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Wednesday 30 November 2011
Octagon Ring Girl Rachelle Leah
To celebrate my perfect Sports Picks record I thought to myself there’s no better way than to post some hot photos of Rachelle Leah, ring girl for the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Actually, I just wanted to post hot pics of her for our readers. Enjoy!
Source: http://www.sportscontroversytalk.com/2008/octagon-ring-girl-rachelle-leah/
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Purchasing Power Parity and Real Exchange Rates
In an earlier post, I talked about purchasing power through the lens of Beerflation. (Again, hat tip to James at the Supine Bovine.) There, purchasing power was used to compare the relative values of the minimum wage in the past to the minimum wage now. Another way we can use purchasing power is to compare [...]
Source: http://thebadeconomist.com/2011/03/13/purchasing-power-parity-and-real-exchange-rates/
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Sailing in the Philippines
Posted by Website Introductions: Wow This seems like a great sports. I think this is really very interesting because this is quite a long journey for the participants. And to think that the places involved in the different leg of the race are purely beautiful. Actually, this is the first time that I ever heard of this Philippine Hobbie Challenge. But I think this is a great way
Tags: sailing, boracay. Comments: 0.
Tags: sailing, boracay. Comments: 0.
Source: http://blog.sports-buynow.com/sailing/20110924-06196-Sailing-in-the-Philippines
Jaypro Pop Up Goals
The Problem When you are constantly on the go but you want a sturdy, lightweight goal, the JPOP? pop up goals are perfect! They can provide hours of fun for kids as well as adults in the backyard, beach, park or indoors. JPOP? Pop Up Goals are available in two sizes: Large (6′W x 3’4″H [...]
Lacrosse and Field Hockey
Field hockey and lacrosse have similar equipment and field needs. Here at Jaypro we have a full selection of goals, scorer?s tables, player benches and field accessories to set up team practices and official games. Very popular at the high school and college level field hockey and lacrosse include both men?s and women?s teams and [...]
Source: http://blogsgate.com/jaypro/lacrosse-and-field-hockey/
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Football Excels in Chile
Posted by Website Introductions: Football has been a famous sport in many countries in the world. Chile is also crazy about playing football. Many people would cheer and yell whenever they see football players in the football fields. The top three famous football teams in Chile are Universidad Catolica, Universidad de Chile, and Colo Colo. Though they were recently eliminated in
Tags: football, fifa. Comments: 0.
Tags: football, fifa. Comments: 0.
Source: http://blog.sports-buynow.com/football/20110818-024615-Football-Excels-in-Chile
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Using Google Analytics on your Sports Blog Net blog
So you’ve signed up for a Sports Blog Net blog and you’ve been posting away, and now you want to see how many people come to your blog and read your posts. The best way to see and analyze stats from your blog is to use Google Analytics. Through this step-by-step tutorial, I will go [...]
Source: http://sportsbloghelp.com/2009/09/using-google-analytics-on-your-sports-blog-net-blog/
Equilibrium in Macroeconomics
One of the things macroeconomists focus on quite a bit is calculating equilibrium conditions, or equilibria. Sometimes these account for random shocks or long-term growth – these have names like Dynamic stochastic general equilibrium�and they’re outside the scope of this blog, which has so far focused on introductory-level material. We’re going to develop an idea [...]
Source: http://thebadeconomist.com/2011/04/22/equilibrium-in-macroeconomics/
Money Neutrality (or, the Quantity Equation)
The Macro class I’m TAing has just gotten to money growth and inflation, chapter 12 in Mankiw’s Brief Principles of Macroeconomics. As usual, the quantity equation, MxV = PxY, confuses some of the students a little bit, so I thought I’d see what I can do to clarify it a little. First, let’s define some [...]
Source: http://thebadeconomist.com/2011/03/04/money-neutrality-or-the-quantity-equation/
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New Study Identifies NBA Players Who Shoot Too Much
While their statistical theory builds a case for how to achieve optimal efficiency on the court, they don?t explain why elite players make the in-game decisions that they do. For that matter, what about the high school ball player or the weekend warrior at the gym; how do they make the decision to pass or shoot? For that, Markus Raab and Joseph Johnson, both sport scientists, have some insights from their research.
First, let?s do the numbers. Goldman and Rao dug into the NBA stats archive to analyze over 400,000 team possessions over the last four seasons, 2006-2010, across the entire league. In a paper and presentation at the recent MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, they presented a model that compares the difficulty of a shot taken in relation to the time remaining on the 24 second shot clock. Then they compare this with a concept called ?allocative efficiency?, or the benefit of equally distributing the ball to any of the five players on the court and also ?dynamic efficiency?, or deciding whether to ?use? the possession by taking a shot or ?continuing? the possession by making a pass. As the shot clock winds down, the marginal difficulty of a shot considered will need to rise or they risk getting no shot off before the 24 seconds expires, wasting the possession.
They found that most NBA players are very efficient in their shot selection. Surprisingly, several elite players are actually not shooting enough, according to their model. Here is the list of all NBA players analyzed and their score, where a negative number (at the top of the list) represent overshooters. Joining Westbrook at the top of the list were well-known names like Lamar Odom and Tracy McGrady. Even bigger names like LeBron James, Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul and Joe Johnson actually show up at the bottom of the list and may hurt their team with their unselfishness.
So, what goes on in these very well-paid athletic brains? Are the trigger-happy players selfish, over-confident and in need of attention? Markus Raab, professor at the German Sport University-Cologne, and Joseph Johnson, professor at Miami University of Ohio, have spent the last ten years studying the decision-making processes of athletes in several different sports, but especially fast-paced games where quick decisions are critical.
Let?s imagine the Thunder point guard, Westbrook, bringing the ball up the floor. He crosses the half court line and his decision making process kicks in. The Raab/Johnson process first recognizes that perception of the situation is required before the player can generate all of the different options in his brain. Just like a quarterback examining and identifying the defensive alignment as he breaks the huddle, the point guard in basketball has to visually process the scene in front of him. From there, his brain, based on his vast memory of similar basketball experiences, begins to make a list of options. These can be spatial options, like move the ball left, ahead or right, or functional options like pass or shoot.
Through research with basketball and team handball players, the researchers found that the most effective strategy is to ?take the first? option that the player conceives as that is most often the ?correct? choice when analyzed later by experts. Much like going with your first answer on a test, the more that you deliberate over other choices, the greater the chances that you?ll pick the wrong one.
However, each player will have their own library of choices stored in their memory and this magical sorting of best options can be influenced by several unique variables.
One of these pre-determined factors is a personality preference known as action vs. state orientation. According to Raab, ?An action orientation is attributed to players if they concentrate on a specific goal and take risks, whereas a state orientation is attributed to players if they have non-task-relevant cognitions and reduce risk-taking behavior by considering more situative considerations and future behavioral consequences.? In other words, someone who has an action mentality is more likely to shoot first and ask questions later, while a state oriented player is going to consider more options with more long-term outlook.
For this and similar experiments, Raab and Johnson showed first-person videos of many different basketball in-game scenarios to players of different skill levels and personality types, then froze the scene and asked them to make a quick decision of what to do next with the ball. They recorded the decision and the time it took to make the decision. They found that those players who have more of an action orientation, according to a personality test given prior to the drill, were more likely to shoot first and more quickly. Clearly, Russell Westbrook must fall in this category.
Raab followed up this study with a similar one that measured the difference between intuition-based decisions and more cognitive, deliberate decisions. A player who ?goes with his gut? was shown to make faster and more successful choices than one that over analyzes. This may help explain the list of elite players who tend to pass more than shoot. They have more experience and patience to rely on their intuitive feel for the game. While Goldman and Rao may ask them to be more action oriented, these players have learned that they are often just one more pass away from a much higher percentage shot.
Certainly, this is the tip of the iceberg regarding the psyche of a player at any level. There are many more variables, some fact-based (I?ve missed my last 5 shots, so I?m going to pass) while some are more emotional, (I don?t want my teammate to get all the glory.) For now, Thunder fans can only hope that their point guard learns to share.
See also: Are Bank Shots Best In Basketball? and NBA Teams Win With Ethnic Diversity
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2011 STANLEY CUP FINALS
Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals will be played Wednesday at 8 pm. It should be an exciting game as the series matchup is currently tied at 3-3. The Bruins set a Stanley Cup Final record by scoring four goals in a span of 4:14 during Game 6. Here are some cool links. >>> NHL VideoCenter @ NHL Network Online you get all hockey, all access, all the time, live and direct around the league, every goal of every game. Stanley Cup - 2011 NHL Playoffs - Canucks vs. Bruins - ESPN Get Complete coverage of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals >>> NHL Playoffs - Enjoy the Game -
- STANLEY CUP FINAL SCHEDULE
- VAN 1, BOS 0 | Video | Lone Goal | Vigneault
- GM 2: VAN 3, BOS 2 (OT) | Video | Dan ties | Coach
- BOS 8, VAN 1 | Video | Krejci strikes | Julien
- GM 4: BOS 4, VAN 0 | Video | Marchand | Thomas
- VAN 1, BOS 0 | Video | Roberto Robs | Coach
- GM 6: BOS 5, VAN 2 | Video | Four in 4:14 | Julien
- GM 7: @Vancouver, Wed. 6/15, 8 pm, NBC, CBC, RDS
- * All times Eastern
Source: http://www.angelfire.com/ms2/001/blog/index.blog?entry_id=1427457
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Monday 28 November 2011
A Perfect Country for Boxers
Posted by Website Introductions: The Philippines is home to champions and various people have reached that international recognition of fame and success, one of whom is Manny Pacquiao. This humble boxer from General Santos City is literally a celebrity, politician and icon to children and adults alike was a nobody back in his early days but worked his way up. Now he crafted this
Tags: martial arts, boxing icon. Comments: 0.
Tags: martial arts, boxing icon. Comments: 0.
Source: http://blog.sports-buynow.com/martial_arts/20111015-21106-A-Perfect-Country-for-Boxers
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Football Excels in Chile
Posted by Website Introductions: Football has been a famous sport in many countries in the world. Chile is also crazy about playing football. Many people would cheer and yell whenever they see football players in the football fields. The top three famous football teams in Chile are Universidad Catolica, Universidad de Chile, and Colo Colo. Though they were recently eliminated in
Tags: football, fifa. Comments: 0.
Tags: football, fifa. Comments: 0.
Source: http://blog.sports-buynow.com/football/20110818-024615-Football-Excels-in-Chile
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Running in the City
Posted by Website Introductions: You may think that most capitals and key cities of a country lacks some fun-filled physical activity offerings. These cities are mostly populated with towering buildings and wide labyrinth roads which are perfect for starting a marathon. More and more marathons and fun-run are being held almost every weekend especially for a busy people. This is
Tags: marathons, city. Comments: 0.
Tags: marathons, city. Comments: 0.
Source: http://blog.sports-buynow.com/marathons/20111010-035519-Running-in-the-City-
Equilibrium in Macroeconomics
One of the things macroeconomists focus on quite a bit is calculating equilibrium conditions, or equilibria. Sometimes these account for random shocks or long-term growth – these have names like Dynamic stochastic general equilibrium�and they’re outside the scope of this blog, which has so far focused on introductory-level material. We’re going to develop an idea [...]
Source: http://thebadeconomist.com/2011/04/22/equilibrium-in-macroeconomics/
Comment on Oleson hating life on the bench (Basketball) by Gaspari
Hey, I recently started reading your blog ? thank you for the good work. Just wanted to let you know that it?s not showing up properly on the BlackBerry Browser (I have a Tour). Either way, I?m now subscribed to the RSS feed on my PC, so thanks!
Source: http://www.alaskasportshall.org/blog/?p=856&cpage=1#comment-5129
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Jaypro Pop Up Goals
The Problem When you are constantly on the go but you want a sturdy, lightweight goal, the JPOP? pop up goals are perfect! They can provide hours of fun for kids as well as adults in the backyard, beach, park or indoors. JPOP? Pop Up Goals are available in two sizes: Large (6′W x 3’4″H [...]
Sunday 27 November 2011
2011 STANLEY CUP FINALS
Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals will be played Wednesday at 8 pm. It should be an exciting game as the series matchup is currently tied at 3-3. The Bruins set a Stanley Cup Final record by scoring four goals in a span of 4:14 during Game 6. Here are some cool links. >>> NHL VideoCenter @ NHL Network Online you get all hockey, all access, all the time, live and direct around the league, every goal of every game. Stanley Cup - 2011 NHL Playoffs - Canucks vs. Bruins - ESPN Get Complete coverage of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals >>> NHL Playoffs - Enjoy the Game -
- STANLEY CUP FINAL SCHEDULE
- VAN 1, BOS 0 | Video | Lone Goal | Vigneault
- GM 2: VAN 3, BOS 2 (OT) | Video | Dan ties | Coach
- BOS 8, VAN 1 | Video | Krejci strikes | Julien
- GM 4: BOS 4, VAN 0 | Video | Marchand | Thomas
- VAN 1, BOS 0 | Video | Roberto Robs | Coach
- GM 6: BOS 5, VAN 2 | Video | Four in 4:14 | Julien
- GM 7: @Vancouver, Wed. 6/15, 8 pm, NBC, CBC, RDS
- * All times Eastern
Source: http://www.angelfire.com/ms2/001/blog/index.blog?entry_id=1427457
Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Cup, Venue Mundgod 2008
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Source: http://tibetsports.blog.com/2009/11/04/gyalyum-chenmo-memorial-cup-venue-mundgod-2008/
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Comment on Oleson hating life on the bench (Basketball) by Gaspari
Hey, I recently started reading your blog ? thank you for the good work. Just wanted to let you know that it?s not showing up properly on the BlackBerry Browser (I have a Tour). Either way, I?m now subscribed to the RSS feed on my PC, so thanks!
Source: http://www.alaskasportshall.org/blog/?p=856&cpage=1#comment-5129
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Research Says Don't Bother With Stretching Before You Run
This study included 2,729 runners who run 10 or more miles per week. Of these runners, 1,366 were randomized to a stretch group, and 1,363 were randomized to a non-stretch group before running. Runners in the stretch group stretched their quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius/soleus muscle groups. The entire routine took 3 to 5 minutes and was performed immediately before running.
The study found that stretching before running neither prevents nor causes injury. In fact, the most significant risk factors for injury included the following:
- history of chronic injury or injury in the past four months;
- higher body mass index (BMI); and
- switching pre-run stretching routines (runners who normally stretch stopping and those who did stretch starting to stretch before running).
Runners who typically stretch as part of their pre-run routine and were randomized not to stretch during the study period were far more likely to have an injury. "Although all runners switching routines were more likely to experience an injury than those who did not switch, the group that stopped stretching had more reported injuries, implying that an immediate shift in a regimen may be more important than the regimen itself," he added.The most common injuries sustained were groin pulls, foot/ankle injuries, and knee injuries. There was no significant difference in injury rates between the runners who stretched and the runners who didn't for any specific injury location or diagnosis.
Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
See also: Get Off The Treadmill And On The Trail and High Intensity Workout Gets The Job Done
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/80PercentMental/~3/BHYihmXaQIQ/research-says-dont-bother-with.html
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Are Bank Shots Best In Basketball?
New research by engineers at North Carolina State University show that you had a better chance of scoring that particular game-winning bucket with a bank shot than with a direct shot.
After simulating one million shots with a computer, the NC State researchers show that the bank shot can be 20 percent more effective when shooting at many angles up to a distance of about 12 feet from the basket. Bank shots are also more effective from the "wing" areas between the three-point line and the free-throw lane. However, straight-on shots -- those corresponding to the area around the free-throw line -- from further than 12 feet are not as well suited for bank shots.
The researchers also found the optimal points where the simulated made baskets were aimed. The results show the optimal aim points make a "V" shape near the top center of the backboard's "square," which is actually a 24-inch by 18-inch rectangle which surrounds the rim. Away from the free-throw lane, these aim points were higher on the backboard and thus further from the rim. From closer to the free-throw lane, the aim points were lower on the backboard and closer to the rim.
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| (Credit: Image courtesy of North Carolina State University) |
The researchers also discovered that if you imagine a vertical line 3.327 inches behind the backboard and found where it crossed the aim point on the "V" shape on the backboard, you'd find the optimal spot to bank the basketball to score a basket.
"Basketball players can't take a slide rule out on the court, but our study suggests that a few intuitive assumptions about bank shots are true," says Dr. Larry Silverberg, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State and the lead author of a paper describing the research. "They can be more effective than direct shots, especially from certain areas of the court -- and we show which areas on the court and where the ball needs to hit the backboard."
The researchers made a few assumptions while conducting the study. They used a men's basketball, which is slightly bigger and heavier than a women's basketball; launched the simulated shots from 6, 7, and 8 feet above the ground; and imparted 3 hertz of backspin -- which means three revolutions per second -- on the shots. The latter variable was shown in previous research to be optimal for successfully converting a free throw.
Source: North Carolina State University and Larry M Silverberg, Chau M Tran, Taylor M Adams. Optimal Targets for the Bank Shot in Men's Basketball. Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, 2011; 7 (1) DOI: 10.2202/1559-0410.1299
See also: NBA Teams Win With Ethnic Diversity and Sports Fans Have Selective Memories
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/80PercentMental/~3/jlh0WlAKOq8/are-bank-shots-best-in-basketball.html
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Little Old Ladies May Want Athletes To Help Them Cross The Road
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| Photo credit: Beckman Institute CAVE |
In a test of skill transfer, Laura Chaddock, a researcher at the Beckman Institute?s Human Perception and Performance lab, and her team pushed a bunch of college students out into busy traffic to see how well they could navigate the oncoming cars... well, sort of.
With the help of a virtual 3D environment called the CAVE, volunteer pedestrians can step into a simulated city street scene, seeing traffic whiz by on three surrounding screens, while walking on a synchronized treadmill. Failure here does not end up in a trip the hospital, just a system reset.
Of the 36 college student participants, half were student-athletes at Illinois, an NCAA Division 1 school, representing a wide variety of sports, including cross-country running, baseball, swimming, tennis, wrestling, soccer and gymnastics. The other half were just regular students matched for similar age, GPA and video game prowess.
Chaddock hypothesized that the athletes would have the edge in street crossing given their training in busy, attention-demanding sport environments. Previous studies have found that athletes outperform non-athletes on sport-specific tests of attention, memory, and speed.
?We predicted that an elite soccer player, for example, not only shows an ability to multitask and process incoming information quickly on a fast-paced soccer field by running, kicking, attending to the clock, noting the present offensive and defensive formations, executing a play, and finding open players to whom to pass? Chaddock wrote. ?He or she also shows these skills in the context of common real world tasks.?
When the students stepped into the CAVE, they encountered a busy city street with cars and trucks zooming by at 40-50 mph. They were asked to cross the street when they thought it was safe, but could only walk briskly with no sprinting. To make it more interesting, (and realistic), the students were also given an iPod to listen to music, then a cell phone with an incoming call to distract their attention even more.
The team was correct in its prediction as the athletes completed more successful crossings than non-athletes by a significant margin. But it wasn?t because the athletes were faster (they were limited to walking) or because they displayed better agility or moves. Maybe it was because their advanced ?field vision? was able to scan the environment for patterns and opportunities to cross better than the untrained eyes of the other students.
?While efficiency of information processing may be one cognitive mechanism underlying athlete and non-athlete differences in street crossing performance,? Chaddock noted, ?additional research is needed to characterize other cognitive factors that play a role in the cognitively complex multitask paradigm that involves attention, speed, working memory and inhibition.?
One other finding of the study confirmed what is probably already obvious. Students who were talking on the phone when crossing the street were much more likely to not make it to the other side.
You might also like: How To See A 130 MPH Tennis Serve and Breaking Curveballs And Rising Fastballs Are Optical Illusions
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