Showtime: NBA Ball Takes Artificial Bounce
News item by news item I become more detached from pro-sports: World Series night Baseball at midnight in freezing temperatures on artificial turf; hockey teams uprooted from their traditional homes (Winnipeg, Quebec) to "more desireable" media markets such as Dallas and Phoenix. Now this (as reported by The New York Times).
"The National Basketball Association is introducing a new game ball, bringing an end to the 60-year run of the leather ball. Teams will begin using the new ball in the 2006-7 season.
The new ball, produced by Spalding, is made of a composite material that is meant to ensure a better grip. The league last altered the design of the ball 35 years ago, when it moved from one made with four panels to one with eight.
Traditionally, a fresh leather ball is too slippery to be used in a game, so teams break them in during practice to improve their grip. By comparison, the new composite ball can be used immediately.
Spalding composite balls have been used in the N.B.A. Development League and in the Women's National Basketball Association. But the N.B.A.'s new ball will be different from the ones used by its other affiliated leagues.
The N.B.A.'s shift from leather comes nearly four years after the National Collegiate Athletic Association made a similar move to a Wilson composite ball for its men's and women's tournaments. That followed decisions by most teams and conferences to abandon leather for synthetic balls during the regular season."
What's next ? I suppose a pigskin football from a cloned pig ?
Get real !
(June 28, 2006; N.B.A. Retires Leather Ball;By RICHARD SANDOMIR, New York Times
"The National Basketball Association is introducing a new game ball, bringing an end to the 60-year run of the leather ball. Teams will begin using the new ball in the 2006-7 season.
The new ball, produced by Spalding, is made of a composite material that is meant to ensure a better grip. The league last altered the design of the ball 35 years ago, when it moved from one made with four panels to one with eight.
Traditionally, a fresh leather ball is too slippery to be used in a game, so teams break them in during practice to improve their grip. By comparison, the new composite ball can be used immediately.
Spalding composite balls have been used in the N.B.A. Development League and in the Women's National Basketball Association. But the N.B.A.'s new ball will be different from the ones used by its other affiliated leagues.
The N.B.A.'s shift from leather comes nearly four years after the National Collegiate Athletic Association made a similar move to a Wilson composite ball for its men's and women's tournaments. That followed decisions by most teams and conferences to abandon leather for synthetic balls during the regular season."
What's next ? I suppose a pigskin football from a cloned pig ?
Get real !
(June 28, 2006; N.B.A. Retires Leather Ball;By RICHARD SANDOMIR, New York Times
posted by eric model | 2:34 AM
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