Category Archives: Progress

Progress is a ginger group political organisation within the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1996. It is broadly viewed as supportive of the New Labour leadership of Tony Blair, a former leader of the party and former prime minister.

Progress publishes a monthly magazine of the same name and occasional pamphlets, and organises conferences and other events.

Until 2014 Progress stated it was "the New Labour pressure group which aims to promote a radical and progressive politics for the 21st century."[1] From late 2014 Progress stopped using the "New Labour" label and rebranded itself as "Labours new mainstream, aim[ing] to promote a radical and progressive politics".[2][3]

Its aims are:

Progress is an organisation of Labour party members which aims to promote a radical and progressive politics for the 21st century.

We seek to discuss, develop and advance the means to create a more free, equal and democratic Britain, which plays an active role in Europe and the wider world.

Diverse and inclusive, we work to improve the level and quality of debate both within the Labour party, and between the party and the wider progressive community.[4][5]

Progress was founded in 1995[6] by Paul Richards, Liam Byrne and Derek Draper, the former aide to Peter Mandelson, as an organisation to maintain a dialogue with Labour's new leadership under Tony Blair. It has organised many events and conferences, and hosted several important speeches by senior party figures. Its annual conference has become a staple of the political calendar with many cabinet ministers and other leading politicians attending.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville has provided substantial funding for Progress, contributing 2 million of the 3 million of donations and sponsorship to Progress from 2001 to 2011.[7] In 2014 Progress was fined 6,000 by the Electoral Commission for accepting donations of 390,000 from Lord Sainsbury while he was not on a UK electoral register, between December 2011 and April 2013.[8][9]

In May 2014 Progress dropped using the "New Labour" label, introduced by Tony Blair, for the Labour party.[3]

In 2012, Progress was at the centre of the debate over the direction of the Labour Party under Ed Miliband, after a widely circulated anonymous report called for Labours national executive to "determine the organisational nature of Progress, and whether or not this form of organisation is acceptable inside the Labour Party."[10] Criticism of Progress had concentrated on the generous funding that Progress had secured from external donors, and on positioning, regarded as being on the right of the Labour Party. Following circulation of the report the GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny led calls at the 2012 Labour conference for Progress to be "effectively (outlawed)as part of the Labour Party."[11]

In response, a Labour Party statement said, "We are a party that is reaching out to people, gaining new supporters and offering real change for the country in these tough times. The Labour Party is a broad church and we are not in the business of excluding people."[11] Labour leader Ed Miliband was also clearly in support, telling The Independent that I believe in an open and inclusive party, reaching out to people, not for pushing people away. That certainly does not mean excluding or proscribing organisations like Progress which contribute to the debate."[12]

In 2013, Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite the Union, claimed Progress was manipulating the selection procedures for Labour parliamentary candidates to get its candidates selected. Progress responded: "Progress helps to train and mentor candidates going for selection, to whom we do not give money. The details are open, plainly explained on our website and approved by a strategy board elected by our members."[13]

Progress publishes a monthly magazine and a large number of political pamphlets.[14]

Progress also published The Purple Book, in September 2011, exploring fresh non-statist policies for Labour. Authors included: Alan Milburn, Peter Mandelson, Jacqui Smith, Tessa Jowell, Andrew Adonis, Caroline Flint, Douglas Alexander, Frank Field, Liam Byrne, Ivan Lewis, Rachel Reeves, Tristram Hunt, Liz Kendall and Jenny Chapman. There were ideas such as foundation trusts providing GP services, a school voucher system, crime commissioners, directly-elected mayors and 'hasbos'. The Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband, wrote a foreword to the book.[15]

Progress is chaired by Alison McGovern.[16] Its vice-chairs are the Labour MPs Jenny Chapman, Stephen Doughty, Julie Elliott, Tristram Hunt, Dan Jarvis, Liz Kendall, Seema Malhotra, Toby Perkins, Lucy Powell, Steve Reed, Jonathan Reynolds and Nick Smith.[17]

Progress honorary president is former Minister Stephen Twigg, previously chair of Progress.[17]

Progress is constituted as a private company limited by guarantee, with a legal board of directors in 2012 consisting of Jennifer Gerber, Jonathan Mendelsohn, Robert Philpot and Stephen Twigg.[6]

Prior to 2015 Progress was chaired by MP John Woodcock,[16] and prior to 2014 by former Minister Lord Adonis.[18] Prior to 2012 Progress was chaired by MP and former Minister Stephen Twigg, and the honorary president was Alan Milburn, the former Secretary of State for Health. Jonathan Mendelsohn was treasurer of Progress.[19]

Progress announced the creation of the first strategy board in July 2012, to enable the organisation's 'growing membership to feel a true sense of engagement'.[20] The first elections were held in August, and the board is composed of three sections; Parliamentarians, councillors and members.

Current members of the Progress strategy board:[21]

Since its inception Progress has had a number of operational directors:

Go here to read the rest:

Progress (organisation) - Wikipedia

Doc Rivers insisted yet again on Saturday night that the media has refused to pay heed to his message and to buy into his selling points on how his team has lifted its play in recent times.

So the Clippers coach felt it was best to reiterate those thoughts during his opening remarks following his teams impressive victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

The Clippers pushed their winning streak to five consecutive games and have won nine of their last 11 games.

And Rivers wanted to make sure the media gathered around him at the AT&T Center in San Antonio acknowledged those feats that have put the Clippers in a good place.

Ive been saying it for 10 games. Some guys havent been hearing it, said Rivers, referring to the media. Really.

Its not that Rivers comments have been challenged by any means.

Its just that some of the wins during the streak even made his players pause and the losses were cause for alarm.

And then there is the benchmark of the season, when the Clippers started off 14-2.

That was when they played their best basketball of the season, and its a level they are still striving to get back to.

Perhaps, it was suggested to some of the Clippers, they are now edging toward that seemingly long ago time when they had the best record in the NBA.

No, I dont think so. Were closer, Blake Griffin said Saturday night. I thought defensively at the beginning of the season is really what set us apart. Weve been better this stretch, but we can still be better.

I thought our resolve at the beginning of the season was unbelievable. When teams would make a run, or it would be a close game, might not be a blowout, but wed still kind of keep playing the same way and keep that spirit. So thats what weve got to get back to.

The Clippers have two games left in the regular season to see whether they reclaim the entire force they played with in November.

I think were close, for sure, J.J. Redick said Saturday night. I dont want to look too much into winning streaks. I think its just how you feel, sort of the spirit, and I feel like our spirit has gotten a lot better in the last couple of weeks.

We had some bad losses there and then the Sacramento game and another one. But weve responded since that game.

The Clippers have put themselves in position to have the home-court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs against postseason foe Utah.

L.A. only has to win its last two games and the Clippers will host Games 1 and 2 at Staples Center when the playoffs start next weekend.

I think we had too many guys that care and too many guys that are good basketball players to not eventually start playing well, Redick said. I said this a couple of times last week. I dont read anything like going into the playoffs. Youre playing well, but it doesnt guarantee you anything in the playoffs. But Id much rather be playing well than the opposite heading into the playoffs.

UP NEXT

VS. HOUSTON

When: 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Where: Staples Center.

On the air: TV: TNT; Radio: 570.

Records: Clippers 49-31; Rockets 53-26 through Saturday.

Records vs. Rockets: Clippers 0-2.

Update: The Clippers allowed 131 points per game in the first two losses to the Rockets. James Harden, an MVP candidate, was tied for second in the league in scoring (29.2 points) before Sunday nights game. The Rockets are second in the league in scoring (115.2).

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner

Continued here:

Clippers keep making progress - LA Times - Los Angeles Times

By Vivian Salama and Matthew Pennington The Associated Press

PALM BEACH, Fla. What was billed as a showdown between the leaders of the United States and China over trade and North Korea ended with little sign of confrontation Friday or of concrete progress in resolving their differences.

President Donald Trump had predicted a "very difficult" meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. But after their first face-to-face at the Mar-a-Lago resort, he trumpeted that they had developed an "outstanding" relationship.

U.S. officials said the two sides agreed to increase cooperation on trying to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, and China acknowledged the need for more balanced trade with the U.S.

But the two days of meetings appeared heavier on optics than substance. The most-powerful message to the Chinese leader may have been Trump's decision to launch U.S. missile strikes at Syria.

Those strikes added weight to Trump's threat last week to act unilaterally against North Korea's weapons program although it would be much riskier to take military action against the nuclear-armed North, which has its artillery and missiles trained on a key U.S. ally, South Korea.

The U.S. administration's first recourse is very likely to be economic pushing China to crack down on Chinese banks and companies said to provide North Korea access to the international financial system.

In a possible harbinger of the kind of punishments Washington could inflict, a leading Chinese telecoms company, ZTE, was fined nearly $900 million in March for shipping sensitive U.S.-made technology to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.

"They recognize that shows our clear determination to crack down on this sort of activity," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told reporters.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. and China "agreed to increase cooperation and work with the international community to convince the DPRK to peacefully resolve the issue and abandon its illicit weapons programs." DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Tillerson said Trump and Xi noted the urgency of the threat of North Korea's weapons program and that they reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearization of the divided Korean Peninsula.

On trade issues, Trump called for China to "level the playing field" for American workers, stressing the need for reciprocal market access. He also noted the importance of protecting human rights and asked China to adhere to international norms in the seas of East Asia, Tillerson said.

As a candidate and president, Trump has taken an aggressive posture toward China, labeling Beijing a "tremendous problem" and arguing that lopsided trade deals with China shortchange American businesses and workers. Some $347 billion of the $502 billion trade deficit recorded by the U.S. last year was with China.

Trump said in a brief appearance before reporters Friday that he and Xi made "tremendous progress" in their talks and that he believes "lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away." He did not elaborate.

For Xi, who is entering a twice-a-decade Communist Party congress in the fall, the meeting with Trump was more about stabilizing the critical U.S.-China relationship and burnishing his foreign policy credentials than achieving a breakthrough.

Speaking alongside Trump, Xi said the two delegations discussed important topics and established a good friendship and working relationship. He noted the historic responsibility of both countries the world's largest economies and emerging military rivals to work toward peace and stability.

China's response to the U.S. missile strikes on Syria was muted. Its U.N. ambassador, Liu Jieyi, never mentioned the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, or the U.S. airstrikes, at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday. Liu focused instead on the need for a political solution to the six-year Syrian conflict.

Originally posted here:

Trump, Xi get along, but progress slight - The Columbus Dispatch

The latest incident at the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center in Lincoln underscores the need for fixing a prison system that seems to keep sputtering under its current leadership, some senators and observers outside of state government say.

They had already been questioning why progress of Nebraska's crowded prisons seems so elusive. Friday night's disturbance at the Lincoln prison, which included a fire and assaults on three staff members in a unit that houses violent and sometimes aggressive inmates, brought more concerns, especially in light of threatened lawsuits by ACLU of Nebraska because of crowding and conditions for inmates.

"There has to be progress. We have to see progress," said Omaha Sen. Bob Krist, who hasserved on two corrections investigative committees the Judiciary Committee and the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Committee.

Taylor Gage, spokesman for Gov. Pete Ricketts, said Saturday the department is continuing to make steady progress in a number of areas.

ACLU of Nebraska plans an announcement as early as next week related to its promised civil rights case, Director Danielle Conrad said Saturday.

"If state officials continue to fail to act and will not lead, we will," Conrad said.

"We are saddened by the continuing violence and destruction in Nebraska's crisis-riddled and severely overcrowded prisons," she said. "In the final analysis, these disturbances are due to a failure in leadership by state officials."

The organization renewed its call for Ricketts to exercise the authority he presently has to declare an emergency, to put public safety first and to bring the appropriate people together to develop solutions.

"The time is now," she said.

Gage noted Friday's incident was resolved quickly and without significant injury.

Krist said Saturday the department's lack of control and safety in the prisons are not helping the state avoid action by the Department of Justice and the ACLU. There now have been three incidents in two years of inmates taking control of housing units for hours. In two of those, a total of four inmates were killed. Last year, an escape from the Lincoln Correctional Center endangered public safety for days.

It may be time, he said, to attempt to suspend the rules and reinstate the Department of Corrections special investigative committee.

"There's some tough questions that need to be asked and there's accountability that needs to be assigned," he said.

The excuse from Ricketts and Corrections Director Scott Frakes seems to be that these inmates are bad people, he said.

"We get that," Krist said. "But what can we do and who's accountable for making sure these bad people don't do harm to our corrections officers?"

Last year, the number of assaults on staff causing injuries increased 57 percent over the previous year, and 141 percent over two years, according to a report by Inspector General for Corrections Doug Koebernick.

The number of inmate assaults on staff requiring urgent medical attention, such as stitches, broken bones, concussion or partial or full loss of consciousness reached 224 in 2016, compared with 143 in 2015 and 93 in 2014. Assaults without serious injuries also increased over those two years.

In August, nine staff members at the Lincoln Correctional Center were assaulted at one time. Koebernick said the prison was understaffed at the time, compared to recent recommendations from a staffing analysis.

Gage said the call for another oversight committee is coming from the same senators who proposed last week to cut the agency's budget request funding key reform.

Ricketts and Frakes had requested additional money for staffing in the 2017-19 budget that is being wrapped up now by the Appropriations Committee and will be debated by the full Legislature in the coming weeks. Ricketts asked for about 96 new protective-services positions at a cost of about $11 million. Last week, the Appropriations Committee reduced that number after looking at a vacancy report for the department that showed 148 unfilled positions, said Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz.

"In a tough budget year, it's not logical to fund positions that are not likely to be filled," Bolz said.

The committee decided it was willing to fund 50 of those positions over the two years at a cost of $4.5 million.

Frakes said at a news conference the next day he was disturbed by the reduction, because senators have been asking for two years for the department to tell the Legislature what it needed, and when it did, senators reduced what was requested.

The governor encourages the Legislature to fully fund the corrections budget, Gage said.

The Legislature's Justice Reinvestment Oversight Committee sent a letter to the Appropriations Committee last week questioning the department's request for additional staff in light of the high vacancies. The existing positions should be filled, the oversight committee said, before funding any more. It recommended diverting some of the department's appropriation to other critical needs such as merit pay to help retain current employees.

Frakes told the Judiciary Committee at a recent hearing that staff could benefit from increased pay. Some received pay increases last year.

At that hearing, Sen. Ernie Chambers told Frakes that when Frakes took over in 2014 he walked into a different set of circumstances in the department than he thought existed when he agreed to take the job.

That was true, Frakes told him, in terms of employment issues and the depth of dysfunction within his agency.

"If you could pay more money, do you think you could attract more people?" Chambers asked him.

"Potentially so," Frakes told him.

Frakes said the department has a reasonable and competitive starting wage.

The Legislature has danced for four years with the Department of Corrections and heard all the excuses and that"things will be better on the other side of the rainbow," Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus said at the hearing.

Still, he had great empathy for Frakes, he said.

"I think he has skills. Lots of skills. I think he has a great background. I think when he came to Nebraska he hit a set of circumstances that makes anybody who has any empathy at all for him ask, "Why does he continue on here?'" Schumacher said.

Frakes is like a mechanic, who knows perfectly well what's wrong with the engine, and could fix it, but is told he cannot have a tool box, Schumacher said.

The senator said there's probably only one cure for this problem.

"And that's going to come by way of a federal court order," he said.

That experience will be miserable, he said, and should be avoided if at all possible.

See the original post here:

Senators, ACLU frustrated with lack of progress in state's prisons - Lincoln Journal Star

WILLIAMSPORT Two warehouse projects, each valued at about $2 million, are going up in the Williamsport area, according to documents on file at the Washington County Department of Engineering and Construction Management.

One, a Bowman Group project at 10417 Ferguson Lane, is valued at $1.8 million, according to the building permit documents. Another, for Engineered Polymer Solutions at 16414 Industrial Lane, is valued at $2 million, the paperwork states.

Dave Coblentz, project manager for the Bowman Group, said construction has started on the 32,778-square-foot facility on Ferguson Lane. The building, which will include restrooms and a janitor's closet, is to be finished this fall.

"We're thinking September, October, somewhere in that neighborhood," Coblentz said Thursday. "It's an addition. It'll be connected to the existing building."

The contractor is Myers Building Systems, he said, and the tenant will be Pepsi Corp.

The second project includes a 7,340-square-foot warehouse for Engineered Polymer Solutions. It also is an addition to an existing structure, according to the paperwork.

That project also will see the installation of a truck scale along the east side of the existing building, the documents state.

According to its website, the company, also known as EPS, provides resins and colorants designed for the architectural, industrial, construction and adhesive markets.

The company declined further comment.

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Two warehouse projects progress at Williamsport - Herald-Mail Media

OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahoma criminal justice reform advocates are ecstatic almost giddy.

In less than two months, a dozen separate bills crafted with the overarching goal of lowering the states high incarceration rate while simultaneously improving public safety have received initial favorable votes in the House or Senate and are awaiting further action.

These bills represent the most significant progress yet on criminal justice reform in Oklahoma, said former House Speaker Kris Steele, an outspoken advocate of the reform effort. The governor and the Legislature are doing a fantastic job with this package of reforms. This is game-changer stuff.

Among the reform measures are bills that would decrease punishment for low-level property crimes and nonviolent offenses, give judges greater sentencing discretion, create an administrative parole process and decrease the mandatory wait time for nonviolent offenders seeking to have their criminal records expunged. The latter is designed to improve employment prospects by reducing the stigma of being a convict.

Read the rest of this story online at Newsok.com. A subscription may be required.

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Oklahoma advocates of justice reform heartened by progress so far - Tulsa World

GREENFIELD Singing You got the power in me, Ive got the power in you, Federal Street School students helped to uplift the mood for an annual event to bring awareness to child abuse.

The mayor spoke about his wishes that this event wouldnt have to happen, the Northwest District Attorney expressed wishes to end child abuse altogether and the community gathered in the Greenfield Town Common, huddled together on a gray, drizzly day on Friday.

This year, once again leaders in the community raised a flag for Child Abuse Awareness Month. The day also rang in a reminder of the first anniversary of the opening of the Childrens Advocacy Center of Franklin County and the North Quabbin.

The change that we have seen is that its so much easier to bring people together in a family-friendly place, Northwest District Attorney David E. Sullivan said after the ceremony.

Nonetheless he, and others in the community noted the severity of the issue, in what Sullivan called a serious epidemic.

Countywide, there were about 2,600 cases of child abuse reported to the Department of Children and Families last year, with about 650 of them becoming supported cases, which require government intervention, Childrens Advocacy Center Director Irene Woods said.

In 2016, 122 kids were interviewed by the department in Greenfield. Nearly half of the kids were boys. Most of the cases were concerning sexual abuse. National statistics show that one in six boys before the age of 18 will experience abusive sexual experiences, compared to one in four girls.

Weve been doing a lot of work in identifying the offenders that are really high risk offenders, said Mary A. Kociela, the director of Domestic Violence Projects at the District Attorneys Office.

Intervention is a significant part in the district attorneys work, but so is prevention.

The director, who is also chairwoman of the mayors Task Force on Domestic Violence, said a key effort the county is doing to combat the issue is helping first responders recognize signs of who may be a high risk offender.

Another element is education and training of families about how to respond to child abuse.

Parenting is not easy and its difficult to come forward and seek resources in a time of need when people are confused or scared and not sure what to do, Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru said. Having this center and having this awareness makes it a little easier.

As the community leaders left, some heading over to the court for its official opening in the hours following, the flag remained atop the pole, as it will all month long.

View original post here:

Officials note signs of progress toward ending child abuse - The Recorder

Fridays opening performance of The Sleeping Beauty began with three generations of Louisville Ballet leadership taking their place in front of the grand drape and it represents, in some ways, the groups progress over the 65 years being celebrated this season.

This version is one that former artistic director Alun Jones created for the Louisville Ballet in 1987. Former principal dancer Helen Starr staged it. And Jones sets and costumes (the latter co-designed with Peter Farmer) have been carefully restored from that previous production.

In the Prologue alone, this production fields about60 performers. An impressive feat, as the full-time company numbers 26dancers and the trainee company 15. The crowd scenes fill the stage, and their groupings complement the massive palace sets Jones provides.

The size of the company has an impact on this grandest of classical story ballets, as many of the dancers are doing double and triple duty, dancing multiple roles, during the Prologue and succeeding three acts.

The ballet becomes an endeavor in stamina, as well as artistry and technique. For example, the charming Garland Dance in Act Two on opening night seemed tired and didnt sparkle as much as the Prologue divertissements had. And it must also be noted that the trainee company dancers are much more accomplished at the end of this season than they were in the season opener, Swan Lake, in which their swans were quite clunky.

Technique is paramount, for the choreography makes challenging and precise demands on many of the dancers. In the Prologue divertissements of the Fairies (Ashley Thursby, Emily Reinking ODell, Christy Corbitt, Annie Honebrink and Erin Langston Evans), as well as in Princess Auroras variations (Natalia Ashikhmina on opening night), there are several extended pointe sequences, with no partner, and the dancer is frequently moving on pointe in a demi pli very challenging.

Overall, they met thechallenge.

Christy Corbitt, Brandon Ragland and Emily Reinking ODell

Starrs coaching can be seen, in part, in the delicate fluidity and precision that was seen in the women dancers attention to hand gestures. At times I felt transported back to the times I had seen Starr dance in the 1990s, this fillip bringing her elegance and refinement to my minds eye.

In general, this attention to detail by individual dancers led to most of the group variations having the illusion of unison.

Ashikhmina was partnered by Mark Krieger as Prince Florimund on opening night. Together they created an elegant and appropriately regal couple. In particular, their Act Three variation was well-received. The iconic fish dives (not part of the original Petipa 1890 production) happened deceptively quickly and easily, and in the final tableau there was a palpable sense of accomplishment from both Ashikhmina and Krieger as they held that final pose, as the audience thundered their appreciation.

This telling of Sleeping Beauty would not happen without the Lilac Fairy, and Helen Daigle brings a supernal strength and peacefulness to the actions of the Fairy; her leitmotif exudes peace into the audience. In contrast, the ever-morphing Kateryna Sellars throws herself into the role of the excluded Carabosse with full Grimm-like aplomb.

Kateryna Sellers and Company

Act Three is dedicated to the wedding celebrations of Aurora and Florimund so, of course, there are a panoply of guests to dance their joy at this celebration. These guests are drawn from other Fairy Tales.

In this production, not all of the guests dance, and one wonders if this is an acknowledgement of the lateness of the hour. Nonetheless, the technical highlight of these variations is The Bluebird and Princess Florine pas de deux (Ryan Stokes and Erica De La O on opening night).

Stokes seems mostly effortless in the bird-like curves and swerves of the choreography; and in his second solo came closest to the arced silhouette of this character. De La O is charming as Florine. Rob Morrow and Jordan Martin, as Puss in Boots and The White Cat, respectively, injected lightness and humor into the proceedings.

Leif Bjaland conducts the Louisville Orchestra for this production. And from the first assured, bright attack of the opening chords of the overture, it was clear dancer and audience alike werein good hands. The orchestra sparkled under his baton, with a clean, precise approach to the score. We were never in doubt, musically, about the intentions of the characters.

An ambitious enterprise, this was a fine ending to the 65th anniversary of the Louisville Ballet. Regular audiences should be eager to follow the promised enchantment of next season.

Continued here:

Review: 'Sleeping Beauty' Shows Louisville Ballet's History, Progress - 89.3 WFPL

MILWAUKEE -- Leadoff man Kyle Schwarber hit a ball 424 feet Sunday, while reigning National League MVP Kris Bryant had his second consecutive three-hit game and got on base four times. World Series MVP Ben Zobrist also homered, but it was the five at-bats by the Chicago Cubs' right fielder that made for the key storyline coming out of the 7-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Jason Heyward is showing progress.

Technically, Heyward was credited with three hard-hit balls, but anyone who watched the game knows it felt more like he went 5-for-5 (according to Statcast, Heyward hit five balls with exit velocity of 95+ MPH; there was only 17 instances of a player hitting a ball 95+ five times in a game last season). Only two fell in for hits, as Heyward was robbed not once, not twice, but three times by the Brewers defense. That was no big deal, since the Cubs won the game and aren't overly worried about results just a few days into the new season anyway. They want to see Heyward have a fighting chance at the plate while his confidence moves in a positive direction.

I like his hands, manager Joe Maddon said after the game. I like his hands more involved right now. Hes getting started sooner, staying through the ball longer.

I want him to be patient with it," Maddon continued. "Youre not going to see results overnight. Everyone wants to pour water on something and turn it into what they want.

Maddon made similar comments during spring training, when the results from Heyward's winter swing makeover were slow in coming. After reaching base a few times in the opening series in St. Louis without hitting the ball hard, Heyward has been gaining steam. He sprayed the ball all over Miller Park this weekend, giving hope that his .230 batting average from 2016 is well in the rearview mirror. On Sunday, Heyward said he simply hit his pitch by being "on time."

Strive for perfection, though you know its not going to be perfect, the 27-year-old said of his approach. Keep it simple, go up there relaxed and take the thinking out.

Its about the most Heyward will say right now. He simply doesnt want to dwell on his swing every time he has a good game. But progress is progress, whether hes hitting Zach Davies, as he did Sunday, or Clayton Kershaw. It doesnt matter right now. If hitting the ball hard or reaching on soft contact helps his confidence, thats all that matters. The Cubs are in this for the long haul with Heyward.

Maddon expressed as much Saturday, giving Heyward an unsolicited confidence boost.

I said, Man, it's looking good, the manager recalled. Trust yourself, and its going to get better.'"

During the spring, scouts who watched Heyward had their doubts, though no one thought he was a finished product. He's not one now, either. Its simply a good start in a game where confidence is half the battle. Heyward has some at the moment, with a .333 batting average after one week, and that could have more meaning than any of us know.

We all know the player that he is, and last year was a complete fluke, Bryant said. Youre seeing it now. Five at-bats today, he could have went 5-for-5. Hes been a big factor in our wins early on. Its nice to see him off to a great start.

An entire fan base would agree.

See the article here:

Cubs encouraged by Jason Heyward's progress at the plate - ESPN (blog)

The Horned Frogs produced four event wins this weekend at the Jim Click Shootout in Tuscon, Ariz.

Running Events

The 4100-meter relay squad of senior Raymond Bozmans, junior Emeilo Ferguson, sophomore Darrion Flowers and junior Jalen Miller ran the NCAAs seventh-fastest time, with a time of 39.32 bringing home a gold for the team.

Junior Scotty Newton swept both the triple and long jump this weekend. Newton jumped 25 feet 1.5 inches (7.66 meters) in the triple jump and 50 feet 11.75 inches (15.54 meters) in the long jump. For the women, junior Briona Oliver jumped her way to a second-place finish with a distance of 19-2.25 (5.85 meters) in the long jump.

Junior Tiffany Terry won the 800 meters moving to No. 7 on TCUs all-time list with a time of 2:10.73.

In the 400 meters, Freshman Derrick Mokaleng recorded the NCAAs No. 10 fastest time producing a personal-best time of 46.19. Junior Kevin McClanahan clocked a personal best with a time of 46.73. For the women, sophomore Kayla Heard placed fifth with a time of 55.53.

On Friday, senior Makaila Flannigan finished the first heptathlon of her career with a total of 4,991 total points, placing her No. 2 on TCUs all-time list.

In the 200-meter dash, Flowers ran a career-best time of 21.12. For the women, senior Judy Emeodi placed third behind a time of 23.46 and Heard followed in fourth with a time of 23.65.

In the 100-meter dash, Ferguson placed second clocking in at a season-best time of 10.34 and Miller placed fourth behind a time of 10.36. For the women, Emeodi recorded a time of 11.55 placing third and Oliver ran a personal-best time of 11.85 grabbing sixth.

Sophomore Brenley Goertzen, placed second in the mile behind a time of 4:27.90.

Sophomore Kirsten Johnston placed third in the 3,000 kilometer race with a time of 10:28.81.

In the womens 100-meter hurdles, sophomore Lexi Aitken placed second behind a time of 13.88 and sophomore Brittney Trought grabbed fourth with a time of 14.48.

To close the meet, the mens 4400-meter relay squad of McClanahan, freshman Ryan Champlin, Ferguson and Mokaleng placed second with a time of 3:08.24.

Field Events

To begin the day on Saturday, senior Paola Miranda placed second in the hammer throw with a distance of 185 feet 7.75 inches (56.69 meters).

On the mens side, sophomore Fellan McGuigan recorded a season-best throw for the third-straight competition of 205 feet 2.75 inches (62.56 meters) grabbing third. Sophomore Justin Sanchez recorded a personal-best with a distance of 186 feet 0.25 inches (56.70 meters) on his final attempt.Freshman Ryan Camp placed sixth with a distance of 185 feet 3.50 inches (56.48 meters).

Freshman Isaiah Rogers, grabbed and fifth in the shot put with a distance of 57 feet 3.75 inches (17.47 meters).

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The Horned Frogs will host the Horned Frogs Invitational at the Lowdon Track and Field Complex in Fort Worth on Saturday, April 15.

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Track and Field continues to progress throughout season - TCU 360