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andrewuttaro · 5 years ago

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New Look Sabres: GM 12 - DET

One day my children will ask me what it was like to watch Jake McCabe in his prime. They’ll ask me: Daddy, how did our hero block shots so much and still have the strength to score goals and wreck fools? I’ll tell them it was the enduring power of the crossed swords crest and they’ll be Sabres fans forever. I’ll also tell them the Buffalo Sabres really turned the page from the dark days when they started responding. Responding to what, daddy? Losses, child: when they decided to start following losses, ugly losses, with shutout wins every single time, that was when they really turned the page. Speaking of the pages of history: I’ve been diving into the Buffalo Sabres 50Years Special Section of the Buffalo News for a couple weeks looking at their most historic games. I was prepared to default to that list for my reoccurring segment “Greatest Game Against” after each divisional matchup. When I put it out on twitter however I got some real beauties including a submission from @RegalMoustachio (Dan Ball) that is… for lack of better phrasing: Very 1980s. Allow me to paint you a picture: it’s December 23rd, 1987. Christmas is only a couple days away. Ted Sator is Head Coach and Phil Housley is the top defenseman (mind you Lindy Ruff is the Captain of this team) for a Sabres club mired in mediocrity for closing in on a decade. Sabre Kevin Maguire takes a run at Red Wings goalie Zach Stefan after Sabres goalie Tom Barrasso had apparently taken a fist in the shnoz earlier in the game. Here’s the link () go watch it, I can’t do it justice. For the next five minutes after the hit on Stefan it just escalates and escalates. Eventually Bob Probert fights Maguire and it got ugly. I don’t mean to glorify fighting but dear lord, watch that highlight and tell me that doesn’t color the history between these two teams. Last night’s game was Jake McCabe’s revenge game. He was taking revenge on all us nerds who said he’s not an absolute G. Sure he’s no Rasmus Dahlin, but he puts the Buff in Buffalo Sabres. And he did it in a game we really needed it. For the third time this season they responded to a loss with a win. For the second time this season they responded to a loss with a shutout win. For the first time this season my man Linus Ullmark has a shutout!

I was at Frightworld in Tonawanda for the entirety of this game, but the early returns clearly tended toward a snooze-fest. It appeared the Red Wings were dominating that telling statistical categories like 5 on 5 scoring chances and expected goals. They dominated the most basic statistic that is shots for the first period as they got doubled up 12-6. Luckily there were no goals against. You see a period like that and you kinda expect the worst. I went on record before this game and said if they don’t demolish the Red Wings then the first rant of the season from yours truly was coming. That rant was being prepared as I walked through the Storm Area 51 house fearing the Sabres would lose to two bad teams two nights in a row more than the face-panted acting students jumping out at me. Unfortunately we got another Rasmus Dahlin stinker this first period. I feel like I said everything I needed to say about Dahlin’s sketchy play lately after the Rangers game, but I didn’t say what I wanted to change other than don’t give over turnovers, bud. What I probably would’ve asked for occurred: Henri Jokiharju was moved up to Dahlin’s pairing and they had quite a bit more chemistry than Dahlin and Colin Miller had. In spite of that roster move, Dahlin was trying to move the puck out of the defensive zone and somehow yielded it right to Andreas Athanasiou. Athanasiou took a shot, got in back and passed it to another guy who almost out maneuvered a stick-less Ullmark. Luckily that was the worst it got in the first… well other than that Valtteri Filppula breakaway in the first five minutes… ugh, we were really lucky to survive that period scoreless weren’t we? Yikes.

The Red Wings are a team you’re not allowed to lose to. They’re like the Ottawa Senators, they’re biggest goal right now is to get a high-first round draft pick. They have real NHLers in the minors. Detroit has a team caught between then and now. You got the ghost of Niklas Kronwall on one line and USA Hockey Magazine poster boy Dylan Larkin on another. Evidently they’re taking one more dip in the tank in this year’s spicy good draft and so you have to beat them because frankly they want you to! Both the lines of REO Speedwagon and the Roaring Twenties had their chances through the first half of this game but how are you being out-chanced by the Red Wings! How? I very well could go on a rant but kinda like the night before I just have too many early good feels about this team right now to rant at em after a win. To their credit they actually got more shots and high-danger chances in the second period. All the while Jake McCabe is blocking shots like and absolute hero. And so it was his time to be the star before any of the big names that have found their way onto this club: Eichel gets knocked to the ice after laying a hit on Tyler Bertuzzi and Jake McCabe gets the puck near the Wings blueline and thinks for a moment. He decides to take the shot and it zings right past Jimmy Howard into the net for the first goal of the game. 1-0 Sabres with 8:20 left in the second. Buffalo finally had some good play for the remainder of the period including almost another goal from McCabe. Almost. Either way Jake McCabe became my Hard-Working again this game. He’s one of those phenomenons in cities like Buffalo where the populace just canonizes players they deem tough and diligent. I understand he’s not actually that good as anything more than a role player. That’s fine. Let’s celebrate the role players too because we’re winning games we don’t look so hot in because of them right now.

The third period was rowdy. So we’ve established Dylan Larkin is hot stuff. Evidently on a tanking team he takes on the role of penalty drawer. He gets Kyle Okposo for interference; he gets Colin Miller for tripping; watch the replays that data wasn’t all that convincing to me. No amount of powerplay time could save his team now though. The Sabres got a powerplay after Trevor Daley high-sticked Kyle Okposo and the mercenary unit that is this team’s powerplay that we fell in love with in the first six games came back with a vengeance. With all the video replay powers of modern technology I still don’t think I have enough angles on the absolute gem of a goal Sam Reinhart tapped in. It went from Jeff Skinner to Jack Eichel to Victor Olofsson to Sam Reinhart parked in front of the net and in. It was a thing of splendor and maybe one of those goals we look back on months from now. I mean… Jimmy Howard definitely botched that one hard but nonetheless the 2-0 goal here for the Sabres was just beyond magnificent. Unfortunately that goal deserved better than this game. For the remaining 18+ minutes Larkin went on drawing penalties, getting shots and Detroit never looked out of it. You look at 2-0 box score and think that may have not required a herculean effort from a goalie, this one did. Linus got his pad or a stick or a blocker on so many shots this game. He earned his first shutout of the season blocking 41 shots! That’s only 6 shy of the shots blocked Hutton got in his shutout Tuesday that earned him an NHL star of the week honor. I love Ullmark but he shouldn’t have had to do that much work against Detroit. This is a game the Sabres should have dominated a bit more than they did. They could not manage the clean zone exits and entries they did in the very early going of this season and had Detroit not skated around wasting minutes on end on offense then this game could’ve turned out differently. Nonetheless this one ended 2-0 Sabres and our squad improved to 9-2-1 leaving only one game left in October against a very hot Coyotes squad. Isn’t it nice to think at the absolute worst they’ll end this month 9-3-1? Crazy times we live in, eh?

A couple notes before we turn wholeheartedly into Buffalo Bills mode tomorrow: Sabres Stats tweeted in his 164 games as Sabres coach Phil Housley got them 5 shutouts while in 12 games as Head Coach Ralph Krueger has already gotten them 3. That’s a stat that one might call almost worthless, the Robin Lehner years were fraught but there is a grain of something telling in there. I also share the sentiment of many Sabres fans that a Skinner-Eichel reunion feels necessary at this point. “Skinhel” as I’ll call that combo because I’m feeling spooky, is something that can be unleashed like the blue shell powerup in Mario Cart. You use it when you really need to save your ass. We’re not to that point yet but I too feel that temptation. Before we warp this up your reply guy tweet of the game goes to none other than NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman who when asked about the efficacy of the current playoff format responded: “We think the format works well… unless you’re a Leafs fan.” BURN! That burn was so hot it just ensured it’s going to be a mild winter in southern Ontario! I can say for myself that such a comment is immediately my favorite Gary Bettman quote of all-time. There’s no beating that. Like, share and comment this blog as you go about your Saturday fun. I have nothing to say about the Coyotes Monday night other than maybe don’t let em get every shot they want like Detroit did last night. They will probably make you pay more often than not. Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. What are you looking to about the trip to Sweden for the Global Series? I am so not used to my sports teams getting fun opportunities like that. I don’t know how to get pumped for it.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #blog #NHL #detroit red wings

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for-gold-and-glory · 5 years ago

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Weekly Events for May 27th to June 2nd

Here are some events G&G Members will be involved in during the week. Or just events that I think are really cool and you should definitely go to. If you’re interested in joining these events just show up or send a message to Aegir or Lirilith Maellan. Or join our discord: https://discord.gg/dCRSWTx Tuesday - Blitzball Adventure: Don Coconero Sends His Regards @ 8:00pm EST - Goblet W6, P5 Wednesday - Black Abyss Blitzball Rally! @ 6:30pm EST - Costa del Sol Thursday - Sylph Misadventures: Revenge of the Cabbage! @ 8:30pm EST Friday - Menphina Madness Blitzball Tournament Round 2: Ul’dah v Gridania, Ishgard v Marvels @ 8:00pm EST - The Anemone Gardens, Ruby Sea Saturday - Garlean Pub Crawl: Cross Server! @ 9:00pm EST Saturday - A Dance of Dragons and Diremites Finale Pt2! @ 11:59pm EST - Ruby Sea Sunday - G&G Weekly: The Call of the Ghost Ship With the Black Sails, Pt 1 @3:30pm EST - Aleport, Western LaNoscea Sunday - Garlean Weekly: The Long Night @ 8:00pm EST - Castrum Aquilonis Event Status Guide: * Open, come join us = anyone who reads this is welcome to come join the RP! * Open, please check the link = used for fun events run by other people, its an open event, but check the link to see if there are any special instructions * Semi-Open = anyone who reads this can still join the RP, but contact the GM first so they can introduce you to the plot * Open to “X” = open to anyone who plays a character that fits “X” (usually Garleans), new members and alt friendly * Closed = rarely seen, but used sometimes if the event is not accepting new members, usually for plot reasons

--- Tuesday - Blitzball Adventure: Don Coconero Sends His Regards @ 8:00pm EST - Goblet W6, P5 - As round 2 approaches, a sponsor from the Hydaelyn Blitzball Association invites the members of the Sea Chocobos and the Gil Turtles to a banquet to discuss their upcoming match. Due to an error with the invites, curious adventurers and fans are allowed inside too. In waddles Don Coconero, and boy does he have a toast for you. Status: Open RP, please join us! Type: Comedy/Adventure GM: Aegir Wednesday - Black Abyss Blitzball Rally! @ 6:30pm EST - Costa del Sol https://tinyurl.com/yyejy82s - Come support the Black Abyss after their second win with a night of games, laughter, and of course lots and lots of alcohol! That is, until something suddenly goes amiss... Status: Open RP, please join us Type: Festival/Action GM: Araceli Caillen Thursday - Sylph Misadventures: Revenge of the Cabbage! @ 8:30pm EST - "After helping the Sylph, there have been reports and some sightings of a giant cabbage monster! The adventurers have been brought on to help track it down! The Sylph are there to help, maybe! Will they be able to track down the truth of these sightings or will they find another angry goobbue mother?" Status: Open RP, please join us! Type: Comedy Adventure GM: Dato Friday - Menphina Madness Blitzball Tournament Round 2: Ul’dah v Gridania, Ishgard v Marvels @ 8:00pm EST - The Anemone Gardens, Ruby Sea https://for-gold-and-glory.tumblr.com/post/185206150585/balmung-menphina-madness-blitzball-tournament - Round 2 continues as the Ul'dah Gil Turtles face off against their neighbors, the Gridania Sea Chocobos! Afterwards, the Ishgard Eyes fight the Sisterhood Marvelous Mascots! The Ul'dah Gil Turtle got a little scuff on their polish after being defeated by the Limsa Lominsa Black Abyss. This is their second chance to make it to the semi-finals! And it’s a fight against the championship Gridania Sea Chocobos. The Chocobos got their feathers plucked by the Ala Mhigan Royal Griffons. Can they still fly? It’s time to see if all that glimmers really is gold! Next, the Ishgard Eyes get a second chance to soar into the sky after their previous grounding by the Kugane Koban Crushers. With the blessing of Halone on their side, they have no intent to back down from their next rivals: the Sisterhood Marvelous Mascots. The Mascots slogan is LOVE AND PEACE, a sentiment that wasn’t able to triumph against the hateful Garlemald Classiarii Technicii. But sometimes Love needs a little time to blossom, will we see the Mascots come into full bloom this week? Stay tuned! Status: Open RP, please join us! Type: Tournament GM: Aegir Saturday - Garlean Pub Crawl: Cross Server! @ 9:00pm EST https://fustuarium.tumblr.com/post/185205340541/crystal-data-center-cross-word-garean-pub-crawl - Work still sucks! And we might(MIGHT! Let’s not jump to conclusions here!) be losing the war! So let’s sit back and drink to the end of the world! The Garlean Pub Crawl is a moving event where Garleans and their friends get together and shift around RP spots to get to know each other and do some good old tavern RP! June 1st looks like it’s packed with some great events, so there will be plenty of places o visit! If you would like to join, meet up with us at our start location [Balmung!] Dragonhead, Coerthas. Once everyone is gathered together, we’ll search for a tavern that’s open and get to drinking! This is our first cross-server pub crawl, so it’ll be exciting to jump around and see what’s open. Please dress in your civilians and don’t do anything that will cause a fight! Respect other RPers OOC wishes. Status: Open RP, please join us! We’ll be moving around, so send us a message if you can’t find us Type: Tavern GM: Aegir Saturday - A Dance of Dragons and Diremites Finale Pt2! @ 11:59pm EST - Ruby Sea - They managed to escape with their lives, but it seems they were too late. A terrible shadow looms. Has a new eikon been born? Status: Semi-Closed, please speak with Akechi Type: Action/Adventure GM: Akechi Mitsuhide Sunday - G&G Weekly: The Call of the Ghost Ship With the Black Sails, Pt 1 @3:30pm EST - Aleport, Western LaNoscea - The adventurers are called to Aleport by Flame Corporal Zaheed Turner. Apparently a man he served with during the war has taken work on the docks of Aleport, and lately he’s been sighting strange shadows in the water. The other townfolk won’t believe him. A ghost ship with black sails? But their client seems to convinced what he sees in real. Is it? Or is that the least of their problems. Status: Open RP, please join us! Type: Action/Adventure GM: Aegir Sunday - Garlean Weekly: The Long Night @ 8:00pm EST - Castrum Aquilonis https://fustuarium.tumblr.com/post/183859729126/fustuarium-hello-loyal-imperial - As Imperial forces have shifted to support the growing war effort, some once-necessary stationed personnel have been pulled. Unfortunately for the small town of Bornaue inside the Empire, this has led to a reduction of protections against the voidsent that have been part of the region for over a hundred turns. STELLA is requested to handle the problem of culling the voidsent population and give the sooths time to shore up other defenses before they need to return. Maybe you can figure out what caused the spike in called voidsent… Status: Open to members of STELLA (STELLA membership open to imperial rpers and imperial allies, feel free to join us!) Type: Horror GM: Lucien Korbinius

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jennifermbanks · 4 years ago

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EMAIL #4

Good Afternoon This is my last email. It will be facts and opinions. MAKE SURE your GM and Jake read this too. Saturday April24th:John texted me , "How far away are you? The GM wants to talk to you". I was getting off the exit to come in to work. John and I went upstairs. The GM begins,, "We are going to leave everything at hearsay and we ask that you work professionally together. If you have problems, take a notepad and write down the days and times of everything happening". He gave the random speech I understand. But sir you have no idea the hell I have been through with Jaime Jackson and her psychotic ways. You sir and that whole 'scene' in your office reminds me of you being Mr. Anderson (the son of) from the Matrix with no soul, no life inside of you to even 'feel' that this employee has gone above and beyond to harass and stalk me at any given time. Saturday night: Upon talking to a waitress Gina Jaime text her while I was standing there,"Is Dwight working?", "Is Jennifer working?" I told her text her yes I am here tell her that. We went to Laddie and she gave us a speech and had Gina document that as more harassment and now stalking me. I have still maintained my professionals as the GM requested mind you. Sunday April 25th: I texted both John and Laddie giving my 2 weeks notice. After Saturday now my safety is a concern because no one is giving any fucks about this psychotic bitch harassing me. She has been doing this for years and you continue. Now I have contacted my Uncle and Cousin who are high ranking Deputy Sheriffs and also have high rank within government nationally as well. Monday April 26th:I came to work at 4pm. Upon getting on the floor as all sections on Mondays 1-5 at 3pm 6-10 at 4pm. I was in my section. Jaime runs up to me , mean crazy and mad," There's a section change, get out of my section". I walked past and ignored her and went to serve the first beer to a customer. I maintained professionalism. Jaime as I walk by is standing screaming with customers at the bar on the walkie talkie making a scene ,"Jennifer is late to work, she ia a problem, she is in my sections not listening to me" You can hear this across the whole High Limit area, her yelling. Then I am standing at the bar frustrated talking to a bartender trying to calm down. Jake walks up on me very rudely,"You're talking about this on the floor?" I replied ," Yes because she is over there talking to customers about me outloud and just had a scene." "Come with me to the back"Jake points to the bulletin board and starts talking about the sections as if I am a child. I told him I already put my 2 week notice in. He continues to condescend me about sections. I yelled at him this girl has harassed me and will keep on doing so. He wants to keep on talking down to me. I said " I quit, fuck you I don't need this shit." He starts laughing at me. I had left and was on the phone, he had the nerve to tell me,"Get off the phone. I quit because I can do what I want. Now at this point he is walking standing over me as if he is going to grab me . I called my police family to let them know what was going on. As I can hear him on the walkie talkie calling security and surveillance to watch me I threw my name tag,card, and the $4.25 for the beer on the table. Told him, "You ready fuck boi to walk me out" Cause he was still adimit in puttinhg his hands onme . I am 140 pounds he is 260 pounds. I walked out wwith my black power fist middle finger raised the whole way out of the building to the parking lot to show that you will not touch me and fuck this place. Jake you have no idea what I have gone through because your 'pig headed fake ass' is so up Jaimie's but that y'all miss good employees such as myself. Jake you had NO clue the evils that this bitch has done to me to get me fired and to quit. Read my past corresponding emails to HR. I have done nothing to this psychotic bitch but she has done a plethora of continuous harassment, defamation of character, and sexual advances towards me. Jake I had a high respect for you but you turned into a "Fuck Boi Supreme" when you were going to put your hands on me. I maintained the best professionalism. I have been pushed enough. In close this by saying Scioto Downs within is a fucked up establishment with good workers you treat like shit and protect mental patients such as Jaimie Jackson. Might I add that you might want to investigate her propositions, proposals, actions of prostittution of customers that she has been doinfg for a long time because I have had customers approach me about sex in the hotel rooms but still tried to maintain a level of professionalsim and this is a serious issue I kept qiuet about during her destructive patterns of behavior against me. and some even thinking I am Jaime and a customer says that she has herpes as well. That's and OSHA regulation and Felony prostitution F-3 in the sate of Ohio can get you shut down because of the actions of Jaime Jackson. And this establishment was so worried about me for nothing, a seasoned worker in this industry with no problems and no record of over 22 years in the Miami Atlanta service industry where I am highly respected and loved. Thanks and Good Fucking Bye Jennifer M Banks

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anxiety-trademark · 4 years ago

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The week in review:

Raw 10/05 NXT 10/07 NXT UK 10/08 Smackdown 10/09 + Main Event 10/08

Raw:

“This Asuka reign has been spectacular thus far,” d e b a t a b l e

Is Asuka continuing her feud with Zelina? If so, why? If not, why is this 6 woman match happening? Just spinning your wheels some more?

It’s been an interesting experience watching Dana grow throughout the years. Also nice flip by Nattie off of Dana’s headscissors takedown.

Love to see Dana and Mandy matching colors. Tag teams matching gear is my jam. Next is a theme song/name.

Lovely delayed double suplex by Dandy.

Small mistake in Mandy nearly falling over, but I mostly want to compliment the slide her boots did against the mat lmao. That was probably unintended, but looked super smooth.

I actually like Mandy now that she’s not imitating a stripper, but I’d really appreciate it if she could learn new trash talk that isn’t just, “who do you think you are,” repeated ad nauseam.

I don’t watch Main Event, but they should consider having Mandy and Dana wrestle more on there if they don’t already. Those are 2 that can use the consistent practice.

There’s so many minor things Natalya does to keep matches together with greener women. She deserves more respect.

Man these women work incredibly well together. Asuka, Nattie, Dana, Lana, Mandy... so cohesive. Loved that entire ending sequence from the moment Lana and Asuka tagged in. Lana has really increased her speed as well.

I am here to dole out positive praise for the blondes that nobody gives any credit to. Remembering where Dana was in 2016, Lana was in 2017, or even Mandy was in 2018, and seeing them all now? They get my applause. The midcard on Raw is entertaining, sue me. Fun match.

pppfffftttttt love how Zelina just slowly slinks outta the ring like, “yeahhhh have fun with that, this ain’t my fight peace.”

Alright ngl, I am now starting to get sad that Lana is getting rekt nearly every week. rip. First match of the night btw and the commentators are losing their desk lmao.

Does KO have to spell out everything happening in wrestling? Sir I actually pay attention to the stories y’all be telling me. Can I get a condensed version?

“He’s everywhere,” Alexa is creepy and compelling, I’m gonna keep singing her praises til she gives me a reason not to.

I personally just hope Fiend uses new gloves for every new victim, what with covid and all.

“Bury a body together in the woods,” SIR.

I like that Alexa is kept separate from Bray and is solely attached to Fiend. I know that’s going to change, but for now, I like that line being drawn in the sand.

Omg he shed tears. Whew.

Why y’all allergic to showcasing Bianca against people who I fucking recognize lmao.

Again, I know she’s a college graduate. I know she’s smart on some fucking level. Telling me why the sky is blue (cept not really as it just appears that way) AIN’T IT THOUGH.

Put her in a match, that’s where she needs the most work. Jesus.

Oh good we get to hear Nia’s music on the way to the ring. She has the superior theme.

Nia body checking Ruby in the corner. I felt that.

I like Shayna’s joint manipulation, I only wish she’d wear down her opponents before she started in on it, cuz it drastically slows down the pacing of the match. There’s a spot for it if you get the momentum of the match going first, but she almost always just jumps straight into this.

Ruby getting rekt. What Riott Squad need is a good showing. Not to be damn near demolished. I doubt anyone actually expected them to win this match, but come on.

At least Shayna sold the tornado ddt well.

Meh could’ve been a better showing for RS. Kind of disappointing. Liv didn’t even use any offense to break the Kirifuda Clutch, just yelled dramatically af. Tears galore.

Highlight: Seeing Lana/Mandy/Dana improve & work cohesively with veterans in Nattie & Asuka

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NXT:

Isn’t nxt supposed to be the brand that hides a performer’s weakness? Why does Ember Moon have a mic in the middle of the ring? Have her do a quick interview in the back, or better yet wrestle. Hello??

Don’t thank them, they are your coworkers, and only one of them even said welcome back. sigh.

GIRL I’M SHOCKED THEY LET YOU TALK ON THE MIC TOO like for what reason???

This is why Ember Moon will never be a champion on the main roster jfc. At least she can get away with being nxt champ if she refrains from speaking.

Well damn I was actually interested in Rhea’s promo, thanks a lot Raquel smh.

Io’s like “...nah, I’m good right here.”

Io is a woman of few words, but they are always flawlessly spoken and drenched in logic. Still a huge fan of her as champion.

Storytime. Becky Lynch has named 2 people as potential break out stars that could reach (close to) the heights she has reached. Sonya Deville was one, whom I believe Becky was right on the money with, and Toni Storm was the other. Now I don’t see whatever the hell Becky sees in Toni, but damn it if she was right about Sonya, I want her to be right about Toni as well. So I hope this heel turn actually brings the fire, decent acting, and passable promos from her.

Toni has a swagger you can’t teach; she has an aura and confidence to her. There are just some pieces that have been missing. We’ll see though, I’ll give her a clean slate to win me over.

*The Garganos receive a gift* No.

I kind of like that there’s an unspoken agreement between Raquel and Dakota that Dakota is the star who should win the title, with no lingering feelings of animosity or resentment between them.

Anyway Dakota you lost to Io, plz lol.

*The Garganos see potential in Indi Hartwell* No.

I hate Shotzi’s entrance and dialogue so damn much lmao. She’s so annoying, I’m not sorry. I’ll give her props in the ring where I see fit, but her personality is such a turn off to me.

Such a short match that I have nothing to say about it. Good for Shotzi gaining some momentum. Still waiting to see where Xia Li goes with these losses amounting.

Cool one of the best themes has been changed :/ rip Ember’s og theme.

Sloppy, sloppy attempt at a standing crucifix by Ember. oof.

Ember is short but she can sure jump high, this is true.

Ember plz sell.

Jeeze I nearly forgot how good Ember’s suicide dive is. One of the best, truly.

Great bump onto the floor by Rhea.

Flat landing by Dakota. Bravo. Love how Dakota bumps Rhea’s bench press.

No excuse for Dakota not tagging in when Ember got the tag. Awkward.

Looked more like a modified flatliner rather than a uranage, but sure.

Love watching Dakota and Rhea work together. They have great chemistry.

LOVE Dakota’s Kairopractor. One of my favorite moves in nxt.

Great save by Raquel, great ddt taken by Raquel.

Sloppy “powerbomb” from Ember to Dakota... that’s a yikes. Ember indeed has ring rust. Eclipse is still a thing of beauty though, so there’s that.

I just want to say, I really like Rhea as a babyface and I hope wwe doesn’t turn her heel when she moves to the MR.

Highlight: Dakota & Rhea working together is always a treat

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NXT UK:

Tell me why the beginning of Dani’s theme reminded me of White Wedding by Billy Joel? The lack of lighting in her entrance does her song a disservice.

Really like Nina’s theme... irritating how they cut off Amale’s theme so quickly to introduce her, though.

HAHA Xia tried kipping up out of the leg scissors and she got popped on the midsection.

Lovely escape...? Alright well, fill the dead air with meaningless comments I guess. No, don’t pipe in applause for that.

Twisting her arms in reverse and then forward accomplished nothing.

I appreciate Dani’s underrated strength.

Decent reverse suplex by Nina.

Deadweight suplex by Dani. Nice.

Amale is... abysmally green.

Took a beautiful German suplex, though.

Do not like Xia’s finisher.

This match wasn’t a mistake, but man talk about lower card.

Much like I did with Toni Storm, all I see when I look at Piper now, is when she cried during the match with KLR lmao. Round of applause for KLR making all of her opponents cry kekekek.

“[KLR] better watch what she says, or else..” or else what? More of y’all gonna cry in her direction? oof your champ is HEAD AND SHOULDERS above everyone else on that roster, plz.

Sure she’s held the title for a year cuz of the pandemic, but if we remove all of that time UK spent isolated, she should still hold that title for a year minimum. Whenever someone wants to exhibit possessing the full package she has, they can step up. Even on the mic, KLR is untouchable.

Lol y’all can waltz out pissy all you want. I laugh.

“We've got witches that can't cast spells, Valkyries that can't fly, and these two can't even get along long enough to challenge me. And here she is, the worst of them all, the ultimate letdown... a piper that plays to my tune.” LMFAOOO. This is such a good promo, I can’t.

Knowing NXT, they’ll throw them in a battle royal to decide Kay Lee’s next opponent. Should run a tournament though.

KLR makes that title prestigious, goodbye.

Highlight: Fantastic KLR promo

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Smackdown:

Alright real talk, why did Sasha get a title shot here? Why would Bayley give it to her without a struggle when she damn well knows Sasha could easily be the one to take it from her? When was it even accepted by Bayley?

Tbh I kind of hate this feud unless they’re in the same room/arena together. They work magic together, truly, but all of the inbetween stuff was garbage.

Love how Sasha just wants to beat the crap out of Bayley. Solid stuff.

Lol Bayley goes to leave lololol.

These are some clean counters and roll throughs. Always give props to Sasha for her counters.

See, cool, Sasha and Becky’s hiac match was set up with a chair, too... cept they had a great match for 15 mins and then brawled all over the arena. This could’ve all been set up SO much better. Then again tbf, it doesn’t even make sense for Bayley to accept this match with her to begin with, so I get the intentional dq as quickly as possibly on Bayley’s behalf. Would’ve been better if a gm had set this match up instead.

Great acting by Sasha.

How long til KO just pops Bliss across the face? No I’m kidding, wwe would never do that. Setting fire to someone, on the other hand...

Nothing about this promo felt genuine to me; the delivery was subpar.

When does Alexa receive an upgrade from ‘supportive mistress’ to ‘queen that helps fuck up Fiend’s victims’? I do appreciate them taking their time with her arc, it’s rare to see them do such a slow burn and not drop the ball with it.

Highlight: Sasha’s aggression in the ring

---

*BONUS*

Main Event:

The sheer hatred I have for Peyton’s theme. Awful.

Peyton vs Billie matches reminds me of the type of stuff I used to skip back in the late 2000s.

You watch best friends Sasha/Bayley, and you see some innovative, impactful moves. You watch best friends Becky/Charlotte, and you see 2 people beating the absolute shit out of each other with vitriol. You watch best friends Billie/Peyton, and you see 2 people who are afraid of hurting one another :/

Nice roll through pin by Billie.

Positive: there’s no crowd to boo them.

Just noticed the bottom row of monitors are behind the barricade, and I just want to know why tf they exist lmao.

Oh perfect, the second I began to regret turning this on, it ended. Okay anyway.

---

*NXT shined the brightest. Love how they utilized their women’s division, even if some of it was a hit or miss. Also love seeing Dakota and Rhea work together.

#wwe #issa review #feel free to ignore these #cuz who tf cares lesbihonest #today's props goes to:#dakota kai

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years ago

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On the Day We Reopened Our Restaurant, We Had to Close It Again

A booth at Guerrilla Tacos | Colin Wolf

We spent a month preparing to safely reopen our restaurant. Five hours after opening our doors, the state made us close again.

This is Eater Voices, where chefs, restaurateurs, writers, and industry insiders share their perspectives about the food world, tackling a range of topics through the lens of personal experience. First-time writer? Don’t worry, we’ll pair you with an editor to make sure your piece hits the mark. If you want to write an Eater Voices essay, please send us a couple paragraphs explaining what you want to write about and why you are the person to write it to [email protected].

It is July 1, 2020, a little after 8:30 a.m. In just a few hours, we are finally going to reopen our dining room for the first time since lockdown orders went into effect in Los Angeles on March 16. Since Day One of the lockdown, we have innovated and adapted to keep the lights on in our taco restaurant, with a small takeout and delivery operation that employed 10 percent of our original staff. Now, I’m excited and nervous; these are uncertain times and we never know what’s coming next.

At 8:36 a.m., I receive an email from the Independent Hospitality Coalition, a group of California hospitality industry workers that I belong to. “Hearing from our people that the governor is going to announce that restaurants in some counties (including LA) will be closing indoor dining rooms at his noon press conference today,” it says.

I immediately grab my chefs and managers and tell them the news. There is silence for a while, during which I think about everything we did to get to this day to reopen. My stomach drops and I begin to rant. They never should have let us open, I say. We all knew this was going to happen.

I text my good friend and mentor, Melissa, the director of operations at République. She tells me that she is hearing the same thing. République opened not long after restaurants were first told they could reopen on May 29, and even as one of the best-run restaurant operations in LA, it has been hard for them. People are not ready to eat out, and too many of those who are are not taking the masks and social distancing seriously.

So I ask myself: Now what do we do?

In the two weeks leading up to this morning, we did 32 full hours of training on new COVID-19 protocols and safety measures and the importance of taking the pandemic seriously. We updated our menu, purchased the PPE required for reopening safely, invested in training, redesigned the restaurant’s layout, and did construction to create more space and incorporate plexiglass dividers. I could see, even through their masks and face shields, that my staff was excited and comfortable about reopening, and to have jobs again. We were doing everything by the book and taking the time needed to do it right. We had hope!

And now, this morning, we still have a restaurant to open. But all I can do is wait for the governor’s press conference, which is still 90 minutes away.

At 10:45 a.m., our GM, Gretel, does the line-up as if nothing is wrong. Spirits are so high among our staff, and we don’t want to bring them down. But I can’t stop thinking about what’s going to come next.

At 11 a.m., I go hide in my office. My partner, Dan, arrives at the restaurant to console me. The staff was so excited, and now I’m going to have to furlough them all again. I can’t take it, and I start crying. For the last four months, I’ve been on the verge of a mental breakdown, and now I think Dan is concerned that this will push me over the edge.

When LA County told us that restaurants could reopen on May 29, I also heard the news from my friends in the Independent Hospitality Coalition. I didn’t believe them: There was no way we could reopen without any warning. Well, I was dead wrong — we were given the green light to reopen on the “honor system,” meaning that if we followed all of the county’s guidelines and safety rules, we could open that same night.

Less than an hour after the announcement, I got a message from my landlord’s broker. “Congratulations on being able to reopen,” he said. My heart sank as my mind translated his message into: “Send the check when you can!”

Shortly after, I was on a call with the Independent Hospitality Coalition. No one I spoke with was feeling ready to reopen. Our dining rooms had turned into dry storage, our staff was furloughed. But our members were already driving past restaurants that had reopened, hastily “complying” with the guidelines. How could anyone have done it safely in 24 hours? We knew this was a problem: With no lead-in time to prepare, restaurant operators were being rewarded for rushing to open, and their prize was making as much money as quickly as possible.

I wanted to stay closed. However, as other restaurants began to open their dining rooms and people grew more eager to leave the house, our takeout business started to fall steeply. With our PPP funds drying up, I had to make the call to reopen as safely as humanly possible. As we began preparing, the team spent so much time thinking about our customers and our staff: How do we keep them safe? How do we behave as responsible members of our community?

With no lead-in time to prepare, restaurant operators were being rewarded for rushing to open, and their prize was making as much money as quickly as possible.

But even as we were holding ourselves to this standard, we had empathy for the operators who had just rolled the dice and said “fuck it” and decided to open. It is desperate times for restaurants, and many of us feel as though we have no choice: As operators, we work 12- to 14-hour days and typically haven’t been able to pool enough of our time or financial resources to be in the back pocket of the politicians making decisions.

Now, as I wait for the governor’s announcement, I ask myself what’s changed since May 29. Back then, our county didn’t meet any of the state’s requirements for reopening. And we still don’t. I feel completely abandoned by our leaders, and like we’ve lost for trying to comply and be as safe and careful as possible.

Recently, there was a bill in the California State Senate that really could have made a restaurant industry comeback possible during COVID-19: SB 939. It basically required landlords to enter rent renegotiations with tenants, and it would have given tenants and small businesses leverage to walk away without consequence if they couldn’t make it work. Members of the IHC, myself included, reached out to state senators, and many spoke with us. But when the bill reached the appropriations committee in late June, it was killed by real estate groups with money. Before the committee voted on the bill, we could not even get a Zoom meeting with state Sen. Anthony J. Portantino, its LA-based chair. We — the small businesses that employ almost half of California’s citizens and are on the ground trying to work with our landlords — mattered too little to him. When IHC contacted him after the bill died, he said he had no clue that landlords were not negotiating with tenants. We’ve since met with many politicians who have echoed the same sentiment: They truly believe that most landlords are working with tenants. In my experience, this is not the case.

Our elected officials’ total lack of consideration for a whole industry is unforgivable; anyone who loves going to restaurants or grabbing a drink after work should be pissed. If I was feeling petty, I would suggest every restaurant refuse service to politicians. Instead, I’m focusing on the Restaurants Act, a new bill being proposed in the Senate in Washington D.C. that could save us; it would establish a $120 billion relief fund that would be used to provide grants to independent restaurants. My true hope is that we can mobilize the restaurant industry to get it passed. Enjoying good food is a bipartisan issue.

As a woman of color, it feels wrong to be upset about this, given the systemic racist bullshit that is being protested around the country, and the basic equality and liberty that some of us are denied as its citizens. I am pulled back and forth between being upset as an operator and being upset as a non-Black person of color.

At 12 p.m., I listen to the governor confirm the earlier rumors: Restaurants are closed again.

Again, I ask myself, what do I do now? I am just out here trying to survive, trying to build generational wealth, trying to employ a great team of people. I am angry. As a woman, I am angry. As a small business owner, I am angry. As a non-Black person of color, I am angry. There is no winning for the little guys. We are under the boot of big business, politicians with price tags, and a system that has set us up to fail. Before the pandemic, it was easy to ignore these long-standing truths; I was busy and hustling. But now, it is impossible. And it’s one reason that Dina Samson, the co-owner of Rossoblu, and I, have been working on a project we tried to start before the pandemic: a guide to help educate our local leaders on how difficult it is to operate a restaurant in the city and how they can help. The pandemic has forced us to make time to do it.

At 4 p.m., we close our dining room. After a month of planning, it was open for five hours. We’re back to where we were before May 29, but now with less funds, too much inventory, and the dashed hopes of 45 people.

At 4:34 p.m., the chefs, managers, and I are sitting around a table. We’ve been here twice before: when the lockdown orders were announced in March, and when the dine-in orders were announced in May. We’ll adapt again. We always do.

At 6:13 p.m., the managers call our employees to furlough them again.

Brittney Valles is the longtime managing partner of Guerrilla Tacos, a restaurant in Los Angeles.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3jAZKpk https://ift.tt/30w5Cat

A booth at Guerrilla Tacos | Colin Wolf

We spent a month preparing to safely reopen our restaurant. Five hours after opening our doors, the state made us close again.

So I ask myself: Now what do we do?

And now, this morning, we still have a restaurant to open. But all I can do is wait for the governor’s press conference, which is still 90 minutes away.

With no lead-in time to prepare, restaurant operators were being rewarded for rushing to open, and their prize was making as much money as quickly as possible.

At 12 p.m., I listen to the governor confirm the earlier rumors: Restaurants are closed again.

At 6:13 p.m., the managers call our employees to furlough them again.

Brittney Valles is the longtime managing partner of Guerrilla Tacos, a restaurant in Los Angeles.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3jAZKpk via Blogger https://ift.tt/3juvagP

#Blogger #cooking #Eater #food #recipes

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wanderbitesbybobbie · 5 years ago

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REAL TALK: How I Lost 8 pounds in 3 Weeks

Once upon a time, I was a swooping 114 lbs. on the scale. I was close to 100 lbs., the ideal weight for my height. It took me 3 months of gym workouts and strict diet to get to 114. But then on June 2019, I had to fly back to Sydney for school works and in no time I was back on my MAD diet (meat all day). I mean… who can resist Australian Beef Steak with Peppercorn Sauce? I had zero self-control. I was snacking on ice cream in winter. I created a strong relationship with burgers and big fat potato chips. I was stocking on rare TimTam flavors which I could only find in Aussie. Coles, Woolies, and Aldi were my favorite hang-out places. If I felt a little broke, I would turn to $5 Domino’s Pizza and devour the entire thing. Also, my love for noodles didn’t help. Sydney Chinatown was my noodle-go-to place. Dry noodles, ramen, stir-fried, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai… name it! I knew where to get them. Surprise, surprise! I was 121 lbs. when I left Sydney.

I was back in the gym, trying hard to lose the weight I gained. I ran 15 mins. full speed on the treadmill and continuously did circuit training. I did Pound exercises and Muay Thai. It wasn’t hard to lose the excess weight. I went back to counting my calorie intake and avoided rice. I firmly believed that white rice makes my tummy bloat.

2 months of hardcore training and I was back in the game. I was losing weight again. My core training was working. I can see the lines on my abs getting firmer. I had to be stricter this time. Unfortunately, my psychiatrist became a bit worried. I was being obsessed with weight-watching to the point that I sometimes starve myself by eating just a fruit to avoid consuming my calories. It was the biggest mistake I have ever made. My depression went back, and it was bouncing like crazy. I had to stop the “diet”. I was still taking my plant-based protein shakes to replace some of my meals. It worked for a while, but then I flew to Jakarta.

Jakarta is a food-haven. I love Indonesian Cuisine. I love every bit of it, may it be something spicy, or sweet, or out of the ordinary. It was truly a gastronomic adventure that I totally forgot about calorie counting and diet. In Indonesia, rice is life. Plus, Indonesia is the home of “Three Buns” which happens to be the number one burger in Asia. I was lucky enough to be able to taste it while I was there. Each day was a totally different food experience. Which got me thinking… maybe traveling makes me gain weight? Maybe I should ditch food blogging?

TRAVELING MAKES ME GAIN WEIGHT… NOPE. IT WAS THE LACK OF SELF-CONTROL THAT MAKES ME GAIN WEIGHT.

The reality is… when you start eating unhealthy, you become somewhat addicted to it. You go after your cravings. For a few months, I drove to the biggest food night market in Manila on Fridays. It’s a street food heaven! I had pork barbecue smothered in fatty oil and dessert shakes colored in flavorful sugar. I would eat anything I wanted. I would snack on a cheese platter with a cold glass of Moscato while watching Netflix. I was at my laziest. I stopped going to the gym and stayed in front of the TV just like a sloth.

Until I felt it. My spine was hurting. It was probably my scoliosis, reminding me that I was becoming too heavy. I started having heart burns and I had trouble breathing. I wanted to go back to 114 lbs. I was only 14 lbs. away from my goal weight. I had to step on the scale and face it. I WAS A WHOPPING 139 LBS., bloated as hell, insecure, and having nothing to wear from my closet. What did I do to myself???

This is it! I have to re-evaluate all my choices. I started de-cluttering and cleansing. Not only on my diet, but also with my surroundings. I started cleaning my room. I chucked all the things that didn’t matter anymore. Old papers, old cards, old mugs, old clothes… and then I started with my cleanse.

EXERCISE IS ONLY 20% OF THE PROCESS.

I started stretching again and visiting the gym. I was slowly getting back into the rhythm. But, I knew I had to stick to something that would not make me go back to my unhealthy lifestyle. I was then introduced to a Netflix Documentary titled “The Game Changers”. It’s a documentary that explains all the science behind a plant-based diet. At first, I was hesitant to try focusing on a plant-based diet. I mean… c’mon. It was clearly not a balanced diet for me. I need my meat, I need my fish. But… as I slowly took in the facts, it gave me the extra push that I needed. It completely changed the way I see (and eat) food.

I started changing my meal plans. I started choosing greens from being the carnivore that I was. My plate became more colorful, not from fancy sugars, but from the vegetables that I hand-picked from the farmer’s market.

I was doing it. I was giving it a go. Completely changing my diet to plant-based was hard at first. I always craved for roast pork and grilled chicken. But then, realizing that plant-based foods can be as whole as what we would normally eat, I started cooking healthy. My protein source became completely plant-based. My sauces were all plant-based. Some people would always tell me… “No. You need to eat beef or fish or chicken breast or eggs to get your protein fix.” What people don’t understand is that these meats are only carriers of protein. THEY ARE NOT THE SOURCE. At the end of the day, what do these animals feed on? Cows that produce dairy and beef meat eat grass. Chickens eat corn. Pigs that produce your favorite pork chops eat whatever, God-knows-what. THEY ALL EAT PLANTS. These animals are bred and confined in an area where they can get sick and contaminate their own species. They are injected with antibiotics of high dozes to avoid deadly illnesses that can sometimes be transmitted to humans. It’s the same with seafood. Commercial breeders breed the fishes in pens and we can only imagine the amount of mercury they have taken from swimming in highly polluted waters.. Plus, let’s not forget the fact that not all parts of these animals are lean. There will always be excess fats which can tick off your cholesterol levels in dangerous amounts. Hello Bagnet, Lechon Kawali, Crispy Pata… fat deep-fried in fat. THEY TASTE SOOOO GOOD… I won’t argue. But we all know, it’s bad for you.

Anyway, as I started shifting to a plant-based diet, counting my calories was easier. I started avoiding dairy and animal bi-products. Since vegetables and fruits theoretically have lower calories than meats, I indulge, but NEVER go beyond my allotted calorie count. In a matter of few days, I started losing 2 lbs. I was eating healthy and exercising. I started cooking Thai, Korean, Mexican, making tacos out of vegetables and soft shell whole wheat tortillas. I’m a dessert person, so when I craved for sweets, I had almond milk shakes packed with strawberries and bananas. Almond Milk contains 45 kcal per 180 ml serving, compared to 200 plus the excess sugars you get from full cream milk. I made everything homemade… Pesto in Wheat Pasta, Thai Eggplants with Tofu and Basil, Kimchi Stew, Vegetable Curry. Everything was from whole foods, none of the bi-products. I snacked on fruits instead of my cheese platters. I started reading the labels and looking at what I was actually eating. In 2 weeks, I lost almost 6 lbs. I was truly amazed.

SUGAR-FREE? I WOULD RATHER INTAKE REAL SUGAR OUT OF CANE OR COCONUT THAN EAT SOMETHING THAT SAYS SUGAR-FREE.

Anything that says sugar-free uses sugar substitutes that contain Aspartame or Erythritol. These substitutes are essentially cheaper than raw sugar in a mass production set-up, however, these chemicals do more bad than good. They contain carcinogens (main cause of cancer), just the same carcinogens you get from over-cooking processed foods like bacon, hotdogs, and what-nots. I am a Food Technologist myself and I have been working in a diet cafe in Australia which required me to make “healthy” recipes as the head R&D Pastry Chef. They wanted me to create things that say Sugar-Free, Gluten Free, Lactose Free… and whatever “Free” you could possibly think of. Guess what they ask me to use? NOTHING but chemicals. I choose not to drop the name of the cafe. I would rather zip it than get sued. LOL.

SHIFTING IS NOT EASY. IT REQUIRES A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF DEDICATION AND SELF-CONTROL.

I am not pushing anyone to be on a plant-based diet. I am simply relaying how I lost weight by eating healthy and exercising. My therapist would always tell me that 30 mins. cardio a day (dancing, pound, running, walking) is ultimately healthy for the brain. I try to do it even when I’m just at home. This is my fitness journey. I share my healthy recipes on this blog.

DIETS I’VE TRIED BUT I STILL BOUNCED BACK TO GAINING WEIGHT

Paleo Diet

Intermittent Fasting

GM Diet (for cleansing)

Military Diet

Low Carb Diet

What works for me doesn’t always mean it will work for you and vice-versa. It’s your dedication and will to change that makes it possible. Weight gain doesn’t always mean you’re getting fat. It can also mean you’re getting leaner, thus the muscle gain. Remember, skinny doesn’t always mean healthy and healthy doesn’t have to be skinny. 😊

REAL TALK: How I Lost 8 pounds in 3 Weeks was originally published on WanderBitesByBobbie

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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How the Celtics went from future rulers of the NBA to rebuilding in 2 years

The 15 steps Boston basketball took to rise and fall before reachIng greatness.

The Boston Celtics spent three years building a well-advertised future juggernaut that never really contended, and now that foundation is all but gone. With the news that the Celtics are preparing to lose both Kyrie Irving and Al Horford this summer, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Boston basketball is in shambles.

With its two best players gone and cap space only available to recoup one star over the summer, the Celtics may have their cards played out for them. After holding tight to young forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum while running for a title, they may become the star pieces of a rebuild instead.

This isn’t what GM Danny Ainge and the Celtics wanted. The fever-pitch dream that the collection of assets gained from the 2013 trade with the Nets would coalesce into a perennial title contender is over. Back-to-back years of signing premier free agents and drafting prospects with star-potential will amount to zero NBA Finals appearances, much less titles.

Here’s how the Celtics failed to go from good to great.

June, 2017: The Celtics miss on Paul George

In pursuit of adding another superstar, GM Danny Ainge reportedly offered the Brooklyn Nets’ pick which eventually turned into the No. 1 selection for George before the 2017 trade deadline. The Pacers passed. Then, on draft night, the team offered three first-round picks and two starters (one being Jae Crowder) to get George, per Jeff Goodman.

Why didn’t Boston offer more of its war chest for George? Several factors contributed, including the fear of George being a one-year rental and the forthcoming addition of Gordon Hayward in free agency. But the unexpected news that the salary cap number would come in lower than initially projected also made it difficult for the Celtics to script a scenario where they got both George and Hayward. In a sense, they had to choose one or the other.

In the end, the Celtics’ initial offer was strong, but Indiana ultimately accepted a deal with the Thunder before free agency officially began.

Aug. 22, 2017: The Celtics trade Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving

But later that summer, Boston got its star. Ainge executed a controversial deal when he shipped fan-favorite Isaiah Thomas in a package for a younger and more proven superstar in Irving. The Cavaliers guard had requested a trade in the month prior, and Ainge took a gamble by dealing the leading scorer from a 53-win team, along with solid role player Jae Crowder and the final Brooklyn unprotected first-round pick.

Thomas’s health was in question, though, after suffering a hip injury that kept him out of the last three-and-a-half games of the Eastern Conference Finals. In the end, he didn’t return for the Cavaliers until midway through the 2017-18 season. Thomas was a fraction of himself at that point, and was subsequently traded to the Lakers after 15 games.

From a purely basketball perspective, this deal turned into a robbery for Boston.

Oct. 18, 2017: Gordon Hayward fractures his tibia

In the opening quarter of the Celtics’ first season with its championship-ready roster, Hayward suffered an infamously gruesome injury. A fractured tibia and dislocated ankle ended his season before it really began and robbed Boston of its prized free-agent acquisition.

He missed the rest of the season and hasn’t been the same player since.

March 24, 2018: Kyrie Irving’s knee trouble

The Celtics stayed near the top of the East despite losing Hayward, but their luck changed when Irving had a “minimally-invasive procedure to remove a tension wire in his left knee.” The procedure was related to the torn patella he suffered in the 2015 Finals, and though he was only supposed to miss six weeks at most, he was eventually ruled out for the season.

May 2018: The Celtics go on a postseason run anyway

Despite losing two stars, Horford, along with the kids — Brown, Tatum, and Terry Rozier — went on a postseason run that shocked most. They knocked off the Bucks in seven games in the first round, the Sixers in five in the second, and fell just short to LeBron’s Cavaliers in seven. Tatum averaged 19 points per game, Brown 18, Rozier 17 and Horford 16.

Surely a healthy Celtics team could win it all.

June/July 2018: The Celtics refuse to offer the pieces to land Kawhi Leonard

Leonard’s trade request was complicated and messy, and his long-term desires and health status were murky at best. In Ainge’s mind, trading for a player who’d seen the floor just nine games in the season prior was a risk, and that risk only multiplied with Leonard set to become an unrestricted free agent. So, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Boston refused to add either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown into an offer for the inevitable Finals MVP.

That looks like a bad decision now.

Oct. 4, 2018: Irving pledges his commitment to the Celtics

Unprompted, Irving told a TD Garden audience before the season begun that he’d re-sign with the team when his contract expired in 2019.

“I’ve shared it with some of my teammates as well as the organization as well as everyone else in Boston. If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here next year,” he said.

“If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here.” - @KyrieIrving pic.twitter.com/0wDLzuv5WL

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 4, 2018

(Oops!)

Nov. 12, 2018: Irving sounds off, Part 1

After a loss in Portland dropped Boston to a 7-6 record, Irving threw shade at his teammates. “We’re not as good as we think we are,” Irving said. “That’s what it comes down to.”

Then he stated the need for an older presence. “Right now I think it would be nice if we had someone that was a 15-year vet” Irving said. “A 14-year vet that could kind of help us race along the regular season and understand it’s a long marathon rather than just a full-on sprint.”

Nov. 20, 2018: Hayward offers to come off the bench

Hayward’s recovery from injury was slow and trying. He offered to play a role off the bench, and Boston obliged.

But according to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, Hayward’s play, and the way coach Brad Stevens handled his return from injury, was at the root of the Celtics locker room problems.

“You hate to pick on Gordon Hayward because he was coming back from injury and he was doing the best he could in a tough situation,” MacMullan said in an NBC Sports Boston video. “But I really think that’s where it started. They were force-feeding him on his teammates. Brad [Stevens] knew Gordon well. He wanted to get him his confidence back.

“He gave the benefit of the doubt over and over and over to a player that wasn’t ready, to a guy who had history with him, and it rankled that locker room, and it bothered that locker room,” MacMullan said.

Jan. 12, 2019: Irving sounds off, Part 2

In the closing seconds of a road game against Orlando, Irving wasn’t given the last-second shot. The ball landed in Jayson Tatum’s hands instead, and he missed a baseline fadeaway.

After the game, Irving went off.

“The young guys don’t know what it takes to be a championship level team,” Irving said, per Yahoo’s Keith Smith. “What it takes every day. And if they think it is hard now, what do they think it will be like when we’re trying to get to the Finals?”

“There were no expectations last year. Everyone played free and easy. Everyone surpassed whatever they expected for themselves. This year? We all have high expectations. The players, the coaches, everyone. And that’s good, but we aren’t doing it yet.”

Jan. 17, 2019: Irving apologizes to LeBron James

Just days after his meltdown after Tatum’s missed shot, Irving stole the spotlight from his Boston teammates, who’d just beaten the inevitable champion Raptors by nine points. Unprompted, Irving told the media he made up with James after the trade request from Cleveland.

“I apologized for being that young player that wanted everything at his fingertips, and I wanted everything at my threshold. I wanted to be all that and the responsibility of being the best in the world, and leading your team is something that is not meant for many people. Bron was one of those guys who came to Cleveland and tried to show us how to win a championship.”

Feb. 1, 2019: Irving goes back on his verbal promise

Four months after he said he’d re-sign in Boston, Kyrie, while in New York for a game against a Knicks team linked heavily with him in free agency, changed his mind. “I don’t owe anybody shit.”

youtube

Feb. 10, 2019: Marcus Morris said the team isn’t fun

Here's the full exchange Kyrie Irving had with reporters about that video with Kevin Durant: pic.twitter.com/diVTWWmYEd

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) February 21, 2019

Morale sunk another notch when Morris spoke out after a loss to the Clippers, in which Boston forfeited a 28-point lead to lose by 11,

“We don’t have no attitude. We don’t have no toughness. We ain’t having fun. It’s going to be a long season.”

▶️ Marcus Morris Sr. keeps it real about the Celtics loss and how he feels the team has been playing lately pic.twitter.com/AakcU4ag7i

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) February 10, 2019

“I watch all these other teams around the league and guys are up on the bench, they’re jumping on the court, they’re doing all other stuff that looks like they’re enjoying their teammates’ success,” Morris said. “They’re enjoying everything and they’re playing together and they’re playing to win. And when I look at us, I just see a bunch of individuals.

“It hasn’t been fun for a long time.”

Feb. 20, 2019: Kyrie doesn’t like questioning about conversation with Kevin Durant

Later, Irving sounded off on a reporter who asked about a conversation that went viral between Kevin Durant and the Celtics star during the All-Star break. Fans presumed it was an impromptu free agency discussion.

In the discourse (which can be seen here) Irving questions the legitimacy of the internet, the question, why he needs to explain himself, and more.

“Is the internet real for you in your life? It’s my life, right? It’s two people talking, having a conversation. If this was the real world would it be anybody else’s business? But it’s a video of somebody assuming what we’re talking about, right? So why would I care about it? Why does that have an impact on my life?”

The full transcript is here:

Here's the full exchange Kyrie Irving had with reporters about that video with Kevin Durant: pic.twitter.com/diVTWWmYEd

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) February 21, 2019

May 2019: The Celtics lost to the Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals in five games

After routing Milwaukee in Game 1, Boston fell meekly the next four games to end its disappointing season. Irving shot a dismal 35 percent from the field in the five games, scoring 20 points on 21 shots per game. Boston may have been as close to fully healthy as it had been in years, but its spirit was broken and they were exposed against a much better team.

That was the beginning of the end. Rumors soon followed that Irving was likely to sign with the Nets this summer, the Celtics lost out on Anthony Davis, and now Horford’s departure seems like a foregone conclusion. The Celtics as we knew them are over.

Nothing about this team ever felt right. Now, Irving and Horford are likely packing their bags and leaving the Celtics to ponder what might have been.

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mitchbeck · 6 years ago

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CANTLON: (FEB 8) SYRACUSE SPANKS PACK - HARD, 6-0

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - With three goals in the second period, the Syracuse Crunch took control and never looked back en route to a 6-0 whitewashing of the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Crunch is chasing the Rochester Americans for the top spot in the North Division and increased their record to 29-13-2-1 (61 points) and hold on to second place. The Pack is now two games short of matching the franchise record of an eleven game losing streak. It was set in 2012 and ran from January 1-28 when they were 0-6-3-2. The Pack record falls to 19-24-3-3 and they have now gone nine games (0-7-1-1) and find themselves eleven points behind the fourth-place Lehigh Valley Phantoms, who they will face twice this weekend in Pennsylvania at the PPL Center and then Sunday afternoon at 3 pm. At this point, it's quite clear that the ship is taking on water and sinking. The hope for a post-season invite slipped further under the shadow of the horizon. The performance, with the exception of the third period, was another non-sixty-minute effort. The outcome was never in doubt. “Syracuse carried a majority of the game," Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said. "You recognize they’re a really explosive team. They are number one in the league for goals (172) and when you turn the puck over, there is a good possibility it will be in the back of the net. Many of the chances we gave them were mismanagement of the puck and the momentum swung completely in their favor.” Following his comment, McCambridge fielded a call from Pack GM, Chris Drury. One can only imagine that it was a pleasant chat. There is no escape for things in the locker room, and the silence was deafening. “Today is the epitome of what has been going on here the last two weeks,” intoned a very somber assistant captain, Steven Fogarty. “All facets of the game were bad. We didn’t do anything to make it hard for them.” Two weeks ago, the Wolf Pack were three points out of fourth place. Since the trade of captain Cole Schneider, they've won just twice was traded. The did fine in the first two after the trade, but since that time, it's been all downhill. “He was a big part of the room," Fogarty said. "(He was) a big voice and everybody has to step up and lead by example on the ice. We have been doing a whole lot of talking and not too much on the ice.” The head coach was in agreement with one of his assistants. “Cole Schneider was a big part of our team, our dressing room. However, this is the American Hockey League, and trades will happen. You have to find a way to get over it. The team added some depth to the organization (Connor Brickley) and that’s a part of pro sports.” Syracuse closed out the scoring with two shorthanded empty-net goals late off a double minor to Brady Brassart. Mitchell Stephens got his second of the game and Dominik Masin got his second of the season. The second period the Wolf Pack got crunched for three goals and with that, the party was over. Right off the bat Ross Colton, a one time Taft Prep (Watertown, CT) player, zoomed down the right wing. The left-handed shot snapped a wrister far to the glove side for his eighth of the season at 2:02. The goal made it a 2-0 Syracuse lead. “The first two minutes of a period are as critical as the last two, and they were able to get momentum early and kept it." After killing a penalty, the Crunch made it 3-0. Ben Thomas was at the right point and gathered a loose puck that had gotten away from the Pack's Shawn O’Donnell. The Pack forward gave chase, but Thomas, a defenseman, was able to veer away unchecked off the right wing to the front of the net and slipped a backhander past Pack netminder, Marak Mazanec. For Thomas, it was his first of the season. “We were too light in our own zone tonight. We didn’t win battles for loose pucks and you have to limit the time you're defending in your own zone and we were generating only one or two good shifts." The Crunch got their fourth goal as the passive Pack defense, again, was willing to give Syracuse as much time and space as they wanted. Mazanec made a splendid left pad save on a redirect from Cory Conacher in front of Cameron Gaunce’s point shot, but the rebound went right to the stick of Taylor Raddysh who easily deposited his eleventh goal of the campaign into the open right side of the net 10:13. The only battle, as the frustration was beginning to show, came from the Wolf Pack in the form of two scraps. The first by Ryan Lindgren with Andy Andreoff. The second involved Matt Beleskey, who fared better against Dominik Masin. The Wolf Pack had three breakaways. Fogarty was shorthanded on a nice steal at the Wolf Pack blue line and was stopped. Ryan Gropp on his bid was denied by Eddie Pasquale (21 saves) and Sean Day missed the net entirely. “I would have been nice to get a goal, get some energy in the building from the crowd. Their goalie had a good game and he had a nice save on Ryan Gropp’s breakaway. The chances are few and far between against a team like Syracuse. We need to finish them,” said McCambridge. The Crunch was able to gain the first goal of the game when Libor Hajek's backhanded clearing attempt went around the boards from left to right wing. Ville Meskanen went to clear it out, but ex-Pack Hubert Labrie came down the right wing wall and blocked it. The puck came to Alex Barre-Boutet. He gained steam quickly and headed to the net. Barre-Boutet sent a perfect pass to Mitchell Stephens in the left circle. He snapped his third of the season by going high to the stick-side on Mazanec at 11:01. It was Stephens' first game back after missing 23 due to injury. SCRATCHES: Rob O’ Gara (Week-To-Week, lower body) Brandon Crawley (Healthy) Matt Petgrave (Healthy) Shawn St. Amant (Healthy) LINES: Anderson-Brickley-Meskanen Holland-Beleskey-Butler Fontaine-Leedahl-O’Donnell Fogarty-Gettinger-Gropp Gilmour-Lindgren Hajak-Bigras Day-Tolkinen NOTES: The Pack weekly roster merry-go-round continues with Vinni Lettieri recalled after Cody McLeod was traded by the New York Rangers to the Nashville Predators which opened a roster spot. Goalie, Brandon Halverson, was recalled again from the Maine Mariners (ECHL). He will likely see action in one of the games in against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. With the trade deadline coming, he may be being showcased as a part of a larger deal that could possibly be in the works. The Pack signed defenseman Matt Petgrave from the Brampton Beast (ECHL). In 41 games, Petgrave had six goals and 30 points. He also has 44 PIM in his third season with the team. Last season Petgrave had three AHL recalls. His longest was twelve games with the Laval Rocket. He also had a game with the Belleville Sens and two with tonight’s opponent, Syracuse. After a four-year OHL career with Niagara, Owen Sound, and Oshawa with one Memorial Cup tournament appearance. Petgrave had a four-year Canadian college career with the University of New Brunswick (AUS). They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs every year. Tuesday’s announced crowd of 1,274 was the lowest in Wolf Pack history. Now, 22 of the 35 lowest crowds in the team's history have come during the Global Spectrum/Spectra management era. Five of the 22 have come this season thus far. Goalie, Connor LaCouvee, who was in Wolf Pack training camp, was signed to an AHL deal with Laval and reassigned to the Pack's ECHL affiliate in Maine strictly for post-season roster purposes. Trevor Yates, the son of ex-Hartford Whaler, Ross Yates, was traded from the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) to the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was then reassigned to the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL). Former CT Whale, Christian Thomas, signs a new two year deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia-KHL). Ex-Pack, Josef Balej, was released by MsHK Zilina (Slovakia-SLEL) and signed with EHC Freiburg (Germany DEL-2). Ex-Pack, Akim Aliu, has signed a deal with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL). Jonas Johanssen of the Rochester Americans, after being named the first star against the Wolf Pack in a 4-1 win, was reassigned to the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL). Seems like that would have earned him at least another game, no? Former UCONN goalie, Garrett Bartus, is currently with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL). He has signed to play this spring/summer with the Sydney Ice Dogs (Australia-AIHL) when their season kicks off at the end of April. Last summer, former UCONN Husky, Trevor Gerling, who was also a former Wolf Pack training camp invitee, scored the overtime game-winner to help his CBR (Canberra) Brave team win their first Australian Goodall Cup championship. Wolf Pack fan jersey of the night: #49 Ilkka Heikkinen, and a Sean Day #4 jersey with the Mississauga Steelheads (OHL). Read the full article

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andrewuttaro · 6 years ago

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New Look Sabres: GM 57 - NYR - Burn the Tape

We came into this seven-game homestand with some needs: capitalize on your home-ice advantage and get into this playoff race in a more consistent manor. That mission didn’t start well for sure but whether it felt like it or not the Sabres win percentage went up. It was the ugly win-loss pattern that is torture to endure during a playoff race this tight but it was better than the losing stretches that prevailed before the bye-week. As this homestand went on it became clearer some switch had been flipped even if not always to successful ends. From the end of the Carolina game onward, maybe even the end of the Minnesota game in places, the Sabres defense has stepped up and fought tough matchups. If the Sabres were going to end this homestand on a high note it would take all cylinders firing properly. That Winnipeg game was closer than that final score would indicate and one bounce different against the Hurricanes and the standings look quite a bit different right now. The past is the past though and so is the Rangers Cup window. Yes, let’s do some Playoff Trash talk: Rangers, during your supposed Cup window you never looked close. In fact, having watched most of those years during the Sabres tank years I could see the truly dominant performances were rare. That’s how the Rangers win in the playoffs: barely. This season its very unlikely you make it and a matchup like this seems to take on a different flavor when its locked in together for 4-7 games. Sabres in 5. So, remember those positive things I said about Buffalo before the trash talk? The Sabres did not do those things. This was probably the most disheartening loss of the season, if not its damn close to the Home Opener shutout. This game made me not want to do these for the rest of the season. Nonetheless, I am your Sabre Soldier and won’t ever give up. This mess ended 6-2 Rangers. You know how we all thought the Rangers would be the easier New York team to beat? Yeah, fuck us, right?

This game was so bad its in a category of games that don’t even earn a full goal-by-goal recap. Spoiler Alert: Jeff Skinner scored all the Sabres goals this game. To be specific, he scored two goals. That was all we got this game. Yes, there were other opportunities. Jack Eichel rang one off the bar. Sam Reinhart was stopped by this young Bulgarian sensation in Rangers goaltender Alexsandar Georgiev. Tage Thompson missed two wide open nets right in front when the score was 3-2. Apart from a section of the second period and the last ten or so minutes of the third period this game looked like no one knew how to play hockey. Everyone was watching the puck, everyone seemed to bump into each other like they were all playing their own game. The Sabres had opportunities on a night New York was not playing a sound defensive game. Remember how we’ve been talking about the Sabres cleaning up play in their own zone the past three or four games? They took that and threw it out the window. I feel so bad for Linus Ullmark who you kind of feel was in the wrong place at the wrong time starting in this game. What goals are we blaming on him? Right, I said I wasn’t doing a goal-by-goal recap. Well fuck it with this game. For Ullmark’s sake let’s dissect this train crash.

4:09 into the first a grown man named Boo Nieves scored the first goal. This was a scrambled play no matter which way you cut it and Ullmark was screened maybe two different ways. The second goal came about ten minutes later when Vlad Namestnikov launched a shot from the blue line that got redirected in front of Ullmark by Jesper Fast. Ignoring the fact that he was screened the Sabres were playing basketball-style zone defense this period and it was not working. The Linus Ullmark fault counter is still at 0 now as the Sabres find themselves down 2-0 going into the second period. The Rangers are getting penalized frequently now, once for putting the puck over the glass in a delay of game. This Rangers team is bad. THEY’RE BAD! Luckily in the middle period the Sabres did respond a little. Jeff Skinner got the puck out alone in front and put it far side around Georgiev. The visitors responded because good things can never last with this Sabres team and Jimmy Vesey of all the hated little Eminem-looking motherfuckers tucks one in like a blot of lightning on a blown coverage. Ullmark had locked down the post. I am not blaming this one on him. Jeff Skinner got another goal, this time on the powerplay later in the period. This got me feeling maybe the Sabres could salvage something from this horror show. I mean if they can score a powerplay goal then why not? Why not, because we must be tortured with no frigging back-to-back wins for eternity! The Sabres poured it on late in the third and could’ve tied it on several shots. None beat the Prince of New York and Buffalo blew a d-zone coverage in their own zone to allow Pavel Buchnevich to tap it in. That goal is the only one you can sort of blame on Ullmark. The air left the building and I turned the radio off full of disappointment and hopelessness. Okay, so the first of the two remaining goals could also be blamed on Ullmark if you feel the need. The net was wide open for Namestnikov, but the 6-2 goal is literally an empty net. 6-2 Sabres but 2-2 if we’re only counting the goals Ullmark gave up. That thing stung.

There was other stuff that happened in this game on top of defensive breakdown, horrible play in their own end and generally unacceptable performance. Uhh… Kyle Okposo fought. He probably shouldn’t be fighting, and it looks like he got hurt doing it. No updates on his condition as of the posting of this but a cursory look over his history tells you exactly why its so scary that this fight happened. You know what, there really isn’t anything redeemable about this game. Burn the tape! Burn the tape and well you’re at it Fire Housley. There is no way this team not being able to beat lesser opponents consistently, except for Detroit, is not a problem of coaching. Housley said they played soft after the game: You think, Phil? Something has got to change. I said I’m on this crazy rollercoaster until the end but boy did I want to get off after this game. After New Jersey tomorrow night, you have the Leafs, Caps, both Florida teams, and the Penguins in the following six games. There was no help on the out-of-town scoreboard last night and the Sabres now sit five points out of the last playoff spot and five points back of the first team out in Carolina. This was hot trash last night and I don’t know if I have any confidence this team won’t continue to be hot trash and fall out of the playoff race in the coming weeks. I guess we’ll have to find out! Like, share and comment: I feel bad asking after this mess. Enjoy your weekend maybe not thinking about the Sabres.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. Imagine if Jeff Skinner isn’t on this team. Yeah, its like last season all over again.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #blog #nhl

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burning-up-ao3 · 6 years ago

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20 Penguins Thoughts: The best trade-deadline approach is simple

February 12, 2019 8:13 AMBy Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Enough already.

Enough screwing around with Patric Hornqvist on the fourth line, splitting up the No. 1 power play or starting Casey DeSmith over Matt Murray against NHL heavyweights.

Enough with these wonky defense pairings and forget trying to swing some sort of trade, which may or may not be the 73rd move of the season for general manager Jim Rutherford.

Roll with the guys you got. Let them jell and build some chemistry.

The Penguins will return home with three of a possible six points on this three-game road trip, at least one fewer than they probably should have had.

But they’re lucky in the sense that Monday’s 4-1 victory over the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center should’ve delivered a key message: While the Penguins need work in certain areas, they do have enough key elements to compete. They just need to iron out a few wrinkles.

2. The only exception here, I suppose, is if Olli Maatta winds up missing a bunch of time … and boy does it look like that’s possible.

Watching postgame, it looked like coach Mike Sullivan knew something; he just didn’t want to say it. I wouldn’t be surprised to soon hear that Maatta has a separated shoulder, the only question, of course, being how severe?

If it’s bad, maybe Rutherford should grab a Mark Streit-type depth defenseman, but that should be it. Put Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang together, then see who works best alongside Justin Schultz. Shelter the remaining two with a metal roof.

3. Why didn’t Murray start Saturday in Tampa? Why didn’t Murray start Jan. 19 in Vegas?

Nothing against DeSmith, who’s a fine backup, but the Penguins literally chose Murray over Marc-Andre Fleury.

We can sit here and talk about DeSmith’s top-10 save percentage or debate the merits of showing Murray twice to Tampa in a 10-day span, but Murray is the proud owner of a pair of Stanley Cup rings. Per the Penguins decision-making, he’s the guy.

What his 50-save performance Monday told me was this: Here’s a guy who wants to be in the nets for big games, who thrives in them and who deserves to play every one of them the rest of the way.

4. The next time separating your top talent on the power play works, it’ll be the first.

I guess I understand why Sullivan did what he did for Monday’s game — putting Phil Kessel on what amounted to the second unit and using two defensemen with each group — but it didn’t work.

This power play runs through Kessel, although it’s unfortunate that path occasionally leads to odd-man rushes the other way. But using him less in favor of a third-pair defenseman (Marcus Pettersson) makes zero sense to me.

Figure out how to allow fewer short-handed goals or don’t. But removing Kessel shouldn’t be considered a viable solution here.

5. I can’t say I’m surprised that Evgeni Malkin will have a phone hearing Tuesday for high-sticking/slashing Philadelphia’s Michael Raffl.

It was dangerous, dirty and dumb, and it could turn out to be costly, if Malkin is suspended.

I just hope the NHL sticks with this precedent, where it’s seemingly addressing the act rather than the result. Far too often, that hasn’t been the case.

That said, Raffl punching Malkin in the back of the head was also dangerous, dirty and dumb. He should have gotten something. But whether Malkin missed his target — his explanation — you can’t let a stick-swinging incident like that go.

6. I don’t understand the decision to healthy scratch Teddy Blueger on Monday.

The rookie forward had two goals and three points in six games, plus a pretty solid fight in Tampa and plus-2 rating. I would’ve much rather seen Blueger stay in the lineup and either Dominik Simon or Tanner Pearson sit.

Blueger, by the way, has as many goals as those two combined over the past dozen games — of which Blueger, of course, has only played half.

I also don’t understand playing Patric Hornqvist just 9:10, which I believe is the lowest ice time for him in a game that he started and finished. Is he healthy? He certainly doesn’t look limited.

The effort with Hornqvist isn’t the issue, but he does need to be with people who create some of the trash that he’s so good at cleaning up. It’s a hard sell for me to be OK with him in the bottom-six.

7. To conclude this opening point, I don’t think the Penguins are a perfect team. They still have plenty to work on — role definition, depth scoring, defensive issues and the short-handed goals, to name a few.

But given their cap situation and what assets they would be dangling, I have a tough time seeing how one trade could be seen as the answer. Tell these guys that this is your team, now go work it out.

8. Moving on …

“I feel like if we keep playing that way, we’re going to get rewarded. We had some looks. I liked our line a lot.”

That was Derick Brassard after the Penguins’ 3-2 overtime win at Arizona on Jan. 18, talking about a line he centered with Pearson on the left and Simon on the right. By the next night, in Vegas, that line was history, separated as the Penguins faced a 3-1 deficit after the first period.

In talking to Brassard last week about why things didn’t work out in Pittsburgh, he brought up that succession of events as an example.

“Over the last year, you guys would ask me all the time, ‘Is it going to be good to have a few games and try to find some chemistry with your wingers?’ ” Brassard began.

“Me, Pearson and Simon in Phoenix, we had a strong game; we had a really good game as a line. The next game, it wasn’t clicking with [Sidney Crosby], [Jake Guentzel] and [Bryan Rust].

“Right away, you flip-flop Rusty and Dom. We just had a good game. We were thinking about that. It’s just the way it was.

“The lines were always switching. It felt like it was hard to get some timing and chemistry.”

9. Is that an excuse? Absolutely. Did Brassard make too many of them during our first one-on-one conversation last week? Yeah, probably.

But to his credit, Brassard did offer a few things I never thought about with the line switching.

“If Jake is set with Sid, that right side was switching all the time,” Brassard said of when things would dry up on the top line. “Sometimes it wasn’t working with Geno and Phil, and the left wing on that line was changing all the time.”

Brassard’s point, whether you agree or not, was that he wound up receiving the leftovers of whatever didn’t work with Crosby or Malkin.

10. Which, if you think about it, is exactly what should happen, right?

They’re the team’s highest-paid players, the big boys, the organization’s franchise centers … and Brassard doesn’t disagree.

“Sully was managing that right,” Brassard said. “He was just trying to get those two guys to always be producing and be on the top of their game. Like everyone knows, when those two guys are on, it’s hard to stop.”

Again, I see what Brassard is saying, but there comes a time when the player simply has to do what he’s being paid to do and that’s produce.

No matter the reason, Brassard wasn’t able to do that as much as he should have in Pittsburgh.

11. Funny anecdote from our second chat.

So Brassard did a scrum after Florida’s morning skate at BB&T Center. After the crowd dispersed, we chatted a little bit about the previous night’s interview and how the article came out. (Brassard said he doesn’t read but did receive some positive feedback on his end.)

After that, I said I had a couple more questions and wanted to ask him about why things never worked with Kessel.

“Oh, no,” Brassard said with a smile.

He never did answer the question. He pivoted to what I used above about the lines changing all the time.

12. We asked Rutherford a lot about Brassard, and he was always very honest with his answers.

In late December, Rutherford told me he thought Brassard “had more to offer” and it was close to decision time on whether or not he would remain the Penguins’ third-line center.

Last week I asked Brassard if he ever heard any of the GM’s criticism and whether he was OK with it.

Brassard said he had but that he didn’t have any problem with it because Rutherford said it to his face first.

“He has every right to criticize me,” Brassard said. “It’s his team. He’s the manager.”

I’ve tried to put myself in Brassard’s spot. I think I’d feel the exact same way … again, as long as Rutherford said it to me first.

13. One final nugget on the trade: Sullivan, not Rutherford, called Brassard and Sheahan to tell them they were traded.

Don’t know what to make of that. It’s honestly the first time I’ve heard such a thing mentioned; Brassard brought it up unprompted.

Hard to ascertain much more without context, but I do think it speaks to how involved Sullivan is in a lot of moves like this.

14. I spent some time in Florida chatting with Upper St. Clair native Vince Trocheck and J.T. Miller (Coraopolis) about the youth hockey teams they played on together along with Brandon Saad (Pine), Stephen Johns (Wampum) John Gibson (Whitehall) and others.

Miller had some fun with it last Saturday morning.

“There was this time,” Miller said, “when Vince had a turnover, and we lost to the Valley Junior Warriors. We were 12. Lost in overtime to Ottawa. It was the Bell Cup.

“Ask Vince about that.”

15. I didn’t, of course, since I had just come from South Florida and figured Trocheck probably didn’t need that text on the day of a game, but the insane amount of talent on those teams does amaze me.

“We didn’t know at the time,” Trocheck said, “but looking back, we had a pretty good squad.”

It was also small numbers-wise: just six forwards, four defensemen and a goalie, Miller said.

“We were, I think, fifth in the country,” Miller said. “We were really good. Plus, you never had to worry about ice time.”

16. Here’s something else Trocheck said that I really liked: They remain super competitive with each other.

Right now I think you could say Gibson is the best of the bunch, even though the Ducks are a mess. But not long ago Saad was a huge part of two Stanley Cup-winning teams, and last year Trocheck held the title with 31 goals and 75 points.

“We all grew up together,” Trocheck said. “We’re friends in the summer. We all hang out, work out together. It’s nice to see those guys doing well. But we’re definitely in a bit of a competition out there.”

17. This season has been a tough one for Trocheck, who broke his right ankle on a gruesome sequence back on Nov. 19. He returned on Jan. 18 and has five goals and 19 points in the 27 games that he’s played.

The injury was every bit as ugly as the one that Schultz endured, with Trocheck’s leg buckling underneath. But as nasty as I thought it was, Trocheck didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

“I’ve broken that leg before,” Trocheck said. “A little bit more severe this time. But I recovered from it. I’m just kind of looking forward now.”

18. One other leftover nugget from Florida: When Jared McCann was with the Panthers, he once shared a line with Jaromir Jagr.

McCann said that, without a doubt, it was one of the most intimidating things he’s done in the NHL.

“I was so nervous,” McCann said. “That was the main thing. He said to try and feed him the puck as much as possible. I tried to do that.

“Playing with a guy like that, it was incredible, something you’re going to be able to share with your kids.”

Man, I miss having Jagr in the NHL.

19. Stat of the week: 917

It’s too bad, huh? Had Crosby missed one more game in his career, Monday in Philly — when he had a goal and three points — would’ve been the night where he passed Mario Lemieux for the Penguins franchise mark.

So, so close.

20. Non-hockey thought of the week: Because colleague Matt Vensel covered Monday’s Flyers game, I spent Sunday visiting my mom in The Villages, Fla., and one of the things we did was go to the Orange Blossom Opry to see bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs.

If you are at all into that type of music or just enjoy terrific live performances, I can’t possibly recommend seeing Ricky Skaggs enough.

I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better musician/vocalist live, he was that good. Here’s a little clip. Hopefully it’s not too painful for anyone who dislikes this type of music:

Spending an extra day in Florida visiting my mom in The Villages. Seeing Ricky Skaggs, who is just incredible live:

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First Published February 12, 2019 8:00 AM

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blackrupee · 7 years ago

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Wow your life sounds complicated right now I'm sorry for that. So you aren't gonna have any managers what the fuck? And OH MY GOD I hate when people come in to eat so close to close!!!! ( I work @ zaxbys) if someone is acting passive aggressive I would act even more passive aggressive- make that bitch regret it- regarding the 2 guys: 2 guys is better than no guys:))) wish the first one didn't pressure you though. How did the 2nd one hurt you? - and I care so don't worry about boring me

hi hello would you like to read a novel on my life thanks i talk too much (tldrs at end)

nah like.. we had been managing with a general manager and 3 assistant managers even though we really need 4 so as not to overwork anyone. we recently hired a new one from a corporate arbys (we’re franchised) and two just quit. like i mentioned, theyre not coming back even though the original plan was that their new jobs would be only temporary (6 weeks). sooooo now we have a general manager who only works weekday day shifts, one assistant manager who is relatively new (she had been working at this place for a while but was promoted to manager 6ish months ago) and another who is brand new but still has some experience. they said theyre looking to promote from within initially, but they might have to hire outside people if no suitable potential manager is picked. id love to get manager pay and its not like managers do anything hard so id be WILLING to be a manager..like the whole reason why i got trained on backline was because we have such a big turnover rate with backline people since it fucking SUCKS and i was wanting to be helpful and flexible. so like. thats what i offerred. but one assistant manager was like “lmao all youd do is swear at the customers” and im like bitch when have i ever?? i talk shit about them all the time but ive only sworn IN FRONT OF a customer twice and neither time was it directed at them. but i mean im sitting on a small handful of customer complaints so its not like the gm would even consider me probably. idk dude. i can be nice if you pay me to be nice. but i get paid to do food and do it fast……….so

but yeah literallyyyyyyyyy i have no idea how people can be so??? inconsiderate???? and they dont??? care??? im learning that my contant frustration with people in my personal interactions is due to a disconnect between what i value in expectations and what actually happens. like. when i go somewhere i already KNOW what i want, so i say it quickly and competently. i preface a lot of my interactions with people im requesting food or services from with “i’m sorry but…”. i phrase things as “could i get” as opposed to “get me” or “i want” which sound HELLA rude tbh. id always have my money ready at the window or the register, im always trying to pay attention and not miss anything or just….be rude in any way bc i know fast food fucking sucks. i know some of the people i interact with probably hate their job as much as i do and i want to be the smallest burden i can be. and it seems like nearly no one else has these same values???? and i dont understand how people can just??? be? so? inconsiderate?

also yes bitch im the queen of passive aggression. literally the night before i was working a short shift and my friend was closing frontline and this bitch was closing drivethrough. i just got the okay to clock out and i was like “bye! have a beautiful night! just know that i love you so much and ive everything ive ever said has always been fake until this point! never meant anything ive ever said until now especially if your name starts with k or ends with ristin (drivethrough girl/the one whos being so difficult is named kristin) but just know that i love you!” and basically being really dramatic and extra as satire.

i guess for context the whole reason she decided to be mad at me was the other night when she was drunk and was like “do you even likeeeeeee meeee i feel like you hateeeee meeee wahh wahh wahhhh” even though im like…..yes bitch i enjoy your company? i joke/use hyperbole/satire/irony/whatever a lot but like occasionally id be like “ey yo you know its all jokes right u know i love u right” just to ensure that she knows but she fucking. ignores it all. i feel like she so desperately WANTS me to hate her and tbh i got fucking sick and tired of hearing her complain all the time about this shit! i fucking hate repeating myself! so sure. if you want me to hate you so fucking much there. i hate you. i fucking hate you so fucking much. like is that what you want to hear? is that validating? are you fucking happy?

its so fucking frustrating

but i will not be held accountable for her decision to be upset. because thats what it is. she wants to be upset, and she wants me to be responsible for it when its literally not my responsibility. i am absolutely not going to stand for this shit like i kind of want to say its emotional abuse lmaooo but im just so fucking sick of it.

everyone knows that i take chicken tenders and turnovers that would be thrown out at the end of the night and she was closing frontline yesterday and made a point to throw out the turnovers right next to me without asking if i wanted any/leaving any for me. i mean i completely expected her to be that petty of a bitch so it was kind of funny tbhonestly. also im p sure she unfollowed me here lmaoo

with regards to the guys and this paragraph could get a bit tmi/nsfw: yeah the first one kind of sucked but i feel like a little bit of the New Person Nerves have worn down so id do better if we were to hookup again. because like i totally would love to have fucked him but…..anxiety. he was hot tho. like 10/10 body and ass holy shit. plus he complimented me on my ass eating so (assuming that was genuine and not a vapid ego boost haha paranoia am i right) hopefully he comes back for seconds.

second guy ive had a longish history with. started talking to him at the beginning of last fall semester and we hooked up kinda regularly for about a month. things fell apart, we both understood that we wouldn’t be good dating wise but still enjoyed meaningless cuddles. whatever. it got to a point where he would only hit me up like once every month and a half or so and towards like january-ish he hits me up again. so im like nice cool lets chill. im getting ready for this but my phone is in the other room. while im doing this he drove by my place to pick me up (since he was on his way back from nashville), didnt get a response to an “im here” text (bc i was busy and tbh not expecting him to do that), and left. he lives within like walking distance tho so im like “?? sorry i was busy are you still out or should i walk over?“ and he texts me like “sorry hold up a thing just happened” and im like…….okay. so im just.. waiting around for him. periodically texting like “hey are we good for tonight and whats going on?” because like there was some drama with his friend? hes like.. apologizing and shit but this goes on for an hour. BUT. the ENTIRE time he’s dealing with this friend problem or whatever he’s literally on grindr. and at the end of this hour im like in full blown paranoia panic mode and i literally text him something mentioning this and he BLOCKS ME ON GRINDR so im like ??????!!!!??? and i text him (all while saying “not to be crazy or paranoid bc im probably coming off that way but like could i get an answer or something??”) AND HE LITERALLY SAYS HE DELETED HIS GRINDR. but thats a LIE because i have a secondary account to see like……if guys are still on grindr/if a thing with a guy might turn into something more like if i see he’s not on grindr as much?? thats prob incredibly stalkerish and probably really creepy but hey. thats me. so i KNOW he lied to me but i cant really say “hey ur a liar” without disclosing this weird creepy stalker part of me (funnily enough this isnt the first time a guy has lied to me and i caught it with my secondary account! so it proves to have some function use in the end. not totally crazy). so. yeah. that was the incident. after this i dont trust him at all, and i still dont, but i had it in my mind to like somehow get him to fall in love with me just so i could break his heart for doing this? never really worked out. so now im at the point where im like….eh he’s a piece of shit and i hate him but ill cuddle with him bc it feels good

back to nsfw/tmi: the sex was okay. he’s weird about people being near his like….dick and stuff because he was raped and i totally get it bc i was too but he was comfortable enough for me to finger him and my finger still hurts from where he clenched when he came lmaoooooo. was totally hot tho. and i got to east his ass so im like eyyyyyyyy. its been so long since ive eaten ass so having it two consecutive nights in a row has been cathartic.

tldr; we have 2 assisant managers and a gm rn. looking for more

tldr; bitch. same.

tldr; he’s a liar

#also anon ilusm i love the attention and you god bless

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glasscannonnetwork · 8 years ago

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Joe’s Curse: A Quick and Dirty Guide to Ruining Friendships Through GM’ing

A few weeks ago, while recording Cannon Fodder 30 with Troy, the seed of an idea was planted in my brain.

We were responding to a Listener Mail about the struggles of getting adults together to play RPGs, when we started talking about a large scale campaign; one where players and characters could breeze in and breeze out, but the campaign would always continue moving forward.

Long after Troy left I was turning this idea over and over in my head. Could it actually work? Would a listener try it? Was it absurd? For some reason, I couldn’t get the thought out of my head. The seed had been planted and the roots were...taking root. (I bet Matthew wishes he thought of that line)

I was thinking about actually doing this.

In the month before my daughter’s birth, I finished running a 4 year campaign of Council of Thieves. Though I didn’t know it at the time, I also hosted my last Wrath of the Righteous session in person in my apartment (the first session we ever did that wasn’t on Roll20...and it was the best). Six months later, my daughter is still alive and I’ve got the itch to get back into the GM chair.

GM’ing is hard, make no mistake. If you’re doing it well you are mostly invisible. If you’re doing it poorly, every minor error triggers a blaring alarm that won’t be silenced until you’ve apologized profusely and promised to give Arkath the Passive Aggressive back his 2 hit points. I know many players that have never expressed interest in crossing the threshold...it’s not an enviable position. If a game is really good, you’d rather be a player in it. If its really bad, you imagine that GM’ing it would be misery. So why do we GM? Troy played in one good campaign with me, and then seemed to retire as a player and only GM. Why? Because he’s a control freak? YES. But I digress. That’s not what this article is about. This is about practicing what you preach. We’ve had no shortage of advice to give everyone about GM’ing...as if we’re so great. Well it’s time to put your money where your mouth is, O’Brien. Somewhat literally as it turns out.

I realized that I missed GM’ing and wanted to get back in the groove. For Christmas, I asked for the new Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path hardcover book that Paizo released in October of 2016, and I got it...from my MOTHER-IN-LAW. Who the hell has a mother-in-law that buys them Adventure Paths? A guy that always rolls natty 20s...that’s who.

So, as I’m flipping though this gorgeous book I’m thinking, “Curse? Could it work for Curse? I mean...it’s in a large sprawling city. Maybe characters come in and out of the story in time with when players need to come in and out of the game.” Long story short...I decided to do it. So, here it is...my first post in what will hopefully be a series of posts about how this game goes. I guess I should start by explaining what I’m going to do.

The Game

The first thing I did was email my gaming groups: The players from Council that were left without a GM and hadn’t played in 6 months, the players from Wrath (a campaign that I was abandoning because I’m too weak to handle the Mythic and other rules that come into play in the AP), and of course the guys from the GCP. That made a total of 10 players...since some overlapped. Namely Skid. Skid is in every game I run or play and will be forevermore if I have anything to say about it. An AP for 10 players. Too ambitious? Maybe.

One thing that I’m doing to discourage overcrowding is charging for the game. This is the money part. In Manhattan, no one has a large enough room to fit a gaming table (at least no one I’ve ever met) and so I’ll be renting a rehearsal space and having the players chip in. On average, for one session per month, it’ll cost about $18 per person for a night of gaming. I thought that might thin the herd a little...nope...all 10 players eagerly agreed to try it out.

So the first thing that I’m doing is having a Session 0. I’m going to give a lecture on Korvosa and we’re going to make characters. 10 characters to be precise...knowing full well that there will never be more than 6 players in a session. So what happens to the other 4 players? That’s the risky part. Hopefully, like most games, it’ll be tough enough to get 6 players...let alone 10...and I don’t have to turn anyone away. But of course it will happen. I will have to send that tough email,”Sorry man, I know you can make it on Thursday, but we’re full...we’ll get you in next time.” Is it becoming clearer now? The title of this article? Yup...now you got it.

I’m close with these players, though, and I don’t expect too much drama...but you never know. RPGs make people crazy! You know this! I’m preparing for the worst.

Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that we never have scheduling conflicts. That it’s easy to get 5 or 6 out of 10 and we never have more than that clamoring to get in. Great. We’re through the worst of it, right? Hm. Perhaps you’ve forgotten about the three most important things to any player: XP, Gold, and LOOT.

How will I do loot distribution? What happens to the +2 Mithral Chain Shirt that better suits the character that isn’t there that night, but is found by the CN wizard? Sell it for cash?? Or the Belt of Incredible Dexterity +2 that’s awarded to the player that doesn’t show up for 3 months and the party loses out on the benefits of that item? I’ve got a neat idea for this problem, but won’t reveal it until I see it in action.

What about experience? The players that show up for a session are rewarded with XP, of course, but the ones that aren’t able to make it fall behind? What if they fall WAY behind? How will they be effective? Honestly...I don’t know.

What about gold? What if you help to rescue the kidnapped girl in Session 5, but are not present in Session 6 when the party returns her to her noble father and is rewarded with 2,000gp? Are you cut out of the reward? And what’s worse, what if you CAN make the session as a player, but I tell you you’re out? Who’s got two thumbs and is ready to ruin some friendships?

The Future

I’d like to write about this game and keep you guys in the loop about whether it’s working or not. The struggles I come up against, or the things that worked out better than I thought. I’ll need to talk a little about the campaign, obviously, but would love to avoid spoilers for as long as I can. And if I get too busy with work or family, a lot of these stories may need to migrate over to Cannon Fodder since I’m recording that anyway. The point is this...I think we stumbled upon a neat idea in Cannon Fodder 30. I don’t know if it’s, as my cousin Michael would say, “crazy or genius.” It’s right on the line, but I can’t be sure until I actually throw myself into the ring and get ready for the Flurry of Blows.

The first step is tonight. That’s right. TONIGHT. Session 0 is happening in a matter of hours and I’m out of my mind excited. I’ve been preparing since 1:15pm CT on December 25th when I cracked the cover of Curse of the Crimson Throne. Let’s see what sort of hell I’ve unleashed upon myself.

If I don’t return...tell my story...

-Joe

#paizo #pathfinder #glasscannonpodcast #curse of the crimson throne

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unclewoodstock · 8 years ago

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The Suplex Summary: 17/4/17

This week, we had the ring implode, a bizarre no.1 contender choice, and the sad passing of a superhero.

Raw

No time was wasted with Braun Strowman coming out too gloat about the savage beating he gave to Roman Reigns last week. GM Kurt Angle tried getting him to leave the building but Strowman was defiant in staying. As the night went on, Strowman showed his terrifying rage by battering jobbers backstage. He finally got the competition he wanted when eventually, Big Show stepped in stop Strowman’s rampage, making the main event set for the night.

Samoa Joe vs Chris Jericho

To get some retribution for being attacked by Joe backstage a few weeks ago, Jericho would go one on one with the Samoan Submission Machine. Seth Rollins was special guest commentator for the match, building for his match with Joe come Payback. Good match from these two, with Joe especially looking like a vicious killer. Joe powered out of the Walls Of Jericho and put on the Cobra Clutch for the tapout win. My only issue was I wish Jericho didn't tap but it's a nitpick for a fun match. With Joe looking good here and cutting a visceral sounding promo on Rollins, their match come Payback is one to look forward to.

Enzo & Cass vs Gallows & Anderson

The Club were meant to be fighting the Golden Truth, but an attack by Strowman put an end to that, not that I was too sad about it. Instead, Enzo & Cass came out to take on Gallows & Anderson. Standard tag match, with Anderson slamming Enzo into the turnbuckle ropes for the ring. Enzo & Cass still remain crazy over, but it would great to have them get some wins for once.

Miz TV with Dean Ambrose

Before Miz was barely able to speak, Ambrose came out to the ring. The Miz proceeds to berate Ambrose about not being a worthy looking superstar. It ended with Ambrose attacking the Miz as he gets away before the Dirty Deeds. Miz seems to be repeating this same plot, complaining about how he is overlook compared to other superstars. For me, it’s kinda getting a little old. It doesn’t help that we have already seen this feud back on Smackdown, I would rather be seeing these two doing other things.

Jack Gallagher vs TJ Perkins

Both Neville and Austin Aries were at ringside for this match. Pretty good match, with Perkins getting the win with the Detonation Kick. Perkins’ heel turn last week may have been a positive step for his character, but he got no response from the crowd which doesn't help. Pairing him with Neville may work in the long one, but right now Perkins just looks like a high school bully’s comedy sidekick.

No. 1 Contender Match for the Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs Alexa Bliss vs Mickie James vs Sasha Banks

The women’s division on Raw got a much needed shot in the arm last week, as the title seems very hotly contended once again. This was just an OK match, the four didn’t seem to gel well together. As imposing as she is, Nia Jax is still a little green. It will take a few more matches before she can pull of a convincing title run. Alexa Bliss got the win as she stole the pin from Jax as she lays out Banks with a Samoan Drop. Bliss winning was a little unexpected, but she will make a great villainous foe for Bayley. Especially as there is only a week to go before Payback.

Finn Balor vs Curt Hawkins/Wyatt’s Sermon of the Snakes

Both segments were back to back and are related so it makes sense to talk about them together. Balor won quickly over Hawkins, an easy match most likely to help him recover from his concussion last week. As for Wyatt, it dawned on me why his “scary” promos don’t do much for me anymore. They are way too overproduced. When Wyatt first debut, his first promo was so simple. It was him in a dark room with a chair in it. He delivered his lines like a pro and it was so effective. Now however, the camera flickers, there is spooky music, creepy imagery, it’s all just too much. Less is more WWE. Regardless, a Balor/Wyatt feud could be interesting clash of characters and gimmicks.

Cesaro vs Jeff Hardy

This match, both before and during the match, was being billed as a rare first as neither men had faced each other. The hype paid off to a degree as this was a pretty good match. Both men were very evenly matched throughout. Hardy would eventually get the upper hand, finishing off Cesaro with the Swanton Bomb. Both men and their ringside tag partners had a tense stand off before shaking hands after the match. With this subtle post match moment, added with constant fan speculation, we could be seeing the Broken Hardys hopefully very soon.

Braun Strowman vs Big Show

The first time these two had a singles match, they surpassed any expectations cynical fans would have had. Back then, they had a very good match, and this time was no different. Both men showed fair amounts of agility for men their size, Strowman even pulling off a nip-up which was amazing to see. The two traded blows and near-falls, before both men went to the turnbuckle. They had teased it throughout the match, but it finally happened. Strowman had Big Show on the turnbuckle, and with shakey legs, imploded the ring with a superplex! Regardless of the previous times it has happened, it is still an amazing spot to see, especially with the poor ref being hurled out of the ring in the process. The match was a No Contest but we ended the show with Strowman standing tall. This night, very deservedly, belonged to him. Smackdown

Smackdown, in comparison to Raw, was a much more underwhelming show. This included a moment that initially caused me to rage quit watching for half an hour.

The show began with Charlotte coming out, demanding a title shot as the best athlete in the women's division. Champion Naomi obliged, as the two exchanged blows. Shane McMahon announced that if Charlotte could beat Naomi, she would get her title match next week.

Six Pack Challenge. No.1 Contender Match for the WWE World Title: Sami Zayn vs Dolph Ziggler vs Luke Harper vs Erick Rowan vs Mojo Rawley vs Jinder Mahal

This was the rage quit moment for me so strap yourself in. To get the good out of the way, this was a very fun match. Lots of action and close near-falls kept the crowd and myself hooked. The quality of the match outshone the fact that this match was lacking in big names. Zayn and Harper to me, seemed like the only worthy contenders from the start. Rawley and Ziegler at a stretch. But the big moment came at the finale of the match. Zayn had the match won, when he was held back from delivering the Helluva Kick by the debuting Bollywood Boys. In the distraction, Mahal was able to slam Zayn and become the new No.1 contender.

The reasons for Mahal getting the push is due to WWE’s gaining market in India. A big Indian star would help garner more fans in the country. If that was the plan though, would it have killed WWE to not make Mahal such a jobber beforehand? I'm not much of a fan of Jinder Mahal anyway, but I'd be more accepting of him if he hadn't been losing 2-3 matches. To make it even more annoying, he cut an anti-American after the match. It's 2017, the “evil” foreign heel is teeth-grindingly outdated. As much as WWE likes to advertise itself as a global franchise, they still insist on this. Mahal now has a month to look like a rap contender for Randy Orton. NXT’s Bollywood Boys will help, but I doubt it will make the Payback main event an utter bore.

Charlotte vs Naomi

This match helped me get over the last match’s previous outcome, both looking solid in the process. Charlotte winning clean may be annoying for some, but it wasn't too bad for me. As Naomi tried for the Rearview, Charlotte countered with a dropkick, before getting the win. It makes for a better narrative for Naomi to be outmatched the first time, only for her game to be upped come the next encounter.

American Alpha vs The Colons

Plus side to this, the Shining Stars are gone. Now we have Primo and Epico announced simply as the Colons. With a remix theme and no more time shares, the Colons have become a legitimate team again. The problem is with American Alpha, the team has lost a lot of momentum. As the only face team on Smackdown, their loss here leaves the tag team division rather underwhelming until the New Day debuts.

Kevin Owens vs Local Jobber

We got the first of hopefully many “Face Of America” open challenges. Owens won in moments, and made the decision to commentate for the main event.

AJ Styles vs Baron Corbin

It feels like the belts are a little mixed up. The earlier 6 Pack Challenge match would make a bit more sense if it was contended for the US title instead. Instead, Smackdown’s main eventers are fighting over a secondary belt. While it elevates the US title, it leaves less big names for the main one. Regardless, both had a good match. AJ made Corbin look especially good, selling his hard hitting offense brilliantly. Corbin would get counted out, but it was due to a heavy blow by AJ over the barricade. A combination of Owens, AJ and Corbin is money for me.

This past week, Raw won for me. Strowman was made to look like a megastar, while Mahal felt like he could have been picked by throwing a dart at a board. Next week could easily swap around though.

RIP Matthew “Rosey” Anoa’i

This past week, we got the sad news of the death of Matthew Anoa’i, best known in WWE as Rosey. He was 47. Anoa’i is the real life brother of Roman Reigns, but got his start much earlier in 2002. He started as a tag team with his cousin Eddie Fatu, as the tag team 3 Minute Warning. Anoa’i would best be known for his gimmick as the comedic sidekick to superhero wrestler, the Hurricane. Him and Rosey would have success with the team, even winning the tag team titles before his release in 2006. My deepest condolences to all of his family and friends.

Be good to your loved one everyone.

Till next time

Nay

#WWE #Wrestling #Raw #Smackdown #Cartoon #Rosey #Matthey Anoa'i

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years ago

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A booth at Guerrilla Tacos | Colin Wolf We spent a month preparing to safely reopen our restaurant. Five hours after opening our doors, the state made us close again. This is Eater Voices, where chefs, restaurateurs, writers, and industry insiders share their perspectives about the food world, tackling a range of topics through the lens of personal experience. First-time writer? Don’t worry, we’ll pair you with an editor to make sure your piece hits the mark. If you want to write an Eater Voices essay, please send us a couple paragraphs explaining what you want to write about and why you are the person to write it to [email protected]. It is July 1, 2020, a little after 8:30 a.m. In just a few hours, we are finally going to reopen our dining room for the first time since lockdown orders went into effect in Los Angeles on March 16. Since Day One of the lockdown, we have innovated and adapted to keep the lights on in our taco restaurant, with a small takeout and delivery operation that employed 10 percent of our original staff. Now, I’m excited and nervous; these are uncertain times and we never know what’s coming next. At 8:36 a.m., I receive an email from the Independent Hospitality Coalition, a group of California hospitality industry workers that I belong to. “Hearing from our people that the governor is going to announce that restaurants in some counties (including LA) will be closing indoor dining rooms at his noon press conference today,” it says. I immediately grab my chefs and managers and tell them the news. There is silence for a while, during which I think about everything we did to get to this day to reopen. My stomach drops and I begin to rant. They never should have let us open, I say. We all knew this was going to happen. I text my good friend and mentor, Melissa, the director of operations at République. She tells me that she is hearing the same thing. République opened not long after restaurants were first told they could reopen on May 29, and even as one of the best-run restaurant operations in LA, it has been hard for them. People are not ready to eat out, and too many of those who are are not taking the masks and social distancing seriously. So I ask myself: Now what do we do? In the two weeks leading up to this morning, we did 32 full hours of training on new COVID-19 protocols and safety measures and the importance of taking the pandemic seriously. We updated our menu, purchased the PPE required for reopening safely, invested in training, redesigned the restaurant’s layout, and did construction to create more space and incorporate plexiglass dividers. I could see, even through their masks and face shields, that my staff was excited and comfortable about reopening, and to have jobs again. We were doing everything by the book and taking the time needed to do it right. We had hope! And now, this morning, we still have a restaurant to open. But all I can do is wait for the governor’s press conference, which is still 90 minutes away. At 10:45 a.m., our GM, Gretel, does the line-up as if nothing is wrong. Spirits are so high among our staff, and we don’t want to bring them down. But I can’t stop thinking about what’s going to come next. At 11 a.m., I go hide in my office. My partner, Dan, arrives at the restaurant to console me. The staff was so excited, and now I’m going to have to furlough them all again. I can’t take it, and I start crying. For the last four months, I’ve been on the verge of a mental breakdown, and now I think Dan is concerned that this will push me over the edge. When LA County told us that restaurants could reopen on May 29, I also heard the news from my friends in the Independent Hospitality Coalition. I didn’t believe them: There was no way we could reopen without any warning. Well, I was dead wrong — we were given the green light to reopen on the “honor system,” meaning that if we followed all of the county’s guidelines and safety rules, we could open that same night. Less than an hour after the announcement, I got a message from my landlord’s broker. “Congratulations on being able to reopen,” he said. My heart sank as my mind translated his message into: “Send the check when you can!” Shortly after, I was on a call with the Independent Hospitality Coalition. No one I spoke with was feeling ready to reopen. Our dining rooms had turned into dry storage, our staff was furloughed. But our members were already driving past restaurants that had reopened, hastily “complying” with the guidelines. How could anyone have done it safely in 24 hours? We knew this was a problem: With no lead-in time to prepare, restaurant operators were being rewarded for rushing to open, and their prize was making as much money as quickly as possible. I wanted to stay closed. However, as other restaurants began to open their dining rooms and people grew more eager to leave the house, our takeout business started to fall steeply. With our PPP funds drying up, I had to make the call to reopen as safely as humanly possible. As we began preparing, the team spent so much time thinking about our customers and our staff: How do we keep them safe? How do we behave as responsible members of our community? With no lead-in time to prepare, restaurant operators were being rewarded for rushing to open, and their prize was making as much money as quickly as possible. But even as we were holding ourselves to this standard, we had empathy for the operators who had just rolled the dice and said “fuck it” and decided to open. It is desperate times for restaurants, and many of us feel as though we have no choice: As operators, we work 12- to 14-hour days and typically haven’t been able to pool enough of our time or financial resources to be in the back pocket of the politicians making decisions. Now, as I wait for the governor’s announcement, I ask myself what’s changed since May 29. Back then, our county didn’t meet any of the state’s requirements for reopening. And we still don’t. I feel completely abandoned by our leaders, and like we’ve lost for trying to comply and be as safe and careful as possible. Recently, there was a bill in the California State Senate that really could have made a restaurant industry comeback possible during COVID-19: SB 939. It basically required landlords to enter rent renegotiations with tenants, and it would have given tenants and small businesses leverage to walk away without consequence if they couldn’t make it work. Members of the IHC, myself included, reached out to state senators, and many spoke with us. But when the bill reached the appropriations committee in late June, it was killed by real estate groups with money. Before the committee voted on the bill, we could not even get a Zoom meeting with state Sen. Anthony J. Portantino, its LA-based chair. We — the small businesses that employ almost half of California’s citizens and are on the ground trying to work with our landlords — mattered too little to him. When IHC contacted him after the bill died, he said he had no clue that landlords were not negotiating with tenants. We’ve since met with many politicians who have echoed the same sentiment: They truly believe that most landlords are working with tenants. In my experience, this is not the case. Our elected officials’ total lack of consideration for a whole industry is unforgivable; anyone who loves going to restaurants or grabbing a drink after work should be pissed. If I was feeling petty, I would suggest every restaurant refuse service to politicians. Instead, I’m focusing on the Restaurants Act, a new bill being proposed in the Senate in Washington D.C. that could save us; it would establish a $120 billion relief fund that would be used to provide grants to independent restaurants. My true hope is that we can mobilize the restaurant industry to get it passed. Enjoying good food is a bipartisan issue. As a woman of color, it feels wrong to be upset about this, given the systemic racist bullshit that is being protested around the country, and the basic equality and liberty that some of us are denied as its citizens. I am pulled back and forth between being upset as an operator and being upset as a non-Black person of color. At 12 p.m., I listen to the governor confirm the earlier rumors: Restaurants are closed again. Again, I ask myself, what do I do now? I am just out here trying to survive, trying to build generational wealth, trying to employ a great team of people. I am angry. As a woman, I am angry. As a small business owner, I am angry. As a non-Black person of color, I am angry. There is no winning for the little guys. We are under the boot of big business, politicians with price tags, and a system that has set us up to fail. Before the pandemic, it was easy to ignore these long-standing truths; I was busy and hustling. But now, it is impossible. And it’s one reason that Dina Samson, the co-owner of Rossoblu, and I, have been working on a project we tried to start before the pandemic: a guide to help educate our local leaders on how difficult it is to operate a restaurant in the city and how they can help. The pandemic has forced us to make time to do it. At 4 p.m., we close our dining room. After a month of planning, it was open for five hours. We’re back to where we were before May 29, but now with less funds, too much inventory, and the dashed hopes of 45 people. At 4:34 p.m., the chefs, managers, and I are sitting around a table. We’ve been here twice before: when the lockdown orders were announced in March, and when the dine-in orders were announced in May. We’ll adapt again. We always do. At 6:13 p.m., the managers call our employees to furlough them again. Brittney Valles is the longtime managing partner of Guerrilla Tacos, a restaurant in Los Angeles. from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3jAZKpk

http://easyfoodnetwork.blogspot.com/2020/07/on-day-we-reopened-our-restaurant-we.html

#EasyFoodNetwork #ComfortFoodRecipes #EasyRecipes #GoodFood #BestComfortFoodRecipes #TastyFoodv

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xpwewarchive · 4 years ago

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XPWEW Friday Night Pyro (6-5-2020)

Episode: 429 June 5th, 2020 The Barracks Los Angeles, California

Opening Segment: Ruckus and The Set come out and Ruckus cuts a classic braggadocios promo “Yes I hold the strap, Yes I am the champ but brother I am bad and they know I’m bad” ((Ruckus word for word cuts a Dusty Rhodes world champion promo from 1979 with those words) Ruckus: Boys I’ve got word that we now have our own satin jacket on pro wrestling tees dot com graphic on screen appears Kotto: Ooh that’s nice Myron: that’s hot, that’s hot that’s a hot piece Jordan: fye Ruckus: but I...

Alveno La Flare enters Ruckus: boys, it’s cool it’s cool, let him in the ring, Let young Alveno LaFlare In here that’s what’s up. Ruckus to Alveno: Alveno I know that Silver Bryce himself is your cousin but that don’t mean you can accept my acquisition . I am asking you, to try on this prototype jacket for The Set, go head try it on, this shit clean as fuck bro try it on.

Alveno tries on the jacket Ruckus: Do you wanna be in The Set Alveno? *crowd urges a muffled mixed reaction Alveno: Seeing I’ve been competing here on Pyro for several months, I’ve had some wins, I’ve had some losses Siaka: I know that’s right you 4-9 sksksksksk Alveno: Then YES I will join The Set, now the beef between you and Bryce is just that! It’s between YOU and Bryce, but If I can be a winner, then damn it I’m not gonna miss the chance to be a winner Ruckus: Ok ok ok I respect your tenacity now you gotta prove you a winner and beat a few losers, I done got GM Troy Clausen to SET this up earlier so let’s see what you got:

Garrett Thompson and Ethan Bedlam enter

M1: Alveno La Flare & Jordan Oliver defeat Garrett Thompson & Ethan Bedlam

After the match Golden Bryce storms down and asks Alveno, you just signed on with the devil, what’s wrong with you? The Set attacks Bryce from behind until Masato Tanaka comes down for the save, Tanaka and Bryce start fending off The Set noticeably as a well oiled machine and when they both clear the ring, Bryce teases like he’s gonna nail Masato Tanaka with the 6 rings but as Tanaka turns around slowly, he hesitated and stops what he almost contemplated, Tanaka notices this and slides backwards out of the ring and they share a cold stare as Tanaka walks backward up the ramp and Bryce tries to heal up before his LD7 rematch tonight, is there disintegration between Bryce and his mentor Tanaka?

Devils Playhouse ad

Backstage James Westerbeck asks Alveno La Flare “What made you join The Set tonight? Alveno responds If you can’t beat em I mean you gotta join em

Women’s Devil’s Playhouse Qualifying Match

M2: Doxy Deity defeats Rosemary with a roll up After the match: Priscilla comes down and hits Doxy with her title and cuts a scathing promo on her, I’m the dominant female of Xtreme and inside the Devil’s Playhouse I’m gonna feel right at home

Kiera Hogan runs in the ring and smashes a birthday cake in the face of the women’s champ Prisiclla Kelly who turned 23 today, Priscilla licks the icing

All Man and All Woman are looking are debating wedding fonts for the invitations with Romeo Roselli, Joe Gacy waltzes in and sits “cool guy” style spinning the chair around before popping a squat “All Woman, All Man sitting on a tree, K i s s i n g, first comes love then comes marriage then comes the death machines armed with perish.

All Man: that was really good up until the end you know that, my fiancé is going to beat Audrey Carbine tonight and next week, I would challenge you but I’m busy you know I got this wedding to plan and do, but so help me if you wanna ruin my moment I’ll drop you where you stand. Joe Gacy: Hey! It’s your wedding! It’s your funeral lol you know, you wanna have a wedding ceremony inside a pro wrestling ring....then accept the potential consequence. I’ll be there, but I’ll be there with a gift. I just came here to say you have nothing to worry about. Congratulations Gacy walks away

Men’s Devil’s Playhouse Qualifying Match M3: Kotto Brazil defeats The Marauder Simon Gotch (with Mandy Leon)

Kotto gets Gotch in a very good match as The Set now adds another member to the fray!

Inside the GM office of Troy Clausen is Simon Gotch and Mandy Leon busting through the door, Gotch: Mister Clausen at the rumble I eliminated you’re son and since then what have you done for me Troy: Well you lost the match Mandy Leon: We were promised titles Troy: Titles are earned Mandy, you know the tag titles are Intergender now maybe find some ring gear? Hmm!

Champagne enters Champagne: (to Troy) I’m noticing all the Set seemingly keeps getting these qualifiers for the playhouse Troy: And? Champagne: I think your in cahoots Troy: Oh is it not fair? Curtis? Is it not fair? You of all people? Former world champion??? Or so I’m told I mean I don’t remember your reign personally but I’ve heard once upon a time your were world champion so like a champion you should suck it up and move on, maybe a make a friend, get some help, your gonna need it

All Man joins commentary and winces at every “rough spot” because who doesn’t want All Woman to have too many bruises at the wedding next week

Street Fight M4: All Woman defeats Audrey Carbine with a roll up, Gacy comes down and gets All Woman in a powerbomb position

All Man crawls in to make the save but just gets on his knees pleading “Not before the wedding, don’t, dont, Audrey Carbine grabs the mic: You get your little wedding but at the devils playhouse we get our titles and we get to pick the stipulation All man: fine fine Gacy just drops All Woman kinda lightly and Death Machines walk up the ramp, Romeo Roselli passes by them and check on All Woman who gets up quick, she’s fine and the tag champs look strong as they tie the knot next week

Leonard McGraw enters

Jake Awesome enters

XPWEW International Title on the line! M5: Jake Awesome defeats Leonard McGraw after a very back and forth match with many close calls, after the match Referee Kevin Madrox replays the footage where it looked like Leonard got his arm up before the 3 count, Awesome ignores the footage “He lost, he lost, you can’t challenge the play it’s pro wrestling”

Leonard “get back here you big sum bitch, Troy Clausen if you’re watching, I deserve a god damn rematch”

Crowd cheers for McGraw (he’s BIG over)

Guest referee Masato Tanaka enters

Golden Bryce enters

Ruckus enters with Jordan Oliver, Myron Reed, Kotto Brazil, Siaka Lexoni, Chrissy Rivera and the newest member of The Set: he joined at the beginning of the show one Alveno La Flare who is actually the blood cousin of Golden Bryce

Lockdown 7 Rematch 1 on 1 XPWEW World Heavyweight Title on the line!

If Golden Bryce loses he can no longer challenge for the XPWEW World Title for as long as the current reign of Ruckus lasts

Special Guest Referee: Masato Tanaka

Ruckus defeats Golden Bryce

Bryce starts complaining saying Masato did a fast count, kinda true it was a little on the fast side but the match had many 2 count close calls anyway

5 STAR MATCH! After the match: The Set celebrates as until Alveno La Flare dropkicks everyone with a flurry of kicks and lastly Ruckus is left he runs with the titles trying to hit Alveno, Alveno does a split, avoids the shot and hits Ruckus with his own finisher: The Bankroll (huge pop for that)

Alveno holds up the world title and says “Fuck the set” I wanna be champion

Siaka grabs the mic : Boy you! Ruckus snatched mic from Lexoni: You sneaky nigga, You scary nigga you done fucked up but that’s ok, that’s ok blood, you wanna fuck with me, you wanna fuck with The Set? Remember that casket I came out of and put your cousin in at the biggest event of year a few weeks ago? Yeah? You do? Well how bout this! I’ll defend my title against You Alveno! In a casket match, and I’ll stomp you out and bury that lil career you tryna spark nigga, end Yo shit

Alveno: I accept!!!!

Show ends

#XPWEW #Ruckus #The Set #Golden Bryce #Friday Night Pyro

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