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Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts

Friday, August 1, 2014

What Has Happened To Baseball?

Baseball for so many years was labeled America's pastime, but I fear that may not be the case anymore. Growing up I remember going to the ballpark every week enjoying the game with my family. There was specials all the time, so it was very affordable, but that is not the case anymore. I played little league growing up and one day I wanted to be just like my idols. It never happened, but hey kids are allowed to dream.

The baseball I see today do not even look like the sport I loved growing up as a kid. We have steroids, cheating and all kinds of things going on. It's not about the fans anymore it's all about money and that is sad. There was a time where kids could go to the ballpark and eat hotdogs with their families and try to get a foul ball in their glove along with some autographs.

Where has real baseball gone? Soccer, football, and basketball have taken over for baseball it seems. Little league is getting less players and leagues are vanishing quickly. I fear the sport I love is dying a slow death and my grandson will miss out on all the fun baseball was for me growing up. Hopefully, people will see what the game has become and give it back to the fans. I know that will not happen, but I can dream just like I did about being in the Major Leagues.


Thursday, October 24, 2013

Exciting Times At Sports Blogging Network

Everyone loves sports at Sports Blogging Network, but we have other things on tap for our readers. We will be doing reviews on products we feel will make a great fit for our readers. The first product we will look at is the Micro Touch Razor. Look for our review on this item this coming weekend.

No we have not forgot about sports as we will have plenty of that as well. We also are tossing in some holiday contests as well for our loyal fans. Sports in the fall and winter can be some of the best around. Look for our posts and as always your opinions are most welcomed. Sports Blogging Network wants to wish everyone a Happy Halloween and look for a special blog post on that holiday associated with sports.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Inspirational Coaches

Even those who have never played any competitive sports understand the inspirational effect a coach can have on a team. A coach's inspirational ability is often based on merely a reputation to inspire. In other words, they are role models that can impart strength, endurance and passion just by looking angry, wry, or pensive. Inspiration, coaches and big happy smiles are not generally associative things.
When it comes to coaches, inspiration rarely comes in the form of a conversational tone. It's either animated shouting, or a kind of disgruntled gruffness. There are different "inspirational poses" as well. Here's a classic basketball coach pose. One arm lays across the stomach holding the opposite arm just under the elbow The hand on the supported arm is placed around the chin with one thumb on the left cheek, and the index finger on the other. I'm inspired just imagining it.
Let's take a look at inspirational coaches across the different leagues and around the world. There has to be some secret as to why a 5 foot 10 inch Scott Brooks can motivate men who could probably dunk on him.
  • Lou Piniella – Inspirational coaches increase their inspiration-quotient exponentially when they themselves were former great players. Lou was a good baseball player, and also a fan-favorite, which he used to his advantage throughout his coaching days. His main inspirational tool was anger. If you did not lay that sacrifice bunt down, he would put the fear of God into you. If you got called out on a bad call, Piniella would put the fear of God into the ump on your behalf. So, coaches, if you can put the fear of God into people, you were a former good player, and were and are a fan favorite, it's likely you are going to be an inspirational coach.
  • Phil Jackson – Now, this guy had inspiration figured out. Smug, knowing smiles, exasperated gestures reeking of self-entitlement (probably deserved entitlement), and valuing the six inches between his athletes' heads more than their wingspan, Phil Jackson uses Zen inspiration. He says things like this to inspire: "If you meet Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball." He also had an incredibly successful career. Although, for the purpose of this post, let's just ignore the fact that he always coached basketball teams with some of the all-time greats on them. So, in honor of Phil Jackson's ability to inspire, just remember that, "Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me for the We."
  • Vince Lombardi – In order to have the trophy for one the world's most popular sporting events, the Super Bowl, named after you, you probably inspired someone. Vince Lombardi has inspired players, coaches, playwrights – you name it, he's inspired them. Check this quote out: "The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price."
  • John Wooden – College coaches always have to be inspirational. This is because they are coaching young kids. In other words, a college coach not only has to coach his players in terms of the sport, but also in terms of life. John Wooden is not only the most successful coach of all time (obviously debatable, but let's go with it), he has a pyramid of success with his quotes and an epic picture of him thinking in the background. But in all seriousness, John Wooden represents an aspect of coaching that is largely undervalued in today's world of multi-million professional athletes, specifically, athletic competition is not the end of the road for the vast majority of participants. However, success always requires the same thing: the drive to succeed and work for that success.
If you are interested in the larger implications of coaching in an academic environment, check out the degrees that could allow you to work in this kind of coaching context.

We Will See If Baker Mayfield Was Worth The Money This Sunday Against Atlanta

 This past Monday Night was very costly for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they lost both wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Evans should be...