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Diver finds home at Missouri

waitingfordistance — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Kendra Melnychuk has had a special freshman year at the University of Missouri. She found a new home at MU, which is different in many ways from her hometown, and she is one of four MU divers to qualify for the NCAA Zone Diving competition this weekend in Columbia.

Melnychuk hails from Saskatoon, the largest city in Saskatchewan, the middle province of Canada. Saskatchewan is known for its hockey players. It produces more NHL players than any other province or state.

Although Melnychuk played hockey as a child with friends in the street, diving is her sport and was her ticket out of Canada. Canadian universities do not hand out athletic scholarships. If Melnychuk wanted to go to school on her diving talent, then she had to leave her home country.

��It has been my life goal to get a scholarship to the states for sports,�� Melnychuk said.

She followed diver Aaron Wionzek, a senior who no longer dives for the team, to MU from their hometown. She has known Wionzek since she was 7.

��He would call me almost every week telling me how great MU was, and so I really did not even look anywhere else,�� Melnychuk said.

By the time she was 8, Melnychuk had been swimming competitively for a year. At that point,Dortmund shirt, though, she switched to diving and began her career.

��I always spent more time at swim practice in the shallows watching the divers, and my mom asked me if I would like to dive, thinking that I would quit in two months,�� Melnychuk said.

Her parents let her go to the Saskatoon University diving camp, her first experience with the sport.

��We never would have dreamed of having her try it, but she developed a talent for it,�� Dick Melnychuk,Bayern Munich shirt, her father, said.

After that, she just kept going. In her first year of competition in 1997, she made it to the Canadian Nationals meet in Victoria, British Columbia. Melnychuk continued to improve while diving for the Saskatoon diving club team.

Canada doesn��t have high school sports like the United States does, so she led two different lives while growing up.

��I was two different people because I had my school life and my diving life,�� Melnychuk said. ��I did not really like school much, but when I was at the pool I was really happy and outgoing.��

Now she��s going through her freshman year of college and experiencing all the normal problems that come with it. She said that doing her own laundry and getting her own meals for the first time has been exciting.

��I get to start my life over and it is one of the greatest things to happen in my life,�� Melnychuk said.

Missouri diving coach James Sweeney said that Melnychuk has done a great job, both in the pool and in her first year of college.

��She went through all the freshman stuff, but she never complained and now when you look at her, you can tell she is at home here,�� Sweeney said.

Although her parents live to the north by about 1,429 miles, they still manage to follow their daughter��s career.

��We miss having the access to be at her meets and support her, but we can still keep up with her through the internet and talking to her after the meets,�� her father said.

Melnychuk has reacted well to her transition. Her first year of NCAA diving has been successful.

She finished first in both the 1-meter and 3-meter board events in several meets including the Nebraska,Valencia shirt, Drury, and Illinois/Iowa meets. Further, she finished third in both the 3-meter and platform diving events at the Big 12 Conference Championships.

��She has done amazing and has been performing very well,Sunderland shirt,�� Sweeney said.

Saying that her mother still expects her to quit in two months, Melnychuk continues her preparations for the NCAA Zone meet. She said she does not have any expectations and has been working hard and enjoying herself.

��I am in no place to expect anything,�� she said. ��This being my first zones, the only thing I will know for sure is what the pool looks like.��

The NCAA Zone D diving competition begins 10 a.m. Friday. The meet is at the Mizzou Aquatic Center, inside the Student Recreation Complex, and MU will have senior Evan Watters diving on the men��s side. Senior Nicole Frazier, junior Kim Massaro will join Melnychuk for the women��s squad. Zones is the qualifying meet for the NCAA national meet, and five advancement spots exist for the men and six for the women.

Young Cougars falter

waitingfordistance — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:29:00 +0000

Losing one All-American player to graduation can be extremely challenging. Replacing three is difficult on an entirely new level. But that’s what the Columbia College women’s basketball team is facing this season.

All-Americans Charliss Ridley, Tiffany Foote and Lisa Kowalewski have moved on.

“We lost over 6,500 career total points from last year,” coach Mike Davis said. “We have to move on. Those players are gone,Manchester City shirt, and we have to get better without them.”

With only one Cougars player in the starting lineup returning from last year’s 31-6 squad that made it to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament, Columbia dropped its season opener 73-68 to MidAmerica Nazarene on Tuesday night at Southwell Complex.

Junior forward LeAnn Fossum,Atletico Madrid shirt, an All-American Midwest Conference player last season, is the Cougars’ lone familiar face. She says this season is her opportunity to shine.

“I’m excited for the new beginning for me,Villareal shirt,” Fossum said. “I won’t play all that differently, but I have to be more of a leader now.”

Fossum took advantage of seeing more touches by scoring 19 points for the Cougars, 10 points above her average last season. But Fossum also stood out in other ways, repeatedly diving for loose balls in the middle of a pile of players.

“LeAnn is an active player,” Davis said. “She involves herself on lots of plays. She works hard every minute that she’s out there.”

Fossum snatched six rebounds, five of those on the offensive boards. She also had three steals in the game, and forced two jump balls on the defensive end of the court.

However, sometimes Fossum’s aggressiveness and desire to get a loose ball can get her into trouble, which was the case Tuesday night.

Fossum sat on the bench much of the second half with four fouls. As she watched,Bordeaux shirt, MidAmerica Nazarene built a 51-44 lead.

“It’s tremendously important that she stays out of foul trouble,” Davis said. “We have to figure out a way to play hard and not foul out. We’re going to need extended minutes out of LeAnn this year. We need 30 minutes from her every game.”

Pinkel addresses Missouris inability to maintain emotional stability against Texas

waitingfordistance — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:28:00 +0000

COLUMBIA Missouri coach Gary Pinkel often talks to his team about “emotional stability.” It is his term for telling his players to never get too excited or too mad, no matter the situation.

“Its in a game where youre in control, you have to remain focused regardless of all of the atmosphere, all of the surroundings, everything thats happened,” Pinkel said. “Whether you just had the worst play you ever had, or you had the greatest play you ever had. Can you get back and emotionally be stable as an athlete? And we use that term, or if you lose control on the sidelines. If you lose control, youre of no value to our football team.”

Pinkel lists the atmosphere of the stadium and big plays for the opponent as two major hurdles in maintaining emotional stability.

Saturdays game against Texas provided plenty of both. The Longhorns had 400 yards of total offense and 71,004 fans showed up to Memorial Stadium to watch Texas beat Missouri 41-7.

“When the bullets are firing, its just kind of like who can stay calm,Kaizer Chiefs shirt, who can be poised and stuff like that,” linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. “We didnt do a great job of that Saturday night.”

Weatherspoon said frustration Saturday night made problems worse.

“When things were going wrong, we didnt respond the way we should have,” he said.

Pinkel said his defense had not had communication issues this season before the Texas game. He said there were a few plays where defensive players had a lack of communication Saturday and attributed the problem to a lack of emotional stability,Football shirts, an inability to stay focused and make sure of the play the team is running.

“A lot of things are happening,” he said. “Which ultimately you lose focus, a lot of those things. And theyre all inexcusable.”

Pinkel said communication issues were not the only problem for the defense in the Texas game.

“Thats one or two plays,” Pinkel said. “Obviously theyre all serious. But we just didnt play very good defense.”

Now, the Missouri defense is preparing for Saturdays game at Colorado.

“Theyve certainly had their ups and downs, but theyre still a good football team,” Pinkel said of the Buffaloes. “They had a great win against Kansas, which I just got done watching on film again.”

The Buffaloes have used two quarterbacks this season, Cody Hawkins, son of coach Dan Hawkins, and Tyler Hansen. Hawkins was the teams original starter, Hansen has started the teams past two games.

“The new quarterback is a good young player that can run,” Pinkel said. “And very athletic,Porto shirt, Hansen. So we have our challenges.”

Pinkel said hes preparing for the possibility facing both quarterbacks Saturday.

“I think they will,” he said. “Weve seen that before, I think coach Hawkins came out and said that, for certain,Juventus shirt, if they were in a two-minute situation (needing a quick drive late in the game), they would use his son.”

Pinkel provided an injury update at his Monday news conference. Linebacker Luke Lambert is doubtful for Saturdays game at Colorado with a dislocated shoulder. Defensive back Munir Prince is also doubtful with a hamstring injury.

Without Klein, Missouri volleyball team falls to Nebraska

waitingfordistance — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:27:00 +0000

COLUMBIA For two weeks junior outside hitter Juliana Klein has been battling sickness. Whether its a lingering cold or the flu, shes not sure. But it kept her sidelined for the first time Saturday night against Nebraska.

“Its never fun to sit on the sidelines and have to watch my team out there play,Bordeaux shirt,” Klein said. “Its really hard especially with a team like Nebraska. Theyre a great team.”

The Tigers fell to Nebraska 25-17, 25-15, 21-25. 25-13, dropping their first home match of the season.

“Its definitely no fun,Inter Milan shirt,” Klein said.” I wish that I could have been out there defending the court, helping my teammates. We take so much pride in winning at home. It hits that much harder when we lose at home.”

Without Klein, the Tigers leading hitter, coach Wayne Kreklow was forced to make some major adjustments.

“We didnt have a lot of time to make those changes,” Kreklow said. “When we found out yesterday that shes not going to be able to play today, it just gives you one practice to try to really go with a whole new look. Even though theres only one change in there a little bit, one big change creates other subtle changes.”

For the first time in her career, junior middle blocker Weiwen Wang had to step out and play outside hitter. She had eight kills on the night, but was disappointed with her performance after the match.

“Nobody else on the team could play outside,Juventus shirt, so I had to step out to help the team,” Wang said. “Even though Im not very good at that, Im trying my best out there. As a middle Im always hitting early. Sometimes Im still not used to it when Im on the outside. Im still hitting a little bit early and Im not very good at it.”

Considering the late switch and tough competition, Kreklow was pleased with how Wang played.

“She got kind of thrown into a tough spot,” Kreklow said. “I was really proud of her. I thought she did a really nice job of holding her own. On top of getting thrown out there the first time at left side hitter, you get thrown out against Nebraska, so it was a tough position for her to be in.”

And while the Tigers appeared upset after the loss, junior libero Caitlyn Vann was able to find a positive from the night.

“Im just really proud of our team,” Vann said. “Losing one key player, a lot of teams would have just folded over and we didnt do that. Everybody stepped up a little bit. We were in an uncomfortable position, but did the best with what we had.”

Still, Klein wonders what would have happened if she was out there.

“I did everything I could,” Klein said. “If Im not out there on the floor,Werder Bremen shirt, Im trying to talk strategy, telling people theyre doing a great job. Theres only so much you can do sitting there. Whether or not I could contribute, I dont know how things would turn out. I wish that I knew if I could have helped the team.”

Gage family-eager for his Super debut

waitingfordistance — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:26:00 +0000

Gage family<br /> eager for his Super debut

A 13-year-old boy prepares to punt a rubber football as far as his leg can.

The scene around him is more wish-you-were-here postcard than football stadium. The calmly swaying palm trees and eternal ocean are in sharp contrast to the sweaty clash of muscles and shoulder pads that typify football.

Former MU standout Justin Gage now plays for the Bears. His parents, Ernestine, left, and Al Gage, and his sister, Taylor, from Jefferson City, will be in Miami today to see the Bears play the Colts in Super Bowl XLI.

(STEVE REMICH/Missourian)

Now the boy, wearing a Kansas City Chiefs jersey for his hometown team, finds the laces on the rubber ball. As he brings his hand back to throw, it��s unknown whether he takes a look around at the surreal Hawaiian landscape. We don��t know if he caught a glimpse of his smiling parents in the crowd.

When he kicks the ball off the tee in the final round of the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick competition, we don��t know if he was dreaming bigger than this or if he was just caught up in the moment.

Because for most children at 13, this would be as good as it gets. Hawaii. The Pro Bowl. The finals of a nationwide competition for boys and girls. The rest of life is unavoidably downhill, muddied with deadlines and bosses and income taxes.

But this particular boy was different.

This particular boy would go on to be a star for the Missouri basketball and football teams and would be drafted into the NFL.

This particular boy would play on the world��s biggest stage: the Super Bowl.

This boy is Justin Gage.

As Gage, now a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears, basks in the warmth of Miami this week,Birmingham shirt, his proud parents bask in the successful season of their son��s team.

While some Bears fans are caught up in a whirlwind of excitement surrounding the Bears�� first Super Bowl appearance since 1986, Ernestine Gage talks about her son with cautious optimism and a calm head that would make Peyton Manning jealous.

Ernestine Gage said her son��s advancement to the finals of the Punt, Pass and Kick competition was one of many big moments in his life, but she acknowledges that there are still many empty pages just waiting to be filled.

For her, admiring her youngest son as he made sports look easy ��since he could walk,�� it didn��t matter what sport he ended up focusing on as he grew into a dominant athlete.

��I never really thought about a specific game, per se, but I strongly believed that he would have enough talent to make it to the NFL or NBA,�� Ernestine Gage said.

Sure enough, Justin Gage played both football and basketball at high school in Jefferson City and then later for the Tigers �� a true testament to his athleticism.

Before enrolling at MU, Justin Gage��s father remembers, Justin Gage didn��t have time to dream of the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals because he was too busy deciding which sport to call home.

At Missouri, the 6-foot-4 receiver began to favor football and started every game from his sophomore year on. His size and athleticism broke Tigers�� records as he emerged as one of the Big 12��s top receivers.

Al Gage, Justin��s father, said his son respectfully studied the game under former football coach Larry Smith and current coach Gary Pinkel.

��Kids don��t do it on their own; they learn from the coaches,�� Al Gage said. ��Each coach brings something different, and you learn as you go.��

But as much as he could learn as a Tiger, Justin Gage was always like Ernie Banks, the Chicago Cub who played for the perennial (but lovable) losers. Gage, too, was a standout athlete on a mediocre team.

Missouri was 16-29 in the Justin Gage era, but that meager record didn��t make NFL scouts blink. Ernestine Gage said hearing her son��s name officially attached to an NFL team was a defining moment in his life. The Bears drafted him in the fifth round in 2003, the same draft that saw Chicago tap Rex Grossman as their quarterback of the future.

Three-piece-suit-wearing analysts have ridiculed Grossman all season for his inconsistent, sometimes shaky play, but Al Gage sees potential in the Bears�� young signal caller.

��I used to say to Rex all the time,Bayern Munich shirt, just relax and play,�� Al Gage said. ��He really is a good person, and he really is a pretty good quarterback. In time, people will be talking about Grossman in the same light that they��ve talked about some of the current named quarterbacks, like Peyton.��

It��s no coincidence that Al Gage chose that particular star quarterback as a muse for Grossman; the two will meet today to settle the debate temporarily as to which quarterback is the better big-game guy on the biggest stage in sports.

Justin Gage��s parents are just grateful to be on any stage at all. Missouri didn��t play a bowl game during Justin Gage��s years as a Tiger from 1999 to 2002. This, Al Gage said, was a great disappointment for Justin Gage.

But come on. Even Vince Young and Matt Leinart would trade their impressive collegiate successes for a shot at the coveted Lombardi Trophy and a diamond ring.

Some athletes will pour their soul into lengthy NFL careers but never play in a single Super Bowl.

At 26, Justin Gage has that fleeting chance, and you can bet his family will be there,Sunderland shirt, just like they��ve been at every Bears home game and as many away games as they could. Just like they were at every Missouri game they could manage.

Al and Ernestine Gage spoke of their trip to Florida with the excitement of eager children on the way to the slopes of Colorado,Football shirts, minus the annoying chants and backseat songs, of course.

Justin Gage��s parents, his girlfriend, his sister and his two older brothers are in South Florida today.

And though Al Gage said he��d be there for Super Bowl XLI even if it were in Alaska, he��s grateful for the dreamy destination.

Today��s forecast for Miami: cloudy with a chance of rain and 77 degrees.

Today��s forecast for Columbia: snow flurries and 27 degrees.

Al Gage is almost rubbing it in.

��I really feel bad for those of you who remain in mid-Missouri,�� he said. ��We��ll try to bask up as much sun as we can on y��all��s behalf. I don��t think we��re feeling that bad about it.��

While the Gage family is the target of mid-Missouri��s meteorological jealousy, Justin Gage should be the focus of its pride.

Words that heartwarming could only come from a loving mother.

��It says a lot for all of Missouri and the young folk who are coming up and who might think that they don��t have it. If they can stick to whatever program they��re working in, they too can do it,�� Ernestine Gage said. ��What I like to tell people is that he��s Missouri��s kid. Everyone in Missouri owns a piece of him. That makes me most proud.��

There��s a tinge of irony in Ernestine Gage��s words, however.

Though he is Missouri��s kid now, Justin Gage was Indianapolis�� baby. He was born in the enemy��s lair, but the family escaped while he was in kindergarten. And don��t worry. Al Gage assures everyone that his son never sported a horseshoe-laden bib or Colts pacifier.

And there��s no question what side Al Gage and his wife are on.

��Da Bears,�� he said. ��I genuinely believe the Bears will take it. It��s probably not going to be as close as a lot of people think.��

Though Justin Gage��s playing time this season hasn��t been quite what his parents and supporters believe it should be, he is always learning from what he sees on the sidelines.

Constantly watching teammates run routes and dissecting opposing cover schemes from the sidelines may seem like tedious, thankless work, but Al Gage said his son welcomes any role.

��He��s a student of the game; he watches it, and he understands it,�� Al Gage said. ��He really enjoys it, but he��ll enjoy it a lot more if he��s allowed to get in the game.��

Either way, his parents will be watching proudly, just like they watched him on another field in another tropical locale 13 years ago.

They won��t paint their faces, but Ernestine Gage assures us that it will be quite easy to tell which team the Gage family is supporting.

��Oh come on please,�� Ernestine Gage said. ��The Bears.��

Extensive traveling allows Rock Bridge girls basketball team to bond

waitingfordistance — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:25:00 +0000

COLUMBIA For the Rock Bridge girls basketball team, Interstate 70 is a familiar sight.

Thats because the Bruins spend hours upon hours traveling across the state of Missouri, even sometimes Illinois, just to play high school basketball games.

Wednesday’s district opener

Class 5, District 9 semifinals

Rock Bridge (20-5) vs. Smith-Cotton (15-10)

WHEN: 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Jefferson City High School

But dont think the Bruins are complaining about the situation. Senior Taylor Payne said she enjoys racking up the miles on the team bus.

“I think the traveling has been good,” Payne said. “Someone will be blasting music or telling stories.”

This season, Rock Bridge has played 18 of its 25 regular-season games away from home. The Bruins’ extensive travel plans are the result of not belonging to a conference.

The Bruins used to be a part of the North Central Missouri Conference, but the disparity in terms of size of school and athletes became too much, and Rock Bridge decided to split from the NCMC.*

Bruins coach Jill Nagel said she feels somewhat helpless when it comes to scheduling.

“We are at the mercy of the other schools,” Nagel said. “A lot of times we may have to play a St. Louis school one night and a Kansas City school the next night, just to fill our schedule.”

The Bruins are making the best of the situation,Dortmund shirt, though.

Payne and her teammates use the time spent traveling as an opportunity to learn about each other. The long bus rides give the players time to delve into each others private lives, while also staying focused on basketball.

“We play cards occasionally, tell stories or talk about our plans,Atletico Madrid shirt,” Payne said. “Well even talk about someones boyfriend, but normally towards the end, we talk more about the game.”

The Bruins spend a lot of time together, even staying at hotels when games run late. Earlier this season while competing in the Webster Winter Challenge in Webster Groves, the team spent a few days at a Holiday Inn. For sophomore Hannah Dressler,* the experience was a blast.

“It was fun,” Dressler* said. “We all stayed in just a few rooms and just talked about things, anything. We went over scouting reports in the hotel and ate food together. We even had a curfew.”

All the time spent together on the road hasnt hurt the Bruins on the court. The Bruins capped off their regular season Thursday with a victory over Helias Catholic,Manchester City shirt, giving them 20 wins on the season. Bruins coach Jill Nagel said she thinks the constant traveling keeps the girls priorities in order.

“It definitely helps,” Nagel said. “I think it helps with their focus because this is a very academic group, and they are forced to do time management. They have tests and homework and must get their work done before the games.”

Senior Emily Holt said she can sense the teams intensity rise the closer the team bus gets to its destination.

“We start focusing in,” Holt said. “We put in our iPods and get pumped for the game.”

The schedule can be exhausting, but Nagel sees advantages, too.

“We are able to schedule a tougher schedule because we are not limited to playing conference games,” Nagel said. “If you are in a conference you dont get a say in your strength of schedule, conference-wise.”

The Bruins are approaching the Class 5, District 9 tournament, which begins Wednesday in Jefferson City. Nagel said this is where the tough regular season schedule begins to pay off.

“You get to the playoffs like we are now, and youre not going to have any weak teams,AS Roma shirt,” Nagel said. “Youre going to have to win six tough games so you might as well be prepared for it.”

If Rock Bridge is successful at its district tournament, it will advance to state sectionals.*

Perhaps then it will be time to give the bus driver a raise.

Tigers young, but confident

waitingfordistance — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:24:00 +0000

Although the Missouri volleyball team is young, that hasn’t decreased the expectations placed on it.

Six of the 14 players are freshmen. Mary Lauren Smith and Juliana Godoi are the only seniors.

Despite the youth, MU is ranked in the preseason polls for the first time. The Tigers are ranked No. 21 in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25. They also are coming off the team’s best season in which the Tigers went 26-8 and won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time.

Still,Peru football shirt, coach Susan Kreklow said she feels as if the team can build from last year’s showing by taking it slowly.

“A day at a time, a practice at a time, trying to put themselves in position to be competitive at the end of the season so that they can compete in the tournament,” Kreklow said.

The season opens Friday when the Tigers host the second annual Tiger Invitational. MU will play Montana State at 7 p.m. The Bobcats went 21-10 last season and finished third in the Big Sky Conference. Toledo and Arkansas are also playing. Arkansas went 27-6 last season, and Toledo was 11-19. Although the season opens this weekend, the starting positions have not been filled. The Tigers don’t know who will start at middle blocker. Junior Jenny Duitsman,Manchester City shirt, sophomores Lindsey Noll and Lisa Boyd and freshmen Nicole Wilson and Kijuana Sherrod are fighting for the spot.

The freshmen will have to prove they can handle the pace of play.

“I think the biggest adjustment for the freshmen coming in is just to become comfortable with the level of play and the speed of play,” Kreklow said.

Outside hitters will play a larger roll in MU’s offense this season. Freshman Jessica Vander Kooi is expected to make an immediate impact, starting on the right side. Vander Kooi was named a national top 50 recruit last year. Smith is also a major focus for the offense.

Shen Danru, a sophomore, is one of the top returning players. Danru, an outside hitter, set the school record with 64 aces last season. She also is MU’s career kills per game leader, averaging 3.91.

Sophomore Lindsey Hunter, a setter, says the key is not focusing on the youth.

“I think the main thing that we can do is try to get past the fact that we’re really young,” Hunter said.

Hunter is the Tigers’ career leader in assists per game, averaging 14.08.

The Tigers have eight returning players,Fulham shirt, but will have to rely on freshmen, who have impressed others.

“I was surprised at how well (the freshmen) came in and did,” Smith said.

The Black and Gold scrimmage last week was a good chance for the freshmen to adjust.

“I think that it was really good for (the freshmen) to be able to get out and play in front of a crowd and just get their nerves out,l.a.galaxy shirt,” Smith said.

Godoi said she is not worried about the team’s youth.

“All the teams end up having the same age pretty much, so we’re not dealing with us being really young and the other teams being really old, it’s just a couple of years’ difference,” Godoi said. “After they pass that stage of like, ‘We’re freshmen, I’m nervous, I’ve never done this before,’ we’re going to be just fine.”

Fantasy Baseball Platoons- Know Your Split Stats

waitingfordistance — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:23:00 +0000

Platoons. Baseball Managers are well-known for using them all the time to play the odds and help ensure a better success rate. Knowing players’ tendencies and acting on them has long been a strategy employed by baseball Managers (early notables include Earl Weaver and Casey Stengel) and coaches alike. Not content to simply utilize lefty-righty matchups in their batting line-ups, Managers will also use their bullpen according to previous success rates against certain opposing hitters. Using this same tactic can help ensure success in fantasy baseball as well. There are often distinct lefty-righty split stats that can help out any fantasy team.

It can be a benefit to know which pitchers fare better against left-handed or right-handed hitting when setting your line-up. This is generally a rule of thumb however since any Major League line up consists of both LHB and RHB but if you know certain teams that are heavy either way (think Toronto, Detroit, Texas, Milwaukee,Werder Bremen shirt, Houston, Washington for RH-heavy line ups, think Boston, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Atlanta for LH-heavy line-ups), it can help to know which starters stack up better than others.

Charlie Morton (PIT) �C

Traditionally stronger against Right-Handed Batters throughout his career,Juventus shirt, Morton exemplifies this split stat so far in 2011. LHB have hit at a .341 clip against him this season while RHB have fared much worse, hitting only .172 against Morton.

Justin Masterson (CLE) �C

Much like Morton, Masterson feasts on RHB to the tune of 1.17 ERA, .78 WHIP and a .144 BA. Lefties have hit him much better at a .302 clip thus far in 2011. This has been pretty consistent throughout his career so avoiding LH-heavy line-ups may be wise.

Pitchers who have shown success against LHB in 2011 include:

Kyle Lohse (STL), David Price (TB), Ian Kennedy (ARI), Phil Coke (DET)

Pitchers who have shown success against RHB in 2011 include:

Alexei Ogando (TEX), Scott Baker (MIN), Tim Stauffer (SD)

Of much greater use is knowing which hitters fare better against left- or right-handed pitching as you can easily stream them in and out of your line-up based upon their pitching opponent (if you play in leagues which allow daily moves). Let’s look at a few notables:

HITTERS BATTING WELL AGAINST LEFT-HANDED PITCHING:

Geovany Soto (CHC) �C

He is seeing southpaws very well and hitting them at a .419 clip to go with a Ruthian .810 SLG. By comparison, Soto is only batting .176 versus right-handers.

Aaron Rowand (SF) -

Rowand is hitting twice as well (.385 AVG) against lefties as he is against righties (.194 AVG). Also, his slugging % is a very respectable .564 when hitting southpaws but plummets 273 points against right-handers. ?Spot a trend?

Jeff Francoeur (KC) �C

“Frenchy” has hit 5 of his 9 home runs on the season against lefties. What makes this so impressive is that he has 100 less at bats facing LHP than he has against RHP. He has been mashing LHP to the tune of .778 SLG as opposed to slugging only .409 against RHP.

J. P. Arencibia (TOR) -

The Blue Jays’ catcher has hit 3 HR in only 38 AB vs. LHP as opposed to 5 HR in 101 AB against RHP. More importantly, his AVG is 170 points higher against LHP. When facing righties, he is wallowing below the Mendoza Line.

Jerry Sands (LAD) -

The highly-touted rookie has been eating up LHP since joining the Major League ranks with a slash line of .333/.438/.704. Against righties the slash is a horrendous .188/.288/.275. Sure, he’s hitting better in May (after a slow April), but if he doesn’t start hitting RHP, his Major League status could be in trouble.

HITTERS BATTING WELL AGAINST RIGHT-HANDED PITCHING:

Matt Joyce (TB) �C

Just to prove that even the hottest hitters in baseball are not always immune to split stats,Porto shirt, the current AL batting leader is hitting a ML-best .408 against RHP to go with only .190 versus LHP.

Seth Smith (COL) �C

Smith is currently hitting only .214 against LHP and that is 24 points above his career average. Use him against right-handers, where he sports a nifty .328 BA to go along with all 5 of his HR.

Mitch Moreland (TEX) �C

Although there are big hopes of Moreland being more than a platoon player, unless he starts to hit against LHP he could be slated for that role. With Mike Napoli and especially Michael Young hitting lefties very well, Mitch had better start improving upon a .168 BA and an atrocious .190 SLG if he hopes to play every day. In the meantime, you might want to stick to slotting him in your line up against right-handers exclusively.

Carl Crawford (BOS) �C

Known in baseball circles as one of the hardest-working players in the game, Crawford has finally started to heat up at the plate and is now hitting .304 against RHP. He has still yet to get it going against LHP,Sunderland shirt, however. With a pathetic slash line of .115/.169/.180, Crawford is still a risky play against southpaws.

MU closing in on two basketball recruits

waitingfordistance — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:22:00 +0000

Missouri’s basketball coaches continue to recruit and despite not inking any recruits yet, a couple of prospective players seem close to choosing MU.

On Friday, junior college player Stefhon Hannah will be in Columbia for an official recruiting visit according to powermizzou.com. Hannah,Real Madrid shirt, who averaged about 15 points per game at Chipola College in Florida, is ranked No. 25 among junior college transfers by jucojunction.com. Mike Anderson recruited Hannah when he was still at UAB, and is competing with UTEP and Illinois State for the 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard’s commitment.

Missouri is also looking at the possibility of adding some depth at the forward position. Vanderbilt has released DeMarre Carroll, a 6-foot-7 214-pound sophomore, from his scholarship so that he may transfer to either Missouri, UAB, Memphis, Marquette or North Carolina State after the spring semester. But according to the Nashville Tennessean, Carroll told teammates at Vanderbilt he intends to play for his uncle, Anderson, at Missouri. Carroll averaged 10.9 points and more than 6 rebounds last year, starting the final 14 games for the Commodores.

Carroll would have to sit out a year per NCAA rules, but would have two years of eligibility left. Hannah, too, would have two years with the Tigers, but would not have to sit out a season. Missouri is looking to fill holes created by the graduation of starting center Kevin Young and starting guard Jimmy McKinney, and the possible defection of leading scorer Thomas Gardner to the NBA.

Missouri had signed three players to letters of intent in the early signing period, Keon Lawrence of Weequahic High School in Newark, N.J., and Redlands College teammates Ty Morrison and Vaidatos Volkus. Morrison has since been released from his letter, but the other two remain committed to the Tigers.

Lawrence had 35 points, including the winning 3-pointer,l.a.galaxy shirt, 12 rebounds and six assists in the Albert C. Donofrio Classic championship game Tuesday. He was named co-MVP of the tournament,Sevilla shirt, and told the Philadelphia News that he was still considering Villanova as a closer-to-home college option. However, according to powermizzou.com on Wednesday, Lawrence’s high school coach Derrick Butler affirmed that Lawrence would be in Columbia come June.

Gardner, who scored 20 per game for last season’s 12-16 Missouri team, has entered his name for the draft, but has yet to hire an agent, thus maintaining eligibility for his senior season should he not like his NBA chances this year.

New Kansas State coach Bob Huggins has also been recruiting Hannah, and may continue to do so.

Despite scholarship sanctions for one more year following infractions under Quin Snyder,Valencia shirt, Missouri has two scholarships remaining, and the late signing period lasts through May 17.

Common Myths About Weight Training Bodybuilders Despise

waitingfordistance — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:21:00 +0000

For those who are weight training,Lazio shirt, here are the non-truths about weight training:

The 12 rep rule:? Most of the weight training programs out there include this much repetition but this approach places the muscles without enough tension for effective muscle gain.? High tension, heavy weights provide muscle growth in terms of the muscle growing larger and leading the muscle to maximum gain in strength.? If you have longer tension time this will boost the muscle size by generating the structures around your muscle fibers which will improve your indurance.

Typically, the instruction of eight to twelve reps will provide a balance by just using that all of the time.? The problem is, it does not achieve the greater tension levels that are provided by heavier weights with less reps and the longer the tension is achieved the better the build.? Changing the number of reps and adjusting the weights will add to the stimulus of muscle growth.

The three set rule has not really many faults but as well, there really is not much good that can come from it.? The number of sets you perform should be based on your goals and not something that was established a half a century ago.? The more repetitions you do, the fewer sets you should do and vice versa.? This will keep the total of the number of reps done in one set equal.

Doing three or four exercises per group is a waste as well.? Instead, doing two sets of 15 or five sets of 10 will be more beneficial.

Not letting your knees go past your toes.? This is another myth and mainly I think what they were trying to get across to people is that leaning forward a little too much could cause injury.? Mainly knee stress was at first thought to be the issue, however,Fulham shirt, the real issue was hip stress.? When you move forward, your knees are restricted and when you are doing squats you have to lean your body forward which forces your hips to take on the brunt of the strain as well as the lower back.

Lifting and drawing in your abs.? The truth is,Inter Milan shirt, your muscles work in groups to stabilize the spine and the most important muscle group changes depending on the type of exercise.? The transverse abdomen is not always the most important muscle group to work.? Typically, what the body will do regardless of the exercise, is that it will utilize the most important muscles needed for support of your spine.? If you focus mainly on your abdomen,Ajax shirt, you can start to recruit the wrong muscles and also limit the right muscles which in turn will help in getting an injury.