November 2007 Archives
November 30, 2007
(New York, NY) -- From every angle possible, the New York Knicks basketball team has been awful this season. The team's record is poor, the organization, which includes the National Hockey League's New York Rangers, is facing the possibility of more sexual harassment suits after the team's owner James Dolan and Knicks President-General Manager and Coach Isiah Thomas lost a sexual harassment suit and you know who is doing the most carping about the situation? The New York newspapers' Knicks beat writers. The poor guys, it is mostly a guy's world, which have to take on this dangerous assignment on a daily basis and have to write about what essentially is a child's game.
You see these writers just want to cover a winning basketball team and Mr. Dolan doesn't give them that. The scribes want to buddy up with Mr. Dolan, Mr. Thomas and the players or make suggestions at improving the team so it begins winning and they can enjoy games without being bothered by anything else but they are kept at bay by the Garden's public relations apparatus and that is in their minds cruel and unusual punishment. They want to feel part of the process, ignoring the fact that the Garden with its own cable TV network and its own websites don't need them to put out a message anymore.
Welcome to the new millennium boys where you really aren't needed and you take up space that can be sold to customers who spend big money on the product and the players don't want your friendship.
By the way, the Knicks writers and others in New York media constantly talk about the Knicks crowd and how the Knicks crowd and the team's customers and fans hate the team. If that was the case, why are businesses still buying big ticket items like luxury boxes and club seats? Why is James Dolan looking to build a new arena and why is Dolan getting an assist in his efforts from New York Governor Eliot Spitzer as part of a plan to restore Penn Station to the present Garden site and move the arena behind the James Farley Post Office a block west of the present building, constructing two new skyscrapers on the property and creating a major retail hub in the renovated train station?
Booing a team doesn't mean hate, except in the Knicks beat writers minds. The patrons, who go to games for the games, want their hometown team to win. Pure and simple. They don't care about writers feelings.
The regular beat writers have taken their tale of woe to a weekly newspaper, the New York Observer, and are telling people just how horrible it is to fly around the country, stay at top of the line hotels, get paid expense money to watch the Knicks play and then write about it. The New York Times beat reporter Howard Beck told the Observer writer "that the beat makes me miserable."
Here is some advice for Mr. Beck, if you are so miserable talking to the Knicks President-GM-Coach Isiah Thomas or begging PR flak Barry Watkins in trying to pin down Mr. Dolan for an interview, why not ask New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr to be reassigned to say Baghdad or Kabul?
Reggie Jackson at one of his first New York Yankees media conferences in 1977 talked about the "magnitude of me" and got it wrong. Sportswriters, not players or managers or coaches, always think in the "magnitude of me" mentality and how sports affects me, the sportswriter. Look at the voting members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, baseball writers who constantly talk about their responsibility to get the right people into the Hall of Fame.
They don't want Mark McGwire in what essentially is the Baseball Writers Association of America's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. The guys who were leading the cheers back in 1998 in the Mc Gwire-Sammy Sosa chase of Roger Maris' 61 home run record turned on McGwire with a sudden fury and won't let him into their Hall of Fame, although the Hall of Fame directors would like to think of the Hall of Fame as inclusive. McGwire's bad deed? Not throwing himself into the pyre of the March 17, 2005 US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's hearing on steroid usage in baseball.
The baseball writers wanted Mark McGwire to publicly admit he used steroids and then beg for their forgiveness being that the sportswriters represent fans. Had McGwire genuflected and told the Hall of Fame voting members that he was truly sorry for taking Androstenedione in 1997, 1998, which was available legally in health food stores in the United States until 2004.
Baseball writers should not be voting on the Hall of Fame, the MVP, Rookie of the Year, the Cy Young and all the other awards. It is a blatant conflict of interest and some papers have gotten it right when they do not allow writers to participate in the voting. Writings should not be working hand in hand with leagues on awards, baseball beat writers should not be voting on awards when covering the games and interviewing players.
But this is just sports, nothing big. Except when sportswriters are used as a tool by club's public relations departments to present a story as to why a team needs to get hundreds of millions of dollars in public funding for a new stadium or arena. Or push for the NFL Network to be available on cable systems. Many times, a sportswriter doesn't even need to be reminded of his or her responsibility to the team. In the 1980s, St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog referred to baseball writers as real baseball men.
The newspaper beat writers should start really worrying about the fact that the Times is lopping off 12 jobs and that the Kansas City Star is knocking out about 20 jobs. The Newark Star Ledger which boasts a large circulation in part of the Knicks territory in New Jersey no longer staffs Knicks home games. Newspapers are looking to do more with less people in an effort to save money. The Star Ledger uses wire reports instead. The newspaper beat writers, who actually hurt themselves and their profession about appearing on sports talk radio shows for nothing, need to understand that most 20-something year olds don't even read a newspaper anymore and sports fans, the ones who watch games on TV and buy team merchandise but are unwanted at games because they cannot afford the big ticket items like luxury boxes, club seats, top of the line in stadium or in arena restaurants and valet parking, are turning more and more to team websites for information.
They could care less about the scribes and their opinions. Besides they have their own opinions.
The New York Times hardly covers hockey in New York, which is sort of inane considering there are three hockey teams in the area and hockey fans, rather hockey customers, tend to have the kind of disposable income that could be spent on products advertised in say the New York Times. Perhaps Mr. Beck would like a non-existent hockey assignment.
A New York Post writer named Mike Vacarro described his Knicks experience in these words. "It's the gulag."
Lacrosse has been taking great steps forward in attracting more athletes and kids that are outside their normal target market. Lacrosse is naturally an expensive sport due to the purchase of equipment and a stick and this could be hard for inner city kids and families that aren't financially sound to get involved in lacrosse. This is why Lacrosse companies and corporations are sending out big time athletes to represent the sport of lacrosse all across the country. Clinics and tournaments are the easiest way to spread the name of lacrosse, and this is why STX sent Kyle Harrison to Northern California. It is here where Kyle was able to teach lacrosse to a bunch of kids who where truly there to learn.
"As I got out of the car, and walked over towards the field I wasn't sure what to expect. I was greeted by Johanna Thomashefski, Andrew was on the field with the kids already. I walked on to the field to see kids of all different races, boys and girls, some wearing jeans, some wearing football jersey's, and some dressed in athletic wear. As I walked up, some knew who I was, and some didn't. I looked around. For the first time in forever, kids weren't talking about their equipment, the best pocket, the best head, what cost more, whose shoes are better. They didn't care. They were out to learn a game, and that was the only important thing to them. I saw one kid with an STX head, brine pole, and one STX glove and a brine glove. He didn't know the difference, nor was he interested in learning. For the first time I was around kids who didn't think they knew everything about the game and were really inspired from my story, and wanted to learn. I taught them a few dodges, and we began to do a drill to practice them. As the kids grasped the dodges, and were performing them to perfection, it was one of the most gratifying experiences I've had to this point in my life."
Packers vs. Cowboys looks to be the biggest match up of the season. It's too bad only one-third of the country will be able to watch the game Thursday night at 8:15 PM ET. This is because the game will be televised on the NFL Network which if you don't know is not available to most cable consumers. Romo and Farve are the two
best quarterbacks in the league right now and are proving it week in and week out. Romo will be trying to complete the ball to one of the top wide receivers in the game Terrell Owens. On the other side Farve has more options with what is believed to be the best package of wide receivers including Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Koren Robinson, and Ruvell Martin. Even though Farve is 38 years old athletically he is playing like a 20 year old. Romo who is 27 years old is playing like a veteran who has been around just as long as Farve. ESPN has been covering the controversy between the NFL Network and Cablevision because this is such a big game. These are the two best teams in the NFC playing on a Thursday night and it turns out that most of the people in America can not watch it. Hopefully NFL Network and Cablevision can solve these issues so in the future this won't happen again and everyone can enjoy a match up like this one.
Alex Rodriguez's new contract with the New York Yankees is the largest deal in professional sports history. The deal could possibly include an extra $6 million if he matches career home runs with Willie Mays at 660, Babe Ruth at 714, Hank Aaron at 755 and Barry Bonds at 762 (with maybe more as well). If Rodriguez passes Barry Bond's record, he will then make yet an additional $6 million. Bonuses are usually not included in contracts within Major League Baseball. The only reason why this particular contract was approved is because Rodriguez has to make appearances at extra memorabilia signings and more personal appearances. Besides a $30 million
marketing agreement, Rodriguez has agreed to a basic contract of $275 million over a time frame of 10 years.
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NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez isn't done making history -- or money -- yet.
Rodriguez and the Yankees agreed to a $30 million marketing agreement that could raise the total value of his contract to $305 million over 10 years, according to multiple published reports.
The agreement would pay A-Rod an additional $6 million over his contract base for matching Willie Mays with 660 career home runs, Babe Ruth with 714, Hank Aaron with 755 and Barry Bonds with 762 (and possibly counting) -- and then an additional $6 million for passing Bonds to become baseball's all-time home run king. The agreement has not yet been finalized, but both sides have reportedly agreed to its terms.
Rodriguez will enter next season with 518 career home runs, and is on pace to break what's largely considered baseball's most sacred record sometime around 2013.
Major League Baseball doesn't usually endorse bonuses tied to home run totals, but the Commissioner's Office approved this arrangement because Rodriguez would need to make additional personal appearances and memorabilia signings to collect all its benefits, according to the Associated Press.
When Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins thinks about the seven-year, $126 million contract that Barry Zito signed with the San Francisco Giants 11 months ago, it would be natural for him to smile. And when general managers ponder that bloated contract, it would be just as natural for them to cringe.
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Johan Santana is without a doubt the the top player on the trading block this off-season. In order to obtain Santana teams are going to have to be willing to give up major prospects and cough up a good chunk of change. After Barry Zito received his record setting contract last season and had dismal numbers this year, the question is how much is Santana really worth? Teams are always tentative to invest lots of money and long contracts into pitchers due to the fact that it is such a sensitive position. With the market the way it is now it is conceivable to see Santana's contract surpass Zito's $126 million and I think it is well worth it. At the age of 28 with Two Cy Young awards under his belt the future is limitless for Santana and if a team wants to win there gonna have to be willing to take a risk with a long contract.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa pleaded guilty to DUI charges as part of a plea bargain. The plea comes eight months after LaRussa was found asleep at the wheel at a stop light reeking of alcohol. The deal forces him to pay a $678.50 fine, at least six months probation, complete DUI school and at least 50 hours of Community Service. LaRussa was asleep at the wheel with his foot on the brake. When police knocked on the window, he didn't respond, until he woke up and police asked him to step out of his vehicle.
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa pleaded guilty to driving under the influence Wednesday, eight months after police found him asleep inside his running sport utility vehicle at a stop light and smelling of alcohol.La Russa said he had decided to plead guilty to the misdemeanor because it was in the best interest of all concerned. Read More...
Marynell Meadors was recently named the coach for the new WNBA franchise starting in Atlanta Georgia. This announcement comes ten years after she was selected to be the first WNBA coach of the Charlotte Sting. From 2005- 2007 Meadors was an assistant coach for the Washington Mystics. Atlanta will begin play with the 2008 WNBA season. The still-unnamed Atlanta franchise is owned by Ron Terwilliger, who said he was impressed by Meadors' experience as a coach and knowledge of players in the WNBA and in college
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Wednesday's announcement that Meadors will be Atlanta's first coach comes 10 years after she became the first coach for the WNBA's Charlotte Sting. Meadors was an assistant coach for the Washington Mystics from 2005-07.
Atlanta will begin play in 2008.
Meadors, 64, won more than 500 games on the college level at Tennessee Tech and Florida State. She was the first coach at Tennessee Tech, where Georgia coach Andy Landers began his career as her assistant.
The still-unnamed Atlanta franchise is owned by Ron Terwilliger, who said he was impressed by Meadors' experience as a coach and knowledge of players in the WNBA and in college.
"She knows how to operate a WNBA team and go through the start-up phase," Terwilliger said.
Atlanta was named last month as the WNBA's 14th team.
from usatoday.com
As the growth of lacrosse is still widely debated across the country, here is one way that the lax community has started to take the necessary steps forward. 
"When the 10th Annual Las Vegas Lacrosse Tournament opens in Sin City on September 21, at least one team will be playing for something more than a few laughs and as many beers. It's Team Jesse, named after Staff Sergeant Jesse Williams, a decorated infantryman who died in Iraq last April and formed to raise money for the Amaya Elizabeth Williams Educational Fund.
This is a story of patriotism, friendship, honor and loyalty. It's Kevin's story. And Jesse's. But it's all about a little girl named Amaya. " Fund raisers similar to this one is a great way to get the good name of lacrosse out to the public. Although the lacrosse community doesn't like to use a tragic story like this to make gains off of it, it naturally does. Supporting the troops through tournaments has to be the most noble fund raiser out their. the soldiers that support our country need more fund raisers like this tournament and this hopefully is only the beginning stages to the growth of lacrosse and support of our troops.
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to display advertisements and other things right on a field? Well in a few
years this may become possible for any team in sports if they want to spend the money. In the next couple years Sportexe, one of the leading synthetic turf producers, is planning on releasing what they call "interactive turf." This turf would allow teams to display logos, first down lines, and advertisements right on the field of play with the use of fiber-optic lights.
It is actually a very simple process one of Sportexe's executives says it is just that no one has thought about it yet. How it is done is a computer sends an image to the field, where it is distributed among 1,750 interconnected trays, which host their own light processing circuit. Thousands of blades of polyethylene grass, blended with optical fibers, reflect light upward from the trays. A football field would have 128 million pixels, which is 1,280 pixels per square foot. These fields cost about 1.5 million dollars which is three times as much as a regular in-fill field that most NFL teams have adopted over the years.
But not only is this technology used for sports it can also be used for other things such as artificial Christmas trees with lights already built into it which has already been released. Also, they are hoping that they can make something work with the U.S. Military and be able to camouflage things and when they are needed just light them up but this is yet to be seen. Hopefully in the next couple years this technology will be released and people will be able to see it in action in everyday sports.
The origin of poker is highly debated. However, playing cards were most likely invented in China in 1120 AD. And it is theorized that the use of four suits is of French origin and symbolizes the four classes of men. Another interesting fact is that President Richard Nixon used a large sum of money that he won in poker to fund his campaign for congress.
There are a variety of ways to play poker but it is important to make sure that your use of the game is legal. For instance, it is illegal to open a card room without a license. However, if you wish to play poker without the element of gambling, this is not illegal. These days the use of online poker is extremely controversial and depending on where you are located it can be legal or illegal.
On October 13, 2006 the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 was enacted. Sections of this law ban and criminalize those who accept funds from betters by operators of most online gambling websites. This act affects a number of operators such as, (1) those engaged in the business of betting/wagering (2) banks and credit card companies that process financial transactions with online casinos (3) knowingly accepting proceeds from credit cards, electronic fund transfers and checks (4) in connection with the participation of a better (5) Unlawful internet gambling which is any online gambling that violates any other federal or state anti-gambling law.
Not only is there controversy surrounding where you can play but there is also a dilemma as to whether or not poker should be considered a sport. However if you look at the exact definition of a sport it states, "A sport is an active pastime; diversion; recreation." Poker applies to all of these facets. As well poker is broad casted on sport networks such as ESPN and Fox Sports Network. Finally, and possibly most important, the point of sports and of poker is to have fun and to win.
Poker can be seen on TV just about everyday on channels such as ESPN, Fox Sports Network, the Game show Network and the Travel Channel. In fact ESPN paid Harrah's Entertainment 20 million dollars in 2005 to retain the TV rights to the World Series of Poker for the next 2 years. The Travel Channel bought the U.S. TV rights to the World Poker Tournament in 2006 for a total of three seasons. They are going to pay $45,000 for each individual 2-hour episode. Those interesting in watching poker on TV have a variety of shows to choose from as well. Some of these include, World Series of Poker, High Stakes Poker, Learn from the Poker Pros, U.S. Poker Championship, World Poker Tour and many others.
The NHL started off the 2007-08 season with a couple of games in London. Apparently, this was not a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Just like the NFL, the National Hockey League is now considering a dozen European cities as potential sites for league games in the near future. Commissioner Gary Bettman is also flirting with the idea of not having an Olympic break to allow NHL players to represent their home countries in the Olympics. This looks like another one of Bettman's ideas to increase revenue as well as to try and expand the league's fan base. However, in the process, he must realize that this will mean less NHL games for its current fans to watch if played overseas and many countries will not take too kindly that, in their quest for the Olympic gold, you are banning their best players.--------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League is considering a dozen European cities as potential hosts for regular-season games but may not send players to the 2014 Olympics in Russia, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.
Bettman told Reuters that while European interest would probably lead to more NHL games staged overseas, the premier professional ice hockey league might rethink its policy of shutting down in mid-season so players can compete in the Olympics.
"Our experience in London was terrific," Bettman told Reuters on Tuesday about the NHL's season-opening games this year between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks.
"There are rumors rampant that we might go to Prague or Stockholm next," Bettman said at the Reuters Media Summit. "We're looking at the options.
"I could envision at a point in time in the future to maybe go to a dozen different cities over time. There are lots of hockey markets with tremendously avid fans throughout Europe."
Bettman mentioned Moscow, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and various German cities among the possibilities.
BY EVAN WEINER
November 28, 2007
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/67115
It is decision time in Bud Selig's office: The commissioner
of Major League Baseball, along with his president and chief operating officer,
Bob DuPuy, and the rest of the administrative staff, will have to figure out
whether the National Football League's move of ignoring a doping trial is a
prudent way to deal with the current indictment against Barry Bonds of perjury
and obstruction of justice in the BALCO case, or if MLB should get involved in
the process. The NFL went through its own major steroids scandal involving
members of the 2003 Carolina Panthers (the team went to the 2004 Super Bowl),
which ended with Dr. James Shortt pleading guilty to conspiring to illegally
prescribe steroids to several Panthers players. Dr. Shortt ended up with a one
year and one day prison term following his March 2006 plea. Despite a "60
Minutes" story, a trial, and a plea, the story disappeared. Dr. Shortt and
the Panthers players are a mere footnote to sports history.
The NFL did not hire a former United States Senate Majority
Leader to do an investigation of steroids and other banned substances in its
industry, as baseball did when it hired George Mitchell to head its own
investigation. Instead, it continued on its merry way, signing huge TV
contracts, putting together its own cable TV network, and scheduling a regular
season game in such unfamiliar American football sites as London. NFL consumers
went right along with this ignorance-is-bliss theory. There was no backlash
against the NFL because of the Dr. Shortt trail in South Carolina -- unlike the
constant press and fan backlash against Bonds, MLB, and Selig.
Of course, the backlash has not been followed by real
action. Talk is cheap, after all, particularly on sports talk radio. MLB made
more than $6 billion in 2007 and sold 79.5 million tickets to games. That is
the problem. When it comes to putting their money where their mouths are,
people simply don't care about Barry Bonds, BALCO, drug testing, Jason Giambi,
or steroid investigations by Mitchell and former New York District Attorney P.
David Soares. People are spending money to buy big-ticket items such as luxury
boxes, club seating, and non-premium seating in stadiums, purchasing
merchandise, and flocking to baseball's mlb.com site, an Internet portal that
generated $450 million in revenues in 2007.
Washington Redskin's safety Sean Taylor died Tuesday morning after being shot in the leg. Taylor was shot early Monday morning by an intruder at his residence in South Florida. Someone broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor. Police continue there investigation and have no description of a possible suspect. Taylor was a first round draft pick by the Redskins out of Miami University. Taylor was 24.
A week after Michael Vick voluntarily went to jail he now has a trial date. Vick is in jail for federal dog fighting charges, but still has a legal battle with the state of Virginia on the same charges of dog fighting. April is normally a bright time for the NFL. But instead of talk about the 2008 NFL Draft and the combines more talk will likely be directed toward Michael Vick's trial. The Judge scheduled the trial to begin on April 2. Although Vick has pleaded guilty to federal charges for dog fighting, Vick still has the possibility of negotiating a plea deal with the state on the same charges.
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SUSSEX, Va. -- Michael Vick's lead attorney left open the possibility of a plea agreement after the suspended NFL star was scheduled for an April 2 jury trial on state dogfighting charges.
The Atlanta Falcons quarterback pleaded guilty to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge in August and voluntarily reported to jail last week, even though he will not be formally sentenced until Dec. 10.
As he left the courthouse, defense attorney Billy Martin was asked why Vick is fighting the state charges after pleading guilty in federal court.
"I can't tell you we're fighting them, I can't tell you we're taking a plea deal," Martin said. "We're going to look at this matter and give him some legal advice, and that has not been decided yet."
The 1960's brought a pop culture phenomenon known as the British Invasion. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and other British rock bands changed the course of pop culture and rock and roll music forever. They left a lasting imprint on music and American culture. Two decades later Europe brought
In 1980 a young Peter Statsny became the first European born player to defect from his country to play in the NHL. Statsny left his native
Major League Baseball always sent over players to
XOS continues to dominate the information technology field of
digital video analysis, especially in the NHL. Currently, 26 out of all 30 NHL
teams are XOS clients. The most recent NHL team to switch to the XOS Coaching
System
is the Columbus Blue Jackets. For years,
Dan Singleton joined the Blue Jackets in September 2000 as their
video coordinator. He came to
The coaches aren't the only ones getting a look at the XOS
software. Once in the their hands, Singleton affirms, the coaches hold video
meetings with the players almost on a day-to-day basis to go over specific
things and to make sure everyone is on the same page for the next game.
Although one of its main uses is to break down their own games, the Blue
Jackets also like to see what their opposition in upcoming games are doing. "We
usually like to get our hands on the last 3 games the opposing team has played
and do some research as to what power play or fore-check they tend to be
running." The NHL has teamed up with a company called Hoop 1 Media Services to
provide a league-wide internet library so that all the NHL teams can gain
access to every NHL game played whether or not your team played in the game.
It's as easy as clicking the game you want and importing it into XOS.
Once a game is imported into the system, the user is free to
do what they choose. XOS allows clients to tag certain aspects of the game into
organized targets such as (but are not limited to) face-offs, turnovers, and
shots. XOS also has a live tagging feature that allows a video coordinator to
tag a game on the fly. "Every NHL team playing at home on a given night is
responsible for providing the opposing team with a live feed of the game. This
allows video coaches like me to use live tagging throughout the game instead of
spending hours doing it after each game... the extent of my work after the game
is over, in respect to video breakdown, maybe going back and picking out the
scoring chances the team had... that's it."
With the XOS system so user-friendly, it's easy to see why many NHL (as well as AHL) teams are changing from their previous programs to the up-and-coming technology. No other system allows you to not only organize video, which is pivotal in breaking down game tape, but to quickly put that video in the hands of the coaches who need it. The efficiency of XOS is simply second to none when it comes to team digital video analysis.
Certain calls in baseball like the other sports that use instant replay, will not be subject to review. Judgment calls still need to be made in order to ensure that there is still some purity in the game because human errors do happen and they are a part of life. Plays that would be subject to review in baseball would be homeruns, fair/foul balls, hit by pitches, to see if a ball was caught or trapped and safe or out calls. Some critics feel that baseball has been around for over 100 years without instant replay so why implement it now? Baseball also has a 162 season and some people feel that bad calls even out for all teams over the course of such a long season. In addition, the average baseball game is more then 2 ½ hours long and instant replay could potentially add more time to these games.
Instant replay would play an important role in important games and situations, especially in the playoffs. When the playoffs begin the games obviously become more important and this is where instant replay can really help out. When a call is in question umpires typically gather somewhere on the field and discuss what each of them saw. There can be huge discrepancies between umpires and while all of this is going on the big screen at the stadium is replaying the play in question over and over. Everyone in the stadium has the opportunity to review the play so the umpires should be given that same opportunity to make certain the right call is made.
Major League baseball should follow the trend of other professional sports and implant a replay system. Human errors do occur and are part of life but if they can be avoided then why not?? There is no harm in taking an extra five minutes out of a game to make sure a right call is made. One call should not determine the outcome of a game and in some situations that seems to be the case. Instant replay would be a solution to this and it seems to have worked in other big time sports in America.
Aside from enhancing the viewing pleasure for fans, PointTracker also ultimately led to the use of instant replay in tennis. I believe this is a positive step for tennis, as it is ensuring that the correct calls are being made, without noticeably delaying matches. The technology is almost completely accurate, (over 99%) and there is still being work done to improve this.
Overall PointTracker is allowing fans to interact at a closer level with the game of tennis. "Today, fans can have a rich experience with instant analysis at the click of a finger," (Ann Wool). PointTracker allows fans to be entertained, up to date on all of the current matches and gain knowledge about the game of tennis all at the same time. Even players are happy with the advancement in technology. They can play without the stress of knowing an umpire could make a potentially game changing incorrect call. Players can simply challenge a call if they think it is incorrect; avoiding distracted athletes and unnecessary delays in a match due to arguments. This innovation really should have been created during the McEnroe Era.
Below is a PowerPoint on PointTracker. To view a video on PointTracker go to the last slide and copy and paste the link into the internet or click the available URL.
PointTracker.ppt
The $1.3 Billion new Jets/Giants stadium is currently under construction in East Rutherford. The plans for this 82,500 seat stadium look to be impressive ones, with unique selling points in the design, technology and capacity. The stadium will include 200 luxury suites, four restaurants, two club lounges and 9,200 club seats. Some of the new technology include four 40x130 video scoreboards placed on the facades of the upper decks. The plan also includes a rail system that will travel from Pennsylvania Station in New York City and will bring you directly to the stadium in under 20 minutes. Another quality in which both teams enjoy is the ability of the stadium to change colors and signage to make both teams feel at home on game days. The project is due to be done by the 2010 season. Current naming rights are still in negotation. For more information refer to nynjfootball.com.
On Friday night, on pay-per-view, two boxers who genuinely dislike each other met in what boxing experts agree
was another solid action packed fight that did live up to the hype. Though there was one belt on the line, the Super Middleweight bout between Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga certainly meant a great deal to each boxer for pride in itself. Leading up to the fight, both fighters did a lot of trash talking and even broke out into a fist fight on July 11 at the first pre-fight news conference. Thankfully for boxing fans, the punches were not reserved only for the news conference, and both fighters were active in what was eventually a 12 round decision for Ricardo Mayorga. For Mayorga, this means he will likely still have drawing power as an action packed fighter, and for Fernando Vargas it means he will have lost his final fight, assuming he keeps his word on retiring. In what has been shaping up to be a very solid conclusion to 2007 for the world of boxing, chalk this fight up as yet another victory for boxing. To read more about the Vargas/Mayorga fight read on here...
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3125116
Steroids are unhealthy for baseball players and they are giving the game of baseball a bad reputation. Since steroids have become such a hot topic in Major League Baseball (MLB) fans have had nothing but bad things to say about the sport and its players. When sports illustrated asked some of its readers to give reaction to the steroid controversy in the MLB many fans said nothing but bad stuff. We take Olympic medals away from athletes on steroids, but we're supposed to look the other way in MLB because a guy can make the ball go further? Drug testing is commonplace everywhere, and used in other sports. Baseball should be no different. Beyond agreeing that steroids have been a problem, however, there seems to be a disconnect between players and the sport's critics over the effectiveness of baseball's response to the problem.
The even worst part about the bad reputation the MLB is getting from the performance- enhancing drugs is that college athletes and high school athletes are starting to believe that steroids is the only way to get to the major leagues because that is all they see on television. The media is a big part of the problem as well, not the solution. The media only brings up stories that hurting the MLB and is only casting a black cloud over the MLB for a long time. With the MLB being obsessed with stats and numbers, this is one time the numbers don't lie. Through 1994, a player hit 50 or more home runs in a season just 18 times. Since '94, there have been an amazing 15 50-homer seasons. More than any other sport, baseball is numbers-driven. Fans relish numbers, and if they're tainted, there's a sense of consumer fraud. The use and abuse of steroids are not new, so why now? Why the sudden surge of attention? The knee-jerk reaction might be to blame the media. Baseball insiders might hope that if it isn't talked about, it will just go away. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. But, those days are over and it has to be confronted so MLB can move on and rebuild their image.
PNC Bank is a bank based out of Pittsburgh. Currently, the bank holds a presence at a total of six different professional sports arenas and stadiums located on the east coast. Since the bank is based out of Pittsburgh, it would be obvious that PNC would be a sponsor of both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers were introduced into the NFL, PNC Bank has been their sponsor. This dates back to 75 years ago. In 1998, the bank signed a 20-year naming rights deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. This resulted in PNC Park which was priced at a contract of thirty million dollars.
Recently, PNC bank signed a deal with AEG and the New Jersey Devils for naming rights to one of the two glass tower entrances at the Prudential Center located in Newark, New Jersey. The glass tower entrance is called the PNC Bank Tower which is also where the box office is located. Also, earlier this year PNC Bank also obtained naming rights for PNC Field which is home to the New York Yankees triple A team (Scranton Wilkes-Barre), in Scranton Pennsylvania. The Washington Nationals have signed PNC Bank for their name to appear on premium seats and hospitality space at their new ballpark scheduled to open next spring.
Originally, PNC Bank owned naming rights to a club lounge off of the main course at the National's old stadium. The lounge was a very popular pregame spot for spectators. PNC Bank was also the National's official retail bank in the stadium. The new contract between PNC Bank and the Washington National's consists of many benefits for PNC. The new contract consists of 1,300 Diamond seats behind home plate, as well as an indoor/outdoor club lounge on the first suite level above the diamond seats. PNC Bank will also get all of the ATM's in the National's new ballpark. The PNC Diamond seats will be sold at 3, 5, and 7-year commitments and will be sold for $150 per game. Also included in the ticket's bar code will be a $35 food and drink credit. The only seats that will be sold higher than the Diamond seats are the Presidential seats which are located directly behind home plate. The new contract also includes signs throughout the ballpark, promotions during the games and radio advertising. The PNC Diamond seat tickets will also display the logo of PNC Bank, as well as the bank's brand which will be on permanent signs inside the club lounge and on the outside balcony of the club lounge.
Media coverage for PNC Bank should increase due to the several naming rights deals. The new contract with the Nationals does include radio advertising. Since it is a new ballpark that will be opening, print and internet advertising will most likely be enforced as well. PNC Field for the Yankees Triple A team is advertised on radio and the local media cover highlights of the game. The field probably receives more media coverage due to being part of the Yankees system which is very beneficial for PNC Bank, especially due to exposure of the Yankees and fan loyalty. PNC Park received much media exposure when the MLB All-Star game took place in Pittsburgh in 2006. PNC Bank profited in $11.7 million in media exposure value during the game's live broadcast. Also during the broadcast, PNC Bank received a total of 15 minutes and 42 seconds of exposure. More of a media exposure breakdown for PNC Bank consisted of 13 minutes and 25 seconds of stadium signage which was 11 minutes and 59 seconds alone was of the stadium logo behind home plate; 17 seconds of on-screen graphics; and 12 verbal mentions by the Fox Broadcast crew.
If PNC Bank keeps increasing the amount of naming rights that they hold with different Big League stadiums and arenas, then an even larger amount of media exposure will be received. This will then lead to more profits for PNC Bank as well as an increased number of customers especially when expanding to different states and areas, just as the bank did with Washington D.C. and New Jersey. Then, eventually PNC Bank will be exposed to newer and even larger media markets.
CI Online is loaded with features starting with an application that allows you to watch up to 4 games simultaneously in "mosaic mode". There is a Live Stats Tracker so you can easily track your fantasy team while
you watch. If you missed a game, game replays and highlights are at your fingertips. There is also a built-in chat that allows you to interact with other fans and an archive library.There's good news, sort of, for Center Ice TV subscribers as they are offered the online service for half price. When you sign up the online version, you will be charged the full price ($169) and then will be credited within 4-6 weeks with a refund. With this being said, you can't subscribe to NHL Center Ice Online and get the games on the internet as well as on the television. The NHL Center Ice Online is a similar but different package than the television package. You must purchase each package separately.
In its first year, there is already a couple of problems. People think that CI Online is too expensive and that there should be a discount to watch the games on a computer screen. There is only a small discount for Center Ice TV subscribers. There have been complaints about bad video quality with low resolution and that there is times when you can't see the puck. The biggest problem is the blackout issues. Subscribers can't watch local team telecasts. Games on Versus, who is the NHL's Exclusive US National Cable rights holder, are not available. You will have to tune into the Versus TV broadcast. In many cases, these blackout restrictions may be broader than the blackouts for the television package.
As mentioned above, the online package is $169 for the season. MLB.tv is $90 while the MLB Extra Innings package is $150. There needs to be a similar disparity between CI TV ($179) and Online packages. It's not enough to offer a 50% rebate to TV subscribers because that means they have to still pay $80 to see games the few times that they are away from their TVs. The NHL has a great opportunity for more revenue here but they are pricing themselves out. You shouldn't have to pay that much to watch it on the computer. It's a great application for taking your Center Ice on the road but the NHL needs to restructure their pricing to have a bigger impact.
For more information, visit www.nhl.com/nhlhq/centericeonline.html or get some hands-on knowledge with the application at www.nhl.tv/team/console.