Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 March 1

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Today's featured article
The posting system is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and the United States' Major League Baseball (MLB). Despite the drafting of the United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement in 1967 designed to regulate NPB players moving to MLB, problems arose in the late 1990s. Some NPB teams lost star players without compensation, an issue highlighted when NPB stars Hideo Nomo and Alfonso Soriano left to play in MLB after using loopholes to void their existing contracts. A further problem was that NPB players had very little negotiating power if their teams decided to deal them to MLB. In 1998, the Agreement was rewritten to address both problems and was dubbed the "posting system". Under this system, when an NPB player is "posted", MLB holds a four-day-long silent auction during which MLB teams can submit sealed bids in an attempt to win the exclusive rights to negotiate with the player. If the MLB team with the winning bid and the NPB player agree on contract terms before the 30-day period has expired, the NPB team receives the bid amount as a transfer fee, and the player is free to play in MLB. (more...) Recently featured: Frederick III – Mount Cayley volcanic field – Dustbin Baby Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that St Faith's Church, Little Witchingham, (pictured) in Norfolk had fallen into ruin by the time its medieval wall paintings were rediscovered in 1967? ... that the petite endangered cactus Escobaria minima bears 1.5-cm long flowers that may be larger than the cactus body itself, and fruits no more than 6 mm in length? ... that RSBY, the National Health Insurance Programme of India, offers cashless health insurance of up to 30,000 to the poor for just 30? ... that American singer Missy Elliott received the Grammy Award for Best Female Rap Solo Performance both years it was presented? ... that Gulliver's Travels is reportedly the only book read by comedy writer Bill Dare, creator of BBC satirical radio comedy Brian Gulliver's Travels, while he was at university? ... that despite trailing by 20 points after half-time in the 1987 UAAP men's basketball finals, the Ateneo Blue Eagles rallied and won the championship? ... that during the 2010 Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival in Des Moines, Iowa, the 600 guests ate approximately 30,000 strips of bacon? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Tom Hooper The King's Speech wins four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Tom Hooper (pictured), at the 83rd Academy Awards. Beji Caid el Sebsi becomes Prime Minister of Tunisia after Mohamed Ghannouchi resigns amid ongoing protests. Fine Gael, led by Enda Kenny, wins a plurality in the Irish general election. Amid crackdowns on protesters, the UN Security Council refers the situation in Libya to the International Criminal Court and imposes sanctions on Muammar Gaddafi. Russia launches the first GLONASS-K satellite, intended as part of the GLONASS global navigation satellite system. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
March 1: Saint David's Day in Wales 1633 – Samuel de Champlain reclaimed his role as commander of New France on behalf of Cardinal Richelieu. 1692 – Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba were brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts, beginning the Salem witch trials. 1811 – Muhammad Ali Pasha (pictured), Wāli of the Ottoman province of Egypt, killed the leaders of the Mamluk Sultanate to seize power, founding a dynasty that would last until 1952. 1958 – Archbishop of Chicago Samuel Stritch was appointed Pro-Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of Faith, thus becoming the first American to head a dicastery of the Roman Curia. 2007 – Danish police forcibly evicted squatters from the Ungdomshuset in Copenhagen, prompting widespread rioting that would result in 690 arrests in three days. More anniversaries: February 28 – March 1 – March 2 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now March 1 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The lower curtain of Russell Falls, a waterfall on the eastern boundary of Mount Field National Park, in Tasmania, Australia, 100 metres (330 ft) downstream from Horseshoe Falls. Accessible by a paved walking track, the falls are a popular tourist attraction.

Photo: JJ Harrison

Recently featured: Sharpshooter insect – Sir George Colley at the Battle of Majuba Hill – Fort Baker, California

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