Ceremony held to remember the Holocaust
On Monday evening, USC Hillel hosted “Remembering the Holocaust: A Yom Ha’Shoah Ceremony” as part of USC’s Genocide Awareness Month.Examining history · Professor Michael Berenbaum spoke on how he became involved in Holocaust research during Monday’s event. – Austin Vogel | Daily TrojanThe event, which began with a short religious ceremony in memory of the 6 million Jewish Holocaust victims, included the lighting of six candles — one for each million killed.Following this was a panel on the Holocaust led by Dan Leshem, the USC Shoah Foundation associate director of research.Yom Ha’Shoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, began Sunday evening and ended Monday evening. The day was established in 1953 to commemorate the approximately 6 million Jews who died during the Holocaust as a result of the actions of Nazi Germany.Monday’s panelists included child Holocaust survivor Henri Slucki, executive director of the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum Samara Hutman and American Jewish University Professor Michael Berenbaum.Slucki, who was living in Paris when the Nazis invaded, said each Holocaust testimonial is unique in its own special way.“No two survivors have identical stories,” Slucki said.He then went on to explain his story. Though born in Paris, Slucki moved to southern France when his father was discharged from the French army. On Aug. 26, 1942, the French government rounded up the Jews, and at 6 a.m., he heard a terrible knock at his family’s door. Slucki and his family, however, did not answer.“Had that door opened, I would have been taken away,” he said.After the incident, he and his family escaped to Spain, where he would eventually be sent to the United States without his parents as part of the U.S. transport system, Kindertransport, which rescued Jewish children.Berenbaum, who has served as former deputy director of the President’s Commission on the Holocaust, project director for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and president and CEO of the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Museum, spoke of the importance of the Holocaust and commemorating those who were killed.“Of all the ancient people who had been defeated, the only people with real continuity, who can trace their ancestry for a long period of time, are these crazy people called the Jews,” Berenbaum said.While he was completing his doctorate in Holocaust studies, there were only two institutions in the United States that offered such a degree. Moreover, when he started teaching about the Holocaust, the number of professors working in Holocaust studies could fit into one phone booth, Berenbaum said.“Coming to grips with Jewish history is to touch levels of depth, passion, eternity and struggles,” he said. “The Holocaust is unique in that most people deal with life or death once or twice in their life. People in the Holocaust lived with the ultimate threat of life or death not once or twice, but as part of a daily routine.”Working in the early days of the Shoah Foundation, Berenbaum’s task was to spread the voices of those impacted by the Holocaust. He said that studying and remembering the Holocaust is ultimately a part of his destiny.“Fate is very often something that happens,” Berenbaum said. “Destiny is that moment when you realize that what happens to you is the purpose for which you were intended. If you’re lucky then you find that your fate equals, comes to terms with or meets your destiny. My task in life was to give a voice to that which could not be told to me [when I was younger],” Berenbaum said.Essentially, Berenbaum believes filming Holocaust survivors gives a sense of permanence to their stories.“[The videos] give them an immortality because their words will live beyond their human existence,” he said.A topic brought up during the panel was the sense of urgency, as the current generation will be the last to be able to personally communicate with Holocaust survivors.Sam Fein, student president of USC Hillel, stressed the importance of talking to Holocaust survivors.“We are 70 years out from the Holocaust now,” Fein said. “There are not that many survivors left, so it is a privilege and honor to hear their stories.”Slucki also recognized the urgency of teaching about the Holocaust and telling his unique story.“The time is running out,” Slucki said. “We are a group of individuals that are dwindling down. If none of us were to let our stories be known, then those events will be buried with us. After a person dies, there are no more questions you can ask or get answered, This is the time to ask the questions.”
Facebook Twitter Google+ Published on September 12, 2015 at 6:13 pm Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3 Between the first and second quarter, former Syracuse head coach Dick MacPherson was honored in front 26,670 orange-clad fans in the Carrier Dome.Scott Shafer, the current Syracuse head coach, decided to break off from the reality of the game in front of him and talk to the man that he told his players they had to win for.“He means the world to Syracuse,” Shafer said. “Everybody in this community knows it. There’s not a better person. He loves Syracuse, he gave a lot of his life to Syracuse.”MacPherson went 66-46-4 during his 10-year tenure with Syracuse from 1981-90. His grandsons Macky and Cameron MacPherson both have been or are a part of the program as well. Macky graduated in 2014 and Cameron is a junior tight end for the Orange.Dick MacPherson apologized to Shafer as he was driven off the field. He said he was sorry for getting in the way when Shafer went over to embrace the former head coach following his ceremony.AdvertisementThis is placeholder text“There was a lot going on in that moment,” Cameron MacPherson said. “Both in the game, and with my grandfather. I’m really glad that he was able to make it out there and get a beautiful tribute from this city.” Comments
Last Updated: 25th August, 2020 14:52 IST Olympics Official Channel Gains 3.3 BILLION Views Since 2016 Across All Digital Platforms The Olympic Channel was launched four years ago following the completion of the Rio 2016 and since then, the response to the channel has been really positive. The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Olympic Channel is a platform where viewers can find more 25,000 pieces of video content, which represents all Olympic sports disciplines and 206 countries. The Olympic Channel was launched four years ago following the completion of the Rio 2016 Games and since then, the response to the channel has been really positive. On Tuesday, the Olympic Channel not only celebrated its fourth anniversary but claimed that it has now surpassed 3.3 billion views across all digital platforms.Also Read: Could Tokyo Olympics 2021 Be In Doubt? Survey Shows Disgruntlement In Japanese CompaniesOlympics official Channel gets record numbers According to the report published by InsideSport, there was a 65% increase in terms of views over the previous 12 months in monthly returning users. The report further states that on social media, the Olympic Channel community has grown to more than 10.4 million, with 74.9% of those engaging with content on social media under the age of 35.Also Read: Tokyo Olympics 2021 To Cost IOC Additional $800 Million: Thomas BachAbout Olympic Channel and the reason behind the successThe International Olympic Channel was the brainchild of IOC President Thomas Bach, who credited the fourth year of success to its coverage and promotion of the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, which led to the event being the most digitally consumed Winter Youth Games to date.Also Read: Tokyo Residents React With 1 Year Until OlympicsAccording to the IOC media release, additional growth during the past year come from Boxing Qualification Events for Tokyo 2020 and digital engagement campaigns for the IOC during the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted athletes and home workouts across social media, localised content in Japan and India, award-winning original programming and coverage of key events in support of the Tokyo Olympics 2020. WE RECOMMEND First Published: 25th August, 2020 14:52 IST LIVE TV WATCH US LIVE Written By 2 weeks ago Rani Rampal confident that India’s new fitness approach for Olympics will bring surprises SUBSCRIBE TO US 1 month ago Tokyo Olympics could witness ‘limited spectators’ next year due to COVID-19 concerns
Also Read: What Is Michael Phelps Doing Now? Olympic Legend’s Net Worth, House & Post-retirement LifeThe release further states that the Olympic Channel has established a new distribution outlet for its 95 federation partners and has streamed more than 5,400 live events, adding to organisers’ media distribution rights and ensuring global coverage of their events. Partners include International Sports Federations (IFs), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), IOC-Recognised Federations and organisations as well as multi-sport event organisers.Tokyo Olympics 2021: Why was the Olympics postponed?While the sporting world was brought to a standstill by COVID-19, the Olympic postponed news was a major setback for the IOC as COVID-19 cases continue to grow across the world. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Olympics was pushed back to July 23, 2021. Before an official confirmation, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had said on March 24 that after his talks with the International Olympics Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on March 24, they have agreed that postponing the Olympics by one year was a better option.Will the Olympics postponed yet again?Recently, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported that in the online survey done by Tokyo Shoko Research, which covered 12,857 companies, 27.8% want the Tokyo Olympics 2021 to be cancelled altogether while 25.8% want the Olympics postponed again. The report further states that Xinhua has claimed that a combined 53.6% of the responding firms are against holding the Tokyo Olympics 2021 from July 23 to August 8, 2021.The report further states that the survey, which was conducted between July 28 and August 11, shows that 46.2% want the Tokyo Olympics 2021 to go ahead in some way while 22.5 % are in favour of holding the Tokyo Olympics 2021 as planned. Another 18.4% want Tokyo Olympics 2021 to be held but with fewer spectators, while 5.3% want the Olympic Games to be held without any spectators.In India, besides the Olympic Channel, the broadcast rights for the Games and all programming-related content are with the Sony Pictures Sports Network and it will also telecast the Tokyo Olympics 2021 should it take place.Image Credit: Olympic Channel / Twitter 2 weeks ago Narsingh Yadav returns to national wrestling as Olympics hopeful after 4-year doping ban Suraj Alva FOLLOW US We have turned 4! 🎉With more than 25,000 pieces of video content and over 3.3 billion video views, the Olympic Channel has become a ground-breaking platform, engaging with Olympic fans in a deeper way.Read all about it here 👉 https://t.co/1PZratNgAq pic.twitter.com/wo5BmYRYnw— Olympic Channel (@olympicchannel) August 24, 2020 COMMENT 2 weeks ago Anand Mahindra inspires followers on Friday morning with THIS Olympics example 2 weeks ago Could Tokyo Olympics 2021 be in doubt? Survey shows disgruntlement in Japanese companies
How Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling topped the baseball podcast empire LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are expected to acquire a relief pitcher or two before next Wednesday’s trade deadline. The quest to improve the offensive depth on the roster has been a quiet one.That’s partially a function of the Dodgers’ minor league pipeline, which has provided an unusually steady supply of hitters in 2019. Alex Verdugo carried a .296 batting average – second on the team to Cody Bellinger among qualified hitters – into Wednesday’s game against the Angels. He has 12 home runs and 44 RBIs in 96 games in his first full season.Other rookies have thrived in reserve roles. Matt Beaty had a .303 average through Tuesday, with 24 RBIs in his first 43 games. Will Smith hit three home runs in his first nine games before returning to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Kyle Garlick and Edwin Rios combined for 12 hits in 33 games, but half of them went for extra bases. They have since returned to Triple-A, too.“The baseball IQ is high on all those guys,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “When you get young players here, to have them major-league ready in this market, in this environment, is hard. You really don’t know what you’re going to expect. “A lot of that has to do with player development – those coaches, preparing (players) the right way. Then you introduce our clubhouse, the culture here. Our guys have done a great job making those players feeling comfortable.”The Dodgers are historically more renowned for developing pitchers than hitters. Five homegrown pitchers (Clayton Kershaw, Eric Gagne, Orel Hershiser, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale) have won Cy Young Awards since the franchise moved to Los Angeles. Kershaw and Koufax have Most Valuable Player awards to their credit.If Cody Bellinger wins the MVP award this year, he’ll be the first homegrown Dodgers position player to do so since Steve Garvey in 1974. Maury Wills is the only other homegrown Los Angeles Dodgers position player to win an MVP award, in 1962.Collectively, the Dodgers’ 2019 rookie crop is pacing behind only four other teams since 1958 in weighted runs created plus (WRC+), which adjusts for era and park factors.The Dodgers have even more talent burgeoning at Oklahoma City, where Gavin Lux (1.511), D.J. Peters (1.191) and Zach Reks (.926) all entered play Wednesday with an on-base plus slugging percentage above .900. This has lessened the Dodgers’ need to add hitting depth from outside the organization. Related Articles “The right-handed bat that we have coming back in Chris Taylor, A.J. (Pollock) was a midseason acquisition,” Roberts said. “Now you see some things from Will Smith, Garlick, Matt Beaty here. That makes you feel a lot better about your offensive positional depth.”ROTATION PLANSHyun-Jin Ryu (Friday), Clayton Kershaw (Saturday) and Walker Buehler (Sunday) will start this weekend against the Nationals, each with two extra days of rest.Washington is expected to counter with Anibal Sanchez, Joe Ross and Stephen Strasburg.Kenta Maeda and Ross Stripling are lined up to pitch the first two games of next week’s three-game series in Denver, each with one additional day of rest.ALSODylan Floro (neck inflammation) did not report any pain after throwing 23 pitchers to minor leaguers Edwin Mateo and Alex De Jesus. Floro is in line for a minor league rehab assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga before rejoining the Dodgers in Denver, Roberts said. The right-hander is eligible to be activated from the injured list Monday. … Left-hander Scott Alexander (left forearm inflammation) has yet to begin a throwing program, Roberts said. Fire danger is on Dave Roberts’ mind as Dodgers head to San Francisco 
Newsroom GuidelinesNews TipsContact UsReport an Error Dodgers hit seven home runs, sweep Colorado Rockies Cody Bellinger homer gives Dodgers their first walkoff win of season Dodgers’ Max Muncy trying to work his way out of slow start 
Fantasy football leagues that play through Week 17 are always likely to encounter a few key players sitting out, but rarely is it someone as transcendent as Lamar Jackson. After all, he’s scored more fantasy points in 2019 than any QB has scored in a single season. With the Ravens locked in to the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the concern about Jackson resting in Week 17 — and greatly altering the Week 17 fantasy QB rankings — is very real (Robert Griffin III, anyone?).(Update: The Ravens announced Jackson will sit out Week 17. Enter Griffin.) There’s another former Heisman Trophy winner who could be out of commission for a different reason in Week 17. Kyler Murray hurt his quad Sunday and couldn’t finish the game, instead watching Brett Hundley lead the Cardinals to a win in Seattle. After the game, Kliff Kingsbury didn’t provide an outlook for the season’s final week. Arizona has no reason to push it with its rookie, but for now we’ve left Murray in our rankings so you know where he would rank if he plays.WEEK 17 NON-PPR RANKINGS:Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | KickerYou can feel better in Week 17 with most of the other top quarterbacks because there are some good matchups to take advantage of. Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston should go back and forth in a shootout against bad secondaries. Dak Prescott should light up the Redskins’ defense like Daniel Jones just did. You shouldn’t even be concerned about Russell Wilson against the 49ers, a defense that has been ravaged by injuries (although you could be more concerned about Russ after he didn’t do anything against the Cardinals in Week 16).If you’re looking for a stream this week, grab Broncos rookie Drew Lock. A matchup with a weak Oakland secondary should bode well for Lock and his strong offensive weapons. You could also stream another rookie, Daniel Jones, against the Eagles, after the youngster from Duke had a huge game against Washington in Week 16. WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:Running back | Wide receiver | Tight endThe other QB situations that bear watching are in Buffalo and Pittsburgh. The Bills are actually already locked into the AFC’s No. 5 seed, so they could rest players. And the Steelers might have a decision to make at QB if Mason Rudolph is healthy enough to challenge Devlin Hodges. (Hopefully you don’t have a similar decision involving those players.)(Update: Deshaun Watson, Josh Allen, Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff have been dropped down slightly to account for the risk of them not playing a full game Sunday.)MORE: Which players are sitting out Week 17? Note: These rankings will be updated throughout the week, including if there’s news on other players sitting out, so check back for player movement.WEEK 17 DFS:DK Cash | DK GPP | Y! GPP | FD Cash | ValuesWeek 17 Fantasy QB RankingsThese rankings are for standard leagues with 4-point passing TDs.RankPlayer1Jameis Winston, TB vs. ATL2Patrick Mahomes II, KC vs. LAC3Dak Prescott, DAL vs. WAS4Matt Ryan, ATL @ TB5Russell Wilson, SEA vs. SF6Drew Brees, NO @ CAR7Ryan Tannehill, TEN @ HOU8Aaron Rodgers, GB @ DET9Carson Wentz, PHI @ NYG10Deshaun Watson, HOU vs. TEN11Philip Rivers, LAC @ KC12Tom Brady, NE vs. MIA13Kyler Murray, ARZ @ LAR14Baker Mayfield, CLE @ CIN15Josh Allen, BUF vs. NYJ16Drew Lock, DEN vs. OAK17Mitchell Trubisky, CHI @ MIN18Jared Goff, LAR vs. ARZ19Robert Griffin III, BAL vs. PIT20Gardner Minshew, JAX vs. IND21Jimmy Garoppolo, SF @ SEA22Daniel Jones, NYG vs. PHI23Jacoby Brissett, IND @ JAX24Andy Dalton, CIN vs. CLE25Derek Carr, OAK @ DEN26Sam Darnold, NYJ @ BUF27Kirk Cousins, MIN vs. CHI28Ryan Fitzpatrick, MIA @ NE29Case Keenum, WAS @ DAL30Will Grier, CAR vs. NO31David Blough, DET vs. GB32Devlin Hodges, PIT @ BAL
From Brett Forrest’s book, “Long Bomb: How the XFL Became TV’s Biggest Fiasco”:Vince McMahon — bumpkin billionaire, overworker of eyebrows — was about to reinvent football. So he schemed, when he announces for a new pro football league in February 2000. It was called the XFL. The letters, McMahon was quick to point out, didn’t stand for anything. It wasn’t the Xtreme Football League or the X-rated Football League, although those were dual implications of the ubiquitous twenty-fourth letter, which the American public had come to recognize as the default signpost for ‘aggressive.’ No, this was just XFL.Former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman was also quoted in the book saying, “XFL stands for nothing at all? That’s amazing. Only Vince McMahon would have something which means nothing stand for something.”McMahon did joke, however, during the 2001 announcement for the league, “The NFL stands for the ‘No Fun League.’ The XFL is going to be the ‘Xtra Fun League.’” Merriam Webster lists 138 words that start with X, ranging from two letters to 15. Based on the original league, which only lasted one season in 2001, you probably think the X stands for extreme, or something like Xtreme. But it turns out that’s not the case.MORE XFL: Rules | Schedule | Uniforms | RostersDoes the X in XFL mean Xtreme?No.Despite Homer Simpson declaring it so, the X does not stand for Extreme or Xtreme. Vince McMahon did want it to, according to reports. But the “Xtreme Football League” name was already taken as the league was announced in 1999, the same year the XFL was founded.From Our Sports Central:The Xtreme Football League announced its formation at a news conference in Birmingham on April 20, 1999. The XFL was to be an Eastern U.S. indoor football league that planned to begin play in April 2000 with 10 to 12 teams, all of which were to be committed by June 1. The XFL’s playing season was to be April through August.But that XFL never really formed as it merged with the Arena Football league before ever starting a game.So what does the X in XFL mean? Nothing at all. (XFL) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/83/27/xfl-logo-white-ftr_1rlmttogzqavn1jh47jxpf6j7x.png?t=365778408&w=500&quality=80 The XFL has been born again, and if you’re watching the start of the league’s 2020 season, you might be wondering what exactly the X stands for.You already know the NFL, which stands for National Football League. So it’s natural to assume that the “FL” in XFL stands for football league. But what about the X? There are only so many words that start with that letter, and only so many that are actually useful.
9 Aug 2016 Lincolnshire hold on for a narrow win Lincolnshire scored the narrowest of wins in England Golf’s tournament for County Presidents and Secretaries at Frilford Heath Golf Club in Oxfordshire.Their total of 81 points took them to victory on countback over teams from Leicestershire & Rutland and from Hertfordshire.The Lincolnshire players were women’s county President Julia Sales and Chairman Tracey Stobart, both from Kenwick Park; with men’s county President Jim Lammin (Carholme) and President-elect Les Toyne (Woodhall Spa).They snatched the win by virtue of their back nine of 42 points, with all four players contributing well to the total.“We were in danger of having some bad holes!” laughed Les. “But we holed some crucial putts. As a team we all gelled nicely and we all had our moments and thoroughly enjoyed it.”The same quartet played in last year’s competition and Les added: “It’s a wonderful format and good fun.”Leicestershire and Rutland were represented by men’s President-elect Kevin Whitfield-Green (Stapleford Park) and men’s county captain Oli Willson (Longcliffe), with women’s county secretary Julia Holley (Kibworth) and county captain Gemma Parkes-Walley (Cosby).Oli got the team off to a good start with three birdies on his front nine and they amassed 42 points on the way out and 39 on the way home.He also gave the thumbs up to the format: “It’s really good to have the opportunity for a catch up and to find out what everyone is doing. Golf has got to get more modern and forward thinking.”The Hertfordshire team was men’s county President Robin Colbourne (Moor Park) and Secretary Louis Matamala (Verulam), with women’s county committee member Charlotte Doyle (West Herts) and county junior organiser Esther Strous (Welwyn Garden City), who is also the Hertfordshire County Development Officer.“Louis was the star of the show,” said Esther as she described how he drove the 274-yard par four 9th to set up a birdie. It helped the team to collect 45 points on the outward nine and 36 on the inward half.The tournament was played as part of England Golf Week which brings over 500 competitors to Frilford Heath to take part in a series of finals during the five-day celebration of handicap golf.Click here for full scoresCaption: (from left) Tracey Stobart, Jim Lammin, Les Toyne and Julia Sales (Image © Leaderboard Photography).
Facebook2Tweet0Pin0Submitted by City of LaceyIn preparation for the celebration of Lacey History Month this July, Lacey’s Historical Commission is accepting nominations for the 2018 Lacey Historian of the Year Award. Established in 2002, the award recognizes local residents and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation or promotion of Lacey’s history.The 2018 winner will join a distinguished group of recipients, including Shirley Dziedzic (2002), Roger Easton and the Lacey Women’s Club (2003), Dr. William Ehlers (2004), Andrea Taylor (2005), Lyman Fleetwood (2007), Lanny Weaver (2010), Matthew Connor (2011), Diane Dean (2012), Susan Goff (2013), Richard Jones (2014), Ken Balsley (2015), Lori Flemm (2016), and Nora Brown and Amy Turner (2017).Nomination forms, accepted through Thursday, May 31, are available online at the City of Lacey’s website and at the Lacey Parks and Recreation Department, 420 College Street SE. The Lacey Historical Commission will consider award candidates at their regular meeting on Wednesday, June 20, at 6:00 p.m. at Lacey City Hall.For more information on the Historian of the Year program, Lacey History Month, or the Lacey Historical Commission, please call the Lacey Parks and Recreation Department at 360-491-0857.
Tournament CentralKATY, Texas – The 2020 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Basketball Tournament tips off Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. The tournament opens up with No. 5 seed Northwestern State taking on No. 8 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, followed by a third edition of the Battle of the Border this season between No. 6 Lamar and No. 7 McNeese at 7:30 p.m. to conclude the first round of competition. No. 4 Sam Houston State awaits the winner between the Demons and Islanders while No. 3 Nicholls will face the victor of the Cardinals and Cowboys. Thursday’s matchups are set for 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively. No. 1 Stephen F. Austin – 28-3 (19-1 SLC) – First Game: Friday vs. Winner Game 3, 5 p.m. Since a one-point loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 8, the ‘Jacks have been on an absolute tear with 15-straight wins, elevating them to No. 26 in the latest AP Poll. The stretch is the fourth-longest in Divison I, behind Dayton, Kansas and New Mexico State. Led by Southland Coach of the Year Kyle Keller, SFA paces all Division I institutions in steals (10.5) and turnovers forced (21.6) per game. The ‘Jacks placed three on the all-conference squads in Player of the Year and first-team pick Kevon Harris, Newcomer of the Year and second-teamer Gavin Kensmil and all-defensive honoree John Comeaux. No. 7 McNeese – 15-16 (10-10 SLC) – First Game: Wednesday vs. No. 6 Lamar, 7:30 p.m.Though they are no strangers to the Southland Conference tournament with a league-record 30 appearances, the Cowboys are making their first trip to Katy since 2016 as the No. 7 seed. USBWA All-District selection and Southland Defensive Player of the Year Sha’Markus Kennedy posted two of his 16 double-doubles against Lamar, averaging 18 points and 16.5 rebounds per contest against the Cardinals. Junior Dru Kuxhausen, a third-team all-conference pick and the Southland’s single-season record holder for three-pointers (125), averaged 16 points in the two meetings with LU and drilled five from long range in the latest showdown, including a game-winning four-point play in the final moments. No. 4 Sam Houston State – 18-13 (11-9 SLC) – First Game: Thursday vs. Winner Game 1, 5 p.m.The Bearkats will be featured in the Southland Conference tournament for the 18th-straight season, the longest streak in the conference by 11 years. The Bearkats were one of five programs with multiple all-conference picks and the lone school with two on the top squad in senior forward Kai Mitchell and sophomore guard Zach Nutall, the only underclassman on the first team. Senior Chad Bowie, who recorded two or more steals in 11 conference games, appeared on the all-defensive list. SHSU’s efficiency is on display with their league-leading 1.09 assist-to-turnover ratio, with that number jumping to 1.11 against conference opponents. No. 2 Abilene Christian – 20-11 (15-5 SLC) – First Game: Friday vs. Winner Game 4, 7:30 p.m.The Wildcats look to repeat history as the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, the exact position they were in a year ago when they topped New Orleans in the title game to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Returning just one starter from last year’s team, ACU managed to reach the 20-win plateau again and won one more game in conference play. Senior guard Payten Ricks, the lone returning starter, landed on the All-Southland First Team and the All-Defensive squad after posting a conference-best 70 steals. Sophomore forward Joe Pleasant represented the Wildcats on the all-league third team, averaging 11 points a game on 50.9 percent shooting. The first two rounds and semifinal contests will stream on ESPN+, available on ESPN.com/watch and ESPN apps. The championship will air live Saturday at 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The radio broadcast of the title game will be on SportsRadio 610 KILT in Houston. No. 6 Lamar – 16-15 (10-10 SLC) – First Game: Wednesday vs. No. 7 McNeese, 7:30 p.m.Despite returning just four players from last year’s 20-win squad, the Cardinals manufactured a 4-2 record over the final weeks of the season to earn the No. 6 seed and set up a third edition of the Battle of the Border rivalry. Lamar topped McNeese 96-91 in Lake Charles on Feb. 1 but dropped the regular-season finale 70-66 on a four-point play in the waning second. Senior T.J. Atwood, one of the few returners, was named Second Team All-Southland on Monday after ranking fifth in the league in scoring (16.7) and averaging just over 21 PPG in the team’s final seven games. Making their 19th appearance in the league tournament, the Cardinals boast a 14-4 (.778) mark in opening-round games at the event. No. 5 Northwestern State – 14-15 (11-9 SLC) – First Game: Wednesday vs. No. 8 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 5 p.m.After a five-year absence at the Southland Conference tournament, the Demons make their triumphant return to Katy after Mike McConathy led the team to a five-win improvement in conference action to earn the No. 5 seed. The longtime coach, in his 21st year at the helm, successfully blended eight newcomers into the squad, including Second-Team All-Southland forward Chudier Bile. The Bradley transfer paced NSU in both scoring (14.1) and rebounding (7.7), and six of the team’s top seven scorers are newcomers. The Demons look to snap a seven-game skid against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in their opening-round matchup. No. 8 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – 14-17 (10-10 SLC) – First Game: Wednesday vs. No. 5 Northwestern State, 5 p.m.The Islanders closed the regular season on a hot stretch, winning four-straight to vault the team back into the tournament field for the seventh-straight season, the second-longest streak in the conference behind Sam Houston State (18). A&M-Corpus Christi ranks 18th in Division I in three-point percentage (37.5), led by junior Myles Smith and freshman Jordan Hairston, who both shot over 40 percent on the year. The Islanders look to repeat their lone regular-season meeting with Northwestern State, a 67-62 win in Corpus Christi that extended A&M-Corpus Christi’s win streak in the series to seven games. No. 3 Nicholls – 21-10 (15-5 SLC) – First Game: Thursday vs. Winner Game 2, 7:30 p.m.Despite having 10 transfers on the roster for the 2019-20 season, second-year head man Austin Claunch had no problems fusing his roster together with a seven-win improvement over last year to tie for second in the standings. Savannah State transfer Dexter McClanahan earned Second Team All-Southland honors after leading the Colonels’ balanced efforts with 13.8 points per contest. Sophomore Warith Alatishe, one of four Nicholls student-athletes to average in double figures, was voted to the all-conference third team with 10.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, good for second in the league behind Defensive Player of the Year Sha’Markus Kennedy of McNeese. No. 1 Stephen F. Austin and No. 2 Abilene Christian, the defending tournament champion, earned the league’s double-byes and will start their campaigns Friday in the semifinals.
LONGSHOT SPARKY VILLE RALLIES TO TAKE GRADE II, $200,000 SAN VICENTE STAKES BY A NOSE UNDER ROSARIO; TRAINED BY BONDE, HE GETS SEVEN FURLONGS IN 1:21.93 AS ODDS-ON FAVORITE COLISEUM FALTERS LATE ARCADIA, Calif. (Feb. 10, 2019)–Sparky Ville seemed to relish a sloppy main track and a driving rain, as rallied to win Sunday’s Grade II, $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita by a nose under Joel Rosario. Trained by Jeff Bonde, the 3-year-old Candy Ride gelding got seven furlongs in 1:21.93 as 3-5 favorite Coliseum faltered late to finish third, beaten 6 ½ lengths while his stablemate, Dessman, just missed in a head bob photo for the win.Breaking like a shot from his number four post position, Sparky Ville was content to sit a close fourth at the rail as Savagery, Coliseum and Dessman slugged it out into the far turn. With a ton of horse underneath him, Rosario bided his time behind these three past the quarter pole and angled out straightening for home, overcoming a one length deficit a sixteenth out to just tag Dessman and Flavien Prat right on the money.“Going into the far turn, I was in tight, but I had to wait because I thought those horses were moving a little early,” said Rosario, who was aboard “Sparky” for the first time today. “When we left the quarter pole, I asked him and he really picked it up. I thought those horses would come back to me and we would win easy, but (Dessman) kept fighting and it was close.“I knew he had run well with Gary (Stevens, recently retired Hall of Famer) and I’m happy with the way he ran today. He was comfortable sitting in behind those horses and I like the way he picked it up when I asked him to go.”Owned by Del Secco DCS Racing, Sparky Ville, who is out of the Storm Cat mare Lorelei K, had won the restricted Sunny Slope Stakes three starts back on Oct. 21 and was a well beaten second behind highly regarded Instagrand in the Grade II Best Pal Stakes five starts back on Aug. 11.In his first graded stakes win, Sparky Ville, who was off at 7-1 in a field of five sophomores, paid $16.80, $5.60 and $2.40. In notching his third win from eight starts, he picked up $120,000, increasing his earnings to $257,770.“I was absolutely dancing into the Winner’s Circle,” said Bonde. “It was so exciting and Joel has been like one of my kids ever since he came from Bay Meadows…So it’s wonderful to win with him. The owners are great people that really deserve something like this.“This horse seems like he’s more adept at seven furlongs to a mile, so I’m not sure he wants a mile and a quarter…I could tell my horse had won, but I was so excited in the stretch, I thought I was gonna pass out…But it’s always scary when you get a look at those Baffert ‘Maseratis.’”Trained by Bob Baffert, Dessman and Coliseum, who were off at 2-1 and 3-5 respectively, appear headed in different directions. Dessman, an impressive 7 ½ length first out maiden winner going six furlongs here on Jan. 19, battled back valiantly at the rail and was back in front of the winner immediately after the wire.In his second start, Dessman paid $3.40 and $2.20 and left his rider second guessing himself.“I moved too soon,” said a classy Prat, who had also ridden Dessman to his maiden win. “He fought back when he saw that horse…He ran great.”Coliseum, a son of Tapit who had the look of a top Derby prospect when breaking his maiden by 6 ¾ lengths on Nov. 17 at Del Mar, flopped as the 3-5 favorite in his second start, the Grade III, one mile Sham Stakes here on Jan. 5, as he finished sixth.With a bullet six furlong gate drill, a cut back in distance and a new rider, Mike Smith, engaged today, Coliseum was again the heavy favorite, but failed to deliver. Finishing 4 ¼ lengths in front of Synthesis, he paid $2.10 to show.Fractions on the race were 22.07, 44.32 and1:09.16.