Chargers Coach fired

As of yesterday,  the longtime Chargers coach , Norv Turner is no longer the coach of the team due to the fact that he was unable to improve the Chargers’ current state of losing several games.  Turner’s response to this was surprisingly  one that was calm.  While he was interviewed by the media , he stated that   he had seen this coming for a long time, and wasn’t surprised to be leaving. Turner turned out to be not the only one who was leaving, however.  General Manager AJ Smith was fired yesterday as well.

When asked  his opinion on whether the Chargers would make it to the playoffs this year, Turner replied , “ Someone wrote a few weeks ago that this team is not that far away from the playoffs. I would disagree. I know the things that would have to get done for that to happen. If this team comes next year and they get some things done to help them get better and are able to make the playoffs, I would hope it would be a surprise to all the Chargers fans, and they would be excited about it.”   His opinion of the Chargers, overall, is one that is mixed.  According to Yahoo Sports, Norv believed that the team was an extremely talented team for the first couple years he coached, and  their talent slowly  decreased in the next three.

AJ Smith has  refused to meet with the media and give his personal opinion on his firing.  Currently, the team is looking for a new coach and a general manager. In many of the public’s opinions, the Chargers are not expected  to make it to the playoffs this year.  Hopefully , the new coach and manager will be able to improve the Chargers’ game  strategies and thus they will be able to win more games than the previous years.

Source: Yahoo Sports , KUSI News.

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The Sport of Swimming

So, right now, my computer is entirely in Dutch. It is a bright, sunny afternoon in Brussels, and I have just attempted to read a lab write-up about baseball. I have ten minutes before my family runs away without me, so I'll make it as quick as I can.

I have read somewhere that swimming is too boring to write about. Hmm...A sport treasured by millions of diverse humans across the globe, a sport honored to such a degree that it is in the Olympics, and a sport loved so much that men are willing to wear tiny Speedos into the great lake that is the pool, is, in my humble opinion, at least somewhat worthy to write about.

Swimming has ancient roots in the history of the world's creation. When the world was made, what were the first things in it? Bacteria. And where were the bacteria, the small unseeable things that would eventually evolve into you, you clump of flesh and blood and brain?

That's right.

Bacteria were swimming around in water. 

So if tiny bacteria can do it, why can't you?

Notwithstanding that, swimming has several benefits. 

First off, it feels good to be in the water after a hot day.

Second, swimmers are able to eat as much as they want because of the calories they lose in the pool.

Third, people who swim get free showers in the pool.

Lastly, and definitely not leastly, swimmers develop a toned muscular body.

You know what scientists say about V shaped bodies attracting the other gender? Swimming gives you that V-shaped body. Why else would girls craze about 15 year old British diver Tom Daley, or Michael Phelps, or Ryan Lochte? No one would care if they didn't swim.

I submit to you that swimming is an amazing, fun-filled sport that I have barely scratched the surface of. Whoever wrote that swimming is too boring must be some overstressed kid who takes too many AP's. 

T_L

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How far can you throw a Baseball?

Hi guys, it's Gokul, the techie at the Tellury. So I'm going to have to write the sports article for this week. However, since the only sport I know anything about is swimming, and nothing interesting ever happens in swimming, I've decided to talk about baseball. Specifically, how far can I throw a baseball. To make this simple, we will assume we are in only 2 dimensions and their is no air resistance. We will also assume that you are somewhere between 14-15 and are of the average height for that age(65 in). For those of you who have had a little physics, you will know we are doing a classic projectile motion problem. You would also know that a 45 degree angle is the best angle to throw a ball for distance because of how throws at complementary angles travel the same distance.[diagram]This is because of how 45 degrees acts as a sort of "mirror" in the center of the 0-90 degree spectrum. If you don't believe me, try reading this: Freefall Physics .

So now we have the angle we are going to throw it at and your height. But now we need to know how fast you can throw it. According to Yahoo answers, which is always a reliable source, the average high school freshman can pitch at 60 mph. But that's at perfectly horizontal angle. For those of you who have had a little bit of geometry, you know the sine of angle is the ratio of the opposite to the hypotenuse, and the cosine is the ratio of the adjacent side to the angle to the hypotenuse. One thing you will learn in physics that is really cool is velocity is a vector. Thus it it has horizontal and vertical components. So we can model it like a right triangle and no one can tell us we can't. SWAG. By using 45 as the angle and 60 mph as the speed, we get the vertical component as 26.8224 m/s and the horizontal as 26.8224 m/s. Remember that 45 degrees acts as a mirror and thus both sides are equal.

A few of you may know that the acceleration due to gravity is -9.81 m/s^2. You may also know that motion in two dimensions can be broken down into 2 one dimensional problem. To save you some time, I will do the math myself.

So all in all, the maximum distance a high-school freshman can pitch to is 149 meters. Notice how it is not dependent on the mass of the ball, only the speed. So if you could throw a basketball at 26 m/s, you could still throw more that 5 full NBA courts. For those of you who play baseball, check my estimate and post a response in the comments.

And as a final question, what angle should I throw it at to get the highest speed possible. Leave your angle in the comment section below, and a Merry Christmas to all(political corectness has no use to physicists).

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Lin Wins Against Knicks

So the Knicks traded Jeremy Lin to the Houston Rockets...only to have the Rockets hand the Knicks their first lost of the season. In Madison Square Garden, Jeremy Lin tallied up some 22 points and 8 assists, while James Harden and other teammates racked up some major points, knocking down threes.

Of course, the Knicks were lacking their star Carmelo Anthony for this game, but the final score was a sweeping 109-96. You can find the highlights at ESPN :

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:8757249

If you're looking for how well Lin and Harden are working together on the Rockets, you may just enjoy this video on how well they know each other.


http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:8749660

T_L

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Chargers suffer yet another humiliating defeat

I would say that I completely support the Chargers, since I'm from San Diego. But if anyone asked me, I would admit that last night's game was embarrassing. The Carolina Panthers beat the Chargers 31-7. Would this be the worst game of the season? So far, yes it would be (in my opinion). The Chargers have continually lost their games this season.

Overall, the team's performance has not been that good. Not only have their games not be won, they also have never been to more than one Super Bowl. The last Super Bowl they attended was 17 years ago. This reflects on the team's quality. The quality of the team can be fixed by making the defense more stronger, and to train the Chargers to be prepared for most attacks or strategies from the other team.

Another technique the team could use to become better are practices that encourage extremely hard work and different game strategies so that the the Chargers can have an idea of how to play or score. They will also know what to expect of the opposite team. With these concepts, the Chargers will become a much more stronger team in the future years and make San Diego proud.

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Lebron: Sportsman of 2012

To his surprise, NBA superstar Lebron James was awarded the Sportsman of the Year award by Sports Illustrated today. James believed that his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat would have affected his chances to win any award.

But make no mistake, Lebron is not in it for the accolades. He says,"I do what I do because I love it and I want to continue to get better at it."

Past winners of the Sportsman Award are famed athletes such as Muhammed Ali, Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, and Michael Phelps.

Perhaps one small justification can be found for Lebron's award; he won all the awards an NBA player could win in one year.

This year, Lebron captured an NBA championship ring, helped the USA win gold for basketball in the Olympics, earned another NBA MVP award. But it was his charity work for children in his native home of Ohio that cinched the award for him.

Lebron: "Sportsman of 2012" will be just another title for him, along with "The King," and "The Chosen One."

Lebron James however, always modest, said,"Do I need it? I don't need it. I don't ever look for individual accolades."

Maybe his humble personality is the reason he earned the Sportsman Award of 2012.

T_L

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Jeremy Lin Political Party Rejected

Jeremy Lin, a 24-year old Harvard graduate and  point guard for the Houston Rockets, has shot to stardom in China and Taiwan. In fact, he has around 3 million followers on Weibo, a Chinese social networking site, which is three times the amount of his followers on Twitter.

An appeal to form a political party inspired by Lin has been rejected. One objection dealt with the name of the party. It was said that the name had no relevance to the purpose of the party, which was to obtain free health care for everyone in Taiwan, an island populated by around 23 million, though it already has the second highest life expectancy in East Asia. In addition, they stated that putting the name of an uninvolved person violated the Civil Code. The applicant argued that another party in Taiwan was also named after an influential person. The Chung San Party was formed in 1999, and got it's name from Dr. Sun Yat-sen, a revolutionary generally regarded as the founder of the Chinese republic. Later, the applicant had even changed his name to Lin Shu-hao, Lin's Chinese name to make the application more relevant, but was rejected again in May 10.

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Clippers Win Against Lakers

Clippers somehow beat Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash. Well, technically Nash was out on the bench because of an inflamed lower leg.

But still. It didn't matter that Kobe managed to score 40 points for the Lakers; that didn't stop the Clipper's Jamaal Crawford from breaking Metta World Peace's ankles over and over again.

 It didn't help that Dwight Howard put up only a dismal 13 points before being benched after his third foul. And it certainly didn't do anything for the Laker's spirits when Clippers DeAndre Jordan tipped in a missed three pointer with two defenders around him. With only one hand, Jordan dunked it, jumping so high that when he fell, his leg kicked out and touched the net!

Contrast the Lakers to the Clipper's stellar performance, with Chris Paul dishing out 15 assists  to all of his teammates. Their teamwork simply stopped the supposedly best team in the league, the Lakers.

It just doesn't make sense.

Of course, this may be due to the lack of the Laker's point guard, Steve Nash, and thus lack of ball distribution in the team. Kobe, on one bright note, had two steals to beat Magic Johnson's all-time record for steals. Kobe is now the leader for all-time steals on the Lakers. 

The Lakers trailed behind the Clippers in scoring all the way until the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late. The Clippers won 105-95.

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Football player helps teammate score touchdown in memory of his father.

When someone very important in our lives die,  we feel broken.  Lost.  Confused.     The pain is  like a heart attack;  it isn't temporary.   A person who is grieving over the dead can take up to a lifetime to get used to that hole in their heart that was filled by that family member or friend. When  the pain is too much  we sometimes  have our friends or other family members to help us recover from this heartbreaking pain.   In football player  Logan Thompson's case  this proves to be true.   The running back on his team ( Michael Ferns )  was just about to score a touch down for the team,  but in the last minute,  he walked a yard away from the end zone  and  passed the ball  to Logan.  He then proceeded to switch roles with him  (Ferns became a fullback) so  that Thompson could score a touchdown in memory of his father.  Later that night, after winning the game,  Thompson posted on twitter : "Looking straight up into the sky after scoring my first varsity touchdown…i know the old man was watching! love and miss you so much daddy".  Ferns is an exemplary character for all human beings.  If a friend of yours is suffering  due to the loss of a dead one ,  help them out.  They're going through a lot of pain, and will appreciate your help.

(source: yahoo).

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Lacrosse: The sport and some advice.

Lacrosse.  Some call it a sport  whose experience is unexplainable.  The exhilirating feeling you get when you  pass the ball as you run .The smile you get when your team scores a goal.  (Or when you, yourself scores a goal).  Lacrosse is just an amazing sport.  Now, some of you  may have never played before, or wish to get better.  I've only played for a year, but let me tell you about it.  A team consists of home players( they are the people trying to shoot),  attack wing, defense wing, defense and center.   It seems more complicated than it actually is.  The home section of the field , consists of 3 players.  They are the players who try to get past the defense to shoot the ball.  In order to shoot the ball, they will have to either pass or try it by themselves.   The attack wing  are the people, along with the center, who pass the ball to the home players.  The defense position are the people who defend the ball , and make sure  that the ball doesn't pass them, otherwise its a goal for the other team.  The defense wing helps the defense.  The center is the most important player in the game.  Their main priority is to shoot the ball.  (Though the home position also describes this , it is the center's responsibility to shoot the ball).  Now that you know the positions, let me give you a couple of tips on how to become better at lacrosse:
1)  If you're a home player, PAY ATTENTION to the ball.  If you don't do this you will be completely confused and have no idea what to do. Trust me.
2) You may want to drink some water before a game. It'll give you more energy to run because lacrosse involves alot of running
3)  If you're defense, put your stick out to defend the home player. As their stick moves your stick should also move in the same position . This way ,  it will become harder for them to shoot.
4)  If you want to gain control of the ball, check their stick (check , in this case , is lacrosse slang for hitting their stick with your own) as they are getting the ball.  Girl's lacrosse includes modified checking.  If  you check their stick when they are holding  stick is above their waist, you will be given a card. (yellow)  If repeated , then you will be given a red card , and you will be out of the game.
5) If you're center, pay attention.  You have pretty much the most responsibility.  The rest of the team depends on you to shoot or pass to them.
6)  If you're defense, you have to shuffle ( meaning move around in front of them when the home player tries to shoot)
Ok,  this is  all the advice I have got so far.    Stay in for next week's article for more advice.

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The Laker's New Offense

The Laker's have been busy. They have new players, new pay checks, and now, new plays. With the addition of NBA superstars as Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, to complement legend Kobe Bryant and veterans Metta World Peace and Pau Gasol, the Lakers are very, very deadly. This new Princeton offense they've just been introduced to may be just the key to make the Lakers click. Somewhat similar to Phil Jackson's triangle offense, the Princeton offense relies on continuos motion, back-door cuts, and excellent teamwork. There are no positions in this offense, as each player should be competent enough to both shoot three pointers and drive on the defense to score layups. With this powerhouse of players, the Lakers are definitely talented enough to master this new offense. Keep a close eye on this team to see how far they can go with this play, because they're heavy contenders for the championships.

The King

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Racing Cross Country Tips

Running. Who runs for fun? That would be crazy. Just imagining running five miles gets me tired. On the other hand, if you are crazy, and do in fact enjoy running miles (like me), then you've come to the right place. Here I have prepared 3 tips for runners who want to be faster at races.

Step one. Drink plenty of water. Yes, I know it's redundant, but it is vital that you stay healthy and hydrated before the race, especially in hot weather. You should aim for about a gallon of water one or two hours before your race begins.

Step two. Take frequent trips to the bathroom. This correlates to step one. With all that water you're drinking, you definitely do not want to have to pee during the race.  You will run noticeably faster if you're not holding any pee in for three miles. In addition, make sure you take a dump before the race.  Aches, cramps, and general pain will affect you if you don't take a chance to unload.

Step three. Don't think. It's very hard, I know, but you run fastest when you are in the zone, not particularly thinking or concentrating on anything except the motion of you running. Just do it.
 Ignore the trees and the sidewalk, or what color shirt the person in front of you is wearing, or whatever the sign you just past says, focus only on the race. It's difficult to explain, but you'll know what I'm talking about after you compete, because you shouldn't be conscious of the fact that you're in the zone. Trust in your body, and if you practiced well, you'll run well.

The King

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The Hello Kitty Disguise

Want to get rid of the paparazzi and play basketball?  Try dressing up like Hello Kitty.  Recently, basketball star  Jeremy Lin was spotted in Taiwan  sporting a Hello Kitty disguise.  It drew a large crowd and several  photos were taken.  Lin is currently recovering from his knee surgery but it is believed that he will be on the courts again  soon, playing for the Houston Rockets.

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