Archive for May, 2011
Baseball, Barry Bonds and Steroids
In the last 5 years the growing popularity and use of illegal substances (steroids) in major league baseball has created a public outcry and led to indictments, arrests and congressional hearings. Some have even put major league baseball on par with professional wrestling as it is now a drugged or ‘juiced’ game and old, lasting records by the greats like Ruth and Hank Aaron can easily be broken by lesser athletes on steroids and have become meaningless. Just look at Barry Bonds for an example.
Barry Bonds became depressed in the late 90′s as new athletes like McGwire and Jose Conseco were becoming more popular for belting homeruns. Bonds was a great athlete, but he was aging and just like his father was headed for retirement. Bonds and everyone else knew that Conseco and the others were taking steroids. It was inevitable that Bonds would start taking steroids as he was very jealous and had an insatiable appetite for being the leader – he could not stand being in second place to anyone and he saw the great results of McGwire and Conseco.
Barry Bonds started taking numerous types of steroids through his trainer Greg Anderson. His physique, career and baseball would never be the same. Bonds was better after the steroids than anytime in his career. The steroids had elevated his career and possibly made him the best player in baseball history as he has now hit 722 career home runs. Only a few of the greatest players in Baseball history have ever hit into this range. It is similar to what Tiger Woods has done in Golf and his chasing Jack Nicklaus with his 18 career major titles. The difference is that Tiger Woods is a real champion and doesn’t use drugs like steroids or cheat in any way. Kids can look up to him as a hero.
Tiger Woods worked and trained very hard – he is also human as he went through a lot dealing with the loss of his father. Tiger woods through his great game and ethics has elevated professional golf and its fan base to all time highs. Barry Bonds, on the other hand, has devastated major league baseball and its rich history. Records are not meant to be broken on a daily or monthly basis. Records are just that records of greatness, by actual heroes like Joe DiMaggio, Ruth, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle and Ty Cobb. They never used steroids and were great players both on and off the field.
What every professional athlete needs to understand is that our kids see them as idols, heroes and mentors. Its not about the money, its about the game. Ninety nine percent of professional athletes never become a great like Rod Carew, Michael Jordan, or Warren Moon, but they are all imprinted in our children. Everyone remembers the negatives like McEnroe and his emotional outbursts, Rae Caruth and O.J. Simpson whom have abused the legal system and their fame to commit murder, steroids, gambling and the expulsion of baseball legend Pete Rose. Don’t the leaders of these professional sports realize that they have tainted and in some respects ruined the future of sports like major league baseball.
To see immediate evidence of this all one has to do is look at the dwindling number of visitors to the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, NY. It used to be almost every young boys fantasy to see the outfit worn by Babe Ruth, the Ball that was signed by Reggie Jackson and his Yankee teammates, the stories of greatness and great hurdles and obstacles that were overcome by some of the legends. Rare baseball cards by players with strict standards like Honus Wagner whom had his cards pulled as he did not want to be associated with cigarettes and tobacco. The meaning of baseball’s rich history has greatly suffered and will continue until something drastic is done.
Athletes like Barry Bonds that cheat and use illegal performance enhancing drugs should be banned and immediately removed from baseball and other sports. They should receive punishment worse than Pete Rose and should be stripped of all records, titles, and history in the game. Let someone who worked hard, overcame adversity and great obstacles, and never cheated and had great ethics, standards and was a true hero be the one to determine their fate – someone like Hank Aaron. Hank Aaron set records, great records, the hard way and they are being tarnished by the likes of Barry Bonds and others. Hank Aaron, like Herschel Walker, overcame a very poor upbringing, racism, lack of resources, etc… and through sheer determination became one of the greatest athletes ever.
It is time to stop the commercialism and get back to the basics of these sports. We have forgotten what the game really means. There is a reason why in Brooklyn they still remember the Brooklyn Dodgers. Lets not let the great game of baseball be ruined by people like Barry Bonds – they must be removed from the game, their history completely wiped out and start anew. This is the only way to retain or rescue the image of professional baseball.
The Right Place to Know the Entertainments of Sport Betting
Sport is certainly so exciting and challenging and it make sense why people always love to play sports or simply just love to watch the sports. Just like playing or watching the sport games betting on the sport game can also be very exciting too since there’s always a chance for us to win the game. When we bet on sport game usually the first time we know that our most favorite sport players win the game we surely feel the ultimate excitements.
Due to such excitement therefore there are also some movies made and using the sports betting as the main movie theme. If you’re a person who loves to bet on sport then Two for the Money is certainly the right movie for you. If you want to watch it it’s perhaps wise enough for you to view the synopsis first before you actually spend the money to buy the ticket to watch this movie.
In this case you’re advised to visit Sportsbettingspot.com which is actually online sports betting source that provides you all details you need to know about sports bet. When you read the synopsis of the movie you surely can know that the sports betting world is surely amazing and more complicated than we have been thinking so far.
Description's for Cricket Pitch
Stumps or Wickets: According to the rule of cricket there are two sets of stems which are placed on a cricket pitch. Each set of wickets consists of three stumps they are named as middle stump, off stump, leg stump. On top of the stumps you have to place two bail sticks. These stumps and bails are generally made up of willow. According to the rules and regulations of cricket the height of the stumps must be of 28 inches or 71.12 cms. The total distance between the off stump and leg stump should be 9 inches or 22.86 cms.
The Pitch: This is the main area in the cricket match where the most of the action takes place. This is the most focused region as this is the place where the game starts between the cricket bat and cricket ball or in other words you can explain it as the place where the batsman faces the bowler. In general the pitch is in rectangular shape which has an area of 22 yards or a length of 66 feet and a width of 10 feet. All most all the international matches and test matches are played on turf wickets. Further levels of Cricket are played not merely on turf but also on additional artificial surfaces, astro turf, cement and matting. There have been example of Test Matches played on matting wickets but that was merely long way earlier. The distance between stumps from one end to an other end can also be defined as the pitch.
Creases: Four white lines are drawn at the every ending of the pitch. They take in one bowling crease, one popping crease or the batting crease, and two come back creases.
Bowling Crease: A bowling crease which is of 8 feet 8 inches wide and evenly alienated along both side of the middle stump. The bowling crease draws out to the return crease. No fielders are permitted to make inroads this region when a cricket ball is being bowled to the batsman.
Batting Crease or Popping:This crease is drawn equivalent to the bowling crease at a space of 4 feet or 121.92 cms. A run is finished every time when the two batsmen reach out the crease to their conflicting ends. As stated on top of for a Bowling Crease, if a bowler transgresses this crease in his delivery step then the delivery is acknowledged as a no-ball. This crease arrives into picture at some point in the decision of run outs and stump outs. A batsman has an alternative of footing outer surface the batting crease. He is able to be stumped out by the wicket keeper if he is elsewhere of this crease.
Return Crease: The go back creases ending the bowling crease at right angles on both side of the middle stump at a space of 4 feet 4 inches. Only if the bowler’s leg is outside the return creases or touching it then it can be declared as the no-ball.
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