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In just his first season with the New York Mets, Carlos Delgado has immediately delivered for the Mets, providing solid offensive play for his team. Although he is in the middle of a 7 for 50 slump for the Mets, Carlos Delgado has still been providing the power numbers (15 HR’s) thus far. After hitting about .300 in the month of April, he has only hit about .217 in May, but I’m sure he will turn it around and right his average to around .280 or so. If his protests a few years back are any indication of this man’s character, then he certainly won’t cower down to the adversities of this month long slump, nor will he fail to deliver in a big spot for the Mets.

Many Mets fans were hesitant about signing Delgado this past off-season due to his refusal to stand for “God Bless America”, his sweet stroke and swagger at the plate certainly make up for any animosity that some New Yorkers may have felt towards Carlos. After refusing to stand for the playing of the song as a visitor to Yankees Stadium, he was boo’ed loudly by Yankees fans. This served as a tremendous injustice to this man that was simply refusing to back down on his anti-war sentiments, and his opposition to the United States using the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico as a bombing target practice facility.

A year or so later, his refusal to stand for “God Bless America” was in protest of how the Administration linked Saddam Hussein to September 11th, and the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. Delgado said that, “It’s a very terrible thing that happened on September 11. It’s a terrible thing that happened in Afghanistan and Iraq. I just feel so sad for the families that lost relatives and loved ones in the war. But I think it’s the stupidest war ever.” Delgado was fulfilling his duty as a civic citizen of the United States, as his actions of protest certainly weren’t grounds of hatred and abuse from the fans; his actions should have served as a reminder to the ideals that this country was founded upon, rather than the ideals that politicians try to brainwash American youth with today.

Upon signing with the New York Mets, Carlos Delgado changed his perspective on the matter, and decided that he would now be standing for the playing of “God Bless America” in the ballpark. With the adoption of a team-first mentality, Delgado immediately answered many concerns by stating that with his new mentality, “Everybody stands and I will be there.” Although I certainly do not agree with this new philosophy that Mr. Delgado has taken on, I do believe it is in the team’s best interest that he does stand with the rest of the team, to avoid any sort of negative publicity for the Mets, after many years residing in the N.L. East basement, and making the back cover more so for their front office turmoil than their actual accomplishments. It certainly does not speak volumes about the public, as a man can not voice his concerns through non-violent protest, without being abused. If Delgado produces for the Mets, then I’m sure Mets fans will not care if he stands or not.

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Who is with me when I say that when Xavier Nady returns from the DL, that Lastings Milledge still better be the starting right-fielder for the Mets? I know that Milledge has probably been brought up a year or so too early, but I’m really excited as to what the future holds for Milledge and the Mets. The Cameron/Nady trade now looks even better as the Mets dumped a lot of salary, and now have a deep outfield anyway, an area of the Mets that we expected to worsen significantly after the departure of Mike Cameron. I do hope that Willie Randolph decides to start Milledge on a consistent basis, rotating in Nady for Floyd/Milledge from time to time.

Xavier Nady is a career .263 hitter, and I don’t think he has much future in the Mets organization. The guy was touted as a player that could drive the ball to all fields with power, but he hasn’t really lived up to the hype out of college. The guy has never played more than three-quarters of an entire season, and has never hit more than 13 HR’s, or drove in more than 43 RBI. The Mets are fortunate that they got .267, 9 HR, and 22 RBI out of Nady, who I think will serve as an excellent fourth outfielder for the Mets.

Lastings Milledge arrived on the scene just a little over a week ago, with all baggage aside, and has lived up to the hype thus far. Milledge is hitting .308 with 2 HR’s and 8 RBI through just nine games as a Met. As we’re all well aware, when Milledge hit his first big league homerun, when returning to the field, he slapped hands and exchanged celebratory gestures with the Mets fans down the right field line. He was quickly disciplined by Willie Randolph and the New York Media, yet I don’t really understand why.

These types of actions shouldn’t be looked down upon for a number of reasons. First of all, the kid’s got character and heart, something that is missing from a ton of big league players, and most notably on the Mets, Mr. Carlos Beltran. It was Milledge’s first HR as a Met, in front of a big crowd, with 2 outs and 2 strikes in extra innings. We see so many players that are fazed by the New York lights, and the pressure that comes with competing in the biggest market in the country; yet, Milledge is slammed for the manner in which he celebrated a huge hit for his team. We want our athletes to be confident at the plate and in the field, something that Milledge is. We want them to also interact with the fans and get personal with people, yet we slam those who take part in a minor celebration of an accomplishment. The kid’s got swagger, confidence, and he’s got skills.

Given all the hype for this player, I found it hard to believe that he would be able to live up to it all. I truly hope this Milledge experiment lasts a real long time, because this Mets team looks like a real contender, and it would be great to get him some October experience at a young age. If Willie knew what was best for this kid and the Mets, he’d let “Lastings be Lastings“, and let the home crowd revel in his glory.

The New York Sports Headquarters is a site devoted to providing the latest news and insight to all things New York Sports. We will be covering issues regarding professional baseball, football, hockey, and basketball. Under special circumstances, we will also be covering other sports, such as golf, soccer, auto racing, and horse racing. We will provide insight, up to date news, opinion pieces, and all sorts of other information regarding the New York Sports world.

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Orizaba is a city of about 100,000 Indians and mixed Spanish blood inhabitants is named for Mt. Orizaba (Citlaltepetl), Mexico’s highest peak and the third highest peak in North America at an elevation of about 18,406 ft. (5,610 meters). Only Mt. McKinley in Alaska and Mt. Logan in Canada are higher. Also referred to as Pico de Orizaba, it can have snow at its upper levels year-round but the mountain climbing season is in Winter, which is just the opposite of the other North American climbs. That makes Orizaba a very popular destination from November through February. The climbers (and tourists) come principally from all over North America with some from Europe and beyond. They almost all speak English, so the English teaching trade is booming. Local schools and businesses want and need your services!

There are several interesting websites with information on the volcano, which apparently last erupted in 1687 with prior eruptions in 1613 and 1537. The point is that unlike Mt. Popocatepetl, you won’t have to worry about flying hot rocks, molten lava or steaming craters of asphyxiating volcanic gas and suffocating ash. As with other mountains and natural features in the regions of the Aztecs, there is a legend attached to Citlaltepetl, a name that means “Star Mountain” in Nahuatl – the language of the Aztecs. Legend says that the feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl, was first consumed by sacred flames emerging from the heart of Pico de Orizaba, then took on human form and finally sailed from the Veracruz coast across the sea, vowing one day to return to his beloved people.

A spectacular view of Mt. Orizaba, a volcano and Mexico’s highest peak can be found at:
http://www.adventureguidesintl.com/orizaba1.htm

For a view of the crater of the volcano Orizaba from the summit go to
http://www.adventureguidesintl.com/orizaba2.htm

This view of Mt. Orizaba’s summit is also worth a look or two, or three…
http://www.adventureguidesintl.com/orizaba3.htm

For the more scientific-minded check out the volcano’s stats at:
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_tour/mex/19Pico_de_Orizaba.html

Another mountain-climbing site with great photo scenes of “Pico”:
http://www.naclassics.com/climbs/orizaba/imagelis.htm

Getting to and away from Orizaba:

Orizaba is conveniently located on the main turnpike route between Mexico City in the mountains and the city of Veracruz on the Gulf Coast. There are frequent buses in both directions connecting to the smaller towns and pueblos, so getting there is a snap. Xalapa, the capitol city of the state of Veracruz, and the city of Puebla, which overlooks Mexico’s current volcano-in-action, can be easily reached as well.

There is train service (El Jarocho) on the Veracruz – México City line, the fare is about 130 pesos one way. Check for an updated schedule in Mexico City or Veracruz in the train ride interests you. Presently, there is one train each way per day. In Orizaba, the train station is on the corner of Poniente 19 and Sur 10.

Be sure to check out my other articles in the two continuing series: Teaching English in Mexico and Traveling in Mexico. If you would like more information, have questions or comments, the author can be e-mailed; see address below.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an ELT Teacher Trainer, English language learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. He has published more than 350 articles and academic papers and presented at numerous EFL teacher training and TEFL conferences throughout North America, South America and Europe. For comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his free TESOL articles and teaching materials mailing list, e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

I think it’s time for all of us to admit that we were incorrect in labeling Randy Johnson as worthless to the Yankees’ starting rotation. While his start to the season was without a doubt absolutely awful, better yet, his first 2 months were awful, I think we’ll be seeing the old Randy Johnson for the rest of the season. If his past two starts are any indication of how well The Unit will be pitching for the Yankees down the stretch, then I think it’s hard to find a team that matches our front three of Johnson, Mussina, Wang. I’m not saying that R.J. is going to go out there every night and strike out 12 guys a game, and stifle the other team’s offense every start, but I will say that we’re going to be seeing a lot more of the Big Nasty that we were all accustomed to seeing in the past.

Although the Yankees dropped their third in a row last night, Randy Johnson pitched a pretty good game against a very good Phillies offense. The defense didn’t help Randy out much, as Robinson Cano’s error led to two Philadelphia runs. With his setback start against the Oakland Athletics withstanding, Randy Johnson’s ERA in his last four starts has been 3.33. He stroke out 25 batters in those four games, and he has been working pretty efficiently on the mound, and giving the Yankees plenty of innings. Throughout his career, The Big Unit has always started off slowly. His ERA in the opening months of April and May is more than a half a run higher than later in the season. I’m not saying that he is going to be as dominant as before, but we’re definitely going to be seeing improvement as the year goes on, as he perennially has improved as the season has progressed, and this year is not some sort of strange anomaly.

After the All-Star break, Randy Johnson has always been even better in the beginning of the year, as his ERA goes considerably down, the number of strikeouts goes up, and the number of hits he allows goes considerably down as well. Randy was pretty awful in the beginning of the year, and on average, throughout the course of his career, his beginning of the year statistics have paled in comparison to what he puts up for his team as the season progresses. Let’s not fret Yankees fans; although the Big Unit may be getting old, there have been years in which he hasn’t pitched as well as people expected him to. In 2003 with the Diamondbacks, he put up an ERA of 4.26; the next year, he came back and posted an ERA of 2.60 for a full season. In 1998 with the Mariners, Randy had an ERA of 4.33, and then after getting traded to the Astros, after the All-Star break, The Unit went on an absolute tear posting a 1.28 ERA and going 10-1 in the process.

Randy may have had a slow start to the season, but he usually saves his best for last.

The New York Sports Headquarters is a site devoted to providing the latest news and insight to all things New York Sports. We will be covering issues regarding professional baseball, football, hockey, and basketball. Under special circumstances, we will also be covering other sports, such as golf, soccer, auto racing, and horse racing. We will provide insight, up to date news, opinion pieces, and all sorts of other information regarding the New York Sports world.

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Pitbull dogs are one of the most intelligent breeds. They make an assertive and active spirit. Sadly, they are portrayed as aggressive, which is a virtual opposite of their character. There is more to their personality and unique temperament than this.

Eventually I want to convey a historical component that has partly contributed to their bad reputation but let’s first look at some facts about the Pitbull dog.

Pitbull dogs are brave, loyal, loving, obedient…hmmm almost like a Boyscout. But seriously, they do have all these characteristics and therefore can be a good companion despite the unfair treatment that has come from the public and media.

They have a general height of 18 to 22 inches and weight of 30 to 80 pounds. They have an average life span of 10 to 12 years.

They usually have a superb strength and power while also having the tendency to please their owners. Their general appearance is very impressive as compared with their size. Their heads are like that of bricks. Their neck is very muscular, and they have a well formed chest profile. They have cropped ears, scissors-like bite, and eyes that appear in all shades of dog eye colors. They also appear in all colors common with dog, and their coats are normally thick, shiny, and short (Go to Pitbull picture for more information.).

Pitbulls are good guard dogs because they are naturally protective of their owners and their properties. Also, they can be aggressive toward other dog breeds but this excessive aggressiveness can be eliminated with proper training.

Pitbulls do have a fighting history. Dating back to the times when the Greeks ruled the known world, the Molossi tribe is believed to have bred Pitbull dogs (appearance of early breed differs on what we know today). Thus, the official term for this breed being Canus Molossi.

The Molossi tribe of the ancient Greece loved warfare and they are noted to have employed muscular and fierce dogs during warfare to intimidate their enemies. Yet, Mollosian dogs such as the Pitbulls were not always used during war. Some historians noted that they were employed for other purposes. The early Phoenician traders in fact have used these dogs as commercial items in bargaining.

Not only did the Mollosians breed the Pitbull dogs, they also brought forth the Mastiffs, also used in fighting and warfare. These breeds were then exported to Rome where they were used for entertainment in the arenas and the coliseums.

Until 400 AD, the popularity of the breed significantly spread throughout the Roman Empire as being fighting dogs. During this period, the breed was mixed with other European dog breeds that eventually caused the creation of another type- the bulldog breed. This is the direct antecedent of the American Pitbull Terriers or what is better known as the Pitbull dogs.

But this cruel sport did not end with the decent of the Roman Empire from power. When the Normans invaded England in the early 11th century, the game of baiting was introduced.

Interestingly, this game originated with the Bullenbeisser, another dog breed employed by meat butchers to handle much larger bulls for slaughter in the market. The principle of this sport is that when the bulls show uncontrollable behavior, the dog will bite on the nose of the bull and hold tight to it unless the handler gains control.

This started only as a way for controlling the potentially dangerous animals. Through time however, because of the butcher’s pride for their dogs and the need for entertainment, the activity was shown to the public in what was called as baiting events. Consequently, these events boasted the canines’ abilities and appeased the public.

Majority of the towns in England by the 1600s had their own baiting rings. These were the glory days of baiting sport, which had attracted spectators from all levels of society.

Baiting events were eventually banned in the year 1835 with the passing of a Parliament Bill. The Bill prohibited any public display of this bloody sport. However, this did little to deter this sport. And with time, baiting developed into the dog fighting sport. The dog fighting that we hear about nowadays that is held in secrecy.

Even though a stained history exists and some current owners still encourage this Pitbull fighting portrayal through their own opportunistic actions, these dogs remain as being a very fine breed of dog. The human master in various instances is responsible for a ruined dog upbringing. Those select occurrences bode badly for those particular dogs but not across the whole Pitbull breed. These dogs definitely get a bad rap not due to the Pitbulls own doing but from select owners that are misguided. Among the majority of owners, the Pitbull bred dog has proven its ability to be the perfect dog for many potential owners.

For more information on Pitbulls or dogs in general visit for Pitbull Dogs or Puppies and Dogs respectively.
The author, Arland Kent, writes on various subject matter including dogs and health.

Moms there is no doubt about the importance of good mothers in a home. In the lines that follow I am going to plead with mothers to figure out a way to marry men that will commit for a life-time. And I hope with the staggering statistics that I am going to present, that fathers will see how crucial they are to the success and happiness of their off-spring.

The sad truth is that according to the US Dept. of Health &Human Services 63% of all youth suicides come from a home where no father is present. We all know that teen suicide is a problem but just think… over half of them would likely never occur if they were not living with single mothers. I am not blaming single moms I am merely informing single moms that having children and raising them without a father is a big gamble.

Do you see teen pregnancy as a problem? Wow! What a burden on society. In most cases the unwed teen-age mother does not have skills to get a decent job. Now we have mother and child on welfare. Dad is no where to be found and the vicious cycle is difficult at best. Where do all of these pregnant teens come from? Once again they are from fatherless homes. This alone should show all of us the importance of a father in each and every American home.

If you are still not convinced of the importance of a father in the home read this. Ninety per cent of all homeless and runaway children come from fatherless homes. And where do you think 85% of the youth sitting in prison came from? You are catching on. They too came from fatherless homes.

Guess what? It is not always the fault of a dead-beat dad. In many cases the bitter mother feels like she can get back at the ex husband by denying him visitation. Mothers may be angry but, for the sake of the children, it is necessary that they cooperate with any of the fathers who have good intentions. According to 500 women in a survey by Red Book Magazine in 1994, only 11% of the mothers value their husbands’ input when it comes to handling problems with kids. Looks like mom thinks she is the only one that can raise her child. Only 16 % of the women surveyed valued the advice of close friends & relatives.

Mothers, it is obvious that the old expression’It takes a community to raise a child.’ is as relevant today as it ever was. While it is not and should not be to sole responsibility of the mother to raise the child, more and more fatherless homes are at epidemic stages in America today.

Parenting is the most important job you will have as an adult. The problems of single mother parenting are clear, wide-spread, and serious. The decision of a marriage partner is obviously more important than ever before and not to be taken lightly. In light of the society that we now live in I would give this advice: Wait at least two years after marriage before making a decision to have children. Raising children with two parents is a hard job but the results of trying to do it alone are disastrous.

Bob Roach Father of one and middle school teacher of literally thousands over the past thirty years. To find out more parenting tips, check out the Baby Names Box

Here we are, less than two months into the 2006 baseball campaign, and Alex Rodriguez is already subjected to “Bronx Cheers” on any given night at the Stadium. After a slow, mildly unimpressive start to the season, A-Rod’s head is already being called for. Before we join up with the rest of the mob and crucify Alex, let’s take a look at some telling statistics of A-Rod’s time with the New York Yankees, and why I believe that the criticism of A-Rod is indeed unjust.

The image that is portrayed by the media and a good number of Yankees fans is that Derek Jeter is the epitome of clutch, and Alex Rodriguez is in fact the antithesis of clutch. Let us first start with the 2005 season, in which the New York Yankees, despite all of the adversities that they were faced with, eventually ended up taking the AL East, once again, from the Red Sox. Alex Rodriguez had an absolute monster campaign, in which he won the award for Most Valuable Player of the AL East. However, this was overlooked in the off-season, after the Yankees’ poor performance in the ALDS against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, in which A-Rod did not play to his full potential. A-Rod’s name and actions (glove slap anyone?) are also deeply entrenched into the hearts of all, after the Yankees‘ historic collapse against the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS. Let us all forget about how A-Rod out-hit the Captain, Derek Jeter, in that 2004 ALCS. Let us also overlook the fact A-Rod is a career .305 hitter in the postseason, but I digress. Let us tackle the issue of A-Rod’s “incompetence” and attempt to dispel the critics that are constantly putting down A-Rod.

First of all, the grounds of which A-Rod is critiqued are quite shaky. The crux of the argument against A-Rod is that he is not a “clutch” player, and that he consistently fails to perform in the big spot for his team. First of all, the whole notion of a player being “clutch” and performing under the clutch is an entirely discretionary call made by a person. These big spots in which a player must perform are entirely arbitrary and really have no place in determining the worth, or the talent of an individual player. A person may make the case that a player’s performance when the game is close, or if the game is late in the game, is obviously more indicative of the player’s value to the team. This simply isn’t the case. Let’s take the 2005 season for example. Alex Rodriguez put up gaudy numbers for the Yankees, as they frantically played catch up in order to stay in contention for the postseason. A-Rod’s stats easily overshadow any other Yankee in the 2005 season, as you could say that A-Rod put the team on his back and carried them to the postseason. With everything aside, I was displeased with how A-Rod played in the postseason, but I’m not going to hold it against the guy forever. A-Rod was criticized for his poor play in the postseason, and attributed it due to the pressure and the clutch scenarios, in which A-Rod simply could not perform. However, is it not more clutch of a player to put up consistent statistics throughout the course of a 162 game baseball season? A-Rod was counted on for the entire season to put up MVP numbers, as he was forced to shoulder the offensive load. Just by simply glancing at his statistics, if A-Rod had a bad day, it was certainly much more detrimental to the team than someone such as Gary Sheffield or Derek Jeter having a bad day. To say that A-Rod did not perform in the clutch is somewhat of a ludicrous statement in itself, as it’s a discretionary issue; A-Rod put up consistent numbers throughout the entire season, and performed “under the pressure” for 162 games.

Secondly, the New York media and Yankees fans have come up with the notion that play outside of late-innings or against divisional rivals such as the Red Sox, is pretty much meaningless. Let’s say for example that a player hits a two-run homerun in the first inning of a game, and the team goes on to win the game by a score of 2-1. What exactly made that homerun less of a “clutch” play, than say a two-run, walk-off homerun hit by a player in the bottom of the 9th inning? As aforementioned, the entire notion of clutch play and performing under the pressure is pretty much arbitrary.

Now we’ll take a look at the slow start that A-Rod has had thus far in the 2006 season. I for one believe that A-Rod is not performing as well as he is capable of, as his statistics certainly are not demonstrating that he is. So far, through May 30th, A-Rod’s statistics are as followed:

AVG: .290
OBP: .393
SLG: .538
OPS: .931
HR: 13
RBI: 42

Those numbers certainly are not MVP worthy, and certainly demonstrate a sense of underachievement for A-Rod. However, he is on pace to hit 43 HR’s, and drive in 139 runs. Let’s take a look at the average statistics that A-Rod would put up in a given 162 game season, based on career statistics.

AVG: .307
OBP: .385
SLG: .577
OPS: .962
HR: 44
RBI: 125

So basically, I’ll even concede that A-Rod is off to a slower start than last season’s MVP performance. But he is basically on pace to drive in a similar number of HR’s and RBI’s, which he does in an average season. The most telling aspect of his slow start, I believe, is that his average and slugging percentage are both considerably down. Last season, A-Rod hit .351, with a .666 slugging percentage, and 26 HR’s at Yankee Stadium. Up until last week, he was hitting just a measly .250, a .413 slugging percentage, and only had 3 HR’s so far. If his performances in the last homestand are any indication as to how he’ll be playing at home, then there is no doubt that he will be putting up numbers similar to last year’s. Those numbers were all considerably down from his usual performances in New York. In the past three seasons, A-Rod has hit .311, with a .576 slugging percentage, both as a visitor and home player in the Bronx. These low statistics are simply an anomaly and are not consistent with A-Rod’s performances over the course of his career. Listen, A-Rod has had a slow start to the season, but the injury situation of the Yankees hasn’t helped him either. Pitchers simply have not had to pitch to A-Rod, and have been able to either put him on base, or throw him bad pitches. A-Rod hasn’t been hitting well at all, but his OBP is basically what is always is, which to me, demonstrates that he is being walked and basically pitched around. A-Rod is on pace for 99 walks this season, which is a 25 more walks than his average. What about hitting in the clutch; that is certainly something that A-Rod has failed to do, right?!? Well, A-Rod, despite his slow start, has a .317 batting average with runners in scoring position, and a .333 average with runners in scoring position and two outs. Talk about not hitting in the clutch!

With the return of Gary Sheffield to the lineup, A-Rod’s numbers will certainly improve as he will see more quality pitches from starters. If Jason Giambi can turn things around, then the sky is really the only limit for these Yankees. A-Rod is already finishing the month of May strong, and I expect that will continue into June and July, because we all know how much A-Rod loves being selected for the All-Star Game! For the time being, let’s just let A-Rod do his thing, and perhaps offer him some support in the Bronx, as that’s where he’s struggling the most. This criticism certainly isn’t justified as A-Rod has been hitting in the “clutch”, which I would say is RISP w/ 2 outs; boo’ing him won’t do him any good, nor will it do the Yankees any good.

The New York Sports Headquarters is a site devoted to providing the latest news and insight to all things New York Sports. We will be covering issues regarding professional baseball, football, hockey, and basketball. Under special circumstances, we will also be covering other sports, such as golf, soccer, auto racing, and horse racing. We will provide insight, up to date news, opinion pieces, and all sorts of other information regarding the New York Sports world.

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No, I’m not talking about fan-favorite David Wright of the New York Mets; I’m talking about Jared Wright, that “other” Wright who was despised of by all Yankees fans last season, but is slowly gaining acceptance in the Bronx. In the rubber game of a three-game series, and in order to salvage a .500 road trip against the weak NL East, Jared Wright gave the Yankees five innings of shutout ball, striking out six guys in the process, which helped the Yankees coast to a 5-0 victory. Wright managed to work out of trouble a few times in his five innings of work, as he walked four batters, but he wiggled his way out of trouble and gave the Yankees a decent start. All we need from this guy now is for him to give us some innings, so that our bullpen isn’t dead come September. I don’t necessarily understand why he was pulled because he only threw 84 pitches; Michael Kay and Ken Singleton made reference to Utley, Abreu, and Burrell coming up in the lineup in the sixth, but why won’t they let him challenge these premier hitters? Are the Yankees going to continually pull Wright and other pitchers in big spots, semi-deep into games?

It was a big win for the Yankees, and a good start for Wright. The Yankees needed this game so that they’d be coming back home on a two-game winning streak, and a .500 road-trip. Thursday is a much needed day off for the Bombers, before they embark upon a three-game, weekend home series against the Florida Marlins, who are just coming off a nine game winning streak. Many fans may want to overlook the Marlins, but they have been hot as of late, and Joe Girardi would love nothing more than to upset the heavily favored Yankees, in Girardi’s old stomping grounds. After the Marlins, the Yankees are looking at a struggling Braves team, and then a highly anticipated series against the Mets, in which the Yankees will be looking to avenge their series loss to the Mets in May.

Interesting notes from this game: Alex Rodriguez’s seven-game hitting streak ended; he went 0/2 with two walks and a HBP. After a 5/5 night at the plate, Bernie Williams went 0/4, leaving two runners on base. Johnny Damon was a perfect 3/3 with one RBI, raising his average up to .299. Jason Giambi continues to struggle as he went 0/4 with 3 K’s, leaving four runners on base in the process.

The New York Sports Headquarters is a site devoted to providing the latest news and insight to all things New York Sports. We will be covering issues regarding professional baseball, football, hockey, and basketball. Under special circumstances, we will also be covering other sports, such as golf, soccer, auto racing, and horse racing. We will provide insight, up to date news, opinion pieces, and all sorts of other information regarding the New York Sports world.

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PARACUTIN IS BORN …

His ox stopped again, panting from the effort of pulling a crude wooden plow through soil that cracked beneath each labored step. Dionisio stopped too, mopping his brow for the hundredth time. “Tst – tst!”, the Tarascan Indian coaxed at the beast. It clambered up and again began the grueling toil. They had been laboring since before the yellow burning ball had began to launch its missiles against man and beast in the oft-parched lands that lay well east of the Pacific’s rocky shores.

Soon it would be time to plant the corn. But how could they know that this year, there would be no corn. There would never be corn here ever again. Suddenly the plow froze in the ground. The ox strained, the farmer strained, the frame creaked – but wouldn’t move. Instead, a hole now began to grow where the hemp ropes once met the plow’s wooden frame. A hissing sound enveloped the two as white smoke poured from the slowly-widening orifice. What was happening? With a loud “crack!”, the ground split open, the rope snapped and the ox of Señor Pulido bolted for the path that scored its way through sparse trees and farms hewn from rain-starved soil towards the tiny village of Indians across the desert flats.

“Run!” screamed the terrified farmer to the campesinos nearby.

But they were already careening headlong toward the village. Already the old bell of the church creaked and groaned against the rafters as it sounded its last alarm. Smoke billowed from the gap in the earth. Flames and stifling heat burst forth in waves. The earth itself cried and grieved turning black from the onslaught. No one slept that night. No one slept for many nights after that. The earth coughed in explosive “BOOMS”. Flaming stones and ash rained from the sky. Steaming lava that glowed at night spread over the ground first torching the trees and days later, the village.

The people fled the reach of “El Monstro”, the name they gave the growing hill of fire that had now covered Dionisio’s cornfield and most of the small village.

PARACUTIN LIVES …

URUAPAN, often visited in conjunction with trips to Morelia and Patzcuaro, has a population of around 265,000, and doesn’t seem to have much to offer on the surface. What’s hidden is what makes it interesting. It was just near here on February 20th of 1943 that Paricutin Volcano rose up outside of town as farmer Dionisio Pulido literally watched it grow in his cornfield. Before it was finished forming, it had wiped out two villages. Miraculously, no one was killed, although it is said that more than two thousand people lost their homes. You can visit the area, but bear in mind that the dirt road ends 4 miles (7 km) from the volcano. Guides with horses can be hired to take you to the site, where you’ll see a church spire sticking out of the cooled lava and ash - and that’s it. Two lovely waterfalls, Tzararacua and Tzararacuita, which is smaller and better for swimming, lie about 6 miles (10 km) south of Uruapan, located 200 miles (325 km) west of Mexico City.

Be sure to check out my other articles in the two continuing series: Teaching English in Mexico and Traveling in Mexico. If you would like more information, have questions or comments, the author can be e-mailed; see address below.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an ELT Teacher Trainer, English language learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. He has published more than 350 articles and academic papers and presented at numerous EFL teacher training and TEFL conferences throughout North America, South America and Europe. For comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his free TESOL articles and teaching materials mailing list, e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

In part I of Making Photos I discussed the need for developing your visual literacy. This is an ongoing process which once undertaken will continue for the rest of your life. In this essay I will discuss some hints for taking snap shots that will have the potential to be made into photographs and a couple of tips to make the process a bit easier.

1. Walk, don’t ride. Whenever you can walk, apart from being great exercise you will see so much more. A leisurely stroll around your neighbourhood, once your visual literacy has starting to kick in, will reveal hundreds of opportunities to take pictures that can be made into photographs. If you must ride, as at times we all must, try to be the passenger and make note of those visually interesting scenes you pass for a visit in the future.

2. Hold your camera. Whenever you are out and about with your camera, hold it in your hand, don’t sling round your neck. It is much quicker to bring it too your eye if it is already in your hand than if you have to crab it and then bring into play. I wrap my camera strap around my wrist and have my camera turned on and in my hand whenever it and I are out and about.

3. Take lots of shots. Why settle for 1 shot when you can take 6? This will increase your chances of getting that shot that can be made into a great photograph. Small changes made by your subject can make big differences in the photograph.

4. Move about. Don’t be static whilst taking your shots, move in a little closer, step back, crouch down, move to the left, move to the right, as with subject changes so to different angles can make for big changes in the photographs. Don’t worry overtly about the composition, as your visual literacy grows so your subconscious will compose your shots for you, trust in yourself. Concentrate on the scene you’re trying to capture, try and become one with it. The tilted horizons etc can be corrected in the editing program if indeed they need to be.

5. Shoot RAW. If your camera will let you shoot in RAW mode. It adds another suite of tools to your editing program that allows you fine tune your photographs. Although they can be fine tuned within the editing program, and if you’re restricted to shooting in jpeg this is the way you will have to go, it is just easier in RAW to play with exposure, white balance etc.

6. Don’t rush home. It is a great temptation to get the results of a shoot up for viewing as soon as possible. Resist this and let your shots rest for at least a day or 2 before viewing. Your critical facilities will be less influenced by the excitement of the shoot and consequently more accurate. Street Photographer Garry Winogrand is reputed to have left his exposed films for a year before developing to get this distance. Also hang on to shots that don’t make it through the first cut, come back to them in 6 months time, there may well be un-noticed gems in amongst the dross. Some of the photographs that have pleased me the most are ones I found when trolling through the also rans.

7. Flip the pic. While you are working on your photographs from time to time flip them through 180 degrees, either horizontal or vertical, it will enable you to see the picture with fresh eyes. Painters often turn their works upside down whilst working on them to see how the abstract elements are working within the picture frame, photographers can employ the same trick.

8. Play. Modern editing software offers a dazzling array of tools you can use on your photographs. Experiment, what happens if I push the exposure to its limits? What happens if I change the white balance? What happens if I push the contrast? Let your imagination jump outside the box. And most importantly have fun; remember bored photographers make boring photographs.

As the great Ansel Adams said ‘There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs

Henry Bateman is an artist/photographer, his work can be seen at http://www.pissedpoet pics