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Apr
08
2018

New Yorks rookie head coach isnt concerned about Odell Beckhams pre-game jaunt to Miami. What matters is what his players do at work and its succeeding

Ben McAdoo, the son of a western Pennsylvania coal miner and now the head coach of the surging New York Giants, launched his coaching career two decades ago by joining the staff as an deputy at Homer-Center high school, where “hes having” graduated only a year earlier.

McAdoo had been a defensive tackle for the Homer-Center Wildcats, but he knew he was too small to be a starring, even at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was a student. But he did know he wanted to be a coach, so he dived in at the ripe old age of 19.

In the 20 football seasons between the time he coached at Homer-Center and when he was named last January to replace the illustrious Tom Coughlin as the Giants head coach, McAdoo held 10 different jobs with nine teams, including the Green Bay Packers.

McAdoo is merely 39, but he has been around the block. So when his superstar receiver, Odell Beckham Jr, flew to Miami after a game Sunday to expend an off-day Monday on a barge with three team-mates and Justin Bieber, McAdoo did not seem so concerned.

What he is concerned about is what his players do at work. And it is succeeding.

On a conference call with reporters on Monday, McAdoo said: Players are off until tomorrow morning. We will see them tomorrow morning and theyll get their workout in, and well get ready for Green Bay.

Yes, the Giant, wins of nine of their last 11 games, are to tangle with the Packers in a first-round playoff game on Sunday in Wisconsin, which will probably be a little colder than Miami. The Giants lost a regular-season game on 9 October at Green Bay, 23 -1 6.

That loss sank the Giants record to 2-3, but they have rebounded under McAdoo. Their finest moment came when they snapped the Dallas Cowboys 11 -game winning streak on 11 December by defeating them for the second time this season, but the Giants prevented Washington from inducing the playoffs by posting a 19 -1 0 road victory Sunday in a meaningless game for them.

The Giant finished with an 11 -5 record and constructed the playoffs for the first time since the 2011 season, which ended with the Giant toppling New England in Super Bowl XLVI. It was the Giants second Super Bowl victory under the fusty Coughlin, who retired after last season.

Because it is so hard to imagine any Giants player skipping off to Miami on a lark under Coughlin, McAdoo appeared to be lenient in comparison even a pushover, especially as a rookie head coach-and-four. To wander off six days before a playoff game is not standard procedure.

The flip side, of course, is that he trusts his players and the process, and they have responded to him.

Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas told of the Miami trip( on which he was not invited ): It merely sucks. Those guys get so much attention for negative things, and I dont see nothing wrong with it. They didnt break any rules.

After falling to Washington on 20 November, the Packers have won their last six games. Green Bay is a five-point favourite Sunday, so the Giants are facing a formidable challenge. They have enough to worry about besides the possible ramifications of the Miami caper.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who turned 36 on Tuesday, even joked about it, telling of the photos of the Miami boat excursion: I guess as a team we kind of always pride ourselves on being well prepared, so when I saw some of the pictures I was a little disappointed, only because obviously they didnt pack accordingly. They didnt have any shirts plainly, all long gasps , no shorts , no flip-flops or anything. So I am only disillusioned on their packing and not being prepared for that situation.

Pressed for a serious answer, Manning told: I dont really get into what guys do on their off days. It is their off-day, and they can do what they want.

Asked if he had off-days like that, Manning replied: I havent had many of those. But hey, its different. On my off-day I am always in here get prepared, talking with the coaches a little bit about strategies and different things we can do. But that is kind of what a quarterback has to do. If guys want to get away for a day, I think they were a little low on their Vitamin D and went to get some sunshine to get the Vitamin D up to make sure that they are staying healthy for the cold weather in Green Bay.

Manning answered four more the issue of the Miami excursion; he said he figured he would be asked about it by reporters Tuesday after hed found out about it.

He playfully discounted some memes that had been created of him joining his team-mates on the barge, saying: No, I was telling people that I was the one who took the picture because they wouldnt let me in with my shirt off, so they induced me take it.

Besides, McAdoo had not been so dismissive of Beckhams flamboyant behavior earlier this season, because it already had hurt the team. After Beckham received a taunting penalty in a dismal loss to Minnesota on 3 October, McAdoo pointed out that criminal penalties “ve killed a” promising drive.

Two weeks later, the Giants objective a three-game losing streak by beating Baltimore at home, with Beckham accounting for 222 yards, but McAdoo did not appreciate how Beckham had pretended to propose to a kicking net on the sideline. Beckham hit the net in a 25 September loss to Washington in frustration and the net appeared to hit him back.

McAdoo said he had told Beckham to focus on the game to not be a distraction.

It would seem as if the journey to Miami would be more of Beckham being the same except, in McAdoos eyes, it wasnt. It arrived on time off. When the Giant reported for a workout Tuesday, Beckham and his three team-mates were there.

I handle my business, Beckham told ESPN. Im a grown human. I do what I am supposed to be doing. Im in the building when Im supposed to be in the building. I dont miss squad meetings , none of that.

Maybe he is not as much of a glum stickler as his predecessor, but McAdoo has his rules and enforces them in his route. Late Sunday afternoon, we will see if he can move the Giant deeper into January.

Read more: www.theguardian.com

Apr
05
2018

( CNN) Right now you surely know someone who does Crossfit. Whether it be your spouse, wife, friend, sister, mother, coworker, friend, or acquaintance, you definitely know someone.

And that person talks about it. A lot.

Too much? Definitely too much. And now you’re reading about it? It’s all too much.

Kuwait joins the crossfit craze

The world’s most dangerous workout?

‘CrossFitter’ pushings sport’s limit

Man severs spine in freak accident

Feb
24
2018

Nicolle Smith, 49, powerlifter

I started weightlifting three years ago at the age of 46. Id done competitive athletics in my 20 s and wanted to find a physical activity that would challenge me. I loved the movie Rocky, and the classic train sequence from it, so I decided to join a boxing club. Non-competitive boxing became my second love for 10 years. But eventually it started to take a toll on my body, and I cease just after my 40 th birthday.

If youre not a runner( and I never enjoyed operating ), the options for fitness in the middle years really narrow down to a handful of activities. Many play tennis( which yields a high chronic injury rate in the over-4 0s ), take up yoga( which is fine, but doesnt genuinely get the heart rate up ), or try golf( which isnt my thing ).

I tried British Military Fitness for a year, but you need the staman of a younger athlete. I considered CrossFit, but there was no way I was going to manage the dynamic moves. I was intrigued by the strength-based exercises and set out to find a qualified strength and conditioning trainer. Will Davis at Performance Pro started me off with body weight workouts, and at first, when he asked me to pick up a bar buzzer, I told him I didnt want to lift heavy weights; I worried that I would get big. He insured I would not. I thought about the women Ive watched lifting weights who appear lean, and changed my mind.

Powerlifting consists of three lifts: the squat, the bench press and the deadlift. Lifting weights is technological, but thats what I love about it. You make improvements every week. It has a huge health impact for women as they age. I had a bone density scan last year and the technician told me mine was off the charts. I have also dropped a dress sizing as fat has gradually become muscle.

Lifting provides a challenge for me, and I love the training environment. My gym is full of athletes of all ages, each with their own aims. No one is there to show off. It really is empowering.

My weekend workout

Sessions per week ? Three.
Best pre-workout meal ? Peanut butter on toast.
Most exhausting move ? My maximum deadlift of 92.5 kg; one and a half times my body weight.

Five ways to get started

1 Go to the Global or UK Strength and Conditioning website( nsca.com; uksca.org) to find a trainer with qualifications near you: its about the trainer , not the gym. Finding someone who will teach you proper technique and sort will build injuries less likely.

2 Be patient. Powerlifting takes time. You might spend weeks learning the basics, but once you have mastered them, youll be thrilled when your weights get heavier.

3 Start with a simple squatting. Stand with your feet merely wider than shoulder-width apart, pull your shoulders back and keep your back straight. With your arms above your head slowly push your hobo back as you lower it to the floor. Pause and come back up.

4 Get a gym educate buddy; you can watch each others kind and help move the plates on and off the barbell, which can be tiring on your own.

5 Mark Rippetoe is an expert lifter and former Olympic coach. Watch his video explainers or find his book, Starting Strength. Many lifters call it the bible of Powerlifting.

Essential kit

Powerlifting

Powerlifting shoes, 74.95, adidas.com; York padded leather weight lifting belt, 12.88, sweatband.com; wrist supports, 2.99, amazon.co.uk

Read more: www.theguardian.com

Jan
27
2018

Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas won the womens 400 m final with a diving finish, preventing American Allyson Felix from capturing a fifth Olympic gold medal

With the finish line approaching and an Olympic gold so close she could almost touch it, Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas dived. She sprawled across the hard, blue Olympic Stadium track without genuinely knowing why she had said and done. Her intellect was blank. Her body was cut, with skin torn away merely below her right ribcage, her right elbow and three places on her legs. But she didnt feel them. Her body was numb. She couldnt move.

All she knew was that she had run the race of their own lives, the 400 m at a shine, beautiful pace and now she was staring at the stadium illuminates unsure what to think, only wanting lie of the cool wet way because she had no energy left. Then she heard her mom screaming from the stands. Get up! Get up! And this was how Shaunae Miller learned she had won Olympic gold. Later, there would be time for the details.

She would learn she had beaten American track legend Allyson Felix by the length of her lunging limb, or 0.07 seconds. But at that moment she couldnt digest her success, her dream achieved. I was believing, Oh my gosh, I am lying on the ground right now, she said. And yet neither her moms pleas nor a gold medal would pull her to her feet. She had plunged onto the stadium floor to win an Olympic race and it was there she wanted to stay.

An hour after her victory she still seemed perplexed as to why she hurled herself across the finish line in the first Olympic medal race of her life. It was instinct, a reaction, a response to seeing Felix in her peripheral vision. But, hey, I got a medal out of it, she said.

When she finally stood up, several minutes after the race, she found her body had cooled. This is when she took account of the injuries from her diving, the bloody spots on her torso, elbows and knees. She felt them all. Oh gosh did I cut myself up? she asked. Somehow she didnt intellect.

Read more: www.theguardian.com

Jan
22
2018

The Dallas Cowboys veteran is merely called into action around seven days a game. But he has yet to make an error after a dozen seasons in the league

Imagine an NFL player who has been perfect for virtually 12 seasons; a human who has been true every moment of his career never once sliding in the dirt or stumbling to catch his feet or suffering a bad day. It seems impossible. Even machines occasionally break down and humans err.

Dallas Cowboys long snapper LP Ladouceur does not.

You may have never heard of Ladouceur though he has played for more than a decade on one of the worlds most famous teams. Chances are you wouldnt recognise him without his helmet since the majority of his television appearances are closeups of his backside in the instant before he flicks a football between his legs. You have, undoubtedly, watched his work in the form of a decades worth of precise snaps whistling true to Dallas punters or flying toward the hands of holders on extra points and field goals. It is highly unlikely you took a moment to marvel at his reliability.

Long snappers live to be ignored because if they are noticed, it usually entails a cataclysm has resulted. A snap has been botched and the ball is flying over the punters head or rolling helplessly toward the holder on a field goal, throwing video games most anonymous player under the glare of the television lens. Abruptly everybody knows the long snapper and theres no place to hide. For Ladouceur, his perfection is silence.

I think the more you play this game, you start to realize that mentally you have to be sharp, he says by phone following a recent practise. The physical component is kind of a given. The guys who last long know that.

Long snappers are often everybodys joke; the guy at the bottom of the roster who has little to do with the outcomes of the game. They are mocked for their lack of impact, unappreciated by fans who have no idea the mental toll of waiting alone until the time comes to snap the ball. A few years ago, the Madden video game ranked Washington long snapper Ethan Albright as the leagues worst player , as if they knew something about him. He was a snapper and snappers have failed at more demanding postures, the believing goes.

Nobody understands the importance of a long snapper until something happens, which is the damning thing about precision at the position. Last Sunday the Philadelphia Eagles lost their long snapper, Jon Dorenbos, to a season-ending wrist injury. Then Brent Celek, the only other Eagle who could long snap, injured his neck and couldnt play. This left Philadelphia without a snapper.They couldnt punt or kick field goals, until late in video games when, in desperation, they brought out tight end Trey Burton, who was able to complete an ugly, awkward snap on a go-ahead field goal. Two weeks later, they signed a real snapper to replace Dorenbos.

At least the Cowboys understand the value of a reliable snapper. They have bestowed on Ladouceur two, five-year contracts over the years which is almost unheard of for a NFL player. His career earnings approach $10 m and he has carved a life for himself in the Fort Worth suburb of Aledo that no football-loving child from Montreal could have dreamed of living. All for roughly seven snaps a game.

But if you think any of this is easy, “its not”. Technique is important and while fans may scoff, long snappers put in long hours of practise on top of gym sessions and team meetings. Ladouceur says he works with the kickers and punters for large chunks of each Cowboys workout constantly bending over and snapping. Again and again and again until he has it right.

Basically[ a snapper has] to be a linebacker, but backward, be able to snap the ball backward like the quarterback throws, Cowboys special squads coach Rich Bisaccia once told the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram .

But its hard to be a linebacker who isnt truly a linebacker. In college, Ladoceur was a defensive lineman and he still keeps the defensive players longing to run downfield and make someone. He has seven career tackles but rarely gets to attain contact on punts or kicks. He lives in a strange dynamic inside the Cowboys locker room, playing a position that should give him a bond with offensive linemen but knowing he can never live in that shut society, while remaining an outsider as well to the defensive linemen who would normally be his peer group. He is friends with players in both groups but he is a special teams player, a designation that puts him in a different realm.

LP
LP LaDouceur: The physical component is various kinds of a devoted. The guys who last long know that. Photo: Icon Sports Wire/ Corbis via Getty Images

Still, he has played long enough to build a certain respect and has plenty of friends on the team. He has lived more Cowboys history than almost any other active player other than quarterback Tony Romo, who dropped a perfect snap from Ladouceur on what should have been a game-winning field goal in a 2007 playoff game against Seattle.

Logic says Ladouceur shouldnt be here. Children from French-speaking Canada rarely find their way to the NFL. But Ladouceur loved football and he was a relentless linebacker and defensive lineman at Notre Dame High School in Montreal, then later at nearby John Abbot College. He depicted scholarship offers from several American colleges including Syracuse, California and Michigan State, choice Cal after falling in love with the school on his official visit. He imagined a career as a predominate defensive lineman, but after a knee trauma and a coaching change, he fell out of the defensive line rotation.

There was, however, an opportunity for a long snapper. And at some phase he realized that any hope of playing professionally rested with his ability to snap efficiently on kickings. After graduating with a certain degree in ground and planetary sciences he was sighed by the New Orleans Saint who maintained him through training camp, cutting him just before the final preseason game. He left New Orleans on one of the last flights before Hurricane Katrina arrived, returning to California where he waited in Sacramento for another shot at the NFL.

It came a few a few weeks later in the most surprising of ways. Because of a scheduling oddity, the Cowboys had games in San Francisco and Oakland on consecutive weekends and decided to spend the days in-between practicing in nearby San Jose. During the journey, they released their snapper and started looking for a new one. A Dallas player who shared the same agent as Ladouceur alerted the agent who put in a call. An invitation was extended and Ladouceur drove that night to the team hotel. The next morning he stepped into a team van headed to practice merely to find the teams omnipotent coach Bill Parcells and proprietor Jerry Jones a row in front of him.

I was a Cal guy, I had long, blond hair Ladouceur remembers with a laugh.

We know about you, Parcells said to him that day.

And all Ladouceur could think was: What have I gotten myself into?

But he survived. He nailed his snaps in that first game and then the others that followed. After the season, the Cowboys gave him a one-year contract and then another and soon he was the player whose roster place was never questioned. Its definitely been a boon, says Ladouceur. Every day I think about Coach Parcells saying yes. I find him a couple years ago at the hallway of fame game and I thanked him

Parcells devoted way to Wade Phillips who gave route to Jason Garrett and still Ladouceur remained. Theres never a need for a good long snapper until you need him.

He built a life in Dallas. He got married and started a family. He and a friend went into business as contractors constructing new homes. He loved the idea of putting families in homes. He became something of a name in an area where the Cowboys are the most powerful cultural institution. The long snapper who never made a mistake. When he retires he wants to teach French at his neighborhood high school.

I feel like Ive cemented myself, he says. Before his thoughts turn towards teaching: I feel I can do something great there.

And yet there are few guaranties when you are the last player on the roster. Perfection has kept him with the Cowboys for all these years but somebody is always watching: waiting for clues of complacency, waiting to see if there will be failure.

On the very afternoon Ladouceur talked with the Guardian about his life as a snapper, a coach-and-four had observed Ladouceur in practice , noticed one snap was somewhat off and noted the moment.

A little high on the first one, the coach-and-four said at the end of the workout.

A little high? After 12 years of perfection ?

Ladoueur chuckles. You cant get too comfy, he says.

Nobody sleeps on perfect.

Read more: www.theguardian.com

Jan
06
2018

The Yankees are the greatest hype machine of all time, but the 23 -year-old Sanchez is doing legendary things. Plus Yasiel Puig, Bartolo Colon, and the reaction to Tim Tebows baseball workout

There was Kevin Maas and Shayne Spencer. Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Hideki Irabu. Shelley Duncan and Greg Bird. The Yankees can boast the most championships in major league history and also that the franchise is the greatest of all-time at producing overhyped prospects.

Any Yankees minor-leaguer who arrives in the Bronx with a bit of pedigree or touch of early success is unavoidably elevated to future legend status. Maas was the next Lou Gehrig when he made 21 home run in half a season in 1990. He merely hit 44 more home run with the Yankees over the next three seasons, becoming more the next Steve Balboni than Gehrig. So its easy to eye-roll whenever a Yankees rookie starts grabbing headlines. The natural reaction is to ignore it and wait for the inevitable breakdown to come.

But if youre doing that this year youre missing a Yankees rookie that actually happens to be worth watching. Gary Sanchez, called up to the big club in early August as the Yankees embarked on their youth movement, is doing legendary things. Its hard to find a hitting record the 23 -year old catcher doesnt hold for the first month of a career. Hes the first player to reach 11 home runs in his first 23 games, has the highest OPS in history through a players first 100 plate appearances, is leading baseball in WAR since the start of August and is the first American League player to win three consecutive player of the week honors since Albert Belle in 1998. Theres no over-hyping total predominance. You can say weve considered it before with a Yankees call-up, but baseball hasnt find anything quite like this in history.

Sanchez is playing so well that hes helped the Yankees stay on the fringe of the wildcard race more than a month after the front office entirely gave up on the season. And while his production at the plate describes all the attention, his play behind the plate is outstanding compared to most 23 -year olds at the position. He can hold a place in the majors on that alone even when he stops making major league pitching like hes a 6ft 2in kid in the Little League World Series. The Yankees undoubtedly have their catcher of the future and they may even have a guy who can develop the leadership and intangibles that induced Derek Jeters name holy terms in the Bronx.

Gary Sanchez (@ ElGarySanchez) August 27, 2016

New Yorkers never quit. Neither will we @Yankees. Please keep coming out to support. Thank you. #YankeesDontQuit #IamGary

He is Gary. He is not just the most recent Yankees hype creation.

Video of the week

Joon Lee (@ iamjoonlee) August 30, 2016

was watching some video and came across this steven wright pitching from a few nights ago.

holy crap. pic.twitter.com/ l6ZEc46n9Z

Seeing a Steven Wright knuckleball move like that is hard to comprehend. Its nearly as mystify as the issues to from the old Steven Wright joke: OK, so whats the velocity of darknes?

Quote of the week

I would give him the same advice I would be asking for right now. I would sit with him face-to-face and then tell him the things that he has been doing wrong, the things he should do better to be a better teammate and stay in the big leagues.

Yasiel Puig , Dodgers minor leaguer, on what he would tell his younger self if he could

Good for Puig if he feels like he has matured and become more professional since get demoted to Oklahoma City. But its fiction that he was sent to the minors because he was a bad teammate. He had a. 706 OPS with the Dodgers this year before he was demoted. He wasnt playing good baseball, so they sent him to play baseball somewhere else. In his rookie year of 2013 his teammate skills were no better, but his OPS was. 925. If Puig ever gets to speak to his younger ego, he should tell Young Puig to stay really good at baseball because then he can behave however he wants to.

Whos closer to victory: Donald Trump or the Cubs?

Hillary Clintons unfavorable numbers are way up again after her latest email dispute, forcing the world to again responding to the truly frightening prospect of a President Trump. The Cubs keep rolling along, but theyll have to get through a postseason tournament that includes nine other very good teams. Trump only has to beat one Hillary Clinton to win it all. Thats like the Cubs merely having to get past the Twins to win the World Series. This weeks advantage goes to Trump.

How did the kids piss off Goose Gossage this week?

Three minor league players, two in the Pirates system and one with the Tigers, got in an altercation at a bar in Toledo, Ohio, the coming week when a bartender reportedly dumped out the drink of Indianapolis infielder Gift Ngoepe at last bellow. No one can speak for Goose Gossage here speaking for someone is likely against a code but I think we can all agree that a bartender dumping out a patrons drink unprovoked is incorrect. The three players ultimately were arrested and charged with assault, but at the least they will never be charged with transgressing the unwritten rules of going to a bar.

Nine thoughts in order

1. Tim Tebow held his( much-anticipated ?) baseball workout on Tuesday in Los Angeles. One National League scout said off-the-record that he sucked, while another NL scout said he hit some bombs, simply bombs. Talk about exit speed off the at-bat. It was astonishing. No one knows where Tebows career will take him next, but we can be sure that no matter what he does, exactly half the people will think hes great and the other half will insist hes the worst ever.

2. A pitcher in the KBO named Lim Chang-yong came up with a great new style to hold athletes on the base without requiring fielders to cover the purse: just hurl the baseball at the baserunners head.

Dan (@ MyKBO) August 29, 2016

KIA’s Lim Chang-yong’s been suspended for 3 games& required to complete 120 hours of community service for this ‘pick-off’ pic.twitter.com/ VXRx1P 6sVK

A three-game suspension for innovation? Outrageous. Geniuses are so rarely appreciated in their time.

3. Max Scherzer has taken a no-hitter into the sixth inning nine times now since joining the Nationals last season. As baseball continues to search for ways to speed up the game, this fact presents a fairly obvious one: in all Max Scherzer games, only skip the first 5 half-innings in which he would pitch. Thats 30 minutes saved right there. Youre greeting, baseball.

4. Bartolo Colon had two makes in his last start to become the second-oldest Mets player in history to get two hittings in a single game. Colon will break Julio Francos record during the 2021 season when he is 48 and reaches two triples. Then maybe people will finally believe me that Bartolo is the greatest athlete in the sport.

5. The Rangers are now 30 -8 in one-run games this season, putting them on pace to best the 2012 Orioles for the best winning percentage in one-run games in baseball history. Impressive. But that Baltimore team didnt make it out of the first round of the playoffs. And despite having the best record in the American League and the second-best mark in all of baseball, the Rangers are merely tied for 13 th in run differential at plus-9. Run differential is the stat that tells if a team is truly dominant the Cubs are plus-2 21, for example while winning one-run games is often a function of luck. The Rangers are going to make the playoffs, but theyre going to need a lot of luck to do anything there. For a squad that has never once had even a hint of postseason luck, thats a daunting fate.

6. Carlos Beltran expended the last two and a half seasons with the Yankees before getting traded to the Rangers at the deadline. The Yankees have long had strict requirements about player hair; the Rangers clearly dont have any such policy.

Kenny Ducey (@ KennyDucey) August 28, 2016

BARBER: what’ll it be?

CARLOS BELTRAN: Lather it up with some engine sludge

BARBER: Say no more pic.twitter.com/ aFJBPEHhYS

You dont have to like the Yankees. But the organization cant be all bad if it avoided catastrophes like Beltrans paint hair from resulting.

7. The Mets took the first two games of their series this week with Marlins to stay right in the thick of the wildcard race, but pitcher Noah Syndergaard did not appreciate watch fans do the wave.

Noah Syndergaard (@ Noahsyndergaard) August 31, 2016

Very happy we won….but I want the name and address of the person who started the “Wave” tonight. #banthewave #resisttheurge

This is a losing battle for Syndergaard. Most fans like the wave. There are only a few, the brave, who sit while all those around them stand. Like this Blue Jays fan.

Scott Johnson (@ _scottjohnson) August 28, 2016

it’s not lighted. pic.twitter.com/ Yc7ck1kVCu

8. Major league rosters expand today, devoting squads the option to grow from 25 players to 40. Its an odd day as contending squads suddenly have their playoff fates tied to lesser players who days ago were toiling away in forgotten towns. Or maybe its not that odd. MLB lets the Twins and Braves and Reds have an impact on World Series homefield via the All-Star Game, so why not spread such an approach out over an entire month.

9. Colin Kaepernicks refusal to stand for the national anthem is likely the biggest sports-related anthem disagreement since Roseanne Barr screeched the anthem punctuating the performance with a crotch grab and spit before a San Diego Padres game in 1990.

It was so bad that then-president George HW Bush called it disgraceful. But it wasnt without its positive qualities. For example, Roseanne had the courtesy to sing the anthem that style before the invention of Facebook, so no one had to deal with their aunt angrily posting about it four times a day for a week.

Read more: www.theguardian.com

Jan
03
2018

( CNN) Pitcher Roy Halladay, who won two Cy Young awards and more than 200 Major League Baseball games during a stellar career, died Tuesday in a plane crash off the Florida coast, authorities said.

Halladay, 40, was the only person on the two-seater plane that crashed just off New Port Richey on the Gulf coast north of the Tampa Bay area, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said.

The single-engine plane, an Icon A5, crashed in very shallow water and was found upside down.

Dec
19
2017

Nick Kyrgios has let his racquet do the talking to cyclone into the second round of the US Open in New York

Nick Kyrgios let his racquet do the talking to cyclone into the second round of the US Open, a day after pointing out tennis players are allowed to smoking marijuana on tour in a Q& A with his Twitter followers.

Kyrgios overcame a troublesome hip and an early showdown with the chair umpire to blast past Britains Aljaz Bedene 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in less than two hours on Tuesday night.

The 14 th seeds routine win came after officials said he would not be sanctioned for his latest headline-grabbing moment on the eve of the seasons final grand slam event. Kyrgios offered up a simple yep when asked by one of his Twitter adherents: are you allowed to smoke weed on tour?

And he is correct, with a Wada spokesman confirming that while marijuana is a prohibited substance for in-competition testing, it has never been prohibited out-of-competition. In consequence, that means players are OK to smoke marijuanas while not competing at tournaments.

During the same snap, two-minute Q& A, Kyrgios also teased that he would walk away from tennis at just 21 if he won the US Open on Sunday week. If I won the US open now u[ sic] would never find me again, he replied to a fan ahead of his opener against British No3 Bedene.

After sitting out the Rio Olympics following his running battle with Australias chef de mission Kitty Chiller, Kyrgios also seemed to have a laugh at the Australian squad boss.

Asked who inspired him the most over the Olympics, he replied: kitty. But, as his wont, the two-time grand slam quarter-finalist backed up his pre-tournament banter with an impressive opening to his campaign.

Kyrgios fired down 14 superstars and thumped 43 wins in booking a second-round date on Thursday with Argentine Horacio Zeballos.

His victory wasnt entirely incident-free, though, with Kyrgios receiving a code violation in the first game of the match for aggressively hitting a ball, after a rally that the umpire deemed came dangerously close to a linesman.

Youre giving me a code violation for reaching the ball too hard. Ive heard it all now, Kyrgios said.

Kyrgios match with Bedene was the fourth of the working day on the old Grandstand court all of which featured Australians.

Sam Stosur joined Kyrgios in victory after she won through to the second round for an eighth hour at Flushing Meadows following a tough workout against Camila Giorgi.

Australias 2011 champion overcome three service breakings and some relentless pressure to emerge with a 7-5, 6-7( 4-7 ), 6-1 victory over the free-hitting Italian. Stosur, the 16 th seed this year, next plays Zhang Shuai, who crushed Australian wildcard Ellen Perez 6-1, 6-1 in her opening match.

Daria Gavrilovas campaign has ended in tears with a shattering straight-sets first-round loss to Lucie Safarova. The Australian No2 was unable to hide her letdown after falling 6-4, 6-4 to the 2015 French Open finalist.

And Bernard Tomic also crashed out, losing 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6( 7-0) to Bosnias Damir Dumhur while also making headlines for a lewd statement he made to a fan in the stands.

Rounding off a busy day for Australians in New York, in-form John Millman fell short of pulling off the first big surprise of the tournament. Millman led Dominic Thiem two decides to one before succumbing 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to the eighth-seeded Austrian.

It was a tough draw for Millman, who regained his place in the worlds top 70 on Monday following his charge to a career-first ATP semi-final last week in Winston-Salem.

Read more: www.theguardian.com

Nov
16
2017

Nicolle Smith, 49, powerlifter

I started weightlifting three years ago at the age of 46. Id done competitive athletics in my 20 s and wanted to find a physical activity that would challenge me. I loved the movie Rocky, and the classic develop sequence from it, so I decided to join a boxing club. Non-competitive boxing became my second love for 10 years. But eventually it started to take a toll on my body, and I cease just after my 40 th birthday.

If youre not a runner( and I never enjoyed operating ), the options for fitness in the middle years really narrow down to a handful of activities. Many play tennis( which yields a high chronic injury rate in the over-4 0s ), take up yoga( which is fine, but doesnt truly get the heart rate up ), or try golf( which isnt my thing ).

I tried British Military Fitness for a year, but you need the staman of a younger athlete. I considered CrossFit, but there was no way I was going to manage the dynamic moves. I was intrigued by the strength-based exercises and set out to find a qualified strength and conditioning trainer. Will Davis at Performance Pro started me off with body weight workouts, and at first, where reference is asked me to pick up a bar buzzer, I told him I didnt want to lift heavy weights; I worried that I would get big. He insured I would not. I thought about the women Ive considered lifting weights who seem lean, and changed my mind.

Powerlifting consists of three lifts: the squatting, the bench press and the deadlift. Lifting weights is technological, but thats what I love about it. You make improvements each week. It has a huge health impact for women as they age. I had a bone density scan last year and the technician told me mine was off the following chart. I have also fell a dress size as fat has gradually become muscle.

Lifting offer a challenge for me, and I love the training environment. My gym is full of athletes of all ages, each with their own objectives. No one is there to show off. It really is empowering.

My weekend workout

Sessions per week ? Three.
Best pre-workout meal ? Peanut butter on toast.
Most exhausting move ? My maximum deadlift of 92.5 kg; one and a half days my body weight.

Five ways to get started

1 Go to the Global or UK Strength and Conditioning website( nsca.com; uksca.org) to find a trainer with qualifications near you: its about the trainer , not the gym. Finding someone who will teach you proper technique and form will make traumata less likely.

2 Be patient. Powerlifting takes time. You might expend weeks learning the basics, but once you have mastered them, youll be thrilled when your weights get heavier.

3 Start with a simple squatting. Stand with your feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, pull your shoulders back and keep your back straight. With your limbs above your head slowly push your bum back as you lower it to the floor. Pause and come back up.

4 Get a gym develop buddy; you can watch each others form and help move the plates on and off the barbell, which can be tiring on your own.

5 Mark Rippetoe is an expert lifter and former Olympic coach. Watch his video explainers or find his volume, Starting Strength. Many lifters call it the bible of Powerlifting.

Essential kit

Powerlifting

Powerlifting shoes, 74.95, adidas.com; York padded leather weight lifting belt, 12.88, sweatband.com; wrist supportings, 2.99, amazon.co.uk

Read more: www.theguardian.com

Oct
08
2017

( CNN) Kyle Schwarber has been an incredible — borderline miraculous, even — World Series story for the Chicago Cubs.

The 23 -year-old, aside from five plate appearances in April, missed most of the season following surgery for a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. Surprisingly, he returned to the Cubs’ lineup as the designated hitter merely in time for the start of the World Series. He’s been one of Chicago’s best offensive producers, batting. 429 with three makes and two RBIs in Games 1 and 2.

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