If you don't follow baseball, you may be unaware of the controversy simmering around Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig.  He came up from the minors less than two months ago, has played on a level comparable only to that of the early Joe DiMaggio, and has singlehandedly (okay, with both hands) lifted the Dodgers from the ignominy of overpaid underperformer status into credible pennant contenders.  Fans came within inches of writing him onto the All-Star team by online ballot.

Puig has played fewer than 40 games in the Major Leagues.  The Dodgers, who had a lot of money, now have a lot less, because they agreed to pay him $42 million over seven years.

Old school baseball players and their managers take offense to an All-Star designation for a player who has barely gotten his uniform sweaty.  But the people want Puig, and there's still an outside chance that they'll have him, when the All-Star Game takes place Tuesday in New York.

Baseball traditionalists believe that All-Star status is something one earns over time.  Casual fans couldn't care less about a player's body of work; they're just interested in stars, which Puig, at least for the short term, now is.  Sports talk radio commentators recognize that baseball has a phenomenon in Puig and that the All-Star game is a marketing showcase.  Failing to include Puig, therefore, would be an unpardonable offense.

Puig had the good fortune to come of age in the age of American Idol, when you can become a star literally overnight.  You don't have to spend years paying dues; you just go viral.   Consider the difference between yesterday's Frank Sinatra and today's Psy.  Sinatra toured with big bands for years before he hit; Psy, the Korean voice of Gangnam Style (two billion YouTube hits and counting) became a planetary legend with one video.  If extraterrestrials exist, they are probably on Alpha Centauri doing the horse dance and singing, "Hey, sexy lady!"

And so it is in sports.  LeBron got his $60 million deal with Nike before he stepped on an NBA court.  Andrew Luck signed to quarterback the Indianapolis Colts for $22 million prior to throwing a single NFL pass.  And now Yasiel Puig has parlayed eight undeniably great weeks into eight figures.

The veteran players may or may not begrudge Puig the money; they definitely resent his potential All-Star status.  That's because they come from a world where what you do over a long period of time defines who you are.  Puig, baseball's flavor of the month, leaves a sour taste in their mouths.

In baseball, hitters and pitchers "solve" one another.  Meaning that tendencies are analyzed and baseball experts do everything that can to drag outliers back to the mean.  In the sport's language, the goal is to create a "book" on a player: identify his weaknesses and capitalize on them.  The fastball hitter may have trouble with a slider; a particular pitcher may struggle to keep the ball down.  Once word gets out, it's much harder for a phenom to keep up that initial momentum.

This may or may not happen with Puig.  He could be the next Henry Aaron.  Or not.   He could also run into serious trouble.  If you listened to sports talk radio the week before the Dodgers elevated Puig to the majors, the topic was the fact that he had enormous trouble coping with authority.  Not quite "cancer in the clubhouse" material, but the verdict among baseball men was that he was too immature to handle the pressures of the big leagues.

So now they're putting him front and center at the All-Star Game.

There's something to be said for the old way of doing things, where you had to earn your stripes, pay your dues, work your way to the top.  That way allows people to make their mistakes in private, before all eyes are upon them.  Those of us who are a little older and come from that world are grateful that YouTube didn't exist when we were in our twenties or Facebook when we were in our teens.  We're very happy, thank you, that the mistakes we made in our callow years aren't on our permanent technological record.

I have no problem with Puig playing in the All-Star Game; he's definitely a star and baseball is the world's worst sport at marketing itself.  We've just seen what happens to people, especially those in the public eye, who receive too much too soon.  From Aaron Hernandez (New England Patriot accused of homicide) to Lindsey Lohan (actress accused of everything), it often turns out that sudden success is no gift from the gods.

I wish Yasiel Puig the greatest of success, personally and professionally, not that he's ever heard of me or cares about receiving my blessing.  I want him to stay on the baseball diamond and not the police blotter and enjoy his newfound celebrity.

It used to be that it took ten years to become an overnight success.  In today's world, it can take ten years to get over having been one.

Need a good way to cool down with friends and family this July? Davenport Parks and Recreation and QCAD - Quad Citians Affirming Diversity are partnering to hold a family and friends pool party for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Allied community.

The party is being hosted on Friday, July 19th at the Fejervary Family Aqautics Center at 1900 Telegraph Road, Davenport, IA 52802. The event will begin at 6 P.M. and will end at 8 P.M. Admission fee is $2 per person. This event is open to all residents of the Quad City area. All ages are welcome.

"We have had so many positive inquiries about this event!" said Marissa Osborne, an intern for Davenport Parks and Recreation. "So many people have shown support for diversity and we wanted to celebrate that!"

Davenport Parks and Recreation and QCAD have worked together in the past to host events for the local LGBT Teen population, and this is our first move into providing family activities for the LGBT community.  We are also planning a Family Ice Skating Event in December!

Innovative Project Turns Illinois River Silt into Chicago Lakefront Park

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today visited an old steel mill site to showcase the final phase of the innovative Mud-to-Parks program, which makes use of reclaimed topsoil dredged from the Illinois River to create a new park near Lake Michigan. Mud-to-Parks is a component of Governor Quinn's Millennium Reserve Initiative to restore habitat, rehabilitate brownfields and create green space in Chicago's South and Southeast Side and south suburbs.

"Mud-to-Parks is helping return the soil to where it belongs while providing habitat and boosting recreational opportunities," Governor Quinn said. "Some of the richest soil on the continent originally came from the watershed. We've put people to work taking sediment that was clogging the Illinois River and putting it to good use on this magnificent site."

The last of 79 barges filled with sediment dredged from the Illinois River near Peoria have traveled 163 miles to the old U.S. Steel (USX) South Works site at 86th Street and Lake Michigan. There, the sediment has been unloaded and spread out, providing tons of rich soil for green space and community recreational use along the shoreline.

The Mud-to-Parks project is the latest phase of a project begun in 2004 during which 232,000 tons of Illinois River mud have been shipped and spread over 25 acres at the USX site. Native grasses and small trees are now sprouting on land that was largely steel mill slag.

The silt taken from the Illinois River's Peoria Lake has the consistency of toothpaste when dredged and loaded onto barges. After the two-day trip up the Illinois River, Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal, Calumet Sag Channel and Little Calumet River to a Lake Michigan slip, the mud is off-loaded and spread on the slag. The mud then dries and develops a granular soil structure prior to final grading on the park parcel.

"Mud-to-Parks is a true green initiative. Removing silt from the Illinois River opens shipping lanes, enhances habitat and improves recreational access," said Marc Miller, Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), which administers Mud-to-Parks.

The innovative idea was first conceived in the 1990s by Dr. John Marlin, then an IDNR scientist. Grasses now grow from a pilot project he ran in 2002 in which sediment collected near Peoria was barged to a Chicago landfill and spread out. In 2003, Dr. Marlin approached then-Lt. Governor Pat Quinn in his role as chair of the Illinois River Coordinating Council and the Mud-to-Parks project at the USX site was underway.

"Reclaiming soil from the river is a far-better alternative which can be used to address reservoir sedimentation in many other areas," said Marlin, now with the University of Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. Dr. Marlin plans to meet soon with authorities responsible for Shanghai's silt-choked Huangpu River to share the lessons of Illinois' Mud-to-Parks Initiative.

"There's enough sediment in Peoria Lake to fill a football field 10 miles high," observed University of Illinois soil expert, Dr. Robert Darmody. "It was eroded from some of the best farmland in the world. After drying, it regains its favorable structure and is an excellent media for growing a variety of plants."

Sedimentation is the biggest problem facing the Illinois River, and was particularly evident during last year's drought. Each year, 14 million tons of sediment goes into the river basin, the equivalent of 17,808 truckloads daily. This reduces navigability of barge traffic, hinders recreational boating and destroys habitat. Meanwhile, Chicago has many distressed properties and old industrial sites needing restoration. Since each barge hauls the equivalent of 75 dump-trucks of soil, the barges are saving wear and tear on state highways and city streets.

The project will enhance the 589-acre Chicago Lakeside project - a joint venture of McCaffery Interests, Inc., and U.S. Steel - which will include 13,000 new residential units, 17.5 million square feet of commercial and institutional space, the new Lake Shore Drive extension and 130 acres of lakefront parkland to continue the 18-mile Lakefront Trail.

Mud-to-Parks is funded by $8 million in bond funds appropriated in 2009. Recipients of Mud-to-Parks funds include the Litchfield Park District, Chicago Park District, City of East Peoria, City of Decatur and Fox Waterway Agency. University of Illinois Prairie Research Institute scientists have worked on the concept of beneficial reuse of sediment for years. Dredged soil has been also used for cover at a Pekin landfill and a strip-mined portion of the Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area.

Sportsmen, boaters and bird-watchers in Peoria and Chicago will benefit from the project. The dredging improves fish habitat, and migratory birds using the Illinois River flyway or Lake Michigan shoreline will find better-protected habitat and food sources.

To learn more, please visit istc.illinois.edu.

DES MOINES, IA (07/10/2013)(readMedia)-- "Nothing Compares" to the adrenaline pumping rides on the Midway at the 2013 Iowa State Fair. With a new thrill ride and a variety of savings packages, Fairgoers can enjoy even more entertainment. The Fair is set August 8-18.

The Iowa State Fair welcomes back Belle City Amusements for 11 days of twists, turns and thrills that are guaranteed to delight Fairgoers of all ages. Hang on tight as the Midway's hair raising Moonraker-the only one in North America-sends you flying over 70 feet into the sky. Newly restored and out of retirement, try to catch your breath as the giant spinning disc picks up speed, lifting you into the air at angles upwards of 90 degrees.

Fairgoers can save big on the new Moonraker ride as well as 40 other exciting Midway rides by planning ahead for this year's Fair. Purchase a set of five Midway tickets for $14; each ticket is good for one ride. For an even bigger day of Midway excitement, purchase a Mega Pass wristband for unlimited rides. Weekday Mega Passes are just $25 and are good for unlimited mechanical rides any one weekday from open to close.

Or, purchase an Any Day Mega Pass for $30, good for unlimited mechanical rides any one Fair day (including weekends). These Midway special savings must be purchased by August 7 and are available while supplies last at iowastatefair.org or the Iowa State Fair Ticket Office.

If you missed these deals, more bargains are in store during Fair time. Weekdays only, $25 each day buys a wristband good for unlimited mechanical rides from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Available during the Fair at Midway ticket booths only.

There is something for everyone at Belle City Amusements, from the famous Double Ferris Wheel and the Rock N Roll Himalaya, to kiddie rides and games of skill. For a complete list of all rides and rules please visit iowastatefair.org.

"Nothing Compares" to the 2013 Iowa State Fair, August 8-18. The Fairgrounds are located at East 30th and East University Avenue, just 10 minutes east of downtown Des Moines. For more information, call 800/545-FAIR or visit www.iowastatefair.org.

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