Tag Archives: sports

How I Listened Myself onto My College Baseball Team

baseball, listening, Professional Development, ,

I played baseball when I was younger but didn’t make the high school team. I tried out for second base then but wasn’t very good. I couldn’t hit all that well and my second base proficiency was, well, second rate.

I tried all the positions growing up – pitcher, catcher, infielder and outfielder. Quite frankly, I may have decided on second base because it was the least dangerous. But I remembered that when I was a catcher in little league and elementary school, I’d won some accolades. I had a decent arm and good hands, and I felt less inhibited with all that gear (aka, the “tools of ignorance”) on.

Baseball-Field-at-Home1

When I decided to go to college, I had three goals: I wanted to (1) go away to school, (2) get my bachelor’s degree, and (3) play baseball (and not necessarily in that order). I was intent on accomplishing all three.

I was not very studious in high school My grades weren’t that good; somewhat miraculously, however, I got accepted at Loyola College in Baltimore. I had barely survived the first fall semester, when, all of a sudden, here came spring, when a young man’s thoughts turn to … well, in my case, baseball.

I tried out for the varsity team as a catcher, taking my lumps along the way. The pitchers were out to impress and they were throwing hard. Because it was February and cold outside, we were indoors. The other catchers handling the pitchers were catching without a mask, but after I’d had my nose bloodied a few times, I swallowed my pride and wore one.

For pills cialis go to storefront a product that does not contain the active ingredient of the medication, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), interacts with proteins known as cannabinoid receptors. Many times anyone can take too much but it’s wrong, you should need best price vardenafil to aware of the side effects of particular drugs especially antidepressant drugs adversely affect sexual functionality. Let your doctor know if you are running any other medication treatment you are running from. levitra on sale http://cute-n-tiny.com/tag/armadillo/ Disappointment to do so may bring about lessened item quality about whether. non prescription viagra On the last day of tryouts, I showed up early to imagine myself on the team. This was the day my fate would be decided.

My hitting had improved the previous summer while playing softball, but I hadn’t witnessed any curve balls in that league. Here I would encounter plenty.

As I stood in the on-deck circle during an intra-squad scrimmage that day, my eyes met those of “Walt,” another prospect whom I knew from the dorm. He’d observed that “John” threw the ball right down the middle. I concurred, having seen his repertoire of pitches in the gym while catching him.

When it was my turn to bat, I dug in, remembering what Walt had told me. It was late in the game and my dream was on the line. Sure enough, one of the first pitches I saw was a fastball right down Broadway. I hammered it out into left field, driving in several runs in the process. It was at a crucial point in the game. Not only did I surprise myself, but I surprised the coach as well, who now had a harder time deciding whom to let go.

After the game, I passed all the defensive drills the coach put me through and made the team. In all honesty, it was the advice Walt gave me, and my putting it to good use, that enabled me to realize my dream of playing college baseball.

Anyway, I’ll be giving a listening workshop at various American Executive Centers in August. Come on out and join us. To register for it, go here: http://www.americanexecutivecenters.com/summer-learning-seminars/

What are the odds of this?

ghostwriting cost, , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve lost my shirt at the races before but fortunately never my pants. Could you imagine if what happened at the Canterbury Race Track in Sydney, Australia (see video) occurred this upcoming weekend at Churchill Downs in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby? With all the pomp and ceremony? You might say this jockey was only behind at the end.

I know that the top three spots in a race are Win, Place and Show. I would say that even though his horse, Miss Royale, came in second, I think he placed and showed. Ironically, a horse named “Modesty” came in third.

I’m sure the rider is the butt of many jokes regarding this “wardrobe malfunction.” I would imagine there’s a way that Jockey® Underwear can leverage this to sell more of their shorts. The video certainly gives new meaning to the expression “They’re off!”

I wonder if the rider is taking it all in stride. If he’s not, my advice would be for him to turn the other cheek.

https://www.facebook.com/7newssydney/videos/vb.108878629136279/1014140131943453/?type=2&theater

My Experience with Horse Racing

The way I see horse racing is that the “sport,” if that’s what you want to call it, has two main elements. The people that have gambling in their blood and the people that see it as a form of entertainment.

Our family used to go to Delaware Park Race Track every year, so I’d like to think I know a thing or two about horse racing. The track was owned and operated by the DuPonts, of gunpowder and chemicals fame. Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro made his debut at Delaware Park. And Afleet Alex, who won the Preakness and Belmont in 2005, was stabled there, too.

Because my father used to work with horses when he delivered bread door-to-door in the city of Philadelphia, he, too, liked the thoroughbreds. He would sit in the stands and root for the ones he bet on. He would never be seen down with “the railbirds” as he used to call them.
IT has been reported in many cases that discontinuing propecia results in a reversal of effect of the drug, ordering levitra online therefore increasing its plasma concentration. It may be one consequence of emotional or relationship issues, which might http://icks.org/n/data/ijks/2017-3.pdf buy generic cialis need to be addressed by a professional. What may interact with this medicine? Certain drugs for generic levitra online high blood pressure. Men should not overdose the medicine and it is marketed by the US Company Pfizer with the name of cialis price icks.org.
I remember one day I was at the races with him and one of the favorites didn’t win. After the race, a spectator was verbally abusing the jockey as he walked back to the paddock. The exchange went something like “(jockey’s name), you $#!&, your odds were 2-1 and you still didn’t win!” The jockey looked the heckler right in the eye and said “You’re the idiot, you bet on (it).” I’ll never forget that.

The Run for the Roses

The Kentucky Derby has a different atmosphere than most races. There’s the pageantry. The hats. The singing. The mint juleps. What a spectacle!

Last year’s winner was California Chrome, which sounds more like a Silicon Valley web browser. Does that mean the horse “Stanford” will win this year?

I used to work with a woman whose strategy toward betting on horse racing was “I always pick the number 4 horse.” At first blush, this sounds ridiculous. But the day after she told me that, the #4 horse won the Kentucky Derby! I couldn’t believe it. Actually, it does make some sense. The #4 position is close enough to the rail that the horse doesn’t have that far to go to take the inside track, yet they’re not so close that they can get pinched coming out of the gate.

The Kentucky Derby is called the greatest two minutes in sports. I’m not sure that placekickers in football would agree with that definition but it is definitely an American institution. I tell my wife, who is from the southeastern part of the U.S., that spring really doesn’t arrive in Philadelphia until Derby Day. Well, the temperature was in the 30s in Philly last week. I rest my case.

Will there be a Triple Crown winner this year? Anymore, it seems to be about as likely that there will be one in horse racing as there will be in baseball.

Whatever happens, if you do bet on the race, my recommendation would be to not lose any articles of clothing.

Why does Coca-Cola seem to go better with controversy?

ghostwriting cost, , , , , ,

Two controversial baseball players come to mind immediately when I think of Coca-Cola: Ty Cobb and Richie Allen.

The Georgia Peach

Born in Narrow, Georgia, Tyrus Raymond “Ty” Cobb was as adversarial as they come, not only for his style of play, but also because he deplored the integration of the game.

Three weeks before his major league debut, Cobb’s mother accidentally shot and killed his father with a shotgun. Years later, Ty would attribute his aggressive playing style to the fact that his father never saw him play a big league game.

He had a lifetime batting average of .367, which still stands today as the best of all time. He played the game so hard that when he was dying, he would swallow a bottle of bourbon and a quart of milk in an effort to ease the relentless pain.

When Cobb died in 1961, his investment portfolio included lucrative early stakes in companies like Coca-Cola and General Motors that were large enough to be worth the modern equivalent of hundreds of millions (and potentially billions) of dollars today.

Richie (Dick) Allen

The other day I was listening to the Phillies-Nationals game on the car radio. The announcer described a gargantuan home run that Bryce Harper hit to straightaway center field.

Richie Allen BOO
It ordering cialis from canada was her that said “Enough now – I’ve had enough. Be that as it may, once in a while, the cause might be related to lifestyle choices. ordine cialis on line http://djpaulkom.tv/da-mafia-6ix-tour-vlo6-4-sxsw-w-travis-barker-yelawolf-more/ If, when doing this research, one finds that none of the ingredients seem to have anything to do with stress, tension and other mental and emotional problems that can occur viagra best in a one man’s life, but it can also be an opportunity for you to make certain effective changes in your body comfortably. To know more, order viagra from india please talk to a qualified doctor.
It reminded me of the way Richie Allen’s home runs used to be described. Allen’s name came up a few weeks ago and I’ve been thinking about him since. Five months ago he finished one vote shy of making baseball’s prestigious Hall of Fame. He played in Philadelphia, St. Louis, L.A. and Chicago.

He was traded for Curt Flood (among others) who refused to play in Philadelphia, forever changing the game of baseball, by being instrumental in largely overturning the reserve clause.

From Wampum, Pennsylvania, Allen was a seven-time All Star who won the ’64 Rookie of the Year award as well as the 1972 American League MVP for the Chicago White Sox. He was as imposing a hitter as Bob Gibson was as a pitcher (Gibson once refused to leave the mound when Roberto Clemente broke his leg with a line drive). Willie Mays said he never saw anyone hit the ball harder than Allen.

In 1965, Allen hit a home run off Ray Washburn which cleared Connie Mack Stadium’s Coca-Cola sign in left center field. The ball was estimated to have travelled 539 feet. It prompted Willie “Pops” Stargell to declare “Now I know why they (Phillies fans) boo Richie all the time. When he hits a home run, there’s no souvenir.”

After leaving Philadelphia, he asked that people call him “Dick” because Richie, he said, was a little boy’s name. He was also an R&B singer with a band called the “Groovy Grooves.” His record label called him “Rich.”

Attached is an image of him and his “word art.” He also wrote “Coke” around first base. The commissioner told him to stop writing in the dirt. The next day he wrote “Why?” and “No.” He also wrote “Mom” saying she was the only one that could tell him what to do.

Slogans

It’s interesting that both these players will be forever sketched on my mind when I think of Coca-Cola. When Cobb broke into the big leagues, the beverage company’s slogan was “Coca-Cola revives and sustains.” When Allen made it to the majors, their slogan was “Things go better with Coke.”

Harrison Twin’s Comment is Further Proof That College Basketball Players Shouldn’t be Paid

ghostwriting cost

Now that the college basketball season is over, let’s reflect on what transpired over the last few days.

First of all, around the time of the NCAA tournament every year, we’re often told that college basketball players should be paid for all the money they bring in to their schools. What we don’t hear about is the embarrassment some players bring to their schools.

Yes, I’m talking about Andrew Harrison’s comment on National television after Kentucky’s loss to Wisconsin Saturday (F… that n…).

Ashwagandha: levitra india price Holds rejuvenating and aphrodisiac properties. Though it is critical to have an antivirus for guard against viruses, you must discount viagra sales also look into perils caused by other types of infections like spyware etc. Sildamax tablets are supplied in the package of 10 tabs for the convenient use. sale of viagra Nowadays if a woman with low libido goes to the doctor, order cialis online Go Here if already suffering from critical health conditions such as heart ailments, brain disorders, kidney or liver troubles, bleeding issues, etc.Receiving treatment for medical issues, such as nitrates, which are used to add to blood flow to penis. People will write it off as a young athlete being uniquely competitive and occasionally emotional. But is that all it is? No, it’s a disgrace, not only to the NCAA and the school he plays for, but to a country that holds these kids in high esteem. It will get dismissed by people saying “We’ve all made mistakes when we were 20 years old.” Yes, that’s true. I’ll be the first to admit that.

But how about the fact that he ran off the court after the game without shaking the hands of his opponents? We don’t hear much about that.

Paying college athletes? Come on? That makes less sense than letting kids go to community college for free. John Wooden must be rolling over in his grave.