Giants Sign Miguel Tejada to Replace Uribe

Well, the Giants' front office are keeping Giants reporters (and us bloggers) occupied here early in the winter, as they made their counter-move to the Dodgers' signing of Juan Uribe within 36 hours of hearing news that the infielder wouldn't be returning to San Francisco in 2011.

I haven't yet had a chance to talk to anyone close enough to the team yet to verify, but something tells me the Giants had Tejada in mind all along as a backup plan to Uribe. Otherwise, I don't see how they could have acted so quickly. My suggestion in the previous post was to wait out the market and see what happens with arbitration eligible shortstops (J.J. Hardy, Yunel Escobar and Jason Bartlett were a few guys who may have been available via trade, or non-tender free agency), but they already had a plan. In the end, it's going to be Miguel Tejada who will be manning shortstop for your 2011 San Francisco Giants, as the Giants got him on a 1 year, $6.5 million deal. I know said I cringed at the idea of Tejada starting at shortstop for the Giants, but after looking at his deal, and really comparing him both offensively and defensively to Uribe over the last few seasons, it doesn't seem like such a bad signing after all. Maybe they catch lightning in a bottle again like they did with Huff last year and Tejada returns to that .313/14/86/.795 line he put up with Houston in 2009. Last year, Tejada's average dipped down to a career low .269 (20 points higher than Uribe in '10), but he still managed to hit 16 homers and drive in 71 runs, so when comparing his numbers to Uribe's, they really aren't far off. Miggy probably won't hit as many dingers, but will carry an average 20-30 points higher than Uribes, and bring roughly the same defense and may end up driving in more runs as he's more productive with runners on base. Uribe is slighly better defensively, as he's younger and may have a little more range and stronger arm, but I don't think the defensive fallout will be that noticeable. If the opportunity presents itself for Sabean to get a better option at shortstop (who knows, maybe he swipes Jose Reyes from the Mets, who are shopping him, or gets Hardy from the Twins) there's a chance Tejada ends up as a super-utility guy like Uribe was in 2009 as he brings the same versatility as Uribe.

Again, Tejada is what he is, a veteran on the decline who's best years are behind him, but he's still got some positive traits he can bring to a club. 2 years ago, I would have screamed at Sabes for this deal, but I do see some logic in this one. Look at how all Sabes 1-year deals turned out last season (Uribe, Huff and Burrell (in-season signing in May)). It's those 2+ year deals with the veterans where he's getting in trouble, and since he got Miggy without having to commit 2 or more years, I have to call that a win in itself. Tejada is going to be a nice clubhouse presence like Renteria and Uribe were, and he should be just about as productive, at about 1/2 the price the Giants paid the Uribe/Renteria duo in 2010 (roughly 12.5 million between them). Now, that said, I don't think Sabean is done adding to this infield and may find another guy more defense-worthy for shortstop. Right now, the backup to Uribe would be either Mike Fontenot or Emmanuel Burris, and neither of those guys are necessarily defensive wizards at short. Like I said in the last post, and since they've now singed Tejada, it wouldn't surprise me to see this move followed with the signing of a guy (Cesar Izturis?) to be that defensive caddy at short. Either way, with the winter meetings just 1 short week away, baseball hot stove is about to pick up, and the Giants now get to put their primary focus into finding a corner outfielder with some punch to take Burrell's spot. I think Adam Dunn would be choice under the right terms, but then read his agent was seeking deals starting at 4/$60M, which is probably 2 years and about $30 million more than the Giants would go.

I just hope that in the offseason after their first World Series win in San Francisco history, they're able to lure in somebody a little bigger than just Miguel Tejada. The two guys I see as perfect fits for this yard who are available but would come at a price are obviously Carl Crawford, but also Jose Reyes, who may cost them Jonathan Sanchez and Brandon Belt in a trade with New York, but if healthy, could hit 40 triples per-year at AT&T.

Iron Horse Roundup- October/November 2010 Edition

BBC Photo

INDONESIA: At least 36 people were killed in an October 2nd collision between two trains at the Petarukan station on the island of Java.

Officials believe that a signalling error one one of the trains was what led the Jakarta-Surabaya train to collide with the rear cars of the stopped Semarang-bound train.

That same day, another accident in nearby Solo resulted in at least one fatality.

UKRAINE: At least 43 people were killed when a train collided with a bus packed with commuters in the eastern part of the country on October 12.

Officials from Ukraine's interior ministry said eyewitnesses reported that the bus ignored warning lights and bells from the level crossing in the town of Marhanets in the Dnipropetrovsk region that indicated an approaching train.

All of the fatalities were on the bus.

Doyle Massey

UNION PACIFIC: Aside from it's regularly featured stint of hauling visitors between Denver, CO and Cheyenne, WY for Cheyene's annual Frontier Days, Union Pacific's 4-6-6-4 Challenger #3985 also got to stretch its legs hauling the Ringling Bros. Circus train from Cheyenne southbound to Denver at the end of September. The #3985 then continued on with the scheduled Missouri River Eagle excursion to Kansas City and St. Louis after briefly returning to Cheyenne.

Here, the 3985 is seen racing southbound through Platteville, CO with the circus train on its way to Denver on September 28, 2010.

Cody Zamostny

FT. WAYNE RAILROAD HISTORICAL SOCIETY: The gem of the FWRHS's collection, 1944 Lima-built Berkshire Nickel Plate 2-8-4 #765, has been pretty busy since Labor Day. In September, she was deadheaded over the Norfolk Southern and Wheeling & Lake Erie to Akron, OH where she operated a series of excursions over the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

In October, the 765 powered a series of excursions out of Owosso, MI for the Steam Railroading Institute while their own Berkshire- Pere Marquette #1225- is being disassembled for it's 15 year FRA boiler inspection.

Upon completion of her whirlwind tour through the Buckeye and Great Lakes State, the 765 returned to the FWRHS facilities in New Haven, IN where she'll go into storage for the winter.

NORTH CAROLINA: The Aberdeen, Carolina & Western has acquired a pair of former Canadian National, nee Wisconsin Central SD40-3 locomotives for service on it's line between Gulf and Charlotte, NC.

CONNECTICUT: Six cars of an 80 car unit ethanol train derailed in the late night hours of November 9th at the Providence & Worcester yard in Willamantic, CT. The derailment took place within yard limits, which meant that the train was travelling at a slow speed. None of the derailed cars ruptured, and the contents of the tank cars were transloaded from the two that had actually hit the ground. The train had arrived from Rail America-affiliated New England Central and Brattleboro, VT.

There were no injuries and the FRA continues to investigate the cause of the derailment.

NORTH DAKOTA: Officials from the Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western are disputing the FRA's findings regarding a March 2010 derailment in Washburn, ND that killed DMV&W conductor Jeff Heitzmann and injured the train's engineer. The FRA's report stated that an obstructed drainage ditch contributed to that saturation and undermining of the roadbed which in turn sent the lead two locomotives down an embankment.

The DMV&W, however, said that the stretch of track where the derailment took place had been inspected regularly in the weeks prior to the derailment and hasn't been a problem in their nearly 20 years of operating the line between Bismarck and Max, ND. Railroad officials insist that it was an underground spring located some 6 or 7 feel below the roadbed that undermined the track, causing the derailment.

Cards Trade for Theriot and pick up Tallet

The St. Louis Cardinals got a new infielder in Ryan Theriot, the Los Angeles Dodgers fortified their bullpen with Blake Hawksworth

Dealing from surplus after signing free agent infielder Juan Uribe, the Dodgers sent Theriot to St. Louis for Hawksworth on Tuesday.

The Cardinals completed another deal, too, signing free agent pitcher Brian Tallet. Theriot and Tallet were teammates on the 2000 LSU team that won the NCAA title.

Theriot hit .270 with 29 RBIs last season while with the Chicago Cubs and Dodgers. He has played both middle infield spots, but prefers shortstop.
"We felt this was a really good fit for us," Mozeliak said. "This is not necessarily the last move we're going to make between now and opening day, but if we did have to start today he would likely be our shortstop."

Music to Theriot's ears.

"I think every player as a competitor should go in there with that mindset," Theriot said in a conference call. "I don't want to be that utility player, I want to be out there playing. I can't help a team if I'm sitting on the bench."

Mozeliak said last year's starting shortstop, Brendan Ryan, would either be traded or would become a utility backup. Ryan has great range defensively but had a poor offensive season, batting .223 with a .279 on-base percentage.

"I'm not going to rule out anything right now," Mozeliak said. "It's way too soon to decide that fate."

Also too soon to say for sure that Theriot will play shortstop. Mozeliak said Theriot could move to second base, where converted outfielder Skip Schumaker has started the last two seasons, if the Cardinals can find a better shortstop upgrade the rest of the offseason.

Theriot, who turns 31 next week, was traded with pitcher Ted Lilly from the Cubs to the Dodgers last July 31.
Mozeliak said the Cardinals tried to acquire Theriot last summer.

Theriot batted a career-high .307 in 2008 and is a lifetime .284 hitter in 663 games. He is third among middle infielders in multihit games over the past three seasons, trailing only Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano, and has stolen at least 20 bases in each of the last four seasons.

Theriot became expendable when the Dodgers signed Uribe. The 31-year-old Uribe hit a career-best 24 home runs last season for the World Series champion San Francisco Giants, mostly playing shortstop.

Theriot lost his shortstop job to rookie Starling Castro in Chicago, and thought changing positions affected his offense. He played only second base after the trade to the Dodgers.

"When you take a player out of his comfort zone, it affects their whole game," Theriot said. "Shortstop's the most comfortable. It's what I grew up playing."

Hawksworth went 4-8 with a 4.98 ERA in 45 games, including eight starts. The 27-year-old righty went 4-0 as a rookie in 2009.

Hawksworth's season ended when he was hit in the face by a line drive in late September. He needed about 20 stitches after being struck by the liner off the bat of the Cubs' Sam Fuld.

Tallet, who agreed to a $750,000, one-year deal, spent the last five years with Toronto. The 33-year-old lefty was 2-6 with a 6.40 ERA in 34 games, five of them starts.

Tallet is 16-23 with a 4.65 ERA in 223 games with Toronto and Cleveland. He made a career-high 25 stars for the Blue Jays in 2009 and held left-handed hitters to a .176 batting average.

Mozeliak said Tallet would be used as a left-handed specialist as the replacement for Dennys Reyes, who is a free agent.

10 Reasons Why I Parted Ways With Sanctimonious, Dishonest, Ponytailed Blogger

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of husky, pony-tailed blogger Charles Johnson making his contrived, self-serving ideological pivot official on his blog. On November 30, 2009 Charles Johnson officially 'broke' with the vast right wing conspiracy in a lengthy, petulant screed titled 'Why I parted ways with the right'. The thing is, when he had been earlier linking to conservative sites like Pajamas Media or Hot Air, he claimed that he never was a conservative or part of the right to begin with- which made his blatant attention whoring all the more disingenuous.

There's also the notion that Johnson bailed because he wanted to remain on the side of whoever was in charge. During LGF's heyday, that was the Bush Administration- and now, during it's precipitous, inevitable decline, Johnson and his hangers-on are making every effort to rally around the Obama Administration and portray the GOP as greedy, racist, clueless obstructionists (which also proves that Johnson's pretty bad at math too, since the GOP won't be able to 'obstruct' much of anything until January when 63 new members will be sworn in to the House of Representatives).

Speaking of, I wonder how it feels to so publicly and vocally attach yourself to the Democrats and progressives before their worst Congressional losses since the end of WWII. Also keep in mind Johnson was pretty much finished with the right when Chris Cristie, Robert McDonnell and Scott Brown won their respective elections in late 2009 early 2010.

Still, in the spirit of the 1-year mark, I thought I'd make my own list of why I broke with Johnson's blog

10) Moderate and popular New England Republicans like Scott Brown supposedly are the spearhead for some massive Tea Party/Ron Paul/John Birch Society/Big Oil/Gold Merchant/Climate Denier conspiracy according to speculation by Johnson.

9) Johsnon's supposedly well thought out and introspective reasons for parting with the right read like a half-assed laundry list of boilerplate talking points from Media Matters or Act Blue. Seriously, it might as well have been titled 'Me! Me! Me! It's all about me! Now praise me for how principled I am!'. This is conduct I'd expect from an attention starved 6-year old, not a middle aged man with a once-credible blog that had tens of thousands of hits a day.

8) Besides longtime conservative posters, the 'purges' from LGF in late 2009 included a large number of both Jewish and Military veteran posters. I'm convinced that was by design on his part.

7) Open hostility or antipathy towards religion- with two notable exceptions; Islam and the Church of Climate Change

6) Encouraging disdain and outright dismissal of any news story that ran on FOX News (even if the same story was running concurrently on other news outlets) while posting as gospel truth opinion pieces from blogs such as crooks and liars, media matters or the Huffington Post.

5) Encouraging disdain and outright dismissal of any news story and public or media figure that appeared on the FOX network UNTIL Johnson's appearance on Alan Colmes' radio show....which aired on FOX News/Talk radio.

4) Flags.....Good Lord. For a man of Charles Johnson's supposed intellect, he sure gets worked up (and frequently tripped up) by easily researched matters such as flags. Seriously.

3) Contrived guilt-by-association from Johnson, but only directed at those on the right. Apparently the Tea Party, Sarah Palin, Glen Beck and talk radio were responsible for the death of a Kentucky Census worker or the Texas man who flew an airplane into an IRS Field office. But as far as the Discovery Channel gunman or homicidal University of Alabama-Huntsville professor Amy Bishop and their political leanings are concerned, then the 'No true Scotsman' argument applies there.

2) The other remaining posters at LGF. Ever have to visit some particularly activist, obnoxious, strident and in your face relatives for the Holidays? They're on the opposite end of the political spectrum, but will take advantage of having a quasi captive audience to lecture and browbeat you, even though it will do little to change you mind? That's what the majority of the 'new' LGF posters were like, emboldened after the 2009 bloodletting.

1) The administrators or 'monitor lizards'. Just as bad as the posters, only they had the ability to make your posts disappear for high crimes like mentioning President Barack Hussein Obama's middle name. Attempting to debate them was even worse, since they'd simply deny, dodge and obfuscate- then after moving around the goal posts on their terms, claim they had prevailed. 'Monitor lizards' were also known to type out lengthy, vitriolic screeds hoping that global warming skeptics would be rounded up and put into prison camps, opponents of a civilian trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would be deported to North Korea and members of the Tea Party would be publicly shot and killed...and I won't even start with the disturbing fixation regarding Sarah Palin some of them maintain. Keep in mind these are the sort of individuals Johnson not only wanted to keep around on his blog, but granted them admin status while others were banned for pointing out how much the blog had changed.

Feds Arrest Somali Immigrant in Oregon Terrorism Plot

A 19 year old Somali-born immigrant was arrested by the Feds in a sting on Friday after twice dialling a number on a cell phone he believed would detonate explosives in a van parked adjacent to a crowd gathered to watch a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, OR.

U.S. Attorney Dwight Holton released federal court documents to The Associated Press and the Oregonian newspaper that show the sting operation began in June after an undercover agent learned that 19-year-old Mohamed Osman Mohamud had been in regular e-mail contact with an "unindicted associate" in Pakistan's northwest, a frontier region where Al Qaeda and Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents are strong.

An FBI document reveals that Mohamud had contact with the suspected terrorist in Aug. 2009. In Dec. 2009, Mohamud discussed the possibility of traveling to Pakistan to engage in violent jihad.

Mohamud was arrested at 5:40 p.m. Friday just after he dialed a cell phone that he thought would set off the blast but instead brought federal agents and police swooping down on him. The bomb was an elaborate fake supplied by the agents and the public was never in danger, authorities said.

Already there are sob stories circulating of how poor young Mohamud was the victim of entrapment. For those of you who feel that way, ask yourself if you would feel the same if the lad's name was Billy Jo from Tennessee who had been corresponding regularly with senior members of the KKK or Aryan Nation plotting to do the exact same thing.

Grounded Mexicana Stewardesses Raise Funds by Debuting Sultry Calendar

Aeromozas Mexicana Facebook

Flight attendants from a bankrupt Mexican airline have chipped in to produce a calendar featuring themselves clad in bikinis or skimpy versions of airline uniforms.

After 89 years in business, Mexicana Airlines suspended service in August of this year after competition from newer low-cost regional carriers, disputes with labor unions and a US$125 million debt caused it to file for a Comercia Concurso (the equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy). Negotiations are underway to resume limited service and bring back about 30% of the Mexicana employees next month.

10-year Mexicana veteran Coral Perez came up with the idea of the calendar in the hopes that the publicity would help revive the grounded carrier (one of the world's oldest international airlines) and cover their expenses since Mexicana ceased operations at the end of August. She and nine other former co-workers posed for pictures and planned to release about 1000 copies of the Calendar. The first run had sold out even before they were released last week, prompting the 'aeromozas' (flight attendants) to release a 2nd edition of 3000 additional calendars.

The high-flying Latina calendar girls have even set up their own Facebook page (in Spanish) as well.

"We're not models, we don't have perfect bodies, but we want to keep going," said Rozy Arcos, one of the stewardesses who presented the calendar late Thursday.

Despite Sra. Arcos' insistence that she wasn't a model with a perfect body, I wasn't exactly cringing and averting my eyes upon first glance at the calendar.

I'll let you be the judge, however.

[Hat tip: Wyatt Earp]

LESLIE NIELSEN: 1926-2010

"Laurence Olivier of Spoofs" Passes Away in his Sleep at Ft. Lauderdale Home.

Nielsen, best known for his portrayal of bumbling detective Frank Drebin in the Naked Gun series of movies (as well as the short-lived Police Squad! TV series) was born in Regina, Saskatchewan and would go on to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force before becoming a disc jockey.

From there, he managed to land a number of roles in Toronto and New York, and starred in 'serious' films and TV shows like Hawaii 5-0, The Poseidon Adventure and Alfred Hitchcock Presents before leaving his mark in the disaster film parody Airplane! in 1980. Like his later work in the Naked Gun series, Nielsen's specialty seemed to be portraying a serious, stoic individual that was oblivious to the absurdity taking place around him.

Uribe Leaves Giants for Dodger Blue

Well, if you've been following Giants' news over the past few days, your no stranger to the fact that Juan Uribe was in talks with the Dodgers about signing in LA to play 2nd base. It looks like those talks are coming to fruition, as Uribe has now signed the deal and is just awaiting a Tuesday physical in the Dominican to wrap things up.

Uribe and the Dodgers have agreed on a 3-year, $21 million deal that will put Uribe in the Dodgers' infield along with Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal and James Loney. The 31 year-old figures to spend most his time at 2nd in LA, but as Giants' fans know, has the versatility to move around the infield. I'm not surprised Uribe is leaving, just a little surprised, in a middle-infield thin market, he signed so soon. He was a steady contributor for the Giants in his 2-year stint here, but I don't blame Sabes for not wanting to match the Dodgers offer of 3 years. 2 years at $7 million for Uribe would be doable, but that 3rd year is the killer. That's probably what Sabean was talking about when he said the parties weren't in the same waters during early negotiations... Never the less, Juan Uribe, the man who was so crucial for the Giants in the NLCS and World Series, will be an enemy next season, and not just a regular enemy either. In the same month as winning a World Series with the Giants, he signs with the Dodgers of all teams! After Huff signed his deal, I was hoping it would be a matter of days before the Giants announced an Uribe re-signing, because now the cupboard is pretty bare for them as far as shortstops are concerned.

We talked pretty extensively about the other free agent options at shortstop in our previous post here, so I don't need to run through the less-than-impressive list of names that remain available at the position now that Uribe is has gone south. And all I have to say to you Derek Jeter-dreamers; wouldn't you rather see that money go into Carl Crawford (who's 7 years younger and an ideal fit at AT&T Park)? I don't expect Sabean to make any knee-jerk reaction and go out and sign/trade for a middle infielder within 48 hours, in-fact, I think it would be wise of him to back off of the shortstop position for a bit now that the one plausible free agent is gone, and focus elsewhere. There are a few names on the arbitration list who may be available via trade or even possible non-tenders (though I doubt any club will just non-tender a valuable middle infielder in this market). I keep hearing the name Miguel Tejada thrown out there, and I just cringe, cause he'd seem to fit Sabean's MO. A veteran who can play the left side who may come cheaply and turn out to be a diamond in the rough, a la Huff and Uribe. The Giants have supposedly already had talks with him too, but if they did in-fact bring in Miguel Tejada, I doubt he'd be the only guy shouldering the SS load. I think Sabean would have bring someone else aboard who is a little more able with the glove(maybe his old pal in Baltimore, Cesar Izturis)... Again, we're still finishing up November, and the offseason is still young, but the shortstop options are few and far between, and the Giants lost their top-candidate Monday. I'm anxious to see what Sabean has up his sleeve after this one.

Turkey Sports Chowdah Recap- BC End Regular Season w/Orange Crush; Huskies BCS Bound? Pats Lion Down on the Job; B's Thrashed; Land that Shaq Forgot

NCAA FOOTBALL: Holy crap, where to start?

Boston College finished up its regular season with a road trip to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY to renew their rivalry with the Syracuse Orangemen. This would be the first meeting between the Orangemen and Eagles football since Boston College left the Big East in 2004. And BC would have to get it done without RB Montel Harris, who underwent surgery on his left knee after last week's game against Virginia.

Stepping in to fill the void was freshman tailback Andre Williams, who's increased playing time saw him net 185 yards on 42 carries and BC's only TD on the day. The Eagles carried a 6-0 shutout into halftime thanks to two Nate Freese FG's from inside the 30 yard line before Syracuse briefly took a 7-6 lead in the 3rd quarter.

BC would go on to take the lead for good on the following possession which started from their own 22 and culminated with Williams TD run from inside the Syracuse red zone after shaving 4 and a half minutes off the game clock. Freese would add a FG to round out the Eagles scoring and LB Matt Herzlich intercepted Ryan Nassib's pass on the following Syracuse possession with 1:28 remaining to ice BC's 16-7 win over the Orangemen.

Both Boston College and Syracuse finish the 2010 regular season with identical 7-5 records, with the Eagles winning their last five straight- including four against ACC opponents. Saturday was a fairly quiet day for Eagles QB Chase Rettig, going 11-19 with 110 yards and rushing for 13 more.

It was looking pretty bad with all of BC's losses coming in 5 consecutive weeks, but the Eagles were able to persevere and finish strong, and hopefully this will be rewarded with an invitation to their 11th straight bowl game.

ELSEWHERE IN THE ACC: The University of Miami fired head football coach Randy Shannon after the Hurricane's 23-20 OT loss to the University of South Florida. The Hurricanes had lost two straight and like BC and Syracuse, finished with a record of 7-5.

*The ACC Championship game will kick off at 7:45 PM Saturday night at Charlotte, NC. #21 Ranked Florida State will take on #15 Virginia Tech for the conference title and a BCS berth.

BIG EAST: My my....the plot thickens in the Nutmeg state.

With a 7-4 record after easily handling defending Big East Champions Cincinnati on Saturday night, the UConn Huskies may be heading to a BCS bowl with at least a share of the Big East title.

Although it got as close as 24-17 at one point in the 4th, the Huskies led the whole night in their 38-17 win over the Bearcats. RB Jordan Todman had 31 carries for 175 yards and 3TDs while Huskies QB Zach Frazier went 11-24 with 121 yards, a touchdown and an INT and DT Kendall Reyes ran back a Zach Collaros interception 70+ yards (it was initially run back all the way, but a blocking penalty nullified the TD and gave UConn the ball on the Bearcats 15).

Now here's where it gets a little strange- although #23 West Virginia thrashed the Pitt Panthers by a 35-10 final and have a better record than UConn at the moment, UConn holds the tiebreaker over both Pitt and #23 West Virginia. Whether or not UConn can get at least a share of the Big East's BCS berth will come down to whether or not they can win their remaining regular season game, a road game against the 7-4 South Florida Bulls (keep in mind USF just came off a win against Miami (FL) in OT on Saturday).

Kickoff will be at 8PM ET at Tampa on Saturday night.

OTHER BIG EAST NEWS: The Texas Christian board of directors announced that they have accepted an invitation that will send the Horned Frogs to the Big East conference effective July 1, 2012. TCU had been with the Mountain West conference since the 2005 season.

ELSEWHERE IN NCAAF: Huge upset in Reno, NV where the #19 Ranked Nevada Wolfpack bested the #3 ranked Boise State Broncos in overtime on Friday night, handing the Broncos their first loss since the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl. After taking a 24-7 lead into halftime, it appeared as though the Broncos were just toying with Nevada, seemingly able to put the game out of reach at any given moment.

While Nevada was able to come back and tie up the game at 24-24 in the 4th quarter, the Broncos pulled ahead on a Kellen Moore pass to Doug Martin for 79 yards that put Boise State up 31-24 with just over 5 minutes to go.

Nevada would respond with a 4 and a half minute drive from their own 21 and managed to tie the game at 31-31 with 17 seconds left in regulation. Incredibly, with only 9 seconds left in regulation and starting out on their own 38, Broncos QB Kellen Moore made a 53 yard completion to WR Titus Young setting up a go-ahead 26 yard Field Goal attempt by Kyle Brotzman with 2 seconds left in the 4th.

Inexplicably, Brotzman's kick missed, sending the game to OT, where one would assume he'd have the chance to redeem himself. However, with Boise getting the 1st possession of OT, he would end up missing from the 29 yard line as well while Nevada's Anthony Martinez would boot the game winning FG on the Wolfpack's only possession in OT.

The 34-31 OT win puts the Wolfpack at #17 in the BCS standings and drops Boise state to #11.

NFL: For the first time since 2002, the New England Patriots wound up playing on Thanksgiving Day against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

The Patriots actually headed into halftime in this one trailing 17-10 and would actually go on to trail 24-17 in the 3rd before Brady connected with Deion Branch for 79 yards and a TD to tie everything up at 24-24.

The 4th quarter was all New England, though, with Brady connecting with Wes Welker and Branch (again) for a pair of TDs and Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis rushing for one inside the Lions 5 to put the game away and give the Pats a 45-24 win.

Branch had 3 receptions for 119 yards and two TDs while Welker had 8 catches for 90 yards and two TDs of his own. As far as the running game was concerned, the law offices of Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis had 12 carries for 59 yards and 2 TDs and Brady went 21-27 for 341 yards and 4 TD passes.

On the defensive side of the ball, CB Devin McCourty had two INTs and the kicking game was perfect with Shayne Graham making his only field goal attempt to the day,

This is starting to feel a little like a bye week, with the Pats having played 3 days before most of the other teams and having until Monday, December 6 for their next game. The Pats will host the Jets at Foxboro for their final Monday Night football appearance of the 2010 season. Interestingly, the Jets also played on Thanksgiving, easily dispatching the Cincinnati Bengals by a 26-10 margin for the late game on Thanksgiving.

NBA: The Celtics managed to bounce back from a narrow loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, this time manging to down the Raptors 110-101 on a busy night from 'old timers' Kevin Garnett (26 points, 11 rebounds) and Shaquille O'Neal (16 points) for their third win in a row.

Their next game will be against the Cavs at Cleveland on Tuesday night.

OTHER CELITCS NEWS: D'OH!

You may not be the only one thrown off by the C's light schedule over the weekend. None other than Shaquille O'Neal missed a scheduled practice on Monday after forgetting the start time. Glen Davis took his spot among the starting players though.

NHL: The Bruins have managed to lose two in a row and three out of four to Southeast Division opponents. After getting shut out at home 3-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Bruins travelled to Atlanta Sunday where they were downed 4-1 by the home team. Tukka Rask stopped 22 of 26 shots faced and Blake Wheeler had the only goal for Boston (with assists from Ryder and Lucic) midway through the 2nd period.

For their next game, the Bruins will be travelling to Philly to take on the 15-6-4 Flyers on Wednesday night.

MLB: Victor Martinez and the Detroit Tigers have reached a 4 year $50 million deal- pending a physical- while the Red Sox declined salary arbitration with Jason Varitek. The Red Sox are likely interested in retaining Tek's services, hoping he could mentor Jarrod Saltalamacchia who was picked up from the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline in 2010. By not offering salary arbitration to the veteran catcher, the Sox are likely attempting to retain his services under reworked contract.

Today's Train of Thought- Foliage Along the Main Street of Montana; Nov 26, 2010

Proving that the northeast doesn't have the monopoly on fall colors, today's Train of Thought comes to us from Big Sky Country as the aspens in the Rockies begin to turn to gold courtesy of railpictures.net contributor mtgteam2.

Here, a duo of new Montana Rail Link's new SD70ace's lead westbound manifest freight LM (Laurel, MT to Missoula) through Nimrod, MT with a few miles remaining before reaching its destination of Missoula. The SD70ace's were purchased new in 2005 and have begun gradually replacing the older SD40s and SD45s that were purchased secondhand, some of them dating as far back as the 1987 formation of the MRL.

Happy Thanksgiving From Not Another New England Sports Blog!

Just a quick note to wish all the visitors of this blog a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

There actually isn't a whole lot known about this image in terms of date and title, just that this was the creation of New Zealand born artist Ted Withers, who was active between 1950 and 1961 with the Minneapolis-based Brown & Bigelow, an advertising and promotions company that also holds the right to works by Frederic Remington, Gil Elvgren and Norman Rockwell.

Pre Holiday Sports Chowdah- Peyton's Misplaced; Recchi-ng Ball Hits NHL Milestone; BC, UConn Can Go Bowling; C's Oversee Net Losses

NFL: Wow....I've been meaning to get caught up on this for awhile now.

So...did any of you see that Colts/Pats game on Sunday? And with less than a minute to go in the 4th, Peyton Manning was all 'I think I'll put us in position for the game tying field goal or even get a game winning TD' and James Sanders was like all 'Nuh-uh!' and 'Yoink!' when he intercepted Manning's 1st and 10 pass attempt at the Pats 6 yard line?

Yeah- that was pretty awesome.

You know what else was awesome? When Danny Woodhead scrambled for that 36 yard TD run to make it a 28-14 New England lead towards the end of the third quarter. Seriously, thank you Jets for giving up on the diminutive RB and cutting him loose at the start of the season.

Anywhoo, granted that this is old news, but I thought worth re-visiting by virtue of the outcome. The Pats led by as much as 21-7 until the closing seconds of the first half and 31-14 early in the 4th quarter. However, New England would watch its once sizable lead evaporate when Peyton Manning put together two TD drives, each clocking in at about two and a half minutes and working on what could very well have been a 3rd touchdown drive were it not for Pat's safety James Sanders timely interception at the New England 6 yard line.

Seriously- even tho' Manning almost managed to dig himself the early hole with those two earlier interceptions, did anybody think that the Colts would jusr roll over like spayed cocker spaniel? Me neither...

New England hangs on to win by the final of 31-28- not pretty or the strongest of finishes, but certainly effective. Brady went 19-25 with 186 passing yards and two TDs. Danny Woodhead had 7 carries for 69 yards and the TD while Brandon Merriweather, Devin McCourty, and of course James Sanders, each had interceptions on the day.

The Pats will travel next to Ford Field to take on the Detroit Tigers on Thanksgiving Day at 12:30 PM ET, 9:30 AM Pacific

Joel Auerbach/Getty

Coming off of a brief 2-game skid in which they lost in overtime at home to the LA Kings over the weekend and were downed by the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 on Monday night, the Boston Bruins would continue their swing through the sunshine state in the hopes of halting their losing streak- or at least having Mark Recchi score his 1500th career point- while visiting the Florida Panthers Wednesday night.

Hmm...How about both?

After falling behind 1-0 late in the 2nd, the Bruins responded by scoring a shorthanded goal from Brad Marchand only 8 seconds into the third period to tie the game up at 1-1. Just under 3 minutes later, Recchi got the go ahead tally on an even strength goal as well as an insurance goal that came on a Bruins power play with 4 minutes remaining in the 3rd. Bruins win by the final of 3-1. Tim Thomas now has an 11-1-1 record after stopping 31 shots faced and Mark Recchi now becomes the 13th player to reach the 1500 point mark.

The Bruins will next take on the Carolina Hurricanes at noon Eastern on Friday, Nov. 26.

NCAA FOOTBALL: After dropping five straight, including four against ACC opponent, who would'vc thought the Boston College Eagles would be bowl-eligible?

But that's exactly what happened after BC's 17-13 win over Virginia on Saturday, although with one game remaining against Syracuse this season, it begs the question of whether or not BC will even get an invite.

Speaking of Syracuse, that's exactly who the UConn Huskies had as their opponent at an away game inside the Carrier Dome on Saturday night. With the 23-6 win, Connecticut is now bowl-eligilbe as well, with a 6-4 record. The Huskies will take on the Cincinnati Bearcats at home on noon Saturday before closing out regular season play on the road against the South Florida Bulls the following weekend.

ELSEWHERE IN NCAA FOOTBALL: Two different ballparks were put to use in the offseason by the NCAA as football venues. Wrigley Field hosted it's first football game in nearly 40 years when the Wrigleyville Classic between Northwestern and Illinois. Less than 36 hours before kickoff, Big 10 officials announced that due to the tight confines of the East end zone up against a brick wall, plays would only be run towards the west end zone (Wrigley's 3rd base dugout). The only time there was any action in the West End zone was when Northwestern safety Brian Peters returned an interception 59 yards to the forbidden end zone in Northwestern's 27-48 loss to Illinois.

Halfway across the country, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat down the US Army Black Knights in the Bronx in a game that was primarily noteworthy for being the first NCAA football game in the new Yankee stadium. The 27-3 win for the Irish means that they are now bowl-eligible after garnering a 6-5 record while Army came into Yankee stadiun already bowl-eligible after their 45-28 win over Kent State on Nov. 13.

NBA: After losing two fairly close games to a Kevin Durant-less Oklahoma City Thunder and the Toronto Raptors, The C's won back-to-back games starting with a 99-76 blowout of the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of Wednesday's mathchup against the Nets was how well Shaq was playing (9-10 with 25 points and 7 of 13 from the free throw line) after losing Rajon Rondo to a hamstring injury while losing Delonte West to a broken right wrist in the 89-83 win over New Jersey.

The C's next game will be at home against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night

Giants Offer Juan Uribe Arbitration

Just Tuesday night, within 24 hours of the Giants signed Aubrey Huff to that 2 year/$22M deal, the team announced they will offer free agent infielder Juan Uribe arbitration.

Not much of a surprise, and smart move by Sabean, as Uribe was the lone Giants' free agent I expected them to offer arbitration to. Uribe is one of the premiere left-corner infielders on the free-agent market, with the ability to play both SS and 3B at respectable levels, with a solid line of roughly .266/25/80/.770 per-500 ab's and a knack for the clutch hit over the last two seasons. Just go back and look at the 2010 postseason and you'll see what Uribe means to this team. He didn't have great batting average, but it seemed like everytime he did get hits, he made them count. There are some negatives though, as he's a bit of a free-swinger and as a side effect, not too patient at the plate (though he did have a career-high 45 BB in 2010) and he'll strikeout his fair share. However, all things considered, he's certainly a guy you want on your team. He's not a great defender, but has OK range with good hands, a great arm and comes up with that occasional great play. Now, if he's demanding some gaudy number like 3 years/$30+ million like I heard mentioned on the radio the other day, then the Giants let him walk and receive a high draft pick in comenstation. Kind of a win-win as he's surely to sign somewhere or the Giants would take him back with open arms.

Money wise, I think I'd try and go a little lower than what Huff got (Uribe plays tougher positions on defense, but Huff had the better numbers offensively). Maybe a little less, like 2 years and $18.5 million. Go read over the list on the free agent/arbitration eligible list for 3B/SS and it's pretty dismal. Outside of Jeter (who, again, if the Giants are going to spend 18 million on a player, it better be Crawford) and possible Japanese middle infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka (who I am very intrigued with and the Giants have shown some interest in), and $9 million a year for Uribe starts to make some sense. I don't have any doubts in his defensive abibilties and I think he'll easily keep both those and his offensive punch for another two seasons. It seems like he's been around for a while, but he's still just 31. Look what Sabes gave Edgar Renteria after the year he had just finished playing with Detroit in 2008, and there's no way Uribe's that bad, plus he plays two other positions unlike Renteria (who I will always have a place in my heart for based on what he did in the playoffs with a torn bisceps muscle for the Giants, that took some cahones)... Speaking of Edgar, who's apparently deciding to play again, I doubt he has a future here, but if he doesn't find a job elsewhere, why not give him an invite to spring training on a minor league deal if he'll it. Wouldn't guarantee him anything big (maybe a 1 year/$1-2M just to say thank you for playoffs 2010 if nothing else). Not talking about singing him as your opening day starter at short, but wouldn't be a bad, cheaper replacement to Mike Fontenot (due a decent raise in arbitration and likely to be non-tendered), and a great caddy to Uribe short, if the can get both back. We took a look at some FA/Arb. Eligible SS's here in our last post, and it's not an eye popping list, so an Uribe/Renteria or Uribe/TBA (Manny Burris if he get's his health and 2008 confidence back, or another strong defender) isn't looking like that bad off an option right now if they chose to go down the Uribe-rout at short. And he's a Type-B free agent, so the Giants wouldn't be getting maximum compensation for him anyway.

Joe Paterno is coming back ......again!

All the news around here in Happy Valley is that Joe Paterno is coming back for one more year. I suppose now would be the time for him to stock up on his much needed supplies for next year......









Yes folks, at 84, JoePa is going to give it another year. However, that's another year that someone will not be gaining any head coaching experience at PSU. There is much love and respect for what you did Joe......now it's time to walk away while it's good and enjoy RETIREMENT. Let other kids play Joe!

Huff's Back, 2 Years/$22 Million

Well, it was obvious both sides genuinely wanted to get a deal done, and they did so quicker than even I expected Tuesday morning, as the Giants signed first basemen Aubrey Huff to a 2 year, $22 Million deal.

My first thoughts were, good, Huff's back, but those were immediately followed by the wow! $22 million! Still, I think it's safe to say that the majority of Giants fans wanted Huff back, we all knew it would take more than 1 year, and at $11M per season, it's only about $2-3 more than I was expecting he'd get. The one spot where this FA market is stocked at is first base, with Adam Dunn, Carlos Pena, Paul Konerko, Derek Lee and Adam LaRoche leading the charge, but the Giants got a great performance out of Huff in 2010 and know he's not detoured from hitting at AT&T Park. If the Giants don't have Aubrey Huff in 2010, no World Series tittle. So did they jump the gun a bit and overpay a tad to get him back, sure, but after what he did for them, the versatility he brings and the presence he provides in that young clubhouse, I don't think this team could have stood to have lost him. Plus, like I said earlier, I think the Giants signed him with the tentative vision of him at first base, but Aubrey played a perfect left field in 2010, granted in just 46 games and has the ability to do so daily. His range is average at best in left, but he's better than Pat Burrell, who never seemed to be much of an issue out there. So signing Huff does still leave Sabes that option to add another bat at first if an un-passable opportunity presented itself.

And with that, the Giants have made their first move since the World Series, and Brian Sabean's attempt to build a tittle defending team is underway. As long as Huff doesn't go all Mark DeRosa on us and get all injury prone all the sudden, then I think he'll be just fine over the next 2 seasons. With the Giants now appear set at first base, it leaves left field and shortstop as the two remaining positions of need. As far as shortstop, the name of the week seems to be Jason Bartlett, as the Rays have prospects on his heels ready to take over, and Bartlett is set to make around $6 million in 2011. The 31 year-old shortstop had a Derek Jeter-like year in the Rays' in 2009, and was a key component to their 2008 success, but fell off big time in 2010. After carrying a .320/14/66/.879 with 30 steals and a near .400 OBP in '09, he fell down to .254/4/47/.675 with 11 steals and a .324 OBP.

It's not just his offense that took the dive in 2010 though, as his defense, for a 30 year-old, has taken a steep decline the last 2 years. He's an athletic, quick guy and I know 2010's lack of production (in all areas of his game) had a lot to do with some nagging health issues. He's a better player than what he showed in '10, but I wouldn't jump at the opportunity to bring him in here. I'm not going to get all into his UZR and Rngr numbers or anything like that, but in simple terms, Bartlett was the 3rd worst defensive shortstop in the AL in 2010 with the range-zone average of Miguel Tejada and Christian Guzman. Yes, he's had bad knees and had ankle issue in 2010, but I'm just not sold on the Bartlett and see him more as a 1 year wonder type deal with declining defense and he really isn't an attractive option. I'd much rather look into guys like J.J. Hardy, Yunel Escobar or Eric Aybar (though I doubt LAA lets him go) as far as arbitration eligibles who may be available. Now if Bartlet end's up non-tendered by Tampa (not likely, but possible), and Uribe's out of the picture, then maybe one a 1-year trial, a la Aubrey Huff, but noway do I give up anything of value for him, and certainly not Jonathan Sanchez.

Just read on Bagg's Blog that the Sabean had discussions with a free agent shortstop today and it wasn't Juan Uribe. Baggs' speculates it could be Jeter, but I doubt I think that if the Giants are going to spend $18 million on a player, it should be Carl Crawford. The other top FA shortstops aren't exactly what you'd call enticing: Cesar Isturis, Orlando Cabrera and Felipe Lopez. The one guy of those 3 who could have an upside is the 30 year-old Lopez who's got talent, but doesn't have the best rep as a clubhouse guy. The same was said of Juan Uribe when he first came over and look how that turned out. Lopez the kind of guy that could come here to SF and settle into a great clubhouse atmosphere and possibly turn things around (in '09 he hit .310/9/57/.810, just not sure he's an everyday shortstop). On a minor league, or 1-year, incenctive laden deal, he may just be worth a look (at worst, you get a cheaper version of Mike Fontenot).

North Korea Shells Populated South Korean Island- South Korea Scrambles Fighters, Returns Fire

North Korea fired artillery rounds at a South Korean military garrison on Yeonpyeong Island on Tuesday, killing a South Korean Marine and setting buildings on fire while prompting the South to return fire. The shelling took place in the midst of South Korean military exercises in the area.

South Korea's YTN TV network aired footage showing columns of smoke rising from the island of about 1300 inhabitants, with the White House issuing a statement condemning the attack while China and the Kremlin cautioned both sides against escalation.

The latest provocation from the North comes only a few days after the isolated, communist state revealed that it was enriching uranium at a facility visited by the US Special envoy on North Korean denuclearization Stephen Bosworth and about a month after an ailing Kim Jong Il announced his son Kim Jong Un as his heir apparent.

In March of this year, a North Korean submarine torpedoed the corvette ROKS Cheonan, killing all 46 South Korean sailors on board.

Hundreds Dead in Cambodia Stampede

Thousands of Cambodians at a riverside festival in the capitol of Phnom Penh stampeded across on an island and across a bridge killing at least 350 people on Tuesday. Some of the victims were spectators lined along the bridge leading off to the island who were knocked into the water or trampled as the fleeing crowd surged its way across the bridge.

An eyewitness said the trouble appeared to start after a concert on the island when about 10 people in the crowd fell unconscious, which in turn set off a panic.

Prime Minister Hun Sen made two live television broadcasts after midnight, giving a preliminary death toll of 181 that he later increased to 190. The website of the newspaper Kampuchea Thmey cited Gen. Sao Sokha, chief of the military police, as saying the death toll could be close to 300, according to information from four hospitals to which bodies were taken.

Authorities had estimated that upward of 2 million people would descend on Phnom Penh for the three-day water festival, which marks the end of the rainy season and whose main attraction is traditional boat races along the river.

The last race ended early Monday evening, the last night of the holiday, and the panic started later on Koh Pich -- Diamond Island -- a long spit of land wedged in a fork in the river where a concert was being held. It was unclear how many people were on the island to celebrate the holiday, though the area appeared to be packed with people, as were the banks.

Seeking to escape the island, part of the crowd pushed onto a bridge, which also jammed up, with people falling under others and into the water. So Cheata said hundreds of hurt people lay on the ground afterward. Some appeared to be unconscious.

Cambodia is one of the region's poorer countries, and has an underdeveloped health system, with hospitals barely able to cope with daily medical demands.

The 3-day water festival, which features traditional boat races, was expected to draw 2 million visitors to Cambodia's capital city.

What? WHO? WhY? WTF? Oh....ok.

This past year my "sports card habits" have truly taken a back seat. Oh sure I picked up a few blaster boxes here and there but I have not spent nowhere near the amount of money I used to spend. Even at my local card shop- all he carries is Topps and I'm not impressed with what he has to offer. With what he carries in terms of products I can find it a lot cheaper by almost 20-30.00 at blowout cards with shipping! I'm even less impressed when he whips out the "Holy Beckett Bible" and looks at the high prices 97.8% of the time for any single cards that I pick out that I want or need. Then when it comes to commons he has to go by the "Beckett Bible" on that as well. I usually walk out at that point empty handed hoping he would catch on to the point of "no one goes by that anymore if you really wanna make a sale" but it seems I would have a better time getting felt up by TSA employees than any hopes of him dropping the whole "Beckett" is the gospel approach. Then he gripes as to why he hardly has any business.....GEE I WONDER.

There is one thing that really bothers me a liitle and that is UPPER DECK. A few weeks ago I took part in a 2010 UD Sweet Spot box break over at First and Goal and I was rather surprised at what I had pulled (actually what Dave pulled for me):

I know UD was (in trouble with the NFL: Read it here) making this a college themed set and by most standards I think they did an okay job. However the one thing I was not impressed by was the fact that the LeSean McCoy jersey swatch is green in color. That's funny considering Pitt's colors are blue and gold. So I posted a message on UD's facebook page asking as to why the color difference and I promptly received a reply of :

Upper Deck commented on their wall post.

Upper Deck wrote: "We can use NFL jerseys, just not images of team logos. This was a Eagles jersey."

On the back of the jersey card it states that this jersey was from a rookie photo shoot.



Hmmmm......on the front of the hobby box it states: 2010 NCAA football
???
I think it would be nice to actually use the college jersey swatch pieces in a product that is advertised as NCAA FOOTBALL and not use an NFL jersey swatch in a supposed NCAA product. Even my 9 yr old son looked at me confused and asked, "if it's a college card then why do they have a pro jersey on the card Dad?" Is it me or am I missing something?

Germany's Reichstag Dome Closed off in Face of 'Credible' Terror Threat

German authorities have closed the top of Berlin's Reichstag building and stepped up security after an informant and Western intelligence agencies have passed along intelligence regarding a suspected Islamic Jihadi plot to storm the Reichstag building and take hostages while demanding Germany's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Germany's interior minister raised the country's threat level and the FBI forwarded intelligence to the Germans warning that an Indian crime lord residing in Pakistan and with ties to radical Islamic groups could be dispatching operatives to Germany to take part in attacks against targets in that country.

According to the information, two operatives are already in the Berlin area while 54 year old Dawood Ibrahim- on the run from authorities in India since a spate of 1993 bombings in Mumbai that he was allegedly the mastermind of which killed 257- will attempt to smuggle the remaining members of the cell into Europe via the United Arab Emirates.

Equipment the German cell allegedly requires for the possible Reichstag attack reportedly had to be brought in from the Balkans, while an informant said that at least four other men were in the advanced stages of training at an al Qadea camp in Pakistan.

Malfuntioning Robot, Hard Rock Hinder Rescue of Trapped New Zealand Miners

Efforts to reach 29 miners trapped by an underground explosion on New Zealand's South Island ground to a halt as a military robot that was relaying images from inside broke down in a passageway.

Police superintendent Gary Knowles said the army robot sent in to transmit pictures and assess toxic gas levels was damaged by water and out of commission. Authorities were urgently seeking other such robots from West Australia and the United States to replace the broken one, Knowles said.

"I won't send people in to recover a robot if their lives are in danger," he said. "Toxicity is still too unstable to send rescue teams in."

Making matters worse, the drilling team boring into the mine tunnel had hit "very hard rock" overnight, Knowles said. The police superintendent's statements came as rescuers waited impatiently for a chance to test if air quality underground was safe enough for them to go in to pull out the miners, who have been trapped for nearly five days.

Family members have expressed frustration with the pace of the response as officials acknowledge it may be too late to save the miners, who have not been heard from since a massive explosion ripped through the Pike River Mine on the country's South Island on Friday.

A buildup of methane gas is the suspected cause of the explosion. And now the presence of that gas and others — some of them believed to be coming from a smoldering fire deep underground — are delaying a rescue over fears they could still explode.

A diamond-tipped drill was put to work as workers hit layers of hard rock and came within 33 feet (10 meters) of the tunnel where they believe some of the miners are trapped, police superintendent Gary Knowles said. The 500-foot (160-meter)-long shaft they are creating will allow them to sample gas levels — including explosive methane and carbon dioxide — and determine if rescuers can finally move in days after the blast.

Knowles said rescuers planned to drop a listening device down the hole to see if they could hear anything — such as tapping sounds — that might indicate that the miners were still alive.

"This is a very serious situation and the longer it goes on, hopes fade, and we have to be realistic. We will not go underground until the environment is safe," Knowles said.

Two workers stumbled out of the mine within hours of Friday's explosion, but there has been no contact at all with the remaining 29. A phone line deep inside the mine has rung unanswered.

Police on Tuesday said that a second robot from New Zealand's military was being flown in by helicopter from Wellington that that a robot specialized for underground work was being flown in to Auckland from Australia or the USA and onto Greymouth from there. I'm hoping that this will have a similar outcome to the Chilean miners' saga last month, but unfortunately that may not be the case at this point.