Athletics Playoffs: Oakland A's Clinch Spot In MLB Postseason, Keep AL West Hopes Alive

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Hat on backward and goggles covering his eyes, Yoenis Cespedes started dancing in the middle of the clubhouse as the bubbly streamed every which way.

Quickly, his Oakland teammates joined in the fun ? and the Cuban rookie doused anybody he could get.

He might have soaked Coco Crisp the best with a double pour over the head.

Crisp's latest big hit helped put the Athletics in the playoffs for the first time in six years, and they remained in contention for a division crown by beating the first-place Texas Rangers 4-3 on Monday night.

"We're just a bunch of young guys having fun," Crisp said, standing in water wearing soggy socks. "You wouldn't think all these rookies would be doing things like this."

Crisp had a go-ahead double in the fifth inning as the A's (92-68) pulled within one game of Texas (93-67) in the AL West with two to go and moved into a tie with Baltimore for the American League's top wild card.

Oakland's victory also eliminated the Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays from playoff contention.

Pinch-hitter Brandon Moss delivered a sacrifice fly for insurance and Josh Reddick added an RBI single for the resurgent A's, who must sweep this season-ending series against the two-time reigning AL champions to capture the West title.

"Absolutely amazing," said manager Bob Melvin, who took a whipped cream pie in the face from Reddick. "We don't get this done unless everybody believes in everybody and everybody plays selflessly. They were all in it for the team."

Michael Young and Mike Napoli each homered against Jarrod Parker, who was otherwise solid in beating the Rangers for the third time in as many career chances ? all this year.

Crisp followed the double by stealing his 39th base, then scored on Moss' fly ball to shallow center. Center fielder Josh Hamilton hesitated ever so slightly before making the throw home, just enough for Crisp to slide in safely.

The reliable leadoff man returned Friday after missing nine starts with an infection in both eyes. Crisp is batting .529 (9 for 17) with seven runs, three doubles, three stolen bases and two RBIs in four games since coming back.

Playing to chants of "Let's go Oakland!" from the crowd of 21,162, the gutsy A's won their fourth straight game and sixth in seven with the very formula that has been working so well: forget the scoreboard-watching and just control their part in the playoff picture. Fans were on their feet chanting as closer Grant Balfour finished it out by striking out the side.

Moments later, players brought bottles of champagne onto the field and began spraying them into the stands. Outside the aging Coliseum, car horns honked as this blue-collar city enjoyed its big moment on the baseball stage.

"Awesome! Unbelievable," Balfour said mid-celebration. "I want to keep doing it."

This Oakland team has surprised everyone from owner Lew Wolff to general manager Billy Beane and Melvin with its knack for late-inning drama from a long list of players who had barely been heard of before this season.

"I never thought we'd be here this time of year," Wolff said. "The last time we did this we had a mature group. We're in the best shape we've ever been for the future."

Parker pitched the A's back to the postseason for the first time since they were swept by Detroit in the 2006 AL championship series. He matched teammate Tommy Milone for the Oakland rookie record of 13 wins.

"Sky high," Parker said of his team's confidence. "This is a team that knows it can do a lot of things. It's no surprise to me. It might be a surprise to everybody else."

The right-hander is the latest in a rotation of rookies to come through for an Oakland staff that in trades last winter lost Gio Gonzalez to Washington, Trevor Cahill to Arizona and All-Star closer Andrew Bailey to the Boston Red Sox. Dependable catcher Kurt Suzuki was shipped to the Nationals during the season, and starter Bartolo Colon was suspended in August for testing positive for testosterone.

Melvin emerged as a Manager of the Year candidate with the way he mixed and matched and kept running out a winning club despite injuries to so many players and new faces arriving in the clubhouse seemingly every day for the small-budget A's.

Oakland moved a season-high 24 games over .500 for its best mark since ending that `06 season at 93-69.

"They play with no conscious. They're not afraid of nobody right now," said Rangers manager Ron Washington, Oakland's longtime third-base coach before leaving to manage Texas. "I'm never surprised what happens over in that clubhouse with the Oakland A's. They've always got pitching, and when you've got pitching, you never know what can happen."

This one sure had the feel of a fall October playoff game despite the unseasonably warm 82-degree temperature at first pitch.

The Rangers now must wait at least one more day as they try to clinch their third straight division title. Texas won the second game of Sunday's doubleheader at home against the Angels to secure a third straight playoff appearance for the first time in franchise history and sixth overall.

"I'm not sending any message. My team knows what needs to be done," Washington said. "The message was sent yesterday."

Then, the Rangers landed at the Oakland airport about 1:30 a.m. Monday and arrived at their hotel after 2 a.m. Washington said he finally got to bed around 3 a.m. local time.

Washington wasn't too tired to weigh in on Oakland's playoff chances, though.

"If they react like they react now, like, `Who cares?' then it could be (a success)," Washington said. "Being in the postseason is a different animal."

The AL playoff lineup became a little more clear Monday, with two teams clinching spots. Detroit won earlier in the night at Kansas City to wrap up the AL Central crown.

Parker was done after allowing Napoli's leadoff homer in the seventh. Sean Doolittle retired the next three batters in order and Ryan Cook worked a 1-2-3 eighth through the heart of the Rangers' order. Balfour then earned his 23rd save.

Parker improved to 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA against Texas in his fourth straight winning decision and sixth in seven since a loss Aug. 14 at Kansas City.

Texas starter Martin Perez (1-4), facing the A's for the third time in his six major league starts, allowed back-to-back singles by Crisp and Jonny Gomes in the first before receiving a mound visit from pitching coach Mike Maddux. Perez then got Yoenis Cespedes to ground into a double play before walking Chris Carter ahead of Reddick's single.

The left-hander also was called for a balk with the bases loaded to bring home Oakland's second run. Perez lost his second straight start to the A's after a 9-3 defeat his last time out in Texas.

Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre was the designated hitter a day after coming out in the seventh inning when he aggravated his strained left shoulder while leaping for a ball with his arm fully extended. Washington said Beltre could play third base Tuesday night.

NOTES: Texas' Nos. 3-5 hitters went 1 for 12 with five strikeouts. ... The A's are 5-2 vs. Texas at home this year and lead the season series 9-8. ... Perez beat the A's for his first major league win June 30. ... Washington gave Melvin his vote for Manager of the Year. "To take that group where they are right now, wow, you've got to admire him," Washington said. "They play like they belong." ... It was the second-warmest game of the season in Oakland and hottest for a night game. ... The attendance included approximately 5,000 walk-up tickets.

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/02/oakland-athletics-playoffs-mlb-al-west_n_1931253.html

cpac straw poll breaking dawn part 2 breaking dawn part 2 whitney cummings msnbc i will always love you maine caucus

Site builder Neosites launches in the US and Brazil ... - The Next Web

TNW Media ? Paul Sawers ? October 1, 2012

As a six-times Grammy Award winner with hits spanning almost five decades, Billy Joel needs little introduction. While the composer, pianist and singer-songwriter may have been introduced to the Songwriter?s?

Source: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/10/01/site-builder-neosites-launches-us-brazil-help-small-businesses-sell-online/

discovery shuttle allure jane goodall saturday night fever glamping forgetting sarah marshall taraji p. henson

Casa Blanca fue blanco de ciberataque: funcionario de EEUU

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - El sistema inform?tico de la Casa Blanca fue blanco de un ciberataque, inform? el lunes un funcionario estadounidense de alto nivel, aunque se?al? que no se hab?a logrado acceder a ning?n contenido clasificado.

No hay evidencia de que se hayan extra?do datos durante el incidente, manifest? el funcionario, quien agreg? que el ataque fue identificado m?s temprano y que no se expandi?.

El incidente fue descripto como "spear phishing", el t?rmino usado para denominar un intento de penetraci?n mediante correos electr?nicos falsos de un remitente confiable, que el funcionario dijo que "no son infrecuentes".

El domingo, un reporte del sitio de noticias "Freebeacon", que se describe a s? mismo como una alternativa a "la izquierda profesional", dijo que hackers chinos hab?an logrado ingresar en el sistema militar de la Casa Blanca.

La Casa Blanca no identificar? al grupo responsable del ataque ni brindar? especificaciones sobre cu?ndo se efectu? ni cu?l era el objetivo al que apuntaba.

China tiene la base de usuarios de internet m?s grande del mundo, con 485 millones de usuarios, y se cree que es responsable de una serie de ataques cibern?ticos que apuntaron al Gobierno y a compa??as de Estados Unidos.

"En esta ocasi?n, el ataque fue identificado, el sistema fue aislado, y no hay indicios de que se haya" extra?do absolutamente ning?n dato, se?al? el funcionario.

"Asimismo, nunca hubo un impacto o intento de alcanzar ning?n sistema clasificado", a?adi?.

La administraci?n del presidente Barack Obama est? prepar?ndose para lanzar una orden ejecutiva que exija a las agencias federales desarrollar nuevas gu?as para proteger las redes inform?ticas de los ciberataques.

La Casa Blanca tom? la nueva medida luego de que el Congreso fracasara previamente este a?o en aprobar una ley de ciberseguridad m?s exhaustiva.

(Editado en espa?ol por Ana Laura Mitidieri)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/casa-blanca-fue-blanco-ciberataque-funcionario-eeuu-185515845.html

Ryan Dempster Phelps NBC Olympics Live Olympic medal count Medal Count 2012 London 2012 Fencing olympics

Quantum causal relations: A causes B causes A

Public release date: 2-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Fabio Costa
fabio.costa@univie.ac.at
43-142-777-2583
University of Vienna

This press release is available in German.

One of the most deeply rooted concepts in science and in our everyday life is causality; the idea that events in the present are caused by events in the past and, in turn, act as causes for what happens in the future. If an event A is a cause of an effect B, then B cannot be a cause of A. Now theoretical physicists from the University of Vienna and the Universit Libre de Bruxelles have shown that in quantum mechanics it is possible to conceive situations in which a single event can be both, a cause and an effect of another one. The findings will be published this week in "Nature Communications".

Although it is still not known if such situations can be actually found in nature, the sheer possibility that they could exist may have far-reaching implications for the foundations of quantum mechanics, quantum gravity and quantum computing.

Causal relations: who influences whom

In everyday life and in classical physics, events are ordered in time: a cause can only influence an effect in its future not in its past. As a simple example, imagine a person, Alice, walking into a room and finding there a piece of paper. After reading what is written on the paper Alice erases the message and leaves her own message on the piece of paper. Another person, Bob, walks into the same room at some other time and does the same: he reads, erases and re-writes some message on the paper. If Bob enters the room after Alice, he will be able to read what she wrote; however Alice will not have a chance to know Bob's message. In this case, Alice's writing is the "cause" and what Bob reads the "effect". Each time the two repeat the procedure, only one will be able to read what the other wrote. Even if they don't have watches and don't know who enters the room first, they can deduce it by what they write and read on the paper. For example, Alice might write "Alice was here today", such that if Bob reads the message, he will know that he came to the room after her.

Quantum violation of causal order

As long as only the laws of classical physics are allowed, the order of events is fixed: either Bob or Alice is first to enter the room and leave a message for the other person. When quantum mechanics enters into play, however, the picture may change drastically. According to quantum mechanics, objects can lose their well-defined classical properties, such as e.g. a particle that can be at two different locations at the same time. In quantum physics this is called a "superposition". Now an international team of physicists led by Caslav Brukner from the University of Vienna have shown that even the causal order of events could be in such a superposition. If - in our example - Alice and Bob have a quantum system instead of an ordinary piece of paper to write their messages on, they can end up in a situation where each of them can read a part of the message written by the other. Effectively, one has a superposition of two situations: "Alice enters the room first and leaves a message before Bob" and "Bob enters the room first and leaves a message before Alice".

"Such a superposition, however, has not been considered in the standard formulation of quantum mechanics since the theory always assumes a definite causal order between events", says Ognyan Oreshkov from the Universit Libre de Bruxelles (formerly University of Vienna). "But if we believe that quantum mechanics governs all phenomena, it is natural to expect that the order of events could also be indefinite, similarly to the location of a particle or its velocity", adds Fabio Costa from the University of Vienna.

The work provides an important step towards understanding that definite causal order might not be a mandatory property of nature. "The real challenge is finding out where in nature we should look for superpositions of causal orders", explains Caslav Brukner from the Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics, Quantum Information group of the University of Vienna.

###

Publication:

"Quantum correlations with no causal order"
Ognyan Oreshkov, Fabio Costa, Caslav Brukner. Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2076.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 2-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Fabio Costa
fabio.costa@univie.ac.at
43-142-777-2583
University of Vienna

This press release is available in German.

One of the most deeply rooted concepts in science and in our everyday life is causality; the idea that events in the present are caused by events in the past and, in turn, act as causes for what happens in the future. If an event A is a cause of an effect B, then B cannot be a cause of A. Now theoretical physicists from the University of Vienna and the Universit Libre de Bruxelles have shown that in quantum mechanics it is possible to conceive situations in which a single event can be both, a cause and an effect of another one. The findings will be published this week in "Nature Communications".

Although it is still not known if such situations can be actually found in nature, the sheer possibility that they could exist may have far-reaching implications for the foundations of quantum mechanics, quantum gravity and quantum computing.

Causal relations: who influences whom

In everyday life and in classical physics, events are ordered in time: a cause can only influence an effect in its future not in its past. As a simple example, imagine a person, Alice, walking into a room and finding there a piece of paper. After reading what is written on the paper Alice erases the message and leaves her own message on the piece of paper. Another person, Bob, walks into the same room at some other time and does the same: he reads, erases and re-writes some message on the paper. If Bob enters the room after Alice, he will be able to read what she wrote; however Alice will not have a chance to know Bob's message. In this case, Alice's writing is the "cause" and what Bob reads the "effect". Each time the two repeat the procedure, only one will be able to read what the other wrote. Even if they don't have watches and don't know who enters the room first, they can deduce it by what they write and read on the paper. For example, Alice might write "Alice was here today", such that if Bob reads the message, he will know that he came to the room after her.

Quantum violation of causal order

As long as only the laws of classical physics are allowed, the order of events is fixed: either Bob or Alice is first to enter the room and leave a message for the other person. When quantum mechanics enters into play, however, the picture may change drastically. According to quantum mechanics, objects can lose their well-defined classical properties, such as e.g. a particle that can be at two different locations at the same time. In quantum physics this is called a "superposition". Now an international team of physicists led by Caslav Brukner from the University of Vienna have shown that even the causal order of events could be in such a superposition. If - in our example - Alice and Bob have a quantum system instead of an ordinary piece of paper to write their messages on, they can end up in a situation where each of them can read a part of the message written by the other. Effectively, one has a superposition of two situations: "Alice enters the room first and leaves a message before Bob" and "Bob enters the room first and leaves a message before Alice".

"Such a superposition, however, has not been considered in the standard formulation of quantum mechanics since the theory always assumes a definite causal order between events", says Ognyan Oreshkov from the Universit Libre de Bruxelles (formerly University of Vienna). "But if we believe that quantum mechanics governs all phenomena, it is natural to expect that the order of events could also be indefinite, similarly to the location of a particle or its velocity", adds Fabio Costa from the University of Vienna.

The work provides an important step towards understanding that definite causal order might not be a mandatory property of nature. "The real challenge is finding out where in nature we should look for superpositions of causal orders", explains Caslav Brukner from the Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics, Quantum Information group of the University of Vienna.

###

Publication:

"Quantum correlations with no causal order"
Ognyan Oreshkov, Fabio Costa, Caslav Brukner. Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2076.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/uov-qcr100212.php

black history groundhogs day paula abdul cinnamon challenge lou dobbs rock salt david letterman

Resident Evil 6?. The most unappreciated game in ... - Console XP

Why the hell are so many reviewers bashing this awesome game???? (Took a deep breath)

?

OK, now Resident Evil 6 has finally released, and I had the honor to play it early. I have completed all three of the campaigns (alone) and have just unlocked Ada Wong side of the story. Now the following article is not a review, but it will only deal with the facts that this game even though not perfect, deserves way more praise then it is getting right now. I just cannot take this SHIT because, this will not only disrupt the Resident Evil franchise, but may also lead to layoffs or worst at CAPCOM due to poor sales.

How can this be bad?

????????? Alrighty then, this game is NOT a survival horror game. Even though it tries to be a survival horror on the Leons campaign but, eventually it easily felt like an action 3^rd person (A great at that one). So, the hard core fans of the original series will be disappointed but it doesn?t mean that this game is bad. It?s actually one of the best games I have played this year and I mean it. After playing the demo, I was also disappointed like millions of others but the final game blew my mind with it?s over the top action and well scripted events.

After finishing Leons campaign, I didn?t expected anything better from the other two remaining campaigns (Chris and Jakes) but once I finished the Chris side of the story I was surprised by the way it ended. It was emotional and totally badass at the same point, and I literally clapped and appreciated the effort made by CAPCOM. Jakes campaign was also fun even though it was not as well scripted as the other two. So, my point is that Resident Evil 6 direction and story is way better than resident evil 4 and 5 and is one of the best gaming story in years.

Furthermore, it took me up-to 19 hours to complete these three campaigns, and after that I unlocked Ada Wong side of the story. Now compare it with what the mammoth COD franchise has been offering (laughable 5 hours at max), WOW!

Chris and Peirs.. Angry at the reviewers (It even Rhymes)?

????????? The game-play here is more of an update of Resident Evil 5, which is good if not great on its own way. You can stick to walls, shoot and move at the same time, jump over stuff and can do a melee attack on your enemies. Every aspect of the game play here is very well done even the quick time event that will be triggered every once in a while. All in all, if you loved Resident Evil 5 (which was praised by majority of the reviewers), then you are in for a treat.

Check out the detail?

????????? The graphics and voice acting here is also top notch, and it made me wonder that how they (CAPCOM) were able to juice out such detail from such an old technology (XBOX360-PS3). The frame rate was also constant majority of the time and rarely shuttered in my sitting. Controls scheme here on the other hand might seem clunky but it took me no time to get used to it, and I really loved it once I got hold of it (Just like Resident Evil 5).

Moments like this will keep you on the edge of your seat?.

????????? I can write about this games merits on and on (Set pieces, co-op both offline and online, mercenary mode and some agent mode, no ON DISC DLC shit! etc), but I will stop here. Resident Evil 6 is a great game and it should be appreciated for its true potential, not because the franchise has changed from being a survival horror to a more? action oriented 3^rd person. I will support CAPCOM, and encourage every gamer out there to buy this game (Especially if you like awesome bad-ass action games and more meat for your money) like me!

Source: http://www.consolexp.com/resident-evil-6-the-most-unappreciated-game-in-years-why/

school shooting daytona 500 winner cleveland plain dealer barry sanders barry sanders john scott jimmie johnson

lern2play Resources and Information. This website is for sale!

By using our site, you consent to this privacy policy: This website allows third-party advertising companies for the purpose of reporting website traffic, statistics, advertisements, "click-throughs" and/or other activities to use Cookies and /or Web Beacons and other monitoring technologies to serve ads and to compile anonymous statistics about you when you visit this website. Cookies are small text files stored on your local internet browser cache. A Web Beacon is an often-transparent graphic image, usually no larger than 1 pixel x 1 pixel that is placed on a Web site. Both are created for the main purpose of helping your browser process the special features of websites that use Cookies or Web Beacons. The gathered information about your visits to this and other websites are used by these third party companies in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. The information do not include any personal data like your name, address, email address, or telephone number. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/lern2play

josh harvey clemons college football recruiting rankings ground hog day 2012 aaron carter black history month did groundhog see his shadow soul train don cornelius

BAE, EADS blast merger 'myths and misconceptions'

BERLIN (AP) ? The chief executives of BAE Systems and EADS are pushing for the merger of their two aeronautics and defense companies, saying in a joint editorial printed in Britain, France and Germany that it would create growth for both.

Some analysts have suggested that the two companies need the merger in order to save costs, but BAE's Ian King and EADS' Tom Enders said in the editorial Monday that the merger was "a chance, not a necessity" and blasted "myths and misconceptions" about the deal.

They say "with the necessary political will and support, management determination and proper governance, BAE Systems and EADS can produce a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts."

EADS is jointly French and German-owned while BAE is based in Britain.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-01-BAE-EADS/id-f65c50e06b9c4f79b3dbff61a89f0c78

buffalo bills minnesota vikings pittsburgh steelers seattle seahawks ryan tannehill cispa baltimore ravens