Out of Line

The Red Sox had men on first and second when Drew hit a roller to A-Rod, who was shifted to short. A-Rod tried to tag Youkilis going to third, but missed as Kevin ran toward the infield grass to avoid...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Mets Scoring

The Mets are finally getting some offense today, but unfortunately the Phillies are fighting them in a slugfest. Orlando Hernandez gives up three home runs in three innings, continuing his long ball woes on the road. The Mets come back...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

What's He Werth?

Jason Werth singles off Billy Wagner to open the ninth as Wagner goes for a six out save (he gave up the homer to Burrell in the 8th. With one out, Werth steals second, then third, and scores on a...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

An Extra Grand

Curtis Granderson homered in the fifth inning today to help the Tigers to a 5-1 lead over the Royals in a game they really need to win. That's the eighteenth long ball of the season for Curtis to go along...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Walk Off Walk

The Indians load the bases with two out. Rick White and his blond beard come into the came with one out and men on first and second. He gets Peralta to line out, but walks Gutierrez to load the bases...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Down on the Twins

Joe Christensen is down on the Twins future: Today is the official groundbreaking for the new ballpark. Thoughts will drift away from this 2007 mess and toward 2010. Call me a cynic, but the way things have been handled this...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Yankees Sweep

The Yankees finish the game with a 5-0 victory over the Red Sox. It's quite a turn around for both teams as Boston scored ten runs in four consecutive games coming into the series, but are held to six runs...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

One Base Wonders

Down 5-4 in the top of the ninth, the Mariners get the leadoff man on via a walk, then use a single, sacrifice and ground out to drive him around one base at a time to tie the game at...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Bird Watching

Matt Albers, a pitcher with a 5.76 ERA, pitches a great game against the Cardinals as the Astros take the game 2-1. Matt gives up four walks, but only three hits over seven innings and keeps the ball in the...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Nuke Chamberlain

Chamberlain comes out for the ninth, and with one out faces Kevin Youkilis. He pulls a 'Nuke' LaLoosh and throws a 1-1 pitch over Kevin's head to the back stop. On the next pitch, he does exactly the same thing,...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Nine in a Row

The Orioles lose to Tampa Bay 8-6 this evening, extending their losing streak to nine games. That matches their longest of the season, set one game into Dave Trembleys' tenure. He's yet to win a game since the interim label...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Pa. offers state-paid health insurance to 35,000 adults (Centre Daily Times)

The state Insurance Department will allow up to 35,000 uninsured adults on a waiting list for state-subsidized health insurance an opportunity to enroll in the program.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Record Number of Americans Lack Health Insurance (MedicineNet.com)

Title: Record Number of Americans Lack Health Insurance Category: Health News Created: 8/29/2007 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 8/29/2007

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Poverty rate dips but number without health insurance rises (The Record)

WASHINGTON The share of Americans without health insurance hit 15.8 percent last year, up from 15.3 percent the previous year, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Retirees picket EMBARQ because the company plans to discontinue paying for their health insurance (Bristol Herald Courier)

BRISTOL, Tenn. Glenn Ward said he spends $3,000 a month buying the prescription drugs needed to treat his wifes Parkinsons disease. He and other EMBARQ retirees learned last month they will lose their company-paid health insurance on Jan. 1.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Town workers may get state health insurance (The Daily News Transcript)

Municipal workers may be joining the state's health insurance group within the next two years. The town will not take part in the statewide health insurance coalition this year, but a study committee headed by Assistant Town Administrator Jim Johnson will look at possibly joining next year.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Health Insurance Rate to Rise (WBUR Boston)

There is no relief in site for what many businesses and consumers call their top concern...the rising cost of health insurance.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

LETTER: Cover youth baseball more often (The Standard-Times)

Cover youth baseball more often

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Number of Americans without health insurance climbs

The number of Americans without health insurance rose last year from 44.8 million, or 15.3% of the population, to 47 million, or 15.8%, the Census Bureau reported today.

In a report on income, poverty and health insurance coverage, the bureau also said that the median household income -- the income level of Americans at dead center of the U.S. economy -- rose seven-tenths of one point to $48,201 last year, mainly because more people were working full time.

Analysts said the figures showed that the nation was still a long way from making it back to where it was before the last recession in 2001, and helped explain why working Americans were more pessimistic than the overall economic numbers might suggest they should be.

"The only people who have recovered their position from the previous expansion are those near the top of the income distribution. The rest of Americans are still waiting to recover the ground they lost," said Gary Burtless, a senior economist with the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Median household income peaked in 1999 at $49,244, then fell for five years before climbing back in 2005 and last year. But the improvement was not the product of higher earnings but more work. Real median earnings of men and women who worked full time declined in 2006. For men, the decline was 1.1%, to $42,300; for women it was 1.2%, to $32,500.

The nation's official poverty rate experienced its first significant decline of this decade, from 12.6% in 2005 to 12.3% last year.

Most of the problem with health insurance were traceable to the continued erosion of employer-based healthcare coverage. The percentage of people covered by employer plans decreased to 59.7% of the population in 2006, down from 60.2% in 2005.

Click here for your free California health insurance quote now!

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[Source: Health Insurance Blog]

Seven years for baseball beater (BBC News)

A man has been jailed for seven years for crimes including beating a woman, 58, with a baseball bat.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Baseball transactions (Slam! Sports)

MLB-Announced Milwaukee minor league RHP Jeremy Jeffress (West Virginia-SAL) was suspended 50 games for violating baseball's minor league drug rules. BALTIMORE ORIOLES-Recalled RHP Jon Leicester from Norfolk (IL). Designated RHP Rob Bell for assignment.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Baseball Notes | Francona left frazzled in N.Y. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Baseball Notable Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona had a difficult series in New York this week, in many ways. During the second inning of Wednesday night's game against the Yankees, Francona was called out of the dugout so a Major League Baseball security official could make sure he was wearing his uniform top under his pullover jacket.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

The Scout Baseball camp has openings left (The Iowa City Press-Citizen)

There are a limited number of openings for the Iowa Baseball Future Hawks Evaluation Camp for high school players 14 to 18 years old. The camp will be Sept. 15 to 16 at Duane Banks Field.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

The Politics of Health Care Reform Vote

Pretend for a moment you’re a Democratic legislator. Your party controls your chamber. You sit on committees that both interest you and benefit your district. You even have a nice office and, while you could always use more, you have sufficient staff to get your work done.As aconscientious representative you want to address the needs [...]

Read More...

[Source: The Alan Katz Health Care Reform Blog]

Baseball transactions (Canadian Press via Yahoo! News)

(CP) - Movements in the world of baseball Thursday:

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Macca delights baseball fans (ANI via Yahoo! India News)

London, August 31 (ANI): Rock star Sir Paul McCartney surprised sports fans with his presence in the Bronx's Yankee Stadium in New York to watch the baseball match on Wednesday night. The former Beatle was in the crowd watching the match between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The crowd welcomed the singer with a huge cheer and applause when his presence was announced in the ...

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Health insurance for poor coming (The Hindu)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday that his government was working on a scheme to provide health insurance to the poor, besides offering life and disability cover to one earning member of each economically weaker family.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Men's baseball league planned (Billings Gazette)

An organizational meeting for a new men's baseball league in Billings will be held Tuesday, Sept. 11 beginning at 7 p.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

September surprises in baseball, football? (USA Today)

September surprises in baseball, football? Plain Talk by Al Neuharth, USA TODAY founder Traditionally, September is the most anticipated month of the year for most sports fans. The climax of the pennant and wild card races in Major League Baseball...

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Time Running Out For California

California's state legislative session is scheduled to end in September, but officials are newhere near reaching an agreement on proposed healthcare reform legislation. According to the Ontario (Calif.) Daily...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Health Insurance]

More children enrolled in Nevada health insurance plan (Las Vegas Sun)

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Nevada Checkup, the state's version of the federal State Children's Health Insurance Program, has 2,400 more children enrolled than it did this time last year, according to figures from the state's Department of Health and Human Services.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Poverty rate dips but number without health insurance rises (The Record)

WASHINGTON The share of Americans without health insurance hit 15.8 percent last year, up from 15.3 percent the previous year, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Mets Comeback

The Mets score five runs in the eighth inning to take a 10-8 lead over the Phillies. New York draws five walks in the inning, and when you put that many men on base, they're bound to score. Pat Burrell...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Nuke Chamberlain

Chamberlain comes out for the ninth, and with one out faces Kevin Youkilis. He pulls a 'Nuke' LaLoosh and throws a 1-1 pitch over Kevin's head to the back stop. On the next pitch, he does exactly the same thing,...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Council backs baseball accord (Reno Gazette-Journal)

The Reno City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to support a deal with SK Baseball to bring professional baseball to downtown Reno.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Mets Scoring

The Mets are finally getting some offense today, but unfortunately the Phillies are fighting them in a slugfest. Orlando Hernandez gives up three home runs in three innings, continuing his long ball woes on the road. The Mets come back...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

The Politics of Health Care Reform Vote

Pretend for a moment you’re a Democratic legislator. Your party controls your chamber. You sit on committees that both interest you and benefit your district. You even have a nice office and, while you could always use more, you have sufficient staff to get your work done.As aconscientious representative you want to address the needs [...]

Read More...

[Source: The Alan Katz Health Care Reform Blog]

Joba Goes to Eleven

Joba Chamberlain just pitched his eleventh inning without scoring a run. Someone asked the other day what was the record for consecutive scoreless innings at the start of a career. I don't have the most recent record book around, but...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Open Chat: Left Sides of the Infield

The National League East boasts two of the youngest and best left sides of the infield in all of baseball. David Wright and Jose Reyes of the New York Mets and Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins are about as good as it gets when it comes to third basemen and shortstops. All four players are also young still under the control of their teams, adding to their value.

A (strong) argument on behalf of the New York Yankees could be made that Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter form the best left side in baseball. However, ARod and Jetes are 32 and 33 years old, respectively. Rodriguez costs about $25 million per season, a salary that will zoom even higher for 2008 and beyond after he opts out of his current deal. Jeter is earning north of $20 million. Together, these two are making about 50% more than the entire payroll of the Marlins.

Questions:

1. If you were a GM, which left side would you pick for the remainder of the season, irrespective of cost?

2. As a fantasy owner, which left side would you pick for *next* season?

3. If you owned a MLB club, which left side would you pick, giving consideration to all factors, including age, contract status, free agency, etc.?

Your answers can come from the teams and players mentioned above or from any other pair not highlighted.

Read More...

[Source: Baseball Analysts]

Pa. offers state-paid health insurance to 35,000 adults (WFMJ Youngstown)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The state Insurance Department says it will allow up to 35,000 uninsured adults on a waiting list for state-subsidized health insurance an opportunity to enroll in the program.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

One Base Wonders

Down 5-4 in the top of the ninth, the Mariners get the leadoff man on via a walk, then use a single, sacrifice and ground out to drive him around one base at a time to tie the game at...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Double Switch, Double Dingers

Lou Piniella pulls a double switch to insert Matt Murton in the number nine slot, and the move pays off as Murton and Soriano hit back-to-back, two-out homers in the bottom of the sixth. The came off Chris Capuano, pitching...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

What's He Werth?

Jason Werth singles off Billy Wagner to open the ninth as Wagner goes for a six out save (he gave up the homer to Burrell in the 8th. With one out, Werth steals second, then third, and scores on a...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Wang All Right

Wang has a no-hitter through six. He's walked four. Correction: Sorry, it was six. I was in a rush to get home and got the inning wrong. Lowell breaks up the no-hit bid in the seventh....


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Retirees picket EMBARQ because the company plans to discontinue paying for their health insurance (Bristol Herald Courier)

BRISTOL, Tenn. Glenn Ward said he spends $3,000 a month buying the prescription drugs needed to treat his wifes Parkinsons disease. He and other EMBARQ retirees learned last month they will lose their company-paid health insurance on Jan. 1.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Yankees Sweep

The Yankees finish the game with a 5-0 victory over the Red Sox. It's quite a turn around for both teams as Boston scored ten runs in four consecutive games coming into the series, but are held to six runs...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Seven years for baseball beater (BBC News)

A man has been jailed for seven years for crimes including beating a woman, 58, with a baseball bat.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Record Number of Americans Lack Health Insurance (MedicineNet.com)

Title: Record Number of Americans Lack Health Insurance Category: Health News Created: 8/29/2007 2:00:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 8/29/2007

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Pa. offers state-paid health insurance to 35,000 adults (Centre Daily Times)

The state Insurance Department will allow up to 35,000 uninsured adults on a waiting list for state-subsidized health insurance an opportunity to enroll in the program.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Outdoor baseball is back (KARE 11 Minneapolis-St. Paul)

Outdoor baseball returns to Minnesota today. For years the Minnesota Twins have pursued a home away from the Dome, and with

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Govt to provide health insurance to poor (rediff.com)

Government said on Thursday it is working on a scheme to provide health insurance to the poor, besides offering life and disability cover to one earning member of each economically weaker family.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Hasty Health Care Reform a Bad Idea

I’ve written ad naseum on the danger inherent in the Legislature hastily passing health care reform.The unintended consequencesfrom enacting changes in something as complicated as health care without thoroughly vetting the ramifications could make matters worse, not better.I’m not alone in this concern:“I hope that none of these ill-conceived, quickly thrown together plans will pass [...]

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[Source: The Alan Katz Health Care Reform Blog]

Check 1-2, Check 1-2

Last night's slate featured the first place team against the second place team in five of the six Major League divisions. All five games were tightly contested with bullpens figuring prominently across the board. Without further ado, here's a brief recap of my takeaways from each matchup.

New York 5, Boston 3

Presented without comment, Joba Chamberlain's Major League career numbers:

          IP   SO   BB   H   ERAJoba     10.0  17   3    4   0.00

After Johnny Damon launched a 246 foot home run off of Daisuke Matsuzaka in the bottom of the seventh inning, Joba entered the game and despite giving up a walk and a base hit to Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell, looked as dominant as ever. I honestly cannot remember being more impressed with a pitcher's stuff than I am with Chamberlain's.

The offensive stars for each team were players that have been at the fore of this latest iteration of the Sox-Yanks rivalry. Manny Ramirez and Jason Varitek homered for Boston, while Derek Jeter and Damon did the same for New York. Jorge Posada continued his fantastic season, going 2-for-4 with a double.

Boston's lead is down to seven games. With 30 games remaining, that means that if the Sox go 15-15, New York would have to win 22 of their last 30. It's possible, but Boston fans should feel pretty comfortable about where they stand at the moment.

Los Angeles 10, Seattle 6

This one pissed Seattle fans off and I can't really blame them. J.J. Putz, inactive since August 24, never saw the light of day in a game that was tied at six after seven innings. Seattle's second best reliever George Sherrill pitched a perfect ninth, which was nice and all but unfortunately by that time the Halos had jumped out to a 10-6 lead.

Brandon Morrow was a defensible choice to start the eighth inning. He's good, though not as good as Putz and Sherrill. Bringing in Rick White to relieve Morrow after he struggled a bit was indefensible. When the eighth was said and done, the Angels had scored four runs on four hits and three walks. They also might have locked up the AL West, and there wasn't a damn thing J.J Putz was allowed to do about it.

Philadelphia 4, New York 2

The stars were out in Philadelphia. Tom Glavine threw seven shutout innings while Carlos Delgado supplied all of the Mets' offense with his two-run shot in the second. On the Phillies side, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard paced the offense, while Brett Myers threw two perfect innings for the win. Howard ended the game off of Guillermo Mota in the 10th with a two-run homer of his own.

Philadelphia is now four games behind the Mets for the NL East lead and three back of the San Diego Padres for the Wild Card. Chase Utley is back but Cole Hamels is hurt. It will be interesting to see what this Phillies team can muster over the last month of the season. Fortunately for them, seven of their final ten are against the Washington Nationals.

Chicago Cubs 5, Milwaukee 3

Scott Linebrink came into last night's contest with a 97 ERA+ as a Brewer, entered with a 3-1 lead in the seventh (after all, Jeff Suppan had thrown 82 pitches) with a runner on first and nobody out and proceeded to give up two doubles, a single, made a throwing error and when it was all said and done, had allowed four runs to cross the plate. For this sort of performance, the Brewers gave up not one, not two, but three promising young pitchers on July 26. Here is how the trio has performed at various levels of pro ball in 2007.

                Age   K/9    K/BBJoe Thatcher    25   11.67   5.58Will Inman      20   10.00   3.04Steve Garrison  20    6.33   3.06

The Brewers are now below .500 and in third place. From Doug Melvin on down, this team's performance has been just awful for a good three months now.

San Diego 6, Arizona 4

Speaking of the Padres, they took their second straight from Arizona last night - against the great Brandon Webb no less - to pull within one game of the NL West lead. Khalil Greene and Mike Cameron were the offensive stars for the Pads, while Justin Germano held his own to outduel Webb.

For the Snakes, Connor Jackson continued to flash the skills D-Backs fans had been waiting to see, going 3-for-3 with a home run, double, two RBI and a walk. He's hitting .321/.361/.538 in August.

======================

Tune back in tonight for some more exciting ball as all of these teams once again take to the field against one another. Weeks like these make the MLB Extra Innings package worth every penny.

Read More...

[Source: Baseball Analysts]

Federal Judge Orders Wal-Mart to Offer Health Insurance to Workers' Stepchildren (Law.com via Yahoo! Finance)

The stepchildren of working parents in New York state are dependent children for the purposes of qualifying for coverage under federally regulated group health insurance plans, a federal judge ruled in a suit against Wal-Mart.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Baseball For The Brain (Hartford Courant)

MIT Program Teaches Youngsters Math And Science Of American Pastime Do you think that the only math involved in baseball is counting one, two, three strikes and you're out? Don't tell that to a group of 24 Boston-area middle school boys enrolled last month in the "Science of Baseball" summer program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Danville baseball field has a strike against it (San Francisco Chronicle)

A Danville man who built a backyard baseball field for his son's Little League team said Wednesday that he plans to try to save the park, even though the city's Planning Commission has voted to deny permits and ordered it removed. David Lowe said he is...

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Report: Permits denied for baseball field (UPI)

The Danville, Calif. Planning Commission has voted to deny permits for a controversial local baseball field.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Govt to give health insurance to poor (NDTV Profit)

The Government has said that it is working on a scheme to provide health insurance to the poor, besides offering life and disability cover to one earning member of each economically weaker family.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

MEN'S BASEBALL (The Jersey Journal)

Rich Mercier fired two-hit shutout ball, striking out five over four innings, and ripped a single, a double and one RBI as the Ducky Boyz cruised past HQ Crew, 14-0, in a Bayonne Recreation Department Men's Baseball League "AA" playoff game.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Baseball: Finding of umpire bias is small but unsettling (International Herald Tribune)

Four academics released a study that found that Major League Baseball umpires called strikes at different rates depending on a pitcher's ethnicity.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Federal Judge Orders Wal-Mart to Offer Health Insurance to Workers' Stepchildren (Law.com)

The stepchildren of working parents in New York state are dependent children for the purposes of qualifying for coverage under federally regulated group health insurance plans, a federal judge ruled in a suit against Wal-Mart. The judge said that Wal-Mart's plan, which requires that non-custodial stepchildren live with Wal-Mart employees at least nine months out of the year and that they be ...

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

47 Million Lack Health Insurance (WebMD)

The U.S. Census Department reports that 47 million people in the U.S. have no health insurance, up from nearly 45 million in 2005.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Extras needed for baseball movie (Quad-City Times)

Extras are needed for the untitled Dominican Baseball Project film being shot in and around the Quad-Cities.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Baseball Notes | Injured Ramirez pulled from lineup (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Baseball Notable Manny Ramirez was not in Boston's starting lineup last night because of a strained muscle in his left side, and the Red Sox slugger likely will be sidelined for several days.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

More Americans Lack Health Insurance (NPR)

The number of Americans without health insurance grew to an all time high of 47 million last year, an increase of more than 2 million from a year before. The number of children without health insurance coverage also rose. The Census Bureau figures are likely to raise the stakes in the political debate about health care.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Portable Health Insurance Faces Challenges (NPR)

Holding on to health insurance can be a big challenge if you have a chronic disease or history of illness. But it wasn't supposed to be that way. Eleven years ago this month, Congress passed a law intended to free people who felt trapped in their jobs because they were afraid of losing their health insurance.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Government to provide health insurance to poor (The Times of India)

The government is working on a scheme to provide health insurance to the poor, besides offering life and disability cover to an earning member of each family.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

From Bravos to Buccos, baseball's best organizations (CBS Sportsline)

Huh? Competence in baseball front offices? That wasn't supposed to happen. It certainly comes as a surprise to Larry Dobrow, who uses his epiphany as inspiration to unveil the Uncle Larry Organizational Rankings.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Baseball: Selig won't punish Giambi for steroids (International Herald Tribune)

Jason Giambi escaped punishment from Commissioner Bud Selig on Thursday because of the New York Yankee slugger's charitable work and cooperation with baseball's steroids investigator.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Number of Uninsured Increases

The U.S. Census Bureau has released new health coverage statistics showing a rise in the number of uninsured. According to USA Today, 47 million Americans are now without health...

Read More...

[Source: About.com Health Insurance]

Daily Dose of Data

The Day by Day Database is up to date....


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Danville family will have to remove backyard baseball field (KESQ Palm Springs)

DANVILLE, Calif. (AP) - A backyard baseball diamond a Danville family considered their field of dreams will have to be removed. The Danville Planning Commission voted 7 to 0 last night to deny permits for a ballpark that David and Connie Lowe built next to their estate.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Seattle Slain

The LAnaheim Angels overcame an early 5-0 deficit to take game two of their series with Seattle 10-6. Ervin Santana last just one third of an inning, allowing all five runs. That raises his road ERA to 8.72. But Jeff...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

High school baseball New York judge upholds ban on metal bats in high schools (Southeast Missourian)

NEW YORK -- A judge on Tuesday upheld New York's ban on metal bats in high school baseball games, saying it was not his place to overturn a law that was approved by a local government with the...

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Danville family will have to remove backyard baseball field (KSBY San Luis Obispo)

Associated Press - August 29, 2007 8:44 AM ET DANVILLE, Calif. (AP) - A backyard baseball diamond a Danville family considered their field of dreams will have to be removed.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

WNC baseball offers event for seniors (Nevada Appeal)

All senior high school baseball players are invited to attend the Western Nevada College Wildcats baseball team tryouts/clinic at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 30 at John L. Harvey Field.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Poverty down but more without health insurance (Chicago Sun-Times)

Paychecks grew a bit and poverty flattened last year, but the number of Americans without health insurance continued to increase, the Census reported Tuesday.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Cool on the Hill

Rich Hill blows away the Brewers in the first inning, striking out Weeks, Hart and Fielder to start the game. He threw just fourteen pitches, ten for strikes. Update: As the game progresses it's Suppan who is efficiently effective tonight....


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Byrning Peavy

Eric Byrnes takes Jake Peavy deep in the top of the sixth inning for 1-0 Arizona lead. Byrnes is 14 for 45 against San Diego this season. The Padres, however, are threatening in the bottom of the inning as Jake...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Game of the Day

Of all the games scheduled today, the one that interests me the most is Arizona at San Diego. The Padres were able to defeat the Diamondbacks at their own game last night, winning a tight, low scoring game. Tonight, Arizona...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

NL Central

The Chicago Cubs host the Milwaukee Brewers for three games, with the Cubs leading the division by 1 1/2 games. It's the last time this season the two clubs face each other. 30 June 2007: Milwaukee Brewers batter Prince Fielder...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Colo. rates high in income, lack of health insurance (Denver Post)

Colorado's poverty rate is below the national average and its median income is higher, but the percentage of people without health insurance tops the U.S. average, according to new estimates from the Census Bureau.

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Blum Booms

Livan Hernandez walks his first batter of the night in the bottom of the seventh, then gives up a two-run homer to Geoff Blum. Blum only had two home runs all season was came into the game slugging .352. The...


Read More...

[Source: Baseball Musings]

Weird Play

With men on first and second for the Reds, Brandon Phillips sends a fly ball into right. Nady tries to make a catch, but short hops the ball. The runners held up, and I think Hopper (the runner at second)...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Record numbers of Californians living without health insurance (San Francisco Chronicle)

A record 6.8 million Californians, nearly 1 in 5 of the state's residents, went without health insurance at some time during 2006, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Nationally, a record 47 million Americans, including 8.7...

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

jaKe Peavy

Earlier this season, Jake Peavy struck out nine Diamondbacks in a row. He came close again tonight, striking out seven in a row from the second through the fourth. He's struck out eight of the fourteen batters he's faced tonight,...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Damon Delivers

With the game tied at three in the bottom of the seventh, Johnny Damon delivers a two-run homer just inside the foul pole in right to put the Yankees up 5-3. Matsuzaka and Pettitte each allowed two home runs tonight,...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Great Slide

Gary Matthews makes a fantastic pop up slide to avoid a tag on a single he was trying to stretch into a double. Ichiro slides on a liner to center, and the ball goes just behind him. Matthews goes for...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Fantasy Baseball | Pujols tops first-baseman rankings (Seattle Times)

I've never been much of a proponent of grabbing a first baseman too early in fantasy-baseball drafts, choosing to go with middle infielders...

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Dr. Howard is Fine

Ryan Howard delivers a home run in the bottom of the tenth to finish a 4-2 comeback victory over the Mets. It was a massive shot, hit the opposite way to left field, putting the Phillies just four games behind...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

One-fifth of Californians lack health insurance, report says (San Francisco Chronicle)

13:03 PDT Sacramento - A record number of Californians - an estimated 6.7 million adults and children that account for nearly one in five of the state's residents - went without health care insurance last year, according to new figures released today by the...

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Cubs Comeback

The Chicago Cubs score four in the seventh inning and go on to a 5-3 victory. The Cubs offense played well in the inning, but an error by Linebrink led to two unearned runs, the difference in the game. Watching...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Tuesday Update

The Day by Day Database is up to date....


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Springing Back

It never ceases to amaze me how fast teams fortunes can turn around. A week ago, the Yankees pulled to four games of the Red Sox, and after the loss tonight, they're eight games back. The pitching staff looks more...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Baseball Notes | Cooper takes Astros' reins (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Baseball Notable Cecil Cooper took over as manager of the Houston Astros yesterday, a day after Phil Garner was fired. Cooper, Houston's bench coach the last three seasons, met with his team for about 30 minutes before batting practice.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Baseball metal bat ban upheld (Bennington Banner)

NEW YORK (AP) A judge on Tuesday upheld New York's ban on metal bats in high school baseball games, saying it was not his place to overturn a law that was approved by a local government with the public's safety in mind.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

AL East

A week ago this series between the Yankees and Red Sox looked like it would go a long way to determining the AL East champion. But with the Yankees losing four games in the standings during that time, even a...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Seattle Shutout

John Lackey picked up his second complete game and second shutout of the season as the Angels defeated the Mariners 6-0 Monday night. Both of those shutouts came against the Mariners in Seattle. 6-4-2 Notes that the game seemed to...


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[Source: Baseball Musings]

Poverty rate down but fewer have health insurance (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

The U.S. poverty rate fell for the first time this decade but more people are living without health insurance and the bulk of the nation's poor are children, government data released on Tuesday showed.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Redlands-based travel baseball team takes title (The Press-Enterprise)

It was a year ago that Tony Hernandez got together with a few friends and formed a travel baseball team. In July, that team, the Inland Valley Venom, traveled to Battle Creek, Mich., and returned with a USSSA Class AAA World Series trophy in the 13-and-under age group.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Phillies' Baseball 101 event a big hit (Philadelphia Phillies)

Phillies' Baseball 101 event a big hit

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

CORRECTED: Poverty rate down, fewer have health insurance (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

The U.S. poverty rate declined for the first time this decade but more people are living without health insurance and the bulk of the nation's poor are children, government data released on Tuesday showed.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Grafton gets money from MLB to develop baseball diamonds (Fargo Forum)

GRAFTON, N.D. (AP) _ City officials are getting help from Mayor League Baseball in developing baseball diamonds.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

America's poverty rate dips, but more have no health insurance (Chicago Tribune)

Poverty diminished slightly in America last year, the Census Bureau said Tuesday, but the nation's health-insurance woes worsened as another 2.2 million people, including 700,000 children, joined the ranks of the uninsured.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

A Sobering Census Report: Bleak Findings on Health Insurance (New York Times)

A large increase in the number of Americans who lack health insurance ought to send a strong message to Washington: action is needed to reverse this trend.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Spires baseball to host Croatian National team (Leavenworth Times)

LEAVENWORTH The University of Saint Mary baseball teams next opponent is traveling a little further than any KCAC opponent has in order to play the Spires.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

17.9% lack health insurance (The Oregonian)

More than one in six Oregonians -- 17.9 percent or 665,000 in all -- lacked health insurance last year, the highest levels in a decade, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday. The number of uninsured children in the state jumped by 25 percent to nearly 114,000.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Should baseball abolish the 40-man September roster rule? (USA Today)

Allowing major league teams to expand rosters to 40 on Sept. 1 is a rule that has been debated in baseball. Some say that with more teams than ever involved in pennant races, the time has come for everybody to compete with 25 players down the stretch. Others say it just doesn't make a difference.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Capps has enjoyed lifetime in baseball (Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise)

You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time. They say Cinderella had only until the stroke of twelve oclock to live out her most-ardent fantasy.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Croatian National Baseball Team playing in KCK (Kansas City Kansan)

The Croatian Olympic National Baseball Team for the second straight year is in Kansas City to play a series of exhibition games against local teams. The team is made up of young men who represent Croatia in competition with teams around the world.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

One-fifth of Californians lack health insurance, report says

A record number of Californians - an estimated 6.7 million adults and children that account for nearly one in five of the state's residents - went without health care insurance last year, according to new figures released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Nationwide, about 47 million Americans lack health coverage, including 8.7 million children - also record numbers, the report said.

The estimates are part of an annual analysis of poverty and health care in the United States, which also showed that median household income nationwide rose seven-tenths of one point in 2006 to $48,201 - still below the peak of $49,244 reached in 1999.

Many public policy experts and elected officials were especially concerned about the health care data, especially for children because the number of uninsured kids grew for the second year in a row.

"The trend I've been seeing is the growing number of children in middle class families who lack coverage," said Jim Keddy, director of PICO California, part of a national coalition of faith-based community groups that advocates for the poor.

"As health care costs go up, more and more families are either not being offered health insurance through work or what they are offered costs too much."

The new Census estimates show that about 816,000 children in California lack health care - which means that most of them receive medical services at hospital emergency rooms and community clinics.

After months of talking about the issue, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders are increasingly focused on ideas for extending coverage to more Californians who lack insurance.

The governor has proposed a plan aimed at covering all Californians without health insurance by having workers, employers and care providers share the cost of expanded coverage. He would also mandate that residents have insurance.

Democratic leaders have proposed a plan that would cover only working families that now lack coverage, with the lion's share of the costs being paid by employers.

Another plan pending before the Legislature would create a single-payer program where all residents are covered under a plan managed by the state and funded through taxes.

Click here for your free California health insurance quote now!

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[Source: Health Insurance Blog]

Baseball Fans Pushing The Drillers To Stay (KOTV 6 Tulsa)

Baseball fanatics take a swing at keeping the Drillers in Tulsa. Die hard Drillers fans showed up to the stadium Tuesday night to cheer on the team, and to keep the organization from moving to Jenks. News On 6 anchor Omar Villafranca met with a few of the supporters; he reports the team is fighting to make the Texas League playoffs, while the fans are hoping to keep the team playing in the Tulsa ...

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

Record numbers of Californians living without health insurance (San Francisco Chronicle)

A record 6.8 million Californians, nearly one in five of the state's residents, went without health insurance at some time during 2006, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Nationally, a record 47 million Americans, including 8.7...

Read More...

[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Kings of the Road

In yesterday's article, I identified the leading candidates for the Cy Young Awards and listed their qualifications with a focus on who *should* win rather than who *will* win.

The race for the American League CYA is wide open with at least five legitimate candidates while the National League has two pitchers who are equally worthy and a couple more who have an outside shot as the season approaches the Labor Day weekend.

What's interesting to me in the NL is that the two principal hopefuls pitch in ballparks that are distinctively different. Arizona's Brandon Webb pitches his home games in a hitter's park whereas San Diego's Jake Peavy performs home games in one of the most pitcher friendly environments in recent baseball history. Advantage Peavy, right?

Well, let's take a closer look at Webb's and Peavy's home and road splits:

Brandon Webb

          G   W-L    IP    H    R   ER  HR   BB   SO   ERA   AVG   OBP   SLG   OPSHome     12   6-4   82.2  81   33   27   4   32   76  2.97  .258  .327  .369  .696Away     15   8-4  109.0  83   35   29   5   26   90  2.39  .206  .258  .286  .544Totals   27  14-8  191.7 164   68   56   9   58  166  2.63  .229  .288  .323  .611

Not surprisingly, Webb has bettered his home stats while pitching away from Chase Field. He has started three more games and thrown 26.1 additional innings on the road. I'm not sure if that is by design or sheer luck but Webb's adjusted stats may slightly overstate his pitching prowess this year if the formula assumes an equal number of starts at home and on the road.

Jake Peavy

          G   W-L    IP    H    R   ER  HR   BB   SO   ERA   AVG   OBP   SLG   OPSHome     16   7-5  104.0  91   34   33   5   30  112  2.86  .236  .298  .329  .627Away     11   8-0   73.2  42   13   10   2   24   85  1.22  .163  .235  .225  .460Totals   27  15-5  177.2 133   47   43   7   54  197  2.18  .207  .273  .287  .558 

Based on Peavy's away numbers, I think it is safe to say that his success is not a product of Petco Park. Sure, he is pitching well at home. But check out those road stats. Peavy is 8-0 with a 1.22 ERA outside of Petco. With an AVG/OBP/SLG against line of .163/.235/.225, he's making hitters long to be Nick Punto (.199/.290/.258), who has the lowest OPS of any regular player in baseball.

During Bob Gibson's CYA and MVP season in 1968 when he fashioned a 1.12 ERA during the Year of the Pitcher, opponents "hit" .184/.233/.236 against him. Gibson's OPS was .469 that year. Peavy's OPS on the road in 2007 has been .460. That's right, Peavy's road numbers are comparable to what Gibby put up in what some believe to be the best season ever by a pitcher. In fairness to the Hall of Famer, he tossed over 300 innings so his sample size is more than four times Peavy's. But the purpose of this exercise is to make sure voters don't discount Peavy's performance this year based on the fact that he pitches his home games at Yellowstone Petco Park.

Just as Webb's adjusted numbers may overstate his case, Peavy's adjusted totals may actually understate his success. Either way, the native of Mobile, Alabama is having a truly remarkable year. Excluding teammate Chris Young's current season, Roger Clemens (1.87 in 2005) is the only pitcher in the NL over the past ten years to forge a lower ERA than Peavy's current mark of 2.18.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
SINGLE SEASON ERA LEADERS
1998-2006

                              YEAR     ERA     1   Roger Clemens            2005     1.87    2   Greg Maddux              1998     2.22    3   Jake Peavy               2004     2.27    4   Randy Johnson            2002     2.32    5   Jason Schmidt            2003     2.34    6   Kevin Brown              1998     2.38    7   Andy Pettitte            2005     2.39    8   Kevin Brown              2003     2.39    9   Mark Prior               2003     2.43   10   Al Leiter                1998     2.47   

As shown, Peavy had a similar ERA in 2004 and his peripheral stats (save for HR) are comparable. However, Peavy is on pace to throw about 54 more innings this season.

          IP      ERA   ERA+   K/9   BB/9   HR/92002     97.2    4.52    85   8.29   3.04   1.012003    194.2    4.11    96   7.21   3.79   1.532004    166.1    2.27   177   9.36   2.87   0.702005    203.0    2.88   134   9.58   2.22   0.802006    202.1    4.09   103   9.56   2.76   1.022007    177.2    2.18   189   9.97   2.74   0.35

Source: FanGraphs

I'm not surprised in the least by Peavy's success. He pitched much better than most people realized in the first half last season when he was ridiculed for posting a 4-8 record with a 4.46 ERA. Peavy proceeded to go 7-6 with a 3.68 ERA in the second half even though his peripheral stats were roughly the same pre- and post- All-Star break.

Peavy beat Arizona 3-1 last night, enabling the Padres to pull within two games of the Diamondbacks for first place in the NL West. Jake allowed one run, three hits, and three walks in seven innings. He struck out 11 for the third consecutive start (including seven in a row at one point) and reached double digits for the eighth time this year, running his NL lead to 197.

Webb is scheduled to start tonight and could match Peavy's win total of 15 with a victory. He will be gunning for his seventh straight in the hopes of putting some distance between the D-Backs and the Padres.

As for the Cy Young Award, a strong case can be made for Peavy and an equally strong case can be made on behalf of Webb. It's so close, I would be comfortable giving the award to Brandon Peavy. Or maybe Jake Webb.

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[Source: Baseball Analysts]

Yankee cap is as close as Kuznetsova wants to get to baseball (IANS via Yahoo! India News)

New York, Aug 29 (DPA) The American summer sport of baseball holds little appeal for former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. But the Russian still loves wearing a New York Yankees team cap.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

47 million in U.S. lack health insurance (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

People will hear this figure cited often in the debate about health care reform and in the presidential campaign: 47 million people in the United States were without health insurance last year.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

September baseball heats up (The Western Courier)

As August ends, sports fans around America can rejoice. After a long, grueling summer of the marathon known as the major league baseball regular season, only a month remains until the post-season drama of October begins.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for baseball]

New urgency for helping 47 million with no health insurance (Market Watch)

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The decline in the reach of employer-sponsored health insurance continued last year, with children and minorities among those hardest hit, according to new government data.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Record Number of Americans Lack Health Insurance (Washington Post)

TUESDAY, Aug. 28 (HealthDay News) -- A record number of Americans are without health insurance, according to new U.S. Census Bureau statistics released Tuesday.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]

Household Incomes Up; Health Insurance Down (NPR)

The U.S. poverty rate declined last year and median household incomes edged up, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. But more people found themselves without health insurance.

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[Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for health insurance]