// BEGIN editorial data
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spt_Tech_Innovations.sPubDate = "8/18/2008 11:04:11 PM GMT";
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spt_Tech_Innovations.appHeader = "Groundbreaking technical innovations in the world of sports";
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spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_Phelps.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Itsuo Inouye", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "273", "361", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "Michael Phelps won a record 8 Gold Medals at the Beijing Olympics, and perhaps some of his success can be attributed to the new LZR Racer Speedo swimsuit he was wearing. In fact, all but one Gold Medalist swimmer was wearing a version of the new suit.
The innovative swimsuit is just one example of how technology has been reshaping the world of sports. Take a look back at some other technological milestones that have impacted sports. ";
spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","Tommy John surgery","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_Liriano.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Charles Krupa", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "273", "439", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "
Tommy John surgery, known by doctors as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (or UCL), is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body (often from the forearm, hamstring, knee or foot of the patient).
The surgery is named after Tommy John, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers who was the first professional athlete to successfully undergo the operation in 1974. The procedure was performed by Dr. Frank Jobe.
Several big name pitchers have had the surgery and come back stronger than ever. Minnesota's Francisco Liriano is one of the latest to make a triumphant return.";
spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","Yellow first down line","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_YellowLine.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Nam Y. Huh", "AP", "273", "396", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "
The way we watch football was changed forever in 1998 when the yellow first down line was introduced.
The innovation allowed casual football fans to better understand what it took to achieve a first down, and it would be hard to imagine an NFL broadcast without it now.
Hank Adams, the CEO of Sportvision, holds displays of the company's technologies including the 1st & Ten line. ";
spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","HANS Device","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_HANSDevice.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "John Bazemore", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "273", "388", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "
A racing helmet attached to a HANS Device is shown Feb. 21, 2001 at Downing Atlanta in Chamblee, Ga. The device is designed to keep a driver's head from snapping forward in an accident.";
spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","Instant Replay","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_InstantReplay.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Kathy Willens", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "358", "273", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "
Instant replay has helped eliminated some of the errors in officiating in several sports such as football, basketball and tennis. It looks like baseball will be the latest to employ instant replay. Although nothing is official yet, it is widely believed the MLB will allow instant replay to be used on fair/foul calls on homeruns.";
spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","Golf Clubs","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_GolfClubs.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Roberto Pfeil", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "358", "217", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "
While Tiger Woods has been dominating the world of professional golf, even the casual golfer has been seeing improving scores over the years, and a lot of that can be attributed to technology.
While the clubs may still be called \"woods,\" they're now often made with a graphite shaft and a titanium head. The stronger, lighter clubs have translated into longer drives and lower scores.";
spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","Speedo Swimsuit","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_Swimsuit.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Kathy Willens", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "273", "429", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "
Michael Phelps won a record 8 Gold Medals in Beijing at the Olympics, and Speedo couldn't be happier since he was wearing its new LZR Racer suit.
The suit was developed in association with NASA and the Australian Institute of Sport and is called the world's fastest swimsuit. The suit reportedly can lower racing times for a competitor by 1.9 to 2.2 percent.";
spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","QuesTec","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_GlavineQuesTech.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "David J. Phillip", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "324", "278", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "
QuesTec was introduced to Major League Baseball in 2001 and was instituted as a way to review the performance of home plate umpires.
The technology registers whether or not a ball crosses the plate. The data is compared to the umpires' ball and strike calls to keep track of their performance.
Some players like Tom Galvine, then with the Mets, were outspoken against QuesTec because they felt like the umpires were calling more balls because they knew they were being compared to QuesTec results.
Over the years, though, it's believed that QuesTec achieved its goals of narrowing the strike zone closer to the width of the plate and returning both lower and higher strikes that were typically not called before the system was introduced.";
spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_DirecTV.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Ben Margot", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "273", "377", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "
The NFL has some of the most passionate fans in the world, and in 1994 the hardcore fans' prayers were answered when the satellite service DirecTV introduced the NFL Sunday Ticket.
Instead of just having access to the local or national game of the week, fans were able to watch any game from across the nation. The NFL Sunday Ticket is exclusive to DirecTV, causing cable customers to feel as much pain as a Brian Urlacher sack.";
spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","BALCO","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_BALCO.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Paul Sakuma", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "273", "381", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "
BALCO founder Victor Conte poses with shelves of nutritional supplements at his office in Burlingame, Calif., Oct. 21, 2003. BALCO is credited with developing the banned steroid tetrahydrogestrinone.
Conte implicated several athletes such as Marion Jones and Bill Romanowski with steroid use. ";
spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","Golf Simulation","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_GolfSimulation.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Wong Maye-e", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "358", "257", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "
Never has it been easier to find a flaw in your golf swing. To get a good luck at your swing you used to have someone video tape you in action, but not anymore. Golf simulators have popped up everwhere that can now do that job for you. All you have to do is hit the ball into a screen, and the simulator can tell you how far the ball would have gone as well as find flaws in your swing and more.";
spt_Tech_Innovations[i++] = new Array("","Tennis rackets","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Williams%2C%20Ed/Photos/Technology%20Innovations/0818_TennisRackets.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Steve Holland", "ASSOCIATED PRESS", "273", "399", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Tech_Innovations[i-1].body = "
Much like in the sport of golf, new technologies have made swinging a tennis racket easier and more effective.
Wooden rackets are a thing of the past and lighter graphite rackets are now the norm. The newest tennis rackets are a lot easier to control as well. It's no wonder that serving speed records are at an all-time high. Venus Williams holds the record for the fastest recorded serve in women's tour main-draw match at an astounding 128 mph. ";
// END editorial data