Bengals Sign Jordan Willis

Theodore “Ted” Catino stands out as a founding partner of 625 Investments, LLC, a Boston-based opportunistic fund that invests in private equity and real estate, and as a co-founder of GigSmart, an app that connects workers and employers. In his free time, Ted Catino enjoys watching professional football, particularly the Cincinnati Bengals. 

In June 2017, the Bengals officially signed defensive end Jordan Willis, whom they selected in the third round of the NFL Draft. Willis comes to the NFL out of Kansas State University, where he appeared in 48 games and started in 39. Among his many accomplishments at Kansas State, he registered 26 sacks, the third-most career sacks in the school’s history, which is also the seventh-highest figure in the Big 12 Conference. Further, he ranks ninth in school history for the number of tackles for a loss (40.5). 

Named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2016, Willis started in all of Kansas State’s 13 games and registered 52 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks.

Boston Red Sox Select Pitcher Tanner Houck in 2017 MLB Draft

Theodore "Ted" Catino is an entrepreneur and co-founder of a number of businesses, including GigSmart. Beyond his professional pursuits, Ted Catino is a fan of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox.

The MLB Amateur Draft took place June 12-14, 2017, during which time teams selected 40 college and high school players to round out their minor league affiliates. The Red Sox owned the 24th pick in the draft and used it to select Missouri right-handed pitcher Tanner Houck. A native of Collinsville, Illinois, Houck was drafted out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 12th round of the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft, but chose to play college baseball with the University of Missouri. That decision paid off immensely, as Houck improved his fastball speed by roughly 6 miles per hour (mph), up to 98 mph, through three seasons with the team. He also boasts an above-average slider and decent change-up, but lacks consistency on a game-to-game basis with his secondary pitches.

The 6-foot-5-inch pitcher has great command of the strike zone, however. Through 301 innings at the college level, he recorded 292 strikeouts and issued only 63 walks. He completed his collegiate career with a 3.26 earned run average and a win-loss record of 17-18.

Tips for Beginning Snowboarders

Ted Catino is a leading investor and trusted advisor to 625 Investments, LLC, an opportunistic fund which targets venture capital, private equity and real estate opportunities. In his leisure time, Ted Catino enjoys various outdoor sporting activities, including snowboarding.

Snowboarding is one of the most enjoyable outdoor winter activities that one can partake in, but for beginners, the learning process can sometimes feel overwhelming. That’s why it’s important to take things one step at a time and just focus on the basics. With that in mind, here are two quick, but fundamental tips to help beginning snowboarders.

One of the most important things a beginner can do is to invest in the proper protective gear. The learning process involves a lot of falling, and it’s important to protect the body, especially the wrists and legs. Wrist guards and lacrosse shorts are the best ways to do this, and a sturdy helmet is also a necessary piece of protective gear that beginners shouldn’t go without.

When snowboarding, the first, and perhaps most important, concept when controlling the board is to look where you want to go, as the body follows where the eyes are looking. Based on how the eyes perceive the snowboarding path, the body will learn how to adjust weight and move the shoulders and hips to get the board moving in that direction. If one focuses on the hazards instead of the path between them, however, they might find themselves crashing into a tree rather than avoiding it.