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Brazilian Big12 series, Episode 9/12: Santos
Previous episodes:Flamengo, Vasco, Fluminense, Grêmio, Botafogo, Atlético Mineiro, Internacional, Corinthians In this series I will present each of the 12 Brazilian teams that together compose the "Big 12". My point is to make them more knowledgeable to you, since each one of these teams have their share of the Brazil national team success and of Brazilian club football accomplishments as a whole. I'll try to be as smooth, efficient and non-boring as I can. If the feedback is positive, I'll keep bringing more to this series. So ok, let's do this! Method: I'll present the teams in a chronological order, from the oldest foundation (Flamengo-1895) to the latest one (São Paulo-1930). The order will be: Flamengo, Vasco, Fluminense, Grêmio, Botafogo, Atlético Mineiro, Internacional, Corinthians, Santos, Palmeiras, Cruzeiro, São Paulo. How many of these have you heard of? Extra clubs: Due to a high number of requests, I'll also present 3 teams who don't belong to the Big12, but are also considered big clubs in Brazil: Bahia, Athletico Paranaense and Coritiba. Welcome to the club! Geographical reference: Before we start, I'd like to ask something very simple from you. I want you to keep in mind that these 12 teams are spread in 4 different States in Brazil. The club's State name is written below, next to the club's name. It has a direct link to Google Maps, so that you can check it out to make this experience more accurate.
Major achievements: 2 Intercontinental Cup (1962, 1963), 3 Copa Libertadores (1962, 1963, 2011), 8 Brazilian Leagues (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 2002, 2004), 1 Copa do Brasil (2010)
State League titles: 22 (Against Corinthians' 30, Palmeiras' 23, São Paulo's 21)
PLAY AND LISTEN TO SANTOS ANTHEM WHILE READING - Click here The Football Kingdom There's an urban legend that says that a lightning never strikes the same place twice. But apparently this legend doesn't apply to the physics of Santos, a humble and small port city on the coast of São Paulo. There, a young kid named Pelé, would come up to become football's greatest legend, a man that could stop a war with his foot, a man that transcended all sports combined. In that same city of Santos - with a probable electromagnetic sequel caused by the lightning of Pelé - were raised the raw talents of the princes Robinho and Neymar. Curiously enough, Marta, the Queen of Football, and Falcão, the King of Futsal, also stepped foot and left a legacy at Santos, the football kingdom of the world. Let the story begin! The early years and the 100-goal team at 1929 São Paulo State League Santos was founded in 1912, but only on the late 1920s the team would become a threat to the State League teams from the state capital, São Paulo. Indeed, in 1927, the team led by Araken Patusca and Feitiço scored 100 goals in 16 matches, an average of 6,25 goals/match, a world record in official competitions until today. However, they lost the title in the last round to Palmeiras. These two players would make history in Santos: Feitiço scored 214 goals and is the Santos 5th top goalscorer of all time, while Araken Patusca scored 184, and is the 7th. In 1935, Santos would win their first State League title, after beating Corinthians 2-0. The Pelé Era: the greatest team in the world, the team that stopped a war in Africa,Os Santásticos Before Pelé arrived, Santos had recently won the 1955 and 1956 State Leagues, with a great team led by Brazil NT forwards Del Vecchio, Pepe, Pagão, Jair, and the midfielder Zito. After Pelé left, Santos had added 25 more trophies to their cabinet: 2 Intercontinental Cups, 2 Copa Libertadores, 6 Brazilian Leagues, 10 State Leagues, 3 Rio-São Paulo Tournament, 1 Supercopa Sudamericana and 1 Recopa Intercontinental. During Pelé's time in the 1960s, Santos scored around 3000 goals, with more than 1000 scored by the king, in both official competitions (643 goals) and friendlies (448 goals) for Santos. Actually, counting only teams from Europe big6, Pelé scored 103 goals in those high-level friendlies, as you can see here. If we count all European clubs and National Teams, Pelé scored 163 goals. He also scored 87 goals against 1st division Brazilian teams, 116 goals against South American teams and National Teams, 44 goals against African/Asian/Central American National Teams, totalizing 410 goals in high-level friendlies - all data details here. At that time, friendlies were highly hyped, and there were more Europeans attending friendlies vs. Santos than attending their own national leagues matches - attendance data here.
Pelé arrived at Santos in 1956, at the age of 15. In that same year arrived the right-wing Dorval, aged 21. In 1958 arrived the centre-forward Coutinho, aged 14, and in 1960 the attacking midfielder, Mengálvio, aged 20. They all joined the left-wing Pepe, at Santos since 1954, to form the famous quintet that dominated the world: Dorval, Mengálvio, Coutinho, Pelé and Pepe.
Player
Apps
Goals
Brazil NT Caps
Goals
World Cup titles
Dorval (1956-67)
612
198
7
-
-
Mengálvio (1960-68)
371
28
14
1
1 (1962)
Coutinho (1958-68)
457
368
15
6
1 (1962)
Pelé (1956-74)
1116
1091
92
77
3 (1958, 1962, 1970)
Pepe (1954-69)
750
405
40
22
2 (1958, 1962)
But everything started in the 1957 São Paulo State League, when Pelé was topscorer with 36 goals, at the age of 16. There wasn't a National League until 1959, due to Brazil's huge size and weak infrastructure, so the players would shine in the State Leagues, which lasted the entire year. Pelé, at 17, broke the São Paulo State League record (until today), scoring 58 goals in 38 matches, in 1958 - which brought him to the Brazil NT and to the 1958 World Cup. After winning it, him and Santos started travelling in exhibition tours to make cash and challenge the best teams around the world in "friendly" matches. In 1959, Santos took part in the 1st Brazilian League edition, qualifying as São Paulo State League champions. However, they lost the final to Bahia (2-3, 2-0, 1-3). As Santos lost the 1959 São Paulo State League finals to Palmeiras, they didn't qualify to the 1960 Brazilian League. However, they won the 1960 São Paulo State League and qualified to the 1961 Brazilian League. From 1961 to 1965, Santos won 5 consecutive Brazilian Leagues, a record until today. However, Santos would always enter in the semi-finals and only play 4-5 matches to be crowned champions - this rule would only be modified from the 1967 Brazilian League.
Year
Champion
Runner-up
Results
1961 Brazilian League
Santos
Bahia
1-1, 5-1
1962 Brazilian League
Santos
Botafogo
4-3, 1-3, 5-0
1963 Brazilian League
Santos
Bahia
6-0, 2-0
1964 Brazilian League
Santos
Flamengo
4-1, 0-0
1965 Brazilian League
Santos
Vasco
5-1, 1-0
Highlights to the 1962 final between Santos and Botafogo, which had 11 players from the 1962 World Cup won by Brazil: Gylmar, Mauro, Zito, Mengálvio, Coutinho, Pelé, Pepe (Santos), Nilton Santos, Garrincha, Amarildo, Zagallo (Botafogo). Santos won the decisive match 5-0 at the Maracanã, with this goal from Pelé. In 1962, Santos also participated in their first Copa Libertadores, qualified as the 1961 Brazilian League champions. Santos topped their group stage against Cerro Porteño (Paraguay) (9-1, 1-1) and Municipal (Bolivia) (6-1, 4-3). In the semis against Universidad Católica (Chile), Santos tied 1-1 away, and won 1-0 at home. The final would be against Peñarol (Uruguay). Santos won the first leg 2-1 in Uruguay, with two goals from Coutinho, in a great comeback. In the 2nd leg in Brazil, a crazy story: after a big and violent confusion, the match was restarted and Peñarol scored the third goal at '51 (2-3). Santos only needed a tie and scored it at '67, the match ended 3-3 and Santos celebrated the title. However, the referee wrote down in the match report that the match was over at '51 - he was scared to really end it, so he kept the match going until the end, but it wasn't counting for him, so he (and CONMEBOL) declared Peñarol the winners. This forced a third match, in neutral Argentina, which Santos dominated and won 3-0, with two goals from Pelé and one own goal from Peñarol. Santos were for the first time, and the first Brazilian team, crowned South American champions. This title qualified Santos to the 1962 Intercontinental Cup, against the European champions, Benfica. The 1st leg at the Maracanã ended 3-2 for Santos, with 2 goals from Pelé and one from Coutinho. Before the 2nd match in Lisbon, Benfica announced that they were selling tickets for the third match, certain that they would win at home. However, Pelé destroyed the match with a splendid hat-trick, an assist, nutmegs and dribbling past the entire Benfica defense to score one of his goals. The match ended 5-2 before a crowd of 73.000 portuguese fans, and Pelé proved once again he was still football's king, as he and Santos were crowned club world champions for the first time. Highlights of the match here (4mn56 video). The next year, in 1963, Santos would once again win the Copa Libertadores. Being the current champions, they entered in the semi-final stage against the legendary Botafogo of Garrincha, Didi and Nilton Santos. The 1st leg ended 1-1, with Pelé scoring a tie at '90. The 2nd match at the Maracanã ended 4-0 to Santos, with Pelé scoring the first goal, also the second goal from a header, and the third from a penalty kick. Lima scored the fourth, with an assist from Pepe. Santos were once again qualified to the Copa Libertadores final. They would meet Boca Juniors, from Argentina. In the 1st leg at the Maracanã, Santos opened 3-0 with two goals from Coutinho - notably this one - and one from Lima. Boca, however, scored twice with Sanfilippo and the match ended 3-2. The atmosphere at La Bombonera for the 2nd leg was intense. 50.000 Argentine kept singing "Pelé hijo de puta, macaquitos del Brasil" (Pelé son of a b., little monkeys from Brazil). Then Boca opened the score at '46 with Sanfilippo. However, 4 minutes later, Pelé assisted Coutinho to score the tie. Later, Pelé mocked the Boca team by playing with the ball at Boca's GK hand. And at '82, Pelé scored the winning goal and celebrated with euphory and anger: Santos were back-to-back Copa Libertadores champions. Santos were once again qualified to the Intercontinental Cup, and would face Milan. Santos lost the 1st leg 2-4, at San Siro, in Milan. In the 2nd leg at the Maracanã, Milan went to half-time winning 2-0. A heavy rain began and the pitch became a mud. Santos, without Pelé, counted on Pepe's free-kick to score their first goal. Almir and Lima scored Santos second and third goals, at '54 and '65. Pepe, again from a free-kick, scored the fourth at '68, forcing a third match. In the third and final match, at the Maracanã again, Maldini committed a penalty and was sent off. Still without Pelé, Dalmo scored the 1-0 winning goal, crowning Santos once again club world champions. Santos wouldn't win the Copa Libertadores again in the 1960s. They reached the semis in 1964 and 1965, and refused to play it in 1966, 1967 and 1969 - not only it was financially unattractive, but also too violent and with tendencious refereeing. So Santos prefered to travel around the globe and make cash to pay their expensive team. The "Santos Globetrotters", would tour the world and smash whoever and wherever. 7-1 Internazionale, 5-0 Roma, 6-2 Napoli, 3-0 Lazio, 5-1 Lecce, 5-1 Barcelona, 6-0 Hamburg, 9-1 TSV München 1860, 6-3 Wolfsburg, 5-2 Eintracht Frankfurt, 4-2 Hertha Berlin, 6-4 Fortuna Düsseldorf, 5-0 Arminia Bielefield, 6-3 Benfica, 4-2 Sheffield Wednesday, 4-2 Newcastle, 5-3 Reims, 6-1 Racing, 6-2 Lyon, 3-0 Toulouse, 3-0 Feyenoord, 5-0 Enschede, 3-0 Peñarol, 8-3 Racing (Argentina), 4-0 Independiente, 4-1 Boca Juniors, 4-0 River Plate... In official competitions, Pelé's Santos played 6 matches against Europeans, with 5W-1L:
Competition
Result
Goals
1962 Intercontinental Cup
Santos 3-2 Benfica
Pelé (2x), Santana (2x), Coutinho
1962 Intercontinental Cup
Santos 5-2 Benfica
Pelé (3x), Eusébio, Coutinho, Pepe, Santana
1963 Intercontinental Cup
Santos 2-4 Milan
Pelé (2x), Amarildo (2x), Trapattoni, Mora
1963 Intercontinental Cup
Santos 4-2 Milan
Pepe (2x), Mazzola, Almir, Lima, Mora
1963 Intercontinental Cup
Santos 1-0 Milan
Dalmo
1968 Recopa Intercontinental
Santos 1-0 Internazionale
Toninho Guerreiro
However, Santos wasn't invincible, and Palmeiras stopped them from winning 12 consecutive State Leagues (1958-69), by beating Santos in 1959, 1963 and 1966. 1969: the year that Santos stopped a war in Africa and that Pelé scored his 1000th goal On the 4th February 1969, Pelé's Santos stopped an ongoing war in Nigeria. The civil war had been going on in the Biafra region since March 1967, and it lasted until January 1970, with the separatists' defeat. 2 million people died in the conflict. There was a global effort trying to stop the violent repression of the Nigerian government against the Biafras. Artists like Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon, authorities like the Pope Paul VI and the United Nations tried do contain the conflict, without success. But Santos did. As the team was touring in Africa, they were invited by the Nigerian government to play in Benin. A first and only cease-fire was declared so Santos could move from the hotel to the stadium and then back to the hotel. Santos won the match 2-1, and left the country the next day, as the war restarted as soon as they were gone, lasting 11 more months. On the 19th November 1969, Pelé scored his 1000th goal, against Vasco, the team he supported as a child, at the Maracanã. Journalists from all over the world had been following Santos matches, waiting for the 1000th goal to happen, which he did on his 912th career match. By the end of the decade, Santos team had changed, but was still strong, notably counting with the right-back Carlos Alberto Torres, the midfielder Clodoaldo and the forwards Edu and Toninho Guerreiro, all of them champions in the 1970 World Cup, except for the latter. They notably won the 1968 Brazilian League, the 1968 Supercopa Sudamericana and the 1968 Recopa Intercontinental. My personal favorite goal of this era is this one by Toninho Guerreiro, after a rainbow flick assist by Kaneko, in 1968. The Pelé Era last title was the São Paulo State League title of 1973. Pelé left in October 1974, having scored 1091 goals in 1116 matches for Santos. 1978-1984: the Meninos da Vila (Vila Boys) and the last title before the drought In 1978, a new term was coined to the players produced by Santos youth system, or just young players that were bought: the Meninos da Vila (Vila Boys), that won the 1978 State League. The 1st generation counted with Juary, João Paulo, Pita, Nilton Batata and Ailton Lira.
Meninos da Vila
Apps
Goals
Juary
229
101
João Paulo
412
103
Pita
408
55
Nilton Batata
249
36
Ailton Lira
182
37
In the 1980s, Santos built a good team that reached the final of the 1983 Brazilian League, and won the 1984 State League - Santos last title before the drought. 1984-2002: 18-year title drought In this period, Santos reached the 1995 Brazilian League final - led by the idol Giovanni -, as well as the 2000 State League final. Santos won the 1997 Rio-São Paulo Tournament and the 1998 Copa Conmebol, but they were minor trophies and didn't count as the end of the drought, that would last until 2002. Nevertheless, Santos became the first team in the world to score 10.000 goals - the record took place in January 1998, with a goal scored by Jorginho. In December 2000, Santos was elected by FIFA the Club of the Century in South America, and placed 5th in the world, behind Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern and Barcelona. 2002: Diego & Robinho and the 2ndMeninos da Vilageneration In the last season of the Brazilian League with knock-out stages (round-robin were introduced in 2003), Santos were broken and bet once again on their own DNA: youth system and offensive football. Led by 17-year-old Diego and 18-year-old Robinho, and with great young players Maurinho (24), Alex (20), Renato (23) and Elano (21), as well as great experienced players like Fábio Costa (25), Léo (27) and Alberto (27), Santos qualified on the 8th and last spot to the quarter-finals - after an exciting 1st stage, even leading the league at some point, but dropping a lot in quality towards the end. In the knock-out stage, Santos won 5 of the 6 matches before becoming champions. In the quarter-finals, against the scary São Paulo of Kaká and Luís Fabiano, Santos won both legs: 3-1 at home and then a 2-1 comeback away, with Diego scoring twice, one of them the winning goal on the 2nd leg. In the semi-finals, Santos defeated Grêmio 3-0 at home, with a great show from Robinho, who got Grêmio's CB sent off and then scored this great goal. Alberto scored twice, notably this backheel one. In the 2nd leg, a 0-1 defeat was enough to put Santos in the league final. The final would be against Parreira'sCorinthians. In the first leg, Diego brilliantly assisted Alberto to open the score, and then Robinho at '88 also brilliantly assissted Renato to close the 2-0 score. The final 2nd leg was monumental. Corinthians needed to win by a 2-goal difference to be the champions. It started badly for Santos, with Diego leaving injured with less than five minutes. But at '35, Robinho produced one of the most iconic moves of the football world in 2002, the 8 Pedaladas (8 Stepovers), after which he suffered a penalty, which he himself converted into a goal dedicated to Diego. Corinthians now needed 3 goals, and at '75 they scored the first, then at '84 they scored the second. Total fear in Santos supporters. But 4 minutes later at '88, the heir of the king, the prince Robinho carried the ball from the midfield until the right side of the box to assist Elano in Santos second goal. But it wasn't over yet, and at '92, him again, the prince Robinho left two Corinthians' CB completely lost in a quick body turnaround to assist Léo to score the 3rd and winning goal. The perfect match was over, Santos won 3-2, and were crowned Brazilian League champions. Highlights to Santos goalkeeper Fabio Costa who had this absurd performance (2mn33s video) and to Santos coach Emerson Leão, the man who chose to bet in these young players. 2003-2004: the show must go on In 2003, Santos, Diego and Robinho were the Brazilian trend. They kept their high-level football with the addition of Ricardo Oliveira in the attack, and finished 2nd in the Copa Libertadores - losing to Boca Juniors - and 2nd in the Brazilian League - dominated by Cruzeiro. In 2004, Santos won the Brazilian League again, their 8th and most recent Brazilian League title. With the departures of Renato, Diego and Ricardo Oliveira to Europe, Santos brought Ricardinho and Deivid from Middlesbrough and Bordeaux, and the international coach Luxemburgo from Cruzeiro. It worked greatly, and led by Robinho and Elano, they won the league on the 46th and last round, after beating Vasco 2-1. It was a very dramatic league in all possible ways, and against everything and everyone, Santos were once again Brazilian Champions.
2013-today Since the Neymar & Ganso Era ended in 2013, Santos has won 2 State League titles (2015, 2016), finished 2nd in the Brazilian League twice (2016, 2019) and in the Copa do Brasil once (2015), as well as revealing Rodrygo in 2018. Santos represents the essence of Brazilian football DNA, which is offensive and beautiful football, a philosophy which made their youth system one of the most respected in the world. You can watch here some rare Pelé highlights, here some 2002-2005 Robinho's and here some 2009-2013 Neymar's. Santos is one of the 3 Brazilian teams that has never been relegated. To this day, Santos has a fanbase of 6 million supporters, and a stadium attendance average of 10.300, as of 2019. If you have any questions about Brazilian football, feel free to join us at futebol, where you'll be very welcomed!
We are the paper-clip maximizer: observations on idealism
Wherein I attempt to convince you that the better angels of our nature are iterations of Patrick Bateman. I grew up in Eastern Europe. My family was pretty well off: after the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, my father got a Fulbright scholarship at Stanford. He returned with dollars and, more importantly, American connections. My people, perpetually more interested in acerbic word play than doing anything constructive, are fond of the following bon mot: are idei putine, dar fixe. It translates to something like, "he's a man of ideas that are few, but fixated." This template of inverted expectation (instead of insult-but-compliment, insult-but-insult) captures the soul of Balkan cynicism beautifully, and the phrase describes my father to a tee. He had the bedrock conviction of a religious man, expanded by the confidence of two doctorates. A sampling of his beliefs, routinely proselytized among his single-digit aged kids: The Internet will define the future. Jews are the smartest people, ever. Anything comfortable aligning itself with the label socialism kills the soul. Reagan is a mix of Superman and the Pope. Assorted musings on said themes. If ever there's a market for an Eastern-Euro flavored All In the Family, I've got things to pitch to the writers. As befitting a pre-schooler, I was pretty whatever about les idees fixes de mon pere at the time and instead played Spectre and messed around with ClarisWorks on the PowerBook 100 he brought back from the land of plenty. Exposure plus inertia equals three quarters of belief, so about a decade & a half later, after benefiting from a lottery both literal as well as figurative, I found myself circa early aughts, enthusiastically--albeit unconsciously--ticking off my father's boxes:
The Internet will define the future: holler atcho boy with the second set of Warglaives on the server, what's up
Jews are the smartest: Einstein & Rothbard, hell yeah
Anything comfortable aligning itself with the label socialism kills the soul: the Shahaadah of Eastern Euros, double hell yeah
And so I internalized the litanies littered across the only lot I could reasonably inhabit on the political compass: that remote, much-memed-on mountain top called libertarianism. Thankfully enough, I avoided the ditch of Ayn Rand worship. I'm stupid but not stupid enough to fall for anybody who's that bad of a writer[1]. I painted well within the Hayek lines of respectability instead, eschewing gold-buggism, doom-prepping or the crass embarrassment of formal Libertarian politicking while nursing a chip of feral anti-collectivism on my shoulder. It worked. Ish. Then, at first slowly--then, rapidly--it didn't. Axiomatic assumptions about America's place in and influence around the world (remember: I grew up with people who thought Radio Free Europe was basically the burning bush) were the first to go. I went into the Iraqi war with full "save them from Saddam!" gusto, and one of my snarky descriptions of Berkeley campus anti-war fervor got linked to by Andrew Sullivan, then one of the patron saints of the pro-incursion nomenklatura. The ensuing decade-long debacle disabused me of several elaborate fictions. 2008 torpedoed several comfort blankets[2] about markets always being right and deregulation always being good. Most of the damage got patched up with elaborate circumlocutions: manipulated markets aren't real markets, ratings agencies are an elaborate shell game, nominal outcomes are impossible when Clintonite-birthed obscenities distort risk. But Agent K's admonition, Carlin's line for the ages and a slow drip of behavioral economics all began registering. Maximizing everybody's freedom started sounding less and less like a good idea, much less ethical imperative. I was lucky enough to meander through Denmark, Belgium, Sweden. No democratic-socialist commissars demanded my papers. I got mind-fucked severaltimes by Crichton[3]. The Lizardman Constant upset me. Moldbug's Nosferatu-like meditations rattled my cage. Even more dangerously, instead of stopping at 1984 and Animal Farm, I expanded my exposure to Orwell: Road to Wigam Pier, Homage to Catalonia. Goddamn socialist, that one. Through the last few years, my time online revealed an Internet unlike playful territory of experimentation that I experienced as a teenager. Monetization and mass psychosis rue the day. TFW I realize that various idealistic impulses (America land of the free! Liberty for all! Communism bad!) lined me up behind objectively, measurably, conclusively Wrong Things. At times, Bad Things. Contrary to what you might imagine right about now o'clock, I don't consider myself an interesting topic. The expansive autobiographical detour had to preface what's next, or else it would've read (too) accusatory and obnoxious. I had to show work: me first. I fucked up. If a socialist professor from Toronto U & full-on Objectivist both deploy the same unlikely phrase, one might wonder what, exactly, predatory altruism means. I yield the floor to Thiel Capital's managing director:
When powerful people use their advantage to engage in new involuntary transfers of wealth, safety or freedom from those too weak to defend themselves, the winners are almost always forced to create a type of idealism as a cover for their syphoning. In simpler terms: these idealisms are cover stories or bespoke fig leaves which almost exactly fit the extraction or taking that they're tailored to mask. Once this is understood, we realize that to test this theory, each wave of idealism would have to be matched to a highly specific effective confession for an injustice that pervaded the era in which it was found. (...) (The idealism of U.S. competitiveness in the 80s and early to mid 90s) wasn't really about the need of managers, owners and workers to pull together through shared austerity to re-invigorate American industry. It was a false idealism that instructed American labor to give up hard-won gains that were not matched by comparable sacrifices from the other groups. Once U.S. labor had been sufficiently humbled and attenuated (...) the drumbeat of patriotic competitiveness gave way to the post-national Davos idealism of a world without borders signing the praises of financial inclusion, trade, immigration and philantropy. The purpose of the post-national movement wasn't to include those overseas but instead to allow the wealthy of the industrialized world to break bonds with their fellow citizens of the working class and access cheaper labor abroad using far-flung supply chains.
In Extremely Online parlance, this is called, I believe, a black pill. You might be compelled to observe that for a self-professed snake-bitten Eastern Euro harboring Iron Curtain obsessions, I'm parroting awfully Marxist-sound lines. Ok, let me dig myself into a deeper hole: Second and third wave feminism were championed in popular culture because they radically expanded labor markets, leading to decades of wage stagnation and massively increased the purchasing power of those who control most economic consumption. Intersectional orthodoxies have reached the power and reach they have now largely because they've been systematically championed as a cheap alternative to labor-based politics. Environmentalism has been deployed as sword and shield for entrenched rent seeking, literal and figurative, excusing rapacious NIMBYism and boxing entire generations into a corner where starting a family or building generational wealth have a risk profile similar to betting everything on red. And so on. You get the gist of it[4]. This is neither a chronicle of nor a plea for Going Full Kropotnik: the last thing I'm after is convincing somebody to change their leopard spots. I'm pointing out that we have a nearly universal diagnostic: "social unrest about legitimate issues has been co-opted, hollowed and weaponized out by opportunistic bad actors." It applies to Build the Wall, #believewomen, the role of national and local government when responding to health crises, BLM, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. An optimizing, pro-social function of being human seems to have gone haywire. THESIS: The scale of contemporary societies and tech accelerationism have created a situation where the sheer rate of New, compounded by how powerful the New is, have permanently tilted the scales in the favor of societal defectors. Those who have the means and inclination to co-opt, hollow-out and weaponize cooperation. You're welcome to expurgate your dissatisfaction with the above by calling it Kaczsynski With More Steps. One must take refuge & shelter in the small pleasures of life, such as summary dismissal of apocalyptic online ramblings. ANTI-THESIS: We're living through the Reformation Wars, and it's up to each and every one of us to carve out, in whatever small way we can, a path to the Peace of Westphalia. We're fucked, now and forever, at an increasing rate, OR: We're fucked and the only way out is to dig through corpses and broken shards of idealism while nursing paranoid suspicions, especially about those who shout loudest about their willingness to help digging. I don't know what the latter looks like. Something along the lines of "have exit plans ready" for communities that matter (theMotte) and Actually Matter (your family.) Something like, delete your Twitter accounts. Invest in functional, proven crypto. Get a haircut and a meal to a homeless person who needs them. Godspeed. [1] You're welcome to disagree and be wrong about this. [2] Mixed metaphors, best metaphors. [3] With something between terror and smug self-satisfaction, I note that finding these essays via one of my Official Outgroups, large search engines, takes a substantial amount of effort. [4] I realize that these are Large Claims with zero evidence to support them. Perhaps each paragraph merits 5,000 word treatments, but there are limits to my throughput and, more to the point, reader attention span.
So how bad has it been? When I started this, it was because I was bored. I wanted to see just how much shit has happened. Midway through, I was shocked. Then finally sad and angry. -Enjoy! 2020 Jan 1 -Australia is on fucking fire. Like all of it. And Hong Kong is too? Jan 2 I think Turkey just murdered an Iranian general in broad daylight. Great start so far, 2020. HK police are reported to have used excessive force. See, America is still an influence on the world! Jan 7. I heard there is a virus named because you drink Corona beer?? Shit sign me up, I can use a few days off. Jan. 8. Remember when Iran launched two missiles at a US Base? Also, Russia may have shot down a Ukrainian airline killing 173 but I'm not sure. Jan 11. That virus just killed someone. Shit don’t sign me up. Jan 16. Seriously, does anyone remember that the impeachment of President Trump was this year? I sure as shit didn't. Jan 20. The first 'Rona case in the US. Yes, this thing has a meme. Jan 23. Lockdown in Wuhan. Not the rap song, an actual lockdown of 11 million Jan. 26 fuck. Jan 31 I am sorry, did you say Brexit actually HAPPENED? Well January, you sucked. Taking Kobe was a real dick punch, but February has to be better. Feb 4. Iowa Caucus-shmacus, what is the hold up here? Feb. 5 How do you fuck this up? Trump really gets to stay. Wow. Feb 11 Due to the impact on Latin-created beer the virus is now known as Covid-19 Feb 24 Is this really the highlight of the year? Harvey goes to jail for being a rapist. Feb 27 Dow drops over 1100 in one day. Speculators rejoice! Meanwhile in Syria, Russia shows how much fucks it gives again and strikes 33 Turkish soldiers dead. God damn it, what the hell 2020? Mar 5 ICC allows for the Afghan War Crimes inquiry allowing US citizens to be investigated. Bet you didn’t know that one, huh? March 9 Dow drops 2013 in one day making Feb 27 look like baby cakes. March 10 Hey, remember when they locked down an entire city? Italy said, "I think that we can top it." March 11 The WHO declares the coronavirus a pandemic. What. The. Fuck. Mar 12 Dow drops 2352 in one day making 1929 look like baby cakes. Also, MLB postpones their season and I can decide which is more important here. Mar 13 RIP Breonna Taylor. President Chump, err... Trump declares national emergency finally. Mar 14 Spain lock-down Mar 15 Ides of March, aye? Mar 16 Dow drops 2352 in one day making... wait, is this the new norm? Mar 17 Iran announces millions may be infected. 90% of cases so far in the Middle East are here. Sorry Iran, shitty year for everyone, we will get through it. Mar 20 20k dead from Covid-19 so far. Oh man this is going to be bad. CA becomes first US state to lock-down. Ahh, no place like home. Mar 24 India goes into full lock-down. India. Yeah, the billion-plus India. Plus, no Olympics this year. Bummer. Mar 27 North Macedonia becomes the 30th country to join NATO. God damn it I am reaching for something good but I got nothing. NOTHING! Mar 30 A passenger train derails near Chenzhou, China, killing one person and leaving 127 people injured. Oil drops below $23, lowest since 2002 - ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. Eyes closed: April will be better. April will be better. April will be better. April will be better. April will be better. Open eyes: FUCK!! Apr. 1 What the hell is Tiger King? Apr 2 Covid-19 coming in hot, number of cases passes 1M worldwide Apr. 4 Turkey hides Ministry of Interior after riots erupt in a large prison due to fears of Covid-19. Apr 5 QE II addresses the UK for the 5th time in 68 years. Also, do people really think 5G will give you Covid-19? Apr 6 Russian Imperial Movement is labeled a terrorist group. They are, but it also happened today. Apr 7 Japan passes $990B in relief of Covid-19. or 20% of their GDP. Apr 8 Say it ain’t so, Joe? Biden becomes presumptive dem nominee as Bernie drops out. Apr 9 NY state declares more Covid-19 cases than any country in the world. Yep, you read that right. Apr 10 Russia shows how much fucks it gives yet again by saying they do not have plans to discuss oil market turmoil. Death toll for Covid-19 hits 100k worldwide. And the first case of Ebola since Feb...wait, what the fuck? One virus at a goddamn time, 2020! Apr 12 Pope Francis live streams the Urbi et Orbi blessing for the second time in just a month. This is only supposed to happen at Christmas or Easter. Jesus. Christ. Literally. Apr 14 US President Trump announces the US is suspending funding of the World Health Organization (WHO). Yeah you read that right. Suspend during a fucking pandemic. Your President ladies and gentlemen. IMF also says we are going into something akin to the Great Depression. Apr 15 Tax Day delayed, so there is that. Covid-19 passes 2M cases worldwide. Tour de France also delayed. I guess steroids don’t work on the virus. Apr 17 UN announces Myanmar has been carrying out daily airstrikes that at least 32 civilians (mostly women and children) have been killed since March 23 Apr 19 Israel hits the streets in protest to Bibi and his corrupt government. 17 dead in a killing spree in Nova Scotia. Unrest starts to break out in Paris, Berlin and other cities opposing the lockdown Apr. 20 So let me get this straight, oil is so cheap you will pay me to take it? I see you, 2020, I see you. Also, The Industrial Bank of Korea to pay US$86M and will enter a 2yr deferred prosecution agreement to settle with US DoJ and the state of NY for a 2011 scheme to help transfer US$1B to Iran. Bibi finds a way somehow again to stay. Tom Thabane resigns from Lesotho as PM, showing that killing your ex-wife is wrong there too. Apr 21 Mozambique police say 52 male villagers were killed by Islamist militants for not joinging. Apr 22 Iran's Islamic RG Corps deploys the country's first military satellite. Apr 25 separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) announces the establishment of a self-rule administration in southern Yemen. This is bad, like, really bad. Also, the global death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 200,000. Apr 27 The Pentagon formally releases three videos of "unidentified aerial phenomena" encountered by the United States Navy. Cases of COVID-19 passes 3 million worldwide Apr 28 Protests erupt in major cities across Lebanon for the second day over the country's continuing economic problems. Apr. 29 Who didn’t see this one coming? An asteroid zooms past Earth with an approach of 0.042 AU (6.3 million km; 16 LD). That’s pretty effing close, man. Apr 30 The government of Sudan criminalizes female genital mutilation. OH MY GOD SOMETHING POSITIVE!!!!!! I don’t want to do this anymore. May 3-4 Silvercorp USA and Operation Gideon. Blackwater eat your heart out. Silvercorp, you too. Please. Literally. I think we lost the driver of this bus somewhere in 2019. May 5 The UK death toll from COVID-19 became the highest in Europe at 32,313 after exceeding the death toll of 29,029 in Italy. May 6 New evidence indicates that an Algerian-born French fishmonger, who had not traveled to China and did not have contact with any Chinese nationals, was treated for pneumonia from an unknown source, now identified as COVID-19, on December 27, 2019. May 7 11 people die and over 5,000 fall ill from a styrene gas leak in India May 9 Chinese and Indian soldiers are injured in a cross-border clash at Nathu La May 10 The Iranian Navy frigate Jamaran accidentally strikes the Iranian support vessel Konarak with a missile, killing nineteen sailors in friendly fire. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 4 million worldwide. Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic, reports its first coronavirus cases in more than a month May 12 Gunmen storm a maternity hospital and kill 24 people in Kabul. In Kuz Kunar a suicide bomber kills 32 at a funeral. May 14 The global death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 300,000. May 18 UN announces 700k affected in recent 2020 East Africa floods May 25 RIP George Floyd May 26 And the people react. May 27 RIP Tony McDade. RIP Calvin Horton, Jr. RIP David McAtee. RIP David Patrick Underwood. RIP Myqwon Blanchard. Also, China closes autonomous Hong Kong with legislation. U.S. death toll passes for Covid-19 100,000 - more Americans than were killed in the Vietnam War and Korean War combined and approaching WW1 levels. May 28 The Denver Post photographer is struck with pepper bullets. Not an accident. May 29 Omar Jiménez arrested while giving a live CNN television report in Minneapolis. Linda Tirado, a freelance photojournalist, was hit in the eye with a rubber bullet or a pellet by the police in the same city. In Louisville, Kentucky, an officer fired pepper bullets at a reporter from NBC affiliate WAVE who was reporting live on air for her station. May 30 RIP Barry Perkins. RIP James Scurlock. RIP Sarah Grossman. RIP Chris Beaty. RIP Marvin Francois. RIP John Tiggs. NYPD vehicles were recorded ramming into protesters. a Reuters crew were fired on with rubber bullets in Minneapolis. Deutsche Welle journalist Stefan Simons and his team were shot at by police in Minneapolis. Lesson of the day: DO NOT EVER GO TO MINNEAPOLIS. May 31 RIP Dorian Murell. Police pull Taniyah Pilgrim and Messiah Young over, breaking the windows, yanking Taniyah out of the car and tasing Messiah. Justin Howell. Minneapolis PD thinks they are in GTA San Andreas and do drive-by chemical sprays. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, a reporter for Los Angeles NPPRI affiliate KPCC was hit in the throat with a rubber bullet. Los Angeles Times reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske reported reporters and camera crews being at the receiving end of tear gas by Minnesota State Patrol, while the same happened to an KABC-TV news crew in Santa Monica. Detroit Free Press journalists were pepper sprayed by the city's police, as was KSTP reporter Ryan Raiche along with other journalists. BBC cameraman, Peter Murtaugh, was purposely attacked by police on May 31 outside the White House. Murtaugh filmed a line of police officers charging without warning, whereby a shield-wielding officer tackled Murtaugh to the ground. Also, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 6 million worldwide We are killing each other. I. Don’t. Want. To. Do. This. Anymore. June 1 David McAtee RIP. Italia Marie Kelly RIP. In Cicero, Illinois, two men were fatally shot in separate incidents following an "afternoon of unrest" - Jose Gutierrez and Victor Cazares Jr RIP. In Las Vegas, police shot and killed Jorge Gomez RIP. Australian journalist Amelia Brace and cameraman Tim Myers assaulted by United States Park Police. President Dickhead clears a path to an old church for a photo op with a bible. That path is cleared by tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash grenades. June 2 Blackout Tuesday. Unidentified looter in Philly shot and killed and another severely injured while attempting to break into an ATM. RIP David Dorn. RIP Sean Monterrosa. Leslie Furcron shot between the eyes with a bean bag. Grand Rapids PD goes ballistic and pepper sprays everyone. $5B class action lawsuit is filed against Alphabet Inc. and Google, alleging the company violates users' right to privacy . June 3 RIP Robert Forbes. General Keith Ellison increases the charge against Derek Chauvin. Cyclonic Storm Nisarga hits Mumbai. 20,000 tons of oil leaked into the Ambarnaya River. June 4 Buffalo PD shows just how tough they are when they almost kill a 75 year old man. Then say Martin Gugino attacked them, only to change the story yet again when the video comes out. I see a running theme here with these folks. Also, Prez Chump puts new fencing to expand the White House perimeter, and continues to hide in a bunker. June 7 COVID-19 pandemic: The global death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 400,000. June 8 In Seattle, wannabe anarchists attempt to steal BLM movement with Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 7 million worldwide June 9 George is finally laid to rest, RIP. June 11 NASCAR bans Stars and Bars 150 years after those traitorous assholes lost. I guess better late than never. But 150 fucking years! Oh yeah and some jackass named Ray Ciccarelli quits because of it. Ugh, it never ends does it? June 12 Ok at this point 2020, can you please just give me a week where nothing happens that signals The End is near? How about a rainbow, you got any of those anymore? -OUT
The Nuggets have won five straight season series against the Lakers, as well as winning seven of the last eight season series outright
On 2/27/09, the Lakers shot just .298 (28-94) FG, their second-worst FG percentage since moving to Los Angeles in 1960. On 11/13/09, the Lakers managed just 23 second half points (a record for fewest points in a half) and just eight points in the third quarter (a Nuggets record for fewest points allowed in a quarter).
Connections
Lakers associate head coach Brian Shaw was the head coach of the Nuggets for two seasons (2013-15) compiling a record of 56-85
Lakers asst. coach Jesse Mermuys was the Nuggets asst. video coordinator and advanced scout for four seasons (2008-12)
The Nuggets have won five straight season series against the Lakers, as well as winning seven of the last eight season series outright
On 2/27/09, the Lakers shot just .298 (28-94) FG, their second-worst FG percentage since moving to Los Angeles in 1960. On 11/13/09, the Lakers managed just 23 second half points (a record for fewest points in a half) and just eight points in the third quarter (a Nuggets record for fewest points allowed in a quarter).
Connections
Lakers associate head coach Brian Shaw was the head coach of the Nuggets for two seasons (2013-15) compiling a record of 56-85
Lakers asst. coach Jesse Mermuys was the Nuggets asst. video coordinator and advanced scout for four seasons (2008-12)
Denver had won seven straight at LA before their last lost, but have still only won 11 of their past 38 road games against the Lakers dating back to the 1996-97 season
The Nuggets have won five straight season series against the Lakers, as well as winning seven of the last eight season series outright
Connections
Lakers associate head coach Brian Shaw was the head coach of the Nuggets for two seasons (2013-15) compiling a record of 56-85
Lakers asst. coach Jesse Mermuys was the Nuggets asst. video coordinator and advanced scout for four seasons (2008-12)
Lakers F Corey Brewer spent two seasons with the Nuggets (2011-13), appearing in 141 games
Denver has won 17 of the last 23 regular season home games against Los Angeles at the Pepsi Center, dating back to the 2005-06 season
The Nuggets have won five straight season series against the Lakers, as well as winning seven of the last eight season series outright
On 2/27/09, the Lakers shot just .298 (28-94) FG, their second-worst FG percentage since moving to Los Angeles in 1960. On 11/13/09, the Lakers managed just 23 second half points (a record for fewest points in a half) and just eight points in the third quarter (a Nuggets record for fewest points allowed in a quarter).
Connections
Lakers associate head coach Brian Shaw was the head coach of the Nuggets for two seasons (2013-15) compiling a record of 56-85
Lakers asst. coach Jesse Mermuys was the Nuggets asst. video coordinator and advanced scout for four seasons (2008-12)
On fire winning 10 out his last 12 Exclusive Free Pick releases!! MLB, NCAA, NBA, MMA, and WWE Plays locked and loaded for a amazing week in sports gambling!
Free MLB BACK ROOM INFO Pick (OCT 26) - (NATIONALS -115) The Farts are on fire winning 9 out of his 10 Late Info NFL picks and easily winning 10 out his last 12 Exclusive Free Pick releases!! Make sure you ride this flaming cloud to the bank as tonight Roarin Farts will be getting the geetus without compunction. Grab a life vest and get on the gravy boat as we sail these winners to a new land like Columbus did when Italy wanted Indian flavored marinara sauce!! Farts has gone hard with his free releases, winning on (OCT 18) with the Late Info Play on (FRESNO STATE-15) Cleaning up with his Free NFL Late Info Play on (OCT 13) - (NY Jets over 43.5) Calling it Easy Money in MMA collecting on the underdog (OCT 12) - (Cub Swanson +160) Slow money release in the MLB with his blowout pick! (OCT 14) - (Washington Nationals 8-1) Destroying the line makers with last weeks Late Info Play Free NFL Pick (OCT 20) - (Dallas Cowboys under 49.5) Easy Money Buying your mother a chicken diner with this World Series Game 1 Free MLB Late Info Play WINNER!! (OCT 22) - (Washington Nationals RL -120) Last nights backroom info play had the Indians crying in their moccasins, McGuillaman and his Vegas affiliates cleaned the sportsbooks out with the undefeated Back Room Info Pick!!! (OCT 24) - (Washington +17) Easy Money Bouncing back heavily with a classic release in basketball, winning last nights classic Free NBA Pick (OCT 24) - (ATLANTA HAWKS vs DETROIT PISTONS U 222) Roarin brought home the bacon with his Back Room Info pick (OCT 25) - (Houston Astros vs Washington Nationals U 8) Another Free College Football Pick easy winner (OCT 25) - (COLORADO +12) Roarin has something special brewing in the gambling underworld tonight after winning both Exclusive Free Picks last night easily!! McGuillaman has a line on tonight's College Football game MEMPHIS vs TULSA!! McGuillamans affiliates in Houston have came through with some more backroom information on tonight's WORLD SERIES game between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros!!!! Free MLBBACK ROOM INFOPick (OCT 26) - (NATIONALS -115) Roarin McGuillaman has got a MLB LATE INFO play ready to release, after confirming with his contacts in Houston he is releasing tonight's exclusive MLB WORLD SERIES GAME 4 pick for free! Take the THE NATIONALS -115, Jose Urquidy and Patrick Corbin are on the mound and the oddsmakers are keeping the money line sharp and low, baiting the Houston degenerates that will go from being in the crowd holding WE BELIEVE signs to holding #MeToo signs in the courtroom after firing misogynist Assistant GM Brandon Taubman. Free NCAA FootballEXCLUSIVE LATE INFOPick (OCT 26) - (MEMPHIS TIGERS -10) Roarin is telling everyone to take Memphis -10. The University of Tulsa athletic teams stink, when Tulsa University hired Dr. Derrick Gragg as their VP Director of Athletics in 2013 they should have converted the whole campus into a mini mall, look for Memphis Tigers to cover this game easily then impregnate the Hurricanes cheerleaders team after the game! Free NBA Pick (OCT 26) - (ATLANTA HAWKS +2.5) Free WWE Professional Wrestling Picks The Professional Wrestling world has a been rumbling and Roarin Farts has felt the vibrations in his knickerbockers as of lately!! Ex -Professional amateur street wrestler, Roarin Farts McGuillaman, for the past 4 months has been anticipating some inside information from a couple of squared circle jabroni executives involving a major WWE event!! Farts has just got the word that the green light is lit and the wolves of the gambling world can feast!!!! CROWN JEWEL FREE PICK(OCT 31) - How Many F5’s Will Brock Lesnar give Cain Velasquez? (Under 5.5 +110) WWE SPECIAL WAGER FREE PICK(APR 05) TYSON FURY TO ENTER THE RING AT WRESTLEMANIA 2020 - (Yes +160) (Wager cut off: 2019 31st October 12:00 PM) Time sensitive, hurry before odds makers realize the mistake they made!! Free F1 Racing Pick (OCT 25) - Roarin Farts has been staying at the same 5 star resort as one of the Formula 1 racer mistresses and has over heard that the outcome of a certain race will be a nail biter so in the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE MÉXICO race take - (MAX VERSTAPPEN +400)F1 RESULTS (Wager cut off: 2019 25th October 2:10 PM) Time sensitive, hurry before odds makers realize the mistake they made!! Free MMA Pick (OCT 26) - UFC ESPN+ 20 -(LAUREANO STAROPOLI +150) Free MMA Pick (Nov 03) - UFC 244 -(NATE DIAZ +130) Free MMA Pick (Oct 26) - MMA BELLATOR- Roarin Farts wants you to take - (Douglas Lima -165) Free Entertainment Pick - Betting on religion is a sin but sins pay and Roarin Farts is betting on (CARDINAL NORBERTO RIVERA CARRERA of MEXICO) to be the next pope - BETS ON THE NEXT PERMANENTLY APPOINTED POPE AFTER FRANCIS I. (Wager Cut Off: 2019 31st December 11:00 AM)
Denver had won seven straight at LA before their last lost, but have still only won 11 of their past 38 road games against the Lakers dating back to the 1996-97 season
The Nuggets have won five straight season series against the Lakers, as well as winning seven of the last eight season series outright
Connections
Lakers associate head coach Brian Shaw was the head coach of the Nuggets for two seasons (2013-15) compiling a record of 56-85
Lakers asst. coach Jesse Mermuys was the Nuggets asst. video coordinator and advanced scout for four seasons (2008-12)
Lakers F Corey Brewer spent two seasons with the Nuggets (2011-13), appearing in 141 games
Preview of the Pocahontas; Iroquois Stakes and more
Saturday, September 14, 2019 Churchill Downs Race: 7 (3:48 PM EST Post) Open Mind Stakes Honey Bunny probably didn’t care for the synthetics while showing little in her last. Before that, this 14 time winner was a ridiculous seven wide on the turn while chasing a very good Minit to Stardom in NY and the talented Mia Mischief two back. Albeit she is showing signs of cycling out of form, she might return to her winning ways in this difficult race to figure……………..America’s Tale chased much better last time out while finishing fourth. That race snapped a four race (dirt) win streak, including taking down a Grade: 2 at Gulfstream. She drops down into a more reasonable spot here. Big threat……………………After winning two back and then running very well in the Groupie Doll Stakes last time out, Divine Queen is quietly in excellent form right now. Also note, she is 3 for 4 on this oval and just 2 for 12 everywhere else………………Honorable Mentions: Meadow Dance and Headland are ultra-consistent, both like this surface and both step up in class here but appear to be live long shots. Slight edge to Meadow Dance as she ran very well in a Grade: 1 in October 2018, signaling she does have some back class. Race: 8 (4:21 PM EST Post) Locust Grove Stakes After rattling off five straight wins, including beating several of her rivals in this race, Mylady Curlin is obviously razor sharp right now. Good looking filly from the Brad Cox barn is hard to go against in this spot……………………….Escape Clause who sports an impressive 34-20-5-4 record, including giving pro-tem older female division leader Midnight Bisou all she could handle this past spring, is a contendeexotics threat in just about any race she runs in……. Cosmic Burst, who also chased Midnight Bisou in her last, hasn’t won a race in almost a year but gets the call for the show dough based off her consistency as she has hit the board in 13 of 16 career…………………..Honorable Mentions: Pink Sands is a $625,000 daughter of super sire Tapit who was trapped behind a slow pace in her last, while checking in fourth. This filly has some ability, so don’t toss her so quickly…………………Go Google Yourself trounced her rivals in her last and chased upper echelon older female Elate two back. Filly by Into Mischief has hit the board in 10 of her last 12 tries and could conceivably better this rating. Race: 9 (4:53 PM EST Stakes) Pocahontas Stakes Portrait broke slowly and ran well to be third in her racing debut on the turf. Filly by Tapizer then came back with a visually impressive, colossal margined dirt win in her last. Looks best in a field with not a lot of experience…………………..British Idiom stalked the early pace, took over on the turn and drew away to win by 3 ½ lengths in her debut. Chestnut filly by the speedy Flashback could be dangerous if she builds off of that race and goes first time Lasix in this spot…………………Blood Curdling is another who was visually impressive blowing out maidens in her initial try at Canterbury. This $325,000 daughter of Fed Biz won by 11 after a three wide run leaving the quarter pole. Could be a menace if she repeats that performance in this spot………………….Honorable Mentions: Lazy Daisy won her debut but ran into an absolute buzz saw (Bast) in her last at Del Mar. On the surface, I’m not seeing any Basts in this race, so this should be an easier assignment for her……………………..Shadilee was impressive chasing the pace on the rail in her debut and drawing off late to win by three. Filly by Declaration of War changes barns and steps up but may surprise a few people in this race. Race: 10 (5:26 PM EST Post) Iroquois Stakes There is absolutely no telling how good Dennis’ Moment is at this point. This $400,000 son of Tiznow clipped heels with another steed and lost his rider in his debut but was nothing short of dazzling in his second start. Good looking colt won by 19 lengths at Ellis Park, completing seven furlongs in a hot 1:21.4. What stood out most about that race other than the margin of victory was he ran the last furlong in :12 seconds flat under stout restraint by his rider…..find out more about him on Saturday afternoon……………….If Dennis’ Moment “stubs his toe”, look for Rowdy Yates, who is three quarters of a length away from being unbeaten in three career starts and was very impressive winning his last, to take over……………………I hate to put Scabbard this far down as this son of More Than Ready aired it out in his debut then came back to finish second to East Coast two year old male division leader Green Light Go in his last……figures bang up here…………………..Honorable Mentions: I just LOVED the way January Won split horses down the lane while winning his debut. It’s an extraordinary feat when young horses do that. Colt by New Year’s Day also goes first time Lasix here and could outrun this rating……………………..Lebda is a half of a length shy of coming into this unbeaten and his last race, where he beat mid-level optionals at Delaware Park by 11 while getting 5 ½ furlongs in a swift 1:03.1, was first rate. Steps way up in class here but doesn’t look completely out of it…………………….No one got close to Juggernaut in his debut at Ellis Park. Colt by Goldencents aired by 6+ and was impressive drawing off in deep stretch. Still another who steps up in class here however. By: Gerard Apadula Director of Equine Operations and Development Knights of the Round Stable Thoroughbred Racing Team [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) 2019- Record: 61-172 = 35% 2018- Record: 107-261= 41% 2017- Record: 92-235 = 39% 2016- Record: 91-229 = 40% 2015- Record: 67-180 = 37% 2014- Record: 29-73 = 40% 2013- Record: 20-59= 34% 2012 -Record: 24-73= 33% 2011 –Record: N/A 2010- Record: 24-74= 33% Little Bets N’ Pieces ***** Chasing Yesterday, a Grade: 1 winning half-sister to 2015 Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year American Pharoah, has been retired from racing to begin her broodmare career in 2020. The three year old Tapit filly has been at ownebreeder Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Farm in Georgetown, KY, after suffering an entrapped epiglottis when running third in the Grade: 1 Santa Anita Oaks on April 4. Mating plans are still to be decided for Chasing Yesterday, though Lyon said it would be “a proven stallion.” “Yesterday did everything she needed to do for me,” Lyon told Thoroughbred Racing Commentary. “She tried her heart out; she gave everything she had. When she entrapped her epiglottis, I knew she was out of the Kentucky Oaks, which she had qualified for, so I brought her home, and the more I looked at her, the more I realized that she didn't owe me anything. She needed to have a chance to be a horse, and she is growing and maturing and filling out and she seems extremely happy.” Chasing Yesterday retired with five wins in seven career starts for earnings of $488,650. **** Last week I mentioned Midnight Bisou will be available at the Nov. 4 Fasig-Tipton Sales in Kentucky. Diva Delite, dam of Midnight Bisou, will also be offered at the same sale in foal to Triple Crown winner Justify. The 12 year old mare, a Graded Stakes winner herself, will be consigned by Taylor Made Sales, agent for Breeze Easy. “We can’t wait to bring Diva Delite to the market,” said Taylor Made’s Alex Payne. “She’s shown her ability to throw a future Hall of Fame filly like Midnight Bisou already, and the best is yet to come for her.” **** A half-brother to champion 3 year old and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist by Tapit was purchased by Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin for $2.5 million in the first session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sales. * Other sales action saw a colt by Medaglia d’Oro fetch $2.15 million from the powerhouse Godolphin Stables. Consigned by Denali Stud on behalf of his breeder Stonestreet Thoroughbreds, the colt is out of Grade: 1 Santa Margarita winner Tara’s Tango. * A half-brother to Triple Crown winner and 2018 Horse of the Year Justify dropped the hammer for $950,000 on Monday at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, but it did not reach the reserve price. The colt by Pioneerof the Nile will return to the Gunther family's Glennwood Farm in Versailles, Ky., with designs to race him. John D. Gunther of Glennwood Farm said the hammer price was “one tick below the reserve.” “I just felt that if he didn't sell around that price, I'd be just as happy racing him,” Gunther said. “I think a lot of people compared him to Justify, Justify being a much larger individual as a yearling. This colt is by Pioneerof the Nile, and quite often, you'll see Pioneerof the Nile throws a fairly big horse as well. I’m very happy to race himself” * The full brother to champion Unique Bella, consigned by Timber Town, sold for $1.5 million and will be shipped to Japan for Yuji Hasegawa. The plan is to “take him back to Japan and hopefully run in the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby and bring him back over here as a Derby horse.” * A colt by War Front out of Grade: 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can was the sales topper on Tuesday when the bidding stopped at $2.9 million. The handsome colt also went to Godolphin Stable. * A Stonestreet bred Curlin colt out of New Zealand champion Bounding caught everyone’s attention Tuesday when selling for an eye-popping $4.1 million to Godolphin. Bounding, who won six Group Stakes in the Southern Hemisphere, is a half-sister to Group:1 winner Anthony Van Dyck. * A half-sister to champion Jaywalk by Empire Maker lit up the tote board at Keeneland September Wednesday, bringing $2 million from agent Shawn Dugan. * Mandy Pope and Whisper Hill Farm stole the show again this past week in the sales ring as Pope signed the ticket for $8.2 million for a filly by American Pharoah out of Leslie’s Lady, making her a half sister to four time Champion Beholder, Grade: 1 winner Mendelsohn and top sire Into Mischief.
Roarin has something special brewing in the gambling underworld tonight after winning both Exclusive Free Picks last night easily!! McGuillaman has a line on tonight's College Football game MEMPHIS vs TULSA!! McGuillamans affiliates in Houston have came through with some more backroom information on tonight's WORLD SERIES game between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros!!!!
Free MLBBACK ROOM INFOPick (OCT 26) - (NATIONALS -115) Roarin McGuillaman has got a MLB LATE INFO play ready to release, after confirming with his contacts in Houston he is releasing tonight's exclusive MLB WORLD SERIES GAME 4 pick for free! Take the THE NATIONALS -115, Jose Urquidy and Patrick Corbin are on the mound and the oddsmakers are keeping the money line sharp and low, baiting the Houston degenerates that will go from being in the crowd holding WE BELIEVE signs to holding #MeToo signs in the courtroom after firing misogynist Assistant GM Brandon Taubman. Free NCAA FootballEXCLUSIVE LATE INFOPick (OCT 26) - (MEMPHIS TIGERS -10) Roarin is telling everyone to take Memphis -10. The University of Tulsa athletic teams stink, when Tulsa University hired Dr. Derrick Gragg as their VP Director of Athletics in 2013 they should have converted the whole campus into a mini mall, look for Memphis Tigers to cover this game easily then impregnate the Hurricanes cheerleaders team after the game! Free NBA Pick (OCT 26) - (ATLANTA HAWKS +2.5)
Free WWE Professional Wrestling Picks
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2018 Zadina - 32 games, 10-10-20 -15 (AHL) If Zadina was drafted 15th or 20th overall, everyone would be thrilled with his AHL campaign. But this was a kid some talked about as an instant 25-goal man. A calder candidate. So, it's a little disappointing. Veleno - 35 games, 27-38-65 +43 (QMJHL) You want to see a guy make progress in his D+1 year. With Veleno, doubly so, because we wanted to see Veleno was better than he showed last year. So let's compare Veleno's stats to his stats post-trade. 33 games 16-32-48 +14. That's nearly a 50 percent increase in points, 60 percent in goals and 200 percent in plus minus. Veleno is producing like a top 10 pick would produce. He's more than exceeding expectations and looks to be on track for an NHL career. Berggren - 16 games 0-0-3 +0 (SHL) Wasn't haven much success. Out for the season with a back injury. Tough break for the kid. Hopefully, it's not a huge setback. McIsaac - 25 games 9-19-28 +9 (QMJHL) Production has slipped a bit lately. Was a depth guy at the WJCs. Is a lot like XO, but slightly bigger and a much better skater. An all-around D, with some physicality. His D+1 year is exactly what the Wings probably wanted to see. Regula - 40 games 5-17-22 + 21 (OHL)There was probably some hope that, like London Knights tend to do, this guy would step into someone's spot and show everyone how good he was. But Bouchard came back and Boqvist joined the team, so Regula is behind some big-time right-handed shooting defensemen. Still, the 6'4 defenseman is on pace to beat last year's numbers quite easily. So it's progress. But maybe not the "sleeper pick" progress the Wings thought they might see. Barton - 20 games 2-5-7 +4 (NCAA) Not much to say. He's a freshman taking a regular shift in the NCAA. His offense was spectacular at lower levels. The year-to-year should tell us more next year. Eliasson - 22 games 2.28 .930 (Swe SuperElite) Had a couple great U20 tournament games. It's hard to know what to make out of his U20 numbers. He's second in his league in save percentage and third in GAA. I guess the problem is, there's a guy who's first in the league. How many guys can you expect will go to the NHL from this league? O'Reilly - 28 games 9-8-17 (USHL) Here's the first guy on the list who has regressed. Kid needs to get to Denver ASAP and start improving. Brattstrom - 12 games 2.88 .892The 21-year-old's stats have plummeted. But his team advanced to the SHL. Still, he's 21. .892 in the SHL isn't promising. Kivenmaki - 17 0-0-3 (Liga) Still producing like crazy in the junior league. But his Liga stats didn't show much. But he went from point-a-game in junior A to 1.5 points a game. That's progress. The 5'8 forward is still a long-shot. Like all seventh rounders. 2017 Rasmussen - 41 games 6-7-13 -1 (NHL) Rasmussen was in a tough spot. Send him back to the WHL to dominate against kids or let him play a depth role in a league he's not ready for? Not sure the Wings made the right call, because there are elements of his game that need serious improvement (transporting the puck, in particular), and the NHL is not a league for that. It's difficult to assess if Rasmussen is making progress. The jump from the WHL to NHL is steep. He did show a little more fight along the boards for awhile. His game is somewhat sleepy for a 6'6, 221-pounder. Needs to be fierce. Lindstrom - 32 games 3-3-6 +1 (SHL) Made the jump to Sweden's top league and his stats have suffered a bit. Nobody on his team seems to produce much, however. Word is, he's playing substantial minutes and playing with a physical edge. Still. At 20 years old, those numbers aren't inspiring. Hronek has more points in the NHL in 11 fewer games. There was good progress in his D+1 year. If there's progress in his D+2 year, it's hard to spot. Kotkansalo - 19 games 0-5-5 +0 (NCAA) His point production is up, even he doesn't have a goal yet. He's playing behind a couple offensive defensemen and probably isn't getting powerplay minutes. Progress? A little. But he certainly hasn't moved the needle much since draft day. Zablocki - 2 games 1-0-1 +0 (OHL) Somehow, Zablocki wasn't good enough for the Kelowna Rockets where his stats (22 games 4-8-12) weren't good, but in line with a top 6-9 forward. Which suggests something else was afoot. Anyway, he's in the BCHL at 20 years old. Stick a fork in him. Gallant - 11 games 5-4-9 +4 (OHL) Gallant, captain of the Petes, was actually off to a good start before suffering a high ankle sprain. He came back and had two goals in three games and now he's out again. If he can get back and stay healthy and play well, he might have a shot at a contract. But the window is closing fast. Petruzelli - 8-3-0 2.30 .909 (NCAA) His stats are much improved. Don't get too giddy, because the other Quinnipiac goalie has a 0.98 GAA and .961 save pct.Still, for Petruzelli, this is progress after a slightly disappointing freshman year. Looks like a safe bet for a contract. Setkov - 13 games 0-0-0 +0 (SHL)Setkov's J20 stats in Sweden are bit better. It's really hard to judge, because his games are spread out. The good thing, for sure, is that he's playing more in the SHL. He's not doing anying particularly well. His WJC was worse, I guess, factoring +/-. A lot of that was probably from the Canada game, though. You can't say Setkov has done anything to really improve his stock. But you can't say he's done anything to hurt his stock. Cole Fraser - 39 games 4-13-17 +13 (OHL) He's improved by a nice amount. But he was starting from a D+1 year that was actually a regression. Fraser is very, very unlikely to be signed. Jack Adams - 20 games 6-5-11 +11 (NCAA) In terms of goal scoring, he's improved a bit. But in point production, he's only slightly improved. He's about to be 22. There's no hurry, because the Wings have his rights for two more years. But he's not doing much to get anyone's attention. Reilly Webb - 42 games 0-9-9 +9 (OHL) His production is way up. Which tells you how low it was last year. It's very hard to see how he'll get an NHL contract. Brady Gilmour - 38 games 8-17-25 +3 (OHL) His stats are virtually the same as last year's stats. I know a lot of Spirit fans have been tooting this guy, but he's simply not progressed. A 5'11 guy needs to light up the OHL in his D+2 year to get an offer. 2016 Cholowski - 47 games 7-9-16 +18 (NHL) Kid made the jump from the WHL to the NHL. At first, he was surprisingly good. Lately, he's in over his head. Still, a lot of people were on the fence about this kid. I think he's won them over. Looks like a surefire pro. But he's got a LOT of work to do. Smith - 31 games 2-2-4 -3 (AHL) He's a first year pro, but this kid simply hasn't developed since draft day. He finally showed signs after his trade to Kingston last year, and a fairly good playoff run. It's hard to say his D+3 year is somehow disappointing. Because he's been disappointing every year since being drafted. Hronek - 21 games 3-6-9 -4 (NHL) Kid has been a success story, every step of the way. Was great in his D+1 year. Showed progress in his D+2 year when he jumped to the AHL. And now he gets called up to the NHL and continues playing that offensive game with some nastiness, to boot. Malmstrom - 26 games 0-4-4 (Swedish Division 1)Is playing Men's pro, at least. But doing very little to grab anyone's attention. Larsson -- 6-0-1 1.93 .929 (NCAA) This what the Wings wanted to see. After a great year in the USHL, Larsson has gone to Denver and played very well - when not hurt.The flipside is, it's hard to know how good those numbers are, because they're essentially the same as the undrafted goalie he shares the net with. Still, it's progress from one of the Wings' most important prospects. Elfstrom - 25 games 10-20-30 (Swe D1) Elfstrom has taken his game up a notch, for sure. But at a lower level. Kid couldn't cut in the SHL and couldn't hold on to his Allsvenskan role. 2015Svechnikov - 0 games 0-0-0 Injured. Hopes to be back in March. This was a big year for him and it couldn't have gone much worse. Saarijarvi - 42 games 2-9-11 +4 (AHL) Essentially the same production in the same amount of AHL games. An undersized offensive defenseman has to produce gobs of offense to make the big show. This year has been a bit of a disappoint for Saarijarvi. van Pottelberghe - 15 games 1.80 GAA, .937 (NLB) Great stats, but they come after he was demoted to the Swiss B league. A bad sign for the Swiss goalie. Pearson - 21 games 11-8-19 +12 (NCAA) Edging closer to a point per game. His goal scoring has also picked up after dipping last season. It's progress. But he's 21 now. And that production needs to improve. Holway-- 0 Games Left Maine and will return to college hockey next year. Not great for his pro hockey career. 2014 Turgeon - 42 games 4-8-12 -3 (AHL) A step back, stats-wise. But that's never where Turgeon was going to thrive anyway. More difficult for Turgeon is the fact that Ehn has surpassed him, quite obviously. Ehn - 32 games 1-3-4 -1 (NHL) Quickly jumped to the NHL after playing in Sweden and showing modest growth in two straight years. Vahatalo - 41 games 10-6-16 -1 (Liga) The 6-6 forward is having a career year, but that's not saying much. Holmstrom - 41 games 10-9-19 _6 (AHL) Goal scoring is up. Assists are down. Points are on pace to be up, slightly. But Holmstrom's stock in the organization doesn't seem to be moving. Guys like Turgeon and Ehn have played in the NHL. Never fast to begin with, two knee injuries harmed his development. Kadeykin - 49 games 5-12-17 +7 (KHL) Had a career year, but it wasn't much. And hes 25. 2013 Pope - 23 games 2-1-3 -1 (AHL) First year pro or not, a 24 year old has to show more. Overall, the 2018 draft looks a heck of a lot better than the 2017 draft, which seemed questionable from day 1.
With the Kentucky Derby now just two weeks away, and all the major prep races over, this week we will be focusing our attention on the older horse division as our highlighted race of the week will be the $1 million Charles Town Classic at the “bull ring” Charles Town Racetrack in West Virginia. The three turn, nine furlongs contest drew a field of 10 with one AE. Elsewhere, we will head to beautiful Keeneland Race Course in Kentucky for a look at the Dixiana Elkhorn Stakes, a marathon turf race for four year olds and up, fillies and mares. We will also be looking at the Federico Tesio Stakes for three year olds, a traditional prep race for the Preakness Stakes, at Laurel Park. We end this week at Santa Anita for a glance at the Kona Gold Stakes, a 6 ½ furlong dash for four year old and up sprinters. Saturday, April 20, 2019 Keeneland Race Course Race: 9 (5:30 PM EST Post) Dixiana Elkhorn Stakes Zulu Alpha has won five of his last eight dating back to last August including back to back Grade: 2’s at Gulfstream in January and March. This six year old gelding is in career form right now and, with rain being forecasted in Kentucky on Saturday, he can handle “give” in the ground……………………….The late running Bigger Picture looms a threat in just about any turf race you put him in. Although he somewhat disappointed last time out, if he runs back to either of his two previous races, he will be tough to beat in this spot. That said, although he is an 11 time winner on the turf, it must be noted he is just 2 for his last 11 overall and 0 for 3 on the Keeneland turf course…………………Soglio is a five year old by Scat Daddy that is as consistent as the day is long as he’s hit the board in 10 of his last 13 starts. Albeit, he has only won three of those last 13 races, note he was charging hard, late, behind Zulu Alpha two races back and when the dust settled, he missed by just a half a length….figures bang up here……………Honorable Mentions: You know this is a tough race when I have to put Red Knight, who is six for nine on the turf in his career, this far down. How often, in a 1 ½ mile race, can you say a horse is cutting back in distance? Well, this son of Pure Prize is as he is coming off a two mile win in the H. Allen Jerkens at Gulfstream last time out…………..Tiz a Slam won a couple of Stakes races north of the border last summer, then showed speed and tired late vs. Canadian Grade: 1 runners in the fall. Five year old by Tiznow should improve off his 2019 debut in February and I won’t be shocked if he outruns this rating…………………….Even though his rider and trainer (both winning at 4%) are ice cold right now, your long shot horse is clearly Vettori Kin. This good looking six year old showed little in his 2019 debut but improved greatly his second time out. If he improves again in this spot, and I suspect he might with this being his third start off the layoff, he could be a menace at what should be some long odds. Charles Town Racetrack Race: 11 (5:37 PM EST Post) Charles Town Classic Diamond King could not have looked any better in beating mid-level optionals at Gulfstream in his 2019 debut, his prep race for this. This son of Quality Road blew that race to smithereens with a :24.1 internal fraction when taking command leaving the half mile pole (in :46.2), opened up on the field at the six furlong marker (1:10.3) and cruised home a 3+ length winner. No published works since is a bit of a concern but the fact that Castellano sees fit to take the leg up and his 5 for 11 lifetime mark are a good trade off……………………..Unbridled Juan always fires his best shot as his impressive 25 on the board finishes in 29 career races would indicate. I am expecting more of the same in this spot……………………….Runnin’toluvya owns this oval. This obscurely bred speedster sports a record of 11 wins and 2 seconds in 14 tries over it, including being 2 for 2 at this rare, three turn distance. His prep race for this should set him up well for a good effort here and the last time he went nine furlongs on this “bull ring” track, he ran the last furlong in :13 seconds flat. If he repeats that race here, he could be a menace……………………Honorable Mentions: Mongolian Groom could be ready to ambush this field. This $12,000 son of Hightail seems to be very quietly improving. After he beat an allowance field two back, he surprised a lot of people when finishing third at 53-1 in the Santa Anita Handicap behind the streaking Gift Box and the talented McKinzie. He meets no such rivals here………………………With this being his third start off a layoff and firing a bullet half mile last week, Nanoosh is another who is setup to run very well in this spot. No surprise if he is “hanging and banging” in deep stretch of this race……………………………..Couple of other side notes in this race: Rally Cry hails from the powerhouse PletcheJohnny V. tag team. This son of Uncle Mo will only be making his third start in the last 18 months but it must be noted he has chased the likes of Gun Runner, Diversify and Yoshida in the past and didn’t do all THAT badly……..I have no idea what to do with War Story as his inconsistencies can make you nuts………………I’m not a big fan of Imperative either but this is his favorite surface……..Something Awesome has been something awful so far this year but does have the back class to run well. Laurel Race Course Race: 10 (5:42 PM EST Post) Federico Tesio Stakes This race might be the one of easiest ones we’ll see all year. It’s so easy, I almost passed on doing it but I didn’t because I want to make sure you folks know about Alwaysmining, who is 6 for 7 at Laurel and 0 for 4 everywhere else. I know this son of Stay Thirsty looks like the logical “Horse for the Course” angle play, but I believe it goes further than that. This colt seems to have turned the corner in his career back in October and since, has rattled off five straight wins, including three by lopsided margins and four in Stakes races. With rain being projected on Saturday in Maryland, there is no worries about him handling an off track as he’s done it twice before. There is no such thing as a sure thing, but this gelding looks about as close as you can get to one…….next stop for him? Preakness Stakes……………As for the rest of this field, play “Pin the tail on the Donkey”. That said, I’ll take Majid for the place spot as, although taking a serious class hike, he has improved through all four career starts. Further improvement expected here………………..I’ll take Bozzini for the “show dough”. This ‘Miah trainee will also be taking a big step up in class but has run very well in both starts on this oval. …………….Honorable Mentions: If the rains stay away, take a look at Trifor Gold as well. This bay gelding also seems to be improving and has run well in two of three fast track starts but not well at all on either off track tries. Santa Anita Park Race: 5 (6PM EST Post) Kona Gold Stakes Dr. Dorr might be better known as Game Winner’s workmate in the mornings more than anything else. That said, this talented six year old chased a runaway winner in his last which was also his 2019 debut. Last year, in his last several races, he chased the likes of Accelerate (twice) Catalina Cruiser and Diversify……he meets no such rivals here, sports an impressive 9-5-2-0 record on this surface and is 2 for 2 at this distance… ……………………..Although Kanthaka hasn’t won a horse race of any kind in almost a full calendar year, he still figures close in this race. This $140,000 son of Jimmy Creed finished right behind Dr. Dorr last time out and valiantly chased two time Champion Sprinter Roy H in his prior. Clearly looks next best in this spot…………………………..The well named All Out Blitz ran very well two back while finishing a close up fifth in the Razorback Handicap, then came with a brazen, five wide run on the turn to win a Stakes race at Sunland Park at this distance in his last. Looks best of the rest in this short field of five. By: Gerard Apadula Director of Equine Operations and Development Knights of the Round Stable Thoroughbred Racing Team [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) 2019- Record: 24-78 = 31% 2018- Record: 107-261= 41% 2017- Record: 92-235 = 39% 2016- Record: 91-229 = 40% 2015- Record: 67-180 = 37% 2014- Record: 29-73 = 40% 2013- Record: 20-59= 34% 2012 -Record: 24-73= 33% 2011 –Record: N/A 2010- Record: 24-74= 33% Little Bets N’ Pieces ***** Catholic Boy, a Grade: 1 winner on the turf and dirt last year, is targeting the $250,000 Dixie Stakes on the Preakness Day undercard May 18 at Pimlico for his 4 year old debut, said majority owner Robert LaPenta. Catholic Boy, who won the Travers Stakes and the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes, won three of six starts last year and has career earnings of $1,842,000. The ridgling by More Than Ready has been training at Bridlewood Farm in Florida and worked four furlongs in :50 1/5 last Saturday. "Jonathan sent me some videos of Catholic Boy working, and he looks phenomenal," said LaPenta. "The Dixie will be the comeback race if all goes well." LaPenta also mentioned Coal Front, who won the March 30 Godolphin Mile, has returned to the United States and will get a few weeks rest at WinStar Farm near Versailles, KY before returning to training and then the races, with the June 8 Met Mile at Belmont Park as his main goal . "Todd likes to give his horses some time to decompress after racing in Dubai, and Coal Front just got back to the United States (April 9). He'll get some time at WinStar, and the Met Mile is on our calendar," LaPenta said. ***\* Champion Female Sprinter La Verdad foaled a Curlin filly at Darley in Lexington Apr. 5. The 11 time Stakes, who earner of over $1.5 million on the racetrack, produced last year’s top priced filly at Keeneland November Sales. Her weanling by Tapit brought $800,000 from Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm and Three Chimneys. Owner Sheila Rosenblum said, “We are extremely pleased with the foal and the care she is receiving at Darley. Several prominent horsemen have told me that she is a standout. La Verdad holds a special place in my heart. I am looking to provide every opportunity to have her become as influential a producer as she was a racemare, having bred her to Medaglia d’Oro, Tapit, and Curlin.” The 9-year-old mare is currently booked to be bred back to Into Mischief. **** Maximus Mischief, the winner of last year's Grade: 2 Remsen Stakes, has been retired from racing due to a soft tissue injury. Trained by Butch Reid, the absolutely gorgeous, $340,000 Fasig-Tipton purchase will be “shopped around” stud farms in Kentucky in search of his new home. “It’s a real shame,” said Chuck Zacney, whose Cash is King Stables owns the horse in partnership with Glenn Bennett’s LC Racing. “We had high hopes for this horse. It’s a tough sport, a tough game.” “Quite frankly, it’s a tendon tear,” Zacney said. “We went to vets and looked at it and they said he would need a minimum of six to nine months off. Then there would be training after that. We had already been getting calls from farms in Kentucky, so we had to make a choice between retiring him and trying to get him back racing. It was very unlikely that he would come back to his old status; it was highly unlikely he’d be as good. They said he’d be maybe 80 to 90% of what he was and it would not have been fair to do that to the horse.” “We had raised the possibility that he might race again,” Zacney said. “Now that that is off the table, we’re hearing again from farms in Kentucky and looking forward to finding him a nice home there and him having a great breeding career there.” Maximus Mischief is currently at Eisaman Equine in Ocala, FL.
Kansas City's Offense (w/ Special Emphasis on Kareem Hunt and Sammy Watkins)
So I spent quite a bit of time researching the following post only to get to a place where my numbers were not really statistically significant, but I'd figured I'd share anyway since why the hell not. Let's look at KC's passing targets for the past few years and try to make some early assumptions about the rest of this year
WR
TE
RB
Total
2011
330
50
113
493
2012
216
62
176
454
2013*
217
80
236
533
2014
248
131
104
483
2015
260
125
77
462
2016
288
156
90
534
2017
242
171
114
527
2018**
50
29
12
91
2018 (Proj.)
267
155
64
486
Looking at these numbers as a percentage of total targets gives us something a bit more meaningful
WR
TE
RB
2011
66.9
10.1
22.9
2012
47.6
13.7
38.8
2013*
40.7
15.0
44.3
2014
51.3
27.1
21.5
2015
56.3
27.1
16.7
2016
53.9
29.2
16.9
2017
45.9
32.4
21.6
2018**
54.9
31.9
13.2
*2013 is when Andy Reid became HC and Alex Smith starting QB **2018 is when Patrick Mahomes took over In 2013, when Andy Reid and Alex Smith took over the Chiefs, Travis Kelce had just been drafted but missed the whole season and Dexter McCluster was one of the primary "dual threat" backs in all the NFL. The numbers from 2012 and 2013 back this up with a boatload of RB targets. In 2014, Kelce starts to play and McCluster is gone. Since 2014, the Chiefs have had some relatively consistent offensive target numbers. We've seen the WR targets fluctuate around 50% and the TE targets go up steadily as Kelce has come to be his dominant self. This year, in the small sample size that we have, we see the smallest RB target share the Chiefs have had in the era. The arrival of Watkins has given the Chiefs two real WR threats for the first time since the Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston days of 2011. There was no real TE to throw to in 2011 (Leonard Pope was the primary TE) and Jamaal Charles missed almost the whole season, hence the 67% target share to WRs. It seems like a good bet that Kelce is going to get his 20-25% target share (currently on pace for 28%), so I would be very surprised to see that TE percentage fall below 30. So what does all of this mean? Alex Smith is gone, Mahomes is in. Smith was excellent accuracy-wise in 2017 (67.5% completion percentage good for 3rd in the NFL), but his Intended Air Yards per attempt (7.4) was in the bottom 1/3rd of the NFL. In contrast, Mahomes is 14th in the NFL in accuracy (66.7% through 3 weeks which would have been 6th in the NFL last year, which I think says something ludicrous about the impact of all the new/newly implemented rules), but his Intended Air Yards per attempt is 2nd in the NFL at 11.6. Even when he falls off a bit as defenses adapt to his play and the rules, he'll likely still be near the top of the league at throwing downfield. So, with Mahomes out there looking downfield, Watkins and Tyreek Hill are undeniably going to get looks. Kelce is going to get looks. That leaves the RB position bringing up even more of the rear than usual. I think it will probably even out to more than 64 total RB targets this season, but I wouldn't be surprised to level out at a 15% target share which leaves 73 RB targets. Let's look at the target distribution from those 114 RB targets last year:
Kareem Hunt
63
Charcandrick West
34
Anthony Sherman
8
Akeem Hunt
7
CJ Spiller
2
Now let's look at the target distribution from the 12 RB targets this year:
Spencer Ware
4
Damien Williams
3
Kareem Hunt
3
Anthony Sherman
2
Last year Kareem Hunt received 55% of the RB targets on this Chiefs team. This year he's on pace to receive 25%. While I certainly don't think he'll only receive 25% of the RB targets, it seems foolish to give him more than a 50% share considering last year's numbers and his current pace. That puts Hunt at (generously) 50% of (generously) 73 RB targets for a whopping 36 targets. He caught 53 of 63 balls last year for an 85% catch rate. Which would put Hunt catching 30 balls on the season. Let's looks at Hunt's rushing totals now: Through the first 3 weeks of the 2017 season a record-setting Hunt rushed 47 times for 401 yards (8.53 YPC). Through the rest of the season, Hunt rushed 225 times for 926 yards (4.12 YPC). Last year he rushed 17 times per game and this season he's on about the same pace. He's currently averaging 3.2 YPC, but he's certainly more talented than that, so let's bump up his ROS numbers to what he averaged after week 3 of last season and project out. 17 carries per game at 4.12 YPC over 13 games is 911 yards. Combining this projection with what he's already rushed for, we get 1079 rushing yards this season. We'll project out 8 rushing TDs again since those are incredibly hard to predict. Using his 8.58 yards per catch numbers with the (optimistic) 30 balls he'll catch this season means 258 yards receiving. We'll carry forward his 3 receiving TDs for fun since he already has 1. All of this leaves Kareem Hunt at 107.9 + (8*6) + 25.8 + (3*6) + (#PPR*30) = 229.7 points in PPR leagues. This would have been good enough for RB10 in 2017 instead of RB4 and is a far cry from the 295.2 he achieved last year. Let's take a shorter look at Sammy Watkins' numbers since I'm exhausted from all of this:
Games
Targets
Receptions
Yards
Average
2014
16
128
65
982
15.1
2015
13
96
60
1047
17.4
2016
8
52
28
430
15.4
2017
15
70
39
593
15.2
2018
3
20
14
176
12.6
2018 (Proj.)
16
106.67
74.67
938.67
12.6
Sammy Watkins was certainly trending upward after improving a paltry rookie catch rate near 50% at 15.1 YPC to a 62.5% catch rate at 17.4 YPC in his sophomore season. His third season where he was hurt and his 4th season in an entirely new offense with no offseason still produced excellent per catch numbers with a mid-50% catch percentage. This season we have a small sample size, but Mahomes' superb accuracy has allowed Watkins to achieve a 70% catch percentage with smaller yards per catch numbers. Unlike with Hunt, I think we'll have a much harder time extrapolating these numbers into meaningful ROS numbers because there are too many factors to consider. Can Mahomes keep up this level of accuracy while throwing so deep? Is Sammy going to continue to be sort of an underneath guy because Tyreek is so explosive deep? If the RBs start being targeted a little more, does it come out of Watkins', Hill's, or Kelce's targets? At this rate, Sammy Watkins has scored 42.7 fantasy points through 3 weeks (5.1 of which are from rushing totals). This leaves him on pace for 227.7 points on the season, which would have been WR10 last season. Even if his ROS stats trend more towards his career average Catch Rate (55.5%) and YPC numbers (15.9), he'll produce 48 catches for 763 yards (124.3 points) from here on out through the air. We'll extrapolate his TDs at a 1 every 3 game rate since that's what he's done so far. This is 124.3 + (42.7 - 5.1) + (4.33*6) = 187.9 points through the air, plus an extrapolated 5.1 / 3 * 16 = 27.2 on the ground for 215.1 points on the season which would have been WR16 last year. All I know now is that if Sammy's Catch Rate and YPC this year wind up closer to his career averages, then he'll be on pace for a great season, but if he maintains his current pace, he'll be looking at an excellent season. So what does this all mean: I'm clearly extrapolating all of this data using a very small sample size, but using what I consider to be reasonable projections it seems clear that Hunt is due to not quite live up to his hype and Sammy Watkins could be back in consideration as a top-15 WR by the end of this season. TL;DR - In Dynasty, I believe the changes in the KC offense should lead Hunt's valuation to drop from ~RB8 to RB10 and Watkins' valuation should increase from ~WR21 to WR13 or so. Links: https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats/passing/ --Air Yards Stats http://subscribers.footballguys.com/teams/teampage-kan-2.php --KC Target stats https://www.fleaflicker.com --Hunt and Watkins stats
The love of money may be the root of all evil according to the Bible, but that hasn't stopped bookmakers from offering odds on who will emerge from the white smoke as the next pope. Blog: Betting On The Pope March 8, 2013 at 4:15 pm Filed Under: archbishop , Betting On The Pope , Blog , Conclave , Papal News , Pope , Vatican , Vatican Vote , Who Will Be The Next Pope Online Betting Odds On The Next Pope; ... Ouellet was a legitimate contender to replace Pope Benedict XVI in 2013. Ouellet was named Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of Canada in 2002 and earned the title of Cardinal on October 21, 2003. The odds may well change — and there is certainly no guarantee that any of the oddsmakers’ favorites will actually become the next pope — but currently, four of the top six contenders are from Italy, including Cardinal Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan, who leads the list with an average betting line implying a 23 percent chance of becoming pope. March 12, 2013 10:24 pm March 12, 2013 10:24 pm Intrade may have shut down , but the election of a pope still offers a good chance to study the predictive value of betting odds. Eight years ago, when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger ascended to St. Peter’s throne, the oddsmakers looked prescient: he was the favorite, or a co-favorite, in several places.
Pope Francis elected - White Smoke - BBC News - 13/3/13 ...
more at nbcnews.com. Eight Times America Surprised Trevor - Between the Scenes The Daily Show - Duration: 16:06. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah 3,303,442 views ALL COMMENTS WILL BE MODERATED BEFORE PUBLICATION - ANY ABUSE OR SPAM AND YOU WILL BE BLOCKED. TV Live: The home of TV presentation. WEBSITE / https://www.tv... It's anyone's bet who'll be the next pope. Zain Verjee investigates the odds on the runners and riders. ... Published on Mar 12, 2013. It's anyone's bet who'll be the next pope. Zain Verjee ... BREAKING! Pope Benedict's Plan is foiled. Angelo Scola Linked to MAFIA: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/12/cardinals-overcome-divisions-conclave-pop... [*Exclusive] : Benedict to resign on Feb 28, 2013 puts the global spotlight on the PAPACY of Rome, Revelation's ANTICHRIST ~ _____ *Exclusive News Links fo...
