Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Baseball Hitters: Last Blog
So I tried to do as much as I could to answer my big question. "Do some players have advantages over others because of where they play?"
I found out a few things I didn’t know about baseball, like that baseball parks are all different, have different size fields and players play in different weather in different cities.
Many different players can play at different fields and be good at where they play, but there’s other fields that have different dimensions in the outfield, which can favor hitters but also can favor pitchers. The parks that players aren’t really used to may effect them differently then people who have played there before and used to what it's like. Some rookies coming into the Majors may start off bad, or may do well where they’re going to play. People may not do well when they first start off but I’m sure after the season progresses they will get used to where they’re playing at.
Big power hitters love to play at fields with shorter lengths at the home run wall. Because they have better chances of making home runs, instead of playing at fields with longer home run walls, because this would favor the pitcher a lot because then hitters will have a harder chance of getting the ball over the wall.
I feel that where players play, it does effect how they play and some of the players do have advantages over others. I thinks it's all about where they play is how its going to effect how there going to play.
I found out a few things I didn’t know about baseball, like that baseball parks are all different, have different size fields and players play in different weather in different cities.
Many different players can play at different fields and be good at where they play, but there’s other fields that have different dimensions in the outfield, which can favor hitters but also can favor pitchers. The parks that players aren’t really used to may effect them differently then people who have played there before and used to what it's like. Some rookies coming into the Majors may start off bad, or may do well where they’re going to play. People may not do well when they first start off but I’m sure after the season progresses they will get used to where they’re playing at.
Big power hitters love to play at fields with shorter lengths at the home run wall. Because they have better chances of making home runs, instead of playing at fields with longer home run walls, because this would favor the pitcher a lot because then hitters will have a harder chance of getting the ball over the wall.
I feel that where players play, it does effect how they play and some of the players do have advantages over others. I thinks it's all about where they play is how its going to effect how there going to play.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Baseball Hitters: What dimensions have to do with it.
Parks that mostly would favor the pitcher are parks with longer dimensions against the wall, like how far the wall is from home plate.
At Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY. The dimensions are 318ft. in left field, 314ft. in right field and 408ft. in center field. This park is ranked 5th in the hitters parks chart. It seems more that if the outfield walls are shorter then its going to favor the hitter because at Shea Stadium, left and right field are 330ft. and left center is 378ft. This park favors the pitcher because its harder for a hitter to get a homer off the pitcher do to the home run walls being so far.
The new Yankee Stadium is going to favor left handed batters, with the right field foul pole being 295ft. And in right center its going to shoot out to 429ft. The left field pole is going to measure 281ft. And by left center its 460ft.
Yankee Stadium benefits almost both hitters and pitchers because the outfield corners are so short, so it gives pull hitters a big home run advantage. Pitcher, Roger Clemens went 9-5 with a 3.56 ERA at home and going 5-5 on the road with a 6.20 ERA. Any Pettitte was the same way going 10-3 at home with a 3.16 ERA and 5-7 on the road with a 4.97 ERA. But hes the type of pitcher who lets his defense do work to and not try and always strike the batter out, and if he thinks he may end up walking the batter, he'll give him a strike so he can hit iit and the defense can back him up.
"Yankee Stadium." New York Yankees. 5 Jun 2008 http://www.baseball-statistics.com/Ballparks/NYY/.
At Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY. The dimensions are 318ft. in left field, 314ft. in right field and 408ft. in center field. This park is ranked 5th in the hitters parks chart. It seems more that if the outfield walls are shorter then its going to favor the hitter because at Shea Stadium, left and right field are 330ft. and left center is 378ft. This park favors the pitcher because its harder for a hitter to get a homer off the pitcher do to the home run walls being so far.
The new Yankee Stadium is going to favor left handed batters, with the right field foul pole being 295ft. And in right center its going to shoot out to 429ft. The left field pole is going to measure 281ft. And by left center its 460ft.
Yankee Stadium benefits almost both hitters and pitchers because the outfield corners are so short, so it gives pull hitters a big home run advantage. Pitcher, Roger Clemens went 9-5 with a 3.56 ERA at home and going 5-5 on the road with a 6.20 ERA. Any Pettitte was the same way going 10-3 at home with a 3.16 ERA and 5-7 on the road with a 4.97 ERA. But hes the type of pitcher who lets his defense do work to and not try and always strike the batter out, and if he thinks he may end up walking the batter, he'll give him a strike so he can hit iit and the defense can back him up.
"Yankee Stadium." New York Yankees. 5 Jun 2008 http://www.baseball-statistics.com/Ballparks/NYY/.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Lets Sum it All Up- Athlete's Salaries
Final Reflection
Over the past month or so, I have been trying solve if Professional Athletes salaries are justified? Now that everything is coming to an end, I feel as if I failed. But I still came up with good stuff, and some interesting facts about Athlete's salaries. During research, some of the questions I had have changed, but still worth while. I always tried to find the information but it seemed as if there was none. I could not help if there wasn't any written documents of players whining about money, but I did find alot of other useful information.
Who makes the standards for player salaries? This was a foundation question that I had, but I never really found an answer to it. I really wanted to know who sets it up. I wanted to know who is the mastermind behind the player asking for 23 million to play next year. As for all the moves that happen within an organization, I wondered who was the guy who says, "I will pay 18 million for 'such and such' to play on my team." Does that come from the owner? Do the owners even play a part in the process? I feel as if I definitely failed on this one, but I made up for on other questions.
Another foundational question that always bothers me would be, what makes a difference between two athletes? If you were to take two athletes from different sports and compare the two, you should not see that much of a difference. The players should have drive to compete, they should be in top physical condition and they should understand that they are just players on a team. This way if they know they are just one player on a team, they would understand that a team needs every member to contribute. Nobody wants to be a backup to anybody, but a backup is a very useful guy. He or she is always one event waiting to play. But to really find what makes a difference between two athletes would be impossible, the only viable difference is the sport that he or she plays. There is no real way you can compare Danica Patrick (Female IRL Driver) to Sidney Crosby (NHL-Pittsburgh Penguins Captain/Center), other then to say that they give all they can to there sport.
As for the whole, and to answer the essential question of the search, are Athlete's Salaries justified? I would answer no. True, they do alot of work but it is not like they are saving lives. I do believe that athletes should be paid well, but not to the standards of today's market. A person who can catch a football should not be paid more than someone who finds the cure for a disease or save someones life on the emergency table. These people are everyday heroes that go unnoticed most of the time. What I want to know is why do athletes feel like they should be paid that much? What are they going to do with the money, buy the latest gas guzzler or maybe a house with 23 bedrooms instead of three. I know that I repeat this through all of my posts but I am very opinionated on the subject. Who do the athletes think they are, gods above men?
Over the past month or so, I have been trying solve if Professional Athletes salaries are justified? Now that everything is coming to an end, I feel as if I failed. But I still came up with good stuff, and some interesting facts about Athlete's salaries. During research, some of the questions I had have changed, but still worth while. I always tried to find the information but it seemed as if there was none. I could not help if there wasn't any written documents of players whining about money, but I did find alot of other useful information.
Who makes the standards for player salaries? This was a foundation question that I had, but I never really found an answer to it. I really wanted to know who sets it up. I wanted to know who is the mastermind behind the player asking for 23 million to play next year. As for all the moves that happen within an organization, I wondered who was the guy who says, "I will pay 18 million for 'such and such' to play on my team." Does that come from the owner? Do the owners even play a part in the process? I feel as if I definitely failed on this one, but I made up for on other questions.
Another foundational question that always bothers me would be, what makes a difference between two athletes? If you were to take two athletes from different sports and compare the two, you should not see that much of a difference. The players should have drive to compete, they should be in top physical condition and they should understand that they are just players on a team. This way if they know they are just one player on a team, they would understand that a team needs every member to contribute. Nobody wants to be a backup to anybody, but a backup is a very useful guy. He or she is always one event waiting to play. But to really find what makes a difference between two athletes would be impossible, the only viable difference is the sport that he or she plays. There is no real way you can compare Danica Patrick (Female IRL Driver) to Sidney Crosby (NHL-Pittsburgh Penguins Captain/Center), other then to say that they give all they can to there sport.
As for the whole, and to answer the essential question of the search, are Athlete's Salaries justified? I would answer no. True, they do alot of work but it is not like they are saving lives. I do believe that athletes should be paid well, but not to the standards of today's market. A person who can catch a football should not be paid more than someone who finds the cure for a disease or save someones life on the emergency table. These people are everyday heroes that go unnoticed most of the time. What I want to know is why do athletes feel like they should be paid that much? What are they going to do with the money, buy the latest gas guzzler or maybe a house with 23 bedrooms instead of three. I know that I repeat this through all of my posts but I am very opinionated on the subject. Who do the athletes think they are, gods above men?
Monday, May 19, 2008
On Friday May 16, I took a look at the MLB Park Factors and Coors Field was #2 on the charts with a 1.129, so I looked at the park factors today and as of yesterday (May 18) there #4 on the chart with a 1.183, They had a 3 game series against the Minnesota Twins, they lost the first game 4-2 but won the other two games, but not by much.
I'm not sure where Arizona was on the charts on Friday but today they are #1 with a 1.273. At Chase Field, if your a lefty batter this field will boost up your home run totals because Chase Field gives an 18 percent boost to their home runs and increases runs total from both sides of the plate by 12 percent.
Its said that at Chase Field its one of the more favored hitters parks in the major leagues, its ranked 5th in runs scored, 7th in total hits allowed and 11th in home runs allowed. At home the Diamondbacks are 31-9
Lopuch, Jonathan. "Baseball Effects." NEWS & ANALYSIS MLB 05/05/2006 20 May 2008 http://fanballnews.com/article.php?article_id=5610.
Mass, AJ. "Arizona Diamondbacks fantasy team preview." ESPN Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit 27/02/2008 21 May 2008 http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/baseball/flb/story?page=mlbdk2k8aripreview.
I'm not sure where Arizona was on the charts on Friday but today they are #1 with a 1.273. At Chase Field, if your a lefty batter this field will boost up your home run totals because Chase Field gives an 18 percent boost to their home runs and increases runs total from both sides of the plate by 12 percent.
Its said that at Chase Field its one of the more favored hitters parks in the major leagues, its ranked 5th in runs scored, 7th in total hits allowed and 11th in home runs allowed. At home the Diamondbacks are 31-9
Lopuch, Jonathan. "Baseball Effects." NEWS & ANALYSIS MLB 05/05/2006 20 May 2008 http://fanballnews.com/article.php?article_id=5610.
Mass, AJ. "Arizona Diamondbacks fantasy team preview." ESPN Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit 27/02/2008 21 May 2008 http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/baseball/flb/story?page=mlbdk2k8aripreview.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
drfting school
When I was doing serch i found a place in california where they show you how to drift. What you do is go to ther web site driftday.com then preregister, pay 250.00 and you get to drift all day. If you dont have a car to drift in you can rent one for 400.00. But if you do have your own car you have to get it inspected by the people that run it. I thought that was cool that make sure that your car is safe for you and the other drivers. I think that it would be a cool thing to try, you dont have to worry about the cops or hitting a wall. You could even get general certificate so you could try to get some type of job doing it. I found a fourm on it and a lot of people go to it, so it must be good.
drift day." drift day. 22 May 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
What Really Makes a Team Play Well?
Athlete Salary: Week 4
I have determined that player salaries are not justified. I now want to see if alot of money really makes a team good? People always say if we had this player or that player, we would be great or even unstoppable. Big money player are suppose to play good no matter where they are but if they don't have the right supporting cast nothing will happen. But that is not always the case, if there is only one good player then every team will just bear down on him/her. This has happened countless number of times throughout sports history. A team is considered good when everyone is clicking.
Look at Wayne Gretzky, my favorite hockey player ever, plays amazing with Edmonton. He was basically unstoppable, but when he went to the Kings, Blues, or Rangers things changed a little. He was still amazing but teams started to double team him to no end. Gretzky, with the Oilers, won 4 Stanley Cups, 6 Art Ross trophies (Scoring Champion), and 8 Hart Memorial trophies (MVP) ("Wayne Gretzky Achievements"). But when his supporting cast changed, when he was traded, so did his fortunes. When on the Oiler, he was surrounded by great players like Jari Kurri and Mark Messier, definitely great players. Then on the Kings, he was surrounded by Luc Robitaille and Bernie Nicholls, not as great but still good I guess. He only won the Hart Memorial once, and the Art Ross he won 4 more times, which means he was MVP
Now people believe money is what a team always needs. That isn't the case. As I said before my favorite team is the Yankees, and money isn't solving there problems. They can't seem to get over .500, what a terrible shame. With such talent they should be have a perfect record and so much more. Maybe like batting titles and shut outs, maybe perfect games. No, at this exact moment, they are last in there division and have a 20-22 record. Take a look at other teams and there salaries, Tampa Bay has one of the best records. But with a team total of $43,820,598 for salary, they are ranked 29th out of 30 teams. ("MLB Salaries") Go figure, the only team with less is the Floida Marlins. The Marlins also have a great record, and lead there division. Isn't that just perfect irony.
Over the years, I always wondered what makes up a good team? What really gives them that power to keep going, maybe the drive to know when the games on the line and try that much harder. But then again I came upon my favorite baseball team, and then it hit me, the days of young Jeter and his drive may have dried up. He was always the reason why the team did so well, he was the guy the rest of team fell onto for support and guidance, and hell, he was not making that much money.
So what can said about money makes a team? That is clearly a bunch of bologna, a good team is made of good players who work together. They have a drive to be the best, while making the team around an individual so much better. In football terms, a quarterback would be nothing without his Offense-line. This means if the line protects the QB, then he should have enough time to make passes. Which would lead to touchdowns, as well as winning the game. What makes a team is good team chemistry, which means there is a sense of camaraderie, almost like family atmosphere.
_______________________________________________________
"List of Career Achievements by Wayne Gretzky." Wikipedia 05 02 2008 05 06 2008
"MLB Standings." ESPN 05 06 08 05 19 2008
"MLB Salaries." CBSSports 2008 05 20 2008
I have determined that player salaries are not justified. I now want to see if alot of money really makes a team good? People always say if we had this player or that player, we would be great or even unstoppable. Big money player are suppose to play good no matter where they are but if they don't have the right supporting cast nothing will happen. But that is not always the case, if there is only one good player then every team will just bear down on him/her. This has happened countless number of times throughout sports history. A team is considered good when everyone is clicking.
Look at Wayne Gretzky, my favorite hockey player ever, plays amazing with Edmonton. He was basically unstoppable, but when he went to the Kings, Blues, or Rangers things changed a little. He was still amazing but teams started to double team him to no end. Gretzky, with the Oilers, won 4 Stanley Cups, 6 Art Ross trophies (Scoring Champion), and 8 Hart Memorial trophies (MVP) ("Wayne Gretzky Achievements"). But when his supporting cast changed, when he was traded, so did his fortunes. When on the Oiler, he was surrounded by great players like Jari Kurri and Mark Messier, definitely great players. Then on the Kings, he was surrounded by Luc Robitaille and Bernie Nicholls, not as great but still good I guess. He only won the Hart Memorial once, and the Art Ross he won 4 more times, which means he was MVP
Now people believe money is what a team always needs. That isn't the case. As I said before my favorite team is the Yankees, and money isn't solving there problems. They can't seem to get over .500, what a terrible shame. With such talent they should be have a perfect record and so much more. Maybe like batting titles and shut outs, maybe perfect games. No, at this exact moment, they are last in there division and have a 20-22 record. Take a look at other teams and there salaries, Tampa Bay has one of the best records. But with a team total of $43,820,598 for salary, they are ranked 29th out of 30 teams. ("MLB Salaries") Go figure, the only team with less is the Floida Marlins. The Marlins also have a great record, and lead there division. Isn't that just perfect irony.
Over the years, I always wondered what makes up a good team? What really gives them that power to keep going, maybe the drive to know when the games on the line and try that much harder. But then again I came upon my favorite baseball team, and then it hit me, the days of young Jeter and his drive may have dried up. He was always the reason why the team did so well, he was the guy the rest of team fell onto for support and guidance, and hell, he was not making that much money.
So what can said about money makes a team? That is clearly a bunch of bologna, a good team is made of good players who work together. They have a drive to be the best, while making the team around an individual so much better. In football terms, a quarterback would be nothing without his Offense-line. This means if the line protects the QB, then he should have enough time to make passes. Which would lead to touchdowns, as well as winning the game. What makes a team is good team chemistry, which means there is a sense of camaraderie, almost like family atmosphere.
_______________________________________________________
"List of Career Achievements by Wayne Gretzky." Wikipedia 05 02 2008 05 06 2008
"MLB Standings." ESPN 05 06 08 05 19 2008
"MLB Salaries." CBSSports 2008 05 20 2008
interview
I thought that i would interview my friend since he has been drifting for 6 years now so i went over to his house and these were the questions i asked had.
Q; What makes a good drifter good?
A; is not being scared
Q; What type of cars do you prefer?
A; Front engine rear wheel drive
Q: What kind of cars do you like?
A: It does not matter as long as its Front engine rear wheel drive its good to go
Q:What type of part do you think are necessary for drifting?
A; definitely got to have a tight suspension and good l.s.d.
Q: What type of technique do you like?
A; The clutch kick
Q:Can you drift with a front wheel drive car?
A:Sort of
Q: Have you ever?
A:In the winter time (he paused and laughed and went on about a story saying theres a front wheel drive honda civic an that guy goes out there with all the rear wheel dive cars and he pulls his e-brake and freaking floors it but its just not the same.)
Q:Have you heard of drift day?
A: Yea
Q:Have you ever gone out there?
A; In California? no thats expensive
Q. Do you think its good?
A. the drifting organization has been going around for a long time the guys been getting it out their for a long time.
Q. Where around here do you go drifting? Legally?
A. Theres no places around here legally, the closest one is in Beaver Run and its about 40 minutes west of Pittsburg.
Q. How do you actually win drift competitions?
A. Smoke em' all day and dont make mistakes.
Q; What makes a good drifter good?
A; is not being scared
Q; What type of cars do you prefer?
A; Front engine rear wheel drive
Q: What kind of cars do you like?
A: It does not matter as long as its Front engine rear wheel drive its good to go
Q:What type of part do you think are necessary for drifting?
A; definitely got to have a tight suspension and good l.s.d.
Q: What type of technique do you like?
A; The clutch kick
Q:Can you drift with a front wheel drive car?
A:Sort of
Q: Have you ever?
A:In the winter time (he paused and laughed and went on about a story saying theres a front wheel drive honda civic an that guy goes out there with all the rear wheel dive cars and he pulls his e-brake and freaking floors it but its just not the same.)
Q:Have you heard of drift day?
A: Yea
Q:Have you ever gone out there?
A; In California? no thats expensive
Q. Do you think its good?
A. the drifting organization has been going around for a long time the guys been getting it out their for a long time.
Q. Where around here do you go drifting? Legally?
A. Theres no places around here legally, the closest one is in Beaver Run and its about 40 minutes west of Pittsburg.
Q. How do you actually win drift competitions?
A. Smoke em' all day and dont make mistakes.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Today's Athletes Are Getting Paid Too Much
Athlete Salary: Week 3
I want to look at how salaries have changed over the years. From the 1900s to the present, what happened? Who called for the inflation? I was watching a television with some of the family. Of course were watching something to do with sports, go figure. As I was watching, a very interesting program came on, something of a NFL nature, where it featured past and present players. Players from the 40's through 70's meeting there present day counterpart. The interview that got me the most was the one between Otto Graham and Tim Couch of the Cleavland Browns. Otto Graham was Browns quarterback from 1946 to 1955, and Tim Couch at the time was the present quarterback of the orginization. What really made it interesting was to hear them talk about money. Graham said his whole salary was equivalent to one of Couch's quarter pay. This means that what Graham made in a season, Tim makes in one quarter of a game. Graham busted his ass day in and day out, this way he could be held up as one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Couch on the other hand was and is just a mediocre quarterback.
I understand that times are changing but if you were to compare the two, it would be unreasonable. Graham is one of the best players, and he did not need to be paid millions of dollars just to play the game that he loves. No one from those days ever came out and just half fasted it, everyone played every down. There is a well known story about the Green Bay Packers, would be that a players knee popped out of place, and instead of whining about it and taking himself out of the game, he just pooped it back into place and went back out for more. Now-a-days if you get injured you don't even hobble of the field, they bring out the ambulance. If someone is trying to compare a modern day player to this, I would feel great pity for them.
Back to the money portion of the post, true inflation has been present in every decade ever, except for the 1930 (Decade Inflation Chart), but who called for the athletes to get paid millions? Alright if inflation goes up, then so should pay. But where do you draw the line and say enough is enough. If you would cut some of the athletes pay, I would guarntee that we could cut starvion numbers down by more than half. But if you think about it then the players go on strike. As a nation we are torn between exciting sports and supporting the commonwealth, and we are losing badly. It is not like you can say money gaurntees you anything, only great team chemistry can do that.
____________________________________________________
"Average Annual Inflation by Decade." InfaltionData 2008 05 06 2008
I want to look at how salaries have changed over the years. From the 1900s to the present, what happened? Who called for the inflation? I was watching a television with some of the family. Of course were watching something to do with sports, go figure. As I was watching, a very interesting program came on, something of a NFL nature, where it featured past and present players. Players from the 40's through 70's meeting there present day counterpart. The interview that got me the most was the one between Otto Graham and Tim Couch of the Cleavland Browns. Otto Graham was Browns quarterback from 1946 to 1955, and Tim Couch at the time was the present quarterback of the orginization. What really made it interesting was to hear them talk about money. Graham said his whole salary was equivalent to one of Couch's quarter pay. This means that what Graham made in a season, Tim makes in one quarter of a game. Graham busted his ass day in and day out, this way he could be held up as one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Couch on the other hand was and is just a mediocre quarterback.
I understand that times are changing but if you were to compare the two, it would be unreasonable. Graham is one of the best players, and he did not need to be paid millions of dollars just to play the game that he loves. No one from those days ever came out and just half fasted it, everyone played every down. There is a well known story about the Green Bay Packers, would be that a players knee popped out of place, and instead of whining about it and taking himself out of the game, he just pooped it back into place and went back out for more. Now-a-days if you get injured you don't even hobble of the field, they bring out the ambulance. If someone is trying to compare a modern day player to this, I would feel great pity for them.
Back to the money portion of the post, true inflation has been present in every decade ever, except for the 1930 (Decade Inflation Chart), but who called for the athletes to get paid millions? Alright if inflation goes up, then so should pay. But where do you draw the line and say enough is enough. If you would cut some of the athletes pay, I would guarntee that we could cut starvion numbers down by more than half. But if you think about it then the players go on strike. As a nation we are torn between exciting sports and supporting the commonwealth, and we are losing badly. It is not like you can say money gaurntees you anything, only great team chemistry can do that.
____________________________________________________
"Average Annual Inflation by Decade." InfaltionData 2008 05 06 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Baseball Hitters: Pursuing the search
So after being stumped on this topic, Mr. Malley came across a site that would help me in my search. We were looking at MLB Park Factors and this shows what advantages some parks have to the pitcher and what advantages some parks have on the batter.
It gives the rates of the stats of players playing at home, versus the rate of stats on the road. It gives the rates that if the rate is over a 1.000 then the park favors the hitter. If it is below 1.000 then the park favors the pitcher.
If you take a look at the rates of the stats, it shows Coors Field in Denver,Coloradao is number two on the charts with a 1.290, this would mean this park may favor the batter more then it does the pitcher. I would think this because in Colorado its higher up in elevation an the air is much thinner, which may affect the away team because since the Rockies are used to being around that type of air, they know how to work with it and play ball better then an away team.
Since at Coors Field the game is played at higher altitude it gives the baseball that is pitched a much different speed when it crosses the plate from when its released from the pitchers hand. If the pitcher pitchers 95mhp the ball will cross the plate at around 85mhp reducing the speed by 10 percent.
Coors Field, in the last two seasons has had the most runs in the majors. This stadium is proven to be homer friendly, no matter how far the center field wall is(419ft) or how far the left center wall is(390ft) hitters seem to make it over the wall with the cause of the mountain airthat aids to the fly balls.
Nathan, Alan. "Baseball at High Altitude." The Physics of Baseball 30/10/2007 http://webusers.npl.uiuc.edu/~a-nathan/pob/Denver.html.
"Park Factors." ESPN MLB. 18/05/2008. 19 May 2008 http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/parkfactor.
It gives the rates of the stats of players playing at home, versus the rate of stats on the road. It gives the rates that if the rate is over a 1.000 then the park favors the hitter. If it is below 1.000 then the park favors the pitcher.
If you take a look at the rates of the stats, it shows Coors Field in Denver,Coloradao is number two on the charts with a 1.290, this would mean this park may favor the batter more then it does the pitcher. I would think this because in Colorado its higher up in elevation an the air is much thinner, which may affect the away team because since the Rockies are used to being around that type of air, they know how to work with it and play ball better then an away team.
Since at Coors Field the game is played at higher altitude it gives the baseball that is pitched a much different speed when it crosses the plate from when its released from the pitchers hand. If the pitcher pitchers 95mhp the ball will cross the plate at around 85mhp reducing the speed by 10 percent.
Coors Field, in the last two seasons has had the most runs in the majors. This stadium is proven to be homer friendly, no matter how far the center field wall is(419ft) or how far the left center wall is(390ft) hitters seem to make it over the wall with the cause of the mountain airthat aids to the fly balls.
Nathan, Alan. "Baseball at High Altitude." The Physics of Baseball 30/10/2007 http://webusers.npl.uiuc.edu/~a-nathan/pob/Denver.html.
"Park Factors." ESPN MLB. 18/05/2008. 19 May 2008 http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/parkfactor.
Lopuch, Jonathan. "Baseball Effects." NEWS & ANALYSIS MLB 05/05/2006 20 May 2008 http://fanballnews.com/article.php?article_id=5610.
Type of cars
When I resumed my search on drifting i wanted to know what types of car were the best to do it in. I could not find out what the best one was because people have differt opinions. So i turned to what was the most cars people use in driftin. I found a website that was just for peolpe that drift and on that website i found a forum. There was so many cars to pick from like a Nissan Silvia S12, S13, S14, S15, a new GTO, a 240sx, a Corolla, and more.
It seemed that every one had a differing opinion. Some people liked a car because how it handled or its speed. One guy liked the GTO because of how much torque it had. The other guy liked the Corolla, he said it was a good car to learn in. Every one is different and there cant be a number one car, but there can be a number one for you
"In Your Opinion Whats The Best Drift Car." Drifting.com 08 07 2004 08 05 2008.
It seemed that every one had a differing opinion. Some people liked a car because how it handled or its speed. One guy liked the GTO because of how much torque it had. The other guy liked the Corolla, he said it was a good car to learn in. Every one is different and there cant be a number one car, but there can be a number one for you
"In Your Opinion Whats The Best Drift Car." Drifting.com 08 07 2004 08 05 2008
DAN! HERE'S THAT BLOG POST FROM FREAKONOMICS! DELETE THIS POST EVENTUALLY!
Would a Salary Cap Improve Baseball?
By Freakonomics
Earlier this week, Dubner wondered what kinds of changes might make Major League Baseball more interesting to the modern T.V. viewer.
A number of you suggested instituting salary caps. This chart comparing team performance with total player salaries over the 2008 season, by data visualization guru Ben Fry, does seem to suggest a link between higher pay and sluggish performance.
But does it?
Check out Fry’s charts for the 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons as well.
By Freakonomics
Earlier this week, Dubner wondered what kinds of changes might make Major League Baseball more interesting to the modern T.V. viewer.
A number of you suggested instituting salary caps. This chart comparing team performance with total player salaries over the 2008 season, by data visualization guru Ben Fry, does seem to suggest a link between higher pay and sluggish performance.
But does it?
Check out Fry’s charts for the 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons as well.
Friday, April 25, 2008
How Do Athlete Get Paid Compared to the Rest of the World
Athlete Salary: Week 2
When I left off, Riccio was getting in the way, but that was last week. This week was a lot different, there wasn't that many distractions. And of course I was still completely engrossed in my music. Today I actually wanted to find why a professional athlete makes more than a doctor?
From the days of ESPN, I have moved on to new things. I want to find out how baseball salaries really hold up against the rest of the World's pay. A doctor's pay is higher then the rest of America's workers, but it still does not hold up against Professional athletes' salaries. The average staff physician makes $145,000 and a heart surgeon, the most paid doctor, makes $312,300 ("Doctor Salaries").
Now what sense does that make? A life saving doctor isn't even in the same pay league as a disgruntled third baseman or a mad wide receiver. True, the athletes work hard but if they make a mistake no one will die. On the other hand if a heart surgeon makes one mistake, his patient will not be leaving the hospital on his own feet. If I was a doctor, let alone a heart surgeon, I would be going on strike immediately. What type of man would put a price on a someone's life, especially if it comes down to: Do you want live or rather catch a football, or even be able to throw a baseball from center field to home base.
That was a doctors pay, how do construction workers hold up? Now their work may not be saving lives, but they are pretty important considering that we trust them to put the roof above our heads. The also put up the buildings we work in, go to school in, or even play recreational sports in. They have a hard living working from 6 a.m. or earlier till the jobs done, or the sun goes down. At least with another profession closing time means quitting time. An average consturction worker makes $11.90 an hour ("Constructio Worker's Earn"), which is $476 a week and $24, 752 a year. So a constructon worker who builds the athlete's house only makes $25K compared to his athlete counterpart, which would be in the millions.
______________________________________
"DOCTOR SALARIES OUTPACE PAY OF MOST AMERICAN WORKERS." Albany Times Union (Albany, NY) (Feb 12, 1995): B7. Custom Newspapers.. Gale. McKinley High School. 1 May 2008
"How much money does a construction worker earn?." WikiAnswer 05 06 2008
When I left off, Riccio was getting in the way, but that was last week. This week was a lot different, there wasn't that many distractions. And of course I was still completely engrossed in my music. Today I actually wanted to find why a professional athlete makes more than a doctor?
From the days of ESPN, I have moved on to new things. I want to find out how baseball salaries really hold up against the rest of the World's pay. A doctor's pay is higher then the rest of America's workers, but it still does not hold up against Professional athletes' salaries. The average staff physician makes $145,000 and a heart surgeon, the most paid doctor, makes $312,300 ("Doctor Salaries").
Now what sense does that make? A life saving doctor isn't even in the same pay league as a disgruntled third baseman or a mad wide receiver. True, the athletes work hard but if they make a mistake no one will die. On the other hand if a heart surgeon makes one mistake, his patient will not be leaving the hospital on his own feet. If I was a doctor, let alone a heart surgeon, I would be going on strike immediately. What type of man would put a price on a someone's life, especially if it comes down to: Do you want live or rather catch a football, or even be able to throw a baseball from center field to home base.
That was a doctors pay, how do construction workers hold up? Now their work may not be saving lives, but they are pretty important considering that we trust them to put the roof above our heads. The also put up the buildings we work in, go to school in, or even play recreational sports in. They have a hard living working from 6 a.m. or earlier till the jobs done, or the sun goes down. At least with another profession closing time means quitting time. An average consturction worker makes $11.90 an hour ("Constructio Worker's Earn"), which is $476 a week and $24, 752 a year. So a constructon worker who builds the athlete's house only makes $25K compared to his athlete counterpart, which would be in the millions.
______________________________________
"DOCTOR SALARIES OUTPACE PAY OF MOST AMERICAN WORKERS." Albany Times Union (Albany, NY) (Feb 12, 1995): B7. Custom Newspapers.. Gale. McKinley High School. 1 May 2008
"How much money does a construction worker earn?." WikiAnswer 05 06 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
technique
When I stared looking up stuff about drifting i wanted to know what i could to do to be a good drifter. So i went to wikipedia and they had a lot of info on the sport. They had stuff from the top cars from the the top drivers to Techniques. One technique that i knew already was were you push in the clutch and pull the e-brake. But one that i not know of was downshifting.Its for very tight corners, allowing the driver to approach the corner at a slower speed and lower revs, while allowing quick acceleration when exiting the corner. But this technique can be very damaging to the engine. One way that i would have never thought of is pushing in and out your clutch to send a shock through the powertrain, upsetting the car's balance making the back wheels to slip. The 1st way seems easy but the 2nd and 3rd way seems very had to try.
(2008,04,23). Drifting (motorsport). Retrieved April 24, 2008, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drifting_(motorsport)
(2008,04,23). Drifting (motorsport). Retrieved April 24, 2008, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drifting_(motorsport)
Baseball Hitters: The beginning of the Search.
Starting my search off with this question "Do some players have advantages over others because of where they play?"
But to get to this question I have to start off with little questions to answer this question.
So the first question i'm going to ask is "What players have better batting averages?". It seems that the players with the better batting averages are in the National League.(Baseball-almanac.com) Which means that most of the teams are from the West Coast. The players along the West Coast area seem to have a better chance of playing better because weather around there is nicer then the weather along the East Coast. The season starts in the beginning of April, and in the East Coast the weather is still much colder then in the West.
I took a look at Gary Sheffields stats from across the years that he has played, an before he played for Detroit and the Yankees. He played in teams that were in the National League, such as the LA Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and the Flordia Marlins. Noticing his batting average was much better then what it is now in the American League. His batting average then was around .316 and now that he is playing in the American League, his batting average is in the low .200 high .190
"Gary Sheffield." 23 04 2008.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sheffga01.shtml.
But to get to this question I have to start off with little questions to answer this question.
So the first question i'm going to ask is "What players have better batting averages?". It seems that the players with the better batting averages are in the National League.(Baseball-almanac.com) Which means that most of the teams are from the West Coast. The players along the West Coast area seem to have a better chance of playing better because weather around there is nicer then the weather along the East Coast. The season starts in the beginning of April, and in the East Coast the weather is still much colder then in the West.
I took a look at Gary Sheffields stats from across the years that he has played, an before he played for Detroit and the Yankees. He played in teams that were in the National League, such as the LA Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and the Flordia Marlins. Noticing his batting average was much better then what it is now in the American League. His batting average then was around .316 and now that he is playing in the American League, his batting average is in the low .200 high .190
"Gary Sheffield." 23 04 2008.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sheffga01.shtml.
cnn wikipedia
Shmueli, Sandra . "'Flash mob' craze spreads." CNN 08 08 15 04 2008 http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/08/04/flash.mob/.
"Global warming." Wikipedia 17 04 2008 17 04 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming.
"Global warming." Wikipedia 17 04 2008 17 04 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Fight For Your Team
Athlete Salary: Week 1
What can you do when you're faced with a decision, do you play tetris or do your work like your suppose to? And for once I went against my gut and decided to do my work. So to start my search, I went to ESPN to find out a few different players salaries. The only problem with a topic like mine, would be that there are always people with opinions against my own. For example, when looking up a little information about the Yankees, my favorite team, a Mr. Riccio wanted to throw out his opinion. While submerged in music and ESPN, I hear you like the Yankees, and of course I must reply, "Why you don't?" From this point Riccio is looking down at me, I had to switch the tables on him. Riccio is a average fellow (height and body type: normal), while I'm a little bigger (with a box frame for a body type), so I stood up and started looking down at him. Being the cool guy he is, he keep to his guns but he definitely seemed a little frazzled by my size. From here we started to exchange verbal blows about each other's teams. He said that the Yankees just go and buy there players, I had to reply, "Oh yea that's right Boston doesn't do that." (Sarcasm of course.)
Even though I had this little distraction, I was able to get the information I wanted from ESPN. So it was a good search I was able to find A-Rod salary ("New York Yankees"), along with other players salary, such as Dice-K makes $8,333,333 a year ("Boston Red Sox"). As for the whole day, I was able to walk away with some good information about a lot of different topics, such as how much does a NLL player make, which is an average of $13,000 a season and rookies average around $6,500. This way I can make comparisons between the two. Of course Mr. Riccio thought it was alright that Boston just went to Japan and bought Dicey. I keep my mouth shut I had to get some work done. But hey what can I say the inquiry is going well, hopefully everyday will be as fruitful as today was. And then i should have no problem writing a real good paper.
______________________________________________________
"New York Yankees Roster." ESPN 4 16 08 http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/roster?team=nyy
"Boston Red Sox Roster." ESPN 4 16 08 http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/roster?team=box
"Baseball Salaries Still at Top Notch." New York Times 2 25 1917
What can you do when you're faced with a decision, do you play tetris or do your work like your suppose to? And for once I went against my gut and decided to do my work. So to start my search, I went to ESPN to find out a few different players salaries. The only problem with a topic like mine, would be that there are always people with opinions against my own. For example, when looking up a little information about the Yankees, my favorite team, a Mr. Riccio wanted to throw out his opinion. While submerged in music and ESPN, I hear you like the Yankees, and of course I must reply, "Why you don't?" From this point Riccio is looking down at me, I had to switch the tables on him. Riccio is a average fellow (height and body type: normal), while I'm a little bigger (with a box frame for a body type), so I stood up and started looking down at him. Being the cool guy he is, he keep to his guns but he definitely seemed a little frazzled by my size. From here we started to exchange verbal blows about each other's teams. He said that the Yankees just go and buy there players, I had to reply, "Oh yea that's right Boston doesn't do that." (Sarcasm of course.)
Even though I had this little distraction, I was able to get the information I wanted from ESPN. So it was a good search I was able to find A-Rod salary ("New York Yankees"), along with other players salary, such as Dice-K makes $8,333,333 a year ("Boston Red Sox"). As for the whole day, I was able to walk away with some good information about a lot of different topics, such as how much does a NLL player make, which is an average of $13,000 a season and rookies average around $6,500. This way I can make comparisons between the two. Of course Mr. Riccio thought it was alright that Boston just went to Japan and bought Dicey. I keep my mouth shut I had to get some work done. But hey what can I say the inquiry is going well, hopefully everyday will be as fruitful as today was. And then i should have no problem writing a real good paper.
______________________________________________________
"New York Yankees Roster." ESPN 4 16 08 http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/roster?team=nyy
"Boston Red Sox Roster." ESPN 4 16 08 http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/roster?team=box
"Baseball Salaries Still at Top Notch." New York Times 2 25 1917
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Week 1
Shmueli, Sandra . "'Flash mob' craze spreads." CNN 08 08 15 04 2008 http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/08/04/flash.mob/.
"Global warming." Wikipedia 17 04 2008 17 04 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming.
"Global warming." Wikipedia 17 04 2008 17 04 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming.
Kielbasa's Citations
CNN Article
Shmueli, Sandra. "'Flash mob' craze spreads." CNN 08 08 03 15 04 08
Wikipedia site
"Global warming." Wikipedia 15 04 08 15 04 08.
Shmueli, Sandra. "'Flash mob' craze spreads." CNN 08 08 03 15 04 08
Wikipedia site
"Global warming." Wikipedia 15 04 08 15 04 08
Friday, April 11, 2008
Baseball Hitters: Advantages Over Others 1st ph
As a baseball player, I have played many games at many different fields. Its been on my mind if playing at a different field,besides the one someones plays on regularly, effects them and how there playing there game. The major issue would be if there are advantages to hitters who play at different places. I kind of think there are because some players come into the league playing for a team that may have different weather conditions more likely then other teams that have the same weather conditions more thru the season. I like this topic because if you take for example Barry Bonds he played for San Fransisco. California has better weather then you would say New York. Because New York has more rainy weather during the season. And temperature in the the beginning of the season is different because New York is still going to be cold, an in the West Coast its alot warmer.
I was watching the Yankees game last nite, against Boston, in Boston. The weather was very cold, I think in the mid 30's and A-Rod went 0 for 4. The announcers were saying that the weather may have affected his batting. It may have been slowing down his reaction time to swinging the bat and making contact with the ball.
I was watching the Yankees game last nite, against Boston, in Boston. The weather was very cold, I think in the mid 30's and A-Rod went 0 for 4. The announcers were saying that the weather may have affected his batting. It may have been slowing down his reaction time to swinging the bat and making contact with the ball.
drifting
I always thought that drfting was boring until my friend got me involed in drifting by taking me to hang out with his friends. the whole time going to the place they were raceing and drifting. I was getting pumped to see real life drifting. We got to the place we got to talk to them. Then his one friend took me for a ride, It was so fun but at the same time so scary. Every time we turned he made i felt like we were going to go in to a pole or a tree. But now after being with them every turn i wanna pull my e-break to try to do it. But i have a lot of questions about it, it seems so cool but at the same time it looks kind of hard to do with out smashing your car up
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Athlete Salary: Before the Search
Growing up in the Emilianowicz house few things were expected. You work hard in school, get your share of house work done and watch every sport possible. And if you watch a sport, then you normally have a favorite team, and the house dictates that you like the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres and the New York Yankees. Being younger, I was just following what my brothers were doing, but as I got older I started to really like these teams. Of course I don't like when they lose, but that comes with the territory.
For years now I have wondered why some of my favorite players on my favorite teams would leave. Then maturity set in, and now I understand that money makes the world go 'round. Every time I read the sports page I see stories about athletes making more and more money. Consistently, there is always someone who is complaining about how much they are getting paid. Athletes are getting paid to play to the best of their ability for a set number of games, but how many actually give you there very best every time they play. When I actually look at certain teams, such as my favorite team, the Yankees, they just go out and buy people.
Why does Alex Rodriguez make $27,000,000 a year and $252 million over his contract? Who makes the decision of how a player should actually make? What makes two pro athletes different from each other? If your at top notch form with peak performance, what makes a lacrosse player different than a baseball player? (About $2,542,476.) True, if your playing at a top-notch level, then you should get paid well. But then again, if you're playing terribly, shouldn't you get paid terribly? Basically, in my search I want to figure out if the salaries of major league athletes are justified.
Essential Question
Are the salaries of Athletes justified?
Foundation Questions
Who makes the standards for player salaries?
What makes a difference between two athletes, that turns out to be millions?
Who actually puts worth on a man's (woman's) talent?
If big sports are paying there players exorbitantly, how do alternate sports get paid?
For years now I have wondered why some of my favorite players on my favorite teams would leave. Then maturity set in, and now I understand that money makes the world go 'round. Every time I read the sports page I see stories about athletes making more and more money. Consistently, there is always someone who is complaining about how much they are getting paid. Athletes are getting paid to play to the best of their ability for a set number of games, but how many actually give you there very best every time they play. When I actually look at certain teams, such as my favorite team, the Yankees, they just go out and buy people.
Why does Alex Rodriguez make $27,000,000 a year and $252 million over his contract? Who makes the decision of how a player should actually make? What makes two pro athletes different from each other? If your at top notch form with peak performance, what makes a lacrosse player different than a baseball player? (About $2,542,476.) True, if your playing at a top-notch level, then you should get paid well. But then again, if you're playing terribly, shouldn't you get paid terribly? Basically, in my search I want to figure out if the salaries of major league athletes are justified.
Essential Question
Are the salaries of Athletes justified?
Foundation Questions
Who makes the standards for player salaries?
What makes a difference between two athletes, that turns out to be millions?
Who actually puts worth on a man's (woman's) talent?
If big sports are paying there players exorbitantly, how do alternate sports get paid?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
to much work
harry potter and the goblet of fire
by j.k. rowling
pg. 1-145
The quidditch world cup is like the super bowl, stanly cup, world seres, and the olympics all rolled in to one and it is the first time its bin hosted in britain in 30 years. (so yea its a big deal). Its so big that it had to be outside the wizzerd world. The wizzerds had to put up spells months ahead so humans did not find it.
Why didnt they make them selves smaller so it could fit in the wizzerd world. Then they would'nt have to put spells up months ahead and not have to hide it from the humans?
by j.k. rowling
pg. 1-145
The quidditch world cup is like the super bowl, stanly cup, world seres, and the olympics all rolled in to one and it is the first time its bin hosted in britain in 30 years. (so yea its a big deal). Its so big that it had to be outside the wizzerd world. The wizzerds had to put up spells months ahead so humans did not find it.
Why didnt they make them selves smaller so it could fit in the wizzerd world. Then they would'nt have to put spells up months ahead and not have to hide it from the humans?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Have you ever just been completely wrong about someone?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: p. 113- 216 (end)
Oh my goodness, was I wrong or what, it turns out that the "lame-O" president is actually a big part of the story. In the beginning of the book it explained how and why he almost powerless, but that has changed considering Zaphod has high-jacked the "Heart of Gold" spaceship. Maybe it is just me but people get a little mad when you start stealing very expensive ships. President or not, that is a big no no. The reason he actually comes back into the story is to save Arthur and Ford, because they were thrown off the Vogon ship. Once aboard the story takes a little turn, (oh that Douglas Adams) the funny thing during the introductions of the two groups, two cousins are reunited and two acquaintances meet for the second time. It seems that if your president you can go to other planets and attends specific functions, maybe even a party or two. Arthur and Zaphod Beeblebrox actually met at a party, but Zaphod wasn't using his real name (Go figure). Back on the ship it seems that no one takes the last Earthling serious and they definitely don't value his opinions. They would take the mice side over his. But something can be said about Zaphod behavior, he is definitely out there. He, himself, has admitted to doing things with out knowledge about any of them. He claims that without any knowledge of anything he was a perfect candidate for the Presidency, also that he passed all the mental screening procedures with flying colors. This way, supposedly, he could never think about doing something stealing the "Heart of Gold," boy were they wrong. All he wanted to do was steal the ship to find the plant of Magrathea, that way he would be rewarded with all the riches of the universe. Since there is no thought behind his thought, maybe he is subconsciously trying to achieve a goal from a friend.
If faced with such a predicament of being odd man out, what do you do? Would you try to become the guy who makes a fool of himself or the guy who tries to prove himself to everyone?
Oh my goodness, was I wrong or what, it turns out that the "lame-O" president is actually a big part of the story. In the beginning of the book it explained how and why he almost powerless, but that has changed considering Zaphod has high-jacked the "Heart of Gold" spaceship. Maybe it is just me but people get a little mad when you start stealing very expensive ships. President or not, that is a big no no. The reason he actually comes back into the story is to save Arthur and Ford, because they were thrown off the Vogon ship. Once aboard the story takes a little turn, (oh that Douglas Adams) the funny thing during the introductions of the two groups, two cousins are reunited and two acquaintances meet for the second time. It seems that if your president you can go to other planets and attends specific functions, maybe even a party or two. Arthur and Zaphod Beeblebrox actually met at a party, but Zaphod wasn't using his real name (Go figure). Back on the ship it seems that no one takes the last Earthling serious and they definitely don't value his opinions. They would take the mice side over his. But something can be said about Zaphod behavior, he is definitely out there. He, himself, has admitted to doing things with out knowledge about any of them. He claims that without any knowledge of anything he was a perfect candidate for the Presidency, also that he passed all the mental screening procedures with flying colors. This way, supposedly, he could never think about doing something stealing the "Heart of Gold," boy were they wrong. All he wanted to do was steal the ship to find the plant of Magrathea, that way he would be rewarded with all the riches of the universe. Since there is no thought behind his thought, maybe he is subconsciously trying to achieve a goal from a friend.
If faced with such a predicament of being odd man out, what do you do? Would you try to become the guy who makes a fool of himself or the guy who tries to prove himself to everyone?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Initial Impressions- A bit late
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
Starting off this book I was a bit confused because there were about two introduction chapters that I didnt realize were there I thought it was the book starting off. So I think that those to intros should'nt be in the book because it cought me off guard and then I had to start getting in to the book after reading forty something pages of useless information. But the book itself is quite confusing I think just the sentences and the words in the sentences screw around with me and its hard for me to understand whats going on in the book. One thing I dont really like in the book, is that after some certain sentences, the author would put in perenthesis what he just ment about what he just said in that sentence. And I really didnt think that was neseccary.
Starting off this book I was a bit confused because there were about two introduction chapters that I didnt realize were there I thought it was the book starting off. So I think that those to intros should'nt be in the book because it cought me off guard and then I had to start getting in to the book after reading forty something pages of useless information. But the book itself is quite confusing I think just the sentences and the words in the sentences screw around with me and its hard for me to understand whats going on in the book. One thing I dont really like in the book, is that after some certain sentences, the author would put in perenthesis what he just ment about what he just said in that sentence. And I really didnt think that was neseccary.
Does anyone really want to be thrown out of a moving spaceship?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: p. 47-113
Again what an amazing turn of events, the for some odd reason Adams likes to flip the script alot. Seconds before the Earth explodes, Ford shows his true self and gets a lift from a Vogon spaceship. To me the events are truely impossible and would never happen. But if you believe then anything is possible. (I don't believe in such a thing, I spend my time working on all sorts of different projects.) The way that Arthur and Ford actually get a lift is through some type of blinding light emiting from Ford's thumb, much like a hitchhiker on the side of the road trying to flag down some driver. What an amazing thing to do, seconds before KABOOM, and the two get out alive. Now, I know that Adams likes to flip the story around but I sort of seen that one coming. You cannot kill your main character, the idea is just ludricis. Well maybe you can but not before the last chapther, in a climatic finish. Otherwise the book would lose all meaning, who would the book follow. They actually get picked up by a Vogon spaceship, but the only problem is they were not let on by the Vogons. The Vogon cooks let them on, just for the reason to make the Vogons angry. It is not Ford's fault but being picked by anyone else would probably better. The first reaction of ship's captian is to find the intruders and throw them off his ship. Now the only problem is they are no longer on planet Earth both will die either from the vaccuum effect of being thrown out of a ship, or the lack of oxygen in outer space. In the end the whole idea of being thrown out a spaceship is not real, but to connect it to real life it is very possible to be thrown out of a moving car, by choice or under force from someone else.
If your faced with the predicement of being thrown off a spaceship, what could you to actually keep yourself on the ship? (I suggest becoming the cook, but the only problem is I don't know what aliens like to eat.)
Again what an amazing turn of events, the for some odd reason Adams likes to flip the script alot. Seconds before the Earth explodes, Ford shows his true self and gets a lift from a Vogon spaceship. To me the events are truely impossible and would never happen. But if you believe then anything is possible. (I don't believe in such a thing, I spend my time working on all sorts of different projects.) The way that Arthur and Ford actually get a lift is through some type of blinding light emiting from Ford's thumb, much like a hitchhiker on the side of the road trying to flag down some driver. What an amazing thing to do, seconds before KABOOM, and the two get out alive. Now, I know that Adams likes to flip the story around but I sort of seen that one coming. You cannot kill your main character, the idea is just ludricis. Well maybe you can but not before the last chapther, in a climatic finish. Otherwise the book would lose all meaning, who would the book follow. They actually get picked up by a Vogon spaceship, but the only problem is they were not let on by the Vogons. The Vogon cooks let them on, just for the reason to make the Vogons angry. It is not Ford's fault but being picked by anyone else would probably better. The first reaction of ship's captian is to find the intruders and throw them off his ship. Now the only problem is they are no longer on planet Earth both will die either from the vaccuum effect of being thrown out of a ship, or the lack of oxygen in outer space. In the end the whole idea of being thrown out a spaceship is not real, but to connect it to real life it is very possible to be thrown out of a moving car, by choice or under force from someone else.
If your faced with the predicement of being thrown off a spaceship, what could you to actually keep yourself on the ship? (I suggest becoming the cook, but the only problem is I don't know what aliens like to eat.)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
nice twist
harry potter and the goblet of fire
by j.k. rowling
pg 1-287
The goblet of fire is suppost to only pick 3 studnets 1 from each school. No one under the age of 17 can put there name in the goblet. Two of the characters under the age tryed to put there name in it by making a aging sell. But the goblet put a spell on them, it put a breered on them. So then it was time for the goblet to pick its names it pick 4 names not 3. the 4th name it picked was harry potter who is under the age of 17 and whos school already had a kids name pick. The rules were that if your name was picked you had to competet. So they make if competet even tho he did not put his name in it to be picked.
I thought that was interesting. Becuase i thought that it was unpredictable. I liked it because its going to start getting good becaue hes name should have not got picked, because he is under age, his school got picked already, and he did not put his name in it. Hes always getting in trouble and almost dieing Because of some one else
Do you think he should be able to be in it?
by j.k. rowling
pg 1-287
The goblet of fire is suppost to only pick 3 studnets 1 from each school. No one under the age of 17 can put there name in the goblet. Two of the characters under the age tryed to put there name in it by making a aging sell. But the goblet put a spell on them, it put a breered on them. So then it was time for the goblet to pick its names it pick 4 names not 3. the 4th name it picked was harry potter who is under the age of 17 and whos school already had a kids name pick. The rules were that if your name was picked you had to competet. So they make if competet even tho he did not put his name in it to be picked.
I thought that was interesting. Becuase i thought that it was unpredictable. I liked it because its going to start getting good becaue hes name should have not got picked, because he is under age, his school got picked already, and he did not put his name in it. Hes always getting in trouble and almost dieing Because of some one else
Do you think he should be able to be in it?
Friday, February 8, 2008
Blog Post #3
The Princess Bride, William Goldman.
Pages 66-190
Is it written in the first person, third person, or perhaps the second person, or perhaps a combination? Is the story told from one point of view or many?
This book I believe to say would be a combination from first person to second person through out the book. Goldman doesnt really us person, atleast I havent noticed, very much in the book. Its more, her telling about the characters and then the characters talking not about themselve but in general about other characters. And the characters have like there own attitude towards the other characters in the book, and thats what I think makes this book the way it is and how its told in first and second person.
This book seems to be told in many points of view I think. Because the author for one has her ways of telling the story and then the characters have a way of making the story the way it is.
Do you think you have an idea of how the book is and how the author uses first person and second person?
Pages 66-190
Is it written in the first person, third person, or perhaps the second person, or perhaps a combination? Is the story told from one point of view or many?
This book I believe to say would be a combination from first person to second person through out the book. Goldman doesnt really us person, atleast I havent noticed, very much in the book. Its more, her telling about the characters and then the characters talking not about themselve but in general about other characters. And the characters have like there own attitude towards the other characters in the book, and thats what I think makes this book the way it is and how its told in first and second person.
This book seems to be told in many points of view I think. Because the author for one has her ways of telling the story and then the characters have a way of making the story the way it is.
Do you think you have an idea of how the book is and how the author uses first person and second person?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
What's the President actually got to do with it?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: p. 23-47
The craziness of this book continues, he open with an amazing flip, and then continues on a path with several differnet stops along the way. Adams introduces a character who is the President of the Galaxy, and his name is Zaphod Beeblebrox. (He's clearly not from around here.) Zaphod holds the title of the President, but there is one little problem with this, the President is absolutely powerless. Every now and then he makes a quote that is important, but otherwise he is just like a business man among working class. But then again with his few statements or quotes he has the people waiting on baited breath for what he is about to say to them. At the moment, Zaphod plays actually no role in the book besides an announcement but maybe that could change. Otherwise it's like he a man you pass on the street do remember him if he has jeans and a coat on, no. If he wearing giant sunglasses, a sombero, or maybe even boa like Hulk Hogan, then I would like to say yes. With the destruction of the Earth, Zaphod really isn't that bothered, in fact he could care less. He is the type of guy who can see a murder and think only of the mud on his shoes. I really believe that he might be a mental patient, or just a plain old headcase. But, as I said before, maybe he will become more important. I would say probably not, what would Adams want with a dumb dumb as his main character.
The craziness of this book continues, he open with an amazing flip, and then continues on a path with several differnet stops along the way. Adams introduces a character who is the President of the Galaxy, and his name is Zaphod Beeblebrox. (He's clearly not from around here.) Zaphod holds the title of the President, but there is one little problem with this, the President is absolutely powerless. Every now and then he makes a quote that is important, but otherwise he is just like a business man among working class. But then again with his few statements or quotes he has the people waiting on baited breath for what he is about to say to them. At the moment, Zaphod plays actually no role in the book besides an announcement but maybe that could change. Otherwise it's like he a man you pass on the street do remember him if he has jeans and a coat on, no. If he wearing giant sunglasses, a sombero, or maybe even boa like Hulk Hogan, then I would like to say yes. With the destruction of the Earth, Zaphod really isn't that bothered, in fact he could care less. He is the type of guy who can see a murder and think only of the mud on his shoes. I really believe that he might be a mental patient, or just a plain old headcase. But, as I said before, maybe he will become more important. I would say probably not, what would Adams want with a dumb dumb as his main character.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams- p. 1-23
What an amazing book, the start is much like a horrible essay I, personally, have written. I mean that I have tried this technique and it never works out well for me. The beginning starts in a peaceful way with a character with high hopes and big dreams. And then "wham bam thank you mam," the story is flipped. The beginning reminds me of a "Simpsons" episode. (Has anyone ever noticed that they start on one plot and end on completely different story line?) Some of characters are very life like such as Arthur Dent, the houseowner, Mr. L. Prosser, the blue collar worker, and then there is Ford Perfect. He is a little far fetched but then again he could easily be confused with a foreigner who is trying to learn our customs, tradition and lifestyles. He still has a problem, even though he has been living among us for fifteen years, he can't detect sarcaism very well. Which can be funny at times but alittle distubing at other times. A perfect example of this would be when Arthur's house is about to be demolished, and Ford asks him if he is busy. Arthur replies No, I'm just lying in a ditch nothing. Almost every human being would pick up the inkling of "yes I am, now get out of here." But for the story so far, it seems to an interesting little tale that will unfold into an epic. I only hope that it sticks to its original charcters now, I'm sort of attach to Ford he makes me laugh with his drinking habits and quarkie personality make me chuckle (not laugh, just chuckle).
Monday, January 14, 2008
Group Response: Fantasy Blog
My blogmates and I have chosen the fantasy genre because it is simply the best genre around. But it was not just for fun, the fight between good and evil is great. The jubilation of good focused against the dark forces of evil, what can be better than a twenty minute stare off followed by a heated exchange of furious magical attacks. Nothing. And that is just between the three of us, other people feel exactly the same, or more. (I once saw someone get into a fantasy so much, they lost touch with reality, and required that we call him Ogliath the ruler of 7th street.) This actual genre provides humanity a route to a world where things are pure and good and do not have the normal everyday hustle and bustle of rush hour traffic. The world of fantasy lets pejust have.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Assessment - Indy Reading Project - December
Dan - 5/5 Responses
Well brother, you've got about a 10/90 ration going in some of these responses. I'll stick to the last one since I haven't commented on it yet. I see a bunch of plot, and I see three sentences of commentary mixed in:
Shawn - 4/5 Responses
Shawn, does the setting have any larger significance. If you're going to write about setting, explore it a bit more. Does it create mood? Represent something larger than itself?
Robert - 3/5 Respones
Do better. You've got to do all your work Robert.
- Everyone is unique in there own way but some characters are just different.
- Being locked away from the world your morals start to go to hell, its almost like living with a bunch of pirates.
- Now I don't condone this type of behavior but I understand it.
Shawn - 4/5 Responses
Shawn, does the setting have any larger significance. If you're going to write about setting, explore it a bit more. Does it create mood? Represent something larger than itself?
Robert - 3/5 Respones
Do better. You've got to do all your work Robert.
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