MLB.tv Will Now Include Mobile Apps
Good to see MLB going in the right direction: anyone who buys MLB.tv will get the MLB app for free (iOS, most Android). Charging separately for everything (including separate iPhone/iPad apps) was ridiculous.
From an email sent today:
1. MLB.com At Bat 12, the top-ranked sports app in the Apple App Store and recent inductee into the Macworld App Hall of Fame, is now included for free with your subscription (separate purchase not required). Enjoy complete portability to iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and select Android phones and tablets. At Bat 12 is available on 2/29/12.*
Bonus: besides current AppleTV & Roku compatibility, Xbox is coming (“soon”).
Hopefully they can tackle the issue of in-market games. Even when available, like the Yankees are, as a separate purchase, it doesn’t work through MLB.tv or any of the connected devices. Blackout rules do need to be revamped, but there’s an option available and we’re still handcuffed. It makes no sense.
Tech • Sports • Baseball • 0 Comments • Permalink
The Top 2 Ways to View the Bleacher Report
Time has put the Bleacher Report in the Top 50 Best Websites of 2011
The standard of quality is markedly higher than at some community-created news hubs, where "citizen journalist" can be a synonym for "poorly paid amateur."
OR
SportsPickle has its take on Bleacher Report's Honest New Redesign with catchy headlines like: What sport does Lebron James play?
hmm...
Google+ Makes Me Want to Blog
Blogging, something I never really did. I moved from one platform to another, learning them for other projects or just to experiment with what was out there.
What was published was on an uncompleted design, on quickly out-of-date HTML. With no real content, there was no reason to update.
With Google+ coming along and possibly being a new challenger for Facebook, I'm tempted to start blogging again.
Why?
Owning "me".
Continue reading "Google+ Makes Me Want to Blog"
NFL’s Ticket Opportunity
I actually like the NFL’s Ticket Exchange commercial:
Maybe it’s because I’m a dad, maybe it’s because I watched it thinking he was selling his tickets to just one game due to his wife who’s ready to pop.
Seattle fans? Not a lot of love.
Table Ruler, jQuery-style
My sites that have data in the form of numbers and tables, think sports stats, generally alternate background colors for each line row. Another eye-helper that many use is a light table ruler to help you keep your place and read across long rows easier.
A List Apart posted a javascript to use in 2004 to add a table ruler to any table with the class of ‘ruler’. Any row that you moused over would have its class replaced with ‘ruled’.
function tableruler()
{
if (document.getElementById && document.createTextNode)
{
var tables=document.getElementsByTagName ('table');
for (var i=0;i<tables.length;i++)
{
if(tables[i].className=='ruler')
{
var trs=tables[i].getElementsByTagName('tr');
for(var j=0;j<trs.length;j++)
{
if(trs[j].parentNode.nodeName=='TBODY' && trs[j].parentNode.nodeName!='TFOOT')
{
trs[j].onmouseover=function(){this.className='ruled';return false}
trs[j].onmouseout=function(){this.className='';return false}
}
}
}
}
}
}
You would then call the function after the page is loaded like such:
window.onload=function(){tableruler();}
For my own uses, I did a check on the table row class and did a different type of class replacing, but the concept remained the same.
I was updating my class concept for some of my stats tables, wanting to ditch the need for different class replacing, and decided to update using jQuery. I was already loading jQuery for other scripts, so I figured I might as well simplify this script a bit, too.
$(document).ready(function() {
/* tableruler */
$("table.ruler tr").hover(
function(){
$(this).addClass("ruled");
},
function(){
$(this).removeClass("ruled");
}
);
});
Wrapped in jQuery’s delayed load, the script is slightly different than the original. Instead of replacing the table row class you’re mousing over, it adds a new class, ‘ruled’, and removes it when you mouse out [jQuery’s .hover() actually uses its .mouseenter() and .mouseleave() functions, not mouseover() and mouseout()].
It’s simple and effective, and helps data table readability.
Finding Purpose
One blog I love reading is Kareem Mayan’s Weblog. For some time now Kareem has been trying to figure out what his purpose in life is. It’d be cliché to say he’s finding himself. To someone not paying attention it may seem like that, but it’d be more accurate to say he knew himself, but didn’t know what could make him happy, only that he wasn’t happy with where he was.
His blog is a collection of fantastic quotes and links about life and happiness. I’ve even reposted one of my favorites here. It’s simple, and rings true.
Recently Kareem wrote about how he’s found his life’s purpose.
It was a great post. A nice summary of how he got to where he is and when he figured out what he’s been searching for.
You already know you[r] purpose. It’s inside you right now. Nobody can tell you what it is. That’s one of the benefits of being human - you get to decide your path.
Do we all have a purpose? Do we all need a purpose? That’s one I haven’t figured out yet. I know being happy is important, and living stress-free is the easiest road to happiness for me. If I don’t find a purpose, I’ll just keep eliminating stressors.
Baseball and DNA
The New York Times has a piece about MLB’s use of DNA testing to confirm identity, as fraud and falsifying documents have been common with prospects coming from Latin America.
The use of DNA for identity isn’t debated all-too-much, but there are major concerns over what else can be learned by DNA testing. What diseases a person may be genetically-disposed could affect who is signed (and for how long and how much).
It seems pretty obvious that a team would be hesitant to sign a player who may not stay healthy, until you think of this:
Mark Rothstein, a professor of bioethics at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, said: “The funny thing about this all is that the most famous baseball player with a genetic disorder was Lou Gehrig. Would they have signed him if they knew he was predisposed to A.L.S.?”
Who wants to be the scout to take a pass on the next Lou Gehrig?
Happy
via Kareem . hiten . thisisjessemejia . stefantueshaus . theslyestfox . My thoughts were so loud, I couldn’t hear my mouth
Bringing Wang’s ERA Down
After getting shelled the first three games of the season, Chien-Ming Wang has an ERA of 34.5 in just 6 innings. 23 earned runs will get you there.
Before the season started, Wang’s career ERA was 3.79. Now it’s 4.08. That’s over a 7% increase in 6 innings of work.
If Wang pitched at 3.79 the rest of the season, he’d wind up with an ERA of over 4.5.
Wang would need two complete game shutouts to average less than one run per inning, bringing his ERA below 9.
To bring his 2009 ERA down to his ERA going into the season Wang would need to pitch 48 2/3 innings of shutout ball. That’s 5 consecutive complete game shutouts and change.
2+2? Jesus
Amen