#this is about covid hitting when they were gonna win the league

[puckpocketed]

17/03/2024 - Post-game interview: Devin Cooley's NHL debut

First game; that's something I've been working towards my entire life, so I'm really happy that happened. And for it to happen for my hometown team that I grew up watching was pretty special.

What did you think of your performance tonight?

DC: Man, that one — that stings, y'know. This, the game, stings. It was — we were so close.

I wasn't happy with the first [goal]. I thought, I sometimes reach and extend when I could just shift. And then, like, I read it perfectly. I knew what was going to happen, if I could just shift my body over [it] hits me right in the chest. But instead I reached and got a piece of it. And then, y'know, two tough bounces. That was disappointing. And then y'know, another that was a screen.

I'm gonna go over video soon and figure out how I can improve and make those four saves and do a better job of keeping my team in it.

+ Bonus from Brian Daccord on The Eye Test

Who’s a goalie that really pleasantly surprised you when all was said and done?

BD: Well, I’ll give a shout out to him now and he deserves all the credit in the world: it’s Devin Cooley. Just got his first NHL win, and there’s a guy that… He was with Joey in Muskegon in the USHL and — 6 foot 5, athletic, dynamic goalie. Didn’t have the structure, right? And he identified the fact; “Hey, if I go train at Stop It [Goaltending] in the summers, if I go work on my mechanics and structure and put it with my system, I’m going to end up pretty good.” So he comes to us and he's a walk-on, like a non-scholarship, third goalie at Denver [University]. And ironically enough I just met up with the staff there a few minutes ago from Denver and [their] goalie guy pulls me aside and he says, “Hey I just want to congratulate you on Devin. We saw it every year he came back. We saw him get better and better.” And it was great, made me feel awesome right? But it was the fact that [Devin] identified what he needed, okay?

And everybody, like, everybody’s not the same. Some guys need to be on the ice all summer, some guys need to not touch the ice all summer, right? Like some guys need to work on their mental game, some guys need to get their body strong. Like everybody’s different, he just recognised what he needed, and ironically that’s something that we do very well from a structure and mechanic standpoint.

He would come, he would get an Airbnb for eight weeks and he’d be on the ice day. In the weight room, we have a 15,000 foot goalie centre and [inaudible]. He’d be in there every day just grinding. And to see the walk-on, the third guy at Denver end up the starter, and up playing in the NHL, like that’s, that’s awesome. It’s just like, awesome to be a part of, like we’re a small part of that, you know, the major thing is him and the work and the effort and what he did to do it, but it’s fun to be a small part of that.

Yeah so he just grinded away, and then covid hit, and then East Coast [Hockey] League, American Hockey League, and then you know you’re buried in Buffalo. And Andrew Raycroft says this all the time, he says “you just got to stick around, guys. Just stick around, keep on getting better. Just get better every day.” And [Devin] stuck around, and then finally it looks like, oh they got too many guys in Buffalo, nothing’s working out, you know. The year is not working out the way he was hoping, next thing you know he’s in the NHL; flying charter, never going hungry.

And yeah so we talk about that a lot, it’s just, you know, goaltending; you can’t take the elevator, you gotta take the stairs.

[theliterateape]

I Like to Watch | Zack Snyder’s Justice League

by Don Hall

Mythology is fun.

As a kid I loved reading Edith Hamilton’s book on the Greek gods and the myths. Hercules, Perseus, Apollo, and Hera—this fell completely in line with my love for superhero comics. The strangely petty human traits of envy, greed, and lust combined with the power to level cities make for some great storytelling.

Zeus was basically Harvey Weinstein in the retroactive revision we’re mired in today. If Harvey could’ve changed into a golden animal and boned unsuspecting ladies looking for careers in Hollywood I’m pretty certain he would. The gods and demi-gods of the Greeks dealt with daddy issues, mommy issues, bad relationships, and fighting. Lots of fighting. Sometimes for the good of humanity but more often for the glory of winning.

Zach Snyder is in the business of tackling myths and reframing them with a style all his own. His career has become its own myth.

From Dawn of the Dead (not so much a reboot of Romero's zombie mythology but a philosophical reimagining of the genre that arguably jumpstarted The Hollywood fascination with it), 300 (a borderline homoerotic take on the myth of the Greek underdog), and Watchmen (a ridiculously ambitious attempt to put one of the most iconic takedowns on the potential fascism of the superhero legend machine ever written) to his nearly single-handed hack at answering the Marvel juggernaut with Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Snyder is in the artistic business of subverting and re-envisioning the mythologies we embrace without even seeing them as such.

Snyder's style is operatic. It is on a grand scale even in the most mundane moments. The guy loves slow motion like Scorcese loves mobsters and Italian food. When you're tackling big themes with larger than life stories, the epic nature of his vision makes sense and has alienated a good number of audience members. With such excess, there are bound to be missteps but I'd argue that his massive take on these characters he molds from common understanding and popular nomenclature elevates them to god-like stature.

Fans of Moore's Watchmen have much to complain about Snyder's adaptation. The titular graphic novel is almost impossible to put in any other form than the one Moore intended and yet, Snyder jumped in feet-first and created a living, breathing representation of most, if not all, of the source material's intent. Whether you dig on it or not, it's hard to avoid acknowledging that the first five minutes of Watchmen is a mini-masterpiece of style, storytelling, and epic tragedy wrapped up in a music video.

Despite a host of critical backlash for his one fully original take, Sucker Punch is an amazing thing to see. More a commentary on video game enthusiasm with its lust for hot animated chicks and over-the-top violence that a celebration of cleavage and guns, the film is crazily entertaining. For those who hated the ending, he told you in the title what his plan was all along.

The first movie I saw in the theaters that tried to take a superhero mythology and treat it seriously (for the most part) was Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie. Never as big a fan of the DC characters as I have been of Marvel, it was still extraordinary to see a character I had only really known in pages to be so fully realized. Then came Burton's Batman movies. The superhero film was still an anomaly but steam was gaining. Things changed with Bryan Singer's X-Men in 2000, then Raimi's Spiderman, and those of us who grew up with our pulpy versions of Athena, Hermes, and Hades were rewarded with Nolan's Batman Begins. A far cry from the tongue-in-cheek camp of the 1966 TV Batman, Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne was a serious character and his tale over three films is a tragic commentary filled with the kind of death and betrayal and triumph befitting the grand narrative he deserved.

I loved Singer's Superman Returns in 2006 because it was such a love letter to the 1978 film (down to the opening credits) but by then, the MCU was taking over the world.

Snyder's first of what turns out to be an epic storyline involving perhaps seven or eight movies was Man of Steel. It was fun and, while I had my issues with the broodiness of Kal El, the odd take on Jonathan Kent, and a redheaded Lois Lane, I had no issue with Superman snapping Zod's neck. Darker and more tragic than any other version of the Kryptonian, it was still super entertaining.

Then came Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. By 2016, Marvel had codified their formula of serious characters wrestling with serious issues of power and responsibility peppered with lots of good humor and bright colors. Snyder's desaturated pallete and angst-filled demi-gods was not the obvious road to financial competition.

I'll confess, I hated it. BvS felt half-rendered. Lex Luthor was kind of superficial and played as a kind of Joker. The whole Bruce Wayne wants to kill Superman thing felt undeveloped and the "Martha" moment was just stupid.

When Joss Whedon's version of Snyder's Justice League came out in 2017, I was primed for it to be a turd and I wasn't surprised. So much of it didn't work on any level. I dismissed it as DC trying and failing miserably and was comforted by the coming of Thanos.

Following Thanos and the time heist was COVID. Suddenly, we were internationally sidelined and the movie theater industry caved in. Streaming services started popping up like knock-off smartphones and Hollywood was reeling, doing anything and everything to find a way back. Since Whedon's disastrous helming of Snyder's third act, fans online had been demanding to #ReleasetheSnyderCut but no one was ever really taking them seriously until all movie production was shut down for a year.

The stage was set to remedy a mistake (or at least make some bucks on a do-over of a huge box office failure). Snyder had left the production in part because of the suicide of his daughter and in part due to the constant artistic fights over executives looking for the quippy fun of the MCU but he still had all the original footage. Add to that the broiling accusations that Joss Whedon was "abusive" during the reshoots, the path seemed destined. For an additional $70 million and complete control, Snyder delivered a four hour mega-movie streamed on HBOMax.

Of course, I was going to watch the thing as soon as I could.

The Whedon version opens with an homage to the now dead Superman (including the much maligned digitally erased mustache on Henry Cavill). The SynderCut opens with the death of Superman and the agony of his death scream as it travels across the planet. It's a simple change but exemplifies the very different visions of how this thing is gonna play out.

Snyder doesn't want us to be OK with the power of these beings unleashed. He wants us to feel the damage and pain of death. He wants the results of violence to be as real as he can. When Marvel's Steve Rogers kicks a thug across the room and the thug hits a wall, he crumples and it is effectively over. When Batman does the same thing, we see the broken bones (often in slow motion) and the blood smear on the wall as the thug slides to the ground.

The longer SnyderCut is bloated in some places (like the extended Celtic choir singing Aquaman off to sea or the extended narrations by Wonder Woman which sound slightly like someone trying to explain the plot to Siri). On the other hand, the scene with Barry Allen saving Iris West is both endearing and extraordinary, giving insight to the power of the Flash as well as some essential character-building in contrast to Whedon's comic foil version.

One thing I noticed in this variant is that Zach wants the audience to experience the sequence of every moment as the characters do. An example comes when Diana Prince goes to the crypt to see the very plot she belabors over later. The sequence is simple. She gets a torch and goes down. Most directors which jump cut to the torch. Snyder gives us five beats as she grabs the timber, wraps cloth around the end, soaks it with kerosene, pulls out a box of matches, and lights the torch. Then she goes down the dark passageway.

The gigantic, lush diversity of Snyder’s vision of the DC superhero universe—from the long shots of the sea life in the world of Atlantis to the ancient structures and equipment of Themyscira— is almost painterly. Snyder isn't taking our time; he's taking his time. We are rewarded our patience with a far better backstory for the villain, a beautifully rendered historic battle thwarting Darkseid's initial invasion (including a fucking Green Lantern), and answers to a score of questions set up in both previous films.

Whedon's Bruce Wayne was more Ben Affleck; Snyder's is full-on Frank Miller Batman, the smartest, most brutal fucker in the room. Cyborg, instead of Whedon's sidelined non-character, is now a Frankenstein's monster, grappling with the trade-off between acceptance and enormous power. Wonder Woman is now more in line with the Patty Jenkins version and instead of being told about the loss of Superman, we are forced to live with the anguish of both his mother and Lois Lane in quiet moments of incredible grief.

To be fair to Whedon (something few are willing to do as he is now being castigated not for racism or sexism but for being mean to people) having him come in to throw in some levity and Marvel-esque color to Snyder's Wagnerian pomposity is like hiring Huey Lewis to lighten up Pink Floyd's The Wall or getting Douglas Adams to rewrite Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

I loved Snyder's self-indulgent, mythologic DC universe.

So much so that I then re-watched Man of Steel and then watched the director's version of BvS (which Snyder added approximately 32 minutes). The second film is far better at three hours and Eisenberg's Lex Luthor now makes sense. Then I watched Zach Snyder's Justice League a second time.

After nineteen hours of Snyder's re-imagining of these DC heroes and villains, I saw details that, upon first viewing, are ignored or dismissed, but after seeing them in order and complete, are suddenly consistent and relevant. Like Nolan or Fincher, Snyder defies anyone to eliminate even one piece of his narrative no matter how long. With all the pieces, this is an epic story and the pieces left at the extended epilogue play into a grander narrative we will never see.

Or maybe we will. Who knows these days?

[racingtoaredlight]

RTARL’s 2020 NFL Season Week 11 Extravapalooza

Holy moly, we’ve already made it to Week 11. I’m honestly conflicted over whether or not this is a good thing. In terms of basic pandemic mitigation practices, the NFL conducting its season is fucking insane. These guys are all well-compensated pros, but they’re still taking risks well above and beyond what they normally do, and I truly feel pretty shitty about that. In addition, the fact that some stadiums are allowing thousands of fans inside during games is a crime against humanity, and it really lays bare how craven and sociopathic the ghouls who own sports franchises are. 

With that said, it’s extremely hypocritical of me to be so disdainful of the NFL’s current existence, since I watch the games, set my fantasy lineup, and generally enjoy all the stuff that comes with an NFL season. I usually bristle and roll my eyes whenever a sporting entity trots out the whole “We feel like we’re helping society by providing a distraction from everything going on” line, but in this case, with where we are right now as a country...the NFL really is doing that. For me, anyway. Is the stress-relief that the NFL provides to me and millions of other people worth all the bad stuff that comes with it? I don’t know. Probably not. But, I’d be lying if I said I’m not thankful that it’s there.

My picks are in BOLD, and the lines come to us courtesy of our friends at Vegas Insider. I use the “VI Consensus” line, which is the line that occurs most frequently across Vegas Insider’s list of sportsbooks. Your sportsbook of choice may offer a different number, and if you’d like my opinion on said number A) you are insane, and B) leave a comment below and I’ll try to answer at some point before things kickoff today.

EARLY GAMES

Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens (-6)

It’s odd to have a game between a pair of 6-3 teams widely considered contenders that feels like a “must win” for each scuffling side. A great man once said “Desperation is a stinky cologne,” and the Titans absolutely reek coming into this one, so I’m giving them the edge. Baltimore being down two starting defensive linemen when Derrick Henry comes to town also factors into my pick, but nobody wants to hear that nerd shit, gotta go with my GUT, baby!

Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns (-2.5)

Hey, Cleveland doesn’t have to play in the middle of a tornado this week! There will still be driving rains, though. Fortunately, the Browns are built for the slop. RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are both ridiculous, but I’d like to give a special shoutout to G Wyatt Teller, who is currently Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded player...in the entire NFL. That’s some grade A beef! DE and straight-up superhuman Myles Garrett is out for this one, which is an enormous blow for the Cleveland defense. If I had any confidence whatsoever in Carson Wentz I’d think about taking Philly, but that young man is a mess.

Pittsburgh Steelers (-10.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

I’m once again betting on the Steelers playing down to the level of their competition. The Jags kept things close against the Packers last week, there’s fight in them thar cats.

Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Football Team (-1.5)

I’m still extremely nervous for Alex Smith the entire time he’s on the field, but I have to admit there’s something magical about him making it all the way back to being exactly as Alex Smith-y as he was before (minus the scrambling ability, obviously). Washington RB J.D. McKissic has 16(!) catches on 29(!!) targets over the two games Smith has started. If this continues J.D. is going to owe Alex a cut of his next contract, and possibly the mineral rights to his legs if the need arises.

Today is Cincy RB Gio Bernard’s birthday, so LOOK OUT LADIES!

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints (-3.5)

I’m making this pick based on the assumption that New Orleans really does roll with Taysom Hill at QB for the entire game, because that’s what all currently available information indicates will happen. I really do wonder if that’s going to be the case, though. I’ve read a couple of things speculating that the reason Hill is starting is that if Jameis plays he’s likely to reach various incentive clauses in his contract and cost the Saints a bunch of money. That seems utterly ridiculous to me, because why the hell would you bother signing him at all if this is how you were gonna roll? Then again, I’m not a Football Man, so maybe my un-browned normie brain just doesn’t understand.

Detroit Lions (-3) at Carolina Panthers

CATFIGHT!!!

The Lions are the orange kitty in this scenario, because Matthew Stafford will be playing through a torn thumb while not having WR Kenny Golladay or RB D’Andre Swift at his disposal. 

New England Patriots (-2) at Houston Texans

The concept of an “emotional hedge,” first introduced to me by RTARL commenter Beer, is in play here. I have NO idea if the Patriots are actually decent or not, and this has all the makings of a letdown game coming off of their unexpected win over Baltimore. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore is expected to be back for the Pats in this one, which is very nice. RB Sony Michel is also likely coming back, which could muddy the backfield and take touches away from Damien Harris, which is less nice. 

The Patriots have an atrocious rush defense, but Houston’s primary RB, Duke Johnson, is far better as a receiver than as a straight-up runner, so I’m not sure they can take advantage all that much. In addition, Duke’s receiving skills are mostly squandered because QB DeShaun Watson hates checking down and seemingly prefers to take sacks while looking for throws downfield instead. Wait, why the hell am I picking Houston here??? Is this what hedging is? I don’t like it!

LATE GAMES

New York Jets at Los Angeles Chargers (-9.5)

It feels weird to lay 9.5 points with a 2-7 team, but such is the power of the Jets’ ineptitude. To New York’s credit, they were competitive in two of their last three games (against NE and BUF), but those two games were sandwiched around a 35-9 beatdown at the hands of Kansas City. We would all feel better if the cool, young Chargers steamrolled these sad sacks in a joyous explosion of big plays, and this pick is my attempt at speaking it into existence. 

Miami Dolphins (-3.5) at Denver Broncos

I don’t know why I have an affinity for Drew Lock, but I do. He probably appeals to the same part of my brain that delights in terrible movies and horrible jokes, which is the most backhanded compliment I have ever given anyone in my entire life. Drew's gonna tough it out and try to play through a rib injury this week, which is gutty and admirable and all that, but I can’t imagine it’s going to help his already shaky accuracy.

Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts (-1.5)

The Packers are getting their best defensive player back in CB Jaire Alexander, which will make life more difficult for increasingly-noodle-armed Colts QB Philip Rivers. Conversely, Indy’s defense is among the best in the league, so I don’t really see a carnival of offense coming from the Packers, either. Honestly, this should be a close, well-played game between two exceedingly competent squads. The kind of game where there will be long stretches where nothing major happens, but you can point out random shit that happens away from the ball and talk about line play and really sound like you know what the fuck you’re talking about. A tremendous game for fraudulent football-knowers everywhere.

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings (-7)

It would be an INCREDIBLY Vikings move to lose this game outright. The return of Andy Dalton is being treated like it’s something that’ll get the Cowboys somewhat back on track, but prior to his injury he looked like crap, so I don’t really know where that’s coming from. Also, while he was out with a concussion he had a bout with COVID-19 that “hit him hard.” It’s tough for me to imagine he’s going to play BETTER coming out of what sounds like a truly shitty few weeks.

SNF: Kansas City Chiefs (-7.5) at Las Vegas Raiders

A lot has been made about how pissed Kansas City is about the Raiders taking a supposed “victory lap” in their team bus around the Arrowhead parking lot after their win over the Chiefs earlier in the season, and I’m choosing to completely buy into this narrative because it’s fucking hilarious. If K.C. has already reached the “needing to exaggerate/outright invent slights to get up for regular season games against inferior opponents” portion of their reign, we’re in great shape for entertainment purposes going forward.

MNF: Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-4)

I don’t remotely trust Jared Goff against Tampa Bay’s defense. I do think this is probably our SMASHMOUTH NOSEBLEED GRIND IT OUT Game of the Week, and I can already see Tom Brady screaming at his offensive linemen at some point after he gets popped a couple of times during a single possession. Should be fun!

Last Week’s Record: 7-5-1

Season Record: 65-68-5

[tkmedia]

Bradley Beal discusses Wizards' future, playing for Team USA and being called 'thick' by Gregg Popovich

Getty Images Washington Wizards star guard Bradley Beal won't get much of a break from basketball this offseason. Just a few weeks after his Wizards were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Beal had to report to Las Vegas for training camp with Team USA ahead of the Olympics in Tokyo. The Olympics run through early August, and at that point, Beal will have just a few more weeks before training camp for the 2020-21 NBA season gets underway. That's not much down time, but luckily Beal loves to ball. Despite his busy offseason schedule, the three-time All-Star found a few minutes to speak with CBS Sports about what it means to play for Team USA, what the Wizards need to do to take a step forward next season and several other topics ... including his new protein shake. Check out the full interview below.  Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error processing your subscription. CBS Sports: I wanted to start off by asking you about your partnership with Rockin' Protein. How did that come about and why did you feel like it was a good fit for you personally? Bradley Beal: My team at Priority Sports brought the opportunity to me. Rockin' Protein has been a fabulous company to work with athletes. I'm always big on researching the brands and making sure that they're the right fit, because there's so many of them out there that, you know, it's very hard to choose from. I was very thrilled that they were interested in me. And it was a genuine partnership. And more than anything, their product -- they stand behind it, and I do, too. They don't just make up words. It's truly very tasteful, and it's high quality protein. Plus, it's made with real milk. Not a lot of products are made with real milk. So, I value that what we put into our bodies. As athletes, it's important. I take my training seriously, and recovery is very important. CBS: What's your go-to flavor?Beal: My go-to is the protein builder, vanilla flavor. They have vanilla, chocolate, and I think strawberry. I'm a big fan of it.CBS: Sounds good, I'll have to check it out. In the meantime, I want to switch over to the court for a few minutes. You're in the middle of training camp in Las Vegas with Team USA. What has that experience been like for you so far? And what does it mean to you to represent the United States on the world stage? Beal: To represent the country, it's a blessing. It's an honor. It's something that you don't take for granted. Not a lot of guys in the league get this opportunity. We all know that. So, you embrace it. You understand that the U.S. wants you to win, and everyone else wants you to lose. We didn't live up to what we wanted to a few years ago , and so now we have an opportunity to get back what's rightfully ours.  For me, when the opportunity came and presented itself, and Jerry Colangelo called me, I was thrilled. I was shocked in a lot of ways. I was just happy. I got the blessing for my family to go ahead and go and represent everybody, so it's amazing to be here in Vegas, get acclimated with the guys. The training has been crazy intense, every single day. So, it's been real. The reason why we are going as hard as we are, man, we're trying to get that gold . CBS: Was it an easy decision for you when the time came to play in the Olympics, or was it something you had to think about a bit? Other players had some understandable reservations with the short offseason and the condensed season. After all, your season with the Wizards just ended a few weeks ago.Beal: Yes and no. Like I said earlier, I'm very meticulous about my training. It's always been the same the past few offseasons. I usually take like a month, or two, off and really rest my body because I'm playing a lot of minutes during the year. So that did weigh into the decision, but, ultimately, this has always been my dream.  I've always been a part of USA basketball, and I didn't get to go to the World Cup in 2019 because of the birth of my son. And then now this decision wasn't easy either because I actually missed one of my older brother's weddings. So, I actually had to make sure I got his blessing or permission to make sure it was cool, because I wouldn't have gone if he said no. So, I'm happy about my sister-in-law and him really blessing me. My wife and my kids, also, because they can't go. So, for everybody to kind of sign off on it was the ultimate icing on the cake. In the back of my head I always knew that this was what I wanted to do. CBS: Luka Doncic recently said that winning a gold medal for Slovenia would mean more to him than winning an NBA title. Do you feel similarly about that?Beal: In his shoes, 100 percent. This is Slovenia's first time in the Olympics, right? So, that's huge. He's representing his whole country. Dallas is a city. People are fans of the city, but he's repping his whole country. He's putting them on his back. At the same time, hell, I'm gonna feel the same way because I haven't won anything. So for me, this is big ... This is the big boys. This is the big brother. So I embrace this stage and our goal is to win a gold medal. So, I want to have some hardware to say I'm proud of, too.  CBS: Let's shift over to the NBA. From a player's perspective, how nice is it going to be to go into a relatively normal season with a full training camp and fans after two straight seasons that were anything but normal?  Beal: I think it will be great. It'll be really good. We'll get back onto our regular track with scheduling and the season. Hopefully we still have fans in the arenas like we did at the end of the year. So, I'm definitely excited about it. We have a few moves we have to make in the offseason before we get to that point, but I'm excited about the year, man. Guys will be back healthy. Around the league everybody's going to come back ready to go, because I'm sure everybody wasn't satisfied with how their seasons ended. Everybody probably didn't expect Phoenix to do what they did and look at them. So, that's amazing in itself. So everybody's going to come back hungry next season.CBS: The Wizards were hit hard with injury and COVID issues early in the season, and as a result the team got off to a slow start. But, you were able to turn it around and make it to the postseason. Looking back on the season, is it disappointing because you weren't able to advance further, or is it a situation where you can be proud of all that you overcame as a team? Beal: It's tough because I'm a harsh critic. I like to look at it from the point of view of we could have been better, and we should have been way better than we were. And we know that. Everybody knows that. So it's like, yeah we can be proud of what we did, but we know we kind of dug ourselves a hole at the beginning of the year, granted COVID hit our team very hard. But at the same time we still could have been better than what we were. Then something clicked for us and we figured it out at the end of the year and we showed our hunger. We showed that we can compete. We showed that we were a playoff team. But we only won one game , so we have to be better. We still got a lot of room to grow and improve and be better. Understanding that it's hard to win in this league, and once you get to the playoffs it's even that much tougher. So, it's just motivational, obviously, to come back better and stronger. CBS: Speaking of that, what do you think you guys need to do moving forward to take that next step that you just alluded to? Obviously you need to name a new head coach. Other than that, is it just a matter of health?  Beal: Obviously we need a coach, we have to find the right guy for the job and go from there. Build the team up through the draft, free agency, everything moving forward. We need better shooting. I have to shoot better. I think we got the size. We acquired Daniel Gafford at the trade deadline and he's been a tremendous help for us. We get Thomas Bryant back next season, Rui is going to continue to improve. Deni 's rehab has been going great, and he'll continue to get better and improve his game, too. So the pieces are there. Obviously we still need to plug in some defensive guys, some athletic wings, guys who can shoot the 3, and I think we'll be better. I think we'll be better. CBS: You guys lost to the top-seeded 76ers in the first round of the playoffs. After playing against them, were you surprised to see how they struggled and ultimately lost to the Hawks, or did you sense that maybe they were vulnerable?Beal: Obviously when Joel got hurt, that was the game that we ended up winning. And we felt like we should have won the next game, but they just wanted it a little bit more than we did. And Joel didn't even play that game. But at the same time we kind of exposed the move of fouling Ben , putting him on the line a few times. Granted, I think in our series he actually made a few. So, we had to go away from that instead of just giving away free points. But they were two totally different series, two totally different teams. Ben was more or less aggressive in our series, the first couple games, and then it kind of died down and trickled down from there. Atlanta was a good team, too. They played hard. They have a lot of young pieces over there who are really versatile. They're not just a one-dimensional team. It was very tough. Joel had to do a lot.  CBS: We saved the most important question for last. What did it feel like to get called "thick" by Gregg Popovich?Beal: Oh, man. The world has been whopping my ass about that. It's cool, though, I understand what he meant by it. I didn't take it the wrong way. It was a funny moment for sure.  Read the full article

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: WOLF PACK CAN WIN TITLE THURSDAY

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack scored two goals in the third period, then held off a late rally by the Sound Tigers to win their home finale in this shortened season 4-3 Tuesday afternoon. The win sets up a winner take all meeting for the Atlantic Division title with Providence Thursday in Marlborough, MA, in the regular season finale against Providence. A regulation win will give the Wolf Pack the division title outright. While three points currently separate, the two teams of those three points were against the Utica Comets- the only non-conference game the Bruins played all season. “We’ve gone 9-2, and I think since we had our big meeting in March, guys committed to learning our systems. We slowed things down a bit, and the biggest change was the growth of our younger players, and it's nice to see the guys on the bench so pumped, and it's gonna be play one more big game on Thursday,” remarked head coach Kris Knoblauch. The Wolf Pack ended their brief home schedule fans with a home mark at .500 of 6-6-0-0 sans fans, and their overall record is 14-8-1-0 for 29 points heading into their season finale in Marlborough, MA on Thursday. Bridgeport concludes their season in third place in the Atlantic Division 7-14-2-0 for 16 points. What turned out to be the game-winning goal came from a simple pass play, and Tim Gettinger did the rest. Jonny Brodzinski, just inside the Wolf Pack blue line, sent a short pass to Gettinger, who saw he had daylight to go past Sound Tigers defenseman Carter Hutton and Mitch Vande Sompel. He sped by Hutton like a locomotive and flipped a dandy backhander over Ken Appleby for what seemed to be a safe two-goal cushion. “We had talked between the first and second period about using our speed, challenge their D, and going wide. When we utilize our speed, we're most effective. He has been one of our most reliable top three or four forwards on a nightly basis. Whether it’s five-on-five, powerplay or shorthanded,” said Knoblauch. Gettinger was all smiles after the game. “Jonny made a great play to me. I looked up and saw I had some space; I used my speed was able to get across and score.” Were you thinking backhander the whole time? “I had the angle and saw I could cut across the net on the D and the goalie and was able to go backhand.” The Wolf Pack had gained the lead first at 3-2 because of some simple but effective forechecking first; Ty Ronning on the right-wing boards lost the puck to the Sound Tigers. Parker Wotherspoon was forced back by Austin Rueschoff. Then behind the net, the Sound Tigers Carter Hutton thought he had an out up the right-wing, but Patrick Khordorenko was there to block that escape hatch, and Rueschhoff was bearing down on him from behind. Hutton lost control of the puck, and it went off the side of the net, skittered in front, and veteran Paul Thompson right there had an easy tap in and jammed home his fifth goal to make it 3-2 at 4:52 for the AHL’s most lethal powerplay scored with three seconds left in the advantage. It wasn’t a highlight tally, but very effective. “Everybody loves to see goals scored, and sometimes it's baffling players see their teammates scoring around the net and sometimes there reluctant around the net. Unless you have a shot like Ovechkin (not many do), you're not going to score many goals from the perimeter! Paul knows that, and you look at his stats. That’s where his goals have been,” remarked Knoblauch. The Sound Tigers didn’t roll over, pulling their goalie with over three minutes to play, scoring for the second time on the afternoon with two minutes left in the period. Once again, Bode Wild’s left point blast was stopped by Adam Huska despite a Tanner Fritz screen, but the loose puck was in front as Arnaud Durandeau pounced on it and ripped his fourth goal over the fallen Huska and Sound Tigers inched closer to the Wolf Pack, but that would be as far as they could get at 4-3. The best Wolf Pack chance of the second period came with just three seconds to go as after Huska made a glove save on a Mitch Vande Sompel shot. Huska dropped the puck to Vincent LoVerde and pointed to center ice. Coming out of the penalty box was defenseman Patrick Sieloff was at the Sound Tigers blue line. LoVerde caught him perfectly in the direction by Huska, but Sieloff’s backhand shot on a clean breakaway was stopped by the Sound Tigers Ken Appleby’s glove hand. The second period was a perfect road game for the Sound Tigers; combined with a myriad of whistles, offsides, and a lot of board play, there were few clear chances for the Wolf Pack. In the first period, the AHL’s best powerplay help the Wolf Pack take the first lead of the game. Anthony Greco, one hand swipe, kept the puck in the zone to Zach Giuttari, and then he passed it to Jonny Brodzinski, who got his shot on net and was stopped and then a tight in front a bang-bang play Sound Tigers goalie Ken Appleby stoned Patrick Newell on the doorstep. The rebound came back into the high slot Brodzinski corralled the puck and then went onto the left-wing circle dished it back to Greco (team-high six shots), who launched a hard wrister 30 feet out that beat Ken Appleby high stick side at 3:46 for just his third goal of the season. The Sound Tigers were able to get some puck luck as the left point shot by Samuel Bolduc missed the net short side but caromed right off the backboards to Simon Holmstrom, who put in his fifth of the season at 7:38 on the backhand. The Wolf Pack regained the lead as a strong forechecking sequence led to their second goal. Michael O’Leary physical play forced a turnover by Erik Brown, and Austin Rueschhoff, who powered through a hit by Mitch Vande Sompel on his right-wing entry, snagged the loose biscuit. He then circled behind the net and sent a pass back to Mason Geersten, who split the D in two and jammed home his third of the year right at the goalmouth at 14:38. Geersten now has a two-game goal-scoring streak. The pesky Sound Tigers tied the game at two on a powerplay of their own. Cole Coskey deep right got the puck back to Otto Koivula at the right point, and he sent a pass off to Bode Wilf on his offside. The shot from 50 feet out had a perfect screen by Erik Brown in front eluded Adam Huska. It was the second of the season for Wild at 18:00 and knotted the game at two. LINES: Richards-Gettinger-Ronning Newell-Brodzinski-Greco Thompson-Khordorenko-Cullye Rueschhoff-O’ Leary-Geersten Raddysh-Taylor LoVerde-Skinner Giutarri-Sieloff Huska Wall THREE STARS: - Jonny Brodzinski Hartford - Austin Ruesschoff Hartford - Mason Geersten Hartford HONORABLE MENTIONS: - Tim Gettinger Hartford - Adam Huska Hartford - Bode Wild Bridgeport SCRATCHES: -Alex Whalen, James Sanchez, Ryan Dmowski, and Francois Brassard. Gabriel Fontaine (upper-body injury done for the season). -Defenseman Zach Berzolla Colorado College (NCHC) was released from his PTO contract without playing a game for the Wolf Pack. -Bridgeport scratched its team, Seth Helgeson, with six other players. -The Wolf Pack regular season record against Bridgeport finishes up at 8-3-1. Hartford is on a three-game winning streak and are 9-2-0 over their last 11 games. Our mythical seven playoff series using these last seven games as our guide, the Wolf Pack won the series four games to two. -The only other AHL game Tuesday, Laval lost 4-3 in overtime to Toronto at the Bell Centre, and the Marlies goalie Joseph Woll put on a goalie clinic with 57 saves on 60 shots. -A tentative opening date for the 2021-22 AHL season is October 15th. -The AHL will have a Zoom league BOG meeting on Thursday to formally approve the most open secret in hockey the relocation of Vancouver’s AHL team to Abbotsford, BC, who were in the league from 2009-2014 and play at the Abbotsford Civic Centre. We had learned the building had installed NHL style boards and plexiglass ostensibly to host an NHL exhibition game this fall, making the building AHL compliant per non-COVID safety protocols. The other issue is New Jersey’s expected relocation of their Binghamton franchise to Utica and sees the revival of the Utica Devils name for the franchise. -Goalie Trevin Kozlowski, who played at Gunnery Prep (Washington, CT), finishes with Army (AHA) and signs with Iowa (AHL). That makes 68 Division I collegians to sign with a North American with pro teams and 73 total signees. Stanislav Demin became the 55th school transfer from the University of Denver (NCHC) to defending national champion UMASS Minutemen (HE). There have been 44 college grad transfers. -Rangers draft pick (3rd round 92nd overall in October) Oliver Tarnstrom, son of ex-Sound Tiger Dick Tarnstrom, has signed a deal with Rogle BK (Sweden-SHL) for next season and is WJC eligible. This season he played AIK J-20 (Sweden) before the league was shut down because of COVID, skated a few games with AIK (Sweden-Allsvenskan), and has been on loan to Tyresö/Hanviken  (Sweden HockeyEttan Division-1). He is also eligible to skate for the AIK J-20 team next season. -Rogle BK is playing the Vaxjo Lakers for the LeMat Swedish Hockey League championship. Vaxjo is up to two games to none. Jack Drury, son of ex-Whaler Ted Drury and nephew of Hartford GM Chris, plays on the first line. In Game 1, he had a goal and assist and won 80% of his faceoffs. In Game 2, he had the primary assist on the game’s first goal. Among his teammate is ex-CT Whale and Ranger rearguard Tim Erixon. -Ex-Pack and Sound Tiger Chris Bourque is supposed to negotiating with ERC Ingolstadt (Germany-DEL) for next season. -Justin Danforth (Sacred Heart University/Sound Tigers) is coming off a third straight solid season in Europe. He finished sixth in overall KHL, scoring with Vityaz Podolsk with 22 goals and 57 points. He spent his first two years in Finland with Lukko Rauma. He signed a one-year one-way deal at $750K deal with Columbus for 2021-22. -Former Quinnipiac University goalie Michael Garteig has left ERC Ingolstadt to play in Finland next year. Goalie Nick Malik, son of former Whalers, Rangers, and Beast of New Haven defenseman Marek Malik, leaves HC Frydek-Mistek (Czech Republic Division-2), where his father is the assistant coach and has signed with KooKoo (Finland-FEL). -Ex-Pack and Ranger, Jan Hlavac 44, will be playing yet another year going from BK Nova Paka to HC Letnany (Czech Republic Division-3). -Fabian-Dahlstrom Zuccarello (CT Oilers-EHL), the younger brother of former CT Whale and Rangers, Mats Zuccarello, now with Minnesota, is going down several levels from Lorenskog (Norway-NEL) to Hasle/Loren (Norway Division-2). HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

[anakinsbugs]

The Blogfather

New Post has been published on https://walrusvideo.com/the-blogfather/

The Blogfather

He wasn’t an Arsenal fan, but he was at the 1971 FA Cup final. I wasn’t born yet (I didn’t arrive until September of that double winning year), but he saw Charlie George score that winner and lie flat on his back on the Wembley turf to celebrate.

Like so many of his generation, he came to England from Ireland to find work in the late 1950s, and I’m sure my love of football came from him. There was always a ball, always a kick-around in the garden, or on the front lawn of the castle we lived in for a while (honestly, it was a castle).

Back then you could just go to a football match. Rock up on a Saturday, and pay your way into the ground depending on who was at home. He lived and worked in West London, and nominally he was a Fulham fan. He loved Johnny Haynes, but he was a huge admirer of Jimmy Greaves too. He liked players who could do things with both feet, and he went to matches all over the city, just because he could.

Some of my earliest memories are of him playing football. He started life as a forward (like my brother), but by the time I came along and he was togging out for the village team in Bishopthorpe (near York), he’d moved back to centre-half (where I played my whole life). I’d stand on the sidelines with my mam. I don’t remember the games or the performances, just the fact that I was there and so was he.

..

He was pretty strict when we were young. I think it was because he had very clear ideas about what young men should and shouldn’t do. They should look smart, for example, and definitely not wear jeans. They really shouldn’t watch Grange Hill, because those children were basically juvenile delinquents and didn’t respect figures of authority sufficiently.

He worked a lot though, so it was often drive-by stuff. He spent most his working life in the hospitality industry – bars, restaurants, hotels. Long hours, late nights.

Once, in the back garden, I was winding my brother up, as big brothers do. He reached breaking point and unleashed a wave of expletives that would have made a sailor blush. Dad, probably trying to get a bit of rest upstairs, heard everything, stuck his head out the bedroom window and it was the most trouble any little boy has ever been in before or since. I felt bad, and I bought Tim some Cadbury’s Creme Eggs to say sorry.

..

In 1996 he was away on a golf trip in Spain and fell ill. Cardiomyopathy. The prognosis was not good. He needed a heart transplant. In the mists of time it feels like it happened quickly, but it didn’t. He spent months and months gravely unwell, in and out of hospital, but in the end they took his actual heart out and put someone else’s in.

It’s basically a miracle, isn’t it?

When you think about it, it’s absolutely crazy, but as I said at his eulogy, it changed his life and it saved his life. He became a fierce advocate for organ donation. He helped found the Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association, and he went onto to chair the European Heart and Lung Transplant Federation. He wanted to ensure as many people as possible could benefit from the incredible medical advancements, and the work carried out by doctors and transplant teams.

As you might imagine, that kind of thing gives you a new perspective on life. He was certainly mellower post-transplant, but it coincided with us reaching a stage of adult life where your relationship with your parents changes anyway. We did a lot of stuff together. Golf, pints, dinners, holidays, even the Arsenal.

I don’t know if the trip we took to London was specifically to see a game, or if it coincided with something else, but he came with me to the Emirates to see us play in the Champions League. We played PSV and a late goal from on-loan Chelsea defender Alex saw us crash out. Not exactly a stellar night on the pitch, but it was still a good one off it. We had post-game pints in The Tollington, he met many of the Arseblog crew, and he often talked about how much he enjoyed it.

He loved Arseblog and what it became. He’d read most days. He’d say ‘Some of those chaps on the Arses are a bit fruity, aren’t they?!’.  He even listened to a podcast, impressed and somewhat astonished with how often, and with such variation, Ian Wright said my name.

..

He hadn’t been well for a couple of weeks. I took him to the doctors on February 1st. She told me she was worried about his kidneys. Years of anti-rejection and immuno-suppressant drugs take their toll. Blood test results came back that afternoon. He needed to be in hospital.

I remember him waving to us from the ambulance before it pulled away, his big overcoat pulled tightly around him on a cold evening. Over the next couple of weeks he was treated for the infection, he was getting there, but slowly.

On Monday February 15th I got a phone call from a doctor. He’d been unwell, so they ran more tests. One of them was for Covid-19. It came back positive. We spent a year doing everything we could to keep him safe during the pandemic, and somehow he picked it up in the Coronary Care Unit of a hospital.

Yet over the next week, he didn’t really develop any of the major symptoms. On Monday February 22nd he called from his bed, we spoke about him coming home. He couldn’t wait to get back to his chair, in front of the fire, to watch golf and CNN. We wondered how strong he’d be, what care he might need. How we might have to adapt the house. Downstairs bedroom, stairlift, that kind of thing.

Then … day 10. Covid hit.

Did you ever get winded? It’s scary, isn’t it? Those few seconds where you can’t catch your breath. Imagine that all the time. He needed oxygen, then more oxygen, then all the oxygen it’s possible to give someone.

We were lucky in that we were allowed in to see him. We got to talk to him. That will always be a comfort, but seeing your dad on his own in a six bed ward, surrounded by and attached to machines, struggling to breathe is brutal. You want to help somehow, but you can’t.

We were clad in so much PPE, gown, masks, goggles, gloves, that he thought we were doctors at first. Maybe that’s why he told ‘them’ he didn’t want to die in hospital.

He died in hospital … in the early hours of March 2nd.

He’d been through so much. The heart transplant, he beat a lung cancer situation, he had an ongoing prostate cancer situation, but he couldn’t beat this. He was 84 and he’d lived a good life, but it doesn’t make it any easier to see someone you love die like that.

I’m not going to preach to anyone, but I can only urge you to be cautious. I know we’re all fed up with restrictions and life being the way it is. I know there is light at the end of the tunnel as vaccines are being rolled out, but this virus is still out there and it’s still dangerous. The most vulnerable among us are still loved and cherished family members and friends. Please don’t lose sight of that amid frustration, we all have a responsibility to each other. Someone’s age or their underlying condition doesn’t make them expendable.

Be careful. Look after each other. Each one of those statistics released daily is a real person, with many more left behind. Wash your hands. Wear a mask – at worst it’s a mild inconvenience, at best it saves lives, maybe even your own. Get the vaccine when you can.

My daughter, who I haven’t seen in person for over a year now, couldn’t get home for her grandad’s funeral. The funeral at which only ten people were allowed. That’s not how we do things in Ireland. There was no wake, no telling of stories about the one just gone. The laughs you have at events like that seem incongruous to the situation, but they’re a big part of how get through it.

Like so many other families over this last 12 months, we were apart at a time when we needed to be together. Just a couple of weeks previously my big cousin Adrian, a Gooner and only a few years older than I am, was taken by Covid too. He wasn’t elderly, he wasn’t high risk. I had to ring my dad in hospital and tell him, and while the staff in there were so lovely, he had nobody to share that grief with in person.

The support mechanisms we have in place to cope with things like this aren’t there any more. There are very obvious impacts of Covid on our lives, but there are malingering ones which I don’t think we’ll come to understand for some time yet.

..

Whatever nurses are paid, they deserve twice that, and more. They are amazing. They don’t need to be clapped, they need to be paid properly. You might not need them now, so perhaps they don’t register, but there will come a time when you will, and they will be amazing for you and your family too.

They shouldn’t have to fight for the compensation they deserve. We should be fighting for them. We should be angry on their behalf. Fight for healthcare.

Pay them properly.

..

My dad was an amazing man. Really funny, kind, generous, a good person who was the linchpin of our family, and we’re going to miss him terribly. He was well cool too, I mean, look at that 1960s shades/rollneck action he had going on.

I’m experiencing a lot of emotions right now, and it’s going to take some time to process, as they say. Today though, I just want to remember him in a positive way. A man who had a huge influence on who am I, someone who – when I think of him – makes me smile.

It’s absolutely shit he’s not going to be around anymore, and the circumstances of his passing were deeply unpleasant. It’s been a really rough few weeks, to be honest. However, he gave me the strength to get through this, and on this Arsenal blog I’m gonna take the owner’s privilege and set myself up with a tap-in to finish.

Love you Dad, and as a wise man once said, you were f*ckin’ excellent.

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[daveandtrev]

The 2020 Andre Johnson Sweepstakes League write-up

Friends of the Andre Johnson Sweepstakes League, welcome. I am pleased (no really, I am excited) to bring you a breakdown of the AJSL as it blessed our lives in the one-of-a-kind year of 2020. Below you will find a mix of analysis and lighthearted fun aimed at taking a first pass at what the heckfire happened this year from start to finish. We’ve got analysis on the draft, injuries and schedule plus some fun awards to give out. I won’t buffalo you any longer, lets get to it.

Draft Day Analysis

Draft day analysis interpretation: I tried to objectively pick the best teams based on my personal draft rankings (subjective draft rankings, objective draft analysis…sort of follows?). Here’s the methodology: I assigned a value to every player for above average play (in 0.25 increments). It’s essentially five tiers (+0.0 = starter, but could be replaced; +0.25 = contributing starter; +0.5 = solid starter; +0.75 = strong starter that will create a positional advantage; +1.0 = elite starter providing a distinct positional advantage). This all makes sense in my head, and it should make more sense when you look at the table. I then added up points for each team’s best possible starting lineup according to my points system and voila; Dave Stark’s handicapping of the AJSL.

A couple of notes:

·       Players are listed in the positions as there were drafted, with highest spend creating the starting lineup. For my points system, I subbed in bench players if they had a higher value than the starter.

·       I cheated on Christian McCaffrey’s value: he was a +1.25 in my book. Clearly the best player in the game with even higher upside than the traditional studs.

A few things that turned out like I thought

·       The running QBs outside of Lamar (Dak, Kyler, Russ, and DeShaun all avg 22.0+ fantasy pts/gm and sit top 7 at QB)

·       The QBs at +0.0 (Baker, Carr, Danny Dimes, Kirk Cousins, and Jimmy G basically ride the merry-go-round from one bye week fill-in to the next. Tannehill and Cousins maybe qualify as +0.25 players now, but neither averages over 20+ pts/gm)

·       Jonathan Taylor +0.0 (His value has been everywhere this year. Marlon Mack was the only reason I had him ranked this low. When Mack went down I pegged him for +0.75 with the possibility to go +1.0…and then nothing materialized until late into the year)

·       Devin Singletary +0.0 (Started hearing whispers of Zack Moss splitting carries + Josh Allen hogs goal line rushes)

A few places where I was dead wrong

·       Stefon Diggs +0.0 (Turns out, Josh Allen actually got better - +10% Completion % in 2020)

·       Josh Allen +0.5 (Averaging 24.7 pts/gm which would have been the QB2 overall last year by almost 3 pts/gm. Currently QB4)

·       Kyler Murray +0.75 (Not nearly high enough on him. Averaging 26.5 pts/gm as the QB1 overall. Playing at a +1.0 level)

·       DK Metcalf +0.25 (Seattle hired their lead chef to work full time)

·       Lamar Jackson +1.0, Mark Andrews +0.75 (Uhhh, why is this team broken?)

·       Kenyan Drake +0.75 (Beware the extravagant 8 game sample size that says someone is a world-beater)

·       Zach Ertz +0.75 (Is this the cliff year at 30 years old? How did Tony G catch 83 balls at age 37?)

·       Aaron Rod Gers +0.25 (Yeah he’s a +0.75 guy now…should have known that drafting the backup QB would light a fire under Aaron: we’ve only seen this from Alex Smith and Joe Flacco in 2 of the last 3 years…Wait, why hasn’t this applied to Wentz yet?)

·       Davante Adams +0.75 (Good golly, A-Aron’s resurgence means Davante is almost on +1.25 level when he is healthy)

·       Keenan Allen +0.25 (This was all about Tyrod…then we found out that Justin Herbert was interning specifically for Keenan Allen and the Chargers med staff decided to euthanize Tyrod)

·       TJ Hockenson +0.0 (2nd year leap puts him at TE3 overall. $20 player next year?)

·       Chris Herndon +0.0 (When you read too many draft articles, you begin to believe that an Adam Gase coached player might actually become an average contributor at his position…ha!)

Injury-ruined seasons

·       Saquon, Michael Thomas +1 (Biggest team-killers to date by far)

·       CMC at +1.25 (Still overall #1 when he plays)

·       Dak at +0.75 (Was playing like a true +1 on par with Mahomes before going down)

·       Zeke at +1 (Dak died and then Dallas decided to start “Gucci DiNucci”…yeah that didn’t go well)

·       OBJ +0.5 (Traded to Cristian’s team where he put up a combined 3.5 fantasy pts in 2 games started)

·       Courtland Sutton +0.25 (After space-cadeting Sutton’s auction bid, we got our “Ball don’t lie” moment a few weeks later. Trevor is shrugging as he reads this.)

 Great, let’s move on. Luck, imagined as either dice rolls or Luck Dragons depending on who you talk to, plays a pretty big part in fantasy success every year. Too many injuries? See you next year. Tough schedule? Hope for a good tiebreaker and maybe you can sneak into the playoffs with the #4 spot. These are probably the most talked about facets of the game since they are beyond our control and create the classic “if only I didn’t have that injury back in high school, i’d have crushed you guys” cop-out that we’ve all heard for years. Let’s see who really has a case to be upset, shall we?

Let’s start with one of my favorites – every team’s record if we played in a league where the top 6 scores secured a win each week (in lieu of head to head matchups). This is a much more “fair” look at how your team performed on a weekly basis when you throw out the schedule which is always a subject of scrutiny, consternation, and conspiracy theories each season.

There you have it. Good news is, the top 5 in our league standings would be the exact same top 5 if we played the other way. The schedule hasn’t defrauded anyone of a 2020 playoff spot. Bad news is, the bottom of this list is mildly shocking. Cristian has struggled all year for wins and this shows that his team hasn’t been half bad – but he has essentially lost out on 4 wins due to schedule. Yikes. Phil on the other hand was in playoff contention up until week 12, whereas his team has the fewest expected wins in the league….Of course for those with conspiratorial thoughts, you’ll notice the Stark brothers combine for +7 “lucky” wins due to schedule. Of course the Stark wife had to bite the bullet to make it look fair (-2 “lucky” wins). I’ll let everyone digest that and make their own judgments. (Where is that clause in the constitution involving starting a new league without the commish? This is evidence!)

The next “luck metric” that dominates our chat conversation and generally elicits “I got screwed, feel bad for me” self-pity arguments would be games lost to injury. Everyone knows it sucks and everyone experiences it to some degree every year. And if you play long enough, you will get hit by the double ACL tear/broken collarbone/never-healing ankle injury to all of your star players and be left at a severe disadvantage. It’s gonna be okay Sport, put on a brave face and hit the waiver wire. Come back next year and clap secretly at 3pm on Monday when Schefty tweets the next guy’s RB1 season-ender. (After the large exhale that it didn’t happen to your RB1 of course.) Ending rant, just know that if you experienced the injury season from hell, the rest of the league knows that it’s part of the fantasy business and are very relieved that it didn’t happen to them. Empathy runs high, sympathy runs low. (And I just removed my ability to ever complain publicly about my team’s injuries by writing this now.)

After all the talk has subsided, let’s check facts. First table: mid-game injuries. These are games where players play a much reduced role and typically produce dreadful fantasy finishes. There’s a bit of subjectivity here (if a player plays 3 quarters and gets hurt, I don’t count that as a mid game injury. But if he plays ½ or less of his normal playing time, it would count.) I also add mid-game benching to QBs because they fit the description as fantasy wreckers due to an unforeseen cutback in playing time. Here is the Commissioner’s official list:

Congrats on that title Jason, I know you were hoping for it. Just know, you weren’t THAT far ahead of the rest of us. Mon and Trevor on the other hand can only blame poor performance on their season’s disappointments (or better yet, the schedule!)

So I buried the lead a bit on Mr. Montgomery here, because the next table should give him his share of justice on 2020 injuries.

So the above list is missed games + mid-game injuries for drafted starters and traded players updated through week 13 (except for those with season long injuries – I went ahead and added week 14 there). Jason, there’s your proof. Nobody deserves to bellyache more than you, friend. 19 of those games were from QBs (Dak/Jimmy G) which added to a smattering of missed games from the rest of the roster (Godwin 4, Ridley 3, Aaron Jones 2). I haven’t tracked this before, but I imagine that this year was significantly worse than others (more soft tissue injuries and COVID positives were the biggest culprits.) The hope is that 2021 gives us a bit of a reprieve here.

Before we conclude, I recognize that there is a portion of the audience who prefers the entertainment value of this yearly endeavor, so I’m going to do my best to hand out a few fun awards. Without further ado, the 2020 AJSL Dundees (this award style hasn’t possibly been overdone, right?)

Dundee to The Scorned Lover: Mr. Jordan Swavely on behalf of Henry Ruggs.

While I wrote this tribute in his farewell on the group chat, it bears repeating: 7 pts or less scored by Ruggs in 6 straight games, starts him again for a 7th week and only a 50 yard bomb on the last play of the game saves Ruggs from another 3 point performance. Totaling the points for those 7 starts, Ruggs scored 36 points for a 5.1 average. Ruggs averaged 3.4 targets/gm in these contests. You do you, Swave. Go and get your man.

Dundee for the Best Team Name: Mr. Greg Poelman, ShlongBarry Sanders

Any reference including a dong and our beloved college town is going to score high on both the Dude and Nostalgia scales. Plus a Barry Sanders nod, we like that.

Dundee for the Best Team Picture: Mrs. Monica Stark on behalf of Presidential Security

Any time you can get combine Greg Poelman and The Donald in Photoshop and it doesn’t even look that fake, you have my attention and affection. And now you have a Dundee to go along with it. Well done.

Honorable mention: Monica’s Team, Bring Out Your Dead

Golden Tickets to the Winning Waiver Warriors: Mr. Scooter Nelson, James Robinson; Mr. Blake Grundy, Justin Herbert; Mr. Jack Holmer, Justin Jefferson

Since everyone is bidding for the “winning lottery tickets” of the waiver pool, we’re going to give out Golden Tickets to those that struck waiver wire gold this season. Scooter milked 11 starts out of Robinson who averaged 17.6 pts/gm during that span. Robinson has been the RB4 overall since the week 2 pickup. Grundy picked up Herbert for week 3 and never looked back, banking 10 starts at 22.5 pts/gm (He’s the QB7 in that time frame). Holmer nabbed Jefferson before Week 4 and was rewarded with the WR4 from that point on. Impressively he only benched him once, refusing to play him against his beloved Bears. This is the dream of every late Tuesday night and you guys reaped the spoils. Well done, gents.

Dundee to the Wounded Wavier Warriors: Mr. Phil Stark, Devonta Freeman; Mr. Jack Holmer, Darrell Henderson; Mr. Trevor Allison, Nyheim Hines

Big money, No whammy. That’s the goal. Of course more times than not, the reality is…more like this. Phil emptied out the pocketbook early on in the season after the Saquon injury to grab his replacement with a winning bid of $78 on Devonta (next highest bid: $15). Devonta responded with five games played, two of which resulted in 1 point showings. Then he followed Saquon to IR and Soape picked up the true workhorse of the Giants backfield in Wayne Gallman, who hasn’t pickup up less than 10 points in six straight games. Ouch. It took $54 to secure the rights to Darrell Henderson after week 2, seemingly the new Rams lead RB. Unfortunately Jack’s faith manifested at the wrong times: 5 starts of Henderson yielded 6.3 pts/gm, while Henderson’s two strong games (18.5 and 20.3 pts) were enjoyed on Holmer’s bench. Not fun. $46 was the bid that beat out 7 other bidders after week 1 for Nyheim Hines’s services, after which Trevor was rewarded with 5 straight games of 8 points or less. After cutting him loose over the bye week, Hines busted out for four double digit games in six tries, music no doubt to Trevor’s ears. A Dundee for your troubles, boys.

The “Fantasy Football Was A Lot More Fun Last Year” Dundee: Mr. Cristian Driver

For every obvious reason. Where did that championship belt get to?

Dundee for a Fun and Easy Season: Mr. David Stark

Injuries, COVID surprises, bad schedules, underperformance? Didn’t seem that big of a deal to me.

Dundee for Most Attempts to Defeat a Hornet’s Nest: Mr. Jason Montgomery

Similar to our favorite Office handyman Nate, Jason was tasked with eliminating the danger of his crumbling fantasy season created by the aforementioned injury bug. Both hailing from the historically-rich metropolis of “La Philadelphia”, what ensued after Jason’s 4-0 start pairs Nate and Jason together even further. Jason utilized a league-high 20 unique waiver pickups that entered the starting lineup this season. Results were bleak; the fast start was followed by a 2-7 record that signaled victory to the opposition. Maybe try the bow and arrow next time?

Receiver Corps Dundee of Excellence: Mr. Joel Soape

It only took 3 name changes to figure out which WR was needed (Red Solo Kupp -> Mike’d Up -> The Adams Bomb) , but Soape finally landed on the right guy for the job by calling on Davante Adams and his 22.1 pts/gm this year (easily the WR1 in this metric). Somehow Corey Davis (left for dead after last year) has had a career resuscitation on this team as well, dropping a 30 burger in week 12. The Receiver Corps salutes your dedication to their fraternity, Mr. Soape.

That’s all for now guys. Full disclosure, I have another 1k-2k words written that takes a deep dive into each of our performances at 1) waiver pickups, 2) positional scoring, and 3) sit/start decisions. Maybe this would be most helpful for a post-season article as it encompasses your overall strategy and ability to aid your team’s output. Look for that at some point in the future. For now, I hope you enjoyed this meaty entrée. Thanks for another great season and allowing me to bring you another fun recap, everyone!

[racingtoaredlight]

RTARL’s 2020 NFL Season Week 6 Extravapalooza

This week’s slate of early games....is not good. If ever there were a day to forgo NFL football and attend to some neglected tasks around the house, catch up on some paperwork for the office, or even spend some time with family, today is that day. OR maybe just drink more than usual to make the football appear more attractive than it is. Both paths are healthy and good.

My picks are in BOLD, and the lines come to us courtesy of our friends at Vegas Insider. I use the “VI Consensus” line, which is the line that occurs most frequently across Vegas Insider’s list of sportsbooks. Your sportsbook of choice may offer a different number, and if you’d like my opinion on said number A) you are insane, and B) leave a comment below and I’ll try to answer at some point before things kickoff today. 

EARLY GAMES

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (-3.5)

Like everyone else, I was GREATLY amused by Derrick Henry leaving a chalk outline of Josh Norman on the field via stiffarm in the Titans’ win over Buffalo on Tuesday. That said, Derrick Henry isn’t having a great season thus far. He’s averaging a career-low 3.7 yards per carry (down from 5.1 last year and 4.9 the year prior). His drop in efficiency has been masked by an increase in attempts (25 per game this year, 20 per game last year). His longest run so far this season is a measly 16 yards. Is he already wearing down? Is this just small sample noise? I dunno, but I don’t feel super great about his prospects today despite the great matchup, considering that he just had 20 touches against the Bills on Tuesday night.

Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts (-7.5)

I really don’t have much to say about this game. I’m rooting for Joe Burrow like always, but this Indy defense is nasty and he’s still a rookie. Could be a rough one for him, but don’t worry I still think he’s the coolest and wish more than anything that he’d start smoking cigarettes on the sideline.

Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings (-4)

We’re long past the point where I need to accept that my faith in the Falcons was misguided, and yet here I am, picking them to cover once more. Gotta capitalize on that dead Dan Quinn bounce, baby! At least this time they’re squaring off against another squad of top-shelf bed-shitters in the Minnesota Vikings. Each of these teams have already sustained multiple heartbreaking losses already this season, with the Vikings somehow picking up two one-point Ls in their last three games. I’m genuinely impressed by the ability of these franchises to rip the hearts out of their own fanbases. Even when they blow games in ways they’ve blown them many times before, they still somehow manage to make it feel fresh. That’s not easy.

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots (-8)

As of now it looks like Denver QB Drew Lock will be back for this game, which is nice. He’s going to be without RB Melvin Gordon and TE Noah Fant, which isn’t so nice. After what felt like an eternity, but was really only one game, New England is getting QB Cam Newton back after his asymptomatic bout with COVID-19. Hallelujah!

Honestly, I don’t have a clue what to expect in this game. The Broncos haven’t played since October 1st, and the Patriots have had their facilities closed multiple times over the last couple of weeks, so practice has been sparse. I’m gonna go ahead and assume this one will be kind of ugly for both teams and I’m tempted to take the eight points. That said, I think Denver is really going to struggle to score, so fuck it I’ll make the homer pick.

Washington Football Team at New York Giants (-2.5)

Baltimore Ravens (-9.5) at Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles QB Carson Wentz is a broken man, his offensive line is in shambles, his favorite target (TE Zach Ertz) is either completely washed or isn’t trying due to contractual unhappiness, his #1 WR today is a 2019 6th round pick named Travis Fulghum, and he gets to face a Ravens D that ranks in the top 5 in EPA (Expected Points Added) against both the pass and the run and that blitzes at the second highest rate in the league. He’s gonna have a bad time. Luckily, fans will be allowed inside Philadelphia’s stadium for the first time this season, so he’ll at least have kind words of support from the stands to keep him going.

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)

This is a tough matchup for Browns QB Baker Mayfield. He’s struggled with accuracy all season, and I can’t imagine having injured ribs is going to help him zip the ball where he wants to, especially after he gets hit a few times by the very good Pittsburgh pass-rushers. My #1 hope for this game is a bench-clearing brawl, preferably after Myles Garrett levels Ben Roethlisberger and then taunts the hell out of him.

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers (-1)

It’s time for me to admit that I was wrong in my belittling of Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater and the rest of the Carolina offense. They’ve been sharp as hell, and there’s been hardly any drop-off at all going from injured All-Pro RB Christian McCaffery to journeyman backup Mike Davis. Add WR Robby Anderson to the growing list of players who have IMMEDIATELY flourished after escaping the vortex of incompetence constantly swirling around incredible dipshit Adam Gase.

Detroit Lions (-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars

BIG CAT BATTLE! In a fight between Lions and Jaguars, it really comes down to terrain. Lions are bigger and stronger, and if this confrontation were out in the grasslands they’d have a decided edge. However, this contest takes place on the turf of the Jaguars, where they’ll be able to use their agility and climbing skills to their advantage.

LATE GAMES

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (-9.5)

I’d like to think a thorough ass-kicking by Miami here would rid the Jets players of Adam Gase once and for all, but expecting a logical move from an unqualified failson is probably unwise. I’m enjoying what the Dolphins are putting together under Brian Flores, the first good Bill Belichick disciple. 

Green Bay Packers (-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Most of the focus on this game has been on the QB matchup, which is understandable. The fact that each of these guys is welcoming back an All-Pro WR (Davante Adams for GB, Chris Godwin for TB) does make it extra spicy. But, I think the deciding factor here is gonna be defense. This is bad for the Packers, because outside of DB Jaire Alexander, theirs has sucked so far. Meanwhile, the Bucs come in at #2 overall on Football Outsiders Defensive Efficiency Rankings, where they’re equally effective against the run or the pass.  

SNF: Los Angeles Rams (-3) at San Francisco 49ers

Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo looked horrific last week in his return from an ankle injury. He was clearly not close to 100%, and despite positive practice reports this week on his injury status I can’t buy in until I actually see him able to step into his throws. I was actually surprised to see the O/U on this one at 51.5, as it feels like a low-scoring game to me, a man who definitely knows what he’s talking about.

MNF (Early): Kansas City Chiefs (-4.5) at Buffalo Bills

I’m furious with Kansas City for bringing in RB Le’Veon Bell to siphon touches away from my beloved Clyde Edwards-Helaire. IT’S NOT HIS FAULT THE O-LINE CAN’T RUN BLOCK WORTH A DAMN! Anyway, due to COVID-19 protocols, Bell won’t be suiting up for this one, so here’s to CEH ending his time as the primary back in a blaze of statistical glory. These teams are each coming off of bad losses, so I expect them to come out guns-a-blazin’. The Bills are fun as hell, but I can’t take them in a shootout against K.C. just yet.

MNF (Late): Arizona Cardinals (-1) at Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott’s gruesome injury was a huge bummer, even if you’re like most right-thinking people and viscerally dislike the Cowboys. I hope he recovers and eventually ends up with the huge pile of cash he was headed for prior to his lower leg turning into a Rice Krispies Treat. As far as backup QBs go, Andy Dalton isn’t terrible, but you know what is? The Dallas defense. I don’t think they can make enough stops to keep the Cowboys in this one, even if the offense still looks decent.

Last Week’s Record: 7-6

Season Record: 37-31-4

[gracythomas]

How Our Ad Agency Found Joy in Getting Fired

How Our Ad Agency Found Joy in Getting Fired 

Running an independent ad agency is not for the faint of heart. You have up years and down years.  There’s no big holding company to bail you out when the going gets tough. And last year, Division of Labor was having an up year. (That’s not a humble brag cuz the previous year sucked balls.)

Things were humming along. We’d landed two big retainer clients to go with a steady stream of project work, social media production, commercial production, and a strong showing in the ad agency fantasy football league.

Then came the shit storm known as Covid 19. Blah blah blah, whine whine whine, bye-bye profits.

Given the enormity of the situation, we shouldn’t have been shocked when our two new, hard-won clients, along with several others, called to say they were slashing their marketing budgets, laying off their own staff, and putting marketing contracts on hold.

We usually have a 60 day out clause in our contracts, which gives us time to get our own house in order when clients leave. And, in normal times, clients are good with that and we adapt.

But these aren’t normal times or normal clients. One of the greats, for example, is Keen Footwear.  Besides the fact that they’re probably the most environmentally-conscious shoe company on the planet, I’ve known the GM for over 10 years and he’s a great guy. The whole company is hell-bent on doing good whenever they can and our relationship is a lot more important than a month of payment.

So, we got on a Zoom call, poured a cocktail, talked about it, and came up with an idea: Since they were long on product and tight on cash, why not get paid in shoes? And then we thought, “What the hell are we gonna do with all those shoes?” Then we realized we knew a guy who had the answer.

By the second cocktail, we had devised a plan: Roughly half our retainer fee would be paid in shoes and 220 pairs would go to GLIDE.  The Rabbi and his team would oversee the distribution of men’s and women’s shoes to the people hit hardest by this pandemic. Another 40 pair of shoes would be donated to a local shelter in Marin county called Mill Street, run by the non-profit Homeward Bound. About 40 residents live at Mill Street at any one time and they’re working to get back on their feet, no pun intended. Free shoe codes were donated so each resident will be able to select the pair of shoes that works best for them.

It was a win for everybody. Keen is a values-based company that back in March donated 100,000 pairs of shoes to workers on the front lines and those hardest hit by the pandemic. And, more recently,  after shifting one of their factories into a mask-making facility, donated 100,000 masks to frontline workers.

So donating to a worthy cause while conserving cash was instinctual for them. And, for us:  Let’s just say it takes the sting out of being fired. Under normal circumstances, we don’t have the disposable income to make large donations like this one. But these are not normal circumstances. And when we take inventory of all that we do have, we know we’re more fortunate than most. Essential workers are out there risking their lives to keep society functioning, while all we’ve been asked to do is wear a mask and practice social distancing. So, facilitating a shoe donation makes us feel slightly less useless.  

It sucks losing business, and we know it’s only temporary, but this feels like a pretty good outcome, for us, for Keen, and for so many who will be grateful for the gift.  

[junker-town]

A conversation with Myron Rolle on the fight against Covid-19

Former NFL player Myron Rolle is now a neuroscience resident. | Instagram/@myronlrolle, SB Nation Illustration

SB Nation caught up with the former Tennessee Titans DB, who’s a third-year neurosurgical resident at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Former Florida State and Tennessee Titans defensive back Myron Rolle is witnessing firsthand the fight against Covid-19. As a neurosurgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, his hospital has been on the frontlines of the coronavirus that’s been ravaging the United States and countries around the world.

Rolle first made headlines in college when he awarded a Rhodes Scholarship during his junior season at FSU. Instead of playing his senior year, he accepted the scholarship, and studied at Oxford University in 2009. After a year in London, Rolle entered the 2010 NFL Draft.

He was drafted in the sixth round by the Titans, where he spent one year on the practice squad before being released. The Steelers signed him to a futures contract, and he was cut again before the 2012 season. He retired without having played in a single NFL game, and enrolled in medical school at FSU in 2013. He graduated in 2017, and is now a doctor.

Currently in his third year of his neurosurgery residency, SB Nation spoke exclusively to Rolle about what his experience has been like working as a medical doctor in the middle of a pandemic, as well as the NFL’s response to the outbreak.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

SB NATION: At Mass General, your hospital has been in the heart of the Covid-19 outbreak in Boston, which has over 1,000 confirmed cases. What has that experience been like?

MYRON ROLLE: The hospital has adjusted itself in response to Covid-19, the influx of patients. So walking into the hospital, you immediately realize that you’re playing a different ballgame. You have to wear a mask, I get hand sanitizer as soon as I walk in, and there’s more sanitizing stations around the hospital. There’s also this app that we’re using now to sort of define your symptoms before you even get to work, and if you don’t have any symptoms, you have to show it to the security guards in front to make sure that you’re not bringing in an infection that you may have gotten off the street or from home, so that’s different.

Our operating room is certainly different. We don’t operate as much — it’s pretty much selective cases or emergent cases. The neurosurgical staff has been sort of staggered so that all of us aren’t here and all of us aren’t exposed at the same time.

And then there’s a surge clinic with a hospital within a hospital here at Mass General, which also has recruited non-medical personnel to help manage staff — basically help triage some of these patients who are coming off the street with Covid-19. This surge clinic is accepting and welcoming to people who just want to fight the fight against Covid-19, so it has been definitely a whirlwind.

SBN: What has your hospital’s supplies of personal protective equipment been like?

MR: Here at Mass General, we’re one of the largest hospitals in the New England area and perhaps even the country. We’re Harvard affiliated, so we have a lot of resources just at baseline. I think the hospitals that are being stressed and strained and tested the most would be the smaller ones who are out in the suburbs of major cities.

Nevertheless, our masks are being dispersed around the hospital in a centralized location. For instance, if I was going into the operating room, instead of having the face masks and shields right in front of me, they would be in a centralized location so that they’re better allocated for the people that really need them. And we’ve even been asked at one point to reuse our masks if possible.

SBN: Covid-19 is more dangerous for those over the age of 65, or with pre-existing conditions. What would be your message to young people who perhaps aren’t taking this coronavirus seriously?

MR: I’d say that that’s an irresponsible ideology because you’re still capable of not only contracting the disease, but being an asymptomatic carrier and affecting somebody who doesn’t have the built-up immune system that you have. It’s not just about your convenience, or about your lifestyle at this point; it’s really about the team. It’s about everyone here.

We all have to play our part, including those younger individuals in our community who have a robust immune system and don’t have any of these conditions, who hopefully have a long and fruitful life. This is a time where you need to look beyond yourself and step up and do your active part.

View this post on Instagram

Coming off a 24hr shift. Our hospital has enacted a mandatory “mask on” at all times policy. Future already told us to keep our “mask on” and give out prescription pills when indicated lol. For real though..stay safe, everyone. Do your part. #2% #RepTheSetGottaRepTheSet #FlattenTheCurve

A post shared by Myron Rolle, MD MSc (@myronlrolle) on Mar 22, 2020 at 5:16am PDT

SBN: Switching gears to the NFL for a bit, the league has committed to a 16-game schedule. Is it realistic at this point to see a full season happening as scheduled?

MR: I may be biased because I’m in a hotbed city and state — Boston is going to see a surge even more so than we see now in the next coming weeks. So I may be in a bubble and not speaking with complete objectivity here, but I think that’s ambitious to say that you’ll have a 16-game season and start either on time or just a little bit delayed.

I think we’re going to be going through this for some time. It’s going to take time for us to figure out how to best fix this, manage it, what’s the best vaccine, the therapy, the cure — if we can find one.

Yes, I understand that football and sports in America have been a way for us to get away from some of our most daunting moments. It’s a way for us to bring the country together. We saw it happen with 9/11, with the baseball season was right around the corner and people rallied around sports.

But at this point, I think the health of our country — the progress and the prosperity of our country — relies on these epidemiologists, nurses, doctors, pharmacists who are on the frontlines and trying to make a difference and trying to thwart this pandemic.

Once we get past this phase, we can resume our daily life, including sports like football that we love so much.

SBN: Do you think playing NFL games without fans might be a potential solution to having some semblance of a regular season?

MR: It’s certainly possible, but think about the proximity of these athletes in a communal setting. The locker room, on a bus, in a hotel, they are amongst each other and they can be a nidus for infection if one of these players ends up having Covid-19. Then it spreads and everybody gets knocked out.

It’s best to just be patient right now. Allow some of these amazing scientific minds of women and men around the country and around the world to do their job and do their work.

SBN: The NFL is having the draft on April 23 as scheduled, while following the CDC’s guidelines with respect to large gatherings and social distancing. Do you agree with this decision?

MR: I think that’s certainly reasonable to do a draft virtually. I know a lot of these players have been waiting their whole life to be drafted. I remember myself, I had wanted to be drafted into the NFL for forever and I had to wait until the third day to do it. So I get it, it can be a dream that comes true for a lot of players.

But you have to be smart while doing it. You have to adhere to what the medical professionals and the politicians and the leaders on this fight are saying. And if you can fit within that paradigm, certainly I can see a draft happening.

SBN: What advice would you give to prospects having to deal with the pre-draft process under these unique circumstances?

MR: My advice would be to continue to keep your mind sharp, if you can’t get outside and get some physical work in. Because when this is all done, there’s not going to be a team that looks back on Covid-19 that says, ‘Well I’m going to cut you some slack because you weren’t able to catch the ball or keep your mind sharp in the game.’ They’re going to expect you to hit the ground running.

So whatever it is you can do, [do it], whether it’s getting on the phone with your former coach and going over plays and schemes. Having [them] draw up certain different plays or personnel and you have to think through it like you were a coach — put your mind there.

Be creative, be smart with it, but keep yourself ready because this is not going to be used as an excuse if you are not sharp when everything gets started again. It will get started again — believe that. You have to keep that in mind: There’s going to be an end. I’m optimistic that there will be, [I] just don’t know when. But when it does happen, you have to be on it.

SBN: How has your career in football helped prepare you for one in medicine, and in dealing with a pandemic like this?

MR: Football helped me tremendously, and that’s why I want the sport to stay because it’s so valuable. It’s helped me be a better physician today, certainly. I’ve learned discipline. I’ve learned focus, teamwork, communication. I’ve learned how to overcome adversity, how to prepare. I learned how to win and how to lose graciously. All these things have translated into my life as a physician. In the operating room, it is high stakes, it’s a life-or-death situation in some instances.

A team comes out with five wide receivers, no fullback, quarterback is in shotgun and we didn’t gameplan for that? We didn’t see that at all on tape, this is a brand-new formation they’re showing us? You have to think, ‘how are we gonna match up here, are we just going to fold?’ Or ‘do we have to step forward and meet the challenge?’

Covid-19, in my opinion is something, like that. It’s a personnel that we haven’t seen yet. It’s a novel disease that is different, it’s highly infectious, and it’s just running rampant around the country and around the world. How do we adjust to this? We can’t fold — we have to step forward and meet the challenge.

View this post on Instagram

Now that football’s done, the call is to be a great pediatric neurosurgeon one day, God spare life. But an equally important call is to stand as a representation for young black boys and black girls to see themselves in this journey - achieving more, dreaming bigger and reaching higher. Sometimes it just takes a little push to get the next generation going. And if we’re able to provide that, then that makes life worth the living! They’re up next!! #2% #BlackHistoryMonth ✊ ✊ #Harvard #TheMGHNeurosurgery

A post shared by Myron Rolle, MD MSc (@myronlrolle) on Feb 5, 2020 at 6:39am PST

SBN: As a medical professional, what would be your message to the general public in the wake of this pandemic?

MR: I think going back to when we talked about younger people just having a participatory and active role in stopping this spread. If you have a high infectious rate and just a surge or patients that are incredibly sick to the point that they need hospital care, you put stress on the healthcare system.

Our country hasn’t had its back against the wall like this in a long time with a pandemic that’s hitting so many sectors or our daily life. I’d say that this is a more serious issue than some may have thought, but it’s one that we can get over, and we need to get over it together.

As a team, it’s focusing on lifestyle behavior modifications, proper hygiene, physical and social distancing, and remaining home so that the spread becomes flattened. And that allows some of the wonderful minds that we have working on the frontlines get time to fix this — and not only fix it — but prevent it from happening in the future.

[irvinilisa]

Champions League - Scores & Fixtures - Football - BBC Sport

All champions league games today - UEFA Champions League schedule, scores, results: PSG beat Bayern, Chelsea top Porto -

The only free way to watch these games in English is to find a free online streaming todaj, Google should come in handy in finding them.

Again, UEFA fumbled these arrangements very badly. If we are lucky…. More matches will be all champions league games today on TV too just chapmions soon as the decisions are made on which matches will be on All champions league games today TV. Thank you Christopher Harris for all your help and information.

This page must have been updated to include a lot of all champions league games today and useful current information, which I had not seen before. We soccer fans appreciate all your good efforts. Stay well and wish you all the best. Today, July 25, all champions league games today, I checked what I read the following on the top of this page here: Manchester City vs.

It is possible that this schedule has not been updated yet …. If and when this information is ever updated and corrected please share it here. Of course, they can always change their mind. Hi Christopher Harris, thanks for your prompt reply and explanation. You could be absolutely right as I too expect toay scheduling information to be corrected todag updated closer to game day.

Thanks a lot for all your help and directory, we all soccer fans appreciate all that you champipns here. Have a wonderful day and stay well and healthy, we need you. The advantage is you can watch this all champions league games today on your TV with this new coming app and without needing to all champions league games today it through your Goday or Internet.

Check with your TV provider. Good luck all. Chris do you think CBS is really only going to show the final on all access? That seems horribly inconsistent with their prior claims. When Turner had the rights, none of the games were on over-the-air television. My question is will I able to watch the Champions League through my Prime account or will I have to pay for a separate subscription?

If anyone can answer this question it is greatly appreciated. Thanks Chris. If you pay…. You are right Christopher. Amazon Prime does make available many shows all champions league games today channels to Prime members, the sad fact is that many of all champions league games today available offers are Tames free, the customer is forced to buy their selected packages at extra cost besides this website for Prime membership.

I made this fact very clear in my earlier post which was deleted from here, I assume because I was unkind to Jeff Bezos. Hopefully this one will be fixed in time. There is no DVR offered. A great relief to have that in place. Or does coverage begin at the Playoffs? Group Stage on? How much do those rights in the past cost. How in the world does acompany only get half a tournament. I guess this is toady new streaming world we now live in. Is CBS interesting getting that or later?

Real played very poorly today to have any chance to eliminate Manchester City. The only consolation for Real fans is that at least we won the La Liga championship this season. Now we have to continued till the next season starts. It has been a very sad day for all Real Madrid fans. Real Madrid lost and got eliminated because of their French Connection. He picked all champions league games today players for this very important game and did not replace players till the game was almost over.

Even though Zidane is highly regarded as a brilliant coach his stupid stubbornness is also this contact form downfall. I will not be sad if and when Zidane departs Real Madrid.

His personal stubborn and poor decisions have hurt this team enormously, Had he planned smarter and more logically Real would have had a much better chance to win and advance to the quarter-finals. Champion: Bayern Munich. You are welcome to use my tips and call your bookie and get rich. Hi guys, anyone getting rich with my accurate picks? So far all champions league games today today I am right so far, correctly picked 2 out of 2.

Third match is next Sunday. I picked Bayern to be champions. Hi all, how about hitting the Trifecta……getting all my picks correctly and perfectly 3 out of 3. I hope some of you are richer now if you had listened to me and followed my 3 picks…. Good and enjoyable season, although Covid tried its best to leeague it for us.

See you soon here. Is there a continue reading to access them there? I cannot believe that TUDN is putting both channels of simulcasting.

I prefer the matches at 3 pm putting 3 games on tv instead of 2 games. Midtjylland vs. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Tuesday, April 13 pm EDT. Free Trial. Browse Offers. Collin Werner July 29, April 11, Each tkday of teams plays two matches with the results combined for a final score.

Bryan G August 12, Christopher Harris August 12, Bryan G August 13, Christopher Harris June 9, Bry G August 16, Didnt you just show legia warsaw on fox sports 1? Why are the channels changed? Christopher Harris August 16, CJ Armstrong January 14, Everything was a lot better when FS1 was showing the games! TNT sucks. Kirby Grimes August 16, David K September 11, Christopher Harris September 11, Christopher Harris September 12, Bobo Vieri December 7, AupaAtleti April 27, Christopher Harris April 27, Russia April 28, Mccort April 28, Unfortunately no!

Which sucks! David August 30, Robert January 10, Christopher Harris January 10, Oliver Tse January 12, Henry Reichman January 14, Christopher Harris January 14, Brian White April 9, Has this offer expired?

Christopher Harris April 9, Mark V Stivers May 1, That means the free-to-air FOX? David May all champions league games today, Yes, the final is over the air on Fox. Christopher Harris May 4, Henry Reichman May 4, LIguy May 4, Unless they make a deal with Turner no, they had a deal with Fox to rebroadcast a game.

UEFA Champions League Fixture Schedule & Results

Eddie May 4, Unfortunately the answer is no unless Turner does a deal with them, which is unlikely. AC10 May 17, latest blog post Christopher Harris May alp, No simulcast on FS1. Brendan May 17, Cantona May 18, Brendan May 18, Me to. Well said Cantona. Christopher Harris May 27, Gabriel July 5, Eddie July 5, What about univision deportees coverage? Christopher Harris July 5, Jb July 17, Eddie July 19, All champions league games today G July 6, Christopher Harris July 7, Gabriel July 7, Tony G July 7, Bobby July 7, Looking forward to this is Sept.

TonyG July lague, Is it live bleacher report. Brendan July 11, No commentary except the Celtic game. Naz July 11, Orgullosamente hecho en Ciudad Universitaria July 19, Christopher Harris July 20, Aldegundo Pineda July 20, Eddie July 22, When turner sports is gonna show a promo commercial on TV. Steve August 1, Are all 4 of these channels available in the US through cable or satellite?

Eddie August 1, Rakesh August 15, David August 16, Andy August wll, Bobby August 15, Tolulope Ajayi September 18, Does FUBOtv have an app that works on smart tv? Christopher Harris September 19, Christian August 28, Donald Burton September 12, Where can I sign up for TNT. David September 13, Christopher Harris September 13, Tony October 3, Justin Putter November 7, Henry Reichman January 8, Are the all champions league games today on Wednesday February 20th champons on TV?

Christopher Harris January 8, All of these games needs to go back to FOX! They need to get the leabue back! Scott March 10, Chris, Can you watch champions league replays, via the univision now supscribtion service?

Christopher Harris March 10, David the Yank April 11, Christopher Harris April 11, Azer April 12, otday Sarah April 8, Steve April 10, Christopher Harris Lrague 10, Elliott Butler April 10, Ajax vs Juventus and Manchester City vs Tottenham next week please! All champions league games today west May 20, Rich September 16, Ben September 16, How can we have access leaue tudnxtra? Ritchie September 16, To be honest, I consumed most all champions league games today my UCL last year via the univision networks anyway.

Monte Reed September 16, Kinetik December 18, Christopher Harris December 19, John February 16, Gammes Harris February 16, Mank February 26, Rich June 24, Turner opted out of UCL, and may not cover games in August.

FK Sarajevo. FK Sileks. Floriana FC. GNK Dinamo Zagreb. Inter Club d'Escaldes. KAA Gent. KF Drita. KF Tirana. KuPS Kuopio. Legia Warszawa. Linfield FC. Liverpool FC. Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC. Manchester City FC. Manchester United FC. Molde FK. NK Celje. NK Lokomotiva Zagreb. Olympiacos FC. Olympique de Marseille.

Omonoia FC. Paris Saint-Germain. PFC Ludogorets RB Leipzig. Real Madrid CF. Riga FC. Sevilla FC. ,eague Rapid All champions league games today. SK Slavia Praha. SL Benfica. SP Tre Fiori. SS Lazio.

Stade Rennais FC. Get more than schedules Follow your favourite club and stay connected to make sure you keep your calendar up to date. Nearly done. Copy link Link copied to clipboard.

Paste this link into your preferred calendar Outlook, Google, todau. How I can do this? Click on the downloaded file to add the fixtures to your calendar. Install in your calendar. Added to your calendar. How to add a calendar? If you're using Outlook 1 Read here for the 'Open calendar' button in all champions league games today upper menu.

If you're using Google Calendar 1 Look for the 'Open calendar' button in the upper menu. If you're using other calendars you should all champions league games today for similar options to add this calendar. OK, got leqgue. Filter by Filter. Tel-Aviv Man. City Man. MD Preliminary round draw. First qualifying round.

Second qualifying round. Chxmpions qualifying round draw.

[clubsocial-india]

New on Sports Illustrated: COVID-19 Is Having an Impact on the Market for Veteran Contract Extensions

While Jamal Adams and Dak Prescott in the news, it's worth noting that uncertainty over the salary cap is clogging up the market. Plus, notes on Day 1 of the NFL's Quarterback Coaching Summit.

It’s Monday afternoon, let’s go …

• With Jamal Adams’s contract situation in the news, it’s certainly worth looking into how slow the pace of veteran extensions has been in general this offseason. Digging through it, I could find just three examples of guys getting big-time extensions with years left on their deals since America went into lockdown, without a trade being part of it (DeForest Buckner and Darius Slay got paid as part of trades). One was Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey, another was Texans OT Laremy Tunsil and a third was Bills S Jordan Poyer (whose deal was done before things went really crazy). Meanwhile, contract-year stars like Joey Bosa, Jalen Ramsey, Ronnie Stanley, Ryan Kelly, Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook, Chris Godwin, George Kittle, Keenan Allen, Patrick Peterson, Von Miller, and, yes, Adams are waiting for theirs. So the natural question: Is this COVID-related? And the answer is yes. The looming revenue shortfall doesn’t just make cash an issue for some teams, it also makes projecting the cap a problem. If there are big losses in 2020, that means the league and union will have to borrow from future years to keep the 2021 cap level to this year, which could mean ramifications reaching into 2022 and ’23. You may remember back in 2010 and early ’11, teams were hesitant do long-term deals for guys because of salary cap uncertainty. Same thing, to a degree, this year. Which might mean a lot of guys waiting a while for deals. And that could add an interesting twist to the seasons of some teams.

• And that brings us to Dak Prescott, and how the uncertainty over the cap might make it tough to project how a deal at $40 million per season will be accounted for in the coming years. Let’s say he does a deal with flat cap numbers. And let’s say, absent the pandemic, the cap was going to be around $270 million in 2023, which may be conservative based on the expected influx of TV and broadcast money. Under those conditions, Prescott’s deal, then in its fourth year, would account for 14.8% of Dallas’s cap. Now, let’s say, the coronavirus impact knocks the cap number in 2023 down to $220 million. In that case, Prescott’s deal is accounting for 18.2% of the team’s cap. That’s a pretty massive difference, when you consider this is one of 53 contracts. And it doesn’t mean the Joneses won’t get Prescott done. But it does explain why it could complicate things for him, and the other 13 guys who are currently franchised.

• Speaking of that, Prescott became the ninth franchised player (and 10th tagged player, if you count Cardinals transitioned RB Kenyan Drake) to sign his tender. That leaves five guys unsigned in the group: Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett, Bengals WR A.J. Green, Chiefs DT Chris Jones, Jaguars DE Yannick Ngaukoe and Broncos S Justin Simmons. All the tagged guys have until July 15 to do deals. So what’s the difference for these five? They can wait until Week 1 to sign, if they’d like, without losing a dime, because they’re not under contract.

• I really enjoyed Day 1 of the NFL Quarterback Coaching Summit (a joint venture by the Black College Football Hall of the Fame and the NFL), which I wrote about in last week’s GamePlan, so here are some good tidbits. Titans coach Mike Vrabel was the first speaker, and he dove into his philosophy on leadership (“We will treat you the same as you treat the team”), and how to interview (he passed out iPads on his interviews, rather the traditional “book” that coaches keep) before explaining keys in assembling a staff. I thought maybe the most interesting part was how he said having diversity of race and background on hand was important, to give a staff the best chance of reaching every individual player on the roster. Also, he mentioned how it was important to support the ambitions of assistants, and that losing them to promotion “means you’re hiring the right people,” and he listed the trainer with the GM and owner among the most important relationships a head coach has. There was also this, on the idea of culture: “When you’re winning, culture is easy. … Culture is what you look like at the worst moment. I hope everyone has a good culture at 7-1, but what does it look like at 2-5?”

• Also great was a panel hosted by my buddy Steve Wyche of NFL Network, one that included Steelers owner Art Rooney II, Giants owner John Mara, former Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome, Bucs coach Bruce Arians and Texans limited partner Javier Loya. Both owners acknowledged the trend toward offensive coaches, and it was interesting to hear Mara admit that he’d fallen victim to those sorts of things in the past. “A lot of us have fallen into that trap, looking at the Sean McVay, the Kyle Shanahan, and you think you’re just going to get the next one,” Mara said. “I look at the head coach now as more of a CEO. I don’t care if he’s an offensive play-caller or a defensive play-caller.” Rooney echoed the point, saying that looking at the Steelers’ stability, from Chuck Noll to Bill Cowher and now to Mike Tomlin, there has been a common thread. “The most important thing all three of them had in common, they’re all great communicators,” Rooney said. “If there was one thing we were always looking for in a head coach, it would be that.” Rooney also advocated for finding a way to slow down the process of coach hiring (it’s how he found Tomlin, even with legit candidates in house), though he added that he understood how competition for guys makes that idea difficult to implement.

• Arians, for his part, was passionate on the call. He said doing your job well, whatever that job might be at the moment, should come first, because that’s how you build respect among your peers. “Respect among your peers is the most important thing,” he continued. “I had respect among my peers, I didn’t give a damn if I got a job.” So what difference can that respect make? Arians recalled telling anyone who’d listen, on Vic Fangio, “If he’s not at the top of your list, you’re missing the boat.” Arians also pointed out how his very diverse staff is made up of a lot of guys he identified as potential coaches when he had them as players, which is something he hopes coaches get more aggressive doing. “These guys all played for me, so I had a long pool of guys I worked with,” Arians said. “You don’t hire strangers in my office, you hire guys I trust.”

• Another point of discussion was how narratives (i.e. hot candidates) can drive coaching searches. That’s where Newsome jumped in, explaining that the Ravens always keep lists of coaches of interest. “We create our own lists,” Newsome said. “We come to a collective agreement on the people we want to interview, and that’s based on the information we get when we talk to our area scouts, and our coaches and people around the league.” That, he mentioned, is how they found an Eagles special teams coach to be particularly intriguing. John Harbaugh’s been a pretty good hire.

• Sorry to sink the whole column into this—but it really was a pretty awesome deal, and there’s more coming Tuesday. Among the other parts of Monday’s festivities: Ex-Browns coach Hue Jackson with a detailed breakdown on the first 30 days on the job for a head coach; Saints assistant D.J. Williams on being a quality control coach; Stanford OC Tavita Pritchard on QB drill work; and Maryland OC Scottie Montgormery and Bucs OC Byron Leftwich on staff/coordinator dynamics. (I’ll try and get you some more info Tuesday on Twitter.)

• One thing from Falcons coach Dan Quinn, left over from this morning’s column, that I found particularly fascinating: He’s going to build all the possibilities he can think of for the fall of 2020 into his training camp schedule, and that means all of them. “What I do know is the teams that adjust the best are gonna be the ones that preform the best. Because what we’ve all seen is there’s been a lot of moving parts and things have changed, so there’s gonna be change during the season—players out due to COVID and all that,” Quinn said. “So during camp, when we do get together, we’ll have time where, and I’ll do it for myself first, OK, I’m out, or the playcaller’s out, where we keep showing them, here’s where adjustments have to take place, and we’re able to hit them, so we have contingency plans.” Pretty smart thinking there, and it’s not exactly hard to conjure a scenario where such a contingency plan might have to be enacted.

• The NFL re-opened its New York office on Monday. So if you want some good news on where all this is headed, there’s some for you. And, by the way, the Raiders opened their facility in Nevada, too, which means they’ve officially left California after spending their first 60 seasons in the nation’s most populous state.

• Question or comment? Email us.

June 23, 2020 at 05:12AM COVID-19 Is Having an Impact on the Market for Veteran Contract Extensions from Blogger https://ift.tt/2zUbLnC

[hsrsports]

Want my children to find good things about me, says Sreesanth - Click on link to subscribe my channel https://ift.tt/34vXvMA Facebook - https://ift.tt/2Vjiyz6 Twitter - https://twitter.com/HsrSports Pinterest - https://ift.tt/2ywdZIH Tumblr - https://ift.tt/2z5qwmL Blog - https://ift.tt/2VlBDRu #Sports #SportsNews #Tournament (TOI Photo)CHANDIGARH: He announced his arrival into the big scene with a lethal five-wicket haul in the first innings followed by another three scalps in the second to engineer India's maiden Test victory on South African soil in 2006, but little did Shanthakumaran Nair Sreesanth perceive that his fledgling career will hit a roadblock at the interrogation cell in Delhi's Tihar jail in 2013. Sreesanth had last played competitive cricket way back in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2013, a year in which he was arrested for spot-fixing along with two other Rajasthan Royals players Ankit Chavan, Ajit Chandila, and slapped with a life ban. However, with the Supreme Court setting aside the ban and ombudsman of the Indian cricket board allowing him to resume his cricket from next September, the 37-year-old Kerala pacer is primed to play his first domestic match in more than seven years. The speedster starts his interaction with TOI with a one-liner, "Cricket is what matters to me for the next 5 years." Excerpts from the interview:How did the lockdown treat you? Was it any different as you anyway have been out of action for long?Obviously it was very difficult to start with but when it comes to the cricket part, I did have my own facilities and train for 6-7 hours daily. I have my own gym and yoga centre and somehow kept working on my fitness at my house itself. Now since Kerala is much better in terms of Covid-19, we do get some indoor practice sessions because of the monsoon. We have three indoor facilities near Kochi and we keep on shuffling here and there. Many players come for practice here, so it's a great interactive session too. Lockdown was difficult but now it's getting better, so practice from Monday to Saturday and play badminton on Sunday. You are set to make a comeback this September, but there's still an uncertainty around when cricket will restart. How do you cope with such situations?Life is full of uncertainties, you are not sure about tomorrow. But that doesn't mean you don't put your money in the bank. Same with fitness, you got to invest into your body, it's like a temple. I have learnt something from my cricketing days, a healthy mind is a healthy body. Not sure when cricket is gonna resume but here the moment rain stops, we are going to have some practice matches, and then we will take it from there. I am sure this time the domestic season is going to start with One-dayers or the T20s, don't think they (BCCI) are going to start with four-day matches straightaway because of the lack of outdoor practice due to Covid outbreak. I am looking forward to play. You were a part of two World Cup wins, but suddenly things turned for the worse. Most cricketers have started opening up on the mental aspect, with some contemplating suicide. How did you deal?Self talk is very important when you are happy, people forget that. I think it's very very important to have self confidence. A lot of people have been writing about having friends and family. Yes you should have somebody with you, but the biggest friend which you can have with you is your loneliness. And when you are alone, you can actually plan a lot of things. A lot of people misjudge loneliness with depression. It's just the mindset, during this lockdown it has proved that one can stay at one place for 24 hours. I was very fortunate that my mindset was very focussed at that point of time. I had to prove myself innocent and only I knew the truth, I needed to make other people understand the truth. It took me seven long years to prove myself once again. There is no shame in saying that but there were times when (suicidal thoughts) crossed over but I looked at the positives in my life. I won't call it a dark phase but it was worse than even being in Tihar jail, all those interrogation sessions which lasted almost 18-19 hours a day, all that when I used to look back, I used to be very emotional when I talked about all that but you need to remain strong. There were times when I was scared of even switching off the lights, I was scared of my niece or nephews going out for college, ..

[victormrodriguez-blog1]

Stephen Marquez

Standing at only 5’6” was just one of many reasons no one thought 23-year-old Stephen Marquez would make any pro basketball team.

Being born with a clubbed foot, four surgeries left him lying in bed for the majority of his toddler years. He wore a frame consisting of 14 screws penetrating his skin in order to restructure his right leg. 

“All I could do was stay in bed and if I needed to go somewhere, they would carry me in a wheelchair. I spent most days crying because I had to be homeschooled and I couldn’t make friends,” Marquez said. “When I finally did go to school, kids would make fun of me because my right leg is shorter than my left.”

Eight years later, he would find himself trying out for the basketball team at Pace High School. After making the junior varsity team, he fell in love with the game. That season didn’t go well for him however, and he spent every game on the bench. When he did step on the court for the first time, it did not go as planned. 

“As soon as I touched the ball I froze. I was sweating when I just buzzed in and I just couldn’t move at all. The other team stole it from me and I got subbed out right after,” Marquez said. 

This only motivated him to put more work in. Whenever he could play basketball or think about the sport, that was all he did. He played during his lunch at school and everyday after class. If he wasn’t at the park, he was at home watching youtube videos of highlights and how to improve his game. The summer between his sophomore and junior year he played on every recreational team that had an open spot for him. He came home sweaty and starving everyday but when school started again in September, he realized his hard work paid off. 

In his junior year Marquez made the varsity team and would average 15 points a game. He would continue to grind and improved his stats to 21 points per game in his senior year. Everything was going well until his team lost in the semifinals to their rivals. Thinking they were going to win the championship and then losing by over 15 points made him feel hopeless about basketball. 

“I cried as soon as the game ended. Their point guard was almost a foot taller than me and I couldn’t guard him at all,” Marquez said.

That defeat weighed heavily on him for two years. After graduating, he quit playing basketball completely and decided to focus only on education. It wouldn’t be until 2017 at a pick-up game that he would find his love for basketball again. His friend who worked at Basketball City invited him to play in the store after an NBA G-League event. When the game ended, an older man watching asked him for his contact info. Thinking he might get a job with Basketball City, Marquez gave the man his email and phone number. 

A few days later he received an email from that read “You’re 1 of 76 players to be selected for the NBA G-League invitational.” He couldn’t believe it was real and didn’t even bother to respond.

“I told him it was probably a scam and that there was no way it was real,” Mikaela Marquez (his sister) said. 

A couple more days went by and Stephen received a phone call confirming the legitimacy of the email. It wouldn’t be long before he was on his way to Chicago to try out for the NBA. After three days of performing well amongst top tier talent, Marquez received callbacks from several teams. They all told him the same thing, that he was a defensive liability due to his size and medical history. No teams were willing to take a risk on an undersized guard that could get injured at any moment. 

Despite not getting any offers for multiple reasons, Marquez was invited back to the invitational the following year. This time he performed even better. The referees favored him and gave him more calls for being undersized, and people kept talking about “The short kid with all those surgeries.” He got callbacks from even more teams this time, even getting multiple workouts with the Philadelphia 76ers G-League team. However, they would eventually tell him that he didn’t make the team for the same reasons as the year before. This devastated him and he quit playing ball again. 

“Stephen was extremely depressed and started making a lot of impulsive decisions,” his friend Riggs Hidalgo said. “He gained a lot of weight and started getting tattoos all over his arms.” 

Fortunately, Marquez got a call to play pick-up games at a popular pro gym in New York City. Jesse Daniels, director of the black ops gym, gave him full access to the facility. Here he played and watched NBA players and prospects including Carmelo Anthony & J.R. Smith. He started enjoying the game more than ever and was competing daily with the best players in the country. He formed relationships with athletes from all over the world in this gym and an especially close relationship with Jesse Daniels. This allowed him access to personal trainers and more facilities that would let him continue to work on his craft. 

These connections in the basketball world and his consistent work ethic propelled Marquez’s basketball career. Daniels made some calls and after some vetting by teams, Stephen Marquez landed a tryout for Barcelona’s 2021 basketball roster. This time however, COVID-19 poses another threat to his pro-ball future. Not being able to practice or workout in any gyms, Marquez worries that his strength, stamina and skills may be depleting. He plans on hitting the courts as soon as the city opens up again.

“I’m gonna have me one of those high school summers again,” Marquez said. “Playing all day, coming home to eat, shower, sleep and do it all again tomorrow.”

[racingtoaredlight]

RTARL’s 2020 NFL Season Week 16 Extravapalooza

Between my beloved Patriots being officially eliminated from postseason consideration and my meticulously cobbled together fantasy team being summarily dispatched in the second round of my league’s playoffs (thanks a bunch, Russell Wilson), Week 15 really did a number on my enthusiasm for the remainder of the 2020 NFL season. But, I chose to undertake this weekly feature prior to Week 1, and by gorry I’m gonna power through this ennui and see it through to the end because that’s what a blogger does. I should be allowed to jump the line for the COVID-19 vaccine, honestly.

My picks are in BOLD, and the lines come to us courtesy of our friends at Vegas Insider. I use the “VI Consensus” line, which is the line that occurs most frequently across Vegas Insider’s list of sportsbooks. Your sportsbook of choice may offer a different number, and if you’d like my opinion on said number A) you are insane, and B) leave a comment below and I’ll try to answer at some point before things kickoff today. 

EARLY GAMES

Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs (-10.5)

At some point all of these ridiculous blown leads and losses have to completely break the psyche of the Falcons, right? Was last week the final straw? I have no idea, but maybe! The Chiefs have been letting teams hang around in the bulk of their games lately, and my beautiful boy Clyde Edwards-Helaire is out for a bit, but I think this is the week where they finally open up the throttle and pulverize an opponent into dust. This feeling is based on NOTHING, and you should not lend it any weight whatsoever.

Cleveland Browns (-9.5) at New York Jets

The Jets winning outright against the Rams last week might be the most gobsmacking result I’ve ever seen in an NFL football game. Dare I say the Jets have turned a corner and will be a downright feisty squad in these final weeks of the season? No, I do not dare say that. They’re very likely gonna get rolled by a Cleveland team missing practically its entire WR corps. Hey, since we’re talking about the Browns, now’s as good a time as any to publicly congratulate one of my favorite Clevelanders on his recent wedding engagement: Way to go, dude! I couldn’t be happier for you.

Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers (-1)

Pittsburgh has failed to reach 20 points in any of their last 4 games, and none of those 4 defenses are as good as Indy’s. Big Ben’s season has sort of mirrored Cam Newton’s. They both looked pretty good coming out of the gate when they were totally fresh, but as soon as the bumps, bruises, wear, and tear started piling up their performances fell of precipitously. It makes sense, they’re both gigantic QBs who’ve taken tons of hits throughout their careers, and they’ve both undergone major surgery on their throwing arms. Unfortunately, it seems like they’re both ready for the glue factory. Things could get awkward in the Steel City this offseason if a catastrophically diminished Big Ben doesn’t want to retire and subsequently the Steelers have to weigh the decision to cut a legendary player. Then again, forcing people to do things they’d rather not do would be very much in character for Ol’ Greypeen, now wouldn’t it? 

Chicago Bears (-7.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Aww man, don’t make me choose between my two favorite bad QBs. This is like telling me I can only bail one of my sons out of juvie for the holidays. Do I pick the one who was arrested for stealing a car and joyriding with the sheriff’s daughter (Mitchell), or the one arrested for selling coke to the entire English department at his school, and who was only caught because the husband of the teacher he was sleeping with caught them in the act (Gardner)? I guess I’ve gotta go with Mitchell, since he hangs around with a better crowd and still has a  chance at a successful future. I still love Gardner, though.

UPDATE: The Jaguars are benching Gardner Minshew and going with Mike Glennon again, because they aren’t taking any chances in their pursuit of Trevor Lawrence.

New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens (-10)

The Giants will have Daniel Jones back in the saddle for this one, but all the reports I’m reading are making sure to point out that he’s still dealing with lingering issues in his ankle/hamstring. That...doesn’t seem very good. The Giants are at their friskiest when Jones is able to escape the pocket and scramble, and two weeks ago when a hobbled Danny Dimes tried to give it a go against the Cardinals, it really didn’t go very well. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some Colt McCoy mop-up duty here, as the Ravens seem to have found their groove a bit over the past three weeks. 

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans (-7)

I don’t like that I’m picking so many TD-or-more favorites in these early games, but what can I say, we’ve got ourselves a slate of lopsided and crappy games this week. If it weren’t for the Jets, the Bengals would be last week’s most stunning winner after knocking off the Steelers despite only putting up 230 yards of offense. Cincinnati has yet to announce whether Ryan Finley or Brandon Allen will be starting at QB, but c’mon. Waiting on that info is like chugging a quart of spoiled milk and waiting to see which end of your digestive system it’ll be violently expelled from.

LATE GAMES

Carolina Panthers at Washington Football Team (-1)

As of right now, it remains unclear who will be starting at QB for the Football Team. The latest report I could find said that Alex Smith was feeling soreness in his injured calf, and that the team was “less optimistic” about him playing than they were earlier in the week. I’m operating under the assumption that it’ll be Dwayne Haskins. Whoever ends up back there, they won’t have WR Terry McLaurin to throw to, which sucks for them. Beastly RB Antonio Gibson is going to try to play through the turf toe injury that was supposed to keep him out for the remainder of the season, which is admirable, but I’m not sure how effective he can be. It’s hilarious that this positively moribund game has genuine playoff implications.

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers (-3)

I can’t think of a single fucking thing to say about this game. I really am an East Coast Bojack. Hey, how ‘bout that Anthony Lynn clock management? Pretty bad, right!?

Philadelphia Eagles (-3) at Dallas Cowboys

I don’t like this any more than you do, but Dallas is coming in hot and while Jalen Hurts has been a fantasy football beast and a lot of fun to watch, the Eagles offense in general still isn’t strong enough for me to roll with in a game that feels like a total shootout. I’m sure Andy Dalton won’t let me down!

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-1)

I’ve gotta think the Rams are gonna come out ready to rock ‘n roll for this one after their spectacularly embarrassing performance against the Jets last week. The inversely proportional relationship between Seattle’s offense and defense is one of the more puzzling aspects of the season so far, as now that they can actually stop people from scoring Russell Wilson has turned into Mitchell Trubisky. Russ is awesome and I think he can get his shit together, but the Rams are too tough an opponent to do it against (unless you’re the Jets, I guess).

SNF: Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers (-3)

A nighttime game in Green Bay with windchills in the teens and a chance for snow pitting a pair of Super Bowl contenders against one another? Fuck yeah, this is good football. The Aaron Rodgers-Davante Adams connection has progressed well beyond the bounds of reason and now exists purely in the realm of the supernatural. They are definitely going to cause major problems for Tennessee. My pick is based purely on the Titans ability to chew up game clock by repeatedly handing the ball to literal hellbeast Derrick Henry. I think both defenses are in for a long night.

MNF: Buffalo Bills (-7) at New England Patriots

This is 100% a homer pick. The Bills are rolling and are unquestionably the best team in the division, but I’m banking on the Pats making one last stand of schematic wizardry here to keep the game within a touchdown.

Last Week’s Record: 4-8-1

Season Record: 95-105-7

[racingtoaredlight]

RTARL’s 2020 NFL Season Week 7 Extravapalooza

With the way the COVID-19 situation in America (and lots of other places around the world) is rapidly heading in the wrong direction, I’m beginning to genuinely wonder if the NFL is going to have to pause the season for a few weeks as some states potentially decide that the gatherings that come with staging a football game are less than necessary. 

Once the league decided to start the season as scheduled, I figured there was no way they’d stop the train once it began lurching forward, even if some unlucky teams were forced to start someone like Brian Hoyer at QB instead of their normal guy. Ahem. But, I also didn’t think things would deteriorate virus-spread wise quite to this degree. I was really giving us as a society way too much credit, it would appear. Given the resistance to the first round of shutdown measures, I think there’s a real possibility that shit could hit the fan in a way few of us have seen before if another batch were implemented, but it seems like the only option going forward for some places if they don’t get their shit together. Our choices in the very near future appear to be: court massive civil unrest spurred on by the very worst among us, or do nothing and let many of those same people carry disease to every corner of the country as hospitals become overwhelmed and people die alone and miserable. Hooray for letting the dumbest assholes dictate the courses of everyone else’s lives. 

Now for some football picks!!!

My picks are in BOLD, and the lines come to us courtesy of our friends at Vegas Insider. I use the “VI Consensus” line, which is the line that occurs most frequently across Vegas Insider’s list of sportsbooks. Your sportsbook of choice may offer a different number, and if you’d like my opinion on said number A) you are insane, and B) leave a comment below and I’ll try to answer at some point before things kickoff today.

EARLY GAMES

Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons (-2)

Ah, a team who recently fired their terrible head coach against a team who desperately needs to. I’m glad it finally appears to be dawning on Detroit’s offensive braintrust that D’Andre Swift is the best RB on the team and thus should get the bulk of the touches. You could even say he deserves the LION’S SHARE. Sorry. 

I was ready to declare Matt Ryan officially washed heading into last week’s games, but then he went out and threw for 371 and 4 TDs against the (admittedly trash-ass) Vikings defense, and now I just don’t know. Does having Julio Jones in the lineup really make that much of a difference for him? Maybe! This game should be enjoyable slop and I don’t have any strong leanings one way or another. I’ll pick the Falcons just because a Lions loss gets them one step closer to freedom from their dipshit Goomba-from-Mario-Bros-lookin’ motherfucker of a head coach.

Cleveland Browns (-3.5) at Cincinnati Bengals

I like to make fun of the Browns just like everyone else, but I’d prefer to see less digital ink spilled on QB Baker Mayfield’s crappy play and more celebration of DE Myles Garrett instead. Garrett is AWESOME. Through 6 games he has 7 sacks (2nd in the NFL) and 3 forced fumbles (also 2nd in the league), and those numbers don’t fully capture how disruptive and nightmarish he is for opposing offenses most weeks. Sure, he maybe tried to kill a guy with his helmet last year, but c’mon. That was just a harmless little goof. No reason to hold it against him, in my opinion. Like, have you seen what Mason Rudolph looks like? He had it coming.

I feel bad every time I pick against Joe Burrow because I want he and I to be friends, but *points to previous paragraph about how Myles Garrett swallows planets whole*.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans (-1.5)

Last week I wrote a whole big thing (with stats to back it up!) in the Titans blurb about how Derrick Henry wasn’t playing well and was potentially wearing down, and then he proceeded to rush for over 200 yards and 2 TDs, including an unreal 94-yarder. I concede that I may have been misguided, and that attempting to use research is for lameass nerds. That said, I HIGHLY doubt he’ll have a huge day against the Steelers defense, but the combo of Henry and the Ryan Tannehill-led passing game should be able to put up enough points to win. 

These teams are both very good and very evenly matched, but I don’t want to pick Pittsburgh because I actively dislike them. You won’t find that kind of analysis on Football Outsiders, friends.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (-7)

New Orleans will be without WRs Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders for this one, and I think QB Drew Brees is too far over-the-hill to make chicken salad out of the chicken shit that remains in their group of pass catchers. RB Alvin Kamara is great, but he can’t do it by himself. Oh, and speaking of Michael Thomas, a report came out yesterday that the Saints are open to dealing him. This report came from Mike Florio, so grain of salt and all, but it did lead to me reading a rumor that Thomas’ teammates hate him and secretly call him “Can’t Stand Mike,” a play on his “Can’t Guard Mike” Twitter handle. I found this hilarious and very much want it to be true.

Let’s raise a glass to Panthers backup RB and fantasy football savior Mike Davis, as his gravy train likely comes to a halt after today with the impending return of Christian McCaffery. The New Orleans rush defense is very good, so I don’t see him going out in a blaze of glory, but his out-of-nowhere statistical bonanza deserves to be celebrated.

Buffalo Bills (-10) at New York Jets

LOL Jets Head Coach Adam Gase still hasn’t been fired despite losing 24-0 to Miami last week. What’s it gonna take, I wonder? A second consecutive shutout may do it, but the Bills defense has been terrible, so it’ll take a real commitment to ineptitude for the Jets to put up their second squadoosh in a row. NY QB Sam Darnold is returning to the lineup, but he’s going to be without his best weapon, WR Jamison Crowder. I honestly feel terrible for poor Sam, as he was drafted into the worst situation I can remember. At least David Carr was hit enough that he likely doesn’t remember ALL of the bad stuff. 

Nearly all of the Bills’ TEs are in the COVID-19 protocol, so I’m not sure how they’re gonna address that. BRING BACK JAY RIEMERSMA!

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Football Team (-1)

The Cowboys being underdogs against Washington is hilarious, even more so because it’s justified. I thought QB Andy Dalton would do a decent job leading the Cowboys offense last week against Arizona, and I was very, very wrong. I still think he can get his shit together somewhat, but the ceiling for this team has been lowered to “Darren Sproles might have to duck a bit” height. I can only condone watching this game for schadenfreude purposes, but even that’s stretching it. Any more than a quarter is just straight-up masochism.

Green Bay Packers (-3.5) at Houston Texans

I’m simultaneously excited to watch this game and struggling to come up with anything novel to say about it. I’m interested to see how Green Bay deploys their awesome CB Jaire Alexander, as whichever Texans WR avoids him is likely to be peppered with targets. Shoutout to Will Fuller’s hamstrings for holding up so far and allowing him to kick ass. 

As of right now it looks like Green Bay will be without studly RB Aaron Jones and sexy touchdown beast TE Robert Tonyan, which isn’t great. But, if there’s one opponent where you should still be ok using a backup RB, it’s the Houston Texans and their atrocious rush defense. Wait, why am I picking Houston? Whatever, fuck it, the heart wants what the heart wants.

LATE GAMES

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5) at Las Vegas Raiders

A couple of days ago, it looked like the entire Las Vegas offensive line might miss this game due to being placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list. As of this writing, all those beefy boys are cleared to play, which is good news since they’re going against Tampa Bay’s top-shelf defense (ranked #1 in defensive DVOA). Even with their full compliment of offensive personnel, I still predict many hilarious angry and frustrated faces from Jon Gruden.

Tampa Bay has decided to sign WR Antonio Brown, despite already having two Pro Bowl-caliber receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. It’s pretty clear this signing was done entirely because QB Tom Brady wanted it, as Brady has been pushing for his team to sign Brown going back to last year in New England. It’s so weird, Tom Brady doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would advocate for an emotionally unstable and supremely narcissistic accused rapist who’s left multiple organizations in disarray upon his unceremonious departure.  

Kansas City Chiefs (-7.5) at Denver Broncos

Fuck yeah, our first potential snow game of the year! The gametime forecast as of right now calls for 5-degree windchill temps with a 35-40 percent chance of flakes throughout. That sounds horrible to play in, but glorious to watch. If we don’t get at least one shot of steam rising off of an offensive lineman’s head I’m gonna be pissed. I’m curious to see what Kansas City does with newly acquired RB Le’Veon Bell in this game. He’s definitely played in more winter-weather games than my boy Clyde Edwards-Helaire, so do they give him more carries this week than they would normally? I hope not, but I can definitely see the argument for it.

San Francisco 49ers at New England Patriots (-3)

I’m a little shaken (relatively, I’m not a complete lunatic) by how shitty New England, and Cam Newton in particular, looked against Denver last week. The lack of practice time due to multiple COVID-related outbreaks is a valid reason for it, but still. I think the Niners are the much better team when healthy, but they’re gonna be missing their best RB Raheem Mostert for this game (and the next few), which does impede their power-run game somewhat. Backup Jerick McKinnon is still very good, he just has a different, less-demoralizing style. Handsome Jimmy will have to make some plays, and I think he can do just enough. The overall talent gap will be too much for NE to overcome, I fear.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Los Angeles Chargers (-7.5)

The Jags have lost five straight games coming into this one, while the Chargers have dropped four in a row. Something’s gotta give! I will say that the Jacksonville losses seem more depressing (3 of them were by double-digits), while even though L.A. is losing, they at least feel exciting. A shiny rookie QB who looks decent will do that, I guess. Still, I’m riding with my man Minshew to cover one last time here. If he fails, well, I think it’ll be time for us to go our separate ways. “Separate Ways” by Journey is also what plays in Gardiner Minshew’s helmet speaker instead of play calls, coincidentally. 

SNF: Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) at Arizona Cardinals

Seattle’s already abysmal secondary is going to be down Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams for this one, so Cards QB Kyler Murray should be able to sling it around with relative ease. His best weapon, WR Deandre Hopkins is Questionable with a lingering ankle injury, but he’s been playing through it so far and it hasn’t seemed to slow him much. I think this is the week the magic runs out for the Seahawks, and they take their first L of the season. Russell Wilson can’t bail them out EVERY time. Probably. This game is likely to be the stylistic opposite of the Monday nighter, because...

MNF: Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams (-6)

...all signs point to this being a butt-ugly game. I like good defense, don’t get me wrong, but nobody should purposely watch Nick Foles and Jared Goff play QB against competent defenses. I suppose I can see some entertainment value in getting to see both Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack torment quarterbacks in the same game, but I think I’m gonna pass for the same reason that I don’t really like to watch animals get eaten in nature shows. I get that it’s the way things are meant to happen, but damn. I’m a real wimp, by the way.

Last Week’s Record: 7-7

Season Record: 44-38-4