Today, I read on the Yahoo Sports Fantasy page a bit of speculation that Philadelphia Eagles' wide receiver Terrell Owens could be heading to the Oakland Raiders. The very short piece was distributed by RotoWire.com, and it cited ABC Sports as its original source. There were not very many details given, but the gist of the report is that the Eagles are rumored to be negotiating with the Raiders regarding an Owens for Jerry Porter trade. This, of course, would put the league's two best receivers, Owens and Randy Moss, on the same team.
Although Terrell Owens has made it abundantly clear that he wants his current Eagles contract restructured, this particular talk of him landing with the Raiders is still very much in the rumor stage. Nevertheless, it brings up an interesting question regarding star athletes and team sports. Can two legitimate superstars peacefully coexist on the same team without any problems? Can this happen when they play the same position? Let's look at a couple of other examples.
In the NBA, the most recent example of two bona-fide superstars playing on the same team would have to be Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to O'Neal's departure for Miami this season, O'Neal and Bryant were teammates for many years in Los Angeles. During that time, they made no secret of their dislike for each other. They tried to put their differences aside for the sake of the team, and did manage to win 3 championships in their time together. However, the locker room bickering and public swipes at each other through the media ultimately became too much to handle. It was clear that one of them had to go. Lakers' management decided that Kobe was their key to the future, so this season found Shaq in a Miami uniform.
Contrast that situation in Los Angeles with the current situation in New York. Last season, the Yankees acquired Alex Rodriguez, arguably the best shortstop in the major leagues, a mere three years into his record-setting contract with the Texas Rangers. The problem was the Yankees still had Derek Jeter, who is a great shortstop in his own right, and is the captain of the team. There wasn't much of a controversy, however, after Rodriguez graciously acknowledged that the Yankees are Jeter's team, and offered to play third base before the media attention to the situation became too frenzied. So far, while there have been grumbling from Yankees players behind the scenes about Rodriguez' off-field attitude, the two superstars have been able to coexist pretty well.
But can Randy Moss and Terrell Owens get along if this latest trade rumor proves to be true? I'm going to go on record here and say no. Moss and Owens appear to have vastly different work ethics. Moss is known as being a guy who takes plays off and doesn't give 100% every time he's on the field, while Owens is known for playing injured in order to help his team. I think their personalities will clash, and it could get ugly. Stay tuned to see what happens!
by Melissa Popp
After Malcolm Glazer acquired the richest soccer team in the world, one question remained, what is the future of Manchester United? Will the fans ever be at peace with the purchase? Will Glazer ever allow for more control and input form the fans? Will the team ever return to the London Stock Exchange? The future of Manchester United is uncertain, for sure, for Glazer and most of all for the fans.
So far, the Glazer family has declined to comment on what it wants to do with the team. Some say they will attempt to capitalize on the team's popularity around the world, most notably in
The latter point is something the entire Glazer family has remained committed to. In numerous outings, Glazer himself has said that he will remain loyal to the Buccaneers. During a May 16 press conference, Glazer and Buccaneer's head coach Bruce Allen stated that new part of the team was used in the purchase of Manchester United. Though, such a tactic would have no doubt caused controversy overseas, it is doubtful that anybody in
While the NFL has yet to discuss whether or not the purchase of the soccer club violates its cross-ownership restrictions, discussions have begun to prevent such a purchase from disrupting the NFL and its own bylaws. Originally, the cross-ownership restriction prevented team owners from purchasing any type of sports team in a NFL city; this would stop team owners from holding a sports conglomerate in any one city in the
Another problem arises from the NFL bylaws due to its strict anti-gambling policies. Manchester United, as a company, owns casinos in both
Speculation has arisen that Glazer will try and break free from the English Premiership's television rights. Since it would take 14 of the 20 teams that agreed to the original relationship to change the rights, it remains doubtful that Glazer could pull off such a change in rights. Since television would be one of the most profitable ways to increase the club's financial standings, Glazer just might try and fight the uphill battle to change the way the rights work. However, the last time Manchester United tried to do so, they were defeated 19 to 1 at the bargaining table.
On
The future of Manchester United is now in full control of the Glazer family, and it remains to be seen what impact this will have on the team, the fans and the players themselves. One thing is for certain, though, Malcolm Glazer is one shrewd businessman that just brought himself into the fire of Manchester United's fans and fans do not forgive misgivings easily.
by Melissa Popp
Controversy has broken out over the recent acquisition of European football club Manchester United by American tycoon Malcolm Glazer. Glazer currently owns the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Currently, he has investments firmly placed in everything from food service to broadcasting to real estate. It is in the sporting world where Glazer has found minimal success in expanding his empire until now.
When Glazer bought the Buccaneers in 1995, for roughly $192 million, most thought the team would flounder under his business dealings. However, after winning the 2003 Super Bowl, the team is worth an estimated $675 million. This winning streak encouraged Glazer to make an eventually failing bid for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers.
After a year of acquiring stocks in whatever way he could, Glazer found himself with the controlling share of Manchester United after a $1.47 billion spending spress. Since United is a publically controlled team, his takeover attempt did not sit well with fans and others who have a vested interest in the team. After all, United is the richest soccer club in the world, and its fans are one such reason for this.
Glazer's first attempts to buy out the team in 2004 failed due to opposition from the fans. Since Glazer attempted to buy the team from loans he took out, shareholders believed this was an insecure attempt at a bid for the team. After several protested from United fans, including a nasty field invasion during a match and an American flag being burned, Glazer backed down for a few months before attempting the take over again.
Beginning in October of 2004, Glazer slowly began acquiring stocks, starting out from 28%. He sat under the radar until February 2005 when he began his purchasing anew. Action was demanded by fans who believed the takeover of the publically traded company would be the downfall of Manchester United. However, Shareholders United, the union of shareholders in the team could not convince its board to stop the sale of their stocks to Glazer. While they staged many forms of protest, they could not stop Glazer from acquiring the stocks he so desperately sought.
On
Four days later, Glazer secured the 75% threshold needed to delist the team from the London Stock Exchange which was done within hours of the purchase. Glazer had promised to do it from the very beginning, which was another reason that fans protested against his bid. One of the unifying factors of the team's support base is that it is a publically owned, operated and controlled team. Now, in just a matter of a year and a half, the fans no longer were a part of Manchester United's operations.
by Melissa Popp
When we last left off, we discussed the end of Pele's soccer career. Now, we move on to what he did after soccer and how he changed the fact of sport forever not only in his home country but around the world.
Retiring from the sport didn't mean that Pele went away for good. He wouldn't have had it that way. Instead, he focused his efforts on sports education and charity work around the world. A proud donator and sponsor of UNICEF, he is the spokesperson for a charity centered on erectile dysfunction. His nickname brought recognition to the disease and helped raise millions of dollars for research, medicine and education.
In 1995, then Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso appointed Pele Minister of Sports. He spent years promoting sport in
Pele has won many accolades during his career. He was named soccer player of the century by FIFA in 2000. It was also in this year that he earned the Laureus World Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented to him by Nelson Mandela. He was also voted athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999. His outreach around the world and bringing the game of soccer earned him an honorary British title from the Queen of England. He also received the Gold Medal, one of the highest Brazilian honors, for his charity work and time playing soccer.
He is third place in the list of all-time goal scorers in World Cup competition with 12 goals. He is also the only player in history to hold three World Cup championships with the same tea. Ending his career with 1281 total goals in only 1363 matches also makes him the most prolific goal scorer in the sport. Keep in mind that during his time at
Other, lesser known facts about Pele include that he is the first athlete to appear in a video game. Pele's Soccer for the Atari 2600 was a state of the art game for its time and was one of the only sports games of the time. Pele was also one of the first black people to be featured on cover of Life magazine at a time when the world was still divided by color. In 1970, during the height of his career, a 48 hour ceasefire was granted between factions in the civil war brewing in
As one of the greatest players in Brazilian soccer, the country declared him an official national treasure after the 1962 World Cup. Many European clubs were offering him more money ever seen in the sport, each time he declined, but
Pele brought to the sport of soccer a sense of heart. His passion, his dedication and his energy inspired countless generations of soccer players to lay it all on the line on the field. Without Pele, the heart of the sport would be buried under money, championships and takeovers. Pele cemented in stone the passion behind the sport, from the fans to the players, Pele is the sole reason the sport of soccer has a heart. This alone makes him the greatest athlete in the history of the sport.
by Melissa Popp
Edson Arantes do Nascimento never dreamed in a million years that he would be considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. Pele, as he is more widely known, is considered by some to be the epitome of talent, luck and skill on the field. Adored by millions, Pele's legacy still lives on as he was named in 2004 to FIFA's list of top 100 soccer players of all time.
Nascimento was born in Mias Gerais,
In 1958, Pele went on with the Brazilian national team to battle for the World Cup. While
Pele finally saw World Cup glory in 1962 and again in 1970. The 1970, often considered the greatest World Cup team to ever compete on the international stage, showed his talent matched by the likes of legends Rivelino and Jairzinho. During the 1970 World Cup brackets, Pele saw the most playing time due to lack of injury. Previously, in the 1962 and 1966 World Cup races, Pele was plagued by injuries that saw him warming the bench for most of the tournaments.
Retirement from Brazilian football in late 1974, Pele traveled to
His last game of soccer was played on
The 2005 Gravity Games are taking place right now in the town of Woodward in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Camp Woodward is a spacious facility that marks a departure from the types of venues that the Gravity Games has utilized in the past. For example, instead of the Freestyle Motocross (FMX) competition taking place inside an closed area with stadium-style seating for the fans, this year's course is out in a wide open area. Instead of sitting in seats, fans just pick a spot on the grass and sprawl on blankets while watching.
The Summer Gravity Games will make two stops. The first one is at Camp Woodward and ends today, June 30. The second stop will be at the FDR Skatepark in Philadelphia, PA from July 11-13. The events being run at Camp Woodward include FMX, FMX Best Trick, Skate Vert, Skate Vert Best Trick, Bike (BMX) Vert, and Bike Vert Best Trick. When the action moves to Philadelphia, fans will be able to see Skate Part, Skate Street, Bike Park, and Bike Dirt events.
In the FMX events, "Cowboy" Kenny Bartram, Ronnie Renner, and Jeremy Stenberg dominated. Bartram, who is a veteran on the FMX tour, scored a 96.2 in the FMX Finals, which was good enough to take the gold medal. Jeremy Stenberg was a distant second with a score of 90.2, and Ronnie Renner took bronze with a score of 88.4. In the FMX Best Trick competition, the same three riders filled out the podium, just with the first and third place finishers exchanging places. This time Renner took gold with an incredible whip in which Renner was almost completely inverted. Stenberg maintained his hold on second, and Bartram snapped up the bronze.
I like this new venue. Granted, it doesn't make the event look very good in still photos because the fans are so spread out. It actually looks like there are just a few people there. Even so, I personally would love to attend an event where I didn't have to spend three hours parked in a hard, narrow chair while craning my neck the whole time to try to see around the person in front of me and while trying not to get annoyed with the little kid kicking the back of my seat. It would just be more relaxing and enjoyable overall.
While I applaud the organizers of the Gravity Games for moving in what I think is the right direction, they still have a long way to go to live up to the standards set by their rival, The X-Games. First of all, the Gravity Games should add a few more events to fill out their schedule. Right now, it looks pretty thin. The current lineup would not be enough to compel me to travel in order to see the Games. If they want to draw crowds similar to the X-Games, then they have to give fans more to see. Second, they need to make their results more widely available for those who don't have an opportunity to attend in person. If you check the official website now, you will see results from two days ago; there is nothing more recent. That's unacceptable in the Internet age. Once they work these problems out, though, I think we will have a good alternative or complement to X.
As Major League Baseball approaches the halfway mark of the 2005 season, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds has yet to make a single appearance in a game. The 41-year-old outfielder has been on the disabled list since spring training, after having undergone several knee operations during the past offseason. The question I would like to ask is, does anyone miss him?
Ok - at first glance this might be a bit harsh. Bonds has, after all, won the National League Most Valuable Player award an incredible 7 times, and is the current home run king with 73 (2001 season). He also has 8 Gold Glove awards to go with his MVP trophies, and even a couple of ESPY awards, one for sports Moment of the Year, and one for Male Athlete of the year. But even with these credentials backing Bonds up, I just don't like him.
Sure, I admit it: I'm speaking from a biased viewpoint. After all, I am a diehard Chicago Cubs fan, and I don't like very many players from opposing teams. This is especially true when that opposing player does well against the Cubs, which Bonds seems to always do. But am I alone in missing Bonds? I don't think so. Of course I am sure that Giants fans are counting down the days until Bonds returns to the lineup.
The Giants are a dismal 12 games under the .500 mark so far this season and are 9.5 games behind the San Diego Padres in the NL West division. The Giants rank 22nd in the Majors in team batting, with a combined average of .273. Perhaps more tellingly, the Giants are a lowly 26th (out of 30 teams) in the league in team home runs with just 62. Only 7 home runs separate them from the last place Seattle Mariners. The Texas Rangers lead the league with 120 home runs, which is almost twice the Giants' total. So there's no doubt that the fans at SBC Park are missing Bonds' big bat.
But the absence of Bonds this year has allowed baseball's spotlight to shine in other places. Fans around the country now have a chance to appreciate emerging hitters like Brian Roberts and Derrick Lee. Atlanta Braves veteran Andruw Jones is leading the league in homers with 25, and Lee, Cliff Floyd, and Alex Rodriguez are right behind him. I am enjoying the closer batting competition as far as home runs and average goes. I think a lot of fans are with me on this.
Bonds' future for this season remains uncertain. He has had a few setbacks as far as his rehab schedule is concerned, and no one seems to want to predict when he will be ready to play ball again. He was recently asked about whether or not he would play beyond the 2006 season, when his contract with the Giants expires. Bonds replied that if he were close to Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, he would probably try to play. Right now, Bonds trails Aaron by 52. We'll see if he can get there.
Are you looking for a new work-out routine that will get your blood rushing and the pounds dropping? Well... that cannot possibly happen in just one work-out, but it can sure feel like it! This article will provide a work-out designed from scratch to really get you working up a sweat and toning up your muscles.
Though before you start this exercise routine, make sure that you are already in good physical health, as with any other sort of sport. Also make sure that you have an exceptional endurance, because this work-out will raise the bar on the challenge level, it isn't your sweet 10 minute miracle work-out. You have to work hard to get a great body, and that is what this work-out will do.
Incase a lot of you are not aware the USDA made a new law/rule (whatever you want to call it) that the exercise time frame should be bumped up to 60-90 minutes instead of the typical 30 minutes, though I will say right here and right now, any kind of exercise is better than none at all... so get in all that you can.
Alright, now we have those things covered, let's get to the work-out already! So are you ready? Make sure you are hydrated, but not filled, and never exercise right after you get done eating. Alright, alright I'm finished now. This is a 35 minute work-out, switching intervals of low-impact and high-impact exercises along with strength training and aerobics to give you the benefits of both worlds, though it only is 35 minutes it is a pretty beneficial work-out that I made up for myself, and now I can share it with you!
1 minute: Jumping Jacks at a moderate pace
1 minute: Bend over gently and try to touch your toes keeping your legs straight
1 minute: spread both of your legs out a little bit past shoulder length and do lunges from side to side
1 minute: do squats, and make sure that your behind does not go past your knees
1 minute: do lunges again and do shoulder rolls too (move your shoulders forward in circular motions)
5 minutes: bounce back and fourth like a boxer and alternate kicks and punches in any fashion that you please, try to keep at a quick pace and also ensure that you breathe correctly while doing so.
3 minutes: get down on the floor and perform reverse crunches (lay down on the floor as if ready to do regular crunches, and instead raise your legs up in the air like an "L" shape and then move them forward and backwards, trying to make your knees touch your chest and pushing them back out again) feel the burn!
2 minutes: regular sit-up's
5 minutes: skip back and fourth across your living room (this should be fun)
5 minutes: jump rope as quickly as you can, this will really bring your heart rate up
5 minutes: step up and down on something, whether it be your couch or if you have a box than you can step up and down on (this will get you a killer butt and thighs)
5 minutes: do slow moving stretches to cool down
Try that and tell me if you feel a difference, because it will if you stay consistent with it, or any other exercise program for that matter. Stick with sports and fitness and make sure to stay healthy!
A huge part of weight loss has half of the picture dedicated to exercise, not just food. When you want to lose weight, food and exercise go hand in hand, and you need to monitor what you do, and make sure that you do it right.
Finding a fun sport to do may be difficult, and if you live in the country like I do, there is no access to a gym, and not everyone loves running... so what is your next alternative? Weight loss exercise videos! So the spandex looks terrible and the cheesy smiles are fake, but when we break it down to the nitty-gritty, they can work great for your weight loss.
Right now I am personally using a couple of Kathy Smith exercise videos, and they are absolutely excellent. She has recent videos, but I just bought a couple of her old 80's videos on e-bay for dirt cheap, and they are highly effective for those of you who actually want to sweat and feel yourself losing weight.
Of course it is impossible to lose weight overnight, but none the less I can honestly say in even just 1 week of trying her Fat Burning work-out I was in awe at the results. I am not saying that I developed a washboard stomach, but for one week I was surprised at what it did.
If you do want to try her videos out, I do recommend that you are already healthy and are active in sports or any other activity. Even her beginner levels seem intermediate, and I have been active and doing things and still found them fairly challenging.
If you are like me and live in the country, or just don't have time to get out of your house, let alone don't want to get out... you should look into getting exercise videos, whether it be Kathy Smith or Denise Austin, at home exercise videos are seriously amazing, and whether it be 80's spandex or modern clothing you're bound to get results either way.
Any kind of fitness is better than none at all. If you have an opportunity to drop on the floor and do 20 push-up's you are more bound to get results from doing random things like that than not doing any kind of exercise at all. Perhaps you don't even have to get in work-out cloths to get a work-out. If you are always on the go, contract your muscles any time that you are available to.
Strength training and aerobics fit perfectly together and you should have them in your lives whether you are extremely busy or even if you are just lazy. Wake up a half an hour earlier and get a work-out routine in before work. If you are lazy, put down the remote and get motivated, it is as simple as that.
With all of that being said, go buy yourself a pair of weights and a couple of cheap exercise videos! Make it a priority to ensure that you are healthy. You do not have to be a ripped muscle model or skinny and perfect to be fit. Your health is worth more than sitting around and letting the pounds add on.
Remember baseball, hot dogs and apple pie? We used to say those things were All-American. Today, memories of those things seem to be fading. When I was young, baseball was truly the great American past time. Everyone loved to watch baseball. It didn't matter whether you were young or old, male or female, a jock or a nerd. We all loved baseball. I remember opening days and going to baseball games and watching the World Series.
I loved baseball so much that I named my dog Thurmon Munson after a favorite player. I loved baseball so much that I once dreamed that the New York Yankees won the World Series and presented me with the World Series Trophy because I was their biggest fan. I loved baseball so much that I put up with all my little brothers and sisters so that I could gather in the living room to watch the Oakland A's play in the World Series, even though I was a teenager at the time and the very LAST thing I wanted to do was spend an afternoon in the living room with my little brothers and sisters.
Today, baseball has changed. Sure, there are kids who are still crazy about baseball. But, it's not universal, not like it was back in the day. Once again, profits have won out over community. Today, not ever family of four can afford to buy four tickets to a Major League Baseball game, four hot dogs, four sodas and four ice cream cones. Today, stadiums bear names that are strikingly similar to the names of huge corporate mega conglomerates. Today, baseball games are broadcast on television at inconvenient viewing times in order to get the best advertising revenue. Today, player's negotiate and are traded and strike. Today, baseball is all about business.
I try to forget that when I'm at the ball park. I try to forget that the stadium is being sponsored by a major corporation and that the exorbitant cost of my hot dog is helping boost the profit margin of a company, not a team. I try to forget that the baseball players are not players, after all, but are employees under contract who are being pressured to perform in the name of, you guessed it, profits.
I try to forget that Candlestick Park is now 3Com Park, or that Jack Murphy Stadium is now QualComm Stadium, or that Anaheim Stadium is now Edison International Field. Most of all, I try to forget that Enron Field is now Minute Maid Field, and that the reason Enron Field is now Minute Maid Field is because Minute Maid paid for it to be so. With enough money, you can have anything in this country named after your company. But should you? (I'll tell you what--I'll forever patronize the first corporation who sponsors a baseball team and gives the stadium it's original name back.)
I try to forget all these things when I'm watching a game. I try to just enjoy the game. But, it's hard. Baseball has been forever changed, and I, for one, really miss the way it used to be.
Although the New York Yankees have 26 World Series Championships to their name, these days they are known more for their unbelievable collapse in the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees were leading 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, and were up 4-3 in the ninth inning of Game 4 with their ace closer Mariano Rivera on the mound. But the Red Sox clawed their way to an extra-inning victory in that game, and went on to stun the Yankees three more times.
That series marked what has been called the greatest collapse and the biggest choke job in the history of professional sports. I have to admit that I enjoyed watching the Yankees fall, if only because they had won so many times before. Success breeds contempt, after all. But now I find myself in their shoes -- only on a much smaller scale, of course.
I have been playing in a fantasy baseball league since April. I had a very strong first two months. In fact, I have led the league in points every single day of the season. My lead over the second-place manager stretched to nearly 600 points at one time, and I was having a pretty easy go of it. I had a roster full of great players who were performing well nearly every single day. I'm talking about players like Brian Roberts, Dontrelle Willis, Derrick Lee, and Miguel Cabrera. Even my number 2 and number 3 pitchers, Brett Myers and Mark Redman, were doing reasonably well and could be counted on to deliver some points.
And then last week happened. In my particular league, we can actually lose points if our players turn in poor efforts. For example, if a pitcher has a bad outing, it can really hurt your fantasy team. I once had Jamie Moyer as my number 3 guy, but after a -77 effort, I decided to trade him. This happens for hitters, too. An 0-for-4 day by a couple of your hitters can stop your momentum pretty quickly.
Well, in the past week, all of my players have simultaneously gone through slumps. Myers, Redman, and even Willis all got roughed up in their last starts and caused me to lose a couple hundred points between them. The usually reliable Derrick Lee has seen his batting average drop 15 points, which likewise has hurt me. Roberts has been solid, but has not produced enough to overcome the dips by my other players. Cabrera has been average. All told, my lead is down to the low teens and is still fading.
Trades do play a factor in my league. I need to start looking into some different options. The only problem is, I already have most of the league leaders on my roster. If you go strictly by the numbers, I am making the right plays. I'm learning, though, that there is more to fantasy baseball than just following statistics.
There's just a couple more weeks left in the season. If the second-place team overtakes me, I will have my own Yankee-like collapse to agonize about!
Grand Slam Proves Elusive Even for Sorenstam
0 Comments Published by Rachel Thomas on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 at 4:37 PM.
Though Annika Sorenstam is firmly perched on top of the women's golf world, the idea of winning all four major women's tournaments in a single year has once again proven to be beyond even her lofty reach. The Tiger Woods of the women's tour went into the third major of the season a heavy favorite. But the best female golfer on the planet came out of the weekend well down the leaderboard, knowing full well that she had played some of her worst golf in recent years.
Sorenstam had been so absolutely dominant in the first two majors that talk had once again turned to the possibility of winning all four major championships in the same season. Never mind how deep the Tour field is or how challenging it is to have you're "A" game time and time again, when you win the first two majors on the season by a combined 11 shots people expect you to win.
Throw in the fact that Sorenstam had won six of eight LPGA tournaments in a recent span and she seemed like a lock. When she hadn't won, she still had mustered a tie for second in a seventh event during a week in which she was suffering from the flu.
But after four rounds of US Open golf, Sorenstam was reduced to the position of spectator as the Women's Open tournament came to a close. Never closer than five shots from the lead on Saturday and Sunday, the women's top player finished a distant 23rd, a full nine shots behind tournament winner Birdie Kim. For the first time in 2005 at a major, Sorenstam was watching the final group from the sidelines instead of greenside.
The poor showing however just may have revealed how dominant she had been on Tour in recent years. The 23rd place finish was her lowest in her last 52 tournaments. One has to go back to the Women's British Open in 2002, where Annika missed the cut, to find a lower finish. The poor showing was a real disappointment for the winner of 62 career tournaments, 39 of them over the last five years. Sorenstam had made no bones about her goal to win the slam and in her last 10 majors prior to this past weekend she had 8 top ten performances including five wins, two seconds, and a fourth-place finish. All told, in 43 majors before this week's Open the Swedish golfer had an incredible 25 top-10 finishes.
And in the wake of her poor showing, at least poor for Annika, the future of the LPGA Tour was on full display. Teenagers Morgan Pressel (17), Brittany Lang (19), Michelle Wie (15) and Paula Creamer (18) all had at least a share of the lead at some point during the tournament before the 23 year old Birdie Kim took home the title.
These four all appear ready to compete regularly on the Tour giving notice to Sorenstam that it may be a little tougher to keep up her victory parade in the months and years ahead. But ultimately, there is no doubt that everyone still considers Sorenstam the best women's golfer.
Perhaps nothing makes that title more evident than the fact that her 23rd place finish was as much of a story this weekend as was Birdie Kim's fabulous bunker shot on 18 to win the title.
Written by James Fohl
When you think of a game of baseball, what exactly do you think of? Is it the game itself? The players, fans or just the overall atmosphere? What about the ball itself? Do you ever find yourself thinking about the most important aspect of the game, which of course is the baseball? I mean, come on and think about it;
without the baseball, there is no baseball.
With that being said, it is important to look at the history of how today's modern baseball came about. Sure, there are tons of other ball shaped objects that have been used throughout baseball's history, but why did the sport eventually settle on a white ball with red stitching made out of cow hyde?
Starting out, modern day baseball officially became established in 1845, when a man by the name of Alexander Cartwright published the first list of rules for baseball. Included in the list of rules were facts that the ball must be a bright color, such as white, and have stitching that will allow pitchers better control of the ball, as well as the ability to distinguish the baseball from other balls.
Following the initial rule set, organized leagues began appearing shortly after with the introduction of the National Association, and the famous National League was founded in 1876 that basically took over the National Association's best teams.
America's other professional league, the American League was founded in
1893, under the Western League name, which we know today as the American League.
Initially, baseball was a very hard sport because of the set rules crafted by Alexander Cartwright. Although the rules were pretty much the same as they were today, the game of baseball favored pitchers over batters. This led up to the creation of the American League's designated hitter, in hopes that the low score ball games would become a thing of the past.
In the early days of baseball, there were always the two leagues the National League, and of course the former Western League, now known as the American League. The two leagues always proclaimed themselves as being better than each other, and in 1903 the first World Series took place between the two leagues. It was this series of games that would pit the best team of the National League against the best team of the American League, and the winner of the seven game series would be declared that year's world champion of baseball. Although there has been some talk about why the World Series baseball championship only has baseball teams from America competing in it, no other professional baseball league has come forth to take part in the World Series.
While the basic rules of baseball have stayed constant for the past century in America, new rules are constantly being implemented in baseball organizations across the world, from leagues in Japan to Australia. However, the usage of the standard sized baseball, as well as using a white baseball still continues in every known professional baseball league.
Written by James Fohl
I remember back in the early nineties I would always turn on ESPN on Sunday and Wednesday nights in hopes that I would see the Texas Rangers playing in the baseball game that was televised. Since I lived no where near Texas, it was pretty hard for me to be able to watch the Texas Ranger baseball games, so I would have to rely on pure luck that the ESPN game being televised would have the Texas Rangers in it.
Unfortunately, the Rangers did not really ever get much televised time on ESPN. I really wasn't a Texas Ranger fan, I was just always both amused and impressed whenever their sole superstar pitcher, Nolan Ryan came to pitch.
Nolan Ryan was born on January 31st, 1947 and pitched in the Major League Baseball association for more than twenty five years. Not only did Nolan Ryan manage to achieve several records throughout his career, but he was more than able to throw pitches faster than a hundred miles an hour, even while playing in his forties.
Nolan Ryan began his baseball playing career back in the Houston suburb of Alvin, Texas where Nolan learned had to pitch while playing on his high school baseball team. He began his long Major League baseball career after being drafted by the New York Mets in 1965, and playing his first Major League ball game in 1966. His first initial seasons weren't exactly great, as Nolan had trouble finding the strike zone. This eventually brought Nolan Ryan back to the minor leagues until he was able to sharpen his skills.
In 1972, Nolan Ryan was traded to the California Angels, and it is here where Nolan's career started to really take off. Endless strike outs, as well as no hitters began to become Nolan's best friends. Nolan would stay in California for seven years before moving to Houston in 1979, and becoming the first professional baseball player who was paid a million dollars.
After an alleged contract dispute, Nolan Ryan moved from the Houston Astros back to the American League,under the Texas Rangers starting with the 1988 season. Nolan was over forty years old now, and many baseball fans were seeing his baseball career coming to an end. Fortunately, Nolan proved them wrong by going several more record shattering seasons before retiring before the 1993 season due to his arm finally giving out. Although this injury put Nolan into retirement, he still had several records and accomplishments that can easily be seen as unbreakable.
Ever since Nolan Ryan's retirement in 1992 / 1993, there really has not been such a great Major League pitcher such as the great Nolan Ryan. Although all kinds of home run records have been shattered lately, the records set by Nolan Ryan reflect real talent, and are sure to stick around for many, many years to come. Nolan Ryan was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, the first year in which he was eligible. Four years later, Nolan was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall Of Fame.
Written by James Fohl
When you think of Major League Baseball, do you think of players from the present, or the past? It seems whenever I find myself day dreaming about professional baseball, I always find myself remembering the great professional ball players of yesterday. Sure, today's baseball players are pretty impressive, but nothing can really compare for me to when hitting fifty home runs in a season was a big deal.
Having said that, if you have been paying attention to Major League Baseball in the past oh ten years, then hearing about one of today's modern ball players hit fifty or more home runs in a season is not really a big deal. I mean, it seems that in recent years hitting fifty or more home runs in a season isn't as big a deal as it was in the past.
When I mean the past, I really do not mean like fifty years ago. No, I am referring to when I was growing up, back in the eighties and early nineties, when a ball player hitting fifty home runs in a single season was about as rare as finding a Major League slugger who does not take steroids today.
Back in 1990, the Major League Baseball world was really surprised when it found out that Cecil Fielder of the Detroit Tigers managed to hit fifty one home runs during the regular season. At the time, hitting fifty or more home runs in a single season was quite an accomplish, considering the fact that the last person to do so was back in 1977 when George Foster of the Cincinnati Reds managed to hit fifty two in the season.
Although George Foster was the only Major League ball player to hit fifty home runs in a single season during the 1970's, several players were able to not only match Cecil's fifty one home runs, but also beat his record during the 1990's. While Cecil Fielder was the first person to accomplish this task in the 1990's, it would take a good five year period before hitting fifty plus home runs in a season was not the hardest thing to do anymore.
In 1995, the fifty home run club opened up, as Albert Belle of the Cleveland Indians managed to slam fifty home runs. The next year a few more Major Leaguers joined him as Brady Anderson of the Baltimore Orioles and Mark McGuire both managed to smack fifty balls out of the ball park.
After the 1996 season, hitting fifty or more home runs in a single season was no longer the exciting thing that it was ten years in the past. Now, several players were accomplishing this goal every season, and today it is actually rarer to have a season in which nobody hits fifty or more homer runs.
While hitting fifty or more home runs in a single season does not seem to be a big deal anymore, I can still remember back in 1990 when the baseball world was thrilled when the news of Cecil Fielder hitting fifty one home runs was released. Although it wasn't long before other players jumped onto the fifty plus home run wagon, I think that I will always remember Cecil Fielder above the rest.
If you are a woman who has ever considered taking up golf, it is time to stop thinking about it and do it. Golf is a great sport for women for a number of reasons. Here are a few of the best:
1. Golf will help you in business. Golf is not only a social activity, but a business activity. Many business deals are made on the golf course. For women, it is often difficult to break into the Good Ol' Boys Club and get business done. Learning to golf will help you to accomplish this. Do not be the one left back at the clubhouse while your competitor is out there on the golf course stealing your business and your thunder.
2. Golf has such cute outfits. Okay, you are a woman after all, and you like to look good. The golf course is a place where you can be active, have fun AND look good all at once. Golf tops and those cute little golf skirts come in lots of great styles and colors these days. Plus, although golf is a great workout and a lot of fun, because of the leisurely pace, you probably won't break much of a sweat, so you can stay looking your best.
3. Golf is a gentleman's game. Men keep enough of the good stuff to themselves, and golf is another one of those things they try to monopolize. The world of golf is largely dominated by men, as are a lot of the good things in life. This has its perks, though. If you are single and looking to meet eligible bachelors, the golf course may be just the place to do it. Be "fore" warned, however--if he's spending every weekend on the golf course now, he's likely to continue to do so after you're married. So, you'd better really like golf.
4. Golf is relaxing. Golf is a great activity for everyone, men, women and young people. It gets participants out of doors and into the sunshine. Golf courses are generally in beautiful, peaceful, quiet settings. This makes golf not only a fun activity, but a relaxing one. There is probably no better sport or activity for relieving stress and taking your mind off the pressures of the day. It is good for the body AND the mind.
5. Golf is a workout. Golf can provide a great workout, depending on how you approach it. Do not use a cart or a caddy. Carry your own golf bag and walk the course. You will get a great cardiovascular workout in for the day, while also toning arms and legs.
6. Golf keeps you on your toes. Golf not only provides a great physical workout and relief from stress, it exercises your mind as well. Golf requires concentration, hand-eye coordination, balance and patience. By golfing regularly, you will keep your mind in tip top condition and stay younger longer. Although it may take time to master the sport, it is worth the investment. It is something you can continue to do long into your retirement years and will bring you life long enjoyment.
Did you ever wonder why most championship trophies for professional sports are made from silver rather than gold? After all, gold is more valuable, right? They give out gold medals for first place at the Olympics, so why not for the overall winners of the biggest sports in the United States? Well, maybe one reason is that most of the trophies are made by jeweler Tiffany and Co. As you may know, Tiffany has built their reputation by being master silversmiths. Walk into any Tiffany's store in the country. How many gold items do you see in the display cases?
Among the trophies that Tiffany's makes for professional sports leagues is the NFL's Vince Lombardi trophy, which is awarded to the winners of the Super Bowl. Each Super Bowl trophy is hand-crafted at the Tiffany's silversmith workshop (called the Hollowware Shop) in Parsippany, New Jersey. Only one Lombardi trophy is awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl, but the NFL has a provision that allows teams to order one additional trophy. This leaves all the players out of the loop. Sure, they get their Super Bowl rings, but many players want to have the distinctive trophy. Some companies have capitalized on this player demand by making Lombardi trophy knockoffs that are merely silver plated instead of solid silver. The cost of the knockoffs can be as low as $500, compared to the incredible $20,000 price tag of the Tiffany originals.
Tiffany's also makes the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup trophy, which is awarded to the winning team of the premier NASCAR circuit. The NASCAR trophy is made of solid silver, and weighs in at an astonishing 27 pounds. It has a beautiful design that features waving checkered flags. Unlike the Lombardi trophy, which is kept by each winning team, the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup rests on a base that carries the names of all the NASCAR series champions since 1948.
The Larry O'Brien trophy, awarded to the NBA Champions each year, is another Tiffany creation. This trophy represents somewhat of a departure from the company's trademark look. Although the trophy is made of 16 pounds of silver, it is plated with a 24k gold overlay. The Larry O'Brien trophy features a full-sized basketball balancing on the rim of a base that is supposed to look like a basketball net. Each championship team gets to keep their O'Brien trophies.
Tiffany and Co. has been making the Commissioner's Trophy, awarded to the winners of Major League Baseball's World Series, since the year 2000. Other trophies that come from the Parsippany workshop include the U.S. Open Championship trophy for tennis, which is a large cup with two handles on the side and a cover on the top, and the Belmont Stakes trophy, which goes to the owner of the winning horse of that Triple Crown event. The Belmont Stakes trophy features a silver bowl supported by 3 silver horses, with another horse (a representation of the winner of the 3rd Belmont Stakes) on top of the cover.
NBA Finals Wrongly Draw Much Criticism
0 Comments Published by Rachel Thomas on Monday, June 27, 2005 at 5:09 PM.
The series began with four absolute blowouts. First the Spurs looked like they would cruise to the title with easy wins in games one and two. Then the Pistons came back to dominate games three and four, giving people the impression that the defending champs were taking control.
The came three tight, down to the final possession type games, before the San Antonio Spurs knocked off the defending champion Detroit Pistons. But throughout it all, blowouts and tight games, the series was seen as a television dud, drawing few fans to the television set at the most significant time of the NBA season.
Sportscasters talked of a small market team in San Antonio, a bigger market but still a localized franchise in Detroit, and announced that the lack of interest came because there was not a strong national fan base for the two teams. Critics noted that neither team had much pizzaz and that with both teams relying on defense, scores would be in the 70's and 80's, and fans would just not be thrilled with defensive prowess.
But the fan base criticisms is a function of the new NBA, where hype and showmanship trump solid play and winning basketball. The endless pregame shows and lengthy introductions to drum beating music give fans a lot of spectacle.
But then the game turns to substance, to rebounding and defensive stops. Offensive athletic talent is neutralized by the concept of a team commitment to defense. Open looks at the basket are far and few to come by and those hype-laden, rim jarring dunks, are seldom to be found.
The Spurs and Pistons played sound team basketball, moving the ball and moving without the ball on offense while working collectively to prevent easy baskets. It was quite frankly the kind of basketball that was displayed at the last Olympics when the American showmanship came up short against the likes of sound fundamental basketball.
The purists of the game loved every minute of the finals, for its intensity, for its team basketball, and for its athleticism. Those people are the ones who actually turn off the pregame television foolishness and chomp at the bit for the toss of the ball to begin action.
These fans knew what they were watching and they marveled at the talent on the floor. Those who like the hype and the loud music that is seen as pizzaz probably did find the finals different than they expected.
Real basketball has a lot less show and a whole lot more substance. The Spurs and Pistons proved that in the NBA Finals.
Just two weeks ago we wrote of the woes of the defending champion Red Sox. A struggling pitching staff and with slugger Manny Ramirez off to a slow start, the Sox looked like they were suffering from a World Series hangover. But what a difference two weeks makes.
After dropping their first two games in Wrigley Field, the Sox had fallen to 11-16 over a 27 game stretch and a miserable 15-20 record away from Fenway. In addition, their team ERA had them 12th in the American League, topping only the woeful Royals and Devil Rays, while their offense was struggling as well.
But in the span of 13 games, the Sox have transformed their season, winning seven straight and 12 of 13. The Sox have overcome the early season East leading Baltimore Orioles, getting hot at the time the Orioles began to struggle a bit.
The Sox have not only moved to the top of their division, they have moved to the top of the American League in all critical offensive categories. Meanwhile, Manny Ramirez has put his poor start behind him. Ramirez has 8 homers and 22 RBI's during the 13 game stretch. He and slugging teammate David Ortiz are now one-two in the American League in RBI's.
With the Sox set to get number one pitcher Curt Schilling back at the All Star break, the Bean Town bombers appear poised to make a run at defending their title.
Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox are continuing to set the overall early American League pace, even after dropping two of three to the their Windy City rivals, the Chicago Cubs. At 50 wins and 24 losses, the pale Sox still have the best record in baseball, a full three games better than the National League leading St. Louis Cardinals, and 5 full games ahead of their closest American League pursuers, the California Angels.
The White Sox have set their early season pace with pitching. Though the Sox ERA has climbed to an American League second best mark of 3.54, the Sox pitching staff still continues to have stat lines consistent with those of the National League where the pitcher bats instead of a designated hitter.
Leading the pitching staff are Jon Garland and Mark Buehrle. Garland is finally emerging as the quality starter the Sox thought he could be. After winning 12 games in each of the last three years, Garland now has 12 wins in less than half a season. Mark Buehrle, a 26-year old lefthander, is continuing to build on his fine start to his big league career. Already a winner of 78 games in his brief six years in the Big Leagues, the lefthander has posted a sparkling nine win, one loss record and is given up 2.48 runs per game in 2005. He and Garland give the Sox the best one-two starting pitching line-up in the American League and lead the staff of a team that is on a pace to win 108 games.
Showing how important pitching is, the Sox have an impressive overall record at both home and away parks. The Sox are 27 and 12 at home but are also 23 and 12 on the road. Indeed pitching is the equalizer and the White Sox are showing that a strong staff neutralizes even those teams that are built to excel in their home ballparks. A Sox-Sox match-up in the playoffs could prove very interesting.
Over in the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals have completely set aside the after effects of the four game World Series sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox. St. Louis appears ready and capable of making another run at a National League pennant.
Like the White Sox, the Cardinals win wherever they play and with 47 wins they win a lot. Their 3.59 team ERA tops the National League and the staff has posted six shutouts already in 2005Chrisrs Carpenter has posted 11 wins already and has a sparkling 2.77 ERA and 112 strikeouts. The ace has already thrown 113 innings on the year as well. Giving the Cardinals a great one-two punch as well, Matt Morris now has eight wins and just one loss on the year.
But as good as the pitching is, the Cards are led by the game's best hitter, Albert Pujols. With Barry Bonds sidelined, there is no one that can compare to the Cardinals' 25-year old hitting machine. Already having put up unheard of numbers in his first four major league seasons, Pujols may actually be having his best year as a professional.
Though Pujols has averaged 40 homers, 126 RBI's, and batted .333 for each of his first four seasons, the St. Louis first baseman has posted a .337 batting average and has 20 homers and 64 RBI's well before the All Star break in 2005. The youngster is on a pace to top his career high 130 RBI's and rival his best season with 46 homers.
The combination of hitting and pitching make the Cardinals the favorites to repeat in the NL and with the recent developments, a Cardinals-Red Sox rematch now appears to be a definitive possibility.
Summertime is a time when kids can get a much-needed break. After a long school year full of tight schedules, organized activities, getting up at the same time each day, and always having to be somewhere at a certain time, kids often like to just loaf a bit in the summer. They enjoy the freedom of summer play, sleeping late, spending time with friends, and being out in the sunshine. But often when the summer heat hits, many kids will prefer to sit inside watching TV or playing computer games. In our typically lazy and sedentary culture, kids are becoming more prone to doing what they see the adults do - they rarely spend their summer days outdoors anymore. What we, as parents and caregivers must do, is come up with ideas that keep the kids moving. Sometimes, all it takes is a little imagination, and some water. Remember, when in doubt about kids' summer fitness ideas, just add water! Following are a few ideas on how to get your kids out into the backyard and keeping healthy and fit.
1. Soccer. Soccer is traditionally a fall sport, though many leagues run all year. Still, soccer is a great way to get some exercise in the back yard. Set up a makeshift soccer goal and it only takes two or more people to play. If you have an only child, get out there and play with him - the exercise will do you good as well! Add to the summer fun by turning on the sprinklers; encourage the kids to dribble the ball around the sprinklers without getting hit by the water. Many fun games can be invented with soccer balls and sprinklers.
2. Trampoline. Trampolines are popular backyard play equipment, but always make sure you have taken the proper safety precautions: have an enclosure net for safety, limit the jumping to one at a time, and always have adult supervision. Turn on the water hose and let the kids make water arcs over the trampoline while someone else tries to jump over the arc without getting wet. This is a game that always makes for lots of laughs, and when the trampoline gets wet, it becomes bouncier. Fitness will happen and they won't even realize it.
3. Swinging. If you don't have a swing set, hang a swing from the branch of a tree. If you don't have large enough trees in your back yard, hang one from the rafters of a porch. Turn on the sprinkler and point it in the direction of the swing. If it is a rotating sprinkler, the kids can try swinging to avoid the water as it comes back around.
4. Climbing. This activity is best done without water, for safety reasons. Have the kids climb a tree, climb on a jungle gym, climb up the swing set. Climbing builds muscles and strength.
5. Sprinklers. If you don't have a swing set, trampoline, tree, jungle gym or soccer ball, turn on the sprinklers and make games for running through them. Rare is the child who sees water shooting across a lawn on a hot day and does not want to run and frolic in the cool drops.
The Texas Longhorns are the 2005 College World Series champions after beating the Florida Gators 6-2 on Sunday. This marks the second championship for Texas in the last 3 years, and the sixth title in school history, dating back to 1949. The Longhorns, who lost in the College World Series to Cal State Fullterton last year, dominated the Gators today. Their winning performance was fueled by a strong outing from starting pitcher Kyle McCulloch. The 6'3" sophomore from Houston went 6 2/3 innings and gave 2 earned runs on 5 hits. He struck out 8 while walking only one.
The Longhorns offense was ignited by the bats of third baseman David Maroul, first baseman Chance Wheeless, and catcher Taylor Teagarden. Maroul and Wheeless both blasted home runs in the Longhorns' game-breaking four-run sixth inning. Wheeless sent a pitch from Florida starter Bryan Ball over the left field fence with the bases empty. Teagarden then doubled off reliever Connor Falkenbach to keep the rally going. After Falkenbach surrendered a walk, Maroul, who was named the series MVP for his outstanding play over the course of five games, made him pay for the mistake by knocking one out of the park to pad the Texas lead to 6-0.
With the victory today, and Saturday's 4-2 win behind a strong seven-inning effort from redshirt freshman pitcher Adrian Alaniz, the Longhorns swept the College World Series and took home the National Championship. The College World Series follows a best-of-three format.
Florida came right back in the seventh inning with some offense of their own. Third baseman Brandon McArthur reached base on an infield single, and then right fielder Bryan Leclerc played some long ball of his own. The sophomore from Clearwater, Florida sent a drive over the fence to put the Gators on the board. The Gators also threatened in the eighth when they had runners on first and third with only one out. But Texas junior J. Brent Cox came on in relief of McCulloch and got the Longhorns out of the jam.
Texas coach Augie Garrido, Jr. is the all-time winningest coach in the history of NCAA Division I baseball. He has taken the Longhorns to the College World Series five times in the last six years, and has a second- and third-place finish to go along with the two National Championships. Florida is coached by Pat McMahon, who has been at the helm for 4 years. Both teams feature strong rosters with many underclassmen who will be returning to the diamond next year, so there's a good chance we will see a rematch in 2006.
The College World Series has been played every year in Omaha, Nebraska for more than half a century. The series is one of Omaha's biggest tourist attractions, and draws more than 200,000 fans over a the course of the tournament. The College World Series features 8 teams and follows a double-elimination format until only two teams remain. Those two remaining teams then compete in the best-of-three final series.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, should be on every baseball fan's list of places to visit. The Hall of Fame is a three-story facility that has nearly 80,000 square feet of space devoted to exhibitions and displays of artifacts from baseball's colorful history. The Hall recently underwent extensive renovations, so it is in tip-top shape today, which makes this the perfect time for a visit.
The Hall of Fame has so many exhibitions worth seeing that it would be impossible to list them here. Let's just say that even a casual fan would need to set aside several hours to tour the museum. The more famous displays include the Babe Ruth Room, the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery, and the Women in Baseball exhibit (think of the movie A League of Their Own). Some other exhibits that you can see right now are the Ichiro Suzuki display, which shows highlights of his record-breaking 2004 season, and the Autumn Glory display, in which you can see memorabilia from all of the World Series from the 19th century all the way up to the 2004 series won by the Boston Red Sox.
There are also plenty of things for children to do at the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Sandlot Kids' Clubhouse provides a hands-on learning experience for your young ones. Included in this area are games that teach children about the different fielding positions, charts that show the height of several major league players, and several video programs aimed specifically at a younger audience.
One of the most popular times to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame is during Hall of Fame Weekend, when new members are inducted. This year, activities for Hall of Fame weekend begin on Thursday, July 28 and continue until Monday, August 1. The Induction Ceremony itself will take place on Sunday, July 31, and is a free event that is open to the public. This year, Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg will be inducted. Other events include book signings, a Legends game, and youth skills clinics. Some of these events require pre-registration and/or tickets.
For help with planning your trip, I recommend that you visit the official Hall of Fame website at www.baseballhalloffame.org. On the site you will find many useful tips and lists of Frequently Asked Questions, as well as Hall of Fame contact information. You will also find a museum floor plan that will allow you to plan your trip in great detail, if you like doing that sort of thing. In addition, there is information about how to get to Cooperstown and links to websites that will help you find accommodation or plan other things to do on your trip.
If you are a true baseball fan, you won't want to miss out on visiting the Hall of Fame at least once. There are so many things to see and do that your appreciation of the game and its history is bound to increase. What are you waiting for? Make the trip this summer!
When it comes to visiting sports museums, there doesn't seem to be a lack of choices. Most museums take the form of Halls of Fame, where the achievements and feats of the best athletes are enshrined for posterity. For example, there is the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and the National Football League Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. All fans of those sports have heard of these museums. But did you know that there is at least one museum dedicated to an individual player (one who is still playing, no less)? I'm talking about the Ichiro Exhibition Room, located near Nagoya, Japan.
In case you've been living under a rock or don't follow Major League Baseball at all, Ichiro Suzuki is the right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. After a very successful 8-year career in Japan playing for the Orix Blue Wave, the speed leadoff man became the first Japanese position player to cross the Pacific for a full-time gig with a Major League team. Since his rookie season with the Mariners in 2001, Ichiro has been nothing short of unbelievable. He has made a definite impact on the team and has proved that Japanese position players can be successful in America. Along the way, Ichiro has won many awards, including the 2001 Rookie of the Year award, multiple Gold Glove awards, a Silver Slugger award, and two AL batting titles. He also set the record last year for most hits in a single season with 262.
The museum is in a small building with three floors. The first floor is not open to the public, so visitors usually head right up to the third floor, which contains displays of items from Ichiro's childhood. You can see things like essays written in grade school, bicycles used throughout his childhood, school uniforms and backpacks, toys, and video games. I've heard that, all told, there are more than 3,000 items in the museum.
The displays on the second floor contain items from Ichiro's careers in Japan and America. You can see his various Orix and Mariners jerseys, different baseball bats, gloves, batting helmets, cleats, and some of his aforementioned trophies. He also has some autographed memorabilia from other major league stars. There is of course the requisite gift shop as well, where you can buy everything from authentic jerseys to miniature signature Mizuno bats.
The museum is run mainly by Ichiro's parents and a small staff. His parents live in a large (by Japanese standards) house behind the museum, which Ichiro presumably visits often during the off-season. I've read some reports that place the average number of daily visitors at between 30 and 50, though that number increases dramatically when Ichiro achieves a new feat. For example, it was reported that more than 1,000 people visited the museum the day after Ichiro broke the record for hits in a season last year.
If you ever doubted Ichiro's popularity in Japan, you need look no further than the Ichiro Exhibition Room for proof that fans love him!
There have been a lot of great sports movies over the years; movies that bring glory to the sport, show healthy competition, highlight the camaraderie of the players and teams, and show how sports and fitness in general can affect the rest of the life of the athletes, their families, and friends. Many movies come to mind, such as Hoosiers, a Gene Hackman movie where an unlikely small-town basketball team makes it to and wins the state finals. The Rookie is another such movie, where a former pro-quality baseball player who quit with an injury, makes a comeback in his 40s. There are so many more: but perhaps my favorite sports movie is Remember the Titans, the touching story about a 1970s high school football team dealing with racial segregation issues.
T.C. Williams high school in Alexandria, Virginia had a solid football team that worked together well, and a good coach who had been there a while and was loved by all the players. All was seemingly well with this all-white team in the early 1970s until civil rights required integration of African American students into the school. The bussing system began and when the black students showed up at the school, emotions ran high, tempers flew, and often things got ugly. It was a difficult time of changes, transitions, adopting new ways of thinking and letting go of old stereotypes. These changes weren't only at T.C. Williams; they were affecting the entire nation. The changes were good, but change is rarely easy.
The football team at T.C. Williams was suddenly inundated with black players who came to try out, and to make matters more difficult, the current white coach was forced to step back and assume the role of assistant coach while the school system brought in a black man as head coach. When it looked as though the angry team of black and white players would either self-destruct or destroy one another, the wise new coach took them through a rigorous summer training camp that brought the players together and earned him the trust of the white now-assistant coach.
There were difficulties still; although the team and coaches came back from summer training with new attitudes about desegregation, the rest of the school and community still had a long way to go. The head coach's job was consistently on the line, with the warning that if the unlikely football team did not win the state championship, his job would be history.
Predictably, the team goes on to glory, though suffering the tragedy of a disabling accident of one of its star players right before the championship game. This movie not only shows some of the history of racism issues in our country, but also champions tolerance, open-mindedness, and the value of learning. An entire community and a watching world learn from the love and commitment of a group of black and white high school students who look past skin color and become a winning team. Remember the Titans isn't just about football; it is about friendship, honor, and doing the right thing even if it seems the world is against you.
The 5 Biggest Disappointments of the Baseball Season
0 Comments Published by ice_storm40 on at 2:00 AM.
With as many surprises as there have been this year, there are just as many disappointments. Every team and every player starts out the season with high hopes. This could be the year they win the pennant of have that breakthrough season. Sometimes it works out, but more often it doesn't. Here is my list of the biggest disappointments so far this season. Remember, I don't follow every team, so this is not meant to be comprehensive!
5. The New York Yankees
With the highest payroll in baseball (again), the Yankees were not expected to have much trouble repeating as division champs. They added Randy Johnson to their pitching staff, got Jason Giambi back in the lineup, and looked ready to put last year's collapse behind them. But things have not fallen into place as they had hoped. They are only one game above .500 and trail the Red Sox by 5.5 games.
4. Paul Konerko
Konerko's struggles at the plate have been somewhat magnified, instead of obscured, by the success of the White Sox. He is only batting .254, though he does have 18 homers and 52 RBI. These would be respectable numbers for lots of players, but more is expected from this usually hard-hitting first baseman. Konerko has turned it up a notch recently, and is hitting .333 in his last 7 games. Hopefully he can turn the corner here and just keep going.
3. Andy Pettite
Pettite is just 4-7 on the season, which is certainly not where he expects to be after 14 starts. It's true that the entire Houston Astros team is struggling this year, but for some reason, Pettite stands out for me. I think all of his years on the Yankees made me have unrealistic expectations for him. At any rate, Pettite obviously needs to turn things up a notch in the second half.
2. Kerry Wood and Mark Prior
These days it's no secret that the Cubs hang all of their hopes on their two young aces. So when Wood and Prior were sidelined by long-term injuries for the second consecutive season, you could almost hear the collective groan emanating from Chicago's North Side. The Cubs have had a hard time keeping the St. Louis Cardinals in sight during Wood and Prior's time on the disabled list. St. Louis is now 9.5 games ahead of the freefalling Cubs. The good news is that both Wood and Prior are slated to return within the next week.
1. The Seattle Mariners
OK, so maybe no one expected the Mariners to win their division in the first place. But I don't think anyone could envision the extent to which they would struggle in the first half of the season. Seattle's front office went out and spent big bucks to acquire free agents Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre during the offseason. It was no secret that they needed offensive help. But both of those players have not produced as hoped. Sexson is batting a dismal .242 on the season, while Beltre, the $64 million dollar man, has only 5 home runs through 66 games.
Well, here we are again. It's almost the halfway point of the 2005 Major League Baseball season, so I thought I'd write about the 5 players or teams that have surprised me the most so far. Bear in mind that I don't watch all the games or follow all the teams. This is not a comprehensive list by any means. This is just what I have noticed as a fan from my spot on the couch. So don't get upset if your favorites aren't on here!
5. Dontrelle Willis
We all expect Dontrelle Willis to perform, so we shouldn't be surprised that he's had a successful first half, right? I agree to a certain extent. But I don't think anyone expected him to be this dominating. The D-Train has 14 decisions in 15 starts; is tied for the major league lead with a 12-2 record; is second only to Roger Clemens in ERA with a 1.76; and has been a workhorse for the Marlins, with 107.2 innings in the books. And he's done all this on an underachieving Marlins team that is a scant 2 games over .500 on the season.
4. Brian Roberts
I had never even heard of Brian Roberts before this season, but now I read his name in the papers and see his highlights on SportsCenter all the time. The Baltimore Orioles second baseman got off to a great start in April and has barely slowed down. He is leading the American League with a .357 average, is tied for second in hits with 92, and is making a name for himself as one of the toughest leadoff hitters in the league.
3. Jon Garland
Before the season started, there were talks of the White Sox wanting to shop Garland around. He had become expensive, and wasn't putting up the kinds of numbers the front office wanted to see. But Garland is finally living up to his promise this season. Instead of being the number 5 starter, as some predicted in spring training, Garland has become one of Chicago's aces. He has a 12-2 record with a 3.40 ERA, and looks to be vying with teammate Mark Buehrle for All-Star starting honors.
2. Derrick Lee
Derrick Lee has given Chicago Cubs fans something to smile about in what has otherwise been a disappointing season thus far. Lee is batting a whopping .390, leads the majors in hits (105) and home runs (22), and is tied for second with 64 RBI. He is a true triple crown threat, too.
1. The Chicago White Sox
Was there anyone that picked the Chicago White Sox to win the Americ