The Alternative Broadcasting Online News Station

For years your kids have played organized sports. The focus has probably been on having fun, on feeling good and maybe learning something about the game. On building confidence. And, of course, on self-esteem.

But are these leagues being used to teach attitudes, skill and lessons that will serve them later in life?

I remember watching a friend fill in for an absent youth league baseball coach. I don’t think it was the ’substitute teacher phenomenon’ that rendered one of our young team members absolutely incapable of controlling himself. Especially his language. It became completely inappropriate. Rude, crude and downright abusive - and it didn’t seem to matter whether it was directed at his peers or the adults involved.

The substitute coach asked him to stop. Then he told him to stop. Then Coach explained very clearly. “This is the last time I am going to tell you to stop swearing. If you do it again - even one more time - you won’t get to play today.”

Of course, our young friend, fully schooled in his own ’star power’ couldn’t imagine such a scenario. As a result, he was very surprised when the next curse word resulted his being removed from the bench.

How would you react?

You could join in with the kids’ complaints about the coach’s unfairness. You could complain to the league or to the other parents. Or, you remind the kids who you are close to you that, with his behavior, the young ’star’ chose to be in the stands rather than to help them win the game.

Maybe you could even thank the coach and ask if he’d consider becoming more involved. After all, don’t your kids deserve someone who will model doing the right thing instead of the easy, popular thing?

Andrea Patten is the co-author of What Kids Need to Succeed: Four Foundations of Adult Achievement which is now available on Amazon.com

For more information about ‘The Four Foundations’ please visit http://www.whatkidsneedtosucceed.com

“…because you’re not raising a child - you’re raising a future adult”

You learn how to break in a baseball glove as soon as your able to hold a baseball mitt with one hand. It was a time honored tradition in my family each winter. Come late October or early November, after the leaves had already fallen and been raked up and when the air smelled like smoking chimneys and snow, my dad would take me down into the garage.

With a secret batch of ingredients, a few old stained rags, and our elbow grease, we set to work breaking in a new glove so it would be ready to play catch come April.

Everybody’s dad probably has their secret formula for what ointments, homespun compounds, and techniques used. Whatever the means, the ends justify the means. A broken in glove means that is has been softened up, adding flexibility and comfort. Besides the soft leather, a broken in glove also has a worked-in pocket.

Of course, experts out there will tell you that your dad’s baseball glove alchemy was all hokuspokus. They’ll tell you that there are no secrets on how to break in a baseball glove. The best and more commonsense way to do it is to simply apply oil that’s specifically designed for this purpose. Make sure to rub the glove oil on every glove part, including the inside and the laces.

This oil helps the glove stay moisturized so it won’t dry and crack. The glove webbing will also not come loose. Best of all, according to the experts, this oil won’t damage the glove, whereas many other compounds will.

The other compounds include everything that only a dad could come up on how to break in a baseball glove. There’s foam shaving cream, Vaseline, saddle soap, mink oil, or tanners glove oil. Some secret glove recipes even call for you to put the glove in the over for a few minutes to bake in the foams and oils. Whatever you choose - your dad’s family tradition or modern science - hopefully you’ll find your glove soft and ready to play come springtime.

Mike Long is the successful web publisher of Baseball-SuperGuide.com providing valuable tips, advice, and info about a multitude of relevant topics including baseball gloves.

You have permission to publish this article in its entirety
either; electronically or in print, free of charge. As long as
by-lines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication; or
notification of your use of my article would be greatly
appreciated! Thank You.

A GOOD MORNING OF CATFISHING There was a pleasant breeze on the
river as I headed my boat to the first fishing spot of the day. I
got my lines in the water at 07:15 in hole that was 40 feet deep.
No action in 20 minutes so I moved down river to my favorite spot
so far this season. I put the poles out at 07:40. At 07:50 got a
good solid bite on my skipjack bait. I picked up my rod as the
fish tightened up the line, hooked him good. It took a little
time to get the nice blue cat to the boat. He was 24 inches long
and weighed 6 pounds.

The next bite came at 08:10 as my rod started to bounce in the
rod holder. The moment I pulled back I realize he was a big fish
by the amount of pressure he exerted on the line. He just did not
want to come up off the bottom. Every time I made some progress
of a few yard he turn and head back down. I knew I had a strong
rod and 30 pound test line , I was just going to wait him out.
Sure enough after a gallant fight he surfaced. I was thrilled to
see this big Flathead at last. He was the 2nd largest Flathead
cat I had caught. This guy was 33 inches and the digital scale
said 17.4 pounds. That is a nice flathead by Cincinnati
standards. He was so long I was not able to hold him and get a
good photo of him. Once the picture was taken, he was return to
give another person the same thrill I enjoyed.

Then at 08:30 same pole’s clicker alerted me of a bite. I had to
wait on this guy to finally tighten up the line before could I
set the hook. This one was a nice fish but not as big as the
flathead. When I got him to the boat, he was a nice Channel cat.
As I was measuring him out in the boat, my other rod’s clicker
sounded off! I set the hook and knew this was a small fish. I did
not even need the dip net for this channel cat. I then finished
measuring the larger one, he was 6.5 pound and also 24 inches.
The small fry was only 18 inches and 2.5 pounds.

I checked out 3 other spots the rest of the morning and had only
2 other small bites. The Ohio River is exceptionally clear at
this time, with a slight current. The temperature was in the mid
70’s by the time I headed home.

4 catfish with a total weight of over 40 pounds in under 5 hours
ranks as one of my better trips on the Ohio River. Tight lines to
all

nlcatfish@fuse.net webmaster for Cincinnati Catfishing
www.cincinnaticatfishing.com SHOP WITHOUT DROPPING
www.cincinnaticatfishing.com/Shop1.html Links 4 Fishing
Information And Supplies
www.cincinnaticatfishing.com/links4fishing.html

About the Author

Have been catfishing around the Downtown Cincinnati area of the Ohio River for over 40 years. Gone catfishing at Lockport Manitoba 5 times over the past 10 years. It is the greastest place to catch lots of huge CHANNEL catsfish in North America!!
For the past 6 years have passed catfishing information for the Cincinnati part of the Ohio River on my web site “CINCINNATI CATFISHING”.

BOSTON–The Red Sox are World Champions. Yes, it’s true. It haD
been 86 years in the making and now the waiting is over. The Red
Sox are champions of the world. And funny thing … after making
history in a drag-em-out, nail-biting, seat-of-your-pants,
seven-game battle royal with the Yankees, the World Series was a
breeze. In fact, Boston never trailed in its four-game sweep of
the St. Louis Cardinals. The Red Sox scored in the first inning
of every game and, with the exception of Game 1, never looked
back. “This is for anyone who ever played for the Red Sox,
anyone who ever rooted for the Red Sox, anyone who has ever been
to Fenway Park. This is bigger than the 25 players in this
clubhouse,” 30-year-old general manager Theo Epstein told the
media after the final victory. “This is for all of Red Sox
Nation past and present.”

For fans who attended any of the four World Series games, their
tickets remain as valuable today as they did on game day.
Boston’s Fenway Park hosted Games 1 & 2 and tickets were scanned
upon entry. Thus, all Fenway Park tickets are full (or untorn)
and fetching $100 to $300 in online auctions. “Red Sox fans kept
their tickets. There really is no supply,” said Dean Macchi,
president of ThatsMyTicket.com, whose Ticket Frame product
displays game tickets. “Cardinals fans have been more open to
letting their tickets go. So there are a number of Game 3 and
Game 4 Busch Stadium tickets available. But those tickets were
torn as fans entered the ballpark.”

The Red Sox celebration kicked off on the 18th anniversary of
the team’s Game 7 loss in the 1986 World Series. And by beating
the Cardinals, Boston avenged its 1946 and 1967 World Series
heartaches. After all the franchise has endured since its last
championship, which came in 1918, it’s no wonder more than 3
million citizens of Red Sox Nation filled the streets of Boston
for the victory parade.

On the field, the 100th World Series was a showcase for Red Sox
pitching. After a Game 1 slugfest, Games 2, 3, and 4 belonged to
Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, and Derek Lowe. The trio
combined to throw 20 innings without allowing an earned run.
Keith Foulke closed out all four games and Manny Ramirez was
named MVP. Yes, it’s true; the 2004 Boston Red Sox are World
Champions. “Someone said this is the biggest thing to happen in
New England since the Revolution,” owner John Henry told
reporters. “I don’t know about that but I know there’s an
overwhelming sense of joy and relief.”

On January 8th, 2006, the Steelers will go into Cincinnati to play the Bengals in an AFC North playoffs showdown. The Steelers have dominated the AFC North over the past decade but yielded the division title to the Bengals this season.

Both teams finished the season 11-5 but because the Bengals have a better division record, they won the division. With the Bengals having home field advantage, they should be favorites, right? Wrong. The Steelers are giving up 3.5 points. This is all based on the public perception that these Steelers are great from them going to the AFC Championship game last season. The only thing keeping the Steelers from having a better record this season was the injury to Big Ben Roethlisberger. The public knows this.

Normal football sports handicapping suggest betting on home underdogs in a division rivalry game. The public is not looking at the Bengals home field advantage and this can spell a lot of trouble to the public.

The Bengals lost the first game in this matchup this season by two TDs. The media portrayed this matchup as the litle brother-big brother rivalry where the big brother always wins. The second game between the two teams showed the Bengals dominating offensively.

The Steelers dominate with their rush defense but the Bengals strength is their passing game which will give the Bengals the edge.

I suggest taking the 3.5 points with the Bengals as our free pro football picks.

We offer great premium free pro football picks that are based on solid sports handicapping information.

Salt Lake City, Utah - Get ready to make tracks to the Laurel
Brown Equestrian Park in South Jordan to witness the fastest
sport on earth. The Utah Quarter Horse Association (UQHA)
prepares to kick off its 2005 racing season with five race days
in Utah, running April 30th - June 18th.

The UQHA is introducing a number of new family-focused
activities to entertain and educate attendees on Quarter Horse
racing. Features include kids stick horse races, kids foot
races, and free race track orientation tours. In addition, the
UQHA will hold dog races on two separate race days.

Another race season feature is Youth Day, a program held on June
18th that encourages awareness and participation in Quarter
Horse racing activities for high-school aged kids. Participants
will learn how to care for horses, witness race preparations,
and discuss riding tips with the jockeys.

“We are pleased to offer a number of new programs and activities
for horse race fans this year,” said Billy Peterson, UQHA
Director. “It will allow us to better serve the fans, educate
people on Quarter Horses, and of course show people how exciting
horse racing can be.”

The popularity of horse racing has increased significantly over
the past several years. It is now one of the most widely
attended spectator sports in the United States. Especially
popular in the southwestern United States, Quarter Horse racing
takes place at tracks, county fairs, and rodeos. As the name
implies, Quarter Horses compete at distances of generally 440
yards (0.4 km), in sprints that last approximately 20 seconds.

The UQHA Horse Races will be held at the Laurel Brown Equestrian
Park in South Jordan, located at 10800 South 2200 West. General
Admission is $4. Children four and under get in free when
accompanied by an adult.

2005 UQHA Race Schedule - Utah: Gates open - 10:30 a.m., Post
Time: 12:00 noon April 30th, 2005 May 7th, 2005 May 21st, 2005
June 6th, 2005 June 18th, 2005

The UQHA is currently offering race sponsorships to companies
looking to assist the racing community and reap the benefits of
race day exposure. Sponsorship contact: Amy Hall, 801-518-1562.

About the Utah Quarter Horse Association (UQHA) The purpose of
the UQHA is to develop positive participation in Quarter Horse
activities in Utah with cooperation from the American Quarter
Horse Association (AQHA). The UQHA’s goal is to promote and
stimulate the racing events, shows, youth activities, trail
rides, sales and ownership of Quarter Horses. The Utah Quarter
Horse Association encourages sportsmanship and family values in
all activities. For ticket information please call 801-518-1562
or email Amy Hall at uqhaamy@msn.com or visit
http://www.uqhra.com.

###

Your team is tied at 22. It’s the fifth game of the state
championship and you badly want to beat your cross-town
rivals.

Everything looks good, except one of your players goes down
with an ankle sprain. You take a long look down your
bench - rookies, all of them. Things could be lost -
unless you have taken the time to make sure that your
greenhorns have learned the basics.

Training your players to contribute as quickly as possible
is the key to making sure that your team isn’t caught in a
compromising position. Get them on the court in practice
as often as possible and put them through the same paces as
you do your starters. Where to start? Place an emphasis on
learning the fundamentals.

The skills should be presented to the athlete in a sequence
that best gives them the opportunity to contribute as
quickly as possible in game situations. What’s the first
skill they should learn? Passing, of course.

A player needs to know how to start a play before anything
else. They could end up being on the wrong side of the
opposing team’s best power and they best know how to get
into the ready position and dig the cannon coming their
way.

Now you need to teach the rookies how to dish out what they
are receiving - big hits. If you can shape their attack
skills quickly, you could have an extra weapon when one of
your starters goes down. Make sure they learn to approach
the net properly, and they will start hammering the ball to
the floor in no time.

Since most of your setters will be identified during the
learning process, this should probably be the last skill
you focus on with learning players. While each player
should know and be proficient in this skill, there are only
one or two setters on the court at any one time, and
probably no more than two setters on an entire team.

Coaches - get all your players into game shape as soon as
possible. Not just the regulars, but the rookies, too!

You’re going to need them at some point during the season,
so teaching them to dig the ball from their knees, make the
picture perfect set and then slam the ball to the floor is
going to make your team a champion!

You will find All of the drills you need to teach your
rookies the ropes in our brand new e-book, “Winning
Volleyball Skills.” Including TONS more tactics to
instantly improve your volleyball game by your next match!
Check out the information by going to:
http://WinningVolleyballSkills.com

Most of us are acquainted with martial arts based on what we see
on TV and the movies; Jacky Chan, Steven Segal, Jet Li, Chuck
Norris, Bruce Lee etc.

Some of the most popular martial arts in practize today include
Judo, Tek Kwan Do, Karate, which have made it to the Olympic
Games, Akido, Tai Chi and Qigong, which are not in the Olympic
Games as yet. Although some of these martial arts come from
Korea and Japan, the roots of most martial arts can be traced to
China.

It is believed that all martial arts can be traced to the
Shaolin Temple and the Wudang Hills in China. In reality, there
must be hundreds of different types of martial arts practized in
China, including the more popular BaQuaQuan, TangLangQuan,
TaiChi, HouQuan, etc.

Training injuries, bruises and cuts are common during practizes
and sparring sessions in martial arts schools. In fact, injuries
are so common that most martial arts teachers also double up as
doctors in treating aches and pains that come from sporting and
training injuries.

The common ways to treat pain and ache in martial arts schools
include:

Accupuncture

Accupuncture needles are inserted at the right accupoints or
meridians in various part of the human body to relieve pain and
tension of the muscle. A trained accupunture practioner is
required to carry out such treatment.

Tui Na

A form of Chinese accupressure massage where muscles aches and
pain are relieved through massaging the right accupoints and
meridians. This may sometimes be used in conjunction with heat
pads.

Herbal Plasters

Almost every martial arts school has their own secret formula
for a herbal plaster. These plasters are mostly herbal
conconction and used to treat pain, bruises and aches caused by
training and actual fights. These herbal plasters are very
effective and bruises and pain tend to disappear very fast once
the plasters are applied to the injured area.

Herbal Ointments

Used mostly in conjunction with TuiNa or massage, these
ointments are also herbal liquid formulas handed down from
generation after generation. They are extremely popular and
almost every martial arts school will have their ‘own brand’ of
herbal ointment.

Today, accupuncture and TuiNa has made it to mainstream sports
schools and even hospitals in China and also gaining much
prominence and popularity in sports schools and hospitals in
Asia and the Western countries.

In fact, accupuncture is used for many forms of treatments
including backaches, kicking cigarette habits, menopause pain,
migrane etc

TuiNa has also made it into mainstream life as a form of
relaxation massage in addition to it’s use for treating pain and
ache.

Many martial arts schools has also tied up with pharmaceutical
companies to produce modern versions of their herbal plasters
and ointments in hygienic, scientific and environmentally
controlled factories. These herbal plasters and ointments are
produced in large quantities and has made their way into most
Asian homes and families. Most families will have these plasters
and ointments in their cabinets to treat pain ranging from
arthritis, shoulder and neck aches, back pain, ankle pain etc.

Some of these brands are now household brands in Asian
societies. They are also slowly making their way into Western
countries.

There are two components to putting: direction and distance. Many of us have difficulty in lining up a putt to the target. The target is the intended line the ball is to start on, not the hole.

Start with the putter head perpendicular to the target line. A way to help to align the putter properly is to place the ball so that the line of the name of the ball extends to the target. Now there is a reference point to square the putter. The putter face should be perpendicular to the line on the ball. There are a myriad of ways to putt. If you are struggling, try the following for a set-up to help with direction. Make the set-up and stroke simple by setting the feet, knees and shoulders parallel to the target line. There should be a little bend at the hips. Knees should be flexed very slightly but comfortably. Arms should drop relaxed from fairly level shoulders. The grip should be light with the palms of the hands facing each other and the backs of the hands going towards the target and away from the target. The ball should be placed in the center or forward part of stance. Weight distribution is centered where the ball is placed. If the ball is forward just inside the front foot, then the weight should be centered well towards the front foot. My preference is to have the player’s weight slightly onto the front foot (60/40) which would then move the ball slightly forward in the stance. Eyes should be directly over the top of the ball to be able to see the line to the target. Once the set-up is completed, the only concern should be distance.

The least complicated way to achieve the proper distance is to have the fewest number of variables in the stroke. The movement of the putter emanates from the shoulders while maintaining the wishbone set-up relationship of the arms with the putter. The wrists do not move. The motion is similar to young kids doing the elephant walk with their arms as the trunk, letting them go back and forth, to and fro. A big key is to keep arms relaxed. The distance the ball rolls is determined by the length of the stroke, not by hitting it harder. However far the putter goes back, it needs to go past the ball the same distance. If force is added or decreased in the stroke, it is a variable. Rely on the weight of the putter to create the distance. The weight of the putter is constant. Distance is a feel. Take practice strokes to feel distance. If the distance on the practice stroke does not feel correct, take another practice stroke.

To become a better putter, first look at the set-up then work on distance. Spend some time on the putting green and watch your handicap drop.

Getting your eyes over the top of the ball.

If you are playing pool, you would want to look directly down the cue stick to the back of the ball. This allows you to see the line. We want to see the same type of line as we putt. In order to do so, our eyes need to be on the line of the putt. Here are some ways to check your eye position:

• Take a range ball and place the ball so the stripes run around the equator of the ball. If your eyes are properly placed in the set-up, you should see the same amount of stripe on the near side of the ball as you do on the far side.
• Set up to the ball in your putting position. Take a second ball and drop it from the bridge of you nose. If the second ball lands on the ball, you are good to go. If not, make adjustments.
• Enlist someone to look from the target line extended to see if you are over the top of the ball.

Ron Hanson is the Director of Instruction at Interbay Golf Center in
Seattle, Washington. Through countless hours of instruction, numerous
appearances at exhibitions and published articles, he is one of the most
highly regarded instructors in the Pacific Northwest. Ron received
national exposure on the Golf Channel as a featured instructor for an
episode of The Golf Channel’s Golf Makeover Challenge. He recently
completed the first in a series of instructional DVD’s. “Golf in
Balance, Volume I” is a simple, understandable overview of the golf
swing appropriate for golfers of all levels.



Ron Hanson, PGA Professional
Director of Instruction - Interbay Golf Center
Seattle, Washington
For more help with your golf game, visit http://www.ronhansongolf.com.
- Golf in Balance with Ron Hanson -

GMAC BOWL
Wednesday, December 21st 8:00 PM ET - Ladd Peebles Stadium - Mobile, AL

Texas-El Paso Miners vs. Toledo Rockets

This was not the destination either team had hopes for but it will certainly provide an entertaining matchup. Both teams are in the top 20 in total offense in the country so whoever’s defense steps up or whoever has the ball last will win, one or the other. UTEP was poised to make a trip to the C-USA Championship but the Miners dropped their last two games and finished a game behind Tulsa in the West Division. The offense scored 23 and 27 points in those last two games, the lowest offensive output since week 4.

It was a very similar ending for Toledo who controlled its own destiny at the end of the regular season but a home loss to Northern Illinois took that out of its hands. The Rockets recovered to defeat Bowling Green to finish 8-3 but were denied a return trip to the MAC Championship. Toledo finished 17th in the country in total offense and 14th in scoring offense, averaging 445.2 ypg and 34.9 ppg respectively. The running game was the strength as the Rockets finished 12th in rushing offense and 6th in yard per carry average.

The Miners were very effective on offense as well this season despite the final two games. UTEP ended the regular season 20th in total offense and 21st in scoring offense. Just the opposite of Toledo, the Miners rely more heavily on the passing game, averaging 310.5 ypg, good for 8th in the nation. The running game was extremely inconsistent this season as they ran for 145 or more yards six times but were held to 97 yards or fewer five times. The total offense went over 400 yards in each of their last four games.

The defenses of both teams did not finish strong. Toledo finished 36th in scoring defense but a trend of allowing more points in every one of its last seven games does not bode well. The Rockets closed the season allowing 3, 14, 15, 21, 21, 35 and 41 points. Two of the three worst efforts occurred in the last two weeks of the season. The Miners were erratic most of the season and it didn’t end well. After allowing 20.3 ppg in its first six games, UTEP allowed 36 ppg in its final four games not counting the 1-AA game.

Toledo finished this season going just 2-6 against the number when favored including a 0-4 ATS mark on the road. The Rockets also finished 0-3 ATS when favored by fewer than two touchdowns. UTEP was a favorite in every game this season so being the underdog is a new role for the Miners. UTEP was 2-3 ATS on the road. Combined, both went 7-4 under with a total of 56 or higher while Toledo was a big under team on the road going 5-1 on the season.

Matt Fargo is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Matt_Fargo.htm