New Technology: The Philliebot!

Students at the University of Pennsylvania have designed what they call "The Philliebot." It's a one armed and three legged robot that designers created in a month.  The robot will be throwing out the first pitch tomorrow before the Phillies vs. Brewers game.  This robot will be part of Science Day that is taking place at Citizen's Bank Park.  The robot's pitch does not exceed 40mph due to the MLB not wanting it to reach Major League pitching speeds.  The robot was given a practice run and is ready to throw the annual first pitch of the night.  The robot is able to throw the ball due to carbon dioxide creating pressure to power the pitch.  The arm of the robot moves in the same motion that a human would.  Needless to say, those who are present during the game have something to look forward to.  The Philliebot is a prime example of how technology is constantly advancing.

UNC's Barnes Decides to Stay

UNC's freshman soon to be sophomore, Harrison Barnes, did not know if he would be returning to play for the NCAA.  He was debating whether or not to pursue the NBA and not finish college.  ESPN release that he finally decided that it would be right for him to stay in college. UNC's head coach Roy Williams is excited to have his freshman star back on the team.  Barnes plans on diligently working on his skills during the off season because he wants to achieve the goal of bringing home the NCAA National Title.  Harrison Barnes said in a quote "I'm honored and blessed for the chance to play in the NBA. And because of my family, teachers, passion, and work, I have the ultimate dream of one day playing and experiencing a fulfilling career in the NBA."  I think that Barnes made a great decision in deciding to stay with UNC.  He is only 18 years old and still has a lot of maturing to do as a basketball player and also a person.  Do you think he should have went into the NBA?

Shelvin Mack wants to get a feel of the NBA draft

The Butler Bulldog's junior Shelvin Mack annonunced that he would try out the NBA draft to see where he would stand.  He does not have an agent helping him with the process because he said if it does not work out in the NBA then he wants to go back to Butler and continue playing with them.  The reason why he is still eligible to play in the NCAA is because he made the smart decision of not hiring an agent. All players have to officially declare their intentions of being in the draft on April 24.  They have the option of withdrawing by May 8th at the latest.  Critics have critiqued his percentages in being that his shooting has decreased slightly despite the fact that they still believe he will be a second round draft pick.  I think that Mack should stay for his senior year and finish the rest of his education considering it is only one more year.  Do you think that Mack should complete his senior year with Butler ?  Or do you think he should take his chances with the NBA?

WNBA Draft: Maya Moore to Minnesota

The Minnesota Lynx have chosen UCONN's Maya Moore as their Number 1 draft pick.  The Lynx are hoping that Moore can turn their basketball program around.  Minnesota did not have a good season and only compiled 13 wins while letting 21 games get away.  Moore is a four time All-American and averaged 19 points in her collegiate career. She led UCONN to win 90 games in a row along with two national championships. Moore is the second straight first draft pick that came from UCONN.  She followed Tina Charles who was drafted to the Connecticut Sun last season. Below is a link that shows a video of Moore being drafted.

http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=6330896

UCONN Men's Basketball wins National Championship

If anyone watched the National Championship on Monday between Butler and UCONN, we could all agree that it was not a very exciting game.  The Huskies beat the Bulldogs 53-41 which gave them their 3rd national championship in school history.  Butler's shooting percentage was a cold 18% for the game, which is the worst in a national championship game yet only making 12 of 64 shots!  That is unbelievable!  Butler only scored 41 points which is also the lowest amount of points scored in National Championship history since 1959.  Jim Calhoun, UCONN's head coach, is the oldest coach in NCAA history to win a national championship.  He currently is 68 years old and will continue to coach the Huskies next year, despite being suspended for the first three games next season due to recruting violations.  Did any of you watch the game? What did you think?

Notre Dame makes a rumble in Final Four vs. UCONN

Notre Dame upset No. 1 UCONN in the national semi-final on Sunday, April 3, 2011 72-63.  Skylar Diggins showed her true colors during the game and even though UCONN had their superstar Maya Moore, Notre Dame pulled through for the win.  Moore's dreams of acheiving another national championship was shattered Sunday but cannot hang her head.  She has been an all-star all season long and has carried her team to an impressive 36-2 season.  Sylar Diggins and Maya Moore were without a doubt the stars of the game.  Diggins finished with 28 points while Moore finished with 36.  During the regular season Notre Dame went 0-3 against UCONN but gave them only their second loss in three years.  The Fighting Irish definitely stunned those who were watching the game by knocking of the No. 1 seed who had only previously lost ONE time is 3 seasons.  Congratulations to Notre Dame!

UCONN Women's Basketball in the Final Four

UCONN women's basketball team is in the Final Four and they're looking for yet another national championship for the third year in a row.  Maya Moore, their All-American standout player, helped UCONN to not only beat Duke but they rolled right over them with a 75-40 win.  Moore had 28 points and reach her 3,000 career point which is needless to say an outstanding accomplishment.  This is UCONN's fourth consecutive final four appearance and it is their 12th time within the last 17 years.  That is quite impressive!  UCONN is only two wins away in reaching the national championship.  The Huskies next rival is Notre Dame who is from their own Big East conference.  Will they go all the way?

One of the Fab Five's offends Coach K

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski comments on Jalen Rose's comments about the recruitment of Duke basketball players.  During ESPN's documentary about the Fab Five from Michigan, Jalen Rose talks about Duke only recruiting black players who were "Uncle Tom's" back in the 1990's.  Jalen Rose said "I hated Duke and I hated everything Duke stood for. Schools like Duke didn't recruit players like me. I felt like they only recruited black players that were Uncle Toms."  Coack K claims that Rose's comments were "very insulting to everyone here at Duke."  He also claims that one of the Fab Five players could have very well ended up at Duke.  Did any of you watch the ESPN documentary films on the Fab Five?  If you did, what did you think about Jalen Rose's comments?  I thought they were out of bitterness and even jealousy because they didn't win a national championship when they were expected to for two years in a row.

NFL and players STILL cannot agree

The NFL asked a judge to keep the lockout in place after they accused the players of manipulating the Sherman Anti Trust Law.  The NFL claims there are no legal grounds to stop the lockout.  After March, 11 when their was no agreement with the CBA, players started to file charges against the NFL in federal courts.  In spite of this, the owners have put the 2011-2012 season in jeopardy.  The NFL claims that they decertified so that the players would not lock them out and now they cannot reach an agreement.  This has turned into a lot of legal issues and players are trying to file lawsuits against the league claiming that they are breaking the anti trust law.  The NFL believes that if the lockout was lifted by a judge, it would cause a lot of issues within the league because they think players will deman free agency instead of just trying to come up with a mature and responsible agreement that both the owners and players could agree on.  The league may become is disarray if this lockout is lifted by higher authority.  All we can do now is wait and see what the future holds for the National Football League!

It's official: Tennessee fires head coach Bruce Pearl

In one of my previous posts I discussed the NCAA violations that were up against Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl.  As a result of those violations, Bruce Pearl and all of his assistants have been fired.  Coach Pearl and his assitants were cited for unethical conduct and misleading of investiagtions by the NCAA committee.  Tennessee has been charged with multiple violations after Coach Pearl admittedly lied about holding a cookout for recruits at his home.  Unfortunately this has not been the only time that Pearl has not been in compliance and as a result he has lost 1.5 million dollars over the years and lost the privilege of recruiting off campus.  What makes this situation worse is that after Pearl admitted his faults in a press conference, four days later there were rumors that there have been more violations with another recruit he was after.  That was the final straw for Tennessee which ultimately lead to his termination as the head coach along with his assitant coaches.  It is a sad time for Bruce Pearl, but this is a prime example of how important it is to be compliant with the NCAA at all times or else severe consequences will be invoked.

Draft Boycott Wanted by the NFLPA!

The National Football League Players Association is developing a plan which is going to prevent any college prospect to be drafted into the NFL.  The NFLPA has notified 17 top prospects to not attend the draft that is supposed to occur in April.  According to other sources it is not an ''official'' revoked invite but if the prospects who were supposed to be drafted do not show up, they will not be part of the usual ritual of walking on the Radio City Music Hall stage and they will not do interviews with ESPN or the NFL.  Last week the union decided that they would no longer represent players.  I personally think that this is ridiculous because now college players will not get the experience of a lifetime like they used to.  The fact that players will not  go to Radio City Music Hall with their families in attendance while receiving their jersey and hat representing the team they will play for is ridiculous and unfair to those individuals not associated with the mess of the NFL.

Third High School Boy Basketball Player Dies While Playing This Month

Robert Garza, age 16, is the third boy to suddenly die this month while playing basketball.  The two other boys had heart conditions.  Robert Garza was playing with his AAU league and during a timeout he collapsed after giving a teammate a high five.  There was no previous warning before the boy collapsed and his teammates and coach claim that he was his usual self during pre-game warm up.  Paramedics tried CPR on Garza but it was not effective and was pronounced dead an hour later at the hospital.  His death only comes a week after Wes Leonard collapsed and died at a basketball game and also Matther Hammerdorfer died on March 3.  All three of the boys were said to be in great physical condition and their deaths were a shock to all.  I think that it is bizarre that these boys all collapsed within three weeks of each other.  Did any of you hear about these stories?

Logo for 2012 Olympics in London causes controversy with Iran

London's 2012 Olympic logo upsets Iran who objects to the logo because they said it is racist and warn London that they may boycott the 2012 games.  The secretary general of Iran's National Olympic Committee sent a letter to the IOC president claiming that the logo looks like the word "Zion" which is a term referring to Jerusalem.  Iran's secretary general of the NOC is encouraging other Arab nations to object to the logo as well.  The IOC is not taking any measures to change the logo because they said that "the figure represents 2012 and nothing else." They plan on sticking by the London organizers in defending the logo. The IOC does not understand why Iran is objecting to the logo now because it was created in 2007.  What do you think about the logo?

Bruce Pearl and Illegal Recruiting

Head coach Bruce Pearl of the Tennesse Men's Basketball team has been cited by the NCAA for illegal recruting.  This clearly is an abuse of Division I schools that coaches make the headlines for.  Bruce Pearl was investigated by NCAA compliance after holding a cookout at his residence for recruits back in 2008.  He even knew that his acts were non compliant because he called one of the recruit's fathers who later told investigators that Coach Pearl gave him and his family the option of attending.  He also was found talking to recruits during a period of the year that is not allowed.  Unfortunately, incidents like this occur more often than not when coaches are under pressure to win and make money for their organization.  Bruce Pearl has been non compliant in the past and actually has lost millions of dollars of pay because of being previously cited by the NCAA.  It is unfortunate that coaches cannot persuade student-athletes to come to their schools in a legal and compliant manner.

Compliments of ESPN

A Nugget to a Knick

Finally, after much debate Carmelo Anthony has been traded to the New York Knicks and is expected to sign a three year, 65 million dollar extension.  The deal includes the Knicks sending five other players to the Denver Nuggets and apparently will receive other picks.  Reports have been made that the Nuggets will receieve two second-round selections.  The Nuggets wanted to trade Anthony after he refused to sign the three year extension they offered during the summer of 2010 and he ended up landing with the Knicks.  Anthony will be sporting a new jersey number since his previously worn number 15 is since retired in New York two times.  What do you all think of the trade?

Do you love the game of cricket?

Cricket is a sport that most people do not hear about or even play for that matter.  But, for those people that love the game or play now have the opportunity to access the first ever social network devoted to the game of cricket.  The social network site is called people11.com and it includes breaking news about cricket celebrities and contains pictures, live news, and public profiles.  The site allows for people to have discussion forums and anyone can get involved.  According to the article I read about people11.com, the website has more to offer than Facebook such as cricket players buying and selling cricket accessories from each other.  Although I am not a cricket player or have ever been an avid fan, I think that it is great that the people involved get a chance to interact with each other. The social network is free to all users and if any of you are cricket fans or want to check out the site I would definitley suggest it!

Visit the article!  --> Check out the article for even more information about specific features of the site!

Telvent preparing for 2014 World Cup in Brazil

Telvent is the IT company that will be giving a brand new radio communications network to 18 airports in Brazil.  The reason for this new technology is to effectively communicate during routine air traveling operations and will help with any emergencies during the 2014 World Cup tournament in Brazil.  Overall it will help with lowering costs, the management of the airports, and improve customer service.  The airports want to be fully prepared for the huge event that will occur in three years.  I think that the new radio communication network will be extremely beneficial to Brazil, especially during the time of the World Cup.  If there is a radio network that workers can communicate through then it will keep themselves and customers safe in the event of an emergency or any issues involved within the airport or on the airplanes.

Should Tiger Woods be fined for spitting on the green?

During the Dubai Desert Classic, Tiger Woods spit on the green as he was golfing and may face a fine from European Tour.  Unfortunately, Woods is under close watch by media and the viewers do to his other incidents that occured off of the golf course which may be why people are making a big deal of the situation.  Woods has spit many of times on the golf course without sparking controversy but is that because we live in America and it is acceptable among athletes?  People in Europe were disgusted by his spitting on the green and in return Tiger wrote an offical apology explaining that he was not thinking and that it was inappropriate.  Although spitting is definitely disgusting, reporters claim that Woods suffers from Allergies which is why he may continuously spit on the golf course.  In my opinion, I do not think that Tiger Woods should be fined but he should not do it again for the reason that different countries view it as disrespectful.  Here in America it is completely acceptable and most people do not think twice about it.  I am not condoning his spitting behavior but I think it should be the least of people's worries.  Here is a link to a broadcast discussing the incident http://espn.go.com/golf/blog/_/name/golf/id/6121092/while-not-wise-tiger-spit-no-huge-deal.

The iPhone 5

Technology is constantly improving and Apple is always creating new and improved products such as the iPhone.  The iPhone 4 was just recently released in the summer of 2010.  Apple is now working on a fifth iPhone that will be launched at some point during the 2011 year.  The new and improved iPhone will now support AT&T and Verizon users in the United State, which are the biggest cell phone companies nationwide.  Also, the iPhone 5 will be supporting other carries throughout the world, not just the United States.  The iPhone used to be accompanied with a chip from Infineon, but Apple now has switched to a new chip user that is called Qualcomm.  Apple will not release everything that is to be expected on the iPhone 5 but they said that the phone will be completely redesigned, which gives current iPhone users something to look forward to when they upgrade their cell phone.  Some new features may include a "mobile wallet."  Apple may start an application that uses things such as iPay, iBuy, and iCoupons.  There is also a feature called Siri.  Siri is an application that acts as a personal assistant where users can, for example, look up restaurants and see if there is a table of 5 available or not.  Also, users can look up certain events at certain locations.  For example, you could type in "what events are taking place in New York City," and the personal assistant will list the events that are taking place.  This new technology is going to be really helpful for people who have busy lives and do not have the time to sit at a computer throughout the day.  I think it is amazing and interesting to learn all of the new features and applications that Apple has to offer on their iPhones.

2011 Super Bowl Halftime Show

If anyone watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday you would have seen a lot of unique outfits and tons of different lighting effects whether it was from the lights on the stage or the lights on the performers outfits. However, with all this new technology was the halftime show really that fantastic?  Personally, I enjoyed watching the movements of the performers on the field while their costumes would light up to match the lyrics of the different songs.  But, I think that if Dallas really wanted a memorable Super Bowl halftime performance, they should have went above and beyond with the technology that is available to use nowadays.  I was reading articles that some people would post and most were disappointed with the use of technology.  Although the performance was "futuristic" with the use of robots, it still did not impress myself or others.  I do not think that it was a memorable performance and that Dallas should have taken advantage of the amazing improvements that technology has to offer.

A new "sport technology"

You're probably wondering why the male in the picture above is wearing a ridiculous looking vest.  Well, just before the Beijing Olympics, Nike came out with this "Precool Vest" for athletes before they compete.  The vest consists of prefrozen ice packs.  Yes, they are like the ice packs that people use to keep their lunches or drinks cool.  Athletes are supposed to wear them for an hour before their event to reduce their core temperature.  The reason why athletes would want to reduce their core temperature is because your body uses energy trying to cool down.  If the athletes are cooled down before their event, then they will have more energy to burn during their event.  This is a unique type of technology but can actually help benefit athletes if they use this vest.  I think its a great idea especially for professional or Olympic athletes.  Nike certainly thought outside the box on this one!

New Application

A new application that is available to people online is called Piriform's CCleaner.  The application is free to all users and the application cleans your computer from your desktop to your internet browsers.  It allows you to edit applications that you may already have on your computer and even uninstall programs safely.  The application allows you to specifically define what programs to clean and which not to.  It also creates a backup for you incase you accidently delete or uninstall a program that you wanted to keep on your computer.  This application is useful because it thoroughly searches your computer to clean up any bugs or virsuses that it may have. If anyone is interested in this application it is available at http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

Introduction

My name is Amanda Mikatavage.  I am a sophmore at SRU but a freshman in the Sport Management major.  As of right now I am interested in becoming an athletic director at either the high school or collegiate level but I am open minded to other career possibilities.  I am from Reading, Pennsylvania and I attended Muhlenberg High School which is about five hours away from Slippery Rock.  I live with both of my parents, my brother, and puppy during the months that I am not at school.  My brother's name is Andrew and my puppy's name is Marlie.