luckym Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 With Jan. 1 comes the bug for baseball. I just purchased MVP 2005 (PC) days ago and have spent considerable time updating the rosters to represent today's current state as accurately as possible. This dynasty will be played within the Owners Mode. I anticipate the sim/play ratio at around 97% to 3%. I enjoy the GMing aspects as much as anything so I plan to report heavily on that aspect. Also, besides just reporting on the Rangers, I have also created one player, Lucky Martin, #22, Shortstop, and he has been signed by the Rangers and placed on their single-A club, the Bakersfield Blaze- My goal is to also do what I can to bring you stats on Lucky's progress as well as all the Rangers' clubs. Stay tuned, and I hope you find this entertaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 [align=center]Texas Rangers Owners Mode Dynasty - by Lucky[/align] Guidelines: *Settings are on Pro, customized sliders. *Will SIM most games (95%) with focus being on advancing through many seasons as well as Owner Mode itself. Otherwise, will play a game every now and then just to keep an "eye" on my players. *"Lucky Martin" is a rookie professional short stop designated to the Texas Rangers single-A club, Bakersfield Blaze. We will follow he and the Rangers' progress on an in-game Monthly basis. *Rosters are as current as possible as of 12/31/05, thereby having players like R. Clemens, M. Piazza, J. Weaver, etc., in free agency. The Rangers organization will NOT pursue any AAA "worthy" player or higher until after May 1 on the schedule, in order to allow any CPU run team to have plenty of time to sign a player of want/need. Other than that, I hope you enjoy following this club. Let's get started... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 [align=center]Meet Lucky Martin[/align] [align=center][/align] He plays ShortStop and is currently slotted 3rd in the batting order for the Bakersfield Blaze. His first game is on April 8, 2005. "Im very nervous." Lucky is straight out of high-school. The Rangers think enough of him to have him bypass the normal stop with the ASL Rangers, their rookie team, and sent him on to Bakersfield. "It's one thing to play 30 something games in high school against many people who won't even play ball after they graduate, but to be in the California League competing with and against future Major League stars over the course of a 140 plus game schedule is quite intimidating at the moment. But I'll stay focused. My only goal is to learn and perform and do whatever it takes to help my team win and to get myself to the majors, hopefully sooner than later." ============================ Meanwhile, the Rangers ready themselves for their season opening series against the Angels in Anaheim, CA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 [align=center]Rangers organizational info-[/align] Starting Payroll: ==Players: 73,500,000 ==Staff: 5,500,000 Stadium purchases before the start of the season: Ice Cream stand, Pizza Stand, Soda Stand, Popcorn Stand for $2.3 mil Coaches Kiosk "store" for 200k We have designated around 35 or so home games with varius promotions to hopefully keep butts in the seats in what many analysts predict will be yet another difficult season for the Rangers. We think differently. Rangers starting lineup: _C R. Barajas 1B M. Teixeira 2B M. DeRosa 3B H. Blalock SS M. Young LF D. Dellucci CF B. Wilkerson/L. Nix (platoon) RF K. Mench DH P. Nevin Rangers Rotation: 1-K. Millwood 2-A. Eaton 3-J. Benoit 4-V. Padilla 5-K. Loe SU-F. Francisco CL-F. Cordero Projected Win/Loss for the 2005 season: 85-90 wins - 2nd place in division Up next... The season begins... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 [align=center]Rangers come out with a BANG![/align] Anaheim, CA (AP) - The Rangers came into Anaheim as chronic losers to the Angels many times over in recent years. But for three days, the surprisingly strong Rangers made no mistakes in a three game sweep to start the season 3 and 0. Facts and Figures: = Rangers win season opener 10 - 0 = The Rangers outscored the Angels this series 25 - 8. = 1B Teixeira played 2 games (injured before 3rd game - out for 14 days) was 5 for 7 w/ 3 HRs, 7 RBIs = SP K. Millwood pitched the season opener for 6 2/3 inn., 4K, 2BB, no runs for his first win as a Ranger Rangers are currently $1.3 mil in debt (starting on the road is killer - ACK!!) [align=center]===================================[/align] [align=center]Lucky gets first hit![/align] April 8, 2005- 18-year-old Lucky Martin, starting SS for the Bakersfield Blaze, single-A club in the Rangers organization, got his first base hit of his professional career. I had to play this game myself - Lucky's first ever game? I had no choice! The hit, a double, came in the bottom of the first inning with a man on first base and one out. The hit did not score the runner from first though as MY baserunning skills are novice at best (I have not practiced at all so Im still not sure of what button does what at this time, lol). The Blaze ended that inning scoring 2 runs and went on to win the game in the bottom of the 9th inning, 3 - 2, on a suicide squeeze play with one out and a man on third. Facts and Figures: Bakersfield Blaze are 1 - 0 Lucky Martin is batting .250, 1 double, 1 run scored Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Looks interesting, I'll follow. I havn't seen someone put as much into a dynasty as you have so far, keep it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronuconn Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Looks interesting, I'll follow. I havn't seen someone put as much into a dynasty as you have so far, keep it up. Ya, Ill follow to, seems like uve been puting a lot of time into this, lets see if this gets as good as the A's Dynasty's RollieFingers put out. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 You are doing a nice job bro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 Thanks guys... an end of April update coming later today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 [align=center]Rangers flat entering May[/align] Rangers started the season 7 - 0 (6 - 0 versus Angels and Mariners) but only went on to finish April 15 - 10. The brightside? They hold first place in the AL WEST. Moves made early due to M. Teixeira injury: Sent down (RP) E. Ramirez, called up (2B) D'Angelo Jimenez Fact and Figures: Rangers home opener: vs Angels, lose 3 - 2, Attendance: 10, 827 ==all games played through April 30, 2005== AL WEST GB Rangers 15 - 10 --- Mariners 11 - 13 3.5 Angels 10 - 14 4.5 Athletics 9 - 15 5.5 Rangers Standouts: (3B) H. Blalock - .340 avg., 9 HR, 23 RBI (CL) F. Cordero - 10 SVs, 10.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 7 Ks (SP) K. Millwood - 3.16 ERA, 2 - 1, 21 Ks (RP) B. Shouse - 28.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 4 - 0, 20 Ks [align=center]Lucky is "Doin' okay"[/align] After his first full month of pro ball under his belt, Lucky reflects back on his season thus far. "I'm doin' okay. I feel good. It's really just gonna take some time to adjust to the level of talent here. But I'm excited and have learned a ton already." ==Lucky's stats through April '05== 21 games played 19 for 29 for .242 avg., 3 HR, 5 RBI, 14 runs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 test - having CPU problems *disregard* :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 ...sorry about lack of updates, CPU issues over last couple days... [align=center]Rangers even flatter in May[/align] Rangers had a bad run in May as they only won 11 of 26 games but still remain in first place - barely. Is panic setting in for the Rangers? They have placed (1B/DH) Phil Nevin on the trade block but have yet to receive any interests. Fact and Figures: Rangers May record was 11 - 15 ==all games played through May 31, 2005== Rangers Standouts: [align=center]Lucky improves as the Blaze lose[/align] May was a better month for Lucky, but not for the Blaze. Lucky's bat improved a little and his status in single-A is uncertain with a rash of injuries through the Rangers minors system. He is rumored to be moving up to double-AA if the injury situation worsens. ==Lucky's stats through May '05== .263 avg., 7 HR, 19 RBI, 25 runs, 1 SB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronuconn Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Looks like lucky is coming along fine, and the rangers arnt doin to bad. A game over .500 isnt that bad, since the other teams are sucking it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 yah, i should be greatful I guess, lol... There's just some very weird numbers so far so some tweaks to sliders may be necessary if they affect simulations at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 8, 2006 Author Share Posted January 8, 2006 [align=center]Rangers make HUGE strides (and trades) in June![/align] After a down month in May, the Rangers turned things around quite quickly (though from June 7 - 9, they were swept by the Phillies to move under .500 on the season) while also taking two big contracts off their payroll via trades, one of which was expected while the other came seemingly from nowhere, the result of which takes their players payroll down from $81+ million to $66.7 million. As expected, the Rangers traded Phil Nevin to Milwaukee. He was in the final year of his contract and was expected to ask for more than $10 million next season. For him, they got surprisingly hot veteran (3B) Russell Branyon who will take over at DH. [align=center][/align] [align=center]3B Branyon at time of trade[/align] The surprise move OF THE SEASON came when the Rangers traded away short stop Michael Young to Pirates team expected to dump bigger salaries, not add them. "I never knew I was on the tradeblock", said a very disappointed Young. "We felt, with our current financial situation, and the prospects of getting a very young and very talented player in (SS) Matt Colon and (SP) Zach Duke whose contracts are very favorable for us when compared to their talent" said owner Tom Hicks of the Rangers. Here's a look those two transactions: [align=center][/align] Current Rangers lineup and rotation 1B - Teixeira 2B - Jimenez 3B - Blalock SS - Colon/DeRosa LF - Dellucci CF - Wilkerson RF - Mench C - Barajas DH - Branyon SP-1 Millwood SP-2 Eaton SP-3 Dominguez SP-4 Duke SP-5 Bauer CL Cordero A look at the new Rangers: DH/3B Russell Branyon= 29yrs old, 3yrs @ 700k (see pic above for details) SS/2B Matt Colon= 20yrs old, 2yrs@300k --- MLB Career Stats: 37 games, 32 Hs, .340 AVG., 0 HR, 19 R SP Zach Duke= 22yrs old, 1yr@100k (looking for 2yrs@$2.30mil - ACK!!!) --- MLB Career Stats: 16 games, 95.1 IP, 3W - 4L, 78 Ks, 20 BBs, 3.59 ERA Fact and Figures: -A look at June schedule outcome: -Bank= $1.222 million in DEBT -Player Payroll= $66.7 million ==all games played through June 30, 2005== AL WEST GB Mariners 42 - 35 --- Rangers 42 - 36 0.5 Athletics 33 - 45 9.5 Angels 28 - 50 14.5 Rangers Standouts: (1B) M. Teixeira - .296 avg., 21 HR, 57 RBI, 42R (CL) F. Cordero - 22 SVs, 23.1 IP, 0-1, 1.16 ERA, 16 Ks [align=center]Lucky earns promotions[/align] [align=center][/align] Just as May was a good month for Lucky, June was even better. So much so, along with a depleted AA squad, Lucky Martin (SS) has earned a promotion from single-A, leaving his Bakersfield Blaze teammates a little disheartened. "Yah. I'm gonna miss those guys. No doubt. They were there to greet me with open arms when I joined the team. We all grew together pretty quickly this season. Im not going too far though, I'll be seeing some of them soon enough." Not going too far? We disagree. Lucky looks to be improving quite rapidly and could be in Oklahoma (triple-A club) by season's end, though, there is somewhat of a logjam of talent there at shortstop for the Rangers, so I'm sure he will be brought along slowly in double-A Francisco the remainder of this season. He is right about one thing, he is likely to see a few of his teammates soon by the likes of (SP) Thomas Diamond and (SP) John Danks. ==Lucky's stats through June '05== .304 avg., 12 HR, 35 RBI, 39 runs, 1 SB [align=center] * * The Minors * * [/align] The Rangers minor league system's best players thus far: (A) Pitcher= T. Diamond 81.2 IP, 3W - 5L, 3.75 ERA, 72 Ks, 17 BBs (AA) Pitcher= C. Baker 98.0 IP, 5W - 6L, 2.85 ERA, 73 Ks, 27 BBs (AAA) Pitcher= J. Wasdin 97.1 IP, 6W - 5L, 2.22 ERA, 72 Ks, 17 BBs (likely to be promoted soon) (A) Batter= Lucky Martin (see above) (AA) Batter= J. Senreis .270 AVG, 11 HR, 34 RBI, 41 R, 13 SB (AAA) Batter= J. Burke .324 AVG, 7 HR, 31 RBI, 22 R, 0 SB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronuconn Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 If i was u, since i dont know how good colon is doing at SS, i would call up Joaquain Arias. he's a very good prospect with good potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 8, 2006 Author Share Posted January 8, 2006 Im a big fan of Arias, but when I got the email about Colon being on the block and I looked at him, he is currently a slightly better OVERALL player than Arias, and both are 20yrs old. Arias has better speed and fielding abilities and batting power from both sides in the 40+ range, but his contact ratings are only in the 50s as well as his DISCIPLINE being right at 50... Colon has no real power 20s, but his contact is in the 70's and 80s with plate discipline at 80, theoretically making him a better choice right now in my sim franchise (though Im new to MVP, ive read plate discipline is important more so when simming - not sure if that's corrrect, but...) Though, I don't see Colon being the starter the next year or so because Arias is better everywherelse... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 9, 2006 Author Share Posted January 9, 2006 [align=center]Rangers have a BIG July![/align] Rangers continued their roll from June right on through July with 18 wins and only 8 losses. During that time, the Rangers' aquisition of Branyon and pitcher Zach Duke proved to be key as they helped pour fuel on the fire. And now the Branyan deal became even more important with Teixeira going down for 30 days with another wrist injury. Branyan has little experience playing at first-base but with the Rangers having no depth there anywhere in the organization forces him to play there and learn on the fly. "I'm a veteran player and the coaches have confidence in me. Besides, with how impressive Teixeira is and my being a DH and not on the field with our defense, I've done nothing but watch him and I've learned some things. I should be fine." We hope so. With no firstbasemen on the trade blocks and nothing in free agency, the Rangers must go with what they have. RUMORS: With the loss of Teixeira's bat in the lineup, the Rangers may actually bring in Mike Piazza to take DH duties. Piazza has not played all season as his asking price is obviously too high for any team to consider. But if the Rangers are willing to pay, then in the playoffs they may play. Current Rangers lineup and rotation *w/ injuries* 1B - Branyon 2B - Jimenez 3B - Blalock SS - Colon/DeRosa LF - Dellucci CF - Wilkerson RF - Mench C - Barajas DH - Laird SP-1 Millwood SP-2 Eaton SP-3 Dominguez SP-4 Duke SP-5 Bauer CL Cordero A look at the new Rangers: -none in July- Fact and Figures: -July record: 18 - 8 -Bank= $1.3 million in the BANK -Player Payroll= $66.7 million ==all games played through June 30, 2005== AL WEST GB Rangers 60 - 44 --- Mariners 57 - 46 2.5 Athletics 45 - 58 19.5 Angels 40 - 64 20.0 Rangers Standouts: (DH/3B) R. Branyan - .315 avg., 30 HR, 81 RBI, 69R (CL) F. Cordero - 31 SVs, 1-2, 1.60 ERA, 26 Ks [align=center]Lucky comes down to Earth[/align] Lucky got his wish and found out just how hard it is to actually move up so early in your career. Not only did Lucky struggle in July, his double-A club, Frisco Roughriders, struggle and remain last in their division. ==Lucky's stats through July '05== .228 AVG, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 11 runs, 2 SB [align=center] * * The Minors * * [/align] The Rangers minor league system's best players thus far: (A) Pitcher= T. Diamond - 6 - 7, 3.23 ERA, 98 Ks (AA) Pitcher= C. Baker - 9 - 8, 2.87 ERA, 98 Ks (AAA) Pitcher= J. Wasdin - 9 - 6, 2.40 ERA, 84 Ks (A) Batter= A. Webster - .248 AVG, 9 HR, 24 RBI, 42 R, 8 SB (AA) Batter= J. Senreiso - .269 AVG, 15 HR, 52 RBI, 51 R, 14 SB (AAA) Batter= J. Conti - .247 AVG, 9 HR, 35 RBI, 50 R, 7 SB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronuconn Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 Tex down with an injury, im not sure if i would want to bring in Piazza. He still is a good player but don't know if he worth the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 10, 2006 Author Share Posted January 10, 2006 Yah, Im not crazy about him, but he is head and shoulders over what's left in FA and unless Im mistaken, I only would pay him for the remainder of the season correct? meaning he is asking for 2 yrs @ 14 mil.... if I sign him to 1 yr @ 14 mil, and 2 months left to play, then I'd owe him like 2 mil per month for the remainder of the season... is this correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 12, 2006 Author Share Posted January 12, 2006 [align=center]Rangers Win One Game Playoff for Division![/align] The Rangers had a tough stretch of series through August and September but after 162 games, the Rangers, Mariners and the Yankess were all tied at 91 - 71 on the season. With the Redsox and the Twins winning their respective divisions. if left 2 spots for 3 teams. What was on the line for the yankees? Nothing. they were asured the wildcard spot since they would have a better win percentage than the loser of the Texas/Seattle one game playoff to determine the AL West division winner. It was a close game with Texas coming out on top 6 - 5. Also, the Bakersfield Blaze (A) and the Frisco Roughriders (AA) have made the playoffs in their respective minor leagues as well with only the Okalhoma Redhawks missing out on postseason play this year. Here are the brackets for each team's playoff: [align=center][/align] [align=center]Rangers face the Redsox in rnd 1[/align] [align=center][/align] [align=center]Frisco fighting for chance at the championship[/align] [align=center][/align] [align=center]Blaze with a 1st round bye[/align] Current Rangers lineup and rotation 1B - Teixiera 2B - Jimenez 3B - Blalock SS - Colon/DeRosa LF - Dellucci CF - Wilkerson RF - Mench C - Barajas DH - Branyon SP-1 Millwood SP-2 Eaton SP-3 Dominguez SP-4 Duke SP-5 Sparks CL Cordero A look at the new Rangers: (SP) S. Sparks *picked up via FA* [align=center][/align] Fact and Figures: -Bank= $8.3 million in the BANK going into postseason -Player Payroll= $67.5 million ==all games played through End of Regular Season *includes one game playoff*== AL WEST GB Rangers 92 - 71 --- Mariners 91 - 72 1.0 Athletics 70 - 92 21.5 Angels 62 -100 29.5 Rangers Standouts: (3B) Blalock - .313 avg, 38 HR, 117 RBI, 161 games (DH) Branyan - .307 avg, 41 HR, 113 RBI, 147 games (1B) Teixeira - .306 avg, 40 HR, 101, 129 games (CF) Wilkerson - .308 avg, 29 HR, 100 RBI, 162 games (SP) Sparks - 3.04 ERA, 12 - 6, 128 Ks, 174.2 IPs (CL) F. Cordero - 43 SVs, 1-3, 1.96 ERA, 36 Ks [align=center]Lucky does well[/align] Lucky finished decently at double-A Frisco. he picked up his first three homeruns in August and September. ==Lucky's stats through regular season== [align=center][/align] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronuconn Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Yah, Im not crazy about him, but he is head and shoulders over what's left in FA and unless Im mistaken, I only would pay him for the remainder of the season correct? meaning he is asking for 2 yrs @ 14 mil.... if I sign him to 1 yr @ 14 mil, and 2 months left to play, then I'd owe him like 2 mil per month for the remainder of the season... is this correct?[/quote Nope, it would be in real life but i guess that is a flaw in MVP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 13, 2006 Author Share Posted January 13, 2006 [align=center]Rangers get to ALCS, lose to Twins in 7![/align] The Rangers surprise many by overcoming their forecasted pitching woes and division foes by squeaking into the playoffs only to SHOCK everyone by blowing past the Redsox in the wildcard round, taking the series 3 games to 1. Seemingly past their more difficuly obstacle, they move on to face the Twins in the American League Chamionship series. The ALCS proved to be enough for either team to handle but the Twins came out on top taking the series in 7 games. The Rangers came one game away from making their first ever World Series appearance. **The Twins went on to defeat the New York Mets in 5 games to become the 2005 World Series Champions.** The Rangers' plans are uncertain as we head into the offseason. We have many players who will become free agents and we look forward to upgrading our coaching staff as well. We also anticipate only minor stadium upgrades. Fact and Figures: -Bank= $13.07 million in the BANK going into offseason -Player Payroll= $67.5 million Down on the farm: (A) Bakersfield Blaze entered the playoffs on a limp (they won their division in the first half of the season to qualify for the playoffs) and continues to struggle losing the North Division Championship series 2 games to none. (AA) Frisco Roughriders on the other hand surged into the playoffs only to get nearly decapitated and lose the Western Division Championship Series 3 games to 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronuconn Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 That sucks that u lost, o well, just upgerade the pitching in offseason n get back to it next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckym Posted January 13, 2006 Author Share Posted January 13, 2006 [align=center]Rangers catch some big fish![/align] The Rangers' biggest problem last season, as it is every year, was pitching. Though they "upgraded" the pitching staff by adding pitchers Millwood, EAton, Padilla, and later Duke and Sparks, they still ranked in the bottom 1/3rd of the league. The lone bright spot was their closer, Cordero, who began to fade later in the season as well. The beginning of this offseason first saw a few MLB "giants" retiring. Those included (LF) Barry Bonds, who finishes with 744 career homeruns. (SP) Roger Clemens has said "definately. Im done" as he tallies a total of 347 career wins and helped San Francisco to the NLCS last season (Clemens was also named the NL Cy Young award winner). Other big names retiring are Yankees (SP) Randy Johnson and controversial (1B/DH) Rafeal Palmeiro, who ends his career with 553 homeruns. Now focused on the future, the Rangers turned toward the drafted: **Rangers have 23rd pick in all rounds of the draft** 1st pick - (SP) Kirk Crede --> allocated to (AA) Frisco 2nd pick - (SP) Mark Ramirez --> allocated to (A) Bakersfield 3rd pick - © Mitch Klesko --> allocated to (AA) Frisco ...etc... Now came free agency where their big splash for pitching could be made if things go well. But, just like every other Rangers offseason, things didn't go their way when wooing pitchers to Arlington. (SP) Josh Beckett was the most sought after pitcher available and Texas took a stab at him, offering him a long term deal of 5 yrs at $5+ mil per season. Instead, he agreed to a one year $4 million deal with the Cubs. The Rangers, though successfully went after offensive improvements in (LF) Adam Dunn and (2B) Luis A. Gonzalez both for 3 year contracts with Dunn's being $5.30 mil per season and Gonzalez at $800k person. Dunn will take over for Dellucci who may be traded and Gonzalez taking over at second base forcing the Rangers to make a decision about De'Angelo Jimenez. It wasn't a total loss in regards to pitchers though as Texas was able to nab (SP) Claudio Vargas who had pretty good numbers last season. Texas has traded the high salary of Padilla away for a minor league prospect. Offseason Stadium upgrades -added 5,000 more seats by puchasing the level 2 seating for $4 million -added a Peanut vendor for $800k -added Slugger's Souvenirs for $300k ... leaving us with about $7.5 mil in the bank Next up! Spring Training Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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