Monthly Archives: March 2022

Atlanta United had perhaps a little too much trouble getting past a pointless Charlotte FC last week but it has another chance of prolonging a winless run in Week 4 when CF Montreal visits the Benz. The Canadian side has three losses from three in regular-season play, though it did make it to the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals. Its the type of game Atlanta should win, but as we saw a week ago, the Five Stripes are prone to inconsistency.

After missing out on the playoffs in 2021 by two points, Montreal avenged itself with a Canadian Championship trophy in Wilfried Nancys debut campaign. The Quebec side brought back almost all of last seasons core and added Nashville defender Alistair Johnston in the offseason. Though things haven't gone to plan in domestic play, Montreal has started the season with one of the toughest schedules in the league to go along with CCL action. Montreal fell to road losses to Orlando and NYCFC, with a home defeat to Philadelphia sandwiched in between. Its CCL journey has fared much better, as Nancys side knocked out Liga MX side Santos Laguna 3-1 on aggregate before a quarterfinal matchup with Cruz Azul.

Now that its international commitments are put aside, Montreal will put its full focus on MLS just in time for Atlanta. Romell Quioto and Djordje Mihailovic are the main danger men and combined for 12 goals and 18 assists last season. They already have a combined two goals and three assists so far, albeit the majority of which came in CCL. Montreals real problems come in defense, as its been outscored 10-2 across its first three MLS games. Atlanta showed it has no problems creating chances against Charlotte, but the Five Stripes finishing needs some work and Montreal is the perfect opportunity for the good guys to find its scoring boots.

Atlantas 2-1 win over Charlotte was the result we all predicted/expected but didnt quite come in the desired fashion. The Five Stripes needed a last-gasp Jake Mulraney winner to take the three points after a less-than-inspiring performance. Despite similar records, Montreal will mount a much tougher test than Charlotte and Atlanta will have to take it up a gear to make it three home wins from three.

Previous Results

Atlanta has a 5W-2T-2L advantage in the all-time record against Montreal and split last seasons three meetings evenly.

Predicted Starting XIs

Prediction: Atlanta United 3-1 CF Montreal

Josef Martinez will follow up his opening goal of 2021 with a brace against Montreal from a pair of Marcelino Moreno assists before Thiago Almada comes off the bench to seal the victory. Montreal will make things interesting with a Quioto strike but it wont be enough to keep Atlanta from closing the curtains on March with a W.

Continued here:

Atlanta United vs CF Montreal: Match Preview - Dirty South Soccer

Finally recording a new episode of Onto Waveland (its the podcast I do with Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney) after months of being locked out (not literally, but, well, effectively), and then a week of trying to coordinate schedules of people in three different time zones covering different aspects of the sport exploding back into life. Itll be good to get back on the mic. If you want to check it out, our regular schedule will resume soon twice a week and you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

Jason Heyward is willing to move to center field to accommodate Seiya Suzuki, who is believed to be best deployed in right field:

I think thats a fine and admirable offer sincere, too but there are a couple things to keep in mind. For one, Heyward would have to get back to actually hitting righties well in order to justify even thinking about keeping him semi-regularly in the lineup against righties in center field (where you could otherwise deploy, for example, Rafael Ortega, who destroyed righties last year). For another thing, Heyward hasnt played any center field since 2019, and he rated out a little below average. If he could still be a little below average out there, that would probably be fine from a defensive perspective (Ortega and Ian Happ, as other options against righties, wouldnt necessarily be better defensively), but I dont know after three more years of aging.

That is all to say: good to know that Heyward might be a part-time option in center field for the Cubs, but it should be considered far from a sure thing that, even if Suzuki is the regular right fielder, Heyward is the best option against righties in center field. (And against lefties, you DEFINITELY wouldnt want Heyward in there, both because he hasnt hit lefties in years and years, but also because thats where Id like to see Michael Hermosillo getting every start, if he makes the team.)

Cubs reliever David Robertson, one of MANY new additions this week, on signing with the Cubs (Cubs.com): Its a good fit for me. Its a strong team. Its a great city. Ive lived in Chicago before. I just thought that I could mix in here and probably pick up some late innings in the back end of this pen. They were very convincing.

To that point, Robertson is one of many theoretical back-end options for the Cubs in the early part of the season. I tend to think David Ross is not going to NAME A CLOSER to open the season, but instead there will be a couple guys who might get the 9th depending on how the game has shaken loose, with a particular deference to one guy or the other. Robertson obviously has closing experience, albeit pre-injury and a bit in the past. Mychal Givens has done some closing over the last few years. Rowan Wick has closer stuff. I think Manny Rodriguez, if he makes the big league team, will work in earlier innings. Chris Martin is more of a middle/setup type. Keegan Thompson, I would argue, could have the stuff to be dominant in a one-inning role, but he might be even more valuable to the Cubs in a multi-inning role. This is just gonna have to shake loose over time.

Speaking of which, FanGraphs looked at a trio of Cubs recent relief signings Robertson, Givens, and Daniel Norris and I think appropriately sums up the hey, they could be good or maybe not but lets find out nature of not only these signings, but the entire 2022 Cubs enterprise. Among their comments:

Will his control rebound enough to put together another solid season? I have no idea, and the Cubs probably dont either. But he might be great, and hell certainly be serviceable, and if things work out well he might fetch a prospect at the trade deadline.

Robertson is even more of an enigma. After a long string of effective years of relief, things have fallen apart for him recently. He blew his elbow out in 2019, missed all of 2020 rehabbing, and only got a major league job after pitching well for Team USA at the Olympics. He struck out 32% of his opponents in a brief stint in Tampa Bay, threw four scoreless innings in the postseason, and hit free agency.

Robertson lives or dies with his cutter, which he throws 75% of the time. He complements it with a two-plane curveball that hitters simply cant pick up; the pitch sports a career 20.6% swinging strike rate, which is downright outrageous. At 36, hes one elbow injury or velocity decline away from looking quite ordinary but he looked excellent last year, and the money is certainly right from Chicagos side to take a chance on him and see what they find.

Givens walked 12.5% of his opponents between stops in Colorado and Cincinnati last year, and looks far removed from his peak years in Baltimore. But stop me if youve heard this before he still throws hard, and his fastball/slider/changeup pitch mix gives him the tools to attack lefties and righties, and he misses a ton of bats when hes right. Will he be good this year? I have absolutely no idea. But if the alternative was some non-roster invitees and career minor leaguers, I like the idea of trying to catch lightning in a bottle with three pitchers who have shown they can put up good numbers at the major league level.

If you want to get into sports betting during the NCAA Tournament, make sure to check out the best March Madness promos weve collected right here.

Scott Effross throws wiffleballs out there, with his sinker and his slider pairing together perfectly, each breaking hard in opposite directions. Heres the slider from yesterday:

Trevor Bauers administrative leave has been extended through April 16. I understand there is an investigation ongoing by MLB, but at some point the league has to stop punting and just issue its decision/punishment. Whenever that does happen, it seems pretty likely it will be retroactive (i.e., Bauer will have already served his suspension from last July through whenever), and then the clock will immediately start ticking on what the Dodgers decide to do.

In other words, Rick Hahn made it pretty plain last fall that the White Sox were going to trade Craig Kimbrel, but then, well, things happened:

It still seems possible that a Kimbrel trade will come together over the next couple weeks, maybe especially after Kenley Jansen signs. Kimbrel, man. Dude has had ONE normal-ish Spring Training in the last four years.

A significant case about minor league pay and jobs continues to wind its way through the courts in California (appeals will be forthcoming), and there could also be legislation in the state that aims to blow up the whole developmental system:

It seems highly likely to me that, if that bill were actually made law in California, MLB organizations would pull their minor league teams out of the state rather than risk losing their minor league players after just four years (compared to every other org, which would get upwards of seven years). Still, this is definitely worth tracking now.

This is a pretty interesting random data pull:

Inflatable mattresses, puzzle boxes, eye masks, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. #ad

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Heyward Willing to Play CF, Who Closes for the Cubs, Bauer, Minors Lawsuit, and Other Cubs Bullets - bleachernation.com

In February 2022, Color Star's subsidiary, Color Sky Entertainment Limited, and Villarreal CF, which is known as the "Yellow Submarine", formally reached a partnership agreement to begin their footballing journey together. In this Champions League Round of 16 match, Villarreal CF won the match with superb tactical acumen and footballing ability.

Color Star's CEO, Lucas Capetian announced: "We've stuck together like a family since the first day of our partnership and I'd like to congratulate Yellow Submarine for their great success. I am really proud of the team and extend them my best wishes for the rest of Championship. We anticipate further strengthening our partnership and to even greater achievements in the future."

About Color Star Technology

Color Star Technology Co, Ltd. (Nasdaq: CSCW) is an entertainment and education company that provides online entertainment performances and online music education services. Its business operations are conducted through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Color China Entertainment Ltd. and CACM Group NY, Inc. The Company's online education is provided through its Color World music and entertainment education platform. More information about the Company can be found at http://www.colorstarinternational.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as "may," "will," "intend," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate" or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantee of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the Company's goals and strategies; the Company's future business development, including the development of the metaverse project; product and service demand and acceptance; changes in technology; economic conditions; the growth of the educational and training services market internationally where CSCW conducts its business; reputation and brand; the impact of competition and pricing; government regulations; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available for review at http://www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forwardlooking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof unless required by applicable laws, regulations or rules.

SOURCE Color Star Technology Co., Ltd.

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As Villarreal CF Reaches Champions League Quarter Finals, Color Star Technology Invites the World to Witness Footballing Glory - PR Newswire

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Two offseasons ago, the Mets changed their conditioning recommendations, urging players to complete their cardiovascular work before hitting the weight room. It was a minor tweak based upon the science of injury prevention, but Brandon Nimmo found it productive for another reason.

It was harder, Nimmo said.

At least partially because of that program, Nimmo came into Spring Training in 2021 feeling faster than ever before. And it wasnt just a feeling. By seasons end, Nimmos Statcast data revealed that he had increased his average sprint speed to 28.9 feet per second, the highest mark of his career and up significantly from his 28.0 feet per second in 2020. With that as a pedestal, Nimmo also improved from -4 Outs Above Average in center field in 2020 to +4 OAA in 2021.

Thanks to that speed, Nimmo was able to play deeper in center field, preventing more balls from going over his head without sacrificing those in front of him. He even became a frequent source of highlights, often diving straight forward to catch line drives.

Im really proud of it, Nimmo said, and want to continue that as long as possible.

Soon, Nimmo will find out if the Mets intend to let him. The team has a choice this spring between Nimmo and new acquisition Starling Marte, a two-time Gold Glover in left field who has played almost exclusively center since 2018. Before last season, Marte probably would have been the obvious choice for the job, given his elite sprint speed and defensive history. But he is 33 years old -- 4 1/2 years older than Nimmo -- and his metrics in center last year simply werent as strong.

As of Thursday, Mets manager Buck Showalter had not yet crowned either player as his everyday center fielder, in part because Showalter values competition in camp. To date, Nimmo has worked almost exclusively in center, but thats with Marte battling a minor bout of left oblique soreness. (He should be fine for Opening Day.)

The reality is that Showalter wants Nimmo, Marte and starting right fielder Mark Canha to all take practice reps in center in case any of them must play there during the regular season.

Theyve all three been receptive to whats best for the team, Showalter said. So thats a really good start.

No matter what alignment the Mets use, they should have a far stronger outfield than in years past, when they routinely ranked near the bottom of the league in Defensive Runs Saved. Offensively, all three starters are also proven hitters, with Nimmo coming off another strong -- albeit injury-plagued -- season, and Marte offering the type of baserunning aggressiveness that the Mets havent had since Jos Reyes heyday.

For Nimmo, there is a personal element in all of this, too: he can become a free agent after the season, and free-agent center fielders tend to earn more money than corner outfielders with similar offensive profiles. If Nimmo can prove that last years defensive performance was no fluke, he could theoretically make himself more valuable on the market.

I take a lot of pride in the work that I do and how I go out there and play and prepare, Nimmo said. So it would be great to play center field. But I think competition is a good thing, too. All I know is that I am getting a lot of reps in center field, so Im being prepared out there.

More here:

Nimmo's faster than ever. But will that make him the CF starter? - MLB.com

OTTAWA -- A senior Canadian general in charge of protecting North American airspace says Russia has the capability to strike this continent, bolstering the need for improved defensive systems.

Russia has spent years investing in its military, including when it comes to things like cruise missiles and developing a variety of non-nuclear weapons, among other defence measures.

Protecting North America from the threat of a cruise-missile attack is the job of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, better known by the acronym Norad.

Maj.-Gen. Eric Kenny, commander of the Canadian Norad region, says Russia has the capabilities, if it so desires, to strike within North America through different means, although he doesn't expect imminent attack.

Kenny made the comments in an interview from Yellowknife as Norad conducted a previously planned exercise that included Canadian CF-18 fighter jets.

Kenny says the exercise aims to give new and veteran members of the Forces a feel for operating in the North, and ideally to give Norad a leg up on adversaries.

But the reality is, we can only do so much with the force that we have, Kenny said. So we make very conscious and deliberate decisions on what that means within the Norad context.

Successive Canadian and American governments have vowed to modernize systems as part of a sweeping update to Norad, which was first created during the Cold War to protect against a Soviet attack.

The federal Liberals set aside an initial $163 million for the effort last year.

The Defence Department's forward-looking plan for the fiscal year that begins in April noted that a number of the modernizing initiatives have yet to be fully defined and funded. The report specifically mentioned the North Warning System, a string of radars built in the Canadian Arctic in the 1980s.

Kenny said officials are looking closely at needed infrastructure, ensuring it is the right size and at the right location, and noted the planned replacement of the aging CF-18s.

He also expects an announcement in the next year on the long-delayed procurement, with delivery of new planes by the middle is this decade.

The government's main spending estimates released earlier this month listed a $25.9 billion budget for the Department of National Defence, slightly above the $25.7 billion authorized for the department so far this fiscal year. Within next year's allotment was almost $4.8 billion for procurement.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has hinted that more money may be coming for the military in her upcoming budget as Canada sees many of its allies boosting their defence spending.

Among NATO allies, the goal is to make defence spending equal to two per cent of the size of domestic economies. The latest figures from the alliance put Canada's defence spending at 1.39 per cent of the country's gross domestic product in 2021.

Defence Minister Anita Anand has been meeting with her NATO counterparts this week in Brussels, including a one-on-one Thursday with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, as the military alliance debates next steps in Ukraine.

The discussions I had while at NATO reinforce the shared commitment of allies and partners to supporting Ukraine and the need to adapt the alliance's deterrence and defence posture, Anand said in a statement.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to join other NATO leaders at a special summit next week.

Some of the military members taking part in the Norad exercise in the North were part of Canadian efforts to train Ukrainian security forces before Russia invaded three weeks ago.

Kenny said the fighting in Ukraine is striking a personal chord with them. He said Canadian soldiers are proud of the training they provided, and seeing the results of some of that training now, but are equally disturbed by the impact on Ukrainians.

The world is not safe as some may think it is, Kenny said.

When certain actors, in particular peer states, decide to commit military forces, you have what you have at that moment.

The federal government on Thursday looked to tighten the financial screws on allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said the government is slapping economic sanctions on 22 senior defence officials in Belarus who supported Putin's action, including by allowing Belarus to be used as a launch pad for the Russian invasion.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2022.

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Russian invasion of Ukraine shows need to protect Canada's North: Norad - CTV News