Michael Chavis: Rookie of the Year?

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It is officially May. The 2019 season is in full swing, and the Red Sox are finally starting to get back on track. This is the point in the season where statistics start to be reflective. Most players have played in enough games at this point that their stats are fairly depicting of the player they are. Michael Chavis, is showing us who he is.

As award races around the league begin to heat up, we take a look at one that seems as wide open as any: The American League Rookie of the Year. Everyone and their uncle had Vlad Jr. as the landslide favorite coming into this season, but now things are changing.

Guerrero Jr. has struggled to get the bat going through his first couple weeks in the majors. He no longer looks like the runaway candidate we all once thought he was. This isn’t to say Vlad is going to be bad. Or to say that he can’t win the award, because he certainly can. However, with his struggle to start the year, and the torrid pace of Michael Chavis, we absolutely have a race on our hands.

So without further ado, we’ll take a look at the strongest candidates for this award, and how our prized prospect sizes up against them.

Eloy Jimenez

Jimenez, like Vlad Jr., may not be off to the scorching hot start that most expected, but the season is still incredibly young. Although Eloy has looked lost at times, there has been flashes of greatness.

He is on the IL at the moment, which will definitely set him back, if the other candidates continue to get consistent playing time. Jimenez has the ability to rattle off a bunch of home runs in a quick span. So if he’s able to hit 30 bombs with an OPS in the .800s, he’ll have thrown his name into the hat for the AL ROY.

Brandon Lowe

Relative to some of the other guys mentioned here, Lowe is fairly unknown. To the diehard baseball world, this kid has the tools to become a star. Not just an all-star, but a star. Heading into Tuesday, he leads all American League rookies with seven home runs and 20 RBIs. He provides value at multiple positions (he already has reps at first, second and in right field). And he has an OPS of .935, while leading all AL rookies in plate appearances.

Lowe might not be the name you know, but he is going to make sure you learn it soon, and that you won’t forget it. If he continues the pace he’s on, he is certainly on the path to being named Rookie of the Year.

Spencer Turnbull

The lone pitcher on this list, Turnbull is off to an incredible start that has come almost out of nowhere. He had a career ERA over six entering 2019, and even at the minor league level last year, he was simply average. However, his peripheral stats begged to differ. While his ERA last year was over six, his FIP was under three, which is insanely good. It shows he was set up for future success even though he wasn’t seeing it at the time.

Turnbull was incredibly overlooked coming into this season. Some projections had him in the bullpen, or not even making the team. Spencer’s K/BB ratio of almost three is solid and sustainable. He has an ERA of 2.31, and his K/9 is right around average for a good major league starter. And my goodness, take a look at the video above and his NASTY breaking ball.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Ah yes, here we are. The man, the myth, the legend: Vlad Jr. Like we discussed earlier, his start in the majors hasn’t been anything like he had imagined. He’s struggled to a .152 average over his first 33 plate appearances, and hasn’t had an extra base hit since the clutch 9th inning double in his debut.

He is going to be fine. You know that, I know that, he knows it, hell, his Dad even knows it. But this slow start certainly gives every other player in the Rookie of the Year race a fighting chance. What once looked like it would be a runaway for Vlad, is now going to be a 5-6 horse race heading into September.

Obviously, Guerrero Jr. is going to figure it out, and the big hits and the bombs will follow. However for now, the other rookies in the American League need to capitalize on the wide open race.

Our guy, Michael Chavis is leading the league in homers since his call-up. He leads all qualified AL rookies with an OPS over 1.100. Chavis also sits top 10 in OBP and WRC+ in all of baseball, of players with at least 50 at-bats. This is absolutely incredible to have a player on your team putting up these numbers. If it were Mookie or J.D. it would be awesome, but the fact that it’s Chavis is even better.

To be getting this kind of production from a rookie, from a guy who is playing out of position and wasn’t even supposed to be on the team this year, is even better. The magnitude of Chavis entering the lineup can’t be measured. It certainly is a good building block for his career, and his path to the 2019 American League Rookie of the Year is wide open.

Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins Eliminate Blue Jackets: Heading Into ECF

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The stage was set for Game 6 in Columbus and the Boston Bruins came out victorious, denying the Blue Jackets a Game 7 back in Boston. The battle in the net had emerged as the story throughout the series, and both Tuukka Rask and Sergei Bobrovsky played outstanding. Last night, Rask earned a shutout against the Blue Jackets 3-0, and led the Bruins to the Eastern Conference Finals—their first since 2013.

TUUKKA TIME

Rask made 39 saves last night in the shutout, as the Bruins won their third straight game in a best of seven games.  He is the third goaltender in Bruins history to record two-series clinching shutouts.

The Bruins scored first when Sean Kuraly netted one past Sergei Bobrovsky in the first period, however it was ruled as goaltender interference. David Krejci then scored at 12:13 of the second, officially getting the Bruins on board. Both Rask and Bobrovsky made it a tight game, keeping it a 1-0 game until the third when Marcus Johannson scored, making it 2-0. David Backes added more cushion as he extended the Bruins lead 3-0 later in the third.

Boston Bruins
(Photo Credits: Boston.com)

MISSING THE NET

Columbus had plenty of opportunities to sneak one past Rask, however, only managing to hit the post and crossbar multiple times as they peppered the Bruins net. Despite having four power-plays, Columbus was unable to capitalize, despite coming into the series with the best power-play in the playoffs.

“You’ve got to create your own luck, obviously, but it would have been nice to see at least one of those go in. I think if one of those goes in it’s a whole different ballgame just because of the momentum you create of just getting one past him. We peppered him…Just disappointing…I thought we played really well tonight, just didn’t get a result. It’s frustrating for a game where I really thought, I wasn’t planning on sitting here talking to you guys about this. Don’t really have much to go on tonight, just one of those games. We had chances, just didn’t bury them.”

Columbus Captain Nick Foligno

COMING TO AN END

Columbus’s Seth Jones saw his effort diminish, as Rask made a stop which saw the goaltender’s mask fly off. Zach Werenski also made an attempt, but saw that attempt hit the left post. Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves in net. This was the Blue Jackets fourth time being eliminated at home in a qualifying game during the Playoffs. Columbus certainly had great looks during the series, but Boston surged back and was the better team in the end.

“We want to create the storm. We’re not interested in weathering any storm. We wanted to go out there and be aggressive and let them know we’re here to play be assertive, and I thought we did a pretty good job of that.” 

Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy

The Boston Bruins will be back on home ice as they face the Carolina Hurricanes, a date which has not been announced yet. Charlie McAvoy will reportedly have a hearing on the the illegal check in last night’s win.



EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BOSTON UPRISING MAIN TANK ALL-STAR CAMERON “FUSIONS” BOSWORTH

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New to Overwatch? Get caught up on everything Overwatch League by reading our introduction.

Boston entered the 2019 Overwatch League with a retooled roster of both new and returning players. Several of these new players came from across the globe, among them British main tank Cameron ‘Fusions’ Bosworth. Riding his energetic shotcalling, aggression, and leadership, the Uprising snuck into the Stage 1 playoffs. Receiving league-wide acclaim, the rookie has been named to the All-Star game as a starter for the Atlantic Division.

Excitement followed the team as they started Stage 2 with two reverse-sweeps against Atlanta and Toronto. Unfortunately, the Uprising would go 0-3 in their next games, including an 0-8 map score against London and Vancouver. A win against the then-undefeated Stage 2 LA Gladiators would lift the team’s spirits before getting reverse swept by the then 1-win Washington Justice. Now the Uprising are on the outside looking in on the Stage 2 playoffs.

We were fortunate to have Fusions answer a few of our questions about how Stage 1 went, the roster changes throughout the season so far, and how far this team can go.

Note: This interview was conducted just before Stage 2 week 5’s matchup against the LA Gladiators.

Boston Sports Extra’s LoadScr33n: There were a lot of questions about the Uprising headed into the 2019 season considering all the turnover with the roster. Looking back, how would you evaluate the team’s performance in Stage 1?

Cameron “Fusions” Bosworth: First I think our performance in stage 1 was really good overall, we absolutely smashed our expectations and performed really well against some good opponents, the only match I was unhappy with was the 0-4 loss against defiant because I felt like we didn’t really give our all to that match.

LoadScr33n: Boston’s Stage 1 success has been widely attributed to your addition to the roster. What are some of the influential experiences in your amateur career that have helped you perform so well at the professional level?

Fusions: Prior to being in OWL I had a lot of experience as a shotcaller in multiple teams and lots of experienced players so that helped me adjust really fast, also I’ve had plenty of LAN and match experience prior to the Overwatch League so I wasn’t that overwhelmed coming into OWL.

https://twitter.com/BostonUprising/status/1124091950695682048

LoadScr33n: Let’s talk about the Note trade. You two seemed to have a great partnership both in and out of the game. What do you think makes Note a special player?

Fusions: I think the thing that makes Note so special as a player is the fact that he’s so consistent. I’ve never played with a player who does his job as consistently as Note did and still does with the Fuel and that’s something that we will greatly miss in our team.

LoadScr33n: Where were you and what was your reaction when you heard Note was traded to Dallas? What were some of your first thoughts about having rCk as a teammate?

Fusions: I was obviously sad when I heard Note was leaving but also optimistic about the rCk trade since I knew him from playing against him and knew he was a really good player, as well as meeting him personally in Poland during contenders LAN, so I was definitely excited to have him.

2019-02-14 / Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

LoadScr33n: Everyone knows rCk adds flexibility to the team with his Sombra play. What are some things he brings to the team that fans may not know about?

Fusions: As well as his flexibility and Sombra play, rCk also adds another layer to our comms as well as being a smart player than can come up with ideas on the fly, it’s always good to have players that think outside the box in certain situations.

LoadScr33n: Three straight reverse sweeps. What are the coaches and players saying at halftime that helped the most with you guys pulling it off against Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto?

Fusions: During halftime on the days of our reverse sweeps most of what was being said was about how to adapt to our opponents, but also a lot of everyone hyping each other up and motivating one another, I personally always try to keep my energy high and keep my team in high spirits because I know that if I ever show that I’m upset the team will immediately notice and worry.

LoadScr33n: The meta in Stage 2 is much more fluid than it was in Stage 1. We’ve seen you flex off Rein to play Winston, Orissa, and Hammond at different times. Which of those three do you feel strongest and weakest on and why?

Fusions: I think out of the 3 main tanks other than Rein I feel like I’m definitely strongest on Winston overall and weakest on Orisa probably since I play her the least of any of the main tanks, however I’d say I’m comfortable on every main tank now, if we were talking comparatively to the rest of the league I think my Hammond would rank as my highest of the 3 since I’ve practiced him a lot more than other tanks and my Winston would be my worst since the level of Winston in OWL is so high.

LoadScr33n: Boston has leaned into the DPS compositions, particularly when you played Vancouver this past week. Generally speaking, do you think the Uprising are a better GOATs or DPS team?

Fusions: I think we’re a strong team in either meta but I think we have more potential in a dps meta, Colourhex and Blase in particular shine when they’re on their dps heroes particularly Colours’ Widow and Blase’s Pharah/Doomfist/Junkrat so given time to practice in that I think we’ll be a team to be scared of.

Photo: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment

LoadScr33n: Speaking of Vancouver, they beat you in the Stage 1 playoffs when Boston played GOATs and this past weekend when the team played more DPS. What do you think it will take for the Uprising or anybody to stop the Titans?

Fusions: I think Titans are an extremely good goats team and beating them will be tough for anyone, but I think when the meta changes and they have to adapt at the same pace as other teams, coaching and player mentality/flexibility will determine the best teams in the league so we’ll see how they can adapt.

LoadScr33n: Stage 2 playoffs are going to be difficult for the Uprising to reach. What are some things the team need to work on to keep in playoff contention both this stage and for the rest of the season?

Fusions: In order to make stage 2 playoffs at this point we’d probably have to pull a miracle so I’m more focused on overall playoffs, the 2 matches this week are really important ones for our season overall so I really want to win them both. DC have improved a lot so are not to be underestimated and Gladiators are obviously a very tough opponent, hoping we can pull off 2 wins.

We’d like to thank Fusions for taking the time to answer our questions and give fans a view behind the curtain. Though eliminated from Stage 2 playoffs, you can see Fusions as a starter on the Atlantic Division in this year’s All-Star game, May 15-16. From there, he and the rest of the team will get a midseason break before reassembling on Friday, June 7th when they open Stage 3 against the London Spitfire. We wish him and the entire Boston Uprising organization good luck on the rest of the season. #BostonUp

All photos are by Robert Paul and courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

For more Boston Uprising content and gameday banter, follow Loadscr33n on Twitter #BostonUp

John Terry And BK8 Development 2019

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It should be known by now that the Chelsea FC’s best captain, John Terry has agreed on a deal to be BK8.com’s brand ambassador. Besides that, John Terry has become BK8.com’s first ever brand ambassador. The deal and appointment were announced on February 2019 in Manila, Philippines.

John Terry appointment news has leaked out as soon as Entourage Sport & Entertainment, John Terry’s commercial agent has agreed to collaborate with Samson Sport Consultancy.  

In an interview upon his appointment as BK8.com’s brand ambassador, he said “I’m excited to begin this partnership with BK8.com! They share my great passion for football and I’m looking forward to playing a role in their many future plans to promote the brand to new and existing players throughout Asia.”

In the agreement, BK8.com will own the authority and rights to use John Terry’s image in all kinds of marketing campaigns and advertising platforms regarding BK8’s businesses all across Asia.

Throughout the past 3 months, John Terry has been a part of several BK8’s marketing campaign. For example, Chinese New Year Ang Pao campaign and BK8 Thailand Songkran campaign. It was proven that John Terry’s appointment has significantly helped BK8.com to grow its brand visibility. In the recent Songkran campaign that was targeted to regions in Thailand, BK8 Thailand has gained a great number of traffic to their site. We believe with the addition of John Terry, BK8 will have even more room to grow and develop as the best online casino in Asia.

John Terry is by far the best and most successful captain for Chelsea FC in the club’s history. He is leading every player in his position who have played for Chelsea FC in terms of titles achievement and also football stats. John Terry has led the Blues to accomplish amazing achievement by winning a UEFA Champions League title, 3 League Cups, 1 UEFA Europa League title and also 5 Barclays Premier League titles.

BK8.com is one of Asia’s biggest and most trusted online casino brand that have attracted millions of players to join and play. BK8.com also provides a number of Asia’s top Casino, Lotteries, Game brands and Sportsbook for its customers to choose and play in. Besides that, BK8’s customer service and support team will be available and online for 24 hours daily, to provide help and assistance.

For more information, visit our web pages online BK8.com.

Collagen fibers benefits and features

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The most abundant protein into the human body and found in the bones, muscles, skin and tendons. It is substance that holds the body right together. Collagen forms a scaffold to give strength and structure. It is the way to hear such things two words all time when are talking about skin care. Collagen is known as member of the connective tissues also bone, tendons, fascia, ligaments and blood vessels.

Follow the modern nutrition

There is no specific question that the next five years have improved nutrition in the next five years and factory food production has been taken towards corporate profits. For example, with the grain take the old field of pyramids in the old area as a direct and diabetic recipe and a strong force.

Key facts on Collagen

  • Important information about Collagen is information and information available with more details in the main source.
  • It occurs throughout the body and is especially in the skin, bones and concrete tissues,
  • Some types of collagen fibers are more than gram steel for grams,
  • It can be used in colloquial dressing to wreck new cells to sites,

Basically the age of cigarettes and decrease in the production of colleges, with the appearance of cigarettes and factors such as UV light,

All cosmetic lotions that claim to increase the level of the it is not possible. Different companies form compounds of powder, soluble fiber rich mixtures, and these are generally quite a step in the quality above the brand of commercial brands. Attached products are also available and even though a more expensive but nutritional program can increase the compliance of individuals.

How does the collagen affect?

This extracellular matrix is ​​available and a complex network of macromolecules that is determines the physical properties of the whole body tissues. The mid-layer of skin-collagen supported by dermis or cells of the fibers network is called fibroblast.

How is the collagen aging formula against?

Combination of skin, strength, and shape of the age together can reduce the skin of these two important proteins. Collagen means restoration and it means that broken and can be changed. These are the various limits of the functions and fact that it is at the clinic level for the different class of naturally occurring nature.

Proteins are always referred to

Generally working on these two proteins working quickly, to quickly give up its shape and strength to listen is to skin care. Cleanse paints, while multisite spreads the skin. You think about a collagen-like framework and give it the power and the skin quickly, but when the extraction allows skin-collagen to return, it allows it to be increased or changed because of expression.

Is there a collagen skin filter?

This injection can increase the skin shape and fill the depressions exactly. Coleman filtered cosmetics can be used to remove lines and fences from the entire face. Filters are happy with humans and skin animals are tested quickly before using collagen.

Taking Care of the Most Favored Possession of Soccer Players

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If you play any sport professionally, you most probably know the technical jargons it has. Theoretical knowledge about anything to learn it practically is as important as playing something for fun. You might be able to perform for one or two times without that technical knowledge but that won’t be consistent. Moving into the details of all the factors which affect your performance on the field is the first step but it depends on what level you are in your career so as to determine the starter. This will tell you exactly what you need for the next step.

For a soccer player, it is very important to know that your whole body weight is on your footwear. You might not be able to perform at your full extent if a piece of footwear is not fulfilling your specific requirements. It is very important to first determine your requirements and after that look for the options that fulfill them perfectly. You might have to find the versatile cleats which handle almost everything you throw at them like the Adidas Copa Mundial cleats, establishing themselves in the market as the leading choice.

The technicality of a soccer cleat

There are various factors which affect the choice of soccer equipment. For specific gears, it is even more complicated when a load of factors affect the performance. For soccer cleats, these are quite different and are crucial to be tested in detail so as to find the perfect combination of features working for you spot on as you expected. The following is a guide for the ones who have just begin shopping for them or want to upgrade to a new pair.

Various sizes

The same size of differently branded soccer cleats might differ in the fitting for the same person. You cannot depend on the universal size for your case. Trying on the product physically before buying is always recommended. With the trend of online purchasing, many people have avoided the effort of actually traveling to a shop and buying something on their intuition. They want actual figures about any cleat they like and then be sure of all the technicalities a particular set has to offer.

Various brands

There are various manufacturers which dedicatedly provide sports Equipment and there is a different department for the same. You cannot combine the technique of manufacturing regular footwear with that of a soccer cleat just because both are meant to fulfill the different purposes. Adidas Copa Mundial cleats are very popularly in terms of providing a balance when compared to the other alternatives in the same price range. You can go through the different options provided by other brands like Nike as well.

Various surroundings

You might play indoors, outdoor, on artificial turf, etc. which have a different set of cleat suited for them. By getting to know what all conditions are favorable for your footwear, you can choose the material option offered. There are different dedicated materials for different types of grounds. It might not be easy for you to have the perfect material options but with the collection of adequate information from experts, you might have the basis to decide the perfect suitable one.

Red Sox

RED SOX – ORIOLES PREVIEW

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The Red Sox are 5-1 in May and now head to Baltimore hoping to take advantage of the 12-22 Orioles.

5/6 Josh Smith vs. John Means (L) 7:05pm NESN

5/7 Ryan Weber vs. David Hess (R) 7:05pm NESN

5/8 Chris Sale vs. Andrew Cashner (R) 7:05pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Josh Smith will be making his first start of the season, and just the 10th of his career in the first game of the series. In three Triple-A starts this season he has a 3.78 ERA and has struck out 23 hitters in 16 2/3 innings. However, in his career as a major league starter, he has a 6.10 ERA and just 31 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings.

Ryan Weber has been called up from Triple-A to take the spot of the injured David Price, who was placed on the disabled list on Monday. Weber has made eight major leagues starts in his career, with a 5.01 ERA. Additionally, in five starts at Triple-A, Weber has a 5.04 ERA this season.

John Means comes into this series with an impressive 2.81 ERA this season. However, as a starter his ERA is 3.70 compared to 1.15 as a reliever. In his last start against the Chicago White Sox he gave up four earned runs in just five innings. Additionally, he has struggled to strike hitters out as a starter, with just 12 strikeouts in 18 innings.

The Red Sox have faced both David Hess and Andrew Cashner earlier in this season. They have a 1-1 record, scoring three earned runs against each starter. The Red Sox hit one home run against each starter in that series. Andrew Benintendi took Hess deep, before Christian Vazquez did the same to Cashner.

In the month of May the Red Sox have scored a whopping 46 runs, averaging 7.67 runs per game. By contrast, in the first 29 games of the season they averaged just 4.46 runs per game.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The Rotation: With Nathan Eovaldi on the shelf for a while longer after elbow surgery, the Red Sox need someone to step up. With David Price being the only regular starter with an ERA under 4.00, the Red Sox desperately need Smith to provide them a solid fifth option. That is especially the case now that Price is on the 10-day IL with elbow inflammation. They do not need him to be great, but they need solid performances.

Hitting: May has been a strong month for the Red Sox, but there is potentially still more to come. J.D. Martinez has just four home runs this season, all off left-handed pitchers. They will also be hoping that Michael Chavis can stay hot, as he has six home runs and 12 walks in 61 plate appearances.

EXPECTATIONS

The Red Sox have battled their way back to a 17-18 record entering this series. They are now just five games behind the Rays and are showing the form that we came to expect from them last season. Against a terrible Orioles team they have a great chance to keep their foot on the accelerator.

The Orioles pitching ranks last in both ERA and batting average against this season. Therefore, the Red Sox can hopefully hit their way past having to use two inexperienced pitchers to open this series. All eyes will then turn to Chris Sale, who has given up just four earned runs in his last three starts. There is a great opportunity here to get out of Camden Yards with another three wins.

Robert Kraft shouldn’t be suspended

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Kraft shouldn’t be suspended, especially if the case is dismissed.

The Patriots are coming off their sixth Super Bowl championship. Right after that, another Patriots scandal happened involving the Patriots owner Robert Kraft. I don’t need to go into the details. We all know what happened at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa. In my opinion, Kraft shouldn’t be suspended by the league because it’s not a football issue, and also not a domestic violence issue. The Patriots won’t lose draft picks, and I really don’t think he should be fined. He could’ve gone about it a different way, like flown to Vegas or have girls come to his hotel room, but it is what it is.

I’m sure he isn’t the only rich person to do that either. Many others without mentioning names have done the same thing. The only difference is Kraft got caught and those guys didn’t. He’s done a lot for charity and for different communities, so he was stressed out before the AFC Championship Game. What’s the big deal? Everyone on the Patriots will be on Kraft’s side through all of this and not let it get in the way of the upcoming season.

The Patriots are the best at handling distractions

We all know the Patriots are the best at handling distractions. They let nothing get in their way of winning. They will continue to win to make the rest of the Country hate that the Patriots win all the time regardless of whatever distraction comes up. Robert Kraft shouldn’t get suspended. It’s not a league issue and the case could even get dismissed. So why would the league suspended him if the case could get dismissed? It makes no sense. He’ll walk away with nothing, but hopefully know that he shouldn’t go about it that way again. Fly to Vegas. He’s a billionaire, he doesn’t need to go to a strip mall for that.

Shotcaller

Monday Morning Shotcaller: Stage 2 Week 5

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New to Overwatch? Get caught up on everything Overwatch League by reading our introduction.

Entering the last week of Stage 2, Boston’s stage playoff chances were slim. To pull it off, they’d need nearly two sweeps against the LA Gladiators and the Washington Justice, and a whole lot of help from the rest of the league. Short of that, the team could only hope for a strong finish that they could build on going into Stage 3. How would they do against an LA Gladiators team looking for a perfect stage record, and a Washington Justice team who’d only recorded 1 win?

The Good

To be or not to be – GOATs

In my preview for the week, I said that Boston needed to decide what they were going to be – a team that stuck to GOATs comps 24/7, or one willing to spice it up with DPS comps. Well, seems like someone listened. And the answer is – they’ll do whatever it takes to win and play to their strengths. That’s why in both opening Control maps we saw rCk play – Mei!

That’s right – in both matches we saw the Uprising open on Control with a Mei. More surprising – it worked! rCk played the snow queen perfectly, raising walls on chokes, sniping with icicles, and dropping the freeze ult for cc expertly. It’s no wonder they had no problem cleaning up on Control.

Additionally, we saw Boston pull out all types of DPS heavy comps. This included Blase on Doomfist, alot of Colourhex on Widowmaker, Pharmercy, Aimgod on Ana, and Hammond let loose. Not that the Uprising didn’t play their fair share of GOATs, because they did. But seeing the team lean into their strengths a bit more and defy the meta worked more often than not. Boston was 4-0 on the weekend on Control and Assault, both of which they played heavy DPS comps. Coincidence?

LA Gladiators

Overwatch League fans were all high on the LA Gladiators – and who could blame them? Undefeated in Stage 2, the Uprising were the last notch in their belt for an undefeated record. Sadly, Boston played spoiler and ruined the fairy tale. Even better, it was a total team effort. rCk getting some great SDs, Kellex seemingly always having a sound barrier when the team needed it, and Fusions having his way with the hammer. They out GOATs’d them at every turn, as Colourhex racked up energy easily and threw several great gravitons at them.

There was a lot of clear fight from Boston throughout the match. On Blizzard World, the first several waves on attack were thwarted. Just when it looked like they’d be full-held, Fusions dropped a perfect shatter past the Gladiator’s shields, and the team mopped them. From nearly overtime on Point A, to almost getting the payload through to the end, Boston showed a lot of fortitude in the face of all that pressure.

Trash Talk

A lot of spice came out of the LA Gladiators before the match. Leave it to Huk, within seconds of the Gladiators losing, to remind them of it.

Not that the players themselves didn’t partake this weekend.

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1125157201327292416

rCk

The MVP in my mind of the two matches was the Finnish master of all heroes. Besides his Mei play (which was excellent) – I thought he showed a lot of doubters just how good his DVa could be. Time and again he peeled off to the backline to bail out the Brigitte, picked off the weak support, or landed a great SD. Working with the rest of his team against LA, he hacked and EMPd them several times to score team kills effortlessly.

I will say I thought his Sombra play against the Justice was particularly poor. He threw several focused EMPs at a sole or pair of heroes throughout the match. Rarely did he hit a whole group with his ultimate. Not sure if it was symptomatic of how the whole team underestimated Washington, but his Sombra play in the weekend’s latter match was underwhelming.

The Bad

Washington Justice

Let’s not sugar coat it – if you want to claim you/re a top tier team you have to take care of business against weaker opponents. It doesn’t get any easier than the 1-11 Washington Justice. This should have been Boston’s second 4-0 of the year. Easily. Instead, they crapped their pants. After opening up with the same DPS comps on Control and Assault, they climbed to an easy 2-0 lead. Things were looking great at halftime – I think I spoke for everyone.

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1125153034328211466

Then Washington came out and put on their big boy suits and went to work. How did it happen? Bad ultimate economy. Fusions getting focused. Missed pics. Out of alignment. Fusions dying. It was a mess. Boston just didn’t seem to be on the same page. Maybe Boston spent all week focusing on the LA game and took Washington for granted. Can’t say anyone would blame them. But this being their GM’s last game, the number of losses stacking up, and playing for free ice cream from their new support Sleepy, Washington went ham. And now Boston has over a month to think about how they got reverse swept to end the stage. That’s going to sting for awhile.

The Uprising

-Getting reverse swept is bad. Making it to the 3rd stage of that 5th map, up 99%-0% and blowing it is as bad as it can get. That is a horrible way to end the stage. The 5 week break is going to be a long one.

https://twitter.com/LoadScr33n/status/1125171382676086785

-I think Kellex was sneaky sneaky the MVP of the Justice match. Him booping people off ledges and into the drink on Rialto was great. Whenever the team got gravitoned and there was no transcendence, he always seemed ready to pop a sound barrier. Loved the Uprising OG’s play today.

-The casters called it right during the Justice map – their strategy was clear. Focus Fusions. Take him out and the shotcalling goes. And they played it to victory time and time again. Now how much of that is Fusions responsibility? There were certainly several times in the Justice-Uprising match where he didn’t help matters. Using the shatter erratically to no good effect. Being aggro where it made the Justice’s focus job easier. But on the flip side, the Uprising need to respond. Peel to your All-Star main tank! Punish the other team’s focusing solely on one of your players. It’s like Lebron playing with the Cavaliers all those years they choked in the finals. Give the man some support! PS – this is a rough look:

-Blase has to feel good being given the reigns to play Doomfist. Thought he did a great job wreaking havoc. Need more of this, please.

-Now officially eliminated from Stage 2 playoffs, Boston will have a long 5 week break before Stage 3 starts. They’ll have a chance to show if they can get back to stage playoff contention when they open up against the London Spitfire – who just swept Boston last week 4-0.

For more Boston Uprising content and gameday banter, follow Loadscr33n on Twitter #BostonUp

5 weird football rules that only exist in the American MLS

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Fueled by the popularity of the USA-hosted 1994 FIFA World Cup, MLS was born in 1996. Originally, only 10 teams competed for the Rothenberg trophy (now called the Anschutz Trophy). Twenty-three years later, MLS has 24 teams: 21 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada, making soccer one of America’s fastest growing sports.

MLS has some odd rules though, compared to its European counterparts. Unlike the Premier League, La Liga, or the Serie A, MLS has made some changes to the rules. Let’s have a look at 5 football rules that only exist the American MLS.

No Promotion/Relegation

In all the major European football leagues, there is a promotion/relegation system in place. MLS does not have promotion and relegation, making Major League Soccer one of the only first-division professional football leagues in the world where clubs don’t have to fear dropping to a lower league. The only European league which has no relegation is the Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio in San Marino, but this is because San Marino is a small city state. MLS had the opportunity to implement a promotion/relegation system a few years ago. The television networks promised the league four times their current contract value, but the proposal was rejected.

General Allocation Money (GAM)

General Allocation Money (GAM) is money that is available to a club in addition to its salary budget. Each MLS club receives an annual allotment of GAM and that money can be used for a multitude of things, for example for signing new players. This is very different from Europe, where clubs don’t have a ceiling when it comes down to spending money on players. This has a huge influence on the game, as it is well-known that the rich clubs are more successful than clubs with less financial resources. In MLS, on the other hand, teams that fail to qualify for the playoffs receive additional money in order to balance out the competition.

Transfer Process

Compared to Europe, the transfer process is a bit complicated in the MLS. It is the goal of MLS to keep the league on an even playing field. And they have been successful, MLS has crowned 13 different champions in its 23 years in history. MLS wants to make it so that players are loyal to their team, that’s why the selling team only gets a part of the transfer fee. For example, if a player has been with the club for only one year, the club itself only gets 1/3 of the transfer fee, while MLS takes the rest. Salary cap regulations also make it so there is a limit on the amount of money a team can spend players’ salaries. Though, the Designated Player Rule does allow each MLS franchise to sign up to three players that would be considered outside the team’s salary cap.

Franchise Relocation

Franchise relocation of professional sports teams is a practice which involves a sporting club moving from one city to another city. The relocation of a professional sports franchise to another place is obviously not a popular decision with the hometown fans. Imagine if Manchester United would suddenly become London United? The fans would be outraged! So far, the only team that has relocated is the San Jose Earthquakes, who became the Houston Dynamo in 2006, moving from the West Coast to the East Coast.

Penalty Shootouts

When MLS initially started, the league wanted to make an effort to make the sport more appealing to the American public. MLS opted for a variant on the penalty shootout with players starting 35 yards out and tasked with beating the goalkeeper within five seconds. It essentially worked the same way a hockey shootout would. This rule was abandoned in 1999 and MLS eventually adopted the more socially acceptable penalty kick, just as is done in Europe.