#and Canada’s first match of the tournament isn’t a big deal at all

[grunge-mermaid]

If you’re going to put the highlights videos on the top row, TSN, maybe don’t include the final score of the game in the video title if users have to scroll past that highlight video to find the VOD of the game that they probably haven’t watched and don’t want spoilers for

[remuswriting]

hello !! can i request some hcs or one-shot for kageyama (or any character you want ) with a foreigner (canadian maybe ? i'm from canada !) bf ? i love your work, thank youuu !!!! •//v//•

Summary: Transfer student L/N Y/N meets Karasuno volleyball team through tutoring and Yachi

Pairing: N/A

Format: Heacanons

Warnings: None

Notes: I decided to do just Karasuno in general because I was struggling slightly with this (I have no idea why I struggled so much).  I’m not the proudest of this but I hope you like it.  Also, the language thing may not apply to everyone because I’m going based off my own experiences with learning Spanish and being around those who either don’t know English or know very little.

*****

You had just moved to Japan and even though you had been studying Japanese since your parents said you guys were having to move there; you struggled to talk to people.

The teachers were nice to you about it, understood how Japanese was one of the hardest languages for native English speakers to learn, and tried to find you a tutor.

Yachi appeared in your life like a ray of sunshine because she was one of the few at Karasuno that was pretty good with English, but she was so shy and anxious that it was hard to talk to her at first.

She’s tutoring you every other day and then she becomes the manager for the volleyball club and switched to only studying on the weekends.

That’s when you meet Kageyama and Hinata, who are struggling in English and Japanese kind of like you are (except you’re really good in English).

You join the study group easily, you and Hinata help each other with Japanese and English while Kageyama is writing down the answers you’re giving them.

When the study session is over, Yachi makes the comment that you didn’t stop to ask what someone had said once, which meant you were getting better with Japanese.

“Of course, I am.  I have the best tutor ever,” you said as he ruffled her hair and she gets all flustered at the contact.

Then she says she may not be able to tutor you anymore because of becoming the team manager and you start begging because she was the only first year that understood English good enough to talk to you.

“You could always convince Kageyama and Hinata to study with you, even though they may struggle to talk with you sometimes.”

It’s an idea that you don’t explore until you start really struggling with your summer homework.

You call Yachi, desperate for help and you can hear her sigh on the other line before she agrees.

Kageyama and Hinata are there too and they are telling you how smart you are because you’re so good at English.

“I was born in Canada.  English is my first language.”

The look on their faces and Hinata is then amazed at your Japanese while Kageyama just stares at you in awe.

“What’s volleyball like in English?” Kageyama asked and you laugh a little.

“I’ve actually never actually seen a volleyball match and only girls played it at my school,” you said and both Hinata and Kageyama just can’t believe it.

Instead of studying, you’re being bombarded with reasons why you should either watch a game or join the team.  Yachi is trying to calm them down.

“Hey, he could be busy!  Stop harassing him!” Yachi exclaims and is throwing her hands around all over the place.

“Don’t worry, Yachi.  It’s kind of adorable,” you said and neither of the freak duo understood what you just said because it was in English (which was on purpose).

One day after studying, Kageyama asks to speak to you and you are kind of excited but not because your Japanese isn’t the best outside of study sessions.

You blame your parents for only speaking English at home for the reason of struggling with Japanese when at school and attempting to make friends.

“L/N-san, you should come to one our practices,” Kageyama said and you just stare at him because it was unexpected.

“I can try, I just know nothing about volleyball.”

“I will teach you everything you need to know about volleyball,” Kageyama said and you just nod because you’re pretty sure it doesn’t matter if you said yes or no at this point.

You go to one of their practices after they get to move on to the November tournament and it’s kind of stressful in a way.  You’re impressed though.

You somehow get roped into going to practices nearly everyday with the promise of tutoring afterwards.

“Do you remember what that was called?” Kageyama asked and you just nod even though you kind of can but can’t say it aloud.

It’s like all those moments when you know what you want to say but you just can’t verbalize it.  This time it’s literally just the word ‘receive’

“Kageyama, stop harassing Y/N and get back to practicing,” Sugawara said and of course, Tobio listens.

You’re about to go over to Yachi when Suga stops you and you just look at him kind of scared and confused.

“I’m sorry about Kageyama.  You don’t have to come to practices for him though, no one will be upset.”

You would definitely stop going if you weren’t learning more slang Japanese from Tanaka and Noya or having Tsukishima correct you in a way kinder than you expected.

“It’s actually pretty cool watching you guys play,” you said with a smile and Suga chuckled before he walked off.

Noya suggests you become a manager because “you come to practice every day anyways.”

“He may not be comfortable with that because everyone we go against only speaks Japanese,” Tsukishima said nonchalantly. “Also, he probably doesn’t want to deal with your screaming.”

Tsukishima is right about being hesitant to join due to maybe not knowing enough Japanese to understand what’s going on all the time  You were pretty sure that you’d know what was going on at least 75% of the time.

“Y/N!  You came to practice again?” Kiyoko asked and you nodded, trying to figure out what you wanted to say.

“I really like the team.” There was more you wanted to say and you were getting nervous. “I don’t know some words in Japanese.”

“Oh, maybe try to explain them?  I’ll try to help.”

Kiyoko is a literal angel.

“You and Yachi.”

“Managers?” She asked with a weird look and you nodded.

“Manager is what I want to be.”

That was such a choppy sentence and you want to die from embarrassment. You want to tell her that you really are better with words.

“You want to join the team?” She asked and that was what you were trying to say but your brain wasn’t processing.

“Yes, that!”

Takeda doesn’t necessarily try to talk you out of it but tries to make you aware.

He explains how everyone around you may speak Japanese you understand and you can’t always ask what they mean, which you knew.  You didn’t grocery shop alone when you first got to Japan for that reason.

He also explains how late in the season it is to join, but you could if you really wanted to.

“You obviously know the best option for you and I can’t stop you from making that.”

Everyone on the team pretty happy you joined and Tanaka and Noya make sure to make a big deal out of the fact they’ll help you whenever you get confused.

Ennoshita then makes the comment that they would have to actually good at formal Japanese and English to really be of help, which deflates the two starters.

Surprisingly, enough Tsukishima is one that helps you most because he can tell when you’re trying to figure something out when others can’t.

Tanaka screams out “maji de” and looks frustrated, so you know he’s upset but you don’t know what to say to help if you don’t really know what he said.

“He said ‘seriously’ aka majime,” Tsukishima said as he took a drink out of his water bottle. “He’s pissed about something; I didn’t see what.”

You had never heard Tsukishima speak English until then and Hinata had once said he was a terrible tutor, but you’d disagree.

“Sorry, I won’t be at practice today I have to go to the doctor,” you said and Hinata got all wide eyed, even though everyone went to the doctor constantly in Japan.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I just have to go for the.” The words were there and you knew them because your mom had told you them yesterday but what were they again?

“He’s going for his yearly checkup.”

Tsukishima saves the day again when Hinata would have probably just stared at you.

Yachi helps you understand the rules to the game better than if you would have tried to research it yourself and she even helps you make a notebook of the English terms (you had to look some of them up or ask your parents) to Japanese, which made it easier for you to learn.

[wrestlingisfake]

All Out preview

Here we go with AEW's annual Labor Day weekend show in Hoffman Estates, just like the original All In show three years ago. I have been going to wrestling shows for days, and it all comes down to this!

The show starts at 8pm EDT, streaming on Bleacher Report (in the US and Canada) and Fite.tv for $49.99. A free pre-show will be available at 7pm EDT.

CM Punk vs. Darby Allin - This is CM Punk's first pro wrestling match since January 26, 2014, when he spent 49 minutes in the Royal Rumble working with a staph infection and a possible concussion. The following night he walked out of WWE, leading to seven and a half years of debate about what is next move would/should be. Two weeks ago he debuted with AEW and declared that he wanted to help the younger talent, starting with a match against Allin. Allin, for his part, took some exception to being the first opponent, as if he's just a stepping stone to bigger matches.

The big issue here is seeing how well Punk, 42, has held up after seven years away. I've seen reports that he's looking good in training, but you just don't know until the bell rings. Regardless, I expect the hometown crowd to be very forgiving to Punk, and Allin is good enough to carry the match if he really has to.

I feel like I ought to have more to say about this, but it also feels like everything's been said. I can't believe Punk would lose his first match in. But I can believe that if Punk insisted on doing the job, AEW would let him do that. It'd be unusual for the returning guy to come up short, but New Japan does that sometimes and it can work as a longer build to the first win. Still, it is Chicago (sort of), so my gut says Punk wins to let us feel special.

Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage - Omega is defending the AEW men's world title. For months, Omega held four different belts, representing championships in AEW, AAA, and Impact Wrestling. But on August 13 Christian defeated Omega for the Impact/TNA world title (and later retired the TNA belt), leaving Kenny more vulnerable than ever. The AAA and Impact titles aren't at stake in this match, so no matter who what happens the winner will be a double champion.

Cage is a great wrestler, but not a great challenger for this match. For months the storytelling pointed towards Hangman Page in this spot, but Page was abruptly written off television so he could take paternity leave. I don't think anybody resents Christian for filling in, but nobody really expects the 47-year-old, recently returned from a seven-year retirement, to win the big one. It's also a rematch of something we already saw a few weeks ago, which isn't a big deal but it's a bit of a talking point when everyone is always dogging WWE for excessive rematches.

The big go-home angle on September 1 was that Omega, the Young Bucks, and their buddies destroyed Christian, the Lucha Bros., and their buddies. After the show went off the air Tony Khan promised that this kind of bullshit interference wouldn't happen in the Bucks-Lucha Bros. cage match. Well, okay, but this match doesn't have a steel cage, so I have a feeling there will be plenty of bullshit interference. And I'm willing to bet that interference gives Omega the win while somewhat protecting Christian.

Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson vs. Penta El 0M & Rey Fenix - The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick) are defending the AEW tag team title. The Lucha Bros. won a four-team tournament to earn this shot. The Bucks have relied on a lot of outside interference from their entourage lately, so to counter that this match will be held inside a steel cage. In AEW, the only way to win a cage match is by pinfall or submission.

I was at All Out 2019 when these teams last met in a crazy ladder match (which feels like a million years ago). Everyone raved about it, and also worried that the Bucks damn near killed themselves. Personally I had a really shitty view of the ring, which made it hard to follow the match. This time I've got a much better view, so I'm looking forward to some good karma.

In theory the Bucks have sworn off doing the dangerous shit from the ladder match, but technically this is a cage match so maybe they'll just do different dangerous shit. Personally I'm more intrigued by seeing them change their game to fit in the confines of the cage, which doesn't lend itself to springboard flips off the ropes. But the cage has places to stand at the top, which will encourage the idea of setting up crazy highspots.

I feel like a title change is possible, but I could just as easily see the Bucks hold the belts for another six months. Santana and Ortiz seem to be next in line for a shot, and honestly I think that would work with either of these teams. But I guess I'll lean towards the Bucks retaining.

Chris Jericho vs. MJF - MJF defeated Jericho on November 7, 2020, to earn entry into Jericho's stable, the Inner Circle. MJF inevitably betrayed Jericho and formed his own stable, the Pinnacle, which beat the Inner Circle on May 5, 2021. Jericho was so determined to get revenge that he accepted MJF's terms to perform five "labors" to earn a rematch, but MJF beat Jericho once again on August 18, 2021. So now MJF is 3-0 against Jericho. (For some reason we're counting the ten-man match on May 5 but not the other one on May 30, which Jericho's team won, but whatever.) To get this final rematch, Jericho has put his career on the line.

Suddenly everything else in this storyline has taken a back seat to the idea that this may really be the end of Chris Jericho's 30-year in-ring career. There are plenty of fans who think Jericho, 50, should hang it up, but now that it might actually happen I think people aren't so sure they're ready for it all to end. The timing for Jericho to tease this is perfect, because he could easily just win and go another couple of years, or he could easily just finish today.

Part of what makes this work so well is MJF. I think everyone recognizes that MJF is going to be a top name in the 2020s, and that Jericho wants to make this guy. So it's like, if Jericho can get retired by anyone he wants, why wouldn't he pick MJF? I think the match will feel a little flat if Jericho comes up short yet again, but if it's the end of his career it suddenly doesn't matter if he's lost too many times, y'know?

Still, something tells me this isn't the end. Something tells me Jericho has more he wants to do. And something tells me, in a few years, we may be wondering if it would have been better if he retired on this show.

Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander - Baker is defending the AEW women's world title. I expect to like this match but there's not really much to it. Baker was feuding with Red Velvet a while back and then Statlander made the save for Velvet. Baker and her crony Rebel have brought in Jamie Hayter to stack the deck against Statlander and Velvet. I think it's way too soon for Baker to drop the title, and I don't expect Kris to be the one to take it from her. So this is kind of a formality to kill time until Baker vs. Thunder Rosa down the road.

Miro vs. Eddie Kingston - Miro's AEW TNT championship is on the line. Somehow in the past year Miro has gone from Kip Sabian's gamer buddy to a monster heel who thinks God has anointed him to beat the shit out of people. Kingston has gone from a gutless heel to the most beloved guy in AEW. Wrestling is great.

Anyway, I love both of these guys, but I can't just bet that all the wrestlers have a good time. If Eddie's going to win a championship, it really ought to be in New York. I realize Chicago is AEW's favorite and we get all the good shit, but I've had my CM Punk ice cream and I'm maaaaaybeee going to get the Bryan Danielson debut too, so I'm willing to let New York have this one thing. Just this one time.

Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima - Moxley is the new GCW world champion following a surprise appearance at last night's GCW show; I assume that does not turn this into a title match. Moxley told top contender Nick Gage "you know where to find me," and it's anyone's guess if Gage will show up here to accept that invitation.

Mox is a busy boy making friends everywhere he goes. For a few weeks he was angling for a match with a top New Japan Pro Wrestling star on this show. The leading candidate was Hiroshi Tanahashi, but several other interesting names were discussed by fans and pundits alike. After that buzz, Kojima is a bit of a letdown.

Don't get me wrong, it's cool to get a guy who's held the IWGP heavyweight title, the All Japan Triple Crown, and the NWA world title. Kojima's a legend. But at this stage of his career, he's the guy New Japan sends when the real stars aren't available. Besides which, my cup runneth over when it comes to 50-year-old guys showing up to prove they can wrestle like they're 40. And I don't think anybody really believes Kojima can beat Moxley.

Ideally, this match should end with a video message from a bigger New Japan name calling out Moxley. I'm not confident that will happen. Then again, at this point I wouldn't be surprised if Moxley showed up in NXT UK to pick a fight with WALTER.

Paul Wight vs. QT Marshall - Formerly the Giant in WCW and the Big Show in WWE, Wight debuted with AEW earlier this year as a color commentator. QT and his goons were picking on Wight's broadcast partner Tony Schiavone when Wight intervened, setting up this match.

I was actually kind of into the idea of this until Marshall showed photos of Wight's recent hip surgery. Up to that point, they'd managed to keep me from noticing if Wight could move okay, and I was willing to accept he could do a basic squash match without a problem. But now I just assume he's broken down and he'll need a lot of smoke and mirrors to do even a simple match. Maybe that's the plan, to get me to lower my expectations and be pleasantly surprised. I sure hope it works out.

I'm about 95% sure Wight clobbers QT and just wins handily. There's a chance QT's squad pulls enough shenanigans to get a bullshit win, but I'm not sure what the point would be.

21-woman Casino Battle Royale - This is AEW's funky concept for a gauntlet battle royale. Five women start the match, and then every five minutes another wave of five enters; the 21st entrant gets to come out alone. Eliminations can occur at any time, by exiting the ring over the top rope to the floor. The last woman left after the others have been eliminated is declared the winner, and receives a future title match against the AEW women's champion.

AEW has announced 20 participants: Abadon, Anna Jay, Big Swole, Diamante, Emi Sakura, Hikaru Shida, Jade Cargill, Jamie Hayter, Kiera Hogan, KiLynn King, Leyla Hirsch, Nyla Rose, Penelope Ford, Rebel, Red Velvet, Riho, Skye Blue (a late substitution for Julia Hart), Tay Conti, The Bunny, Thunder Rosa.

The 21st spot has been left open for a surprise. Ruby Soho (formerly Ruby Riott in WWE) is widely expected to join AEW, and this would be a sensible spot for that to happen. But there are other women who could potentially debut here as a swerve.

I always want to pick the surprise entrant to win these things, but they really haven't done all that well in AEW battle royales. I could see them giving the win to, say, Big Swole, and just having Britt Baker beat her a few weeks later on Dynamite. Or Thunder Rosa could win to set up a major program for the next pay-per-view. They have a lot of options, which makes it hard to predict but fun to watch.

Orange Cassidy & Chuck Taylor & Wheeler YUTA & Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy vs. Matt Hardy & Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy & Jack Evans & Angelico - This is booked for the pre-show. Hardy's heel group has been feuding with most of the midcard babyfaces for months. I don't expect this match will blow off the feud, but it'd be nice if it did so we could move on to something else. Orange's team should probably win.

[betsynagler]

Tired of Being Treated Differently

In 1996, my best friend from high school invited me to go on a two-week cross-country trip with her and three of her friends — which turned out to be four for the first six days, when one of them decided to bring an extra person, until we dropped him off in California. I’d never driven across the country, and was excited to give it a try, so I said yes. It was an incredibly fun and also eye-opening experience, not only because it was my first visit to sites like the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and the Corn Palace, but because four of the people in the van — and once we dropped off our California-bound late-addition, everyone except for me — were people of color. How did this matter? Well, for starters, when we’d land in places like a fishing town on the Oregon Coast, and everyone would stare. As a fairly generic-looking white woman of 27, I was used to passing without a second glance in most of the places I’d been to that point (basically the States, Europe and Canada), certainly anywhere I’d been in the U.S. It very quickly became obvious to me that this wasn’t the case if you were were Black or Asian American, like the friends I was traveling with. Turned out there were parts of the country — and a lot more parts than I’d suspected — where you were going to get noticed, and not in a friendly way. But there was also stuff I learned on that trip that wasn’t as obvious. Like what it meant when we went out to lunch in a nice restaurant in Santa Fe and got terrible service. My impulse was to just chalk that up to the fact that we were all in our 20s and didn’t look like we had money — particularly after spending more than a week’s worth of nights either camping, sleeping on friends’ floors, or in Motel 6s (the night we splurged on the $40/night Excalibur in Vegas, it felt like we were staying at the Plaza). Because that was what I’d dealt with before. My friends, however, felt pretty strongly that the way we were being ignored and slighted had something to do with race, because they’d dealt with that before. And so, while it’s not like this had never occurred to me until then, that trip helped drive home in a tangible way that 1) my experience of going through the world was not the same as everyone else’s, and 2) that that body of experience, that history that each of us had, was going to lead us to view the same situations very differently.

These concepts weren’t hard for me to get, not just because I had friends of color, but because of what I’d been experiencing in my own life and career, starting with graduate school. Since moving to New York to become a filmmaker six years earlier, I’d often had this feeling that I was being treated differently, but in ways so hard to prove, even to myself, that I'd mostly just accepted it was all in my head. When guys I’d shot films for as a first year at NYU, who’d been really happy with my work, instead chose the same other guy to shoot for them in second year, I chalked it up to my not being “technical enough,” or not having the confident decisiveness to take charge of the set the way the DP was supposed to — until I realized that no women were shooting films for men at all, unless they were their girlfriends. When I arrived on professional sets, it started sinking in more and more that men really were always telling me to smile, or offering to “help” me with my job when their jobs were unrelated to mine and I hadn’t asked for their help, or treating me as an object of flirtation, even if they were my superiors. I eventually learned to handle all of that by being more tolerant, competent, and professional than they were, but what I had the hardest time with was what I cared about the most: sending out scripts, or soliciting constructive feedback from peers in writing workshops, and receiving constant rejection or rude/patronizing remarks. Okay sure, cruelty is considered par for the course in a business where success is so elusive and so coveted that people are just expected to accept all kinds of abuse — verbal, sexual, physical — in order to get somewhere. But that only makes it more infuriating when there are additional comments or obstacles that other people don’t seem to be dealing with. Like when I wrote a film about a friendship between two teenaged girls, and one of the men in my writing group couldn’t understand the point of the script unless they had a lesbian relationship. Or when I submitted a script to a production company and the coverage I received said that the reader had no interest in the story, which featured two female main characters and one love interest who was a man of color, until the second love interest, a white guy, showed up. Yeah, that's when things got good, he said. I was starting to see that I was stuck in a system where the white male arbiters of good and bad had all the power not just to decide whether my work was one or the other, but to define what the terms “good” and “bad” even meant. So it was easy for them to claim — and fully believe — that the failure of women to scale their ranks wasn’t due to our gender, it was due to their inability to master “the craft.” All they had to say was, “I couldn't get into the story,” or, “I didn't care about the characters,” and those were considered legitimate critiques based on merit, when of course there was way, way, way…basically everything more to it than that.

This is what makes unequal treatment such a hard thing to pinpoint: it has everything to do with who’s distinguishing and quantifying “good” and “bad” in an entrenched system. So it's only when you look at the big picture over time, quantified in data, and see the work of women and people of color highly underrepresented in nearly every area of the arts — music, painting, sculpture, literature, theater, cinema, etc — that you can see discrimination is happening because the system itself is fucked.

What I was going through wasn’t the same as what my friends from that trip were going through, not at all. Each of us is a different person. But we all knew that we were being treated differently, based on countless experiences we’d had that added up. And we knew, because we’d experienced that too, that the kind of discrimination we were dealing with was so insidious and damaging precisely because people who hadn’t faced it were going to scoff and chalk it up to something entirely innocuous, and say it didn’t even exist.

I was reminded of all this last weekend, when I watched the women’s final of the 2018 U.S. Open. I don’t think most people would say that Serena Williams behaved perfectly when she argued with umpire Carlos Ramos and then later broke her racket when she threw it down in anger. But the question is not whether she did something wrong, it’s whether she was treated differently. Of course you can say that Ramos was just following the rules, that she shouldn’t be getting special treatment because she’s the great Serena Williams, and that plenty of men have been penalized like she was — with articles like this jumping on opportunities to bring all of that up and say “What about…?” But if you dig a little deeper, you find way more examples of white men behaving worse in less important matches, even toward that same umpire, and not having him penalize them so severely as to ruin a tournament final for everyone involved. In other words, yes, there are rules, but if they aren’t applied in the same way across the board, we are back at “He said, she said,” and it's always the “He said” that comes first. Always.

The Whatabouters always say, “Why does everything have to be about race/sex?” Well, yeah, it’d be great not to have to talk about discrimination, but you can’t when it won’t leave you alone – even when you’re arguably the best athlete in the world. If you’re a woman and/or a person of color, your experience has told you that it nearly always is about that. It just is. Then the Whatabouters say, “Then you’re asking for special treatment when you break the rules.” Well, that’s because the rules, by which I mean all of the laws of this country dating back to the Constitution, were, from the very beginning, designed to treat women and people of color differently – creating a world in which the norm is special treatment for white men. Again, it just is.

And how often have our laws and rules that were not designed to be unfair been applied evenly and fairly? Let’s face it, the U.S. Open’s got nothing on the American justice system. Why do we refuse to recognize that when fallible people who do “bad” have to be punished, and when other fallible humans are doing the judging about how “bad” they are, there's going to be all sorts of bias and unequal treatment? If the recent news isn’t convincing to you, we’ve now got data to prove that Black people are much more likely to be on the receiving end of police violence; have been far more likely to receive the death penalty in capital cases; that crack users in the 80s, who were more often Black, received far stiffer sentences than white users of powdered cocaine; that Black people were far more likely be searched and arrested for possession of marijuana than white people (two of the reasons, in case you were wondering, why so many more people of color have been incarcerated en mass during the War on Drugs); and that Black schoolchildren are likely to be more severely punished, suspended, or even have the cops called on them than white children for the same transgressive behavior. 

And systems by which people are considered “good,” like at their jobs, and promoted? Again, completely dependent on the fallible judgments of those in power, so that only in the aggregate can we see how Black employees receive extra scrutiny from their bosses, Asian Americans are the least likely racial group to be promoted to management positions, women are punished and considered “bad” at their jobs for traits that are considered “good” in men, like ambition, speaking up, or doing too well in school; and how, of course, women of color are the least likely to be supported or promoted for equally good work.

I know what the Whatabouters are saying now: “Yes, people in the past were wrong, but now, moving forward, we’re the ones trying to treat everyone the same.” Um, really? We’re supposed to believe that? We’ve had this whole lifetime of experience that tells us otherwise, and you’re dismissing that, again? You’re claiming that, at long last, in this tennis match, or court of law, or screenwriting competition, or job review, or state senate, when it comes down to questions of “rules” and “fairness” and “objectivity,” we should continue to just trust the white guys? Yeah, right.

If you’ve been wondering why so many women and people of color are running for office this election season, well, here you go: we’re just sick of being treated differently. For a long time, we’ve trusted the white guys who say they’re going to fix things and finally respect our rights the same way they respect their own. Now we’re finally deciding that the only way things are going to change is for us to get in there and make the rules, and apply them ourselves.

Can you blame us?

[junker-town]

What is the world’s best soccer rivalry?

Photo via Getty Images / Illustrated by Karyim Carreia

We discussed our favorite rivalries from best ever to most underreated.

While rivalries are a staple of literally every sport, a solid argument can be made that no group of fans has embraced them quite like soccer. There are, of course, plenty of local “derbies” around the globe, but what differentiates soccer is how many of the rivalries are international.

In honor of Rivalry Week, we recently assembled some of the greatest soccer minds from around SB Nation to discuss their favorites.

Here is who participated: Donald Wine II, Stars and Stripes FC Gill Clark, Barca Blaugranes Kudzi Musarurwa, Dirty South Soccer Rob Usry, Dirty South Soccer Mark Kastner, Sounder at Heart and Liverpool Offside Eugene Rupinski, FMF State of Mind Aaron Lerner, The Short Fuse Tito Kohout, (Viola Nation) Brent Maximin (The Busby Babe)

El Clásico might be the best rivalry overall but does it ever live up to the hype?

Donald Wine II: The history between Real Madrid and Barcelona is off the charts, and it, to me, is the biggest and best in the world. Each match is epic, features some of the world’s greatest players, and is never short of drama. What other match have people scrambling to find out how to obtain beIN Sports for one day?!

Gill Clark: The thing is it very, very rarely fails to deliver. There are almost always goals (this season’s 0-0 was the first since 2002 — almost 20 years) and usually a red card or two and sometimes even a pig’s head chucked from the stands.

Donald Wine II: When you think about some of the world’s greatest players of all time, many of them have played in this rivalry: Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Figo, Samuel Eto’o. I remember a few weeks ago we were doing that game of name a starting XI with greats that didn’t play for the same club, and Real and Barca blew everyone’s starting XIs up, lol.

Eugene Rupinski: For people who swear sports aren’t political, they should look into the history of Barça-Real Madrid. It’s part of what makes it such a big deal.

Aaron Lerner: Yeah — there are big time politics wrapped up in El Clásico, and that gets pretty ugly. Catalan separatism versus Francoist-influenced Spanish nationalism is still very much alive and kicking.

Donald Wine II: Hell, the 0-0 draw that was mentioned was postponed from its original date because of Catalan protests that threatened the security of the stadium. It ended up being played in December instead of October. They’re also two of the richest clubs in the world, and they consistently earn the most revenue.

On an internal SB Nation survey Boca-River showed up a lot, even though it’s probably a rivalry that a lot of general sports fans don’t know about. Anyone want to explain what makes it special?

Kudzi Musarurwa: The passion from the fans and the players is something that’s barely replicated anywhere else in the world. When people say football can be life or death, I always think of this rivalry and agree.

Rob Usry: There’s no doubt that Boca-River is a fantastic rivalry, but at what point can a rivalry be too intense? I feel like if there’s a legitimate threat of someone dying anytime the two teams play then it might be too out of control.

Aaron Lerner: The level of hatred between Boca-River and their fans is off the charts. Not to glorify supporter clashes in any way, but that derby led to wide-scale riots and a match being moved literally out of the country.

Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images

Mark Kastner: Didn’t they have to move the final between them to Madrid last year?

Aaron Lerner: Yes. They moved it across a literal ocean.

Donald Wine II: Boca-River is INTENSE as hell. You can feel the passion in any stadium. It may be too intense. It’s because of these matches that Argentina banned fans at away matches nationwide. But, that passion can be felt in your soul through your TV set or computer.

Eugene Rupinski: CABJ vs. River is probably the biggest rivalry on this side of the planet. It’s gotten very ugly at times, but it is an unfortunate reflection of the passion and intensity of the fans. Everyone knows the weight of those games; the players, fans, hinchas, fans across the globe and casual observers. You know how much that game means when it comes around.

Aaron Lerner: River Plate-Boca Juniors is intertwined with soccer identity in Argentina. You may have your own team, but you’re for one or the other. It touches politics, economics; that derby has tendrils wrapped up in everything in the country.

Donald Wine II: Also, I think sometimes the stadiums and atmosphere can help make a rivalry. When someone asks for a list of stadiums they most want to see a match in, La Bombonera is on just about everyone’s list. When someone asks for a list of stadiums they most want to die in, is at the top of everyone’s list.

Brent Maximin: Boca vs. River is the derby that is on most football fan’s bucket list. The history of the fixture, the relative quality of both teams over the years, and of course the fan experience.

What are the best rivalries on the women’s side either on the international or club level?

Donald Wine II: The USWNT’s biggest rivalry is Canada, then Mexico. But lately they haven’t been great rivals because they get smoked all the time. I will say, budding rivalries are forming with England and France, though.

Eugene Rupinski: The thing with international women’s soccer is that the US has almost always been the top dog and there’s been a rotating cast trying to knock them off but no one has been able to sustain it.

I think one to watch will be the US vs. Mexico. The US is unquestionably the best in the world and it’s not really close. Mexico though has put a lot of money and time and effort into growing and professionalizing the women’s game and it’s starting to pay off. Players are going to Europe to play and Mexico has also utilized the US collegiate system and dual nationals to bolster the program.

Aaron Lerner: It’s more of a past rivalry now, but on the women’s side, I’d shoutout Norway-U.S.A. Norway handed the USWNT their first big defeat on the international stage (and went on to win that ‘95 Women’s World Cup). For a few years, they were a bonafide rival to our women, and that rivalry served as my introduction to women’s international soccer.

Kudzi Musarurwa: During the Pia days, the USWNT’s rivals were Sweden. That rivalry lasted until last year to be honest.

Rob Usry: France/USWNT is my personal favorite. Feel like every game between them is top quality. But I can’t justify it as the best since it’s still fledgling.

Or USWNT vs. US Soccer.

Donald Wine II: LOL, he’s right though.

Tito Kohout: To piggyback on Rob, really any women’s team against the absurd levels of incompetent sexism rampant throughout the sport.

For the women in Serie A, I’ll submit Fiorentina-Juventus. The men’s side carried over, plus there’s the fact that Fiorentina had the first pro(-ish because Italy) women’s team attached to a men’s club and won a bunch of trophies before Juve added one of their own, outspent them, and have become the best team on the peninsula.

Donald Wine II: Real Madrid just picked up a women’s team last year, and it was officially renamed Real Madrid last week. When I last spoke with club president Florentino Perez last summer, he said the club’s intent was to put €20 million into salaries for the women’s team in an effort to be on the level of Barca and Atletico Madrid immediately. So, look for those rivalries to grow in intensity.

Eugene Rupinski: I think Tigres vs. Monterrey is probably the best though. They average a crazy amount of fans, and have won more stars than other team in Liga MX Femenil.

Photo by Andrea Jimenez/Jam Media/Getty Images

Mark Kastner: Liverpool Women vs. Fenway Sports Group (the club’s owner).

Aaron Lerner: Michelle Akers vs. anybody who tried to come through the center of the U.S. formation.

What are your favorite international rivalries?

Mark Kastner: Messi-era Argentina vs. trying to win a big tournament has been very enjoyable. It always starts with promise but ends up in crushing defeat

Tito Kohout: Most of the South American ones feel really intense to me, especially the ones involving Argentina and Brazil.

Brent Maximin: Argentina-Brazil. Even if it very often failed to live up the hype, those two nations live and breathe football and for decades each has claimed to have THE best player of all time. THE number 10.

Donald Wine II: US-Mexico is my favorite, but other great ones are Argentina-Brazil and England-Germany, though with England-Germany, we don’t get it as often.

Gill Clark: I go with Netherlands vs. Germany because they really can’t stand each other.

Ronald Koeman wipes his bum with Olaf Thon's West Germany shirt at Euro ’88.. IMAGINE THAT HAPPENED THESE DAYS pic.twitter.com/tcX8iqtBiA

— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) June 10, 2016

Rob Usry: I tried to think of one that isn’t obviously biased. But couldn’t come up with one. Mexico-USA is always high stakes and intense (unless it’s a cash-grab friendly). The bragging rights for each set of fan bases is precious. Surely there are better quality rivalries in Europe and Brazil-Argentina is great. But Mexico-USA is just a step below the World Cup as far as importance goes.

Tito Kohout: I think that all of the ones that involve crazy non-sports relationships (USA-Mexico, Ireland-Northern Ireland, DPRK-South Korea, Greece-Turkey, etc.) are probably the craziest to me just because of all the off-field stuff that gets packed in too.

Feel like any UEFA matches involving England could get really weird after Brexit, too.

Gill Clark: England vs. Argentina is probably worth a shout. There’s the Maradona handball, the Beckham sending off, Michael Owen’s goal (22 years ago today!) and obviously the history between with two countries.

Tito Kohout: I think part of it is that internationals are less common and that the quality of play is frequently lower because they don’t have as much time to train together, too. Seems like it leads to a lot of really tense, ugly games. Not sure if those result in more fan badness than really “good” games, but that’d be sort of interesting to look at.

Kudzi Musarurwa: Ooo, I just remembered a major international one-two: Egypt vs. Algeria or Egypt vs. Tunisia. I remember the AFCON held in Egypt (iirc) and it was the fiercest international rivalry I’d seen in a long time. Those countries hate each other

Donald Wine II: The North African ones are great. Throw in the Nigeria-Ghana-Ivory Coast-Cameroon battles that have been around forever. Ghana, FWIW, might be America’s second rival if you poll fans.

Australia-New Zealand back in the day when they both ruled Oceania.

What are some other rivalries we love?

Liverpool vs. Manchester United

Mark Kastner: Liverpool vs. Manchester United is a derby that transcends just football. It’s two cities that have a lot in common but have some very distinct differences in their approaches to life and football. Both teams have dominated English football during different decades, defining what we think about the game. The matches themselves are always really tense and full of passion. It’s wild that we’ve only ever had one title race between the two teams.

Liga MX’s América vs. Chivas

Eugene Rupinski: For me, it’s Liga MX’s América vs. Chivas. The two clubs who have more stars on their shirt than anyone else. The two most watched clubs in North America. It’s the cultural rivalry between Mexico City and Guadalajara and the rivalry of a diverse lineup against one made entirely of Mexican players with the pageantry of the American Super Bowl (at least) twice a year. Is it the fiercest in the world? No. Is it the most hyped? No. But it is the one that to me is the best because of what it means to so many in both the US and Mexico.

What about some underrated rivalries?

Donald Wine II: For an underrated rivalry, gimme the Soweto Derby (South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs vs. Orlando Pirates). Kaizer Chiefs is a team with American roots (the founder named it after the Atlanta Chiefs, who he left Orlando Pirates to play for before returning to South Africa to start the Chiefs) and each match is fierce on the field and in the stands.

Mark Kastner: Notable shout for Portland vs. Seattle in MLS. Any time you have a player rip up a referee’s notebook IN A GAME, the rivalry must be intense.

Tell us about your favorite rivalries in the comments below!

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Team BeyBattle Revolution: North Carolina Qualifier

Every year since 2008, The WBO has held a North American championship in Toronto, Ontario towards the end of May. From the years 2013 to 2015, they were actually able to afford to host qualifier tournaments - with the winners having their travel expenses for the championship paid for by the WBO. However, due to Beyblade’s loss in popularity since MFB ended, there have been no qualifiers since then, and I wouldn’t expect there to be anymore until at least 2019 if Burst really kicks off in the U.S. Anyway, since NC was one of the most prominent NA communities at that time, they hosted one of the qualifiers in 2015. I attended with the hopes of maybe being able to go to Toronto, but little did I know this was going to be my last NC tournament.

There were 17 people at the tournament, making for 3 Blocks, 2 with 6 people and one with 5. I was with Angry Face, TheBlackDragon, and three kids that showed up only for this tournament: Jedi Blader, Orange Blader, and SamTheGeek.

Wombat (MF-H Bakushin Leone 90RSF) vs. TheBlackDragon (MF-H Earth Cancer 85CS)

The 3rd time this matchup came back to plague me. I had a really strong gut feeling he was going to use Omega and went with my best Defense type in order to stop it, but ended up having to go on the offensive instead. I think I managed one KO, but ended up losing overall. 

At the beginning of the tournament, Dark had announced that only the top player from each Block would be advancing to the finals, and since it’s incredibly difficult to be the top player in a Block without having a perfect record, TBD had essentially crushed my dreams of going to Toronto with just the first match I played. rip me i guess

Wombat (MF Omega Horuseus 100RF) vs. Jedi Blader (Cosmic Leone W105R2F)

Between the three new kids, Jedi Blader seemed to be the best - he had a few Limited combos that could actually pose a threat, I’m pretty sure I saw him use Earth 230CS and Lightning CH120RF during the event as well. I decided to go with Attack since Omega was a safe option and ended up beating him 3-0, which is pretty rare for Attack vs Attack. 

Wombat (MF Omega Horuseus 100RF) vs. Orange Blader (Screw Fox 85XF)

This was a pretty easy 3-0 win for me too - some time in between 2014 and 2015 I had learned how to “ridge watch” and was able to stall straight into his combo head on. XF has pretty high recoil so it was easy to KO him, but I think he might have lived the first attack and then scraped to death afterward one time. 

Wombat (MF Omega Horuseus 100RF) vs. SamTheGeek (Scythe Crown SW145SD)

Stationary 145-height Stamina is at a pretty bad place in Limited - it’s easy enough to get under it with an Upper-based LTAC (which Limited has a ton of), and loses to both LTSC and HTSC (and sometimes tall Defense too) making it not a very safe option. I messed up my launch once, but still managed to win 3-1.

After going 3-1 in the Block, Dark announced that he had made a mistake earlier - he was actually taking the top two people from each Block into the finals. That meant that while TBD would advance uncontested, it was a battle between myself and Angry Face (who was also 3-1) to see who would get the second spot.

Wombat (MF-H Bakushin Leone 90RSF) vs. Angry Face (MF-H Scythe Escolpio 85RF)

The only combos I had seen him use were Screw H145 and Libra B:D, both of which I was confident I could defeat with my Bakushin LTDC. Unfortunately, he pulled out something completely unexpected - a preliminary version of his signature combo, Metal Face, using 85RF rather than W105MF (which in hindsight, made perfect sense from his point of view considering how much Omega I had been using earlier). This ended up being a really close battle - I know he KOed me once while I was close to an exit, but I ended up taking it 3-2 by a close OS in the last round. I’m actually really itching to play this matchup against him again some day now that our signature combos have been upgraded to full-on trash-mode.

After beating Angry, I had earned my spot in the finals and kept my chance of going to Toronto, along with TBD from my Block, Stormscorpio1 and Titan Tite from the A Block, and Dark_Mousy and geetster99 from the C Block.

Wombat (MF Omega Horuseus 100RF) vs. Titan Tite (MF Dou Cancer 230MB)

In the past few matches I had played with Tite, he had used B:D combos against me, and since he isn’t the best Attack user I had a strong feeling he would use Stamina. I was correct, and picked the appropriate combo, but must have just launched badly or something (maybe Omega needs to be on CH120 or something to really hit 230 effectively, but the other Omega 100 vs 230 matches I’ve played say otherwise) since I lost 1-3. Kind of a bummer.

Wombat (MF-H Libra 100RF) vs. geetster99 (MF-H Duo Cancer 230MB)

The last matches I played against geetster had him using Samurai Wyvang Attack, and I knew he had pretty much swept the 2014 championship using MF-H Lightning L-Drago CH120RF, so I had a pretty good feeling he was going to go with some Attacker. So I went with an Anti-Attacker. Originally I was going to use 85 to make absolutely sure he wouldn’t get underneath me with LLD, but decided to go with 100 instead on the off chance he decided to go with something a little taller. Going to 100 ended up being the right move, he beat me by pulling a totally unexpected Duo 230MB, but at least I somehow managed 2 KOs.

Wombat (MF Omega Horuseus 100RF) vs. Dark_Mousy (MF Meteo L-Drago TR145EWD)

I was already 0-2 in the finals so I knew I needed to win these next 3 matches if I wanted a shot at winning the whole tournament. Given Dark’s preference for Dragooon F230GCF in Standard format, I guessed he would use Meteo F230GCF against me and used Omega accordingly. I was close enough to correct that I was able to win the battle 3-0, even though Dark Weak Launched all three times.

Wombat (MF-H Quetzalcoatl 90R2F) vs. TheBlackDragon (Scythe Cancer B:D)

Prior to this event, I had bought and tested Quetzalcoatl in secret, and had found it to be a top-tier attacker on the level of Screw. I hadn’t used it at all during any of the tournaments so I figured now was a better time than any to use it. I got one of the best possible matchups for it, mid-height Stamina... and then choked and lost 0-3 somehow. My R2F wasn’t moving very aggressively during this battle despite it performing fine beforehand. Out of all the matches I’m salty about, this is probably in the top 5: now that I had finally gotten him in a good matchup, it was my chance to beat him, but I failed. He quit Beyblade later that year with a 9-0 record against me :(

Wombat (MF-H Bakushin Leone 90RSF) vs. Stormscorpio1 (MF-F Burn Cancer 90MF)

I didn’t know what to use against SS1 in Limited at this point, so I just defaulted back to Bakushin... unfortunately, he picked a combo that I couldn’t match up well against yet, and though I managed to ramp him out a few times I ended up losing 2-3.

Since the qualifiers were such a big deal at the time, the match between the top 2 players had to be played out a certain way: Rather than just playing one match to determine the winner, they had to play the same matchup three times in a row - geetster used Duo 230MB and Dark used Burn 85MF, resulting in a 3-0 shutout by Duo. Similarly, the big players today in terms of combos were definitely Burn 85/90MF and Duo 230MB, geetster cleaned house and went 12-0 using only those 2 combos, while Dark took second using mainly Burn 85MF and Titan Tite was third using mainly Duo 230MB. What sucks is that both of those normally get destroyed by Attackers, especially Omega, and I literally used Omega for half of my battles.

At this point in time, this was one of my worst Limited performances ever - although I went 4-1 in the Block, I went 1-4 in the finals due to a series of bad picks and bad launches. Geetster won the trip to Toronto and got to compete as a part of Team GT (the now-defunct NC Beyblading team), and while Dark was eventually able to convince my parents to let me go to Canada as well I was bummed to not make the team.

[i-just--dont-understand]

Alex Morgan: ‘If Fifa start respecting the women’s game more, others will follow’

On a cold, grey January day in Lyon the fire of Alex Morgan’s ambition is obvious. She has already spoken of her desire to become the best female footballer in the world and, a long way from the winter sunshine of Florida, to adapt to a new culture in France. Morgan arrived in Lyon just a few days into 2017, after she had been pursued on Twitter by Jean-Michel Aulas, the president of Lyon. Aulas made it clear that signing the American star striker would underline Lyon’s commitment to a women’s team which won the French title, domestic cup and Champions League treble last season. 

 Morgan’s drive might be matched by Lyon but the 27-year-old World Cup winner and Olympic gold medallist, who has scored 73 goals in 120 games for the USA, stresses how many more important battles are still to be won for women’s football. “It’s great to see women standing up in their own line of work and fighting for fair value,” she says after name-checking Jennifer Lawrence and Taylor Swift. Such starry allies suit Morgan, who has more than 2.8m followers on Twitter, but there is also a wearying grittiness to the struggle for equality in women’s sport. USA forward Alex Morgan to join European champions Lyon on loan Read more 

“We’re trying to do the same thing and we’ve come a long way. But it gets exhausting having to do this every day, every week. Our male counterparts have not had to fight as much – so sometimes you feel a little exhausted always having to prove yourself and show your worth.” 

 Morgan rolls her eyes when I say how odd it is that sportswomen are having to fight so hard for parity in 2017. “Sometimes it feels a little redundant and I wish we didn’t have to fight so hard. But you see female actresses and singers standing up for themselves as well as women in general. A woman earns an average 73 cents to the male dollar in the US. So there’s still a long way to go. There’s hope in the fact that so many people know about our struggle in football – with the CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement] and our fight for equal pay. The fact that the agreement was such a big deal last year showed how much the women’s game has grown.” 

In her new European setting Morgan is note-perfect in always saying “football” rather than “soccer”. But semantics do not really matter when the issues within the women’s game in the US are so tangled that Morgan speaks of “a crisis”. She stresses that the dispute between US Soccer and the national team, with the players calling for a fairer structure in relation to the men’s squad, could lead to strike action. 

“It’s necessary for change sometimes,” Morgan says of a possible strike. “It wouldn’t be the first time women decided to strike. Colombia and a couple of other countries might do the same. And Australia didn’t play us a year ago because of the same battle. We were supposed to play them in a few weeks and they decided not to get on the flight because they weren’t getting paid what they were worth – or anywhere close. 

 “To force a change sometimes you need to stand up. You know what you’re worth – rather than what your employer is paying you. We’re not scared. To move the women’s game ahead we need to do what’s necessary. I feel other national teams are looking at us for that guidance.” 

 Morgan laughs wryly and says “Where do I start?” when asked for a potted history of the US dispute. But she then speaks clearly. “As a national team we have a collective bargaining agreement and from 2001 we’ve had a salary-structured contract because there hasn’t always been a league for national players. So US Soccer has funded the players by giving them an annual salary. Moving forward we would love to keep that consistency in being paid [by the federation] but we want to close the gap between men and women. How turmoil in US women's soccer could drive players to Europe Read more 

“It’s difficult because we are probably the first national team to get a salary. We’re also probably the highest paid in terms of a women’s national team. But do you compare us to other women’s national teams or to the US men? Do you compare us to clubs? With US Soccer also funding the NWSL [National Women’s Soccer League] it’s very intertwined and hard to understand from the outside. 

 “But the fight is about receiving equitable treatment – not just pay. Our CBA ended last month so right now we’re locked with the status quo. Neither US Soccer nor us have submitted anything that says they’ll lock us out or that we will strike. We’re hoping to reach agreement – but there eventually needs to be pressure from one side to meet in the middle. 

“We don’t have a World Cup or Olympics to use as leverage while we negotiate a new contract. But we have an important tournament coming up [in March]. The SheBelieves Cup brings France, England and Germany to the US. Before we play those matches we want to get a deal done so we can move on.” 

 The fact that women’s soccer still struggles for parity in the US – where it is such a popular sport – indicates the depth of the battle facing the female game globally. Morgan is forthright when she considers Fifa’s attitude to women’s football and their decision to stage the 2015 World Cup on artificial pitches. “We took it very personally because it was an insult. They had never done that for the men – and they never would. The men wouldn’t stand for it. We tried to take a stand and we brought in lawyers and tried to bring it to court in Canada. Lots of players were involved internationally. But it was too late to change anything. 

 “At least we won the tournament and a concession from Fifa that they will never do anything like that again. But it’s also about the win bonuses for the champions or even the teams who finish second, third or fourth. It’s about the amount of fans who watch and the amount of security the women get compared to the men. It’s about the amount of marketing dollars spent promoting the World Cup. 

 “I understand there’s much more money in the men’s game. But Fifa spent so much time on the men they now need to focus a little more on us. I would like to close that gap even if I’m not expecting it to be equal. I’m not expecting there to be a huge jump and the win bonus to be $35m when, for the women, it’s $2m. I don’t think the entire world respects women in sport. But if Fifa start respecting the women’s game more, others will follow.” 

Morgan’s decision to immerse herself in European football, at least for an initial six-month loan from Orlando Pride to Lyon, is motivated by a desire to “improve my game” as she seeks to become the world’s best female footballer. “I still have a way to go. I hope to get there this year or next year. I’ve been able to step up in big moments in the 2012 Olympics and the World Cup. But before I’m able to be the best player in the world, I need to be in the world’s best XI. The start of that is training with the world’s best [club] team. 

 “I would like to win the Ballon d’Or for women. But every top professional should have that ambition. We’ve just seen the 2016 award [won last week by Morgan’s US team-mate Carli Lloyd]. Carli was up against Melanie Behringer [of Germany] and Marta [the Brazilian who previously won the award five years in a row]. They’re three of the world’s best players – but others can compete with them.” 

 Morgan has star-appeal and this past weekend L’Équipe ran a six-page magazine cover story on her. “That’s heartening, isn’t it,” Morgan says, “because you expose not only yourself but the sport as a whole.” The 20 greatest female football players of all time Read more It’s still difficult for Morgan as she tries to learn French – and after just a few days she admits she is not moved far beyond “bonjour”. She is also missing her husband, Servando Carrasco, a defensive midfielder for Orlando City, and their dog Blue. “My husband found it hard as well because we are finally in the same city [Orlando] after six years of playing professionally in different cities. But I told him I need to challenge myself and evolve as a player. He ended up not only supporting me but feeling like it was necessary for me.” 

At least her established role as one of the world’s best players means that Morgan, as an American, will not suffer the prejudice that afflicted her countryman Bob Bradley during his brief managerial spell in the Premier League with Swansea. “I was cringing and felt really bad for him,” Morgan says of Bradley. “I didn’t feel like he had enough time. He couldn’t bring in any of his own [coaching] guys and it was a little cruel and unfair.” 

 More than 26m people in the US watched Morgan and her team-mates win the 2015 World Cup final – a much larger television audience than for the men’s team. But Morgan points out that most women playing the game professionally, but not at national level, have to work in additional jobs. “They have to do that for five months a year because our season is only seven months long. They definitely need to find jobs, whether that’s soccer clinics or camps or an actual desk job. The minimum salary when we started the League four years ago was around $6,000. It’s improved a little and players receive housing so that helps. But even now the minimum salary is barely liveable. That’s why you’re seeing players retiring at 25 – before their prime.”

 How would Morgan improve pay for women’s soccer in the US? “Accessibility is important. Having games on TV and that sort of marketing is crucial. Sometimes I’ll be walking through Orlando and people recognise me and they ask if I’m here for the national team. They don’t understand they have a women’s club team in their own city. I get that it’s only been a year but awareness hasn’t been great. 

 “The NWSL is our baby because we’ve seen two leagues in the US fold. Players, coaches, owners and fans want it to succeed. And just because I’m playing in Europe the next six months doesn’t mean I will stop caring about football back home. I’m going to be very active in our fight for the new agreement.” 

 Morgan’s allegiance to the US means she smiles when reminding me that the 2019 women’s World Cup final will be held in the very same Lyon stadium where we now sit. Her aim is to win that tournament in her adopted French home. But, in terms of winning the wider battle for women’s football, can equality be achieved soon? 

 “That’s the hope. Ten years? I don’t know. Twenty years I see as definitely doable. Fifa has to do a lot more to evolve our game because women in sport aren’t respected equally around the world. Our current battle in the US will get resolved but I don’t believe the fight will ever end globally for the women’s game. We will always have to fight for our rights.” X

[hrhgeorgevi]

RINGSPORT ISSUE 2

Televised Wrestling Comes To You By Arrangement With King George VI Wrestling Club’

Issue 2 20 April 2020

EXCLUSIVE: FRESNO ESCAPES WITH FINE BUT NO BAN

Popular Lightweight Johnny Fresno has escaped a ban from the ring following his attendance at the Judiciary Hearing yesterday afternoon. 

At press time it was confirmed that the Bolton ring ace would be slapped with a £750 fine, with a warning to stay on his record for 12 months. 

Fresno, the blond superstar lost his World Lightweight Championship when the ringside Doctor stopped the contest due to blood loss and awarded the championship and belt to Metallica Panther III. Following the bout Fresno refused to complete his broadcast requirements and then spoken out - including in this publication about the result of the match. 

While he will be lighter in his wallet than before Monday’s hearing - grapple fans will be pleased to see that a return bout has been schedule to headline to All Star Extravaganza bill on 3 May at the splendid Fairfield Halls in Croydon. A treat for all fans of the great sport. 

GREAT TOJO KEEPING TRACKS ON HIRAI

Japan sensation The Great Tojo has arrived in Britain this morning, arriving by boat from France following off some wrestling commitments he had in Paris at the weekend. 

The Great Tojo is a thirty five year member of the professional ranks and one of the top stars of the world renowned Tokyo Wrestling Promotions Ltd. As well as being a formidable campaigner in the ring, he also runs his home promotions ‘Dojo’ as they call it in Japan. He arrives in England with one of his former students SUPER DOI - already tipped for huge honours this year and a a five year professional. 

“I am not a fan of the lot of travel,” he said to awaiting media at Portsmouth Ferry Terminal upon his arrival. 

“I have big bed with big wife at home, I no like leave Japan.

“Fuji Hirai was top member of 2019 class at my Dojo. We send him to England to get better at fighting. I come to watch him, team with him and make sure that he is getting better. 

“Most times Japan wrestler come here and they just learn drinking. This not make me happy.” Tojo added. 

The trio will be involved in a number of Six Man, Tag Team and singles competitions during the All Star Extravaganza tour with maybe their most mouth watering contest coming in the form of a tag team encounter on 2 May when Hirai and Tojo take on two of Britain’s best in Johnny Fresno and Billy Bingham at Vale Hall in Aylesbury. 

MUSIC TO THE EARS OF WRESTLING FANS

Eugen Bastiens may look like a rough and ready merchant of the wrestling rings, but the 32-year old from Bremen, Germany is also a keen fan of the musical arts. 

The European Lightweight Champion has played the Cello since his school days and still performs as part of the Bremen Amateur Orchestra when he has time off from his gruelling travel schedule. 

“I take my Cello everywhere and of course it will be coming to England with me,” he told the Editor of this publication over the telephone last week, before he had travelled to Britain. 

“I often surprise my fellow wrestlers in the dressing room after the matches when I pay a few notes.”

The 189lb weight classification is one of the most competitive in the world right now with King George VI Wrestling Club boasting World, European and British Commonwealth Champions on its booking sheets for the coming weeks and Bastiens is looking forward to the tests that await. 

“As European Champion I travel a great deal,”

“I have hardly been able to wrestle in Germany since winning the belt last year, I have just returned from four months in Russia - where I also took my cello.”

Despite the cold months of Russian ring wars, Bastiens believes he is in great shape to take on challengers in the British rings with a juicy contest against Poland’s Mikolaj Salak set for All Star Extravaganza bill on 3 May at the resplendent Fairfield Halls in Croydon.

ASHURST SURPRISED AT LACK OF RETURN CONTEST

Fans lucky enough to tune into On The Mat III broadcast last Saturday afternoon will have been thrilled to see Len Ashurst and World Heavy-Middleweight Billy Tucker squad off in an all action packed match that ended with a sixty minute draw.

While shown on television last week, the match actually took place on 6 April from Liverpool, with Ashurst quickly expecting matchmaker Edwin Luntley to schedule in a return bout, but so fare no call has come.

“Yes, I was a little surprised,” he said from his Bradford home that he shares with his fire Millie and Yorkshire terrier Max. 

“I thought that we had a great match, it was a real test to be in there with a World Champion and I really felt like I was on the same level of him. 

“There were a few times where I came close to putting him in the surfboard submission, that wins most of my matches. If only I had been able to put Tucker in the move a few minutes before the bell rang at the end, I really believe I would be a World’s Champion. 

Even though there is no return bout scheduled for this tour, there are plenty of matches he is looking forward to. 

“It isn’t everyday that the promoters are able to bring over so many top names from overseas. It’s going to be a great test for him. 

“It looks like we’ll be headlining the Manchester show in a big elimination match where I get to face the boys from Mexico (Metallica Panthers) and Tucker. I’ve not been in an elimination tag match before, so I’ll need the referee to explain that one to me. 

“I get another crack at Tucker in Worthing as well, Jackie Joyce is in that one - I can see that being a real scrap. He’s not one for trading holds, but really lets fly with the forearms and uppercuts. 

“The one that I guess most people are asking me about and I’ve already had several letters and phone calls on this, is the contest against Billy Bingham.”

The match, which is already being dubbed the ‘Battle of Britain’, with two Heavy-Middleweights only separated by a pound in weight, a win for either man must surely see them return to Championship contention. 

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NOT JUST GLAMOROUS GIRLS 

A first in British rings from this week will be a single knock out tournament for the Ladies International Grand Prix. The tournament will feature several international stars and be the first time women’s wrestling will take place in some of our halls. 

Edwin Luntley, matchmaker for King George VI Wrestling Club waisted no time in bringing in two of Japan’s top ‘Joshi’ stars with Jumbo Kaka and Miyoki Suzuki, already two of the favourites to win the trophy which has been commissioned by Hackney’s Dillon Jones Trophy Emporium.

Mitzi Bopp from Germany is joined in the tournament by Jenny The Farmer’s Daughter (Canada) while fellow North American star Jessica Hendrix will be tested in her opening contest against Kaka. 

Little Roxy and Klondyke Dorothy will participate from the home nations. There will also be a chance at several shows to see some exhibition six women’s matches, a real treat for the fans! 

CHAMPIONS ROLL CALL

Each issue we will look at the Champions from around the world and in this publication we take a look at Sin City Wrestling, the promotions from America’s exciting Las Vegas.

World heavyweight - Ben Jordan

World Bombshell - Andrea Hernandez

Internet - Austin James Mercer

Bombshell Internet - Kate Steele

Roulette - Jack Russow

Bombshell Roulette - Candy

Mixed Tag Team - Wolfslair (Alex Jones and Johanna Krieger)

Wouldn’t it be a treat for our fans to get to see some of these top stars over in British rings in 2020.

TV PREVIEW

On The Mat IV is set to be taped this Thursday with Jackie Joyce putting his British Commonwealth Lightweight Championship and Belt on the lines against Jamaica’s Junior ‘Iron Man’ Morgan. Joyce is a seasoned grappler but has not defended his championship in some time after gaining weight that would make him ineligible at the lightweight bracket. He has now dropped 10lbs for the contest and many wrestling fans will be keen to see how that has impacted his style - which recently has become far more concentrated on brawling than the beautiful art of catch as catch can. 

Also schedule to be performed under the rolling television cameras will be a Six Man Tag with Mikolaj Salak, Samir Pande, Barry Bridges take on Joao Silva, Eugen Bastiens and Billy Tucker. Salak a contender at European Lightweight classification will meet Bastiens in single competition soon enough, but who will leave the ring having bragging rights from this encounter? 

Silva - the Portuguese expert is sure to create some gasps from the audience with his silky tan and Hollywood good lucks, although will be his wrestling this publication will be most concerned about. Silva isn’t scheduled to defend his European Heavy-Middleweight crown on this tour, but if he loses a fall in this match, things may quickly change.  

[junker-town]

The USWNT isn’t the big story at Olympic qualifying

Photo by Marcio Machado/Getty Images

Tune in to Olympic qualifying to watch the USWNT dominate, stay to see Christine Sinclair make history.

The CONCACAF women’s Olympic qualifying tournament kicks off Tuesday, and to everyone’s relief, you can actually watch it. There was no announced media rights deal until a couple days before the tournament, but you’ll now be able to catch all of the games via Fox Sports. You can find a full schedule here.

This tournament has two groups of four teams each, with the top two from each group making the semifinals. The winner of each semifinal will qualify for the Olympics. There is a final, but it’s just for bragging rights.

The United States Women’s National Team is expected to cruise through its first four matches without breaking a sweat, though they’re unwilling to hear any such analysis. The bigger story at the tournament will be Christine Sinclair chasing down history while trying to prevent Canada from falling to a couple of impressive underdog contenders.

Sinclair is about to set an unbreakable record

Just one goal separates Sinclair and Abby Wambach. Canada’s greatest-ever player sits on 183 international goals, and should pass Wambach’s all-time international scoring record of 184 during this tournament. It wouldn’t be surprising to see her do it on the first day, when Canada takes on a St. Kitts and Nevis team that is expected to be overmatched.

The chances of anyone ever challenging Sinclair’s record are almost zero. She played in an era where CONCACAF opposition was poor, and in several years when she had no professional opportunities and Canada played 20-plus international matches as a result. The next Christine Sinclair — if such a person could possibly exist — will spend more time with her club and face better international opponents.

She means more to her country, teammates and coaches than I could ever fit in this space, so I recommend reading Katelyn Best’s profile of Sinclair from just before the World Cup.

The USWNT should cruise through to the Olympics

You should be familiar with the USWNT roster for this tournament. Nineteen World Cup players return, with midfielder Andi Sullivan being the only fresh face. She was arguably the last cut for the 2019 World Cup roster and has 15 caps, so she’s hardly inexperienced. Alex Morgan will miss out due to pregnancy, and Mallory Pugh, Allie Long and Morgan Brian were cut.

If you’re worried about the USWNT taking this lightly, you shouldn’t be. This current group has developed a mentality of treating every opponent the same until they’re up by several goals. But you, reader, do not need to trick yourself into thinking an inferior opponent poses a serious threat. The Americans are better than all of their opponents by several orders of magnitude, and regularly defeat CONCACAF opposition by multiple goals even when playing poorly. The USWNT should top its group and win its semifinal to qualify without ever being seriously threatened.

Ultimately, that’s why new coach Vlatko Andonovski hasn’t rocked the boat with his roster. The quality of opposition might give him some room to experiment, but it also means he may not learn much from those experiments. Expect to see lineups you recognize at this tournament, and then for things to get real fun at the SheBelieves Cup in just over a month.

Mexico vs. Jamaica will be a nailbiter right out of the gate

The group stage’s must-watch match is on Wednesday, when two underdogs with the best chance to upset one of the U.S. or Canada square off against each other. If they want a shot at finishing on top of the group and avoiding a do-or-die match against the USWNT, one of Mexico or Jamaica will have to take all three points off the other.

The two teams didn’t meet in World Cup qualifying, where Mexico was eliminated by Panama and Jamaica subsequently qualified for the World Cup. These teams last met at the Pan-American Games, where Mexico won, 2-0, but the Reggae Girls did not have their first choice team available.

Most notably absent was Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, one of the best players in the world. She has nine goals in 13 appearances in her debut pro season for Bordeaux, and has 40 goals in just 27 caps for her country. While Shaw usually plays forward for Bordeaux, expect her to play as an attacking midfielder for Jamaica so she can see more of the ball.

Both teams are very young, and could be a serious threat to Canada in the near future. Jamaica defenders Konya Plummer and Chantelle Swaby, who played regularly for their country while in college, were both drafted by NWSL teams this month. Mexico will be expecting more out of María Sánchez after spending a year as a professional with the Chicago Red Stars, while a lot of eyes will be on Tigres youngsters Lizbeth Ovalle and Katty Martínez, who could be in line for moves to NWSL or Europe very soon.

If either Jamaica or Mexico is good enough to beat the other outright, they’ll also be optimistic about getting a good result against Canada. Mostly because, uhh ...

Is Canada bad?

All evidence points to this qualifying tournament not quite being the usual walk in the park for the Canadians. Following a disappointing World Cup, Canada lost back-to-back friendlies to Japan and Brazil, both 4-0. Canada rebounded with a win over New Zealand, but drew Haiti, 1-1, in a warmup match.

The Canadians do not suffer from a lack of talent. The lineup around Sinclair features star players for NWSL and big European teams. Jessie Fleming, had she declared for the NWSL draft, would have been in contention to be the No. 1 pick. There’s no excuse for them failing to pick up nine points from their group, even if Jamaica and Mexico are rapidly improving.

But if Haiti can avoid defeat against Canada, so can Mexico or Jamaica. Shaw is arguably better than anyone on Canada’s squad at the moment, and Mexico has a handful of players capable of outplaying Canada on their best days. The Canadians might not have much trouble against St. Kitts and Nevis, but they’ll be in for a fight in their last two group stage matches.

[gadgetsrevv]

Christian Pulisic makes USMNT roster, Sergino Dest absent amid Netherlands link

Former USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann offers his opinion on Christian Pulisic’s start at Chelsea and what the American star needs to do to be successful.

Jurgen Klinsmann explains why the CONCACAF Nations League is bad for the U.S. and Mexico during an exclusive interview with ESPN.

Despite reports he was at odds with MLS while coach of the USMNT, Jurgen Klinsmann discusses the importance of the league for young U.S. players.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Jurgen Klinsmann assesses the talent in the U.S. player pool and stresses the importance of youth development.

Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Jozy Altidore headline the 26-man U.S. roster as manager Gregg Berhalter prepares his side for its initial foray into the CONCACAF Nations League.

Ajax defender and dual national Sergino Dest, who has attracted interest from Netherlands national team manager Ronald Koeman, is a notable absentee.

– World Cup 2022 qualifying: All you need to know – Sergino Dest could be USMNT’s next big thing – Pulisic Watch: How U.S. star is doing at Chelsea

A revised World Cup qualifying format for CONCACAF will use the FIFA World Rankings to determine which teams advance to the final round Hexagonal, due to begin next year. While the U.S. — currently ranked second in CONCACAF — is a shoe-in to make it to that stage, the Nations League will have an impact on those rankings.

Teams not ranked inside the top six aren’t completely shutout of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, but will instead have to go through a second, more rigorous playoff track involving 29 teams and between 14-16 additional qualifying matches for each, just for the opportunity to claim the final spot. That gives the U.S.’s group opponents, Cuba and Canada, plenty to play for. The U.S. faces Cuba at Audi Field on Oct. 11, and will play Canada at Toronto’s BMO Field four days later.

“This is competitive soccer. Any time there is a trophy on the line and in the inaugural Nations League tournament, we want to put ourselves in a position to win,” Berhalter said. “One thing that’s important is we continue to bring some of the younger guys along, integrate some new players into camp, but also have a familiar base. Most of the guys have been in camp before, understand how we want to play, and we think that continuity will help in our performance.”

Berhalter has more of his first-choice roster available thanks to the return from injury of Newcastle United defender DeAndre Yedlin and Reading defender Matt Miazga. The same can’t be said for RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams and Lille forward Tim Weah. Adams recently returned to training following a groin injury, but has yet to see minutes with his club. Weah is dealing with a hamstring injury.

Much focus remains on the 18-year-old Dest, who has broken into Ajax’s first team this season following some excellent performances for the U.S. at last summer’s FIFA U20 World Cup. Dest appeared in two matches for the U.S. during the last international window, but an appearance in the Nations League would tie him to the U.S. permanently. Koeman recently met with the defender to gauge his interest in playing for the Dutch. Berhalter has been in contact as well, yet Dest isn’t on the roster for these two games.

“I understand there is going to be a lot of attention surrounding the availability of Sergino in this next camp,” he said. “I’ve had conversations with Sergino, the conversations were positive, and the content of these conversations is going to remain private.”

The biggest surprise among the invitees is midfielder Brenden Aaronson. Aaronson has enjoyed a breakthrough season with the Philadelphia Union, scoring three goals and adding two assists in 27 appearances. He has also impressed in training camps with the U.S. U23 team.

“There are two things that standout about Brenden. The first thing is that he’s getting regular minutes, and the second is that he’s playing for a team that’s doing really well,” Berhalter said. “We always look for that combination. He’s a very agile player, very aware between the lines, able to give solutions offensively and very secure on the ball. He’s another case of getting a younger guy into the program, getting our eyes on him and also letting him understand what it means to be in with the full men’s national team.”

The roster also includes the Toronto FC duo of Altidore and Michael Bradley, who will have the unique opportunity of facing Canada in their club’s home stadium.

“I think it’s very important to have veterans in the team; for them to share the heritage of what it means to be a United States men’s national team player,” Berhalter said. “For them in particular to go back to Toronto and play a game of this magnitude is special. We know they will be familiar with their surroundings, we know they will be familiar with the opponent — playing with some of the Canadian guys at TFC — so we think it’s a great opportunity for them.

USMNT ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; Caps/Goals):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC; 61/0), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 8/0), Zack Steffen (Fortuna Düsseldorf/GER; 16/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas; 8/0), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes; 8/0), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 13/2), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact/CAN; 10/0), Matt Miazga (Reading/ENG; 17/1), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 36/1), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United/ENG; 59/0), Walker Zimmerman (LAFC; 11/2)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 150/17), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 11/2), Weston McKennie (Schalke/GER; 15/3), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 32/13), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 16/0), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; 20/0), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; 3/0)

FORWARDS (7): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 115/42), Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 28/5), Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake; 4/0), Tyler Boyd (Besiktas/TUR; 7/2), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 35/6), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER; 9/2), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC; 53/10)

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[googlenewson]

     The U.S. Open was the best showing that Belinda Bencic has had at any tournament so far. Despite her lost to Canada's golden girl Bianca Andreescu in straight sets, she has had a good performance any player would be proud of. "It was a great experience to play the semis," Bencic had said to the media of usopen.org. She gets real about her feelings of losing saying "Of course, very much disappointed...So far we shouldn't take this for granted and be grateful for that...It puts me in a more positive mood." This was the first time she's played Andreescu and had to deal with her power shots much like Naomi Osaka. Bencic admits that her game could have been better and gave kudos to the Canadian teen saying "I think she is a great player and definitely deserves to be in the finals." The Swiss admits that her straight-set loss was closer than it looked. "I think it was a big fight, a big battle. Bianca plays tactical...in the end, it was really just some points that turned everything around. The rest of the slams though didn't go well for Bencic who bowed in the third round of all of them.

     Bencic knew it was up to her to do justice to the last slam of the season. She had much luck even at the opening rounds. She'd defeat France's Alize Cornet and then moved on to have a win over Aneta Kontaveit of Estonia. The round of 16, Bencic brought her 'A' game to the court and defeated Naomi Osaka in straight sets, winning over her power and aggression. Donna Vekic of Croatia has been improving steadily on her game and Bencic stayed focused in the quarterfinal to have the answers to rallies and strategies of winning. This isn't always the case and with Andreescu, she says "I had so many break chances that I did not use...: That is what could have contributed to her losing the match. She also mentioned her ability to return the Canadian teen's returns. "I had struggled on the return and I couldn't read her serves," she confessed.

     It is simply a lesson well learned and working on the fine point to bring to the next event a crisper, more brilliant game. "I am learning by doing...I think it's small details that matter...trying to improve that 1% more..." Belinda is quite aware of the competitors  that are a challenge and says that "I feel it's like you're always watching out for someone...everyone has a good run and then you're looking at this person and this person plays well..." Staying on the same track is essential for Bencic as she emphasized that "I need to keep doing what I do, play semifinals, semifinals, quarterfinals and give luck a chance."

Continue reading...

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[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Matthews Signs, Ovechkin Makes History, Rask, Kane, & Klefbom (Feb 6)

  The big news of the day saw the Leafs lock up Auston Matthews to a five-year deal that will pay him 11.634 million per season. 93 percent of that is coming in the form of lockout-proof signing bonuses. With the cap projected to move to 83 million dollars next season, Matthews new cap hit will account for 14 percent of the total space available.

  Here’s a look at some of the other big-time centres who have signed monster deals and their percentage-based hit against the cap.

  Connor McDavid 12.5 million 16.67%

John Tavares 11 million 13.83%

Jonathan Toews 10.5 million 15.2%

Anze Kopitar 10 million 14%

Jack Eichel 10 million 13.3%

Evgeni Malkin 9.5 million 14.8%

Sidney Crosby 8.7 million 13.5%

  Looking at those comparables, Matthews eating up 14 percent of the cap seems quite the reasonable – and it is. However, those other deals were for the max years available and bought up multiple UFA seasons. The Leafs only grabbed one year of UFA-eligibility from Matthews.

  Crosby and Malkin both signed five-year deals coming out of their ELCs for 8.7 million per. They both represented 17.3 percent of the cap for their respective signing years. The Pens were able to extend them for 12 and eight more years after that at 8.7 and 9.5 million respectively – all of which were UFA seasons.

  Going shorter term on Matthews saved the Leafs on the overall cap hit now, but it means they’ll be negotiating with a soon-to-be 26-year-old UFA when this contract concludes.

  Those pinched pennies today will be stretched thin. With a projected cap of 83 million for 2019-20, the Leafs will have 16.3 million free with just 14 players under contract. That includes RFA deals needed for Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen, and Andreas Johnsson.

  I’m no mathematician (although I do teach high-school math to students who mostly despise it), but there’s a scenario here where those three RFA’s eat up nearly all of that cap space.

  Something will have to give.

  **

Malkin missed his third straight contest and the Penguins definitely missed him as the Hurricanes blanked them 4-0 on Tuesday evening. Curtis McElhinney made 23 saves for his first shutout of the season. It was his first start in three weeks. 

  For those wondering, Justin Faulk continued to skate on the team's top power play, while Dougie Hamilton worked the second unit. 

  **

Patrice Bergeron skated in career game 1000 on Tuesday and had a typical Bergeron evening. Two goals, four shots while playing a key role on special teams. He continues to click at a triple-digit pace. 

  Brad Marchand added two helpers and Tuukka Rask stopped 28 of 29 to keep his heater rolling. He's 8-0-2 with a 0.945 save percentage stretching back to December 29th. 

  That concussion we were worried about last week appears fully in the rearview.

  **

San Jose defeated the Jets 3-2 in overtime as Joe Pavelski scored the shorthanded winner in the extra frame. That's eight points in the last four games for Little Joe. 

  Erik Karlsson missed his fifth consecutive game – not even making the trip to Winnipeg. This isn't a great look for the Sharks. EK was already dealing with the injury before the All-Star break but decided to suit up for the event with it happening in San Jose. 

  Here's hoping this doesn't linger too much longer. 

**

  Rasmus Dahlin tallied a power play goal and skated 25:25 as the Sabres beat the Wild 5-4 in a shootout. The 18-year-old defender has recorded two goals and nine points while averaging over 22 minutes in 11 games over the past month. 

  Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel each had two points in this one despite the Sabres shuffling their lines. 

  {source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">Sabres' lineup:<br><br>Sheary-Eichel-Okposo<br>Skinner-Mittelstadt-Pominville<br>Smith-Rodrigues-Reinhart<br>Girgensons-Sobotka-Thompson<br><br>Dahlin-Ristolainen<br>Pilut-Bogosian<br>Scandella-McCabe<br><br>Ullmark <a href="https://t.co/dEGxHTPwgU">https://t.co/dEGxHTPwgU</a></p>— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) <a href="https://twitter.com/BuffaloVogl/status/1092930494923243520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

  **

Ryan Suter recorded two assists and skated 30:10 in the defeat. The 34-year-old is on pace for career-high 56 points. 

  He's remains a monster.

  **

Some injury news and notes out of Arizona:

  Jakob Chychrun was placed on the IR. That means the Coyotes dressed Kevin Connaughton, Jordan Oesterle, Kyle Capobianco and Ilya Lyubushkin – not exactly a who’s who of proven assets.

  Darcy Kuemper suffered an upper-body injury and is also out. Calvin Pickard took the reins Tuesday and Adin Hill was recalled from the farm. Pickard was good in the game against the Predators making 42 saves, but he didn't get much help. 

  Roman Josi produced a goal and two helpers as the Preds defeated the Yotes 5-2. Josi has seven points in his last six games and has broken the 40-point barrier for the sixth consecutive season. 

  Pekka Rinne made 24 stops to record just his third quality start in the past 11 games. A welcome sight for owners who were beginning to feel the heat from Juuse Saros. 

  **

After a scary incident last night, Alex Edler somehow escaped without any broken bones. He suffered some deep lacerations, a few broken teeth and has been sent back to Vancouver with a concussion. Even with a diagnosed concussion, the result could’ve been much worse.

  https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/Edler-Head.mp4

  **

The Canucks took on the reigning Cup Champs on Tuesday evening on the tail end of a back-to-back on the road.

  With Thatcher Demko suddenly on a plane back to Vancouver to have an MRI on his knee, the Canucks used an Emergency Recall on 19-year-old, Michael DiPietro.

  In the last nine months, DiPietro has suited up for the Windsor Spitfires and Ottawa 67s of the OHL. He was the third netminder for Canada at the 2018 World Championships, as well as the starter for the Canadians at the recent World Junior Championships. Now the back-up gig for an NHL contest.

  You know he’s had a massive smile on his face for all of it.

  **

The Canucks shook up their lines ahead of this one with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser being split up. Pettersson skated alongside Josh Leivo and Antoine Roussel. While Boeser lined up with Bo Horvat and Nikolay Goldobin. 

  Caps held the play In the first half of this one but were outshot and outplayed in the final 30 minutes. They managed to hold on for a 3-2 victory after Pettersson tallied with six seconds left to cut the deficit to one. 

  **

Alex Ovechkin assisted on the game's first marker to move ahead of Sergei Fedorov for the most points by a Russian-born player. 

    For my money, there's no true debate regarding the best Russian of all-time. Hell, I'm fully convinced that Ovi is the greatest goal-scorer of all-time too. But if we're looking at players from the Motherland on a per-game basis from their primes, Pavel Bure is the only guy who can make a case. 

  Here are the aggregate totals from Bure and Ovechkin's best four seasons: 

Pavel Bure: 229 goals, 172 assists and 401 points in 314 games

Alex Ovechkin: 223 goals, 206 assists and 429 points in 314 games

  During their peak seasons, Bure outscored Ovechkin on a per game basis, while trailing by a decent margin in assists. Of course, staying healthy is almost as important as what you do while you're on the ice, and that's one area where Ovechkin absolutely dominates the Russian Rocket. 

  **

Over in the college ranks, the state of Massachusetts is buzzing with the annual Beanpot tournament. This pits the top NCAA schools from the region against one another for the prestigious 65-year-old trophy.

  Monday saw Boston University and Northeastern square off and Canucks’ prospect, Tyler Madden was the hero in overtime as he converted on a breakaway.

  I’m not sure which is better, his on-ice skills or his celebratory game.

  https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/Snow-angel.mp4

  Madden is making a claim to be the best value pick from the 2018 class. Taken 68th overall by Vancouver, he’s been dynamite as the top line centre for the Huskies this season, and was a swiss army knife for the Americans at the WJC.

  He sure looks to have a future as a top-six forward. Keeper leagues, take notice.

  **

Amidst the trade rumours, Sergei Bobrovsky snuck in a rare win as the Blue Jackets defeated the Avalanche 6-3. It was his first victory since January 13 and is a welcome sight for owners. 

  Columbus split up their big line in this one and it appeared to work. Artemi Panarin slid down to play with Alex Wennberg and Oliver Bjorkstrand, while Pierre-Luc Dubois and Cam Atkinson skated with Nick Foligno. 

  PLD and Atkinson combined for three goals while the Panarin line chipped in with two goals and four points. 

  **

Colorado has now lost four straight and remains on the outside of the Western Wild Card picture. 

  **

Oskar Klefbom has been activated from the IR. The 25-year-old has been out for nearly two months with a hand injury. Despite missing 21 contests, Klefbom still sits second for blueline points with 15 in 31 games. His 25:25 average per contest remains a team-high.

  This is a massive boon the Oilers’ backend (and power-play). Klefbom didn't immediately step back into his role on the team’s top unit. Darnell Nurse has been very good in that spot since Klefbom went down. He's recorded 17 points – eight on the power play, in the 22 games with Klefbom on the sideline. Nurse chipped in a power-play assist on Tuesday as well.

  It'll be very interesting how the Oilers proceed once Klefbom is back up to speed.

  **

Even with the return of Klefbom, the Oilers were no match for the streaking Blackhawks on Tuesday. With a goal and an assist, Patrick Kane extended his ridiculous point-streak to 12 games and 28 points. The former first overall pick has 17 goals and 41 points in his last 20 contests. 

  Can you say, en fuego?

  **

Connor McDavid did his thing setting up two goals and a dozen other glorious chances that went unconverted. Meanwhile, Leon Draisaitl scored his 30th and 31st goals of the season to continue to build on a career-high. It wasn't enough though as the Oilers fell 6-2. 

  Cam Talbot was given the hook after giving up four goals on 27 shots. Mikko Koskinen allowed two goals on eight shots to close this one out. I think the Oilers may still need some help in net..

  **

Follow me on Twitter @Hockey_Robinson

  from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-matthews-signs-ovechkin-makes-history-rask-kane-klefbom-feb-6/

[thedaveandkimmershow]

Turns out “memory lane” for me is basically I-5 going north from Seattle to Vancouver. It’s a drive that’s filled with overlays from the past and, as the missus ‘n I drove to Bellingham on Monday, a lot of those memories were brought front and center once again.

We didn’t even have to get out of the drive before a memory poked its head out.

For example, and for starters, we already live a few miles north of what I used to think of as Canada. I mean, not literally Canada, but soooooooo far north that it might as well be. 

The place I’m thinking about was actually a kennel to which my dad and I were taking our beagle, Rusty, back when I was a kid. This would be the northiest north part of Lynnwood. And however we reached this remote area from Magnolia, the last bit was done on 99, take a right at the red clock building, take the very next right after that, then drive down to the end.

So we’re on the road now, up I-5 passed Everett. Coming down into the valley after downtown, Dagmar’s Landing is always a memory. An olfactory memory. Because this whole area used to stink. Really it did.

That was also back when I was a kid... paper mills, I think.

Whatever it was... it. was. nasty.  

Keep driving and, of course, Marysville. Where our dear friends, the Ramos family, lives. We always give a wave of the hand as we pass by.

Mostly a mental wave of the hand.

But you get the idea.

After the casino, it’s Seattle Premium Outlets. I especially remember this place ‘cause the last time we were here... my hands were literally freezing.

Not a great memory. But it sure sticks with you.

Next up, 172nd Street NE. Smokey Point. An area that itself has no particular significance other than it’s where we’ve exited to reach three destinations west of I-5.

The first is Lake Ki. When she was in grade school, Linzy ‘n I and her uncle and cousin came out here disturbingly early one morning to fish.

So yeah.

We did that.

Not too far after Lake Ki, Country Burger. And I love this place. Looooooooove it. It’s on the way to Warm Beach... but we’ve actually driven all the way out here just to eat here.

No kidding.

You should definitely check it out yourself. 

Almost all the way to the water, Warm Beach Camp. We spent time up here with family as well as called it home for a few days of Winter Camp for Kids during a week that included Valentine’s Day.

And yes... Kimmer did her camp medical provider thing and I helped.

What was nice... was that we were set up in our own cabin.

:-)

Back on I-5, coming up on highway 532, the Stanwood exit, I’m always reminded of Stanwood Foursquare Church because my very first Kid’s Camp gig was accomplished without my own computer. I had my own consumer-grade video camera, sure, but as for a Mac...

I used theirs. 

Drove up here to borrow it. Drove back here a week later to return it.

It was an awful lot of driving, but worth it as the church was gracious enough to loan me the use of their own Mac.

La Conner’s never been that big a deal for us, but every time we come up on Conway, WA, not even a proper town but a Census Designated Place, I’m reminded of a wedding we attended out here. Somewhere.

I know it was a classic white-painted church. I think a steeple, definitely two stories. Barely on the west side of I-5.

I also know the reception was in La Conner and driving between the two was pretty straightforward. Conceptually, anyway. There were actually a lot of turns and curves and unlit roads involved.

Can’t actually find it on Google Maps where I figured it would be... but I still always think of it around these parts.

North, still, there’s an area where you kind of descend a little into another valley. It’s not super dramatic or anything, but you notice it.

And every time I do... I think:

Arlington.

Of course, were I to print that in the paper or broadcast it on TV, you could definitely call that Fake News.

Remember that exit for Warm Beach?

Arlington’s on the east side of I-5 at that point.

Still... this is where I always think Arlington.

And probably always will.

As you pass through the area, eventually a county road parallels the freeway. Somewhere along here, back when I was a kid driving this way with my parents, was a little stand where they sold honey. I remember we stopped there once to buy some. Don’t know if it’s still there. I didn’t see it this trip.

I just think honey along this stretch of road.

Okay so the area I think of as Arlington is basically the outskirts of Mount Vernon. The overpass you see below is, for me, the sign that we’ve entered the town proper.

Is that true?

No idea. I’ve always just thought that when I was a kid. Pass under the road and BAM.

Mount Vernon. 

Couple things about Mount Vernon is that there used to be a 2-3 story brick building here that was a bookstore. Kimmer ‘n I actually stopped in town once to check it out. Nowadays, I don’t think it’s there anymore. Not in the brick building, anyway.

The other thing is that one year a bunch of college friends and I did a Skagit Valley bike ride. A totally doable thing ‘cause it’s all flat in the valley.

I think we parked in town and rode our bikes across that bridge below toward wide open spaces.

That’s what I remember, anyway.

Burlington and Highway 20 is another major crossroads in my life. 

For one, I remember going on the Skagit Tour when I was a kid. You basically drive I-5 from Seattle to Burlington, head east about 60 miles on the North Cascade Highway and...

There you are.

I caught this description in the June 16, 1977 edition of the Centralia Daily Chronical. It matches what’s still rolling around inside my head.

“The regular tour is generally available by prepaid advance reservation only. This fully-guided four-hour visit begins with a complete orientation at the Diablo Tour Center and includes a ride on the incline lift, a boat cruise to Ross Dam, a tour of the Ross Powerhouse and an all-you-can-eat family-style meal.”

https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-daily-chronicle-jun-16-1977-p-7/

The thing I have an actual visual memory of, though, is this.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lift_at_Diablo_Dam,_1954_(40496828082).jpg

It’s the incline lift near Diablo Dam. 

They don’t use it anymore on the tours, but when they did, it had this kind of capacity.

And I loved riding it as a kid.

Prolly still would.

http://www.funimag.com/photoblog/index.php/articles/us-the-great-era-of-lost-american-funiculars/seattle-diablo-skagit-4/

I’m actually thinking about redoing that tour someday. But I am bummed about the incline lift.

Here are a few more details about the tour...

https://www.goskagit.com/funicular-lift/image_4d742320-f3c8-11e2-8e32-001a4bcf887a.html

Okay so say dams, tours, and hydroelectric power isn’t your thing. About 60 miles further east on the North Cascade Highway you’ll find a town pulled from the old west. 

At least it’s got that vibe.

We actually drove out here once to hang out in a nearby cabin with friends. 

We got a late start on the evening we were supposed to catch up with them and, by the time we hit Burlington, it was super dark. And we had no appetite for driving Highway 20 that way. So we figured a hotel for the night. Only, there was some kind of sports tournament going on at the time and all the hotels were booked.

As were all the hotels in Mount Vernon.

We basically had to backtrack about 20 miles to find a room at the inn.

Yeah.

Winthrop was cool, though. The next day.

Okay. We’re back at Burlington and Highway 20. We’re not any further north, but west of here I remember a great country breakfast kind of place painted red from top to bottom with white trim. It’s a place I’m pretty sure we must’ve spotted from either I-5 or on our way to Deception Pass. Certainly there wasn’t a way for us to just know about it.

Of course, like that little church I mentioned earlier... I can’t find it where I was pretty sure it would be on Google Maps.

UPDATE (11/10/2018) Found it! It’s called the Skagit Valley’s Farmhouse Restaurant. And my memory was completely off as to its location. Turns out, we never spotted it from I-5. Not even once. Kimmer ‘n I spotted it from Highway 20 on our way to Whidbey Island one time.  It’s also not “painted red from top to bottom with white trim”. So I don’t know what that’s about. All I know is... it’s still here.  :-)

Kimmer ‘n I managed to eat there once and it. was. delicious.

Back on Highway 20, drive another 20 miles across the valley, then across Fidalgo Island, then across a pair of iron bridges onto the northern tip of Whidbey Island.

Right down below is where my family spent a lot of picnic time when I was growing up. 

We even came here once with my Aunt Esther and her family. She had a 16mm film camera with her and managed to capture the most embarrassing moment of my grade school self ever.

To this day, it’s the most embarassing moment of my life.

And I’m pretty sure she still has that film.

My dad liked to gather a lot of the naturally polished rocks here which, I’m pretty sure, gave him the idea to buy a rotary rock tumbler that he set up in our garage. It always seemed to be running. 

From Burlington north... next stop’s Bellingham which I always thought was this.

It’s actually Fairhaven, one very Instagram-friendly neighborhood of Bellingham. Calling Fairhaven Bellingham is like calling Pioneer Square Seattle.

But this is where I always ended up on those few occasions in my life I found myself in Bellingham so...

I thought this was Bellingham.

Yeah.

Bellingham, of course, is much more. And last Monday we had an opportunity to explore it just a touch more thoroughly. Enough to finally understand that Bellingham isn’t what I thought it was.

And this:

The photograph below is Haggens, up the hill from Bellingham Marina. Broadway, take a left on Meridien. You’ll find it by the time you hit Illinois Street.

Anyway.

The thing about Haggens is this is the grocery store Kimmer’s talking about whenever she talks about the grocery store at which she worked when she went to Western Washington University. The one she rode her bike down to from her dorm. And then back up again.

The one she worked at that one time when she fell asleep in her dorm and woke up thinking it was the next morning when it was actually evening of the same day.

Thought she missed her shift, you see.

That Haggens.

This one here.

And there you have it. My trip up Memory Lane. North Edmonds to Bellingham. It’s a fast drive getting there, a little over an hour (which surprised both of us). 

But it covers decades of pretty awesome memories.

:-)

[fmlfpl]

Down the Rabbit Hole with Scott

FPL Cup Night Stalker, Round Two (GW18) Preview

Happy Weekend!  It's FPL Cup Time, Round Two!  

And that means more internet research, cough-cough, stalking.  RESEARCH!  For those of you who tuned in last week (click here for Round One / GW17), I have gone waaay down the rabbit hole of the intertubes with this one and dug up some interesting tidbits on the various FPL managers who our motley crew faced off against last week.

Round One / GW17 Recap

How did we do?  Pretty well, considering that H2H matches can be a random nightmare.  Five of the six of us went through to round two of the FPL Cup.

-- Walsh put up a 65-55 win over some Gooner Maniac Thomas Vermaelen fanboy on the strength of his 16 from Dilva and 9 from Razzers.  He bagged another 11 from the Pope and he moves onward.

-- Alon had a defensive masterpiece with four cleans and max bones to DDG as well as DilvaPoints and points from new friend Son en route to a 69-54 win over some Myanmar Massage Momma

-- Producer Nate, sadly, went down in a low-scoring battle, 38-41, to some Malaysian marketing and social media mogul.  RIP Nate.  It was a rotation/injury nightmare for him with zero minutes from Naughton, Sane, Morata, Ramsey, Kolasinac and Moreno.

-- Guest Jason was up against some Twitter account Gamer person who STILL hasn't made a transaction, and Jason eased to a 58-45 victory with Dilva and DDG as his top scorers.

-- Derek was up against the frightening Bulgarian Monster Energy guy, but Derek unleashed his WC on the dude and strolled to a 70-46 victory.

-- I was up against some dogfood-jerky eating doofus Bieber fan, and it's good that he was inept, because I only managed 45 points on my sixth straight red arrow, but it was enough to put me past his 33 points.

So what's on tap for this week?

Round Two / GW18 Preview (Stalk)

Walsh -- 947 points, 90,568th place

Teynteam -- Paul Tyrrell -- 808 points, 2,325,836th place

Paul is in his second year, and is sorta-Ghost, but not totally.  His last move was in GW15, and he changed his captain for GW16, but did nothing for GW17 and hasn't made a move yet for GW18.  I'm pretty sure it's this guy, who is the official club spokesperson and Director of Communications for the Derby County Football Club.  He previously held a similar title at Everton.  He's in one minileague called the Leicester Tigers Staff FPL, and the Leicester Tigers are a Rugby club, but Paul has been a PR consultant for the Rugby Football League, and one of the guys in the Leicester league tracks back to some time in Derby as well.

It looks like Paul may be sat on Firmino as a cap if he doesn't change anything, and has a less than fearsome front line that also includes Vardy and Abraham.  He does have a solid backline with Azpilicueta, Otamendi and Alonso, but the midfields pretty much neutralize each other and are near identical.  Walsh will have the edge with an extra Chelsea defender this week and with the Pope in goal.

Alon -- 928 points, 184,894th place

CAT-D F.C. -- Mike Weil -- 902 points, 420,315th place

Mike is an FPL veteran, in his eighth season, but hasn't yet cracked the top 300K mark.  He hasn't made a roster move yet for this week.  He splunked his triple captain chip back in GW8 on Sir Harold of Blank, when Spurs were hosting Bournemouth.  3x2=6.  Bleh for him.  Here he is on Facebook, married and with a little kid.  His page says he went to secondary school at the Tytherington School, in Macclesfield, and he is in one minileague, the Banter Battle, and there are FB friends in the same league.  I'm not quite sure what he does for a living, but most of his friends on FB seem to be in the Macclesfield/Manchester area.  Might have a clue though in his team name.  Cat-D, or Category D, is a term regarding an insurance write-off of an automobile after repairs.  When a car is totaled and written off in an accident, the insurance company then owns the car, makes repairs, and it is a Category D vehicle.  One of his friends is a manager/supervisor at an auto body shop in Salford, near Manchester and they offer a large selection of category D vehicles for sale.  I think our boy Mike works there.  That's what I'm sticking with.

As for his FPL team?  It's kinda crap with a front line of Jesus, Lacazette and Rondon.  He has Salah and Dilva for points but also has Willian, Matic and Romeu in the midfield, bleh.  He'll be hoping Rudiger makes the lineup and looking forward to return of Mee to his defense.  The DDG factor will be neutralized as both teams own him.

Guest Jason -- 933 points, 155,496th place

Once a Blue.... -- Corrinne Charlton -- 815 points, 2,154,156 points

Corrinne finished 416K last year in her first season, and is an Everton fan from England but she hasn't changed her team since GW8.  It's been strictly set and forget and there is a Kane captain coming Jason's way.  The rest of her front line is Lukaku and Calvert-Lewin and the midfield sports Salah, Eriksen, Richarlison McArthur and Capoue.  The only leagues she is in are a couple of pretty big ones.  150 for the standard league and over 100 in a H2H league.  They are both named DACBC something, but not sure what that stands for and I'm not getting anywhere with it.  Dead end.  Uggh.  Oh well, when in doubt, it's time to make something up.

The first thing that I could find that DACBC stood for was Dual AC Boosting Compensation scheme and deals with multistage amplifiers with low power and large capacitive load.  I'm sure that means something to somebody, and maybe this league is composed of those who are in the know.  But then it got really weird.  Only look here if you are totally insane.  And then I also kept coming across these guys, the Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos, one of the largest ammunition manufacturers in the world.  So she's either an electrical engineering wizard, an insane numerologist, or a Brazilian assassin mercenary.  Watch out Jason.   Just eliminate her before she does something dangerous.

Derek -- 979 points, 19,887th place

The Invincibles -- Peter Eddy -- 918 points, 261,178th place

Peter is also an FPL veteran, in his tenth season.  He claims Arsenal and Canada allegiances and played his free hit chip, but nothing else yet.  His highest season rank was three years ago when he clocked in at 2,114 OR at the end of the year.  This is an interesting one, where one of the hits from a minileague seems intriguing and then you get the flavor of the whole league.  His minileague, The Hooliganship seems to be largely made up of people in the curling community of Canada and has several people who have competed at national and international tournaments.  One of them was a silver medalist in the Nagano Olympics.  The Eddy family includes Lori, who isn't in this league, as well as Steve, who leads the league and appears to have been fairly successful, and our opponent Peter, who I'm assuming is this guy who shows up in the page on the 1998 Canadian Junior Curling Championships.  But since he probably has to keep a day job, he might be this guy.

Anyway, he has a Kane, Firmino, Abraham front line and runs a 352 most weeks with a midfield of KDB, Cout, Richarlison, Grob and RLC.  Derek will counter most of that and put his Salah, Hazard and Dilva up against Peter's Cout, Richarlison and Grob.  I'll take Derek in that every day.  Stick to curling, Peter.

Desertonians -- Scott Ostdiek (ME) -- 964 points, 41,994th place

Champions 2016/17 -- Mark Nicholson -- 862 points, 1,066,791st place

Mark has played for nine years now and is still waiting to crack the top 100K.  He's in two leagues, one is the SJL Insurance Cup and they are an insurance brokerage based in Worcester.  I find faceshots and pages for a bunch of the leaguemates there, but this guy isn't upper echelon enough to warrant a page, it seems.  His other league also seems to have a number of people in the insurance industry in it, but ugggghhh, this guy seems just a wee bit out of reach.  So in a touch of holiday good spirit, I'm going to go with this guy, a Mark Nicholson in Worcester UK who is a self-employed tree surgeon but who was out-of-work when he was undertaking this bit of civic improvement.

He's kinda gone Ghost the last five weeks though, with no transactions, and no roster moves, so I'll be seeing a Captain Kane, along with Vardy and Rashford up top, and a midfield with Alli, Eriksen, Sterling, and Livermore.  I think it looks favorable, but I've been in a serious rut, so no guarantees of anything.

Well, that's our trip down the rabbit hole this week.  Hope we all come out safely on the other side and I get a new box of puzzles to unlock for the next round.

Good luck! - Scott AKA @tempebug on twitter aka desertbug on Slack