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my-claudia-cantarini · 4 years

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SCREEN - Final Edits - ART & FEAR

1.I have changed the audio completely. Instead of layering the voices on top of each other, I have place different audio recordings one after the other to make them flow. (image below)

Also, I have downloaded a wider variety of media news voices from different countries and mixed them with songs about “hand washing”, coughing sounds and others.

2.I have made applied transition between the videos to make them flow as I realised that that drastic separation between the videos was annoying to watch. Now, while the previous video is ‘dissolving’, the next starts. (image below)

3. While I had previously decided that the video should be on a loop, I have now decided to give it a beginning and an end. The beginning is the Brexit countdown ( in which I kept the original audio as I think is very powerful). The reason for this is because when this project began the media focus was all about Brexit, while subsequently it became about corona ( as it is shown on the video). I have kept the jellyfishes at the end as supposed/apparent moment of quiet but is not. Although jellyfishes look very beautiful and peaceful are actually a symbol of the consequences of global warming, they are polluting the oceans causing destruction of sea life the as they can survive in any water, with low oxygen and they are basically immortal.

The viewer can come into the room anytime and watch the full video ( it is only 3 minutes) .

4. I have reduced the introduction text into a few sentences and wrote a small “please note” to notify the viewer about the satirical approach as I know that some people might take it as offensive.

(image below)

However, I did not change the title! :

ART&FEAR

VIMEO LINK https://vimeo.com/417011350

PASSWORD artandfear

5. Instead of using Artsteps to make a virtual tour of the mirror room ( which to be honest was impossible unless I knew how to use certain softwares), I have decided to use my craft skills :) to make my own mirror room by using 4 square mirrors, the computer screen to project the video and the 360 camera ( which thank god I had borrowed from Connor before the lockdown). I put together the 4 mirrors with the tape and placed the open side in front of the computer screen and played the video. I placed the 360 camera inside the ‘room’ and controlled it through my phone.(images below)

The video was hard to export and edit but I managed to place and sync the audio to it and upload it to Youtube. If I could go back I would try to make it a better quality but I guess as a mock up it should be fine.(images below)

I would definitely used this technique in future!

LINK TO THE MIRROR ROOM https://youtu.be/yt7CNNkG6EM

ps:I have also tried to use mirrored one-way film, which is a material with the mirror on one side, and you can see through the other side. I bought it and I have placed the camera on the outside looking in (no camera inside the room) but it was way too dark!

6. CRITICAL SELF EVALUATION

I have to admit that making this project it’s been quite of a challenge.

First of all, when I started it I had no idea that we would be in these unfamiliar circumstances. However, it is exactly because of this situation, that has been unfolding week by week until now, that allowed me to experience “live” the evolutions of these events and record them.

My strength I'd say it is "to have known" since the beginning that I wanted this project to be about the current times, therefore the feel to make something responsive.

Initially, I felt inundated by a broader range of events (Brexit, Covid-19, Climate Change and more) and the plan was to represent exactly what was happening in my head. This is when I had the idea of making the mirror room, where the viewer would just enter it and have that overwhelming/disturbing/claustrophobic feeling that I have, being bombarded every single day by media news. It is been interesting to experience how quickly it all became about Covid-19 and this is when I decided to focus on it.

My biggest problem has been the constant unpredictable changes of events ( such as when Boris Johnson got sick with Covid-19) that made the process very slow and uncertain until the very end. Still, at this time, I am not sure if it will upset someone.

I realised where my weaknesses lie while working on the video and ( particularly ) audio technical skills. I am not sure this is because I did not have a proper introduction to them or is it just because is not for me. Either way, I have enjoyed learning Premiere Pro and I will keep practising with it as it made me realise how limited my skills as a photographer sometimes can be.

Organisational is always been my bigger strength, in fact, before the lockdown, I borrowed a Canon handycam, a 360 Insta camera, triggers and lights from the store. Without these, my project would have been impossible to produce. Also, I have used my crafty skills to assemble a DIY model of a mirror room to reconstruct what I would have done in the gallery space.

I only wish I had more time so I could keep documenting the end of this pandemic as I have been (accidentally) documenting it since the beginning.

The most fascinating aspect of this project is that I had absolutely no power over the development of these events so I just sat in my house, watch it happen it and record it in my own way.

Overall, it’s been an interesting, sometimes difficult and fun journey in which the comments and critiques given by my friends, family and groups tutorial have been crucial in helping me to comprehend my insecurities and be proud of my strengths.

#5imag003w #screen #video #mirrorroom

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mitchbeck · 5 years

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CANTLON: PACK VANQUISH DEVILS IN OT

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - John Gilmour’s overtime breakaway goal, his second of the game, allowed the Hartford Wolf Pack to escape with a 4-3 victory over the Binghampton Devils at the XL Center Wednesday night. The Devils' Josh Jacobs lost control of the puck at the right point. Gilmour was right there to collect the loose puck and, while playing three-on-three, and with room to operate, and with his tremendous speed, nobody was going to catch Gilmour. Gilmour charged in on Cam Johnson and slipped his 20th of the season through the five-hole. He is the third Wolf Pack player this season to hit the 20-goal mark. The goal came at the 2:20 mark of overtime and gave Hartford the win and two points. “Certainly, we would like to close these games out a little earlier, so we went to overtime, but as long as we're getting the results (a win) we're a happy bunch," Gilmour said. Gilmour wasn’t going to mess with success. He went with the breakaway move he's most comfortable with and that's helped him tally his fifth game-winner,l tops on the team. “That was a bit of a gift and I had some space and went with the move I’ve been using,” Gilmour remarked with a laugh. "I had that all planned out once I touched the puck,”. For the Pack's head coach, Keith McCambridge, Gilmour is the go-to guy right now. “He has the ability to pull away from his checks when he has that much room to skate and he can finish for us. He’s playing great hockey for us right now. When trailing from behind, John is the guy you want hopping over the boards for you. He can score a goal and the trust is there for him defensively." Gilmour has 12 points in his last six games and is the leading point-getter for all AHL defenseman with 51. The Wolf Pack record improves to 27-28-6-3 (63 points) and has them in eighth place in the Atlantic Division. They trail the Springfield Thunderbirds by one point and are nine behind the fourth place Providence Bruins. Binghamton sees their record drop to 24-34-6-0 (54 points). They sit in eighth place in the North Division six points behind the Laval Rocket. The Wolf Pack used the powerplay to perfection in tying the game at three just past the midway point of the third period. While in a four-on-three situation, McCambridge wisely took their timeout. Off the ensuing face-off, the Wolf Pack were able to light the lamp in just seven seconds. “Crucial moment in the game," McCambridge said. "We had the chance to calm things down. We got the chance to do what we wanted to on that powerplay, and Vinni (Lettieri), of course, is a big piece of our powerplay. He can shot that puck. It was quite evident there.” Tim Gettinger won the draw and got the puck back to Gilmour at the right point. Gilmour, in turn, hit the ever-dangerous Lettieri with a diagonal pass. Lettieri then wired his patented shot from the left wing circle for his team-leading 22nd goal at 11:17. The Pack seems to never take the easy path as evident in parts of the third period. Goaltender Brendan Halverson had to make several key saves to prevent Binghamton from establishing a two-goal lead. He also took his high wire act early when he handled the puck and it nearly went in the back of the net. Once again, a Wolf Pack opponent scored early in the second period and gained the momentum and had traction after a well-played first period. Ex-Pack, Alex Krushelnyski, tallied his first of the season. Nick Sorkin was on the left wing side behind the net. He took a pass from Sam Kurker and reversed direction on Pack defenseman Julius Bergman. Brendon Crawley then left his spot to go play him and fell down. Sorkin sent a pass to Krushelnyski, who wasn’t picked up by Gabriel Fontaine and zipped his first AHL goal of the season low to the stick-side to tie the game at one. “We got a little too happy and comfortable there (early in the second period). You can’t take your foot off the gas pedal in this league. You saw that (early) in the second and part of third as well," McCambridge said. The Devils made it 2-1 as they used their second powerplay to take the lead. Ryan Schmelzer was deep in the right-wing corner and got Ryan Lindgren to come to him. That left Nick Saracino alone in front. Schmelzer had the time to take the pass, turn to face Halverson. His first attempt was stopped, but he got to the rebound and jammed it in for his fourth goal of the season. “We got away from what we were doing in the first, cheating and cutting corners, but over a matter of time, we got back to what we do best and came out on top,” said Steven Fogarty. The Wolf Pack used their second powerplay to tie it but did their damnedest not to. The first 1:30 of the man advantage was simply atrocious until McCambridge put out his top PP unit and competency set in. Ryan Gropp did a good job gaining the offensive zone with a strong rush down the right. He then passed to Fogarty, who made a quick snapshot/pass. With Gettinger setup in front, the puck went off his stick blade, deflected off his stick shaft and then over the shoulder of Devils' goalie, Cam Johnson. The goal was his 13th of the year and came at 13:14 with just two seconds remaining on the powerplay. “I saw him and I tried a fake pass/shot kinda thing, and fortunately he got his stick on it for a good tip,” said Fogarty. The Devils though ended the period with a goal. The Pack's defense got all tangled up allowing Egor Sharangovich to get behind Darren Raddysh who pulled him down as they crashed into Halverson. The ref immediately signaled for a penalty shot, but they reviewed the play first to see if the puck crossed the goal line before the net was dislodged and it hadn't. Sharangovich remedied it on the ensuing penalty shot. He slowed down and went to his backhand, shooting from the right wing side beating Halverson for his ninth goal of the season with just 4.7 seconds left in the period. It gave Binghamton a 3-2 lead. “That was tough to get a goal in the last minute, let along the last seconds, but we rebounded well and got the tying goal in the third,” said McCambridge. The Wolf Pack first goal was a record setter. The Wolf Pack’s top line got the offense generated. Lettieri pushed the puck up to Fogarty who was coming in off the left wing. Fogarty used Devils' defenseman Tariq Hammond as a screen and zipped a shot on Johnson. He made a left pad save, but the rebound went right to the hard-charging Gilmour who buried his 19th of the season at 12:07. The goal broke the team record for goals scored in a season by a defenseman. It's a record that stood for eleven years and was held by Andrew Hutchison who went on to win the AHL’s Eddie Shore Trophy that season. With the goal, Gilmour took over the scoring lead among AHL defenseman from Zach Redmond of the Rochester Americans. “(Scoring the record-setting goal is) very special obviously, and nice to get a pat on the back, but we have ten games left here. We still have points to get here,” Gilmour said. McCambridge started the game by changing all his defense combinations and shook up his bottom two lines from the previous game. He changed the lines again in the second period even a bit more when the team did not come up with much of a jump as they did in the first period. SCRATCHES: Dawson Leedahl (upper body, week-to-week) Rob O’Gara (lower body, week-to-week) Sean Day (lower body, day-to-day) Shawn O'Donnell (healthy) Chris Bigras (ankle, out for the season) If Day isn’t ready for the weekend another body will be added for the backline. LINES: Fogarty-Lettieri-Gropp Fontaine-Beleskey-Meskanen Butler-St. Amant-Wallin Greg Chase-Ronning-Gettinger Gilmour-Wesley Raddysh-Lindgren Bergman-Crawley NOTES: Wolf Pack recall Libor Hajak will likely not return this season after suffering a shoulder injury in New York. Thankfully, the injury is not as serious as first thought, but with the Rangers and Wolf Pack not making the post-season, they opted to not take an unnecessary risk and shut him down for the rest of the season. The penalty shot was the 38th against the Wolf Pack in their 22-year history of the franchise. It was the third that Halverson has faced. Te most by a goalie was Chad Johnson, who faced six. The last Wolf Pack successful penalty shot was taken by Dan Catenacci on April 14, 2017, against Utica. Attendance was announced at 1,775 making it the 18th worst home crowd in Wolf Pack history. In reality, there were only maybe 500 fans in the building. 26 of the 39 least attended games in team history have come under the Global/Spectra umbrella. The top day is Wednesday with 27 games, 5 on Tuesday and 2 on Thursday. Paul Carey (Salisbury Prep) and Connor Clifton (Quinnipiac University) were recalled by Boston from Providence. Congrats to now two former UCONN seniors for signing their first pro contracts. Captain Miles Gendron signed two contracts, one deal for the rest of the season with Ottawa’s Double-A affiliate, the Brampton Beast (ECHL), and a one year deal for next season to play for Belleville (AHL). He could make his pro debut for Brampton on Saturday against Ft. Wayne. Karl El-Mir signed an ATO deal with Providence (AHL). Other collegiate signees today include; Canisius College (AHA) saw three of their players sign. Ian Edmondson with the Wichita Thunder (ECHL), and Jimmy Mazza to the Reading Royals (ECHL) and Dylan McLaughlin to the Rockford Ice Hogs (AHL). Hans Gorowsky went from the University of Alabama-Huntsville to Adirondack Thunder (ECHL), while Jay Dickman of Bemidji St. State (WCHA) signs with the Florida Everblades (ECHL). The first player to go to Europe after this past season is Jacob Ratcliffe, from Division III's Westfield St. (MASAC). The first New Zealander (Canterbury, NZ) male player to play US college hockey at any level, will play with the Sydney Bears (Australia-AIHL) this summer. Goalie Grace Harrison plays varsity for St. Lawrence University (ECACHL) and is the only other Division I New Zealander in Kiwi hockey history to date. Pack jersey of the night: #5 Tommy Hughes, #46 Jordan Owens and a very unique defunct Lewiston Maineiacs QMJHL jersey. Howlings has learned former Ranger Colton Orr who resides in Southwest Connecticut is part of a consortium that has purchased the Danbury Ice Arena. No word if they will pursue a low-level minor league team, junior level or collegiate team to be the main tenant. Read the full article

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timsim26 · 7 years

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NHL Playoffs - 2017

Above are my predictions for the playoffs for the NHL 16-17 season. After a remarkable break out campaign from Connor McDavid, an amazing Columbus Blue Jackets coming out party and the many other wonderful stories that the NHL annually provides, it comes down to the best sporting time of the year. The moment, that every one of the 16 teams looks ahead at the next two months, hoping that they will write themselves into the history books forever. Whether it be an incredible overtime goal, a remarkable team effort, a bone crunching hit or a literal bone breaking shot block, the playoffs are where the players earn their money, glory and reputation. I really think that this year is as wide open as last year’s campaign and the Penguins and Sharks highlighted that, coming out of no where to battle it out in an epic fashion.

Overall Winner - Washington Capitals

This is the year that Alex Ovechkin and his star studded lineup take it all the way and raise the Cup. Ovechkin is still the man that everyone fears when you play the Capitals, however in the past 2 seasons, teamwork and role players have definitely been a major reason as to why the Caps are back to back President’s Trophy winners. Ovechkin had his second lowest scoring output of his career (excluding the 48 game lockout season) and far fewer shots, shot attempts and his second lowest career shooting percentage. You would expect his team to take a dip, however the Capitals are stacked with offensive and defensive weapons. 15 players scored 10 or more goals this season including a career high 33 from T.J Oshie and a monster 86 point season from Nicklas Backstrom. Braden Holtby had his third Vezina like season in a row (more on him later) and the Capitals bolster 4 defenseman that had 30 points or more. This has to be the year. They have the depth in every department and Barry Trotz needs to find a way to unleash the regular season Ovechkin who has had on 10 playoff goals in a single campaign. He needs to show up and the Caps need to find a way to get passed the second round. With a potential match up against the Penguins, the going will be tough, but if any Caps team is going to win, it is this one.

Biggest Potential Surprise - Columbus Blue Jackets

Now that it is April and the big names of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Anaheim and Washington are being thrown around as cup favourites, people have seemingly forgotten that Columbus did not lose in the entire month of December. To be fair the Jackets are playing their worst hockey of the season at the worst possible time, however they have an unbelievable team and the talent to make some noise. Ever since their remarkable run they have been a respectable 23-19-4 to finish 50-24-8. While the recent stretch might not sound impressive, remember this is a team that last year went 34-40-8 last season. They have had impressive resilience and are now bolstering the talent required to make a move in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Led by a returned to form Foligno and leading scorer Cam Atkinson, the Blue Jackets have a lot of offensive depth. 12 players with 10 or more goals and 8 players with over 40 points gives you lots of scoring depth. Zach Werenski, David Savard and Seth Jones lead an very talented and youthful Defense that can score and put the hammer down on opposing offensive players (Can you imagine if pick number 2 Ryan Murray stepped up as well). With all this talent up front and down back, you can’t forget the performance of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky had a career best 2.06 GAA (led the league) a matching career best save percentage of .932 (led the league), a career best 7 shutouts (= third in the league) and a career best 41 wins (third in the league). An absolutely remarkable season by a now reliable and dominant goalie. The Blue Jackets definitely have a test with the reigning champs in the first round, but if they do get passed them, be prepared for them to have a huge post season.

Biggest Potential Flop - Minnesota Wild

I love the Wild and they have a number of players that are very talented, however I feel they do not bring anything special that wins you a playoff series. They have a quality defense, a quality offense and a fantastic season from Devan Dubynk, however when you think of their team everyone that has had a good season is doing it in an under the radar fashion. They are a great team and after years of playoff failures, many expect them to go on and make the finals (in fact they are commonly the 4th favourite team to win according to Odds Shark and 6th favourite according to the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook). The problem in the past has been the Chicago Blackhawks and once again I expect that to be a huge problem for the under powered Wild. The Wild relied on a reformed Eric Staal, an aging defensive core and a breakout season from Granlund who scored 26 goals. In the prior 4 seasons of Grandlund’s career he had only scored 31 goals combined, so until he can bring it in the playoffs I remain hesitant to say he is the difference maker against a stacked Chicago team which still has the core 4 together of Seabrook, Keith, Kane and Toews. I expect another early exit for the Wild who must be cursing Chicago’s existence.

Player to Watch - Connor McDavid

This is an absolute no brainer. McDavid at 20 years of age became the Art Ross winner (likely Hart winner as the MVP) with 100 points. He ended the year with a 14 game point streak and since the beginning of 2017 has only had 5 games without scoring at least 1 point. The kid is an absolute beast and with 70 assists makes everyone him that much better. Maroon, Lucic and Draisaitl have experienced this first hand with 2 of the 3 having career seasons. He is also dynamic in turning defensive opportunities into break aways. He has scored so many break away goals/set up 2 on 1 goals due to his ability to read the play and also is incredible speed up and down the ice. It is his first experience with NHL playoff hockey and he has taken a team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006. A big, rough and tumble team that can score goals with an impressive young goalie is definitely a good mix when you add in a 20 year old coming off a 100 point season. Expect the kid to make an impact against the Sharks straight away. Oh also, McDavid has enjoyed making the Sharks look like a joke with 4 goals and 4 assists in 5 games this season, which marked his best output against any team this season.

Make or Break Season - San Jose Sharks

Speaking of the Sharks, boy are they in for a challenge. A team renowned for choking and terrible output in the most crucial times, showed everyone just how much fight they had last season. Knocking off a very good Kings in 5, pulling out a clutch game 7 against a feisty Predators team and then blowing away the Blues after losing game 1. They were completely outclassed when it mattered most, but fought and fought right to the bitter end (Pavelski is probably still having nightmares about this miss). Now this is the year where I firmly believe their window will is well and truly close behind them when they eliminated. Compared with their opponent, the Sharks are much older and much more banged up. The Oilers are coming in with their full lineup, while the Sharks are surrounded by the Joe Thornton and Logan Couture injury cloud. You take the top 2 centers from any team and they look very shaky regardless of who they are (Imagine if this was McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins from the Oilers missing). What is the most troubling for the Sharks is they have key players that are aging/or unrestricted free agents. The core of Marleau (37), Joe Thornton (37), Joe Pavelski (32), Brent Burns (32), Paul Martin (36), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (30) and Joel Ward (36) are definitely a troubling sign for the Sharks. Especially when Marleau and Thornton are unrestricted and rumours suggest either Martin or Dillon will be scooped up by Las Vegas and the expansion draft. This may well and truly be the end of the San Jose Sharks as we know them. While this isn’t a bad thing, it just means that while Meier, Donskoi, Labanc and O’Regan are developing, guys like Burns and Pavelski will be wasted. Who knows, I could be wrong and these guys develop quickly and Doug Wilson can replace these leaving bodies with talent, but the future looks bleak. Many, many fans will tell you last year was the only chance this team had and it looks grim for the Sharks with the current injuries, lack of home ice and first round opponent. If the Sharks do get through the first round, the outcome looks much more promising however, so don’t count them out yet.

Conn Smythe Winner - Braden Holtby

Going along with the Capitals prediction to win, suggests they are going to need an absolutely stellar performance from their goalie. This is the case for every team that wins the Cup Finals. Just look at Matt Murray, Corey Crawford and Jonathan Quick’s efforts from the past few years as an example. If anyone can do it, it’s Braden Holtby. We have seen him put up his third 40 or more win season in a row and he has done so in career best fashion, posting bests in Goals Against, Save Percentage, Shutouts and was rewarded with the Jennings trophy. Holtby is extremely reliable in terms of his decision making and is renowned for making incredible saves to keep his team in games when they really don’t deserve to be. This season he has played less games than 2014-15 and 2015-16 and has the extra rest to carry into the playoffs. If the Capitals finally find their offense in the playoffs and Holtby continues his impressive run of performances, then he is no doubt going to be responsible for the Caps lifting Lord Stanley. He has never faltered for the Capitals in the playoffs, through 46 total games played he has 4 shutouts, a 937 save percent and a ridiculous 1.72 goals against. Statistics such as these and his impressive regular seasons of the past 3 years add up to a Conn Smythe winner if his skaters give him support.

#NHL playoffs #NHL #Hockey #hockey playoffs #predictions #NHL season #Stanley Cup #becauseitsthecup

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winterolympicssports2018-blog · 6 years

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Jets head home looking to clinch series with Predators

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Jets head home looking to clinch series with Predators

The Winnipeg Jets are hoping to avoid the distractions that come with being one win away from making the first conference final in the city’s history.

“I’m not going to do much grocery shopping,” captain Blake Wheeler joked.

“I don’t think about it too much,” rookie winger Kyle Connor added. “Try to stay focused.”

Good luck with that.

The Jets got to within one victory of clinching their second-round series with the Nashville Predators on Saturday after surviving an early onslaught before pulling away for a well-earned 6-2 road decision in Game 5.

Winnipeg had never seen one of its teams pick up even a solitary win in the second round before this spring. The old Jets, who bolted town to become the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996, got past the second round twice only to be cannon fodder for Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers in four-game sweeps in both 1985 and 1987.

The new Jets, formerly the Atlanta Thrashers until 2011, made the post-season for the first time in 2015, but were also swept aside by the Anaheim Ducks in the opening round.

Jets rookie Kyle Connor added his first two playoff goals to help Winnipeg to a 6-2 win over Nashville to take a crucial 3-2 series lead. 1:37

Now this young, fast, resilient team is one victory from reaching the West final at what will no doubt be a thunderous Bell MTS Place on Monday night.

“We just have an unwavering confidence in ourselves,” Wheeler said after Saturday’s win at Bridgestone Arena. “I think we have that because of the depth we have.”

Winnipeg was shut down by Nashville at home in a 2-1 loss in Game 4 as the Predators clogged up the neutral zone and frustrated the speedy Jets to tie the series 2-2.

But a couple subtle changes to Winnipeg’s lineup — Connor was moved back to the top line with Wheeler and Mark Scheifele, while Nikolaj Ehlers returned to play alongside Paul Stastny and Patrik Laine — made a big difference in Game 5.

The first line combined for eight points, while the second unit pitched in with four.

Young guns leaving mark on series

It seemed like only a matter of time until Winnipeg’s young guns of Connor, Ehlers and Laine left their mark on the series.

Connor, a rookie, scored the first two playoff goals of his career and set up another, while Laine (one assist) and Ehlers (two assists) had their moments.

Wheeler said despite the trio’s struggles for stretches of the series, he never sensed any frustration.

“I haven’t because we’ve been winning, for the most part,” he said. “When you lose tough games and maybe guys that are used to contributing aren’t contributing [as much], then you start to grip the stick a little bit tighter.

“But when a team is having success, especially at this time of the year, there are going to be guys that are going to step up and have big nights.”

The Predators, last season’s West champion, will need a big night to force a Game 7 back in Nashville on Thursday —something defenceman P.K. Subban guaranteed following Saturday’s loss.

“The fact of the matter is, we had to go to Winnipeg anyway,” he said. “We’re going to go there, we’re going to win a game, we’re going to come back here.

“It’s that simple.”

Laviolette has confidence in Predators

Predators head coach Peter Laviolette, whose club won this year’s Presidents’ Trophy, said he expects a response from his players in a series of highs and lows featuring the teams with the NHL’s best regular-season records.

“This group’s been built for a game like the one that’s coming up,” he said. “I’ve got a tremendous amount of confidence.

“I believe in them, and I know that they believe in each other.”

The Jets, meanwhile, have recent history on their side in close-out games at home after disposing of the Minnesota Wild in the first round.

But they also know the Predators won’t go quietly.

“They fight to the very end every single game,” Wheeler said. “We have a ton of respect for how hard they play.

“Eliminating them is not going to be an easy task. We’re going to have to bring our best.”

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investmart007 · 6 years

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PARIS | The Latest: Del Potro still figuring out who distracted him

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PARIS | The Latest: Del Potro still figuring out who distracted him

PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the French Open (all times local): ___ 5:20 p.m. Juan Martin del Potro is still trying to figure out which spectator distracted him when he was about to serve.

Del Potro was under pressure to hold at 4-4 in the second set against Marin Cilic during their quarterfinal on Court Suzanne Lenglen. As del Potro served, he was distracted by a noise from the crowd and double-faulted to lose the game.

“It was someone who made a loud noise before my serve,” del Potro said. “That’s why I got angry with someone.”

The imposing Argentine then walked over to the side of the court and began eye-balling a row of spectators. He then moved even closer to them and began verbally confronting a man.

“I couldn’t find the right person,” del Potro said, laughing about the incident. “But I got closer to them, just asking ‘Who was it?’ I’m still trying to find the right person.”

He has no trouble identifying his semifinal opponent: Rafael Nadal. ___ 4:50 p.m.

Top-ranked Simona Halep will have another shot in the French Open final. Twice the runner-up in Paris, Halep has qualified for the final by defeating 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza 6-1, 6-4. Halep converted her first match point when Muguruza sent a final backhand long.

Halep will play Madison Keys or Sloane Stephens in Saturday’s final. It will be Halep’s second consecutive Grand Slam final after she lost the title match at the Australian Open in January.

“I played again one of my best matches on clay,” Halep said after coming back from a break down in the second set. Halep is guaranteed to remain the world No. 1 after the tournament. ___ 4 p.m.

Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina will become the world’s top-ranked doubles pair for the first time when the rankings are published Monday.

They will become only the second and third Russian women to top the rankings, and the first since Anna Kournikova in 1999. They advanced to their seventh Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in January and won their 12th doubles trophy together at the Madrid Open.

“Ekaterina and I have shared great success as a team, and this moment is what we’ve always dreamed of,” Vesnina said. “We hope to continue our strong form, especially now as the top doubles players.”

They have won three Grand Slam titles together: the French Open in 2013, the U.S. Open in 2014 and Wimbledon last year.

But Makarova and Vesnina did not play together at the French Open this year after changing their entries, despite being close to securing No. 1 status.

Makarova played alongside countrywoman Anna Kalinskaya and Vesnina teamed up with Jelena Ostapenko at Roland Garros. Both new-look pairings went out in the first round. ___ 3 p.m.

Juan Martin del Potro has returned to the French Open semifinals for the first time since 2009 by defeating Marin Cilic 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.

Del Potro fought back tears during his post-match interview and was loudly cheered by fans at Court Suzanne Lenglen.

“It’s tough to speak now,” the fifth-seeded Argentine player said. “It has been a long time without good feelings. I had three surgeries on my left wrist. I was close to quit.”

Del Potro will be up against 10-time champion Rafal Nadal for a spot in the final.

“I don’t know if I will win, but I will take a big love from you and that’s the most important for me,” he said.

In 2009, del Potro lost to Roger Federer in the French Open semifinals. He went on to win the U.S. Open the same year by defeating Federer in the final. ___ 1:45 p.m.

Rafael Nadal is into the French Open semifinals for the 11th time. The top-ranked Spaniard completed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Diego Schwartzman of Argentina over two days after their quarterfinal was halted by rain on Wednesday night.

Nadal was serving at 5-3, 30-15 after having dropped the first set when play was stopped.

He came back on court in full swing and made Schwartzman run a lot with a combination of deep groundstrokes and subtle drop shots. He was also able to raise his level when in danger, saving three break points in the eight game of the third set with great shot-making, and four more in the final set.

Nadal is only the third male player in the Open Era to reach 11 semifinals at a single Grand Slam, alongside Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors.

The 10-time Roland Garros champion will be up against Marin Cilic or Juan Martin del Potro for a spot in the final. ___ 1:15 p.m.

Juan Martin del Potro has confronted a spectator sitting in Court Suzanne Lenglen after he hit a double-fault to drop his serve at a crucial moment against Marin Cilic.

The double-fault gave Cilic a 5-4 lead in the second set of their quarterfinal.

Immediately after double-faulting, del Potro turned to the spectator and gestured angrily. He then walked to the box and spoke for a few seconds with the spectator, who looked embarrassed.

Del Potro then exchanged a few words with the umpire and returned to his chair, smashing his racket in anger.

Del Potro recovered well, though, breaking back in the next game. ___ 1 p.m.

Rafael Nadal has taken control of his quarterfinal against Diego Schwartzman, sealing the third set 6-2 to lead by two sets to one. Nadal won 10 of the first 11 points played in the third set and broke his 11th-seeded rival twice.

Nadal raised his level when it mattered much and fended off three break points in the eighth game. Schwartzman wasted the first one with a shanked backhand and Nadal saved the next one with a superb defensive display, pushing the Argentine player to make a mistake. He canceled the third one with a fine drop shot close to the net. ___ 12:15 p.m.

Play has resumed in the rain-interrupted men’s quarterfinals at Roland Garros, and 10-time champion Rafael Nadal quickly grabbed the second set of his match against Diego Schwartzman.

Nadal needed only two points to even his match at a set apiece. He was serving for the second set at 5-3, 30-15 after having dropped the first by a 6-4 score when play was halted by a storm on Wednesday evening.

Rafael Nadal’s bid for an 11th French Open title continues with the resumption of his rain-interrupted quarterfinal against 11th-seeded Diego Schwartzman of Argentina.

The No. 1-ranked Nadal will be serving for the second set at 5-3, 30-15 when he and Schwartzman return to Court Philippe Chatrier on Thursday.

Schwartzman took the opening set 6-4, ending Nadal’s streak of 37 consecutive completed sets at Roland Garros before rain arrived on Wednesday.

In the other remaining quarterfinal, also suspended on Wednesday, No. 3 Marin Cilic and No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro will resume at 5-all in a first-set tiebreaker.

The women’s semifinals are also on Thursday’s schedule.

No. 1 Simona Halep faces No. 3 Garbine Muguruza, and No. 10 Sloane Stephens meets No. 13 Madison Keys in the first all-American French Open semifinal since 2002. Stephens beat Keys in last year’s U.S. Open final.

By Associated Press ___

#Court Suzanne Lenglen #Elena Vesnina #Garbine Muguruza #groundstrokes #Martin del Potro #Open semifinal #paris #Rafael Nadal #TodayNews

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flauntpage · 6 years

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Eagles Trading Out of the First Round: Yeah or No?

Confession: I totally forgot about the NFL Draft.

I guess it doesn’t feel as important this time around because the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles don’t necessarily have a ton of holes to fill. This isn’t 2016, when Howie Roseman “mortgaged the future” (successfully) for a franchise quarterback. This isn’t 2017, when the Birds had a top-15 pick and the draft was held on the Art Museum steps. In 2018, it’s more placid than urgent as Howie and Joe Douglas head to Arlington with the 32nd overall pick and not much beyond that.

Here’s what they’re currently working with:

Round 1, pick 32

Round 4, pick 130 (from the Eric Rowe trade)

Round 4, pick 132

Round 5, pick 156 (from the Matt Tobin trade)

Round 5, pick 169

Round 6, pick 206

Seems like people think the Birds might trade out of the first round and swing that pick to someone else instead.

What say you? Good idea? Bad idea? Don’t care one way or another?

It seems like the precedent for trading out of this spot is a 2nd and 4th round pick in return. That’s what happened last year when Seattle traded the 31st overall pick to San Francisco for the 34th and 111th overall pick. The 49ers took Reuben Foster at 31 and the Seahawks grabbed a defensive tackle and safety.

New England traded out of 32 last year and threw in a third round pick to get Brandin Cooks and a 4th rounder in return.

And in 2016, Seattle traded pick 26 to Denver, who gave up a first and a third (picks 31 and 94) to select Paxton Lynch.

So maybe the Birds can turn this into a second rounder and a late third, but it seems more likely that they’d end up with a second and fourth based on recent history. That would give them three fourth round picks, allowing them to possibly package two of those to get back into the third round.

It would look something like this:

trade #32 overall for a 2nd and a 4th

trade two of your 4th round picks for a 3rd

result = one pick each in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds

That’s not unreasonable, right? You’re basically just streamlining your draft instead of having to pick at 32, then wait all the way until 130 rolls around on Saturday afternoon.

ESPN ran a story asking each team insider to weigh in on draft possibilities, and this is what Tim McManus wrote:

The Eagles will trade out of the first round

Then snag an offensive skill position player early in the second. The Super Bowl champs have a league-low six picks at the moment. They can add to their stockpile by selling their No. 32 pick, potentially to a quarterback-needy team. The top of the second round looks like a good spot to land a difference-making running back.

Peter King has the Eagles grabbing Texas lineman Connor Williams at #32, but also believes a trade is in the cards:

32. PHILADELPHIA—CONNOR WILLIAMS, G-T, TEXAS

But I think the Eagles are much more likely to deal this pick; I just don’t know to whom. They’re seeking a trade—that I can tell you. Philadelphia has no pick in rounds two or three, and the Eagles don’t pick until the end of round four. So as of now, they go from 33 to 129 without a pick. That’s why they’ll be trying to deal all night Thursday. If they stick … The Eagles have a 35-year-old left tackle, Jason Peters, coming off major injury, and starting guards (Stefan Wisniewski and Brandon Brooks) who will be 29 this season. Connor’s the perfect pick for them, in the unlikely event they stick.

Over at NFL.com, Daniel Jeremiah and Charley Casserly have the Eagles grabbing UGA running back Sony Michel at 32. Bucky Brooks thinks Notre Dame tackle Mike McGlinchey will still be available then and Curtis Conway likes South Dakota State tight end Dallas Goedert.

I like him, too:

Actually, let’s stop it there and think about what the Eagles really need.

Jason Peters is no spring chicken and he’s coming off a major injury. Is Big V your left tackle of the future? Do you draft and stash a guard? They added Richard Rodgers but will need another tight end to replace the departed Brent Celek and Trey Burton. Running back seems like a spot to address as well, and you can find that guy in the second round if you trade out.

Derrius Guice is a name that keeps popping up in relation to the Eagles. The LSU product is a downhill dude who would be a really nice replacement for LeGarrette Blount. Corey Clement is due for an increased role in 2018 but there’s plenty of snaps for everyone, considering how Duce Staley handled the rotation last year.

And if you’re thinking player trade, Mychal Kendricks might be on the block again. You could theoretically package him into a draft day deal to get back into the second round. The possibilities are endless! Oh my!

Trade partners?

If the Birds do deal, who bites?

Green Bay makes sense. The Packers have the most picks in this draft, 12, and would package some together to move up.

Keep an eye out for teams in need of a quarterback, too. Buffalo picks #12 overall but might not get one of Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield. Do they burn that pick on Mason Rudolph or let him fall a bit, then jump back in? The quarterback rush might push some top-15 talent down a bit further than usual, which has been the case in recent years.

Indy looks good. They’ve got three second round picks and a third rounder, and could get back into the late first round while still holding one or two of those selections.

Cleveland needs help everywhere. They have two early second round picks, 33 and 35, where the Birds could move down only a few spots and still get great return. The Browns have 9 picks to work with.

Will Brinson at CBS Sports seems to think this scenario is in the cards:

32. Cleveland Browns (PHI mock)

Derrius Guice, RB, LSU: The Eagles are trading out of this spot, it’s just a question of with who, and after the Browns missed on Barkley up high, they can land Guice here with the bonus of picking up his fifth-year option, a crucial element in a running back contract in 2018.

Seems unlikely to me that the Birds would trade out of 32 if Guice was still on the board, but who knows?

Either way, I think you’re in a good spot here. The worst case scenario is that no one jumps on a trade and you take the “best available player” at 32. This is a strong tight end group, and you could probably land one of Goedert, Mike Gesicki, or Hayden Hurst here, though the latter is a strong favorite to go to New Orleans at 27.

You could grab the best available offensive lineman, and hope for Connor Williams or Kolton Miller or McGlinchey to stick around. You could take a running back like Michel or Royce Freeman or even go slot corner/safety. Maybe cornerback is in play with the release of Daryl Worley. Who plays in the slot this season?

Another thing to think about is that pick #32, while technically existing in the first round, is basically a glorified second rounder, isn’t it? I mean, the Eagles are closer to pick 45 than pick 15, so when we’re using “first round” language, there’s a bit of semantics involved. Myles Garrett and Ryan Ramczyk were both first round picks, but no one in their right mind is putting pick #1 and pick #32 on the same plane of evaluation, right? Bottom-end first round guys are hardly describable in the same sense as top-ten selections. There’s more disparity from 1 to 32 than there is from 65 to 107. I guess what I’m explaining is that it would off-base to say, “well the Eagles wasted a first rounder on this guy!” if they stick with #32 overall and the player ends up being a bust.

Right, anyway, if the Eagles trade out of the first round, are you cool with that?

Eagles Trading Out of the First Round: Yeah or No? published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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investmart007 · 6 years

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The Latest: Halep advances to 3rd French Open final

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The Latest: Halep advances to 3rd French Open final

PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the French Open (all times local): ___ 4:50 p.m.

Top-ranked Simona Halep will have another shot in the French Open final.

Twice the runner-up in Paris, Halep has qualified for the final by defeating 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza 6-1, 6-4. Halep converted her first match point when Muguruza sent a final backhand long.

Halep will play Madison Keys or Sloane Stephens in Saturday’s final. It will be Halep’s second consecutive Grand Slam final after she lost the title match at the Australian Open in January.

“I played again one of my best matches on clay,” Halep said after coming back from a break down in the second set. Halep is guaranteed to remain the world No. 1 after the tournament. ___ 4 p.m.

Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina will become the world’s top-ranked doubles pair for the first time when the rankings are published Monday.

They have won three Grand Slam titles together: the French Open in 2013, the U.S. Open in 2014 and Wimbledon last year. But Makarova and Vesnina did not play together at the French Open this year after changing their entries, despite being close to securing No. 1 status.