Brusqueness

Japan’s first female professional baseball player made her debut Friday, striking out one batter in the ninth inning.

Eri Yoshida, a 17-year-old who throws a sidearm knuckleball, took the mound during Kobe 9 Cruise’s 5-0 season-opening win over the Osaka Gold Villicanes in the newly formed Kansai Independent League.

The 5-foot, 114-pounder walked the first batter leading off the inning on four pitches and allowed a stolen base before striking out the next batter swinging at Osaka Dome. She was then replaced after facing two batters.

“I wasn’t thinking about anything other than just going out there and giving it my all,” said Yoshida, who is hoping to stick with the Kobe team. “I think this was a bad result but the stadium is great and the fans were really cheering me on. I want to be able to pitch more innings and become a pitcher who can be relied upon.”

Yoshida created a stir when she signed a contract in December. Some speculated the move was more of a publicity stunt to generate interest in the new league. There were 11,592 fans in the 45,000-seat stadium Friday.

Yoshida started playing baseball when she was in second grade and hopes to emulate Boston Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

Until now, no woman had played against men in Japan. A women’s professional baseball federation was established in 1950 but it stopped after two seasons.

The Cruise and the other three teams in the Kansai league are similar to American farm teams but still a huge step forward for this teen, who is making her pitch for the pros.

With the World Figure Skating Championships taking place in Los Angeles right now, it’s interesting to note that skating is one sport where the ladies outperform the men when it comes to media and marketing perks.

So what exactly makes a sports star marketable? While success and a charismatic personality is important, it does not guarantee marketability off the playing field. Oftentimes it’s the playing field itself that dictates an athlete’s marketability.

Even the most prolific men’s figure skaters do not receive the same attention as the top female skaters. Just yesterday, Evan Lysecek became the first American in 13 years to win the World Figure Skating Championship. Despite his brilliant on-ice achievements, don’t expect him to appear as a box of Wheaties anytime soon.

Men’s figure skating (like men’s gymnastics) lacks a broad appeal to the general public. I’m guessing most of you probably don’t know who Lysacek is, let alone about his accomplishment at the Worlds.

Female skaters and gymnasts, on the other hand, outshine their male counterparts time after time. Kristi Yamaguchi, for example, has enjoyed several endorsement deals throughout the years, including General Motors, All State Insurance, Heinz Smart One’s and her most recent campaign, OPI nail polish.

After winning one Gold and two Silver medals in the 2008 Olympics, gymnast Shawn Johnson has gone on to appear in ads for well-known companies such as McDonalds, Coca-Cola, CoverGirl and Secret deodorant. And, she reportedly makes a nice income as a current competitor on Dancing with the Stars. Nastia Liukin has had similar marketing success. As one of the most widely-covered and publicized sports in the Summer Olympics, women gymnasts resonate with women 25-54.

Until men’s figure skating (and other sports like it) start to have more media coverage and a wider appeal, male superstars will not see marketing dollars come their way. Where have we heard that before?

A woman dropped friends of at the airport and when she was driving back the toll both operator charged her $870. The driver refused to pay; even a late fee was added to the total. Thanks to the driver perusing the matter further the airline said that it was a computer error and that she should have only had to pay $8

I work for the state child welfare agency for Missouri. We have been routinely asked if the economy has affected the amount of child abuse and child neglect hotline calls that are made or the number of kids coming into foster care. So far, it has not. We assume that because most of our clients are already soaking in poverty that the economic downturns don't affect them because they currently survive in that same circumstance.
 
This is no longer the case. Today, we had our first child enter foster care because the parent's unemployment ran out and the parent could no longer care for them. The economy is now affecting us.

Throwing the door wide open:

My name is Will Wilkinson. I smoke marijuana, and I like it.

And one more:

I am a self made multi-millionaire with three houses in three states including a ski house in Colorado and a penthouse apartment in Manhattan. I'm happily married and keep fit by running 15 miles a week and working out regularly. I support the arts and other charities heavily. I oftentimes work long hours and manage a crew of about 70 people. I have been a weed smoker for as long as I can remember. Recently I received a glass bong as a present. Tonight my friends and I are going to rip huge tubes of sweet OG kush and get high as shit. Then I will take my responsible millionaire ass and plant it in front of the TV for a long night of xbox and candy eating. I will laugh uncontrollably and have a fantastic time. These nights of Xbox and reefer is one of the best things in my life... And I got a pretty damn good life."

An Arizona reader writes to ask if her employer’s rather severe sick-day policy, which automatically fires workers who get sick too often, could possibly be legal. Hers is one of several similar inquiries I’ve received, as cost-cutting employers crack down on absences.

The Arizona woman’s employer allows five paid sick days each year. But calling in sick “goes in our permanent file as an ‘occurrence,’ or demerit,” she writes. Four occurrences in any rolling 12 months draws a verbal warning; the discipline grows progressively more harsh until, after an eighth occurrence, the worker is fired. “Is this legal, to give us paid sick days, then penalize us for using them?” she asks.

It’s not only legal, it’s a growing practice among employers trying to cut unscheduled absences and other paid time off. Separately, some employers are trimming paid time off for short-term disability, as described in this “Work & Family” column and this 2008 report by the Families and Work Institute. Others are cutting back paid family, adoption and paternity leaves.

It’s never been more important to study your employer’s time-off and leave policies, to make sure you understand what is allowed, experts say. “No-fault attendance policies,” such as the one cited by the Arizona reader, impose what employers call “progressive discipline” to eliminate workers with poor attendance, a costly problem for companies.

But state and federal laws regulating family and medical leave, wages and work hours also govern time-off practices. For example, for illnesses qualifying as a “serious health condition” under federal family-leave law – such as one that sidelines you for more than three days – covered workers can take up to 12 weeks’ unpaid leave; employers with no-fault attendance policies are barred from penalizing them for doing so. But not all illnesses qualify for protection under this law, and it covers only about 60% of U.S. workers. Various state laws also provide additional leave opportunities, however.

For the first time, a 2008 study has produced empirical evidence about the possible causes. First-born children receive 20 to 30 more minutes of daily quality time from parents than second-born kids of the same age from similar families, says the research. Although many people have hypothesized that firstborns get more parental time, this study, by Joseph Price of Brigham Young University, is the first I’ve seen that has the data to prove it.

Most other studies have focused on outcomes – on children’s personalities and traits later in life – and have found firstborns tend to have higher IQs and to be more high-achieving and conscientious; later-born children tend to be more rebellious, liberal and agreeable.

It’s official: Former No. 1-ranked player Kim Clijsters is returning to the tennis circuit after two years in retirement.

The former world #1 tennis player worked out with the Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, known as RSCA.

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