Opening Day

Today is a semi national holiday, Opening Day for the MLB. While there were games in Japan and a few last night today is when most teams start. This should be an interesting season. Here's a few teams I'll be keeping an eye on besides the Cubs.

Tampa Bay Rays (Should be the Devil Rays, but whatever)
This team is like a who's who of current and former prospects. It should be interesting to watch there outfield, Crawford, Upton, Gomes and their infield Pena and Iwamura among others. I also think Shields and Garza are interesting pitchers. Of course they have no shot as always with the Red Sox and Yankees on top.


Toronto Blue Jays
Another AL East team who has no chance, but. I've been a fan of the Blue Jays the past couple years. They seem to have put some decent pieces together on offense (Rios, Wells) and some pitching (Halladay, Burnett). I've always somewhat been a fan of Wells and Overbay. Halladay just eats up innings and their bullpen of Accardo and Ryan (if he comes back healthy) should be good. I also think McGowan and Marcum have some potential at the end of the order.

Seattle Mariners
Surpisingly, last year they finished 88-74 good enough for 2nd in the West. They definitely have a veteran hitting crew; Sexson, Ichiro, Beltre, Ibanez, Vidro, Wilkerson, Cairo. They have Bedard and Felix Hernandez 1-2 and a couple vets, Batista, Washburn, and Silva there too. J.J Putz is solid as a closer as well. This team actually has a shot if all goes well. That's why it would be interesting to see a bunch of older guys, who are past there prime, do some damage.

Colorado Rockies/Arizona Diamondbacks
I lump these two teams together, because they seemingly came out of nowhere to win last season. They are both very young and apparently talented. The Rockies have a bunch of young talent; Holliday, Hawpe, Atkins, Tulowitski, but face questions in their pitching staff. Meanwhile the Diamondbacks have decent rotation (Webb, Haren, Davis) with some young hitters (Chris Young, Justin Upton, Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, and Mark Reynolds). It should be interesting to see if last year repeats itself, or if there will be a team sophomore slump. Not to mention the fact that the Dodgers are getting better as well.


Here are my predictions for the year in terms of standings.

AL East

1. Red Sox
2. Yankees
3. Blue Jays
4. Devil Rays
5. Orioles

AL Central

1. Tigers
2. Indians
3. White Sox
4. Twins
5. Royals

AL West

1. Angels
2. Mariners
3. Rangers
4. A's

NL East

1. Mets
2. Phillies
3. Braves
4. Nationals
5. Marlins

NL Central

1. Cubs
2. Brewers
3. Reds
4. Astros
5. Cardinals
6. Pirates

NL West

1. Dodgers
2. Rockies
3. Diamondbacks
4. Padres
5. Giants

AL Playoff Teams: Red Sox, Tigers, Indians, and Angels

NL Playoff Teams: Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers

Not too many surprises there. I would go further, but I don't want to jinx any teams so I'll leave it at the playoff teams.

Species

Human Viruses Jumping to Wild Apes

• The research found that recent respiratory disease outbreaks among chimpanzee and gorilla populations come from great-ape researchers and ecotourists.
• Between 1999 and 2006 three chimpanzee study groups in Taï National Park in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) suffered a total of five outbreaks of respiratory disease.
• Apes can also transmit diseases to people. In recent years outbreaks of the Ebola virus—a severe, often-fatal hemorraghic fever—have arisen in Africa, most likely sparked when a person contacted an infected ape. And the origin of the HIV virus has been traced to a group of chimpanzees in Cameroon.
• In 1994 in Serengeti National Park, 1,000 of 3,500 lions died of canine distemper, which they contracted from wild dogs. Humans were indirectly the culprit, since their domestic dogs helped spread the disease.
• In addition Asian elephant populations of Nepal are suffering as their numbers dwindle from human tuberculosis.

AIDS Origin Traced to Chimp Group in Cameroon

• Researchers have identified simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in wild apes for the first time. The virus, which at some point jumped to humans as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has been found in chimpanzees in Cameroon, west-central Africa
• The virus was found in chimpanzees in southeastern Cameroon, where SIV infection rates were as high as 35 percent in some chimp populations.
• Hunters in the region who caught and ate chimps were probably the first to contract HIV, she adds.
• Eventually the virus ended up in a major metropolitan area, which would either be Kinshasa [Democratic Republic of the Congo] or Brazzaville [Republic of the Congo]," Hahn added. "That's where we believe the AIDS pandemic really started

Herons in Chicago Wetlands Survive Exposure to Banned Toxics

• The researchers found polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs, and DDE in the eggs of the night-herons nesting in wetlands adjacent to Lake Calumet
• They found that the Lake Calumet herons appear to be picking up the contamination primarily from Lake Michigan by means of an invasive fish, the alewife
• Populations of black-crowned night-herons in the Lake Calumet wetlands have fluctuated in the last 20 years, peaking at more than 1,500 birds in the early to mid-1990s.
  Birders counted 447 black-crowns in Lake Calumet wetlands in 2005, the last year for which data are available
• "Wetlands have persisted in these areas because they were out on the back 40 of some company and people generally didn't have access," he said. These urban industrialized sites provide needed habitat, Levengood said, but are also "contaminated and degraded."

Articles about beer plus an update on the "The Great Illinois Corn Flake."

Anheuser-Busch heir arrested at underage drinking party in Godfrey

Eight Healthy Reasons To Drink Beer

Corn flake sells for $1,350.

I haven't posted in a while because I haven't had too much to post about. I've been looking up fantasy baseball stats recently, but that appeals to a very limited crowd. But here's an interesting article on the lineage of Clinton and Obama. A few highlights...

• Barack Obama is a distant cousin of Brad Pitt


• Hillary Rodham Clinton is related to Pitt's girlfriend, Angelina Jolie


• Clinton, who is of French-Canadian descent on her mother's side, is also a distant cousin of singers Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette


• Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, can call six U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush, his cousins.


• McCain is a sixth cousin of first lady Laura Bush.


• Obama's distant cousins include President George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Harry S. Truman and James Madison. Other Obama cousins include Vice President Dick Cheney, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and Civil War General Robert E. Lee.


• Clinton's distant cousins include beatnik author Jack Kerouac and Camilla Parker-Bowles

Also, an interesting article about the economy comparing it to the 1930s. Here's another. They both explain the credit crisis.

Here's some news that will someday track you down 1984 style. The first is an article about face recognition software that doesn't even need to see your eyes, nose, or mouth to recognize you. Another technology can track where you have been using hair and the isotopes in it in relation to tap water in different cities.

Time to return to my favorite topic, the Chicago Bulls.

Well its down to crunch time and tonight's game against the Nets is important because they are ahead of us in the standings. We are currently 2 and a half games behind the Hawks.

So why is it important to make the playoffs?
Some people say that we should just scrap the rest of the season and shoot for a lottery pick. I think that is the wrong attitude. First of all, the Bulls don't need to get younger, there are enough young prospects on the team. Second, its more important to end the year on a good note rather than a sour one. Coming into training camp for next year it is important to build on something. If the Bulls play well down the stretch, that is something to build on. Without it, the season was just a complete waste and a case of taking ten steps back after one step forward last season. Third, this team still is very young and the playoff atmosphere is completely different from the regular season. The playoffs are all about matchups, stops, and strategy. Every possession is intensified. It would help players like Noah, Gray, Thomas, Thabo, and others to get a little more experience under their belt.

Next year
The Bulls can become better by subtraction. It is clear that there is no one who is safe from trades. The team is overloaded with guards right now. Duhon is pretty much gone. To stay are most likely Thabo, Hinrich, and Hughes. That leaves Gordon as the odd man out. The Bulls like Thabo's size too much. Hinrich's contract is okay if he plays like he did in the previous seasons and Hughes contract is too big to move. Additionally, Gordon while he is a scorer has tended this year to make more crucial, boneheaded turnovers. He'll go up in the air and lose the ball, have it striped, or make a ridulous attempt.

For the big men, I would prefer to keep Nocioni, Deng, Noah, Gray, and Gooden. Nocioni embodes what made this team good in previous years. This year the effort doesn't seem to be there on a team level. Nocioni is the player that always is hustling. They need his leadership by example. He is a good reserve player, who can come out and start if needed. He also has a nice 3 pt touch and drive. Deng needs to redevelop his mid range jumper. Some where between international basketball and injuries he seems to have lost his bread and butter. Maybe he was focusing too much on developing a post game, but the Bulls need his midrange shot. I think Noah is a very defensive, rebounding player. He goes out there with the same energy as Noc and that's the kind of player the Bulls are looking for. Gray is a nice reserve that can step in. He has a nature touch in the post, but does lack defensive skills. I like Gooden because he provides a strong, big man down in the paint that can push people around and take up space. He needs to be an enforcer down low and average around 15 pts and 10 boards. That leaves Thomas out. I like his athleticism and effort, but he's still too raw. Gordon and Thomas could provide an interesting package for a trade.

Trades and free agents
Tradewise, the Bulls are in better shape than they were last season. Hughes and Gooden are definitely improvements over Wallace and PJ Brown. The Bulls have many pieces in place for a major trade. I think the turmoil in the West bodes well for the Bulls. Some team, namely aging older teams, will not make the playoffs decide to sell and start young again. The Bulls have plenty of young talent and by the looks of it should have a decent pick in the draft. The key would be to get quality for quantity. The West could yield potential free agents looking an easier route to the playoffs. Elton Brand sounds good. I think this team still has the potential it showed the past few seasons. What is lacking is the effort, presence, and chemistry. Too often are leads blown or mistakes made. The longest winning streak is 2 this season. If they can develop some of the chemistry and presence they lost this season, I will feel much better about next season.

St Patrick's Day

Here's a pretty good article about St. Pat's Day. Among the Highlights

• St. Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who lived during the fourth century. He is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.
• St. Patrick was born in Britain as Maewyn Succat. He was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland where he became a shepherd and took solace in religion
• He is also credited with driving the snakes from Ireland, believed to be symbolic of him putting an end to pagan religions in Ireland,
• Until the 1970s, Irish laws called for even pubs to be closed due to the religious nature of the holiday, but in an effort to spur tourism and showcase Ireland, the law was changed in 1995.
• When some of the first Catholic Irish celebrated St. Patrick's Day, they were portrayed as drunk and violent. But their sheer numbers as part of the voting "green machine" began to make a difference to political candidates. Suddenly, the Irish and St. Patrick's Day celebrations gained more importance in America.
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 34.7 million U.S. residents who have some degree of Irish ancestry, which is about nine times the population of Ireland. It is the nation's second most reported ancestry, following those with German ancestry.
• At one time, wearing green was considered in Ireland to bring bad luck because mystical fairies of Ireland were believed to steal children who wore too much green.
• Some sources say the first St. Patrick's Day parade was held not in Ireland but New York City; others say Boston. Either way, though parades are now a huge part of the celebration in Ireland, that's not where they began.

So I've been busy lately, but I should more time in the next two weeks with no session. If you like to check out what I've been up to you could check out www.senatedem.ilga.gov. Look for any press releases for Senators Frerichs and Haine and I have done them.

6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon

So this is actually an interesting post so pay attention. (not that the others weren't). Most people know the game 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. Well, I found a site which is dedicated to that game. It is http://oracleofbacon.org/. Just type in the actors name and it will connect them to Kevin Bacon. Pretty cool. Kevin Bacon can be linked to Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, and James Dean in 2 steps.

It gets more interesting. You can also see who is the best center, meaning who is the most connected actor here. It is Rod Steiger, but the list includes the top 1000. Kevin Bacon is 1049 and not even on the list.

So check it out and enjoy.