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| A misconceived oddity, 'Psychopathia Sexualis' is also a title that's fun to say. Based on the landmark 1886 scientific study by Richard von Krafft-Ebing, the film suggests a 'Kinsey'-esque alternate history of the human race, a history of sexual practices deemed deviant by polite society. In this case, that society is repressive Victorian-era Europe.
Directed by Bret Wood, whose previous nonfiction effort 'Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films' is more
fun and fully realized, 'Psychopathia Sexualis' was shot in Atlanta on low-budget digital video. The film explores Krafft-Ebing's views without benefit of a modern perspective. Krafft-Ebing, who coined the terms sadism and masochism, also initially deemed homosexuality a pathological behavior.
To the tune of grade-B horror film music, we are introduced to multiple narratives involving a serial killer preying on underage French shepherds, a sexually repressed young man with an unnatural hunger for the blood of his mother's maid, a male homosexual who submits to a 'cure' through hypnosis and hydrotherapy and a well-heeled masochist who hires prostitutes to act out his fantasies of punishment and humiliation.
Like an Old Testament prophet in Viennese clothing, Krafft-Ebing (Ted Manson) appears, glowering. In another sequence, a woman seems to be addressing the camera, although she is actually, and illogically, speaking to someone who is not at camera-eye level. The film's various unseen narrators are also virtually impossible to distinguish from one another.
Inspired by German silent films of the 1910s and 1920s, Wood makes allusions to Robert Wiene's classic 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,' a 1920 tale of a mesmerist serial killer.
At moments like this, 'Psychopathia Sexualis' will remind some viewers of the work of Canadian retro-visionary Guy Maddin ('The Saddest Music in the World'). But Wood doesn't have Maddin's curator-quality eye for detail. Wood did a much better job integrating his campy-satiric vision with real pop-culture history in 'Hell's Highway,' a film about accident reports used to terrorize student drivers in the 1950s and 1960s.
With the exception of a sequence involving a gay girl and an older female companion, 'Psychopathia Sexualis' also commits the cardinal sin of taking the passion out of illicit sex. | | |
| Awaiting approval from U.S. regulators to sell an over-the-counter diet pill called Alli, GlaxoSmithKline PLC has set out to establish itself as an online weight-loss authority, with a Web site that offers dieting tips and collects data and email addresses from consumers who visit.
The move is one of the first by a pharmaceutical company to tap into the vibrant online community that has grown up around the weight-reduction industry. Glaxo's Pittsburgh, Pa.-based consumer health-care unit set up the site, QuestionEverything.com, in April and says its purpose is to offer peer support and professional advice to dieters and to "dispel the many myths about dieting, exercise and fraudulent weight loss products."
QuestionEverything.com doesn't promote Alli: A spokeswoman says Glaxo will create a separate promotional site if it wins approval from the Food and Drug Administration to sell Alli in the U.S. Glaxo licensed the U.S. over-the-counter rights to the drug, a lower-dose version of the prescription drug Xenical, which Switzerland's Roche Holding AG continues to market world-wide. The FDA asked United Kingdom-based Glaxo to provide more information about Alli in April. Glaxo says it hopes to begin selling the drug in the U.S. later this year.
Anticipating the launch of a major weight-loss drug, Glaxo is keen to become known as a trusted source of weight-management information, the Glaxo spokeswoman says. And it has another interest in promoting healthy eating, some analysts note: Clinical trials indicate that people taking Alli experience fewer gastrointestinal side effects if they stick to a low-fat diet. Alli blocks the body's absorption of dietary fat, which results in flatulence and other unpleasant side effects. If it is cleared for sale, Alli would be the first FDA-approved OTC diet pill on the U.S. market.
Diet-drug marketing is a minefield, with some popular products tripped up by safety issues and side effects. Wyeth's Redux and Pondimin, which constituted the fenfluramine portion of the once popular fen-phen diet combination, were taken off the market after being linked with heart-value problems, and Wyeth has paid out billions of dollars in legal settlements to users. Other products simply don't work that well.
Marketing experts say Glaxo's site is a way for the pharmaceutical company -- the world's second-largest according to sales, behind Pfizer Inc. -- to test the market and prepare for the Alli launch. That includes gathering the email addresses and ages of individual consumers -- information prized by marketers.
By watching how people use the site and reading the messages they post on its discussion board, Glaxo is likely to learn how to position Alli, says Barbara Bix, a marketing strategist at BB Marketing Plus, Boston, which isn't working on the Alli launch. And by putting the Glaxo name on a site offering sensible advice about diet and exercise, the company is starting a buzz among potential customers, which will be useful once it starts marketing the specific product, Ms. Bix and others say.
The Glaxo spokeswoman says the company may contact Web site visitors, but only after Alli receives FDA approval. Even then, Glaxo says it plans to contact only those visitors replying that they want more information about an FDA-approved product.
Other heavyweights of the diet industry -- Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, the Zone Diet, the South Beach Diet -- blur the line between advice and promotion with Web sites that plug products, offer advice and collect consumer data. An Internet search of the words "weight loss" or "diet pill" results in hundreds of sites and ads pitching everything from miracle dietary supplements to fat-melting hypnosis.
The Internet weight-loss community is one of the most lively to emerge in recent years, as more and more consumers seek health information on the Web. Interest in new drug treatments appears to be especially high. There are dozens of sites devoted to Acomplia, a closely watched obesity drug whose approval is pending with the FDA. The sites, run by third parties and not by Acomplia's manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis SA of France, give updates on clinical trials for the drug and the likelihood of FDA approval. Another site, the Alli Report, published by Medical Week News Inc., tracks news on Glaxo's drug, including the formation of QuestionEverything.com.
Glaxo has pledged to the FDA to promote Alli as part of a program of improved diet and exercise, to help make sure consumers don't form unrealistic expectations of it as a cure-all. The company has tested a similar approach with its antismoking gum Nicorette. A Web site, Nicorette.com, offers tips for coping with cravings, a "dependency quiz" and video clips from "coaches" who help people quit. Other drug companies use Web sites to promote specific pills to U.S. consumers, but they don't usually include such a wide variety of health and lifestyle advice.
The QuestionEverything home page instructs visitors to "question everything you know about weight loss." The Web site features stylish graphics, including drawings of a svelte woman reading a label, and more than a dozen links that readers click to read about portion size, low-calorie cooking or organic food. The site also offers recipes, quizzes and discussion boards where visitors post tips.
Before joining a discussion, visitors must register, giving their email address and date of birth. The site also asks for their first name, ZIP code and ethnic background. The site notes that Glaxo may "send you future communications on one or more of our brands," and that it will "refer to your information to better understand your needs...and how we can improve our products and services." The site itself makes no mention of the brand name Alli or any other Glaxo drug.
The site does make a point of educating visitors about the pitfalls of dietary supplements, such as hoodia and bitter orange. It warns that dietary supplements aren't FDA-approved, which means they aren't held to rigorous safety and efficacy review. The site also instructs visitors how to report problems with dietary supplements to the FDA.
Glaxo has hired a dietitian and a physiologist from the New York Obesity Research Center Weight Loss Program to respond to readers' questions. In one recent exchange, physiologist Richard Weil advised a reader on the relative merits of the Pilates technique versus jogging. In another, dietitian Betty Kovacs answered a visitor's query by posting a recipe for low-calorie mashed cauliflower.
Mr. Weil says he works as a contractor for Glaxo, getting paid a fee for his advice. The physiologist says he sees a close link between dieters and the Web in his New York practice, where patients often bring in printouts from the Internet on weight-lifting or exercise programs.
Mr. Weil praises QuestionEverything for offering readers access to professional advice that they might not otherwise get. The weight-loss tips readers give each other are sometimes "amateur," he adds, but he says the support they give each other is invaluable. "Oh girl...I feel your frustration," one reader recently replied to another complaining that healthy eating habits weren't resulting in weight loss.
Peter Kreisky, a Boston media consultant unaffiliated with Glaxo, says QuestionEverything resembles a "piece of market research to find out about the way consumers talk about weight loss, the language they use and the things they're most concerned about." In particular, Glaxo is probably compiling a list of "key terms" that dieters use, he says. Companies buy "key terms" on search engines such as Google, to ensure that their site pops up at the top of the list of advertised sites.
The Dallas interactive marketing agency IMC2 and the New York office of Arnold Worldwide helped Glaxo create the site. Communispace Corp. of Watertown, Mass., also advised Glaxo on the project. | | |
| I'm not sure how it started. My mother was a GP and that might not have helped. As a child, I remember tearing around our living room as she tried to give me a tetanus jab. Later in life, my therapist suggested that this might be the cause of my phobia, lack of boundaries between my mother the doctor, and me, the child and patient. But my mother countered with another bad experience that she remembered I'd had as a baby. A doctor had tried multiple times, unsuccessfully, to take blood from my then short and vein-less arms.
Whatever the reason, my phobia didn't cause too many problems during my childhood. I had to lie down after my BCG vaccination in the school sick bay. It was embarrassing, but I got over it. I pretended to be ill on the day of a biology experiment when we had to prick our fingers to get a sample of blood. But that was it. And then later, as university beckoned and a choice had to be made between media studies and medicine, I plumped for medicine, thinking briefly about the needle problem and then discounting it. I had developed a strategy, a coping mechanism: denial. And it worked well.
The first two years at medical school were book work and I was fine. Then the letter arrived. 'You are required to attend for a compulsory blood test to check your hepatitis B status in preparation for the clinical part of your course.' The clinical course. The part where I had to see patients. Panic set in. On the day of the blood test, I took a swig of my flatmate's whisky and headed down to the clinic. I fainted as the doctor took the blood. Fantastic: I'm two years into a medical degree and I'm terrified of needles. Why had no one brought this to my attention before? I decided to take radical action. What I needed was time and space, so I decided to take an optional year to do a psychology degree. Maybe I was just delaying, maybe I was looking for answers but during the breather year I studied phobias and ways of dealing with them. There seemed to be three possibilities: a psychotherapeutic approach, delving into one's past for answers; a cold turkey approach called flooding, which involves confronting the fear head- on; and a process known as desensitisation. This involves a gradual build-up to facing the fear, first imagining or looking at pictures of it, then watching a video, then the real thing. This seemed to me to be the best.
So I created my own programme. Every night I imagined myself giving blood. I borrowed syringes and examined them twice a day to familiarise myself with them. I borrowed a finger-pricking device from my diabetic dad, and worked up to pricking my own finger. I did this for nine months. At the same time I decided that I'd examine things with a therapist to see what had caused all this. We talked about my experiences as a child, about my diabetic father giving himself injections every day, and all the while I carried on with my own programme of desensitisation. The clinical course grew closer, and I decided I needed to move to the next level. If I was going to take blood from other people, I needed to give blood, and voluntarily.
I booked into a session on my college campus. The anxiety was awful. I nearly pulled out at the last minute, but somehow I did it. I lay there staring at the ceiling, my hand clenched and sweaty. And then it was over. It wasn't painful at all. But this had never been about the pain. It's a pure fear; that's what a phobia is.
The feeling of achievement was immense, but my challenge wasn't over. When the timetable arrived for my new clinical course, shivers went down my spine as a I read the dreaded word, venesection, the posh name for taking blood. The programme said we'd be watching a demonstration, then practising on each other. The day came and the tutor handed out syringes and needles. Unbelievably I let someone practise on me. And then, even more unbelievably, I took blood off them. I can't describe the high I felt.
Since then, I've had no problems taking blood off patients. I'm still nervous and anxious when I'm the patient, but I tolerate it and it doesn't interfere with my work. I'm not sure what it was that helped me most and I can't say to fellow needle-phobics that this is the answer because I'm not sure whether there is one. Maybe it was the therapy, maybe it was the desensitisation, maybe it was my determination. I suspect it was a mixture of everything. At least I know that medicine was not such a stupid choice. Media studies is for wimps.
Dealing with jabs
Belonophobia, needle phobia, affects about 10 per cent of the population and is believed to be more common in children.
GPs should be able to refer sufferers to a psychologist or psychotherapist. The latter will look at your past to find the underlying cause; the former will look at coping mechanisms. Hypnosis and meditation can also help.
Several companies claim to have invented pain-free syringes or injection techniques involving very fine needles.
Needle-free devices for administering many types of medicines, for example insulin for diabetics, are available but not yet widely used. Substances are injected through the skin using pressurised gas.
Anaesthetic creams that numb the skin before a jab can be useful for children and adults who have severe needle phobia. Ask your doctor or nurse about them when you book a jab.
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| CrystalVision hosts hypnosis center's site
CrystalVision Internet Services has launched the new Web site for the Sheehan & Early Hypnosis Center of Deering. The new site, www.SheehanEarlyHypnosis.com, provides information about hypnosis as well as services available through the center.
CrystalVision will also administer hosting, maintenance, e-mail and technical support services for the Web site. Additionally, the site will be a foundation for future e-marketing initiatives such as a regular e-mail newsletters and search engine placements.
The Sheehan & Early Hypnosis Center, owned by John and Elizabeth Early Sheehan, aims to use hypnosis to improve physical, emotional, mental and spiritual quality of life. For more information on CrystalVision, see www.crystalvision.org.
Online 'Da Vinci?spoof gets 750,000 hits
PORTSMOUTH - "The Norman Rockwell Code," a short film spoof of "The Da Vinci Code" from writer-director Alfred Thomas Catalfo and producer Marc Dole, has made its mark in the world of Internet content, blogs and viral video. The 35-minute film recently made Entertainment Weekly's The Must List ("Ten Things We Love This Week"), which hailed the "whimsical Web-based parody."
The film's creators said the Web site has had more than 750,000 hits since the movie became available for viewing on May 19, the same day the film version of "The Da Vinci Code" was released.
The first public screening of "The Norman Rockwell Code" will take place at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., on Sunday. For more information, visit www.TheNormanRockwellCode.com.
Hatchling creates two animated Web series
PORTSMOUTH - Following the success of several 2D projects for Liberty Mutual, Prudential Securities and the popular Web comic Ctrl+Alt+Del, CGI animation studio Hatchling Studios has developed "Modred's Isle" and "Store 118," two animated short series targeted exclusively at mobile media distribution.
"Modred's Isle," which will debut in July, is a parody of the reality-based TV shows that are very popular in the United States. It features a team of villains, a team of heroes, and one unwitting human who thinks he is going on a standard game show with a fantasy theme, only to find himself in the midst of real-life battles between trolls, orcs, fairies, and wizards.
The series is the collaborative creation of Hatchling CEO Marc Dole and Director Zack Pike. Pike is also the creator and director of Hatchling's 3D short film "The Toll," which will debut this summer.
"Store 118" follows a group of co-workers as they are forced to deal with the monotony and frustration that comes from working retail in the nation's largest mega-store. The series was co-developed by Dole and Pike.
Management services plan to combine efforts
PORTSMOUTH - Newmarket International Inc. and Hotel Information Systems have announced plans to further integrate the epitome Property Management System and Delphi Sales & Catering. Newmarket specializes in group sales and event management software for the hospitality industry. California-based Hotel Information Systems provides Internet-native property management and central reservation programs.
The companies said the integration of the Property Management System and Delphi will allow hospitality companies to generate increased sales, enhance customer service, and increase profitability through effective group sales and event management.
Newmarket International has over 70,000 users worldwide, with over 5,000 installations in 69 countries. Newmarket has international offices in London, Barcelona, Singapore, Shanghai, and Sydney.
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| Evan Grant, The News' Rangers beat writer, answered your questions on Thursday, July 6.
Evan Grant: Afternoon, everybody. Here to answer your questions, but please let's hold off on trying to figure out if the Rangers can win the AL West with a .500 record
BReed: Am I the only one who thinks its time to bring up Volquez and see what the kid really has? Also, I know we're used to begging for a pitcher at the deadline, but wouldn't a bat suit the club better? A bat won't cost as much and the club hasn't been hitting all year long. The pitching staff has had some rough spots but has been competitive for much of the season.
Evan Grant: The pitching staff has perked up of late with six quality outings in the last seven games. But if I'm making a trade, I'd still want to add at least one starter to the mix. Maybe Adam Eaton is that guy, but you won't know for sure until mid-August if he's healthy and effective. That might be a little too late. The general feeling on Edinson Volquez is that he still has work to do on his command to be ready to tackle the major leagues. I've been an advocate of not rushing guys to the majors, but, who knows, Volquez could end up as this staff's Jered Weaver. He's injected life into the moribund Angels of late.
In the eyes of the fans, Mark Teixeira continues to struggle at the plate: .274, eight home runs, 45 RBIs.
From e-mail: I have had enough of giving Teixeira all the rope and time he needs. What gives? Does he need to sit out a couple of days in a row 'C or at least the day before the All-Star break to give him another day of rest? Is there something technical going on and if so, does Rudy have him looking at video tape? If its mental, well, perhaps hypnosis or a couple of beers or some B-12 (not Raffy's, of course). Anon
Evan Grant: I don't think sitting out one game or two is going to cure Mark Teixeira. He's either going to get hot and rescue this season or he's going to end up having really subpar numbers for him. But he's such a talent that you've got to play him everyday and expect that at some point he's going to bust out of this power slump in a big way. Benching him is not going to make him or the team better. He's been working with Rudy Jaramillo since the hitting instructor returned to the team. No results yet.
From e-mail: What should we expect from Jon Daniels this month as he approaches the July 31 deadline. He's done a pretty decent job since he's took over and his work has made me a fan of his. I hope he makes a trade that helps and not one just for the sake of making a trade! Alex in Richardson, Texas
Evan Grant: The first thing Daniels has to decide is whether one major deal, which is about all the Rangers are capable of making, will put this team over the top. It's pretty clear to me that as of right now, this team is not much of a match for Boston, Chicago, Detroit or even Minnesota. So will one addition make a difference?Is potentially making the playoffs and getting swept out in the first round worth giving up legit minor league talent? This month is key for the Rangers. If they play well, Daniels can operate from a position of strength and come closer to making a deal that he wants to make. If the Rangers struggle, I think they are still going to be in the West race, but they may be pushed towards a deal of desperation. Those rarely work out. Again, my number one goal would be to look for a starting pitcher who could be of help this year and beyond. Not looking for a two-month rental.
From e-mail: What do you think about Canseco's latest 'C the MLB Mafia and the "betrayal" of Rafael Pameiro? By the way, what happened to Palmeiro? And what happened to Sammy Sosa? Seems these guys just disappeared. Anon
Evan Grant: I think, judging by Canseco's appearance in an independent league and his request to be traded just two days after he first played, that this is a desperate guy. Not sure if he's desperate for attention or money or both. But he certainly comes off as desperate. I'm not big on conspriacy theories, so I don't buy the MLB mafia talk. Palmeiro is in town, attending his kids games and otherwise keeping a low profile. Sammy Sosa is living in Miami.
From e-mail: Isn't Wilkerson the most expensive mistake the Rangers have made this season? What made them think he was a better option than Dellucci? And now they would keep him over Mench? Eat the contract and trade him for a dozen hot dogs. James Beavers
Evan Grant: Brad Wilkerson's career numbers suggested he was a slightly more effective versio of Dellucci and that he'd be able to play against both right- and left-handers, where Dellucci really needs to be rested against lefties. So far, it's looked like a significant mistake, but when Wilkerson drives in runs, this team wins. Seriously, if he can get on a one-month hot streak, he might be the engine that drives this team from .500 to more realistic numbers for a playoff contender. He's had trouble adjusting to the AL. He's not the first (remember Richard Hidalgo, to cite a recent example). He won't be the last.
From e-mail: What do you think it would take to land Prior or Wood from Chicago? I understand neither would provide immediate help, but could pay dividends later on down the road? Secondly, what made the Rangers take Kiker over Drabek when it seems like his off the field issues weren't as big of a deal as people made it out to be and the Rangers have plenty of young lefties (Danks, Koronka, Rheinecker, and Haigwood)? Ryan Sablotny
Evan Grant: You can never have too many young lefties. And I think the left-handed issue was more than just a little tiebreaker. In addition, the off the field behavior issue on Kyle Drabek was significant enough that he didn't go in the first 19 picks. And the No. 1 reason he was overlooked by other clubs was concerns about maturity. Also remember that when the Rangers chose Kasey Kiker, they did not have Daniel Haigwood yet. ... As for Wood and Prior, I don't consider them worth the risk. I'll wait till free agency to explore them. The injury histories are just downright frightening.
From e-mail: Why does Tex continue to try and pull everything when they give him the opportunity to hit anything to the left side. The Blue Jays were shifted so far over it looked like the left foul line was drawn from home to second and out to center field. Yet he still tried to pull the ball. Blaylock has figured it out how long for Tex? Cash McCall in Austin
Evan Grant: You aren't the first to compare Blalock and Teixeira, but it's not a great comparison. Blalock's strength is as a line drive hitter to the gaps. He needs to use both gaps. Teixeira is a true power hitters. His problem is not that he needs to go the other way; his issue is getting the ball in the air and driving it more.
One chatter said he would trade Buck Showalter for Dusty Baker, straight up. Evan says "Baker's pitchers have had a problem staying healthy. That's going to be a tough thing for him to overcome if he wants to manage again."
From e-mail: How about this trade: Buck Showalter for Dusty Baker, straight up? Anon
Evan Grant: So, you want the Rangers to trade Buck for a guy who is likely to be fired in the next 10 days? Doesn't seem like such a good deal for the Rangers. Baker's pitchers have had a problem staying healthy. That's going to be a tough thing for him to overcome if he wants to manage again. That said, if I had a club that I simply needed to get to play to its potential, I wouldn't hesitate to hire Dusty Baker. He did that extremely well in San Francisco. I just don't know that right now I'd be comfortable trusting a staff full of young pitchers to him.
From e-mail: What are your thoughts on DeRosa's strong first half? Has he done enough to allow the Rangers to shop Wilkerson or Mench to try and sure up the rotation? Jason Biffle in Houston
Evan Grant: Mark DeRosa is a full-time player for this club. Brad Wilkerson, Kevin Mench and Jerry Hairston Jr. are now splitting up two positions. The most likely to go in a trade is Mench because of his potential, because he can be controlled for two more years after this and because his salary ($2.8 million) is still affordable. Wilkerson's value is low. If anybody is to be traded for a pitcher, Mench or Laynce Nix are going to be involved in the deal.
From e-mail: This is a question that could be asked of nearly any professional sports contest, but I will ask it in light of the Mark Teixeira game-winning hit on the line that was called foul recently. Even though it was admittedly a tough call, certainly the umpires (referees in other sports) later watch the replays and could obviously have seen when they made incorrect calls. Sometimes the result of the bad call is inconsequential, but for ones of intense significance, such as game-deciding incorrect calls, what is the umpire's later response? The next time that they see these players or teams, do they acknowledge their mistakes or apologize to the players or teams? Or do official notification of mistakes come from the Commissioner's Office? Or is it just dropped and ignored? I know if I was Mark Teixeira I would want that umpire to come to me personally and say something like "I missed that call. I'm sorry. I'll try to do better next time." Shawn from Wheeler, Texas
Evan Grant: Umpires watch replays. There are occasions when they will apologize to players or managers for missed calls. MLB has the ability to fine or suspend an umpire (though those penalties are never made public). It comes down to people skills. There are some umpires who will make a mistake and acknowledge it later. There are others who simply can't bring themselves to admitting mistakes. And, though, there are many players who would appreciate an apology, there are plenty more who wouldn't know how to accept one. The best thing players can do is assume umpires are impartial (which they are) and accept their calls. Hard to do because of the time-honored tradition of arguing, but I don't think there is one umpire/referee in pro sports who is looking to stick it to a team.
From e-mail: Looks like the Ranger farm system (outside of DVD and maybe Hurley) is mostly empty. Is this true? If so, this brings up a couple of questions. First, how does a team with this many high picks in the last few years get in this shape? Second, Jon Daniels can't trade one of the few prospects we have, without totally ripping the farm system apart. Who is responsible for this? The draft or the development system? Where does our minor leagues rank in terms of prospects. I would guess No. 20 ... or lower. Tommy in Little Elm, Texas
Evan Grant: Tommy, the last rankings I saw, which were before the season, I believe ranked the Rangers' minor league system at No. 20. No, it's not good. But also remember, the Rangers roster right now has the youngest average age in the majors, so much of what made the farm system good the last couple of years is now in the majors. It appears that Edinson Volquez and John Danks are big-time pitching prospects, bigger than the Rangers have had in quite some time and their value can't be overlooked. But this organization does lack hitting prospects. Joaquin Arias remains a prospect, but his path to the majors is blocked by Michael Young and Ian Kinsler, so he may be of more worth to another club. The one hitting prospect to emerge this year is OF Ben Harrison, who should be promoted to Double-A Frisco any day. Harrison has enormous power, but he's a bit old for the Class A California League. He turns 25 in September.
charles: Vicente Padilla is pitching lights out his last handful of starts. Has he made any changes mechanically? Or is he just believing in his pitches more?
Evan Grant: With Padilla there's no telling if he's listening to people or if he's simply made up his own mind and headed down a road. He doesn't speak to the media and rarely talks to teammates. The Rangers have been urging him to throw the fastball with regularity and to spot his other pitches. In his last five starts, he seems to be doing that. But whether it's because of something the Rangers said or because he decided it on his own, there is no telling.
Evan Grant: No. There isn't another capable cleanup hitter in this lineup. Teixeira is capable of hitting cleanup and is going to have to hit cleanup in his career. Even if this year is a painful lesson for him where results are concerned, I'd leave him right where he is right now. Show confidence in him and also send a message that he's going to have to figure it out because the Rangers need him to hit in the fourth spot.
pfe1223: Do you think the Rangers have any players that could get through waivers for a trade in August? Would they be worth trading?
Evan Grant: They might. But, my guess, is that if the Rangers put Kevin Mench (their most tradeable commodity) on waivers in August, Oakland or Seattle or L.A. is going to claim him. Mench would fill a need for all of those clubs. And all of those clubs are still in the AL West race. What's important is the team the Rangers want to trade with. If they want to deal with Kansas City or Tampa Bay, for example, it doesn't matter what the A's, Angels or Mariners would do. The Rangers would have the ability to make a deal with the club that has first waiver priority (in this case Kansas City). If the club couldn't make a deal, it could simply pull Mench back off waivers. Hard to understand? That's the arcane world of baseball rules.
TexGoesYard: Are we commited to seeing all of the DVD-H playing for the Rangers at some point. Or is it more likely that one or two will be moved in a trade?
Evan Grant: John Danks is as close to untouchable as a prospect gets. Edinson Volquez is not far behind him, but the Rangers would have to consider including him in a deal. If the club were to trade any of the three, I believe their first choice would be Thomas Diamond.
jlust22: Do you think Jon Daniels misevaluated Chris Young and how good of a pitcher he could become? It just seems like a real bad move to trade a terrific pitcher and hometown kid who you had control of for years to come.
Evan Grant: You could possibly say that. But I think the trade had merit when it was made and still could be a solid trade for this year. Yes, Chris Young has been a very good starting pitcher for San Diego. Akinori Otsuka has been a very good closer for the Rangers. Adam Eaton may be a very good addition to the rotation for the last two months of the season. There is no shame in making a trade that improves the other team. The Rangers got back a very good reliever for Young. If both these clubs make the playoffs with both Otsuka and Young playing key roles, you'd have to say it was a good trade for both.
horses: Is Johan Yan already the best position prospect in the Rangers system?
Evan Grant: My good friend Mike Hindman at the the very fine think-tank The Newberg Report ( newbergreport.com) for all things related to the Rangers minor league loves Johan Yan. I haven't seen the highly-touted shortstop, but he could be the next big position player to break through. And, as Mr. Hindman says, Yan is only 17.
Hank: We know Mench is having a fairly odd year, seems to me that you are picking on him. I do think he will swing his way out of this, however I do think not playing everyday has a big mental effect on him as well.
Evan Grant: Kevin Mench is a fine young man and a tremendous baseball talent. He has not given the Rangers what they need him to give him. He is not playing every day because others (Gary Matthews Jr. and Mark DeRosa) are outperforming him. I'd love to see Kevin succeed here and I think he can, but if the Rangers are going to make a trade, the club is going to have to consider the possibility of dealing him. That's just baseball business.
Michigan Ken: Is it just me or does Buck let these players swing to freely especially when the battter before them worked the count or was able to draw a walk or get a seeing eye single? I noticed this a lot the other night when we lost 3-2 and Jerry Hairston swung at the first pitch two times in a row and got an out both times.
Evan Grant: In general, this team is working pitchers better than last year. That said, it's still an aggressive team and aggressive teams will swing at the first pitch they get to hit. We tend to remember all the pop ups on first pitches after walks, but the doubles and triples on those same first pitches get overlooked. This is a more disciplined team at the plate. It hasn' t made them a better offensive team, but they are more disciplined.
orton1227: Are the young lefties (Rheinecker and Koronka) watching and re-watching Kenny Rogers' home starts from last year? It seems they could learn how to succeed here by doing so.
Evan Grant: They aren't spending a lot of time watching Kenny Rogers videos, but I think in general, they are applying his philosophy. Rheinecker seems to do that more regularly than Koronka. Koronka has gotten a lot of outs on fly balls on days when fly balls aren't as dangerous. He seems to understand managing the park pretty well. But, listen, there is nothing but good that can come from studying Kenny Rogers, the pitcher, in Arlington. He is the blueprint for success here. I've said that for years. It will be true for years. He gets ground balls, fields his position with excellence and never, never gives in.
jlust22: In all your years covering baseball, has any coach or manager been more loved and respected by his players than Rudy Jaramillo? Some people have questioned if Rudy is really that great, but doesn't the fact that players past and present absolutely seem to worship him speak to his value?
Evan Grant: When I covered the Florida Marlins, the pitchers were universal in their love of Larry Rothschild. So, I do believe that there are other coaches out there who have an amazing way of reaching players. Rudy Jaramillo has great communication skills (in two languages), is extremely loyal and really is a positive influence on his players. It would be hard for me to imagine a player not responding to him. He's a great coach because he is first and foremost a good person. It comes back to managing people. Rudy is as good as I've seen.
Sean D: I saw a couple of weeks ago that the Rangers had re-acquired Jason Hart. A few years ago, he was considered a very good prospect, but I know he had some injury issues. Is he still a good prospect to be an eventual DH, or is he more likely to be a career minor leaguer now?
Evan Grant: It would be great if Jason Hart, who had a brain tumor in 2004, could return to the big leagues. It's a long shot because his skills seem to be those of a player inbetween the minors and majors. But if the choice of whether to bring Hart or another player to the majors comes down to desire, Hart will win hands down.
rangersfan06: I know the Teixeira game-winning hit conversations have been beat to death, but I reference it for my question: 4 Rangers were ejected from that game. Is that some sort of record? Do you know what the MLB record is for number of players ejected in a game?
Evan Grant: Don't know the record, but far more were ejected from an ugly White Sox-Tigers fight a few years ago. I do know this: The Rangers hadn't had two players ejected from a game since 1984.
Evan Grant: Well, I'm going to run here and get back to working on our midseason reports, which will run in the Sunday and Monday sections of the paper and on line. Also, we've got a new baseball blog: Seamheads, which can be found at rangers.beloblog.com. It's a little slow today, but should be running at full steam tomorrow. Hope to see lots of comments there. Also hope to see lots of questions for Inside the Rangers newsletter. E-mail me at rangers@dallasnews.com. And don't be a stranger. Always look forward to hearing from y'all.
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