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procit · 4 years

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Hair Mistakes (And How To Fix Them)

Therefore what exactly do you currently doing to you personally, now? In case 20 20's own hair styles are something to pass, you also are able to go one of two manners: military or cluttered. When some cuts prefer texture and grunge-style lengthy hair others ' are exactly about a sharp back and sides or even no-messing buzz cuts.

From trend months for some operating week, Here is a heads upon the most useful adult men's hairstyles to year.

The Textured Crop

Considering that the Terrible sausage pops nineties along with also the Acne-inducing E Mo side effects of this noughties, smart males have given fringe hair-cuts an extensive berth. Generally in the majority of scenarios that was wise hazard aversion. However this calendar year's large hitter about the front -- that the textured harvest -- is scarily exact nor anti social, only flattering for most of men.

The design, at Brief, is really a remix of this Short sides and back at which in fact the span in addition to works together gravity as opposed to contrary to it. "The cluttered cropped minimize works together your very own all-natural expansion designs," claims Robbie Burt in London's Sharps Barber and store. "It is most useful on people who have thick hair that's natural feel. You ought to request your barber for those makings of the tight and high however request loads of duration to become rendered top that ought to be trimmed for daring, sq feel "

The design is sold from That the woke-up-like-this faculty of hair dressing, Thus in the event that you have got a few thousand hairs outside of spot which could possibly become a very good matter. "Keeping this fashion will involve minimum fuss," says Burt. "By running out a matte adhesive throughout your palms and employing equally during your own hair you may cause a milder, undone look" If you should be more glistening Rick than bird nest, however, you are still permitted employ. "To make some thing having a bright, easier ending with a water-based pomade."

The under Cut Quiff

The quiff is your default option hairstyle of Teens armed with way too numerous hormones along with a lot of purchase hair solutions. This calendar year's variant isn't too try hard, yet. It finds that the quiff input the severe grown up hair-style stadium using a harshly contrasting under-cut along with also a end that awards tender weathered feel within sky-scraping stimulation.

Just before you consider that which Industrial strength hair merchandise may fasten your own hair right into spot, consider the trimming; it's going to make claiming this manner that a hell of lots simpler. "Request your barber to detach the sides out of top in clipper tier zero, developing a dull comparison in span," states Bradley Smith, innovative manager at Bradley Smith Hair Heathrow. "Afterward you're going to want a twist off throughout the throat and neck while still departing span towards the top along with your knee enables place to generate volume and texture at front"

People familiar with Trying to keep a quiff in place is going to learn that approach (plus also a hand that is constant ) is what. "To begin, towel-dry your own hair slightly moist then employ a pre-styling representative," states Smith. "Function with a dab of sea salt spray in your own hair most of the way into the roots, then subsequently divides your own hair fit, with a curved brush to make volume and texture. Adhere to it by running out a coin-sized quantity of clay in your own hair and make texture along with your own palms. To finish the appearance, work with an booster powder to greatly help set your own hair "

The Tapered Higher & Restricted

Are you in to prolonged hairstyles? Can not Be bothered to create your own hair? Do not desire to check to be an egg using individual capabilities? This calendar year's tapered spin to the tight and high looks up your road. This limited, very low care mode takes the buzz-cut's CBA mentality but leaves one something to play with up top.

The tight and high is really that a time-poor, Style-conscious timeless, however to the incorrect mind, it could possibly find yourself a touch overly Essential support. "To get a version of this standard back and sides request a high and tight in clipper shield two or one having a streamlined harvest on top," states Smith. "The cut needs to synthesize heritage but also a harshly textured and cut span towards shirt will steer clear modern; presume Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds."

The Majority of the artistry Of this fashion goes right down into a barber, therefore as soon as you have endured the embarrassing seat discussion, the tough part has ended (even though you are going to need to return often ). "Employ a spoonful of fiber glue to towel-dried own hair, doing work out back distributing the merchandise to make body weight and feel using an general natural however glowing appearance," states Smith.

The Man Bob

Ever since time immemoriallong, cluttered hair gets Been the conserve of rebels and also grungers. It is often considered being a garment which only sort of occurs to your person when dressing proceeds outside of this window. Using a little bit of TLC and elaborate scissor do the job though long guards won't will need to liquefy you personally as a soap dodger. Mid-shoulder-length hair that has slightly messed-up includes a great deal of possibility to accomplish the hallowed mid point between creating an energy and perhaps not. Turn into famous brands Timothée Chalamet and package Harrington as the goto guardians of this cluttered guy vaccinated.

Even though this Calendar Year's T-AKE has definitely Smartened up its action, avert such a thing overly eloquent; that may land you into ABBA tribute ring land. "This fashion may focus with people who have almost any depth or feel, the trick to setting it up is making certain you are requesting your barber for coats that match your own face form and hair feel," says Burt. "sturdy contours ought to be clipped in to the hair's outer levels to generate drop or flow within own hair, making certain the equilibrium and weight has been equally dispersed"

Pleasingly, that trimming Doesn't need the patience of the saint to style, so it might mainly be abandoned to its devices. "Permit the personality tender by natural means," says Burt. "You ought to utilize product or service though predicated upon the conclusion you are later; employ just a tiny salt spray to get a cluttered matte soft or effect wax to boost feel and curl."

The Buzz-cut

Customarily, the Buzz-cut was Already been short hand for rebellion versus'the individual' or perhaps a style of turning you to another quantity. Based upon your own perspective, whenever the clippers turn out, possibly your identity or compliance together with society is going to wind up about the ground. Perhaps not that it can not showcase your great appearances, however this is what -- you still want to truly have the characteristics to this particular.

The unhappy Truth of life is that we are not even all Blessed with proportioned heads. "ahead of obtaining a buzz, you feel that your face to get almost any lumps or lumps because these is going to undoubtedly be observable," states Smith. "I will suggest searching at the mirror and then imagine everything you'd appear to be having a buzz-cut and then inquire is that proper for me personally "

As Soon as You've obtained the most clear to really go Clean upward high, it really should not be an self-shave occupation together with all the hair clippers. The buzz Trimming could possibly be uniform in span however tiny variations in your own clippers' shield can Function as gap among Channing Tatum and Gollum. You will also Require a barber To clean the borders. And since it develops , do not believe you won't Require a Little item. "You also Might Wish to Bring some merchandise to Switch the feel, for example As a matte glue. But to get a glistening polished Expression, a pomade-based Item Is going to perform this secret," states Smith.

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cornedbread · 9 months

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I did concept art for what the afterlife would look like (headcanon). And fittingly enough, I think it took a couple years off of my life. I also snuck in some dead people ;þ Real Alex hanging out at the swingset; Captain Gonzalo and Bob the Great II sitting under a cherry tree together; Lady of the Blossoms taking post at the sakura gazebo. Also tested some filters for mood lighting, in case I want to lean into the dreamy heaven or hellish nightmare feel that is the ETT afterlife.

#corny creations #alex basics in biology and zoology #alex basics #real alex abibaz #bob the great #bob the great cba #captains basic adventure #captains basic adventure in a broken underwater ship #captain gonzalo cba #lady of the blossoms ett #eternal tea time #character concept #architecture #concept art

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uncommon---sense · 5 years

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lets get personal: send me a number

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most? Recently:

Stefflon don - 16 shots

Bts - idol

Bts - not today

Sean Paul - press it up

Charly black - gyal you a party animal

Bts - blood sweat & tears

2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

Jake Paul 😂💯

3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

There isn't one 😂

4: What do you think about most?

Family & money 😂🙏🏻

5: What does your latest text message from someone else say?

6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

Depends but usually on.

7: What’s your strangest talent?

Tieing cherry stems in a knot with my tongue 🍒

8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence)

Girls.... are attractive 😂

Boys.... break your heart 🤷🏼‍♀️

9: Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Ayeee

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?

Not a clue

11: Do you have any strange phobias?

Whales 🐋

12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

No m8 😂

13: What’s your religion?

Romany Christian 🙏🏻

14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

Going for food 😂🍕

15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

Behind it for sure 📸

16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

Can't choose between Oasis & The stone roses 💖

17: What was the last lie you told?

That I like my dad's gf 😂

18: Do you believe in karma?

Ayeee

19: What does your URL mean?

🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

Weakness: Too nice for my own good.

Strength: Being Too nice for my own good.

21: Who is your celebrity crush?

♀️ Megan Fox

♂️ Jake Paul

22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

23: How do you vent your anger?

Punching my own face in usually 😂

24: Do you have a collection of anything?

Shoes & liquid lipsticks 💯

25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

Neither tbh I'd rather text 😂💯

26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

Ask my therapist 😂🤞🏻

27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

Hate: crunching snow under shoes

Love: idk

28: What’s your biggest “what if”?

I nvr went into care 👐🏻

29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

Ayeee Both 💯

30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

The air 😂

31: Smell the air. What do you smell?

Cleaning products 😂

32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

Sunderland

33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast?

Fuck knows 😂

34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

Did you jst assume my gender 😂😂

35: To you, what is the meaning of life?

🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

36: Define Art.

Self expression.

37: Do you believe in luck?

I think so

38: What’s the weather like right now?

Shit.... It's Carlisle 😂

39: What time is it?

9:15pm

40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

No & no

41: What was the last book you read?

Can't remember the name 👐🏻

42: Do you like the smell of gasoline?

Love it 💯

43: Do you have any nicknames?

Mon

Mon- pon

Bets

Bettica

Monicana

& more 😂

44: What was the last film you saw?

Captain Marvel 💯

45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

A broken heart 😂💯

46: Have you ever caught a butterfly?

47: Do you have any obsessions right now?

Bts & washing my hands 💯

48: What’s your sexual orientation?

Pansexual I guess 🤷🏼‍♀️💯

49: Ever had a rumour spread about you?

Ayeee probs 💯

50: Do you believe in magic?

Of course 💯

51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

Not rly I cba & forgive to easily tbh.

52: What is your astrological sign?

Cancer ♋

53: Do you save money or spend it?

Both tbh 😂💯

54: What’s the last thing you purchased?

A bus ticket 😂

55: Love or lust?

Both 😂🤷🏼‍♀️

56: In a relationship?

Ayeee 💖

57: How many relationships have you had?

Proper ones about 3 👐🏻

58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

59: Where were you yesterday?

The hospital

60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

About 15 hair bows

61: Are you wearing socks right now?

Ayeee

62: What’s your favourite animal?

Dogs 🐶

63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

I actually have no idea 😂

64: Where is your best friend?

On the sofa I guess 😂

65: Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr.

Idk

66: What is your heritage?

White British

67: What were you doing last night at 12AM?

Watching how to train your dragon

68: What do you think is Satan’s last name?

N/A

69: Biggest turn ons?

Attitude tbh

70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

Suppose 😂💯

71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

Save the dog & tell my boss to suck a lemon 💯

72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

A. Ayeee

B. Spend with family

C. Probably definitely maybe

73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

Both pls 😂💯

74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Bob Marley- Don't worry be happy

75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

5591

76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

Trust & Laughter 💯

77: How can I win your heart?

It's not for you 😂

78: Can insanity bring on more creativity?

I'm gonna say yes cos Van Gogh is my fave artist.

79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

Probs being with the bf 💯

80: What size shoes do you wear?

5/6

81: What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

I'm not having one imma be cremated 💯

82: What is your favourite word?

Fuck 😂

83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

Beat 😂

84: What is a saying you say a lot?

Tuff Breasisisisis ( tuff tits ) 😂

85: What’s the last song you listened to?

Bts - blood sweat & tears

86: Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours?

Blue 💙

87: What is your current desktop picture?

I have a wallpaper on my phone 😂 of my bf 💖

88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

Donald trump 💯

89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

Idk I've sat for legitimately an hour answering 99 😂😂

90: Turn offs?

Cunts 😂

91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

Telepathy

92: where are your parents from?

Carlisle

93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

There's too many to choose from.

94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

Selena Gomez

95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

Switzerland or Venice

96: Do you have any relatives in jail?

Ayeee

97: Have you ever thrown up in the car?

Ayeee

98: Ever been on a plane?

Ayeee

99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say

Calm the fuck down & stop being fucking racist & homophobic 💯

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your-dietician · 3 years

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MLB & the Dodgers needlessly delayed an obvious Trevor Bauer decision

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/mlb/mlb-the-dodgers-needlessly-delayed-an-obvious-trevor-bauer-decision/

MLB & the Dodgers needlessly delayed an obvious Trevor Bauer decision

Trevor Bauer is not starting for the Dodgers on Sunday. That was the obvious decision from the moment a temporary restraining order against the pitcher was filed on Tuesday, and even more so when the graphic and disturbing details were revealed on Wednesday. That the decision for Bauer not to pitch didn’t come until Friday is the infuriating part, emblematic of a sport that pays lip service to caring about women but always seems slow to demonstrate this support in practice.

Major League Baseball placed Bauer on paid administrative leave on Friday, the mechanism by which Bauer is removed from the roster for seven days while an investigation is ongoing. MLB can extend the administrative leave, which is not yet considered discipline (but can later be applied as time served against a future suspension), by asking the Players Association for a seven-day extension.

Since the joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy was instituted in 2015, seven players before Bauer were first placed on administrative leave. Five had their administrative leave extended at least once, agreed to by the MLBPA as an investigation was ongoing.

A sixth — Jose Reyes in 2016 — had his leave converted to a paid suspension until the completion of his legal proceedings. The collective bargaining agreement gives the commissioner the power to do this if he feels that “allowing the Player to play during the pendency of the criminal or legal proceeding would result in substantial and irreparable harm to either the Club or Major League Baseball.”

MLB in-season domestic violence investigations

Since the start of the Joint Domestic Violence , Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, agreed to by MLB and the MLBPA, started on August 21, 2015.

Bauer’s hearing to respond to the restraining order is July 23, so it’s reasonable that his administrative leave could last until at least then.

Reyes had already been arrested in Hawaii and had a trial date set for April when he was placed on paid suspension five years ago. Charges were eventually dropped because Reyes’ wife did not cooperate with prosecutors. To date, Bauer has not yet been arrested or charged by the Pasadena police, though an investigation remains ongoing, and per Bob Nightengale at USA Today, is increasing in scope:

“We were looking into some things and we thought we were nearing the end,’’ Lt. Carolyn Gordon, who is overseeing the investigation, told USA TODAY Sports Friday. “We are not close to the end.

“This investigation is bigger than we thought. So we have to look a few more places. We want to try to uncover as much stuff as we can.’’

Gordon said the police department has received new leads in the investigation that began about six weeks ago.

The restraining order obtained filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, as described by Katie Strang and Brittany Ghiroli at The Athletic, as well as Jeff Passan and Alden Gonzalez at ESPN, detailed sexual encounters with Bauer on April 21 and May 16:

On May 17, the day after the alleged assault, the woman went to the emergency room and was diagnosed with “acute head injury” and “assault by manual strangulation.” San Diego police spoke with her. The woman said she “attempted to downplay what occurred out of concern for my privacy and what my statements might lead to.” She told police she didn’t want to file charges.

Bauer’s representatives sent along screenshots of texts between Bauer and the woman who filed the restraining order, along with a statement from one of Bauer’s agents, Jon Fetterolf, which includes, “We have messages that show [the woman] repeatedly asking for ‘rough’ sexual encounters involving requests to be ‘choked out’ and slapped in the face. In both of their encounters, [the woman] drove from San Diego to Mr. Bauer’s residence in Pasadena, Calif. where she went on to dictate what she wanted from him sexually and he did what was asked.”

At Beyond the Box Score, Sheryl Ring outlined the legalities of consent, specifically how it relates to Bauer:

With this background, you probably now see what the problem is with the text messages released by Bauer’s team…and why they haven’t yet used them in a court proceeding. First, the messages essentially confirm that some sort of encounter occurred and that violence was involved. Second, they do not, in and of themselves, constitute consent for either encounter; at best, they constitute ratification of the first encounter only. Flirtation, in and of itself, is never consent. Third, nowhere do the messages mention punches or concussions, which means that even if Bauer’s victim consented to rough sex and choking, those messages don’t excuse the concussive blows. And fourth, Bauer admitted to performing sex acts on his victim without her knowledge whilst she was unconscious, and she cannot legally consent to those acts.

Bauer hasn’t yet been charged with a crime. It doesn’t mean he won’t be, and it certainly doesn’t mean he won’t be suspended by MLB. The seven previous players who were placed on administrative leave were all suspended, for an average of 62 games. The fewest was 20 games for Julio Urías in 2019, who spent the minimum of seven days on administrative leave after getting arrested on suspicion of domestic battery for reportedly shoving his girlfriend in a parking lot.

From Jorge Castillo at the Los Angeles Times in August 2019:

In June, city prosecutors announced they would not file charges against Urias and no action would be taken in connection with the report, as long as he is not arrested again for violent criminal behavior in the next year and he participated in a 52-week domestic violence counseling program in person.

Which brings us back to the timing of all this.

Of the six MLB domestic violence suspensions in which the incidents took place in season, five players were placed on administrative leave within 24 hours of either the incident itself or news of the incident. Domingo German’s incident in question came on September 16, 2019, but pitched two days later for the Yankees, who said they didn’t know about the incident until he was placed on administrative leave on September 19.

With Bauer, the restraining order was filed on Tuesday. Even if MLB and the Dodgers didn’t know of the severity right away, those details were widely reported on Wednesday.

But we had to go through the charade on Thursday, before the Dodgers’ series opener in Washington D.C., during which manager Dave Roberts said that Bauer was going to start on Sunday and that the team was simply following the direction of MLB.

“Regardless of what the organization wanted to do, this is what has to happen,” Roberts said. “It’s out of our hands.”

While technically true that the CBA gives the commissioner sole authority to impose discipline for violations of the domestic violence policy, there’s also the common sense of not wanting a player who is accused of felony assault to represent your team right now.

The Dodgers have made roster moves with ulterior motives before.

Ross Stripling was sent to Arizona for a month while on the minor league injured list for “lower body fatigue” in 2016, which was really just to limit his innings not yet two years removed from Tommy John surgery.

Walker Buehler was optioned during the All-Star break in 2018, which just so happened to deny him enough service time to fall four days shy of a full year, which assured he’ll be a free agent after 2024 instead of 2023. “It’s workload, it’s roster management,” Roberts said at the time.

The Dodgers could have sat Bauer themselves by saying the decision was related to the long-term health of the roster. But please spare us the line, “It’s out of our hands.” That was insulting, and it’s ridiculous Roberts was even in the position of having to say it.

MLB might not have been too concerned about acting promptly, perhaps wanting to wait until the morning of Bauer’s start, to start the seven-day clock as late as possible. Maybe their timeline was accelerated by the terrible optics — and resulting bad press — of having Roberts go through the motions, not realizing the harm it inflicted.

Or maybe the league didn’t care.

This is an industry that saw Jared Porter rise through the executive ranks, receiving nothing but glowing reports about what a great guy he was. Only to have it all come crashing down within days after being named general manager of the Mets, for sending unsolicited, lewd texts to a female reporter years earlier. When Hannah Keyser at Yahoo Sports asked Mets president Sandy Alderson how many women were interviewed about Porter’s character before getting hired as GM, he said none.

MLB is an institution in which Mickey Callaway’s lewd behavior to women was called, in a report from The Athletic, “the worst-kept secret in sports.” Yet he was hired by the Mets and Angels after his time in Cleveland despite this reportedly notorious past, before getting suspended this year.

Callaway and Porter were both placed on MLB’s ineligible list through at least 2022, but they are by no means alone. MLB as an industry has fostered this abhorrent behavior towards and treatment of women for decades.

When Addison Russell was placed on administrative leave by the Cubs in September 2019, that same day, as chronicled by Sara Sanchez at Bleed Cubbie Blue, owner Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein answered questions from the media.

On Friday, with Dodgers team owners, team CEO and president Stan Kasten, and head of baseball operations Andrew Friedman all in Washington D.C. to visit the White House for winning the 2020 World Series, only Kasten spoke to reporters.

Kasten said some substantive things, including, per Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register, “We’ll have things to say about questions like that when this is over. But it isn’t over, and to say anything while it’s ongoing would not be proper. I don’t want to do that.”

But it was this, in Dylan Hernandez’s column at the Los Angeles Times, that is enraging:

While Kasten offered lip service about being “mindful” and “sensitive” to the opinions others have on Bauer’s situation, he sounded as if he failed to grasp the seriousness of the problem.

He greeted reporters on Friday by joking about the advice he offered manager Dave Roberts the previous day before his daily pregame videoconference.

“I told him, ‘They’re going to talk about Trevor Bauer,’” Kasten said. “Just say, “Can we please talk about foreign substances?””

He laughed.

As an organization, you can’t puff out your chest after backing out of a deal for Aroldis Chapman in December 2015 after news of his domestic violence — for which he was later suspended for 30 games — came to light; and you can’t boast about how acquiring someone like Roberto Osuna, as his 75-game suspension was ending, was not for you, only to turn your head now.

When the Dodgers signed Bauer to a three-year, $102 million contract in February, a good chunk of the introductory press conference featured questions about Bauer’s past online harassment of women — I talked about this at the time on two different podcasts — which persisted mostly because he kept giving non-substantive answers.

“There’s some stuff that’s more public with Trevor that definitely was something that we wanted to dig into. We had multiple conversations with Trevor. Stan and I talked to Trevor,” Friedman said on February 11. “From our standpoint, it was important to have that conversation. We came away from it feeling good about it. Obviously, time will tell, but I feel like he is going to be a tremendous add, not just on the field, but in the clubhouse in the community. That’s obviously why we’re sitting here.”

The Dodgers bet heavily that Bauer’s pitching would outweigh all the baggage. Right now those odds aren’t looking so good.

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theseaeaglelives · 4 years

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Round 2

THE SEA EAGLE

MAKING RUGBY LEAGUE GREAT AGAIN!!!

Round 2

Manly Sea Eagles 9

Defeated

Sydney Roosters 8

Played at the Roosters traditional home ground (i.e. Leichhardt Oval) the fact that this game was played with no crowd in attendance did not seem to impact on either of the respective playing groups who dished up a high standard rugby league offering. Let’s face it, both the Roosters and Manly are not big crowd pullers at the best of times and the with no crowd in attendance it was pretty much business as usual.

After a tight opening to the game, Manly opened the scoring via Tommy Turbo who was set up deftly by an inside Cherry-Baby offload. What a player Turbo is! Generally renowned for his attacking prowess it was his defence that came to the fore in this fixture. Three try saving tackles, including an absolute miracle on Rooster, Luke Keary when he looked certain to score, only serves to highlight what a talent young Tommy is.

Perhaps summed up best by Fox Sports expert Braith Anasta “He’s just so important to the Manly Sea Eagles, if he’s on the field, they can win the comp, if he’s off the field they can’t. There’s not many players who have that effect on a side”.

But…. correction Bwaith. Bob Fulton, Wally Lewis, Cliff Lyons, Bret Kenny, Andrew Johns, Jonathan Thurston, Arthur Beetson, John O’Neill , to name a few, were also similar type players.

Despite heroic Manly defence, the Roosters hit back just prior to half time and the score was locked up 6-6 at the break.

The second half was even more dour then the first and with five minutes remaining scores were still locked at 8 all. The Roosters had the first chance to break the dead-lock when a Keary field goal attempt hit the posts. Then it was Manly’s turn and thankfully the ever-reliable Cherry Baby was up to the task, icing his attempt and ensuring Manly a well-deserved win. Again showing why he deserves the big bucks he is on.

Next week, if there is still an NRL comp (which is becoming less likely by the day) Manly are scheduled to take on the Gold Coast based Warriors. Full marks to the Warriors for relocating and allowing the NRL to continue, however unless the entire competition is relocated to some remote North QLD outpost with urgency, season 2020 looks a shot duck.

No NRL – It’s a Catastrophe

Not surprisingly after years of poor management and an inflated salary cap, the NRL is broke and if games are suspended or the season cancelled it will not end well. This has prompted new NRL Chairman Peter V’landys’ to plea for government funding to save the code.

Again, and not surprising this has sent the twitter world into a feeding frenzy in some instances praising V’landys for his forthright actions but in the main suggesting that he should be nailed on a cross next to poor old Izzy Folau.

On one hand, yes it could be argued that in these desperate times government funding would be better suited elsewhere an example being saving lives by propping up the ailing and over-burdened health system. However, on the other hand, imagine a world with out rugby league. Forget the game itself and let’s focus on the socio-economic impact. Without the NRL, upwards of 500 testosterone fuelled young men, many already delinquents, would be free to roam the streets inflicting all sorts of carnage. No one would be off limits to their pillage and no co-ed, spouse, uber driver or even small poodle cross would be safe.

In addition, from an economic standpoint the state government would in all likelihood be forced to immediately suspend work on all new stadiums and redirect said funds towards the construction of a new max-security correctional facility to house the expected flood of potential inmates.

It has been reported that that the most recent gaol to be constructed in the state, that being the Clarence Correction Centre cost approx. $800m (or about the same as a new stadium) to build. Whilst the Grafton facility has a capacity of 1,700 and on face value would exceed the current crop of NRL players in circulation, let’s not forget the lower grades and those coming up through the junior ranks.

A quick reckoning of the exponential nature of the pool of potential inmates would mean that a 1,700-prisoner capacity would quickly fill up and in all likelihood would still not be enough to cater for the full extent of likely incarceration. Its also worth noting that the proposed $800m does not take into account the extra policing required and the collateral damage which is in all would to be inflicted on both property and the community.

On this basis alone, the plea by the NRL chairman should be strongly considered, and that the $200m to keep the code afloat is but a small price to avoid a rugby league inspired humanitarian crisis, ensure crime rates remain low and that public (and dog) safety is upheld.

In all seriousness though (and this is generally not within the current charter of the Sea Eagle), the suggestion by the NRL that suspending or cancelling the season will, without government funding cause its financial ruin is a bit of a stretch. In fact, the solution as far as the Sea Eagle is concerned is quite simple.

If the NRL is unable to go ahead Clubs simply renegotiate player payments as per the CBA currently in place. If the players aren’t willing to cop this the Clubs simply go into Voluntary Administration and then renegotiate player payments regardless. The reality is that it’s a buyers’ market and there aren’t many other options for the NRL players, no Super League, French Rugby, Japanese Rugby, Boxing etc to lever off, and it’s not as though many of them have professions to fall back on either.

Thus, if every player was paid the minimum (still a comfortable earn at circa $120K pa for doing nothing) player payments under the salary cap would be reduced to about $3.5m per Club (as opposed to current $10m). On this basis alone the NRL would have sufficient reserves to see out the year, even before cuts were made to clubs Coaching/Admin salaries and no doubt NRL Head Office. They could then reset next year, when hopefully the situation improves.

Finally, it’s amazing how quickly things change. It was only a matter of weeks ago that the NRL launched its new Tina Turner promo campaign championing the social and moral stances so important to the NRL. Fast forward two weeks and has become much clearer what the NRL really stands for, that being $$$$$. Not that there is anything wrong with that but as far as the Sea Eagle is concerned the only advice for the NRL (and other like-minded organisations) is to park the virtue signalling and just play footy!!

Corona Virus

In due deference to what is a fine beer beverage (Corona) and formerly not a bad Toyota motor car, and in light of the fact that it appears that Mexico (where Corona beer is from) has decided to take on the threat of the dreaded Covid-19 rugby League style , that is no self isolation, no action , and simply letting the herd be infected and the strongest survive, the Sea Eagle recommends that this virus be referred to as El presidente Donald J trump referred to it, simply as the “China Virus”.

Let's face it , if it be true that this thing started in China, then surely that is where the blame should lay. Why is there so little commentary from anyone about this? If any private enterprise had created such an outcome through bad hygiene and food handling practices , where would they and the individuals behind it be standing today ?

Like the dreaded dark force influenza (DFI), this particular affliction, takes out successful and unsuccessful with impunity.

It was therefore with some hilarity that Tigers and ex Raiders centre Joey Leilua decided this week to launch into the attack by commenting about his supposed refusal to take a pay cut.

Joey Leilua calls out NRL money management declaring ‘I better not be taking a cut’ -March 19, 2020 9:57am Source: FOX SPORTS

The Fox Sports outlet reported that Joey Leilua was adamant he wouldn’t be sacrificing any money as the NRL considers pay cuts as a possible way of ensuring its financial survival through the “China Virus” (as described by President Trump) pandemic.

Fronting the media on Wednesday, Mr Leilua instead placed the blame on the NRL who he said should have been better prepared financially to deal with the situation. “I better not be taking a cut,” he said. 'My missus won't be happy”. “We’ve got mortgages to pay and bills to pay.” Leilua believes the NRL should foot the bill and if they can’t, he says it is a lesson for not being well-prepared. “I’m not all for that if we have to get a pay cut … I’m sure there is some money in there, in the revenue we’ve got,” he said. “They (the NRL) should be saving money for if something like this happens.

“I thought they were handling their money better, but if they say we’re going to last three months, we’re in trouble.”

Sea Eagle Comment: Firstly Mr Leilua is yet again engaging in misguided and ill-informed commentary. He is not employed by the NRL . He's employed by the West Tigers . It is they and only they that have to pay him .

Secondly, as said above, it is China that he should be looking too for compensation. The NRL has been guilty of many things over the years but this is not one of them.

Thirdly, based on his defensive effort in the absolute towelling that the Knights gave the West Tigers over round two, most of which was down the Leilua defensive corridor, it is clear that Mr Leilua believes defence is the thing that runs around the Oval. In any event, on that performance he should have to pay to enter the ground, which is fortunate because at the present time, as no fans allowed in, entry for a player who is so obviously hopeless, is therefore free.

Fourthly, see Sea Eagle comments above generally about how dire the NRL position presently is vis a vis the filthy lucre (or lack of it). He is at real risk of having a force majeure rammed up the proverbial with no lube or accompanying prophylactic, for nada, nothing, nil in terms of player payment.

Mr Leilua should be thankful that the NRL is doing everything it can to keep the game running and should be equally thankful that there is someone with some actual true ability as a manager (i.e. Mr Peter V’Landys) in control. It is notable that both rugby union and AFL have each capitulated to the onslaught and it is doubtful for how much longer the NRL can continue , but at least the NRL is trying.

Imagine the debacle if the previous clown who was NRL Chairman - Peter Beattie (personal opinion ) had his hands on the tiller.

Meanwhile Mr Leilua needs to take a deep hard look at himself in the room of mirrors . The fans may like rugby League but they can live without it. And if this China Virus (as described by President Trump) pandemic goes down as bad as it appears to be going, they will quite easily get over the fact that they won't be able to watch NRL week in week out. In short, they couldn't give a flying F83*7ck whether Joey Leilua got paid or not.

He would be best reading carefully (and duly considering) the words of Peter V’Landys NRL Chairman "I came out here as a four-year-old migrant on a boat, stayed in school in Wollongong and I was very isolated. I didn’t know anyone. The only way I was able to be part of the community and be part of Australia was to play rugby league. That is the sole reason I am on this commission. I want to repay the debt. Without rugby league I could be …..."

THE SEA EAGLE

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highschoolharrier · 6 years

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Terrific 22 Boys Rankings (November 21st)

Now that action has heated up and top teams are starting to clash at Nike regionals, there are some big changes in the rankings. We know 12 teams for sure that are going to NXN and will know the rest by the weekend. Besides the auto bids for the races left, there will be four lucky teams to get at-large bids. Remember at-large bids must have placed top 4 at their regional and the crew that makes the decision will look to pick the top 4 teams teams that will make the NXN meet more competitive. It’s hard to argue against the depth of California and the Midwest this year and they should be easily considered for a third team. The other two teams will most likely come from a combination of the Southwest, New York and the Southeast. The Southwest has done well in out of state competition like Bob Firman and Woodbridge and should be in strong contention for a third squad. More or less that leaves NY and SE fighting for a spot against each other and a lot hinges on Green Hope and Corning. The three squads in contention out of NY are Corning, Fayetteville Manlius and Burnt Hills. All three ran nearly identical at the state meet and any one of them could come out on top Saturday. Corning did beat FM at state but at the Manhattan Invite, Green Hope beat Corning head to head. Corning has improved since that meet, but currently the heads up battle is still in favor of Green Hope. In the Southeast we are assuming Loudoun Valley and Milton go 1-2 but remember Green Hope only lost to Loudoun Valley by 25 points at Great American and has the capability to finish close to the top in big meets so they have the momentum going into regionals as far as being in position to qualify, whether it be automatically or with an at-large bid.

Rank-Team-Region-Surety Rating-Notes

1) Great Oak (CA) 9- Won CIF Southern Section over Roosevelt 86-145. Averaged 15:01 with a 31 second spread. State meet is next week and GO needs to finish top 2 in the merge to get an auto bid to state.

2) Loudoun Valley (SE) 9- It doesn't get much better than perfect scoring your state meet which LV did. Spread was down to 44 seconds and it looks like they are really gearing up for a run at the title in a couple weeks.

3) Downers Grove North (MW) 10- Won Nike Midwest with 104 points in arguably the toughest region this year. Their tight pack of just 18 seconds is going to be a serious help at NXN.

4) Wayzata (H) 10- Won Nike Heartland with 114 points, but second was just 20 points behind. It was very close finish considering this team had ran within 25 points of Great Oak at Griak earlier in the year. It could have been a "just qualify" type of performance, but it should be something to note heading into NXN.

5) Mountain Vista (SW) 10- MV had a monster race at Nike Southwest winning 80-149 over Springville, a favorite heading into the race. Their 31 second spread, should they be able to keep a tight pack at NXN, will allow them to finish very high.

6) Springville (SW) 10- The pre-meet favorites got second at Nike Southwest although their back of the pack had a very rough race which can be expected to be fixed by NXN. Remember, they had’t raced in 31 days.

7) Carmel (MW) 10- Barely earned the auto spot at Nike Midwest by just 3 points over Lyons Township 164-167.

8) Roosevelt (CA) 7.5- Second to Great Oak at CIF Southern Section. Averaged 15:08 with a 1:02 spread. 5th runner was 14 seconds behind Loyola's 5th which could easily flip flop the two teams in the merge. CA looks good in terms of getting a third team this year.

9) Loyola (CA) 7- Was 4th at CIF Southern Section but qualified for state. Their 5th man being higher than both Roosevelt and Dana Hills (who placed 3rd) should be the difference in placing high enough to qualify for NXN with an auto bid or a 3rd place merge finish.

10) Christian Brothers Academy (NE) 8- CBA won their Group and then took the victory at NJ MoC this weekend over Kingsway 80-96. CBA has been finding a way to win this year but the margins of victory haven't been as big as expected.

11) Milton (SE) 8- Milton won their state meet with 40 points and a 16:36 average with a spread of 73 seconds. We know Milton is good, but the question is how good? It will be hard to place them until this weekend when they race against two or more teams that we know exactly how fit they are.

12) Corning (NY) 7.5- Took down FM by 2 points at the NY state meet. Averaged 16:45 with a 52 second spread.

13) Fayetteville Manlius (NY) 7.5- Was runner-up to Corning by 2 points at NY state meet. Averaged 16:48 and had a 45 second spread. Burnt Hills is third part of this seemingly even trifecta but there is a good chance only two will get in and Burnt Hills has a much larger spread than both Corning and FM.

14) Timpanogos (SW) 8- The Southwest looked good all year long, placing high at many top meets like Bob Firman and Woodbridge. The Southwest should be a region that is looked at hard for a third team to go to NXN. Remember that the UT teams had a month between state and regionals and looked a little rusty at the regional meet but should be ready to go with just 2 weeks heading into NXN.

15) Green Hope (SE) 6.5- The North Carolina state champions need to have a solid meet this weekend by either placing top 2 or be very close third as the SE is fighting the NY region over a third team.

16) Lyons Township (MW) 10- Took third at Nike Midwest to Carmel. The Midwest seems to be the strongest regional race this year and should be able to get a third team in the NXN meet. Lyons will be bringing one of the favorites for the individual title with their top runner who could anchor them to a high finish should the rest of the team have a good race.

17) Central Valley (NW) 10- Won Nike Northwest with 113 points which was a surprise victory over Kamaikan, another Washington team.

18) Kamaikan (NW) 10- Was second at Nike Northwest with 121 points.

19) Middleton (H) 10- Takes second to Wayzata at Nike Heartland with a solid performance being just 20 points behind.

20) Flower Mound (S) 10- Flower Mound pulled out the surprise victory 77-88 over Southlake Carroll.

21) Southlake Carroll (S) 10- Carroll, after looking rough at UIL regionals, came back and almost won the state meet, and now they find themselves qualifying for NXN. The South most likely will not get a third team in. Their only chance was if the Woodlands got third again this year but they finished 4th at NXR South.

22) Kingsway (NE) 6.5- Took second to CBA at NJ MoC by 16 points. There will be a lot of competition with many teams seemingly in similar fitness at NXR NE so projecting the second team (assuming CBA squeaks out another victory) will be tough.

Photo courtesy of NXRMW.RunnerSpace.Com

#nxn #crosscountry #xc #running #highschool

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i-just--dont-understand · 7 years

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Alex Morgan #uswnt #nwsl #woso #Orlando pride #ol #get it girl #equalplayequalpay #olympique lyonnais #Lyon #FIFA

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winterolympicssports2018-blog · 6 years

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NHL - Weekly Reader - Ranking all 31 general managers into tiers ahead of the trade deadline

Click here for More Olympics Updates https://www.winterolympian.com/nhl-weekly-reader-ranking-all-31-general-managers-into-tiers-ahead-of-the-trade-deadline/

NHL - Weekly Reader - Ranking all 31 general managers into tiers ahead of the trade deadline

2:01 PM ET

Greg WyshynskiESPN

With due respect to Rick Nash, Evander Kane, Mike Green, Ryan McDonagh and their peers: These are the real superstars at the NHL trade deadline.

Thirty-one men, with ages ranging from 28 to 75 — some of them with championship rings, others that are perpetually chasing them. Some of them are dynamic salesmen, while others would rather have their faces buried in scouting reports as far away from the cameras as possible. A couple of them are named Jim. One is named Jarmo.

Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan give matchmaking a try for free-agents-to-be in the spirit of Valentine’s Day and wonder why no coaches have been fired yet. Plus, they are joined by “Miracle on Ice” captain Mike Eruzione to talk Winter Olympics and Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times to cover the Blackhawks’ tough season. Listen »

Loved. Loathed. Respected. Reviled. They are your NHL general managers.

It’s been an interesting week for our front office rock stars. Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning was given a contract extension, which was celebrated by some and received with ample skepticism by others. New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow tried to explain the team’s middling record this season; meanwhile, a group of Islanders fans raised around $6,000 in one day to purchase a billboard near Barclays Center to demand his firing.

Like we said, interesting times.

All this general manager attention got us thinking about the current crop of executives, and how we’d go about ranking them.

This is going to be a tiered approach. If you’re interested in some 1-through-31 rankings, we’d recommend Dom Luszczyszyn’s list from The Hockey News last summer and this epic one from Carolyn Wilke and Chris Watkins of Hockey Graphs in 2017, whose methodology can be found here.

But for our purposes, we feel that the NHL’s general managers fall into eight distinct categories. Feel free to agree, disagree or vehemently disagree in the comments.

The Golden Boys

The accepted gold standard for general managers. The cream of the crop. They rise to the top.

Lou Lamoriello, Toronto Maple Leafs Jim Rutherford, Pittsburgh Penguins Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Rutherford had already won a Stanley Cup when was hired as a short-term fix for the Penguins after Ray Shero was fired, and he ended up building back-to-back Stanley Cup champions with bold moves like the Phil Kessel deal. Lamoriello is a legend for building three Stanley Cup winners in New Jersey, and for finding more fine print in the CBA than a team of Gary Bettman’s finest lawyers. He’s now the head of a management group that has the Leafs on course for their first Stanley Cup since the year The Beatles released “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Does Yzerman belong here? I think so. He arrived in 2010, and the Bolts have three conference final appearances and one Eastern Conference championship. He’s managed the cap expertly, made two good coaching hires (Guy Boucher, and then knowing when to move on from him for Jon Cooper) and drafted half the roster. He and owner Jeff Vinik have created a gold-standard organization, and hence Stevie Y. is a gold-standard general manager, despite not having the silver Cup in his tenure as GM yet …

The Waiting-For-Silver Boys

General managers with great track records and universal respect who are still one Stanley Cup away from getting tiered up.

Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues Kevin Cheveldayoff, Winnipeg Jets Ron Francis, Carolina Hurricanes George McPhee, Vegas Golden Knights Bob Murray, Anaheim Ducks David Poile, Nashville Predators Ray Shero, New Jersey Devils Doug Wilson, San Jose Sharks

Poile was the source of much robust debate among those that contributed to this ranking. Some made the case that if Yzerman is in the Gold Club without a Stanley Cup, then Poile should be too, given the enormous respect for him throughout the league. But there was also this sentiment: “He’s been a GM for 35 years and been to the Stanley Cup Final once. Is our recency bias so strong that last year trumps decades of teams that underachieved in the postseason?”

Fair point.

Armstrong and Wilson have been chasing a Cup for many, many years with teams that consistently have been playoff-bound. Murray won a Cup as Brian Burke’s lieutenant, but the Ducks haven’t been back on his watch. Shero gets an asterisk to be included in this group, as he won a Cup with the Penguins; only two GMs have won Cups with two different teams, and one of them was the guy who replaced him in Pittsburgh. Cheveldayoff and Francis are both well-respected execs in search of actual accomplishment, but if either of their teams win, buckle up for the lovefest.

As for McPhee — well, the Golden Knights players aren’t the only ones carrying a sizable chip on their shoulders and searching for a redemption narrative.

The Try-Hards

They swing for the fences. Sometimes they connect. Other times, it’s just foul.

Chuck Fletcher, Minnesota Wild Jarmo Kekalainen, Columbus Blue Jackets Jim Nill, Dallas Stars Brian MacLellan, Washington Capitals Don Sweeney, Boston Bruins Dale Tallon, Florida Panthers Brad Treliving, Calgary Flames

These are general managers that have made bold moves to bolster their teams, some that have worked and others that didn’t and still others that are TBD. The common thread here is that they all seem to be doing “something,” rather than watching idly. At some point, that action has to get results, but in the meantime, hey, they’re trading for Kevin Shattenkirk or trading Seth Jones or — well, whatever it was Florida did last summer.

The Incompletes

Hey, they just walked in the door. Cut them a break.

Rob Blake, Los Angeles Kings Jason Botterill, Buffalo Sabres

Blake looks like a genius for simply having a coach whom his players like, while Botterill is attempting the unique “rebuild inside of a rebuild” inception in Buffalo. [Insert Hans Zimmer “bwwwwwwammmm” horns.]

The Misunderstood

Maligned general managers that might have this thing figured out at some point, because they do have a plan.

Jim Benning, Vancouver Canucks John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes Pierre Dorion, Ottawa Senators Jeff Gorton, New York Rangers Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche

All of these guys have, one way or another, baffled their fan bases with their machinations, whether it’s standing by unpopular coaches or failing to pull off big trades. Then one of them will make a dramatic move, and perceptions will change. It’s no coincidence that two of the three participants in the Matt Duchene trade are here, for example.

The Benning re-signing is a good example of the Misunderstood group. Some people see his work with the Canucks as ineffective and discouraging, because he signed Loui Eriksson that one time. Others see him having undone the mistakes of the previous regime while loading up the rebuild. Someone is misunderstanding “the plan” here, as it were.

For some of these general managers, there are external issues affecting their plans, too: From the Glendale City Council to Eugene Melnyk, a.k.a. the Glendale City Council of NHL owners.

The Garth Snow

Garth Snow has excelled at certain aspects of being GM, such as the draft. Others, not so much. Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

Garth Snow, New York Islanders

A category unto himself.

Jaromir Jagr has likely played his last NHL game. But the future Hall of Famer entertained hockey fans across 24 seasons, playing an incredible 1,733 games. As Jagr celebrates his 46th birthday on Feb. 15, here are 68 amazing facts about No. 68.

There are pretty clear buyers and sellers in the Pacific Division — and then there are the division-leading Golden Knights. Will they go all-in during their wondrous inaugural season? Here are the key assets, cap space and game plan for all eight teams.

With the cap in place since 2005-06, it’s no longer enough for teams to get the right players, as financial considerations must be kept in mind for that season and down the line. Here are the 10 best examples of teams that have struck the perfect balance.

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There are only three general managers employed longer than Snow, who was hired in 2006: Poile, Ken Holland and Wilson. All three have had their teams play for the Stanley Cup since Snow was hired. Their teams advanced past the first round 16 times since Snow was hired.

Snow’s teams have never played for a championship. During that span, they advanced past the first round once.

He’s made some really bad moves (bye, Nino Niederreiter) and some really good ones (hello, Oilers draft pick that became Mathew Barzal). Some say he’s simply benefited from the mismanagement of others in acquiring Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy and Jordan Eberle. But that deprives him of credit for having acquired them, which in the end, he did.

His drafts look great; his player development, not so much. His free-agent dabbling has been complicated by ownership and building issues, but he’s also made some smart decisions on departures that were criticized at the time (like Frans Nielsen). He has the faith of the organization, but little of it from the fans.

Go by the results, and Snow’s in the bottom third of GMs. But he’s not nearly as at fault for this as the current criticism would indicate. The whole thing is confounding, Hence, he’s his own tier.

The Votes Of No Confidence

GMs that are feeling the heat because their teams were incredible for like a decade, got old and entered inevitable decline.

Stan Bowman, Chicago Blackhawks Ken Holland, Detroit Red Wings

Bowman’s handled down cycles for the Hawks before, in between Cup wins, but this one seems like a bit of a steeper climb due to the age of the core (and the fact that there are so many no-trade clauses). Holland has somehow crafted a roster that’s kissing the cap ceiling but is a complete also-ran. Does he return next season?

Will these guys?

The Disaster Artists

Marc Bergevin, Montreal Canadiens Peter Chiarelli, Edmonton Oilers

Again, this ranking is as much about perception as it is about results. The Oilers and Canadiens were both humongous disappointments this season. Both have built teams with structural problems — ones that at one point seemed poised to challenge for the Stanley Cup but now seem withdrawn from contention. Much of this can be drawn directly to the decisions made by the general managers, be it the P.K. Subban trade or the Taylor Hall trade.

Of all the GMs on this list, these are the names most frequently in the vicinity of the following question: Can they survive this?

But here’s the beauty of being a general manager: All it takes is one great move or one great season, and perceptions can change on a dime. Bergevin lands John Tavares? Chiarelli’s Oilers rebound with the Cup run? They could be in a completely different tier by New Year’s Eve.

Perceptions are constantly shifting for general managers. Every year, you read stuff like this: “The clock is ticking, and he has some serious work to do this summer to sort this thing out. And if he can’t, then he is next on the chopping block.”

That was Tampa Times columnist Tom Jones in 2013, on Steve Yzerman. Suffice it to say, he sorted it out.

Jersey Foul of the week

From the Vegas (Sweet) Golden Knights:

will the real william karlsson please stand up.

please stand up. pic.twitter.com/nTEuAOYSIe

– Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 11, 2018

These Swedes were in town to support 30-goal scorer William “Wild Bill” Karlsson. It’s an army of FrankenJerseys! Their hearts are in the right place, but it’s a shame to snip up those gorgeous Swedish national team tre kronors.

How to stop a heckling fan

You go to the penalty box, you feel shame. This is an essential truth of hockey.

But sometimes, you feel even more shame on the road, when some heckling yokel decides to lay into you while you stew for two minutes after a penalty. Such was the case for Washington Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly at the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night, who was getting it good from a fan in the front row. But DSP was prepared to deploy countermeasures. Wet, saturating countermeasures:

.@smithpelly23 found the perfect #lifehack to solve your heckler problem 😂 pic.twitter.com/3AR0U6vGTo

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) February 16, 2018

Let it never be said that Devante Smith-Pelly doesn’t know how to play his angles. Thanks to RMNB for the video.

Please recall it was a scant eight years ago when the NHL declared war on players squirting water bottles at fans after Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks was caught doing so during a playoff game in Nashville. In September 2010, the NHL sent out a video that emphasized some rules for the following season, including: “Any identifiable player who uses obscene, profane or abusive language or gestures directed at any person runs the risk of an unsportsmanlike penalty and possible supplemental discipline.”

Let’s hope the NHL has loosened up a bit since then. Because this was hilarious.

ESPN On Ice

Fun podcast this week, with Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times talking about the anger of Chicago Blackhawks fans and “Miracle On Ice” legend Mike Eruzione on the Winter Olympics and his teammates auctioning off their gold medals. Plus, we play Valentine’s Day matchmaker with high-profile trade deadline bait players. Stream here or get us on iTunes. Review and subscribe!

Hall for Hart?

Taylor Hall has 60 points this season, leading the Devils back into the playoff picture. The second highest total on the team? Nico Hischier’s 37. Elsa/Getty Images

The Hart Trophy race has its season-long favorites — Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, John Tavares of the New York Islanders and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche among them.

But lately, there have been some campaigns springing up for alternative candidates. Like Frederik Andersen of the Toronto Maple Leafs, as advocated here. Or Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, as advocated here.

And like Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils, as advocated, well, here:

Hall has 60 points in 52 games for a 1.15 points-per-game average, seventh-best in the NHL this season for players that have played at least 50 games. But his Hart case is best made when considering what he’s done in context with the rest of the Devils: Hall has 23 more points than the team’s second highest scorer, rookie Nico Hischier (37). He has eight more goals than the second-leading goal scorer, Miles Wood (15). At even strength, he’s eight points (40) better than Hischier (32).

Hall is the best possession forward on the Devils (51.9 Corsi for percentage, 3.72 relative Corsi at 5-on-5). He does get a bit of an offensive advantage with 57.1 percent offensive zone starts, but that’s one of the few metrics that skew against him.

The Devils were 2-3-1 when Hall was out of the lineup; with him, they are 27-17-7. He has 40 points in those wins.

Again, there are ample candidates for the Hart, and Hall isn’t likely to challenge for the Art Ross. But if the Devils make the playoffs, and these numbers hold, it’s hard to imagine Hall won’t make the ballot for a lot of voters when you consider the incredible impact he’s had on the Devils this season. They’re counting lottery balls without him.

Puck headlines

As we covered player development a bit in today’s column, check out this post that tabulates how many 20-goal scorers teams have drafted outside the first round since 1997. The Detroit Red Wings have had seven; the Philadelphia Flyers and Arizona Coyotes have had zero. [Beer League Heroes]

Jaromir Jagr’s birthday cake was quite a sight. [Instagram]

Great idea from Arthur Staple: Asking some of those who know John Tavares best what they think the Islanders star will choose to do as a free agent. [The Athletic]

Milan Lucic might not be made for these times. In other words, he’s too big for a little man’s lead. [Edmonton Journal]

“Canada as Olympic underdog” is a false narrative, but people keep writing about it anyway. [New York Times]

Here’s a fun and informative review of the Olympic hockey jerseys this year. [Hockey by Design]

There’s no NHL team (yet), but hockey is thriving in Houston. [Houston Matters, podcast]

Phil Kessel put hot dogs in the Stanley Cup. Now, they’re immortalized on an Upper Deck card. [PHT]

Finally, as the Blackhawks tumble down the standings, interest in buying Chicago tickets has tumbled, too.

Live interest in #Blackhawks is already waining. Cheapest ticket for each of their next 5 home games has fallen by $15-$25 over the past 2 weeks.

Data from: https://t.co/8NYWcfL2TD pic.twitter.com/pqI0yKYaWu

– TicketIQ (@Ticket_IQ) February 15, 2018

Hockey tl;dr (too long; didn’t read)

An oral history of the Canadian women’s team in the 1998 Winter Olympics, the first time there was a women’s hockey tournament at the Games. [Yahoo Canada]

In case you missed this from your friends at ESPN

Ranking the top trade deadline (or thereabouts) deals of the NHL’s salary cap era.

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