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Detroit Tigers: Pudge Proving Doubters WrongDustin Smiley Ivan Rodriguez endured an onslaught of criticism this offseason when he opted to play for the Detroit Tigers rather than returning to the Florida Marlins or seeking a smaller contract with another contender. Sports writers and reporters everywhere accused Rodriguez of selling out for the big money with no consideration of success on the field or the impact playing on a losing team would have on his legacy. Even his former manager, Jack McKeon, commented that the 32 year old catcher could be torpedoing his chance to pursue entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame by joining the lowly Tigers. As of now, it appears Rodriguez knew exactly what he was getting into. A .370 batting average and Detroit’s turnaround from last season’s punchline to respectability have earned Pudge a selection as the American League starting catcher, his 11th appearance in the All-Star Game. After being tagged with a reputation for nursing nagging injuries and worrying more about base stealers than batters at the plate during the end of his tenure in Texas, Rodriguez is now recognized as a team leader and a pitcher’s catcher. He contributed some key veteran leadership and a potent bat last year to a young Marlins team on their way to a World Championship. While that isn’t a likely outcome for this year’s Tigers, their new backstop has them headed in the right direction. As for Ivan Rodriguez’s prospects for the Hall of Fame, they can’t be hurt by leading his league in batting average. He’s already earned an AL MVP in 1999, won a World Series, and was long recognized as the best defensive catcher in the majors. With a career batting average over .300 and over 240 home runs, three more productive seasons should put Pudge at 300 and earn him some serious consideration for enshrinement. When examining the difference between the 2003 champion Marlins and this year’s middle-of-the-pack team in Florida, the loss of Ivan Rodriguez is painfully apparent. The drastic improvement of the Detroit Tigers can also be attributed in a large part to the addition of the same player. The value of a Hall of Fame career cannot be better measured than by the effect a player’s arrival to and departure from has on the teams he plays for.
| | | | RELATED ARTICLES Sports Psychology and Performance Enhancement Mental Game Coaching is that the segment of sports psychology that concentrates specifically on helping athletes break through the mental barriers that are keeping them from performing up to their peak potential. By focusing on the mental skills needed to be successful in any sporting competition, mental game coaching seeks to achieve the overall goal of performance improvement. Winter Safety in the Mountains. Snow-topped mountains look beautiful but they can be death-traps for the unprepared hiker or hill walker. Sadly, every year, people die and are badly injured whilst exploring these regions at this time of year. My Daughter Manteee My daughter Manteee Samantha has shown me a path that I like traveling. She has been and will continue to be an inspiration in my life. Her fearless nature and competitive qualities have swelled my heart. I am so lucky to have her as my daughter. Why Make Homemade Items Ive always liked to make gadgets and gizmos that fill some need ... some useful or not so useful function. It started with the simple things that many kids make - slingshots, a simple bow and arrow, a toy boat. Occasionally more involved items such as a canoe and a dune buggy became trophies to add to my accomplishments. Horse Training Techniques From The 1800s- Was he the worlds greatest horse trainer of all timeWould his picture be in the horse trainers Hall Of FamePerhaps. Downhill Skiing -- The Mind-Body Connection Today, youll be introduced to the three essentials of a proper mind set, namely, motivation, visualization, and focus. Get mentally tough in these areas and your confidence level will soar. In addition, youll be able to jettison any anxieties you may have about downhill skiing. Learning How to Sail When it comes to sailing, there are all kinds of things to learn how to do. How you go about learning will depend on your particular style. For example, I am not patient enough to take classes, and have always relied more on the written word and on-the-water trial and error than on more formal modes of instruction. Here are examples of ways you can acquire the skills you feel you need: Tips for Buying Digital Pianos and Keyboards Buying a digital piano could be a very delicate attempt, especially if you have no idea about pianos in the first place. This article is written to help you out how to choose the best digital piano. How To Use Smart Horse Training To Stop Your Horse From Bucking It can be enormously frightening to be on a bucking horse.If youre a novice rider, a bucking horse can almost force you to give up the "owning a horse" dream.But it doesnt have to be that way. Choosing a Self Defense / Martial Arts School: a Parents Guide “Daddy, I want to take Karate!” Peles Identity Revealed Hi, Trout Species – Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout Rainbow Trout: Few freshwater fish can match the fighting spirit and beauty of a Rainbow Trout. The Long Backswing Is your golf swing too longThe majority of inexperienced players I see have too long of a golf swing.So why would so many people have such long swingsIt all boils down to Human Nature.Human Nature says that the longer you swing the farther you will hit the ball.If this were true, why is it that I can hit a ball 300 yards with a 3/4 swing but I can’t hit it 400 yards with a long swing Are You A Side-Line Coach With spring in the air, flower’s and baseball are in full bloom. As the father of a nine-year old son, each day is spent perfecting the art of baseball. This includes making that perfect pitch to first base, snagging those ground balls and driving those hits when we’re in the batters box. Oh, did I say we, sorry, I meant, when my son is in the batters box. Horse Training: Whos Way Is The Right Way The more I listen to others, read books on the subject, look at different articles, and watch and listen to tapes, the more I discover how different people claim their methods of horse training are the correct ones. Do Fish See in Color Fish do indeed perceive color. Every fly fisher knows that or ought to know that. Like humans, the retina of a fish have rods and cones. Cones are used in the day and rods at night. Color vision evolved to help fish identify potential food. In the environment of the fish, the background will either be the bottom, the water itself, or if looking up for food it could be the sky. The bottom is normally tannish olive to green. When looking across the water, the background appears pale silver blue. But if the water is off color due to algae or high water one must take that into consideration as well. Skylight becomes more important at dusk and dawn when it contains more reds. Are You Embarassed by Your Civil War Uniform Impression "Authentic," "authentic," "authentic" is all you hear if you are new or a hard core reenactor. You look all over to find period Civil War Uniform articles. But when you finally get them, do you feel like you know what to do with them Snowboarding Boots The key to comfort on the hill. Digital Camera Interpolation Explained In a device such as a digital camera it is very important to understand the very basic aspects of the device so as to properly operate it and give it the due respect it deserves. Such a topic is interpolation! These are accessories that help the digital camera to perform the technologically advanced features that it is capable of. In extreme explanatory and simple terms it can be summed up as that interpolation refers to software programs that can effectively enlarge image resolution beyond the actual resolution by adding extra pixels using complex mathematic calculations. Now, this is a feature that can be absolutely useful in providing a good success to a user. FootPower for Golf Although the ankle is the most injured body part of an athlete, very little is ever done to strengthen the stabilizing muscles that prevent rolling in and out.Golfers are no exception in neglecting ankle strengthening.They seldom sprain their ankle swinging the golf club, but strength of ankle muscles is very significant to maintaining positions that establish balance, and create a powerful and efficient golf swing. |
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