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emblem-333 · 6 years ago

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In Retrospect, Henry Clay and the Election of 1844

Clay’s final dance happened in 1844. The formation of the Whigs’ party, while his creation, did not want to nominate a two-time loser in Clay. In 1836 they ran multiple native-son candidates in a futile attempt to throw the election to the House of Representatives and cut a deal. Interesting men, William Henry Harrison (OH), Hugh Lawson White (TN), Daniel Webster (MA), and William P. Magnum (NC). The Whigs would have been better served running somebody from Pennsylvania Harrison fell just a little over two-percent short of the grand plan succeeding. Four-years later, 1840 the Whigs re-ran Harrison over Clay and fellow general Winfield Scott.

1844 proved to be one of the most crucial in the history of the young United States. Outgoing President John Tyler, formally of the Democratic Party switched allegiances to the opposition Whigs after falling out with the all mighty Andrew Jackson. Disowned not only by the Democrats, Tyler had little support amongst his new allies. Initially the irrelevant running mate on the Whig ticket of the 1840 election of general William Henry Harrison. This sentiment even came across through the campaign’s slogan “Tippacanoe... and Tyler Too.”

Harrison won the election, unseating Jackson’s handpick successor Martin Van Buren. The Whigs rode Jackson’s anti-bank policies directly responsible for the Panic of 1837 to not only the White House, but also gaining control of the House and Senate. The Whigs were the majority entering 1841, poised to reshape America away from the Jacksonian mold and into one of economic centralized strength.

Party leader, Kentucky senator Henry Clay held bitterness towards Harrison and the Whigs he played a role in birthing. Clay had ran for president twice before, losing in 1824, coming in fourth, and in 1832 to Jackson in a landslide. Seen as the candidate of big business, Clay did little to inspire support elsewhere besides industrial hubs in the northeast, Clay wasn’t seen as a formidable candidate even in those territories. Losing New York and Pennsylvania in 1832 to Jackson.

Clay ran for the nomination in 1840 and lead significantly over Harrison and fellow general Winfield Scott after five ballots. Ultimately, party leaders eager to stop Clay managed to combine Harrison and Scott’s delegates together and cinch the nomination for the 68-year-old Harrison.

The Whigs chose Harrison over Scott primarily for the formers’ lack of history in politics, never holding a formal opinion on any issue prior to his nomination. Scott held anti-slavery sentiments and risked alienating southern Whigs. The Whigs were a big tent party. Disorganized to a fault, the only thing they could agree on was they collectively despised Jackson and rebuked his presidency. Some Whigs, like Hugh Lawson White, were more conservative supporting much of Jackson’s policies, even the controversial Indian Removal Act of 1832. Others, such as New Jersey senator Theodore Frelinghuysen spoke passionately against the bill. Speaking on the senate floor for six-hours decrying it in the name of his Christian religion. His party’s nominee, however Harrison, earned his nickname “Tippecanoe” solely because of his victory at the Battle of Tippecanoe in the War of 1812, over Tecumseh’s Confederacy, an alliance of Native American tribes in the Great Lakes reign of the United States.

Still, the Whigs, despite their disunity on a great many issues overcame it all to defeat Van Buren. The Golden Age of the Whigs’ Party seemed immanent. Harrison had promised during his inaugural address to reestablish the bank of the United States, curtail his executive power, which Whigs have felt Jackson overused, and abide by the laws enacted by Congress. Much of this is what Clay had hoped to do as president, including instituting paper money as the national currency, Harrison also expressed a willingness to accomplish. Coming around to the idea that being the puppet master to Harrison was the second best thing to actually being president, Clay was eager to enact his “American System.”

Unfortunately, Harrison grew ill and died just 30-days into his presidency. His successor, the aforementioned Tyler, wasn’t even a Whig, vetoed the creation of a third national bank and infrastructural projects. This angered those in his party, Tyler spent the bulk of his presidency earning the cold shoulder from both sides. A new candidate was to be put forth for 1844, a crucial, if not more so than the election of 1840, as their party leader Clay took up the mantle and aspired for the office that’s alluded him his entire 67-year life numerous times before.

Inside the party, Whigs hoped to run against the unpopular Tyler, but he hadn’t curried any favor from the Democrats. Their second best case scenario was Van Buren. The Democrats didn’t have much of a farm system after losing in 1840 and it looked likely the party would trot out a retread. Then, Dark Horse candidate James K. Polk appeared and with the backing of the mythical Jackson secured the nomination and the race was on. The fresh face of Polk, a proud Jackson disciple versus one of his sworn, long time enemies. For it was Clay in 1824, while not victorious in his election bid, as Speaker of the House maneuvered votes around to give the presidency to John Quincy Adams. Even after Jackson won handily in the popular vote and elector college, it was Adams who strolled into the Oval Office thanks to Clay.

Clay had already paid a steep price for crossing Jackson. Was he to pay an additional charge for conducting what became known as “The Corrupt Bargain,” which ended the “Era of Good Feelings,” brought the rise of the Democratic Party and the tyrant Jackson to dominate the country from 1829 to 1845? Clay could only hope not.

While Polk bolstered a almost jovial embrace of Manifest Destiny, wrapped up in his catchy “54-40 or Fight” motto, in contrast Clay’s slogan for his campaign read like a sneer “Who is James K. Polk?” brought laughs among those already in Clay’s support. Many were enamored with Polk and felt he was the one to succeed Jackson as the protector of the lowly, white farmer. Despite his policies directly leading to the Panic of 1837, many at the time did not blame Jackson for the economic strife, rather his successor. Van Buren intended to get involved and deliver aide to the downtrodden people after the crash occurred, but Jackson urged his protégée to remain firm and let his plan work itself out. It didn’t. And Van Buren’s presidency was sunk just months into it beginning.

Clay lost a great many legislative battles against Jackson and would suffer from defeat at the hands of Tyler. Tyler’s laissez-faire approach did not jive with Clay’s hands on approach to the government.

For Clay, his campaign was about to be centered upon domestic issues. He spoke little about the issue of slavery, the growing push to expand the practice in new territories, and kept the issue of Texas annexation on the back burners. Even as the Liberty Party’s nominee, James G. Birney, am abolitionist surged in the polls in states like New York, Massachusetts and Illinois, Clay did not elect to take a definitive stance on either annexation or the expansion of slavery.

But what-if he did and the people liked it?

Quite a bit, actually. No annexation of Texas through the bloody Mexican-American War. Sweeping under the rug the Compromise of 1850 which strengthened the Fugitive Slave Laws and further agitated the north. Expansion would be halted, the U.S eventually would reach the pacific but through complicated land deals.

How William McKinley desperately tried to avoid conflict with the Spanish in the prelude of the Spanish-America War in Cuba, exhausting every available alternative to fighting a war that’ll only ruin the delicate balance between the two regions. Clay wasn’t as territory hungry as Polk, who seriously considered pushing further into Mexico before stopping after Texas.

You don’t get Texas, you don’t get California and you don’t get Oregon until later, pushing the American Civil War further down the road.

If Clay wins re-election his presidency wouldn’t go down as anything other than the cheery on top of an already impressive sundae. However, if Democratic challenger Lewis Cass manages to unseat Clay then all that transpired under Polk does with Cass - only Taylor isn’t around as he likely to still buy the farm in 1850.

It wasn’t until the election of Abraham Lincoln did the executive branch commit such a power grab after Jackson left the scene. The presidency didn’t have the powers it currently enjoys today. The states and the lower houses were far more important, the president merely acted as an overseer of progress.

Henry Clay did far more as a representative of Kentucky than he could have possibly done as President. Quite possibly, the greatest gift Clay could have given to his party and their voters is the survival of the Whigs’ Party and the prevention of the disastrous presidencies of Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan.

#free coinage of silver #Henry Clay #james k polk #bank war #panic of 1837 #whigs party

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losbella · 4 years ago

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blackkudos · 7 years ago

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Michael Strahan

Michael Anthony Strahan (born November 21, 1971) is a media personality and former American football defensive end who spent his entire 15-year career with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). Strahan set a record for the most sacks in a season in 2001, and helped the Giants win Super Bowl XLII over the New England Patriots in his final season in 2007. After retiring from the NFL, Strahan became a media personality. He is currently a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and has also served as co-host on the syndicated morning talk show Live! with Kelly and Michael with co-host Kelly Ripa from 2012 to 2016, where he was a two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner. In 2014, he became a regular contributor on the ABC morning television show Good Morning America, and in 2016 the network announced that Strahan would be leaving Live! to join GMA on a full-time basis. He starred in and produced the short-lived Fox sitcom Brothers and appeared as host for Pros vs. Joes alongside fellow Fox football analyst Jay Glazer. On February 1, 2014, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As of 2016, he is the host of the ABC game show The $100,000 Pyramid.

Early life

Strahan was born in Houston, Texas. The youngest of six children, he is the son of Louise (Traylor) Strahan, a basketball coach, and Gene Willie Strahan, a retired Army Major and a boxer with a 1–1 record against future heavyweight Ken Norton. He is the nephew of retired professional football player Arthur Strahan. Gene was a major in the U.S. Army, and when Michael was 9, the family moved to an army post - BFV (Benjamin Franklin Village) - in Mannheim, West Germany. Although Strahan did not begin to play high school football at Westbury High School (Houston, Texas) until his senior year, he did play organized football while attending school at MAHS (Mannheim American High School) a US Department of Defense Dependent High School, in Käfertal (Mannheim), Germany, playing linebacker for the Mannheim Redskins in 1985. The summer before Strahan's senior year of high school, his father sent him to live with his uncle Art (a former NFL defensive lineman) in Houston so he could attend Westbury High School. Strahan played one season of football, which was enough for him to get a scholarship offer from Texas Southern University. He then flew back to Germany for the spring term, where he graduated from Mannheim Christian.

College career

Strahan followed in the footsteps of his uncle Art, who also played defensive end at Texas Southern University. Strahan was so dominant he drew double teams, and TSU coaches dubbed Strahan double teaming "Strahan rules." By his junior season, Strahan began to turn himself into an NFL prospect. As a senior with the Texas Southern Tigers, Strahan was selected All-America first team by The Poor Man's Guide to the NFL Draft, The Sheridan Network, Edd Hayes Black College Sports Report and the Associated Press. He recorded 62 tackles with a school-record 19 quarterback sacks and 32 tackles totaling 142 yards in losses. He was also selected Division I-AA Defensive Player of the Year by The Poor Man's Guide and Edd Hayes Black College Sports Report. In 1992, he was named First Team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference and the SWAC's Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He was also named Black College Defensive Player of the Year. As a junior in 1991, Strahan led the SWAC with 14.5 quarterback sacks. His 41.5 career sacks is a Texas Southern record.

Awards and honors

Associated Press first-team college-division All-American (1992)

Edd Hayes' Black College Sports All-American (1992)

NFL Single-Season Sack Record (22.5) (2001)

AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2001)

NFC Defensive Player of the Year (2001 & 2003)

NFL 2000s All-Decade Team

Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2014)

Professional career

Early career

Strahan was drafted by the New York Giants in 1993. He played in only 9 games due to injuries, and missed the Giants' two playoff games that season. After a few unremarkable seasons, Strahan had a breakout season in 1997, recording 14 sacks. He was voted into his first Pro Bowl and was also named First Team All-Pro by the Associated Press. In 1998, Strahan continued his success, racking up 15 sacks and being voted into his second Pro-Bowl and All-Pro team.

Middle career

Strahan was a member of the 2000 Giants and participated in their playoff run to Super Bowl XXXV. Despite coming off a strong NFC Championship Game, where the Giants defeated the Minnesota Vikings 41–0, the Baltimore Ravens proved too strong for the Giants and they were handily defeated by a score of 34–7. In 2002, Michael Strahan and the Giants negotiated on a new contract. He said the team failed to negotiate after he turned down its first contract proposal. He accused the front office of not trying to be competitive in 2002. Four days later, running back Tiki Barber ripped him for being selfish and greedy. The two had a heated phone conversation that night, and Strahan said they no longer speak. It also surfaced in the spring that the Giants explored trading Strahan, after which he suggested that management had orchestrated the contract flap to make him look bad. The team denied that.

Few defensive ends in the NFL were more dominant than Strahan from 1997 to 2005. He was named the 2001 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and was a two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Year (in 2001 and 2003). Throughout the greater part of the 2004 season, Strahan was injured with a torn pectoral muscle, which limited him to only 4 sacks. He rebounded in 2005, returning to the Pro Bowl, with his protégé, Osi Umenyiora as the two combined for 26 sacks while anchoring the Giants' defense. Strahan was considered by many coaches, peers, and experts as the standard, and best at his position during the prime of his career (1997-2005). He was also regarded as one of if not the best defensive end ever at defending the run which made people and peers view him as a complete defensive end.

Later career

It seemed as though Strahan would retire after the 2006 season when he did not report to Giants training camp and missed the entire preseason, but the 14-year veteran opted to return for one final year. On October 23, 2006, with a sack of Drew Bledsoe in a Monday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Strahan tied Lawrence Taylor for the Giants franchise record for most career sacks with 132½. It was the last sack Strahan would get that season, as two weeks later he suffered a Lisfranc fracture against the Houston Texans and would miss the remainder of the season and the playoffs.

His 15th and final season proved to be the Giants' best record since 1990. On September 30, 2007, he sacked Donovan McNabb from the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, increasing his career total to 133.5, setting a new franchise record. This total does not include 9½ sacks accrued by Taylor in his rookie season of 1981, the year before sacks became an official NFL statistic. On Sunday February 3, 2008, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Strahan had 2 tackles and 1 sack in Super Bowl XLII, in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in NFL history. Bolstered by a strong defense and unrelenting pass rush, the Giants went on to win the game 17-14, over the then-undefeated 18-0 New England Patriots, giving Strahan his first Super Bowl win as an NFL starter. His saying was "Stomp you out!"

On June 9, 2008, Strahan retired from the NFL. He told Jay Glazer of Foxsports.com "It's time, I'm done."

Strahan retired with a 2007 Super Bowl Title (his last game), 141.5 career sacks (5th all-time when he retired), 854 career tackles, 4 career interceptions, 24 forced fumbles and 3 career touchdowns in 200 games over a 15-year career (through 2007 season). He was also named to the Pro Bowl roster seven times.

On February 2, 2013, Strahan failed to get voted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame. 2013 was his first year of eligibility.

Super Bowl XLVIII, played in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was dedicated to Strahan upon his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. Strahan performed the ceremonial coin toss, accompanied by the other members of that year's PFHOF class. Strahan also commented on the trophy presentation for Fox, since Terry Bradshaw (who had commented on the trophy presentations for Fox's previous Super Bowl broadcasts) was mourning the death of his father. On November 3, 2014, he was presented his Hall of Fame ring at halftime of the New York Giants-Indianapolis Colts game by the Giants. In attendance were 100 former Giants players as well as former teammates of Strahan's.

Strahan's 2001 record-breaking sack

In the 2001 season, Strahan set the NFL record for sacks in a single season with 22.5, the highest tally since it was made an official statistic in 1982, breaking New York Jets' Mark Gastineau's total of 22. In the final game of the season on January 6, 2002, with Strahan coming free, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre slid down and Strahan fell on top of Favre for an easy sack. After the play, during the ensuing celebration, many of the Giants' defensive players patted Favre on the helmet. At least one observer accused Favre of deliberately falling to ensure that Strahan would get the record. However, Packers right tackle Mark Tauscher claimed it was just a bad play and "we wanted to avoid that sack." New York Times columnist Mike Freeman wrote, "Yes, Mr. Favre, Strahan deserves the record, but please, handing it to him the way you did, as if you were throwing change into a Salvation Army bucket, is the kind of mistake Favre may never live down."

NFL statistics

Source:

In media

Strahan was the host of the home improvement program Backyard Stadiums on DIY Network, where he and a team of contractors and gardeners lay out sports courses and goals in backyards.

On June 24, 2008, it was announced that Strahan would be joining the Fox NFL Sunday pregame show, alongside Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnson.

In September 2008, Strahan starred in VIP Like Me, a web series for Snickers.

Strahan stars in award-winning commercial series for Vaseline Men

Strahan alongside Oakland Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck, formerly of the New York Giants, also appears in Subway's 5 Dollar Foot Long commercials.

Strahan did a commercial for CA technologies for their new product Total Defense r12.

In 2015, Strahan authored and released a motivational book entitled Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life.

Live! with Kelly and Michael

(2012–2016)

On October 1, 2010, Strahan co-hosted Live! with Regis and Kelly with Kelly Ripa for the first time when Regis Philbin was absent for that show. Philbin left in November 2011, leaving an empty spot. After twenty guest appearances over two years, Strahan was selected as Kelly Ripa's new co-host on September 4, 2012, marking his first official day on the rechristened syndicated talk show, Live! with Kelly and Michael. Ratings instantly surged, impressively generating year-over-year time slot gains across all key demographics, towering over its nearest competition, the fourth hour of NBC's Today Show, by 87 percent. On April 19, 2016, ABC announced that Strahan would be leaving Live! with Kelly and Michael to begin working full-time on Good Morning America. Strahan won a Daytime Emmy twice for "Outstanding Talk Show Host" during his tenure with the show.

The $100,000 Pyramid

In 2016, ABC announced that Strahan would be hosting a summer revival of The $100,000 Pyramid, which would air on Sunday nights along with the Steve Harvey-hosted Celebrity Family Feud and the Alec Baldwin-hosted Match Game as part of a "Sunday Fun & Games" lineup. Strahan is on record as saying that the Pyramid was one of his favorite game shows growing up. The $100,000 Pyramidpremiered on Sunday, June 26 at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT and has been the highest-rated program of the three game shows in the Fun & Games block.

Collection by Michael Strahan

On September 8, 2015, Michael Strahan launched a men's clothing line exclusively through J. C. Penney. Included in this men's line are suits, collared shirts, belts, ties, cufflinks, suspenders, and other accessories. Strahan described the clothing line as being both stylish and affordable.

Personal life

Strahan graduated from Texas Southern University in 1993. His uncle, Arthur Strahan, played defensive lineman for the Houston Oilers (1965) and Atlanta Falcons (1968).

He was married to his first wife, Wanda Hutchins, in Germany until 1996. They have a daughter, Tanita Strahan (b. 1992), and son, Michael Anthony Strahan, Jr. (b. 1995). Strahan moved them to the U.S. and purchased a $163,000 house in the same Houston neighborhood in which his parents reside.

In 1999, he married Jean Muggli after meeting at a spa. They have twin daughters, Sophia and Isabella Strahan (b. 2004). They divorced acrimoniously in 2006. In January, 2007 Judge James B. Convery awarded Muggli $15 million in a divorce settlement in addition to $18,000 monthly child support. In her testimony, Muggli claimed that their (at the time 20-month-old) daughters liked "to be accessorized", and that "Isabella doesn't like to leave the house without a purse" and that the children's preferences justified her spending $22,500 on photo shoots, $27,000 on clothing, and $1,700 for sign language classes. With this being more than half of his $22 million in assets, Strahan appealed. In March 2007, the court ordered the Montclair, New Jersey mansion to be auctioned and the sales money split evenly with Jean; the house is valued at $3.6 million.

In August 2009, Strahan became engaged to Nicole Mitchell, Eddie Murphy's ex-wife; however, in 2014, the two broke off their engagement due to busy schedules.

In June 2011, Strahan filmed a commercial supporting legalizing same-sex marriage in New York.

He resides on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

In April 2016, Kayla Quick was reported to be Strahan's girlfriend.

Philanthropy

In 2002, he had a multimillion-dollar restoration and renovation done on Georgian Heights, a home built in 1906 at 99 Lloyd Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey, a red brick house with a carriage house and greenhouse that he bought in 2000 for $1.3 million. Before moving in he allowed the Junior League of Montclair-Newark to use his house as a model home for its Montclair Junior League show house charity fundraiser. From May 28–31, the League decorated the mansion, had a 'bare bones' party and a black-tie affair; they also held $25 tours to fund Junior League programs called Children At Risk and HomeCorp. Children At Risk aids children and families and HomeCorp is a housing agency that helps low income people achieve home ownership.

"Basically, we're redoing our house to let strangers walk through it for a month," Strahan said. "It's a month-long fundraiser. They'll come in and decorate, paint the walls. They'll hang the curtains, bring in furniture, light fixtures. None of it will be ours. When they're done, if we want something, we get it at cost."

In February 2008, Strahan and Giants teammate Justin Tuck teamed up with Nike to design their own exclusive pair of sneakers for ID studio in New York City. All proceeds of the sneakers were donated to Nike's Let Me Play global campaign.

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theconservativebrief · 6 years ago

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One or two elections might decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the House of Representatives in 2019, so the singularly bizarre forgery scandal that is ensnaring one GOP campaign could easily have national consequences.

In Virginia’s Second Congressional District, Republican Rep. Scott Taylor’s campaign is facing allegations that his staffers helped forge the signatures that gave an independent candidate the support she needed to get on the ballot in November. This week, a judge decided to remove the independent candidate from the ballot because of the forgeries.

So the gambit didn’t work. But the Virginia story is far from over — and it’s far from the only Republican scandal that could tip the scales in the 2018 midterm elections.

In New York, Rep. Chris Collins has been indicted for insider trading. In California, Rep. Duncan Hunter is also facing charges for allegedly using his campaign’s cash to pay for a lavish personal lifestyle. In Iowa, Rep. Rod Blum is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over his role in an internet company whose work is directly related to the federal government.

The scandals will loom large through the fall: The Cook Political Report has said all four races with implicated incumbent Republicans should now be more competitive for Democrats. Democrats hold a slight edge — but by no means a lock — on retaking the House. The peculiarities of each individual campaign and whether they swing any seat a little more toward one party matter a lot in the final months of the campaigns.

Democrats need to win 24 House seats to retake the chamber, and they already wanted to make corruption in Trump’s Washington a campaign theme. Four Republicans under investigation for various misuses of their office and campaigns could very well end up being the difference between a Republican and Democratic House.

What’s the scandal? Taylor campaign staffers have been accused of submitting forged signatures for dozens of voters — including those of four dead people, as the Virginian-Pilot reported — to get independent candidate Shaun Brown on the ballot in November.

Brown, who ran against Taylor in 2016 as a Democrat, has said she didn’t know the Republican campaign had been collecting signatures on her behalf. The apparent goal of keeping Brown on the ballot would have been to split the Democratic vote between Brown and this year’s Democratic candidate, Elaine Luria. (Brown has her own legal troubles to worry about, as she is already under legal scrutiny for allegedly taking money from a school nutrition program targeted at low-income kids.)

According to the Virginian-Pilot, which attempted to contact hundreds of people whose signatures appeared on the forms to put Brown on the ballot, 59 people said that they had not signed the forms and therefore their signatures were fraudulent; several other signatures, including one of an 83-year-old man who died in 2016, were of deceased people.

Taylor has been subpoenaed to testify about what he knew about the scheme, Roll Call reported this week. He has said he was aware that his staffers had been collecting signatures for Brown, but claimed it was because they believe she had been “disenfranchised” by the Democratic Party.

A criminal investigation is ongoing. The Washington Post reported a state police investigator attended this week’s court hearing.

What does the race look like? Taylor was always going to have a tough race against Luria, and the forgery scandal will only make it more difficult. The Cook Political Report moved the Virginia Second from Lean Republican to Toss-Up after Brown was taken off the ballot this week.

“Taylor is still a relatively undefined freshman, and the ‘dirty tricks’ that have dominated news of the race for the past few weeks could help Democrats chip away at his image as a squeaky-clean Navy SEAL,” Cook’s Dave Wasserman wrote.

Luria is a former US Navy commander who now runs an art studio. She has earned the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue imprimatur, which means the national party thinks she’s shown she can be a credible candidate.

In 2016, though Taylor won handily, Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the Virginia Second by just 3 points. It’s a pretty diverse district too: 68 percent white, 20 percent black, 5 percent Asian, 5 percent Latino. Cook rates the district R+3, which means all else being equal, it is 3 points more Republican than the country as a whole.

Taylor is an incumbent, but he is hardly an entrenched one. The left-leaning Public Policy Polling found Luria trailing by just 6 points in an April poll.

What’s the scandal? Collins was arrested by the FBI in early August, alongside his son and the father of his son’s fiancée on insider trading charges.

Collins was charged over his connection to the Australian biotech company Innate Immunotherapeutics. As the company’s largest shareholder, he allegedly shared private insider information with his son Cameron Collins, who then passed on information to his fiancee’s father, Stephen Zarsky. According to the indictment, inside knowledge of a failed drug trial allowed Zarsky to avoid nearly $800,000 in investment losses.

The federal indictment charges Collins, his son, and Zarsky with 13 counts of wire fraud, securities fraud, and making false statements to the FBI. Collins’s lawyers said the lawmaker would be “vindicated.” Collins, his son, and Zarsky all pleaded not guilty.

“Collins, who, by virtue of his office, helps write the laws of this country, acted as if the law did not apply to him,” US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said at a news conference.

While Berman made clear that this arrest is not related to Collins’s position as an elected official, his ties to this Australian biotech firm haven’t been just a family affair.

Last October, the Office of Congressional Ethics reported that it found “substantial reason to believe” Collins was using his position in Congress to personally benefit the company and solicit investors. GOP lawmakers told reporters that Collins has urged his colleagues to invest in the company on the House floor. A number of Republican members of Congress, including Texas Reps. John Culberson and Mike Conaway, are also investors in the company.

What does the race look like? Collins suspended his reelection bid after his arrest.

“Democrats are laser-focused on taking back the House, electing Nancy Pelosi speaker, and then launching impeachment proceedings against President Trump,” Collins said in his announcement. “They would like nothing more than to elect an ‘Impeach Trump’ Democrat in this District, which is something that neither our country or my party can afford.”

But New York state election law has made it difficult for Republicans to officially remove him from the ballot and name a replacement. Experts believe the issue may need to be resolved in court, as the Buffalo News reported.

State Republicans are also still trying to find a replacement candidate, worried that naming a state senator could jeopardize their one-seat majority in the state legislature.

The Democratic candidate is Nathan McMurray, who is the Grand Island town supervisor. Before Collins’s arrest, McMurray hadn’t shown much prowess as a candidate — in fundraising or otherwise. But now as the only sure candidate on the ballot, he may have a chance.

The New York 27th is R+11 and is now rated Likely Republican, after previously being Solid Republican, by Cook.

What’s the scandal? The FBI has been investigating Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and his wife, Margaret Hunter, for more than a year, with a grand jury questioning former aides, lobbyists, and family members. In late August, a 47-page indictment outlined a family that was spending beyond its means and illegally using campaign funds to support an expensive lifestyle.

“Throughout the relevant period, the Hunters spent substantially more than they earned,” the indictment reads, citing more than 1,000 bank overdraft fees in a seven-year time span and the family repeatedly maxing out credit cards. At the center of the indictment is Hunter’s wife, whom the lawmaker installed as his paid campaign manager because the family “needed the extra money,” the indictment states.

The misuse of campaign funds extends to the purchase of video games; more than $25,000 in family vacations to Italy, Hawaii, Las Vegas, London, and other destinations; more than $15,000 in airline tickets for the family, friends, and the pet rabbit; food and alcohol; holiday gifts; and more, concealing purchases as miscellaneous expenses or campaign activities or even reporting them as fraudulent. For example, the indictment reads:

The Hunters bought personal clothing at a golf course “so that the purchase could be falsely reported to the Treasurer as ‘balls for the wounded warriors.’”

The family would disguise purchasing video games by falsely telling their bank that the purchases were “fraudulent charges” — reporting that to the Federal Election Commission and the public.

Hunter and his wife used campaign funds to by items as small as “a ring pop” from Target, as well as Pittsburgh Steelers tickets, tickets to see the play How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and family groceries, which they would say were campaign-related.

Hunter’s office has chalked up some of these expenses as mistakes, and Hunter has maintained his innocence. According to a report in Politico from February, Hunter sold his home and moved his wife and kids to pay back some of the improper campaign fund uses. He, for the most part, lives in his Capitol Hill office.

Hunter has long been dogged by serious legal and ethics scandals. He’s known as the “vaping” Congress member who has been accused of having multiple inappropriate extramarital relationships with women (five of which are anonymously referenced in the indictment), drinking on the job, and other unprofessional conduct, all of which his office has denied.

When put in front of a judge, Hunter largely blamed his wife for the alleged illicit spending.

What does the race look like? In November, Hunter will face Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, who worked in Obama’s Department of Labor and who has consistently out-fundraised him, in the California 50th District.

Campa-Najjar has received more than $1 million in campaign donations, while Hunter has logged about $850,000.

Since the scandal broke, Cook changed the district’s rating from Solid Republican to a much more competitive Lean Republican. Most recently, an internal Democratic poll showed Hunter and Campa-Najjar tied at 46 percent. Covering most of San Diego County, this is an R+11 suburban district.

Hunter’s Republican colleagues were reportedly encouraging him to drop his reelection bid a long time ago. But even if he did at this point, his name will remain on the ballot in California unless a judge orders otherwise, and Republicans will be unable to nominate another candidate.

A former Obama aide and US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Department of Labor employee, Campa-Najjar — whose parents are Mexican and Middle Eastern — supports fixing Obamacare, working toward Medicare-for-all, and passing a clean DREAM Act. He’s also one of several candidates who are not taking any corporate or PAC donations in 2018.

What’s the scandal? Blum failed to disclose his role as the CEO of a company called Tin Moon Corp., which the Associated Press reported in February was a violation of the House’s ethics rules.

Tin Moon Corp., according to the AP, promised that it could “help companies cited for federal food and drug safety violations bury their Food and Drug Administration warning letters below positive internet search results.” Blum’s chief of staff also appeared in what seemed to be a false testimonial, posing as one of the company’s satisfied customers, the AP investigation found.

Blum initially told the AP that his failure to disclose his role with Tin Moon was an oversight and said that it was “not a functioning company” in 2016 — though the AP also found that during that very same year, a YouTube account with Blum’s name had uploaded a testimonial for the company.

More recently, the House Ethics Committee announced it was expanding its investigation into Blum, as CNN reported. Blum’s case was referred to the committee by the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics.

Blum reiterated in a statement that he had made a “clerical error” in his disclosure forms; he also accused the “radical left” of waging a “crusade of personal destruction” against him, according to Roll Call.

What does the race look like? The Iowa First, which Blum has represented since 2015, was always going to be competitive, but since the ethics scandal broke, Cook has slid it from Toss-Up to the Lean Democratic column. Blum is a member of the archconservative House Freedom Caucus, but his district is actually D+1. It voted for Trump by less than 4 points in 2016, and Blum won it by 7 points.

State Rep. Abby Finkenauer, who is 29, is Blum’s Democratic opponent. She received the support of the DCCC in her primary, as well as national groups like Emily’s List and NARAL Pro-Choice America. She has also raised slightly more money than Blum so far.

Some much-too-early polling found Finkenauer leading Blum by a point or two even before the scandal news took off. Blum is already facing attacks from Democratic groups over the ethics scandal as well as his vote for the House’s Obamacare repeal bill.

It takes a lot for Cook to give the non-incumbent the edge in any House race. So the forecaster’s decision to rate the Iowa First as Lean Democratic is a strong indicator of how tough the road will be for Blum from here.

Earlier this summer, congressional Democrats unveiled one of their major campaign messages for 2018: They’re telling voters they will actually “drain the swamp.”

The platform is reminiscent of a message Democrats campaigned on in 2006, a midterm election year that also came after historic Republican corruption scandals and resulted in Democratic control in the House and Senate and a majority of governorships.

The platform polls well with Democratic voters. A July poll from the progressive Center for American Progress found that 54 percent of voters across 48 Republican-held congressional districts said the GOP was “more corrupt” than Democrats; 46 percent said Democrats were more corrupt.

With a number of high-profile corruption scandals implicating House Republicans unfolding in the final months of the election year, Democrats are banking on this message to bring them sweeping electoral wins once again. So far, Republicans in Congress have been happy to oblige.

Original Source -> The 4 House GOP scandals that could tip the 2018 midterms, explained

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

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investmart007 · 7 years ago

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LAS VEGAS | The Latest: New Jersey's Taylor Hall wins Hart Trophy as MVP

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LAS VEGAS | The Latest: New Jersey's Taylor Hall wins Hart Trophy as MVP

LAS VEGAS — The Latest on NHL awards show at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (all times local):

7:15 p.m.

New Jersey forward Taylor Hall has won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player.

Hall beat out Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon in a contest between three first-time finalists for the award.

Hall finished sixth in the league with 93 points for the Devils. He is the first New Jersey player to win the Hart.

Hall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft, likely got the nod over two worthy contenders because of the way he carried the Devils offensively while they reached the playoffs for the first time in five years. He scored 41 more points than rookie Nico Hischier, the Devils’ second-leading scorer.

___

6:52 p.m.

George McPhee has been named the NHL’s general manager of the year in the fourth trophy given to the Vegas Golden Knights at the NHL Awards.

Exactly one year after his remarkable performance in the expansion draft, McPhee was a no-brainer choice for the award after his masterful assembly of the most successful debut team in recent sports history.

The Golden Knights went 51-24-7 and won the Pacific Division before reaching the Stanley Cup Final, setting innumerable records along the way for first-year success.

McPhee beat out Winnipeg’s Kevin Cheveldayoff and Tampa Bay’s Steve Yzerman for the award.

McPhee joins coach Gerard Gallant, Lady Byng winner William Karlsson and Mark Messier Leadership Award winner Deryk Engelland with trophies from the annual show in the Golden Knights’ hometown.

___

6:40 p.m.

Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne has won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie.

The 35-year-old Finn won his position’s top honor for the first time, beating out Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Rinne was a Vezina finalist for the fourth time. He finally got it after a standout regular season for the Presidents’ Trophy winners in Nashville, where he has been a stalwart in goal since 2008.

Rinne went 42-13-4 with eight shutouts, a 2.31 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage for the Predators. He also earned his 300th career victory on Feb. 22.

Rinne struggled along with his teammates in the postseason, but voters didn’t hold it against him.

___

6:18 p.m.

Gerard Gallant of the Vegas Golden Knights has won the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL’s top coach.

Gallant was an obvious choice over Colorado’s Jared Bednar and Boston’s Bruce Cassidy after he masterminded the most spectacular expansion season in recent sports history. The Golden Knights went 51-24-7 and handily won the Pacific Division before winning 13 postseason games and reaching the Stanley Cup Final in their first playoff campaign.

The 54-year-old Gallant was named the Golden Knights’ first coach in April 2017, and the veteran NHL coach provided steady leadership while turning Vegas’ expansion roster into a cohesive, motivated team. Gallant’s players praised his steady, intelligent approach to the postseason, which ended in a five-game loss to the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals.

Gallant previously coached in Columbus and Florida, but his teams had never won a playoff round before Vegas’ remarkable run.

___

6:10 p.m.

Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar has won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward.

Kopitar won the trophy for the second time in three years, beating out perennial candidate and four-time winner Patrice Bergeron of Boston, along with Philadelphia’s Sean Couturier.

Kopitar led all NHL forwards in ice time during another standout season for the Kings, who were the NHL’s top statistical defensive team. The Slovenian star played extensively on the penalty kill and took 1,816 faceoffs.

Kopitar was a finalist for the Selke for the fourth time in five seasons. Bergeron has been a finalist in seven straight seasons, passing Pavel Datsyuk’s NHL record.

Kopitar is also a finalist for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP.

___

5:56 p.m.

New Jersey’s Brian Boyle has won the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey.

The other finalists were Florida’s Roberto Luongo and Carolina’s Jordan Staal.

The 33-year-old Boyle was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia during training camp, but he made it back into the Devils’ lineup in November and eventually represented New Jersey at the All-Star game after teammate Taylor Hall couldn’t go because of injury.

Boyle put together an outstanding season even while his 2-year-old son, Declan, also had significant health problems.

___

5:47 p.m.

Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson has won the Lady Byng Trophy as the player best combining sportsmanship and ability.

After Columbus made a deal with Vegas to take Karlsson off its hands in the expansion draft, the talented Swede had a breakthrough season for the expansion Golden Knights, racking up 43 goals and 35 assists with only 12 penalty minutes. Karlsson had never scored more than 25 points in any of his three previous NHL seasons with Anaheim and the Blue Jackets.

“Who would have thought?” Karlsson said with a smile after picking up his award.

Karlsson’s trophy is the first individual player honor earned by the Golden Knights. Coach Gerard Gallant, general manager George McPhee and defenseman Deryk Engelland are also up for awards later in the ceremony in the Knights’ hometown.

___

5:39 p.m.

New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal has won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie, beating out Vancouver’s Brock Boeser and Arizona’s Clayton Keller.

The 21-year-old Barzal became an immediate star while scoring 85 points in 82 games for the Islanders in his first full NHL season. The 16th overall pick in the 2015 draft scored 20 points more than any other rookie, racking up 22 goals and 63 assists while centering the Islanders’ second line and providing a formidable one-two punch behind star John Tavares.

Among his many superlatives, Barzal became the first rookie in NHL history to post at least three five-point games since Montreal’s Joe Malone did it way back in 1917-18 — the NHL’s inaugural season.

Barzal is the Isles’ fifth winner of the Calder Trophy, joining a trio of Hall of Famers — Denis Potvin (1974), Bryan Trottier (1976), Mike Bossy (1978) — and Bryan Berard (1997).

___

5:29 p.m.

A few trophies awarded in Las Vegas carried no suspense because they were earned based on statistical achievements in the regular season.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin won his seventh Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal-scorer, and Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick won the Jennings Trophy for the second time as the goalie for the team allowing the NHL’s fewest goals.

Edmonton forward Connor McDavid is not a Hart Trophy finalist after winning the award last season as the NHL’s most valuable player, but he already won his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the league’s scoring champion. McDavid also got the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s most outstanding player chosen by the players’ union members.

___

5:25 p.m.

Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman has won his first Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman.

The imposing Swede beat out finalists P.K. Subban of Nashville and Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty, who won it last season. Hedman got 94 first-place votes to 52 for Doughty.

Hedman scored 17 goals and racked up a plus-32 rating in another dominant season for the Lightning. While his 63 points were down from last season, he set a career high while playing nearly 26 minutes per game.

___

5:15 p.m.

Connor McDavid has won the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL players union’s choice as the league’s most outstanding player.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar beat out Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and New Jersey’s Taylor Hall for the first award of the night at the NHL’s annual postseason gala award show in Las Vegas.

McDavid won the award for the second straight year. He also won the Hart Trophy in 2017 as the NHL’s most valuable player — but he isn’t a finalist for the Hart this season, with Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar taking the third spot alongside MacKinnon and Hall as the finalists.

The 21-year-old McDavid led the NHL in scoring for his second consecutive season, earning the Art Ross Trophy with 108 points.

___

5:07 p.m.

The NHL is handing out its postseason awards in its annual gala show from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The show will close with the awarding of the Hart Trophy for the NHL’s most valuable player. The finalists in the wide-open race are Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar, New Jersey forward Taylor Hall and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon.

By Associated Press

___

#Las Vegas #New Jersey Taylor Hall #TodayNews #wins Hart Trophy as MVP

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dragnews · 7 years ago

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Major League Baseball roundup: Cole dominates, Astros top A

Gerrit Cole pitched his third straight overpowering game, while teammates Max Stassi and Derek Fisher stunned Daniel Mengden with back-to-back, two-strike home runs with two outs in the seventh inning Wednesday afternoon, sending the visiting Houston Astros to a 4-1 win over the Oakland Athletics and a sweep of their three-game series.

May 8, 2018; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Astros right fielder George Springer (4) hits a two run double during the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Cole (4-1), a California native who never previously pitched in Oakland, struck out nine in six innings to run his total to 37 in his last three starts covering 21 2/3 innings. He allowed one run, which put the Astros in a 1-0 hole in the bottom of the sixth.

A one-out single by Matt Joyce and RBI double by Jed Lowrie provided the game’s first scoring. The Astros, who completed a 4-2 trip, bounced right back against Mengden, who had shut out Houston on four hits before allowing the two homers.

Yankees 9, Red Sox 6

Brett Gardner hit a go-ahead, two-run triple, and Aaron Judge followed with a mammoth two-run homer with one out in the eighth inning as host New York pulled out a victory over Boston.

Gardner began the night with a .198 average but capped his first three-hit game of the year by lifting Craig Kimbrel’s 96 mph fastball soaring over center fielder Mookie Betts’ head to give the Yankees a 7-6 lead.

Judge and Gardner each scored three runs, and Judge drove in three. Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run double for New York. Mitch Mosreland, Andrew Benintendi and Hanley Ramirez homered for the Red Sox.

Padres 2, Nationals 1

Matt Szczur doubled home Manuel Margot to break a seventh-inning tie, giving host San Diego a victory over Washington, preventing the Nationals from sweeping the three-game series.

Margot singled for his third hit of the game opening the seventh against Trevor Gott (0-2). Margot immediately stole second and moved to third when catcher Matt Wieters’ throw bounced into center field. One out later, Szczur, who was hitting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season, lined an RBI double to left-center.

Craig Stammen (1-0) got the win after throwing two scoreless innings in relief, and Brad Hand picked up his 10th save.

Phillies 11, Giants 3

Nick Pivetta pitched five shutout innings, Maikel Franco homered, and Philadelphia handily defeated visiting San Francisco.

Pivetta allowed only four hits while striking out seven and walking none.

Carlos Santana had three hits and a career-high-tying five RBIs while Franco added three hits as the Phillies won for the third straight time in a series that ends Thursday.

Dodgers 6, Diamondbacks 3

Chris Taylor reached base in his first four trips to the plate as Los Angeles proved to be opportunistic, scoring twice on wild pitches in a victory over visiting Arizona.

The Dodgers didn’t collect a hit until the fourth inning, when Taylor singled, and didn’t need a hit at all to bring home any of their first four runs. Their only RBI hit in the game was Chase Utley’s two-run double in the eighth inning.

Los Angeles scored on wild pitches in the fourth and sixth innings, added another run on a Kyle Farmer sacrifice fly in the sixth and one when Taylor was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth. Taylor also walked twice.

May 4, 2018; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Blue Jays 5, Mariners 2

Yangervis Solarte and Justin Smoak had RBI doubles to key a four-run, eighth-inning rally, and Toronto came back to defeat visiting Seattle.

Teoscar Hernandez had three hits, including a home run, for the Blue Jays, who were no-hit Tuesday by Mariners left-hander James Paxton.

With Seattle ahead 2-1 entering the eighth, Josh Donaldson led off with a double against Mariners reliever Juan Nicasio (1-1). The Blue Jays then got RBI doubles from Solarte and Smoak.

Orioles 5, Royals 3

Mark Trumbo’s two-run single in the eighth inning allowed Baltimore to snap a seven-game losing streak with a victory over visiting Kansas City.

Chris Davis accounted for the Orioles’ other three runs with a fourth-inning home run.

Richard Bleier (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win, and Brad Brach escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the ninth for his fourth save.

Braves 5, Rays 2

Julio Teheran pitched seven scoreless innings, and Atlanta beat Tampa Bay to sweep a two-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Teheran (3-1) allowed only four hits and did not walk a batter for the first time in eight starts. He struck out seven in his first career appearance against Tampa Bay. Teheran has not allowed a run in his past two starts, a stretch of 13 innings.

Arodys Vizciano pitched around a single to work a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out one and earned his sixth save in seven tries.

Angels 8, Rockies 0

Justin Upton homered for the second time in two days, and Zack Cozart and Rene Rivera also hit home runs as Los Angeles snapped host Colorado’s six-game winning streak.

It was the Angels’ sixth win in their last eight games, as four pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts. The early offense backed rookie right-hander Jaime Barria (3-1), who worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.

Justin Anderson, Jose Alvarez and Akeel Morris completed the eight-hit shutout. Upton finished with three hits while Mike Trout and Cozart had two apiece.

Pirates 6, White Sox 5

Slideshow (5 Images)

Pittsburgh overcame a four-run deficit for the second day in a row to beat host Chicago and earn a sweep of the two-game series.

The Pirates trailed 5-2 entering the ninth but scored four runs against reliever Nate Jones (2-1) on Elias Diaz’s two-run double and Colin Moran’s two-run homer, his third, to right-center.

Pittsburgh reliever Richard Rodriguez (1-1) pitched the eighth, giving up a run but still earning his first major league win. Felipe Vazquez pitched a perfect ninth to pick up his seventh save in as many opportunities.

Cubs 13, Marlins 4

Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell homered as part of an eight-run third inning, and Chicago defeated visiting Miami. Rizzo finished 3-for-5 with five RBIs.

Russell went 3-for-3 with two walks as the Cubs swept the three-game series. That broke a Marlins streak of having won four consecutive series before arriving in Chicago.

Jose Quintana (4-2) earned the win, allowing five hits, two walks and one run in six innings. Chicago’s Kris Bryant hit a milestone homer — No. 100 for his career. The line-drive solo shot to left came on the three-year anniversary of his first major league home run.

Reds 2, Mets 1 (10 innings)

Adam Duvall homered leading off the bottom of the 10th inning as Cincinnati earned its first home series win of the season by edging visiting New York, which continues to struggle.

Duvall hit the fourth pitch he saw from AJ Ramos (1-2) well into the left field seats for his first career walk-off homer. The shot made a winner out of Rafael Iglesias (1-0), who tossed two perfect innings.

The Reds won the final two games against the Mets to win their first series at home since they swept the Pittsburgh Pirates last Sept. 15-17. The Mets lost for the 16th time in 23 games on an afternoon “highlighted” by a first inning in which a double by Asdrubal Cabrera was nullified because he batted out of order.

Indians 6, Brewers 2

Carlos Carrasco dominated on the mound with a season-high 14 strikeouts, and Tyler Naquin and Francisco Lindor each homered to help visiting Cleveland snap a four-game slide with a win against Milwaukee.

Carrasco (5-1) went the distance for his 10th career complete game and second this season. He allowed five hits and walked only one. He struck out the side in the third and fourth inning and induced inning-ending double plays in the second and sixth.

Naquin delivered the big blast in the fourth inning, hammering a 3-2 slider from Milwaukee starter Junior Guerra over the center field wall for a three-run shot that gave the Indians a 4-0 lead. It was Naquin’s second home run of the season.

Rangers 5, Tigers 4 (10 innings)

Nomar Mazara hit two solo homers, including the game-winner to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning, to give host Texas a win over Detroit. The Tigers were playing without five regulars due to injuries or rest. That group included right fielder and cleanup hitter Nicholas Castellanos, who was scratched due to knee soreness.

Mazara ripped a 1-0 pitch over the right field wall off Warwick Saupold (1-1) to allow Texas to take the series 2-1. Mazara has 10 homers this season and seven in his last nine games.

Delino DeShields walked four times and scored twice while Adrian Beltre drove in two runs for the Rangers. Keone Kela (3-2) pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts to notch the win.

—Field Level Media

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newestbalance · 7 years ago

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Major League Baseball roundup: Cole dominates, Astros top A

Yankees 9, Red Sox 6

Brett Gardner hit a go-ahead, two-run triple, and Aaron Judge followed with a mammoth two-run homer with one out in the eighth inning as host New York pulled out a victory over Boston.

Judge and Gardner each scored three runs, and Judge drove in three. Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run double for New York. Mitch Mosreland, Andrew Benintendi and Hanley Ramirez homered for the Red Sox.

Padres 2, Nationals 1

Matt Szczur doubled home Manuel Margot to break a seventh-inning tie, giving host San Diego a victory over Washington, preventing the Nationals from sweeping the three-game series.

Craig Stammen (1-0) got the win after throwing two scoreless innings in relief, and Brad Hand picked up his 10th save.

Phillies 11, Giants 3

Nick Pivetta pitched five shutout innings, Maikel Franco homered, and Philadelphia handily defeated visiting San Francisco.

Pivetta allowed only four hits while striking out seven and walking none.

Carlos Santana had three hits and a career-high-tying five RBIs while Franco added three hits as the Phillies won for the third straight time in a series that ends Thursday.

Dodgers 6, Diamondbacks 3

Chris Taylor reached base in his first four trips to the plate as Los Angeles proved to be opportunistic, scoring twice on wild pitches in a victory over visiting Arizona.

Blue Jays 5, Mariners 2

Yangervis Solarte and Justin Smoak had RBI doubles to key a four-run, eighth-inning rally, and Toronto came back to defeat visiting Seattle.

Teoscar Hernandez had three hits, including a home run, for the Blue Jays, who were no-hit Tuesday by Mariners left-hander James Paxton.

With Seattle ahead 2-1 entering the eighth, Josh Donaldson led off with a double against Mariners reliever Juan Nicasio (1-1). The Blue Jays then got RBI doubles from Solarte and Smoak.

Orioles 5, Royals 3

Mark Trumbo’s two-run single in the eighth inning allowed Baltimore to snap a seven-game losing streak with a victory over visiting Kansas City.

Chris Davis accounted for the Orioles’ other three runs with a fourth-inning home run.

Richard Bleier (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win, and Brad Brach escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the ninth for his fourth save.

Braves 5, Rays 2

Julio Teheran pitched seven scoreless innings, and Atlanta beat Tampa Bay to sweep a two-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Arodys Vizciano pitched around a single to work a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out one and earned his sixth save in seven tries.

Angels 8, Rockies 0

Justin Upton homered for the second time in two days, and Zack Cozart and Rene Rivera also hit home runs as Los Angeles snapped host Colorado’s six-game winning streak.

Justin Anderson, Jose Alvarez and Akeel Morris completed the eight-hit shutout. Upton finished with three hits while Mike Trout and Cozart had two apiece.

Pirates 6, White Sox 5

Slideshow (5 Images)

Pittsburgh overcame a four-run deficit for the second day in a row to beat host Chicago and earn a sweep of the two-game series.

The Pirates trailed 5-2 entering the ninth but scored four runs against reliever Nate Jones (2-1) on Elias Diaz’s two-run double and Colin Moran’s two-run homer, his third, to right-center.

Cubs 13, Marlins 4

Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell homered as part of an eight-run third inning, and Chicago defeated visiting Miami. Rizzo finished 3-for-5 with five RBIs.

Russell went 3-for-3 with two walks as the Cubs swept the three-game series. That broke a Marlins streak of having won four consecutive series before arriving in Chicago.

Reds 2, Mets 1 (10 innings)

Adam Duvall homered leading off the bottom of the 10th inning as Cincinnati earned its first home series win of the season by edging visiting New York, which continues to struggle.

Indians 6, Brewers 2

Rangers 5, Tigers 4 (10 innings)

Mazara ripped a 1-0 pitch over the right field wall off Warwick Saupold (1-1) to allow Texas to take the series 2-1. Mazara has 10 homers this season and seven in his last nine games.

Delino DeShields walked four times and scored twice while Adrian Beltre drove in two runs for the Rangers. Keone Kela (3-2) pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts to notch the win.

—Field Level Media

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cleopatrarps · 7 years ago

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Major League Baseball roundup: Cole dominates, Astros top A

Yankees 9, Red Sox 6

Brett Gardner hit a go-ahead, two-run triple, and Aaron Judge followed with a mammoth two-run homer with one out in the eighth inning as host New York pulled out a victory over Boston.

Judge and Gardner each scored three runs, and Judge drove in three. Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run double for New York. Mitch Mosreland, Andrew Benintendi and Hanley Ramirez homered for the Red Sox.

Padres 2, Nationals 1

Matt Szczur doubled home Manuel Margot to break a seventh-inning tie, giving host San Diego a victory over Washington, preventing the Nationals from sweeping the three-game series.

Craig Stammen (1-0) got the win after throwing two scoreless innings in relief, and Brad Hand picked up his 10th save.

Phillies 11, Giants 3

Nick Pivetta pitched five shutout innings, Maikel Franco homered, and Philadelphia handily defeated visiting San Francisco.

Pivetta allowed only four hits while striking out seven and walking none.

Carlos Santana had three hits and a career-high-tying five RBIs while Franco added three hits as the Phillies won for the third straight time in a series that ends Thursday.

Dodgers 6, Diamondbacks 3

Chris Taylor reached base in his first four trips to the plate as Los Angeles proved to be opportunistic, scoring twice on wild pitches in a victory over visiting Arizona.

Blue Jays 5, Mariners 2

Yangervis Solarte and Justin Smoak had RBI doubles to key a four-run, eighth-inning rally, and Toronto came back to defeat visiting Seattle.

Teoscar Hernandez had three hits, including a home run, for the Blue Jays, who were no-hit Tuesday by Mariners left-hander James Paxton.

With Seattle ahead 2-1 entering the eighth, Josh Donaldson led off with a double against Mariners reliever Juan Nicasio (1-1). The Blue Jays then got RBI doubles from Solarte and Smoak.

Orioles 5, Royals 3

Mark Trumbo’s two-run single in the eighth inning allowed Baltimore to snap a seven-game losing streak with a victory over visiting Kansas City.

Chris Davis accounted for the Orioles’ other three runs with a fourth-inning home run.

Richard Bleier (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win, and Brad Brach escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the ninth for his fourth save.

Braves 5, Rays 2

Julio Teheran pitched seven scoreless innings, and Atlanta beat Tampa Bay to sweep a two-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Arodys Vizciano pitched around a single to work a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out one and earned his sixth save in seven tries.

Angels 8, Rockies 0

Justin Upton homered for the second time in two days, and Zack Cozart and Rene Rivera also hit home runs as Los Angeles snapped host Colorado’s six-game winning streak.

Justin Anderson, Jose Alvarez and Akeel Morris completed the eight-hit shutout. Upton finished with three hits while Mike Trout and Cozart had two apiece.

Pirates 6, White Sox 5

Slideshow (5 Images)

Pittsburgh overcame a four-run deficit for the second day in a row to beat host Chicago and earn a sweep of the two-game series.

The Pirates trailed 5-2 entering the ninth but scored four runs against reliever Nate Jones (2-1) on Elias Diaz’s two-run double and Colin Moran’s two-run homer, his third, to right-center.

Cubs 13, Marlins 4

Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell homered as part of an eight-run third inning, and Chicago defeated visiting Miami. Rizzo finished 3-for-5 with five RBIs.

Russell went 3-for-3 with two walks as the Cubs swept the three-game series. That broke a Marlins streak of having won four consecutive series before arriving in Chicago.

Reds 2, Mets 1 (10 innings)

Adam Duvall homered leading off the bottom of the 10th inning as Cincinnati earned its first home series win of the season by edging visiting New York, which continues to struggle.

Indians 6, Brewers 2

Rangers 5, Tigers 4 (10 innings)

Mazara ripped a 1-0 pitch over the right field wall off Warwick Saupold (1-1) to allow Texas to take the series 2-1. Mazara has 10 homers this season and seven in his last nine games.

Delino DeShields walked four times and scored twice while Adrian Beltre drove in two runs for the Rangers. Keone Kela (3-2) pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts to notch the win.

—Field Level Media

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junker-town · 7 years ago

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Georgia fans, don’t be nervous. You’re gonna beat Florida.

The Dawgs should beat Florida handily, even if it’s annually hard to be confident about the Cocktail Party..

The Georgia Bulldogs are better than the Florida Gators. Both on paper and on the field in both teams’ first two months of play, the Dawgs have outclassed the Gators every week.

But there’s a level of shookness throughout the Georgia fanbase when it comes to this game. There could be one second left on the clock, and Georgia could be in the victory formation, and some Dawgs fans would still be just a slight bit worried that the Gators would get them again.

To explain this is to explain the psychology of the rivalry.

Georgia has beaten Florida six times since 1990, three of which came from 2011-2013. The Dawgs enter this game as two-touchdown favorites. On a larger scale, this has proved to be the most unpredictable major rivalry in all of college football.

As just one example, the last time they were close to being this favored entering the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail party, this happened in a 38-20 UF win back in 2014:

Florida was able to run the ball pretty much all day against the Bulldogs, carrying the ball 59 times for a staggering 424 yards and five touchdowns. Kelvin Taylor (25 carries, 197 yards, two touchdowns) and Matt Jones (25 carries, 192 yards, two touchdowns) led the way for the Gators, while quarterback Treon Harris completed three of his six pass attempts for 27 yards. The Gators' last win with less than 10 pass attempts came in 1977 vs. Utah, per the CBS broadcast.

That’s part of the reason why speaking to most any Georgia fan will get you cautious optimism at best about this year’s Cocktail Party. There’s a Stockholm Syndrome that Dawgs fans have to exorcise, and a dominant victory over the hated Gators this season just might do the trick.

Besides butterflies, there should be no cause for Dawgs fans to be worried.

These are the opponent-adjusted ranks for both teams in Bill Connelly’s advanced stat profiles.

Here’s Georgia’s:

Football Study Hall stat profile

And here’s Florida’s:

Football Study Hall stat profile

If styles make fights, Georgia’s defense vs. Florida’s offense is a cruiserweight vs. a heavyweight. UGA is No. 3 in total defense by yards-per-game; UF is No. 102 in total offense by yards-per-game. Georgia’s defense has allowed opponents 10 TDs this season, while Florida has only scored 18.

The Dawgs’ D is fast and fierce, while Florida’s O sputters more often than it doesn’t. The Dawgs are lightning quick particularly laterally where they’re really tough to beat with screens and sweeps. That’s largely how Florida has attempted to attack teams this season.

It’s splitting hairs at best, but when looking for any advantage: Georgia has shown they’re a bit susceptible in the vertical passing game. Only 18 teams have given up more passing plays of over 20 yards. Can the Gators exploit that? Probably not. Florida’s tied for 117th in passes over 20 yards.

The prediction.

Don’t throw the records out in this rivalry games. Include them. Georgia’s undefeated and one of the best teams in the country. It is true that Georgia QB Jake Fromm hasn’t been forced to beat a team yet, but Florida’s defense is not what it was in recent years.

The Dawgs should also be in the first Playoff top four that’s released on Tuesday if they win. If the Gators lose this game, they’re in serious jeopardy of not making a bowl at 3-4.

My take: Georgia beats Florida and covers the big spread, 31-12.

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othersportsnews-blog · 7 years ago

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Denis Lebedev retains cruiserweight belt versus Mark Flanagan

New Post has been published on https://othersportsnews.com/denis-lebedev-retains-cruiserweight-belt-versus-mark-flanagan/

Denis Lebedev retains cruiserweight belt versus Mark Flanagan

A roundup of the earlier week’s noteworthy boxing results from all over the world:

Sunday at Ekaterinburg, Russia

Denis Lebedev W12 Mark Flanagan Retains a cruiserweight title Scores: 120-107, 119-108 (twice) Records: Lebedev (thirty-two, 22 KOs) Flanagan (22-five, 15 KOs)

From the oval to the ring to the lanes to the mud of Churchill Downs, these athletes confronted off versus the opposition with absolutely nothing else but their will to acquire. Vote Now!

Rafael’s remarks: In December, unified titleholder Lebedev, a 37-12 months-aged southpaw from Russia, dropped a final decision to countryman Murat Gassiev that charge him one particular of his world title belts, but absurdly the other belt he had was not on the line even nevertheless it was at first intended to be. So Lebedev acquired the gift of trying to keep that version of the title and returned to protect it with simplicity versus wholly undeserving Flanagan, 27, of Australia, who had hardly ever formerly confronted everyone carefully resembling a legitimate contender. Lebedev was dominant in a in the vicinity of-shutout final decision in which he dropped Flanagan with a straight still left hand to the pit of the abdomen in the ninth round.

Also on the card, promising welterweight Qudratillo Abduqaxorov (twelve-, eight KOs), 23, of Uzbekistan, scored his greatest victory in a unanimous final decision — 117-one hundred ten, 116-111, 116-111 — versus Dmitry Mikhaylenko (22-two, 10 KOs), 31, of Russia, who has dropped two of his past a few bouts.

Saturday at Glasgow, Scotland

Josh Taylor TKO7 Ohara Davies – Whole recap Retains a cruiserweight title Retains Commonwealth junior welterweight title Records: Taylor (10-, 9 KOs) Davies (15-one, twelve KOs)

Rafael’s remarks: Up-and-comers Taylor, a 26-12 months-aged southpaw from Scotland, and Davies, twenty five, of England, showed a fierce dislike for each and every other for the duration of the buildup to the fight but Taylor, who retained his Commonwealth title for the second time, acquired the past phrase with his fists in a large and dominant overall performance. In the last moments of the 3rd round, Taylor nailed Davies with a stiff appropriate jab that buckled his legs and forced him to consider a knee for a knockdown. In the seventh round, Taylor sent Davies to his rear end with a clean counter appropriate hook to the chin. Davies defeat the depend and Taylor nailed him with a still left hand that forced Davies to wave his hand and switch absent, seemingly in resignation. But Taylor failed to let up, pounding him with four a lot more shots right up until referee Howard John Foster jumped in to prevent it at two minutes, twenty five seconds.

Saturday at Mexico Town

Ulises Lara W10 Moises Fuentes Flyweight Scores: ninety seven-94, ninety seven-ninety three, 95-95 Records: Lara (eighteen-15-two, 10 KOs) Fuentes (24-4-one, thirteen KOs)

Rafael’s remarks: In a struggle among Mexico Town rivals, Lara pulled a important upset via the vast majority final decision. The fight was intended to get Fuentes, 29, a former strawweight world titleholder, back in the acquire column in his first bout due to the fact finding stopped in the fifth round hard Kosei Tanaka for a vacant junior flyweight world title on Dec. 31 in Japan. But Lara had other suggestions as he edged Fuentes in a fight that highlighted great action all the way. Lara showed a great chin and landed plenty of stinging shots to achieve observe from the judges for by considerably the greatest victory of his occupation.

Saturday at Gelsenkirchen, Germany:

Francesco Pianeta TKO2 Ozcan Cetinkaya Heavyweight Records: Pianeta (34-two-one, twenty KOs) Cetinkaya (26-twelve-two, 19 KOs)

Rafael’s remarks: Two-time world title challenger Pianeta, a 32-12 months-aged southpaw from Italy who fights out of Germany, endured each of his losses in world title fights, finding stopped in the sixth round by Wladimir Klitschko in 2013 and in the first round by Ruslan Chagaev in 2015. Due to the fact then, Pianeta has gained a few fights in a row, which includes for the second time in two months as he blew absent Turkey native Cetinkaya, 39, who fights out of Germany. Pianeta dropped Cetinkaya a few periods in the first round and then acquired the stoppage when referee Oliver Brien waved off the one particular-sided fight in the second round. Cetinkaya came into the fight possessing gained 5 bouts in a row, albeit versus really lower-amount opposition.

Friday at Tampa, Fla.

Giovanni Santillan TKO2 Sammy “Hurricane” Valentin Welterweight Records: Santillan (22-, twelve KOs) Valentin (twelve-one, 9 KOs)

Rafael’s remarks: In a really very well-matched Telemundo-televised major party, Santillan, a twenty five-12 months-aged southpaw from San Diego, went on the road to facial area Valentin, 23, in his hometown and acquired the work finished in impressive trend. In the second round, Santillan and Valentin began to trade toe-to-toe and Santillan clipped him with a effective appropriate hand for the duration of an trade and Valentin fell into the ropes, which held him up and prompted referee Frank Santore Jr. to contact a knockdown. Valentin was continue to hurt when the fight resumed but somewhat than keep or move, he went appropriate back into the struggle and Santillan nailed him with various punches, which includes another clean appropriate hand to the head that knocked him down once more. He defeat the depend but was shaky and when Santillan unloaded various clean blows that rocked Valentin, Santore stepped in and stopped the fight at two minutes, eleven seconds.

Teofimo Lopez W6 Christian Santibanez Light-weight Scores: 60-fifty four (a few periods) Records: Lopez (six-, five KOs) Santibanez (five-seven, 3 KOs)

Rafael’s remarks: Lopez, 19, of Davie, Florida, is one particular of various high-top quality potential customers Major Rank signed out of the 2016 Olympics. He also could switch out to be the greatest as he has remarkable velocity and an remarkable design and style designed for the professional ranks. Lopez, who represented his parents’ home country of Honduras at the Rio de Janeiro Games, had no challenges with Santibanez, 22, of San Antonio, whilst he went the distance — and earlier four rounds — for the first time. But even in heading the entire six rounds, Lopez was dominant and gained each and every round.

Antonio Vargas W6 Leonardo Reyes Light-weight Scores: 60-fifty four (a few periods) Records: Vargas (3-, two KOs) Reyes (seven-fourteen, 3 KOs)

Rafael’s remarks: The twenty-12 months-aged Vargas, a 2016 U.S. Olympian from Kissimmee, Florida, and one particular of the many potential customers Major Rank signed out of the Rio de Janeiro Games, turned professional in February and notched first-round knockouts in his first two fights, each of which ended up scheduled for four rounds. But Reyes, 23, of Mexico, who has been knocked out eight periods, managed to drive Vargas the distance in his first scheduled six-round fight. Nonetheless, Vargas, the way a lot more proficient fighter, gained handily by shutout.

Wednesday at Panama Town, Panama

Luis Concepcion KO2 Luis De La Rosa Junior bantamweight Records: Concepcion (36-five, twenty five KOs) De La Rosa (twenty five-9-one, 15 KOs)

Rafael’s remarks: In December, Concepcion, 31, of Panama, unsuccessful to make body weight for a junior bantamweight world title protection versus Khalid Yafai in England and was stripped of the title. The following working day, Yafai gained a one particular-sided final decision to claim the vacant one hundred fifteen-pound belt. In his first fight due to the fact that debacle, Concepcion, who has routinely been in crowd-pleasing fights, rolled earlier former junior flyweight title challenger De La Rosa, 31, of Colombia. Concepcion landed heavy punches in the opening round and then drilled De La Rosa with a substantial appropriate hand in the second round. He went down tough, landing partially underneath the base ring rope, and referee Ivan Ballesteros counted him out at one minute, 34 seconds as De La Rosa’s trainer was coming into the ring to prevent the fight. Following the KO, Concepcion did a magnificent back flip off the top of a corner submit.

Also on the card, junior featherweight Roberto Vasquez (34-six-two, 23 KOs), a 34-12 months-aged former junior flyweight world titleholder from Panama, gained a unanimous final decision versus Mauricio Martinez (thirteen-twelve-two, 4 KOs), 29, of Colombia. The judges scored the six-rounder 59-55, fifty eight-fifty six and fifty eight-fifty six.

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cover32-yahoopartner-blog · 8 years ago

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How the Saints can win Superbowl LII (Part 1)

New Orleans, get ready to party with the Lombardi… The Saints have won the Super Bowl

It’s been over 7 years since those words were spoken. And as Saints fans, we’ve desperately missed those times. Sure, the team’s come close a few times. They were upset despite being heavily favored against the Seahawks in 2010. They went toe-to-toe again with the Seahawks in 2013. And, of course, they lost an absolute heartbreaker in San Francisco in 2011 despite probably being the best team in the NFL. Since those times, the Saints have suffered through some pretty down years, going 7-9 the past 3 seasons.

However, despite the fact that the Saints went 7-9 again last year, some advanced statistics show the Saints were a good bit better than their record would indicate. Let’s dive into those numbers.

Football Outsiders uses a formula known as Pythagorean Expectation to determine who truly plays like the best teams in the NFL. The belief is that, while we judge teams based on their records, point differential should be the true measuring stick by which we measure the teams. For example, if the Saints lose to the Falcons on a last second field goal (UGH!) and then lose to the Buccaneers on a last second field goal, they’d be 0-2. If those same weeks, instead, the Panthers had beaten the Bucs on a last second field goal, and then beat the Falcons on a last second field goal, they’d be 2-0. In this case, the Bucs would be the team off to a fast start while the Saints are slumping. However, looking at how the games played out and looking at the point differentials, we can see that each game was essentially played to a draw with one team winning at the last second. Records tell us that the Bucs should be heavily favored next week vs. the Saints, while the point differential backs up what really is true in this situation: the Saints and Bucs are pretty even.

Let’s flash back to 2008. The Saints only went 8-8, but using Pythagorean Expectation, we see they really played like a 10-6 team. That paved the way to next season, when the Saints went 13-3 and won their first ever Super Bowl. Flash forward to last season. The Saints went 7-9, but watching the games, we know the Saints were very unlucky at times. Between the blocked extra point vs the Broncos, the 2-point conversion against the Raiders, the blocked field goal vs the Panthers, Drew Brees missing Cooks wide open vs the Bucs, the punt debacle vs the Falcons, the blocked field goal vs the Giants, and so many more, the Saints missed countless opportunities to string together a good season and reach the playoffs. The Pythagorean Expectation Formula backs this up, as it shows the Saints really played like a 9-7 team.

That brings us to this season. The Saints had an offseason that is judged by most experts as a successful offseason. Could those improvements + better luck lead to a Saints team that can contend for a Super Bowl again?

That’s what this series is for.

In this series, we’ll look at each section of the team and what needs to happen for this team to reach its destination. So often, we hear Saints fan simply say “if the Saints have an average defense, we can win a Super Bowl.” In this series, we’ll dive deeper into that. We’ll look at past defenses for great teams and find out how the Saints can get to that level, who would need to step up for the Saints, and how likely that is. We’ll also dive into the offense, comparing it to other offenses from great teams, and noting what the offense needs to do to win a Super Bowl. We’ll also look at the Special Teams, and do similar analysis.

Today though, I want to set the stage for this series.

What are the goals? Obviously to win the Super Bowl, but how do we get to that point? That’s where I want to start. I want to boil it down to this: if the Saints want to win a Super Bowl, the best way to do that is to get a first-round-bye in the playoffs. Getting a #1 seed would be spectacular, but remember, by winning a top-2 seed, the Saints would have the same advantage the #1 seed receives: a first-round bye and home-field for the opportunity to reach the NFC Championship. Even if the Saints are a 2-seed, they either must win just one game on the road to reach the Super Bowl, or, have both games at home if the #1 seed loses its first game. So that’s the goal of this series: What do the Saints have to do to get a first-round bye?

AROUND COVER32

Around the NFL: Chiefs’ HC, Andy Reid receives contract extension, while GM, John Dorsey makes exit

What’s Trending: HOF LB, Lawrence Taylor, pleads guilty to DUI; avoids jail

NFL Comparisons: Is Pro Bowl DE, J.J. Watt the Brock Lesnar of the NFL

Player Spotlight: Four reasons why Raiders’ WR, Cordarelle Patterson excels in 2017

NFL Moments: Taking a look at the worst trade in Chicago Bears’ history

So I went back the last 15 years in both the AFC and NFC and compiled the records for each team that received the 2-seed in their conference. The most wins in that span for a 2-seed is 14, and the least is 10 (hi, 2006 Saints!). But one number came up over-and-over again: 12. 14 of those 30 2-seeds won 12 games. Only 9/30 teams won more than 12 and received the 2-seed. So there’s our goal. If the Saints want a first-round-bye and the best path to the Super Bowl, they need to win 12 games in the regular season. 13 wins all but guarantees a first-round-bye, and more likely would get the Saints Homefield throughout the playoffs.

Using Pythagorean Expectation, we see that, on average, the Saints need to be winning games by 10-14 points per game. Remember, that doesn’t mean each game needs to go that way. The Saints can lose some games or win some squeakers. This means 4 things: 1) The Saints aren’t losing much at all (and when they lose, it’s close) 2) The Saints are dominating teams they should dominate 3) The Saints are handily beating average teams, and 4) The Saints dominate a couple good/great teams

So if you’re just simply looking at the schedule trying to find a way the Saints can make a run, find 12 wins and circle those games. If the Saints can win 12 games, they’ll have as good of a chance as anyone at winning Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis this February.

Next time in this series, we’ll look at the Saints rushing offense and what it needs to be for the Saints to have a chance to win 12 games and have a chance to bring Lombardi #2 to New Orleans.

#_author:Ben Nettleton #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DIJnLEAX #_revsp:cover32_362 #_uuid:b6dddc42-3cdc-3bb9-87f5-4da130b45eb5

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theconservativebrief · 7 years ago

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Women snagged wins in almost every one of Virginia’s most contested House races on Tuesday, capturing victories in key swing districts including the 10th. These wins mark the continuation of a broader trend that’s been observed in the primary season thus far, which has featured a record number of women candidates vying for the Democratic nominations in the House and Senate.

In one of the most closely watched races of the night, Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock held off challenger Shak Hill in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, despite attacks citing her critiques of President Donald Trump. Women also swept a host of Democratic primaries, setting them up to face off against a number of male Republican incumbents come November.

Amid growing speculation about her candidacy, Comstock won her primary handily with just over 60 percent of the vote. She was branded as a “Never-Trumper” after she called on Trump to drop out of the 2016 election, following the release of an Access Hollywood tape in which he bragged about groping women. At the time, Comstock slammed his comments as “vile” and “disgusting” — critiques that Hill sought to use against her during the primary.

State Sen. Jennifer Wexton, meanwhile, secured a spot as Comstock’s Democratic opponent in the general election. Wexton beat out five other Democrats, including two former Obama administration staffers, to win the primary with more than 40 percent of the vote.

She and Comstock are in for a heated showdown this fall: Virginia’s 10th is one of more than 20 districts currently held by Republicans, which Hillary Clinton won in 2016 — making it a top target as Democrats seek to flip the House.

Multiple women emerged victorious in a slate of Democratic primaries, which means they’ll be taking on Republican incumbents this fall.

Government contractor Vangie Williams knocked out two other Democrats to advance to the general election in the First District, with almost 40 percent of the vote. She’ll be up against five-term Rep. Rob Wittman in the heavily Republican district.

In Virginia’s Second, veteran Elaine Luria sailed through her race, securing 62 percent of the vote against schoolteacher Karen Mallard. The district leans Republican but only went to Trump by 3 points in 2016. Luria will face one-term Rep. Scott Taylor in the midterms.

Former federal law enforcement officer and CIA operative Abigail Spanberger is poised to take on Rep. David Brat in Virginia’s Seventh District, after receiving more than 70 percent of the vote and beating retired military Col. Dan Ward. The historically Republican district has seen some major voter shifts in the past few election cycles, swinging 8 points toward Democrats in the governor’s race last year.

In a race for one of the state’s few open seats, mental health professional Jennifer Lewis received roughly 48 percent of the vote. She will go head to head with Virginia House of Delegates member Ben Cline for a slot in the Sixth District that has been vacated by Rep. Bob Goodlatte.

Democratic women candidates have overperformed when they’ve competed against men in this year’s primaries. It remains to be seen whether this trend will hold for the general election — especially in more conservative districts.

Original Source -> Women dominated the Virginia Democratic primary on Tuesday

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

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