The Mills Commission, a panel appointed by Albert Goodwill Spalding, announces that the game of baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday, a respected Civil War general. Spalding, a former big league player, manager, owner, and the creator of a sporting goods company that bears his name, launched the committee to investigate baseball's origins. His intention was to prove that baseball had been devised in America, and not through the evolution of British activities such as townball, rounders, and cricket.
There was no evidence to back up his claim. Then, a couple years later, a 73 year-old man named Abner Graves wrote the commission a letter. In it, he claimed to have been a companion of Doubleday, who allegedly drew out the rules of baseball in the dirt, on a small farm owned by Elihu Phinney in Cooperstown, on a June day in 1839. Without checking for proof, Spalding used the old man's letter to confirm his assertions. And thus, Abner Doubleday was thereby recognized as the inventor of baseball.
But years of dedicated research by historians would disprove Spalding's efforts as a massive hoax. Doubleday never wrote a single letter about or mentioned to be in involved with the game of baseball, and the day that he supposedly created it, he was stationed in West Point, not Cooperstown. The man who wrote the letter turned out to be crazy, and was later sent to an asylum for killing his wife -- the Doubleday story was a complete fabrication.
Favre's storied career ends in irrelevancy
When Brett Favre chose to retire in March of 2008, he had made a rare choice for professional athletes: he had decided to walk away with a few years of athleticism and skill still in his body, leaving behind the game, and the money, and all the adulation that came with it. But Favre decided to come back, demanding he return to his old position in Green Bay and was subsequently traded to the New York Jets. He then wound up in Minnesota, and had maybe the greatest season of his career at age 40 -- an unprecedented feat in the NFL. And even though his first year in Minnesota ended with an interception, had he walked away then, he still would left the game on one of the highest high-notes in league history.
But unfortunately for Favre, he made the same mistake all too many competitors make. He kept dipping into the well, kept asking his body to hold up, hoping that he could make it through another season. Instead, Favre -- who may have been the most durable quarterback the league has ever seen -- suffered a plethora of injuries: a lacerated chin that required 10 stitches, broken bones in his feet, elbow tendinitis, a concussion, and a sprain to his throwing arm that swelled up his hand like a grapefruit. His consecutive games streak ended at 297, and on Sunday, the 41-year-old was forced to stand on the sideline and watch as a healthy quarterback took his place.
It's a quiet, miserable end to one of the loudest, most exciting players in sports. He ends his career in the same vein as Jerry Rice, Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Joe Montana, and Roger Clemens -- other athletes who could have left on top but instead stuck around too long, switching teams and playing their last games in relative obscurity. It's the path most Hall of Fame athletes wind up taking, and Favre, having hopped from New York to Minnesota in the past two years, is no different. Athletes who take the opposite approach (John Elway, Kurt Warner, David Robinson) are few and far between.
The problem with ending on a high note is that being a professional athlete is a job first and a game second. Million-dollar professions are once-in-a-lifetime, and few players are willing to walk away when there's still teams interested in them. Legacy is always trumped by revenue. Favre probably didn't need the $16 million contract he earned this year, but then again, most millionaires and billionaires don't need a dozen summer houses and a garage full of Rolls-Royces. That doesn't mean they won't happily take them if offered.
For his part, Favre said he didn't regret coming back in 2010. "It’s been a wonderful experience for me," he told reporters yesterday. "This year did not work out the way we would have hoped, but that’s football. I don’t regret coming back. I enjoyed my experience here."
Maybe so. But it certainly didn't add anything to his career. In time, people will forget Favre's time in Minnesota and remember him more as a Green Bay Packer, the same way people will forget that Roger Clemens was an Astro, or that Jerry Rice was a Raider, or that Patrick Ewing was a Magic, or that Michael Jordan was a Wizard. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a mistake coming back. For everything that Brett Favre did, he should have retired sooner. He spurned the Packers because he didn't want to wallow on the sideline while some upstart youngster got a go at it, and he certainly didn't want to go out quietly.
In 2010, he did both
But unfortunately for Favre, he made the same mistake all too many competitors make. He kept dipping into the well, kept asking his body to hold up, hoping that he could make it through another season. Instead, Favre -- who may have been the most durable quarterback the league has ever seen -- suffered a plethora of injuries: a lacerated chin that required 10 stitches, broken bones in his feet, elbow tendinitis, a concussion, and a sprain to his throwing arm that swelled up his hand like a grapefruit. His consecutive games streak ended at 297, and on Sunday, the 41-year-old was forced to stand on the sideline and watch as a healthy quarterback took his place.
It's a quiet, miserable end to one of the loudest, most exciting players in sports. He ends his career in the same vein as Jerry Rice, Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Joe Montana, and Roger Clemens -- other athletes who could have left on top but instead stuck around too long, switching teams and playing their last games in relative obscurity. It's the path most Hall of Fame athletes wind up taking, and Favre, having hopped from New York to Minnesota in the past two years, is no different. Athletes who take the opposite approach (John Elway, Kurt Warner, David Robinson) are few and far between.
The problem with ending on a high note is that being a professional athlete is a job first and a game second. Million-dollar professions are once-in-a-lifetime, and few players are willing to walk away when there's still teams interested in them. Legacy is always trumped by revenue. Favre probably didn't need the $16 million contract he earned this year, but then again, most millionaires and billionaires don't need a dozen summer houses and a garage full of Rolls-Royces. That doesn't mean they won't happily take them if offered.
For his part, Favre said he didn't regret coming back in 2010. "It’s been a wonderful experience for me," he told reporters yesterday. "This year did not work out the way we would have hoped, but that’s football. I don’t regret coming back. I enjoyed my experience here."
Maybe so. But it certainly didn't add anything to his career. In time, people will forget Favre's time in Minnesota and remember him more as a Green Bay Packer, the same way people will forget that Roger Clemens was an Astro, or that Jerry Rice was a Raider, or that Patrick Ewing was a Magic, or that Michael Jordan was a Wizard. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a mistake coming back. For everything that Brett Favre did, he should have retired sooner. He spurned the Packers because he didn't want to wallow on the sideline while some upstart youngster got a go at it, and he certainly didn't want to go out quietly.
In 2010, he did both
Criticize baseball's Hall, but at least theirs matters
There are four things you can count on at the start of a new calendar year: a never-ending stream of ridiculously-named bowl games -- like the "San Diego County Credit Union Poinsetta Bowl," a regular season hockey game that's actually worth watching, the absolute worst movies Hollywood can produce, and the announcement of the Baseball Hall of Fame's newest inductees. Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven are expected to get in this year, since both fell by less than a dozen votes in 2010, and Rafael Palmeiro will make his first appearance on the ballot and may or may not finish with fewer votes than Mark McGwire.
The MLB Hall of Fame is by no means perfect. Lee Smith, who retired with the most saves in history, will never even sniff Cooperstown, nor will players like Harold Baines, Tim Raines or Fred McGriff, whose stats are at least comparable to other Hall of Famers. And that's not even including the Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosas of the world, whose implication in steroid use could put them on a perennial waiting list with Joe Jackson and Pete Rose.
The announcement of baseball's immortals has often been met with controversy, especially now, when the people getting in are debatable, borderline inductees such as Gary Carter, Jim Rice and Andre Dawson. But in a way, it's the controversy associated with baseball's Hall that makes their selection process all the more compelling. People will wonder if this is the year that so-and-so will get in, and argue that he should have been in years ago, and that that other player isn't nearly as good because his WHIP was too low or his batting average stunk. Add to all that the 15-year limit players are allowed to be on the ballot, and you have a system where attention is paid to the balloting both before and after the voting, so that no one slips through the cracks. This is why even though the NFL is twice as popular as Major League Baseball, getting into Cooperstown is still a bigger deal than getting into Canton.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, where the NBA sends its greatest players, has much to learn from Major League Baseball's.
The MLB Hall of Fame is by no means perfect. Lee Smith, who retired with the most saves in history, will never even sniff Cooperstown, nor will players like Harold Baines, Tim Raines or Fred McGriff, whose stats are at least comparable to other Hall of Famers. And that's not even including the Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosas of the world, whose implication in steroid use could put them on a perennial waiting list with Joe Jackson and Pete Rose.
The announcement of baseball's immortals has often been met with controversy, especially now, when the people getting in are debatable, borderline inductees such as Gary Carter, Jim Rice and Andre Dawson. But in a way, it's the controversy associated with baseball's Hall that makes their selection process all the more compelling. People will wonder if this is the year that so-and-so will get in, and argue that he should have been in years ago, and that that other player isn't nearly as good because his WHIP was too low or his batting average stunk. Add to all that the 15-year limit players are allowed to be on the ballot, and you have a system where attention is paid to the balloting both before and after the voting, so that no one slips through the cracks. This is why even though the NFL is twice as popular as Major League Baseball, getting into Cooperstown is still a bigger deal than getting into Canton.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, where the NBA sends its greatest players, has much to learn from Major League Baseball's.
Forgiveness ain't worth a damn to MLB baseball writers
One of the biggest lies in sports is that if you come clean to something you did, you'll eventually be embraced. They said it about Pete Rose, who lied about betting on baseball for a decade and a half. They said it about after they were implicated in steroid use. And they said it about Mark McGwire after his image-ruining appearance on Capitol Hill, in which it became all too clear that he had used performance-enhancing drugs.
It turns out, though, that simply repenting isn't good enough for the voters of baseball's Hall of Fame. It wasn't for Pete Rose, who received even less write-in votes the year he came clean, and it wasn't the case for Mark McGwire, who tearily admitted last year that his 70-home-run season in 1998 wasn't on the up-and-up. McGwire was eviscerated when he came clean; one statement he made, in which he denied that the drugs made him a better hitter, was particularly savaged. And now the proof is in the pudding. McGwire received only 115 votes this time around -- 13 less than he got in 2010.
The reality is that all coming clean does is vindicate the opinions of the baseball writers, who all along wanted the heads of cheaters and liars on pikes. Let's not pretend that a simple thing like telling the truth means anything to them. They've kept Joe Jackson out of the Hall of Fame for almost a century, and will gladly do the same to any other cheaters, because they feel the need to play executioner. McGwire's turn in the box was supposed to have ended the minute he confessed, but by not doing it in the precise way the Hall of Fame voters would have liked, he'll probably never get more than 40% of the vote, if even that.
It's a rather hypocritical way to go about your business. The writers stand on a pedestal, demanding that the cheaters and liars come clean for all their years of disservice, promising them that they will all be forgiven if they show just the slightest bit of contrition. And McGwire, while giving somewhat of a flawed, defiant apology, nonetheless came forth on national television last year, bawling his eyes out, and showing the courage to be vulnerable to an audience waiting to pounce him. It would have been a crime if McGwire had only earned a few extra votes than he did in 2010, but to earn 13 less is nothing short of pathetic.
It gives absolutely no incentive for Bonds or Clemens or Palmeiro or any of the other steroids-users to admit to anything. Why would they? All that would happen is that a bunch of people would get on TV and scream, "Ahah! You see! I knew it all along!" And if we're going to preach that this is really a case of bad ethics, that these players are sending the wrong message to impressionable kids, then we should be just as harsh to the self-righteous baseball writers who won't even reward the very act they've been demanding for years and years and years. If anyone needs to read up on redemption, it's them.
It turns out, though, that simply repenting isn't good enough for the voters of baseball's Hall of Fame. It wasn't for Pete Rose, who received even less write-in votes the year he came clean, and it wasn't the case for Mark McGwire, who tearily admitted last year that his 70-home-run season in 1998 wasn't on the up-and-up. McGwire was eviscerated when he came clean; one statement he made, in which he denied that the drugs made him a better hitter, was particularly savaged. And now the proof is in the pudding. McGwire received only 115 votes this time around -- 13 less than he got in 2010.
The reality is that all coming clean does is vindicate the opinions of the baseball writers, who all along wanted the heads of cheaters and liars on pikes. Let's not pretend that a simple thing like telling the truth means anything to them. They've kept Joe Jackson out of the Hall of Fame for almost a century, and will gladly do the same to any other cheaters, because they feel the need to play executioner. McGwire's turn in the box was supposed to have ended the minute he confessed, but by not doing it in the precise way the Hall of Fame voters would have liked, he'll probably never get more than 40% of the vote, if even that.
It's a rather hypocritical way to go about your business. The writers stand on a pedestal, demanding that the cheaters and liars come clean for all their years of disservice, promising them that they will all be forgiven if they show just the slightest bit of contrition. And McGwire, while giving somewhat of a flawed, defiant apology, nonetheless came forth on national television last year, bawling his eyes out, and showing the courage to be vulnerable to an audience waiting to pounce him. It would have been a crime if McGwire had only earned a few extra votes than he did in 2010, but to earn 13 less is nothing short of pathetic.
It gives absolutely no incentive for Bonds or Clemens or Palmeiro or any of the other steroids-users to admit to anything. Why would they? All that would happen is that a bunch of people would get on TV and scream, "Ahah! You see! I knew it all along!" And if we're going to preach that this is really a case of bad ethics, that these players are sending the wrong message to impressionable kids, then we should be just as harsh to the self-righteous baseball writers who won't even reward the very act they've been demanding for years and years and years. If anyone needs to read up on redemption, it's them.
Western Sport Shop
The new 2011 California Fishing Licenses are now available for sale in both of our stores. With the new license year comes a big change - fishing and hunting licenses are now issued using a computerized system. This is a project which has been developed over the past few years, and it is now in effect for California.
The beauty of the system is that once your information has been entered, we won't have to re-enter your info when you come back to get a steelhead report card, or come in to purchase your hunting license (though hunter safety evidence is still required).
We've had the terminals in place since last week, and have been shaking the bugs out of the system while getting our staff trained on the new method. While it actually simplifies a lot of the paperwork and makes things more efficient, there are a few things you should know about before you head down to purchase a license.
If you are buying a license for yourself, it's simple: just bring in your California Driver's License or Identification Card. We can swipe the magnetic strip and transfer your information into the DFG database, then issue the license. If you don't have a California Driver's License or ID card, you can bring down a passport, green card, birth certificate or other form of photo identification.
If you are buying a license for someone else: You will need to know the name, birthday and driver's license/ID number for that person, in addition to address and personal information (height, weight, eye and hair color). We can not issue a license without full identifying information.
If you don't have that information, there is another option - you can purchase a "Voucher" for a 2011 Resident Sport Fishing License. This is a "prepaid" Voucher which lets them go into any California License Agent and redeem it for a 2011 Resident Sport Fishing License. (Vouchers are transferable, so if you receive two Vouchers, a friend or relative could redeem it for their license.)
Please Note - the Voucher is not a valid fishing license. If you are caught fishing with a Voucher rather than a license, you will be cited. Vouchers may not be redeemed for anything other than a 2011 California Resident Sport Fishing License.
License sales actually take a little less time than previously, but because we now must complete the information through the DFG-issued terminals, there will be times when people are waiting their turn. We appreciate your patience on this, and encourage you to head down to the stores at less busy times to obtain your California Licenses.
Please note:
California Hunting and Fishing licenses and Vouchers are non-refundable. Any claim for refund due to duplication or incorrect purchase of licenses must be made thro
The beauty of the system is that once your information has been entered, we won't have to re-enter your info when you come back to get a steelhead report card, or come in to purchase your hunting license (though hunter safety evidence is still required).
We've had the terminals in place since last week, and have been shaking the bugs out of the system while getting our staff trained on the new method. While it actually simplifies a lot of the paperwork and makes things more efficient, there are a few things you should know about before you head down to purchase a license.
If you are buying a license for yourself, it's simple: just bring in your California Driver's License or Identification Card. We can swipe the magnetic strip and transfer your information into the DFG database, then issue the license. If you don't have a California Driver's License or ID card, you can bring down a passport, green card, birth certificate or other form of photo identification.
If you are buying a license for someone else: You will need to know the name, birthday and driver's license/ID number for that person, in addition to address and personal information (height, weight, eye and hair color). We can not issue a license without full identifying information.
If you don't have that information, there is another option - you can purchase a "Voucher" for a 2011 Resident Sport Fishing License. This is a "prepaid" Voucher which lets them go into any California License Agent and redeem it for a 2011 Resident Sport Fishing License. (Vouchers are transferable, so if you receive two Vouchers, a friend or relative could redeem it for their license.)
Please Note - the Voucher is not a valid fishing license. If you are caught fishing with a Voucher rather than a license, you will be cited. Vouchers may not be redeemed for anything other than a 2011 California Resident Sport Fishing License.
License sales actually take a little less time than previously, but because we now must complete the information through the DFG-issued terminals, there will be times when people are waiting their turn. We appreciate your patience on this, and encourage you to head down to the stores at less busy times to obtain your California Licenses.
Please note:
California Hunting and Fishing licenses and Vouchers are non-refundable. Any claim for refund due to duplication or incorrect purchase of licenses must be made thro
How to Play Handball
Handball, a very popular game in Ireland, has become increasingly popular in the United States. It is similar to racquetball and squash, except that the ball is hit with the hand, and can be played with 2 to 4 players in singles or doubles. Even with all the rules and regulations of the game, the following steps will lead you through how to play the basic game of 4-wall handball.
Instructions
Stand beside your opponent on the court facing the front wall. You, as the server, must stand in the "service zone," which is about 10 feet from the front wall. Your opponent must be at least 5 feet behind the service zone when you serve.
Bounce the ball once on the floor. As the ball comes up, hit it with your hand toward the front wall causing it to strike the wall without it touching the floor first and then bouncing back over the service zone.
Return the ball by hitting it with either hand or fist back toward the wall after it flies over the service zone. Do this before the ball hits the floor twice. This is done by your opponent, or either opposing teammate. The ball may hit the side walls before hitting the front wall after it is returned, but it cannot touch the floor first.
Continue play. Alternate turns between opponents or teams as you return the ball. After the initial return, you can hit the ball anywhere in front or behind the service zone as long as it doesn't touch the floor twice before doing so.
Score points. Although the ball is allowed to hit the wall or ceiling an unlimited amount of times, it must not touch the floor more than once before you hit it back, or your opponent receives a point. Whoever makes the point becomes the server or remains the server as the case may be.
Win the Handball game by scoring 21 points before your opponent or the opposing team does.
Handball history
| The origins of Handball are a subject of great debate. One view is that it was invented in Germany, back in the late 19th century, as an outdoor sport to keep soccer players fit during the summer months. Outdoor Handball involved 11 players on each side and was played on a virtually fullsize turf soccer ground with soccer goals. It was mainly played with soccer rules, except it was played with the hands and kicking the ball was illegal rather than the other way round. However, there are records of handballstyle games going back to antiquity. The sport was depicted on a tombstone carving in Athens dated 600BC. The first match of the modern era was officially recorded on 29 October 1917 in Berlin, Germany. Outdoor Handball had its only Olympic Games appearance in the XIth Olympiad (1936 Berlin Games). The first international match recorded was played on 3 September 1925 with Germany defeating Austria, 6:3. The sport's international governing body was first formed in 1928 as the Federation Internationale Handball Amateur, and took its current name in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1946 as the International Handball Federation (IHF). The IHF's first president was Avery Brundage an American who went on to become president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Indoor Handball was invented in the 1940s in Denmark. This is a 7aside game, played on a court slightly larger than a basketball court with smaller goals than its outdoor counterpart. Again, this sport flourished in the Germanic nations where it was hoped that it would appeal to a wider audience. With rules from other sports like basketball being introduced, this made the game simpler to play and more exciting to watch. The fact that it became a winter sport added to the spectator appeal being away from the cold, seated in comfort, with more action and excitement and higher scores than soccer. The sport is now played all over the world and was reintroduced as an Olympic event for the XXth Olympiad (1972 Munich Games). Handball has always been a sport dominated by the European nations. In its formative years as an outdoor game, Germany, Austria and Denmark dominated in the international sphere, even though not many other nations outside Europe were playing the game. After World War II, and the introduction of the indoor game, the Eastern Europeans quickly become competitive and were soon dominating the sport. Nations like the Soviet Union, Romania, Yugoslavia, East Germany and Hungary were regularly in the top three in most of the male and female international competitions. Only Sweden showed any significant resistance to the Eastern Bloc. With the conclusion of the cold war and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc alliance, many of these nations suffered a temporary economic downturn which effected some of the national teams to lose the winning edge and a number of prominent players and coaches migrating to the west. Countries like France, Spain and Germany began to dominate. Some African (Algeria and Egypt) and Asian (South Korea and China) nations started to make an impact on the international competitions (especially the Olympics) in the late 1980s early 1990s. The indoor game is now the more popular of the two types of handball. The outdoor variety is rarely played these days mainly for special occasions or by purists. In recent years, a new outdoor version has emerged called Beach Handball, played naturally on the sands of a beach. This variety is now recognised by the IHF and now has formal rules. Handball is now played on every habitable continent on this planet. It is estimated that about 7 million players are registered with a club. Many of the European clubs are professional and professional clubs in Asia (in South Korea, China and Japan) are becoming established and are considered as very competitive on the international stage. Africa, Americas and Oceania (our region) mainly comprise of amateur clubs but are very enthusiastic. The UK has a small but thriving community of handball clubs in most parts of the country, and welcomes participation by members of both sexes and of all ages. |
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