Josh Gibson: The Black Babe Ruth

By John Raso

Sports

Just who are some names you think of while you think about the greatest home run hitters for all time? Willie Mays. Ken Griffey Jr. Mark Mcgwire. Hank Aaron. Babe Ruth. Truth is, possibly the best home run hitter to ever play baseball won't surface in any Mlb record books. His name was Josh Gibson. You most likely are acquainted with his playing career if you have seen the made for T.V. movie "Soul of the Game". For those who have yet to check out this movie, quit reading this article, sign onto Ebay and buy it. Due to the MLB's "Gentleman's Agreement" that segregated baseball, Gibson wasn't permitted to participate in the Majors. Instead, he took over the American Negro Leagues where legend says he hit anywhere between 750 and 1,000 home runs during his playing career. As a matter of fact, certain fans at the time referred to Babe Ruth as 'The White Josh Gibson'.

The Georgia native devoted the majority of his career with the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. You will find a variety of tall tales about Gibson, like the time he hit a ball into the air at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh so high that it never landed...until the next day...in a different city. Honestly. Or maybe you have been told the one about Gibson hitting the only ball to ever leave Yankee Stadium, more than 500 feet. Although stout in build, he featured Hercules-like power, consistently hitting home runs in excess of 400+ feet. He hit 84 home runs through the 1936 season. Unfortunately, he started to develop drinking and drug habits later in his career after losing his wife. The agony he experienced from not being able to play in the Major Leagues did not help. Gibson's achievements and legend are often met with naysayers who believe that Gibson was skilled, but Negro League talent was second-rate to the talent in the Major Leagues. He did get the opportunity to play against Major League pitchers during exhibitions from time to time and often held his own. He passed away in 1947 as a result of a stroke, at only 36 years of age. Months later, Jackie Robinson would break the color barrier by being the first black baseball player to play in the Major Leagues. Any person interested in knowing more about the great Josh Gibson or other Negro League greats like Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson can do so by going to the Negro Leagues baseball museum in Kansas City, MO.

By John Raso, creator of FromThisSeat.com. Blogger, entrepreneur, avid Tweeter (@FromThisSeat).

The Negro Leagues

The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter

Book Review

The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter, by Ian O'Connor. Every spring, Little Leaguers across the country mimic his stance and squabble over the right to wear his number, 2, the next number to be retired by the world’s most famous ball team. Derek Jeter is their hero. He walks in the footsteps of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle, and someday his shadow will loom just as large. Yet he has never been the best player in baseball. In fact, he hasn’t always been the best player on his team. But his intangible grace and Jordanesque ability to play big in the biggest of postseason moments make him the face of the modern Yankee dynasty, and of America’s game.

In The Captain, best-selling author Ian O’Connor draws on extensive reporting and unique access to Jeter that has spanned some fifteen years to reveal how a biracial kid from Michigan became New York’s most beloved sports figure and the enduring symbol of the steroid-free athlete. O’Connor takes us behind the scenes of a legendary baseball life and career, from Jeter’s early struggles in the minor leagues, when homesickness and errors in the field threatened a stillborn career, to his heady days as a Yankee superstar and prince of the city who squired some of the world’s most beautiful women, to his tense battles with former best friend A-Rod. We also witness Jeter struggling to come to terms with his declining skills and the declining favor of the only organization he ever wanted to play for, leading to a contentious contract negotiation with the Yankees that left people wondering if Jeter might end his career in a uniform without pinstripes.

Derek Jeter’s march toward the Hall of Fame has been dignified and certain, but behind that leadership and hero’s grace there are hidden struggles and complexities that have never been explored, until now. As Jeter closes in on 3,000 hits, a number no Yankee has ever touched, The Captain offers an incisive, exhilarating, and revealing new look at one of the game’s greatest players in the gloaming of his career.

Ian O'Connor is a nationally acclaimed sports columnist, three times named the number-one columnist in America in his circulation category by the Associated Press sports editors. Currently he writes for ESPNNewYork.com and hosts a radio show for 1050 ESPN in New York. He is the author of Arnie & Jack, a New York Times bestseller, and The Jump: Sebastian Telfair and the High-Stakes Business of High-School Ball. Click here for more information or to order.

The Female Athlete Triad: Could You Be At Risk?

By Vince DelMonte

Sports

One major issue that many women who are getting serious about their workouts start to deal with is known as the female athlete triad.

The female athlete triad can affect a wide variety of individuals, from someone training for a rigorous competitive sport to someone who is simply trying to take their physique to a new level. Most commonly it is seen in activities that do place a high amount of focus on the image of the body, such as ballet, gymnastics, figure skating, and women’s fitness.

It’s important that you learn to recognize exactly what the female athlete triad consists of so that you are not only aware if you are already experiencing it but also, you learn what you can do to protect yourself from further damage taking place.

The Three Main Components Of The Female Athlete Triad

The female athlete triad, like the name suggests, is composed of three big factors.

1. Amenorrhea

Amenorrhea can be defined as the cessation of the menstrual cycle, after it had previously been somewhat regular, for three or more months in a row. While some women may just be irregular, the key here is that they are not getting periods at all. It can be slightly difficult to establish if this is your issue if you have always been irregular, but most often even those who are irregular will get at least one menstrual period of a three month cycle.

2. Eating Disorders

The second component of the female athlete triad is the presence of any one of the various eating disorders that are seen. This could be anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder, or an unclassified disorder (unhealthy relationship with food). Remember to keep in mind here that one does not need to be fully starving themselves to have an eating disorder. You could simply be feeling extreme amounts of guilt after even a small detour from your diet and this could classify you as having an eating disorder or unhealthy relationship with food.

3. Osteoporosis

Then, the third factor in this condition is osteoporosis. This factor particularly, is very detrimental to the woman as it could set her up to experience an increased risk of stress fractures or broken bones for the rest of her life. Many women also start to remove dairy products from their diet as they believe it will cause weight gain and once again, this only further enhances the problem. Additionally, this factor usually comes about because of the previous two factors.

What Causes The Female Athlete Triad

In terms of what causes this condition to develop, there have been many research studies that have tried to determine just this and unfortunately there isn’t once single precipitating factor, but rather, it’s a combination of factors that seem to be at play.

First, usually what causes the condition to strike is that the individual is not consuming enough total daily calories. This seems to be the most important part of the equation; therefore, if you are hoping to avoid the development of these problems, eating enough is your best preventative mechanism. As an easy general guideline, for weight loss, the lowest number of calories you consume should be ten times your body weight.

So for example, a female weighing 130 pounds would require a minimum of 1300 calories each day – and this is for maximum fat loss.

The second thing that needs to be looked at is the woman’s overall body composition. Women need so much fat on their bodies in order to function effectively. When there is a lack of total body fat, problems occur, particularly with the reproductive system – as seen with the loss of the periods.

Usually these two are interconnected as many times a woman is not taking in enough total calories will obviously have a lower body fat level.
Between the two though, total calories is more important as there are a select few who are able to maintain quite low body fat percentages, yet still avoid the development of this problem.

Why is this? It’s because they are eating enough calories to maintain their weight, their weight is just a lot of lean mass and little fat tissue.

Finally, the third reason that this condition can develop is because of overexercising. When a woman overdoes it in the gym or on the court/field, she is starting to place an inordinate amount of stress on her system, and both her CNS and reproductive system will respond in a negative way. Rest is very critical in any workout program and should be scheduled in regularly.

So, the three main points to watch out for are a loss of your periods, abnormal or unhealthy eating behaviors, and a workout schedule that allows you very little, if any rest at all.

If you are suffering from any of those, or a combination of them, you may want to speak to a professional (both medical and psychological), as all three are very interrelated, with the development of one often leading to the development of another.

If, on the other hand, you are already experiencing problems, then your first step is to cut back on the amount of exercise you are doing and your second step is to increase the amount of calories you are consuming. Increase the calories slightly slowly as this might be a scary process for you, aiming for a weekly increase of about 10% of your total current intake each week. This will also allow the metabolism to keep up with this increased amount of food and prevent you from gaining any weight in the process.

If you complete both of these objectives, you should find that slowly your body fat levels also become more regulated, which fixes the last issue of this disorder.

So, if this sounds like it could be a condition you are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing, be sure to have a good hard look at your training and eating habits. Your health should always be the number one priority, even if some of you would rather place looks as your main objective.

About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com. He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.

© 2006-2008, Vince DelMonte Fitness. All rights in all media reserved.

How Did Baseball Make Its Way to the Dominican Republic?

By John Raso

Sports

There are lots of misguided beliefs in regards to the foundation and origin of baseball in the Dominican Republic. No, American Marines did not present the sport to the area residents after they invaded in 1916. Native Dominicans actually learned the game of baseball from Cuban immigrants who had fled Cuba with the hope of avoiding "La Guerra de los Diez Anos" (the Ten Year War). Cubans, as it so happens, are given credit for affecting the growth of the game throughout all of the Caribbean. On the other hand, it was the Americans that brought the game of baseball to Cuba in the 1860s.

Several of Major League Baseball's brightest stars of both past and present hail from the Dominican Republic. All-Stars like Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Ubaldo Jimenez, Edinson Volquez, Vladimir Guerrero, Hanley Ramirez and Albert Pujols only to name a few. The current class of Dominican players, however, had their road to baseball stardom paved for them thanks to prior greats such as Manny Mota, Ozzie Virgil as well as the Alou brothers (Matty, Jesus, Felipe). Baseball in the Dominican would not be what it is if it weren't for these baseball pioneers.

These days, there is even a Dominican Winter Baseball League which consists of quite a few players from Major and Minor League organizations in the United States. The league is comprised of 6 teams including Aguilas Cibaenas, Estrellas Orientales, Gigantes del Cibao, Toros del Este, Leones del Escogido and the legendary Tigres del Licey. League play gets started in October when the Major League Baseball season ends in the United States and ends in January right before the start of spring training. The Dominican League champion will then journey to play in the Caribbean Series vs. representatives from the Mexican, Venezuelan and Puerto Rican leagues..

Baseball is a giant in this small country, that is for certain. But just as in everything else that supplies financial gain, there are those that look to manipulate and use the system unlawfully to their advantage. Freddy Peralta, a Dominican-born/Oakland, Ca resident and former Transylvania University baseball player said "The biggest issue with Baseball in the Dominican has to do with scouts that use the talented young players for financial gain. They often times take a huge slice of their signing bonuses for themselves which leaves the players with very little. Another large problem has to do with culture shock experienced by the players that actually make it over to the United States. The players are lost when they get to the states and do not know how to adapt."

To attest to Freddy's remarks, take for example, Dominican scout Victor Baez who was detained previously this month for falsifying records to obtain professional contracts for Dominican players. We can be sure to conclude that Baez wanted his share of reward down the road for getting those players noticed. There is even a word for figures such as Victor Baez; "Buscones" which are the middle-men between Latin American players and major league teams. "Buscones", have been known to take up to thirty or forty percent of a player's income while certified sports agents only qualify for around three percent. Melky Cabrera claims that he only saw a portion of the 175k bonus he was assured when he signed with the Yankees in 2001. Cabrera's advisor Victor Mata denounced any knowledge of Cabrera's finances. Hmmm. Aren't mentors supposed to help the players with these matters?

Such forms of deception are nothing new. If you recall in 2008, standout Migual Tejada was exposed for being untruthful about his age when he was signed by the Oakland A's in 1993. Tejada simply stated in an interview that he was a poor kid and thought that by lying about his age, scouts would see more potential in him as an athlete. Quite a few baseball players in the Dominican do indeed take extreme measures such as this with the desire of one day playing baseball for a living.

Manny Peralta, a Dominican-born/Lexington, KY resident says that "Dominican children will at times quit school at the age of eleven or twelve to focus on baseball full-time. There are baseball academies down there where all they do is grow kids into athletes, pretty much every single major league team has some sort of presence in the D.R." The problem with this process, however, is that for every Vladimir Guerrero there are thousands of Dominican players that you have never even heard of. By the time a player reaches the age of twenty, he has little education and has very few job prospects. Major League Baseball offers no further opportunities for such players that are considered un-resourceful.

Baseball has been a pillar in the Dominican cultural life for more than one hundred years. All thirty major league franchises now have at least one Dominican-born player on their team. Which means nearly one out of every seven players hail from this tiny country on the Island of Hispaniola. They play with an appreciation and dedication that leads me to believe that America's favorite pastime is in good hands.

By John Raso, creator of FromThisSeat.com. Blogger, entrepreneur, avid Tweeter (@FromThisSeat).

Baseball History DVDs

Halter Breaking a Foal – The Dos and Don’ts

By Ane Visser

Sports

Halter breaking a foal can be a major experience for both the foal and the handler. Naturally, being a prey animal, a foal will try to find escape routes for anything it experiences as a threat and putting something around its head and pulling it with a rope is definitely regarded as such.

In order to make sure that the foal doesn't view us as a danger, we have to avoid anything that takes them out of their comfort zone. If any encounter with humans is a positive experience, we will - guaranteed - reap the fruits of what we do at a later stage. Nothing is worse than a horse that turns its back to you when you come into the paddock.

What we normally do is the following. When the foal is a few days old, we approach the mare and foal carefully and just kneel down to make ourselves as little as possible. Normally, the foal will be curious and want to sniff the stranger that we are. If you slowly reach out your hand, it will want to know more about it and it will come toward you. Don't make any sudden movements, as their reflexes will tell that they are being attacked and they will jump away. If you can stand up slowly, you may be able to touch it and scratch it on the areas that are usually itchy, like the bum and the shoulder. In these first few days you lay the basis of trust for the exercises to come.

When you feel it becomes easier to get closer to the foal, you can try to lay a rope on its back. We normally start doing that when they are a week or so old. More than likely, the foal will jump away and try to get rid of it, but after a few times it will find out that there is nothing to be afraid of and you can start moving he rope toward the neck and head.

Once the foal is comfortable with the rope, you can start doing the same with a halter (make sure it is the right size). And as long as it is comfortable, you can move the halter around its nose. The foal might find this strange initially and try to get rid of it, and all that is fine. If you repeat these steps several times, it will start to feel more relaxed about it. At some stage, you will be able to close the buckle and leave the halter on. It might be a little upset about it, but very soon it will accept this strange thing around its face. At that stage, you want to get it used to some pressure on the halter using a rope. You can hook on the rope and put some pressure on it and see how the foal behaves. More than likely, it will be a bit panicked, and it is important to release the pressure immediately. Stay beside the foal and follow it without pressure on the rope. Allow it to stay close to the mare, its safety and comfort zone.

Once it becomes more comfortable with pressure on the halter, you can then try to "lead" it with the rope. You will need a helper who can lead the mare and naturally the foal will follow. Make sure you stay beside the foal behind its eye, in order to make it walk away from you in forward direction. Don't position yourself between the mare and the foal. Ideally, you will have a second helper who walks behind the foal, but if you don't, you can put your right hand on its whither to encourage it to move forward. With your left hand you can play with the pressure on the halter if it goes too fast and soon it will learn that the pressure means that it has to slow down. Release the pressure when it goes at the right speed or when it suddenly panics away from you. Try to keep the foal close to the mare and reward it with scratching the itchy bits.

Halter breaking a foal doesn't need to take much time. You can get to the stage of following the mare (starting from the rope on its back) in just a few days. It is important that you do these exercises regularly and not for too long. We normally spend 5 to 15 minutes to do an exercise to get to the next step, and we do that a few times per day. The rest of the day, we leave the mare and foal alone. This way, the foal learns that dealing with people is fun (the scratchy bit), and it also learns that when we ask something from them, it will be something they can confidently do, without being pushed over their limits.

By Ane Visser. At Dutch Horses Unlimited, we breed and train quality horses in New Zealand with the focus on dressage and show jumping. We have young dressage horses for sale, as well as show jumpers. They are raised in a group of broodmares to make sure that they grow up in a natural social environment. We breed for talent, and at the age of three, they start their training under the saddle.

Equestrian DVDs

How to Fish With Kids

By Paul Greenberg and ParentEarth

Sports

Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food

Tips to Help Your Child Get the Most Out of Team Sports

Sports

When it comes to improving academic performance, boosting self-esteem and teaching social skills, few things beat team sports. Sports give kids the opportunity to get attention and respect, and to use the natural skills that come with youth, like speed and coordination.

According to one survey of 2,185 children conducted by The Women’s Sports Foundation and Harris Interactive, kids who played sports or who participated in activities like frisbee, camping and hiking felt healthier and more confident about their bodies than those who did not. Other studies demonstrate that children active in sports perform better in school and are less likely to use drugs as young adults.

Of course, sports can have a downside. Overly competitive leagues, discouraging coaches and injuries from unsafe practices can quickly turn kids away from sports. So how can you make sure that your child has a positive experience? Here are some tips:

• Make sure that your child is mature enough to participate. In general, kids aren’t equipped for the rules and cooperation required in team sports until age six or seven. But each child develops differently. Don’t push children if they’re not ready.

• Make sure that the league or coach emphasizes fun. If you ask children why they want to play a sport, they’ll probably say that they want to have fun or make friends. No matter their sport of choice, make sure that your child’s enjoying him or herself.

• Don’t stress winning over everything else. Extreme competitiveness overrides any sportsmanship your child would otherwise learn. Focus on personal markers of success, not the league championship.

You can reward your child for playing a sport even if their league does not. PlaqueMaker Plus allows you to print your child’s photo in a sports-shaped frame. You can also order your own trophies and present them for a job well done, whether that means making the winning hit or simply putting in a good effort.

• Don’t force your child to specialize too soon. Few kids are going to get sports scholarships – instead of trying to turn your child into a baseball or basketball star, let them try out a variety of sports. Some children are never going to enjoy sports. Instead of forcing kids into an activity that they don’t like, find another physical activity, such as track, cycling or hiking, that they can enjoy.

Children's Sports Books

Why Weight Lifting Is An Exercise That Delivers Top Health Benefits

By Vince DelMonte

Sports

While some individuals are strictly interested in obtaining muscle for aesthetics, for most people, this isn’t an interest. Instead, you’re more interested in knowing what health benefits weight lifting will have for you…

Far too many people overlook the many health and fitness benefits that weight training has to offer, and because of this, experience problems down the road with their body such as decreased bone density, a slowed metabolic rate, increased stress levels and other negative consequences that are associated with constant stress.

Increased Bone Density

Weight lifting, being one of the best weight bearing exercises you can do, will increase your bone density and help ward off osteoporosis or stress fractures in the future.

Many people think running is the best exercise for increasing bone density, but this isn’t necessarily true. If the truth is told, running actually promotes muscle breakdown in the body, while weight lifting, being an anabolic process, helps to promote the building of tissues.

Therefore, weight lifting is going to be much better at preserving your bone mass, not to mention it’s far less impact than going for an hour run.

Decreased Frequency of Injuries

When you strength train, not only are your muscles going to get stronger, but you’ll also work the ligaments and tendons that are connecting bones, muscles, and other tissues, thus reducing the chance they become injured when participating in other physical activities.

If you’ve ever been injured, you know just how frustrating this can be. In about 80% of all injury cases, the injury is a direct result of a tendon, ligament, or muscle not being strong enough when a stressful force is applied.

Since weight training will really hit all those deep tendons and ligaments, it’s the best injury prevention out there.

Reduction of Health Related Risks

Numerous studies have demonstrated that regular weight training can have a positive effect on health by showing reductions in the rate of insulin resistance, blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.

If you couple a solid weight training program then with a well-thought out diet, you’ll be putting your best foot forward at warding off these chronic problems

Prevention of Fat Gain

The more you weight lift, the higher your metabolism will be, thus the more food you can eat while maintaining your weight. If that isn’t good news for your future and the fight against body fat, I’m not sure what is.

Now, with all of this said, one big problem many people run into is the thinking pattern that using a muscle building program will make you big and bulky. This is most certainly not the case.

Let’s look at an analogy to gain an understanding of this.

Pretend you have two teams and each are going to try and build a house using the exact same building technique.  One team is given 10,000 bricks to construct this house, and the second team is given only 1,000 bricks.

Who’s going to build the bigger house?

The choice should be obvious – team one since they have more bricks to build it with. Now, think of those bricks as being the calories you put into your body. Unless you’re supplying enough calories, you aren’t going to build really big muscles. This is precisely what makes bodybuilders look like bodybuilders.

It’s not just about the way they train, but more about the way they eat (if you’ve ever had a teenage son in the growing process in your house, you likely know just how much food must be consumed when growing at rapid rates).

Whether it’s growing in height during puberty or trying to build bigger muscles later on, calories must be supplied for this growth process to take place.

You can’t build a house out of nothing. Likewise, you can workout all you want, but if those building blocks – in the form of amino acids, carbohydrates, and dietary fats are not there, you aren’t going to see too much muscle growth.

So, don’t get caught thinking that just because you add weight lifting to your workouts, you’re going to develop large bulky muscles. If you control your diet, this simply will not happen.

So, hopefully it is clear now that just because you’re weight lifting, it does not mean you will end up with bulky muscles as a result. Many people make this incorrect assumption – but it really is the diet that makes all the difference in how this weight lifting will shape your body.

When you make the decision to work with me using my 6-Pack Ab Quest program, I’ll take you through the weight lifting and ab techniques that will provide maximum results with minimal effort on your part (why spend more time in the gym than you have to?), as well as provide you with meal plans that are custom designed to ensure you get the best results from your training without the muscle bulk – in fact, the plans are formulated to help you shed the fat so you look leaner and more defined.

Not choosing to include weight training as part of your current workout program is without-a-doubt the biggest mistake you could make as far as your long-term health and fitness level is concerned. Don’t let this exercise pass you by any longer.

About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com. He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.

© 2006-2008, Vince DelMonte Fitness. All rights in all media reserved.

Coronation Celebration is Planned For Miss Rodeo Nebraska – Becky Grimm

Nebraska News

HARRISON, Neb. – A Coronation Celebration and fundraiser is planned for Miss Rodeo Nebraska-Becky Grimm at the Mitchell Event center Mitchell, Neb., on Jan 8, 2011. Social hour starts at 5 p.m. followed by a western-style buffet dinner, live and silent auction and a dance by Most Music DJ service.

Becky Grimm said of her experience, “The honor of being Miss Rodeo Nebraska will allow me to share my love of rodeo with people from all walks of life. While preserving its heritage, Miss Rodeo Nebraska is more then a job title, but rather a passion of heart. I feel blessed to represent Nebraska and the great sport of rodeo.

“My belief of becoming Miss Rodeo Nebraska became reality June 2010 at the NEBRASKAland Days Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte, Neb. It was exciting to win the categories of: speech, appearance, personality and horsemanship.”

She currently attends Chadron State College majoring in Business Administration and Pre-Nursing......Read more here

Nebraska Cowboy Wins Big

Sports

Nebraskan Dean Gorsuch won the world championship in steer wrestling at last week's Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. The cowboy from Gering won $93,774 in prize money. Bull rider Dustin Elliott of North Platte did not fair so well in this year's competition as he had in previous years, finishing 14th in bull riding. Bareback rider Steven Dent from Mullen, Nebraska placed in his first four rounds but then an arm injury kept him from further wins. Cort Scheer, a saddle bronc rider from Elsmere, Nebraska placed in eight of his ten rounds, finishing fourth overall, a good showing for his first trip to the Las Vegas finals.

I live in an area where it is hard to get out to the store. I drive for miles to get to the nearest mall. That's why I shop at Hatcountry to find quality cowboy hats for sale at low prices. I love living in Nebraska, but it's not always easy to get what I want. Thanks to Hatcountry, I can.

Nebraska Cowboys to Compete

Nebraska News

Las Vegas, Nev. – Four Nebraska cowboys will compete at this week's Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association world championship, the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas.

Dean Gorsuch of Gering, Dustin Elliott of North Platte (in photo), Steven Dent of Mullen, and Cort Scheer of Elsmere, will represent Nebraska at the 52nd annual NFR. Find out more here.