Baseball-A's reward manager Melvin with two-year extension

Jan 14 (Reuters) - The Oakland Athletics rewarded manager Bob Melvin with a two-year contract extension after he led the team to a division title and was voted American League Manager of the Year, the team said on Monday.
The extension will keep Melvin, who led Oakland to a 94-68 record in 2012 that was a 20-win improvement over the previous campaign, with the A's through the 2016 Major League Baseball season, the team said in a statement.
It was Melvin's first full year at the helm in Oakland. He was named interim manager in June 2011 before signing a three-year pact three months later.

A's reward manager Melvin with two-year extension

(Reuters) - The Oakland Athletics rewarded manager Bob Melvin with a two-year contract extension after he led the team to a division title and was voted American League Manager of the Year, the team said on Monday.
The extension will keep Melvin, who led Oakland to a 94-68 record in 2012 that was a 20-win improvement over the previous campaign, with the A's through the 2016 Major League Baseball season, the team said in a statement.
It was Melvin's first full year at the helm in Oakland. He was named interim manager in June 2011 before signing a three-year pact three months later.

Oakland gives manager Bob Melvin 2-year extension

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Bob Melvin has repeatedly described the comfort of managing right at home in the Bay Area — and Billy Beane has described the comfort in having a winning, "modern-day" manager leading the Oakland Athletics.
Melvin is staying put in the very place he wants to be well into the future.
The A's manager received a two-year contract extension Monday that takes him through the 2016 season. Later Monday, Oakland announced it had reached agreement on a $1 million, one-year contract with catcher George Kottaras, a raise of $275,000.
Beane is thrilled to have a manager in place to guide the small-budget A's for years to come.
"To get an extension like this from people you respect and admire and supported you, it really makes you feel good and makes you feel better about doing your job," said Melvin, voted AL Manager of the Year after leading Oakland to a surprising West division title. "My expectations are the same as last year. We're going to compete hard and expect to win. Based on having the results we had last year, we'll have that much more confidence coming into spring training."
Oakland became the first team in major league history to win a division or pennant after trailing by five games with less than 10 to play, sweeping three games against Texas to win the division over the Rangers.
"It's really a reflection of our commitment to Bob and Bob's commitment to us. If you know you have the right guy, there's no sense in waiting until he's got one year left," general manager Billy Beane said. "This was probably the simplest negotiation I've ever had in my career here. That's a reflection of the relationship that Bob has with the organization. We're happy to give him this well-deserved extension. It didn't take very long. The actual writing it up took longer than the actual negotiations."
Oakland lost to Detroit 3-2 in a best-of-five AL division series. The A's ended a five-year stretch without a winning record or playoff berth, finishing 94-68.
The A's did it with a payroll of $59.5 million — lowest in the majors — and 12 rookies. They did it with significant injuries to their starting pitchers and lost their third baseman, Scott Sizemore, to a season-ending knee injury on the first full-squad workout of spring training. And they did it after losing right-hander Bartolo Colon to a 50-game suspension in August for a positive testosterone test, then re-signed him this winter.
The 51-year-old Melvin, a former big league catcher who grew up in Menlo Park and played at Cal, took over from the fired Bob Geren in June 2011. Melvin led the Diamondbacks to the NL West title in 2007 and also won 93 games in his rookie season with Seattle in 2003.
"We knew we had the right guy right from the get go. Continuity is important," Beane said. "It's really important. Once again last year was certainly enjoyable. It's easy to look at a year like last year and everybody has fun when you're winning. This relationship with Bob and myself and the front office and the players started when he took over."
Melvin received a three-year contract from Oakland late in the 2011 season. The A's went 47-52 after he took over that year.
His local ties are only a bonus. Melvin played three seasons with the San Francisco Giants.
"I was excited and impressed when Billy told me that Bob was available and accepting the manager role with us," owner Lew Wolff said. "As I observed Bob's leadership and very special drive, I was even more impressed with Billy's choice. I am so very pleased that we will have Bob with us for the foreseeable future. Bob's use of our talent was and is brilliant in my opinion."
Kottaras, acquired from Milwaukee before last year's trade deadline, batted .212 with six home runs and 19 RBIs in 27 games for Oakland after hitting .209 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 58 games with the Brewers.
Three A's remain eligible to file for arbitration Tuesday: left-hander Jerry Blevins and outfielders Brandon Moss and Seth Smith.

Thousands hold symbolic inauguration for Chavez

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Tens of thousands of chanting supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez rallied outside his presidential palace Thursday in an exuberant symbolic inauguration for a leader too ill to return home for the real thing. Backers wearing T-shirts with the slogan "I am Chavez" waved flags while upbeat music from Chavez's last presidential campaign blared from speakers, proclaiming: "Chavez, heart of the people!" The government organized the unusual show of support for the cancer-stricken leader on the streets outside Miraflores Palace on what was supposed to be his inauguration day. With Chavez out of sight in a Cuban hospital fighting a severe respiratory infection more than a month after cancer surgery, his swearing-in ceremony has been indefinitely postponed, despite opposition complaints. "We came to show support, so he knows his nation is with him," said Anny Marquez, a secretary and voluntary member of a civilian militia that Chavez has built in recent years. "We're with him in the good times as well as the bad." Some wore paper cutouts of the yellow, blue and red presidential sash to show they were symbolically swearing in themselves in Chavez's place. The government invited leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean to add political weight to the inauguration without an inauguree, while the country's opposition demanded details about Chavez's state and called the delay of the formal swearing-in a violation of the constitution. Presidents attending from allied countries included President Jose Mujica of Uruguay, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua. Vice President Nicolas Maduro, whom Chavez designated his chosen successor last month, hosted a televised meeting with visiting leaders to discuss the Chavez-launched Petrocaribe program, through which the OPEC nation provides fuel under preferential terms to allies. Maduro said heads of state, foreign ministers and other officials from 19 countries had come to Caracas. Maduro said the leaders would go to the presidential palace in the afternoon for the "main event." He said earlier that even though it wasn't an official swearing-in, Thursday's event still marks the start of a new term for the president following his re-election in October. "A historic period of this second decade of the 21st century is starting, with our commander leading," Maduro said. But glaring above all in the at times surreal event was Chavez's absence from the balcony of the presidential palace where he has so often spoken for hours to similar crowds, chiding his opponents and called for a socialist revolution. As in past rallies before the president himself, Chavez's face beamed from shirts, signs and banners. Some blew horns and danced to music blaring from speakers mounted on trucks. Nearly everyone wore the color of his Bolivarian Revolution movement as the swelling crowd grew into a sea of red and spilled from the main avenue onto side streets. The crowd chanted: "We are all Chavez!" It was the first time in Venezuela's history that a president has missed his inauguration, said Elias Pino Iturrieta, a prominent historian. "Perhaps it's the first chapter of what they call Chavismo without Chavez." The Supreme Court on Wednesday backed the plan to put off the inauguration indefinitely, saying the president could be sworn in before the court at a later date. Opposition lawmaker Maria Corina Machado called that a "well-aimed coup against the Venezuelan Constitution" and said she and others will continue to denounce internationally what they view as government authority being illegally usurped by Maduro. She told The Associated Press that she believes "it's being directed from Cuba, and by Cubans," and renewed calls for National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello to take over provisionally until it becomes clear whether Chavez is fit to remain in office — something that Cabello and the government have made clear is not in their plans. Chavez has been fighting an unspecified type of pelvic cancer since June 2011 and has undergone repeated surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The government said in its last update on Monday that Chavez was in a "stable situation" while being treated for a severe respiratory infection. The government has hasn't said how severe his "respiratory deficiency" is. Militia troops in uniform gathered by the hundreds near the presidential palace. National Guard soldiers and police stood guard on street corners while hip-hop artists performed on stages set up along the avenue leading toward the presidential palace. It was one of the largest rallies for Chavez in recent years. Public employees joined the president's supporters, and some arrived in government buses from across the country. Many in the crowd held up posters reading: "Now with Chavez more than ever." "We're Chavez. Chavez is now an ideology," said Elio Silva, a member of the radical Tupamaro grassroots group who traveled five hours by bus for the event. He wore a black beret with a single star, a style once worn by Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Silva said he holds out hope that Chavez is recovering, and said he is sure that whatever happens in the weeks to come, "it will all be democratic." Vendors sold caps and shirts with images of Chavez. Some wore felt hearts in the colors of Venezuela's flag pinned to their shirts, with pictures of Chavez pasted atop the hearts. In a remark that echoed the sentiments of many in the crowd, teacher Marcelo Villegas said: "Unfortunately, Chavez can't be with us today. But we the people represent Chavez. He is and always will be our leader."

Brazil's WTO candidate to focus on consensus

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil's candidate to head the World Trade Organization said Thursday that if he's selected he'll focus on restarting long-stalled global talks to lower trade barriers.
Speaking at a news conference in the capital, Brasilia, Roberto Azevedo said he'd strive to build consensus between developed and developing countries in hopes of resuming the so-called Doha Round of talks that began in 2001 but have not reached agreement. The unwillingness of developing powerhouses Brazil, China, Russia, India and South Africa to cede to U.S. demands for greater market access has been widely cited as one of the main stumbling blocks to the negotiations.
"The impasse in Doha Round negotiations has resulted in serious and concrete differences among the member states," said Azevedo, a 55-year-old who has served as Brazil's ambassador to the WTO. "Therefore, it's fundamental that the future director general be able to move easily among the different groups of countries, regardless of their level of development, without imposing views on anyone and trying to forge all possible consensuses."
Azevedo stressed that Brazil is known for its soft diplomatic touch and its ability to nudge opposing sides into sitting down together and said that he personally has demonstrated a similar capacity for consensus building during his tenure as WTO ambassador. He also emphasized that his insider knowledge of the workings of the WTO would prove an asset, were he to be selected.
In his bid to replace the WTO's outgoing director general, Pascal Lamy of France, Azevedo is up against seven other candidates from countries including South Korea, Jordan, Kenya and Ghana.
Two other Latin American contenders, from Mexico and Costa Rica, are also in the running, prompting some observers to speculate about whether the regional vote might be split between the three candidates. At Thursday's news conference, Azevedo brushed aside that possibility. He stressed that another regional powerhouse, Brazil's neighbor to the south, Argentina, has already come out in support of his candidacy.
The final phase of the selection process runs from April 1-May 31.
Brazil, along with other fast-growing developing nations, is looking to take on bigger roles in major global financial and trade decisions, primarily within institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the WTO.

Mexicans doubt dog-death theory, despite evidence

MEXICO CITY (AP) — In a country beset by the most gruesome forms of drug violence, many residents of the capital are rejecting the theory of prosecutors that stray dogs killed as many as five people in recent weeks at a hilltop park in the middle of one of the world's biggest cities.
It is easier for victims' relatives like Ana Maria Martinez to believe crazed killers tortured and murdered her brother, Samuel Suriel Martinez Sanchez, 16, and left his body to be mauled by dogs.
Animal rights activists say the bunch of innocuous-looking strays rounded up so far are being framed. They plan a sit-down protest in front of Mexico City police headquarters Friday, even though authorities have pledged not to euthanize the dogs. Pressure from animal lovers forced the city to stop regular roundups of strays several years ago.
But animal experts said Thursday it is quite possible that those dogs, or others, did turn into killers, saying people have misconceptions about dog attacks. City prosecutors have said autopsies of four of the bodies concluded the deaths were caused by blood loss from the bites of around 10 dogs, inflicted before and after death.
The refusal to blame dogs for the deaths may stem from people's mistrust of often corrupt or incompetent prosecutors. Drug cartels regularly dump bodies of their victims in vacant lots, and authorities don't investigate most such cases.
"My brother was killed by human beings, whether they set the dogs on him before or after, we don't know," said Martinez. "I think it was a crazy person, or several, or maybe even satanical people for their rituals."
"There were dog bites, but dogs don't kill people," she said. "More than anything else, we want this cleared up, so that other innocent people don't have to go through the suffering we're going through."
It is an incredulity fed by the innocuous-looking faces of the 50 or so mutts rounded up at the Cerro de la Estrella park where the attacks occurred in December and early January. A few are about the size of a Labrador, but many are small or mid-sized dogs, including beagle and border-collie mixes.
Many look like the discarded pets they are. Residents near the 353-acre (143-hectare) park in the poor Iztapalapa neighborhood say people regularly drop off unwanted pets there, but say the dogs have never caused problems before.
"They rounded up a bunch of very innocent-looking dogs," said Martinez's father, Benigno Juan Martinez Martinez, a balloon vendor.
But Jim Crosby, a Florida-based former policeman who is an expert witness for canine aggression cases, said: "Dogs, singly or in groups, can easily kill a human being. I have seen some people ripped extremely badly apart by one or two dogs. People in the United States have been killed by everything from Presa Canarios (a large breed) ... to Pomeranians."
Moises Heiblum, professor of animal behavior at the school of veterinary medicine at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said feral dogs as individuals "probably could not carry out a ferocious attack of this type" and normally avoid human contact.
But the dynamics change when a pack is formed, Heiblum said. "When a group comes together, they are capable of an extremely intense and even fatal attack. That is possible."
Animal control warden Armando Garcia, who was patrolling with an assault rifle this week, said there was no question that strays had formed a pack in at least one part of the park.
"You can tell when there's a pack: There's an alpha dogs and his followers, and they've marked out territory and they challenge you when you enter it, with growls and barking," Garcia said.
Doubts about the official theory are passing among neighbors whose homes, some just wooden shacks, front the park. Some say nobody heard anything on the nights of the killings, and surely the dogs and their victims would have made noise. Others note the dog bites were found on the bodies' arms and legs, and not the throats.
Experts say it is a popular myth that wild animals attack the throat. They say dogs generally bite people wherever they can reach, often the arms, legs or buttocks.
"I they're in a pack, they're probably grabbing whatever is closest to them," said Dr. Julie Albright, who holds the PetSafe Chair in Small Animal Behavior Research at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.
One resident, former policewoman Magali Flores Guzman, questioned how dogs could have been responsible when people regularly walk through the park without incident.
But Albright said the victims' behaviors could have triggered an attack. "Something drew them over there," she said. "Maybe food drew them there."
A relative said two of the victims had just bought food before entering the park.
Some residents said another victim may have been drunk or passed out after drinking with friends in the park. Albright said dogs may be more likely to go after people who are stumbling or unsteady on their feet.
The experts said trying to run away from a dog pack can also trigger an attack. They counseled standing still and slowing retreating backward, while avoiding eye contact.

Artist Selaron found dead by his work in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The candy-colored steps of a staircase in Rio's bohemian neighborhood of Lapa were the life work of Chilean artist Jorge Selaron and a symbol of his adopted city. On this gray, rainy Thursday, they became his memorial.
The painter, who turned the 215 steps into a kaleidoscope of brightly hued tiles from all over the world, transforming a dingy, urine-scented alley and stairs into a rambunctious "tribute to the Brazilian people," was found dead on his masterpiece.
Rio de Janeiro police discovered his body in front of his house Thursday, one of the humble colonials that flank the staircase as it ascends into the St. Teresa Convent above. Visitors dropped flowers and tried to light candles in the blustery weather on his doorstep.
Investigators would not disclose the cause of death and were not discarding murder. Calls for additional comment from police were not returned.
Neighbors, friends and strangers alike were in shock over the death of a man who may have been born abroad, but whose open, carefree manner and riotous use of color came to represent the best of Rio. In 2005, the staircase became a city landmark and the artist was declared an honorary Carioca, as Rio residents are known.
"We can speak of Lapa before and after Selaron. He changed the face of Rio. His death is something brutish, that makes no sense," said Jocimar Batista de Jesus, aka "Mestre Duda Pirata," a capoeira master who also lives along the steps and shared many a beer with the artist over decades.
The staircase project began in 1990, when Selaron, born in 1947, began tiling the steps and collecting old porcelain bathtubs to use as planters along the sides.
"He had no resources, no support from the city," said Jesus. "The neighbors helped as they could. I brought him tiles from my trips, from Spain, Holland, as I traveled. As it grew, people began to contribute, to send him tiles, to bring them to Rio when they came to visit."
Crowded in a corner are tiles showing a woman in traditional dress from Minho, Portugal, next to a Buddha in seated lotus position, next to a depiction of St. Jorge slaying a dragon. A few steps ahead, Indian deities fan out around a tile representing the principal sites of Berlin. Farther up are tiles showing Bob Marley, antique French tiles and others with flowing Arabic calligraphy, all flanked by the flaming red and eye-popping yellow Selaron chose as the dominant colors.
The artist himself, unmistakable with his bushy mutton chop mustache, was always around, said tour guide Alejandro Martin Barreira.
Often attired in the quintessential carioca outfit of flip-flops and board shorts, and outgoing to the point of offering to take pictures with tourists even before they asked, Selaron was a local character as picturesque and well-loved as his work.
He'd make a little money selling other paintings to people visiting the steps.
"Here in Lapa everyone knew him; he was the face of this bohemian, artistic neighborhood," said Barreira. "He was a simple man, who loved this life, sitting here, watching the kids play, chatting people up."
A mysterious image pops up in all of Selaron's work — a hugely pregnant black woman, often shown holding a fish. Her pictures appear throughout the stairs, some of them discreet, some monumental. In one painting that spans several tiles, Selaron gives himself, mutton chops and all, the same pregnant belly and prominent breasts, along with a sign that says, "Brazil, I love you."
The artist introduces the character to visitors in his own words, painted, of course, on a tile: "On the 7th of December of 1999, I was moved to tears. All that was needed was for me to paint the pregnant woman who is in all my paintings."
He never revealed who she was, writing only that it was a personal matter. With that last touch, he ran out of room. So he started substituting the tiles, he explained, turning the staircase into a fluid, evolving piece, perennially changing to reflect the interests, origins or obsessions of contributors, with Selaron first among them.
The staircase that was born of this "great folly," as he wrote on a tile, is full of stories, notes, poignant mementos of those who pass by and leave something of themselves.
In one, Selaron thanked a friend for helping out with the tiling. Elsewhere, proud mother Jandira announced the birth of her son Bruno. In one tile, Selaron apologized to his landlady, Dona Elena, for having neglected to pay rent during the years he spent working on the staircase.
"I hope you understand," he pleaded in a piece decorated with the omnipresent pregnant woman.
Selaron meant the work to last a lifetime.
"I will only end this mad and singular dream on the last day of my life," he wrote on the wall.
Several steps above, an anonymous contributor answered, in simple handwriting on a plain tile painted in the green and yellow of the Brazilian flag: "Obrigado, Selaron."
Thank you, Selaron.