- The
Oakland Athletics’ newest reliever likes to swing both ways….when it comes to
the direction from which his arms fly when delivering pitches to opposing
batters. This weekend marks the major-league debut of reliever Pat Venditte,
whose contract was purchased on Friday from Triple-A Nashville. Venditte
becomes the major leagues’ first ambidextrous pitcher since 1995 and after
accruing a 2.37 ERA in 417 2/3 innings over eight minor league seasons, he has
finally landed in the majors. He comes equipped with a fastball, slider and
changeup from both sides and uses an ambidextrous glove with two thumb holes. Throwing
with either hand is allowed, but Venditte must declare before each batter comes
to the plate which arm he will be using. At Nashville, he ranked fourth among
Pacific Coast League pitchers, having allowed a .162 opponent batting average
-- including just .092 against left-handed batters. The last switch-pitcher to
appear in an MLB game was Greg Harris of the Montreal Expos, who bookended an
inning by retiring Reggie Sanders and Bret Boone from the right side. In between,
the walked Hal Morris and induced a groundout from Eddie Taubensee from the
left side. Venditte’s journey to MLB began way back in 2008, when the New York
Yankees drafted him in the 20th round out of Creighton. At times, it seemed
like he might be little more than a novelty act, but making it to the show
validates the fact that he has what it takes to succeed. If he can duplicate
his minor-league success in Oakland, he can sign the new contract he’ll earn
with either hand, or maybe both of them……….
- Not
to the Munich administrative court: Fifty people
getting together in a small space with police watching their every move as they
hoist homemade signs and shout angry slogans at a building housing world
leaders isn't actually a protest. So the German court ruling that up to 50
demonstrators can stage a protest within sight and earshot of the Group of
Seven summit venue in the Bavarian Alps is less of a big deal and more of a
weak-ass attempt to prove that you’re not the legal bully everyone thinks you
are. The court rejected most of a complaint by critics of the G-7 against
restrictions imposed on their planned protest Sunday, but tried to throw them a
carrot by saying that given the high value of freedom of assembly, a small
group could protest near the secluded Schloss Elmau hotel where German
Chancellor Angela Merkel will host President Barack Obama and the leaders of
Britain, Canada, France, Italy and Japan. Lest anyone think this protest is
anything other than a total charade, the small and possibly angry mob still
won't be allowed inside the security cordon immediately around the venue. With
thousands of police officers are being deployed in the region and the summit
slated to span just two days, this isn't exactly a formula to set it off -
unless “it” is 48 hours of the same old, same old when world powers unite to
talk about how awesome they are and how they can continue to dominate the world
for as long as possible while attending fancy cocktail receptions while a few
dozen nobodies do their best to make their voices heard out in the street………..
- Pour
one out for “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” There won't be a next generation
of faux students on the long-running, Canadian teen drama, which will come to a
close after 14 seasons on the networks of Nickelodeon. The show has been
holding it down since 2001, but its tenure will peace out with a two-week
event, beginning with an hour-long episode on July 20, and culminating in a
one-hour finale on July 31. Amazingly enough for a teen drama on a kid-friendly
network, “Degrassi” has managed to be mildly controversial at times and has
spawned some serious stars, including sort-of rapper Drake (real name Aubrey
Graham), who played high school basketball star Jimmy, who was at the center of
one of the series’ most dramatic and iconic episodes. Jimmy was shot and
paralyzed from the waist down by a disturbed fellow student who brought a gun to
school, ending Jimmy’s promising basketball career and making Drake something
of a fake, small-screen 50 Cent in the process. “Vampire Diaries” star Nina
Dobrev also had a recurring arc during the show’s sixth season and stirred up
some controversy of her own by playing the show’s first - but not its last -
teen mom. Mix in “90210” star Shenae Grimes spending some time attending Degrassi
High in 2004 and it’s clear that the series had some legit success. “For an
incredible 14 seasons, Degrassi has been a groundbreaking show tackling so many
important topics that real teens face in their everyday lives,” Keith Dawkins, general
manager for Nicktoons, TeenNick and Nick Jr., said. “In the final episodes on
TeenNick and through the hour-long
special and social activations, we hope to say goodbye in a way that is
both fitting to the show and Degrassi’s passionate fan base.” And just like
that, another long-running show ends and fades into syndicated television
heaven……..
- It’s inspiring
when government achieves its purpose because elected officials put aside their
petty differences and focus on what really matters. That’s exactly what
happened this week in Minneapolis, where the city council zeroed in on what its
city needed most and subsequently banned lurking
and spitting, responding to critics who said they unfairly targeted minorities.
The Minneapolis City Council voted 12-1 to repeal the ordinances after Mayor
Betsy Hodges called the ordinances antiquated and unnecessary. The ordinances
became popular targets following high-profile police shootings in other cities and while Minnesota is generally known as a
pleasant place filled with docile, polite folks who suffer through 10 months of
winter a year and don’t cause much trouble in the two months a year they can
actually venture outside without 15 layers of clothing and a space heater in
tow, this was still a thing. It became a thing in part thanks to a recent
American Civil Liberties Union report which found that people arrested for
low-level crimes in Minneapolis were nearly nine times more likely to be black
or Native American than white. A more detailed breakdown on hos spitting
ordinances are racist might be helpful, especially since there are classless
tools from every race who think that hockering up and shooting a loogie onto
the sidewalk is perfectly socially acceptable. The lone voice of dissent on the
ordinances being lifted was council president Barb Johnson, who voted no because
she believes the lurking law allowed police to stop people before they
committed crimes in neighborhoods like the north side ward she represents. Alas,
the spit can now fly freely and lurkers gonna lurk in Minneapolis……..
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