Purple People Eaters Look to Take a Wide-Open Division in Transition

With the start of NFL training camps, MuscleSport Mag will bring you a team-by-team breakdown of all 32 clubs vying for the Lombardi Trophy on February 1, 2009 in Tampa Bay. We will start with the NFC East and work our way around the league.

The NFC North will be a very different looking division from only a year ago when the Green Bay Packers led the way with a 13-3 record. The 2007 Minnesota Vikings may have finished second at .500, but added the league’s sack leader and hope that quarterback Tarvaris Jackson will take the next step and lead the team to the playoffs, which they have missed since 200.

A strong backfield will go a long way in making that a reality, and adding wide receiver Bernard Berrian will make their offense well-rounded. On the other side of the ball, the Williamses and Jared Allen form a formidable group, which may be able to dominate the division. Continue Reading »

The Sport of Kings Has a Gray Area in Doping

By Leigh Penman

This is part of a continuing series provided exclusively by MuscleSport Mag entitled, “This is Your Magazine”.

Leave it to New York’s ‘Daily News’ to come up with yet another juicy steroid story (no pun intended!). This time around, tired with the world of baseball, they turned to the world of horse racing. In a recent report they ‘discovered’ that drug use is rampant in horse racing in America, although England, France, all of Europe, Japan, South Africa, Dubai and Australia banned the use of steroids years ago.

The article quoted Dr. George Maylin, the Director of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board Drug Testing and Research program (now that’s a job title for you!) as saying, “ North American racing has come to realize there is a problem with drug use and they must do something about it. Anabolic steroids are just the tip of the iceberg.”

I guess this means that the $35 million a year that is spent on keeping the racing game clean is still not having the desired effect. However, Alex Waldrop, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association would beg to differ claiming, “There is testing using urine and blood and we are increasingly moving towards plasma testing. One thing we have discussed with Congress is that we believe our testing methods are superior to testing of humans.”

The difference between the use of anabolic steroids in horse racing and their use in other competitive sports is that four anabolic steroids have actually been recommended by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium to be used for therapeutic treatment on horses – boldenone, nandralone, stanozolol and testosterone. However, the fact that they are technically given the “okay” is leading to their abuse. Continue Reading »

Pound Bombers at Stadium Again; Playoff Run May Be Over

It appears that the obvious that has been staring us in the face is now even more glaring. The New York Yankees are going to miss the playoffs for the first time since 1993, and a team that was in the early stages of transition may have to do more than the old ‘retooling’ phrase general managers say about their teams when they don’t want to admit that a rebuilding is in order.

After dropping the first two at home versus the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees are seven out of the wild card and double-digits separate them from the surprising Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East.

Not only did the Sox come in and do what the Yankees needed to do to salvage their season, but also they spanked their host and made a statement in doing so. Their newest editions – left fielder Jason Bay and starter Paul Byrd – were instrumental in the 11-3 drubbing on Wednesday night. Bay, who took over for Manny Ramirez in a three-team deal at the trading deadline, drove in four runs with a triple and a double, while the journeyman Byrd went six workman-like innings for the win in only his third start for Boston. Continue Reading »

Mets Pull One Out of the Hat After Phils Do

When you look back at the regular season, there are games that jump off the page that stand out as the ones that either killed or salvaged the campaign. After one of the most wild and wacky two-game sets all year, the Mets and Phillies played to a stalemate.

The Mets answered an 8-7 extra-inning loss with a 6-3 victory on Wednesday night. An unlikely come-from-behind win was made possible by Carlos Delgado’s two home run performance, including the tying solo shot to the opposite field in the eighth inning.

How enormous the win was cannot be measured when you think of what could have been. Turn-about is fair play, and the usually reliable Philadelphia relievers – including closer Brad Lidge – allowed a 3-2 lead to disappear. Rookie Daniel Murphy and light hitting, but hot of late Brian Schneider had key hits to break the tie. The bullpen that opened the floodgates 24 hours earlier slammed the door and a split was the result.

“You know that one game could determine who wins and loses (referring to the division),” Mets manager Jerry Manuel told reporters. “Every game is important – it’s a must-win.” Continue Reading »

Your Favorite Online Publication Seen in Robert Kennedy’s Print Edition

MuscleSport Mag is featured in the October 2008 issue of “MuscleMag Interntional.” See our advertisement in an exciting, extra-packed issue with Joel Stubbs as the cover main feature. There’s also “Road Map to Mass” (and “Nutritional Road Map to Mass”), “Peak Performance,” “Creatine Under the Microscope,” and great department pieces such as “Priority on Pecs” (Workout of the Month) and “Rise of the Living Deadlift” (Strongman).

What magazine would be complete without a sexy pictorial? Certainly not this one. The amazing April Ireland is seen from every angle in “Sock it Up.” As if a MSM ad wasn’t enough reason to buy this issue!

Manny Kirby Uses Car Accident as Inspiration for Bodybuilding

This is part of a continuing series provided exclusively by MuscleSport Mag entitled, “This is Your Magazine,” where we profile the every-day athlete. If you would like to see yourself profiled here, please send us your story and photo to superbas@optonline.net.

Many kids dream about being as big as the Incredible Hulk, but few actually live it. A young Manny Kirby used to confide to his father about that, and he ended up morphing into Bruce Banner’s alter ego following an incident that was more catastrophic than gamma rays.

12 years ago, the 41 year-old Kirby was involved in a serious automobile accident that left him with a cracked sternum and four cracked ribs (two each in the front and back). Doctors told him that he wouldn’t be able to do anything such involving constant movement such as dancing due to his heart being bruised by his injured ribs.

While some people would have wallowed in their misery, Kirby found a new way while convalescing for over two months. He started reading the writings of Bruce Lee and Mike Mentzer. “Lee’s mental focus on the body astounded me,” recalled Kirby, “and spoke about the mind and spirit.

“Mentzer had the same mental focus, but was more about the mind and pushing beyond your limits,” continued Kirby. “I combined the two and, lo and behold, stepped forth into a gym.” Continue Reading »

Personal Trainers will Incorporate Many Different Styles into Programs; It’s Your Job to Find the Right One

By Matthew Sgro

This is part of a continuing series provided exclusively by MuscleSport Mag entitled, “This is Your Magazine,” where we profile the every-day athlete. If you would like to see yourself profiled here, please send us your story and photo to superbas@optonline.net.

There are many ways to improve one’s physique and fitness level. One example of this is kettle bell training. Under the guidance of a properly trained professional this can be a highly effective and safe manner of training. As many physical therapists and professional personal trainers will tell you, training of this type with an unqualified trainer can be dangerous. They can say this because they’ve probably seen people after they’ve recieved this training.

There are very few exercises that are “wrong.” With the right form and instruction, you can get in phenomenal shape with many different types of training. Someone who specializes in a type of training such as kettle bells is exactly what you need when training with such type of training. Continue Reading »

Guilty Pleas in 2005 Brutal Slaying

You get what you deserve. Bodybuilder Craig Titus and his spouse, fitness pro Kelly Ryan both accepted guilty pleas in a Las Vegas courtroom of a crime that rivaled the slayings in the popular motion picture, “Natural Born Killers.” Titus’ sentence of 21 to 55 years and Ryan’s of six to 26 years are hardly enough in a crime that shocked more than the sports world.

Titus’ lawyer, Marc Saggese, supplied some extra drama when he claimed that his client was “assured before pleading guilty on May 30 that he would have a chance at parole after 15 to 17 years.” When you stand up and admit to second-degree murder, kidnapping and arson charges, learn how to take your medicine. Continue Reading »

SF Giants One Light-Hitting Bunch Without Bonds

When the calendar shows that August is closing out in one week and your team leader in home runs has 12, it’s fair to say that small-ball is your style. In San Francisco, Aaron Rowand is the only player on the roster with a double-digit total in long balls, which is not easy to do at this juncture of the season. Even players that hit one out rarely approach the 10 to 15 total. With only 71 total at the time of this writing, the Giants are on an anemic pace for production.

In 2007, Barry Bonds hit 28 home runs, leading the way by a wide margin. The next up on that team were third baseman Pedro Feliz (20) and catcher Bengie Molina (19). Rowand, who played for the Phillies a year ago, hit 27. As a team, the Giants hit 128 during Bonds’ farewell season in town. Continue Reading »

No Place to Go But Up for Birds Looking to Rebound

With the start of NFL training camps, MuscleSport Mag will bring you a team-by-team breakdown of all 32 clubs vying for the Lombardi Trophy on February 1, 2009 in Tampa Bay. We will start with the NFC East and work our way around the league.

Following a ‘kiss your sister’ 8-8 finish last season, the Philadelphia Eagles are hoping to make a come back in perhaps the NFL’s toughest division. A healthy Donovan McNabb will at least give the Eagles some continuity at the quarterback position, but after missing quality time with a bum knee, the veteran scrambler is a far cry from what he once was. Continue Reading »