Lace up those sneakers!
Thứ Hai, 12 tháng 10, 2015
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT — The first paid professional women’s hockey league in North America kicked off its inaugural season in Stamford, Connecticut Sunday afternoon.
The New York Riveters faced the Connecticut Whale on the ice for the first time in a local community sports center in front of a sold-out crowd. The Riveters and Whale are two of four inaugural teams in the NWHL, along with the Boston Pride and Buffalo Beauts, who faced off in Buffalo a few hours after the puck dropped in Connecticut.
Each of the NWHL’s four teams will host nine home games throughout the season, which will conclude following the playoffs in March 2016. The Pride and Riveters will each play exhibition games during the regular season, and all four teams will meet in Buffalo on January 24 for an All-Star game.
The National Women’s Hockey League, as it stands in its early stages, is a league run by women for women. On the ice prior to the Riveters–Whale game, local girls' hockey teams stood on the ice while and gave grazing high fives while the inaugural rosters were announced one by one. The National Anthem, was sung by Lisa Disimone the wife of an assistant coach for the Riveters, and the four referees patrolling the rink were, of course, women.
The NWHL began its season with a fast-paced game in which the Connecticut Whale scored four goals over the New York Riveters’ one. Fans packed the small community center rink around the edges of the ice, faces jammed to the plexiglass and with signs in tow to support the return of professional hockey to Connecticut.
The voices of young fans echoed through the small rink, which normally fits 500-700 spectators, but had 750 bodies crammed to watch the women on the ice today. Girls in the bleachers with their parents chanted “I believe that we will win,” the rally cry started during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and continued through the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Whale adopted its color scheme, team imagery, and name as an homage to the Hartford Whalers, Connecticut’s beloved NHL team that left the area for North Carolina and became the Carolina Hurricanes. When Whale forward Jessica Koizumi scored the first goal only 2:28 into the NWHL season, “Brass Bonanza,” the Whalers’ popular theme song played for the home team.
Though the Riveters scored a tying goal early in the second period, the Whale matched with their own less than a minute of play later and went into the 3rd period with a 2–1 lead. Things fell apart for the Riveters late in the 3rd period, though, and the Whale were able to score two quick goals against goalie Nana Fujimoto, who also plays for Japan’s national women’s team.
After the game, players from each team noted the the fast pace of play, which brought the level of the game up a notch from what they had played in the NCAA.
"We were all NCAA players and we were the best in the NCAA,” said Whale forward Kelli Stark, who scored the first goal of the game. Stark who is also a member of the United States women’s national ice hockey team, is the highest paid in the league thus far, with a 2015-2016 salary of $25,000. Baseline salaries for the inaugural season start at $10,000, with the league schedule is built to accommodate players’ needs for other jobs at this time, with practices taking place only twice per week on evenings, and games played on Sundays.
Player salaries are listed on NWHL’s official website, which NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan explained matches the transparency of the NHL and other men’s professional leagues. For the players, Rylan said, publicly available salaries "gives them incentive to know what their teammates are making so they can work hard for the next year.”
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
For the girls in the crowd, the formation of a paid women’s professional league gives them a goal beyond what the players themselves could have imagined at their age.
“Seeing the little girls was awesome,” Stark said after the game. “It shows us that what we’re doing is inspiring the next generation. For a lot of us, that’s what we want to do with this league. We absolutely want to keep playing for ourselves, but also lay the foundation for all those girls who are 14, 15, 12 years old so they have somewhere to play and do what they love.”
Stark grew up playing hockey with boys, and her hockey heroes were NHL stars. But for the many girls lined up around the rink and waiting after the game to get autographs from the Riveters and Whale, the NWHL has given them more role models to add to their rosters.
“It’s really fun and exciting,” said 10-year-old Anastasia, who is a forward for a Connecticut girl’s hockey team. “It shows that girls can play whatever boys play, and that girls are strong too.”
Four public high schools in California still use the moniker.
California governor Jerry Brown
David Mcnew / Getty Images
Public schools in California can no longer use "Redskins" as a team name or mascot, after Governor Jerry Brown signed a contested bill into law Sunday.
Four public high schools in California currently use the name and mascot, and will have until 2017 to find a replacement. Assemblymember Luis Alejo, who authored the bill that passed through the Assembly 60-10, with ten abstaining, said in a news release that California is now the first state to pass a law specifically banning the term "Redskins" as a "school or athletic team name, mascot, or nickname."
Oregon and Wisconsin have passed legislation to ban use of all Native American names and imagery by public schools. In Oregon, all the names will have to changed by 2017. Wisconsin is debating a provision to allow individual schools to retain the name pending approval from local tribes.
The new California law specifies only schools using "Redskins" will have to change the name. A similar bill was presented to then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004, who vetoed it because he believed it would "[divert] focus from increasing student academic achievement."
To ease the financial burden on the four public schools that use the name – Gustine High School, Calaveras High School, Chowchilla Union High School, and Tulare High School – each can continue to use uniforms, school materials, and building fixtures that bear the "Redskins" mascot and name past January 1, 2017 until they must be replaced. But the first day of 2017 is the hard deadline for the schools to enact a new official mascot and nickname.
California lawmakers have been pushing to strip the use of "Redskins" in public schools since at least 2002, with four failed bills leading up to [DAY OF WEEK's] signing by Governor Brown. Assemblymembers representing Gustine and Tulare High Schools voted no on the bill from its introduction to passing, and an Assemblymember representing Chowchilla and Calaveras abstained from voting.
The use of the name "Redskins" has become a prominent national discussion as the NFL team from Washington D.C. has dug in its heels about using the name despite growing opposition. Native American activists have long advocated against the name, which they have identified as a slur. Supporters of the name largely brush past the word's origins and meaning, and say their particular team uses it to "honor" the heritage of Native Americans.
Molly Riley / Getty Images
The responses — and claims of financial burden — by the four schools varied drastically. BuzzFeed News spoke with the Principals of Calaveras High School and Tulare Union High School in anticipation of the bill's signing.
Michelle Nunley, Principal at Tulare Union, told BuzzFeed News her high school sent representatives to speak to the Senate Education Committee in Sacramento to voice their opposition to the bill. The state senate heard that leaders at TUHS had been in touch with tribes near Tulare to "make sure no one was offended." The bill passed the state senate Education Committee 6-1, with two abstaining. Nunley said the school has hosted members of the Tule River tribe to help educate their school on how to use the name in a way that honors the heritage of Native Americans.
Tulare Union hasn't taken yet taken steps to ease the financial burden of a school-wide overhaul of the name and mascot, and Nunley told BuzzFeed News she expects the full cost of the overhaul will reach $750,000.
Three hours north, in San Andreas, Calaveras High School principal Mike Merrill says his school has been preparing for what he says was an inevitable change, and that the mascot and name was phased out from uniforms already.
"This is our fifth time through this, so there's no sense in creating hardship for our school. We're not a school that has the logo all over. We have been very strategic, not because we're not proud, but because we understand we don't need to have our logo all over to show our pride," he said. He estimates the only major expense for the school will be replacing the football scoreboard, which should run around $70,000.
Merrill said he was invited to challenge the legislation at the Senate Education Committee, but "this is not something our district has chosen to fight as a battle. You can fight legislation, but you're not gonna win, so we've decided to put our resources behind things we know we have a shot at and continue our winning tradition."
Calaveras High has worked with the local Miwok tribe, specifically tribal leader Gloria Grines, to be as tasteful as possible about using the name and mascot. When a new gym was built on campus, a headdress was painted on the floor, and Grines told administrators that feathers should never touch the floor. The floor was redone and a mural depicting a headdress was painted on a wall instead.
Merrill admits that there is bound to be tension and frustration on both sides as the Calaveras community grapples with change. Still, the school board has already asked him to form a committee to choose a new name.
Merrill says his handling of the impending name change has been informed by one large, national story.
The Washington Redskins have resisted changing the name, despite legal, societal, and even weak legislative pressure. Team owner Dan Snyder has vowed never to change the name, but the team name was ruled in violation of United States trademark law on the basis that it "disparages" a people group. The decision was appealed by the Redskins, but they lost that appeal, too, and have appealed it yet again to a higher circuit.
"Part of this is seeing what happened nationally as the Washington Redskins have been so inappropriate with how they handle things. It's made everything much more difficult for the rest of us, and we're not going to choose to go that route."
Chủ Nhật, 11 tháng 10, 2015
A hard slide from the Dodgers’ Chase Utley into Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada was ruled legal by MLB officials.
A hard slide that changed the course of a playoff game between the Mets and Dodgers has been deemed controversial by fans, but legal under existing rules by MLB.
MLB
During the seventh inning of Game 2 of the National League Division Series between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets were up 2–1. With one out, Dodgers infielder Howie Kendrick hit a single that scored the runner from third base and advanced runner Chase Utley to second base. To get to the base, Utley did a late slide toward the base and sent Mets second baseman Ruben Tejada flying backwards into the air. Tejada was taken off the field with a cart.
It was later announced that Tejada's leg was broken, ruling him out for the remainder of the postseason.
Utley's slide proved to be immediately controversial: During the slide he at no point touched second base, but video replay showed that Tejada had missed touching the base by a couple inches, too. Though neither player had actually touched second base, Utley was ruled safe at second after a replay review.
MLB implemented replay review only prior to the 2014 season, but has an exception for the "neighborhood play" — which is where an infielder will attempt to get an out at second and then throw to first, and is awarded the out even if he misses the base by a few inches.
The allowance of the neighborhood play is in place specifically to prevent infielders from getting hurt.
The play was reviewed, though, because MLB ruled that Tejada had no chance at turning a successful double play.
An MLB official told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that an offensive player is favored in determining whether a runner is out or safe when neither the fielder nor the runner actually touch the base.
After the play was settled, Tejada was replaced at shortstop by Wilmer Flores. Dodgers rookie Corey Seager hit a pop fly for the next out, then first baseman Adrian Gonzalez hit a double and advanced to third base to score Utley and Kendrick, bringing the score to 4–2. Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner hit another double next, scoring Gonzalez and bringing the score to 5–2, Dodgers.
The Mets could not recover the lead, and the Dodgers took Game 2 of the NLDS. The Mets won Game 1, and the best-of-5 series will be tied when the teams return to the field in New York City on Monday night.
The Dodgers will certainly take the field to a shower of boos from Mets fans, who have waited nine years for their team to appear in the MLB postseason.
Though the play was technically legal by current MLB rules, Utley's slide remains controversial among baseball fans and analysts.
Utley's slide was not ruled as interference on the field, and the call is not reviewable. However, rule 7.09 of MLB's official rules defines interference:
If, in the judgment of the umpire, a batter-runner willfully and deliberately interferes with a batted ball or a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball, with the obvious intent to break up a double play, the ball is dead; the umpire shall call the batter-runner out for interference and shall also call out the runner who had advanced closest to the home plate regardless where the double play might have been possible. In no event shall bases be run because of such interference.
If Utley's slide had been called interference on the field, the double play would have ended the inning, and the Mets would have taken a one-run lead into the eighth inning.
When asked postgame if Mets manager Terry Collins felt Utley's slide was clean, he responded simply: "Well, it broke my shortstop's leg."
When asked to define a "dirty" slide, Utley told reporters he believes it is when a runner goes in "cleats high and hitting a guy before you hit the ground." He asserted that despite the outcome of the play, "there was no attempt to injure Ruben whatsoever."
Thứ Sáu, 9 tháng 10, 2015
Jewel Samad / AFP / Getty Images
NBA star Thabo Sefolosha was found not guilty Friday of three charges stemming from a April 8 confrontation with the New York Police Department in which officers broke his leg.
Sefolosha looked relieved after the verdict was read and promptly left the courthouse. The jury deliberated for about 50 minutes.
Outside, Sefolosha said he has not decided whether he will sue the city.
When asked if he was surprised with the speed of the verdict, Sefolosha's lawyer, Alex Spiro, said, "no."
Sefolosha, a Swiss-born guard-forward, plays for the Atlanta Hawks, who had just helped his team clinch a playoff berth days before his arrest. He missed the playoffs due to his broken leg and said Thursday that he hopes to be able to return to the court this season.
In a Manhattan court this week a jury heard testimony from NYPD officers, Sefolosha’s coach and teammate, and the defendant himself.
Sefolosha was charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest, obstructing government administration, and disorderly conduct. It was revealed this week that prosecutors offered a deal that would have dropped charges against the NBA player if he served one day of community service and stayed out of trouble for six months. Sefolosha and his attorney, Spiro, decided instead to move forward with the trial.
According to Sefolosha’s testimony Wednesday, he was singled out of a crowd of people leaving a club and beaten by the NYPD without justifiable provocation.
On Friday, after the verdict, he said his decision to testify was easy: "All I had to do was tell the truth."
Earlier in the night, Sefolosha had been at a club called 1Oak with then-teammate Pero Antić. Outside the club that night, fellow NBA player Chris Copeland, who is not Sefolosha’s teammate, was stabbed. Sefolosha said he was not aware that Copeland had been stabbed when clubgoers were ordered to leave.
Outside, NYPD began telling the crowd to disperse. Sefolosha said Thursday under cross-examination by Assistant District Attorney Francesca Bartolomey that he was instructed to go to his left, toward Tenth Avenue, and that he was told three times to move along the sidewalk.
Sefolosha admitted Thursday that he called officer JohnPaul Giacona a "midget," but maintained that it was the only time he used derogatory language toward an officer.
Upon reaching Tenth Avenue, Selofosha saw a car waiting and decided to take it back to his hotel. As he began to enter the car, a homeless man approached him and asked for money. Sefolosha said that when he extended his arm to hand money to the man, an officer grabbed him and told him to put his hands behind his back. Then, Sefolosha said, "seven or eight" officers began putting their hands on him, and while he was on his way to the ground, officer Giacona came up behind him and kicked him hard in the right leg. He said he told the officers to relax, and that he wasn't told he was under arrest. Still, he said he did not fight back, knowing he was outnumbered.
During closing arguments Thursday, Sefolosha's attorney told the jury that NYPD saw Sefolosha as "just another black man in a hoodie."
"They arrested him. They broke his leg out of eyeshot or earshot of an unrelated crime scene because he was giving a homeless person money," Spiro said. "You know what the public disturbance is? When they’re smashing him into the ground."
The jury members quickly dispersed after the verdict was read and did not comment on their decision to acquit Sefolosha.
NBA Players Association executive director Michele Roberts, who was in the courtroom for Sefolosha's cross-examination Thursday, tweeted excitedly about the decision:
LINK: NYPD Internal Affairs Investigating Atlanta Hawks Player's Arrest And Injuries
LINK: Hawks Player Injured For Season After Confrontation With NYPD Outside Manhattan Club
Also known as the “Rogers Centre” if you’re a jerk.
The SkyDome, home of the Toronto Blue Jays and little brother to the CN Tower, opened in 1989. It was the first stadium to have a fully retractable roof.
It was renamed Rogers Centre after the telecom company bought it in 2005, but who are we kidding? It will always be the SkyDome.
Hans Deryk / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Construction took two and a half years, and you can see how it all came together in this short time-lapse video.
EllisDon / Via youtube.com
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