The Chicago Blackhawks were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round for the second straight season.

Off-Season Game Plan looks at a talented, and nearly full, Blackhawks roster that, if healthy, still has reasonable aims of competing for the Stanley Cup.

While there are always roster tweaks that contending teams are going to make, perhaps the biggest issue facing the Blackhawks this summer is the status of star forward PatrickKane. (Notice I said forward, as opposed to right winger, since Kane played centre quite a bit last season and could end up in the middle more in the future.)

Kane's offseason has been marked by a notorious drinking binge that was all-too-public for the Blackhawks and maybe it will serve as a wake-up call for Kane, who is obviously very talented, but perhaps somewhat troubled too.

However, if the Blackhawks would rather not wait to find out if Kane will get his act together, he would obviously be a blue-chip trading piece this summer. His production would not easily be replaced, and many of the players that might be capable of replacing his production won't be moved, but if the Blackhawks are willing to trade Kane, there will be other teams prepared to roll the dice on a player with his skills.

Aside from Kane, the Blackhawks have to hope for good health going into next season. JonathanToews missed the last quarter of the regular season with a concussion and MarianHossa was knocked out of the playoffs with his own concussion. Their health will have a major effect on whether the Blackhawks are contenders next season.

On defence, the Blackhawks already have six players under contract so, unless there are plans to deal one of those blueliners, they may not need much more than depth additions.

Finally, the goaltending. While the Blackhawks expect better from their goaltenders than what they received in 2011-2012, both are under contract for next season. Either that means Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman will be busy wheeling and dealing for an upgrade or he's left to hope that the same players can provide better results.

Many general managers would readily swap places with Bowman, because he has a talented core around which to build, but expectations and some serious issues should make this a challenging summer in the Windy City.

The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- plus-minus, hits, blocked shots, giveaways, takeaways, penalty differential and faceoffs. (Stats are listed in this format: G-A-PTS, +/-, PIM, GP). Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be 70-plus and the biggest stars will be over 80. EvgeniMalkin finished at the top of the regular season ratings with a 93.12.

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Off-Season Game Plan: Chicago Blackhawks

After a horrendous April, Heath Bell and the Marlins have had something to shout about in May. (AP)

The Marlins began the season in April with the fanfare of a new ballpark, new uniforms, a garish home run sculpture and batch of marquee additions, but when manager Ozzie Guillens remarks about Fidel Castro struck a nerve both in Miami and inside the commissioners office, things quickly went south. The Marlins were just 8-14, mired in last place in the NL East when the calendar turned to May, but they reeled off a seven-game winning streak in the first week of the month, and thanks to a recent 8-3 run, their record this month is a major league best 21-8, for a .724 winning percentage. Via a just-completed three-game sweep of the Nationals, theyre now second in the division, one-half game behind Washington. If the season ended today, theyd host the Mets in the Wild Card game.

Dont start printing playoff tickets just yet, though. Though the Marlins are seven games above .500 at 29-22, theyve outscored opponents by only two runs, for a Pythagorean winning percentage of .505; in other words, theyre about three wins above expectations, the type of showing that tends to regress over the course of the season. During their 21-8 run, theyve outscored opponents 131-115, a balance that would be expected to produce a .559 winning percentage, or 16.2 wins in 29 games. In other words, theyve been playing way over their heads lately.

Theyve done so by winning the close ones, going 11-8 in one-run games, 7-3 in two-run games, and 2-5 in games decided by five runs or more. At 18-11 in games decided by two runs or less, their .621 winning percentage is fourth in the majors, and second in the league behind the Mets (16-6, .727). Their 29 close games is tied for third behind the Giants and Tigers at 30.

Again, such performances generally arent sustainable over the course of a full season. Last year, three teams finished with winning percentages above .600 in games decided by two runs or less, which was as many as the previous two seasons combined. From 2000 through 2011, just 21 teams have done so, around two per year. Such a frequency of close games generally wont last, either. The Marlins are on pace to play 92 such games, which would rank as the fourth-highest total since 2000. The record is held by Guillens world champion 2005 White Sox, who played 95 squeakers and went 61-34 (.642) in those games. Oddly enough, all five of the other teams who played at least 90 close games in a season had records below .500 in those games.

Sustaining such success in close games is hard because it usually comes down to clutch performances. Teams outdo their expected winning percentages (in terms of runs scored and runs allowed) by hitting or pitching especially well with runners on base or in scoring position, or in the tightest games what are generally referred to as high-leverage situations. For decades, sabermetricians have sought proof of the existence of clutch hitters players who routinely rise to the occasion and perform better and while anecdotally, fans tend to remember the big hits by the likes of David Ortiz and Derek Jeter, nobody, not even Bill James, has proven their existence to the satisfaction of the general stathead community. Thats not to say that clutch hits dont exist they happen every day its just that predicting who will be clutch is something of a fools errand. The best players tend to hit the best, regardless of the circumstances.

Clutch pitching is a bit of a different story, because managers have more control over how they deploy their relievers, particularly their best ones. They can bring them in to face the top hitters, whereas managers usually dont have a pinch-hitter better than their other hitters waiting in reserve, and they cant alter the order in which their players bat in big situations. Additionally, top closers such as Mariano Rivera tend to allow fewer hits on balls in play, seemingly in defiance of what weve learned over the past decade about the extent to which pitchers can control such outcomes.

So how are the Marlins doing it? Not with the wood in their hands; their batters are hitting a meager .233/.333/.344 with runners in scoring position, which in term of OPS ranks 11th, and is neither as good as their overall .246/.316/.381 line nor the NL average with runners in scoring position of .243/.334/.382. In high leverage situations, the Marlins are batting .249/.332/.398, which isnt significantly better than the league average of .254/.331/.392; their 730 OPS ranks eighth.

To the extent that one can put a finger on it, those close wins owe more to the pitching staff. Marlins pitchers have yielded a .232/.339/.334 line with runners in scoring position, compared to the NL average of .246/.337/.385; that resulting 673 OPS ranks fifth in the league, while the five home runs theyve yielded are tied for second. On the other hand, in high leverage situations the ones that have the greatest impact upon win expectancy, which generally arrive in the late innings when the number of outs is dwindling theyve yielded a .262/.339/.382 line, very close to to the NL average of .255/.331/.392; that resultant 722 OPS ranks 10th in the league.

Another way of looking at pitching performance under such circumstances is through Baseball Prospectus Fair Run Average stat. FRA expresses the number of runs allowed per nine innings after dividing up the responsibility when a pitcher departs with men on base by taking into account the run expectancy of the situation, the expected yield given the number of outs and the location of baserunners. It does away with the distinction between earned and unearned runs scaling about nine percent higher than ERA, pegged to the league scoring rate and adjusts for the quality of defensive support received. Furthermore, it credits the pitchers sequencing (a walk issued with the bases empty is less costly than one with the bases loaded) and his ability to get groundballs and infield popups, which come in handier with men on base.

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Why Marlins’ success likely won’t last

Taxpayers who live in three-bedroom, two-bath tract homes and can't afford to renovate their aging kitchens have good reason to resent the details of the Cal State University system's latest public-relations blunder.

In the past 10 years, taxpayers have sprung for at least half of the $2 million in renovations to the homes of eight university-owned residences. That doesn't include routine maintenance, the kind of household expenses most taxpayers pay out of their own salaries.

This news comes at a time when student tuitions are rising, classes are being cut and fewer students are being admitted.

Remember Elliot Hirshman, the $400,000-a-year Cal State San Diego president? To further show their appreciation for the man who received a $100,000-a-year bump over the former president's salary, taxpayers and foundations paid for a kitchen remodel, pool replastering and more. The bill came to $257,000, according to a report in The Sacramento Bee. Previous reports elsewhere on the remodeling put the figure at $100,000 less. But, hey, what's a hundred grand here and there among taxpayers who have to put up with old kitchen linoleum?

And did we mention that Hirshman's salary approval came on the same day that CSU trustees approved a 12 percent tuition hike? Well, we have mentioned that before on this page, but it's worth repeating, especially to trustees who can seem to be deaf to public opinion.

It is heartening to know that earlier this

But let's not pick on Hirshman. There's plenty of dirt being moved on other CSU residences.

For example, the president of Cal State Northridge, Dianne Harrison, garnered $115,000 from the University Corporation to remodel her home away from home.

The queen of the local remodels, Cal State Fullerton's recently appointed president, Mildred Garcia, saw a $300,000 remodel, including $147,000 to redo the kitchen, at the university's official residence, El Dorado Ranch. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like a home of 6,991 square feet, which includes five bedrooms and seven bathrooms.

And even that pales with the $831,000 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo coughed up to renovate its president's castle during the past decade. Almost all of that came from taxpayers.

Original post:
Editorial: Perks for CSU execs in need of overhaul -- Remodeling as tuition soars is wrong message

Mock-up design of what Roger's kitchen should look like when completed.

World-Herald reporter Roger Buddenberg and his wife are embarking on a major home remodeling project. He'll blog about the ups and downs, delays and accomplishments at omaha.com/living

* * *

The Home Stretch

May 31

The project is near enough done that She Who Must Be Obeyed has stopped calling it the kitchen of the future. Now SWMBO calls it "the KOT."

The kitchen of today.

After all, we're cooking food in it again, instead of huddling around a microwave in the corner like cavemen. (I know, I know. Cavemen preferred natural gas or magnetic induction. But you know what I mean.)

Although we are cooking in the KOT, and have even entertained friends who don't mind sitting on boxes, it's not quite done. The last mile can seem the hardest.

The contractor is working down his punch list, the final to-dos before he packs up his tools and shakes our sawdust from his feet. There are still odd bits of painting to finish we're doing that ourselves. And curtains to choose. Pictures to hang. A garage to clean. Doorstops. Light shades. Details. Then we'll shoot some "after" photos.

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Home remodeling blog: The kitchen of today

SUGAR LAND, TX--(Marketwire -05/31/12)- A recently completed study conducted by Thomas Kriger, Ph.D., a political scientist and budget expert, compares the benefits of the Building & Construction Trades Department, also known as America's Building Trades Union to the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) association. Professor Kriger reports that the Associated Builders and Contractors represent less than .03% of U.S. construction establishments (based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics) though it purports to speak for 80%; that it has nominal presence in the United States, compared to the unionized industry, as a sponsor of Registered Apprenticeship; and that its primary focus has been adoption of "model legislation" drafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). For details watch a video webcast of an interview with Professor Kriger on http://www.industrialinfo.com.

View interview with Professor Kriger by clicking link to Industry Today Webcast

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the http://www.industrialinfo.com "Contact Us" page.

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America's Building Trades Union Study Extols Benefits of Union Labor Over Open Shop Labor, an Industrial Today Webcast ...

NORWELL South Shore Medical Center has broken ground on construction of an 80,000-square-foot medical building that will be state-of-the-art and innovative, according to doctors, who described its layout as enabling a team-based health care model focused on illness prevention.

The $20 million Longwater Drive building is also kind of a big deal in Norwell, said Jeff DeMarco, a town resident and president of Campanelli Construction, the Braintree-based company managing the project.

What is really exciting about the facility is that, I dare say, it is the most significant new commercial construction that is happening in Norwell, DeMarco said.

People are going to be talking about it a lot more now that weve broken ground on the project and those in the know are talking about it already, he said of the May 18 groundbreaking. The building is expected to open in late 2013.

With its 100 examination rooms, 70 medical offices, cafe, natural light-filled atrium, and landscaped grounds, the building is being constructed at a fortuitous time for the town, DeMarco said, since it represents an increase in the nonresidential tax base in Norwell on the heels of the recently approved $2.9 million property tax hike.

The new building will be the anchor of a medical campus in Assinippi Park, offering patients easier access, additional parking, less traffic, and more advanced diagnostic and treatment equipment, according to South Shore Medical Center, a division of Atrius Health, which has offices in Norwell, Weymouth, and Kingston.

This is the model of the future in medicine, said Dr. Stan Sacon, chief executive of the medical center, who spoke enthusiastically about the more integrated approach to patient health possible within a space that will allow doctors and medical staff to work alongside wellness specialists, nutritionists, and others.

Were really looking at the whole patient. The old-fashioned approach where it was a row of exam rooms and a doctors office doesnt work anymore, said Sacon, one of the cofounders of South Shore Medical Center, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

We need to do more than just treat illness, he said. We want to keep people as healthy as possible for as long as we can and not wait until they are sick it is good for the patient and it lowers the cost of health care, he said.

Half a century ago, Sacon started the group practice in a Norwell office building, bringing together general practitioners and specialists, a cutting-edge concept at a time when most doctors worked solo.

Excerpt from:
Medical building work starts

By Ilan Kolet and Greg Quinn - 2012-05-31T10:30:00Z

Canadian construction employment is surging to a record amid public works projects, energy investment and homebuilding, even as U.S. building jobs fall to the least in more than 65 years.

The CHART OF THE DAY shows construction employment made up 7.42 percent of Canadas workforce in April, the highest in records dating back to 1975, while the comparable U.S. figure fell to 4.18 percent, the lowest since 1946.

Canada has continued to spend on long-term infrastructure after curbing its stimulus package, Canadian Construction Association President Michael Atkinson says. In contrast, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office says there may be a recession next year if lawmakers dont avoid a looming fiscal cliff of tax increases and spending cuts.

We are pretty optimistic, Atkinson said in a telephone interview from Edmonton, Alberta, where companies such as Imperial Oil Ltd. (IMO) are building projects in the oil sands.

In many parts of the country we saw no recession at all and the main reason was the stimulus plan, he said. What we are now seeing is the resource sector is back. There are about 30 construction projects worth at least C$1 billion ($973 million) versus about half a dozen a few years ago, led by government and natural resource companies, Atkinson said.

Housing markets are another difference between the neighboring countries -- Canadas housing starts reached the highest since 2007 last month, supported by low mortgage rates and demand for condominiums in big cities, while U.S. starts for April were about half of the pace recorded five years ago.

To contact the reporters on this story: Ilan Kolet in Ottawa at ikolet@bloomberg.net; Greg Quinn in Ottawa at gquinn1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Tanzi at atanzi@bloomberg.net; Christopher Wellisz at cwellisz@bloomberg.net

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Canadian Building Jobs Boom While U.S. Busts: Chart of the Day

Faced with budget concerns, the governor is going against lawmakers' request to proceed with building a new state office building at the site of the former Safeway store on Pioneer Avenue.

By Trevor Brown tbrown@wyomingnews.com

CHEYENNE -- Gov. Matt Mead has ordered the state to hold off on plans that could lead to a new state office building in the Capital City.

Mead said Wednesday that he directed construction officials not to spend $4.4 million, which the Legislature previously approved, to complete the design work for the proposed building.

The designs are needed before legislators would be asked to approve construction, which is expected to cost between $60 million and $80 million.

The building would go up at the site of the former Safeway grocery store on Pioneer Avenue.

Lawmakers wrote to Mead earlier this month asking that he proceed. But the governor said he is using his budget authority to indefinitely suspend action because of budget concerns.

"We are currently reviewing budget cuts that will have an impact across state government," Mead said in a statement. This is not the time to spend money on a large construction project; it is the time for fiscal restraint.

Meads decision also clouds the future for a proposed renovation of the State Capitols interior.

Officials have said the new building could first serve as a meeting place for officials and legislators to work during the renovation, which would overlap at least one session.

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Mead puts office building on hold

Wausau, Wis. - U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA's) Federal Office Building 8 (FOB 8) will soon complete its major modernization. The project includes Wausau Window and Wall Systems blast-mitigating curtainwall to enhance the faade with contemporary aesthetics and high-performance functionality, providing occupants with expansive views and plentiful access to natural light.

Upon completion, anticipated before the end of 2012, the project will seek LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Maximizing daylighting strategies, the exterior renovations entail replacing a large portion of the existing limestone faade with vast expanses of glazing. Additions and expansions include a glass entrance pavilion at the building's north side, projected window bays on the south faade, and two new atria.

Wausau custom-engineered and fabricated Blast Hazard Mitigation (BHM) Series four-sided, unitized curtainwall. "To alleviate some of the headaches often associated with customized, complex systems, our unitized systems streamline the installation process by pre-fabricating the various components into large, pre-assembled units that can be crane-lifted from the truck and quickly installed on the building," explains Kevin Robbins, Wausau's regional sales manager for the D.C. area.

In addition to the unitized wall, Wausau provided point-supported glass wing walls and atrium curtainwall systems. In total, Tidewater Glazing, Inc. installed approximately 60,000 square feet of Wausau's high-performance systems on the project.

FOB 8 occupies the entire block at 3rd and C Streets SW, in Washington, D.C. It originally housed Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) headquarters and laboratories. Designed by Boggs & Partners, the renovations will transform the property into a half-million square foot Class A office space nestled in a park-like setting. Once FOB 8's transformation is complete, the Architect of the Capitol and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will lease the space.

"Keeping and renovating the site represents the most cost-effective and sustainable alternative for the American taxpayer. It is also an interesting challenge to remake a '60s-era building into an attractive neighbor in this prominent location," said Regional Commissioner for Public Buildings Service Bart Bush at the groundbreaking ceremony on June 15, 2010.

FDA vacated the building in 2002 and interior renovation began. GSA awarded the $72.8 million contract to Turner Construction Company in January 2010. The 545,000-square-foot building is comprised of eight levels: a basement, a ground level, and six additional stories. There also is a rooftop penthouse containing mechanical equipment.

The project scope includes the renovation of the exterior of the building and its grounds, the addition of an entrance pavilion, and the installation of permanent perimeter security. The permanent security measures were developed in accordance with the Interagency Security Committee (ISC) Security Design Criteria for New Federal Office Buildings and Major Modernization Projects.

Providing a secured entrance, the newly constructed pavilion masks its apparent mass and scale with a combination of granite and glazed walls. The main building's renovated faade vertically orients the glass to provide visually consistency with the modern, Stripped Classical style of the adjacent buildings. Charles Klauder designed both of FOB 8's neighbors: The Mary Switzer Building was constructed in 1939-1940. The Wilbur J. Cohen Building was constructed in 1939 for the Social Security Administration.

Views from FOB 8's windows include many other historically and architecturally significant structures, such as the Modernist-styled Hubert H. Humphrey Building designed by Marcel Breuer in 1976 and the Beaux Art-styled U.S. Botanic Gardens' glass-enclosed conservatory designed by Bennett Parsons & Frost in 1902. For outdoor greenspace, FOB 8's tenants are just one block north from the National Mall and can see dozens of tree species lining the area's pedestrian and transit pathways.

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Wausau Modernizes D.C. Federal Office Building's Renovated Exterior, Supports LEED Goals with ...

29-05-2012 19:59 View New Cathedral Addition and complete house renovation including Andersen Woodwright windows, James Hardie siding, Azek trim boards and crowns.

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Sunroom Addition and House Renovation byTatcor.com Building