… “I don’t quite know how to answer that, to be honest,” Cole said. “There are customs and practices that have been passed down from older players to younger players, from the last generation of players to this generation of players, and I think there are some things that are certainly out of bounds in that regard. I’ve stood pretty firm in terms of that, in terms of the communication between our peers and what not. This is important to a lot of people who love the game, including the players in this room, including fans, including teams, so if MLB wants to legislate some more stuff, that’s a conversation that we can have. Because ultimately we should all be pulling in the same direction on this.”
… People left him for dead, and he was a punchline, and heard all of it, and I made sure that he heard all of it,” said Raheem Shabazz, Payne’s Memphis-based trainer. “I would remind him and it would piss him off and we would have the greatest workouts.”
Payne’s roundabout journey to the Western Conference Finals – which took him from Memphis to Murray State to first-round draft pick to NBA castoff to China to the G League and then back to the NBA with the Phoenix Suns – is as compelling and inspiring a development as this basketball-crazy town has produced in years.
… Djokovic won the French Open on Sunday. It was his 19th Grand Slam, which sounds a bit boring. But this one was his War and Peace. This was Djokovic working on a grand scale.
On Friday night, he played what was likely the greatest semi-final match in tennis history against Rafael Nadal. By Sunday afternoon, he looked like a man in need of rest. Djokovic came out so flat in the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas he was two-dimensional. His forehands had no pop. His posture sagged. He was dragging himself around the court, waving at gettable balls.
Duke University women’s basketball has added Justin Roach as the Associate Director of Sports Performance effective immediately. Roach will oversee all aspects of physical wellness for the Blue Devil women’s basketball program.
Roach arrives in Durham after spending the last six years at Rice where he was the Director of Basketball Performance for women’s basketball. During his time with the Owls, Roach was a part of the best stretch in Rice women’s basketball history. The Owls collected five straight 20-win seasons, including two NCAA Tournament appearances, one Conference USA Championship and a WNIT Championship.
… Freelap USA: Strength training in baseball has recently become a hot commodity. What has driven the baseball market out of its old way of thinking?
Kyle Rogers: There used to be a stigma around baseball that throwing velocity couldn’t be taught or developed; that it was God-given, and those without it had to learn how to compete without it. Meanwhile, the average fastball velocity in the MLB has increased from 91.7 mph in 2008 to 93.7 mph in 2020. The percentage of fastballs thrown over 95 mph has increased by 10% since 2008, and now almost 20% of the league AVERAGES 95 mph on their fastball.
Individual Development Coach is becoming an increasingly popular role in English football, yet is still in its infancy.
This makes Welshman Rhys Carr, who’s been doing the job for the last four seasons, something of a pioneer. Carr did the job with the first team at Bristol City from 2017 before joining Sheffield United’s Academy in September 2019.
… Stretchy, thin, bright, water-resistant displays that stick to skin without adhesives are going to start appearing in coming years. They’ll be on the hands and arms of not just the elderly but also on those of athletes, travelers, hipsters, and early adopters. They’re going to unobtrusively update runners and cyclists on heart rate and hydration needs, ultraviolet exposure, and even show maps of the route ahead. They’ll be used to send secret messages between friends and lovers. The fashion-forward will undoubtedly flash messages and vital stats at each other at parties and festivals. Such a display might even share emotional cues with observers, suggesting that you are interested, anxious, available, or excited. Depending on the setting, it might foster friendship, deeper communication, or splendid isolation.
Global technology solutions provider Arrow Electronics (NYSE:ARW) and ROOQ, an innovator in sports measurement and analytics technology, have teamed up to create the ROOQ BOX, a sensor technology that enables boxers to monitor and review their performance using data that was previously only available under laboratory conditions.
ROOQ BOX comprises a pair of sensors worn within a strap on each wrist. The sensors record the movements made during boxing activity. The data is then analyzed in the accompanying ROOQ app and cloud using machine learning algorithms to provide a precise record of the session. Using this information, boxers and trainers can create a detailed picture of the training session including punch count, punch speeds, variability and punch force. The algorithm has been trained to identify eight different types of punches and to automatically categorize these while filtering out non-boxing specific motions.
Former Manchester United and England star Wayne Rooney has invested in a Cheshire firm’s new therapeutic product that enables medical professionals and physiotherapists to support injured athletes back to fitness faster.
Mr Rooney will also act as a brand ambassador for ProMOTION EV1 which delivers portable therapy and the ability to monitor progress outside of the physio room.
The product delivers targeted temperature and compression control with none of the reduction in muscle strength that can arise from global cryotherapy, Swellaway Ltd has said.
In the past five years we’ve seen major technological advances in both shoe construction and materials, creating an enormous variety for runners to choose from no matter their level. But as more companies turn to e-commerce platforms rather than brick and mortar stores, the days of in-person consultations are quickly fading. Here’s what you need to know about the latest shoe technology so that you can choose a pair that’s right for you.
Lighter Foam = Faster Running
“The primary thing that has happened is the creation of new foams that can provide more energy return and are lighter. Couple that with stabilizing elements in the midsole like a carbon plate that can direct the energy of the foam, and you can run faster with less cost — which is why world records are being beaten over the past 3-4 years,” explains Jacob Brady, a running shoe tester for Road Trail Run who recently marked a three year run streak of his own.
Twitter, Michigan Football Analytics, Zach Binney from
Nice work! One question on the “week in season” analysis – this is total WAR lost in each week, not new injs, right? Because if anything I’ve found that new injury rates slow down in later weeks (survivor bias probly), but of course there are more injured players in later weeks.
… Injuries to difference-making players are so crucial in the playoffs for the same reason that NBA teams tank entire seasons hoping to get such a player in the lottery: In basketball, they’re everything.