Message Board

They made a movie about it

GoYard — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:44:22 GMT

While it may not be totally accurate, it is still heartwarming to watch...

http://www.responsibilityproject.com/films/player/the-home-run/

Forum: College Softball

ASU baseball coach gone -will CM cross over ??

asusbdiva — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:34:48 GMT

The baseball coach at ASU is gone.
Will Coach Myers take his place ????

Forum: College Softball

UCS Performance?

indyrun — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:17:27 GMT

Has UCS been completely down for a day, or was it just MY system? I can now access (obviously - duh!), but running (for me, at least) at about half speed?

Forum: College Softball

Verizon/Motorola Droid - A review, sort of.

LMUfan — Thur, 19 Nov 2009 16:55:03 GMT

I received my Droid almost two weeks ago and I've had it long enough to have a pretty good impression by now.

Many of you have iPhones. I've never had an iPhone simply because I use Verizon at home and at work. The network has, and always will be, the primary deciding factor. It also helps that since my company uses Verizon I get a hefty discount on my personal account also. (Your company may offer this also, so check into it.) So, those with iPhones may already know, and have, the features found in the Droid.

This is a company Droid. I use it for business and carry it with me most of the time. It does not replace my personal phone, which I keep separately. For the past five years or so I've been using smart phones at work but they've all been Windows Mobile phones. WinMo is capable, but cumbersome. Moving to the Droid is a different experience and works exactly the way I want smart phone to work.

There are many features and I'll only touch on some, the ones I like. So here goes...

All smart phones have apps. Some advertise that they have 100,000 apps. That doesn't really matter because after scrolling through the list of apps and trying to figure out if an app is useful or not your eyes glaze over after the first few hundred. It's like saying there are 100,000 features in Microsoft Word. Yeah, but I only need about 10 of those. But there are some apps worth using and that's what makes a smart phone different, the apps.

The Apps:
1. The Killer App.
Every emerging top technology has its killer app. For the Apple II it was Visicalc. For home TV viewing it was the VCR. For the Droid it's GPS.

I've purchased many GPS devices over the last 7 years starting with the Garmin iQue through my high end fancy one built into my Ford Edge. I love GPS. I could have been a catogrpher in another life. I know GPS devices in and out. I'm a gadget freak and love to tinker with gadgets. I've bought all my kids GPS devices. They include traffic alerts, lane displays, all kinds of things that make driving easier in a city where driving is king.

But, until now, I've never known what GPS done right looks like. It doesn't have the best turn by turn voice, Garmin does voices best, no contest. What it has, that no other GPS device has and the one feature that takes GPS to the next level, is satellite view. Yes, you get Google maps, with satellite view overlaid right over the route. In fact, it's better than the satellite view on maps.Google.com as it's really a "birds eye view" where you see the map at a 45 degree angle. You actually see the buildings, where the parking lots are, what houses look like as you drive. It matches what you see out your window. It's kinda weird driving along and seeing people's back yards.

In fact, they take this birds eye view to the next level. It automatically zooms in when you need to make a turn. Need to know what lane to be in on the freeway when you want to take an exit? You see a blue line right on the lane. There's never any doubt about which exit you should be taking or which street to turn on. You feel like you're running Google Earth on your phone.

And, get this, when you get to your destination it shifts into "street view." This lets you see the actual store front, or house as it was taken from street level. Never go to the wrong place again. This is hot.

The scrolling of the maps on this phone is smoother than on any other GPS device I've owned. GPS comes free on the Droid.

2. Next Killer App
Voice recognition. I've been using 800-GOOG-411 as a free 411 service for years now. If you've been using it you know that it recognizes your voice, finds the place you want to call and then calls it. It's very good. I wondered why they offered free 411 service when the phone company charges $1.65 per call. Now I know. They've been harvesting voice samples for years and refining their voice recognition. It's second to none. Now, they've included voice recognition on the Droid. And it works perfectly. No training involved.

Need to go to Home Depot in Simi Valley? Just press the search button twice and the microphone pops up and you say, "Home Depot, Simi Valley" and poof, the map scrolls smoothly, kinda like Google Earth over to the satellite view of Home Depot in Simi Valley. You feel like you just flew there in a helicoptor. There's a bubble above it that says "Home Depot" like a Google map would have. Just tap it and you get a screen of options. The options are Driving Directions, Navigate (to), the phone number (just tap and it calls) among others. Need to find that museum in San Francisco that has the King Tut exhibit but can't remember the name of the museum? No problem, tap the voice search and say, "Museum in San Francisco where the King Tut exhibit is" and it gives you a list of results. Tap and Navigate.

Want to search the web? Just open the browser and say, "New York Times" and you're presented with the New York Times web site.

There's a free voice translation app that is remarkable. Say something to the microphone, it displays what you said in English and then says what you said translated into the foreign language while displaying the text in that foreign language. Very handy if you travel to foreign countries, or live in Southern California.

3. Other apps.
Like the iPhone there are many thousands of apps. Too many to go through. But the one thing that is done right is that apps run in the background. Also, there's a notification window at the top of the screen that shows when I have incoming mail or appointment reminders. I can ignore them or tap on the bar to see them. I believe that running apps in the background is a problem on the iPhone. I don't know. WinMo never had this issue and running background apps is just something that should work.

The Hardware
1. Size. Sitting on my desk next to my coworker's iPhone shows there is little difference in size between them. The Droid is a little narrower and has a larger screen. There are four buttons on the bottom of the droid that are always available. They are "back", "menu", "home" and "search."

2. Keyboards. There is the usual on screen keyboard plus a slider keyboard. The slider keyboard is helpful but nothing to write home about. To keep this phone as slim as the iPhone they didn't make raised keys so it makes it a little difficult to use.

The on screen keyboard is useful but kinda tough for a fat fingered guy like me. However, because this is open source, everything is replaceable. There are many apps that replace the keyboard with something different. I installed "Better Keyboard" and I actually like it better than the one that came with the Droid.

3. The Screen. The screen is very nice, very detailed. The resolution is much better than my WinMo machine and I can now see even the tiniest details with ease. I was blaming my old eyes on lack of clarity on my WinMo machine and I now realize that it was the resolution. The screen is glass and there's no need for a protector as it won't scratch.

4. Sound. Sound on the phone and apps through the speaker is excellent. It's the loudest and clearest speaker I've heard in a handheld device.

5. The phone. This is a phone after all. It's very intuitive. The Microsoft Exchange connector sucked in all my contacts from my corporate Exchange account, including contact's photos. Dialing is easy and intuitive. There's a "proximity sensor" in one of the holes near the top of the screen that determines when you have the phone up to your ear. The screen is then shut off. When you move the phone away from your head it senses that and turns on the screen so it's easy to use the keypad for voice mail, etc. Very intuitive and something I wish my LG Voyager personal phone had.

6. Bluetooth connectivity. I turn on bluetooth, pair it with my car's Microsoft Sync, and voila! sound is playing in stereo through my car's stereo system. I run Pandora Internet radio (available for all smart phones, go there now and get if if you don't have it) through my car stereo without wires. It also mutes Pandora radio while announcing my next turn. Pandora and GPS together make car driving an amazing experience.

All in all this has been a great experience and based upon this experience I have had we will be using these phones going forward and eliminating WinMo devices when contracts expire here at the office.

There's a lot more but I'm done typing for now.

Forum: Miscellaneous Items

SDSU Signees...

Athensfan — Thur, 19 Nov 2009 16:39:05 GMT

Nov. 18, 2009

SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State softball team has signed three players to National Letters of Intent, head coach Kathy Van Wyk recently announced. The talented newcomers, who will join SDSU in the fall of 2010, include Lorena Klopp (San Diego/Steele Canyon HS), Katie Mathis (Grass Valley, Calif./Bear River HS) and Hayley Miles (Antelope, Calif./Center HS).

"This is as strong and versatile a class as we have ever signed," assistant coach Stacey Nuveman said. "We've added speed, power and pitching with this talented group. We are very excited for the future."

Klopp, a three-time first-team all-CIF selection, lettered three years at Steele Canyon HS as a pitcher and infielder. A two-time Grossmont South League Pitcher of the Year and three-time first-team all-league pick, Klopp has batted .444 (115-for-259) over her three-year career with 63 runs, 111 RBI, 29 doubles, five triples and 18 home runs.

Klopp, who has twice been named to the Cal Hi Sports all-state softball team for underclassmen, has also put up good numbers in the circle, compiling a 27-9 record with 375 strikeouts over 242 innings. A year ago, Klopp was 10-4 with a 2.06 ERA and 133 strikeouts over 98 1/3 innings. Klopp also played her club ball at Power Surge Gold.

A switch-hitter, Mathis comes to The Mesa after dominating play in the Bay Area for three years at Bear River HS. Mathis, who was named a first-team all-metro selection by the Sacramento Bee and a Cal Hi Sports all-state softball pick for underclassmen, is expected to play somewhere in the middle infield for the Aztecs when she arrives in 2010.

Over her three-year career, Mathis has batted .383 (110-for-287) with 82 runs, 66 RBI, 12 doubles, six triples and five homers. Mathis, who played her club ball with the Lady Magic, has been even better on the basepaths, swiping 56 of her 59 attempted steals. She has twice been named an all-league selection.

Miles, who has played club ball with Mathis since they were nine years old, also was a member of the Cal Hi Sports all-state team for medium schools and an honorable mention all-metro selection by the Sacramento Bee. Miles has earned three letters with Center HS in Antelope, Calif., and is a two-time all-league pick. She will most likely play either catcher or in the middle infield when she gets to San Diego State.

Miles has batted an even .500 (102-for-204) over her career with 87 runs, 62 RBI, 15 doubles, 10 triples and 21 home runs. Miles has never had a single-season on-base percentage lower than .538 and has 30 career stolen bases.

SDSU closes out its fall season Saturday at the annual alumni game, beginning at 4 p.m.

http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/111809aaa.html

Forum: College Softball

Inland Empire

uclart47 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:29:09 GMT

Here are some signings from the Inland Empire (Cal). I don't know their travel teams. Sorry if any are repeats.

Kelsey Byrd-George Mason
Samantha Dodd-DePaul
Sarah Free-Holy Cross
Jessica Garcia-San Jose St
Stevie Goldstein-LMU
Jessica Hall-UCLA
Erin Jones-Wesley-Long Beach St
Whitney Jones-Washington
Amy Neco-North Carolina
Alyssa Palomino-Auburn
Natalee Pulver-Marshall
Sydney Stewart-UNLV
Talee Snow-UCLA
Bre'jae Washington-Texas

Forum: ASA Gold - To which colleges are they going?

2010 D1 pitching prospects

softballfan001 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:04:50 GMT

Does anyone out there know what D1 Colleges are still looking for a 2010 pitching? Or for that matter, any positions?

Forum: Recruiting Information

Media Bias?

fasterhorse — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:36 GMT

AP sends 11 people to "fact check" Sarah Palin's book, and how many did they send to fact check Barry Obama's book? Zero! Yet they still want to convince us that she get fair treatment from the State Controlled Media.

Forum: Miscellaneous Items

NPF team in Tennessee???

WhatdoIknow — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:52:03 GMT

Heard there may be an expansion team heading to Tennessee. Maybe in the Knoxville area. Wondering if anyone else has heard anything a little more solid?

Forum: Beyond College Softball

Bad News for the LilDevils

TheeUofA — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:37:10 GMT

Krista Donnenwirth faces possible DUI charge?

Anyone have more info than what the newspaper says?

Forum: College Softball

Another player swaps schools last minute

PutitDown — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:41:28 GMT

I enjoyed reading the other thread about Florida Gulf Coast and am really disappointed with that program if what has been written is true. I learned last Saturday that a pitcher who was committed to Florida State changed her mind at the last minute and signed with the University of Florida. It is my understanding there are no underlying issues, it was just a player going back on her word. So as bad as I felt about Florida Gulf Coast, I don't feel as bad now. I don't have a dog in this fight but to me, your word is only as good as you and your family. That speaks volumes for that young lady as well as Florida Gulf Coast and any other program or player that backs out on their commitment. I wouldn't want my daughter to play for a program nor with players whose word means nothing.

Forum: College Softball

Michigan Recruits

HomerCoach — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:53:06 GMT

http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/111609aaa.html

Nov. 16, 2009

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan softball team received National Letters of Intent from five student-athletes during the early signing period, head coach Carol Hutchins announced Monday (Nov. 16). The quintet -- Lyndsay Doyle (Channahon, Ill./Minooka HS), Mandy Gardner (Mission Viejo, Calif./Aliso Niguel HS), Taylor Hasselbach (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston HS), Nicole Sappingfield (Norco, Calif./Norco HS) and Brandi Virgil (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek HS) -- will join the Wolverines next fall and make its collegiate debut during the 2011 softball season.

"It's a big group who clearly wanted to be at Michigan," said Hutchins, "which makes them a great fit for Michigan. They're going to come in and replace a veteran class, but the expectation of the program is not going to change whether they're freshmen or seniors. We expect that when they come in we'll keep things going the way they're going, which means a Big Ten championship and World Series appearance. I think they're all more than capable to be great contributors and great Michigan Women."

A three-year starter at centerfield and leadoff hitter for Minooka High School, Doyle led her team with a .438 batting average, .495 on-base percentage and 23 stolen bases in 2009. A three-time student-athlete scholar award recipient, Doyle is a two-year all-area and All-Southwest Prairie Conference first team selection (2008, '09). She also competes for the New Lenox Lightning club program.

"Lyndsay is fast," said Hutchins. "We really like her speed factor, because you can really do a lot with speed. She's a true outfielder and a true lefty. When she came here, she just felt that Michigan was clearly the place for her, and we couldn't be happier to have her."

Gardner, a power-hitting pitcher and first baseman, earned California all-state and All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) first team honors as a junior in 2009. She was named the Orange County Register's Junior Player of the Year after posting a 0.43 earned run average, 91 strikeouts and 14-2 record through 97 innings pitched and batting .476 with 15 home runs and 27 runs batted in. Gardner was named the South Coast League MVP and led Aliso Niguel High School to the league championship.

"Mandy comes to us with big-stick capabilities," said Hutchins, "and she's a prospective pitcher down the road. She can also play first base or designated player. She has a variety of nice attributes. Her prowess will be at the plate, and we expect her to do great things here. She's a powerful kid, along the lines of Dorian Shaw."

Hasselbach is a two-time all-state first team selection at shortstop (2008, '09) after claiming honorable mention at third base as a freshman (2007). She led Clarkston High School last season with a .568 batting average, 1.125 slugging percentage and .701 on-base percentage. In three years of prep softball, Hasselbach boasts a .573 career batting average (110-for-192) with 100 runs scored, 22 home runs and 41 stolen bases. She carries a 1.117 career slugging percentage and a .709 career on-base percentage.

"Taylor is probably the best prospect in Michigan," said Hutchins. "She's a true lefty hitter and a powerful lefty. We're very excited about her development since the time that she committed to us. She has great potential to be a premier player here at Michigan, and we expect her to come in and make an impact."

A three-year starter in the outfield for Norco High School, Sappingfield earned California all-state and All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) first team honors as a junior (2009) after leading Norco to the CIF Southern Section Division I championship. She led Norco in nearly every offensive category last season, including batting average (.442), on-base percentage (.452), runs (22), RBI (22) and stolen bases (17). She also boasted a .552 slugging percentage. Sappingfield earned All-CIF and All-California underclassmen second team honors (2008) and is a three-time all-league and All-Riverside County selection.

"Colie comes from the perennial power Orange County Batbusters organization," said Hutchins, "and she's a prolific player for them. We're very excited about her. She's a true outfielder and a true top-of-the-order table setter, who offers us a lot. We expect her to make an immediate impact both in the Big Ten and nationally."

Michigan's first-ever recruit out of Texas, Virgil has twice garnered all-state first team honors (2008, '09) as an outfield and middle infield specialist. Virgil was named district MVP as a sophomore (2008) and selected to the All-Greater Houston second team as a junior last season (2009), when she hit .434 with 28 runs, 19 RBI and 28 stolen bases. She also boasted a .539 on-base percentage and .590 slugging percentage as Cypress Creek's leadoff hitter. Virgil plays travel ball with the Texas Eclipse Gold squad.

"Brandi offers a lot of enthusiasm and versatility," said Hutchins. "She can play a number of different positions. She has played at a high level of travel ball, and she's just an all-around strong athlete. Her speed and versatility will help us immediately in both the outfield and infield."

The Wolverines will kick off the 2010 campaign Feb. 12-14 at the NTC Division I Elite Invitational in Orlando, Fla., where they will face Tennessee, Oklahoma, Tennessee Chattanooga, Georgia and UCLA.

Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423

Forum: College Softball

Medicare and Social Security

Dewey — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:49:58 GMT

I've tried to elicit responses in other threads to no avail so I'll try again here. I'm already on record as saying Social Security and Medicare are two great Governmental programs in my mind. Certainly, they're both used as political footballs on occasion but, properly funded, I think they are great social models and something for this Country to be proud of. In addition, I'd like to add a third major program by taking the profit out of healthcare and adding a single payer health system into this Country. But let's set that aside for now. What I'm really interested in discussing, particularly with those who find these two great programs to be huge mistakes, is what today's USA looks like without either. Again, I'm not talking about the difficulty in ending them now but what would our society be like if they were never implemented. I think this could be interesting.

Forum: Miscellaneous Items

3 More problems with NYC Trial

fasterhorse — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:58:08 GMT

1) If they choose to represent themselves in court, then they have to be given access to our intelligence data to prepare their defense.
2) They are being tried in civilian court, yet they were never read their Miranda Rights
3) The President (Barry O) himself has said numerous times that they were tortured.
That is already a better defense than OJ went to court with.
Do NOT be surprised if they decide to be their own defense.

Forum: Miscellaneous Items

LOL

Graybeard — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:16:15 GMT

Why did this remind me of so much of our "miscellany"?
http://comics.com/the_knight_life/2009-11-15/

Forum: Miscellaneous Items