Understanding When and How to Call Technical Fouls in Basketball

Technical Fouls
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A former collegiate basketball player, Steven Contino has remained a fan of the sport throughout his career in law enforcement and education. Additionally, Steven Contino is a longtime basketball referee who belongs to the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials (IAABO).

The latest IAABO Sportorials included an article on when and how to signal a technical foul. Whereas offensive or defensive fouls are called for improper movements or actions that are explicitly laid out in the rule book, technical fouls are left up to the official’s discretion and handed out when an official feels a player or coach has crossed the line of appropriate on-court behavior. This can be in regard to negative comments or verbal abuse directed toward an official.

Gary Holt, a New York official who authored the IAABO Sportorials article, suggests issuing warnings or technical fouls early in the game if warranted to prevent having to make difficult decisions in that regard in late-game situations. By doing so, you let both players and coaches know that disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstances. When issuing the technical foul, it’s important to do so in the same way you would call a common foul. Oftentimes, referees show too much emotion when making such a call, but that only lets the offending player or coach know he has gotten under the referee’s skin and that he or she has potentially lost control of the game.

Nobel Prize Awarded to Dr. Allison, Dr. Konjo for Immunotherapy Work

 

Immunotherapy
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Steven Contino spent 22 years with the New York Police Department as a detective before retiring and assuming his current position as a fraud investigator with the Black Car Fund. When not performing fraud investigations, Steven Contino contributes to organizations such as the American Cancer Society.

The American Cancer Society is one of the world’s leading resources for information on cancer research and current events. The organization recently reported that James P. Allison, PhD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Dr. Tasuku Honjo of Japan’s Kyoto University have been named as winners of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The award was given in recognition of their joint efforts in triggering natural immune system attacks against cancer in the body through a number of methods.

American Cancer Society chief medical officer Otis W. Brawley, MD, MACP, cited discoveries made by Allison and Honjo as instrumental in the development of numerous immunotherapy drugs used today. The Nobel committee agreed, describing checkpoint therapy as “revolutionary” in regards to modern cancer treatment. Despite working independently, both Allison and Honjo conducted the bulk of their immunotherapy work throughout the 1990’s and focused on how specific proteins blocked T cells from attacking cancer cells throughout the body. Keytruda, Opdivo, and Bavencio are just a few of the many immunotherapy drugs that can be traced back to their work.

Tips for Creating a Youth Baseball Batting Lineup

 

Youth Baseball
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Steven Contino, a veteran of the New York City Police Department, works for The Black Car Fund as an investigator. Community involved, Steven Contino has more than two decades of experience as a youth baseball and softball coach and regularly supports organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of New York.

Youth baseball coaches have a number of team management responsibilities, including the creation of a batting lineup. Coaches must consider a number of variables when preparing a lineup, balancing matters of strategy and the responsibility of providing each player with the same fundamental understanding of the sport. A team’s leadoff batter should be a strong hitter and a fast runner, though the leadoff hitter’s primary objective is to get on base by whatever means necessary. Coaches new to youth baseball should prioritize speed over power.

The No. 2 spot should be reserved for the most technically skilled hitter on the team, as this player will often be tasked with advancing the leadoff batter. The third and fourth batters in the lineup should be powerful, high percentage hitters, though in youth baseball power hitting often means hitting the ball hard, not necessarily driving the ball deep into the outfield.

As youth coaches move further down the lineup, they must remember to provide other players with opportunities to improve and experience different game scenarios. Traditionally, a team’s least effective batter would hit at No. 8 or No. 9. In youth baseball, however, coaches can often shuffle players from No. 6 through No. 9 without significant competitive impact. As a season progresses, coaches can work on bunting and hitting skills with these players and reward positive growth with a consistent No. 5 or No. 6 spot in the lineup.

Lastly, coaches should take into account the level of challenge represented by the opposing team. Less competitive teams provide coaches with an opportunity to significantly modify their lineups, such as moving the No. 9 hitter to the cleanup spot or leadoff position.

Protections for People Participating in Clinical Trials

American Cancer Society
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The recipient of a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Queens College, Steven Contino is a former sergeant with the New York City Police Department who has served as a fraud investigator with The Black Car Fund since 2012. Beyond his pursuits in law enforcement, Steven Contino is a supporter of the American Cancer Society, a major supporter of cancer research and treatment development.

Before receiving approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), all new treatments must be tested extensively in clinical trials. Developments in cancer research are made possible by thousands of people each year who decide to participate in trials, while millions of others are affected upon subsequent FDA clearance for treatment methods. While there are often risks to participating in clinical trials, every study is guided by the three basic principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice as laid out in the Belmont Report during the late 1970s.

Moreover, every center that conducts a trial is reviewed by multiple committees designed to ensure the safety of its participants. In addition, institutional review boards decide whether a prospective study is acceptable on ethical, legal, and medical grounds and seek out potential problems throughout its duration, and clinical trial participants are also protected by data safety monitoring boards and the clinical investigator. Beyond in-house protections, the safety of participants is ensured through government agencies such as the Office of Human Research Protections, the FDA, and the National Cancer Institute, the latter of which regularly audits research projects to which it provides funding.