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How To Make Studying More Fun

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Studying is essential to education, but it can be pretty dull. Even after you finish school and enter the workforce, you could find yourself in a job that requires regular education or recertification. Studying while you’re bored can affect your engagement and prevent you from retaining information. Luckily, there are numerous things you can do to make the process more exciting.

Gamify your studies

Gamification is taking an otherwise-boring task and turning it into a game. Flashcards and puzzles are perfect examples of simple games that help you with your studies. Still, you can get even more mileage out of this strategy by creating your own game. For example, if you’re studying calculus, you might consider adding a point system with rewards. Each time you get a question correct, you can reward yourself with a piece of your favorite candy.

Create a poster or illustration

Turning your lessons into a poster is an exciting studying method that engages your brain in a new way. You can add illustrations, diagrams, poems, and more to ensure you’re staying engaged while you learn. Once you’re done with your poster or illustration, you can hang it up in your room so you’re exposed to the information throughout the day.

When making a poster, try to have fun with it. Don’t shy away from bright colors, exciting stationery, and even glitter. The more fun you have making your poster, the more likely you’ll be to remember the information.

Listen to music

Listening to music is a surefire way to stay engaged in your studies, but there’s a catch. Most people can’t focus on reading when listening to music with lyrics, so you’re likely better off with instrumental songs. Classical music is an excellent choice, but if you find it boring, you can listen to electronic music or a soundtrack from your favorite movie, TV show, or video game.

You mustn’t waste too much time skipping songs or building the perfect playlist. Instead, create a playlist ahead of time or choose a pre-made playlist on Youtube or your favorite streaming service.

Consider your environment

Consider changing your environment if you feel like you’re hitting a wall. For example, if you’re in your room or office, it might be time to open a window or go outside. Those who have quiet cafes near their home can enjoy a delicious beverage while studying in a new space.

For those with large families, your home may be too noisy to focus on your studies. In this case, it’s worth paying a visit to your local library to study in peace.

Study with a friend

For some, studying alone can be an isolating experience. In this case, you’re better off studying with a friend or family member. You and your friend can quiz each other, compare notes, or even turn it into a competition. 

When choosing a friend to study with, it’s crucial to consider whether they’ll distract you. Minor distractions are okay, but if your friend spends the whole time off task, you aren’t likely to retain the information.

Take short breaks

Sometimes, studying too hard is more detrimental than you’d think. If you feel like you’re hitting a wall, take ten minutes to watch your favorite show or play a game. Once you’re ten minutes are up, jump back into your studies. 

5 Practical Tips To Help Compound Interest Work For You

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“Interest” is money someone earns by letting someone else use their money. In the case of compound interest, you’re letting that person also use the money your money made by allowing them to keep it for a while longer. 

The right strategy can be a very lucrative way to earn passive income.

1. Compound Interest Can Work in Reverse

Compound interest isn’t always a good thing—for you. If you have credit card debt, student loan, mortgage, or personal loan that doesn’t have a 0% interest rate, you’re using the lender’s money and racking up compound interest in their favor. 

Trying to earn compound interest on investments while simultaneously paying it, is robbing Peter to pay Paul. 

To get the most out of compound interest, plan to pay off as much debt as possible first.

2. Know Your Numbers

Compound interest can be steady and reliable. But you need to know what you’re signing up for by understanding the values for these terms:

  • Starting Principal. Your initial investment
  • Interest rate. The percentage you earn
  • Compound frequency. How often it compounds 
  • Duration. How long you leave the money to grow
  • Additional Deposits. Will you be adding another $10 every paycheck?

Now you can do the math to determine how much your investment will grow. 

The formula is: A = P(1 + r/n)nt

But for the rest of us, use a compound interest calculator.

3. Make Sure You’re Getting Compound Interest

Compound interest is interest on the principal + previously earned interest. Simple interest is interest on the principal only. 

The magic of compound interest is that you’re earning more money on your earnings, and again, and again.

To ensure this,

  1. Make sure you’re in an account that offers compound interest.
  2. Ensure your account is set up to reinvest interest rather than moving into a cash account, sending it to your savings account, etc. 

Savings accounts, CDs, interest-bearing checking accounts, money markets, 401K money markets, and bonds have compound interest. Most of these earn minimal interest; in the case of bonds, it only compounds 2X a year.

But as the Federal Reserve raises the interest rate, the rates tied to it go up. You can often lock higher rates for a period if you think the rate might go down.

4. Give It Time

Generally speaking, the longer you’re willing to “tie your money up”, the higher the interest rate and the better the compounding terms will be.

Short-term investments last around 1-3 years. Long-term investments last as long as 20 or even 50 years in the case of retirement accounts. They are the way to go if you can afford to have money that you don’t touch for a long time. In these accounts, your money can as much as double every 5-10 years.

5. Consider Your Risk Tolerance

Generally, the more risk you’re willing to take, the higher your investment’s earning potential. At higher risk levels, they don’t call earnings “interest”. They might call it dividends. But this is just another form interest takes.

The best short-term, low-risk options are:

  • Certificates of Deposit
  • Treasury bills
  • High-yield saving accounts
  • High-yield money markets

Shop around to get the best rate and compounding frequency. Don’t expect outrageous growth, but these are good for starters.

The best medium-risk, long-term investments for beginners or those who don’t want to watch their investments constantly include:

  • Mutual funds 
  • Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT)

Some more advanced, high-risk, and ideally long-term options include:

  • Individual stocks Exchanged-Traded Funds (ETFs)
  • Buying real estate
  • Crowd-funding real estate
  • Fine art
  • Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
  • Crypto

Some of these are risky, and you can lose money rather than make it. But they can help you make compound interest work for you.

Don’t Let College Get In The Way Of Your Education: 5 Things That Are More Important Than Grades For Your Future

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Almost anyone who has graduated from college and subsequently landed a job can testify that seldom, if ever, does a prospective employer ask about your grade point average. An interviewer may be impressed by membership in an honor society or a special award you received. But even those achievements are seldom noted with more than a smile and a congratulatory remark in passing. 

Believe it or not, earning a Phi Beta Kappa key or graduating at the top of your class has less lasting value than your Eagle Scout project in high school, the black belt you qualified for in karate, the volunteer hours you put in at a local food bank or refugee center, or even the sports you played. Making the dean’s list for eight semesters may count for less than the summer experiences you had trekking through South America or serving as an ESL instructor in your home community. 

The following ideas will enrich your life and help you plan for your future:

Read, Read, Read

Read not only for pleasure but to satisfy your curiosity and boost your understanding of history, current events, the ways things work, and the way that other people think. Reading helps you organize your thoughts, improves your ability to express yourself verbally and through the written word, and may even improve your grades! Reading is a habit as much as a skill. Don’t neglect it, and you will reap rewards throughout your life.

Get Involved 

Volunteer your time and energy to a cause that resonates with you. Pick an organization or an issue that you care about, and give of yourself in whatever ways seem appropriate, based on the skills you possess and the commitment you feel. Help organize a charity event, collect money for a unique campus project, help prepare and distribute food for the homeless, or become a volunteer set-builder for a local drama group. But commit to regular service. You will be enriched through the effort.

Work Part-time

Working for pay, no matter how menial the job, offers a kind of reality check — for now and for the future. A part-time job, even if you don’t need the money to pay for tuition, can be a source of mental and emotional pride. Working with others and having a schedule also offer balance to your life. You might think that schooling is a “full-time job” in and of itself, but it cannot compare to the juggling act that career, family, and finances can impose on your life following graduation. Consider your part-time college job a “required course” for your future.

Travel

There’s nothing like getting away from your familiar environment to expand your mind. New experiences lead to a better understanding of people and a broader knowledge of cultures and international affairs. The more you see the world as it exists today, the better you might understand the global economy and be able to address future problems at home and abroad. Today, we are all citizens of the world, and we should get to know as much about it as possible.

Be Good to Yourself

It may be difficult to imagine your life 10, 30, or 50 years in the future, but one thing is certain. The future is uncertain. However, by developing beneficial lifestyle habits today, you can contribute to your future well-being. Lasting health and vitality are not guaranteed, but a lifestyle that disregards exercise, nutrition, and positive thinking will inevitably lead to less-than-desirable results. Don’t take chances. You have a choice.

A “Well-rounded” Experience

It may be a somewhat outdated term, but interviewers are still interested in “well-rounded” job applicants who demonstrate an understanding of the way the world functions and have the interpersonal skills to function in an increasingly complex society. 

The concept is still relevant. College offers a kaleidoscope of opportunities to explore multiple paths. Earning a degree, however, doesn’t signify the end of the journey; rather, it is only the beginning of a lifelong learning experience. 

5 Forge of Empires Tips Even Experienced Players Don’t Know

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Forge of Empires strategies can take years to learn, resulting in many missteps along the way. By tapping into the wealth of knowledge online, however, you can skip straight to creating a truly successful cityscape. To help you get started, here are five tips that even experienced players don’t know.

A Top-Tier Guild Makes All the Difference

A top-tier guild is key to getting your hands on all the goodies from the start, such as:

  • An income boost from your Town Hall
  • Get more late-age goods and blueprints
  • Higher rewards from Level 4 Guide Expeditions
  • Ability to effectively level your Great Buildings

Active guilds also have many experienced players willing to share their wisdom and lend a hand.

Find a guild by looking in the global list for all the top-ranked, non-GvG guilds. Confirm that they’re active and a good fit for you by reviewing the guild profile. Review their entrance requirements and then apply if you qualify.

Focus on Getting Excellent Great Buildings

Great Buildings can significantly change how you build your city and play the game as a whole. So, it’s worth using your Forge Points to pay for all the goods you need to build these entities.

The most important buildings you’ll want include:

  • The Arc increases the contribution rewards earned from supporting Great Buildings owned by other players and generates valuable goods every 24 hours.
  • The Innovation Tower increases the population of your city and provides Forge Points that you can collect on a daily basis.
  • The Temple of Relics boosts your chance of finding relics during Guild Expeditions, making your Level 3 and 4 sessions even more profitable.

Find the Great Buildings that will support your playing style most by looking at their boosts. If you want to increase your chance of finding blueprints, you need the Rain Forest Project. Prefer a fighting boost? Go with the Statue of Zeus or Castel del Monte.

Aim to Win Special Buildings from Events

Events are the only way to get your hands on special buildings like the Antiques Dealer, Oceanic Terminal, and Friends Tavern. These buildings offer more rewards than regular Great Buildings, making them a must if you want to truly excel at this game.

To participate in the events, you must first unlock Cultivation, a Bronze Age technology. Then, watch for event announcements and clear your schedule to ensure you can complete all the quests needed for each reward.

Only Use Your Diamonds on Expansions

If you end up buying diamonds, don’t use them on Forge Points, premium buildings, or missing goods and blueprints. They’re only really good for expansions, which increase the footprint of your city. All the rest of the items can be acquired by simply letting time go by.

Patience is a Must—Sit Back and Enjoy the Ride

Speaking of time, plan to take your time with this game to get the full gaming experience. Every step of the journey is worth savoring, especially in the early stages when you’re building your foundation.

If you try to rush through, you’ll only get frustrated. Building up enough points and goods takes time to complete, although it will speed up a bit as you put Great Buildings to work for your city.

Use these five tips to get your city going in Forge of Empires. Then, chat with your guildmates to learn even more tips and tricks on how to keep your cityscape growing and thriving through the ages. Before you know it, you’ll be the one sharing tips with the newbies and helping everyone enjoy this fun game to the fullest.

Which Streaming Services Are The Best For Movies?

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Movie lovers should be delighted to learn of the many excellent streaming choices for those who love watching films. Here are the top-ranking systems for film buffs to consider as the best movie streaming services.

The Best Streaming Services for Free Movies

Tubi has over 20,000 films and television shows in its library. The Tubi service is free because it is advertiser-supported. The ad breaks on Tubi are short. They run for about one to two minutes and happen every 15 minutes. There is no paid service to get rid of the ads; however, you can block them using an ad skipper/blocker extension if you watch Tubi using the Chrome browser.

Another free service to consider is Peacock. Peacock has dozens of free movies. You can watch over 10,000 hours for free or upgrade to the paid premium service for $4.99 monthly.

There are free movies on YouTube. These are older films, not current releases. If you want to watch YouTube moves without the ads, you can use a YouTube ad blocker extension with your web browser.

The Best Streaming Service for Family Movies is Disney+

Disney+ is a service that has all the movies that children and families love to watch.

This streaming service includes over 500 titles, including all the Disney animated movies, such as 101 Dalmatians, Cinderella, Frozen, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and the Seven Dwarfs and so many more.

It includes the Pixar animation movies such as Toy Story films, Monster Inc., Ratatouille, Up, and more. There are live-action movies such as Aladdin, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hannah Montana, The Muppets and others.

There are Disney Originals like High School Musical, Boy Meets World, Girl Meets World, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and more. The film catalog includes all the Marvel movies, such as Avengers, Iron Man, etc. It also has all the Star Wars movies and plenty of documentary films from National Geographic too.

If a dad or mom needs to do housework while watching their young children, Disney+ will keep the kids engaged. Disney+ offers wholesome family films that the youngest ones want to watch repeatedly.

The Best Streaming Service for Original Content is Netflix

Netflix has 5,000 films in its U.S. library and over 15,000 titles worldwide. Netflix’s original-content films are not available elsewhere. PCMag gives Netflix the number-one ranking for its original movies.

The Best Streaming Service for Classic Films is The Criterion Collection

The Criterion Collection is the best offering of classic films from around the world. Film titles are available for individual purchase or viewing on their streaming system.

There are more than 1,500 movies in the film library. You will find films by the French director Lean-Luc Godard, Italy’s Federico Fellini, America’s Sidney Lumet, Japan’s Akira Kurosawa, and Britain’s Alfred Hitchcock. You will also find movies by many other famous, classic-film directors who have made film history with iconic movies.

The Best Streaming Service for Independent Films is Sundance Now

The Sundance film festival, founded by Robert Redford, presents the best independently-produced films every year. Sundance Now offers these independent movies from around the globe. Many are award-winning. The film library focuses more on curated quality than quantity. It has about 150 titles. The Sundance Now system offers a seven-day free trial, which makes it easy to see some of the films before subscribing to the paid service.

5 Key Visual Principles For Presentations, Posters, And Leaflets

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Capturing your audience’s attention through a visual medium, like a presentation, poster, or even a leaflet, requires creativity. Being unique is not often enough. You want someone to see the design and instantly want to learn more. How can you do that? A good way to start is to ensure the five visual principles of visual design are incorporated into your piece.

What Are the 5 Visual Principles That Are So Important?

Though a range of visual concepts play a role in whether a design captures attention and conveys its message properly, five specific visual principles define the success of your poster, leaflet, or presentation. It is these elements that create a thoughtful visual, and each plays a role in the success of your piece.

Here’s a closer look.

#1: Scale

The scale of any component within your design is critical to get right. The eye is drawn to the piece’s largest and most noticeable element. That’s why scale matters so much so. The size of any design component should be relative to the importance of that component. 

For example, if something within the piece is the most important visual, it should be scaled larger than details that are backup information (ever wonder why there’s fine print?).

#2: Balance

Imagine an axis in the center of the design. Balance refers to the ability to manage the amount and type of design features on either side of that axis. Creating balance helps to create a satisfying arrangement of the design elements. 

If there is one small design component on one side of the axis, but there are several on the other side, and they are larger, that feels off balance and create a bit of a disturbing feel. It’s not just about the number of elements on either side but the overall size and relation to each other. Two small components can help balance one large component on the other side of the axis.

#3: Visual Hierarchy

When the design has a good visual hierarchy, it’s easily understood and absorbed by the user. The term refers to the way a person’s eye moves across the design so that attention is given to the specific elements in order of importance. The goal is to make it possible for the eye to travel from what’s most important through other elements to reach the final goal.

Visual hierarchy is achieved through a various series of elements, all of which come together to create the finished look. This includes the spacing of objects, balance, scale, placement, and even the color used. Utilized properly, it helps to maintain control over the experience a person has when looking at the poster or reading the leaflet.

#4: Contrast

Contrast is a visual design element that helps something stand out. By contrasting two or more items, one of them will likely stand out and, therefore, become more valuable and important to the completed presentation. 

Contrast typically focuses on the juxtaposition of items that are not similar to each other, such as they belong in a different function or they work differently. It could be size or color, too.

#5: White Space

White space is not just empty space that is void of value. In many ways, it contributes to the overall functionality of the final piece. While a leaflet may seem more valuable when packed with information, the white space, or areas without any design element, are valuable themselves.

White space helps to position images or statements in a way that they stand out while also giving the viewer a chance to stop and reflect on something.

Each one of these components is valuable to the success of any leaflet, poster, or presentation, even in graphic form.

Why Are Gifs So Popular?

Posted on by scatty

On June 15, 1987, the Graphics Interchange Format was released by CompuServe thanks to computer scientist Stephen Earl Wilhite, and it changed the way we communicate forever. While Wilhite says that the pronunciation is like Jif peanut butter, many agree that it should be pronounced with a hard ‘g’. No matter what you call it, though, there’s no doubt that gifs are incredibly popular around the internet.

We use gifs as a way of communicating with one another, especially in terms of reacting to something that we’ve read or seen. No matter your age, you have almost been guaranteed to use a gif at some point when reacting. The weekend is coming up and you’re going to happy hour with the workgroup? There’s a gif for that. Your team just won and made the playoffs in their league? There’s a gif for that.

What is it about gifs that make us love them so much specifically, though? Let’s take a look at the wonderful world of gifs and see what it is that has us all obsessed and using them as a form of communication in today’s digital world.

More Than Words

One of the biggest problems with sending someone a message through text is that there is absolutely no emotion behind it. You can say “okay” in a text, and most people will think that you’re annoyed and being sarcastic, even if your “okay” is filled with enthusiasm and positivity. When you send a gif of a character emphatically saying “okay” with a lot of joy, you’re really getting your point across that you’re happy to be agreeing.

Nobody likes to read a one-word message. Science has shown that people feel like those messages are passive-aggressive, and the same goes with certain emojis like the thumbs-up or checkmark emojis. When it comes to gifs, though, you can convey a one-word message in a way that shows that you’re thinking about that person’s feelings. It’s certainly a problem that wasn’t around a couple of decades ago, but it’s just part of life now.

All Emotions

No matter what you’re feeling in that very moment, there’s a gif for that emotion. From laughing until you’re rolling around and feeling intense stomach pain to being so sick that you can’t move, there’s a gif for just about everything. Even someone that doesn’t particularly like gifs that much will probably end up using them because there are some for how they’re feeling that they can’t quite put into words.

Gifs of people laughing in particular are the ones that get the most traction on the internet. Sometimes just saying “lol” isn’t enough to show just funny you found something to be. Thanks to gifs, we can truly show just how hard we’re laughing. Comedy, despair, apathy, you name it, there’s a gif that shows exactly how you’re feeling.

Easy to Consume

You could send a video to show your reaction to something, but then someone has to open a specific app to watch it, and it might end up being too long. Gifs are much easier for someone to consume at that moment and don’t take forever to load. There are even gifs of entire movies like “Shrek” all condensed into one moving picture that can be viewed on the internet, that’s how far we’ve gotten with gifs.

The best part is that gifs can be sent in lieu of text these days because they won’t take a couple of minutes to load over wireless networks. These days, gifs are almost instantaneous, which has led to an explosion in their popularity. Remember the days of dial-up when a gif took longer to load than a YouTube video does in the current day? Thankfully that’s long done for.

Companies Want Them To Be

We’ve explained all the scientific reasons why gifs are so popular, but there’s a business aspect to it, as well. Companies like Facebook and Google have acquired gif websites like Tenor and GIPHY, and they want you to use them. Some companies pay to have their gifs show up first when you’re searching for a specific one, which is probably something that you didn’t know.

Social media pushes these gifs, though not many people are fooled into using a McDonald’s or Walmart gif just out of the blue. Still, with these companies present at the top of the search results, they’re at least getting eyes on their products.

5 Best Pitchers in Seattle Mariners History

Posted on by scatty

The Seattle Mariners certainly don’t have the longest history for teams in Major League Baseball, but they have had a fascinating one. Over the years, the Mariners have had some memorable players that include Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez, and, of course, Ken Griffey Jr. They’ve also had a lot of great players on the mound.

Seattle is known for seemingly always having one pitcher that dominates the rest of the league, even if the team isn’t successful at the time. Let’s take a walk down memory lane for the Mariners franchise and look at their five best pitchers in team history. Before we get to the lists, some of the pitchers that just missed the cut include Gil Meche, Joel Pineiro, Paul Abbott, and Mike Moore.

5. Mark Langston

The first pitcher on the list is Mark Langston, who got his start with the Seattle Mariners back in 1984 when he was 23 years old. Langston was actually a draft selection for the Chicago Cubs in 1978, but three years later was selected by the Mariners in the second round. Langston had a strong rookie season, posting a record of 17-10 with a 3.40 earned run average.

In total, Langston spent more than five seasons with Seattle as he was traded to Montreal during the 1989 campaign. Overall, Langston had a record of 74-67 with the Mariners and an ERA of 4.01 with one All Star Game appearance prior to his trade. Langston then went on to have a long career with the California Angels before retiring as a member of the Cleveland Indians in 1999.

4. Freddy Garcia

One of the best players to ever come from the country of Venezuela, Freddy Garcia signed with the Mariners when he came to the United States, and was just 22 years old when he made his debut with the team in 1999. Garcia shone in his rookie season, posting a record of 17-8 with 170 strikeouts, and finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Like Langston, Garcia was traded during his sixth season with Seattle, put it was a fine career that he had with the Mariners. He finished with a record of 76-50 in Seattle and an ERA of 3.89, striking out 819 batters. Garcia played for a total of seven franchises before retiring after the 2013 season.

3. Jamie Moyer

Not many people can say that they’ve played 25 or more seasons in Major League Baseball, but Jamie Moyer is one of those few people. After spending time with the Cubs, Rangers, Cardinals, Orioles, and Red Sox, Jamie Moyer came to the Mariners via trade in 1996 at the age of 33 and spent 11 different seasons in Seattle.

During that time, Moyer had more than half of his 269 career wins (145), posting an impressive win percentage of .625. Moyer also had an ERA under 4.0 and helped the Mariners have one of the finest seasons in MLB history in 2001 with a record of 20-6. Moyer played for eight teams in his MLB career, but many of his years were with the Mariners.

2. Felix Hernandez

Selecting the top two was the hardest part of the list, and the silver medal goes to “King” Felix Hernandez, the second player on the list from Venezuela. At just 19 years old, Hernandez joined the Mariners and got off to a strong start in his limited rookie campaign. Things only got better as Hernandez became the long-time ace for Seattle, spending all 15 of his MLB seasons with the franchise.

Hernandez put together some incredible seasons in Seattle, including his 2009 Cy Young-winning season where he posted a 19-5 record and 2.49 earned run average. In total, Hernandez finished with 169 wins and 2,524 strikeouts to go along with his six All-Star appearances and two ERA titles.

1. Randy Johnson

“The Big Unit” may have come into the MLB with the Montreal Expos, but he’ll always be remembered for truly getting his start with the Mariners. Acquired in a 1989 trade, Randy Johnson spent 10 different seasons with Seattle, more than any other team during his illustrious career.

Johnson dominated while with the Mariners and finished with a record of 130-74 and a 3.42 earned run average. He was able to strike out 2,162 batters, as well, which is insane for less than 10 full seasons. Johnson may have won his World Series title with Arizona, but he’ll always be remembered as a Mariner.

5 Most Storied College Basketball Programs

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College basketball is one of those sports where if you’re good, you’re probably going to be good for a long time. There is a list of bluebloods in the sport that are seemingly in contention for the NCAA title year after year, and even new entries into the upper echelon like Gonzaga that went from being a one-time cinderella team to a top-level basketball team.

With that in mind, which programs have the most storied success throughout college basketball history? We have five in mind that rise above the rest as the most storied programs. Before we get into the list, some of the honorable mentions that just missed the cut include Indiana, Louisville, Villanova, UConn, and Syracuse.

5. Kansas

There are college basketball fans that are in their 50s right now that haven’t seen a decade without Kansas making it to the Final Four. The Jayhawks are one of the most illustrious programs in college basketball and have consistently won their conference no matter what it is. They’ve called the Big 12 their home for many years, routinely taking home the regular season championship.

All in all, the Kansas Jayhawks rank third in terms of most NCAA Tournament appearances and won their first two national titles in the pre-tournament days. Since the tournament’s inception, Kansas has won four titles, with the first coming in 1952. They added championships in 1988, 2008, and 2022, moving them up to sixth all-time.

4. Duke

Many forget that prior to Mike Krzyzewski becoming the coach of the Duke Blue Devils that the team was in that “good, but not great” category. Once Coach K took over, though, Duke became a powerhouse program that hasn’t looked back. Duke had reached the Final Four several times before Coach K, but they became regulars starting in the late 1980s.

The Blue Devils have won the NCAA Tournament five times, all of which have come since 1991, the year after Duke finished as the country’s runner-up for the fourth time. Duke is fifth all-time in terms of NCAA Tournament appearances and has won their conference more than two dozen times during the regular season. In a conference as prestigious as the ACC, that’s quite the accomplishment. Duke has also routinely put players into the NBA, with more than two dozen on pro rosters during the 2022-23 NBA season alone.

3. North Carolina

We go from one North Carolina school to its biggest rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels. UNC is the home for legendary players like James Worthy, Vince Carter, and, of course, Michael Jordan. The Tar Heels were coached by Dean Smith for more than 35 years, and after some hiccups, had the great Roy Williams at the helm for nearly two decades.

Throughout UNC history, the program has made more NCAA Tournament appearances than any other team besides one that we’ll get to in just a moment. The school has made 12 appearances in the NCAA Championship, winning six titles in the process, which is good enough for third all-time.

2. Kentucky

The Kentucky Wildcats are one of the original bluebloods of college basketball, winning multiple championships even prior to World War II. When the NCAA Tournament got its start, Kentucky was right there in contention and made it to the Final Four three times during the 1940s. The team hasn’t slowed down since then, reaching the end of the bracket at least once in every decade except for the 2000s.

It seemed like the luster of Kentucky was starting to wear off during that time, but the team hired coach John Calipari and has remained one of the most relevant programs in basketball. No team has more NCAA Tournament appearances than Kentucky, and only one team has more than the eight championships that the Wildcats have won.

1. UCLA

While the UCLA Bruins might not carry the same luster that they once did, the history of the program is impossible for anyone to catch up with at this point. Under the tutelage of the great John Wooden, UCLA basketball became a powerhouse, winning 11 championships during his more than quarter-century with the program.

UCLA was also able to win another title in their post-Wooden era, doing so in 1995 under Jim Harrick. UCLA’s 11 titles are more than any other school by a long shot, and they’ve made the Final Four in all but one decade (2010s) since the 1960s. They rank fourth in NCAA Tournament appearances, but it’s the title wins that set them apart.

5 Best Managers in Seattle Mariners History

Posted on by scatty

It seems that during the 1990s, the Seattle Mariners were one of the best teams in baseball and that bled into the early 2000s. However, the franchise hasn’t had a ton of success outside of that time frame and has one of the worst win-loss records for any franchise in Major League Baseball. In fact, only the Orioles, Phillies, Rockies, Padres, and Marlins have worse winning percentages.

Because of the ups and downs that the Mariners have had, there have been quite a few managers that have been hired and fired. Out of the nearly two dozen managers that the Mariners have had, there are a few that stick out as actually helping the franchise move forward. Here are the five best managers in Seattle Mariners history.

5. Jim Lefebvre

The first manager on the list had a decently long MLB career as a player, spending eight seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers before closing out his playing days in Japan. In 1989, Jim Lefebvre became a manger for the first time as he was introduced as the ninth manager in Seattle Mariners history, and the franchise needed a spark.

Lefebvre was able to provide that spark, as the team finished with a winning record for the first time in franchise history during Lefebvre’s third season. However, the team ultimately decided to let him go after the 1991 season, and he went on to manage the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. Lefebvre finished his Mariners career with a record of 233 wins and 253 losses.

4. Bob Melvin

There are some managers that truly get around the game of baseball and end up leading multiple franchises, and Bob Melvin is one of them. Melvin has managed the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, and San Diego Padres during his career, but his first managerial job came as a member of the Seattle Mariners.

Melvin found a lot of success in his first season, putting up a record of 93-69. Things looked like they were heading in a good direction, but the Mariners lost 99 games the following season and Melvin was let go. It goes to show just how rough the Mariners have had it if one winning season as a manager gets you into the top four.

3. Lloyd McClendon

Another one of those people that seems to get around as a coach or manager in Major League Baseball, Lloyd McClendon was the leader of the Mariners franchise for two seasons in 2014 and 2015. This came after he had spent several seasons as the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and prior to his stint with the Detroit Tigers.

After leaving the Pirates, McClendon was a long-time assistant in Detroit when he was hired to be the Mariners’ manager for those two seasons. Seattle finished with an 87-75 record in McClendon’s first season, but it was followed up with a 76-86 campaign, leading to the franchise and McClendon parting ways despite an overall winning record.

2. Scott Servais

Scott Servais was a long-time catcher in Major League Baseball, spending the bulk of his career behind the dish with the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs throughout the 1990s. He last played in 2001 with the Astros and went into front office work following his playing days, and said it was his dream to become a manager one day. Servais got his wish in 2016 when he was named the 20th manager in Seattle Mariners history.

Servais posted a winning record in his first season, though things would be up and down over his first few years. Despite a last-place finish in 2019, Servais is one of just two managers to have a winning record with at least three years at the helm in Seattle. In 2022, Servais led the Mariners to their first postseason appearance since 2001, putting together back-to-back 90-win seasons. 

1. Lou Piniella

Of course, you can’t talk about Mariners managers without mentioning “Sweet Lou” Piniella, the short-fused skipper that has had success at just about every stop. He spent the late 1980s and early 1990s with the Yankees and Reds, and ended his career with the Rays and Cubs, but much of his managerial career was with the Mariners, spending 10 seasons with the franchise.

Nobody in Mariners history has had a better record than Piniella, finishing at 840-711. Piniella was also the two-time recipient of the Manager of the Year Award in 1995 and 2001, remaining the only Mariners manager to win the award. Piniella is also just one of two managers to lead the Mariners to the postseason, finishing with 15 playoff games won.