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Happy 2021 opening day in Major League Baseball to you all!

Its time for a full season of MLB action after an abbreviated 2020, and to kick things off, were not doing a traditional power rankings.

Instead, as weve done with the NBA, were asking the question: if you have MLB.TV, which teams would you want to watch the most? Thats right, its another round of watchability rankings, which is a very unscientific combination of star power, the fun youll have watching the team, and maybe some oh boy, is this squad going to be a train wreck?

So away we go:

Im extremely intrigued by third base prospect KeBryan Hayes and for fantasy purposes in deep leagues, Ill take a flier on Colin Moran. But while they start a rebuild, this is the least watchable team in the Majors.

Why arent they in last? For starters, Miguel Cabrera is 134 hits away from 3,000 for his storied career, so well want to tune in for that chase when it heats up.

For another, there are some young arms Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize among them to keep an eye on. But the Tigers are NOT going to be good this year.

I will be very much interested in tuning in to see Trey Mancini mashing again after battling and beating colon cancer. And if you like offense, theres more of that here too with Ryan Mountcastle and Anthony Santander.

Ill call this: Do you like offense? Part II. Theres Joey Gallo either striking out or hitting big bombs. Theres some speed from Leody Taveras. Maybe theres a David Dahl breakout coming after his days in Colorado ended.

But pitching? Itll be a long season from that point of view.

The buzz over hyped prospect Jarred Kelenic has gotten LOUD, so this feels like a good spot for a team that will probably be among the bottom-dwellers, although they do have Ty France (who hit .309 last season), former first-round pick Taylor Trammell and, oh yeah, AL rookie of the year Kyle Lewis. Also: is THIS the year Justus Sheffield starts putting together a breakout?

Hmm. Maybe they should be higher?

Will they be worse than some of the teams lower on this list? Probably not.

But this is a team full of vets thats also trying to look toward the future. So while Ill tune in to see Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubon mash, Im not exactly getting excited about Evan Longoria, Brandon Crawford and past-his-prime Buster Posey.

A bad team with some fun youngsters > a mediocre older team. Fantasy baseball managers can turn their noses up at Adalberto Mondesi (note: please dont), but dude has stolen 91 bases in his past three seasons. Whit Merrifield continues to be one of the more well-rounded players in the game. Can Jorge Soler get back to his 2019 form when he nearly hit 50 dingers?

Oh and I CANT WAIT for Bobby Witt Jr. to come up.

Underrated, even here. Zac Gallen when hes healthy is one of the best young arms in baseball, Josh Rojas has been hot all spring, Ketel Marte is a season removed from .329-32-92 and 10 swipes, Tim Locastro is speedy Ill tune in!

The pitching stinks, blah blah blah, whatever.

Trevor Story is still there (for now), and hes a superstar. And you know youre going to get all kinds of offensive fireworks in Colorado, so I dont expect anything different given the lineup filled with names like Raimel Tapia, Ryan McMahon, Brendan Rodgers, C.J. Cron (can he hit 40 in the mountain air?) and vet Charlie Blackmon.

(Whispers) I dont think last year was a fluke.

Now, that doesnt mean theyre making the playoffs. All those jokes before the abbreviated 2020 season turned into a reality as the small-sample-size Marlins made the postseason.

What Im saying is: among the young, rebuilding teams, this ones the one I want to tune in for the most (and as a New York Mets fan, Ill see them plenty!). From the promise of Jazz Chisholm to a starting staff that we could be talking about as the best in the game in a few years, Im in.

I am aware Im going to get destroyed by North Siders for this one, but heres the thing: its sort of a known quantity. And while thats not the worst thing, it takes the level of excitement down.

Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo arent in their primes. The pitching staff is good (I love Kyle Hendricks and Zach Davies but theyre not known for their electric stuff. This is a team built for defense). Javier Baez is still so much fun to watch, but Im just not that excited beyond him.

I love Wrigley, though. Does that help?

Another team whose fanbase will no doubt write me angry letters/tweets.

But from a watchability standpoint, I think theres better out there right now. And this is zero offense to Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez (the latter of whom will hopefully get back to hitting .300 and sending baseballs into orbit). Im also hopeful that this is finally the year Franchy Corderos sweet swing makes an impact. The return of Chris Sale is intriguing.

That said, Im more into the teams below.

I want so badly to throw this team higher with a great mix of young pitchers (Luis Castillo in the rotation and Tejay Antone, Amir Garrett) and a group of hitters who play in a park made for dingers. And then theres Joey Votto, who may be older but is still entertaining.

While they might be not that great from a standings point of view, theyll be more entertaining than the teams above.

This is where it gets extremely tough for me. There are an endless amount of storylines here: Ageless Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. Jack Flaherty and Jordan Hicks dazzling on the mound. Is Nolan Arenado going to prove playing outside of Denver will work? Are Dylan Carlson and Tyler ONeill the real deal?

Theres also some real flop potential here and the schadenfreude that comes with it for non-Cards fans. This might be rating them too low.

Three words: Bryce. Harper. Swing.

Thats a good reason to watch this team. So is Aaron Nola pitching but whatever. Star power counts for a lot in these rankings.

With the As, its always a fun, weird ride, a how did they do that?! kind of feeling when you see them contend. And they could do it again this year with Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and two of my favorite young hurlers in Frankie Montas and Jesus Luzardo.

Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes are one of baseballs best young 1-2 punches. Devin Williams and Josh Hader out of the bullpen are a nightmare for opponents. And thats before we get to former MVP Christian Yelich.

Also, Keston Hiura might be a star.

Heres a team with fun but train-wreck potential now that Francisco Lindor is gone Jose Ramirez is still terrific and dont underestimate Eddie Rosario and Franmil Reyes. The bullpen has three amazing arms. Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale are all great. As a Mets fan, I can tell you Andres Gimenez is going to be awesome.

But they might be bad after so many years of contending.

That offense, oh my goodness, THAT OFFENSE! Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, Vlad Guerrero Jr. (maybe THIS is the year he hits a million homers), Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, Rowdy Tellez and new addition George Springer. WHEWWWWWWWWWWW.

The pitching is very iffy. So very watchable up to that point.

I hate myself for putting them this low. Were talking about Mike Trout, who is still the games biggest superstar. Were also talking about the chance to watch Shohei Ohtani become a two-way stud on the mound and at the plate.

But the Angels arent going to be very good. That holds them back.

Juan Soto. Trea Turner. Even if theyre not what they once were, lets add Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg into the mix. A real fun team to follow.

Just a top-to-bottom fun team to watch, as Nelson Cruz continues to crush baseballs at the age of 40, Byron Buxton continues his breakout, Miguel Sano does the same and a staff that now has Kenta Maeda as its ace.

The team you love to hate gets this high ranking for that very reason, although they also happen to be a very, very talented team you love to hate.

Goodness, this team is just so fun. Between Randy Arozarenas breakout last year to Brandon Lowes huge 2020, the possibility of Wander Franco coming up this year and the how the heck do they keep doing this?! feeling I love it all.

Fine. Im biased. Whatever.

But Francisco Lindor is a superstar. Pete Alonso hits baseballs very, very far. Jacob deGrom is the best pitcher in the game. Steve Cohens tweets are amazing. And of course, with this team, theres always the chance it falls apart. Welp.

One of the best young groups of players in the league may be about to explode. Even with Eloy Jimenez out with injury, Andrew Vaughn might be a terrific replacement. Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada, Nick Madrigal, Luis Giolito this team is STACKED.

And I live for Tim Anderson batflips.

The question: how will Tony La Russa manage this team? Ill be watching for that, too.

So much of this ranking is because of Ronald Acuna, but lets give some love to Marcell Ozuna, Freddie Freeman and the rest of this lineup. Their pitching staff is mega-deep and filled with young future stars Max Fried, Mike Soroka and Ian Anderson. Whats not to love?

As usual, the powerhouse to watch with a lineup that can mash 1-through-9. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hitting balls is a thrill. The pitching is superior. A well-oiled machine. Why arent they higher? Some thoughts below.

Of course. Its like watching an All-Star game every night. Thats it.

Read more from the original source:
MLB rankings: All 30 teams on Opening Day ranked by watchability - For The Win

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images Bill Polian

The NFL Draft tea leaves are pointing toward one of two things for the New York Giants with the 11th overall pick an impact defender or an offensive lineman.

Hall of Famer Bill Polian, a six-time NFL Executive of the Year, knows which path he would choose.

The key to the Giants is the offensive line. Unless they get that solved the weapons wont mean a thing, Polian said on the Colin Cowherd Podcast. They have got to protect him and theyve got to be able to block for the run. Thats job 1 and I suspect theyll address it in the draft.

The Giants spent three draft picks on the offensive line a season ago left tackle Andrew Thomas (No. 4 overall), Tackle Matt Peart (Round 3/No. 99) and guard Shane Lemieux (Round 5/No. 150).

The line showed some promise, but still finished 21st in Football Outsiders Adjusted Line Yards run-blocking stat and 27th in FOs Adjusted Sack Rate measure. Having lost starting right guard Kevin Zeitler due to salary cap constraints and with Cameron Fleming, last seasons starting right tackle, not having been re-signed, the Giants now have to re-configure that side of their line.

They added wide receivers Kenny Golladay and John Ross, along with veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph in free agency in hopes of boosting last seasons 31st-ranked offense.

They have re-structured the offensive coaching staff to help that young line. Rob Sale is the new offensive line coach. Freddie Kitchens moves from tight ends coach to senior offensive assistant with responsibility for helping Sale. The Giants have also added Pat Flaherty, the teams offensive line coach during the Tom Coughlin years, as a consultant.

Now, they need to find more talent.

Would they use the 11th pick on offensive tackle Penei Sewell if he somehow falls to that spot, which might not be inconceivable if five quarterbacks are taken in the first 10 picks, or Rashawn Slater of Northwestern?

Will they wait until Day 2, where several potential starting guards should be available?

We get our answer in just a few short weeks.

Original post:
Bill Polian: Giants have to add to offensive line SB Nation Sports - Reverb MSN Music

This story originally appeared on LX.com

If you were on the internet in April 2019, you may recognize computer scientist Katie Bouman, who went viral after her team captured the worlds first image of a black hole and her thrilled reaction was captured on camera.

That breakthrough prompted a Wikipedia volunteer to draft her biography for the digital encyclopedia. But the same day, it was nearly pulled by someone else who thought she wasn't notable enough to be included.

This incident points to a bigger problem: women feature in less than one in five biographies on Wikipedia. There are several reasons for this gap.

First, some background: Wikipedia pages are written and edited by a volunteer community that now numbers over 143,000 individuals, around 90% of whom are male. Anyone can write a draft article, and anyone can nominate an article for deletion. Editors then decide by consensus whether to keep the article, merge it with another one or delete it.

These decisions come down to guidelines set by Wikipedia editors in the early days, including a test of notability: Is there significant coverage of the topic in secondary sources? Are these sources reliable? Are they independent of the subject itself? By this criteria, enough editors rushed to defend Katie Boumans notability and ultimately saved her article from deletion. Many others, though, never see the light of day.

According to Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight, a veteran volunteer whos written over 5,000 articles since 2007, information about men is much more readily available in large quantities than it is about women. If a woman hasnt been covered sufficiently in secondary sources, a Wikipedia editor may determine that she doesn't meet the notability standard.

One study also found that women who do make the cut have to be relatively more notable than their male counterparts. That might have to do less with gender bias in the past and more with the way it manifests today. A Wikimedia Foundation survey from 2018 found that 14 percent of women faced harassment or a general lack of support as volunteers; some even said that they were sent porn. Theres even a Wikipedia page about gender bias on Wikipedia.

In February, with an aim to better attract and retain new and diverse volunteers, the Wikimedia Foundation released its first Universal Code of Conduct. According to the policy, violations of the code like harassment, trolling, and abuse of power can result in sanctions.

Meanwhile, editors of all genders have been working to combat bias through community organizing. In 2015, after learning that women made up just 15.53% of biographies on the English-language Wikipedia, Stephenson-Goodknight and an editor from Scotland named Roger Bamkin formed a group called Women in Red, named for the red links on the site that represent missing articles. In less than six years, theyve turned over 17,000 red links to blue. But theres still a lot of catching up to do.

If you want to contribute, Sandister Tei, a volunteer who won Wikimedian of the Year in 2020 for mobilizing editors in her home country of Ghana, says the best first step is to make an account. For additional guidance, groups like Art + Feminism organize open edit-a-thons, many of which are virtual, in partnership with museums, colleges and community centers around the world.

Tei stresses that Wikipedias mission cannot be realized without a diverse editing community. You're trying to build a sum of human knowledge," she said. "And you can't do that if you exclude people.

See original here:
Women Are Writing Themselves Back Into History on Wikipedia - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Celebrities have learned the secret to eternal youth is... to alter your age on Wikipedia.

That is according to comedy duo Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, who are, respectively, 52 and 51, but that may change if they ever get access to their Wiki entries.

Mel said: There are certain people on Wikipedia, who shall remain nameless, but are known to us in the profession whove been sort of 41 for the last 15 years.

Sue, who met Mel when they were students at Cambridge and members of Footlights theatre club, said: I know and its very Google-able that we were all in the same university, in the same year.

The moment I work out how to change my Wikipedia entry its a game changer and I will.

During their online chat, Mel and Sue spoke of a pact to grow old gracefully and not have any work done as the years roll on.

Comparing their lockdown hair, Sue told Mel: Your grey shocks me because it means youve been dyeing. We had a pact we would not have anything done, mate.

Mel said her hair was like a cul de sac in late 70s Leatherhead. She said: Im receding, its perimenopausal. Ive been dyeing it since Ive ruddy met you, my love.

Sue joked about having to wear a hat while the hairdressers remained closed. She said: Ive developed this look over lockdown. So beanie at all times.

Sue also spoke of her lockdown diet. She said: All I really have existed on is Greggs.

All I care about is Greggs. I get six vegan sausage rolls at any one time and they do not last.

Obsessed. Delicious.

From secret feuds and sexy scandals to the biggest showbiz headlines - we're serving up a daily dose of gossip.

Get the inside scoop on all your favourite celebs with our daily newsletter delivered straight to your inbox for free.

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Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033.

The rest is here:
Vain celebrities are changing their true ages on Wikipedia, Mel & Sue claim - Mirror Online

If youre a creative type, youve likely heard of the Moleskine notebook, branded as the heir to the little blank books used by the likes of van Gogh, Picasso and Hemingway. Maybe you even picked one up during quarantine in the hopes of one day being known by surname only. Headquartered in Milan, the Moleskine company has around 500 employees today and a vast network of partners. It produces physical and digital notebooks, and even runs cafes.

In 2006, the company launched the Moleskine Foundation, which works with an eye toward Africa at the intersection of three focus areas: innovative education, art and culture for social transformation, and advocacy.

Creativity is a function of knowledge to a certain extent. Its not just about having information. Its about what youre going to do with it, says Adama Sanneh, CEO and co-founder of Moleskine Foundation, in a recent interview.

The foundation began as lettera27an unconventional cultural incubatorillustrating the unique philanthropic angle here. And though incubating culture might seem a bit nebulous, Sanneh spoke at length about Moleskines real impact on the ground, and how it uses creativity as a path toward social change.

Consider its WikiAfrica Education initiative, which launched in 2006 just five years after Wikipedia itself launched. Harnessing the promise of creativity, the initiative has generated over 40,000 Wikipedia contributions since its launch, and over 200 articles in 18 languages about COVID-19 in the past year alone. The goal is to serve as a way to support creative young people on the continent, and also to improve online information about Africa.

But just how did this unconventional foundation get started, why did it partner with Wikimedia, and how is the partnership emblematic of the foundations overall aims to impact African youth?

African roots

Born in Italy as the son of a Muslim West African father and an Italian Catholic mother, Sanneh has long been interested in questions of identity. His honors thesis as a political science major in undergrad was titled Identity Paradox in the Second Generation of Immigrants in Italy. He got his feet wet in the world of NGOs, working in Northern Uganda and the capital city Kampala.

After a time, though, Sanneh wondered if he was on the right side of history. Where was I in the overall international aid machine? Even though we were reaching many people and making a difference I didnt feel like I was part of the right system, he says.

Sanneh went on to earn his MBA from the University of Geneva and then worked as a consultant for the World Intellectual Property Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations. Working within the Global Challenges Division, he started to realize the power of creative tools to solve global challenges like climate change and food security.

I entered in the field of art, culture, and education and had a slow but steady epiphany, Sanneh says with a laugh. A lot of the questions I had in Uganda, I started to find some answers to.

Using creativity to change the world

As lettera27 evolved into Moleskine Foundation, the company behind the organization doubled down its support so that the nonprofit could scale. While backed by the Moleskine company, it operates independently, running its own programs and partnerships while also making grants to aligned organizations.

And with Sanneh at the helm, the foundation was able to get off the ground quickly, thanks to lettera27s 10-year runway creating partnerships with cultural, creative and educational institutions around Africa.

Consider partner organization Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, a former prison complex from the Apartheid era whose walls held the likes of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. Today, Constitution Hill is a living museum that tells the story of South Africas journey to the present. The foundation has been working with the organization for years, and others like it, even when it wasnt the popular choice.

Ten years ago, some looked at you like you were some kind of New Age person. But very early on in the game, we had the chance to meet some incredible partners, he says.

Moleskine Foundation works to encourage, inspire and connect young people to transform themselves and then larger society through unconventional educational experiences. One past initiative called the Directors Eye supported authors and producers of African cinema throughout the phases of film development and production.

The foundation also has a long history with Ashoka, the well-known international association of social innovators, and was an early supporter of Ashokas Changemaker Schools Africa, which has launched dozens of schools and also runs storytelling workshops.

Where is Africa on Wikipedia?

As a top-five global website with some 6.1 billion visitors per month, Wikipedia is as ubiquitous as the air we breathe, and the perfect mic drop in an intense internet debatenot that Im encouraging such a thing. Still, as with many other internet era phenomena, Wikipedia wasnt always Wikipedia.

In 2006, lettera27 had an intuition, Sanneh says. Where is Africa on Wikipedia? It was intuition, because at the time, Wikipedia wasnt even a big deal. And I was just a young volunteer.

The organization decided to make an early bet, partnering with Wikimedia Italia to launch WikiAfrica, an international movement that encourages individuals, interested groups and organizations to create, expand and enhance online content about Africa.

WikiAfrica Education introduces, trains and supports teachers as they incorporate Wikipedia article writing into their lesson plans. The initiative conducts edit-a-thon events so they can learn more about the Wikimedia platform and supports teacher training. Students learn important literacy skills, how to work in collaboration, and best practices and tools relating to critical thinking. The ultimate goal is to build the next generation of online content creators.

I can tell you, there is more information about the city of Paris now than about the entire African continent, Sanneh says; he knows the consequences of the lack of online representation for people of color. He recalls the first time he landed in New York and met a Black American, who asked where Sanneh was from. When he said Italy, the man was surprised.

Hes like, Wait, Italy has Black people? Sanneh recalls with a smile.

For these reasons, WikiAfrica is focused on the entire diaspora, impacting people around the world who know what it means to live in a society where you arent fully reflected. For instance, Moleskine, in partnership with Constitution Hill and AFROPUNK (conveners of the popular Brooklyn music festival), curated the names of 12 Black South African women who were erased from history.

WikiAfrica created an educational program in which young people could learn about women like Joyce Seroke, a South African educator, activist, feminist and community organizer who fought against apartheid. From there, young people wrote these entries in their own languagesZulu, Xhosa, Venda and so on.

In one day, the event produced 70 new entries in five African languages about these vital figures.

Another larger AfroCuration event focused on the constitution of South Africa and anti-Apartheid efforts, and resulted in more than 200 written articles. Between these two events combined, there were more than 200,000 views from these entries in a few months.

Moleskine Foundation only works with local partners who know the lay of the land and can effectively host events, like Harambee, a youth employment nonprofit. And right now, Sanneh is working hard to find multiple avenues to reach rural areas.

Sometimes, its a struggle, Sanneh admits, but compared to when we started, this is a great improvement. This is why we want to expand this program, and get more co-founding donors.

A new perception of creativity

Sanneh believes that these creativity tools can be used to get at some of Africas more intractable challenges, including housing, water sanitation and food security. But as veteran of this space, he also thinks some reframing could be useful.

International organizations always ask how they can fix problems. But they never really ask how they can support and develop talent. We are in this second business. I dont see a dichotomy. We live in a creativity era. Why should it be different for a young kid in Lagos? Sannah says.

Moleskine Foundation works on three levels, and its final frontier is working to transform the way creativity is perceived in society. The foundation created a publication called Folio and a podcast called Creativity Pioneers, in-depth conversations with leaders who use creativity to create social change. Harvard graduate Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of Africa Center in New York City, talks about building inclusive cultural institutions, and Raphael Chikukwa, executive director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, believes that every revolution starts from the revolution of the mind.

When I ask Sanneh if he believes this work could help westerners better understand Africa, he says he remains hopeful. But he also says hes not overly concerned by it, because you cant really change those who dont want to change.

African creators themselves are undergoing a new era of visibility around the world, including through Afrobeats music and so-called Nollywood (Nigerian Hollywood) films. Afrobeats artist Burna Boy took home a 2021 Grammy, and was also featured in video game sensation Grand Theft Auto Online.

Three decades ago, Ashoka made early waves in whats now the established field of social entrepreneurship. If successful, Sanneh thinks Moleskine Foundation can follow the same trajectory as a pioneer in the space of creativity for social change. We now know how to attract resources, to nurture talent, to bring solutions, and serve millions of people.

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A Foundation Takes on Wikipedia's Africa Gap, While Backing Young Creatives on the Continent Inside Philanthropy - Inside Philanthropy