Sport Station

The Yellows of the Copenhagen Autumn.

Fallen leaves are lining the streets.

Saw this bike bell in one of the bike sheds at our flat. What a lovely little thing.

Mike McMahon and is reporting that Joe Finley favorite dance partner has made the Boston Bruins opening day roster. Then while reading the Boston Globe web page it appears that this might still be in question. I guess there are two sides to every story depending on what publication you read.

Here is what Steve Conroy had to say about Blake Wheeler while it is interesting that Blake has made the Bruins, but after watching him play in the WCHA for three years and compare Wheeler to Milan Lucic is a stretch and I believe a disservice, are we to believe that Wheeler grew a pair over the off season? Having watched almost every game the Bruins played last season Lucic has been compared to Cam Neely by some. I don’t know? I am going to be cynical when reading that comparison until I see actual visual evidence that this is the case. I would also be interested in seeing how Blake handles himself in a fight against an NHL player. So it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming days.

But the rookie (Wheeler) has made an impression.

“He’s shown a work ethic, skating, use of his size, every day getting better, willingness to learn. There’s a lot of similarities in that sense between him and (Milan) Lucic. They work hard and they’re sponges,” Chiarelli said. “They’re both big bodies but they’re different players. He works the puck along the boards like Lucic. He doesn’t have that nasty edge that Lucic has, but he can make plays with speed. I don’t want to put too much on his shoulders because we haven’t made our final decisions, but he’s done well.”

Sometimes I think the new CBA is a a cumbersome piece of paper that needs a lawyer to translate some of the language that is in it. I think it is time for the Bruins to dump the under performing, over paid slug named Peter Schaefer. In retrospect this was a horrible off season pick up from last season and it is time for the Bruins to cut the dead weight. Schaefer spent a lot of time producing little in the way of offense and spent a good chunk of time on the fourth line if he played he also spent a good chunk of time sitting in the stands.

By Fluto Shinzawa — Globe Staff October 7, 2008 It’s one of the reasons former top-five pick Blake Wheeler, despite being one of the Bruins’ best forwards in camp, is on the bubble between Boston and Providence.
Wheeler’s base salary is capped at $875,000. But with bonuses figured in, his annual cap hit for this year and next could be $2.825 million - standard pay for a skilled forward selected fifth overall in the 2004 draft. In comparison, the annual cap number for Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin, the No. 2 pick in 2004, was $2.85 million before the Penguins extended the center.

Anaheim, facing a similar cap crunch, assigned forward Bobby Ryan, the No. 2 pick behind Sidney Crosby in 2005, to its AHL club in Iowa. Ryan had performed well in camp, but his cap number (just south of $2 million per year) was a factor.

So while Wheeler’s number is in line with his comparables, the 22-year-old’s hit is putting the squeeze on the cap-tight Bruins. They must decide what to do with the underperforming Peter Schaefer and his $2.1 million cap hit, far too steep for a player who was a fourth-liner and a healthy scratch for part of last season.

It was announced today by the Edmonton Oilers that Taylor Chorney has been sent to the Springfield Oilers. It will be interesting to see how long it takes before Taylor is called up by the Oilers.

Three players assigned to Springfield Oilers roster now stands at 26 Edmonton Oilers…
Press Release Oct 7, 2008, 11:28 AM EDT
Chorney The Edmonton Oilers have assigned centre Gilbert Brule and defencemen Taylor Chorney and Theo Peckham to the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League.

With the three assignments the Oilers roster stands at 26 players.

Hockey Futures broke down the teams in the WCHA and talked each of the WCHA teams and about their NHL prospects. For comparison sake the Unversity of North Dakota Fighting Sioux have 13 NHL prospect on their team roster, on the flip side the Minnesota Golden Gophers have the most prospect at 17. On the other end of the spectrum UAA has one NHL prospect and MTU has 0.

Hockey Futures mentioned that the most pressing concern for the Fighting Sioux hockey team their goaltending situation. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the goaltending situaton is a major concern this season for the Fighting Sioux. In fact if you look at the stats of the returning goaltenders you will see a stat that kind of sticks like a sore thumb. The Fighting Sioux goalies on the Fighting Sioux roster have a combined total of one (1) start. The coaching staff this season will have to establish who is the starting goaltender before the meat of their conference schedule, if that does not happen it could be a long season between the pipes. Replacing Lamoureux will not be an easy task but I believe that Brad Eidsness can step up to the challenge.

University of North Dakota
(Number of NHL prospects on 2008-09 roster: 13)

The University of North Dakota capped their fourth straight season with a trip to the Frozen Four this past spring, but failed to come home with another National Championship. The Fighting Sioux are hoping to remedy that when they open their 2008-09 campaign on Oct. 10 at Agganis Arena against host Boston University in the Icebreaker Tournament.

There are a number of questions that face North Dakota coming into the season, the most pressing of which is in goal. Hobey Baker finalist Jean-Philippe Lamoureux has graduated. Lamoureux will go down as one of the program’s greatest goaltenders. He co-led the nation with six shutouts and posted a 27-11-4 record. His .932 save percentage and 1.74 goals against average were second in the nation. Senior Aaron Walski, who served as Lamoureux’s backup last season is the lone returning netminder. Competing with Walski for playing time will be Brad Eidsness, one of two incoming freshmen. Eidsness, a 2007 draft selection of the Buffalo Sabres, comes to North Dakota after a stellar campaign with Okotoks (AJHL) that earned him the league’s MVP honor.

“I think we’re probably going to end up with quite a battle for playing time in net,” said head coach Dave Hakstol. “Aaron Walski, our returning senior, even though he hasn’t had a whole lot of time in net, has certainly put himself in a position to play and earn minutes this year. Brad Eidsness was recruited into our program to do the job. So we’re pretty confident that he’ll be able to develop into that role. It’s a matter of how much time it will take him to do just that, to develop into that No. 1 role. But he’s certainly going to have every opportunity to compete for playing time.”

Justin Leonard at the 2008 U.S. Open. (Gordons/Flickr)

IT BEGAN IN EARNEST this week a year ago at the Valero Texas Open. The road back from No. 126 in the world got a whole lot smoother and straighter for Justin Leonard after his Texas Open win. It was Leonard’s first title in over two years.

Leaving Butch Harmon, Justin had reunited with his childhood coach, Randy Smith. It was obviously working.

This year Leonard won again at the Stanford St. Jude Championship. He racked up enough points to secure a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team and is currently ranked 23rd in the world.

That’s an impressive comeback, and the relatively young Leonard, 36, could still have several more productive years on the PGA Tour.

?The Armchair Golfer

What Developing A Strong Jab Can Do For You was written by Rob Pilger from Pilgerstrainingsystems.com

Hey all you fighters out there. I’m going to let you in on a secret you can use to control and win allot fights. Learn how to develop a great jab. Below are several fighters who have dominated with the jab. These fighters are true examples on what this potent weapon can do for you.

Larry Holmes dominated with the jab for eight years during his title reign. Watch some of his fights. Look at how he mesmerized and set up his opponents with it, scoring at will with his jab. He kept them on the defensive and shut them down! The jab was everything to him, his best weapon.

Ike “Bazooka” Quartey has a Bazooka like jab. In his prime he dominated his opponents with it. Ike had De la Hoya hesitant and off his game with his jab.

Winky Wright has been kicking a**with his jab and turtle like defense for many years now. Winky’s jab has a crisp velocity to it and he shoots it a bit high. This works to his advantage, as it throws his opponents off.

The major key here is, he developed it that way. He has worked on it for countless hours and years. Now he is reaping the rewards of his labor. Learn from these elite fighters. Watch what this weapon can do for you. The jab can shut fearsomely offensive fighters down, while keeping them on the defensive. You can control the whole fight with it. All of your punches flow from the jab when throw correctly.

Now that you get the point, get your butt in the gym and get to work!

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The Best Boxing Training Secrets For Fat Loss was written by Rob Pilger from theultimateboxingworkout.com

CB: How do boxers get so lean, and what lessons can us average folk take from their regimens?

RP: I know this point is redundantly made but it’s true.

People spend to much time training with cardio equipment. I have seen people train on cardio equipment, and their body’s still look the same months later!

When the average person has had enough of walking around in their body they are in they usually think of hitting the pavement running. Or people will train with the typical cardio circuit of elliptical and treadmills etc…Training for long and very casual intensities. Raising cortisol levels, preserving fat, etc…

People who perform a boxing workout get lean from the intense anaerobic way they train. Boxers fight and train in rounds lasting from 2 minutes to 3 minutes in duration. The training done for that duration is generally at a higher intensity. The training equipment also demands you get lean by the way the bags have to be worked.

Put it this way to maximally work and move the heavy bag in the right manner burns allot of calories and takes allot of effort to do. Your body then takes the lean shape from the aftermath of this demand of it to put forth the work. Same thing for the punch mitts when used correctly your whole body is moving and working and in a more anaerobic and intense manner than aerobic training.

Many times people who cross train or want to learn boxing for self defense are amazed at how sore they are in different areas of their body from the workout. They are waking and working muscles that have been dormant for some time in a unison intense manner.

Metabolically speaking, as stated several times above since the training is predominantly anaerobic and because we use allot of intervals our metabolic rates are greatly increased.

Unlike the aerobic way people train where they only burn calories for the duration of their aerobic activity or training. With anaerobic interval work your metabolic rate is increased for hours even after training is complete as you obviously know.

CB: What’s the role of slow cardio in stripping fat from a boxer’s body?

RP: Not much at all….

We condition using sprints, sled work, sledge strikes, change of direction runs, sprint and run drills, but really speaking from a fighters perspective, nothing beats intense sparring to get in shape. We also perform intervals of heavy and fast punching on the bags and punch mitts.

As far as the average client, I’ll never forget when I was working in Syracuse NY I was training an older guy named Tom. Tom couldn’t lose any more weight in a satisfying way. He was on a plateau.

He was training aerobically only for the last 2 years playing musical chairs with the cardio equipment. He was very frustrated and bored that he couldn’t drop and shed any more fat.

So upon working with him. I had him jumping rope, working the punch mitts, working the heavy bag and VERY easily he lost 14 pounds in 6 weeks! Not bad for previously being on a plateau! The pounds literally melted off. Because of the intense anaerobic way he trained and the muscles and movements he was using in training this way.

Fortunately for me communicating with the best strength and conditioning coaches and constantly reading and studying the best books keeps me abreast of what methods work best.

CB: How do you and other boxers get lean for fights in terms of nutrition?

RP: We start cleaning house!

Or should I say cleaning the fridge, freezer and cupboards. I have them get rid of the processed boxed, package, frozen packaged, canned foods. I have them stop eating then sugary cereals, soda, sugary juices, white breads, refined carbs, margarine, just garbage food period! This goes along way with improving performance, vitality, and weight loss obviously.

I then have them start to eat real whole foods. Foods that actually have a life source and will deliver nutrients and vitality to them.

So for weight loss having them eliminate the garbage foods and drinks and having them eating smaller meals frequently throughout the day works big time for weight loss on top of the kick butt training their doing.

It still amazes me on how many people skip breakfast. Or if they do have it, the typical sugar water called orange juice with a pop tart doesn’t do it. I have them eat a better breakfast and make sure their dinner isn’t the biggest meal of the day as their stomachs would suggest if it is.

My point is, typically people skip breakfast, eat a rather large lunch, and when they get home have a feast for dinner. That’s obviously insane if you want to drop weight and get lean!

Don’t eat less meals. Eat more meals frequently with less food for weight loss. Their blood sugar levels are more balanced and their moods and energy levels are far more enhanced by eating more frequently, like 5-6 times per day if possible.

I also have them drink half their body weight in ounces of water per day. (Many people are dehydrated) and I have them consume fish oils at their meals.

I also keep critiquing their eating habits and food choices for weight loss as needed…

CB: Do you use boxer’s training techniques in your client’s workouts? If so, what could I do to speed my fat loss?

RP: Boxing workouts are BIG in my clients workouts.

It’s no wonder that the most popular classes in commercial gyms are martial arts classes.

Unfortunately many of those are watered down. By getting your eating habits under control and cleaned up and by jumping rope, shadow boxing, working the punch mitts, heavy bag, double end bag and speed bag you literally melt that fat off your body in a quick manner.

That’s why I like to use boxing training techniques. Boxing training gets results.

People can get bored with the cardio equipment. You can be totally uncoordinated and not improve upon before or after getting on the bike or stair master.

Not when you jump rope and perform the rest of a boxing workout. That’s why it delivers so much in one workout. All those bio-motor abilities you improve on top of shredding the fat from your body.

CB: What methods of strength training do you prefer? Do you use free weights or a lot of body weight exercises?

RP: Strength training methods will depend on the persons training age, background, weaknesses, needs, goals, and were we are from a fight.

So I have a lot of tools in the tool box I can use depending on the above scenarios.Generally I start off with body weight exercises. I totally agree with what Alwyn Cosgrove says, “If we cannot stabilize and move our own body weight, we have no reason to use external resistance”

Once a person can handle there own body weight we use different strength exercises. We use squats, I’m particularly fond of front squats since we can work the often times weak thoracic extensors while also strengthening our legs. A boxer that has been at it for a while will will have an increased kyphotic posture along with pronated shoulders. So we need to correct this if we want to improve performance.

We also use dead-lifts, single leg work, posterior chain work, core strengthen with more transverse plain exercises, but we also perform reverse crunches they are a great abdominal strengthening exercise that also help in improving posture.

A lot of unilateral work. Also presses, split stance single arm pushes, pulls, rows, chins, pull ups, you name.

We use equipment ranging from db’s, barbells, med balls, sand bags, kegs, sled, sledge hammer, I’m going to start using kettle bells more. Once again, these are all great tools we use depending on the situation.

Corrective exercises are used to keep the fighters muscle imbalances and posture in check.

I will say that generally fighters are bloody weak! So I like to improve and focus on maximal strength training. Hypertrophy training can be used if I have a fighter that wants to move up a weight class or needs a little more muscle.

For our dynamic training, I like to used med balls and other plyometric exercise for explosive power.

That pretty much sums it up as our training is ALWAYS evolving and improving as I continue to study and learn and as we progress in our own training.

CB: Do the boxing workouts require any special equipment?

RP: Yes the workout uses special equipment that is very affordable and can be purchased at sporting stores, or boxing equipment magazines.

You will need hand wraps, a jump rope, gloves, punch mitts, a heavy bag, double end bag, speed bag and a small timer that you can by at any store. You don’t have to get all the bags at once you can still burn allot of fat with the jump rope and heavy bag alone. The other equipment just really speeds the results.

Related posts:

• Basic Self Defense Training - Is It REALLY Needed
• There Are NO Superior Martial Arts, Styles, Or Techniques, There Are Only Superior Martial Artists
• Hip-Hop Breaks Out At Boxing Match
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• Fun Games for Children Training in Martial Arts
• Is Karate Training Violent?
• Boxing - Fighting Center
• A Martial Artist’s View Of The Film: “Galaxy Quest”
• A Martial Artist’s View Of The Film: “Forrest Gump”
• Tough Or Smart - What’s Your Most Powerful Self-Defense Weapon: Mind Or Body?

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There were some high profile Talladega tidbits that followed the conclusion of last Sunday’s Amp Energy Drink 500.Why wouldn’t there be? After all it’s Talladega. Hoorah for NASCAR for enforcing the yellow line rule following the conclusion of the race. There’s already a lot of debate over how this race ended. Everyone from two guys sitting on bar stools to racing professionals sitting behind a desk on national television will be talking about this for the next several days.

Casey Stoner

Casey Stoner on the Ducati Marlboro took the victory at Philip Island on Sunday in front of his home crowd after dominating the race from the start.

Stoner hadn’t won a race since the Sachsenring and has since been plagued with injury problems.  He is suffering from an old injury that occurred five years ago and has said that if he doesn’t have further surgery it could be the end of his career despite the risk of the surgery itself.

Nicky Hayden on the Repsol Honda pressured Stoner for the first ten laps of the race until a gap began to emerge.

Hayden’s team-mate, Dani Pedrosa, crashed out at turn two on the first lap of the Australian Grand Prix and couldn’t return to the track.  Pedrosa had qualified in sixth position but after taking third off the line at the start of the race he ran wide as his tyres started to slide.

Hayden looked sure to be on the podium in second place until Valentino Rossi on the Fiat Yamaha who had started in twelfth position after his crash in qualifying started to claw his way to the front.

By lap four Rossi had moved up into fifth place and was in fourth by lap six before he started an ongoing battle with James Toseland on the Yamaha Tech 3.

The pair stuck together swapping the lead while behind another battle was going on with Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso and Shinya Nikano for fourth place.  On lap thirteen Rossi kept the lead and started to track down Hayden.

Here are the results;

Pos  Rider             Bike           Time
 1.  Casey Stoner      Ducati    (B)  40:56.643
 2.  Valentino Rossi   Yamaha    (B)  +   6.504
 3.  Nicky Hayden      Honda     (M)  +   7.205
 4.  Jorge Lorenzo     Yamaha    (M)  +  11.500
 5.  Shinya Nakano     Honda     (B)  +  11.914
 6.  James Toseland    Yamaha    (M)  +  12.243
 7.  Andrea Dovizioso  Honda     (M)  +  12.780
 8.  Colin Edwards     Yamaha    (M)  +  25.920
 9.  Randy de Puniet   Honda     (M)  +  26.037
10.  Loris Capirossi   Suzuki    (B)  +  26.799
11.  Toni Elias        Ducati    (B)  +  27.027
12.  Anthony West      Kawasaki  (B)  +  47.808
13.  John Hopkins      Kawasaki  (B)  +  48.333
14.  Sylvain Guintoli  Ducati    (B)  +  48.899
15.  Chris Vermeulen   Suzuki    (B)  +  48.935
16.  Marco Melandri    Ducati    (B)  +1:11.767

Retirements:

     Rider             Bike           Laps
     Dani Pedrosa      Honda     (B)    0
     Alex de Angelis   Honda     (B)    0

Here are highlights of the Spanish National Team training at Madrid
today before they head to Estonia, & then to Belgium for their World
Cup 2010 Group qualifying games. The bad news from today’s
session is the injury to David Capel (Sevilla FC) who will miss both
games & Santi Cazorla (Villareal) who was injuried today after contesting
a ball with Pepe Reina & will attempt to recover in time. Should be OK.
Also under a “cloud” are Iniesta, Albiol & Puyol who should be ok &
ready on time.