#sports reviews

[thesportsreviews]

What Does Chalk Do In Pool? Is It Useful In 2022?

To numerous players there's a question that what does a chalk do in pool game? Is it really useful?

To increase the quantum of disunion between the cue and the cue ball, add chalk. Doing this makes it possible to give the cue ball more spin, which can be exploited to alter its line.

In order to more manage the cue ball’s speed and direction, it's also possible to use chalk to enhance the quantum of disunion between the table and the cue ball.

What does the chalk do in pool, and why is it important to use Pool Chalk?

The chalk do in pool- To increase the quantum of disunion between the cue and the cue ball and help help a clinker, chalk is employed. The cue tip’s measure of disunion rises when chalk is added. It's pivotal because it makes managing the cue ball’s direction and pace simpler and prevents the cue ball from slipping off the cue stick. In order to protract the life of the cue tip and help the cue tip from sticking to the cue ball, chalk is also employed. also, chalk prevents the cue stick from slipping out of your hands.

[rey-129-fan]

Well, it's been a while since I've posted any fanfic... Let's change that.

Good news! I'm not dead! My brain did try to get me to do things that could unalive myself for a bit, and then I lost nearly an entire side of my family over the span of 3 years, but I'm still here and still kicking! And I have two new puppies who are adorable and so loving.

Now for this story, this is inspired by a few posts I saw on @theglamorousferal, mostly the one about Amity Parkers going to college in Gotham and buying a hotel (I'm making it a co-op student house, but I've never lived in one, so if something's unacceptably wrong, tell me, if not, artistic license), but also the one where our main Trio buy a building to set up shop there, and wind up adopted my Jason (I swear, I saw that post after I wrote the first chapter, but it just fit so well).

***

Honestly, Amity Park was weird long before the Fentons moved there- the original settlers named the nearby lake Eerie, and it wasn’t after the Great Lake.  It’s just that before the Fentons’ machine punched a hole through reality and created a permanent doorway to the land of spirits and ghosts, the weirdness was not as blatant.

Prior to that, Amity Parkers were some of the few that could move to Gotham without suffering a breakdown that was common for new arrivals.  Now there was a slight dip in newcomers for about a decade or two after the Bat made his debut and then the crazies that followed him, but then Amity Parkers got used to the spirits of the dead wandering around following the aforementioned punching through reality.

All this to say that Gotham Universities were a rather common destination for young Amity Park adults seeking higher education.

Now because of this, there were always apartments advertising themselves for people from the small town.  They, after all, tended to not have a breakdown after their fifth rogue attack and just pack up and leave halfway through their lease.  But it got very annoying having to sift through all the advertisements when looking for a place to stay- something Danny Fenton saw his older sister go through when she got in to Gotham City University.  The boy then shared what he was witnessing with his two best friends- Tucker Foley and Sam Manson.  Tucker offered to help filter out the spam, which Danny’s sister Jazz thanked him for but turned down.  Sam… Sam instead got thinking.

Sam had been to Gotham a few times in her life.  She had an idea of the areas closest to the schools and how much those should cost.  And looking at the letters Jazz was getting, the offers were a little too high for a regular college student to afford.  Sam was also familiar with how many hotels were not being used in Gotham- people building them in hopes tourists would come to stay while visiting the East Coast, tourists that could not be convinced to visit due to the high crime rate and the lack of activities or places of interest in the city itself.

She quickly went to work, looking in to these empty hotels.  She was rather upset by their numbers and put together a spreadsheet of them, with details like number of rooms, any amenities they may have, and nearby landmarks.  She then grabbed her two dorks and marched to Casper High’s Community Outreach director.

Now Sam’s presentation raised a few eyebrows, mostly because it was in a completely different state, but Sam shot back that because of the efforts to incorporate the town’s new ghostly residents and provide them with helpful ways to feed their obsessions- efforts led by the Fenton family- Amity Park had very few homeless, and those that were had a huge community safety net to help them get back on their feet.  Additionally, with how many people moved between the city and the town, helping the city could be argued to also be helping the town.

The Outreach Director just sighed and gave Same the green light to at least draft and send out a proposal to the powers that be in Gotham, saying that there wasn’t much that could be done before they got backing and approval.  Sam thanked them before leaving, Danny and Tucker trailing behind.

She was back the next day with a draft of her proposal and a list of who to send it to.

***

Since returning from the dead in the eyes of the public, Jason Todd was often contacted by groups trying to use the Wayne fortune to fund their own personal projects.  They thought Jason would be the easiest to con- sorry, persuade- since he was a former street kid unlike the rest of his family.  Thus surely he would know just how much this new building with low income housing would help the people of Gotham- it even came with a pool and gym!

Yeah, he did know how much the people of Gotham needed housing, but $2K a month was not affordable when you’re barely making $30K a year!  Oh and the pool and gym were only available for those who could shell out an additional $2K a month.  Jason knows, he read the whole document carefully.

God, sometimes it was hard to tell who was worse, the psychos in Blackgate or real estate investors.  And sadly, he couldn’t just pop a bullet in their heads and be done with it because 1) it would raise too many questions and 2) it would make Bruce get all sad and mopey- again.  Jason just did not have the mental energy to put up with that on top of the rest of his life as a crimelord/vigilante/long-lost adoptive second son of a billionaire.

All this to say, he was not impressed when he first glanced over a proposal to convert the unused hotels around the city into housing units- especially since it was from someone that did not live in Gotham.

Manson?  Wasn’t there a family with that name that would attend some of Brucie’s galas?  Oh yeah, their family made its fortune off patenting the machine that wrapped toothpicks in plastic, as well as a couple others.  And they had a daughter around Repla- Tim’s age.  Hopefully this wasn’t her trying to be a kiss-ass like her parents.

Jason finished reading and sat back.  The proposal wasn’t too bad.  Converting hotels into apartment buildings would be easier than office buildings, and the suggestion to use ex-convicts that wanted to turn over a new leaf as building managers certainly wasn’t the worst.  Also creating a fund for those that couldn’t afford rent, as well as community kitchens and gardens were certain plusses, though would need to have the right people in charge to make sure they actually worked as planned, and to keep the Court of Owls from messing with it.

Overall, it was something Jason would consider, after some research and maybe talking with the rest of the Bats and Birds.  And if this was from the Manson kid, maybe get Dickie or one of the others to talk to her next time there was a gala in town.  Or talk to her himself, if the Pit wasn’t too loud.

…Dick was probably the better option to talk with her if it came down to it.

***

There's the first chapter. I'm going to go write the next one. When I have a good log of them, I'll then go and edit them and put them on AO3.

This has no title yet because I suck at naming. Feel free to comment with suggestions for a name, both for the fic/au and for the eventual hotel/co op. As well as any shinanegans and majors/colleges/universities for our liminal young adults.

Part 1/? Next >

[regulusrules]

as a national winning athlete, I am fucking dying from the perfect representation of athleticism in Challengers (2024). no one is talking about this because there are more important stuff going on there, but Yeah. It is EXACTLY like that sometimes. You go insane with focused determination to be the best, to win, and sometimes you feel you're naturally talented, and sometimes you feel like nothing at all.

the movie really shows you athletes in different parts of our lives, and makes you able to relate to all three stages. i relate to patrick in him being a natural, and yet I relate to him in being misguided and not knowing what he could actually do with his talent. I relate to Art when i feel second-best in my sport, and how yet I still get glory thrust in my hands. I relate so fucking much to tashi, because yes the game is sometimes a relationship more important to me than any other in my life, because i am haunted by my injuries just like she is, and because of how afraid i'd have to one day lose it because of the recovery. and let me tell you? that positively breaks your fucking spirit if you're an athlete.

it's so uncommon to find proper representation for this, but god this movie went places.

[deadliestpieceontheboard]

aftg has ruined 90% of my reading experience because for years every story I read I always end up hating how little consent characters ask and how it's portrayed as cute

[l8tof1]

wake up the FIA just added yet another incentive for themselves not to uphold right of review and keep the cash instead ??

[franticvampirereads]

Holy fuck. For all that it has a bright sunshiny name, this book was absolutely brutal and devastating. With each passing chapter and every horrific little revelation about the abuse that Jean suffered I wanted to scream and cry and rage on his behalf. I loved that Jean was able to find little bright spots of happiness in the smallest things like cooking with Cat, (begrudgingly) shopping with Laila, and having Jeremy as his partner. I also loved that they gave Jean the space he needed, respected privacy (for the most part), and accepted his boundaries (only pushing them when they absolutely had to).

There is so much to unpack with this book and I don’t think I caught everything that was happening in this read. So a reread is definitely needed before the next book comes out. But my god. This was probably one of the most emotionally devastating books I think I’ve ever read. It’s getting a solid five stars and I don’t know what I’m gonna do with myself until the next book comes out.

[jessread-s]

✩♟️💕Review:

*Thanks to @penguinteen and @ever-so-ali for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Who knew Ali Hazelwood would be the one to get me interested in chess?!

“Check & Mate” follows Mallory Greenleaf, a former chess player working as a mechanic to support her family. Eager to leave the sport and the destruction it caused in the past, she plays one last charity tournament. Only, she manages to beat Nolan Sawyer, the current world champion and bad boy of chess. What follows is the opportunity to continue playing for sorely needed cash prizes and cross pawns with her fiercely attractive competitor. That is, so long as she can protect her family from the game that wrecked it. 

I want to begin by saying that I agree reviewers that are saying that this book is new adult and NOT young adult. The characters are 18 and 20. Mature language is used. Sexual content is referenced. Please keep these factors in mind before reading. 

Considering that this is an NA debut, Hazelwood is successful in branching out into this space. I adored Mallory, Nolan, and their rivals-to-lovers romance. The pacing of their relationship contributes to the ease with which I tore through this book. I feel like Mallory and Nolan truly started out as competitors too absorbed in their rivalry to entertain the idea of a relationship before finally giving in to their attraction. I devoured every single page. 

I also really loved the depth of the characters in this book! As the eldest child in my own family, I really connected to Mallory and the pressure she feels to take on more responsibilities, set an example for her younger siblings, and step in as another parent of sorts. 

As with her other books, Hazelwood explores the ways women are treated in male-dominated spaces. In this case, she does so by putting the chess world under a microscope. Going into the book, I knew next to nothing about chess, but Hazelwood made it easy to understand and digestible. It just worked and now I feel empowered to try my hand at it. 

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[bestiptvsubscriptionservice]

[thesportsreviews]

Plank And Hide Pool Table Reviews

Plank and Hide is a well-known brand in the world of billiards, offering a range of pool tables of varying sizes and styles. One of the standout features of Plank and Hide pool tables is their exceptional build quality.

The brand uses only the finest materials and construction techniques, resulting in a product that is both durable and beautiful.

In terms of playing experience, Plank and Hide tables deliver a smooth and consistent roll, allowing for accurate shots and a more enjoyable game. The tables are also designed with adjustability in mind, so players can tailor the table to their preferred level of difficulty.

Customers have praised Plank and Hide for their excellent customer service, with many citing the company's willingness to go above and beyond to ensure complete customer satisfaction.

From delivery and set-up to ongoing maintenance, the Plank and Hide team is always on hand to offer support and advice.

In conclusion, if you're in the market for a high-quality pool table, Plank and Hide is definitely worth considering. With their combination of exceptional build quality, great playing experience, and outstanding customer service, they're a top choice for billiards enthusiasts everywhere.

Read More: https://thesportsreviews.com/plank-and-hide-pool-table-reviews

[bikini-ring-wrestling]

Saturday Morning apartment wrestling throwback !

[iamwibs24]

pic 1. hiruma being tsundere. pic.2. hiruma being goal-oriented.

i love him for it. anyway, there's a lot chara nowadays that are like hiruma. but hiruma is always the most organic.

[agentnico]

Challengers (2024) review

That’s one way of engaging me in sport I guess.

Plot: Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, has transformed her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a challenger event -- close to the lowest level of tournament on the pro tour. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now burnt-out Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.

It’s safe to say this movie has blew up the internet. Zendaya with her major fan-base starring in a threesome tennis flick that’s brought to you by the director who revealed Timothee Chalamet to the world in that queer flick that featured the infamous peach scene? Now that’s quite the selling pitch. Naturally the result is a box office success and a movie that is already taking the top spot for the most memeable motion picture of the year. And I get it, this movie is definitely provocative enough and has enough sexual tension in it to excite any viewer. I’ll refer to my friend’s Letterboxd review for this movie with him saying the following: “I’ve found recently that hormones in films plays a factor in how much I like the film and this film is very horny”. Right, let’s not delve too deep into my friend’s evident sexual frustration, but he is not wrong that this movie reaches peak horny levels. Every scene is imbued with the steamy appetites of its central trio of characters. Like damn to these people want to f*ck hard big time! This should not come as a surprise though, as this follows a very similar formula to Luca Guadagnino’s other films, stoking the appetite of the youth to provide an open forum for unbridled desire to let loose. Call Me by Your Name, Suspiria, Bones and All, A Bigger Splash - every single one of these features tackles themes of sensuality and elegance. You know exactly what you’re getting into with a Guadagnino movie and Challengers is no exception.

That being said, with Challengers the actual narrative serves itself perfectly for a trashy B-movie experience, however it is thanks to Guadagnino’s directorial prowess that the film rises above that and becomes a truly cinematic experience. This thing looks great, and I don’t mean due to the lovely actors present, but the camerawork and the scene framework. The way the sweat drops off people’s faces in slow motion and the camera lingers on their stoic yet thoughtful facial expressions to the impressive tennis match scenes with a particular impressive sequence involving the scene being shown for, the perspective of the tennis ball which….I don’t know how the hell they managed it but that was awesome! Also need to mention the great techno score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross that creates an unlikely pairing in electronic dance music and classical, with the result really amping up the energy of every moment. Honestly from a technical standpoint this movie is a marvel.

In regards to the narrative that is where we start running into some trouble. For starters this movie did not need to be over 2 hours. The story was simple enough to shrink down to a 100 min max run-time, but instead the film opts to really dial in on extended pointless shots that linger way too long, so much so that I noted multiple audience members looking at their mobile phones to check the time. Secondly those excessive time jumps. Telling a story in a non-linear fashion can be a useful story-telling device, but here it was used way too much that it became distracting. Like there was a time jump back and forth every 5 minutes, with some jumps sprawling 13 years, which made it really difficult to get engaged in certain moments. Speaking of the 13 years, bless Zendaya’s heart but as much as they tried to age and de-age her through hair and make-up, she never looked older than 19 years regardless of the time era. For all of the film’s technical achievements you’d think they’d put more effort in the make-up department.

As for the actors, whilst I admire Zendaya for tackling such a meaty and, dare I say, challenging role, I feel like she’s too young in her acting career to be able to fully perform a weathered, jaded, cynical, ruthless and calculating character like Tashi. It seemed for the most part she relied on having a resting scowl face, but otherwise I found it actually hard to believe any of her chemistry with her male co-stars. As for the male co-stars, out of this love triangle it was in fact the queer relationship that really popped. Props to Mike Faist (who was a highlight for me in the recent West Side Story remake) and Josh O’Connor whose chemistry was through the roof! The way they looked at one another, to the churros to the way O’Connor smoothly moved Faist’s stool closer to his with his foot…… they can say they are best friends all they want but we just know they are both aching for those benefits! Again it’s how strong of performances these two give that hinders Zendaya who is nowhere close to their level.

Challengers overall is an entertaining enough youthful erotic crowd -pleaser that from a filmmaking standpoint looks fantastic, however due to the narrative structure and Zendaya’s arguable miscast this movie falters. That being said to Tom Holland, dude, I’ve seen your social media posts about being excited to support your girlfriend and going to see this movie, but dude, I bet your cried your eyes out after. Spider-Man - she ain’t coming home!

Overall score: 6/10

[franticvampirereads]

I think I might have found another contender for my top favorite book of the year! This was amazing and I just didn’t want to put it down. I had a stupidly happy smile on my face the whole time I was reading. And I might have been giggling to myself as well, because the characters in this are just so sweet and anxious and relatable. I’m also pretty sure that this is the fastest I’ve devoured a 400+ page physical book in a while. I genuinely don’t know what I’m going to do with myself while I wait for my copies of book two and three to get here.

I loved that this book has its roots in fanfic! And yes, in some of the broader strokes of the story telling you can tell which fandom gave this story its basic structure. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. In fact, I really loved that about this book, it felt like home even though these are completely new characters and a whole new story. Eli and Alex are both so sweet and anxious and I could read about them endlessly. I also absolutely adored the cast of side characters! I honestly can’t wait to dive into the next book. Like Real People Do is getting a solid five stars!

Reading Challenge Prompt Fills:

Alphabet Challenge: L

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Playing for Keeps Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD Soccer or baseball? ❓ 🦇 A baseball pitcher and umpire definitely aren't supposed to fall for each other, right? Especially not when star pitcher June and officiate-to-be Ivy are trying to go pro. Sometimes, life throws you a curveball, though. When Ivy is assigned as an umpire for June's elite club baseball team, they instantly clash on the field, only to find they have something in common: grief. Soon, they become enemies to friends to far more, despite the rules that prohibit them from dating each other. Will romance get in the way of them following their dreams?

💜 On the surface, Playing for Keeps seems like a fun, sweet young adult sapphic romance. The initial set-up gives us sharp, bittersweet enemies to lovers potential between a pitch and an umpire. Seems cute and fluffy, right? No one is that one-dimensional, though. Both Ivy and June are struggling with the loss of a loved one, balancing that on top of unrealistic expectations from their parents and the pressures they put on themselves to succeed. Add in the pressure you get from sports alone and it's enough to make anyone crumble. Ivy and June find happiness in each other, through stolen moments as they date in secret, wary that the conflict of interest between them will tear them apart. There's a potential for them to heal through one another, alongside one another, while learning how to navigate the external forces of loss while growing up.

💜 I loved that both Ivy and June were pursuing career paths that don't often make space for women. I would have liked to see more focus on that, though. It was sweet to see how the male players on the baseball team were quick to support June, but I expected to see more kickback (either from her team or other teams) to show (not tell us) how she struggled and still persevered.

💙 Unfortunately, the story is so rushed, so many scenes time-jumped, emotions mentioned but not illustrated, that you don't FEEL anything while reading this story. With the topic of grief, whether a character is processing it or trying to avoid it, readers should have an easy time sympathizing with the characters. Instead, the grief feels like a plot point, a reason for potential enemies to connect and eventually become more.

💙 Even with little jumps, the story lagged. Dugan has a tendency to pair selfless characters with less reasonable counterparts, which we certainly see between Ivy and June. Given that, it's difficult to root for both girls. Yes, they're both grieving, and yes, they both deserve happiness, but their actions are exhausting and (yes, I know it's YA) juvenile at times. Though the two girls had so much in common, the miscommunication trope constantly tugged them in opposite directions.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Some Girls Do, Home Field Advantage, and Cool for the Summer.

✨ The Vibes ✨ ⚾ Enemies to Lovers ⚾ Young Adult Romance ⚾ Sapphic Romance ⚾ Forbidden Love ⚾ Lesbian & Bi FMCs ⚾ Sports Romance ⚾ Grief ⚾ Pressure From Parents ⚾ Miscommunication

💬 Quotes ❝ Expecting it means I can prepare for it, plan for it, and figure out a way to keep my cool in its face. What I didn’t expect, though, was for there to be an extremely attractive girl throwing balls at about seventy-five billion miles per hour, striking out dumb boys left and right, like some kind of varsity, all-star Black Widow. ❞ ❝ There’s a lot of pressure on girls to conform, to become nice women, to do what’s expected. Smile more, whiten your teeth, lose the weight, don’t be too loud or too funny or too much. Make yourself less so the boys can feel like more. Don’t wear spaghetti straps or you might tempt them. Hold yourself accountable for the both of you, so they don’t have to. ❞

[jessread-s]

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

✩🌴🦈Review:

“The Rule Book” follows Nora Mackenzie, a sports agent whose first client is famous NFL tight end Derek Pender. He also happens to be her ex-boyfriend and he’s still holding a grudge. He’s determined to make her life difficult, but when a wild night in Vegas leads to an accidental marriage, they have to rekindle their relationship to save their careers.

Reading this book was like getting a warm hug and its all because I really adored the characters. Nora is my favorite of Sarah’s female main characters because she is so inspiring, unapologetically herself, and hardworking. Adams gives her so much personality and I found myself relating to her organization skills (specifically color-coding), can-do attitude, and love of sweet treats. I also saw a lot of myself in Derek. Though I do not have a shared experience with a learning disability diagnosis, I’ve felt inadequate before and I resonated with his internal struggle. Both Nora and Derek really moved me and I now consider them my comfort characters.

Nora and Derek’s second chance romance had me feeling so giddy! Adams does a great job establishing what their relationship was like in college and why it eventually fell apart. She executes the “right person, wrong time” narrative so well and weaves in some of my other favorite tropes like accidental marriage/marriage of convenience, only one bed, and “that’s my wife” flawlessly without overwhelming the reader. The inclusion of such tropes push Nora and Derek to face their lingering feelings for each other and act on them to give their relationship another shot. I couldn’t get enough of the mutual pining, the tension, and the way they continuously uplift each other. Thank you Sarah for this masterpiece! I’m so obsessed with this book that it hurts.

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[skylilac]

this book is acruakly soooo disappointing