text:
Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Swine Flu Vaccine Warning

I’m not a doctor!
I’m not a nurse!
I’m not even medically trained!
This is just my opinion!
However, from what I have heard, read and have been told by Physicians I will not take the swine flu vaccine.
I even heard that county in health departments across the country will push the vaccine because they stand to benefit with the purchase of new equipment.
So, before you take this vaccine, do some research?

This is what I have found;
Risks of the Swine Flu Vaccine
Swine Flu Vaccine Should Not Be Given to Children in Schools

Lies, half truths and media hype of swine flu (Article)
Nationwide Revolt Against Mass Swine Flu Vaccination Accelerates
Warning: Swine Flu Shot Linked to Killer Nerve Disease
Makers Of Vaccination Refuse To Take H1N1
Video: Early study on H1N1 deaths KXAN.com
Video: Friends Remember Local H1N1 Victim KETV TV

Remember that "you catch the virus" which is literally true. Shaking hands is a deadly exercise in this setting. Door knobs, railings, utensils used by an infected person, kissing someone with the virus, close contact with infected people who are incubating the virus, table tops etc carry the virus even up to 48 long hours. Indian system of Namaste is very healthy practice.

Your best bet is to meticulously clean your hands with simple soap and water (not chemical detergent soaps) as frequently as is possible or, at least, before touching your nose, eyes and mouth. During travel or hospital visits one does well to carry a bottle of alcohol hand cleaners for use where soap and water are scarce. They are very effective.

My Stamp Collecting Blog

Counter Added January 1, 2011

free counters

The A index [ LOW is GOOD ]

  • 1 to 6 is BEST
  • 7 to 9 is OK
  • 11 or more is BAD

Represents the overall geomagnetic condition of the ionosphere ("Ap" if averaged from the Kp-Index) (an average of the eight 3-hour K-Indices) ('A' referring to amplitude) over a given 24 hour period, ranging (linearly) typically from 1-100 but theoretically up to 400.

A lower A-Index generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; a low & steady Ap-Index generally suggest good propagation on the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.

SFI index [ HIGH is GOOD ]

  • 70 NOT GOOD
  • 80 GOOD
  • 90 BETTER
  • 100+ BEST

The measure of total radio emissions from the sun at 10.7cm (2800 MHz), on a scale of 60 (no sunspots) to 300, generally corresponding to the sunspot level, but being too low in energy to cause ionization, not related to the ionization level of the Ionosphere.

Higher Solar Flux generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; Solar Flux rarely affects the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.

K index [ LOW is GOOD ]

  • 0 or 1 is BEST
  • 2 is OK
  • 3 or more is BAD
  • 5 is VERY VERY BAD

The overall geomagnetic condition of the ionosphere ("Kp" if averaged over the planet) over the past 3 hours, measured by 13 magnetometers between 46 & 63 degrees of latitude, and ranging quasi-logarithmically from 0-9. Designed to detect solar particle radiation by its magnetic effect. A higher K-index generally means worse HF conditions.

A lower K-Index generally suggests better propagation on the 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meter Bands; a low & steady Kp-Index generally suggest good propagation on the 30, 40, 60, 80, & 160 Meter Bands.

Terms of Service

[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]
I am not responsible for any thing that happens to your mental health, computer and all personal property because you visited my site.
This site is a collection of some things sent to me by e-mail, obtained from other blogs and the internet. If there is a picture or quote that is copyrighted to you let me know and I will remove your item .
Thoughts expressed in my blog are just that . I give My Opinion on the many events, products and how too, reported by the media and other web-sites.
Do not use this blog site to obtain weather events or disasters information. What I post may not be correct. Always get information from the proper media, weather (NWS)(NOAA)
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and USGS sites


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Truncated: length

WARC-Type: response

text:
Every morning at 10 am, listen in to hear Jim Carson announce the song of the day! When you hear it play at 2 pm, be the correct caller to 1-800-232-KRTH (5784) and you’ll win the prize of the day!!

Today’s Tickets at Two Song:

“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen

Today’s “Tickets at Two” prize is a ‘pair’ of tickets to see the classic musical SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN with soundtrack performed by Pacific Symphony Thursday, May 9th at the Renee & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall!!

Click Here for Contest Rules.

More from Jim Carson

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s

More From K-EARTH 101

K-EARTH Surf Pig
28 Free Things To Do in L.A.
Totally 80s Friday Night

Listen Live

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-153-172-175.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2016-36
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for August 2016
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Skip to main content
Average ER Wait Time
Checking ER Wait Time
The feed could not be reached
Kendall Regional Medical Center
Pediatric ER

Results for f Radiology Non-HCA Employee

1 result

Other XRadiology X

Search Results Map

Click on the map marker to visit the physician profile associated with each number.
You can find several physicians at these locations.


text:
Since we’re well into the Web 2.0 world, it seems everyone is past ready to boot up Web 3.0. There are a lot of different slants to this, but often, the gist is that next evolution of the Web will involve augmenting our current AJAX-y web goodness with a powerful network of sensors integrated into the Web. Web 3.0, Web of Sensors, Semantic Sensor Web…whatever you call it, it sounds pretty cool.

But for this new model to work, you’ve got to have sensors. And ideally, lots of ’em. If I’m really going to keep track of myself and my life, I need location data and activity data; I need quantitative and qualitative info…I need it all. And while sensors keep getting cheaper, I still don’t have them everywhere I need them.

But…I carry an uber-sensor almost everywhere I go. My cellphone. Modern smartphones (I have an Android Nexus S) have cameras, GPS sensors, accelerometers, and 3G data connections. I’m currently using an app to track my running time, distance, and location, I use my camera to photograph and record my meals, and I sync audio notes to cloud storage for backup and later review.

I’ve recently started taking my paper travel journal, and rather than trying to sync it up manually, I rip pages out (easier to write on anyway!), scribble down my thoughts, and photograph them with the phone. Sync it up to Picasa, and I can transcribe them at my leisure! It’s pretty awesome.

So while I too look forward to ubiquitous tiny sensorwebs, I’m making do now. It works great, and I’ve got more data than ever. Time to compile and analyze

One thought on “Web of Sensors here now; my phone is a great stand-in

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


text:
KEXP.ORG Donate Now!

KEXP Reviews

Browse by one of the following:
Garmarna: Gods Musicians
Buy! - (Omnium)
Adventurous Swedish band updates their native folk traditions for the 90s in a way that's comparable to Cordelia's Dad's recasting of traditional Anglo folk. 9/15/1996 - Don Yates
Other Garmarna album reviews:

Hildegard von Bingen - 8/15/2001
Vengeance - 4/15/1999


text:
Update on Service Interruption for Dish Subscribers — Click here
Follow storms on KFOR live interactive radar

KD and Harden join late night

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

NEW YORK, NY -- The Olympians are home from London.

Two of the three OKC Thunder superstars on Team USA joined Jimmy Fallon on late night TV Monday night.

Kevin Durant and James Harden made a stop on the show to show off their Olympic gold medals.

They talked with Fallon about the Olympics and what it feels like to win gold.

Congrats to Durant, Harden and Russell Westbrook who also played for Team USA.

Also, congratulations to silver medalist Serge Ibaka who played for Spain.


text:
Update on Service Interruption for Dish Subscribers — Click here
Follow storms on KFOR live interactive radar

Helping Moore school teachers afford classroom projects Information

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.


text:
Update on Service Interruption for Dish Subscribers — Click here
Follow storms on KFOR live interactive radar

Trash or Treasure: We see a Thomas Moran Litho and some items related to Adolf Hitler

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Our first viewer brought in a Thomas Moran lithograph from 1903.

Most color lithographs are not worth that much but Thomas Moran lithographs hold some value.

This piece is worth from $200 - $250 dollars.

Another viewer brought in some Nazi postcards that were cut from a book and framed. They are called folios.

Third Reich memorabilia holds it's value more than other other collectibles from WWII. These postcards have a $50 - $75 value

This same viewer also brought in some interesting memorabilia from the 1936 Olympiad.

One item was a watch from those Olympics were athlete Jesse Owens won four gold medals and dashed Adolf Hitler's view of Aryan supremacy.

This watch has a $450 - $600 value.

Check if you have any of these treasures around your house; they could be worth money!

Bring your antiques to local antique expert Matt McNeil, ISA CAPP, and he will determine if they are Trash or Treasure.

To set up an appointment to be on the show, please call (405) 478-6322 and leave a message.

Appointments are Wednesdays at 2:45 p.m. and must be scheduled in advance.

*Please note: due to the high call volume, it may take a few days, at most weeks, for your call to be returned.*

You may have two of your family heirlooms, antiques or prized possessions appraised for free.

Large items like furniture and weapons are not applicable.
444 East Britton Rd.
Oklahoma City, OK. 73114
On Britton Road between I-235 & I-35


text:
Health On The Hill: Medicaid Untouched, Medicare Spared – For Now – In Debt

KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about the lack of Medicare and Medicaid cuts in the initial round of cuts tied to the debt ceiling increase, and about what sort of cuts the programs could be open to later in the year.

Listen to the audio

read the transcript

Can’t see video? Watch on YouTube.

Categories: Cost and Quality, Medicaid, Medicare


text:
Welcome to Kimchi Kawaii

Welcome to the world of Kimchi Kawaii! We love Japanese 'kawaii' (cute) style artwork and silly puns. Kimchi Kawaii combines both elements into a colorful collection of humorous art sure to bring a smile to your face. In addition to selling online at the following shops, we also travel around the United States selling at anime cons throughout the year.

Upcoming Events

August, 12-14, 2016

Otakon, Baltimore, MD

September, 2-4, 2016

SacAnime, Sacramento, CA (dealers)

For a full list of events, visit the Events page

Purrista Pawfee - Plush in Stock!

Purrista Pawfee's plush Kickstarter was a huge success! Learn how to get your own Purrista Pawfee plush.

Kimchi Kawaii's Zazzle Store

Kimchi Kawaii's Zazzle store carries clothing like t-shirts, sweatshirts and scarves. The Zazzle shop also carries a wide variety of items featuring Kimchi Kawaii's cute pun-filled art and designs. Here you can find mugs, keychains, and cell phone cases and laptop cases for popular brands like Apple and Samsung.

Kimchi Kawaii's Redbubble Shop

The Kimchi Kawaii shop on Redbubble carries t-shirts and best of all, die-cut vinyl stickers! Take your pick of an ever growing selection of humor- ous and fun designs ready to decorate your favorite items or collection.

Kimchi Kawaii Storenvy Shop

The Kimchi Kawaii Storenvy shop is packed full of hand crafted goodies featuring our popular puns Some items for sale in the Storenvy shop are plush, cute bags, acrylic keychains, and acrylic pins.

Frosted Fleur de Lis Spoonflower Shop

Do-it-yourself (DIY) lolitas or seamstresses with a love of sweets can visit the Frosted Fleur de Lis Spoonflower shop. The shop features sweet themed border prints and coordinating designs on a variety of fabrics. Frosted Fleur de Lis fabrics are perfect for lolita skirts and dresses or other projects that call out for unique and sweet filled designs.


text:
0 reads
Leave a comment

Well, not really…Rosa and Brandy just happened to be at the same restaurant at the same time while the paparazzi was there.

Check out Rosa with new hair and a “friend” 40 Gocc by her side.

Is that a leash on Brandy’s neck!?!

RUMOR: Ray J Is Dating Flo Rida’s Jumpoff! Is This Payback?

comments – Add Yours

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 469 other followers


text:
8 Detroit Public Schools honored by Mackinac Center as among the best in the state

Thirkell Elementary School is the state’s highest rated elementary-middle school

Leaders from eight Detroit Public Schools ranked among the best elementary-middle schools in the state by Mackinac Center for Public Policy joined parents, staff and students at Thirkell Elementary School—the state’s highest rated school—during a special assembly on July 9, 2013.

In all, two Detroit Public Schools—Thirkell and Davison—were among the top eight in the state of Michigan, and two DPS-authorized charters were among the top 10 schools in the state—Ross-Hill Academy and Martin Luther King Jr. Education Center.

Additional DPS schools in the top 100 recognized during the assembly were: Ronald Brown, Harms, Clippert, Pasteur, Chrysler and Burton International.

The author of the study, Mackinac Center’s Director of Education Policy Audrey Spaulding, made the presentation at Thirkell Tuesday.

Click Here for complete article and photos

Visit our website at detroitk12.org

About Detroit Public Schools

Detroit Public Schools is creating Centers of Excellence in every school in every neighborhood. The district’s primary mission is educating students to perform at high academic levels. DPS offers educational advantages to students and parents/guardians across the system and reforms throughout the district’s 100 schools.

Those include:

  • $146 million in student grants and scholarships
  • 3 new state-of-the-art school buildings or major renovations that opened in September
  • Netbooks for every student in grades 6–12 and take-home Netbooks for grades 8–12

Learn more about Detroit Public Schools »

Also On 105.9 Kiss-FM:

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 469 other followers


text:
The NPC Tournament (2)

The NPC Tournament (2)

July 28, 2012 by in The Show with  Comments, 1,794 Views

NPC Tournament 2

Here we are once more on the field of battle.

Eight contestants have come forward to fight for the glory and honor of victory! Only, their fate is in YOUR hands..

    • Round 1 will see 4 pairs of combatants pair off and eliminate their foes
    • Round 2 will the survivors pair up for another battle, with only ONE elimination
  • Round 3 will be a triple threat match where only 2 will advance
  • Final Round, will be the two remaining NPC’s, who will fight to the death!!

  • Tunare, faced with the prospects of mortal combat with a duck and a rag doll, has withdrawn from the competition entirely.
  • Now it comes down to an all out, knock down, drag-out, slap fest between Billy and Quackers!!

Final Round! Who will win??

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...


text:
Watch New Preview Trailer for Robert Plant’s Upcoming Album, “Lullaby and…The Ceaseless Roar”

Image Courtesy of Frank MelfiA new trailer for Robert Plant‘s forthcoming solo album, Lullaby and…The Ceaseless Roar, has premiered on the Led Zeppelin singer’s official YouTube channel. The three-minute film, titled Return to the Borders, shows scenes of the lush, green English countryside interspersed with interviews with Plant and a few of the members of his current band, Sensational Space Shifters.

In the video, Robert praises multi-instrumentalist John Baggott‘s contributions in creating atmospheric sonic flavors for the album’s tracks.

“Johnny Baggott was bringing so many loops and amazing samples to the program every night,” says …read more

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


text:
APD Arrest Ball Man for Burglary

Damian-Aucoin-mugAlexandria police arrest a man from Ball for the break-in of a home in the 29 hundred block of Jackson early yesterday. 41-year-old Damian Aucoin is charged with burglary.

The homeowner says he was trying to pry open the garage door and then unsuccessfully tried their back door.

Police say they caught him in front of the home.

KLAX ABC 31 News 8/1/14

Comments are closed.

Post Navigation


text:
Ribbon Cutting Held at Paradise Children’s Clinic

childclinicA Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony is held this morning at the Paradise Children’s Clinic on the Monroe Highway. The clinic has been open for about six months.

It serves children age newborns through 21 and provides a variety of services. These range from routine wellness exams to assistance with problems including ADHD.

It’s staffed by Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Rhonda Paul.

KLAX ABC 31 News 6/12/14

Comments are closed.

Post Navigation


text:
Photography Ideas

Photography Ideas to Help You Stay Snapping Away

Photography is possibly the easiest method to capture and discussing it with other people. You may also make a living should you understand the proper techniques to consider photos. The below article provides some good techniques of taking individuals beautiful pictures you have been striving to attain.

A ds is a vital tool if you are striving to become seriously interested in your photography. This camera provides you with probably the most accurate look at your subject while you go ahead and take picture. You need to get a complete-frame DSLR, you’ll then have the ability to get detailed photographs.

Even though many photography enthusiasts choose to highlight landscapes from the distance, exactly what the viewer will notice first may be the foreground from the landscape.

Test out the feature that enables you to definitely adjust amounts of whiteness. Indoor lighting can occasionally cause your pictures to appear yellow and fluorescent fittings. Rather than performing using the light inside your space, adjust the white-colored balance in your camera to obtain an entirely unique atmosphere. This gives your photos an infinitely more professional searching appearance.

Try all sorts of different approaches whenever using the digital camera, and all sorts of features situated in your camera. You don’t always require an original resist have a high-quality picture. A great professional photographer may take the most overshot subject and make a picture that is creative and jaw-shedding. Experiment to locate your photos before you uncover your individual style.

Begin taking pictures as soon as you depart for the trip. You’ll uncover many chances to take good pictures when you are at the destination however, but make use of the visit to acquire some unique shots. Document the airport terminal is definitely great for some interesting shots.

You’ll have to have fun with ISO, ISO and aperture. These 3 features determine the exposure of the picture may be like. You need to avoid either overexposing or overexposed photos unless of course you’re striving for you.

There’s no big tips for being a good professional photographer. Keep taking photos and gain knowledge about every click. With photography, it’s not necessary to develop every shot you are taking, nor is it necessary to have them all.

When taking indoor photos which are under fluorescent lights, alter the white-colored balance therefore it looks clearer. Fluorescent lights cast blue and eco-friendly light, therefore the subject can look “cooler-well toned, unless of course you make amends for insufficient the color red together with your camera.

An excellent idea is to achieve the subject to check out someone else within the shot.

Natural lighting can enjoy an essential component. Once the sun reaches its greatest, it may cast undesirable shadows, and living subjects will probably squint in the blinding light.

Try placing a frame any all of your shots. Try obtaining a unique frame made from natural frames within the shot. This can be a wonderful method to compose your shots.

Though you might want to set the digital camera in a low setting to keep more pictures around the storage card before installing, make certain you understand what you’re compromising when it comes to top printing quality. The low setting must only be utilized for images that’ll be to show them on your pc screen.

It is simple to edit your pictures on your own! You will find quite numerous software to select from. Select a program that’s full of features and enables you plenty of choices with regards to editing and improving your photographs. Make certain that you could easily learn and employ too!

You will find occasions once the lighting just will not permit you to capture a great photograph. You will see occasions when you are able not look for a place that’s more consistent.

Shoot a minimal level to prompt a topic to appear more effective and enormous. If you would like the alternative effect, shoot from up high.

This straightforward technique considerably improves the caliber of your shots.

If you employ the techniques detailed formerly in the following paragraphs, you might have the ability to wow your loved ones people and buddies together with your new photography expertise. With sufficient practice, you can eventually develop your abilities well enough to 1 day be considered a professional photographer who produces pictures for some individuals.

CT Airlink offers Limo Service to CT from NYC and Limo Service in CT to Bradley Airport, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty Airport (EWR), Manhattan, Boston Logan Airport and New York City. CT Airlink arrange Limousines for Limo Service in CT to JFK and Limo Service in CT to Airports and Connecticut towns Vernon, Windsor, New Milford, Branford, New London, Newtown, Wethersfield, Mansfield, Westport, South Windsor, Farmington, Windham, Ridgefield, North Haven, Simsbury, Berlin, New Canaan and Rocky Hill CT Airlink. NYC Airports Limo (Long Island Car Service to LGA Airport) serve Amityville, Bayport, Bohemia, Brookhaven, Centereach, Central Islip, Copiague, Deer Park, East Moriches, East Setauket, Greenlawn, Hauppauge and Huntington NY. NYCairportsLimo offers Car Service Long Island to JFK Airport and Car Service to Newark Airport by from Long Island towns Islip Terrace, Lindenhurst, Mastic Beach, Melville, Montauk, Nesconset, Oakdale, Peconic, Ridge, Ronkonkoma, Sayville, Shoreham, Southampton, Wading River, West Islip. Photography for newborn babies at Peekaboostudios


text:
Wednesday, February 22, 2006

My Version Of A Cool Down

So I stepped onto my new workout gadget... that side slide or whatever the hell it's called.

I've been fighting off a cold for almost a week now and after ten minutes on this thing I was out of breath, sweating and worn out. I'm all for pushing myself... but I also like to breathe.

So after ten minutes, I slowed down and stopped. I consider rolling the damn thing up and putting it away a "cool down."

As far as the diet goes, I was really good today... except for the whole water thing. What the hell is it about cold weather that makes it almost impossible to drink all the freaking water I'm supposed to?

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Smaller Than A Treadmill

So, I'm going to be moving in the next two months. I'm thrilled, it's a two-story house! Which means... running upu and down the stairs will do wonders for my ass! A house with a built-in workout, yippee!

Originally, I had planned to buy a treadmill and Total Gym, but I've decided on just the Total Gym. A couple of months ago my mom gave me a sideslide or something like that... anyway, it's a slippery mat with special booties that go on over your shoes and you can literally "skate" or "rollerblade" in place! It's a much better workout than I thought. I put off digging it out of the box... I should have been on this thing months ago.

Anyway, I've been down with a nasty cough and some allergies, so I couldn't pull off more than ten minutes (weak and pathetic, I know) of sliding. Still, it was a great ten minutes and I"m definitely going to be doing this daily. Plus, it's a cinch to store, I can roll it up and store it under my bed at the new house... much easier to deal with than a treadmill!

This afternoon I'm going to get back on the pilates track with a twenty minute workout, that will be thirty minutes of working out and who knows how much time spent packing and doing household maintenence.

2 cups of coffee, sweetened with Splenda and a splash of heavy whipping cream (almost no carbs)
1 Atkins Vanilla Shake (in the can, not bad!)
1 Pria Bar - chocolate mint, tolerable, a great way to curb a sweet craving.

All this has been spread out from 7am to Noon (now)

1 W2W pack
Green Tea Extract

Sunday, February 12, 2006

A Post Worthy of the Title?

Maybe... ok, got a tip on a killer butt make-over routine that can be done in - get this - 7 minutes! Check it out, from what I've read it appears that this routine might just have you screaming your ass off for the entire 7 minutes! I might give it a try.

Back to the Total Gym... I've been sticking to the diet for the last week, I've dropped a couple of pounds, but until I get back to where I was the last time I posted my little scale thing on here... I won't be posting the little scale thing back here. ;o)

The sad, pathetic fact is that I can diet myself into sheer misery but am really only going to get the results I want if I add exercise into the scenario. So, I'm back to a 20 - 30 minute Total Gym workout - DAILY and the 20 minute Pilates workout every evening - DAILY. Between those two things I lost 27 pounds last year.

My ultimate goal is a weight loss (from the exact point I am at now) of 30 pounds. From there I can decide if I want to drop another 10 - 20 pounds. Ideally, I'd love to weigh about 125... but, I know that I look pretty darn good at 140 too.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Savoring The Bitchy....

Had a cup of coffee this morning and now am attempting to savor an Atkins shake. I use the term "savor" loosely. I took my Cortislim because I don't give a damn what anyone thinks, it actually works for me.

The cramps are kicking in now and it's making me a tad testy... if you read my other blog you can witness my PMS through my rants about the whole Rent My Blog thing.

Anyway, I'm back on the wagon after a weekend of overindulging... I don't know why I flake out on the weekends. I'm really bad about it and I'm having a much harder time getting back on track than I originally anticipated.

One day at a time... right?

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Define "On Track"

Picked up a few boxes of the Atkin's canned shakes. The chocolate is tolerable... at best.

Also picked up some protein bars because I am not one of those people who could survive on a liquid diet. Eventually I am going to have to chew something and if I don't have something that works with the diet on-hand to chew... I'm going to binge like an drunk at an open bar.

Finally got back on the diet track today... I don't know if that actually counts as being "on track" if it's only one day, you know?

Keeping score a bit, I've had one protein bar, 1 shake, a fried egg, green tea and water.

I can do this... I did it before. I know if I can get past the cravings at the start, then it will all become much easier.

Wish me luck!

Monday, January 30, 2006

Getting Going... I Think I Can... I Think I Can...

Ahhh, another over indulgent birthday week (yes, we celebrate WEEKS around here) has come to a close. While most people jump on the resolution bandwagon around January 1st... I prefer to wait until MY new year January 26th.

Actually, I'm not big on resolutions, call me a non-conformist if you must, but I refuse to run with the rest of the lemmings making up little wishes (because they aren't really goals for 99% of people out there) that I doubt will come true, much less have any realistic plan of following up on anyway.

After a taste of weight loss success last year, I am yearning for more. What I don't understand is why it's so hard to get back INTO the groove again? It seems harder to get going again than it was to make up my mind to start to begin with.

My plan is to load up on Atkins or Slimfast shakes (the low carb, no sugar stuff) and protein bars... I know, it's not exactly healthy... but I plan to do this during the day and either have a decent breakfast or a decent dinner. Once I get the old ball rolling again I'll introduce healthy, low-carb alternatives to the high-sugar junk food I've been indulging in for the last... oh... 4 months.

Friday, January 27, 2006

The New Meaning Of "Hauling Ass"

I turned 30 yesterday and already I am loving it more than I did my twenties. Of course, maybe the reality hasn't set it in yet? Hmmm... that's enough to make me super neurotic so I'll stop thinking about it.

My mom took me out for dinner last night... it was a lot of fun. The meal was not diet friendly, but oh well, you only turn 30 once right? And, of course, I am a pro at finding excuses to fuck up my diet.

I was telling her that I really want a treadmill. We're moving in a couple of months and I plan on purchasing a treadmill, Total Gym and probably a Gazelle Glider (for hubby... I hate that damn thing).

My mom loves to walk... I don't. I can't get over the fact that you walk AWAY from your car and that by the time you get tired and are done walking you have to walk ALL the way back to your car. If you are on a treadmill you just walk until you are tired and then haul your ass on over to the couch until you feel better. You know?


text:
Workers Wonder Why? Community Mourns Men Killed In Fresno Workplace Shooting

      Workers at a Fresno meat processing plant will return to work Thursday, two days after a deadly shooting which left three employees dead, two others recovering from gunshots, and a community - stunned.

      Bosses at Valley Protein describe the shooting as a horrific, random act of violence.

      Wednesday night, dozens of friends, family, and employees held a candlelight march in front of the plant.

      "I just don't understand why he did it. Why did my cousin have to be the first person shot?" said Ofelia Olea, a cousin of one of the men killed.

      "He was a good person, you could go to him for anything, to play around to be serious, to talk to," said Olea.

      The gunman shot both her cousin, Salvador Diaz and his co-worker, Manuel Verdin, in the head.

      Verdin leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old son.

      "These gentlemen were at work, trying to support their families and somebody came in and gunned them down. They might not have had an opportunity to protect themselves. The families are coping with that," said Chris Martinez, a friend of Verdin.

      Police say 42-year-old Lawrence Jones shot a total of five of people, including himself.

      Two employees survived.

      Jones was a discharged parolee whose rap sheet dates back to the 90's and includes burglary, robbery, and auto theft.

      But his boss says he was a good employee.

      "Rode his bike to work every day, never missed, never late. He'd say good morning Bob, I'd say good morning back, how you doing today Lawrence? I'm blessed to be here," said Bob Coyle, president of Valley Protein.

      Coyle met with his employees Wednesday, and brought in grief counselors to help them cope.

      He says Jones gave no warning signs of trouble, and believes he shot random co-workers as he walked through the building.

      "One worked right next to him, the other worked in the grinding room. Based on geography, I think that's how people got picked out, where they were," said Coyle.

      "Everyone wants an answer, sometimes there are no answers," said Michelle Coyle, the company's human resource official.

      The plant was closed for business Wednesday; employees will head back to work Thursday starting at 5:00 a.m.

      The Fresno County coroner finished an autopsy on Jones, and is waiting on toxicology results, to figure out if he had any drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of the shooting.


text:
Top-Ranked Huskers Sweep No. 2 Texas Again

Top-Ranked Huskers Sweep No. 2 Texas Again EUGENE, Ore. - The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team swept No. 2 Texas, 25-15, 25-16, 25-21, on Saturday at the VERT Challenge in a rematch of last yea... Read More

Farm Supply Co-ops and Other Ag Retailers Face Tighter Margins, Cyclical Challenges

Accounts receivable at farm supply co-ops and other ag retailers are growing and so are their challenges, according to a new report from CoBank. After an extended run of impressive financial performances, retailers are adjusting to a tougher economic... Read More

Friday night football scores

Class B: Scottsbluff 21, Hastings 13 Northwest 34, Gering 0 Alliance 31, Chadron 14 Sidney 49, Lexington 7 Class C-1: Mitchell 35, Bayard 14 Ogallala 33, Minden 8 Valentine 19, Gordon-Rushville 0 Chase County 7, Cozad 6 ... Read More

Scottsbluff runs past Hastings in season opener

The Scottsbluff Bearcats won a gut check type opening game at home against Hastings on Friday night by the final of 21-13. With a game time temperature right around 70 degrees it was a gorgeous night for high school football and a big crowd watch... Read More

WNCC volleyball top No. 1 CSI, go 2-0 at Reiver Invite

The Western Nebraska Community College opened the Reiver Classic on a positive note, topping pre-season No. 1 College of Southern Idaho in four games. The Cougars, behind the 19-kill attack of Barbara Briceno, toppled the defending national champs... Read More

Hugoton KS Abengoa Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Draws Wide Interest

Abengoa Bioenergy's cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kansas, could have a new owner by the end of October, an official with the company hired by Abengoa to sell the plant told DTN Wednesday in an exclusive interview. Mark Fisler, managing direct... Read More

Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado reach Republican River agreement

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska have reached a new agreement in their longstanding conflict over water in the Republican River basin. The three states announced Friday that they have signed resolutions following monthly negotiat... Read More

High School Softball Scores

Friday (08/26/2016) Bellevue East 10, Omaha Northwest 4 Millard North 6, Papillion-LaVista South 2 Millard South 7, Bellevue West 4 Millard West 2, Millard North 0 Millard West 4, Omaha Marian 3 Omaha Burke 2, Bellevue East 1 Omaha Marian 8,... Read More

NFL Exhibition Season

Friday's Scores NFL PRESEASON Final New England 19, Carolina 17 Final Washington 21, Buffalo 16 Final Tampa Bay 30, Cleveland 13 Final Pittsburgh 27, New Orleans 14 Final Green Bay 21, San Francisco 1... Read More

High School Football Scores

Friday's Scores Ainsworth 46, Ravenna 24 Alliance 31, Chadron 14 Alma 47, Dundy County-Stratton 14 Ansley-Litchfield 46, Anselmo-Merna 44 Aquinas 48, Raymond Central 0 Arapahoe 72, Axtell 66 Arlington 41,... Read More

Huskers Open With 3-1 Win Over No. 10 Florida

EUGENE, Ore. - The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team topped No. 10 Florida, 3-1 (25-27, 25-15, 25-16, 25-21), to begin the 2016 season at the VERT Challenge at Matthew Knight Arena on the University of Oregon campus on Friday night. The Huskers (1-0)... Read More


text:
Statistical Analysis. Humor. Knicks.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

2009 Report Card: Nate Robinson

When the mainstream claims a player has a breakout season, it’s usually due to an increase in a player’s minutes per game which inflates his per game stats (see Eddy Curry’s 2007 season). Nate Robinson did see an increase in his minutes and had career highs in just about every per game stat. However his per minute stats verify that 2009 was a career year. The Knicks’ guard had career bests in per minute points, assists, rebounds, steals, fouls, and free throw attempts.

2006 72 13.2 .407 3.4 .397 4.7 .752 1.3 2.6 3.9 3.4 1.4 2.7 4.7 15.6
2007 64 13.9 .434 5.7 .390 3.7 .777 1.5 2.6 4.0 2.4 1.3 1.9 4.2 17.1
2008 72 15.0 .423 5.6 .332 3.7 .786 1.0 3.3 4.2 4.1 1.1 2.0 3.6 17.5
2009 74 16.8 .437 6.3 .326 4.8 .841 1.6 3.1 4.7 4.9 1.5 2.3 3.4 20.7

Robinson has regressed from behind the arc posting his lowest seasonal percentage (32.6% 3p%), mostly due a stretch when he seemingly couldn’t buy a bucket. In December and January, Robinson was 37-175 (27.4%) from downtown. However his overall efficiency overcame this deficit with his ability to get to and convert from the line. In D’Antoni’s offense Robinson seemingly has carte blanche to go to the hoop, and he does with vigor. According to 82games, Robinson shot 59.6% eFG from “close”. Watching him, it’s amazing that the diminutive guard is able to score from inside so frequently and efficiently even with contact.

On the court Robinson has matured a little bit. His propensity to commit meaningless fouls has decreased, and D’Antoni keeps him from arguing with officials. Nate still has his eccentric theatrics, for example this season’s on the court Will Ferrell man-crush. It’s commonly thought that Robinson’s other big deficiency is his height. However teams didn’t exploit Robinson in this manner, as I rarely saw other guards post him up. Instead his true Achilles’ heel was revealed as he saw increased minutes this year: defending the pick and roll. Robinson goes under screens at a Jamal Crawford-esque rate, and frequently switches at ill opportune moments. At one point in the season Mike D’Antoni was visibly furious with Nate mid-game for his lack of effort on the defensive end. That Nate is unable to defend the pick and roll in a more physical manner is mind boggling, considering his football background.

Still all-in-all Nate was one of the more productive Knicks in 2009, and is worthy of a contract extension. His potent scoring is an asset alone, but Robinson contributes with passing, steals, and rebounds as well. He’ll probably always be a sixth man, partially due to his ability to create offense on his own with second team players. But it’s more likely that Nate will continue to come off the bench during his NBA career because of his lack of defense.

Report Card (5 point scale):
Offense: 5
Defense: 2
Teamwork: 2
Rootability: 4
Performance/Expectations: 5

Grade: B+

Similarity Scores:

.000 Nate Robinson 2009 NYK 18.9 .549 .498 20.7 1.6 4.7 4.9 1.5 0.1 2.3
.052 Eddie Johnson 1980 ATL 18.0 .538 .489 20.1 1.3 2.7 5.1 1.6 0.3 2.6
.060 Purvis Short 1982 GSW 18.8 .530 .491 22.1 2.5 5.4 4.2 1.3 0.2 2.5
.062 Michael Finley 1998 DAL 19.3 .522 .477 18.7 1.6 4.6 4.3 1.4 0.3 2.3
.077 Jason Terry 2002 ATL 19.2 .549 .500 18.2 0.5 3.3 5.4 1.7 0.2 2.2
.090 Brandon Roy 2009 POR 24.0 .573 .512 21.9 1.3 4.6 5.0 1.1 0.3 1.9
.096 Butch Carter 1983 IND 14.9 .549 .513 17.8 1.3 3.1 4.1 1.6 0.3 2.5
.100 Steve Smith 1994 MIA 17.2 .552 .499 17.5 2.0 4.6 5.1 1.1 0.5 2.6
.102 Jason Richardson 2005 GSW 19.0 .518 .492 20.6 1.7 5.6 3.7 1.4 0.4 2.2
.104 Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf 1994 DEN 16.7 .521 .476 19.8 0.4 2.3 5.0 1.1 0.1 2.1
.109 Andre Iguodala 2008 PHI 19.0 .543 .495 18.1 0.9 5.0 4.3 1.9 0.5 2.4
.111 Mike Glenn 1980 NYK 16.6 .557 .519 19.8 0.9 3.0 3.8 1.6 0.3 1.7

Looking over Nate’s comparable players is a decent list of players. Some offensively focused and defensively challenged shooting guards like Finley, Terry, Smith, and Richardson. Interestingly, there is a lack of undersized guards, not a single player on this list is shorter than 6’1, and the average height is just over 6’4. Nate certainly plays like a taller player, especially with respect to his rebounding and scoring efficiency. Overall his list is impressive for a player that will spend his career coming off the bench.

85 comments on “2009 Report Card: Nate Robinson

  1. Thomas B.

    Nice work. Could Nate’s problem shooting be due to that hamstring problem he had during the season. To see what thisplayer’s value may be. It woul be nice since he is a restricted FA.

  2. David Crockett

    This may be the only place you read this kind of take on Nate Robinson. He’s a quality sixth man, potentially a decent starter if he would put in the effort on defense. Efficient, and for the most part consistent offense doesn’t grow on trees. So people (e.g., Walshtoni) might want to think twice about running him out of town for nothing.

  3. Thomas B.

    Sorry, children climbing on me. I meant to say it would be nice to see a $$$ comp with similar players since that might help see Nate’s value.

  4. BigBlueAL

    Dunno about rootability at a 4. Toward the end of the season there were many people who seemed to have gotten tired of watching his antics and utter lack of interest on defense. Admittedly me being one of them. Also there was the conspiracy theory going around that Nate wouldnt pass to Gallinari (although the 2 for team work I guess answers for that).

    Id say rootability at a 3, and even though I HATE Nate’s D and mentioned many times during the season his horrible D on the pick and roll his steals and rebounding does save him from a 1. A 2 on D was right on the mark. Cant knock his offense at all. Every rating right on the money for me except for rootability as mentioned earlier. Mike has proven to be a pretty fair grader!!

  5. Mike K. (KnickerBlogger) Post author

    Doing a $ comparison might not be worthwhile, considering eras, fa rules, number of fa availables, Isiah Thomas, etc. But should I ever have the time to get that in my db, I may try.

    It’s hard to make Nate’s rootability at a 3 considering the KryptoNate stuff made him a 6 in some people’s eyes.Also think about the children! :-)

  6. cwod

    Except for that brutal stretch you mentioned, Nate had a great year on offense.

    What’s the order to these report cards?

  7. KNCIKS2010

    What Robinson has done for New York is beyond the stats of the game. Robinson (and you could make a case for David Lee as well) has kept New Yorkers somewhat interested into Basketball. Without those two, the Knicks wouldn’t have a player that defined them throughout the league. Now on the topic if Robinson will be back next season, I think it is very unlikely. Robinson is looking for a fairly large amount of money, which the Knicks could maybe give him, but he is also looking for a starting role. No way would D’antoni put Robinson of Duhon, any day.

  8. Ray

    Would it be so wrong if we signed Nate and let him run the point with Duhon as the back-up. I know we usually have him coming off the bench but in reality he was always on the floor at the end of a close game. Be it in one of our blown lead losses or one of our crunch time wins. He is one of the few Knicks that can create offense on his own and we always have him coming off the bench. There were time when he carried the team offensively with clutch shot and big threes. If there were a better supporting cast around him he might cut his turnovers down and protect the ball better. He’s a better shooter than Duhon, better creater, better defensively, more athletic. Would it be so wrong?

  9. Z-man

    I have been a big advocate of Nate’s over the past 3 years, but my enthusiasm has waned recently. I feel that he has a ton of energy, but he really struggles to harness and channel it. At his size, he can’t afford to have fundamental flaws, e.g. defending the pick and roll. Yet his incessant complaining to the refs (no matter how obvious the call against the Knicks is) bugs me. He is so physically gifted that if he focused only on becoming a more polished player and making his teammates better, he could be a consistently dominant 6th man and game changer.

    I have mentioned a couple of times that I had a courtside seat for his most electrifying performance, when he scored 45 pts in an overtime loss to Portland in ’08. He played like an elite player that night and it didn’t seem like a fluke (e.g. like a Duhon 45 pt performance would.) If he could just bring his A-game consistently, he could be as dangerous offensively as any little man ever was. You might say that the biggest difference between him and a younger Iverson is consistency (even though Nate shoots better statistically, AI just had something extra); he can do just about everything that Iverson could do, just not night in and night out.

    Part of me feels he hasn’t had a breakout season yet. Playing on such bad teams (esp. in terms of leadership) has been detrimental to his development. If he sticks around with the Knicks this year, I would expect him to continue to improve as the team does, and vice versa. He is certainly worth every penny of the MLE. I just don’t think it will happen because I think D’Antoni and Walsh are fed up with him and would love to put together a cap-clearing package with JJ or EC.

  10. Z

    I think I’d like Nate a lot more if he was on a winning team for a change. On a losing team his antics are annoying. I think “rootability” is the key stat for him. For a lot of people he’s a 6, for others he’s a big fat zero.

    This season he climbed to about a 2 for me.

    But I wouldn’t mind seeing him stay with the Knicks, as I think that number would climb higher, once a winning team was out in place. He certainly brings a lot to the floor– stuff that nobody else brings. Wherever he goes, I think he’ll be in the league a long time and play in some important games.

  11. david

    The one upside of the Jason Kidd rumors is that I think Kidd would be the perfect running mate for nate, a big pass first point, who can d up (badly, but whatever) on 2s so Nate can guard 1s (badly).

    Also, Nate was, for all intents and purposes, a starter last season, playing 30-35 minutes a game. And he would start/start like he did for us at least 5-10 teams in teh league, I think…

    I hope we sign him — he’s a nice piece on a good team, and when we become a good team again, I think he’ll be a nice piece for us, as long as we don’t pay him too much…

  12. Brian Cronin

    Sheed to the Celtics for two years at the mid-level.

    Good move for him, I dunno if I love it for them. I mean, he’s nice KG insurance, but would you play him and KG together? I dunno, maybe you would, but I’d imagine that the crunch-time lineup will still be a three-guard lineup with KG and Perkins.

  13. Ted Nelson

    Great analysis. Defense and teamwork definitely need to improve. I agree on the 4 for rootability. Obviously it’s lower for a lot of people, but if you’re not watching Nate and Lee why are you watching the Knicks? I’m interested to see what eventually happens with Nate.

    Hadn’t heard about the Gallinari passing thing…

    David, I agree that Kidd would have made a lot of sense for the Knicks in several ways including with Nate, of course, financially it didn’t make too much sense for either side. He’s lost a step or two, but at one point Kidd was one of the best defensive guards in the world. That was on PGs, but at this point he’s probably better off guarding 2s. Dallas’ defense got 5.1 points per 100 possession better with him in the game, and he played mostly with undersized backcourt mates (mostly Terry… don’t know who guarded 2s and who 1s).

  14. BigBlueAL

    The Gallinari passing thing was just something a few people here would mention during game threads. Actually I believe one of the beat writers blogged about it too (dont remember which one it was, mightve actually been a couple of them now that I remember).

    I think it was more frustration amongst the fans because it was during a stretch of games where Gallinari would play 10 to 15 minutes and only get a couple of shots if that much.

  15. BK

    Looks like Kidd to NY is now out of the question. Good news/bad news, I guess, because we don’t spend crazy money, but we’re running out of PG options that aren’t awful.

    I’m very divided on Nate, more than any other player on the team. His hot stretch was pretty amazing and made for an entertaining month or so where he carried us. On the other hand, I don’t hold out much hope for any significant improvement on defense — apart from his height, he reads screens as badly as anyone I’ve seen play, and his “help” defense is basically go for broke type gambles on steals.

    But what worries me most about Nate is how he seemed to drop a gear in the last month of the season, a few good games notwithstanding. Started settling more for long jumpers and seemed to tune out the coaching staff more. I’d like to see him be more consistent, rather than going through those crazy cold and hot spells.

    As far as not passing to Gallinari, I remember it was bad for a few games. But I don’t think it was a conscious thing — rather, Nate is very geared toward creating for himself, and tends to make passes to primary options out of plays when he has to pass. He’s not great at making reads and finding second or third options — which meant Gallo was the victim of neglect playing with Nate several times.

  16. Ted Nelson

    Sorry, didn’t mean to imply that the Nate/Gallinari thing didn’t happen. It does sound vaguely familiar, and definitely sounds conceivable. Was just literally saying that I hadn’t heard, although maybe I had.

  17. Z

    Harrington didn’t pass to Gallinari either. It’s not personal. It’s just not in their programing…

  18. BrianM

    Is it possible that Nate’s per-minute numbers are artificially inflated by pace? Knicks went from 15th to 2nd in pace from 08 to 09.

  19. cav0011

    it still wouldn’t change his shooting% which is higher then it was (other then 3p%)

  20. Z-man

    Re: Gallo, I think part of it was perception. A lot of us probably wanted Gallo to get the ball and shoot every time down because of all the anticipation. I admit to being hypersensitive when he was out at the 3-pt line, especially after he made a few. I would give Nate a pass on that (no pun intended!)

  21. Mike K. (KnickerBlogger) Post author

    “Is it possible that Nate’s per-minute numbers are artificially inflated by pace? Knicks went from 15th to 2nd in pace from 08 to 09.”

    Taking the Knicks poss/g and dividing it by the league average (which I eyed at 91.8) – the team saw about 5% more possessions, dividing his per minute stats by that amount still give him career highs in those stats (makes his per min PF even better) except for FTA (4.6).

  22. KNCIKS2010

    If what some people are saying about Gallo is true, it is truly ridiculous. He wasn’t the sixth pick in the NBA Draft to just get ignored. The flashes of brilliance Gallo showed last year at some points were incredible. He had one 17 point game against the Hawks where every shot just seemed to fall. He’s a rookie and he needs the ball to learn, if he wasn’t getting it that’s ridiculous.

  23. Frank

    I clearly remember a stretch where it seemed like Harrington and Nate would almost go out of their way not to pass to Gallinari even if he was wide open. I kind of doubt that there was anything intentional going on — more likely at least for Harrington that he just didn’t register that Gallo was there. Nate on the other hand does have reasonable court vision — not sure if he just wanted to shoot the ball himself or what.

    For me, Nate has a rootability of 5 for sure — how can you not like him? even so, I think he’s gone in a sign and trade or just straight on nonmatched offer —

  24. Thomas B.

    I guess I was looking for something like this…

    but I guess 82games decided this was not a worthwhile venture, as it does not look like it has been update in 3 seasons.

    Is there a way to use advance stats to compare players and determine a “fair” salary? I understand that you can’t compare 2009 Nate to 1980 Eddie johnson in salary terms. But could the analysis filter similar players with the same number of years experience? Then instead of raw dollars compare what the player earned in terms of percentage of the total salary cap? That might somewhat reduce the era concerns.

    Of course even that has flaws as you can’t control for factors such as the economy-like with this year’s FA crop; availability (demand) for similar players; GM’s looking to save cap space for next year-as is the case this year; ect.

    Finally, I guess what I am asking for is more of an advanced GM thing rather than an advanced stats thing.

    What would I. Thomas have offered Nate and Lee by now? Hmmm… I say Nate 6 years 55 million, Lee traded JJ for Elton Brand. Or is that giving him too much credit?

  25. TDM

    In my opinion, Nate has maxed out his potential. He is J.R. Smith, only 7 inches shorter. If there were ever a time to trade Nate, that time is now. There have been rumblings that as many as 5 teams are interested in him (ORL and LAL being 2 of them), but I haven’t heard any numbers tossed around yet. Any chance for a sign and trade with one of these interested teams? Farmar from the Lakers, or Fernandez from Portland?

    On another note, previously it was reported that Washington may be interested in marbury. Guess not. Washington Times reporting:
    “One player the Wizards are not even considering, however, is Stephon Marbury. Despite reports that Washington is a favorite to land the guard, who wants a reunion with Flip Saunders, I’m told the interest is only one-sided, and Washington isn’t considering adding any more guards to what is an already crowded back court.”

  26. Z

    An article came out a little while ago on “Sactown Royalty” about whether the Kings should try to sign Lee or Robinson.

    The conclusion is no to both, though the author loves Lee (just not at $10 mil/year). The interesting thing about the piece, though, is that in the comments section there seems to be universal negativity toward Robinson. I was surprised, considering Nate ranks so highly in “rootability” and his price isn’t going to be all that high.

  27. Frank O.

    Interesting tidbit from the associated press about the Knicks bidding power that could come into play in securing David Lee (or scaring off potential bidders) and why the Knicks were able to make a three year bid on Kidd:

    “I have a little leeway that will leave me in good position for next year,” Walsh told the Associated Press. “I know what it is, but do not talk much about it.”

    I wonder what this could be? I also wonder if Walsh isn’t just trying to scare of bidders, to be honest.

  28. Frank O.

    Also makes we wonder if Walsh wasn’t using Kidd as a way to scare off bidders.
    Folks keep saying by talking to the Knicks, Kidd was using the Knicks.
    I’m beginning to wonder if Walsh also wasn’t using Kidd to show anyone bidding on Lee that, hey, we have a little reserve to get Lee if we need it.
    If a team makes an offer on Lee and the Knicks have until next week to match, the other team could lose out on other players while waiting, and the Knicks could very well match.
    This is the part of Walsh I like.

  29. Caleb

    “… by talking to the Knicks, Kidd was using the Knicks. I’m beginning to wonder if Walsh also wasn’t using Kidd to show anyone bidding on Lee that, hey, we have a little reserve to get Lee if we need it.”

    That, and getting a week’s worth of coverage on how the Knicks are a serious FA destination, and aggressively looking to get better.

    This is what I mean by “Kabuki.”

  30. cav0011

    this is totally not even close to on topic. But the orlando summer league is playing right now and the announcers are hilarious.

  31. Kikuchiyo

    I agree with the grade. It’s been said before, but this past year’s Knicks were far, far more watchable than in previous years. It’s not just D’Antoni, either. Nate was a big reason I kept watching because I knew that with him there was always a chance the Knicks could come back from a deficit. In other words, Nate is a classic sixth man, offering a visible spark of energy to the team and, some days, a glimpse at greatness. I don’t even think about his “antics” or his height. I just see the ball go in a lot when he’s out there, and I appreciate his spirit.

    It’s heresy to bring this up, but he reminds in many ways of Starks. And, like Starks, it might be a mistake to envision him as a long-term starter. (okay, okay, Starks had some good starting years, but you know what I mean.)

    We may have seen the last of Nate (and I agree that we shouldn’t go on the hook for too much $$ for him), but I’ve been very glad to watch him play. I’m crossing my fingers that we can keep him.

  32. cgreene

    What are chances that Lee plays for the qualifying offer and leaves after next season by the way? Worked for Ben Gordon. That would not be a good scenario for Knicks.

  33. Z

    “What are chances that Lee plays for the qualifying offer and leaves after next season by the way? Worked for Ben Gordon. That would not be a good scenario for Knicks.”

    Good scenario, except for the “leaves after next season” part. If the Knicks deal with Lee now, they can either lock him up for cheaper, or use their restricted FA leverage to get compensation. Ben Gordon went to Detroit and the Bulls got nothing but a roster spot out of it.

    The Knicks have a lot of control at this point. The only real concern is if Oklahoma offers him tons of $$, which I’m still uncomfortable with at this point. Any other scenario should at least get the Knicks SOME sort of compensation, and ideally ends with a reasonably priced long term deal to stay in NY.

  34. Z

    Oops– sorry cgreene. I just realized you wrote that it “would NOT be a good scenario for the Knicks.” I agree. I think they should either lock him up or trade him this week.

  35. theinfamousjb

    Two seasons ago I took my dad to the Celts game at the Garden Jan. 21, 2008 as a belated Christmas gift. He is an extremely casual Knick fan nowadays. He roots for them, but doesn’t go out of his way to watch the games. He’s turned his attention to football and baseball.

    Kendrick Perkins destroyed the Knicks in the paint for 22 points in the first half (24 total). The only time he got excited and left his seat was when Nate flew down the court on a fast break and dunked it with some flair. The whole Garden really came to life, despite being behind and hopelessly chasing the whole game.

    That is one of the powers of Nate Robinson: call it “Get Your Ass Off Your Chair”-ity (I’ll let Jay Bilas use that if he likes next draft). Casual fans get drawn to players like him (and highlight shows love him).

    And now, as he has improved, he’s almost bringing equal parts excitement and performance.

    Another note on that game, at one point the Knicks tried to feature David Lee in the post in a terrible Isiah set offense. He turned it over and then put up a bad shot. My dad incredulously said, “This kid doesn’t have any post-up game. Why are they throwing it in to him?” David Lee is the opposite of Nate in the casual fans, the ones who want to see a killer crossover, daunting low post move or high flying block, will not get it from him. They will get some solid dunks though.

    Sometimes I think GM’s (or owners) can be too focused on what they think fans will think. Hence, get Zach Randolph, don’t wait for David Lee.

  36. Thomas B.

    Lee could take the qualifing offer, or he could sign a deal with an opt out in 3 years for around 7 mill per, become an unrestricted FA in 2012 and hope that there are more teams with big money to spend by then. Let’s just say Knicks get a few star FAs next July and the team plays really well. Would not his contributions to a winning club make him more a more attractive FA in 2012?

    I cant see OKC offering a ton of money to Lee, but Charlie V. getting 8 million per does concern me. I’d say Lee should be making more than Charlie. On the other hand, Dumars might have overpaid. And why did Dumars not offer that to Lee? Lee seems closer to theDetriot style forward than CV, at least to me. I don’t know why he didnt start there.

  37. jagermeister

    “And why did Dumars not offer that to Lee? Lee seems closer to the Detroit style forward than CV, at least to me. I don’t know why he didnt start there.”

    Because the UFAs are trumping the RFAs this offseason by a wide margin. I believe Gortat’s the only RFA who has verbally agreed to a deal. GMs appear to be going for the sure thing instead of rolling the dice on their cap space for a better quality restricted FA (Yes, I believe David Lee > Charlie V for Detroit as well)

  38. Z

    “Charlie V. got less than 8 million, right?”

    Terms haven’t been disclosed, since the contract can’t be signed until the moratorium ends, but reports are that it is between $35 and $40 mil for 5 years, for a yearly average of $7 to $8 million.

    The reason Detroit offered to Villanueva and not Lee, I think, is because Villanueva was unrestricted and the Pistons wanted to get their shopping done early.

    The Bucks not only screwed themselves when they didn’t offer Villanueva a BYC contract, they screwed Lee too, who probably would have been sought by the Pistons if all things were equal.

    Why the Bucks let Villanueva become unrestricted is a real mystery. At the very worst it would have cost them about $3 million, and that was only if Villanueva couldn’t get offers from anyone else.

    Maybe they are really smart and could see where the FA pieces lay and that if Millsap, Lee, and Villanueva were all RFA, there was a good chance they would have been stuck with shelling out $3 mil for a player they really didn’t want. That’s pretty brave GMing though. Its unusual that NBA teams make decisions with such foresight and fiscal responsibility. If that is the new norm, then we should lock up Lee cheap now while we can!

  39. TDM

    The rumors that Portland is chasing Odom instead of Lee are bogus. They have 9M to spend and could offer the whole nut to Lee. That is the sweet spot IMO, on whether to match or not. If Portland doesn’t come knocking, Lee may have to accept whatever the Knicks are offering.

    If Lee were to accept the Knicks’ QO instead of an extension, he would be making a big mistake. Teams are not bidding up his price this off-season (which has less talent in play than next). Should he accept the QO and wait until next season, he could be had for much less – especially if Curry and Gallo come back healthy and take some of his minutes, not to mention Darko. Lee’s numbers are not going to get better than they were this year.

  40. Gorky

    Sorry to be off topic, but guess who just showed up on Boston’s Orlando Summer League Roster?

    Mike Sweetney, that’s who!

  41. ess-dog

    It’s unlikely that Lee would take his QO because it’s so low. More likely, he would push for a fair (in Donnie’s terms) contract, about 7-8 mil for as short a time as possible (3 yrs?) Hey it’s a tough break, with the recession and all. It’s not our fault that Dumars overpaid for the 3rd best player on a crap team and a guy that didn’t even get another offer from his own team!! Seriously, just now I’m wondering, what the HELL did Dumars just do??? That team might even be worse than the one with A.I. and ‘Sheed, probably more like equal. He could’ve at least been a little thriftier considering the decrepitude of Motown. Considering the expectations are higher in Detroit, how would you feel if Donnie did something similar? It’s good to recognize how far we’ve come since the Zeke days…
    As far as Nate goes, 5.5 should be a good deal for him, considering what we offered Kidd (maybe this was Donnie’s reasoning behind Kidd, to set a price…) Nate is a very useful player as a 6th man. It’s tempting to move him with a contract too. I just don’t see a lot of good deals for him where we get back a useful player, specifically a guard since that’s what we really need.
    I would be happy getting Nate for 5.5 and Lee for 8.5. Do you think we could steal Jarret Jack for 2.5 at the end of the signing period? He could take some quality minutes from Duhon at the point and he lit us up at the Garden last year… he would be a bargain.

  42. Nick C.

    Jack would be a good pickup, he can play the 1 and 2. Was Sweetney that big at GTown b/c I saw him in the Big East Tournament and he looked like a lean beast. Maybe it was just the seat.

  43. FreddyJay

    entertainment is what drives all sports! any local YMCA game has good basketball being played every night.

    nate is entertainment! NY is lucky to have him. the stat sheet was really a pleasure to read because i didn’t realize he was that incredible as an overall player.

    what a crock to give nate a 4 on rootability!! in all my years as a knick fan i have never rooted for a player as much as i root for nate.

    like him or not he deserves a 5 on rootability! the knicks would be crazy to let this rare jewel to leave.

  44. KnickfaninNJ

    I’ve noticed a split here in that many of the poster’s like Nate’s scoring but worry about other things. I am not sure if he will ever be good at the pick and roll, but I think there are mitigating factors for many of the other worries, and I describe them below:

    One worry is that he tends to try to score, rather than pass and isn’t a good enough passer to play the point. But remember that he played scoring guard, not point guard, in college. This means he has to learn a lot. I have noticed that he has improved considerably, not just in the number of assists he got, but also in his willingness to pass and in whom he passed to. This didn’t help his assist numbers as much as you might think because often he would pass to someone who was wide open, but that person was the man on the Knicks second team that the other team didn’t worry so much about guarding, and who often missed the shot. Nate clearly works very hard and I am sure he is going to improve on this.

    Another worry is that in the late stages of the season Nate’s scoring seemed to drop. I think this happened after he had a monster game and scored 33 points, 15 assists, many rebounds or something like that. It seemed like the league noticed this and decided they couldn’t treat him like a novelty act, because other teams started to put two tall guys in the way of his drives, forcing him to pass. I think they also started to put better defenders on him when he was defended one on one. Hughes and Duhon weren’t doing enough to make other teams pay for this. It’s very good for the Knicks to have an offensive threat that other teams respect that much.

    As for gambling too much on defense, I think he was following D’Antoni’s lead on that one, who had challenged Nate to get more steals.

    Finally, I don’t remember Nate not passing to Gallinari any more than the rest of the team did. I think that because of his back, Gallinari probably couldn’t practice much and the team wasn’t used to looking for him.

    If there is one place I would like to see Nate getting better, it’s on running pick and rolls, and in learning to drive in a way that takes a defender off of someone who is a real scoring threat, instead of just off of the weakest scorer on floor for the Knicks.

  45. Thomas B.

    I see CV getting anywhere from 6.5 per to nearly 8 so who knows, but whatever it is Lee should get more. I forgot CV and Ben were unrestricted. But was the demand for CV so high that Dumars couldn’t try for Lee first? Seems there are alot of guys who are similar to CV out there…not many Lees to go around.

    I don’t think Nate and Al froze out Gallo; they never pass to anybody.

  46. Ted Nelson

    Detroit not only went after two UFAs, but two UFAs for whom they had competition. Had they waited around to see if the Knicks matched for Lee or Utah matched for Millsap, they probably miss out on Gordon period: couldn’t sign both since the 8 mill left after Gordon would probably be matched by Knicks/Jazz, and while they’re waiting Gordon probably takes 10 or 11 mill per from Chicago. Villanueva is probably a Cav while they wait to see if NY/Utah match.
    They were also able to get a G and a PF. If they give 10 mill per to a PF (Lee or Millsap) who do they sign with the rest of their money? Gortat would be one choice, guard wise Nate or Kidd? I don’t really like this way of thinking, but I see it. Every team with cap space was in such a rush to blow it, which amazes me. Saw that Hollinger had an article making that point today.

    I agree with ess-dog on Nate. If a can’t miss deal comes along then pull and sign-and-trade. If someone offers him a ridiculous contract, which only Portland and OKC can theoretically do at this point, then let him walk. But can the Knicks really afford to let one of their best players walk at a reasonable price?
    Also like the Jack idea. Once some of the most attractive MLE guys gut signed, the Knicks could do something similar to what they did for Duhon and make an above market value offer for a guy to take a one year deal. Like giving someone like Jack the whole MLE, or close. Money isn’t really an object, their payrolls at its lowest point in like 85 years, and they preserve 2010 cap space while getting a useful player for the 2009/10 season.

    I don’t see Lee taking the QO (3 mill) when the Knicks reportedly have offered 4 years 32 mill or something. It would just be such a gamble to leave 5 mill on the table for next season, 29 mill overall. What if he blows out his knee tomorrow? If he feels cheated go the 2 or 3 year deal with a year or two of player options that people have mentioned.

    “Was Sweetney that big at GTown b/c I saw him in the Big East Tournament and he looked like a lean beast. Maybe it was just the seat.”

    Wasn’t huge (in the bad way), never had much of any run-jump athleticism.

  47. Z

    “Every team with cap space was in such a rush to blow it, which amazes me.”

    Oklahoma has yet to make any public offers. Proof that not everyone buys what’s available. Some actually wait until they are buying what they want.

    Or they may just not be in a hurry because they are targeting restricted FAs, which would suck for us…

    “Lebron told Ariza he’s not leaving Cleveland”

    I think he was saying that, like Phil Jackson, he’s only playing in home games…

  48. jon abbey

    obviously Ariza didn’t believe LeBron, who can sign a contract now if he really wants…

  49. TDM

    I saw an article mentioning that Ariza was wavering on his offer from Houston. I’m just speculating, but maybe Cleveland is still in the hunt, explaining why LBJ would be telling Ariza what he wants to hear.

  50. Mike K. (KnickerBlogger) Post author

    Nice game for the APBRmetricians yesterday. The Celtics routed Utah 87-56. Sweetney hurt his hamstring, but grabbed 5 boards in 15 mins, blocked 2 shots, and had 2 steals. Meanwhile Fazekas shot 5-10 with 3 bombs (65% eFG) grabbed 5 boards in 21 mins. Most interesting thing about the boxscore is this line:

    Biggest Lead Celtics 34, JAZZ 2

  51. cav0011

    i think the derrick brown on the jazz team thing is laughable. I dont really see summer league as an advantage for your team. I am not sure on the rules but players just invited to a summer league team are not under contract are they? Like cant other teams scout players or is there a rule about priority. (I am speaking of the undrafted/retread players mainly)

  52. Z

    Another Salary Cap FAQ tidbit that I just stumbled upon:

    “Teams cannot trade players…for one year after exercising the right of first refusal to keep a restricted free agent.”

    In the years’ worth of discussions on this site as to whether the Knicks should re-sign Lee or not it’s been proposed that the Knicks could sign him and trade him for cap space before 2010 if necessary.

    If the Knicks match an offersheet this month, though, they actually can’t trade him until mid-July next year. Since the 2010 feeding frenzy is set to begin at 12:01 am on July 1st, matching a Lee offer this summer could truly hamper the Knicks abilities in 2010.

    It may not be all that big of a stumbling block, since a player can be traded within one year if he consents to the trade and it is not to the team that initially signed him to an offer sheet. Still, it would handcuff the Knicks to a degree, and there is no guarantee that they would in fact be able to trade Lee’s contract for 2010 cap space.

    Just something else to consider as we watch Walsh wade through a very complicated, very important decision on Lee.

  53. Z

    Rumors have the Mavs and Raptors working on a sign-and-trade with Marion and Stackhouse involved. Stackhouse, apparently, has a non-guaranteed contract (only $2 of the $7 mil is guaranteed).

    My question is this: Is there a site that denotes how much of a player’s contract is guaranteed? It would be interesting to know this stuff, since presumably Mobley’s contract is competing with these non-guaranteed expirings when it comes to trades with financially strapped teams.

    It seemed to me that Mobley’s contract is a real asset, but if there are lots of players like Stackhouse and Pavlovic with non-guaranteed contracts, then Mobley’s insured expiring isn’t as attractive as I once thought.

  54. Caleb

    ShamSports and HoopsHype both have good listings of all salaries – you can see what’s not guaranteed.

    Short version is that there aren’t a lot of unguaranteed contracts. Mobley’s situation, with a potential $8 million in savings (if reports are true) is about the biggest one I know of. (Until Yao retires!)

  55. Ted Nelson

    Interesting point about not being able to trade players for a year after matching an offer sheet, I wasn’t aware of that. If the Knicks can trade Lee in a deal that he consents to, then they can trade him especially if the Knicks are on course for another 20-30 win season and they move him to a playoff team in a decent city. The Knicks can resign Lee AND have cap space in 2010. Plus, in July of next year Lee could be great sign-and-trade bait, since getting a LeBron, Wade, Bosh level guy to take a pay-cut will be hard (and they can get more money and years from their own team). Of course, getting their team to help them leave will also be hard.
    Not being able to trade Lee to the team that signs him to an offer sheet actually works to the Knicks advantage, providing leverage to force a sign-and-trade.

    I don’t know about the non-guaranteed thing. I assume that there aren’t too many big non-guaranteed contracts out there attached to guys you’d rather cut then pay, but maybe I’m wrong. We have been hearing Pavlovic and Stackhouse in a lot of trade rumors for a while, so you’d assume someone else in the same boat would also be mentioned in trade rumors… Got to be somewhere on the web you can find out, though.

  56. Frank O.

    I suspect, like last year, we’re going to see some early season salary dumping by the Knicks.
    But I have a feeling Nate could be a sign-and-trade casualty soon and Lee will stay. I also think the Knicks will get Grant Hill. they can offer more than anyone else with interest, but the celts can dangle a ring.
    Is Sessions still in the mix?

  57. Z

    Caleb– thanks for the sites. Hoopshype doesn’t denote non-guaranteed contracts. Shamsports does, but doesn’t say how much is guaranteed, if any.

    Here are the non-guaranteed contracts over $1 million in 2009 for those interested: Bowen (Bucks, $4.1); Atkins (Thunder, $3.5); Buckner (Grizzlies, $4); Nash (Suns, $13).

    More interesting, though, is the list of 2010 non-guaranteed contracts which includes Dooling, Gomes, Najara, J. Jones, and D. West. also on the list is Erick Dampier, which I read is completely non-guaranteed ($13 million) in 2010.

    I’d read the Mavs were looking to move Dampier now that they have Gortat. I thought they were fooling themselves that someone would actually take Dampier and the $25 million owed on him off their hands. Obviously, that rediculous Dampier contract is not as rediculous as I thought.

  58. Brian Cronin

    The Pistons hired John Kuester to be their coach.

    Not for nothing, but so far this offseason, of the four new head coaches, all four are joining teams that fired black head coaches last season, and only one of the four is black.

    That leaves in the NBA:

    Eddie Jordan
    Alvin Gentry
    Lionel Hollins
    Mike Woodson
    Mike Brown
    Nate McMillan
    Byron Scott

    Seven black coaches out of thirty teams?

    That’s a pretty sorry state of affairs when 22 of the 30 NBA teams are coached by white guys. Soon, I suppose, it will be 21, as Minnesota seems to be leaning towards Mark Jackson, but who knows?

  59. Ricky_J

    Brian, It does seem to defy oddsputting it mildly. Although I can’t imagine Avery Johnson not coaching somewhere this year or next.

  60. Ted Nelson

    “That’s a pretty sorry state of affairs when 22 of the 30 NBA teams are coached by white guys.”

    Spoelstra is half Filipino, so it would be 21.5… Jay Triano is a Canadian, but hey, I guess all whiteys are the same.

  61. Brian Cronin

    Yeah, I was counting Spoelstra – where I did err was saying “22 out of 30,” when I should have said “21 out of 30 NBA teams are coached by white guys with one team without a coach right now.”

  62. jon abbey

    Avery supposedly could have had the Detroit job if he hadn’t insisted on four years (Kuester accepted two), so the white/black thing isn’t entirely, ahem, black and white. :)

  63. Brian Cronin

    Hey, why would Toronto sign and trade Marion for Stackhouse?

    There’s got to be something I’m missing, but it seems like they’d be making a deal just for, what, the right to pay Stackhouse $2 million?

  64. Brian Cronin

    Also, Grant Hill claims that the Knicks were going to acquire him in 2000 for Patrick Ewing.

    Does anyone else remember that as being the case?

    I don’t recall that rumor at all.

    The only other rumor at the time that I remember was the three-way deal that would have landed Vin Baker and Glen Rice in New York for Ewing.

  65. jon abbey

    the cap for next season has been set at $57.7 million, down about a million from last season.

  66. Brian Cronin

    Oh, duh!

    It didn’t even occur to me that I should have mentioned the new cap figure. Thanks, Jon!

    So yeah, I was pretty pleased to see it only fall to $57.7 million. The NBA must feel pretty darn lucky to have locked in that TV deal when they did.

    And cwod, wow, $10 million per for Bargnani? David Lee is in such a weird position, comparatively. He knows he could beat that money on the open market next year, but would you risk the uncertainty of injury, etc? I don’t know if I would. If the Knicks would give him five years/$40 million, I think I would probably take it if I was Lee at this point.

  67. BigBlueAL

    Just read a couple of articles and it seems like Lee’s agent is getting frustrated. The report of him saying Lee is looking for 12 mil per year has annoyed the crap out of him. Also said he wished that the Knicks wouldve re-signed him already since they are the only team that can outright sign him and hoped Lee wouldve been signed by now along with continuing saying that a sign-and-trade will be very difficult to pull off. Looks like Donnie Walsh is playing hardball and is either winning or really pissing off Lee’s agent. I cant imagine Lee takes the qualifying offer from everything Ive read but you never know.

    Either way I still hope soon enough that Lee re-signs and we can finally put this subject to rest….

  68. Brian Cronin

    That sounds about right, cav0011.

    It’s ridiculous, but also sounds about right.

    I guess no more ridiculous than Dumars’ bizarre moves this past year or so – it’s all for PR purposes, Colangelo to show that the draft pick was smart and Dumars to show that the Billups deal was for a reason.

  69. jon abbey

    might there be a trade exception generated for Toronto in that Marion/Stackhouse deal also?

    and this is huge news:

    “Wednesday, NBA teams also received tentative projections from the league warning that the cap is estimated to drop to somewhere between $50.4 million and $53.6 million for the 2010-11 season.”

    it would be great if Caleb reran the numbers in light of this new info.

  70. cgreene

    I was under the impression that Lee had a 4 year / $32M offer on the table from the Knicks right now and had not accepted. DW should invite Lee’s agent to the negotiating table today and hammer it out. Don’t want to piss him off into taking the QO. That would not be helpful especially in light of the new 2010-2011 cap.

  71. Ted Nelson

    What’s the point of having a salary cap that everyone’s over?

    “it’s all for PR purposes, Colangelo to show that the draft pick was smart and Dumars to show that the Billups deal was for a reason.”

    Wins will do a lot more for a GM’s job security than PR, so I think it’s more likely that Colangelo really believes that he made the right pick and that Dumars was just following through on the plan that he started by moving Billups.

Comments are closed.


text:
Search This Blog

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Why I decided to continue this blog

Well, it looks like Knop's Knotes is back.
There was some real doubt about whether or not I would continue the blog.
Despite its popularity - and I've heard from so many people in the wrestling community how much they enjoy it (as well as a few things I can do better) - I really considered discontinuing it.
It had nothing to do with my willingness or desire to write it. I had a lot of fun in the blog's first season.
But, for those of you who don't know, I was promoted to editor of The Tribune-Democrat this spring. That means more responsibility and more hours than I was working as Internet editor last wrestling season.
Compound that with the fact that my wife and I had agreed to serve as a billet or host family for three of the Johnstown Tomahawks hockey players and the concept of "free time" disappeared really quickly.
But, in the end (more accurately the end of the wrestling "offseason") I couldn't stay away from the sport I love. I keep hearing from fans and wrestlers about what's going on in their world and I start thinking about how I want to share it with the rest of the wrestling community.
The draw of the sport and, more importantly, the wonderful people involved in it, is too strong.
So I will continue to do what I can to keep you updated on what's happening in the wrestling world, or at least our little corner of it.
If you have info for me, feel free to email me at
Thanks for reading and finding a way to pull me back into the world's oldest and greatest sport.

  1. Thanks for all you do Eric it is much appreciated.

  2. So glad to have you back! Can't wait to get this season underway!


text:
Have a gander at the first Street Fighter IV figurine. That's of course Chun-Li and Chun-Li's thighs - not to mention Chun-Li's massive feet. (You know what they say about girls with big feet? We don't.) It is a rather nice Chun-Li statue. The ten inch figurine will set you back US$100 and is limited to 700 individually numbered pieces. If that's out of your price range, there is also a 4 inch statue as well that goes for $10. Press release after the jump.

SDCC Exclusive Edition STREET FIGHTER IV Chun Li Resin Statue from Capcom LTD.

On behalf of Capcom LTD. (Booth #5113) We are proudly announcing the release of the first exclusive collector rt piece from the highly anticipated hit video game STREET FIGHTER IV SDCC Exclusive Edition Chun Li Resin Statue.

Conceptualized by the creative minds of Capcom, personally supervised by Mr. Yoshinari Ono (Production director of SF IV), sculpted and manufactured by SOTA Toys (Booth #4245), Chun Li as depicted in STREET FIGHTER IV stands 10 inches tall on a highly polished stand with every bit of details captured from head to toe. Limited to 700 individually numbered units, this work of art reflects over two decades of passion we shared for the game that shaped the culture of more than one generation and is now making the greatest come-back in a brand new installment!

SRP = $100.00

SDCC Exclusive Edition STREET FIGHTER IV Chun Li Mini Statuette

Since the supply of the 10" Chun Li is extremely limited and sure to sell out immediately, there is a limited run of (3000)4" Chun Li statuettes produced with every bit the detail and quality as its 10" counterpart for $10.00. Celebrate in the phenomena of Street Fighter IV by purchasing this exclusive Chun Li figure and play Street Fighter IV in person at the Capcom booth during SDCC!

SOTA Toys, Inc.

Prototype shown, actual product may vary.

FIRST LOOK: SOTA TO BRING SF4 CHUN-LI! [Street Fighter Devotion]


text:
One guy likes buying toilet paper. Another says he never drives on the same road twice. But were you also wondering which Tecmo producer can walk like a zombie?

This two-sided document was handed to reporters who attended a Tecmo-Koei event in Tokyo last week. Video game producers from the recently-merged company mingled with press like us. At least, that was the goal. This sheet was designed to help break the ice and the language barrier.

And it might have been educational, too.

For the record, Tecmo's Kohei Shibata did do his zombie walk. It was passable.

Also, note the lack of info for Yosuke Hayashi, who Crecente and I last saw at E3 when he was talking about Tecmo's role in co-developing Metroid: Other M. I asked him how the game was going. He said, "Very, very good." I did not ask him about his likes or dislikes. Nor did I request a fun fact. Next time!


text:
Sony Computer Entertainment of America declined to testify at a Congressional hearing about the threat of data theft to American consumers, but will continue to work to answer Congressional questions, officials tell Kotaku.

"Sony declined to testify because their internal investigation is still ongoing," an official in Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack's office told Kotaku this morning.

Congresswoman Mack and Congressman G. K. Butterfield wrote a letter to Sony Computer Entertainment of America, addressed to Kazuo Hirai, on April 29, several days after Sony detailed the breach of their Playstation Network by hackers.

In the letter the two asked Hirai to answer a number of questions for the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade about the breach by May 6. That deadline was moved to today after Sony declined to testify at the hearing, which was already scheduled and not in reaction to the Sony breach.

Reached for comment this morning, Sony Computer Entertainment of America spokesman Patrick Seybold said that Sony is cooperating with the committee.

"Sony is cooperating with the request for answers to the Committee's questions, and in fact will be providing our responses in advance of the deadline," he wrote in an email to Kotaku. "We informed the committee that we could not appear as early as this Wednesday because of our ongoing intensive investigation and management of this criminal cyberattack."

More Than 12,700 Credit Cards Stolen from Sony Online Entertainment

Sony's security problems continue to mount, as Sony Online Entertainment reveals that the personal information of 24.6 million SOE accounts and more than 12,700 credit card numbers may have been compromised in the massive attack that brought down the PlayStation Network late last month. More »

Sony Comes Clean: PlayStation Network Hackers Have Stolen Personal Data

A security breach in the Playstation Network by still unidentified hackers resulted in stolen personal information, Sony confirmed today.
Sony says while personal information was likely stolen they don't believe credit card numbers were and that they hope to have the Playstation Network service... More »

FBI Cybercrimes Joins 22 States In Sweeping PlayStation Network Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigations today confirmed to Kotaku that it is looking into the security breach that brought the Playstation Network down and exposed millions of users' personal data to cybercriminals.
The FBI is joined by nearly two dozen state attorneys general and possibly the Federal... More »

Sony Says 10 Million Credit Card Accounts May Have Been Compromised

It's a good thing Sony warned people to be vigilant about their credit cards, because as part of the company's Tokyo press conference yesterday PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai said that up to ten million customer's account details could have been compromised.
That's not the personal details on their PSN... More »


text:
A man in west China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region died over the weekend from a 3-day gaming binge.

The unidentified man was apparently frequenting the Happy Sunshine Animation Game arcade for the last three days of his life playing various video games. It appears that as he was entering the arcade on Friday, he just dropped dead at the door.

This incident of course isn't the first time that Chinese gamers have died while on a gaming marathon, but this actually maybe the first time that they did so without being in an internet cafe.

Police are currently unsure of what the exact causes of death are but the owner of the arcade who refused to provide his name said that the man doesn't seem to have eaten very well and was seen leaving and entering the arcade a lot.

Local reporters however provide a different take on this story. Local reporters said that through a phone call with another manager of the arcade that the man was only inside to escape the rain and had died because he fell on his way outside.

"The deceased showed signs of extreme fatigue, his lower limbs were swollen," said local emts at the scene. "That and the recent hot temperature could have lead to sudden death, we also understand that he isn't a local".

乌鲁木齐市一男子连玩三天 猝死电玩城 [Tencent]


text:
There was a time when mines and minecarts dominated video games. If a platformer or RPG didn't have a mine stage or a mine-themed dungeon, it wasn't a game. We felt like mines—where actual mining was eschewed in favor of racing around on minecarts—were the most natural things in the world, just as common as forests.

Oh. You want to go from Town A to Town B? No problem at all, but the only way to do that is by crossing that giant abandoned mine complex in four minutes.

Various Mine Cart Stages In Donkey Kong Country And Donkey Kong Country Returns

source: Donkey Kong Wiki

The Rollercoaster Version Called Rickety Race In Donkey Kong Country 2

source: Donkey Kong Wiki

The Lost Labyrinth In Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode I

source: AzureBlade49's LP

LEGO Indiana Jones

source: LucasArts

Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure

source: Bablo's TAS Walkthrough

Glitter Gulch Mine In Banjo-Tooie

source: mcshabaramma's LP

Gaptooth Breach In Red Dead Redemption

source: Rockstar

The Coal Mines In Super Mario RPG

source: MrGamingZone

The Lake Cave In Dragon Quest V

source: William Schram's LP

Croc 2

source: Forrest Canton's LP

Riding The Mine Cart In Resident Evil 4

source: Dario8676's LP

Temple Run 2 Proves That Minecart Sections And Stages Are Still Among Us

source: Google Play

You should submit the most frustrating ones or those that are actually fun—Donkey Kong Country is the best example that they exist—in the comments below with visuals.


text:
I've gotta hand it to Saints Row IV. Three bucks for four sound effects (OK, and some weapon skins) is pretty fucking obnoxious, when you think about it. But when you pitch it like a blue-screen ad from a 1980s UHF station, it suddenly becomes hilarious.

I'm not even sure that $3 for four sound effects is the worst part of this, either. This is the Dubstep Gun we're talking about—a weapon that will literally kill people to death with dubstep. That's awesome. It's perfect for Saints Row, which is a nonstop parody of excesses, and here are two of video gaming's worst combined in one delightful toy: indiscriminate violence and shitty wub-wub soundtracks. Expanding it to polka, The Ride of the Valkyries or death metal is over-tagging the joke. Making people pay for it is even worse.

Still, if the games industry gives out ad-of-the-year awards, this should get one. It artfully disguises the basic proposition: Again, three goddamn dollars for four goddamn sound effects. I mean, really. In the hands of any other publisher they'd stumblefuck their way through it, pretending this actually added value or was worth the $3. (Activision would close it out with a huge title card announcing the release date. You know they would). Deep Silver and Volition are smart enough to know the joke here isn't the dubstep gun or its sounds, it's that a lot of people are dumb enough to buy anything they see on the screen in the middle of the afternoon.

Now that I've said this, watch EA do a Franklin Mint-style ad for its Battlefield DLC. You know they will.

To contact the author of this post, write to owen@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter @owengood.


text:
XCOM 2 isn’t out yet, but the game’s hardcover art book is, and the publishers were kind enough to pass some images along to Fine Art for a little showcase of the Firaxis artist’s work.

There’s a nice mix here of character art, environment stuff and even some animation tests, which we don’t get to see enough of here.

The artists included here are Piero Macgowan, Seamas Gallagher, Aaron Whitehead and Alan Denham (in-game models).

You can grab the book here.

To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner.

Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If you’re in the business and have some concept, environment, promotional or character art you’d like to share, drop us a line!

Photo provided by Insight Editions. © 2012-2015 Take-Two Interactive Software and its subsidiaries. Take-Two Interactive Software, 2K, Firaxis Games, XCOM, and their respective logos are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. All rights reserved.


text:
Yesterday, zombie survival sim DayZ hit one million players, and the zombie population couldn't be happier.

Actually, they're not happy at all. They're being forced to do this—by none other than Viktor Kostik, the lead animator of DayZ, who decided to throw together a short dance video to celebrate this milestone in the game's history. Give it a watch below.

DayZ Has 1,000,000 Survivors and Zombies Celebrate [vkane24@YouTube]

1 Million Players! [r/dayz]

Questions? Comments? Contact the author of this post at andras-AT-kotaku-DOT-com.