Mark Hyman's Blog, page 17
September 11, 2009
On my reading list, LeBron's "Shooting Stars"
It's a stretch to recommend a book that you haven't read, but what the heck. I'm giving a nod to Shooting Stars, the new LeBron James memoir. I like that the book's focus is James's formative years in Akron, Ohio, and bonds forged with teammates on and off the court. That interests me a lot more than the more predictable superstar pap about life in the fishbowl of the NBA.
Full disclosure: James' co-author Buzz Bissinger, was a college classmate and a fellow editor of mine at the Daily...
Full disclosure: James' co-author Buzz Bissinger, was a college classmate and a fellow editor of mine at the Daily...
September 8, 2009
The miracle of the Miracle League
Talk about inspired ideas.
This post originally published at http://www.youthsportsparents.blogspo...
September 4, 2009
What all youth baseball coaches should know
Today's assignment. Read this.
It's the American Sports Medicine Institute's new "position statement" on youth baseball pitchers and injury prevention.
In July, ASMI's top researcher, Glenn Fleisig, shared findings from a study of youth pitchers for an article I wrote for the New York Times.
The study looked at 29 youth pitchers from ages 9 to 14. All were given instructions to throw their curves — fastballs and changeups, too — as if they were in a real game. The results were surprising, even t...
September 2, 2009
Why sports for kids are good for our social lives
As part of my research for Until It Hurts, I spent a blustery December morning in Boston locating the office of Lyle Micheli. My hands were numb and my ears about frozen when I arrived but it was worth it to see Micheli, one of the nation's top docs for injured youth athletes.
Micheli has been treating such patients for decades. In 1974, he and several associates started the first sports injury clinic for kids in the U.S. at Children's Hospital. He's still there. And on a hectic day, he might...
August 31, 2009
Four years old and training three hours a day
Stay alert for this exchange in last night's ABC News piece about 4-year-old tennis player Mia Lines.
ABC News Correspondent:
"We hear about so many parents in sport, pushing their children, wanting them to be the best."
Glenn Lines:
"People might say three hours [of practice each day for a four-year-old:], that's too long. A lot of parents [are:] letting their kids play six hours of Play Station. Eating junk food. Drinking cans of soda."
As parenting explanations go, not that effective.
Here's anoth
ABC News Correspondent:
"We hear about so many parents in sport, pushing their children, wanting them to be the best."
Glenn Lines:
"People might say three hours [of practice each day for a four-year-old:], that's too long. A lot of parents [are:] letting their kids play six hours of Play Station. Eating junk food. Drinking cans of soda."
As parenting explanations go, not that effective.
Here's anoth
A parenting lesson from a tennis prodigy's dad
ABC News Correspondent:
"We hear about so many parents in sport, pushing their children, wanting them to be the best."
Glenn Lines:
"People might say three hours [of practice each day for a four-year-old:], that's too long. A lot of parents [are:] letting their kids play six hours of Play Station. Eating junk food. Drinking cans of soda."
Show of hands. Who's letting their kids play Play Station six hours a day?
Watch this piece from Sunday's ABC World News.
Or this, from a Florida newscast.
(Hat tip to
"We hear about so many parents in sport, pushing their children, wanting them to be the best."
Glenn Lines:
"People might say three hours [of practice each day for a four-year-old:], that's too long. A lot of parents [are:] letting their kids play six hours of Play Station. Eating junk food. Drinking cans of soda."
Show of hands. Who's letting their kids play Play Station six hours a day?
Watch this piece from Sunday's ABC World News.
Or this, from a Florida newscast.
(Hat tip to
August 28, 2009
Pitch counts at the Little League World Series
From Tuesday's editions of the Columbian (Vancouver, Washington).
The coach referred to is from the team representing Warner Robins, Georgia.
"In a LLWS game this year, a pitcher was intentionally walking a batter. With a 3-0 count, the batter took a swing and missed, making the count 3-1. The batter allegedly took his swing, even though the pitch clearly would have been ball four, because of Little League's rule regarding pitch counts. The pitcher would have to throw at least one more pitch duri
The coach referred to is from the team representing Warner Robins, Georgia.
"In a LLWS game this year, a pitcher was intentionally walking a batter. With a 3-0 count, the batter took a swing and missed, making the count 3-1. The batter allegedly took his swing, even though the pitch clearly would have been ball four, because of Little League's rule regarding pitch counts. The pitcher would have to throw at least one more pitch duri
August 26, 2009
The winner at Little League World Series? ESPN
This just in--
The Sports Business Daily reports a healthy ratings increase for the Little League World Series, proving again that youth baseball is not only fun, but highly profitable.
The SBD notes that ESPN's coverage through Monday averaged a 0.8 cable rating and 1.031 million viewers over 10 telecasts, "up 60.0% and 73.3%, respectively, from the '08 opening weekend, which averaged a 0.5 rating and 595,000 viewers for eight telecasts up against the Beijing Games."
ESPN2's Little League ratings
The Sports Business Daily reports a healthy ratings increase for the Little League World Series, proving again that youth baseball is not only fun, but highly profitable.
The SBD notes that ESPN's coverage through Monday averaged a 0.8 cable rating and 1.031 million viewers over 10 telecasts, "up 60.0% and 73.3%, respectively, from the '08 opening weekend, which averaged a 0.5 rating and 595,000 viewers for eight telecasts up against the Beijing Games."
ESPN2's Little League ratings
For educational inspiration, LeBron or Shaq?
No disrespect intended, but it seems odd to choose LeBron James as co-host of a TV special celebrating the importance in kids' lives of education. James is fabulously rich and maybe the best basketball player of all-time. He also skipped college. Perhaps a sports icon with Intro to Econ under his belt might carry the message with more authority.
The show itself - "Get Schooled" -sounds like a terrific idea. James and singer Kelly Clarkson will be the hosts. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is
The show itself - "Get Schooled" -sounds like a terrific idea. James and singer Kelly Clarkson will be the hosts. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is
August 24, 2009
Under Armour cuts high school shoe deals
In today's editions, the New York Daily News reports that Under Armour will sponsor five city high school basketball teams,including Lincoln High, which has won seven of the last eight public school championships.
From the DN article:
"The five teams are part of the 27 high school basketball squads (20 boys teams; seven girls) that Under Armour is currently sponsoring in a nationwide strategy to market its brand. The company also sponsored the Elite 24 showcase, in which all 24 players involved we
From the DN article:
"The five teams are part of the 27 high school basketball squads (20 boys teams; seven girls) that Under Armour is currently sponsoring in a nationwide strategy to market its brand. The company also sponsored the Elite 24 showcase, in which all 24 players involved we
