Jack McInerney's success drawing national attention

CHESTER, Pa. -- Jack McInerney is leading the MLS in goals, was named the MLS Player of the Week and is pacing the Union to victory.

Now comes the national attention.

“I’ve gotten more text messages and tweets than I’ve ever gotten,” said McInerney, who is coming off a two-goal effort against DC United last Sunday. "It’s been a little bit different, but I won’t say I don’t like it. As long as I’m playing well, I’m happy.”

And so are the Union. At 20-years-old, McInerney is in his fourth year with the club that drafted him fifth overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. And after leading the Union in goals last season with eight in 25 games, McInerney now has six goals in seven games and is the point-man of the Union offense, helping his club to an early 3-2-2 record.

This success, mixed with his flair for the clutch late-game goal, has some calling him the “American Chicharito” or “Jackharito.” But whatever nickname he is handed, McInerney can be called confident.

“I don’t think there’s a ceiling for confidence,” he said, preparing for the New England Revolution on Saturday. “Lately, it’s all been good for me. But I still need to keep my head down and keep playing every week. Next week could be the exact opposite. It gets higher and higher every single day and as long as we’re playing well and winning games, it’s good for the team.”

With his early-season success, the national media has heaped praise on the young star, even demanding McInerney receive attention from the US Men’s National Team. But with attention comes expectation, which has caused coach John Hackworth to try and keep McInerney from buckling under the pressure.

“I think Jack is going to handle it fine,” said the coach. “It has a lot to do with the people around him. We spoke briefly about it yesterday -- don’t change anything, don’t change the way you’re thinking. I said, don’t read it if the media writes something good about you and don’t ever read it if they write something bad about you. You have to do your job every day to the best of your ability, and those highs and lows will come as a professional athlete, especially under the spotlight.”

Though McInerney showed flashes of his current brilliance in 2012, consistency was a lingering issue. Helping solve this problem has been veteran striker Conor Casey, who is second on the Union with two goals. Though the Union may have expected Sebastien Le Toux to help McInerney reach new heights, it has been Casey that has clicked with the young striker.

“They are playing very well and there is no sense in disrupting something that is working so effectively,” Hackworth said of the Casey-McInerney combination “Obviously Jack is getting a lot of the credit and it’s well deserved for sure, but Conor is doing a great amount of quality things as a target forward. Our whole team is playing in a way that allows us to be effective.”

And even with the two-forward combination working, McInerney still believes the best is yet to come.

“It’s helped a lot,” said McInerney of playing with Casey. “We’re still working on things, we’re still trying to connect in the midfield a little better but we’re both scoring goals and in pretty good form right now. If we can keep this going, we’ll be pretty good. We’ve been working in practice together, it’s a good partnership.”

Down on the Farm: Drawing the line on prospects

Zack Wheeler is currently the most owned minor-league pitcher in Fantasy, ahead of Dan Straily, Trevor Bauer and Chris Archer, among others.

From a long-term perspective, that's completely understandable. Baseball America rated him the 11th-best prospect entering this year, with Dylan Bundy (who's visiting Dr. James Andrews because of elbow pain), Jose Fernandez (who's already in the big leagues), Shelby Miller (who's already in the big leagues) and Gerrit Cole (who's owned in 34 percent of leagues himself) the only starting pitchers ahead of him.

But at 42 percent, Wheeler's ownership covers more than just the dynasty leagues that would care about his long-term viability. At 42 percent, it extends even into some 10- and 12-team mixed leagues, where the emphasis is squarely on the now.

And the now for him is looking mighty tenuous.

In theory, he had a shot at winning a rotation spot this spring, which means in theory, he should be the first one up if something goes wrong.

But Shaun Marcum's neck already went wrong, and the Mets opted to go with Aaron Laffey instead, which means either they don't want to take the chance of Wheeler earning Super Two status, bringing on arbitration a year sooner, or they don't think he's quite ready.

The former is a plausible enough explanation. So far in his two-plus years on the job, general manager Sandy Alderson has yet to delude himself into thinking his team is on the verge of contention. No one knows better than he does that the Mets, as they're currently projected to perform, risk losing more than they gain by promoting Wheeler prior to July.

Of course, even for non-contenders, when a top prospect has so thoroughly mastered the minor leagues that the only possible next step is a big-league promotion, then what may or may not happen to his salary two or three years down the road becomes an afterthought.

Which brings me to that other reason why Wheeler isn't already in the majors. If the Mets didn't think he was ready coming out of spring training, then what he's done so far in 2013 surely hasn't changed their minds.

After looking like a finished product in his six starts at Triple-A Buffalo late last year, Wheeler has a 4.91 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in four starts at the team's new Triple-A affiliate, Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League.

Now, the PCL is a hitter-friendly league -- so hitter-friendly that you could argue the rocky start is somewhat predictable -- but you can't blame it for Wheeler's sudden loss of command. His six walks over 4 1/3 innings last time out had manager Terry Collins quickly changing course after campaigning for Wheeler's promotion just days earlier.

And then came this line from a Mets official, as reported by the New York Post.

"If Zack Wheeler wants to be here, start throwing strikes. I don't want to hear about anything else. Throw strikes."

Seeing as I recommended rostering Jose Fernandez as soon as he came up and Tony Cingrani about a week before he came up, I'm not opposed to gambling on talent for talent's sake, particularly in shallower leagues, where only the most talented move the needle.

But where do you draw the line? Why not go ahead and stash Christian Yelich? Not like anyone's standing in his way in Miami. Or why not Tyler Skaggs? His path to the majors is just as clear as Wheeler's.

You know whose path is clearer? Straily, who already has an 11-strikeout game in the majors this year and is just a Brett Anderson or Bartolo Colon injury away. You know who else? Archer, who might be up with the next Roberto Hernandez meltdown.

Not to mention all the legit major-leaguers who are ripe for the taking on waivers right now, such as Jose Quintana, Patrick Corbin and Travis Wood. Or heck, even Drew Smyly, who hasn't quite overtaken Rick Porcello in Detroit. Any of them are worthier than Wheeler in short-term formats.

Maybe I'm wrong about Wheeler needing to win the Mets over again. Maybe his next great start earns him a promotion, and this column ends up being the only reason someone else beats you to him on the waiver wire.

Based on what his struggles say about the ground he still needs to cover, it wouldn't be the end of the world in a standard 12-team league, particularly if you can fall back on one of those other pitchers I mentioned.

Dad gets imaginative with kids' sandwich bags

Every parents knows that making school lunches can be a major drag.

But for graphic designer David LaFerriere, packing his kids’ lunch involves more than just spreading some peanut butter and jelly on white bread. The Massachusetts father-of-two has been drawing illustrations on his children’s sandwich bags since 2008.

He has photographed almost every single one, totally over 1,100 sandwich bags. He keeps a catalog of his illustrations on a Flickr site, which lets viewers explore his disposable works of art.

His work was recently featured on the blog, The Weekly Flickr, a program that goes behind the lens of some of Flickr’s most popular photographers. He explains that he never had any expectation of receiving such a high level of attention for his Flickr page, which now boasts over 1 million views.

“I’m not the only parent that’s ever done it,” LaFerriere tells The Weekly Flickr in a thick Boston accent.
“It’s just really cool knowing that there are other parents that love their kids and they love them enough to leave a little note, a little whatever it may be that brightens their day when they get to their lunch.”
He says his kids love the bags, but whether the illustrations actually get them to eat, well, he's not saying.

With letter, Murphy throws support behind Islas

New Haven resident Josemaria Islas received a major show of support from Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy one week before he is required to report to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office in Hartford, where he may be detained for deportation.

In a letter addressed to ICE Director John Morton, Murphy requested that ICE grant Islas a stay of removal, which would allow the Mexican native to remain in the country for the time being. Murphy cited pending federal immigration reform, which could significantly change Islas’ legal status in the United States, as a reason not to deport him. Drawing on the same arguments that other advocates for Islas have vocalized over the past several months, Murphy also pointed to Islas’ family, his involvement in the New Haven community and his acquittal in the robbery with which he was originally charged when first arrested last July.

“Given that Congress is actively drafting immigration reform legislation from which Mr. Islas may benefit and that Mr. Islas has no criminal history in the US, has close family members living with him, and has a solid employment history, I respectfully ask that Mr. Islas’ request for discretion in his stay of removal be considered under the full extent of the law,” Murphy said in the letter.

Hamden police arrested Islas on July 2, 2012, after someone claimed that a man resembling Islas had attempted to steal a bicycle. Despite a lack of evidence, Islas was held in custody in Massachusetts for four months. His charge of attempted armed robbery was eventually changed to breaching the peace, a misdemeanor, of which he was acquitted. Islas was released from ICE custody in late November on $4,000 bail but still faces deportation. Islas has previously been caught and released by border patrol several times in attempting to enter the United States.

ICE has requested that Islas report to its Hartford office for an interview next Monday, according to Megan Fountain ’07, organizer of immigrant advocacy group Unidad Latina en Acción. It is unclear, though, whether Islas will be deported, granted a stay of removal or have his case closed. Islas’ lawyer, Danielle Briand ’01, emphasized the importance of the outcome of ICE’s decision on Monday.

“If they proceed in deporting him, there’s nothing we can do,” Briand said.

Over the next week, Islas, his family and his advocates plan to mobilize a network of friends and supporters, possibly through a phone campaign to Morton’s office, according to Lugo.

In writing his letter, Murphy became the first member of Connecticut’s congressional delegation to take an active and public stance directly on Islas’ behalf. Though Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal LAW ’73 has repeatedly expressed his support for ending ICE’s Secure Communities program, through which Islas’ detainment was continued after his acquittal, he has not written a letter to ICE supporting Islas’ continued residency in the United States. In addition, immigration activists left U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s office disappointed earlier this month after the congresswoman refused to take significant action to prevent Islas’ deportation.

“Finally Sen. Murphy is getting the courage to send his letter,” said John Lugo, a member of Unidad Latina en Acción. “He understood that an injustice was done to Josemaria and his family.”

Lugo added that Murphy’s letter might encourage other lawmakers and community members alike to take action to prevent Islas’ removal.

Murphy’s support comes after advocates for Islas spent months lobbying the senator’s office. In late February, Islas supporters, including Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and members of Unidad Latina en Acción, came together to release 12 letters on his behalf.

Unlike Murphy’s letter, the February letters sought prosecutorial discretion from ICE Public Advocate Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, which would drop Islas’ case entirely. According to Fountain, Lorenzen-Strait’s primary responsibility is dealing with complaints, whereas Morton’s responsibilities cover all of ICE’s operations.

“Sen. Murphy sent his letter to John Morton because he is the highest office [in ICE],” Fountain said. “So he has the ultimate decision-making power.”

Islas has a brother, sister, brother-in-law and several nieces and nephews in New Haven. Four of them are currently undocumented.

Drawing Motown the Musical and The Nance

The Broadway theater scene is currently quite a traffic jam of new productions, vying to open before the Tony Award deadline at the end of this month.

My usual workload is one drawing a week for Playbill.com, but this time of year requires double duty, and even at that, I do not get the chance to see and draw all of the Broadway productions.

I started the week with a big drawing of the new musical, Motown. This is a show about the life of record producer/songwriter, Berry Gordy. It is already a big hit, with the winning formula of a score of very popular Motown hits.

Even though Berry Gordy is not performing in the show ( another actor plays his part), I felt it would be a good idea to include a drawing of Gordy in the design.

There were so many characters to choose from for this project, so, I chose the individuals and groups that would be the most fun to capture: Barry Gordy, top, overlooking some of his "discoveries": Little Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and The Temptations.
Bottom: Brandon Victor Dixon as Barry Gordy and Valiska LeKae as Diana Ross.

Cuban Antiterrorist Cartoon Published in French Textbook

Washington, Apr 17 (Prensa Latina) A cartoon drawn by Gerardo Hernandez, one of the five Cuban antiterrorist fighters unjustly held in the United States, was chosen to illustrate a chapter of a Spanish book for pre-university education in France, official sources said today.

The International Committee for the Release of the Cuban Five, as Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and Rene Gonzalez are known, said in a statement that the text will be used starting this month in many French schools, with 10,000 copies to be printed.

The cartoon is accompanied by the phrase "Ni muy-muy, ni tan-tan" (Neither one extreme or the other) and was drawn in 2011 to be presented to the 8th Congress of the Association of Cuban Journalists.

Hernandez drew the cartoon from his cell in the maximum security wing of the federal prison in Victorville, California where he remains imprisoned.

According to Hernandez, the drawing is a comment on the way international media treat the Caribbean country.

The editor of the textbook, Noe Perez, found the cartoon on the Internet and chose it because he believes it well describes the relationship between information, power, and problems such as bias in the reporting of news events.

The Cuban antiterrorist fighter and his four other compatriots were condemned to harsh sentences in 2001, after monitoring Miami-based violent groups that planned actions like those which have left over 3,400 victims in Cuba in the past 53 years.

Rene Gonzalez was released from prison on October 7, 2011 after serving a 13-year sentence, but now is being forced to complete an additional punishment sentence of three years under supervised release in southern Florida.

The Five were tried in Miami amid a hostile media atmosphere, aimed at manipulating public opinion and persuading the jury to convict them.

Iran's cartoonists find new lines of expression

In 2003, former newspaper editor Ali Reza Eshraghi made a mistake that cost him his freedom: he published a cartoon.
The sketch in question, a drawing from 1937 depicting U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt's pressure on the U.S. Supreme Court, seemed an innocuous choice for the Iranian newspaper, Hayat No.

But Iran's Special Court for the Clergy disagreed. According to Reporters Without Borders it ruled that that the cartoon's depiction of Roosevelt looked suspiciously like the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Khomeini and was insulting to his memory.

The court shut down Hayat No, and Eshraghi spent nearly two months in prison.

A decade later, Eshraghi's friend and former colleague, journalist Omid Memarian, decided to honor the pressures placed on satirists in a book entitled, "Sketches of Iran: A Glimpse from the Front Lines of Human Rights."

The book, published in January by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, was informed by Memarian's conviction that political cartoons played a unique role in his country's struggle for democracy.

"Over the past ten years I've been working as a journalist both in Iran and out of Iran, and I've seen political cartoons have a very strong impact on political discussions and social discussions," he explained.

"Cartoons communicate with a much wider audience, with different layers of society, with people from different social economic class, with different levels of education."
across the Middle East.

Its main character, a bumbling and backwards cleric often depicted in compromising scenarios, resonated with countries grappling with the thorny issue of modernization -- particularly Iran, where Molla Nasreddin's first year of publication coincided with the Constitutional Revolution, an attempt to reform Iran's monarchy.

The country's first experiment with liberal democracy was ended in 1907, but Molla Nasreddin's jokes lived on inspiring future generations of artists who have used political cartoons to offer subtle social commentary for decades.

"The reasons cartoons... have a very strong presence in Iranian culture is that in some of these cycles of oppression journalists or authors could not write. But cartoonists might find ways to express an idea or in a very delicate way," said Memarian.

Memarian believes cartoons have a unique ability to capture complex political problems in a succinct and visually powerful way, making them universally appealing.

Read more: Iraq's controversial comedy show
Now, the dynamics of the Arab Spring have bred a new cartoon culture that has moved away from understated critique to direct assaults on authoritarnism.

"The scope for public expression has become much wider" said Lina Khatib, director of the Arab Reform and Democracy Program at Stanford University. "People feel much more empowered in being able to express how they feel about autocracy without the fear which used to force them to opt for subtlety."

Tarek Shahin, author of the graphic novel "Rise: the Story of the Egyptian Revolution as Told Shortly Before It Began," agrees.
"As recently as three years ago just the fact that I wrote about politics and other social taboos had many of my friends and family worried about my safety and theirs by association," said Shahin. "Today you can't keep up with all the political jokes, be they cartoons, internet memes or street graffiti."

Self-expression is finding new forms, too. Dean Obeidallah, founder of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival and a stand-up comedian who conducts workshops in the Middle East, said he has witnessed an explosion in the number of local comics in the region.

But in Iran, according to Omid Memarian, many humorists have been forced to leave the country.
"Over the past seven to eight years, particularly over the past four years, many cartoonists -- like journalists -- have fled the country and live abroad," he said.

"They are under constant pressure to make sure their cartoons do not become a reason to harm the newspaper...There have been newspaper that have been shut down just for having a controversial cartoon."

Nonetheless, cartoonists in Iran are drawing on their creativity to evade censorship, which Memarian insists makes their work even more powerful.

"We're seeing actions become more ambiguous, more general, more interpretative," he said.