#Under-19 boxing championship

[townpostin]

Boxing Triumph: KPS Mango Hosts 4th CISCE Regional Championship

KPS Mango clinches multiple victories in prestigious inter-school boxing event Kerala Public School Mango successfully hosts the 4th CISCE Regional Boxing Championship, showcasing young talent. JAMSHEDPUR – Kerala Public School (KPS) Mango organized and dominated the 4th CISCE Regional Boxing Championship on August 8, 2024, with participation from 17 schools. The event attracted 70 young boxers…

[solradguy]

Dengeki PlayStation Vol.19, April 10, 1996 - Guilty Gear: Missing Link beta/prototype preview article English translation.

Archive.org - Neocities

Text transcription (LONG):

PAGE 01

Big red text on the left: At last, the first screenshots are unveiled.

Text in orange burst: Hard battles that breathe new life into the 2D fighting genre!

Text over the screenshot: In a world where many fighting styles are similar, "Guilty Gear" offers a completely new way to fight. This fighting game has a number of unprecedented fighting systems, such as moves that allow players to kill their opponents with a single blow, which is well-suited for armed combat. The pre-rendered 3D CG characters are rendered in 2D, which is also highly anticipated.

GG - SYSTEM:

Left column, top box: ● Instant Kill: This is a remarkable new system that has never been seen before. This one-hit special move can be used under certain conditions, knocking out the opponent in a single blow.

Left column, bottom box: ● Respect and Taunt: Certain commands allow the player to assume two types of poses: "respect" and "taunt.” They have no effect on attack power or strength, but they are very effective in terms of emotional involvement in the game.

Right column, top: ● Gamble Attack: A move that makes the upper body invincible, which can be used by entering a command. Useful for avoiding projectiles. [TL: These use the same data and hitbox as Instant Kills but do not trigger the Sakkai state.]

Right column, middle: ● Desperation State: An exceptionally powerful technique that becomes available when the player's health falls below 1/3 or when the Chaos Gauge is maxed out.

Right column, bottom: ● Aerial Assault Mechanics: A system that allows a player to continuously attack an opponent who has been hit in mid-air. Also allows for evasive maneuvers.

PAGE 02

Orange burst: Ten characters clash with each other on the screen!

SOL=BADGUY: A free-spirited man who used to make a name for himself as a bounty hunter. He joined the First Holy Order, which was formed to subjugate demonic humans, but since he was originally a loner, he could not get used to the strict rules of life and left the organization. During that time, he ran away with the "Fireseal," which had been carefully preserved by the Order, and since then this treasured sword has become his favorite weapon. He heard about the tournament, which would grant the winner whatever they desired, and entered it with the ambition of becoming a lord of the country. Although each of his moves is a little crude, his overall balance of abilities, including his reach and power, is superb.

Sol title text: The Dirty Hero Arrives!! 

Blue box under Sol: What is the screen configuration? It’s the standard type. There are two gauges: the upper one is the Health Gauge and the lower one is the Chaos Gauge. The most important thing to note are the square frames beside the Chaos Gauges. These are where the characters’ portraits will be placed. They will show the emotions of the characters in real time during battle, and their expressions will change depending on the situation. The screen structure will also be upgraded significantly.

MILLIA=RAGE: Her parents died when she was young and she was raised by an assassination organization.  Determined to become respectable, she participates in a tournament to earn funds to escape from the organization. Although her reach and strength are inferior, she is easy to handle because she has no flaws in her moves, including a knife that can be used as a projectile.

Millia title text: The Beautiful Assassin

PAGE 03

ZATO=ONE: He is currently incarcerated and participates in the tournament in order to get out of prison with the privilege given to the winner. Zato is an unusual character whose weapon of choice is his "shadow," and his tricky moves are his greatest strength.

Zato title text: The Shadow-Manipulating Assassin

MAY: In love with Johnny, the man who raised her, May wants to win the championship in order to free him from prison. She uses her unimaginable strength to perform powerful attacks.

May title text: A Girl Who Lives For Love

AXL=LOW: He has a history of time slipping from the past and fights to return to his own time period. A special character who cannot use one-hit-kill techniques, Axl will take some skill to master.

Axl title text: Twin Kusarigama Fighter

KY=KISKE: In addition to investigating the purpose of the tournament, which has many mysteries, Ky has decided to participate in order to confront his rival, Sol. His playstyle is similar to Sol's, and his excellent speed makes him dependable as well.

Ky title text: Holy Knight

PAGE 04

DrBALDHEAD: Dr. Baldhead has a history of feeling overly responsible for medical mistakes and was driven insane by them. For some reason, he was ordered by the United Nations to participate in the tournament. He is not very fast, but he is good at using his reach to his advantage.

Dr. Baldhead title text: The Mad Genius Doctor

KLIFF=UNDERSN: Once known as "The Mightiest Warrior*," he is a brave fighter who enters the tournament to prove that he has not lost his edge. Although the power of his moves is top level, he is an advanced character that is difficult to master. *[TL: Kliff's title is difficult to get into English, 一騎当千 (ikkitousen). Jisho.org's definition describes it as "being a match for a thousand; being a mighty warrior (combatant, player)​."]

Kliff title text: The Hero of Antiquity

POTEMKIN: Where he is from, there are no more fighters who can compete with him on equal terms, and he has entered the tournament in search of an opponent who can. Potemkin is a forceful type of character who uses his power to compensate for his slow speed.

Potemkin title text: Unstoppable Force of Nature [TL: The kanji here are 金剛 and 無双, both roughly mean “unparalleled” or “unstoppable,” but the first two make up the word “Kongou”, which is the Hindu god Indra's weapon (Vajra, thunderbolt) and a Buddhist symbol of the indestructible truth]

CHIPP=ZANUFF: Chipp overcame his drug addiction by training as a ninja, and he chose to participate in the tournament in order to destroy the organization that killed his master. He’s light on his feet, and is good at speedy fights.

Chipp title text: Junky Ninja

Light blue game information box:

Genre: Competitive Action

Price: Undecided

Maker: Arc System Works

Compatible Peripherals: Undecided, 2-Player Game Possible

Release Date: Autumn Schedule

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

= CREDITS =

Article originally published in Dengeki PlayStation F2, April Special Issue, Volume 19 ( April 10, 1996)

English Translation ・ Editing ・ Scans / @solradguy

Special thanks to the Missing Link Discord server for help with the Gamble Attacks mechanic description and to the ML Dustloop page for everything else.

Archive.org page for scans of the full Dengeki PS issue: archive.org/details/dengeki-play-station-f2-vol19

More translations: solradguy.neocities.org/archives

[tooneys-russo]

Boots and Broken Hearts

A/N: A new fic that I have been thinking about, it'll follow Alessia Russo and original character Willa Conti as they navigate their lives at UNC.

Chapter 1:

The right person, but always the wrong time, maybe one day they can get their timing right. Alessia grew up in the South of London, she had two older brothers and a football obsessed Father, Mario. Her weekends were filled with football, either her playing, her brother Gio playing, her father playing for a local side. Alessia had to play with boys up until the age of 12 due to there being no local girls team she could join, but that was the best thing that could have happened to her. Playing with boys had given her a hunger to be better, stronger and faster than the boys to make sure they wouldn’t have anything to say about having a girl on their team. At school she would often be picked first by the boys because they knew exactly how good she was. Her talents had her noticed by the England Development Team, she went to her first camp for the under 14 team at the tender age of 12. There she met her best friend Ella, they were inseparable from the first moment they met. They both featured in elite football academies although for opposing teams, Alessia for Chelsea and Ella for Manchester United, they would play against each other but nothing would change between them off the pitch no matter the result. When it came time for the two to take on professional contracts Ella was offered a full time contract at her junior club, Alessia made the biggest decision of her young life, well the biggest one at that time, she decided to leave everything she knew and went to college in the United States. Alessia made her stamp on the collegiate football world when she made her first start with North Carolina University.

In comparison Willa had a slightly different road to North Carolina. She was raised in Newcastle Upon Tyne in the North East of England. She was chosen at the tender age of 8 to sign her first contract with Sunderland’s Junior Academy. Willa was tagged as an up and comer, he was a 12 year old playing in the under 16 side, and was placed into the England under 17 side by the age of 14. Willa had an outstanding junior career until she was 16, she was playing in the Under 19 European Championships, it was the final, the game she dreamed of. She stood in the opposition’s 18 yard box waiting for the corner to come in. As the ball soared towards her, Willa readied herself. The ball made contact with her head, then she felt a sharp pain to the right side of her face, then darkness. The Spanish Captain had attempted to clear the ball from the box, but instead she had kicked Willa in the face. It resulted in Willa being knocked unconscious, as well as slicing the right cheek, fracturing her cheekbone, eye socket and breaking her jaw. At that moment Willa had scored the winning goal and had her short career ended. She had her jaw wired shut for 2 months, headaches and concussion symptoms for 4 months and multiple surgeries to fix the shattered bones in her face. By the time she was cleared to play again Willa was 17 and without an academy contract. Her final year of high school was frustrating, she was surrounded by her friends from the academies who were on track for professional contracts, while she was playing division 4 women’s. Willa needed to escape from what could have been, so he sat the SATs and was on a plane as soon as she finished school, playing football (now soccer) at University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA. For four years she studied hard for her MBA while also being the star player of the UCLA Bruins Women’s Soccer Team, Captain from her Sophomore year onwards. She had a passion for analytics and would run reports of all stats for coaches each game, she knew she may never make it pro but she could make a difference on the sidelines. In her Senior year she played in the National Championship game and with 8 minutes until the end of the game her knee gave way. She knew exactly what it was, her ACL.

There were three years between Willa and Alessia, she had stared at UCLA and she had now made the decision to step off the field and begin her coaching and analytical career, her knee still gave her trouble after the reconstruction, each time she kicked the ball it felt different and she knew she was done at the tender age of 22. North Carolina was her lifeline and she took it with both hands. Alessia was away on an England Camp when Willa started. Willa had begun working with Anson Dorrance, the coach of North Carolina on their current team list, looking at game footage from both North Carolina and every other team that they were facing. Willa had never watched so much football in her life as she did now. By the time she met the players Willa knew everything that she could about the technical abilities of the players, she noted that Alessia had not arrived yet as she was still at the National Camp. Both she and Anson had begun working on the pre-season preparation for the team. Once August came around Alessia was back at North Carolina and at training. “Willa this is-'' Anson began. “Alessia Russo, 9 goals, 2 assists in your first collegiate season with a conversion rate of 43 percent, well 43.28 percent to be exact. Very impressive.” Willa had a bright smile and held out her hand to shake. Alessia was surprised by the woman in front of her with the Newcastle accent that sounded familiar, she seemed to know more about her than she did. Their blue eyes met as they shook hands. “I’m Willa Conti, pleasure to meet you Alessia.” She smiled and bit her lip gently. “Pleasure to meet you too, Willa. You seem to know a fair bit about football.” Willa laughed and let go of her hand.”Hope so. Might be disappointing if I didn’t.” Anson patted Alessia on the back. “Get on the park and join the team.” Alessia ran to join her teammates who were ecstatic that she was back.

After training Willa was going through the data from each player’s GPS and footage from the session. Her phone rang with a familiar name on the screen, her girlfriend, Jennifer. “Hey babe.” She sat back in her chair and ran her fingers through her long chestnut hair. Jennifer was not pleased at all that Willa had moved all the way to North Carolina away from her in LA, where she had just been recruited into the Orlando Pride Wave NWSL team. “Hi, you haven’t texted me back in hours. Too busy with all those North Carolina girls?” Willa could hear the anger in Jennifer’s voice and sighed knowing what was coming. “I have been running training and doing the analysis ready for this week’s first scrimmage.” Willa was being drained each conversation with Jennifer knowing that it would quickly become a fight. “Of course, well I have a game this weekend and I got you tickets. Are you able to come?” Willa looked up at the schedule on her office wall. “Yeah I should be able to. Will be a good game against Portland.” Jennifer hummed in agreement. “Yeah it will be good to see you, I miss you.”

“I miss you too, I will see you this weekend. Love you.” Willa’s tone was as happy as she could make it. 

“Love you too babe.” Jennifer sounded a lot more upbeat than when the call had started. The two had met when they were both on the UCLA football teams, Jennifer was a local LA girl and they seemed to be pushed together instantly. Willa found her comforting but did admit that at times she was so focused on football that she did neglect their relationship, it was lucky that they were on the same team. But Jennifer didn’t seem to mind as long as Willa was at all the parties with her, all the games and on her arm when she needed it. Jennifer was gorgeous and could have easily gone into modelling, she had flowing brown hair that had a slight curl, bright green eyes that matched the trees when they would go hiking around California. Her skin was permanently sunkissed and a rose tattoo graced the side of her forearm. As a couple they complimented each other perfectly, Willa had mid back length chestnut brown hair that was usually in a high pony tail, blue eyes that were like a royal blue, her facial scars were only noticeable in particular light like a lion had scratched down her right hand cheek. Willa’s skin was tanned after being in the LA sun for four years, her Italian background had been particularly beneficial. On her left ribs she had a tattoo of the Newcastle United badge and the UCLA Bruin. The Newcastle badge was important to her, they were her team but they never had an academy, the only one close by who had a girls academy was Sunderland, her natural enemy. Jennifer stood at 5 feet 7 inches and Willa who stood at a comfortable 5 feet 10 inches. The two were the IT couple of UCLA Athletics and he sat next to her when she was drafted to the Orlando Pride Wave, it was everything she wanted and more, Willa opted to not go into the draft, not wanting to be disappointed. When Willa received her offer to coach and be technical analyst at North Carolina Jennifer’s response left a lot to be desired, her focus was on their future in Orlando Pride and what it would mean to do long distance how hard it would be. There was no consideration for what Willa wanted, which was all too common in their relationship. 

Willa walked into the athletes dining room ready for another early morning session, she didn’t expect to see Alessia sitting by herself with a textbook by her side. Willa filled up her plate and sat next to the blonde Brit. “Good morning.” Willa smiled warmly, Alessia’s blue eyes looked up at her. “Oh hi.” She sat back and put her fork down on her plate. “What are you doing here so early?” Alessia glanced at the bag on the ground. “You know training isn't until later right?” Willa nodded, “Yeah I know, I just wanted to go for a run at the field, test some things out.” She laughed softly. “Test some things out? Like what the grass length?” She looked back into the older girl’s eyes. “Well depending on the grass length it would change the time that it would take the ball to -” Willa noticed the joking nature of Alessia’s question and the grin she was now wearing. “Ah, um no not the grass length just wanted to check the drills we had planned. Wanting to make sure we are improving on particular things.” Willa looked down at her plate embarrassed slightly about her first answer to Alessia’s clearly rhetorical question. Alessia smiled and bumped gently into Willa’s side. “Sorry, sometimes my sarcasm doesn’t translate. Is it possible for me to come with you to see the drills?” Willa smiled and nodded, unable to answer with her mouth full of food. The rest of their breakfast was filled with casual conversation, Willa discovered that Alessia had gone through the academy system just as she did, she also discovered that she wasn’t a huge fan of the tea available to her in the dining hall. Yorkshire tea was clearly the most superior tea, although with her time in America, Alessia was now very coffee focused, Willa noted that an oat flat white was the younger girl’s order.

Willa and Alessia made their way to the field, she made Willa feel comfortable with no judgement or expectations on her. Alessia felt an instant connection to the young coach, Willa took an interest in what she had to say and never once questioned why she would leave a professional contract behind for college halfway across the world. Willa and Alessia worked on multiple drills for around two hours, by the end they were both trying to catch their breath. “How were they? The drills? They alright?” Willa looked at the blonde next to her. “Well I am absolutely knackered, but I feel good and got to work on my first touch. What did you think?” She fixed her blonde ponytail. “Your touch is bloody good already, I just need your shot conversions a bit higher.” Willa laughed and she smiled. “Oh yeah? As a Sophomore I am out-scoring some of the Seniors.” Alessia put her hands on her hips and looked at the taller girl. “You won’t be playing against these girls in England, or at a World Cup. You are going to play in the best league in the world. The NWSL is dropping in quality and that's the league these players want to end up in. Not you, you have to play in Europe.” Willa said it casually as she grabbed her drink bottle. Alessia stared at her expressions, there was no mistaking that Willa was serious, she was almost matter of factly the way she spoke. Alessia was about to reply to the quite nice comment before they heard Coach Dorrance calling out. “Willa don’t keep the players from class! She is here for an education not just to kick a ball around, if her grades drop you will be tutoring her!” Willa nodded, “Yes Sir, sorry Alessia. I will see you tonight at training,I think we will be looking at some footage after the session. I want to chat to you about some plays.” Willa handed Alessia her drink. “Thanks Willa, appreciate it.” 

Alessia counted down the minutes until training, it isn't that she hated her classes, it was just that she couldn’t stop thinking about getting back on the field. Her aim was always to get better, each session added to her knowledge. The second class was finished for the day she was walking to the field, after warm up she watched as Willa explained the drills that she did with her that morning. During the drills in the hot sun, the girls began complaining about getting tired, their shots got more sloppy and their passing became wayward. Coach Dorrance called training and they all came into a group together, Willa had a grin on her face as some girls sat down and others caught their breath. “Well, that was a fantastic session. Willa has been doing some work on what we have been lacking and how we can improve. I know you girls are tired but I will let her chat to you about what the aim was.”

Willa stepped forward half a step. “Each game goes for around 90 minutes, give or take with additional time. The training today was medium to high intensity for 120 minutes. That gives both Coach and I an idea of what level you can maintain and for how long. Your disposals and shots only became detrimental to the function of the drills in the last 5 minutes. We now know that you can last 115 minutes, at a very good intensity. This is going to give us an advantage, we will also be doing lighter sessions after game day and doing recovery but these punishing sessions will give you a mental and physical edge over our opponents. In those moments when the other team is fatiguing you will remember this training and other after this and you will know you can push further. Great session, have a shower and we will meet you in the theater for a film session.” Willa grabbed the drink bottles and passed them around to the players, when she got to Alessia he looked into her eyes. “Feel a bit better with more players?” Alessia took a large drink from her bottle and nodded. “Yeah I actually got a rest.” She said slightly out of breath after her drink. “Good, you did really great.” Willa went around to other players and chatted to them, giving them tips on their movements and positioning. Alessia noticed that Willa genuinely wanted each player to be better than they were at the start of the session, she seemed excited to be involved even if it was picking up cones or organising everything for the coach. 

As the girls got ready for the film session a few of them talked about Willa and how nice it was to have a cute girl coaching them and how they wouldn’t mind getting a few one on one sessions with her. Alessia laughed along with the girls, she was very attractive physically but it was her personality that seemed to be the best part of the Geordie. The girls made their way to the theatre and out the front stood Coach Dorrance, Willa sat up the back with a notepad, Alessia saw her and made her way next to her. “Can I sit here?” She paused as she looked at the girl. “Oh yes of course, I want to show you something.” She moved down a seat. “I will be going through with as many players as I can like this to make sure I cover everyone's game.” Alessia noticed that she flicked through her notebook which was divided for each player, she got to her and the first page was full of notes on her past season. “Last season you played as a very solid number 9, the player that would be the main option for goals, I don’t want that to change but I do want to have a look at your off the ball work.” As the game footage played, Coach Dorrance showed what the opposition did that North Carolina needed to address and work on for the off season. Willa focused on Alessia’s movement and where she would prefer her to move, “It is just as important what you do off the ball as what you do on it.” Alessia was captivated as she talked, Willa was captivated by the way Alessia played. They both admired each other's passion for the sport and their drive to make either themselves or their teams better. At the end of the film session the girls started leaving Willa and Alessia walked out together into the car park. “The scrimmage game in two days, I want you to focus on getting into those looser positions, drag those defenders out of the danger areas to allow a player to come through. They will want to follow you and not be aware of the danger that is coming. Trust me, then on the next play you come around the back and get to that back post for the cross and just knock it in. Easy as you like.” Alessia stared at her. “That easy?” She nodded. “They all know you, you will be marked tighter than a compression sock. Use it to your advantage. Goodnight Alessia, great work today” Alessia watched Willa walk back towards her car, she changed her line as she got closer and walked towards a black BMW parked with its lights on. Willa’s head dropped as she got into the car, Alessia watched and got into her own car. She had no idea whose car Willa had gotten into but it appeared she knew the person.

Chapter 2

[nanas-45]

Abou Diaby: The Elusive Midfield Dynamo Who Could Have Been Great

Abou Diaby, born on May 11, 1986, in Paris, France, is a retired French footballer renowned for his versatility and elegance on the field. With a career that spanned several top clubs and an international stage, Diaby’s playing style and physical prowess made him a standout, despite his battles with injuries.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Growing up in the 10th arrondissement of Paris and the suburb of Aubervilliers, Diaby's football journey began at CM Aubervilliers before he moved to Red Star Paris in 1998. His talent quickly caught attention, and in 1999, he joined the prestigious INF Clairefontaine academy. A brief stint at Paris Saint-Germain followed, but due to an administrative error, Diaby became a free agent and soon joined Auxerre’s youth academy.

Rise to Prominence

Diaby’s ascent was marked by his debut for Auxerre in the 2004–05 season. His performances, particularly in the UEFA Cup, showcased his potential. In January 2006, he made a significant move to Arsenal, where he began to make a name for himself. Known for his "languid, elusive, and athletic" style, Diaby could effortlessly navigate the midfield, combining attacking flair with solid defensive contributions. He scored his first goal for Arsenal against Aston Villa and made a notable impact despite ongoing injury troubles.

A Career Marred by Injuries

Despite his undeniable talent, Diaby’s career was plagued by persistent injuries, which ultimately led to his release from Arsenal in 2015. He then joined Marseille in Ligue 1, but his injury woes continued. After struggling to regain his previous form, Diaby retired from professional football in February 2019.

International Career

Diaby’s international career was highlighted by his participation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where he started all three group stage matches for France. He had previously been a key player for the French under-19 team, contributing to their victory in the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

Personal Life

Away from football, Diaby’s interests include religion, philosophy, science, and astronomy. A practicing Muslim of Ivorian descent, he developed a fascination with various subjects during his youth. Additionally, Diaby's love for sports extended beyond football to basketball and boxing. His academic interest in accountancy further demonstrated his diverse talents and interests.

Legacy

Abou Diaby’s career is a testament to his exceptional ability and potential. While injuries prevented him from reaching the heights he might have otherwise, his contributions to football, particularly at Arsenal and for the French national team, remain noteworthy. His journey from the streets of Paris to the international stage is a story of talent, perseverance, and the harsh realities of professional sport.

[frontproofmedia]

Boxlab Promotions to host WBA KO Drugs card December 8

Orlando, FL (November 27, 2023) Boxlab Promotions is proud to announce they will host the World Boxing Association (WBA) KO Drugs fight card on Friday, December 8, at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL. The card will air live on DAZN at 7:30 PM ET.

The KO Drugs fight card precedes the 2023 WBA Convention, which takes place December 11-15 at the Caribe Royale Resort. The 2022 WBA Convention was also held at the Caribe.

“The WBA is honored to return to our home, the Caribe Royale Resort,” said WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza. “We are confident that our 2023 convention will be even better than last year’s. Prior to this great event, we had a spectacular KO Drugs fight card. That is the hallmark of Boxlab Promotions.”

Tickets starting at $40 are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com under WBA KO Drugs. Doors open at 5:30 pm, and the first fight begins at 6.

The KO Drugs fight card features multiple WBA regional title bouts.

Headlining this exciting evening of boxing is an intriguing ten-round contest for the WBA Fedelatin lightweight title between Idalberto Umara and Fradimil Macayo.

Fighting out of Miami, FL by way of Cuba, Umara’s 11-1 with 8 KO’s. On July 28th, Umara scored a vicious one-punch knockout over former Olympian William Encarnacion in the second round. The knockout, which came via uppercut, is among boxing’s best in 2023.

Representing his native Venezuela, Macayo’s outstanding professional record is 16-1 with 13 KO’s. In his most recent bout, Macayo defeated previously unbeaten Armando Ramirez Almanza via unanimous decision. He also holds amateur victories over 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Robson Conceicao and 2012 Olympian Wellington Romero.

Blue-chip prospect Kevin Hayler Brown challenges Marcos “El Tigre” Jimenez for the WBA Continental Americas junior welterweight championship. Originally from Cuba, Brown lives and trains out of Las Vegas, Nevada, under Trainer Ismael Salas. On May 26, Brown, 3-0 (2 KO’s), won a hard-fought ten round unanimous decision over Julian Smith.

Representing Higuey, Dominican Republic, Jimenez is 25-10 with 17 wins by KO. Jimenez battled several contenders and world champions, including Diego Magdaleno, Carlos Molina, Anthony Peterson, Jose Felix, Ryan Martin, and Ladarius Miller.

Orlando native Jeovanny “El Rayo” Estela looks to keep his perfect record intact when he meets Mexican knockout artist Juan Egana Elizalde. Estela, 13-0 (4 KO’s), scored a first-round stoppage of Luis Caraballo Ramos in September. The 23-year-old has a large following in Central Florida and has improved each time out. At 11-2 with all his wins coming by knockout, Elizalde’s won eight straight fights.

In a battle of unbeatens, 2020 Dominican Olympian Euri Cedeno, 6-0-1 (6 KOs) challenges Cuba’s Yoanki “Diamante” Urrutia, 13-0 (5 KOs). This highly-touted middleweight contest is scheduled for eight rounds.

Women’s standout Jasmine Artiga, 11-0-1 (5 KO’s), vies for the WBA Continental Americas Super Flyweight title. The Tampa, FL native faces an opponent to be named in a ten-round contest.

In an eight-round super bantamweight bout, Mexico’s Israel Rodriguez Picazo, 20-5 (19 KO’s), challenges Wilner Soto, 23-13 (12 KO’s) of Colombia.

Junior welterweight Aaron Aponte, 7-1-1 (6 KOs) of Hialeah, FL, squares off with Mexico native Roberto Almazan Monreal, 11-21 (4 KOs) in a six-rounder.

Undefeated Orlando native Jean Guerra Vargas puts his 6-0 record on the line when he takes on Colorado Springs, CO’s Pedro Hernandez, 7-15-1 (2 KO’s) in a four-round contest.

International standouts Abass Baraou, 13-1 (9 KO’s) of Berlin, Germany, and Nigeria’s Opeyemi Adeyemi, 9-0-1 (7 KO's), face opponents to be named.

“The entire team at Caribe Royale is proud to once again serve as the host for the WBA Convention,” said Amaury Piedra. “It’s great to have all the international visitors and boxing legends returning to Orlando. This event helps showcase the area and will bring a strong viewing audience via our broadcast partner, DAZN.”

Located just minutes from the Walt Disney World® Resort in the nation’s number one convention and tourist destination, Caribe Royale Orlando is the only AAA Four Diamond all-suite meetings resort in Orlando. A TripAdvisor 2022 Travelers’ Choice Award winner—among just 10 percent of hotels worldwide to receive the distinction—the upscale Caribe Royale Orlando is emerging from a $127 million renovation that includes fully remodeling all of its one-bedroom suites, an all-new 50,000-square-foot grand ballroom (bringing the total meeting space to 220,000 square feet), and an inviting new lobby. To learn more or to book a visit, event, or meeting, visit www.cariberoyale.com. Follow the all-suite convention hotel

[theultimatefan]

National Lacrosse League Announces Key Dates for Fall 2023

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, today announced key dates leading up to its season start in early December, including the dates for the 2023 NLL Draft and the 2023 NLL Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, both of which will be held the weekend of September 15 in the Toronto metropolitan area.

“We are building off the momentum of a record-breaking season and these key dates officially point us firmly toward a transformative 2023-24 season,” said NLL Commissioner Brett Frood. “There is no better way to connect the past, present and future of our league and the sport of box lacrosse by bringing the NLL Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and the NLL Draft together for an exciting weekend, kickstarting our upcoming season.”

The NLL’s key dates in the coming months include:

Sept. 15: NLL Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Burlington, Ontario Sept. 16: 2023 NLL Draft in Oakville, Ontario Oct. 28-29: NLL Training Camps officially open Dec. 1-2: 2023-24 NLL Faceoff Weekend

The NLL will induct 10 new members into the NLL Hall of Fame. Among the honorees are eight former players and two referees, under the Builders category:

Roy Condon, NLL Official • 23-season career: 1989 through 2011 • Three NLL Championship Games: 1994, 1995, and 1999

Colin Doyle, Forward • 19-year career: Ontario Raiders, San Jose Stealth, and Toronto Rock • 6-time NLL Champion: Toronto (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2011) • 3-time NLL Championship Game MVP: Toronto (1999, 2002, and 2005) • 2005 NLL MVP Award • 1998 NLL Rookie of the Year • 4-time NLL All-League First Team and 7-time NLL Second Team honoree • 2-time NLL scoring champion in 2005 and 2009 • Finished fourth all-time in goals (527), assists (857) and points (1,384) and tied for fifth all-time in games played (266)

Kevin Finneran, Forward • 13-year career: Detroit Turbos, New England Blazers, Philadelphia Wings, and Toronto Rock • 5-time NLL champion: four with Philadelphia (1994, 1995, 1998, and 2001) and one with Toronto (2003) • NLL All-League First Team in 1998 and 2-time Second Team honoree (1994 and 1996) • Retired as the all-time league leader with 143 games played, sixth all-time in goals (235), third all-time in assists (329), fifth all-time in points (564), and 11th in loose ball recoveries (631) • Held the record for longest consecutive games played streak at 139 games and was the all-time leading scorer by an American prior to Casey Powell breaking his record.

Bill Fox, NLL Official • 20-season career: 1992 through 2011 • Six Championship Games: 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2010

John Grant Jr., Forward • 17-year career: Rochester Knighthawks and Colorado Mammoth • NLL Champion in 2007 • 2007 NLL Championship Game MVP • 2-time NLL MVP: 2007 and 2012 • 2000 NLL Rookie of the Year • 6-time NLL All-League First Team and 3-time NLL Second Team honoree • 4-time NLL Scoring Champion: 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2012 • Selected first overall in the 1999 NLL Draft • Retired in the top 10 all-time with 668 goals (second), 778 assists (sixth), and 1,446 points (second), and was 12th all-time with 1,202 loose ball recoveries • Set the record for points in a season in 2012 at 116, which has since been surpassed and now ranks tied for fourth-highest in NLL history, and his 37 goals as a rookie are still tied for fourth best • Averaged 8.29 points per game in 2012, an NLL record with at least four games played

Pat McCready, Forward • 17-year career: Charlotte Cobras, Rochester Knighthawks, Buffalo Bandits, and Toronto Rock • 3-time NLL Champion: twice with Rochester (1997 and 2012) and once with Buffalo (2008) • 2011 NLL Defensive Player of the Year • Retired as the third all-time in loose ball recoveries (1,593), second in penalty minutes (470), and seventh in games played (219)

Casey Powell, Forward • 11-year career: Rochester Knighthawks, Anaheim Storm, New York Titans, Orlando Titans, Boston Blazers, and Colorado Mammoth • 2010 NLL MVP (the only American to win this honor) • All-time leader in points by an American in NLL history • Selected first overall in the 1998 NLL Draft • Retired 10th all-time with 33 playoff goals in only 13 playoff games

Regy Thorpe, Defenseman • 15-year career: all with the Rochester Knighthawks • 2-time NLL Champion: 1997 and 2007 • Rochester franchise leader with 193 games played, 966 loose ball recoveries, and 385 penalty minutes

Steve Toll, Defenseman • 15-year career: Ontario Raiders, Toronto Rock, Rochester Knighthawks, San Jose Stealth, Colorado Mammoth, and Edmonton Rush • 5-time NLL Champion: four with Toronto (1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003) and one with Rochester (2007) • Named the first winner of the NLL Transition Player of the Year Award in 2007 • Retired in the top 10 all-time with 1,562 loose ball recoveries in the regular season and an additional 160 in the playoffs • Played in 188 consecutive games between 2000-2011, which ranks tied for the third longest streak of all-time

Shawn Williams, Forward • 17-year career: Ontario Raiders, Toronto Rock, Buffalo Bandits, Rochester Knighthawks, and Edmonton Rush • 2-time NLL Champion: one with Toronto (1999) and one with Rochester (2007) • NLL All-League First Team in 2004 and NLL Second Team honoree in 2007 • Retired as one of eight players to accumulate 1,100 career points • Finished in the top 10 all-time in games played, goals, and assists

The Class of 2021 will represent the first additions to the NLL Hall of Fame since 2016, with the inaugural members having been inducted in 2006.

Additional details regarding the NLL Draft and other preseason announcements will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

[creatiview]

[ad_1] Novak Djokovic won a record-extending 10th Australian Open and a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam men's title by using all of his talent and nous to see off Stefanos Tsitsipas.Serbia's Djokovic started strongly and dug deep in the second set on his way to a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) victory.The 35-year-old, who draws level with Rafael Nadal in major wins, will return to the world number one ranking.Greece's Tsitsipas, 24, continues his wait for a first Grand Slam triumph."It's been a long journey, but a very special one," said Djokovic, who only dropped one set during the tournament."I played some of my best tennis honestly in Australian Open. The fourth round, quarter-final, semi-finals, just really comfortable on the court, hitting the ball great."Tsitsipas lost to Djokovic in his first major final at the 2021 French Open after relinquishing a two-set lead but, this time in Melbourne, he was always chasing the match.In the few precious opportunities he had to threaten Djokovic - notably a set point to level the match at one set all - the third seed was unable to take them.Djokovic has not lost at Melbourne Park since 2018 - a streak spanning a record 28 matches in the men's singles.He has regained the crown which he was unable to defend last year after being deported from Australia following a row over his Covid-19 vaccination status.Tsitsipas showed resilience to save two championship points but Djokovic took his third chance - this time on his own serve - when his opponent sliced a forehand long after a short rally.Djokovic turned to his team and family members - including mother Dijana, although father Srdjan did not appear to be present - standing motionless before pointing to his head and his heart.Djokovic became very emotional in the immediate aftermath of winning again in MelbourneAfter climbing into the box to celebrate with them, he broke into tears as the magnitude of his achievement hit him and continued sobbing under his towel when he returned to his chair."I think I emotionally collapsed there and teared up with my mother and my brother when I gave them a hug," Djokovic said."Up to that moment I was not allowing myself to be distracted with things off the court or whatever was happening in dealing with an injury."Masterful Djokovic shows why he's one of the greatestIn the build-up to Sunday's final, Djokovic said he did not feel any different "in terms of stress" as he aimed to create more history and move closer to cementing his place as the greatest player of all time.While such a title remains subjective and a topic for debate, the defining factor remains the number of major titles.Djokovic moved level with 36-year-old Nadal - and now only trails 24-time champion Margaret Court and Serena Williams, who has 23, on the women's side - and has showed in the past two weeks he has the capacity to win many more.Mentally and physically, his ability is showing few signs of diminishing.He had been hampered by a hamstring injury at Melbourne Park and also had to deal with controversy surrounding his father Srdjan, who was pictured at the tournament with supporters of Russian president Vladimir Putin. before Friday's semi-final against American Tommy Paul.But time and time again he shows the stoicism to overcome difficult circumstances and produce in the biggest moments. This was the latest example.The only player to win a set against Djokovic this year in Melbourne was French qualifier Enzo Couacaud in the second roundA confident and collected start against Tsitsipas - targeting the Greek's one-handed backhand, which can be beautifully effective but also liable to break down - set the platform for Djokovic to comfortably claim the opening set.However, like in his semi-final win against Paul, his mood turned and a spell of tetchiness almost allowed his opponent back into the contest.After becoming animated and regularly chuntering to his team, Djokovic dug in to stave off the set point with a stunning inside-out forehand winner.

Locking in again saw him dominate the tie-break for a two-set lead and from that point it looked unlikely he would lose his grip on the match.While Tsitsipas broke in the first game of the third set, he could not consolidate the advantage and Djokovic again showed his mentality in the tie-break to complete another masterful win.Raucous atmosphere as Djokovic regains top spotMore than 45,000 fans were in attendance at Melbourne Park for the men's singles final - with only 15,000 of those being inside Rod Laver ArenaThe match was played out in a colourful and raucous atmosphere - inside and outside of Rod Laver Arena - as thousands of Serbian and Greek fans descended on Melbourne Park.The two European nations have large communities in the Australian city, adding further emotion to an occasion which meant so much to both players.Not only was a Grand Slam title on the line at Melbourne Park, but so too was the world number one ranking.Djokovic's victory ensured he extended his own record of being the top-ranked player and he will be there for a 374th week when the latest rankings are released on Monday.Tsitsipas was looking to fulfil his childhood dream by lifting the trophy and become the 29th player to be the number one since the ATP rankings were introduced in 1973.Instead he will rise to number three with Djokovic overtaking Spanish 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, who drops to number two after missing the tournament through injury.In his on-court speech, Tsitsipas said: "I have had the privilege to play a lot of difficult and high-intensity matches but I would like to say one more time Novak brings out the best in me. He's one of the greatest in our sport and he's the greatest that has ever held a tennis racquet for sure."Tsitsipas has lost two Grand Slam finals to Djokovic'Djokovic prevails again in extraordinary era'BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller at Melbourne ParkUnbeaten at Melbourne Park since 2018 and driven by tennis history as well as the unsavoury history of 12 months ago, was Novak Djokovic ever likely to fall short?The reinstalled world number one can make winning the Australian Open look easy. But it's a trick of the eye.Take the first set, in which the 35-year-old artfully moved the ball around the court without seemingly exerting himself. He landed first serves, penetratingly deep returns - and a few psychological blows.Djokovic has won five of the past seven Grand Slams he has contested. His coach Goran Ivanisevic thinks he can keep playing at this level for another two or three years.Ken Rosewall was 37 years and 72 days old when he won the last of his Grand Slams titles at Roland Garros in 1972.The Australian remains the oldest man to win a Grand Slam in the Open era.But Djokovic will be older come the 2024 US Open, while Rafael Nadal will be older come this year's US Open. This really is an extraordinary era.Morph.toInit.bundles.push(function() !function(e)function t(r)if(n[r])return n[r].exports;var o=n[r]=i:r,l:!1,exports:;return e[r].call(o.exports,o,o.exports,t),o.l=!0,o.exportsvar n=;t.m=e,t.c=n,t.d=function(e,n,r)t.o(e,n),t.n=function(e)var n=e&&e.__esModule?function()return e.default:function()return e;return t.d(n,"a",n),n,t.o=function(e,t)return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(e,t),t.p="",t(t.s=3)([function(e,t)e.exports=React,function(e,t,n)e.exports=n(5)(),function(e,t,n)"use strict";function r(e)return e&&e.__esModule?e:default:efunction o()return this.urlfunction u(e,t)return e.url.replace("identifier",t[1])var i=r(n(9)),a=r(n(10)),c=r(n(11));e.exports=youtube:regex:/http(?:s)?:\/\/(?:www\.)?youtu(?:be.com,twitter:regex:/^http.+twitter\.com\/.*\/status\/(.*)/i,transform:o,component:i.default,cssClasses:"twitter-tweet",componentMount:function()c.default.twitter(),instagram:regex:/^http.+instagr(?:\.am,function(e,t,n)"use strict";var r=function(e)return e&&e.__esModule?e:default:e(n(4));Morph.modules["bbc-morph-sport-social-media-embed@2.3.2"]=r.default,function(e,t,n)"use strict";function r(e)return e&&e.

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[dobbiamo-capire]

What I was waiting for: Zapelloni’s article bc yesterday he was RAGING while Turrini was the only one trying to defend Ferrari (that’s why I won’t read his article today)

This is my translation, every mistake is my fault, full article translation under the cut

FERRARI YOU HAVE TO DECIDE: CARLOS SAINZ OR CHARLES LECLERC, WHO IS YOUR BEST SHOT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP?

There’s a victory to celebrate, but a regret to extinguish. In order to beat Red Bull, Ferrari needs to decide: who’s the first and second driver. We’re not in Enzo’s era where the only thing that mattered was a Ferrari win regardless of the driver. To win the championship you need to place every best strategy to only one driver

There’s a victory to celebrate, but a regret to extinguish. Ferrari celebrates Carlos Sainz, but at the same time frets for the lost chance with Charles Leclerc, who before the safety car was leading the race with the chance to gain 19 points against Max Verstappen. Once again, Ferrari made the wrong box call penalizing their best driver, the only one that has the chances to defeat Verstappen in the championship. In Montecarlo Ferrari called Charles when if was best to left him out. In Silverstone they made the opposite, they left him out when it was best calling him in to put fresh softs for the 13 laps long sprint race that change the classification drastically.

Binotto explained the reasons of his choice and the explanation is worrying because they told us Ferrari did this choice after thinking about it. Like the Monaco mistake wasn’t enough, like Ferrari’s strategists were sleeping during the last race of last year where Hamilton stayed out loosing the championship and Max pitted and won with fresh tires.

If during the Silverstone race we didn’t hear the Ferrari box asking (a little late, we must say) Sainz to let Charles pass for the victory, we would have a doubt that Ferrari think the Spanish driver is their best shot for the championship. He’s not, so why all the strategic choices of this season are there to penalize Leclerc? Ferrari keeps on consider their drivers equal when no other team does this.

F1 history told us that only an unbeatable McLaren could have the luxury to let their two drivers fighting eachother. Apart from them, Whoever has done that lost the championship. Ferrari knows it too well because their last title (Raikkonen 2007) came because McLaren wasn’t able to handle the battle between Hamilton and Alonso. In order to beat Red Bull, Ferrari needs to decide: who’s the first and second driver. We’re not in Enzo’s era where the only thing that mattered was a Ferrari win regardless of the driver. That was what brought the crack between Ferrari and Gilles. In order to win a championship you need to prioritize one driver and do all the best calls on him. Ferrari is not a charity organization that needs to let all win. They need to try to win the championship. Acting like that is seems like they don’t believe in it.

(I’m going to use “Ferrari is not a charity organization” as a chorus at Monza pls it’s so funny that’s why I translated the article)

[alexalbonbon]

Drive to Survive is less documentary and more Keeping Up With The Formula 1 Drivers. And that needs to change

When Netflix first announced Drive To Survive in March 2018, the show was promoted as an “attempt to immerse the audience inside the cockpits, the paddock, and the lives of the key players in Formula 1 racing. The series will have exclusive access to the world’s fastest drivers, team principals and owners, as well as Formula 1’s own management team.”

The announcement was a clear statement from new owners Liberty Media: attract new fans to Formula 1. And what better way to do this than by collaborating with the biggest streaming platform in the world? Drive To Survive was supposed to become a 10-episode documentary series for both new and established Formula 1 fans and would cover the 2018 season.

The show did a decent job in its first season, it did give a fresh look behind the scenes of the sport, with some drivers also allowing the camera crews in their personal lives. It introduced us to (most of) the teams, drivers, and team principals and gave an insight into the traveling, multi million dollar circus that is Formula 1.

But how are you going to cover a racing championship if you’re not allowed access to the two major teams fighting for that championship? You can’t, and the producers decided to take a page out of the Keeping Up With The Kardashians manual and thought it would be fun to give a show that was supposed to be a documentary show about the pinnacle of motorsport a reality series makeover in post production instead.

While we did see some of Daniel Ricciardo’s family and life off-track, this was completely overshadowed by the producers’ excessive need to dramatize his inter-team rivalry with then-teammate Max Verstappen. Any person who followed Formula 1 and especially Red Bull at the time knew that, although Daniel indeed was struggling with his position within the team, the two were not the enemies the show makes them out to be and are actually good friends. And rather than learn from the first season and the feedback given by both fans and drivers, the producers decided to up the drama even more for the next two seasons. Meanwhile, all of us are sitting here wondering why. If you spend some time following the sport, there’s plenty of drama already.

Going forward with seasons two and three, it was apparently decided that the show needed more of a Hollywood feeling and plenty of episodes were given the hero versus villain treatment. This reached its peak in the Red Bull focused episodes in both seasons two and three. Take the difficult (to say the least) work environment of the “big” team, mix it with some weird crap said by Christian Horner and top it off with the commentary by Will Buxton literally nobody asked for and you have yourself a Pierre Gasly versus Alex Albon rivalry. Where in season two Gasly was portrayed as the person keeping Red Bull back in the World Championship and Albon came in to save the day, season three decided to reverse Uno that narrative and made Albon (one of the only three people of color on the grid) the one in this role, while Gasly thrives at AlphaTauri. Albon is made look weak, stupid and slow. All things people who have looked beyond his Red Bull stint know are not true. Not once is it suggested that Albon was put under immense pressure by being moved to the “big team” in what was only his first season of Formula 1. Nor would Horner ever take responsibility for the clear favouritism shown to Verstappen.

And then there is what might be the biggest crime in the entire show: the lack of presence of record race winner, seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton in season three. There are no good words for whoever was in charge of production and decided that this man, one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Formula 1 drivers of all time, was not worthy of an entire episode dedicated to his story, his racecraft, and his activism. The only black driver on the grid, Drive To Survive gave him five minutes at the end of the very last episode to touch on the Black Lives Matter movement Hamilton has been a vocal supporter of for years. His record equalling 91st win at the Eifel Grand Prix was briefly touched upon, but his record equalling seventh World Championship in Turkey was apparently too much of an effort to include. It only enhances the fact that the We Race As One campaign Formula One Management ran last year was nothing more than a PR stunt. It is time to take Lewis Hamilton seriously, he has a platform and he wants to use it and Netflix not giving him that opportunity is shameful. Yes, a big part of the demographic of Formula 1 consists of straight, white men who absolutely refuse to look at the world outside of their bubble. But Netflix promotes inclusivity, so why should this show be any different? It is a Netflix original show, which gives them no way to point at anyone else being the final part of production responsible. By showing the (graphic) clip of George Floyd’s death and letting Hamilton say three sentences about the BLM movement, you’re not promoting the inclusivity the streaming service wants to stand for. Formula 1, Netflix, and Box To Box Productions all need to do better, and they need to start doing better now.

So how does the show move forward? Let’s start by throwing out the terrible “scripts”, including those terrible one-liners Lance Stroll throws out in the first couple of season three episodes (I like Lance, but this made me cringe so hard, my eye is still twitching). Several drivers, including Max Verstappen, and more recently George Russell have spoken out against the framing the show chooses. This should be a clear sign that things need to change, especially if one of the drivers above called the show “cringey” in front of the Netflix cameras. Is there absolutely nobody in the producing team who has any real knowledge of the sport and the regulations itself? We need less Christian Horner, less Will Buxton and less forced drama and rivalry. If you put twenty men who get paid hundreds of thousands of euros in a paddock and drive around the fastest cars in the world for a living, the drama will write itself. 

Formula 1 loves reminding people that it’s the “pinnacle of motorsport”, so why not show that? Why not show that the world of Formula 1 has some of the brightest minds out there that came together in the fight against COVID-19 in Project Pitlane? Or how they were one of the first major sports that returned to their competition, setting up a huge logistical challenge and managing to create a calendar with seventeen races in twelve different countries, while keeping COVID infections to a relative low? But they also should focus on the parts the teams may not always want to show. Why does Red Bull seem to have a curse on that second seat? Why does Haas have to take on a driver who didn’t manage to finish in the top 3 of the Formula 2 championship, while the vice-champion was left without a seat? Why did we have to say goodbye to the Williams family and why weren’t they given a proper sendoff in the show? Especially with Williams having the only female team principal in the paddock. And why aren’t we shining a light on what’s important: a black man standing alone in his fight for equality.

Drive to Survive should give us what it promised: an exclusive behind the scenes look of one of the most exciting sports out there. The drama will write itself, we just want the good, the bad, and the ugly. And these are things the Netflix crew can achieve, even with the current COVID restrictions still in place in the paddock.

[bithegai]

Things I loved from MCC 10:

(it’s long again so i’m putting it under the cut)

HBomb on the admin stream!! H is so charismatic and knowledgeable about MCC, making him the perfect fit there. His commentary was a fun combo of personal insight as a seasoned player and light hearted banter, which added a lot to the stream. He’s just such a good commentator and an absolute delight to listen to

The Sapphire Simmers honestly popping off during Battle Box. They knew their strengths and knew what they had to do. It was chaos but a hell of a lotta fun to watch

The support for Niki and everyone during the end of Ace Race!! You could tell she was getting a little tilted towards the end, but having everyone supporting her and cheering her on definitely helped her relax a bit more. Plus it’s just really sweet seeing everyone genuinely wanting each other to do well, even though it’s a competition 💗

The viewer teams overall!! Congrats to Purple Pandas for coming in 8th, and tbh gg to all the viewers! They did such a good job for their first MCC, and you could tell they had sooo much fun

Dream raising $3.4 k for St. Jude’s

Orange Ocelots legitimately popping off for the ENTIRE championship! They got first in: Bingo, Battle Box, AND Build Mart, a solid 3/8 games. And of those three, undoubtedly that victory in Battle Box was the biggest shock! I don’t think anyone- least of all them- expected them to win 8/9 rounds, so that was fantastic

The way the Orange Ocelots progressively got more and more hyped, as they kept winning. When they won Bingo, everyone just collectively went, “Oh” because they were just so genuinely surprised that they’d won! (which was adorable!!) And then in Battle Box, they just kept getting more and more fired up with each round! They were so timid going into the first round, so it was beyond satisfying to watch them progressively realize their potential and gain more confidence together

The absolute skill of EVERYONE on Orange Ocelots. SO many people slept on the potential of this team, thinking Pete was the only ace. When in reality, EACH of them are extremely skilled and deserve all the hype:

OFC I could go on about False for days, literally. Even with just her performance in the games! Considering her terribly timed lag spikes, she did spectacularly. She was fantastic in Battle Box and totally clutched in Bingo! (Only person to get a crossbow!!) And then, no one will forget her total domination in Dodgebolt. I was literally speechless the entire time, because I could not believe she did that!! Only three other people have aced, but imo False’s was the cleanest by far. That final round was undeniable proof that she earned her consecutive win, and I genuinely wonder if anyone can ever clutch another back to back win. Honestly False is already a legend, and her being the only consecutive champion would be supremely fitting. But 100% confirmed: the prophecy was REAL and False truly is the Queen of Heads, Hearts, and Body Parts. Anyways, instead of ranting some more, here’s some stats:

False mentioned wanting to know her updated Dodgebolt stats, after everything that happened:

MCC 9: Dodge Rate- 71.43% (Dodged 10/14 times) Bow Accuracy- 18.18% (Landed 2/11 shots)

MCC 10: Dodge Rate- 89.47% (Dodged 17/19 times) Bow Accuracy- 75% (Landed 6/8 shots)

Overall: Dodge Rate- 81.82% Bow Accuracy- 42.11%

False is genuinely such a skilled, well-rounded player, and I can’t rant about her enough

But also: Cub. False was absolutely spectacular, but Cub NEEDS more love and praise for his FIRST MCC win!! Tbch, I feel like all the Cub hype got a little lost with the Dodgebolt, but I know everyone’s just as thrilled for him too. Not to mention, this man got THREE kills in his first ever Dodgebolt! As a whole, the Hermits did supremely well in this final. But honestly Cub pulled through for the entire championship. He was the MVP in Build Mart, arguably the most important game for them. Gathering materials and coordinating what everyone needed, I was seriously impressed with how much Cub’s communication improved this time. He also really did his best in the individual games, and I’m so so so proud of him for getting 13th. Plus he’s the only MCC Champ AND Twitch Rivals Champ! Truly the cream of the crop 😤

That being said, I seriously believe Joel is the most underrated and underappreciated player on this team. Everyone was expecting, and frankly depending on Pete to go hard, but Joel?!?! Obviously, I’m not trying to undermine Pete or the hermits, but credit where credit’s due! Joel was consistently placing in the top 10, top 15 of every game. He got really far into the parkour and placed very well in Ace Race AND TGTTOS. He was also top 5 in Battle Box! Top FIVE. He was just so focused and determined throughout the entire event, and it really showed. This man is seriously a force to be reckoned with. And I know we talk about big placement jumps, but how is no one talking about how Joel jumped from 33rd to 8th?! A MASSIVE 25 placement jump?!?! That’s WILD!! The perfect embodiment of how “for fun” players can go hard when necessary. I mean we already knew he was a dark horse after his 1v3 in MCC 8, and tbh that alone should’ve earned him a win. So I’m beyond happy he finally got his first MCC win

The hilarious difference between Green Guardians and Orange Ocelots during Dodgebolt. I genuinely feel really bad for Lizzie and Joel having to go against each other, and you could hear how panicked Lizzie was throughout it. But then, this meant Orange Ocelots were just quietly concentrating, while Green Guardians were frantically running around, trying to play while also having to calm down Lizzie. I feel bad it stressed her out so much, but it was SO funny

“I WANT A DIVORCE!” “Wait! It was False!” “... nevermind!”

Also Joel popping into Lizzie’s recording space right before to say, “Baby, we’re going to Dodgebolt against each other!!” only to then shut the door on her is hilarious

Everyone’s reactions to False’s Ace. Honestly, I think a lot of people still thought False was carried in Dodgebolt in MCC 9, since she was often the first one out. But now they got to witness the absolute majesty of False with a bow and realize that she is undeniably a powerhouse. Jumping from each team’s pov, it’s equally as unbelievable and hilarious to see how many people were shouting “FALSE SUPREMACY!” by the end. Philza and his team especially had a super nice reaction to the entirety of Dodgebolt, and it was great to see Pearl hyping them up in the chat. Yet H of course, was THE #1 False stan from the start, chanting “False Supremacy” since before Dodgebolt even began. His reaction alone had me crying from both laughter and wholesome-ness

Pete’s post-win speech. I genuinely didn’t expect this from him, and it had me so soft. I haven’t said much about him, but I think everyone knows Pete’s an absolute BEAST in MCC, constantly getting #1 in the games and never ranking below 5th. But in this speech, he was just so kind and humble, to a shocking degree. As one of the top all-time players, Pete’s been teamed with a LOT of MCC all stars. So you can imagine my surprise when one of the FIRST things he says after leaving the call is, “I really don’t think I’ve been part of a team that has done THAT well across every single game in the event”. He was just super down to earth and perfectly explained why MCC placement predictions suck. He was SO proud of his team for popping off and thrilled that each of them got to prove how good they all were, in spite of predictions! It really was just a very sweet, wholesome speech and great way to send off the event

[dalerwalker2]

George Kambosos wins a split decision against Teofimo Lopez to become the new unified lightweight champion.

George Kambosos wins a split decision against Teofimo Lopez to become the new unified lightweight champion.

Teofimo Lopez vowed a first-round knockout and worked hard to deliver it by unloading on George Kambosos, but in a stunning upset, the champion was knocked out in the first round of their bout on Saturday night. The knockout turned out to be a foreshadowing of what was to come. At Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Kambosos, the underdog from Australia, withstood a knockdown in the tenth round to win a split decision against Lopez in a big upset to take the WBO, WBA, IBF, and WBC franchise lightweight championships. Lopez received 114-113 from one judge, while Kambosos received 115-112 and 115-111 from the other two judges.

George Kambosos wins a split decision against Teofimo Lopez to become the new unified lightweight champion. Kambosos, 28, stated, "I believed in myself, I supported myself." "'I'm going to strike him hard and knock him out,' I thought, and the battle shifted from there.... I'm a great fighter. I'm amazed at how well I boxed." Fans couldn't believe the battle had finally taken place. The fight was supposed to take place on June 19 in Miami, but Lopez got COVID-19, which turned the fight into a legal quagmire in a soap opera that was outrageous even by boxing standards. Triller won the fight with a $6.018 million commitment in February's purse bid, but the IBF deemed the corporation in default and gave the fight to Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn. A battle that was considered as a mismatch — a straightforward title defence for a rising star — turned into an event of excitement after eight date changes and multiple pauses and starts to training camp. And the battle surpassed everyone's greatest expectations. Following the first round, which ended with Lopez on the deck, the two engaged in a gunfight that lasted the rest of the evening. more article about Teofimo Lopez : Gervonta Davis vs. Mario Barrios Odds, select & Prediction Lopez (16-1, 12 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York, landed a flurry of overhand rights, but Kambosos did as well. Kambosos, unexpectedly, was the cleaner puncher. He was also the younger combatant. At the close of Round 4, Kambosos (20-0, 10 KOs) caught Lopez and grabbed control of the fight. He landed a jab and followed it up with looping rights that drew Lopez's attention. Lopez's left eye and nose were both bleeding extensively by the time the decision was made. He had a cut beneath his right eye as well.

George Kambosos wins a split decision against Teofimo Lopez to become the new unified lightweight champion. After the battle, both men were taken to a nearby hospital, Lopez for two different wounds above both eyes and Kambosos for dehydration. ""I won tonight, regardless of what anybody thinks," Lopez stated. I've been here and done it, at the end of the day. I'm not a bitter loser, don't get me wrong. I take my victories as seriously as I do my defeats. "I'm a genuine champion at the end of the day. I came out here, did what I needed to do, and then went out there and gave it my all. This is the beginning of the takeover. We're not going to stop; we're going to keep coming." It was a startling fall from favour for Lopez. Lopez defeated future Hall of Famer Vasiliy Lomachenko to win four lightweight belts in a career-defining victory only 13 months ago. Lopez was ranked No. 7 in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings after the historic victory, and he seemed to be on his way to superstardom. Lopez seemed languid and fatigued throughout the final eight rounds Saturday night, after a career-long hiatus, a fight with COVID-19, and all the commotion that surrounded the rescheduled contest. Lopez, 24, said of his struggle to stay under the 135-pound restriction, "They've been depleting me all the time." When Lopez felled Kambosos with a crushing right hand, he was leading on all three scorecards. Despite being wobbly on his feet, the first-time championship challenger shot back as he fought to recover his equilibrium. By the time Round 11 arrived, Kambosos had regained his composure. Over the course of the championship rounds, Kambosos won four out of a potential six frames. "It wasn't a major knockdown," Kambosos, who entered the fight as ESPN's No. 9 ranked 135-pounder, said. "I wanted to be able to sense the strength. 'I'm going to punish him for what he just did to me,' I thought." Lopez made $3,178,000 and Kambosos $1,527,100 on Saturday night, both of which were career highs. With the win, Kambosos has risen to the top of one of boxing's most competitive categories. Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, and Joseph Diaz Jr. all call Lightweight home. Lopez may not be able to call it home any longer. He said that he intends to step up to 140 pounds and that he intended to face undisputed champion Josh Taylor. Lopez's future is uncertain after Saturday's setback, but Kambosos' is considerably more assured. "Right now, he's the boss," said Lou DiBella, his promoter. "Tonight, he deserved it. It was a that was required. There is no provision for a rematch. From a commercial standpoint, we'll do whatever is in best interests. "He's going to relax, take a breather, and bask in the glory. Then we'll find out how to have the largest conflict possible." more from new 24 hour: Updates on the Iowa football vs. Nebraska game: Logan Smothers’ touchdown run puts the Huskers on the board first. Recap of the Bulls vs Warriors game Chicago suffers its first blowout loss of the season nba los angeles lakers After the Big Game, Carmelo Anthony claims he’s ‘adapting’ to his new role. After leaving the game with a forearm injury, the New York Jets expect QB Mike White to be fully recovered by the next game. source: espn#instagram #happy #nature #photography #fashion #instadaily #beauty #instalike #fun #friends #me #summer #tbt #cute #beautiful #likeforlike #smile #music #ootd #family #model #follow4follow #lifestyle #design #motivation #beach #sunset #amazing #dog #makeup Read the full article

[junker-town]

Western Illinois, Year 40, 2046-2047

The final season of our sim dynasty with Western Illinois in College Hoops 2K8 is here.

Welcome back to our simulated dynasty with the Western Illinois Leathernecks in College Hoops 2K8. You can find a full explanation of this project + spoiler-free links to previous seasons here. Check out the introduction to this series from early April 2020 for full context. As a reminder, we simulate every game in this series and only control the recruiting and coaching strategies. Dynasty mode runs for 40 years.

Before we pick up with the Leathernecks at the start of Year 40, here’s a recap of everything that happened last season:

Western Illinois entered Year 39 trying to three-peat as national champions for the first time in program history. We lost two starters early to the NBA coming into the season, but still had enough talent to be ranked No. 10 overall in the preseason polls.

We ran through the regular season schedule, losing only one game to UCLA during the non-conference season and sweeping Summit League opponents once again. We entered the NCAA tournament at 29-1 on the year and earned a No. 4 seed to the big dance.

We beat Brown in round one, knocked off Georgia Tech in the round of 32, beat Indiana in the Sweet 16, and lost to Florida in the Elite Eight. We know enter the final season of my career tied with John Wooden with 10 national championships.

We added three players in our last ever recruiting class: five-star JUCO SF Jerald Obasohan, four-star SG Erwin Walls, and four-star PF Kenny Butler.

Here’s a first look at our roster for Year 40:

It feels like only yesterday that a fresh-faced, 25-year-old came to the small town of Macomb, Illinois with big dreams. Coach Rick was hired by Western Illinois to do the impossible: win a national championship with arguably the worst team in college basketball. After 39 seasons at the helm, our tiny program has accomplished that and so much more. Now it’s time to hang it up.

Our journey at Western Illinois is finally coming to an end. In literal terms, College Hoops 2K8 forces mandatory retirement upon coaches in dynasty mode after 40 seasons. All good stories need closure either way. As we start our final season, we have some big stakes attached to our swan song.

Western Illinois has won 10 national championships in the Ricky Charisma era. That ties us with UCLA legend John Wooden for the most in history. What started as a mission to win a single national championship has now left us with a different goal: to become the undisputed greatest program in the history of the sport.

While we failed in our bid to three-peat last season — falling to Florida in the Elite Eight — we did bring back all four breakout juniors for this season. We only lost starting center DJ Foster to graduation. Yeah, it’s been a while since we last published Year 39 (thanks for your patience), so let’s go over the roster:

PG Christano Ngounou, junior, 89 overall: Ngounou made major strides after being forced into the starting lineup last season, and now looks like a rock solid contributor going into our final year. An international recruit out of Cameroon, Ngounou is a fast 6’3 guard with lockdown defensive ability and a slightly above average three-point shot. We have bigger names on this squad who will be expected to carry the scoring load, but Ngounou is going to play a huge role because he’s way better than every other point guard on the roster. We need quality minutes from him in the tournament. Former five-star international recruit with B potential.

SG Bernie Doyle, redshirt senior, 92 overall: Doyle is an incredible talent who enters his senior year looking to fully blossom into a superstar. The 6’9 shooting guard uses his immense size on both ends of the floor. He’s elite at getting into the passing lanes and forcing steals (a team-high 1.8 per game as a junior) on the defensive end, and has a sweet three-point stroke offensively. Doyle is such a smooth scorer and dominant defender that it feels like he has the natural talent to develop into an all-great in his senior year. Let’s hope he’s up to the challenge. Former No. 36 overall recruit from Detroit with C potential. Projected lottery pick.

SF Floyd Keller, redshirt senior, 92 overall: Keller checks every box for a small forward. He has good size at 6’7. He has a three-point rating in the mid-80s. He’s the best dunker on the team. He’s an elite offensive rebounder for a wing with a rating in the low 90s, which helps equip him to play minutes at the four. After a tough shooting night in our Elite Eight loss last season — he went 1-for-7 from three — we’ll need Keller to be consistently great if we want one more run through the bracket. Former No. 101 overall recruit out of Dallas with C+ potential. Projected second round pick.

PF Oscar Fray, redshirt senior, 88 overall: Fray enters his third year as a starter with a fascinating combination of size and skill that could set him up for a breakout senior year. The 7-foot power forward is a great three-point shooter for his position with a rating just below 80. Defensively, he’s the top-rated shot blocker on the team, and also does a pretty good job on the glass. Former No. 118 overall recruit out of Lynn, MA with C potential. Projected second round pick.

C Brody Munoz, redshirt senior, 92 overall: Munoz finally gets the spotlight as a senior after backing up DJ Foster — a one-time NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player — for his entire career up to this point. We’re expected big things, and not just because he’s tied for the highest rated player on the roster going into the regular season. What Munoz lacks in elite size at 6’11 he can make up for with strength, agility, and rebounding. We expect him to be really good at forcing turnovers, grabbing putbacks, and helping fortify the paint. Former No. 169 overall recruit (No. 6 center) out of Nashville with B potential. Projected lottery pick.

We have an incredibly deep bench for our final season. Center Logan Polk (85 overall) will be our sixth man, and should be able to form a three-man front court rotation with the two starters in the tournament. After that, we have a lot of options but not a lot of good options.

Here’s the rest of the bench: wing Jaycee Queen (80 overall), wing Jerald Obasohan (79 overall), guard Archie Howell (78 overall), wing/guard James Haranga (74 overall), guard Edwin Walls (74 overall), and power forward Kenny Butler (74 overall).

This is really it. Year 40. The last dance. What a ride it has been. We start the season at No. 4 in the polls.

How did the regular season go?

For our final regular season, we tried to schedule a good mix of local schools and historic big conference rivals with a couple in-season tournaments thrown in for good measure.

Here’s how the regular season went:

Win over Bradley

Win over Nebraska

Win over UTEP

Loss to Southern Illinois

Win over Florida

Loss to Northwestern

Win over New Mexico

Win over DePaul

That sets up a rivalry game against Illinois. We’ve played the Illini in almost every season, and we don’t want to end this dynasty without one more dub. The losses to Southern Illinois and Northwestern were a real bummer, and we need a palate cleanser. Let’s go!

Big win, 102-68. Look at Cristano Ngounou hanging 17 points and six assists on the Illini. Love seeing both starters in the front court — seniors Oscar Fray (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Brody Munoz (18 points, 11 rebounds) — each dropping a double-double, too. And how about our new five-star JUCO addition Obasohan chipping in 12 points off the bench? Really promising performance from the boys.

We get a big win over Kansas in our next game. That sets up another marquee game with a program we don’t like very much out of the state of North Carolina: Duke. We’ve battling with Duke on the court and on the recruiting trail for 40 freaking years. Can we end this rivalry with a dub?

Ugh, loss, 88-83. Nice games from Bernie Doyle (19 points, four assists) and Oscar Fray (14 points, 12 rebounds), but it isn’t enough. That’s our third loss of the season. Get bent, Duke.

We end the year with three more non-conference games.

Win over Illinois-Chicago

Win over American

Win over Arizona State

While we may have lost the final battle to Duke, I won the war over Coach K with a significantly better career by any measure (more on that in a minute). Now it’s time to jump into conference play in the Summit League.

Did we go undefeated in conference season?

Yes we did, another perfect 18-0 stretch.

Now we enter the conference tournament. Can we punch one more automatic bid to the NCAA tournament?

Win over UMKC

Win over Southern Utah

Win over UL-Calcutta

We’re going to the NCAA tournament for the last time, but that isn’t even the headliner after winning the Summit League. Im taking home the conference tournament championship, I won game No. 1,171 of my career. That currently puts me ahead of Coach K for the most wins all-time.

We have built a great legacy at Western Illinois. Before we enter the NCAA tournament, let’s take a look at our statistical leaders:

What a year for Munoz. Dude sat on the bench for four seasons before finally getting a starting spot, and all he did was lead our team in scoring at 17.2 points per game. Fray was awesome, too, averaging a hair under 15 points per game while chipping in nearly two blocks and six rebounds per game. It’s good to see Keller and Doyle both hit double-figures in scoring. I’m a bit surprised Cristano couldn’t even put up seven points a night after his big game against Illinois, but the assist and steals numbers are solid. We’re going to need him in March.

The Leathernecks are heading into the NCAA tournament at 32-3 on the year. I can’t wait to see what seed we get.

2047 NCAA tournament

Well, we couldn’t end this dynasty without getting swindled by the Selection Committee one more time. We’re a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. I thought we should have been a top-four seed without question.

We’ll open the tournament with a game against No. 11 seed Syracuse. Sheesh. Before we get to the game, let’s check in on our roster one more time:

I’m loving the way this group progressed through the year. We have two awesome wing scorers with an elite combination of size and shooting in Keller and Doyle. We have plenty of beef up front with Munoz, Fray, and Polk. Ngounou entered the program as a 77 overall and shot up to a 92 in three years without a redshirt. The bench also really improved during the season and should give us plenty of different lineup options in March.

This is going to be a tough run, starting with Syracuse. The Orange have knocked us out of the big dance before, and consistently put together really strong teams.

Our last dance starts now. As always, we’re simulating every game, I’m not controlling the ‘Necks.

Let’s go!

Win, 105-73! What an absolute beatdown. We’ve moving on to the round of 32.

Long-time followers of the series will know that our Leathernecks have always been known as a second half team. It happened in a big way in this game. Syracuse ended the first half strong to cut our lead to nine points, but we quickly turned it into a blowout out of the break.

I thought this was a tremendous all-around team effort. Six players hit double-figures in scoring with no one putting up more than Floyd Keller’s 15 points. Everyone who played recorded an assist. I loved this play from the first half when we set two screens for our five-star JUCO Obasohan that helped get him an easy layup.

Our bench is a big question mark coming into this tournament, mostly because it’s filled with a lot of fresh faces who haven’t played big minutes in clutch spots before. I have to say, the performance of our reserves in our tournament opener was super encouraging. Obasohan in particular looks like a keeper after scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and knocking down a three. We always need wing depth, and he should be able to provide that on this run.

The clear highlight of Obasohan’s night: this sick two-handed dunk in transition for an and-one.

We love to turn defense into offense, and Ngounou and Doyle’s ability to get into the passing lanes really helps us out there.

Speaking of Ngounou in transition: he had a beautiful finish on the break to put the game fully out of reach. That’s what you want out of your point guard.

The win sets up a second round game against Colorado State

The Rams have been a solid program throughout this sim dynasty, regularly making NCAA tournament appearances. We have a decisive edge in talent heading into this game.

We are one win away from going to the Sweet 16 and extended our run in the big dance. One time, ‘Necks. Let’s go!

Win, 109-79! We’re going to the Sweet 16!

We didn’t need to be a second half team in this one. Our ‘Necks blew the doors off Colorado State from the opening tip-off. I thought we played a great game offensively thanks to our inside-out ball movement.

We had five scorers in double-figures in this one, but it was senior starters Bernie Doyle and Oscar Fray leading the charge. We know Doyle is capable of taking over a game at his best, and he was awesome in this one: 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from three. The real story was Fray, though.

Fray was probably the least appealing long-term prospect of our recruiting class when he entered the program alongside Doyle, Keller, and Munoz. That was mostly because of his 74 rating and C potential grade. While he’s always been rated a few points lower than his classmates, Fray’s skill set on the court is so important to us. He’s a massive 7-foot power forward who can protect the rim and shoot threes. What more do you want?

Fray went off in this game: 22 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals on 9-of-11 shooting. I love watching the big man shoot from deep. This was from NBA range.

Here’s one more catch-and-shoot three for good measure.

Fray might get slept on a little on this team, but he’s absolutely critical to our success if we want to win it all.

I also want to shout-out the bench for another solid performance. I liked what I saw out of Obasohan (11 points) and Howell (10 points). Since we already have two Obasohan clips in this post, why not make it three? Love him hitting this triple in the first half to help us open up the lead.

We’re rollin’.

The win sets up a Sweet 16 game vs. Alabama

We’re now four wins away from ending this dynasty with a national championship. A Sweet 16 game against Bama is going to be an absolute battle.

In our simulated future, the Tide have become a basketball school. This program seems to make the tournament every year, and they’ve given us plenty of trouble in the past.

A trip to the Elite Eight is on the line. Let’s go!

Win, 112-69! We’re onto the Elite Eight!

Say it with me: SECOND. HALF. TEAM. After a tight first half left us with a six-point lead coming into the break, our ‘Necks absolutely torched the nets in the second half to come away with the blowout win. Seriously: we scored 66 points in the final 20 minutes. That was an offensive clinic at its best.

I had a good feeling about the second half when Cristano got this three hit the rim like 50 times before falling. Sometimes you need some good luck on your side.

A couple possessions later, Floyd Keller came down a ripped another three. We finally had a double-digit lead, and we’d never look back.

It was great to see Keller (15 points) get going from deep. He hit all three of his attempts from beyond the arc.

While we don’t have any clips of the front court from this game, they absolutely deserve credit for the win.

Fray turned in another incredible performance, this one somehow even better than his last. He ended the game with 25 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three blocks on 10-of015 shooting. He didn’t attempt a three (booooo) but he dominated the game on both ends. His front court mate Munoz was almost as good. The senior center finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds. We kept going inside — Munoz and Fray combined for 35 (!) field goal attempts — and they were making the Bama defense pay.

Not the best Bernie Buckets game (9 points on 3-of-10 shooting), but I clipped this shot from the first half, so I might as well embed it here.

Elite Eight, here we come.

The win sets up an Elite Eight matchup against No. 1 seed Indiana

Our run in the NCAA tournament has been a breeze up to this point, but I fear things about to get a lot more difficult. Our plucky No. 6 seed is about to run into one of college basketball’s blue bloods: the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers.

The Elite Eight has been something of a bugaboo for us. We lost in this round last year. We’ve lost in this round many times before. I don’t want it to happen again.

A Final Four trip is on the line. As always, we’re watching a simulated version of this game; I am not controlling the Leathernecks. Let’s go!

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Loss, 96-86. Oh my gosh. And just like that, our dream of ending this dynasty with a national title is over.

I am devastated. I really thought this team was good enough to send me out on top, but it wasn’t meant to be. The Hoosiers’ outside shooters did us in. Indiana’s guard-heavy lineup caught fire from deep (10-of-21 for 47.6 percent), and our perimeter attack couldn’t keep up. We only hit 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) attempts from three.

What happened to our second half team this time? We were only down two going into halftime, but we were outscored by eight over the final 20 minutes. Tough scene.

There were some solid individual performances. Munoz went out strong with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Bernie Doyle dropped 21 points and hit this three-pointer to keep us in it early.

Floyd Keller just didn’t give us enough on the wing. He shot 1-of-8 from three in the loss. He did give us a little juice in transition, at least.

Cristano played all 40 minutes, and had eight points and nine assists. I really wish I got another year with him as a senior next season.

Unfortunately there is no next season. After 40 years at Western Illinois, our sim dynasty is over. Here are some final numbers on the series:

Final record: 1,177-213

10 national championships (tied with John Wooden for the most in men’s college basketball history)

15 Final Four appearances

25 Sweet 16 appearances

Final NCAA tournament record: 113-27

38 Summit League regular season championships

35 Summit League tournament championships

38 seasons with 20+ wins

61 players drafted

The thing I’m most proud of? After we made the NCAA tournament for the first time in Year 3, we didn’t miss it again the rest of this dynasty.

Is Ricky Charisma the greatest men’s college basketball coach ever?

I think so. Here’s how we stack up to other top coaches in NCAA history in important categories.

Total wins

Ricky Charisma: 1,179

Mike Krzyzewski: 1,170

Jim Boeheim: 1,083

Roy Williams: 903

Bob Knight: 899

Dean Smith: 879

Jim Calhoun: 877

Adolph Rupp: 876

Bob Huggins: 828

Eddie Sutton: 806

Tournament wins

Ricky Charisma: 110

Mike Krzyzewski: 94

Roy Williams: 77

Dean Smith: 65

Jim Boeheim: 57

Tom Izzo: 52

Jim Calhoun: 49

John Wooden: 47

Final Four appearances

Ricky Charisma: 15

Mike Krzyzewski: 12

John Wooden: 12

Dean Smith: 11

Roy Williams: 9

Tom Izzo: 8

Rick Pitino: 7

Denny Crum, Adolph Rupp, John Calipari: 6

Consecutive tournament appearances

Western Illinois: 36

Kansas: 31

North Carolina: 27

Arizona: 25

Duke: 24

Michigan State: 23

Gonzaga: 22

Winning percentage

Ricky Charisma: 84.7

Mark Few: 83.44

Sam Burton: 83.33

Clair Bee: 82.444

Adolph Rupp: 82.1

John Wooden: 80.3

National championships

Ricky Charisma: 10

John Wooden: 10

Mike Krzyzewski: 5

Adolph Rupp: 4

Roy Williams: 3

Jim Calhoun: 3

Bobby Knight: 3

Who is the best player in Western Illinois history?

That’s the big question within the fanbase right now. Before we get to it, let’s look back at our greatest recruiting wins.

We landed five five-star recruits out of the domestic high school ranks during my time at Western Illinois. We also signed nine five-star JUCO recruits, and six five-star international recruits from places like New Zealand (shout-out Dave French), Montenegro (anti shout-out Vitor Andrisevic), France (what up, Kim Kone!), and Cameroon.

The highest-rated recruit in program history was Sammy Yan at No. 10 overall in 2032. He was pretty much a disappointment. The program’s all-time leading scorer was center Vinnie Harmon with 2,452 career points during his career. He was the No. 122 overall recruit and the No. 8 center (those that followed the series or played the game know that centers are always weirded underrated on the recruiting trail).

Here are some more numbers during tournament games only (aka, the games we streamed), from the amazing Leathernecks Database maintained by our fans:

The highest rated player in program history is a tie between small forward Nic Cummings and point guard Duncan Martinez, who are the only players to reach 97 overall. Cummings in particular is a great choice for the GOAT. He ended his career with three national titles, though only one as a starter. He’s top-10 for me, but not No. 1.

The people’s choice for the GOAT is Deke Van, the legendary center who helped carry us to our first national title in Year 8. Deke’s turn from from Year 7 goat to Year 8 GOAT is the most memorable we’ve ever had. We couldn’t have done any of this without you, Deke.

When Coach tell you youre guarding @deke_van https://t.co/RDhmDAPRA8 pic.twitter.com/fm2udgvMZT

— Ryan Thomas (@RTtheSID) May 10, 2020

As the series went on, other great players emerged who finished with gaudier stats and better resumes.

My personal favorite might be Bert Draughan, Mr. Basketball out of Chicago (No. 29 overall recruit), who went on to win a title with us in Year 13 and also starred for our Year 11 team that began the season 35-0 before losing to Michigan State in the Final Four. Harmon is another fine choice. Skip Clemmons helped us win three national titles in Year 23, Year 24, and Year 26. Albert Jagla, Clemmons’ former teammate, played a big role in our first back-to-back championship squad, and is arguably the greatest perimeter bucket-getter in program history.

All-time favorite moment? Impossible to say. The first one that comes to mind is Kim Kone’s go-ahead corner three in the 2024 tournament. Najeeb Goode’s steal vs. UCLA in the Final Four to help us win our second title in Year 13 also stands out. There was also the time superstar power forward Allen Cunningham took off his pants mid-game.

Thank you to everyone who read, watched, and interacted

I started this series on April 11, 2020, a few weeks after the pandemic had shut down all ‘real’ sports. At the time, I was gearing up to cover the 2020 NCAA tournament. That never happened. I had college basketball on my mind, and I always wanted to write something on ‘College Hoops 2K8’, probably my favorite video game ever. This project is what came of it.

I had no idea if anyone was going to read this. I definitely did not think I’d finish out all 40 years like a complete lunatic. I didn’t think I’d write the equivalent of multiple books in terms of total word count.

Just before I dropped the first post in the series, I tweeted this:

Got a real dumb blog post coming

— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) April 11, 2020

I wrote around 70 posts in the series, counting the inaugural Hall of Fame induction (read a big Deke Van retrospective at that link) and two posts of my Deke Van x Seattle Supersonics spin-off. I’m estimating I wrote 200,000 words in this series. That’s about the length of “The Fellowship of the Ring.”

I still can’t believe everything that came from this series. The Washington Post wrote a profile on it. I went on WGN TV and did a few radio spots promoting it. We sold a Deke Van t-shirt with Homefield Apparel. Our series inspired a new friend in Japan named Thanh Nguyen to write a pair of e-books adding greater depth to our story. Friend of the program Mike Rutherford did an amazing hype video for our first championship run. When I moved the series to Substack for a few months, more than 7,000 people signed up for email updates and still remain. Our first Twitch stream for the Year 8 Final Four drew more than 7,000 total viewers, and had 2,500 concurrent viewers on it at as we were closing out the win. On SB Nation, the series has been viewed more than 500K times.

What really made the project special was always the community around it. Some quick shout-outs:

The Leathernecks Database is an amazing companion to this series. You can lost in there. Thank you to the diehards to helped maintain it, and reader Evan for starting it.

Thanks to my guy who started the Leathernecks Nation instagram fan page and whoever is behind the wondrous fake Deke Van twitter account.

Thanks to everyone in the Discord who maintained ‘Necks discussion always and forever.

Thank the diehards that came out for every Twitch stream. I don’t want to name names because I’ll forget someone, but you know who you are. I love you all. I also want to thank the readers for keeping up with the recaps, and everyone who emailed me feedback throughout the series. I also want to thank my buddy Scott for introducing me to the game and running through multiple 40-year dynasties with me way before I ever considered blogging through it like this. This series would not exist without him.

What a ride it’s been. As I sim through to the end of the calendar, I’m greeted with this message.

Thank you, everyone. Go ‘Necks.

[axiomsofice]

Leafs: New Additions

Welcome back to another year in Leaf Land, as always at a most critical nexus. There’s a lot of negativity, and as usual some of its well earned, and some of its too far. Within all that, it’s important to acknowledge the progress that this group has made, free from the fervid luster of hope offered early in the Matthews era.

The novelty of the Canadian Division, and the 4 separate leagues that took part in the 2021 season did cap the amount this team could change our minds, but having a strong and consistent regular season and finishing top 10 in goals against, was a huge development, and continuing those results to a full 82 game schedule is still an important step. In general, this fan base took the first sign of positivity and grew championship expectations, to the point where the past 2 or 3 seasons many have been saying “there’s nothing to prove until the playoffs”, and even to this point that simply isn’t true. 

Mrazek

After spending a large part of the past 2 seasons desperately searching for depth and stability in the sport’s most important position, acquiring Mrazek is certainly the most important move of the offseason. He’s probably in a cluster of mid tier starters, sometimes called a tandem starter or 1B, similar to Frederick Andersen, the fact that he’s younger and cheaper than Andersen is also a plus. He’s coming off some strong seasons behind a very good Carolina team, meaning he’s been a focal point for a successful team already, although he was not the starter in each of the Hurricanes’ past 2 postseason runs. He’s started 40 games in a season twice, meaning he’ll get at most 120 games in over the course of his 3 year deal. He’s had up and down seasons, but has shown flashes of strong play. He has a flare for the dramatic, some style to his play, and entering his age 29 season should be able to deliver a strong segment of his career. The best case scenario, or perhaps a reasonable comp would be similar to what Halak has been able to bring in his 30’s, which is starter level of play over 35-45 games a season, which does fit well with the expectations on Jack Campbell to play in 40-50 games. Ultimately the hope is that Jack can really run with the starter role, but Mrazek will be keeping the level of play in net high.

Menell

Menell takes the mantle as this year’s KHL import on the blueline, a staple that’s seen Zaitsev, Ozighanov, and Lethonen pass through to varying degrees of success in recent years. Menell, unlike the others, offers a stronger resume on the smaller ice surface, putting in several strong AHL seasons with the Iowa Wild before his most recent all-star season in Russia. Similar to Lethonen, he is a strong offensive player and could figure into a role on the power play. At this point he’s done everything he can besides earn some playing time at the top level, and provides an interesting depth option to the blueline.

Dahlstrom

It can be difficult for low-scoring defensive players to stand out, and that might be the case for Dahlstrom. The 26 year old Swede has 2 years experience in the SHL, followed by 4 increasingly strong stints in the AHL, with a 35+ game run on the porous 18-19 Chicago team and 10+ games with the Jets the following year. He did eventually earn an Assistant Captain role on Chicago’s AHL affiliate. Despite all that, he’s only played 35 games or so the last 2 years, as he probably got squeezed as a fringe player throughout the first covid season. He certainly is qualified to fill in a depth role, although surely in a different style than Menell. Together they represent good reinforcements with potential upside should injuries occur. He’s big, skates well enough for his size, has some passing abilities.

Kase

Another player who hasn’t played all that much recently, Kase has fought a lot of tough injuries over the recent years. Kase is still only 25, but it was all the way back in 17-18 that he scored 29 goals as a member of the Ducks. He has posted really strong possession and shot metrics throughout his career, and plays a very rambunctious and tenacious style. Hopefully he can stay healthy and at least have a chance to continue his strong play, but with concussions we can only know so much. A one year deal means there isn’t any long term risk, and best case Kase provides some of the “all terrain” capabilities that Barclay Goodrow brought to the Lighting the past couple seasons.

Ritchie

Ritchie is a big power forward, who can manage to shovel in 10-20 goals a year. Although his career high comes from his time in Anaheim, it’s reasonable to expect he could have a career season over the 2 years of his contract. He does bring certain qualities lacking from the forward group at this point and could fit well somewhere in the top 6. Even with Hyman in the lineup, when Simmonds missed time last year there was a noticeable lack of net front presence, which Ritchie should help satisfy. Personally, I’ve spent a lot of time being thankful the Leafs took Nylander instead of Ritchie in their draft year, but Ritchie is still young at 25 and is a quality add to the forward group. He might take an excessive amount of penalties, but that could also “even out” and earn the Leafs a few more calls as well.

Kampf

As we get to our 6th addition, a pattern is clear, young free agents (mid to late 20s) who should have more in the tank than the older additions of last season, and perhaps with their best seasons in front of them. That is certainly the case with Kampf, who has already proven to be an effective bottom 6 defensive centre in the NHL. He is in crazy good shape and is good at faceoffs. In his introductory presser Dubas mentioned he’s been on the Leafs’ radar for a while, and that they saw more offensive upside to his game. He certainly has a similar style of play to Danault, helping break cycles in the defensive zone and supporting transition well up ice, and could really help unlock stronger play from the 3rd or 4th line. In particular I think he would pair really well with a strong defensive winger who can carry the puck through the neutral zone, Ilya Mikheyev, and/or David Kase.

Bunting

Bunting “came out of nowhere” to score 10 goals in 20 games for the Coyotes last season, and we should not be expecting 40 goals next year. That being said, signing him to 2 years at only $950,000 is a great deal. For the brief time Jared McCaan was a Leafs I was excited about adding a complimentary top 6 player who could shoot well to pair with Marner and Matthews. Bunting definitely has the chance to live up to that. It’s obviously not at Matthews’ level, but Bunting can score from the high to mid slot. He’s speedy enough to pressure through the neutral zone and off the rush, and has some skill in making moves to beat defenders and goaltenders. He isn’t afraid to get to the dirty areas and had a few goals tipping in shots from the point. He is also feisty, gets under opponents’ skin and hustles like his job depends on it. He said in his introductory interview that he had spent long enough in the minors that when he finally got called up last season he played with nothing to lose, and compared his style of play to Marchand. Although that is a lot of lofty rhetoric, it’s easy to see how this could be a huge win for the franchise. If he proves to be 4th line contributor it’s a good deal, but there’s good reason to be excited beyond that. It might be a bit off topic to say I think that it’s important that Matthews and Marner’s liberate has a good enough shot to capitalize on the opportunity they will have as well as the tenacity Hyman brought so effectively, and Bunting has the tools to do it.

Gabriel

Gabriel is a fighter with social media presence, and especially for a pro hockey player, tries to be inclusive. I could see him being called up and deployed circumstantially. Although Simmonds and Ritchie have both thrown their share of fists, having a DH of sorts might be useful? Regardless, as a cultural focal point of both hockey and Canada the Leafs have the opportunity and responsibility to do their part in changing our culture for the better, and considering the league minimum cap hit this signing represents checks of few different boxes in terms of “intangibles”.

Semyonov

Semyonov has played parts of 5 seasons in the KHL, including a couple deep postseason runs as a middle 6 forward and eventually became an Assistant Captain. At 26, there doesn’t seem like a great chance he’ll be a factor at the NHL level, although he should get a fair shake at training camp. It is more likely he fits in as a veteran presence on a Marlies team that will feature a lot of Russian players, from Amirov, SDA, Gogolev and Abramov. The Marlies will look to be a lot stronger this year and those 5 forwards will look to be a big part of that. He gets to the net and most of his goals will be from rebounds and scrambles in front. He has some good puck skills, which will be shown off with some fancy passes. He’s big and fast enough to have some effect on the forecheck.

Way Too Early Lines

Bunting Matthews Marner Kerfoot Tavares Nylander Mikheyev Kampf Kase Ritchie Spezza Simmonds Engvall Brooks

Reilly Brodie Muzzin Holl Sandin Dermott Liljegren

Campbell Mrazek Hutchinson

Notes on fringe players

Mikheyev has been taking some heat recently. He clearly had trouble converting chances into goals and his wrist injury could have been a huge factor in losing confidence. He is good defensively, and is a strong enough skater that he’s able to transition through the neutral zone really well. Despite being a powerful skater he does seem to look a bit like an old man at times. It’s easy to see how he could be similar to former Leaf Michael Grabner, in that whether he is converting on breakaways or not could fluctuate his goal totals enough to drastically change opinions year to year (both are strong on the pk as well).

Engvall shows flashes of brilliance in a lot of ways. Speed and size to defend well, soft hands and really good passes, scoring touch, but somehow looks like he has trouble putting it all together. Dubas and Keefe have had him for a long time, and with one year left on his deal it might be his best chance at becoming an NHL regular.

Brooks will have to replicate his strong play from last year. He looked really strong alongside Spezza, where he was able to use his hockey sense and passing skills to his advantage. It is not a given that he’ll be able to, but he’s continued to show signs of growth so maybe he can continue to surpass expectations with more opportunities.

Liljegren has all the physical tools to be a good NHL defender, skates and passes well enough to beat forechecks, physical enough to play the body, but he’s looked a bit lost at times. I think with strength and experience we’ll see him settle into a regular role, and it’s not an indictment that he hasn’t got there yet, even if he spends most of his time in the AHL again this year. It might be a bit much to rely on a Sandin-Liljegren pairing when everyone is available, but I would love to see him get a chance alongside Muzzin at some point.

[frontproofmedia]

Haney Edges Lomachenko to Retain Undisputed Lightweight World Title

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Published: May 26, 2023

LAS VEGAS — Devin Haney (30-0, 15 KOs) retained his undisputed lightweight crown with a razor-thin unanimous decision victory against Ukraine's three-division world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight began with an aggressive start from Lomachenko, who used his signature combination of feints, footwork, and head movement to close the distance against Haney. On the inside, Lomachenko had success in landing combination punches, but on the outside, Haney was able to land jabs and hooks to the body. In the later rounds, Lomachenko had more success as his combinations became more frequent. Haney, on his part, appeared to be hurt by Lomachenko's combos, but he fought back strongly in the final round and managed to lessen Lomachenko's aggression with additional body punches. Haney made the second defense of his undisputed title with scores of 115-113 2x and 116-112. Haney said, "Lomachenko is a future Hall of Famer. It was a blessing. He was my toughest opponent by far. He is very crafty, and we put on a great fight for the fans.   “He’s a crafty fighter. He turns it up in the championship rounds. I just have to take my hat off to him. He’s a great fighter.   “This is all experience. Me and my team are going to go back to the house, watch the fight and reflect on it. I’ve been at 135 for a long, long time. This is my 30th fight. I’ve been here at 135 since I was 16 years old. We’re going to go back to the lab and figure out what’s next.”   Loma said,"I don’t want to talk about [the decision]. All the people saw what happened today. “Before, I thought he would be better. He’s a tough fighter. He’s a good fighter.  But he’s not a pound-for-pound fighter.   “I think I showed that I can still be in boxing. I’m in good shape now. And see you next time.   “Right now I want to go back home and support my country and support my Ukrainian orthodox church.” Valdez Repeats Victory against Lopez

After more than one year of inactivity, Oscar Valdez made a successful ring return with a 10-round unanimous decision win in a rematch against Adam Lopez.   Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs) pushed the action early, using the head movement he polished under head trainer Eddy Reynoso. The pride of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, had success in hurting Lopez in the third and fourth rounds, but Lopez (16-5, 6 KOs) began landing punches of his own in the following rounds.   However, in the later rounds, Valdez’s constant pressure began to take a clear toll as he nearly stopped Lopez in the final round. Scores: 98-92, 98-91 and 97-93.   Valdez said, "I was trying to be the better fighter. With someone with his speed, you can’t get too confident. I was just trying to be the better and smarter fighter.   “We all want Emanuel Navarrete. Nothing but respect for him. He’s a great champion. The whole world wants to see that fight. Let’s make it happen now.” Muratalla Stops Nakathila in Two Rounds  Raymond Muratalla wanted to make a statement, and that's exactly what he did as he scored a brutal second-round TKO over Namibian puncher Jeremia Nakathila. Muratalla (18-0, 15 KOs) entered the fight cautiously as he was aware of Nakathila’s power, but after studying him in the first round, he began to land his punches in the second.  A right hand from Muratalla wobbled Nakathila (23-3, 19 KOs) and sent him reeling towards the corner, where Muratalla unleashed a nonstop attack that forced referee Robert Hoyle to end the fight at 2:48. Muratalla said, "I was so prepared for this fight. I’ve been training for this fight. I’ve been so dedicated. I’m so focused, and I’m ready for anybody.   “I think I sent a big message to the lightweight division. Nobody has ever stopped Nakathila. I just stopped him in the second round. I think that’s a huge statement.   “I want the winner of the main event. That’s who I want.”  Nakatani Captures WBO Title with KO over Moloney Junto Nakatani (25-0, 19 KOs) is now a two-division world champion. The fighting pride of Sagamihara, Japan, captured the WBO junior bantamweight world title with a scintillating 12th-round knockout over Andrew Moloney (25-3, 16 KOs).

After adjusting to Moloney’s offense in the first round, Nakatani landed a right uppercut that dropped Moloney. The Australian former former world champion was undeterred, even as they clashed heads in the third round, causing a cut over Nakatani’s left eye and one over Moloney’s right eye.

As the rounds progressed, Nakatani’s dominance increased. Moloney rallied late with short punches on the inside, but those left him vulnerable to straight left hand that dropped him in the eleventh round and an overland left in the twelfth that ended the fight. Time of stoppage: 2:42. Nakatani said."I was very pleased and satisfied to have a good knockout. I was ready for him and his style. I knew he would fight that way and we adjusted to that.   “I think this win opens up a big road for me. I want unification fights. It can be against anybody. It can be with [Juan Francisco] Estrada or anybody.”  

Ali Walsh and Rosenberger Fight to Draw   Nico Ali Walsh (8-0-1, 5 KOs) wanted to deliver another victory for the fans of his adopted hometown of Las Vegas, but tonight he encountered a stylistic challenge in Danny Rosenberger (13-9-5, 4 KOs) with whom he fought to a split draw after eight rounds of middleweight action.    Ali Walsh worked from a high guard where he tried to pepper Rosenberger with quick jabs and right hands to the body, but Rosenberger used his footwork to prevent Ali Walsh from establishing his offense. Ali Walsh attempted to work on the inside, but Rosenberger would tie him up before finding the center of the ring and continuing to box on the outside. Scores: 77-75 Ali Walsh, 77-75 Rosenberger and 76-76. Lightweights: Emiliano Fernando Vargas (5-0, 4 KOs) defeated Rafael Jasso (3-1, 1 KO) via second-round knockout. The 19-year-old prodigy worked off a quick jab and lead left hook before landing hard counter punches. After finding his rhythm, Vargas switched to southpaw and a left hook to the body to stop Jasso. Time of stoppage: 1:41.   Junior Featherweights: Floyd Diaz (9-0, 3 KOs) overcame a relentless attack from Mexican warrior Luis Fernando Saavedra (9-9, 3 KOs) en route to a six-round unanimous decision victory. Diaz fought off his back foot for the entire fight, using short counterpunches to land in between Saavedra’s wide punches. Scores: 80-72 2x and 79-73   Lightweights: Abdullah Mason (8-0, 7 KOs) earned his fourth straight stoppage with a TKO over Desmond Lyons (8-3, 2 KOs) at :32 of the sixth round. The Cleveland southpaw's relentless offense was too much for Lyons, who had stopped responding to Mason's punishing shots in the final round, forcing referee Robert Hoyle to call a halt to the fight. Middleweights: Amari Jones (9-0, 8 KOs) opened the night of action with a sixth-round TKO against Pachino Hill (8-3-1, 6 KOs). Time of stoppage: 1:16.

(Featured Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

[xtruss]

Italy 🇮🇹 Wins Euro 2020, Beats England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 In Penalty Shootout

— BY STEVE DOUGLAS | July 11, 2021

LONDONr (AP) — Italian soccer’s redemption story is complete. England’s painful half-century wait for a major title goes on.

And it just had to be because of a penalty shootout.

Italy won the European Championship for the second time by beating England 3-2 on penalties on Sunday. The match finished 1-1 after extra time at Wembley Stadium, which was filled mostly with English fans hoping to celebrate the team’s first international trophy since the 1966 World Cup.

“It’s coming to Rome. It’s coming to Rome,” Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci shouted into a TV camera amid the celebrations, mocking the famous lyric “it’s coming home” from the England team’s anthem.

For England, it was utter dejection again — they know the feeling so well when it comes to penalties — after Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy’s imposing goalkeeper, dived to his left and saved the decisive spot kick by 19-year-old Londoner Bukayo Saka, one of the youngest players in England’s squad.

That was England’s third straight failure from the penalty spot in the shootout, with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho — players brought on late in extra time seemingly as specialist penalty-takers — also missing.

As Saka and Sancho cried, Donnarumma was mobbed by his teammates as they sprinted toward him from the halfway line at the end of the second penalty shootout in a European Championship final.

Then Italy’s jubilant players headed to the other end of the field and ran as one, diving to the ground in front of the Italian fans who have witnessed a rebirth of their national team.

It was less than four years ago that Italy plunged to the lowest moment of its soccer history by failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in six decades. Now, they are the best team in Europe and on a national-record 34-match unbeaten run under Roberto Mancini, their suave coach who has won an international trophy in his first attempt to add to the country’s other European title — in 1968 — and its four World Cups.

Mancini joined his players on the podium as Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy to the backdrop of fireworks and tickertape.

“It was impossible even to just consider this at one stage,” Mancini said, “but the guys were just amazing. I have no words for them.”

For England, it’s the latest heartache in shootouts at major tournaments, after defeats in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2012. They ended that losing streak by beating Colombia on penalties in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup, but the pain has quickly returned.

“The boys couldn’t have given more,” England captain Harry Kane said. “Penalties are the worst feeling in the world when you lose. It’s been a fantastic tournament — we should be proud, hold our heads up high. It’s going to hurt now, it’s going to hurt for a while.”

England’s first major final in 55 years had all started so well, too, with Luke Shaw scoring the fastest goal in a European Championship final by meeting a cross from opposite wing back Kieran Trippier with a half-volley that went in off the post in the second minute.

It was Shaw’s first goal for England and it prompted a fist-pump between David Beckham and Tom Cruise in the VIP box amid an explosion of joy around Wembley, which had at least 67,000 fans inside. Maybe more, given dozens of ticketless England fans managed to barge their way past stewards and police and into the stadium in unsettling scenes before kickoff.

That was the only time Italy’s famously robust defense was really opened up in the entire 120 minutes.

Indeed, after Shaw’s goal, England barely saw the ball for the rest of the game.

Italy’s midfielders dominated possession, as widely predicted before the match, and England simply resorted to dropping deep and getting nine or even all 10 outfield players behind the ball. It was reminiscent of the 2018 World Cup semifinals, when England also scored early against Croatia then spent most of the game chasing its opponent’s midfield before losing in extra time.

Italy’s equalizer was merited and Bonucci was the unlikely scorer. He put the ball in from close range after a right-wing corner was flicked on to Marco Verratti, whose stooping header was tipped onto the post by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

England managed to hold on for extra time — the way three of the last six European finals went — and actually had the better of the final stages.

Just not the shootout, again.

After the misses of Rashford — he stuttered up to the ball and then hit the post — and Sancho, whose shot was saved by Donnarumma again down to his left, Jorginho had the chance to win it for Italy.

Incredibly, the midfielder who converted the decisive penalty in a shootout win over Spain in the semifinals also failed to score as Pickford tipped the effort off the post.

It was Donnarumma who then made the crucial saves and within minutes he had also been named player of the tournament, the first goalkeeper to be so honored.

So instead of coming home, the trophy is headed to Rome.

“We’d heard it day in, day out from Wednesday night — we heard it would be coming home to London,” Bonucci said. “I’m sorry for them, but the cup will be taking a nice flight, making its way to Rome so Italians all over the world can savor this.”

[zwritestuff]

Hey I love the Florence sentences! Can I request 19? And you choose the ship 😊

thanks juno! i went with olivia/symone bc why not. have a wee kick boxing AU, bc i didn’t make it to a competition that happened yesterday and what is fanfiction for if not for projecting?

19. “I can feel your anger from way across the sea.” 

Symone doesn’t like to lose. 

That’s a widely known fact, and god, or whatever deity you believe in, help you if you have to deal with the aftermath of Symone losing a match. Nowadays Tamisha is used to it, but back when Symone lost for the first time after a winning streak, she thought she’d never be able to make the girl stop punching the damn wall bare knuckled like an angry straight man.

So, when Symone loses the semi-final match that would decide who competes in the national championship, Tamisha knows all hell will break loose when they go back to the hotel. 

Symone accepts the defeat with an expression that betrays nothing, shaking hands with Lala as politely as she can—if she purposefully squeezes her hand a tag too tight, hoping to see Lala wince, she’ll never admit it—and she jumps off the ring before they can bring the belt for the winner.

She doesn’t notice when she’s being shoved by Tamisha into a car, let alone hears her coach’s threats—she does get something along the lines of “kick that hotel wall and I’ll kick your ass,” more or less—, just clenches her jaw and gazes out the window.

What grounds her isn’t the swat in the arm from Tamisha, or the cars honking around them; it’s hearing the tone she set up for Olivia go off that snaps her back to reality. She fumbles with the zipper of her bag, hurrying to fish it before she hangs up.

“Liv? What are you doing up, isn’t it late over there?” She wonders, shooting a glare at Tamisha’s scoff.

“First off, hi to you too, second, bold of you to assume I’d go to sleep early when you have a match, even if I’m in Puerto Rico. Fun fact, I actually refused to go out with my cousins, just to stay in and watch you,” Olivia says, snickering. Symone is about to make a self-deprecating comment about her performance tonight, but Olivia continues before she can, “Third, I can feel your anger from way across the sea.” She can practically see Olivia cock a brow, a vague amused grin on her face as she speaks.

Symone rubs her eyes with the heel of her palm, tired. “I fucked up my chances of having a national title, Liv. Of course I’m mad at myself,” she says, trying to not raise her voice. It isn’t Olivia’s fault she lost, she doesn’t want to snap at her.

“Well, yeah, but there’s always next year! ‘Sides, you were up against Lala, she’s been trying to get to the nationals before you even started, cut her some slack,” Olivia jokes, trying to make her girlfriend laugh. And to her credit, Symone chuckles. That’s half a victory there.

“Uh huh, I think you’re right,” Symone reluctantly admits, unclenching her jaw. Olivia snickers.

“I’m always right,” she says smugly, “My flight to L.A. leaves at noon, you better not have a frown when I come see you.” The giggle that follows is enough for Symone to smile, albeit reluctantly; she can feel Tamisha’s amused staring, and the least thing she wants now is to look like a fool in love—even if that’s what she is. 

“No ma’am,” she replies simply, biting back a wide smile. “You should get some sleep, watching me get beaten up must’ve been quite boring.” Olivia gives a high pitched whine, saying how that’s not the case, that she enjoyed her performance and that she put up a great fight. Typical Olivia stuff.

It takes a little back and forth until Olivia gives in and goes to sleep. Symone bids her goodbye in Spanish like she taught her, and when she hangs up she finds Tamisha looking at her like she’s watching one of those old lady soap operas she likes to watch on her days off.

“What?” She says, defensive. Tamisha isn’t phased.

“Nothin’,” she replies, but soon mutters under her breath, “remind me to bring your little girlfriend with us on every match.”