The grip used for a changeup

A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball. In addition, before at least the second half of the twentieth century, the term slow-ball was used to denote pitches not a fastball or breaking ball, which almost always meant a type of changeup. Therefore, the terms slow-ball and changeup could be used interchangeably.

The changeup is thrown with the same arm action as a fastball, but at a lower velocity due to the pitcher holding the ball in a special grip. Leo Mazzone states: "When a pitcher throws his best fastball, he puts more in it; the changeup is such that one throws something other than his best fastball. By having this mindset, the pitch will have less velocity on it in addition to the change in grips. This difference from what is expected by the arm action and the velocity can confuse the batter into swinging the bat far too early and thus receiving a strike, or not swinging at all. Should a batter be fooled on the timing of the pitch and still make contact, it will cause a foul ball or the ball being put into play weakly, usually resulting in an out. In addition to the unexpectedly slow velocity, the changeup can also possess a significant amount of movement, which can bewilder the batter even further. The very best changeups utilize both deception and movement."^[1]

The grip used for a circle changeup

Since the rise of Pedro Martínez, a Dominican pitcher whose changeup was one of the tools that led to his three Cy Young awards, the changeup has become increasingly popular in the Dominican Republic^[2]. Dominican pitchers including Edinson Volquez, Michael Ynoa, and Ervin Santana are all known to have developed effective changeups in the Dominican Republic after Martinez’s success with the pitch.^{[citation needed]} Volquez threw changeups 31.9% of the time in 2008, more than any other starter, and James Shields threw it 26.3% of the time, tops in the AL.[3]

The changeup is analogous to the slower ball in cricket.

Variations[link]

There are several variations of changeups, which are generated by using different grips on the ball during the pitch.

The circle changeup is the most commonly used grip.^[1] The pitcher forms a circle with his index finger and thumb and lays his middle and index fingers across the seams of the ball. By pronating his wrist upon release, the pitcher can make the pitch break in the same direction as a screwball. More or less break will result from the pitcher's arm slot. Pedro Martínez has used this pitch throughout his career to great effect, and many consider it to be his best pitch.^[4]

The most common type is the straight change. The ball is held with three fingers (instead of the usual two) and closer to the palm, to kill some of the speed generated by the wrist and fingers. This pitch generally breaks downward slightly, though its motion does not differ greatly from a two-seam fastball.

Other variations include the palmball, vulcan changeup and fosh. The split-finger fastball is used by many pitchers as a type of changeup.

References[link]

• ^ Mazzone, Leo, and Rosenthal, Jim (1999). Pitching like a Pro: A Guide for Young Pitchers and Their Coaches, Little League through High School. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-19946-5.
• ^ James, Bill and Rob Neyer. "The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers." Simon and Schuster, 2004. pg. 12. ISBN 0-7432-6158-5.
• ^ James Wagner – The Pitch of an Island.

Ryan Reynolds
Reynolds at the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010
Born	Ryan Rodney Reynolds (1976-10-23) October 23, 1976 (age 35) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–present
Spouse	Scarlett Johansson (2008–2011)

Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976)^[1] is a Canadian film and television actor. Reynolds is known for playing the role of Michael Bergen on ABC's sitcom Two Guys and a Girl (1998–2001), Wade Wilson / Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Hal Jordan / Green Lantern in Green Lantern. He has also appeared in films such as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, The Change-Up, and Safe House.

Early life[link]

Reynolds was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. His father, Jim, is a food wholesaler, and his mother, Tammy, is a retail salesperson.^[1] He is of Irish ancestry and was raised as a Roman Catholic.^[2][3] The youngest of four brothers,^[4] he graduated from Kitsilano Secondary School in Vancouver in 1994. He later attended Kwantlen Polytechnic University, also in Vancouver, until dropping out.^[5]

Career[link]

Reynolds at the X-Men Origins: Wolverine premiere in Tempe, Arizona (2009)

Reynolds' career began in 1990 when he starred as "Billy" in the Canadian-produced teen soap Hillside, distributed in the United States by Nickelodeon as Fifteen. As an adult, Reynolds starred in the National Lampoon movie Van Wilder and the American television series Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place, playing medical student Michael "Berg" Bergen. In 1993-94 he had a recurring role in The Odyssey as Macro. He also cameoed in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle as a nurse, appeared in The In-Laws with Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks, as well as the Canadian production Foolproof.

In 2005 he played a waiter named Monty in Waiting..., and as music executive Chris Brander in the romantic comedy Just Friends alongside Amy Smart and Anna Faris. Reynolds played the protagonist in the 2008 film Definitely, Maybe. He has also appeared in the second season finale of the television series Scrubs. In 2007, Reynolds guest-starred as Brendan's friend Hams in the episode "Douchebag in the City" of the TBS sitcom My Boys. In 2009, he portrayed Andrew Paxton, starring opposite Sandra Bullock, in The Proposal, and Mike Connell in Adventureland.

Although he has performed primarily in comedies, Reynolds underwent intense physical training to play an action role as the character of Hannibal King in the 2004 film Blade: Trinity. Reynolds played George Lutz in the 2005 remake of the 1979 horror film The Amityville Horror. He played an FBI agent alongside Ray Liotta in the 2006 crime action film Smokin' Aces.

Reynolds in September 2010

In a March 2005 interview, Reynolds spoke of his interest and involvement in a possible film adaptation of Deadpool with screenwriter David S. Goyer,^[6] as well as the possibility of playing the incarnation of The Flash known as Wally West in an adaption of the popular DC Comics character in the upcoming movie project. Reynolds portrayed Deadpool in the X-Men spinoff X-Men Origins: Wolverine and was announced to portray him again in a spin-off, Deadpool which is due out in 2013.^[7] It was later confirmed that the Deadpool film will be a reboot, ignoring the events that took place in X-Men Origins and establishing a new backstory for the character.^[8]

He also starred in the Spanish thriller Buried, which screened at the Sundance film festival.^[9]

Reynolds portrayed superhero Hal Jordan/Green Lantern in Warner Bros.' film Green Lantern, released June 17, 2011 in 3D; this made him one of the few actors to headline in movies based on both Marvel and DC characters.^[10]

Reynolds is scheduled to portray Nick Walker in the Universal Pictures film adaptation of the Dark Horse Comics R.I.P.D. (Rest in Peace Department), which has a planned release in 2013.^[11]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

In 2002, Reynolds began dating Canadian singer Alanis Morissette. The two announced their engagement in June 2004.^[12] In February 2007, representatives for Morissette and Reynolds announced they had mutually decided to end their engagement.^[13] Morissette said her album Flavors of Entanglement was created out of her grief after the breakup.^[14]

Soon after the end of his relationship with Morissette in 2007, Reynolds began dating actress Scarlett Johansson.^[15] The couple announced their engagement in May 2008^[16] and they married on September 27, 2008 in a quiet ceremony near Tofino, British Columbia.^[17] On December 14, 2010, Reynolds and Johansson announced that they had separated.^[18] Reynolds filed for divorce in Los Angeles on December 23, 2010; Johansson filed her response simultaneously.^[19] The divorce was finalized on July 1, 2011.^[20]

In October 2011, it was reported that Reynolds had begun dating Green Lantern co-star Blake Lively.^[21]

In the media[link]

In October 2008 Reynolds wrote for The Huffington Post regarding his plan to run the New York City Marathon for his father, who suffers from Parkinson's disease.^[22]

Reynolds appeared in People's Sexiest Man Alive lists in 2008^[23] and 2009,^[24] and was awarded the top honor in 2010.^[25] In April 2011, he was ranked #15 on People's Most Beautiful 2011 list.^[26]

On February 12, 2012, Reynolds appeared on the BBC's Top Gear as the Star In a Reasonably-Priced Car. He posted a time of 1.43:7.

Filmography[link]

Awards and honors[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ryan Reynolds

• Ryan Reynolds at the Internet Movie Database
• Ryan Reynolds at People.com
• Ryan Reynolds' writings on HuffPost

Jason Bateman
Bateman in December 2007
Born	Jason Kent Bateman (1969-01-14) January 14, 1969 (age 43) Rye, New York, United States
Occupation	Actor, producer, television director
Years active	1981–present
Spouse	Amanda Anka (m.2001)[1]

Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden Globe, and two Satellite Awards. He has since established himself in Hollywood by appearing in several films including The Kingdom, Juno, Hancock, Up in the Air, Paul, and Horrible Bosses.

Early life[link]

Bateman was born in Rye, New York, the son of Victoria Elizabeth, a former flight attendant for Pan Am, and Kent Bruce Bateman, an actor, film and television writer/director, and founder of a repertory stage in Hollywood.^[2][3][4] His mother was from the United Kingdom, born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.^[5] His older sister, Justine, is of Family Ties fame. Bateman also has three half-brothers.^[3] His family moved to Salt Lake City when he was only four years old, and later to California.^[3]

Television[link]

Early career[link]

Bateman began his television career on Little House On The Prairie. He appeared in the Knight Rider third-season episode "Lost Knight" in 1984. In 1987, he appeared with Burt Reynolds on the men's team in the inaugural week of game show Win, Lose or Draw. He earned the status of teen idol in the mid-1980s in shows such as Silver Spoons, It's Your Move, and most notably Valerie (later renamed Valerie's Family, and then The Hogans, and then The Hogan Family after Valerie Harper left the series), and became the Directors Guild of America's youngest-ever director when he helmed three episodes of The Hogan Family at the age of eighteen. After the series ended its run, he gained international recognition in the motion picture Teen Wolf Too, which, despite his casting in the title role, was a box office failure. In 1994, he played opposite legendary actors Katharine Hepburn and Anthony Quinn in the television film This Can't Be Love. During this period, he had major roles on four series—Simon, Chicago Sons, George & Leo, and Some of My Best Friends—none of which lasted longer than one season. He also directed an episode of Two of a Kind in 1998. In 2002, he played the frisky sibling of Thomas Jane's character in the feature film The Sweetest Thing.

[edit] Arrested Development

In 2003, Bateman was cast as Michael Bluth in the comedy series Arrested Development. Although critically acclaimed, the series never achieved high ratings^[3] and ended on February 10, 2006. Bateman won several awards for his work on the series, including a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy. He was also nominated in 2005 for the Emmy Award^[6] for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.

[edit] Post-Arrested Development

Bateman performed commentary on the 2004 Democratic National Convention for The Majority Report with Arrested Development co-star David Cross, and hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live on February 12, 2005.^[7]

In 2006, he appeared as a guest star on the Scrubs episode "My Big Bird" as Mr. Sutton, a garbage man with a flock of vicious ostriches as pets.

In 2009, Bateman became a regular voice actor for the short-lived Fox comedy series Sit Down, Shut Up. He voiced Larry Littlejunk, the gym teacher and only staff member that can teach.^[8]

In 2010, Bateman and former Arrested Development co-star Will Arnett created "DumbDumb Productions," a production company focusing on digital content. Their first video was "Prom Date," the first in a series of "Dirty Shorts" for Orbit.^[9]

Film work[link]

In 2004, Bateman appeared in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story as ESPN 8 ("The Ocho") commentator Pepper Brooks, and in Starsky & Hutch as Kevin, Vince Vaughn's business partner.

Bateman reunited with Vaughn in 2006's The Break-Up. In 2007, he played former lawyer Rupert "Rip" Reed alongside Ben Affleck in Smokin' Aces, and also starred in The Kingdom, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, and Juno. In 2008, he co-starred with Will Smith and Charlize Theron in the superhero film Hancock.

Bateman's 2009 films included Extract, written and directed by Mike Judge,^[10] and Couples Retreat, reuniting with Vince Vaughn in a comedy chronicling four couples who partake in therapy sessions at a tropical island resort (Kristen Bell played his wife).^[11]

In 2010, he starred in The Switch, a romantic comedy, with Jennifer Aniston.

In 2011, he played the role of Special Agent Zoil in the comedy Paul, and starred in Horrible Bosses and The Change-Up.

It was announced on January 6 that a sequel to Horrible Bosses is in the works.

On March 8th, Mansome, Jason Bateman’s first executive producer credit with partner Will Arnett, was announced as a Spotlight selection for the Tribeca Film Festival.^[12] The documentary, directed by Morgan Spurlock, is a comedic look at male identity as it’s defined through men’s grooming habits featuring celebrity and expert commentary.

Personal life[link]

Bateman with wife Amanda Anka in August 2011

Bateman told Best Life magazine that he and sister Justine Bateman supported their parents with the paychecks they earned on their television shows, and that his father was his manager until Jason fired him at the age of 20.^[13] Throughout the nineties, Bateman struggled with drug use; he stated in an interview in 2009 that "It was like Risky Business for 10 years".^[14]

In 1987, he won the celebrity portion of the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Since July 2001, Bateman has been married to Amanda Anka, daughter of singer Paul Anka. Their child, Francesca Nora Bateman, was born October 28, 2006.^[1] Their second daughter, Maple Sylvie Bateman, was born on February 10, 2012.^[15]

In late 2005, he had surgery to remove a benign polyp from his throat.^[16] The surgery and required recovery time halted production on Arrested Development, though enough episodes had been completed to get the show through the November sweeps period.

Bateman is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers and wore Dodgers clothing in the 2008 film Hancock.^[17]

Filmography[link]

Bateman at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

Films[link]

Television[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jason Bateman

• Jason Bateman at the Internet Movie Database
• Jason Bateman at AllRovi
• Jason Bateman at Emmys.com

Leslie Mann
Mann at the 2010 Time 100 Gala
Born	(1972-03-26) March 26, 1972 (age 40) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Judd Apatow (1997–present; 2 children)

Leslie Mann (born March 26, 1972)^[1] is an American actress best known for her roles in comedic films, many of which are collaborations with her husband, Judd Apatow.

Early life[link]

Mann was born in San Francisco, California^[2] and was raised by her mother, a real estate agent.^[3] Mann graduated from Corona del Mar High School.^[3]

Career[link]

She began her career at the age of 17, with appearances in television commercials. In 1995, Mann was chosen from an open audition of 500 candidates for her first big movie role in The Cable Guy (1996). She also guest-starred in Freaks & Geeks, which was produced by her husband. Since then, she has appeared in films such as She's the One, George of the Jungle, Big Daddy, Stealing Harvard, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Drillbit Taylor and 17 Again. In 2009, Mann reunited with her Big Daddy co-star Adam Sandler and Knocked Up co-star Seth Rogen in Funny People.^[4] Mann is set to star alongside Elizabeth Banks in What Was I Thinking?, based upon the book by Barbara Davilman and Liz Dubelman.^[5] She will also lend her voice to the animated series Allen Gregory, as the title character's second-grade teacher.

Personal life[link]

Mann with Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow in Berlin (2009)

Mann is married to producer Judd Apatow, with whom she has two daughters, Iris and Maude. They met on the set of The Cable Guy (1996), which he co-wrote and produced.

Mann and Apatow's daughters, Iris and Maude, appeared in both Knocked Up and Funny People as the children of Mann's characters. Also, Apatow directed both films.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leslie Mann

• Leslie Mann at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Backstage

Too Rude is a Reggae Punk from Hermosa Beach, California. Too Rude was created by the Vocalist Dogboy and the Bass Guitarist Lazy Dread. They released their debut Too Rude July 4, 2000 on Suburban Noize Records.

Biography[link]

Too Rude was started by vocalist Robert Rogers and Bassist Lazy Dread, along with guitarist Flan, and guitarist/back-up vocalist Fatal. July 4, 2000 Too Rude released their debut album Too Rude on Suburban Noize Records. Then in October 26, 2004 the band released their second album Re-Invention on Suburban Noize Records. Robert "Dogboy" Rogers started up a solo career and released Rebel Riddim,on Suburban Noize Records April 3, 2007.

Discography[link]

External links[link]

• ^[1] Too Rude Official Myspace
• ^[2] Suburban Noize Records Official Site
• ^[3] Dog Boy Official Myspace

References[link]