Archive for the ‘sports’ Category

In Control

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

An excellent bit of sportswriting on Greg Maddux, one-time ace for the Atlanta Braves who I grew up watching all the time on TV. It’s a nice article, even if you’re not really a base-ball fan:

How good is Greg Maddux’ accuracy and control? Good enough for San Diego Padres bullpen catcher Ben Risinger to attempt catching a pitch from Maddux with his eyes closed. If you think it’s easy, consider this:

A catcher’s mitt is roughly 33 inches in circumference. To be caught, the ball must hit an area that is roughly one-third the size of the mitt. A regulation major league baseball has a diameter of roughly 2.9 inches. We’re not talking about throwing a strike here; we’re talking about hitting the palm of a hand from 60 feet 6 inches away.
It took three times, but Risinger successfully nabbed one blindly. Impressive indeed.

Steve Nash

Monday, March 24th, 2008

A thoughtful, inspirational short ad from NBA star Steve Nash.

Growing up talking with my Dad about Pistol Pete and then living next to the Maravich Assembly center here in BR for a time, it’s not hard to understand why I have a fondness for Steve Nash’s game and his general attitude towards pro hoops. I’d love to see the guy win a championship before his time in the league is up.

Plus, how many other NBA players skateboard and play pick-up soccer as part of their training regime?