Daily Archives: February 1, 2022

11:55 AM ET

Joon LeeESPN

The Show is going Sho Time.

Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani will grace the cover of Sony's MLB the Show 22 video game following his historic 2021 season. Ohtani made history in the process, becoming the first Asian athlete to be featured on the cover of a video game in the United States centered around the four major sports.

Ohtani also became the first member of the Angels to be featured on the cover of of MLB: The Show.

"I was very excited about the possibility and it actually came true," Ohtani told ESPN through an interpreter. "This game has a lot of history. It's one of the only baseball games that has been out here, so it makes me want to get better on the field and live up to the hype."

Ohtani's 2021 season was formally recognized as "historically significant" when he received the commissioner's rare Historic Achievement Award this offseason, becoming the first two-way player in MLB history with more than 10 homers, 20 stolen bases while recording 100 strikeouts and more than 10 pitching appearances. Ohtani also earned the MVP award, becoming the first player in league history to be an All-Star as both a pitcher and a hitter, finishing the season hitting .257/.372/.592 with 46 homers, 100 RBIs and 4.9 bWAR as a hitter while tallying a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 156 strikeouts in 130 innings, a 9-2 record and a 4.1 bWAR as a pitcher.

Ohtani, 27, says he hopes that his presence on the cover helps bring fans to the sport.

"There's a few type of fans," Ohtani said. "I'm sure there are fans that love to play the video game, but don't actually watch the game. Then the opposite, people that watch the game but don't play the video game. I'm trying to bring back the popularity and set an example for those watching the game. Sony and San Diego Studios, they're going the other route by making a video game trying to get the game popular that way. It's a good combination, trying to bring the popularity back as a whole."

Ohtani said he was "honored" to be the first Asian athlete on the cover of The Show.

"I know I'm sure there's a lot of Asian people that don't know me yet," Ohtani said. "Hopefully by being on the cover of The Show, you get my name out there to those people who don't know me yet."

Cover stars of MLB The Show have included Miguel Cabrera, Josh Donaldson, Adrian Gonzalez, Bryce Harper, Ken Griffey Jr., Ryan Howard, Aaron Judge, Joe Mauer, Andrew McCutchen, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Yasiel Puig, David Wright, Javier Bez and Fernando Tatis Jr.

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Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani on cover of MLB the Show 22 - ESPN

Source: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

The world first glimpsed Pluto up close when NASAs New Horizons spacecraft whizzed by it in July 2015. One of the most exciting discoveries scientists made based on New Horizons data was that Pluto, despite orbiting at more than 5 billion kilometers from the Sun, may contain a liquid water ocean under its water ice surface.

This liquid water ocean has huge implications for how Pluto formed and retained enough heat to melt all that ice. In the years since the New Horizons flyby, two general formation hypotheses have emerged. The first starts with a cold Pluto, which involves Pluto forming over millions of years by the slow accretion of cold objects. This version of Pluto eventually would have coalesced enough material that radiative heating from the inside would melt the subsurface ocean. The other hypothesis involves a warm or hot Pluto, in which Pluto formed over a shorter time period in violent collisions that heated its interior, formed the ocean, and eventually cooled the planet into the majority ice ball we know today.

One clue that can help scientists understand Plutos formation is the thickness of its outer icy crust as well as the geological features that make up its surface. In a new study, McGovern et al. focused on Sputnik Planitia, a vast basin that makes up the western portion of Plutos bright heart. Sputnik Planitia formed after an impact and eventually filled in with nitrogen ice. Heat driven by convection formed cell-shaped structures in the nitrogen ice, which has captivated scientists. This basin measures 1,500 900 kilometers and features a ridge that rises 1 kilometer above the surrounding landscape. Fractures and cracks radiate from the basin like spokes on a bicycle wheel, the authors write.

These fractures and cracks are key to understanding how the nitrogen ice load affects Plutos surface, which would depend on how thick that surface is. The nitrogen ice pushes down on Plutos outer layer, or lithosphere. Depending on the thickness of the lithosphere when the nitrogen ice first flowed into the basin, different patterns of cracks would form.

The researchers ran computer models testing various starting conditions for Sputnik Planitia to find the lithosphere thickness that best fits todays geological features. They found that the lithosphere is probably 4570 kilometers thick and that the initial depth of the impact crater that forms Sputnik Planitia was probably shallow, no more than 3 kilometers deep.

McGovern and colleagues note that their finding is consistent with the hot theory of Pluto formation that posits Pluto formed via violent impacts and started out with more liquid, much of which froze over the following millennia. They also note that the stress on the outer shell created by the nitrogen ice is probably facilitating some cryovolcanism at several sites surrounding Sputnik Planitia. (Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JE006964, 2021)

JoAnna Wendel, Science Writer

Originally posted here:

Clues to Plutos History Lie in Its Faults - Eos

REACH Winter Lanterns display. Photograph courtesy of Kennedy Center.

Hello Neighbor,

Happy Lunar New Year! Wishing you and your loved ones a year of good luck and fortune! Besides the events highlighted in the newsletter below, here is an article about other ways to celebrate Lunar New Year.

For your convenience, this newsletter includes emojis to help you during these unprecedented times:

1. Happy Lunar New Year. There are a plethora of celebrations and meals to take part in. For families, consider joining in the reading of the book I Am Golden (Wed, , /, Dupont Circle) or stopping by the The REACH Winter Lanterns (ongoing, , , Kennedy Center), or grabbing a Lunar New Year ice-cream tasting flight (ongoing, $15, ).

2. Celebrating Black History Month. Join conversations with Black authors discussing how the history of American slavery is interpreted and memorialized (Tues, , ), the redemptive strength of Black joy (Thurs, , ), and one of Americas few Black master falconers (Sun, , ). The National Museum of African History and Culture is hosting a panel discussion on the triumphs and challenges of Black education (Fri, , ). For the month of February, Serenata will be hosting a variety of tastings from Black-owned spirits, wine and beer brands (starts Tues, $, /, Union Market) and cocktail classes (starts Tues, $85, ). Head to DC9 for a Big Bad Bombshell Bash for a drag show celebrating Queer Black excellence (Wed, $15, /, Shaw).

3. Learn how to cook something.

4. Take a tour of an apothecary. The Apothecary Museum in Old Town Alexandria hosts guided tours of the preserved Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop, which dates back to the 18th century (various dates, $8, , Alexandria).

5. Golden girl. Wunder Garten is hosting a Betty White (Sat, , /, Union Market) tribute dance party.

6. A yakitori-sake tasting. Toki Underground is hosting a special dinner with items such as charred eggplant in dashi; cabbage salad with nori, sesame, and bonito; yakitori (chicken and vegetable skewers); and three sake pairings (Sun, $100, /, H St.).

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of this newsletter,

Jade Womack (@clockoutdc)

Join the conversation!

Jade Womack is an energy economist by day, and an events blogger by night. She started her blog, Clockout DC, when she was moonlighting as a bartender in 2019. She grew up in Arlington, and currently lives in Adams Morgan with her dog.

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Lunar New Year, Black History Month, and Apothecary Tours: The Best Things to Do in the DC Area, 1/31-2/6 - Washingtonian

Midweek winter storm to wreak havoc from the Rockies to the Northeast

Another week, another big winter storm for the U.S. This week's storm will target a 2,000-mile swath of the nation from the Rockies to the Northeast with a nasty mix of snow, ice and rain from later Tuesday through Friday. Cities such as Denver, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, Indianapolis and Detroit are in the path of the system.Winter storm watches have already been posted for 35 million people from Texas to Michigan, the National Weather Service said. Many areas could pick up snow totals of 6 inches or more along the path of the storm, and some locations could see up to a foot or more. Meanwhile, to the south and east of the corridor of ice, soaking rain and severe thunderstorms are possible.

Tuesday marks the start of Black History Month, a federally recognized celebration of the contributions African Americans have made to the U.S. and a time to reflect on the continued struggle for racial justice. The commemorative month aims to recognize and understand major moments and figures in African American history, as well as those continuing to pioneer the way. Throughout Black History Month, USA TODAY reporters will tell the stories of those who pushed for and brought about lasting change in Black communities.

Did slavery start in 1619?

Mary Elliott of the National Museum of African American History and Culture dispels myths associated with slavery.

Jarrad Henderson, USA TODAY

More than 1 billion people across the world will celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year on Tuesday. Known also as Chinese New Year, Vietnam's Tt Nguyn n or South Korea's Seollal, Lunar New Year is celebrated over several days in many Asian countries and also in parts of the United States. It's a time for families to gather for big feasts; it's also a chance for people to put the past behind and look forward to a fresh start. "We want to send away all the bad things, evil spirits," said Xiaohua Yang, director of the China Business Studies Initiative at the University of San Francisco. In the holiday's cycle of 12 zodiac animals, this year is the Year of the Tiger a strong, hopeful beast that seems auspicious amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Chen said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are set to speak over the phone Tuesday, according to a senior State Department official.The threat of aRussian invasion has loomed over Ukraine for weeks as theformer has more than 100,000 troops alongtheborder with its southern neighbor.Russia denies it plans to attack.On Monday,Russia accused the Westof "whipping up tensions" over Ukraineas the United Nations Security Council held a meeting on Moscow's troop buildup.U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia was "attempting, without any factual basis, to paint Ukraine and Western countries as the aggressors to fabricate a pretext for attack."

Ukraine-Russia tensions: Why concerns of a Russian invasion are high

Tens of thousands of Russian troops are at the Ukraine border, leading to fears of an invasion. Here's what we know.

Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

Major League Baseball labor negotiations are scheduled to continueTuesday, about twoweeks before spring training is set to begin.Baseball'sninth work stoppage began Dec. 2 after the expiration of a five-year labor contract, and the sides did not meet again on the central economic issues until Jan. 24, when players withdrew their proposal formore liberalized free agency.Management responded the following day by withdrawing aproposal formore limited salary arbitration.Tuesday's negotiations will be the first on the central issues since then. The twosides don't agree on many economic proposals, leaving very little time to end the lockout without disrupting thescheduled start of spring training workouts on Feb. 16.

Hall of shame: Selfish baseball writers have ruined Cooperstown

Andy Nesbitt explains how baseball writers' grudges of the past have tarnished the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sports Seriously, USA TODAY

Contributing: The Associated Press

Excerpt from:

Black History Month, another winter storm, Lunar New Year: 5 things to know Tuesday - USA TODAY

Historical records show it's believed to be one of the first fire stations in the country that was owned and operated entirely by African Americans.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. In 1948, a group of African American men changed the course of local Black history in Princess Anne County, what is now currently the City of Virginia Beach.

These men stood up. They took the challenge to support themselves," local historian Edna Hawkins-Hendrix told 13News Now.

After World War II, more than a dozen men came together to form the Seatack Volunteer Fire Department to serve the Seatack area of the county, then a thriving African American community. The intended goal was to not rely on other white fire stations in the area and save on a $50 fee that a nearby Virginia Beach fire station charged for calls outside the Beach Borough.

Based on historical records of the station's history, it's believed to be one of the first fire stations in the country that was owned and operated entirely by African Americans.

Hawkins-Hendrix says what makes Station 12 stand out is that it was not only staffed by Black firefighters, but they were also in charge of the station, too.

The City of Norfolk had a fire station manned by African Americans, but the city owned it. The city owned that particular fire station," Hawkins-Hendrix said.

She added that historical milestones like this at the local level, are just as important as more well-known national stories from the Civil Rights era.

It is one of the earliest Black-owned fire stations in the United States. I will say 'among,' just in case another comes up.

Catch the full piece of history, on 13News Now this Thursday at 6.

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Changing history | Remembering Virginia Beach's Station 12, one of the first Black-owned fire departments in the United States - 13newsnow.com WVEC

The Phoenix Suns won their 10th straight game Sunday, cementing Monty Williams' spot as head coach of the NBA All-Star Game's Team LeBron as he leads the top squad in the Western Conference. The 40-9 Suns sit atop the NBA, ahead of the West rival Golden State Warriors, who own the league's second-best record at 37-13.

The Warriors boast two All-Stars who will make the trip to Cleveland, as Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins were named starters on Thursday.

The head coach of Team Durant is still up in the air, as the Eastern Conference race remains tight. The Miami Heat are No. 1 in the standings, half a game ahead of the Chicago Bulls. The Philadelphia 76ers are 1.5 games back of the top spot, while the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks are each two games back, just half a game in front of the Brooklyn Nets.

While the Warriors and Suns have a hold on the West, the East race will continue to play out ahead of the Feb. 10 trade deadline.

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

1. Phoenix Suns2021-22 record: 40-9Previous ranking: 1

With their win at Utah on Wednesday, the Suns completed their second 8-0 run in road games in a calendar month this season. (They also went 8-0 on the road in November.) According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Phoenix became the first team in NBA history to go 8-0 or better on the road in multiple calendar months in a single season. Also, at 16-0 in November and 13-1 in January, Phoenix becomes the only team this season with a winning percentage of over .900 in two different months. In fact, no other team has done that once. -- Lopez

2. Golden State Warriors2021-22 record: 37-13Previous ranking: 2

The Warriors completed a 6-1 homestand with a win over the Nets on Saturday. The fact that Golden State did it without Draymond Green, who is still dealing with a disk issue in his back, and with Stephen Curry still in the midst of a shooting slump (just 36.9% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc in January) makes it that much more impressive. -- Friedell

3. Memphis Grizzlies2021-22 record: 35-17Previous ranking: 3

2 Related

Ja Morant, voted in as a starter for his first All-Star selection, is in the midst of the best scoring binge in Memphis franchise history. He has scored at least 30 points in six straight games, the longest such streak by a Grizzlies player, and he had the highest-scoring triple-double in franchise history with 30 points in Friday's win over the Jazz. Morant has scored 400 points in January -- the most in any month by a Grizzly -- and still has a game to go.-- MacMahon

4. Miami Heat2021-22 record: 32-18Previous ranking: 4

Miami dropped a triple-overtime thriller to the Raptors on Saturday, but the Heat should be able to keep their strong momentum rolling into February, given how well Jimmy Butler is playing. The 32-year-old swingman is averaging 26.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists over his past four games. -- Friedell

5. Philadelphia 76ers2021-22 record: 30-19Previous ranking: 7

As Joel Embiid continues to dominate -- and now has become the favorite to win this year's NBA Most Valuable Player Award -- the wait is on to see if the 76ers will do anything with Ben Simmons between now and the trade deadline. When Embiid plays this season, Philadelphia is 27-11 -- and that's with Simmons sidelined. -- Bontemps

6. Milwaukee Bucks2021-22 record: 31-21Previous ranking: 5

Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has made a strong case to be named an All-Star reserve later this week. Holiday's numbers have been consistent in his second year in Milwaukee, with averages of 17.9 points, 6.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds. But the Bucks are playing at a much higher level when he is on the floor, outscoring teams by 13.9 points per 100 possessions as compared to when he sits. -- Collier

7. Chicago Bulls2021-22 record: 31-18Previous ranking: 6

DeMar DeRozan will become the first Bulls player to start the All-Star game since 2017, but he almost certainly will not be heading to Cleveland alone. Teammate Zach LaVine could be named an All-Star reserve this week, giving the Bulls a pair of All-Stars for the first time since Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol in 2015-16. -- Collier

8. Denver Nuggets2021-22 record: 28-21Previous ranking: 12

Nikola Jokic was already putting up eye-popping MVP numbers, but now the Nuggets are backing up his campaign to repeat with the wins. Denver has won five straight games, a streak that includes decisions over Brooklyn and Milwaukee. Jokic has five triple-doubles in his past nine outings. Denver's streak will be put to the test this week with a tough back-to-back at Minnesota and Utah. Michael Malone and the Nuggets deserve a ton of credit for being in the top five in the West without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. -- Youngmisuk

9. Dallas Mavericks2021-22 record: 29-22Previous ranking: 9

Luka Doncic didn't receive any media votes to be an All-Star starter, but if his recent performance is a sign of what's to come the rest of the season, he will get plenty of All-NBA votes again after being a first-team selection the past two years. Doncic, who sources tell ESPN has dropped about 15 pounds during the season, has averaged 30 points, 9.9 rebounds and 9.3 assists over the past seven games. -- MacMahon

10. Cleveland Cavaliers2021-22 record: 30-20Previous ranking: 11

It was the best of times: The Cavs beat defending champion Milwaukee by 16 on Wednesday for their eighth win in nine games at the time. It was the worst of times: The Cavs, with three days off following the Bucks win, lost by 10 to a Pistons team with the second-worst record in the league on Sunday. -- McMenamin

11. Brooklyn Nets2021-22 record: 29-20Previous ranking: 10

Brooklyn has had its superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden together for a little over a year. Remarkably, they have only played 10 regular-season games together for a grand total of 234 regular-season minutes, including just 32 this season. Those numbers won't change for another several weeks, either, as Durant remains out with an MCL sprain. -- Bontemps

12. Utah Jazz2021-22 record: 30-21Previous ranking: 8

January has been a miserable month for the Jazz, who have lost 11 of the past 13 games. COVID-19 has swept through the roster and coaching staff, hitting coach Quin Snyder on Sunday. Their franchise cornerstones, Rudy Gobert (strained calf) and Donovan Mitchell (concussion), have missed the past several contests. And Joe Ingles, a critical part of the Jazz's success in recent years on and off the court, is feared to have suffered a serious knee injury Sunday night. -- MacMahon

13. Charlotte Hornets2021-22 record: 28-23Previous ranking: 13

Wednesday, Feb. 2Grizzlies at Knicks, 7:30 p.m.Nuggets at Jazz, 10 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 476ers at Mavericks, 10 p.m.

All times Eastern

Charlotte had a 2-2 week but got blown out at home by an undermanned Clippers team on Sunday. The recurring issue for the Hornets remains the same: Are they going to have enough defensively to push them into the postseason? They have given up an average of 119.2 points over their past five games. -- Friedell

14. Toronto Raptors2021-22 record: 24-23Previous ranking: 14

While Toronto won a thrilling game in Miami in triple-overtime Saturday night, it was another reminder of the heavy minutes the team's leading performers are playing each night. Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are first, second and third in minutes per game this season, while rookie Scottie Barnes is 12th. At some point, Toronto might have to be concerned about the strain that's putting on them. For now, though, the Raptors will be content with continuing to move up the East standings. -- Bontemps

15. Atlanta Hawks2021-22 record: 24-25Previous ranking: 21

Atlanta ran its win streak to seven games on Sunday with a comeback victory over the Lakers. The Hawks also got a boost in the fourth quarter from Onyeka Okongwu, who scored 12 of his 16 points in the final frame. In 17 games this season, Okongwu is averaging 9.7 points and six rebounds on 74.4% shooting; he hasn't shot below 50% from the field in any game. -- Lopez

16. Boston Celtics2021-22 record: 26-25Previous ranking: 17

While it's been a second straight frustrating season in Boston, one thing that Celtics fans should be genuinely excited about is the play of Robert Williams III. The fourth-year center, whom the Celtics signed to a contract extension before the season, has taken a significant step forward this season -- in his play and because he has been able to stay on the court. He gives Boston a third critical player to build around, along with stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. -- Bontemps

17. Minnesota Timberwolves2021-22 record: 25-25Previous ranking: 15

A key component to the Timberwolves' success this season: forcing turnovers. Minnesota forces opponents into approximately 17 turnovers per game, which leads the NBA. The Wolves have caused at least 10 turnovers in 46 straight games. -- Collier

18. LA Clippers2021-22 record: 26-26Previous ranking: 19

No Kawhi Leonard. No Paul George. And yet the Clippers not only remain in the West playoff race with a 26-26 record, they've proved beyond any doubt they will continue to fight no matter what the odds are. Ty Lue's team has won three of its past four, including coming back from 35 down to stun the Wizards in Washington on Tuesday. During this month alone, the Clippers have won three games after coming back from 24 or more down, becoming the first team to win three such games in the past 25 seasons. Luke Kennard is playing like the versatile guard that the Clippers envisioned when they gave him a four-year, $64 million deal in 2020. The team's chemistry is growing, and the Clippers' defense has been stingy, holding high-scoring Charlotte to 90 points on Sunday. The Clips will end their eight-game road trip on Monday in Indiana, before returning home to face the Lakers on Thursday.-- Youngmisuk

19. Los Angeles Lakers2021-22 record: 24-27Previous ranking: 16

Russell Westbrook's play picked up considerably after being benched late in the game against Indiana. Since the controversial substitution, Westbrook has averaged 22 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 3.7 turnovers in six games. The highlight of the stretch was his 35 points without LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Charlotte, nearly taking down the Hornets sans his cohorts. -- McMenamin

20. Washington Wizards2021-22 record: 23-26Previous ranking: 18

Things are unraveling in Washington. All those feel-good wins to start the season have been replaced by serious doubt and frustration. The Wizards have lost five straight games, including suffering one of the worst defeats in franchise history when Washington blew a 35-point lead at home to the Paul George-less Clippers on Tuesday. The frustration was palpable after that debacle. The Wizards have a lot of players fighting for minutes and new contracts, and they aren't on the same page right now. And it's only getting harder. Washington's next five games are at Milwaukee, at Philadelphia and at home against Phoenix, Miami and Brooklyn. -- Youngmisuk

21. New York Knicks2021-22 record: 23-27Previous ranking: 20

It's gone from bad to worse in New York, where Cam Reddish remains exiled to the end of the bench and the Knicks have now lost six of their past seven. Home games against Sacramento and Memphis to begin the week will be followed by a five-game West Coast trip through the Feb. 10 trade deadline. What will the Knicks look like when they return home? -- Bontemps

22. Portland Trail Blazers2021-22 record: 21-29Previous ranking: 22

After a stretch that saw them win six of eight games and get healthier, the Blazers have stumbled again. Portland has lost three of the past four games, including blowout losses at the hands of Dallas and Chicago. Still, Portland hovers at the 10th spot in the West. It will be interesting to see what the Blazers do as the trade deadline approaches. -- Youngmisuk

23. New Orleans Pelicans2021-22 record: 18-31Previous ranking: 23

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Already without Zion Williamson (foot) for the entire season so far, the Pelicans have struggled without Brandon Ingram in the lineup. New Orleans is 16-20 in games Ingram has played but 2-11 in games he sits. The Pelicans' 3-point shooting has suffered, as they are 28-of-118 (23.7%) from deep in the past four games. Ingram has missed all of them with a sprained right ankle. -- Lopez

24. San Antonio Spurs2021-22 record: 19-32Previous ranking: 26

While the Spurs sit toward the bottom of the league in 3-pointers made, forward Keldon Johnson's shooting this season has been a bright spot. Johnson was 13-of-22 on treys as a rookie in limited action during the 2019-20 season, but his shooting rate dipped to 33.1% a season ago. This season, he is trending in the right direction, shooting 43.7% (86-of-197), which is fourth in the league among qualified players. -- Lopez

25. Indiana Pacers2021-22 record: 18-33Previous ranking: 24

After missing a week with a sprained ankle, Domantas Sabonis has picked up right where he left off, missing out on a triple-double in consecutive games by two assists during a back-to-back this weekend. He still averaged 22.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1.5 blocks and a steal in his first two games back. -- Collier

26. Sacramento Kings2021-22 record: 18-33Previous ranking: 25

Twenty-five years ago, a disgruntled star was traded from an East Coast team to Sacramento and ushered in the greatest era in Kings history. Ben Simmons will not pull a Chris Webber to celebrate the silver anniversary of the franchise-changing deal, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported this week, as the Kings have pulled out of the Simmons sweepstakes. -- McMenamin

27. Oklahoma City Thunder2021-22 record: 14-34Previous ranking: 28

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be sidelined at least through the All-Star break after spraining his right ankle during Friday's overtime loss to the Pacers. With the Thunder early in a rebuild -- and eyeing the elite frontcourt talent at the top of the next draft class -- count on them being extremely patient with their 23-year-old star's recovery. OKC is 30-48 when Gilgeous-Alexander plays and 6-36 without him over the past two campaigns. -- MacMahon

28. Houston Rockets2021-22 record: 14-35Previous ranking: 27

Rookie Jalen Green, the 2021 No. 2 overall draft pick, is battling through another really rough stretch. He is shooting 33.3% from the floor and 24.7% from 3-point range in January. That includes going 7-of-38 from the floor during the Rockets' current three-game losing streak, missing all 11 of his shots in a loss to the Warriors. Coach Stephen Silas wants Green to stay aggressive as he goes through growing pains, praising the rookie for earning nine free throws in Friday's loss to the Trail Blazers. -- MacMahon

29. Detroit Pistons2021-22 record: 12-37Previous ranking: 29

Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham scored 34 points with eight rebounds, eight assists and four blocks against the Nuggets this week, becoming the first rookie to record that stat line since Michael Jordan in 1984-85, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Cunningham, however, is two years younger than Jordan was when he put up those numbers. -- Collier

30. Orlando Magic2021-22 record: 11-40Previous ranking: 30

Orlando has won three of its past four games and appears to have found a little rhythm. Forward Chuma Okeke has had a solid run over his past two games, combining for 36 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in wins over the Pistons and Mavericks. -- Friedell

View original post here:

NBA Power Rankings, Week 16 - Philadelphia 76ers are climbing in the Eastern Conference - ESPN

Published: January 31, 2022 Author: Staff reports

The Contemporary History Institute will host a conversation on voting rights in the United States with Ohio University historians Katherine Jellison and Kim Little on Thursday, Feb. 10, from noon to 1 p.m. via Teams.

Voting rights as well as access and barriers to the polls have been in the news almost daily since the run-up to the 2020 election. These issues are raising questions such as:

These questions are not new in the 21st century. The right to vote was far from universal for adult Americans for the first century and a half of U.S. history. African American men gained the right to vote with the ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870, but barriers to access to the polls remained for at least another century.

Women did not gain the right to vote until the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. The federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 seemed to be the culmination of a progressive evolution toward universal access to the polls for U.S. citizens, and the 26th Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

The speakers at the Feb. 10 event will discuss if current public discourse and partisan debates mirror the often sharp disagreements at these earlier inflection points.

Jellison, Ph.D., will start off by talking about the suffrage movement around the turn of the 20th century, bringing out the problems for women of color in actually exercising their right to vote. She is professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Central Region Humanities Center.

Little, Ph.D., will follow up with a discussion of the voting rights wing of the civil rights coalition in the 1960s, paying specific attention to Freedom Summer and the resistance activists faced from white southerners. Little is professor of instruction and associate director of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Both speakers will join in a brief commentary regarding contemporary restrictions on the Voting Rights Act before opening the event up to questions.

Read more:

Contemporary History Institute to host conversation on voting rights on Feb. 10 - Ohio University

Stephen J. Davis

Stephen J. Davis, who studies ancient and medieval Christianity with a focus on the eastern Mediterranean, has been appointed the Woolsey Professor of Religious Studies and Professor of History, effective immediately.

Davis is a member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) in the Department of Religious Studies and the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations.

His work illuminates the history of Christianity in the Mediterranean, particularly in Egypt, through critical engagement with ancient texts and material cultures. Davis has authored five monographs. The first of these was The Cult of St. Thecla (2001), which reconstructed the role that communities of women played in early Christian piety. In The Early Coptic Papacy (2004) and Coptic Christology in Practice (2008), Davis deepened his study of the institutions, theologies, and religious practices of Christians in Egypt. His book, Christ Child: Cultural Memories of a Young Jesus (2014), a finalist for the American Academy of Religion Book Award for Excellence, presents a history of interpretation related to the so-called Infancy Gospel of Thomas, drawing on sociologies of cultural memory to situate stories about the childhood of Jesus in the context of medieval Jewish-Christian and Christian-Muslim encounter. Daviss most recent monograph, Monasticism: A Very Short Introduction (2018), explores monastic practice in a global historical context from antiquity to the present day. Davis is also principal editor and author of the multi-volume Catalogue of Coptic and Arabic Manuscripts in Dayr al-Suryan (2020), which has made a previously undocumented medieval monastic library accessible to researchers, a generational contribution to scholarship that has opened up new possibilities for future work on a major archive. He has also published dozens of articles on early Christian archaeology, monasticism, pilgrimage, the cult of the saints, and the history of biblical interpretation.

Davis is founder and executive director of the Yale Monastic Archaeology Project (YMAP), which has sponsored survey, excavation, analysis, and cultural heritage management at several ancient Coptic monasteries in Egypt. The project has garnered more than $1.5 million in external and internal funding. In addition, Davis is founding editor-in-chief of Christian Arabic Texts in Translation and is author or co-editor of five book-length editions and/or translations based on Coptic and Arabic texts. He has also co-edited two volumes of essays and has served as an editorial board member for leading journals and book series in the field. In recognition of his global stature as a scholar, Davis has been invited to speak at Harvard, the University of Chicago, Brown, Vanderbilt, and New York University, as well as several international institutions, including Oxford University and the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitt in Frankfurt. He has held major research grants from the American Research Center in Egypt, the National Geographic Society, the Dumbarton Oaks Library and Collection, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Davis is currently the Head of Pierson College and has a distinguished record of service at Yale. He was Chair of the Council of Heads of College from 2015 to 2018, has served terms as Director of Undergraduate Studies and Graduate Studies in the Department of Religious Studies, and has been on numerous university-wide committees. He teaches courses that introduce students to new perspectives on religious history, exploring and connecting communities around the world through the interdisciplinary study of sites and sources.

He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Princeton, a masters degree from Duke, and his Ph.D. from Yale.

Continued here:

Davis named Woolsey Professor of Religious Studies and Professor of History - Yale News

This event honors the Black history of the community and reflects upon the history of Black leaders and community members.

The theme this year is "Hidden Figures: Celebrating Our Unsung Heroes," aimed at recognizing and celebrating community leaders whose efforts often fly under the radar.

"Perhaps they helped someone go through a tragic incident like a fire, or inspired others through motivational speaking," said Celeste Peoples-Gibbons, president of The City of Tampa Black History Committee. "We just want to make sure they are honored, and we want to be able to say, 'Thank you.'"

This event also launches the 2022 The City of Tampa Black History Committee Inc. Scholarship Program, which provides opportunities for African American high school seniors, as well as students who will be attending a vocational or technical school, to apply.

"We know that a traditional college isn't for everyone," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said. "Ensuring that scholarship money is available to students who are looking to go to a trade or technical school is critical. The City of Tampa Black History Committee Inc. has truly gone above and beyond providing support to ambitious, hardworking students preparing to enter the workforce."

To date, The City of Tampa Black History Committee Inc. has awarded nearly $275,000 in scholarship money to students. This year, it is aiming to hit the $300,000 mark.

Guests will hear from the keynote speaker, ESPN sports commentator Tiffany Greene. She is the first African American woman to serve as a play-by-play commentator for college football on ESPN.

Delia Dangerfield, news reporter at Spectrum News 9, will serve as mistress of ceremonies.

Entertainment will be provided by NJ Ladyfingers, a local jazz group.

This event is free and open to the public.

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Unsung Heroes Celebrated At 34th Black History Event In Tampa - Patch.com

It is the simplest of propositions, something we've all done since childhood.

Flip a coin.

Yet this simple act literally a 50-50 proposition plays a big role in the single biggest sporting event in North America.

Here is everything you need to know about the history of the pregame coin flip in the Super Bowl heading into this season's showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. The Big Game will take place on Feb. 13 in Inglewood, Calif. (with all NFL odds via FOX Bet).

For more, from the Super Bowl opening lines to gambling-friendly schedules featuring live, updating odds to expert analysis and the day's most-bet games, check out the all-new "NFL Odds" section on the FOX Sports App and FOXSports.com!

The pregame coin flip is the purest of all sports bets. No +/- to account for underdogs/favorites, no 10% vigorish to the books when you place your wager at FOX Bet.

History does not have any influence on the upcoming coin toss. And, the result of the coin toss in last season's Super Bowl has no bearing on this year's coin flip.

Heads: +100

Tails: +100

"We love this market as it allows even the most recreational bettor to have a market they can understand and get involved in," said Jacob Blangsted-Barnor, FOX Bet content integration specialist. "Not to mention it's settled before the game even starts, allowing bettors to place live bets if they have some coin toss winnings, which is great for all involved."

FOX Bet sports trader AJ Devine said 52% of bettors are on tails, 48% are on heads.

Based on recent history, winning the coin toss in the Super Bowl does not end well for that team. The loser of the coin toss has won the previous seven Super Bowls. The winner of the coin toss has lost the game 31 times.

And while winning the coin toss might be a bad omen for a team fighting to win the Super Bowl, does a team have better luck with heads or with tails?

Like the tote board next to the roulette wheel that shows the results of previous spins, here are the coin toss results for previous Super Bowls. So for those keeping score at home, the coin flip has landed on tails 29 times and on heads 26 times. So maybe the old phrase, "tails never fails," is sort of true kind of maybe when it comes to the winning team of the coin toss?

It seems 52% of bettors at FOX Bet hope so.

Super Bowl LV (2021): Heads, ChiefsSuper Bowl LIV (2020): Tails, 49ersSuperBowl LIII (2019): Tails, RamsSuper Bowl LII (2018): Heads, PatriotsSuper Bowl LI (2017): Tails, FalconsSuper Bowl 50 (2016): Tails, PanthersSuper Bowl XLIX (2015):Tails, SeahawksSuper Bowl XLVIII (2014): Tails, Seahawks-xSuperBowl XLVII (2013): Heads, Ravens-xSuper Bowl XLVI (2012): Heads, PatriotsSuper Bowl XLV (2011): Heads,Packers-xSuper Bowl XLIV (2010): Heads,Saints-xSuper Bowl XLIII (2009):Heads,CardinalsSuper Bowl XLII (2008): Tails, Giants-xSuperBowl XLI (2007): Heads, BearsSuper Bowl XL (2006): Tails, SeahawksSuper Bowl XXXIX (2005): Tails, EaglesSuper Bowl XXXVIII (2004):Tails, PanthersSuper Bowl XXXVII (2003):Tails, Buccaneers-xSuper Bowl XXXVI (2002): Heads, RamsSuperBowl XXXV (2001): Tails, GiantsSuper Bowl XXXIV (2000): Tails, Rams-xSuper Bowl XXXIII (1999): Tails, FalconsSuper Bowl XXXII (1998):Tails, PackersSuper Bowl XXXI (1997): Heads, PatriotsSuper Bowl XXX (1996): Tails, Cowboys-xSuper Bowl XXIX (1995): Heads, 49ers-xSuper Bowl XXVIII (1994): Tails, Cowboys-xSuper Bowl XXVII (1993): Heads, BillsSuper Bowl XXVI (1992): Heads, Washington Football Team-xSuper Bowl XXV (1991): Heads, BillsSuper Bowl XXIV (1990): Heads, BroncosSuper Bowl XXIII (1989): Tails, 49ers-xSuper Bowl XXII (1988): Heads, Washington Football Team-xSuper Bowl XXI (1987): Tails, BroncosSuper Bowl XX (1986): Tails, Bears-xSuper Bowl XIX (1985): Tails, 49ers-xSuper Bowl XVIII (1984): Heads, Raiders-xSuper Bowl XVII (1983): Tails, DolphinsSuper Bowl XVI (1982): Tails, 49ers-xSuper Bowl XV (1981): Tails, EaglesSuper Bowl XIV (1980): Heads, RamsSuper Bowl XIII (1979): Heads, CowboysSuper Bowl XII (1978): Heads, Cowboys-xSuper Bowl XI (1977): Tails, Raiders-xSuper Bowl X (1976): Heads, CowboysSuper Bowl IX (1975): Tails, Steelers-xSuper Bowl VIII (1974): Heads, Dolphins-xSuper Bowl VII (1973): Heads, Dolphins-xSuper Bowl VI (1972): Heads, DolphinsSuper Bowl V (1971): Tails, CowboysSuper Bowl IV (1970): Tails, VikingsSuper Bowl III (1969): Heads, Jets-xSuper Bowl II (1968): Tails, RaidersSuper Bowl I (1967): Heads, Packers-x

*X denotes the coin flip and eventual Super Bowl winner

PROP BETS

Lastly, if you're looking for something else in addition to the coin flip and the game itself to wager on, FOX Bet has already posted player and team props for Super Bowl LVI, as well. Here are just a few of the biggest ones:

Joe Burrow passing yards over/under: 275.5 yards

Matthew Stafford passing yards over/under: 275.5 yards

Cooper Kupp to score a TD: -154

Ja'Marr Chase to score a TD: -105

Joe Mixon to score a TD: -105

Odell Beckham Jr. to score a TD: +155

Play FOX Super 6 every week for your chance to win thousands of dollars every week. Just download the Super 6 app and make your picks today!

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Super Bowl 2022 odds: Coin toss prop bet lines and betting history - FOXSports.com