Cyber Max

Detroit Piston power forward Rasheed Wallace, fresh off his team’s 74-72 loss in Cleveland Monday night, defended his record of prognostication. Despite the fact that ‘Sheed ruffled a few feathers by guaranteeing a Detroit win in Game 4—a prediction that fell flat, as did Wallace, who sprained his ankle in the second quarter and was ineffective thereafter—Wallace told a media throng that he, “get(s) more right than wrong, believe me. I’m smart, man, and I got the third eye. I can see the future.”

“For example,” Wallace continued, “you can ask Chauncey: last week I totally predicted Rick Sutcliffe would definitely get hammered on the air, mumble a lot, slur some words, and embarrass himself and ESPN. But does anyone give me credit? No.

“I told Big Ben I thought the price of gold would come crashing down at the end of last week, and if you don’t believe me, you can ask him yourself. I mean, it was at like a 25-year high or something.

“Oh, and you can check with Tayshaun’s bookie: I bet on that bald kid Chris to get voted off American Idol. Made a pretty penny, too. You don’t have to believe me: you can look for yourself. America don’t like facial hair, man. Easy as pie.”

No word yet on Wallace’s prediction for when it will stop raining in New England, though “July 1st” is the early favorite, a spokesman said.

What’s the buzz on the Preakness? Does a Derby winner always go off as a big favorite? Do you expect any other horses to be there with Barbaro at the end?

Greg Jorssen, BoDog.com: The possibility of the smallest field since 1979 has the most buzz right now, and whether or not fewer contenders mean an easier victory for Barbaro. It isn’t always the case that the Derby winner goes off as the favorite. Last year we had Afleet Alex as the post-time favorite for Preakness; it all depends on how big of a favorite the horse was to win the Derby. With Barbaro winning as post-time favorite, he’s sure to take that same spot again with the Preakness. There will still be some strong contenders though, even if we do end up with a six-horse field. Brother Derek won’t have the burden of an 18th post position start this time around, so it may just come down to a photo finish.
What have been the overriding handicapping stories of the NBA playoffs to date? Heavy betting? Not-so-heavy? Particularly LeBron-focused?

GJ, BoDog.com: Bettors still seem to be focused on Detroit and the Under. However, the story of the NBA playoffs seems to be that the Pistons are no longer the defensive powerhouse that grinded opponents into the ground in their 2004 championship season. The Pistons are giving up 93.9 points against in the first two rounds of the 2006 playoffs, a far cry from the 84.3 they gave up in the 2004 post-season. The result is the Pistons going over the total in eight of their 10 playoff games, something no one would have expected as the Pistons have had a reputation of keeping opponents in the 70’s on a regular basis.

What do you make of the Larry Brown situation with the Knicks? Am I crazy, or should Isiah Thomas be the guy they run out of town on a rail?

GJ, BoDog.com: They should both be fired. We can make jokes all day about how Isiah Thomas has slapped together a squad that would play better in a Streetball mixtape than on NBA hardwood, but the debacle that is New York Knicks basketball falls in Larry Brown’s court as well. With the amount of respect and hefty price tag Larry brought with him to New York, it’s foolish to think that Larry didn’t have his hand in some of Isiah’s questionable wheelings and dealings. Add in 10 more losses, his public feud with Stephon Marbury, and an NBA record 42 changes to the starting line-up, and you got more than enough reason to put Larry’s head on the chopping block. There is plenty of blame to pass around, but after what is considered to be one of the worst coaching jobs in NBA history, Larry Brown definitely should not be forgotten.

Can the world stand the excitement of a Carolina/Edmonton Stanley Cup Final?

GJ, BoDog.com: Say what you will about the less-than-high-profile teams left in the NHL playoffs, but only Anaheim is boring to watch. The Oilers have averaged 4.28 goals in their seven playoff wins, Buffalo has already scored seven or more goals three times in the playoffs, and Carolina scored the third most goals in the league during the regular season. Only Detroit and Ottawa were more potent than the Canes.

Christopher Harris is a featured writer for the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com

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With a history characterized by hunting and combat techniques, archery is the practice of using a piece of equipment called a bow to shoot arrows at a target. Throughout the years, it has become a sport of precision, leading to numerous competitions, as well as a spot in the Olympics. The title given to a person who is an expert in the practice is an archer. For some, archery is like an intense game of darts that involves more equipment, as well as increased physical skill.

Modern vs. Traditional Archery

The start of archery is thought to have emerged about 5,000 years ago. The first use of the bow was probably used for hunting, while its recognition as a tool for war came later. In ancient times, early man threw projectiles at their enemies. It is the bow that replaced this technique.

There are many different types of archery that has evolved from traditional archery. Classical archery was prominent among the Macedonians, Greeks, Persians and Indians, which often took up a large part of their armies. When directed effectively, masses of soldiers could be taken out with precision. Advanced armies took archery to horseback, allowing a swift execution of war plans.

In Medieval European times, archery was used in times of war, but was not as popular as you may think. On the contrary, archers received the lowest pay and were often looked down upon. Since it didn’t take much to fashion a bow and arrow, this contributed to the negative perceptions of the archers. It was viewed as a weapon for the lower class.

Asia and the Middle West used archers on horseback in their military force. In the Kingdom of Bhutan, archery is the national sport of the land. One of the differences in Asian arrows is they are less stiff than the arrows from the west. Today, competitive archery is popular, significantly straying from the traditional archery of the past. The use of archery as a form of warfare has been discarded and mostly only hobbyists hunt with a bow and arrow. Modern archery involves competition.

Competitive archery consists of shooting arrows for accuracy points from varying distances, quite popular in Europe and North America. Both indoor and outdoor venues hold archery competitions with different rules. For example, there are varying time limits. Indoor competition allows only 2 minutes to shoot 3 arrows. Archery equipment demands special attention to safety rules and use. You must receive proper instruction on how to hold a bow and shoot an arrow so that you do not hurt yourself or others.

Modern Archery Competitions

The color of the archery board for competition is white, black, blue, red and gold. There are two rings each per color with corresponding point values. The end score of a competition is computed by adding the total of all scores made by their arrows. If an arrow lands on the line between two different point values, the higher sum will be granted. Despite these rules, there are still disputes that call for the assistance of a judge.

There are many different types of bow shapes and sizes. During competition, the only type of bow that can be used in the Olympic games is called a re-curve bow. When you are ready to further your interest in archery, there are plenty of other details to take note of. For example, archers in competition often wear bracers that protect the arm. Tabs protect the drawing hand. Chest-guards protect clothing, as well as the body of the archer. All of these things, coupled with the archer’s stance, hand-eye coordination, release form and grip will all contribute to either the success or failure of an archery competition.

Simon Oldmann has been writing about the effects of everyday life on health and mental stability, and the power of exercise and skill learning in decreasing this stress. Simon is currently writing tips and advice about workout and Archery at http://Advice-Tips.com.

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Let me say this up front
I do not like aluminum bats . . . but I’ll win with them.
Practice with wood . . . and you’ll win with aluminum.

It’s really very simple. An aluminum bat swing can be mechanically flawed but still get results. Inflated averages & power numbers abound with huge aluminum sweet spots & tricked-out metal alloys!

But eventually bigger fields and better pitching eliminates many aluminum bat hitters well before High School . . . and it doesn’t have to be!

Allow me to explain . . .
Much of the physical side of the game is about:
BATSPEED
HANDSPEED
FOOTSPEED

Much of hitting is about:
TIMING & BALANCE (Strength helps too)

Wood Bats feel head-heavy, with much smaller sweet spots so any imperfections in a swing are magnified. (Are you getting the picture?)

Training with wood forces the player to become mechanically precise & builds bat speed and strength. Additionally, wood trains hitters to really learn the strike zone and not swing at bad pitches (ever hit one off the end or the handle? . . . it hurts and many times it breaks!)

To successfully swing with wood

Trigger the hands earlier into the load position
Keep your hands inside the ball (meaning hands closer to the body throughout the swing to make for a quick rotation to the ball)
Stick with it until your muscle memory acclimates to this new weapon.

#1 Defined
Dead Hands Kill Players!
The first thing a hitter must do is take away the pitcher’s fastball. In general, that is a pitcher’s best pitch. From Clemens, Johnson, Martinez & Maddux, to the baddest pitcher in your league. Spot the fastball and you are a real pitcher. Ok, hitter what are you going to do about it? You’re going to crush it that’s what!

Hands Start The Swing!
Start your swing with your hands (it’s your timing mechanism). . . and you can time a jet or a fastball! Call it a trigger, load or hitch, it’s all the same. Just get some movement from your hands starting when the pitcher separates his hands from his glove with a movement toward the back shoulder.

#2 Defined
Keep Your Hands Inside The BallWhat?
Keep your hands 4-6 inches from your body throughout the swing. Think about hitting the inside half of the baseball (the half that’s closest to you). This will train you to have a shorter, quicker stroke and will help keep balls straight and not allow them to hook foulsee Barry Bonds!

#3 Defined
Use your wood bat instead of your game aluminum for tee work, soft toss, in a cage & when hitting live pitching & you’ll get the results you’re looking for!

NOTES:
Wood Increases Bat Speed!
Bat Speed Equals Power!

In summary, any player or team that trains with wood will hit the ball harder, plus increase contact and power over all who don’t. Ask any hitting coach.

Coaching Hint
Kids, like adults, do not necessarily care for change. Get creative, make it cool like real ballplayers and they may accept it easier. Use marker to put their number on the knob. Tape the handle. Buy some stick-em. Have them use a permanent marker and put their “Signature on the business end.”

The Rules
Since January 1, 2001, high school players nationwide must use bats that weigh no less than 3 oz. of their length (meaning a 33″ bat can’t weigh less than 30 oz.). The barrel diameters have shrunk from 2-3/4″ to 2-5/8″ and the exit velocities were changed so that batted balls don’t “jump” off the bat as quickly. In other words, these bats more resemble the performance of wood.

Younger players take note! The college bat rules have changed, the high schools have changed, and the changes may not be finished. So, train with wood and you will win with aluminum.

http://www.baseballtips.com/

Baseball tips & youth baseball equipment, training aids & instruction!
It’s all here for baseball coaching of pitchers & hitters, little league to high school.

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