#solid 6/10 chippy

[borealing]

im watching black doves to stave off the squid game hyperfixation and im enjoying it but some things keep breaking my immersion including 1. london is never that empty where are all the tourists!!! 2. ive been to this chippy. i have had fish and chips in this fucking place theyre sitting in. i know exactly where it is. what the fuck?

[agentnico]

Flora and Son (2023) Review

Flora and Son - sounds like a name for a barber's or a chippy. "Chippy"....my-my, I'm becoming more British by the day!

Plot: Flora, a single mother who argues with her son Max in an attempt to find him a hobby, retrieves a guitar from a dumpster and discovers that one person's rubble can be a family's salvation.

John Carney's musicals aren't really musicals. Having brought us such treats as Sing Street and Begin Again, all his projects feature original songs, however, they are never flashy staged sequences, but instead very simplistic and calming moments. Carney uses music as a connective tissue between characters who otherwise struggle to click. So with his new Apple TV+ indie feature Flora and Son he sets the events in Dublin, Ireland, and its another feel-good heartwarming experience,. The best parts are the musical moments, with the song lyrics and acoustic guitar sounding delightful, however despite good intentions and solid moments, the film itself fails to fully hit the mark.

The thing with most John Carney movies is that they all feature flawed characters, with individuals going through some serious issues such as divorce or loss or being outcasted, however, that never stops these characters from being likable people whom we as the audience can root for and have that interest in seeing them get their happy ending. With Flora and Son, however, even though the story is structured in that same pattern, the characters are all really unlikeable and at times horrible. Flora (played by Ewe Hewson) is a terrible mother who rarely gives her son the time of day. She steals, is mean to everyone and overall just enjoys living her miserable life by feeling sorry for herself. We are supposed to wish good things for her character, but by acting so self-centered and unpleasant throughout most of the movie honestly made me not care for her. Only in the last 20 minutes, she makes the sudden decision to develop a consciousness, however, even then there isn't really any build-up in her character arc to get her to that stage. She just suddenly decides "Okay, I'm going to be nice now". The son too, though you do feel sorry that he's not got a solid parent figure, also is a bit of a prick, excuse my French. Weirdly it's the ex-boyfriend who we're supposed to hate, who actually comes off as the more reasonable one at times. Naturally, it doesn't help that he's played by Jack Reynor who is such a lovely man, so no matter how dislikable he tries to act I just see him as the sweet Irish-talking brother Brendan from Sing Street. In reality, the only character that seems to have a solid moral code and is actually a nice person is Flora's online guitar teacher (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), but again, that connects to the main musical moments of the film, which again are its stronghold.

The cinematography is fairly bland, with the only noteworthy moments being when Flora helps her son film a music video, which results in a very amusing piece. The narrative itself is standard cheesiness which is to be expected in a romantic comedy drama such as this, but the storyline is pretty basic and more tame than usual compared to Carney's previous works. Again, within the last 20 minutes, it does come all together nicely even if the ending itself is a tad anti-climactic, but overall it is a well-intentioned little indie flick, with a great acoustic soundtrack, and enough heartwarming moments to make it worth a Saturday night watch with your partner.

Overall score: 6/10

[vacationcalendar]

8/7/21

Hi boyfriend~

Just took a weed gummie in honor of Bonnie’s birthday weekend. My present for my friend is that I’ll suck it up and be an active participant in their life for a change. I’ll be game for a whole weekend. I got up early today and tagged along to volunteer at a charity 5k. We grabbed some coffee and wandered to the halfway point of the course (thus walking an entire 5k in the process! Not too shabby ;D), and then camped out a water station that I’d say should be very grateful I actually showed up to work its sorry ass. Bonnie didn’t have to do any managing/delegating, they just got to post up and chatter at the runners-by. I’m pretty sure if I didn’t go, and I promise I am not tooting my own horn, that water stand would not have been the fun water stand that it was. They would have had 2 dunces making it go worse, and only 3 people managing 4 tables of water cups. Volunteers man, what are you gonna do? I’m sure that’s why they were looking for 8 people per water stand, just to statistically ensure that SOMEONE with half a brain would be around to help out.

Great morning though. JUST a little too hot, but that’s how you know you were doing solid work out there. The proof is in the pits, baby!

Ok, 40 minute bathroom break is over. Man, nothing like starting the blog to make me SO productive in the mornings! It’s such a cheat code. I did laundry, dishes, pooped; my whole day is bright and available now! But now I’m tired and I don’t want to write anymore. I had about a 6 minute where I wanted to do this today and I actually hit it for a second before I had to stop and do ANYTHING ELSE I guess. So, fuck. What do we write now?

I had to get up suuuuper early for this 5k thing, and I only got like 4 hours of sleep because I did not factor in the early wake up until like 6pm yesterday, and I had already slept like 14 hours that day :I That’s right, I woke up, immediately crushed the blog, went back to laying down, played League, and watched tv and shit until I felt tired enough to sleep and get ready for the 5k, which was 2am. So now I have a weed gummie digesting in me and I have a nap climbing up my priority list and this is why I don’t like weed. I feel like I have to plan my fucking shit around it, and I’m not good at that. Part of me thinks I can crash right now and wake up before the drugs make me sleep for 2 hours longer than I want, and give me weird, unpleasant dreams. I can’t possibly pull that off, I’m not sleepy, I’m just like sluggish. So basically what I have to do now is power through into the “trip” (maybe I’ll luck out and miss it and I can just pretend I’m high, which I won’t do, but hey we’re brainstorming here), and let that smoothly transition me into a nap. And THAT would mean that I have to entertain myself for the time being to get me into a good place to start being high...? And then I can like power up my activities WHILE high, and that would be fun. Playing video games, great. Playing video game high? That’s the whole point of it. I mean like, that’s the whole point of life, right? And then I can be like NAPTIME BITCH, and that would be fun also, in theory. And then I can go put a podcast on and go to the movies? Ugh, I don’t want to go the movies anymore. I’m to tired :( This sucks.

I’m trying to go see Green Knight. I’m sure that sentence won’t matter at all in even like 4 months from now, but I think it should be a fun time. So much more productive than anything I can do from the desk. And it’s not summertime like this forever. You gotta get that shit in so you don’t think you miss it when the weather turns. You want to be sitting inside on a cold autumn day thinking “good riddance, being outside is entirely overrated.” And I’m not there yet. Man I don’t know. Well how bout this? Let’s do a little more brainstorming while I’m trapped here writing to your dumb ass. If you ever read these again this part will be like a little prank on you lol. Ok: 1: Stay here, no movie. Let’s lock that in. that should make having to navigate being high so much easier. Let’s let the pipe dream of doing everyone’s favorite thing of being at a theater high wait just a little longer. Today can be a trial run. We’ll walk around today and think about what it would be like if I had biked 20 minutes to a movie theater and watched a 2 hour movie and biked home. And when we suss out that it would have been unenjoyable, we’ll feel like geniuses for making this call. So that’s out of the way. LOCK IT IN

2. I don’t know yet. Let’s just start simple. Food. What’s up? We have almost no groceries. We have no bread for a tuna salad sandwich, but let’s put that in the to-do list. We need more english muffins too. That was an A+ 10/10 move last month. Just muffins w/ strawberry jam, and egg McMuffins whenever the fuck I wanted, which was always. Frozen Veggies like Corn or Beans would be good. Bag Chop Salad kits. They weren’t on sale last week, and it’s goddamn highway robbery when they’re at full price. So this week would be the perfect time to check in on ‘em. And I’ll commit more to an equivalent substitute this time if I can’t find a good deal. Let’s see, what else? Oof my wpm and accuracy is starting to take a hit. The first and only symptom! Nice! Miku. Meat. Spaghetti and meat sauce? Gotta check out what ragu shit you have in the house before you do that. Consider this your reminder! I know you’ve never successfully pulled that off, but I have full confidence in you. Oh fuck, now I’m starting to worry a little bit the coherent quality of this is about to start dropping. Well, another fun little prank for ya bitch! Fruit leathers? I just have no fucking idea. Ok, so shopping can 100% wait for another day. This isn’t anywhere close to a cohesive trip. So we can eat out somewhere! Great, lock it bitch. I’m starting to swear more; it’s because I can’t find the right words anymore. Oh boy, the weed smelling burps are happening. This really is so gross and difficult. Beer is just a more bitter version of soda. It’s actively refreshing. Damn, if only I’d been a little more exposed to peer pressure at an earlier age. I’d have been past this awkward uncomfortable phase of weed, like how I (and basically everyone) was with alcohol. You slam Natty Lites with your nose closed until you start to realize life is little more pleasurable than the absolute Kelvin zero you had come to be familiar with. Uh, ok, I’m starting to let my mind wander. He’s daydreaming, chief! I suppose I could just transcribe the dialogue of the daydreams, but I can’t keep up. This is just break o’clock.

3. What do I fucking eat!? I had to make a whole nother numbered point, and I still don’t have the plan. Jesus H,. Ok here’s what AROUND. Chex Mix, unopened. 1 Grape Soda. Cookie Dough Ice Cream (w choc sauce). Raisins, PB, Ramen, meh. Reese Cups! I just looked behind and was like, “oh yeah! Nice”. If that’s not everything, that’s REALLY close. So what’s calling my name? Pizza? Chinese? Damn, I might just have to play this by ear. Nothing at all sounds interesting, and I’m not the slightest bit hungry (we got free Dim Sum after the 5k. It was called the Dim Sum and Then Some 5k). Ok, so other options to keep on the back burner for later would be: Kebab, Chicken Sandwich, go get Pizza Rolls and Chippies at the store. Ok that’s enough options, that fuckin really took it outta me, I can’t believe it. My hands are kinda feeling heavier now too. I better think of a #4 thing to write about quick or I may lose all my inertia.

4. UMmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Movie time? I watch arrival and turn off all the lights and pop popcorn and have my soda? Where sunglasses and pretend they’re 3-D glasses? Maybe. Ugh, I can tell right now my eyes are gonna get bloodshot, or dry out or whatever. They already kinda hurt :(. It’s fine. I feel more good than not. Like I’m wrapped up in a blanket, even though I’m not. Maybe OH- Maybe I lay out on the beach chair and read in the sun with an ice coffee? Oh fuck that might actually be perfect. Then I can go no shirt and just feel nature, and maybe bugs are less troublesome when you’re high. And then I can pop Doughboys on and shower! Shower high, seems like a guaranteed home-run. Ok, I like it a lot. I have to do SOMETHING away from Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum or I’ll go crazy this weekend, especially if I have to tag in on occasion and “participate” for Bonnie’s Birthday. Which, let’s be clear, is the least I can do. It’s a gimme. I owe Bonnie AT LEAST this much, even just as like backpay for holidays or yore. Like if I have the zhuzh to punch in for birthday shtuff, I better do it, right? I just looked it up, it might officially be zhoosh, not zhuzh, but zhuzh appears to me to be the best way to do it. And there’s like 5 accepted spellings of it. Stupid, not helpful. Just because it employs a sound that has no [conformed] applications in the english language? Poor excuse! Oh man, it’s so early I can’t believe it! That 5k feels like a day ago, wild. Well, hey! Point 4 is finished. Moving on!

5. What to do tonight? Who gives a fuck. Figure that part out when you get there, it does not matter at all. There, numbered list over.

Ok so, let’s just wrap this up I guess. I’m cracking an hour here, that’s plenty. Maybe tonight you do a little PRE-WRITING before bed, so this isn’t so “chore-y”. Let’s just remember you seriously considered letting yourself down completely and bailing on the blog earlier this morning. So we need to keep our expectations at appropriate levels still. It’s this NEXT week that should be very interesting. Just in terms of output. A little more practice, and little more muscle-memory. A little less crap to distract me (I have been burning through non-stop crap youtube/tv this last week since coming home, it’s fantastic. I was gonna say it was sucky, or disgusting or something, but that’s a lie I tell to myself to pretend I’m more diligent than I actually am. ACCEPT who you are and love yourself for it)

I accept you and love you Max. Ok, I have to go, I feel like I’m gonna puke... awesome 

bi

[thepermanentrainpress]

EVERYBODY LOVES FIN: EPISODE 10

I barely made it up for the 9:30 AM (Pacific Time) start, missing the first 30 seconds, coffee cup in hand. Jakub Vrana scored an early one 2:22 in with a wicked one-timer top shelf. It came from a dump in, and a battle along the boards where size and strength won over, Lars Eller (against Quinn Hughes) found Vrana, alone and trigger loaded. The Canucks didn’t have many worthwhile chances early on – a couple of broken plays which included Edler missing a pass while cruising down the middle in the Caps end, and a Boeser steal and set-up for Pettersson in the slot, who was quickly checked and couldn’t get a shot off. It was clear that the home team had the more aggressive forecheck, making passes and zone entries difficult.

Around 10 minutes in, Alex Edler left the bench with medical staff in tow, and we investigate the latest injury to plague our Eagle, done for the match with an upper-body injury. He was hit (the good, solid kind) along the boards by Alex Ovechkin a few minutes in, and also collided with Travis Boyd, whose skate blade came up in Edler’s shoulder/ribs area. Either way, let’s hope it’s not serious and long-term, as Edler is needed healthy (and alive!) for consistent play heading into the season’s second quarter.

The Canucks tied it on a 58 second 5 on 3, with Chandler Stephenson and Richard Panik in the box. Petey ripped a one-timer top shelf after Kempny lost his stick, and was quite literally, a deer in headlights with an imaginary stick. Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller picked up the helpers. Holtby made a great pad save on a Petey tip in front shortly after the PP ended.

The second period saw a near goal, a Vrana hot shot had the puck squeak by Markstrom, and Tyler Myers pulled the puck off the goal line to keep it 1-1. A defenceman has got to play second goalie, right? It was a fairly back and forth period, the Canucks had a couple of missed PP opportunities. Their closest was a Pearson shot at the end of a PP, a close call that found its way behind Holtby but Tyler Graovac was a split second too late to stuff it in for his second in 2 games. The period ended with a Myers penalty, an interference call against Tom Wilson after he mistakenly thought Wilson had a break.

No harm done, but the Canucks were caught scrambling again in the 3rd with some feisty play from the Caps. A sprawling Jordie Benn stifled an Ovi pass, but Zack MacEwen took an interference penalty as an end result. They weren’t without opportunities, including Captain Bo missing a tap in front off a Myers pass (shot wide trying to pick top corner). Quinn Hughes demonstrated his smooth skating skills. On the flip side, Myers boggled the puck for a 2 on 1 with 5 minutes to go, and Leivo was able to force Panik to the corner on the play. The visitors fought hard for a point, and OT was a go!

Hughes, Boeser and EP were out to start the 3 and 3, some nice passes, but few openings for the shooters. Some good possession for the Canucks had tired Capitals on the ice, and Evgeny Kuznetsov hooked Tanev for some 4 on 3 action. On a weird play, Miller flipped an easy puck in on Holtby on the delayed call, with tired Caps on the ice (might’ve wanted to take advantage with possession?). The PP had good movement, but didn’t result in a goal, the best opportunity being a low shot whose rebound was grabbed by the goaltender. The final 18 seconds were wild, starting with a breakaway for T.J. Oshie after he stripped the puck from Miller. J.T. (backcheck with a stick push assist from Hughes) caught up to T.J. before he got the shot away, and the Canucks were exhausted while Oshie and Ovi traded opportunities in tight. Markstrom provided both Hughes and Miller with pats on the head (good job, kids) as they kneeled on the ice post horn to end the extra time.

The shootout went to Round 7, with good saves by both goalies (along with a couple of missed shots). Holtby challenged Boeser, stayed with Petey on his attempt to slide the puck in, and steered away a Gaudette snapshot. Markstrom took away the five hole from Oshie and made a glove side save on his attempt, outweighed Kuznetsov, and had some help as Eller’s sneaky shot went post, crossbar and out. After initially being ruled a goal on ice, it was reviewed and ruled no goal. After he made a blocker save on Orlov, it was Captain Bo who came in clutch with Holtby moving in net. While the Canucks remain winless in OT, they’ll gladly take the 2 points against the league’s top team in the SO.

Jacob Markstrom had a solid game in net, making succession saves on a bouncing puck in the first, and an Orlov shot that changed direction early in the second. Michael Sgarbossa (I had to spell check this one) hit the post, thank you goal post gods! He continued his consistent play in the SO, and had some luck with Eller’s near-goal, finishing with 32 saves. It was a great effort all around, with Edler’s early departure, Hughes, Tanev and Myers’ TOI each clocked in at over 25 minutes! While there were chippy moments in play, I don’t think the additional ice time adversely affected the D-core. On the scoring front, it’s a good indication the team can stick out low scoring games, and not let it get out of hand. Had the Vrana shot squeaked in early in the 2nd, that may have been a different story, we’ll never know. However, they were able to kill off their 3 penalties, with an absent Nicklas Backstrom whose PP presence was missed. And I’ll say, it’s always a good day when Petey scores a goal!

The team is back in action Monday in Philadelphia.

Posted by: Chloe Hoy

[auburnfamilynews]

Some weekends, it just works out. Sometimes when you are watching games, you just have a sound track playing in your head and the game plays to the mean of those songs. Week 10 of the College Football this season hit it right on the nose for me. I have included the song choices with the games and, even though there are only two selections this week, there is plenty of content that made me giggle. So with that, lets go to our first hit, on this week’s Roasted!

HEARTBREAK IN HUSKERLAND: END OF THE ROAD

‘Member when Scott Frost was the hottest coach in the country? ‘Member when he was gonna turn things around at Nebraska and the fans were so happy a favorite son returned when Momma called? Seems so long ago! And yet, it was just 2 years ago! Well, the Huskers took their 4-4 record to West Lafayette to take on the 2-6 Purdon’t Boilermakers. And boy did they have probably the game of the weekend, and it ALMOST included a monster fat guy TD

Nebraska nose tackle Darrion Daniels perfectly intercepts a bad shovel pass against Purdue https://t.co/E4AeOWKtsepic.twitter.com/xV0cAKuz1V

— For The Win (@ForTheWin) November 2, 2019

But the game was a back and forth affair that ended like this

Purdue earned a big-time win at home against Nebraska! (Via @CFBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/cGSo7bnU7D

— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 2, 2019

Nebraska would get the ball back but refused to call the timeout to talk about a play and this would happen

Clock was running, Nebraska went hurry up on 4th down and the Martinez's pass got tipped! Nebraska had a timeout left! Brutal! PURDUE WINS!!!! pic.twitter.com/3D33Bl7LKB

— I'M SEEING GHOSTS (@FTBeard11) November 2, 2019

Ouch…now that is a crushing defeat to a ruuuuul bad Purdon’t team. Sure, Nebraska isn’t going to can their Rockstar coach after 2 years, but you know that the grumbles are getting louder after that Penn State game earlier this season and now this abomination of a loss. I wonder how much Scott wishes he had stayed in Orlando…though I don’t know which is warmer, Disney or Scott’s coaching seat.

Preseason #24 Nebraska lost to 2-6 Purdue? pic.twitter.com/KV8XdLQGjb

— Steve Helwick (@s_helwick) November 2, 2019

WILLIE WATCH 2019: IT’S SO HARD…

I mean, was there any song that could finish this off?

So to catch all you Willie Watchers up from last week, the Noles circled the wagons after the huge home win against Syracuse to host the Miami Hurricanes at the Doak this weekend. And Gameday did all it could to get you fired up about this one!

Really evocative quote from @ReceDavis on the current state of FSU/Miami "... the taste of this rivalry now is like day-old cream of wheat - it's like a giant spoonful of gruel chased down with the backwash from the soda bottle that's been sitting in your car for a week... pic.twitter.com/pwyQRAqgsi

— libgator (@lib_gator) November 2, 2019

Man…when they put the tear jerker story guy to do your hype video on Gameday, man…that rough. As for the game it didn’t take long for that mighty Nole D to show off that swagger after that piece from Rinaldi.

Alright #Miami! @CanesFootball lead #FSU 7-0. #UMvsFSU #CanesFam @MiamiHurricanes #CanesCartel #BigORadioShow pic.twitter.com/gE0Oy3OdQp

— Orlando Alzugaray Jr (@BigOShow) November 2, 2019

Well, I’m sure the offense had their game face ready then…

Those cut blocks + quick passes FSU ran got figured out quickly. Miami takes away all of Hornibrook’s options and that leaves him as a sitting duck. Silvera and Hill are more than happy to clean it up and let the crowd know. pic.twitter.com/5brXFWptLA

— Canes Legacy (@CanesLegacy) November 3, 2019

Oh…that’s…no good…

When FSU is losing big to Miami pic.twitter.com/dLIpLbcaX4

— SI College Football (@si_ncaafb) November 2, 2019

I think it was at this point, Home Boy realized that this just wasn’t their year.

The game did have the normal chippiness that we are use to from this rivalry though, which was nice.

It’s been chippy all day between #FSU and #Miami. #FSUvsMIA pic.twitter.com/V3fESpU5iH

— Conner Pack (@CPack12) November 2, 2019

However, in the end Miami would hold on by the skin of their teeth with a 27-10 road victory…

Miami Hurricanes smashing FSU and sending Willie Taggart to unemployment pic.twitter.com/Uuxpn8lNqQ

— Los (@RichHomieChapo) November 2, 2019

Meaning that the Canes have won three in a row over FSU…meaning…

It’s been 1,122 days since FSU beat Miami pic.twitter.com/yZE0IQV6kD

— illUMinati (@FL0so) November 3, 2019

So if the story stopped there, that would be a pretty solid Willie Watch update…however…

Breaking: Florida State announced head coach Willie Taggart's contract has been terminated effective immediately. pic.twitter.com/RAVIqBl9ao

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 3, 2019

Yeah…so that freaking happened. And yeah

#willietaggart fired by FSU. His contract stipulates he has to be paid 85% of his remaining salary. FSU is paying somewhere between $17-20 million to have him go away. Bonus points it cost them $4.4 million to bring him in from Oregon (which include his USF buyout). pic.twitter.com/0yY3nVeyAn

— SigiLK (@SigiLK) November 3, 2019

I mean, there’s not much more I can say that what that guy just said. And, for an athletic department that doesn’t like to spend money, they suuuuuuuuuuuure did it yesterday. Don’t forget that at the completion of this train wreck, there is a possible bowl game (they need two wins out of Boston College, Alabama State and/or Florida) to go to AND THEN! You have to pay off the previous staff BEFORE you go out and hire a new head guy (whoever that poor bastard is) and his entire staff!

OOOOFA! Though after reading all that, I do know what one man is thinking.

Willie Taggart right now: pic.twitter.com/V28btWxCo9

— MΩW II (@Michael2Wallace) November 3, 2019

And with this, my Willie Watch has ended.

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/11/4/20947007/boom-roasted-boyz-ii-men-edition

[scrumptiouschocolatechip]

(Context cause why not?)

(Info about Chocolate Chip I guess cause why not.

Story:

As a Young Cookie, Chocolate Chip had been raised to have a big dream. However, when being allowed to tour a Chocolate factory, his wish had come true. Once he got old enough, he inherited the Chocolate Factory he has now. Although the chocolate is delicious, it has a nasty side effect, or positive side effect depending on the character. If there’s anything he knows how to do, is give a great tour!

Costumes:

Chocolate Chip’s Fancy Attire.

Worn only on the specialist occasions, it screams to cookies that he’s ready for the occasion and knows how to dress for!

Skill: Enters Chocolate Factory, collecting Chocolate Jellies. Chocolate Jellies restore energy, and provide Chocolate Points. Level up for more frequent Chocolate Factory Entrances and more chocolate points, along with more energy recovered from Chocolate Jellies.

MC Skill: Banana and Nut Chocolate Bars appear while in the chocolate factory. Level up for more points for Banana and Nut Chocolate Bars.

Pet: Chippy

Chippy Story: A Chocolate Chip Bird that just loves Chocolate! Give it some chocolate it watch it collect some cocoa beans for you to make more chocolate!

Chippy’s Skill: Collects Cocoa Beans. Level up for more frequent Cocoa Beans and more points for Cocoa Beans.

Energy per Level Up:

LV 1: 190

LV 2: 205

LV 3: 211

LV 4: 224

LV 5: 237

LV 6: 248

LV 7: 256

LV 8: 269

LV 9: 278

LV 10: 289

LV 11: 295

LV 12: 301

LV 13: 304

LV 14: 307

LV 15: 310

Chocolate Factory entrances:

LV 1: 30.8s

LV 2: 30.6s

LV 3: 30.4s

LV 4: 30.2s

LV 5: 30s

LV 6: 29.7s

LV 7: 29.4s

LV 8: 29.1s

LV 9: 28.8s

LV 10: 28.5s

LV 11: 28s

LV 12: 27.5s

LV 13: 27s

LV 14: 26s

LV 15: 25s

Points for Chocolate Jellies(total):

LV 1: 1.5M

LV 2: 1.7M

LV 3: 2M

LV 4: 2.4M

LV 5: 2.9M

LV 6: 3.5M

LV 7: 4.2M

LV 8: 5M

LV 9: 5.9M

LV 10: 6.9M

LV 11: 8M

LV 12: 9.2M

LV 13: 10.5M

LV 14: 11.9M

LV 15: 13.6M

Pet Skill Cooldown Time:

LV 1: 16s

LV 2: 15.7s

LV 3: 15.4s

LV 4: 15.1s

LV 5: 14.8s

LV 6: 14.5s

LV 7: 14.2s

LV 8: 13.9s

LV 9: 13.6s

LV 10: 13.3s

LV 11: 13s

LV 12: 12s

LV 13: 11s

LV 14: 10s

LV 15: 8s

Pet Skills Jelly Points:

LV 1: 450,000

LV 2: 460,000

LV 3: 470,000

LV 4: 480,000

LV 5: 490,000

LV 6: 500,000

LV 7: 520,000

LV 8: 540,000

LV 9: 560,000

LV 10: 580,000

LV 11: 600,000

LV 12: 650,000

LV 13: 700,000

LV 14: 750,000

LV 15: 800,000

MC Skill upgrades:

LV 1: +900,000 points for Banana/Nut Chocolate Bars.

LV 2: +1,000,000 points for Banana/Nut Chocolate Bars.

LV 3: +1,200,000 points for Banana/Nut Chocolate Bars.

LV 4: +1,600,000 points for Banana/Nut Chocolate Bars.

LV 5: +2,000,000 points for Banana/Nut Chocolate Bars.

Combi Bonus: +1,000,000 points for Cocoa Bean Jellies.

Lobby Dialogues:

Hello! I’m master Chocolateer Chocolate Chip!

I really need some more Chocolate...

I hope there’s not any fire nearby...

I need a new key for my Chocolate Music Box!

Favorite Gifts:

Broken Keys: Why I really needed this! Much obliged!

Chocolate Chip Extract: Why this should do finely! I appreciate your contribution.

Any other gift: Why, thank you!

Solid Crimson Sugar Crystal: Get That away from me before it burns down my Factory!

MC Ingredients:

Brown Sugar Crystals, Solid Brown Sugar Crystals, Chocolate Chip Extract.

Ingredients for each MC level up:

LV 1: 50 Brown Sugar Crystals, 5 Solid Brown Sugar Crystals, 15 Chocolate Chip Extract

LV 2: 10 Brown Sugar Crystals, 1 Solid Brown Sugar Crystals, 3 Chocolate Chip Extract

LV 3: 10 Brown Sugar Crystals, 1 Solid Brown Sugar Crystals, 5 Chocolate Chip Extract

LV 4: 15 Brown Sugar Crystals, 2 Solid Brown Sugar Crystals, 7 Chocolate Chip Extract

LV 5: 20 Brown Sugar Crystals, 2 Solid Brown Sugar Crystals, 10 Chocolate Chip Extract

Cookie Upgrade Cost:

LV 1: 0

LV 2: 16,000

LV 3: 32,000

LV 4: 80,000

LV 5-7: 160,000

LV 8-9: 200,000

LV 10-15: 240,000

Pet Upgrade Cost:

LV 1: 0

LV 2: 16,000

LV 3: 32,000

LV 4: 80,000

LV 5-7: 160,000

LV 8-9: 200,000

LV 10-15: 240,000

MC upgrade cost:

LV 1: 99,000

LV 2: 39,000

LV 3: 49,000

LV 4: 59,000

LV 5: 79,000

Energy Total for Chocolate Jellies:

LV 1: 5 Energy

LV 2: 6 Energy

LV 3: 7 Energy

LV 4: 8 Energy

LV 5: 9 Energy

LV 6: 14 Energy

LV 7: 15 Energy

LV 8: 16 Energy

LV 9: 17 Energy

LV 10: 18 Energy

LV 11: 23 Energy

LV 12: 25 Energy

LV 13: 27 Energy

LV 14: 30 Energy

LV 15: 35 Energy

Anyways I hope you all have a wonderful day!)

[junker-town]

15 football recruits to know from a loaded South Florida camp

The Nike Opening Regional Camp tour rolled into the Miami on Sunday, and many of the area’s best players showed up and showed out.

MIAMI, Fla. — The Nike Opening Regional tour rolled into South Florida on Sunday, bringing with it almost 100 prospects who held Power 5 offers by mid-February.

Six invitees to The Opening Finals, a recruiting Super Bowl

The Opening Finals is a collection of some of the best recruits in the nation, squaring off in drills and combine events every summer. The invites are based on a combination of film evaluation and in-camp performance.

Safety Lejond Cavasos, of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy showed up and showed out, posting the most ridiculous Nike Rating Score of 133.26 — based on a 4.40-second 40-yard dash, a 36.5’ power ball throw, a 4.16 shuttle time, and a vertical jump of 44.4”. Cavasos has been posting elite numbers at the Nike events for years now, so this is not a surprise. Cavasos, who is originally from Texas, decommitted from Ohio State in December, and since then, his plan has remained the same: he wants to take a step back, be more methodical, and make sure he makes the right decision. LSU, Florida, Miami, and a number of other SEC and Big Ten schools could be in the mix. And Ohio State is not out.

Don Cheney Jr., of Miami (Fla.) Belen Jesuit was one of the top two running backs on the day. His straight-line speed is quite impressive. The Miami commitment does not plan on visiting any other schools, and is focused on recruiting for Miami.

Defensive end Samuel Anaele, of Miami (Fla.) Carol City was again impressive on Sunday. Anaele looks and plays like a prospect who is 25, not 18, and the Miami commitment won the majority of his reps. Unlike Cheney, Anaele is more open to taking visits, but maintains that he is solid to the Hurricanes.

Jaylan Knighton, an elite running back out of Deerfield Beach (Fla.) was still very high on the Clemson Tigers following a visit to see the national champions. After decommitting from Oklahoma, he is not in a rush to make a decision, saying that he plans to commit on August 2nd. “Clemson, Oklahoma, and Ohio State,” Knighton said when asked which three schools he knows will be hats on his table for his commitment ceremony. The Buckeyes will get Knighton on campus for their spring game. Florida, Florida State, and Miami will also get looks. And Knighton denied the rumors that he is a silent commitment (not yet public) to Clemson. Knighton has excellent hands for a running back.

Cornerback Henry Gray, of Miami (Fla.) Central, recently released a top eight consisting of Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State, and Tennessee. Among those, Ohio State and Clemson are believed to be in excellent shape. He’ll be visiting Ohio State and Clemson this spring. Gray maintains that hat he is taking things slowly following his recent decommitment from Miami. Gray has excellent length for a corner at 6’0.

Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas receiver Marcus Rosemy has some of the best hands I have seen in a receiver recruit in over a decade scouting prospects. 50/50 balls are more like 75/25 when he is going up to get them. The 6’1 Rosemy is not a burner (4.59 40), but does find ways to get open (4.38 shuttle), and catch the football. He mentioned Ohio State, Penn State, and Georgia, and the Big Three Florida schools (Florida, Florida State, and Miami) as schools in which he is seriously interested. Rosemy will visit Ohio State for its spring game. He is tight with Ohio State WR coach Brian Hartline.

Six standouts to know

1. WR Marcus Fleming, of Miami (Fla.) Northwestern is basically uncover-able in space. The Hurricanes commitment is rated as a four-star and again make defensive backs look silly. Florida and Florida State are pushing, however, and visits are expected. Fleming’s recruitment might be a long way from being over.

2. Miami (Fla.) Norland OL Issiah Walker Jr. missed part of workouts with an injury, but those reps in which he did participate were impressive. The South Carolina commit is a legitimate 6’4 and has the quickness to play tackle. His four-star rating looks legit.

3. OL Marcus Dumervil, of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas showed up and showed out, using his long arms, balance, and quickness to demonstrate why he is one of the best in the state. Nobody seems to have a read on where the 6’5, 300-pounder is heading, but Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, and all the national powers are in contention. Dumervil claims that everyone is “even,” and he is very open to leaving the state.

4. St. Thomas Aquinas LB Derek Wingo just keeps getting better and better. The Penn State commitment is 6’2, 215, is very athletic, and has great football intelligence by virtue of having also played some QB in high school. His place inside the top 200 feels right.

5. WR Xavier Restrepo, also of Thomas Aquinas, is a good football player. He is a technician with his routes, routinely gets open, and catches the ball consistently. Because he is not huge or a freakish athlete, he likely won’t get four stars, but it is good to see that he is being rated inside the top 700 nationally as of Monday. Restrepo visited Kentucky for a recent junior day. I am not saying he will be a star, but I have a hard time thinking he’d fail to be a productive player in college.

6. Miami (Fla.) Columbus DL Elijah Roberts is rated as one of the top 20 weak-side defensive ends nationally. He likely profiles as more of a strong-side player at 6’4 and 245 pounds entering his senior season, but showed good burst and twitch at the event. Roberts is high on FSU, Miami, Penn State, and is not in a rush to make a decision.

Three players who looked better than their rankings and offers might suggest

Miami (Fla.) Carol City WR Thaiu Jones-Bell is a current three-star recruit who has been lighting the showcase world on fire in the last 10 weeks, including Sunday and the Pylon Orlando 7v7 tournament. He has adequate size at 5’11, and his acceleration is excellent. His recent offers include FSU, Miami, Alabama, LSU, Oregon, and Tennessee. The buzz around camp was that he’ll end up at Alabama.

OL Jeremiah Massaui of Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna currently has no star rating, but I have seen him improve at several recent events, including Sunday. The 6’5, 290-pound Mawali transferred from Boynton Beach to Chaminade for his senior season. He moved very well for his size in the individual drills, and had some nice reps in 1v1, though his technique needs to improve. Mawali said that he was excited to pick up offers from Purdue and Maryland in the last few weeks. FSU and Miami have reached out, and Mawali grew up a fan of Florida State. He believes he’ll need to camp for some bigger offers.

Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons OL Gerald Mincey is currently rated outside the top 1,000 players nationally. I would expect that to change. The Kentucky commitment is 6’6, 325, and young for his grade level. He stayed in front of some of the quicker prospects in South Florida, and it’s clear he is becoming more aware of how to use his large body and improving rapidly. Mincey said that he believes his commitment to Kentucky has caused other teams to pull the trigger on offers, including Mississippi State, Auburn, and Missouri. He does plan to take other visits. Mincey called Florida his “dream school,” and teammate Chris Bogle signed with the Gators in 2019. He said that he is looking for contact from Miami or Florida State, but so far he has not received much.

For the serious recruitniks: underclassmen to know

Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) University School 2021 OL Marcus Tate was one of the best in attendance regardless of grade level. Tate is big at 6’4, 320, but has rare body control for his size and age. He already holds offers from a handful of major programs nationally.

2021 DL Donell Harris, of Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington is usually unblockable in a camp setting, and continued to be on Sunday. The Miami commitment has a great build for an underclassman defensive end at 6’4, 210. He explodes out of the blocks. Harris said he is “1,000 percent” committed to Miami.

2021 DL Tyreak Sapp, a relative of Warren Sapp, is a big time player. The Florida commitment has a great blend of strength and quickness at 6’2, 250.

2022 OL Julian Armella, of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas is incredibly impressive for a player of his size (6’5, 285) and age. He also got chippy with some of the better prospects in the area and did not back down. Armella is an FSU legacy.

[torentialtribute]

Bottas lost 11-0 to Hamilton last season but is now a winner at last

Valtteri Bottas, fueled by a breakfast with porridge, produced the best ride of his life to win Australia's Grand Prix and to spoil the script for Lewis Hamilton about the first outing of his title defense

All pent-up frustration could be seen causing his Mercedes teammate Hamilton to drift for 21 seconds in the riders-

Told by his race technician Riccardo Musconi that the win was good for last year, when he was defeated 11-0 in race victories by the five-time world champion, Bottas replied: & # 39; For whom it is possible, f ** * out.

Lewis Hamilton (left) and Max Verstappen (right) in third

He decided to go for the extra point that, as of this race, is rewarded for the fastest lap. He also succeeded. He leads the championship for the first time in his career, 26 points for Hamilton & # 39; s 18.

The race result was settled in the 250 yards in the first corner. Hamilton, on pole, didn't seem to get away too badly – there was no discernible wheel spin – but Bottas was eliminated as a greased lightning and in an early lead, which he easily maintained as he grabbed the inside of the first corner, the right-hand man .

He yanked away. The race of his life? & # 39; Absolutely, & # 39; he said. & # 39; I don't know what happened. Everything was perfect. & # 39; He could not explain his form, as if he had experienced a retiring experience.

AUSTRALIA BIG PRIX RESULT

1 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes GP 1hr 25mins 27,325sec., 2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1: 25: 48.211, 3 Max Verstappen (Dutch) Red Bull 1: 25: 49,845, 4 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1: 26: 24,434, 5 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1: 26: 25,555, 6 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1: 26: 54.481, 7 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Renault on 1 lap, 8 Kimi Raikkonen Romeo Racing on 1 lap, 9 Lance Walking (Can) Racing Point on 1 lap, 10 Daniil Kvyat (Russian) Scuderia Toro Rosso on 1 lap, 11 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Red Bull on 1 lap, 12 Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren on 1 lap, 13 Sergio Perez (Mex) Racing Point on 1 lap, 14 Alexander Albon (Tha) Scuderia Toro Rosso on 1 lap, 15 Antonio Giovinazzi (Ita) Alfa Romeo Racing on 1 lap, 16 George Russell (Gbr) Williams on 2 rounds, 17 Robert Kubica (Pol) Williams on 3 rounds

Not classified: 18 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 29 laps completed, 19 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Renault 28 laps completed, 20 Carlos Sainz (Spa) McLaren 10 laps completed

Fastest lap: Valtteri Bottas 1min 25,580 seconds on round 57

& # 39; I was determined to go for the extra point & he said. & # 39; It is a new rule for this year and I really have a strong pace that made my head. It is always a risky piece with worn tires, but it was worth it. I'm just so happy and can't wait for the next race. & # 39;

Hamilton was a bit spiky about the radio and complained about his tires.

& # 39; I had a damaged floor & he said. & # 39; We do not know what caused it. It happened in the fourth round and the car was very different from then.

Max Verstappen had a strong weekend for Red Bull and finished third. Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari was fourth – almost a minute after the victory – with teammate Charles Leclerc, who had no debut for the team, in fifth.

What a shattering margin for the Scuderia defeat,

"It is surprising and shocking how fast Mercedes was and how easy it was for them today," said Vettel . & # 39; But we have to look at ourselves.

& # 39; I expected to be better in the race than in the qualifications, but it was the opposite. & # 39;

] Ferrari & # 39; s new lead team Mattia Binotto had promised that his two drivers would be free to fight each other.

Despite Ferrari's failure, there are grounds, however fragile, to hope that this year it will not be a complete Lewis walk-over if Bottas can hold on permanently.

Melbourne is a one-off course, with a history of abnormal results, so we will learn more in Bahrain every week on Sundays.

Afterwards, Hamilton was fairly chipper – rather than chippy. He was pleased that Mercedes is remarkably fast and certainly believes that he will be Bottas' mate along the entire route. & # 39; It's a solid result, & # 39; he said. & # 39; There are many points to lose, but it could have been much worse.

Local favorite Daniel Ricciardo, on his Renault debut, went to the grass, got soiled from a municipal pit and damaged his car in the first lap. The damage was repaired, but he retired later.

This race once won in Australia. The wait continues

Thanks to Honda, the new Red Bull motorcycle manufacturers, who have secured their first stage for 11 years, a real change for the better since their miserable two recent seasons at McLaren

A gloomy tone was the sudden death of race director Charlie Whiting on Thursday, 66 years old. Bottas dedicated the victory, the fourth of his career and his first since November 2017, to the Englishman. & # 39; He did huge sums for Formula 1 & # 39 ;, said the winner, speaking for the sport.

Hamilton paid Bottas the last tribute: & # 39; Valterri drove an incredible race, so I deserved it. & # 39; we have heard it many times. Will they be called again?

The complexion of the season may resemble the answer.

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[mitchbeck]

CANTLON:(WED) PACK SHUTOUT P-BRUINS AT XL, 3-0

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT -  The Hartford Wolf Pack used 29 saves from Dustin Tokarski, and a two-point performance from Gabriel Fontaine and a full-sixty minute effort from the entire roster on Wednesday night before an announced crowd of 2,248 at the XL Center in shutting out the visiting Providence Bruins, 3-0. The game was the team's last home game before the Christmas break and broke a five-game losing streak. “It was nice for the guys to be rewarded from the last couple of games when they didn’t. We played the right way and we got some big goals from the power-play, capitalized on our chances and felt good about the win, ”Pack head coach, Keith McCambridge said with a bright grin on his face. The Pack (12-15-1-0) clinched the win with a late powerplay tally. Peter Holland was at the right point and took a Chris Bigras diagonal pass from the left wing corner and one-timed his shot into the top-shelf with a glove-side laser registering his seventh of the season and first goal in four games. Tokarski has not played in three weeks and was superb making several top-shelf saves, the most challenging coming with 4:00 to go through a rolling screen that he snagged on Connor Clifton’s shot. When asked if he was able to see the shot with the screen in front of him Tokarski said, “To be honest, no. I saw it at the very last second and made the reaction.” The Pack played a strong, 60 minutes. Tokarski knew that was what they needed. “It was a really good game by us. Whenever the momentum started to shift, we made a big play to take it back. A solid effort all around and it was fun to be a part of it." Tokarksi picked up his sixth win holding onto the same groove he was in when he left for New York. McCambridge couldn’t have been happier for the team than he was for their netminder. “The guys got confidence from him and any breakdowns he looked big in the net. They had some really good looks on their powerplay and he played really strong for us.” The team defense was solid throughout and especially when called upon to assist Tokarski. Ryan Lindgren blocking shots. Libor Hajak battled in front while forward Gabriel Fontaine backchecked hard and wrestled the Bruins' Anton Blidh to the ice when he got his elbows up on Tokarski after a stopped shot. The second period saw the Pack play a strong two-way game and any time Providence (12-12-5-0) got a break Tokarski slammed it shut. Just 20 seconds into the second period, Tokarski denied Cameron Hughes off the left wing. Then the same for Trent Frederic when he was at the side of the goal. Gemel Smith, just sent down by Boston earlier that afternoon, was denied as he cut across the net from the left wing. Tokarski gave him nothing to shoot and then smothered his attempt. The Wolf Pack got 10 shots on net. John Gilmour shot from the right point with Cole Schneider screening in front. Schneider had his deflection tip-in chance stopped by Zane McIntyre.  With 1:38 left, Holland had his quality scoring chance nullified. The period was a bit chippy not quite like the old days when the Bruins and Wolf Pack battles, with one fight erupting. The Bruins 6’7, Chris Breen, a veteran with 45 fights under his belt (courtesy of dropyourgloves.com) scored a TKO over 6’6, rookie Tim Gettinger who has just nine fights to his credit. Breen scored with an overhand right that sent Gettinger to the ice and to the locker room for a concussion check. Gettinger did not return and there was no post-game report on his condition. The gloves also dropped late in the second when the Bruins', Emil Johansson, was penalized on a play and clipped Holland on a rush off the left wing at the blue line. There were two scrums in the period. The Wolf Pack got their first two goals via the play of their special teams. While on the power play, Hartford gained entrance into the Bruins' zone. Finnish rookie, Ville Meskanen, sent a short pass to Fontaine, who went wide on the left wing. Fontaine sent a shot that went through the crease right to a wide-open Gettinger on the open left side. Gettinger easily deposited his eighth of the season past McIntyre at 6:03. “I've got to give credit to my coach and teammates for doing a lot of video with us. He told me to try to go to the net more, and it paid off,” Fontaine said with a laugh. The Wolf Pack tallied their second goal shorthanded late in the first period. Defenseman, Brandon Crawley, zipped a head-man pass to Schneider and the Pack captain got some distance and position on Clifton, a former QU Bobcat. Schnieder sent a pass to the right wing and Fontaine, like Gettinger before him, was wide open on the right wing side and able to bang the puck into the open net for his third goal of the season. This was Fontaine's first multi-point game in a little over a year (December 15, 2017) when he did so against the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins. “I was going fast and I felt I might go past the net," Fontaine said in his French-accented English. "Cole made a nice pass, so I was happy about that.” “I’m happy for Gabby," McCambridge said of his second year forward playing on the second powerplay unit. "That learning curve and development in his game takes time and he got some powerplay time tonight and made some strong plays all over the ice.” McCambridge was happy with Schneider’s work to set that play up. “He did a great job of keeping his feet moving and getting the separation from the 'D' and finding Gabby with a perfect pass." NOTES: Providence saw Jeremy Lauzon and Gemel Smith returned from the Bruins as they've reduced their injury list. PACK SCRATCHES: Dawson Leedahl Vince Pedrie. WOLF PACK LINES: Schneider* - Fogarty** - Lettieri Gettinger - Holland - Meskanen Belesky - Wallin - O’Donnell St. Armant - Fontaine - Butler Gilmour - Lindgren Bigras - O’Gara** Crawley - Hajak Tokarski *Captain **Assistant Captain Read the full article

[lovevintagelife-blog]

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[investmart007]

CLEVELAND | Sweep, sleep: Cavs oust Raptors, wait for East finals foe

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/ul72D6

CLEVELAND | Sweep, sleep: Cavs oust Raptors, wait for East finals foe

CLEVELAND — Their doubters are dropping off as quickly as the competition.

Only one team has advanced to the conference finals in these NBA playoffs, and it’s the same squad that looked vulnerable during a chaotic regular season, beatable in the postseason and was one loss from a possible franchise collapse.

The ending’s been postponed. The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t nearly finished.

On Monday night, the Cavs completed their second straight four-game sweep of the Toronto Raptors, the East’s top team and the one that was supposedly built to dethrone them, with a 128-93 win in Game 4 that has perhaps changed Cleveland’s outlook.

LeBron James, whose future hangs over this city like a looming thunderstorm, scored 29 points with 11 assists and eight rebounds on 12 of 19 shooting — an ordinary performance by his standards — as the Cavs won their 10th straight over the Raptors with one of their most complete games in months.

After all the injuries, the failed Isaiah Thomas experiment, the roster overhaul at the trading deadline and other distractions, the Cavs, who can get some rest while waiting for the Philadelphia-Boston winner, are peaking at the right time.

Their path to the East finals wasn’t straight. But they arrived.

“We’ve had four or five seasons wrapped in one, we know what the narrative has been about our team,” said James, who averaged 34 points, 8.3 rebounds and 11.3 assists in the series. “But I can only speak in the moment. To be able to put ourselves in position where we can represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals, that’s all you can ask for. So we’re excited about being part of the Eastern Conference finals once again and having the opportunity to compete for a championship.

“That is what our goal is.”

James has been reluctant to discuss the Cavs’ chances to win a title or get back to the Finals for the fourth straight year, but his confidence has grown with each victory.

Kevin Love, who struggled in a seven-game scrap with Indiana in the first round, had another solid game with 23 points. Kyle Korver added 16, J.R. Smith scored 15 on 6-for-6 shooting and point guard George Hill, who was sidelined for three games in the Pacers series, added 12.

The Cavs were balanced and were finally able to take some of the pressure off James, who had seemingly been abandoned by his teammates through much of the postseason.

In fact, things had gotten so bad that “Saturday Night Live” did a skit last weekend that went viral on social media called “The Other Cavaliers,” a parody that poked fun at Cleveland’s supporting cast.

James, though, said his faith never wavered.

“I believe in my teammates so as everyone was burying my teammates alive throughout that first-round series, I just continued to tell them, ‘Listen, we can’t win without each and every one doing their jobs and being as great as they can be,” James said. “I continued to preach that so it’s impossible for me to lose confidence in our ballclub no matter what the stakes are or where we’re down because if I do that — then where are we going to go from a team aspect?”

After winning 59 games in the regular season, the Raptors had the East’s top seed and figured that this was their year. James had other plans.

Toronto came into the series feeling great. By the end, the Raptors were defeated and deflated. Exactly one year since they were last swept by James, he did it to them again.

“Everyone had counted Cleveland out,” said coach Dwane Casey, whose job could be in jeopardy. “They struggled a little bit. They had the big trade and all that. Everyone thought they were vulnerable but as long as they have him, they have a chance and that’s what we were looking at. But 10 days ago we had all the confidence in the world.”

As the Cavs look ahead to a matchup with either the Sixers or Celtics, who lead that series 3-1 and host Game 5 on Wednesday, Love’s renaissance gives Cleveland the most comfort.

The All-Star was rendered ineffective in Round 1 by the Pacers, whose big men battered him and took Love out of his game.

But despite cries to bench Love or move him back from center to power forward, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue stuck with him, and in doing so may have prolonged Cleveland’s season.

Love said there was nothing magical about his turnaround.

“It just came from me being me,” he said. “I didn’t forget how to play basketball, I was just ultra-aggressive. I found myself in spots, I found myself just missing little chippies, missing shots that were uncharacteristic of me to miss. But I continued to be aggressive, continued to put in the work every single day. So for me it was just more than anything it was just me being myself.”

And now the Cavs appear to be themselves.

__

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer, By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)

___

[canadacup]

Canada Cup Round One

Round One of the Workforce Canada Cup saw action take place at four Toronto venues. 

At Toronto Athletic top seed Diego Elias was taken to five games before seeing off Canada’s Mike McCue, at Toronto Lawn Arturo Salazar upset Adrian Waller to join twin brother Cesar - who won at Ontario Racquet Club - in the last eight, while at the Cambridge Club Campbell Grayson took out fourth seed Leo Au.

Chris Hollow reports from the Cambridge Club

Grayson Grinds Out the Upset 

Campbell Grayson of New Zealand staged a first-round upset of Hong Kong's Leo Au in the first round of the Workforce Canada Cup, taking down his higher-ranked counterpart 3-0 in 57m.  Each game remained knotted until the middle section when, despite appearing to be working harder, the Kiwi pulled away during the business end.  

A valiant comeback in Game Two fell just short and the former Asian Individual Champion dropped a hotly-contested Game Three in extra points, sending Grayson through to the Quarters. Grayson 3-0 over Au (11-6, 11-9, 14-12) 57m

Clyne Holds Off Yuen

Number 5 seed Alan Clyne used his patient brand of squash to hold off unseeded Ivan Yuen in the second match of the night at the host venue, the Cambridge Club.  The Scot won a tight 21m Game One in extra points only to drop Game Two to the shot-making of the Malaysian.  

Steady & patient through the balance of the match, Clyne came back from 6-9 down in Game Four to punch his ticket to next round with an exciting 15-13 win. Clyne over Yeun 3-1 (12-10, 8-11, 11-6,  15-13) 69m

Top seed Diego takes five

Game 1

Mike gets out to a strong 4-0 lead.  Diego is looking a little slow off the mark.  His injury may still be bothering him.  Mike is playing positive squash.  A few errors from Diego puts Mike to 7-2.  Diego is warming up and comes back to 6-8.   Mike wins a tough rally after a tin from Diego going 9-6 up.  Couple controversial call brings Diego back to 8-9.  Mikes get a stroke on the next point followed by a tin by Diego to win the first game.

Game 2

Things start a little chippy at the start of the second.  Each player is arguing with the ref.  They exchange the few point but Mike edges out a 4-2 lead.  The rallies are starting to get longer at this point.  Diego brings it back to 4-4 with some nice length and a couple of errors from Mike.  Diego is getting on a role but Mike is sticking in there and brings it back to 6-6 from being 4-6 down.   A brutally long rally ensues and Mike wins it with a perfect forehand counter drop to go up 7-6.  Diego wins the next rally on a stroke to bring it back to 7-7.  Mike is starting to show some fatigue but again he’s keeping the score close as they exchange points.  8-8.  Mike hits a forehand drop winner from the back to go up 9-8.  A tin from Mike brings it back to 9-9.  Mike hits another forehand winner to go up 10-9 game ball.  The rally ends with a let but Diego is not happy.  He wanted a stroke and Mike thought the ball was down so the ref played a let.  Another let on the next rally.  Mike hits a winner to take the second game.

Game 3

Diego ups the pace to start the third game and takes the first point.  Mike comes back and wins the next two points to go up 2-1.  Diego is changing his tactics and is  putting the ball in the front right with more frequency and chipping it in on the back hand and takes the next points to tie is 2-2.  Mike is not letting Diego get his movement or his groove and takes the next point 3-2.  Diego takes the three points to go up 5-3.  Mike claws back to 5-5.  Mike works Diego the next rally and finishes with a nice backhand drop to go up 6-5.  Diego gets a stroke to tie it at 6-6.  Diego hits a forehand winner to go up 7-6.  Diego puts together a beautiful string of points to take the game 11-6.  Mike is showing his fatigue and Diego is warm and absorbing well.

Game 4

Mike win the two rallies with one length winner and a great backhand volley drop.  Diego is controlling the pace and the game now and gets out to a 7-3 lead.   Mike comes back with a nice winner to bring it to 4-7.  A couple of exchanged points and Diego goes up 8-5.  Mike narrowly hits the tin to put Diego up 9-5.  Diego takes 2 quick points to take the 4th 11-5.

Game 5

Diego starts well with pin point length accuracy and takes the first rally with a stroke.  Let on the next rally and Mike is vehemently wanting a stroke as he believes Diego is blocking.  The chippiness from the second game has continued through the match.  Mike is really showing the fatigue and Diego goes to 6-0. Mike hits a nice backhand drop to get his first point of the board.  Another great point by Mike takes him to 2-6.  Two quick points from Diego takes him to 8-2.  Tin by Diego gives Mike some hope at 3-8.  Mike is working hard to stay in it but Diego is keeping up the pressure and goes up 9-3.  Good boast from Diego give him match ball.  Mike gets one more back from a tin by Diego.    

Diego Elias vs Mike McCue (Score: Diego wins 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4, Time: 71min)

Ontario Racquet Club

Reported by Michael Bertin

The Ontario Racquet Club was happy to host two opening round matches on their show court, newly fitted with a professional tin, of the 2018 Workforce Canada Cup, a $50,000 world ranking event; organized by Shahier Razik (Tournament Director), with the Cambridge Club of Toronto.

 Max Lee(6) beat David Baillargeon(qualifier, currently Canadian #7)—60 minutes, 11-9 / 11-7 / 8-11 / 11-6

Cesar Salazar(3) beat Shawn Delierre(qualifier, currently Canadian #1)—25 minutes, 11-6 / 11-5 / 11-5

Lee v Baillargeon

Game 1 saw Lee establish his pattern for the match, grabbing an early lead with a series of quick one steps off the “T” to volley consistent tight balls down the walls, especially with his forehand, which kept David constantly going to the back to dig balls out of the corners.  Lee showed a good mix of squash strokes, hitting tight length and crosscourts, and then feathering drops tight to the front corners.  Baillargeon seemed to be in scramble mode, but he stayed relaxed and deliberate as he kept retrieving balls until his opportunity to go of the offensive arrived.  From 4-6, David hit a beautiful backhand fake drop, a good cross court to length followed by a volley nick and suddenly he was up 8-7.  Lee was seemingly helping David’s cause by hitting 3 unforced tins on attempted drop shots, but momentum kept switching in this game, with Lee again finding his rhythm with steady length, great racquet holds that kept Baillargeon scrambling, and two “slap” forehands to the right front corner for winners, game won 11-9.

Game 2 saw Lee more in control from start to finish.  His racquet holds and volley drop were particularly effective as Max seemed to increase the pace of the game, controlling the game from the “T”.  Again, Max made a couple of unforced errors on attempted drops, hitting the tin, and the crowd were wondering if a repeat of Game #1 was going to happen.  This time, Lee quickly got control of the game again, serving out at 11-7.

Game 3 saw the match continue on the same pattern, but then David made a change in his strategy, deciding to change tactics, varying his play, mixing his shots more—hitting a few boasts and striking some of his own volley nics to get Max off the “T”.  Again, Lee hit a few unforced errors, and David pulled to 10-8, and served out to win, 11-7.  Match on!

The sold out crowd was shifting in their seats as Game 4 started, some sensing that an upset may be in the brewing.  Lee also seemed to sense he needed to pick up his play, and he was relentless in playing the way he began the match.  Points were hard to come by for either player and long rallies ensued before any point was scored.  But at 4-3, Lee’s consistent volleying to length and feather drops to the front corners seemed to take its toll on Baillargeon as Lee started to string points together, ending the match with an 11-6 win.

Salazar v Delierre

After the 60 minute first match, the ORC crowd was ready for another high level match as ORC host Al Cook announced the players, Cesar Salazar(known for his relentless play) and Shawn Delierre who is part of 3 of the 5 longest matches in PSA history.

Game 1 – Much of the talk during the knock up was the “short shorts” that Shawn was wearing for the match.  The crowd thought Shawn might have just come from a warm-up run as the shorts resembled more or a runner’s shorts rather than traditional squash wear, but the shorts ended up being a metaphor for how the match rallies would go and the outcome of all the games.  Both players seemed to be ready to end points quickly, whether it be for a winner or tin, and unfortunately for Shawn’s sake he was on the “short” end of most of the points.

To Salazar’s compliment, he played top level squash, hitting solid length down the walls and crosscourts, delaying his racquet swing which had Shawn moving to where he guessed the ball was going only to see the ball go whizzing by in the opposite direction.  The game ended with Shawn hitting a tin from the back of the court, emblematic of how the whole match would go, Salazar winning 11-6.

Game 2 began as the crowd was expecting when the match first started, entertaining shot making and gets by both players, although there were still a few unforced errors into the tin.  The score was going up by 1s with each player showing solid squash until Salazar broke through the pattern and went to 6-4; then with Shawn doing a lot of guessing, Cesar ran the game out 11-5.

Game 3 was much the same as the later part of Game 2.  Salazar controlling rallies, Shawn visiting corner to corner, mixed in with a few good shots for points.  However, Salazar was in control of the match from beginning to end, showing why he is currently ranked #21 on the PSA tour, and he closed out the match with an easy 11-5 win.

Reported by Michael Bertin

[thrashermaxey]

Jets’ Bumpy Ride to the Break

Winnipeg’s had lots of ups and downs lately. The more recent ups have come against some tough Western Conference company.

  After nearly stealing a win with Steve Mason in net against the Blues, dropping the game 2-0 for their fifth loss in six, they dominated in the second half of back-to-back, home-and-home tilts shutting out St. Louis 4-0 last weekend.

  In their third contest in four nights Tuesday, the Jets squared off against (at the time) the best team in hockey over the past five weeks in Nashville and, fueled by Nik Ehlers’ power play moxie and Brandon Tanev’s clutch goal in the waning minutes, left Tennessee with an epic, chippy 6-4 victory.

  Then in keeping with their mercurial habits, they dropped two in a row in the East, first against red-hot Tuukka Rask and Boston, and Saturday afternoon against Mathew Barzal’s hat trick and the Islanders in the lame-duck Barclays Center. That one also had Mason in net, giving up two first period goals in the contest’s first two minutes to set the tone for a 5-2 loss.

  All in all, the potent Jets’ offense has been outscored 33-16 in Mason’s starts, and had been shut out in the two tilts prior. But most of the statistical damage was during a horrid three-game start to the campaign (0-3-0, .846, 5.98). Since his October 17 loss against his former Columbus squad, he has a 2.29, .929 line with a 2-3-1 record. That’s still not enough to get Connor Hellebuyck and his 18-4-5, 2.44, .920 numbers much rest, but it’s good to know Mason’s been a semi-viable alternative lately. Just not Saturday behind a travel-tired bunch. 

  Got a chance to go to the Islanders/Jets game and I can’t say I’ll miss the rink in Brooklyn. I’m hoping to enjoy Nassau Coliseum’s unobstructed views, solid ice and non-migraine producing sound system while we wait for Belmont Park.

  Many of the usual suspects have led the Jets’ way. Blake Wheeler’s helper-laden 41 points (9 G, 32 A), Mark Scheifele’s point-per-game 15-goal, 22-assist line, and dual 29-point years thus far by Ehlers (17 G, 12 A) and Patrik Laine (18 G, 11 A) have been the center of much of their success. Ehlers is the hottest hand as we hit the holidays, with a club-best four goals and two assists over the past two weeks.

  Kyle Connor, a top-sixer dropped to the fourth line Saturday in an effort to get things going (it sort of worked as he assisted on an Adam Lowry goal in the game’s finally minutes), has made a big difference in his first real NHL campaign. With 10 goals and 10 assists in 31 contests, he’s cooled off a little registering just a goal and two assists in his last ten games, but he’s added yet another scoring threat to Winnipeg’s already dangerous lineup.

  Getting off to a pre-break 20-11-6 record without franchise icon Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom isn’t bad. Their absence has afforded us an extended NHL view of promising Iowa native Tucker Poolman who netted his first professional goal against NYI. He certainly strikes an imposing figure on the back end at 6-04, while his 210-pound frame could maybe use a bit of bulking up. He hasn’t played like a rookie after initially making the squad out of training camp, then spending time with AHL Manitoba before a recall, lots of healthy scratches, and finally this opportunity. At age 24 and after a three-year run with the University of North Dakota totaling 20 goals and 52 assists in 118 contests, and earning the NCHC’s top defensive defenseman honors his contributions show grow in Winnipeg before long.

    Follow me on Twitter @KWcrosscheck

    from All About Sports http://www.dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/the-wild-west/jets-bumpy-ride-to-the-break/

[junker-town]

Oklahoma State’s Texas upset ensures Big 12 chaos will continue

The Big 12’s round-robin schedule makes a CFP bid pretty difficult, but it sure does create entertainment.

During the Big 12’s in-game commercials, it boasts about how hard it makes it for one of its teams to make the College Football Playoff. I’m not entirely sure that’s something to brag about, but if national titles aren’t your highest priority, it’s not hard to see the draw of the Big 12’s round-robin-with-a-bonus-round schedule at the moment.

Thanks to Oklahoma State’s 38-35 win over Texas on Saturday night in Stillwater, we prepare for the second half of the Big 12 schedule with five teams — half the conference — within a game of first place and/or a spot in the conference title game.

Your current standings:

Oklahoma (4-1, 7-1)

West Virginia (4-1, 6-1)

Texas (4-1, 6-2)

Iowa State (3-2, 4-3)

Texas Tech (3-2, 5-3)

Next week, Texas hosts West Virginia, and Oklahoma visits Texas Tech. Iowa State heads to Kansas for a likely win, which means if Tech beats the Sooners, a) the conference will indeed have just about eliminated itself from the national title race, and b) the WVU-Texas winner would be 5-1 in conference, with four teams tied for second.

This is nutty and could get nuttier.

With a 2-3 conference record, OSU probably isn’t in position to matter in the race just yet, but the Cowboys still played their part on Saturday night. After losing three of last first four games, including disappointing showings at home against Tech and ISU, they put together their best performance of the season since the early-season romp over Boise State.

The Pokes bolted to a 31-14 halftime lead (thanks to two fourth-down scores) and out-gained the Horns by 100 yards, 502-402.

Taylor Cornelius was key. The fifth-year senior and former walk-on played the best game of his career, completing 23 of 34 passes for 321 yards, three scores, and no picks. He and Tylan Wallace connected 10 times for 222 yards and two scores, and with OSU’s 17-point lead down to three points midway through the fourth quarter, Cornelius was responsible for two huge runs, too: a 15-yarder to set up first-and-goal at the UT 1 and a 10-yard score on third-and-goal.

In need of one final first down to ice the clock late, he again kept the ball and moved the chains, sealing the win. Things got chippy from there, of course, but don’t let that distract you from Cornelius’ awesome night.

Texas was probably due a tough night.

The Longhorns have mastered the art of living dangerously this season. They were brilliant against their two biggest-named opponents of the year — USC (Texas won, 37-14) and Oklahoma (the Horns survived, 48-45) — but lost to Maryland and seriously considered doing the same in one-possession wins against Tulsa, Kansas State, and Baylor, who have a combined record of 8-16.

Head coach Tom Herman has proved pretty adept at flipping the switch in key games or moments, and the Horns did nearly come all the way back, but the law of averages caught up to them.

The Texas defense, mostly solid in 2018, got torched early on, allowing 260 yards in the first quarter and 378 by the half. Four consecutive second-half stops gave the offense a chance to find a rhythm, but the early damage was too much to overcome.

After all that, the hard work really begins, for both the Horns and everyone else with designs of a conference title. Buckle up.

[junker-town]

The Ohio State vs. Michigan live blog: Buckeyes make it 6 in a row as Dwayne Haskins takes over for J.T. Barrett

The Buckeyes keep their Playoff hopes alive and beat Jim Harbaugh yet again despite a QB injury.

Fourth quarter

Ohio State 31, Michigan 20, final. With longtime starting QB J.T. Barrett out due to a right knee injury, redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins oversaw three Ohio State scoring drives as the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines for the sixth year in a row. QB depth is the story; Michigan was on overwhelmed third-stringer John O’Korn for the entire day.

Ohio State has Wisconsin for the Big Ten Championship next week, and with a win there, would sit and wait to see whether it can become the first-ever two-loss team to make the Playoff (oh, like Ohio State hasn’t ever roared back to make the Playoff despite losing a QB against Michigan?). And thus continues a 365-day hollering fest about how overrated Jim Harbaugh is ... despite basically hitting season expectations amid QB injuries.

The box score was close across the board. Ohio State ran the ball a little better, once you take out sacks, and was a bit more efficient through the air. Michigan had one turnover, and Ohio State had none.

Ohio State 31, Michigan 20, 1:44. Mike Weber bounces it outside and takes it 25 yards for what’s almost certainly the door-slammer.

Ohio State 24, Michigan 20, 2:36. WELP. John O’Korn’s latest overthrow turned into a fair catchable INT. On the next snap, J.K. Dobbins took the ball 36 yards inside Michigan territory.

Ohio State 24, Michigan 20, 2:47. And here’s Michigan’s chance. A stop of Mike Weber on third-and-1 set up a Buckeye field goal, which sailed wide.

Ohio State 24, Michigan 20, 6:45. A threatening Michigan drive ends with yet another John O’Korn overthrow, this time on fourth down. The highlight of the drive was a 24-yard heave to Eddie McDoom. Wolverines might only get one more chance here.

Ohio State 24, Michigan 20, 10:15. A drive composed mostly of six Mike Weber runs and a 29-yard Dwayne Haskins completion to K.J. Hill ends with the day’s first field goal ... which was an issue for OSU in this game last year. Here was J.T. Barrett passing the torch to Haskins, at least for now:

Third quarter

Ohio State 21, Michigan 20, end. A big sack by Sam Hubbard killed Michigan’s response drive. To the fourth for it all.

Ohio State 21, Michigan 20, 1:34. Redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins, replacing an injured J.T. Barrett, completed two passes and ran for a 22-yarder before J.K. Dobbins punched in the go-ahead.

Michigan 20, Ohio State 14, 5:53. The biggest news from this drive: OSU QB J.T. Barrett suffered some sort of knee injury while running. He was able to walk off under his own power, gingerly, but has currently been replaced by redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins.

FOX

Michigan 20, Ohio State 14, 7:07. A John O'Korn screen to Kekoa Crawford put Michigan in business, and Karan Higdon bowled over a linebacker to finish it off. O’Korn up to 106 yards passing to J.T. Barrett’s 30, thanks to some YAC. The XP was blocked. Keep that part in mind!

Ohio State 14, Michigan 14, 9:50. Amid LOTS of complaints about the officiating by Michigan fans (it hasn’t been the greatest), Rashan Gary sacks J.T. Barrett and forces OSU punt No. 6.

Ohio State 14, Michigan 14, 11:02. The all-defense portion of THE GAME has resumed. Michigan’s first snap in both halves: a fullback dive from a three-back formation. Monumentally B1G.

Ohio State 14, Michigan 14, 13:29. Ohio State gets ball first, punts right away, and tacks on an interference flag on the return. Two slow starts for OSU today.

Second quarter

Ohio State 14, Michigan 14, halftime. You’re not gonna believe this, but MICHIGAN CAME UP SHORT ON A REVIEWED FIRST DOWN CALL AGAINST OHIO STATE ... again. Punt.

Ohio State 14, Michigan 14, :55. Michigan stops the bleeding, thanks to a blooper snap that J.T. Barrett somehow tracked down. Ohio State punt.

Ohio State 14, Michigan 14, 4:30. These teams traded uniforms at the quarter. Let’s see if anyone notices. Three-and-out by Michigan.

Ohio State 14, Michigan 14, 5:54. Ah, good, Ohio State is here. J.T. Barrett ran for 26 and tossed to Marcus Baugh for another 25, and we’re all knotted up. Also, will we get some history today? We’ll see:

Michigan leads Ohio State 14-0 in the second quarter. Ohio State has NEVER overcome a deficit of 14+ points to beat Michigan.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 25, 2017

Michigan 14, Ohio State 7, 9:50. A dropped Michigan INT could be costly, as J.T. Barrett bounced right back with a run up the right sideline to complete an 11-play drive.

Gary missed tackle on Barrett on 3rd & 4. Metellus dropped INT. Lose contain on 3rd & 9 for a 21-yard TD scramble. Michigan will really want to have that drive back.

— Drew Hallett (@DrewCHallett) November 25, 2017

Michigan 14, Ohio State 0, 14:57. With that sweet field position, Michigan needed just two plays to get into the end zone again. Watch this play action fake to Khalid Hill, who scored the first TD, and toss to a wide-open Sean McKeon.

First quarter

Michigan 7, Ohio State 0, end. The Wolverines start a new drive in the red zone after a 42-yard Donovan Peoples-Jones return plus a flag on Ohio State. Lot of #narratives in some trouble early today.

I dunno y'all, kinda seems like Michigan might actually not be bad http://pic.twitter.com/AatDUQAo5W

— SB Nation CFB (@SBNationCFB) November 25, 2017

Michigan 7, Ohio State 0, 1:15. Not much more than a couple Chris Evans runs on that Michigan drive, but the Wolverines are still having a far easier time moving the ball and pin the Buckeyes deep with the punt.

Michigan 7, Ohio State 0, 4:30. The Buckeyes have done basically nothing on offense. Minus-1 total yards, and another punt.

Michigan 7, Ohio State 0, 6:02. John O’Korn’s sailing passes, but luckily, Zach Gentry is tall! A 27-yard gain there to enter the red zone. A few plays later, the 13-play drive concluded with a Khalid Hill TD.

0-0, 12:20. Nine total yards through one drive by each team. We’re in extremely THE GAME mode early on.

0-0, 13:35. Third-string (at this point) QB John O’Korn gets the start for Michigan due to an injured Brandon Peters. Three-and-out for the Wolverines.

Preview

One of college football’s most storied and bitter rivals will face off in the final game of the 2017 regular season, when the No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines, on Saturday at noon ET on FOX (live stream).

Both head coaches, Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh, have made this rivalry game a priority. Unfortunately for Michigan, the results since the turn of the century have been pretty one-sided, with the Buckeyes walking away with a pair of fancy gold pants in 14 of the last 16 meetings.

Time, TV channel, and streaming info

Time: Noon ET

Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich.

TV: FOX

Streaming: FoxSportsGo, FuboTV

Odds: The Buckeyes opened as 13-point favorites.

Ohio State vs. Michigan news:

The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry goes far beyond just this week, and Urban Meyer spoke about it at his weekly press conference.

That's what Meyer stressed to the media: This isn't a one week kind of deal. Throughout time, the current Buckeye head coach has learned from some of the other great OSU coaches on how important this game is.

The Wolverines are running out of options at quarterback with all of the injuries at the position.

John O’Korn is the man who will likely start on Saturday, unless Peters is able to return to practice soon. Wilton Speight could also conceivably be in the mix, but the latest reports still have him as a non-contact participant in practice.

The Buckeyes will face one of the best defenses in the FBS but should still be able to make a few explosive plays on the ground.

One of the only places Michigan shows any weakness at all on defense is their tendency to give up explosive plays. The Wolverines, despite their otherwise-suffocating defensive presence, are just 116th in rushing defense IsoPPP and 93rd in passing defense IsoPPP (Football Outsiders' explosive plays metric). In other words, they're basically systematic drive-proof, but if you can find a seam, there's a good chance you might take the ball in for six.

Michigan has a lot of young talent, but it just hasn’t developed quickly enough to make an impact on the 2017 season.

The roster was loaded with youth when this season began, but at this point it’s getting difficult to continue calling them inexperienced. Virtually an entire season is now under their belts and they’ve certainly shown that they are developing.

The off-season will go a long way toward prepping this team for a solid 2018 campaign, but right now I’m worried about the game that lies ahead against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are still eyeing the College Football Playoff.

After the still-surprising loss to Iowa just a few weeks ago, Ohio State seemed all but out of the discussion for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Recent wild weeks throughout the college football landscape has kept the Buckeyes’ hopes alive with losses by a handful of top 10 ranked teams.

With just one game left to play in the regular season, Ohio State has already booked its trip to the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on Dec. 2. The Buckeyes will play outright winner of the Big Ten West division, and still undefeated, Wisconsin for the title. Sitting at No. 5 in the latest CFP rankings, a win over the Badgers could be enough for the Buckeyes to get a playoff berth.

Without a win this week and next, Ohio State will likely be suiting up for a New Years bowl game instead.

Ohio State vs. Michigan prediction:

As chippy as this annual rivalry game tends to get, the Buckeyes have a more well-rounded team which should give the Wolverines fits. Despite Michigan boasting one of the top defenses in the country, Ohio State should still figure out a way to get points on the board, with its own defense doing enough to keep the Wolverines from getting more than a couple scores.

[junker-town]

The 2017 Egg Bowl live blog: Rebels win a Bowl game after all!

The bowl-banned Rebels took out frustrations against No. 14 Mississippi State in a sloppy, sloppy Egg Bowl.

Ole Miss entered the season without hopes of reaching a bowl game, due to self-sanctions amid its ongoing NCAA to-do. Back in April, Rebels AD Ross Bjork joked about giving every game of the regular season a bowl name anyway, for motivation purposes.

Well, the Rebels just won a game with “Bowl” in its name anyway (even if it was only added to the series’ name in the 1970s by a desperate newspaper), hanging on for a win in the Egg Bowl against archrival Mississippi State, 31-28. Thus ends a bizarre 2017 for the 6-6 Rebels and the interim tenure of coach Matt Luke.

The Egg Bowl was its typical debacle self, with five MSU turnovers, 22 total penalties, and a ghastly ankle injury for Bulldogs starting QB Nick Fitzgerald, who later returned on crutches to cheer his teammates. Two pregame shoving matches and in-game taunts that included a dog-pee celebration and a Rebel declaring his native Starkville “my city” were the highlights. Those MSU turnovers — four of them with promising freshman QB Keytaon Thompson at the wheel — were the story, as Clanga actually outgained the Rebels by 146 yards on the night and nearly pulled off the comeback.

Oh, and Ole Miss’ best defender on the night, lineman Breeland Speaks, was both ejected for unsportsmanlike flags, one of which put the game’s final result in doubt, and the star of the night’s best meme.

Extremely Egg Bowl.

Thus ends yet another surprising, vicious, and messy edition of America’s frequently most surprising, vicious, and messy rivalry.

Fourth quarter

Ole Miss 31, MSU 28, 1:05. Lol, never give up on the Egg Bowl! The Rebels recover the onside kick, though.

Ole Miss 31, MSU 21, 4:58. Clanga’s best drive of the night, capped by a 30-yard Kylin Hill TD run up the right sideline, plus an unsportsmanlike flag on Ole Miss for yappin’ in the end zone. On brand. MSU also hit the two-point conversion with a Keytaon Thompson keeper on an apparent busted play.

Ole Miss 31, MSU 13, 8:24. The Bulldogs came inches shy of legally recovering an onside kick, but right after, Ole Miss’ Jordan Wilkins broke a 46-yard run right up the middle to hit 110 on the day, and that might do it.

Ole Miss 24, MSU 13, 9:16. Not much had happened since the dog pee, until Deddrick Thomas scored to complete an eight-play State drive. Also, the Egg Bowl trophy has been spotted in its rightful resting place.

Strange place to store the Egg Bowl trophy in Starkville. Between a hot dog warmer and coffee pots. http://pic.twitter.com/yUyul65loE

— Pat Smith (@patsmithradio) November 24, 2017

Third quarter

Ole Miss 24, MSU 6, 2:15. D.K. Metcalf battled for a jump ball and took it 63 yards for a TD that’ll probably lace this one up, then hit the Bulldogs with an Odell Beckham-style dog pee celebration, drawing a 15-yard flag.

Ole Miss 17, MSU 6, 5:53. Good heavens, State turnover No. 5 comes on a strip of Jordan Thomas after a rare pass completion (MSU’s 5-of-12 passing). This one’s nearing a wrap.

Ole Miss 17, MSU 6, 7:13. Jordan Ta’amu found a wide-open A.J. Brown for a 77-yarder, despite a holding penalty on the defense. Brown’s up to 167 yards with 22 minutes still to go. Basically a 10-point swing in three plays. The local reaction to the Starkville native’s TD:

A Starkville Chamber of Commerce welcome for AJ Brown http://pic.twitter.com/GM3zWcn5aE

— [Escort 69] (@BunkiePerkins) November 24, 2017

Ole Miss 10, MSU 6, 7:53. We’re up to four Bulldog turnovers after Keytaon Thompson, the freshman QB who’s having to carry this entire offense, fumbled on a third-and-4 run in the red zone.

Ole Miss 10, MSU 6, 11:30. After Keytaon Thompson broke a 31-yard run up the right sideline, a dropped pass with some uncalled Ole Miss pass interference set up a second-and-long, and two stops forced a punt. Downed at the 1, though. Some good news for everybody: injured State QB Nick Fitzgerald returned to the sidelines to cheer on his team.

Second quarter

Ole Miss 10, MSU 6, halftime. After three Mississippi State turnovers, one Ole Miss turnover, 12 total penalties, two pregame scuffles, and a horrific QB injury (MSU’s Nick Fitzgerald), the Bulldogs score again thanks to some loose Ole Miss defense right before the buzzer.

Ole Miss 10, MSU 3, :57. Turnover No. 4 of the first half, finally in MSU’s favor, as Jordan Ta'amu was strip-sacked by Erroll Thompson.

Ole Miss 10, MSU 3, 1:22. MSU’s in some real trouble now, with turnover No. 3 coming on a fumble by Keytaon Thompson in Bulldog territory. Breeland Speaks found the ball and the camera:

http://pic.twitter.com/nNsmZpV0od

— SB Nation CFB (@SBNationCFB) November 24, 2017

Ole Miss 10, MSU 3, 6:24. Bulldogs on the board after a drive highlighted by a 16-yard Keytaon Thompson run. MSU ran seven times and threw just once on the drive, a ratio we might expect to continue as the freshman continues on the biggest stage he’s yet faced. Meanwhile, on the sideline:

Just got hit in the head with ice. Thought it’d be colder so I do have an extra layer on... could use some refreshment I guess.

— OleMissPix (@OleMissPix) November 24, 2017

Ole Miss 10, MSU 0, 10:40. A couple State flags and a 29-yard run by Jordan Wilkins set up an easy field goal.

Ole Miss 7, MSU 0, 12:08. So we just had a punt blocked by the Bulldogs’ Jeffery Simmons ... and then an immediate airmail of an INT from new MSU QB Keytaon Thompson to C.J. Moore.

First quarter

Ole Miss 7, MSU 0, 2:38. After a Rebel punt, new MSU QB Keytaon Thompson peeled off a 33-yard run on his first snap. That was about that for that drive, though.

Ole Miss 7, MSU 0, 9:08. Bulldogs QB Nick Fitzgerald suffered an awful leg injury and was carted off, with both sidelines kneeling in silence. He’s replaced by Keytaon Thompson, a former four-star quarterback out of New Orleans from the class of 2017

Ole Miss 7, MSU 0, 9:51. CLANGA gets its first win, with a false start leading to Ole Miss’ A.J. Brown landing just shy of a first down. Punt!

Ole Miss 7, MSU 0, 11:15. A nine-play Bulldog drive was cut short when Myles Hartsfield leaped to pick off Nick Fitzgerald at the Ole Miss 38. Perfect start for the Rebels.

Ole Miss 7, MSU 0, 14:22. A 58-yard heave from Jordan Ta’amu to A.J. Brown and a 22-yard Jordan Wilkins run up the middle, and the underdogs strike first.

Pregame

So much for hugs folks. The Royal Rumble has begun in Starkville. Cooler heads prevailed for now. http://pic.twitter.com/dcSbT8fhJ3

— Joel Coleman (@JoelTColeman) November 23, 2017

Leo Lewis just walked towards the Ole Miss side of the field and blew a kiss in the direction of the Rebel players during warm-ups.

— Robby Donoho III (@RobbyDonoho) November 23, 2017

Lewis is, of course, the star MSU linebacker who’s made a hobby of trolling the Rebels on Twitter and is currently in the middle of the NCAA’s investigation into Ole Miss.

Another dustup:

Not even kickoff and the #EggBowl is already chippy! http://pic.twitter.com/VZPNONYY9B

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) November 24, 2017

Preview

There’s only one college football game to get you through Thanksgiving on Thursday — and it’s some classic in-state hate. The No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs can continue its march toward the top 10 by beating their rivals, the Ole Miss Rebels, on turkey day. The 114th edition of the Egg Bowl will take place Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. ET; the game will be broadcast live on ESPN (live stream).

It’s the first Thanksgiving Egg Bowl since 2013, reviving a minor tradition in the state rivalry.

The Bulldogs have been solid but unspectacular in 2017. With eight wins they are ranked No. 16 in the College Football Playoff rankings, but they’ve only beaten one ranked team — a crushing 37-7 victory over LSU — in that span. The Rebels haven’t been as fortunate. Their rebuilding season after Hugh Freeze’s resignation has sputtered to a 5-6 record before Thursday’s season finale in Starkville. Even a win on Thanksgiving won’t keep Ole Miss’s 2017 alive — the scandal that forced Freeze out of Oxford also led to a bowl ban this winter.

Time, TV channel, and streaming info

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: Scott Field, Starkville, Miss.

TV: ESPN

Streaming: WatchESPN

Odds: Mississippi State is favored by 15 points.

Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State news:

This year, these teams even have NCAA beef. The long investigation into the Rebels has wrapped up Leo Lewis, a star Bulldogs linebacker.

Mississippi State beat Arkansas last week in a game only notable for likely getting Bret Bielema fired.

After a 14-point early lead, Arkansas couldn’t hold on against Mississippi State and fell, 28-21. This TD with seconds left was the nail in the coffin for the Razorbacks. It now guarantees a losing season for Arkansas, and this is likely the final nail in Bielema’s coffin as well.

The Hogs have had a knack for being punchy when it seems Bielema’s back is against the wall. And it’s never been more against the wall than it was right here.

Even if you’re not an Ole Miss fan, you’ve got to like what A.J. Smith is doing.

Nick Fitzgerald isn’t consistent at all for Mississippi State, but he comes through when it matters.

Fitz is the Jekyll and Hyde that everyone loves to pick apart and this game did nothing to change that. For 3.5 quarters, Fitz struggled to find his rhythm and could not break loose running the ball. Yet when crunch time hit in the fourth, he came up big with some clutch throws, including the two touchdowns, and that last one was a picture-perfect throw. The enigma that is Fitz continues to perplex Bulldogs everywhere but we happily accept the Ws he provides.

So who’s gonna be Mississippi’s next head coach? Mike Norvell? Willie Taggart?

The second-year man for the Tigers has done an incredible job following up Justin Fuente’s final two-year hurrah in the Bluff City (19-7 record, finished No. 25 in AP poll in 2014). His lone year at the head of the Memphis program, his Tigers went 8-5, finished third in the AAC and made it to a bowl game. The intriguing thing about Norvell is his high-powered offense, ability to coach a quarterback, and recruiting success at a Group of 5 program, primarily in Mississippi.

Can Mississippi State really be a top-10 team?

The Bulldogs are barrelling toward 10 wins and a coveted spot in the final top-10 rankings, but a dearth of quality wins could keep them from climbing into the FBS’s top tier. Beating a middling Ole Miss team won’t do much for their resume, but would put Mississippi State in line for a prime bowl game — and the opportunity to prove it’s a top-10 program.

Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State prediction:

The Bulldogs have more to play for, and there’s no way the players don’t know this may be their last rivalry game with Dan Mullen as their head coach. Emotions will be high, but Mississippi State will make it two Egg Bowl wins in a row.