#or winning a grand slam while on PERIOD CRAMPS???

[zingaplanet]

Mysogynist tennis fans: "Men's tennis is far more superior than the women's!"

SORRY BUT CAN YOUR HERO WIN THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN WHILE PREGNANT????????

[torentialtribute]

US Open 2019: Serena Williams may deliver more drama in same venue as infamous abuse storm

According to her coach, Serena Williams melts down during her defeat in the US Open last year final was & # 39; the best tennis moment of the last ten years & # 39;

That statement by Patrick Mouratoglou is at its best eccentric and has ever seen him beaten by Chris Evert, who sat before the somewhat chaotic judge presentation ceremony twelve months ago

The biggest point of the Frenchman was that tennis and sports in general need drama, and nowhere more than New York requires.

Serena Williams may provide more drama against Maria Sharapova on US Open & # 39; s opening evening

Williams delivers so often in that area. She can do that again during the opening night of the US Open when she is confronted with the old opponent Maria Sharapova, with whom she has a well-documented enmity.

After nearly four years apart they meet in the first round under the gigantic lights of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the controversial loss of the American took place for Naomi Osaka in 2018, when she almost failed. .

In a recent ESPN documentary about that ill-fated night Mouratoglou, which was captured by referee Carlos Ramos, gave hand signals to his player, reasoned that the worldwide attention that was drawn by the events of the match was only a good thing could be for the sport.

& # 39; It was terrible for us. It was terrible for Serena. It was fantastic for tennis. Tennis was everywhere, & he said. "Everyone felt something that day."

Williams was docked in a game for abuse chair seat referee Carlos Ramos in last year's final

Evert, who works for ESPN for the next two weeks, does not share his opinion.

& # 39; I disagree with everything, & she said. & # 39; Yes, it has received a lot of attention. I mean, just the other bad things that happen in the world.

I don't think it was right. I was at the level that presented the trophy. It was thundering, it was shaking, the floor was shaking, the boosen were deafening. I looked around and saw Naomi sob. For me, that's not the biggest thing that ever happened in the sport, period.

Another factor is that ladies' knowledge has been starving to rivalry in recent years due to the inability of the new Grand Slam champions to consistently perform at the highest level.

The 32-year-old had then continued to lose the final against Naomi Osaka in straight sets

It will take all the big head-to-heads it can get right now, even if the truth is that neither Williams nor Sharapova are the players they were at the last confrontation, at the Australian Open of 2016.

Apart from the fact that one is 32 and the other nearly 38, they have both been unable to reproduce the form they had before their career break (Williams to give birth, Sharapova suspended)

Both are plagued by injuries and a reason why the competition is difficult to judge, their lack of time is on track. It is the last Grand Slam of the season and the American has just played 24 games, while the Russian has only played eleven.

William's last withdrawal came to the final in Cincinnati earlier this month due to back cramps, although Evert points out that her results have been impressive by someone else's standards in the Majors.

Maria Sharapova has been plagued by injuries, so far only eleven Grand Slam contests

& # 39; She looks as if she has been fit since she came back the last year and a half & &, said American legend. She still makes the final of all these tournaments. No one else consistently reaches the final like Serena. & # 39;

Nothing happened in the Sharapova season to suggest she should win, and now deprived of using Meldonium, she hasn't even cracked the top twenty since she came back in April 2017 Yet she can draw on a strong memory from two years ago

Upon her return to the Arthur Ashe Stadium after her prohibition, she played her first round against Simona Halep – another player who doesn't love her – and made they upset Romanian amidst a throbbing atmosphere.

If she could ever wish to try and defeat Williams (something she only succeeded twice), she is in the first round, and her experience means that they are unlikely to be made on occasion, which will unfold after a mini-concert by the American singer and actor Ben Platt.

The Russian star has failed to crack the top twenty since her return to the sport in April 2017

Of course it would be nice to know how these two players view this long-awaited encounter, but they are so & # 39; a law for themselves that they have refused to accept appearances through any media to share their thoughts.

It is one of the biggest problems the ladies game has, the lack of control that the WTA Tour can exercise over its biggest names.

That they play each other again is an exciting prospect and one that should be enjoyed, because while they approach dusk, it is and

Middlesex & Harriet Dart got a winning first round after coming through the last qualifying round late on Friday evening. She stands for Romania & # 39; s world number 147 Ana Bogdan. Dart is now one of the five British men and women in the singles.

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[brandbaskets]

New Post has been published on https://brandbaskets.in/ipl-2018-young-cricket-stars-on-the-long-road-to-a-lasting-success/

IPL 2018: Young cricket stars on the long road to a lasting success

The most riveting story of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year was undoubtedly Chennai Super Kings winning the title on their return after a two-year ban. From the first match won by a hair’s breadth to the final clinched in a canter, this would rate as among the most memorable comeback stories in the history of modern sport.

Labelled “Dad’s Army” by sceptics since several players, including talismanic captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, were 35 and above, CSK were to show that while young legs and lungs are of undoubted advantage in sport, the value of experience can’t be undermined. Keen to prove a point and reiterate their credentials in the league, having won the title twice earlier, the franchise had punted on buying players with proven match-winning ability, though most might not last much longer than this season. It was a short-term gambit, well considered and well executed.

But there was also another fascinating dimension to IPL 2018, in a way in contrast to CSK’s success, though it was not restricted to a single franchise. This was the success of young Indian players, some of whom had barely finished savouring their triumph in the Under-19 World Cup earlier in the year. They ended up stealing the limelight from many established seniors. (The reference to “seniors” here is not for veterans like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Parthiv Patel, Gautam Gambhir and a few others, but instead to the stalwarts who are part of the current Indian team in one or more formats.)

WASHINGTON SUNDAR: Age: 18; Price: Rs 32 mn; Played for Royal Challengers Bangalore

While leading lights Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik lived up to their reputation, others like Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar had to surrender headline space and public adulation to young guns who showed potential, if not brilliant form, and staked a claim for higher honours.

The impact Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Shivam Mavi, Mayank Markande, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar (I restrict the list here to those under 25) had on IPL not only won hearts, but also the approval of selectors. For instance, barring Pant, Ishan, Mavi and Markande, all the others find a place in the India and India A teams (for different formats) announced about three weeks before the IPL season concluded. Stylish 23-year-old Iyer, who didn’t let the burden of captaincy cramp his batting, in fact, regained his place in the Indian team for limited overs matches on the tour of England this summer.

SHIVAM MAVI: Age: 19; Price: Rs 30 mn; Brett Lee called the KKR fast bowler the future of Indian bowling

The richness of talent in the country has been rising steadily and countermands the belief held by many aficionados that IPL would work to the detriment of Indian cricket. There were two aspects to these compunctions when the league began in 2008. One had to do with the format itself. Slam-bang T20 cricket, traditionalists argued, would kill the skills needed for the longer formats, particularly Tests. Technique and temperament would both suffer was the fear.

PRITHVI SHAW: Age: 18; Price: Rs 12 mn Under-19 captain; became the youngest player to open batting in IPL history

The other was about IPL’s brazenly commercial ethos, particularly the money paid to players. This followed an unstructured pattern, not conforming to seniority of age or experience and unlinked to what the Indian players might have been getting from BCCI’s central contracts.

RISHABH PANT: Age: 20; Price: Rs 19 mn; Became Delhi Daredevils’ leading run-getter in a single season

For instance, if a player had a Central A contract (in the highest bracket), it did not necessarily mean he would get more money in IPL than a player with Central Contract B or C. Indeed, a rookie without a BCCI Central Contract could conceivably fetch more in the player auction! There was no established benchmark. Everything depended on the franchise’s assessment of which player could give them maximum value.

Traditionalists contended that this was an unhealthy system that would induce greed, especially in younger players, and envy, in established ones who had been upstaged — apart from prioritising T20 cricket at the expense of everything else. Net, net, this wouldn’t help Indian cricket.

SHUBMAN GILL: Age: 18; Price: Rs 18 mn; made his T20 debut for Kolkata Knight Riders this year

Over a decade, however, these apprehensions have been largely proven unfounded. In the period since IPL started, India has been the most consistent performing team in the world, and across formats. Currently, the country is ranked No 1 in Tests and ODIs, and No 3 in T20s.

True, there have been big slumps, especially where Test cricket is concerned, particularly in the period 2011 to 2014, but the recovery has been swift and emphatic since, and much of this is influenced by players who made their mark through IPL.

While Kohli and Rohit were almost instantly inducted to the Indian team after their Under-19 successes, several of the current Indian team came into the side through their performances in IPL: Ashwin, Jadeja, Shikhar Dhawan, Rahane, K L Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.

MAYANK MARKANDE (Middle): Age: 20; Price: Rs 2 mn; lPL debut in 2018 with Mumbai Indians

Of course, these players also performed well in other domestic tournaments.

For all its shortcomings, the BCCI has created an ecosystem that brings most of the country in its ambit where cricket is played and young talent can be spotted and nurtured. That is obviously paying dividends.

But since its inception, IPL has become a crucial factor in this growth story. Why is this so?

Essentially, it has substantially increased the opportunities for young players to not just play, but also support livelihoods. That’s a big reason why the number of young aspirants is growing.

The IPL’s high profile also turns the spotlight instantly on players. The successful ones become household names overnight. Grabbing the attention of decision-makers, a process that would earlier take a few years, can now be crunched into a season or two.

But opportunity and attention would have limited value if a player does not evolve. The IPL plays an important part in influencing a young player’s development. He is exposed early to established players from all over the world. This can accelerate improvement in skills and coping with crisis situations in matches. Because the league is so competitive and failure is not easily condoned, players have to keep honing their talent and increasing their productivity to remain relevant. Those who can’t cope, or have limited talent, are quickly left behind.

Fast bowler M S Gony and hard-hitting batsman Paul Valthaty, both deemed India prospects some years back, are now in the wilderness. They turned out to be one-season sensations and currently can’t even get a place in any team in the league. All-rounder Pawan Negi, too, has been cut to size by the stringent yardsticks applied in IPL. A couple of seasons ago, he fetched Rs 85 million in the auction. This year, he was sold for a fraction of that price. The perform-or-perish environment can be cruel to established players too. Some (such as Ashwin, Jadeja, Mohamed Shami) have lost their places in the Indian team for limited overs cricket to younger players like Yadav, Chahal and Bumrah.

Others like Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Gambhir — admittedly a little long in the tooth — have not only been ousted from the national team but also had their prices considerably diminished in IPL because franchises have plumped for younger talent. And Irfan Pathan, who only a few years ago was earning $2.1 million a year, found no buyer this year and recast himself as a commentator.

In varying degrees and for differing reasons, these examples hold out important lessons for the youngsters: reaching the grand stage and finding space in the consciousness of fans and selectors may be easier than retaining them.

The real challenge starts now.

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[junker-town]

The 12 most memorable moments from the 2017 NCAA baseball tournament

Highlights, lowlights, and everything in between.

The 2017 NCAA baseball tournament and College World Series delivered some of the most watchable baseball of the year. In fact, baseball is one of the few sports where the college game may outdo the professional game in terms of enjoyment factor, inasmuch as the amateurs use every inch of the field, fiddle around with batting order and pitching staffs, and commit heinous errors while doing so.

That the college boys engage every facet of the game — bunting, aggressive base running, wild fielding �� is perhaps a testament to the vigor and bravado of youth. It’s also due in larger part to the circumstance of having to play a lot of baseball in a cramped period of time against like-minded opponents who also have to play a lot of baseball in the same span of time. We’re all locked in this cage together, and only the most industrious among us will make it out.

So over the course of June some truly inspired baseball takes place across 17 separate sites in this country, and we’re here to round up the 12 most memorable moments and storylines of this year’s tournament. Come, walk with us.

Ohio brought a RALLY PENGUIN to the Lexington regional.

College baseball bench hijinks already enjoy a thriving internet subculture, and the Ohio Bobcats are in no way indifferent to such chicanery. So, while down 4-0 to their hosts Kentucky in the sixth of the regional opener, the team unveiled Nigel the Penguin to help spur them on to a late innings rally.

The Bobcats looking to Nigel the Penguin for some rally magic in Lexington!#RoadToOmaha http://pic.twitter.com/kScd9IBbZY

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 2, 2017

That’s an impressive chest tat, but Nigel did not in fact inspire a Bobcat rally. Kentucky won, 6-4. Sorry, Ohio.

The tournament’s facial hair scene was absolutely marvelous.

Baseball beards are common facts of life — especially in the postseason — and college baseball players know well the value of #GraveBeforeShave come tournament time. Take for instance Bethune-Cookman’s Austin Garcia, who took some time from game action to weigh in on the importance of sound beard hygiene.

Bethune Cookman's Austin Garcia talks about bleaching beards (h/t @valleyshook) http://pic.twitter.com/60o8tyQyiy

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) June 5, 2017

But Garcia doesn’t own a monopoly on tremendous beardscapes. The Long Beach super regional in fact sported beards and mustaches aplenty.

Brett Conine and his stache approve of Timmy Richards' BIG PLAY! #RoadToOmaha http://pic.twitter.com/rPGhL40FF2

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 11, 2017

So. Much. BEARD!#RoadToOmaha http://pic.twitter.com/XpcYy2szYm

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 11, 2017

This last is Cal State Fullerton’s third baseman Taylor Bryant, who grew into something of a tournament superhero. Never change, college baseball facial hair.

Davidson became your new favorite college baseball team.

The Wildcats upended No. 2 overall national seed North Carolina in the Chapel Hill regional, but went on to lose out to Texas A&M in the College Station super. Their story was at the same time inspiring and tragic, and only three starters in the dugout were on full scholarship.

Further, the members of this team are just like you. They’re not going pro in Major League Baseball, and they’re out here earning top grades and entering graduate school next fall. Skipper Dick Cooke was involved in a serious traffic accident back in 2012, and it’s a marvel that he earned his team’s first trip to the regional or super regional rounds after 27 years at the helm.

Sam Houston State ripped off a 5-4-3 triple play.

Look at this business:

The Bearkats pulled off a surprising upset in the Lubbock regional to earn a super regional berth with Florida State in Tallahassee, and they immediately got to work. They bunted their way around the bases to gain a 5-2 lead early, then locked down on the ‘Noles with that there triple play. So smooth.

Florida’s super regional celebration mob dragged out into center field.

Ryan Larson knocked in the series-sealing grounder to advance Florida to Omaha for the College World Series, and he immediately tore ass off into center field, fueled by pure ebullience.

Florida's Hero... RYAN LARSON! Welcome back. #RoadToOmaha http://pic.twitter.com/Kyrj0JO5Oe

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 11, 2017

The view from within the park was no less enjoyable.

WALK-OFF ALERT Ryan Larson comes up clutch!@GatorsBB win! #RoadtoOmaha #GoGators #WeChomp http://pic.twitter.com/lfvy9SZdcW

— Kyle Niblett (@KyleNiblett) June 11, 2017

That was somehow the Gators’ first walkoff win of the season, and it came the most opportune time.

The Gainesville super regional was plagued by so much rain.

All three games in the Gainesville super tilt required rain delays before their completion. Two of the games went to 11 innings even after those delays. Such atmospheric chaos thus yielded Florida first baseman JJ Schwarz blasting two home runs in the same game but on two consecutive days, or Wake Forest’s Johnny Aiello knocking two homers on the same day but in two separate games.

Gainesville Super Regional Game 2 11 innings. Ben Breazeale WALK OFF! #RoadToOmaha http://pic.twitter.com/9OQWx8twSM

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 12, 2017

The deciding Game 3, which began just one hour after Game 2’s conclusion, also went through a weather delay, and when the suspension was announced, Florida’s starter Brady Singer was absolutely furious about it.

I couldn't stop watching. http://pic.twitter.com/arq0Sr15Ei

— Colin Deaver (@KAGS_Colin) June 12, 2017

This man is MAD, and rightfully so. After all, Wake and Florida merely twiddled their thumbs for far many more hours than actually participating in baseball games that weekend, and Singer wouldn’t come back on after the game resumed. We’re with you, Brady.

Oregon State’s catcher couldn’t stop making spectacular diving grabs.

The Beavs’ catcher Adley Ratschman doubles as the football team’s kicker, and he once made a tackle on Stanford’s Christian McCaffery in a live football game. So it shouldn’t be surprising that Ratschman can lay out for spectacular catches on bunts that are popped up in front of home plate.

WOWOWOW!! Athleticism on full display by Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman!!! Diving catch... double play! #SCTop10 http://pic.twitter.com/UfimR2pWSa

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 17, 2017

Great stuff, and to complete a double play, no less. But Ratschman wasn’t done there, though. No, he came back in Omaha to carry out an eerily similar play against LSU. Mercy.

Don’t bunt on Adley Ratschman.

Louisville’s skipper earned the first coach’s ejection of the CWS since 2007.

Dan McDonnell got his Cardinals to Omaha after winning the Louisville regional and super regional rounds, and the stakes are necessarily elevated in Omaha. So it was unsurprising to see him completely close his top over a close bang-bang out call at second against TCU.

Dan McDonnell ejection http://pic.twitter.com/TlCr9taU2J

— ClemsonEditz (@ClemsonEditz_) June 23, 2017

It’s tough to let things go when you have a pretty good argument for your runner being safe. In any case, this is one of the more polite coaches tosses you’ll see in the game of baseball.

LSU and Florida State gave us the game of the year.

Florida State and LSU should play many, many times every year. Especially if they can deliver a bout similar to the one they gave us in the bracket round, when the proceedings became totally unhinged for a wild, raucous affair.

LSU displayed lights-out infield defense, for instance.

Just your everyday 5-3-5 DOUBLE PLAY!! #CWS http://pic.twitter.com/oDgNGydHFC

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 18, 2017

FSU lost their minds on a three-error play that tied the game.

Spectacular. Hilarious. LSU would eventually eliminate the ‘Noles to advance to the final series with Florida, but not before FSU totally screwed themselves in the rematch a few days later.

Ouch.

Even when FSU displayed competence, the Seminoles still couldn’t achieve wild outs at the plate.

LSU forgot how to play baseball in Omaha.

Specifically, LSU shortstop Kramer Robertson experienced the world’s worst brainfart once the final series commenced. He was a .413 hitter on the season, but his bat fell totally asleep after the bracket round began. But that’s the worst of it. For some reason his fielding took a nosedive as well.

He started off a horribly blunder-filled game in a bad 13-1 loss to Oregon State, for instance.

That inning also saw Tiger reliever Nick Bush apparently forget how to catch the baseball.

LSU reliever Hunter Newman also gave up the first grand slam in a College World Series in TD Ameritrade Park. Not good.

Pitches weren’t even making their way to the home plate dirt.

Yeah, that one hit the grass. But it also hit the strike zone, so.

The loss was so bad that LSU ripped threw eight pitchers just to get through the thing, and that’s a lot of pitchers

Two balls struck the left field wall in the same spot. One was called foul, the other fair.

College baseball needs to expand its use of replay review, specifically to foul balls that narrowly hit or miss the foul pole. On the same day, mere hours apart, two balls hit the left field foul line in nearly the exact same spot and the first was called foul without review, then the second was called fair and confirmed on review.

First, Oregon State. Foul ball, or is it?

Here's the Oregon State hit off the yellow pad that was call foul, tough one but definitely fair, not reviewable #CWS2017 http://pic.twitter.com/XDnj41BnID

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) June 23, 2017

Second, Florida. Fair ball, definitely.

IT'S A TIE BALLGAME! Guthrie inches away from a 3-run HR... Horvath comes around to knot the game at 2 in the 3rd! #CWS http://pic.twitter.com/YSIwynhwlw

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 24, 2017

For some reason, Oregon State skipper Pat Casey didn’t call for a review on the Beavers’ hit. Omaha’s TD Ameritrade Park is oddly shaped, forming an oblong oval at its bottom which extends out to the foul lines, thus blocking the third base line dugout’s sightline to the foul pole.

It’s nigh impossible for a coach to see where a ball hits the deep left field fence, so perhaps not too much blame should come down on Casey. Even so, that play probably cost the Beavers a run, if not two.

Games 1 and 2 of the finals were everything we wanted out of the Florida-LSU matchup.

Florida and LSU matched up very well for the CWS final round, not least because both clubs sport extremely good pitching. The Tigers held a slide advantage in the discipline of hitting, but the Gators could score in spurts, which they did to take the tournament in a two-game sweep.

Game 1, then, promised an unpredictable, classic bout between SEC heavyweights, and damn did these guys deliver. For instance, second base became something of a touchstone for how this series was to unfold, what with strange and phantom calls happening from the tilt’s first inning.

Kramer Robertson then returned to commit yet another ball-to-glove transfer error, this time losing the ball into shallow left.

Florida’s shortstop answered that with a terrific leaping catch of his own.

But Robertson would redeem himself, diving for a wonderful stab in the second-third base gap.

Still, LSU’s troubles weren’t yet over, as big hitter Greg Deichmann heaved his bat into the photographers pool along the first base line. This is dangerous.

It’s not quite Tim Tebow’s level of bat-flinging, but it’s impressive nonetheless.

To return to second base, though, Diechmann later tried extended a single into a double and was soon enough thrown out at second. Or was he?

That’s a severely close call and surely one that will disrupt many a Thanksgiving dinner in Louisiana for years to come.

Finally, in Game 2 of the finals, Florida benefited from a base running interference call that literally wiped an LSU run off the scoreboard. The Tigers’ Jake Slaughter made a hard slide into second, bashing shortstop Dalton Guthrie on the right shin as he completes his throw to first.

Slaughter called for interference. Tying run goes back to third. Instead of 2-2 game, it's 2-1 with two outs #Gators #LSU http://pic.twitter.com/Qhr72nMetK

— Grace Remington (@Grace_Remi) June 28, 2017

LSU wyd http://pic.twitter.com/SDgDWN31Q9

— nick (@nick_pants) June 28, 2017

Because of that collision, the force out at third was no longer available to LSU, and Josh Smith — who had already crossed home plate to tie the game at 2-2 — had to go back to third. The Gators indeed completed the double play, then would go on to score four more runs in the eighth to put the game well out of reach for the Tigers.

2018’s College World Series can’t get here soon enough.