Top 5 Moves from the Baseball Winter Meetings

The Winter Meetings are a national baseball convention held every December, in which all thirty Major League Baseball teams send representatives to discuss league business, potential off-season trades and other transactions. Other attendees include the executives of the league, general managers, team scouts, team owners, and player agents seeking free agent contracts for their clients. Big money will be committed and players will find new homes as teams look to improve their rosters and address their off-season needs heading into spring training in mid-February. This year, the Winter Meetings were held right here in San Diego from December 7 to 11 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. With the Winter Meetings over, I would like to list my top five moves from this year's Winter Meetings.


5. Red Sox Acquire Rick Porcello for Yoenis Cespedes
In making this move, the Boston Red Sox traded from a surplus of outfield depth to address their need for pitching. Though Cespedes is a quality power bat, the additions of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval to the offense made him expendable. In trading for Porcello, Boston acquires a solid and durable middle-of-the-rotation starter who can eat up innings.

4. Padres Acquire Matt Kemp from Los Angeles Dodgers
Going into the off-season the Padres had one major weakness to address—offense. For a team that ranked as the worst offense in baseball last season, a power bat was much needed. In acquiring Kemp, the Padres immediately improve their offense by adding a player that many considered the best hitter in the National League during the second half of last season. Kemp has been plagued by injuries the past two years, but look for him to be a major bounce-back candidate this season. Though Kemp is a major weapon in any lineup, the Padres still lack another threat in their offense to complement Kemp and bring them to contention.

3. Dodgers Acquire Jimmy Rollins from Phillies
The Dodgers are in win-now mode and after the loss of Hanley Ramirez, had a glaring hole at shortstop to fill. Jimmy Rollins fits the bill perfectly as a veteran shortstop that still gets the job done. This being the last year of Rollins' contract, the Dodgers avoid any long term commitment to the 36-year old who smacked 17 homeruns and swiped 28 bags last season. Rollins provides a solid stopgap at shortstop for the Dodgers until top prospect Corey Seager is ready to take over and become the next Dodgers superstar.

2. Cubs Acquire Miguel Montero from Diamondbacks
With the Cubs' young, controllable talent pool of position players, catcher remained a position that the team felt could be upgraded. Montero provides the Cubs with an upgrade both offensively and defensively over Wellington Castillo. Montero's left-handed power bat nicely complements Castillo, who hits from the right side. Montero is a veteran presence who knows how to handle a pitching staff and though he regressed offensively towards the end of last season, should enjoy being surrounded by a talented Cubs lineup of rising stars that features the likes of Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez.

1. Cubs Sign Jon Lester
If there was any move from the Winter Meetings that was a no doubt win, it was this one. With the Cubs' young and talented position players, pitching was in much need of an improvement if the Cubs wanted to be anywhere close to catching division rivals, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburg Pirates. Lester gives the Cubs a bonafide ace with plenty of post-season experience and two World Series rings under his belt. He will anchor a Cubs rotation that already features Jake Arrieta and the newly-signed Jason Hammel. With a major boost to their pitching staff to complement their young and rising offense, look for the Cubs to make a push in the NL Central this season as they make a run to return to the playoffs.

Game Review: Pokémon Omega Ruby

I was lucky enough to pickup the recently released Pokémon Omega Ruby this Thanksgiving break and holy did I play it! This game is a remake of the original Pokémon Ruby released for the Game Boy Advance in Japan in 2002 (2003 in America) and was highly anticipated amongst Pokémon fans. The game is updated to fit the more advanced technological capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS and after playing through it, I'm ready to leave my thoughts on the game in the form of a review.

Gameplay:

The box art to Pokémon Omega Ruby

COMPETE. The game holds true to traditional Pokémon games. Players go through the game capturing numerous monsters and raising them by battling against other trainers and wild Pokémon. Battles scenes are smooth and quick-paced, ensuring that the battling aspect of the game does not seem too tedious. Dialogue with NPC's is unique for  the hundreds of characters that the player encounters throughout the game and is both witty and humorous. Characters' lines are taken right from the original game leaving for nostalgic moments for players of the original Pokémon Ruby. Additional elements were added to the gameplay, including my personal favorite, the DexNav, which allows the player to capture Pokémon with rare moves and their Hidden Abilities. The new additions prompt the player to take a more complete approach to the game in order to enjoy all of its features.

Visuals and Soundtrack:
STUNNING. The game received a much needed graphical update to fit the 3DS' graphical capabilities. Cut-scenes run flawlessly and are a much-welcomed addition that were absent in the original game and complement the story of the game nicely. Character and Pokémon models are now in 3-D and are depicted in motion. Backgrounds are very detailed and leave for an overall more in-depth feel to the game and its setting of the Hoenn region. Much emphasis was put into underwater locations in the game as they were the grand innovation to the overworld when the original game was released. The soundtrack of Omega Ruby fits the bill for bringing back the nostalgic feel its predecessor. The music is crisp and clear, while staying true to the original game. The very upbeat soundtrack is characterized by lively trumpets, while also mixing in a few mellower tracks that add to its diversity that fetches no complaints from me.

Story:
CLASSIC. Playing it this time around, instead of as a partially-literate five-year-old, I still felt the same feelings of suspense and excitement of the adventure-packed plot. A sentimental friendship aspect is emphasized between the main character and his or her rival with the new dialogue added in the cut-scenes. Personally, I really liked the relationship that develops between the main character and Team Magma (the antagonists of the Hoenn region who wish to expand the landmass of the world), as it adds character development to the villains while portraying the story in their point of view. An epic surprise in the plot awaits the player after defeating the Elite Four and the Champion so be ready!

The Verdict:
Overall Pokémon Omega Ruby is an amazing game that I would recommend to original players and new players alike. The game captures the best of both worlds by staying true to the original game plot-wise and setting-wise, while installing much needed upgrades that make for the complete Pokémon game in 2014. If you haven't played a Pokémon game before, then Omega Ruby is a great game to introduce you to the series, such as the way Pokémon Ruby was a great game that introduced my generation to the series.

 

Final Score: 9.5/10



Running the 800m

The 800m is THE middle-distance track event. At two laps around a 400-meter track, the 800m has its origins from the traditional English race of a half-mile(804.67 meters). The 800m is a unique event in the sense that it requires fundamental skills from both sprint events  and long distance events. These skills are:

• aerobic endurance
• anaerobic conditioning
• sprint speed

A strong 800m at 100% effort takes a high toll on the both the aerobic and anaerobic systems of the athlete. Therefore, an 800m runner must train in both systems. For this the 800m is called an "endurance sprint".


Race Strategy:

The 800m is the shortest event in which runners converge In Lane 1. At the start of the race runners are positioned in a stagger, with each runner given an individual lane(pictured right). After the first 100 meters along the curve, the runners are allowed to shift inwards to the innermost part of the track, as that is the path that covers minimal distance. Here runners will compete for positioning and it is common for a few runners to be "boxed-in".
This shows how crucial it is for the 800m runner to be aggressive right at the start to obtain good positioning for the remainder of the race.

The ideal method for an athlete to run the 800m is to run the first 400 meters at 90-93% effort of his best 400m. For example, if an athlete has a 400m PR of 50s, he should run the first 400 meters at 53.5-55s. The goal for the last 400 meters is to run it in as close of a time to the first 400 meters. However this is easier said than done, as runners typically reach their anaerobic threshold during the final phase of this lap. From my personal experience, the last 200m is the most difficult part of the race. Here is when the pain is most extreme. Legs start to feel heavy and arms feel like spaghetti. But don't give in, IT'S ALMOST OVER! But, DON'T LOSE FOCUS, because here is also when the race is won or lost.

Often the race is won by the runner with the best position entering the final 200 meters. However, even if the runner is in first coming into the homestretch, a strong finish is always needed. It's not uncommon for the first place runner to be passed in this final phase of the race (trust me I've been victim to this). Entering the last 100 meters, runners are under extreme pain in both their legs and arms, but must be disciplined to hold their form. Watching an 800m race, one will see runners turn over their legs much slower at the finish than at the beginning of the race. To overcome this, their arm swing becomes more vigorous as it helps propel themselves forward. (Not convinced? Try running with your arms behind your back. Not going very fast eh?)

After crossing the finish line all the pain that was building up throughout the race is shown by athlete. Symptoms include:

• Heavy, heavy breathing
• Burning legs
• Feeling like collapsing
• Dry throat
• Rapid heartbeat
• All of the above

My very first 800m race, I crossed the finish and was already beginning to cramp in my gluteal muscles(the butt) just thirty seconds after crossing. Its important to get a cool-down jog of about 5-7 minutes and to stretch the major leg muscles after running the 800m to avoid cramping later.

The current world record for the 800m is held by David Rudisha of Kenya who clocked a time of 1:40.91 at the 2012 London Olympics.

The Art of Running Part 1

      Running. You hate it right? It's tiring. It's painful. It's difficult. Well yes, all these traits about running are indeed true.
      Maybe middle school P.E. instilled into you this image that running sucks. Having to run the mile under a certain time. Being forced to run laps and laps around the field for those dreaded circuits. Who cares how fast we can run anyway? Essentially running was viewed as boring and a burden.


Steve "Pre" Prefontaine, considered to be the greatest American distance runner in

history, popularized running in the U.S. in the 1970s through his successes in both

cross country and track while running for the University of Oregon.

      I used to feel the same way. That is, until I joined Mira Mesa's cross country team. Running everyday for miles an miles may seem pointless at first. I'll tell you that it's pointless only if YOU make it pointless. Allow me to elaborate on that. When it comes to running, YOU NEED TO HAVE A GOAL! This is your reason to run. This is what keeps you going when your body tells you its time to give up. Having a goal cannot be stressed enough. Otherwise, you're just wasting time and energy. Your goal doesn't necessarily have to be to become the next Prefontaine(pictured right). Your goal may be to get in shape. To build endurance for your other sports. To have fun while interacting with other people.  To not feel so guilty about eating that extra slice of pie in the fridge. Whatever it may be, ALWAYS KEEP YOUR GOAL IN MIND!     For me personally, I run to compete and to challenge myself both mentally and physically. By nature, I enjoy racing as a test to see who's the best. And to be the best, I must train. To train, I have to push my mind and body to their outer limits. Yes, it's tiring and painful. It's never easy. But it's how I get better.
     Looking back to August of last year when the run life chose me, I struggled with a basic thirty minutes of running. A year later, that's just a warm-up compared to the ninety-minute long runs and 6x800-meter repeats I do as part of my training. But why don't I struggle with thirty-minute runs anymore? Did it get easier? No. In fact, it never gets easier. I JUST GOT BETTER! And that's what's so great about running. Being able to track(pun intended) your improvement as you keep pushing yourself towards your goal. To say you're closer today than you were yesterday. To finish a difficult workout and feel the glory of self-accomplishment. It's a truly amazing feeling really and is the reward to look forward to at the end of every workout.
 

Community Post #1: Exposing Hidden Biases at Google to Improve Diversity

The article presents an interesting view on whether people are able to overcome our hidden preferences if we are more self-conscious about them an their influence on our worldviews. Recently Google's leaders have expressed their discontent with the company's poor gender diversity and underrepresentation of blacks and Hispanics within its employees. The company has created diversity training workshops that aim to improve these numbers. I think Google's workshops will prove effective in helping the company improve its gender and racial diversity.

The workshops center around a concept of social psychology called unconscious bias, people's hidden, instinctive biases, which influence their perception of the environment around them and their decision making. In the past, unconscious bias has proven to be effective in contributing to Google's lack of gender and racial diversity within its work place.

So how can workshops help Google's employees to overcome their hidden biases? Well, first and foremost, employees must be made aware that they have hidden biases and that these biases influence their views and decisions. Because of this, the first lesson that the workshops teach is that everyone is a little racist or sexist. Though not everyone wants to admit this.

To test this theory, I took the Implicit Association Test which evaluated whether I had unconscious or automatic associations of "good" and "bad" with Black and White people. A different version of the test evaluated whether I had stereotypic associations of "career" and "family" with females and males. The results showed that I have a slight preference of Whites to Blacks and a moderate association of "career" with males and "family" with females in contrast to "career" with females and "family" with males. Before and after taking these test I agreed that I had personal biases.

In being more self-conscious that they have hidden biases, Google's employees are more likely to not only recognize situations in the work environment where unconscious bias is present, but also stop and consider both sides of a  decision before automatically siding with their instinctive bias.  I think this is so because the more concerned the mind is with a thought, in this case the potential harm of unconscious bias, the less likely it is to neglect that thought. In providing a series of workshops aimed to make employees more self-conscious of their hidden biases, Google is instilling into them the repeating thought that unconscious biases are influencing their worldviews, potentially in a way that harms the company. Therefore, the presence of unconscious bias and the need to overcome it become a concerning thought for the employees and the more likely they are to eliminate unconscious bias in the work environment. Though there is no statistical evidence that the workshops are effective in improving diversity within the culture of Google's workplace, anecdotes suggest that a less biased and more diverse culture is emerging within the tech giant's work force.