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Schott did not. She also did not earn a medal ... though we're pretty sure that was purely based on her skating, and not her music choice. It's worth noting ... several other skaters have used the 'Schindler's' score since the movie came out in 1993. Even Johnny Weir's done it -- but it wasn't in the Olympics, and he's not German. Skating great Katarina Witt -- a 2 time gold medalist and German -- showed support for Schott. Witt says she too skated to the music, and adds ... 'Schindler's' director Steven Spielberg approved. Please guys,don't be so harsh on Nicole Schott´s Music choice&keep olympic spirit.She did a very elegant choreography to this extraordinary emotional violin piece.I skated to the music of "Schindler´s List" too&Steven Spielberg himself send me the most touching letter afterwards

https://www.tmz.com/2018/02/23/german-figure-skater-nicole-schott-schindlers-list-olympics/

An SSKI squad headed by Sensei Adam, joined forces with SEKU to send a combined England team to the SKDUN World Championships in Lons Le Saunier, France. Sensei Teiki and Rachael from the London club were also competing. It was huge event with approximately 750 competitors from 36 countries. The standard was very high but Team England fought hard recieving several medals, with Dave Galloway’s victory in particular being an absolutely fantastic achievement! Men’s Open-Weight Kumite – 1st Dave Galloway (World Champion) Men’s –75k Kumite – 3rd Dave Galloway Ladies –55k Kumite – 3rd Rachael Houlton Girl’s Kumite – 3rd Brooke Walklin Cadet Girl’s Team Kumite – 3rd Team England (Emily Nutbean, Rebecca Nutbean, Leah Groom) Adult Mixed Team Kumite – 3rd Team England (Teiki Benveniste, Rachael Houlton, Lee Wilkinson, Rebecca Cox, Matt Smith) For a more detailed report please refer to the main SSKI webpage (see links). Well done to all who took part, bring on Germany 2011!

https://www.totalshotokankarate.uk/skdun-world-championships-2010/

QPR manager Neil Warnock says he is disappointed with his side’s results during the first half of the season. Ranges are without a win in six matches and are only two places above the relegation zone ahead of a daunting New Year’s Eve clash at Arsenal. Warnock hoped for a better return in the opening months of the club’s first campaign back in the top flight and feels they ought to be comfortably nestled in mid-table. “I’m disappointed we haven’t got another eight, nine or 10 points if I’m honest,” he admitted. “We’ve been in winning positions and not been able to close games, and there was the West Brom game where we had a perfectly good second goal disallowed. “You look back and think we should have more points. Even the Manchester City game I was disappointed we didn’t get at least one point from.” Warnock has been particularly unhappy with Rangers’ poor defending and his top priority is to sign a quality centre-back during the January transfer window. “We’ve got to make sure we’re strong enough in the second half of the season,” he said. “We need to improve defence-wise. I’ve got to make sure we improve the squad in that area and that’s what my main concern will be.”

https://www.westlondonsport.com/qpr/warnock-disappointed-with-qprs-start

ESTERO, Fla. (AP) — Lee County Sheriff's officials say a minor league hockey player facing arson charges was burning love letters from a girlfriend last month when the blaze got out of control. The Naples Daily News reports Justin Agosta, a Florida Everblades hockey player, was arrested Dec. 30. The 25-year-old told firefighters who responded to his apartment that he was upset with his girlfriend when he bought gasoline at a nearby gas station to douse the letters. Agosta said he tried to put the fire out with water and a towel when it got out of control near the entrance of his apartment. The fire sprinkler went off and Agosta dialed 911. His next court appearance is Feb. 1. He has not missed a game playing for the team since his arrest.

https://www.wptv.com/news/state/florida-everblades-hockey-player-burns-love-letters-near-apartment-blaze-prompts-911-call

Baseball is back! TOP PLAY (WPA): After Carlos Torres opted out of his minor-league deal with the Braves, the Brewers signed him to a big league deal. That decision proved costly, at least in the home opener. After the Brewers got off to an early lead, the Giants came back and took a 5-3 lead going into the fifth. That’s when Wily Peralta was removed from the game, and replaced by newly-signed Carlos Torres. Torres got two quick outs but then walked Brandon Belt. The following batter was Matt Duffy. Torres fell behind early in the count, after throwing two straight balls. Duffy then took a strike and with a 2-1 count with 2 outs in the fifth, he hit an up and in fastball deep to extend the lead. At 7-3, the game was pretty much out of reach and the Brewers were unable to come back. Worst Play (WPA): The Brewers got off to a strong start. Wily Peralta, got the nod for opening day, and got a quick 1-2-3 first inning, helped by this Aaron Hill diving play: In the bottom of the first, Madison Bumgarner was in unusual bad form. He was battling the flu, which may have ignited his poor, early start. Santana lead off the game with a quick single. Three out of the four next batters were able to draw walks, which put the Brewers up 1-0 with one out and the bases loaded. Hill, who was acquired earlier in the offseason, then came to the plate. After taking the first strike, he grounded into an inning-ending double play, killing the rally. Trend to keep watching: It’s the first game of the season, therefore, there aren’t many trends to note, but one thought-provoking part of this game was Domingo Santana leading off. Santana isn’t your typical leadoff hitter. He’s not the quickest player on the team, nor is he a prolific base stealer. In his short stint in the majors, he’s walked at an above average clip, but he doesn’t make a ton of contact and he strikes out a ton (33.7 K%). His on-base percentage last year was pretty good and has been solid throughout the minors, which is a positive but it’s unusual to see someone who strikes out that often at the leadoff spot. Derek Harvey, managing editor of the Brew Crew Ball, noted that this might be the lineup versus left handed pitchers, but then again, why would you have Scooter Gennett in there instead of Colin Walsh. On the other hand, this could just be a situation of Craig Counsell playing his “main starters” on opening day. Either way, Santana seems to be one of the main starters, on the Brewers. He also crushed lefties last year and got on base at a decent clip which might be provoking Counsel’s choice of having him in the leadoff position. It’ll just be interesting to see whether this lineup changes against right-handed pitchers, and how he decides to use Santana considering his platoon splits. Gennett and Villar: “Villar! Hill! Broxton! Gennett! Your 2016 opening-day Brewers who wouldn’t be recognized in a community grocery store,” said Jeff Sullivan in a FanGraphs chat. It’s true that both Jonathan Villar and Scooter Gennett aren’t household names. If you’re not a Brewers fan or a die hard baseball fan, then you probably aren’t familiar with these players. With that said, they both did interesting thing’s in this game. First, Gennett hit an absolute shot. Scooter Gennett's bomb clocked at 108.5 MPH off the bat… He didn't hit a ball that hard all last year. His hardest last year 103.64 MPH — Daren Willman (@darenw) April 4, 2016 The interesting part about this home run is that Gennett didn’t hit a single home run against lefties, in 2015. In fact, he’s never hit a single home run against any lefty in his big league career. At least, until this one. This very well might have been a fluke, but’s it’s interesting that Gennett got the nod against MadBum even though he’s been awful throughout his career against left-handed pitchers. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s made an adjustment in his game, and will provide more sustained production against left-handed pitchers. If that’s the case, then the Brewers have found their second baseman of the future, even though this outcome is still very unlikely. Villar also had a nice moment. In 2015, Villar only hit two home runs. In 2016, he’s already got one. Villar is obviously just a placeholder for Orlando Arcia, but if he’s able to hit for more power than usual, then he should get more playing time once Arcia makes his debut. The Brewer are playing again tomorrow against the Giants. This time, they’ll have Jimmy Nelson on the mound facing Johnny Cueto. The Brewers got their heads beaten in today, but they still remain an interesting team. There’s a lot of potential and young players who are ready to prove their worth. Try to find solace and joy in their performance. Joy in the little things, and don’t get too upset at the final score, because if you do, then this will be a long season. If anything, it’s nice to have baseball back.

http://milwaukee.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/04/05/game-1-recap-giants-12-brewers-3/

COVID-19 News and Information NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Nurses from New York City are lending a hand on the frontlines in Houston to help fight the pandemic. They say it takes a village, and this is their way of giving back and paying it forward. "It's quite a privilege to come to another area and help out," nurse Tim Verhey said. Tim Verhey and Kristine Chan are part of a humble, courageous team of nurses from North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical, now on the ground in Texas, helping out as that city sees a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases. "My fiancée just asked me if I felt safe and as long as you felt safe, go ahead," Chan said. They're working out of churches, doing about 600 tests each day. It's their way of giving back after getting so much out of town support when New York City was the epicenter of the pandemic. Now through the worst of it, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called on volunteers to help others in hot spots around the country. "I've always wanted to volunteer, go on medical missions, it's been a dream of mine," Verhey said. "It just felt like a personal responsibility with everything we went through with COVID-19 in New York, felt like I needed to give back." It's a two week commitment for Chan, which hits close to home. She lost her grandfather to COVID-19 The virus not only took away her grandfather, but it also took away a special day for her. "July 17th was supposed to be my wedding in Cancun, Mexico, but here I am in Texas, it's all good," Chan said. As for what lies ahead, if they were asked to volunteer on another city, both Verhey and Chan says they would do it again in a heartbeat. "My wife is also a nurse in the ER and she was obviously scared but she knows what is going on and knows people need help and she was very happy to see me go," Verhey said. The city of Houston is glad to have a bit of New York. abc7NY Phase Tracker: 7 On Your Side Investigates: Up to 4,000 coronavirus cases prevented by NYC contact tracers

https://abc7ny.com/houston-new-york-nurses-texas-covid-19-andrew-cuomo/6325947/

A viral deepfake ad has switched the men and women soccer players to challenge gender stereotypes in the run-up before the Women’s World Cup which starts on Thursday. The video initially depicts star players of the French Men’s team including Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, and Olivier Giroud showing off their skills until it’s revealed that the video is doctored and viewers were actually watching footage of the women’s team. ‘Although attitudes are changing, we quickly realized that in TV shows, comments on social media, or conversations heard in bars, the discourse surrounding women’s football is still catastrophic, sexist, and full of prejudices that have no place in 2023,’ Margaux Grenouilloux, the strategic planner at the marketing agency behind the video told Muse by Clio. Though meant to be empowering, the video instead reminds of the Black Mirror episode ‘Joan is Awful’. In it, Joan, an ordinary woman sees her life appropriated by a Netflix-like streaming platform and made into a TV show starring the AI-generated likeness of Salma Hayek. The episode sees Joan team up with the real Salma Hayek to destroy the computer that generates the TV show. The use of deepfake technology remains controversial and the ongoing Hollywood strikes, which have caused the industry’s biggest shutdown in over 60 years, have brought anxieties over AI replacing humans to the forefront. In what has been called Hollywood’s ‘first real strike of the social media age’, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) have attempted and failed to reach an agreement with studios over base pay and residuals as well as how to regulate the use of these AI-powered tools to protect human-created work and guard against the possibility of digital replicas of actors being used without paying them. AI, along with CGI has already been used to bring back deceased actors like Carrie Fisher and Paul Walker to appear in movies as well as to de-age actors to play younger versions of their characters. Last week, the shutdown escalated as Hollywood actors joined writers, who have been striking since May, at the picket line. This included Christopher Nolan and the cast of Oppenheimer, who left the film’s premiere in London in support of the strikes. As a result, production on most US films and TV shows has been halted. Events including the Emmys and Comic-Con may have to be rescheduled or scaled back. The actors’ union has warned that AI ‘poses an existential threat to creative professions’. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the chief negotiator for the SAG-AFTRA union, has said that studios had asked for the ability to scan the faces of background actors for the payment of one day’s work, and then be able to own. Some are embracing AI, however. Among them is Singaporean actress, model and former radio DJ Jamie Yeo, who has signed a deal with a financial technology firm that allows it to use a digitally manipulated likeness of her to sell their content. After spending a few hours in front of a green screen to capture her face and movements as well as a studio to capture her voice, an AI programme then uses this information to generate a digital alter-ego of Yeo. She told the BBC that though she understands why people are concerned, ‘This technology is here to stay’ and that ‘Even if you don’t embrace it because you’re scared, there will be other people who will embrace it.’ Soccer superstars Lionel Messi and David Beckham have also both dabbled with deepfake technology, though, unlike Yeo, they haven’t signed away full image rights. Sources: Viral Deepfake Ad Switches Men and Women Soccer Players to Make Powerful Statement via Petapixel and other news stories via BBC. More on AI: - Real photo disqualified from contest after judges ruled it could be AI - Samsung ‘fake’ moon photos: Has AI photography gone too far? - Will AI replace photographers? - Firefly for Adobe Illustrator announced: Adobe’s AI editing tools showcased at major London event

https://amateurphotographer.com/latest/photo-news/hollywood-strikes-and-deepfakes-how-far-will-ai-powered-tools-go/

JAMB FIX NEW DATE FOR COMMENCEMENT OF UTME REGISTRATION The Joint Admission and Matriculations Board, JAMB says the 2022/23 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination( UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) Registrations will now commence Saturday, February 19th and end on the 26th of March 2022.the board had earlier scheduled the exercise for February 12, 2022 However, in a notice on Tuesday, JAMB said the postponement was to enable “more fine-tuning of the upgraded and user-friendly procedures for candidates’ registration.It said the fine-tuning process will be concluded within the one-week extension period given before the commencement of registration. A statement by Dr. Fabian Benjamin, Head, Public Affairs and Protocol, JAMB, said the development was also aimed at accommodating feedback from candidates and other stakeholders. The Board wishes the general public to note that the Board is ever-ready to provide world-class services to Nigerians.“Further to the above, the new and improved procedures for the 2022/23 UTME Registration would be made available on the Board’s website, its weekly bulletin as well as other media outlets on Monday, 14th February 2022.“The candidates are, by this notice, urged to follow keenly the procedures for registration as would be announced by the Board”.

https://ansmyques.com/2022/02/jamb-fix-new-date-for-commencement-of-utme-registration/

Reading FC Women Owain Fon Williams Jay is an English striker who came through the academy at Burnley as the only player to be given a professional contract under Steve Cotterill. He went on to make his first team debut in the Championship on 29 December 2007. In the summer of 2012 he was subject to significant interest from Premier League clubs after finishing the 2011 season as Burnley’s top scorer and earning a place in the Championship Team of the Year. A £7 million move to Southampton followed where he made his Premier League debut on the opening day of the season against Manchester City. On 2 July 2017 Jay signed for West Bromwich Albion for £12 million scoring 33 goals for the club over a two year period including 22 goals in the 2018/19 Championship season. A return to Burnley followed in July 2019 when Burnley paid his £10 million release clause. Jay played for England U21s before going on to make his senior debut on 15 November 2013 against Chile at Wembley Stadium. Born in Stafford, Tom joined Stoke City’s academy at the age of eight. He progressed through the ranks to win the U18 player of the year twice before making his Premier League debut on 14 October 2017 against Manchester City. His home debut followed against West Bromwich Albion where he was named man of the match in their 3-1 victory. The English right back has since established himself as a key member of the Stoke City side and is a regular in the England U20 squad. Daniel is a Danish goalkeeper who began his career in the Danish Superliga with Esbjerg before his move to Leicester City in January 2016. He made his professional debut on the first day of the 2018/19 season for Oldham Athletic where he went on to make 42 appearances during a loan spell. Daniel has played for Denmark in every age group from U16s through to U21s and received his first call up to the senior team in September 2019 for Denmark’s UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches. Daniel is a player who has come from our long term relationship with our partners First Touch in Scandanavia. Daniel is currently on loan at Rotherham United Kyle is a Scottish winger who came through the youth system at St Mirren making his first team debut in February 2013. Kyle signed for Derby County in January 2017 for an undisclosed fee. He returned to St Mirren on loan for the second half of the 2018-19 season, helping the side to stay in the Scottish Premiership. In August 2019, McCallister left Derby and signed a long-term contract with St Mirren. Having played for the U17 side in 2015-16 Kyle made his debut for Scotland U21s in March 2019 against Sweden before being involved in the UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifying matches. Lasse is a Danish midfielder who was born in Vejen and began his career with Esbjerg fB in the Danish Superliga before moving to Stoke City in January 2016. He made his professional debut for Stoke City on 13 May 2018 in their Premier League match against Swansea City, providing the assist for the winner from his free kick. Lasse is a player who has come from our long term relationship with partners First Touch in Scandanavia. Aidan signed his first professional contract with Burnley after being scouted playing internationally for England Schoolboys. He joined Mansfield in the summer of 2019 making his debut for the Stags in August 2019. James Clarke is a defender who currently plays for Mansfield Town. He came through the academy at Burnley and signed his first professional contract in April 2018. The following month James was named as Burnley’s Scholar of the Year. On 24th June 2019 James signed for Mansfield Town making his debut in the Football League on 20 August against Leyton Orient. James has represented the Republic of Ireland at U18 level. Matthew Wright is a Scottish forward who currently plays for Ross County. He was selected by North of Scotland U15 squad which is where he was originally scouted by the club. Matthew received his 2 year scholarship from Ross County when he was 15 where scored over 30 goals over the 2 year period. Matthew got offered his first professional contract in April 2020 where he has gone on to train with the first team on a daily basis ever since. Matthew first trained with the first team when he was 15 years old before travelling to be part of the first team squad at 16. His first time on the bench during an SPL game was when his Ross County side travelled away to Livingston on 21st September 2019. Matthew made his first team debut for Ross County against Stirling Albion on 14th November in a 3-0 win. Harry Paton is a Canadian midfielder who currently plays for Ross County in the SPL. Harry originally came over to the UK to join Fulham before he headed to Scotland in 2016/17 to join Hearts. Paton joined Ross County in 2018 where he where he went on to win his first pieces of silverware with The Stages as they won both the Scottish Championship and the Scottish Challenge Cup in the 2018/19 season. Harry has represented Canada at youth level when he was a vital part of the U17 side who participated in the 2015 CONCACAF U17 Championships and then also progressed to play for his county at U20 level. Curtis Anderson is an English Goalkeeper who currently plays for Wycombe Wanderers in the English Championship. He signed for the side on 2 September 2020 on a one year contract. Curtis began his career with Blackpool before a transfer to Manchester City aged 11 in 2012 for a fee of £15,000. He remained with their academy sides until March 2019 when he moved stateside to play in the USL Championship for Charlotte Independence. Curtis has represented England at U16,17,18 and U19 levels and was a vital part of the squad for the England U17 side that finished runners up at the 2-17 UEFA European U17 Championships. In October 2017 he won the FIFA U17 World Cup winning 5-2 in the final to ensure that England won the competition for the first time in their history. Owain Fon Williams Owain is a Welsh goalkeeper who completed his youth career at Crewe Alexandra signing his scholarship with the club in 2003. He made 271 appearances in the Football League including 161 for Tranmere Rovers, as well as representing Stockport County, Bury and Rochdale. Owain moved to Scotland on 16 July 2015 signing for Inverness and making his debut the same day in their UEFA Europa League Qualifying match with Astra Giurgiu of Romania. A loan move to Indy Eleven occurred ahead of the USL Championship 2018 season where he made 34 appearances playing every minute for his side. Owain played for Hamilton Academical in the 2019/20 season before signing for Dunfermline on a 2 year deal on 3 August 2020. Owain is a Welsh Youth International who made his debut for the U17 side in November 2003 during a 4-0 win over Azerbaijan in a UEFA European U17 Championship Qualifying match. After four appearances for the U19 side he moved up to the U21s playing almost every minute of the 2009 UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifiers. He was first called up to the senior Wales team in February 2009 and was a member of the Wales squad that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016.

https://beswickssports.com/location/uk/

TeamSnap Free Alternative: Top 5 Options for Team Management The integration of sports and technology continues to grow as team managers and coaches understand the benefit of having a sports management app. TeamSnap is a popular app sports teams use to manage their daily operations and offers users solutions for communication, scheduling, payment collection, registration, and real-time game sharing within a user-friendly platform. The app aims to help growing organizations manage team operations and communications in one place. Even so, a handful of free alternatives to TeamSnap offer similar features and functionality for teams and league owners that can streamline operations for free. In this article, we will explore free alternatives to TeamSnap, the specific challenges they solve, the level of customer support, user-friendliness, and the pros and cons of the app. Why consider a TeamSnap free alternative? Sports team management apps have become increasingly popular for coaches and managers in schools, communities, and private sports leagues. One top team management app is TeamSnap, which offers a comprehensive platform for managing sports teams. TeamSnap does offer a free plan but for teams with 15 members or less and limited app features. Plans within TeamSnap that offer more functionality range from $12 - $23 per month. Over time, these premium features can become quite expensive, making the app less accessible for smaller teams or organizations with limited budgets. This is where free alternatives to TeamSnap come in. One might consider a TeamSnap free alternative platform or app for several reasons: 1. It allows for more flexibility in terms of budget By using a free alternative, teams can save money while still benefiting from sports management software. This is especially important for smaller teams or organizations that may not have the resources to invest in premium features. 2. Free alternatives offer the same features Many free alternatives to TeamSnap offer scheduling, communication, and roster management tools. Some even have additional features, such as payment processing and fundraising tools. These features can help streamline the management of sports teams and make it easier for coaches and team managers to communicate with their team members. 3. Free alternatives offer a wider range of software options While TeamSnap is a popular choice, there are many other platforms available that may better suit the needs of a specific team or organization. Whether it's to save money, access similar features, or find a platform that better suits their needs, free alternatives offer a viable option for sports team management software. Let’s start exploring alternative options teams can use to manage their sports program better. Features to look for in a TeamSnap free alternative Several options or features must be considered when searching for a free alternative to TeamSnap, including team management, communication, support, player availability, scheduling, health checks, attendance, player registration, and more. The basic features to look for in a TeamSnap free alternative include the following: 1. Roster management Coaches or managers should be able to manage their team roster by adding, removing, and editing player information. The app should provide a way for coaches, team managers, parents, and players to communicate easily with each other. Coaches or team managers should be able to schedule games, practices, and other events with the option to send reminders to players and parents. 4. Player availability Players should have the option to mark their availability for upcoming events, and coaches should be able to see this information. The app should allow coaches to track attendance at practices and games. In addition to the basic features, there are several advanced features to look for in a TeamSnap free alternative which can also meet the needs of your team or your league as it grows: 1. Health checks Player health is important, and an app that allows coaches to track the health of their players, including injuries and illnesses, is a plus. Game metrics are important, and it begins with tracking game statistics, such as goals, assists, and saves. An app that allows coaches to track performance is an added benefit. 3. League management The app’s league management features should include scheduling games, tracking league standings, and managing teams and divisions. 4. Parent and fan management Communication between fans and parents is key to growth and engagement. The app should allow parents and fans to view team schedules and receive updates, but coaches should be able to control what information they can see. Support from the app is important, and the platform should provide good customer service, including documentation, tutorials, and a responsive customer service team. Questions to ask yourself when choosing a TeamSnap alternative Whether you manage a women’s volleyball team or a Little League team, each organization is unique and has specific needs. When looking for a TeamSnap alternative, it's important to consider several factors before deciding. Here are some questions to ask yourself when choosing a TeamSnap alternative: 1. What are your specific needs? Before choosing a TeamSnap alternative, you need to determine your specific needs. Consider the size of your team, the type of sports or activities you participate in, and the features you require. Make a list of your requirements and use it to compare different alternatives. 2. What is your budget? Some TeamSnap alternatives are free. Some only charge when a transaction occurs, while others require a monthly or yearly subscription fee. Determine your budget and look for alternatives that fit within it. Remember that some free alternatives may have limited features, while paid alternatives offer more advanced features that can benefit your team. 3. What level of support do you need? Consider the level of support you need when choosing a TeamSnap alternative. Do you require 24/7 customer support, or are you comfortable with email support during business hours? Look for alternatives that offer the level of support you require for your team. 4. How user-friendly is the alternative? Ease of use is an important factor to consider when choosing a TeamSnap alternative. Look for alternatives that are user-friendly and intuitive. Consider whether the alternative requires a steep learning curve or if it's easy to use right out of the box. 5. What is the alternative's reputation? Before choosing a TeamSnap alternative, research its reputation, look for reviews from other users, and consider their experiences. Check out the alternative's social media pages, see how they interact with their users, and look for reviews and any mention of bugs or crashes. A good reputation and positive customer feedback are signs of a reliable and trustworthy alternative. Top TeamSnap free alternatives In this section, we'll take a closer look at some of the top TeamSnap free alternatives, including Spond, Heja, Stack Team App, TeamLinkt, Diamond Scheduler, and others. Spond is a free app that allows you to organize your team or group events. With Spond, you can create events, invite members, and keep track of attendance. The app also allows you to communicate with your team or group members via chat. One of the benefits of Spond is that it's easy to use and doesn't require any technical skills. However, the app has limited features compared to TeamSnap, and some users have reported issues with the app crashing. Even so, Spond is free but charges a transaction fee if you choose to collect money through the app. Via Heja Heja is another free alternative to TeamSnap that offers similar features. With Heja, you can organize your team or group events, communicate with members, and keep track of attendance. The app also allows you to share photos and videos with your team or group members. One of the benefits of Heja is that it's easy to use and offers a clean interface. However, the app has limited customization options compared to TeamSnap, and some users have reported issues with the app freezing or crashing. Heja is free, with advanced features such as desktop access, payment tracking, attendance statistics, RSVP updates, and more available at a monthly cost of $8.33. Stack Team App Via Stack Team App Stack Team App is a free platform that allows you to create a custom app for your team or group. One of the benefits of Stack Team App is that it offers a high level of customization that allows users to add their team or group's logo, colors, and content to the platform. The app also lets you chat with your team or group members and keep track of attendance. Stack Team App is free; however, the app can be difficult to set up and is not user-friendly, and some users have reported issues with the app crashing. TeamLinkt is a free app that allows you to communicate with members and organize your team or group events. With TeamLinkt, you can create events, invite members, and keep track of attendance. The app also allows you to share photos and videos with your team or group members. One of the benefits of TeamLinkt is that it's easy to use and offers a clean user interface. However, the app has limited customization options compared to TeamSnap, and some users have reported issues with the app crashing. TeamLinkt is free to use but charges a transaction fee if you choose to collect money through the app. Diamond Scheduler is a free scheduling software designed for professional sports leagues. The platform allows you to manage rosters, divisions, and staff, as well as create season and tournament schedules. One of the benefits of Diamond Scheduler is that you can add specific constraints (travel, player, or venue restrictions) for the software to consider when creating a schedule. The platform also allows you to create tournaments or playoff schedules based on current sports industry structures, with the option to experiment with new tournament formats. This tool is more suitable for medium-sized to large-scale league operations; even so, the software offers more customization options, allowing smaller leagues to grow. Diamond Scheduler is free, with unlimited features such as unlimited leagues, divisions, teams, SportsEngine integration, constraints, unlimited schedules, and other features at a yearly cost of $199. Other TeamSnap free alternatives include Sportlyzer, Jersey Watch, and LeagueApps. These apps also offer similar features to TeamSnap, but may not be suitable for all sports or groups. Some apps also have limited customization options and may not be as user-friendly as TeamSnap. Pros and cons per alternative Choosing an app to support your league is not a simple task. Below we highlighted the pros and cons of each sports team management app. Easy to use Event management Members invite & reminders Messaging Payments File Storage Limited features (free version) Invoicing (charges a transaction fee) App crashes Clean interface Easy to use Team Scheduling Team messaging Limited customization options Invoicing (charges a transaction fee) App freezes Stack Team App High level of customization Difficult to set up App crashes Easy to use Limited customization options Invoicing (charges a transaction fee) App crashes Easy to use High level of customization Integrates with SportsEngine Season and tournament scheduling Best suited for medium-large leagues Limited features (Free version) No messaging options List pricing per alternative option Diamond Scheduler stands out as the best free alternative to TeamSnap as it offers a high level of customization and advanced features. In terms of price, all TeamSnap free alternatives offer a free version of their platform, with additional premium features available for a fee. Each of these alternatives is designed for sports organizations and associations, with a range of features such as roster and online league management software, scheduling, messaging, and reminders. Some alternatives offer additional features such as custom branding, invoicing, and background checks. Overall, the choice of a TeamSnap free alternative will depend on the specific needs of the organization, as well as its budget. It is recommended to try out the free trial or demo of the alternatives to determine which one is the best fit. Frequently asked questions TeamSnap is a widely used sports team management software that helps coaches, managers, and players to manage their teams and schedules. However, not all teams and sports facility managers have the budget to pay for TeamSnap's premium features. Here are some frequently asked questions about free alternatives to TeamSnap. What are some free alternatives to TeamSnap? Several free alternatives to TeamSnap include Spond, Heja, Stack Team App, TeamLinkt, and Diamond Scheduler. What features do free alternatives to TeamSnap offer? Free alternatives to TeamSnap typically offer basic features such as: Scheduling: Create and manage game and practice schedules. Roster management: Users can manage team rosters and player information. Communication: The ability to communicate with team members via email, text, or in-app messaging. Availability tracking: Players can mark themselves as available or unavailable for games and practices. Can free alternatives to TeamSnap be used for multiple teams? Many free alternatives to TeamSnap allow users to manage multiple teams within the same app. However, some free plans may limit the number of teams or members that can be managed. Are free alternatives as reliable as TeamSnap? While free alternatives to TeamSnap may not have the same premium features, they can still be reliable and effective for managing teams. It is important to do your research and compare different free alternatives to find the one that best fits the needs of your team. What are the limitations of free alternatives to TeamSnap? Free alternatives to TeamSnap may have limitations, such as the number of teams and players that can be managed and the amount of storage space available for digital assets. Additionally, some free plans may show ads or have limited customer support. It is important to review the limitations of each free alternative before choosing one for your team. There are several free alternatives to TeamSnap available in the market. Evaluating each alternative is important to choosing the one that best suits your needs. Whether looking for a comprehensive sports team/league management software or a simple team communication app, an alternative can help you manage your team or league effectively. Deidra Hunter is a former athlete that now thrives as a content marketer and brand strategist. Her passion for sports has enabled her to contribute to diverse branding, content creation, and writing projects. In her downtime, she engages in lively discussions about sports and business with her friends and family. About Diamond Scheduler Diamond Scheduler makes planning your league’s complex season easier than ever. Create your first schedule in minutes for free. It's fast, fun, and simple.

https://cactusware.com/blog/teamsnap-free-alternative

By Jonathan Davies John Higgins recorded his first 188BET Champion of Champions win after recovering from an early scare to round off a 4-2 victory over Ali Carter at the Ricoh Arena. Higgins was sat in his chair as Carter came flying out of the blocks with a stunning 128 clearance in the opening frame, but produced hard competitive snooker to reel off four of the next five frames and secure his passage into tonight’s Group 1 final. The four-time world champion comes into the event as the form player of the season, having already won the Australian Open and International Championship, but it looked like he would have his work cut out this afternoon when Carter opened with a century. He responded well, however, as he pounced on a couple of safety errors from ‘the Captain’ to level with a top run of 43. While Higgins was not at his dazzling best, his play was generally solid and he took the next two frames to move one away from victory as Carter struggled to build momentum. The Paul Hunter Classic winner kept the match alive with an impressive run of 124 but Higgins responded with a 64 to seal his place in tonight’s group final, where he will play either Joe Perry or Michael White. “Ali probably played the better quality snooker; I don’t think I had one frame-winning break whereas Ali had two,” he said. “I managed to get two or three chances to just win a frame and I am happy to win. He is a tough, tough player to play against. He is a great cueist and I thought he was hitting the ball really well but he missed a couple and I got a few flicks which, over a short distance, can make the difference. “I had a chance to make frame-winning breaks but I was running out of position, so I need to improve to beat Joe or Michael tonight, that’s for sure. “It is [good to win here for the first time]. It is a great tournament you want to do well in but I have lost quite easily my two matches in previous years, so it is good to come and have a win and have a chance to get through to the semi-finals. It is race to 11 now and I think all the players enjoy the longer-frame format. “I am confident I can produce a performance tonight to get me through – that is the be all and end all. Being confident that you have the game in there is half of the battle. “Michael and Joe have a tough game now and I want that to go as long as possible, but that is a very even game and should be a good one.”

https://championofchampionssnooker.co.uk/higgins-sees-off-carter-challenge/

The spotlight will now shift from the league tournament to the biggest competition in European club football, the Champions League. The much-awaited Manchester City vs Bayern Munich will take place on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium. The game is the talk of the town because of the quality of players both teams have. Manchester City qualified for the quarter-final by scoring a dominating win over RB Leipzig by 7-0 in the second leg. The aggregate score between the two teams was 8-1. Bayern Munich defeated their counterparts from Ligue 1, PSG, by 2-0 and the aggregate score was 3-0. Top bookmakers in India all have Champions League odds on their platform. The Citizens are on an unbeaten streak of 12 matches and the last fixture they lost was against Tottenham. Manchester City has played some dominant football in recent times and in the Champions League set-up. Pep will be excited to face his former club and come on the top by winning the fixture. Earling Haaland is back in the starting XI and will be making his presence felt in the Champions League. Phil Foden will be on the bench because Haaland has recovered and will be asked to start the game. Predicted Lineup: Ederson, Akanji, Dias, Stones, Phillips, Rodri, Mahrez, Grealish, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Haaland Bayern have gone through some major changes in its management in recent times. Julian Nagelsmann and Bayern Munich parted ways and former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was appointed as the new manager of the club. It will be interesting to see Tuchel coming face to face with his old rivals in England. Thomas Tuchel will be happy to see his team in good form without any injuries. Predicted Lineup: Sommer, Pavard, de Ligt, Upamecano, Davies, Kimmich, Goretzka, Coman, Muller, Sane, Chupo-Moting Manchester City carry a good record at their home ground. Bayern have been through some rough patches as they have failed to impress. We predict a win for Manchester City in the first leg.

https://cricketexpert.net/predictions/football/manchester-city-vs-bayern-munich-12-04-2023/

1. Jacob Markstrom - The biggest impact on the Toronto Maple Leafs The biggest move that Brad Treliving could make with the players rumoured to be available would be to reunite with his former Calgary Flames goaltender, Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom could be the biggest player to move during the NHL Trade Deadline. He's having a terrific season despite playing on a non-playoff team, and he was runner-up for the Vezina Trophy in 2022. He would make a huge impact on the Toronto Maple Leafs for all the same reasons I mentioned for Juuse Saros, but more so. He is a bonafide number one goaltending talent. The Calgary Flames are out of the playoffs and selling major assets fast. Markstrom does have a full no-trade clause, but with his recent comments about how upper management has handled trade rumours this season, it sounds like he's had enough and would welcome a change. Obtaining Markstrom would have its challenges though. His $6 million cap hit for two more seasons after this one would be difficult for the Toronto Maple Leafs to leverage, and the amount of assets the Maple Leafs would have to exchange for Jacob Markstrom would be extravagant. There are also a number of rumours suggesting that Markstrom is destined to join the New Jersey Devils. Perhaps Brad Treliving will pull a rabbit out of his hat, and we'll have a big surprise waiting for us during this NHL Trade Deadline. I can't wait to see what moves he has instore for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

https://editorinleaf.com/posts/5-nhl-trade-deadline-deals-the-toronto-maple-leafs-should-consider-01hp7n911hs7/6

The New York Giants have an issue on offense. The Giants’ wide receivers have underperformed this season. The team’s most reliable receiver, Sterling Shepard, has gone down for the year with a torn ACL. This is a massive blow to the Giants’ offensive talent, however, it does open an opportunity for other wide receivers to step into the lineup and make an impact. One of those wide receivers could be a familiar face in Darius Slayton. The Giants nearly moved on from Slayton this offseason but opted to bury him on the depth chart instead. With injuries and disappointment piling up among the starters, Darius Slayton could actually see some playing time come his way in the coming weeks. Could Darius Slayton be back in the Giants’ lineup? The New York Giants need more from their receiving corps. An unlikely suspect in Richie James Jr. is the team’s leading receiver through three weeks. No one expected James Jr. to be the team’s top receiving option, but his production highlights the lack of production from the top talents on the Giants’ roster. Wide receiver Darius Slayton took a pay cut this offseason in order to stay with the Giants. The 2019 fifth-round pick has had a tumultuous career with Big Blue. Formerly a starter in the Giants’ lineup, Slayton has been demoted to a backup position that is often a healthy scratch. Moving forward, though, the Giants may have no choice but to rely on Darius Slayton again. After being cast aside earlier in the year, Darius Slayton is now very important to the New York Giants. The team needs reliable receiving talent to utilize, and Slayton’s experience starting as one of Daniel Jones’s teammates makes him intrinsically valuable. “Darius is a guy I have a lot of trust in, a lot of faith in, and I know he’s working hard. As far as the game plan going forward, we’ll see how it works out, but I have a lot of faith and confidence in him.”Daniel Jones on Darius Slayton via GiantsWire Daniel Jones has confidence in Darius Slayton as one of his wide receivers going forward. The two have combined to create unique chemistry in the past. Slayton totaled 124 receptions for 1,830 yards and 13 touchdowns from 2019-2021. Darius Slayton served as Daniel Jones’s primary receiving target in some games. These upcoming weeks will be crucial for Darius Slayton as he looks to revitalize his career and prove his worth to the New York Giants.

https://empiresportsmedia.com/new-york-giants/could-the-new-york-giants-put-wr-darius-slayton-back-in-the-lineup/

Celebrated Hollywood Actress Alexandra Createau Adopts Husband’s Last Name David Murrietta and Continues her unstoppable Success as a top Influencer” Hollywood actress Alexandra Createau, known for her roles in popular films and television shows, has made recent headlines with the announcement that she has changed her last name to match that of her actor husband, David Murrietta. The news was evident on social media, where the couple shared the exciting update with their followers. But Createau is not just an accomplished actress. She is also a highly skilled martial artist, with numerous medals and accolades in the sport of karate. And as a popular influencer with a large following on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, she is earning a six-figure income as a result of her online presence. Createau says that being an influencer requires a lot of hard work and dedication, but the payoff can be huge in the long term. “It takes a lot of time and effort to create and share content that resonates with your audience,” she said in an interview with a popular entertainment website. “But when it pays off and you’re able to connect with people on a deeper level, it’s all worth it.” The couple, who have been married for several years, made the decision to adopt a shared last name as a symbol of their commitment to each other and their family. “We have always been a team, and taking on the same last name feels like a natural next step in our relationship,” said Murrietta in a statement shared on social media. “And as a multi-talented individual, with many accomplishments in karate and other areas, Alexandra has always been a strong and capable partner.” Createau, who has been acting for over a decade, has built a successful career in Hollywood and is widely respected in the industry for her talent and dedication to her craft. She is excited to embark on this new chapter in her life and is looking forward to continuing her work as an actress, martial artist, and influencer under her new last name. Fans of the couple were quick to share their excitement and congratulations on social media. “I think it’s so sweet that Alexandra and David are choosing to take on the same last name,” said one fan on Twitter. “It’s a beautiful symbol of their love and commitment to each other. And as a fan of Alexandra’s karate skills and her content on social media, I’m excited to see what she accomplishes next in all areas of her life.” Overall, the name change is just the latest chapter in the love story of Alexandra Createau and David Murrietta. The couple, who are known for their close bond and support of each other, are sure to continue making headlines and inspiring others with their love, dedication, and many talents.

https://filmdaily.co/lifestyle/celebrated-hollywood-actress-alexandra-createau-adopts-husbands-last-name-david-murrietta-and-continues-her-unstoppable-success-as-a-top-influencer/

Croatia is rolling right now, chaos in Györi, and now we know which men’s teams will compete during the 2024 Olympics – that is 3 things we learned this week. Croatia is rolling again After a few years where the results not have gone Croatia’s way, maybe Hrvatska has turned it around. During the 2024 Euros, they looked interesting before Ivan Martinovic got injured. During the Olympic qualification, the right back returned to the team and was one of the big reasons why Croatia impressed all the way. And you safely say that Dagur Sigurdsson got a perfect start as the new head coach. Can Croatia be considered a dark horse during the Olympics? If they can avoid injuries on important players, then there is no doubt in my mind about that. Chaos in Györi Györi has not had a perfect season. Far from it. No domestic cup title and probably not a league title either. Their biggest remaining hope is the Champions League, where they have done well all season long. But in Györi finishing second in the league is not good enough. Losing games here and there is not enough. And that’s why the Hungarian powerhouse decided to sack Danish head coach Ulrik Kirkely this week. Maybe this was just what the players of Györi needed and now they can turn the season around. But maybe this was the final nail in the coffin during this tough season for the Hungarians. Here are the Olympic men’s teams During the weekend the men’s Olympic qualification took place in 3 different countries. And now we know which teams will compete in France this summer. France, Denmark, Sweden, Argentina, Japan, and Egypt were already qualified. Now we know that Spain, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, Norway, and Hungary will join them. What a tournament we can look forward to!

https://gohandball.com/the-world/3-things-we-learned-this-week-croatia-is-rolling-chaos-in-gyori-olympic-teams

We already brought you part one of our list of the top 10 heaviest WWE wrestlers of all time, and now we’re back with part two! Check out five more massive WWE wrestlers who are so big you might not believe they exist. You might be surprised by what you see! Number Five: Man Mountain Mike – 623 Pounds. Man Mountain Mike, born Gary Fletcher, was a professional wrestler who was born in 1940 and died in 1988 at the age of 47. Man Mountain Mike weighed an impressive 623 pounds, and he used his weight to his advantage in the ring on numerous occasions. He ended up dying in part because of blood clots he had developed as a result of his diabetes. Number Four: Haystacks Calhoun – 625 Pounds. Born William Dee Calhoun, Haystacks Calhoun was one of the biggest wrestlers ever to grace the WWE ring. Calhoun was born in 1934 in Texas, and he died in 1989 at the age of 55. Calhoun attracted crowds of people because of his large size and hillbilly antics. Number Three: Giant Haystacks – 685 Pounds. Not to be confused with Haystacks Calhoun, Giant Haystacks clocked in at 685 pounds at his heaviest. Born Martin Austin Ruane, Haystacks was born in 1946, and he died in 1998 at the age of 52. Haystacks stood at 6’11” and can also be seen in several films, including 1981’s Quest for Fire and 1984’s Give My Regards to Broad Street. Number Two: The McGuire Twins – 770 Pounds (Each). Though The McGuire Twins are technically two people, they are both so large that they deserve their own spot on this list. The McGuire Twins clocked in at 770 pounds each at their heaviest, and they were born Billy Leon McCrary and Benny Loyd McCrary. The twins were born in North Carolina and became extremely popular as tag-team wrestlers and as a feature at carnivals. Number One: Happy Humphrey – 800 Pounds. Happy Humphrey tops our list at 800 pounds. Humphrey was born William Joseph Cobb, and he was born in 1926. He may have died in 1989, but his legacy continues to live on and impress people. We hope you enjoyed our list of the top 10 heaviest WWE wrestlers in history!

https://hillreporter.com/10-heaviest-wwe-wrestlers-2/

The Iowa State men are closing in on their first trip to the Final Four since 1944. The second seeded Cyclones will play third seeded Illinois Thursday night in Boston in the semifinals of the East Region. In his third season as head coach T.J. Otzelberger is taking the Cyclones to a second Sweet Sixteen. Otzelberger says support fron the fans and the administration is a big part of their success. Defense has been a staple of ISU teams under Otzelberger but this team has balance on offense and that makes the Cyclones difficult to guard. Tip time for Thursday night’s game has been set for 9:09pm, Iowa time.

https://kiwaradio.com/sports/iowa-state-has-final-four-in-sight/

New manager, new sporting director: the 2023/24 season heralds a new era at AS Monaco, but perhaps one that doesn’t mark such a radical departure from its predecessor. As Adi Hütter and Thiago Scuro, the replacements for Philippe Clement and Paul Mitchell took their seats for their first media outing in July, the page had been officially turned. Mitchell’s departure as sporting director had been planned, Clement’s less so. The Belgian paid the price for a poor end to the season, which leaves Les Monégasques without any form of European football this campaign. A sprinkling of continuity in an evolving project However, Scuro and Hütter may not represent the most radical of departures from their predecessors. The project hasn’t been torn up and re-written over night. Scuro’s appointment in particular feels like a natural evolution of the project. The Brazilian arrives from Bragantino, and like his predecessor Mitchell, has a history of working within the Red Bull system. Mitchell is conscious of not being a “volatile element” in the project, and through the appointment of Scuro, as well as his assistance throughout the summer, he is hoping to maintain an element of stability. “We will keep the same philosophy over multiple seasons,” said Scuro upon his presentation. Hütter also shares similarities with Clement, although from the outset, the former has seemingly managed to instil a more dynamic, fluid attacking system. “It is by pressing high that we can put an aggressive style in place,” said Hütter. The Austrian isn’t, therefore, the most radical of departures from his predecessor either. That is ultimately the plan at Monaco. Following years of turbulence prior to Mitchell’s arrival, there is a need for stability: the calm after the storm. A perfectible roster The most important positions filled, Monaco’s attention turned towards creating the optimal conditions to allow Hütter to thrive. Scuro’s South American connections perhaps allowed Jean Lucas’ departure to finally materialise. The Brazilian has been on the transfer list for some time, and he has now joined Santos. However, unlike in some previous seasons, it hasn’t been a revolving door at the club’s Performance Centre in La Turbie this summer. Much of Monaco’s business was dependent on outgoings. Axel Disasi and Youssouf Fofana were both expected to depart this summer – and for big money. However, the suitors were not necessarily forthcoming. Disasi was on the shortlists of many clubs, but at the top of none of them. Chelsea finally came to the table in August and quickly concluded a deal. The €45m figure received for the France international gives the Principality club some wriggle room in the market, and further arrivals seem imminent. Despite links away, Fofana remains at the club. Philipp Köhn and Mohammed Salisu are the only two arrivals so far. It is hoped that Köhn will be an improvement on Alexander Nübel, who didn’t always live up to the big occasion. The Swiss goalkeeper’s performances for Monaco in pre-season are a source of optimism. A reduced margin for error Salisu has yet to feature for Monaco since his arrival from Southampton, but the Ghanaian international has already accrued considerable experience given his young age. Extra depth is needed in defence, but the foundations have been well-laid for a more solid campaign at the back. Further reinforcements are being targeted further up the pitch in the midfield and attack, and the need for an extra striker has been made much more pressing in the wake of Breel Embolo’s ACL injury. Monaco will be looking to conclude as much business as early as possible to avoid the slow starts that have plagued previous campaigns. It is all the more important to start quickly this season. With the reduction of the top flight from 20 to 18 teams, there will be four fewer games, reducing the margin for error. Slow starts will be more severely punished with less time to make up the deficit. “We want to bring stability.” The strength of the club’s rivals makes the race for Europe an exciting one. Rennes and Marseille look particularly strong following considerable recruitment this summer, Lille have retained many of their key assets, Nice will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing campaign, whilst Strasbourg, now backed by BlueCo, could represent a fresh challenger. With the expansion of the Champions League from next season, there will be four spots up for grabs in Ligue 1 – as the club prepares to celebrate its cententary in 2024, there is a determination to once again compete on the continent. Heading into the season, which kicks off against Clermont Foot on Sunday, there is no denying that Monaco are one of the league’s most unknown quantities. But equally, this is no longer a club that will change its entire orientation and philosophy at the drop of a hat – the project is what it is, and it is here to stay. “My history confirms it. I have always had long relationships with my coaches. We want to bring stability. Working with the same people over the long-term allows you to get results,” said Scuro. Working within the same confines breeds success too. This new duo in many ways are an extension, not a deviation, from the old regime, and that is no bad thing for a club that is looking to reassert itself in France’s elite. Make sure you’re never left out of the conversation. Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

https://monacolife.net/football-is-as-monaco-2-0-taking-a-step-into-the-unknown/

Total Running Time: 13:30 Kerry Bond 5'7" 159 lbs 19yo Bobby Baker 5'11" 166 lbs 19yo These guys are not friends. They attended the same High School and were both very competitive. Kerry (Purple speedos) is a real submission wrestler. Very strong, powerful legs are his winning tool. Bobby (green speedos) was a varsity HS wrestler. He is tough, a real brawler and loves to win. This is a vicious brawl between these two muscled teen, competitive wrestlers. First match, Kerry goes right for the choke and locks it on Bobby's neck real tight. The struggle is intense as Bobby does everything he possibly can not to tap. But Kerry is just too strong. At one point Bobby picks the taller wrestler right off the ground by cranking on his neck and almost strangling him. Back on the mat, Bobby is forced to tap. The Second match is incredible. No way is Bobby getting caught in that choke again. Kerry goes for a front face lock and body scissors. Bobby is struggling again trying to escape. Kerry puts the pressure on. At one point he slams Bobby to the mat real hard on his back. We thought Bobby might not get up, but he jumped to his feet and went right back after Kerry. Super wrestling that ends in a draw between these two awesome wrestlers. Kerry is squeezed into submission and these two guys promise a rematch to a finish. We sure hope that happens.

https://movimuswrestling.com/products/rrb25-m2

Former Boise State Star Ready To Win Philly Its First Super Bowl Making it to the Super Bowl is something few football players actually get the opportunity to do. Following last weekend's victory over the Minnesota Vikings, a former running back for Boise State University now finds himself just days away from his chance to help bring a city its very first Super Bowl championship. The Philadelphia Eagles have long been ridiculed by football fans for having never won a Super Bowl. The Eagles have won three league titles, in 1948,1949 and 1960, but all three happened prior to the creation of the Super Bowl, the first of which was played in 1967. Jay Ajayi, who was a standout for the Boise State Broncos from 2012-2014, scored 55 touchdowns, and had more than 4,500 all purpose yards during his time playing in the state of Idaho. Just prior to getting drafted into the National Football League in 2015, Ajayi scored three touchdowns and helped lead Boise State to a victory in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. Ajayi will be the starting running back for the Eagles on Sunday when they face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. The Patriots are currently favored by four points over Philadelphia.

https://newsradio1310.com/former-boise-state-star-ready-to-win-philly-its-first-superbowl/

With the conclusion of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, a total of 23 trades were made on deadline day along with various other transactions. Notable players such as Jake Guentzel, Noah Hanifin, and Vladimir Tarasenko all found new homes during the deadline period. Many of the bigger deals also happened before March 8th with activity ramping up across the entire league. There were also a handful of players who didn’t move and were heavily rumored to get traded at or before this timeframe. There’s usually a variety of reasons why certain players may stay with their teams. Here are five notable players that weren’t moved despite trade rumors suggesting otherwise. Pavel Buchnevich, St Louis Blues Buchnevich was seen as being one of the most prominent forwards potentially being available on the trade market. The Russian forward is currently having a strong season with the Blues notching 24 goals and 49 points in 63 games. With the Blues currently being in a retool as suggested by GM Doug Armstrong, Buchnevich was seen as a trade chip if the team were to fall out of the playoff race. The Blues found themselves only a couple points back of a wildcard spot at the time of the trade deadline. The Blues wouldn’t want to compromise their potential chances by trading away one of their top forwards. Some other reasons may have been how Armstrong set a high bar for a return on a Buchnevich deal. His proposed asking price included 2 first-round picks or one first-round pick equivalent as well as a prospect. The price wasn’t going to be cheap to pry him out of St Louis. There’s also his contract status. Buchnevich wouldn’t have been a rental as he’s got a year left after this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent. This surely drove the price up as teams would have him for potentially 2 playoff runs. The rumored teams interested included the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Edmonton Oilers. It’s been noted by the Blues however that they would be willing to get “creative” on a Buchnevich trade. It’s not entirely known what this means, but he is in for a raise on his next contract and it’s unknown if the Blues would have the ability to grant that. Regardless, Buchnevich is staying put for now and could potentially be traded in the offseason if the opportunity arises. Jacob Markstrom, Calgary Flames With the Flames beginning their retooling, many questioned the future of 34-year-old goaltender Jacob Markstrom. As the Flames fell lower in the standings, the rumors kept getting louder. The Flames have already made significant moves trading the likes of Chris Tanev, Elias Lindholm, and Noah Hanifin. GM Craig Conroy has been adamant about only keeping players who wanted to be in Calgary and Markstrom is no exception. It was heavily rumored that Jacob Markstrom was going to be on the move around the trade deadline. With reports suggesting that the Flames and New Jersey Devils had an earlier deal in place only for it to fall through, it was questioned if the Devils would revisit a Markstrom trade at the deadline. Some reports stated how Markstrom was asked to waive his no-movement clause prior to the deal with the Devils falling through. Markstrom’s remarks to the media shortly after revealed his distrust and annoyance regarding the team’s handling of the process. An Offseason Full of Uncertainty Markstrom remains a member of the Flames. We may likely see a Markstrom deal happen in the summer where more teams can come into the mix and where the Flames can evaluate their season. It was stated how the Flames had the intention of holding on to Markstrom in an attempt to “send the right message to the team.” It’s unknown what this meant, but it’s assumed that the ownership group in Calgary still had hopes of making the playoffs as the Flames were only six points out of a wildcard spot at the time of the deadline. At the time of this article being written, the Flames have fallen significantly in the playoff race as they now sit eight points back of a wildcard spot. Would a 34-year-old Markstrom want to be a part of a retool/rebuild? Or does he want to spend his last few seasons competing for a cup? Markstrom still has 2 more seasons left on a six-year $36 million contract. Markstrom controls his destiny at this point. A summer trade for the Flames’ goalie seems probable amid a shallow offseason goalie market, presenting an opportunity for movement. Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets Another goaltender that was prominant in trade rumors was Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins. It was revealed that Merzlikins requested a trade from the Blue Jackets a couple months before the deadline. it’s safe to say that Columbus’ season has been a complete disaster with expectations clearly not being met. In 36 starts this season, Merzlikins has recorded a 12-14-8 record with a .903 save percentage. His numbers are an improvement after a disaster of a tenure in the 2022-2023 season where recorded a career-worst .876 save percentage. He’s currently in the second year of 5 year deal with a cap hit of $5.4 million per season. With Merzlikins’s sizable contract, it’s likely teams weren’t willing to trade for the 29-year-old. Merzlikins’ mediocre numbers aren’t aided by the Blue Jackets’ overall struggles this season, in all fairness, it doesn’t help. Trade interest may start up again in the summer though. As mentioned, the goaltending market this offseason is pretty weak and teams may get desperate to find solutions in net. Could Merzlikins thrive behind a stronger, more established defense core? It’s certainly possible. His value isn’t exactly the highest right now so teams could potentially buy low on him. However, it’s also a high-risk move given his contract and weak numbers. A change of scenery is likely but we shall see when it comes. Frank Vatrano, Anaheim Ducks Many expected that Ducks’ forward Frank Vatrano would be on the trade block come deadline time. The Ducks made a major move in trading veteran center Adam Henrique to the Oilers. Many expected Vatrano to soon be on his way out, but the Ducks opted to hold on to him. As the Ducks continue with their rebuild, GM Pat Verbeek has made it clear that he wants to surround his young players with established NHLers. This explains why Verbeek went out and got players such as Radko Gudas and Alex Killorn last off-season. As for Vatrano, the trade interest was reportedly there but the Ducks would’ve had to be “blown away” by an offer to make the deal happen. The 30-year-old has had a strong season and is on track to put up career numbers. In 67 games, he’s put up 29 goals and 50 points, both of which are already career highs. He carries a cap hit of $3.65 million and is signed for one more season after this one. There’s no doubt that Vatrano would’ve been a hell of a pickup for any contender, but it’s likely the Ducks didn’t get an offer suitable enough to pull the trigger. Unlike Henrique, he’s also not a pending unrestricted free agent. There’s still time to trade him in the offseason or at next year’s trade deadline. If Vatrano builds off his strong play into next season, the Ducks could very well get a good return for him. Max Pacioretty, Washington Capitals Max Pacioretty is a grizzled veteran that has playoff experience and a high hockey IQ. In 74 career playoff games split between Montreal and Vegas, the 35-year-old has notched 49 career playoff points. With the Capitals in the thick of the wildcard hunt in the east, Pacioretty was a name seen by many as likely being shipped off to a contender. However, that didn’t happen and Pacioretty remains a member of the Capitals. In 30 games with Washington, Pacioretty has three goals and 16 points. His production has declined, and he’s struggled with health, but he still offers veteran leadership and contributes to offense. He signed a 1-year deal with the Capitals last summer with a cap hit of $2 million and has a full no-movement clause. It’s been reported that Pacioretty used his no-movement clause to block several trades as he was focused on geography. Given his family situation, he preferred to stay in the east. It was suggested that the Florida Panthers were a team that Pacioretty was willing to waive his no-movement clause for. The Panthers ultimately went for Tarasenko and most likely offered a return for Pacioretty that Washington wasn’t interested in. It’s unknown how much more Pacioretty has in the tank, given his injury history and decline in production. He’ll likely explore free agency during the summer, aiming to join a competitive team in the eastern conference for success. / 23 hours ago The race for the 2023-24 NHL Hart Trophy is on and here are the... / 2 days ago The Toronto Maple Leafs have provided several updates on key players who have been... / 2 days ago Connor McDavid was on the ice for a full practice with the Edmonton Oilers... / 2 days ago Most of the Vancouver Canucks roster might not have playoff experience in front of... / 3 days ago The Edmonton Oilers are expected to give a look to Philip Broberg over the... / 4 days ago The Edmonton Oilers are the only team in the NHL this season to have... / 4 days ago Connor McDavid will sit at least one more game as the Edmonton Oilers take... / 5 days ago The Arizona Coyotes are confirmed to be relocating to Salt Lake City as it... / 5 days ago Arizona Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong addressed the team ahead of the game versus the...

https://nhltradetalk.com/why-5-players-not-traded-2024-deadline/

Former Nigerian Striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni has recently made it clear that he owes no one an apology for the goal he missed during Nigeria’s World Cup match against South Korea in 2010. OsunDaily News recalls how Nigerians expected the Super Eagles to perform well against South Korea in their final match after losing their first two games in Group B against Argentina and Greece. The Super Eagles only managed a 2-2 draw in their match against South Korea on June 22, 2010, having played well. However, a lot of Nigerians are still having trouble understanding what could have been the Super Eagles’ winning goal but Aiyegbeni missed the chance. In a video that went viral on Twitter, the former Everton striker, while talking to a reporter, said: “I cannot apologize because it was not a deliberate miss. I seriously wanted to score. “But it wasn’t to be. So many strikers have missed chances too, and nobody will apologize so I won’t.” After departing Everton in the 2010/2011 season, the 40-year-old forward played for a few other English clubs such as Leicester city, Blackburn, and Reading, before joining Kayserispor in Turkey. This article was originally published on OsunDaily News

https://osundailyng.com/why-i-will-never-apologize-for-my-miss-at-the-2010-world-cup-aiyegbeni/

The Constitutional claim of a high school teacher, who sought to continue coaching even though his teaching contract was not renewed, was dismissed by a federal judge over the spring. Michael R. Ladner had alleged unsuccessfully that the Hancock County School District violated Fourteenth Amendment equal protection and substantive and procedural due process rights pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 when it did not decide to renew his coaching contract. Ladner was employed as a teacher at the Hancock County High School during the 2006-2007 school year pursuant to a standard licensed/certified teaching contract on a form approved by the Mississippi State Board of Education. Ct. R. 30-2. In addition, he executed a separate contract for his coaching position, which was not on a form approved by the Mississippi State Board of Education. Ct. R. 30-3. Instead, the coaching contract specifically stated that it was “separate and distinct” from his teaching contract, could be terminated at any time by either party. In accordance with the requirements of the state’s Education Employment Procedures Law of 2001, the school district notified the plaintiff that he would not be re-employed for the 2007-2008 school year because he did “not possess a valid teacher license for the ensuing school year.” The plaintiff timely completed his certification requirements, and the School District eventually renewed his teaching contract after the instant lawsuit was filed, making that portion of the plaintiff’s lawsuit moot. When the School District renewed the plaintiff’s teaching contract, it did not renew the basketball coaching contract. The latter decision was not unexpected, as the athletic director had already asked the plaintiff to consider resigning as basketball coach. Ladner, however, alleged that the School District “ran afoul of the EEPL by failing to provide notice of nonrenewal of the basketball coaching contract,” introducing the aforementioned Constitutional claims. The School District countered that “there is no Constitutional violation because the express terms of the coaching contract relieved it from any obligation to comply with the EEPL, and furthermore, the contract was for a position not within the purview of the EEPL.” The court seemed to agree, noting that when the school district notified the plaintiff that his teaching contract would not be renewed that it also provided sufficient notice that the coaching contract would not be renewed. “The Court finds no requirement in the EEPL or the case law that the school district must list each contract the District intends not to renew,” the court wrote. “The plaintiff was notified that he would not be re-employed with the District, which seems sufficient to meet the legislative objectives of the EEPL in regard to both contracts. 2 The Court therefore cannot agree with Plaintiff’s contention that he did not receive notice that his basketball coaching contract would not be renewed.” “However, even if the plaintiff did not receive notice of nonrenewal of his coaching contract, he cannot show that notice was required. As noted above, the plaintiff’s basketball coaching contract contained express language exempting it from the EEPL.” The court then turned to another one of the plaintiff’s arguments that “the coaching contract must be subject to the EEPL because a Mississippi high school coach is required by the Mississippi High School Activities Association, Inc., to have a teaching certificate. In the plaintiff’s view, the Association’s rule brings the plaintiff’s coaching contract within the purview of the EEPL, despite the undisputed fact that there is no ‘coaching’ certificate issued by the State Board of Education. In support of his argument, the plaintiff cites to Burks v. Amite County School District, 708 So. 2d 1366 (Miss. 1998). “The relevant portion of the opinion states: “This Court has not addressed whether a school employee who is non-renewed in a position for which no certificate is required is nevertheless covered by the School Employment Procedures Law because the employee’s other position does require a certificate. For the law to be applicable, two conditions must be satisfied. First, one must be among the group sought to be protected. Second, one must hold a valid certificate as a prerequisite to employment. Burks was a librarian in the school district and was required to hold a valid certificate as a prerequisite to his employment, thus satisfying the definition of employee for his position as a librarian. He did not acquire a certificate for the position of coordinator of the federal Drug-Free Schools program, however. Burks, 708 So. 2d at 1369. “It appears that the court held that Burks did not satisfy the EEPL definition of employee for his position as a coordinator of the federal Drug-Free Schools Program because he did not have a certificate for that position. There is no further discussion of the issue, and the court goes on to discuss the racial discrimination component of Burks’s claims. Thus, if anything, the Burks case is simply support for the general principle that only contracts for positions requiring a teaching certificate issued by the Board of Education are subject to the provisions of the EEPL.” Michael R. Ladner v. Hancock County School District; S.D.Miss.; CAUSE NO. 1:07CV901 LG-JMR, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30490; 4/8/08 Attorneys of Record: (for plaintiff) Chester D. Nicholson of Nicholson and Nicholson, Gulfport, MS. (for defendant) Roderick Mark Alexander, Jr., Balch & Bingham, LLP – Gulfport, Gulfport, MS.

https://sportslitigationalert.com/district-need-not-give-notice-before-terminating-coaching-contract/

STOMP it anytime, anywhere. Download the new STOMP app today. The 27-year-old man who invaded the track while the Singapore Grand Prix race was still ongoing on Sep 20 caused a major controversy. According to The Straits Times, Yogvitam Pravin Dhokia, a British national, who allegedly committed a rash act on Sept 20 to endanger the safety of F1 drivers in the race near Turn 13 along Esplanade Drive at about 9pm that day, was charged today (Sept 22). A shocking CCTV footage reveals how the man got past the barricade. Watch the video below to find out more.

https://stomp.straitstimes.com/singapore-seen/singapore/27-year-old-briton-charged-with-f1-track-intrusion-shocking-cctv-shows-how

Football is incredibly popular in China and yet the country of some 1.35 billion did not qualify for the 2014 tournament currently underway in Brazil. As Shannon wrote on The Diplomat yesterday, football is frequently cited as an important part of President Xi Jinping’s “Chinese Dream.” In fact, Xi’s second dream was his soccer dream: the dream that China would qualify for, host, and finally win the FIFA World Cup. While that dream might be unattainable in the near term, the closest date that China could host the World Cup (and thereby automatically qualify, bringing 2 of 3 elements of Xi’s dream into reality) is likely to be 2034 — two decades from now. This is simply due to the way FIFA regulates the hosting of the tournament around the world every four years. Despite the tendency of the cup to find itself in South American or European hands every four years, the tournament itself travels across the world. Prior to Brazil, we were in South Africa (2010), Germany (2006), and Japan and South Korea (2002). After Brazil, we will be in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. You’ll notice that FIFA tends to rotate its regions. Indeed, two back-to-back world cups cannot take place within the same international footballing region since a FIFA rotation policy came into force following the selection of Germany as the 2006 hosts. The policy was subsequently modified to prevent countries from the same region from submitting a bid to host the world cup if their region had hosted the tournament eight years prior. So, under FIFA’s rotation policy, since Brazil, a CONMEBOL member, won the 2014 bid, no CONMEBOL member was eligible to submit a bid for 2018 or 2022. The six FIFA regions are the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). China naturally belongs to the Asian Football Confederation, as does Qatar, the declared 2022 host. Likewise, as Qatar, an AFC state, will host in 2022, no AFC state can host in 2026 or 2030 (unless, as Samuel Chi points out, Qatar’s bid is revoked due to an ongoing corruption investigation). That brings us to 2034 as the earliest possible date for a Chinese World Cup (a post at China Sports Insider by Mark Dreyer comes to the same conclusion as well). Despite the two decades that China will have to wait for a shot at a World Cup, China will be a very attractive option for 2034’s tournament. China has already demonstrated that it can host a major world sporting event by hosting the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Plus, it will have been 32 years since the last East Asian World Cup (Japan and South Korea in 2002), warranting a return to the region in 2034. Fortunately, 2034 is enough time for China to invest in its footballers the same way it has done with its Olympians. Should China happen to qualify as part of the AFC group for any of the World Cups between now and 2034, it will be keen to avoid a repeat of its 2002 appearance when it scored no goals, had nine goals scored against it, and lost all games as a result. China’s national football team has a long way to go just within Asia. In order to qualify for the coveted AFC spots in the World Cup, it must surpass or equal the teams that are generally Asia’s best and consistently qualify: Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Iran (all of whom are playing in the 2014 tournament).

https://thediplomat.com/2014/06/get-ready-for-a-chinese-world-cup-in-20-years/

Bank on all your favorite sports, video games and fights, consisting of pro football, pro hockey, college sports, boxing and much more. You decide what to bet on, whether it’s factors, money lines or planning to parlay your method to a big win. In slot gacor and esports betting, deals are extra complicated. Generally, they describe a certain event, a series of losing wagers or down payment cash. For the first classification, you will certainly discover countless rewards for international tournaments in soccer, basketball, golf and sometimes Football. The 2nd and 3rd classifications are somehow similar. We offer a full range of sporting activities wagering options, including futures and live banking on occasions underway. Wagering is offered on all significant sports along with tennis, golf, UFC, NASCAR and more. Unlike internal sign-up, states that provide true online sporting activities betting won’t compel players to go to an online book to subscribe and pack their accounts. 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Before the advent of the internet, numerous individuals played the football pools every week in the UK. Seminole People Of Florida To Start Sporting Activities Wagering At Online Casinos Next Month We are the first online casino in Wisconsin accredited to provide sports betting. Bank on teams and players in virtually every sport– from hardball to pigskin, from hockey to hoops, and on men that drive it 400 backyards or 500 miles. With the legalization of sports betting, the booths permit you to put wagers on various sporting activities events, teams and players. Unless you’re the luckiest individual on earth, you’ll need to obtain knowledgeable about a sport and do your homework prior to positioning your wager, if you desire a possibility at the money. If you’re a beginner at sports, your best option is to begin with tennis or Formula 1. Casino Site Sporting Activities Betting • Download Our Mobile Application Now There’s been 49 different starting quarterbacks thus far. You have actually had 10 novice quarterbacks play thus far this year. The preseason was reduced so people aren’t getting the sort of preparation. You had Brady and Aaron Rodgers in the league last year and don’t have them this year. To put it simply, you might lose by much less the 7 points and win the bet. If the last rating is determined by 7 factors exactly, that’s a press and you would certainly be refunded your wager. TEASER– A kind of parlay in which the point spread or overall of each individual play is readjusted. No additional info is readily available today,” Gary Bitner, a spokesperson for the Seminoles, stated in an email. Wednesday’s statement showed initial sporting activities betting will certainly be limited to the tribe’s centers and did not information when it could go statewide. If we are talking about a sport then right here the essential thing is to bank on games or sporting activities that you actually recognize exactly how they work, what their rules are, etc. Just if you have a good knowledge of the sporting activity concerned and details regarding what is happening then within that sporting activity you will certainly make the very best possible wagers and have a better capability to be successful. If you wish to get into the world of sports wagering and online casinos with the Internet, we provide you some tricks that can be beneficial and with which you will have the ability to bet safely. A bank on the total of the final rating of both teams. If the Rams vs Patriots total amount is 44.5, that suggests the overall final rating is going to either more than that total or under that overall. It’s the number designated to a video game in which the favorite must win by. The underdog is given points and might lose the real video game yet if its within the factor spread, you still win the bet. The preferred is indicated by a minus (-) beside the point spread.

https://thepokersproject.com/betrivers-sportsbook-pennsylvania-sporting-activities-betting-made-easy-at-betrivers-sportsbook/

Nebraska head coach John Cook announces the addition of Tyler Hildebrand as the teams new assistant coach, replacing Chris Tamas who accepted the head coaching position at Illinois in February. Earlier this year, Cook also brought back the teams former libero, Kayla Banwarth as the other assistant coach for the program. Hildebrand is in his second year as associate head coach and fifth year overall on the staff for the Long Beach State men’s volleyball program. He was a former All-American at Long Beach State he was also a major fixture on the U.S. Men’s National Team. He is already on campus with the team, leaving the 49ers, who are 15-2 and ranked #2 in the AVCA Coaches Poll. The team has a good chance of making a decent run in the NCAA Tournament in May; therefore, Hildebrand could still possibly serve as a volunteer assistant with the team come tournament time. With Nebraska, Hildebrand will have the opportunity to coach all positions as well as recruiting. With Long Beach State, he helped run the offense and blocking defense. Since the conclusion of his collegiate career, Hildebrand has accomplished much as both a player and coach. From 2006-2012, Hildebrand played with the U.S. Men’s National Team where he was a four-time Pan American Cup champion and a World University Games bronze medalist. In 2015, he served as the setting consultant for the National Team as they won the FIVB World Cup and earned the bronze medal in the World League. Last summer, Hildebrand helped coach the U.S. beach pair of Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson at the 2016 Rio Olympics – also having played beach professionally from 2006-07. Hildebrand’s wife, Kristin Hildebrand was a former U.S. Women’s National Team captain and is retired from playing. At a later time, she will be put into a role with the team, of which will be determined at a later date. “Of all the coaches I’ve hired, Tyler is giving up more of what he has going on right now than anyone,” Cook said. “He’s got a Long Beach State men’s team that could win a national championship. He had a contract offer to be with the U.S. Men’s National Team that could be favored to win gold at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.” During his playing career at Long Beach State, Hildebrand was a setter from 2003-06. He was a three-time AVCA All-American selection and three-time first-team All-MPSF pick. In his freshman season, Hildebrand earned the MPSF Freshman of the Year and AVCA National Newcomer of the Year in 2003. Hildebrand graduated from Long Beach State with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2006.

https://volleymob.com/nebraska-hires-tyler-hildebrand-new-assistant-coach/

The draw for the last 16 of the 2023/24 Champions League has been concluded, with some mouthwatering games on the horizon. Arsenal will face Porto in the last 16. The two sides met at this stage in 2009/10, and it was Arsenal who had the last laugh. The Gunners fell to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg but roared to a 5-0 victory in the return leg to book their place in the quarter-finals. Reigning champions Manchester City must get through Copenhagen on their quest to defend their title. The Danish side advanced at the expense of Manchester United in the group stage but Pep Guardiola's men will be determined to avoid a similar fate. Elsewhere, PSG take on Real Sociedad, Inter will face Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich have Lazio and Eredivisie high-flyers PSV will do battle with Borussia Dortmund. The last 16 of the Champions League will begin on 13 February, with the first legs to be played over the week that follows, before the return fixtures start on 5 March and come to a conclusion eight days later. Champions League last 16 draw in full - Porto vs Arsenal - Napoli vs Barcelona - PSG vs Real Sociedad - Inter vs Atletico Madrid - PSV vs Borussia Dortmund - Lazio vs Bayern Munich - Copenhagen vs Manchester City - RB Leipzig vs Real Madrid

https://www.90min.com/posts/champions-league-last-16-arsenal-porto-barcelona-napoli

Cristiano Ronaldo was suspended by Saudi Arabia’s soccer body on Thursday for a gesture he made during a match, eliciting strong reactions from fans amid an otherwise successful tenure for the Portuguese superstar in the Gulf country. What happened: Ronaldo’s Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr beat Riyadh rivals Al Shabab on Sunday. During the match, rival fans were heard chanting “Messi” — a reference to Ronaldo’s longtime rival Lionel Messi. Amid the chants, Ronaldo put his hand near his ear and then made a jerking motion near his waist. Al Shabab filed a complaint against Ronaldo in response. On Thursday, the Saudi Arabia Football Federation’s Disciplinary and Ethics Committee announced that Ronaldo has been suspended for one game over the gesture. The committee also ordered him to pay 10,000 Saudi riyals ($2,670) to the federation and another 20,000 riyals ($5,330) to Al Shabab. The decision cannot be appealed, the committee said in a statement. Al Nassr’s next match is against Al Hazm on Thursday evening. Reactions: The decision drew mixed reactions on Saudi and wider Arabic-language social media. Some users on X criticized Ronaldo for his antics. Saudi journalist Majid al-Menaiya wrote, “What's important to me is that [this] is not repeated, and that our ethics, norms and traditions are respected.” Others defended Ronaldo, with some users saying Al Nassr fans plan to chant the star player’s name during the seventh minute of the match against Al Hazm in defiance of the suspension. Ronaldo did not respond to the ban on his social media accounts, but posted a picture of himself working out on Instagram on Thursday with the caption “Can’t stop." Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr in late 2022, becoming by far the biggest name in the sport to join the Saudi Pro League. His time at the club has been successful. He leads the league in goals and Al Nassr is currently in second place. Know more: Saudi Arabia is seeking to boost the prestige of its soccer league as part of its sports ambitions and the kingdom will host the FIFA World Cup in 2034. The Saudi Pro League lured many other top international players last year following Ronaldo’s move, including Neymar and Karim Benzema. Saudi Arabia’s soccer spending spree has slowed this year, however, amid sagging attendance and rumors that some top players want out of the kingdom.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/02/why-did-saudi-soccer-league-suspend-cristiano-ronaldo

Grimsby hoodoo ends TOWN defender Janos Kovacs was delighted his side ended their miserable run at Blundell Park with a 1-0 victory on Friday night. Hatters hadn’t tasted success in Grimsby since 1998 when Rory Allen netted in a 1-0 win, their only triumph in 12 attempts. But Tommy Wright’s 73rd-minute strike was enough to bag all three points and, with Wrexham dropping points against Newport County over the weekend, it meant the gap at the top was reduced to six points. Kovacs said: “I saw something about this (the poor record). Stats are always like that. If it’s going into your head it can cause problems. If you’re not focusing on it you can just go on to the match and do what you can and we did that. For the full story see the News/Gazette.

https://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/sport/football/luton-town/grimsby-hoodoo-ends-2392029

Posted: 6:30 a.m. Melissa Clark Whitworth, a beauty queen whose beauty is she isn't a queen, couldn't believe what was coming out of the TV. It was a few weeks ago when her husband's anonymous offensive line had helped the Bengals to another improbable victory to continue to pad their impossible pad in the AFC North when she heard the announcers say something like, "We have no idea who is on this offensive line because we've never heard of them." That was a laugh, she thought. After being crowned Miss Louisiana in 2003, she'd worked in the news business and she knew what was a good story and how to get it. No one is anonymous anymore. And, after all, she knew all those guys on the offensive line because just a few weeks ago they had lumbered into her bedroom to cheer her up. All 10 of them. So huge they had turned the room into a doll house. It hadn't been but 12 hours since she and Andrew had gotten back from the hospital in the middle of the night after her miscarriage heartbroken and dazed. Just a few days before they had heard the heartbeat. Andrew had texted Coach Lewis and he told him, 'Do whatever you need to do,' so he didn't go to the stadium until practice started at 1 p.m. But he called her a few hours later. Right around the time he was going to be meeting with the line in their usual Wednesday's get-togethers. "He asked me what I was wearing," Melissa Whitworth says now. "He said, 'You better get ready because you're going to have some company.' And every one of them came over to our house to see me. And they didn't just say hi and leave. It was after practice and it was late and if they just wanted to go home, they could have. "But all of them stayed with me and Andrew. They were all in our bedroom, standing around, sitting on the bed or the floor and just talking for about an hour. To me, that speaks to the character of all of them and shows why it really is such a special group." A few more people are going to get to know them this Sunday in Minnesota when they continue their rise from obscurity against one of the best known defensive lines in the NFL. It is the Vikings Miss America vs. the Bengals The Girl Next Door. And Melissa's husband, left tackle Andrew Whitworth, is the one leading the parade down the runway as he attempts to continue his Pro Bowl-like season against one of the NFL's most feared sackers in right end Jared Allen. "I'll let you know after Sunday," says offensive line coach Paul Alexander when asked if Whitworth has had a Pro Bowl season. Asked if he has had a Pro Bowl alternate season like Levi Jones had in 2005 when he faced a Pro Bowl roster of sackers and Carson Palmer put up the only triple-digit passer rating in Bengals history in an AFC North championship season, Alexander says, "Ask me after Sunday." But he says Whitworth is having "a great year," and that he's playing as good as any left tackle in the league. The film that Alexander and assistant Bob Surace watch reflect it. The working number is one sack allowed in his first full season as a left tackle and his fourth year in the league. The only man who has more sacks than Allen's 12.5 is Denver's Elvis Dumervil with 15 and he got none of them against Whitworth on Opening Day. The only one Whitworth has given up is to the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year in the Steelers' James Harrison. He's got 10, only behind Dumervil, Allen and Dwight Freeney. But Harrison had eight quarters against Whitworth in the games the Bengals swept. At times Whitworth has had Jarret Johnson (six sacks) and Pro Bowler Terrell Suggs (only 3.5 because he's hurt) in Baltimore, Kamerion Wimbley (6.5) in Cleveland, along with Oakland's Richard Seymour (four). "Whit is smart, tough, and he's a well-coordinated athlete," Alexander says. "He looks gawky, but he couldn't be farther from that. And he's got big hands." And Melissa Clark can tell you he's got a big heart. When she met the 6-7, 330-pound Whitworth in his hometown of West Monroe, La., where she was anchoring the local news, she already knew who he was, of course. It was Mutt and Jeff, really. She had been everything from Miss Shreveport to Miss Sweetheart to Miss Louisiana Tech but, frankly, she is more at home in sweats instead of sequins. An energetic, slight blond who prefers to do the heavy lifting whether it is reporting or charity work, she wanted to see just who this guy was. So she refused to Google him because she wanted to find out for herself. "I won the husband lottery," she says this week, taking a break from running the "Big Whit Foundation," a Louisiana juggernaut that develops mentors for youth along with helping financially-strapped families adopt. "He honestly wants to help people." His teammates and coaches have to be looking at that second-round pick in the 2006 draft thinking that they too, won the lottery. The draft lottery. Not only when they look at what he's done on the field, but how he has emerged as such an influential leader off it. Take Wednesday afternoons and Sunday nights. After home games, Whitworth and the other captains pitch in money to host a dinner at a downtown restaurant with all their teammates and families as a way of breaking bread and bonding no matter what happens. And, with the help of the team's senior NFL man, right guard Bobbie Williams, his co-chairman on the O-line, Whitworth thought it would be a good idea for the line to meet on Wednesdays after everyone else had left the stadium for the day. "It's a way to watch more film and study, but it's also a way to fellowship more and spend more time together as a group," Whitworth says. Williams says that Whitworth figured that since they were going to be down there for an extra hour or 90 minutes or so, some food would make it all that much more enjoyable. So every week Whitworth foots the bill for pizzas or chicken, or sometimes Melissa whips up her lasagna the night before that center Kyle Cook calls, "Unbelievably good." "On those Tuesday nights I cook, Andrew helps me," she says. "Those guys like to eat so much; I'll take three big pans down there." She usually brings the load down to the stadium while practice is still going on. On this Wednesday, as they watched Allen, along with the incomparable tandem of Vikings tackles, Pat and Kevin Williams, they dined on Montgomery Inn chicken and Saratoga chips. They also traded quips (left guard Evan Mathis is probably the quickest and the guy with the biggest needle) and some spirit because team chaplain Ken Moyer is a former O-lineman himself. And if Whitworth sees a wayward DB or backer wandering out of the defensive room, he'll call him across the hall to share. "Whit thought about the food and that was a good idea," Williams says. "But that's Whit. Great teammate. Whatever he can do for the team." "Even the rookies hate paying for stuff because that's the rookie job," Cook says. "But the fact he's a veteran paying for it shows you where he's coming from. He's obviously in this thing with us. We're down here eight, nine, 10 hours and to spend another hour shows the commitment." If there is a poster child for this line that no one knew about at the beginning of the season, it is Cook, a free-agent center out of Michigan State. But, it could also be Mathis, a third-round pick cut by the Panthers. Or, it could be the other left guard who shares time with Mathis, Nate Livings, and the free agent from LSU who played next to Whitworth on a national championship team. Or, it could be Williams, a second-round pick the Eagles didn't want to re-sign for the right price in free agency. Or it could be right tackle Dennis Roland, cut five times and, at 6-9, thought to be too tall by textbook standards to play. But this line has dumped the textbook into the used bin. The Bengals have the sixth-best running game in the NFL and while they may not be very pretty with the best pedigree, they have led the charge to control of the toughest division in the NFL by taming hostile environments with a physicality rarely seen in Bengaldom. Their ability to smashmouth the foe and wear him down into minutes on the clock has marked the 9-3 record as much as the NFL's fourth-best defense. "I think the first Pittsburgh game was the turning point," Whitworth says. "We didn't play very well in the first quarter. We were trying to do too much. But we figured out that, you know what, if we play the way we play, our style, we can win. And pretty much since then we've been able to do that." For this week, the poster child has to be Cook. Signed as a free agent by the Vikings coming out of Michigan State in 2007, Cook was in the last cut before the season started and the Bengals promptly picked him up and put him on the practice squad. "Yeah, there was no room for me. They let me go, but I'm glad they did or else I wouldn't be here," Cook says. "But you can't make one game any bigger than the other." But it can't be any bigger for a new center. In his first year as a starter, Cook has proven to be bright and adept at getting his linemates in the proper places but on Sunday he'll have to do it without being able to hear in the Metrodome. And he'll be trying to block nearly half a ton of man in the Williamses. "They're really good athletes and they're smart," Cook says. "They know how to play the angles. They never get out of their gaps, they make very few mistakes. And, yeah, their big." Even now, some are wondering if Cook is powerful enough but what does a guy have to do? Against the beast-like AFC North nose tackles, the Bengals ran for at least 100 yards in every game but one. "Yeah, I think this will be like an AFC North game," says Cook, who doesn't think it's an advantage he worked against the Williamses in training camp. "It's going to be a 12-round fight. It's going to be who lands the most punches. It's not going to be a one-hit-and-quit. It's going to be all day." "We kind of like being unknown; keep it that way," Cook says and Whitworth says, "I've always felt that way about myself. People look at me as a guard. Even when I came out. They didn't bother to realize I had played 52 games at left tackle in the SEC (a conference record). But I know I'm a left tackle." Even the Bengals saw him as a guard. He only played left tackle when Levi Jones got hurt, which was often enough that they began to think he could do it. When Whitworth played 10 games there in '06 as a rookie, the Bengals nearly made the playoffs. And when he and Anthony Collins were watching tape of the Kansas City game in 2007 this past Wednesday, there he was doing a pretty good job on Allen in his first life as a Chief. Jones was hurting in that early part of '07 and when Allen was playing video games with him (2.5 sacks in the first 17 plays), the Bengals moved Whitworth from left guard and he pretty much held down Allen the rest of the way. "Jared likes to talk out there. Sometimes I'll talk back to him," Whitworth says. "When AC and I were watching it on film, you could tell we were getting after it pretty good. We were getting into it pretty good. It's going to be fun." Allen isn't a lanky 6-6. Like Whitworth, he's well put together at 270 pounds. "He's a powerful guy, but I think he's got speed, too," Whitworth says. "He rushes a lot like Dumervil. He's a bigger Dumervil. He's strong. He bull rushes. He doesn't come clean to sack quarterbacks. He knocks tackles into quarterbacks, then makes the sack." There will be a lot of answers Sunday, but Melissa Whitworth already knows some of the important ones. During a lunch break this week, Whitworth was on the phone with her trying to smooth out plans for "Whit's Warriors," a weekly recognition program for scholar athletes that culminates with Whitworth presenting them with a college scholarship at the end of the school year. When we have a big fundraiser, I think it's important for the community to know what you're doing with that money," she says off the experience of working for the Make-a-Wish Foundation for several years. "We want to do it so that it's a weekly event with the news stations and that way it becomes a part of the community and it gets exposure." Like her husband, Melissa Whitworth is older than her years. She looks at a guy like the friendly, outgoing Collins and takes on a kind of mother's role. Collins sees her as a sister. In fact, the African-American Collins calls her "Sis." Short for "Sister from another Color." And he had no idea she was a beauty queen until he worked Whitworth's camp in West Monroe this past summer and Whitworth showed him some pictures. "I didn't know she was Miss Louisiana or anything like that. She's like us. Mellow. Laid back," Collins says. Like the rest of the guys, Collins was pretty shook up when he heard about the miscarriage and wasn't surprised everyone showed up back at the condo. "That's what families do and we're a family," Collins says. "That's how this team is. That's how this line is. We care about one another. Everyone is willing to give." Melissa knows what Collins means. She has thought about the miscarriage and says, "It couldn't have come at a worse time," knowing full well it would always be a worst time. "A Tuesday night? Wednesday morning is their biggest time of the week down there," she says. "But I've been thinking about it. What got us through was all the support here. Not just the line, but the wives, the coaches. I wrote Marvin a letter. People have been so supportive." So The Girl Next Door will be watching the Bengals line take on Miss America. If she hears the announcers talking about that anonymous line, she'll probably smile. She knows all about them.

https://www.bengals.com/news/bengals-line-in-limelight-963741

Updated: 2:55 p.m. It turns out that Phil Simms, CBS's lead game analyst, can do a heck of an imitation of Jon Gruden, ESPN's Monday Night analyst. It is Friday morning in the foyer outside the Bengals locker room and Simms is showing how his head spun during his Christmas Eve film study of the Bengals in preparation for Sunday's game at sold-out Paul Brown Stadium (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Channel 12) against the Ravens as he watched offensive coordinator Jay Gruden's endless supply of Xs and Os. Complete with a scrunched-up Chuckie face and the high-pitched stream of terminology, Simms pretended like he was at a board. " 'Hey, they do this, they do that, they run the Wildcat, they run reverses and screens. I don't know how you can stop it.' " The bit was spawned by Simms's admiration for what Gruden has done with the Bengals offense, back in the NFL's top 10 for the first time since 2007 at No. 10. "Christmas Eve I was trying to do as much work as I could and I got a headache," Simms said. " 'Another concept. Another play.' It was really unbelievable. I started making a list and I was laughing to myself because it's Jay Gruden, the offensive coordinator, and I was saying, 'Man this would be right up Jon's alley.' " And make no mistake. Simms loves it that Jay Gruden has more in his playbook, not less, and doesn't buy the notion that the Bengals have too much at their disposal to master. "By and large my one complaint about offenses in the NFL is they don't do enough. So I'm sure not going to complain about this one because I don't think a lot of coordinators and teams give the quarterback a chance to get into rhythm," Simms said. "They don't give him enough easy throws. You've got to do that. "In this league now, 70 percent of your throws have to be easy. That's what most offenses are doing. Except maybe you look at teams like Baltimore, you just have to back up because here it comes. There are more simple really, basic offenses than there are what we're seeing with the Bengals. If you made me choose one, 99 percent of the time I'm taking the Bengals and that philosophy and what they're doing." And while Jon's name has floated for a head coaching job for five years, Simms said he won't be surprised if Jay's name surfaces when the NFL roulette wheel starts spinning Sunday night. "Because everybody is looking for what? 'Somebody who can groom the franchise quarterback.' It's like a comedy act. It always gets back to the same line," Simms said. "It's a huge feather in his cap what he's done with Andy Dalton. If you're not in love with him, that's one thing. But you can't lie. Three years in the playoffs and some of the games he's had this year, the numbers, they're pretty awesome." It seems fitting that Simms is the booth Sunday. After all, Dalton is trying to go 4-0 against Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks this season on Sunday when he takes on reigning Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. Simms, MVP of the first Giants Super Bowl win 27 years ago, thinks Dalton can join the list. "Sure. I say that without hesitation. Yes. I think they've got the system, the players, they're kind of got a roll going on the offensive side when I watch them," Simms said. "They're a little streaky … they have spurts like NBA basketball games. They're unbelievable. But then, they can have the other one, too. But that's kind of the state of the league. When they have their spurts, they can win games in a matter of minutes, which I think is really impressive." Simms doesn't want to hear the chatter about the questions surrounding Dalton, fueled by media and fans alike. Not after racking up a 29-18 career record as a starter with three postseason berths and an AFC North title this season with a career-high passer rating of 91. No, Simms doesn't want to hear how the guy hasn't won a playoff game after 47 games. Not after he was sentenced to NFL oblivion numerous times by the New York media before he won his ring. Not after what he's heard this season in other NFL towns. "If the local media is trying to run you out of town, that means you're close to stardom," Simms said. "That's just the way it is when you're an NFL quarterback. Every city I go to it's the same story in the paper. The only towns that it's not a story is Denver and New England. And maybe Green Bay, but I haven't been there this year. 'The coach can't make the right decision.' 'We might have to get a franchise guy.' 'Should we get one in the draft?' 'Should we trade for Aaron Rodgers?' "It's the same story. I talk about it a lot on TV. During games. It's the most overused phrase in sports. 'We've got to get a franchise guy.' It's ridiculous. What it comes to a lot of times is the teams have to develop that guy. Many times I see quarterbacks in the NFL that have the talent to be a front-line starter, but the organization stinks or the team stinks, so he's not going to get it done. Andy Dalton in three years, look guys, it's over. He's the guy here. For the writers, the fans, get over it. He's going to be here. If you don't like him, just keep going because that's the way it is." It's the first time the Bengals are back in the top 10 in offense since '07, a year that has summed up the Lewis era. They got a franchise record in passing yards from Carson Palmer and a franchise receiving record from Chad Johnson, but averaged just 23.7 points per game and finished 7-9. With 396 points heading into Sunday's finale for an average of 26.4, the Bengals are trying to best the Lewis high of 421 points set in 2005. That year, last year (24.4), and this one are the only seasons the Bengals have averaged at least 24 points since Lewis arrived in 2003. Lewis points to the productivity in the red zone with touchdowns instead of field goals. Indeed with 13 straight red-zone touchdowns, the Bengals are only behind Peyton Manning's Broncos in red-zone TD percentage. "That four-point swing is huge," Lewis said after Friday's practice. "We just have to keep it up. If you get over 24 points in the NFL, you should be OK because the defense is trying to limit it to 17 points." A 26-point effort on Sunday would give the Bengals a Lewis-high of 422 for the season (they're averaging 34 at home this season), good for the third-most in franchise history. That's about right because Lewis says this offense is "more rounded" than the previous years. Running back Giovani Bernard is his first speed back, but he also says the depth at receiver has played a large role. From a fast rangy No. 2 receiver like Marvin Jones to another speed guy in slot receiver Andrew Hawkins to the strong, big Mohamed Sanu who can play inside and outside. "We've just got a bunch of guys that all contribute their deal. Tight end. They all contribute in their ways," Lewis said. "There are a lot of good options." That's a reason Simms likes these guys not only on offense, but on defense. And he liked them right away even though he worked the opener in Chicago, a 24-21 loss the Bengals gave away with a careless two minutes at the end of the first half and three turnovers. "I thought they looked really good in the opener. I was very impressed. I walked away saying 'oh my gosh'; first they blew the game and I just remember thinking that they are ready," Simms said. "They've really fought through some things – some of it is self-inflicted and others. They fought through two devastating injuries. That's a good thing. I don't hear about their injuries in Cincy but everywhere else that would be all we're reading about. It's just the state of the NFL right now. "That will be one of the opening things I'll say in the game is that this is one of the few teams with depth and it shows. Heck, (linebacker) Vinny Rey? Who's he? I'm looking at him and starting to study them and now I'm wondering why he wasn't on the field before? Someone has a good eye. That's an interesting thing. Some injuries devastate teams but they've overcome some big ones. Even (left guard Andrew) Whitworth not being 100 percent; that is pretty cool too." INJURY UPDATE: The Bengals offense could be seriously reduced without its top two tight ends Sunday. Tight end Jermaine Gresham (hamstring, questionable) went on and off the practice field a few times Friday morning before not working and Tyler Eifert (neck, doubtful) remained where he has been all week since his injury in last Sunday's game and watched in sweats. WILL backer Vontaze Burfict (concussion, questionable) was on the practice field with helmet for the first time this week and went full go. With Gresham playing an estimated 90 percent of the snaps and Eifert about 63 percent, the two tight-end formation has been a major element in a Bengals offense that has reached 10th in the NFL the past two weeks. Also not working were cornerback Terence Newman (knee) and defensive tackle Devon Still (back) and they were ruled out, but it looks like Newman can be ready for the playoffs either next week or the week after. Everyone else was probable, including left end Carlos Dunlap (illness), sidelined for Friday's practice, and right tackle Andre Smith (ankle), limited on Friday. |SINGLE-GAME PLAYOFF TICKETS AVAILABLE

https://www.bengals.com/news/notes-simms-salutes-offense-tes-in-doubt-burfict-questionable-after-ful-12278445

How to Calculate your Fitness Age Unlike your real age, your fitness age can actually decrease. Here’s how it can help predict your health Source: Image: iStock I’m 35 years old, but in fitness years, I’m 31. That’s according to this calculator, developed by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, that uses an algorithm to measure your cardiovascular capacity during exercise. And you don’t even have to get off the couch to do it. To create the calculator, researchers evaluated the fitness of almost 5,000 Norwegians by measuring how well their bodies used oxygen during cardiovascular exercise. This measurement is called VO2max, and it’s an important indicator of cardiac health and aerobic endurance. It could even predict longevity ‘ the higher your VO2max, the better your cardiovascular health and the lower your risk of dying young from cardiac disease. With the data they collected, the researchers established a set of markers (such as chronological age, location, gender, ethnicity, education, body weight, amount and intensity of weekly exercise, waistline measurement, maximum heart rate and resting heart rate) that could be used to determine a person’s ‘fitness age’ without having to actually measure their physical activity. Enter those markers into the calculator and’voila!’you have your fitness age. Dr. Pamela Peeke, an assistant clinical professor of medicine and the University of Maryland, was so impressed by the calculator that she teamed with the Norwegian study’s lead researcher to apply the fitness age test to participants in the National Senior Games, a U.S. sports competition for athletes age 50+. The results: the average age of the participants was 68, but the average fitness age was 43. In a Facebook post accompanying a New York Times article on the Senior Games Study, Peeke notes that many of the athletes they measured didn’t start training until later in life. ‘Here’s the cool thing: Your real age marches on, but you can continue to decrease your fitness age to a place that works for you,’ she writes. ‘Absolutely anyone benefits from assuming the vertical and staying more physically active every day.’

https://www.besthealthmag.ca/article/how-to-calculate-your-fitness-age/

14th November 2021, a day that will be etched in the memory of every cricket fan as Australia clinched their maiden T20 title after a resounding eight-wicket win against New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium. After a dismal performance in the first half of the 2021 season, not many people gave the Aussies a chance to reach the knockout stages of the tournament. However, under the astute leadership of Aaron Finch and the guidance of Justin Langer, Australia carved their name in the record books on their way to the coveted title. As we draw curtains on the tournament filled with heartbreaks and jubilation, we have picked a team of the tournament by taking a closer look at the performances of the players. Innings - 7 | Runs - 289 | Average - 48.17 | Strike Rate - 146.7 | HS - 89*| 50s - 3 After enduring a torrid run in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League, not many people gave David Warner a chance to perform and shoulder the responsibility of the Australian side. However, with years of experience at the international level, Warner was the mainstay of the Aussie side amassing 289 runs in seven innings. Despite a lukewarm form of their skipper Aaron Finch in the tournament, Warner ensured the team got off to a flying start on most occasions. His unbeaten 89 against West Indies is the highest individual score by an Australian player in the world event. Jos Buttler (WK) Innings - 6 | Runs - 269 | Average - 89.67 | Strike Rate - 151.1 | HS - 101* | 50s - 1 | 100s - 1 One of the most destructive players in white-ball cricket, Jos Buttler was in scintillating form in this edition of the tournament. The wicket-keeper batter smashed a brutal hundred against Sri Lanka in the league stage of the competition and enthralled the fans with his array of strokes all around the ground. With 269 runs at a strike rate of 151.1, the 31-year old was the most prolific run-scorer of the side and often helped the team make optimum use of the field restrictions and score quick runs. Babar Azam (Captain) Innings - 6 | Runs - 303 | Average - 60.6 | Strike Rate - 126.3 | HS - 70 | 50s - 4 The leading run-scorer in the tournament, Babar Azam was in sublime form all through the competition. The skipper of the Pakistan outfit led from the front and scored 303 runs in six innings with four half-centuries. Along with Mohammad Rizwan, he forged a formidable opening combination and helped Pakistan lay a solid foundation with the bat. His four 50+ scores in this edition is the joint most by a batsman in an edition of T20 WC alongside Matthew Hayden in 2007 and Virat Kohli in 2014. Innings - 5 | Runs - 185 | Average - 61.67 | Strike Rate - 146.8 | HS - 77* | 50s - 2 With a scintillating knock of 77* runs in the summit clash against New Zealand, Mitchell Marsh single-handedly helped Australian men's team clinch their maiden title in this form of the game. The all-rounder was handed the responsibility to bat at number three in the tournament and displayed immense courage and maturity to take the attack to the opposition bowling unit and score quick runs. In the five innings, Marsh scored 185 runs at an average of 61.67 to give the team a steady start in the first innings or in their bid to chase down any total. Innings - 5 | Runs - 162 | Average - 54 | Strike Rate - 145.9 | HS - 52* | 50s - 2 One of the mainstays in the batting unit of the Proteas, Aiden Markram, anchored the innings in the first half and changed gears to give the side much-needed impetus in the back end of the innings. While the right-handed batter is known to be a prolific player in the longest format of the game, Markram showcased tremendous grit and determination to become one of the leading players for South Africa in this form. With Quinton de Knock struggling for runs, Markram guided the young batting unit and scored 162 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 145.9. The 27-year old scored a destructive half-century (52* off 25) against England in their last league match to propel the side to a mammoth first innings total. Innings - 4 | Runs - 92 | Average - 46 | Strike Rate - 131.4 | HS - 51* | 50s - 1 Innings - 4 | Wickets - 7 | Economy - 5.5 | BBI - 2/15 After a successful stint with the Chennai Super Kings in the recently concluded IPL, Moeen Ali carried his form in the national jersey. The all-rounder was a vital cog in the playing XI of the Three Lions and played a crucial role in helping them reach the final four stage of the competition. With his off-spin, he was utilized by skipper Eoin Morgan smartly in the powerplay against the left-handers and often helped them pick up early wickets in the first six overs. While the form and the strike rate of Dawid Malan was a concern for the side heading into the tournament, Moeen was used as a pinch hitter and scored an unbeaten 51 in the semi-finals against the Kiwis. Innings - 5 | Runs - 119 | Average - 23.8 | Strike Rate - 148.8 | HS - 71 | 50s - 1 Innings - 8 | Wickets - 16 | Economy - 5.2 | BBI - 3/9 The number 1 bowler in the ICC T20 rankings, Wanindu Hasaranga, wreaked through the batting unit of the opposition and scalped 16 wickets in eight innings at an economy rate of 5.2. In a league match against South Africa, the 24-year old became only the third player to bag a hat-trick in the history of the World Cup. Making optimum use of the variations in his arsenal and the conditions on offer, Hasaranga dented the batting unit of the opposition with wickets in the middle overs. With the bat, the right-hander was equally crucial to the Sri Lankan side as he scored 119 runs at a strike rate of 148.8, including a match-winning knock of 71 runs against Ireland in the qualifying stage of the competition. Innings - 7 | Wickets - 13 | Economy - 5.8 | BBI - 5/19 One of the reasons behind Australia's dominance has been the rise of Adam Zampa and his heroics in the tournament. The leg spinner scalped 13 wickets in seven innings at an economy rate of 5.8 runs per over. The 29-year old dismantled the batting unit of Bangladesh as he returned with figures of 5-19 to bundle them out for 73 runs in the first innings. Zampa has been crucial to the fortunes of the side and picked up wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs to dent the flow of runs and help Australia crawl their way back in the match. Innings - 5 | Wickets - 9 | Economy - 6.9 | BBI - 3/17 Dwaine Pretorius has been one of the standout bowlers in the back end of the innings in this edition. Out of the nine wickets picked up by Pretorius in the tournament, eight wickets have come between overs 16-20. With an immaculate control on his variations, the right-arm pacer restricted the flow of runs in the final overs and picked up crucial wickets to derail the batting unit. The 32-year old picked up 3-17, his best figures of the competition, to help Proteas dismiss Sri Lanka for 142 runs in the league match. Innings - 5 | Wickets - 9 | Economy - 5.4 | BBI - 3/8 One of the quickest bowlers in world cricket, Anrich Nortje was the go-to bowler for Temba Bavuma in the tournament. The right-arm pacer rattled the opposition with wickets early in the innings and conceded at an economy rate of 5.4 runs per over. On the sluggish surfaces on offer in the United Arab Emirates, Nortje bowled the hard length and did not allow the batters to free their arms, which helped him pick up wickets. The 27-year old scalped nine wickets in five innings at an average of 11.6, making him one of the lethal bowlers in this format. Innings - 7 | Wickets - 13 | Economy - 6.3 | BBI - 3/17 With 13 wickets in seven innings, Trent Boult is third on the list of leading wicket-takers in the tournament. The left-arm pacer has used the new ball to his advantage, especially against the right-handed batters with the ball coming in to pick up early wickets. Despite the Kiwi's faltering in the final frontier, Boult was the standout bowler for the side and conceded at an economy rate of 6.3. In their must-win game against Afghanistan, he picked up 3-17 to help the Black Caps restrict the opposition for a below-par score and storm their way into the knockouts. 2023 ODI stars who are not shining bright in the World Cup Best XIs of 2022 ft. Stokes, SKY, Pandya, Babar IPL 2022: Cricket.com's Dud XI of the Tournament Under-19 World Cup 2022 - Team of the Tournament T20I XI of the Year, 2021 Seven players from this World Cup who could fetch maiden IPL contracts Marsh’s Fastest 50 in finals power AUS to maiden T20 WC title & take their WC title tally to 6 Rizwan first to 1k T20I runs in a year, Stoinis-Wade best PS for 6th or lower in a chase and more Hasaranga's hat-trick in vain; Australia slump to their biggest defeat in T20Is

https://www.cricket.com/news/t20-world-cup-cricketcoms-team-of-the-tournament-1636985060635

WREXHAM FC’s directors will consider an offer by a supporters group to buy the club as the council offers to facilitate talks between rival bidders. The club’s directors held a positive meeting with Wrexham Council and the Wrexham Supporters Trust yesterday – putting the fans group back in the running to take control of the club and ground. The involvement of the council suggests it may also be involved in a bid for the ground but neither party would confirm this last night. It follows a meeting by directors with rival bidder multi-millionaire businesswoman Stephanie Booth earlier in the week – with the preferred new owner expected to be announced before Saturday’s match against Forest Green. A joint statement after the meeting yesterday revealed that Wrexham’s directors will share a “due diligence review” with the WST before the end of the week. This will allow the WST to finalise its proposals for approval for its members. Following the meeting the council said it would organise talks with “all interested parties” to get the “optimum outcome”. A joint statement from the council, club and WST stated: “Wrexham FC, Wrexham Council and Wrexham Supporters Trust are pleased to announce that a positive meeting between the three parties was held this afternoon. “The meeting followed the stated desire by Wrexham FC owners to sell the club with a preference for a fans led consortium. The WST’s part in that potential outcome was the subject of the meeting. “The group discussed the future ownership and management of Wrexham FC, the Racecourse and Colliers Park. All parties were united in the aim to protect the Racecourse as the premier sporting venue in North Wales. “It was agreed that Wrexham FC Directors would share the due diligence review – completed today(Wednesday) - with WST’s advisors in the strictest confidence before the end of the week. “This was in order to enable the Trust to finalise its proposals for approval by its members. “The Directors of Wrexham FC recognise the need for detailed consideration of the due diligence review before final plans can be prepared and confirm that they are prepared to consider a deal with the WST if a bid is forthcoming. “All parties recognise though that there has been interest in Wrexham FC from other parties. “In order to explore the optimum outcome for Wrexham FC, the Racecourse and Colliers Park, Wrexham Council has agreed to facilitate further talks with representatives of all interested parties.” Fans on Red Passion started commenting the latest development after the statement was released last night. Fazer600 commented: “Great news! Fantastic! Especially the bit about the ‘Wrexham Council to facilitate talks.’”

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/council-bidders-talking-over-wrexham-2703897

Goalkeeper has proven to be a problem area for the Reds, and the issue has come back into focus following Loris Karius’ two costly gaffes in Saturday’s Champions League defeat to Real Madrid. Roma’s Alisson remains the number one target, although the Serie A club will continue to drive his price up, particularly after feeling short-changed following Mohamed Salah’s £36.9m move last summer. No surprise, then, that the global media continue linking other names between the sticks with a move to Anfield. And on Thursday, the gossip came from Italy, with two outlets offering two different prospective signings: Thibaut Courtois and Thomas Strakosha. According to infamous transfer tittle-tattle website Gianluca Di Marzio, the Chelsea goalkeeper has emerged as a shock target for Liverpool, with his contract expiring next summer. Di Marzio writes both the Reds and Real Madrid are eyeing a move for the Belgian, although this is counteracted with supposed Stamford Bridge interest in Alisson. Confused? You should be. Something a little more straightforward is TuttoMercatoWeb’s claims that Lazio stopper Strakosha is on Liverpool’s radar. The Albanian international kept 17 clean sheets last season, with the 23-year-old in impressive form throughout Lazio’s Serie A campaign, writes the Liverpool Echo. With the Reds currently set to stick with Karius in some form, Strakosha would represent a player who could challenge, rather than displace, the German. Expect plenty more speculation - particularly from abroad.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/latest-liverpool-fcs-hunt-new-14728848

Indy 500 Futures Odds by Robert Ferringo - 05/14/2008 The 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana. And while there is still two full weeks of prep and practice leading up to one of the most hallowed venues and events in American sports history it's never too early to size up the field and Indy 500 futures odds to try and decipher what will occur on the Brickyard's 2.5-mile oval. As per usual, the Indy 500 has a very definitive international flavor. Like most great jobs in America - such as call-in customer service reps and yard workers - racing at the Indianapolis 500 has been outsourced to foreign folks. Americans have kissed the bricks in two of the last four years, but have only taken the checkered flag in seven of the last 20 years and three of the last 11. And scoping out the early qualifiers, it looks like another pair of foreign puckers will be smooching the bricks on race day! Below I've broken down the early contenders for this year's "Greatest Spectacle in Racing". There is still nearly two weeks of prep left before the race itself so I'm expecting quite a bit of flux in the odds. These are the futures numbers, courtesy of Bodog, and are only part of the plethora of wagering options available for one of the most prestigious races in the world. If it helps, think of betting on an Indy Car race like betting on a horse race. It's Triple Crown season, and Indy takes a similar perspective for gamblers to crack. Except, instead of some mare with a traceable pedigree and a midget with a whip at the controls we have skinny foreigners with several hundred horsepower and NASA-type engineered vehicles. Other than that it's the same type of betting - only with much cooler props. With that in mind, here's a short list of Indy 500 futures odds and analysis: Danica Patrick (9-to-1) - This saucy little vixen needs to just keep her car from smashing into co-workers and leave the heavy lifting to the big boys. She recently managed her first career victory at the Indy 300 and is starting in the coveted No. 5 slot at Indianapolis. However, I don't think she's ready to make The Leap at Indy. She has always run well here, finishing No. 4 in 2005 and then posting back-to-back No. 8 finishes the last two years. But she is too hesitant as a leader and I don't think this is the year she breaks through. Buddy Rice (65-to-1) - The 2004 winner is getting no love at these huge odds! But maybe that's because he really has no shot. He's starting in the middle of the pack and has been feast or famine, bowing out of each of the last two runnings due to accidents. Dan Wheldon (3-to-1) - The savvy Brit won this race in 2005 and placed second in 2004. He also has a No. 4 finish to his name from 2006 and is starting next to teammate Scott Dixon this year in the No. 2 position. Barring an accident, Wheldon is a pro and is pretty much guaranteed a slot in the Top 8. Helio Castroneves (5-to-1) - Here is your best bet on the board. Spiderman just knows how to run the Brickyard. He went back-to-back in 2001 and 2002, finished second in 2003 and third last year. With the exception of an accident-shortened run in 2006 he has finished in the top 10 in all of his races here and has been in the Top three in four of his seven starts. The one thing he will have to overcome from the fourth position is the fact that the IRL points leader has an average finish of 18 since 1996. Marco Andretti (8-to-1) - I do think that Marco will be in it at the last lap but I hate the fact that you have to pay for the name with these odds. He really should be around 12-to-1. The son of racing stud Michael Andretti and grandson of legend Mario Andretti started in the No. 9 slot last year but finished a disappointing 24th when he was involved in that huge accident on lap 162-163. He also managed a second-place finish as a rookie in 2006. But like I said, the odds are too light for this long shot. Scott Dixon (2.5-to-1) - Depending on how you look at it, the pole sitter has either performed very well or very poorly at Indianapolis. The pole sitter has won six of the last 20 races here and Dixon is trying to make it a 1-in-3 play this year. I actually don't like his odds being this high despite him having the fastest car. However, he did take the poll and the checkered this year in Miami, he is second in the current points standings, and he finished in the No. 2 slot here last year and was No. 6 in 2006 so Dixon may be ready to break through. Tony Kanaan (5-to-1) - After a disappointing run here last year I think Kanaan could be primed for a bounceback performance. Kanaan has worked his way into the Top 5 in three of his last five runs here but has never managed to kiss the bricks. He is a lot like Castroneves in that he just always seems to be hanging around the front on the last lap. Those are the type of guys I like having my money on. Vitor Meira (35-to-1) - Vitor is a perennial disappointment at the Brickyard. He is always hanging around in the Top 10 but never seems to make a move to break through that wall. The closest he managed was a second-place finish in 2005 where he almost cashed in at these exact same odds. Ryan Briscoe (10-to-1) - Here we have a bit of a dark horse. Briscoe is the kid who was a hard charging, hard driving, hard living youngster that didn't seem like he'd ever meet his potential. However he's starting in the No. 3 slot and notched a fifth-place run here last year. He is just 16th in the standings but he has been improving in each race and could be a factor here, especially if one or two of the top dogs get knocked out.

https://www.docsports.com/current/indy-500-futures-odds.html

[Louise Taylor covers Newcastle United for The Guardian, and came up with the exact same opening to her weekend article as the one you’ll find here. We thought of it independently, but I’ll pretend she hacked into my computer and stole my idea, because why not?] The good news for Newcastle United is that they absolutely thrashed West Ham on Saturday. The bad news is that Mike Ashley will use it as an excuse to keep his wallet shut – not that he needs one anyway. It was ever thus. Yoked to one of the more parsimonious owners in recent memory, Newcastle’s players and coaches always seem to be in a fist fight with both hands tied behind their backs. In Premier League terms, the squad is desperately thin. And yet they’re back in the top flight where they belong, and are still capable of a performance like the one at St James’ Park on Saturday. Let’s be fair, though – it was Ashley who forked out for Rafa Benitez, and it was also Ashley that spent heavily (in Championship terms) last year to make sure the Magpies came straight back up. Dwight Gayle cost £10m, Matt Ritchie £12m, and Ciaran Clark £5m. All made major contributions and promotion was rarely in doubt. Unfortunately, this summer Ashley’s still spending like a Championship owner. Winger Christian Atsu, on loan from Chelsea last year, came for around £6m, centre-half Florian Lejeune from Eibar for almost £9m, striker Joselu for £5m, right-back Javier Manquillo for an undisclosed sum, and Jacob Murphy, a successful second-tier winger, for £12m. What little Ashley has said publicly suggests the approach won’t change. So what does the squad look like now? Three goals against West Ham, so considerable attacking potential, you’d say. But to coin a phrase: it was only West Ham. On Saturday the Hammers’ defence went from uncertain to unprintable, and three goals were the least you could expect. Remember that the week before, against Huddersfield, the Magpies’ attack was turned aside without much trouble. Lone striker on Saturday was Joselu, and before you snicker, the Spaniard has always been a very good technical player with decent movement and hold-up play. He had an excellent hour against the Hammers, not only scoring the opener but playing target man, bringing his teammates into the attack, and delivering a couple of nifty crosses. Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic are the other strikers, the former unproven at this level, the latter inconsistent and crazy. Mitrovic had a nice cameo at the weekend, breaking through twice and the second time rounding Joe Hart with frightening ease to score the third goal. But it’s anyone’s guess how he’ll perform or who he’ll antagonise on any given day. There’s some quality in the midfield attackers. Matt Ritchie, who had several good games for Bournemouth two years ago, has decent skills and always puts in a shift. Against West Ham he put in three or four. His graft caused turnovers leading to both the first and second goals, and on the second he won the ball, exchanged passes with a teammate, then notched an assist with a beautiful weaker-foot cross for Ciaran Clark’s header. On the other side of the pitch is Atsu, exciting and pretty raw. He always seems to be running at somebody, although his decision-making isn’t always the best. But on the first goal he made the smart pass to Joselu for the assist, where many players would have shot from that position. Man of the match on Saturday was Ayoze Perez. We’ve been here before, of course. When he broke in three years ago, people were saying Arsenal would snap him up in no time. But as the games and the years went on, it became clear that for all his skill, he was perpetually inconsistent, tactically naïve, and not the quickest learner. All of those things may still be true, but will provide little consolation to West Ham fans. Playing mostly in the number 10 spot, he had a good first half and a ridiculously good second. He covered the width of the field, dribbled, passed, sold meat pies, and frankly ran the show. His assist on the third goal was no more than he deserved. Behind those three in the depth chart are young players with some potential (Rolando Aarons, Murphy) and players who have had plenty of chances (Mo Diamé). But there’s one more attacking player worth mentioning, and worth getting very excited about: Mikel Merino, on loan from Dortmund. He’s taken over Jonjo Shelvey’s spot as a deep-lying playmaker, and has made Dr. Evil look like Mini-Me. A week after an off-and-on, petulant performance against Huddersfield, he looked poised, in control, and (what no-one doubted) highly skilled. His through ball to Atsu opened up the defence on Joselu’s goal. He’s even good in the air. And while it was he who failed to close down Aaron Mooy on the wonder strike that won the game for Huddersfield, against West Ham he was always ready to confront his man. It’s the Rafa influence, I suspect. For this is still a Rafa team, and thus first and foremost a team that knows how to defend. They kept Spurs at bay without much trouble until Shelvey was sent off, allowed only seven shots to Huddersfield, and then only eight to West Ham, an attacking side that managed 16 at Southampton despite being down to ten men for an hour. The names of Saturday’s back four don’t exactly bring to mind the glory days of catenaccio: Javier Manquillo, Jamal Lascelles, Ciaran Clark, Chancel Mbemba. Mbemba is an emergency left-back while Paul Dummett is out, and to be honest played like one on Saturday. But the other three were excellent. Manquillo, who rarely looked the part at Liverpool or even (shudder!) Sunderland, looks like a solid, capable right-back under Benitez, who gets forward on occasion and generally does his duty. Lascelles, deputising for the injured Lejeune, didn’t put a foot wrong and as usual won his share of aerial duels. And then there’s Clark. Back in the day, I rated him, and thought he was going to make a useful top-flight centre-half. Shows what I know. By the time Aston Villa went down you’d have bet against him ever being a success in the Premier League, or anywhere else. But now he too plays for Benitez, and along with a goal and a clearance off the line, on Saturday he played with assurance and leadership. We won’t really know about Lejeune until he comes back, which shouldn’t be too long. Also in the squad is DeAndre Yedlin, a right-back who had an okay stint with (shudder again!) Sunderland and could push Manquillo. Another defensive player is Isaac Hayden, the guy who sits next to Merino in front of the back four. With Newcastle dominant against West Ham, he spent a fair amount of time getting forward, but will probably spend more time this season screening. A good player at Championship level, he’s also an unknown quantity in the top flight. Keeper? Well, that’s still kind of iffy. Rob Elliot has had some good games in the Premier League, but perhaps he doesn’t get to as many balls as he should, and his distribution is substandard. On his day, Karl Darlow might be an improvement, but if someone can find the well-hidden key to Mike Ashley’s strongbox (or the even more well-hidden key to his heart), the swag would be well spent on a quality goalkeeper. After the match Rafa once again pointedly called for reinforcements. Silence from upstairs, of course. But survival prospects look a bit better today than they did on Friday. Maybe a solid defence will be enough. Maybe Merino will play like a Dortmund regular. Maybe Perez will become another Kaká. Finally, there remain a few days left in the transfer window – and just maybe, as the old joke goes, the horse will talk.

https://www.football365.com/news/shoots-of-newcastle-promise-but-benitez-needs-backing

NEWCASTLE (Reuters) - Miguel Almiron came off the bench to secure a 2-1 victory for Newcastle United over Wolverhampton Wanderers to move them into fifth place in the Premier League on Sunday. Left out of the starting line-up by manager Eddie Howe, Almiron got his chance in the 68th minute and made his mark 11 minutes later with a superbly-taken goal to boost Newcastle's top-four hopes. Record signing Alexander Isak had given Newcastle the lead with a powerful header after 26 minutes although they were perhaps fortunate not to be down to 10 men after keeper Nick Pope appeared to take down Raul Jimenez in the box earlier. To add to Wolves' frustration Pope made several top-quality saves and Daniel Podence fired a shot against the post. But the visitors did equalise when a slip by Kieran Trippier, as he tried to clear the ball, allowed substitute Hwang Hee-chan the easiest of finishes in the 70th minute. Newcastle hung on to claim their first league win in six league matches to overtake Liverpool with 44 points from 25 games -- four behind Tottenham Hotspur with two games in hand. Wolves remain in 13th place, three points above the relegation zone. (Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

https://www.footballant.com/news/article/almiron-secures-victory-as-newcastle-rise-to-fifth/3cb72787e4a744e0852d97fd98aefcd0

Trent Alexander-Arnold says he is honoured to be compared to David Beckham, but he says he has a long way to go to match the former Manchester United star as "the best free-kick taker in Premier League history". The Liverpool fullback scored a stunning free kick to open the scoring in the Reds' 4-0 battering of Crystal Palace, a victory that moved the champions-elect within two points of sealing the title. Alexander-Arnold has developed a reputation as a dead-ball specialist, with former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher describing Wednesday's stunner as "Beckham-esque". When told of the comparison, Alexander-Arnold laughed and admitted that he believes he's not there yet. "The comparisons with the best free-kick taker in Premier League history are very nice but there is a lot of work to do," Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports. He added: "I have been practising a lot and I had a few against Everton which I was disappointed not to score with, but it's always good to get the ball rolling for the boys." As Alexander-Arnold started the scoring, it was also only the beginning of one of Liverpool's best performances of the season. Fabinho, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah found the back of the net as well, with the former firing a long-range missile to compete with Alexander-Arnold for the goal of the day. The victory comes on the heels of a performance that was poor by Liverpool standards, as the Reds settled for a 0-0 draw against Everton last time out. "The lads have done really well," Alexander-Arnold said. "It was a difficult game and we were disappointed to only get the draw at Everton, but for the first game back at Anfield, it couldn't have gone any better." With the win, Liverpool can seal the title as early as Thursday as Manchester City take on Chelsea. If the Blues are able to seal a win or a draw against Pep Guardiola's side, Liverpool will officially be declared champions. If not, though, the Reds can win the title in their next match which comes, coincidentally, against Manchester City. "It is quite close [the title] but we know a lot can happen in the Premier League. We have worked hard for this and this is what we have always dreamed of," Alexander-Arnold added. "We are in a good position so hopefully we can get over the line soon. We have to focus on ourselves, we are not hoping Man City drop points, we know it's our hands. We still have to go to City next week and get a result."

https://www.goal.com/en/news/alexander-arnold-humbled-by-beckham-comparisons-after-stunning-goal/1arn8rhh6wonz1q6ara00wusla

Chelsea will continue to shop at the top table in the transfer window with a plan to bring in Borussia Dortmund teenager Jude Bellingham in the longer term. This summer, Chelsea are in contact over signing Bellingham's Dortmund team-mate Erling Haaland or Tottenham's Harry Kane, who remains a significant target. Furthermore, the Blues have requested information on Achraf Hakimi, with Inter ready to sell him to raise funds, but the Serie A side will block Chelsea's move for star striker Romelu Lukaku. How does Haaland deal help Bellingham interest? Chelsea are hoping that their efforts in building relationships relating to Haaland can ultimately allow them to win the longer-term race for wonderkid Bellingham. The 17-year-old midfielder has had interest from Chelsea since his early teens and that has never gone away. The Blues' transfer bosses want to be at the front of the queue for when he leaves Germany, although he is soon expected to extend his deal at Westfalenstadion by two years until 2025. In the meantime, however, the Blues can improve their connection with Dortmund. They have a mixed history with the Bundesliga side as, despite signing Christian Pulisic, they have previously snubbed approaches for Michy Batshuayi and Kevin De Bruyne. As well as Manchester United, who had an offer rejected for Bellingham, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City have been known to have tried to turn the England international's head in the past. Is a Haaland or Kane deal possible this summer? The Blues continue to target a world-class striker in the upcoming transfer window. Dortmund are only willing to accept an exceptional offer for Haaland after securing qualification for the Champions League and the finances that come with it. Any deal this summer will be well over £100 million ($141m), with further costs incurred by Haaland's huge wage demands and agent fees. Of course, Blues owner Roman Abramovich could force a deal through, having taken a huge role in securing Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen during protracted negotiations last summer. The Blues could also wait until next summer to go for Haaland, when a variable release clause comes into play, meaning any transfer fee could be around £80m ($113m). However, with a lower fee there will be more competition, with Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus all likely to come to the table. The Blues also remain in contact for Kane, with Manchester City and Manchester United also keen on the wantaway England captain. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has, however, been reluctant to sell to Chelsea in the past, blocking approaches for Luka Modric from Abramovich's staff.

https://www.goal.com/en/news/bellingham-a-long-term-target-for-chelsea-with-kane-or-haaland-still-priorities-this-summer/q4qj5rwovxtx1g5l1hbzsbrdm

Hardcourt Havoc: Handshake Turns Haywire as A&M-Commerce and UIW Teams Clash in Postgame Brawl! Things got real heated after Texas A&M-Commerce pulled off a 76-72 win against Incarnate Word on Monday. The handshake line turned into chaos with players from both teams throwing punches. Coaches and other players tried to break it up, but the brawl went on for more than a minute, with some intense scuffling across the court. It’s not clear what triggered the fight, but it got pretty messy. Broadcast analysts mentioned a girl in the crowd getting hurt, and one of the team’s managers ended up with blood on his face. However, there’s no official word on injuries from authorities or the schools. Later on Monday, both Incarnate Word and A&M-Commerce issued apologies for the “behavior exhibited by our respective men’s basketball programs.” They acknowledged that such actions have no place in college sports and don’t represent the values of the universities or the Southland Conference. The Southland Conference also weighed in, expressing awareness of the “end-of-game situation” and promising a close review of the footage. They emphasized that unsportsmanlike behavior is not tolerated, and the safety of everyone involved is a top priority. Both teams are struggling at the bottom of the conference standings, each with three league wins before Monday’s game. This wasn’t the first time these teams clashed, with A&M-Commerce winning the previous matchup as well. Lions coach Jaret von Rosenberg described the first encounter as a “dogfight” on his postgame radio show. Quite a dramatic turn of events for teams at the lower end of the standings!

https://www.jreasn.com/hardcourt-havoc-handshake-turns-haywire-as-am-commerce-and-uiw-teams-clash-in-postgame-brawl/

Kolkata, April 24: Devon Conway smashed his fourth consecutive fifty of IPL 2023 while Ajinkya Rahane dazzled with an unbeaten 29-ball 71 and Shivam Dube slammed a quick 21-ball fifty to propel Chennai Super Kings to the top of the points table with ten points through an emphatic 49-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Sunday. In front of a crowd which was a sea of yellow, Conway continued his impressive show while Dube attacked the spinners effortlessly and Rahane went after both pace and spin, timing his shots magnificently as Chennai posted the highest IPL score at this venue and against Kolkata. In reply, Jason Roy and Rinku Singh struck valiant half-centuries, but they were not enough as Kolkata ended up at 185/8, crashing to their fourth straight defeat of the competition. After Chennai had a blistering 73-run opening partnership, Rahane and Dube shared a fantastic stand of 85 runs off 32 balls for the third wicket. 'Dhoni Review System!' Fans React After MS Dhoni Takes Successful Review for No Ball During KKR vs CSK IPL 2023 Match. The four-time champions had their plans bang-on in taking Kolkata's bowling attack to cleaners by hitting 18 sixes and 14 fours in their innings, with leg-spinner Suyash Sharma being the standout bowler for the hosts with his spell of 1-29. Electing to bowl first, Kolkata used four bowlers in Power-play. But none of them were able to stop the glorious pair of Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad. While Gaikwad got streaky boundaries off an inside edge and top edge, Conway was like a Ferrari in top gear. He began by swiping across the line over deep square leg for six off David Wiese, followed by using his feet to hammer Varun Chakaravarthy down the ground for another maximum. Conway easily pulled Wiese for four and was lucky to get a boundary despite mistiming a drive. After Conway sliced hard off Kulwant Khejroliya for four to bring the fifty of the opening partnership, Gaikwad swung him hard for six and then cut Sunil Narine for a glorious four through extra cover, followed by a magnificent inside-out loft over the same region for six. IPL 2023 Points Table Updated With Net Run Rate. Kolkata finally broke the partnership when Suyash got a googly to turn in from outside the off-stump and got a bit of dip to rattle Gaikwad's off-stump. Conway marched on to dance down the pitch and launched Narine for a six over long-on, bringing up his fifty in 34 balls. He then followed it up by nailing a slog-sweep off Chakaravarthy as Chennai brought up their hundred in the 11th over. His knock ended in the 13th over when he smashed straight to long-off on a wide delivery from Chakaravarthy. Chennai cancelled out the effect of Conway's fall as Dube smashed two huge sixes in the leg-side in the same over. Orange Cap in IPL 2023 Updated. Rahane joined the boundary-hitting party by smashing two sixes and a four off Umesh in the 14th over yielding 22 runs, with the one timed over deep backward square leg for a maximum off the bowler's pace being the standout. Dube muscled a six off Wiese over long-on and followed it up by slapping past mid-off for four. Post the fifty-run stand coming in just 16 balls, Dube swung through the line to send Suyash over long-on for six. Rahane welcomed Andre Russell by pulling him for six and four in the 17th over to bring up his fifty in 24 balls. In the next over, Dube got his fifty in 20 balls with a magnificent pulled six, before holing out to long-off on the very next ball. But Rahane continued to sizzle, bringing out a cheeky scoop off Khejroliya and then danced down the pitch twice to smash consecutive sixes off Chakaravarthy while cutting through cover for four to take 19 runs off the 19th over. Ravindra Jadeja muscled two sixes off Khejroliya in the final over, before holing out to a deep backward square leg, as Chennai crossed the 230-mark. Purple Cap in IPL 2023 Updated. In reply, Kolkata lost Sunil Narine and N. Jagadeesan in the first two overs. Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer shared a decent 45-run standoff 35 balls before Moeen Ali struck on his first ball by trapping the latter plumb lbw. Roy came out to bat at five after injuring his ankle earlier while fielding and began with a hat-trick of sixes by sweeping twice and reverse-sweeping once. After Rana slog-swept straight to deep mid-wicket off Jadeja, Roy powerfully swept and sliced off him for six and four respectively, while Rinku slammed another six as 19 runs came off the 11th over. He then pulled and swung for more boundaries to reach his fifty in 19 balls with a slice past third man for four. Roy went on hit Theekshana for back-to-back fours in the 15th over. But the off-spinner had the last laugh as he castled Roy with a beautiful carrom ball which had some dip. Despite Andre Russell and Umesh Yadav getting caught in the deep while David Wiese was trapped lbw, Rinku continued to smash boundaries and get his fifty in 30 balls to keep the losing margin below 50 runs. Ajinkya Rahane Wins Man of the Match Award in KKR vs CSK IPL 2023 Match. Chennai Super Kings 235/4 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 71 not out, Devon Conway 56, Shivam Dube 50; Kulwant Khejroliya 2-44, Suyash Sharma 1-29) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 186/6 in 20 overs (Jason Roy 61, Rinku Singh 53 not out; Maheesh Theekshana 2-32, Tushar Deshpande 2-43) by 49 runs (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2023 01:02 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

https://www.latestly.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2023-ajinkya-rahane-devon-conway-shivam-dube-fifties-propel-chennai-super-kings-to-top-of-table-with-49-run-win-over-kkr-5078894.html

Sam Allardyce has made two changes as Everton play Southampton at Goodison Park on Saturday evening. Wayne Rooney drops out of the squad altogether with a calf issue, as Tom Davies takes his place in the starting line-up for the visit of the Saints. Yannick Bolasie also makes his return to the Everton XI as Theo Walcott drops out of the squad altogether with a knee injury. The rest of the Everton side stays the same, with Nikola Vlasic keeping his place in the XI. Davy Klaassen, who's only Premier League appearance this calendar year came as a substitute against Brighton, returns to the Blues bench. Ramiro Funes Mori is also named on the bench as is Beni Baningime, who signed a new four-year contract with Everton earlier this week. Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Jagielka, Keane, Baines, Schneiderlin, Gueye, Davies, Vlasic, Tosun, Bolasie Subs: Robles, Martina, Klaassen, Niasse, Funes Mori, Kenny, Bainingime

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/everton-line-up-vs-southampton-14620640

Roberto Martinez believes Everton were punished with a harsh penalty – but admits they have only themselves to blame for failing to continue their winning run. Hopes of a fourth successive victory were dashed when the Blues were held to a 1-1 draw at Swansea City. On-loan Aaron Lennon netted the opener with his second Everton goal on 41 minutes with the visitors then dominating immediately after the interval. But an inability to turn possession into goals meant they were pegged back on 69 minutes when Seamus Coleman handled and Jonjo Shelvey converted from the spot. And Martinez said: “It's a tough result to take. It feels like a defeat. “I'm very satisfied with the performance. Swansea are a very difficult team to play, especially at the Liberty. “The way we worked defensively, we were very discipled and concentration was very very good. “After 20 minutes in the first half, we started to control things and scored a very good goal from open play and had another good chance before half-time. “In the second half, the only criticism we can have of ourselves is that for the first 20-25 minutes it was too easy. “We moved the ball well but we never carried the threat we should have. Not getting the second goal was our own mistake. “When you are only one goal ahead you are always exposed to something that could happen, and it happened (with the penalty).” The spot kick was awarded by referee Michael Oliver when Coleman, under pressure from Swansea substitute Marvin Emnes, lost his balance and handled the ball just inside the penalty area. Martinez believes a free-kick should have been awarded for a foul on the Everton man, and said: “It was a soft moment to drop two points. “Seamus clearly feels there was contact, the striker was trying to get there and if you don't press the brakes quick enough you're going to get contact. “The referee then has a decision to make. Seamus loses his balance and as he is falling to the ground he touches the ball with his hand. “There was no goalscoring threat whatsoever. For me it's very, very harsh. “I would have wanted the free-kick to be awarded. There were two or three incidents exactly the same soon after and a free-kick was awarded. You want consistency.” Swansea boss Garry Monk, meanwhile, believes Arouna Kone was fortunate to only be booked in the first half after catching Federico Fernandez with an arm to the face during an aerial challenge. “I've seen players sent off for less than that,” said Monk. “He was lucky to get away with it, to be honest. “I don't want to see players sent off and I thought it was a hard challenge when Federico was favourite. “But I was more disappointed with Jonjo Shelvey's disallowed goal. “I thought it was very harsh to give the foul by Wayne Routledge on Leighton Baines and deny Jonjo one of the goals of the season.” Of Kone's challenge on Fernandez, Martinez said: “I haven't seen the replay so I can't comment on that.”

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/everton-penalty-set-back-harsh-roberto-9026240

Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand has dismissed suggestions that runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool have been lucky this season and admits that he fears Jurgen Klopp's side will dominate football for years to come. The Reds senior players are currently on their winter break, which enabled the club's youngest-ever starting line-up to defeat League One Shrewsbury Town in their FA Cup fourth round replay on Tuesday night, but return to action on Saturday February 15 at the Premier League's bottom club Norwich City having won 24 of their 25 top flight fixtures so far this term. At the moment that haul gives undefeated Liverpool a 22-point cushion at the summit ahead of nearest challengers and champions of the past two seasons Manchester City, the largest ever lead ever enjoyed at the top of the table. With the Reds closing in on their first League Championship in 30 years – they need just 18 more points from the 39 available over their last 13 games – Ferdinand, who won six Premier League titles with old foes Manchester United – concedes they will be worthy winners. Speaking at BT's launch of its new, five-year 4-3-3 partnership with the English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh FAs via the Mirror, he said: “You have to respect it, I think Liverpool have done a tremendous job. “In the last two years the amount of points they have accumulated has been phenomenal. “They've done that, you have to admire it and respect it. “You're not lucky to win the league, I know that from experience. You haven't got to be lucky you've got to be good enough to win a league and Liverpool are more than good enough.” The 41-year-old, who has been forced to change his tune after hailing former team-mate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's impact in the Old Trafford dugout last Spring, declaring: “Let him sign the contract. Ole’s at the wheel man, he’s doing his thing, Man United are back,” admits that Liverpool, who are already reigning European champions, could now be a major force for the considerable future. Ferdinand added: “I think that is the scary part for everyone else is that Liverpool, this isn't about today, they're going to be in this for the long haul. Sign up for our Liverpool FC email bulletin The Liverpool Echo sends a twice-daily Liverpool FC bulletin out via email, with the latest Reds stories to read or catch up on. To sign up for this free service - or any of our other emails like news or what's on - just click here, add your email and click the messages you want to receive. “They look like a team that is being built for the long-term. “I think others team, other owners, can take a lead off of what Liverpool have done. They've invested in their manager, they've invested in his ideas. He's been allowed to implement them over time. “He didn't have success immediately, but you're seeing it bears fruit four or five years on now from the beginnings of that. “He was given time and the resources and now the trophies are coming.”

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/manchester-united-icon-makes-scary-17691713

ARSENE WENGER accepts some people will always claim Arsenal are “wrong” - no matter how he tries to approach the game. The Gunners boss found himself on the defensive following Jack Wilshere’s red card in the 2-1 win over Birmingham at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, having used his programme notes to again call for a clampdown on reckless challenges. Wenger maintains Wilshere’s tackle was merely mistimed, but knows full well there will be more than one or two who revel in some schadenfreude at his expense. “No matter what we do, it is wrong,” Wenger said. “If we get kicked the whole game and do not reply, people say we are too soft. “I don’t believe we are too soft. We showed that at Chelsea where we were not dominated physically at all. On the contrary, we dominated that game physically, so we are not too soft. “I tell my players to play football. I can influence my players with the vision I have of the game, but I cannot influence what people say about us. “If you respond every time to the judgement of others you go one day north, the next day south, then east, then west and players don’t know where you are going any more. “So you try to focus on the way you want to play football.” Wilshere immediately issued an apology for his “deserved” red card and maintains he will learn from the experience during a three-match ban. “I don’t think Jack saw the player he was tackling,” Wenger added. “He just mistimed his tackle. He should not have done, but I don’t think there was any malicious intent. He didn’t want to injure the player.”

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/other-sport/amateur-sport/gunners-boss-wenger-dismisses-critics-3393605

Transfer Talk: Man Utd draw up four-man wish list of Bundesliga forwards Manchester United have drawn up a four-man wish list of Bundesliga forwards. A report in The Athletic says the Red Devils are considering bolstering their frontline with a shortlist that includes former Premier League stars Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Timo Werner. Choupo-Moting's Bayern Munich team-mate and Germany legend Thomas Muller is also being considered alongside Stuttgart sensation Serhou Guirassy. Cash is set to remain tight at Old Trafford during the January transfer window, with Jim Ratcliffe's 25% purchase of the club still yet to be ratified by the Premier League. That makes a cheap deal or a short-term loan up top more likely, much like they did with Odion Ighalo in 2020-21 and Wout Weghorst last season. Choupo-Moting and Muller, who are both 34, have been reliable goalscorers in the past but find themselves out of the limelight at Bayern due to the form of Harry Kane. The Red Devils have also enquired with RB Leipzig about the cost of ex-Chelsea attacker Werner, who is struggling for game time and has been strongly linked with a return to England. Guinean striker Guirassy is the most in-form name on the list, having scored an impressive 17 goals in 14 Bundesliga games this term. The 27-year-old has a reported £15.2million release clause, which means United will have to make a sale before sanctioning that deal due to financial fair play constraints. In other news Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran, 20, is a loan target for AC Milan but the Serie A club would have to remove a non-European player from their squad to make room for the Colombian, say Sky Sports. Fabrizio Romano reports United outcast Jadon Sancho is keen on a return to Borussia Dortmund.

https://www.livescore.com/en/news/transfer-news-january-3-2023-manchester-united-thomas-muller-timo-werner-2024010309534968444/

Hibernians and Hamrun Spartans cross swords in the big match from match-day 2 of the BOV Premier League at the National Stadium on Monday, kick-off at 19:30. Hamrun Spartans are fresh from their UEFA Europa Conference League adventure which saw them reach the play-off round – a first for a Maltese team. On their way, Branko Nisevic’s side registered four wins – defeating Alashkert 4-1 at Ta’ Qali, Velez Mostar 1-0 home and away and Levski 2-1 away from home apart from the 3-3 draw with Partizan last week at Ta’ Qali. This summer, the squad has been strengthened with the signing of Malta international duo Ryan Camenzuli and Luke Montebello apart from the return of Matthew Guillaumier following a spell on loan with Siena in Italy. With regards to foreign players, Emerson Marcelina, Dodo and Matteo Fedele were retained and new arrivals include Ederson Bruno Domingos, Vinicius de Freitas, Elvis Mashike Suskisa, Roko Prsa, Mousa Balla Sowe, Rodrigo Callegari Torre, Ognjen Bjelicic and Jonny Robert do Nascimento. Igor Nedeljkovic has been released along with goalkeeper Steve Sultana who will play once again in Gozo. After a rather disappointing campaign last season, the Spartans will be all out to challenge for the championship. Meanwhile Hibernians did quite well in Europe as although they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Shamrock Rovers, they obtained a positive result in a goalless draw at Ta’ Qali. In the UEFA Europa Conference League, they defeated Levadia Tallinn 3-2 at Ta’ Qali and drew 1-1 in Tallinn while in the third qualifying round, they held RFS in a 1-1 draw in Riga but then lost 1-3 at’ Ta’ Qali. The Paolites were held in a 1-1 draw by Valletta in their first outing and therefore hope to register their first win on Monday.

https://www.maltafootball.com/2022/08/28/all-eyes-on-hibernians-and-hamrun/

Lady Panthers Make Remarkable Turnaround; Eye Possible Playoff Prospects This year, the Lady Panther kickers won the prize for making the biggest turn-around among Woodland Park sports’ teams. In fact, the WP girls’ soccer team just recently completed the best season they have ever played in more than a decade. The girls finished their 2021 regular season play last Thursday, and concluded with a 9-1 overall record and a 4-1 league record. The girls finished in second place in their 4A Colorado Springs Metro South league, sitting just behind undefeated Canon City, the only team they lost to in 2021. Overall, the girls ranked in the top 30 in the state. However, they just missed a spot in the playoffs due to the way they have changed due to the pandemic. The girls ended their regular season with two games last week. On Tuesday, they stomped the Widefield Gladiators on the road 10 to zip. Then during their last game on Thursday, they beat Coronado 4-2. Out of the nine games the Lady Panthers won this season, five of them were won with shutouts. Three of those shutouts were 10-0, meaning that the mercy rule was applied and the game was stopped once the girls scored 10 unanswered goals. The only game the Panthers lost this year was the road match against Canon City, where they fell short by a 4-1 margin. Canon City this season was ranked as the third best team statewide. The team’s success can be attributed to their hard work and stellar defensive play. Sophomore goaltender Isabella Slocum was in front of the net during nine of the team’s 10 games. Slocum only had two goals scored against her and 54 saves. Senior goalie Chloe Robinson played in seven games and she picked up 20 saves during the season. The team’s leader in scoring for 2021 was junior forward Morgan Berry who scored 14 times out of 56 shots. Sophomore defensive midfielder Shea Waters was next best as she made 11 goals out of 18 shots. Freshman striker Emma Vonderharr also contributed to the team’s success by scoring eight goals and getting three assists. Senior captain midfielder Avery Waters also had a good season with six goals and 20 shots. The team’s coach Amy Smith commented early in the season that the team was young, but very driven and skilled. Since the team will only be losing four seniors next year, hopefully the younger players can continue the team’s success in 2022.

https://www.mountainjackpot.com/2021/06/19/woodland-park-girls-soccer-team-finishes-season-with-winning-bang/

In terms of traditional rivalries in the NRL they don't come much fiercer – or much more traditional – than the one between close neighbours and fellow foundation clubs, the Roosters and the Rabbitohs. That rivalry was only amplified in 2013 as the two old clubs finished first and second on the ladder. And in a promoter's dream come true, the J.J. Giltinan Shield was to be decided in a head-to-head match between the two in Round 26. As history now shows, the Roosters avenged their Round 1 loss to Souths by claiming the minor premiership with a 24-12 win before going on to take the 2013 title. Those Round 1 and Round 26 meetings that bookended the regular season were among the most ferocious we saw, with two of the competition's biggest forward packs leaving little in the tank. In particular, the one-on-one battle between South Sydney's English Test enforcer Sam Burgess and New Zealand Test star Sonny Bill Williams was one of the highlights of the season. Fans won't have to wait long for a resumption in hostilities as the tricolours kick off the 2014 season with a visit to ANZ Stadium to meet the cardinal and myrtle. Roosters centre Shaun Kenny-Dowall doesn't hesitate in nominating the traditional season opener against South Sydney as the clash he most looks forward to. "I love the first round against Souths, traditionally every year we play them in the first round," he said. "Everyone in the area and everyone in Sydney is excited about rugby league coming back, all the boys have trained hard all year and it's the first round and it's the one I look forward to the most, definitely." With the clubs boasting two of the competition's biggest packs it will again no doubt be a "brutal encounter," he said. "They're definitely some of the toughest characters going around in the NRL and that's what the crowd loves to come and see, those big tough guys coming at it through the middle and you have to admire how tough those guys are." But as someone who gets to "sit out wide in the centres" away from the biggest collisions, Kenny-Dowall said the chance to come up against one of the game's best in Rabbitohs fullback Greg Inglis helps him lift to the occasion. "Every time you play Souths you've got to look forward to playing Greg Inglis because of the athlete he is. He's one of the best in the game, and to be the best you have to beat the best – I love coming up against him," he said. The rivalry between the fans also adds to the occasion. "It's always nice to get one over Souths, living in our area it's definitely the game that everyone talks about: 'our team's better than your team, our team's finishing ahead of your team', so it definitely does have that extra bit of flavour and we always love finishing above them," he said.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2013/12/04/the-game-i-circle-shaun-kenny-dowall/

- What: Grant Park 220 - NASCAR Cup Series regular season - When: Sunday, July 2nd - Where: Chicago Street Course The NASCAR Cup Series continues on Sunday afternoon in the Windy City with the Grant Park 220 at the Chicago Street Course. Ross Chastain comes in with momentum after winning the Ally 400 last weekend but we actually have a different driver who is the favorite here in Chase Elliott, who finished fourth this past Sunday. He comes in at +650 odds, followed by Martin Truex Jr (+675), Kyle Larson (+700), Tyler Reddick (+750), and Chastain (+900). This is actually the first time ever the Cup Series heads to the streets of any city, which should make for an exciting watch for fans. Keep reading for the Grant Park 220 picks. Before we get into the preview, odds, and predictions for Chicago, check out our how-to bet on NASCAR page. Grant Park 200 Odds |Martin Truex Jr As previously mentioned, this is the first edition of the Grant Park 200, which means there aren't exactly trends to keep an eye on here. That's exactly why the odds don't really favor any driver heavily. Technically, this should be similar to a road course since the race is literally on pavement. There are 100 laps for a total of 220 miles. Stages 1 and 2 have 30 laps apiece, while the third consists of 40. Elliott and Reddick are the best road course drivers in the Cup Series. Chase Elliott (+650) It's been a disappointing year for Elliott, but more because of his injury and suspension. When he's actually been available, Elliott has shown well. At the moment, he's in good form, too. Elliott has finished in the top five in four of his last five outings, including a fourth-place finish at Nashville last weekend. In 2020, he won three road courses at Daytona, COTA, and Road America, all inaugural races at the time. While Elliott hasn't collected a win yet in 2023, he should be considered a legitimate contender come Sunday. Martin Truex Jr (+675) There's a reason Truex Jr is one of the favorites in Chicago. He just won Sonoma earlier this month and has secured four top-five finishes in a row, including a runner-up finish on Sunday in Nashville, with Chastain just beating him out for first. Oh, and Truex Jr is currently the best driver in the Cup Series circuit with 576 points with two wins, six top fives, and nine top 10 finishes. You can't really ignore the leader, right? Sonoma is, after all, a road course, too. Keep an eye on Truex Jr, a seasoned veteran who knows what it takes to succeed. Kyle Larson (+700) Larson is usually the leading frontrunner every week and he's not far off here. There is a reason to have him in your sights on Sunday as well. Larson tends to turn up at inaugural events, winning Nashville in 2021 and then also taking home top spot at North Wilkesboro in May, the first race there since the late 90s. Larson has also finished within the top 10 in three straight appearances and was eighth at Sonoma and fifth at Nashville a few days ago. He's also fifth in the Cup Series standings. Tyler Reddick (+750) Reddick is at +750 here, but he's one I'd personally fade. The California native is in poor form at the moment, finishing 30th or worse in three races in a row. Toyota also hasn't won an inaugural race in 12 years, which happens to be Reddick's manufacturer. I don't see him being in the mix Sunday. Ross Chastain (+900) You have to talk about the guy who won the most recent Cup Series race. However, prior to that win, Chastain wasn't doing great, failing to finish above 10th in five consecutive races. He's currently 18 points behind Truex Jr for first place in the Cup Series table. There are two drivers, in particular, I'm eyeing to potentially be competitive Sunday. First, Joey Logano has steep +2800 odds. He's won inaugural races twice in the last two seasons. Maybe a third could be in the cards? Don't forget, Logano is the 2022 playoff champion, too. You can never count him out. Next, Denny Hamlin at +2500. He's really starting to find his best in recent weeks, finishing second at Worldwide Technology and then third at Nashville. He has four top-five finishes in the last seven races as well. Grant Park 220 Picks This is such a hard one to pick but I really like Elliott here. We all know just how talented he is and it feels like he's starting to find a rhythm. Also, take Larson for a top-10 finish. Lock in those two bets.

https://www.onlinesportsbetting.net/sports-betting-news/nascar-picks/chase-elliott-favorite-grant-park-220.html

Jon Rahm wins the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide 4 Min Read DUBLIN, OHIO - JULY 19: Jon Rahm of Spain reacts on the fourth green during the final round of The Memorial Tournament on July 19, 2020 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) Written by The Associated Press Jon Rahm birdies No. 7 in Round 4 at the Memorial DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) -- Jon Rahm won the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide to join Seve Ballesteros as the only Spaniards to reach No. 1 in the world, a victory he finally wrapped up with a magical shot that would have made his idol proud. Rahm built an eight-shot lead at the turn, only to see it reduced to three shots with three holes to play Sunday on a Muirfield Village course playing its toughest in 42 years. In trouble behind the green on the par-3 16th, with Ryan Palmer facing a 12-foot birdie putt from the fringe, Rahm hit a flop shot from deep grass that came out perfectly. It landed on the fringe, ran toward the hole and dropped for birdie as the fiery Spaniard let out a ferocious fist pump. Palmer took bogey on the 17th, and the coronation was on. The only issue was the score. Replay of Rahm's chip appeared to show the ball moved ever so slightly when he placed his lob wedge behind it. PGA TOUR officials reviewed it and gave him a two-shot penalty. It didn't affect the outcome. Rahm was surprised when it was mentioned to him after he finished and said he didn't realize anything was wrong. "It doesn't take anything from the shot," he said. "It's not going to take anything away from today." Rahm closed with a 3-over 75 for a three-shot victory over Palmer, the highest final round by a Memorial winner since Roger Maltbie shot 76 in the inaugural year in 1976. The victory was the 10th of Rahm's career, his fourth on the PGA TOUR and jumps him to No. 8 in the FedExCup standings. He moves past Rory McIlroy in the world ranking by winning against the strongest field of the year. It was the strongest test, too, with the rough not being cut and the greens allowed to bake out because they are being replaced. The fifth green already was stripped as the leaders were on the back nine. Only five players broke par, the fewest for a final round since the Memorial began in 1976. The average score of 75.932 was the highest for the final round since it was 75.972 in 1978. Rahm looked to be playing a different course. He played bogey-free on the front nine with birdies on the two par 5s. That put him eight shots clear on his way to No. 1. And then he made bogey on the 10th. Not a problem. He yanked his tee shot into a creek on the par-5 11th, and that was a bigger problem based on how hard he slammed the club into the ground in a pique of anger. He made double bogey. Palmer made birdie on the 12th, and then Rahm made another bogey from the bunker on the 14th. Just like that, the lead was three shots. Only a week ago at Muirfield Village for the Workday Charity Open, Justin Thomas had a three-shot lead with three holes to play and wound up losing in a playoff to Collin Morikawa. Rahm only wanted his tee shot on the 16th to stay dry, though the rough was not a great option with how fast the greens were running. The chip was similar -- but from a different angle -- to Tiger Woods chipping in from behind the 16th green when he won the Memorial for the fifth time in 2012. Woods, in his first competition since Feb. 16 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, shot 76 and tied for 40th. "Tough, tough conditions to start out my first week back, Thursday and Sunday," Woods said. "But it was good to get the feel and the flow of competing again." Matthew Fitzpatrick had a 68 for the low score of the final day to finish third. The consolation prize went to Palmer (74) and Mackenzie Hughes (72), who earned spots in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in September as the leading two players from the top 10 who were not already eligible. Henrik Norlander could have taken the final spot with a par on the 18th, but he missed the fairway well to the right, couldn't reach the green and made bogey. Norlander and Hughes tied at 3-under 285, but the spot went to Hughes because he had the better world ranking. That ranking now starts with Rahm, who only five years ago was at the Memorial to receive the Jack Nicklaus Award as the nation's best college player. On Sunday, Nicklaus was there to greet him behind the 18th green. Nicklaus revealed earlier Sunday he and wife Barbara tested positive for the coronavirus in March, and they have since tested positive for the antibodies. As for the shot behind the 16th? Nicklaus was impressed. So was Rahm. "I still can't believe it, I'm not going to lie," Rahm said.

https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2020/07/19/jon-rahm-wins-2020-memorial-tournament-muirfield-village

Family, colleagues at Benchmark Games and friends said goodbye to Brian Capellaro at a service held Oct. 24. The well-liked and respected former IT Director for the company for 17 years passed away on Oct. 18 after a battle with liver cancer at the age of 52. He was born in Danbury, Conn., on Dec. 27, 1968, and grew up in Bethel. Following graduation from the town’s high school, he attended West Virginia Wesleyan College, remaining close with many of his childhood and college friends through the years. He was married to Melissa Kress Capellaro, daughter of industry veteran Al Kress and his wife Donna, and celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on Sept. 21, 2021. They have resided in Jupiter, Fla., since 1995 and have two daughters, Casey and Aiden (ages 16 and 20). In addition to his wife and daughters, Brian is survived by his parents, Margaret and Al Capellaro of Bethel, as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and a nephew, and was also very close with his in-laws. In addition to knowing all things IT-related, Brian was a big sports fan and especially fond of the Dolphins, Islanders and New York Yankees. In his online obituary, it states that “his greatest love was spending time with his family. Brian had a love of life. He always had a smile and was always ready to make those around him laugh. He touched so many lives. He will be missed by all of them!

https://www.replaymag.com/brian-capellaro-passes-away/

Liam Keen's Wolves player ratings v Villa as five get 5/10 Following the West Midlands derby defeat to Villa, Liam Keen rates the Wolves players on their performance. Jose Sa - 6 The goalkeeper did little wrong and was not helped out by his defence for the two goals. Nelson Semedo - 7 A very good attacking display from Semedo, who was one of Wolves’ better players on the day. Santi Bueno - 5 Bueno was good in possession when Wolves were on top but his positioning let him down when Villa were on the attack. Max Kilman - 5 The shot came at him quickly, but Kilman perhaps could have got his body in the way of Diaby’s shot for the opening goal.

https://www.shropshirestar.com/sport/football/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2024/03/31/liam-keens-wolves-player-ratings-v-villa-as-five-get-510/

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https://www.teepublic.com/mug/6376383-funny-christmas-ice-hockey-ugly-christmas-xmas

Iga Swiatek admits she feels "there is a target on my back" and noted that's something she didn't feel last year. After a disappointing Australian Open result, Swiatek returned to action in mid-February as the Pole won Doha. The following week, Swiatek also made the Dubai final but this time lost against Barbora Krejcikova. After seeing the reaction to her Dubai final loss, Swiatek realized that anything but the title is considered not enough. "After Doha and Dubai, I felt it [the expectation] pretty strongly. Because I won a WTA 500 and was in the final of a 1000 - it was like a small streak of matches that were pretty solid and I was really composed. But, still, I lost in the final and people were, I don’t know, surprised, not happy with the performance, just critical. And it made me think that last year before this huge streak and before winning all these tournaments I would be so happy with this result. But with all these comments right now, I felt like, ‘oh, that’s not enough,'" Swiatek said, per Eurosport. Swiatek: There is a target on my back "I feel like there’s a target on my back a little bit, which I didn’t feel last year. It’s a different situation, and I have to adjust to that. So I’m trying not to read a lot of these things. I don’t want it to influence me because I’m happy with all the work I’ve done. This is the example of how people’s attitudes changed a little bit - and I don’t think it’s a positive change - but for me for sure there is more pressure and expectations because of that. But I’m trying to [cope with] that in the best way possible. I think I’m doing good," Swiatek added. Now, Swiatek is set to return to action at a WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells. Last year, Swiatek won her first Indian Wells title after beating Maria Sakkari in the final. This year, Swiatek is the top-seeded player and the top favorite to win it all in the desert again.

https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/WTA_Tennis/129606/iga-swiatek-there-is-a-target-on-my-back-i-didn-t-feel-this-last-year-/

Katy, Texas – March 30, 2019 – Week II of the 2019 Pin Oak Charity Horse Show is flying by as the week wraps up with big wins before the weekend. The jumper ring shined during the first part of the week with the $10,000 1.45M Welcome Stake on Wednesday evening and the $25,000 Walter Oil & Gas Corp. Grand Prix and Bedoya Ringside Reception Thursday afternoon. Jordan, ridden by Jill Gafney and owned by Freestyling Farms, LLC, took home the top honors in Wednesday’s 1.45M Welcome Stake. BKS Horse Farms, LLC’s Dante with Faces of Pin Oak rider Briley Koerner finished 5th in the Welcome Stake, as well as winning the 1.45M Under 25 for the Welcome Stake. NKH Caruso owned by NKH LLC and ridden by Mathis Schwentker were victorious in Thursday afternoon’s $25,000 Walter Oil & Gas Corp. Grand Prix while Vigo Du Levant, owned by L.O.O. LLC and ridden by Jaelynn Downing, rode to the top honors in the 1.45M Under 25 Grand Prix. Meanwhile, ‘Derby Day’ at Pin Oak 2019 Week II featured the Baggett Family $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby Friday morning and the Walsh and Albert $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Friday afternoon accompanied by the Bluebonnet Feeds Margaritaville party. Amidst light springtime showers on Friday morning, Kelley Buringa rode Bottom Line Equestrian, LLC’s Valentine to the win in the Baggett Family $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. Valentine and Kelley led the class following the classic round with a score of 91. The pair remained consistent, scoring a 94 in their stellar handy round. “This was our first derby together. And we just had our very first class together last Thursday,” Kelley explained. “He was just spot on today. There was, of course, some pressure coming back on top, and I knew I had to make the inside turn to the trot fence since everyone else had done it. But he was right there with me every step of the way. It was a great feeling and a really fun class,” she continued. Hoopla, ridden by Peter Pletcher and owned by Hollis Grace, took home the red ribbon in Friday morning’s National Derby while Jennifer Alfano and All Ferraris, LLC’s Enzo W took third. Brooke Brombach was the highest placing junior rider finishing in fifth place with scores of 88 in both the classic round and the handy round aboard Erica Moe’s Classico. Friday afternoon’s $30,000 Walsh & Albert USHJA International Derby was run in the ‘Hunt and Go Format,’ newly offered at Pin Oak 2019. The Hunt and Go format is similar to a power and speed class in the jumper ring; all riders continue directly on to the handy round following their classic round without stopping or exiting the arena. This format is great news to riders of younger horses or those new to riding in derbies since all competitors proceed to the handy round rather than only the top 12 horses being called back. Friday’s Hunt and Go derby included a total of 14 fences, eight fences in the classic round and six in the handy. Riders were to pass through two standards following the end of the classic round to mark the beginning of the handy portion of the course. While spectators and exhibitors enjoyed the Bluebonnet Feeds Margaritaville party, amateur and junior competitors topped the field of 25 horses. Symbolic, owned and shown by junior rider Bella Kay, won the class scoring 348 points overall, following an impressive second place finish in the USHJA International Derby the week prior. MTM Do Right took second place with owner and amateur rider Didi Mackenzie while Miramar, ridden by amateur Isabella Littlejohn and owned by Nancy Littlejohn, took third. When asked about her experience with the Hunt and Go format, Bella Kay joked, “I did a Hunt and Go derby once in Florida. I didn’t ride as well in that one, so the format wasn’t my favorite, but now I love it!” “Actually, it’s nice because you don’t have time between rounds to overthink, but it can be hard to go so long. It helped that my horse gets excited and perks up when we start doing the handy turns, so it wasn’t as hard to keep going,” she continued. “For me, today was really just about going around, being smooth, and doing our best. I was so happy when we were second in the International Derby last week, and I wasn’t expecting to be better than that, especially with how many professionals are here and how many incredible horses were in the class,” she said when asked about her win in the International Derby. “[Symbolic] loves the derbies. They’re his favorite class. Well, no matter what class it is, he always goes wanting to win. He is definitely my once-in-a-lifetime horse. He always gives me 100%. No, actually it’s more like 200%.” Bella purchased Symbolic three years ago to be a fun, confidence building mount. “This Thursday I will have had him three years. We got him to be a fun horse for me because the green pony I had at the time was not so fun. He has definitely taught me a lot and helped me build confidence. The win will be a great way to mark our anniversary,” she said. For Symbolic and Bella Kay, this marks another milestone as it is Symbolic’s first International Derby win as well as Bella’s. The pair started doing International Derbies in the fall of 2017. They won a USHJA National Derby in Saugerties in 2017 but have never bested International Derby competition. “He came in second a few times with Kelly Farmer before I owned him but had never won. He was definitely a derby pro, but he had never had a derby win, so I’m very excited we could achieve this together,” Bella explained. Bella is also looking forward to riding Symbolic at the USHJA International Derby Finals in Kentucky later this year. As Week II of Pin Oak 2019 enters the weekend, junior riders are looking forward to another fun weekend of showing while jumper riders and spectators are excited for Saturday’s big event – the Hildebrand Fund $30,000 Grand Prix and Avalon Advisors Ringside Gala.

https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2019/03/30/junior-rider-bella-kay-wins-30000-ushja-international-derby-at-pin-oak-ii/

Live, organized, professional hockey is officially back in eight days. The Elite Women’s Summer Hockey League (EWSHL) will kick off its inaugural season next Thursday night, June 18th. The game will begin at 6:30 pm, and will be streamed live online. Official streaming details will be announced next week, as will team rosters. All games will be played on Thursday nights throughout the summer, with puck drop at 6:30 pm each and every week. All games are currently scheduled to be streamed online. Stats, boxscores and more will be available after each game right here on The Women’s Hockey Tribune. Extra games could be added later in the summer, and will be announced at a later date if applicable. Here is the official schedule for the 2020 EWSHL season. Thursday, June 25th – 6:30 pm Thursday, July 23rd – 6:30 pm Thursday, July 30th – 6:30 pm

https://www.thewomenshockeytribune.com/ewshl-to-open-june-18th/

Manchester United have struggled to attain this season with the Pink Devils hitting the again of the online solely 40 instances, making them the sixth lowest scorers within the English top-flight this marketing campaign. Aside from summer season signing Rasmus Hojlund, no different participant has reached double digits when it comes to objectives and the remaining forwards have all underperformed massively. That is one thing supervisor Erik ten Hag had predicted, which is why he needed reinforcements final summer season and in January as effectively. Nothing was forthcoming as a result of FFP issues. Marcus Rashford’s poor kind has been a significant concern with the England worldwide trying like a shadow of the participant who hit 30 objectives final season. Anthony Martial stays injured and is about to depart in the summertime. New co-owners INEOS are planning to strengthen up entrance within the subsequent window and various younger strikers like Joshua Zirkzee, Benjamin Sesko, and Evan Ferguson have been linked with a transfer to Outdated Trafford The newest addition to the checklist is Porto star Evanilson, who has been in spectacular kind this season after a disappointing marketing campaign final day out. Portuguese newspaper O Jogo (by way of Sport Witness) declare that English scouts from the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle have been watching the 24-year-old in motion this marketing campaign. The primary English facet to point out curiosity within the Brazil U23 worldwide was the Pink Devils again when Ten Hag first joined the membership. The report claims the 20-time English league champions had provided €65 million for the previous Fluminense man however Porto turned the request down and agreed a brand new cope with the striker whose launch clause was elevated to €100 million. Evanilson hyperlinks reappear Whether or not the Manchester giants resolve to return for the Brazilian stays to be seen. The striker is presently Porto’s high scorer with 22 objectives together with a Champions League hat-trick and 6 assists in 35 video games throughout all competitions. He was marked as one of many males to be careful for by Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhães who referred to as him “a participant of nice high quality”. The striker chase will in the end boil right down to what kind of participant can praise Hojlund who has proven he has the standard to steer the attacking cost on a constant foundation. Whether or not the membership go for an skilled possibility like Ivan Toney or somebody youthful will likely be fascinating to see. The funds may also play an element in that call. Wish to be the primary to listen to breaking Man United information? For rigorously chosen, essential updates, be a part of our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-Information.

https://www.tizaspor.com/arsenal-newcastle-scouting-manchester-united-goal-evanilson-man-united-information-and-switch-information/

Deontay Wilder will be back in action soon as a chance to regain the WBC heavyweight championship appears over the horizon. “The Bronze Bomber” took six months off when losing to current ruler Tyson Fury for the second time last October. Rejuvenated and eager to get back in the mix, Wilder recently got put forward by the retiring Fury to fight for his soon-to-be-vacant strap. “I’d like to see Deontay Wilder fight whoever for it again,” Fury told Behind The Gloves after beating Dillian Whyte in London. “I do believe he’s still the second-best heavyweight in the world. I believe he knocks everybody else out but me.” Hot on the heels of Fury’s words, World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman is set to welcome back his ex-titleholder with open arms. “He’s taking it easy, and he’s weighing up his plans for the future,” Sulaiman told Sky Sports. “He had a very busy reign as a champion with two knockout losses to Fury. “It’s been difficult, but he’s matured and doing very well. Deontay Wilder is having a good time with his wife, he’s enjoying life, but I’m sure he’ll be back.” WBC NUMBER ONE Wilder, who is number one in the rankings and in line to be the first stipulated challenger if Fury gives up the green and gold, is unique, says Sulaiman. “He’s one of those fighters that you rarely see in the ring that has the ability to knock somebody out with one punch. “He has had many exciting fights. He’s a great fighter and a great person.” As things stand, Fury will step away after making a promise to his wife and family. After taking out Whyte in six, Fury addressed the room at Wembley Stadium. He stated: “I’ve said what I’ve said [that I will retire]. I’m happy with my decisions. “I’m going to go home with my wife and my kids. I’ve been away for a long time. I’ve fulfilled everything I ever wanted to fulfill.” Confirming his intentions, Fury concluded: “I’m going to retire as only the second heavyweight in history to retire undefeated after Rocky Marciano. “Two-time Ring Magazine heavyweight champion of the world. There’s never been a holder in my era. There hasn’t been a lineal in my era either.” DEONTAY WILDER CHANCE Once Fury steps aside, Deontay Wilder could face PBC stablemates Frank Sanchez or Andy Ruiz Jr. for the vacant title. The winner would almost certainly get ordered to battle Joe Joyce or Joseph Parker. In the summer, Joyce vs. Parker will happen as another London showdown draws near. The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay. WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Furthermore, follow WBN us on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.

https://www.worldboxingnews.net/2022/04/27/deontay-wilder-vacant-wbc-title-return/

|Important Ruling By Competition Commission Sportingpost.co.za reports that the Competition Commission have approved the acquisition of Gold Circle in the Western Cape by Phumelela Gaming and Leisure. No specific details are available as yet. The competition tribunal recently heard a review application by Kenilworth Racing and the Thoroughbred Horseracing Trust for the approval of their acquisition of Gold Circle’s Western Cape business. The Competition Commission, after investigating the transaction, found that Phumelela was behind the transaction and approving it would have entrenched the listed group’s dominance in the horse racing administration and gaming industry. It subsequently prohibited it. The merging parties denied that Phumelela would be controlling the business, saying it would merely be responsible for its administration.

http://kznbreeders.co.za/news/latest-news/important-ruling-by-competition-commission/

By Paul Wanecski Following the 2015 preseason, most fans were scratching their heads on the selection of Ronald Darby. He struggled with locating the ball. He got pushed around in press coverage. He was constantly behind on routes. It appeared as if head coach Rex Ryan would be unable to leave him in man-to-man coverage because he was getting assaulted with targets. Darby and Rex proved everyone wrong during the season. This isn’t just the narrative to Darby’s success; more the story behind Ryan as a head coach. The general manager role with the New York Jets was a disaster, but, what did work was the steady stream of defensive talent that was brought in. Here is a clip, updated, from our article Drafting Defensive Depth at 50 (posted April 20th, 2015) Now Ryan didn’t restructure the defensive line his first season, but that may have been due to the team having selected Vernon Gholston the year previous to Ryan’s arrival. While the recent history of the Jets reflects a very defense-heavy draft, they have never truly had to overhaul the front line, instead making gradual changes. Here is the draft breakdown of players selected within the first 100 picks: 2009- QB Mark Sanchez – 5th overall (they had only 3 picks the entire draft - RB Shonn Green – 65th overall 2010- CB Kyle Wilson - 29th overall (they had only 4 picks the entire draft) - T Vlad Ducasse – 61st overall 2011- DL Muhammad Wilkerson – 30th overall - DT Kendrick Ellis – 94th overall 2012- DE Quinton Coples- 16th overall - WR Stephen Hill – 43rd overall - LB Demario Davis – 77th overall 2013- CB Dee Milliner – 9th overall - DT Sheldon Richardson - 13th overall - QB Geno Smith – 39th overall - G Brian Winters – 72nd overall 2014- S Calvin Pryor – 18th overall - TE Jace Amaro – 49th overall - DB Dexter McDougle – 80th overall In the 6 seasons that Ryan was head coach, the Jets selected three 1st round defensive linemen (4 in total within the first 100 selections when you include Kendrick Ellis who was selected 94th), and making nine out of sixteen picks defensive players. With Ryan’s history as head coach, his team selected a defensive player within the first 100 selections 56.25% of the time. The list of offensive players includes Mark Sanchez, Stephen Hill, Geno Smith, Shonn Green, Vlad Ducasse, Brian Winters, and Jace Amaro. Perhaps it’s best that they draft a defensive player. While we won’t assume that Ryan made the call on all the players drafted, it is not speculative that the production of the defensive players drafted far outweighs that of the players drafted on offense. What would be the reason that this could happen? Complete luck (unlikely)? Were Mike Tannenbaum and John Idzik really amazing defensive scouts (seriously, no way in the universe this is the case)? Is Rex Ryan really just that good at coaching, scouting, or developing talent (that’s more like it)? The players drafted on offense look like laundry list of mistakes; a daunting task to overcome as a head coach. Is this a product of Ryan really not knowing anything about what makes a great offensive player, or, do you blame the general managers tasked with building the roster? It’s a compelling case either way. While it is no mystery that I am not a believer in Tyrod Taylor, I certainly don’t trust Ryan’s opinion, given his history, on who should replace him. What it is easy to believe is that Rex Ryan knows great defensive linemen. With the rebuild along that front only just beginning, it is near impossible to imagine a situation where the Bills don’t draft either a defensive linemen or linebacker in this year’s upcoming draft. Now, before we go any further, it is important to note that Rex Ryan primarily runs two aggressive schemes, one of which is commonly referred to a the 3-4 (it's not, but we will release an article later on the details). He is also in love with the 4-6 Bear front, which is detailed pretty well in this article from GangGreenNation Assuming that he moves back to the 3-4 front as primary look, this is what we expect to happen. If the Bills do go defensive line, expect it to be a defensive tackle (or an absolutely massive defensive end) as the team will look to bulk up and grab a player who might fit into a 3-4 defensive end role. Defensive ends in a 3-4 are typically bigger bodies, as the scheme depends on those bigger players demanding two blocker from the offensive line in pass protection. The Bills, from a roster stand-point, will struggle to transition to a 3-4 defense in 2016; watch the type of players they bring in and it is safe to bet that is the direction they will go. Finding defensive ends on the open market is usually a lot easier than finding linebackers. With that, it is anticipated that the Bills will look heavily at the LB position this offseason. With the Bills holding the 19th selection in 2016’s NFL draft, they will have a prime spot to select, or even trade back, while keeping a keen eye on the linebacker role. In 2015, only two linebackers were selected prior to the 19th pick (Dante Fowler 3rd to Jacksonville who plays hybrid 4-3, and Vic Beasley 8th to Atlanta that plays a 4-3 under). Basically, as far as players who will fit a 3-4, the Bills should have plenty of options if they strike early because in 2015, from picks 22-32, four linebackers were selected. The Bills will need to acquire at least one larger outside linebacker (players fitting this mold typically play defensive end in college, which makes for a tough transition – see Jerry Hughes in Indianapolis as an example). They will also need another inside player, rolling in at a minimum of 245 pounds. Linebackers on the inside of the 3-4 have to be stout as they will have the responsibility of occupying offensive linemen frequently. Resident inside backer Preston Brown will transition just fine, but, he will need a big body next to him. The Bills have a recent history of trolling the 2nd (or later) rounds for inside linebackers since they rarely seen as top 15 talent.. Given the current draft order, using last year as a model, if the Bills were to try and find a linebacker after the first round, they would be looking at selecting 10th best outside linebacker on the board or the 2nd best inside linebacker. With all this, you can see Nigel Bradham falls on the exterior of the Bills plans. He must either play weak-side linebacker, or, not at all. While he has the speed and size to fill the role, he has demonstrated that his pursuit skills and poor angles will make him too much a liability. He would best fit being moved inside to maximize his explosiveness and limit his errors; however that will not be in a Bills uniform moving into 2016.

http://www.htagsports.com/articles/drafting-defense-early-might-be-2016-plan

BOSTON — The Mets had to rely on a bullpen that has been anything but reliable this summer, but they withstood the Boston Red Sox in the continuation of Friday night’s game to take the series opener 5-4 on Saturday afternoon. Rain delayed and then suspended the first game of a three-game series. Every win is absolutely crucial for the Mets right now as they attempt to climb out of a hole of their own creation and get back to playoff contention before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. This one certainly didn’t come easy, but it counted and that’s all that mattered. The Mets started the game without outfielder Tommy Pham, who stayed in New York to undergo more imaging on a tight right groin and had trouble getting to Boston because of the same storms that suspended the game Friday night. Utility infielder Luis Guillorme left the game in the bottom of the sixth when a hard chopper by Rafael Devers took a bad hop and he twisted himself up trying to get to the ball on the grass behind him and hold the runners on first on and second. Still, the Mets (46-51) overcame the obstacles, fighting and scraping to score one more. The bullpen locked it down with only left-hander David Peterson surrendering a run. The game resumed at 2:11 p.m., with the Mets leading 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth. Daniel Vogelbach had the go-ahead homer in the fourth inning Friday night, taking Kutter Crawford (4-5) for a two-run shot, his fifth of the season. Grant Hartwig (3-1) took over for Kodai Senga and gave the Mets a chance by limiting the Red Sox to only one hit through two innings. There were missed opportunities and good pitches. In the fifth, the Mets put two on with only one out before Joe Jacques struck out two of the Mets’ best hitters in Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil. Pete Alonso doubled off the Green Monster to lead off the sixth, but right-hander Brennan Bernardino struck out pinch-hitter Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez. Brett Baty legged out an infield single and Alonso scored, giving the Mets a 5-3 lead. It made all the difference after the Red Sox scored in the seventh. The visitors loaded the bases in the eighth but failed to capitalize, with Francisco Alvarez popping up to the first baseman in foul territory and Baty grounding into an inning-ending double play. With only a two-run lead, manager Buck Showalter was forced to go to his high-leverage pitchers to close out the game. Brooks Raley and David Robertson did their jobs effectively, with Robertson working his 14th save.

https://am1.news/usconservative/topic/bostonherald/6-slug-mets-lean-on-bullpen-to-take-first-game-of-doubleheader-against-red-sox

A naming-rights deal for Kauffman Stadium fell through after the Kansas City Royals and US Bank couldn’t agree on the terms of an agreement. But they were close — close enough that the team had penciled in an announcement for last week, according to the Kansas City Business Journal. The big lure in a naming-rights sale, in this case, isn’t necessarily Royal fans: it’s having the US Bank name associated with the All-Star Game slated to be hosted at the ballpark this summer. It’s been no secret the team has been shopping naming rights for a long time (a rumored deal generated headlines last year), but it’s a move fraught with danger: the venerable facility is named for the late Ewing Kauffman, the man who brought Major League Baseball back to Kansas City after the loss of the Athletics. Taking Kauffman’s name off the ballpark will surely piss off many Royals fans. It will, perhaps inadvertently, contrast the free-spending Kauffman (who notably signed George Brett, Dan Quisenberry and Willie Wilson to “lifetime” contracts — contracts that were actually a little less than advertised) with current owner David Glass, who has instituted the lowest payroll in baseball this season: some $35.7 million. Now, we’re not advocates of small-market teams spending a ton on payroll, and Glass and crew have done an outstanding job in rebuilding the Royals farm system — a move that could yield tremendously higher payrolls should the likes of Eric Hosmer continue to develop. But after accepting a lot of public money to update Kauffman Stadium and keeping payroll low, capitalizing on a naming-rights deal may not be the most popular public-relations move for Glass. Share your news with the baseball community. Send it to us at [email protected]. Are you a subscriber to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter? You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.

https://ballparkdigest.com/201204094695/major-league-baseball/features/kauffman-stadium-naming-rights-deal-falls-through

by Joseph Gresser BARRE — The North Country Union High School Falcons climbed to the Division 2 finals here, but on Saturday fell just short of the pinnacle of success. The first-seeded Falcons were matched up against the Slaters of Fair Haven Union High School, who were seeded second. For the first half of the game, things went as well as any North Country supporter could have hoped. The Falcons got off to an early lead thanks to a balanced attack. Fair Haven focused its defensive efforts on the always dangerous Sabine Brueck, giving her teammates the opportunity to show their stuff. .. …to read the rest of this story and more in the full edition of this week’s paper, pick up a copy on the newsstands today or subscribe now to access our e-version or to have it delivered to your home weekly by selecting a link below: Annual online subscription Short-term online subscription (To find a particular article, search for the corresponding edition of the newspaper)

https://bartonchronicle.com/falcons-fall-short-of-championship/

McNally s grand slam leads the Orioles to victory in Game 3 of the World Series at Memorial Stadium. Buford and Frank Robinson also homer for Baltimore. (Simpson, McIntyre) Order online securely. to know about the latest items added and sale items. We will not share your email address.

https://baseballdirect.com/product/baseball-audio/audio-broadcasts/audio-1970s/audio-1970/1970-1013-baltimore-9-cincinnati-3/

The 90-minute Pre-Qualifying session got underway at Autodromo Nazionale Monza for the opening round of the 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup with the threat of heavy rain forecast for Sunday morning, meaning that times set during the Saturday afternoon session could be relevant for setting grid positions for the race. Seb Morris, at the wheel of the #31 Team Parker Racing Bentley Continental GT3 he shared with Derek Pierce and Rob Smith, set the early pace with a 1:48.956 on his fourth lap with Klaus Bachler in the #54 Dinamic Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R .054 seconds behind on a 1:49.010. Antonio Forne Tomas, driving the #29 Raton Racing by Target Lamborghini Huracán GT3, was quickest of the early runners in the Am category with a 1:49.682. The session was red-flagged after 25 minutes when the #444 HB Racing Ferrari F488 GT3, with Florian Scholze at the wheel, had an off-track excursion at the first Lesmo and Denis Bulatov, driving the #333 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari, also went off, sustaining significant damage a few metres further on. With the session paused, it was Dries Vanthoor, driving the #2 Belgian Audi Club team WRT Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo, who was at the top of the time-sheets with a 1:48.042, .090 seconds quicker than Markus Winkelhock in the #25 Sainteloc Racing Audi. The clock continued to count down and the session resumed with 51 minutes remaining, only to be red-flagged shortly after when the #99 ROWE RACING Porsche 911 GT3 R went off at the second Lesmo whilst being driven by Matt Campbell. The clock ran down to 32:55 before track running resumed. The #99 car was lifted back on to the circuit and was able to be driven back to the garage. As cars warmed up fresh rubber, times started to tumble and Marco Mapelli topped the time-sheets on the 17th lap for the #563 Orange 1 FFF Racing Team Lamborghini with a 1:47.926, only to be toppled seconds later by Raffaele Marciello in the #88 Mercedes0-AMG Team Akka ASP Mercedes who put in a 1:47.645. Mirko Bortolotti joined the session with 25 minutes to go in the #63 GRT Grasser Racing team Lamborghini but a mistake and a lock-up meant that the Italian’s first flying lap was aborted and the #63 car brought back to the pits. As the session drew to a close, it was Marciello’s time of 1:47.645 in the #88 Mercedes that remained at the top of time sheets, with Marco Mapelli second quickest with his 1:47.926. Raffale Marciello was delighted at his time but was aware that the real work starts on Sunday with qualifying. “It was good to put in a lap-time today because you never know what is going to happen tomorrow,” said Marciello. “The car was really good and we did a good job for now but the weekend is starting tomorrow so we will see.” Teammate Michael Meadows was conscious that the rain forecast for Sunday could make conditions tricky for the morning qualifying sessions. “We had some practice yesterday (in the rain) and we looked OK so if there’s as much rain as they say there’s going to be, it’s going to be tough for everyone,” said Meadows. “So qualifying could be a bit messy so it’s about starting at the front and seeing what we can do in the race.” Quickest of the Silver Cup entries was the #22 Jenson Team Rocket RJN Honda Acura NSX GT3 in which Philipp Frommenweiler lapped in 1:48.0450. AKKA ASP Team was quickest in the Pro-Am category with its #87 Mercedes putting in a 1:48.102 whilst the Am Cup time sheets were headed by the #77 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan with a 1:48.943. Qualifying gets underway on Sunday April 14 at 09:40 local time with the lights going out for the three-hour race at 15:00 local time.

https://enduranceandgt.co.uk/marciello-mercedes-amg-team-akka-asp-quickest-in-monza-pre-qualifying-13-04-19/

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Boise State at Nevada 2/2/19 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions Last Updated: 08/21/2019 at 11:28 AM ET The Boise State Broncos visit Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada on Saturday to play the No. 8 ranked Nevada Wolf Pack. The Broncos improved to 10-11 on the season following a 70-68 win over Colorado State. Justinian Jessup led the Broncos with 20 points and Boise State was able to hold off a late charge by the Rams to improve to 5-3 in Mountain West Conference play. Nevada improved to 20-1 overall and 7-1 in MWC play after its 87-70 win over UNLV. The Wolf Pack were led by Caleb Martin who scored 26 points and pulled down six rebounds. Jordan Caroline chipped in with 18 points and 10 boards which is the 12th time Caroline has posted a double-double this season. Cody Martin scored 10 and handed out seven assists. Justinian Jessup is the leader in scoring and leader in assists with averages of 12.9 points and 2.6 assists per game. The leading rebounder is Roderick Williams with an average of 5.3 per game. Boise State is shooting 46.5% from the field and 33.8% from 3-point territory. Jordan Caroline is the leading scorer and leading rebounder with averages of 18.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Cody Martin leads the Wolf Pack in assists with an average of 5.3 per game. Nevada is shooting 46.4% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point territory. Betting Trends for vs Nevada is truly one of the top contenders in the West to battle for the national championship. The Wolf Pack has covered 4 of the last 5 at home against Boise State. Nevada has covered the number in 36 of its last 56 following a win ATS. Final Score Prediction, Nevada Wolf Pack win and cover ATS 79-61.

https://freepicks.picksandparlays.net/more-free-picks/college-basketball-picks/boise-state-at-nevada-2219-college-basketball-picks-and-predictions

Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey says he is interested in joining a “big six” team, like Arsenal or Chelsea, in the future. The Jamaican international has had an excellent season for the Villans, racking up 12 goals and 11 assists in 40 appearances but, speaking about his future on the Let’s Be Honest podcast, he said: “You have big teams in England, they call themselves the big six. The Arsenal’s and the Chelsea’s. It has always been my dream to play in the Premier League and I am right now. Who wouldn’t want to go to a massive team? Especially coming out of Jamaica, do you know how big that is for the country? Especially being who I am as well.” “It would shine more light and that has been my focus whenever overseas. It is to use my platform to be able to shine light on the country and the young talents. It’s difficult for us Jamaicans to even dream about making it to Europe.” Arsenal will be in the market for a player like Bailey this summer The Gunners have been heavily linked with a number of left-footed wingers in recent months, with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta believed to be keen on taking some of the workload off Bukayo Saka on the right flank. Wolves’ Pedro Neto and Barcelona’s Raphinha are just a couple of the names that have been mentioned. Bailey has seemingly thrown his hat into the ring as a possible target as well. Will the club pursue a new No.9 instead? There is believed to be some debate in Arsenal’s recruitment team about whether a winger or a striker should be a top priority for the next transfer window. At the moment, it does appear that signing someone like Bailey is more likely, but you do wonder whether the club should devote more resources towards signing a proven 20+ goals a season No.9.

https://goonernews.com/blog/arsenal-transfer-news-leon-bailey/

Extreme E is very close to define the champion of the second season, as in a few weeks will be held the Energy X Prix in Punta del Este Uruguay. The race will be a continuation of the series’ visit to South America, which previously raced in the Atacama Desert, Antofagasta, Chile. Rosberg X Racing leads the championship with 83 points thanks to the constant and precise driving of its Swedish drivers, Johann Kristofferson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, followed by the X44 duo, Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez with 66 points, that is, a difference of 17 points between both competitors. Lewis Hamilton’s team cut the gap considerably after winning in Chile. However, RXR continues to have a favorable advantage to be crowned two-time champion of the 100% electric off-road category. In third place is ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team with 60 points, closely followed by GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing, with 55 points. McLaren XE is fifth with 34 points, followed by Genesys Andretti United (33 points), Xite Energy Racing (29 points), JBXE (25 points), ABT Cupra XE (21 points) and finally, Veloce Racing (8 points). Extreme E in Uruguay Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, was pleased with the arrival of the series in Uruguay, the site selected to close with a flourish the second season of the category, next November 26 and 27. “We are delighted to travel to Punta del Este, for the final X Prix of season 2”. “The Energy X Prix promises to be a spectacular event, especially as we have such a tight battle for the lead with four teams still in the running to win the championship, we are sure it will be one of our most exciting rounds yet,” he continued. Likewise, he highlighted the nation’s sustainable commitment to an energy transition that reduces greenhouse gases. “We are excited to compete in one of the most proactive countries in its commitment to combat the climate crisis,” he concluded. Written by | Ronald Ortega

https://greenracingnews.com/less-than-a-month-to-define-the-second-season-of-extreme-e/

Rossocorsa Racing will celebrate its season debut at the season finale of the GT Winter Series in Barcelona. The Italian team will field a Ferrari 296 GT3. The team is based in Milan and has enjoyed great success in the Ferrari Challenge to date. 15 drivers’ titles, twelve team titles and six world championships speak an impressive language. The two Italians Stefano Marazzi and Samuele Butarelli will drive the Ferrari 296 GT3 on the world-famous Formula 1 circuit. Marazzi has so far mainly competed for the team in the Ferrari Challenge. Butarelli will act as his driver coach; in 2022, he won a title in the GTCUP Am class in the Endurance classification of the Italian GT Championship. A total of eleven GT3 cars will therefore be competing in the GT Winter Series at the gates of the Spanish metropolis! Fans can therefore look forward to spectacular races and battles for victory! Rossocorsa Racing will be up against well-known GT teams such as Haupt Racing Team, Proton Huber Competition, Schnitzelalm Racing and Joos Sportwagentechnik.

https://gt-winter-series.com/news/rossocorsa-racing-with-ferrari-296-gt3/

Moon’s about-face dents hopes of thaw in Japan-ROK ties 15:13 JST, July 20, 2021 South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s decision not to visit Japan for the Tokyo Olympics has dented chances of an improvement in bilateral ties. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Moon had been expected to have their first in-person summit during the visit. After the announcement on Monday that Moon had scrapped plans to visit Japan, Suga indicated that he would continue to seek ways to improve bilateral relations. “The South Korean side said it hoped for the success of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics when it made the announcement. I think it’s important to note that,” Suga said to reporters at the prime minister’s office. The two countries have not held an official summit since December 2019 because of outstanding issues regarding former so-called comfort women and South Korean court rulings on former requisitioned workers from the Korean Peninsula, among others. The Japanese government had hoped the summit would lead to a thaw in relations even if it did not produce any concrete results and play a part in Olympic diplomacy, which has been curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Japanese government believes Seoul hardened its position after the publication of controversial remarks made by the deputy chief of mission of Japan to South Korea Hirohisa Soma to local media. Soma, who reportedly characterized Moon’s stance on Japan as “self-righteous” and “masturbatory,” was swiftly removed from his post. “Until Sunday, there had been a 90% chance of [the summit] taking place, but the atmosphere changed drastically on Monday,” said a senior Japanese government official. A priority for Seoul is getting Japan to lift tough export controls. According to a South Korean government official, the Moon administration had hoped to win a concession during the summit. The Moon administration might have thought it would be able to suppress criticism of Japan in South Korea if it could achieve a result on export controls, even if it had to compromise to a certain extent on such issues as former requisitioned workers. However, Japan has maintained its position that South Korean court rulings ordering the Japanese government to pay compensation to former so-called comfort women and Japanese companies to pay compensation to the former requisitioned workers are both in violation of international law. A senior Foreign Affairs Ministry official said South Korea must comply with international law before bilateral relations can improve. According to a South Korean government official, Seoul on Monday scrapped plans for the summit as it did not expect to win a concession from Japan on the export control issue. "World" POPULAR ARTICLE China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration Summer Sonic Music Festival to Be Held Also in Thailand Search Continues for Missing People After 72-Hour Window Ends in Quake-Hit Taiwan; Weather Complicating Rescue Efforts Japanese Director of U.N. Agency Gets First-Hand Look at Horrors, Broken Spirits of Gaza N. Korea Fires Ballistic Missile into Sea of Japan JN ACCESS RANKING - Japan Lags in Efforts to Gain Value from Human Resources; Govt Working to Increase Usage - M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami - Cherry Blossoms Draw Crowd to Tokyo’s Ueno Park; Viewing Season Kicks Off to Slow Start - Shohei Ohtani’s Former Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Appears in School Textbook; Publisher Considers Replacing Content - Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers

https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/world/asia-pacific/20210720-45158/

Srinagar: Superstar batter Virat Kohli is breaking record after record and on Monday registered another massive T20 record in his favour. During the game between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the ongoing IPL 2024, Virat Kohli become the Indian player with the most catches in T20 cricket. The record was previously held by former India batsman Suresh Raina. Both of them were level on 172 catches before Virat Kohli broke the record. Kohli achieved the milestone when he took Jonny Bairstow’s catch. Rohit Sharma is at the third spot with 167 catches followed by Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav who have taken 146 and 136 catches respectively. Indian fielders with the most catches in Men’s T20 cricket 173 – Virat Kohli 172 – Suresh Raina 167 – Rohit Sharma 146 – Manish Pandey 136 – Suryakumar Yadav The overall record is held by former West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard who has taken a staggering 362 catches so far. No other fielder has managed to touch the 300 catch so far. David Miller is second with 290 catches followed by Dwayne Bravo (271), Shoaib Malik (225), and Alex Hales (221) in the top five. In the overall list, Kohli is at the 15th spot.

https://ksportswatch.com/virat-kohli-creates-history-breaks-t20-record/

The day after the UCI men’s basketball team won the Big West Tournament championship, some 300 faithful crowded into a blue- and gold-balloon-draped Newkirk Alumni Center to see who the Anteaters would play in their first-round game of the NCAA Tournament. UCI punched its ticket into the 68-team field with a 92-64 triumph over Cal State Fullerton in the Big West title game. It was a record win: the Anteaters’ 30th of the season – and 16th in a row – and the 28-point margin of victory was the largest in Big West Tournament history. Alumni, students and other supporters noshed on pizza and chatted excitedly before the 3 p.m. Selection Sunday TV show, during which the tournament brackets would be announced. Marc and Kathy Gasca brought their young sons Diego and Cruz to the event. Decked out in their finest blue-and-gold wear, the Irvine residents are season ticket holders. “We really love it,” said Marc Gasca, a 2000 UCI graduate in biological sciences. “It’s a great family atmosphere, especially with this team. It’s been so much fun.” NCAA Tournament experts known as “bracketologists” had been predicting that the Anteaters would receive a No. 12 or 13 seed and play their first-round game in San Jose. “If so, we’re there,” said Kathy Gasca. “It’s been wonderful to see this team come together this year and finish it out.” David Simmons ’77 has been a season ticket holder for the better part of 42 years. “Even when I lived in London, I kept my tickets,” he said. “There’s been a lot of great memories.” Simmons goes to Anteater games with his friend Greg Mickelson ’84, and the two sat back at the Newkirk Center savoring this year’s squad like a fine wine. “We’ve been discussing whether this is the best team in UCI history,” Simmons said. “I think this one is up there. We had some NBA-caliber players in the ’80s, but none of them made the NCAA Tournament. This one is the deepest and best coached.” Mickelson laughed. He was much more confident. “This is the best team in UCI history,” he said. As the start of the Sunday Selection show neared, cheerleaders cheered and the band played; the conquering Anteater players settled into their front-row seats. At the edge of the crowded conference room, Eladio Acuna ’84, ’86 stood and smiled. A sergeant with the UCI Police Department, he’s been watching Anteater basketball for 37 years. Like the other officers at the event, he was there on a volunteer basis. “I’m very proud of the guys,” he said. “There’s no doubt we belong in the tournament.” Michael Wilder ’13, director of administration for UCI men’s basketball, shares an even closer bond with the program. He played on the team, leading the 2013 squad to the Big West Tournament championship game. “This is a special feeling for me,” Wilder said. “This team is so focused and resilient, and I’m so proud to see what they’ve achieved.” The tournament selection show was broadcast on four large screens. All watched intently as the south region slots were announced, with the crowd erupting into sustained cheers as it became official: UCI was seeded 13th and would play Friday against Kansas State – in San Jose. The prognostications were correct. Soon after, the TVs were turned down as coach Russell Turner took to a microphone. “We’re going to give it all we got,” he said in a voice hoarse from a busy weekend. “You can drive to San Jose, or you can fly to San Jose. Why don’t y’all come join us?” More cheers burst forth. But in the back of the room, Mickelson was already one step ahead of everyone else: “I’ve already booked my flights.”

https://news.uci.edu/2019/03/18/scenes-from-selection-sunday/

Joao Cancelo has reportedly slammed his parent club Manchester City in an explosive rant in which he accuses manager Pep Guardiola of telling ‘lies’. The Portuguese international is currently on a season-long loan at Barcelona, after spending the second half of last year at Bayern Munich. Reports had suggested that Guardiola was unhappy with Cancelo’s reaction to being dropped from City’s starting XI during their Treble winning season. In an interview with Portuguese publication A Bola, the 29-year-old winger slammed Guardiola’s claims. He said: ‘Lies were told! I’ve never been a bad team-mate for them and you can ask either (Nathan) Ake or Rico (Lewis). I don’t have any superiority or inferiority complex towards them, but that’s the manager’s opinion. ‘I stayed because it’s not true. I think Man City were a bit ungrateful to me when they said that because I was a very important player in the years I was there. ‘I never failed in my commitment to the club, to the fans and I always gave everything. I remember a time when I was robbed and attacked and the next day I was playing at the Emirates against Arsenal. ‘These are things you don’t forget, I left my wife and daughter alone at home, terrified. People will only remember this because Mister Guardiola has much more power than me when he says something and I prefer to keep to myself.’ Cancelo insisted that he ‘wishes’ everything goes well at Man City but also adds that he made the right choice to leave on loan in January 2023 – despite missing out on the Treble. He said: ‘Certain things dictated that I was loaned last year to Bayern Munich. I have no regrets, even if City won the Champions League. I feel like I made the right choice, that I went to a club that really wanted me, even before renewing my contract. It was a club that gave me a lot in the six months I was there.’ After letting Cancelo leave on loan last season, Guardiola said: ‘I wish him the very best. He has been an incredible figure in winning two Premier League titles. ‘After the World Cup, we have been playing in different patterns and I’ve given more time to other players. ‘Everyone has their own personality. He loves to play, he trains the best but he needs to play to be happy, so we decided together to let him go to Munich.’

https://newsunplug.co.ke/joao-cancelo-accuses-coach-pep-guardiola-of-telling-lies-and-labels-his-club-man-city-as-ungrateful/

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https://nft.coinbase.com/explore/sports

Ready to watch free fight streams anywhere, anytime? We can help. We are happy to offer you a world of combat sports. Your next fight is just a click away. No registration and no fee. All free for you. Ready for a fight quiz? Let's see how many you can answer. Answers are below. Which boxers fought in the Thrilla in Manila? What is the main difference between Jujutsu and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu? Who won the No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania 33? Watch live fight streaming here free. It doesn't matter where you are as long as you have a phone or tablet or PC. You can watch our streams anywhere. Great quality, reliable and no buffering. First came the Fight of the Century where WBC/WBA heavyweight champion Joe Frazier beat lineal heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in 1971. Next came Super Fight II in 1974 where Ali emerged the victor. Both fights had been intense and were decided by unanimous decisions. Ali's next fight was the equally famous Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman. The Thrilla in Manila was the third fight between them in 1975 and Ali won by TKO when Frazier's corner signalled to end the match after Round 14. Japanese jujutsu originated around 600 years ago and means ‘the art of giving way'. It was different to other martial arts such as karate which used stikes by emphasizing throws and locks. Brazilian jiu-jitsu originated from this Japanese style but much more importance was placed on grappling and ground fighting. It also allowed moves from other forms of fighting or martial arts. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a favorite for UFC and cage fighters. At WrestleMania 33 in the headline match Roman Reigns defeated The Undertaker. If you like WWE and fights, don't forget to check the schedule for all events and PPV. Check for all live fight streams on our schedule. New events are always being added and updated, so we are always ready for you. Thanks for watching on olympicstreams, and remember to bookmark us!

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BETTER LATE THEN NEVER! - The Anglo Luchador suffered a deep laceration on his left hand thanks to the attack from Hoyt Williams at ReVival 5. Doctors noted that his right hand and feet also developed deep lacerations, although they cannot ascertain why. Sources say that he has passed on Brandon Youngblood’s offer to be in his corner, not because he doesn’t appreciate the help, but because he doesn’t feel it fair to make him divide his attention in advance of his Universal Championship Match. However, he is planning on applying for a manager’s license so he can help even the odds against the eGG Bandits for the main event. - Sid Phillips of the local tag team known as the Winds of Change was said to be furious following the airing of their promo on ReV 5, complaining to reporters that they didn’t air the “actual” promo that they filmed for Survivor, and instead aired “whatever dumb crap Joe sent them”. According to Phillips, the unused promo was five minutes of the two of them “sounding like competent wrestlers who know what they’re doing instead of looking like two dorks in a McDonalds”. Mr. Phillips was then corrected by PRIME and MGM Grand management not to specifically namedrop McDonalds, as a promotional deal hadn’t yet been made with the megachain. Phillips then made loud, agitated, incomprehensible noises in the guise of asking why they aired what they did in the first place, and then stormed off muttering something about powerbombs and his tag team partner as he did. When asked for comment, Joe Fontaine shrugged and said, “Yeah, I don’t know why he was so upset. Personally, my Tempest claw swipes were way more dope in the McDonalds promo than that other one we filmed. Weren’t they?” He then asked “weren’t they?” another six times before a nervous reporter finally humored him and agreed with his assessment. - Timo Bolamba spent several hours with the production team after the main event looking at every possible angle to make sure he had made the right call in the main event. After being told at least seven times that you cannot “enhance the frame like in Super Troopers”, he determined that the call is correct. - Roderick McRatrick has been permanently banned from the MGM Grand. No reason was given, but Lindsay Troy was heard muttering, “no reason SHOULD be given.” - Kenny Freeman sent out a tweet congratulating PRIME on a successful fifth edition of ReVival, while also lamenting the fact that someone’s “SIGN KENNY FREEMAN, YOU COWARDS” sign was removed from the crowd. Inside sources reported that no such sign was present at the MGM Grand, because no one knows who Kenny Freeman is. - A production assistant identified as Mark Lemon was twice seen removing the mannequin known as El Hijo Del Super Cool Guy from trash receptacles in and around the backstage area during the events of ReVival 5. PRIME has learned that a request was made to the facilities department at the MGM Grand for a roll of gaffer’s tape and a container of 2-part epoxy, but has not yet been able to verify whether these incidents are related. - Reports are in that following Teddy Palmer’s loss, he was presented with a gift-wrapped dessert as a sympathy gesture. Although the “You Lost” spelled out in frosting wasn’t too pleasing, Palmer helped himself to a big bite of the Funfetti cake, only to immediately vomit it back up, revealing that it was not frosting but Miracle Whip. A card was then discovered with a heart and the initials “KC” written on it. - “Can’t believe we signed Kendra Lust. Vegas baby!” – Bobby Dean “Oh.” – Bobby Dean, after finding out Kendra Lust was in fact Zeb’s old homecoming date and half sister, Kendra Dogcollier. - Anna Daniels has been fined $10,000 for punting a PRIME cameraman in the head on ReVival 5. When asked for comment, Lindsay Troy replied, “Anna should be punting her fellow roster members and not members of my staff and crew. I know from experience that Shanahan and Bathory make lovely targets.” - Interviewers attempted to speak with FLAMBERGE following his defeat at ReVival 5, but were reportedly uncomfortable approaching him amidst the absurdly loud French ranting and raving coming from Henri Lavigne in the locker room. Mr. Darby did step out, but rather than answering any questions, he gave a short statement. “FLAMBERGE was unjustly maligned in his debut match. We all saw the blatant cheating that took place, and I have a meeting scheduled with Lindsay Troy to express our team’s dissatisfaction with the officiating we have thus far experienced. The Lavignes would like to express that anyone who attempts such malfeasance in the future will be met with severe consequences, in one form or another.” - Thanks to the jersey raffle and a number of unrelated donations, the Fighting For Nora Foundation recorded a record night of fundraising the night of ReVival 5. Foundation chairperson Shweta Kallemullah gave a statement: “The Ray family is blown away by the generosity of PRIME and the people of Las Vegas. Nora has been engaged in the fight of her life, so to see this much support is incredibly rewarding. On a less positive note, the Foundation is disturbed to see the numerous rumors questioning the validity of the Foundation. Doubters are invited to visit the ‘Info’ section of the Foundation’s website to see our documentation.” - Rumor has it that a lockbox with $10,000 inside has been rubber cemented right in front of Lindsay Troy’s office door. It is said to come with an note stating “Fiiiiiine, we’ll play it your way.” and a rough facsimile of the eyeroll emoji. Another lockbox has gotten the same treatment being stuck in front of a Brad Garrett cardboard cutout near Fighting For Nora’s donation jar with that message reading “if this is legit, cool. If it’s not, launder responsibly.” No comments could be given by Anna Daniels mainly because she kept Super Mario stomping all our reporter drones. Those that did get close reveal a chorus of laughter at the end of the semi-main event, polite applause at the end of the main, and even more laughter at the reveal of the Culture Shock card. What any of that may mean is anybody’s guess. - Cancer Jiles received a handful of stitches after battling Teddy Palmer. None were close to his hairline so as he put it, “crisis averted”. He then passed out in the comforting arms of Robert Dean. When asked about the botched mist spot: “It’s like Doozer now.” In regard to the loaded boot: “No idea what you’re talking about.” On if he put any money in Hoyt’s prayer basket: “Bobby wants his autograph so I put a dollar in there for him to sign.” On if Teddy Palmer is still sleeping it off in the center of the ring: “Yes.” Also of note, all three Bandits were overheard pondering how a Blueberry Omelette would taste. Turns out Doozer was bullied by a mannequin at a young age which explains him almost being pinned by one. - Both Muriel Puddings and Garbage Bag Johnny were indeed sighted at the Silver Legacy’s World Famous Potato Bar for lunch. And apparently dinner and breakfast, as Johnny had made good on his promise to bring $140 in cash, which Muriel immediately used to book a room at the modest Reno hotel and casino. Tapioca Puddings was seen being shoved into the trunk of a Mazda Miata by his mother Karen, followed by several pieces of luggage. There was someone waiting for her in the driver’s seat and it was not clear as to who it was, but other employees of PRIME were quick to mention that Matt Mills was the only one they know who owned such an awful vehicle like that. The car was shortly thereafter seen parked at a local CVS, allegedly due to Karen’s need for some “pipe cleaner.” - Melvin Beauregard was overheard being concerned about El Hijo Del Super Cool Guy’s ability to show up to serve drinks as scheduled on Thursday at the MGM Pool area. Melvin did have a comment for christophero34.sg-host.com “Due to El Hijo Del Super Cool Guy’s recent decapitation we are unsure of his ability to serve our customers adequately at the pool area. Our backup plan was to get an El Hijo Del Super Cool Guy impersonator. Sadly, Nathan Filmix wasn’t available to serve drinks to our customers. We are unsure on how we will proceed.” Rumors are also flying that a partnership with a international chain store to partner and sponsor the Intense Title Division in PRIME is on the brink of being finalized. When asked for comment on the issue, Melvin Beauregard ate a Reese’s cup and threw the wrapper on the floor. - Rumors of a surprise drug test turned out to be both true and false. While official staff were backstage for the majority of the day and evening, evidently the tests were canceled after a trip to Calico Rose and her dessert bar. - Officials for both PRIME and the MGM Grand were stunned to learn that the surprise drug test for King Blueberry (real name Jared Sykes) returned with pristine results. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has opened an investigation into the results submitted by El Hijo del Super Cool Guy. - When asked for comments on his first, very unorthodox, match after being injured in the first round of the Almasy Invitational, Doozer sternly said, “No” then disappeared. The reporter does, however, claim that he heard a whisper from the poof of smoke, “And no, I didn’t get bullied by a fucking mannequin.” - Dusk was stopped on his way out of the MGM Grand Arena and asked about his use of Kanye West as his entrance music. Dusk’s entrance music has been “Stronger” by Kanye West since debuting in PRIME two decades ago, but with the recent news about Kanye, some fans are wondering if Dusk should change his music. When asked about it, Dusk had this to say: “Yeah, I’ve just become aware of the situation recently between Kanye and his ex-wife. Not usually up on the pop culture scene. I definitely intend to stop using the song and finding something else that resonates with both the fans and who Dusk is to them. I hope to have an update for Culture Shock.” When asked if he was surprised if he would be facing Tapioca Puddings in the opening match at Culture Shock, Dusk had this to say. “Yeah, definitely surprised. I thought after Hayes Hanlon got the victory in our 5-Star Scramble that I would be at home for the show. So changing gears on my mindset and getting ready for him over the next few weeks will be crucial. I’ll be ready and looking forward to the match.” - When asked about Dusk changing his entrance theme to something other than Kanye West, Lindsay Troy said, “Miracles do happen.”

https://prime-wrestling.com/2022/03/26/revival-05-news-and-notes/

China and the International Olympic Committee have proclaimed the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Winter Olympics. Greenest and cleanest everBut many activists and experts have criticized the host city’s unsustainable practices. Concerns about the impact of the Olympic Games on the environment have been growing for years and are only getting worse as climate change threatens to escalate. What are your concerns about the Beijing Olympics Learn More from Our Experts The Winter Olympics require snow to be on the ground for sports like skiing and snowboarding. However, the three venues for the 2022 games (Beijing and Yanqing) have arid climates. Snow reliability is a concern. Globally, global declineBeijing is not suitable for winter games due to planetary warming. much precipitationin the first place. Similar criticisms were levelled at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. Beijing is heavily reliant on artificial snowmaking as a way to compensate. consumes large quantitiesa greater dependence on electricity and water, which can result in higher carbon emissions. Carmen de Jong, a University of Strasbourg geographer, estimates that snowmaking for the two outdoor venues Zhangjiakou and Yanqing will require as much as five hundred million gallons of fresh water. Unsustainable to host games in a place or region that isn’t snowed in is not possible. De Jong states that creating events without the primary resource they depend on is not only unsustainable but also irresponsible. Energy and Environment According to some, the snowmaking led to water being made. Get divertedFrom local farmers and residents, who are already struggling for the resource due to Beijing’s endemic. water shortage. Artificial snow also destroys native vegetationThey can also cause erosion and landslides. This will further increase the already-harmful impact on the environment of ski runs built in natural landscapes. These unsustainable practices could continue long after the games, if the Olympic venues were converted into permanent ski resorts. China’s environmentalists The cause of much excitementAfter learning that the planned ski runs ran through the Songshan Nature Reserve’s core, Beijing’s protected forest ecosystem, What has Beijing said about the environmental impacts of the winter games? Chinese officials believe the 2022 Olympics would be the most sustainable. Pointing toThe widespread use of hydrogen-powered vehicles and renewable energy. While scientists and activists may see this as a step forward, they argue that these measures are superficial and a PR stunt to hide larger sustainability issues. The high cost of snowmaking is only one of many environmental concerns related to site construction and energy consumption. Learn More from Our Experts The World This Week A weekly digest of the latest from CFR on the top foreign policy stories, with briefs, views, and explanations. Every Friday Beijing plans to use carbon offsets, just like other hosts. These are carbon-reducing measures such as planting trees to offset increased emissions. Scientists question their efficacy, and criticize IOC for it. poor oversightHost cities fulfilling carbon-neutral promise How has the Olympic Games impacted the environment? Studies They have beenThe Olympics have been more damaging to the environment in recent decades, especially since they were introduced. Expanded in size and scope. More athletes, spectators and events emit more carbon and consume it. More natural resources. Olympic-related construction has also reshaped ecological landscapes, and displaced residents. In addition, countries that have less developed renewable infrastructure and protections for the environment are hosting the Olympics. Some host governments have been able to woo domestic opposition to the games by attracting large-scale prestige projects. Experts believe that the 2016 Rio Olympics and the Sochi Olympics have caused significant ecological damage. Construction, Toxic waste disposalUnsustainable building practices, and a lack of sustainable construction. Many developed democracies, however, are refusing to host the games due to the risk of environmental damage and ballooning costs. Beijing was chosen as the host for the 2022 Olympics ahead of Almaty (Kazakhstan), Stockholm, Sweden; Krakow Poland; and Lviv (Ukraine) Withdrew their bidsLack of public support. Energy and Environment How will climate change impact the Olympics? Scientists predict that the number of cities capable of hosting the Summer and Winter Olympics will drop as the planet heats. One study has been doneWithout significant reductions in emissions, 2080 would see an increase in temperatures that would make it possible for only eight cities to host the Winter Olympics again. Heat could also have an effect on the location of the Summer Olympics. Only 5 percent of cities that are currently viable in the Northern Hemisphere could be viable by 2085. Would be consideredCool enough to be used by athletes Can the Olympics be sustained? Experts recommend that organizers take several steps to increase the sustainability and viability of the Olympics. - Choose one or more cities to host the games each time, and reuse existing infrastructure. (Some Have suggestedRotating the games among representative cities on each continent, such Los Angeles in North America or London in Europe, or Tokyo in Asia, is possible. - Reduce the frequency of playing. - Reduce the number and competitions. - To reduce the travel footprint, limit the number of tourists. Many observers remain skeptical that governments or the IOC could pivot, given the financial incentive and reputational rewards. Sven Daniel Wolfe, a political and urban geographer at the University of Lausanne, said that the chance to present your country as a great nation on a global stage is extremely valuable. I don’t think other countries will be willing to give up this prize. Michael Bricknell designed the map for this In Brief.

https://retime.org/the-olympics-can-hurt-the-environment-will-the-2022-beijing-games-continue-this-trend/

3. Brian Lewerke needs his confidence back It’s been a couple games since we saw the real Brian Lewerke take the field. Over the past two contests, he’s been shaky with his accuracy and he’s made some questionable throws into tight windows. That was the case yet again as he finished the game 16-for-25 with 185 yards and an interception. He claims his interception in the end zone (a growing theme) was a pass interference on Felton Davis III, but the truth of the matter is that he missed a wide open receiver in the flat and he targeted his senior wide out just a tad late. The pick was on him, interference or not. Lewerke needs to get his mojo back or the Spartans are going to have a long season. The same thing happened last year after a slow start, but he settled in after the Notre Dame game and finished the season strong. He’ll need to start his turnaround against Northwestern this week. Through four games, Lewerke has five touchdown passes and five interceptions — that’s not acceptable. Though he did pick up 39 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, he was clearly off all day long and didn’t exactly look comfortable in the pocket. Michigan State goes as its leader at quarterback goes.

https://spartanavenue.com/2018/09/30/michigan-state-football-takeaways-win-central-michigan-2018/3/

Many writers and columnists write for the NBA on Yahoo and provide excellent coverage on a wide variety and angles of the game. They are truly top-notch. There are two actual writes for the Yahoo Sports NBA, one of the writes are named : Marc J Spears, another Adrian Wojnarowski. These are your two writers for the Yahoo sports NBA. The reviews for Yahoo NBA are very good. Yahoo Sports has always been known for providing a good sports section for their readers and people who like to join in on sports fantasy games. here is the list 1 ESPN.com 2 Yahoo Sports 3 Rivals.com 4 NFL.com 5 yahoo sports NBA 6 yahoo sports NFL 7 CBSsports.com 8 Cabela's 9 ESPN.com/NFL 10 fox sports on MSN NBA regular season team standings can be found on many sports news websites such as those for the NBA, ESPN, or Yahoo Sports. Additionally, standings can also be accessed through the NBA's official app. Yes, Yahoo does have fantasy sports. On Yahoo Sports one can find information about events concerning different sports and sport results. It is a sports news website launched by the company Yahoo. Yahoo Sports has many fantasy sports available for people to partake in. They have fantasy baseball, basketball, hockey, auto racing and golf. All of the sports are available at Yahoo's sports page. Yahoo sports lists him at 5'6" at 135lbs. Philadelphia Sports Writers Association was created in 1904. Yahoo min of china New Jersey Sports Writers Association was created in 1936. The Sports Writers on TV - 1985 was released on: USA: 1985 They are sport , they are sports, they are sports, they are sports , they are sports , they are sports ,and they are sports .

https://sports.answers.com/Q/Who_are_the_writers_for_Yahoo_sports_NBA

ANAHEIM, Calif. – In a small corner of the baseball season, where the men can sometimes be anonymous and interchangeable, Neal Cotts isn't sure he is lucky to be back in the game, or if he was unlucky to have had four years of his prime taken. But these things happen. Maybe not Tommy John surgery on top of hip surgery on top of three more hip surgeries on top of more unreturned phone calls than he could count. Maybe not the creeping restlessness of a season slipping away, then another and another and another until his whole career was slipping away. But these things happen. "If it didn't work," he said Saturday in a Texas Rangers' clubhouse, three weeks from the end of the season, "at least I could go home and be perfectly content with myself." He's 33, which is no time to go home. Not when the alternative is a 1.17 ERA through 45 appearances, when lefties and righties have the same hollow at-bats against him, and not when a left-handed reliever of any utility might have another decade left in him. What he'd required was a chance, someone to overlook a medical history that was as bleak as it was ample. That it was Jon Daniels and the Rangers is of no real surprise. "Everyone has their vices," Daniels said. "That's one of ours." From memory, he said, there was Rich Harden, Jason Jennings, Ben Sheets, Brandon Webb and Eric Gagne. Two Februaries ago, it was Neal Cotts, who was pretty good once, then drifted away to have his elbow fixed, then his hip, and returned to college and was, Cotts said, another failed physical or two from "waking up every morning and putting a suit on and doing some kind of job every day." Now he's part of one of the better bullpens in the American League, the way he was with the 2005 Chicago White Sox, who were World Series champions. What he endured to get from there to here puts Cotts on the short list of seasons we didn't see coming. Like Marlon Byrd, like Francisco Liriano, like Mark Melancon, like James Loney, like Juan Uribe, like Scott Kazmir, like half the Boston Red Sox, Cotts not only revived a career, but did it in what became a pennant race. A couple semesters short of a finance degree at Illinois State, Cotts spent a good portion of the summer of '12 at Triple-A Round Rock, and failed to make the Rangers' roster out of spring training. By May, Daniels' phone began to ring. "Anybody who'd been in Round Rock told me, 'You gotta call this guy up,' " Daniels said. With ball one to Oakland's John Jaso on May 21 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Cotts threw his first big-league pitch in four years. Going on four months later, among American League pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched, only Koji Uehara has a better ERA. And Cotts' WHIP – 1.00 – ranks 10th. It's been eight years since Cotts was this pitcher, with a fastball this crisp and a slidery-slurve this obedient and a cutter this deceptive. "Maybe threw a tick or two harder then," said Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who caught Cotts with the White Sox. "Slider's better now." And if the Rangers could get back to a place where they are scoring early runs and getting reasonable starting pitching, the way they were in August when they'd run up a 3½-game lead on the A's, Cotts and the rest of the bullpen might actually help them win the AL West. As it is, with little going right but their bullpen, the Rangers have given up five games to the A's in two weeks and are looking again at a possible one-and-done postseason. This is part of the life, the way the season warms up and cools off, and now Neal Cotts rides it again. In his four years between major-league pitches, he and his wife, Jamie, had a boy and a girl. Neal had that time with them, so maybe there's some sense to all of this, an explanation for these things that happen. You know, he said, he could be happy either way, if the Rangers had come for him or not, if the elbow and hip held up or not. But it's good this way. Really good. Now the bullpen phone rings and the feeling rises up in Cotts again, not just that it's his time, but that he has it in him to do this, that he's at least as big as the moment. Rangers manager Ron Washington called him "a godsend," so it has worked both ways. "I thought my arm was good enough still," Cotts said. "It was just a matter of getting that shot. I mean, I knew my arm was decent enough. "Once I got going again, playing again, it didn't feel like I missed that much time. It feels pretty normal." Going through it? Fortunately for him and the Rangers, these things happen.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/rangers--neal-cotts-takes-long-road-back-to-majors-225915994.html

The third time proved to be the charm for the VIU Mariners’ men’s basketball team, who defeated the Langara Falcons in the finals of the PacWest Provincial Championship on March 7. In each of the last two years, the Mariners had lost the gold medal game to the Falcons. The first quarter between the two teams was evenly matched, with the Mariners leading 25-23 after the first. The second quarter was just as even as the first. But with time winding down in the half, Chris Parker forced Langara to turn the ball over before hitting a buzzer-beating three to take a 42-39 lead at halftime. The Mariners came out strong to start the second half, determined to put the game away before the fourth quarter. But the Falcons managed to hang around, matching each Mariners’ run with a streak of their own. After three quarters, the game was tied at 58. The Mariners took the lead early in the fourth quarter. VIU had a five point lead late in the fourth, but were dealt a scare as the game entered its final moments. Justin King, the Mariners’ leading scorer and PacWest player of the year, suffered an injury with just over two minutes left in the game. But despite missing their leading scorer in the game’s final minutes, the Mariners were still able to hang on to capture the PacWest championship, picking up a 82-76 victory over the Falcons. The Mariners advanced to the finals of the Provincials by defeating the Douglas College Royals 89-82 in the semi-finals. VIU trailed the Royals 14-7 in the first quarter, but shook off the slow start to advance to the finals. Both the Mariners and the Falcons will now travel to the CCAA National Basketball Championships in Hamilton, ON at Mohawk College, March 18-21. The Mariners and Falcons will enter the National Championship looking for their second title in the past three years. The Mariners have a couple of weeks to rest and prepare for the trip to Hamilton for the National Championships. For more information on the Mariners and their upcoming games, visit <mariners.viu.ca>.

https://thenav.ca/sports-life/sports/mens-basketball-captures-provincial-gold/

A huge well done to the under 16’s who finished their game against Bridport with an 8-0 win. This was despite having a couple of regular players unavailable. The under 15’s who also played Bridport won 3-0 in the league. The under 14’s won a tough match 1-0 against AFC Cougars. The under 13’s also won comfortably as they scored ten in a 10-0 away win. The under 11’s also did very well in the league cup as they played away from home. Well done to all our teams after another set of superb results this weekend.

https://uptheterras.co.uk/2017/11/27/youth-roundup-big-wins-for-our-teams/

|Liverpool's Brazilian trio, Roberto Firmino, Alisson Becker and Fabinho could miss the Premier League match against Leeds. — AFP Photo Unless common sense prevails, we could see a weekend of Premier League fixtures without South American players. Regulations by FIFA, the world’s governing football body, state that, if enforced, a player can be ruled out for five days after an international break should their clubs refuse to release them to play for their country. This weekend, 11 players will not be available for games in the Premier League after their clubs in England refused to give them permission to travel to their home countries to play in international fixtures, which were all on ‘red-lists’ due to COVID-19. Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea are set to be the hardest hit following a backlash from South American nations. Liverpool with be without Brazilian trio Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, opponents Leeds without Raphinha, champions City Ederson and Gabriel Jesus, Chelsea Thiago Silva and Manchester United Fred. Wolves striker Raul Jimenez of Mexico, Newcastle's Paraguay forward Miguel Almiron and Watford's Francisco Sierralta of Chile, making up the rest of the players told they must sit-out games over the weekend. Once again, it brings up the ‘club v country’ row that has taken on a whole new twist since the pandemic began. But the irony of this particular incident is that of the above mentioned players, those who represent Brazil and Argentina will feel particularly aggrieved as that fixture was abandoned just minutes after kick-off on Sunday after Brazilian health officials objected to the participation of three Argentine players, believing they broke quarantine rules. When the bigwigs at FIFA wrote their rules, it wasn’t because of the pandemic, but way before. This particular regulation was designed to prevent clubs from tactically withdrawing players in order to protect them for upcoming club matches immediately after the international fixtures. But as the world still struggles to come to terms with exactly how to deal with coronavirus, which let’s face facts, is here to stay for a good while yet, then surely there has to be a little give and take when it comes to international call-ups. Taking the Brazil v Argentina game as an example, there were no fans permitted inside the Corinthians Arena, so why exactly did the match need to be played in Sao Paulo? A large chunk of the players from both teams will have been based away from South America anyway. Messi and Neymar both featured and travelled from Paris, so why not pick a venue in a country considered safer? That’s what happened in the Champions League last season, and although not ideal, it did go some way to allowing games to go ahead in relative safety. By the time you have read this column, the powers that be may well have decided to overturn their decision to punish absent Premier League players and allow them to play this weekend. I hope that is the case, and I also hope that decision makers review those FIFA regulations and look for better options to allow international games to take place. Brazil v Argentina doesn’t need to take place in South America. With no supporters allowed in the ground in Brazil, why not play the match in Europe where fans are allowed entry? There would have been no shortage of paying supporters who would have loved to watch South America’s elite slug it out.

https://vietnamnews.vn/sports/1027580/common-sense-needs-to-prevail.html

The traditional sports in the snow fight for their future There were - as always in sports - winners and losers at the Nordic World Ski Championships. And because there are only three places available on the podium, the number of the disappointed was traditionally greater than the number of those who could rejoice over medals. In this respect, nothing new from the ski winter. But: There is a lot going on in Nordic skiing and some of it is worrying. Let's start with the sporting details. Norway remained the measure of all things in the Nordic field also at the festivities in Slovenia. Because the Russians were not allowed to participate for well-known reasons, the Scandinavians dominated the men's cross-country skiing at will, winning in all decisions. In the Nordic combined, too, the flag of the Scandinavians was always pulled up to the top at all award ceremonies - the serial winners Gyda Westvold-Hansen and Jarl Magnus Riiber in particular appeared too dominant. But in Norway they will still look critically at the World Championships, the dominance in women's cross-country skiing was lost, Sweden's women are currently the measure of all things and in ski jumping they had expected more. Because the next title fights are a home game for the inventors of Nordic skiing, in 2025 the World Championships will be held in Trondheim, one can expect that the measure of all things in this sport wants to appear even stronger at the competitions in the Granasen area than in Slovenia. The Germans can also return satisfied from the valley of the hills in Planica. A dozen medals, neatly distributed over all three sections, i.e. run, combination and jump, are a good proof of the Germans' performance. Particularly striking: Katharina Althaus, with 3 gold and bronze medals the queen of the World Championships, and the only 17-year-old combination princess Nathalie Armbruster. Germany shone above all as a team, both across disciplines and in the individual team competitions. In the cross-country, the women confirmed their top result of the previous year from the Olympic Games in Beijing with silver in the relay, the men provided a real sensation of the World Championships and the most surprising medal for the DSV with bronze over 4×10 km. Only the ski jumpers, who were nevertheless on target with silver and bronze from the normal hill and also contributed their part to the mixed gold, didn't really get flying - delivered a mirror image of the results of the season so far. But what else remains of this World Cup? Many question marks! There is the lack of spectators, because also in Slovenia they had the idea to consider this world championship as a cow that could be milked to death. But the audience decided against horrendous ticket prices and overpriced hotel beds and simply stayed away - apart from the two men's competitions on the large hill, which with around 8,000 visitors per evening did not overflow with fans either. The weather mostly played along at an altitude of 1,000 meters, but Planica also lived off the snow reserves from the Karawanken, because in sunshine the temperatures could sometimes climb into the double-digit plus range. Organizationally, many things went well, but transport problems remained a nuisance until the final day. Basically, however, Nordic skiing has to ask itself where the journey should go. Yes, the next world title competitions will certainly take place in Scandinavia with a certain amount of snow. But if Falun 2027 follows on from the 2015 edition, in four years we will once again see a pure cross-country skiing world championship; ski jumping and Nordic combined won't attract any fans in Sweden. And with ever warmer winters, future hosts will probably ask themselves whether a bid makes sense or is rather counterproductive, given the escalating costs for modern facilities and the production of artificial snow and the criticism of the resulting lack of environmental compatibility and sustainability. Last but not least, there is the big problem child of Nordic skiing - the Nordic combined. It should have received the greatest attention in Planica, especially from the World Ski Federation. However, the World Ski Federation managed the feat of completely screwing up the premiere of the mixed team competition due to insufficient preparation. The jumping slope at the ski jump was not prepared. Embarrassing for all those involved, there's no other way to describe it. Nobody can do anything about the dominance of the two high-flyers from Norway - at most the competition. But if the FIS President describes the sport as "funny" in the run-up to the World Championships, then this should play into the hands of the grandees of the International Olympic Committee, who last summer denied the combined women access to the Olympics and threatened the men with their departure from the Olympic program, as confirmation of their position. Which brings us to what is probably the biggest problem facing the world skiing federation FIS at the moment - and that is its president. You can say what you like about the Swede Johan Eliasch, you can like his ideas or you can dislike them. But it is one of the elementary tasks of an elected leader of a world federation to be present at the major event, at the meeting of the world's best. Eliasch, however, managed the feat of floating in for the official opening, saying a few words of consolation and then disappearing before the first decision was made. This (non-)appearance says more than 1,000 words and raises the question: Quo vadis, Nordic skiing. Not a pretty outlook. Pictures: K. Voigt Fotografie

https://wintersport.news/en/quo-vadis-nordischer-skisport/

Like everyone else, Katie Ledecky was forced to shelve her plans when the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Instead of looking far into the future, the five-time Olympic champion swimmer switched to a more immediate mindset. Forget that the four-year cycle leading to the 2024 Paris Olympics is already underway. Ledecky is still working toward making a big splash at this summer’s delayed Tokyo Games. “In some ways not traveling over the past year and just being able to train has been really good for me and something I hope will pay dividends,” she said from Northern California in a recent virtual interview. “I’m someone that really loves training. I kind of like the day-to-day of just going to work and putting in that work in the pool and eventually seeing the results.” Ledecky returned to national competition on Wednesday for the first time in a year, winning the 1,500-meter freestyle at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in San Antonio, Texas. She led by a half-pool length for most of the 30-lap race before touching in 15 minutes, 42.92 seconds. Ashley Twichell finished well back in second at 16:04.29. “I didn’t set too many expectations coming into this first race,” Ledecky said afterward. “I knew getting the first race out of the way would kind of be a milestone in this journey back into real racing.” Jordan Wilimovsky won the men’s 1,500 in 15:15.28. He’s already qualified for Tokyo in open-water competition. Ledecky is among several big names diving back in with three months to go until the U.S. Olympic trials. Caeleb Dressel, Simone Manuel, double backstroke world-record holder Regan Smith, and Ryan Lochte will swim over four days in the first single-site American meet since the pandemic began. Aiming to make his fifth Olympic team, Lochte is entered in five events. Ledecky is entered in her other usual events: 200, 400, and 800 freestyles. She’s also set to swim the 50 and 100 free. Her Olympic schedule will focus on the 200, 400, 800 and 1,500, plus any relays. The 1,500 is a new women’s event in Tokyo. Last March, when it was announced the Tokyo Olympics were postponed, Ledecky resumed classes at Stanford. She had planned to take the year off from school leading up to the games; instead, she signed up for a full schedule of virtual classes in the spring and fall. She completed her psychology degree with a minor in political science. “That was a great silver lining,” she said. In the early days of the pandemic, Ledecky scrambled to find a pool to train in after Stanford shut down its facilities. She and Manuel worked out in a backyard pool. “The main focus for that period of time was just keeping a feel for the water,” she said. “We relied on each other and kept each other accountable and kept each other focused on our goals.” Last fall, Stanford and rival California staged small meets that Ledecky swam in. In January, she competed against training partners in a mock meet that included preliminaries and finals to make it resemble a real competition. “I feel like some of these experiences have built my confidence,” she said. “If I can swim fast in that kind of environment, I can swim fast at a big stage like Olympic trials or the games when maybe we won’t have spectators.” Ledecky isn’t sure what awaits in Tokyo. She wants to know more details on how frequently the athletes will be tested for coronavirus, where they’ll be tested, and what the swimming venue will look and feel like. “Of course, I want everyone to stay healthy,” she said. “I guess that would be my biggest fear, that there’s a huge outbreak at the games. I’m pretty confident in how Tokyo is managing it so far.” Then there’s drug testing. The U.S. resumed its usual testing procedures last fall. However, in the initial stages of the pandemic’s national shutdown, Ledecky joined the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s Project Believe 2020. It involved high-profile Olympians conducting urine and blood tests in their homes on their own while being observed virtually by USADA personnel. “I was able to still get tested throughout last year,” she said. But Ledecky wonders about the rest of the world. “I do have some concern,” she said. “There’s some uncertainty there, in that I haven’t really heard how much other countries are testing.” Ledecky is currently tested for COVID-19 multiple times weekly during training. She practices social distancing and wears a mask — all things she expects to do at a very unusual Olympics. “Just trying to do as much as I can to prepare for those different things that may happen, the different protocols,” she said. “Just trying to learn what that may look like, so that come Tokyo I’m not caught by surprise.” With her college degree in hand, Ledecky has spent time out of the pool visiting virtually with schools, club teams and children’s hospitals. She hasn’t seen most of her Maryland-based family since Christmas 2019. Ledecky turns 24 later this month, putting her in the prime of her career. She doesn’t feel cheated by losing precious time to a global pandemic, though. “I don’t feel like I missed out on some performances,” she said. “I had some good performances last year as we were leading into trials. I feel like I’m carrying that momentum to this year.” More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

https://wtop.com/olympics/2021/03/ledecky-returns-to-competition-with-time-ticking-to-tokyo/

By Brad Cronick: Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is talking about matching Amir Khan (27-3, 19 KO’s) against Josesito Lopez (30-5, 18 KO’s) in his next fight in April, according to Lance Pugmire of LA Times. Khan, however, fractured both of his hands in beating Carlos Molina (17-1, 7 KO’s) by a 10th round TKO last Saturday night and that could be a problem for Khan. It depends on how well his injured hands heal. But Lopez will still likely be the next opponent for Khan. This could be a pretty tough test for Khan, because I really didn’t see any improvement at all in Khan’s game last Saturday night in his win over Molina. It was an easy fight for Khan, but it would have been the same easy fight before he booted trainer Freddie Roach and signed up with Virgil Hunter. If anything, this fight would have been easier for Khan before because he would have flurried until the fight was halted in four or five rounds. But by messing around and hitting, and running, Khan let Molina stick around a lot longer than he should have. Khan showed the same vulnerability to getting hit with left hooks, because he would open himself up each time he’d come at the tiny 5’6’ Molina, and he would get hit plenty. Lopez was stopped in the 5th round in his last fight against WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez last fight in September. That wasn’t a good fight for Lopez, but you can’t really give him too much blame because Golden Boy had Lopez move up two entire divisions just to give Alvarez a fight that he’d have a good chance of winning because of his size advantage. You hate to see promotional companies pooling opponents two divisions below their fighter just to give him an advantage, and that was sad for Lopez that he was matched like that. I’m sure he was happy to get the payday but it’s still bad for him because he took a beating and looked way out of his league in that fight. If Lopez can get to Khan’s chin he’ll have a great chance of winning this fight, but he’s going to have to be willing to take a lot of punishment in order to land his shots. Molina looked like he didn’t want to keep getting hit in the second half of the fight, as he stopped really trying hard. Lopez can’t do that if he wants to have a chance at beating Khan.

https://www.boxing247.com/boxing-news/josesito-lopez-likely-next-opponent-for-amir-khan/6648

After the Milwaukee Bucks' loss to the Houston Rockets on Jan. 6, Giannis Antetokounmpo let loose. In a lengthy rant, the two-time MVP called out himself, his teammates, the coaching staff and even the equipment manager. "Offense is gonna be there some nights, and, some nights, it's not going to be there," Antetokounmpo said. "Your defensive effort, though, has got to be there. "Pride. Pride. Pride. Pride. We gotta take it personal. Like, we have to take it personal. Whoever wants to play hard, plays hard. Whoever doesn't want to play hard, it's gotta be a decision that's gotta be made. Even myself, too. If I don't play hard, sit me out, sit me on the bench. There's times I'm tired and I don't play as hard as I can, and there's times even when I give everything I have. But we have to have a mentality of whenever we step on the floor, we have to get stops." Two nights later, the Bucks gave up 11 3-pointers and 41 points in the first quarter en route to a blowout loss to the Utah Jazz, their fourth defeat in five games. Along the way, they earned boos inside Fiserv Forum for the first time that Antetokounmpo could remember. The message, apparently, had not been received. "At the end of the day, you gotta play hard,". "I don't think it's about making or missing shots. It's about giving effort out there and when you don't, I think people feel that. When you wear a Bucks jersey and you don't play hard – not just Bucks jerseys, any jersey. "I think we have great fans. But around the league, if you don't play hard and don't give everything for the team, there are times where you might get booed. Shit, I'd boo myself tonight too." Concerning, yes, but the bigger problem for the Bucks is that their lack of coaching experience and defensive talent outside of Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez has put a hard cap on the level they can get to on that side of the ball. Which, in turn, may limit what they can achieve as a team this season. At their best, they've been a middle-of-the-pack unit. At their worst, they might as well not even be out there. Last five games Since 1998, which is as far as the NBA's stats site database goes back, only the 2023 Nuggets (15th) and 2001 Lakers (22nd) have won a title while finishing 15th or worse in defensive rating during the regular season. Both of them improved in the playoffs against elite competition. Thus far, the Bucks have not shown that they'll be able to do the same. Delving further into the data, here's where the Bucks rank in some key areas. The only positive number you can point to – how opponents shoot on wide-open shots – essentially comes down to luck. |Statistical category (all per game) |2023-24 (League rank) |2022-23 (League rank) Opponent restricted area attempts Opponent restricted area FG% Opponent wide-open 3-point attempts Opponent wide-open 3PFG% Opponent points in the paint Opponent second-chance points Opponent fastbreak points "Now, defensively, we have to have a plan," Antetokounmpo said after the Rockets loss. "What is our strategy? Are we going to give a lot of open 3s? Are we going to let them get in the paint? When they go in the post, are we going to stay with ours and play one-on-one? What is our strategy? Right now, we are giving everything. We are giving everything. We are giving the 3s. We are giving straight-line drives. We are letting guys play in the post and get comfortable. We're giving offensive rebounds." Their form since the start of the new year has been particularly concerning. Playing the high-octane Pacers twice certainly hasn't helped, but that doesn't explain giving up 121 points to the lowly Spurs, playing with "no pride" against the Rockets according to Antetokounmpo, nor getting blown out by the Jazz at home in the very next game despite their superstar's tirade. While Antetokounmpo's comments focused on effort, the specific issues he mentioned have been on full display during this skid. 'What is our strategy?' Here, in the fourth quarter against the Spurs, it's not entirely clear what the plan was as they extended the defense into the backcourt, but didn't put any pressure on the ball. As a result, the Spurs easily break the token press and wind up with a dunk. Against the Jazz, the problem was more about communication, or lack thereof. Andre Jackson Jr. and Brook Lopez both go with John Collins as he rolls to the basket, which leaves Jordan Clarkson wide open for a 3. 'Are we going to give up a lot of open 3s?' 'Are we going to let them get in the paint?' 'When they go in the post are we going to stay with ours and play one-on-one?' 'Right now we are giving everything… we are giving straight-line drives' Many of the Bucks' issues stem from the latter. Whether in one-on-one situations or in pick-and-rolls, it's simply too easy for opposing ball handlers to get into the paint and either score themselves or collapse the defense. Even offensive rebounds are easier when the defense has rotated and guards are trying to box out big men, or the floor is unbalanced. When the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard shortly before the start of training camp, the initial excitement focused on the offensive possibilities, and for good reason. The seven-time All-Star is one of the best shooters and scorers of his generation, and the most talented teammate that Antetokounmpo has ever played with. Lillard is also a below-average defender, and back in September, there were more than a few dissenting voices concerned about the effect that swapping Jrue Holiday for him would have on that side of the ball. Former Bucks coach George Karl even went so far as to say that "in the playoffs, Holiday might be better than Lillard." We'll have to wait until the spring to see about that bold claim, but the Bucks' defensive problems are already obvious, and getting worse. When Holiday makes his first return to Milwaukee on Thursday, he'll face a Bucks team that misses him more than ever.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/how-bucks-glaring-defensive-issues-show-they-miss-jrue-holiday-more-than-ever/

Climbing New Zealand is seeking applications for position of Assistant Coach for the New Zealand Youth Sport Climbing Team (NZYT) for 2019. Full job description is also available on request to this email. Please note this position is voluntary (expenses reimbursed), and for a 1-season term (2019) only. Applicants must be available for travel to Italy for the IFSC World Youth Championship (WYCH). Trip duration: August 11th – Sept 4th. Ideally the applicant should be competent driving a manual vehicle in Italy. Applicants will probably also be needed to attend the Australia Youth Champs in Sydney (May 24,25,26). Applicants are also expected to attend all training camps for the NZYT – dates to follow. Parents/guardians or any person having a direct family relationship (including relationship partners) to any member of the NZYT will not be considered for any of this position. Application closing date: midnight Monday March 4th 2019 Interviews will follow – by Skype or Google Hangouts and we will aim to confirm appointments by end of March.

https://www.climbing.nz/2019/02/nz-youth-team-2019-assistant-coach-applications-now-open/

Russia will host the world's biggest soccer tournament from June 14 to July 15 in 11 cities in the European part of the country, having spent billions of dollars on putting the right infrastructure in place. Ratings agency Moody's warned Thursday that it saw "a very limited economic impact at the national level, given the limited duration of the World Cup and the very large size of Russia's economy." "While the extra boost in tourism will benefit Russia's already healthy external accounts, the added support will likely be short-lived." Moody's said the food, hotel, telecoms and transport industries would see a temporary boost in revenue, adding that Moscow airports would also benefit because "upgraded facilities will support higher passenger flows even after the event." Want a second opinion? The ratings agency's assessment in many parts is at variance with a survey by the Russian government last week. It said the World Cup's boost for the country's gross domestic product (GDP) would be between $26 billion (€22 billion) and $30.8 billion over the 10 years from 2013 through to 2023. The figures were based on expected revenue from growing tourism, large-scale construction activities and later knock-on effects from a raft of government investments. The survey said the total spend on the tournament would be $11 billion, not including some costly new infrastructure and stadiums that would have been built anyway. Around 220,000 jobs had been created, the report said. hg/jd (Reuters, AP)

https://www.dw.com/en/how-the-world-cup-will-impact-the-russian-economy/a-44020223

Manchester City and Liverpool have dominated the Premier League over the past four seasons but a sizeable gap has opened up between the leaders and the champions ahead of their latest meeting on Sunday. City are seven points clear of fourth-placed Liverpool, with a game in hand, and could kill off any hopes of a revival for Jurgen Klopp’s men with a first victory at Anfield for 18 years. At the other end of the table, Sheffield United, West Brom and Fulham have been cut adrift and look destined for a return to the Championship. But struggles for Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal have opened up the race for a Champions League place, with a host of other contenders aiming for a top-four finish. Man City leave Liverpool trailing despite the vast sums invested and multiple trophies won since Shiekh Mansour’s takeover 13 years ago, Anfield has remained an unassailable fortress for the men in blue with City’s last victory there coming in 2003. However, Liverpool’s invincibility at home has crumbled in recent weeks in front of empty stands. After a club-record 68-game unbeaten run in the Premier League at Anfield, the Reds have suffered back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Burnley and Brighton. Liverpool have not won any of their past four home games — and have not found the net there since late December. Klopp admitted his side were suffering from mental and physical fatigue as an injury crisis in defence continues to have an impact on the rest of the team, with midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson forced into deputising at centre-back. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Sadio Mane all missed the Brighton defeat on Wednesday but could return for the daunting task of halting City’s 13-game winning run in all competitions. Despite the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, City have found the kind of form that enabled them to pip Liverpool to the title by a single point in the 2018/19 season. Pep Guardiola’s men have conceded just one goal in winning their past nine league games to storm three points clear at the top with a game in hand over second-placed Manchester United. “At the end the aim is to be champion,” said Guardiola, looking ahead after easing past Burnley on Wednesday. “It is the same (three) points, but against a contender.” Champions League dreamsLiverpool remain fourth for now despite their faltering form but just nine points separate them from Arsenal in 10th spot. Sixth-placed Everton are six points behind Leicester, in third spot, but have two games in hand. However, on Saturday, Carlo Ancelotti’s men travel to face a Manchester United side fresh from equalling the Premier League’s record winning margin, with a 9-0 demolition of nine-man Southampton. West Ham can move above Liverpool when they visit Fulham, while Tottenham and Chelsea will be confident of bolstering their push for a top-four finish when they face struggling West Brom and Sheffield United respectively. Arsenal desperately need to win at Aston Villa to keep their chances of a return to the Champions League next season alive. Bottom three doomed?A bad week for Fulham and West Brom combined with recent wins for Burnley, Brighton, Newcastle, Wolves and Crystal Palace has opened up an eight-point gap between the bottom three and survival. “It leaves us with a great gap to fill,” said West Brom boss Sam Allardyce after taking just one point from games against Fulham and Sheffield United. The Blades are the only side in the relegation zone showing signs of life, with three wins in their past five games, but Chris Wilder’s men have given themselves a mountain to climb after picking up just two points from their opening 17 games. All of the bottom three face tough fixtures this weekend, but failure to win could see the relegation dogfight peter out with a whimper. Fixtures (all times GMT) Aston Villa v Arsenal (1230), Burnley v Brighton, Newcastle v Southampton (both 1500), Fulham v West Ham (1730), Manchester United v Everton (2000) Tottenham v West Brom (1200), Wolves v Leicester (1400), Liverpool v Man City (1630), Sheffield United v Chelsea (1915) Leeds v Crystal Palace (2000)

https://www.eagleeyesnews.ng/sports/liverpool-face-must-win-man-city/

When It Matters, The Korean LoL Powerhouses Prove Their Brilliance The two League of Legends Worlds semifinals this past weekend could have signaled a changing of the guard. For a long time, Korean teams have dominated this event, but their two representatives in the semis, SK Telecom T1 and Samsung Galaxy, had proven vulnerable in the run up to this stage. Lying in wait were the talents of Royal Never Give Up, arguably the most consistent team across the entire championship, and Team WE, who came through the Play-In Stage and notched a memorable win against SK Telecom T1 in the recent Rift Rivals tournament. The bookies had the two Korean team as the favourites (as always), but there was a sense that this could be the year that perhaps China enjoyed its first success in League of Legends’ premiere event. Over the weekend, both Chinese teams had a partisan home support roaring for them. The scene was set for at least one of the Chinese teams to earn that coveted finals spot and perhaps put an end to Korean dominance. But things didn’t quite turn out that way. Once again, the brilliance of Korea’s finest came to the fore in two dramatic, but very different semifinals. Royal Never Give Up blow their chance to end SK Telecom T1’s reign Most commentators felt if one team could end Korea’s stranglehold on the Worlds finals, it would be Royal Never Give Up. In a football stadium-like atmosphere for the first game in their best-of-five semifinal, the home side played a very solid game to take the opening match. In contrast, SK Telecom T1 once again showed the vulnerabilities that had beset them throughout the tournament. However, in the second map, SK Telecom T1 played a solid game to even the matchup at 1-1. Faker proved to be their key player, but not even he could stop the Chinese squad from taking the third game in the series. Would this be the year SK pushed their luck one time too many? The answer was emphatic. No. SK saved their best games until the final two maps. Led by the incredible Faker, they took both the games to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory. The only consolation for Royal Never Give Up as their disconsolate fans left the stadium in silence was that the gap between the top Korean sides and their rivals is decreasing — not quickly enough, apparently. Samsung Galaxy defeat Team WE to claim final spot The second semifinal took place on Sunday. Just 24 hours after one Korean team made it through to the finals, they were joined by a second. Samsung Galaxy overcame Team WE in relatively conclusive fashion to earn another crack at the world title. The opening game was a salutary lesson for the Korean side, as Team WE dominated the opening map. The Korean team making a number of elementary mistakes that gave Chinese fans hope. However, those hopes would soon be dashed. Samsung Galaxy kicked it into gear and took the next three maps in convincing fashion to earn a 3-1 victory. Even the final game in this match, which lasted 36 minutes, was very much a one-sided affair. So once again, it is two of Korea’s finest in the LoL Worlds Finals. Both teams have won previously and will feel confident they can claim the title in the Bird’s Nest Stadium next weekend in Beijing. SK Telecom T1 vs. Samsung Galaxy preview The strength of Korean League of Legends gaming is perhaps emphasized by the fact that the team that won the LCK Summer Split and was the region’s top seeds, Longzhu Gaming, didn’t get past the quarterfinals. Let’s take a look at SK and Samsung’s roads to the finals. SK Telecom T1 - LCK Summer Split — Fourth place with 13-5 record - Summer Split Playoffs — Finalists, but lost to Longzhu Gaming 3-1 - World Championship Group Stage — Group A winners with 5-1 record - Quarter Final Result — Defeated Misfits 3-2 - Semi Final Result – Defeated Royal Never Give Up 3-2 The three-time World Champions have enjoyed unparalleled success in this event. Despite not being as dominant this year as in the past, they are still the strong favourites to win their fourth title next weekend. Betway is offering 1/2 on SK winning. - LCK Summer Split Qualifier – Second place with 14-4 record - Summer Split Playoffs – Playoff Round 1 lost to SK Telecom T1 0-3 - World Championship Group Stage — Came through Group C at 4-2 to get No. 2 seed - Quarter Final — Swept Longzhu Gaming 3-0 - Semi Final — Defeated Team WE 3-1 Even though Samsung have arguably qualified for this final against tougher opponents and looked stronger than their future opponent, such is SK Telecom T1’s mystique that Samsung are ranked as the 7/5 outsiders. This will be the second time in two years these teams have met in the finals. SK Telecom T1 won last year’s matchup in Los Angeles 3-2.

https://www.esportsbets.com/news/korean-lol-powerhouses-worlds/

Erik ten Hag was very happy after meeting Sir Jim Ratcliffe Sir Jim Ratcliffe can enact the perfect revenge on Chelsea within a few months of completing his investment in Manchester United after failing to buy the Blues in 2022. The INEOS founder is set to make a splash in his first summer transfer window as a United part-owner, potentially at Chelsea's expense. It has worked out well for Ratcliffe, all in all, as he awaits the Premier League to ratify his £1.3billion deal for a 25 per cent stake and total control over football operations at Old Trafford. When he emerged as a late runner in the race to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich, he likely wasn't aware the Glazers would launch their strategic review later in the year. And after more than 170 parties reportedly showed interest in investing in United, the 71-year-old supporter from Failsworth prevailed. Ratcliffe's failed effort to purchase Chelsea, where he formally had a season ticket, indicated his desire to enter the world of Premier League football. But it's no secret that United was his dream investment. He described it as the most exciting investment of his business career ahead of Sunday's 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. READ MORE Amad confirms stance on Man Utd exit in January as social media DM leaked [SOCIALS] Stay up-to-date with the latest Man Utd newsJoin us on WhatsApp Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info That said, the manner of Chelsea's rejection may have stung. Ratcliffe's last-minute £4.25billion offer was pushed aside 'out of hand' before Todd Boehly's consortium were named as the preferred bidders. The British billionaire could bite back and hand Chelsea the summer transfer blues by luring Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise to United. The Red Devils have reportedly identified Olise as one of the first transfer targets of the Ratcliffe era and will consider triggering his new release clause at the end of the season. It's also been claimed that Aaron Wan-Bissaka is being lined up for a return to Selhurst Park to sweeten the deal and fend off rival interest from Liverpool and Chelsea. Man Utd loanee Mason Greenwood mocked by Sergio Ramos joke after cup exit [SOCIALS] Man Utd left Newport boss crying as a 'little nipper' as FA Cup dream comes true [QUOTES] Man Utd double exit as Liverpool eye Colwill and Newcastle 'request' Kimmich [BLOG] The Stamford Bridge giants tried to sign Olise last summer amid his uncertain future in south London. They even activated his bargain £35m release clause before the 22-year-old Frenchman penned a new four-year contract at Palace out of nowhere. His new release clause is expected to be significantly higher than that fee, but that hasn't faded Chelsea's interest. However, United could have the upper hand if Wan-Bissaka is open to a return. Ratcliffe will reportedly inject his own personal wealth into the Red Devils, easing Financial Fair Play restrictions and allowing Erik ten Hag, or whoever is manager this summer, to splash the cash.

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1856756/Man-Utd-transfer-news-Sir-Jim-Ratcliffe-Chelsea

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – The Denver Broncos have re-signed backup safety David Bruton to a three-year deal, keeping their special teams ace from entering free agency Tuesday. Bruton has been the team's top special teams player since the Broncos selected him in the fourth round of the 2009 draft out of Notre Dame. On Monday morning, Bruton tweeted, "Still a Bronco! Deals done! Blessed to continue a career in the NFL." The Broncos also are trying to re-sign defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson before he hits free agency and they've asked defensive end Elvis Dumervil to take a pay cut. If not, he'll be traded or released before Saturday when his $12 million salary for 2013 becomes guaranteed. Dumervil is also due $10 million in 2014 and $8 million in 2015.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/denver-broncos-keep-special-teams-ace-david-bruton-with-3-year-deal-on-eve-of-free-agency

Palm Harbour (USA) March 24 (IANS) Keith Mitchell holed an eagle from the fairway on the 18th to take a two-shot lead in the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course here. Mitchell shot 5-under 66 on Saturday to get to 10-under at the start of the weekend where all 77 players who made the cut were within six shots of each other. Mitchell went birdie-birdie-eagle on the last four holes to take a clear lead. He is two shots ahead of Mackenzie Hughes (69), Seamus Power (68) and Peter Malnati (68). The 50-year-old Stewart Cink, who began the third round in a five-way tie for the lead, had two early birdies and was leading through seven holes when he three-putted from 30 feet on the par-3 eighth. It only got worse from there. Cink shot 41 on the back nine for a 76, taking him from the lead to nine shots behind. Indian American Akshay Bhatia (70) is T-46 at 1-under and the top Asian is K.H Lee (70) in T-13 at 5-under.

https://www.hamaribaat.com/pga-tour-mitchell-closes-with-an-eagle-to-take-2-shot-lead-in-valspar-championship/

We link, you decide… - Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that the Mets might try to trade the incumbent Luis Castillo this offseason, and look at free agent-to-be Orlando Hudson. I feel like we've heard this before. Castillo still has two years and $12MM left on his deal, so good luck trying to move him. - MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has some quotes from Reds manager Dusty Baker about wanting "dudes that drive in some runs and hopefully don't strikeout so much." Scott Rolen, the Reds big trade deadline pickup, has hit just .278/.360/.380 for Cincy. - Jeff Wilson of The Dallas Morning News writes that outfielder Marlon Byrd is healthy and hitting again. It comes at a good time for Byrd, who will be a free agent after the season.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/09/odds-ends-mets-reds-byrd.html