Dejections

June 10th, 2008

Hockey Rules Made Easy

Posted in Sports Center

If you’re a newcomer to the game of hockey you may find the rules of the game a bit confusing, but with a little self-educating you’ll pick up them right away. When you understand the hockey penalties, you’ll find the game more enlightening regardless of whether you’re playing or enjoying a hockey game as a spectator. The rules for hockey aren’t too terribly complicated, just pretty different from other sports. Once you learn the rules, you may be ready to complain about the ref’s calls like everyone does in other sports, but be careful about arguing with the referees because hockey is a pretty disciplined game. The captain of a hockey team is the one person designated to talk to officials about the rules of the game. Each team has a captain and alternate captains. The alternates can talk to the officials about a play if the captain, for one reason or another, is not on the ice.

In hockey, penalties are assessed by referees for poor behavior. Different penalties have different consequences, some resulting in a team playing short one or two players, but no more than two. When a player is taken out of the game because of a penalty, the play that occurs with the player’s team being short-handed is referred to a power play for the other team and a penalty kill for the team that is penalized. There are minor penalties, major penalties, misconduct penalties and severe penalties. With severe penalties, such as trying to injure another player, a player may be suspended or fined.

With a minor penalty, the player sits out for two minutes or until the other team scores while the penalized player’s team continues to play with a shortage of one player. For major penalties a player warms the bench for five minutes regardless of whether or not the other team scores. A misconduct penalty earns a player a ten minute outage, but during the time a misconduct penalty is being served by a player, the player’s team doesn’t have to play short-handed.

The term “offsetting” refers to a situation where both teams have players that are penalized for the same incident. The players involved in the incident have to serve their penalty time, but neither team has to play short-handed in such situations. Some specific rules of hockey clearly state what the penalty or procedure is for certain behaviors, but some are left up to the judgment of the referee who is the final authority on penalty assessments.

Jason Tarasi runs the hockey equipment classified site Hockeyads.com, where hockey players can buy and sell new and used hockey equipment online for free. Hockey Equipment Ads

June 2nd, 2008

Another One Bites The Dust: Willie McGinest

Posted in Sports Center

Experts predicted that when the salary cap negotiations began there would be veteran players being let go, and they were right. One of the first biggest moves was by the New England Patriots. They have let go of Willie McGinest, their twelve year defensive lineman. The move was somewhat surprising since McGinest is the all-time post season sack leader, but teams must do what they must do.

McGinest had a cap figure of more than $7 million which was apparently too much for the Patriots to handle. With the NFL owners voting for the new cap of $102 million, they needed to cut loose some baggage. There are more cuts being expected, with more and more veterans left without homes in the NFL. McGinest have felt a little strange for McGinest, since he has been with New England for his entire career, and was one of their finest players of all time.

Chances are however that if McGinest still wants to play, he will have no problem finding a new place to belong. There are teams out there jumping for joy at the fact that he is a free man. If McGinest can find a place to be, the Patriots are going to wish they could have found room in that budget for this star player.

Meanwhile, the Patriots have signed Atrell Hawkins for their defensive back position. He was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals and played with them for six seasons. Being in the NFL since 1998, he may be able to offer a great maturity and excellent talent for the Patriots. With so many stars on their team however, it won’t matter if he does or not. But, Hawkins will likely give it his all for each and every game, making things a little easier on the New England team.

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May 30th, 2008

Baseball: Taming The Gloves

Posted in Sports Center

You can just imagine the pain and injury that a player can get when he plays without the baseball gloves. Bruised palms, in could be the least that a player has to worry. And yet the first baseball gloves appeared only in the 1870’s. Before that baseball players has to catch the ball with bare hands, something that we can not imagine today. When baseball gloves started to appear it was made from scraps of leather that were sewn together.

The first baseball gloves were not even designed to catch the ball but to cushion the player’s hand by knocking the baseball glove to the ground. During the late 1800’s players using baseball gloves were teased as sissies and other names that were embarrassing to the players. Eventually, sense prevailed. Baseball gloves have become an integral part of the game aside from being necessary safety equipment.

Baseball is one of Americas most loved sport. If someone wants to play, it is necessary to wear a baseball gloves and that means buying a new one.

When new, baseball gloves are stiff and you have to break in the baseball glove for you to have a good game with it.

One effective way of breaking in a new baseball glove is to wrap it in a towel when not in use. The best way however is to wear it as often as you can and catch ball with it. It will be uncomfortable at the start, as you would feel that the glove does not fit your hand but continues breaking in will soften it up. Oils made specifically for baseball gloves are also available to speed up the process. Take caution though in oiling a baseball glove, as too much of it, even when recommended by the oil maker, will tend to break the leather down. Ideal application of oil in the baseball gloves should not be more than three times a year. As you use the baseball glove however, it will eventually start to feel comfortable like an extension of your hand.

Through the years, many companies have started to manufacture baseball gloves that they come today in a wide variety and materials to select from. Depending on its quality, brand, fit and style baseball gloves are priced as low as $10 or as high as $250 for custom made fits.

The more popular manufacturers of baseball gloves are Rawlings, Nike, Mizuno and Nokona.

For players starting out in baseball buying brand new gloves that are good can be a little steep. If you want a glove that is good, second hand gloves can be a good option and the Internet can show you where. The Internet has, in a very short span of years, become a virtual shopping venue. If you want to try it out, try Ebay or type the keywords “discount baseball gloves” and you will be surprised at what you will find. Searching the Internet for baseball gloves can yield you results several times over than going from store to store. There are good sellers on the net where you can buy your baseball gloves at 50% less than its brand new counterpart.

Another good option is to find sporting goods store that are on clearance sale. Good discount can be had with these stores if you are willing to settle for gloves that are good if not the latest.

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides baseball glove resources on http://www.your-baseball-glove.info