Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron is well-loved and known for breaking the home-run record previously set by the late great Babe Ruth. Hank streaked through with 755 homes (Ruth had 714) and set more than 10 records in the major league. He was known for his powerful slugs - during his career, he only batted one home run inside the park during a game with the Philadelphia Phillies. The first and only home run he hit that didn't leave the park. For his batting prowess, he earned the nickname 'Hammerin' Hank'.

Why he matters
Hammerin' Hank was born Henry Louis Aaron in Mobile, Alabama in 1934. He began playing professional baseball exclusively for black teams in both Mobile and Indianapolis, Indiana. At 18, he joined the major leagues. He played for the Braves from 1954 to 1974 with both the Milwaukee and Atlanta teams.

Aaron had a lifetime batting average of .305 and batted in 2,297 runs. He boasts a total bases of 6,856, had 3,771 hits and played in 3,298 games. For his speed, he stole 240 bases in his career. He was voted as the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1957 and won three Gold Glove Awards thanks to his fielding talent. He appeared in 24 All-Star games.

Aaron led the National League in batting average in 1956 and again in 1959. He was also a leader four times each in home runs, RBIs (runs batted in) and slugging average. He nailed a major part in baseball history by becoming the first baseball player to reach the 3,000th career hit mark and have 500 home runs. The Hammer joined the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Where to find a Hank Aaron autographed baseball
It's not difficult to find a hand-signed Hank Aaron baseball. The Major League Baseball website (www.mlb.com) posts authentic autographed baseballs, along with other sports items personally signed by Aaron. The baseballs are official MLB balls that are accompanied with a Certificate of Authenticity from Steiner Sports. There are also signed baseballs sold through EBay and QVC.

There is another way to get a Hank Aaron autographed baseball, but it is way more expensive. Aaron owns the Hank Aaron Automotive Group which has car dealerships in Georgia. Some of the car brands they carry include BMW, Jaguar, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Land Rover. Each car purchase comes with an autographed baseball.

How much a Hank Aaron autographed baseball will cost
The MLB website posts Aaron's hand-signed baseballs from about $330 to $350, although the price may be well worth it since each purchase comes with a COA, a reliable guarantee that what you're buying is actually a baseball held and signed by Hank Aaron himself. On EBay, the market value of a Hank Aaron signed and authenticated baseball is about $170 to $200, although you'll have to ask the seller if the item comes with a COA. If you're paying that much, you might as well be assured that you're not paying for a fake.

The History of Horse Racing In North America

While horse racing enjoys popularity the world over - and has for quite some time - the history of the sport in North America is particularly interesting. The first horse racing course in America was in what is now known as Hempstead Plains in Nassau County, New York. The course, Newmarket, opened its gates in 1665, and in doing so, it helped kick off the rich tradition of the horse racing sport in America. Due to the success of Newmarket, many other racing tracks were opened, including the Belmont track in New York.

Belmont is the largest dirt course in all of thoroughbred racing. It opened in May 1905, and continues to be one of the most popular venues for horse racing and is noted as "the big time" for many racers. It is owned and operated by the New York Racing Association, which also owns Saratoga and Aqueduct. The biggest race at Belmont is the immensely popular Belmont Stakes. A statue of the legendary horse, Secretariat, stands in the center of the track, as he set a world record for his 1973 race there [amongst other achievements over the course of his career.]

The three most important races in North American horse racing come together to form the "triple crown." Including the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Preakness Stakes. Beyond that, many racing enthusiasts enjoy the Breeders' Cup races. The former is held earlier in the year, and the latter, later. As such, different values are placed on the wins. While some prefer the classic triple crown to the new breed of race that is the Breeders' Cup, many like the new race and the way it is held at different tracks every year.

Interestingly enough, while gambling is generally frowned upon in the United States, horse race betting is regulated and sanctioned by individual states. As such, betting on horse races via legitimate channels is legal, whereas other types of sports bets aren't legal.

There are different types of horse racing that are popular in the United States. One way to differentiate is the type of track - dirt, polytrack, and grass are the most common surfaces, though some race types will incorporate more than one of these into the same track. Thoroughbred racing is the most common type of race - and the one most Americans are familiar with, though quarter horse racing and harness racing also enjoy their own popularity. Arabian horse racing is uncommon, but there are enthusiasts who enjoy that sort of racing.

Horse race tracks are all different lengths, depending on the type of race, the surface, and the style of racing/horses that will be participating. Interestingly enough, many horse breeders choose to raise their horses with specific types of races and courses in mind, choosing studs and fillies who have the proper genetic makeup to breed strong race horses.

There are differences in the races and how the horses are bred for specific races. For example, thoroughbreds are bred to run longer distances, while quarter horses are generally faster. As such, the two have different builds. Thoroughbreds are taller and leaner than quarter horses, who are bred to be shorter and more muscular. A quarter horse race is generally held on a straight track and is much faster with a different type of competition than a thoroughbred race. A thoroughbred race is held on something more like a car race track, and it is easier for a specific horse and jockey to break out of the back for a clear winner than in quarter horse racing.

As you can see, there is a diverse and solid history of horse racing in the United States. Although horses are not as popular as they once were for things such as transportation, show and sports horses are still incredibly popular and fascinating to Americans of all ages.

 

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Tebows thoughts

“Obviously, I’m someone who is very outspoken about my faith and I’ve never been ashamed of it,” Tebow said. “And always, any time I get the opportunity I always thank my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. But I don’t think all the attention I get is just because of my faith.
And as for the recent phenomenon that has come to be known as Tebowing?
“As far as ‘Tebowing’ goes, I’ve been doing that same routine for the last seven years, since my senior year in high school,” Tebow admitted. “It’s funny because all of a sudden it became a big story. We’re at a press conference for a football team, so it’s not exactly the kind of platform to get up here and share what you believe. For me, it’s about having a relationship with Christ, and that’s pretty much the basis of what I believe. It’s exciting for me to get opportunities to share it, but at the same time this is a press conference for the New York Jets football team.”

The History of Spring training

Spring training almost started at the same time as baseball itself. The first record spring training event occurred in 1870 when the Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Chicago White Stockings held camps in New Orleans. However, some believe the first spring training wasn't until the Washington Capitals had a four-day training camp in Jacksonville in 1888.
Either way in 1900 spring training was established as a ritual in baseball. During this time, most American and National League teams go out of town for players to train and mangers to evaluate the players. There are three distinct eras for spring training.

The first of these eras is the early years between 1901 and 1942. Before spring training was started many teams either trained locally or while they were on the road. This was because in the early years many baseball players had to work other jobs to support their family and could not travel out of town to train. In 1910 when spring training became an institution, most teams went east of the Mississippi River. This is when the Grapefruit League was founded.

A second era is the war years between 1943 and 1945. When World War II broke out many starting scaling back their use of various items. Therefore, baseball became a luxury. Baseball was allowed to continue because President Roosevelt felt it was important to homeland morale. However, travel to training camps became difficult. This is when the MLB commissioner developed a boundary that called for teams to train close to their home. Therefore, the Yankees held spring training in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

The third and final era runs from 1946 to our present time. Prior to World War II, many teams had spring training in California and Arizona. However, it wasn't until 1947 when the New York Giants and Cleveland Indians started spring training in Phoenix and Tucson that the Cactus League was formed. It was at this time spring training became a moneymaking institution that has grown into the large popularity we see today.

Pittsburgh Steelers Rivals of All Times

The Pittsburgh Steelers is an NFL franchise who found themselves having three primary rivals with all three playing in the same division as theirs. The team's rivals are the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Baltimore Ravens. Further, the team also have other rivals in the post season games namely the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, and the Dallas Cowboys. An intrastate rivalry between the Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles also arose but they play against each other only once every four years as per scheduling regulations.

The rivalry between the Cleveland Browns and the Steelers started way back 1950 when they first played against each other. At the start of the rivalry, the Browns had the advantage over the Steelers who had a 9-31 record at that time. The Steelers continued to lose for 16 straight years. It was only recently that the Steelers took over the rivalry for the first time ever with a 17-3 record. It was during this time that the team won ten straight games. To intensify the rivalry, former head coach of the Steelers had actually coached the Browns earlier in his career.

On the other hand, the Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens have a really bitten division rivalry evidenced by countless memorable match-ups between the two teams. Both teams caused each other's first loss in the home fields. The Pittsburgh Steelers won their first game at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore and three years later, the Ravens crushed the Steelers in a game at the Heinz field. The rivalry between the Ravens and the Steelers is like a seesaw winning and losing against each other and serve as a great complement by showing their fans how they can field really strong defenses against each other.

The Cincinnati Bengals dates the rivalry with the Steelers from the 1970 season when the merger was completed. The most memorable game of their rivalry happened in the 2005 AFC Wildcard playoff game when the Steelers made a come from behind win over the Bengals to compete for a Super Bowl title. This particular win was partly due to the knee injury the Bengal's quarterback experienced and thus was forced to leave the game.

Rivalry between the Steelers and the New England Patriots started when the latter upset the Steelers in 2001 at the Heinz Field. Later, in 2008, the Patriots were accused of videotaping hand signals of the opposing team's coaches which added to more controversy. The rivalry between the Oakland Raiders and Steelers was most heated during the 1970's. While that of the Cowboys started with the team's first game as a franchise in the 1960's.

As a team, the Pittsburgh Steelers will still have a lot to challenges to face, not just with their current rivals but with the new and upcoming teams of the NFL. Although the team have made their mark as one of the most competitive teams in the NFL, they still have to perform at their best to balance out every competitor they play against

Basketball - A Sport For Every Age

Even if you've never been a sports fan, you've probably still played a little basketball. It's a perfect sport, really, as basketball can be played by people of every age, in any part of the world, with just a couple of people or a whole group. You can even enjoy basketball by yourself if you want to. Obviously, you need quite a few people gathered together in teams to play an "official" game of basketball. But basketball can be enjoyed outside the b-ball court, as well, and can be a great way to simply get some exercise while honing basic motor skills and hand-eye coordination. These aspects make basketball a great sport to get your kids started in when they are very young. Don't limit them to waiting to try out for the school basketball team-you can get your kids started learning the skills imparted by basketball from the time they can walk; possibly even before that.

Backyard Basketball

The beauty of basketball is that you don't have to have access to a fancy court or expensive equipment, as you do with some other popular sports. All you need to enjoy a little basketball is a ball and a hoop. It doesn't even have to be a regulation hoop, unless you plan to use it for "serious" basketball games, as well. You can install a partial basketball court in your own backyard, or even simply install a hoop alongside your driveway. Don't have a way to install a permanent basketball hoop? No problem. Get a portable one. These come in a wide variety of styles and sizes. They're pretty budget friendly, too!

Once you've got your basketball hoop and surface established, simply enjoy it. You can shoot some hoops by yourself, with your kids, or even play a partial game with your pals. Casual basketball is so flexible that you can have fun with it in a variety of ways.

Start 'Em Young

Even little kids can play basketball, and they probably benefit the most from the skills utilized in the game. Start your kids out young by getting them a small, portable basketball hoop and practice simple skills with them like dribbling, passing and shooting. These basketball hoops are designed to grow with your child up to a point, so as your kids grow, the hoop can be gradually raised until they are ready to play basketball with full size equipment.

You can get your children started learning some of the important skills taught by basketball even before you get them a hoop. Motor skills and hand-eye coordination are developed by simply learning to handle a basketball.

Practice Anywhere

One of the greatest things about basketball is how versatile the game can be. Shooting skills can be practiced anywhere-even in the house. You can install small basketball hoops on the back of doors, etc. for casual shooting practice anytime!

The game of basketball has been around for more than 100 years. It can be played virtually anywhere, by just about anyone. So, get out there and shoot some hoops!

 

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