Adidas Classics

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ADIDAS - A name that stands for competence in all sectors of sport around the globe. The vision of company founder Adolf "ADI" DASSLER has long become a reality.

The idea was as simple as it was brilliant. Adi Dassler's aim was to provide every athlete with the best possible equipment. It all began in 1920, when Adi Dassler made his first shoes using the few materials available after the First World War.

Adi Dassler followed three guiding principles in his development work: Produce the best shoe for the requirements of the sport, protect the athlete from injury, and make the product durable. {Somethings Never Change}.

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The Adidas name dates back to 1948, deriving from the first two syllables of Adi Dassler's name ADI - DAS.

Today, the Adidas product range extends from Footwear and Apparel to Accessories for all kinds of different sports. Their key priorities are: Running shoes, Football spikes, Basketball shoes, Tennis shoes and Training shoes.

Classic Adidas shoes are patterned after the line of shoes that have stood the test of time. Favorites then and they are favorites now, with the same great quality Adidas is known for.

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NBA Rivalry Chamberlain and Russell

The greatest rivalry in NBA history was between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. The 1950s and 1960s displayed the two most fiercest competitors in all sports. Russell from the Boston Celtics and Chamberlain from Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and the L.A. Lakers defined the role of the dominating big man in basketball in different ways. Chamberlain was the better offensive player, providing his team with low-post scoring while passing out of double-teams to open teammates. Russell was the greater defender, providing an intimidating presence for his team by blocking shots and rebounding This started the famous Celtic fast break which led to many easy baskets.

The record books are filled with Chamberlain's accomplishments. He is the only NBA player to score 4,000 points in a single season. He holds the single-game scoring record with 100 points and the most rebounds in one game "55". In 1961-1962 season he averaged an unbelievable50.4 points per game. Wilt won 2 NBA titles with two different teams.

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Other Chamberlain scoring feats: Most games with50 pts. or more, 118. Most consecutive games with40 pts. or more 14. Highest soring average for a rookie 37.6. Wilt also hold the highest field goal % for a single season .727.

Wilt retired as the all-time career points leader with 31,419 which has been surpassed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone. Chamberlain is still No.1 in career rebounds with23,924. he lead the NBA in scoring seven straight seasons. He also lead the league in assists in 1967-68 to prove scoring is not all that he could do.11 out of his 14 seasons Wilt lead the league in rebounding.

Bill Russell was the main cog in the Boston Celtics dynasty of 1950s and 1960s. Russell was an uncanny shot blocker who revolutionized the way the NBA played defense. Although blocked shots were not an official statistic until 1973-74, Russell changed the game in ways that were clearly understood, even if they were not measured with statistics. He had the ability to leave his man and slide over to cover an opponent that had gotten by a teammate and block or alter their shots.

Russell averaged 15.1 pts. a game and pulled down 22.5 rebounds a contest. The 12-time all star and 5-time NBA Most Valuable Player accumulated 21,620 career rebounds. Bill led the league in rebounding 4 times and had 51 boards in 1 game and 49 in 2 others. He also had 12 consecutive 1,000 or more rebounds in a season.

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His individual accomplishments were great but that is not all Russell brought to the table. His philosophy of team play brought the Boston Celtics 11 championships in 13 seasons. Bill also was a player coach for 3 years winning the NBA Championship 2 times.

Wilt Chamberlain dominated the game as few players in any sport ever have, Chamberlain seemed capable of scoring and rebounding at will. As Oscar Robertson put it when asked whether Wilt was the best ever, " The books don't lie."

Bill Russell defensively did things no other NBA players have been able to do. As Celtics player Don Nelson told the Boston Herald, "There are two types of Superstars. One makes himself look good at the expense of the other guys on the floor. But there's another type who makes the players around him look better then they are, and thats the type Russell was.

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To choose one over the other is a tough call. Watching them both play basketball in the 60's, Wilt was my favorite player by far, but if I was starting a new franchise in the NBA, Bill Russell would be my first pick.

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Teaching Baseball Fundamentals

Baseball fundamentals are essential to a successful team and your ability to teach those baseball skills is going to be a major factor on how fast your players learn. As a coach you want to provide the best baseball instruction you possibly can. We will go into the instructions later, but let's first set up a good coaching philosophy.

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When meeting your players for the first time set up good guidelines for them to follow. I had three rules:

1. Always give your best effort.

2. Never bad mouth a coach or a teammate.

3. The most important rule: Have Fun!

Remember you are not just a baseball coach, you are also a role model. The players not only are going to look at you for guidance and instruction, but they also will be watching and listening to how you react to every situation. Many baseball players attribute a large portion of their success in life to the things they learned on the baseball field and from their coaches. The lessons they learned are not just about fielding grounders or how to hit a baseball, but are about teamwork, work ethic and having a positive attitude.These skills not only helped them on the baseball field but helped them in life.

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Whether you are the manager, a coach or a parent helping your child, you must show patience, be supportive and have a positive attitude. The message will never get across if they are not having fun and think of the great game of baseball as a chore

Getting their first baseball glove or baseball bat is an experience a child will never forget. Remember the most important rule of all is to " Have Fun. "

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Some sound advise I followed included making sure players got to play multiple positions and were provided good baseball instruction on how to play those positions. Most young players that have to play in the outfield all year long are going to get bored. Every ball player had a job to do on every play. In the outfield when the ball was in play I taught my ballplayers to back up the base they were behind for wild throws. My right fielder who didn't have the greatest talent but would run through a brick wall for you, came running in to back up first base on a throw from third base. The throw was over the first baseman's head, hit the fence and was headed to right field. The runner not thinking twice took off towards second base, our little right fielder picked up the overthrow and threw him out at second. I've never seen a happier ballplayer and a more proud coach all because hustle and love for the game.

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Through out this article I tried to focus on how to set up a team concept so that everyone from the coach, players and parents understand that its about the kids. Being part of a team not just an individual ballplayer is something they will take with them through out life.

In up coming articles we will go into batting, fielding, pitching, base running and other fundamental.

Remember baseball is about Having Fun!

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NHL'S New Star Players

The 2008 Stanley Cup Finals will showcase the NHL's new star players and dynamic duos from both the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Sidney Crosby was a legend before his first NHL game, and now, three years later in his pro career, he is the face of hockey. His Pittsburgh teammate, Evgeni Malkin, after scoring 106 points during the regular season is a Hart Trophy finalist as league MVP.

Pavel Datsyuk this year had 31 goals 66 assists and had a plus/minus of 41. He also led the league in takeaways and is up for the Selke Trophy as the leagues top defensive forward. Henrik Zetterberg, his Detroit Red Wing linemate, had 45 goals 49 assists a plus/minus of 30 and is also up for the Selke Trophy. These two greats along with linemate Tomas Holmstom formed the best line in hockey.

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Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland has said Pittsburgh center Sidney Crosby is the face of hockey. Judging by a great number of the fans at Joe Louis Arena wearing Sidney Crosby jerseys, he could also be the chest, back and shoulders of hockey.

Sidney's Number "87" has replaced Mario Lemieux's number "66" as the top selling jersey not only in Pittburgh, but through out the NHL. Evgini Malkin number "71" is also a big seller.

In Detroit, Steve Yzerman's Number "19" and Sergei Fedorov's number "91" are still top sellers, but the jerseys of Pavel Datsyuk "13" and Henrik Zetterberg "40" are now fan favorites.

Crosby and Malkin center their own lines but play together on the power play. Datsyuk and Zetterberg play on the same line at even strength and on the power play. Those who watch the Detroit duo regularly know how dominant they are. Whether it is scoring a key goal or coming up with a great defensive play when killing off a penalty they are worth the price of admission.

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In the first game of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, Zetterberg scored his "12th" goal and his "22nd" playoff leading point. Sid the Kid is one point behind at"21" and Datsyuk and Malkin are tied for third with "19" points each.

All four are stars but where they were drafted you would never had thought this could happen. Sidney Crosby was the number "1" pick in 2005. Evgeni Malkin was the number "2 " pick in the 2004 NHL draft. Detroit's duo were picked a lot lower. Henrik Zetterberg was chosen "210" over all in the 1999 draft and Pavel Datsyuk the "171"th pick in 1998.

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The NHL is in good hands with young stars from Detroit and Pittsburgh. NHL jerseys are doing well with Sidney, Henrik, Pavel and Evgeni leading the way.

These are truly the two best teams in Hockey so sit back and let the new breed of NHL Stars entertain you in 2008.

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Choosing a Baseball Glove

Choosing a baseball glove can be confusing if you don't do your homework. Whether you are buying a glove for yourself, or a youngsters first baseball glove, we will look at some factors in choosing the correct one.

We will look at the styles of baseball gloves in reference to position, along with the features, sizes and different materials that go into the make up of the many gloves out there.

First lets look at the different positions in baseball that require special mitts.

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Catcher's Mitt: This is a mitt which is fingerless and heavily padded to absorb the possible sting of a pitchers hard throw. It's reinforced to withstand the constant use through out the game. This baseball mitt is not used for any other positions.

First Baseman's Glove: This baseball glove has less padding than a catcher's mitt and kind of resembles a mitten by its design. The pocket is very large allowing the first baseman to easily catch the ball from all angles, whether it's thrown or hit to you.

Infielder's Glove: The infielder's baseball glove has five fingers and normally a shallow pocket. Second basemen and shortstops gloves usually are the smallest so they can have better control fielding a ground ball and easily getting the ball out of their gloves quickly. An open back on the glove also gives them more flexibility. The third baseman's glove is larger then the middle infielders and the webbing style of the pocket is closed to lend more support for those hot shots from the batter.

Outfielder's Glove: These baseball gloves are longer in length and have a deeper pocket to give you a larger area to help in catching fly balls. Their webbing is also closed to give the outfielder more support.

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Sizes for gloves:

Infielder's gloves for adults can range from (10.5 in to 11.5 in). For youths (9 in to 11 in).

Outfielder's gloves for adults can range from (12 in to 12.5 in). For youths about 11 in.

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Materials for gloves:

Leather, which offers the best comfort, more control and a better feel for catching the baseball.

Treated leather, which is softened with chemicals for a faster break in and increased durability. It also helps the glove keep its shape longer.

Synthetic materials, which are a less durable but lighter material and won't withstand wear and tear like leather but is less expensive and a good starter glove for the youngsters.

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Remember to keep in mind when looking for your new baseball mitt the position you are going to play will influence your decision. A catcher's mitt and a first baseman's glove will only be used for their respective positions. Outfielder's gloves are normally larger and have deeper pockets for ease in catching the ball, where as infielder's gloves are smaller with shallower pockets for better control and quicker release. Leather is the best choice for performance and durability.

With all this said, choosing a baseball glove is a very personal choice. So when you get your's, go outside and play a game of catch!

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NFL Draft Analysis

The NFL draft began in 1936 without all the analysis that is used today. The first pick was a halfback named Jay Berwanger from Chicago University, by the Philadelphia Eagles. Since then, the NFL set up shop in New York City in 1965, had its first broadcast on ESPN in 1980 and today has become a huge production on 2 TV networks. Lets take a look at how the NFL draft has gone from a quiet event to a TV phenomenon with analysis from scouts, media and so called draft experts. We also will take a look at some NFL draft steals and busts.
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One day an idea was born. According to John Wildhack, a production assistant with the fledgling all-sports cable network ESPN in 1980, recalls hearing about a conversation between his boss and the commissioner of the NFL, Pete Rozelle.

Chet Simmons, the president of ESPN at the time, approached Rozelle in 1979 to ask if his network could do a live broadcast of the draft.

"Why would you want to do that?" was Rozelle's response. After an initial 28-0 "no" vote by the owners, Rozelle and the league gave in the following spring and let ESPN televise the NFL draft from a New York City hotel ballroom.

Once considered so unimportant the draft was held during the season until the late 1960s and only a handful of teams had college scouts. According to long time Dallas Cowboy personnel director Gil Brandt, team officials coming to the draft would have little more than a pile of newspapers, Street and Smith college football magazines and a roll of quarters to call players. "They didn't have phones on the desks back then, so you had to go out to the lobby and use the pay phones," Brandt recalled.
Teams now spend millions on scouting. Their draft analysis of the college football players includes hours of video tapes and countless drills that the players perform at the 3 day NFL scouting combine.
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This is where the scouts earn their money, watching players run the 40 yard dash, do the broad jump, 20 yard shuttle and all the other drills, so they can see their physical attributes. Then there's the interviews, the drug screening and that wacky wonderlic test, with all this to evaluate, a player can go from a multi million dollar contract to not hearing his name called at all at the NFL draft.

A small army of league officials is needed to stage the event, which draws 4.000 fans at the Radio City Music Hall and 250 people are needed to produce ESPN's 18 hours of coverage, which millions of people watch at home.

The crowds at the NFL draft are crazy. You have most teams represented with fans wearing their favorite jersey or dressed up in a wild costume that makes it look like the NFL's version of halloween.

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With all the hype an anticipation of hearing the commissioner say "Welcome to the 2008 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins are now on the clock", the focus now becomes who is going to be the number 1 pick in the draft this year.

Whether you watch the ESPN telecast or the NFL Network production, the endless analysis of every player taken or those players yet be taken, will keep you informed right up to the second anything happens.

During the NFL draft you will taken inside the war room of teams to show you the inner workings of how they evaluate and choose their player. Some NFL teams show you why they are championship caliber by their astute drafting, [New England Patriots]. Then there are other NFL teams that show you why they are perennial losers with their clueless drafting,[My Detroit Lions]......................................................................... NFL FAN GEAR

Being the first pick in the NFL draft does not guarantee success. Since 1936 there has been 72 drafts and only 10 players have made the NFL Hall Of Fame.

Lets look at a couple of draft picks that turned out to be steals for their teams:



QB Joe Montana {Notre Dame}

Drafted by: San Francisco 49ers, third round, No. 82 overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft

The 49ers didn't exactly have to go off the beaten path to find Joe Montana, but he was far from a can't- miss prospect coming out of Notre Dame. Even the 49ers weren't sure about his future when they drafted him, so much so that he backed up Steve DeBerg for a year and a half before becoming the starter. Then he went on to win 4 Super Bowls, 3 SUPER BOWL MVP awards, made All Pro 7 times and 2 NFL MVP awards.



QB Tom Brady {Michigan}

Drafted by: New England Patriots, sixth round, No. 199 overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft

The Patriots weren't really looking for their next franchise quarterback; a solid backup would have suited them fine. The Patriots watched quarterbacks such as Giovanni Carmazzi and Spergon Wynn come off the board before they selected Brady. The rest is history. He has played in 4 Super Bowls, winning 3 of them, 2 Super Bowl MVP awards and 1 NFL MVP award.
Lets look at a couple of draft picks that turned out to be busts for their teams:
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QB Ryan Leaf {Washington State}

Drafted by: San Diego Chargers, first round, No. 2 Overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft

The Chargers gave up plenty to move up one spot to select Leaf, who many felt was a better prospect than Tennessee QB Peyton Manning. With a lifetime 4-17 record as a starter, with the Chargers {4-14} and Cowboys {0-3}, Leaf threw 14 TD passes and 36 interceptions and was sacked 65 times in 25 games in four NFL seasons. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning reportedly is doing fine with the Indianapolis Colts.
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WR Charles Rogers {Michigan State}

Drafted by: Detroit Lions, first round, No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft

Rogers put up monster numbers at Michigan State and was supposed to solve Detroit's issues at wide receiver. Instead he became the first of four wide receivers chosen by the Lions in the first round with only WR Roy Williams living up to his potential. Rogers is currently unemployed.

As you can can see the NFL Draft has many ingredients that go into it; scouting, interviews, production of the broadcast, analysis, and finally that card that is taken up to the podium to call out your pick.

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