Acts of barbarism directed towards the Dodgers... I quite enjoy them

As the Padres met the Dodgers in one of spring's last games of meaning, the two squads gathered near home plate to illustrate their dislike for one another. After the Dodgers' Jonathan Broxton had hit Ryan Ludwick with a pitch, Padres' minor league reliever Brad Brach plunked Rafael Furcal an inning later.

Both pitchers say the hit batsmen were unintentional, mere casualties of aggressive pitching. I say who cares! I'm a meat-head and there's little I'd rather view than a good punch-up between the Padres and that cesspool to the north.

Here's to Brad Brach, even if it was unintentional. One day you'll make it to the PENitentiary and when you do, I'm buying the beers.

For those Faithful Eleven who have followed this blog over the years, you may remember that as a youngster one of my favorite players was Don Mattingly. I know, I know, it's disgusting that one of my baseball idols was a Yankee. Hey, at least the Yanks sucked then. What did the Dodgers' new skipper have to say about the near melee? From Don Norcross' UT article:

“I’ll tell you what, I don’t mind our boys stepping up,” said Dodgers first-year manager Don Mattingly. “I don’t mind at all. I really don’t mind the spirit.”

Oh, Donnie Baseball. This is gonna hurt to say it but you can #$  #$&@ $%&^self!


What about Mat Latos, hater of all things San Francisco? How did he react to this Los Angeles brouhaha?

When the players started taking their paces toward each other, Mat Latos was outside on a concourse, signing autographs. After a fan told him what was unfolding, Latos jogged toward the diamond.

Once things cleared, Latos returned to his spot and resumed signing autographs.
“Teammates first,” Latos told fans. “I apologize.”

Don't apologize Mat. This makes my heart warm. You make my heart warm. Let's get this season started.

What on EARTH is the meaning of this?

On April 3rd you must come to the Randy Jones All-American Sports Grill to watch the Padres play the Cardinals in St. Louis. It's gonna be huge!

For a line-up of those in attendance as well as food and drink specials, click here.

Handsome, nerdy, internet savvy, bringer of funk... Pat Neshek

Sometimes I can be horribly detached from anything not related to the NL West. I watch every Padres game so how can I be reasonably expected to keep up with players in the AL, let alone relievers who pitch an inning at a time? Exactly!

This is an unrealistic standard for me. Consequently, I had never heard of Pat Neshek when the Padres signed him after his release by the Minnesota Twins.

Last night Dan Hayes wrote an article about Neshek at The North County Times. It piqued my interest enough to dig deeper. I decided to ask the foremost authorities on the Minnesota Twins that I know of... and by "know"... I mean that we are acquainted through the internet. For our purposes, that's good enough.

These Twins fans (The Common Man and Bill) write an excellent blog called The Platoon Advantage where they are also featured at ESPN's Sweetspot along with Geoff Young of Ducksnorts.

I essentially asked via Twitter what we were in for with Neshek...

The Common Man replied through an enthusiastic email:

Hey there, AJM.

It's worth talking about Pat Neshek for a number of reasons.  First and foremost, because he legitimately seems like a good guy.  He's a baseball nerd's baseball nerd who happens to play ball.  He's got his own website (http://www.eteamz.com/PatNeshek/) where he trades baseball cards and autographs, and a solid Twitter presence (which the Twins really hated): http://twitter.com/#!/PatNeshek.  He's extremely fan friendly and smart.  I'm told the ladies think he's handsome.  Also, he's got a sick motion and is just fun to watch pitch.

He's also worth talking about because he's an example of how Tommy John surgery doesn't always work.  As Bill mentioned, Neshek's stuff has been way down since the procedure, and he's at least a year-and-a-half out from it.  But the Twins are probably more to blame for that than the failings of the surgery.  Over his objections, they inexplicably wanted him to try and rehab the elbow rather than get Tommy John right away.  He ended up wasting several months before the damage became catastrophic. 

His delivery is wicked and deceptive, and probably still going to be tough on right-handed batters.  However, his velocity has been down (85-86 MPH last year).  If he can get it back up to around 89-90 MPH, he'll be back and San Diego is going to have an elite-caliber reliever.  If not, he'll still be worth rooting for.

--

The Common Man

www.theplatoonadvantage.com

Bill also made the following endorsements of Neshek the man and as well as Neshek the pitcher (with an accompanying link to video).

A member of the PENitentairy is a presence on Twitter and has a blog? This is too good to be true!

Most importantly however, TCM notes that Neshek needs to get his velocity up to 90-ish. If you followed the previous link to video, it sounds like he may be approaching that mark. SO why did the Twins release him? I never asked this follow-up question out of fear I might not like the answer. I'm going to go ahead and pretend that there's a log-jam in the Twinkies 'pen and Pat Neshek was the odd man out.

What does this mean for the Padres in 2011? Another effective arm coming out of the pen, especially with Joe Thatcher ailing, could never hurt a team so dependent on its pitching so we'll cross our fingers and hope that Pat Neshek returns to his old funky form.

If Pat Neshek fails to impact the bullpen in 2011 it sounds as though the Padres are getting a good fella if nothing else. We wish him the best.

Thanks for the input guys.

Go read The Platoon Advantage. There's an article on MC Hammer there right now!

Over At The Fro: Where Jerry Crasnick makes fun of the Padres and I solicit input

In this post I give a reaction to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick and the article he wrote earlier this week on the 2011 Padres. I've also recapped all previous posts in the series, our own Spring Training, if you will. 

I'll be continuing the Pacific Coast League Padres series over at RJ's Fro and I was wondering if I might bother you for some input? If you have any interests, ideas, or suggestions drop them in the comments section over at The Fro.

Luis Salazar in 1980

Yesterday I took a look at Luis Salazar's first weekend as a Big Leaguer during the 1980 season with the San Diego Padres. Salazar was off to a great start as a pro.

In looking to see which was his best game in 1980 I noticed that his first 15 games, or the remainder of August, were really outstanding. He was taking advantage of his opportunities and compiled a slash line of .444/.500/.556 with 3 triples.

Luis Salazar's best game of his first season came against the San Francisco Giants in Candlestick Park on October 3rd, 1980.

In the top of the 1st inning, with 2 runs already scored against Giants starter Allen Ripley, Luis Salazar came to the plate. With Dave Winfield on first base and Jerry Mumphrey at second, Salazar launched a 3-run homer to extend the Padres lead to 5-0. It was Ripley's last pitch of the game as he headed to the showers in favor of reliever Bob Knepper.

The Padres would go on to win the game by a score of 12-0 and Luis Salazar would finish 3 for 3 with 2 Runs scored and 4 RBI. In his other two plate appearances Salazar hit a Sacrifice Fly and Walked.

The 1980 season would end shortly after this game and Luis Salazar's numbers (.337/.372/.462) would reflect a modest start to a 13 year career. Overall, the Padres 1980 was mostly one to forget, finishing in 6th place in the NL West at 73-89.

When seasons end in such an abysmal fashion it's nice to see a young player like Salazar do well.

Notables:

***
At season's end Luis Salazar would finish with 7 triples. Not bad for 1 1/2 months on the job.

***
Will Venable's father Max played CF for the Giants during that October 3rd game.

***
This would be the last weekend in a Padres uniform for both RF Dave Winfield and Manager Jerry Coleman.

***
Without the wonders of Baseball-Reference we may never have known this game existed. Only 2,740 witnessed it at The 'Stick.

Trying to remember the 2010 Padres: Game 12 (into the breach)

Come with me to Los Angeles. A fine place to visit when seeking reaffirmation that you indeed have a soul...

For series explanation and previous installments [go here]

GAME 12 of 18
August 3rd, 2010
Padres v. Dodgers @Dodger Stadium
(Tuesday/ Section 158 LG)

WHAT I THINK KNOW I KNOW...

So this is an easy recollection for me because I did a big write-up on it over at RJ's Fro right after the game. I had gone up to Chavez Ravine with the Fro, and despite the Padres loss with Latos on the hill, it was a blast.

Why should you go read it? Because there's a lot of talk about Blue Moon beer and a detailed conversation about the ugliest players ever to wear a uniform. Oh, and a Woody Williams sighting too! And we got lost in a parking lot. It's good stuff. Check it out.

Source: The Seventh Circle of Hell... and a ticket stub.

RESEARCH SAYS...

The Dodgers win 2-1

***
In his first start as a Dodger, deadline acquisition Ted Lilly picks up the win, improving to 4-8. Mat Latos got the loss dropping him to 11-5. Latos pitched really well but was the victim of an anemic offense and some suspect defense.

***
Chris Denorfia threw-out Russell Martin at the plate on a beautiful play. This was good Norf. Bad Norf-- the one who plays an overzealous CF-- over played his hand earlier in the inning when he made an ill-advised dive which led to two runs scoring. It would be all LA needed.

This was a play that Tony Gwynn Jr. would have made and he should have been in a game where runs would have been at a premium. I love Denorfia but he's no center fielder.

Attendance: 38, 866. Place was empty. They showed up late. They left early. This is not a stereotype of  many Dodgers fans.

NOTABLE OMISSIONS...

***
Miguel Tejada hit his first HR as a Padre. A short lived lead.

***
Quotable:

"I didn't help myself by falling behind in the count," Latos said. "I didn't do a good job of attacking hitters."

The walks proved painful for Latos, as Russell Martin lined a pitch to center field that Chris Denorfia couldn't come up with on a diving attempt, and two runs came across.

"It was a slider, he just left it in the middle of the plate. I was just thinking right-center, and it was a good pitch to hit," Martin said. "... It was nice to see it dive and go by him, too. Finally got a break."

See what I mean? Latos good. Denorfia bad.

Watch the entire disaster unfold here.

***
The Padres record falls to 62-43 with the Giants right at their heels (1 GB)

Source: Padres.com (Corey Brock) and Baseball Reference


LASTING IMPRESSIONS...

Road trips for baseball are fantastic and so is Blue Moon on a hot August day. Go to Chavez Ravine but take care not to get lost. Navigating a circle can be surprisingly tricky.

Trying to remember the 2010 Padres: Game 11 (all you can eat Brazilian... steakhouse)

I was recollecting these games far too easily so I took 3 weeks off to put myself to the test. Here it is!

For series explanation and previous installments [go here]

GAME 11 of 18
July 31st, 2010
Padres v. Marlins @Petco Park
(Saturday/ Field Box Sec 116)

WHAT I THINK I KNOW...

The Padres lost in a bad way. But I did get a Clayton Richard Bobblehead! This game was a loss but a win in that it was amongst friends.

I attended the game with my father-in-law, a great friend from college (Kent), and my old baseball coach (Dan) who I hadn't seen in years. I mean a lot of years. It was awesome to be amongst such fine people. And then the Padres lost.

***
I don't know who started for the Padres but I do know that Ricky Nolasco was the starter for the Marlins. He was fantastic until giving up a few late in the game and getting yanked (maybe the 7th inning).

Here's an interesting aside. While going to get a bratwurst in the 6th inning or so I spotted a fella wearing a Marlins jersey with the name Nolasco on the back. As I waited for a break in play I began a conversation with this guy, telling him that he had picked a good night to wear a Nolasco jersey.

As it turned out, he was the HS baseball coach of Ricky Nolasco. We got to talking about this that and the other an entire inning had passed. That may not sound like a long time but it was. Nolasco gave up a few and then there was a pitching change and before I knew it I had learned so much about this guy I thought we were on a date. Good times.

***
Pretty sure the final score was 6-3 Marlins and both Mike Stanton and Dan Uggla hit massive HRs.

***
When the game ended we needed food. By needed food I mean to say that we wanted the night to continue and there's nothing better to prolong a night than a long meal. Now, I had no business eating as I had just powered down a brat with peppers and enough mustard to kill a Scottish Terrier. This is an analogy that confuses me as well so I'll just skip to the part where we sojourned to Rei do Gado on 4th avenue. Have you ever been to Rei do Gado? It's a Brazillian Steakhouse and it's like Disneyland for those with an appetite. I didn't have an appetite but I went with my friends anyway. Nothing like catching up over a meal. While my digestive organs regretted it my soul did not and that's what matters most.

Source: Friendly memories... and a ticket stub.

RESEARCH SAYS...

The Marlins defeat the Padres by a score of 6-3. Ricky Nolasco got the win improving to 12-7 and Kevin Correia took the L dropping to 7-7.

***
Nolasco's win improved his record to 7-1 in his last 8 starts. He was filthy that night. I was actually wrong about how good he performed. He made it into the 9th inning, recording one out, before Adrain Gonzalez' 2 run single bounced him from the game.

What does this really mean? It means I was eating a bratwurst in the 8th inning and not the 6th inning when I was talking to Nolasco's HS coach... and then I went to an all you can eat steakhouse. That's never good.

***
Dan Uggla's homer was huge and Mike Stanton's was just ridiculous. Watch it here.

Quotable:

"Two bad pitches to two guys with a lot of power," said Correia, who struck out four batters and walked four. "That's usually the result. They were just off-speed pitches that stayed up. Those aren't the two guys to miss to." 

No kidding.

Attendance: 42,072. If head's bobble fans will come.


NOTABLE OMISSIONS...

Adrian Gonzalez' 2 RBI single knocked Nolasco from the game in the 9th. This made me feel good. Once again the Padres battled back and gave themselves a chance.

***
The Padres had just acquired Ryan Ludwick at the trade deadline and was set to arrive in San Diego the next day when the Padres were to face Marlins ace, Josh Johnson. You remember that game don't you? Facing a sweep the Padres battled Johnson and ultimately won when Ryan Ludwick took part in a big late inning rally. That was great.

***
Scott Hairston did what he always does at games I attend.

***
The Padres sat in 1st place at 60-42.
Source: Padres.com (Gina Mizell) and Baseball Reference


LASTING IMPRESSIONS...

The Padres had dropped two in-a-row but still held first place with the Dodgers looming on the horizon. I had never felt so good as a fan than when I heard Jed Hoyer went out at the deadline to get Ryan Ludwick. I was filled with hope.

Kind of sad really.

Trying to remember the 2010 Padres: Pitching Change and a Double Switch (time is running out)

I'm completely running out of time to finish the series that far too few people care about. But I started it and I shall finish it. Today? Hmmm....

I'm on a roll but I still have 8 games to go. Let's see what I'm made of:
//splashes water in face
//stretches quads
//guns for greatness

If you've forgotten what this is all about in the long time it took to make that pitching change, here ya go.

Baseball's Opening Week And Bringing Back The Brown

I broke out the calendar the other day so as to properly document the hall passes I will be needing during the first week of April. The Padres open up against the Cardinals (3/31) in St. Louis and then return home to face the Giants (4/5 - 4/6) and Dodgers (4/8 - 4/10).

I submitted my requests and they were all approved. Given adequate notice most requests are granted without incident. I'll be attending both Giants games as well as the Friday night game against the Dodgers. This is extra special because I'll be on vacation during that week which will maximize the baseball experience. Speaking of extra special...

I also penciled in Sunday 4/3 when the Padres will be closing out their series in St. Louis. The general plan is to meet up at Randy Jones All American Grill to watch the game but to also kick off the Bring Back The Brown campaign. RJ may make an appearance but regardless of whether the Fro'd one appears, fun will be had.

Padres fans with an appreciation for the team's history and the color brown have the opportunity to meet-up, cheer, mingle, and collectively curse the color blue.*

More details will be forthcoming but take this as your invitation. Stop on by.

*The color blue is awesome unless used in conjunction with Padres uniforms or in discussing the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Luis Salazar's Debut

When I moved to San Diego as a youngster I quickly took up the painful experience we call Padres fanhood. During those early stages of Friar consciousness I rooted for third baseman Luis Salazar.

I always think of Salazar as a Padre even though my time cheering for him in the brown and gold (1987, 1989) was short lived... or was it brown and orange at that time? Nevertheless Luis Salazar is a Padre through and through, to me.

I mention this blast from the past because, with great regret, we have recently found Luis Salazar's name in the news. Salazar was struck in the head by a foul ball, and while escaping brain damage, he has lost his eye. 

As a tribute of sorts, I thought I'd look through the archives to see if I could find some of Luis Salazar's most memorable games as a Padre. He served three stints as a Padre (1980-1984, 1987, 1989) but I'll go ahead and jump in where it all started: 1980....

August 15th, 1980

Luis Salazar made his debut against the Houston Astros when manager Jerry Coleman inserted him as a pinch runner for Broderick Perkins in the bottom of the 8th inning of a 1-1 tie. Salazar would be left stranded and then spend the next 12 innings pickin' splinters. That's right... Luis Salazar's debut was in a 20 inning 3-1 loss to the 1st place Astros.

He would get his chance two days later.

August 17th, 1980

Game 1
In Luis Salazar's first start as a Padre on August 17th, 1980 the Padres lost 5-0 to the Houston Astros. Randy Jones was the hard luck loser after going a strong eight innings and giving up 3 runs. In a lineup that featured future Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Ozzie Smith it was Luis Salazar who's star shined brightest. Those fellas were held hitless but it was Salazar who went 2 for 3 collecting half of the Padres total hits during the 2 hour and 6 minute affair. Salazar played an error free 3B.

But it wasn't over. Luis Salazar got the start at 3B again (later moving to RF) in game 2 of the Sunday afternoon doubleheader...

Game 2
Again the Padres got hammered by the 1st place 'Stros 9-2. They managed a meager 3 runs over the course of the 3 game series continuing their free-fall in the standings. But at least Luis Salazar could hold his head up. Salazar collected 2 hits in 4 trips to the plate against the Astros' Joe Niekro who worked a complete game.

Not a bad debut weekend for Luis Salazar. Who wouldn't want to get their career off to a 4 for 7 start?

We wish Luis the best.

More on the Luis Salazar Situation:[Big League Stew] h/t Gaslamp Ball

David Newhan Gettin' Some Pub

Over the weekend I read an article by John Maffei of the North County Times in which the trials and tribulations of MLB veteran David Newhan were chronicled. You see, David Newhan went for a surf back in 2009, and suffered a broken neck. Yet here he is today, at 37, trying to make the Padres roster. It's amazing. It's inspirational. And it should be read.

Why don't more people know of this story?

David Newhan played for the Padres back in 1999 and 2000. Those were dark times for Padres fans. A World Series had just left our rear view mirror and the construction of a ballpark, while imminent, seemed like light years away because of assholes named Henderson and Aguirre. I simply don't remember David Newhan's stint as a Padre. It was forgettable.

Over the years I recall hearing David Newhan's name from time to time but never knew too much about him until I was reading the blog of former Padre, Morgan Ensberg. Ensberg plugged a blog being written by David Newhan and his father Ross who incidentally was a noted sports writer. Their posts were well written and informative but unfortunately, sporadic. I didn't keep up with it.

Not too long ago, the bear known as Beautown, awoke from his blogging slumber and wrote something about David Newhan. It was a cool anecdote about a minor league game Beau had attended in Las Vegas where Newhan was playing. Beau and his pops formed a bond with Newhan that day. And in reading I learned a little more about David Newhan.

Which brings me back to the Maffei article describing Newhan's ordeal of a broken neck. I wondered how I could have been a baseball fan yet not heard this story. I wasn't the only one who felt the same thing...

The next day I received an email notifying me that Morgan Ensberg had written a new post on his blog. Morgan has been sporadic with his posting as well but when he writes it's generally an interesting read.

I clicked the link and arrived at a very short post, no more than a paragraph, describing a friend of his who had broken his neck in a surf accident and was in Spring Training trying to make a team. It was Ensberg's plea that reporters would begin asking around so that his friend's story could be told. He never mentioned a name but it didn't take much to connect the dots on this one. I dropped a link to the Maffei story in the comment section of Morgan Ensberg's blog and went on my way.

Within a couple of hours I was alerted to a story about David Newhan at HardballTalk, the baseball blog for NBC Sports. I went to check it out and sure enough the story of David Newhan was being recounted on a national website. In the story, writer Bob Harkins mentioned the John Maffei story in detail and provided a link. At the end of the article Harkins provided the proper courtesy to Morgan Ensberg (a hat tip or h/t) for alerting him to the story.

I was incredulous! Didn't I deserve a hat tip from one of the biggest and far reaching baseball blogs on the internet? Clearly it was the link to the Maffei article provided by me which allowed Harkins to write his article. A link from Craig Calcaterra's HardballTalk would have been huge!

Fortunately the internet is awesome. I sent a tweet to Bob Harkins and in my best Carl Spackler voice essentially said, "Hey, How bout a little something... you know... for the effort?"

And just like the Dalai Lama providing total consciousness on Spackler's deathbed acknowledgment arrived via Tweet and the name of ~Avenging Jack Murphy*~ appeared in bright lights over at HardballTalk. With a link!**

Bob Harkins is my Dalai Lama.

This blog has now devolved (as it does so frequently) into a piece about me and my baseball writing hubris. For that I apologize. This is about David Newhan. I wish him the best in his pursuits with the Padres and it is my sincere hope that he is providing a veteran bat off the bench by mid summer.

* If the lights aren't bright enough for you... scroll to the bottom of the article.
**Of course the link went to my AJM Twitter page rather than my AJM website so the traffic increase was negligible but that is neither here nor there. I feel like a guy who just got a cup of coffee in the bigs, knocked a hit only to return to the minors the very same night. Kind of like those guys you've heard about over at Ducksnorts.

2011: Playing Pepper with the NL Central.

AJM is a part of an organization known as The Baseball Bloggers Alliance. The BBA was formed by Daniel Shoptaw of Cardinal70.com (a St. Louis Cardinals blog) and long ago he invited me to be join his band of merry baseball savants. Clearly his taste in applicants is suspect but his blog is definitely not!

For a few seasons now, Daniel has been doing a series called Playing Pepper in which he proposes team specific questions to bloggers prior to the season. Daniel invited me last year to talk Padres and again in 2011.

I am the lone wolf who answered the call on behalf of the Padres this season. Go read it here. 

It is amazing. I go out on limbs. I swing from vines. I put my reputation on the line. It is a brilliant performance.

Now there is but one question remaining. Do you agree with my assessments?

Put Back Together With Hooks...

Jake Peavy is getting warm and fuzzy Padres retrospectives from sportswriters far and wide tonight. Why should it be any different here? One of my favorite lines cane form the Union-Tribune:

To make it as simple as possible, three surgical hooks now hold the muscle and his pitching future in place.

Hooks. Hooks holding muscle together...

I'd like to take this moment to thank Arizona D-Backs General Manager Kevin Towers for his timely trade of Jake Peavy in 2009.

Since I was at Flan Appreciation Night in 1989... my annoyance is justified

From Andrew Baggarly's Friday evening column for the San Jose Mercury news:

Mere hours after the spirited third base coach returned to his home in North San Diego County over the winter, he ran a Giants flag up the pole in his yard.

"Just to let the neighbors know," said Flannery, who spent 23 years as a player, coach and broadcaster in the Padres system. "There's no doubt in people's minds that we're Giants now."

Love ya Flan. But your ideas of being San Diegan bother me.

Pictures From Peoria

I went to Spring Training this last weekend with Beautown and SDPads1 of RJ's Fro. It was cool. Saw the Padres open up against the hated Mariners of Seattle. I haven't had a chance to write yet but here are a few pictures.

 

 

Cool Books Arrive By Mail

I've received a lot of books in the mail over the past few months. I guess people like me are part of the reason Borders is folding. This is too bad.

But what are you going to do when you jump on-line and find a book for $4.17 that was written by the namesake of your blog? Don't answer that...

Yeah, I need to tell you that it's also autographed.

Yes, for $4.17 I received an autographed hard cover copy of Jack Murphy's Abe and Me. It is a collection of Murphy's columns referencing his dog, Abe of Spoon River, written during his time at the San Diego Union. If you've paid attention to Jack  Murphy's statue at The Q then you've noticed a bronzed dog by his side. That's Abe.

When the statue was dedicated back in 2003 the San Diego Union-Tribune ran an Old Murphy article from February 20th, 1977 that commemorated the passing of his trusty Black Lab, Abe of Spoon River. I'm pretty sure that article is a part of Abe and Me. But I just got it today so I can't tell you much. I imagine I'll talk about some of the books I have read this year including Abe and Me. I'll let you know.

I'm disappointed about the fate of Borders but one can hardly argue with a $4 buck hard cover carrying the inscription of a legend. I won't argue.

Disclaimer #1: I paid $4.00 for shipping so, to be precise, the book cost me $8.17. Still...
Disclaimer #2: Joe Posnanski made a similar comment on the fate of book stores... except what he said was epic and really long... and fantastic because what he wrote had a point. The Posnanski post, in a long ramble about the various oddities found on a store bookshelf, circuitously found its way back to Negro Leaguer Buck O'Neil. Buck O'Neil was the subject of Joe Posnanski's fantastic book titled, The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America. Definitely a book I'd like to talk about this year. (H/T to Ducksnorts for leading me to that link)