F1 : Jerez Day 3 Testing

January 21, 2008 By Leave a Comment

By Ashleigh Charlesworth

Has Max Moseley and the FIA finally made a decision that is good for the sport?

A surprise fastest time today (from not only a team that is not expected to be so) but from one of the new boys as well, Timo Glock put the Toyota on top of the time sheets for the final day.

The surprising thing was not that he set the fastest time, but who he beat to take it. Timo piloting the TF108 set times that were two tenths of a second faster than Lewis in the MP4-23 and Fernando Alonso in the seemingly much improved Renault.

The conditions for the day were not ideal for testing, as it was light rain for the majority of the day. However, the ex Jordan F1 and 2007 GP2 World Champion driver showed that he will certainly not miss the traction control systems, showing great skill, control and pace on a day that some struggled for pace. He did nonetheless how that it can be tricky, as he had a spin into the gravel just before lunch.

“I am pleased with our progress today, and I believe we have made some significant improvements to the new car. It is encouraging to see us end the day with the fastest lap and I think we made a step forward. Once again the car was extremely reliable and that allowed us to complete a lot of laps and gather plenty of information. This is a completely different car compared to the TF107 but it is a good step forward and we know what we need to work on to improve. I made a small mistake in the morning on the damp track when the rear wheels locked and I spun but it didn’t cost us much time. The team worked really hard this week to improve the car and I am happy.” – Timo Glock

Lewis Hamilton was also pushing the limit’s of the limited grip of the track, having two spins in the morning session and another again in the afternoon. The McLaren team said that they were taking advantage of the weather to test and improve the drivability of their package. The team were also conducting test’s on the FIA Approved ECU, with new codes and setting’s that if approved will be offered to all of the teams.

“We have now completed six full track days with two MP4-23’s” said Martin Whitmarsh, “and already clocked up approximately 4193km’s on our 2008 challenger, 1,000kms of which were covered yesterday alone, and we are only halfway through the third week in January. It has been an immensely productive start to our pre-season test program and is a strong motivation for the team to keep pushing. Although it is far too early in the development stage of the car to be predicting how competitive it will be, initial feedback from the drivers and the team has been positive and we have a huge amount of data on which to base the continuing development program around.”

Felipe Massa was the quickest of the Ferrari drivers, showing that his initial concern over the banning of traction control may not be as big a problem as he initially thought. The Ferrari team put another 173 laps onto the 2008 car, showing that there pre-season reliability concerns seem unfounded.

The two Red Bull cars showed little sign’s of improved pace, with Webber actually going quicker in the RB3 ‘B’ than Coulthard was in the new RB4, but they have very little running on the new car, and were probably only doing shakedown runs.

The Super Aguri team will be hoping for improved fortunes though, as neither of their drivers got to drive in the last two days, the team identified an overheating issue with their ‘B’ spec car, and tried to fly parts over to cure the issue – the plane also had technical issues and the part arrived too late for the team to run.

The BMW Sauber team who are testing at Valencia suffered extreme weather conditions (rain and high winds), and decided to concentrate their testing on systems checks, and long runs.

Most of the teams are staying on over the weekend, as testing continues at the Jerez circuit next week.

Unofficial Wednesday times from Jerez:
1. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:19.779
2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 1:20.099
3. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:20.363
4. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:20.407
5. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:20.500
6. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:20.535
7. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, 1:20.577
8. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:20.646
9. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:20.758
10. Adrian Sutil, Force India, 1:21.705
11. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:22.275
12. David Coulthard, Red Bull, 1:22.581
13. Nico Hulkenberg, Williams, 1:24.023
14. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:24.873


Filed Under: Motor Racing Tagged With:

F1 : Jerez Day 2 Testing

January 21, 2008 By Leave a Comment

By Ashleigh Charlesworth

All the news from day 2 of the Formula 1 testing taking place at Jerez. Day 2 of testing at Jerez saw Fernando Alonso take the fastest time. The Spaniard said that he enjoyed the day, and showed that the Renault did have some pace in the right hands. Fernando also showed off a new helmet design, stating it was so the other drivers could follow it.

Pedro de la Rossa popped the McLaren into the second spot, however the McLaren team were obviously doing extended race distance testing, with the de la Rossa car doing 111 laps and Kovalainen doing 130 laps in the MP4-23.

With that level of lapping, showing no issues, it seems that the team have at least brought some of the speed and reliability over to the new car from last year.

The Ferrari’s also showed decent pace, with the two drivers (Kimi and Felipe) popping the 2008 car’s into third and fifth spots on the time sheets. Nico Rosberg also continues to show form in the Williams ‘B’ spec car, grabbing the fourth spot on the times.

The Toro Rosso cars both ran closely, with Sebastian Vettel and Sebastien Bourdais taking the seventh and eighth times, with the sister Red Bull (RB03) of Mark Webber grabbing the ninth spot on the timesheets.

The Toyota based cars of Kazuke Nakajima (Williams) and Timo Glock showed less impressive times.

Unofficial Tuesday times from Jerez:
1. Fernando Alonso, Renault, 1:19.503
2. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:19.650
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:19.708
4. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:19.772
5. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:19.775
6. Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren, 1:19.780
7. Sebastian Vettel, Toro Rosso, 1:20.305

8. Sebastien Bourdais, Toro Rosso, 1:20.346
9. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:20.392
10. Kazuki Nakajima, Williams, 1:20.525
11. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:20.598
12. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, 1:20.764
13. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, 1:22.060


Filed Under: Motor Racing Tagged With:

Latest NASCAR Test Buzz

January 21, 2008 By Leave a Comment

By Bob Ellis

Latest Test Buzz

O.K. time to state the obvious:

1. Dale Jr is fast – like we didn’t think he would be.

2. The Toyota’s are fast too – like we didn’t think they wouldn’t be.

3. Tony Stewart showed up for testing this year – like we didn’t think he would be anywhere else since he is driving a totally different kind of car with a new car company as well.
Alright, now the less obvious:

1. Tony Eury expects to win at least 4 races this year – a lot of people expect that of Dale Jr this year, I on the other hand think if he does win more than one race he certainly won’t eclipse 3 wins. This was going to be on my prediction list in a few weeks, but Eury called me out earlier.

Now for the even more less obvious: Pay attention now, this could get scary.

1. Kevin Hamlin signed on to be the crew chief for Brian Vickers in the Red Bull 83 car. The significance you ask? Let me show you in point form:

- Kevin Hamlin was Dale Earnhardt’s last crew chief

- Doug Richard was the first crew chief for the 83 car

- Doug Richard was also Dale Earnhardt’s second full-time crew chief and was Dale’s crew chief when he won his first ever Championship

- The Red Bull car has the same digits in it’s number (8 and 3) as the numbers that Dale drove throughout his NASCAR career (8 and 3) with the 3 being the most famous of course

- both Brian Vickers and Kevin Hamlin have gone through the trauma of loosing someone close to them from their racing organizations in accidents

Could we expect good things from the 83 car? Well, if indeed “Red Bull has wings” like the company claims, they just might be riding on Dale Earnhardt’s.

I’m sure there are more, but I’m too tired to think – I’ll add them tomorrow when I can – I must sleep soon.


Filed Under: Motor Racing Tagged With:

F1: Electronics Come Under Fire

January 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment

By Ashleigh Charlesworth

BMW Sauber are the latest team to dispute the mandated FIA approved engine electronics package.

BMW have added the voice of concern to the already vocal Renault and Ferrari worries about the M.E.S Electronics that all the teams have to run this year.

I can see their reason for concern in its most basic way, however the system is jointly developed with Microsoft, and McLaren Electronics are only supplying just that: the electronics that joins the system to the car. Almost all the development of the ’software’ is done by, or overseen by Microsoft.

However, the whole thing about the standard control unit is a farce. Yes try to cut costs, but this has only led teams to not only have to re-develop components, interfaces, procedures and practices, but also to essentially lost a sponsor as well (whoever was supplying the electronics before M.E.S)

To add insult to injury, how are teams going to add the energy re-gain systems expected next year to their cars if they have little control over the electronics? Indeed, most of the systems are going to require very clever, and advanced electronics solutions.

I know a lot of these issues will be worked out, perhaps Microsoft will allow the teams to hook a certain number of exposed API’s (Application Programing Interfaces) in the controlled electronics unit, but even so, it will not be the same as a custom written, designed and built system.

Time will tell, I for one am certainly looking forward (in some ways at least) to the drivers not being able to rely on the TC systems to get them out of trouble. It will certainly benefit the more natural drivers. In the end, I am sure there are bound to be a slew of ‘Electronics Issues’ used as excuses when cars stop working.


Filed Under: Motor Racing Tagged With:

Andre Dawson is a Hall of Famer

January 14, 2008 By 2 Comments

By Alex

The baseball Hall of Fame recently inducted Rich “Goose” Gossage.

Meanwhile back at the Hall of Justice, Jim Rice and Andre Dawson discuss what to do with the Wonder Twins as the news hit that they were overlooked – again.

It is time to revisit these odd omissions – again.

Specifically, the case of Andre Dawson. Let’s begin with comparing Dawson’s career to players with comparable numbers who are in the hall: Dave Winfield, Al Kaline and Billy Williams. Excuse me for one moment. “No, ma! This is my real job!”

Sorry about that.

Andre Dawson (Montreal Expos; Chicago Cubs):

In 21 seasons Hawk – his nickname – compiled: 2774 hits, 1373 runs, 503 doubles, 98 triples, 438 home runs, 314 stolen bases, 589 walks, .279 average, .323 on-base percentage, and a .482 slugging percentage.

The only glaring flaws in Dawson’s game were his bad knees and his OBP. Awful. Just plain awful. I remember when I was a kid watching the Expos it always seemed as though Dawson was striking out in key clutch situations. If my memory serves me correctly, he swung at a lot of bad pitches. Then I would scream like a hawk in heat. Still, is this enough to keep him out?

I say no way. Na-ah.

Dawson won eight gold gloves and was a career .983 fielding percentage, so that mostly makes up for the low OBP. I said “mostly” didn’t I? An eight time All-Star, Dawson was Rookie of the Year in 1977 with the Montreal Expos and won the MVP in 1987 with the Chicago Cubs. Dawson was on the MVP ballot nine times in his career and was second on two occasions in 1981 and 1983 for the Expos. He earned four Silver Sluggers in 1980, 1981, 1983, and 1987. Other than that, Dawson was pretty much a top-five-to-ten player in most categories including home runs and slugging.

So how does this compare with the three mentioned earlier?

Batter up Dave Winfield (San Diego Padres; New York Yankees; California Angels; Toronto Blue Jays; Minnesota Twins; Cleveland Indians):

22 seasons; 3110 H, 1669 R, 540 2B, 88 3B, 465 HR, 223 SB, 1216 BB, .283 BA, .353 OBP, .475 SLG.

A deserved Famer, Dave the Big Smile was a 12 time All-Star who never won an MVP. Winfield won six Silver Sluggers and seven gold gloves with a career .982 fielding percentage.

Overall, Winfield’s numbers are better – but not that much better. Winnie and Dawsie have similar stats in batting average, home runs, slugging and fielding.

Batter up Al Kaline (Detroit Tigers):

22 seasons; 3007 H, 1622 R, 407 2B, 90 3B, 512 HR, 50 SB, 763 BB, .274 BA, .330 OBP, .500 SLG.

I know. Al fricken Kaline. Kept in context, Kaline is the classic shoe-in case for the Hall. He was no borderliner. Still, he’s a good example to cite here.

Kaline was made an All-Star an impressive 18 times and won 10 Gold Gloves with a lifetime .986 fielding. Though he never won MVP, he was on the ballot 14 times twice coming runner up. He was top 10 in batting average 11 times, winning a title in 1955. His .330 OBP is not that much higher than Dawson’s .323; though he was top 10 in this category on nine occasions.

As I said, he screams pure Hall of Fame.

Batter up Billy Williams (Chicago Cubs; Oakland A’s):

18 seasons; 2711 H, 1410 R, 434 2B, 88 3B, 426 HR, 1045 BB, .290 BA, .361 OBP, .492 SLG.

Who? Did you say Billy Williams? The guy who played Lando Calrissian? No, no dumb, dumbs. That was Billy Dee Williams.

The Williams I’m talking about won Rookie of the Year in 1961 and was a six time All-Star. He never won MVP, but he finished runner up in 1970 and 1972. Overall, he led the league more often in various offensive categories than any of the aforementioned players. Defensively, Williams was not as prolific as any of the players selected here.

Bonus!Jim Rice (Boston Red Sox):If the case for Dawson seems compelling if not obvious, Jim Rice also has a case to present.

16 seasons; 2452 H, 1249 R, 373 2B, 79 3B, 382 HR, 670 BB, .298 BA, .352 OBP, .502 SLG.

Ironically, Rice is the only player cited here other than Dawson to have won an MVP. Rice — who apparently had the personality of one angry piece of rice. The image of angry rice continues to haunt me — was an eight time all-star and won the Silver Slugger twice. He led the league in various categories more time than any player considered here.

I’m beginning to wonder if Dawson and Rice are inadvertently considered to be the cut-off point for baseball writers who have a vote.

Yet, in light of these facts, a player like Dale Murphy seems to fit the borderliner bill better.

Here’s one last thing to consider by way of Bill James’s Black and Gray Ink measures. Black ink measures the amount of times a player led the league in a category, the Gray ink considers top 10 finishes.

Black Ink – Hall of Fame standard is 27. All-time rank in parenthesis.

Rice 33 (49)
Williams 18 (123)
Kaline 12 (190)
Dawson 11 (206)
Winfield 4 (403)

Gray Ink – Hall of Fame standard: 144

Kaline 228 (26)
Williams 208 (35)
Rice 176 (57)
Dawson 164 (67)
Winfield 152 (84)

Hmpf. Seems to me just by looking at the above figures, is it enough to conclude that if Winfield, Kaline and Williams are in, then Dawson and Rice should be too?

What’s that old saying? If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck…


Filed Under: Baseball Tagged With: , ,

Ricky Ponting: My parents are getting ‘abusive’ calls

January 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment

The recent cricket controversies have shaken Australian skipper Ricky Ponting from inside. His biggest moment in Sydney test turned out to be his worst nightmare. In an interview to Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph, Ponting revealed that his parents have been forced to change their telephone number after receiving abusive calls. According to Ponting, his family was under tremendous pressure amid calls for his sacking. A number of people called his parents in the past few days to take a dig on Ponting and his attitude. Severe criticism from all quarters forced Ponting to admit that there could be areas in which his team could improve.

Ponting also said that he wanted Australian team members to be “remembered as being good people as well as great cricketers”. According to latest reports, the Australia team would re-watch highlights of the Sydney Test to make sure that some of the “arrogant” behaviour that outraged even their own countrymen is not repeated again.


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June Jones To SMU…The Fantasy Impact

January 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment

jones june0224 June Jones To SMU…The Fantasy Impact

By Fantasy College Blitz

Possibly the biggest hire of the off-season did not occur at a major program.

With June Jones leaving Hawaii for SMU, fantasy players may have seen their biggest-impact move for the 2008 season.

Jones, fresh off taking the Warriors to their first-ever major bowl game (Sugar Bowl), bolted the islands for a bigger paycheck and better facilities at the Metroplex school.

Immediately, the SMU Mustang program becomes an improved program, from the fantasy perspective. The school already has an established QB in Justin Willis and some talent in other skill positions. Under former head coach Phil Bennett, the Mustangs ran a spread offense…and should have little problem adjusting to Jones’ Run-And-Shoot. Willis’s mobility will give the Run-And-Shoot a lot more “Run” than Jones saw from his Hawaii QBs.

Probably the biggest reason Jones left Hawaii for SMU was the lack of decent facilities at his former employer.

Before the 2007 season, Heisman finalist QB Colt Brennan publicly blasted the Honolulu school for its poor facilities…..including down to the lack of soap in dressing room showers. Even with one of the strongest fan support bases in the Western Athletic Conference….Hawaii spent little in upgrading atheltic facilities.

At SMU, Jones will find a nearly-new Gerald Ford Stadium and good athletic facilites. Jones’s new digs are so nice, you can drop your food on the concourse ground and it would still be edible…that nice

Mockingbird Lane in north Dallas will look like Park Avenue to Jones. Or a fancy suite at a Waikiki resort.

However, the SMU program has never really recovered from the NCAA imposed “Death Penalty” from the 1980′s. SMU has not had a season over .500 since resuming its program after its suspension.

Although SMU lies in one of the most talent-rich prep areas in the nation….its high academic standards and low school profile in Texas could make it tougher to recruit for Jones, even compared to distant Hawaii.

Also, even with a number of wealthy boosters, there is not a lot of fan support for the program. I was personally on the campus for the UCF-SMU game in November…and there were maybe 2500 in attendance….and half of those UCF fans.

You know a football program is sinking when they put the kiddie playground inside the stadium…not outside.

SMU hopes Jones can re-energize the Mustangs. In his first year at Hawaii, Jones turned around a 0-12 team into a 9-4 bowl-winner in one season. Talent-wise, SMU will possess more in Jones’ first year than Hawaii possessed.

What will happen to Hawaii?

The Warriors still have good players, even though they lose QB Brennan, WR Jason Rivers….and also WR Davone Bess, a junior who has declared for the NFL Draft. Ryan Grice-Mullen, another top Warrior WR, could also join Bess in declaring for the draft. Backup QB Tyler Graunke has played a number of games over the past two seasons, and, there is talent returning at the other skill positions.

Since Jones will take most of his assistants with him to SMU, Hawaii’s continued success could depend on who they hire. Some names bandied about are former NFL coach Kevin Gilbride and Tennesee Titans ofensive coordinator Norm Chow, a former college assistant at USC and BYU.


Filed Under: College Football Tagged With: ,

FA Cup upsets for Premier League club

January 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment

By John ST

The giant-killers are back in action and this is what makes the FA Cup extravaganza so enticing for soccer fans the world over – record books are shredded and the underdogs triumph over the Goliaths.

Without exception, the FA Cup Third Round saw several casualties. Everton FC was the latest club to suffer an ignominious elimination after losing 1-0 to third division Oldham Athletic. Three other Premier League teams, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers, were also displaced by lower league opposition.

Havant & Waterlooville, A minor league club, advanced into the fourth round after snatching a late 1-1 draw at third division leaders Swansea. No doubt the press will have a field day if this minnow clears all obstacles and progress to the FA Cup Finals.

Fortunately, the Big Four are as yet unscathed – an outcome which can determine the glamor and viewership of the competition. FA Cup holders Chelsea scraped through with a 1-0 win against Queens Park Rangers at Stamford Bridge. The Blues struggled to stamp their authority and when QPR gift-wrapped three points for them with an own goal by their keeper Lee Camp, Avram Grant took it with aplomb.

His relief is understandable considering how badly Chelsea squad is decimated. The African Nations Cup deprived them of their effervescent Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba, his mate Salomon Kalou, Ghana’s Michael Essien and Nigeria’s John Obi Mikel.

Chelsea’s skipper John Terry heads the injury list with three broken bones and is now on crutches, while vice captain Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda, Claude Makelele and Andriy Shevchenko are also incapacitated. The absence of Cech and Cudicini has allowed third-choice keeper Henrique Hilario to feature in three consecutive games (conceding two goals) but he did enough to keep Chelsea in the running.

The impending swop for Nicolas Anelka, a rumor at this stage, is practically certain. Manchester City may throw a spanner into the works as manager Eriksson needs a free-scoring forward to boost their chances of qualifying for Champions League. Darius Vassel, Emile Mpenza and Rolando Bianchi don’t quite cut it. Since both clubs have sugar daddies to finance the transfer, Anelka can sit back and let them battle it out. His agent will be laughing all the way to the bank, having secured the seventh astronomical signing-on fee for his representative.

As for Manchester United, last year’s runners-up, they had a 2-0 success at Aston Villa, thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and substitute Wayne Rooney in the last nine minutes. The other half of the Premier League Big Four, Arsenal and Liverpool, will see action later tonight, away to Burnley and Luton Town respectively, while struggling Newcastle United face a tough trip to Stoke City.

Everton’s loss is baffling considering their excellent form. They have suffered only two defeats in their last 17 games and both at the hands of Manchester United and Arsenal. However, Oldham claimed their scalp with a Gary McDonald’s 25-metre strike at the end of the first half. Everton fought back valiantly but was frustrated by a combination of bad luck and a stubborn Oldham defense. Their best chance came in the last minute but was denied by the post.

“To come to a Premier League ground against a team who are really flying at the moment was a great performance,” Oldham boss John Sheridan told Sky Sports. “I told the players to really enjoy the occasion, because things like this might not happen to them again. I was so pleased and proud of them.”

Coventry, also caused a major upset by winning 4-1 at Blackburn with two goals by Michael Mifsud and one each from Elliott Ward and Dele Adebola. Coventry, made a mockery of their precarious position (17th spot) in second division with this lop-sided result. The players went in hard to win the ball and paid little respect to Blackburn’s Premier League standing. Maltese striker Mifsud said: “Every one of us played with his heart and gave his best to ensure we got the result.”

Third division Huddersfield were also celebrating after a 2-1 home win over Birmingham, while Bolton, having rested Nicolas Anelka and most of the rest of their leading players, lost 1-0 at home to Sheffield United.

In other matches, Tottenham Hotspur, who beat Reading 6-4 last week, drew 2-2 with them at White Hart Lane. West Ham United and Manchester City drew 0-0 at Upton Park while Wigan Athletic won 3-0 away to Sunderland, whose performance left manager Roy Keane “ashamed.”

Keane is in a rut-hole at the moment. Sunderland have make it a habit of losing and the commitment to fight for every point is missing. The hairdryer treatment, if Keane has not already done so, is needed to jolt his defense from their slumber. Wigan, also missing a few key players, look slick standing beside them.

The FA Cup may not rank highly in Sunderland’s priority but being relegated will be a serious setback. Sunderland’s next three Premier League home games against Birmingham, Portsmouth and Wigan will be the right opportunity to get back to winning ways.


Filed Under: Soccer Tagged With:

A Hall Of Fame Exclusive

January 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment

By Tuffy

EXCLUSIVE! MUST CREDIT TUFFY! EXCLUSIVE!!!

Intrepid readers, I have uncovered a shocking attempt to undermine the integreity of the most important vote so far this year. I spent actual moments considering verifying this report from an unnamed source on deep background cover slideshow screening hush hush too shy eye to eye double secret probation.

A small band of first-time candidates gathered last weekend in New Hampshire to change the outcome of the biggest vote a bunch of old white people will make all year in the United States: the Baseball Writers of America’s Hall of Fame vote. A number of former players eligible for the first time this year pulled together to take drastic action to prevent them from falling off the ballot by receiving less than five percent of the vote.

Each voter received an identical letter postmarked Saturday from Nashua. I have received a copy of this letter and have transcribed it for you here. The original letter was built from letters trimmed from Safeway circulars and Ron Paul fliers pasted to résumé paper, obviously photocopied after completion.

About three-quarters through the effort, though, the mystery author abandoned the scheme and started writing in longhand, drawing boxes around each letter to continue the effect. My sources tell me the handwriting matches that of checks signed by Travis Fryman in 1994 for performing in T*Fal cookware commercials. (“I’m the Fry Man…”)

Clearly, this devious plan worked on a few voters. It is the only plausible explanation available for why some players received any votes at all. It is shocking how corrupted the Hall of Fame voting process became this year, but it will be clear shortly how such an embarrassing set of votes could come to pass.

The letter follows. Some language be inappropriate for the ill, aged, or easily offended. (Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Inquirer is still in intensive care after reading his copy.)

“Dear Hall of Fame Writer,

We are aware you do not plan to vote for first time balloters in the Hall of Fame voting this year. We do not think this is a good idea. You should place a vote for at least one first time balloter. There should be at least one Hall of Famer out of that class.

We do not wish harm to you or your family (except perhaps Keith Olbermann; does he have a vote?). However, we must insist you vote for one of the first time balloters this year. If not, we will be forced to take drastic measures.

For example, if you do not vote for Shawon Dunston, he will swing a bat at your car. He will not miss unless it moves slightly. If you do not vote for Chuck Knoblauch, he will throw household objects at your pets until he hits one of them or his arm grows tired.

Now you understand how serious we are. If you have grown daughters and do not vote for Chuck Finley or David Justice, they will be forced to try to marry your daughters. (Note: if your daughters are over 4’7″ and/or know any Three Stooges defensive moves, they will not try anything with your daughters.)

Please believe we will follow through with our threats. If you do not vote for Brady Anderson, he will show up at your home and demand an appearance fee of one olive loaf sandwich and a bag of kettle chips. He will not leave until you pay him or vote for him. (Note: this will probably happen anyway if you vote for him. Please feed him.)

Finally, if you do not vote for Rod Beck, it’s okay. He doesn’t mind. Maybe you could vote for Robb Nen twice? Red Beck would think it’s a good idea.

We await your vote this year. Do not fail us or Jose Rijo will mail you the remains of one of the Schottzies. (He will. Dude’s kinda gone weird since retirement.)

Signed,
Not the Players

P.S. Tim Raines doesn’t need our help; he was actually great on his own. It doesn’t count if you vote for him.”


Filed Under: Baseball Tagged With: ,

Exercise Helps Women Deal With Certain Symptoms of Menopause

January 14, 2008 By 1 Comment

A new study has found that exercise relieves some menopausal symptoms. Walking and some basic strength training can do the trick.

Researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia have found that physically active post-menopausal women handle stress, anxiety and depression better than their non/less-active peers. The researchers did not find a link between increased physical activity and a decrease in the incidents or severity of hot flashes. These findings are just another feather in the cap for exercise. For as long as exercise – strength training, walking – has been studied as a treatment for, or method of coping with, a variety of diseases, ailments and conditions, there has been overwhelming evidence that exercise is good. How’s that for keeping it simple?

Thanks to the Internet, it has never been easier for people to learn how to exercise. You can hire a personal trainer, learn how to perform strength training exercises, see demonstrations of yoga positions and get advice on how to devise your own exercise programs thanks to web sites like this. And there are great professional organizations like the National Strength and Conditioning Association that provide basic info in easy to understand terms, as well as help you find a personal trainer in your area.

Strength training, walking, calisthenics, swimming and yoga are all methods of exercise that will bring about positive changes in a person’s life. From a common sense standpoint, it stands to reason that a person who is physically fit can better handle the stresses and strains of everyday life, extraordinary illnesses and all points in between. For the better part of the last 6 decades, science has provided ample reinforcement for this common sense viewpoint.

There is the misconception that people need to turn themselves into exercise machines in order to get the real benefits offered by exercise. Nothing can be further from the truth, as research has shown that people who engage in regular baseline physical activities like walking, gardening and flexibility training reap all the benefits that exercise has to offer.

In other words, you don’t have to be a nut like me and go out and hit things with a sledgehammer for 30-minutes in order to enjoy the benefits that exercise offers.

As a matter of fact, this Temple University study involved 380 women who walked 15-45 minutes at a time, as much as 5 times per week. That is certainly not too much to ask of someone, nor is it much of a sacrifice if this level of involvement can bring about real, healthy changes.

So whether or not menopause is a concern, people should take heed of this advice. Go out for a walk, you’ll feel better.


Filed Under: Health and Fitness Tagged With: ,
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