Among the Yanks' Top 30, Who Will Play for Trenton?

Although a fair distance to the west, the Trenton Thunder, a New York Yankees AA minor league affiliate, is easily accessed from several Jersey Shore communities like Belmar, Brick, Manasquan and Point Pleasant. From these areas one can take Interstate 195 West toward Trenton. From 195 drivers would get on Route 29 North. Stay left and look for 29 North/Capital Complex/Lambertville signs. After you exit a tunnel you will find the Trenton Thunder ballpark on the left side.

The Trenton Thunder blog has an entry with brief descriptions of the top 30 Yankee minor league prospects as initially detailed in Baseball America's annual Prospect Handbook. Of the top six prospects three are catchers and three are pitchers. The surnames of the three pitchers all begin with the letter B. The pitchers are Dellin Betances, Manny Baneulos and Andrew Brackman.

Jesus Montero, the Yankees top prospect, is a big catcher with an imposing bat. He and number six ranked Austin Romine could be battling for a slot with the Yankees in Spring training and Scranton is likely as an alternative place to play out the season. But if neither make the Yankees' 25 man roster then Montero would likely start the season with AAA Scranton and Romine with the Trenton Thunder.

The second ranked prospect is Gary Sanchez, a catcher who will play the 2011 season while only 19 years of age. Sanchez may start the season with the Class-A Charleston team but could progress up the ladder to Trenton if he does well.

One other prospect caught my attention. Eleventh ranked right handed pitcher Brett Marshall, has been clocked in the high 90s and had a 2.50 ERA last season. He had Tommy John surgery in 2009.

Online Public Access for Civil Cases

The blog NJ Open Government Notes has a blog entry titled New Jersey Courts put civil index on-line. The online site can obviate the need to travel to a county courthouse.

From the New Jersey Courts homepage you can navigate to the Civil Case Public Access page by clicking on the indicated phrase located on the left side below the heading Online Resources.

Also, you can pay traffic tickets online at the site.

Effects of Unfunded Health Care Mandates

All parts of the state, including the Jersey Shore region, will be hit hard with consequences accruing from additional medical expenses made inevitable by health care legislation commonly known as Obamacare. The Foundry has an entry titled The Obamacare Burden To Your State Budget. Medicaid is often thought of as a federal program, funded with federal resources, but the states are responsible for funding much of the costs. That burden will be made greater by Obamacare requirements which make it mandatory to expand medicaid coverage to include "non-elderly individuals with family incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level."

In the year 2017 and thereafter states will assume larger financial burdens related to benefit costs. The federal government will cover none of the additional administrative costs. Understandably as states begin to realize the added fiscal burdens they are becoming increasingly concerned. The author concisely put the problem in stating that, "Obamacare’s unfunded mandates are a fiscal time bomb set to explode state balance sheets across the country starting in 2014."

New Jersey is already in deep fiscal trouble. This huge cloud on the horizon is not welcome news. The no free lunch maxim has not become inoperable. To the contrary unfunded mandates are destructive to fiscal responsibility. Fiscal irresponsibility eventually adversely impacts a region's prosperity.

Fleas and Flea Markets

New Jersey Shore Guide has a web page with information about flea markets. Collingwood Auction and Flea Market is one of the more prominent ones.

Speaking of fleas, how's this for your cats and dogs?

Local Tea Party Chapters

The Colts Neck Tea Party holds meetings on Monday night at the Dunkin' Donuts located at 26 State Rt. 34, Colts Neck, NJ. Meetings commence at 7:30 PM.

The Jersey Shore Tea Party will also meet this coming Monday night, October 4th, between 7 PM and 9 PM at:

Ocean Township Community Center
615 West Park Avenue
Oakhurst, NJ 07755

Health Insurance Quotes & Consignment Shops

If you are shopping around for health insurance and want some quotes Health Insurance Sort could be a helpful website. As the site page states, the choice of health insurance entails balancing cost, coverage and your own philosophy of health care.
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The Association of Resale Professionals has a website with a web page allowing one to search for stores often known as thrift or consignment shops. If you are looking for a local one or for information on how to start such a business the site could be useful.

Greener Lawns

The Asbury Park Press website features an article titled Toms River company will paint on the illusion of a healthy, lush lawn. The article goes on to describe how Charlie Koerkel, a Toms River entrepreneur, started a business whose service is coloring lawns a lush green with a pigment called kaolin. Kaolin has the advantage of eventually degrading into nitrogen rich compounds which fertilize the soil and encourage greener grass growth without an application of the pigment. Kaolin is environmentally friendly and deemed safe for people and pets. It has been used in stadiums by major sports teams.

An added benefit to those with lawns is that lower water bills are incurred in the effort to get the grass a healthy green looking color.