#Youth Basketball Program St Louis

[hobeymakar]

My Lover | C. Parayko

Words: 2,356

A/N: this one is based off the music video for the song My Lover (Remix) by Not3s Ft. Mabel. In this, COVID never happened and the NHL schedule never changed. Also shoutout to my girls @hockey-and-wine​ @grenawitka​ and @pizzasloot​ for being my cheerleaders in the gc love you girls so much!

Warnings: swearing

-

You and your three best friends pull up to a local fall carnival near St. Louis to ring in the start of fall. The temperatures in the city have already started to drop which has already signaled the end of summer.

You get your tickets and start walking through the carnival, taking in the bright lights from the booths and the rides. You and your friends get on some rides and scream your asses off. You make your way to the booths with games and take your shot on one of the basketball games. You played on a youth basketball team back in the day, so you definitely can hold your own.

Just as you're about to take your first shot, you feel someone looking at you. You turn your head to the side and see Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues staring right at you. You shoot him a challenging look in response.

He turns his attention back to the game and his teammates Vince and Sammy keep stealing glances at you and your friends. You play the game but manage not to get enough points to get the prize. You turn your attention to Colton and see he got enough points to win the prize. He takes the prize and walks over to you with it.

"I'm not really a stuffed teddy bear kind of guy," he says, handing you the big teddy bear.

"Thank you. I'm flattered, but don't you have someone you know you can give this to?" you ask.

"I actually don't. It would just take up space in my apartment," he replies. "I'm Colton, by the way."

"I know who you are. I was at the Stanley Cup parade last year," you inform him.

"So you're a fan then?" he asks.

"Yeah, but I was a casual fan until the playoffs, then I became a bigger fan," you admit.

"Well since you know who I am, it's only fair I at least get to know your name," he suggests.

"I'm Y/N," you smile.

"Well Y/N, will you accept this teddy bear as a gift?" he asks.

"Sure," you nod, a smile on your lips.

You hand the teddy bear to your friend who takes it to your car. 

Vince and Sammy finally walk up to the both of you.

"What brings you three to this fair?" you ask curiously.

"We got a few days off before our next game and we wanted to do something different," Colton replies, not letting the others answer.

"Well, I hope you guys have fun," you smile, knowing they'll probably want to have fun by themselves.

"Yeah no, you're not getting rid of us that quickly! It''ll be more fun if we do stuff all together!" Vince suggests, referring to your friends.

You look at your friends and see them nod and smile, letting you know they're on board with the idea.

"Alright, let's do it!" you smile.

You all start walking towards the rides, falling into conversations with each other.

“Can we stop at the concession stands? I want some cotton candy,” you ask.

Colton leads you to the concession stands to buy the cotton candy. You order the cotton candy and before you can pay for it, Colton hands the worker the money, causing you to whine.

“I wanted to pay!” you cry out.

“Too late now,” he replies, causing you to hip check him lightly.

The worker hands you the cotton candy and you take a piece and put it in your mouth, enjoying the taste of sugar on your tongue.

“Is it good?” he asks, as you all start to walk away from the stands.

You take a piece of the cotton candy and feed it to him. He eats the piece and smiles back at you. Your friends and his teammates just give each other knowing looks.

“You guys wanna go on the teacups?” Vince asks.

Everyone else agrees with the suggestion, leaving you and Colton alone to eat the cotton candy. You and Colton go to a nearby empty table and sit down.

“I can’t believe they really ditched us!” you giggle, shaking your head.

“They’ll come back after they’re done with the teacups,” Colton replies. "So what brings you to the fair?"

"I come here every year. I used to come with my parents when I was little, but now I just come with my friends," you explain.

"Funny how I've been in St. Louis for years now and I've never been here before," he explains.

"Well now that you know, you're gonna come back right?" you ask.

"It's obviously difficult with the schedule to come out here, but I wanna come back next year,” he explains.

“That’s great to hear,” you smile.

You two finish the cotton candy, just in time to see your friends and Colton’s teammates come back from the teacups.

“So where to next?” one of your friends asks, as you and Colton get up from the table.

“The bumper cars are right over there!” another one of your friends points out.

“Let’s do it!” you suggest.

The others agree and you make your way over to the bumper cars. You wait in line for a bit before being allowed into the bumper car rink. You get into cars and after a minute or so, the cars start and you all start trying to bump each other. Vince, Colton, and Sammy get super competitive and start trying to kill each other. You and your friends get competitive as well and you start bumping the shit out of each other. You spend the majority of the time laughing as you bump into everyone. After a few minutes, the ride ends and you guys all get out and start walking away. You and Colton walk ahead of everyone else and start walking to the main area of the fair.

“Alright guys, where do you want-” 

You turn around and stop yourself in your tracks, when you notice your friends and Colton’s teammates are gone. They were behind you and Colton and decided amongst themselves to leave you two alone.

“I can’t believe they ditched us!” you groan, shaking your head.

“I guess it’s just us two then,” he replies, trying to fill in the empty space.

“So what do you want to do now?” you ask.

“We can play some games or we can get on some rides,” he explains.

“We can go play some games,” you suggest.

You two walk over to a line of games and you decide to play the water gun game. Colton pays the worker and you grab the gun. You start shooting the water but you’re having a hard time hitting the red target.

“Let me help,” Colton says, pressing himself behind you.

He puts his hand over yours and steadies the gun, aiming it at the water. He hits the target perfectly. You win the race and get another bear as a prize.

“Since you gave me the bear earlier, it’s only fair that I give you this one,” you explain.

“Like I said earlier, it would just take space at my apartment,” he replies, shaking his head.

“Your loss,” you tease, hugging the bear tightly.

“So where to next?” he asks.

“We can do the ferris wheel,” you suggest.

“Alright, let’s do it,” he smiles, leading you towards the ferris wheel.

You wait in line for a few minutes, before getting into a cart. You put the seatbelts on and you start feeling the cold breeze hit you as the night goes on.

“Are you cold?” he asks, wrapping his arms around you.

“Yeah,” you nod, resting your head on his shoulder.

The ride starts and you start seeing the view of the city.

“Isn’t the city so beautiful from up here?” you ask, taking in the view.

“Yeah it really is! My place has a nice view of the city too and I’m blown away by it every time,” he adds.

“You live in a high-rise? I might have to invite myself over sometime,” you tease.

“The view is ten times better with you in it,” he adds, kissing your forehead.

You lift your head up and feel the heat rise in your cheeks. You have no idea how to respond to that. You open your mouth but then close it, like a gaping fish.

“Y/N, can I kiss you?” he asks, cupping your cheek.

You nod sheepishly, not being able to form thoughts or words at the moment. He leans in and kisses you softly and you feel all the cliche bullshit that every teen romance and romcom talks about; the sparks, the butterflies, the hummingbirds singing. After your moment of temporary paralysis, you get with the program and kiss him back. Your hands make its way to the back of his head and you dig your fingers into his hair. You two keep kissing for a while before you finally break apart to breathe. You both take in the surroundings and notice you’re almost on the way down to the ground again. You straighten yourselves out and enjoy the last minute or so of the ride before coming off. You come off the ride holding hands and make your way back to the main area. Once you arrive there, you see your friends and Colton’s teammates show up.

“I see you two had fun,” one of your friends points out, referring to you and Colton holding hands. 

“Yeah, you can definitely say that,” he replies, as you bury your face in his shoulder from embarrassment.

Your friends start talking about the time and how they have to go do stuff at home. They exchange numbers with Vince and Sammy, with Vince talking about them all hanging out soon. Your friends say goodbye and head towards the parking lot.

“And then there were three,” Colton announces.

“Actually, it’s getting pretty late. So, Dunner and I are gonna head out,” Sammy says, making it obvious what he’s trying to do.

“Yeah, we’ll see you around,” Vince adds, playing along.

They both say goodbye and head towards the parking lots.

“So now it’s just us,” he says.

"How are you getting back home?" you ask, hoping that his teammates weren't his ride.

“I was actually gonna take an Uber back,” he replies.

“Yeah no, I’ll take you back home,” you inform him.

There’s no way you’re gonna let him take an Uber back home, when you can drive him back to his place.

“You just want to see the view of the city from my balcony,” he teases.

“You caught me!” you tease back, giggling lightly.

“So you wanna head out now?” he asks, not wanting you to leave.

“Actually yeah. I wanna see if the view of the city from your place lives up to my expectations,” you tease.

“Lead me to your car then,” he smiles

You two walk hand-in-hand to the parking lot and towards your car. You get into the driver’s seat and he plugs his phone to the speakers. You drive out of the parking lot and make your way to his apartment in the city. After almost half an hour, you arrive at the parking garage under his building. You park in the garage and you both make your way inside the building. You take the elevator all the way up to his floor and he leads you towards his apartment.

“Welcome to La Casa de Parayko,” he smiles, opening the front door.

He gives you a quick tour of the place and it’s very luxurious. But you shouldn’t expect anything less from a multi-millionaire hockey player.

“So, where’s this view you’ve been talking about?” you ask.

“Right here,” he says, leading you towards the sliding door.

He opens the door to the balcony and you step outside. He shuts the door shut behind him and you’re immediately hit with the chilly autumn breeze. He comes from behind and wraps his arms around you. You place your hands over his, as he rests his head on your shoulder.

“You weren’t lying. This view is beautiful!” you cry out, loving the view of the Mississippi River and the Golden Arch.

“Not as beautiful as you though,” he replies, kissing your cheek.

You turn around in his arms and kiss him, throwing caution to the wind. He kisses back right away, keeping his hands firmly around your waist. After a few minutes, you pull away from the kiss, biting your lip.

“We have a game tomorrow night against the Avalanche, one of our biggest division rivals. If you’re free, I would love for you to come,” he explains, looking slightly nervous.

“Yeah I’m totally free, but I’m pretty sure it’s sold out already,” you reply, not wanting to get his hopes up.

“I can save you a ticket for the game under my name. Do you own a jersey of mine?” he asks.

“Actually no. I only have an old Backes jersey,” you inform him.

“Well I’ll have a jersey for you as well. You just have to go to the box office and say you have a ticket under my name,” he explains to you.

“Will I see you after the game?” you ask.

“Yeah, I’ll have somebody bring you back to see me,” he explains.

“Colton, I don’t know what to say. This is a lot,” you smile, not expecting all this to come out of going to the fair.

“I like you and I want to get to know you more, if you give me a chance,” he explains.

“So it’s a date then?” you ask, biting your lip.

“After the game, it’ll be,” he explains.

“What are we doing after the game?” you ask curiously.

“If I tell you, it’ll just ruin the surprise,” he teases.

“As much as I’d love to stargaze with you out here, it’s cold,” you inform him.

“Sure, we can go inside and watch a movie?” he suggests.

“Movies and cuddles? I’m definitely in,” you smile, kissing him sweetly.

You’re so glad you decided to go to the fair again this year.

[livinglikebritishroyalty]

𝒫𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝒶𝓂

♕ 𝐹𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝒩𝒶𝓂𝑒: William Arthur Philip Louis

♕ 𝐹𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝒯𝒾𝓉𝓁𝑒: His Royal Highness William The Duke of Cambridge

♕ 𝐵𝓸𝓇𝓃: Monday, June 21st, 1982 in Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, England 

♕ 𝒫𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈: His Royal Highness Prince Charles Philip Arthur George Prince of Wales (Father) & Diana Princess of Wales (Mother)

♕ 𝒮𝒾𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: His Royal Highness Henry The Duke of Sussex (Brother)

♕ 𝒮𝓅𝓸𝓊𝓈𝑒: Her Royal Highness Catherine The Duchess of Cambridge (M. 2011)

♕ 𝒞𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓃: His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge (Son), Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (Daughter), & His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge (Son)

♕ 𝐸𝒹𝓊𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓸𝓃: Jane Mynors' Nursery School, Wetherby School, Ludgrove School, Privately Tutored by Rory Stewart, Eton College (Geography, Biology, and History of Art), University of St Andrews (Took Art History Course & a Geography Course. Master of Arts Degree in Art History with Upper Second Class Honours), & Cambridge University (Vocational Agricultural Management Course)

♕ 𝒫𝒶𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓃𝒶𝑔𝑒𝓈 & 𝐼𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓈: Interests & Passions: Education (Taught children in Southern Chile, Youth-Engaging Programs, Law School, War History), Sports (Football (Known as Soccer), Rugby, Swimming, Basketball, Cricket, Air Sports, Clay Pigeon Shooting, Cross Country, Water Polo, & Recreational Diving), The Arts (Music: He volunteered as a guest disc jockey at a local radio station while in Chile & Theatre), Health (HIV/AIDS, Sick Children, & Mental Health), People In Need (Homeless, Poverty, Rescue Missions, Armed Forces, Children/Children Emergencies, & Elderly), Nature (Elephants, African Wildlife, Conservation, Stopping Illegal Wildlife Trade, Natural Disasters, & Agriculture), & Travel (Auto & Aeronautics). Patronages: Going to AIDS/HIV Clinics with Princess Diana as a Child, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Fifth President of The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Visited the UNICEF Supply Division Centre in Denmark, Volunteered at the British Red Cross Aid Distribution Centre, President of The The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Patron of Centrepoint, Volunteered with the North Wales Mountain Rescue Team, Patron of The Mountain Rescue Council England & Wales, Royal Patron of Tusk Trust, Patron of The 100 Women in Hedge Funds Philanthropic Initiatives, Founder Patron of The The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Supporter of Aston Villa F.C., President of The Football Association, Patron of The Welsh Rugby Union, Vice Royal Patron of The Prince William Cup, Took part in a one-mile (1.6 km) run to support Sport Relief, Patron of The English Schools' Swimming Association, President of Fields in Trust, President of The British Sub-Aqua Club, Honorary Life Member of The Automobile Association, Royal Patron of Child Bereavement UK, Honorary Member of The Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, Joint Patron of The Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund, Royal Master Of The Bench of The Honourable Society Of The Middle Temple, Patron of The Imperial War Museum, Patron of London's Air Ambulance, Patron of the Metropolitan & City Police Orphans Fund, Patron of The Royal African Society, Honorary Fellow of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Honorary Life Member of The Royal Ontario Museum, Royal Patron of Skill Force, Honorary Fellow of St John's College in Cambridge, Patron of Swim England, Vice President of The Foundation of the College of St. George, Membership in The Hurlingham Polo Association, Patron of The Passage, Honorary Member of The Royal Aero Club, President of The Royal Household Football Sports and Social Club, Honorary Fellowship of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Honorary Fellow of The Royal Society of Medicine, Membership in The Tuvalu Order of Merit, President of United for Wildlife, & Patron of The Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust & Welsh Rugby Union.

[coffeeandsocialwork]

Since this is my first post, I’ll start by introducing myself.

I’m Amber. I live in a small town in Tennessee. I’m married to my high school sweetheart and we’ve been together a total of 12 years. We’ve been married for 6 of those years and have a beautiful 4 year old boy and 2 dogs. We’ve made quite the life together.

We met my freshman year in school after I had an awful break up that sent me into depression. Although I didn’t know what that was at the time but it would eventually come back to haunt me. The guy I had dated prior wasn’t getting enough from me so he found someone that would give him more. I had major self esteem issues because of my size (I’ve always been curvy) so this break up was the breaking point. I had lost 65lbs in two month’s time. My family could see there was an issue but no one addressed it. I dealt with my pain by myself. I can remember shaking as I laid on the bathroom floor, throwing up nothing but stomach bile. I remember wanting to take my own life. I remember bits and pieces but thankfully have forgotten most of that period.

Fast forward to meeting my husband. He was in my youth group at the new church I had started going to. I had been invited by my cousin during revival. I refused. My grandmother later asked and I decided I would go with her. However, that cousin will take all the credit. I remember the first time I really seen him. We were on our way to a youth trip to a water park and I gave up my seat on one of the rows toward the front so he wouldn’t have to sit in the back. I remember his exact words, “Now that is a nice person!” However, I didn’t starting liking him until about a month later. We went to church camp as the group had always done in the past but this was my first time. We became fast friends and by the end of the weekend, he asked me to be his girlfriend.

A few months later, I gave my life to Christ at the age of 14. This started my spiritual journey. However, as a young couple, we made all the stupid choices as anyone else but we saved ourselves for marriage. Something we are extremely proud of as it was worth the wait! He showed me that he didn’t need my body to love me like I had learned in the past. A real love.

We got engaged a couple years after I graduated high school (he’s older than me) at the Arch in St. Louis. We had stopped there on our way home from a trip to visit my sister and her husband at the time. I knew it was coming but it was so magical. He has bad knees from playing years of basketball and baseball so he didn’t get down on one knee but he sat next to me on a stone bench and said “Marry me woman.” The rest is history.

We welcomed our beautiful son into the world 4 years ago and he’s so smart and sweet. He is definitely the light of our lives. He looks just like his daddy but that attitude is all me. We had planned to have two or three kids but my pregnancy was so hard on my body that we can’t stand the thought. I had so many issues and our child was a month early. We had to have an emergency c-section because if we would’ve tried to have him naturally, he wouldn’t have made it. In the end, we decided to pour everything we have into this child and make a permanent decision to not have anymore children. I’ve since had my tubes clipped and we have no regrets.

I’ve also a history of mental illness starting with my previous battle with depression and now anxiety. In recent years, the anxiety part began to rear its ugly head. I began a job working at a local school where my mother in law also worked. We’ve not been on good terms for a long time so the thought of seeing her everyday was too much for me. I would have panic attacks every morning before work and eventually had to begin taking medicine. I’ve learned to manage now but there were many days and nights that my husband had to take care of me and the house because I couldn’t do it. It was such a dark time in my life.

Our marriage has always been full of love but not always easy. We’ve had some tough times from trying to get through college to not knowing how we would make it to the next month because we were so broke. But God has gotten us through so much. I finished my Associates, Bachelors, and Masters degree in social work. My husband is currently still working on his and I’m so proud. He had taken a long break from school to work but he’s back in the saddle and almost done. Without God, I would not have chosen that for a career. I was working on my Bachelors and had no clue what my purpose was in life. I prayed about me and God spoke to me and told me that was my path. Now I manage a mental health school-based program for the local mental health agency.

We’ve been blessed beyond all measure and I wouldn’t change any part of my life. It’s been a tough road and I know my journey isn’t over but with the support of my little family and the grace of God, I’ll be just fine.

[lhlarryhughes-blog]

Join Youth Basketball Program St Louis with Larry Hughes Basketball Academy

Larry Hughes Basketball Academy is one of the best academies in St Louis. Your kid will learn the gaming skills with fun, so join our youth basketball programs, St Louis, today.

[lhbasketballacademy-blog]

Do you want to improve your children’s basketball IQ, aspirations, and commitment? Larry Hughes Basketball Academy offers skill training, basketball education and leadership opportunities for all children.

[blackkudos]

Arthur Ashe

Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American World No. 1 professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam titles.

Ashe was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. He retired in 1980. He was ranked World No. 1 by Harry Hopman in 1968 and by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and World Tennis Magazine in 1975. In the ATP computer rankings, he peaked at No. 2 in May 1976.

In the early 1980s, Ashe is believed to have contracted HIV from a blood transfusion he received during heart bypass surgery. Ashe publicly announced his illness in April 1992 and began working to educate others about HIV and AIDS. He founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health before his death from AIDS-related pneumonia on February 6, 1993.

On June 20, 1993, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the United States President Bill Clinton.

Early life

Arthur Ashe was born in Richmond, Virginia, to Arthur Ashe Sr. and Mattie Cordell Cunningham Ashe on July 10, 1943. He had a brother, Johnnie, who was five years younger. In March 1950, Ashe's mother Mattie died from complications related to a toxemic pregnancy (now known as pre-eclampsia) at the age of 27. Ashe and his brother were raised by their father who worked as a handyman and salaried caretaker-Special Policeman for Richmond's recreation department.

Ashe Sr. was a caring father and strict disciplinarian who encouraged Arthur to excel in both school and in sports, but forbade him to play American football, a popular game for many black children, due to his son's slight build, something that meant Arthur's childhood nicknames were "Skinny" or "Bones". The Ashes lived in the caretaker's cottage in the grounds of 18-acre Brookfield park, Richmond's largest blacks-only public playground, which had basketball courts, four tennis courts, a pool and three baseball diamonds. Ashe started playing tennis at 7 years of age and began practicing on the courts where his natural talent was spotted by Virginia Union University student and part-time Brookfield tennis instructor, Ron Charity, who as the best black tennis player in Richmond at the time, began to teach Ashe the basic strokes and encouraged him to enter local tournaments.

Ashe attended Maggie L. Walker High School where he continued to practice tennis. Ron Charity brought him to the attention of Robert Walter Johnson, a physician, and coach of Althea Gibson, who founded and funded the Junior Development Program of the American Tennis Association (ATA). Ashe was coached and mentored by Johnson at his tennis summer camp home in Lynchburg, Virginia from 1953 when Ashe was age 10, until 1960. Johnson helped fine-tune Ashe's game and taught him the importance of racial socialization through sportsmanship, etiquette and the composure that would later become an Ashe hallmark. He was told to return every ball that landed within two inches of a line and never to argue with an umpire's decision. In 1958, Ashe became the first African-American to play in the Maryland boys' championships. It was also his first integrated tennis competition.

In 1960, precluded from playing Caucasian youths in segregated Richmond during the school year and unable to use the city's indoor courts which were closed to black players, Ashe accepted an offer from Richard Hudlin, a 62-year-old St. Louis teacher, tennis coach and friend of Dr. Johnson, to move to St. Louis and spend his senior year attending Sumner High School where he could compete more freely. Ashe lived with Hudlin and his family for the year, during which time Hudlin coached and encouraged him to develop the serve-and-volley game that Ashe's, now stronger, physique allowed. Ashe was able to practice at the National Guard Armory indoor courts and in 1961, after lobbying by Dr. Johnson, he was granted permission to compete in the previously segregated U.S. Interscholastic tournament and won it for the school.

In December 1960 and again in 1963, Ashe featured in Sports Illustrated, appearing in their Faces in the Crowd segment. He became the first African-American to win the National Junior Indoor tennis title and was awarded a tennis scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1963. During his time at UCLA, he was coached by J.D. Morgan and practiced regularly with his sporting idol, Pancho Gonzales, who lived nearby and helped hone his game. Ashe was also a member of the ROTC which required him to join active military service after graduation in exchange for money for tuition. He was active in other things, joining the Upsilon chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity on campus. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business administration, Ashe joined the United States Army on August 4, 1966. Ashe completed his basic training in Washington and was later commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Adjutant General Corps. He was assigned to the United States Military Academy at West Point where he worked as a data processor. During his time at West Point, Ashe headed the academy's tennis program. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant on February 23, 1968 and was discharged from the Army in 1969.

Career

In 1963 Ashe became the first black player ever selected for the United States Davis Cup team. In 1965, ranked the number 3 player in the United States, Ashe won both the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) singles title and the doubles title (with Ian Crookenden of New Zealand), helping UCLA win the team NCAA tennis championship.

In 1966 and 1967, Ashe reached the final of the Australian Championship but lost on both occasions to Roy Emerson.

1968 was another groundbreaking year for Ashe. He won the United States Amateur Championships against Davis Cup Teammate Bob Lutz, and the first US Open of the open era, becoming the first black male to capture the title and the only player to have won both the amateur and open national championships in the same year. In order to maintain Davis Cup eligibility and have time away from army duty for important tournaments, Ashe was required to maintain his amateur status. Because of this, he could not accept the $14,000 first-prize money, which was instead given to runner-up Tom Okker, while Ashe received just $20 daily expenses for his historic triumph. His ability to compete in the championship (and avoid the Vietnam war) arose from his brother Johnnie's decision to serve an additional tour in Vietnam in Arthur's place. In December 1968, Ashe helped the U.S team become Davis Cup champions after victory in the final in Adelaide against defending champions, Australia. His only loss in the 12 Davis Cup tournament singles matches he played that year, was in the last dead rubber game after the U.S team had already clinched victory. The season closed with Ashe the winner of 10 of 22 tournaments with a 72-10 win-loss match record.

In September 1969, the U.S Davis Cup team retained the cup, beating Romania in the final challenge round, with Ashe winning both his singles matches. The same year, Ashe applied for a visa to play in the South African Open but was denied the visa by the South African government who enforced a strict apartheid policy of racial segregation. He continued to apply for visas in the following years and the country continued to deny him one. In protest, he used this example of discrimination to campaign for U.S. sanctions against South Africa and the expulsion of the nation from the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) but, in defense of the individual South African players, refused the call from activists to forfeit matches against them.

In January 1970, Ashe won his second Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open. With the competition somewhat depleted by the absence of some world-class National Tennis League (NTL) professional players barred by their league from entering because the financial guarantees were deemed too low, Ashe defeated Dick Crealy in straight sets in the final to become the first non-Australian to win the title since 1959. In September 1970, shortly after helping the U.S Davis cup team defeat West Germany in the challenge round to win their third consecutive Davis Cup, Ashe signed a five-year contract with Lamar Hunt's World Championship Tennis.

In March 1971, Ashe reached the final of the Australian Open again but lost in straight sets to Ken Rosewall. In June that year, Ashe won the French Open men's doubles with partner Marty Riessen.

In 1972, due to a dispute between the ILTF and the WCT, Ashe, as one of the 32 contracted WCT players, was barred from taking part in any ILTF Grand Prix tennis circuit tournaments from January to July. This ban meant Ashe was unable to play at the French Open and Wimbledon Grand Slam tournaments. In September, Ashe reached the final of the US Open for the second time. After leading his opponent, Ilie Năstase by 2 sets to 1 and with a break point to take a 4-1 lead in the fourth set, he eventually lost in five sets. The loss from such a winning position was the biggest disappointment of Ashe's professional tennis career. At the post-match award ceremony, irritated by some of Năstase's on-court antics during the game, Ashe praised Năstase as a tough opponent and 'colourful' player, then suggested, "...and when he brushes up on some of his court manners, he is going to be even better". At this tournament, concerned that men's tennis professionals were not receiving winnings commensurate with the sport's growing popularity and to protect players from promoters and associations, Ashe supported the founding of the Association of Tennis Professionals. He went on to become its elected president in 1974.

In June 1973, as a result of an ATP boycott, Ashe was one of 13 seeded players and 81 players in total who withdrew from the Wimbledon tournament to much public criticism. The catalyst for the boycott was that Yugoslavian ATP member Niki Pilić had been suspended for nine months by his tennis federation after allegedly refusing to represent them in a Davis Cup tie against New Zealand in May, something Pilić denied. The ban was upheld by the ILTF though they reduced it to just one month. The ATP contested the ban but lost a lawsuit to force Pilić's participation at Wimbledon during the ban period. As a member of the ATP board, Ashe voted to boycott the tournament, a vote that was only narrowly passed when ATP chairman, Cliff Drysdale abstained. The reason for the boycott was to support Pilić as an ATP member, but the importance was that it proved the solidarity of the fledgling ATP, and showed the tennis associations that professional players could no longer be dictated to.

In November 1973, with the South African government seeking to end their Olympic ban and re-join the Olympic movement, Ashe was finally granted a visa to enter the country for the first time to play in the South African Open. He lost in the final to Jimmy Connors, but won the doubles with partner Tom Okker. Despite boycotts against South African sport, Ashe believed that his presence could help break down stereotypes and that by competing and winning the tournament, it would stand as an example of the result of integration, and help bring about change in apartheid South Africa. He reached the singles final again in 1974, losing in straight sets to Connors for the second consecutive year. Later, in 1977, Ashe addressed a small crowd of boycott supporters at the U.S Open and admitted that he had been wrong to participate in South Africa and once again supported the boycott of South African players after he had tried to purchase tickets for some young Africans for a tennis match in South Africa, and was told to use an "Africans only" counter. In the media, Ashe called for South Africa to be expelled from the professional tennis circuit and Davis Cup competition.

In May 1975, Ashe beat Bjorn Borg to win the season-ending championship WCT Finals in Dallas, Texas.

On July 5, 1975 in the first all-American Wimbledon final since 1947, Ashe, seeded sixth and just a few days short of his 32nd birthday, won Wimbledon at his ninth attempt, defeating the strong favourite and defending champion, Jimmy Connors. Ashe had never beaten Connors in any of their previous encounters and Connors had not dropped a set in any of the six earlier rounds, but Ashe played an almost perfect game of tactical tennis to win in four sets. In the lead-up to the final, the two players' relationship was already strained. Connors was suing the ATP, with Ashe as its president, for alleged restraint of trade after opposition from the ATP and French officials meant he was refused entry to the 1974 French Open as a contracted member of World Team Tennis (WTT). Just two days before the start of the Wimbledon tournament, it had been announced that Connors was now suing Ashe for $5 million for comments in a letter Ashe had written to ATP members in his role as president, criticizing Connors' insistence that Davis Cup captain Dennis Ralston should be fired and Connors' "unpatriotic" boycott of the competition which had started after Ralston left him out of the team against the West Indies in Jamaica in March 1972. On final day, Ashe pointedly and symbolically wore red, white and blue wristbands throughout the match and wore his U.S.A. emblazoned Davis Cup warm-up jacket when walking out onto Centre Court and during the award ceremony while receiving the trophy and winner's cheque for GBP £10,000 (1975 equivalent USD $23,000). Soon after the final, Connors dropped the libel suit.

Ashe played for a few more years and won the Australian Open doubles with Tony Roche in January 1977, but a left foot heel injury requiring surgery a month later and subsequent long-term rehabilitation saw his world ranking drop to a lowly 257th before a remarkable comeback saw him rise back to 14th in the world again at the age of 35. However, after undergoing heart surgery in December 1979, Ashe officially retired in April 1980, at age 36. His career record was 818 wins, 260 losses and 51 titles.

Ashe remains the only black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, or Australian Open. He is one of only two men of black African ancestry to win any Grand Slam singles title, the other being France's Yannick Noah, who won the French Open in 1983. He also led the United States to victory for three consecutive years (1968–70) in the Davis Cup.

In his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and a world no. 1 player himself in the 1940s, ranked Ashe as one of the 21 best players of all time.

Retirement

After his retirement, Ashe took on many roles, including writing for Time magazine and The Washington Post, commentating for ABC Sports, founding the National Junior Tennis League, and serving as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team from 1981 to 1985. He was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.

In 1988, Ashe published a three-volume book titled A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African-American Athlete, after working with a team of researchers for nearly six years. Ashe stated that the book was more important than any tennis titles.

Ashe was also an active civil rights supporter. He was a member of a delegation of 31 prominent African-Americans who visited South Africa to observe political change in the country as it approached racial integration. He was arrested on January 11, 1985, for protesting outside the Embassy of South Africa, Washington, D.C. during an anti-apartheid rally. He was arrested again on September 9, 1992, outside the White House for protesting on the recent crackdown on Haitian refugees.

Personal life

On February 20, 1977, Ashe married Jeanne Moutoussamy, a photographer he met in October 1976 at a United Negro College Fund benefit. Andrew Young, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, performed the wedding ceremony in the United Nations chapel, New York City. During the ceremony Ashe wore a cast on his left foot having had an operation on an injured heel ten days earlier.

In December 1986, Ashe and Moutoussamy adopted a daughter. She was named Camera after her mother's profession.

In March 1989 Ashe's father died of a stroke at age 68.

Health issues

In July 1979, Ashe suffered a heart attack while holding a tennis clinic in New York. In view of his high level of fitness as an athlete, his condition drew attention to the hereditary aspect of heart disease; Ashe's mother already had cardiovascular disease at the time of her death, aged 27, and his father had suffered a first heart attack, aged 55, and a second, aged 59, just a week before Ashe's own attack. Cardiac catheterization revealed one of Ashe's arteries was completely closed, another was 95 percent closed, and a third was closed 50 percent in two places. Ashe underwent a quadruple bypass operation, performed by Dr. John Hutchinson on December 13, 1979. A few months after the operation, Ashe was on the verge of making his return to professional tennis. However, during a family trip in Cairo, Egypt, he developed chest pains while running. Ashe stopped running and returned to see a physician and was accompanied by his close friend Douglas Stein. Stein urged Ashe to return to New York City so he could be close to his cardiologist, his surgeon and top-class medical facilities. In 1983, Ashe underwent a second round of heart surgery to correct the previous bypass surgery. After the surgery, Ashe became national campaign chairman for the American Heart Association.

In September 1988, Ashe was hospitalized after experiencing paralysis in his right arm. After undergoing exploratory brain surgery and a number of tests, doctors discovered that Ashe had toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that is commonly found in people infected with HIV. A subsequent test later revealed that Ashe was HIV positive. Ashe and his doctors believed he contracted the virus from blood transfusions he received during his second heart surgery. He and his wife decided to keep his illness private for the sake of their daughter, who was then two years old.

In 1992, a friend of Ashe who worked for USA Today heard that he was ill and called Ashe to confirm the story. Ashe decided to preempt USA Today's plans to publish the story about his illness and, on April 8, 1992, publicly announced he had contracted HIV. Ashe blamed USA Today for forcing him to go public with the news but also stated that he was relieved that he no longer had to lie about his illness. After the announcement, hundreds of readers called or wrote letters to USA Today criticizing their choice to run the story about Ashe's illness which subsequently forced Ashe to publicize his illness.

After Ashe went public with his illness, he founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, working to raise awareness about the virus and advocated teaching sex education and safe sex. He also fielded questions about his own diagnosis and attempted to clear up the misconception that only homosexuals or IV drug users were at risk for contracting AIDS. In September 1992, Ashe suffered a mild heart attack. In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on World AIDS Day, December 1, 1992, he addressed the growing need for AIDS awareness and increased research funding saying "We want to be able to look back and say to all concerned that we did what we had to do, when we had to do it, and with all the resources required."

Two months before his death, he founded the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to help address issues of inadequate health care delivery and was named Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year. He also spent much of the last years of his life writing his memoir Days of Grace, finishing the manuscript less than a week before his death.

Death

On February 6, 1993, Ashe died from AIDS-related pneumonia at New York Hospital. His funeral was held at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center in Richmond, Virginia, on February 10. Then-governor Douglas Wilder, who was a friend of Ashe, allowed his body to lie in state at the Governor's Mansion in Richmond. More than 5,000 people lined up to walk past the casket. Andrew Young, who had performed the service for Ashe's wedding in 1977, officiated at his funeral. Over 6,000 mourners attended. Ashe requested that he be buried alongside his mother, Mattie, who died in 1950, in Woodland Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.

On February 12, 1993, a memorial service for Ashe was held at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan.

Wikipedia

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Cleveland & Ohio Sports

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Support Coping and ResiliencePromote workers and coach capacity to eat healthy foods, train, get sufficient sleep, find time to unwind, and deal with stress. Sharing FacilitiesEncourage any organizations that share or use the youth sports facilities to additionally follow these considerations and restrict shared use. Advise coaches, staff, and athletes prior to the sporting occasion that they should not attend if they have signs of, a constructive take a look at for, or had been recently exposed to COVID-19. Consider staging within-team scrimmages as a substitute of taking part in video games with different groups to minimize exposure amongst players and groups. Identifying Small Groups and Keeping them Together Keep players together in small teams with devoted coaches or employees, and be sure that each group of gamers and coach keep away from mixing with other groups as much as attainable.

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These games embrace comparatively simple 1-player or 2-player basketball games corresponding to Basketball Stars and Basketball Legends 2020, in addition to more advanced multiplayer basketball video games such as Basketball.io and BasketBros. The utility of advanced AI methods to football has the potential to revolutionise the sport throughout many axes, for gamers, decision-makers, followers, and broadcasters. We consider that the event of more and more advanced AI techniques afforded by the soccer microcosm could be applicable to broader domains. To this end, we’re co-organising an IJCAI 2021 workshop on AI for Sports Analytics later this yr, which we welcome involved researchers to attend.

Alternative names are Australian Football, Aussie Rules, AFL, Australian Rules Football. As the Los Angeles Lakers seek to win out and avoid the play-in match, LeBron James returned to the court docket Saturday against the Indiana Pacers.

Why We Should Prioritize Equitable Entry To Physical Activity For Youngsters With Disabilities

UNDATED — The Phoenix Suns have given themselves a chance to capture the No. 1 seed in the NBA’s Western Conference playoffs. Joe Morgan, Frank Robinson, Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart are just some of the celebrities who played their high school ball in Oakland. Najee Harris — another high-profile, bruising working back with East Bay roots and first-round draft aspirations — is leaning on Marshawn Lynch to prepare for life in the NFL.

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Very properly run program that focuses on instructing good sportsmanship and respect for one another. It’s been a fantastic expertise to see the boys grow and have a great time enjoying a sport with no pressure about efficiency. COVID-19 has upended life as we know it — including highschool football. In Brockton, getting a chance to play is best than not playing Sports in any respect. KEVIN PAUL DUPONT

‘Decide Me By My Actions ‘ Trevor Lawrence Discusses The 2021 Nfl Draft And Questions On His Work Ethic

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For Spring Season, Young Athletes Get Back in the Game Despite Covid Risk

This story also ran on USA Today. It can be republished for free.

This spring, high school senior Nathan Kassis will play baseball in the shadow of covid-19 — wearing a neck gaiter under his catcher’s mask, sitting 6 feet from teammates in the dugout and trading elbow bumps for hugs after wins.

“We’re looking forward to having a season,” said the 18-year-old catcher for Dublin Coffman High School, outside Columbus, Ohio. “This game is something we really love.”

Kassis, whose team has started practices, is one of the millions of young people getting back onto ballfields, tennis courts and golf courses amid a decline in covid cases as spring approaches. But pandemic precautions portend a very different season this year, and some school districts still are delaying play — spurring spats among parents, coaches and public health experts across the nation.

Since fall, many parents have rallied for their kids to be allowed to play sports and objected to some safety policies, such as limits on spectators. Doctors, meanwhile, haven’t reached a consensus on whether contact sports are safe enough, especially indoors. While children are less likely than adults to become seriously ill from covid, they can still spread it, and those under 16 can’t be vaccinated yet.

Less was known about the virus early in the pandemic, so high school sports basically stopped last spring, starting up again in fits and spurts over the fall and winter in some places. Some kids turned to recreational leagues when their school teams weren’t an option.

But now, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, public high school sports are underway in every state, though not every district. Schedules in many places are being changed and condensed to allow as many sports as possible, including those not usually played in the spring, to make up for earlier cancellations.

Coaches and doctors agree that playing sports during a pandemic requires balancing the risk of covid with benefits such as improved cardiovascular fitness, strength and mental health. School sports can lead to college scholarships for the most elite student athletes, but even for those who end competitive athletics with high school, the rewards of playing can be extensive. Decisions about resuming sports, however, involve weighing the importance of academics against athletics, since adding covid risks from sports could jeopardize in-person learning during the pandemic.

Tim Saunders, executive director of the National High School Baseball Coaches Association and coach at Dublin Coffman, said the pandemic has taken a significant mental and social toll on players. In a May survey of more than 3,000 teen athletes in Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin researchers found that about two-thirds reported symptoms of anxiety and the same portion reported symptoms of depression. Other studies have shown similar problems for students generally.

“You have to look at the kids and their depression,” Saunders said. “They need to be outside. They need to be with their friends.”

Before letting kids play sports, though, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, coaches and school administrators should consider things like students’ underlying health conditions, the physical closeness of players in the specific sport and how widely covid is spreading locally.

Karissa Niehoff, executive director of the high school federation, has argued that spring sports should be available to all students after last year’s cancellations. She said covid spread among student athletes — and the adults who live and work with them — is correlated to transmission rates in the community.

“Sports themselves are not spreaders when proper precautions are in place,” she said.

Still, outbreaks have occurred. A January report by CDC researchers pointed to a high school wrestling tournament in Florida after which 38 of 130 participants were diagnosed with covid. (Fewer than half were tested.) The report’s authors said outbreaks linked to youth sports suggest that close contact during practices, competitions and related social gatherings all raise the risk of the disease and “could jeopardize the safe operation of in-person education.”

Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, an infection control expert in Kentucky who runs the national patient safety group Health Watch USA, said contact sports are “very problematic,” especially those played indoors. He said heavy breathing during exertion could raise the risk of covid even if students wear cloth masks. Ideally, he said, indoor contact sports should not be played until after the pandemic.

“These are not professional athletes,” Kavanagh said. “They’re children.”

A study released in January by University of Wisconsin researchers, who surveyed high school athletic directors representing more than 150,000 athletes nationally, bolsters the idea that indoor contact sports carry greater risks, finding a lower incidence of covid among athletes playing outdoor, non-contact sports such as golf and tennis.

Overall, “there’s not much evidence of transmission between players outdoors,” said Dr. Andrew Watson, lead author of the study, which he is submitting for peer-reviewed publication.

Dr. Jason Newland, a pediatrics professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said all sorts of youth sports, including indoor contact sports such as basketball, can be safe with the right prevention measures. He supported his daughter playing basketball while wearing a mask at her Kirkwood, Missouri, high school.

Doctors also pointed to other safety measures, such as forgoing locker rooms, keeping kids 6 feet apart when they’re not playing and requiring kids to bring their own water to games.

“The reality is, from a safety standpoint, sports can be played,” Newland said. “It’s the team dinner, the sleepover with the team — that’s where the issue shows up. It’s not the actual games.”

In Nevada’s Clark County School District, administrators said they’d restart sports only after students in grades 6-12 trickle back for in-person instruction as part of a hybrid model starting in late March. Cases in the county have dropped precipitously in recent weeks, from a seven-day average of 1,924 cases a day on Jan. 10 to about 64 on March 3.

In early April, practices for spring sports such as track, swimming, golf and volleyball are scheduled to begin, with intramural fall sports held in April and May. No spectators will be allowed.

Parents who wanted sports to start much earlier created Let Them Play Nevada, one of many groups that popped up to protest the suspension of youth athletics. The Nevada group rallied late last month outside the Clark County school district’s offices shortly before the superintendent announced the reopening of schools to in-person learning.

Let Them Play Nevada organizer Dennis Goughnour said his son, Trey, a senior football player who also runs track, was “very, very distraught” this fall and winter about not playing.

With the reopening, he said, Trey will be able to run track, but the intramural football that will soon be allowed is “a joke,” essentially just practice with a scrimmage game.

“Basically, his senior year of football is a done deal. We are fighting for maybe one game, like a bowl game for the varsity squad at least,” he said. “They have done something, but too little, too late.”

Goughnour said Let Them Play is also fighting to have spectators at games. Limits on the numbers of spectators have riled parents across the nation, provoking “a ton of pushback,” said Niehoff, of the high school federation.

Parents have also objected to travel restrictions, quarantine rules and differing mask requirements. In Orange County, Florida, hundreds of parents signed a petition last fall against mandatory covid testing for football players.

Students, for their part, have quickly adjusted to pandemic requirements, including rules about masks, distancing and locker rooms, said Matt Troha, assistant executive director of the Illinois High School Association.

Kassis, the Ohio baseball player, said doing what’s required to stay safe is a small price to pay to get back in the game.

“We didn’t get to play at all last spring. I didn’t touch a baseball this summer,” he said. “It’s my senior year. I want to have a season and I’ll be devastated if we don’t.”

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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10 To Watch : Mayors Edition 6319

RICK HORROW’S TOP 10 SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 3 : Mayor’s Edition

with Jacob Aere

Chipotle integrates Twitter and text for free burritos during the NBA Finals. According to Mobile Marketer, Chipotle is giving away up to $1 million in free burritos as part of a mobile promotion running around the NBA Championship. The catch is that every time any announcer – including sideline reporters – says "free" on-air during the first half of official league game coverage, the restaurant chain will offer up to 500 burritos. For the second half of games, mentions of "free" will result in 1,000 burritos up for grabs. The key to success is staying on Chipotle’s Twitter channel where the company will put out unique codes to be texted for code redemption. The giveaway is capped to the first 20 on-air mentions of "free" per game, meaning that there is potential for 20,000 burrito giveaways per game! The "Freeting" campaign also waives delivery fees for orders of $10 or more placed through Chipotle's app, website, and DoorDash. Although Chipotle is not an official NBA sponsor, the guerilla campaign is drawing hundreds of thousands of hungry basketball fans through the power of social media and “second screen viewing.”

Stanley Cup Finals seeing strong viewership. According to NBC Sports, the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues Game 1 matchup was the most-watched Stanley Cup game in four years. The matchup on NBC saw the network reel in an average Total Audience Delivery of 5.380 million viewers. It was third-most watched Game 1 since NBC began broadcasting the Stanley Cup Final in 2006 and even beat out the ever-popular “The Bachelorette.” Comparatively, Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals was up 2% compared to last year and a whopping 9% compared to 2017. On NBC alone, the game delivered a 2.87 HH rating and 5.264 million TV-only viewers. The title-hungry city of St. Louis led all markets with a 29.0 local rating, NBC Sports’ highest NHL rating on record in the market, while Boston scored a 25.2 rating. The series should draw consistently high numbers considering the Cinderella story Blues are taking on the behemoth Bruins, who posted 49 regular season wins and are the favorite for most bettors to take the Cup. 

USGA increases purses for both men and women at respective U.S. Opens. According to Golf Channel, last year’s men’s winner Brooks Koepka took home $2.16 million from a $12 million purse at Shinnecock Hills. This year at Pebble Beach, the winner will look to bring home roughly $2.25 million. Meanwhile, the total purse was increased to $5.5 million for the U.S. Women's Open at Country Club of Charleston. Last year, Ariya Jutanugarn took home $900,000 for her first place finish while this year’s winner Jeongeun Lee6 will take home a seven figure number for the first time. Out of this year’s $5 million purse for the revamped, season-ending LPGA CME Group Tour Championship, the first place finisher will receive $1 million, or roughly 20% of the purse, compared to the men’s winner, who cashes in a larger number but a smaller share of total prize money at 18%. The LPGA is clearly making strides to put its athletes on a closer pay scale to that of their male counterparts.

VISA invests in women’s soccer on the eve of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. According to Forbes, VISA revealed it would partner with both the Women’s and Men’s U.S. National Teams eight days before the Women’s World Cup begins in France. The terms of the deal ensured “at least 50%” of the investment would fund the U.S. Women’s National Team and women’s soccer programs and surrounding marketing efforts, meaning the deal will provide a much-needed spotlight on the stellar U.S. women's team.  The deal will see VISA become the presenting sponsor of the SheBelieves Cup, an annual four-team international invitational tournament in the U.S. Additionally, a new U.S. marketing campaign from VISA will feature World Cup squad members Adrianna Franch, Jessica Mcdonald, Rose Lavelle, Abby Dahlkemper, and Becky Sauerbrunn. USWNT co-captain Megan Rapinoe will join VISA’s roster of athletes and the financial services brand will be the first brand partner of the Player of the Match award at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. After U.S. women’s soccer players sued U.S. Soccer over gender inequality in pay this March, VISA is providing a helping hand for the three-time world champion USWNT.

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation unveiled a multisport, synthetic turf Youth Development Park on May 28 in Chicago’s Dunning neighborhood. Read-Dunning Park is lined for youth baseball/softball and soccer play and is now complete with a digital scoreboard, backstop, dugouts, and fencing. Chicago Parks District will manage and maintain the field and work closely with the Ripken Foundation to create programs to engage at-risk young people. The programs will address a variety of youth development needs, including character development, health, physical education, culture, and history. Read-Dunning Park was made in part by a generous $5 million donation to the Ripken Foundation from Group1001 and its CEO Dan Towriss, used to build a total of 10 Youth Development Parks over five years in 10 cities across the country. It is also supported by Chicago Cubs Charities and other local donors. To date, the Ripken Foundation has completed 84 multipurpose synthetic turf facilities in 22 states and Washington D.C. Read-Dunning Park is the second Ripken Foundation Youth Development Park, joining Freedom Field at Marquette Park located near Chicago’s South Side. The facility will be featured on a future episode of our monthly “Power of Sports” program, which explores Detroit in June.

Publisher Meredith Corp. sells Sports Illustrated to Authentic Brands Group for $110 million. Authentic Brands Group is the brand-development company that manages Juicy Couture, Nautica, and elements of the Muhammad Ali and Elvis Presley estates. Meredith took on Sports Illustrated as part of its purchase of Time Inc. in January, 2018 for $1.85 billion plus debt. According to Variety, Authentic Brands now owns the rights to market, develop, and license Sports Illustrated and its kids edition, swimsuit edition, “Sportsperson of the Year,” and the magazine's sports archive. In a wide-ranging discussion, CEO of Authentic Brands Jamie Salter said that he envisioned possibilities ranging from SI medical clinics and sports-skills training classes to a gambling business and better use of the magazine’s vast photo library. The sale moves Meredith close to the end of its effort to sell various Time Inc. assets and allows SI to reinvent itself for the digital age to compete with companies like The Ringer, Bleacher Report, and Barstool Sports.

NBC and Indianapolis 500 see TV viewership gains in their first year. NBC drew a total audience delivery of 5.446 million viewers for Simon Pagenaud's win in the Indianapolis 500, the first time the net had broadcast rights to the race. According to SportsBusiness Journal, last year’s race was a record low on ABC TV which averaged 4.913 million viewers. The 2019 audience peaked at 6.7 million viewers in the final quarter hour of the race, and drew a TV-only number of 5.414 million viewers and marks the most-watched Sunday afternoon sporting event on NBC since the Eagles-Bears NFC Wild Card game on January 6. NBC is in the first year of a multiyear broadcasting contract with Indy and significantly increased advertising efforts for the Indy 500 compared to ABC’s handling of the race in recent years. These are the baby steps for NBC and Indy, which are looking to attract younger audiences in a sport that has seen heavy viewership regression in recent years.

Las Vegas Raiders tickets selling well enough to add $40 million to stadium. Las Vegas Stadium COO Don Webb said that about $40 million more will be put into the stadium as the team has sold many personal seat licenses, stadium suites, club seats, and sponsorships. The additional money will help finance more suites, exterior restrooms, increased plaza security, and press areas and an enhanced stadium communications system. One of the enhanced areas will be a 26,000-square-foot "south end zone club space that would hold around 800 fans,” according to Las Vegas Stadium COO Don Webb. SportsBusiness Journal reports that the Raiders are in the final stages of completing a comprehensive transportation plan that will boost available parking significantly as the team has been acquiring nearby real estate to turn into more parking availability for fans. The Vegas Raiders will play in a $1.8 billion dome that sports a transparent roof, black glass exterior, and retractable doors to frame an 80-foot-tall and 215-foot wide view of the casinos on the strip, making it one of the most visually stunning North American stadiums to date.

“Jeopardy!” champion and pro sports bettor starts donating his wins to charity. With 31 wins in his column so far, “Jeopardy!” champion and pro sports bettor James Holzhauer has started donating his winnings to charity. According to CNN, the 35-year-old professional gambler from Las Vegas recently became the second Jeopardy contestant ever to hit $2 million in winnings. With his total of $2,382,580 earned in 31 days, he's closing in on Ken Jennings' record haul of $2,520,700 won in 74 games. Earlier this month, Holzhauer and his wife gave $10,000 to Project 150, which is a charity that helps homeless students in Las Vegas by distributing school supplies, meals, and clothes. The Holzhauers also donated $10,000 to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, and the couple’s most recent donation is $10,000 towards an educational charity called Communities in Schools of Nevada, a state branch of a national organization that works to prevent students from dropping out of school. Through all of his “Jeopardy!” success, Holzhauer has become one of Las Vegas' most celebrated citizens, receiving a key to the Las Vegas Strip and having Clark County officials declare May 2 "James Holzhauer Day.”

The second annual AO1 Charity Softball Game raised $500,000 in Philadelphia. Carson Wentz’ charity softball game and its overwhelming fundraising may hint at a new golden age for Philadelphia sports. After the Eagles’ quarterback led his team to a Super Bowl title this past February and Bryce Harper joined the Phillies, sports in Philly are looking up. Although he did not play in the softball game, Wentz was working in his food truck, Thy Kingdom Crumb, to distribute free shrimp po’ boys and pulled pork sandwiches to ticket holders – something it does normally as the charitable food truck has delivered more than 8,000 free meals to those in need. According to Billy Penn, more than 15,000 fans came out to watch football players hit softballs, all in support of Wentz’s AO1 Foundation’s mission of “uplifting individuals and communities around the world by demonstrating God’s love for His people.” Playing at Citizens Bank Park, the quarterback also announced Camp Conquerors, an outdoor ministry program that introduces hunting and fishing to in-need children. Between Carson Wentz and the now-retired Chris Long, the Eagles have one of the most charitable presences among all American sports teams.

[lhlarryhughes-blog]

Private Basketball Coaches in Missouri | Basketball Skills Training

Get basketball skills training from Larry Hughes Basketball Academy by private basketball coaches in Missouri. If you want private basketball coach for your kids then join our Academy today.

[bjwhit]

St. Louis Dream Center Review

As Greenville College’s cuisine and culture class traveled to St. Louis, Missouri for another day of experiencing great cuisine and culture, the first stop landed us at an out reach of Joyce Meyer Ministries called, St. Louis Dream Center. The St. Louis Dream Center, located just several minutes north of downtown St. Louis, Missouri, is an organization and thriving multi-cultural church that is changing the face of the St. Louis area.

 The St. Louis Dream Center reaches out to thousands of people through several different methods such as Street Ministry, Adopt-A-Block, Nursing Home Ministry, KidzJam, and Outreach Ministry. St. Louis Dream Center constantly invite individuals to join them and see firsthand the wonderful work God is doing in the St. Louis community, which is something Greenville experienced during a tour led by Samantha, an individual who has been a part of the organization for years now.

 Samantha not only blessed Greenville with a tour, but she took the time to express personal stories along each step, as well as explain the different outreaches to the group.

 As explained,

 Street Ministry

A reach out is performed weekly to the homeless community in the St. Louis city area to provide food, clothing, haircuts and a Christ-centered message. With a goal to provide tangible help and a renewed hope that they have a God-ordained purpose, the St. Louis Dream Center shows them that God not only sees them but loves them unconditionally.

  Adopt-A-Block

Providing simple acts of service while sharing God’s love and the Gospel message, Adopt-A-Block is performed every Saturday to bless local neighbors. Everything from picking up trash to raking leaves is performed. Individuals commonly remain on one block and “adopt” it by constantly blessing the block with their services.

 Nursing Home Ministry

Along with many flowers, often donated from Trader Joe’s, praise and worship is commonly performed at nursing homes by the St. Louis Dream Center.            

 KidzJam

Including things such as bounce houses, basketball, and carnival games, KidzJam is a carnival on wheels! In consists of all kinds of fun activities for kids when it rolls into their neighborhood. “KidzJam reaches a city of overlooked and undervalued children, giving each child a hope and a future by presenting a positive message of faith through activities, games, music, and drama. We involve both parents and children in each activity, thereby strengthening the family bond and fostering continued involvement and unity. We seek to reach the lost youth of this generation and hope to positively influence the generations to come. But we don’t stop there. We top the day off with a 45-minute program that features group games, worship, and a biblical lesson that teaches about Jesus in a way that the kids can relate to.”

 Outreach Ministry

Consisting of strict one year long programs, Outreach Ministry blesses many who have made poor decisions or simply have nothing, with a second chance by helping them get back on their feet.

  Finishing up the tour, we got a chance to be served great black beans, corn, and brown rice with a side of fruits. All together a great experience.

[blackkudos]

Arthur Ashe

Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American World No. 1 professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam titles.

Ashe was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. He retired in 1980. He was ranked World No. 1 by Harry Hopman in 1968 and by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and World Tennis Magazine in 1975. In the ATP computer rankings, he peaked at No. 2 in May 1976.

In the early 1980s, Ashe is believed to have contracted HIV from a blood transfusion he received during heart bypass surgery. Ashe publicly announced his illness in April 1992 and began working to educate others about HIV and AIDS. He founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health before his death from AIDS-related pneumonia on February 6, 1993.

On June 20, 1993, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the United States President Bill Clinton.

Early life

Arthur Ashe was born in Richmond, Virginia, to Arthur Ashe Sr. and Mattie Cordell Cunningham Ashe on July 10, 1943. He had a brother, Johnnie, who was five years younger. In March 1950, Ashe's mother Mattie died from complications related to a toxemic pregnancy (now known as pre-eclampsia) at the age of 27. Ashe and his brother were raised by their father who worked as a handyman and salaried caretaker-Special Policeman for Richmond's recreation department.

Ashe Sr. was a caring father and strict disciplinarian who encouraged Arthur to excel in both school and in sports, but forbade him to play American football, a popular game for many black children, due to his son's slight build, something that meant Arthur's childhood nicknames were "Skinny" or "Bones". The Ashes lived in the caretaker's cottage in the grounds of 18-acre Brookfield park, Richmond's largest blacks-only public playground, which had basketball courts, four tennis courts, a pool and three baseball diamonds. Ashe started playing tennis at 7 years of age and began practicing on the courts where his natural talent was spotted by Virginia Union University student and part-time Brookfield tennis instructor, Ron Charity, who as the best black tennis player in Richmond at the time, began to teach Ashe the basic strokes and encouraged him to enter local tournaments.

Ashe attended Maggie L. Walker High School where he continued to practice tennis. Ron Charity brought him to the attention of Robert Walter Johnson, a physician, and coach of Althea Gibson, who founded and funded the Junior Development Program of the American Tennis Association (ATA). Ashe was coached and mentored by Johnson at his tennis summer camp home in Lynchburg, Virginia from 1953 when Ashe was age 10, until 1960. Johnson helped fine-tune Ashe's game and taught him the importance of racial socialization through sportsmanship, etiquette and the composure that would later become an Ashe hallmark. He was told to return every ball that landed within two inches of a line and never to argue with an umpire's decision. In 1958, Ashe became the first African-American to play in the Maryland boys' championships. It was also his first integrated tennis competition.

In 1960, precluded from playing Caucasian youths in segregated Richmond during the school year and unable to use the city's indoor courts which were closed to black players, Ashe accepted an offer from Richard Hudlin, a 62-year-old St. Louis teacher, tennis coach and friend of Dr. Johnson, to move to St. Louis and spend his senior year attending Sumner High School where he could compete more freely. Ashe lived with Hudlin and his family for the year, during which time Hudlin coached and encouraged him to develop the serve-and-volley game that Ashe's, now stronger, physique allowed. Ashe was able to practice at the National Guard Armory indoor courts and in 1961, after lobbying by Dr. Johnson, he was granted permission to compete in the previously segregated U.S. Interscholastic tournament and won it for the school.

In December 1960 and again in 1963, Ashe featured in Sports Illustrated, appearing in their Faces in the Crowd segment. He became the first African-American to win the National Junior Indoor tennis title and was awarded a tennis scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1963. During his time at UCLA, he was coached by J.D. Morgan and practiced regularly with his sporting idol, Pancho Gonzales, who lived nearby and helped hone his game. Ashe was also a member of the ROTC which required him to join active military service after graduation in exchange for money for tuition. He was active in other things, joining the Upsilon chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity on campus. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business administration, Ashe joined the United States Army on August 4, 1966. Ashe completed his basic training in Washington and was later commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Adjutant General Corps. He was assigned to the United States Military Academy at West Point where he worked as a data processor. During his time at West Point, Ashe headed the academy's tennis program. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant on February 23, 1968 and was discharged from the Army in 1969.

Career

In 1963 Ashe became the first black player ever selected for the United States Davis Cup team. In 1965, ranked the number 3 player in the United States, Ashe won both the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) singles title and the doubles title (with Ian Crookenden of New Zealand), helping UCLA win the team NCAA tennis championship.

In 1966 and 1967, Ashe reached the final of the Australian Championship but lost on both occasions to Roy Emerson.

1968 was another groundbreaking year for Ashe. He won the United States Amateur Championships against Davis Cup Teammate Bob Lutz, and the first US Open of the open era, becoming the first black male to capture the title and the only player to have won both the amateur and open national championships in the same year. In order to maintain Davis Cup eligibility and have time away from army duty for important tournaments, Ashe was required to maintain his amateur status. Because of this, he could not accept the $14,000 first-prize money, which was instead given to runner-up Tom Okker, while Ashe received just $20 daily expenses for his historic triumph. His ability to compete in the championship (and avoid the Vietnam war) arose from his brother Johnnie's decision to serve an additional tour in Vietnam in Arthur's place. In December 1968, Ashe helped the U.S team become Davis Cup champions after victory in the final in Adelaide against defending champions, Australia. His only loss in the 12 Davis Cup tournament singles matches he played that year, was in the last dead rubber game after the U.S team had already clinched victory. The season closed with Ashe the winner of 10 of 22 tournaments with a 72-10 win-loss match record.

In September 1969, the U.S Davis Cup team retained the cup, beating Romania in the final challenge round, with Ashe winning both his singles matches. The same year, Ashe applied for a visa to play in the South African Open but was denied the visa by the South African government who enforced a strict apartheid policy of racial segregation. He continued to apply for visas in the following years and the country continued to deny him one. In protest, he used this example of discrimination to campaign for U.S. sanctions against South Africa and the expulsion of the nation from the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) but, in defense of the individual South African players, refused the call from activists to forfeit matches against them.

In January 1970, Ashe won his second Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open. With the competition somewhat depleted by the absence of some world-class National Tennis League (NTL) professional players barred by their league from entering because the financial guarantees were deemed too low, Ashe defeated Dick Crealy in straight sets in the final to become the first non-Australian to win the title since 1959. In September 1970, shortly after helping the U.S Davis cup team defeat West Germany in the challenge round to win their third consecutive Davis Cup, Ashe signed a five-year contract with Lamar Hunt's World Championship Tennis.

In March 1971, Ashe reached the final of the Australian Open again but lost in straight sets to Ken Rosewall. In June that year, Ashe won the French Open men's doubles with partner Marty Riessen.

In 1972, due to a dispute between the ILTF and the WCT, Ashe, as one of the 32 contracted WCT players, was barred from taking part in any ILTF Grand Prix tennis circuit tournaments from January to July. This ban meant Ashe was unable to play at the French Open and Wimbledon Grand Slam tournaments. In September, Ashe reached the final of the US Open for the second time. After leading his opponent, Ilie Năstase by 2 sets to 1 and with a break point to take a 4-1 lead in the fourth set, he eventually lost in five sets. The loss from such a winning position was the biggest disappointment of Ashe's professional tennis career. At the post-match award ceremony, irritated by some of Năstase's on-court antics during the game, Ashe praised Năstase as a tough opponent and 'colourful' player, then suggested, "...and when he brushes up on some of his court manners, he is going to be even better". At this tournament, concerned that men's tennis professionals were not receiving winnings commensurate with the sport's growing popularity and to protect players from promoters and associations, Ashe supported the founding of the Association of Tennis Professionals. He went on to become its elected president in 1974.

In June 1973, as a result of an ATP boycott, Ashe was one of 13 seeded players and 81 players in total who withdrew from the Wimbledon tournament to much public criticism. The catalyst for the boycott was that Yugoslavian ATP member Niki Pilić had been suspended for nine months by his tennis federation after allegedly refusing to represent them in a Davis Cup tie against New Zealand in May, something Pilić denied. The ban was upheld by the ILTF though they reduced it to just one month. The ATP contested the ban but lost a lawsuit to force Pilić's participation at Wimbledon during the ban period. As a member of the ATP board, Ashe voted to boycott the tournament, a vote that was only narrowly passed when ATP chairman, Cliff Drysdale abstained. The reason for the boycott was to support Pilić as an ATP member, but the importance was that it proved the solidarity of the fledgling ATP, and showed the tennis associations that professional players could no longer be dictated to.

In November 1973, with the South African government seeking to end their Olympic ban and re-join the Olympic movement, Ashe was finally granted a visa to enter the country for the first time to play in the South African Open. He lost in the final to Jimmy Connors, but won the doubles with partner Tom Okker. Despite boycotts against South African sport, Ashe believed that his presence could help break down stereotypes and that by competing and winning the tournament, it would stand as an example of the result of integration, and help bring about change in apartheid South Africa. He reached the singles final again in 1974, losing in straight sets to Connors for the second consecutive year. Later, in 1977, Ashe addressed a small crowd of boycott supporters at the U.S Open and admitted that he had been wrong to participate in South Africa and once again supported the boycott of South African players after he had tried to purchase tickets for some young Africans for a tennis match in South Africa, and was told to use an "Africans only" counter. In the media, Ashe called for South Africa to be expelled from the professional tennis circuit and Davis Cup competition.

In May 1975, Ashe beat Bjorn Borg to win the season-ending championship WCT Finals in Dallas, Texas.

On July 5, 1975 in the first all-American Wimbledon final since 1947, Ashe, seeded sixth and just a few days short of his 32nd birthday, won Wimbledon at his ninth attempt, defeating the strong favourite and defending champion, Jimmy Connors. Ashe had never beaten Connors in any of their previous encounters and Connors had not dropped a set in any of the six earlier rounds, but Ashe played an almost perfect game of tactical tennis to win in four sets. In the lead-up to the final, the two players' relationship was already strained. Connors was suing the ATP, with Ashe as its president, for alleged restraint of trade after opposition from the ATP and French officials meant he was refused entry to the 1974 French Open as a contracted member of World Team Tennis (WTT). Just two days before the start of the Wimbledon tournament, it had been announced that Connors was now suing Ashe for $5 million for comments in a letter Ashe had written to ATP members in his role as president, criticizing Connors' insistence that Davis Cup captain Dennis Ralston should be fired and Connors' "unpatriotic" boycott of the competition which had started after Ralston left him out of the team against the West Indies in Jamaica in March 1972. On final day, Ashe pointedly and symbolically wore red, white and blue wristbands throughout the match and wore his U.S.A. emblazoned Davis Cup warm-up jacket when walking out onto Centre Court and during the award ceremony while receiving the trophy and winner's cheque for GBP £10,000 (1975 equivalent USD $23,000). Soon after the final, Connors dropped the libel suit.

Ashe played for a few more years and won the Australian Open doubles with Tony Roche in January 1977, but a left foot heel injury requiring surgery a month later and subsequent long-term rehabilitation saw his world ranking drop to a lowly 257th before a remarkable comeback saw him rise back to 14th in the world again at the age of 35. However, after undergoing heart surgery in December 1979, Ashe officially retired in April 1980, at age 36. His career record was 818 wins, 260 losses and 51 titles.

Ashe remains the only black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, or Australian Open. He is one of only two men of black African ancestry to win any Grand Slam singles title, the other being France's Yannick Noah, who won the French Open in 1983. He also led the United States to victory for three consecutive years (1968–70) in the Davis Cup.

In his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and a world no. 1 player himself in the 1940s, ranked Ashe as one of the 21 best players of all time.

Retirement

After his retirement, Ashe took on many roles, including writing for Time magazine and The Washington Post, commentating for ABC Sports, founding the National Junior Tennis League, and serving as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team from 1981 to 1985. He was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.

In 1988, Ashe published a three-volume book titled A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African-American Athlete, after working with a team of researchers for nearly six years. Ashe stated that the book was more important than any tennis titles.

Ashe was also an active civil rights supporter. He was a member of a delegation of 31 prominent African-Americans who visited South Africa to observe political change in the country as it approached racial integration. He was arrested on January 11, 1985, for protesting outside the Embassy of South Africa, Washington, D.C. during an anti-apartheid rally. He was arrested again on September 9, 1992, outside the White House for protesting on the recent crackdown on Haitian refugees.

Personal life

On February 20, 1977, Ashe married Jeanne Moutoussamy, a photographer he met in October 1976 at a United Negro College Fund benefit. Andrew Young, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, performed the wedding ceremony in the United Nations chapel, New York City. During the ceremony Ashe wore a cast on his left foot having had an operation on an injured heel ten days earlier.

In December 1986, Ashe and Moutoussamy adopted a daughter. She was named Camera after her mother's profession.

In March 1989 Ashe's father died of a stroke at age 68.

Health issues

In July 1979, Ashe suffered a heart attack while holding a tennis clinic in New York. In view of his high level of fitness as an athlete, his condition drew attention to the hereditary aspect of heart disease; Ashe's mother already had cardiovascular disease at the time of her death, aged 27, and his father had suffered a first heart attack, aged 55, and a second, aged 59, just a week before Ashe's own attack. Cardiac catheterization revealed one of Ashe's arteries was completely closed, another was 95 percent closed, and a third was closed 50 percent in two places. Ashe underwent a quadruple bypass operation, performed by Dr. John Hutchinson on December 13, 1979. A few months after the operation, Ashe was on the verge of making his return to professional tennis. However, during a family trip in Cairo, Egypt, he developed chest pains while running. Ashe stopped running and returned to see a physician and was accompanied by his close friend Douglas Stein. Stein urged Ashe to return to New York City so he could be close to his cardiologist, his surgeon and top-class medical facilities. In 1983, Ashe underwent a second round of heart surgery to correct the previous bypass surgery. After the surgery, Ashe became national campaign chairman for the American Heart Association.

In September 1988, Ashe was hospitalized after experiencing paralysis in his right arm. After undergoing exploratory brain surgery and a number of tests, doctors discovered that Ashe had toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that is commonly found in people infected with HIV. A subsequent test later revealed that Ashe was HIV positive. Ashe and his doctors believed he contracted the virus from blood transfusions he received during his second heart surgery. He and his wife decided to keep his illness private for the sake of their daughter, who was then two years old.

In 1992, a friend of Ashe who worked for USA Today heard that he was ill and called Ashe to confirm the story. Ashe decided to preempt USA Today's plans to publish the story about his illness and, on April 8, 1992, publicly announced he had contracted HIV. Ashe blamed USA Today for forcing him to go public with the news but also stated that he was relieved that he no longer had to lie about his illness. After the announcement, hundreds of readers called or wrote letters to USA Today criticizing their choice to run the story about Ashe's illness which subsequently forced Ashe to publicize his illness.

After Ashe went public with his illness, he founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, working to raise awareness about the virus and advocated teaching sex education and safe sex. He also fielded questions about his own diagnosis and attempted to clear up the misconception that only homosexuals or IV drug users were at risk for contracting AIDS. In September 1992, Ashe suffered a mild heart attack. In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on World AIDS Day, December 1, 1992, he addressed the growing need for AIDS awareness and increased research funding saying "We want to be able to look back and say to all concerned that we did what we had to do, when we had to do it, and with all the resources required."

Two months before his death, he founded the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to help address issues of inadequate health care delivery and was named Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year. He also spent much of the last years of his life writing his memoir Days of Grace, finishing the manuscript less than a week before his death.

Death

On February 6, 1993, Ashe died from AIDS-related pneumonia at New York Hospital. His funeral was held at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center in Richmond, Virginia, on February 10. Then-governor Douglas Wilder, who was a friend of Ashe, allowed his body to lie in state at the Governor's Mansion in Richmond. More than 5,000 people lined up to walk past the casket. Andrew Young, who had performed the service for Ashe's wedding in 1977, officiated at his funeral. Over 6,000 mourners attended. Ashe requested that he be buried alongside his mother, Mattie, who died in 1950, in Woodland Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.

On February 12, 1993, a memorial service for Ashe was held at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan.

Wikipedia

[soccerstl]

On Twitter Friday, Lou Fusz Athletic released their initial team list with Coaches,including identifying the teams that would be competing in the Girls Academy this Fall. It’s a first step towards restructuring the girls program that will move them more towards a model implemented at SLSG several years ago where players are placed on teams rather than recruited by coaches/teams individually. So let’s look at the foundation so when we look back in a few years, we can see how it began. Lou Fusz Athletic Girls Soccer Coaches Announced

First item – it looks like the club has done a good job of bringing in some youth coaches that are current college players or recent graduates. Lauren Lottman (Marquette/UMSL ’20) and Katie Nash (Summit/Maryville ’23) along with Daniel Placke (Webster Groves ’19) are familiar names. Placke follows in his father’s footsteps, after playing playing baseball, soccer and basketball for St. Michael’s with my nephew Eric for six years, all coached by his father. He was a key contributor in goal for the Webster Groves Statesmen in his senior year. Lauren played for Wendy Dillinger at UMSL who I would guess had a hand in bringing Lauren to the club, after joining the club as Director of Jr. Blue Stars.

Lou Fusz Athletic has announced they will compete in the Girls Academy (DPL registration) as well as the USYSA Midwest Conference (Affinity registration) in the Club v Club Division. In addition, I anticipate that they will also compete in the USYSA National League (GotSoccer registration) as well as the Missouri State Cup (Affinity registration) If they also have teams competing in SLYSA (GotSoccer registration) with five teams in every age group except 2007, that will be a treat for their Registrar who will need to manage three different registration systems. So let’s look at what their lineups across the three primary competition platforms might be.

GIRLS ACADEMY The team has identified the Coaches for the six Girls Academy teams that will compete in the new league. Of note, Lindsey Bryant has joined the club. Wife of Paul Bryant, better known as STLDigital, she has apparently brought her National Presidents Cup champions from Sporting STL to their neighbor on the other side of 141. For the 2005 age group, David Critchley has now taken responsibility for a girls team. As I understand it, the Lou Fusz Geerling team was coached by McKee/McVey during the 2019 HSG State Cup. I suspect Chritchley’s team may consist of a number of the Geerling team who finished second nationally in 2019 after qualifying via National League. The 2003 National Champion team, previously coached by Cal McKee, will now by handled by Pat McVey.

GIRLS ACADEMY COACHES 2008, Jake Cawsey, 2007, Lindsey Bryant, President’s Cup National Champions 2006, Cal McKee, 2005, David Critchley, see note above 2004, Cal McKee, 2003, Pat McVey, National Champions & 2020 NCS qualified via NL

MIDWEST CONFERENCE/NATIONAL LEAGUE/STATE CUP I thought I might be able to break this out by the three primary competitions but it got a bit complicated so instead I’ve got background and some possibilities.

The Midwest Conference Club v Club Division was recently announced. Lou Fusz Athletic is part of Bracket A that includes three local programs plus two from Chicago and one each from Michigan and Nebraska. The competition lineup is defined this way

Teams in each bracket of the Club vs. Club Divisions will play within their own brackets (no crossover matches) to determine the final standings. To determine who advances to the annual USYS Midwest Regional Championships, a playoff will take place at the end of the season. The highest placed teams from each bracket — that have not already qualified for Regionals by winning their State Cup — will meet to determine the age group’s Club vs. Club Division representative at Regionals.

Midwest Conference Girls Club vs. Club Division | Fall 2020 Brackets BRACKET A Chicago Inter Soccer (IL) Team Chicago (IL) Lou Fusz Athletic (MO) Sporting STL (MO) St. Louis Scott Gallagher (MO) Midwest United FC (MI) Sporting Omaha (NE)

NATIONAL LEAGUE Announces New Structure Beginning with the 2020-2021 season, the traditional format of the USYS National League will be adapted into the ALL NEW USYS National Showcase Series that is accessible to teams competing in ANY of the USYS Conferences, among others. This change will offer greater access to national programming within the National League structure while continuing to provide teams with an avenue to compete against the best teams from across the country.

WHO’S WHO So the next question is who will play where. The gallery of photos below provides a screen shot for the age group with the National ranking for the Missouri teams. A look at the roster of teams and where they finished last year. One note: GotSoccer is an incomplete picture but it does offer a starting point. Best example I can offer is the 2003 listing. The National Champion Lou Fusz Blue team is ranked #17 nationally? The second team listed is also Lou Fusz Blue so use these lists with a grain of salt.

2008: The Liz Gaudy coached White Star squad comes in at #6 and McDevitt at #11 with two additional teams that are in the Top 20. 2007: Blue Star Premier are top of the table despite playing up (2008) while the 2007 Red squad is #22 2006: Phillips is the top-ranked LFA team at the moment, #4 in Missouri while ##8 Lawrence and #11 Puszkar are the other teams in the Top 25. Phillips finished 4th in their 1st Division of the Midwest Conference last Fall, not enough to be promoted normally but could slot into Club v Club easily. 2005: I mentioned the Geerling team situation above, Tottleben is ranked just below them and are defending State Cup Champions as well as a returning Midwest Conference team if that is the way the currents run. They finished 5th in Premier I last Fall. The Otec brothers have a pair of teams in the Top 15 while Dodd is #11 and the McVey team is at #18 on the list. 2004: The McKee squad was the top LFA team last Fall and finished 2nd in their Midwest Conference 1st Division competition but are headed for GA. Nabours had a pair of teams in the Top 11 in the State. I see that Nick Valenti has joined the club after being part of Missouri Rush for a number of years. Matt Hearty is also the Girls Coach at Webster Groves (I’m guessing they misspelled his name) 2003: Phillips was a State Cup semifinalist while Senter and Wayland are both Top 25 and had a combined team last Fall.

One thing stands out for me and that it’s going to be a challenge to to sort out final rosters for the Academy teams in most instances followed by the Club-v-Club rosters and coaches.

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2003 Girls

2004 Girls

2005 Girls

2006 Girls

2007 Girls

2008 Girls

https://twitter.com/LouFuszSoccer/status/1269051562321743873?s=19

Lou Fusz Athletic Girls Soccer Coaches Announced

Lou Fusz Athletic Girls Soccer Coaches Announced On Twitter Friday, Lou Fusz Athletic released their initial team list with Coaches,including identifying the teams that would be competing in the Girls Academy this Fall.

[soccerdrawings]

8 Top Risks Of Attending Soccer Column Trophies | Soccer Column Trophies

Another year has appear and gone.

Soccer Trophies - Rectangle Column - soccer column trophies | soccer column trophies As we about-face the agenda to 2020 on Wednesday, we attending aback at Cape Breton's top sports account month-by-month in Sports Chat's anniversary review.These account are abstracted from the Cape Breton Post's top sports belief of the year, which appear in the Dec. 26 edition.Capers' Disipio an Bookish All-CanadianThe Cape Breton Capers women's soccer aggregation was represented amid the U SPORTS bookish all-Canadians for the 2017-18 season.Captain Ciera Disipio of Ottawa was one of eight athletes to be accustomed as Bookish All-Canadians and the abandoned apprentice from Cape Breton University.In adjustment for U SPORTS student-athletes to accomplish bookish all-Canadian status, acceptance charge advance an boilerplate of 80 per cent or bigger over the bookish year while aggressive for one or added of their university’s varsity teams.Disipio, who accomplished her university soccer career aftermost month, has won assorted awards during her time with the Capers soccer program, while allowance the Sydney-based aggregation win argent and brownish medals at the civic level.Honourable mention: Richard Morency accomplish bottomward as Cape Breton Screaming Eagles governor afterwards 18 years with the club. The 74-year-old angry the assignment over to Gerard Shaw.Boxer wins brownish at Canada Winter GamesWhen Matt Ross started battle four years ago, he knew he capital to represent his arena in the ring.The New Waterford native's dream became a absoluteness in February aback he ill-fitted up for Aggregation Nova Scotia at the Canada Winter Abecedarian in Red Deer, Alta.Ross accomplished the accident with a 2-1 almanac and captured the brownish badge in the 69 kg analysis on Feb. 20, acquisition Dylan Clark of British Columbia by accepted decision, a activity apparent beyond the country on TSN.Ross is continuing his battle career with the New Waterford Battle Club.Honourable mention: The Riverview Redmen won the 41st anniversary Red Cup Showcase aerial academy hockey clash in Coxheath, while Halifax Grammar Academy took home the Coal Bowl Classic appellation in New Waterford.Capers' Brown wraps up arch careerHannah Brown had a analysis to bethink with the Cape Breton Capers during the 2018-19 campaign.The North Sydney artefact accomplished the approved analysis with the best credibility in the Atlantic University Sport conference, averaging 26.4 credibility per game, while breaking a Cape Breton University single-season scoring almanac ahead captivated by Kelsey Hodgson.The 22-year-old additionally set new Cape Breton University and AUS single-season airy records. She was additionally declared the league’s best admired abecedarian and a aboriginal aggregation all-star.She led the Capers to a regular-season appellation in her fifth season, abominably the aggregation did not accomplish it to the U SPORTS championship tournament.

Boys Soccer Column Trophy | Soccer boys, Sports trophies, Soccer - soccer column trophies | soccer column trophies Honourable Mention: The Strait Pirates accomplished aboriginal all-embracing in the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey Alliance approved season, while ambience a authorization almanac for best wins (29) in a single-season. The Port Hawkesbury-based aggregation did not breach their 17-year championship drought, accident in the alliance final.Dumont accursed by Screaming EaglesAfter six-and-a-half seasons as arch drillmaster and accepted manager, Marc-André Dumont was accursed by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.The battlefront came aloof canicule afterwards Cape Breton was alone from the additional annular of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey Alliance playoffs by the Rimouski Océanic.Dumont, who replaced Ron Choules in December 2012, guided the Screaming Eagles to six playoff appearances, including three quarter-final series.Along with Dumont, the aggregation additionally accursed abettor drillmaster Brent Hughes.Honourable Mention: The Cape Breton Highlanders fabricated authorization history aback they anchored a anchorage in the Civic Basketball Alliance of Canada playoffs. The aggregation was alone in the aboriginal annular by the Halifax Hurricanes in bristles games.Federation calls off rugbyIn an attack to absolute injuries, the Nova Scotia Academy Athletic Alliance declared off the rugby analysis afterward an abrasion to an all-embracing apprentice from Sydney Academy.Hundreds of bigoted aerial academy rugby players protested the federation's decision, forth with Rugby Nova Scotia.Later, the alliance antipodal the accommodation and accustomed Rugby Nova Scotia to run the aerial academy rugby affairs for the butt of the year.Action resumed beyond the arena in mid-May and captivated up with bigoted tournaments in June.Honourable Mention: The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles declared Jacques Carrière the team's new accepted manager, while John Hanna was declared the team's new abettor accepted managerRiverview to abolish "Redmen" from hockey programThe Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Apprenticeship accepted Riverview Aerial School's plan to abolish the name "Redmen" from its hockey program, while rebranding all its sports teams.The advertisement came two months afterwards McGill University in Montreal removed the name "Redmen" from its men's varsity sports teams afterwards acceptance argued the appellation was a ancestral slur.The centre for apprenticeship told the Post the name "Redmen" for the school's sports aggregation came from the club's jersey and bonbon pikestaff socks.Riverview has yet to clearly abolish the name "Redmen" from its hockey affairs and no new name was appear at columnist time.Honourable Mention: The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles declared Jake Grimes the team's new arch coach, replacing Marc-André Dumont.

Lightning Series - 8 Column Trophy with Trim - Soccer - soccer column trophies | soccer column trophies Highlanders append operationsAfter three seasons in the Civic Basketball Alliance of Canada, the Cape Breton Highlanders appear they were suspending operations for the 2019-20 analysis due to banking problems.The aggregation did accomplish an attack to save the attack with a season-ticket drive, but never did ability the ambition of affairs 1,500 analysis tickets in a week.The alliance afterwards accepted the Highlanders a one-year leave of absence, but the approaching of able basketball in Cape Breton charcoal a catechism mark for 2020-21.Honourable Mention: The Sydney Mitsubishi Rush were declared the host aggregation for the 2021 Telus Cup civic midget hockey championship. The clash will be captivated at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre in April 2021.Al MacInnis brings Stanley Cup homeAl MacInnis acclaimed the St. Louis Blues' Stanley Cup achievement with his hometown of Port Hood on Aug. 3.MacInnis, a chief adviser to the accepted administrator for the Blues, brought the Stanley Cup to Cape Breton for the town's anniversary Chestico Canicule anniversary parade.An estimated army of 5,000 bodies abounding the array to get a glimpse of the prestigous trophy.MacInnis is a backstab Stanley Cup winner. He won his aboriginal Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989. He did not accompany the bays to Port Hood that year.Honourable Mention: Cape Breton hosted the Royal Canadian Legion Youth Track and Acreage Championships at Cape Breton University. Added than 800 athletes from beyond the country participated, including a cardinal of Cape Breton athletes.Glace Bay golfer abecedarian of the yearBrett MacKinnon has never been a drifter to the golf course, but he never accepted to be area he is today in Nova Scotia's golf scene.The Glace Bay golfer was declared the Nova Scotia Golf Association men's abecedarian of the year in mid-September afterwards a able assuming on the advance in 2019.MacKinnon had alternate to the acreage aftermost summer afterwards demography two years off from aggressive golf to accompany application opportunities in Ontario.He acquaint two second-place finishes, while additionally recording a third abode accomplishment at the MCT men's abecedarian championship in New Glasgow.Honourable Mention: Sydney Sooners captured their fourth Nova Scotia Chief Baseball Alliance banderole in bristles years, finishing aboriginal all-embracing with a 22-8 record. The aggregation would afterwards lose to the Dartmouth Moosehead Dry in the alliance final.Belle Jacobs makes Sydney Academy historyDefenceman Belle Jacobs fabricated Sydney Academy history in October, acceptable the aboriginal changeable abecedarian to clothing up for the school's Analysis 1 hockey team.

Junior Soccer Trophies with Column Choice | Corporate awards .. | soccer column trophies The Sydney artefact fabricated her Cape Breton Aerial Academy Hockey Alliance admission adjoin the Memorial Marauders on Oct. 22 at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre.Jacobs has played able-bodied for the Wildcats this analysis and is logging lots of account on the team's blue-line. She has a ambition in 12 approved analysis abecedarian this season.Honourable Mention: Lauren Barrett (Glace Bay), Hudson Clarke (Port Caledonia), Samantha Morrison (Dominion), Erin Denny (Eskasoni) and Madison Corbett (Sydney) represented Nova Scotia at the Atlantic Challenge Cup in Moncton.Capers abduction AUS soccer championshipsThe Cape Breton Capers men's and women's soccer teams captured their corresponding Atlantic University Sport championships at the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex on Nov. 3.The No. 2 berry women Capers defeated the No. 1 berry Acadia Axewomen 3-2 in the championship game, on the aback of a two-goal achievement by Alliyah Rowe. It was the club's third-straight AUS championship.Meanwhile, the No. 1 berry men's Capers downed the No. 2 berry St. Francis Xavier X-Men 2-0 in added time to win their fourth-straight AUS title. Defender Peter Schaale had the acceptable goal.Honourable Mention: Brandon Leslie, a wheelchair boxer from Glace Bay, aggregate his adventure while advancing for his aboriginal bender adjoin Aaron Kinch of New Glasgow. The two fought in aboriginal December as allotment of Rumble in the Hub at Arena 73.Whycocomagh hockey abecedarian takes on racismAaron Prosper launched the red stick band movement afterwards an adventure amid the Cape Breton West Islanders and Northside Vikings in midget 'A' activity on Dec. 8 in Cheticamp.The 16-year-old forward, who plays for the Islanders, alleges opposing players began application ancestral slurs appear him amid through the additional aeon of the game, and afterwards connected in the third period.Since administration his story, the red stick band movement has advance beyond the country and alike to the United States.Hockey Nova Scotia is currently investigating the declared adventure in Cheticamp.Honourable Mention: Riverview Aerial Academy fabricated changes to the architecture for the accessible Red Cup Showcase in February. The clash will be played Thursday to Saturday instead of Thursday to Sunday and will not affection Sydney Academy or Glace Bay.A non-local sports anticipation to end the year.2019 was the year of firsts for three of the big four able sports leagues. The St. Louis Blues won their aboriginal Stanley Cup title, while the Toronto Raptors won their aboriginal Larry O'Brien Trophy. Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals captured the franchise's aboriginal World Alternation title, abundant to the amusement of this reporter.Happy New Year!Jeremy Fraser covers sports for the Cape Breton Post. If you accept a cavalcade idea, sports adventure or would like to accord acknowledgment about this week's Sports Chat, acquaintance Jeremy by emailing jeremy.fraser@cbpost.com or chase @CBPost_Jeremy on Twitter. 8 Top Risks Of Attending Soccer Column Trophies | Soccer Column Trophies - soccer column trophies | Encouraged for you to my own website, on this moment I'll provide you with concerning keyword. And after this, this can be the initial photograph:

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Seven boys and six girls topped the Regional Selection Camp of Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 presented by Alaska held at St. Louis of Don Bosco in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines on March 30-31, 2019.  The 13 young basketball players will represent Visayas at the National Training Camp in Metro Manila on May 17-19, 2019.

Dumaguete City hosted the league’s youth basketball participation program for the first time, providing campers with world-class basketball instruction from Jr. NBA coaches led by Jr. NBA Coach Rob Newson and former PBA players Tony Dela Cruz and Willie Miller. The selected athletes excelled in a combination of basketball activities and competition and demonstrated the core values of the game throughout the camp.

The Visayan contingent of Jr. NBA campers will join outstanding players from the Regional Selection Camps in Benguet, Butuan, Lucena and Metro Manila and a select group from the Alaska Power Camp at the National Training Camp to vie to be named as Jr. NBA Philippines All-Star. New this year, Jr. NBA Philippines All-Stars, comprised of as many as five boys and five girls, will join the first Jr. NBA Global Championship Asia Pacific Selection Camp, a week-long camp in June 2019 that includes top youth players from the Asia-Pacific region excluding China.

In addition, the Asia-Pacific regional competition will send the 2019 batch of Jr. NBA All-Stars to represent the region at the Jr. NBA Global Championship on August 6-11, 2019 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida.  The international event will showcase talented youth from the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, China, Mexico, Africa, India and the Asia-Pacific.

Joining Newson, Dela Cruz and Miller as the Jr. NBA and Alaska coaches are Jed Cabello, Eric dela Cuesta, Andrea Stevens, Louie Gonzales, Kalvin Sangalang, Ewon Arayi, Thea Canitoy, Tata Belangel and Peter Calumpiano. Here is a complete list of participants selected from the Jr. NBA Philippines Regional Selection Camp in Dumaguete City advancing to the Jr. NBA Philippines National Training Camp:

BOYS ROSTER

First Name Last Name Age School Allan Joseph Banas 14 University of St. La Salle – Integrated School Henjz Gabriel Demisana 14 Bacolod Tay Tung High School Mike Estelloso 14 Bacolod Tay Tung High School Zhan Paolo Moreno 14 Xavier University Junior High School John Ordas 12 Bacolod Tay Tung High School Erlance Luiz Pedrita 14 St. Robert International Academy Rod Robert Jr. Robins 14 PAREF Springdale School

GIRLS ROSTER

First Name Last Name Age School Cristel Dianne Abule 13 La Libertad Technical Vocational School Jaira Dela Cruz 13 Bacolod City National High School Mary Rose Dugenio 13 La Consolacion College Bacolod Keisha Malanay 13 Negros Oriental High School Nicole Olores 14 La Libertad Technical Vocational High School Gin Kayla Relliquette 13 University of St. La Salle

Boys and girls aged 10-14 years old can still join the remaining Jr. NBA Philippines Regional Selection Camps in Butuan on April 13-14, 2019 and Metro Manila on April 27-28, 2019 by registering at www.jrnba.asia/philippines. 

Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 is presented by Alaska, with AXA, Gatorade, Globe, Panasonic, Rexona and Vivo as official partners. ABS-CBN S+A, Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV are the official broadcasters of Jr. NBA Philippines.

For all things NBA, fans can follow Jr. NBA on Facebook and the NBA at www.nba.com and on Facebook and Twitter. Fans can visit www.alaskamilk.com to learn more about the Alaska Milk Corporation, and follow Alaska Milk on Facebook for more information about Alaska Sports. 

[PHOTOS] Visayas sends 13 young ballers to the Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 National Training Camp Seven boys and six girls topped the Regional Selection Camp of Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 presented by Alaska held at St.

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BOSTON | Rozier (29 pts), Tatum (28) help Celtics beat 76ers 117-101

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BOSTON | Rozier (29 pts), Tatum (28) help Celtics beat 76ers 117-101

BOSTON— Terry Rozier scored 29 points and first-year Celtics forward Jayson Tatum scored 28 to outplay redshirt rookie Ben Simmons and lead the Boston Celtics to a 117-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night.

With much of the attention focused on Philadelphia young guns Simmons and Joel Embiid, Boston’s youth movement of Tatum and Rozier led the way. Rozier, in his third year, added eight rebounds and six assists, and Al Horford had 26 points and seven rebounds for Boston.

Embiid scored 31 points with 13 rebounds for Philadelphia. Simmons, the likely rookie of the year, scored 18 with seven boards and six assists.

Game 2 is Thursday night in Boston.

The Celtics are hoping to have guard Jaylen Brown back from a hamstring injury he sustained in the first-round series against Milwaukee. He had been “very doubtful” for the second-round opener and was ruled out about a half hour before the tipoff, adding to injury woes that had already cost Boston Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving.

Playing point guard in place of Irving, Rozier was a star for Boston in Game 7 against Milwaukee and he came out hot again against the Sixers. He had 10 points and six assists in the first quarter and was 7 for 9 from 3-point range overall, overshadowing the lottery picks accumulated by Philadelphia during The Process.

The first overall pick in the 2016 draft who sat out all of last year with an injury, Simmons was heckled by the Boston crowd with chants of “Not a Rookie!” In the fourth quarter, as Tatum stepped to the free throw line to protect a double-digit lead, the chant turned to “He’s a Rookie!”

Tatum was Boston’s first pick last year — third overall — after swapping the No. 1 pick to the Sixers and grabbing a 2018 first-rounder as well. Philadelphia picked Markelle Fultz; he did not play on Monday night.

It was 33-all with just over seven minutes left in the half when the Celtics ran off 10 points in a row. Horford had four of the five baskets and assisted on the other. Boston led 87-70 in the final minute of the third quarter when Philadelphia scored nine straight points to make it a nine-point game.

After Simmons made a layup to make it 97-88, Horford hit a 3 from the top of the key with 5:30 left and it was never within single digits again.

OLD SCHOOL FEEL

Sixers coach Brett Brown is familiar with the Philadelphia and Boston matchups of the 1980s, having grown up in South Portland, Maine. Though he knows other teams in the East remain relevant, he thinks there is enough young talent on the current 76ers and Celtics rosters to give the rivalry a rebirth.

“I hope so,” Brown said. “I personally grew up with this rivalry, just right on your doorstep and just a big part of your basketball life as a young kid. It sure seems like both programs are heading into the right direction.”

TIP-INS

Sixers: With six days off since eliminating the Heat in five games, the Sixers missed 15 of their first 20 shots. … Simmons grew frustrated near the end of the game when Shane Larkin wrapped him up under the basket. The Celtics guard gave him a bear hug from behind to prevent him from shooting, and Simmons pushed his hands away. … Embiid again wore the mask he has needed since missing 10 straight games — including the first two of the playoffs.

Celtics: Hall of Famer and 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell was in the crowd…. Smart missed his first five shots. … The Celtics put T-shirts on every seat that said “BEAT PHILA.” The “L-A” were in bold, a nod to the longtime rivalry with the Lakers.

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By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (A.S)

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