenge to any batter that gets in their way.  The Dodgers will clearly contend for the NL West and NL Pennant in 2014.

            As stated earlier, the San Francisco Giants are in prime position for a rebound and may very well be able to compete very competitively with the Dodgers.

However though in the NL West, the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres have quietly built up their teams and are ready to make a move for the NL West. The improvements and new talent picked up by the Diamondbacks look to put them in a position of postseason contention, where the Padres talent showed signs of taking the next step forward into major contention, if that same talent form 2013 improves as expected in 2014, this may very well be the case for the Padres.

            As for the Colorado Rockies, a surprising winning filled start in 2013 fell apart and the team never recovered.  Offensively, lighting could strike twice, but pitching wise, the team has little hope to compete with a newly more competitive NL West in 2014.

With the exception of the Rockies, the NL West is wide open.  The Dodgers are the favorite to win the division, but the remaining three teams have a shot at the last wild card spot.  The Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Giants, and Padres have the potential to finish in any order, and it wouldn’t be a major shock, but there is a possible safe bet to how they’ll all finish.

 

Projected finish for the NL West:

1.      Los Angeles Dodgers

2.      Arizona Diamondbacks (WILD CARD)

3.      San Francisco Giants

4.      San Diego Padres

5.      Colorado Rockies     

 

AL Central

 

            The AL Central like the NL East will be a two team race.  The Detroit Tigers even with the loss of Fielder and Fister, will still compete very well in the American League.  The newly built Kansas City Royals though will be very much up there with the Tigers in 2014.

            The remaining teams in the division: the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians have some good talent, but most likely will find problems that will keep them from postseason play in most cases.  The White Sox are in the process of rebuilding, the Twins have fallen off the face of the Earth after a major rebound two years ago, and the Indians, while the surprise team last year, will face an uphill battle against the Tigers and Royals all season.

            On paper, the Tigers and Royals will be the favorites, with the Indians giving a scare every once in a while, but in a sport where anything can happen and momentum swings rapidly, we shall see.

 

Nevertheless, the most likely final standings out of the AL Central:

1.      Detroit Tigers

2.      Kansas City Royals

3.      Cleveland Indians

4.      Chicago White Sox

5.      Minnesota Twins

 

 

AL East

 

            Defending World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox have done every correct step to ensure they’ll have a major shot at repeating as AL East Champions and go far in the postseason, the question is who will compete with them and most likely get the wild card?

            The Yankees have the money and are doing everything to prepare for a change as the team ages and players leave.  With A-Rod out and Derek Jeter set to play his last full season, the Bronx Bombers made many offseason moves to compete even with the loss of Robinson Cano.  As every year, the team looks on paper to be the favorite, but past years of rising inconsistent play and injuries are inevitable to show up in 2014.  They may not be severe on the record, but could be enough to keep the team out of the playoffs.

 

In Tampa Bay, even with the large cap salary wise against teams in their division, the Rays are in prime position to win the wild card and still on paper can be a World Series contender if all things go right, and for the Rays, past years have shown this may be a possibility.  This may be the year this happens, and the Rays are showing they are nowhere near hesitant to pounce on this opportunity.

            As for the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, the talent is there, but problems will keep them at bay.  Toronto has spent a lot of money to bring in talent with little to show for, a turn around in 2014 is a definite possibility, but may be unlikely for the team.  In Baltimore, the turn around in 2012 proved to be a one time event. 2013 was a major step back and 2014 doesn’t show any signs of getting better for the Orioles, the potential is there clearly, but the team can’t find a way to unleash it. For the Blue Jays and Orioles there is no time to sit around, by then the Red Sox, Rays, and Yankees will be far ahead in the standings, which looks to be the case in 2014.

 

Projected final standings in the AL East:

1.      Boston Red Sox

2.      Tampa Bay Rays (WILD CARD)

3.      New York Yankees

4.      Baltimore Orioles

5.      Toronto Blue Jays  

 

AL West

            In the American West, the Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s are the top dogs and either will win the division or wild card.  The talent, coaching, and management sets these teams ahead of the other three teams in the AL West.

            The Los Angeles Angels lineup of Pujols and Hamilton, that puts a tight grip on the payroll, shows no signs of doing anything spectacular this year.

The Seattle Mariners made shocking big moves, but most likely won’t be a major threat this year.

            As for the Houston Astros….

 

Projected final standings in the AL West

1.      Texas Rangers

2.      Oakland A’s (WILD CARD)

3.      Seattle Mariners

4.      Los Angeles Angels

5.      Houston Astros

High school checklist

By: Brad Tripp

            This year’s school year is rapidly approaching its end.  For some students, it might be the end of school altogether, some may go on to college, and some may be facing several more years of high school. Regardless of where you’re at in your educational journey, what can one do to better their future, graduate, and possibly move on to college?

            When high school starts it can be scary to some. According to PBS.org, to better your high school experience try to orient or get familiar with the school building before attending. This can be taking a tour or simply speaking to your counselors. Another thing to do is to talk to someone who has already attended the high school before you. Chances are you may already know someone who’s attended that school or any high school in general. This can help to ease tensions about your classes and your attitude toward teachers. What can help you get comfortable with the high school scene? Many things contribute to helping take the “new kid” edge off.  Pbs.org also suggests trying and attending a school play or checking out sporting games, whether to watch or to play.

            Once you’re no longer new to the high school scene it’s time to better your experience and prepare for the future. What can you do all four years of high school? Scholarship.com states, “Whether or not you plan on attending college, high school is a good time to begin to take inventory of your aspirations, experiences, strengths, and weaknesses and start to figure out what sorts of things you might like doing when you’re on your own. You don’t need to have a precise career plan pinned down immediately, but during your first two years of high school, you will want to begin to think about broad categories of education and employment you might want to pursue later on.” They also suggest breaking it down year by year, setting goals each year to reach your main goal. In other words, it’s kind of like paint by numbers. Each number corresponds with a color and, after everything is colored, the big picture is visible.

            If high school is over for you and you’ve decided to attend college, what can help to make college better and easier on the pocket book? Well, there are many scholarships for just about anyone. Scholarships only for the “great” are no longer the case. Before you write out a big fat check to pay your tuition, see what you may qualify for.  Go to Seckman.net, then click on the guidance tab. Under that tab, click on the scholarship and ACT bullet. This will lead you to Fafsa.gov and allow you to fill out an application for student aid. This will tell you about the scholarships you may be eligible for.

            All in all, school is very important to shaping your future. Remember, you’re not the only one in the world attending school, so don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Also, counselors, teachers and administrators are there for a reason and that is to help and to prepare you for a successful future.



Quit procrastinating!

By: Autumn Hill

       Avoiding procrastination can be a struggle for so many people. There’s always something that can be a distraction from homework. How do you avoid those distractions? For starters, try to remember that even when you think you can push your work off to the side and go do something more enjoyable, it’s easier (in the long run) not to procrastinate. When you don’t do the work and begin to procrastinate, the work just hangs over your head.

            Procrastination is the moment when you realize that you have work to do, but push it off. Procrastination can lead to a lot of issues: forgetting about the work completely or even putting it off so long that you have no time to get it done. We all have moments where we don’t feel like doing homework (or work in general), but pushing ourselves to do the work will get it done faster and leave more time to do other activities that appeal to you.

            Avoiding procrastination is simply a matter of retraining yourself to get the job done. Here are a few tips for avoiding procrastination:

1. Prioritize your daily tasks. Decide what has to be done, should be done, and what you would like to do.
2. Get the worst out of the way first. Have a mindset of getting it done and don’t allow anything else to get in the way of wanting to get it done.
3. Make a list every morning of what you need to accomplish throughout the day. Reward yourself each time you check an item off as done.
4. Keep a day planner or use the calendar in your phone. Write down what has to be accomplished and block out the time you are going to do it.
5. At the end of the day, write down what you have accomplished. This can be its own reward.

Though it’s not an easy thing to stay motivated when it comes to work, keep yourself motivated and get the job done so you will have free time and won’t have to worry about it later.



How safe is my medicine?

By: Brad Tripp

            He’s rushed into surgery, blood everywhere, his left arm sitting on his bed in a cooler. Going into shock, he mumbled, ‘the saw, the tree…” before finally slipping into a coma. The surgeons work hard for many hours and the limb gets reattached. The next morning, as his family gathers around him, the nurse comes in to check his pulse and to decrease his morphine. If not for many medications this man may not have lived and if he had he would be in excruciating pain.  Before any of these pills could be taken, however, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) studies, tests and approves/denies each and every medication.

            What are the steps to getting a medication approved for human consumption? The FDA has a 12 step procedure towards approving any new medicines. According to fda.gov, the first step is to test the drug on animals. Next, the purposes are investigated and listed for the drug. Following this the drug is then tested on people, usually a small controlled group of about 20-80. The forth step is to make the group larger, consisting of a few dozen to about 300 people. It is then tested on a few hundred to about 3000 people. After this the FDA and the recipient of the new drug application (NDA) meet. This is when the NDA is sent to the FDA. The FDA now has 60 days to approve the new drug. After the 60 days, if the FDA files the new drug there is then another group of people assigned to test and evaluate the drug on its safety and effectiveness. The contents and labeling are then inspected, along with the facilities where the drug is manufactured. Now the drug is officially approved and produced worldwide.

            Medicines are typically well tested on animals and people before they are shipped out and sold to the average consumer. Every year, there are many drugs that go through the FDA process and are approved. According to Fda.gov, of the drugs approved this year, two of them include Hetlioz, a treatment for the 24 hour wake disorder in blind people, and Farixiga, a treatment for glycemic control (along with diet and exercise) for adults with Type 2 Diabetes. According to centerwatch.com, a site that monitors newly approved medications, other medicines released as of 2014 include Imbruvica, a treatment for lymphatic leukemia, and Vimizin, a treatment for Mucopolysaccharidosis.

            All in all, there are many medications for many reasons. Always try and find the FDA label on the packaging, as these medicines are well tested and fit for human consumption.



Quit procrastinating!

By: Autumn Hill

       Avoiding procrastination can be a struggle for so many people. There’s always something that can be a distraction from homework. How do you avoid those distractions? For starters, you should learn that even when you think you can push your work off to the side and go do something more enjoyable, you should get the work done first. When you don’t do the work and begin to procrastinate, the work just hangs over your head.

            Procrastination is the moment when you realize that you have work to do, but push it off. Procrastination can lead to a lot of issues: forgetting about it completely or even putting it off so long that you have no time to get it all done. We all have moments where we don’t feel like doing homework (or work in general), but pushing ourselves to do the work will get it done faster and leave more time to do other activities that appeal to you.

            Avoiding procrastination is all a simple matter of retraining yourself to get the job done. Here are a few tips for avoiding procrastination:

1. Prioritize your daily tasks. Decide what has to be done, should be done, and what you would like to do.
2. Get the worst out of the way first. Have a mindset of getting it done and don’t allow anything else to get in the way of wanting to get it done.
3. Make a list every morning of what you need to accomplish throughout the day. Reward yourself each time you check an item done.
4. Keep a day planner. Write down what has to be accomplished and block out the time you are going to do it.
5. At the end of the day, write down what you have accomplished. This can be its own reward.

Though it’s not an easy thing to stay motivated when it comes to work, keep yourself motivated and get the job done so you will have free time and won’t have to worry about it later.



86th annual Academy Awards retrospective

By: Peter Lewis

On March 2, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the AMPAS, held the 86^th annual Academy Awards from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles . For the second time, comedian Ellen Degeneres hosted.  With performances from U2, Pharrell Williams and others, plus a theme of celebrating movie heroes, this was yet another worthwhile watch.

            Unlike other entertainment award shows concerning the arts, the Academy Awards have a very set identity. Where other shows struggle to either find a balance of awarding popularity and art, the Academy is straight to the point.  The Academy Awards are awarding based on the most artistic expression in film, the most well-structured and put together film, and anything that changes film.  In the opinions of those who are in the Academy, this was their list for the 2013 film year. Winners are in bold.

Best Picture

Best Picture may easily be the most important category, because it’s where everything comes together and makes or break whatever the film is telling or trying to get out in the world.  This year, nine films were up for nomination in the most scrutinized category.  While other categories will be debated, best picture will be the most remembered award and decide the fate of the show as it has in years past.  Listed are the films and their IMDb description.

 

·         American Hustle- A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive British partner, Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso. DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia.

·         Captain Phillips- The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

·         Dallas Buyers Club- In 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is himself diagnosed with the disease.

·         Gravity- A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space.

·         Her- A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need.

·         Nebraska- An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.

·         Philomena- A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.

·         12 Years a Slave- In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.

·         The Wolf of Wall Street-  Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.

12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, and Gravity are the major contenders for the prize this year as reported by numerous entertainment commenters.  The Wolf of Wall Street, Dallas Buyers Club, and Her are the next in line to win, while the remaining films are long shots at best to win. 

The remaining major categories this year listed below may look competitive on paper, but other than Best Director, had fairly easy calls on who won.

 

Best Actor

·         Christian Bale- American Hustle

·         Bruce Dern- Nebraska

·         Leonardo DiCaprio- The Wolf of Wall Street

·         Chiwetel Ejiofor- 12 Years a Slave

·         Matthew McConaughey- Dallas Buyers Club

 

Best Actress

·         Amy Adams- American Hustle

·         Cate Blanchett- Blue Jasmine

·         Sandra Bullock- Gravity

·         Judi Dench- Philomena

·         Meryl Streep- August: Osage County

 

Best Director

·         Alexander Payne- Nebraska

·         Alfonso Cuaron- Gravity

·         Steve McQueen- 12 Years a Slave

·         Martin Scorsese- The Wolf of Wall Street

·         David O. Russell- American Hustle

 

 Best Supporting Actor

·         Jared Leto- Dallas Buyers Club

·         Michael Fassbender- 12 Years a Slave

·         Jonah Hill- The Wolf of Wall Street

·         Barkhad Abdi- Captain Phillips

·         Bradley Cooper- American Hustle

 

Best Supporting Actress

·         June Squibb- Nebraksa

·         Lupita Nyong’o- 12 Years a Slave

·         Sally Hawkins- Blue Jasmine

·         Jennifer Lawrence- American Hustle

·         Julia Roberts- August: Osage County