Sports News

« Previous Entries

Will oxygen chamber help Tiger Woods’ game? Which game?

Will a specially designed oxygen chamber in his Florida home help Tiger Woods’ game? Which game?

The real question is: Why would Tiger Woods include plans for an oxygen chamber in his new Florida home?

I ran onto a story online today that says the plans for the controversial golfer’s property in Jupiter, Florida, include specifications to build such a room. The same article said Woods revealed that he’s undergone oxygen therapy in one of those hyperbaric chambers that were made famous some years ago by rock star Michael Jackson. Such chambers use high atmospheric pressure and pure oxygen to supposedly boost health and the immune system, perhaps lessen signs of aging, etc. They’ve even been credited with curing lifelong allergies.

Nothing in the story I read gave details about what sort of oxygen chamber this would be or how it would be used — nor just what sort of oxygen treatment or therapy Woods has undergone in the past.

We can safely assume his oxygen chamber or room is far more elaborate and costly than, say, the portable oxygen concentrator which might be prescribed for you and I by a physician, and probably it goes beyond the simple oxygen tubes like my wife was put on during a recent hospital stay.

I wonder what sort of therapy Woods is looking for from the room — something to dampen his womanizing tendency, perhaps, or something to heal the physical problems plaguing his golf game? Or both?

Sorry. Didn’t mean to come off cynical there. Just couldn’t help myself where Woods is concerned.

End of sermonette for today!

Anyone reading this set to run NYC marathon Sunday?

Many years ago, I started walking to lose some weight. Then the walk turned into a jog, and the jog into a slow run. Within four months, I had lost about 60 pounds and I was regularly running local — but very non-competitive on my part! — 10K races.

The good news is, I eventually lost almost 90 pounds and felt better than ever before. I even managed to keep most of that weight off for five or six years. The bad news is, I did too much running too soon in the weight loss cycle and messed up my ankles and knees pretty badly and now suffer ongoing bouts with arthritis in all of the above. (I would be more likely these days to walk briskly into one of those walk in tubs than to run a 10K or marathon!)

I still have a love for watching distance races, particularly marathons, and especially the New York City Marathon. Our local TV folks don’t broadcast it, but I’m hoping to find some of it available via cable or dish. I’ve only been to NYC twice and that was long ago, but I LOVE to watch the runners make their way through all five boroughs of the city as they do the marathon.

Anyone reading this set to run in this year’s NYC marathon on Sunday? I saw some news coverage on the Internet and the TV about some of the runners who are doing the race to raise money and/or awareness for worthy causes. I hope they all succeed — and if you’re out there running it, I hope YOU succeed, too!

Which came first — sports or chips, dips, other snacks?

I swear, at the end of every weekend during the fall, I begin to suspect that major sports programs, especially football and baseball, were actually invented to prosper the chips and dips industry of America.

I exaggerate, of course. Although I’ve heard various pundits suggest seriously that some of our “national holidays” here in America (i.e., Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and such) were created mostly to benefit the greeting card industry. But, of course, football, baseball, hockey, basketball — they weren’t really invented to serve up chips and dips. I must admit, though, that a busy college football and NFL football weekend makes me wish we had some sort of dip machine at our house.

We are big fans (think KC Chiefs and Mizzou football; St. Louis Cardinals baseball) at our house. Sadly, our Chiefs haven’t done well in recent years, and our Cardinals fell out of the MLB playoff picture immediately — hardly allowing a loyal fan time to crack open a bag of chips. I guess the reality of the matter is, we are “big” fans, physically broader than we ought to be for our health’s sake.

Maybe it’s the chips and dips?

To all you football and baseball fans out there, I send greetings and best wishes for your favorite teams as the World Series and BCS games draw near. As for my fellow Chiefs fans — one of these weekends, we WILL win another game. Grrrrrr.

Fans rejoice — football season only weeks away

All of us football fans out there are rejoicing — the new football season is only weeks away. (Caveat, when I say “football,” I’m talking about American football, not the sport the rest of the world calls football but we in the U.S. knows as “soccer”!)

I thought about making some stereotypical wisecracks here about “football wives,” etc. But I would never do that. One of the most avid NFL fans I know is my wife. She’s a very knowledgeable follower of NFL and college football. She and I both revel in Mizzou Tigers football on Saturdays and KC Chiefs football on Sundays throughout the season. Heck, she’s even been following the “will he/won’t he” controversy surrounding former NFL QB Brett Favre with me. Turns out Favre’s choice was “he won’t” — come out of retirement for a season with the Minnesota Vikings, that is.

(I wouldn’t go so far as admitting publicly that I’ve been known to attend a particular church because the scheduled Sunday services work well with NFL scheduling. Nope. I’d never say that. Nope.)

At any rate, in times of economic recession and bemoaning our “broken” U.S. health care system, maybe a little sports escapism is a good thing. Gotta take a break once in awhile, and what better way than through sports, hobbies and collecting, reading, hiking and outdoor living, and all those “non-news” ways to enjoy life.

So take a break. And be sure to join me and my family as we cheer the Mizzou Tigers and KC Chiefs through another season!

Economy continues to tank, so let’s get to important stuff — Super Bowl Sunday coming up!

Enough of all the doom and gloom. If, as all the pundits liberal and conservative alike are saying, there’s no quick fix for the economy, let’s move on to the important stuff — Super Bowl Sunday is nearly here!

Who are you picking for this year’s Super Bowl? (Shameless plug — here’s another site I run which sells some great sports gear and collectibles for fans of many sports. Go take a look. We’ll still be here when you get back.)

My sentimental pick would be the Arizona Cardinals. After all, they’re the “Cinderella team” of the NFL this year if anyone could be. Who would have picked the Cardinals to even make the playoffs, let alone win the NFC Championship and be heading to the Super Bowl?? Certainly not I, nor anyone I know. Can they prevail over this year’s typically rough-and-tough Pittsburgh Steelers Team?

My heart says, yes, but my head says no — I’m picking the Steelers to win the Super Bowl by 7 points. But that’s just what I’m thinking — what about you? Any of you want to make a prediction, feel free to post a comment and let us know what you think.

Meanwhile, as a long-time Kansas City Chiefs fan, I’m looking forward to next season. Given the Chief’s almost total make-over this last season and now major coaching changes, who knows? Maybe 2009 will be the year for my Chiefs to get back in it … and maybe pigs will fly??

I’ve never understood obsessions some people have about sports equipment

Many years ago, I went through a “running phase” — a period of a couple of years when I started jogging for health and weight loss which turned into a fairly hardcore spell at running some 10K road races. (I did one half-marathon, but never tried a marathon.)

In the course of my running days (daze), I discovered the science of running shoes, i.e., the entire industry out there eager to get you to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on quality, specialized running shoes. If you aren’t a runner, you can’t appreciate the finesse and nuances of the shoes. (Perhaps golfers get some taste of this with the myriad of styles and functions involved in buying golf shoes, but I think running shoes go way beyond golfers’ shoe obsessions.) Oh, don’t get me wrong. I understand the basic need for quality, supportive shoes to keep runners’ feet and legs healthy.

Or, maybe not. There’s been a lot said and done in recent years about running, walking, and living barefoot. Yes, there are actual studies and “apostles” out there who insist the human foot, leg, and entire body would be stronger and healthier if we all went completely shoeless. The fact of the matter is, I’m much more comfortable walking around the house barefoot than in my best pairs of shoes.

But whether we’re talking about running, golfing, or baseball — sports fans really do tend to obsess over their equipment. I suppose sports pros are the same way, but I really understand pros who are driven to have the very best, latest equipment. After all, it’s their job at stake when they run, play ball, whatever.

Lighten up, sports fans. Have fun, but don’t overspend for no good reason. Use your money well and wisely. Now, about that incredible pair of shoes I picked up online a few weeks ago …

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Amazing — the St. Louis Cardinals have exploded into the season this year

With a record of 22-12, my St. Louis Cardinals have exploded into the baseball season far ahead of what I or most people imagined possible. They are leading the Chicago Cubs by two and a half games in the NL Central Division.

In light of the players the Cards traded away, the sort of “no name” lineup they were left with (except for Albert Pujols — a true “Big Name” player in anyone’s league), it’s amazing. Their pitching has no one who is “star” material and they have no one expected to lead anybody’s league offensively or defensively.

Last night, against the Colorado Rockies, I saw TWO, not just one but TWO, amazing defensive plays by the Cards’ centerfielder, Rick Ankiel. He threw two players out at third base with perfect cannon shots from deep centerfield. (What wonderful baseball trophies those two balls will be for him to cherish throughout his career!)

When I was a kid, I lived five years in Denver. They had a team then, the Denver Bears, which generally led their minor league division. That was in the old Denver Mile High Stadium. I once saw an exhibition game there between the San Francisco Giants (must’ve been a year or two after they moved to San Francisco from New York — yes, I’m that old) and the Cleveland Indians. I’ve never forgotten a play in that game when the famous Indians outfielder, Rocky Colavito, threw an absolute “strike” from deep right-center to the plate to throw out a runner. It was the most amazing thing I can recall ever seeing in baseball at any level. The ball arced through the air like it had been shot out of a howitzer and seems in my memory to have been perfect.

Last night’s two — TWO! — throws by Rick Ankiel were the only thing I’ve seen comparable.

Perhaps my amazing Cardinals will keep up the good work, surprise me and everyone else, and go all the way. (I know. It’s early in the season, and I really don’t want to jinx ‘em!)

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Perfect example of ‘witch hunt’? Look at Clemens-Congress fiasco

What a circus. Just think: We pay all those bozos in Congress to ferret out all the corruption and possible corruption going on in, uh, well, uh — Major League Baseball???

According to a story I was just reading, the major probability of criminal charges against pitcher Roger Clemens for lying under oath to the Congressional committee rest on comments before the committee that “appear to be contradicted by other evidence … or (were) implausible.”

Please understand what that means. It means our elected representatives, and possibly FBI investigators, are scrambling around wasting taxpayers’ money trying to decide whether statements Clemens made which appear to be contradicted or were implausible are worthy of filing criminal charges. That’s like saying something like this:

He may have done or said something that was perjury, … BUT… we don’t know for sure because he may have merely told the truth about something he didn’t understand, … OR … people who contradict what he said may be lying … OR … they may have misunderstood and made mistakes in their testimoney … OR …

Well, you get the idea. Are you confused and angry enough about all this yet? Give me a break. Do you or anyone else reading this REALLY think Roger Clemens is perfect? Is it REALLY worth the time and money being spent on this issue??

Let the guy play baseball or not. As I said long ago in posts on this site, people being paid multiple millions of dollars for playing a game absolutely will, at one time or another, take or do whatever they must to gain an edge. They want to continue playing games and making the big bucks.

Why don’t we let Major League Baseball take care of all this — why must we spend taxpayer money and time to do it??

Ah, well, what do I know? I’m just a guy who reads the paper and helps pay all these congressional salaries for this idiocy.

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Well, at least baseball’s coming soon to get us through the NFL off-season

All the baseball hearings and Congressional shock over drug enhancements aside, it is almost time to start spring training.

Though it’s a pale substitute for NFL football, at least major league baseball does give us some hope for entertainment on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. (By the way, if you’re interested in some deals on sports equipment, here’s a link to some useful Sports Authority coupons. They carry a great selection of sports gear and equipment for individual and team sports.)

As for the outrage over steroids, HGH, and other performance enhancing drugs in baseball — should that really be such a shock or surprise? As I’ve written elsewhere in this blog, I don’t doubt people who are paid huge bundles of money to play a game try everything they can to get an edge in the game. If we truly disapprove or fear what the drugs may do to young people, then we really should get on the ball and force leagues, teams, coaches, and players to set up serious rules and enforce them.

So, onward to spring training. Then to a summer of good baseball. Go Cardinals! (Or at least go well enough not to completely embarrass the good folks of Missouri like you did last season.)

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Right now I’m suffering withdrawal from NFL football

Oh, the weather outside is frightful — and without my weekly fix of NFL football, I certainly don’t find it all that delightful.

Anyone else out there suffering NFL withdrawal? My wife, my son, and I (somehow the fanaticism gene skipped my daughter, but we love her anyway) are all rabid NFL fans in general, Kansas City Chiefs fans in particular. Now that the season, the playoffs, the Super Bowl, and even the Pro Bowl are over — there’s little sports cheer left in our lives of a Sunday afternoon.

Oh, I know, there’s always hockey, soccer, basketball, even major league baseball, and all those other sports. We have a local university or two which do pretty well in college basketball most seasons.

But none of those measure up to NFL football. The biggest consolation, now that Al Gore has invented the Internet, is being able to follow off-season trades and manipulation. Some how, some way, between now and the start of NFL training camps, we maintain hope our Chiefs will come around, find some ways to get back a “real” offensive line, and do well next year.

There’s always hope.

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

« Previous Entries