I'm just back from my day-long reporting stint at Progressive Field and I've got a few emails from folks wondering what happened to the 6:30 p.m. Akron-Canton Newscast.
It's simple. Blame Joe Borowski.
Had the Indians closer sent down the White Sox 1-2-3 in the ninth, the game would have ended in enough time to broadcast a condensed version of the Channel 3 News at 6 and would have allowed the technical folks at WKYC enough time to make the necessary adjustments to then broadcast the ACN at 6:30 p.m. as scheduled.
But noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo .... Jo-Bo had to give up a homer and then let another guy get on base .. before finally ending the game around 6:25 p.m. There just wasn't enough time to even try to do a Channel 3 broadcast before Nightly News began at 6:30 .. nor was there enough time to make the technical switches to air the ACN either.
Just so you know, the ACN was written, edited, and ready to go with Vic Gideon filling in on the anchor desk ... but again, for technical reason, we were in worse shape than Victor Martinez' hamstring.
My day at the park actually went pretty well. My most memorable moment was entering the stadium at noon -- before the park opened for the general public -- and being the only person on the home run porch as the Indians were taking batting practice. At one point, Martinez ripped one over my head and after taking one big bounce, the ball cracked into the side of one of our TV news competitor's live trucks. Made a pretty good whack too.
Anyway, a fun assignment today .. but tomorrow it's back to Akron news .. and what I'm told will be a neat announcement about downtown.
Go tribe!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Tribe memories ... and a request for fan stories!
I'm getting ready for my opening day assignment. I'll be live outside of Progressive Field talking about a U of A student whose been hired as one of the Tribe's stadium announcers. Pretty good gig for a kid whose only 21.
After that, I'm looking to do a story on a fan or fans .. anyone going to the game or know someone who is who would be a good story? Someone going to their 25th consecutive home opener? A couple who met at a home opener and then got married maybe? Just brainstorming.
If you've got a story idea, email me at emansfield@wkyc.gannett.com and tell me their story and how to contact them .. would love to tell a fresh story about some great fans ...
By the way, our staff gave us each the assignment of posting our thoughts on previous home openers. So you can read my favorite memories at wkyc.com. There's also a spot there now for you to share your own tribe memories.
My actual favorite memory came in 1989 when I caught a foul ball on the fly at the old stadium and received an "honorary contract" from the Indians. I still have the ball and the contract.
After that, I'm looking to do a story on a fan or fans .. anyone going to the game or know someone who is who would be a good story? Someone going to their 25th consecutive home opener? A couple who met at a home opener and then got married maybe? Just brainstorming.
If you've got a story idea, email me at emansfield@wkyc.gannett.com and tell me their story and how to contact them .. would love to tell a fresh story about some great fans ...
By the way, our staff gave us each the assignment of posting our thoughts on previous home openers. So you can read my favorite memories at wkyc.com. There's also a spot there now for you to share your own tribe memories.
My actual favorite memory came in 1989 when I caught a foul ball on the fly at the old stadium and received an "honorary contract" from the Indians. I still have the ball and the contract.
Go Tribe!
Akron Police collaboration mirrors military operations in Iraq ..
As I watch tape of this morning's press conference held by Mayor Plusquellic and Summit Sheriff Drew Alexander, I'm trying to just let it soak in .. but my first response is that this mirrors relationships I went through during my tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
First, today's announcement ... let me map it this way:
a) Deputy Mayor for Public Safety George Romanoski leaves his official post to work full-time overseeing the 9-1-1 center to include the long-term planning and development of regional 9-1-1 operations.
That makes sense given his expertise in that area ..
b) Former Akron Police Chief Larry Givens takes Romanoski's job as Deputy Mayor for Public Safety.
Wow .. never thought I'd see Givens at City Hall again .. or Plusquellic hire a Republican as Deputy Mayor ... but ok .. i'm certainly listening now ..
c) Givens will focus solely on the Akron Police Department while Fire and EMS will now report directly to the Mayor.
okkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay ... what does that mean to the current ..
d) Givens will be loaned out to work with the Sheriff's Office (a place he used to work as Deputy Sheriff) for a period of 18 months to study ways for the two police agencies to work together to police Akron, share resources, save money, and while Akron officers won't be policing outside the city limits, deputies might be used to patrol Akron streets.
Wow ... okay ... so then what does that mean to ...
e) Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander is now at the top of the chain of command for the Akron Police Department ...
Go, whoa, hold it! Who is doing what, where, and with whom?
f) Changes to take effect April 14th ...
sighhhhhhhhhhhh ... deep breath ..................... let me get this straight ....
Like most folks, this is taking me a few minutes to absorb.
Sharing resources in a way that saves money and deploys officers in a way that catches more bad guys and keeps us safer makes a lot of sense .. and if anybody has the experience and relationship to make that work it's Larry Givens and Drew Alexander. Both are former APD officer (Givens was chief from 1992-96) and both know the Sheriff's office inside and out (Alexander is Sheriff and Givens was his deputy sheriff for several years). I don't think anyone will argue that those goals involving these experienced officers is worth exploring.
Givens will report to Alexander every day but Givens doesn't work for Alexander. Givens will be an appointed city employee and therefor ultimately works for the citizens of Akron and Mayor Plusquellic.
When I was deployed in the war, we did this all the time. All the time.
The technical term was Opcon which stood for Operational Control. For a period of time, troops from different units and even different branches (Army, Air Force, Marines, etc...) would be opcon to different leaders who became their operational chain of command for a period of time.
In some cases, our troops were opcon to other units for the duration of their tours in the combat zone. For example, a lieutenant colonel under my unit's command spent all of his training time preparing to run our unit's intelligence section ... but once we got to the war zone, he was sent to Bagdad to assume a different role with our higher command because he could be better utilized in that role. He reported to a different boss every day and took his marching orders. Still, even though he was opcon to another commander, he was always on my unit's books .. and always in touch with my unit commander. We always held the ultimate responsibility for his well being and could have pulled him back . . just as Plusquellic can do here with Givens.
Sharing resources was a must to succeed in the dessert. There were times that we had units from other countries opcon to our US commanders for periods of time. I could give a great many examples of specific operations, but trust me, it's how business got done .. and as long as leaders didn't abuse their power, it worked well. US forces always had a US commander at the top of their chain of command.
I see the same thing here involving APD and the Sheriff's Office as it's presented. Givens will be opcon to Alexander. Givens will report to him daily to talk about police operations, and Alexander will have the burden of making operational decisions in the best interest of both agencies. At any time, Givens' official commander -- Plusquellic -- can call off the relationship.
What I don't see is how Akron's Police Chief fits in to the equation. Regardless of whether current Chief Michael Matulavich is in that role after his contract expires at the end of the year, the chief will no longer be king of his castle. He or she will no longer have full say in how Akron's officers are utilized and deployed. While on paper, the Chief has always reported to the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, this new relationship -- where the deputy mayor now is more active in managing the Chief's officers -- is going to take time to massage.
Still, I'm trying to take it all in .. and wondering how it will be received by Akron's finest who are sure to make an issue of county officers possibly helping to patrol the city streets, when city officers still can't live elsewhere in the county.
First, today's announcement ... let me map it this way:
a) Deputy Mayor for Public Safety George Romanoski leaves his official post to work full-time overseeing the 9-1-1 center to include the long-term planning and development of regional 9-1-1 operations.
That makes sense given his expertise in that area ..
b) Former Akron Police Chief Larry Givens takes Romanoski's job as Deputy Mayor for Public Safety.
Wow .. never thought I'd see Givens at City Hall again .. or Plusquellic hire a Republican as Deputy Mayor ... but ok .. i'm certainly listening now ..
c) Givens will focus solely on the Akron Police Department while Fire and EMS will now report directly to the Mayor.
okkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay ... what does that mean to the current ..
d) Givens will be loaned out to work with the Sheriff's Office (a place he used to work as Deputy Sheriff) for a period of 18 months to study ways for the two police agencies to work together to police Akron, share resources, save money, and while Akron officers won't be policing outside the city limits, deputies might be used to patrol Akron streets.
Wow ... okay ... so then what does that mean to ...
e) Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander is now at the top of the chain of command for the Akron Police Department ...
Go, whoa, hold it! Who is doing what, where, and with whom?
f) Changes to take effect April 14th ...
sighhhhhhhhhhhh ... deep breath ..................... let me get this straight ....
Like most folks, this is taking me a few minutes to absorb.
Sharing resources in a way that saves money and deploys officers in a way that catches more bad guys and keeps us safer makes a lot of sense .. and if anybody has the experience and relationship to make that work it's Larry Givens and Drew Alexander. Both are former APD officer (Givens was chief from 1992-96) and both know the Sheriff's office inside and out (Alexander is Sheriff and Givens was his deputy sheriff for several years). I don't think anyone will argue that those goals involving these experienced officers is worth exploring.
Givens will report to Alexander every day but Givens doesn't work for Alexander. Givens will be an appointed city employee and therefor ultimately works for the citizens of Akron and Mayor Plusquellic.
When I was deployed in the war, we did this all the time. All the time.
The technical term was Opcon which stood for Operational Control. For a period of time, troops from different units and even different branches (Army, Air Force, Marines, etc...) would be opcon to different leaders who became their operational chain of command for a period of time.
In some cases, our troops were opcon to other units for the duration of their tours in the combat zone. For example, a lieutenant colonel under my unit's command spent all of his training time preparing to run our unit's intelligence section ... but once we got to the war zone, he was sent to Bagdad to assume a different role with our higher command because he could be better utilized in that role. He reported to a different boss every day and took his marching orders. Still, even though he was opcon to another commander, he was always on my unit's books .. and always in touch with my unit commander. We always held the ultimate responsibility for his well being and could have pulled him back . . just as Plusquellic can do here with Givens.
Sharing resources was a must to succeed in the dessert. There were times that we had units from other countries opcon to our US commanders for periods of time. I could give a great many examples of specific operations, but trust me, it's how business got done .. and as long as leaders didn't abuse their power, it worked well. US forces always had a US commander at the top of their chain of command.
I see the same thing here involving APD and the Sheriff's Office as it's presented. Givens will be opcon to Alexander. Givens will report to him daily to talk about police operations, and Alexander will have the burden of making operational decisions in the best interest of both agencies. At any time, Givens' official commander -- Plusquellic -- can call off the relationship.
What I don't see is how Akron's Police Chief fits in to the equation. Regardless of whether current Chief Michael Matulavich is in that role after his contract expires at the end of the year, the chief will no longer be king of his castle. He or she will no longer have full say in how Akron's officers are utilized and deployed. While on paper, the Chief has always reported to the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, this new relationship -- where the deputy mayor now is more active in managing the Chief's officers -- is going to take time to massage.
Still, I'm trying to take it all in .. and wondering how it will be received by Akron's finest who are sure to make an issue of county officers possibly helping to patrol the city streets, when city officers still can't live elsewhere in the county.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Akron textbooks could be risky investment, factually speaking ..
Here's the deal.
The Akron Schools agreed Monday night to spend $750K on new history/social studies textbooks for thousands of 6th-9th graders. Considering the district last ordered new books in this area in 1996-97, the purchase was probably overdue.
Each of the new textbooks has an issue date of either 2008 or 2009, and they range in price from $60-$75. A bit more than the books of my day, but hey, they're new!
But are they worth the money?
There are several research companies that review school textbooks for errors. These groups usually make some of the best science and history books on the market look pretty lousy.
I sent a list of the new Akron textbooks to Neal Frey, who is the Senior textbook analyst at Educational Research Analysts in Longview, Texas. I asked him if he was familiar with any of the previous editions of the books and here's his response.
While it's not the exact same edition, I still wondered what kind of errors had been found in the same company's prior history books for 8th graders. After all, APS had just purchased 2391 copies of American Journey, The Early Years at a cool $69.99 each.
So I opened the .pdf file that Neal sent reviewing the 2006 edition of American Journey and the 71 errors the group found are pretty blatant.
Here's what they look like:
Other mistakes the Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Authors made include:
The list goes on and on .. and I'm happy to forward a copy of the errors to anyone who emails me at ericmansfield@wkyc.com.
The APS on-line info about the purchase shows that multiple teachers were involved in reviewing new textbooks before making the recommendations to buy the books that were eventually approved for purchase. I have no doubt they worked very hard to choose the best text available for our students.
I'm just hopeful that they were able to scan the book for errors like these and hold the authors feet to the fire to fix any problems before they print copies for Akron's students. Considering the requirements of the 9th grade proficiency tests, providing factually-correct texts seems to be mandated .. so why buy a text book from a company whose most recent versions have been littered with mistakes? Am I wrong here?
Last thing we need is a student believing that President Washington helped add the Bill of Rights to the Constitution when he didn't .. even though the text that was reviewed incorrectly gave him credit for it. Whoops!
The new books APS and other districts are buying will be reviewed later this year, but in the meantime, anyone else concerned about the accuracy of the new books?
The Akron Schools agreed Monday night to spend $750K on new history/social studies textbooks for thousands of 6th-9th graders. Considering the district last ordered new books in this area in 1996-97, the purchase was probably overdue.
Each of the new textbooks has an issue date of either 2008 or 2009, and they range in price from $60-$75. A bit more than the books of my day, but hey, they're new!
But are they worth the money?
There are several research companies that review school textbooks for errors. These groups usually make some of the best science and history books on the market look pretty lousy.
I sent a list of the new Akron textbooks to Neal Frey, who is the Senior textbook analyst at Educational Research Analysts in Longview, Texas. I asked him if he was familiar with any of the previous editions of the books and here's his response.
"Dear Mr. Mansfield:
"Of the texts you list, we are familiar only with American Journey. But the 2006 California edition of that 8th grade text that we most recently reviewed covered to WWI, not just 'The Early Years' like your 2008 Ohio version, so our page number citations of factual errors would not match your book. Plus Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, having seen this our list of errors in its 2006 text, should have corrected them by 2008. In case you are interested, attached is our full review of the 2006 California
edition.
While it's not the exact same edition, I still wondered what kind of errors had been found in the same company's prior history books for 8th graders. After all, APS had just purchased 2391 copies of American Journey, The Early Years at a cool $69.99 each.
So I opened the .pdf file that Neal sent reviewing the 2006 edition of American Journey and the 71 errors the group found are pretty blatant.
Here's what they look like:
Book: Map showing the U.S. boundary with Mexico in 1840 as an irregular line extending northwest from the 42nd parallel — p. 56
Fact: wrong boundary Established by the 1819 Adams–Onis Treaty, once this boundary reached the 42nd parallel it followed it to the Pacific. The text itself admits this on p. 365, col. 1, par. 3.
Book: "The Framers of the Constitution extended citizenship rights only to white male landowners." — p. 215, right margin, "Cultural Perspectives," lines 1-4, Teacher's Edition
Fact: wrong determiner The Constitution's qualifications for federal officeholders say nothing of race, sex, or class. The original Constitution allowed states – not the federal government – to set suffrage requirements. The text itself admits this on p. 650, col. 2, par. 2, lines 3-5.
Other mistakes the Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Authors made include:
- Citing the Judiciary Act of 1789 for establishing the Supreme Court when it was actually the Constitution.
- Multiple incorrect paragraphs about the Cherokee Indians and the Supreme Court.
- Wrong jurisdiction and significance of the Marbury vs. Madison decision.
- Claiming the Senate is the Focus of Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution when it's actually the House of Representatives.
The list goes on and on .. and I'm happy to forward a copy of the errors to anyone who emails me at ericmansfield@wkyc.com.
The APS on-line info about the purchase shows that multiple teachers were involved in reviewing new textbooks before making the recommendations to buy the books that were eventually approved for purchase. I have no doubt they worked very hard to choose the best text available for our students.
I'm just hopeful that they were able to scan the book for errors like these and hold the authors feet to the fire to fix any problems before they print copies for Akron's students. Considering the requirements of the 9th grade proficiency tests, providing factually-correct texts seems to be mandated .. so why buy a text book from a company whose most recent versions have been littered with mistakes? Am I wrong here?
Last thing we need is a student believing that President Washington helped add the Bill of Rights to the Constitution when he didn't .. even though the text that was reviewed incorrectly gave him credit for it. Whoops!
The new books APS and other districts are buying will be reviewed later this year, but in the meantime, anyone else concerned about the accuracy of the new books?
Trying to keep up ..
Sorry for being so negligent in writing over the last week ... I've been working on a number of different stories outside the office while trying to keep up with my sons' busy schedules .. and it hasn't left much writing time.
Here's a few notes to pass along:
LeBron James' bike-a-thon in June will include a military theme this year. I'm told he'll have a group of veterans holding different flags standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the finish line and has some other events planned involving our service members. Details on the way but it's a neat way to add some more depth to his annual fundraiser.
By the way, the folks who are criticizing the Vogue cover photo featuring LeBron as racist need to grow up. If you've watched the Cavs play, you've seen LeBron make that roaring face after a big basket so it's already within his character as a player. I hate when the media, me included, read stories that say "some are saying that this photo is racist ...." but we never say who the some are. I think the author quoted on the Today Show who compared LeBron to King Kong made a serious feux pas. In the end, if LeBron wasn't offended by the shot, I don't see that we should be making controversy where there isn't any. That's my two cents.
A second "healing field" is on the way, but for a different cause. Last year, the giant field of American Flags was created at Goodyear Metro Park as a fundraiser for the All-American Soap Box Derby. This year, a similar event with Old Glories for sale is being planned for early July to help generate funds to repair and restore local monuments and also to raise funds for a new Veterans Service Commission building near the Arlington-Waterloo Road intersection.
The City of Akron's decision to forgive some debt for the downtown Raddison hotel points to a bigger issue. While yes the hotel has kept its word on renovations and running the business on the up-and-up, the bigger issue is keeping the Raddison afloat in the wake of decreasing downtown bed spaces period. Remember, the U of A's purchase of the Quaker took half of the hotel's beds away, and we don't yet have a player (at least an announced one) to replace those spaces. City and county leaders are keenly aware that a lack of beds hurts opportunities for bringing conventions and other events to town, so it's definitely something they'll continue to research.
Do you have a favorite Tribe Home Opener memory? If so, we want to hear from you at wkyc.com. I should have the specific details by Friday of how to submit your story, but start jotting down your memories and digging out those old photos and I'll let you know how to submit them. It can be from the old stadium or Jacobs Field as long as it's your story. Details coming soon.
Here's a few notes to pass along:
LeBron James' bike-a-thon in June will include a military theme this year. I'm told he'll have a group of veterans holding different flags standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the finish line and has some other events planned involving our service members. Details on the way but it's a neat way to add some more depth to his annual fundraiser.
By the way, the folks who are criticizing the Vogue cover photo featuring LeBron as racist need to grow up. If you've watched the Cavs play, you've seen LeBron make that roaring face after a big basket so it's already within his character as a player. I hate when the media, me included, read stories that say "some are saying that this photo is racist ...." but we never say who the some are. I think the author quoted on the Today Show who compared LeBron to King Kong made a serious feux pas. In the end, if LeBron wasn't offended by the shot, I don't see that we should be making controversy where there isn't any. That's my two cents.
A second "healing field" is on the way, but for a different cause. Last year, the giant field of American Flags was created at Goodyear Metro Park as a fundraiser for the All-American Soap Box Derby. This year, a similar event with Old Glories for sale is being planned for early July to help generate funds to repair and restore local monuments and also to raise funds for a new Veterans Service Commission building near the Arlington-Waterloo Road intersection.
The City of Akron's decision to forgive some debt for the downtown Raddison hotel points to a bigger issue. While yes the hotel has kept its word on renovations and running the business on the up-and-up, the bigger issue is keeping the Raddison afloat in the wake of decreasing downtown bed spaces period. Remember, the U of A's purchase of the Quaker took half of the hotel's beds away, and we don't yet have a player (at least an announced one) to replace those spaces. City and county leaders are keenly aware that a lack of beds hurts opportunities for bringing conventions and other events to town, so it's definitely something they'll continue to research.
Do you have a favorite Tribe Home Opener memory? If so, we want to hear from you at wkyc.com. I should have the specific details by Friday of how to submit your story, but start jotting down your memories and digging out those old photos and I'll let you know how to submit them. It can be from the old stadium or Jacobs Field as long as it's your story. Details coming soon.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Well I'll be ....
OK .. I was "wrong."
Maybe a better phrase is "incorrect." "Right" or "wrong" will ultimately play out in the coming weeks as the Republican Party looks to solidify a chairman.
Instead of the visible front-runner of Don Varian (see post below) the New Summit Republicans announced a short time ago that they plan to push Carol Klinger as their nominee for party chair.
In the words of Clark Griswold, "if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now."
I'm told that NSR's spiritual advisor, State Senator Kevin Coughlin, was not at the announcement .. even though he's been spearheading this group for months. Instead, Varian .. also known as the-man-who-would-be-the-NSR-nominee did the speaking and introduced Klinger to the group at the John S. Knight Center.
So who is Carol Klinger? She's an at-large councilwoman from Cuyahoga Falls who works on the city's finance committee. Beyond that, many outside the party will be researching her credentials beyond the club she runs in her civilian world in Cuyahoga Falls.
So will Klinger be heir apparent to Alex Arshinkoff as party boss?
I'm not sure .. but I need to do some source checking to see how I got my wires crossed last night.
Maybe a better phrase is "incorrect." "Right" or "wrong" will ultimately play out in the coming weeks as the Republican Party looks to solidify a chairman.
Instead of the visible front-runner of Don Varian (see post below) the New Summit Republicans announced a short time ago that they plan to push Carol Klinger as their nominee for party chair.
In the words of Clark Griswold, "if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now."
I'm told that NSR's spiritual advisor, State Senator Kevin Coughlin, was not at the announcement .. even though he's been spearheading this group for months. Instead, Varian .. also known as the-man-who-would-be-the-NSR-nominee did the speaking and introduced Klinger to the group at the John S. Knight Center.
So who is Carol Klinger? She's an at-large councilwoman from Cuyahoga Falls who works on the city's finance committee. Beyond that, many outside the party will be researching her credentials beyond the club she runs in her civilian world in Cuyahoga Falls.
So will Klinger be heir apparent to Alex Arshinkoff as party boss?
I'm not sure .. but I need to do some source checking to see how I got my wires crossed last night.
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