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Becky Sullivan
When the Giants' Gregor Blanco hit this solo home run to lead off the World Series' second game, three big parabolic microphones arranged around home plate captured the crack of his bat.

When the Giants' Gregor Blanco hit this solo home run to lead off the World Series' second game, three big parabolic microphones arranged around home plate captured the crack of his bat. Elsa/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Elsa/Getty Images

Sports

From The Stadium To Your Stereo: Behind Baseball's Biggest Sounds

You can thank audio engineer Joe Carpenter and his 80 microphones every time you hear the crack of a bat, smack of a glove or thud of a base in this World Series.

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the only player in the newest edition of the Madden NFL video game franchise to have his signature tattoos faithfully rendered in the game.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the only player in the newest edition of the Madden NFL video game franchise to have his signature tattoos faithfully rendered in the game. EA Sports hide caption

itoggle caption EA Sports

Digital Life

For The First Time, Real Tattoos Make Their Madden Debut

Fear of lawsuits had kept tattoos out of previous editions of the video game, but San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick put those worries to rest when he secured the rights to his tattoos.

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Massachusetts' Derrick Gordon (No. 2) drives past Northern Illinois' Dontel Highsmith (No. 4) and Travon Baker (No. 5) during an NCAA basketball game in Amherst, Mass., on Dec. 14.

Massachusetts' Derrick Gordon (No. 2) drives past Northern Illinois' Dontel Highsmith (No. 4) and Travon Baker (No. 5) during an NCAA basketball game in Amherst, Mass., on Dec. 14. Michael Dwyer/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Michael Dwyer/AP

Sports

By Helping Gay Athletes, Group Hopes To Refocus On Talent

This week, Derrick Gordon became the first openly gay player in NCAA Division 1 basketball. You Can Play, the organization that helped him through the process, wants to be irrelevant eventually.

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Pay to (watch them) play: Dodgers fans in and around Los Angeles can only see their team on TV if they have Time Warner cable service.

Pay to (watch them) play: Dodgers fans in and around Los Angeles can only see their team on TV if they have Time Warner cable service. Reed Saxon/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Reed Saxon/AP

Sports

In LA, Watching Home Team's Ball Games Just Got More Complicated

The Los Angeles Dodgers' games will no longer be broadcast for free on local television. Time Warner Cable has created a special Dodgers channel, but other TV providers are balking at the price.

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Alan Williams of the University of California, Santa Barbara, has some outstanding stats, but it probably won't be enough to make him Player of the Year.

Alan Williams of the University of California, Santa Barbara, has some outstanding stats, but it probably won't be enough to make him Player of the Year. Danny Moloshok/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Danny Moloshok/AP

Sports

Who's The Best In College Basketball? Let's Look At The Numbers

"Nobody really compares" to Alan Williams number-wise, a statistician says. But the starting center for University of California, Santa Barbara, isn't widely expected to be named Player of the Year.

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FBI investigator Robert Ressler pioneered the practice of criminal profiling and is credited with coining the term "serial killer." He died on May 5.

FBI investigator Robert Ressler pioneered the practice of criminal profiling and is credited with coining the term "serial killer." He died on May 5. Paul Harris/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Paul Harris/Getty Images

Remembrances

The FBI Investigator Who Coined The Term 'Serial Killer'

Robert Ressler spent his career researching crimes that were tough to understand. He thought that by figuring out how — and why — violent criminals worked, he could help police identify suspects. He came face to face with notorious killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. Ressler died earlier this year. He was 76.

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Lee and Shirley Wohler in the kitchen of their farmhouse south of Waterville, Kan.

Lee and Shirley Wohler in the kitchen of their farmhouse south of Waterville, Kan. Becky Sullivan/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Becky Sullivan/NPR

Around the Nation

Still Home Sweet Home More Than A Century Later

The Homestead Act of 1862 granted free farms to almost any settler who struck out west. A German peasant named Frederick Wohler received the deed to 80 acres of farmland in north-central Kansas 138 years ago this weekend. And today, the Wohlers are still there.

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Inspired by the movie Robin Hood, Olympic sound man Dennis Baxter places microphones along the path to the target to capture the sound of arrows in flight.

Inspired by the movie Robin Hood, Olympic sound man Dennis Baxter places microphones along the path to the target to capture the sound of arrows in flight. Paul Gilham/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Paul Gilham/Getty Images

The Torch

Making The Olympics Sound Right, From A 'Swoosh' To A 'Splash'

The clashing of swords, the tick-tock of the table tennis, the robotic "Take your mark!" before the swimmers launch from their blocks — it's one man's job to make sure we hear all those things.

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Kansas fans celebrate during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri in Lawrence, Kan., on Saturday. Kansas defeated Missouri 87-86 in overtime.

Kansas fans celebrate during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri in Lawrence, Kan., on Saturday. Kansas defeated Missouri 87-86 in overtime. Orlin Wagner/AP Photo hide caption

itoggle caption Orlin Wagner/AP Photo

Sports

College Sports' Old Rivalries Succumb To New Money

There are just two weeks until Selection Sunday, the day the teams and seeds of the NCAA basketball tournament are announced. By then, three pairs of age-old rivals will have squared off in what may be their last games ever.

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