R. Zimmerman

The Nationals' new park looks pretty nice.

I don't wanna do any more International League team previews. They're too boring.

Kee fig! Tomorrow! Yella, yella!

I mentioned Jordan Brown (CLE) the other day.

"My junior year, I fooled a bunch of scouts into actually taking me in the fourth round, and I've had a blast ever since. I currently play in the Cleveland Indians organization alongside college roommate and fellow stud Trevor Crowe. He was selected as the 14th overall pick a couple rounds before me in 2005 and we've paired up ever since (we had a clause in our contract that says we can't be separated ... just kidding)."

-from Mr. Brown's player journal on MiLB.com

In other news, Pawtucket played Rochester yesterday. Allegedly. I can find no further information about this game.

Guns n' Roses

Not long ago, there wasn't much to say about Brandon Moss. Then all of a sudden he does the thing there with the bat over there. And he blows up like Cocoa Puffs.

Here're some blogs where's he's been spotted:

1. The Sixteenth Minute
2. Dan Shaughnessy Watch
3. beRecruited SportsWrap
4. Sox Addict
5. Sawx Blog
6. Sports by Sam
7. SOX & Dawgs
8. Londinium Project
9. McKeon and the Mongoose
10. The Foul Line
11. Boston Irish
12. Boston Blood Sox
13. Lyflines
14. Who Made You Mirabelli?
15. Respect the Tek
16. A Large Regular
17. The Bottom Line
18. Two of Us Talking Sports
19. Redbeard
20. Fenway West

And so on... I omitted a lot of the veteran blogs, but as you can see, Sean McAdam might have a little competition. I noticed a LOT of people were liveblogging the Japanese games. There really are a million little Red Sox blogs. Good luck, everyone.

if i'm faced with being replaced

RHP Dan Miceli has retired. Wow, that's too bad. I was hoping to see him opening day in Pawtucket. I wanted to get his autograph so I could die happy.

"Dan Miceli showed up with a gash on his hand and claimed he got "jumped in a parking lot by four or five guys" after defending his wife's honor in a bar or something. Turned out he'd actually gotten into a knife fight with his brother at his house the night before, and he wound up apologizing to the team and his new bosses on Day 2 of camp."

This went down in 2000 at the Marlins' spring training. A knife fight! I have three brothers and I don't really remember things getting quite that heated. My sister Alicia, that's an entirely different story altogether.

ska revival isn't cool

Former PawSox lefty reliever Juan Perez was released by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Uh-oh. Perez was reportedly a wicked nice guy, good with the kids at the park, and was a decent AAA reliever. Excelsior!

Former Boston reliever Rudy Seanez was released by the Dodgers. What a life. I wonder how aging relievers feel when they wind up on the same team that drafted them ten years prior.

All of this makes me appreciate Mike Timlin. How often do teams retain a reliever for the amount of time MT's been in Boston? Especially a non-closer. Just a set-up guy. How can I even look this up? I will pay you twenty dollars if you come up with a ranking of non-closing relievers' service time on the same team. I wanna know.

DO IT!

April 19th: The Buffalo Bisons have HOOVES

The Buffalo Bisons are the AAA team of the Cleveland Indians. 'B' comes before 'C' (Columbus, Charlotte) and I was trying to go in alphabetical order. So I'm mad as a nest of hornets! And I was really looking forward to the Durham Bulls this morning!

The cool kidz:
1. RHP Adam Miller. Candy and Ronny, have you seen him yet? I saw him pitch last year, not knowing anything, and it was really exciting. I should look that game up. Wait... okay, it was two years ago! Miller gave up two hits and struck out eight Pawtucket batters over seven innings. The bullpen blew the game, though. So he's been in Buffalo since '05? Anyway, yes, he is a champion. And he won't be in Buffalo for long.
2. 1B Jordan Brown. (lefty)Was the Eastern League's MVP last year. So I saw him in Connecticut? Not really, it was way too foggy.
3. LHP Chuck Lofgren.
4. What you really need to do is read the superlative Cleveland Indians Minor League Insider blog. You cannot touch that.

spread the word around:
1. Pitchers Jeremy Sowers, Tom Mastny, Aaron Laffey, Scott Elarton.
2. INF Aaron Herr, RHP and banjo player Matt Ginter
3. OF Jason Cooper, OF Nate Panther. Panther! I remember him from the Akron Aeros, playing the CT Defenders! PANTHER!
4. Former Padre Josh Barfield. We had such high hopes.
5. Cliff Phifer Lee has landed the fifth spot in the Indians' rotation. Good for him. I saw him pitch at both Fenway and McCoy.

Separately and relatedly:
1. The Bisons play at Dunn Tire Park and I am going in a few weeks. I will probably bring this up about 500 more times. I could also talk about the time I drove to Niagara Falls for no reason, because it's a good story.
2. The Buffalo Bisons come to Pawtucket three times. They really have one of the best rosters in the IL so... I recommend a game or two.
3. Also check out the Bisons Blog.
4. The Bisons have been around since 1880. That is something to marvel at.

is there really no chance to start once again?

Back to Pawtucket for you, kid. Let's try and get some more work in at first.

PS They called Moss 'Sunbeam' because he tried to put a peanut butter sandwich in the toaster. True story.

June 19th: Columbus Clippers weigh anchor in Pawtucket

The Columbus Clippers are the AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals.

Talent:
1. RHP Collin Balestar: "6'5", 205. Struggled early on in Double A, his first experience there but caught on as the season progressed. Has an average fastball, plus curve and a below average change, a result of trying to throw it too hard. In line with the other two, Balester will start the season in Triple A and should hit Washington by the All Star break." (from Armchair GM)
2. There are others at lower levels who may come up at some point. But seriously.

Don't imagine you're too familiar:
1. LHP Mike Bacsik, INF William Bergolla, INF Yurendell de Caster, LHP Eude Brito, OF Jason Dubois, RHP Brian Sanches, 3B/OF Kory Casto, C Wil Nieves. Many of the same guys. God damn, how many freaking Clippers games did I see last year? And can I sit through even more mediocrity?
2. INF Ed Rogers! I loved him in Pawtucket!

"God, this sucks. I'm never getting called up":
1. Bret Boone! Dude, enough already.
2. Manny Alexander. Yes, THAT Manny Alexander.

In related news, the Clippers are getting a new ballpark in 2009. Oh, aren't we all? The new facilitah is going to be green! And accessible! YEAH!

I really don't know what the hell is going on with the Nationals. Odalis Perez is their number one and I think Nick "Fat Vampire" Johnson is still on the team.

good things good things good things

Congratulations!

PS: It should be noted that Bryan Corey was most excited about his Pawtucket teammate's success. I love BC.

Dusty Brown: Handsome Like Jim Rice

Atomic Age catcher and subtle paint color Dusty Brown got chucked downstairs to Pawtucket. So that's it, then.

What needs to happen is an unregulated fist fight between Brown and Kottaras. Oh, god, I would almost feel bad about that. Blood everywhere... GK scampering home to California or wherever he's from.

Who catches more games at McCoy this year? They must, must get Brown in there.

this voice keeps whispering in my other ear

The first time I saw Craig Breslow was not in San Diego, but in Pawtucket. I thought he was odd-looking - all knobby and flushed and wearing an ill-fitting uniform. Nothing special. I had no idea I'd be seeing so much of him.

There is no glory in being a triple-A reliever who hasn't come up through the system. Or one that's been lodged at the same level for a couple of years... growing older and less interesting. You can have a freaky-low ERA and be real stingy with walks and hits but seriously, no one cares. You may get called up here and there but aside from that, no one's paying much attention to you.

No one in AAA wants to be there. They're all just tarring up their bats and working on their third or fourth pitches. Waiting. Working out. Sometimes complaining. Getting jealous when someone MUCH LESS DESERVING gets called up because, damn it, that should be THEIR job.

Anyway, Craig Breslow was a nice guy. The Indians claimed him off waivers but they don't REALLY need another lefty in the pen. He's out of options so... they're likely to try and sneak him through waivers to the minors, send him to freaking Buffalo. Who knows what's going to happen.

Craig Breslow's best year in Pawtucket was '06. He pitched 67 innings in 39 games... had 7 wins as a reliever (one lonely loss) and wrapped it up in a .269 ERA. 2007 was more of struggle for the kid, and we can leave it at that because I'm feeling magnanimous and I like Breslow.

Take care of that arm! Maybe we'll see you in the IL!

The Crab Song

Sorry, one last thing. SeaDog/Red Sox infielder Zach Borowiak has retired and gone back to school. This happened during the off-season but I'm just finding out now.

Escribeme pronto!

zinkfield

Local Rastafarian Charlie Zink may perhaps wonder if he is being retained as a set of knuckleball training wheels.

One of my favorite CZ memories is the guy sitting behind me in Rochester FREAKING OUT that the Red Wings hitters couldn't touch a guy throwing 68 MPH "batting practice". (He was unaware of the baby 'dancer'.)

I just bought my Buffalo tickets. Here's a look at my April schedule:

April 2: PawSox welcome home luncheon feat. Jonathan Van Every
April 3: PawSox season opener at McCoy
April 5,6: Whitewater rafting trip
April 7-9: Portland SeaDogs series in Connecticut; Lehigh Valley IronPigs' Pawtucket debut
April 10: blood donation
April 11: Johan Santana's potential first start at Shea (I probably won't go)
April 23-25: Syracuse Chiefs first series v. PawSox
April 25: Rochester Red Wings game @Frontier Field
April 26-27: Weekend in Buffalo for PawSox away games

That's all for today.

2008 IL Preview: The Charlotte Knights

Let's get ready for 2008 at McCoy!

The Charlotte Knights are the White Sox' Triple-A club. Their first visit to McCoy this year will be August 8th, but you may be more likely to see these guys at the Futures game on August 9th.

Players of note:
1. RHP Lance Broadway, one of Chicago's Top Ten Prospects. Chances are he'll be Chicago's 5th this year, so his time in the IL may be brief.
2. RHP Jack Egbert, high-ranking prospect. Crappy fastball and good change-up.
3. Chris Getz, a lefty second-baseman! WHAT! He's pretty close to bustin' out of the minors. Watch out, Danny Richar.
4. RHP Tomo Ohka, who threw a no-hitter in Pawtucket about 30 years ago.
5. C Wiki Gonzalez, pivotal figure in the 2007 Chad Spann controversy.

Players of NOT:
1. Almost everyone else. The White Sox' farm system needs a little TLC.
2. 2006 IL ROY Josh Fields, back at third base. Joe Crede's holding him back and you know Fields is miserable. Just move him, already! His expiration date is coming fast!

Somewhere in a lonely hotel room there's a guy starting to realize that eternal fate has turned its back on him:
1. Joe McEwing, who is hated by smart people and loved by dum-dums like me, is the Knights' hitting coach. Guess that's why they broke and you're so paid. He's going to give Ben Mondor a big hug!
2. Much like the Cincinnati airport is for really in Kentucky, the Charlotte Knights' park is really in SOUTH Carolina. I told you this already but you never listen.
3. And so you can expect a new ballpark in uptown Charlotte in 2010. Already there're problems with its construction.
4. The PawSox had better CRUSH this team at Fenway Park!

Have a miraculous Easter!

So, are Mulder and Scully ever gonna do it?

I swear, I'll stop talking about Chris Carter soon:

"He's not a very good fielder and more of a DH-type guy," said a scout from an American League club. "He's just one of those guys that has a great feel for hitting. He's got kind of goofy actions and not the greatest body in the world, but he can really hit."

(from Baseball America)

Chris Carter, why must you defy all search engines? Can you not change your name to 'Wily Mo' or 'Ichiro' or 'Nyjer'?

Barry Hertzler is still alive?

East Providence is a weird place. It is, in many ways, unknowable. I mean, sure, I can handle Rumford and the bowling alleys and the Wampanoag Plaza. But get me over to Riverside or closer to the Red Bridge and forget it.

You really need to take a day and check it out.

Barry Hertzler graduated from EP High and went to first Old Dominion, then Central Connecticut State. He did really well for himself there! The team went pretty far in the College World Series and he pitched well. He was subsequently drafted in the 11th round by the Boston Red Sox. Can you believe that?

Hertzler had his ups and downs, from Portland to Pawtucket. Last year in Pawtucket, whoa. He was awful. He wound up back in Portland and isn't he getting a little too old for this shit? His sinkerball didn't even seem to work up in Maine.

I saw a photo of BH at minor league spring training the other day and I couldn't believe he was still hanging around. Then this morning I read that he was released, along with Junior Spivey. The funny thing is that I was going to say a few words about Spivey, who was my birthday present in '07.

Barry Hertzler pitched 16 innings in Pawtucket last year and finished with a robust 16.31 ERA. In Portland, 2.98 in 54 innings. He will probably be best remembered for busting up a door in Toledo after a bad outing... they made him pay for it. Please don't bring this up if you run into him at WaterFire.

Write soon, lads! Exit music begins.. aqui!

This picture is described on the Globe's web site thusly: "David Ortiz (left) walks through the terminal after Friday's arrival."

Really, I'm glad they clarified that Ortiz was the person on the left.

Julian Tavarez is going to wear a kimono in his hotel room.

Recently, I was asked by my employer to do some work travel. I said I would and asked for a mileage form.

A couple of days later I was informed that I would not be paid for mileage. That's great. I'm not going. I was offered other, lesser compensation.

Unacceptable.

So as it stands, I am not going. I'm not trying to drive a hard bargain. Gas is expensive. My car is nearly 8 years old. I do not make a lot of money. I only want what is fair.

安全な旅, Boston Red Sox!

DTAMFS

Optioned back to Pawtucket:

Chris Carter, who hit the ball like a mofo this spring. YEAH CHRIS CARTER!!

George Kottaras, who was offensively productive this spring. Stupid jerk.

Craig Hansen, who had sleep apnea surgery yet still sucked. My dislike of Hansen is well-documented in many posts here, so I'll just leave it at that.

Lincoln Holdzkom, who is going to flourish in Pawtucket. He's sort of like an unborn baby who is very close to term. Watch him pop out the chute at McCoy in 2008!

CRAIG HANSEN IS LYING! DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING THIS MAN SAYS! DO NOT GIVE HIM ANY MONEY OR CIGARETTES!

Former Twins catcher Matthew LeCroy has been released by the Oakland A's.

I guess that's how they do it in fast-paced New York!

The Rochester Red Wings begin selling their single game tickets on March 29th. Their first home game is April 11th.

That makes about as much sense as newspaper boxes not accepting nickels.

George Lombard is on the Dodgers.

Former PawSox outfielder George Lombard was fortunate enough to travel to China with the Dodgers. I suggest you check out his video on Yahoo! Sports. You may spot a familiar face walking past in the background toward the end of the video.

Hannahan

Jack Hannahan played for the Toledo Mud Hens (DET) in 2007. He led the International League in OBP!

I just read that he will be the starting third baseman for Oakland.

I also wanted to mention that I did an IL Leaders post a few months ago and mentioned Hannahan. I didn't have to do that. But I wanted to and I did.

So good work, IL'er. Just so you know I did mention your league-leading OBP.

HANNAHAN!

Lou Merloni would hate to lose his teaching job.

Former PawSox great Lou Merloni has retired. He never got that ring.

I'd like to talk about a great Merloni memory I have, but there really isn't one.

At least he didn't release a CD of bad covers of 90's pseudo-grunge.

What's the story, Bryan Corey? (part two)

Two things:
1. Bryan Corey's being scouted by the Orioles.

2. Corey may go play ball in Japan if he doesn't make the majors.

In international news, the guy from the gas company who replaced my meter today was from Colombia. He was a former soccer player but he feels Colombian soccer is a joke! Jose prefers the British soccer teams. Blood and broken bones, gov!

His number one sport? Baseball, which is not big in Colombia. He's from the same part of Colombia as Renteria and O. Cabrera. I encouraged him to take his kids to a PawSox game.

Thank you, Jose!

Mirabelli?

So Mirabelli's been released?

FINALLY!

Assassinate Lincoln!

Lincoln "Sheldon" Holdzkom is back, signed to a major league contract as a free agent. The Phillies had placed him on waivers BECAUSE they'd Rule 5'd him and they didn't want to put him on the 25-man roster.

Curt Schilling was placed on the DL so LH took his spot on the 40-man. This all seems very strange to me, but what the hell.

In other Phillies/PawSox news, former PawSox great Chris Coste has written a book called "The 30-Year Old Rookie". It's his second book and he wrote it ALL BY HIMSELF! I should probably read it.

Chris Coste is likely to be the Phillies' backup catcher in '08. He played first base in the AAA All-Star Game back in '02. And everybody loves him.

Something new about Devern Hansack.

from Strangeland:

"Hansack is too old to have any real hope of further improvement, but those minor league lines translate to at least brief utility in the majors. He still has at least one “option” remaining [he has two], so the Red Sox can shuttle him back and forth between Pawtucket and the majors as often as is necessary in 2008. This flexibility is a mixed blessing for Hansack. It almost guarantees that he will not break camp with the club, beginning the season at AAA, yet it also makes him a prime candidate to be the “first into the breach” if there is an injury in the rotation requiring a DL move. He will get his chances this year, especially if he impresses in Spring Training."

from Ballhype.com:
"Devern Hansack is not the Galan af his comunity, but since he went to play baseball outside his country all the Girls in his comunity want a peace of him, he can get any girl he want in his comunety but only one I sure he would not get, I was investigetin about and her name is Celeste campbell, she is family Lumberto Campbell who she dont cary well with, but she is the most down to earth young woman and will not play in with the game Dever like to play , SCORE and walk all the ahter boys beth that he will not give streike to this bater(Celeste). What make this girl so special ? she is pretty ? smart?

Not so pretty, Not so smart a little of the 2, but she is caractarize as beoutifull person from the inside, a critian but a little liberal about cristian and religion well thats all I could say about this woman for this moment I will investigate more ."

Hansack's been sent back to Pawtucket along with Jonathan Van Every. I am going to have to make a Hansack t-shirt out of old socks or something. Maybe a Nicaraguan flag. I'm hoping he either gets a quick call-up or gets a shot on another team.

Wow, thanks. That's awesome.

Rhode Island is suddenly down a sports radio station. WSKO 790 AM has changed its format. So if you liked the nice local sports thing it had going on, well, go cry to your mama.

I'm kind of disgusted by this, since I can barely stand WEEI. I suppose I could start listening to that crazy Woonsocket station, WOON, eh? They've got a sports show! And they broadcast PawSox games!

They've also got a polka show, Portuguese Beat, Italian music, Western music and poetry (?), and of course, Catholic Mass and Rosary.

1240 AM... check it out!

what's the story, bryan corey?

I have read in two different places that Bryan Corey is probably headed for the Red Sox bullpen this season BECAUSE his number(30) is so low. Are you kidding me? I thought it was the pretty good change-ups he's been throwing.

Corey pitched pretty well v. LAD yesterday and he did a pretty good job in Pawtucket last year. Better than Edgar.

That's all I have. I just wanted to use the awesome title I came up with in the shower.

Take a hike, son.

Ten less at CoP:

Firstly and most importantly, Jeff Bailey, Bearded King of McCoy Stadium, has been sent to minor league camp. JB got 3 hits in 12 ABs. He walked twice and K'd 4 times. Oh, dear. (I had to compile these statistics on my own. WHAT NOW?!) Oh yeah, he was of course hit by a pitch.

Bailey hit a home run in his last game. Yahoo! Sports says it was off "C. Gomez", which would be Carlos Gomez who is not a pitcher. MLB has the more likely "M. Gomez", but there are no stats available for this mystery pitcher.

Never mind. It is LHP Mariano Javier Caballero Gomez! And he is from Honduras! I love Honduras! They donated money for Katrina aid. That is some generosity!

Edgar Martinez and David Pauley were optioned to Pawtucket.

Kyle Jackson and Argenis Diaz were sent to Portland. Oh, they hate that. The Portland weather really screwed with player stats last year.

Also sent to minor league camp: Mike Bowden, Hunter Jones (who is a blood-fisted killer), Justin Masterson, Tony Granadillo, and Gil Velazquez.

Chris Carter Scouting Report (2005)

"Strong kid with loads of BS. Intense player. Massive hips and thighs. Large chest and sloped shoulders. Resembles a heavier Brian Giles. Body will only get worse over time. Not very athletic, limps around whether or not he is injured. Generates tremendous whip and batspeed in swing. Back elbow up and rocks with front shoulders for timing, wraps a bit but bs bails him out.

Bars. Never looks esp. comft. in box. Body drifts ahead of hds but but again he's quick enuf to get thru. Can put wood on any FB. 70 raw power. Can hit ball out to all fields without centering it. First pitch swinger who looks FB. No chance against even avg breaking ball. Doesn't see offspd well out of hand. Inability to hit breaking ball will be achilles heal. At best power will play as strong avg, just has too many holes and flaws in approach to see it playing near his raw. Pitchers who can throw strikes will eat him alive. Anchored @ 1B from a defensive stanpoint as he's too
slow and doesn't throw well enuf to play in the OF any more. Not going to have the bat to play 1B. Will get every ounce out of limited talent and play harder than anyone in league.

Is a AAA bat for me who is good for 20+ HR w/not a lot of avg and a lot more K's as the pitching improves on the way up. Swing has too much going on to have value as power LH bat off bench, rarely see complicated swings w/bench big league bats."

These scouting reports kill me. I hate to reveal my source, but fair's fair and here you go.

goodbye blue sky

Former Pawtucket Red Sox pitcher Scott Cassidy has retired. I can remember Jack Cressand but not Cassidy. D'oh.

Matt Mantei has also retired. Again. He's excited about going home for good:

"I'm cool with it, though. I'm going home to be a dad again. My son doesn't know I'm coming home yet, so he'll be pleased. Plus he's only 5, can't read yet, so he won't read what I'm saying now. It's going to be a surprise. That will be fun."

He's only five. It's going to be a surprise because he's not reading the sports page over coffee and eggs in the morning.

He can't read yet!

Tommy Watkins was excited to play in the majors.

RWB: A question many of us would like to ask: what was the day like when you found out you were getting promoted to the big leagues? I'm sure that for a period of 48 hours or so it's probably crazier than anything we could possibly imagine, with packing your stuff, calling your family and friends, and getting to the airport to get out of town.

TW:" I remember before they told me, a couple of us were in the (batting) cage. They said we have a meeting with about three of us left to still hit. We were like “What do we have a meeting for? We just had a monthly meeting not too long ago.” So we get in and they (Manager Stan Cliburn and Twins GM Terry Ryan) just start talking to us. They said, “One of you guys is going up.” I kind of got light-headed. I didn’t know who they were going to say. After they told me in front of the whole team, I didn't know what to say. I was speechless. I had tears in my eyes, it was just a good moment."

RWB: Who was the first person you saw when you got to Kansas City?

TW: "The first person I saw was Mike Herman, the Twins' PR guy. I went into (Manager Ron) Gardenhire’s office, I set my bags down outside his office and went in to talk to him, and I was kind of scared because I didn't’t know what to expect. After I talked to Gardenhire I came out and my bags were missing, so I didn’t know what happened with that. A lot of guys came over to me and they were happy for me. After that I still didn’t know where my bags were but they were missing for a while. I got a uniform on and went out to hit in the cage, and came back and sat in front of my locker. It was a day game, and Torii (Hunter) came by and said, "You better get out there, the game starts in 15 minutes." And I was like, "15 minutes?" And I went out there and ran a little ...I was ready, but I wasn't ready, you know? I mean, I was terrified and excited all at once. So after the game we caught the bus to the airport, to go to Anaheim. I had my carry-on bag, I wasn't really thinking about my other stuff honestly. So we get to LA, get on the bus, go to the hotel, get off the bus and none of the players grab luggage or anything like that, like in the minors. We get in and Torii's like, "Get ready, we're going to dinner." And I said, "Wait, where's my luggage?" And he said not to worry about it, they would bring it up to the room. It was like magic, all that stuff just gets taken care of."

In other news, the Twins are not a good team this year. I read somewhere that they are projected to finish last in their division and that is just so sad. I could have seen the Twins in Milwaukee, but I chose the Astros. The ASTROS. Just think about that.

The Twins called me the other day but did not leave a message. I'm sure they wanted to commend me on my fine journalism. And guess what? The 'W' on the Twins jersey is just an upside-down 'M'. Go look!

Top Eight Things Deemed Underrated By Brewers Fans

8. spaghetti
7. "Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches - You find me a food that can be made faster, cheaper and more deliciously with more variety."
6. "4 strikes in a row in bowling - Even if you're a really great bowler, 4 strikes in a row still feels really cool to do."
5. record stores
4. orange Tic Tacs
3. mustard
2. Shirley Maclaine
1. "The fact that most everyday thirdbasemen can usually barehand a bunt on the charge, and get the guy at first by a step. It happens all the time, and it is the essence of being a pro, it looks routine."