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Fog and drizzle Saturday night, high fire danger arrives Sunday kfor.com
Former Houston Texans third-round pick Louis Nix is missing and "in danger,'' according to his family, with his mother posting the plea for help.
“Last communication of anyone seeing him was Tuesday,” she said. “Can’t call him because voice mail is full and people he talks to daily have not heard from him. Not like him.”
She added that she believes Nix is in danger.
Nix has been involved in unusual conflict before. He was shot in December while putting air in the tires of his car, though his mother says she does not believe that his development is related to that shooting.
Since then, Nix's mother says, the former Notre Dame standout has preferred to not go out.
Nix, who lives in Jacksonville, played three seasons in the NFL, joining an assortment of teams after starting with the Texans. He was hampered by knee surgeries and failed to see significant action for the Texans. After that he played for the Giants and then served on the practice squads in Washington and for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
READ MORE: Nick Martin Nixed by Texans, Another Release Coming Soon?
He was reported missing by his mother on Friday. The missing persons report says that Nix left his father’s house in Jacksonville on Tuesday morning and has not been seen since.
As of Saturday morning, Nix is still missing.
If anyone has any information about Nix’s whereabouts, they are urged to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500.
CONTINUE READING: DeAndre Diss: Former Texans Star WR Fires Back At Team
SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Rangers will build up around 10-12 of their pitchers in camp as they attempt to piece together the most competitive starting rotation possible.
While Texas could have a six-man rotation, who fills out some of those spots is still a competition. And that competition starts in earnest on Sunday with the spring opener at Surprise Stadium.
“Our preparation with all these guys is we’re going to build them up like starters,” said Rangers pitching coach Doug Mathis. “And then they’re going to compete in spring training … and we’re going to see where we’re at with these guys.”
The Sunday starting pitcher is one guy that will be competing for a spot — Wes Benjamin. Others include Jordan Lyles, Kyle Cody, Kolby Allard, Joe Palumbo and others.
The plan is for all the starters to throw one inning in their first outings, and be built up to around six innings and 90 pitches by the end of spring.
“We are going to have options with guys that can start games or pitch starter innings, length-wise,” Mathis said. “There are going to be a lot of options available for us.”
The more solidified starter options — Kyle Gibson, Kohei Arihara, Dane Dunning and Mike Foltynewicz — are all right-handed. The possibility exists that Texas could go out there with a starting rotation full of right-handers once camp breaks.
“I think we’re fine with that. If those are the guys deserving of those spots, I’m fine with that,” manager Chris Woodward said, noting that even if righties like Dunning and Cody make the roster, there are lefties that will come in to spell them because they’re both on innings limits.
The manager declined to say who his opening day starter would be, but he’s indicated previously that Gibson is on track for that opportunity.
The look of spring training will be a little bit different. Starting even on Sunday, The Rangers have seven innings worth of pitchers and the Royals have nine. So after the seven-inning game, it’s possible that Kansas City comes out and plays an inning of baseball pitching against their own hitters.
This spring training, games can be shorter, pitchers can re-enter. It will allow flexibility as Texas builds a somewhat different looking crop of pitchers. What having 12 starter-ready pitchers might mean for the MLB bullpen is still something of a question mark, Mathis said. And that’s by design.
This unconventional spring is going to be what builds an unconventional rotation and bullpen when the season does start.
“I think our bullpen can be constructed in a bunch of different ways,” Mathis said. “We can have guys that can start games, that can pitch longer relief, that can pitch shorter relief. I think we’re going to have guys that wear a couple hats down there in the bullpen.”
Briefly
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Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
The global health crisis has forced leaders to rethink their organizations, and according to research from BCG, simplifying operations will remain key in the “new now.” While less complexity can boost job satisfaction for employees who are currently working from home, a simplified workplace also yields long-term benefits like stronger consumer loyalty and better employee retention.
Through the process of researching and writing Why Simple Wins, I interviewed more than 100 senior leaders across the world. I discovered that the most effective simplifiers in leadership share a set of common traits that increase their odds of successfully reducing complexity in their orgs. Of the six attributes below, which do you already possess?
1. Courage. You’re comfortable with change and the unknown, and you regularly challenge the status quo. When a person, place or process is needlessly complex, you aren’t afraid to speak up. The bravery shown by Tesco grocery stores’ former CEO Dave Lewis — who reduced inventory by 30% to compete with Aldi — offers a real-world example of this characteristic.
2. Minimalist sensibility. “Less is more” could be your mantra. You’re constantly seeking to eliminate tasks or barriers that hold you back from doing more valuable work. You approach each workday by asking yourself: Is this is the simplest way to accomplish our goals? The no-email-rule embraced by the founders of Life is Good clothing company — they’re available only through meetings and calls — provides a radical approach to corporate minimalism.
3. Results-oriented. You strive for clear outcomes and accountability. Simplicity isn’t just about cost-cutting for you — it’s about getting things done. When managers at Merck Canada collectively decided to stop making decisions that their direct reports were already empowered to make, employees began taking responsibility for their choices and reported feeling more ownership over the outcomes. (Bonus: Managers found themselves with several hours of newly freed-up time every month.)
4. Focus. Persistence has enabled you to achieve your goals and overcome distractions and other obstacles. When you encounter resistance, you view it as a means of getting information and making your case stronger. The straightforward value proposition of Dollar Shave Club — a $10 monthly subscription of razor-blade refills delivered to members’ doorsteps — exemplifies this trait in action.
5. Personal engagement. You’re the embodiment of a simplifier who practices what she preaches. You actively seek out simplification while empowering others to do the same. By limiting preparation for quarterly financial meeting to two slides, leadership at pharmaceutical company Novartis shortened both the length of its quarterly meetings and the prep time needed for every level of staff. It’s the kind of simplicity that tangibly impacts employees…and turns them into champions of the cause.
6. Decisiveness. You like to move things forward quickly. You don’t let a consensus‐driven culture interfere with progress. The late, great Steve Jobs was known for asking members of his C-suite “How many times did you say no today?” Jobs understood the importance of moving through the workday with purpose and this question re-enforced his stance against distractions and minutiae.
Whether you recognize yourself in one of the above traits or all six, simplification is a constantly deepening process that can be applied to new areas of your business. Wise leaders know that successful simplification isn’t just about making do with less or expecting employees to do more with less. It’s ultimately about enabling teams to work on projects and initiatives that are meaningful to them and valuable to the business.
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The danger to democracy | Letters | dothaneagle.com Dothan Eagle
The Senate will now take up President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill after it narrowly passed the Democratic-led House of Representatives overnight without any Republican support.
“This is not about dollars and cents, this is about lives that are at stake,” said Rep. Richard Neal, who represents Massachusetts 1st District.
The bill will provide $1,400 in direct payments to many Americans, extend unemployment benefits through August and provide billions of dollars for schools to get kids back in the classroom. There’s also funding to help ramp up vaccinations.
“The American Rescue Plan is going to get shots into arms as we scale up supply and distribution, and it’s going to go kids back into school,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who represents the Massachusetts 4th District.
While there is a lot in the bill, the minimum wage hike that Democrats had been pushing for will not be in the Senate version.
Asked if the House would bring back up the minimum wage bill, Rep. Auchincloss said they are not backing down in the fight.
“Fifteen dollars an hour is what everybody deserves so they can have a dignified living,” he said.
The bill passed the House by just seven votes without a single Republican. Two Democrats voted against it as well and one of them is from New England.
Maine Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat, released a statement that said, “After supporting $4 trillion in emergency COVID relief in 2020, I won’t support trillions more in funding that is poorly targeted or in many cases not necessary at this moment in time.”
On Saturday, President Biden said he is confident it will pass the Senate.
"We have no time to waste," Biden said. "If we act now, decisively, quickly and boldly, we can finally get ahead of this virus, we can finally get our economy moving again."
If the bill passes the Senate, it would be the sixth round of federal aid during the pandemic.
The Nuggets are going to get a coach fired who deserves a better fate.
David, Denver
Kiz: You gotta love Michael Malone, if for no other reason than the same frustration fans feel is plastered on his face after each inexplicable, unforgivable loss. Malone is a solid NBA coach. While apologists for an under-performing squad offer injuries as an excuse, it is this team’s lack of quality second-tier talent that is setting up Malone as a scapegoat.
A year ago we all talked about the Nuggets having one of the deepest benches in the league. The offseason was a big failure. Denver chose not to go all in.
Ken, native son
Kiz: Am I the only one around here preaching urgency? While the Nuggets take a dilly-dally approach to upgrading their roster, we have reached the halfway point of the five-year, $148 million contract center Nikola Jokic signed in 2018. Would it be wrong to suggest the team’s window of championship opportunity might already be halfway closed?
How about the idea of DeMarcus Cousins wearing a Nuggets uniform? I’m not really a fan, but some size and attitude in the post would allow other guys to actually play perimeter defense. Maybe Jokic could knock somebody down instead of complaining about fouls. An enforcer has a place in the NBA.
Larry, Frederick
Kiz: The Nuggets are soft and could definitely use more ‘tude. Wasn’t all that dough spent on Paul Millsap supposed to give Denver a steely edge? Please don’t get me started, because staffers here at Kickin’ It Headquarters start backpedaling slowly toward the break room whenever I begin another rant about Millsap. I’m not certain how much Boogie Cousins has left in the tank. But even if he’s running on empty, that would make Cousins better than Isaiah Hartenstein, a player Doug Moe would’ve called a big stiff.
I will absolutely not be among fans at Coors Field this season. Franchise owner Dick Monfort runs the Rockies like an amusement park. It’s a wonderful fan experience Monfort inherited and enhanced. But Colorado natives like me want all our teams to be obsessed with winning. Monfort barely cares about that. I will be rooting for a 100-loss season in 2021.
Russ, loves a good cry
Kiz: The food is better and beer is cheaper at LoDo watering holes than inside the ballpark. Belly up to the bar and root for 100 losses. A smart tavern owner might even start a “Drown Your Sorrows” happy hour after every defeat suffered by the Pet Rocks.
The Rockies already have my ticket money from last year. So I’m hoping to get chosen to get in the ballpark on opening day.
EB, baseball lover
Kiz: If winning or losing matters little to the Rockies, one of the “lucky” 12,500 fans selected to attend the home-opener on April Fools’ Day should be allowed to pitch the sixth inning, don’t you think?
And today’s parting shot is a pithy summation of the state of sports in our dusty old cowtown.
It’s hard to watch. In a nutshell, the Nuggets stink and the Avs stink. The Rockies are going to stink. The Broncos? Ditto.
Douglas, Westminster
