#not to mention a lot of Christian clubs trying to recruit

[averagegorewriter101]

There is a lot of things I didn’t expect when going to community college, one of them was a leaked photo of a well known homophobic guy who calls himself “gods gift” wearing a cheerleader outfit

[dailyaudiobible]

02/19/2019 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 7:28-9:6, Mark 3:31-4:25, Psalms 37:12-29, Proverbs 10:5

Today is the 19th day of February. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian, sounding a little more chipper than I feel. Jetlag is not my favorite, but welcome from the land of the Bible here in Israel. We’ve made it safe and sound and are getting all set up to take the journey around this entire land and tonight for the first time we’ll have our opening dinner, and everybody will get to see each other for the first time. I mean, lots people are on the same flights, that’s the thing of it, flights from all over are landing in the land of Israel today and everyone will be collected and we’ll all be together for the first time as a group tonight. So, thank you for your prayers over all of it. A lot of travel is happening today. Jet lag is being experienced today and there are a lot of logistics that are all to be put in place for this journey. So, thank you for your prayers and for the first time this year we will read the Bible from the land of the Bible, which will take us back into the book of Leviticus. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Leviticus 7:28 through 9:6.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the gospel of Mark, Jesus is talking about agriculture, he’s talking about seedtime and harvest and planting and types of soil and then paralleling that with how people respond to the word of God. So, Jesus talked about a farmer who sowed a lot of seed and the seed itself was all uniformly good, right? Like the seed wasn't the problem. And the seed had been scattered evenly over the ground so that the dispersion wasn't the problem. However, after having done all of that, the hope of the harvest for the farmer had a lot more to do with the soil that the seed was planted in, right? The seed and the soil are equally important in the story revealing the collaboration that's required between the human and the divine in God's kingdom. And then Jesus kind of unpacks it, talks about the different kinds of soil that this seed fell into and then what happened to the seed because of the soil that it was planted in. So, I mean, we’re like a month…over a month and a half into our journey since the beginning of the year and we've been daily interacting with God's word and we've…you know...we've established a rhythm to do this every day for the rest of this year. And, so, the obvious poignant question for us is, what kind of soil our hearts are becoming? None of us don't want the harvest in our lives, right? We all want the harvest in our lives, but if the seeds only gonna be on the surface it's gonna get snatched away. If this seed is going to be planted in our hard and stony hearts there is nowhere for the word of God to take root, and if we’re distracted continually by worry or seduced into chasing any other number of desires than the soil of our heart is thorny and it's gonna choke God's word out. So, we’re about to take a journey all over the land of the Bible and it will be interactive and it will be fun and I we’ll have a good time and there’ll be lots of pictures posted and lots of conversation about what we’re seeing but since we’re right out in the front of this we can make this very poignant for ourselves. Whether we’re here or whether we’re doing this virtually, maybe it's time to tend the garden of our hearts. Like, maybe it's time to intentionally become good soil and not just say, “well, I got what I got”. I mean, the soil back on the other side of the ocean where I live in Tennessee, there's a lot of rock and there's a lot of building going on over there, a lot of subdivisions are being built. So, I’ve watched huge, you know, earthmoving machinery smash and pull out and smooth over rocky ground to make it suitable soil for building otherwise, you know, the builder or whoever the developer was to go, “well, the soils rocky, we can’t build anything here”. But instead they kind of tended it and made it what they wanted it to be so they could build on it. We have to tend the garden of our hearts. We have to maintain the soil of our hearts so that it's good and ready to receive the word of God and the seed that it plants in our lives so that it can be cultivated and become the fruit of the Spirit.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite You into that by first just taking an assessment of what kind of soil is in our hearts. And the truth probably is that we have all these kinds of soil in our hearts. There are hard places, there are stony places, there are thorny places, but there are good places too, and we want more and more of our heart to be good fertile soil so that we might produce a harvest of 30 60 or even 100 times as much has been planted. So, Holy Spirit show us how to cultivate the soil of our hearts. And we do this in part, by the way that we act and behave toward each other. So, give us an understanding and patient heart Father, we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what's going on around here.

Of course, what's going on around here is that we’re about to begin this is journey all around the land of the Bible and we’re here trying to get acclimated. It's a drastic difference when you’re moving eight hours into the future because that's enough time to get your days and nights mixed up and that is what I experience and I don't like it because I don’t like that disoriented feeling of not really knowing where I’m at and that takes a few days. Thank you for your prayers over that. I know I'm not the only one who experiences it. We’re all in this together. And, yeah, I've got my remedies. Every time I mention jetlag on the Daily Audio Bible I get some new ones. Some of them are good. I mean, I’ve tried lots of things, but the bottom line is at some point or another when you're just getting into the…into the shift your bodies like wait, it's supposed to be dark and it's light, we’re supposed to be sleeping but we’re awake, or vice versa and its just part of the journey. So, thank you for your prayers. Tonight, we will all have dinner together and it’ll the first time that we’re all in the same place at the same time and we’ll just set pray into and go over all that will be happening and then tomorrow morning we’ll be loading up and off we’ll go and I will be giving you updates every day about where we’re going, we’re seeing, we’re thinking about, we’re experiencing. And we just ask you to pray for us as we do this journeying. We’ll be leaving in the morning and heading into the wilderness.

Of course, there are other things going on at the Daily Audio Bible at dailyaudiobible.com. The Prayer Wall lives in the Community section. And if you need prayer or if you want to pray for your brothers and sisters, that’s a really good place to reach out. All of our social media channels can be found in the community section of dailyaudiobible.com. This is where we will be posting videos and photographs etc. about the journey and what we’re seeing and experiencing as we’re seeing and experiencing it. So, if want to follow along there. In a few days, this weekend, I believe this is scheduled for Saturday and I'll get all…I’ve gotta actually get a little bit beyond this jet lag and kind of look up all the different time zones and blah blah blah but we will be broadcasting live once we arrive at the sea of Galilee, and that is always a fun experience because we can take questions from brothers and sisters all over the world who are kind of going on this trip virtually, kind of bring you right in with us where we are at the sea of Galilee. So, I'll be mentioning that as we get a little bit further.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link, it lives on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. Thank you for your partnership, profoundly and humbly.

If you have a prayer request or comment, there is a number you can dial, 877-942-4253 is that number.

And that’s it for today. Signing off for the first time from the from the land of Israel. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey everybody this is Pelham from Birmingham, from Alabama calling. I’m always calling in for myself, it’s always selfishness and I’m working on that. I’m sorry. There’s so many people that I pray for on the line that call that come through. I forgot your name, soccer player that’s gonna be like standing like he’s on the cross every time he scores a goal, the young man that’s waiting to find a club to hire him to get him recruited. Praying for that guy. I’m praying for so many different women going through so many different things. I’m calling today because…I miss my wife. It’s Valentine’s Day. I haven’t talked to her in almost 2 months. She hasn’t said a word to me and she called today, she called this morning. I don’t know what to do. She won’t listen to me. She thinks that the God that I worship is not the right God. She thinks that we serve a different God, that she believes in a different God than me. I don’t know what that means. There’s one God and she knows that. I don’t understand. Please, you all pray for my family, pray for the Morris family and Anderson and Molly and Pelham. Thank you.

Hello Daily Audio Bible, my name is Kevin and I’m reaching out for support as I embark on my quest for a righteous life in the name of the Lord. I feel I have many sins to repent for and I am coming back into my faith after many years away from it. In my 20s __ had kept in contact with the Lord but only through spirts of troubled times. And I’m just calling for support as make my way back into this life and the life God has called upon the. I’ve struggled with the thought that I’d made a family without marriage and I’ve struggled with a past addiction of alcohol and the destruction it caused upon me and others. I hope the Lord will forgive me and I pray to stay in the narrow path He has. May the wisdom of God follow me. Lord keep us safe. Thank you.

Hi guys this is Tito Ramirez again calling from Southern California. I was just calling…I was listening to the community prayer line and I was just drawn to call in. I love you guys so much, and that prayer line is so amazing. I listen to it a lot just like Slave of Jesus, you know, when I commute back and forth and stuff in the car. And Rebecca from Michigan, I know you called a while back asking about how it is that our relationship with the Lord, God’s relationship with the church is like marriage. And I was listening today and I’m not sure what the ladies name was but she called in and was tearful and sad because she was going through a difficult time in her marriage where she had been betrayed and her husband was a sex addict and it sounded like they were trying to work through it but there was a lot of pain and a lot of hurt. And this came at the same time when we were listening to Brian read to us about the children of Israel betraying God in the wilderness and worshiping the calf and the amount of hurt. And God, God kind of, you know, the kids that I treat always say they kind of wore it, He kind of just exposed His emotion and His hurt. And I think that’s one way. And I think that as we go through the Bible and we learn more about God and how He responds and how He actually feels when we do certain things we can understand more about how His relationships are like, you the relationship of a parent and child or a relationship of a marriage with the church. And, you know, just think that how much God loves us when you hear somebody hurt like that, like she was hurting. I always think like, okay, you’re not alone, God knows that or Jesus knows that. It’s the hurt of betrayal and it makes me want to be better because I love Christ and I don’t want to hurt Him like that. I don’t want to hurt God like that. If God loves us perfectly I don’t want to betray that. And, so, I hope that helps to shed some…

Hi, DAB this is Kathleen in Mount Zion Illinois and I’m just calling in for Much Afraid who, I just heard your message on��today is February 15th and you just couldn’t give us a lot of detail on what to pray about. And anyway I just first of all want to thank you for the service to the Lord that you have been doing for the past 15 years there in an Asian country, in a Buddhist country. I can imagine the opposition that you face every day. Whether physical or spiritual, I can just imagine. And you are saying…you weren’t able to really say what was the issue, but it sounded like you are having some spiritual battles. So, I just wanted to let you know that I am praying for you. In fact, let’s just pray right now. Dear Lord Jesus, please give strength of mind and body to Much Afraid, that she can call us another time with her other name that she had mentioned. She said I should Overcome. Lord Jesus I just pray that you give her strength. Whatever battles she is facing just pray that the whole body of DAB listeners right now, thousands and thousands throughout the world pray throughout the world pray. We pray right now for Overcomer, for Much Afraid who will be overcomer and pray that she will strengthen her and thank you again for her heart of a missionary that What she has done I admire that so much…

Hi everyone at Daily Audio Bible, my name’s Megan, I am in London. __ to be calling, this is my first ever call. I first started listening just towards the end of last year but then I decided to restart everything on the 1st of January. Basically, the only reason I’m able to call today is, I, unfortunately had a migraine earlier and was sent home early from work. And its weird how God works in mysterious ways. It means I’ve managed to come home, I’ve got the house to myself for a couple of hours. I was listening to the prayers on the way home and already my head is feeling tons better. So, yeah, prayer is powerful. I can’t quite remember his name, but I think it was something along…Christ is the Light or The Light or The Light of Christ. You called in a couple of weeks ago and you’ve been in my thoughts ever since and I think you’re having a really, really tough time to say the least, but I want you to know that I’ve been praying for you every day and, well, I don’t know if things are better for you yet, but if they’re not I just want you to know God is with you, we’re all with you and I hope you feel His presence and the strength that He gives you. And I’ve got a request myself. Unfortunately, my cousin is estranged from her mother. She’s currently living with my own parent’s. I don’t live there anymore and __ and everything, but it’s really having a really strong impact on everyone. I’m not going to go into the details, it’s not my story to share but I know it’s kind of breaking up everyone’s hearts. So, if you could just pray for them. I know there are some good things coming out of it. I mean I’ve managed to reconnect with my cousins who I haven’t been out to see for years and that, just to be honest, if it weren’t for this whole situation then I probably wouldn’t have found this app. So, I am grateful to the Lord...I mean…wouldn’t it…

[jansen1107]

How the Mighty Have Fallen

I started 2017 unemployed. I’m now on my third week. It feels strange to be writing that, especially where the national unemployment rate in the U.S. stands at 4.7% as of now. Almost everyone I know has a job. So, what happened with me?

The last job I had was a three-month gig working freelance for $55 an hour at my former ad agency, which I had left full-time in June after four years. They were nice enough to have me back to help out with some projects. My gig was supposed to go through to this year with the possibility of going full-time on a new account, but my manager spoke to HR and HR spoke to the Finance department. Finance came back with a resounding “No!” And here I am.

From 2014 to 2015, and shortly after I moved to New York City, I would receive as many as 3 recruiters a week bombarding my LinkedIn in box with invitations to interview for other companies. Sometimes they’d get really ballsy and write to my work email. The ad agency I worked for had just moved me to their New York office at the end of summer 2013, so I ignored the offers coming in. There was a clause with my agency where if you left within a year of being transferred, you had to pay back all of the moving fees. In some cases, companies that hire you will pay the fee. I saw this happen with a guy who was moved to the New York office from North Carolina and who left after eight months. He and I would end up at the same agency later… and I would leave that agency in flames.

Within the first couple years of moving to New York, I received some heady offers to interview with companies that were all outside of the city. It seemed like just having “New York” stamped on my resume suddenly made me desirable to companies in other regions. One recruiter asked if I’d be interested in interviewing as a medical editor for an ad agency in San Diego. Another asked if I’d be interested in running my own editorial department for a new agency in Denver. It was so tempting, but I turned them down. I had just gone through the stress of moving all my shit (and I have A LOT of shit) and my cat to New York. Why would I want to go through that again so soon?

This morning, when I logged in to Facebook, I was taunted by one of those flashback posts from two years ago today. In that post, I humble bragged about being offered an interview with an agency in Raleigh, North Carolina. Although I didn’t want it, I asked if any of my friends would be interested. I believe in sharing the wealth, and if I have good fortune and don’t need it, I’m certainly okay with passing it along to someone who might.

Those were good times. I definitely felt like a rock star back then, and I said to myself, “I hope these job offers are still coming in when I’ll need them.” Famous last words.

Back in June of 2016, I finally heeded the siren call of the job recruiters. Big mistake. The recruiter offered me the biggest salary yet. With my rent going up another $100 in September, I really needed to find a job that would pay. This place seemed like it would fit the bill, no pun intended.

The agency (I’ll call them Beige) was not the right fit for me from go, and a little voice inside my head told me to turn back. I should have listened, but I overrode my instincts and went ahead with the interview. The recruiters were really gunning for me to take the job. I found out during several phone calls I had with them that they were getting a huge fee for placing me, based on my salary. They assured me that this place was all about work/life balance and I wouldn’t be expected to stay late like so many other agencies. (“You’ll be able to get home in time to have dinner and hang out with your cat.”) During the onsite interview, the woman who would end up being my boss very sweetly told me that Beige didn’t believe in overworking its editors. I wouldn’t be expected to work more than 40 hours a week because I needed to be fresh to do my job, she said. While work/life balance had never been an issue at my old agency, everyone I talked to was making this place sound like a country club with great pay. How could I say no? And, believe me, I did stall right up until the eleventh hour because of that nagging voice in my head. But pressure from the recruiters and Beige caused me to give in. (Or, I chose to give in. I have to take responsibility for this.)

Basically, the fuckers lied to me.

Within the first few weeks of being crammed into what felt like an open-air market with impeccably dressed people, I soon discovered that I was actually working in a sweatshop. A typical workday never went below 9 hours and 11 to 12 hours was not unusual or even questioned. I worked three Saturdays in a row because the account managers couldn’t say no to a bullying client that demanded the world on a silver platter. (We were constantly being reminded that our competitors were always showing the client how they could do things better.)

I’ve gone on at length about this experience in an earlier blog entry, if you care to read it, so I’m not going to beat this dead horse anymore. Suffice it to say, Beige was a shit show of an agency. I felt like I had been shanghaied to work on a pirate ship and that I could stick it out or walk the plank. One Monday morning, after my boss called me to her desk to deliver some sugar-coated criticism, I decided to walk the plank. It was probably the best thing I did for my health. But for my career? Not so much.

When I updated my resume on LinkedIn following this debacle, it seemed like the emails from recruiters dried up almost immediately. There was one who showed interest, and I agreed to let her place my resume with an agency that I had turned down a couple years before. Days went by after she submitted it, and there was no call. I’ve always been used to things happening very quickly. I have a lot of great experience. When I submit a resume, I almost always get a call the next day for an interview, and I usually have a new job by the following Monday. Not this time.

My mother asked me if I thought I had been blacklisted. While I don’t think Beige is wasting their time putting out the word about what a dud I was (that would be highly illegal, I imagine), I do think that the three scant months now appearing on my resume is giving some potential employers pause. The recruiter I mentioned earlier told me one potential employer was pleased that Beige was on my resume, but then I didn’t hear a word after that. I imagine the recruiter played up the fact that I worked at Beige, but then when the potential employer had the resume in hand, they looked at the timeline and asked, “What happened here?”

So, do I lie on my resume? Should I delete that bit of time and just say in an interview (if I get one) that I took the summer off to write a novel? Or take care of my elderly grandmother? Or to find myself? It’s tempting to just wipe it out, but then it becomes a lie by omission. And there’s always the danger of ending up at another agency with someone who remembers me from Beige and then tells my manager, who can’t seem to recall Beige ever being on my resume. It’s a real conundrum.

At times like these, I think about the hoops some of my ancestors had to jump through to find work. In the 1920s, my great-grandmother had just divorced my alcoholic great-grandfather at a time when divorce was taboo. On top of that, she had a three-year-old son (my grandfather) whom she had to cart off to relatives just so she could pass herself off as an unmarried woman and get a teaching job. It’s sad to think now.

On my father’s side, my Native American ancestors oftentimes had to pass themselves off as white just so they could get jobs and housing. As a result of the horrible bigotry they faced, they went deep into the racial closet, and we have no idea what tribe we’re descended from. And we’d like to know. (My parents both just did the DNA spit test, so I’m hoping we’ll have some answers soon.)

The point of all this is that the times have changed but the bullshit remains the same. Talented people with great experience are discriminated against for circumstances beyond their control. For me, ageism is a very real issue I have to contend with. My mother says it doesn’t hit until one is in his/her 50s, but I’ve already felt the sting in my 40s. I could also be denied a government job simply for the fact that I’m gay and because my orientation doesn’t jive with a Christian doing the hiring. Gaps in employment are scrutinized and can cost you a job. And if I do take a job, and it sucks, and I leave after three months—an employer is going to look at me, out of context, like I’m a quitter, regardless of the names and years of experience I have to show. I’m dead in the water.

As of this writing, I’ve sent out close to 10 resumes during the past couple weeks. Of those, I’ve only spoken to one recruiter who is trying to place me with one of several agencies within her domain. I’m hopeful, but I know the reality is that I could end up like so many executives who found themselves without a job and are now working as greeters at Walmart—and wondering what the hell went wrong. I say that will never happen to me, but will it?

I’ve applied for unemployment at the urging of my friend Julie and stand to gain a whopping $430 a week in benefits, if I’m even accepted. (That doesn’t go far in NYC, believe me.) My student loans have been put on hold for three months as a hardship forbearance. Luckily, my Obamacare health insurance is paid through March 1. (Small blessings.) I’ve already started to extract some toys from my toy collection to sell on eBay. (I did this back in 2005 during a work downturn and managed to pay my utilities this way for several months.) And I’m contemplating cashing in one smallish 401k account that would allow me to pay my rent and utilities for six months while I look. (This is fine for the short-term, but my 80-year-old self might suffer from it.) That would be a last-ditch effort following two months without a job offer. The gears are always turning, and I’m trying to be resourceful and keep my head above water. Hopefully, something will happen before then.

Sigh… Welcome to 21st-century America. It’s true what they say: The more things change, the more they stay the same. It isn’t doing much to help us, let me tell ya.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qc0Fi8kxnE

[tipsoctopus]

West Ham with real chance of breaking up the Premier League's elite next season - opinion

West Ham United could push for a top-six finish next season. On the surface, that may appear to be a somewhat hyperbolic statement.

But the Hammers’ recruitment this summer, so far, has been top-notch and one has to wonder if three of the top-six will fear for their places within it next term.

Indeed, the signing of Pablo Fornals from Villarreal for a £24m fee has shined a light on what Manuel Pellegrini is trying to do in east London: mould the best possible attacking team from the constituent parts he is working with.

Co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan deserve an awful lot of credit here too. Pellegrini, after all, explicitly asked for the signing of the Spain Under-21 international, per FFC sources, and, just like that, a deal was agreed. Of course, Mario Husillos, the Director of Football, did the negotiating but it was the owners who financed the deal.

With a new bid likely to be forthcoming for striker Maxi Gomez, too, Pellegrini is reshaping his squad and there is a great deal of excitement at the club.

Contrast that with Chelsea, who finished third last season. They have sold Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, their manager has left for Juventus and they are reportedly ready to appoint ex-midfielder Frank Lampard as his replacement, despite him having managed in professional football for a year. That year was also spent in the league below, as Derby County failed to gain promotion from the Championship. That is not to mention their transfer ban; they are unable to sign a single player in this transfer window. There will be no ready-made Hazard replacement signed.

Or contrast West Ham’s window so far with Arsenal. They face a season of Europa League football after failing to qualify for the Champions League and manager Unai Emery has been given a budget of just £40m to spend to improve a side with a porous defence and a paper-thin midfield. Aaron Ramsey, their best player in 2018/19, has left, too, and will play under Sarri at Juvenus.

Or contrast West Ham with Manchester United. They are in disarray in the transfer window. Paul Pogba reportedly wants to leave, with Real Madrid and Juve sniffing around, while Tottenham Hotspur’s Christian Eriksen has turned them down and an £80m bid for Harry Maguire is being mooted. That figure is not a misprint.

Add to that the fact that the Irons will not be playing any European football at all next season but could potentially bring in the calibre of players who should be and it adds up to a distressing picture for those above them.

They do, of course, have the financial advantage. Monetarily, United can blow the Hammers out of the water if they so wish. But, as evidenced by their Issa Diop approach, they don’t need to sell to them, nor are they pretending to compete.

They are on a level playing field with both Arsenal and Chelsea, however, and one feels that it is the Irons making the shrewd moves this summer.

Next season promises to be very interesting indeed.

from FootballFanCast.com http://bit.ly/2MUzWZ0 via IFTTT from Blogger http://bit.ly/2XjNQI8 via IFTTT

[spicynbachili3]

Amedeo Della Valle: ‘Sometimes my emotions got the best of me’ – News

Amedeo Della Valle is a participant to control as AX Armani Trade Olimpia Milan progresses by the Turkish Airways EuroLeague. The 25-year-old could also be new to the EuroLeague, however he’s no newcomer. The son of an Italian nationwide group participant, Della Valle was groomed for basketball greatness from an early age, however then took a special path than most European prodigies to get there. Alongside the best way, Della Valle was adored by followers at each cease for his curly mop of hair, three-point pictures and emotional reactions and celebrations. After incomes All-EuroCup First Staff honors final season with Grissin Bon Reggio Emilio, he took the decision from Milan and is prepared for his subsequent problem, to change into an influence participant within the EuroLeague.

Della Valle wasn’t fairly born with a basketball in his fingers; like many children in Italy, he performed soccer as a boy in addition to basketball. When the time got here to choose one sport, basketball was the apparent selection, partly because of the affect of his father.

“I believe he noticed in me one thing completely different and he tried to emphasise it.”

Carlo Della Valle was one of many higher guards in Italy in the course of the 1980s and early ’90s, taking part in principally for Turin and Rome. He was even known as as much as the Italian nationwide group for a spell. Although he was a well-respected participant for his technical skills and toughness, Carlo Della Valle didn’t attain the highest ranges of European basketball. Nonetheless, his background would assist tempo the best way for his son to get there.

“I by no means actually acquired an opportunity to see him play [competitively] as a result of he retired at 32, a younger age,” Amedeo recalled. “However after that, I had an opportunity to see him play within the minor leagues, the place he performed for enjoyable together with his buddies.”

Carlo coached his son within the youth classes within the small city of Alba within the Piedmont area in northwest Italy. Within the time they spent collectively each on the courtroom with the group or taking part in memorable video games of one-on-one of their yard, Carlo began to mildew Amedeo’s recreation.

“The way in which he talked to me, even when he wasn’t my coach, he was attempting to present me a special form of perspective than he had as a participant,” Amedeo mentioned. “He was extra of a degree guard. I’m extra of a shooter/scorer. I believe he noticed in me one thing completely different and he tried to emphasise it.

Amedeo continued on the usual path for a prime younger expertise in Italy. When he was 14, he moved to an even bigger membership, Junior Casale Monferrato, which was 90 kilometers away – and two hours every manner by practice. Amedeo lived in a club-run dorm with different younger gamers, the place he may deal with schoolwork and basketball. After one season, Marco Crespi, the coach of Monferrato’s senior group within the Italian second division, known as Amedeo as much as practice together with his group.

“The life outdoors of basketball at Ohio St. You may’t discover that wherever else.”

Whereas Amedeo climbed the ladder in Monferrato, the highway to basketball stardom he envisioned for himself was a lot completely different than might need been anticipated. Carlo Della Valle and former EuroLeague nice Bob McAdoo have been buddies from their taking part in days and when Amedeo traveled together with his mom to Miami for his 13th birthday, Carlo reached out to McAdoo, who was an assistant coach with the Warmth. Amedeo acquired to see a recreation and it was a memorable expertise.

“That was in 2006, the 12 months that they gained [the NBA],” Amedeo defined. “It was simply wonderful for me. It was an entire completely different world as a child. It was like magic. Together with his basketball profession blossoming, Della Valle crossed the Atlantic a couple of extra instances within the years to return. “I recurrently began going again about annually,” he mentioned. “And one 12 months I went for 2 weeks to work out with Coach David Thorpe in Florida and he took me one time to Indiana College to indicate me. I simply utterly fell in love with the campus, the way it was and every part. I thought of it and determined I need to go to school within the States.”

Dell Valle led Italy to the semifinals on the Below-18 European Championship in Poland in 2011 and that’s the place he first remembers Findlay Prep of Suburban Las Vegas reaching out to recruit him. “I noticed a bunch of fellows who went there earlier than and I noticed that they had a number of foreigners, too. I noticed it was an elite program and determined I needed to go there,” he mentioned.

Although they have been on board together with his determination to go, it was exhausting when Dell Valle determined he needed to take the journey on their own. He was 18 when he left his mom in tears on the airport to begin a brand new journey. Della Valle knew little concerning the scenario he was headed into and had solely rudimentary English expertise, however overcame the challenges with ease.

Della Valle mentioned that he adjusted comparatively rapidly and located himself talking English very quickly. “It was very, very simple as a result of no one spoke Italian there. In my home, we had 5 guys, all talking English. It was very fast for me to be taught.”

On the courtroom, he discovered himself challenged however happy together with his progress. “The extent was actually good. There have been a number of guys who performed within the NBA. I performed with Anthony Bennett and Nigel Williams-Goss, Christian Wooden. The extent was very, very excessive. The principles have been completely different, however on the finish, it was simply basketball.”

In reality, Della Valle’s identify continues to be displayed at Findlay Prep: “I made a number of pictures and I broke Cory Joseph’s document [for three-pointers], which continues to be there on the boards. It was fairly cool.”

His 12 months in Las Vegas was a memorable one and Della Valle cherishes the friendships he made there. He’s in common contact with William-Goss, who’s now within the EuroLeague with Olympiacos Piraeus, and his former roommate Dominic Artis, who performs for Pesaro in Italy.

“It is really very, very good, it is an amazing feeling. You develop up with these gamers and you find yourself taking part in towards them, you see how gamers succeed, the way you succeed,” he mentioned.

Despite the fact that he spent a 12 months as a youngster within the Metropolis of Sin, Della Valle mentioned that the gamers stayed far-off from hassle. “Truly, Las Vegas wasn’t as enjoyable because it sounds as a result of should you’re underneath 21 years outdated, you possibly can’t actually do a lot,” Della Valle defined. “However simply seeing Vegas, the Strip, the lights, the casinos, it seems to be surreal.”

After the Vegas lights, Della Valle’s subsequent cease was in quiet center America.

“I selected Ohio St. most likely as a result of it was the toughest faculty for me. As a result of I used to be a special participant. The Large Ten convention is a really sturdy, a really bodily convention,” Della Valle mentioned, and he has few regrets. “I believe I realized so much in these two years and searching again, I believe I might nonetheless make the identical determination. Additionally due to the life outdoors of basketball at Ohio St. You may’t discover that wherever else.”

If his transfer to Findlay Prep was clean, his first few months in Columbus, Ohio, have been slightly bumpy. “It was robust since you need to are available in, have an effect, try to assist the group. Nevertheless it’s a transition. It isn’t simple, it is not a given, so you must earn [playing time].”

Della Valle spent two seasons at Ohio St., the place he studied enterprise and advertising and marketing. In that point, he left his mark with a handful of massive video games and a run for College Scholar Authorities President.

“The scholar managers of our group needed to run the scholar authorities group and so they acquired me because the picture man to do it as a result of I used to be a fan favourite,” Della Valle mentioned. “At Ohio St., lots of people liked me. To be sincere, I had no concept what I used to be doing.”

“I believe I did higher the second 12 months, however then I made a decision to return again.”

“Lots of people voted for me, so the opposite folks operating have been mad as a result of I used to be taking votes away from them,” Della Valle recalled. In reality, based on an ESPN story concerning the election, Della Valle positioned fifth with 479 votes. “It was a lot enjoyable.”

The relationships Della Valle made in faculty stay sturdy at the moment. At Ohio St., Della Valle performed alongside DeShaun Thomas, who’s now with Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, for one season and Aaron Craft, who lately moved to EuroCup participant Dolomiti Energia Trento, for 2. Due to his expertise on each side of the ocean, he’s usually contacted by American gamers earlier than they arrive to Europe.

“Some gamers name me, ask me what it is like,” Della Valle mentioned. “I believe DeShaun requested me when he first got here abroad. He was alleged to go to Avellino, I believe. He simply requested me the way it was, what to anticipate, how is life. It is completely different, so there’s nothing unsuitable with asking.”

“I began pondering, ‘Did I make the proper determination?’ However annually I acquired higher and higher.”

As quickly as his second season at Ohio St. ended, Della Valle accepted a suggestion from Reggio Emilia and flew house to Italy. Nonetheless, as soon as once more beginning anew posed challenges.

“It was very exhausting. The transition particularly was very exhausting,” he mentioned. “I assumed it was going to be simple to return again and play instantly, however I got here again and I did not play. I began pondering, ‘Did I make the proper determination?’ However annually I acquired higher and higher.”

Della Valle spent four-plus seasons with Reggio Emilia and helped the group make back-to-back appearances within the Italian League Finals and attain the 2018 7DAYS EuroCup Semifinals whereas taking up extra accountability each season. Alongside the best way, the legend of La faccia cattiva di Amedeo Della Valle (Amedeo Della Valle’s indignant face) was born.

“That occurred within the finals towards Sassari,” Della Valle defined of his response that launched a Fb group and contours of clothes attire. “I was, particularly in my first few years, very emotional. Generally my feelings acquired one of the best of me. Now I’m far more managed. That is one thing that the followers in Reggio Emilia preferred.”

Della Valle grew to become shut with one of many guys who created the group and produced the clothes. Although he mentioned he was not paid for the usage of his likeness on the garments, he did get samples of what they made.

In the event that they have been to supply a brand new line this season, it must look a lot completely different, as a result of not solely did Della Valle change uniforms with he signed for Milan, however he up to date his look by slicing off the curly locks that he was so simply acknowledged with.

“I believe it was time for a change,” he mentioned. “I saved my coiffure for 25 years, so I figured, why not? I can change. It feels so much completely different. It is far more snug this manner. I can take a bathe and be prepared in two minutes!”

After all, shifting to Milan meant far more than altering his coiffure and his uniform; Della Valle is taking part in within the EuroLeague and comfortable to have the chance.

“The EuroLeague is far completely different than it was. It is solely 16 groups. And to be part of a group that tries to achieve success is essential,” Della Valle mentioned. “I at all times dreamed of taking part in within the EuroLeague, even the outdated one, however to be on this new one, which suggests not a number of gamers are a part of it, is nice for me. I’ve two guys in entrance of me that it is robust to take minutes from, however I am simply attempting to present my greatest after I’m known as.”

Della Valle is, after all, referring to Milan’s star backcourt duo of Mike James and Nemanja Nedovic. And despite the fact that they’re an impediment when it comes to his taking part in time, each James and Nedovic are wonderful references as Della Valle works on elevating components of his recreation to the EuroLeague degree.

“I can’t be nervous about myself. I’m simply nervous about successful video games and attempting to assist the group.”

“To be taught from them is nice,” Della Valle mentioned. “They’re completely different. Mike is certainly extra of an aggressive sort of man. Nedo lets the sport come to him. So I can take one thing from each of them.

“The season is lengthy and the coach at all times tells me to be prepared, my time is gonna come. It is also a transition for me. And in addition I can’t be nervous about myself. I’m simply nervous about successful video games and attempting to assist the group.”

After 5 video games, Milan is driving excessive with a Four-1 document and within the prime quarter of the standings alongside three different groups that reached the EuroLeague Closing 4 final season. This week Milan shall be examined by CSKA Moscow in a recreation that Della Valle had circled on his calendar.

“I’m excited to play towards CSKA and to play towards [Daniel] Hackett, who’s one among my greatest buddies,” Della Valle mentioned. “He at all times informed me, ‘someday you will be within the EuroLeague, belief me. Simply take your time.’ He informed me this as quickly as I acquired again from the States.”

Hackett was proper. Dell Valle might have taken the unconventional route right here, however he’s now precisely the place his father deliberate for him to be when he honed his son’s expertise within the yard a decade and a half in the past. Della Valle is now within the EuroLeague and able to depart his mark.

from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicynflchili.spicynbachili.com/amedeo-della-valle-sometimes-my-emotions-got-the-best-of-me-news/

[mizbabygirl]

Chicago Mission helped develop future Blackhawks Hartman, Hinostroza, Schmaltz (from The Athletic.com) [10\14\2016]

When the Blackhawks selected Ryan Hartman, Vinnie Hinostroza and Nick Schmaltz in the NHL Draft, their names were announced with the latest program they had played for.

Hartman was drafted out of the Ontario Hockey League, Hinostroza and Schmaltz from the United States Hockey League. Playing in those leagues furthered their development and helped them catch the Blackhawks’ attention.

But there was another program that was even more important to Hartman, Hinostroza and Schmaltz’s development that wasn’t mentioned on their draft days. They all spent their formative years playing for the Chicago Mission AAA Youth Hockey Club.

With Hartman, Hinostroza and Schmaltz all making the Blackhawks’ season-opening NHL roster, the Mission has been beaming with pride.

“It’s kind of surreal,” said Anders Sorensen, who coached all three players at the Mission and now splits his time between the Mission and being a Blackhawks development coach. 

“You always hope the best for your players and for them to develop and play college and go onto pro. To have the three of them in the Blackhawks’ organization, obviously makes it special. I think if you ever worked in youth sports or anything, the best part is when the players succeed. That’s the biggest reward we can get as coaches, I think. It’s a lot of fun.”

On top of what it means for the program to have three products playing for their hometown NHL team, the players haven’t forgotten where they’ve come from. Their individual games took the next step with the Mission. They won a whole lot more than they lost with the Mission. They developed lifelong friendships with the Mission.

“I just remember how fun it was,” Hinostroza said. “We had a blast every day going to the rink. We had fun practices. We had great coaches. Yeah, we were a really close group. We still keep in touch with pretty much everyone. We got guys playing college, guys playing pro, guys working now. It’s pretty cool to keep in touch with all of them.”

All three players had shown early promise, and their families chose the Mission to guide them through the next phase of their development. Hinostroza and Hartman, who are both from the Chicago suburbs, came up the ranks as teammates on the Mission’s 1994 birth-year team. 

Schmaltz and his older brother Jordan, a St. Louis Blues prospect, felt so strongly the Mission would enhance their development that they drove two-plus hours from their home in Wisconsin to join the Mission at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge, Ill. Schmaltz played for the 1996 birth-year team.

The Mission then and still is the program to play for in the Chicago area. Just last season, their boys and girls teams combined to win nine state championships and three national medals. They also produce players. They had 31 players commit to Division I hockey programs last year.

“I don’t know how it happened or if there’s a reason it happens, but I guess people want to win,” Hartman said. “You can watch college football. Teams that win a national championship, all the top recruits want to win a national championship. They all kind of go to that team. You know Alabama, they kind of get all the top end guys that come in.”

Hartman and Hinostroza were teammates on one of those successful Mission teams. They won six state championships coming up together. Their teammates included Tommy Di Pauli, who recently signed an entry-level deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and 10 others currently playing Division I hockey.

“We pretty much dominated throughout growing up,” Hartman said. “We won five or six state championships in a row. There were a few years we only lost four or five games maybe. All around, I think we had that team, we were good and we were all very good friends and all played well together. It was fun. Obviously winning’s fun. It was a special team, for sure.”

Hartman and Hinostroza had known each from their earliest days on the ice. At first, they were opponents and weren’t exactly friendly ones.

“We just used to battle,” Hinostroza said. “We used to play each other in state championships all the time. That was AA before we went to the Mission. We had some battles. I don’t think we liked each other very much. When we went to the Mission, we were pretty good buddies.”

Hartman and Hinostroza joined forces on the ice and the football field. There was a stretch where they played football together for the Bloomingdale Bears. Hinostroza was the halfback and Hartman was the fullback.

Hartman remembers Hinostroza in both sports similarly.

“Real hyper, always buzzing around,” Hartman said of Hinostroza. “Especially in football, he’d friggin' run right past you and then he’d blow you up. He was definitely feisty, same with hockey, too. He was always one of the faster guys. The same time, he laid the body and still played really hard. That’s what I always remember playing with him.”

Hartman had a feistiness about himself, too. Just as the Blackhawks try to get Hartman play on the right side of the line now, the Mission had that same mission back then.

“He thought the game really well back then, too,” Sorensen said. “He was always playing on the edge. He was always on the edge in terms of taking penalties and all that stuff. He was a kid you would have to wheel in a little bit, to hold back a little bit because he would get frustrated. Mentally, he was taking himself out of the game. You could tell he had a lot of potential in his game because he thought the game so well.”

Hinostroza and Hartman flourished with the Mission and then broke off on two different paths. 

Hartman first went to the United States National Team Development Program and then to the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL. Hinostroza played for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL and then the University of Notre Dame.

The Blackhawks brought them back together. Hinostroza was drafted in the sixth round in 2012 and Hartman in the first round in 2013. They participated in Blackhawks prospect camps together at first and then were officially teammates again last season with the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. Wednesday’s season opener marked the first time they were teammates in the NHL.

“It’s almost second nature now,” Hartman said. “We’ve played together so long. We even played football together on the same team. We have a lot of chemistry. We roomed together all of training camp. There’s definitely a lot of chemistry there. It just kind of makes the transition a lot easier. You got a guy you know really well and you can hang out with all the time. It’s definitely good to have a guy like that.”

Hinostroza has appreciated their friendship, as well.

“It’s amazing,” Hinostroza said. “I think it’s cool for our families to still be coming to the rink and get to see each other. I know they kept in touch throughout these years. We went our separate ways and now we’re back together, so it’s pretty cool. It’s pretty special. You don’t see that a lot. Even being with the same organization, it’s really special.”

Schmaltz played on his own successful Mission team. His Mission teammates included Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, Arizona Coyotes forward Christian Dvorak and Blackhawks prospect Roy Radke.

Schmaltz was considered a special player even before he arrived to the Mission. Sorensen remembered coaching against a 11-year-old Schmaltz and the Mission losing 7-5 because Schmaltz scored six goals. While Schmaltz may have been talented, he believes he learned a lot about thinking the game during his time with the Mission.

“Anders at that age, he taught a lot of puck possession, not just throw it away, but to make plays,” Schmaltz said. “I think it helped our creativity and play with the puck. I think that was the biggest thing.”

Even with Schmaltz being two years younger, Hartman and Hinostroza were fully aware of Schmaltz at that time. All the players are familiar each other in the club, but aside from that, Schmaltz would often get on the ice with Hartman and Hinostroza’s team. Because Schmaltz made such a long drive, he was allowed to join other practices.

“A lot of us growing up when we played for the Mission we’d skate with the older teams and try to get better,” Hinostroza said. “I think Nick did that with us for some times because he was a ‘96. We practiced a bit after him, so he could stay out and stuff. We always stayed out with our older guys. It’s kind of what you do at the Mission just get better and learn from older kids.”

Schmaltz went from the Mission to play for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL and then to the University of North Dakota. He was drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round in 2014.

Schmaltz turned pro this summer and made his NHL debut on Wednesday. Like Hartman and Hinostroza, it's a unique feeling for Schmaltz to be playing with two other Mission products on the Blackhawks.

“It’s crazy,” Schmaltz said. “Three guys in one organization from the same youth hockey team is pretty crazy. It just shows how good of a program the Mission are. They definitely develop your skill level and just work on what you need to work on that age. It was a great choice by my family and I. Just exciting that those guys are here with me, too.”

In a way, Sorensen thought playing for the Mission prepared Hartman, Hinostroza and Schmaltz to someday play for the Blackhawks. What they want from their players isn’t a whole lot different than what they were taught as teenagers.

“The big thing we try to emphasize as a program is kind of how the Blackhawks play with puck possession,” Sorensen said. “We want players to make plays. We don’t want to them to ring the puck along the wall in the D zone. We don’t want them dumping it. We want them to make plays. It’s okay to make mistakes if you’re trying to make creative plays versus throwing it down and hoping we win the game. I think that’s an environment we thrive to have and a culture that we have here. I think it’s helped a lot of players. Obviously as an organization, it helps us, too.”

And now it’s helping the Blackhawks, as well.

[footyplusau]

Rohan Connolly predicts the 2017 AFL season final ladder

Few things a football writer churns out have the capacity to embarrass them quite as much as a season preview. Trust me, I know.

Last year wasn’t a great one for me on the prognostication front. So bad, in fact, I managed to leave both eventual grand finalists out of my forecast top eight. Yep. Really.

Hope to heartbreak: Where to now for the Swans? Photo: Getty Images

In my defence, the Western Bulldogs after 22 games were only three spots higher than I’d placed them. And before the finals, who seriously thought the seventh-placed Dogs, nursing a truckload of injuries and facing a road trip to Perth, could actually win the premiership?

But as much as a qualifier, that’s a good example of just how difficult this tipping business has become. To adapt American industrialist Henry Ford, history, increasingly, is bunk.

So much so that, headed into the 2017 premiership season, there are only two teams I’m prepared to say categorically won’t be playing finals: Brisbane and Carlton.

Some teams you can’t discount (but I’m about to)

Before I run through my top eight, another qualifier … we’ve had 17 seasons since the turn of the new millennium. In only one of those have there been fewer than two changes to the final eight. In 11, the top eight has changed by at least three teams. And if ever a year looked capable of tossing up a repeat, it’s 2017.

That said, I’m sorry fans of North Melbourne, Geelong and Adelaide, finalists all last year. It’s nothing personal.

Admittedly, I’m not sure North Melbourne will fall quite as far as some are predicting. While there’s certainly been a massive clearing of the decks, the Roos have plenty of promising talent still to have much of a go. I like their trade-ins, too, Nathan Hrovat a real talent up forward, ditto Marley Williams out of defence. I’ve got the Roos 11th. That’s not necessarily outright failure. But nor is it a vote of confidence.

Harry Taylor playing forward for the Cats: Inspiration or desperation? Photo: Getty Images

Geelong worries me, even coming off a top four finish. Zac Tuohy is a good pick-up, I like the look of newcomer Tom Stewart, but Corey Enright remains a big loss defensively.

There’s plenty of talls besides Tom Hawkins, but how reliable are Zac Smith and Rhys Stanley? Will Mark Blicavs be as effective with the abolition of third man up? And is Harry Taylor playing forward inspired, or a move borne of desperation?

In the midfield they have a crack duo – Dangerfield and Selwood. But Geelong to me seem to have lost much of the x-factor. The Cats will need Steve Motlop and Nakia Cockatoo both pulling out special seasons to help recapture it, and another level reached by Cam Guthrie, Mitch Duncan, Sam Menegola and Scott Selwood. And they’re big asks.

Adelaide’s firepower is the envy of most. The Crows have Rory Sloane and Scott Thompson in the midfield; their backline is solid indeed. But several players – Richard Douglas, David Mackay, Matt and Brad Crouch, Rory Atkins, perhaps even a forward thrown into the pivot in Charlie Cameron – are going to have to rise to another level.

So who makes the eight?

At the bottom of the top, I’m including three newbies (two precocious up-and-comers and one habitual tease) who weren’t in the eight last year – and one who was.

A fit Jamie Elliott will add even more potential to a healthy Magpies attacking line-up. Photo: Getty Images.

Collingwood? I can see the eye rolls from here. But surely they are overdue a bit of luck on the injury front.

Importantly, the Pies have pumped another year’s experience into a considerable army of younger players. Jordan De Goey, Brayden Maynard, Josh Smith and Tom Phillips are just a few who have shown good signs in pre-season.

Not everyone has been a fan of their top-ups from other clubs. But former Docker Chris Mayne and Giant Will Hoskin-Elliott could make a difference up forward, alongside a healthier Jamie Elliott and Alex Fasolo, enough support for the very promising Darcy Moore.

The defence still looks a little thin for height and strength. But there’s no denying the class and depth of the Pies’ midfield now. Daniel Wells would be merely the icing on the cake for the likes of Pendlebury, Treloar, Sidebottom, Adams, Greenwood, Crisp and so on. I give the Pies another chance.

If they don’t make it this year, coach Nathan Buckley has conceded he’s as good as gone. I might be in a bit of trouble, too, after going out on a limb for them once again.

New co-captain Jack Viney leads an imposing group of tough young Demons. Photo Getty Images

It’s been coming a while for Melbourne. But I reckon they’re ready, and not just because of an impressive JLT series. An already decent midfield bats deeper now with Jordan Lewis and Jake Melksham. Michael Hibberd offers more valuable defensive run.

Mostly, though, it’s about a number of players looking ready for career-defining years. Christian Petracca is the most obvious. But throw in Jesse Hogan up forward. Christian Salem, Clayton Oliver. Their younger stars are tough, too. Think new co-captain Jack Viney and Angus Brayshaw. It’s an imposing blend.

There’s some enthusiasm out there for writing Hawthorn off. I don’t share it. Of course Mitchell and Jordan Lewis are major losses. But Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara pretty handy replacements. Then there’s a “recruit” called Jarryd Roughead who has a profound impact both up forward and on the ball when unleashed.

Yes, some players are going to have to go up a cog or two. But you don’t lightly dismiss any team with names still like Rioli, Gunston, Burgoyne, Gibson, Birchall, Smith and Breust.

Like the Demons, St Kilda look ready. Perhaps more ready. The Saints were close enough to taste it last year. Now, in my view, they have the requisite midfield depth given the pick-up of Koby Stevens and Jack Steele to assist Steven, Armitage, Ross, Weller, Dunstan and co. Not to mention a more imposing-looking defence thanks to the arrival of Nathan Brown and return from suspension of Jake Carlisle. I think they may be a little more consistent than Melbourne.

Steele reinforced: The Saints now have the depth to stake a top eight claim. Photo: Getty Images

The top four

In the disappointment of that elimination final loss to the Bulldogs, it was easy to forget that West Coast won nine of 10 games in the lead-up. The Eagles’ biggest weakness has been midfield depth. And they have done a lot to remedy that with the recruitment of Sam Mitchell, who should take an enormous load off Matt Priddis and Luke Shuey particularly.

The Western Bulldogs? Well, Luke Beveridge’s coaching performance last year may well go down as close to the best of all time considering the catalogue of injuries suffered along the way.

New Bulldog Travis Cloke’s got a point to prove. Getty Images 

On paper, at least, they should be better again, particularly up forward, where a team that was only the 12th highest-scoring outfit in 2016 now boasts an All-Australian key forward in Travis Cloke keen to prove a sizeable point to Collingwood, and, back from suspension, Stewart Crameri.

We already know there’s depth, evenness and a great coach. It’s psychology which may prove the Bulldogs’ biggest challenge trying to back up a premiership for the ages.

The runner-up

The juggernaut that is Greater Western Sydney is certainly going to take some stopping. No one beats the Giants for depth of talent. Still in the bottom half of the AFL in terms of age, GWS now boasts the fourth-most experienced squad in terms of average games per player.

Besides the glut of experienced youth, GWS have nailed all their experienced recruits, too, going back to Callan Ward, then Shane Mumford and last year, Steve Johnson. Perhaps Brett Deledio will prove a similarly inspired pick-up. But are they as dependable, week in, week out as the team I’ve tipped to win it? Not necessarily.

And that team is … (drum roll)

They are such a perennial we tend to take them for granted. I certainly did this time last year.

But who is as reliable as Sydney? The Swans have missed finals just once in the past 14 years, and played in five grand finals over that period. They finished 2016 on top of the ladder, and despite some very untimely injuries and not a lot of luck, were still within one point of a grand final lead with just seven minutes left to play.

Up forward, they have not only Lance Franklin, whose pre-season has looked ominous, and Kurt Tippett, but potentially a revitalised Sam Reid, and now some decent ground-level goalkicking support in Tom Papley.

Can Lance Franklin break his premiership duck with the Swans? Photo: Getty Images

The midfield remains the AFL’s most consistent. Tom Mitchell’s ball-winning ability is a loss. But Isaac Heeney (once he recovers from glandular fever) might provide a touch more class in there. Ditto Callum Mills should he spend more time there.

And while Heath Grundy and Jarrad McVeigh aren’t getting any younger, the reinforcements keep coming. Aliir Aliir in the key post, Zak Jones to provide run off half-back. Coach John Longmire has more flexibility than perhaps he’s known at his disposal now.

And after two grand final losses in the space of three years, he and his list have motivation to spare. I have a hunch it might be third time lucky for this band of Swans.

​

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