Yahoo Sports

Nice little interview with Jimmy Pitaro, VP of Yahoo Sports, here.

Signing Day Draws Near

The first Wednesday in February is always a big day for college football fanatics. All our ridiculous hand-wringing and chewed-off finger nails and endless hours scrolling through forums with faceless guys named 'SoonerFury' or 'DarthGator' comes down to this: Signing Day.

And as proof that Google is everywhere/all the time, you can now view the Google Map for all Top 100 recruits. (hat tip: Sports Illustrated) And if you're really extra-special bored, you can review the maps of your teams recruits dating back to 2004.

Checking in on Hawk-Eye

Hawk-Eye is without a doubt the biggest innovation in tennis since the graphite racket. And since we're at the sharp end of the Australian Open, I thought I'd check in on the folks at Hawk-Eye headquarters in the UK.

Turns out their sister company Pulse is getting some serious media attention for their interactive matchday product (conveniently called "Pulse")...you can play the Australian summer Cricket game now, for free: Pulse Live.

Pulse will return for this year's U.S. Tennis Open, no doubt. From last year's U.S. Open file:
Pulse provides fans with a live and truly interactive experience of the tournament by giving users the opportunity to express their opinion, track player and tournament progress, improve their tennis knowledge and best of all predict the game-by-game outcome of the match.

Tennis fans get pretty animated when discussing their favorite pros, so you'll be seeing more of Pulse on tournament sites and mobile devices once they get the UI tweaked and some more engaging graphics.

Down Under

The heat has been the big topic down in Melborne at the Australian Open this week. On courts temps pushing 125 degrees and higher are ridiculous, but having played in 90+ degree air temps with humidity quite often as a youngster, I don't have a lot of sympathy. None the less, it's given the announcing crews lots of fodder during down times to discuss the roof on Laver Arena, and you don't have to be an expert to see that the Laver is showing its age.

As retractable roofs go, its seen its day and served Melborne well but now looks like an old roll-top desk compared to modern facilities. We'll see what the new design holds, but the covered 'village square' and entertainment options between Court Arena and Laver Arena are essential and this rendering makes it looke like they're going to get it right by creating a true tennis village. I'll post more pics and video as I find them.

Kids Are Always Innovating...

Amusing and clever story about a kid who has put a twist on Goalie gear design from Boston.com

Under Armour release

Running enthusiasts and UA haters (there are many of you out there, admit it) have been waiting well over a year for the launch of the UA running line. This week, we finally get it. Runners are traditionally a fickle lot: a market that doesn't sidle up to marketing dogma and a force that demands innovation but well, kinda loathes change. Enter UA into the arena; the masters of branding, the protectors of the house and a company that oh-by-the-way makes some solid products. It makes for an interesting situation.

Steve Battista, Brand VP, and Chris Brewer (Dir. of Product Creation according to his LinkedIn profile) have been making the rounds and saying all the right things, but I'll give UA this: they've started out at a very competitive price point and with three models for men and women out of the gate, they've got options for all types of runners. Brewer did time with Mizuno and Fila, so he's no novice to the shoe market. I'm not sold on some of the color schemes but all signs point upward compared to the battle-tanker style Trainer line they released last spring. As for whether the products hold up, we'll see those reviews roll in soon. Admittedly, the reviews on the Trainer line were somewhat mixed.

See more for yourself here: http://www.underarmour.com/shop/us/en/footwear

Consol Energy Center - PIttsburgh

I find myself rooting for Pittsburgh. The city comes almost out of nowhere when you arrive via auto, nestled among the rivers and the mountainous surroundings. And from a venue standpoint, they don't need to apologize to anyone. They hope that continues with the new Consol Consol Energy center, which now has a webcam and is in early construction phase.

I've been fooled by architectural renderings and promises from local business leaders before, so I'm withholding judgement for now, but here's a sneak peek. I like the glass facade...not so sure about the tan brick cladding (something earthier would have been my choice).

Venues and Displacement

Never having been in a city with a legitimate Olympic bid until now, I didn't realize the level of protesting Chicago would get with the enivironmental crowd. As the bid book finalization nears, the protestations are getting more heated. See this Tribune article on the proposed Tennis Center as an example.

Environmental impact always plays second fiddle in stadium discussions to the twin gorillas of Job Gain and New Revenues. But these days 'going green' is all the rage and Chicago has a mayor who likes to show himself off as eco-friendly. (And to be fair, Daley has pushed through some great initiatives.) It's a tricky road for Chicago.

The city is too built up to cut new paths to new venues. And while we boast a healthy public transport system, it's nothing along the lines of say, London, which Daley's messengers might do well to study hard. In short: limited venue spaces are available w/o creating a lot of impact, and moving to more accomodating venues won't work if you can't get there. This one bears watching.

There's more on the Chicago venues at the official site.

2009: Back from the Dark Ages

After several years of working on some "offline priorities", I'm making time to move some thoughts/pictures/memories into the digital world. My unhealthy (hah) infatuation with stadia, design, and pretty much anything sports-related in the design world is what I'm going to attempt to encapsulate.

To wit: my new Reebok pump ice skates... I've been amused for several days as to how Reebok's ubiquitous 'modified antelope logo' meshes with the blade design to complete a helix effect. See Below.