US Gov to Crack Down on "Bossware" That Spies On Employees’ Computers

In the era of remote work, employers have turned to invasive

Spying @ Home

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic drove a wave of working from home, companies have been relentless in their efforts to digitally police and spy on remote employees by using what's known as "bossware." That's the pejorative name for software that tracks the websites an employee visits, screenshots their computer screens, and even records their faces and voices.

And now, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an agency of the federal government, is looking to intervene.

"Close, constant surveillance and management through electronic means threaten employees' basic ability to exercise their rights," said NLRB general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, in a Monday memo. "I plan to urge the Board to apply the Act to protect employees, to the greatest extent possible, from intrusive or abusive electronic monitoring and automated management practices."

Undoing Unions

In particular, Abruzzo is worried about how bossware could infringe on workers' rights to unionize. It's not hard to imagine how such invasive surveillance could be used to bust unionization. Even if the technology isn't explicitly deployed to impede organization efforts, the ominous presence of the surveillance on its own can be a looming deterrent, which Abruzzo argues is illegal.

And now is the perfect moment for the NLRB to step in. The use and abuse of worker surveillance tech in general — not just bossware — has been "growing by the minute," Mark Gaston Pearce, executive director of the Workers' Rights Institute at Georgetown Law School, told CBS.

"Employers are embracing technology because technology helps them run a more efficient business," Gaston explained. "… What comes with that is monitoring a lot of things that employers have no business doing."

Overbearing Overlord

In some ways, surveillance tech like bossware can be worse than having a nosy, actual human boss. Generally speaking, in a physical workplace employees have an understanding of how much privacy they have (unless they work at a place like Amazon or Walmart, that is).

But when bossware spies on you, who knows how much information an employer could be gathering — or even when they're looking in. And if it surveils an employee's personal computer, which more often than not contains plenty of personal information that a boss has no business seeing, that's especially invasive.

Which is why Abruzzo is pushing to require employers to disclose exactly how much they're tracking.

It's a stern message from the NLRB, but at the end of the day, it's just a memo. We'll have to wait and see how enforcing it pans out.

More on surveillance: Casinos to Use Facial Recognition to Keep "Problem Gamblers" Away

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Chinese Spaceplane Releases Mystery Object Into Orbit

After launching into orbit three months ago, China's top-secret spaceplane has released a mysterious object, which is now circling the Earth behind it.

Spaceplane Buddy

After launching into orbit roughly three months ago, China's top-secret spaceplane has released a mysterious object, which is now circling the Earth behind it, SpaceNews reports.

There's very little we know about China's "reusable experimental spacecraft," except that it launched atop a Long March 2F rocket back in August. We don't know its purpose, what it looks like, or what cargo it was carrying during launch — but it's an intriguing development, nonetheless, for China's reusable launch platform.

Mysterious Object

The object was released between October 24 and October 31, according to tracking data being analyzed by the US Space Force's 18th pace Defense Squadron.

We can only hazard a guess as to what the mysterious object's purpose is. According to Harvard astronomer and space tracker Jonathan McDowell, it "may be a service module, possibly indicating an upcoming deorbit burn."

Based on the size and weight of payloads Long March rockets usually carry, China's mysterious spaceplane is likely similar to the Air Force's X-37B spaceplane, which is similarly shrouded in mystery and currently on its sixth mission.

We also don't know when the Chinese model will make its return back to Earth, but given recent activity at the Lop Nur base in Xinjiang suggests, it may land there in the near future, according to the report.

It's a puzzling new development for China's secretive spacecraft — but it does raise the possibility of a renewed interest in spaceplanes, a potentially affordable and reusable way to launch payloads into orbit.

More on the spaceplane: China Launches Mysterious "Reusable Test" Spacecraft

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Huge Drone Swarm to Form Giant Advertisement Over NYC Skyline

Someone apparently thought it was a great idea to fly 500 drones over NYC as part of an ad experiment without much warning.

Droning On

Someone thinks it's a great idea to fly 500 drones over New York City to create a huge ad in the sky on Thursday evening. Because New Yorkers certainly don't have any historical reason to mistrust unknown aircraft over their skyline, right?

As Gothamist reports, the drone swarm is part of a "surreal takeover of New York City’s skyline" on behalf of — we shit you not — the mobile game Candy Crush.

Fernanda Romano, Candy Crush's chief marketing officer, told Gothamist that the stunt will "turn the sky into the largest screen on the planet" using the small, light-up drones.

Though this is not the first time the Manhattan skyline has been used as ad space — that distinction goes to the National Basketball Association and State Farm, which did a similar stunt this summer during the NBA draft — local lawmakers are ticked off about it nonetheless.

"I think it’s outrageous to be spoiling our city’s skyline for private profit," Brad Hoylman, a state senator that represents Manhattan's West Side in the NY Legislature, told the local news site. "It’s offensive to New Yorkers, to our local laws, to public safety, and to wildlife."

Freak Out

Indeed, as the NYC Audubon Society noted in a tweet, the Candy Crush crapshoot "could disrupt the flight patterns of thousands of birds flying through NYC, leading to collisions with buildings" as they migrate.

Beyond the harm this will do to birds and the annoyance it will undoubtedly cause the famously-grumpy people of New York, this stunt is also going down with very little warning, considering that Gothamist is one of the only news outlets even reporting on it ahead of time.

While most viewers will hopefully be able to figure out what's going on pretty quickly, the concept of seeing unknown aircraft above the skyline is a little too reminiscent of 9/11 for comfort — and if Candy Crush took that into consideration, they haven't let on.

So here's hoping this event shocks and awes Thursday night city-goers in a good way, and not in the way that makes them panic.

More drone warfare: Russia Accused of Pelting Ukraine Capital With "Kamikaze" Drones

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Huge Drone Swarm to Form Giant Advertisement Over NYC Skyline

Hackers Just Took Down One of the World’s Most Advanced Telescopes

ALMA is one of the largest and most advanced radio telescopes in the world. And for reasons still unknown to the public, hackers decided to take it down.

Observatory Offline

The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Observatory in Chile has been hit with a cyberattack that has taken its website offline and forced it to suspend all observations, authorities there said.

Even email services were limited in the aftermath, illustrating the broad impact of the hack.

Nested high up on a plateau in the Chilean Andes at over 16,000 feet above sea level, ALMA is one of the most powerful and advanced radio telescopes in the world. Notably, ALMA helped take the first image of a black hole in 2019, in a collaborative effort that linked radio observatories worldwide into forming the Event Horizon Telescope.

Thankfully, ALMA's impressive arsenal of 66 high-precision antennas, each nearly 40 feet in diameter, was not compromised, the observatory said, nor was any of the scientific data those instruments collected.

In High Places

What makes ALMA so invaluable is its specialty in observing the light of the cooler substances of the cosmos, namely gas and dust. That makes ALMA a prime candidate for documenting the fascinating formations of planets and stars when they first emerge amidst clouds of gas.

Since going fully operational in 2013, it's become the largest ground-based astronomical project in the world, according to the European Southern Observatory, ALMA's primary operators.

So ALMA going offline is a distressing development, especially to the thousands of astronomers worldwide that rely on its observations and the some 300 experts working onsite. Getting it up and running is obviously a top priority, but the observatory said in a followup tweet that "it is not yet possible to estimate a date for a return to regular activities."

As of now, there's no information available on who the hackers were, or exactly how they conducted the attack. Their motivations, too, remain a mystery.

More on ALMA: Astronomers Think They Found the Youngest Planet in the Galaxy

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Hackers Just Took Down One of the World's Most Advanced Telescopes

AOC Says Her Twitter Account Broke After She Made Fun of Elon Musk

Another day, another Elon Musk feud on Twitter — except now, he's the owner of the social network, and he's beefing with AOC.

Latest Feud

Another day, another Elon Musk feud on Twitter — except now, he's the owner of the social network, and he's beefing with a sitting member of Congress.

The whole thing started innocently enough earlier this week, when firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY, and better known by her initials, "AOC") subtweeted the website's new owner.

"Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that 'free speech' is actually a $8/mo subscription plan," the New York Democratic Socialist tweeted in a post that, upon Futurism's perusal, appeared to load only half the time.

Sweat Equity

Not one to be shown up, Musk later posted a screenshot of an AOC-branded sweatshirt from the congressperson's website, with its $58 price tag circled and an emoji belying the billionaire's alleged affront at the price.

In response, Ocasio-Cortez said she was proud her sweatshirts were made by union labor, and that the proceeds from their sales were going to fund educational support for needy kids. She later dug in further, noting that her account was "conveniently" not working and joking that Musk couldn't buy his way "out of insecurity."

Yo @elonmusk while I have your attention, why should people pay $8 just for their app to get bricked when they say something you don’t like?

This is what my app has looked like ever since my tweet upset you yesterday. What’s good? Doesn’t seem very free speechy to me ? pic.twitter.com/e3hcZ7T9up

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 3, 2022

Bricked

To be clear, any suggestion that Musk personally had anything to do with any Twitter glitches on AOC's part would seem ludicrously petty. But then again, this is a guy who once hired a private detective to investigate a random critic.

Occam's razor, though, suggests that it was probably AOC's mega-viral tweet that broke the site's notoriously dodgy infrastructure. Of course, that's not a ringing endorsement of the site that Musk just acquired for the colossal sum of $44 billion.

More on Twitter: Twitter Working on Plan to Charge Users to Watch Videos

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Big Red heads to Mooney | News, Sports, Jobs – The Daily Times

ON THE ROAD AGAIN Big Red heads on the road this Saturday afternoon to test Youngstown Cardinal Mooney at Mineral Ridge High School. - Andrew Grimm

STEUBENVILLE Big Reds quest to finish atop the Division IV, Region 15 standings continues Saturday with a trip north for a date with always tough Youngstown Cardinal Mooney.

The kick for the 12th all-time meeting between the tradition-rich programs is set for 1 p.m. Mooney holds a 7-4 lead in the series. Saturdays encounter will be just the third regular season affair. Big Red rolled to a 35-14 victory in 2021.

For the second straight year, Mooney is playing its home games on E.Z. Whittaker Field, part of the Joe Lane Sports Complex at Mineral Ridge High School.

Steubenville stands at 7-1 and for the moment has a comfortable lead in the Region 15 ratings. St. Clairsville is second followed by unbeaten Columbus East and Indian Valley. Joe Eitel, the guru of Ohios computer rankings, says Big Red has clinched a spot in the top eight, meaning it will host a first round home game.

A lot of times I have seen things in the bag and the bag breaksso we are not counting on that, Big Red coach Reno Saccoccia said. We have a job to do as coaches and players and that is to reach our full potential. We have not done that yet.

I was hoping we would do it before the ninth game of the season but we havent. We have a lot of room for improvement. We have great expectations but we are just not getting there as fast as I thought we would. Hopefully, we continue to work hard and achieve those expectations.

Officially, Mooney is 4-4 but would be 5-3 if it hadnt been forced to forfeit a game to Youngstown East for using an ineligible player. The Cardinals thumped East 37-0 back in late September.

The squads have one common opponent in Linsly, which beat Mooney 28-14 and clipped the Big Red 28-27.

Last week, Mooney trailed Warren Harding 17-0 at the half, but rallied to earn a 26-17 victory. Mooney also has wins over Lake Catholic, Lutheran East and Brush. The other losses came to Boardman and Youngstown Chaney. The Mooney offense is averaging 25 points a game while its defense allows 12.

They are getting to be a typical Mooney team, Saccoccia said. They have improved every week. They have gone more towards power football than wide open football. They will use play action and their quarterback does a really good job of extending plays.

If you look for a favorite receiver, you see two or three guys. It seems like there is a different guy every game.

Ashton OBrien, a 6-3, 180 pound junior, directs the Mooney attack. In the win against Harding, he ran for one score and threw for 65 yards.

Alec Delsignore (6-2, 205) caught two of OBriens passes and scored on a 30-yard run. He also returned an interception for a touchdown.

Other OBrien targets include Nolan Radinsky (6-2, 175), Ty Reali (6-1, 180) and Aiden Paige (5-9, 180). Paige also sees time at running back.

Jamar Howell (5-11, 195) leads the Mooney ground game. Against Harding he compiled 169 yards on 17 carries and notched a 7-yard touchdown run.

As always, Mooney has plenty of size upfront.

Adam Garloch (6-3, 310) is one of six Mooney linemen who lettered a season ago. Others include Chris Flora (6-5, 305), Tino Merlo (6-5, 280) and Jonah Woods (6-3, 250).

Mooney is always physical, Saccoccia said. They are very well coached and they just have improved. Everyone in the Youngstown area counted them out but they are showing what kind of football team they can be.

Their actual record is 5-3 against a very tough schedule. Its going to be a really good Steubenville-Mooney football game.

Through eight weeks, Big Red is averaging 33.4 points per game while allowing 12.9. The offense averages 407 yards an outing (240 rushing and 167 passing). Meanwhile, the defense is holding opponents to just 64 rushing yards a game and 133 through the air.

Gavin Bozica now has 815 rushing yards, an average of 6.6 yards per carry, to lead the Big Red. He has 10 rushing TDs. Savier Faulks has contributed 540 yards on 62 attempts (8.7 yards per trip) and scored five times.

Phaeton Hill has thrown for 1,311 yards and 12 six-pointers. He has completed 94 passes.

His top target is Isaac Hill, 35 catches for 544 yards and seven touchdowns. Hakim Edwards is next with 11 grabs for 138 yards.

Penalties have been a problem for Saccoccias squad. It has been hit with 65 flags for 603 yards, an average per game of 75.4 yards.

I dont know if you can fix the penalties I think that is just the kind of team we have, Ohios all-time winningest high school football coach said. If we are going to have them, we have to do a better job of overcoming them.

Following the road trip, Big Red will close out the regular season on Oct. 21 with a home game against Rock Creek Christian from Maryland.

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See Julia Roberts Turn Heads in Plunging Barbiecore Dress on the Red Carpet With George Clooney – Parade Magazine

Julia Roberts was breathtaking on the 'pink' carpet!

The actress attended the premiere of herupcoming film withGeorge Clooney, Ticket to Paradise, on Monday evening and she looked absolutely ravishing as she walked the press line.

Roberts stunned in a long vibrant pink gown that was a part of designerGreta Constantine'sspring/summer 2021 collection. The dress included mid-length sleeves that came just above her elbows and puffed at the shoulders. Herneckline plunged just slightly below her sternum, and the bottom of the dress ruffled out at her feet.

The actress painted her nails black and accessorized her look with large fuchsia and silver earrings, a gorgeous diamond ring, and, of course, her wedding band.

Accompanying her was her co-star, Clooney, who rocked a dapper gray suit with a white dress shirt underneath.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 17: Julia Roberts and George Clooney arrives at the Premiere Of Universal Pictures' "Ticket To Paradise" at Regency Village Theatre on October 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)

Steve Granitz/Getty Images

(scroll to keep reading)

Ticket to Paradise marks the actress's first rom-com in 20 years. The film follows a divorced couple as they travel to Bali in order to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they made 25 years prior.

The real-life best friends recently dished on what it was like to film the movie, noting that the two of them were constantly cracking jokessometimes taking things too far.

In an interview withSiriusXM, the duo opened up about their insults towards each other in the film, which were actually all improv."The funny thing is you could tell by the background artists who were standing around us when either of us took it too far, 'cuz they would react," Clooney said.

Ticket to Paradisewill be out in theaters on Oct. 21.

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Halloween Heads Into Red Dead Online Today – Gameranx

Mysterious cult activity awaits this spooky season.

Rockstar Games has announced the start of this years Halloween-themed events in Red Dead Online. The online version of the popular Red Dead Redemption series has seen its fair share of difficulties this year. However, its clear that Rockstar isnt quite ready to give up the ghost, so to speak, just yet. Thanks to the latest seasonal event, players will be able to dive into some eerie action in the Wild West from today until Halloween itself on October 31.

As detailed in a new tweet, the newest Halloween Hardcore Telegram Mission heading into Red Dead Online will be False Hopes & Prophecy. This mission looks set to invoke some spooky supernatural vibes, as its explained that word of a seventh-generation cult has started to get around. Players will need to investigate the rumours of grisly rituals that aim to raise the dead, as detailed in-game by Ike Skelding. Skelding will be dishing out some fairly lucrative missions during the Halloween event. As detailed in a blog post from earlier this month, all Hardcore Telegram Missions given out by Skelding will reward players with 3X Gold, RDO$, and XP from today and until the end of October 31.

In addition to the new missions, Red Dead Online is bringing back its Halloween Pass 2, which was introduced last year to a strongly positive reception from players. Those who picked up the Halloween Pass last year will be able to carry on from where they left off, with newcomers able to jump in and start working their way through 15 ranks of seasonal content. Rewards on the Halloween Pass 2 include bloodstained clothes, a variety of identity-hiding masks, plus ammo, consumables and a range of other accessories and cosmetics to help players fly their fright flags in-game.

Red Dead Online will also be adding an All Hallows Call To Arms event, which will give players a set of locations to roll up and defend alongside their teammates. These areas include Heartland Oil Fields, Limpany, and the Saint Denis Graveyard, to name a few. Players will be rewarded for their efforts with 3X RDO$ and XP on All Hallows Call to Arms modes throughout the rest of this month.

This spooky seasonal event may go some way to appease Red Dead Online players, many of whom have had nothing but disappointments this year. The game was confirmed to be in something of a wind-down phase back in the summer, with Rockstar Games all but admitting that their focus is solely on GTA 6 at the moment. As a result, future support for Red Dead Online is being scaled back, although the game is still being given some love in the form of ongoing seasonal special events, story-based cooperative missions and the games competitive Showdown modes and Specialist roles, which players will still be able to take part in. Its good to see that despite all the creepy content to come, Red Dead Online isnt completely dying out just yet.

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Scammers are ‘on the move’ now that the student loan forgiveness application is live, warns FTC. Watch out for 5 red flags – CNBC

Win-initiative/neleman | Stone | Getty Images

The Biden administration officially launched the application for federal student loan forgiveness Monday and scammers are already "on the move" to capture borrowers' money and personal information, the Federal Trade Commission warned Tuesday.

Tens of millions of Americans are eligible for debt cancellation. Borrowers may qualify for cancellation of up to $10,000 of federal debt, a sum that doubles to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, who are from lower-income households.

More than 8 million people applied for relief over the weekend during a short beta test period that began Friday, President Joe Biden said Monday.

But criminals are targeting borrowers both before and after they apply, the FTC said.

"As people file their applications, [the Education Department] will review them on a rolling basis," the FTC said in a consumer alert. "Pack some patience and follow the process ... not those who say they can put you in front of the line. Because those are scammers."

Borrowers can apply for forgiveness no later than Dec. 31, 2023.

More from Personal Finance:More than 9 million people can still claim valuable 2021 tax creditsHow sunflowers, war and drought led butter and margarine prices to spikeThe 'bummer' of the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit

Here are five red flags that borrowers applying for debt relief ought to watch out for, according to the FTC.

Don't give your information to a third party offering to apply on your behalf. Apply directly at StudentAid.gov/DebtRelief.

Right now, the application is online only. There will be a paper application available at a later date.

Anyone who says you need to pay to apply is a fraudster, the FTC said: "And anyone who guarantees approval or quicker forgiveness: scam, scam, scam."

The real application is short and straightforward: It asks for your name, birth date, Social Security number, phone number and address.

When you apply online, you don't have to upload or attach any documents such as past tax returns to prove income. Nobody "legit" will ask for your Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID, bank account or credit card information, the FTC said.

One important note: The relief is limited to those who make less than $125,000 per year, or married couples or heads of households earning less than $250,000. When the Education Department starts processing applications, some applicants will have to verify their income but not at the time they apply, the FTC said.

Once you apply for forgiveness, expect e-mail updates from the Education Department, the FTC said. The agency may ask you to upload tax documents verifying your income or may be giving updates on your application.

But the emails will only come from these legitimate senders: noreply@studentaid.gov, noreply@debtrelief.studentaid.gov or ed.gov@public.govdelivery.com.

Pay close attention the sender address, the agency said. Anything different from the above even slight typos are signs you're getting a fake e-mail from a con artist.

People who say they can get your debt relief approved, for a fee, are criminals, according to the FTC.

If your application is denied, "follow ED's process," the agency said. Follow the instructions on your email notice; if you have questions, call FSA's dedicated phone line at 1-833-932-3439.

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Scammers are 'on the move' now that the student loan forgiveness application is live, warns FTC. Watch out for 5 red flags - CNBC

Kate Hudson Brought Waist-Length Mermaid Waves to the Red Carpet See Photos – Allure

It's a little over a month before the Knives Out sequel, A Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, makes its way to our screens, and naturally, the cast has been on a press tour in preparation for the film's release at the end of November. That tour included a press conference at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival on October 16 where actor Kate Hudson, who plays Birdie Jay in the film, turned heads with stunning waist-length mermaid waves.

Hudson arrived on the red carpet in a printed two-piece skirt set with brown boots and minimal accessories. Her bright blonde wavy hair was parted down the middle, and that's it. This simple textured hairstyle looked so effortless that if you told us she hopped out of bed that morning, brushed it, and then came to the press conference, we would believe you. We also love how seamlessly her dark roots blend into the rest of her bright blonde waves.

Getty Images

Similar to her hair, she kept it light and simple with her glam the only visible makeup is her lightly-lined lids and shimmery cheeks, though we're sure she arrived at the red carpet with a full-yet-unclockable beat. As our eyes traveled down the length of her hair, we also noticed the almond tips painted in a blood-red hue that just screams Halloween. Whether she purposeful chose the polish to honor the spooky season or she's just a fan of sinister reds is up to the jury to decide. Regardless, those dark red nails looked gorgeous alongside her tousled, blonde beach waves.

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Kate Hudson Brought Waist-Length Mermaid Waves to the Red Carpet See Photos - Allure

Red Oak hopeful to finish season on positive note – KMAland

(Red Oak) -- A rollercoaster season for Red Oak football concludes on Friday.

Coach Michael Nordeen hopes it ends on a strong note.

The Tigers (4-4) suffered their fourth consecutive loss on Friday night with a 52-7 loss to Clarinda behind a remarkable performance from Clarinda running back Tadyn Brown, who collected Agrivision Equipment Group Player of the Night after rushing for 300 yards and seven touchdowns.

"He had a heckuva game," Nordeen said. "I think it came down to effort. Our guys got in their heads that we weren't playing for anything. They competed hard, but we just didn't put in the full effort we should have."

Red Oak started the season 4-0 with four shutouts over Riverside, West Central Valley, Nodaway Valley and Shenandoah. While the end of the season was less than ideal, the Tigers made leaps in Nordeen's second half.

"It's huge," he said. "This senior class is amazing. They accepted the challenge of a new coach. In the second year, they ran with it. We're going to continue to trend in the right direction and get to where we want to be -- a 2A power."

Fifteen pivotal seniors will don the Red Oak jersey for the final time -- Chase Roeder, Landon Couse, Riley Fouts, Dawson Bond, Jack Kling, Braden Woods, Aiden Bruce, Dante Baucom, Kyle Westover, Jacob Eggerss, Sam Fields, Kyle Rinabarger, Logan Conn, Elisha Vukonich and Cole Thornton.

"The kids had joy playing the game of football," Nordeen said. "We're turning into a football power. It's going to be hard saying goodbye to those guys, but they've given our program and community memories to cherish."

The Tigers' 2022 swan song comes Friday night against Chariton.

The Chargers (3-5) also missed the Class 2A playoffs despite a productive ground game that ran for 1,379 yards during the regular season.

"We've been watching them all season," Nordeen said. "I think it's a good matchup for us. We didn't make the playoffs. We're thinking of this like college. It's a bowl game and an opportunity to play one more game, compete and be with your brothers."

Several Tigers are within reach of school records, such as Roeder (season passing yards), Fouts (season rushing yards), Bond (season and career receiving yards and career touchdown).

"It would be nice to get some of those guys to etch their name in the record book," Nordeen said. "We want to go out on top."

Jesse Schraft is in Red Oak Friday night with reports on the Red Oak Chrysler Football Connection Show. Check out KMA Sports' coverage from 6:20 to midnight on KMA 960 and KMA-FM 99.1.

Click below to hear the full interview with Coach Nordeen.

At KMA, we attempt to be accurate in our reporting. If you see a typo or mistake in a story, please contact us by emailing kmaradio@kmaland.com.

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Francis Ellis Ranked THIS GUY As The Funniest Person At Barstool Sports – Barstool Sports

I'll nip it in the bud now; I disagree with Francis. The honor of the title "funniest person at Barstool" belongs to none other than Jeff Nadu

Nevertheless, the Barstool Chicago office made a pilgrimage to New York City last week. It was a business trip; we were tasked with entertaining the masses on a live stream for Bears vs. Commies in what was undoubtedly the most enthralling NFL game of the season thus far. In the midst of all that, I met two people I had yet to meet in person, Uncle Chaps and Francis.

It was great meeting Uncle Chaps. I don't know how we hadn't yet to met in person, even though we've been internet friends and coworkers for years now, but it was excellent seeing him in spite of his new mustache that makes him look a little too much like Carl. I'm excited for him to move to Chicago, as we discussed starting a video series where we will have smoking competitions between the two of us on NFL Sundays and what have you.

I also met Francis. Truthfully, I didn't know what to expect of Francis. Didn't know too much about the cat. All I knew about Francis was that he's a Harvard grad that got fired for making fun of a dead chick or something. I didn't care too much about the latter, as I've fucked up on the internet many times. I would be a hypocrite if I judged him for that. But I don't have a lot of experience with Harvard grads or people that possess "fuck you" money, so I automatically assumed him and I would be so diametrically opposed to each other in every way and that we wouldn't have much to talk about.

And that, my friends, is why we have the snake drafts. It forces people to have uncomfortable conversations.

Now typically for the snake drafts, we sit in the same order. Ed decided he didn't want to do that for whatever reason today and since what Ed says goes 100% of the time even if it doesn't make sense. That worked this week, however; it forced myself and Francis to have a meeting of minds. He schooled me on the following:

- that having a screened in porch is a sign of status in the northeast (?)- that pit bulls are all predisposed to want to kill everything in their paths- that Beluga whales lay eggs- that red heads do, in fact, have souls

Etc. etc. etc.

It was a trip and I learned a TON about the finer things. By the end of the episode I felt like I owed Francis an apology; just because he's not as well-rounded as me doesn't make him a bad person, it just makes him a different person, and different isn't bad. It's the opposite. I'm looking forward to working with Francis on a more consistent level should he decide to take the plunge and move to Chicago with the other misfits that are moving west.

In the meantime, the Finer Things draft with Francis is LIVE! It was a great one and needless to say I won. Per usual. Check it out:

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Francis Ellis Ranked THIS GUY As The Funniest Person At Barstool Sports - Barstool Sports

Russell Crowe Makes Red Carpet Debut With Girlfriend Britney Theriot, Who Is 27 Years His Junior: Photos – Us Weekly

Love, thunder and a red carpet debut! Russell Crowe and his girlfriend, Britney Theriot, turned heads at the premiere of his new movie, Poker Face.

The Gladiator star, 58, and the actress, 31, hit the red carpet on Sunday, October 16, for the first time as a couple, stepping out and posing in an embrace in Rome, Italy.

Theriot, who wore her blonde hair in soft waves that cascaded down her shoulders, rocked a purple and blue geometric patterned dress that she paired with a black clutch. Crowe, for his part, wore a dark gray suit with a deep, midnight blue-black sweater underneath, with his dark hair deeply parted. The A Beautiful Mind star also sported a full, salt-and-pepper beard. The pair looked at each other lovingly as Crowe wrapped his arm around his girlfriends waist.

Despite their 27-year age difference, the couple have been going strong for nearly two years. Theriot and Crowe first sparked romance rumors in November 2020 when they were photographed kissing while playing tennis together in Sydney, Australia.

Prior to his romance with the New Orleans native, the Les Miserables actor was married to Danielle Spencer from 2003 to their split in 2012, which ended in a public and messy divorce years later.

In December 2012, Crowe who shares sons Charles, 18, and Tennyson, 16, with his ex-wife got candid via social media about wanting to reunite with his family.

As soon as I finish this job and can get home, my priority is to try to bring my family back together, he tweeted at the time, during which he was filming the movie Winters Tale in New York City.

However, their romance was not meant to last, and in April 2018 one year after Crowe and Spencer finalized their divorce the Oscar winner sold off many of his personal items in an auction he titled The Art of Divorce, which brought in a pretty penny.

In case anyone is interested $3.7m at the coal face and around $350k of conversations ongoing and a bunch of stuff I didnt really want to sell coming home not a bad hourly rate for a 5 hour shift, the Cinderella Man star tweeted at the time. Hope you are happy and busy.

Spencer, for her part, shared a rare photo of her sons with Crowe on Mothers Day 2021.

Here I was telling the boys to smile and then I didnt, she wrote via Instagram alongside a photo with her teen sons grinning. Ah well. Have had a lovely Mothers Day. Hope all the mums out there have been spoilt today.

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Russell Crowe Makes Red Carpet Debut With Girlfriend Britney Theriot, Who Is 27 Years His Junior: Photos - Us Weekly

Georgia heads into bye week undefeated but imperfect – Red and Black

After seven games, Georgia's 2022 team is in the same position it was through the first seven games of last season, undefeated with everything to play for. But the path the Bulldogs have taken to get here feels different, as does the surrounding landscape of college football.

This Georgia team has major injury questions, with key contributors on both sides of the ball missing multiple games. Defensive lineman Jalen Carter, running back Kendall Milton, wide receiver AD Mitchell and linebacker Smael Mondon all sat out against Vanderbilt.

Wide receiver Ladd McConkey and guard Xavier Truss sustained injuries against Vanderbilt, and while neither appeared to be major, its clear that the bye week is coming at a good time for Georgia.

Still, head coach Kirby Smart said he isnt sure how many of those players will be back when Georgia takes the field against Florida in two weeks.

Theres no off week that says you magically get everything back, Smart said. Each injury is different, we have to see how they progress, how much pain tolerance they have.

Smart said its hard to repeat as champions when asked about the Atlanta Braves loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB playoffs.

Its only one team that wins it at the end of the year, theres only one, Smart said. Its not normally the same team. So for us, were focused on us getting better. Weve got a long way to go to be the team we need to be.

Georgia will start the most difficult stretch of its season against Florida, with matches against Tennessee, Mississippi State and Kentucky looming on the horizon.

Smart said the team isnt worried about any of that yet, instead taking a day-by-day approach to the season, starting with getting back to work and rehab on Sunday.

Im worried about tomorrow, and Im not looking at that run, because you start looking at that run and you get caught up, he said. Im looking solely at one thing. Its not Florida, its not anybody else, its us.

Heading into the bye week and that tough run of games, quarterback Stetson Bennett emphasized the importance of the connection the team has built through its first seven games.

Some positions dont have as much importance on particular snaps, but theyre all crucially important in any given scenario, any game, Bennett said. And weve got to know that we can rely on them, and weve got to know that when we mess up, the guy next to us is gonna have our back.

The biggest difference between this years team and last years may not be anything Georgia actually controls. Last season, Georgia and Alabama were widely seen as head and shoulders above the rest of the college football contenders.

This years group of contenders is much more muddled, with teams like Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, Clemson and Georgia all seen as having a legitimate shot to win it all.

Smarts attitude of taking everything as it comes makes even more sense with that in mind. Georgia can only control what it does every time it steps on the field, and to this point, has stacked wins in each of its games. Even with tougher teams on the horizon, the Bulldogs will look to continue to do just that.

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Georgia heads into bye week undefeated but imperfect - Red and Black

Deering boys come to life to hand Scarborough first loss – Press Herald

SCARBOROUGHThere will be no perfect Storm this fall.

Thats because the visiting Deering Rams put all of their talent on display Tuesday evening at the Kippy Mitchell Sports Complex and in a memorable regular season finale, stymied Scarboroughs quest for an undefeated mark while in the process serving notice to the rest of the league that theyre just getting started.

The Red Storm, who have run roughshod on a very balanced Class A South region all season, took an early lead on their Senior Night when senior Will Fallona scored in the ninth minute of play, but the Rams, who have struggled finding consistency this season, roared back.

After a foul in the box in the 14th minute, senior captain Adilson Vidal took the ensuing penalty kick and while Scarborough senior goalkeeper Nicholas Ouellette made the save, Vidal was able to score on the rebound to tie the score.

Then, with just over seven minutes to go before halftime, senior Patricio Mowa unleashed a powerful free kick from midfield that bounced off Ouellettes hands and in to give Deering the lead.

The Rams defense then slammed the door from there and with 15:30 to go, senior Carlos Adriano-Muaco produced an insurance goal and Deering went on to a 3-1 victory.

The Rams finished the regular season 10-2-2, moved up the standings and in the process, dropped Scarborough to 13-1.

We came in with the mentality that although they had an undefeated record, we could match up with them, Vidal said. We know were a great team with a bunch of good players all over the field. We just worked together and thats how we got the win. We didnt give up and stayed disciplined to Coach (Joel Costigans) game plan.

Raising the bar

Scarborough was upset in penalty kicks in the regional quarterfinals a year ago and while those on the outside thought that the Red Storm might come back to the pack after Zander Haskell departed, in reality, the Red Storms depth and balance have been unmatched.

Scarborough has been consistently excellent since opening the season with a hard-fought1-0 home victory over Portland. The Red Storm then defeated host Westbrook (8-0), visiting Windham (2-0), host Sanford (8-3) in longtime coach Mark Diazs 300th career win, visiting Kennebunk (2-1), host Biddeford (8-0), visiting Falmouth (2-0), host Thornton Academy (4-0), visiting Marshwood (7-0), visiting Massabesic (10-0), host Noble (15-0), host South Portland (2-0) and host Bonny Eagle (7-0).

As for Deering, for the first half of the season, the Rams were every bit as good as Scarborough, but the second half of the campaign had been a different story.

Deering started with a 2-0 victory at Biddeford, then downed visiting Sanford (6-1), Windham (3-0) and reigning Class A champion Marshwood (2-1). After a 7-1 victory at Noble, the Rams blanked visiting Bonny Eagle (3-0) and Thornton Academy (2-0) before settling for a 2-2 home draw versus rival Cheverus. After beating host Massabesic, 8-0, Deering rallied in the waning seconds to forge a 1-1 home tie against Gorham, then lost at Falmouth in overtime (3-2), dropped a 2-1 decision at Kennebunk and gave Costigan his 100th career victory, 3-1 at Westbrook.

We went four games without winning and it took a toll on us, Vidal said. The guys werent used to that. We had to sit and talk about it.

Last year, in the season opener, host Scarborough blanked the Rams, 2-0.

Monday, on a 58-degree evening, in the Red Storms first home game in two weeks, Scarborough looked to keep the good times rolling, but instead, it ran into a determined Deering squad that beat the Red Storm for the first time since Aug. 31, 2017.

Scarborough got the first chance, two minutes in, but off a corner, Fallona headed the ball just wide.

After Adriano-Muaco shot high for the Rams and junior Kilson Joao was off-target for the Red Storm, the home team got the jump in the ninth minute, when off another corner, Fallona got his head on a serve from junior Dillon MacLeod and directed the ball past Deering junior keeper Adao Lufumbo-Mbenza and in for a quick 1-0 lead.

But that would prove to be Scarboroughs highwater mark.

With 26:22 left in the first half, the Rams got their opportunity to answer, as senior Jeannot Ndayishimiye was tripped up in the box and a penalty kick was awarded.

Vidal did the honors, shooting toward the left corner, but Ouellette dove to make the stop. He couldnt corral the rebound, however, and Vidal settled the ball and sent it into the net to pull Deering even.

Usually on a PK, I go one way, but today, the goalie got in my head a bit, Vidal said. Coach always tells us to never give up on a play. I kept my composure to take an extra touch.

The goal was the first Scarborough had allowed since Sept. 14.

The Red Storm tried to retake the lead, but a corner kick serve glanced off the crossbar, Joao missed high on an open net, Joao redirected MacLeods cross on target but Lufumbo-Mbenza made the save, then MacLeod fired a free kick high.

With 7:16 left before halftime, in a seemingly innocuous play, Mowa set up to take a free kick from midfield. He sailed the ball on target, Ouellette came out to punch it out, but instead, it hit hands and deflected backwards, straight into the goal to make it 2-1 Deering.

I was in the box and usually we have set piece plays but it was too far for that, Vidal said. Their goalie is good, but the ball was wet. You need luck to win games. Its a good thing the luck was on our side. It was a great goal and it definitely put our spirits up for the rest of the game.

I think the weather and the lights played a part in that, Costigan said. Carlos being up top with a big body puts pressure on the keeper. Its a wet night. In that moment, all the elements played a factor.

When the second half began, Scarborough pushed hard for the equalizer, but MacLeod missed high, then an apparent Joao goal (from senior Parker Killiard) was waved off due to Joao being offsides.

After Killiard had a shot saved by Lufumbo-Mbenza, Fallona had a header saved with just over 24 minutes left and Fallonas rebound bid was cleared by a defender.

Then, with 15:30 on the clock, Adriano-Muaco produced an insurance goal, burying a loose ball in the box, to make the score 3-1.

The third goal was definitely one we needed, Vidal said. They were applying a lot of pressure to start the second half, but the third goal got us more comfortable. That helped us keep our heads cool.

Scarborough nearly answered with 8:06 on the clock, as a shot from the side appeared to be heading in, but out of nowhere, Rams junior back Chandrel Mangele Laza cleared the ball off the line to save a goal.

We needed that, Vidal said. Its little moments like that win games. I dont even know why he was there. It was a great save. It was probably the most important play of the game. If that went in, they would have had time to get on us and our heads might have gone down.

Chandrel made the right play, Costigan said. I dont know if he would have made this play in another game, but everyone was on board tonight.

The Red Storm had one more chance, with 2 minutes to play, but sophomore Matt Fallona missed just wide.

Deering managed to run out the clock from there and celebrated its 3-1 victory.

We talked on Friday and brainstormed our tactics, Costigan said. We had an excellent practice yesterday and we executed amazingly today. Everyone had a positive attitude. I didnt even touch them during warmups. They motivated themselves. They were focused. That falls to the leadership on the team. Our captains did a great job keeping guys ready to go and focused and keeping their heads in the game. We had a game plan and we stuck with it. We talked about changes at the half, but we decided to keep whats working and perfect the things we need to perfect.

Deering got eight saves from Lufumbo-Mbenza.

Scarborough had a 9-7 edge in shots on frame and got four saves from Ouellette, but tasted defeat for the first time.

Deerings a good team, said Diaz. Everyone knows what they bring to the table. I thought we actually played pretty well. We did a lot of good things that often results in goals, but thats how this game goes sometimes. Well learn from this and well get better from it. I dont think we handled playing catch-up great. Some of that is my fault. Well approach that better moving forward.

Each team took six corner kicks.

The 1 and 2

Despite Tuesdays loss, Scarborough is the top seed in Class A South and will open the playoffs next week at home in the quarterfinals, likely against Kennebunk or Falmouth.

The road to the crown will go through the Red Storm and Scarborough will lick its wounds and will be up for the challenge.

This didnt change our seeding, Diaz said. Im glad we learned some lessons today and not in the next couple weeks. This is good for us. Im very proud of these guys and what theyve accomplished. They won a really tough conference. Well look at the things we did wrong tonight and well correct them.

Deering projects to be the second seed in Class A South and will host a quarterfinal round game next week, possibly against crosstown rival Portland, which the Rams didnt play in the regular season.

Class A is unpredictable, said Vidal. We need to work hard in practice, stay disciplined and have the confidence to know no matter who were playing, we can beat. Beating Scarborough shows we have a chance. I look forward to the first game of the playoffs.

Weve done this before where weve had really good games, then we get ahead of ourselves, Costigan said. Hopefully, knowing it was Scarborough, this might boost our confidence. We have a serious chance here, we just have to be on board.

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Deering boys come to life to hand Scarborough first loss - Press Herald

‘I will lay red carpet…’ J-Hope has perfect welcome plan for Jimin as BTS heads to latter’s hometown for con – Zoom TV

J-Hopes wishes Jimin on his Birthday

While the birthdays of any of the band member brings a lot of joy, it also is time for another tradition. Yes, birthdays mean, J-Hope opening his large archive to select a series of photos and videos and share them to wish the bandmates.

It has been like a cute Jung Hoseok thing where he spams with a lot of pictures wishing the member and now it is time for Jimin. Continuing his tradition, the rapper took to social media to drop several posts.

While sharing one of the videos which looks to be from their time overseas, Jimin can be seen walking on the streets while his Hobi Hyung records him. Our Jiminie always maintain your smile!!!!, J-Hope captioned the clip along with many hashtags.

One of the hashtags read, #WhenJiminComesToHisHomeTownBusan_WeWillSpreadARedCarpet (When Jimin comes to his hometown, Busan, we will spread a red carpet)."

Take a look at the video here. "Why do you look so angry," the Arson singer can be heard asking.

Looking at J-Hopes lovely hashtag for Jimin, ARMY could not help but be in awe of his sweetness. For those who may not be aware, Busan is Jimin and Jungkooks hometown. Since BTS will be holding their free global concert there on the 15th, it becomes meaningful for the two members who are performing in their city.

And it being Jimins birthday around the same time, it is even more special for him. We can surely expect the members to plan a surprise for him on the day.

Meanwhile, the global concert for the WORLD EXPO 2030 bid will be held in Busan on Oct 15.

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'I will lay red carpet...' J-Hope has perfect welcome plan for Jimin as BTS heads to latter's hometown for con - Zoom TV

Photos of the Day: Ranveer turns heads with his colourful casuals, Janhvi stuns in red saree at Mili trailer launch, and more – Zoom TV

It was a busy Saturday for tinsel town celebrities as a number of stars made public appearances owing to different reasons. While Ranveer Singh was spotted at the airport leaving to attend the convocation at Bennett University, Janhvi Kapoor arrived at the trailer launch event of her next Mili.

As always, the photos of our beloved actors and actresses have been doing rounds on social media. If you couldnt keep a tab on your social feed today, worry not because we are back with the latest edition of Photos of the Day.

Sidharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet Singh stepped out for the promotions of their upcoming film Thank God, which also stars Ajay Devgn. The two co-stars looked sharp as ever as they struck a pose for the paparazzi.

Thank God is slated to arrive in theatres on October 25, alongside Akshay Kumar's Ram Setu.

Mouni Roy once again proved why she is hailed as a style diva. She walked the ramp at a recent fashion show and stole the limelight. The Brahmastra Part One: Shiva actress looked nothing less than breathtaking as she oozed swag with every step that she took.

Ranveer Singh, earlier in the day, was papped at the airport by the shutterbugs as he was leaving to attend the convocation at Bennett University in Noida. For his airport look, Ranveer opted for bright-coloured casuals and as always, made quite a few heads turn with his quirky look.

Janhvi Kapoor raised temperatures at the trailer launch event of Mili as she arrived for the occasion dressed in a stunning red saree. She posed for the paps with a bright smile on her face.

Jacqueline Fernandez made a rare public appearance amid the ongoing conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar controversy. She was spotted clad in a yellow saree.

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Photos of the Day: Ranveer turns heads with his colourful casuals, Janhvi stuns in red saree at Mili trailer launch, and more - Zoom TV

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Launch Everything You Need to Know Before the New Era Begins with Campaign Early Access* – Call of Duty

Tor Aksel Eriksen: A Norwegian Marinejegerkommandoen all-around specialist. Considered a modern-day Viking with a full spectrum of abilities, from diving to HALO jumping, E.O.D. to hostage rescue situations.

Calisto Allard: A French-Spanish descendent of Frances last royal family who rebelled to join the elite Chasseurs Alpins of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade. An expert of high-altitude combat known for incredible accuracy, especially her preferred weapon: the bow.

Declan Mac"Conor":An Irish Defense Forces insurgency specialist within the Army Ranger Wing. Known for leading counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and special reconnaissance operations.

Fender Takacs: A Hungarian Zszls (Master Sergeant) of the countrys Defense Forces who specializes in high-value targets, demolitions, and urban warfare. Raised without knowing the identity of his father, a great CIA Operator, he was told to always hide his face, doing so with a custom helmet.

Kim Horangi Hong-jin (Beta Operator Skin Reward): A South-Korean gambler turned soldier of fortune, once assigned to the ROK Armed Forces 13th Special Mission Brigade. Expert in subduing high-value targets with extreme risk tendencies.

Darnell Hutch Hutchinson: An American college football athlete turned Marine network and data specialist. With the help of the Call of Duty Endowment, he found employment in the private cybersecurity sector after four years of active-duty service, but ultimately transitioned back once he learned of the Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command (MARFORCYBER).

Knig: An Austrian Jagdkommando within his countrys Special Forces, only known to be a mountain of a man with a sniper hood covering his face.

Rozlin Roze Helms: An American Army Ranger, who was formerly contracted by the Jackals to eliminate Al Qatala in Africa, and Shadow Company to seek order in Verdansk. Highly sought after for her proficiency in small-unit tactics and close-combat engagements, she ripped up her contract within the tumultuous company and her dark suits in early 2022 to align with SpecGru.

Salvatrice Stiletto Muselli: An Italian law enforcement officer within the Carabinieris Anti-Mafia and Anti-Drug Task Forces, notorious for her signature switchblade. A fearless urban-warfare specialist that used her experience against the Cammora to train police forces against other crime syndicates and terrorist cells, including those in Las Almas.

Sami Zero Zakaria: An Egyptian Task Force 777 Operator, part of the counter-terrorism unit within the countrys premier El-Saka Forces. His nickname comes from his journey to service: grief-stricken after surviving a nightclub attack that saw him lose his sisters, he sacrificed his opulent and privileged life for a selfless position in protecting others.

Hiro Oni Wantanabe (PlayStation Exclusive): A Japanese descendent of a centuries old samurai clan who left home as a teenager to avoid following his fathers wishes of him joining a crime syndicate. After serving abroad, he joined his countrys Special Assault Team, but was dishonorably discharged thanks to the influence and power of his father, now a leader of that same syndicate. Currently, Oni is a gun for hire who vows for justice under the old samurai code.

Weapons Weapon Platforms and the Gunsmith

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Launch Everything You Need to Know Before the New Era Begins with Campaign Early Access* - Call of Duty

A Grip on Sports: Welcome to postseason baseball, where the cons overcome the pros at least for one day – The Spokesman Review

A GRIP ON SPORTS Two three-letter words. Pro. Con. Two small words that mean so much as they relate to the Seattle Mariners. As in, The pros of Saturdays win are outweighed by the cons of Tuesdays loss. Yes, they are.

People in the Northwest have long, and short, memories. If they didnt, they wouldnt forget the long-celebrated joy of The Double was washed away by the Cleveland Indians. Or that the magnificence of the 2001 regular season only lasted a week or so in the postseason.

Baseball is like that. The only unbridled delight comes from winning the final game of the season if you make the playoffs. Otherwise, agony is the long-term result. Agony accompanied by what-ifs and should-have-dones. Thats the one truism of a sport that takes hours to play, allows multiple minutes to make decisions and breaks your heart in seconds.

Like yesterday.

For three hours or so, the Ms outplayed the 106-win Houston Astros, the same team that won 12 of 19 regular season meetings between the two and outdistanced the American League West by 16 games. Then? Poof, gone.

Two bad pitches. Two home runs in the final two innings. Seven innings of hard work washed away in a 9-8 defeat.

Baseball.

All the pros, such as Logan Gilberts mostly poised-filled first postseason start, gone. Julio Rodriguezs star turn (he had two hits including a double and a triple, two RBI and scored three times), forgotten. An inning in which the Ms hit for a cycle, immaterial.

Instead the game ends with an entire fanbase second-guessing a decision. Or decisions. And throwing blame around like flags in a late-night Pac-12 football game.

The cons are obvious. The early wasted opportunities to add on even more runs. The Andres Munoz hanging slider cmon, four in a row when a guy has a 100-miles-per-hour fastball? Alex Bregman launched into the seats. The 3-2 pitch that hit pinch-hitter David Hensley in the ninth. The 1-2 slider from Paul Sewald to Jeremy Pena that didnt slide enough and allowed the Astros best hitter, Yordan Alvarez to walk to the plate.

And the con of cons, Robbie Rays hit-me-please second pitch.

You are more than welcome to second-guess the decision to bring Ray, a starting pitcher who has struggled recently and against Houston much of the year, into the game. Second-guess whether using starters in such a situation is good or bad strategy. Second-guess whether Ray should have pitched Alvarez differently, or whether the Ms should have pitched to Alvarez at all or any of a dozen other decisions.

Thats your right as a baseball fan.

But remember this. If Alvarez had been off by a 16th of an inch, the ball doesnt land in the seats. It skies into right field, falls into Mitch Hanigers glove and everyone wonders how Scott Servais got so smart.

Baseball.

Think back 72 hours from Tuesdays heartbreak. Recall the Blue Jays fans shuffling out of the Rogers Centre on Saturday, eyes red, heads bowed, hearts cracking. Every one of them were asking themselves why. How. What. Second-guessing pitches. Second-guessing decisions. Second-guessing their decision to be fans in the first place. An hour before they left the park, they were sure sure their team would win. Not just confident. Sure.

Sound familiar?

Baseball.

The pros of making the postseason were obvious to every Mariner fan a week ago. Now the cons are too.

WSU: Hey, takeaways have another meaning in football. Not just thoughts on what just happened but key elements of any game. The Cougars want more of them. Colton Clark tells us how they are going to make that happen. Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, Dish and the conference television arm are not seeing eye-to-eye right now. Litigation has begun. Jon Wilner shares that news in the Mercury News. He also has his weekly bowl projections. Oregon State will welcome the Cougars on Saturday and will do it coming off one of the best plays of the season. There was a time not long ago when Washington was overflowing with talented defensive backs. An Oregon player hopes to be granted one more college season. Utah has some problems it needs to fix before hosting USC this Saturday. The Trojans offer a series of challenges, including Travis Dye. The practices are a little faster at Colorado. Arizona needs to bounce back against the Huskies. In basketball news, Arizona held its media day Tuesday. And we thought Tommy Lloyd was a Mariner fan. Colorado has a player who wants to honor his grandfathers legacy.

Gonzaga: Whats the saying? Iron sharpens iron? If its true, then the Bulldogs should be sharp as a razor come the end of their preseason workouts. Theo Lawson has this story on how intense the GU practices have been, and it includes a quote from Mark Few that will bring back good memories for Zag followers. Bree Salenbien is still in the process of rehabbing her injured knee. As Jim Allen tells us, the sophomore guard has yet to practice this season.

Idaho: We can pass along some looks at the Vandals from Montana sources. Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Northern Colorado is trying to put its worst game of the season behind it. UC Davis is locked in for the seasons second half.

Preps: After a long drought, the Shadle Park boys cross country team is looking forward to the postseason. Keenan Gray shares this story on the groups quest to make the State meet. Dave Nichols has a roundup of Tuesdays action.

Mariners: How many stories about the loss do you want to read? You want opinion? We have that, with Larry Stone and Matt Calkins columns from the Times. You want the nuts and bolts? We have that with Ryan Divishs game story. You want more? We have that as well. Marco Gonzales is not on the playoff roster again. We wrote about this earlier this week.

Seahawks: The Hawks are signing Bruce Irvin to the practice squad with the idea the veteran has enough left to help the leaky defense. Maybe if they had re-signed Bobby Wagner they wouldnt be in this spot.

Kraken: The captain-less Kraken will open a new season with new faces in Anaheim.

Big wins. Bad losses. Baseball has both. But damn, why do they have to happen so close to each other? The poor Mariner fans who has never experienced the postseason is getting a Masters degree in the games emotions, arent they? And in a shorter time than it takes to earn an MBA from WGU. Until later

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A Grip on Sports: Welcome to postseason baseball, where the cons overcome the pros at least for one day - The Spokesman Review

Five area volleyball teams headed to regionals – The Clanton Advertiser – Clanton Advertiser

Published 3:29 pm Friday, October 14, 2022

By Carey Reeder | Staff Writer

Five high school volleyball teams in the Chilton County area punched their tickets to the 2022 AHSAA Regionals with first or second place finishes in their respective area tournament.

Isabella High School won the Class 2A Area 8 volleyball tournament on Oct. 13 with a 3-0 win over Thorsby High School in the final. Both Chilton County schools began the area tournament in the semifinals. Isabella defeated B.B. Comer High School 3-0, and Thorsby beat Fayetteville High School 3-2 to advance to the final.

The whole team played very well, and kept their heads up and kept fighting, Thorsby coach Brittany Maddox said.

Both teams advanced to the Class 2A South Regional Tournament on Oct. 20. Isabella will take on Area 4 runner-up Ariton High School at 12:45 p.m., and Thorsby faces Area 4 winner G.W. Long High School at 11:30 a.m.

We have had a really good season, and we have been going to a lot of bigger schools for tournament trying to get the girls ready for the season, Isabella coach Kacie Adams said. They have responded really well, and I think that set them up for success in the area tournament.

Jemison High School edged Sylacauga High School 3-2, and 15-13 in the final set of the Class 5A Area 8 volleyball tournament on Oct. 12. The Panthers went on the road to Sylacauga to earn the first seed in the Class 5A South Regional Tournament with two wins. Jemison defeated Shelby County High School in straight sets in the semifinals. Jemison faces Charles Henderson High School on Oct. 19 at 10:15 a.m.

Maplesville High School took down the Class 1A Area 7 volleyball tournament on Oct. 12 at their home gym. In the first round, Verbena High School lost 3-1 to Notasulga High School to end the Red Devils season.

Notasulga moved on to face Maplesville and fell in straight sets 3-0, and the Red Devils moved onto the title game. Billingsley High School joined Maplesville in the final with a 3-0 win over Autaugaville High School. Maplesville prevailed in straight sets over Billingsley 3-0, and did not lose a single set in route to the area title.

Maplesville advances to the Class 1A South Regional Tournament where the runner-up from Area 3 Fruitdale High School awaits at 12:45 p.m. on Oct. 19. Billingsley advances to the regional tournament as well and will face Area 3 winner Leroy High School on Oct. 19 at 12:45 p.m.

Chilton County High Schools season came to an end in the Class 6A Area 5 tournament falling to Calera High School 3-1 in the semifinals.

All of the south regional volleyball tournaments will take place between Oct. 19-20 at the Montgomery Cramton Bowl Multi-Plex.

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