Wimble-done Trivia
Name the only man in Open era history to knock out the defending champion in the opening round at Wimbleton?
Answer: Ivo Karlovic defeated Lleyton Hewitt in 2003.
Monday, July 2, 2018
DAILY PHILLIES TRIVIA
What Phillies relief pitcher set all-time Phillies records for Relief Wins, Relief Strikeouts and Relief Innings Pitched?
Answer: Ron Reed
Answer: Ron Reed
PHILLY SPORTS CORNER- SIXERS
So, the Phillies take 3 of 4 from division rival Washington, including a dramatic 13-inning walk-off victory, and the flyers bring back a key scorer in free agency, yet the Sixers failing to do get LeBron James dominates the headlines.
Looks like James was never really serious about joining the 76ers. He played them. But all of those LeBron sighting rumors ( looking at schools on the Main Line) were just that..rumors.
I can't see how LeBron will get out of the West, with Golden State and Houston dominating, and Oklahoma City and Minnesota looming. James signing with the Lakers opens up the East now, with clear paths to the finals for the Celtics and Sixers, among others.
Now, the Sixers' attention needs to focus on Kawhi Leonard and making the team better. Are they a better team now compared to their playoff team last season? No.But even though valuable subs Ilaysova and Bellinelli are off the table, there is still time to acquire Leoanrd, Reddick and more.
Would Leonard sign an extension if traded for? Does it matter if he is intent on bolting for Los Angeles anyway?
Do you want to deal with Leoanrd's attitude problem? He has never stated that hew ants to play with Philadelphia- but he has said he wants to play in LA.
Cleveland is back to square one. Boston is happy. So is Golden State.
Should the Sixers still try to trade for Leonard, knowing he may leave after one year? What would San Antonio want? Would it make sense to trade draft picks and maybe young players ( Saric, Fultz) for one year of Kawhi? Is it worth the one-time shot at a title? Or would Leonard love playing in Philly, love playing for Brown and playing with Embiid and Simmons? Never know what can happen in a year.
Whatever, the Sixers still need shooters. So signing Reddick is important. So is refilling the void left by Ilaysova and Bellinelli.
Looks like James was never really serious about joining the 76ers. He played them. But all of those LeBron sighting rumors ( looking at schools on the Main Line) were just that..rumors.
I can't see how LeBron will get out of the West, with Golden State and Houston dominating, and Oklahoma City and Minnesota looming. James signing with the Lakers opens up the East now, with clear paths to the finals for the Celtics and Sixers, among others.
Now, the Sixers' attention needs to focus on Kawhi Leonard and making the team better. Are they a better team now compared to their playoff team last season? No.But even though valuable subs Ilaysova and Bellinelli are off the table, there is still time to acquire Leoanrd, Reddick and more.
Would Leonard sign an extension if traded for? Does it matter if he is intent on bolting for Los Angeles anyway?
Do you want to deal with Leoanrd's attitude problem? He has never stated that hew ants to play with Philadelphia- but he has said he wants to play in LA.
Cleveland is back to square one. Boston is happy. So is Golden State.
Should the Sixers still try to trade for Leonard, knowing he may leave after one year? What would San Antonio want? Would it make sense to trade draft picks and maybe young players ( Saric, Fultz) for one year of Kawhi? Is it worth the one-time shot at a title? Or would Leonard love playing in Philly, love playing for Brown and playing with Embiid and Simmons? Never know what can happen in a year.
Whatever, the Sixers still need shooters. So signing Reddick is important. So is refilling the void left by Ilaysova and Bellinelli.
Sunday, July 1, 2018
PHILLIES PHODDER
-Maybe the biggest win of the 2018 season today! In 13 innings, in close to 100 degree July heat, against a division rival, down to no more pitchers available and your last bench player, somehow the Phillies win. Andrew Knapp pinch-hits with one out and hits a titanic home run into the right field upper deck, the first walk-off homer this year for the club.
-Manager Gabe Kapler made all the right moves today. He pulled starting pitcher Jake Arrieta in the 5th inning with the team down 3-0. Arrieta was pissed and stormed off to the clubhouse. But the move paid off as pinch-hitter Carlos Santana walked to help set-up a three-run inning which tied the game. Both teams would not score after that until the lucky 13th.
-In the fateful last inning, after Nick Pivetta pitched in relief in the top of the frame, Kapler rolled the dice with his last available position player and hit Knapp- and the rest was history.So many what ifs...Who would've pitched the 14th? Rios was unavailable after throwing over 40 pitches the last two ballgames. Maybe Siranthony could've gone one inning but not much more. Would a position player have to pitch and a pitcher have to play another position?
-The much-maligned bullpen threw eight scoreless innings of relief on this brutally hot afternoon. Nobodys like Thompson and Hunter stepped up and performed. Neshek saw his first action of the season. Arano chipped in, as did Leiter Jr. and Morgan. They still need bullpen help from GM Klentak but on July 1, they stepped up big time.
-I'm still concerned about the offense. Looking at the box score one would never have guessed that the Phils won. Hoskins went hitless. Herrera is still struggling. Third base is an issue. Alfaro, defensively, is a problem. Despite all the flaws the club is 45-37 going into an easier part of the schedule in July.
-Day off tomorrow and Thursday, which seems to be needed. In-between is a brief two-game series with the lowly Orioles, before the Fightins' embark on a road trip that takes them to Pittsburgh, New York, Baltimore and Miami leading to the All-Star game. Atlanta plays the Yankees in New York this week before heading to Milwaukee. Give the Braves credit for sweeping the Cardinals in St. Louis (Baseball Heaven must be going nuts). The Phillies still need to pick up some ground this week.
-Turns out Kapler would've used Valentin as pitcher if there was a 14th inning. Alfaro would've moved to third base, with Knapp staying in as catcher. Thank God that didn't happen but why do I have this uneasy feeling that with Kapler in charge it will happen before the summer is over?
-Bryce Harper isn't doing himself any favors in this, his free agent season. He is consistently getting beat by high and inside fastballs. Plus his Nationals are fading fast. I'm sure he will get big money during the off-season but he ain't no Mike Trout, that's for sure.I don't think his clueless manager is helping matters by hitting him all over the line-up.
-Seattle is still looming in AL West, while the San Francisco Giants have quietly moved into second place in NL West. Titanic series in New York between the yanks and Red Sox. The rubber game is tonight- a battle for first place in AL East.Meanwhile, the Indians are running away in AL Central and just may clinch their division before anyone else in September. Cleveland was my spring training pick to win the World Series.
-Manager Gabe Kapler made all the right moves today. He pulled starting pitcher Jake Arrieta in the 5th inning with the team down 3-0. Arrieta was pissed and stormed off to the clubhouse. But the move paid off as pinch-hitter Carlos Santana walked to help set-up a three-run inning which tied the game. Both teams would not score after that until the lucky 13th.
-In the fateful last inning, after Nick Pivetta pitched in relief in the top of the frame, Kapler rolled the dice with his last available position player and hit Knapp- and the rest was history.So many what ifs...Who would've pitched the 14th? Rios was unavailable after throwing over 40 pitches the last two ballgames. Maybe Siranthony could've gone one inning but not much more. Would a position player have to pitch and a pitcher have to play another position?
-The much-maligned bullpen threw eight scoreless innings of relief on this brutally hot afternoon. Nobodys like Thompson and Hunter stepped up and performed. Neshek saw his first action of the season. Arano chipped in, as did Leiter Jr. and Morgan. They still need bullpen help from GM Klentak but on July 1, they stepped up big time.
-I'm still concerned about the offense. Looking at the box score one would never have guessed that the Phils won. Hoskins went hitless. Herrera is still struggling. Third base is an issue. Alfaro, defensively, is a problem. Despite all the flaws the club is 45-37 going into an easier part of the schedule in July.
-Day off tomorrow and Thursday, which seems to be needed. In-between is a brief two-game series with the lowly Orioles, before the Fightins' embark on a road trip that takes them to Pittsburgh, New York, Baltimore and Miami leading to the All-Star game. Atlanta plays the Yankees in New York this week before heading to Milwaukee. Give the Braves credit for sweeping the Cardinals in St. Louis (Baseball Heaven must be going nuts). The Phillies still need to pick up some ground this week.
-Turns out Kapler would've used Valentin as pitcher if there was a 14th inning. Alfaro would've moved to third base, with Knapp staying in as catcher. Thank God that didn't happen but why do I have this uneasy feeling that with Kapler in charge it will happen before the summer is over?
-Bryce Harper isn't doing himself any favors in this, his free agent season. He is consistently getting beat by high and inside fastballs. Plus his Nationals are fading fast. I'm sure he will get big money during the off-season but he ain't no Mike Trout, that's for sure.I don't think his clueless manager is helping matters by hitting him all over the line-up.
-Seattle is still looming in AL West, while the San Francisco Giants have quietly moved into second place in NL West. Titanic series in New York between the yanks and Red Sox. The rubber game is tonight- a battle for first place in AL East.Meanwhile, the Indians are running away in AL Central and just may clinch their division before anyone else in September. Cleveland was my spring training pick to win the World Series.
IN THE NEWS- PROSTHETIC HANDS- NEW E-DERMIS BRINGS SENSE OF TOUCH AND PAINI
From Disabled World
Amputees often experience the sensation of a "phantom limb"- a feeling that a missing body part is still there. That sensory illusion is closer to becoming a reality thanks to a team of engineers at the Johns Hopkins University that has created an electronic skin. When layered on top of prosthetic hands, this e-dermis brings back a real sense of touch through the fingertips.
"After many years, I felt my hand, as if a hollow shell got filled with life again," says the anonymous amputee who served as the team's principal volunteer tester.
Made of fabric and rubber laced with sensors to mimic nerve endings, e-dermis recreates a sense of touch as well as pain by sensing stimuli and relaying the impulses back to the peripheral nerves.
"We've made a sensor that goes over the fingertips of a prosthetic hand and acts like your own skin would," says Luke Osborn, a graduate student in biomedical engineering . "It's inspired by what is happening in human biology, with receptors for both touch and pain.
:This is interesting and new," Osborn said., "because now we can have a prosthetic hand that is already on the market and fit it with an e-dermis that can tell the wearer whether he or she is picking up something that is round or whether it has sharp points."
The work- published June 20 in the journal Science Robotics- shows it is possible to restore a range of natural, touch-based feelings to amputees who use prosthetic limbs.
The ability to detect pain could be useful, for instance, not only in prosthetic hands but also in lower limb prostheses, alerting the user to potential damage to the device.
Human skin contains a complex network of receptors that relay a variety of sensations to the limbs. Bringing a more human touch to modern prosthetic designs is critical, especially when it comes to incorporating the ability to feel pain," Osborn says.
"Pain is, of course, unpleasant, but it's also an essential, protective sense of touch that is lacking in the prostheses that are currently available to amputees," he says.
"Advances in prosthesis designs and control mechanisms can aid an amputee's ability to regain lost function, but they often lack meaningful, tactile feedback or perception."
That is where the e-dermis comes in, conveying information to the amputee by stimulating peripheral nerves in the arm, making the so-called phantom limb come to life. The e-dermis device does this by electrically stimulating the amputee's nerves in a non-invasive way, through the skin, says the paper's senior author. Nitish Thakor, a professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Neuroengineering and Biomedical Instrumentation Laboratory at Johns Hopkins.
"For the first time, a prosthesis can provide a range of perceptions, from fine touch to noxious to an amputee, making it more like a human hand," says Thakor, co-founder on Infinite Biomedical Technologies, the Baltimore-based company that provided the prosthetic hardware used in the study.
Inspired by human biology, the e-dermis enables its user to sense a continuous spectrum of tactile perceptions, from light touch to noxious or painful stimulus. The team created a "neuromorpic model' mimicking the touch and pain receptors of the human nervous system, allowing the e-dermis to electronically encode sensations just as the receptors in the skin would. Tracking brain activity via electroencephalography, or EEG, the team determined that the test subject was able to perceive these sensations in his phantom hand.
The researchers then connected the e-dermis output to the volunteer by using a noninvasive method known as transcuttaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS. In a pain-detection task, the team determined that the test subject and the prosthesis were able to experience a natural, reflexive reaction to both pain while touching a pointed object and non-pain when touching a round object.
The e-dermis is not sensitive to temperature- for this study., the team focused on detecting object curvature ( for touch and shape perception) and sharpness ( for pain reception). The e-dermis technology could be used to make robotic systems more human, and it could also be used to expand or extend to astronaut gloves and space suits, Osborn says.
The researchers plan to further develop the technology and better understand how to provide meaningful sensory information to amputees in the hopes of making the system ready for widespread patient use.
Johns Hopkins is a pioneer in the field of upper limb dexterous prostheses. More than a decade ago, the university's Applied Physics Laboratory led the development of the advanced Modular prosthetic limb, which an amputee patient controls with the muscles and nerves that once controlled his or her real arm or hand.
The e-dermis was tested over the course of one year on an amputee who volunteered in the Neuroengineering Laboratory at Johns Hopkins. The subject frequently repeated the testing to demonstrate consistent sensory perceptions via the e-dermis. The team has worked with four other amputee volunteers in other experiments to provide sensory feedback.
Amputees often experience the sensation of a "phantom limb"- a feeling that a missing body part is still there. That sensory illusion is closer to becoming a reality thanks to a team of engineers at the Johns Hopkins University that has created an electronic skin. When layered on top of prosthetic hands, this e-dermis brings back a real sense of touch through the fingertips.
"After many years, I felt my hand, as if a hollow shell got filled with life again," says the anonymous amputee who served as the team's principal volunteer tester.
Made of fabric and rubber laced with sensors to mimic nerve endings, e-dermis recreates a sense of touch as well as pain by sensing stimuli and relaying the impulses back to the peripheral nerves.
"We've made a sensor that goes over the fingertips of a prosthetic hand and acts like your own skin would," says Luke Osborn, a graduate student in biomedical engineering . "It's inspired by what is happening in human biology, with receptors for both touch and pain.
:This is interesting and new," Osborn said., "because now we can have a prosthetic hand that is already on the market and fit it with an e-dermis that can tell the wearer whether he or she is picking up something that is round or whether it has sharp points."
The work- published June 20 in the journal Science Robotics- shows it is possible to restore a range of natural, touch-based feelings to amputees who use prosthetic limbs.
The ability to detect pain could be useful, for instance, not only in prosthetic hands but also in lower limb prostheses, alerting the user to potential damage to the device.
Human skin contains a complex network of receptors that relay a variety of sensations to the limbs. Bringing a more human touch to modern prosthetic designs is critical, especially when it comes to incorporating the ability to feel pain," Osborn says.
"Pain is, of course, unpleasant, but it's also an essential, protective sense of touch that is lacking in the prostheses that are currently available to amputees," he says.
"Advances in prosthesis designs and control mechanisms can aid an amputee's ability to regain lost function, but they often lack meaningful, tactile feedback or perception."
That is where the e-dermis comes in, conveying information to the amputee by stimulating peripheral nerves in the arm, making the so-called phantom limb come to life. The e-dermis device does this by electrically stimulating the amputee's nerves in a non-invasive way, through the skin, says the paper's senior author. Nitish Thakor, a professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Neuroengineering and Biomedical Instrumentation Laboratory at Johns Hopkins.
"For the first time, a prosthesis can provide a range of perceptions, from fine touch to noxious to an amputee, making it more like a human hand," says Thakor, co-founder on Infinite Biomedical Technologies, the Baltimore-based company that provided the prosthetic hardware used in the study.
Inspired by human biology, the e-dermis enables its user to sense a continuous spectrum of tactile perceptions, from light touch to noxious or painful stimulus. The team created a "neuromorpic model' mimicking the touch and pain receptors of the human nervous system, allowing the e-dermis to electronically encode sensations just as the receptors in the skin would. Tracking brain activity via electroencephalography, or EEG, the team determined that the test subject was able to perceive these sensations in his phantom hand.
The researchers then connected the e-dermis output to the volunteer by using a noninvasive method known as transcuttaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS. In a pain-detection task, the team determined that the test subject and the prosthesis were able to experience a natural, reflexive reaction to both pain while touching a pointed object and non-pain when touching a round object.
The e-dermis is not sensitive to temperature- for this study., the team focused on detecting object curvature ( for touch and shape perception) and sharpness ( for pain reception). The e-dermis technology could be used to make robotic systems more human, and it could also be used to expand or extend to astronaut gloves and space suits, Osborn says.
The researchers plan to further develop the technology and better understand how to provide meaningful sensory information to amputees in the hopes of making the system ready for widespread patient use.
Johns Hopkins is a pioneer in the field of upper limb dexterous prostheses. More than a decade ago, the university's Applied Physics Laboratory led the development of the advanced Modular prosthetic limb, which an amputee patient controls with the muscles and nerves that once controlled his or her real arm or hand.
The e-dermis was tested over the course of one year on an amputee who volunteered in the Neuroengineering Laboratory at Johns Hopkins. The subject frequently repeated the testing to demonstrate consistent sensory perceptions via the e-dermis. The team has worked with four other amputee volunteers in other experiments to provide sensory feedback.
DAILY PHILLIES TRIVIA
In 1943, The Phillies staying in Pennsylvania for spring training. Where in Pa did the team train?
Answer: Hershey, Pa.
Answer: Hershey, Pa.
PHILLY SPORTS CORNER- PHILLIES, FLYERS, SIXERS
-Big win for the Phillies last night. A gutsy victory. Vince Valasquez got hit by a line drive on the right arm in the second inning. Amazingly, Valasquez tossed his glove and in a flash of instinct, threw the runner out at first- with his left arm. He crashed to the ground and roll in rain. Taken out of the game, it was feared Valasquez had a fractured arm. Luckily, the vicious liner ( timed at 92 mph.) hit Vince in the meaty part of his right forearm, not on bone. X-rays revealed no breal, only a bad contusion. He should be OK.
From there, it was a bullpen game. The much belabored 'pen only gave up one run in seven innings ( that by Tommy Hunter, who is a waste). Siranthony Doninguez picked up his 7th save of the season. Hopefully Jake Arrieta pitches deep into the game this afternoon, even in brutal heat, as the bullpen is taxed as it is.
- Odubel Herrera snapped an 0-21 slump, crushing his 14th homer to deep right field. Herrera is so streaky. Maybe that homer will start him on another hot streak.
-Manager Gabe Kapler used his entire bench- except for catcher Andrew Knapp- by the 7th inning. An extra bench player would give him much more flexibility. but Kapler likes a deep bullpen. Yesterday it didn't hurt him.
- Washington scored 17 runs on Friday night. On Saturday they struggled to score runs again. They are now 5 games off the pace. With all the talent in the world they are clearly underachieving. Will Bryce Harper bolt after the season for greener ( as in money) pastures? He has 20 home runs so far, despite his average hovering around .220. Today's game is a big one, as the Nats can be 3 games behind the Phils or only one game behind the Pjillies, Gio Gonzalez, always tough against Phillu
- Meanwhile, Atlanta blitzed the suddenly hapless Cardinals in St. Louis, starting a 10-game road trip with a pair of wins at Busch Stadium. The Braves face the Yankees and Brewers before they return home. Good chance for the Phils to make up some ground.
- This Phillies team has more wins at this point of the season than the 2008 championship club. They have a couple of days off this week- Monday and Thursday- hosting the Baltimore Orioles on July 3 and 4. They then head to the road before the All-Star break, visiting Pittsburgh, New York, a make-up game in Baltimore and Miami.
Breaking: Valasquez was placed on 10-day DL. Zav Curtis sent back to Lehigh Valley. Pat Neshek reinstated and Jake Thompson again recalled. Will he make start for Valasquez in Pittsburgh next weekend?
- The Flyers pulled a free agent surprise by signing JVR, James Van Reimsdyk, the former Flyer and now former Maple Leaf. Good move. He never should've been traded in the first place. In his prime at 29, JVR will score 30 goals and be a force on the power play. Now, what about the goaltending situation?
- Sixers off-season so far: Iyyasova signs with Bucks. Bellinelli signs with Spurs. George stays with Thunder. No Kawhi, LeBron or Reddick so far. No Bridges. Happy, Sixer fans?
From there, it was a bullpen game. The much belabored 'pen only gave up one run in seven innings ( that by Tommy Hunter, who is a waste). Siranthony Doninguez picked up his 7th save of the season. Hopefully Jake Arrieta pitches deep into the game this afternoon, even in brutal heat, as the bullpen is taxed as it is.
- Odubel Herrera snapped an 0-21 slump, crushing his 14th homer to deep right field. Herrera is so streaky. Maybe that homer will start him on another hot streak.
-Manager Gabe Kapler used his entire bench- except for catcher Andrew Knapp- by the 7th inning. An extra bench player would give him much more flexibility. but Kapler likes a deep bullpen. Yesterday it didn't hurt him.
- Washington scored 17 runs on Friday night. On Saturday they struggled to score runs again. They are now 5 games off the pace. With all the talent in the world they are clearly underachieving. Will Bryce Harper bolt after the season for greener ( as in money) pastures? He has 20 home runs so far, despite his average hovering around .220. Today's game is a big one, as the Nats can be 3 games behind the Phils or only one game behind the Pjillies, Gio Gonzalez, always tough against Phillu
- Meanwhile, Atlanta blitzed the suddenly hapless Cardinals in St. Louis, starting a 10-game road trip with a pair of wins at Busch Stadium. The Braves face the Yankees and Brewers before they return home. Good chance for the Phils to make up some ground.
- This Phillies team has more wins at this point of the season than the 2008 championship club. They have a couple of days off this week- Monday and Thursday- hosting the Baltimore Orioles on July 3 and 4. They then head to the road before the All-Star break, visiting Pittsburgh, New York, a make-up game in Baltimore and Miami.
Breaking: Valasquez was placed on 10-day DL. Zav Curtis sent back to Lehigh Valley. Pat Neshek reinstated and Jake Thompson again recalled. Will he make start for Valasquez in Pittsburgh next weekend?
- The Flyers pulled a free agent surprise by signing JVR, James Van Reimsdyk, the former Flyer and now former Maple Leaf. Good move. He never should've been traded in the first place. In his prime at 29, JVR will score 30 goals and be a force on the power play. Now, what about the goaltending situation?
- Sixers off-season so far: Iyyasova signs with Bucks. Bellinelli signs with Spurs. George stays with Thunder. No Kawhi, LeBron or Reddick so far. No Bridges. Happy, Sixer fans?
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