It seems over the past decade that baseball has become more of a home run based game where teams win or lose based on who can get the long ball any given night. While fans love to see the ball in the bleachers, especially when it is the home team, the game did not used to be played solely around these hits. So in this age of the home run kings it is rare to have a player like Ichiro Suzuki who has mastered the hits that manufacture runs with one base at a time.

Ichiro was the first Japanese position player in Major League Baseball and he has gone on to become a staple for the Seattle Mariners. Scores of fans use their MLB lanyards to hold their Mariners tickets to watch Suzuki get on base time and time again every single game. All of these hits have put Ichiro on the fast track to being the first MLB player to reach the 2,000 hit mark in less than ten seasons. Of course he was able to accomplish this despite sitting out for nine weeks at the beginning of the 2009 season.

Of course what the fans really love about Ichiro is his hustle. Of his 2,000 hits an amazing 452 never left the infield. Suzuki only needs to make contact with ball and things happen on the base paths for the Mariners. At one time there was debate on whether a Japanese player could make a mark in the U.S. playing baseball but Ichiro has paved the road for others.

For Ichiro this is not his first major league record and it is looking like it will not be his last. Currently only one other MLB player has had eight seasons consecutively with 200 or more hits. Ichiro is well on the road to making this year his ninth giving him yet another place in baseball history and paving his road to the Hall of Fame one day. 

Posted by Coach John Rockwell at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Most college football schedules start off slowly usually with non-conference games that mean little and get the team primed for the bulk of the season to come. But for Boise State the media was hyping the opening Thursday night game with Oregon as their complete season all wrapped up in their home opener.

For Boise State, Oregon was the only ranked team they would play all season long and winning this game would give them legitimate chances at being the team that upsets the end of season BCS rankings. Both teams knew the hype coming in and it would be a tough game but Boise State owned their trademark blue turf last night for a commanding win over the Ducks. Fans of the Broncos put their season tickets onto their collegiate lanyards and filled up their home stadium to cheer Boise State on.

It was clear from the start that Boise State had prepared hard for this particular game and wanted to make a statement. The Boise State defense was particularly impressive and the offense scored enough to give them the game.

Of course the game itself was an excellent kick off to the season but the one team show as ESPN has dubbed it was finalized with a punch from the Oregon, literally. Ducks running back LeGarrette Blount punched Byron Hout of Boise State in the jaw knocking him down. As Blount was being escorted off the field he was involved with an altercation with the fans of Broncos as well. The Pac-10 will be reviewing tape of the incident to see what if any disciplinary action will be taken for the post game incident.

For Boise State there will be no more ranked teams in the schedule and if they can pull off a undefeated season they will have a legitimate shot at being this seasons team to bust up the BCS bowl games. 

Posted by Coach John Rockwell at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Okay maybe the block that Brett Favre threw on Eugene Wilson in the pre-season game Monday night was not heard round the world but it has caused a huge stir in the NFL. Favre was not only penalized for the block that many are calling cheap since he went so low on Wilson’s legs with his shoulder and Riddell helmet, but he is now facing a fine from the league.

What does matter is the Minnesota Vikings were running the wild cat offense at the time of the play. This could have some exciting potential in Minnesota just as it has in reviving the Dolphins to create some unique scoring opportunities. For years the wild cat offense was seen more in high school and college football. But in 2006 the Carolina Panthers used the offensive scheme in a game against the Atlanta Falcons and since then many other NFL teams have joined in on the action.

The wild cat puts a defense out of balance right from the start with motion making it appear that a play will be moving in a certain direction. The defense must respect this and when the snap goes to someone with speed the formation instantly creates an 11 on 11 situations where a speedy player with the ball in their hands has a huge advantage. From here the player can run, hand off or even pass the ball. There are so many options and the defense is already off balance making the wild cat an excellent formation to have in a team play book.

As more players who have excelled at the wildcat in college begin playing in the National Football League more teams are looking to add this formation to take advantage of those talents. Though it will doubtfully ever become a every down formation for a professional team it can stir things up when a team really needs to get a first down and move the ball. 

Posted by Coach John Rockwell at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Many NFL fans work in an office setting and their work has certain tools that they need to have accessible to them at all times. For many these are a cell phone, keys, id badge, and ink pen. Of course keeping up with all things little things can be tough especially when you are juggling a coffee in one hand and reports in another. Putting all of this in your pocket is a possibility but this makes your pants bulge and when you sit down it is often uncomfortable.

One possible solution to the problem is to use one of the NFL lanyards that are for sale at Booyah Village. These lanyards are ideal for keeping up with these little things that you need and you can easily hang onto them all or even carry it around your neck. Each item can attach to the lanyard and its detachable key ring to better manage cell phone, badge and more. This will also mean no more misplacing of your ink pen since it will be around your neck and yet accessible at all times.

With designs available for each team in the league there is bound to be one that will be perfect for any fan of any team. Each lanyard is twenty-four inches long and one inch wide so that it is a great size for hanging onto. Plus the big size makes it easy to see the cool team graphics and team name that are alternated along the length of the NFL lanyard.  The fabric itself is brightly colored with the official team colors and will not fade no matter how much use you find for the lanyard for keeping your organized for both work and play. And these NFL lanyards are affordable enough you can get one for yourself and one for another fan you know as a birthday or Christmas gift. 

Posted by Coach John Rockwell at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)