#la kings warmups

[russos-ventitre]

alessia russo x reader | lezioni di italiano IV 🧸

✘ summary: it was the first national game against alessia after the two of you finally established your relationship

✘ warnings/tags: hurt/comfort, injury, head injury, brief mentions of blood, reader is mid-20s, ItalyWNT!reader, ItalyCaptain!reader, established relationship

✘ words: 2826

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎→ part i ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎→ part ii

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎→ part iii

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎→ part iv

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎→ part v

a/n: translations provided as always! sorry for the big time jump :')

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ quattro

Months later...

It was England v Italy, the first time you and your girlfriend were going to play against each other, both of you having previous discussions about this very game. Knowing months in advance that it was coming, both of you agreeing that you wouldn’t hurt each other, no matter what. You both deeply cared about football but your love for each other outweighed that and you'd both rather end up with teammates biting your head off than a broken girlfriend. A loss of a game outweighing the fear of an injured Alessia, or worse.. a dreaded ACL..

"In bocca al lupo, amorina." [Good luck, little love.] You whispered as your two teams lined up in the tunnel together.

"Crepi il lupo, tesoro." [Thanks, darling.] She mumbled back, feeling your hand graze past hers as you both filed outside, splitting into your two teams.

It was an away game for Italy, so your team sang first, being completely overshadowed by the England team once it was their turn. You could hear the words to 'God save the King' clear as day as it echoed throughout the stadium and you couldn't help yourself but clap at the audience's commitment, even if you were shot a few dirty looks from your team.

When the crowd settled down you walked over to the referees with your banner, shaking hands with all three women before turning to face England's Captain, Millie Bright, who was in place of Leah Williamson.

"Good luck out there!" The defender shouted, shooting you a friendly smile as you took her hand in yours.

"You as well! You replied, now swapping banners and taking to your positions.

The first half of the game went pretty smoothly, a few England players slipping through your defense but it was quickly recovered. Your team's main goal for the first 45 minutes or more being purely defense and goal-scoring if the opportunity made itself available. You knew how football worked, you had been playing it for nearly two decades now to know that whatever team scored early on in the first half pretty much has the advantage the rest of the game, regardless of conceding.

Halftime...

All the players file into the tunnel at half-time, you finding a seat at your cubby as you awaited the instructions your coach was about to provide. You sat there, chugging some of your water and zoning in and out, hearing bits and pieces of whatever your coach was talking about. You swore you heard your coach mention something along the lines of ‘play dirty', 'if they get near you, fall', and 'get fouled’ ring through your ears. It wasn’t the first time your team was instructed to play like that and it definitely pissed you off every time you were told to do it. As Captain, it was your job to lead and this, this was something you just couldn’t stand by. You finally had enough, standing up and chucking your towel to the ground, everyone's attention now on you. 

“Siamo migliori di così! Questo non è la squadra che ho captinato per anni! La mia squadra è migliori di così.” [We’re better than that! This is not the team I’ve captained for years. My team is better than that.] You charged out of the room, making your way to the pitch for halftime warmups, spotting Alessia on the sidelines getting some water.

“Stella..” [Star..] You muttered, bending down and pretending to retie your laces. 

“Hmm?” The blonde’s head turned towards yours, looking in your general direction as she drank more water, not wanting to raise any questions to her fans.

“My team.. stanno andando a giocare sporco. Please stay safe.. tell your team, amore..” [They’re going to play dirty.]

You walked away from her before she could respond, hoping no one noticed how long you were next to the striker. Alessia tossed her bottle to the side, running over to her teammates and warning them, hoping that people in the crowds wouldn’t notice the slight worry washing over her features. Your team eventually filed out, joining your subs in some warmups.

After a bit, the referee blew the whistle signalling that halftime was over and that both teams needed to return to their positions. You took your position in midfield, adjusting your socks and shin pads, waiting for the game to start. You looked across the field, finding your blonde readjusting her ponytail before the first touch was made, the girl sending you a soft smile, you returning one back to her.

The first 15 minutes of the second half consisted of a lot of back and forth passes, England coming close to the goal but either losing possession or having their shots saved. Around the 72nd minute England made some subs, swapping Hemp for Kelly and Coombs for Zelem.

Play resumed, the ball being in your section of the field. You chased after Stanway, trying to block her through pass, but missed by a hair. You then chased after Toone, who was currently in possession, hot on her tail and ready to snatch the ball from her feet before you misstepped and accidentally clipped her heel, sending the brunette and yourself, tumbling to the floor. Barely a second after the two of you fell, the midfielder stood up, brushing herself off and stomping towards you. A familiar blonde running over and stepping between the two of you, pushing her in the opposite direction.

“Calm down, Toones.” You heard a familiar voice call, lifting your head up from the ground as you dusted yourself off. 

“Spiacente..” [Sorry..] You mumbled quietly, feeling awful for taking out your girlfriend’s best mate. At least you started to feel better knowing that it was England’s free-kick and not your own. You didn’t deserve it if the referee were to give it to you and you were certainly going to argue with her if she did. The game continued after the free kick, more minutes counting down as both teams were at a standstill of nil-nil.

Finally, someone broke through, Stanway pushed passed your midfield, sprinting down the pitch as she lobbed the ball over to Toone. Toone did her best to dodge your team's defense, having to make a through pass at the last minute to Russo who was completely unmarked in the penalty box, taking the opportunity to score a goal. Winding her leg back, she strikes the ball with her dominant foot, sending the ball soaring into the top corner of the net. The fans going absolutely wild as Alessia's teammates jumped on her back, Tooney being wrapped up in her arms, kissing the blonde's head. You loved what those two had, and didn't feel at all threatened by Tooney being affectionate like that with her, you know she had Alessia's heart first, you knew your place and you were happy there. You never wanted to be the cause of any discourse between the two of them and you were more than happy to share Alessia with the brunette who practically knew her since birth. You view Ella as a sister in that respect.

Cheers died down, both teams walking back to their starting positions. You slowed down your walking so the striker could catch up with you.

"Bel colpo, amore mio." [Nice one, my love.] You patted her on the back before you swiftly walked away from her before your fans could question you on why you were secretly congratulating the enemy. The last thing you need is your home country thinking you've betrayed them, especially your teammates, and that you were now England's 12th player, although the thought did secretly intrigue you and you knew that if you mentioned it to Alessia you'd never hear the end of it. Especially after you politely refused to wear her England jerseys on multiple occasions. Claiming that you'd become 'a disgrace to your homeland', knowing full well she didn't buy it when she saw your lips curl at the ends slightly.

The game resumed, the ball hurdling in your direction, with Zelem not too far in front of you. Both of you jumped in the air, hoping to hit it off your heads and direct it towards your teammates. Unfortunately, the complete opposite happened actually. You and Zelem were mid-air and seconds before the ball reached the two of you, her elbow came crashing into the side of your skull. You immediately screamed out in pain, clutching your face as you fell to the ground with a loud thud. The referee blowing her whistle, ending the play immediately the second she saw your body collapse to the ground.

Alessia had watched the play unfold in front of her own eyes, seeing how the brunette’s elbow smacked into your temple, causing you to bleed. Her focus on the game immediately shifting to you, seeing your limp body on the pitch. Everything after that moment becoming slow-motion for the blonde. She sprinted after you, pushing past your Italian teammates that surrounded you, falling to her knees by your side. 

“You alright, love?” Zelem asked, also closeby to you, making sure you were okay. She looked over to Alessia, whose hands were delicately placed on your body. 

“I’ll take it from here Zel.” She smiled awkwardly, trying to hide the fact the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes. The older woman walked away, leaving Alessia at your side, alongside a few Italian players and the referee. 

The blonde leaned down towards your ear. “Sono qui, amore.” [I’m here, love.] Rubbing her hand down your side, hoping to soothe you somehow.

It wasn’t long until the medics arrived, crouching down beside your girlfriend and asking what happened. “Che è successo?” [What happened?]

“È stata colpita in faccia.” [She got hit in the face.] The striker replied, her hands never leaving your side, in fact, one of her hands was now laced with yours, her thumb soothing the back of your hand. 

The medics moved closer to you, trying to observe the section of your head that collided with Zelem’s arm. Alessia carefully helped you sit up, crouching behind you as her hands soothed down your back. You could barely keep your eyes open, your head throbbing, and everything around you fuzzy. Noise echoing through your ears but you couldn’t make out any of it, only barely able to recognise the sound of Alessia’s voice and her adorable Maidenstone accent, just the muffled sounds of her speaking to someone. The medic gently grabbed your face, tilting it to the side seeing blood trailing down to your cheek, pulling out a cloth to clean you up, the blonde taking liberty in holding it there on your wound afterward. After you were cleaned up the medic looked into your eyes, noticing that they were very dilated. She looked up to the referee who was stood nearby.

“She might have a concussion, she needs to be taken off to be examined.” The referee nodded, signalling the sidelines that a sub is needed.

Your girlfriend took notice of your lack of response, shifting herself so she was facing your side and carefully cradling you in her arms. Standing up slowly so your head didn’t explode, she carried you off the pitch in her arms, earning both of you applause that roared throughout the stadium. You hid your face in the blonde’s neck, trying to block out the blinding stadium lights and cringing at the noise of the fans, being hypersensitive to pretty much everything since you hit the floor. 

You weren’t really sure what happened next, just feeling your limp body being carried, by who you assumed was still your girlfriend, and laid down on the examination table to rest. The room was left dark and in silence as you felt your body sink into the padding of the table. 

The final whistle was blown, announcing that England had won 2-0 against Italy, the entire stadium of Wembley erupting into celebrations. But all Alessia could think of was you, absolutely booking it to the Italy locker room to find you. She ran throughout the building searching for you, finally seeing you through the small window on the door that separated the two of you. The blonde quietly entered the room, a hand coming to delicately stroke your back, as she walked around the table until she reached your face. 

“Amore..” Her soft hand came to caress your face. “..amore abbiamo vinto.” [..love we won.]

You nuzzle your face against the blonde’s hand, finding comfort in her touch. “Mmm.. s’good..” You slurred, your brain feeling like jelly as you laid there miserable. 

The striker quietly pulled a chair over, now able to rest her arms and chin on the examination table to be closer to you, your noses mere inches away from each other. Her hand resumed it’s original position, cupping your face delicately as you lay in pain.

“I scored a screamer for you, baby..” She whispered, seeing a faint smile curl at your lips. 

“La mia ragazza stella..” [My star girl..] You hummed back, your eyes just barely open enough to look back at her, seeing her cheeks turn pink.

“Tesoro..” [Darling..] You hand reached for the blonde, finding purchase on her soft cheek, soothing your thumb over her beautiful skin.

Alessia leaned in closer, your foreheads nearly touching as she laid her head down beside you. “Hmm?” 

“Don’t you want to celebrate with your team..?” You mumbled, your brain feeling worse the more you had to think proper thoughts. 

"No.. I want to be here with you, amore mio." [my love.] She edged her face closer to yours, placing a delicate kiss to your nose, blush slowly filled your cheeks.

"Come on.. let's get you home." She cooed, grabbing your kitbag that was on the side, holding her hands out to help you sit up.

You sat up slowly, feeling the throbbing pain resume once you were upright, a hand coming to clutch at your face as you winced in pain. The blonde walked towards you, slotting her body between your legs, taking them in her hands and wrapping them around her torso, then finally pulling you close to her chest and wrapping your arms around her neck. She carefully slid you off the table and carried you out of the room.

"Keep your eyes closed, love." She mumbled, rubbing soothing patterns at the base of your neck as she navigated her way out of the building to her team bus.

The striker carried you all the way to her team bus, seeing Sarina waiting outside for her players, the coach's brows knitting together as she tried to figure out why one of her players was carrying an Italian player.

"Hey.." She whispered to the older woman. "..could you do me a favour and ask the girls to dial it down before I walk in there. [y/n].. my love.. she has a concussion and I don't want her to be alone in her team hotel room suffering. I'm gonna take her home." The blonde admitted, her face bright red as she had never really admitted that out loud before, only really to her closest friends.

"Sure." Sarina nodded, walking into the coach to make the announcement.

When she finished she walked back out, helping escort Alessia onto the coach without falling. The striker carried you down the aisle, you feeling sympathetic pats on your back as she walked past her teammates, one of them being Ella and the other being Zelem. She took you to the back of the bus, a place where no one was occupying carefully helping you lay down in her lap as the coach began to move.

You tucked your face away in your girlfriend's lower stomach, gently pressing your forehead against it as you hoped that the coach lights above your head would stop beaming through your eyelids that for whatever reason today seem to be as thin as paper, practically begging internally for the ache to leave you alone or knock you out. You honestly didn't care which one came first, you were just hoping to be spared soon because it was unbearable.

Her soft hand came to caress your face, your body melting into the woman's touch and instantly feeling more relaxed the longer she kept her hand there. Your hands searched for the blonde's shirt, finding the end of it and pulling it over your face to hide from the brightness of the light.

Alessia looked down at you bright-eyed, slowly becoming a bit flustered at your choice of face placement. Your nose and eyelashes accidentally brushing against her abs every now and then, causing the girl to fidget underneath you. You whined every time that she did, her movements causing more pain to your head until she eventually was able to control herself. You placed a kiss to her abs before settling yourself, everything afterward going dark.

‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎← part iii ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏part v →

#alessia russo #alessia russo x reader #alessia russo imagine #woso #woso fanfics #woso x reader #woso community #woso imagines #engwnt x reader #england women #arsenal wfc #arsenal x reader #arsenal women #awfc x reader #awfc

[matttgirlies]

Matt & Me🎀

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

a story heavily based on Priscilla Presley’s Book “Elvis & Me” based in the 1950’s - 1970’s.

fem! reader x singer! matt

disclaimer!! - in no way am i saying matt would ever support or do these kind of things, for the sake of the book certain unethical things do happen at times.

warnings - mentions of guns,, drug use,, threats,, mentions of affairs

y/nn = your nickname for any confusion🩷

Chapter 21

Putting together the best musicians, sound and lighting technicians, costumers, and choreographers, he was taking no chances this time. He scoured the music scene for the top sidemen in the business. Auditions were held and he handpicked each player—names such as James Burton, John Wilkinson, Ronny Tutt, Glen D. Hardin, Jerry Scheff. He loved the sound of the Sweet Inspirations, backup group for Aretha Franklin, and he hired them on the spot as a warmup act and to sing backup vocals. He also hired his favorite gospel group, the Imperial Quartet.

Before leaving Los Angeles, Matt rehearsed at RCA Sound Studios for ten days and then polished the act for a full week prior to the opening. It was the event of the summer in Vegas. Colonel Parker brought the preopening publicity to fever pitch. Billboards were up all over town. On the third floor of the International, administrative offices bustled with activity. No other entertainer coming into Vegas had ever stimulated this kind of excitement. The hotel lobby was dominated by Matt paraphernalia—pictures, posters, T-shirts, stuffed animals, balloons, records, souvenir programs. You’d think Barnum and Bailey were coming to town.

Back home there was also excitement as we girls discussed what we’d wear to the opening. “I want you to look extra special, Baby,” Matt said. “This is a big night for all of us.” I hit every boutique in West L.A. before finding just the right outfit.

Though it had been nine years since Matt had given a live performance, you never would have known it from his opening. The audience cheered the moment he stepped onstage and never stopped the entire two hours as Matt sang, “All Shook Up,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “In the Ghetto,” “Tiger Man,” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” He mixed the old with the new, the fast and hot with the lyrical and romantic. It was the first time I’d ever seen Matt perform live. Wanting to surprise me, he had kept me from rehearsals. I was astounded. At the end he left them still cheering and begging for more.

Cary Grant was among the stars who came backstage to congratulate him after the show. But the most touching moment was when Colonel William arrived with tears in his eyes, wanting to know where his boy was. Matt came out of the dressing room and the two men embraced. I believe everyone felt their emotion in that moment of triumph.

I don’t think we slept that night. Nate Doe brought in all the newspapers and we read the rave reviews declaring, “Matt was great” and “He never looked or sang better.” He shared credit for his new success with all of us.

“Well, we did it. It’s going to be a long thirty days, but it’s going to be worth it if we get the reception we got last night. I may have been a real tyrant, but it was well worth it.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” we all agreed, laughing. “You were a tyrant.”

The International Hotel was delirious over Matt’s performance and the box-office receipts. The following day they signed a fiveyear contract with the Colonel for Matt to appear twice a year, usually around the same time, January and August, at the then unheardof salary of one million dollars a year.

Matt literally took over Las Vegas for the entire month he was there, playing to a packed house every show as thousands more were turned away. No matter where we looked, all we could see was the name Matt—on television, newspapers, banners, and billboards. The King had returned.

Initially, Matt’s triumph in Las Vegas brought a new vitality to our marriage. He seemed a different person. Once again, he felt confident about himself as a performer and he continued to watch his weight and work out every day at karate.

It was also the first time that I felt we were functioning as a team. I made several trips to New York, trying to find unique accessories for him to wear onstage. I bought scarves, jewelry, and a black leather belt with chain links all around it that Bill Belew would later copy for the famous Matt jumpsuit belts.

I loved seeing him healthy and happy again, and I especially enjoyed our early days in Vegas. The International provided an elegant three-bedroom suite that we turned into our home away from home. During his show I always sat at the same table down front, never tiring of watching him perform. He was spontaneous and one never knew what to expect from him.

On occasion, after his midnight show, we’d catch lounge acts of other performers playing Vegas or we’d gamble until dawn. Other times we’d relax backstage, visiting with entertainers captivated by his performance. This was the first time I’d been with Matt at a high point in his career.

With the renewed fame came renewed dangers. Offstage he could be guarded by Sonny and Red. Onstage he was a walking target. One night that summer Nate and Sonny were tipped off that a woman in the audience was carrying a gun and had threatened to shoot Matt. A true professional, Matt insisted on going on. Additional precautions were taken and everyone was on the alert. Matt was instructed to stay downstage, making himself a smaller target, and Sonny and Jerry were poised to jump in front of him at the slightest sign of suspicious movement in the audience. Red was positioned in the audience with the FBI agents.

The show seemed to take an eternity. I glanced at Patsy apprehensively and she in turn grasped my hand as we comforted each other, longing for the night to end without incident. James remained backstage, never letting Matt out of his sight and praying, “Dear God, don’t let anything happen to my son.”

Because of this and other threats, extra security was arranged wherever Matt appeared. Entrances through backstages, kitchens, back elevators, and side exits became routine.

Matt had his own theory about assassinations, based on the murders of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy. He felt that the assassins gloated over their “accomplishments,” and told his bodyguards that if any attempt were made on his life, they should get the killer—even before the police. He didn’t want anyone bragging to the media that they’d killed Matt Sturniolo.

Sonny and Red lived in so much tension these days that they were constantly frenzied. Suspicious in crowds of overzealous fans, they were quick to respond to any sign of danger. Compared to Sonny’s diplomacy, Red’s reputation was to act first and ask questions later. Eventually, numerous assault-and-battery charges started piling up against Matt. When James warned him about Sonny and Red’s aggressiveness, Matt said, “Goddamn, Red. I hired you to keep the sons of bitches away from me, not get me in any legal binds. Somehow you’re going to have to control that redheaded temper of yours.”

Although Matt would joke about the death threats—and there would be several more throughout the Vegas commitments—the fear and constant need for security heightened the pressure of nightly performing.

In the beginning when Matt began doing regular Vegas engagements, we girls visited frequently. We’d fly in over the weekend, sometimes bringing our children, spend three or four days, and then return home.

On the days we were apart I’d take hundreds of Polaroids and home movies of Charlotte. She was growing so rapidly I didn’t want him to miss out on her development. Daily he’d receive his “care packages,” as I’d refer to them, including tape recordings of me teaching Charlotte new words and Charlotte mimicking me. Each week, upon my arrival, I’d paste photos on the mirrors in his bedroom to remind him that he had a wife and child.

During his first couple of engagements he still seemed humbled by lingering doubts of whether the public was fully accepting him. At this point he had no interest in outside affairs or flirtations, his concentration on daily rehearsals and performances every evening excluding everything else.

Later he would become more cocky. The crowds’ admiration took him back to his triumphs in the early fifties and he found it hard to come down to earth after a month of nightly cheers. His name on the International’s huge marquee would be replaced by the next superstar. The offices on the third floor would be cleared out and incoming calls for reservations would stop.

Thriving on all the excitement, glamour, and hysteria, he found it difficult to go home and resume his role as father and husband. And for me the impossibility of replacing the crowd’s adoration became a real-life nightmare.

At home in Los Angeles, there was just the usual group around—strictly a family atmosphere. This abrupt change was too much for him and soon he developed the habit of lingering in Vegas for days, sometimes weeks, after a show. The boys were finding it increasingly difficult to resolve the conflict between working for Matt and maintaining a home life.

Crazed with inactivity and boredom, Matt became edgy and temperamental, a condition exacerbated by the Dexedrine he was again taking to control his weight.

Sometimes, to ease the transition home, Matt would insist we all pile into cars and head for Palm Springs. Since our marriage we had spent-many weekends there sunning and watching football games and late-night television, but after Charlotte was born, my needs changed. The Palm Springs heat was too much for her, the long drive boring, the idleness of resort life wearying. One weekend I suggested, “Matt, why don’t just you and the guys go down?”

From that time on, the guys developed their own lifestyle in our secluded desert home. Occasionally we wives would be invited to spend the weekend, but by and large, Matt now considered Palm Springs his private refuge.

He made it clear that this time away was good for him, giving him a chance to think, to hang out with the guys. In reality Matt was lost. He did not know what to do with himself after Vegas. He escaped in more powerful, unnecessary prescribed drugs to raise his spirits and ward off boredom.

After he had conquered Vegas, it was agreed that Matt should go back on the road. Colonel immediately began booking concert tours around the nation, starting with an impressive run of six sold-out shows in the Houston Astrodome, which earned over one million dollars in three nights.

The night I arrived in Texas to watch the performance, Amber, Judy, and I flew in on a private jet. I looked down on the Astrodome and found it hard to believe my eyes. The length of a football field—and already sold out. It made me nervous. I could imagine how Matt felt.

Matt too found the Astrodome overwhelming. “Goddamn,” he said when he first walked in. “They expect me to sell this son of a bitch out? It’s a goddamn ocean.”

However dwarfed he was by the giant facility, he electrified his audience. Houston was our first run-in with mass hysteria. The limousine was strategically parked by the stage door for Matt’s immediate getaway. Even so, screaming fans surrounded the car, frantically yelling out his name, presenting flowers, and trying to touch him.

If anything, Houston was an even greater victory than Vegas. The King of Rock and Roll was back on top. The strain of sustaining such a hype was just beginning and, for the moment, I could believe that everything would still be all right. I did not realize the extent to which Matt’s touring was going to separate us, that this in fact was the beginning of the end. After Houston Matt began crossing the country, making one-night stands, flying by day, trying to catch some sleep to maintain the high energy level demanded by his performances. From 1971 on, he toured more than any other artist—three weeks at a time with no days off and two shows on Saturdays and Sundays.

I missed him. We talked constantly of being together more, but he knew that if he let me join him, he couldn’t refuse the requests from regulars whose marriages were also feeling the strain of long separations. For a while a group of us would fly in from time to time, but this didn’t last long. Matt noticed that his employees were lax in discharging their duties to him when spouses were present, and he established a new policy: No wives on the road.

I didn’t really miss the one-night stands, a tedious routine at best: Jump off the plane, rush to the hotel, unpack as little as possible, since you had to check out the next day, go to the performance, then back to the hotel for a little rest before heading back to the airport. Everything was the same except for the name of the town.

It was the day Matt suggested I come to Vegas less often that I became really upset and suspicious. He’d decided that we wives would attend opening and closing nights only.

I knew then I’d have to fight for our relationship or accept the fact that we were now gradually going to grow apart as so many couples in show business do. As a couple, we’d never sat down to plan out a future. Matt, individually, was stretching as an artist, but as man and wife we needed a common reality.

The chances of our marriage surviving were slim indeed as long as he continued to live apart from Charlotte and me, and in bachelor quarters at that. It came down to how much longer I could stand the separation. Matt wanted to have his cake and eat it too. And now, as the tours and long engagements took him even further from his family, I realized that we might never reach my dreams of togetherness.

I had trouble believing that Matt was always faithful, and the more he kept us apart, the more my suspicions grew.

Now when we went to Vegas, I felt more comfortable at the openings. He was always preoccupied with the show and I felt he needed me then. On closing nights I always felt uneasy. Too many days had gone by, enough time for suspicions to poison my thoughts. The Vegas maître d’s invariably planted a bevy of beauties in the front rows for the entertainer to play to. Curious, I would scan their faces while watching Matt closely to see if he seemed to direct his songs to any girl in particular. Suspicious of everyone, my heart ached—but we were never able to talk about it. It was to be accepted as part of the job.

Backstage one night James was jokingly negotiating for a key that had been tossed to Matt. She was an attractive middle-aged blonde—James’s type. Matt said, “Dad, you’ve got enough problems at home with one blonde. You certainly don’t need two.”

“Well, okay,” James said. “You’re going to have problems of your own if your wife goes out in the street looking like that.” I had begun wearing skimpy knit dresses and see-through fabrics that were daringly revealing. Steven and Charlie whistled and gave wolfcalls, while Matt proudly showed me off.

The jokes I played on him were also efforts to get his attention. One night, after he’d left early for a show, I put on a black dress with a black hood and an exceptionally low-cut back. When it came time for Matt to give away kisses to the girls in the audience—a regular part of his show—I went up to the stage. Instead of kissing me, he kept on singing his song, leaving me to stand there. With my hair hiding the dress strap around my neck, I appeared from the back to be nude from the waist up. I could hear the “oooh”s and “ahhhh”s of the audience. They were under the impression that a topless girl had cornered Matt and that he couldn’t figure out what to do.

I kept whispering to him, “Kiss me, kiss me, so I can sit down,” but he decided to turn the joke on me, and made me wait in the spotlight for the duration of the song. Planting a big kiss on my lips, he surprisingly introduced me to the audience. I felt a bit embarrassed and made my way back to my seat.

Later in the show he’d strut back and forth onstage, tease his audience, talk to them, tell them stories, even confide in them. “You know,” he’d say, “some people in this town get a little greedy. I know you folks save a long time to come and hear me sing. I just want you to know, as far as I’m concerned, there won’t be any exorbitant raise in price when you come back. I’m here to entertain you and that’s all I care about.”

Matt was having an ongoing love affair with his audience and the next time I was home alone I knew I had no choice but to start more of a life of my own.

It was with that thought in mind that Amber, my sister Michelle, and I planned a short trip to Palm Springs. In the course of the weekend I opened the mailbox to check the mail and found a number of letters from girls who had obviously been to the house, one in particular signed “Lizard Tongue.” My immediate response was disbelief, followed by outrage. I dialed Vegas and demanded that Nate find Matt and bring him to the telephone. When Nate said Matt was sleeping, I told him about the letters and insisted I speak to Matt. Nate promised that he would have Matt call as soon as he woke up. He did, but it was clear that Nate had filled him in on the situation and Matt had his explanation ready. He was totally innocent, the girls were just fans, they were out of their minds if they said they’d ever come to the house, and besides, it was their word against his. As usual, in the end I apologized for putting him on the spot, but things at this point were becoming too obvious.

He said, “Get out and do things while I’m gone, because if you don’t, you’re going to start getting depressed.”

Although my choices were limited—he still objected to my taking a job or enrolling in classes at college—I continued my dancing and started taking private art instruction.

Matt was a born entertainer and although he tried to avoid crowds, disliked restaurants, and complained he “couldn’t get out like a normal person,” this life-style suited him. He handpicked the people he wanted to be around him—to work with and travel withand they adjusted to his routine and his hours and his temperament. It was a pretty close clan throughout the years. A few arguments erupted and a few couples left over some misunderstandings, but they usually returned in a week or two.

My view of life had been fashioned by Matt. I had entered his world as a young girl and he had provided absolute security. He distrusted any outside influences, which he saw as a threat to the relationship, fearing they would destroy his creation, his ideal. He could never have foreseen what was happening as the consequence of his prolonged absences from home. A major period in my growth was beginning. I still feared our separations but felt that our love had no boundaries, that I was his and if he wanted me to change, I would. For years nothing had existed in my world but him, and now that he was gone for long stretches of time, the inevitable happened. I was creating a life of my own, starting to achieve a sense of security in myself, and discovering there was a whole world outside our marriage.

Over the years of playing Vegas, other pressures began to mount. There were more death threats and lawsuits, including alleged paternity suits and assault-and-battery charges. Jealous husbands claimed they’d seen Matt flirting with their wives, and others continued to charge that Sonny and Red were manhandling them. Matt began to get bored with these nuisances as well as with the sameness of the show. Inevitably, he tried to change the format, but then he felt it just didn’t have the same pacing as the original. He’d add a few songs here and there but then revert to the original. Pointed suggestions that he make changes before the next Vegas date added to the pressure.

Bored and restless, he increased his dependence on chemicals. He thought speed helped him escape from destructive thinking, when in reality it gave him false confidence and unnatural aggressiveness. He started losing perspective on himself and others. To me he became increasingly unreachable.

Excerpt from: "Elvis and Me" by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. Scribd. This material may be protected by copyright.

a/n - welll..🎀

#matthew sturn #matt stuniolo fanfic #matthew sturniolo #matt sturniolo #chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #sturniolo edit #sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo imagine #sturniolo smut #sturniolo triplets #sturniolo x reader #nick sturniolo #Spotify

[homerforsure]

Did anyone say la @ Anaheim? If you write more I'd like that one😊

Okay so it took a hot minute, but here on this Fuck-It Friday I finally have this chapter intro to share with you. (Thank you @thekristen999 for tagging me too!)

Doc: Speaking of the kinder, gentler NHL, take a look at this clip from tonight’s pre-game warmup. The Kings’ Evan Buckley is stretching out at center ice and look at who comes over to chat with him. Anaheim Ducks’ defenseman, Eddie Diaz.

Edzo: Ugggghhhhhhh.

Doc: Diaz parks himself right on the other side of the red line and the two of them have a pretty friendly looking chat. They share a laugh, a little stick tap on the shins there from Diaz as they both circle back around to their respective teams for some shots on net.

Edzo: It just makes you sick.  

Doc: [laughter] Come on. We’re all friends here! And it’s nice to see there’s no hard feelings after Diaz sent Buckley to the hospital back in October. 

Edzo: Uh-uh. Nope. Look, I’m all for having respect for your opponent. That’s good. That’s healthy. But when you’re out there on the ice, your friends are the ones wearing the same color jersey. Anybody else is your mortal enemy. 

Doc: You never went out to dinner with any of your Rangers comrades when you were in town with one of your later teams?

Edzo: Absolutely not. 

Doc: Really?

Edzo: Really! I saw them in the summer, out on the golf-course or at weddings and reunions, but during the season? No way. They were dead to me.

Doc: [laughter]

Edzo: I did everything I could to get an edge on those guys and they did the same to me. It’s the only way to play. Honestly, if I’m a member of the Kings or the Ducks, I’d be getting a little salty with Buckley or Diaz once we got back to the room. What are you doing fraternizing with the enemy like that? Where’s the loyalty? 

Doc: So what you’re saying is that if you and I ever part ways, I shouldn’t expect you to wave at me in the hallways.

Edzo: Nope. Sorry, Doc [laughter]. 

Doc: Well, it’s good to know where we stand at least. I’ll always remember you fondly. 

Last minute tags for @princessfbi, @mellaithwen, @fleurdebeton, @dearestdiaz, @rewritetheending, and @sibylsleaves (sorry if anyone's getting double tagged!)

#fuck it friday #hockey au

[charlotte-of-wales]

girl it’s your christian anon back with more christian content… did you see him say he understands spanish and speak a little bit? I had no idea he had this secret up his sleeve. diverse, multi-talented king! that scene in dts where carlos says he has latino fire is truly christian 😌

also I feel bad constantly sending in sports stuff to your royal blog when I literally started following you for royal content lol. my contribution is that you know how catherine just smiles and laughs at william during Wimbledon like he’s so funny and amazing? that’s how I look at my screen when christian is on even if he’s just doing his weird warmups.

GIRL don’t worry about sending in sports stuff I have a sports tag for a reason! I love your Christian asks!

and YES I’m currently watching him play (in this see through white kit) twirling my hair, kicking my feet and giggling

the spanish was so funny lmfao ‘la comida, top 👌🏼’

ALSO he assisted a goal while I was typing this king shit 🫶🏼

#answered #sports

[itsjustascarecrow]

Happy 25th Birthday, ya big moose

#los angeles kings #kurtis macdermid #la kings warmups #silhouby edits #hockey at staples center #hockey #random bullshit #these are like. the first edits i've made in /months/ #maybe even over a year #and i haven't downloaded warmup pics off my phone in about just as long rip #but it's his bday; i couldn't resist #hap birth kurt!! #moose

[bananaramacobra]

Just wanted to thank the LA Kings twitter account for tweeting the most perfect photo, I don’t think I could have asked for better. I may be a Coyotes girl, but the Kings have my back when I want those meet-cute ice hockey tropes.

Imagine La Kings right winger Johnny during their pre-match warmup, he’s just stretching and minding his own business, when NJ Devils right winger Daniel skates up to chat with him. Maybe they get a little flirty, maybe it gets a little playful, and it carries on through their match.

And it’s not just the one game, it’s any game they play against each other. The fans definitely notice, these two are crazy around each other on the ice. Maybe the disk jockeys notice and play REO Speedwagon’s Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore whenever the two inevitably meet up and skate circles around each other, and doesn’t that just make Daniel and Johnny ham it up a bit? You bet your ass it does!

#lawrusso #johnny lawrence #daniel larusso #la kings johnny lawrenec #la kings #new jersey devils daniel larusso #new jersey devils #thank you la kings twitter acount #twitter is feeding me today #manifesting cute hockey meets #ice hockey au #cobra kai #the karate kid #I'm still on my ice hockey kick #ice hockey #ice hockey meet-cute #meet-cute on ice

[gdwessel]

Summer Struggle 2021 Night 3 - 7/17/2021; Tokyo Experiencing Extreme Rise in COVID-19 Cases Including Among Olympic Athletes + Officials; Kota Ibushi Off 7/19/2021 Show; NJPW Strong Episode 49 - 7/16/2021: Tag Team Turbulence Night 1, Good Brothers Return To NJPW Ring

Let’s do the serious stuff first -- there are five days JST unitl the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Tokyo reported a daily cases tally today of 1410 new positive COVID-19 cases, the highest one-day tally in 6 months, the 4th day in a row cases have topped 1000 in Tokyo. This even with a toothless, basically voluntary fourth state of emergency in place. In addition, the first positive case within the Olympic Village has been discovered, a staffer, not an athlete, but this adds to the tally of persons who have been testing positive since Olympic arrivals began earlier this month, and in the hotels as well. 

Meanwhile, we’ve already had two reports of racism amidst the Olympics, with the German men’s Olympic football (soccer) squad abandoning a warmup match v. Honduras after one of their players was racially abused, and a Tokyo hotel earlier this week posted signs for their elevators stating “Japanese Only” and “Foreigners Only.” 

Even so, IOC President Thomas Bach swears they will have a “safe and successful” Olympiad despite all evidence to the contrary. Meanwhile, nearly 80% of the 47 prefectural capitals in Japan are having to change their vaccination strategies, amidst a shortage in a nation that has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the world. The LA Times asked two days ago “Was Japan’s strategy the right one?” The answer, right now, appears to be an emphatic NO. This is already an unpopular event, now it has all the makings of a total disaster. As it has for weeks and months now.

Anyway, on to the wrestling...

The tour resumed today, with a show that you can see now on NJPWWorld. The featured matches today were two special singles bouts between champions and challengers for the IWGP Juniorheavyweight Tag Team titles coming up.

- 7/17/2021, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (NJPWWorld)

KENTA, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo [Bullet Club] d. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii [CHAOS], Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura (Yujiro > Tsuji, Pimp Juice, 12:56)

Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki [SZKG] d. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables] (Taichi > BUSHI, Zack Mephisto, 13:29)

Robbie Eagles, SHO & YOH [CHAOS] d. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI [SZKG] (Eagles > DOUKI, Ron Miller Special, 12:55)

Ryusuke Taguchi d. Taiji Ishimori [Bullet Club] (Rollup, 14:23)

Rocky Romero [CHAOS] TLD El Phantasmo [Bullet Club] (30:00)

I am not entirely sure we needed a 30 minute Broadway for Rocky Romero v. El Phantasmo, but I guess it adds some intrigue to the Wrestle Grand Slam match. And when it says rollup for Taguchi beating Ishimori, we mean Rollup With Taguchi’s Exposed Ass In Ishimori’s Face. Post-main, Taguchi swore that not only would the Mega Coaches win the titles on 7/25 but they would also expose ELP’s loaded boot once and for all.

Eagles gets a win before his title challenge, a challenge nobody thinks Eagles is winning, and with good reason. Naito, SANADA and Dangerous Tekkers got into it, as did EVIL & Dick Togo against Ishii.

Kota Ibushi has been pulled from Monday’s house show in Ibaraki due to illness. NJPW did point out Ibushi is negative for COVID-19 after a PCR test. Ibushi already missed several shows due to side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine as it is.  Yuji Nagata will take Ibushi’s place in the match instead.

Last night’s NJPW Strong began the Tag Team Turbulence single-elimination tournament, with four first-round matches.

Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows [Impact] d. TJP [FREE] & Clark Connors (Anderson > TJP, Magic Killer, 10:01)

Yuji Nagata & Ren Narita d. Fred Yehi & Wheeler Yuta (Narita > Yuta, Narita Special #4, 10:59)

Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs d. Kevin Knight & The DKC (Isaacs > Knight, Movie On The Roof, 7:22)

Brody King & Chris Dickinson [VLNCE UNLTD] d. JR Kratos & Danny Limelight [Team Filthy] (Dickinson > Limelight, Running DVD, 8:22)

Dickinson gets a measure of revenge against his former Team Filthy stablemates, with VLNCE UNLTD advancing to the semi-finals to face the West Coast Wrecking Crew next week. The Good Brothers wrestle their first NJPW match as a tandem since 2/20/2016, the second night of the Honor Rising joint show with ROH in Tokyo Korakuen Hall. They get the win here, to the surprise of nobody. The real surprise was Nagata & Narita advancing. Both Fred Yehi & Wheeler Yuta are rising indie stars, title holders both (Yehi just won AAW’s Heavyweight belt off Mance Warner last weekend, whilst Yuta is the IWTV Independent Champion), featuring in ROH and AEW of late. That said, good for Narita, another high profile win for him on NJPW Strong. NJPW seems to have a lot of faith in him to keep putting him in this position, and you love to see it.

Next week’s episode features not only the Tag Team Turbulence semis, but also for the show’s 50th episode, an NJPW Strong Openweight title defense from “Filthy” Tom Lawlor v. Satoshi Kojima. Incidentally, Kojima does not appear to be on Impact’s Slammiversary card tonight, unless he is there to support Eddie Edwards as he is going up against William Morrissey. Ah well.

The tour continues Monday, with a non-streamed house show.

- 7/19/2021, Ibaraki Tatsunoko Arena

Robbie Eagles, SHO & YOH [CHAOS] v. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI [SZKG]

Tomohiro Ishii [CHAOS] & Yuya Uemura v. EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi [Bullet Club]

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi, Rocky Romero [CHAOS] & Tiger Mask IV v. KENTA, Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Gedo [Bullet Club]

Kazuchika Okada [CHAOS] & Yota Tsuji v. Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan [United Empire]

Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Master Wato v. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables]

#NJPW #new japan pro wrestling #summer struggle #njpw summer struggle #njsst #rocky romero #el phantasmo #ryusuke taguchi #taiji ishimori #COVID-19 #Tokyo Olympics #tokyo 2020 olympics #njpw strong #njpwstrong #tag team turbulence #Machine Gun Karl Anderson #karl anderson #Doc Gallows #Yuji Nagata #wheeler yuta #ren narita #fred yehi #chris dickinson #brody king #kota ibushi #njpwworld #royce isaacs #jorel nelson

[mantra4ia]

Desires: Lucifer season 5 on Netflix

Created: August 21, 2020. Last Modified: August 22, 2020.

Preface: Alright my Lucis, here’s the sitch: it’s been a minute. Life got a bit chaotic I wasn’t able to start season five quite on time when it premiered on August 21st because I haven’t finished the great 2020 Lucifer rewatch. I’m nearly done however and should be able to jump into it either later today or tomorrow, which is why beforehand I want to — as I’ve traditionally done for a few seasons — create a desires list and keep a tally throughout the season to see how many are met. I am going to try to pace myself, not binge, and watch a single episode a day so don’t spoil me. Likewise I will tag my spoilers. Here we go... #21DaysofLucifer

Season 3 and 4 Roundout - Desires Fulfilled / Questions Answered

✔We’ve seen other demons “like Maze” and a bit of what havoc they can reek. Well sort of. To be quite frank, although it was cool to see them possess the recently deceased, it wasn’t as impending doom as I was expecting. They didn’t seem nearly as disciplined or intimidating as Mazikeen, even Dromos, more bored and desperate.

✔ We’ve seen a little more or the heavenly host in Remiel. Remi was cool, if a bit intense. Her character, and her affinity to Amenadiel was a nice foil to see how far his character has come in evolution. But again like Uriel was for Lucifer, she kind of became a driving force character device to push Amenadiel’s growth. So I wonder if we’ll get to see more of her or not.

✔ (s3) The backstory of Lucifer’s arrival in LA, finding LUX, and making a deal with Amenadiel.

✔ (s3) Cain finally went to hell, YES! Not that I didn’t like Marcus Pierce/Tom Welling, there were some great interactions there, but I just think he was a wishy-washy antagonist based on how he was written and I can’t wait to trade up for Michael.

✔ Maze finally had some happiness and attachment to this silly mortal coil and it slipped away! Why Eve why? I love Maze’s bonding with humans, Linda, Trixie, Chloe. But I love that after a Millennia of serving, and then watching Amenadiel and Linda be happy in a family unit, that she might actually make her own and my hopes were dashed. 

Things we got that we didn’t even know we wanted. SO GOOD:

Season 4 ep 8: Amenadiel bonding with Caleb and confronting community violence, police brutality, and systemic racism. It was a rough episode to be sure, but absolutely needed,

Chloe talking Lucifer down and out of a self-hatred spiral and his transformation into full-fledged devil and back again.

Lucifer playing Creep on repeat while missing the detective (even after insisting in a therapy session that “he’s not a teenager playing Adele on repeat) and Mr. Said Out B**** trying to rob Lucifer and gun point and ultimately get rich. What a fun twist.

The Dan and Maze Los X’s fight. They are wicked good at laying down the  hurt on the criminal element and I was wondering when they’d pair up again after dispatching Warden Perry.

The devil in a bar fight! I mean, it’s only fair since the ladies had their brawl. I love how this fight sequence was filmed in bursts of slo-mo from various angles, involved everything from fists, to tasers, knives, bottles, and the infamous pool cue, and they picked the perfect song for pacing (Jake Bugg, Lightning Bolt, could listen to it all day on repeat.)

Time for all good demons to go home / Enough, you will bow down to your king. Go home! (aka appropriate use of Devilish intimidation face)

Amenadiel vs Remi 

A Rocky montage with Lucifer and Amenadiel / Amenadiel’s face the first time Lucifer drives the Corvette

Lucifer at the roller derby

Chloe the YA fangirl

Maze teaching Trixie about knives, with each handle decorated in a different toy.

Amenadiel and Chloe catching up: your father is so proud of you. Like and angel BOSS!

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:

★ (s3) Amenadiel taking Charlotte home

★ Dan being comforted in his grief by Amenadiel

★ Amenadiel’s wrath and the brotherly duo tag team to lay the hurt on the drug dealer that got Charlie killed. It’s been a while since we’ve seen warrior angel ready to dispatch anyone in his way. And it was glorious!

★ (s3) Lucifer’s almost driving lesson with Trixie “Morningstar”

★ (s3) Maze torturing Lucifer by making him think he’s the Angel of San Bernadino

★ (s3) Amenadiel and Lina helping to dispose of Lucifer’s wings

★  Lucifer kicking Julian, Tiernan’s son, through a glass pane window

★ The goodbye kiss between Lucifer and Chloe

 DIDN’T LIKE:

☒ (s3) Cain playing guitar and singing. What is he, a crime lord, a top cop, or an act that the improv club wouldn’t take? 

☒ Eve. I liked Eve, but we mostly got to see one side of her around Lucifer, and a kind of floundering an confused side when she was with Maze. The side that I would have liked to see more of was the maternal side that came out when she briefly talked about Abel or was interrogated by Trixie. That made her more layered.

☒ Father Kinley. That dude is just meh.

☒ Dan’s broken heart and rebounding with Ella. Don’t get me wrong, its a good arc, but I don’t see it lasting

☒ (s3) Abel and Reese. Those were two side stories I could have done without, although they had great moments of humor. I quite enjoyed Reese’s character, and although I didn’t like Abel Lucifer’s stick-figure comic illustration of Cain fighting with him over a rock was quite enjoyable.

WHAT I TRULY DESIRE: SINFUL SEASON 5, my BURNING QUESTIONS, and SPECULATIONS

Obviously, don’t spoil anything for me, but if any of my desires end up coming true in any of the first eight episodes maybe drop me a hint in the comments...

A big time jump. We need to see the lasting impact of Lucifer’s absence. I know that time in hell works differently per that episode where Lucifer saved Chloe and almost got stuck in a loop, but we still need enough time to elapse that the impact is felt on the mortal side. Or, we need to see the passage of time through a series of events without Lucifer, like a montage of character development. At least a year or so, if for no other reason then Trixie is growing up and I actually want to see her take driving lessons with Lucifer.

Last season Maze gave baby Charlie a gift, something she’d wished she’d had growing up, and previously had alluded to the language of demons, her many siblings, and teased her mother, the mother of all demons. Will we finally get to meet Maze’s mom Lilith (or however they address her)? And, in spite of Mazikeen’s found family, she still has restlessness and abandonment issues. Will her mom finally finally bring her peace, or will clashing with her resolidify Maze’s purpose on earth?

A Decker/Mazikeen team-up or girls night out 2.0 would always be appreciated. At this point its probably 4.0 if you count the bar fight and the bachelorette party.

Will we see tougher, scarier demons, or are they just warmup to the really scary depths of hell?

Speaking of hell, more hell. Tons of hell. I want to know the minutia of all the mechanics. If Lucifer’s gotta be down there in self-imposed exile, he may as well show us around. Pour us a drink.

Will Lucifer see Cain in Hell? Not that I’m dying to see more of “sad Cain” but it would be interesting to see a more dark or desperate or cunning side to him at least now that he’s actually neck deep in torment. Or, alternatively, I’m hedging my bets that he could be a good candidate to light the fire under Lucifer’s *** to get of hell back to the earthly realm. Even in hell, I’m betting Cain would have a soft spot for Chloe, and if news reached Lucifer that Michael were trying to abscond with his life and with Chloe, it would give Cain and Lucifer one last bit of “A-Hole brothers” common ground to bond over. Like “Brothers, am I right? Go kick, get Chloe back, I’ll still have enough guilt to torture me with in a few thousand years when you get back,”   

Will Lucifer fall into peril in hell of once again potentially getting distracted and stuck in a hell loop? Will his servants be satisfied with his return? Will Amenadiel bust him out.

Mr. Said Out Bitch needs a role reprise. He’s been in every season opener 2-4, we’ve gotten to know his undergarments very well.  Its high time we get to know his name and story. He’s put in the work!  

Amenadiel should be running LUX in Lucifer's absence. We got a tease of that in previous seasons (remember when he asked what would Lucifer do?) its time for that to come to fruition. Plus, any excuse to put DB Woodside in a suit, just because he wears them so well. It would also be interesting if, after that tragedy he’s experienced, Amenadiel will start taking after Luci. Maybe not the punishing, not yet, but wanting to seek out evil and corruption. It has been teased since s1 “fall as I did.” Perhaps he’ll start developing a taste for his bother’s line of work whereas he found it repugnant in the early days

Dan and Maze or Dan and Ella pair up. Both Dan and Maze are due for some happiness.

An Azrael reboot, when need more of her. She’s the angel of Death for pity’s sake. I don’t know if the original actress is still available or if they would have to recast, or if the character concept by Netflix would even be the same, but I need Azrael to be capable of sweet and unassuming and on a coin flip downright menacing.

More of Lucifer as a godparent, bless! And maybe a cool montage of “cousin” Trixie and Lucifer co-babysitting Charlie please.

Whilst on the subject of Lucifer and parenting, and without putting Trixie too much into harm’s way, I need to see what “I would do anything to protect that little urchin” looks like. Trixstar ride or die.

Father Frank, come back! I need a cameo or recurrent role pleeeeease.

Trixie in every episode. This is non-negotiable, much like chocolate cake. Beatrice is an all-star. In fact, I’ve decided that when Dad/God finally does show up, Trixie needs to be the one to get to know him / introduce him first. She’s been captain on the celestial cheer squad for four seasons, she’s earned this.

Who's going to see through Michael's facade first? I mean, I know that trailer shows Maze torturing it out of him, but as far as intuition goes, I've got a 50/50 split between Trixie and Linda, with an honorable mention to Dan.

If Michael is Lucifer's twin, does he have the same angelic compulsion skill set? Or something different? And will it work on Chloe or is she universally immune?

A “be like Mike” pop-culture reference. ******Spoilers: ******* all the trailers have revealed Michael already, so they owe us this for letting the steam out.

As far as pop-culture, how many movie and TV references will we get from Lucifer and ensemble this year? I expect A-game, from sci-fi to 80s action, on par with the previous likes of Parent Trap, Star Wars, Home Alone, Kim Possible, and Rocky.

Will Amenadiel’s necklace make a reappearance, even after he put it around Caleb’s neck in the morgue? Heavenly artifacts have a way of causing trouble in this show.

Will what finally learn what, if any, significance there is to Lucifer’s ring? Again, as all my fictional writings will attest, I really kind of want it to be a stolen little trinket from him Dad.

Plot twist: will we get to see Hell and the silver city all in one season, or is that too devilishly good to ask? It would be intriguing if Lucifer fell from Heaven for rebelling and now some threat like, for example, the mother of demons would pose a threat to the gates such that Lucifer was called upon to defend them. Not expecting anything Endgame level with a host of Angels popping up like sorcerers...but it is food for the imagination.

Plot twist: will Michael, duplicitous twin that he is, be revealed as the reason that Lucifer does not lie and can’t stand liars? Will be get a Michael back story? Is he perhaps the true rebellious son? see: my original fan conjecture here.

Additional links to previous recaps, roundouts and wishlists: 

Season 1: Best Moments // Season 2: Predictions, Desires, Roundout, Best Moments // Season 3: Speculations, Quick-shot summary 

#21 days of Lucifer #Lucifer season 5 #lucifer on netflix #Lucifer s5 desire #Lucifer Morningstar #trixie espinoza #Chloe Decker #amenadiel #trixtstar #deckerstar #lucifer s5

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 37 - LA Kings

3-2 Win

There is a two-fold pretext going into this game. The first one was plain and clear Thursday night in Philadelphia: this team is nothing without Jack Eichel. This team with Eichel is a fringe playoff team as we’ve seen this month. This team without Eichel is a team that would struggle to stay out of a relegation zone. It sounds harsh but yet another massacre in Philadelphia, it seems like every other time we go down there is one waiting for us, proves we need at least some kind of upgrade to make this team more than just the Buffalo Jack Eichels. The other piece of pretext to this game was the meaningfulness of the points in the standings. It’s funny to think of any game in December as providing critical points. Big games exist when they have significance with a broad set of fanbases or in the standings. The relative bigness of this particular game against the LA Kings isn’t really about the Kings. They suck ass again. In a league where many tell you not to even look at the standings until after the New Year the Sabres have been in a playoff spot for… weeks? Entering this game the Sabres had dropped three straight after a decent stretch since Thanksgiving where they most recently won three straight against better competition. Over the weekend they claimed an overtime point against the Islanders but got no points on Tuesday against division rival Toronto before getting clobbered in Philadelphia on Thursday. It was so bad I didn’t even waste breath on postgame. The Maple Leafs are one of four teams who are neck and neck with Buffalo. The Sabres were second in an exceptionally weak Atlantic Division at 39 points Thursday. Montreal, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Florida were all at 38 or 37 points. And so you see now how two points against the Flyers would have meant a lot even though the halfway point of the season is still five games away. Those points never came and now all of the aforementioned teams excluding Tampa have passed Buffalo and we’re out of a playoff spot we somehow held onto for a few weeks. No NHL game is easy but now would be a really good time to get a safe win against the Kings.

For the first half of this game there was a lot to be frustrated about. Luckily most of Buffalo was transfixed on the 4:30 Bills game so there was likely only a half-full arena and a handful of us online angry guys to feel that way about it. For the first period and a half this was a shot-for-shot duel with the LA Kings. 5 years ago we might have celebrated that, but these aren’t 2014’s LA Kings. The latent, trash Kings got the lion share of the nice shots on goal in the first period where they outshot Buffalo 10-6. Linus Ullmark stood tall making some pretty grandiose saves, most of which you probably wanted the defense to prevent. After the massacre in Philadelphia its hard to imagine Carter Hutton getting a start not on a back-to-back. Ullmark is THE GUY now and he’s acting like it. One stop I swore was superhuman where the puck was turned over in the Sabres zone in the midst of quite some traffic. I don’t know how he recognized the turnover mistake of his own team for one and secondly I don’t know how he estimated the trajectory of the backhander so quickly as to snap it up like that. Anyway the first period ended with donuts on the board. The second period began with what they had coming. The Kings continued their shot domination for the first half of the middle frame and Adrian Kempe took advantage of Marco Scandella taking a slapshot from the slot and beat Ullmark. For how much better the basement-dwelling Kings played in the first half of this game it could’ve been 3-0 had it not been for Linus Ullmark’s great game. I really do think the team plays better in front of him and this game compared to last game is going to be exhibit A.

The game continued as a Kings shooting gallery until the Sabres really began intercepting pucks and pushing back toward the midpoint of the game. Jack Eichel got a really great chance right in front of Jonathan Quick that just would not go. This game was still one of those where a stray skate could’ve been the difference of the Kings extending their lead. That Vesey line was taking their turn in front of the LA net when a rebound squirted out to Rasmus Ristolainen who buried it before Quick even knew where it was, 1-1. I’ve been informed Quick has not been good at all this season. I hate to see a good American goaltender down like that but it kinda makes sense when you think of how much the Kings dynasty was built on a defense they no longer have. I mean Drew Doughty is still there but if one all-world defenseman made a defense then Rasmus Dahlin should’ve backstopped us to a Cup run last season. For all the bitching and moaning about this game showing we’re not any better than some of the worst teams in the league Jack Eichel didn’t score a goal. None of the players who made October so fun really contributed until the dying minutes of this game. Yesterday afternoon we got the “Black Stallion” Marco Scandella to score a goal. That nickname was the imagination of Dan Dunleavy calling the game and I think I join a choir of folks absolutely detesting it. Call him what you will I guess as long as we can call him gone in July. Scandella received a pretty innocuous pass at the point from Sam Reinhart and put one on net. It went in and the home team had their first lead of the game with a little over three minutes left in the second period. The Kings tried to respond before the middle frame concluded. That sweet Linus Ullmark save I described earlier was a save on Anze Kopitar with mere moments left on the clock. Through forty minutes it was 2-1 Buffalo though.

The Sabres got some decisive powerplays in the third period; none of them increased their lead because this is the Buffalo Sabres we’re talking about, but they got them! They really did get some dingers off the posts and what have you too. It got a little frustrating. Almost as frustrating as this situation with Eichel is. You may wonder: what issue could you have with Eichel after you basically said this team relies entirely on him in the opening? Well you may have heard he missed the bloodbath of a game in Philadelphia. The thing is he took warmups before being announced as out for the game. Speculation circulated about the flu or an accident nobody saw occur on the ice during those warmups. The most detail we got was a lower body injury which was later retracted. Eichel came back like his normal self in this game so I got to believe it was just the shits arriving right after warmups ended. No matter what it was the NHL counted it as the end of his point streak… or did they? The chances tended toward Buffalo as the third period went on and the Captain almost got a couple saucy ones himself. Eventually the Kings pulled Quick for the extra attacker and Eichel got the puck to Reinhart who got it to Victor Olofsson who chipped in an empty-netter. The game broadcast and several social media posts thereafter referred to Eichel continuing his “personal point streak” which is not only something I’ve never heard before its also something that is quantifiably stupid. Then again other posts left the word personal out and said he’s now on an 18-game point streak. I don’t know if we really need to litigate this but that streak was all some of us Sabres fans had back when the going was tough in November so there is certainly a desire to see it continue.

Ithaca, NY’s own Dustin Brown tipped in a quick goal to pull the Kings within one in the last minute of play but ultimately the goal only served to make a few people down in Tompkins county that much happier and this game ended 3-2 Sabres. For a brief few hours while Buffalo was busy cheering the Bills to almost beating the Patriots in Foxboro, the Sabres were back in a playoff spot at second in the division. That Flyers game might prove to cost the Sabres more than just their Thursday night because the Leafs won last night as well and took over that divisional spot. Buffalo is only one point back and could leapfrog both Florida and Toronto Monday night, but both those clubs also play tomorrow night, and everyone wants to go into the Christmas break on a high note. I’d put my money on the Sabres not sitting in a playoff spot come Christmas morning, but I want to hear what you think so like, share and comment on this blog to let me know what you think.

The aforementioned Christmas break also coincides with a roster freeze that is already in effect meaning no moves for Jason Botterill… as if one were imminent. I think the need for a trade for a forward is a near unanimous opinion of the fanbase right now. However I will be a dissenting voice on the guy at the center of the Sabres last big top-six trade Jeff Skinner. The talk of him being upset not playing with Eichel on the top line is the kinda Coach-blaming knee jerk reaction that is so normal for us. It shouldn’t be. We’re trained to chase coaches out of town at this point and I really don’t think we have to right now. Yes, yesterday was another weird defenseman-playing-forward rotation and I too don’t like scratching Colin Miller out of any games but Ralph Krueger’s benefits to this club far outweigh his detriments right now. A lot of it is stuff we only see in streaks here and there, the not-so-sexy stuff like team cohesion and overall competitiveness when playing without the puck. Those are little things that make visible a behind-the-scenes reality of a Coach really revolutionizing this team. By all means take issue with the trash first half of this game and the poor play we still see too often from the Sabres, but don’t look for ways to blame it on the Coach. Midseason thoughts will go up in a couple weeks which will allow plenty of time and space for deeper conversations about the state of this team. For now let’s go wrap up the pre-Christmas schedule in Ottawa tomorrow. Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. December so far is shaping up to be the streaky month. Three wins followed by three losses. The good news is if that trend continues they’ll beat Ottawa tomorrow and split the home and home series with the Bruins after Christmas.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #NHL #blog

[junker-town]

Marc-Andre Fleury’s redemption tour is driving Vegas’ rise

The three-time Penguins Stanley Cup champion is a central figure in the best story in hockey.

LAS VEGAS — Marc-Andre Fleury admits he smiled watching Jonathan Quick.

While Fleury’s expansion Golden Knights were sweeping Quick’s Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Quick still made some brilliant saves. Fleury was standing 200 feet away, watching another multi-time Cup-winning goalie doing his thing.

“He’s fun to watch, very spectacular,” Fleury said at a media session after the Golden Knights moved on. “He does things I wish I could do.”

Fleury’s mindset is exclusively about next shot that comes his way. Always has been, always will be. While Quick stood on his head and showed why he’s one of the best goaltenders of this generation, Fleury calmly waited. The guy who won three Cups with the Penguins, the most recent last year, was his normal, composed self while he anticipated the action coming back his way. But Fleury has always been able to have fun in the moment.

All series, Fleury was key in continuing Vegas’ never-ending quest to destroy the NHL’s time-space continuum. No goalie who plays as well as Quick did — a .947 save percentage and allows seven goals in four games — should ever lose a series, let alone be swept. But Fleury was so good that he was able to smile about Quick’s dominance.

After all, Fleury was somehow better. He posted a .977 save percentage, stopping 127 of 130 shots. He recorded two shutouts and let up only three goals. He’ll lead the Knights into a second-round date with the Sharks this week.

Vegas’ run as a first-year expansion squad is one of hockey’s best stories ever, and Fleury’s been the quiet engine keeping them going.

How does it feel to have Fleury in goal?

“It’s calming. It is really calming,” Vegas forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said during the Kings series. “He’s been like this all season.”

On a roster with guys who have something to prove this season, Fleury might have the biggest chip on his shoulder. Before the Golden Knights were a twinkle in the eyes of the hockey gods, Fleury was a 24-year-old Stanley Cup-winning goalie for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. He was their goalie of the present and future.

But the next seven seasons didn’t result in such joy. Fleury flopped in playoff after playoff, and the Penguins stalled out after their ‘09 championship. When they won again in 2016, Fleury was the backup. Injury played a role in him losing his job to the younger Matt Murray.

Fleury has been an incredible comeback story on his own.

He showed glimpses in 2017, after Murray injured himself in warmups before Game 1 of a first-round series against the Blue Jackets. This time, at 32 years old, a more experienced and veteran Fleury guided the Penguins back to the Eastern Conference Finals. Fleury got benched after a four-goal disaster in the third period of Game 3 against the Senators, and he didn’t take the net again. But he went out on a high point when Pittsburgh won it all.

The lasting image of the Penguins winning Game 6 in Nashville remains Fleury, helmet off, being the last one to join the celebratory dog pile, knowing he once again was not the epicenter of Pittsburgh’s success. And with the Golden Knights on the horizon, he probably knew it would be the last time he’d wear a Penguins sweater after 13 seasons. Fleury handed the Cup off to Murray after he got it, and it felt like a changing of the guard.

At 33, he was having the best season of his career even before he paced the Knights to a first-round sweep. His regular-season .927 save percentage and 2.24 goals-against average were both career bests. He’s somehow been better than he ever was in Pittsburgh, at the exact moment Vegas needed someone to be a cornerstone.

Fleury doesn’t talk like a man with a chip on his shoulder.

“I’m not out there to prove anything,” Fleury said.

“I just want to win games and contribute to the success of the team. If I help them, help the team get wins, that’s all that matters to me.”

So far, mission accomplished. Fleury is the heartbeat of Vegas’ dressing room. The Knights follow his lead. Something about the dynamic has brought out Fleury’s best.

“Marc-Andre Fleury is our star player and he’s great,” head coach Gerard Gallant said. “He does it every night for us, and that’s why we’re here.”

At some point, Fleury might take deeper stock of his incredible year. But he’s busy right now, guiding a team that never should’ve been here to new heights.

“Maybe over the summer when everything’s done, I’ll look back and reflect on this season,” Fleury said. “We’re still in the mood of playing hockey.”

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

[kansascityhappenings]

NCAA cancels ‘March Madness’ basketball tournament due to coronavirus precautions

INDIANAPOLIS — The National Collegiate Athletic Association canceled its popular college basketball tournament on Thursday, following a slew of conferences that canceled individual tournaments earlier in the day.

The NCAA said in light of developments with the spread of the novel coronavirus, it needed to cancel to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

The NCAA will also cancel the women’s basketball tournament and all other winter and spring championships.

https://embed.sendtonews.com/player4/embedcode.js?fk=MF879BeD&cid=9868&offsety=140&floatwidth=400&floatposition=top-right

NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships: https://t.co/qzKAS4McEI pic.twitter.com/G6XreZx35E

— NCAA (@NCAA) March 12, 2020

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This comes after every Power 5 conference canceled respective tournaments, and the University of Kansas and Duke University announced that they were indefinitely suspending all athletic travel, effectively ruling themselves out if there was an NCAA Tournament next week.

With so many conferences canceling their tournaments, the NCAA said it was impractical to host its tournament any time during the academic year.

The Big 12 announced shortly before the tip off of its games Thursday that the tournament was off.

Texas and Texas Tech were going through pregame warmups and the handful of close family and friends were already in the stands when the teams were pulled off the court 40 minutes before tip-off.

“I think this is emblematic of how our country will be responding to a very unusual set of circumstances,” Bowlsby said. “I feel good that we made the right decision for the right reasons.”

Following the NCAA’s lead Wednesday, most college conferences announced that their basketball tournaments would be conducted with limited fan access the rest of the week. By Thursday, after the NBA suspended its season Wednesday night, they decided not to play at all.

Some took a little longer than others to pull the plug. The Big East started its second-round game between top-seeded Creighton and St. John’s at Madison Square Garden in New York and not until halftime was the tournament called off.

As the Bluejays and Red Storm were playing, a few subway stops away at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Atlantic-10 was holding a news conference to call off its tournament.

Among the other conferences that canceled tournaments were: the American Athletic Conference in Fort Worth, Texas; Conference USA in Frisco, Texas; the Sun Belt in New Orleans; the Western Athletic Conference in Anaheim, California; the Big Sky in Boise; the Southwestern Athletic Conference in Birmingham; and the Mid-American Conference in Cleveland at an arena that is home to the NBA’s Cavaliers and is scheduled to be the site of NCAA men’s tournament games next week.

The semifinals and finals of the Sun Belt men’s and women’s tournaments were set to be played Saturday at the Smoothie King Center, where the NBA’s Pelicans play and the site of this year’s women’s Final Four.

The SEC also announced the suspension of regular-season competition for teams in all sports on campuses as well as SEC championship events until March 30.

Rick Fulkerson of Rockport, Indiana, the uncle of Tennessee junior forward John Fulkerson, planned to attend the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

“It’s different and serious,” Rick Fulkerson said. “It’s common sense, probably.”

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the virus.

The Big Ten was playing in Indianapolis; the SEC in Nashville, Tennessee; the Big 12 in Kansas City, Missouri; the Pac-12 in Las Vegas; and the ACC in Greensboro, North Carolina, at another arena set to host NCAA men’s first- and second-round games next week.

At the ACC, Florida State and Clemson were on the floor warming up for the first game of a scheduled quadrupleheader when the announcement came down that no games would be played.

Top seed Florida State was then awarded the league’s championship trophy in an odd ceremony with Commissioner John Swofford in a mostly empty arena.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/sports/ncaa-cancels-march-madness-basketball-tournament-due-to-coronavirus-precautions/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2020/03/12/ncaa-cancels-march-madness-basketball-tournament-due-to-coronavirus-precautions/

[frontproofmedia]

Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II Los Angeles Press Conference Quotes & Photos

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Published: January 14, 2020

Unbeaten WBC Heavyweight Champion Wilder & Undefeated Lineal Heavyweight Champion Fury Preview Highly-Anticipated Rematch Taking Place Saturday, February 22 in FOX Sports PPV & ESPN+ PPV from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

LOS ANGELES (January 13, 2020) - Unbeaten WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder and undefeated lineal champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury continued their war of words and previewed their much-anticipated rematch at a Los Angeles press conference on Monday before they square off Saturday, February 22 in a historic, joint FOX Sports PPV & ESPN+ PPV from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Wilder vs. Fury II will come 14 months after their thrilling first fight that saw Wilder retain the title via split draw, after Fury miraculously rose from a 12th round knockdown to finish the fight. It is one of the most memorable moments in recent heavyweight history, and on February 22 the two undefeated titans will take their war of words back into the ring to stake their claim as the best heavyweight in the world.   Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at www.mgmgrand.com or www.axs.com. The event is promoted by BombZquad Promotions, TGB Promotions, Top Rank and Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions. A Premier Boxing Champions presentation.   The charismatic stars put their magnetic personalities on display at the press conference, each laying claim to a rightful victory in their first contest, while also declaring their intent on finishing the rematch with an emphatic knockout victory. Here is what the press conference participants had to say Monday from The Novo by Microsoft at L.A. Live:   DEONTAY WILDER   “It’s great to be back for another big event. This is the biggest title fight of this era for sure and I can’t wait. I’m always in my element. I’m always in the zone. Right now I just can’t wait for February 22.   “My body feels like its walking into the sixth week of camp instead of the third week. It’s been amazing to have the quick turnaround after the Ortiz fight in November. I’m coming in shape. I put shape on top of shape and it’s allowed me to prepare even harder for Fury.   “We all know in rematches I’m always sharp because I’ve been in there before and I know what my opponent is capable of doing and what they plan on doing. I’m prepared more than ever for this fight.   “I knocked him out the first time we fought. I told him two years ago I was going to baptize him. Rising up is part of the baptism. But this a different story. This is unfinished business. Because he’s in WWE I’m going to make sure he gets knocked out of the ring, I might even come down with a flying elbow from the top rope.   “Fury not wanting the rematch me immediately definitely made this fight bigger. We had two warmups. I had a lot more dangerous road than he had though. He played it safe, while I went to the mountain top and climbed it. I’m building for my legacy.   “If he beat me, then why all the new trainers? Every day it changes. Firing and hiring. He wants to talk about being out of shape the first time, but he was in great shape. He spent 100,000 pounds on all those camps. I still to this day have the same people with me and I don’t need to change it.   “When you’re facing power there’s no way around it. You can’t prepare for that. You just have to hope that when it lands, it doesn’t do that much damage. He doesn’t even know how he got on the ground or how he got up in the first fight. He’s been dealing with feeling ever since the end of the first fight.   “I’m going to do exactly what I said I would do. I’m going to knock him out. I’m the lion. I’m the king of the jungle. I’m going to rip his head off his body. Everyone sit tight and buckle up. It’s going to be a fun ride on the way to giving everyone the best fight you’ve seen in your lives.   “This is a major fight for the public and everyone should be excited. It doesn’t’ get any better than this. Two giants and two champions, putting it all on the line for everyone’s entertainment. We’re leaving it all in the ring to see who is the king.   “There’s so many things that go through my head as I take my time to adjust and time my opponent’s movements. I’m building the data I need to set him up for that perfect punch. There’s a lot of things that come with skills. Not just the average fundamentals. There are a lot of different things and that’s what makes boxing what it is. My ring IQ is very high and that’s how I set them up. I know everything he wants to do. He gave me 100% of him already.   “He believes in his heart that he’ll knock me out. I always teach people to speak it, believe it and receive it. The magic of it all is in the belief. Though he’s saying those things, I don’t feel in his energy that he believes that. I feel like he’s nervous because of what happened the first time.   “I just learned from the first fight that I need to be calmer. I’m going to be a lot more patient in this fight, just like in the second Luis Ortiz fight. The object of boxing is to win, not just to win rounds. And I win in devastating fashion.”   TYSON FURY   “The consensus is either he knocks me out, or I win on points. Usually, when people have that opinion, it goes the opposite way around. Expect him to box and me to be looking for the knockout.   “He thinks I’m going to come out herky-jerky with my famous style, but I want him to meet me in the center of the ring and have a slugfest, best man wins. I didn’t have the gas to finish him in the last fight, but this time I can turn that screwdriver until he’s gone. Let’s make it a Marvin Hagler vs. Tommy Hearns type of fight. I’ll meet you In the middle of the ring on February 22. Just watch out for the right hand, because you’re going to sleep in two rounds.   “We finally have the rematch and I can’t remember a bigger heavyweight fight in a long time. Maybe Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson was the last big one like this and that was another U.S. vs. U.K. showdown.   “Deontay Wilder hasn’t been returning my calls or messages since I beat him last time. He’s trying to keep his distance. He didn’t want to be around me so I can get in his head. But I don’t think you can really get in anyone’s head. At the end of the end of the day, it’s just talk. It doesn’t really matter what we say. It matters what happens on February 22.   “What’s going to happen in this fight is that I’m going to get what I rightfully won last time. I’m going to get the green belt and keep my lineal title. And if he wants to rematch me after, I’ll beat him again. I’ve already beat him once, and I know I can beat him three times in a row.   “I’m going to win, that’s what I do. Deontay Wilder can make all the excuses he wants to make. Everyone on his team can tell him he won that fight, but as a fighting man, you know when you win and lose a fight. I’m going to go out there give him a boxing lesson and knock him out.   “You’re never a finished article, you can always improve. I like to keep freshening things up every now and again. I don’t make excuses. I won fair and square and we get to do it again. I’m ready for a fight today.   “I’m the best of my era and I took that title from Wladimir Klitschko. Nobody disputed he was the best and I took that from him until someone beats me, that’s my title.   “He’s going to try to and the right hand. If I’m stupid enough to get hit with it, I deserve to lose. I hit the floor twice in the first fight, but it’s all about how you respond, I’m a fighting man. If he can’t finish me, I’m going to eat him up.   “I’m looking for a knockout. That’s why I hired Sugarhill. He gets you to sit down on that big right hand. That’s what I’m looking for. There’s the game plan. If I wasn’t looking for a knockout, I would have sharpened up what I did in the last fight. I’m not coming for that. I’m looking for my 21st knockout.   “When I get him in there again, I’m going to make him feel the fury. I’ve never been as sure of anything in my whole life. As sure as I was this morning putting this suit on. 100 percent he can’t win He’s got a puncher’s chance like anyone else. I’m much sharper and more fit now. I’m ready to rumble right now. I hope he train hard and goes to bed sleeping thinking about me.”   TOM BROWN, President of TGB Promotions   “On February 22, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, it’s going to be bombs away. We have two superstars here. The best two heavyweights in the world. Both fighters are going to show a lot of passion at this press conference and all the way leading up to this fight because there is so much at stake.   “These are the best in boxing. There is nothing like a big heavyweight championship fight. We have the undefeated hardest punching, the most feared heavyweight in the world and I believe one of the all-time great heavyweights in Deontay Wilder.   “There is a reason Fury and his team didn’t want the immediate rematch right after the first fight. He’s taken a couple of tune-up fights instead because he felt that power on December 1. That’s not going to change this time, he can just ask Luis Ortiz.   I was lucky enough to promote the first fight and I believe we have something special in this rematch. I look forward to a fantastic fight on February 22 and we’ll see everyone there.”   TODD DUBOEF, President of Top Rank   “We talk about boxing having a renaissance, but it’s really about the heavyweight division. That’s what is going to create that renaissance more than anything right now.   “Tyson is so true, so gritty and he backs it up with everything he does. When you combine it with Deontay Wilder, you have two great personalities. This is really the beginning of the next super heavyweight run for the sport of boxing.”   SUGARHILL STEWARD, Fury’s Trainer   “This fight here is one of those fights that you don’t want to miss. The first one was one not to miss as well and I’m sure you all watched the replay. You have two great champions here going at each other. Both fighters left the ring still undefeated last time and still wanting to settle the store. On February 22, the score will be settled.   “The heavyweight division is still the biggest and most powerful division in boxing. It always will be. Everyone wants to see the fighters throwing the big blows. Wilder is one of the hardest hitters in history and Tyson is one of the best boxers. I’m happy to be training. with Tyson Fury. It’s been about 10 years since we trained together. He trained with me and Emanuel Steward and I’m here to complete what Emmanuel started.”

(Featured Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

#HF #Deontay Wilder #Tyson Fury #Top Rank Boxing #Premier Boxing Champions

[itsjustascarecrow]

part 3 of 4 of the kings’ pregame warmups back on 4/17/17, postseason round 1 game 4

#los angeles kings #la kings warmups #hockey #hockey at staples center #random bullshit #adrian kempe #alex iafallo #kyle clifford #anze kopitar #swedish prince #captain cardboard

[rockbrary]

A dose of metal in everyone’s daily routine should be incorporated, specially a live performance. As many shows possible a week should be medically recommended by the metal gods, and that is just what we did. We took our asses over to Las Vegas, NV on Tuesday August 13th, 2019 to witness an insane performance by the long time metalcore act, Killswitch Engage and the up and coming Los Angeles local Thrown Into Exile. The ritual took place in the Las Vegas, The Space; a venue big enough to have a sold out show and where moshers could create chaos.

The weather was a meager 104 degrees, the lowest on a Las Vegas hot summer season. The strip was empty, perhaps all the metal heads were on their way to The Space, where some killer music was going to be performed. Who knows? Once I arrived at the destination, I saw the tour buses, and vans which made me feel welcomed. I immediately ran in to Joey Dalo, lead singer of Thrown Into Exile, we walked in to the venue and talked about the show to come. He was as excited as much I was to be in Las Vegas.

Thrown Into Exile is composed of, Mario Rubio and Ray Sanchez on guitars, Zack Morris on drums, Dave Corsile on bass and Joey Dalo as the front man. The band went on stage delivering an intense neck breaker (“Beyond The Grey”) since the get go, as well as new material, a track titled “ The Mourning”; that which takes you back to the sounds of At The Gates and Inflames. Joey Dalo delivered powerful vocals, interacting with the crowd between songs. His level of energy was relentless, and he made sure fans heard his vocals across town. Guitarist, Ray Sanchez and Mario Rubio both played with ease and delivered a plethora of riffs, teaming up during face melting bridges and skull crushing solos. Despite what the masses say, bassists are an important part of the band, and Dave Corsile makes sure his bandmates get every powerful bass note to ensure chaos.  New recruit, Zack Morris played in nothing but his underpants, which the ladies enjoyed. His skills behind the drums are beyond this world, he does not miss a beat and plays with joy and rage. The cohesiveness and tight sound this band delivers each track with is phenomenal, their exuberayting performance captivated new fans and made the crowd go wild. One of the favorites for the fans that night was “Idol of One”, a track that has intensity and melodies both creating a heavy air atmosphere in the crowd as they moshpit and rage to each second of the track.

The band will be performing at the Metal Fest in Monterrey, Mexico in November as they also continue to record their new material which will definitely not disappoint. This show was a warmup for their performance at the Psycho Las Vegas pool pre-show and they delivered another blazing performance there with the same intensity as they did at The Space.

Killswitch Engage took the stage next, a bone crushing performance where fans were able to sing to classic tracks and some new from their latest release Atonement, Via Metal Blade Records. The band joked on stage but did not waste time talking as they immediately played each track with skill and brutality. The band played tracks like “Beyond The Flames” and a lot of new material as it was the day prior to their album release date. You could see the crowd singing along to this and many tracks.  The moshpit was intense and each guitar (Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel) note amplified their sound across the venue, especially during tracks like “I am Broken Too” and a new track “The Crownless King”. It is obvious the fans are die hard lovers of their music, as they would raise their hands and lose their shit at each tracked KSE played. The heaviness to each track was added by drummer Justin Foley who played a killer double pedal and endless blast beats too. Bassist Mike D’Antonio interacts with the crowd and plays brutaly, his passion is contagious and sets the tone for each track. Lead singer, Jesse Leach rages with powerful vocals either clean or screams he enhances this bands profile and fans love to sing along with him.

Atonement was released on August1 16th, 2019 via the heaviest metal record Metal Blade Records, they followed this killer packed performance with a quaint show at Hollywood’s Ameoba the following day. With the same intensity, KSE was epic and infected each fan with a powerful energy that resonated across California. This band has been delivering great music and a testament to that is their fans. They will be playing on October 11th, 2019 at Exit 111 Festival in Manchester, TN make sure to get your tickets as it is sure to sell out.

  By: Hostile Jo

Photos By: Jose Barrientos

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    Killswitch Engage Party In Las Vegas, Thrown Into Exile plays as Direct Support. A dose of metal in everyone’s daily routine should be incorporated, specially a live performance. As many shows possible a week should be medically recommended by the metal gods, and that is just what we did.

[usauknews]

Lakers’ Summer League Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Kings

Lakers’ Summer League Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Kings

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Zach Norvell Jr. of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts to a play against the Baylor Bears.

After a nice bounce-back win for the Lakers Summer League squad in the California Classic, the Lakers look to finish their Las Vegas warmup with another win over the host team Sacramento. On the back of an extremely strong showing from a number…

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Mohamed “Mo” Salah, who plays soccer for Liverpool, England, as well as for Egypt, has just come off a season in which he established himself as one of the most exciting players in the world. A Muslim of North African heritage, he plays, excels, and is adored in Britain, a country in which anti-Muslim sentiment is increasingly part of mainstream political and cultural discourse.

And he should be one of the stars of the upcoming 2018 World Cup later this month — if, that is, he makes it to the tournament at all. Due to a recent injury, that’s now in question.

Salah started playing organized soccer as a teenager on an Egyptian team called the Arab Contractors. He joined Egypt’s national team in 2011 at age 19 and moved to Europe the following year. His first years were promising but patchy, and to say this has been a breakout season for Salah is a massive understatement.

The 25-year-old had never scored more than 19 goals in a single season. This year, he scored 44 goals, with an eye-opening 32 in the Premier League. The only player with better stats in Europe was Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, widely considered to be one of the two best players in the world.

But his stardom doesn’t just come from what he does on the soccer pitch; it also comes from who and what he is off it. His brilliance combined with his charming personality and his faith have made him a hero in Egypt, where his face adorns Ramadan lanterns.

He is arguably the Arab world’s finest homegrown soccer player and most prominent sports star, and hundreds of millions of fans follow his every move.

Here’s what you need to know about Salah: why he’s so popular, and why some are hopeful that his enormous popularity in Britain may help combat the Islamophobic attitudes all too prevalent in the UK and beyond.

The first thing you notice about Salah as he moves around the soccer field is his speed. He’s quick. Very quick. Sizzlingly quick.

He was brought to European football by FC Basel, of Switzerland, after a scouting process that included an exhibition match against Egypt’s under-23 international team. It was supposed to be a warmup game ahead of the Olympics, but as their president, Bernhard Heusler, later confessed to Sky Sports:

The only reason we wanted this match was because of the chance to see Mohamed Salah play live. I will never forget what I saw that day on that pitch. … I had never seen a player with so much speed in my entire life.

Of course, speed means nothing in soccer if you can’t use the ball — this is why Usain Bolt’s dream of playing for Manchester United may never come to pass.

That’s what makes the second thing you notice about Salah so important: His speed doesn’t seem to cost him anything. The ball sticks obligingly to his feet, leaving his eyes free to dart around, searching for the right pass or putting himself in the best position to try to score.

Which leads to third thing you notice: Salah’s wonderful finishing ability. There is a calm and quiet precision about his shooting — a precision that looks, in the moment, an awful lot like inevitability.

Salah scores them all. He’ll roll the ball gently into an empty net if the situation demands it. But when the only route to goal is through the spectacular, then he’s more than capable.

Here’s a video of Salah in action:

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Put all of that together and the result is one of the most exciting soccer players in the world.

But while it’s his skill on the pitch that has made him a hero in Liverpool and Egypt, it’s his emergence in Europe at a time when anti-Muslim bigotry is becoming increasingly normalized across the continent that has made him a figure of intense interest.

It has even led people to wonder if his athletic excellence might play some part in combating intolerance.

There is a calm and quiet precision about his shooting — a precision that looks, in the moment, an awful lot like inevitability

Liverpool’s legendary manager Bill Shankly once said, “If you are first, you are first. If you are second, you are nothing.” But the club Shankly once led hasn’t been English champions since 1990, and it’s been a long and at times agonizing period of nothing.

This is a club looking for a hero. A club that has seen other heroes — Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez — pass through without bringing that elusive Premier League title. Salah hasn’t brought a title yet either, but he carries the promise: Next year will be Liverpool’s year.

You can see this in Salah’s songs and Salah’s T-shirts, and in the rhapsodic smiles Salah provokes on Liverpool faces. There would be a certain entertaining irony if they were led back to the promised land by a man nicknamed the “Egyptian King.”

As Sports Illustrated notes, Liverpool fans even coined a song for Salah sung to the tune of the 1990s pop hit “Good Enough.” The lyrics are, well, not the usual thing you hear in a sports arena:

Mo Sa-la-la-la-lah, Mo Sa-la-la-la-lah!

If he’s good enough for you, he’s good enough for me. If he scores another few, then I’ll be Muslim too.

If he’s good enough for you, he’s good enough for me. Sitting in the mosque, that’s where I wanna be!

Mo Sa-la-la-la-lah, Mo Sa-la-la-la-lah!

Salah is the leading star of Egypt’s national team, the Pharaohs, and his popularity in his home country even exceeds his standing in Liverpool.

More than a million people submitted write-in votes for Salah in Egypt’s 2018 presidential election, and while the eventual result — Salah pushed the actual opposition candidate into third place — says little for the plurality of Egyptian democracy, it says plenty for Salah’s popularity.

After Salah’s shoulder was dislocated — accidentally? carelessly? deliberately? — by Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos in Champions League final on May 26, the outcry across social media was remarkable. One Twitter user joked, “Qataris, Saudis, Emiratis, Kuwaitis, Egyptians, Omanis all cursing Sergio Ramos. Thank you Ramos. You united the whole Arab world.”

Islamophobia isn’t new, and certainly isn’t limited to Britain. But Matthew Feldman of Teesside University in the UK says the country, at this moment, has an “acceptance of anti-Muslim discourse that we would find absolutely noxious if it was about someone from an ethnic minority or other religious background” — a claim that will ring true to anybody familiar with Britain’s public conversation.

Even the Times, revered as the national newspaper of record, recently had to apologize for the “enormous offense” caused when it distorted a story regarding Muslim foster families. Meanwhile the governing Conservative Party is facing calls for an inquiry into the “more than weekly” incidents of Islamophobia within in its membership.

Regardless of the views of bigots, it is perhaps Salah’s significance to other Muslims that is the most heartening consequence of his rise to superstardom

How, then, does a much-loved and widely feted Muslim soccer player fit into this?

Salah is not the only Muslim in the Premier League, or even in Liverpool’s squad, but he is certainly the most high-profile, and, to put it bluntly, he appears the most Muslim to a nation reared on stereotypes. His is a public faith, openly expressed.

Indeed, it’s telling that this conversation is only happening now; British football culture has generally preferred to ignore the Muslims on the pitch.

A recent article in the New York Times quoted Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain:

He is someone who embodies Islam’s values and wears his faith on his sleeve. He has a likability. He is the hero of the team. Liverpool, in particular, has rallied around him in a really positive way. He is not the solution to Islamophobia, but he can play a major role.

Not everybody shares this view, though.

Asked by the New Yorker about Salah, Joseph Massad, a historian and modern Arab studies professor at Columbia University, noted that former France captain Zinedine Zidane “received much adulation” within France, “but his fame has not mitigated the ongoing Islamophobia of mainstream French culture, and I strongly doubt that Salah’s fame will in any way decrease the mainstream Islamophobia in British culture.”

As Nikesh Shukla, editor of The Good Immigrant, a book of essays by people of color reflecting on their positions in British society, puts it:

The biggest burden facing people of colour in [Britain] is that society deems us bad immigrants — job-stealers, benefit-scroungers, girlfriend-thieves, refugees — until we cross over in their consciousness [by] winning races, baking good cakes…

Or scoring goals.

Islamophobia, then, ends not with the valorization of exceptional Muslims — who are, by definition, exceptions — but in the acceptance of ordinary Muslims. Whether there is a path to the latter through the former remains to be seen.

And as Asif Sujid has noted at the Conversation, the chant described above “is conditional. The chant makes clear that it is only ‘if’ Salah continues to score goals that his displays of Muslimness will be accepted.”

But regardless of the views of bigots, it is perhaps Salah’s significance to other Muslims that is the most heartening consequence of his rise to superstardom. As the New Yorker’s Yasmine Al-Sayyad puts it:

What stands out to me most about Salah, who is far more conspicuously Arab and Muslim than I am, is that he doesn’t seem concerned with trying to blend into anything. He is simply himself. That, more than anything else he has done on the field, is what I admire most.

So will this brilliant more-than-a-footballer make it to Russia? As mentioned above, Salah left the Champions League final early due to injury and was later diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder. That was on May 26, and the Egyptian Football Association estimated that he’ll be fit again in three weeks.

Egypt’s first World Cup match is against Uruguay on June 15. Salah could very well miss that game. Egypt is being optimistic, but since it’s not favorites to win that game anyway, it might hold him back. But he should be back for Egypt’s second game, against Russia, on June 19.

The fear, in truth, isn’t that Salah will miss the tournament. This is the man who scored the penalty that took Egypt to its first World Cup since 1990 and he’d have to be bedridden not to make it out there in some capacity.

Instead, Egyptian fans worry that Salah simply won’t be himself. By the time he returns, he’ll have missed all of Egypt’s warmup games, and going straight from weeks off to matches against some of the world’s most skilled soccer players will be a monstrously difficult task.

Another comparison with Zidane may be unfortunately apt: France’s inspirational captain was rushed back from injury to appear at the 2002 tournament, yet only played one game, was visibly underpowered, and contributed little as France slumped out of the competition without scoring a single goal.

Let’s assume for a moment that Salah returns and is at, or close to, his best. How far could Egypt go in the World Cup?

The Pharaohs play a cautious brand of soccer. Their priority is to maintain a strong defensive unit, reinforced by the midfield. Salah’s speed therefore becomes a counterattacking weapon: If Egypt’s opponents stray too far forward in their attempts to break down the Egyptian defense, they may leave space behind for Salah to exploit.

The World Cup begins with a group stage, in which four teams play each other once in a round-robin format, with the best two progressing to the next stage. Egypt is in Group A along with host-nation Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay. The South American team is the favorite to win the group, thanks mostly to their attack, which is led by Barcelona’s Luis Suarez and Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is the weakest team in the competition, according to FIFA’s rankings, and should finish in last place.

Much depends, then, on Egypt’s game against Russia. Typically, tournament hosts benefit from the atmosphere and the fact that they are on familiar turf, as well as perhaps the odd lenient refereeing decision or two.

But Russia is an unsettled team and hasn’t won a game since October 7, 2017. Egypt certainly won’t be feeling intimidated.

Should the Pharaohs make it past the hosts, things will get really tricky. The two qualifiers from Group A will face the qualifiers from Group B, expected to be the 2010 winner, Spain, one of the favorites for the tournament; and the Euro 2016 winner, Portugal. As such, reaching the last 16 would represent a good tournament for Egypt. Anything beyond that will be dreamland.

But that’s the true value of Salah. When he’s playing for a team you support, you can’t help but dream.

Original Source -> Soccer star Mo Salah’s massive popularity is changing perceptions of Muslims in the UK

via The Conservative Brief

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