Yes, we tweet

I just put the link in to the box on the right, but if you feel like following the Rattlers on Twitter...well, you can.

One letter off (12/22)

www.loons.com = Midwest League affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers

www.loon.com = The warmest greeting on a website...ever.

Welcome to loon.com. Now go home.

108 dies insquequo Oris Dies.

Something to read

LiveScience.com has a post by Dan Peterson of Sports Are 80 Percent Mental.

When Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Chris Capuano reports for spring training in April, he will be anxious to demonstrate the effects of a performance-enhancing off-season.

His brain will benefit from a sharper focus, while his throwing arm will boast an extra boost that has been missing since 2006.

Stimulants? Steroids? Scandal?

No. Capuano just had LASIK surgery for his eyes and "Tommy John" surgery for his injured elbow. And if he chooses, he could have a few cups of coffee before the game. Of course, were he to choose amphetamines to improve his focus or steroids to increase his strength, he would be banned and berated.

I don't want to give away the whole post, so here is a quick peek ahead:

Abuse of prescription drugs, such as Ritalin and Adderall, is illegal because of the potential, harmful side effects. Still, reports of the rising use of these drugs by college students and professionals show the demand for options beyond nutrition, exercise and sleep.

These drugs are just the first generation of possible brain boosting supplements, which is why the Nature commentators are calling for an organized, stigma-free approach to evaluating the risks, benefits and ethics of future products.

Even in Major League Baseball, there is mounting evidence that cognitive-enhancing drugs may be on the rise. Since MLB banned amphetamines in 2006, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of therapeutic use exemptions issued to players for attention-deficit disorder diagnoses, for which drugs like Ritalin and Adderall can be legitimately prescribed. In 2006, 28 players applied for the exemption, while a year later there were 103. There is suspicion that many of these ADD diagnoses are just excuses to get the pills.

And here is one more on my favorite "drug":

More specifically, caffeine has been the subject of many recent studies of its effectiveness, both cognitively and physiologically.

Earlier this year, Dr. Carrie Ruxton completed a literature survey to summarize 41 double-blind, placebo-controlled trials published over the past 15 years to establish what range of caffeine consumption would maximize benefits and minimize risk for cognitive function, mood, physical performance and hydration. The studies were divided into two categories, those that looked at the cognitive effects and those that looked at physical performance effects.

The results concluded that there was a significant improvement in cognitive functions like attention, reaction time and mental processing as well as physical benefits described as increased "time to exhaustion" and decreased "perception of fatigue" in cycling and running tests.

Given these results, how exactly does caffeine perform these wonderful tricks? Dr. Ruxton explains: "Caffeine is believed to impact on mood and performance by inhibiting the binding of both adenosine and benzodiazepine receptor ligands to brain membranes. As these neurotransmitters are known to slow down brain activity, a blockade of their receptors lessens this effect."

Caffeine...What can't it do?

All links in the excerpts are from the original post.

One letter off (12/15)

Just a fun/sad Monday feature.

If you're anything like me -- and I hope to the Babe you are not -- you may have typed in a URL incorrectly a time or two.

In that spirit:

www.silverhawks.com = Official website of the Midwest League affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks

www.silverhawk.com = Your Doorway to the World of Fine Crafts

Pinball Wizard

Any old excuse to post a video by The Who!

But, the trade show is exhausting. In addition to constantly being on one's feet, there is the nagging feeling of being eyed up by vendors as they decide whether or not to launch into a sales pitch. I'm probably not worth talking to, unless someone is interested in getting a plug on one of the internet's finest Minor League business blogs. On second thought, this definitely makes me worth talking to. I wield influence like a caveman wields a club.

Tuesday night I took a bus three miles east on Tropicana to the Pinball Hall of Fame. 220 machines from all eras of pinball history, and all in excellent condition. This place is a labor of love, and an absolute must for anyone who enjoys pinball. I, obviously, love pinball. In fact, email me at any time in order to talk about pinball.

That is part of Ben Hill's writeup on his Winter Meetings experience in Las Vegas. His e-mail is: benjamin.hill@mlb.com

Since Ben reads this blog -- allegedly: Did they have this one at the museum?

Hello, Preble

This was me trying to find the gym -- and the parking lot after the game -- at Green Bay Preble High School on Friday Night for the Time Warner Cable Sports 32 broadcast of the boys' high school game between Green Bay West and Preble...

Actually it wasn't. I didn't stop and ask for directions.

The game was not close. The fact that West was missing three of their top players and turned the ball over more than 20 times didn't help. On the Preble side, they got a big lead -- it was 32-12 at halftime -- on the way to a 56-42 win and rested a lot of players because they had to play on again Saturday night against De Pere in a pretty big game.

It worked out for them.

Paul Giesler scored 23 points to help Green Bay Preble defeat De Pere 48-44 on Saturday in a Fox River Classic Conference boys basketball game at Preble.

Andrew Stone made two free throws with 8 seconds remaining to give Preble (4-0, 3-0 FRCC) a four-point lead, and Erik Tauschek and Nate Burchell led the Hornets' defensive effort.

Chris Kadins scored 10 to lead the Redbirds.

..........1...2...3...4...FINAL
De Pere..12..10..14...8...44

GB Preble.8..15..11...14..48

Two games on the basketball schedule this week. Tuesday is Ashwaubenon at De Pere and Friday is Neenah at Menasha.

Thankful for...

Lisa Winston has an A-to-Z column up over at MiLB.com today. It's, well, I'll let her explain.

Why yes, I do have the best job in the world. And there's no better time to let everyone else know, and maybe remind myself why:

In alphabetical order, here are 26 things I am thankful for this holiday season:

There is a Brewer tie-in on that list at L:

Lorenzo Cain: One of the great joys of my job is watching players blossom and bloom. When I met the Brewers outfield prospect in 2006 in West Virginia, he shyly told me I was the first interview he'd ever done. Now, after his AFL campaign, he is a superstar in the making and still the same wonderful down-to-earth kid he always was.

I should also point out that Lisa has her own blog...Got milb?

Yes, that would be me

Time Warner needed some help on high school basketball games this year. Somehow, they thought of asking me.

The first game was last Friday from the Kress Center at UW-Green Bay. The game was a girls' game between Kimberly vs. De Pere. The first broadcast is tonight at 7:00pm on TWC Sports 32.

It's not like you have anything else to watch tonight.

Up front, I'll make apologies to the folks of Kimberly and De Pere. It's been a while since I've done basketball. Plus, I got lost a couple of times. Won't happen again.