Maddux's Respect for Tony Gwynn

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Greg Maddux on the secrets to his pitching success via Thomas Boswell for the Washington Post. If you're a San Diego Padres fan, you'll enjoy this! San Diego Padres Photo Day

Maddux should be one of the most-copied pitchers ever, yet few would even know where to begin, because he seldom opened up about what he believed about pitching and why.

First, Maddux was convinced no hitter could tell the speed of a pitch with any meaningful accuracy. To demonstrate, he pointed at a road a quarter-mile away and said it was impossible to tell if a car was going 55, 65 or 75 mph unless there was another car nearby to offer a point of reference.

“You just can’t do it,” he said. Sometimes hitters can pick up differences in spin. They can identify pitches if there are different releases points or if a curveball starts with an upward hump as it leaves the pitcher’s hand. But if a pitcher can change speeds, every hitter is helpless, limited by human vision.

“Except,” Maddux said, “for that [expletive] Tony Gwynn.”

Never too Late but Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Go CHARGERS!

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This is coming to you a tad late, but with Captain upgrade training, traveling back and forth to and from Atlanta then Washington Dulles, back to Atlanta then Dallas, it's been quite hectic. Norah enjoyed her first plane ride to Atlanta and we as parents enjoyed the happiness that comes with traveling with a young mobile child. I know, we know it's shocking that with me being a pilot that we waited so long to take her on a flight but our schedules only lined up recently to which of course they are now out of whack again. This, plus all the exciting happenings at home with our daughter growing up too fast and my wife starting a new job, the tail end of 2013 slid right into 2014 and it's off to a running start!

There are a couple of changes that I'm lining up for elijahnicolas.com to say the least and first and foremost is the styling. (maybe hosting or platform as a whole) I'll have more on that much later but enjoy this family photo and Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Christmas 2014

Oh yeah I forgot to mention. I'm also starting it off this week with a guest post scheduled for tomorrow morning so check back then! It's going to be a great one! GO CHARGERS!!!

Charger Girl Norah

Will Houston be Linning?

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Who knows what the 2012 NBA season will bring? Can the defending champs make it two in a row or will the newly constructed Lakers give the Heat a run for their money. Of course, there's always Oak City being thrown in the mix and with Derrick Rose back, the Bulls should once again be a formidable threat. Those are the obvious questions but in Houston and New York, the off season trade of Jeremy Lin will finally show it's colors. We all love a happy endings and this one entails the Knicks forgetting to check their egos. Realistically, all I'm looking for is a great performance from Jeremy and his new team. Post season hopes would just be icing on the cake but you all know I'm rooting for the Lakers! GQ Contributor Will Leitch weighs in with an interview in the November issue.

You can make a strong argument that Lin is better off without the Knicks' dysfunction, that the franchise never deserved him anyway. As a Knicks fan, it's not one I particularly enjoy making, but I think it's true.

I was fortunate to watch Jeremy Lin live when he scored a game winning three pointer and I have to say, the excitement in the away arena was palpable! With my good friends Jojo and Marella recently moving to Houston, I have a perfect excuse to go visit and watch another live game! And no, I don't already own a Rockets jersey... yet.

Ego vs. Greed

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Question No. 5 Does it seem weird to anyone else that the one team willing to take on Lin's now-huge salary is the one team that has direct knowledge of just how much money an Asian star player can bring a franchise via international marketing?

I'm just asking.

via Grantland

Looks like that the Knicks still have a both bigger egos and greed. What a failure. I can only hope for the amazing year that Jeremy Lin will have in Houston!

Also another enlightening article on ESPN by Ian O'Conner.  Listen in to all the callers to the local news station.  It's awesome!

More incite from the Grantland article just right below No. 5 at No. 6.  Check it!

Question No. 6

Are the Knicks a better basketball team without Jeremy Lin?

Last year, there were 259 NBA players who used more than 300 possessions. Of those players, Jason Kidd ranked 242nd in points per possession. That was four spots higher than his new teammate Raymond Felton. Lin ranked 192nd.

Jeremy Lin had a well-publicized turnover problem last season that became a talking point for every talking head who wanted to point out something bad about a player who had saved a dismal season, ignited interest in the NBA among millions of people worldwide, and dropped 38 against Kobe Bryant in the Garden. It's true — of those same 259 players who used over 300 possessions, Lin ranked 252nd with a 21.4 turnover percentage. Raymond Felton ranked 244th at 19.6 percent. Jason Kidd? 257th at 24.2 percent. Guess who was 256th? Rajon Rondo. 258th? Steve Nash.

Motivation: Pushing Limits

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Thought you had some amazing goals for 2012? Think again. Next year, James Ketchell will set out to do what no one has done; row across the Atlantic, climb Mt. Everest then cycle around the world. He's already done the first two tasks although in different years and while completing all these feats in a year is timely possible, I'm excited to track his progress. Check out his awesome video, following him on twitter, @CaptainKetch and track his story via his website, jamesketchell.net.

Pushing Limits from Tim Juby on Vimeo.

Latest Endeavour

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Two things.  1) I've just been accepted into 2XU's 2012 Ambassador Program and I'm super stoked.  I can already feel that it's giving me that extra edge to not only train but to bring it to the next level! If you have the time, check out their awesome clearance section for some great deals of up to 40% off! Just click here.

I've been stuck on my current level of physique weighing between 165-190 lbs for the last two years and I need to manage that.  As of this morning, I'm at 186.6 w/ a HIGH BMI of 26.0 / 146 lb Lean mass and 40.6 Fat mass.  (all these measurements have been calculated with Withings iPhone App WiScale)  I paired it up with a Tanita Irongirl scale because it was on sale at 75% off so until I find the need for the BC1000 or when Withings producers a better scale with more readouts, I'll hold off.

Eating on the road has its challenges and working out at hotels does have its drawbacks.  Because of that, I'll be taking it up a notch and actually be documenting it more here on elijahnicolas.com.  That's just an intro to number two; my dedication to Crossfit.  Check out my buddy Ryan Espiritu's blog.  He makes an awesome comparison between "Marathon Ry | Crossfit Ry" and he definitely is a great inspiration.

I let him down last week after he took one for the team partnering with me for the partner WOD and I blew chunks 5-8 minutes into the workout.  Way to pull for my slack.  SWAG!

Crossfit Ry takes better race pictures than Marathon Ry.

 

 

This post won't last long because having pictures of Ryan on my blog aren't my type of thing.

Good times flying...

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The last four day trip entailed an overnight in Downtown Oklahoma City followed by two overnights in Hartford, Connecticut. I was also fortunate to be flying with an "adventurous" captain so I got the chance to catch my first Oklahoma City Thunder game and watch Kevin Durant & Russell Westbrook in action. The Thunder came out strong winning the game and I came away with a new Home Jersey and a great picture with some of the Thunder girls.

I also got some good pictures of "breaking dawn" in Hartford, CT and the early morning in Grand Rapids, MI with the ship and air traffic control tower in the background. Check these out!

Another Giveaway Entry for DCRainmaker

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What another awesome excuse for a post. If you haven't entered before or even seen a post here on elijahnicolas.com in regards to DCRainmaker's blog giveaway, check it out again. More specifically, check out the post here or just click on the picture of the Garmin 310XT below.  Ending tonight at 11:59pm Eastern, Ray Maker is giving away another Garmin 310XT. What makes his giveaways awesome is that he is actually purchases these gifts for his followers. If I start rolling into that kind of dough, I'm PROMISE, I will start doing the same. Granted his blog is amazing in terms of reviews and just overall content so I have a lot to learn. Here's to making three entries for the latest and greatest!

Nite Moves SD 2010 a.k.a NiteMovesSD via @NiteMovesSD

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This afternoon, only because my friend and fellow blogger Ryan Espiritu's very convincing methods, I signed up to run one session in the Nite Moves SD 5K happening today at 6:30pm.  I'm actually looking forward to the Tacos and Beer!

Post-Race Party Details

5:30pm: Race registration
6:30pm: 5K race starts
6:30-8:00 Kids run, Firestone beer garden at Joao's Tin Fish, tacos from Tabe BBQ truck, live local band, giveaways, swag, family fun!

I'll have some details and update to follow! Wish me luck! As of this posting, I was also able to recruit my sister and another buddy, Jerome C.! LET'S DO THIS!!!

UPDATE: my time was 28:19 averaging a 9:07 pace.  I have to be honest that I launched rather aggressively trying to follow a buddy that has ran a couple of marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks and even has a trainer and that just basically wiped me out about 1.5 miles into it.  I pulled through though and enjoyed the rest.  It might have been a personal best for me even.  Check it out here at my Garmin Connect Profile Nite Moves SD 2010 5K Track

Free Giveaways via Comments (via @dcrainmakerblog)

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Click here or here directly dcrainmaker.com to enter for a free Garmin Forerunner 110 from DCRainmaker! I've been reading his reviews and it was because of him that I bought the Garmin 500 setup w/ the Premium HR monitor and cadence sensor for my 2009 Specialized Roubaix Expert. I'm loving it!

I love free stuff but even more so when I win 'em! Stay tuned at adellelijah.com for a comment giveaway coming up in the next few weeks!

By the way, a friend of mine, Ryan Espiritu, setup a new blog documenting his journey in training for multiple marathons. Awesomely titled "Marathonin', Like Pimpin', Ain't Easy. My Pursuit of (running) Happiness" Check it out here: http://three-fifty-nine-fifty-nine.blogspot.com/

1st Shot at Torrey Pines...SUCCESS

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I did it...my first attempt at Torrey Pines was a success. I kept my cadence up and felt pretty good once I got to the top. It was my first time riding by myself in a while and without surprise it definitely isn't as fun. It paid off as I got a ride back home once I reached my destination. As a matter of fact, I had it in me to bike back home along the same route and make a it a roundtrip but my phone was at 10% and I didn't want to get stuck somewhere without it just incase anything happened i.e. I'm too tired to ride up back the 56 bike path. sex mexy by @adellelisa

After the ride, I hung out for about an hour until Adelle got off of her 12 hour shift at Scripps La Jolla Hospital, headed to Robertos in Carmel Valley for some Carne Asada Fries then over to Yogurt World in Mira Mesa. Good eats for sure!

Thanks to that special someone that wrote in chalk along the bike path some motivational notes. In the beginning of the climb, there was in bright pink, "Almost there," followed by a "Dig Deep," then another,"Just kidding, a little more to go," and then the final, "You made it!" There was also a message saying,"Happy Birthday to D _ _ _ _." Some pretty awesome stuff to read while you struggle up the little hill.

Anyways, here's a post of my route. Check it out!

Check out the constant % grade...not that bad really but long!