Kansas City Picked to Host 2012 MLB All-Star Game

 

Kansas City has been officially selected to host the 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star game. The decision was announced by MLB commissioner Bud Selig today before the Royals’ inter-league game against the Houston Astros. The official announcement ends over a year’s worth of speculation that Kansas City would be picked to host the event in 2012.

The recent renovations made to Kauffman stadium were a boost to Kansas City’s chances of landing the game. Kansas City approved a $225 million bond issue to fund stadium renovations, which were completed before the 2009 regular season.

Kansas City has not hosted an all-star game since Kauffman Stadium’s opening season in 1973. The event, which features the all-star game as well as a full week of festivities including the home run derby, will generated an estimated $60-65 million dollars in revenue.  This means great things for Kansas City Restaurants and most likely The Power and Light District.

Anaheim, CA will host this season’s event. Current ticket prices for the 2010 event are starting at well over $400, which signals an expensive experience for any Kansas City locals who are interested in attending. Phoenix, AZ will host the all-star week during the 2011 season.

Kansas City Hit Hard by Flooding

Kansas City area homes and business continue to be damaged by on-going flooding. Up to four feet of water has been reported in some areas, as heavy overnight rains have pushed creeks and rivers out of their banks and into business and residential areas.

The National Weather Service has reported that areas near the state line between Kansas and Missouri have been hit the hardest. Leawood, Mission Hills, Prairie Village all were victims to the most significant flooding that came primarily from Indian Creek.

Many homes and businesses have experience power loss as well. The combined effects of the water damage and loss of power have caused some businesses to permanently close, while many residents have been forced to relocate.

Several major highways in Kansas and Missouri have had closings as well, which has caused traffic problems for other highways. While many of these issues are being resolved, the forecast for rain throughout the month of June could signal more problems in the future.

Big 12 Survival Still Possible

The possible conference lineup scenarios were shaken up yet again Sunday evening, with new developments that may signal an end to the controversy that has surrounded the Big 12 and Pac 10 schools for weeks. Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe is considering implementing a Big 12 television network for the remaining ten schools in the conference.

The new network, which would be modeled after the Big 10’s successful network, could produce anywhere between $17 to $20 million dollars for the remaining schools. The Big 12 would also split the penalties Colorado and Nebraska would be forced to pay for leaving the conference, adding further financial incentive for the remaining schools to possibly stay and salvage the conference.

The move may be too little too late from Beebe, who has been criticized for his lack of a proactive approach throughout the various progressions of conference realignment news. The Pac 10 has reportedly already offered Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State spots in the conference, in addition to Colorado who has already committed.

Texas A&M is reportedly interested in the SEC and has turned down the Pac 10, which may now be targeting Kansas. Pac 10 Commissioner Larry Scott has reportedly flown to Kansas City to talk to KU officials as early as Monday morning.

Beebe’s actions and many of the Big 12’s schools desire to stay put may save the conference. However it appears everything hinges on the decision of Texas. The schools must decide what is best for their future first and what is best for the rest of the Big 12 schools second. No matter what happens, it appears that an outcome should be coming soon that will significantly or insignificantly shake up college sports.

Fake Census Takers in Kansas City

Fake Census takers have been reported in the Kansas City area.

Several Kansas Citians have reported suspected fake Census 2010 takers coming to their door and asking odd questions.  A few of the reports came from citizens who had already filled out and mailed in their 2010 Census forms, thus a visit from a real Census officer would not be warranted.   Over 3,000 official census takers will descend upon Kansas City within the next few months going door to door asking for the required Census information.  A few things to know about the REAL Census takers:

A real census taker will always:
- carry a visible, official census badge
- have an official census form with them
- will only ask the following questions that are on the official Census form below...

The Official 2010 Census Form

How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1, 2010?

We ask this question to help get an accurate count of the number of people in the household on Census Day, April 1, 2010. The answer should be based on the guidelines in the 'Start here' section. We use the information to ensure response accuracy and completeness and to contact respondents whose forms have incomplete or missing information.

Were there any additional people staying here April 1, 2010 that you did not include in Question 1?

Asked since 1880. We ask this question to help identify people who may have been excluded in the count provided in Question 1. We use the information to ensure response accuracy and completeness and to contact respondents whose forms have incomplete or missing information.

Is this house, apartment, or mobile home: owned with mortgage, owned without mortgage, rented, occupied without rent?

Asked since 1890. Homeownership rates serve as an indicator of the nation's economy. The data are also used to administer housing programs and to inform planning decisions.

What is your telephone number?

We ask for a phone number in case we need to contact a respondent when a form is returned with incomplete or missing information.

Please provide information for each person living here. Start with a person here who owns or rents this house, apartment, or mobile home. If the owner or renter lives somewhere else, start with any adult living here. This will be Person 1. What is Person 1's name?

Listing the name of each person in the household helps the respondent to include all members, particularly in large households where a respondent may forget who was counted and who was not. Also, names are needed if additional information about an individual must be obtained to complete the census form. Federal law protects the confidentiality of personal information, including names.

What is Person 1's sex?

Asked since 1790. Census data about sex are important because many federal programs must differentiate between males and females for funding, implementing and evaluating their programs. For instance, laws promoting equal employment opportunity for women require census data on sex. Also, sociologists, economists, and other researchers who analyze social and economic trends use the data.

What is Person 1's age and Date of Birth?

Asked since 1800. Federal, state, and local governments need data about age to interpret most social and economic characteristics, such as forecasting the number of people eligible for Social Security or Medicare benefits. The data are widely used in planning and evaluating government programs and policies that provide funds or services for children, working-age adults, women of childbearing age, or the older population.

Is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin?

Asked since 1970. The data collected in this question are needed by federal agencies to monitor compliance with anti-discrimination provisions, such as under the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. State and local governments may use the data to help plan and administer bilingual programs for people of Hispanic origin.

What is Person 1's race?

Asked since 1790. Race is key to implementing many federal laws and is needed to monitor compliance with the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. State governments use the data to determine congressional, state and local voting districts. Race data are also used to assess fairness of employment practices, to monitor racial disparities in characteristics such as health and education and to plan and obtain funds for public services.

Does Person 1 sometimes live or stay somewhere else?

This is another question we ask in order to ensure response accuracy and completeness and to contact respondents whose forms have incomplete or missing information.

An official Census taker will never ask about legal status, personal information, money, or attempt to come into your home.  Do not give out your bank account information to anyone under any circumstances!   If you think for any reason that the person at your door may be a fake census taker, either refuse to answer the door or call the police and alert them of the fake census taker's presence in your neighborhood.

In Houston, a man posing as a Census worker and two others are blamed for a deadly home invasion robbery.  Police said, over the weekend, Reginald Haynes was killed after he struggled with the fake census takers and was stabbed to death.

2010 Census workers should be visiting homes until July.



 

Hitting Tips MLB The Show 10

Hitting Tips for MLB The Show 10 

Some blogs tell you to swing for the sweet spot using your left joystick to aim your bat.  This is really a more advanced feature for players who have already learned how to hit well.  The best way to start hitting is to take your hand off of every button / joystick except for the X button.  Be sure and use the "guess pitch" function before each pitch.  I usually guess 4 Finger Fast Ball as this is 90% of pitchers "go to" pitch and is usually the X button.  I also like to know when the heat is coming.  So, to guess the pitch before the pitch, hold down R2 and hit X - some pitchers have the 4 Finger Fast Ball on another symbol - you have to look at the pitch guide on the side of the screen to see which symbol is the 4 Finger Fast Ball.  Ok, so now you're going to be alerted (the strike zone flashes red) when the heater is coming at you.  This definitely helps.  Also, just because you are guessing fast ball doesn't mean that you shouldn't swing at other types of pitches, this is just to alert you when the heat is coming - if you see that the heat isn't coming then you know that you might have a slow juicy sinker coming that you can swat out into the parking lot.

It is not recommended that you swing at the first pitch, but sometimes if you guess fastball and you're right (you get the little red flash in the strike zone) then the pitcher might be trying to sneak in an early strike to start the at bat by throwing the heater by you.  If you guess heater and you are right, it occasionally pays off to go ahead and jack that first fast ball pitch.  Don't swing too early - even the fast balls give you a second to read them, sit back and rock that thing.  When batting always remember that just because you get an out (ground out to the second basemen, etc.) does not mean that you did anything wrong.  A great batting average is still only .300 which means you get an out 2 out of every 3 times you go to bat.  Outs are just part of the game.

Most of the time I will not swing at the first pitch.  I play on Veteran mode and this seems to be the pattern of pitches that the computer likes to throw:


1st pitch - could be a nice fastball down the middle, but most of the time even if you hit the first pitch it will be an out - especially if it is early in the game and the starter is fresh.

2nd pitch - if the first pitch was a strike and you let it go by (advised), then the computer's tendency is to throw another strike about 70% of the time.  The computer likes to get the count to 0-2 if they can get away with it.  If the first pitch was a ball and you let it go (advised), then the computer's tendency to pitch a strike on the 2nd pitch is about 50/50.  I usually get ready to swing here.

3rd pitch - If the count is 0-2, then the computer will throw you a ball about 80% of the time - the computer LOVES the count to go to 1-2.  If the count is 1-1 then the computer will first judge the situation (how good is the batter, if there are men on base, etc.) - but with a count of 1-1 the computer will throw a ball about 60% of the time.  If the count is 2-0 swing for the seats - be patient when the juicy pitch comes, it's easy to get greedy and swing early when you see greatness coming down the pike - be patient and get a nice fat pop on the ball.

4th pitch - If the count is 1-2 then LET IT GO - the computer LOVES the count of 2-2 and will almost always throw a ball when the count is 1-2.  If the count is 2-1 go cautiously, the next pitch could be anything and usually the computer tries to get a sneaky strike - usually somewhere just inside the strike zone - not a good ball to hit even if you make contact - this is the classic pitch that most batters foul off and even the count 2-2.  I'm not saying to just let the strike go by, but usually a 2-1 pitch is not a "meatball".

5th pitch - the computer LOVES the full count, so it will pitch accordingly to get to it.  If the count is 2-2 then I would expect a ball to come across the plate.  Some of the really really good pitchers will sneak a strike it on you when the count is 2-2 but it is rare.  If the count is 3-1, swing for the seats.  If you have base runners on base when the count is 3-1 it would be a good time to hit and run (hold down R1 before you swing).

6th pitch - the full count.  Obviously you want to swing at this pitch 90% of the time.  Be careful if there are several men on base as this makes the pitcher nervous and he may pitch a ball and walk you.  The pitcher may also panic and walk you if your batter has higher than average batting skills.  For example, Alex Rodriguez may very well get a ball pitched to him on a 3-2 count.

Here's a little trick - try pressing the left joystick directly 90 degrees (straight) to the right or left depending on what handed your batter is.  Example, a right handed batter - before the pitch push and hold the left joystick directly straight to the right.  Hold it there completely through your swing.  I've gotten some really good results off of this technique.  The only catch is, the pitch needs to be in the strike zone in order to make contact.  I tried this last night for every at bat for an entire game and I hit 5 home runs and several doubles and a triple.  I don't know if this is a game glitch or maybe it's because it forces the batter to stretch his arms out and get a nice full swing.

Finally, I don't recommend using the right joystick at all.  The book says that you can push the right joystick up before the pitch to "influence a fly ball" - or push the right joystick down to "influence a grounder" - this usually results in a weak hit or a pop out - I stay away from this technique.  You don't have to "influence a fly ball" to hit a home run, if the pitch is right and the batter has the stats, believe me, he will hit home runs with just a good timed hit on the old X button.

To get those awesome sideline line drives that kind of bow out into fair territory and then curve nicely toward the sideline you have to use the left joystick with your swing.  Watch the pitch and try to "chase" the pitch direction with the left joystick and then swing if the pitch is over the plate.  If you don't use the left joystick, those hits will turn into ground balls that spray down the line - those hits aren't bad either, but I love the line drive curvy hits that sometimes rattle up into the far corner of the wall for that coveted triple.  The bad side of using the left joystick to chase pitches is that you may pop out quite a bit more often - like pop out to the infield, which sucks.

Remember, if you're having a bad day at bat, forget all of the fancy crap and just use the X button alone.  Pay more attention to the pitches you're getting.  Look up at the scoreboard and see how many pitches the pitcher has thrown that day already.  If he's thrown under 30 pitches and he's a good pitcher, you may have to wait an inning or so until he starts to tire before you start smacking the ball.  Also be very aware when the pitcher has a high pitch count.  If a pitcher has 40+ pitches in the game, it's time to start taking advantage of him - you can start swinging at some first pitches, etc.  If you're winning the game and they are sending in a lot of relief pitchers, I just ignore those guys and swing for the fences every pitch - you will strike out a few times but you should get a lot of hits as well - hitting against relief pitchers is the best time to hit home runs.

Hope this helps - feel free to post any questions that you have right here and I will try to answer them.