Tag: 240704

Sox take center stage

full season to 14 homers and 60 RBI.

2.67 – seventh best in baseball ERA of Tanner Houck, who has been their best pitcher after the spring training discussion was “should he be a reliever?”

82 – projected RBI total for Ceddanne Rafaela, the second best on the team, despite hitting under .200 for most of the first two months. But he’s come on in June to be up to .245 with numbers that project to 26 doubles, 16 homers and 20 stolen bases. And that doesn’t even take into account his Mookie Betts-like defensive versatility or Jackie Bradley-level play in center field.

78– their surprising stolen bases total that lets them play small ball when runs need to be manufactured, like when they stole a team record nine in a win over the Yanks as team leaders David Hamilton (21) and Duran (20) combined for six steals.

News Item – Alumni Update

Chris Sale – leads NL in wins with 10 against two losses with a 2.91 ERA and 107 k’s in 86 innings.

Kyle Schwarber – with just 17 he’s projecting to hit 35 bombs for Philly.

Mookie Betts – out till August with a broken hand. He went to the DL hitting .304 with 10 homers and 40 RBI.

Xander Bogaerts – being at .219 with four homers and 14 RBI says he’s the latest guy to really miss playing at Fenway.

The Numbers:

4 – after trading for Mikal Bridges last week, the number of players the New York Knicks now have from Villanova’s 2016 national championship team.

10 – after getting five more for Bridges, the total number of first-round draft picks the Nets have now gotten from their trade of Kevin Durant to Phoenix, which also sent Bridges to them 18 months ago.

… Of the Week Awards

Newest All-Name Team Member of the Week – Jhostynxon Garcia: If you can pronounce the first name of the Red Sox Single A outfielder who was on a 7-homers-in-19-games stretch last week you are a better person than me.

Random Thoughts:

I played college basketball with a 6’7” guy named Dean Letourneau. Wonder if he’s any relation to that 6’7” Dean Letourneau guy the Bruins drafted in Round I last week?

Just checked the spelling of our center. So never mind.

Sports 101 Answer: The 100 RBI near All-Star snub was Hank Greenberg because he was competing with two of the greatest first basemen in history for the job in Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx.

Final Thought – NBA Draft: First-round picks certainly are looked at differently in the NBA today. They once were treated like gold and teams were loath to trade them. But not so any longer.

For instance I thought including two of them along with Robert Williams and Malcolm Brogdon for Jrue Holiday was an overpay. But he was the final piece for Brad Stevens, so he said go and look at what that meant.

Now come the Knicks giving up five of them (to the crosstown rival Nets no less) for Bridges, who’s never made an All-Star team or been part of a team that has won a thing in the NBA.

He did, however, win at Villanova, which I think figures into the Knicks’ thinking, as along with being a big talent addition with no one coming off the roster they probably like what he’ll add to the team chemistry his three Nova teammates already have created.

So it’s deemed worth the five because he seems like the final piece to make them a major contender for next year’s title. Meanwhile Phoenix, who started it all, was one and done in the playoffs with Durant.

So 3-ball is not the only radical difference in the Association these days.

Email Dave Long at [email protected].

Get smoke detectors

A conversation with Manchester’s fire chief

Ryan Cashin is Chief of the Manchester Fire Department and he spoke about the importance of fire safety. Visit manchesternh.gov/departments/fire for more information on the Fire Department and be sure to check with your local town ordinances and fire departments on specifics for fire pits, fireworks and all things fire-related. (Interview edited to include follow-up questions via email.)

What is the No. 1 thing you can do to keep your home safe from fires?

The No. 1 thing you can do to keep your home safe from fires is to have active, working smoke detectors and to have a fire evacuation plan.

What are the main causes of house or apartment fires?

I don’t think there is one single answer of what would cause those the most. There’s various causes to a house catching on fire and I don’t think any one of them would necessarily be more than the others. I would say one thing that we always want to be cautious of being as careful and thoughtful as possible when discarding smoking materials.

With fire pits, do you need a permit?

You can obtain a fire permit if you have a residential home in the city of Manchester…. It needs to be a contained fire pit, it needs to be a certain distance away from your house. Basically, if you come into the fire department we will go out there and do an inspection and if your single-family house passes the inspection we will give you a fire permit and then you can use that fire permit to have small fires in your backyard. Of course, single-family residence only.

Are fireworks allowed in Manchester?

Fireworks are not allowed within the city of Manchester period. We do regular patrols for fireworks throughout the summer as we get a lot of complaints about them.

Aside from just the noise annoyance, what is the danger of fireworks in Manchester?

Fireworks are a physical danger to people as they can be very dangerous and accidents happen quite often.

Besides fires, what other types of emergencies would a fire department respond to?

Last year we responded to 34,000 separate calls and those would vary from EMS calls to river rescue calls, swift water calls, to hazardous materials to fire alarms to anything that would involve welfare checks, whether that be on someone in a home or possibly a homeless residence. A wide array of calls that we go on.

What are the requirements to become a firefighter?

In order to become a firefighter in the City of Manchester you need to have a couple of certifications. One is your Firefighter I as well as your Firefighter II, which are both state certifications, and [you need to be]a nationally registered EMT…. We give preference here in the City of Manchester to residents that live in the city as well as veterans and also if you have your EMT Advanced.

What is the biggest fire danger in Manchester in the summer?

The biggest fire danger year-round is careless disposal of smoking materials.

Featured image: Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 24/07/04

Nurse life

According to a press release, Concord Hospital health system recently welcomed 19 students from New England College (NEC) who are pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN). Five of the students will complete their clinical training at the Laconia campus while the rest will train in Concord.

This partnership benefits both Concord Hospital health system and NEC because the hospital gains a year-round part-time LNA workforce helping to fill staffing gaps while students acquire vital clinical experience and become eligible for full-time employment upon completing their BSN, according to the press release.

The accelerated BSN program integrates classroom instruction with nine months of clinical training where students gain hands-on experience as licensed nursing assistants (LNAs) while learning under the guidance of a preceptor in various clinical settings across Concord Hospital health system, according to the release.

In a statement, Erin Collins, RN, VP of Nursing Professional Practice and Development, said that “this program allows students to earn while they learn, gaining invaluable on-the-job experience that contributes to their studies and introduces them to the nursing profession.”

Students will embark on a 14-week rotation over the summer working alongside a licensed registered nurse preceptor while alternating between classroom learning and hospital work, which allows students to complete their degree in three years, according to the release. As Concord Hospital employees, they will become familiar with hospital policies, experience different departments, and gain a comprehensive understanding of nursing across the health system, according to the same release.

On the highway to health

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced the release of the DHHS Roadmap 2024-2025, which builds on the successes from the DHHS Roadmap 2023 and was informed by extensive input from community partners and DHHS program areas, according to a press release. The Roadmap 2024-2025 identifies initiatives and goals that will serve as a guide for the Department over the next fiscal year and beyond.

In a statement, DHHS Commissioner Lori Weaver said that “as we work to support and promote the health and well-being of all New Hampshire residents, it is critical for us to be able to state, share, and track the progress of our priorities and goals. This plan is the culmination of months of work with our partners and the people we serve to create a bold plan of action that will set us on the course to enhance key systems and policies to improve the health of our state.”

The three major commitments of the roadmap will be to invest in people and culture, promote thriving communities, and improve customer service, according to the release.

The plan initiatives include achieving “Mission Zero,” their plan to end emergency department psychiatric boarding; reducing health impacts from harmful exposures to such hazards as lead and PFAS; strengthening school-based services for children enrolled in Medicaid; increasing access to residential behavioral health services for children; and building a system of care for healthy aging, according to the same release.

TikTok lawsuit

According to a press release, Attorney General John M. Formella announced a lawsuit against TikTok, Inc., in Merrimack County Superior Court for violating the State’s consumer protection statute and other laws as part of the latest development in a comprehensive effort by New Hampshire leaders to address the serious harms posed to children by addictive social media platforms.

The lawsuit follows a complaint filed by the State against Meta Platforms, Inc., in October 2023, that alleged similar manipulative design features and deceptive business practices, according to the same release.

The State’s complaint against TikTok alleged that the company engages in unfair and deceptive acts or practices in violation of New Hampshire law by designing an unfair product and misleading New Hampshire consumers about its safety because TikTok’s platform includes addictive features to exploit young users’ naivete and ongoing brain development and maximize the time young users spend on the platform in the interest of profit, according to the release.

It’s alleged that TikTok’s addictive design features make it hard for children to disengage from the platform, leading to a cycle of excessive use, and the complaint alleges that the company knows this cycle of excessive use results in profound harm to its young users, including depression, anxiety, and isolation from friends and family, according to the release.

It is also alleged that as the company deployed these features the company lied to parents about the safety of the platform, downplaying the risks posed while touting supposed safety measures that the company knows are ineffective, according to the same release.

New Boston will hold its 94th annual Fourth of July celebration on Thursday, July 4, with food, games, activities and a parade, culminating in a fireworks display when it gets dark. The parade begins at 10 a.m.; its theme is sci-fi and fantasy. Fairgrounds admission begins at 4 p.m. and is $10 for ages 12 and up, $5 for ages 2 to 11; free for ages 2 and under; family package $40. Parking is free. Visit newboston4thofjuly.org.

There will be fireworks at the Fisher Cats games in Manchester (Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, 1 Line Drive) Thursday, July 4, to Saturday, July 6. Games start at 6:35 p.m. and the Fisher Cats will be playing the Portland Sea Dogs. Visit nhfishercats.com.

July 4 festivities in Nashua start at 11 a.m. at Holman Stadium for a Silver Knights Game where children under 12 and the first 500 adults are free but tickets must be reserved in advance. There will be an expanded kids zone and on-field activities. At 5:30 p.m. there will be a free concert by The Slakas, followed by local acts at 7:30 p.m. Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps performs at 8:30 p.m. and fireworks are at dusk. Visit nashua-silverknights.com for tickets and check out nashuanh.gov/SummerFun.

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