Sunday, September 26, 2010
Fundraising and Recruiting
I was pleasantly surprised at the similarities between recruiting and fundraising. I like the fact that this article shows the comparables between the two "professions". I would love to be a fundraising director at a college or to have my own business that did it for non-profit organizations. I think that if you can fundraise then their is always a job open for you. Every non-profit organization needs someone who can bring in the money especially when it is needed most. As the Intramural director for my college I was forced to do community involvment projects that purpose wat to raise money. It is all about who you know when it comes to this industry. When you know people who have money then you know a group that has money and then your in.
Endorsements
The celebrity that i find the most amusing with their endorsement deal is Jamie Lee Curtis and her endorsing pro-active. I think it is just funny that someone wants to promote good digestion. I am sure the money is worth it and all but do you really want your fans and family to refer to you as the "poop" lady. She goes from being an absolute Icon in the Halloween movies and is known as a talented actress to doing commercials for digestion. In my opinion she has fallen about as far as someone can fall. I am sure she can make the same amount of money endorsing something diffrent then yogurt that makes you regular. She is a very attractive woman and she could endorse clothes, cars, etc. The choices are really endless for her, but she chooses to do yogurt. Is she smart for doing this?
Saturday, September 25, 2010
WOW
SAN DIEGO – Aroldis Chapman(notes) was summoned from the bullpen one batter too late to make a difference in the game. No matter. The 22-year-old Cincinnati Reds left-hander made do by making history Friday night, throwing the fastest pitch recorded in a major league game, a 105-mph fastball.
The blazing pitch pushed a white-hot pennant race to the back burner. Yes, the San Diego Padres won the game 4-3 to pull ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the National League wild-card race. Sure, the San Francisco Giants all but buried the Colorado Rockies thanks to a dominant performance by Tim Lincecum(notes).
But the lingering memory was of a now-you-see-it, did-I-actually-see-it fastball to Tony Gwynn(notes) in the eighth inning. The pitch was not a fluke: Chapman threw 25 pitches in his 1 1/3 innings of relief, and every one was at least 100 mph. He didn’t throw a slider. He didn’t throw a changeup. Why would he?
From Walter Johnson to Bob Feller to Steve Dalkowski to J.R. Richard to Nolan Ryan to Stephen Strasburg, blistering velocity is etched forever in baseball lore. Rush Chapman to the head of the list. Has anybody in the history of the game had a comparable 25-pitch sequence?
“I didn’t see it until the ball was behind me,” Gwynn said. “I was trying not to look at the radar reading because I’d be intimidated. I saw how hard he was throwing and just tried to be slow and work my hands.”
The 105-mph pitch was inside for a ball and evened the count at 2-2. Gwynn had fouled off the previous two pitches and fouled off the next before striking out. He ought to be pleased with his effort, forcing Chapman to make seven pitches, the slowest of which was 102 mph.
Gwynn’s father, Tony, a Hall-of-Famer and one of baseball greatest hitters, never saw a pitch as fast as the one Chapman threw. Maybe nobody else has, either. Since radar guns were introduced in the 1980s, the fastest pitch recorded was 104.8 mph by Joel Zumaya(notes) of the Detroit Tigers in a playoff game Oct. 10, 2006. Chapman, who defected from the Cuban national team in 2009, was clocked at 104 on Sept. 1 in his second major league appearance and also hit 105 mph with a pitch for Triple-A Louisville earlier this season.
Chapman, speaking through an interpreter with bags of ice strapped across his arm, credited his stepped-up velocity Friday to the fact that he’d pitched only once in the last week. He didn’t allow an earned run in his first eight relief appearances after being promoted Aug. 31, but the Astros nicked him for two runs a week ago. He pitched a scoreless inning on Monday against the Brewers, then had three more days off.
“My arm had been a little sore and the rest helped,” he said. “I felt as good as I did a couple weeks ago. Not the best I’ve ever felt, but I felt good.”
Reds manager Dusty Baker appreciated the moment, but the loss grated on him. Chapman was warming up in the bullpen when Miguel Tejada(notes) delivered a bases-loaded, two-out single in the seventh against Nick Masset(notes) that drove in the Padres’ third and fourth runs. Chapman came in and struck out Adrian Gonzalez(notes) on three fastballs that registered 101, 102 and 103 mph.
Baker had been reluctant to summon Chapman to face Tejada with the bases loaded and the Reds holding a one-run lead, envisioning a wild pitch or a walk.
“A guy throwing that hard, looking back you can say I should have brought him in earlier, but he can’t pitch against everybody all the time,” Baker said.
Asked if that was the hardest he has seen Chapman throw by a small degree, Baker replied, “By a big degree.”
Padres officials said the stadium radar gun is not known for inordinately high readings, unlike the Fox TV gun that recorded Zumaya at 104.8. Chapman had three other pitches Friday clocked at 104 mph.
This wasn’t the first time Chapman had pitched at Petco Park. He started for the Cuban team in the World Baseball Classic in the spring of 2009 and was knocked out of the game in the third inning against Japan and took the loss. His fastest pitch was 101 mph.
“I’ve grown up and improved so much since then,” he said. “I remember that night and losing my composure a little. I couldn’t find the strike zone. That seems like a long time ago.”
After defecting during a tournament in the Netherlands in July 2009, Chapman signed a six-year, $30.25 million deal with the Reds in January. It was widely predicted that he would sign a much more lucrative deal with a deep-pocket team such as the Yankees or Red Sox, but some teams backed off because of concerns about his maturity.
“We’ve got to make bold moves sometimes,” Reds GM Walt Jocketty said at the time.
Now the signing looks genius. And maybe by the time the playoffs begin, Baker will go to Chapman earlier, even with the bases loaded.
“When a guy is throwing that hard, you feel sort of helpless,” Gwynn said. “We’re just glad we had enough runs to win before he came in the game.”
Ardolis Chapman's 25 pitches on Friday night (each registering 100 mph or faster, including his record-breaking 105 mph heater) must have been a blur to Padres batters.
(Christopher Hanewinckel/US Presswire)
(Christopher Hanewinckel/US Presswire)
But the lingering memory was of a now-you-see-it, did-I-actually-see-it fastball to Tony Gwynn(notes) in the eighth inning. The pitch was not a fluke: Chapman threw 25 pitches in his 1 1/3 innings of relief, and every one was at least 100 mph. He didn’t throw a slider. He didn’t throw a changeup. Why would he?
From Walter Johnson to Bob Feller to Steve Dalkowski to J.R. Richard to Nolan Ryan to Stephen Strasburg, blistering velocity is etched forever in baseball lore. Rush Chapman to the head of the list. Has anybody in the history of the game had a comparable 25-pitch sequence?
“I didn’t see it until the ball was behind me,” Gwynn said. “I was trying not to look at the radar reading because I’d be intimidated. I saw how hard he was throwing and just tried to be slow and work my hands.”
The 105-mph pitch was inside for a ball and evened the count at 2-2. Gwynn had fouled off the previous two pitches and fouled off the next before striking out. He ought to be pleased with his effort, forcing Chapman to make seven pitches, the slowest of which was 102 mph.
Gwynn’s father, Tony, a Hall-of-Famer and one of baseball greatest hitters, never saw a pitch as fast as the one Chapman threw. Maybe nobody else has, either. Since radar guns were introduced in the 1980s, the fastest pitch recorded was 104.8 mph by Joel Zumaya(notes) of the Detroit Tigers in a playoff game Oct. 10, 2006. Chapman, who defected from the Cuban national team in 2009, was clocked at 104 on Sept. 1 in his second major league appearance and also hit 105 mph with a pitch for Triple-A Louisville earlier this season.
Chapman, speaking through an interpreter with bags of ice strapped across his arm, credited his stepped-up velocity Friday to the fact that he’d pitched only once in the last week. He didn’t allow an earned run in his first eight relief appearances after being promoted Aug. 31, but the Astros nicked him for two runs a week ago. He pitched a scoreless inning on Monday against the Brewers, then had three more days off.
“My arm had been a little sore and the rest helped,” he said. “I felt as good as I did a couple weeks ago. Not the best I’ve ever felt, but I felt good.”
Reds manager Dusty Baker appreciated the moment, but the loss grated on him. Chapman was warming up in the bullpen when Miguel Tejada(notes) delivered a bases-loaded, two-out single in the seventh against Nick Masset(notes) that drove in the Padres’ third and fourth runs. Chapman came in and struck out Adrian Gonzalez(notes) on three fastballs that registered 101, 102 and 103 mph.
Baker had been reluctant to summon Chapman to face Tejada with the bases loaded and the Reds holding a one-run lead, envisioning a wild pitch or a walk.
“A guy throwing that hard, looking back you can say I should have brought him in earlier, but he can’t pitch against everybody all the time,” Baker said.
Asked if that was the hardest he has seen Chapman throw by a small degree, Baker replied, “By a big degree.”
| Fastest Recorded MLB Pitches | |||
| Name | Team | Year | MPH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aroldis Chapman | Reds | 2010 | 105 |
| Joel Zumaya | Tigers | 2006 | 104.8 |
| Aroldis Chapman | Reds | 2010 | 104 |
| Mark Wohlers | Braves | 1995 | 103 |
| Armando Benitez | Giants | 2002 | 102 |
| Jonathan Broxton | Dodgers | 2009 | 102 |
| Neftali Feliz | Rangers | 2010 | 102 |
| Bobby Jenks | White Sox | 2005 | 102 |
| Randy Johnson | Diamondbacks | 2004 | 102 |
| Matt Lindstrom | Marlins | 2007 | 102 |
| Robb Nen | Marlins | 1997 | 102 |
| Justin Verlander | Tigers | 2007 | 102 |
Padres officials said the stadium radar gun is not known for inordinately high readings, unlike the Fox TV gun that recorded Zumaya at 104.8. Chapman had three other pitches Friday clocked at 104 mph.
This wasn’t the first time Chapman had pitched at Petco Park. He started for the Cuban team in the World Baseball Classic in the spring of 2009 and was knocked out of the game in the third inning against Japan and took the loss. His fastest pitch was 101 mph.
“I’ve grown up and improved so much since then,” he said. “I remember that night and losing my composure a little. I couldn’t find the strike zone. That seems like a long time ago.”
After defecting during a tournament in the Netherlands in July 2009, Chapman signed a six-year, $30.25 million deal with the Reds in January. It was widely predicted that he would sign a much more lucrative deal with a deep-pocket team such as the Yankees or Red Sox, but some teams backed off because of concerns about his maturity.
“We’ve got to make bold moves sometimes,” Reds GM Walt Jocketty said at the time.
Now the signing looks genius. And maybe by the time the playoffs begin, Baker will go to Chapman earlier, even with the bases loaded.
“When a guy is throwing that hard, you feel sort of helpless,” Gwynn said. “We’re just glad we had enough runs to win before he came in the game.”
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Olympics
Politically the olympics are a time for countries to flex there muscles. Each host city has the support of their entire country. With this support, the cities try to out due the previous year host city. The spend millions of dollars to show the world what they are as a country. The last olympics CHina went all out and really impressed the world with their culture, planning ability, and there athletes. There have been political statments throughout olympic history. There have been boycotts because of political relations between countries, terroist attacks, and even racial statements being made. My favorite olympic moment is when Jesse Owens went and took on the "Nazi power" sentiment. He faced every "white" person Germany could throw at him and he beat them away with his technique and speed. Hitler was forced to see a black person beating his Arian race concept first hand. This statement made a huge impression on everyone and it helped changed the way the world thought about blacks.
Playbooks
This blog is about something I think all high school coaches should begin to employ as soon as posible. As a high school athlete I remember coaches diagramming plays in basketball and football that were messy at best. Kids ran the wrong plays simply because they misread the scribbles that were on the the board.
Introduction
I am going to use a small high school in Northern California. I am encouraged that the athletic director and the the two major coaches are able to be present at this meeting. I ask both coaches to come up and diagram a very tricky play on the board. Then I call in some of their players and ask them to tell us what the plays were. 3 of the 10 get it completely right, but the other 7 make mistakes that could cost their respective teams some points in the long run. Both coaches have a sheepish kind of look and I explain the new technology that I want to employ.
Purpose and Goals for the System
I unveil what looks like a Kindle or an Ipad but it is only used by coaches. Coaches will submit their playbooks to an indepently owned company that will upload all their plays into the kindle. The Kindle can also be plugged into a larger TV so it is more usuable for teams. The plays will show all blocking assignments, motions, and even audible calls. The goal is to cut down on mistakes made by players and allow the coaches to trust their players knowing that they have all the information that they can have.
Product
THis a kindle device that has a teams playbook uploaded into its memory. It also has jacks that can make a regular TV play the information. It is slim and light weight so the coaches do not feel that they are carrying around a rock. We also know that coaches get animated and sometimes throw their teaching tools. That is why we are making these products with the same durable material that the military uses for their phones and laptops. These things are almost industructable. They are also waterproof for obvious reasons.
Features
Colors will be optional
Long Battery Life
WiFi capable
These are just the highpoints of the product for a complete listing of features please see your local reprsentative
Benefits Claimed
The benefits are for your team. The players will be able to say with confidence that they understand all the plays. Mistakes should be cut down by at least 50%. With mistakes cut back we can only see teams learning more and being able to be more competitive inside their respected sports.
Analysis of Performance
Since this is a new product we only have our sample audiences to pull information from. They have given us high remarks as of today and have not reported any "bugs" with the programming. We know that coaches will be worried about confidentiality and that is something we are working out with a lawyer as we speak.
Reccomendations
We recommend that your school purchases this product as soon as you can. COaches and players will need time to learn the program. It is an easy operating system and anyone who can work a computer will be able to learn this product quite quickly.
Introduction
I am going to use a small high school in Northern California. I am encouraged that the athletic director and the the two major coaches are able to be present at this meeting. I ask both coaches to come up and diagram a very tricky play on the board. Then I call in some of their players and ask them to tell us what the plays were. 3 of the 10 get it completely right, but the other 7 make mistakes that could cost their respective teams some points in the long run. Both coaches have a sheepish kind of look and I explain the new technology that I want to employ.
Purpose and Goals for the System
I unveil what looks like a Kindle or an Ipad but it is only used by coaches. Coaches will submit their playbooks to an indepently owned company that will upload all their plays into the kindle. The Kindle can also be plugged into a larger TV so it is more usuable for teams. The plays will show all blocking assignments, motions, and even audible calls. The goal is to cut down on mistakes made by players and allow the coaches to trust their players knowing that they have all the information that they can have.
Product
THis a kindle device that has a teams playbook uploaded into its memory. It also has jacks that can make a regular TV play the information. It is slim and light weight so the coaches do not feel that they are carrying around a rock. We also know that coaches get animated and sometimes throw their teaching tools. That is why we are making these products with the same durable material that the military uses for their phones and laptops. These things are almost industructable. They are also waterproof for obvious reasons.
Features
Colors will be optional
Long Battery Life
WiFi capable
These are just the highpoints of the product for a complete listing of features please see your local reprsentative
Benefits Claimed
The benefits are for your team. The players will be able to say with confidence that they understand all the plays. Mistakes should be cut down by at least 50%. With mistakes cut back we can only see teams learning more and being able to be more competitive inside their respected sports.
Analysis of Performance
Since this is a new product we only have our sample audiences to pull information from. They have given us high remarks as of today and have not reported any "bugs" with the programming. We know that coaches will be worried about confidentiality and that is something we are working out with a lawyer as we speak.
Reccomendations
We recommend that your school purchases this product as soon as you can. COaches and players will need time to learn the program. It is an easy operating system and anyone who can work a computer will be able to learn this product quite quickly.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
A True Hero
Brian Wood spent his life thrilling millions of faceless gamers, but his last moment was spent saving the lives of those he loved most.
Wood, a 33 year-old lead designer at popular game developer Relic Entertainment, was on his way back to his Washington home when his wagon was struck by an oncoming Chevy Blazer being driven by a 21 year-old woman believed to be driving under the influence. With his pregnant wife Erin in the passenger seat, Wood swerved his car to put himself directly in the path of the oncoming SUV -- a decision that ultimately cost him his life, but protected his wife and unborn child from harm. Two other passengers riding in the backseat of the Blazer were also killed.
"All the policeman say that if we had hit the car head-on all of us would be dead," Erin Wood told The Province. "At the very last second (Brian) braked really hard and turned right so that he would be put in the path of the SUV and not me and the baby, and that is the only thing that saved us both."
"He was always sacrificing himself for me and the baby," she added.
But while Wood's impossibly brave act left a permanent void in the life of Erin Wood, the same people who Brian strived to please with his work have returned the favor with a striking show of support for his bereaved widow.
A memorial trust was set up within days of the accident. Countless game developers, journalists and fans posted links on Twitter and Facebook, leading to literally thousands of supportive comments, messages and financial donations, prompting Wood to send an open letter to the gaming community to popular game blog Kotaku.
"Brian always told me about how close-knit and wonderful the video game community was, but I had no idea until this tragedy just how special a group it really is," she writes. "From all the articles and comments, to the emails and donations, I am simply stunned and so touched by the love, kindness, and generosity shown to me and my family."
At the time of his death, Brian Wood was working on Company of Heroes Online, a free-to-play version of Relic’s award-winning strategy game. It's currently in open beta-test.
To help Erin, please visit the Brian Wood Memorial Trust .
Wood, a 33 year-old lead designer at popular game developer Relic Entertainment, was on his way back to his Washington home when his wagon was struck by an oncoming Chevy Blazer being driven by a 21 year-old woman believed to be driving under the influence. With his pregnant wife Erin in the passenger seat, Wood swerved his car to put himself directly in the path of the oncoming SUV -- a decision that ultimately cost him his life, but protected his wife and unborn child from harm. Two other passengers riding in the backseat of the Blazer were also killed.
"All the policeman say that if we had hit the car head-on all of us would be dead," Erin Wood told The Province. "At the very last second (Brian) braked really hard and turned right so that he would be put in the path of the SUV and not me and the baby, and that is the only thing that saved us both."
"He was always sacrificing himself for me and the baby," she added.
But while Wood's impossibly brave act left a permanent void in the life of Erin Wood, the same people who Brian strived to please with his work have returned the favor with a striking show of support for his bereaved widow.
A memorial trust was set up within days of the accident. Countless game developers, journalists and fans posted links on Twitter and Facebook, leading to literally thousands of supportive comments, messages and financial donations, prompting Wood to send an open letter to the gaming community to popular game blog Kotaku.
"Brian always told me about how close-knit and wonderful the video game community was, but I had no idea until this tragedy just how special a group it really is," she writes. "From all the articles and comments, to the emails and donations, I am simply stunned and so touched by the love, kindness, and generosity shown to me and my family."
At the time of his death, Brian Wood was working on Company of Heroes Online, a free-to-play version of Relic’s award-winning strategy game. It's currently in open beta-test.
To help Erin, please visit the Brian Wood Memorial Trust .
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Does this make sense to you?
Wed Sep 15 06:23am PDT
Clijsters drops two spots in rankings after winning Open
Kim Clijsters got some nice parting gifts for winning the U.S. Open: a check for $2.2 million, a nice, shiny trophy, a hug from her daughter and a two-spot drop in the rankings.
Yeah, you read that correctly. After winning the biggest event in the sport, Clijsters slipped from No. 3 to No. 5 in the WTA rankings. Here's how it went down:
Clijsters earned 2,000 rankings points for winning this year's tournament, but it had no net effect on her old ranking because she was defending 2,000 points via her win in '09. No matter what she did in New York, she couldn't earn any more points.
Vera Zvonareva and Venus Williams could though. Both players were bounced in the fourth round of last year's tournament and earned 280 points in the WTA rankings as a result. This year Venus made the semifinals and Vera advanced to the finals, gaining 620 and 1,120 points, respectively. This enabled both players to catapult past Clijsters.
The lesson to be learned here is the same as always: Rankings don't mean a thing
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Comparing Newspapers
When you read an American newspaper you usually see what I call popular sports. Baseball, basketball, football dominate the sports page. Every night there seems to be a perfect game, 400 yard passing performance, or a double overtime 3 point shot that wins the game. The assignment we had was to see what is diffrent about sports sections of other countries. I chose a newspaper from India to dissect. The address of the newspaper is http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/sphome/4719148.cms. The first thing i noticed was the dominance of cricket. I have actually played cricket before and it is nothing like baseball. There are simalarities but the game is truly unique. Through a little more research I learned that cricket is the second highest betted sport in the world. It is right behing soccer. I had no clue that it was this popular and I learned that India was the first country to have a professional cricket league. There were a lot of similarities between our sports pages. Sports has become a world wide event and that means every country has its people in sporting events. They look a lot at golf and tennis and that is because their country men are in the event. Newspapers are responsible for boosting the morale of countries and the India newspaper does this as well as anyone!!!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Trends in Sports
The trend I want to look at has to do with the comparison of religion and sports. I started thinking about this while I was missing church to attend my live draft for fantasy sports. Sports players are made to be Gods in this day and age. Look at the comparisons of some of our sports traditions (new and old) to those of particualr religions. We have things such as the "Hail Mary" pass in football, athletes have "followers" on Twitter and Facebook, and we even dress up in costumes and pain our faces when we attend games which is pretty close to receiving ashes on the head if your Catholic or wearing robes and special garments for certain religious days. Stadiums are now called cathedrals and some universities even recruit athletes by using their religion; Nortre Dame, Texas Christian University, and Brigham Young University to name a few. We as "normal" people look to these people as if they are not moral. I mean i was hoping/praying that i got Chris Johnson in the draft (I didn't). Sitting here thinking about this makes me a little sick to my stomach. I am hoping that i remember this in the future and remember that these re normal people with normal lives who are just fortunate to play a game for a living.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Greatest Game Ever
Devil Ball Golf ShareretweetEmailFri Sep 03 06:48am PDT
What would you do: teen golfer disqualifies self, gives up medal
By Jay Busbee
Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.
Golf is a game of rules both obvious and arcane, and if you're going to play the game, you have to play by its rules. No matter what the cost.
Today, a classic "what would you do?" moment. Zach Nash is a 14-year-old Wisconsin kid who happens to be a fine golfer. So good, in fact, that he won a junior Wisconsin PGA tournament.
Problem was, he won it by violating -- albeit unintentionally -- one of golf's most straightforward rules. He had too many clubs in his bag. And the worst part? It was a total accident, discovered long after the fact.
Specifics: Nash's 77 won the boys' 13-14 division at the Milwaukee County Parks Tour Invitational, knocking off 31 other players. Afterward, Nash went to celebrate with one of his mentors, Chris Wood, head club pro at Rivermoor Golf Club. And that's where the troubles began.
[Related: Tiger Woods takes out giant NYC mortgage]
Wood noticed an extra club in Nash's bag and pointed it out to him. Apparently, a friend of Nash's had left the club at his house, and Nash put it in his bag, not realizing it put him one over the mandatory limit of 14 clubs. Carrying an extra club is a two-stroke penalty per hole, but since Nash didn't account for those extra strokes, he signed what was, in effect, an incorrect scorecard, and thus would be disqualified from the tournament.
And from there, there really wasn't any choice. Nash called the Wisconsin PGA, explained what had happened, and sent back the medal from the tournament. WPGA officials plan to present it to the tournament's runner-up.
Now, it's easy to go and tee off -- pun very much intended -- on golf's drop-the-hammer rules, on Wood for bringing the extra club to Nash's attention, or to Nash himself for failing to count the club. But all that misses the point. This is a story about honesty and doing what's right, even when what's right makes zero logical sense. Sure, Nash could have rationalized away keeping an extra club, but where's the honor in that?
Congrats to Nash for standing up and doing the right thing, no matter what the cost. And hopefully there are much bigger medals waiting for him down the line.
What would you do: teen golfer disqualifies self, gives up medal
By Jay Busbee
Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.
Golf is a game of rules both obvious and arcane, and if you're going to play the game, you have to play by its rules. No matter what the cost.
Today, a classic "what would you do?" moment. Zach Nash is a 14-year-old Wisconsin kid who happens to be a fine golfer. So good, in fact, that he won a junior Wisconsin PGA tournament.
Problem was, he won it by violating -- albeit unintentionally -- one of golf's most straightforward rules. He had too many clubs in his bag. And the worst part? It was a total accident, discovered long after the fact.
Specifics: Nash's 77 won the boys' 13-14 division at the Milwaukee County Parks Tour Invitational, knocking off 31 other players. Afterward, Nash went to celebrate with one of his mentors, Chris Wood, head club pro at Rivermoor Golf Club. And that's where the troubles began.
[Related: Tiger Woods takes out giant NYC mortgage]
Wood noticed an extra club in Nash's bag and pointed it out to him. Apparently, a friend of Nash's had left the club at his house, and Nash put it in his bag, not realizing it put him one over the mandatory limit of 14 clubs. Carrying an extra club is a two-stroke penalty per hole, but since Nash didn't account for those extra strokes, he signed what was, in effect, an incorrect scorecard, and thus would be disqualified from the tournament.
And from there, there really wasn't any choice. Nash called the Wisconsin PGA, explained what had happened, and sent back the medal from the tournament. WPGA officials plan to present it to the tournament's runner-up.
Now, it's easy to go and tee off -- pun very much intended -- on golf's drop-the-hammer rules, on Wood for bringing the extra club to Nash's attention, or to Nash himself for failing to count the club. But all that misses the point. This is a story about honesty and doing what's right, even when what's right makes zero logical sense. Sure, Nash could have rationalized away keeping an extra club, but where's the honor in that?
Congrats to Nash for standing up and doing the right thing, no matter what the cost. And hopefully there are much bigger medals waiting for him down the line.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Top Ten Mascots
This was one of my favorite mascots growing up as a child. I mean who can't love a wookie dunking the basketball. He is number 10 on my list.
Coming in at Number 9 is the mascot from Stanford. One of the funniest mascots I have ever seen in person. Can you imagine a giant pine tree running up and down the field.
At number eight is the Mighty Ducks Mascot. Can you say Quack....Quack....Quack..
This mascot comes from the Charlotte Hornets. He makes number 7 on my list because when I used to play NBA JAM as a kid he was my favorite mascot to play with.
Number 6 are well known mascots for the political parties. Any party who picks a donkey has my vote.
Number 5 is from Texas Christian University. He makes the list because this is one mascot I would not want to meet in a dark alley.
Number 4 goes to the Seattle Storm. This is my only all women mascot.
I think the picture says it all!!! Number 3 based on sheer comedic value
Number 2 is a emotional one for me. It was the first mascot I ever saw.
Finally at number 1 is B...R...U...T...U...S!!! The best mascot in the world also belongs to the best team ever!!!
We need more stories like this!!!
Out of tragedy, sportsmanship has a shining moment
By Art Kabelowsky, Journal Sentinel, Inc
Feb. 16, 2009
enlarge photo
Johntell Franklin
Played for his mom .more photos
. Johntell Franklin
Played for his mom Close Related Coverage
More: Womack's letter to the Daily Chronicle
DeKalb Daily Chronicle: Barbs learn from two losses
Womack's letter, as it appeared on daily-chronicle.com
At first, Johntell Franklin just wanted to watch his friends play basketball.
"I wanted to go and support my team," said Franklin, an 18-year-old senior at Milwaukee Madison High School. "I'm a captain. I set an example."
As it turned out, Franklin wound up teaching everyone in the Madison gymnasium a lesson - about friendship, about the value of sports, about themselves.
A somber cloud hung over the Knights as they played DeKalb, Ill., High School on Saturday, Feb. 7. News spread quickly that Franklin's mother, Carlitha, had died earlier that day after a five-year battle with cervical cancer. She was 39.
Madison coach Aaron Womack Jr. was in Madison's laundry room, washing the Knights' uniforms from the previous night's game, when he got the news.
"I didn't have my cell phone with me back there, so by the time I heard, the junior varsity game had already started," Womack said. "I headed straight to the hospital. Johntell, understandably, he was despondent."
Carlitha Franklin had been in remission recently. But Womack said she had begun to hemorrhage on Saturday morning - while Johntell was at Wauwatosa East High School, taking his college entrance ACT exam. By late Saturday afternoon, the decision had been made to turn off the life-support system.
At the hospital, Womack asked Franklin if he should call off that evening's game. "He said, 'No, tell the guys to go out and do their best,' " the coach said. "I told him we would, and I went back to school."
So Womack gasped with surprise when he saw Franklin walk into the gym early during the second quarter.
"A few seconds after I spotted Johntell, all the people in the stands did, too. They surrounded him. The players, his friends in the stands, the cheerleaders," Womack said.
"They were showing me that they were supporting me, comforting me," Franklin said. "Yeah, on a hard day, that's a nice feeling to have."
Then came another surprise: Franklin didn't just want to watch. He wanted to play.
"I'm a competitor. I can't just sit there and watch," he said.
Womack sent Franklin, a 6-foot-2 forward, to suit up. He returned to the cheers of the crowd - including the coaches and players from DeKalb, whose amazing display of fellowship and sportsmanship had just begun.
"I was late getting back from the hospital, and they could have called us on that," Womack said. "But they were great about it."
"We were sympathetic to the circumstances and the events," said DeKalb coach Dave Rohlman. "We even told Coach Womack that it'd be OK to call off the game, but he said we had driven 2 1/2 hours to get here and the kids wanted to play. So we said, 'Spend some time with your team and come out when you're ready.' "
Since some of Franklin's teammates had joined him at the hospital, Womack entered only eight names into Madison's official scorebook. The game began almost two hours behind schedule.
But Franklin's desire to play created another problem: The referees were required to call a technical foul against Womack for failing to list Franklin in the scorebook.
"I told the referees I knew there would be a technical," Womack said. "I put Johntell in after DeKalb called a timeout (midway through the second quarter), and the next thing I heard was DeKalb's coaches complaining that they didn't want a technical."
"We argued, but the referees said those were the rules, even if there were extenuating circumstances," Rohlman said.
The discussion lasted more than seven minutes. Eventually, Rohlman devised a solution: His team had to shoot two technical free throws . . . but didn't have to make them.
"I gathered my kids and said, 'Who wants to take these free throws?' Darius McNeal (a 5-11 senior point guard) put up his hand. I said, 'You realize you're going to miss, right?' He nodded his head."
During technical free throws, no other players are allowed around the free-throw lane. So Womack gathered Madison's players around his bench, on the other end of the court, and was trying to reel in their emotions when he saw something odd out of the corner of his eye:
Instead of swishing through the basket, the ball rolled slowly across the end line.
"I turned around and saw the ref pick up the ball and hand it back to the player," Womack said, "and then he did the same thing again."
"Darius set up for a regular free throw, but he only shot it two or three feet in front of him," Rohlman said. "It bounced once or twice and just rolled past the basket."
"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal said. "It was the right thing to do."
After the second shot, everyone in the gym - including all the Madison players - stood and applauded the gesture of sportsmanship.
"Any one of my teammates would have done the same thing, and I think anyone on the Madison team would have done the same for us," McNeal said.
Madison broke open a close game after the timeout and went on to win, 62-47. Franklin finished with 10 points, matching his season average.
"Just being in the game was a good feeling," Franklin said. "I knew my Mom would have wanted me to play. She was always proud of me playing basketball."
By Art Kabelowsky, Journal Sentinel, Inc
Feb. 16, 2009
enlarge photo
Johntell Franklin
Played for his mom .more photos
. Johntell Franklin
Played for his mom Close Related Coverage
More: Womack's letter to the Daily Chronicle
DeKalb Daily Chronicle: Barbs learn from two losses
Womack's letter, as it appeared on daily-chronicle.com
At first, Johntell Franklin just wanted to watch his friends play basketball.
"I wanted to go and support my team," said Franklin, an 18-year-old senior at Milwaukee Madison High School. "I'm a captain. I set an example."
As it turned out, Franklin wound up teaching everyone in the Madison gymnasium a lesson - about friendship, about the value of sports, about themselves.
A somber cloud hung over the Knights as they played DeKalb, Ill., High School on Saturday, Feb. 7. News spread quickly that Franklin's mother, Carlitha, had died earlier that day after a five-year battle with cervical cancer. She was 39.
Madison coach Aaron Womack Jr. was in Madison's laundry room, washing the Knights' uniforms from the previous night's game, when he got the news.
"I didn't have my cell phone with me back there, so by the time I heard, the junior varsity game had already started," Womack said. "I headed straight to the hospital. Johntell, understandably, he was despondent."
Carlitha Franklin had been in remission recently. But Womack said she had begun to hemorrhage on Saturday morning - while Johntell was at Wauwatosa East High School, taking his college entrance ACT exam. By late Saturday afternoon, the decision had been made to turn off the life-support system.
At the hospital, Womack asked Franklin if he should call off that evening's game. "He said, 'No, tell the guys to go out and do their best,' " the coach said. "I told him we would, and I went back to school."
So Womack gasped with surprise when he saw Franklin walk into the gym early during the second quarter.
"A few seconds after I spotted Johntell, all the people in the stands did, too. They surrounded him. The players, his friends in the stands, the cheerleaders," Womack said.
"They were showing me that they were supporting me, comforting me," Franklin said. "Yeah, on a hard day, that's a nice feeling to have."
Then came another surprise: Franklin didn't just want to watch. He wanted to play.
"I'm a competitor. I can't just sit there and watch," he said.
Womack sent Franklin, a 6-foot-2 forward, to suit up. He returned to the cheers of the crowd - including the coaches and players from DeKalb, whose amazing display of fellowship and sportsmanship had just begun.
"I was late getting back from the hospital, and they could have called us on that," Womack said. "But they were great about it."
"We were sympathetic to the circumstances and the events," said DeKalb coach Dave Rohlman. "We even told Coach Womack that it'd be OK to call off the game, but he said we had driven 2 1/2 hours to get here and the kids wanted to play. So we said, 'Spend some time with your team and come out when you're ready.' "
Since some of Franklin's teammates had joined him at the hospital, Womack entered only eight names into Madison's official scorebook. The game began almost two hours behind schedule.
But Franklin's desire to play created another problem: The referees were required to call a technical foul against Womack for failing to list Franklin in the scorebook.
"I told the referees I knew there would be a technical," Womack said. "I put Johntell in after DeKalb called a timeout (midway through the second quarter), and the next thing I heard was DeKalb's coaches complaining that they didn't want a technical."
"We argued, but the referees said those were the rules, even if there were extenuating circumstances," Rohlman said.
The discussion lasted more than seven minutes. Eventually, Rohlman devised a solution: His team had to shoot two technical free throws . . . but didn't have to make them.
"I gathered my kids and said, 'Who wants to take these free throws?' Darius McNeal (a 5-11 senior point guard) put up his hand. I said, 'You realize you're going to miss, right?' He nodded his head."
During technical free throws, no other players are allowed around the free-throw lane. So Womack gathered Madison's players around his bench, on the other end of the court, and was trying to reel in their emotions when he saw something odd out of the corner of his eye:
Instead of swishing through the basket, the ball rolled slowly across the end line.
"I turned around and saw the ref pick up the ball and hand it back to the player," Womack said, "and then he did the same thing again."
"Darius set up for a regular free throw, but he only shot it two or three feet in front of him," Rohlman said. "It bounced once or twice and just rolled past the basket."
"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal said. "It was the right thing to do."
After the second shot, everyone in the gym - including all the Madison players - stood and applauded the gesture of sportsmanship.
"Any one of my teammates would have done the same thing, and I think anyone on the Madison team would have done the same for us," McNeal said.
Madison broke open a close game after the timeout and went on to win, 62-47. Franklin finished with 10 points, matching his season average.
"Just being in the game was a good feeling," Franklin said. "I knew my Mom would have wanted me to play. She was always proud of me playing basketball."
My Top Ten Sports Movies
10. Rudy
09. Remember The Titans
08. The Longest Yard ( original)
07. Hoop Dreams
06. A League of Their Own (theres no crying in baseball)
05. The Natural
04. Seabiscuit
03. Rocky
02. A Shot at Glory
01. Hoosiers
09. Remember The Titans
08. The Longest Yard ( original)
07. Hoop Dreams
06. A League of Their Own (theres no crying in baseball)
05. The Natural
04. Seabiscuit
03. Rocky
02. A Shot at Glory
01. Hoosiers
Sports Quotes
The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.
-Joe Paterno
The minute you start talking about what you're going to do if you lose, you have lost.
-George Shultz
Other people may not have had high expectations for me... but I had high expectations for myself.
-Shannon Miller
-Joe Paterno
The minute you start talking about what you're going to do if you lose, you have lost.
-George Shultz
Other people may not have had high expectations for me... but I had high expectations for myself.
-Shannon Miller
Sports Entrepreneurs: The New Renaissance Man
Athletics and sports have been my sole passion ever since I was told that i could not participate in them. I was born premature with a lot of problems. The worst being that my feet are actually missing tendons that are quite important to the function of the foot. When I was six years old the doctor told me that I should give up playing Little League Baseball because that pain and agony would be to great. Do you think that happened? The answer is a most defiant "NO WAY". From that point on I dedicated myself to sports and athletics. I was the only person in my high school to have a varsity letter in six sports. I played football (won state championship), basketball (lost in the state championship), Baseball (won state championship), soccer, wrestling, and track. I also was apart of the golf club and to this day can still play a very good round of golf. Coming out of high school with a resume like that I knew I was destined for a career in the sports industry. I attended the University of Indiana to pursue my dream of a degree in Sports Management because I could not find a school in California that offered the program. I spent one year at Indiana before transferring to Dakota Wesleyan University in South Dakota. I transferred after a very out of the blue call from the head football coach at DWU. Even though I had not played football for over a year and a half he wanted to offer me a scholarship to play football. I jumped at the chance and immediately saw time as a spot starter. While attending DWU I was the Intramural Director for the university and was in charge of all intramural sports and activities for two years. I also dabbled my hand at the coaching ranks when I coached 4th,5th, and sixth grade girls and boys basketball. I would say thins was one of my most difficult tasks i have ever attempted in my short life. After I graduated with degrees in Sports Management, Business Administrationa and Multimedia I began what i like to call the real world. I was offered a position as the Special Olympics Coordinator for a facility in South Dakota and I jumped at the chance to work with people with both pysical and mental disabilities. I truly have learned more from these people then I could have ever possibly learned doing anything else. The main reason I want to be a sports entrepreneur is that sports and athletics have lead me through my life. I have ideas for a company that does fundraising for groups such as the Special Olympics and I also have an idea for a Fantasy Sports company. I say i am an entrepreneur because I have not chosen what I am going to do yet. Ideally, I would combine them all into one company, but that is a long way off at the moment. I will be one step closer when I achive my Masters in Sports Management. I know that with this degree I can really earn my title of Sports Entrepreneur: The New Renaissance Man!!!
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