Video Tips from Derek Jeter

I saw this the other day, a video set by Derek Jeter giving all of his tips about playing asketball. This is probably the most comprehensive set of videos I've seen, and the best part is that it's directed at kids and teens so anyone can understand. Its great when athletes can fund a site like that (see sarcasm).

[ WePlay Complete Derek Jeter Video Collection ]

Blake Griffin's Workout

If you're Blake Griffin are you happy that you're a Clipper? The only organization that makes money on losing, has drafted Griffin and probably won't put the pieces around him to succeed. Its a little unfortunate for such a good talent to almost go to waste, baring injury hopefully he'll be a major prize in the 2013 free agency market. Here is Griffin working out to get ready for the league:



[ The Rookie via ESPN (full series here)]

Thoughts about Rubio

I usually have a lot to say about NBA and with the recent activity in the league I have to say a few things.

The first being that my hometown team, the Wizards, could of had Rubio, or could they have? Because the truth is that Rubio will only play for a few teams including two teams from LA, the Bulls, and Knicks. Out of those two teams, two are garbage and none really have the pieces to put together a trade offer to Minnesota. So Rubio's solution is to stay at home under the embrace of his homeland, Spain, where he can yield offers from European teams. Granted, how cowardly this is and has been talked about quite thoroughly, but can we also discuss how unfair this is to our own American players.

As we all know, Rubio is only 18, where American player would have to be 19 to enter the draft. The difference between the two is the 19 year old American can't all of a sudden turn back and go back to his former team which the NCAA won't allow. Then if you ask that kid to go to Europe they will probably make considerably less money than Rubio who already has European basketball experience. So the 19 year old is stuck, playing for a rebuilding franchise in the freezing cold. Some may say that the 19 year old is still getting paid to do so, but this isn't about money, its about fairness.

Its really about the pandering to European athletes by the NBA. The evidence includes refusing to do anything about their flopping on the court, and not punishing those who refuse to play for their American teams. Besides correcting the refereeing, the NBA should establish longer draft rights that are more like five years instead of two that would punish draft dodgers by guaranteeing that their best years are spent overseas. On top of that, the league should stipulate that only those who are contract free can enter the draft. This could prevent overseas teams from coming up with astronomical dollar amounts for transfer fees. So if you're young and overseas, signing a long term contract wouldn't be in your best interests.

And to reemphasize, Rubio is a coward. If you don't like the heat or cold for that matter, then get out of the draft.

Good Lord, Deion Sanders puts Draftees through HELL!!!

SO now that the draftees have been well acquainted with their new teams, its fun to look at what they did to get there, including, pushing a SUV down the street:

Kareem Abdul Jabar and the Skyhook

As you probally know I'm a huge NBA fan and I watch a ton of ball each season (next season I'm starting grad school so that'll come to an end). The one lesson Ive learned is that athleticism won't win games alone as we saw with Lebron and Dwight. Lebron has the barrel to the hole layup/dunk and Dwight has simply the dunk. For their own sake it would greatly help them if they would gain an offensive move that doesn't rely on getting fouls or a high lob pass. Shaq has his spin, Kobe has his 15ft jumper, and Tim has his bank shot.

The best known trademarked move is Kareem's skyhook. We've covered this before, but ESPN has done their own expose where they try to uncover the secrets of the unstoppable move, complete with video.

[ Secrets of the SkyHook via ESPN ]

Frank Mir: The Day of the Fight

Ever wonder what happens to the mind of a fighter on the day of a fight? What would you think before headed into the octagon? By any chance would it be fear....well Frank Mir, the heavyweight champion of the UFC, is going to explain an entire day in the mind of a fighter before he steps into the cage:

Evan Longoria's Workout Routine

Looking back on last year's Tampa Bay Rays and their crazy run to the World Series, I'm pretty sure in a couple years people will say that those Rays were one of the greatest teams ever assembled. Why? Because in a couple of years many of those player would have left Tampa and joined teams like Boston or the Yankees and become superstars leading those teams to the championship that the '08 Rays missed out on.

I get this feeling because I've seen it before in the '03 World Series Champion Florida Marlins. Everyone one that team that made a differene is gone making mad money some place else. Many people don't even remember that the team had Derrek Lee. The same will happen to Evan Longoria when he's on the Yankees. Here we have a couple of articles that describe how Longoria get's game time ready:

[ Check out Men's Health with Downloadable 8 workout plans ]

Off-Season Baseball Training (October-December)
Off-season is the time to take a break from your workout and let your muscles rest. A 3-4 week break is good – too much longer and you risk losing a lot of the muscle that you gained. Towards the end of the off-season, you should start focusing on your foundational strength, and that will guide you back into the early pre-season.

Baseball strength training is all about preventing and avoiding injury by doing a workout that includes a variety of options – weight training, body weight exercises, and medicine ball exercises. Certain exercises should be avoided; for example, you should never press with heavy weights, as it adds too much stress on your shoulders. Rotator cuff injuries can be prevented by using 3-5 pound weights instead of larger weights.

[Article @Motley Health ]