NEWS » 6-13, Fielder hit the fourth-m

I love tennis. Im not really sure when that love began -- maybe it was back in high school when I started playing -- because I didnt grow up like most tennis people, taking lessons since the day theyre able to hold a racket. The sport came into my life later, but my love for it has only gotten stronger over the years.So to me, the US Open is the most wonderful time of the year -- and probably my favorite sporting event. Getting to see the best players, explore the gorgeous grounds, eat top-tier food and watch some incredible tennis makes for the most enjoyable days and high-energy nights.When I found out that there was going to be a virtual reality simulation at the tournament this year that let fans feel the excitement players experience when walking onto center court, you know I was checking it out. Its called the American Express Pro Walk ... and its awesome.The detailsWhen someone tells you about a virtual reality experience, most of us think: That sounds great and all, but cant imagine it being all too believable.Well the Pro Walk is quite the opposite. The company used immersion technology, so instead of wearing a headset, theyve got holograms and 360-degree high definition projections to put you into the experience.As you walk through the double doors, you arrive at player check-in, where the system captures a photo of you and takes the pronunciation of your name. A pathway created by lights and a moderators voice then led me through the next door, into the locker room. The wooden walls have the names of past champions on them, and just as I rounded the corner, I almost jumped as I was greeted by real-life-looking holograms of Pete Sampras and Monica Seles standing mid-locker room.And they knew I had walked in! The pair greeted me and immediately started giving me tips for the match I was about to walk into, as well as some words of motivation. They wished me luck, and I turned and followed the lighted pathway down the infamous tunnel leading to the court.My journey down the tunnel was accompanied by flashing lights from the paparazzi and sound guys in videos on both sides of the walls, imitating the media capturing photos and sound bytes. Videos of past players during crucial points from epic matches were also immersed in there, moving down the wall, leading me toward the dome. When I reached the end, the moderator asked if I was ready -- it was time to step onto the court.I walked through the next door and into Arthur Ashe stadium (the biggest tennis stadium in the world), accompanied by the chants and cheers of the crowd as my name was announced and my photo came across the Jumbotron. I kid you not -- it felt like I was on center court. The seats were filled with what looked like real fans, 360 degrees around me, cheering and going wild. I couldnt help but say, This is so cool out loud. I felt like I was Serena -- and the crowd loved me.I was handed a racket and the dome projection directed me to prepare to serve. On the screen in front of me, I could see my opponent across the net. I also caught a glimpse of Monica in the stands cheering. I was directed to serve, so I wound up with the real racket I was holding, and ... ace! The crowd went wild as I won the point.Worth it?Definitely! Walking out of it, I couldnt stop thinking how unbelievably realistic it all was. Computers operate all the behind-the-scenes technology (such as each rooms ability to know when you enter, your faces projection on the Jumbotron and your serve as you wind up with the connected tennis racket) so nothing gets in the way of your experience once youre inside the walk.Plus, its all free. Afterward, you get a takeaway video that shows clips of Monica and Pete talking about what a great player you are (heres mine), as well as quick shots of you from the experience. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Air Max Plus Scontate . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. Vapormax False . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. http://www.scontatescarpenikeoutlet.it/italia-air-force-1-offerte.html . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Yeezy 350 Saldi . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. Saucony Saldi . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. If this is indeed the end for Prince Fielder -- and all indications are that it is -- itd be a shame if hes remembered more for the neck surgeries that prematurely ended his career than his fantasy prowess spanning the better part of a decade.Fielder possessed prodigious power, but more importantly (and somewhat forgotten in recent years), he was one of the games most durable players.On three occasions -- 2007, 2009 and 2011 -- Fielder finished ranked among the 20 best players in fantasy baseball per our Player Rater. Not coincidentally, those were his three best individual seasons in terms of home runs (50 in 2007, 46 in 2009 and 38 in 2011), RBIs (141 in 2009, 120 in 2011 and 119 in 2007), runs scored (109 in 2007, 103 in 2009 and 95 in 2011) and OPS (1.014 in 2009, 1.013 in 2007 and .981 in 2011).On five occasions -- 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015 -- Fielder turned his fantasy owners a profit; for these purposes well define that as his Player Rater finish being of better rank than his preseason average draft position. In each of those campaigns, he improved his home run total by at least six, his RBIs by at least 37 and his OPS by at least 67 points compared to the season before it.Even more than Fielders Player Rater accomplishments, or his performance relative to draft cost, however, during the first eight full seasons of his career he was lauded for his durability. From 2006-13, Fielder appeared in a major league-leading 1,283 games, nine more than Adrian Gonzalez, and his 10,994 innings played at first base topped the position, by 126 1/3 over Gonzalez. Fielders 5,500 trips to the plate during that span trailed only Ichiro Suzukis 5,586.In four different seasons, Fielder played all 162 of his teams scheduled games, and in each of those years he started aall 162.dddddddddddd During the divisional era (since 1969), Cal Ripken (10) is the only player to have more seasons making 162-plus starts.His iron-man nature helped make Fielder one of the most reliable sources of counting numbers, which largely explains how he was able to be a top-25 overall draft pick in ESPN leagues for seven consecutive years (2008-14).From 2006-13, Fielder hit the fourth-most home runs (283, eight behind Albert Pujols), drove in the fourth-most runs (860) and had the 12th-best slugging percentage among players with at least 2,500 plate appearances (.528); he had the second-most walks (724, 60 behind Adam Dunn), the fourth-most times hit by pitch (104) and he had the 11th-best on-base percentage (.390). Fielder also did so with a better-than-league-average strikeout rate of 17.4 percent (the leagues average was 18.3 percent). He could do it all, and his combination of patience, power and contact-hitting ability made him especially valuable in points-based and sabermetrically angled scoring formats.Unfortunately, many fantasy owners -- especially Fielders in 2014 or 2016 -- might be more apt to remember him for his disappointments. Cervical fusion surgeries prematurely ended both of those campaigns, one on the C5-C6 disks in his neck on May 27, 2014, and most recently on the C4-C5 disks in his neck on July 29, resulting in Player Rater finishes that almost assuredly will be more than 600 spots beneath his ADPs in either year.Still, even if Fielders Texas Rangers career wasnt as promising as initially anticipated, his tenures with the Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers were something to celebrate in retrospect. ' ' '