query: Liev Schreiber is an American actor.

pos: Liev Schreiber Isaac Liev Schreiber ( -LSB- ˈliː.ɛv -RSB- born October 4 , 1967 ) , better known as Liev Schreiber , is an American actor , director , screenwriter , and producer . He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s , having appeared in several independent films , and later mainstream Hollywood films , including the Scream trilogy of horror films , Ransom ( 1996 ) , Phantoms ( 1998 ) , The Sum of All Fears ( 2002 ) , The Omen ( 2006 ) , X-Men Origins : Wolverine ( 2009 ) , Taking Woodstock ( 2009 ) , Salt ( 2010 ) , Goon ( 2011 ) , Pawn Sacrifice ( 2014 ) , and Spotlight ( 2015 ) .   Schreiber is also a respected stage actor , having performed in several Broadway productions . In 2005 , he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in the play Glengarry Glen Ross . That year , he made his debut as a film director and writer with Everything Is Illuminated ( 2005 ) , based on the novel of the same name . Schreiber has had further success in the television world , notably portraying the eponymous protagonist of the Showtime drama series Ray Donovan ( 2013 -- present ) ; the role has earned him four Golden Globe Award nominations and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations . He also narrates the HBO series 24/7 , as well as various PBS programs .

neg: Ben Schnetzer Ben Schnetzer ( born February 8 , 1990 ) is an American actor .   Schnetzer was born and raised in New York City , the son of actors Stephen Schnetzer and Nancy Snyder . He is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London .   In 2010 , Schnetzer appeared in an episode of Law & Order and co-starred on the series Happy Town . He played Max Vandenburg in the film adaptation of The Book Thief ( 2013 ) . He played Mark Ashton in the movie Pride , released in 2014 , and his performance drew positive reviews . Charlotte O'Sullivan , writing for the London Evening Standard , said : `` Schnetzer is a New Yorker with an unpromising CV ( he was one of the few good things about The Book Thief ) and he 's fantastic here '' .

neg: Lee Wallace (actor) Lee Wallace ( born July 15 , 1930 ) is an American actor of film , stage , and television .

neg: Tom Wright (actor) Tom Wright ( born Harold Thomas Wright ; November 29 , 1952 ) is an American television and theatre actor .

neg: Ally McBeal Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama television series , originally aired on Fox from September 8 , 1997 to May 20 , 2002 . Created by David E. Kelley , the series stars Calista Flockhart in the title role as a young lawyer working in the fictional Boston law firm Cage and Fish , with other young lawyers whose lives and loves were eccentric , humorous and dramatic . The series received critical acclaim in its early seasons , winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series -- Musical or Comedy in 1997 and 1998 , and also winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1999 .

neg: Jeff Lieberman Jeff Lieberman ( born 1947 ) is an American film director and screenwriter , perhaps best known for his cult horror and thriller films , namely Squirm , Blue Sunshine , and Just Before Dawn .

neg: William O'Connell (actor) William O'Connell ( born William L. O'Connell Jr. on August 20 , 1933 ) is an American film and television actor .

neg: Stefan Schaefer Stefan Schaefer is an American writer , director and producer of independent films and television .

neg: Isiah Whitlock Jr. Isiah Whitlock Jr. ( born September 13 , 1954 ) is an American actor .

neg: Liebesschmerz Liebesschmerz ( English : Love pain ) is the second single from the 1999 Schiller debut album Zeitgeist with spoken word passages by German actor and voice actor Hans Paetsch ( 1909 -- 2002 ) . Paetsch became famous in the German-speaking countries for narrating fairy tales . The trance music single was officially released on 2 July 1999 and peaked at number 24 on German Singles Chart in 1999 . The cover art shows a graphic of a heart .   An example of the spoken words :   ( Translation from German : `` Love can demand anything , but could also fade '' . )

neg: Joseph D. Reitman Joseph David Reitman ( born May 25 , 1968 ) is an American actor , film producer , film director , and writer .

neg: The Jew (play) The Jew is a comedy written by playwright Richard Cumberland and first presented at the Drury Lane Theatre in London in May 1794 . The play is notable as the first play in the English theatre to portray a Jewish moneylender as the hero of a stage production . An adaptation of the original play along with a facsimile copy of The Jew was published in 2012 as Sheva , the Benevolent .   The anti-Jewish tradition on the English stage dates back at least to the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290 and is exemplified by the characters of Shylock in William Shakespeare 's The Merchant of Venice and Barabas in Christopher Marlowe 's The Jew of Malta . In a series of articles called Observer , first published in 1785 , Cumberland created a character named Abraham Abrahams who would later serve as a template for Sheva , the title character in The Jew . In one instalment of Observer , Abrahams is quoted as saying , `` I verily believe the odious character of Shylock has brought little less persecution upon us , poor scattered sons of Abraham , than the Inquisition itself . '' A decade later , in writing The Jew , Cumberland sought to create a positive image of a Jewish man that would counteract centuries of anti-Semitic portraits . The tremendous success of the initial production prompted Cumberland to later write , `` The benevolence of the audience assisted me in rescuing a forlorn and persecuted character , which till then had only been brought upon the stage for the unmanly purpose of being made a spectacle of contempt , and a butt for ridicule . In the success of this comedy I felt of course a greater gratification , than I had ever felt upon a like occasion . ''   Shortly after its London premiere , the play began to be performed in the United States , first in Boston , Philadelphia , and New York City and , later , in Richmond , Charleston , and many other cities and towns . The play was also translated into numerous languages including German , French , Hebrew , Yiddish , and Russian . The last known New York production under its original title was presented at the Bronx Free Synagogue in 1919 .

neg: L.A. Law L.A. Law is an American television legal drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC , from September 15 , 1986 , to May 19 , 1994 .   Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher , it contained many of Bochco 's trademark features including an ensemble cast , large number of parallel storylines , social drama , and off-the-wall humor . It reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s , and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot-topic issues such as capital punishment , abortion , racism , gay rights , homophobia , sexual harassment , AIDS , and domestic violence . The series often also reflected social tensions between the wealthy senior lawyer protagonists and their less well-paid junior staff .   In addition to its main cast , L.A. Law was also well known for featuring then relatively unknown actors and actresses in guest starring roles , who later went on to greater success in film and television including : Don Cheadle , Jeffrey Tambor , Kathy Bates , David Schwimmer , Jay O. Sanders , James Avery , Gates McFadden , Bryan Cranston , C.C.H. Pounder , Kevin Spacey , Richard Schiff , Carrie-Anne Moss , William H. Macy , Stephen Root , Christian Slater , and Lucy Liu . Several episodes of the show also included celebrities such as Vanna White , Buddy Hackett and Mamie Van Doren appearing as themselves in cameo roles .   The show was popular with audiences and critics , and won 15 Emmy Awards throughout its run , four of which were for Outstanding Drama Series .

neg: Jay Pickett Jay Pickett ( born February 10 , 1961 ) is an American actor .

neg: FenceSitter Films FenceSitter Films is a film production and television production company founded by Kyle Schickner an American film producer , writer , director , actor and a bisexual civil rights activist , devoted to creating entertainment for women , and sexual and ethnic minorities .

neg: Peter Greene Peter Greene ( born Peter Green ; October 8 , 1965 ) is an American character actor , generally known for playing villains .

neg: Wings Hauser Wings Hauser ( born December 12 , 1947 ) is an American actor , director , and film writer .

neg: Michael T. Weiss Michael Terry Weiss ( born February 2 , 1962 ) is an American actor .

neg: Christoph Sanders Christoph Sanders ( born April 21 , 1988 ) is an American actor who is best known for his role as Ned Banks in the television series Ghost Whisperer and Kyle Anderson in the television series Last Man Standing .

neg: Trust (2010 film) Trust is a 2010 American drama thriller film directed by David Schwimmer and based on a screenplay by Andy Bellin and Robert Festinger , and an uncredited story by Schwimmer . It stars Viola Davis , Clive Owen , Catherine Keener , Jason Clarke , and Liana Liberato .   The film is about a teenage girl who becomes a victim of sexual abuse when she befriends a man on the Internet .

neg: Film director A film director is a person who directs the making of a film . Generally , a film director controls a film 's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay ( or script ) while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of that vision . The director has a key role in choosing the cast members , production design , and the creative aspects of filmmaking . Under European Union law , the director is viewed as the author of the film .   The film director gives direction to the cast and crew and creates an overall vision through which a film eventually becomes realized , or noticed . Directors need to be able to mediate differences in creative visions and stay within the boundaries of the film 's budget . There are many pathways to becoming a film director . Some film directors started as screenwriters , cinematographers , film editors or actors . Other film directors have attended a film school . Directors use different approaches . Some outline a general plotline and let the actors improvise dialogue , while others control every aspect , and demand that the actors and crew follow instructions precisely . Some directors also write their own screenplays or collaborate on screenplays with long-standing writing partners . Some directors edit or appear in their films , or compose the music score for their films .


query: Oakland, California is a city populated by 419,267 people.

pos: Oakland, California Oakland -LSB- ˈoʊklənd -RSB- is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County , California , United States . A major West Coast port city , Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area , the third largest city overall in the San Francisco Bay Area , the eighth largest city in California , and the 45th largest city in the United States , with a population of 419,267 . It serves as a trade center for the San Francisco Bay Area ; its Port of Oakland is the busiest port in the San Francisco Bay , the entirety of Northern California , and the fifth busiest in the United States . The city was incorporated in 1852 .   Oakland 's territory covers what was once a mosaic of California coastal terrace prairie , oak woodland , and north coastal scrub . Its land served as a rich resource when its hillside oak and redwood timber were logged to build San Francisco , and Oakland 's fertile flatland soils helped it become a prolific agricultural region . In the late 1860s , Oakland was selected as the western terminal of the Transcontinental Railroad . Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , many San Francisco citizens moved to Oakland , enlarging the city 's population , increasing its housing stock and improving its infrastructure . It continued to grow in the 20th century with its busy port , shipyards , and a thriving automobile manufacturing industry .   Oakland is known for its sustainability practices , including a top-ranking for usage of electricity from renewable resources . Oakland is also known for its history of political activism , as well as its professional sports franchises ( such as the Oakland Raiders , Oakland Athletics and the Golden State Warriors ) and major corporations , which include health care , dot-com companies , and manufacturers of household products . In addition , due to a steady influx of immigrants during the 20th century , along with thousands of African-American war-industry workers who relocated from the Deep South during the 1940s , Oakland is the most ethnically diverse major city in the country .

neg: Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County , California , United States . Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley , between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley . As of the 2010 United States Census , the city 's population was 149,058 .

neg: Modesto, California Modesto -LSB- məˈdɛstoʊ -RSB- ( Spanish for `` modest '' ) , officially the City of Modesto , is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County , California , United States . With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census , it is the 18th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Modesto-Merced combined Statistical Area . The Modesto Census County Division , which includes the cities of Ceres and Riverbank , had a population of 312,842 .   Modesto is located in the Central Valley , 90 mi north of Fresno , 40 mi north of Merced , California , 92 mi east of San Francisco , 68 mi south of the state capital of Sacramento , 66 mi west of Yosemite National Park , and 24 mi south of Stockton . Modesto has been honored as a Tree City USA numerous times . It is surrounded by rich farmland ; Stanislaus County ranks sixth among California counties in farm production . Led by milk , almonds , chickens , walnuts , and corn silage , the county grossed nearly $ 3.1 billion in agricultural production in 2011 . The farm-to-table movement plays a central role in Modesto living as in the Central Valley .   Filmmaker George Lucas , who was born in Modesto , graduated from Thomas Downey High School in 1962 and attended Modesto Junior College , immortalized the city in his award-winning 1973 film American Graffiti . Although it was not actually shot in Modesto , the film portrayed the spirit of cruising and friendship on Modesto 's 10th and 11th Streets in 1962 , and inspired a revival of interest in 1950s pop culture , including the TV show Happy Days and its spin-offs .   The city 's annual Architectural Festival honors Modesto 's history as a testing ground for mid-century modern architecture during the 1940s and '50s . Modesto 's mid-century buildings have been featured four times in Museum of Modern Art publications .   The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index for 2011 , which interviews 1,000 participants about their jobs , finances , physical health , emotional state of mind and communities , ranked Modesto 126 out of the 190 cities surveyed . In December 2009 , Forbes ranked Modesto 48th out of 100 among `` Best Bang-for-the-Buck Cities '' . In this ranking , Modesto ranked 8th in housing affordability and travel time but also ranked 86th in job forecast growth and 99th in foreclosures .   Modesto is the home of Gallo Family Winery , the largest privately owned winery in the world .

neg: San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino County , officially the County of San Bernardino , is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California . As of the 2010 census , the population was 2,035,210 , making it the fifth-most populous county in California , and the 12th-most populous in the United States . The county seat is San Bernardino .   San Bernardino County is included in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario , CA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Inland Empire , as well as the Los Angeles-Long Beach , CA Combined Statistical Area .   With an area of 20,105 square miles , San Bernardino County is the largest county in the United States by area , although some of Alaska 's boroughs and census areas are larger . It is larger than each of the nine smallest states , larger than the four smallest states combined , and larger than 70 different sovereign nations .   Located in southeast California , the thinly populated deserts and mountains of this vast county stretch from where the bulk of the county population resides in two Census County Divisions , some 1,422,745 people as of the 2010 Census , covering the 450 square miles ( 1,166 km2 ) south of the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino Valley , to the Nevada border and the Colorado River .

neg: California State University The California State University ( Cal State or CSU ) is a public university system in California . Composed of 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 460,200 students with 24,405 faculty and 23,012 staff , CSU is the largest four-year public university system in the United States . It is one of three public higher education systems in the state , with the other two being the University of California system and the California Community Colleges System . The CSU System is incorporated as The Trustees of the California State University . The California State University system headquarters are at 401 Golden Shore in Long Beach , California .   The California State University was created in 1960 under the California Master Plan for Higher Education , and it is a direct descendant of the system of California State Normal Schools . With nearly 100,000 graduates annually , the CSU is the country 's greatest producer of bachelor 's degrees . The university system collectively sustains more than 150,000 jobs within the state , and its related expenditures reach more than $ 17 billion annually .   In the 2011-12 academic year , CSU awarded 52 percent of newly issued California teaching credentials , 47 percent of the state 's engineering degrees , 28 percent of the state 's information technology bachelor 's degrees , and it had more graduates in business ( 50 percent ) , agriculture ( 72 percent ) , communication studies , health ( 53 percent ) , education , and public administration ( 52 percent ) than all other universities and colleges in California combined . Altogether , about half of the bachelor 's degrees , one-third of the master 's degrees , and nearly two percent of the doctoral degrees awarded annually in California are from the CSU .   Furthermore , the CSU system is one of the top U.S. producers of graduates who move on to earn their Ph.D. degrees in a related field . The CSU has a total of 17 AACSB accredited graduate business schools which is over twice as many as any other collegiate system . Since 1961 , nearly three million alumni have received their bachelor 's , master 's , or doctoral degrees from the CSU system . CSU offers more than 1,800 degree programs in some 240 subject areas . In Fall of 2015 , 9,282 ( or 39 percent ) of CSU 's 24,405 faculty were tenured or on the tenure track .

neg: California statistical areas The statistical areas of the United States of America comprise the metropolitan statistical areas ( MSAs ) , the micropolitan statistical areas ( μSAs ) , and the combined statistical areas ( CSAs ) currently defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget ( OMB ) .   Most recently on December 1 , 2009 , the Office of Management and Budget defined 1067 statistical areas for the United States , including 4 combined statistical area , 26 metropolitan statistical areas , and 9 micropolitan statistical areas in the State of California . The table below shows the recent population of these statistical areas and the 58 counties of California .

neg: West Bloomfield Township, Michigan West Bloomfield Township is a charter township in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan , within the Detroit metropolitan area . As of the 2010 census , the township had a population of 64,690 .   The area is known throughout metro Detroit for its large homes , nature areas , and large Jewish population .

neg: San Mateo County, California San Mateo County ( -LSB- ˌsæn_məˈteɪ . oʊ -RSB- ; Spanish for `` Saint Matthew '' ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California . As of the 2010 census , the population was 718,451 . The county seat is Redwood City .   San Mateo County is included in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward , CA Metropolitan Statistical Area , and is part of the San Francisco Bay Area , the nine counties bordering San Francisco Bay . It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula . San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county , and Silicon Valley begins at the southern end . The county 's built-up areas are mostly suburban with some areas being very urban , and are home to several corporate campuses .

neg: 1997 Oakland Athletics season The Oakland Athletics ' 1997 season was the team 's 30th in Oakland , California . It was also the 97th season in franchise history . The team finished fourth in the American League West with a record of 65-97 .   The Athletics , coming off a surprising ( if still mediocre ) 78-84 campaign , hoped to reach the playoffs for the first time since 1992 . With this in mind , the team traded for slugger Jose Canseco . Canseco , who had played for the Athletics from 1986 to 1992 , was reunited with fellow superstar ( and fellow `` Bash Brother '' ) Mark McGwire . In addition to McGwire and Canseco , Oakland 's impressive collection of power hitters included Jason Giambi , Gerónimo Berroa , and Matt Stairs .   Little was done , however , to shore up the Athletics ' abysmal 1996 pitching staff . Ariel Prieto , owner of a 4.41 career ERA ( Earned Run Average ) , was named the Opening Day starter ; a succession of poorly regarded players filled out the rest of the starting rotation and bullpen . While optimism remained high for the team 's offense , great concern remained for its pitching staff .   In the end , Oakland 's offense and pitching both fared terribly . For the second consecutive year , no Athletics pitcher won ten or more games ; even worse , no starter won more than six . None of the team 's top four starters ( Ariel Prieto , Steve Karsay , Mike Oquist , and Dave Telgheder ) finished the season with an ERA of less than 5.00 ; the Athletics , as a team , finished with an earned run average of 5.48 ( easily the MLB 's worst ) . All told , the A 's allowed a season total of 946 runs . This remains the worst such figure in Oakland history .   More puzzling was the fate of the offense . Oakland , as expected , remained one of the league 's best power-hitting teams . The Athletics ' sluggers hit a total of 197 home runs ( third-most in the American League ) . Oakland 's home runs failed to generate much offense , however , as a low team batting average negated most of the team 's other advantages . Oakland scored a total of 764 runs in 1997 ( the 11th highest total in the American League ) .   These awful performances quickly removed the A 's from contention . On May 31 , they were already nine games out of first place ; their position steadily worsened throughout the summer . In light of this , General Manager Sandy Alderson traded Mark McGwire ( who , at the time , was on pace to break Roger Maris ' single-season home run record ) to the St. Louis Cardinals for T.J. Matthews , Blake Stein , and Eric Ludwick . McGwire would finish the season with 58 home runs ( four shy of breaking the record ) . The trade was a disaster on the Athletics ' end , as none of the three players received in the trade remained on the team by 2000 . The A 's ultimately finished twenty-five games behind the first-place Seattle Mariners . Their 65-97 finish ( the club 's worst since 1979 ) led to the removal of Sandy Alderson as General Manager on October 17 ; he was replaced by Billy Beane . Manager Art Howe , however , was retained for the 1998 season .   The 1997 season would ultimately prove to be the Athletics ' nadir . The continued rise of Jason Giambi , the debuts of Ben Grieve and Miguel Tejada , the acquisition of Tim Hudson in the 1997 MLB draft , and the ascension of Billy Beane to the position of General manager paved the way for a lengthy period of success from 1999 onwards .

neg: Solano County, California Solano County is a county located in the U.S. state of California . As of the 2010 census , the population was 413,344 . The county seat is Fairfield .   Solano County comprises the Vallejo-Fairfield , CA Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland , CA Combined Statistical Area . Solano County is the northeastern county in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area region .   A portion of the South Campus at the University of California , Davis is in Solano County .

neg: Alameda County, California Alameda County ( -LSB- ˌælə ` mi :d ə -RSB- ) is a county in the state of California in the United States . As of the 2010 census , the population was 1,510,271 , making it the 7th-most populous county in the state . Its county seat is Oakland . Alameda County is included in the San Francisco Bay Area , occupying much of the East Bay region .

neg: American Indian Public Charter School American Indian Public Charter School or AIPCS is an Oakland , California charter middle school with predominantly low-income , minority students . It opened in 1996 and struggled over the next few years until a turnaround after 2000 brought up enrollment numbers and test scores .   By 2005 , the AIPCS students achieved test scores superior those of most public schools in the state . Its principal , Ben Chavis ( Lumbee ) , a Native American educator , believed that minority students were best served by high expectations for strong attendance and discipline , as well as regular homework and summer school . Chavis was criticized for some of his methods . In 2007 AICPS became the first public school in Oakland to win the National Blue Ribbon Award . The AICPS attracted an increasingly diverse student body as enrollment increased , with higher proportions of African American , Asian and Latino students than Native Americans . By 2012 its students were overwhelmingly Asian .   The American Indian Model Schools charter system developed from the AIPCS in order to expand the offerings to students . Since 2007 , under new management , it has operated three schools in the city , two middle schools ( one had grades K-4 added in 2012 ) , and a high school . The charter for the AIMS schools was threatened in 2012 because of discoveries of financial mismanagement and concerns about leadership . Although the Oakland School District voted to revoke the charter , the school system gained a preliminary injunction that allowed it to operate the three schools . With new leaders , it gained a 5-year renewal of its charter in 2013 .   Other irregularities were reported in 2012 as the result of a state `` extraordinary audit '' of the second middle school , AIPCS II . There were allegations of additional mismanagement and fraud . In March 2017 former principal Ben Chavis was indicted by the federal government on six felony counts for money laundering and mail fraud based on his financial activities with the AIMS schools . He will be tried in federal district court in San Francisco .

neg: Joaquin Miller Park Joaquin Miller Park is a large open space park in the Oakland Hills owned and operated by the city of Oakland , California . It is named after early California writer and poet Joaquin Miller , who bought the land in the 1880s , naming it `` The Hights '' -LSB- sic -RSB- , and lived in the house preserved as the Joaquin Miller House .

neg: History of Oakland, California The history of Oakland , a city in the county of Alameda , California , can be traced back to the founding of a settlement by Horace Carpentier , Edson Adams , and Andrew Moon in the 19th century . The area now known as Oakland had seen human occupation for thousands of years , but significant growth in the settlements that are now incorporated into the city did not occur until the Industrial Revolution . Oakland was first incorporated as a town in 1852 .

neg: African American Museum and Library at Oakland The African American Museum and Library at Oakland ( AAMLO ) is a museum and non-circulating library dedicated to preserving the history and experiences of African Americans in Oakland , California , United States . It contains an extensive archival collection of such artifacts as diaries , correspondence , photos , and periodicals .

neg: Orinda, California Orinda is a city in Contra Costa County , California , United States . The population was 17,643 at the 2010 census , and was estimated in 2012 to have increased to 18,342 . Orinda was ranked the second most friendly town in America by Forbes . The town is located just east of the city of Berkeley and is home to many affluent suburban professionals who commute to downtown Oakland , San Francisco , and Walnut Creek . Its location provides for a more rustic landscape , and Orinda 's many parks and trails make it a destination for many Bay Area hikers and naturalists .

neg: List of city nicknames in California This partial list of city nicknames in California compiles the aliases , sobriquets , mottos and slogans that cities in California are known by ( or have been known by historically ) , officially and unofficially , to locals , outsiders or their tourism boards or chambers of commerce . City nicknames can help in establishing a civic identity , helping outsiders recognize a community or attracting people to a community because of its nickname ; promote civic pride ; and build community unity . Nicknames and slogans that successfully create a new community `` ideology or myth '' are also believed to have economic value . Their economic value is difficult to measure , but there are anecdotal reports of cities that have achieved substantial economic benefits by `` branding '' themselves by adopting new slogans .   Some unofficial nicknames are positive , while others are derisive . The unofficial nicknames listed here have been in use for a long time or have gained wide currency .

neg: Frank H. Ogawa Frank Hirao Ogawa ( May 17 , 1917 -- July 13 , 1994 ) was a civil rights leader and the first Japanese American to serve on the Oakland City Council , of which he was a member from 1966 until his death in 1994 . Upon his death , the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to rename City Hall Plaza in his honor as Frank H. Ogawa Plaza . The plaza displays a bronze bust of Ogawa .   A Nisei , Ogawa was born in Lodi , California and never lived in Japan . Nevertheless , as Japanese Americans , Ogawa 's family members were involuntarily relocated by the U.S. government to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Millard County , Utah ; they were detained there for the duration of World War II . Ogawa married Grace Ogawa ( née Hiruma ) prior to their wartime detention and they had two children , Alan and Nancy . Nancy was born in the Topaz War Relocation Center but died at age 2 .   After the war , Ogawa returned to Oakland where he found work as a gardener . Eventually , he borrowed and saved enough money to open his own nursery .   When Ogawa died , Congresswoman Anna Eshoo , in her Tribute to Frank H. Ogawa , said :  `` Frank Ogawa was a remarkable person because he could take personal misfortune and turn it into a positive learning experience for himself and others . When Frank and Grace Ogawa were forced to sell their belongings and live in internment camps during World War II , they had to sleep on straw mattresses in horse stalls for six months before being  shipped to a camp in Utah to spend another 3 1/2 years in confinement . Despite this mistreatment and injustice , he never lost faith in the United States . Just the opposite -- he strived to prove his loyalty to his country and became an internationally recognized champion of Asian-Americans in the process . ''   She went on to say  `` Having served five years on the Oakland Parks Commission , Frank Ogawa was elected to the city council in 1966 , making him the first Japanese-American to hold a council seat in a major city in the continental United States . He held that position for 28 years until his passing -- the longest tenure in Oakland 's history . ''   Ogawa was a member of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission ( BCDC ) from 1972 to 1988 , having been appointed to the Commission by the Association of Bay Area Governments .   Ogawa served on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board of Directors from 1979 until 1992 when he had to retire from the Board because of health issues . He served as Chairman of the Board during most of 1987 and served as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board 's Executive Committee and Personnel Committee .   Ogawa was a Republican . However , he never held nor was he ever a candidate for any partisan office .   As a public official , Ogawa was known as kind , optimistic , and adept at building consensus .   In about December 1988 , Ogawa underwent successful heart surgery .   Ogawa died in Oakland on July 13 , 1994 , of lung cancer . He was survived by his wife Grace and son Alan , and by two grandchildren , Courtney and Matthew .   More than 600 people , including a representative of Oakland 's sister city of Fukuoka , Japan , attended Ogawa 's memorial service .

neg: Butte County, California Butte County is a county in the U.S. state of California . As of the 2010 census , the population was 220,000 . The county seat is Oroville .   Butte County comprises the Chico , CA Metropolitan Statistical Area . It is in the California Central Valley , north of the state capital of Sacramento . Butte County is known as the `` Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty . ''   Butte County is watered by the Feather River and the Sacramento River . Butte Creek and Big Chico Creek are additional perennial streams , both tributary to the Sacramento . The county is the home of California State University , Chico and of Butte College .   There are four major hospitals and the State of California defines Butte County as being inside Health Service Area 1 . A special district , the Butte County Air Quality Management District , regulates airborne pollutant emissions in the county . It does this following regional regulations , state , and federal laws . For example , in recent years , the agency changed rules that once allowed residents to burn household trash outdoors .

neg: Oakland Heritage Alliance Oakland Heritage Alliance ( OHA ) is an American non-profit organization based in Oakland , California . OHA advocates the protection , preservation , and revitalization of Oakland 's architectural , historic , cultural and natural resources through publications , education , and direct action .   OHA began in 1980 with a bankroll of $ 150 and seven individuals who loved the city 's history . Founding members came from a core of those involved in the Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey which was funded by a 1979 state grant .   OHA activities :   Partners in Preservation awards are given to encourage organizations and individuals to restore and revitalize Oakland 's historic homes , buildings , structures , and neighborhoods and to support sensitive adaptive use .  Walking tours concentrate on a single neighborhood at a time and are open to both OHA members and the public on a sliding scale fee . Most walking tours take place on Saturdays and Sundays in the summer .  Open house tours are similar to walking tours but offer the chance to see inside a handful of private homes each of which exemplify a particular architectural style common to the tour 's focus .  Participation at the city government level to promote preservation .  Oakland Heritage Alliance publishes a quarterly newsletter : OHA News .   Membership is open to any interested party .

neg: History of San Jose, California This article covers the history of San Jose , California , the third largest city in the state , and the largest of all cities in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California , with a population of 982,765 .


query: Alex Rodriguez is an athlete.

pos: Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez ( born July 27 , 1975 ) , nicknamed `` A-Rod '' , is a Dominican-American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman . He played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) for the Seattle Mariners , Texas Rangers , and New York Yankees . Rodriguez was one of the sport 's most highly touted prospects and is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time . During his 22-year career , Rodriguez has amassed a .297 batting average , 696 home runs , over 2,000 runs batted in ( RBI ) , over 2,000 runs scored , and over 3,000 hits . He is a 14-time All-Star and has won three American League ( AL ) Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) Awards , ten Silver Slugger Awards , and two Gold Glove Awards . Rodríguez is the career record holder for grand slams with 25 . However , he has led a highly controversial career due to signing two of the most lucrative sports contracts in history while incurring criticism from the media for his behavior and use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs .   The Mariners selected Rodriguez first overall in the 1993 MLB draft , and he debuted in the major leagues the following year at the age of 18 . In 1996 , he became the Mariners ' starting shortstop and finished second in voting for the AL MVP Award . Rodriguez 's combination of power , speed , and defense made him a cornerstone of the franchise , but he left the team via free agency after the 2000 season to join the Rangers . The 10-year , $ 252 million contract he signed was the richest in baseball history . He played at a high level in his three years with Texas , highlighted by his first AL MVP Award win in 2003 , but the team failed to make the playoffs during his tenure . Prior to the 2004 season , Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees , for whom he converted to a third baseman due to incumbent shortstop Derek Jeter . In his first four seasons with New York , he was twice more named AL MVP . After opting out of his contract following the 2007 season , Rodriguez signed a new 10-year , $ 275 million deal with the Yankees , extending his record for the sport 's most lucrative contract . He became the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs , reaching the milestone in 2007 . He won his first World Series in 2009 , which was the first year of the new Yankee Stadium . The following year , he became the career leader in home runs by a player of Hispanic descent . In recent years , Rodriguez has been hampered by hip and knee injuries , which have caused him to exclusively become a designated hitter . He played his final game as a Yankee on August 12 , 2016 .   In February 2009 , after previously denying use of performance-enhancing drugs , including during a 2007 interview with Katie Couric on 60 Minutes , Rodriguez admitted to using steroids , saying he used them from 2001 to 2003 when playing for Rangers due to `` an enormous amount of pressure '' to perform . While recovering from a hip injury in 2013 , Rodriguez made headlines by feuding with team management over his rehabilitation and for having allegedly obtained performance-enhancing drugs as part of the Biogenesis baseball scandal . In August 2013 , MLB suspended him 211 games for his involvement in the scandal , but he was allowed to play while appealing the punishment . Had the original suspension been upheld , it would have been the longest non-lifetime suspension in Major League Baseball history . After an arbitration hearing , the suspension was reduced to 162 games , keeping him off the field for the entire 2014 season .

neg: Pablo Rodriguez (computer scientist) Pablo Rodriguez ( -LSB- ˈpaβlo roˈðɾiɣeθ -RSB- ; born 17 April 1972 ) is a Spanish computer scientist and researcher , who is best known for his research in the mid-2000s on peer-to-peer file sharing and user-generated content . After working for technology and communications companies AT&T and Microsoft Research , Rodriguez returned to Spain in 2006 to become the research director for telecommunications provider Telefónica . In 2010 took a position as an adjunct professor at Columbia University in New York .   Rodriguez has been a frequent guest speaker at technology conferences in Europe , such as the International World Wide Web Conference , TEDx Barcelona and the Wired Conference in London . He has collaborated with chef Ferran Adrià of the restaurant elBulli to develop Bullipedia , and in 2014 with football team FC Barcelona to analyze their strategies .

neg: Parade of the Athletes Parade of the Athletes is a retrospective mix by Dutch DJ Tiësto of his live set performed during the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens , Greece on 13 August 2004 ( see 2004 in music ) . This was the first time that a DJ was asked to perform for a ceremony at the Olympics . Recognizing one of their own , the Dutch team came up to the booth while Tiësto was performing this set . All of the songs on this track are original songs composed by Tiësto except for `` Adagio for Strings '' , which is his own remix of Samuel Barber 's piece by the same name ( the remix was also influenced by William Orbit 's original electronic remix of the song in 1999 ) , and `` Athena '' , which is also a remix of Albinoni 's Adagio in G minor .   The album contains 8 new tracks composed exclusively for the Olympic Games Athens 2004 Opening Ceremony , and 4 other well-known tracks ( `` Traffic '' , `` Lethal Industry '' , `` Adagio for Strings '' and `` Forever Today '' ) . An unmixed version was also released .

neg: Doping affects on society performing enhancing drugs are not suppose to be used in baseball   I plan on adding a section into the article doping in baseball . My section will be how people think about doping . I plan to use evidence from the points of view of authors and writers of articles or books .   Research Question : How can these athletes be caught cheating and what should their punishments be ?   cheating in sports   Many athletes throughout history have been cheating with performing enhancing drugs . Some athletes can get a easy way out of this because they are big stars , and others can get out of the situation because they have a way of having the drugs go undetected . When athletes are caught with performing enhancing drugs , they should get a punishment that the athletes truly deserve .   One way that athletes can get caught are by blood and urine samples . `` The WADA and Olympic officials are aware that undetectable drugs are used by athletes in events . '' These officials know this occurs because the Olympic athletes that are competing are using drugs during the off-season . this allows athletes to build up their muscles to gain a competitive edge , but is still risky because if they get caught they can be banned from the Olympics and stripped of their medals .

neg: List of Silver Slugger Award winners at shortstop The Silver Slugger Award is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League ( AL ) and the National League ( NL ) , as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball ( MLB ) . These voters consider several offensive categories in selecting the winners , including batting average , slugging percentage and on-base percentage , in addition to `` coaches ' and managers ' general impressions of a player 's overall offensive value . '' Managers and coaches are not permitted to vote for players on their own team . The Silver Slugger was first awarded in 1980 and is given by Hillerich & Bradsby , the manufacturer of Louisville Slugger bats . The award is a bat-shaped trophy , 3 feet ( 91 cm ) tall , engraved with the names of each of the winners from the league and plated with sterling silver .   Among shortstops , Barry Larkin is the leader in Silver Slugger Awards , with nine wins between 1988 and 1999 , including five consecutive awards ( 1988 -- 1992 ) . Larkin is fourth all-time in Silver Slugger wins among all positions , behind outfielder Barry Bonds , catcher Mike Piazza and third baseman Alex Rodriguez , who won his first seven awards at shortstop before a position change . Hall of Famer Cal Ripken , Jr. won eight Silver Sluggers as a shortstop from 1983 to 1993 . Other multiple awardees include three-time winners Alan Trammell ( 1987 -- 1988 , 1990 ) , Derek Jeter ( 2006 -- 2008 ) and Edgar Rentería ( 2000 ; 2002 -- 2003 ) , along with two-time champions Troy Tulowitzki ( 2010 -- 2011 ) , Hanley Ramírez ( 2008 -- 2009 ) , Miguel Tejada ( 2004 -- 2005 ) , Robin Yount ( 1980 , 1982 ) , Hubie Brooks ( 1985 -- 1986 ) , Dave Concepción ( 1981 -- 1982 ) , Garry Templeton ( 1980 , 1984 ) and Xander Bogaerts ( 2015-2016 ) .   Rodriguez ' offensive statistics in his seven Silver Slugger-winning seasons lead American League and major league shortstops in most categories ; his batting average of .358 and .631 slugging percentage in 1996 , .420 on-base percentage in 2000 and 57 home runs in 2002 are records among winning shortstops . The lone category in which Rodriguez does not lead the American League is runs batted in ( RBI ) , where Miguel Tejada is the leader ; he batted in 150 runs in 2004 . The RBI leaders in the National League are Rentería and Brooks , who each batted in 100 runs during the 2003 and 1985 seasons , respectively . In contrast , Rodriguez collected RBI totals over 100 ( ranging from 111 in 1999 to 142 in 2002 ) in all of his Silver Slugger-winning seasons , highlighting the difference in power and production between American League and National League shortstops . Other National League leaders include Larkin , who leads in batting average ( .348 , 1989 ) and on-base percentage ( .410 , 1996 ) , along with Rich Aurilia , who leads in slugging percentage ( .572 , 2001 ) and home runs ( 37 , 2001 ) . Though he has never played in the National League , Rodriguez ' 40 or more home runs in six of his seven winning seasons at shortstop are greater than any total hit by a National League winner at third base .

neg: Alexei Ramírez Alexei Fernando Ramírez Rodriguez ( born September 22 , 1981 ) is a Cuban professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent . He has played for the Chicago White Sox , San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays in MLB and Pinar del Rio of the Cuban National Series . His nickname , given to him by former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén , is `` The Cuban Missile '' due to his tall , slim physique and combination of speed , power , and strong throwing arm .

neg: Sports marketing Sports marketing is a subdivision of marketing which focuses both on the promotion of sports events and teams as well as the promotion of other products and services through sporting events and sports teams . It is a service in which the element promoted can be a physical product or a brand name . The goal is to provide the client with strategies to promote the sport or to promote something other than sport through sports . Sport marketing is also designed to meet the needs and wants of the consumer through exchange processes . These strategies follow the traditional four `` P '' 's of general marketing Product , Price , Promotion and Place , another four `` P '' 's are added to sport marketing , relating to the fact sports are considered to be a service . The additional 4 P 's are : Planning , Packaging , Positioning and Perception . The addition of the four extra elements is called the `` sport marketing mix . ''   Sports marketing is an element of sports promotion which involves a wide variety of sectors of the sport industry including broadcasting , advertising , social media , digital platforms , ticket sales , and community relations .   Sports marketing is divided into three sectors . The first is the advertising of sport and sports associations such as the Olympics , Spanish Football league and the NFL , as well as sport teams like Real Madrid and the New York Yankees . The second concerns the use of sporting events , sporting teams and individual athletes to promote various products . The third category is the promotion of sport to the public in order to increase participation .   In the first case , the promotion is directly related to sports . In the second case , the products can but do not have to be directly related to sports . When the promotion is about sports in general , the use of this kind of strategy is called `` Marketing of Sports . '' When the promotion is not about the sports but sports events , athletes , teams or leagues are used to promote different products , the marketing strategy is denominated `` Marketing through sports . '' When the promotion is about increasing participation among the public , it is called `` Grassroots Sports Marketing . '' To promote the products or services , the companies and associations use different channels such as sponsorships of teams or athletes , television or radio advertisement during the different broadcast sports events and celebrations , and/or advertisement on sporting venues .   `` Street marketing of sport '' considers sport marketing through billboards on the street and also through urban elements ( street lighters and sidewalks , etc. ) to help promote and gain publicity during major worldwide sporting events such as the Football World Cup , the Olympic Games , or the Super Bowl .

neg: Alex García (boxer) Alex García ( born December 2 , 1961 ) is a Mexican-American and former heavyweight boxer best known to be a contender in the 1990s . A San Fernando native , and former gang member , he served five years in San Quentin State Prison for stabbing a rival gang member . Upon his release , he found himself training at the Jet Center , where he took up boxing . He was mentored under William `` Blinky '' Rodriguez .

neg: Alex Dias Alex Dias de Almeida , or simply Alex Dias , ( born May 26 , 1972 in Rio Brilhante ) is a former Brazilian football player .

neg: World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic ( WBC ) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation ( IBAF ) and after 2013 by the World Baseball Softball Confederation ( WBSC ) . It was proposed to the IBAF by Major League Baseball ( MLB ) , the Major League Baseball Players Association ( MLBPA ) , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world . It is the main baseball tournament sanctioned by the WBSC , which grants to the winner the title of `` World Champion '' .   It previously coexisted with Olympic Baseball ( until 2008 ) and the Baseball World Cup ( until 2011 ) as IBAF -- sanctioned tournaments , but baseball has not been on the Olympic program since 2008 , after it was voted out by the International Olympic Committee in 2005 . The final men 's Baseball World Cup was held in 2011 , and was discontinued to streamline the international calendar .   The tournament is the first of its kind to have the national teams of IBAF 's member federations feature professional players from the major leagues around the world including Major League Baseball . In addition to providing a format for the best baseball players in the world to compete against one another while representing their home countries , the World Baseball Classic was created in order to further promote the game around the globe .   After a 3-year gap between the first two installments of the tournament , plans were made for the World Baseball Classic to be repeated every four years following the 2009 event . The third installment of the Classic was held in 2013 , and the fourth was held in 2017 .

neg: Selena Roberts Selena Roberts ( born May 16 , 1966 in Live Oak , Florida ) is an American best-selling author , sportswriter , and digital entrepreneur . Previously , she was a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and a columnist for The New York Times . Roberts began her career as a beat writer for the Minnesota Vikings at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and for the Orlando Magic and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Orlando Sentinel . She received a B.A. degree in journalism from Auburn University in 1988 where she was a sports editor for the university paper The Plainsman . She also made frequent appearances on the ESPN talk show The Sports Reporters . In a February 7 , 2009 article on SI.com that quickly made the cover of Sports Illustrated , Roberts revealed that Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003 .

neg: Alex de Jesús Alexander `` Alex '' de Jesús ( February 2 , 1983 -- April 3 , 2016 ) was a Puerto Rican professional boxer . As an amateur , de Jesús represented the island of Puerto Rico in international events , including the 2003 Pan American Games , the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games and the 2004 Summer Olympics . Early in his career , he won seven regional titles : the World Boxing Organization Latino lightweight title , World Boxing Council Caribbean Boxing Federation lightweight title , World Boxing Association Fedecaribe Lightweight title , WBO Latino light welterweight title , WBA Fedecaribe Welterweight title , WBC Latino light welterweight title and the WBA Fedebol light welterweight title .

neg: Álex Suárez Alejandro Suárez Castro ( born 27 September 1993 ) is a Spanish professional basketball player who currently plays Real Madrid of the Liga ACB .

neg: Marquee player A marquee player is an athlete who is considered exceptionally popular , skilled , or otherwise outstanding , especially in professional sports . Several sports leagues have specific definitions and rules regarding the designation and treatment of marquee players .   In the Liga 1 of the Football Association of Indonesia each team is allowed to designate one marquee players .   In the A-League of the Football Federation Australia each team is allowed to designate two marquee players whose salaries are exempted from the league 's salary cap . Similarly , in English Premiership rugby marquee players are excluded from salary cap constraints .   The All India Football Federation requires each I-League team to feature one marquee player . The federation defines `` marquee players '' as foreign players who have represented their country in one of several international championships . Teams are also allowed to propose other skilled players for the designation.In ISL ( Indian Super League ) also there are marquee players .   In World TeamTennis a marquee player is not required to play the entire season and is compensated on a per-match basis . Marquee players are drafted in a marquee draft prior to the roster draft .

neg: All-America This article is about the concept in sports teams . For similarly-named articles , see All American .  An All-America team is a hypothetical American sports team composed of outstanding amateur players . These players are broadly considered by media and other relevant commentators as the best players in a particular sport , of a specific season , for each team position .   Such athletes at the high school and college level are given the honorific title and typically referred to as `` All-American athletes '' or simply `` All-Americans '' .

neg: Alex Serrano (baseball) Alex Eleazar Serrano Hernandez ( born February 18 , 1981 in Barcelona , Anzoátegui State , Venezuela ) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher .   On April 16 , , Serrano made his major league debut for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim against the Kansas City Royals , pitching one scoreless inning while striking out one .   Serrano became a free agent at the end of 2008 . He spent in the Mexican League with the Guerreros de Oaxaca . He last played for the Rimini Baseball Club in the Italian Serie A1 baseball league in 2010

neg: Sports betting Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome . The frequency of sports bet upon varies by culture , with the vast majority of bets being placed on association football , American football , basketball , baseball , hockey , mixed martial arts , track cycling , and boxing at both the amateur and professional levels . Sports betting can also extend to non-athletic events , such as reality show contests and political elections , and non-human contests such as horse racing , greyhound racing and illegal , underground dog fighting .   Sports bettors place their wagers either legally , through a bookmaker/sportsbook , or illegally through privately run enterprises referred to as `` bookies '' . The term `` book '' being a reference to the books used by wagebrokers to track wagers , payouts , and debts . The majority of legal sportsbooks are found online , operated over the internet from jurisdictions separate from the clients they serve , usually to get around various gambling laws ( such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 in the United States ) in select markets , such as Las Vegas , Nevada , or on gambling cruises through self-serve kiosks . They take bets `` up-front '' , meaning the bettor must pay the sportsbook before placing the bet . Illegal bookies , due to the nature of their business , can operate literally anywhere but only require money from losing bettors and do n't require the wagered money up front , creating the possibility of debt to the bookie from the bettor . This creates a number of other criminal elements , thus furthering their illegality .   Sportsbetting has resulted in a number of scandals in sport , affecting the integrity of sports events through various acts including point shaving ( players affecting the score by missing shots ) , spot-fixing ( a player action is fixed ) , bad calls from officials at key moments , and overall match fixing ( the overall result of the event is fixed ) . Examples are the 1919 World Series , the alleged ( and later admitted ) illegal gambling of former MLB player Pete Rose , and former NBA referee Tim Donaghy .

neg: International Baseball Federation The International Baseball Federation ( Spanish : Federación Internacional de Béisbol , French : Fédération international de baseball ) is the former worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee as overseeing , deciding and executing the policy of the sport of baseball . The IBAF has since become the international baseball `` Division '' of the World Baseball Softball Confederation , the officially recognized world governing body for baseball ( and softball ) . One of its principal responsibilities under the WBSC is to organize , standardize and sanction international competitions among baseball 's 124 national governing bodies through its various tournaments to determine a world champion and calculate world rankings for both men 's and women 's baseball . Prior to the establishment of the WBSC , which has since superseded its authority , the IBAF had been the lone entity that can assign the title of `` world champion '' to any baseball team delegated to represent a nation . Its offices are housed within the WBSC headquarters in Lausanne , Switzerland -- the Olympic Capital .

neg: Sport bowling Sport Bowling is any form of ten pin bowling that uses patterns of lane oil to reduce the effectiveness of modern bowling balls . Sport Bowling was created by the United States Bowling Congress , the governing body of the sport of ten pin bowling , to offer players the opportunity to bowl on exactly the same lane conditions and oil patterns that professional bowlers face on the PBA Tour . Sport Bowling originally referred to leagues , known as PBA Experience Leagues , which are offered in conjunction with the Professional Bowlers Association . However , the term is now used to refer to any bowling event which incorporates a `` sport shot '' or oil pattern .   As bowling technology has progressed the ability to consistently and strongly hook a bowling ball became significantly easier and as a result professional and league bowling scores increased . Over time achieving honor scores ( e.g. 300 games , 800 + series ) became far more common to the point of diminishing the accomplishment associated with achieving these scores . To counter this trend the idea of custom oil patterns or `` sport shot '' that could be programmed into a lane conditioning machine and laid on the lane emerged .

neg: World championship A world championship is generally an international sports competition open to elite competitors from across the world , representing their nations , and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport or contest .   The title is usually awarded through a combination of specific contests or , less commonly , ranking systems ( e.g. the ICC Test Championship ) , or a combination of the two ( e.g. World Triathlon Championships in Triathlon ) . This determines a ` world champion ' , who or which is commonly considered the best nation , team , individual ( or other entity ) in the world in a particular field , although the vagaries of sport ensure that the competitor recognised at the best in an event is not always the ` world champion ' ( see Underdog ) .   Certain sports do not have a world championship . Instead , they may organise a world cup competition , or they may organize both , for example cycling ( UCI World Championships and UCI World Cups ) ) . Often , the use of the term cup or championship in this sense is just a choice of words . Some sports have multiple champions because of multiple organizations , such as boxing , mixed martial arts and wrestling .   Certain sports do not have a world championship or a world cup as such , but may have one or several world champions . Professional boxing , for example , has several world champions at different weights , but each one of them is decided by a `` title fight '' , not a tournament .   A certain number of sports hold world championships or world cups which are overshadowed , in terms of prestige , by the same events in the Olympic Games , the most prestigious multi-sports event .   Still other sports may or may not have a true world championship but may designate the winners of a domestic competition to be `` world champions . '' This is especially true of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada ; world cups and championships exist in all of the major sports , but the domestic U.S. and Canadian leagues are generally recognized as the world professional championships or the equivalent of a world club championship . ( In American football , although an IFAF World Championship exists , the United States is so far above and beyond the other nations it faces that the winner of the U.S.-based Super Bowl , a competition limited to the 32 teams in the National Football League , is commonly recognized as the world champion . )   Finally , certain professional sports do not have a world championship or world cup , but rather hold a series of events recognised as the elite level in their field ( e.g. tennis has a series of four Grand Slam events recognised as the pinnacle of the game , in addition to key team events , world tour finals and the Olympic Games , but no world championship or world cup ) .