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An Introduction to Baseball Bats
Whether you enjoy the crack of wood or the ping of aluminum, baseball bats are designed for players ranging from Little Leaguers to professionals. Baseball bats are crafted out of specialized woods, composites or alloys, and aluminum, depending on...
Creating a Baseball Fantasy League
The last decade has seen many changes, one of them being the amazing involvement of individuals in baseball fantasy leagues as well as other fantasy sports. There are no specific rules for baseball fantasy involvement; however an unspoken rule for...
Improving Your Golf Game, the Optimal Recipe
There are hundreds, probably thousands, of articles about how to improve your golf. Just pick up any weekly or monthly issue of any golf magazine. You will read page after page on how to get better at your driving distance, how to improve your...
Is Baseball Gear Any Safer Today?
Baseball is at 150 years old, one of the most popular spectator sports in the United States. How have such conditions like technology, economic resources, a need for higher standards for safety and protection, make the basic baseball gear better? ...
Slider - Sports Game for Kids
A slider can be an effective pitch and is often easier to throw than a curve. Start slow and mix it up. Practice the slider gently and easily at first. Slowly build up speed over time. Never go through a pitching warm-up throwing only sliders. Mix...
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Ness Notes (Jan 11)
Was it really just a week ago that Texas beat USC 41-38 in the
Rose Bowl? Can Vince Young possibly be as good in the NFL as he
was in his two Rose Bowl appearances? Is the 'monkey' finally
off Mack Brown's back?
Putting to rest the CFB season, note that Texas' 83 wins the
last eight years are the most of any school. The Longhorns are
also the ONLY school to have finished in the final BCS standings
in EACH of the last seven years. Texas is also the only
BCS-affiliated school to win at least 10 games in each of the
last five years.
My free play for Wednesday is the Min T-wolves over the Chi
Bulls in the NBA at 8:05 ET. I've jumped to a 3-0 start with my
CBB 15* plays in '06 and offer another 15* play tonight (rare
back-to-back 15*s!). Also, I feature my 10* SEC Game of the
Month and my 10* NBA Favorite of the Month. Get them ALL, right
now!
Putting to rest the bowl season, 16 of the 28 games were decided
by a TD or less, with EIGHT decided by three points or less (two
in OT). Fifteen of the 28 winning teams came from behind to win,
with EIGHT of them erasing double-digit deficits!
The average margin of victory was 10.9 PPG, the lowest in the
BCS-era and the lowest since 1992. Next year sees the addition
of 5th BCS bowl game but there is NO playoff plans in the near
future. Speaking of which, it's BASKETBALL season!
Tonight's college hoops schedule features 46 games. Last week
was a bad week for top-25 teams, as 15 ranked teams lost,
including two losses by Michigan St. FOUR teams fell from the
ranks of the unbeaten last week. Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio St
and Villanova.
That leaves Duke (14-0), Florida (14-0) and Pittsburgh (12-0).
Duke's been ranked No. 1 all season but was a unanimous No. 1
this week, for the first time all season. Florida, unranked at
the beginning of the year, has to be the season's biggest
surprise team, in Billy Donovan's 10th year at Gainesville. Pitt
is 12-0 but ranked just 12th. Kentucky fell out of the AP poll
for the first time this week, after 88 straight rankings, as did
Wake Forest (60 straight appearances). The current leader in
consecutive poll appearances is Duke, with a mere 176! U Conn is
now second with 49.
Both Duke and Florida play tonight, while Pittsburgh plays
Thursday (home versus DePaul). Duke hosts Maryland tonight on
ESPN at 9:00 ET and the Blue Devils are favored by 14 points
with a total of 156 1/2. Florida is home to an 11-3 Miss St team
but the gators are still favored by 18 1/2 points!
ESPN2 features a triple-header tonight beginning with Syracuse
at Notre Dame at 7:00 ET. That game is followed by Texas A&M at
Oklahoma State (9:00 ET) and TCU at New Mexico (11:00 ET). Prior
to the Maryland/Duke game, ESPN opens its coverage with Indiana
at Michigan State at 7:00 ET (Spartans are favored by five with
a total of 146 1/2).
NBA fans get a busy 10-game slate tonight and all eyes are in
Portland, as Kobe tries to get 45 points or more for the 5th
consecutive game. However, he's got a little more work to do if
he plans on catching Wilt, who set an NBA record in 1964 of NINE
consecutive 45-plus games!
Who ever said 13 was an unlucky number? It surely wasn't for
Bruce Sutter. Sutter became just the 4th reliever to get elected
to baseball's Hall of Fame, joining Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers
and Dennis Eckersley. However, Sutter is the ONLY one of the
four, to have NEVER made a major league start!
His 'election' in his 13th year of eligibility, is the latest of
any player since Ralph Kiner was elected in 1975. Jim Rice fell
53 votes short in his 12th year on the ballot and Goose Gossage
54 votes shy, in his seventh year of eligibility. Sutter's
election was long-overdue but I wouldn't expect 13 to be the
charm for Rice next year.
First-timers on next year's HOF ballot will be Tony Gwynn (lock)
and Cal Ripken Jr (lock), not to mention a member of Sports
Illustrated's so-called "Liars Club", Mark McGwire. Just in case
the voters have forgotten, Rice has 382 career HRs, 1,451 RBI
and a .298 LT batting average. He topped .300 seven time,
knocked in 100 runs eight times, while winning three HR titles,
two RBI titles and the AL MVP in 1978.
About the author:
Larry Ness is a documented member of the Professional
Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at www.procappers.co
m/Larry_Ness.htm
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