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Creatine Supplementation for Increased Performance and Building Muscle
Creatine is an amino acid that is in meat and fish. It is produced by the body in the liver and kidneys and converted in the muscles to creatine phosphate to resupply them with their source of energy.
Intense exercise depletes muscles...
IOC Drops Softball from the Olympic Games in 2012
The article is about the International Olympic Committee's decision to remove softball from the 2012 Olympic Games.
When the announcement came out of the International Olympic Committee meetings in Singapore that softball and baseball...
La Paz Bolivia Soccer Clubs
La Paz is the de facto capital of Bolivia, being the center of administrative activity. The city is host to about a million people according to the 2001 census.
La Paz has also been a hub of sports activity over the years. Various sports clubs...
Softball: Olympic Sport No Longer?
Softball has been around since a man named George Hancock first
invented the game in 1887 in Chicago. It took over 100 years,
but women's fast pitch softball became an Olympic event in 1996.
Fast pitch is different from the looping, relaxed...
The New Discovery That Makes It Possible To Get An Effective Workout In Less Time
Copyright 2005 William Mackie
The Art of Multifunctional Training
People often complain about how they just do not have enough time to spend working out in a gym. It seems every year the lives of many Americans become more hectic and they have less...
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Detroit Tigers: Pudge Proving Doubters Wrong
Ivan Rodriguez endured an onslaught of criticism this offseason when he opted to play for the Detroit Tigers rather than returning to the Florida Marlins or seeking a smaller contract with another contender.
Sports writers and reporters everywhere accused Rodriguez of selling out for the big money with no consideration of success on the field or the impact playing on a losing team would have on his legacy. Even his former manager, Jack McKeon, commented that the 32 year old catcher could be torpedoing his chance to pursue entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame by joining the lowly Tigers. As of now, it appears Rodriguez knew exactly what he was getting into.
A .370 batting average and Detroit's turnaround from last season's punchline to respectability have earned Pudge a selection as the American League starting catcher, his 11th appearance in the All-Star Game. After being tagged with a reputation for nursing nagging injuries and worrying more about base stealers than batters at the plate during the end of his tenure in Texas, Rodriguez is now recognized as a team leader and a pitcher's catcher. He contributed some key veteran leadership and a potent bat last year to a young Marlins team on their way to a World Championship. While that isn't a likely outcome for this year's Tigers, their new backstop has them headed in the right
direction.
As for Ivan Rodriguez's prospects for the Hall of Fame, they can't be hurt by leading his league in batting average. He's already earned an AL MVP in 1999, won a World Series, and was long recognized as the best defensive catcher in the majors. With a career batting average over .300 and over 240 home runs, three more productive seasons should put Pudge at 300 and earn him some serious consideration for enshrinement.
When examining the difference between the 2003 champion Marlins and this year's middle-of-the-pack team in Florida, the loss of Ivan Rodriguez is painfully apparent. The drastic improvement of the Detroit Tigers can also be attributed in a large part to the addition of the same player. The value of a Hall of Fame career cannot be better measured than by the effect a player's arrival to and departure from has on the teams he plays for.
About The Author
You may reprint this column onto your site only if the following information is attached at the bottom and the link to The Baseball Corner http://www.thebaseballcorner.com is active.
Author: Dustin Smiley, Owner of The Baseball Corner, your online site for everything baseball.
dustinsmiley@mchsi.com
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