Sunday, September 30, 2012

Cards Win Cards Win Cards Win














Guess who won??

Arizona Cardinals go to 4-0, thanks to an
overtime win over the Dolphins.

It may be early, but is that a faint smell
of playoffs in the air?

GO CARDS!

Random Card Of The Day: Upper Deck Ball Park Quad Jersey card

As baseball season comes to an end..we need to post more baseball cards

Medium

Bench press 80kg: 5x 4reps

SC jerk 2x20kg: 5,5
SC jerk 2x28kg: 5,22,10

Kronlyft/partial deadlift 120kg: 5,5 (from ca 10cm below knee, in power-rack)
Kronlyft/partial deadlift 130kg: 5,5

Some shoulder prehab & Stretching

I wanted to do some deadlifting this morning. Still, lower back was sore from Friday's long cycle so deadlifts would be useless if I want any more LC-training this week. I tried some partial deadlifts from rack. Albeit I stayed light, I got the feel in the lats I was looking for. Partials are probably good and I might do them again. Nonetheless it is difficult to combine lc and dl.

Look at the Lockout kettlebells blog (LINK) and the Norwegian lifter... awesome. You also see a glimpse of Ulf H and Niclas G among the lifters in the crowd at the Ventspils Olympic center.

New Pickups! PC also!


Won these cards from another blog! Shout out is deserved to Sports Card Blog! And we all by now have seen the top card being posted everywhere!

Actually, won the bottom two cards and the top one the blogger threw in as a bonus!

Card Releases Sept 22-28

9/25

2012 Upper Deck University of Alabama Football: Look for (1) Autograph Card from an Alabama Great in every box!

Sport Card Collectors Player Of The Day # 13

Panini America 2012 NFL POD 22 

With a ton of points yesterday for mrblu1976@aol.com he moves up to first place in the first place division. Also another big mover was tkdkid1 who not only gained 100 points for going to the LCS but also moved up a division into the second place division in the running for the autograph football card that is numbered to 50. The third place division is completely up for grabs. New players can win it. All divisions are competitive and can be won by anyone by November 2nd. Still a ton of time!

Time to show off your cards of this player!! Remember the rules and how to score points is in this link:
You have til the end of the day to get your entry in!! 
*Contests are open to U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY! (sorry)

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Random Card Of The Day: Homer Bailey 2005 Topps Prospect Card

Item image 
Congrats to Homer Bailey who no hit the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 7th no no this year and the 15th in Reds History


Random Thoughts on Various Subjects

1. OBAMA AND ROMNEY

The conventional wisdom says that when a presidential incumbent has a bad economy he will lose. This is one of the shittiest economies this country has ever had, but Obama stands quite secure in his lead over Mitt Romney in the polls. Is Obama that good of a politician? Not quite. It is that Mitt Romney is just that bad.

All politicians are liars. We know this. These people disgust us. Mitt Romney pushes that disgust to its zenith. The only true and sincere thing he ever said was captured on a cellphone video where he effectively dissed half of the country into never voting for him. EVER. This wouldn't have been so bad since all Romney needs is for Obama voters to stay home. But this Mormon clown not only manages to piss people off, he does it so well that they will actually get off their asses to go to the polls just to vote against him. And Republicans will almost certainly sit this one out.

If John McCain were in Romney's place right now, he would be winning. This is how bad Romney is doing. I suspect that even Sarah Palin would have a better showing than Romney right now. How did this guy ever get the nomination? Who voted for Romney?

I am no fan of Barack Obama. I had tempered hopes when he came into office, but he managed to fail on the low expectations I had of him. Guantanamo Bay is still open for business. We are pursuing war in new nations. Big business and the banks know they can always get a bailout from this administration. Obama has been a terrible president.

Romney is no different than Obama. They are indistinguishable on the substantive issues. In that context, the voters aren't voting on the basis of the lesser of two evils so much as voting for the devil they know over the devil they don't know. That is some sad shit. I weep for this nation. It is going to be another long four years.

2. SMARTPHONE MADNESS

This article in the WSJ is just the latest evidence for what I am beginning to call the "smartphone bubble." Families are cutting back on luxuries and even necessities to pay for their smartphones. This isn't talking and texting on a dumbphone like I do. These are streaming data plans on Android and iPhone devices. This sort of thing can't go on forever, and it won't.

I sound like a Luddite when it comes to smartphones, but it is my contention that they are an expensive fad. They are the cellphone equivalent of the McMansion and the SUV. Recently, when the iPhone 5 hit the market, there was a crowd outside of a local AT&T here waiting for the place to open, so they could get one of the things. Yet, the reviews I got from people on the street were that the improvements over the iPhone 4 were marginal. People just want the latest phone to impress their friends.

We have become a nation of game playing idiots and constant Facebookers. You can't drive down a road without having to play Dodgecars with people on their smartphones texting and updating their Facebook status. I sound like such a crusty old man on this shit, but people clearly can't afford this crap. But they are making sacrifices and running up credit cards to buy these phones and pay for the data plans. The only advantage these people have over me with my dumbphone is that they can surf the internet while waiting in line at the DMV. I usually just bring a magazine.

I spent some time talking with a lady at the AT&T phone store, and she made the standard claim against my fad argument that everything was going to smartphones. It was merely the next step in the chain of evolution. She said that people use their cellphones now instead of credit/debit cards at the checkout lines. I have yet to witness one of these transactions anywhere. I'm sure you can swipe your cellphone at some trendy shops, but I don't ever go to those places. She said that the cellphone companies were "forcing" everyone to go with smartphones. Yet, I had no trouble buying a dumbphone less than a year ago.

The reality is that the cellphone companies like AT&T and Verizon are much like the banks and real estate companies during the housing boom riding the wave until it crests and crashes. People are now literally slaves to a device that fits in their pocket. They work harder and harder just to pay to enjoy a few moments playing Angry Birds. 

I am going to double down on my prediction and say it again. Smartphones are a fad, and they will end. People are going to get tired of paying for all that shit. Unlike dumbphones or laptops or even the Blackberry, smartphones are merely toys. They are really neat toys, but so are Jet Skis and motorcycles. At the end of the day, you stop playing with toys because they cost too much, or you simply get bored with them. Despite the big sales, Apple admits that the iPhone 5 has turned out to be a disappointment for the company with sales failing to meet expectations. When you can get an old iPhone for 99 cents with a service contract, that should tell you something.

3. ODDS AND ENDS

--Suicide has now surpassed car crashes as leading cause of death. I don't think this is because cars magically got safer.

--Parents get happy now when their kids choose not to go to college but get a job and work straight out of high school.

--Steve Jobs would not have allowed Apple Maps to suck so badly. Tim Cook apologizes. Apple's days are numbered.

--You can't be both Catholic and Libertarian. Neither the Bible nor church teachings allow it. "The worldly ruler bears the sword, and serves God with it, not as a terror to the good, but to the evil." (Romans 13:4.)

Sport Card Collectors Player Of The Day # 12 (Now Closed)

Panini America 2012 NFL POD 23 

Time to show off your cards of this player!! Remember the rules and how to score points is in this link:

 http://sportcardcollectors.blogspot.com/2012/09/sport-card-collectors-player-of-day_28.html

 jvancegonzalez@hotmail.com  to let you know we moved you out of the second place division to the third place division.  We found it better suited for you so you have a chance to win a prize. If you would like, we would be more than happy to put you back into the second place spot. It is up to you. We are looking out for the best interests of our fans to win prizes and will move you around the board to give everyone a fair competition. But at any point, let us know if you don't like us moving you around.

Remember...links of the contest will no longer earn you points

You have til the end of the day to get your entry in!! 
*Contests are open to U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY! (sorry)

Download 2012-09-29 16.22.35.jpg (1549.3 KB) Jamie B's Doug Martin Elite Series insert

mrblu1976@aol.com's Doug Martin

Shep Smith













You handled the story with grace and
dignity, you've always been the best
thing about Fox news and you  always will
be.

Pure Class.


Friday, September 28, 2012

SHOP NYC: THE SPORTIEST STORES IN TOWN

While New York City is synonymous with great shopping, sporting goods are not usually the first thing that comes to mind, but there are an incredible number of sport stores in every neighborhood of the city. Fall is a great time of year for outdoor activ-ites and with the mixed weather weekend ahead its the perfect opportunity to go shop for some new gear.

With that I give you another regular STYLE OF SPORT feature... The Best Sports Stores review. While these all have the goods, they also have the style. So whether you're into sports and just want to look like you are, here are five stores you must check out.



NIKE RUNNING 
156 Fifth Ave.
Located in the Flatiron district, this spacious new Nike Running store carries shoes, gear and apparel for that one sport only. The goal, I was told, is to remind people that's how Nike began. The store has every running shoe Nike makes, from super hi-tech flats like the Nike Flyknit for elite runners, to reissued vintage Air Max models for the "sneakerheads". For the recreational runner in between, the store offers gait analysis and group runs where new gear can be tested.

The design of the store features that same juxtaposition of old and new. There is recycled gymnasium flooring, industrial lighting and a giant flat screen heat map highlighing the functionality of the gps sportwatches. One of the design highlights is a wall covered in sketches of the Nike Free Run drawn on the spot by the designer of the shoe, Mark Minor.

132 Allen St.
Down in the lower east side is the mecca for longboard skateboarders called The Longboard Loft. Longboarding is the hot new subculture of skateboarding and has taken hold with skateboarders looking for a smoother ride and an alternative to the bicycle as a way to get around town. 

The store feels like a skateboard gallery with wheels in every color and decks featuring the hottest graphics covering the walls,. They stock everything from the most basic cruisers to the most advanced and technical downhill race boards. You can buy the boards as is or customize as you like. Combine that inventory with a knowledgeable and friendly staff of skaters and all your longboard needs are covered.



Part clubhouse, part art gallery, part memorablia and souvenir shop, for you baseball fans this is one cool spot. Located off Union Square in the landmark Cast Iron Building, they sell both vintage and replica t-shirts, baseball hats, baseballs as well as specialty items like ballpark cufflinks made from old seats and vintage baseballs, and game-used uniform wallets.


1745 First Ave.
Located on the upper upper east side, on one of the less attractive blocks of town, this insider soccer store is worth the trek. Family run and open since 1933, it is the recognized go to spot for all your soccer needs. And for all you soccer fans out there, this place has all your favorite team jerseys from Mancester United to Nike Barcelona.



139 Charles St.
When I stumbled upon this store in the West Village, I wasn't sure if it was a flea market, art installation, junkyard or crazy bicycle store. Turns out it's a bit of it all but mostly the latter. HUB Cycles, which stands for Hudson Urban Bicycles, sells and rents virtually every bike you can imagine, new and vintage, with an emphasis on the hipster European touring bikes that are so popular right now. 

Interval LC

LC 2x24kg: 5,5
LC 2x28kg: 5
LC 2x32kg: 8 (+2 no-counts)

The below is 1 min lifting/1 min rest:

LC 2x32kg:3,3
LC 2x28kg: 5,5,5,5
LC 2x24kg: 7,7,7,7

Long time since I did LC in this interval format. Got quite tired towards the end. The 32s felt nice up until in about rep 7, or 8, when the card house fell apart. I did think about Rudnev's video that I linked to last post. I wonder if it is about "searching" the lockout in the 2nd dip - that you keep dipping slowly until you feel arms are locked out. That is what I tried anyway.

Have a good weekend!

Recent Findings: Our Sport Card Finds

Last week, we were given 2 boxes of random cards from a relative. The boxes contained opened and unopened cards mostly non-sport from a variety of years. We thought we would break down our findings and share them with our fans!!

We are almost to the end of our recent finds segment. One more after this one..and we saved what we believe was the best find for last!



Shaq's Mcdonalds rookie

Alonzo Mourning Rookie

2001 Topps baseball and gallery of cards with it




Tino Martinez Topps Gold Label

The infamous "Fat Toad" Hideki Irabu Topps Gold Label rookie
 Really liked the Mcdonalds set find...there was actually 2 of them. The Topps packs were still in there wrappers and opened. We were hoping for a Ichiro find but none was found. There were only four packs also.

What do you guys think?

Thanks to John Holdren

We had a great day yesterday celebrating our Center's 10th anniversary. The day was capped off by a keynote lecture by President Obama's science advisor, John Holdren, to a big crowd at Old Main.

Dr. Holdren is pictured above after the lecture with one of my STS students, Adrianne Kroepsch, who asked him to pose for a photo with a message to some middle school girls Adrianne is going to speak to about science. Dr. Holdren showed good humor and readily agreed.

Thanks much to Dr. Holdren for spending the day in Boulder!

CARDIFF DEVILS v EDINBURGH CAPITALS - Cross Conference cracker!


Sport Card Collectors Player Of The Day # 11

Panini America 2012 NFL POD 11 

Time to show off your cards of this player!! Remember the rules and how to score points is in this link:
*Contests are open to U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY! (sorry) 

Download 2012-09-28_11-06-52_215.jpg (1480.4 KB) Amy Solorio's Andrew Luck cards. The one we count is the top Prestige one

mrblu1976@aol.com's Andrew Luck Prestige card.
  
Download 2012-09-28 18.55.30.jpg (1551.5 KB) Jamie B's Andrew Luck

Spectator Sport

Cross Vegas
"So I hear you are into cyclocross," said Martina from Clever Cycles as we chatted on the second day of Interbike. I responded with genuine amazement. "Me, into cyclocross? What makes you say that?" And then I remembered that I'd spent the previous evening live-posting a continuous stream of blurry snapshots from Cross Vegas - "the biggest cyclocross race in America." I gave up two other industry events to attend this thing. I guess it did seem like I was pretty into it! But as I was quick to explain, I am only interested in watching, not racing. In fact, of all the forms of cycling out there, cyclocross is the one I am least likely to actually take part in (it combines every aspect of cycling I am terrible at!). Moreover, I had never before been able to tolerate - let alone enjoy - watching sports of any kind. So what makes cyclocross so appealing?

Molly Hurford
As it happens, Molly Hurford has just written a book that seeks to answer that very question. It's called Mud, Snow, and Cyclocross: How Cross Took Over US Cycling. Having borrowed a copy from the Ride Studio Cafe library, I finished it just days before Interbike. Aside from providing historical context, Hurford's book helped me make sense of my own feelings toward this bizarre sport. As race promoters all over the country have discovered, cyclocross is in many ways the perfect spectator event. And so I thought it might be interesting to describe it from the point of view of someone who is purely a spectator - and a fairly clueless one at that.

Chris Kostman of AdventureCORPS, Cross Vegas
To do this, I will backtrack to last year's Interbike, where it all started. I had zero interest in attending Cross Vegas, but tagged along with Chris Kostman, who insisted I should at least stop by ("Come on, you can't go to Interbike and not see this!"). We drove to a giant field on the outskirts of town filled with tipsy people and flooded with electric light. In the distance I could see a colourful blur of bicyclists making their way through an elaborate obstacle course. As the sounds of cowbells and screams filled my ears, I remember wondering: "What am I doing here?" Five minutes later I was leaning over a barrier, ringing a cowbell and having a shockingly great time. And that's pretty much your typical "my first time watching 'cross" story. No one intends to like it, but inevitably they do.

Cross Vegas
This year we arrived to the spectacle of Elvis performing on stage before the start of the elite races. 

Cross Vegas
Visitors wandered around purchasing water, beer and cowbells. 

Cross Vegas
Cyclists rode around the grass warming up. Bicycles were being adjusted.

Cross Vegas
Before the crowds became too dense, I got the chance to survey the empty course. Winding around the grassy field, it did not look too technical, though there were lots of tight turns and a couple of short steep hills.

Cross Vegas
And, of course, these. I still remember how stunned I was when I first saw the riders hop right over them without breaking stride. How is this possible?

Cross Vegas
And then the race began. First the women's elite race; the mens would be next. Watching the hoard of riders charge cross the start line, the excitement of it all came back to me. I got goosebumps.

Cross Vegas
The thing is that at a cyclocross race, you can stand so close that you feel the energy of the riders wash over you like a wave.

Cross Vegas
And this wave is not some abstract poetic concept. It is very real, visceral. Even if you know nothing about race tactics and don't follow the background stories of any of the riders - just standing there and feeling so much human power and speed happening inches from your own body is a physical rush.

Cross Vegas
Watching track racing is more abstract in comparison, because the riders are further away. And with road racing you can only witness a small portion of the course at a time. But with cyclocross, all is laid out right in front of you in close proximity. The course winds around the spectators; it intertwines with them. There is a feeling that everything is happening everywhere, all at once.

Cross Vegas
Pressed against the barrier, I can see the riders' flushed faces, gritted teeth, twitching fingers, razor-burned legs. The physicality and rawness of it are overwhelming.

Cross Vegas
And then there are the technical parts that differentiate cyclocross from other forms of cycling. The obstacles, the vertical uphills, the dismounts and remounts, the bouts of running with the bike. No matter how graceful the rider, there is an intimate awkwardness to these struggles that makes us feel as if we are witnessing something private that perhaps we are not supposed to be witnessing.

Cross Vegas
Equally intriguing, is when a group of riders is so synchronised in their movements, that the dismounts and remounts appear to be done in choreographed unison - like a staged ballet.

Cross Vegas
And of course there are things like this - at which point it is the crowd's chorus of gasps that seems choreographed.

Cross Vegas
Watching first the women's, then the men's race, I noticed differences. The men stuck in larger, tighter clusters while the women were more strung out after the first lap. There were also difference in demeanor and body language - too subtle to describe, but nonetheless there. Watching the two races were separate experiences.

Cross Vegas
As the lead group of riders made its way through the course, spectators would rush to position themselves in different spots. This too was interesting to watch.

Cross Vegas
Through the elbows of others, I could see the anticipatory face of each rider as they crossed the finish line. 

Cross Vegas
What struck me was how much they seemed to be savouring the moment, rather than rushing through it. There was a performative, theatrical element to it.

John Watson/ Prolly is Not Probably, Cross Vegas
Photographers were everywhere, capturing the action with impressive lenses and flash units. John Watson's Cross Vegas photos on Prolly is Not Probably are especially worth a look.

Cross Vegas
While my low-light snapshots are far from professional quality, they do reflect my experience of the event as a spectator: dark and chaotic, punctuated with bursts of light and blurs of colour. 

Cross Vegas
I am not sure whether any of this really explains what makes watching cyclocross fun. It is an evasive quality, but ultimately it is about entertainment - genuine entertainment. You don't even have to like sports or racing to enjoy it - though you might surprise yourself by developing a taste for beer and cowbells.

Cross Vegas
Accessible and awe-inspiring in equal measure, cyclocross strikes the perfect balance between a country fair, a bicycle race, and an alcohol-fueled block party. While the circus of Cross Vegas examplifies this more than typical races, it truly is the ultimate spectator sport.