July 7, 2014 - Carolina League (CarL) Wilmington Blue Rocks Woodbridge, VA -Luis Santos turned in his second straight strong outing and the Wilmington offense overcame a slow start as the Blue Rocks beat the Potomac Nationals, 5-1, on Monday at Pfitzner Stadium. Santos (2-1) allowed just one run on three hits in six innings to earn a second consecutive victory over the P-Nats. At the plate, the Rocks scored all of their runs over the final five frames as they moved their record back to .500 in the season's second half (9-9) and improved to 42-44 overall in 2014. It was the Blue Crew's fifth win in their last six games.

Santos retired the first five batters he faced before running into a little two-strike, two-out trouble in the second. He plunked Mike McQuillan with an 0-2 pitch in the shoulder and then yielded an 0-2 double off the bat of Justin Miller. Miller's grounder snuck just inside the third-base line and plated McQuillan to put Potomac on top, 1-0. Santos would then retire 13 of the last 16 batters he faced, never allowing a runner to advance further than second base. He fanned five and walked only one, needing just 79 pitches to make it through six frames and earn the win.

His support came from an offense that out-hit the P-Nats, 10-5. Wilmington ran itself out of opportunities in the first and second innings and then saw double plays thwart potential rallies in the fourth and fifth frames. But with two outs and the bases empty in the fifth, Jared Schlehuber erased all of the Rocks' early frustration by blasting a titanic solo home run over the left-centerfield fence. Wilmington opened the sixth inning with a single by Ramon Torres, an RBI triple by Raul Mondesi and a run-scoring double off the bat of Bubba Starling to take a 3-1 edge. A Mondesi double and an ensuing RBI single by Starling pushed the edge to three runs in the eighth, while Cam Gallagher capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right in the ninth.

Potomac starter Ian Dickson (1-7) took the loss by allowing three runs on eight hits in six frames. He almost got off the hook when Potomac brought the tying-run to the plate with two outs in the eighth, but Rocks closer Mark Peterson entered the game and promptly shut the door by inducing a rally-killing pop up. The right-hander worked a one-two-three ninth to record his 17th save of the season.

The Blue Rocks return to action Tuesday night when they continue their four-game series against the P-Nats. Wilmington will send southpaw Sean Manaea (2-7, 4.75) to the mound, while Potomac will counter with righty Brian Rauh (1-1, 5.08). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.

The Rocks return to Frawley Stadium on July 11 for the first game of a four-game homestand against the Salem Red Sox. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.

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Luis Santos has now strung two of the best starts of his Advanced-A career together over his last two outings. Coincidentally, both have come against the first-half champion Potomac Nationals. Santos allowed just one run on three hits in 5.2 innings on July 1 to earn his first win since joining the Blue Rocks in late-May. He followed that up with his excellent start on Monday. Thanks to his last 11.2 frames, Santos has lowered his ERA from 8.37 to 6.11. Santos began the campaign with Low-A Lexington and put up stellar numbers for the Legends prior to his promotion to the Blue Rocks. With Lexington, he was 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA in nine appearances (six starts). He struck out 34 and walked just five while yielding only 33 hits in 46 innings pitched. Santos was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 18, 2011. He spent 2011 with the Dominican Pirates and had a 2-1 record and 2.70 ERA. In 2012, Santos split time between the Dominican Pirates 1 and the Dominican Pirates 2. The six-foot hurler was traded from the Pirates organization to the Kansas City Royals organization on November 28, 2012. He was sent to the Royals along with lefty Luis Rico in exchange for right-hander Vin Mazzaro and first-baseman Clint Robinson.

Raul Mondesi busted his way out of a 5-for-51 slump on Monday by going 2-for-4 with a pair of extra-base hits. The switch hitter tripled from the left side of the batter's box in sixth inning and then roped a double batting from the right side just two frames later. Mondesi also drove in a run and scored twice in Monday's victory. It was a good day all around for the 18-year-old, who was named the 22nd-ranked prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America, which released its midseason top 50 prospects list on Monday afternoon. Mondesi is batting just .220 on the season, but is the youngest player in the Carolina League, and is widely viewed by many scouts as the best defensive infielder in all of Advanced-A.

Glenn Sparkman took a no-hitter into the seventh inning on the Fourth of July, and before the game on Monday he was named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the effort. Sparkman lost his bid for a no-no with one out in the seventh, but it was the only hit he allowed in a career-long seven-inning outing of a 5-0 Wilmington win. Sparkman set the tone early by fanning the first two batters he faced. He finished his night in similar fashion by punching out the final two hitters he opposed as well. In between, the right-hander worked five one-two-three innings. The only base runner he allowed over the first six innings came on Ramon Torres' one-out error in the third. Sparkman paid it little attention, however, retiring the next two batters he faced. Joey DeMichele was the lone Winston-Salem batter to register a hit off the righty, lining a single into center with one down in the seventh. Sparkman finished his night with nine strikeouts and no walks. Sparkman took a no-hitter deeper into a game than any Blue Rocks pitcher this season. Luis Santos was the only other Wilmington hurler to make it through five frames without yielding a knock in 2014. Sparkman also turned in only the third start by a Blue Rocks pitcher not named Christian Binford that lasted at least seven innings. Binford did it five times on his own. Wilmington is now 7-1 in Sparkman's eight starts. Since shifting to the rotation Sparkman has posted a 2-1 mark and a 1.13 ERA. His only loss came when he yielded one run in six innings as the Hillcats no-hit the Blue Rocks on June 27.

Excerpt from:
Santos Combines with Late Offense to Lift Rocks over Potomac

Why did everyone get this wrong last year?

There is so much cash out there.

People were nervous about the economic recovery in the first quarter of the year, whether it was the weather or whatever people wanted to attribute the slowing of the economy to.

There were signs we were not seeing the recovery people were expecting so people went to safe haven trades.

You have central banks around the world continuing to stimulate the economy.

What this meant for investors is they have funneled more cash into the classic total return bond funds than since the first quarter of 2013. they are coming back and saying we are buying into the yield -- story that yields will stay low for a long time.

Is a still the case after the thursday job numbers that we had more additions?

James fuller says he thinks it could be the first quarter of next year and beyond.

He is forecasting a rate increase out in 2016. it is pulling forward a bit.

On the flipside, you have the international monetary fund saying they might reduce their global growth forecast.

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Watching Money Flow Into Bonds

Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) July 03, 2014

Baltimore-based STX, LLC, a global sporting goods leader, announced today the signing of eight new members to Team STX, the first elite post-collegiate womens lacrosse team. Syracuse All-American Alyssa Murray highlights the list of new signees, along with standouts Kirkland Locey, also of Syracuse, and Taylor DAmore and Sammy Cermack, both from Johns Hopkins. Alternates include Nikki Boltja (Louisville), Sloane Serpe (UNC), Abbey Friend (UNC) and Sydney Peterson (Duke).

As members of Team STX, the athletes will compete at the highest levels of womens lacrosse, lead youth camps and clinics, and help to expand the reach of the game.

The goal of Team STX is to spread the love of the game across the country by playing and demonstrating lacrosse at the highest level, said Kadie Stamper, STX Womens Lacrosse Marketing Manager. By signing an elite group of players led by All-American Alyssa Murray Team STX is in a great position to succeed.

The new athletes join captain Josie Owen and 14 players from last years inaugural Team STX, along with Kelly Barnes who signed earlier this year.

Bios for new members of Team STX:

Team STX will defend its championship title as it kicks off the season at the 42nd Vail Lacrosse Shootout in Vail, Colorado from July 3-6. This season, Team STX will also compete in the Lake Placid Classic and will expand its youth skills clinics nationwide.

To learn more about the latest Team STX athletes, follow STX womens lacrosse at http://www.stx.com/teamstx2014.

About STX: STX is a global sporting goods leader in the sports of lacrosse, field hockey and golf. With its 1970 introduction of the first synthetic lacrosse head, STX ushered in the modern era of what is now the fastest growing team sport. Based in Baltimore, the home of lacrosse, STX has been universally recognized for innovation in product design and development. STX continues to strive for new performance standards in sporting goods equipment at the highest levels of competition. For more information, visit http://www.stx.com.

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Team USAs Alyssa Murray Highlights New Additions to STX Elite Womens Lacrosse Team

How Health News Florida flubbed the rate story last week and what all reporters can take away from it

Remember those seven tips I offered earlier this month for how to report on health insurance rate proposals? I have a couple of additionsin light of some unfortunate misreporting last week in Florida that was amplified via Twitter.

On June 24three days before Floridas rate filing deadlinethe site Health News Florida (a regional health reporting organization designed to fill the lack of health news by more traditional outlets) published a story headlined, No rate increase? Can it be? The story, by Carol Gentry, began this way:

No insurance companyincluding heavyweights like Florida Blue and United Healthcarewants to raise premiums in Florida at all? Not even a smidge? Gentry herself seemed slightly unsure, as the caveats in the headline and lede showed. So, where did Gentry get this information? Floridas Office of Insurance Regulation, where companies must file rate requests, has put the requests online, Gentry wrote. Gentry looked on the website and saw zeros listed as proposed increases (or, in some cases, saw decreases listed). No increases! Consumer advocates, Gentry wrote, are cautiously optimistic that this is evidence that the Affordable Care Act is restraining prices for individuals who dont get coverage through a group.

The Hill picked up Gentrys report and, in its own June 24 piece, called it a blow to critics of Obamacare who predicted substantially higher premiums. Both Gentrys piece and The Hills report (and the implicit or explicit Obamacare is working! takeaway) made the rounds on Twitter, including tweets or retweets by reporters from Kaiser Health News, ProPublica, HuffPost, The New Republic, and The Washington Post.

There were some skeptics on Twitter that day. No premium increases, of any size, for any plan in any region of the entire state of Florida? Seems *too* low, tweeted National Journal reporter Sam Baker. And, in a follow-up tweet: Wouldnt that mean every insurer in every county over-priced (kinda significantly) for this year?

Kaiser Family Foundations Larry Levitt weighed in to say that the zeros Gentry saw on the OIR website may not actually mean 0% rate change, they may be because data is proprietary. Levitt added that he was holding off judgement until I can review rate filings in more detail. Their search tool is currently down for maintenance.

When the OIR search tool came back online later that day, it came with this disclaimer: Displayed rate changes may not fully reflect increases and decreases due to claims of trade secret.

Turns out, skepticism was in order.

It was too good to be true, Health News Florida tweeted at 6pm that day, linking to Gentrys walk-back story in which she wrote:

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If it sounds too good to be true

Baseball will announce rosters for the July 15 All-Star Game on Sunday. But why wait that long? USA TODAY Sports' Paul White breaks down who will be headed to the Twin Cities. Your American Leaguers:

First base: It isn't the usual logjam at this premier position but it's still a tough call. No arguments with two-time MVP Miguel Cabrera as the voting leader and there's no ignoring the power surge of Toronto's Edwin Encarnacion. But that leaves out the even more powerful Jose Abreu of the White Sox ?? for now, at least.

Second base: Robinson Cano of the Mariners will win the fan vote, but he would rank third on our list. Again, that creates a difficult call for the second spot between the guys we have ahead of Cano ?? Detroit's Ian Kinsler and Houston's Jose Altuve. It's Kinsler by a hair.

Shortstop: At the risk of sacrilege ?? of course Derek Jeter doesn't deserve the spot on this season's statistical merit. Yes, he'll start and, no, we're not about to dissent. Even without Jeter, there's no clear-cut front-runner based on performance. But Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox is our pick for the guy who has to go out there when Jeter leaves the game ?? a tough call over Erick Aybar of the Angels.

Third base: Josh Donaldson will win the fan vote ?? no serious disagreement there. Now, it gets tricky. Kyle Seager

of the Mariners has the accumulation of stats and the strong defense to merit the second spot. We'll go that route, fully aware of a breakout from Cleveland's Lonnie Chisenhall and the enduring greatness of the Rangers' Adrian Beltre.

Outfield: The fans have it right with Mike Trout of the Angels and Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays. And we can only hope the late surge by Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes for the third spot holds up. He's moved ahead of Toronto's Melky Cabrera, who would have taken up a spot we'd rather hand out elsewhere. The guy who deserves it is Cleveland's Michael Brantley, so he's one of our backups, along with Baltimore's Adam Jones and Kansas City's Alex Gordon.

Catcher: The fan vote for Baltimore's injured Matt Wieters creates a freebie. Kansas City's Sal Perez is clearly the man this year. We'll add Cleveland's Yan Gomes as our backup.

DH: It's good that Baltimore's Nelson Cruz was on the ballot as a designated hitter ?? we don't have to bump a deserving outfielder for him. But it's unfortunate that he takes a slot that could just as easily go to Detroit's Victor Martinez.

Starting pitchers: The first five are solid, led by Japanese tandem Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees and Yu Darvish

Excerpt from:
AL All-Stars: Last call for a legend

A Manitowoc County prosecutor is preparing to release a book about Steven Avery. Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted for the 2005 rape and murder of Teresa Halbach. It is one of the highest profile criminal cases in Northeast Wisconsin in the past decade.

The book titled "The Innocent Killer" connects Avery's wrongful 1985 rape conviction with the actions that led him to kill Halbach. And while the author says the book is for educational purposes, Halbach's family is disgusted it's even being published.

Michael Griesbach, a prosecutor with the Manitowoc County District Attorney's Office was the on-call DA the night searches found Teresa Halbach's SUV on the Avery salvage yard property in November of 2005. But because his county was being sued by Steven Avery for his 1985 rape conviction, for which he spent 18 years in prison, only to be exonerated, continuing to work on the case was a conflict of interest. So, like many others, Griesbach watched as an observer as the case unfolded.

Then, in 2010, Griesbach self published "Unreasonable Inferences" a book about Avery, his wrongful conviction and how it led him to commit the Halbach murder. A story that will be told again, with some additions, in "The Innocent Killer" the second book on Avery that Griesbach is having published by the American Bar Association, due out next month.

"It's a situation where, had he not been wrongfully convicted, he would have been somewhere else. He would have, perhaps there would have been other victims but this specific case would not have happened, but that's not the point of the book," says Michael Griesbach.

Griesbach says the book should be used as a teaching tool.

Adding, "The Avery wrongful conviction was an aberration, it's not the way police and prosecutors act. When it happens though, we have to look at it and we need to see what sort of lessons they hold for the criminal justice system."

That reasoning isn't sitting well with the family of Teresa Halbach who released a statement through her brother Mike Halbach saying in part, "Some individuals find it acceptable to use the death of my sister, Teresa, to promote themselves, to glorify murder and murderers, and to profit personally...Violence doesn't have to be made into entertainment, especially when additional undue harm is caused toward those who were victimized in the first place."

Griesbach disagrees, but says his one regret in writing the books is the fact he's upset the Halbach family.

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Manitowoc Co. Prosecutor Set to Release Second Book on Avery Case

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Generally, fans of the St. Louis Rams praise just about every offseason pickup. It's not a mindset specific to St. Louis, either, as most team's fans view even low-key additions as potential keys to salvationit's simply part of the football fan psychology.

Many offseason acquisitions are indeed grossly overrated (fans want to believe their team got a bargain), but it's also possible for lesser-known pickups to be underrated, especially if it's a backup player or a late-round draft pick who lacks name recognition.

This article will sort through several of the new faces at Rams Park and determine who is under and overrated. The list will be compiled by weighing the hype versus actual on-field expectations.

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Mo Alexander, a small-school prospect out of Utah State, was a fairly shocking selection in the fourth round. He lacked the name recognition and popularity of several of the other players still on the board at the time (DaQuan Jones, Cyril Richardson, Tre Boston, etc.).

I was one of many whomildly criticized the pick, but like most members of Rams Nation, I've more than warmed up to the selection.

He has an incredible story. He was recently a janitor at the Edward Jones Dome, but he was obviously able to return to football and make it into the NFL. Also, his intensity and work ethic on the field is second to none.

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St. Louis Rams' Most Under and Overrated Offseason Additions

June 29, 2014 - Canadian Football League (CFL) Winnipeg Blue Bombers WINNIPEG, MB., June 29, 2014 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the additions of International receiver Romby Bryant and International defensive back Troy Stoudermire.

Bryant (6-2, 195, Tulsa, December 21, 1979 in Oklahoma City, OK) enters his seventh CFL season, and second stint with the Bombers. Bryant's best CFL season was in 2010 when the wideout had 15 receiving touchdowns and 1,170 yards. His 2013 campaign with the Argos was cut short due to injury. Through his seven CFL seasons, Bryant has 304 receptions for 4,557 yards and 33 touchdowns.

Stoudermire (5-10, 199, Minnesota, April 1, 1990 in Dallas, TX) joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders practice roster in October of 2013, after spending five seasons at the University of Minnesota. The Texas native spent time at receiver and defensive back as well as kick returner where he set an NCAA record with 3,615 career kickoff return yards. He attended training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals last season prior to signing with the Riders. He was released prior to the start of the CFL regular season.

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Bombers Ink Veteran Receiver Romby Bryant, Defensive Back Troy Stoudermire

La PORTE The county is taking preliminary action in redistricting the voter ward lines to match the same criteria of the new precincts created for La Porte and Michigan City.

The new voter precincts will need to be completed in review for the Indiana blank by August. The new precincts will not be in effect until 2015 and will not impact this years fall election.

On Thursday morning, at the La Porte County Courthouse, county officials held their first public meeting to discuss the new ward lines. La Porte County Clerk Lynne Spevak lead the conversation, and county officials were in attendance.

The first meeting covered the Michigan City ward lines in a general overview of new deletions and additions within each precinct. Spevak said since there are so many areas to cover, the meetings will focus on Michigan City and then they will review La Porte.

This is a preliminary meeting, Spevak said. Once we pull streets we will be able to get a better idea.

The first ward in Michigan City will add the residential area within the perimeter of Vail Street, Springland Avenue, Carroll Avenue, Holliday Street, Ridgeland Avenue and Michigan Boulevard, back to Vail Street.

The second ward in Michigan City will eliminate the homes between 10th Street, Ohio Street, Ripley Street and Tennessee Street. This section will be in the third ward.

Michigan Citys third ward will include the small section formerly in the second ward and a section between Earl Road, Hitchcock Street and U.S. 20.

The fourth ward in Michigan City will add more portions within Hitchcock Street, Earl Road, Ohio Street and U.S. Highway 20.

The Edgewood area will be moved out of the fourth ward and moved to the fifth ward. This areas street perimeters are Franklin Street, Coolspring Avenue, Cleveland Avenue and Barker Road.

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County officials begin work on new city voting wards

Team by team 2014 NBA draft grades for the Western Conference from USA TODAY Sports' Adi Joseph.

Dallas Mavericks

Additions: None.

The Tyson Chandler trade cost them their two second-round picks, and while feelings are mixed about that deal, it's tough to fault them for making moves that could help them land a premier free agent. Certainly, those two second-rounders (which turned into very quality players in Cleanthony Early and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, for what it's worth) won't be how that trade is judged.

Grade: N/A

Denver Nuggets

Additions: C Jusuf Nurkic (No. 16 pick, Bosnia and Herzegovina), SG Gary Harris (No. 19 pick, Michigan State), PF/C Nikola Jokic (No. 41 pick, Serbia)

The Nuggets had a terrific draft day that came in part thanks to the Chicago Bulls wanting to dump salary. It started with the midday trade to reacquire Arron Afflalo from the Orlando Magic for Evan Fournier and a second-round pick. But that move couldn't have predicted they'd land two excellent fits in the first round despite entering with only one pick (No. 11). The Bulls gave up their two picks to move up, and Nurkic provides the kind of high-upside big man the Nuggets need while Harris gives them another talented perimeter player who may have been the biggest slider in the draft and comes at tremendous value that low. They have to figure out their perimeter rotation now, but that's only because of excessive depth, a good problem. Jokic could be a contributor off the bench some day, whenever he comes over.

Grade: A

Golden State Warriors

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2014 NBA draft grades: Western Conference teams