有村智恵、好相性の大会で復活への足がかりつかめるか

2012年04月05日17時15分






復帰2戦目に挑む有村智恵、本来の姿を取り戻す戦いが続く（撮影：ＡＬＢＡ）






＜スタジオアリス女子オープン　事前情報◇5日◇花屋敷ゴルフ倶楽部 よかわコース(6,483ヤード・パー72)＞

　国内女子ツアー「スタジオアリス女子オープン」が6日(金)より兵庫県にある花屋敷ゴルフ倶楽部よかわコースで開催される。この日はプロアマ戦が行われ、先週の「ヤマハレディースオープン葛城」からツアーに復帰した有村智恵も出場した。

有村、桃子、愛璃らの写真を即時アップ！トーナメントLIVE写真館

　有村は復帰戦初日から大きく出遅れ、2日目が悪天候で中止となったため、1ラウンドしかできずに予選落ち。「徐々に足場を固めて自分のスタイルを取り戻していかなかれば」と、まだ実戦勘を完全に取り戻すにはいたっていない現状を口にした。

　そこで、先週の試合後レーナーや家族と相談の上「これ以上やったらダメという時は止めてあげるからと言ってくれたので、これからは自分が納得するまで練習しようかなと」と、ケガの予防のためセーブしてきた練習量を増やすことを決意。「今は練習しないとスコアも出ないし、今はやっていかないといけない。いくら抑えてもケガはするし、恐怖感は消さないといけないので、周りの人を信じてやっていきたい」。ケガと上手く付き合いながら完全復活を目指す。

　有村は2010年にこの大会でプレーオフを制し優勝するなど、相性は良い。復活への足がかりをつかむにはかっこうの舞台といえそうだ。

伊澤利光、連日の“68”で3位タイ！でも「今週僕の優勝はない」

2012年09月14日18時50分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 キム・ドフン -10
2 谷原　秀人 -9
3 伊澤　利光 -8
松村　道央 -8
近藤　共弘 -8
6 平塚　哲二 -7
上井　邦浩 -7
K・バーンズ -7
キム・ヒョンソン -7
塚田　好宣 -7


順位の続きを見る





強い伊澤がまた見たい！（撮影：米山聡明）








【もっと写真を見る（7）】




＜ANAオープン　2日目◇14日◇札幌ゴルフ倶楽部 輪厚コース(7,063ヤード・パー72)＞

　国内男子ツアー「ANAオープン」2日目。4アンダー7位タイから出たツアー通算16勝を誇るベテラン・伊澤利光はこの日5バーディ・1ボギーの68をマーク。スコアを4つ伸ばしトータル8アンダー、首位と2打差の3位タイで決勝ラウンドに駒を進めた。伊澤は今季3度目の予選通過。

伊澤利光の成績など

　ベテランが輪厚で輝いた。2日連続の“68”で優勝を狙える位置で決勝へ。しかし、この結果にも「自分ではまったく満足していないです。基本的にはティショットが左へ曲がる」と話した伊澤。「結果的にはアプローチ、パットに救われましたね。でもいかんせん、このゴルフではショットの修正ができないとまだまだ」アイアンやショートゲームはそんなに問題がないが、ティショットの悩みは深そうだ。プレーの内容はとうてい全盛期に及ばず「今週僕の優勝はないです。はっきり言って(笑)」と白旗宣言も飛び出した。

　海外での実績に加え、“世界一美しいスイング”の持ち主として一時はゴルファーの憧れの的だった伊澤。本人は無理だというが、このまま優勝争いに加わり復活した姿を大勢のファンの前に見せてもらいたい。

谷原秀人が1打差2位に浮上「胸をはって頑張りたい」

2012年09月14日19時07分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 キム・ドフン -10
2 谷原　秀人 -9
3 伊澤　利光 -8
松村　道央 -8
近藤　共弘 -8
6 平塚　哲二 -7
上井　邦浩 -7
K・バーンズ -7
キム・ヒョンソン -7
塚田　好宣 -7


順位の続きを見る





2位に浮上した谷原は2年ぶり勝利をつかむことができるか（撮影：米山聡明）








【もっと写真を見る（9）】




＜ANAオープン　2日目◇14日◇札幌ゴルフ倶楽部 輪厚コース(7,063ヤード・パー72)＞

　北海道にある札幌ゴルフ倶楽部 輪厚コースを舞台に開催中の国内男子ツアー「ANAオープン」2日目。この日2つのイーグルなどで爆発的にスコアを伸ばした金度勲(キム・ドフン)(韓国)がトータル10アンダーで単独首位に浮上。1打差の2位に8バーディ・1ボギー・1ダブルボギーの67をマークし5つスコアを伸ばした谷原秀人。2打差の3位タイには伊澤利光、松村道央、近藤共弘の3選手がつけた。初日、首位に立った平塚哲二はスコアを伸ばせず3打差の6位タイに、池田勇太は1つしかスコアを伸ばせず18位タイに後退した。

谷原秀人の今季成績

　谷原は3番パー3でティショットを1メートルにつけバーディを先行させると、そのまま怒涛の4連続バーディを奪取。8番パー3でもスコアを伸ばし後半へ。11番ではこの日初のボギーを叩いてしまうが、その後は3連続バーディで取り返す。このまま上がれば単独首位だったが、15番で痛恨のダブルボギーを叩きトータル9アンダーでホールアウトした。

　今季前半戦は頻繁に上位に顔を出していたが、ここ最近は優勝争いにからめずにいた谷原は「ショットはボチボチ、パッティングもボチボチ、そんな感じがずっと続いています。たぶん気持ちの問題だと思います。今週はドライバーを代えてすごくいいです」とこの日を振り返った。残り2日間は「胸をはって頑張りたいですね。悪いパットの時とかイライラしたりするけど、淡々とゴルフをして胸をはって歩きたいなと思います」。約2年ぶりの勝利へ、前を向き胸をはって前進していくのみだ。

＜中間速報＞遼、7アンダーで後半へ！藤田が4連続バーディで1打差2位タイ

2012年09月15日10時07分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 キム・ヒョンソン -14
2 藤田　寛之 -12
3 ドンファン -10
池田　勇太 -10
宮里　優作 -10
室田　淳 -10
上平　栄道 -10
上井　邦浩 -10
K・バーンズ -10
松村　道央 -10


順位の続きを見る


＜ANAオープン　3日目◇15日◇札幌ゴルフ倶楽部 輪厚コース(7,063ヤード・パー72)＞

　北海道にある札幌ゴルフ倶楽部 輪厚コースで開催されている、国内男子ツアー「ANAオープン」の3日目。4アンダー26位タイでスタートした石川遼は、前半で3つのバーディを奪いトータル7アンダー9位タイに浮上した。

　藤田寛之が2番から4連続バーディを奪い、トータル9アンダー2位タイに浮上。トータル10アンダー首位の金度勲(キム・ドフン)(韓国)はスタートしたばかり。

＜速報＞遼、スコアを5つ伸ばし9アンダーで3日目終了！

2012年09月15日12時11分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 キム・ヒョンソン -14
2 藤田　寛之 -12
3 ドンファン -10
池田　勇太 -10
宮里　優作 -10
室田　淳 -10
上平　栄道 -10
上井　邦浩 -10
K・バーンズ -10
松村　道央 -10


順位の続きを見る


＜ANAオープン　3日目◇15日◇札幌ゴルフ倶楽部 輪厚コース(7,063ヤード・パー72)＞

　北海道にある札幌ゴルフ倶楽部 輪厚コースで開催されている、国内男子ツアー「ANAオープン」の3日目。石川遼は5バーディ・ノーボギーでまわり、トータル9アンダーでホールアウト。現時点で首位とは2打差の4位タイとなっている。

　首位はトータル11アンダーの室田淳と金亨成(キム・ヒョンソン)(韓国)。トータル10アンダー3位には藤田寛之がつけている。

Protective Paintball Gear Enhances Player Safety

Paintball is a sport that many people get like to play. Whether the competitor is a beginner or plays all the time, they will need to wear certain gear for their safety. The protective paintball gear that a person decides to wear while playing paintball is always a personal choice. There is different gear available to cover different parts of the body. Following is a brief outline of the different types of paintball gear available.

Headgear

It is very important to cover the head while playing this sport. Some of the different headgear available include goggles, masks, head wraps, knit caps, and baseball caps. Ghillie hoods and veils are also used to camouflage the person’s head. Many people use head wraps and knit caps to protect their hair from getting paint in it. Baseball caps are a good way to protect the neck if they are worn backwards.

Goggles

Goggles are another important component when purchasing paintball gear. A few things to remember when choosing which goggles the player wants to wear would include making sure that they fit well and are comfortable to wear. This is important, because during a game the player cannot take them off or even lift them up for a second. Another thing to be aware of is to make sure that the goggles meet or exceed ASTM standards. This standard is set for the player’s safety and is important to follow.

Vests

Vests are available for a player to wear, however they are not necessarily essential for the game. Vests are most commonly worn for scenario paintball games, where a competitor may be carrying a pistol, a grenade, or a tube with extra paintballs in it.

Gloves

There are a variety of gloves for players to choose from including full finger, fingerless, or half finger gloves. If the player wants the most protection, then they should wear full finger gloves. An advantage that fingerless gloves give the player is more control for rapid fire when using paintball guns.

Footwear

Different players wear different types of footwear. At any given time people wear regular tennis shoes, hiking boots, or combat-style boots. One thing to take into consideration is the paintballer’s ankles. Wearing high tops or boots prevent the ankles from receiving nasty welts from impact.

Whatever gear a player decides to wear while playing this sport is, once again, a personal decision. The important thing to remember is the player’s safety when purchasing equipment. This sport is fun, but can be very painful as well if the person does not give themselves adequate protection.

How to Improve Golf Swing Accuracy and Power

The golf swing can always be improved whether you want your shots to land on target more often or whether you want to get more distance from your shots, the golf swing can always be worked on. In this article I want to give you a quick guide on how to improve golf swing accuracy and power, it will focus on how to improve your accuracy, how to get more power and how to eliminate your mishits.

Improve Your Accuracy

A great swing is one which produces accurate shots on a consistent basis. Accuracy is an asset which all golfers want to posses, if you're accurate you're going to eliminate mishits, get the ball to land on target every time and most importantly shave strokes off your score.

So the best way in which you can improve your accuracy is to work on your alignment. Now a lot of golfers when it comes to alignment can often neglect it, but just spending a little time working on your alignment will improve your accuracy very quickly.

In order to get aligned correctly you need to align both your body and your clubface correctly. First of all take your normal stance and grip and then you want to align your clubface correctly to your target. To do this you want to aim the face of the club at the target.

Next you want to ensure that your body is aligned correctly, now an easy way to do this is to imagine a line going from your ball to your target this is your target line. So if you imagine that line all you need to do is ensure that your hips, feet, shoulders and arms are all aligned parallel to your target line.

Eliminating Mishits

This is again linked to accuracy, in order to improve the accuracy of your shots you need to eliminate your mishits. Now the best way in which you can eliminate your mishits is to work on your posture. The majority of mishits are caused by simply setting up with an incorrect posture - it's either too high or too low.

So now that you're aligned correctly you want to ensure that you have good posture. First of all you want to bend forward slightly from the hips and bend your knees a little, your knees should be nicely flexed. Then ensure that you tilt your spine away from the target a little.

When your stance is viewed in profile your spine and the shaft of the club should form a 90 degree angle. There should be about a hands width between your body and the club. Keep your arms nice and relaxed, your left shoulder should be a little higher than your right shoulder because of the position of your hands on the club - your right hand is lower than your left on the club.

Now to be certain that you're set-up at the correct height you need to check if your stance is too high or too low. To check if your stance is too low you should address the ball with the clubhead square behind the ball and then move the club back. If the club contacts the ground a few inches behind the ball then your stance is too low. So if you're set-up too low take a look and see that you haven't bent your knees too much, there should be a slight bend rather than a 90 degree bend.

Play Your Golf Shot To A Small Target

Working on your golf mind game is essential to improving your golf because it impacts every part of your game. You can go out on the course and hope for the best which often leads to frustration and beating yourself up. Or you can get strategic and adopt an approach to working on every aspect of your game.

So, what are those things that will give you the most improvement. It all starts with your golf mind game which you will see impacts and involves your thinking, your body, movement and physiology, how you manage your emotions, strategy on the course, what shots you play, how you play, course management, minimising risk, managing your emotions and building strong golf routines.

In our previous articles we have already given you two strategies that if practiced and added to your game can make a huge difference.

Lets do a recap.

The first strategy was learn to learn to breathe through your golf swing. Many amateur golfers hold their breath over the ball and or try to force their golf swing mistaking force equals distance. Breathing in on the backswing and breathing out through the downswing, through the ball and to the target.

This is the key to finding your natural rhythm.

The second strategy was Dont Hit The Ball. Most people who focus on hitting the ball either pull up too early, they play to the ball not through the ball and that is a real key distinction.

The next golf mind strategy is...Play To A Small Target.

When you are standing behind where a ball lies and you are making decisions about what shot to play and where you want to play to, what is important is not where the ball is right now but where you want it to land.

Many golfers beat themselves up over where the ball is and lose focus on the next shot and where they are going. So, where do you want the ball to land next.

This is about making a crystal clear decision about where you want the ball to land and picking a small target and also picking a line you are going to play to and through as you play to that particular target.

This will make a huge difference to your game playing to your target. Pick a target that is very much within your capability because you dont want to be overplaying, you don’t want to be over-hitting the ball.

So, play to the target.

Practice these strategies out of competition. Add them to your golf practice program. Most people will find they learn faster by running through new learning in slow motion. Your brain learns super fast, it also learns best when you focus on what you are doing right. Catch yourself every time you do something right, acknowledge it. This is how your brain and neurology identifies what you want. Also, get out on the golf course and practice, one strategy at a time.

Cosmetic Surgery For Your Golf Mind

What does cosmetic surgery and golf have in common? This may seem to be a strange question because at first these two things are so totally different. But there are aspects of golf mentality which align with the emotional links to cosmetic surgery.

If you look at why people seek cosmetic surgery it is because they want to look better. This is the obvious reason. But underlying that, they would like to feel more accepted, attractive and confident. These are the real reasons why they go to the severe lengths of invasive surgery. For some people their surgery provides this result, but not for all. Sometimes all that is achieved is their superficial goal and not the real results which they so crave.

In golf, you frequently hear people passing comment about the look of another person's swing, or their own. Golfers find themselves thinking that so and so’s swing is a beautiful sight; that it is so rhythmic, compact, elegant, etc,etc. Golfers also comment on another golfer "keeping his head down" or remaining still. And then these same golfers go away and try to make their swing or their body look like that other person's.

Golfer's buy endless gear and have loads of lessons and trying to achieve a particular "look" is one part of their focus. It is very easy to get carried away by the look of a golf swing and forget that the ultimate goal is to get the job done; to get the ball into the hole in as few strokes as possible. What does the look of your swing actually have to do with this goal?

Like cosmetic surgery, a beautiful swing does not always provide you with the confidence that you crave. And success in golf, as in everything in life, is dependent on that particular ingredient - confidence. Yes, there are certain basics within a swing which are going to make it easier to hit the ball square and along the right swing path. But an ugly swing can in fact work just as effectively, if not more so.

Having confidence in an ugly swing is going to get the job done far more effectively than a beautiful swing or so called ideal technique in which you have little or no confidence.

Roseanna Leaton, avid golfer and specialist in golf hypnosis mp3s and author of the GolferWithin golf mind training system to provide golf confidence for amateurs and professionals alike.

P.S. Discover how to develop your golf confidence. Grab a free putting mind mp3 from my website now.

How Does Buying Sports picks

As many beginning sports bettors learn, making your selection can be a though task. Often time these novice bettors will seek the opinions of a professional sports handicapper. There is nothing wrong with hiring the services of pro. Think of it as seeking the advice of a financial professional for someone who wants to invest in stocks but doesn’t know what to buy. Sports investing are no different.

How does sports buying and selling truly function? How is it distinct than sports betting? The truly fascinating factor about sports market is how they are organized and the way dynamic the buying and selling process is. Not like sports betting there is no line or odds. Rather than betting on the group at specific set cost, you produce a trade around the rankings ladder or level spread of a reside sport. You are able to acquire or promote a group, player, or sport inside the standing and around the stage spread of no matter what marketplace you select. This generates elasticity with in a marketplace exactly where purchasers can turn out to be sellers, and setters turn in to customers inside a dynamic battle with the marketplace.

As many beginning sports bettors learn, making your selections can be a tough task. Often times these novice bettors will seek the opinions of a professional sports handicapper. There is nothing wrong with hiring the services of a pro. Think of it as seeking the advice of a financial professional for someone who wants to invest in stocks but doesn't know what to buy. Sports investing are no different.

Sports betting don’t accomplish elasticity. Even if you're reside betting, you might have to pick in case you desire to accept a set bookie cost after which you might be caught together with your wager till the finish from the sport. Positive you are able to constantly make yet another wager later on should you wish to alter your place, but you'll essentially be drowning your self within the juice which is produced by betting odds. How enjoyable is always that?

Sports buying and selling clearly produces freedom and liquidity inside the marketplace location. Now lets get a nearer take a look at the various sorts of markets you are able to take part in whenever you trade sports.

Using the services of more than one handicapper allows you to ride the hot streaks of each handicapper and avoid the cold streaks increasing your profit, but again this would be twice as costly as paying a single handicapper. So what's the best solution?

The best way to get the pros top picks while eliminating the high cost as well as those nasty cold streaks is to use a professional sports picks network. Using only the picks from the cappers on hot streaks and sharing the cost with other bettors makes sense... and profit.

Helping soccer coaches choose a style of play

Every soccer coach, whatever age group they're teaching, has to decide which style of play suits his team's strategy: a play-making or counter-attacking style. But, don't be afraid to change it during a match.

What formation will you play?

You have to work out the best formation for your team. If it’s 7-a-side, should you play 2-2-2 or 3-2-1? Or at Under 11 and 12 when you have gone to 11-a-side, you need to decide between 4-4-2 or 4-3-3.

First you need a strategy to build your formation around

You have two choices.

1. Counter-attacking style

2. Play-making style

Each style has its own strengths and weaknesses and it's your job as coach to work out which style suits your team.

Counter-attacking soccer coaching tips

This style depends on your opponents carrying the game forward and relies on your team reacting to their mistakes, which at youth level is quite often. Discipline and patience are key.

It is not as effective when your team is losing or if the other team is sitting back waiting for your team to do the work. The downside is that it can lead to a lack of initiative by your players so that they cannot turn the match in their favour.

Play-making soccer coaching tips

This style forces your opponents into making the mistakes - your team controls the pace of the game and the atmosphere it is played in.

It needs confident players who have been taught the basic skills. Your team must work hard and be able to communicate with one another because if you lose control of the ball you get hit hard by a counter-attacking team.

This is the hardest of the two styles to play.

Once you have decided on your style and formation, you need to sort out the three main functions:

1. The defensive function The defensive function is the most important function in a team. The point where your team wins the ball is the point you begin your attacks and the style of your team comes out.

2. Building up Once your team has won the ball, they need a plan so that playing the ball through the midfield or sweeping it wide to wingers becomes natural to them. And don’t forget the long pass can be very effective in setting up attacks.

3. The attack Plan your attacks carefully. Have your strikers ready to receive the ball. Can you spot a weakness in the opposition’s defence you want your players to exploit? It is good to take advantage of mistakes around the penalty area but better if your team is in control and has a plan.

How to bowl reverse swing

Reverse swing was made famous by Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram in the 1990’s. This pair is still regarded as the most destructive proponents of reverse swing of all time. Throughout their careers they made the ball reverse very late, at pace, and at will. They generated such prodigious swing, that they were once accused of ball tampering. From a batsman’s point of view, it is much easier for them to assess conventional swing, by picking the ball’s seam position. In contrast the reversing ball is much more difficult to judge – as the reversing ball tends to move much later in its trajectory.

Now let’s learn how to bowl reverse swing. Reverse swing is a phenomenon that occurs later in an innings, at around the 40 over mark when the ball is starting to wear. As cricket balls become more scuffed, they start to take on different characteristics. When this happens the ball ‘reverses’ - such that the behavior of the rough side takes on the shiny side. Therefore a ball delivered as an out-swinger now becomes an in-swinger and vice versa.

Reverse swing is bowled not so much with a change of technique, but rather achieved through meticulous preparation of the ball during the course of the innings. The ball must be allowed to naturally deteriorate in a way that is conducive to reverse swing. Please note that you also have to bowl in excess of 80 miles per hour to achieve reverse swing.

So here is a list of tips on how to bowl reverse swing

Shine the ball a lot and make the rough side of the ball as rough as possible. This can also be achieved by bowling the ball across the seam and bouncing it back to the keeper when fielding.

Keep the ball as dry as possible. It is much harder to reverse swing a wet ball.

Bowl the ball as full as possible. This will give it the best chance of reversing.

Flick your wrist to impart back spin on the ball and keep the seam upright at all times.

Bowl with a slightly round armed action. You will note Waqar Younis had an arm that was not perfectly upright.

Tips for Wearing Paintball Helmets

For beginner paintballers, it is important to note that people must wear paintball helmets if they want to play the game. There is just no way around this. They are an important part of the gear, because they keep people safe. While the paintballs are not dangerous if they hit the skin on an arm or a leg, they could cause trouble if they hit an eye or the throat. They are still fairly hard even though they are meant to break open on contact. While many people do not like wearing helmets because it makes it little bit harder to see and it makes them sweat a little bit more, all who have taken a shot between the eyes know the value that this protection gives to those in the game. The following are a few tips that people can use when wearing paintball helmets.

Wear A Bandana
In order to make the gear a bit more snug so that it will not move around or come off, a person could wear a bandana over their hair. This will also soak up sweat and keep it from running into the person's eyes. It is a bit of a double-edged sword; however, since it will also increase the body temperature.

Wipe The Mask Between Games
Because of the amount of body heat stemming from the body, the paintball mask tends to fog up while playing the game. A person would be wise to wipe it down at each break in the action, even if it does not look that bad. This is much better than suddenly not being able to see during the game, when the person is not allowed to take off their mask.

Check the Straps
When wiping off the mask, the person would also be wise to check the straps to make sure that they are still tight and snug. Having a mask come off should be avoided.

Make Sure the Rest of the Clothing Can Breathe
The main issue that people have about the headgear is that it makes them very hot while they are running around on the playing field. One possible solution to this is just for them to make sure that everything else that they wear has good ventilation. This will not completely solve the problem, but it will lessen the impact a bit. The paintball masks are designed to breathe as much as possible, but this is hard to do because they also need to be able to keep the person safe if they take any shots to the head and face.

The Top 3 Recent Stories from the US Open Championship

When you start to talk about the US Open Championship golf championship it is important to know some of the history, but it is also important to understand some of the more recent things that have happened at this tournament. This is one of the 4 majors on the PGA Tour and it is vitally important in the golf world.

If you do not understand much about golf, then you do not understand the significance of the US Open Championship. However, if you are a golfer or you like to watch golf, then you know that this is an event that you simply do not want to miss. The following 3 stories will give you good reasons to watch the tournament this year.

The Top 3 Stories from the US Open Championship from Recent Years

1. The Tiger vs. Rocco Story

If you saw Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate go at it a few years ago when Tiger hurt his knee, then you remember where Rocco made a name for himself. This was a year that the US Open Championship went to a Monday playoff round and Tiger ended winning as he limped through to the end. Even a runner up finish for Rocco was enough to give him a great name in the golf world.

2. The Lucas Glover and Ricky Barnes Story

More recently Lucas Glover won the tournament and was able to make his first mark on the golf world. This same year a man wearing a painter's cap named Ricky Barnes came out of nowhere to lead after a couple of rounds and finish very strong. This was the first that many golf fans ever heard either of these names and now they are consistently playing well in golf tournaments.

3. The John Daly Story

Who can forget about John Daly? He qualified for the US Open Championship just like Rocco did by going through the local qualifying and working his way to the actual tournament. This is how he got his start way back when and this is how he put his name on the golfing world.

What are your Options for Viewing the US Open Championship This Year?

You basically have two maybe three options if you want to see the US Open Championship. You can get yourself tickets and watch it live, but this all depends on where you live and how soon you get your tickets. They do sell out every single year and tickets for the US Open Championship go very fast.

You can also watch it on television because it is nationally televised. They will not show everything, but they will cover most of the tournament. Another option is to watch it on a smart phone or on your computer at work if you have to. This is not a tournament to miss a moment of and if you want to see every moment you may need to take advantage of this option.

Basically you want to see the entire tournament from Thursday all the way through Sunday. Who knows you may get a fifth day this year with another Monday playoff or it could end on a long putt? You never know what you are going to get when all the best golfers in the world get together at the US Open Championship.

Basketball - How To Improve Your Shooting Skills

Many factors make up the game of basketball but the mo important one is shooting. Because you need to make shots from various angles in different situations, shooting is actually several skills, not just one. The best basketball players no they need to be able to effectively shoot from anywhere on the court. To help you improve your shooting skills, use the following tips.

When playing basketball, one of the most important shots is the layup. This is usually the first shot that players are taught. While some call it the easiest shot, that isn't necessarily true. You need to be able to outmaneuver the players of the other team and perfect timing to perform a good layup. When executing a layup, push off the ground with the opposite foot from the side of the hoop you're approaching. Doing a layup from the left side of the hoop, for example, means you need to push off with your right foot. This gives you the best balance and momentum for a layup. Also, focus your eyes on the square above the hoop and not on the ball.

Foul shots, or free throws, is something that everyone needs to practice. Since it's just you and the ball without any one guarding you, these shots are the purest form of shooting. Many players have difficulty with these shots because of nerves or a problem focusing. When trying to make this kind of shot, relax, and focus on a spot above the rim. Follow through on the shot and try to make the ball travel in an arc rather than a straight line.

One good thing about free throws is that you can practice them anytime you're on a court with a basketball.

While visualization may not sound very practical, it's been proven that basketball players can become better shooters by imagining themselves making more shots. Research on the effectiveness of visualization has been done using basketball players, as the results of shooting a ball into a basket is an activity that's simple to measure. What these studies have revealed is that players can significantly improve their accuracy simply by imagining themselves making shots! Now, you shouldn't use this as an excuse not to practice, as that's very important as well. What you can do, though, is combine the two. You can visualize while playing or while doing anything else during the day. Shooting in basketball is something you will get better at if you work at it and pay attention to your form. The tips we've covered above can be helpful when practicing and deciding on which factors to work on. But, you should also work on your own areas that need working on. If you're having trouble with a certain technique, don't avoid it but work extra hard at it and you'll eventually see improvements. Even the best players have to practice hard to improve their shooting skills and take them to the next level.

There isn't any doubt that there are various things which will aid you to boost your game skills in virtually any sport, including the game of basketball,soccer and volleyball, and probably the most important of them is your vertical jump skill.

If you want to strengthen your jump ability, in that case have a look at the website links listed below for a couple of suggestions.

Growing Your Vertical Jump With Confirmed Techniques

Is increasing your vertical leap one of your goals? Many athletes are concerned with this, and for good reason. Most sports consider jumping a critical factor. Volleyball is an example of such a sport, as is football, basketball and sprinting. These skills you develop when jumping can actually be helpful in most sports, regardless if jumping seems to be a factor or not. Who hasn't seen a baseball player leaping for that home run ball or the tennis player jumping to reach the ball. So that you can excel in the sports you play, lets take a look at some effective ways to improve your vertical leap.

You should take into account trying out a different sport other than you main sport that makes you jump. In paradigm, if you are a basketball player, test out volleyball or cross country. This will oblige you to put your body to use in ways that you are not used to. If you only play one sport, you tend to move the same way all the time A different activity will teach your body new moves that you can apply to your primary sport. When you think about jumping, you will become aware that different types of activities require you to jump using varied methods. By trying out new activities, your body will expand its abilities and you'll have an advantage over others who simply play one sport exclusively. One thing you can test out is to exemplify yourself according to really good athletes who are exceptional at vertical leap. Some athletes have made books and / or training videos, of course if they haven't, you can research them on your own. Watch them play every chance you get, whether it is in person or on television. This is beneficial not only to learn new training hints, but also to get a feel for how they move. It can also be inspiring to watch your favorite athletes. It's a great idea to just watch one person, at least for 2-3 months, to get a good grip on the ways they move about and jump. While you are watching them moving, you will be picking up more than you are aware of, as your subconscious mind is aware of all sorts of minute details.

Another important factor to pay attention to is your nutrition. If you are involved in strenuous activities, your body needs to be supplied with the right amount of protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Try to eat as natural a diet as possible, with healthy servings of fruits and vegetables. Don't allow yourself to get dehydrated either, the right amount of water is critical. Sweetened energy drinks or soda, should be ignored in favor of a glass of water. It has been found that people will lose energy simply because they have not hydrated themselves properly. It is then important for you to pay attention to your diet and your water consumption. Your vertical leap can be improved by a variety of exercises. The most important thing is to stay consistent with your workout routine. Unless you want to loose what you have gained, then be sure not to take long breaks from your training, and it is ok to have variety in your workout as well. Jumping is an essential skill to many sports and improving it may actually improve your overall performance. Remember that, while you can sometimes increase your vertical leap quickly, your real goal should be to make steady progress over time. Keep in mind the things we have discussed here and don't be surprised if your improvements are noticed by all.

There's no doubt that there are many things that can help you to strengthen your game abilities in virtually any sport, such as basketball,soccer and volley ball, and probably the most crucial of them is the vertical leap ability.

If you want to strengthen your jump ability, then have a look at the websites at the bottom for a couple of suggestions.

How a Greenkeeper Maintains a Golf Course

A golf course is a thing of beauty and requires daily care and maintenance to ensure it remains in the best possible playing condition for its many loyal members. When faced with ever changing and adverse weather conditions the task of maintenance, or greenkeeping, as it’s referred to in the industry, can become a challenging but rewarding prospect.

Based on the size, standard and condition of a golf course the number of greenkeepers required to maintain the course could vary. Larger courses may have a head greenkeeper, supervisors and then a number of assistant greenkeepers and trainees. There a number of professional qualifications that can be completed if you wish to reach the top of a career as a greenkeeper and on the job training at your local golf course would certainly help things get underway.

Throughout the year mowing can dominate a greenkeepers daily task list especially in the spring and summer when the grass is growing at an accelerated rate. A crucial aspect of any golf course is to ensure the greens are kept in pristine condition. Therefore these would be cut everyday, usually to a height of between 3mm and 5mm. A ride on triple cylinder mower with grass collecting boxes would be used for this. It is also common to mow greens with a hand pushed cylinder mower; especially on newly seeded greens or when the wet weather does not permit the use of a ride on mower.

Other important areas contributing to a golf courses appearance are the tee boxes, green surrounds and fairways. Again, these would usually be mowed by using a ride on cylinder mower. On a fairway it is not uncommon to see this job completed using a 5 gang mower to help cover the ground more quickly. The fairway area of a golf course is a vast area and it is no small task to keep it in a playable condition which would usually be between 12mm and 18mm. These areas would be mown approximately 3 times per week.

The rough, which golfers want to avoid, would be mown on average once per week. This is left longer than the fairway and can sometimes be mown into first and second cuts set at increasing heights. A rotary mower would be used for this job.

With the mowing under control there are a few more regular golf course jobs. Changing the holes, or pin positions, would usually be completed twice a week. This ensures that a particular area of the green doesn’t become worn or compacted. It also provides new challenges for regular golfers. Each green will also have some positions which are harder to approach and these would often be reserved for competition play.

Bunker raking and edging is also a requirement. It is good etiquette for golfers to rake bunkers, or sand traps, after their use although this doesn’t always happen. A three wheeled ride on machine called a bunker rake would be used to rake the entire bunker. This has three teethed blades on the rear which rake the bunker, covering large areas quickly. Hand tools would be used once a month to edge the bunker of any over grown grass. Further monthly jobs would include flymo-ing water hazard banks.

This short article has covered some aspects of golf course greenkeeping and the tasks and jobs discussed are performed on a week to week basis. There are however a number of other maintenance jobs that are performed throughout the year. These can be completed by the greenkeepers if the golf club has suitable machinery or by a sports ground contractor. The type of maintenance would include deep tine aeration, hollow tining, earthquaking, top dressing and overseeding.

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Guo Jing, observing his master’s MBT Shoes pale complexion, asked “Master, what are you thinking about?”
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Dew Pills’. Although the pain lessened somewhat, his breathing was just as bad as before. The Old
Urchin, with complete disregard MBT Shoes sale for the suffering of others, continued to make a ruckus and shouted
that they must catch a shark. Huang Rong knew his behavior was inappropriate and tried signaling
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The Old Urchin never acted like a respected senior. When juniors drink and swear in front of him,
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you dip the lower half of your body into the sea.”
Guo Jing respected his sworn brother and even though he did not know his intentions, he quickly
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Zhou Botong clapped his hands and shouted happily, “Exactly! When a shark comes, I’ll
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Huang Rong replied, “You two are causing so much trouble on this small boat and if it capsizes,
we’ll have you to blame!”
Zhou Botong replied, “If the boat capsizes, that will be MBT great! Then we can all play in the sea!”
Huang Rong replied, “And what about our Master? Do you want him to live or not?”
Zhou Botong held his head, at a loss for words. After a short time, he said that it was strange that
Hong Qigong should be injured by Ouyang Feng’s attack. Huang Rong shouted, “If you talk
nonsense again, the three of us will not speak to you for three days and three nights!” Zhou Botong
stuck out his tongue but did not MBT Shoes discontinued dare to say another word. He grabbed an oar to help Guo Jing with
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Buying Shaquille O’Neal jerseys and other nba stars jerseys on

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In the NBA history, a total of three players in a season swept the regular season, All-Star Game, three Finals MVP trophy, respectively, Willis. Reed, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.
O’Neal has several nicknames, many of which have been given by the media. Some of these nicknames are “Shaq”, “The Diesel”, “Shaq Fu”, “The Big Aristotle”, “The Big Daddy”, “Superman”, “The Big Agave”, “The Big Cactus”, “The Big Shaqtus”, “The Big Galactus”, “Wilt Chamberneezy”, “The Big Baryshnikov”, “The Real Deal”.
In addition to his basketball career, O’Neal has released four rap albums, with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum. He has also appeared in numerous films and has starred in his own reality shows, Shaq’s Big Challenge and Shaq Vs.Throughout his career, O’Neal established himself as a formidable low post presence, putting up career averages of 24.1 points on .581 field goal accuracy, 11.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game (as of April 2010).On his own half of the hardwood, O’Neal is considered to be a capable defender, and he was named three times to the All-NBA Second Defensive Team. His presence serves to intimidate opposing players shooting near the basket, and he has averaged 2.3 blocked shots per game over the course of his career.
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Historical Events Contributing Up to the Creation of Major League Baseball

Baseball is Americans true past time. Fans gather and cheer on their favorite team throughout the season and discuss the sport when talking with friends, family, and co-workers. The first beginnings of baseball could be traced way to the 1700s. During that time, the overall game was a little different, not commercialized, plus the rules varied. The concepts, however, were pretty much the same. Since the sport became popular, semi-pro baseball clubs started to develop pretty much within the 1860′s.
The New York Knickerbockers were the very first team to play the game using modern day rules. Their club was formed in 1845 and was made up of people from the upper middle-class of recent York. It was a social club that played the sport like a activity. They were amateurs and not a professional organization. Club members followed a set of rules called the “Knickerbocker Rules.” These rules mostly pertained to organization issues but also specified game rules. Earlier practices allowed players to become tagged out by a thrown ball. The New York Knickerbockers prohibited this type of play and made rules for tagging that are similar to current baseball tagging guidelines. These rules were put in place to avoid arguments and fights that the original method often created.
As of 1857, there were about sixteen baseball teams within the NY area. They gathered to form the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP). This marks the start of organized baseball. It had also been the very first organization to create a championship for the sport. During the Civil War, membership grew tremendously. By 1867, there were four-hundred or more clubs within the organization. These clubs were all over the country and reached as far as California. It wasn’t until 1869 that professional play was recognized and allowed.
Professional baseball did not become widespread until about the 1870′s. At that time the amateur and professional players separated. A brand new association called the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players was formed for those professional teams. This association remained in existence for about four years and was the early beginnings of the major leagues. Contracts could be enforced through the clubs which prevented players from straying off to other clubs. Clubs also needed to play all scheduled games even after they were out of the championship. During this period, clubs made a contract that denied non-white players the ability to play professional baseball which remained in effect until 1947.
Many leagues formed in the following years and many disbanded shortly after. The American League and National Leagues prevailed through the struggle. Their competitive contract offers to players created large bidding wars that forced baseball contracts to be broken from coast to coast. Both of these leagues along with the national association signed an agreement that established dominance over major league baseball and developed the World Series. The agreement prevented independents from buying out the best players within the major league. Bidding wars were largely eliminated. Eventually many of the independent leagues joined the NA to prevent pilfering, gambling, and other issues. Take a look at Leo-wells-on-sports.com to see much more about baseball and see his discussions on current baseball events.
When writing this article I found some other great stuff from Leo Wells Sports Blog. He has a sports blog named Leo Wells on Sports that is really well done.

Backgammon - Online Backgammon Experience - A Review

The Internet offers many possibilities to pass the time and boredom. Some of those possibilities are sites that offer free online games. There are many games to be found such as chess, solitaire and of course online backgammon.
If you are interested in playing online backgammon you can choose between playing against a computer with different levels or a human rival.

You also need to choose whether you are playing online backgammon for real money prizes or for higher score.
Online backgammon sites-
There are online backgammon sites which are global and address a large variety of people, in different languages. On the other hand you may find online backgammon sites that are specific to a country or community.
Most online backgammon sites are very easy to use, and need only to download simple software that takes less than 5 minutes.
The backgammon software has state of the art graphics and all the features you need to easily learn and start playing online backgammon.
Most online backgammon sites have explanations and offer backgammon classes for beginners. You can immediately start playing against other players or the computer and earn points for each victory. The points add up and rate your place among the players.
The most unique backgammon sites don't offer online backgammon but rather belong to a real backgammon club who meet in the real life in tournaments mostly for money.
These backgammon sites are used for passing information on coming backgammon tournaments, putting up results of backgammon tournaments, pictures and experiences- backgammon news.
For the backgammon player who is looking for backgammon news, such as the closest backgammon club, the next tournament, or if he's on vacation and wants to see if there is a tournament there, all of these backgammon news information can be found in an online backgammon news site: www.online-backgammons.com


At this online backgammon news site you can find articles on the history of backgammon, strategic lessons, FAQ and more. The online backgammon news site has the most updated news on backgammon, starting from it's easy to use calendars that has the biggest number of backgammon tournaments listed from all over the world- Australia, Europe and USA.
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The online backgammon news site also offers a wide range of backgammon clubs list with address and links.
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Sailing - Sail Away

A sailing vacation is a great way to have the vacation of lifetime. The possibilities are endless since you can sail wherever there is open water. One of the more popular sailing vacations that you can find on the Pacific Ocean can be found off the coast of Washington and British Columbia. If you are new to sailing you can learn to sail while enjoying the wonderful views of the San Juan and Gulf Islands. For approximately $950 during the months of May to October you can learn how to handle a sailboat with the safety of an instructor before planning your next sailing vacation.


The San Juan and Gulf Islands are truly magnificent and offer you many sheltered coves where you can anchor for the night. By the way, this area is called the Pacific Northwest banana belt, as the climate is mild and the scenery makes you think of the tropics.

During your sailing course, you will also experience fun shore activities. You'll visit quaint villages, have a beer at a cozy inn, call at remote islands, or even have a glorious massage at a nearby spa. Be sure and watch for Orca whales. They call this area home and are so beautiful to watch as they leap and frolic. You can also spot otters, bald eagles, seals, porpoises, and a variety of sea birds.

Be sure and find the sailing excursion that is just right for you. Wonderful accommodations await you when you board a sailing craft in Washington or British Columbia. They usually sleep four people in two double cabins. If you choose to dine onboard rather than going to an onshore restaurant, your chef will prepare scrumptious meals for your enjoyment. This is the perfect ocean trip for the novice sailor preparing for bigger adventures in far off ports of call.

If you would like something a little more tropical and foreign, think about the British Virgin Islands. It's the perfect locale for honeymooners and couples looking for a romantic, adventurous getaway. The weather is sunny, warm and the Caribbean waters are the perfect place to swim off the side of your sailboat. Have a delicious lunch, and then nod off in the sun on deck. The British Virgin Islands will make for a vacation never to be forgotten.

Martial Arts - What To Expect On Your First Day Of Martial Arts

Everyone is a bit nervous on their first day of trying out martial arts, so no, you’re not alone here. Your first day of martial arts is a lot like a first date. There’s a lot of tension and you’re aware of every little move you make, but when you look back on it a year later it really isn’t that big of a deal. All you’re trying to find out is if you want to go on a second date.


The key is to remember that the class and the instructor truly do want you to succeed. But before they begin to really teach you, they need to be sure you’re a good fit for the school and the school is a good fit for you. If this balance isn’t there, then everyone is wasting their time.

Your first day of martial arts is all about getting a feel for the school, the instructor and the other students, so don’t expect to learn much. Most schools will have about a 30 minute session with a very high-level explanation of techniques and some physical fitness (pushups, sit-ups, etc.).

When I say a high-level explanation of techniques, I’m referring to basic punches and kicks. If you pick up on these quickly, there may be time for a couple of combinations as well. Don’t expect to have any physical contact with other students, in fact, you shouldn’t have any physical contact with other students. If you’re put into an uncomfortable situation on your first day, then you know the school probably isn’t a good fit for you.

There’s really no set “agenda” for a student’s first day. The instructor is using these basic techniques to evaluate incoming students to see what areas they may need help in and to find the class that will best suit them.

At the end of your first class you should have a good “gut feeling” about the school in general. If you’re petrified after one 30 minute session, you may want to try another school. But if the school makes you excited to come back again, then you can be pretty certain you’ve found a great fit.


Now that those first day jitters are out of the way, you can begin to work on getting your first belt.

Golf Wedge - How To Choose The Right Golf Wedge

Improving your short game is something that can be most effectively accomplished through intensive instruction at a golf academy. In addition to the golf academy experience, anyone can improve their short game by choosing the right golf wedge. If you have ever watched a pro tournament, you have noticed that players can hit shots in succession with each one stopping just inches away from the hole.


If you have wondered how this is possible, well, the golf wedge is the answer to this question. Golf wedges are clubs that are specially tailored and designed for the short game, which makes sense when you consider that approximately 70 percent of shots in a golf game are done from within 150 to 100 yards in. In other words, it is all well and good that you can drive over 250 yards from the tee, but it will not help you in your short game.

If you only have one wedge currently, you should definitely consider the purchase of more wedges to be essential, and if you are smart enough to bring your wedges with you during your next golf academy course, you will be able to learn the correct techniques for, and specializations of, each type in greater detail. If you have between 15 and 20 feet, for example, then you will want a lofted club, or one that has a face angled back from the vertical, like a sand wedge.

The loft of a wedge and the groves on the face of the club both work together to produce a spin rate, since the loft of a wedge is just another way of measuring the angle at which it hits the ball of off the ground, which in turn determines the trajectory of the ball and the amount of roll it produces. This is the reason why golf wedges are offered in degrees that vary from 47 to 64 degrees in order to better cater to surface conditions, as well as the distance and angle required to reach that distance.

What your golf academy instructor will tell you, and what all pros and serious golfers know, is that Golfers with a low handicap, less than ten strokes over par should have four wedges. Mid handicap golfers in the 11-25 handicap bracket should have three wedges, and golfers that are new with a 26 handicap or higher should begin with both a pitching wedge and a sand wedge.

Golf Tips - Essential Golfing Tips For Your Next Trip To The Linx

Golf experts do agree on something. It is not possible to play a good stroke if your balance is not maintained throughout the swing. Keeping your balance sounds pretty simple. But it is nigh impossible when you have a death grip on the club, your arms and shoulders are stiff and you are trying to hit the ball with every ounce of strength can muster. Unfortunately, many people learn the wrong stance at the beginning and find it difficult to learn the correct one later, which is why golf academy instruction really is so essential.


Beginners are often warned to not try to hit the ball so hard. A little energy well directed and smoothly applied will drive the ball father than a monstrous effort that ends up not connecting the ball at the center of the club. If you are balanced, you have more freedom when hitting the ball.

You want to keep your head in one spot, your eyes on the ball clearly. Actually the steadier you keep your head in one spot, the better you see the ball. This is all part of creating your foundation of balance. Anything that tips you off balance makes it impossible to see the ball clearly. You must keep your head still and not move it from the spot in which you start. Your golf academy instructor can help you master this technique.

Practice in front of a mirror and you will see that your muscles really do need to be relaxed in order for you to keep your head still during a swing. No two people have the same frame or physique. So you have to work out some things for yourself. But always start with the foundation of keeping your head in one position. If your head is still, you can see the ball clearly and you will turn your hands at the right instant.

Just by keeping your head perfectly still you will correct a lot of faults. You can not grip your club incorrectly without at some point disturbing your balance and moving your head.
And you can not keep your balance unless you follow through correctly.

If your mind is concentrated on keeping your balance and keeping your head still, you will not over swing or jerk your club away. You will not put forth too much effort forth at any one point. You will not be stiff and you will have a smooth, even rhythm to your swing and a nice finish.


Balance really is the cure-all for many faults of golf. It takes time before you see improvement, so be patient. Think about keeping your head still and maintaining your balance at all times and you will have a foundation for an excellent golf game and be able to benefit even more from your first golf academy experience.

Digital Hd - The Non-Techie'S Explanation Of Hd Radio And Three Reasons Why You Should Care

Maybe you've heard a friend talk about HD radio. Or perhaps you've heard one of those radio tag lines, "brought to you in crystal-clear HD digital." And you've wondered, what the heck is HD radio?


The simple explanation is that HD radio is digital vs. conventional radio which is analog.

What is the technical difference between digital and analog? It doesn't matter. The only thing you need to know is that digital produces better sound because there is never any interference -- those annoying snaps, crackles, hisses and pops you often hear with conventional or analog radio.

HD or digital radio improves the sound of AM broadcasts to the point where they are nearly as good as today's FM broadcasts. And it improves FM to the point were you may think you are listening to a CD.

Why you should care

Reason #1: Clarity of sound


Bright, clear, interference-free sound is the first reason why you should care about HD radio. But it may not be the most important reason. While it's nice to be able to hear your favorite AM or FM stations in clearer, more "hi-fi" sound, there's another great reason to choose HD radio. It's that it allows broadcasters to pack more programming into the same frequency. This produces what broadcasters are calling HD2 channels.

Reason #2: Those hidden channels that lie between your local stations

While theoretically at least, broadcasters could pack a many as seven or eight programs into the same frequency, most have added only a second channel.

But the way they're using these second or HD2 channels is still pretty cool. For example, we have an easy-listening station that uses its HD2 channel to broadcast all blues. A station in Albany, NY, broadcasts oldies on its HD1 channel and smooth jazz on its HD2 channel. And a station in Los Angeles uses its HD1 channel for an adult contemporary format and broadcasts Pride Radio on its HD2 channel.

And here's the really great part -- these HD2 channels are currently commercial-free. This means you can listen to a new world of programming all day without hearing a single radio spot.

To put it another way, there's a lot happening out there in radio land that you're missing.

Reason #3: Texting

The third reason to care about digital HD radio is that it permits texting. This means that when you're listening to a station on an HD radio, you will see text information such as station frequency, and the name of the artist and the title of the song being broadcast -- much as you can with satellite radio which is also digital. And this is just the start, because in the future, broadcasters can use this same ability to transmit information such as weather and traffic conditions or alerts about missing children or local emergencies.

What else might the future hold?

While it is difficult to foresee exactly what broadcasters will be doing with HD radio in the next two to three years, it is possible to make some educated guesses. One is that they will add additional HD2 channels to broadcast extraordinary programming such as concerts and other special events. It is also easy to imagine that some of these may be pay-per-listen. In other words, you may have to pay to hear a reunion concert by one of your favorite groups, but at least it will cost much less than going to the concert.

What do you need to hear HD radio?

HD radio is free, just as it is conventional broadcasting. However, you will need an HD or digital radio. There are a number of these now available, including tabletop models, component HD radios and HD car radios. The tabletop units range in price from $99.95, to nearly $600. The component HD radios are priced from about $250 to several thousand dollars. HD car radios are currently the least expensive way to experience HD radio as they can be purchased for as little as $129 -- or for even less if your shop carefully.

It is my opinion that HD radio is here to stay and that it has a bright and exciting future. And this just might be the ultimate reason why you should care.

Nflshop Online Coupons - Desirability Of Sports Collectibles And Memorabilia

There are many factors that will affect the value of sports items. Certain sports events results might cause the price of some sports items to escalate fast to the point where the desirability of sports collectibles and memorabilia will go up and down. If a certain sports team continually wins games throughout the year, then the desirability for all items pertaining to the team will be very high. If that particular team falters along the way, the pricing attached to the articles could go down right away.


The desirability of owning sports collectibles might be due to the way they are presented. Many collectors will select from a wide range of sports but choose to purchase only those items that are enclosed in display cases and bear some sort of certificate of authenticity. The visual presentation of the collectible in this type of arrangement is very pleasing to the eye but the enclosure also serves to protect the item from harm no matter what the age of the item is.

Vintage memorabilia items are very desirable because they are very rare. People are willing to invest a lot of money in items worn by baseball greats and passing or rushing stars in football games of the past. Some of the most desirable items are the ones that cannot be replaced because the original owner is no longer alive which makes it a very desirable item to own and one that the owner will probably never wear or remove from the protective environment where it has been kept for years.

The vintage items might be fragile and require special storage and handling and sport collectibles like this are cherished the most of all because they are a part of sports history for a particular team. Some sports legends have kept these desirable items safe for many years in controlled storage facilities at their home and they will donate these items to museums and sports halls in their Wills so that they can be enjoyed by fans in later years that find them equally desirable and valued items.

Every sports fan will have the opportunity to own sports memorabilia at some time in their life because dealers at every game will sell sports team merchandise with authenticating certificates and logos attached. The fan must only make a decision on which types of memorabilia to collect and the fan interest in the sport will determine what price they will get, when and if the sports fan desires to put the item up for sale. Some family traditions dictate how sports collectibles are bought and sold and the oldest child might own a huge collection for a while.

New arrivals at sports collector's shops are very desirable to an avid collector. The sports interest might be golf, NASCAR racing, boxing, soccer, wrestling, basketball, or football. A true collector will find every item in a collectible sports item store to be very desirable and it may take hours for them to browse through the collection of memorabilia and reach a decision on the items that they want to add to the collection they have amassed through many years of shopping.

Bali Volcanoes - Bali Volcanoes Tourist Attractions

Bali island in Indonesia is renowned for its natural beauty and as a fabulous tourist attraction. However, the island is also known for its terrorist attacks in recent years. Since then, the people of Bali have recovered and the island is now a hotspot for tourists from all over the world once again.


The island's ecology and geography are greatly influenced by the towering mountain range of volcanoes that dominate the island. These majestic volcanoes created Bali's stunning mountainous landscape and they occasionally regenerate its soils and help produce heavy rains that provide this resort island with precious fresh water.

The Balinese considered the island's many volcanoes, lakes and spring as sacred and treat them with respect and awe. If you are a tourist traveling to Bali for your holiday vacation, you will be awestruck with the sheer majesty of the volcanoes. These natural landscapes are major tourist attractions and many tourist go sightseeing the volcanoes on helicopter tours so that they can view the volcanoes in all its splendor and take awesome pictures. The island is still continually being formed by volcanic activities.

Bali is located over a major fault zone where the Indo-Australian plate collides with the Sunda plate. In 1963, a violent eruption on Mount Agung killed thousands of people and utterly destroyed many rice fields and irrigation network.

The dramatic lava flows on the north eastern faces of Mt Agung is the newest landforms, showing what the island may look like in ancient pre-historic time. It is a fascinating sightseeing experience, almost like a scene out of Jurassic Park.

Perhaps, the most popular volcano for tourists to visit and go sightseeing is Mount Batur. This grand old dame of a volcano sits in a giant caldera that contains a lake that is a few miles long and over a mile wide. Mount Batur is actually a very active volcano and can erupt moment as it erupted with great frequency but the eruptions are less violent these days except in a giant eruption in 1917 which claimed thousands of lives and destroyed hundreds of temples and villages.


Hiking up Mount Batur in the wee small hours of the the morning has become something of a "must do" thing for many tourists in Bali. You will need to bring along a sweater as it can get a little chilly at the volcano summit.

There is also a little coffee shop at the rim selling drinks for thirsty hikers and many children and women in flip flops balancing buckets of soft drinks on their heads scampering around trying to earn your tourist dollar. As the sun rises, you will get a picturesque view of Lombok and other surrounding islands.

One very interesting hike on Mt Batur is the climb down the inside of the crater from Penelokan to Kedisan. There are boats at Toya Bungkah Lake to take you across the lake to a village called Trunyan. This village is notorious for its mortuary traditions because instead of cremating or burying their deceased, the Trunyan villagers leave dead human bodies to decompose naturally in a designated cemetery.

Although Bali is known for rice cultivation, its volcanic soil is actually not well suited for such activities. The soil is finely textured and well drained, so water soaks through the soil rapidly and thus precious water is wasted. The solution therefore lies in repeated and vigorous ploughing which make the soil less permeable.

So if you are visiting Bali for your holiday vacations, do not miss out a sightseeing trip to view Bali's majestic volcanoes, better yet, take a helicopter tour of this spectacular tourist attraction.

Golf Instruction - Learn How To Improve Your Golf Game

Unless you consider yourself to be the next Tiger Woods waiting to happen than you like many golfers probably feel you could still improve upon your game. In fact, its probably a sign of a true Sportsperson to always feel that a little fine-tuning in their sport of choice is never a bad idea.


Fortunately for the casual and the avid golfer there are a variety of golf instruction options available. Where you are in your skills and where you want to be will play a key role in choosing a golf instruction experience. If you are a beginner needing to learn the basic skills of golf, perhaps then a more flexible golf school experience would be best for you.

Golf schools such as the Bill Madonna Golf Academy in Orlando Florida offer one day to several week packages that include hands on professional instruction from the basics of the game to more advanced tactics, providing the student a variety of options to best meet their schedule and commitment.

One of the most enjoyable options for learning the game is attending a golf resort which can offer all the comforts of a luxury vacation, while you are learning. Among the luxury resorts that stand out are the Saddlebrook Golf Resort in Florida, and the Arizona Golf Resort.

At Saddlebrook one can choose from a variety of instruction packages that include a package for beginners covering the fundamentals of the game from rules to course etiquette, a package for the advance golfer that includes training from a certified Arnold Palmer Instructor, and a package for the Junior in your family to take part in a week long golf camp.

The Arizona Golf Resort boasts over 7 hours of daily golf instruction as well as unlimited access to all the golf facilities, and video evaluation of your game. The Las Vegas Bird Golf School at the famous Paiute Golf Resort, which is one of the many Bird Golf Resorts Academies nationwide, provides instructors who are tour winners of the U.S. Open, the World Pro Am at Pebble Beach, the LPGA Championship and various LPGA Tour events, as well as PGA Master Professionals, and members of various Golf Halls of Fame.


Finally if you are a serious golf professional seeking to take your golf participation to the career level, perhaps The San Diego Golf Academy, a two year golf career college accredited by ACICS offering an associate degree in golf management, might be right for you. Whatever you are looking for to improve your game and whatever your comfort level, options are available which can be fun for the individual or the whole family.

There are even a few internet sites such that can link you to all the major Golf Schools/Resorts in the US. Take your time doing your research and remember to always enjoy the game.

New Zealand Tours - New Zealand Tours: Coromandel

When it comes to New Zealand tours, there are many options available for the intrepid travel, but few are more stunning than Coromandel. The rustic, unspoiled volcanic hills, native rainforests, and beautiful beaches have been inspiring and delighting for centuries.


The history of the Coromandel can be traced to its ancient gold mining relics, logging dams, and ancient Maori pa sites, as well as in the many historic buildings that have been preserved throughout the areas.

Coromandel was first visited by the legendary Captain James Cook in 1769, and settled by Bill Webster in the 1830s, where it served as an important trading area and ship building site. Webster employed the Maori natives to build small schooners and ready timber cargoes for shipment in the Australian market.

It was the Kauri forests, however, that truly put Coromandel on the map, so to speak. These giant trees were mined extensively from 1795 on, until it became apparent that the industry was forcing these beautiful trees to extinction. Kauri trees are now considered national treasures and protected from further deforestation.

One of the most popular Coromandel sites to see on your New Zealand tour is Cathedral Cove, a beach known for its pure white sands and beautiful native foliage, including the unique Pohutukawa trees. These large coastal evergreens are endemic to New Zealand, and are known for their brilliant red flowers and dome like spreading forms. November thorough January is the peak time to see these unique blooms, which are responsible for the trees nickname, the New Zealand Christmas tree.

While we are on the subject of unique beaches, the famous Hot Water beach is another site that is not to be missed. Located on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, this beach is so named for the underground hot springs that filter through the sand between the high and low tides.


Once you have finished relaxing and taking in the sites by the waters edge, head over to the 309 road, the main thoroughfare between Whitianga and Coromandel Town. Scenic and surrounded by farmland and native plants, and bordered by the Mahakirau stream, this meandering, tranquil gravel path will lead you to Egan Park, Kauri Grove, the stunning Waiau Falls, and the historic Chiltern Reserve.

At the nearby Waiau Waterworks, adults and children alike can enjoy the hydraulic ramp pumps, waterwheels, kinetic art, and other interesting attractions, including restaurants and unique shops.

The best thing about a New Zealand tour is that each and every trip reveals unique experiences, sights, and sounds. Coromandel is just one of the many fascinating locales that await you on your New Zealand vacation.

Fancy Dress Costumes - Macabre Fancy Dress Costumes

Just because Halloween is over it doesn't mean that it's time to give up the fancy dress costumes. Whether you want an extra kick when you head out to the bars or you just feel like giving your friends or co-workers a surprise, think about slipping into a costume that is as over the top or a subtle as you like. Whether you choose to restrict yourself to a blue wig bob, or you'd like to go all out with fancy dress costumes and get your friends to go to the bar as the cast from Pirates of the Caribbean, there are plenty of ways that you can avoid looking boring and normal.


When it comes to fancy dress costumes, you'd be surprised at how little it takes to get people interested. People love to dress up, and sometimes the scarier the better. You might find that your meekest friend loves to vamp it up in a Rocky Horror Picture Show costume, or that a tomboy of your acquaintance enjoys nothing more than outfitting herself in 1950s chic. However, one of the best ways to get your friends to explore their more elegant and fantastic side is to keep things a little bit spooky. Halloween can actually be every day if you put a little bit of effort into it, or at least it can be a great way to get everyone up and excited.

If you're thinking about fancy dress costumes, think about going down a macabre path. Put everyone into black and the trick them out accordingly. You can go with an elegant, wistful romantic look, or you can put a black vinyl coat over a sleek black ensemble and go as a refuge from a terrifying cyberpunk society. This is one of the best way get your friends to dress up and have a great time with it. A theme like "gothic" or "futuristic" will help your group's sensibilities hang together

Remember that if you are organizing an opportunity for your friends to go all out, you should spare no expenses yourself. Find a costume that's cute or dramatic, whatever your style happens to be, and wear it with pride. Getting caught up in things is definitely worth it, so make sure that you really throw yourself into it. Fancy dress costumes are best worn by someone with a little bit of attitude and a whole lot of willingness to have fun, so make sure that when you are in a position to do so that you really get into what you are doing.

NFL owners' false labor pains

US Presswire, AP Photo, US Presswire
Washington Redskins' Daniel Snyder, Seattle Seahawks' Paul Allen and Philadelphia Eagles' Jeffrey Lurie are just three owners who can't seem to rein in their greed.
Are you the kind of person who loves hearing the bug zapper?

Who likes it when the highway paves over a few neighborhoods? Who secretly wants the tank to flatten the kid with the flower?

Then you're going to love the NFL owners in this mess.

It's hard to find anybody to like in this coming distraction known as the NFL lockout. But look closely. Yes, some of the players are millionaires. But half of the owners are billionaires.

Their estimated combined net worth is well over $40 billion, which is more than the GNP of 150 nations. Paul Allen, owner of the Seattle Seahawks, has a 414-foot yacht called "The Octopus" with two helicopters, two submarines, a swimming pool, a music studio and a basketball court. He also has two backup emergency yachts.

You're really worried about his wallet?

Yes, many of the players are diamond-coated knuckleheads. But have you ever met Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder? He's worth $1.1 billion and yet, two years ago, the Redskins sued a 73-year-old grandmother for not keeping up on her season-ticket package payments.

This man also got caught buying stale peanuts from a defunct airline and reselling them at games.

For the owners to lock out the players at this time in American history is unconscionable. You don't like the players? Fine. There are still nearly 9 percent of Americans out of work. Think of the people who've lost their homes, lost their cars and can barely pay the rent. Watching an NFL game on a Sunday -- and getting ready for it all week -- is sometimes literally the only thing keeping them going.

Do you realize what having no NFL season would do to the economy? According to the NFLPA, it's estimated it would cost each NFL city $160 million and 3,000 jobs. That's 93,000 jobs nationwide. For what? Another Aspen chalet?

Question: In 10 years, do you think you're going to find New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft wandering the streets because of the 200-plus concussions he didn't know he had from his time in the NFL? You figure Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford will end up with ringing in the ears and depression the way former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson did? Within the past year alone, two former players killed themselves.

You recall any NFL owners killing themselves lately?

The players aren't asking for more money. They deserve what they get, and they get it for an average of only three years. The Bidwills have owned the Cardinals for 79 years. The Rooneys have owned the Steelers for 78 years. Nine NFL owners inherited their teams. There's no easier path to permanent hot-and-cold running jets than your dad handing you an NFL team.

On the other hand, nobody hands NFL players anything but a chinstrap. With what we know about the dangers to brains now, would you exchange jobs with an NFL player?

This isn't baseball. These guys go to a job every day in which safety is Job 1,379.

The people asking for more money are the owners. They want $1 billion more out of the deal they have now.

“
No set of sports owners in U.S. history has known this kind of popularity, love or cash. If there is a lockout, the day the 2012 season starts, every fan ought to pelt the owners' luxury boxes with pennies.
”
They say they're losing money. But if you were losing money and were asking for $1 billion back, wouldn't you slap some proof down on the table? The owners are more secretive with their books than KFC is with its recipe.

Take our word for it and just fork over the billion. Oh, and play two more games for free. Thanks.

In this, the greediest and most shameful era in American business history, the NFL owners would steal the cake. No set of sports owners in U.S. history has known this kind of popularity, love or cash. If there is a lockout, the day the 2012 season starts, every fan ought to pelt the owners' luxury boxes with pennies.

Jeffrey Lurie, owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, owns an 18-bedroom estate with a three-hole golf course, two-lane bowling alley, two-story recreation center and indoor tennis court. He's really going to lock players out? For what, his own ski hill?

Stan Kroenke, owner of the St. Louis Rams, owns four homes, four ranches and three vineyards. He once ordered his employees to destroy $3 million in wine because he didn't think it was up to his standards. His wife is a Wal-Mart heiress.

Are you really fretting about his future?

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the other day that the owners need this money to build new stadiums. And who profits from new stadiums? The owners. A new stadium doesn't make the team any better. The seat under your butt isn't any bigger. But a new stadium, usually built with vats of your tax dollars, funnels millions more per game into an owner's pocket via luxury boxes, concessions and advertising. That's money that isn't shared 32 ways. What Goodell is saying is, "We need that billion so my owners can buy new Bentleys. Theirs are dusty."

Locking out the players now would be unjust, unfair and as indefensible as Al Davis' wardrobe. There is so much to go around, it's obscene. A billion back? These guys have that in cash.

Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, once bought a $14 million Palm Beach mansion and never moved into it. He later sold it for $24 million.

Bud Adams, owner of the Tennessee Titans, has 10,000 head of cattle.

Jennifer Lopez, part owner of the Miami Dolphins, has offered to auction off her twins' clothes because they're not allowed to "repeat" outfits.

Where everybody knows your name

There are a lot of great names in the history of sports. But in Heaven's Sports Bar, even some Hall of Famers have to take a back seat.
Here at the only sports bar in Heaven, it's always Happy Hour and the tab never comes. The beer is colder than a DMV clerk's smile, the Cheetos bowl refills itself, and all the waitresses make Marisa Miller look like the "before" half of the ad.

The problem is, you can't get in.

It's reserved for the greatest names in sports history and even most of them can't get by Jack Dempsey, Our bouncer. If your personal beer mug isn't hanging on the wall, you are staying thirsty, My friends.

Problem is, there's only room for one Johnny mug, one Jim mug, one Jenny mug. One mug per name. Period.

So who gets the Joe mug: Montana or DiMaggio? Who gets Bobby: Orr or Jones? If your name is Kobe or Mia, don't worry, your stool is waiting. But if you're a Mike, you've got some nasty competition.

Here's the list. If you're on it, your mug is chilling. If not, there's an T.G.I. Friday's three clouds down. Any arguing and We send more locusts.

Vote: Heaven's Sports Bar
In Rick Reilly's Heaven's Sports Bar, there's a mug for every name -- but only one person can get in per mug. Who would you pick to join the ranks of the sports elite based on their names? More

Al: Oerter over Kaline, Unser, Michaels and definitely Davis. Not even sure he's coming this way, anyhow.
Alex: Ovechkin over Rodriguez, English and Ferguson.

Andre: The Giant over Dawson and Agassi. This was not really our choice. You try throwing him out.

Art: Rooney over Shell, Donovan and Monk. The irony is the monks make all our beer.

Babe: Didrikson over Ruth, who's off the sauce and running the local nine hole.

Barry: Sanders over Switzer and Bonds.

Ben: Hogan over Roethlisberger.

The Big: Dipper over Baby, Dog, E, Nasty, Unit, Easy, Smooth, Shaqtus, Aristotle, Ticket, Cat and Brown.

Bill: Russell over Mazeroski, Walton, Tilden, Parcells, Belichick and Walsh. Very tough name, but Russell has more rings than our bar top.

Billie: Jean King over White Shoes Johnson, Kidd, Kilmer and Beane. And, no, We don't care about the spelling.

Bob: Gibson over Griese, Richards, Feller, Hayes, Lemon, Cousy, Pettitte, Lanier, McAdoo and Costas. We sit in here and play Guess Which Bob Is Moping Outside the Window Tonight?

Bobby: Jones over Orr, Hull, Bowden, Knight, Lane, Clarke and Cox.

Brett: Favre over Hull, but We could change our mind.

Carl: Lewis over Yastrzemski, Eller and Furillo. Don't start with us. The man has nine gold medals.

Charlie: Hustle over Conerly, Joiner, Gehringer, and Finley. Had to have Pete Rose in here. Somebody's got to run all Our pools.

Coach: Wooden. Great to have him, but he kills business. Everybody switches to milk when he walks in.

Dan: Gable over Marino, Issel and Fouts. He was 181-1!

Dale: Earnhardt over Murphy. Gets his own parking spot, too.

Dave: Bing over Cowens.

David: Ortiz over Thompson, Robinson and Beckham. Besides, Our flat screens don't get soccer. This is Heaven, after all.

Dick: Butkus over Weber, "Night Train" Lane, Williams and Lebeau.

Doc/Doctor: J over Gooden, Rivers, Ellis, Middlecoff and Jobe.

Don: Drysdale over Sutton, Budge, Zimmer, Coryell and Hutson.

Earl: Campbell over Anthony, Monroe and Weaver. Tell The Tyler Rose not to worry -- you get a whole new body when you get up Here.

Eric: Heiden over Dickerson and Lindros. Besides, We might need a doctor up here in case anybody chokes on pretzels.

Eddie: Robinson over Mathews, Murray, Merckx, Arcaro, Aikau, The Eagle, Sutton and George.

Ernie: Banks over Harwell, Nevers and Els.

Frank: Robinson over Howard, Thomas and Gifford. Nearly had a brawl over that one.

George: Halas over Mikan, Brett, Gervin, McGinnis, Foreman and Blanda -- mostly because Halas sponsors the bar softball team.

Greg: Louganis over Norman and Luzinski. Can you think of three Greg's with less in common?

Hank: Aaron over Bauer, Greenberg and Iba. Not even close.

Howard: All we could think of is Cosell but nobody's seen him around.

Jack: Nicklaus over Morris, Johnson, Kramer, Lambert, Ham, Tatum and Kemp. Since we're closed Sundays, We figure he can wear a different green jacket every night of the week.

James: Naismith, without whom you'd never have heard of Worthy.

Jason: Kidd over Williams, Taylor, Giambi and Heyward (so far.)

Jeff: Gordon over Kent, Bagwell and Hostetler. We figure he won't sit anywhere near Dale.

Jenny: Finch over Thompson and Capriati.

Jerry: Rice over West, Quarry and Lucas. Even Our jukebox doesn't hold as many records as Rice.

Jim: Brown over Thorpe, Plunkett, Ryun, Rice, Kelly, Bunning, Palmer, Taylor, Ryun and Nantz. We almost had to call The Big Guy in on that one.

Jimmie: Johnson (racin') over Foxx, Taylor, the other Johnson (football), Piersall and Connors, who will definitely not take this well.

Joe: Montana over DiMaggio, Frazier, Namath, Morgan, Cronin, Greene, Louis, Sakic, Paterno, Theismann, Gibbs and Torre. We decided to let The Original Joe settle this one -- Joseph.

[+] EnlargeJohn Wooden
Icon SMI
John Wooden won 10 NCAA titles in 12 years while at UCLA, but never opened one bottle of champagne.
John: Elway over McEnroe, McGraw, Stockton, Stallworth, Havlicek, Cappelletti and Henry. (The big horse didn't like taking neigh for an answer. He likes a Guinness now and again in his mash.)
Johnny: Unitas over Bench, Lujack, Rogers, Miller and Rutherford. Unitas' hand works again, too.

Junior: Griffey over Johnson, Earnhardt, Bridgeman and Seau.

Kevin: McHale over Harvick, Youkilis and Garnett. Hey, Garnett, no head-bumping the Pearly Gates when you come through.

King, The: Palmer over James. And there's no crying in Heaven.

Lefty: O'Doul over Gomez and Grove. O'Doul starred as a pitcher, then a hitter (.398 one year), then a manager, then as the man who brought baseball to Japan. How he's not in the Hall of Fame is beyond even Us.

Lenny: Wilkins over Dykstra and Moore.

Lou: Gehrig over Holtz, Boudreau and Brock.

Mark: Spitz over McGwire, Messier, Martin and Sanchez. Too bad, too. Mess makes a bar.

Mario: Lemieux over Andretti. Not easy.

Mary: Lou Retton over Decker, Pierce, T. Meagher.

Michael: Jordan over Johnson, Schumacher, Phelps and Owen. Easy.

Michelle: Kwan over Smith, Akers and Wie. Wait 'til you get here, Ms. Kwan. It's way better than a gold medal.

Mickey: Mantle over Wright and his namesake, Cochrane. Good thing Mantle's dad didn't know Cochrane's real first name: Gordon.

Mike: Schmidt over Maddux, Modano, Webster, Eruzione, Krzyzewski, Piazza and, yes, Tyson. Would you really give the mug to a guy who's last meaningful win was at age 23?

Mr.: Clutch over Big Shot, X, October and 59.

Mookie: Wilson over Blaylock. Who knew there'd be more than one?

Nancy: Lieberman over Lopez and Kerrigan.

Oscar: Robertson over De La Hoya, Bonavena and Pistorius.

Pat: Summitt not Riley. Sorry.

Patrick: Roy (three Stanley Cups) over Kane (one) and Ewing (zero rings).

Paul: "Bear" Bryant over Molitor, Brown, Coffey, Hornung, Waner, Warfield and Pierce. Don't ask Us. Paul is what he likes to be called now.

Pete: Maravich has the stool until Sampras gets here.

Phil: Jackson over Rizzuto, Niekro, Knight, Esposito, Mickelson and Mahre. Guess the ol' Zen Master will be pretty surprised to find out We really exist, huh?

Ray: Robinson over Leonard, Bourque, Knight, Lewis, Nitschke and Allen. Pound for pound, the best wings eater We have.

Red: Grange over Ruffing, Schoendienst, Smith, Sanders, Kerr and Auerbach. The guy saved pro football.

Reggie: Jackson over Miller, White and Sanders. We've got a bunch of straws saved up, too.

Rick: Barry over Mears and Pitino. (Surprisingly weak field here.)

Rod: Laver over Carew and Woodson in a walkover. The man won two Grand Slams, one as an amateur.

Rocky: Marciano over Graziano, Bleier and Balboa. And even though this is Heaven, I'd recommend you not bringing up his middle name -- Francis.

Roger: Federer over Maris, Bannister, Staubach and Clemens. Maris is still pretty happy, though. He got all his hair back.

Sam: Snead over Baugh, Huff and Jones.

Sir: Cumference over Nick Faldo. You think We're going to have a bar without Charles Barkley in it?

Steve: Carlton in a doozy over Yzerman, McNair, Van Buren, Young, Smith, Cauthen, Prefontaine, Mahre and Nash. Carlton has four Cy Youngs. We only have one, but he's great at karaoke.

Stan: Musial over Smith and Mikita.

Shaun: White over Johnson, Alexander and Green. Name Us somebody else that won world championships in two different sports.

Terrell: Davis not Owens. As if.

Tim: Duncan over every Tim you ever heard of.

Toe: Blake not Groza.

Tom: Brady over Seaver, Watson, Lasorda, Heinsohn, Landry, Morris (Young), Morris (Old), Glavine and Osborne. Hate to shut Tom Terrific out, but We have to think about Date Night.

Tony: Hawk over Perez, Stewart, Gwynn, Esposito, Lazzeri and La Russa. We figure it's better than Hawk hanging around out front, wrecking Our curbs.

Vince: Lombardi over Scully, but we're hoping Vin agrees to MC the banquet.

Willie: Mays over Stargell, McCovey, Keeler, Pep, Gault, Parker, Galimore, Randolph, and Shoemaker.

Walter/Wally: Payton over Hagen, Szczerbiak, Joyner, Dallenbach, Alston and Johnson. They don't call him Sweetness for nothing. You should see how many sugars he puts in his iced teas.