ANGELS AGREE TO TERMS ON 2011 CONTRACT WITH INF ALBERTO CALLASPO

  

 

ANAHEIM, CA -- The Angels Monday agreed to terms on a 2011 contract with infielder Alberto Callaspo, thus avoiding arbitration.  Today’s announcement was made by General Manager Tony Reagins. 

 

Callaspo, 27, was acquired from Kansas City on July 22, 2010 in exchange for RHP Will Smith and RHP Sean O’Sullivan. The third baseman played at every level in the Angels’ minor league system from 2001 to 2005 and returned to play in 58 games with the Halos in 2010, finishing the season batting .265 (149/562) with 27 doubles, 10 home runs and 56 RBI.

 

Callaspo is the first Angel to agree to terms and avoid arbitration, leaving the Angels with seven remaining arbitration-eligible players (Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick, Jeff Mathis, Kendry Morales, Mike Napoli, Jered Weaver & Reggie Willits).

               

                The Maracay, Venezuela native was originally signed by the Angels in 2001 as a non-drafted free agent. He owns a .278 career batting average with 85 doubles, 14 triples, 21 home runs and 158 RBI in 454 games. Callaspo resides in Maracay, Venezuela with his wife, Marianny and child. Following is a glance at his career statistics:

 

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
2006	ARI	23	42	2	10	1	1	0	6	0	1	4	6	.238	.298	.310
2007	ARI	56	144	10	31	8	0	0	7	1	1	9	14	.215	.265	.271
2008	KCR	74	213	21	65	8	3	0	16	2	1	19	14	.305	.361	.371
2009	KCR	155	576	79	173	41	8	11	73	2	1	52	51	.300	.356	.457
2010	TOT	146	562	61	149	27	2	10	56	5	3	31	42	.265	.302	.374
2010	KCR	88	349	40	96	19	2	8	43	3	1	19	29	.275	.308	.410
2010	LAA	58	213	21	53	8	0	2	13	2	2	12	13	.249	.291	.315
5 Seasons		454	1537	173	428	85	14	21	158	10	7	115	127	.278	.327	.393

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANGELS 2011 SPRING TRAINING TICKETS TO GO ON SALE JAN. 15

ANAHEIM, CA – The Angels Friday announced that 2011 Spring Training tickets will go on sale next Saturday, Jan. 15th at 10 a.m. (MST). The Angels, who will train in Tempe, AZ, for the 19th straight season, open their 2011 Spring Training Cactus League schedule Saturday, Feb. 26th against the cross-town rival Los Angeles Dodgers at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Game time is 1 p.m. (MST).


Tickets for the Angels’ 16-game home Cactus League slate will be available, beginning Saturday, Jan. 15th, through the Angels website (www.angels.com), via
Ticketmaster National Sales Line (800-745-3000) or SoCal Sales Line (714-663-9000) and
through all Arizona-based Ticketmaster outlets.


In addition, Angels Spring Training tickets will be available at the Tempe Diablo Stadium Ticket Office, beginning Saturday, February 12th at 9 a.m. (MST).


Individual Game ticket prices at Tempe Diablo Stadium are $29 for Homeplate MVP, $23 for Field MVP & Field MVP Wheelchair, $16 for Field Box & Field Box Wheelchair, $10 for Grandstand and $6 for Lawn/Berm Seating. The Angels will again offer all-inclusive tickets in the Upper Pavilion for $40 including a game ticket, unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverage.


Season tickets for all Angels’ 2011 Cactus League home games are also available now. Prices for the 16-game season ticket package are $352 for Homeplate MVP, $272 for Field MVP (and Field MVP Wheelchair), $192 for Field Box (and Field Box Wheelchair), $112 for Grandstand and $64 for Lawn Seating. To order season ticket packages (which do not include the March 27 and March 29 exhibition contests at Angel Stadium) or group tickets, call the Angels at 888-796-HALO (4256).

PAID TV Internships for Minority HS Seniors!!!

The Emma L. Bowen Foundation for Minority Interests in Media prepares minority youth for careers in the media industry. They are  looking for minority HS seniors who  plan to attend a four year college, have at least a 3.0 GPA and an interest in media, business, computer science, engineering or technology.  In addition to being PAID, student also receive a matching funds scholarship. The internship will last throughout their college years.  According to their website, multi-year internships are available in the following cities:
    Burbank, San Francisco or San Jose, CA
    Miami and West Palm Beach, FL
    Atlanta, GA
    Silver Spring, MD
    Greensboro, NC
    New York, NY
     Philadelphia, PA
    Austin, TX
    Washington, DC
     Madison, WI


Please have all interested students visit their website for more information and the application:  www.emmabowenfoundation.com

The deadline is January 14, 2011

FOX SPORTS TO TELEVISE INAUGURAL PAC-12 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Agreement includes media and sponsorship rights to 2011 Championship, 

plus additional football games on FSN

The Pac-10 Conference and FOX Sports have reached a one-year agreement for FOX to broadcast the inaugural Pac-12 Football Championship Game, and to market the corporate sponsorship for the game.  Additionally, as part of the deal, Fox Sports Net (FSN) increases its 2011-12 regular season telecast package with the conference by up to six football and 10 men’s basketball games, taking into account the additions of Colorado and Utah and expansion to 12 teams. 

"This is an historic time for the conference as we expand to the Pac-12 next season and we are thrilled to be working with FOX Sports and their award-winning production team," Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott said. "FOX has demonstrated its ability to drive new innovation into sports broadcasting and we look forward to seeing how they will help us take our Championship Game to the next level of interactive entertainment for our fans."

"FOX has enjoyed a successful and mutually beneficial relationship with the Pac-10 for many years," FOX Sports President Eric Shanks said.  "It's an honor to have the first-ever Pac-12 championship football game on FOX and available to the widest possible audience. We're excited to take our relationship with the Pac-12 to an entirely new level."

The Pac-12's first-ever football championship game is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, December 3, 2011 at the home stadium of the team with the best conference record, with kickoff planned at 3:30 p.m. ET.

NABJ Student Projects Application Available Now

 

Deadline: Feb. 18, 2011



Program Description
NABJ offers an expenses-paid fellowship to outstanding students pursuing a career in journalism. For one week, students work on varied news assignments.  Students will produce stories for the NABJ Monitor, our convention newspaper, NABJ TV, NABJ Radio and nabjconvention.org, our daily news web site. They will work alongside professional journalists and journalism educators from across the country. Students will gain hands-on experience using the latest tools to produce both breaking news as they cover NABJ's annual convention, and longer-form multimedia storytelling of broader issues.

Application Format
All applications must be received online. Resumes, cover letters, and clips should be uploaded as Word documents or PDFs. Complete links (where applicable) must be included. Use third-party sites such as Google Docs, YouTube, Flkr, or MyPodcast to provide links to work samples. Please screen your own work to provide the requested number of samples; we are not able to review all the content on an applicant's website. Please have these files ready prior to beginning the online application.

Qualifications
Positions are open to sophomores, juniors, seniors or graduate students attending a four-year college or
university, or an accredited community college. Applicants must have a demonstrated commitment to print or broadcast, and online journalism. At least one previous internship at a daily news organization is preferred, and multimedia experience is a plus.

General Requirements:

• Current college undergraduates and graduate students are eligible, including students who will graduate in May/June 2011.
• NABJ Student members only.
• Must be available to take part in these program during the convention, August 1 - 6, 2011.
  
• Must be 18 years of age.

Reporting Applicants (Print)

• Cover letter, including your reasons for entering the news profession 
• Resume 
• Official college transcript (Scanned, saved as JPG)
• List three references from professional journalists, professors, advisors who are familiar with your journalistic work.
• Links to five samples of your reporting work

Reporting Applicants (Broadcast)< /span>

• Cover letter, including your reasons for entering the news profession 
• Resume 
• Official college transcript (Scanned, saved as JPG)
• List three references from professional journalists, professors, advisors who are familiar with your journalistic work.
• Links to five samples of your audio and/or video work

Television Producer Applicants: 

• Cover letter, including your reasons for entering the news profession 
• Resume 
• Official college transcript (Scanned, saved as JPG)
• List three references from professional journalists, professors, advisors who are familiar with your journalistic work.
• Links to five samples of your TV newscast work.
• Familiarity working closely with assignment desk and producers on coverage, story selection, live coverage, and assignment of reporters and crews.

Copy Editing Applicants:

• Cover letter, including your reasons for entering the news profession 
• Resume 
• Official college transcript (Scanned, saved as JPG)
• List three references from professional journalists, professors, advisors who are familiar with your journalistic work.
• Links to five samples of your copy editing work.
• Applicants must have strong language skills and some editing experience.

Photojournalism Applicants: 

• Cover letter, including your reasons for entering the news profession 
• Resume 
• Official college transcript (Scanned, saved as JPG)
• List three references from professional journalists, professors, advisors who are familiar with your journalistic work.
• No fewer than 10 images, (maximum 20) and at least one photo story, essay or multimedia package (audio slide show, video or combo) with a link to your online portfolio (print) and/or links to five samples of your video work (broadcast).

Graphic/Design Applicants: 

• Cover letter, including your reasons for entering the news profession 
• Resume 
• Official college transcript (Scanned, saved as JPG)
• List three references from professional journalists, professors, advisors who are familiar with your journalistic work.
• 10 web links of infographics, page designs, illustrations or clips. 
•  Applicants must have strong computer and design skills. Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign skills strongly desired.

Multimedia Applicants: 

• Cover letter, including your reasons for entering the news profession 
• Resume 
• Official college transcript (Scanned, saved as JPG)
• List three refe rences from professional journalists, professors, advisors who are familiar with your journalistic work.
• Links to five samples of your audio, video and/or print work
•  Digital video editing skills required, i.e. Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere or equivalent. 
• Familiarity with web publishing, social media and other web technologies preferred.

Application Deadline: February 18, 2011
HOW TO APPLY:
https://nabj.site-ym.com/?page=SEEDstudentproject

Blake Griffin Named Rookie Of The Month.. Again

NEW YORK, January 3, 2011 – The New York Knicks’ Landry Fields and the Los Angels Clippers’ Blake Griffin today were named the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played through December.

Among Eastern Conference rookies Fields ranked second in scoring (8.8 ppg), third in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and led all rookies in steals (1.23 spg).  He started all 13 games for the Knicks during the month, scored in double figures in six games and recorded five games with 10 or more rebounds.  

Griffin led all rookies in scoring (23.0 ppg) and rebounding (13.5 rpg).  He also ranked third in steals (0.87 spg), second in assists (3.9 apg) and first in minutes (38.5 mpg).

Here is a recap of the month for both Fields and Griffin:

Landry Fields, New York Knicks

Dec. 5 @ Toronto: Scored 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals in a 116-99 win over the Raptors.  

Dec. 12 vs. Denver: Tallied 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in a 129-125 victory over the Nuggets.

Dec. 22 vs. Oklahoma City: Registered 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in a 112-98 win over the Thunder.

Dec. 25 vs. Chicago: Posted 14 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and one block in a 103-95 victory over the Bulls. 

Blake Griffin, LA Clippers

Dec. 1 vs. San Antonio: Scored 31 points, and added 13 rebounds, four assists and one block in a 90-85 victory over the Spurs.

Dec. 18 @ Chicago: Recorded 29 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in a 100-99 victory over the Bulls.

Dec. 26 vs. Phoenix: Posted 28 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in a 108-103 win over the Suns.

Dec. 29 vs. Utah: Tallied 30 points, 12 rebounds and two assists in a 103-95 loss to the Jazz.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month were Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins , San Antonio’s Gary Neal and Washington’s John Wall.

Building upon its already strong appeal to the nation’s youth and as Official Partner of the NBA, T-Mobile is showcasing the NBA’s youngest players -- the Rookies -- through the T-Mobile Rookie Program.  Highlights include rookie awards presentations such as the T-Mobile Rookies of the Month and T-Mobile Rookie of the Year, and the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, an All-Star competition between NBA rookies and second-year players.  During NBA All-Star 2011, T-Mobile and the NBA will host more than 3,500 students from the Los Angeles Unified School District to watch the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam from the best seats in the house at STAPLES Center on Friday, February 18.

Clippers Holiday Ticket Plan On Sale

The Los Angeles Clippers Holiday Ticket Plan is on sale now and can be purchased at www.clippers.com or by calling (866) 883-2238.

 

Give the gift of Clippers basketball this season with the Clippers Holiday Plan that allows fans to make their own four-game package by choosing from a list of  10 teams that includes NBA leaders like the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and Lakers. Prices for the Clippers Holiday Ticket Plan start at under $100, and good seats are available in the upper and lower level at STAPLES Center.

 

All Clipper fans will get a free throwback Blake Griffin or Eric Gordon jersey with each purchase.

 

Individual game tickets are no longer available for the Clippers game against the Miami Heat on Jan. 12. The only way for fans to watch the Clippers take on LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat live at STAPLES Center is to purchase Clipper Partial Plans or full season tickets. To receive access to the best seats, fans can choose a season ticket package or partial plan starting as low as $250 by visiting www.clippers.com or calling (866) 883-2238. 

 

 

The Things You Consider When Traveling

Traveling for work can be either a perk or a hassle—depending on your job and where you have to go.  For me, traveling with professional sports teams is definitely a perk.  Flying charter is one of life’s cool little luxuries, especially when someone else is paying for it.

However, there are a couple of drawbacks to staying on the go. For one, my wife misses me while I’m gone--at least that’s what she tells me.  And even if she’s only saying that to stroke my ego, who am I to stop her?

Another issue with constant travel is losing track of the days of the week and dates of the month.  I don’t know about you, but when I travel, I have a hard time keeping up with Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  I’m much more in touch with yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

And don’t even think about trying to ask me for the date.  If it’s not my birthday or a major holiday (my wife’s birthday falls into this category, by the way), I would have a better shot of telling you the numeric value for pi than the day’s date.  Thankfully, for me however, my iPhone has a handy dandy calendar feature.  So I may not know the answer, but I can quickly look it up.

I raise this last issue with work travel because I recently realized I haven’t posted a blog lately.  When you can’t keep up with the days of the week, it’s a lot harder to realize how much time has gone by from one moment to the next.

So to make up for lost time, I thought it might be best to share some of my random thoughts, questions and musings from the past several days. 

*    Did you know that no Phil Jackson-coached championship team has ever lost 4 games in a row?

*    Following the Clippers win over San Antonio Wednesday, LA held a 3-9 record over teams currently sporting a record over .500.  While Miami carried only a 1-7 mark over winning teams.

*    With players such as Blake Griffin, Shannon Brown, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Derrick Rose roaming the court today, I believe we are witnessing the most athletic era the NBA has ever seen.

*    Speaking of Blake Griffin, can you ever remember someone getting so many standing ovations on missed dunks and shots?
 

*    You have to give Dodgers owner Frank McCourt credit for staying true to his word.  He has said throughout his divorce proceedings, that his personal matters would not affect the team’s willingness and desire to bolster the roster.  And the recent off-season acquisitions definitely support his earlier statement.

  

*    I realize the BCS is a crock and bowl games are only concerned about selling the most tickets, but if Stanford doesn’t get to play in the Rose Bowl, it would be nothing short of a travesty.

*    Karl Dorrell’s record after his third season at UCLA was 22-15 overall and 14-10 in the PAC-10. Rick Neuheisel currently stands at 15-21 overall and 8-18 in conference.  So does that mean next season will be Neuheisel’s last if he doesn’t rally for double-digits wins?

*    I heard that some USC fans are a bit upset because the NCAA didn’t punish Auburn and Cam Newton after discovering that Newton’s father soliciting money from schools trying to sign this year’s Heisman Trophy front-runner.  But remember this, Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo knowingly accepted cash and other benefits directly.  There’s no evidence that Newton has done the same or even knew about his father’s attempts to secure money.  It may not be apples and oranges, but it’s definitely apples and pears.
 

*    And finally, I heard that Dancing With The Stars is considering adding Todd Palin to the show’s next lineup of contestants.  No offense to Sarah Palin’s husband or her daughter, Bristol, for that matter, but if they are going to continue to feature such “stars” (and that goes for “The Situation” too), then they should change the name of the show to Dancing With People Who Aren’t Really Stars But Can Still Bring In Big Ratings.

Blake Griffin Named Rookie of the Month

Los Angeles Clippers’ rookie forward Blake Griffin today was named the NBA’s Western Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month for games played from the start of the season (Oct. 26) through November. The New York Knicks’ Landry Fields won the award for the Eastern Conference. 

Griffin leads all rookies in scoring (20.2 ppg) and rebounding (11.6 rpg).  He also ranks second in minutes per game (35.5 mpg), fourth in assists (2.6 apg) and third in field goal percentage (.520).  On Nov. 20, Griffin scored 44 points, the most by a Clipper since Elton Brand scored that many in February, 2006. He also led the team with 15 rebounds and a season-high seven assists.
 

Fields ranks fourth among rookies in scoring (10.8 ppg), second in rebounding (7.1 rpg), eighth in assists (1.6 apg) and second in field goal percentage (.544).   He started all 19 games for the Knicks this season, leads all NBA guards in rebounds and is the only rookie in the top eight in scoring.   

Here is a recap of the month for both Griffin and Fields: 

Blake Griffin, LA Clippers
Nov. 20 vs. New York: Scored 44 points, and added 15 rebounds and seven assists in a 124-115 loss to the Knicks. 

Nov. 22 vs. New Orleans: Recorded 24 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in a 99-95 victory over the Hornets. 


Nov. 25 vs. Sacramento: Posted 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a 110-82 win over the Kings. 

Nov. 28 vs. Utah: Tallied 35 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in a 109-97 loss to the Jazz.
 


Landry Fields, New York Knicks

Nov. 12 @ Minnesota: Registered 16 points, 10 rebounds and three steals in a 112-103 loss to the Timberwolves. 


Nov. 16 @ Denver: Tallied 21 points, 17 rebounds and two steals in a 120-118 loss to the Nuggets. 


Nov. 23 vs. Charlotte: Scored 14 points in addition to seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in a 110-107 win over the Bobcats. 

Nov. 28 @ Detroit: Posted 16 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals in a 125-116 victory over the Pistons. 



Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month were New Jersey’s Derrick Favors, Philadelphia’s Evan Turner, Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins and Washington’s John Wall.