Sports Pumpkins

Happy Halloween everyone! I decided to do something a little different for today's post. I searched the web for some awesome sports-related pumpkin carvings, enjoy! Ref. allthingsheartandhome.com, mlb.com, terezowens.com, yahoo.com

Michael Jordan

Tiger Woods

Paul Konerko

LeBron James

Miscommunication to the Bullpen

In Monday night's World Series game, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa called out to the bullpen like he has done thousands of times in his managerial career. However, Monday was different. Two separate times the bullpen coach misheard the request of LaRussa. The first resulted in Mark Rzcepcynski staying in the game longer than LaRussa had hoped. The extra batter faced by Rzcepcynski hit what turned out to be the game winning double. Later LaRussa was forced to bring in Lance Lynn instead of closer Jason Motte.

It is amazing to think that in today's mobile world, a manager in the World Series could still have phone issues. I wonder if this will lead to a change in communication between the dugout and the bullpen. Maybe next year we will see new White Sox manager Robin Ventura tweeting or texting his requests to the bullpen.

iBike Coach For Your iPhone

iBike Coach is a new system that works with iPhones to act as a bike computer. This new product combines a shock and water resistant case and universal mount to work seamlessly with an iPhone app to track various aspects of cycling. Some examples of data that is tracked include speed, distance, time and maps. The application is downloadable from iTunes and works with features already on your iPhone including GPS, music and calendar to enhance the cycling experience.

iBike Coach set will be available at Target and other major retailers for ~$69.95 and includes a free 6-month premium subscription to Strava.com. According to a press release, “Strava.com online social fitness site lets cyclists all over the world log, share, compare and compete with each other’s personal fitness data.” This interesting combination package of case/mount and app is targeted to all types of riders from beginners to athletes. Ref. sport.tmcnet.com, thomas-pr.com,

Michael Phelps Swimming Lessons In Your Living Room

Michael Phelps has a new swimming video game perfect for people with aquaphobia. Phelps teamed up with Xbox 360’s Kinect system to make “Michael Phelps: Push the Limit.” Instead of controllers, players use their body to simulate different swimming strokes. Phelps even does voiceover coaching to help players improve their stroke.

Phelps said in an interview with cnn.com that he is a lifelong gamer and thinks this videogame could help swimmers and nonswimmers alike improve their swimming. He feels this game may help build confidence for those who are afraid to swim in actual water. He went on to say that he really likes how this technology engages fans of swimming, especially during non-Olympic years.

It will be interesting to see how successful this game becomes. Michael Phelps is iconic and has fans all around the world, which will defiantly help boost sales. However the concept of ‘swimming’ in your living room just seems a little strange. Although if the game really is as lifelike as Phelps describes, it might just make a big splash in the world of gaming. Ref. cnn.com, michaelphelpsgame.com

Enjoy the View...From the Ball?

Have you ever wondered what it looks like to walk up to the plate and hit a homerun in an MLB game? Well, there are athletes out there who know what that looks like. However nobody has seen the view from that baseball; being smashed by a bat, flying across the field and into the stands…but that all could change.

A prototype for a new throwable ball consists of 36 mobile phone cameras surrounded by a layer of advanced protective foam. The camera automatically captures a panorama that can be viewed in a specialized application on any standard PC. Users can then zoom into different parts of the picture, giving a really unique 360 degree vantage point.

Right now the ball is in early development and would, of course, need to be made super durable and meet other regulations to be used in professional sports. However this ball is already capturing fascinating pictures that allow a user to see things that humans have not seen before. Beyond that, imagine the application to professional sports? This ball could practically eliminate the need for goal-line technology, challenges and spotting the ball. The box could follow the view from within the ball, and everyone would know for certain whether the ball crossed a plane or flew foul.

Check out the below video to see it in action. This is one video that absolutely needs to be seen to appreciate the value of this technology. To all my Kindle readers, this is definitely one worth viewing on your computer. Ref. thepostgame.com

Londoners Take Steps Toward Green Energy

Walkers in the central crossing between the Olympic stadium and Westfield Stratford City mall in London will be taking more impactful strides. As they walk, they will actually be helping generate enough energy to power approximately half of the mall’s outdoor lighting needs. 20 specially designed tiles will be installed throughout the crossing. According to cnn.com “The recycled rubber "PaveGen" paving slabs harvest kinetic energy from the impact of people stepping on them and instantly deliver tiny bursts of electricity to nearby appliances. The slabs can also store energy for up to three days in an on-board battery…”

How these slabs convert the energy has been kept secret, though it is known that these tiles compress 5 millimeters when they are stepped on. As for cost, developer of this technology 25 year old Laurence Kemball-Cook said, "As with all things of this nature, on a large scale and in the long term, its success will be determined by how cost-effective it is to produce ... If it turns out to be expensive, then it will struggle to find a place as anything more than a niche application."

This technology reminds me of the sOccket soccer ball that leverages “movement of the ball [which] forces a magnet through a coil that induces a voltage to generate electricity.“ sOccket was created by young women in college in hopes of helping kids in Africa power their lights at night from energy genered through play during the day. To read my article on sOccket, click here. I absolutely love the idea of harnessing energy generated from sports and activities to power lights. Both sOccket and PaveGen are conceptually brilliant, but will face roadblocks in widespread adoption due to cost. Hopefully both can get off the ground and inspire others to look at sports in a new, more powerful way. Ref. cnn.com, Pic Ref. cnn.com

Farthest Reaching Athletes on Social Media

Curious which athletes have the farthest reach in the world of social media? Fanpagelist.com lists the most popular athletes, celebrities, politicians and organizations on Facebook and Twitter. Many athletes have made names for themselves (for better or worse) on social media, but who actually reaches the most people may surprise you.

Below is the list of the 5 athletes with the highest number of Facebook fans:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo - 34,869,980 Facebook Fans

2. Lionel Messi (Leo Messi) - 25,698,556 Facebook Fans

3. David Beckham - 13,983,572 Facebook Fans

4. Michael Jordan - 13,779,538 Facebook Fans

5. Ricardo Kakà - 11,563,286 Facebook Fans




This is the list of the 5 athletes with highest number of Twitter followers

1. Ricardo Kakà - 6,298,368 Twitter Followers

2. Cristiano Ronaldo - 4,620,674 Twitter Followers

3. Shaquille O'Neal - 4,411,698 Twitter Followers

4. Lance Armstrong - 3,081,046 Twitter Followers

5. Chad Ochocinco - 2,865,388 Twitter Followers

U.S. Weightlifter Fundraises Via Web 2.0 Sites

Sarah Robles was chosen by the London Olympic Committee and the International Weightlifting Federation to be the sole US representative at the weightlifting Olympic Test Event. There are two classes for women lifting and two for men. Only 12 people per weight class (48 total) from across the world were invited to compete at this Test Event. Robles is a 3X National Champion and 3X World Team Member.

The event will take place December 10th and 11th in London, England. The USAW (USA Weightlifting) does not cover airfare to this event, so Robles is leveraging Web 2.0 technologies as a means for fundraising. Ways to donate to her cause have been published on the Performance One Advanced Sports Training Facebook page and website, and a buzz has been created on various sports blogs.

Robles is an accomplished athlete and has looked to different mediums to hopefully raise enough cash to compete in London. If interested, people can help 3 different ways: donate to her cause directly through PayPal via the Performance One webpage, purchase an Arizona Strong t-shirt, or attend an Olympic Weightlifting seminar. Ref. PerformanceOne.net, Womentalksports.com Pic Ref. Womentalksports.com

Golfers Take to Twitter In Hopes of Landing The Cover of Tiger Woods PGA Tour

"Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13" will let Facebook fans decide who will appear beside Woods on the next video game cover. Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS) will be launching two different covers based on territory in March 2012. One cover will feature Woods with one of the following eight American golfers: Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Rocco Mediate and Bubba Watson. The other cover will have Woods alongside one of the following eight European golfers: Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Ross Fisher, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Edoardo Molinari, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose.

Fans will have the opportunity to vote via a Facebook app that pits golfers against one another in a bracket. The winner of each match-up (as voted on Facebook) advances to the next round until one American and one European golfer are crowned the winners on October 24, 2011.

According to Bloomberg, the pool of sixteen golfers were chosen based on their “world rankings, in-season tour standing and popularity as measured by followers on Twitter, Facebook and their own website.” The social media frenzy has begun with different athletes turning to their Twitter fans to help them advance to the next round. Some golfers are becoming quite competitive. While @ZachJohnsonPGA has been retweeting fans for votes, @bubbawatson is pulling out the big guns and Tweet pleaing to Justin Bieber. Ref. bloomberg.com, facebook.com