The Raleigh Reds Team

Archive for January, 2008

Ron Seigel asked:




As a luxury real estate marketing professional, seeking market leadership, have you ever considered teaming up with another superstar in your marketplace to better compete with the current market leader or to secure your market leadership position? Sometimes joining forces can yield better results for both of you, more so than your combined production as separate players. The buzz that could be created by an announcement of your partnership may be just what you are looking for to catch the competition off guard and tip the scale in your favor.

Are you a LeBron James fan or foe? The latest media frenzy that centered on his “big decision” to stay in Cleveland or “take his talents elsewhere” (namely Miami) has polarized basketball fans the world over. Like him or not ESPN scored a major coup in created an hour long TV “special” around the decision and triggering a controversy heard around the globe. This level of hype for a sports news company has overshadowed its closest competitors. What is at stake? Being able to attract more advertising dollars both on TV and online–that is what is at stake.

To compete with ESPN, Turner’s sports division is about to take control of the Web business of Sports Illustrated, owned by Time Warner’s Time Inc. magazine unit. The partnership will combine Sports Illustrated’s SI.com and Golf.com with a the websites managed by Turner Sports, including NBA.com, Nascar.com and PGA.com.

Time Warner estimates that the combination of websites will reach 40 million unique monthly visitors in the United States. To put this in perspective, according to comScore Inc., Yahoo was the most-popular online sports destination in May, with 35.9 million unique visitors. ESPN, which is owned by Walt Disney Company, had 25.4 million in the same period.

If joining forces with a competing luxury real estate agent indicates to you as a good decision, be very careful how you brand your new team. “Turner/SI Digital” is nowhere close to being as powerful as simply Sports Illustrated Digital. Perhaps this is just a working name for now, but brand name recognition should be of paramount importance in your “big decision”.

Kris Saelen asked:




Baseball strength training and conditioning programs depend on the quality of coaching. The importance of coach is not negligible. If a coach is not well-experienced about baseball strength development, then it may lead to shoulder pain or shoulder injuries.

Normally, it is observed that more attention is paid on traditional body building and weight lifting methods. But in baseball, such traditional workouts create trouble and result in unpleasant incidents.

In baseball strength training and conditioning programs, care should be given in exercise selection. More concentration should be given on rotator cuff exercises. It should not be neglected in any case.

The best training and conditioning programs are divided into two categories. They suggest exercises for upper and lower body separately and consider the sensitivity of all organs. The purpose of the programs is to build strength and not to hold risks. This program teaches you better about risk handling.

The upper body exercises are carried out with low weight and lower body exercises with heavy weight. In traditional upper body exercises, push ups are more important. They strengthen the shoulder muscles and rotator cuff. Push ups are more preferable than bench presses. However, bench presses can also be done, yet it should be worked out with great care and concern. Only dumbbells should be used instead of heavy weights. Otherwise, injuries may occur.

Force, strength and speed are significant and vital when it comes to baseball. If the thrower is not able to throw the ball at high velocity then his participation in the team will be a question? In the same way, hitter should be able to hit the ball with extra force and power.

The basic and key purpose of baseball strength training program is to build confidence and also get protection from injuries. In training programs, any little things should not be neglected. Smalls things can make conspicuous difference and can improve your performance.

The major objective of every baseball player is to enhance and increase maximal strength in order to give power-packed hits. When better level of energy is produced, they of course help you in hitting the ball with complete strength. In this contest, bigger muscles are not important, instead stronger muscles are essential.

To enhance the maximal strengths, strength training programs should practice of plyometric exercises for both upper body and lower body. Kicking, jumping, quick changes in directions, sprinting are the most important exercises. Medicine ball exercises should also be incorporated in strength programs. It is a good idea and approach to gain strength, and further convert it into sport specific programs.

Baseball is a game in which sudden movements, reactions and variety of angles are involved. The players should have to respond with explosive power in accurate for achieving winning contest. Baseball strength training and conditioning programs should be developed, supervised and progressed by the experts of concerned field.

Michael Russell asked:




You hear talk about somebody being a 5 tool baseball player. These athletes are very few and far in between. Five tool players are the highest paid players in the game if you can even find them. But what exactly is meant by a 5 tool player? How do you know when somebody actually fits this description? We’re going to present the basic definition of what a 5 tool player is and why these are such a rare breed.

A 5 tool player is one that has great speed, can hit for average, hit for power, a great throwing arm and is excellent defensively. Let’s take a look at each of these separately.

Players with great speed are hard enough to find. Most of these are usually lead off hitters because they are needed to get on base and steel bases in order to get into scoring positions. Most lead off hitters are mostly contact hitters and don’t hit for much power. So right there, finding somebody with great speed and somebody with power is already hard enough.

But then we get to somebody who can hit for average. This is something that can easily be linked together with just about any of the other tools but one, hitting for power. In order to hit for power, you have to either be incredibly strong or swing the bat very hard. When you do this, it is hard to hit for average because you are more prone to striking out a lot. Most power hitters strike out over 100 times a year. These people usually don’t hit for a high average.

Then of course there is the person who just hits for power alone. This is not very common by itself. Take a look at the list of home run leaders in the major leagues and you’ll see that out of the hundreds of players that play the game the list isn’t any more than a dozen or so. Therefor, finding somebody who hits for power by itself is not an easy task. Finding speed, power and the ability to hit for average is very rare. And that’s only 3 tools.

Then we come to fielding. Defense is something that requires a lot of practice. They talk about somebody having soft hands. That’s a person who catches just about anything hit to him no matter how hard. The great fielders in the game defensively are a select few by themselves. Now add that to the other 3 tools and the list narrows even more.

But we’re still not done. Then there is the matter of a player’s throwing arm. Most of your best throwing arms are actually pitchers because they need to be able to throw hard to get hitters out. Pitchers certainly don’t hit for power. Many short stops and third basemen have good arms but very few of them hit for power, let alone have all 5 tools.

So as you can see, a 5 tool player is indeed a rare breed. So many power hitters are very big and therefore very slow. Tall, thin, fast players don’t usually hit for power. And yet, there have been a number of 5 tool players in the game of baseball, including Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds.