#tom Sibley

[cleowho]

“And now...”

The Pirate Planet - season 16 - 1978

[stokesy55]

How many cricketers does it take to find a cricket ball?

Three apparently 😂😂😂

[stuff-diary]

45 Years

Movies watched in 2024

45 Years (2015, UK)

Director & Writer: Andrew Haigh (based on a short story by David Constantine)

Mini-review:

45 Years is yet another gem from Andrew Haigh. It's quiet and low-key, but surprisingly intense. In a way, it almost moves like a psychological thriller, slowly giving you the pieces so that you can form a mental picture of what's going on. There's this sense of foreboding and tension that builds along the way, keeping you hooked from beginning to the end. But the main reason why it works so well is the stunning performances by Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay; their work is so nuanced and real. Anyway, with this movie, Haigh keeps climbing my favorite directors list.

[ssjlaflare]

Target finds

[byneddiedingo]

Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years (Andrew Haigh, 2015) Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay, Geraldine James, Dolly Wells, David Sibley. Screenplay: Andrew Haigh, based on a story by David Constantine. Cinematography: Lol Crawley.  Even in the longest marriages, couples still have something they can never share: those years before they met. Old failures, old loves, old sorrows are locked in the minds of each partner. This is the stuff of which stories are made, perhaps most brilliantly in James Joyce's story "The Dead." Fiction has ways of dealing with the emotional tension imposed on the present by a past that movies can't quite evoke except, conventionally, by flashbacks. Fortunately, Andrew Haigh doesn't do anything so conventional in 45 Years, his adaptation of the story "In Another Country" by David Constantine. Instead, he trusts his actors to carry the burden, revealing in the cinematic present the effects of the unshown past. Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and Geoff (Tom Courtenay) are about to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary with a big party they had originally planned, we learn, for their 40th anniversary. It had to be postponed when Geoff went in the hospital for a coronary bypass. As they sit at the kitchen table a few days before the party, discussing the music they want played -- Geoff thinks it would be "kind of naff," i.e., corny, to play the Platters' "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," which they danced to at their wedding -- he opens a letter he has received from Switzerland. The body of a woman he traveled with, more than 50 years ago, has been found preserved in glacial ice. He's intrigued and disturbed by the discovery, including the fact that she would still look the way she did in her 20s, whereas he is old and gray. Geoff has never told Kate much about Katya and her death, so as the days go by and he continues to be obsessed by the news, she begins to pry information out of him and eventually makes her own discovery: that when she fell to her death Katya was pregnant. Haigh's determined restraint as a storyteller shines here. We never hear the truth spoken by any of the characters -- Kate doesn't confront Geoff with what she learns -- but only witness Kate as, looking through Geoff's things in the attic, she finds a cache of old slides. As she projects them on a sheet, we see what she sees: Katya with a contented look as she places her hand on her protruding belly. Because we know that Kate and Geoff are childless, this revelation has an even greater emotional impact. The tension between husband and wife grows, born of Kate's inquisitiveness and Geoff's reluctance to open himself up, but voices are scarcely raised. Fortunately, Rampling and Courtenay are more than equal to the task of showing how this half-century-old secret affects their lives. That we remember the catlike young Rampling, with her ice-blue eyes and wide sensuous mouth, and the weedy, angry young man that Courtenay often played also helps us contemplate the passage of time as we project those images onto the aging actors on the screen. Haigh ends on a masterstroke: Although Kate and Geoff have seemingly come to terms with the past, and he gives a speech at the party proclaiming his love for her, she has overruled his criticism and chosen "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" for their lead-off dance. And as the Jerome Kern-Otto Harbach song ends, we realize along with Kate, left alone on the dance floor, that she has chosen a song about lost love to celebrate their anniversary.

[cecilpetra]

イット テイクス スリー トゥー タンゴ (2枚组)

イット テイクス スリー トゥー タンゴ (2枚组) スタジオ： Staxus 時間： 240分 女優： Beno Eker David Sky Edward Enzo Gabriel Jaro Stone Joel Tamir John CHerry Kris Blent Lucas Drake Martinn Noah Matous Ray Mannix Roman Shane Tom Nutt Tony Xavier Sibley 2DVD Set! With a running time of over 4 hours, this collection of the most fabulous threesomes we've ever seen from the Staxus boys is a definite must-have for all porn collectors out there! The cast list is a who-is-who of famous gay twink stars, and there's more than plenty of to enjoy with e ***********************************

【DVD・ストリーミング エロ動画　オアシス】 https://dvd-oasis.com/ ストリーミング・ダウンロード・DVD ストリーミング・ダウンロード・DVD お好きな方法でご覧ください ***********************************

[ameritt]

Sunday in Rochester I visited The George Eastman Museum and grounds. It was fun seeing Sibley's and McCurdy's hat boxes which reminded me of Grandma Babe. I also stopped by the Upper and Lower Falls and the Memorial Art Museum, where there were Tom Otterness and Wendell Castle sculptures outside.

[ulrichgebert]

Beim Ballett ist doch nicht alles so schön. Neid, Mißgunst und finanzielle Kompromisse bestimmen das Tagesgeschäft, die Zeit ist so kurz, und die Leute kommen nicht wegen des Könnens der Tänzer, sondern nur, weil sie in engen Hosen und ohne Hemd gut aussehen. Besonders dieser russische Junge, der Tanz bei der männlichen amerikanischen Jugend wieder salonfähig machen wird. Im Gegensatz zu den gängigen Clichés sind alle Ballettänzer heteresexuell. Obwohl wir spontan gesagt hätten, Shirley MacLaine tanzt besser als Anne Bancroft, hat es letztere zur großen Primaballerina geschafft, während Shirl alles für eine Familie aufgab, und nie sicher sein konnte, ob sie es auch geschafft hätte. Nun steht Anne am Ende ihrer Karriere, und Shirls Töchterlein wird der neue große Star, und beide sind neidisch aufeinander, und wir versinken in einem Meer von Tränen. Marcia und Richard kommen kurz aus Stuttgart vorbei.

[mea4ka]

She walked among vipers and none would bite her.

[spn11x17]

sam is for the girls with religious trauma and that’s just how it is.

sylvia plath// 1x20// 4x21// phoebe bridgers// akwaeke emezi// snail mail// 3x08// 5x16// anne sexton// 4x21// john sibley williams// 2x13// 11x07// tom waits// 5x14// julien baker// 11x02// kate cayley// 4x18// the 1975// jensen mcrae// 15x12

[scenesandscreens]

45 Years (2015) Director - Andrew Haigh, Cinematography - Lol Crawley "It's funny how you forget the things in life that make you happy."

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

An Open Letter Denouncing the [RACIST] Attacks on Justice Clarence Thomas

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2022/07/13/an_open_letter_denouncing_the_attacks_on_justice_clarence_thomas_147879.html?mc_cid=e37b2b8113

An Open Letter Denouncing the Attacks on Justice Clarence Thomas

By Glenn Loury & Robert Woodson Sr.

July 13, 2022

White progressives do not have the moral authority to excommunicate a black man from his race because they disagree with him.

And those – regardless of background – who join in the charade or remain silent are guilty of enabling this abuse.

We, the undersigned, condemn the barrage of racist, vicious, and ugly personal attacks that we are witnessing on Clarence Thomas – a sitting Supreme Court justice. Whether it is calling him a racist slur, an “Uncle Tom” or questioning his “blackness” over his jurisprudence, the disparagement of this man, of his faith and of his character, is abominable.

Regardless of where one stands on Justice Thomas’ personal or legal opinions, he is among the pantheon of black trailblazers throughout American history and is a model of integrity, scholarship, steadfastness, resilience, and commitment to the Constitution of the United States of America. For three decades Justice Thomas has served as a model for our children. He has long been honored and celebrated by black people in this country and his attackers do not speak for the majority of blacks.

He is entirely undeserving of the vitriol directed at him. Character assassination has become too convenient a tool for eviscerating those who dare dissent from the prevailing agenda, especially when it is a black man who is dissenting.

This is not about the content of the court’s decisions or Justice Thomas’ personal views; some of the undersigned agree with his judicial decisions and some do not. We speak out – as black people and Americans – to condemn these attacks and support Justice Thomas, because to remain silent would be to implicitly endorse these poisonous schemes as well as his destruction.

Sincerely,

Glenn Loury

Professor of Economics

Brown University

Providence, RI

Robert Woodson Sr.

Founder and President

The Woodson Center

Washington, DC

Charles Love, Executive Director, Seeking Educational Excellence, New York, NY

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford, CA

W. Barclay Allen, Havre de Grace, MD

Christopher Arps, Co-founder, Move-On-Up.org, St. Louis, MO

Dr. Lisa Babbage, Babbage America, Suwanee, GA

Leon Benjamin, Pastor, Life Harvest Church, Richmond, VA

Claston Bernard , Olympian, Author, Former Congressional Candidate, Gonzales, LA

Shamike Bethea, Fredrick Douglass Foundation of NC, Fayetteville, NC

Harold A. Black, Emeritus Professor University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Kenneth Blackwell, Chairman, Conservative Action Project, OH

Tony Blount, Member / Coalition of Concerned Freedmen, New York, NY

Jordan R. Bolds ,New York, NY

Robert Bracy, President/Pinnacle Business Management, New York, NY

David Brooks, Former Rich Township IL Republican Committeeman, Indianapolis, IN

Janice Rogers Brown, Gardnerville, NV

John Sibley Butler, Austin, TX

Don Carey, City Councilman, Chesapeake, VA

Tess Chakkalakal, Associate Professor, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME

Jeff Charles, Podcaster, Writer, Political Commentator, Jacksonville, FL

Gabrielle Clark, Houston, TX

Adam B. Coleman, Founder of Wrong Speak Publishing, Piscataway, NJ

Melanie Collette, Host, Money Talk with Melanie Cape May Court House, NJ

Ward Connerly, President of the American Civil Rights Institute, Coeur d'Alene, ID

D. Daniels, GA

Kira A. Davis, Deputy Managing Editor, RedState, Ladera Ranch, CA

Rod Dorilás, GOP Candidate, Florida 22nd Congressional District, West Palm Beach, FL

Patricia Rae Easley, Black Excellence Media, Chicago, IL

Larry Elder, President of Elder for America PAC, Los Angeles, CA

Rev. Joe Ellison Jr., City Chaplain Ministries, Richmond, VA

Melvin Everson, Former State Rep, Snellville, GA

Nique Fajors, St. Louis, MO

Yaya J. Fanusie, Chief Strategist, Cryptocurrency AML Strategies, Columbia, MD

George Farrell, Chair of BlakPac,Washington, DC

Chavis Jennings, Highland, IN

Casey Felin, ThatGirlCasey Media, Philadelphia, PA

LaTasha H. Fields, Team Illinois, Chicago, IL

Marie Fischer, JEXIT, Baltimore, MD

Kali Fontanilla, Founder of Exodus Institute, Sarasota, FL

Roland Fryer, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Edwin A. Fynn, Merrillville, IN

Verlon Galloway, Gary, IN

Dr. Derryck Green, Sacramento, CA

Kermit E. Hairston, Stone Mountain, GA

Christopher Harris, Executive Director of Unhyphenated America, Fairfax County, VA

Clarence Henderson, President Frederick Douglass Foundation of N. Carolina, High Point, NC

Ismael Hernandez, Founder/President/Freedom & Virtue Institute, Fort Myers, FL

Curtis Hill, Former Indiana Attorney General, Elkhart, IN

Deidre Hulett, Gary, IN

Daniel Idfresne, 18-Year-Old Political Commentator, New York City, NY

Niger Innis, Chairman, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Las Vegas, NV

Kevin Jackson, Founder/The Kevin Jackson Network, Gilbert, AZ

Nikki Johnson, MD, Cleveland, OH

Leonydus Johnson, Host of Informed Dissent, Oak Hill, OH

Diante Johnson, President, Black Conservative Federation, Arlington, VA

Christopher Jones, Pastor, Atlanta, GA

Seneca Jones, Dallas, TX

Khansa Jones-Muhammad, Los Angeles, CA

Dr. Alveda King, Concerned Citizen, Atlanta, GA

Lisa Kinnemore, Stone Mountain, GA

Garry Kinnemore, Stone Mountain, GA

Matthew P. Kreutz, Frederick Douglass Foundation of New York, Medina, NY

Chaplain Ayesha Kreutz, Frederick Douglass Foundation of New York, Medina, NY 

Princess Kuevor, Columbus, OH

Michael Lancaster, Frederick Douglass Foundation, Stone Mountain, GA

Mitchell Lomax, Ellicott City, MD

Pamela Denise Long, Nat'l Coordinator, Coalition of Concerned Freedmen, St. Louis, MO

Barrington D. Martin II, Atlanta, GA

Linda Matthews, Frederick Douglass Foundation Ohio, Cincinnati, OH

Kevin McGary, Co-Founder Every Black Life Matters (EBLM), Dallas, TX

John McWhorter, New York, NY

Shemeka Michelle, Author, Durham, NC

Cashmere Miller, Atlanta, GA

Montrail Miller, FDF, GA

Lucas E. Morel, Professor of Politics, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA

Brian Mullins, Black Community Collaborative, Chicago, IL

Scherie Murray, Director, Unite the Fight PAC, Laurelton, NY

Dr. Lorenzo Neal, New Bethel AME Church, Jackson, MS

Dean Nelson, Frederick Douglass Foundation, Washington, DC

Morris W. O'Kelly, On-air personality, KFI AM640/iHeartRadio, Los Angeles, CA

Tim Parrish, Founder, Right Appeal PAC, Woodbridge, VA

Lonnie Poindexter, LionChasersNetwork.org, Washington, DC

Jon Ponder, Chief Executive Officer, Hope For Prisoners, Las Vegas, NV

Wilfred Reilly, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY

Deon Richmond, Studio City, CA

Donique Rolle, Educator, Orlando, FL

Ian V. Rowe, Senior Visiting Fellow, The Woodson Center, New York, NY

Sheryl R. Sellaway, Founder, Righteous PR Agency, Johns Creek, GA

Erec Smith, Assoc. Professor of Rhetoric/Co-founder Free Black Thought, York, PA

Dr. Felicity Joy Solomon, Shorewood, IL

Delano Squires, Contributor, Blaze Media, Washington, DC

Rebekah Star, New York, NY

Dr. Carol M. Swain, Be the People News, Nashville, TN

David Sypher Jr., Political Strategist, Rahway, NJ

Dr. Linda Lee Tarver, President, Tarver Consulting, Lansing, MI

Greg Thomas, Stratford, CT

Roderick Threats, Black Patriot Media Group, Palm Beach, FL

Jimmy Lee Tillman II, Founder/President, Martin Luther King Republicans, Chicago, IL

Stephanie W. Trussell, Republican Candidate for LTG Illinois, Lisle, IL

Jesse C. Turner, Senior Pastor, The Historic Elm Grove Baptist Church, Pine Bluff, AR

Bettye H. Tyler, Marvellous Works, Inc., Jackson, MS

Helen Tyner, Parents for a Better Englewood, Chicago, IL

Dr. Eric M. Wallace, Freedom's Journal Institute, Flossmoor, IL

Marcus Watkins, Michigan Republican Assembly, Romulus, MI

Curtis Watkins, Uplift & Restore Community Development Corp., Michigan City, IN

Cindy Werner, State Ambassador, Frederick Douglass Foundation-WI, Milwaukee, WI

Devon Westhill, President/General Counsel, Center for Equal Opportunity, Washington, DC

Jason Whitlock, Host of Fearless with Jason Whitlock, Nashville, TN

Christopher Wilson, Indianapolis, IN

Kuna Winding, Chicago, IL

Corrine Winding, Chicago, IL

Aryca Woodson, Communications Consultant, IN

John Wood Jr., Opinion Columnist, USA Today, Los Angeles, CA

Michael E. Wooten, Former Administrator, Federal Procurement Policy, Woodbridge, VA

Glenn Loury is professor of economics at Brown University.

Robert Woodson Sr. is founder and president of The Woodson Center.

Craig Shirley: Donations To Reagan Library Will Trickle Down After Liz Cheney Speech, "The Debates Are Over"

Occam's Razor (the simplest explanation is usually correct) would say that Cheney saw the GOP departing from everything she represents and did her best to poison every Republican Institution she can touch before she's driven out into the wilderness.

FNC's Peter Doocy To White House: Does The President Think It Is Appropriate To Protest Outside A Supreme Court Justice's Home?

So the Biden Administration thinks it's OK to shadow these Justices, or any other public figure, from location to location to disrupt their lives and possibly expose them to threats. You have a right to peacefully protest but their are restrictions on time, place, and manner...and one of those is a restriction (a law against!) on protesting outside the homes of Justices. So, the Administration is approving and tacitly encouraging illegal behavior. The only reason to protest outside the homes of these Justices is to intimidate them; it certainly isn't aimed at persuading fellow Americans on the issue.

Zelensky: "The End Of The World Has Arrived" I'm Embarrassed This Is Happening In The 21st Century

Some may remember the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 60s. Castro was in power in Cuba and the Russians began bringing nuclear missiles into Cuba. JFK was President of the USA at the time. A nuclear was was barely averted and Russia took their missiles home, but exacted some concessions from Kennedy, one of which was pulling our missile capability out of Turkey. At the end of the Cold War promises were made to Russia that NATO would not expand into the Russian sphere of influence. That promise has been broken many times. Havana Cuba is a bit further from Washington, D.C., than Kiev is from Moscow. Biden signed a paper in Nov 2021 that invited Ukraine to join NATO. See " The Two Blunders That Caused the Ukraine War" in the March 4th WSJ. One might ask why Biden opened the door for Ukraine to join NATO? Did he think that Russia would do nothing with the prospect of being squeezed by another NATO country? Or did Biden want Russia to attack the Ukraine to take the heat off the dismal prospects of the mid-term elections?

Recall, Remove & Replace Every Last Soros Prosecutor | RealClearPolitic

Recall is not feasible particularly since many states do not have recall. But voters should pay more attention to these DA, AG, and prosecutor races. Republicans adopted a from the ground up strategy to win state legislator races and it was a spectacular success. Democrats, with Soros money are trying to do the same thing with DA races. Republicans should engage them and voters should pay more attention or we will end up with more non prosecution of crimes and release without bail.

Tucker Carlson: Arrest Of Bannon And Navarro Is A Huge Escalation In Democratic Party's Weaponization Of DOJ

The whole premise of the J6 witch hunt is that an insurrection to over-throw the US gov't was planned. Mind you, this was planned without a single weapon to be used, and relied on the police abandoning post, and the Capitol doors to somehow be opened from the inside. Once inside these "insurrectionists" took selfies. This narrative is so dead.

[tentrcb]

England vs New Zealand, 2nd Test 2021 Announcement.

England vs New Zealand, 2nd Test 2021

Series: New Zealand tour of England, 2021 

Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham 

Date:  Jun 10-Jun 14, 

Time: 11:00 AM LOCAL

England Squad: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root(c), Ollie Pope, Daniel Lawrence, James Bracey(w), Craig Overton, Olly Stone, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Sam Billings, Jack Leach, Haseeb Hameed, Dominic Bess

Predicted plying XI: Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (c), Ollie Pope, Dan Lawrence, James Bracey (wk), Craig Overton/Jack Leach, Olly Stone, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

 New Zealand Squad: Tom Latham(c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling(w), Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Doug Bracewell, Trent Boult, Jacob Duffy, Ajaz Patel, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Rachin Ravindra

Predicted plying XI:Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling, Colin De Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Neil Wagner, Ajaz Patel, Trent Boult

 England vs New Zealand, 2nd Test 2021

who will win the match and get summary updates to click here.

[battingonjakku]

A guide to the 18 counties and why you should/shouldn’t support each one (version 2.0)

Hello! It’s been a couple of years since I did this original guide, so I thought it was time for an updated version as after all, a lot has happened since then. 

All the confirmed overseas players I’ve found have been included, the most significant Kolpaks (not all though, because there are many), and the most recent England/Ireland/Scotland players as well…and then some just to look out for.

Without further ado then, here is a relatively comprehensive guide to choosing your county for the year ahead…

Derbyshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Logan van Beek, Kane Richardson (T20), Ravi Rampaul

England/Ireland/Scotland: Mark Watt

England prospects: Matt Critchley, Hamidullah Qadri

Why you should support them: Who doesn’t love an underdog? Quite a bit of young talent around, including in Hamidullah Qadri the first county cricketer born in the 21st century (welp)

Why you shouldn’t support them: They always seem to fly under the radar, and I still haven’t met a Derbyshire supporter (please reveal yourselves if you are out there!)

Durham

Overseas & Kolpak: Cameron Bancroft, D’Arcy Short (T20)

England/Ireland/Scotland: Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Stuart Poynter

England prospects: Josh Coughlin, Matty Potts

Why you should support them: One of the leading producers of England players over the years, and who have suffered a lot at the hands of the ECB. Who doesn’t have a soft spot for Durham?

Why you shouldn’t support them: It’s been a tough few years due to off-field circumstances, and a lot of their top players have left in the process. Likely to struggle again.

Essex

Overseas & Kolpak: Peter Siddle, Adam Zampa (T20), Mohammad Amir (T20), Simon Harmer, Cameron Delport, Matt Quinn

England/Ireland/Scotland: Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Ravi Bopara

England prospects: Jamie Porter, Daniel Lawrence, Nick Browne, Sam Cook

Why you should support them:  The place to get your Alastair Cook fix post-England retirement. They’re also a lovely bunch of lads, and with their unexpected 2017 CC win have become one of the division’s leading teams.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Have a notable Kolpak contingent, and are just one of those teams for whom when things go wrong, it happens spectacularly.

Glamorgan

Overseas & Kolpak: Shaun Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, Colin Ingram, Marchant de Lange

England/Ireland/Scotland: Ruaidhri Smith, Timm van der Gugten (well, Netherlands)

England prospects: Prem Sisodiya

Why you should support them: Flying the flag for Wales as the only county not based in England, and another underdog to root for as well. A decent pace bowling attack that should see them improve on last year.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Continually struggling, last year coming bottom of the County Championship and with no trophies in a long time.

Gloucestershire

Overseas & Kolpak: Michael Klinger (T20), Dan Worrall  

England/Ireland/Scotland:  Adrian Neill

England prospects: Ryan Higgins, Ben Charlesworth

Why you should support them: A team with an exceptional history in short-form cricket, and though they tend to be underdogs nowadays, can still prove themselves worth more than the sum of their parts.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Have tended to stay mid-table in Division Two over the past few years without making huge strides forward. Though known for limited overs success, form can be variable.     

Hampshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Aiden Markram, Kyle Abbott, Fidel Edwards, Rilee Rossouw

England/Ireland/Scotland: Liam Dawson, Mason Crane, James Vince

England prospects: Sam Northeast, James Fuller, Aneurin Donald

Why you should support them: Often strong performers in the shortest forms, winning the one day cup last year and having been regulars at T20 finals day in the last decade.

Why you shouldn’t support them:  Tend to scrape their Division One safety in the CC every year, so prepare for the stress. Also one of the counties people love to hate, thanks in part to high profile Kolpak signings and the attitude of their chairman.

Kent

Overseas & Kolpak: Matt Renshaw, Adam Milne (T20), Mohammed Nabi (T20), Heino Kuhn

England/Ireland/Scotland: Joe Denly, Sam Billings

England prospects: Daniel Bell-Drummond, Zak Crawley  

Why you should support them: A steadily improving county in all formats, reaching the one day final and being promoted from the CC last year. Soon to be 43, the evergreen Darren Stevens is also worthy of a mention here too.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Another team with a notable Kolpak contingent in addition to those above. A team with little experience of the first division as well, so who will be facing a challenge.

Lancashire

Overseas & Kolpak: Joe Burns, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner (T20), Dane Vilas

England/Ireland/Scotland: James Anderson, Jos Buttler, Haseeb Hameed, Keaton Jennings, Liam Livingstone

England prospects: Saqib Mahmood, Alex Davies, Matthew Parkinson

Why you should support them:  With a strong squad it would be a surprise not to see them promoted this year, especially with the bowling attack that managed to pick up the most bonus points last year. It also looks like they’ve final gotten rid of that god-awful green kit, too.

Why you shouldn’t support them: It’s Lancashire, what more is there to say? (I had to get a dig in here somewhere, didn’t I?)

Leicestershire:

Overseas & Kolpak: Mohammed Abbas, Colin Ackermann, Mark Cosgrove

England prospects: Will Davis

Why you should support them:  Just lovely, and definitely improving as a team after many years at the bottom of the pack. Always developing young, talented players. The only ground I’ve been to where I’ve been offered a bag of Sweets Or Weed. 

Why you shouldn’t support them: Well known for their top players leaving, and another big exodus took place at the end of the season. Supporting them can be painful, too.

Middlesex

Overseas & Kolpak: Mujeeb Ur Rahman (T20), AB de Villiers (T20), Ross Taylor

England/Ireland/Scotland: Eoin Morgan, Steven Finn, Toby Roland-Jones, Tim Murtagh, Paul Stirling, Sam Robson

England prospects: Nick Gubbins, Ethan Bamber, Tom Barber, Tom Helm, Max Holden

Why you should support them: A squad with a lot of English and Irish talent and hot prospects who will be striving for promotion this year. And there’s the Lord’s factor, because where better to watch cricket?

Why you shouldn’t support them: Have underperformed in the two years following their CC win, and it’s best not to even mention the shorter forms. 

Northamptonshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Temba Bavuma, Faheem Ashraf (T20), Jason Holder, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Levi

England/Ireland/Scotland: Kyle Coetzer

England prospects: Ben Curran

Why you should support them: A team without big resources who have become one of the more successful T20 teams in the country. Also, I love Temba Bavuma in general and just want that stated here.

Why you shouldn’t support them: That T20 success that made them famous went spectacularly downhill last year, finishing well adrift at the bottom of the group. Have lost important players since, too.

Nottinghamshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Dan Christian (T20), James Pattinson

England/Ireland/Scotland: Stuart Broad, Jake Ball, Alex Hales, Ben Duckett

England prospects: Joe Clarke, Zak Chappell, Matthew Carter, Tom Moores, Ben Slater

Why you should support them: A team with a lot of England talent from the past, present, and likely the future. Have strengthened their squad a lot over the winter and will be looking to challenge on all fronts.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Not too popular for buying a lot of their talent, particularly with their winter recruitment. Have also underperformed in the longer format despite a strong squad.

Somerset

Overseas & Kolpak: Azhar Ali, Jerome Taylor (T20)

England/Ireland/Scotland: Jack Leach, Dom Bess, Craig Overton, Josh Davey

England prospects: Jamie Overton, George Bartlett

Why you should support them: A well-liked county, by everyone really apart from the ECB. Also the home of Marcus Trescothick, making centuries into his forties, and probably the best place in the country for spin bowling.

Why you shouldn’t support them: It always ends in pain, doesn’t it? A great track record for finishing high among the runners up, but not getting over the line, which has also returned among the last couple of seasons.

Surrey

Overseas & Kolpak: Aaron Finch, Dean Elgar, Morne Morkel

England/Ireland/Scotland: Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Ollie Pope, Rory Burns, Liam Plunkett, Ben Foakes, Jason Roy, Mark Stoneman 

England prospects: Amar Virdi, Will Jacks, Conor McKerr

Why you should support them: England players a plenty, with many coming through the academy system at the moment. The reigning champions of the CC and the favourites to win again, and should compete in the other formats.

Why you shouldn’t support them: One of the definitive love-to-hate counties among the 18, and another who like Notts are regularly called out on their spending.

Sussex

Overseas & Kolpak: Rashid Khan (T20), Mir Hamza, David Wiese, Stiaan van Zyl

England/Ireland/Scotland: Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills

England prospects: Jofra Archer, George Garton, Delray Rawlins

Why you should support them: An up-and-coming team, coached by the wonderful Jason Gillespie. Particularly exciting fast-bowling stocks, and last year’s T20 runners up who will want to go one better. Also, Luke Wright.  

Why you shouldn’t support them: For whatever reason, they tend to be bad at 50 over cricket, so probably not the team to root for if you’re after that Lord’s final.

Warwickshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Jeetan Patel, Ashton Agar (T20)

England/Ireland/Scotland: Chris Woakes, Olly Stone, Ian Bell

England prospects: Will Rhodes, Ed Pollock, Sam Hain, Henry Brookes, Dom Sibley     

Why you should support them: A likeable team, as they would be with Chris Woakes and Ian Bell. After a few years with an aging squad, now have quite a few young players who have either come through or been given a second chance from elsewhere.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Though they’ve bounced straight back from division two, they really crashed out during their relegation season so their return to the top flight might be a learning curve.

Worcestershire

Overseas & Kolpak: Callum Ferguson, Martin Guptil (T20), Wayne Parnell

England/Ireland/Scotland: Moeen Ali

England prospects: Pat Brown, Josh Tongue, Dillon Pennington

Why you should support them: A team with a lot of strong homegrown young talent, who won the nation’s hearts on their way to their T20 Blast win in 2018. Led by Moeen Ali, and if you don’t appreciate them for that then what’s up with you mate?

Why you shouldn’t support them: The ultimate yo-yo team, constantly being promoted or relegated whilst rarely staying in one place, so not one to support if you don’t want the sadness every other year.

Yorkshire

Overseas & Kolpak: Duanne Olivier

England/Ireland/Scotland: Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Gary Ballance

England prospects: Ben Coad, Matthew Fisher, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Harry Brook

Why you should support them: They’re my team and I would die for them, the best team you can support. In seriousness though, they feature a lot of England players from past and present and tend to challenge across all competitions in some degree. Look strongest in the shorter forms.

Why you shouldn’t support them: Another love-to-hate county, as us Yorkshire fans do tend to go on about our successes. It has been a tricky couple of years as well, with a struggling batting line-up and no major reinforcements on that front.

[victorylapvariety]

What’s up Victory Lappers? It’s been waaaaaaaay too long since we’ve last seen you. And while we’ve done a few shows here and there over the past few months we finally have a BRAND NEW SHOW we’re announcing right here, right now. 

It’s The Comedy ‘N Wrestling Connection hosted by Victory Lap favorite Matt McCarthy. Matt’s been on our show tons of times, and we’re pumped to be collaborating with him on this brand new production. Luckily, we have the help of our friends over at the Silver Lake Independent Jewish Community Center (SLIJCC), who have been gracious enough to provide the space for this killer show.

Even better, we have a host of new and returning performers on board like Aparna Nancherla, Johnny Pemberton, Brandie Posey, Josh Fadem, Joe Cobden, Ithamar Enriquez, Vince Averill, Tom Sibley and our very own Stu Jenkins. We assume they’ll be funny as hell, and are hoping they don’t hurt each other with any wrestling hijinks. 

Come check out The Comedy ‘N Wrestling Connection on January 19 at the SLIJCC -- 1110 Bates Avenue in Silver Lake. The show starts at 7:30pm and tickets are only $10. SEE YOU GUYS THERE!!!

[plastolux]

Link Farm House by Slade Architecture⁣⠀ See more of this house, LINK IN BIO -->⁣⠀ photo-Tom Sibley⁣⠀ #architecture #design #modern #interiors #modernism #interiordesign #farmhouse https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu1xIyklK54/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1spa8otwlkpno