Thursday, October 24, 2013

The Perfect Basketball Jumpshot

The best jump shot is not born in a day, rather it is crafted over many hours of consistent, and repetitive shooting. Reggie Miller, Jeff Hornacek, Clyde Drexler, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Pete Maravic all perfected the art of shooting, after many hours in the gym.
To perfect the best jump shot, you must know the basic fundamentals of shooting. If done correctly and consistently overtime, then your craft can be perfected. These basketball players mentioned the above shot consistently everyday for years, often shooting over 1000 shots per day. In the process they mastered the fundamentals of the perfect shot.
There are four steps to the perfect shot. The foundation, elbow, pocket, and follow through. When all are inline, and working in synergy, the perfect shot is born.
The perfect jump shot starts with a good foundation. When catching the basketball your legs should be bent, and feet pointed at the basketball hoop. Your hips, chest and shoulders should be square to the hoop.
After taking the shot, all of these components should line up in the same manner. Ones feet should be pointing at the basket, and your hips, chest and shoulders square as well.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Muller: I am not leaving Bayern


Thomas Muller has insisted that he has no intention of leavingBayern Munich as he is happy with life at the Bundesliga champion.

The Germany international, 24, was recently linked with a move to Barcelona after visiting the Catalan capital, but has stressed that a transfer to the Spanish powerhouse is not an option at this stage of his career.

"I was in Barcelona for personal reasons, but these things immediately appear online nowadays," Muller told Sky90. "Of course, it is flattering when you're being linked to a club like Barcelona. I am very happy at Bayern, though. Bayern mean a lot to me and have a place in my heart. I hope to stay at Bayern for many more years to come."

Friday, September 20, 2013

Lyoto Machida Sees Immediate Results in UFC Middleweight Debut

Former light heavyweight title contender Lyoto Machida made his long awaited middleweight debut at UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester, England, on Saturday night and saw immediate results, knocking out good friend Mark Munoz in the opening round.

Machida looked light on his feet as he stalked Munoz around the cage in the opening minutes before he set up the finish, catching Munoz with a kick to the body that he followed up with a left head kick, knocking him out.

“It's very hard for me. I did a diet for one month, very strict diet, but I got it,” Machida said about the weight cut.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

WADA officials arrive in Jamaica for anti-doping audit

KINGSTON (Reuters) - Three high-ranking officials of the World Anti-Doping Agency have arrived in Jamaica to conduct their audit of the country's anti-doping programs after weeks of criticism following positive tests from several high-profile athletes.
WADA's director of education programs and development Rob Koehler, director of standard harmonization Rune Andersen and manager of program development Kerwin Clarke all arrived in Kingston from Canada on Monday.
They refused to answer any questions on arrival and were taken to a meeting with Jamaica's Anti-Doping Commission(JADCO).

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Thomas Vanek: I didn’t want to be part of Sabres’ rebuild

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Thomas Vanek knew it was coming. When Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier began trading away veterans like captain Jason Pominville, Robyn Regehr and Jordan Leopold last season, he saw the writing on the wall. It was only a matter of time before he would be next.

It’s been a while since Vanek and the Sabres experienced any sort of success. His first two years in the NHL, the team went to the Eastern Conference Final. Since then, it’s been two first round exits mixed in with playoff-free seasons. So as he entered the 2013-14 season, it wasn't a matter of if Vanek would be on the move, but when. His infamous seven-year deal that almost sparked a barn fight expires this coming summer and, given the direction Regier’s taking the team, the 29-year old Austrian wanted to move on.

Vanek said he was shocked when he received the news after 8 p.m. ET Sunday night from Regier. But he wasn’t surprised.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Lyoto Machida Now Open to Fight with Anderson Silva

COMMENTARY | Lyoto Machida was regarded as a potential middleweight title contender as soon as he dropped down from light heavyweight. He put a stamp on that sentiment at UFC Fight Night 30 with a head kick knockout of the always tough Mark Munoz. "The Dragon" made news after the fight by stating at thepost-fight press conference that he would be willing to face his teammate, Anderson Silva, if it were for the middleweight title.

Of course, before that fight can take place, "The Spider" has to get through the man who took the 185 pound belt from him, Chris Weidman, at UFC 168. Even if that happens, there's no guarantee Machida will be next in line.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Jol downplays Dempsey loan to Fulham speculation


Fulham manager Martin Jol downplayed rumors suggesting American midfielder Clint Dempsey is in line for a winter loan to the London club.

"It’s unbelievable speculation, which is nice," he told reporters. "I never talk about players, especially when they are not here."

Dempsey starred for Fulham between 2007 and 2012 before moving to Tottenham in the summer of 2012. He spent less than a year with Tottenham before returning to the United States in August 2013 to join the Seattle Sounders as the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Kevin Durant says he’s not so obsessed with winning a championship this season

For basketball fans of a particular age, Michael Jordan represents the ideal of superstar comportment and attitude. That belief extends to his quality of play, certainly, but primarily focuses on his single-minded focus and take-no-prisoners approach to winning. For Jordan, everything related to himself and the team had to lead towards winning a title. If it didn't, it did not suit his aims.

To a certain extent, any great player who does not evince this same level of determination (like, say, LeBron James) is thought to be lacking. Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, however, has never thought to be less than intensely focused on his goals. While Durant has a deserved reputation as a nice guy, he's also one of the fiercest competitors in the NBA.

However, it's possible that Durant has occasionally let his intensity get the better of him. In an interview with Darnell Mayberry for The Oklahoman, Durant explains that he's trying not to be quite so obsessed about winning a title in 2013-14:

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Redskins name protestors approach team bus in Denver

Protests of the Washington Redskins name are following the team around the country. This past weekend in Denver, protestors got up close and personal with the team.
As the Redskins team bus approached Sports Authority Field at Mile High, some of the estimated hundred-plus protestors approached the bus, bearing signs and seeking to get attention for their cause.
“We caused those players on the buses to have to stop," Glenn Morris of the American Indian Movement of Colorado told the Washington Post. "Those players had to stop and take notice that there are Native people in Denver, Colorado, who are opposed to what they’re doing ... And we were saying to them as predominantly African American players, you should understand the history of this team. And you should understand your own personal role in continuing racism through this team. And we hope that we piqued their conscience and got them to think a little bit about that, and their own personal role in this national debate.”

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Minnesota Vikings Flop on Primetime Once Again

COMMENTARY | The final score of Sunday night's fiasco between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers was about the only thing that was respectable from the standpoint of the purple and white. Those who didn't watch the game may believe that the Vikings played an inspired game in the 44-31 Packers' victory, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
 
The Vikings were dominated offensively and defensively and if not for two garbage touchdowns against the Green Bay reserves, the final score would have been much more indicative of how the game was actually played.
 
Yes, Christian Ponder was ineffective for the most part, and the team's final two drives definitely padded his stats, but the real story on Sunday night was the defense, or lack of, as the Packers scored on all eight possessions and never punted once.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Three Pitchers the Chicago Cubs Should Acquire (And David Price Isn't One)

COMMENTARY | It's not what Chicago Cubs fans want to hear, but 2014 is probably not going to offer much respite from the doldrums of mediocrity of the previous few years.
The only thing keeping Cubs fans from flipping their proverbial lids is the hope/promise/presumption that this rebuilding plan of Theo Epstein and company is finally going to bring the Cubs to relevance, and eventually to a World Series championship.

The beginnings of that relevance are loosely presumed to be around 2015, when the Cubs' current set of up-and-comers -- think Albert Almora, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, Kris Bryant, etc. -- are projected to start contributing en masse to the big-league club.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Don't blame Urban Meyer for Ohio State running up the score

There was Penn State coach Bill O'Brien's long, seemingly bothered, stare across the Ohio Stadium field. There was O'Brien and Urban Meyer engaging in something that looked like a dead-fish postgame handshake.
There was a three-second pause when O'Brien was asked whether he was bothered when Meyer, who, after Ohio State was already up 49 points in the third quarter, decided to challenge a ruling on the field Saturday night.


"He didn't think we had a first down, so he called time out to challenge it," O'Brien said after the Buckeyes' 63-14 annihilation of the Nittany Lions. "I have no thoughts on that."

Monday, June 3, 2013

This year's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup defies predictability

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

Distributed by The Sports Xchange

The 2013 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup has no respect for conventional wisdom.

Think about it. Matt Kenseth led the standings by four points midway through this year's championship battle, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series headed to Talladega for the sixth Chase race.

Kenseth has embraced restrictor-plate racing, having won the 2009 and 2012 Daytona 500s as well as the 2012 Chase race at Talladega.


Johnson, on the other hand, has said he'd gladly take a 10th-place finish at Talladega and watch the race from his couch.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

LeBron James would prefer the Miami Heat not receive their championship rings before a game

On Tuesday night, the Miami Heat will receive their championship rings for the second-consecutive season. It's a momentous occasion for the franchise, a time for celebration and remembering all that went into last June's triumph. It's hard to imagine how anyone involved with the franchise could look upon the event and find it lacking.

Except for the fact that the Heat players have to follow up that pregame ceremony by facing a very good basketball team. Shortly after receiving their rings, the Heat will play the Chicago Bulls and their returning starDerrick Rose. It's such a challenge, in fact, that reigning MVP LeBron James wishes the ceremony didn't take place before such a big contest. From Michael Wallace for ESPN.com:

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Sidney Crosby on future of concussions in sports: ‘I’m not that concerned to be honest’

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby sits down with Bob Costas on Tuesday night for an interview on NBC Sports Network (11 p.m. ET); and as one might expect with Costas, it touches on some interesting topics.

Like, for example, on the future of concussions in sports. It’s a subject they’re both passionate about, with Crosby having successfully rehabbed from them and Costas having expressed concern about their impact on future generations getting involved in sports.

When asked about the future of concussions and sports, Crosby said:

“You know what? I’m not that concerned to be honest. I’m probably more confident than ever that they’ll eventually find ways to help. Whether it’d be prevent them, or to treat them. I think the awareness is at an all-time high now for all sports.”

Friday, May 10, 2013

Clippers' summer of success nearly thrown into chaos by owner

In the early afternoon hours of July 3, owner Donald Sterling called Los Angeles Clippers president Andy Roeser and informed him he had rescinded approval on moving Eric Bledsoe and acquiring free agent J.J. Redick in a sign-and-trade agreement. The three-team deal – delivered the owner's blessing only two days earlier – no longer interested Sterling.

Call it off, Sterling instructed Roeser, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Deal's dead.

It didn't matter the news had broken 24 hours earlier of the Clippers sending Bledsoe and Caron Butler to thePhoenix Suns with the Suns' Jared Dudley and Milwaukee's Redick, on a four-year, $27 million contract, joining Los Angeles. It didn't matter the public had been praising Doc Rivers' first deal as the new senior vice president of basketball operations and coach, that Rivers and general manager Gary Sacks had given their word to teams, agents and players that this was a finalized agreement.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Red Sox one victory away from winning eighth World Series

ST. LOUIS – The palpable sense of strangeness that permeated Busch Stadium on Saturday and Sunday finally relented Monday. There was no crazy ending. No weird play. Nothing to remind us that Halloween is but days away and the spirits had brewed something wicked over the weekend. Just another close baseball game between St. Louis and Boston that left the Red Sox with two chances at home to win their eighth World Series.

Boston ace Jon Lester pitched 7 2/3 brilliant innings, continuing his run of superlative pitching throughout these playoffs, and David Ross' RBI double in the seventh gave the Red Sox a lead they would not relinquish during a 3-1 victory in Game 5 of the World Series at Busch Stadium.

Monday, April 22, 2013

'That's so Metro' Buried, New York Red Bulls Are Champions

COMMENTARY | Same old Metro. Always winning.

Cynics and critics can say whatever they want about how little it means for a team to finish a Major League Soccer season atop the standings. The 2013 New York Red Bulls are and forever will be known as Champions. Nobody can take that away from the team or from what has been the most tortured fan base in the league.

Sunday evening wasn't just about RBNY putting five unanswered goals on the scoreboard en route to defeating Chicago Fire and earning the first significant and meaningful trophy in franchise history. It was a statement of defiance to any and all entities, real or imagined, that have been against this organization for nearly two decades. In the same year that New York City Football Club were announced and New York Cosmos again kinda/sorta became a thing, the Red Bulls emerged as North America's top soccer club.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Kroos and Robben resume Bayern training

Bayern Munich's Toni Kroos and Arjen Robben have both resumed individual training after picking up knocks in the 3-2 win against Hertha Berlin.

Pep Guardiola's men narrowly edged out the capital outfit 3-2 at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, with both the midfielder and the winger suffering minor injuries.


However, it appears the pair will soon be able to train with the team again, after being put on individual regimes already.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

United's Fletcher returns after battle with stomach illness

London (AFP) - Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher returned to action on Monday in the latest stage of his battle to recover from a serious stomach illness.
Fletcher has played just 13 games since announcing he was taking an extended break from football in November 2011 after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.
The 29-year-old has since undergone several operations the last of which took place in January, and been put on a strict dietary regime in a bid to correct his stomach condition.

Friday, March 15, 2013

RG3's knee is 'fine' - Redskins passing game isn't

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -- Robert Griffin III's knee is fine. The same can't be said about any facet of the Washington Redskins' passing game.

''Sometimes it may be a read, it may be an overthrow, it may be a protection issue, it may be a dropped ball,'' coach Mike Shanahan said Monday.

That about covers it. Griffin has open receivers that he doesn't see. When he does throw it, he's not nearly as accurate as he was a year ago. When he does put the ball on the money, his receivers are dropping it far too often. And, of course, sometimes he under too much pressure, taking, for example, three sacks and 13 more hits in Sunday's 45-21 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Report: Fulham boss Martin Jol plays down loan return for Seattle Sounders star Clint Dempsey

Jurgen Klinsmann says he'd like to see MLS-based US national teamers like Clint Dempsey go on loans to European clubs in the offseason to stay sharp ahead of next summer's World Cup.

So naturally, wouldn't a short-term spell for his captain back at the English club where he found his breakthrough success fit the bill?

Pump the breaks, says Cottagers boss Martin Jol, according to a Monday report in the Fulham Chronicle.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Putin: No discrimination against gays at Olympics

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — President Vladimir Putin promised Monday that gay athletes and guests at the Winter Olympics in Sochi will feel at ease, seeking to assuage fears fueled by a recent Russian law banning gay "propaganda."
Speaking at a meeting with heads of Russian winter sports federations, which was also attended by visiting IOC President Thomas Bach, Putin said Sochi would be fully tolerant.
"On my own and on your behalf, I have assured Mr. President (Bach) that we will do our best, and our athletes and fans will do their best too, so that both participants and guests feel themselves comfortable at Sochi Olympics regardless of their ethnicity, race or sexual orientation," Putin said. "I would like to underline that."

Saturday, February 9, 2013

How Much Wrestling is on WWE Raw? You May Be Surprised

COMMENTARY | One of the biggest complaints I hear from a lot of professional wrestling fans is that there is not enough wrestling on today's WWE programming.
In particular, WWE Raw, which now airs for just over three hours each Monday night, receives the brunt of these complaints. On wrestling articles and in online forums, I have seen many WWE fans comment that there are 15 minutes of actual wrestling on the three hours of Raw. Of course, this claim about a three-hour wrestling show seems preposterous, so I decided to undertake a research study to test the validity of this myth.

Monday, February 4, 2013

The 10-man rotation, starring the case for a cease-fire to hatin’ on Dwight Howard

A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: HoopSpeak. "[...] I’m tired of reading about Dwight Howard because it seems like every person I read complaining about Howard has forgotten that he is awesome." And with that, Danny Nowell sets about the task of reminding you that before we all (justifiably) started focusing super-hard on how blissfully ignorant Howard can be about how bad he can sound when he speaks, we were all pretty spellbound by how unique and gifted a game-changing force the Houston Rockets' new center can be. I'm not sure if too much water's gone over the dam for everyone to quit fretting about the latter, but it's not a bad idea to revisit the former, too.

PF: Hang Time. John Schuhmann traces the evolution of LeBron James' game over the years, from 18-year-old driver you dared to shoot to 28-year-old dominator who'll make you pay for that, and just about everything else. A fun read.

SF: The Oklahoman. A year and a day after the James Harden trade shook the NBA world, Darnell Mayberry and Anthony Slater revisit the swap that gave the Houston Rockets a fresh new All-Star and earned the Oklahoma City Thunder derision for scuttling a championship contender — derision, the OKC beat men argue, that isn't warranted: "What you don't hear, largely because the organization has kept quiet about it while being determined to move on, is how Oklahoma City made the best decision it could have under the circumstances. A perfect storm ultimately is what led to Harden's departure, not penny-pinching."


SG: Hardwood Paroxysm and HoopsHype. This year's collections of NBA players in Halloween costumes. Strong work as always, San Antonio Spurs, but I think Serge Ibaka's got you beat.

PG: CelticsBlog. On one hand, trading away veteran players like Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green could net the rebuilding Boston Celtics some future draft picks and lower this year's win total, helping improve the lottery odds of the Celtics' own 2014 draft choice. On the other, as Eric Weiss writes, such players "have the type of experience and ability to set a standard for the younger players to follow," which could prove pivotal in developing the next generation of competitive Celtics.

6th: The New York Times. Tony Gervino divides the 2013-14 NBA season into a story of haves and have-nots, which seems like a pretty useful way to view the year ahead.

7th: Sports on Earth. Michael Pina profiles Mark Deeks, the British super-fan and salary-cap wizard behind ShamSports.com, who has spent the last decade fostering a video-game-sparked passion for the NBA and cultivating an expert's understanding of team-building during the hours he should be sleeping.

8th: Hoopsworld. And here's Deeks explaining why, sometimes, teams sign players they don't actually want to employ and have no interest in really signing, just so they can cover their posteriors when they sign players that they might want to employ. There's games within the game, and it seems like there are at least some that most of us know nothing about.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

NFL is a despicable league that we should say goodbye to, but won't

There are dozens of reasons why the NFL deserves to go away, to be banished from our sight forever. There are at least two reasons why that won't happen.
Tradition and Peyton Manning.
The Oct. 8 PBS show "A League of Denial" was a journalistic masterpiece. If you haven't seen it, find it. It is everywhere on the Internet. It should be.
It was two hours that can be oversimplified in one sentence: For years, the NFL knew its players were suffering head injuries that would bring serious long-term damage, yet it denied that, stonewalled the players seeking help and spent millions to muddy the truth.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Did Louganis Act Properly? : Diving: Some wonder whether he should have revealed he was HIV-positive during '88 Games.

When Greg Louganis hit his head on the diving board and spilled his blood into the pool at the 1988 Olympic Games, did he have an obligation to disclose to doctors who treated him and to other athletes using the pool that he was HIV-positive?
It is a question being asked since Louganis, who won four gold medals in two Olympics, revealed this week that he has AIDS and was HIV-positive at the Seoul Olympics when he hit his head and bled during the preliminaries of the three-meter springboard competition.
The story of Louganis' overcoming the accident and coming back to win the gold medal is part of diving lore. Until now, only a very few knew the untold portion of the story: That Louganis failed to tell the doctor who applied stitches to the back of his head that he carried the AIDS virus. The doctor, James Puffer, did not wear gloves when he sutured the wound.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

The Billy Beane way still works for A's, and team's owner

As the calendar turned to September, with the Oakland Athletics in the heat of a pennant race, their general manager was half a world away.
Billy Beane was in Prague, and not on a scouting trip.
Baseball's most unconventional operation has done it again. The A's will be crowned champions of the American League West for the second consecutive year, perhaps Sunday.
Beane has run the A's for 16 years. Oakland is about to win the AL West for the sixth time in his tenure. The Angels have won five times in that span, the Texas Rangers four times, the Seattle Mariners once.
You could write a book about his financial wizardry. The first five times Beane assembled the AL West champs, he did so with the lowest payroll in the division. This time, the A's are paying about $62 million — the same as the Angels paid to win the World Series 11 years ago.