NO ! SPEC

NO!SPEC is a web site dedicated to exposing and encouraging creatives to avoid the unethical practice of speculative work.

In no other field are professionals asked to invest time and effort only to be rewarded with the possibility of being paid later. You can't go into a restaurant and pay only if you enjoy your meal. You can't hold a contest for accountants to prepare your taxes and pay ony person who does the "best" job. You won't find a surgeon who will operate on you because you can provide them with "great exposure." Creative individuals shouldn't be offered work this way either.

Any artist, illustrator or designer who values their work should be opposed to speculative work, design "contests", the low paying jobs that offer "great exposure" and. Giving your work away for free or for below market value not only devalues your work, but the work of everyone else in the field. The time spent on spec work, entering logo design "contests" or working for "exposure" would be beter spent on self-promotion, networking or honing your skills.

Whne it comes to doing work without getting paid, follow Nancy Reagan's advice and just say no.

Hot Stove Baseball

The waiting 'til next year kicks into high gear Tuesday. Nov. 13 is the first day teams can discuss money with free agents. Hopefully, the Mets will begin putting together a team that will help fans (like myself) forget that they blew a 7-game lead with 17 to play.

They need to improve their starting rotation and bullpen, both of which were awful the last month of the season. While Johan Santana would be nice, I doubt that the Mets have the prospects to trade to get him.

There are holes at Second Base and Catcher. I wouldn't mind seeing Luis Castillo and Paul LoDuca return. While Castillo is a good bet to return, LoDuca isn't. How are they going to replace the fire he brings to the team? Of course, he is a 34 year old catcher. Getting younger is a good idea, meaning they shouldn't pursue Jorge Posada, who is older than LoDuca, even though he is coming off a career year.

And of course, there seems to be all sorts of rumors regarding A-Rod. I really don't think they need him, unless you can unload Carlos Delgado and slide the throwing error-prone gold glover David Wright to First Base. I doun't think that is going to happen.

That's the great thing about baseball. Even afetr a disastrous end to last season I'm now beginning to look forward to next year. Beginning to build up hope. Hope that will reach its zenith around April and ebb and flow until the early fall when it will inevitably be crushed again.