Sports Carnival Ecstasy - January 24, 2012

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Welcome to the January 24, 2012 edition of Sports Carnival Ecstasy. In this edition we have Eric Gargiulo and his preview of The Ten Biggest UFC Fights of 2012. Kevin takes a look Fantasy Basketball Buy/Sells for Week 3 of the NBA season. The Jets Have Bigger Problems Than Quarterback according to Jim Bearor. And finally there's an article by Maxim Clark on The 11 Most Questionable Hockey Trades… Ever! Hope you enjoy the material, bookmark, share, tweet, like on Facebook and come back soon.

Eric Gargiulo presents The Ten Biggest UFC Fights of 2012 posted at CamelCluchBlog.Com, saying, "The UFC is gearing up for an explosive 2012. Several big fights are already in place along with some gigantic possibilities if certain chips should fall their way."

Charles Chua C K presents 5 blogging Lessons to Learn from the World No 1 Badminton Player posted at All About Living with Life.

baseball

Jason Arias presents A Personal Twist on the 2013 Hall of Fame Ballot posted at The Ringer Report, saying, "Taking a look at the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot and why it means more to me than any ballot thus far"

basketball

Kevin presents 2011-2012 Fantasy Basketball Buy/Sells Week 3 posted at Draftopia, saying, "Alright so we're in week 3 of Fantasy Basketball, and beginning to see which players are for real and which are destined to annoy us the rest of the season."

Richard Livsey presents BROOKLYN NETS, FUHGEDDABOUDIT! posted at MentalSwag.com, saying, "I'm leaving the Knicks for good."

extreme

Robert Hazlewood presents Plyometric Exercises For Speed and Agility posted at Agilty Drills For Speed and Explosiveness.

Tomislav Stajduhar presents Should WRC allow superally restarts? posted at World Rally Blog.

football

Steve presents 2012 High School All American Games This Week posted at BrutusReport, saying, "Soon marks the national highschool all-American bowl week featuring the best seniors and many college selections throughout the games."

Evan Hoon presents The Sports World Through a Teenager's Eyes posted at The Sports World Through a Teenager's Eyes, saying, "Tim Tebow's 1st playoff win."

Jim Bearor presents The Jets Have Bigger Problems Than Quarterback posted at The Bearor's Den, saying, "My thoughts on the Jets and their postseason woes. I would really appreciate the oppurtunity for some of my work to be featured in your carnival, thank you."

David Katz presents Sleeping With The Fishes: 2012 NFL Playoffs posted at Davy Jones' Locker Room, saying, "Hilarious Sports Blog With Quality Analysis and Writing"

Evan Hoon presents The Sports World Through a Teenager's Eyes posted at The Sports World Through a Teenager's Eyes.

hockey

Maxim Clark presents The 11 Most Questionable Hockey Trades… Ever! posted at IceHockeyLeagues.com.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of sports carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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9 Ways to Improve the NBA

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The NBA has a lot it could do to improve. Everyone knows this. Even the players. Even the owners. So why don't they do something about it? You guessed it. Money. That little detail aside, here are nine things the NBA could do to improve itself...easily.

#1 Make the regular season a lot shorter. We all know the lockout-induced season this year is only going to be 66 games. This is probably a little bit too short. But 82 games, a normal season these days, is way too long. Players get hurt, they don't play defense, and they struggle to make it to the end of the season. For many fans, watching the playoffs is the extent of their fanaticism. This is sad. Watching players slog through a too-long season is also so. Somewhere around 70 games would be perfect. College baseball players double the amount of games they play in the pros, and football players play around 50% more. Basketball players play three times as many. Time to change that.

#2 Change the referee system. First of all, hire more referees so that players and referees don't develop relationships, bad or good. This can only lead to bias in calling the game. Also, show us stats on referees. And please hire more athletic refs while you're at it, possibly even some ex-NBA players. The ones you have now can't keep up.

#3 Slash players’ salaries. This doesn't even need an explanation. Players make too much, which leads to ridiculous ticket prices, and ridiculous prices for concessions. I do not need to pay nine bucks for a 12 ounce beer. Owners, coaches and admin don't need to make as much, either.

#4 Cut back on the number of playoff teams. Teams with 39 wins don't need to participate in the playoffs. It's not competitive, and it's not good for ratings. I know this issue is once again about money, but come on! We don't need to see playoff sweep after playoff sweep in the first round. It's not fun for us to watch, or for the low seeded team to play, when we pretty much know the outcome.

#5 Bring fairness to NBA scheduling. Teams do not need to play on back-to-back days. This would only be fair if all teams got an equal number of these disasters, but they don't. So, in the spirit of fair play, let's try to eliminate these from teams’ schedules. There are often scheduling conflicts at certain stadiums that make this difficult, but if it isn't possible, at least try to make it equal.

#6 No more minimum age rule. One-and-done should go the way of the Dodo. Players who know they're going pro after a year of college barely complete a semester of school. One semester of college? And then you can go pro? Who thought of this rule? These kids are getting nothing out of college, and the schools are doing everything they can to get around this rule, including borderline cheating. Get rid of it and set up some sort of more sophisticated developmental league.

#7 Guaranteed money? No more. Guaranteed salaries in the NBA have caused more problems than they have solved. Signing bonuses, or less years guaranteed would probably work out better. Or guarantees that only come into effect based on performance. We don't need to see any more players slacking in their later years because they have a huge guaranteed salary. No more faking injuries, or taking too long to get surgery and waiting until the regular season begins, please.

#8 Make the trade rules more lenient. With the recent trade issues, it's obvious that the rules need to be changed. I understand not wanting one team to be a dynasty, but come on. Let the trades happen. GMs are not stupid people; usually they have the ability to figure out what's best for their team. There should still be a "that's a ridiculous trade" clause in the rules where it's obvious there's a fire-sale going on, but let the trades happen.

#9 Finally, make the luxury tax fair. I understand the concept behind the tax, but it keeps the small market teams down and the larger market teams on top. It needs to be changed to be based on revenue and the size of that teams market for it to work. Minnesota and Chicago are way different in terms of size, so why doesn't this matter when it comes to the luxury tax. The penalties are the same for both teams, which really makes it hard for the Timberwolves to field a competitive team. Change the luxury tax now. Tax the wealthy.

All of these changes would make the NBA not only a better product for fans to watch, but a better place for the players to play. Change is not always a bad thing.

Rich Spaulding is CEO of Gold Star Games, a tailgate gear and cornhole bags supplier.

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Rocking Around the Clock - Swing is Back

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Swing is Back in Fashion

With Pole Fitness and Urban Dance styles very much taking the lead when it comes to contemporary dance fitness, it would be easy to think that more traditional dance forms are dying out, or at least becoming very unfashionable. But with the ever-growing youth fascination with the 1940’s and 50’s, certain fashion, music and dance styles are coming back and becoming the newest way to express yourself.

What is Swing Dance?

Swing dance incorporates a number of different styles, from the relatively well-known Charleston, Jive and Rock and Roll moves to the lesser known Balboa and Carolina Shag. However, the principles are largely the same, with routines danced with a partner to a 6 or 8 step count. Emphasis is on moving with your partner in time and the use of both arms and legs, although Swing is not a very high impact form of dance making it suitable for all ages and levels of fitness. Simple routines will simply involve partners dancing together in their choreographed step pattern, whilst more complex dances will have turns, spins and even drops, with women being very much the focus of the more spectacular movements.

You can see a really spectacular display of modern swing dancing in this clip from UK dancing show Strictly Come Dancing.

http://youtu.be/9ss-YD-ToLQ

In recent times, a scene has popped up, largely in cities but to a lesser extent represented in club nights and events all over the world, celebrating the fashions of the 1940’s and 50’s, including clothing, food, music and dance, and has proved very popular with people aged 18-30. These nights are very genteel, with some of the rougher hip hop and industrial clubs seeming a millions miles (and years!) away. Jazz and popular music from the era is played in and you are more likely to find different kinds of tea on the menu than vodka shots or pints of snakebite.

The emphasis is strongly on style, with girls dressing in 40’s tea dresses or the 50’s full skirts and kitten heels, while boys dress in suits hats and shoes. Most importantly on these nights, and one of the strongest aspects to make you feel as though you really have gone back in time, people dance. You can take part in the dancing whether your are a beginner or a pro, and clubs like Jitterbugs in London offer classes to improve your techniques and make sure you really fit in at the next party you go to.

You can also look at taking swing dance classes at many dedicated dance schools and nightclubs around the UK. Swing dance is good cardiovascular exercise as it requires constant movement and a high level of energy, it works well to tone your legs and thighs and will work amazingly to help your posture and sense of rhythm. Standing well apart from many other forms of exercise, it is also a fun and social way to exercise, and something you can take all of your friends along with you to experience, getting fit and learning a new skill together!

One of the premier swing and 1940’s themed nights you can attend is The Blitz Party. These parties happen regularly in London and feature real swing bands, a strict dress code, cabaret and professional swing dancers. You can find out more information on the Blitz Party website.

This article was written by Caitlin who loves dancing and trying out the latest fitness crazes to keep fit and have fun. When she is not writing for the www.poledancingpoles.info blog she can be found enjoying a bit of swing, jive and rock n roll or swinging round her dance fitness pole.

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Sports Carnival Ecstasy - January 5, 2012

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Welcome to the January 5, 2012 edition of Sports Carnival Ecstasy.In this edition we start with Steve and his article on the NCAA banning the Buckeyes from bowl games next season. That Random Guy has a look at the Playoff Picture for the NFL. Steve previews the Gator Bowl 2012: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Florida Gators. And Eric Gargiulo thinks Brock Lesnar Almost Screwed The UFC. Bookmark, share, tweet, like on Facebook and come back real soon.

Steve presents 5 Weird Discontinued Olympic Sports posted at FryingPan Sports, saying, "If you happen to look on the modern Olympics have always featured the same, traditional events then you’re wrong."

presents The Fantasy Sports Dilemma (AKA The Saga of the Category 2's and 3's) posted at RyComedy, saying, "An look into the mind of a real fantasy sports fanatic - and those who will never understand..."

baseball

Rick Sincere presents Did Baseball Save the American Judiciary? posted at Bearing Drift, saying, "Most people would not expect the Chief Justice of the United States to open his annual report on the judiciary with a reference to baseball. But he did."

extreme

Steve presents Tighten Your Core with Break Dance posted at FryingPan Sports, saying, "Of all the dance disciplines, there are few as intense and body-transforming as break dance. Not only does it look amazing (and, let’s face it, really cool), but it also does incredible things for your body."

football

Steve presents NCAA Bans Ohio State from Bowls in 2012 posted at BrutusReport, saying, "NCAA comes down hard on the Buckeyes while future OSU recruits stay committed."

Steve presents 2012 Ohio State Defensive End Se'von Pittman Highlights posted at eFilmRoom, saying, "Ohio State recently acquired a verbal commitment from Se’Von Pittman of the 2012 class."

Michael presents Se’von Pittman Switches from Michigan State to Ohio State posted at eScoutRoom, saying, "After much belief, Canton McKinley defensive end Se’von Pittman switched his verbal from MSU to OSU."

That Random Guy presents Playoff Picture for the NFL posted at Wow Another Random Blog!.

Steve presents Gator Bowl 2012: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Florida Gators posted at BrutusReport, saying, "A preview of the Gator Bowl (TaxSlayer.com) prior to Ohio State giving up two really bad special teams plays and losing to Florida."

Steve presents Noah Spence Class of 2012 Season Highlights posted at eFilmRoom, saying, "In this highlight video of 2012 Bishop McDevitt HS defensive end Noah Spence, you can quickly see his ability to dominate the high school game."

Michael presents Noah Spence Commits to Ohio State and Urban Meyer posted at eScoutRoom, saying, "Noah Spence wasn’t talking about Ohio State prior to Urban Meyer joining the Buckeyes this past month, but now he is firmly committed even after OSU was restricted from playing in a bowl game in 2012."

Steve presents How to start your own sports team in five easy steps posted at FryingPan Sports, saying, "Sometimes, it has to be said, organizing team raiding sessions in World of Warcraft doesn’t really fulfill all your social needs."

mma

Eric Gargiulo presents How Brock Lesnar Almost Screwed The UFC posted at CamelCluchBlog.Com, saying, "While the UFC lost its top draw Saturday night, the news may not be all that bad. Brock Lesnar reportedly planned to win the UFC title, leave the UFC, & return to the WWE thus screwing the UFC and Dana White if things played out as planned."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of sports carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Sports Carnival Ecstasy - December 22, 2011

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Welcome to the December 22, 2011 edition of sports carnival ecstasy. This time we have a good number of articles on various sporting topics including one from Steve on Ohio State traveling to Kansas for a preseason match-up on the hardwood. We have an article on the Clippers matching Jordan's Offer Sheet to try to secure the free agent for the upcoming NBA season. There's a preview of the Big Ten Championship Game from the BrutusReport.com website. And finally Steve presents Accurate Golf Lob Shots for all those living in warmer climates were you can still golf this winter. Hope you enjoy the articles, bookmark, share, tweet, like on Facebook, Plus, and come back soon.

Steve presents 5 Paintball Tips for Beginners posted at FryingPan Sports, saying, "Paintball is a very exciting hobby, but when you are first getting started playing paintball you want to be aware of some things."

Rachel Cleary presents 10 Hidden Ways to Save Money on Auto Insurance posted at Auto Insurance Quotes, saying, "This information has been useful to several readers and I'm sure it will provide your readers with the same value."

baseball

Monkeysuit presents Ryan Braun's Syphilis Medication to Blame posted at The Great Monkey Suit.

basketball

Steve presents Ohio State Travels to Allen Fieldhouse to Face Kansas posted at BrutusReport, saying, "Two of the top teams nationally, Ohio State and Kansas, and two of the top players in the country, Jared Sullinger and Thomas Robinson, could face off against each other this coming Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse."

Taylor presents Clippers Match Jordan's Offer Sheet posted at THE SPORTS CENTS.

extreme

Jason presents Holiday Shopping posted at Skate Blog | Read About Skateboarding News, Skate Company Updates, Liberty Skate Promotions, Giveaways, Skate Events, And More!, saying, "We're an online retailer of skateboard ramps and rails. We're doing what we can to keep fresh content on our site to keep the visitors happy."

Troy P presents Softball Pullup Grips | DIY Fitness Equipment posted at Cube.Dweller.Fitness, saying, "Extreme home fitness - redeploy those extra softballs laying around the house. Crank up the drill press and the welder. Then build some serious forearms with softball pullup grips."

football

Steve presents Marc Dantonio Builds a Big Ten Contender posted at BrutusReport, saying, "When Marc Dantonio left Cincinnati to take over as the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans, he wanted to win with defense, special teams and a physical offense."

Steve presents Ricquan Southward Switches From Miami to Ohio State posted at eFilmRoom, saying, "The new head coach hire of Urban Meyer at Ohio State has quickly made a difference in recruiting. Ricquan Southward of Lakeland Florida switched his verbal commitment from Miami (FL) to Ohio State just this past week."

Michael presents 2012 Wide Receiver Ricquan Southward Switches to Ohio State posted at eScoutRoom, saying, "Ohio State football recruiting is picking up with the announcement that Urban Meyer is going to be taking over as head coach next season."

Steve presents Tommy Schutt–Defensive Line Glen Ellyn Glenbard West posted at eFilmRoom, saying, "Tommy Schutt became the first official commitment of Urban Meyer’s time at Ohio State when he changed his verbal commitment from Penn State to Ohio State."

Michael presents Tommy Schutt Commits to Ohio State for 2012 posted at eScoutRoom, saying, "Tommy Schutt had between 30 and 35 scholarship offers when he made the selection to play from Penn State over the summer of 2011."

Steve presents MLB Games Tryouts posted at FryingPan Sports, saying, "This is the question that many parents and young aspiring baseball players ask during spring season as they get ready to go to the ballpark with dreams of having multi-million dollar bonuses in their heads."

golf

Steve presents Accurate Golf Lob Shots posted at FryingPan Sports, saying, "The golf lob shot is usually a short shot of no more than 50 yards at most, and is usually employed to get the ball high very quickly, often to get it over an obstacle of some kind."

mma

Hooker presents UFC Fighters Who Cry Are Stoopid posted at Humans are Stoopid.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of sports carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

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5 Cool Gifts for the Young Martial Artist

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Finding the perfect gift for a young martial artist doesn't have to be a chore. Whether you are shopping for your own child or someone else's child, there are plenty of cool gifts you can buy that will make him or her smile with joy. Here are some top five suggestions with extra grin factor included.

Century Kid Kick Wavemaster Punching Bag

There is no better way to encourage a child's martial arts interest than by giving them something they can practice with at home. The Century Kid Kick Wavemaster Punching Bag is less than $100 and will provide the young martial artist with hours and hours of exercise and entertainment as well as practice. The bag comes in three adjustable sizes so that as the child grows, he or she can still continue to use the bag.

The Martial Arts Training Diary for Kids

This book is a must have for every young martial artist. The book includes martial arts games, stories and activities as well as pages to log their accomplishments, favorite styles, personal best moves and more. The book is intended for children ages 7 and up. For around $10, you can give a young martial artist a gift he or she will love for years.

Foam Nunchakus

What young martial artist doesn't secretly dream of deftly twirling nunchakus around like an action movie star? You can find a nice pair online for $5 to $10 and the foam covering helps ensure that he or she won't get hurt while learning how to use them. For extra fun, add a beginners' level or kid-oriented training DVD to your gift so he or she can learn from the pros.

A Gift Certificate

Many martial arts schools have pro shops with training items, t-shirts and other school specific merchandise. Contact the young martial artist's school and see if they offer gift certificates. School gift certificates are great because the student can pick out exactly what he or she wants without having to ask Mom or Dad to pay for it.

Training DVDs

Turn tube time into activity time. There is a wide selection of training DVDs for kids that cover all the various forms of martial arts. Most martial arts DVDs are relatively inexpensive and you can buy them through large retailers like Amazon.com or specific martial arts websites. Another plus is that the videos often reinforce the same values students learn at the dojo, so the videos are educational as well as fun.

Martial Artists, especially young ones, thrive on encouragement and accomplishment. Any gift you can give them that helps support their interest will be greatly appreciated. The most important thing to consider is where the student is on his or her martial arts journey and pick gifts that you know he or she will personally enjoy.

About the Author: Buford Wadell loves studying the martial arts and works to foster that same love in his children. He recommends self defense classes to anyone who is worried about their personal safety.

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A Great Olympian Let Down

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Who else is feeling completely underwhelmed by what is supposed to be the biggest event in recent British history? No, I'm not talking about the royal wedding, though I'll admit that the excitement surrounding Pippa Middleton's unremarkable behind suggests that the British public felt a similarly damp spark.

No people, I'm talking about the Olympics. I'm so bored by the inane faux-excitement that I'm even thinking of taking a cycling holiday next July just so I can actually do some exercise rather than watch other people do it. 'Traitor!' I hear you shout. 'Kill joy!' you exclaim. Maybe I'm a bit of both, but there's just too much to hate about the whole thing.

1. The UK aren't going to win

Think of how we did in the World Cup in 2010: we think we're pretty damn good until we're confronted with the genius sportsmen and women from just about every other country in the world and then realise we're rubbish. The worst thing is that we can't say that it's because they have more money to spend on training and facilities. No one's got any money! Hurrah!

No, we just have to admit that while we're good at important things like wearing hats, genteel walking holidays in the Lake District and electing poor heads of state, in the sports department we're just like the nerd who gets picked last for the basketball team. Tim Henman, bless his tennis whites for trying, was a regular disappointment. This is not to diminish his achievements: he's better at tennis than 99.9% of the world's population – a sexy statistic if you're Tim – but the public and the media all too easily forget their own mediocrity and joyfully massacre this poor bloke's career. If he's not grand slamming willy-nilly at Wimbledon, he's basically as impressive as Wayne Rooney's hair transplant.

2. Commuter Nightmare

I used to get a thrill out of being able to give (fake) directions to flabby German tourists. Now, I can't even be bothered to think up a lie because it takes up valuable commute time – I just push past them angrily to make sure that little old lady isn't the one getting the last seat on the tube.

During the Olympic summer, you can guarantee that every tired and unenthusiastic Londoner will be asked for directions every single day, ensuring that 10 minutes’ walk to the tube becomes 11 minutes, and that extra minute is enough to miss that all important connection at the end of a trying day. Thus, I predict an increase in commuter breakdowns of at least 5%, enough to push the NHS over the edge and into an even more disorganised state. Not good for treating tourists who have injured themselves after being inspired by the wrestling event.

3.British incompetence being advertised to the world

It's ok for us to make fun of ourselves, indeed, it's a vital part of the British psyche to whinge about how rubbish the UK is: the food, our film industry, schools and most of all, our attitudes. It is all a complete joke. However, the Olympic fiasco-in-the-making will give other countries a chance to point and laugh mercilessly at our awful attempts to create a world class event with world class culture hosted by world class people. Boris Johnson's hair will be beside itself with excitement, and will start shouting out obscenities during the opening ceremony. Suddenly, Silvio Berlusconi's Bunga Bunga parties will look like an attractive alternative event for the Italians coming to see the show.

Bemused tourists will arrive in Stratford, hoping for a bit of thespian action alongside the Olympics – what they'll get is a neighbourhood Londoners pass through as quickly as possible. And finally, chic and experimental sculptors from Canada will look at the ArcelorMittal Orbit and quite rightly wonder why we've created something that looks like a python getting it on with a trumpet.

Suri enjoys travelling, photography and writing, but definetly not the idea of the olympics!

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