#it's best of five now and we have home-ice advantage for the remainder of the series

[idontlikeem]

i'm just getting my thoughts out about today's injury updates and some of the reactions i'm seeing. i'm trying to process some of the ultra-pessimism that's going around and really am just talking to myself out loud about why i don't agree. please feel free to skip this. but i like to think i'm fairly moderated in what i think about this team and their capabilities, so if you're feeling very down about their gameplay and/or the contract situation, maybe this will help? idk.

ok so like....here's the thing.

we were always the underdogs this postseason, even before jarry's injury, but especially after it. no matter who our opponent ended up being, rangers canes panthers, whoever else ended up being a possibility in the waning weeks of the regular season, we were going into it as the team favored to lose the series.

being an underdog isn't necessarily a bad thing! especially a team captained by sidney crosby—he's the most competitive man alive, and being told he can't do something is the fastest way to make him prove that he can.

but that depends on the team as a whole coming together and becoming more than the sum of their parts. it means them playing out of their heads for the full 60 minutes (or, yknow. 100+. whatever.), every single night.

it takes defense that's almost flaw-free, without the big mistakes that kris and mike are both prone to.

it takes offense that scores, that can finish all the chances the underlying numbers say they're creating. and not just sid's line, all of them. goals from all four lines and the defense too are crucial.

it takes a heavy, sustained forecheck, which is the system the penguins use and are the most effective with, for the entirety of the game. it's a lot of physical and mental work to do that, but all it takes is one line being a little lazy for one shift and the whole thing falls apart.

we've seen them put together plenty of complete games this season against good opponents. we've also seen them stray way off-system and shit the bed, against both good and bad opponents. is it nice to have a goalie who's ace enough to bail your ass out if you screw up? yes, of course. but jarry is not and never was shesterkin—at his best, he's very good, but he's not always at his best, and his best was never at that level.

without that level of a cheat code in net, it makes the whole team's performance significantly more important.

can they do it? sure, of course. we've seen it. the series is tied, after all. will they do it for three to five more games to successfully get out of this series? that remains to be seen and is up to them. they may be able to pull it off. they also might not, especially given the other injuries they're dealing with. neither outcome would surprise me, and i would not be disappointed with an early exit—so much going on right now is utterly out of the team's control.

what i REALLY don't understand, though, is why people are connecting casey getting core muscle surgery to geno and tanger's contract situations.

i don't have any inside knowledge here, of course. i don't know any more than anyone else. we can listen to what people like rossi and yohe say, but we have no idea how valid their information is either, especially when it's contradicting what other sources are reporting. the truth is we simply do not know what's going on.

but just like casey being out does not fundamentally alter our overall playoff chances (due to us already being an underdog), casey being out also doesn't have anything to do with the future of the core in pittsburgh. why on earth would it? what does our second-string goalie have to do with extending one of the faces of the franchise and their #1 defenseman?

i'm not gonna say i'm feeling all that optimistic about this team's chances. they're streaky and prone to making unforced errors that come back to bite them, and they're going up against an unbelievably talented goalie. none of that changes no matter who's in our net. but i'm also not throwing the towel in immediately and saying that everything's over. we've played two games and won one of them!

i'm also not going to say i feel 100% confident geno and kris are back next year. they might be, or one of them might be. they also might both go elsewhere.

but there's just no connection between these two things. and there's really no reason to say, 'welp, that's it, i'm done, these worst-case scenarios are absolutely a done deal, i'm going to gloom all over the place about how horrible it all is'. what good does that do for your own personal mindset? we can't see into the future. we just don't know!

i dunno. i just don't understand the connections being made, or the purpose of deciding it's all over forever. unless you can see into the future, there in't a way to know! anything can happen, including good things.

[wanderlearn-blog1]

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Roos Lets Loose: Who is the Fantasy MVP?

  Welcome to the second edition of “Forum Buzz,” a column where I dissect popular recent posts from the DobberHockey Forums. Pretty much anything within the forums might be covered, other than trades (those usually will get their own separate write-ups on the site and are also covered in the next day’s Ramblings) and signings (those tend to be dissected in Alex McClean’s weekly Capped column). With that out of the way, let’s dive right in!

  Topic #1 – Is it time to give up on Jesse Puljujarvi?

This reminds me of the question about Pavel Zacha from my recent mailbag column, in that it’s asking about a player oozing with upside but who’s struggling more with each passing season. Accordingly, to provide insight about Puljujavi (JP) I’ll need to assess many of the same data points as I did with Zacha.

Let’s start with IPP, or the percentage of points JP received on goals scored while on the ice. The key with IPP is if a player has a nose for scoring and is mainly saddled with poor linemates, his IPP should be high, in turn boding well for him to succeed if he’s put into the right circumstances and/or with the right linemates. In JP’s case, we know he has a mere 38 points in 139 NHL games; but is he doing the best he can under his given circumstances when gauged by IPP? The answer seems to be no, as for 2017-18 and 2018-19 (when he combined to play 111 of his 139 career games thus far) his IPPs were, respectively, 54.1% and 56.3%. Couple that with 5×5 team shooting percentages of 6.64% and 5.83% in those same seasons, and a picture is painted of a player who not only doesn’t help generate offense (hence the low team shooting percentages) but also doesn’t find a way to grab points on the few goals actually scored while he’s on the ice (hence the low IPP).

In cases like these I also like to examine a player’s performance on the PP versus the man advantage minutes he’s received. That’s a bit difficult when it comes to JP, who’s PP Time per game has shrunk from 49 seconds to 45 to 27 in his three seasons. Still, we get some visibility from 2017-18, as that season he played in 68 games while averaging those 45 seconds with the man advantage. Looking at the data though, he didn’t do much with that PP time, seeing the 263rd most PP minutes among forwards yet tying for the 267th most PPPts. Although no one could rightfully expect him to put up boatloads of PPPts given this deployment, he didn’t shine enough to demonstrate he deserved additional PP Time or was capable of doing more with less. In other words, another non-positive sign.

Lastly, we need to examine the extent to which he’s played with talented players, and how he fared. This season he played about 10% of his shifts with Connor McDavid, but in doing so tallied 22% of his points. Last season he played just under 35% of his shifts with McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, but in doing so generated 55% of his points. There are two ways to look at this – (1) he’s only good if propped up by better players, or (2) he could play better if given a fair chance to skate more often with true talent.

Were it not for JP producing well when skating with the best Edmonton forwards, I’d be prepared to write him off completely, especially with him needing to recover from double hip surgery which might lead to him having a slow start and finding his way further into the doghouse. Of course, all of this might be moot inasmuch as he’s a restricted free agent this summer and a viable candidate to be traded given his lack of success and Edmonton’s new GM likely wanting to put his own stamp on the team. Long story short, I wouldn’t give up on JP in a full dynasty league; but in keepers where 200+ forwards are owned, I think you can safely toss him back into the draft pool either to select him again or to let him give one of your other GM’s gray hair.

  *

If you have any questions that you’d like Rick to answer in his next mailbag, please send them to admin@dobbersports.com or you can find him in the Dobber Forums under the name ‘rizzeedizzee’. Thanks!

*

  Topic #2 – Is Evander Kane this season’s fantasy hockey MVP in roto leagues?

Even when he was producing at a lower scoring rate and missing games due to frequent injuries, Kane was fantasy gold with his stat stuffing in the areas of SOG, PIM, and Hits. This season, Kane is poised to produce his highest ever scoring rate and, if he returns soon from injury, play his second most games in any regular season; so does that make him the fantasy hockey MVP of 2018-19? It’s close, but I say no.

No question Kane’s numbers are the stuff roto dreams are made of, as he’s on pace for over two Hits and two PIM per game, more than 3.5 SOG per contest, plus a full season scoring pace of 65 points and a goals per game rate above 0.4. Without considering PIMs, since 1997-98 (when the NHL started tracking Hits) just two other players have met the other criteria in a season while playing 60+ games– Alexander Ovechkin (12 times!) and Jeff O’Neill (back in 2001-02). When factoring in PIM, however, while Ovi also has averaged at least one PIM per game he never averaged 1.5 per game in any of these 12 seasons.

Of course, kitchen sink leagues also tend to count +/- and PPPts, two areas where Kane is far from elite; and some count either Hits or PIM but not both. Are Kane’s deficiencies enough to lose him the 2018-19 fantasy crown? Who else would it go to? Brent Burns is just okay in Hits, decent in Blocks and PIM, but superb in SOG, PPPts, and scoring, to go along with a +16 rating. Or there’s Nikita Kucherov, who’s just okay in PIM and Hits, yet superb in pretty much every other area.

But here’s the key beyond Kane’s stats – Burns and Kucherov would’ve cost a poolie far more to acquire (in terms of a draft pick or trade) as compared to Kane. In fact, in Yahoo leagues Kucherov was drafted third overall on average and Burns 18th, versus Kane at 56th overall, making Kane a far better return on investment (ROI) than Burns or Kucherov. But I think Kane isn’t even the 2018-19 ROI MVP – that would go to Morgan Rielly, Jake Guentzel, Mark Giordano, or Elias Lindholm or who were drafted, on average, 106th, 109th, 110th and 145th respectively in Yahoo leagues, with Lindholm being the choice in my opinion due to his draft position and all-around contributions.

Aside from MVP arguments, the question is what to do with Kane in keepers. It boils down to whether you think he’s finally got his head screwed on straight in San Jose and can keep doing what he’s doing for years to come, or instead is on an extended honeymoon not unlike when first with Atlanta/Winnipeg before his injuries plus off-ice and effort issues crept in. My take is, it’s called sell high for a reason. Most likely there’s a GM in your league who’s prepared to pay – probably even overpay – to get Kane on his or her fantasy team in hopes of the same multi-cat contributions but perhaps with even more points. If so, I think you should be able to fashion a trade where you emerge ahead, plus, in doing so, rid yourself of the risks of owning Kane.

  Topic #3 – What should poolies do about John Gibson for the rest of the season?

Since his return, Gibson has played quite well, having given up two or fewer goals in four of his previous five games through the weekend; yet as we saw before he went on IR, he was regularly getting shelled and, in doing so, hurting fantasy owners. Given this, is it worth holding onto him, or rolling with another goalie during either the home stretch of your roto league or your H2H playoffs?

One key is the news that emerged about Gibson’s injury. It turns out what apparently kept him out of the lineup was an issue with his teeth that was exacerbated when he collided with a teammate. With his teeth now removed, he should be back to his old self, as opposed to a situation where either he could be prone to reinjury or might still have lingering effects of the injury.

That doesn’t address the issue of the team in front of him – the one which is, among other negatives, the fifth worst at giving up shots per game and seventh worst at PP conversion percentage. The detrimental effect of playing for the 2018-19 Ducks is evident in Gibson’s even strength and PP save percentages being the lowest since he took over as the full time Anaheim goalie in 2016-17.

This having been said, teams like the Ducks often finish strong because of pride but also players realizing there might be serious housecleaning in the offseason, prompting them to step up their game. Even still, it could be an slightly uphill climb in that the Ducks play five of their remaining 11 contests on home ice and have fewer games against the NHL’s worst teams (one versus LA, one against Edmonton, and one against Vancouver) as they do against very good to great squads (two versus Calgary, one against Winnipeg, one versus San Jose), with the rest being against teams that are either borderline playoff teams or slightly worse.

Considering all the data, I’ll say in Gibson I trust. When on top of his game he’s arguably a top five NHL netminder in terms of pure talent. And now apparently 100% healthy and on a Ducks team likely looking to end a disappointing season on a positive note, I believe he should be a top 10 netminder over the remainder of the 2018-19 regular season, which is more than good enough to merit a spot in your roto league’s home stretch or H2H playoffs.

  Topic #4 – Is it worth running with Shayne Gostisbehere or Dougie Hamilton over the remainder of the season instead of Seth Jones?

What this question really was asking is whether Hamilton will finally start to produce his usual gaudy second half numbers and if Ghost will recapture his past magic enough to make either one better to own than Jones over the rest of the 2018-19 campaign. While I usually like to look most at data and comparables in framing my answer, I think this is a great opportunity to illustrate how poolies often fall into the trap of overlooking the bird in the hand in favor of what I’ll refer to as “Fantasy FOMO.”

Jones is quietly elite, having produced not just the 14th most points among all blueliners since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, but also being a great end of season performer in his own right, posting 20 points in his final 16 games to end 2017-18. His problem is he’s caught in that area between being a superstar and merely great – a Steady Eddie, so to speak. In contrast, Hamilton and Ghost are currently underperforming for the season but have both been great at times in the past. Poolies often fall into the trap of being tantalized by these types of players, since there’s a chance to get them for a reduced price and because they don’t want to miss out if they do turn things around – hence Fantasy FOMO.

I’m here to tell you that fantasy FOMO, despite its powerful lure, is not something which should be driving your decision making. It preys on fear and emotion, rather than sound judgment. Fantasy FOMO can rear its ugly heading not just in situation like this, but also cause you to exercise bad judgment in taking unproven talents with supposedly high upside over reliable players all but assured to outperform the potential breakout youngsters. It’s up to you to resist Fantasy FOMO, or at least dig deep enough to see if it equates to rational decision making. In this instance, resisting Fantasy FOMO means going with Jones and his solid track record – including during the late portion of a season – over Ghost/Hamilton, both of whom did indeed play great at times in the past but who look to be in bad situations that make it unlikely – on paper – they’ll revert to their former greatness by the end of 2018-19.

  ********

Questions needed for Mailbag column

As a reminder, I’m always seeking questions for my monthly mailbag column, where I answer your fantasy hockey questions. Please continue to send me your questions either by private messaging them to me (rizzeedizzee) via the DobberHockey Forums or by sending an email to admin@dobbersports.com with “Roos Mailbag” as the subject line.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/fantasy-hockey-rick-roos/roos-lets-loose-who-is-the-fantasy-mvp/

[gossipgirl2019-blog]

Media Watch: Press purr over 'relentless' City

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Media Watch: Press purr over 'relentless' City

Another fantastic win, another heap of praise for the Premier League Champions…

Long may it continue!

City returned to domestic action as if we’d never been away, sailing into a 3-0 lead at West Ham after just 34 minutes with a blistering first half display before the superb Leroy Sane added the icing to the proverbial cake with his second of the afternoon in injury time.

While the footballing world observed the Blues were not at their scintillating best, they were impressed with the ruthlessness of Pep Guardiola’s men in the final third.

READ: More London joy for Rampant Blues

WATCH: West Ham 0-4 City | Extended highlights

GALLERY: Capital gains for Champions

Ian Herbert of the Daily Mail scribed: “Manchester City drive on so imperiously and inexorably that it is impossible not to fear for the competitive balance of this Premier League season.

“The inevitability of losing to them is becoming so great that defeatism lurks. Liverpool are unbeaten, just like City, yet every point they drop now has grave consequences.

“The usual narrative about the league leaders’ supreme technical merit applies. The third goal was the high point: a drilled, 20-yard diagonal from Fernandinho, cushioned on the volley by Raheem Sterling into Leroy Sane, who ‘sat down’ Fabian Balbuena and clipped past Lucasz Fabianski. It was divine, football in art form and a privilege to watch.

“City have actually travelled a long way far from the place where Pellegrini left them, two and a half years ago.

“Their relentless intensity is borne of players’ fear that once out of the team, they may not get back in a hurry.

“They had scored 11 goals here in three previous visits and needed only ten minutes to improve the tally.”

ESPN’s Jonathan Smith reflected: “It’s been two weeks since City’s last game with much of Pep Guardiola’s squad disappearing all over the globe, but nothing seemed to have changed in that fortnight.

Interviews

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Saturday, November 24, 2018 12:28 PM

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“They picked up exactly where they left off, dominating possession, pulling the opposition apart with their movement and passing and ruthlessly killing off any chance of an upset against the terrified Hammers.

“Guardiola spoke before the game about his desire to stop the opposition from creating any opportunities, which they did effectively last time out in the 3-1 victory over Manchester United. West Ham, though, had a number of attempts on goal.

“For most teams winning so impressively away from home while giving up the odd chance would be seen as acceptable, only by Guardiola standards is that considered something to work on.”

Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News commented: “Manchester City have produced some spellbinding statistics under Pep Guardiola and their three goals in the first half at the London Stadium means they have now scored 21 goals in the opening 45 minutes of Premier League this season.

“To put that into context, only Liverpool (26), Arsenal (26), Chelsea (27), Tottenham (23) and Bournemouth (also 21) have managed that IN TOTAL, meaning City fans have seen their team score more goals before half-time than 15 clubs have seen full stop.

“It’s a remarkable feat, and credit must go to Guardiola and his players for a relentless drive to score as many goals as possible. They may not have had to work particularly hard for their latest three but you need to be in those positions to take advantage of any errors, something the Blues rarely fail to do.”

In a separate piece, he also noted: “City do not need to be mesmerising for 90 minutes because even when they are far from their best – as was the case in the second half – bursts of quality are nearly always enough.

“Where past trips to West Ham have told us something new about Guardiola’s side, this simply reaffirmed what is common knowledge these days: City are the team to beat in the Premier League, need no invitation to take advantage of slack defending, and possess remarkable squad depth to carry on as if nothing has happened while they are without three key first-team players.

“The problem everyone else is finding is that even if they know all they can about the champions, doing anything to stop them is an entirely different matter.”

Highlights

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Saturday, November 24, 2018 6:14 PM

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Echoing those sentiments, Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson told Jeff Stelling he feels the ‘exceptional’ Blues could complete the league season undefeated.

READ THIS…

Men’s Team

Saturday, November 24, 2018 5:30 PM

Sterling: There is more to come from City: Raheem Sterling insisted there was even more to come from Manchester City in the wake of our superb 4-0 win away at West Ham.

“There wasn’t an absolute abundance of chances for this Manchester City side but they’re clinical and they’re all on the same wavelength when they’re attacking,” he declared.

“This game was over after 35 minutes for Manchester City. They’re 3-0 up and then just do what you’d expect in the second half.

“People will say West Ham made a fist of it but its only because City literally took their foot off the gas.

“West Ham did keep on going in fairness but some of the stuff from Manchester City is quite outstanding – the way they move the ball around.

“All the ‘S’s scored – Sterling, Silva and Sane, twice. They were quite exceptional. Sterling had two assists and a goal … Sane’s just unbelievable. It’s absolutely fantastic.

“This team… goodness gracious, how do you stop them? They don’t look as though they’re going to lose.”

One of those three ‘S’s – David Silva – received special praise from Four Four Two, who purred: “Given his persistent brilliance since joining City from Valencia in 2010, suggesting Silva is playing the best football of his career is not a statement to make lightly.

“But the way he weaves silken threads through all the best work Pep Guardiola’s team produce – few players have ever felt so purpose-built for the Catalan’s approach – is truly something to behold.

“A relative weakness in front of goal has generally been Silva’s weakness throughout a decorated career. He now has five in City’s past six matches and eight for the season.”

In other news, Bitter and Blue’s Caroline Sherratt has previewed today’s FA Women’s Super League clash against Yeovil, as Nick Cushing’s side also return to domestic action.

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Tuesday, November 6, 2018 6:32 PM

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“Twelve Man City Women’s players are returning from the international break, with Georgia Stanway and Ellie Roebuck making their senior debuts, captain Steph Houghton receiving her 100th Lionesses cap and Jen Beattie, Caroline Weir and Claire Emslie playing in a friendly against the USA,” writes Sherratt.

“Keira Walsh was back in training this week, after suffering an injury against Liverpool that kept her off England duty as was Mie Jans. Another positive sign was Megan Campbell posting an image of her in football boots onto her Instagram story, which means a New Year return is possible.

“The Blues take on Yeovil at the Clayson Stadium in Dorchester on Sunday November 25th, kick off is at three o’clock with tickets available on the day. If you can’t make it, the game is being streamed live on the FA WSL Facebook page.”

Elsewhere, looking ahead to Tuesday night’s Champions League clash against Lyon, forward Nabil Fekir has declared himself available for selection.

As Goal’s Jon Fisher reports: “Fekir was taken off at half-time during the Ligue 1 derby clash against Saint-Etienne on Friday with an adductor injury, sparking concerns he could miss the midweek Group F game with Pep Guardiola’s City.”

However, the France international stated: “Everything is fine, I’m recovering.

“We had some trouble in the first half but the most important thing is the victory. I’ll be there on Tuesday.”

Finally, there’s a snippet of transfer gossip as the Telegraph assert Wolves are ready to snub any interest in alleged City target Ruben Neves.

According to John Percy: “Wolverhampton Wanderers are ready to warn any interested clubs that Ruben Neves is not for sale at any price in January.

“Neves, the Portugal international, is staying with Wolves for at least the remainder of this season after an impressive start to his career in the Premier League.

“Manchester City, Arsenal and Juventus are understood to be admirers of the £15m midfielder but the Wolves board will make clear that he is not going anywhere when the transfer window reopens.”

CITYZENS: SIMPLE POLL – What has impressed you most about Sterling this season?

[investmart007]

MOSCOW | The Latest: Messi sets up Argentina's 2nd goal for 2-1 lead

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MOSCOW | The Latest: Messi sets up Argentina's 2nd goal for 2-1 lead

MOSCOW — The Latest on Saturday at the World Cup (all times local): 6:08 p.m.

Lionel Messi has set up a goal for Gabriel Mercado to give Argentina a 2-1 lead against France just after halftime in the round of 16 game at the World Cup. The French defenders failed to properly clear a free kick, and Messi recovered the ball on the right side before unleashing a shot that took a deflection off Mercado. ___ 5:50 p.m.

Argentina has equalized against the run of the play against France to make it 1-1 at halftime in their round of 16 game at the World Cup.

France has been the better team and opened the scoring with Antoine Griezmann’s penalty in the 13th minute, but Angel Di Maria’s powerful strike from 25 yards in the 41st ensured the score was level at the break.

Di Maria was set up in front of goal following a throw-in on the left of a pitch, collected the pass and unleashing a left-foot strike into the top right corner.

France dominated the early exchanges and took advantage from the spot when Kylian Mbappe won the penalty after being fouled in the area by Marcos Rojo. Mbappe sprinted 40 meters and entered the box where he was clumsily stopped by the Argentina defender.

Mbappe has been a constant threat with his devastating pace and accelerations.

Griezmann put his team ahead just moments after hitting the woodwork from a 22-yard free-kick.

And after he scored, Griezmann made a shout out to millions of fans of Fortnite with his celebratory dance.

Lionel Messi has had only a few opportunities and has not been allowed much space by France defenders. ___ 5:41 p.m.

Angel di Maria has equalized for Argentina with a powerful long-range strike in the 41st minute to level the World Cup round-of-16 game with France at 1-1.

Di Maria was set-up in front of goal following a throw-in on the left of a pitch and he collected the pass and unleashed a powerful left-foot strike into the top right corner in the 41st minute. ____ 5:14 p.m. Antoine Griezmann has given France a 1-0 lead over Argentina after scoring from the penalty spot in the 13th minute.

French teenager Kylian Mbappe won the penalty after being fouled in the box by Marcos Rojo. The Paris Saint-Germain forward sprinted 40 meters before entering the penalty area, where he was clumsily stopped by the Argentina defender.

Griezmann took the penalty calmly, sending goalkeeper Franco Armani the wrong way. ___ 4:45 p.m.

Argentina supporters have traveled to Kazan in large numbers and outnumber the French fans at Kazan Arena. As a result, the French team has been jeered off the pitch as it returned to the locker room after warming up for the World Cup round-of-16 game.

France and Argentina have not met at the World Cup since 1978. ___ 4:15 p.m.

France coach Didier Deschamps has reverted to his most efficient lineup, making six changes to face Argentina in their round-of-16 World Cup match at Kazan Arena.

Deschamps picked the same players who beat Peru 1-0 in their second group match in a 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1 system, with Olivier Giroud up front supported by a three-man line of Blaise Matuidi, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe.

France will try to stop Lionel Messi with Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane and Lucas Hernandez, who know the Argentine playmaker very well from the Spanish league. Benjamin Pavard completes France’s back-four.

Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli made one change — forward Cristian Pavon starting in place of Gonzalo Higuain — from the 2-1 win over Nigeria that secured a spot in the knockout stage for the two-time champions.

Goalkeeper Franco Armani is making is second appearance for Argentina while Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero remains on the bench. France has not lost to South American opposition at the tournament since a 2-1 defeat against Argentina in a group match at the 1978 World Cup.

Lineups: France: Hugo Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, N’Golo Kante, Blaise Matuidi, Lucas Hernandez.

Argentina: Franco Armani, Gabriel Mercado, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ever Banega, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano, Enzo Perez, Marcos Rojo, Nicolas Otamendi, Cristian Pavon. ___ 4:12 p.m.

The former captain of an Uruguayan team that reached the World Cup semifinals in 2010 is back and enjoying the tournament as just another fan in Russia.

Diego Lugano says ahead of La Celeste’s knockout game Saturday against Portugal that Uruguay is already a star of the tournament.

The team hasn’t given up a goal and won all three of its group matches.

The former central defender was relaxing, playing pickup soccer and taking selfies on a beach in Samara.

And he isn’t dampening fans’ expectations: Lugano said this Uruguay team is strong enough to win it all. ___ 4 p.m.

Spain says some members of the World Cup squad have been screened for doping at the team’s hotel in Moscow.

The tests have been conducted a day before the team’s round-of-16 match against host Russia in the capital.

The Spanish soccer federation says players were asked to provide urine and blood samples to FIFA officials. It did not say which players were tested.

FIFA routinely screens players after matches but also conducts out-of-competition tests at team hotels and training camps.

Costa Rica complained with FIFA four years ago in Brazil when several of its players were called up for doping tests after a match, saying it unfairly raised suspicion about Costa Rican players. ___ 3:50 p.m.

Fox will wind up calling 31 of the 64 World Cup games from stadiums and the rest from its Los Angeles studios.

The network announced its schedule for the round of 16, which has the lead team of John Strong and Stuart Holden broadcasting Uruguay-Poland, Brazil-Mexico and Sweden-Switzerland on site.

JP Dellacamera and Tony Meola will be at France-Argentina and Belgium-Spain.

Three matches will be called from Los Angeles. Derek Rae and Aly Wagner have Spain-Russia and Colombia-England, and Mark Followill and Warren Barton will broadcast Croatia-Denmark All games from the quarterfinals on will be called from on site.

The Strong-Holden and Dellacamera-Meola teams called nine games each during the group stage. Rae-Wagner had 10, Followill-Barton nine, Glenn Davis-Cobi Jones seven and Jorge Perez-Navarro and Mariano Trujillo four.

Telemundo Deportes, part of Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal Inc., will call at least 36 matches from stadiums. It had commentators on site for 23 group-stage matches and called the remainder from the International Broadcast Center outside Moscow. It planned to have broadcasters at five round-of-16 games and the remainder from the IBC. Crews will be at stadiums from the quarterfinals on. ___ 3:30 p.m.

Russia winger Denis Cheryshev says he feels calm as he prepares to play for the country of his birth against the country where he grew up.

Cheryshev was born in Russia but spent almost all his life in Spain after his father Dmitry, also a professional footballer, played and coached at a succession of Spanish clubs.

Speaking Russian with a slight Spanish accent, Cheryshev says “we are very relaxed and ready to do a good job.”

He sees Russia as the clear underdog for Sunday’s game in Moscow, adding that Spain is “close to being the best, but any team can hurt another.”

Russia and Spain played out a 3-3 draw in a friendly in November but coach Stanislav Cherchesov says Spain’s tactics have changed since then, particularly since Spain fired coach Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the World Cup and appointed Fernando Hierro. ___ 3 p.m.

Switzerland forward Breel Embolo is back in Russia after returning home to attend the birth of his first child.

The Swiss football federation says Embolo spent “the most beautiful 24 hours of his life” getting home in time to see his daughter, Naylia, born.

Embolo says “the timing was perfect” to be with his partner Naomi. The 21-year-old forward played the full 90 minutes Wednesday evening in Nizhny Novgorod, where Switzerland drew 2-2 with Costa Rica.

Switzerland next plays Tuesday, against Sweden in the round of 16. England midfielder Fabian Delph has also returned home between the group stage and first knockout round to attend a birth. England plays Colombia in Moscow on Monday. ___ 1:35 p.m.

Mexican players are insisting they’re relaxed ahead of their clash with Brazil in the round of 16 in the World Cup — now they seem to be proving it.

Ahead of Monday’s win-or-go-home game against the Brazilians in Samara, several members of Mexico’s team and even coach Juan Carlos Osorio took some time off to go sightseeing at Red Square.

Captain Andres Guardado along with his wife and son Maximo, defenders Jesus Gallardo and Edson Alvarez, midfielder Javier Aquino, striker Raul Jimenez and Osorio spent several hours Friday in downtown Moscow.

It’s Mexico’s seventh straight chance to qualify for the quarterfinals for the first time since hosting the World Cup in 1970 and 1986. ___ 12:51 p.m.

John Stones is back in training with England, two days after coming off at halftime of the 1-0 loss to Belgium at the World Cup because of a calf problem.

The center back was among the 21 players practicing in light rain Saturday at England’s training base just outside St. Petersburg.

Stones was pictured on the England bench with heavy strapping and ice around his left calf during the second half of the game against Belgium on Thursday.

The only absentees from training were Fabian Delph, who was back in England to be with his wife ahead of the birth of their third child, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who had a conditioning session back at the team hotel.

England plays Colombia in the last 16 on Tuesday.

By Associated Press

[maysoper]

Off To Smashville

For the first time in 31 years, the Winnipeg Jets can state that they're off to the next round. That next round just happens to take place for potentially four games in the defending Western Conference champion's city of "Smashville" as the Nashville Predators will meet the Winnipeg Jets. There's a lot to be excited about if you're a fan of both these teams, and, if you're the media, you seem to have a lot to whine about when it comes to these teams meeting. We'll get to the second part of that statement in a bit, but there should be a lot of eyes on this series as these two divisional powerhouses clash to see who is the best of the Central Division! It took Nashville a little longer to dispatch the feisty Colorado Avalanche and their carousel of goaltenders than one may have thought. I predicted the series would be closer than most gave Colorado credit for, and it seemed like upstart team from Denver wasn't about complaining when Semyon Varlamov was ruled done for the season prior to the playoffs starting. Instead, they turned to Jonathan Bernier who was very good in the Mile High City this season, and he led the charge against a Nashville team that seemed a wee bit too overconfident in their approach to this series. In the first three games of the series that saw Nashville open the series at home, the Predtaors surrendered the first goals at 6:36, 2:34, and 1:50 in those three games, respectively. There seemed to be a refocusing of sorts as they took those deficits into the first intermission - a 3-0 deficit in Game Three - and came to life in the second periods of each of those games. The only problem? Winnipeg, who scored first in each of their five games against Minnesota, is a much better team defensively than the Avalanche are. Early deficits were a death knell for the Wild against the Jets, so Nashville will need to be better in the first ten minutes of this next series of games if they hope to eliminate the surging Jets. Goaltending will certainly be on a more even keel than what Jonathan Bernier and Andrew Hammond brought to the series. Neither played poorly, but neither are on the caliber of Vezina nominee Pekka Rinne. That will change when he looks 200-feet down the ice to the Jets' net and sees Vezina nominee Connor Hellebuyck standing in the blue paint. If Rinne continues to put up un-Vezina-like numbers of a 2.60 GAA and a .909 save percentage in this round, that will be more than enough to give the Jets' shooters confidence in scoring goals. While injuries certainly took their toll on the Wild lineup, Hellebuyck's 1.93 GAA is down from his regular season mark of 2.36 while his save percentage has remained consistent at .924. If this series comes down to goaltending, you'd have to give the nod to the more consistent goaltender right now as Connor Hellebuyck is outplaying his Vezina-nominee counterpart in Rinne. There will be all kinds of chatter about the defence corps used by these two teams, but there is a significant difference between the two teams in the opening round. Nashville's blue line, while arguably one of the best in the league, generated just one goal on 69 shots while adding eight assists in the opening round of the playoffs. If you take Matthias Ekholm out of the equation, the five remaining defenders contributed just three assists - and yes, that includes PK Subban, Ryan Ellis, and Roman Josi. If the Jets can contain Ekholm in a similar fashion as they did to Matt Dumba, the rest of the Nashville blue line will have to be more productive if they're going to win. With how they played against Colorado, it's going to be hard to kick up a few levels against Winnipeg. That being said, Nashville's top four defenders were used twice as often as the bottom pairing of Alexei Emelin and Matt Irwin. Emelin averaged 11:28 per game while Matt Irwin checked in with 10:05 per game, so those two defenders are being used primarily to spell off the Big Four for short shifts. With the abuse that Winnipeg generously handed out to Minnesota in their defensive zone, can Ekholm, Josi, Subban, and Ellis withstand the punishment that Winnipeg will bring if they're playing no less than 22 minutes per night? Winnipeg is one of the top teams when it comes to hit through the first round of the playoffs, so it will be interesting to see how they handle the physicality. And before we continue, let's not fall into the fallacy that more hits are good either. Hits, or more specifically finishing one's checks, is vitally important in wearing another team down. Running around and chasing players who have the puck specifically to throw hits is not good because your team doesn't have the puck. Possession does play a key role in the playoffs, and throwing hits for the sake of making SportsCentre's highlight reel will almost certainly result in losses. Back to Winnipeg, and their defence corps has been far more impactful as they've contributed four goals on 67 shots and added eight assists. Even removing defensive leading scorer Dustin Byfuglien from the mix still yields four goals and three assists, so the contributions from the other six players who have slotted into the lineup have been good. Outside of Tucker Poolman, Winnipeg's regular six are playing between Joe Morrow's low of 16:34 to Dustin Byfuglien's high of 25:13, but removing those outliers sees the remaining four defenders in Trouba, Morrissey, Chiarot, and Myers skating between 17:20 and 22:28 on average per game. Fatigue in a long series can set in with the physical demands put on the body, but Winnipeg's bench management seems to be working out well as the team had a ton of jump in Game Five against the Wild. However, all of this examination means very little right now. The two teams are watching video, preparing for their opponents, and making sure they're of good health before engaging in what will be an extremely entertaining series. Media across the land are lamenting that the top two teams in the NHL will meet each other in the second round, but all of this whining is ridiculous. Nashville finished with the highest point total with 117, and Winnipeg followed with 114. This is indisputable, and both teams should be commended. But this is the second year in a row that it's happened. If Boston can win their series, we'd also have the third-overall and fourth-overall teams going head-to-head in the second round, meaning two of the top-four regular season teams will be out in the second round. Pump the brakes, though, and read this segment of the last line again with my bolded and capitalized words highlighting the most important part of the statement: two of the top-four REGULAR SEASON TEAMS will be out in the second round. Let that sink in as I wax poetic about why this is meaningless. Since 1986 when the first President's Trophy was awarded to the best finisher in the regular season, eight times has the winning team gone on to capture the Stanley Cup. Some quick math says that's a 25% success rate as only eight times in 32 years has that been done. The most recent team to do it was the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks playing in a shortened season, and the last team to do it in a full NHL season was 2007-08 Detroit Red Wings. In the last ten years, it has only been accomplished once. In the last ten years, the President's Trophy-winning team has only appeared in the Stanley Cup Final twice (Vancouver in 2011). In the last decade, only three of the President's Tophy-winning teams have made it to the conference finals (New York Rangers in 2015). For the remaining seven years, including this year, the President's Trophy-winning team has not advanced past the second round. Nashville could change that this season, but there's no guarantee they will. This lazy narrative of anger and fury over the best regular season team meeting the second-best regular season team is ridiculous once the regular season ends. Ask Washington what it meant to be the best team in 2015 and 2016 when they lost to Pittsburgh who was the fourth-best in 2016 and second-best in 2017. Or the New York Rangers in 2015 who lost in the Conference Final to fifth-best Tampa Bay after Tampa eliminated second-best Montreal in the second-round. Or Boston in 2013 when they lost in the second round to ninth-best Montreal while second-overall Anaheim lost in the second round to tenth-overall Los Angeles. The season rankings once the regular season is over are meaningless outside of who gets to play at home four times in a seven-game series. If the Jets happen to eliminate the Predators in this round, they not only advance to the Western Conference Final, but they also claim home-ice advantage for the remainder of the playoffs. To the victors go the spoils, and the winner of this series will claim home-ice advantage throughout the remainder of the playoffs. It doesn't mean that team is the best team in the NHL by any means. That's why they hand out hardware at the end of this tournament to determine which team was the best for the ENTIRE season, regular and playoffs combined. Regardless of the rhetoric from the media, this is going to be an outstanding series of hockey. Forsberg, Johansen, Subban, Josi, and Rinne against Wheeler, Laine, Scheifele, Byfuglien, and Hellebuyck. The Central Division has never been more hotly contested by two teams, and we'll see who moves on to play one of Vegas or San Jose in two weeks. Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice! from Sports News http://hockey-blog-in-canada.blogspot.com/2018/04/off-to-smashville.html

[teenagetidalwavetyphoon-blog]

Jack Within the Field, Buellton Traveller Reviews

Jack Within the Field, Buellton Traveller Opinions

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[thrashermaxey]

The Journey: A Look at WJC Preliminary Rosters

Welcome back, avid prospect fans!

I know most of you are still just getting to know me as a writer here on the main site, so this is something you should know about me: More than the draft day, more than free-agent frenzy, and more than basically any other time of year, I love World Junior season. The tournament has always been a bit of a sentimental past-time for my friends and I, much like I’m sure it has been for many of you.

A long before I ever became involved with the Dobber brand, something a group of friends and I would do around this time of year was make friendly bets on which of Canada’s players we thought would make a name for himself at the tournament. It always seemed like there was at least one player, sometimes one from each team that separates himself from the pack or detach themselves from what might have been a lesser assessment. Today I thought we would tie this old idea into a slightly more fantasy related column, and look at which players from five of the camp rosters have are trending in a direction to impress. We’ll also have a look at each roster to get a better idea of what to expect from the tournament come Boxing Day.

Canada

The first team on our list is the host country and defending gold medalists, Canada. This year’s edition of the tournament will be held by the cities of Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Both cities are home to their own WHL franchises, although neither are represented on Canada’s final camp roster.

So far, the group is comprised of 34 players, with a portion hailing from each of the three CHL leagues, as well as the NCAA. Gabriel Vilardi, who was also named to the camp roster has played three conditioning games with the Ontario Reign after returning from a nagging back injury – his status remains unknown for the remainder of the year, however the Kings have agreed to loan the 19-year-old to Canada for the tournament.

The Ontario Hockey League is heavily represented at the final camp which begins Monday in Calgary. Notable OHLers include Evan Bouchard, Michael DiPietro, and Morgan Frost.

The WHL and QMJHL despite being more sparsely represented, will likely be sending two extremely valuable players to BC, in Cody Glass and Alexis Lafreniere. The latter who will remain ineligible for the NHL draft until 2020, stands a good chance of being the youngest player to represent Canada at the tournament.

Perhaps the most unrecognized name on the list is Brett Leason. The Prince Albert Raiders’ forward is the only player on the list to have gone through an entire NHL draft in which he was eligible without being selected. His 2.2 points-per-game scoring rate in the WHL exceeds the season-ending rate of any player in recent history including last year’s leader, Alexi Heponiemi. 

Of the entire group of 34, only two have prior World Junior experience. Both Alex Formenton (OTT) and Max Comtois (ANA) began the season with their respective NHL clubs, only to be returned to their junior teams after nine and ten games respectively. Both should be considered locks for the final Canadain roster.

The Canadians last line of defense should also prove to be a formidable one. The two favorites to start in goal, Ian Scott (TOR) and Michael DiPietro (VAN) are both highly credible netminders who have begun the year with outstanding results.

My pick to impress: Joe Veleno (DET) – After a less than impressive draft year for the former Exceptional Status pivot, the 18-year-old is off to somewhat of a rebound. He might not lead the Canadian offense, but this should be an opportunity for him to revive some of his former glory.

Russia

Keeping things in Group A, The Red Machine is up next.

The Russians invited a full squad of 33 players leading up to the final roster selection. While much of the roster has been outlined by tournaments earlier in the year including the CIBC Canada-Russia series, and the U20 Four Nations tournament there are a few other interesting candidates for the roster.

The final roster will be highlighted by the Ranger’s 2018 first round pick, Vitali Kravstov, who also stands a good chance to wear the “C” for Russia. His recent surge in scoring has him leading the KHL charts among U21 skaters. Of the 33 named to the list, Kravstov will be joined by ten other players who’ve been competing primarily in the KHL this season.

The remainder of the group is comprised of players from two other Russian leagues – the MHL (Minor Hockey League), and the VHL (Supreme Hockey League), as well as the CHL and AHL.

Like Canada, this year’s Russian squad will feature a maximum of two returning players – Blues forward prospect Klim Kostin, and Oilers defense prospect Dmitri Samorukov. Both players have struggled for offensive consistency since coming to North America, but could provide the Russians with a size and strength advantage to alleviate the pressure from other players.

Despite almost the entire camp roster having passed through a year of NHL draft eligibility, only 14 of the 33 are currently claimed by an NHL organization. Besides the three aforementioned players, some of the most interesting drafted players who could be part of the team include defense prospects, Alexander Alexyev (WSH), Alex Romanov (MTL), and forward prospects Grigori Denisenko (FLA), and Pavel Shen (BOS). Each of the four have a relatively solid track record and stand a good chance of making the final cuts. Shen was the focus of recent success when led all players in goals through the six CIBC series games in November. His success, however, wasn’t without the help of undrafted wingman, Stepan Starkov who wrapped up the series with six points in six games. Also a part of the group hailing from the KHL, Starkov showed an immense amount of skill against his Canadian counterparts and should join the Russians in Vancouver.  

Just couple of weeks ago Stepan Starkov finished the CAN/RUS Series with one of the best performances in Team Russia history and now he is back in the KHL and is scoring there. Someone to watch out for in terms of the WJC and #2019NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/WZTf9x6quE

— Russian Prospects (@RUSProspects) December 3, 2018

My pick to impress: Stepan Starkov – see above.

Finland

When it comes to the Scandanavian countries, a smaller, more select group of players were named to the preliminary rosters. Finland in particular listed only 25 players to their initial group, headlined by six draft eligible players between 2019 and 2020.

With a smaller preliminary roster, less cuts will be necessary for the Finns who’ve drawn heavily from their native professional Liiga, however, there are also several notable players not named to the roster that could sneak in on a later date. Winnipeg prospect Kristian Vesalainen who is currently playing for Jokerit in the KHL has not been confirmed as available for the tournament and would be an excellent addition to the Suomi squad. Predators’ top prospect, Eeli Tolvanen who has been competing with the farm club in Miluwakee until recently would have also been an excellent addition were it not for his emergency recall to Nashville. The two omissions from camp do not necessarily dictate whether or not they will be a part of the final roster, simply that their participation is not mandatory.

As mentioned above, this group is comprised by a majority of Liiga players, which are highlighted by names such as Alexi Heponiemi (FLA), Rasmus Kupari (LA), and Niklas Nordgren (CHI).

They’ve also recruited from a small group of players competing overseas in several NCAA conferences, as well as the WHL and OHL. The most notable of players whose primary competition has come on North American ice is goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) who will be joining Heponiemi and Kupari as the only returning players from the 2018 tournament.

In addition to the experience that the Young Lions will likely bring to the tournament, they will also likely roster one of the youngest overall groups in Vancouver. 2019 top-prospect, Kappo Kakko headlines the under-agers, and will bring an immense amount of speed and skill to the team… and yes, he will be on the team.

My pick to impress: Rasmus Kupari (LA) – As much as I’d love to have Nordgren in this spot (I’ve been a big fan of him for a while), I don’t think he’ll receive the same kind of opportunity that Kupari will. Kupari is bound to stick with his Karpat linemate, Alexi Heponiemi throughout the tournament, which will provide him with the appropriate stage to demonstrate their success, and bring his name to another level of recognition.

Sweden

The Swedes stuck with a similar sized roster as their neighbors to the east, inviting a total of 25 players to their preliminary camp.

Perhaps the most formidable looking defensive group heading into the tournament, Sweden’s top-6 will almost certainly feature a pair of Leafs prospects, in addition to some combination of three other former first round picks. Timothy Liljegren (TOR) and Rasmus Sandin (TOR) have both been competing with Toronto’s AHL affiliate, the Marlies and are likely to join the team as a pair. Neither have had a great opportunity to focus on offense since becoming professionals, but this tournament should be a great opportunity for us to gauge their development in peer-to-peer competition. Besides the Leafs duo, the group of Erik Brannstrom (VGK), Adam Boqvist (CHI), and Nils Lundkvist (NYR) will make the team’s blueline a force to be reckoned with.

As with the Finns, Sweden has drawn a high percentage of their roster from the local top and second tier leagues, the Swedish Hockey League and the Allsvenskan.

Besides the talented defense group that the Swedes are likely to put forth, the roster selection appears to be quite wide open. Several B+ type prospects such as Filip Hallander (PIT), Emil Bemstrom (CBJ) and Lucas Elvenes (VGK) are likely to be a part of the group which don the three crowns, with the remainder being left to a critical camp selection.

That group consists of two 2019 draft eligible players who have both spent the majority of their seasons competing in the SHL. Nils Hoglander and Samuel Fagemo could each make a significant impact on their draft stock if they find success in Vancouver, which, given the lack of forward depth is a reality.

My pick to impress: Emil Bemstrom (CBJ) – A former fourth round selection, Bemstrom has brought his game to a new level as a rookie in the Swedish Hockey League. Until recently, his name wouldn’t have been recognized outside of hyper-focused prospect circles, but there is a high probability that is about to change.

USA

For today, last but not least, and only because they were last to announce their preliminary roster, the Americans!

Led by 17-year-old Jack Hughes, the American preliminary roster appears to be relatively top-heavy across the board. A formidable forward corps will likely be what the Americans rely on if they hope to have success at the tournament, however the selection of their role players will also be important. They’ll be drawing from a group of 29 familiar faces, 17 of which have participated in some form of the USNDP. Aside from Jack Hughes, only one other current member of the Program was invited to camp – goaltender, Spencer Knight.

The Yanks are likely to have upwards of six former first round NHL draft selections on their roster including Jack’s older brother, Quinn (VAN). The pair are sure to have a high level of chemistry on the transition, which could make the Americans all the more dangerous.

The elder of the Hughes boys is likely to be joined by K’Andre Miller (NYR), Joey Keane (NYR), and Dylan Samberg (WPG) to form a strong top-4 on the American’s blueline.

Up front, the former USNDP dynamic duo of Oliver Wahlstrom and Joel Farabee should link up again to rekindle their old magic. While Wahlstrom’s 2018 hasn’t exactly been kind to him, Farabee has been excellent for Boston University, and could wind up being one of the States’ most relied upon players. From north of the border, the Niagara Ice Dogs forward, Jason Robertson (DAL) should prove to be another offensive catalyst for the red, white and blue. Since being traded to Niagara from Kingston, the 19-year-old has contributed on 14 goals in his first five contests.

My pick to impress: Sammy Walker (TBL) – Shortly after I started writing on the Tampa page for Dobber Prospects, the Lightning selected Walker in the 7th round of the draft. He’s on the smaller side, and until recently had only competed against a vastly different competition than his peers. He’s contributed consistently at the University of Minnesota as a freshman, but an opportunity to translate that to the World Junior level would certainly elevate his status.

As a bonus, here’s the NHL ownership distribution of all players participating in the five camps of the countries listed above. Undrafted players who have not been eligible for a draft are not included.

That’s all I have for this week! Let me know what you think of my picks, as well as what yours are on Twitter @olaf1393

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/the-journey/the-journey-a-look-at-wjc-preliminary-rosters/

[janiklandre-blog]

Monday, March 20, 2017

sunny, getting warmer   at the computer with a delay: 11 a.m. Was going to make two calls this morning - the first to reschedule an appointment with the optometrist  - I'd cancelled appointments on the last two Fridays - to be told he would not be in his office until April 3rd, the day of my scheduled op - could I make it before 10 a.m. - so I zipped to 25 5th Avenue (corner 9th street) - was there by 9:30 - once more the same eye exam - then eyes measured - and I cancelled the "specials" as per the advice of my my GP Monique - standard lenses, standard op vs lazer - will be saving $5000 - do want to buy used car this summer - most I paid for cars so far was $2000 - a minivan that ran for years - and I think my friend in Florida bought a 1996 Honda for less than $1000 and she says it's doing great. Of course buying a car in Florida has advantages - no rust and less wear and tear on the cars in a warmer climate. In Massachusetts you get some dispensation on emissions on a before 2000 car - these catalytic converters - new cars no longer have them - they cost hundreds of dollars. Of course there were ways to get around them.

So, if all goes well I will see Dr.Khruh on April 3rd at some facility he uses on East 80th - most doctors yours ear and eye on 14th and 3rd Avenue - but I'm just as glad not go to a hospital and worry less about the super bugs. Hopefully a dear friend will be with me. Then the next eye on April 17 - between a lot of drops, visits to his office, three I think, then three more after April 17 - I figured it will be May 15 after all is said and done - just in time to renew my driver's licence - you can get a doctor sign off instead of going to the motor vehicle bureau - in New York City often long wait. He may charge me for that - so be it. In New Hampshire - in Dearing - the Motor Vehicle Bureau open only a few hours during the week - no wait - you are greeted by name - I went there to register my cars in New Hampshire - only alas I could not insure with a New York driver's licence - also once I was stopped outside of Peterboro for speeding - my only speeding ticket - going 30 miles in a 25 mile zone. The cop said to me: You havenot been more than six weeks in New Hampshire - and of course I should have said I haven't, but blurted out - longer - then he sadly sad I also have to fine you for not changing your driver's licence. That licence I got in 1956 and I am hanging on to it - never got stopped again while for years driving jealopies, the best, a 1998 Mercury Topaz, $500 - uninsured, with New Hamshire plates and a NY state licence. At some point though I decided no longer to push my luck and a lovely friend in New Hampszhire registered the car in her name - also a $500 beauty, a great engine but rather forbidding looks. Some sort of racing car. My mechnanic buys cars in auctions, he owns a lot of land, covered with old cars. Over the years we have become fast friends - last seen his wife had thrown him out of his large beautiful house and he had moved into a trailer - where he also offred me a bed if I needed one. These people are born again Christians - good folks. I miss very much not having gone there for a couple of years - and they miss me. Last not least when Carol asked me for $500 for a car I gave him $500 cash (a couple of times I returned a car and he would give me the same $500 back) - while the locals there - fellow church memberrs - paid in small installments and often did not even have that money. I've seen a lot of rural poverty. They loved Carol for providing wheels - long distances, no public transportation - many summers I drove around a lot and wrote what I called "Vagabondage" - I believe in the external drive my grandson created. If only I ever was discovered - there is a trove of writing I've done - the Germans used to call "fuer die Schublade" - for a drawer - now I guess I write for the cloud.

Speaking of the cloud - my iphone kept asking for my password for the cloud - yesterday I stopped at AT & T - no more Igor, but Raymond - he too was very nice and he created a new password - I'm tempted to ut it in here and perhaps somebody might remember it - he said if I lost my iphone this password would hlep locate it - it's related to apple - also all my contacts would now be in the cloud and automatically transfered to a new iphone - of course I could go from my S5 to S7 - for only $400 or perhaps it's $600 - but for the time being I still have it barely figured out and hope not to lose and have it - for the remainder of my life? - My Jewish Great great parents had a dry good store in Bielo Bialska, now Poland and men came to buy cloth for a suit for the wedding - stayed active and fit, farmers, and also were buried in that suit. Watches lasted a life time. People have shown how long a Volvo can last well taken care off. Now all gets obsolete so fast - including old people - that is one of my laments.

Almost 12 noon. My days have been turned around - have not been in my library and Central Park for a long time - miss going there - yesterday I wrote at great length and yet have to hear from anybody who might have read it - then I probably ate more for lunch than I should have - read that Christo, the Bulgarian artist. now 81 eats in the morning yogurt with garlic, nothing all day and a sparse meal at night and has a lot more energy thanI do - I mixed the veal meatball I had bought with the mashed sweet potato I had made the night before, the half potato pancake, I also had bought, a fatty yogurt with jam, not garlic - so easy to spend time on that - a little ice cream - have not stepped on the scales - started falling aseep reading the Sunday Times - slept 30 minutes, lingered on the bed for a while - it was 3:30 when I left for Washington Square Park - blue, blue skies, lots of young people - NYU - not one familiar face - couple with child sat down, both parents avidly into their cell phones - later a young couple, necking - I walked to AT & T, later bakery, a slice of cske, $1.50 - home by 6 p.m., phone - one of my two phones - rang for the first time - my friend said her Samsung had frozen (not a life time phone) - she might come - she had gone to the march of the veterans that Felton had mentioned, Briant Park to Times Square - not very long march. She said it met with total indifference - I asked what bsnners said - Out of Syria - as far as I know we are sending more troups everywhere - Ukraine, Afghsanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Syria - and the countless bases the U.S has all over the world - and a lot of programs will be cut to give the Pentagon more money - and the saber rattling regarding North Korea is very scary. NYT enumerated options - one worse than the next - millions at risk in South Korea and Japan. Will the party in New York go on Plenty of parties here.

Then she had brought a movie, Five broken cameras - Palestinians fighting Israelis taking their land in the West Bank - so, so sad, major movie - long, long list of those involved at the end - I don't think it got very attention. The library had it. In 2000 I bought for little over $100 a TV in a discount store on Broadway - long gone - with function to show movies - alas the sound is low - but it still works - and my friend loves to watch movies.

So the day went, late I ate four frozen pierogi - cooked in a few minutes, skimmed the $6 Sunday Times, save magazine and book review - I give it to a neighbor and want to get it out as fast possible - by the 30 minutes past midnight - cramps in my legs waking me, up by 7 a.m., turn on ABC. hesr about fires and accidents - but also theweather and - session in Senate - regarding the wire tap - top importance - got paper, 50 cent coffee and slice of cake at Moishe's bakery - earlier I had eaen my super healthy muesli - then off to the optemetrist - and now it's 12:15 and I haven't even answered my emails - time flies - just got message from Jimmy, former squatter - may later head for Tompkins Square Park, perhaps I'll see him, he lives on 9th off the park - got to eat something (I'm not Christo) - read paper and most likely fall asleep - how long will this life go on? at moments it feels pretty good - at moments I want more to live than at others - old and older  Marianne.