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Brewers lose to Twins, game delayed after fan fall

By WTOP Staff

GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Trying to rally past the Minnesota Twins became of little concern to the Milwaukee Brewers after a fan fell into their bullpen Tuesday night.

The man was motionless for some nervous moments, and reliever Brandon Kintzler thought the fan had died.

Medical personnel rushed to the scene and the man regained consciousness before being carted off on a stretcher, delaying the start of the eighth inning of the Brewers’ 6-4 loss to Minnesota.

“He didn’t move for a few minutes. I thought he was dead,” Kintzler said. The fan fell before he started warming up to enter the game, and Kintzler had to take his practice tosses with paramedics and security still in the bullpen.

“They’re basically giving this guy CPR and doing all this stuff. You’re trying to warm up is not the best thing to do at the time,” Kintzler said.

Eventually, the man began moving his fingers, Kintzler said. Medical personnel brought him through the bullpen door in left-center and loaded him on to the cart. He appeared to have a brace around his neck, and a white bandage wrapped around his forehead.

The man fell from a dining area roughly 15 feet above the bullpen that is lined with a metal railing about four feet high. Kintzler suspected he was initially caught by netting above the bullpen.

“We were just sitting there when (bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel) yelled ‘Oh gosh’ and all of a sudden you see the net come flying down,” Kintzler said. “I think the net caught him and then he just face planted.”

The Brewers said the fan was conscious and alert, and was being taken to Froedtert Hospital.

“I actually was standing in the dugout right in the corner and a guy had his radio on and I heard somebody fell,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “But hopefully — I heard the guy’s OK. Probably a little beaten up. Yeah, that’s a scary moment.”

Both teams hoped for the best following a game highlighted by Josh Willingham’s three-run homer in the third off Yovani Gallardo (3-4) for a 4-1 lead.

Twins closer Glen Perkins gave Milwaukee a chance by walking the first two batters in the ninth. A run scored on Ryan Braun’s sacrifice fly to the warning track in right before Carlos Gomez struck out for the final out, allowing Perkins to salvage his 15th save.

Perkins held on after Samuel Deduno (2-3) tossed five bumpy innings, allowing two runs and six hits with four walks. The right-hander benefited from three double plays, two of which ended innings with runners in scoring position.

“You need those. If you’re going to walk people, you damn sure better get ground balls and get double plays,” Gardenhire said.

Brian Dozier hit a two-run homer in the fifth into the Brewers’ bullpen for a 6-2 lead. He finished 3 for 3 with a walk.

Minnesota left Milwaukee with a split of two games before the interleague home-and-home series moves to Target Field for two more contests. Willingham hit three homers and drove in seven runs during the five-game road trip against the Yankees and Brewers.

The way Willingham has been swinging the bat, it makes it easy to forget he had a left wrist injury that kept him out of the lineup for nearly seven weeks. All four of the outfielder’s home runs have come since he returned from the disabled list May 26.

Willingham’s latest homer came on a first-pitch slider from Gallardo, who labored through his worst outing of the season. The righty allowed six runs and eight hits in five innings.

“Since the first inning, I was battling with my mechanics,” Gallardo said. “The more frustrating thing is it was the total opposite from the bullpen. I warmed up before the game, everything was there, and then I go out there and get out of it.”

NOTES: Twins rookie Danny Santana led off for the second time in a week. Gardenhire said he was giving Santana, who was hitting .375, a try atop the order to drum up offense. … The Brewers plan to activate 3B Aramis Ramirez (hamstring) off the disabled list for Wednesday’s game at Minnesota, where he will serve as the designated hitter for his first game back. … Minnesota’s Ricky Nolasco (3-5) faces Milwaukee’s Marco Estrada (5-2) on Wednesday.

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Follow Genaro Armas at http://twitter.com/GArmasAP

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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