Category: sports

A Man Who Never Let His Disabilities Define Himself

Paloma SpencerLeave a comment

For people with disabilities, life is anything but easy. However, seeing people with such hardships pursuing the things they love, despite this fact, is truly inspirational.

This Saturday night fans will be crowding the Los Angeles stadium for the Dodgers home game. Though in addition to the exciting strikes and home runs, fans will witness a “ceremonial” first pitch.

Tom Willis, a man who was born without arms, will be conducting this first pitch. However, with a lack of arms, Willis will be using his more than capable feet.
And this man is not simply pitching for fun but rather using it as part of his “Pitch for Awareness” national campaign in which Willis will travel to all 30 major league stadiums in order to promote a better understanding that people with disabilities are still capable of numerous things.

“I want to raise people’s awareness of the abilities of a person with a disability, not to focus o what they can’t do but on what they can do,” said Willis.

Willis was diagnosed at birth with a congenital bilateral upper limb deficiency in which both of his arms did not develop properly. However, Willis has found that his condition does not have to limit him. He drives his own car with the simple aid of a foot-steering system, can do his own laundry, pump his own gas, and is currently working as an independent TV producer and motivational speaker.

His campaign started in 2008 when he threw the first pitch at his hometown stadium of the San Diego Padres. Willis is now continuing his dream of traveling to Fenway Park on July 7 as well as numerous other stadiums throughout his tour.

Willis did not allow his disabilities to define who he was, but rather used what he could do to define himself.

Just Ridiculous

therightliberalLeave a comment

I have seen some absolutely bizarre things in the world of football but this may take the cake.

Dutch club VVV Venlo announced that it has signed an 18 month-old boy by the name of Baerke van der Meij. Yes I did say 18 months, that is not a joke.

I have heard of clubs signing 11 year olds and I was shocked by that, but a toddler? It seems that it is a joke.

Quite possibly it is just a publicity stunt. Venlo is not paying the kids family much money but it gets the team’s name out in to the football media.

VVV Venlo’s basis for signing the youngster (and I MEAN youngster) was off a youtube video that shows the little Dutchman kicking balls in to his toy chest. I am not sure this is the most conventional of signing techniques but only time will tell.

Meij was signed to a 10 year contract, which in most cases is a very long contract. However this one only keeps him until he is 11.

I still can’t get over getting on Soccernet in the morning and reading this (full article in link), “Van der Meij, 1, has been signed up by his local side on a symbolic ten-year professional contract but despite the club currently battling against relegation from Dutch football’s top-tier, it’s not thought he will be thrown into the action any time soon.”

Obviously Soccernet thinks it is somewhat of a joke as well. The caption under the photo reads, “Baerke van der Meij celebrated signing his ten-year contract with a glass of orange juice.”

I hope Meij the best of luck!

Tangible

therightliberalLeave a comment

On Tuesday, Manchester United beat Schalke FC 2-0. This is an incredible win for United and one that will hopefully put them in the champions League final.

In the Champions League, teams play home-and-home which means that for every round there are two games: one at each teams home field.

For most teams it is much harder to win the away game but that’s just what Manchester United did.

Ryan Giggs got the first one, becoming the oldest player to score in the Champions League. Wayne Rooney got the second goal to really boost United’s chances.

The win does not guarantee anything, especially since Schalke was the team that scored 5 goals against Inter Milan. But one would think that United’s chances are pretty good going back to Old Trafford with a 2 goal cushion.

This weekend United play Arsenal, then Schalke on Wednesday followed by Chelsea that next Saturday. Although it is a very difficult schedule, United have been playing great.

Ryan Giggs goal best v Schalke

If United beat or tie Chelsea the league is pretty much theirs. I am very excited to see how the end of the season finishes now that United is so close.

For a complete summary of the game go to: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=315489&cc=5901

2-2

smackyjackjackLeave a comment

The lakers did it again. They managed to lose to the New Orleans Hornets to tie the first round of the playoffs at 2-2.

Lakers2_510

The Lakers all ways manage to have it easy, and just cruise into the finals where they either win or lose. But the Lakers got EXACTLY what they did not want today, a real struggle in the playoffs. The loss secured at least one more trip back to the Hornets home stadium.

The Lakers looked sloppy today. They were un-energetic  and looked tired throughout the entire game. But they really fell apart in the 4th quarter. They let Chris Paul get a triple double with 27 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds, while Gasol and Artest had 16.

Kobe had a terrible game, scoring 17 points overall. He even went scoreless in the first half, giving Chris Paul the opportunity he needed to put his team ahead. Kobe even missed a technical foul shot making him 0 for 7 in the first half.

This loss gives the Hornets a fighting chance to move on. The Lakers need to win at home, then end the series in 6 games at New Orleans. It would be confidence crushing for the team if they had to go to 7 games in the first round.

I still believe that the Lakers will still move on to the next round. The only matter that is in question is how tired and confident they will be moving into the next round. If I had one thing to say to the Lakers it would be that it will only get harder.

Worse than Dropping the Ball

therightliberal2 Comments

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has been teased by almost every media outlet following his epic dropping of the Copa del Rey, the national cup of Spanish football.

Here is the video of his blunder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXxSuzRpTps

Luckily the cup did not have much damage to it but I am sure Sergio Ramos’ pride did.

Even more lucky for Sergio Ramos is that he is not the first to make a disastrous mistake like this. Here is a look back as some of the biggest athlete fails in the past years.

The Zidane headbutt is the largest mistake that I can remember. For one of the greatest players to end his career like that in such a dirty way was unbelievable. Added to that was the fact that it was in the most watched game in the world and you have a massive media craze.

In American football, the Super Bowl is huge. Everyone gets together and stuffs themselves full of meat and watches men hit each other. Before the game, someone famous always sings the national anthem. When Christina Aguilera was picked to sing, one would think she would work to learn the words. Here is what happened instead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMHffUXbLV8

So here is to flubs at sporting events! Sergio Ramos should just pick his head up and laugh at his mistake. These are the moments that make fans laugh…and every sports fan can use a laugh.

Two Cups Left

therightliberal1 Comment

Although I have been in deep denial over the subject of Manchester United getting knocked out of the FA Cup, I feel that I must now acknowledge it.

Over the last weekend, United came to a pathetic halt to Manchester City. Yes, we lost to the men in powder blue.

It was an embarrassing display by United, but I really cannot blame them. I am not trying to make excuses but they have played so many games this season (losing VERY few of them) that by this point they are bound to slip up.

David Platt plays peacemaker as Anderson and Balotelli boil over at Wembley

As I had said in previous writing, I did not expect them to win the treble (though I was very much hoping for it). United still have to beat Schalke in the tie for the Chapions League and hold off Arsenal for the League title.

After the very interesting and to be honest, weird draw between Arsenal and Liverpool, United’s shot at their 19th League title looks good. They cannot become to complacent but as long as they keep cool heads they should win it.

The Champions League games are a totally different story. I admit that I do not know much about Schalke except that they are playing fantastic right now and they have a great goalkeeper in Neuer. Even if United can beat them, I worry that United does not have what it takes to beat either Barca or Real Madrid.

Paul Scholes

However, Fergie and the boys always have a few tricks up their sleeves, especially when it comes to the Champions League. Manchester United’s season is getting very interesting now.

For best exercise, don’t be lonely or bored

weirdjennyLeave a comment

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In the modern era, more and more people are aware of their own health. We have developed the habit to exercise regularly. People go for a jog in the morning, go to gym after work, or watch exercising DVDs at home.

However, most of the people forget to enjoy the moment when they are exercising. Instead, they put more focus on the result.

“When picking an exercise, choose maximum enjoyment over maximum results, and the positive reinforcement will help you stick with it, and exercising alone doesn’t work for the majority of people.” said Bert Carron, a professor of kinesiology.

For example, studies show that running is the best way to stay in shape. However, I feel that running is kind of boring, because it is the same action repeated and repeated, and it is all by myself. So after 15 minutes of running, I feel really tired. However, if I played my favorite sports, basketball, I can play for 4 or 5 hours without feeling tired, and I also feel joyful. So we should focus on enjoying the sports more not on the result, because it can help us mentally and physically.

Home Stretch

therightliberalLeave a comment

For most football teams, the year is almost over. For Manchester United, there is still far to go.

United is still in the FA Cup, the Champions League and at the top of the Premier League. United still have to play both Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League as well as having to play Man City and Chelsea in the FA Cup and Champions League second leg respectively.

United has faced some injuries but they have such a deep squad they should be ok on that front. The suspension of Wayne Rooney could potentially be damaging but they were able to easily beat Fulham 2-0 without him.

Carlos Salcido, Antonio Valencia, Aaron Hughes

I really cannot make up my mind on whether United can win the treble. I have no doubt that they have the talent but they can be so inconsistent.

For United, the FA Cup is the least important, but after making it this far and getting lined up to play Manchester City, United will undoubtedly push to the final.

United have an advantage going into the second leg against Chelsea at Old Trafford after a good 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge. If United can make it past the semi finals I think they will win but the semi will be their real challenge.

Manchester United vs Fulham

United are currently 10 points clear of Arsenal in the Premier League but Arsenal do have two games in hand. If United can get a win and a draw out of their back-to-back games against Arsenal and Chelsea, they should be able to win the Premier League.

This is all speculation but I have confidence in the talent that Untied has. Although I do not think they have played the best football in United history, they have been able to win and that is all that matters. Hopefully their dreams of a treble comes to fruition.

P.S. For a little humorous reading that involves Sir Alex Ferguson I would highly suggest this article. It has possibly the best insult I have ever heard come out of Fergie.

Red Over Blue

therightliberal1 Comment

In the “blind draw,” Manchester united selected Chelsea as their opponents in the Champions League. Today was the first of two games for a place in the semi finals.

Manchester United got off to a great start with a beautiful goal from Wayne Rooney. Carrick hit a great ball to Giggs who took a great touch and hit it to Rooney who finished it nicely.

Wayne Rooney scores the opening goal against Chelsea

That goal gave United a 1-0 victory. The game was at Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea, so winning the game for United was a big deal.

In the Champions League, an away goal counts as two goals if the team to advance has to be decided by number of goals. Not only is that a factor, but for United, playing at home is easier than having to travel in to the den of their enemies (shocking).

United have a very tough schedule ahead of them due to the fact that they are still in three tournaments. They have to play games for the FA Cup, the Premier League and the Champions League.

The face Manchester City in the FA Cup and Chelsea one more time next week for the Champions League. Adding to that are games every weekend against strong opponents who look to keep United from winning their 19th League title.

I look forward to the rest of the (so far very good) season.

Playoffs

smackyjackjackLeave a comment

With the Nuggets snapping the Lakers’ win streak, and the Spurs breaking their losing streak in today’s game against the Suns, the next few games will be very important to the Western Conference.

The Lakers are currently 2.5 games behind the Spurs. Coincidentally, that is the same number of games that the Celtics are trailing behind the Bulls in the East. The next games will decide which teams will be in first place in both of the conferences.

But do the Lakers really want to be in first? If they were to clinch the first place seat in the West, then in the finals they most likely would have to play the  Thunder in a playoff round. I’m not sure whether or not the Lakers could pull that off. Last year they were very close to eliminating us in the first round. They are too fast and too good of shooters to play against. I would rather stay in second place and play the Mavericks.

Moving to the East, I think that the Bulls have a very good chance of making it to the finals. They have the potential to beat the Celtics and advance. The Bulls play a very team oriented game. They do not reply on one player to win all of their games. One player with a lot of potential is Omar Asik. The bench center from Turkey may become a very good player.

The final question is who will play in the finals. In the west in will definitely be the Lakers. But in the East, it could be either the Bulls or Celtics. We will soon see, as the season is coming to an end.