Active.com Team Sports - Because sports are about so much more.

Rob's Shout Out and Updates - June 2007

We've come full circle. I'm Rob Costlow and very happy to be back bringing you community updates and news. I've been deep into working on the new Active.com with the rest of the team. You may be wondering when the site is going to launch. I ask myself the same question. Nah, it's all good. We're currently in private beta and the new site is scheduled to go public before the end of June. In the meantime I have some great new features to share which will now be available in Phase 1. Wikis, email and RSS notifications (on all types of content), and your very own personal blog will be available. Already have a blog? No problem, importing tools will be available. ;)

Dumb Parents Rob Kids of Fun

Just when you thought you had heard all the stories about parents taking kids' sports too seriously, another jerk comes along.

read more | digg story

Parents, wake up. Let's hope these kids are getting guidance on how to overcome this disappointment and not drowned with anger and bitterness against their commissioner. He's already getting a wake up call.

NBA star playing on the streets of D.C.

Gilbert Arenas is an NBA all-star for the Washington Wizards. This summer while his fellow pro colleagues enjoyed their vacation getting away from basketball Arenas played summer league rec ball in the rough streets of southeast D.C. The Washington Post web site has video of this inspirational story.

The Wave Turns the big 2-5!

Yes, the infamous crowd participating cheer, "The Wave," turned 25 on October 15. The debated (but we believe likely) creation of drum pounding Krazy George Henderson (AKA The World's Most Famous Cheerleader) during an Oakland Athletics / Yankees game back in 1981. The Washington Huskies are known to have popularized the cheer.

Check out Henderson's Web site at www.krazygeorge.com.

Think before you speak... the world is now listening... umm and watching.

Lamar Thomas' statements during the Miami/FIU fight on Saturday got him fired from his commentating job. The video was all over YouTube and you have to believe it's popularity lead to his firing.

read more | digg story

Little League pitch counts

Beginning next year pitchers in the Little League World Series will be regulated by pitch counts organized by age. It's the same rule as applies to the regulars season but now they will be enforced during the series. (This issue was a big topic of discussion at the series. Baltimore Oriole pitcher LaTroy Hawkins was asked about it and he said "I don't want to touch that one!"

The breakdown by age is as follows:

11-12....85 pitches
9-10....75 pitches
13-16...95 pitches

For many years the medical community have been calling for pitch counts because of the increases of arm injuries among young pitchers. But others have said it's the kind of pitch--not the amount that really determines injury. There also is the fact that just some young kids are built to throw alot and some aren't.

What do you think? Should Little League institute these pitch counts? Or should this be left at the discretion of the individual managers? Tell us what you think!

Zidane and Materazzi to meet on convict island

File this under the extremely bizarre department...

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is attempting to resolve the whole World Cup head-butting incident involving Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi by bringing the two world-famous soccer players together on Robben Island in South Africa to patch up their differences before World Cup 2010.

For those not intimately acquainted with Robben Island it has been a penal colony for political prisoners and social outcasts for the past 400 years--and housed Nelson Mandela for many years. (It is now the site of a Nelson Mandela musuem.)

No word on what kind of protective headgear Materazzi will be wearing.

USA Softball Team takes Gold!

Jessica Mendoza did it again.

The USA Softball team avenged an earlier loss to Japan behind the slugging of Mendoza and Crystl Bustos as well as the dominant pitching of Cat Osterman to take the gold medal at the World Softball Championships in Beijing. ESPN has the whole story.

Check out our World Cup of Softball special section to get an insight into how the U.S. team prepared for this tournament over the summer.

NCAA, NBA Could Team on Amateur Reform

NCAA President Myles Brand left open the possibility yesterday that college sports' governing body for the first time is willing to work with both the NBA and shoe companies to improve amateur basketball, which has come under increasing criticism this year.

read more | digg story

How Adults Can Make Kids' Sports a Nightmare

Some adults pressure their kids in sports to the point where the kids no longer enjoy what should be fun. Adults placing unreasonable pressure on children is nothing new. The only difference is the things they expect their children to excel at. In the 17th century young boys were castrated so their singing voices wouldn't be ruined by puberty (unbelievable!).

read more | digg story

The Road to Kalamazoo

It's around 3:30 in the morning and we are heading West on the Ohio Turnpike and still about 3 hours from home. Isn't technology great? I am able to surf the net while driving down the highway! (actually my wife Holly is doing the typing - I'm just dictating. She tends to get cranky when I take my eyes off the road to see what site she is on)

Let me begin by explaining that we had big plans for the Championship game.  Our friend Larry Brewer was scheduled to umpire in the game and we were more than ready to enjoy a day at the ballpark and cheer him on.  However as you all know by now things did NOT go as planned.  After several weather delays and then the final decision to postpone the game until tomorrow night at 8 pm we decided to pack it in and head home to Michigan.

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For the rest of this article check out our Little League World Series.

Georgia wins the Little League World Series!

It has been a very exciting and entertaining year for Little League Baseball. What a series! The Southeast team became the new world champs winning the 60th Little League World Series in a 2-1 upset over Japan.

In the third inning, Cody Walker hit a 2-run home run for the U.S. champions, Columbus Nothern Little League (Columbus, Georgia).  Pitcher Kyle Carter contributed greatly to the win, stricking out 11.

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For the rest of this article check out our Little League World Series.

ESPN employs five-second delay on Little League World Series

As some of you readers might already know last night a player on the Staten Island team issued a curse word on live TV. This was bad enough--but then his manager reportedly 'slapped' him when he heard the word. (Sorry I can't confirm this because I didn't see it.) 

This has led to an official reprimand from Little League Baseball and has caused ESPN to issue a five-second delay on all future Little Leauge World Series. It's sad...but the same constraints that have been institutued because of Janet Jackson and her wardrobe have now been brought to a Little League World Series broadcast.

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Check out the rest of this post on our Little League World Series special section....

Live Video from Willilamsport

That's right...Mikey from Active and eteamz is at the Little League World Series in Williamsport and he brought a video camera. (Uh oh.)

In this installment he discusses such important topics as being bumped out of the press box by smelly sportswriters and just where on his arm he should put a permanent LLB tattoo.

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Check out the video at our Little League World Series Special Section.

STOP before you START!

With it being summer time, I've been outside quite a bit working with my athletes on various movement techniques. This has also given me the liberty to watch some local baseball games and soccer and tennis matches. Young athletes running and jumping around playing their hearts out! It's great!

But the one element that I see lacking in a major area of these athletes is: STOPPING

No, I didn't type that incorrectly. Stopping or decelerating is a primary problem with young athletes. There is so much information out there to the public on how to become faster and speedy, but very little is addressed about knowing or learning how to decelerate!

The amount of deceleration can be determined by speed of the athlete and if a change in direction is required. Proper body control and angle are of major importance when trying to slow ourselves.

The athletes need to pay attention to their chin, shoulder and hip position when slowing from a rapid movement or attempting to change directions.

So, start adding in basic deceleration drills into their training or skill work. Pay attention to their body positioning. By learning how to accept their body weight and force they will be much more efficient on the field when changing directions.

A couple of things that I always relay to my athletes:

If I was teaching you how to ski jump, I would teach you how to land first; the jumping part is easier!

I wouldn't ask you to get into a sports car and drive at 100 mph. if it didn't have brakes!

Teach them how to STOP.

Until next time, keep working hard!

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Shawn is an independent performance coach. He was an all-conference defensive back in college and attended CFL/NFL tryouts. He maintains two top websites: www.gamespeed.biz and www.speedladderdrills.com

Little League Baseball is more popular than ever!

The Little League World Series is about to start and...already there is great news from the home office. After a three-year period in which Little League participation numbers dropped slightly Little League International has announced that participation in Little League has jumped by more than 23,000 this year compared to last.  Some of the reasons cited were:

1) The success of programs like Little League International reaching people through e-newsletters, online Q and A sessions, and a revamped Web site.

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For the rest of this article check out our Little League World Series Special Section!

Little League World Series 2006

Active Team Sports has just launched the Little League World Series 2006 special section!

Join us on the road to Williamsport! Go beyond the scores and check out special interviews, guest blogger articles (including posts from Dugout, the LL mascot) and more! Be sure to sign up below for our e-news at the top of the section.

Check out the section at llbworldseries.active.com.

How To Instantly Increase Your Batting Average.

This tip is really powerful, yet simple and to the point.

Know exactly which pitch you are looking for and do not swing unless the situation calls you to do so.

Before you go to the plate know exactly which pitch you want. If you like a fastball middle in do not swing at a curve ball low and away on the first pitch.

If you do you will likely miss or make a soft out. You certainly won't get many good swings on the ball. This is called getting yourself out. I see this way too often.

Changing this can easily skyrocket your batting average and help your team because you have a much greater chance at hitting a pitch you know you can handle than one you don't.

Hitting is already difficult enough. Please don't make it any more complicated than it already is.

Sit on your pitch and force the pitcher to come into your wheelhouse. The great ones all do this.

I know this tip may seem very simple, but do not overlook how effective it is.

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To learn more about proper hitting I have written a report titled "The 7 Secrets of Successful Hitting". I am currently giving it away for FREE! Just visit www.milliondollarhitter.com and I will rush it right out to you!

No-hitter and Grand Slam Lead Team USA to 12-0 victory

Tucson, Ariz. – Backed by a grand slam from Jessica Mendoza and a no-hitter by Cat Osterman, the 2006 USA Women’s Softball Team completed their four-game sweep of NPF Arizona Heat tonight in Tucson, Ariz. The team hit at a .368 clip during the series with seven players registering five or more hits.

In the second inning, one ball away from a walk, Jenny Topping (Whittier, Calif.) took a Leslie Wolfe offering and ripped it over centerfield to put Team USA on the board. Osterman (Houston, Texas) started in the circle, throwing a complete game with 12 strikeouts, no hits and one walk.

With a single, Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) started a scoring drive that would end with Team USA posting five runs on the board in the fifth. Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.) followed Watley with another single, loading up the bases. On the first pitch, Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.), took it deep over center field to clear the bases for the team’s first grand slam of the season.

Team USA again put up five runs in the sixth, off of six hits. Topping added another RBI with a single while Amanda Freed (Cypress, Calif.) put up two RBI with a single to center field.

Team USA will play in one more exhibition series on July 10 in Irvine, Calif., against the World University Games team before heading to Oklahoma City, Okla., where they will compete in the II World Cup of Softball July 13-17.

Click here for box scores on the exhibition series vs. NPF Arizona Heat www.usasoftball.com. Also check out our World Cup of Softball special section.

World Cup Video - Best Goals

A look back at World Cup 2002 best goals.

What's your vote for best goals in World Cup 2006?

Do You Use Weight Machines?

I can write all day about just how misunderstood baseball training information is these days. However, I would make myself sick because it really upsets me to see kids getting such bad advice.

One such piece of advice is the use of machines in weight training.

Machines should never be used. I repeat, machines should never be used!

Do you have a machine guiding you on the baseball diamond? I didn't think so. So why in the world would you train with them?

Machines are not only useless, they can decrease performance and increase the risk of injury! That's right. Triple whammy right there.

On most machines you are sitting or lying down. In order to increase power, strength and speed your must perform ground-based movements. This means your feet are on the ground and you are standing up. Not sitting on some pretty chrome machine.

Machine strength has very little carryover to the baseball diamond for a number of reasons. The machines actually guide the weight for you. So the stabilizer muscles do not have to work. These may be one of the reasons for the high amount of injury our youth have been experiencing.

Please do yourself a favor and use good old fashioned barbells, dumbbells, medicine balls, bodyweight movements and kettlebells. Your body (and statistics) will thank you!

Overlooked Soccer Training Method

Most soccer conditioning is based upon running...and rightfully so.

Typically a coach will have his or her players run distance or sprints. But never together.

This is a monumental mistake.

The game of soccer demands a player can "cruise" at lower speed and then turn on a 100% sprint at the drop of a dime. This is done throughout the entire game.

Therefore, interval training should be the basis of your conditioning work as that will have the greatest carryover to the soccer field.

Alternate periods of slower, duration running with sprints ranging from 85-100% of a players max.

USA Softball 2006 Women’s National Team roster

USA Softball has announced the roster for its 2006 Women's National Team.

The team will now prepare for the second annual World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City, July 13-17 and then travel to Beijing, China for the ISF Women’s World Championships.

The roster has seventeen players and includes eleven members from the 2004 Olympic team. Be sure to check out the Active.com World Cup of Softball special section.

Baseball phenom not so great off-the-field

Delmon Young is the Tampa Devil Ray uber-prospect who THREW A BAT at an umpire last month and received a 50 game supsension. Well MLB has an interview with Delmon and to say he is "less than contrite" about the incident is an understatement.

He refused to answer questions about the suspension--prompting the interviewer to move on--and didn't feel he had to do anything 'special' to win back his teammates' respect.

Most revealing of all is the reaction of TV producer Bob Grissom, who conducted the interview, at the end when he just shrugs his shoulders in disbelief. A very revealing look into a professional athlete who is acting 'way below' his age.

Is softball hazardous to your child's health?

Did you know that softball/baseball injuries are the biggest reasons for children to go the Emergency Room? Dogbitelaw.com has fascinating data showing the rate of ER incidences among children. (I wonder what happens if you play softball--and have a dog.)

The Road to Williamsport

Pairings have been set for the 2006 Little League Baseball World Series. This is the 60th World Series!

Check it out on Little League International's Web site.

We'll be launching a Little League World Series special section August 1. Be sure to stay tuned and check it out.

First girl to win Spelling Bee since eteamz launched

Congratulations to Katharine Close for her National Spelling Bee win! This is the first female win since eteamz was officially launched to the public in 1999 (thought this was a more interesting way to put it).

The winning word was "ursprache." Check out the definition on Google.

Should we add Spelling as a sport to eteamz? :)

Football team saves man pinned under car!

I don't know if they can score touchdowns but members of the Centralia High School football team are certainly champions off the field. As players were unloading tires off of a truck they heard the screams of Ed Marsh who was pinned underneath a pickup truck and being attended emergency workers. So the players LIFTED the truck to free Marsh. ESPN has the whole story.

J-Mac goes Hollywood!

The amazing story of Jason McElwain, an autistic high school senior who scored a miraculous 20 points in a February basketball game, came full circle today with news that Columbia Pictures has won a bidding war for the film rights to the story.

Alvin Sargent, who wrote Spider Man 2 is slated to pen the script. Most interesting is the presence of Magic Johnson--whose involvment as producer likely sealed the deal.ESPN.com has the full story.

Pitcher returns to mound after losing eye

John Fortenberry of East Central Community College is like any other pitcher trying to get a college scholarship—except for one small fact—he only has one eye.

Fortenberry lost the eye in an intrasquad game when a ball was crushed directly into his face. After doctors told him he’d never play, and 29 screws were inserted into his face, Fortenberry returned with a 4.06ERA to round out a very decent freshman year. Click here for the rest of this amazing story on Yahoo Sports.

Heat

Check out Heat, the new book from Mike Lupica (author of Travel Team).

The book is about a young boy who dreams of pitching in the Little League World Series and beyond in the major leagues. The boy is a Cuban refugee who faces serious life struggles (death, deception, dating), including rumors that he is older than he claims. His league forces him to be benched until he can present a birth certificate (sounds familiar). Will he fulfill his dream?

Check out more information.

Are shoe companies too powerful?

Sebastian Telfair gets paid Originally uploaded by eteamz photos.

German shoe company Adidas made news today by signing an 11-year deal with the NBA to be the official uniform supplier for the league. Financial details weren’t disclosed—but we can assume it was quite a bit-- as Adidas is preparing to purchase Reebok for the low-low price of 3.7 billion dollars. Click here for the whole story.

What might be lost in this fact is that companies like Adidas and Nike are largely responsible for the influx of high school athletes declaring for the NBA draft. Many players, such as Sebastian Telfair, only decided to ‘skip college’ after signing a deal with Adidas. And oftentimes the money athletes make from endorsements, especially in basketball, easily outpace the money they make from the actual team contract.

So the question remains…do you think shoe companies represent too large an influence in youth sports (especially basketball)? Or do you think it’s an unavoidable consequence of a league where eighteen year-olds are welcome to join the professional ranks?

Click here to tell us what you think. And don’t forget to check out the basketball message boards to see what other members of the eteamz community are talking about.

Texas Softball No.1

Cat Osterman pitching for Team USA Originally uploaded by eteamz photos.

For the first time in their 10 year history the Texas Longhorn softball team is the #1 ranked team in the country. They leapfrogged to the top spot after Tennessee and UCLA both lost. (As if UCLA wasn’t already having a bad enough day.) Click here for the whole story on rivals.com.

Apparently Roger Clemens isn’t the only flamethrower in the Lone Star State. Texas pitcher Cat Osterman is 22-1 with a…are you ready for this....0.23 ERA.

And in other softball news my Cal Berkeley Bears are 29-3…and are stuck in fifth place! Does this prove that the Pac 10 is the most dominant conference in softball right now?

Check out the softball message boards to see what other eteamz members are talking about.

Will anybody watch the NCAA championship game?

He's excited...but is anybody else? Originally uploaded by eteamz photos.

Many have said this was the best NCAA tournament ever played with exciting games, shocking upsets, and one of the best Cinderella stories ever seen in the form of George Mason University. There are also predictions that tonight’s final with UCLA and Florida will be the lowest-rated championship game in nearly 10 years without favorites such as Duke or UConn in the mix.

Click here to tell us if you would you rather watch basketball powerhouses dueling it out or would you rather have two teams, warts and all, that were able to slug their way to the final. Also check out the basketball message boards to see what other eteamz people are saying.

Photo courtesy of Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Bribing refs is okay

How much was this ref paid? Originally uploaded by eteamz photos.

File this under the ‘too bizarre to be true’ department. Nigerian soccer referees are now officially allowed to take bribes from participating teams—just so long as they don’t let it affect their judgment. For the whole story on msnbc go here.

Apparently stamping out corruption is too difficult a proposition. So Nigerian soccer officials told its assembled refs during a soccer seminar to simply ‘take the money’ and still call a good game.

Is this the worst idea in sports since Michael Jordan playing baseball? Or is this just a realistic approach in a country that is known as one of the most corrupt in the world?

Click here to tell us what you think about bribery and soccer officials. Also check out the soccer message boards to see what other eteamz members are saying.

(Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images)

DUKIE WINS PLAYER OF THE YEAR—AGAIN!

Adam Morrison has another dissapointment Originally uploaded by eteamz photos.

It was no big surprise that J.J. Redick was named the national player of the year by The Associated Press today. (Check out the whole story here.) What was surprising was that Adam Morrison of Gonzaga didn’t share the award with him.

Many thought that Redick and Morrison had such similar numbers and both meant so much to their team that they would end up sharing NCAA basketball’s most prestigious individual award.

But many think that Morrison suffered from playing in a ‘Mid-Major’—meaning his level of competition wasn’t as high as Redick’s in the ACC. But doesn’t George Mason’s brilliant run prove that the conference reputations are largely relevant?

Click here to tell us if you think Morrison should have had a share of the award or if Redick and his 26.8 ppg were more than enough to take the award. Also check out the basketball message boards to see which player other members of the eteamz community thought was more deserving.

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Congrats to El Dorado Hawks!

'We're #1' has never been yelled louder here in the eteamz office than when we found out the El Dorado Hawks of Placentia, CA had been ranked the #1 Fastpitch Softball team in the country by USA Today. In case you didn't hear that the first time let me repeat that....the El Dorado Hawks, who host their team site on eteamz, is the #1 High School Fastpitch team in the country.

You can check out their site here as well as wish them well on the fastpitch message boards. Also click here to see the entire top 25 list. Keep up the good work girls! You make us proud.

Are Little Leaguers too strong?

We want triples! Originally uploaded by eteamz photos.

Girls may dig the long ball—but Little League baseball doesn’t seem to have the same fascination. In an attempt to encourage less home runs and more triples and doubles, organizers for the Little League World Series are pushing back the fences by 20 feet for the Little League World Series in August. Check out the whole story here on Fox Sports.

Though home runs have remained constant—the distance of the fences have not. They were pushed back 5 feet in 1996 and now are being pushed back an additional 20 feet.

Does this imply that little leaguers are stronger than they were just 10 years ago? Or is this just an attempt to make games more exciting? Are players hitting more home runs because of better access to training and hitting education? Or is this a disturbing trend about how little leaguers are physically developing sooner than expected?

Click here to tell us what you think. And don’t forget to check out the baseball message boards to find out what other members of the eteamz community are talking about.

(Photo courtesy of Elsa/Getty Images)

Madness of March

Magical ride of George Mason University Originally uploaded by eteamz photos.

Now we know you all had George Mason in your final four bracket. But for those precious few who didn’t you can take comfort in the fact that of the 4 million people who entered in the ESPN bracket contest only FOUR correctly picked the four teams to reach the final four.

And of the remaining teams the presence of mid-major George Mason in the final four is the biggest surprise. Many have claimed that this is the death knell for the dominance of big college programs and that we are witnessing a new shift in the way the NCAA tournament will play out—with many more mid-majors making appearances in the Final Four.

Click here to tell us if you think George Mason’s storybook ride is indicative of a larger trend or is simply an infrequent occurrence that isn’t likely to be repeated. Also check out our basketball message boards to see what other members of eteamz.

Kelvin Sampson Going Cream and Crimson?

Kelvin Sampson is familiar with red and white, but if the reports are true, he'll be a cream and crimson Hoosier very soon.

Kelvin Sampson, 259-109 in 12 seasons at Oklahoma, reportedly was offered and accepted the Indiana University basketball head coaching position over the weekend.

Wow, is there really no chance for Bobby Knight to return? Can Sampson fulfill Hoosier expectations? Interesting times lie ahead in B-town.

And, what happened to Alford?

Post your comments.

Hoosiers

Indiana's 1976 and 1981 NCAA Championship Teams To Be Honored

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association will honor IU's 1976 and 1981 NCAA championship teams on their respective 25th and 30th anniversaries at a breakfast on Friday, March 31, as one of the events surrounding the NCAA's Final Four. The 2006 college player of the year and coach of the year will also be named and presented trophies.

Click here for more information.

World Cup 2006 Special Section

Sign up for our upcoming World Cup section featuring guest coaches, bloggers at the cup, Soccer Kicks for Cancer, ESPN video, PowerStats, news, articles, interviews and more!

Sign up on the right side of this page or at http://eteamz.active.com/soccer/.

Thoughts on the WBC

Akinora Otsuka closes out the game for Japan Originally uploaded by eteamz photos.

Went to the WBC semi-finals this weekend in San Diego. It was totally awesome. I was sad to see the USA get bounced from the tournament early but that’s what happens when you don’t make a clutch two-out basehit. (I’m talking to you Vernon Wells.) Here’s a few things I noticed….

• Political feelings aside Cuba might be the best story of the World Baseball Classic. They play a National League style of baseball involving speed, defense, and moving runners over. And yet…
• They have the worst baseball uniforms I’ve ever seen. And I should know…cos I’m a Padres fan and I remember the softball uniforms they wore in the early 80’s.
• The Dominican team losing proves that a collection of free-swinging all-stars will always get beat by a team that has a collective idea of what it wants to do at the plate.
• Cuban pitcher Pedro Lazo could pitch RIGHT NOW for any Major League team.
• Adrian Beltre is still overrated.
• This tournament was important to every country EXCEPT for the USA. The coolest part of the games were the fans waving their flags and banging on their large drums. (Yes, drums.)
• Korean fans HATE Ichiro.
• For six innings the Korea/Japan game was about the most fundamentally sound game of baseball you will ever see. And then Byung Hyun Kim came in to pitch.

  Click here to give your reaction to the WBC games. Don’t forget to also check out the baseball and softball message boards to see what other members of the eteamz community are talking about.

Little League Photo Contest

All you baseball and softball shutterbugs now have a chance to turn those awesome photos of yours into Little League legend. Open to any local league or district volunteer the Little League photo contest is in full effect.

The deadline is July 15 so you have plenty of time to get those action shots together. And winners will have their photos on display in the Little League Museum--as well as included on the Little League website and newsletter. (I think some of the eteamz snapshotz winners have a good chance.)

Go here for the a contest entry form as well as a photo model release form.

WBC: Does anybody care?

"Did we really lose to Canada?" Originally uploaded by eteamz photos.

In all the craziness that is Barry Bonds and cattle steroids—no joke—it might have been overlooked that during the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday Team USA lost to Canada. Let me repeat that: Team USA LOST to Canada.

This is no slight to our neighbors to the North but this is the biggest upset since the New York Knicks beat…well…anybody. It put Team USA perilously close to getting bounced from the WBC and put that team of MLB All-Stars on notice that they can’t walk their way to the finals.

But does anybody care about the WBC? In Asia and Latin America they got huge crowds but in this country enthusiasm seems rather lukewarm? If Team USA does not make the finals will anybody in this country actually watch the games?

Go here to tell us what you think about Team USA and the WBC. Also check out the baseball and softball message boards to see what other eteamz folks think.

Don’t forget to check out the latest camps that might interest you.

(Photo Courtesy of Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Is MLS selling out?

Hmmm...Me want Red Bull Originally uploaded by eteamz photos.

The New Jersey/New York Metro Stars will certainly be the most energetic team on the field.

Reports coming out of the Major League Soccer seem to be that Austrian-based Red Bull—that beverage company largely responsible for the rise in the amount of hyper college students—is on the verge of purchasing the Metro Stars. And in predictable fashion they are planning to rename the team the New York/New Jersey ‘Red Bulls.’ Go here to check the entire story on bizjournals.com.

This, of course, is nothing new. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks have been erasing the line between sports and product placement for years. But is there anything wrong with a professional soccer team being named after a drink that is often used to make a cocktail? Is this any different than European soccer teams who have blatant ads on their jerseys? Or is the mascot name a sacred cow that should not be tampered with?

Click here to tell us what you think—and check out the soccer message boards to see what other members of the eteamz community think.

Should the records of Barry Bonds be amended?

 The complicated reputation of Barry Bonds Originally uploaded by eteamz photos.

Barry Bonds and steroids--it seems the two have been linked for years. But yesterday an explosive excerpt from the book “Game of Shadows” on the Sports Illustrated website provided some pretty strong evidence that Barry Bonds has knowingly taken steroids since 1999.

The real question is not whether Barry Bonds will be admitted to the Hall of Fame. (He probably will—despite these new allegations.) But assuming that Bonds is guilty should his amazing career records—he is currently third on the all-time home run list—be amended or even removed? Should there be an asterix next to Bonds’ records as well as other players of the ‘steroid’ era? Or without conclusive evidence should these records remain intact and unblemished?

Click here to leave a comment on this issue. Also check out our softball and baseball message boards to see what other members of the eteamz community are saying.

Also go here to find out the latest info on camps for your favorite sport.