Monthly Archives: January 2021

Clayton Freeman|Florida Times-Union

The year started with a loss.

But that's all the losing Trinity Christian did in 2020.

The Conquerors' eighth FHSAA championship stands out as the highlight in a year of memorable moments, as the Times-Union rolls out its annual All-First Coast team for high school football in Northeast Florida.

Trinity's lineup lit up the field with a multitude of future college prospects, even though many like University of Florida-signed wide receiver Marcus Burke missed stretches of the year with injuries.

After dropping their season opener to Bolles, the Conquerors stormed through the rest of the season with a defense that became the envy of Northeast Florida, even shutting out Plantation American Heritage on Broward County turf.

They closed out their season with a finish to rank among Jacksonville's most thrilling.

They rallied from 16-0 down to Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna, finally winning 25-22 on Burke's diving catch on a fourth-down pass from Ja'Cory Jordan with 48 seconds remaining in Tallahassee. The title was the eighth for head coach Verlon Dorminey.

Two more area programs made the trip to Doak Campbell Stadium but came up just short.

University Christian relied on the stamina and grit of two-way athletes like Joe Carter and Orel Gray all the way to the Class 2A final, losing to Hialeah Champagnat Catholic.

In Class 4A, Bolles with a steamrolling line, a clutch receiving threat in Davis Ellis and an ace linebacker corps as just some of their weapons reached the final for the second time in as many years under head coach Matt Toblin. But they fell behind early and a late rally came up short to Class 4A champion Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons.

And St. Augustine returned to contention in Class 6A, behind an explosive and well-balanced offense with All-First Coast performers throwing (Sam Edwards), running (Ty Baxter) and catching (Dequan Stanley) the football. Only a triple-overtime heartbreaker at Lake Minneola kept the Yellow Jackets from a Tallahassee visit.

Statistical milestones also went down, hard.

Despite a midseason school shutdown due to COVID-19, Fletcher's Myles Montgomery topped the 4,000-yard mark for his career, while Bartram Trail's A.J. Jones III and Bradford's Erric Smith closed their high school careers as their schools' rushing kings.

But the year wasn't just about the already-proven stars and programs.

Among the season's breakthrough stories came at Sandalwood: As All-USA national recruit Branden Jennings continued his three-year reign as a Jacksonville tackling machine, newcomer Jadon Canady emerged as a scoring force on offense, defense and special teams.

Illinois signee Patrick Bryant helped carry Atlantic Coast to its first-ever postseason, ousting Fletcher and Tallahassee Lincoln along the way.

Clay and Ridgeview both turned around 1-9 seasons from 2019 to surge into the Class 5A postseason.

A couple of small-town teams tasted big-time success: Powered by an uncompromising defense, Baldwin rolled to its first unbeaten regular season for more than a half-century, and Hilliard put together a perfect campaign until the regionals in Class 1A.

The overall winners will be announced in June at the Greater Jacksonville Sports Awards, the third annual award show highlighting the top performances in high school athletics across Northeast Florida.

FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE

QB Sam Edwards, Sr., St. Augustine

Steady passer spurred Jackets to brink of Class 6A final; threw for 2,233 yards, 21 TD with 62 percent completion, plus 551 rushing yards and 9 TDs.

RB Myles Montgomery, Sr., Fletcher

Cincinnati signee gained 4,118 rushing yards for his Senators career; finished with 1,401 yards, 16 TDs in interrupted season, despite opponents loading box.

RB Jaison Patterson, Sr., White

Gateway Conference rushing leader ran for 1,822 yards, 16 TDs, including a 398-yard outing against Bishop Kenny; signed with Bowling Green.

RB Al'Querious Ray, Jr., Clay

Bulldozing back gained 1,898 rushing yards, 24 TDs to lead Blue Devils' turnaround; only seven away from 4,000 mark.

WR Terrance Anthony, Sr., Oakleaf

Breakaway threat for Knights grabbed 56 passes for 898 yards, 11 TDs; finishes with 152 catches, 2,670 career yards.

WR Patrick Bryant, Sr., Atlantic Coast

Teams knew Illinois signee was AC's top threat and still couldn't contain him; caught 44 passes for 942 yards, 7 TDs to fuel Stingrays' playoff run.

WR Davis Ellis, Sr., Bolles

Topped 1,000-yard mark (1,004) receiving, with 41 catches and 10 TDs, as Bulldogs made Class 4A final; gained 2,761 receiving yards in three years.

TE Nick Elksnis, Sr., Episcopal

Future Gator led Episcopal into postseason with 21 catches, 425 yards, 5 TDs in seven games; added 5 1/2 sacks on defense.

OL Austin Barber, Sr., Trinity Christian

Uncompromising, mauling blocker was a constant on Conquerors' championship team; signed with Florida.

OL Mike Bartilucci, Sr., Fletcher

The Citadel commit paved way for outstanding Senators ground attack.

OL Ray Bolden, Sr., Westside

Two-time All-First Coast pick a two-way standout for Wolverines; delivered several sacks on defense.

OL Cam Neal, Sr., Bolles

A constant on a line that carried on the Bulldogs' blocking tradition, all the way to the 4A final.

OL Damontae Gibson, Sr., Baker County

Standout blocker to clear holes for the Wildcats' four-pronged ground assault.

ATH Cam Miller, Jr., Fernandina Beach

Led Pirates to first-ever playoff win with 1,039 yards rushing (16 TDs), 957 passing; 3 INTs on defense.

ATH Jaquez Moore, Sr., Suwannee

All-around athlete carried Bulldogs with 1,259 passing yards, 1,270 rushing yards, 35 combined TDs; Duke signee added two picks, two forced fumbles on defense.

ATH Eric Weatherly, Jr., Bartram Trail

Top returner in Northeast Florida with three scores off kicks and punts; racked up 1,441 all-purpose yards and 11 TDs.

K David Kemp, Sr., Bartram Trail

Strong-legged kicker bound for Memphis with 12 made field goals, including a 54-yard game-winner.

FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE

DE Micah Pollard, Jr., Bartram Trail

Often cited as area's top edge threat; made 11 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, with a pair of forced fumbles and an interception as Bears reached final eight.

DT Jai Robinson, Sr., Lee

Big-time disruptive force in the middle with 16 tackles for loss, 8 sacks; also solid as Generals' punter.

DT Luther McCoy, Sr., Creekside

Minnesota signee commanded double-teams but still inflicted damage; 44 tackles (six for loss), 6 sacks on improved Knights D.

DE Nic Mitchell, Sr., Mandarin

Threat off the edge with 89 tackles, 14 for loss, 2 forced fumbles and 7 1/2 sacks; signed with Mississippi State.

LB Shyheim Brown, Sr., Columbia

FSU signee recorded 64 tackles (7 for loss), 4 sacks, one forced fumble; a menace on special teams with 533 return yards and 4 blocked punts.

LB Branden Jennings, Sr., Sandalwood

All-USA recruit bound for Maryland tackled everything in his path with 127 tackles, 12 sacks.

LB Lucius Lattimore, Sr., Trinity Christian

Hard-hitting, wide-ranging linebacker delivered 90 tackles (11.5 for loss), 4 sacks, three forced fumbles in championship season.

DB Darius Harris, Sr., Fleming Island

Elon-bound corner locked down secondary on a very good Golden Eagles unit; 15 pass breakups and a pick.

DB Jaheim Singletary, Jr., Lee

Five-star prospect shut down his section of the field with 3 INTs, 6 pass breakups when opponents did challenge him.

DB Corey Coley, Sr., Trinity Christian

Teams usually steered clear of Maryland signee in outstanding secondary; picked off three passes and forced a fumble, with 34 tackles.

DB Dequan Stanley, Sr., St. Augustine

Two-way USF signee picked off four passes, forced a fumble as Jackets reached state semi; caught 47 passes for 674 yards, 7 TDs on offense.

ATH Jadon Canady, Sr., Sandalwood

Big-time breakthrough: state-leading 10 interceptions, 8 receiving TDs, two return scores while being nearly unbeatable in coverage.

ATH Caden Fordham, Sr., Bolles

All-around star led Bulldogs into state final; 121 tackles (25 for loss), 4 sacks, two blocked punts, four rushing TDs and capable punting as well.

P Christian Schultz, Sr., Sandalwood

Strong-legged kicker averaged 47 yards per punt; also nailed game-winning field goal at Ocala Trinity Catholic.

SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE

QB Santino Marucci, Sr., Bartram Trail

New addition boosted Bears with 1,165 passing yards, 338 on ground, 20 combined TDs; signed with Wake Forest.

RB Kade Frew, Jr., Bolles

Gritty runner powered Bulldogs to state final with 1,496 yards, 17 TDs despite missing time midseason; on pace to shatter all-time Bolles record.

RB Erric Smith, Sr., Bradford

Rushed for 1,326 yards, 11 TDs to cap career as Tornadoes' all-time ground leader (3,160 yards).

RB Preston Strope, Jr., Creekside

Touchdown machine for the Knights with 20 TDs, 1,216 yards; handled phenomenal workload (nearly 29 carries per game) as chief offensive threat.

WR Marcus Burke, Sr., Trinity Christian

Fought through injuries to achieve more in a half-season than most players in a career; 29 catches, 510 yards, including game-winner in 3A title game.

WR Rashaud Clark, Jr., Englewood

Starred as receiver, returner amid Rams' struggles: caught 42 passes for 651 yards and 7 TDs, plus 535 yards and two scores on returns.

WR Antwon McCrae, So., Westside

Among Gateway Conference's most explosive talents; broke loose for 1,418 all-purpose yards, 4 picks on D, scoring touchdowns six different ways.

TE Christopher Johnson, Sr., Westside

See the original post:

All-First Coast Football 2020: Meet the team - The Florida Times-Union

Need a little inspiration to make it out of 2020 and into 2021? Weve been asking data scientists, video game designers, engineers, doctors, students and startup founders all year where they find theirs.

Weve read more than enough about what has bummed us out over the past year. It might seem difficult to find something or someone that will make things look better or provide a motivating force in the coming months.

But our 2020 Geeks of the Week are inspired by the people they work with, the kids they care for, the stuff they read, the places theyve seen and much more.

Click the names of each to go back to the full Geek of the Week profile for that individual. And dont forget tofill out our questionnairein the new year if you want to be considered.

Keep reading for the answers to our weekly question, Where do you find your inspiration?

I hold the somewhat silly belief that true inspiration only comes from the subconscious, and dreams are the clearest window into it. I dont know about you, but I dont have a lot of product or engineering dreams though, so I have to work a little harder to find it.

Nothing beats finding people who are good at what they do, watching them do it, and thinking, Thats amazing. I bet I could do it better. This is really obvious for music (go to shows), but a little more difficult to emulate in a professional environment. Following smart people on LinkedIn/Twitter is a good start though.

I find inspiration in the people I work with every day not only at LevelTen, where folks have dedicated themselves to making renewable energy investment more efficient and impactful, but also the project developers who are the boots-on-the-ground building wind and solar projects across the globe. I love the days when a developer will send us photos of one of our clients projects in-construction. Knowing that we played a part in getting the wind or solar project built is one of the best feelings.

Education is a long game. Sometimes we never know or see the impacts of our work. But if you stay in the field long enough, youll often hear from former students or teachers who share with you how your efforts made a difference. Thats the best feeling in the world to be able to be of service to someone else as they find their own path in life.

When I was a high school teacher in the 1990s, I participated in the Fred Hutch teacher program I now direct (the Science Education Partnership, SEP). The program was transformative for my own career so Im delighted to be able to help other teachers have similar experiences.

Our greatest gifts, teachers, and access to a fuller life, consistently lives beyond what is comfortable. Finding comfort within discomfort is a muscle that can be cultivated, but we can also dive right in. Either way, not only will we be OK, well thrive and feel so much more alive.

I find inspiration everywhere. I love looking at data science articles about cross industry and cross field applications. The hardest skill to learn or have as a data scientist is creativity. By staying active and following podcasts, reading, and learning new skills you help to build your creativity through mental flexibility.

I come up with a lot of ideas on flights. I have a difficult time reading or watching movies without getting motion sickness and my brain kicks into overdrive due a false positive signal of being in danger. Unable to sleep, or consume media, all thats left to do is take stock of my current position and consider possible paths forward.

In my free time, when the weather allows, I hike. Hiking is a great reminder that were all capable of accomplishing daunting feats. When I do feel overwhelmed with the tasks Ive set before myself, I remind myself how far my legs can carry me. Even if its hard, even if I must stop and breathe, I can accomplish my goals if I just put one foot in front of the other.

I dont really know if there is a single source of inspiration. It can come from many sources: my colleagues, our customers, or my family. At times, I am inspired because I notice an opportunity where a scientific solution can have a long-term impact. At other times, I am seized by a complex problem where I know we need a better solution.

The journey of learning and discovery when creating things or thinking about creating things keeps me inspired. Even more so, having friends across the creative spectrum, making things from exotic furniture to category-defining software keeps me motivated to do my best work.

Seeing the impact that I can have making somebodys day better, or taking something off their plate so they can focus on their job. I put a lot into my job but I get so much more back from seeing the value that I bring in helping people, being positive.

Im inspired by the notion that if nothing is done, and if its not done fast, we wont have much to pass on to the next generation. That everything we do today has an effect tomorrow and how we drastically need to improve what we do today.

I am surrounded by interesting and beautiful people in my life and my work. Their ideas, good will, kindness and generosity inspire me every day.

For my 16th birthday, my dad bought me a 6-pack of Tony Robbins CDs, so I suppose I started there. In college, I loved to learn about how PNW leaders built their careers and their companies so Id watch documentaries or read biographies on folks like Bill Gates or Howard Schultz. As Ive gotten older, however, I realize now that my early inspiration truly did come from my parents, as it does for most.

I actually remember as a young girl going to my moms office with her and Id sleep under her desk as she worked late. I didnt mind, I loved watching her in her element while I colored and would sneak into the presidents corner office to spin in his chair, dreaming.

And now, I draw so much energy from the folks who choose to work with Lions+Tigers. Im just in awe of their work, their energy and what they bring to our community. It makes everything so fulfilling.

Helping to develop technologies that will either take advantage of resources off-planet and therefore give Earth some relief, or that will help us treat our planet better is my vocation.

There are a lot of people on Earth, and we along with all the trillions of organisms with which we coexist are beginning to give our biosphere some significant growing pains. If we want to exist for another thousand (let alone another hundred) years we need to look outward for resources, space (no pun intended), and knowledge.

Finally, the poetic nature of working with technologies that are operating where only a choice few humans have gone before is exciting to me. Its humbling and empowering to be able to say, I tell satellites what to do!'

It may sound clich, but I really am inspired by how incredible our world is and of course, especially sea ice and the ocean. A small example: did you know flowers can grow on sea ice? Okay, theyre not normal flowers, but under certain conditions sea ice can form what are called frost flowers. They are beautiful, delicate structures made of ice filaments, and super salty. There are so many little things to get excited about.

Many places. But here are two: My brother Hayden, who spins poi balls, which is a flow art. Hes three years younger than I am and he started going to spin jams and flow festivals (think mini-Burning Man) and spinning fire when he was only 9 years old. There was no one else there his age. By doing this he showed me that it would also be possible for me to fit into a community of mostly adults. This inspired me and gave me the confidence to start going to hackathons and doing that has created so many opportunities for me.

Also, Marcus Yallow (a.k.a. w1n5t0n), the high-school-aged hacker from the books Little Brother and Homeland by Cory Doctorow.

My inspiration comes from the gap between what is and what can be. Its one of the most important things that I picked up from Bill and Melinda Gates during the time that I worked at the Gates Foundation. Technology is necessary but not sufficient for bridging that gap. And that leads right back to why I do what I do at WRF!

Sharing ideas with friends and colleagues, as well as my mementos.

If youre asking me, where do I find inspiration for the work that we do, I love observing and watching other industry. My favorites are grocery stores, department stores, and airports and hotels. I look to see how people are treating their customers, and if youre treating your customers well, they will love your product. That is where I get my inspiration for what our library is going to do and where were going to go.

Much of my inspiration comes from our customers and contributors and seeing the impact of the work we do at Microsoft Quantum. One of my favorite and most motivating moments so far on the Quantum team was spending time with attendees at last years Microsoft Ignite conference. For many it was the first time they were learning about quantum computing, and seeing their excitement and curiosity was incredibly energizing. I learned recently that we had a high school student contribute to our open source Quantum Katas (designed to teach quantum computing & the Q# programming language), and that they were so excited to be able to be able to contribute and get involved in quantum computing without an advanced degree. I cant help but smile and feel inspired by stories like that.

I love modern Japanese culture. I love how they understand so well their own culture that they can create new pieces of art or media that fit within their own vision of the world, but its completely new. You can instantly identify a Japanese game by just looking at a screen shot, even if it doesnt contain traditional Japanese culture, you see the influence of it. I want to do the same thing with my own culture, use it as input and create a completely new thing that the world hasnt seen before but it could only be created through a Mexican lens.

My father. His personal journey and sacrifice to come to the United States with basically nothing is the classic immigrant American dream story. But as a relatively new father I see things through a different lens. The opportunity he has afforded me and my family with his sacrifices is truly pressure to continue to achieve more in his honor.

Building small robots and sensors is hard, and in many cases nature does a much better job. For example a bee can fly around for hours longer than drones we can build. It certainly helps that evolution has a few million years head start on us, so lately Ive been thinking a lot about what we can learn from natural systems and about ways we can piggyback on their abilities to achieve things we couldnt otherwise build.

I search for moments of beauty in the world around me. The color of a leaf, the curve of a bone, the texture of a concrete wall, the lines of a building. I find these moments in nature, in the work of other artists, or even just walking down the street. When I find something that strikes me as beautiful, I seek to understand why I respond to it. What about this object, scene, or space is captivating? I then try to emulate these moments in my work, string them together to form a story, forge them into one cohesive whole that is more than the sum of its parts.

I love war stories and the extraordinary people who work in their studies pouring over research, scout the streets for information, and crawl in the trenches fighting to defend their country or cause.

The best business consultant Ive ever had is my 9-year-old daughter, Kira. Shes the one who first suggested this idea!

In all seriousness, the best ideas come to me when I travel. There are very few new ideas these days. But seeing how others are doing things and figuring out how to do it better, can often produce remarkable results.

The kids, always. I am frequently reminded of why I do the work I do when I think of the many children and their families I cared for as a pediatric oncologist.

I often think of one little boy who had leukemia, but as part of his treatment required radiation of his brain and spine. His mom who is so grateful he survived once told me that she saw the light go out of his eyes after that treatment.

The thought of the damage that our cures create is unacceptable. Weve got to do better.

Meet Rose, an adorable 70-year-old woman who was ready to retire. Rose was a teacher, diligently saving for her retirement for over 30 years, putting away every hard-earned penny she could. Except for one problem: Rose had never actually INVESTED that money. Rose had deposited money into an account but had never chosen her investments. She didnt know she needed to. Her money was in financial purgatory earning no interest, sitting there for 30 years, and never growing one bit. Rose could no longer afford to retire because she did not have enough money to sustain herself. I cry every time I think about her. She is my fuel. Every day since I heard her story, my life has been in service of womens financial education. I want to prevent women from having the same experience as Rose.

My inspiration comes from everywhere: talking with my friends, trying to find a new cafe, browsing at the local antique stores, art shows, poems, movies, games, and Twitch streaming. I try to have new things in my life as much as possible. I hope I finish making Pandemic soon so I can begin traveling again!

The ability to positively impact people at scale, especially in education, charges my engines. Especially in the space of assistive technology and accessibility, there is so much opportunity to help so many people. Because Microsoft is a company with global reach, amplifying that impact is about as motivating as it gets for me.

I decided to go to grad school to study fluid dynamics after seeing the vortical patterns in a bowl of miso soup and realizing that it was more interesting than what I was working on.

But seriously, mostly in my students and collaborators, who help me blur the line between work and play.

In my many friends and colleagues who pour their energy into creating a better future for everyone. Some are great activists/organizers, mentors/teachers, public science communicators, or brilliant scientists. They are willing to put themselves forward in one way or another. Theyve cemented for me the notion that we all have some role to play, big or small, whether out in front or behind the scenes, towards handling climate change.

Social media, mostly. I primarily use the programming language R for doing data science and there is a welcoming and vibrant community of R users on Twitter. I also follow a lot of artists on instagram and thats a great place to draw inspiration for my art.

Exercise clears my mind and the most creative moments of inspiration usually follow. Recently I was e-mountain biking in Alaska and suddenly it dawned on me that incorporating our focus on cybersecurity as a key competitive differentiator could make a positive impact on our prospecting and lead generation.

The rest is here:

Need a boost for the new year? Pacific Northwest geeks share the different things that inspire them - GeekWire

The elusive big bat is not something unique to the 2020 Atlanta Braves. In fact, for this pitching-rich club, its been almost an annual event that some hitter needed to be added. Heres a run-down of the biggest such deals.

1991 Terry Pendleton. Won the MVP for the National League this year and finished 2nd in 1992 with the best seasons he ever had. Was also a defensive standout, winning the Gold Glove (his third one) in 1992.

ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent to a 4-year, $10 million deal, which covered his age 30-33 seasons.

Atlanta also signed free agent Deion Sanders that same Winter after he was released by the Yankees.

1993 Fred McGriff. Acquired via trade from the San Diego Padres for 3 prospects. To say that Atlanta won this trade is a strong understatement. McGriff was an All-Star and generated 11.1 bWAR of production from 1993-97.

Really back in 1987, but arrived in 1995 Javy Lopez. Lopez was signed as an International free agent in 1987 and became established in the majors in 1994 as a 23-year-old. He hit 214 homers as a Braves through 2003.

1995 Marquis Grissom. Not exactly a big bat, but won 2 Gold Gloves in his 2 Atlanta Braves seasons while also hitting 23 homers in 1996 and getting some MVP consideration.

ACQUIRED: Traded from the Montreal Expos to Atlanta for Roberto Kelly, Tony Tarasco, and Esteban Yan.

Grissom was traded to Cleveland the next season for Kenny Lofton. That worked kinda for Atlanta, though Loftons steal numbers dropped from 75 (1996 with Cleveland) to 27 (1997). He returned to the Indians as a free agent the very next year and stole 54 bases.

1998 Andres Galarraga. Was only able to muster two full seasons as a Brave (1998 and 2000), but hit .300+ both seasons with big production (100+ RBI, 72 total homers). Was an All Star both years.

ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent once leaving the Rockies. Roughly 3 years, $25 million. Moved on to the Rangers after that.

1999 Brian Jordan. His best days were as a Cardinal, but still managed 9.9 bWAR from 1999-2001.

ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent from St. Louis for his age 32-34 seasons. Made $21.3 million in those seasons.

2002 Gary Sheffield. A healthy 11.2 bWAR with 64 homers and 216 RBI in just two tomahawking seasons during his age 33 and 34 seasons. One of the more feared hitters in baseball third base coaches tended to wander away from their post when he came to the plate.

ACQUIRED: Traded from the Dodgers to Atlanta for Andrew Brown, Brian Jordan, and Odalis Perez.

Winter of 2003: J.D. Drew. While he only was in Atlanta for one season, he made it count: this was Drews career year, bar none. An 8.3 bWAR was fueled by a 1.006 OPS, .305 average, 31 homers, and 93 RBI.

Yet with all that, he was only 6th in the MVP voting. Oh yeah there were guys named Bonds, Beltre, and Pujols above him (for starters).

ACQUIRED: Traded with Eli Marrero from St. Louis to the Braves for Ray King, Jason Marquis, and (sigh) Adam Wainwright. Thats a blockbuster deal right there.

July 2007: Mark Teixeira. Overall, the Georgia Tech alum did his job 6.1 bWAR over almost exactly one full season. But at this point, The Streak was broken, and the attempt to get things back on track with his addition failed.

Along the way, there were two of the most notorious trades in stream history.

ACQUIRED: via trade from Texas (with Ron Mahay) to the Braves for Beau Jones, Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. You might have heard of some of those guys.

DUMPED: via trade 364 days later to the Angels for Stephen Marak and Casey Kotchman.

Nov 2010: Dan Uggla. The Marlins were penny-pinching and refused to give Uggla what he wanted, so they sent him to the Braves, who did just that a 4 year extension worth $52 million that started in the 2012 season.

This started promising, but ended poorly: 4.5 bWAR in 2011 and 2012 (with 55 homers), but disaster after that.

ACQUIRED: from the Florida Marlins for Mike Dunn and Omar Infante.

Winter of 2012: B.J. (Melvin) Upton Jr. The hand-writing was on the wall for this one, and right away, Braves fans were kind of gritting their teeth in the hopes that this deal would work out in the end. It didnt.

Over 2 seasons of that contract (2013-14), Melvin produced a bWAR value of -1.8. It wasnt pretty.

ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent for a whopping 5 years and $75 million. The Braves talked San Diego into taking him (and Craig Kimbrel) in April of 2015 for some spare parts and Carlos Quentins contract.

About a month later: Justin Upton. B.J. wanted his brother to join him, so thats what happened.

Justin spent two seasons in Atlanta (2013-14), generating close to the kind of production that his brother should have done: 5.9 bWAR. This came with 55 homers, and roughly .820 OPS. He earned a Silver Slugger award in 2014 and made the All-Star team in 2015 as a Padre.

ACQUIRED: via trade with Arizona with Chris Johnson for Nick Ahmed, Randall Delgado, Brandon Drury, Martin Prado, and Zeke Spruill. An interesting deal for both sides.

TRADED to San Diego in December 2014 with Aaron Northcraft for Max Fried, Dustin Peterson, Jace Peterson, and Mallex Smith. This officially began The Rebuild Years.

Nov. 2018: Josh Donaldson. This was risky due to recent injury history, but it paid off for the Braves in a big way.

Donaldson led the team with 6.0 bWAR and his best season wince 2016. It was a pillow contract of one year to allow him to prove himself though $23 million makes an awfully comfortable pillow. 37 homers, .900 OPS and some MVP votes. Nice.

ACQUIRED: free agent signing, $23 million for 1 year.

2020: Marcell Ozuna. After waiting out for Donaldsons final call which landed him in Minnesota the Braves decided to turn to Ozuna to see if the same 1-year technique would work.

It did for at least the length of a 60 game season. This was Ozunas best year possibly ever, given pro-rated numbers (2.6 actual bWAR over the short year). His 1.007 OPS was certainly tops of his career and showed what a healthy shoulder would allow him to do.

ACQUIRED: free agent signing, $18 million for 1 year.

Thats the list so far: most of these were free-agent acquisitions along with a few trades some of those better than others.

The trick now is that the free-agent market is thin (Ozuna and Springer and few others), so the competition is likely to be fierce in January. But times getting late for the Atlanta Braves to make a move.

See the original post here:

Atlanta Braves big bats from the past and how they were acquired - Tomahawk Take

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury at his home during the NFL Draft on April 23, 2019. (Twitter photo/@AZCardinals)

It was a year.

Looking back on the early parts of 2020 is pulling back the curtains on another era of life.

A pandemic sports paused leagues, and here in the Valley, two blockbuster trades made it clear which teams own this town.

The Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns made big moves. Meanwhile, the pandemic made for weird times.

To look back before the new year, here is a collection of some of the most-read headlines we touch on those with strong ties to the news stories of the year on ArizonaSports.com in 2020.

Certainly, this headline would make no sense if you read it before March 2020.

The answer to this educated question posed by Vincent Bonsignore of theLas Vegas Review-Journal turned out to be yes. It just didnt come to fruition until before Week 13 of the NFL season.

Santa Clara County, home of the 49ers, declared in late November that large gatherings, including sports teams practices, were unsafe with rising coronavirus numbers in the area. So the 49ers relocated to play scheduled Week 13 and 14 home games in Arizona at State Farm Stadium.

The Niners will also close their year at State Farm Stadium.

They werent the only team that temporarily moved to Arizona during the pandemic.

Teams from New Mexico State, San Jose State and the NHLs San Jose Sharks also set up shop in the Grand Canyon State to keep their seasons alive as local government guidelines limited them from working at their respective home bases.

Phoenix Suns fan favorite Dan Majerle sued his former employer, Grand Canyon University, for a breach of contract. It was an ugly end to a successful run with the Antelopes.

The coach built the schools mens hoops program up as a competitive Division I team and went 136-89 in seven seasons there.

GCU was 13-17 before he was fired after his first losing season, and GCU later replaced Majerle with Bryce Drew.

Among the things that took on a new look during the pandemic was the NFL Draft. Instead of a planned in-person ceremony along the Las Vegas strip, commissioner Roger Goodell operated the draft from his basement.

Coaches, GMs and players participated in the draft over Zoom.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury set up his draft war room at his Paradise Valley mansion, and damn the views were nice.

Remember that lockdowns at the start of the coronavirus pandemic made getting out of the house a little harder?

Not for Suns guard Devin Booker and friend-but-nothing-more Kendall Jenner, who popped by a rest stop around a trip to Sedona.

The Kardashian curse was a real worry for Suns fans. So far, so good after the bubble run.

You can click the story and read about what David Johnson was referencing, but his history of cryptic social media messages bucketed his tweet as negative commentary about the Arizona Cardinals.

It came after the team traded Johnson to the Houston Texans.

Arizona used Johnson and a swap of draft picks to acquire DeAndre Hopkins, who enters the season finale as the NFLs third-leading receiver in yardage. More on him in a bit.

Johnson has amassed 607 rushing yards and 278 receiving yards with five combined touchdowns with the Texans this year.

Were coupling up these Suns items from Nov. 12 and Dec. 15 because they represent winds of change sweeping through the Valley.

Kelly Oubre Jr. had the unfortunate role of developing the Valley Boyz identity of a Suns team that just after using him to showcase their new jerseys flipped him in the Chris Paul trade.

Pauls arrival, a new practice facility and a renovated Phoenix Suns Arena represent what the team hopes is a change in status after a decade run without a playoff appearance.

The Suns were in the midst of a perfect bubble run that nearly got them into the NBA playoffs via a play-in when Warriors forward Draymond Green, working with the TNT crew, dug himself a $50,000 hole.

He called for Booker to leave Phoenix and find himself a winning team to play for.

That, as Ernie Johnson called in the moment, was defined as tampering by the NBA league office.

Hopkins let some free birds fly as he was driving his Ferrari to State Farm Stadium before the Cardinals squared off against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football.

Later, he told teammate Patrick Peterson on the All Things Covered Podcast that one driver in a Donald Trump parade had slammed on their brakes.

I really was about to do the peace sign to him, but this finger right here was kinda hurting, so it didnt make it up in time, Hopkins said.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety did not have a record of Hopkins being stopped for reckless driving or speeding after it was alleged by many on social media he was weaving dangerously in and out of traffic.

It sure does, J.J.

It was no surprise that the Texans moved on from head coach-slash-GM Bill OBrien after Houston got out to a rough start and clearly missed having one of the NFLs best pass-catchers to lean on.

Kobe Bryant and eight others, including his daughter Gianna, died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, shocking the sports world.

Steve Nash eloquently described what it was like as a Sun to compete with Bryant and later become teammates with the brash competitor on the Lakers.

If you need one clip of evidence that the Hopkins trade went well for Arizona, consider the Hail Murray catch to beat the Buffalo Bills exhibit A.

Murray rolled out for a desperate heave after the Bills scored a go-ahead touchdown, and with time expiring, Hopkins sucked the ball out of the air with three Buffalo defensive backs contesting his catch.

The imagery of his Jordan brand quintuple-XL gloves reaching above a mass of hands and arms went viral but as a non-Jordan athlete, Hopkins didnt get a cent.

Good thing he self-negotiated that contract extension with Arizona earlier on this year.

If theres one lesson about a pandemic, its that you should plan for everything and expect nothing to go as you thought it would.

The NBA was the first sports league to shutter with Rudy Goberts positive coronavirus test on March 11, and from there it was a guess as to how play would commence.

Meanwhile, the Suns were still expecting to move forward with arena renovations, so they set up shop at their original home, Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

While fans never got to see basketball games at the Madhouse on McDowell virtually or in person they instead got an even more unthinkable product with a Disney World bubble instead.

Finally, Booker got his well-deserved All-Star bid. It just came in a non-traditional way.

Damian Lillard injured himself days before the All-Star game and vouched for Booker to get the nod in his place. It ended up happening.

Booker canceled some vacation plans and instead played some hoop.

Not often do you get to see live video of a professional athlete finding out their season might be done with. Not ever.

Booker found out the NBA had been postponed while he was streaming online. It was a sign of the times, where athletes have found formats to let fans into their lives digitally.

Bookers gaming practices got more attention soon after as the country locked down. He defeated teammate Deandre Ayton in the title round of an NBA 2K tournament that aired in place of live sports on ESPN.

The Paul trade went from rumor to report to likely to happening over the course of a few weeks.

Even then, Suns fans apparently couldnt be more excited than to see Paul joining his new All-Star teammate.

It was a year in which sports did not avoid the topic of racism and inequality.

Nationally, games were canceled or postponed as Black athletes took a stand over police violence and overt instances of hate.

Locally, the story that was felt came from Arizona State. Sun Devil football players Jordan Clark, Nolan Matthews and T Lee took to social media to tell the story of their interaction with a racist woman at a Whataburger drive through.

The incident went viral, and Clarks father, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, spoke candidly and passionately about his perspective.

Go here to read the rest:

The top 16 ArizonaSports.com headlines of 2020 - Arizona Sports

Claire G. Coleman will publish Enclave in October.Credit:Joe Armao

After writing memoirs and a young adult novel, Alice Pung turns her hand to adult fiction with One Hundred Days (June, Black Inc.) about a teen whose mother confines her to their housing commission flat for 100 days. In Jesustown (August, A&U), Paul Daley follows a historian who leaves London after the accidental death of his son and travels to a former mission town in far north Australia. In Echolalia (June, Vintage), Briohny Doyle takes us to a fictional regional city beset by drought and the aftermath of a family tragedy. For a smile, try husband and wife Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist's Two Steps Onward (March, Text), a follow up to their Two Steps Forward.

The youngest person to be shortlisted for the Stella Prize, Jamie Marina Lau, follows her bamboozling debut Pink Mountain on Locust Island with Gunk Baby (May, Hachette), about a budding entrepreneur who opens an ear-cleaning business in the local mall. After winning the Stella Prize in 2015 with her debut The Strays, Emily Bitto will publish Menagerie (second half, A&U), which tells of a young man on a doomed American road trip. Following her poignant debut, The Last Migration, Charlotte McConaghy again takes the natural world as her subject in Once There Were Wolves (August, Hamish Hamilton). And more than a decade after publishing Fugitive Blue, Claire Thomas returns with a bang with a promised breakthrough novel The Performance (March, Hachette).

Author Alice Pung will publish her first adult novel, One Hundred Days.

Also expect new titles from: John Kinsella (Pushing Back, February, Transit Lounge), Trevor Shearston (The Beach Caves, February, Scribe), Pip Adams (Nothing to See, March, Giramondo), Stephen Orr (Sincerely, Ethel Malley, April, Wakefield Press), Debra Oswald (The Family Doctor, March, A&U), Nikki Gemmell (The Ripping Tree, April, Fourth Estate) and Kate Morton (untitled, second half, A&U).

It is a truth universally acknowledged that most journalists have a manuscript tucked away in the bottom drawer of their desks and it seems publishers have been busy enticing writers to move from fact to fiction. The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age writer Jacqueline Maley's first novel, The Truth About Her (April, Fourth Estate), follows journalist and single mother Suzy Hamilton who is troubled after the death of one of the subjects of her investigations. Also drawing on his day-job, journalist Barry Divola's Driving Stevie Fracasso (March, HarperCollins) is about a down-and-out music journalist tasked with driving his estranged ex-rock star brother from Texas to New York. Former Saturday Paper chief correspondent Martin McKenzie-Murray's The Speech Writer (Scribe, February) starts with the Prime Minister's ex-speechwriter in a high-security prison ghost writing letters for his cell mates. Wine writer Campbell Mattinson's We Were Not Men, about the relationship between twin brothers, is published by Fourth Estate in June.

As Jackson Pollock's Blue Poles approaches its 70th birthday, Angela O'Keeffe's intriguing debut, Night Blue (May, Transit), is told in the voice of the abstract painting. Neurodiverse author Madeleine Ryan's A Room Called Earth (March, Scribe) promises to "reveal something new about what it means to be a human trying to communicate with others".

Publishing newcomer Ultimo Press pins its hopes on Hannah Bents When Things Are Alive They Hum (second half) about two sisters and set in Hong Kong, London and China in the year 2000. Other works from fresh faces include Ella Baxter's New Animal (February, A&U), L.P McMahon's As Swallows Fly (March, Ventura), Emma Spurr's A Million Things (March, Text), Sophie Overett's The Rabbits (July, Michael Joseph) and Max Easton's Leaving the Plain (tbc, Giramondo)

Jacqueline Maley will publish her first novel, The Truth About Her, in April.Credit:Louise Kennerley

Look out for these short story collections: Adam Thompson (Born Into This, February, UQP), Te-Ping Chen (Land of Big Numbers, March, Scribner) Melissa Manning (Smokehouse, April, UQP), Chloe Wilson (Hold Your Fire, March, Simon & Schuster) and Paige Clark (She is Haunted and Other Stories, August, A&U).

In his first novel since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017, Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun (March, A&U) is about an "Artificial Friend" who waits for a customer to choose her. Jonathan Franzen will release what's been dubbed "the grandest sounding novel of 2021", A Key to All Mythologies: Crosswords (Fourth Estate, October), the first in a trilogy that will "span three generations and trace the inner life of our culture through to the present day".

Also polarising, but in prose rather than personality, Grief is a Thing with Feathers author Max Porter's The Death of Francis Bacon (February, A&U) about a dying painter. Similarly turning to art, Rachel Cusk publishes Second Place (May, A&U) about a woman who invites a famous artist to visit her in a remote coastal region.

Colson Whitehead's literary crime novel Harlem Shuffle is a family saga set in New York City of the early 1960s.Credit:Alamy

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead's literary crime novel Harlem Shuffle (September, Penguin Random House) is a family saga set in New York City in the early 1960s and in the same month Sebastian Faulks is due to release Snow Country (Vintage). After his Booker-shortlisted, Pulitzer Prize-winning The Overstory (yes, that really long book about trees), Richard Powers will release Bewilderment (September, William Heinemann) ,which takes our imperiled world as its subject. Jennifer Egan is also expected to have a new novel later in the year.

Keep your eyes peeled for: Viet Than Nguyen'sThe Committed (March, Corsair), his long awaited sequel to his Pulitzer-winning debut The Sympathiser; Lisa Harding's moving Bright Burning Things (March, Bloomsbury); Haruki Murakami's collection of eight short stories (First Person Singular, April, Harvill Secker) and Imbolo Mbue's second novel How Beautiful We Were (April, A&U).

British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun is out in March.Credit:Alastair Grant

Turning her hand to fiction after the international phenomenon that was Three Women, Lisa Taddeo's Animal (June, Bloomsbury) is about "one woman's exhilarating transformation from prey into predator". Other new voices to watch include: Caleb Azumah Nelson's Open Water about two black British artists falling in and out of love (February, Viking), Irish writer Una Mannion's A Crooked Tree (February, A&U) and Zakiya Dalila Harris' The Other Black Girl (June, Bloomsbury) which prompted a nine-way auction.

Scrublands author Chris Hammer gets better with each novel and his fourth, as yet untitled, is due out with A&U in the second half of the year. Sarah Bailey follows her bestselling The Dark Lake and Into the Night with Housemate (second half, A&U), the third in her Gemma Woodstock series. A former soldier and an Airbnb rental feature in Call Me Evie writer J.P. Pomare's The Last Guests (August, Hachette) and an arts journalist chasing a deadly scoop is the subject of Pip Drysdale's The Paris Affair (February, S&S).

When it comes to the Michaels, Michael Robotham has his first standalone thriller since The Secrets She Keeps with When You Are Mine (July, Hachette) and Michael Brissenden's Dead Letters (February, Hachette) moves from the streets of Sydney to the corridors of Canberra. Also keep an eye out for The Cry author Helen Fitzgerald's Ash Mountain (March, Affirm); Tasmanian writer Kyle Perry's second novel The Deep (July, Michael Joseph) and Beautiful Revolutionary writer Laura Elizabeth Woolletts The Newcomer (July, Scribe) about the murder of a young woman on Norfolk Island.

Sarah Bailey's third novel, Housemate, is out later this year.

There's no shortage of crime debuts, including novels by Banjo Prize-winner Elizabeth Flann (Dogs, January, HarperCollins), Kill Your Darlings publishing director Rebecca Starford (The Imitator, February, A&U) and Richell Prize-winning author Ruth McIver (I Shot the Devil, June, Hachette). Former professional snowboarder Allie Reynolds has a locked-room thriller set in the French Alps (Shiver, February, Hachette), Amy Suiter Clarke's Girl, 11 (May, Text) is led by a social worker turned true crime podcaster; John Byron's Sydney-set story follows a serial killer recreating scenes from the foundation text of modern anatomy (The Tribute, July, Affirm) and Peter Papathanasiou offers what could be our first fictional Greek-Australian detective (The Stoning, October, Transit).

The Natural Way of Things author Charlotte Wood's Inner Life (second half, A&U) develops an essay published in Spectrum about the creative process, inspiration and hard work. Rick Morton follows his acclaimed debut memoir One Hundred Years of Dirt with My Year of Living Vulnerably (March, HarperCollins) and Eggshell Skull writer Bri Lee's Brains (second half, A&U) explores the structural inequalities behind elite institutions.

After publishing feminist manifestos Fight Like A Girl and Boys Will Be Boys, Clementine Ford's How We Love (second half, A&U) is a deeply personal account of love, motherhood and her family. After a year dominating column inches, ABC's former chief economics correspondent Emma Alberici promises to Rewrite the Story (September, Hardie Grant). One of Australia's most famous playwrights, David Williamson, is set to release his as yet untitled autobiography (October, HarperCollins) as is Dick Smith, one of Australia's most famous businessmen (August, A&U).

Writer Bri Lee's Brains will be released in the second half of 2020.Credit:Wolter Peeters

Sexuality, gender and bodies continue to dominate, with no shortage in creative non-fiction that blends memoir, essay and cultural history. Look out for Sam van Zweden's Eating With My Mouth Open (February, NewSouth Books); Billy-Ray Belcourt's A History of My Brief Body (May, QUP), Lucia Osborne-Crowley's My Body Keeps Your Secrets (June, A&U) and Shane Jenek (aka Courtney Act)'s Gender, Sexuality and Growing Up Fluid (October, Pantera).

Other highlights include: Fiona Murphy's memoir about being deaf, The Shape of Sound (March, Text), writer Alison Croggon's Monsters (March, Scribe), Storm and Grace novelist Kathryn Heyman's Fury (May, A&U), Lech Blaine's Car Crash (March, Black Inc.), Sinead Stubbins' In My Defence, I Have No Defence (June, Affirm) and Yumiko Kadota's Emotional Female (March, Viking).

Writer, researcher and editor Evelyn Araluen's debut Dropbear (March, QUP) will blend poetry and essay.At Ventura, the standout is Christine Skyes' Gough And Me (May), about the authors relationship with Gough Whitlam who lived on her street in Cabramatta and whose political reforms shaped her life.

Politicians picking up the pen include Chris Bowen (On Charlatans, March, Hachette), Kate Ellis (Sex, Lies and Question Time, April, Hardie Grant), Scott Ludlam (Full Circle Power, May, Black Inc.), Mehreen Faruqi (July, A&U) and Julia Banks (Power Play, August, Hardie Grant).

American actor Will Smith will share his life story in a biography due out in September.Credit:Jason Merritt

Blockbuster releases are expected from actor Sharon Stone (The Beauty of Living Twice, April, A&U), Chelsea Manning (untitled, May, Bodley Head) and actors Stanley Tucci (Taste, Fig Tree, July) and Will Smith (Will, September, Century).

Nearly 15 years after Fun Home proved what the graphic novel can do, Alison Bechdel has The Secret to Superhuman Strength (April, Houghton Mifflin) about fitness fads and exercise obsessions.

Chelsea Manning has an autobiography out in May.Credit:AP

On the way are two biographies of Australia's 30th Prime Minister Scott Morrison by political reporters Annika Smethurst (The Accidental PM, July, Hachette) and Sean Kelly (Scott Morrison: A political portrait, October, Black Inc.) New Zealand's Prime Minister also goes under the microscope in Supriya Vani and Carl A. Harte's Jacinda Ardern: Leading with Empathy (May, Hardie Grant).

Journalist Paddy Manning offers the first Australian biography of Lachlan Murdoch, the eldest son of Rupert Murdoch and expected heir to his empire, with Sly Fox (November, Black Inc.). Stephen Chavura and Greg Melleuish have a new account of Australia's longest-serving prime minister The Forgotten Menzies (May, MUP).

Journalist Santilla Chingaipe tells the stories of convicts of African descent transported to the Australian penal colonies in Black Convict out in July.

Historian Henry Reynolds looks to the question of First Nations sovereignty and argues for the importance of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in Truth-Telling (February, NewSouth). After discovering the involvement of his relatives, David Marr blends the personal and historical in A Family Business (October, Black Inc.) about Queensland's frontier massacres in the 19th century. Journalist Santilla Chingaipe tells the stories of convicts of African descent transported to the Australian penal colonies in Black Convict (July, Picador).

The prolific Tom Keneally recounts the story of how a Luger from World War I ended up being involved in the death of an IRA turncoat in NSW in 1933 in Corporal Hitler's Pistol (August, Vintage). Other dives into Australian history include: David Hunt's Girt Nation (November, Black Inc.), his third instalment after Girt and True Girt; Stuart Macintyre's The Party (second half, A&U) about the Cold War period, the sequel to his 1998 history of the Communist Party of Australia, The Reds; Matt Murphy's exploration of booze in colonial Australia (Rum, June, HarperCollins) and Guy Hull's account of foreign animal species The Ferals (July, Harper Collins).

Rebecca Wilson tells the story of Ned Kelly's sister in full for the first time in Kate Kelly (February, A&U) and Ian Hoskins has the first work to explore Australia's relationship with the Pacific region from the arrival of humans more than 60,000 years ago in Australia and the Pacific (June, New South).

Robert Wainwright will publish a biography of Nellie Melba.Credit:National Library of Australia

Turning to culture, Eleanor Hogan has a biography of writers Daisy Bates and Ernestine Hill (Into the Loneliness, March, NewSouth) and Joyce Morgan details the life of Sydney author Elizabeth von Arnim who is having something of a resurgence after one of her books was mentioned in Downtown Abbey in The Countless from Kirribilli (July, A&U). Robert Wainwright will release a biography of soprano Nellie Melba (The Diva and the Duc, second half, A&U) and Evelyn Juers takes to the stage with Philippa Cullen in The Dancer (tbc, Giramondo).

Also look out for: Simon Winchester's history of land ownership (Land, February, HarperCollins); Frances Wilson's Burning Man: The Ascent of DH Lawrence (Bloomsbury, May); Andrew Morton on royal sisters Elizabeth and Margaret (April, Hardie Grant) and Katie Booth's revisionary biography of Alexander Graham Bell, The Invention of Miracles (April, Scribe).

After cleaning up awards with her 2019 book The Trauma Cleaner, Sarah Krasnostein's The Believer (March, Text) weaves together the stories of six people and their faith and convictions. Journalist Stan Grant's latest, With the Falling of the Dusk (April, HarperCollins), is about the challenges facing our world. After his international blockbuster The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben returns with The Heartbeat of Trees (June, Black Inc.). Tobias McCorkell looks at Australia's relationship with class in essays Cop This Lot (May, Scribe); Randa Abdel-Fattah's Coming of Age in the War on Terror (February, New South) explores the world post 9/11 as the generation born at the time of the attacks turns 18and Carly Findlay edits the latest in the Growing Up series, Growing Up Disabled (February, Black Inc.).

Mark McKenna's Return to Uluru (March, Black Inc.) takes as its starting point the 1934 shooting at Uluru of Aboriginal man Yokunnuna by white policeman Bill McKinnon; Mick Warner looks at the power and politics of AFL in The Boys' Club (June, Hachette) and The Australian's foreign editor Greg Sheridan follows Good is Good for You with Christians (August, A&U). Helen Garner is also expected to have a new non-fiction work out with Text later this year.

Author Randa Abdel-Fattah's Coming of Age in the War on Terror is out in February.

Books about last year's bushfires will also hit the shelves, including: Michael Rowland's edited collection of essays by ABC journalists, Black Summer (January, ABC Books); philosopher Danielle Celermajer's essays Summertime (February, Hamish Hamilton); science writer John Pickrell's Flames of Extinction (March, NewSouth); journalist Bronwyn Adcock's Currowan (August, Black Inc.) and former NSW Fire and Rescue commissioner Greg Mullins' Firestorm (September, Viking Australia).

Writers investigating human interaction with the natural world include Bill Gates (How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, February, Allen Lane); Richard Beasley (Dead in the Water, February, A&U); Jonica Newby (Beyond Climate Grief, NewSouth); Michael E. Mann (The New Climate War, February, Scribe); Gabrielle Chan (Why You Should Give a F--- about Farming, August, Vintage); and Ian Lowe (Long Half Life, August, Monash).

In politics, Peter van Onselen and Wayne Errington grade Scott Morrison in How Good is Scott Morrison? (March, Hachette), Zoe Daniel and Roscoe Whalan explore how the Trump presidency has changed the world (February, ABC Books) and former press gallery journalist Kerry-Anne Walsh considers the division between Church and state with In God's Name (second half, A&U).

Elsewhere in current affairs, Trevor Watson and Melissa Roberts edit a collection of essays from foreign correspondents in The Beijing Bureau (May, Hardie Grant); Nicholas Jose and Benjamin Madden edit Antipodean China (February, Giramondo), an anthology of writing by Australian and Chinese authors and academic David Brophy has China Panic out through La Trobe in June.

Stan Grant's latest non-fiction book, The Falling of Dusk, is released in April.Credit:Louie Douvis

If we can't go on cruises, we can at least read about the reason why in Duncan McNab's The Ruby Princess (February, Macmillan). Also speaking to COVID-19 times, are economist Ross Garnaut's Reset (Februrary, La Trobe), Hugh McKay's The Loving Country (May, A&U) and everyone's favourite medical expert Norman Swan in So You Think You Know What's Good for You (July, Hachette).

On gender, power and feminism try: Koa Beck's White Feminism (February, S&S) Isabel Allende's The Soul of a Woman (March, Bloomsbury), and Zareh Ghazarian and Katrina Lee-Koo's collection Gender Politics: Navigating Political Leadership in Australia (May, NewSouth).

Isabel Allende's non-fiction book, The Soul of a Woman, is out in March.

There's also a new book from former FBI director James Comey (Saving Justice, January, Macmillan), George Saunders' guide to seven classic Russian short stories (A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, February, Bloomsbury), Jordan Peterson's already controversial Beyond Order: 12 more rules for life (March, Allen Lane), Julie K.Brown's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, Perversion of Justice (May, HarperCollins) and Johann Hari's Lost Focus (October, Bloomsbury) about our addictions to phones, social media and television.

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Melanie Kembrey is Culture Deputy Editor at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

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The most anticipated books of 2021 - Sydney Morning Herald