Sports Then and Now

Football season is one of the many harbingers of fall. Whether you bundle up to watch your teen score a goal on the field under the big field lights, join the office pool for fantasy football, or just enjoy the game at home, there are many ways to get the most out of the football season.

Volunteer, Coach, or Play

If you used to play football in high school or college, what better way to relive those good ol’ days by coaching football at the grade school, high school, or even collegiate level?  Granted, you need to know the game (what football fanatic doesn’t?) and it helps to have a Bachelor’s degree, a teaching license, and coaching experience, but one can dream, right?

If coaching isn’t part of your career path, you can always find away to volunteer, whether you apply to be an assistant coach or sell concessions during halftime. Volunteering at a local football game is a great way to see the game for free because you don’t need to watch a professional team to enjoy the game.

If coaching or volunteering is out, why not gather family and friends together to play a friendly (and competitive) game in the backyard before you sit down and enjoy the game? Read the rest of this entry →

Arnold Palmer won seven golf majors and finished second 10 times.

While other golfers enjoyed more success on the links, it can easily be argued that no golfer did more to raise the profile of professional golf as a global sport than Arnold Palmer, who passed away Sunday at the age of 87.

Originally from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Palmer played golf at Wake Forest University and won the 1954 U.S. Amateur Championship.

He turned professional in 1955 and the 25-year-old rookie quickly displayed his ability by claiming the Canadian Open championship. In 1958 he earned his first major with a one-stroke victory at the Masters and went on to be the PGA Tour money leader for the year.

After again winning the Masters in 1960, he claimed his only U.S. Open title with an epic performance at Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado.

At a time when the third and fourth (final) rounds were played on the same day, Palmer entered the final round trailing leader Mike Souchak by seven strokes. Also ahead of him were golfing legend Ben Hogan and amateur Jack Nicklaus, both three strokes off the lead.

Arnold’s Army began to grow during the afternoon as he peppered the course with great golf shots while his opponents started to struggle amidst his charge. Palmer registered a final round 65 (six under par) and ended the tournament two strokes ahead of Nicklaus and four ahead of Souchak and five others.

It would prove to be the only U.S. Open victory for Palmer as he lost three other times in a playoff.

Later in 1960, Palmer began growing his international legacy by traveling to Scotland to play in the British Open at a time when few Americans participated in the tournament. Though his hopes of winning the golf grand slam ended with a one-stroke loss to Kel Nagle, Palmer planted the seeds for future American success in the legendary tournament. Read the rest of this entry →

Vin Scully has been an icon since announcing his first major league game in 1950.

After more than six decades, legendary Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Vin Scully is saying goodbye to the broadcast booth. To say that we will never see another Vin Scully may be quite an understatement.

Since he debuted as the third announcer along with Red Barber and Connie Desmond for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950, Scully has been baseball’s great storyteller.

Listening to a Vin Scully broadcast is not just an afternoon enjoying live baseball. It is an afternoon remembering both legendary and relatively obscure players from baseball’s past while also likely having American culture and history woven into the conversation.

Scully is not just a walking baseball encyclopedia, he is a walking American history book.

Having grown up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, Scully spent two years in the U.S. Navy before attending Fordham University. During his college career, Scully played on the baseball team while writing for the school newspaper and broadcasting football and basketball games on the radio.

Following his graduation, Scully was a fill-in announcer for CBS Radio station WTOP in Washington, DC. It was during this time that Red Barber, the Sports Director for the CBS Radio Network, recruited him to broadcast college football games.

After joining the Dodgers broadcast team in 1950, Scully continued to learn his craft from the legendary Barber. In 1953, Barber got into a salary dispute with World Series broadcast sponsor Gillette, propelling the 25-year-old Scully into the broadcast booth for his first World Series. He still holds the record as the youngest broadcaster to announce a World Series game.

He eventually became the lead announcer for the Dodgers and stayed with the team when they moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 season.

Though he is originally a New Yorker, it was in California where Scully truly became a broadcasting legend. Announcing Dodger games during the era of Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Maury Wills, Scully became a fan favorite as many would bring transistor radios to the stadium just to hear Scully call the action. Read the rest of this entry →

One of the best ways to experience the fall season and its changing leaf colors and new crisp breezes, is from the seat of a bicycle. Riding in a pack surrounded by fellow biking enthusiasts, you get a new perspective of the gorgeous autumn countryside. The following six fall bike tours are some of the best rides suggested by various members of local bike clubs and tour organizers from around the country.

Boise, Idaho
October is the best time to check out the foliage in Idaho. The brisk weather ranges in temperature from the 40s to the 60s and the bike tour along a 25-mile-strech of path through the Boise River Greenbelt that skirts the Boise River is one of the most popular treks. Several bike rental shops are located along the river trail for those who want to rent a bike rather than rather than bring their own.

Lake Champlain, Vermont
One of the favorite foliage viewing locations in the New England area is Vermont’s Champlain Valley. Particularly popular is the six-day tour out of Bristol, Vermont. After heading north to Lake Champlain, the tour makes stops in Ticonderoga, New York, and ends in Middlebury, Vermont. Riding from 13 to 33 miles a day, you’ll be surrounded by an array of fall colors through the entire ride. This wonderful all-inclusive bike trip doesn’t come cheap. For about $2,000 per person, you are provided with a top-class touring bike, nightly lodging at local inns, and terrific meals at local restaurants. Read the rest of this entry →

Football may always be fun to watch, but unfortunately, it is not always pleasant to play. According to research by the United States Safety Commission, football is the third most dangerous sport, so it is no surprise that members of the NFL regularly deal with injuries. Players get hurt basically every day in professional football. The dangers of the game are almost endless, however, these five injuries are the most common reasons for injury in the NFL.

Knee Injuries

An analysis of injury data from the NFL shows that knee injuries are the most common football injury by far. This happens because the players are often hit right in the middle of pivoting and making other risky knee movements. Though it is possible to recover from knee injuries, it takes quite a bit of time. In some cases, players cannot continue playing afterwards. Depending on the situation knee injuries can be very serious and even require surgery and physical therapy.

Ankle Injuries

The ankle is also a delicate joint in the leg, and it is therefore the second most likely source of injury. Ankle injuries tend to happen during improper tackles, such as the outlawed “horse collar tackle,” so some players end up needing lawyers, such as those at Ahlander Injury Law, to seek damages after another player hurts their ankle. Injuries like this can also be serious depending on the situation, but if you get it looked at as soon as possible you should be able to have a steady recovery. Read the rest of this entry →

Going off-road is a feeling unlike any other. You have to have the skill and technique to maneuver without damaging you or the other passengers. It is a thrill ride of adrenaline rush and has been picked up by many enthusiasts. Jeep climbing as a sport in the dunes and deserts is a phenomenon that has surprised many. But how did this sport get its start?

The Jeep: Military Beginnings
The Jeep has always been an off-road vehicle. Starting as a military vehicle, this vehicle saw major use during the Second World War. The original jeeps were designed by a company called Bantam before the design was picked up by Ford in order to produce the number of vehicles that the army needed. The army continued to push for more terrain defying designs, even going so far as to develop one that could go underwater. Militarized jeeps were even used in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

The Jeep Comes to the Homefront
Willys produced the first civilian Jeep in 1945, and it was the first manufacturer to own the rights to the Jeep name. Since then, the vehicle style has gone through a variety of different owners and manufacturers. In the 1970’s through into the 1980’s, the Jeep name brand was losing money. Finally the Chrysler Company ended up with the Jeep in 1987 and a renamed brand of that company still owns the Jeep today.
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