Links

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/160183180/shifts-may-change-way-baseball-is-scored

This is actually interesting; I mean, I don't mark shifts when I score, but maybe I need to; ok, I mean, sometimes I note an infielder was playing over, but..one should be aware of this.

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/ken-rosenthal-new-york-mets-not-spending-offseason-money-like-world-series-contender-122215

I don't know...maybe the Mets don't have to.  The Braves and the Phillies are trying to lose as many games as possible.  They're not really competition.  The Marlins have Mattingly, but...well, it is hard to take them seriously, and I am not sure I see them as...more than a .500 team.  The Nationals are an interesting case -- they still have some talent, and a nontoxic clubhouse is an asset.  But they've also lost pieces, and who knows with Dusty.  While I think the Mets have had some losses...they've made some additions, and the rotation -- which is pretty strong -- should be better.  So I can see why they'd wait until they needed to make some moves.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/retirement/an-aging-society-changes-the-story-on-poverty-for-retirees/ar-BBnPwtg?li=BBnbfcN

We were discussing this at work...one, people in SOME jobs can certainly longer til 65; I mean, I could, theoretically, do my job forever.  Two -- and this was NOT pointed out by me (but I agree)...people can work earlier.  One facet of college reform is to cull some of the classes that are basically filler...people working earlier means they save more (and for longer), and also incur less debt.  I myself am not sanguine to this, but it could happen...

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/washington-post-retracts-cartoon-that-calls-cruzs-daughters-political-props/ar-BBnPNE9?li=BBnbcA1

This could be me, but what a lot of people on the left are missing isn't the whole fair game issue (I don't think anyone can use that) but the fact that they showed his kids as monkeys...on an organ grinder.  Aside from THAT stereotypical image of an Italian, there is also the notion of showing a person of color (Ted and daughters are one, you know) as a monkey, and if the progresses of the WaPO can't figure that out...they have bigger problems.