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WOBURN As the fourth quarter got under way in Saturday nights MIAA Div. 1 North quarterfinal, the situation was not looking good for the top-seeded Woburn High girls basketball. Eighth-seeded Billerica was outplaying the Tanners and it scored the first basket to take a seven-point lead.

However, no one bothered to stop the game and ask the Woburn players to analyze the situation they were in. The Tanners just kept doing what they do: play fast, defend and give it all they had.

It was still a six-point game, midway through the fourth, when Woburns intense effort led to an incredible, 13-2 run that put the Tanners ahead to stay in a 58-56 triumph over the Indians at a packed Torrice Gym.

What was amazing about it was that Woburn did not rely on any one player to turn things around for them. Instead, it was about five or six players who stood up and made plays on either offense or defense to get the job done and keep the momentum going down the stretch.

The girls never panicked, said Woburn coach Steve Sullivan, whose team is now 21-1 and still has not lost in 2020. They have a lot of faith in each other, they have a lot of belief in each other, and they stayed together. I give them all the credit in the world.

The Tanners could have won it by a few more points but shot 2-for-10 from the free throw line in the last 1:09, stretching the drama out to the final buzzer.

Woburn will next host fourth-seed Cambridge (18-4) in the semifinals, Wednesday night (7 p.m.) back at Torrice Gym.

I cant give enough credit to the girls, they were down seven and they never put their heads down, they never quit, they just dug in, said Sullivan. They are an incredible group and I couldnt be prouder of them. We just need to work on free throws.

The first half featured a battle of the number 21s on both teams. Woburns Megan Roderick started the game by missing her first shot, then stealing it away from the girl who got the rebound, and then putting in her second shot. That started a first quarter that saw her score 11 points, and 16 for the half, including a pair of 3-point buckets.

Billericas Madison Watford was the best player on the floor. She was big and strong, but had a soft shooters touch that allowed her smoothly drain threes, while being automatic underneath the basket. On defense, when Watford wasnt swatting away shots and grabbing rebounds, her mere presence altered many of the Tanner shot attempts in the paint. She had 14 points in the first half.

Woburn led for much of the half, getting the lead up to as high as eight (22-14) in the second quarter before the Indians began settling in and running their offense. It was still a six-point game late in the half when Billerica went on a 7-0 burst, culminating with a Julia Trainor steal and layup that gave the Indians their first lead of the game, 28-27. Two Ashlyn Pacheco free throws gave the Tanners the lead at the half, 29-28.

They (Indians) are very good, said Sullivan, of Billerica They are well-coached, they run nice back cuts, nice screens, they move very well.

The third quarter began with a Meghan Qualey triple off the glass from the right side to get the lead up to four, but Billerica answered with a three from Madison Bonvie and two free throws from guard Taylor Gibson put the Indians back in front, 33-32.

Back and forth it went until Billerica went on another 7-0 run, this one giving the Indians an eight-point lead with 32 seconds left in the third. Watford had a conventional three-point play, Sofia Mazzotta made a shot, and Gibson added two free throws. Pacheco hit three free throws after getting fouled beyond the arc to make it a five-point game (45-40) after three.

We knew all along she could play, said Sullivan, of Watford, who had 19 points. She could shoot the ball, she hit some threes on us early, she was a physical player inside. I thought we did a much better job in the second half on her.

It was 51-45, midway through the fourth, when Woburn began to catch fire. Carley Pandora started it with a layup, Cyndea Labissiere hit two free throws, and Qualey hit a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 51-51.

Down the other end, Qualey took a charge to keep the momentum going forward. Sydney Sartell hit both ends of a one-and-one to briefly put the Indians back in front, 53-51, with 2:09 left, but Roderick (21) responded right back with a three that put the Tanners back in front to stay, 54-53.

Labissiere came up with a steal at mid-court and the foot race to the basket culminated in a 360-spinning reverse layup that was simply awesome.

Gibson, Billericas second-highest scorer, had four fouls on her when she tried to cover Labissiere the next time down the court. The freshman blew by the senior, forcing her to foul out to avoid the easy layup. Pacheco then took a charge on one defensive stand, and then on the next one, wrestled a loose ball away while lying on the ground, and then calling timeout before the tie-up, allowing the Tanners to keep the ball.

All those little plays matter, a lot, said Sullivan. We made just enough of those and they turned out to be big plays, and now we live to play another game.

The missed free throws were keeping the Indians slim hopes alive, and then when Sartell hit a 30-foot trey from straight away, it was a two-point game (58-56) with 10 seconds left. Watford ended the game with a dramatic shot from the Billerica side of mid-court, but the attempt came up just short.

I think the girls just dug down deep, said Sullivan. Things werent going well. We were slowing down and not getting much going offensively. We were just able to dig in, get a few stops and start playing fast. When we play fast we are really, really good.

There was a little controversy brewing, last night, regarding the Tanners being allowed to host a semifinal game it was playing in. We will see if anything develops there.

See the article here:
Woburn girls hoop team gets off the deck to avoid upset - Tewksbury town crier

If you love RNG, then youre going to have a blast with this weeks Hearthstone Tavern Brawl.

For those of you who dont enjoy brawls when the deck building is out of your control, The Burndown may be one to avoid. In the Burndown Rekindled, players will be using a randomly generated deck. After playing a game, the loser will be assigned the winners deck for their next Tavern Brawl match. If you win, youll keep the same deck and will be able to continue to use it until you lose.

Though you still only need to win one match to obtain your free pack for this week, the appeal of this brawl is its replayability. Players can take their randomly assigned deck and play consecutive games to test themselves against the great unknown. Since losers are assigned the winners deck, as the week progresses, the decks you run up against should become more powerful.

Unlike some random deck brawls, The Burndown doesnt even allow you to choose a class. This means youll be flying completely blind whenever you first dive in. If youre assigned a class that youre familiar with, you can have some sense of how to strategize. Even though your deck is random, if you have a ton of experience playing a particular class, youll probably be able to navigate the RNG better than you would otherwise.

You can dive into the Tavern and test your skills in The Burndown Rekindled right now.

More here:
The Burndown - Rekindled is this week's Hearthstone Tavern Brawl - Dot Esports

Posted on March 3, 2020 at 2:51 pm

Kate Chastain surprised fans when she announced that she would not be returning to Below Deck but theres a Bravo new project in the works, AllAboutTheTEA.com can confirm.

Kate has had several meetings in New York City with Andy Cohen in recent months. A Bravoinsider tells AllAboutTheTEA.com. There is a possible spinoff project in the works.

Bravo is not done with Kate, they have big plans for her and thats why she made the big move to the NYC.Bravo is planning a new panel show, with Kate and other Bravolebs. The source continues.

READ ALSO: Kate Chastain Justifies Mentally Torturing Caroline Bedol During Her Below Deck Exit!

The chief stewconfirmed that she had moved to the New York City, during the recently aired season 7 reunion.

Kate Chastain, 37, confirmed she will not be returning to Below Deck in a post on Instagram following the airing of Part 2 of the Season 7 reunion on Monday, February 17. She wrote, After many months of reflection and internal discussions, I have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new land based role. I intend to step back as a senior member of the Below Deck Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support His Majesty Andy Cohen.

Kate Chastainjoined the Bravo reality series in Season 2 and served as chief stew in every season since, including most recently Season 7, becoming one of the longest-running crew members on Below Deck.

The colorful reality diva was known for bringing the drama on camera, but recently admitted that filming Season 7 was particularly challenging.

Personally, this has been a very challenging season for me. Im going to go spend a week alone in a resort and relax. Then, head back to Florida, pack up my life, and move to New York, she shared in an interview at the end of an episode earlier this season. Im scared to move to New York, but I was also scared to start yachting, and I think Im ready for a new adventure.

READ ALSO: Below Deck Chandler Brooks FIRED & Caroline Bedol Quits Over Mental Torture and Herpes Outbreak

It looks like Kate ChastainsBravo career lives but the snarky chief stewardess will have to share the spotlight.

Below Deck spinoff series, Below Deck Sailing Yacht, airs Monday nights at 9 pm, ET, on Bravo.

Stay Connected With All About The Tea:TwitterInstagramYouTube

Continued here:
EXCLUSIVE: Kate Chastain Lands New Bravo Show After 'Below Deck' Departure! - All About The Tea

Taken in the spring of 1990 in the Persian Gulf, the impressive pictures in this post feature U.S. Air Force (USAF) B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers buzzing USS Ranger (CV-61) aircraft carrier.

The story went as follows.

Two B-52s called the USS Ranger and asked if they could do a fly-by, and the carrier air controller said yes.

When the B-52s reported they were 9 kilometers out, the carrier controller said he didnt see them. The B-52s told the carrier folks to look down.

B-52 Pilot:Ranger, were 5 miles out.USS Ranger:We do not have visualB-52 Pilot:Look down

According to The Tailhook Association website, the B-52 paint scheme made it hard to see from above, but as it got closer, the sailors could make it out, and the water the B-52 jets were causing to spray out.

As we have already explained (click here to read the article) B-52s usually practiced low level flights during Cold War years to come in under Soviet radar. In this case, the B-52 pilots asked the carrier controller if they would like the bombers come around again. The carrier guys said yes, and a lot more sailors had their cameras out this time.

Although its very rare for a USAF aircraft to do a fly-by below the flight deck of a carrier, its not rare seeing B-52s doing low fly-bys over US Navy flattops.

In the winter of 1981 in fact, two Guam-based B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers performed a low fly-by over USS Midway (CV-41) aircraft carrier. Here you can read the whole story of the USS Midway low fly-by written by B-52 commander Doug Aitken.

Update: Tim Manley, reader of The Aviation Geek Club, brought to our attention that the main photo used for this article was taken on the USS Independence (CV62) not the USS Ranger. A claim proved by the tail markings on the F-14 from VF-154 and the E-2C from VAW-115 parked on the flight deck. Both squadrons were deployed as part of CAG-5 which is can be identified as NK in the tail of the aircraft that were assigned to CV-62. They were never deployed on the Ranger. Stay tuned for additional updates if further details on this story had to come to light!

Photo credit: U.S. Navy

More here:
[Updated] That time a USAF B-52 Strategic Bomber did a fly-by below the flight deck of USS Ranger Aircraft ... - The Aviation Geek Club

Alabama formally announced the hires of David Ballou and Dr. Matt Rhea as the team's new director of sports performance and director of performance science in a release Tuesday morning, March 3, 2020.(Photo: Alabama athletics)

TUSCALOOSA Alabama football officially elevated its player developmentto the next level with Tuesday's announced additions of two hires to replace one.

The Crimson Tide formally named Indiana strength and conditioning duo David Ballou and Dr. Matt Rhea as its newly-createddirector of sports performance and director of performance science, respectively, in a press release Tuesday morning.

"Just as with any other area, we feel that it is imperative that we adopt and integrate advancements in the field of strength and conditioning that will provide elite training, while better protecting our players from injuries and helping them develop and perform at a higher level," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said in a statement. "Our program has been working toward these type of advancements with the development and construction of our own sports science center, and with the addition of David and Matt, we believe our student-athletes will be better equipped to reach their goals for many years to come."

The hires formally fill a hole vacated by longtime Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran after he left to become Georgia's special teams coordinator last week following 13 seasons in the support role in Tuscaloosa.

The additions of Ballou and Rhea were made with the program's new sports science center, which is still under construction but should be finished later this summer, in mind, creating new roles to further utilize innovative advancements in strength and conditioning.

IU football director of athletic performance David Ballou speaks with reporters about the Hoosiers' approach to strength and conditioning. Indianapolis Star

"The collaboration between strength and conditioning, sports medicine and nutrition are absolutely critical for the success of our program," Alabama's associate athletic director of sports medicineJeff Allensaid in the release. "The addition of Coach Ballou and Dr. Rhea to our program will allow us to take full advantage of our sports science center. The data they will generate on our athletes, through their unique training methods, will allow us to know exactly how to manage our team to ensure we are performing at our best each Saturday and make sure we are doing all we can to prevent injuries."

Ballou spent the past two years as Indiana's director of athletic performance while Rhea was the Hoosier's high performance coordinator. Both also served two years apiece in similar roles at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, before Ballou accepted a co-director of strength and conditioning at Notre Dame in 2017. Ballou, who played fullback at Indiana between 1997-99,also spent more than a dozen years as the head strength and conditioning coach at Avon (Indiana) High.

"Player development is my passion" Ballou said in the statement. "We can't wait to get to Tuscaloosa and begin working with some of the best athletes and football players in the nation. We will attack all avenues of performance to make sure we are optimizing the physical abilities of every player on the roster."

Rhea has an educational background having served as a professor of kinesiology at A.T. Still University where he taught courses in sports conditioning and exercise physiology and has published nearly 100 studies in performance enhancement. Rhea has a master's degree in exercise science and physical education and a doctorate in philosophyat Arizona State in 2001 and 2004, respectively,and a second master's in sports management from American Public University in 2016.

"For the past 22 years, I have been studying how best to develop athletes, prevent injuries and prime for competition," Rhea said in a statement. "Through research, I have found some innovative ways to target neuromuscular issues that are limiting performance and, by teaming up with one of best strength and conditioning coaches in the world, we can target those limiting factors during training.

"Everyone works hard in football these days, and our system involves a lot of hard work, but not just for the sake of causing pain and suffering. It involves hard work because getting improvements in very elite athletes is very challenging. We are combining hard work with very scientific methods in order to maximize development and preparation."

Alabama's new sports science center will be a comprehensive facility that will feature assessment areas for all athletes, physical-evaluation areas, a behavioral health center, two athlete-recovery rooms that feature 15 specialized recovery chairs, three float beds and a multi-person, whole-body cryo chamber.

"The addition of Coach Ballou and Dr. Rhea shows the unsurpassed dedication to the student-athlete at The University of Alabama," Alabama team doctor andAndrews Sports Medicine Center orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lyle Cain said. "Their ability to develop football players while working in conjunction with athletic training and nutrition to help prevent injuries will be vital to the program's success. With all these factors in place, Alabama will possess a one-of-a-kind program, not only in college, but in the NFL as well, that will focus on protecting its players and helping them reach their full potential."

Indiana Hoosiers Director of Athletic Performance David Ballou looks on during practice at Mellencamp Pavilion in Bloomington, Ind., on Monday, August 6, 2018.(Photo: Rob Goddin/For IndyStar)

Alex Byington isthe Montgomery Advertiser's Alabama beat reporter. He can be reached by email at abyington@montgome.gannett.com or on Twitter at @_AlexByington.

Read the original here:
Alabama formally announces additions of David Ballou, Dr. Matt Rhea from Indiana - Montgomery Advertiser

The transformation of Walt Disney's(NYSE:DIS)least visited theme park in Florida is complete. Wednesday morning's debut of Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, a family-friendly trackless ride that glides guests through high-tech animated scenes, completes the massive upgrade of Disney's Hollywood Studios, the gated attraction that was dead last among Disney World's four theme parks in attendance in 2018.

A lot has happened at the park in a little more than 20 months. Toy Story Land opened in the summer of 2018, a nod to Pixar's first full-length feature franchise. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge came along last year, an ambitious 14-acre expansion that opened in two phases between August and December. Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway becomes the third and final piece of the revitalization of Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Image source: Disney.

There's a lot riding on Disney's theme parks business. Disney's parks, experiences, and products segment accounted for 38% of revenue and 45% of the operating profit in fiscal 2019. And Disney World is the largest theme park resort on the planet, unmatched in terms of the number of parks, on-site hotels, and annual visitors.

Disney's Hollywood Studios attracted 11.3 million guests of the 58.3 million visitors to Disney World's four theme parks in 2018. The least visited of the four Florida theme parks will never catch up to Magic Kingdom and the more than 20 million folks who travel through its turnstiles every year. However, it shouldn't be a surprise to see Disney's Hollywood Studios catapult to becoming Disney World's second most visited park in 2020.

We've seen this play out before.Disney's Animal Kingdom leaped to second place in attendance at Disney World following the 2017 debut of Pandora -- The World of Avatar. If a single expansion was enough to breathe new life into the animal-themed park, just imagine how three major additions in less than two years will do for the once-struggling movie-themed attraction.

The new ride is drawing largely positive reviews, and that's a good thing since the same ride will open at Disneyland in California two years from now. The attraction uses next-gen visual effects to create a textured experience without the need for 3-D specs, drawing guests into the whimsical universe of Mickey Mouse.

This week's debut of the first ride starring Mickey and Minnie Mouse may be bittersweet, though. The opening comes as all three of the Disney-branded resorts in Asia are closed as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak, and it seems like only a matter of time before the stateside parks take a hit.

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway was supposed to open last year, but Disney pushed its rollout to early 2020 -- probably as a result of spacing out the debut of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge into two phases months apart in the second half of 2019. The timing is unfortunate, but the real value of the work that Disney World has done with its least popular theme park has always been for the long haul. The family-entertainment giant was a market darling among consumer discretionary stocksbefore the COVID-19 outbreak rattled the market, and that's just where it will be when bullish sentiment bounces back.

Read more:
Disney World's New Ride Will Save its Worst Park - Motley Fool

March is expected to be very busy for Pokmon Go as Niantic revealed just about everything that is coming to the popular mobile game this month.

In its latest blog post, Niantic confirmed what players can expect in March which includes another Shadow Legendary, Raid Battle debuts and much more. There's even more weekend events happening the entire month to keep players busy.

Here's a rundown of every event coming to Pokmon Go in March.

SHADOW ENTEI

Shadow Entei returns to Pokmon Go in the Team Go Rocket Special Research tasks.

Like how trainers were able to defeat the Team Go Rocket Leaders and Giovanni to battle and capture Raikou and Suicune, the Fire-type Legendary from the Johto region returns to give players another chance.

Be sure to complete these special tasks before March is up.

DARKRAI AND OTHER LEGENDARY RAIDS

Thundurus, the second of the Djinns from the Unova region, will begin appearing in Level 5 Raids starting Monday, March 2 at 4 p.m. EST. This is the first of many Legendary Pokmon coming to the mobile game in March.

Niantic confirms each weekend in March will have a special Raid Day event featuring a Legendary Pokmon.

The first features Darkrai from Friday, March 6 at 11 a.m. to Monday March 9 at 10 p.m. local time in Level 5 Raids. Players will also have a chance at catching a Shiny Darkrai for the first time in Pokmon Go.

From Friday, March 13, at 8 a.m. to Monday, March 16, at 10 p.m. local time, Altered Forme Giratina will appear in Level 5 Raids and also give players a chance at catching its Shiny Variant for the first time.

Cobalion returns to Level 5 Raids from Friday, March 20 at 8 a.m. to Monday, March 23 at 10 p.m. local time. Like the other two weekends, this will be the first time Shiny Cobalion appears in Pokmon Go. Cobalion caught in these Raids will also know the exclusive move, Sacred Sword.

And finally, Lugia will appear in Level 5 Raids from Friday, March 27 at 8 a.m. to Monday, March 30 at 10 p.m. local time. Not only will players have a chance at catching a Shiny Lugia during the event, these Legendaries will know the exclusive move, Aeroblast.

MYSTERIOUS WEEKEND EVENT

On the weekend of March 20, Normal, Fire, Electric, Water and Ice-type Pokmon will appear more frequently in the wild.

Nincada, the rare Ground and Bug-type Pokmon will also appear in the wild and hatch more frequently from 5km Eggs. Shiny Nincada will also make its debut in Pokmon Go during this event.

Shelmet and Karrablast will also hatch more frequently from 5km Eggs while Level 1-4 Raids will feature Bug and Steel-type Pokmon.

This event will offer double the catch and hatch Stardust and there will also be a special research story event attached to this weekend. More details to come in the future.

TEAM GO ROCKET GLOBAL TAKEOVER

The weekend of March 6 will see Team Go Rocket try and takeover Pokmon Go once again.

Poison and Dark-type Pokmon will appear more frequently in the wild including Absol, which is normally a Pokmon found only in Raids. This event will mark the debut of Shiny Skorupi.

PSYCHIC SPECTACULAR EVENT

The weekend of March 27 will see the debut of two Psychic-type Pokmon from the Unova region, Solosis and Gothita.

Solosis will be found in the wild during the day while Gothita can be encountered at night. Both Pokmon will appear in 5km Eggs after the event is over.

Abra, Drowzee, Ralts, Spoink, Baltoy, Wynaut, Beldum, Gothita and Solosis will hatch more frequently from 2km Eggs during the event with Baltoy having its Shiny variant debut.

Psychic-type Pokmon will also start appearing in Raids and appear more frequently in the wild. There will also be Field Research specifically tied to this event.

What do you think of the upcoming Pokmon Go events in March? Which are you looking forward to most? Let us know in the comments section.

Read more here:
'Pokmon Go' Announces March Events and Additions Including Thundurus and Shiny Legendaries - Newsweek

Cast, most of staff return for Baki: Dai Raitaisai-hen season based on Keisuke Itagaki's martial arts manga

The official website for the new anime of Keisuke Itagaki's Baki (New Grappler Baki: In Search of Our Strongest Hero) manga began streaming a teaser promotional video for the anime's second season on Thursday. The video reveals that the second season, titled Baki: Dai Raitaisai-hen, will debut exclusively on Netflix this year. It also confirms that most of the main staff is returning with two new main additions.

Most of the staff are returning for the second season, with the addition of Shingo Ishikawa and Masanori Nishiyama. Toshiki Hirano (Rayearth, Dangaioh, Magic Kaito: Kid the Phantom Thief) is directing the the second season at TMS Entertainment (Lupin III, ReLIFE). Fujio Suzuki (Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter Robo, 009-1, New Getter Robo) and Shingo Ishikawa (Tetsujin 28: Morning Moon of Midday) are designing the characters. Tatsuhiko Urahata (DNA, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Tsuredure Children) is in charge of the series scripts. Masanori Nishiyama is the new art director. Other returning staff members include color designer Hiromi Miyawaki, director of photography Tatsuo Noguchi, editor Yuriko Sano, composer Kenji Fujisawa, and sound directors Keiko Urakami and Yasuyuki Uragami.

The cast returns for the second season.

Netflix premiered the first anime season in June 2018 inside Japan, and it ran for 26 episodes ending in December 2018. Netflix posted the first 13 episodes outside of Japan in December 2018, followed by the second half of the first season in March 2019.

Netflix describes the story:

Source: Baki anime's website, Comic Natalie

See the rest here:
Baki Anime's 2nd Season Teaser Reveals Netflix Debut This Year, Added Staff - Anime News Network

Amazons Lord of the Rings show is moving ahead, with filming now underway over in New Zealand. However, only the first two episodes of Season 1 will be shot. After that production takes a several months hiatus to work on scripts for Season 2. The plan is then to reconvene the production and shoot the rest of Season 1 and Season 2 concurrently.

The new show will deal with events from the Second Age of Tolkiens Middle-earth. Though, since that Age lasted thousands of years, its hard to say exactly where the show will begin. Most of the cast has been announced and paraded before the press. Though, we dont know exactly who they are all playing. So far the only character which Tolkien fans might be familiar with is Galadriel. The Elven queen is one of the oldest living beings in Middle-earth by the time of The Lord of the Rings story. Now we have a new cast member to add that ever-growing list. Maxim Baldry has signed on and his character is described as having a leading role in the show. Thats all we know really for now about the character Baldry will be playing.

However, why not let us do a little speculation? There is one character who I believe HAS to be in this show, and thats Sauron. Fans will, of course, remember Sauron as a flaming red eye, and the main antagonist of The Lord of the Rings. However, during the Second Age, things were a little different. Depending on where Amazon set this show, Sauron could be played by a normal non-CGI actor.

Until the very end of the Second Age, Sauron was known as Annatar by some. Sauron (or Mairon to give him his oldest name) is an angelic-like being. What I mean by that, is that he was pure spirit, taking on any appearance he wished. Sauron could, therefore, appear Elven, or Human (or even Werewolf) depending on his audience. It was not until the Fall of Numenor (signaling the ending of the Second Age) that Sauron lost this ability.

Surely the most interesting character in this timeline (and for any actor to play) would be Sauron? Since Baldrys casting announcement there are many fans, like me, who look at the actor and see potential for Sauron. This is merely speculation, so please dont think we are suggesting for certain Baldry will play Sauron, we dont know that. It is, however, possible for Sauron not to appear at all in Season 1. Again, it really is going to be dependent on where Amazon begins this story, which we dont know.

Baldry is not going to be recognizable to most fans. The actor is probably most known by U.K. audiences for appearing in soap opera Hollyoaks. Baldry has also appeared in Doctor Who. Most recently appearing in the BBC/HBO limited series Years and Years, where he played standout Viktor (see Image above). It should be pointed out that Amazon had stated that the cast was never rounded out. We might then expect even more cast additions as production continues. I doubt its urgent for Amazon to cast roles outside of the opening two episodes of Season 1. Thats given the hiatus I mentioned above, which would give them several more months.

The casting of Sauron is the one piece I am waiting on for this show. Is Baldry that character, or will Amazon go for someone a bit more experienced and high profile for that role? My personal top choice has always been Tom Hiddleston of MCU fame. Hiddleston is one of my favorite actors right now, and Sauron would be a very different role to that of Loki. However, I could genuinely see Baldry as someone a little darker. Whether that is the big bad of the Second Age or not, we just dont know?

If you have an interest in Amazons Lord of the Rings show then check out my weekly column What This Fan Wants From. This week I will be covering Amazons Lord of the Rings show, and that should be with you by Thursday or Friday at the latest.

What do you think of Baldrys casting, do you think he could be Sauron, if not, why not? Leave us your thoughts in the usual spots below.

Have you checked out LRM Onlines official podcast feed yet The LRM Online Podcast Network? This includes our flagship podcast Los Fanboys, our premiere podcastBreaking Geek Radio: The Podcast, GeekScholars Movie News, and our morning showLRMornings. Check it out by listening below. Its also available on all your favorite podcast apps!

Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Google Play

SOURCE: Deadline

Original post:
Could Lord Of The Rings Lead Actor Be Playing Sauron? - LRM Online

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Starling Marte laughs while watching spring training against the Oakland Athletics at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Feb. 23, 2020.(Photo: Michael Chow/The Republic)

Expectations are high in Diamondbacks land. Not only are they coming off an encouraging 85-win season, the team is fresh off an offseason in which it made several high-profile additions. For those wearing the rosiest of glasses, the moves left them dreaming not just about the Diamondbacks reaching the playoffs, but about them chasing down the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

It is clear not everyone views the Diamondbacks this way in particular, the projection systems in place at Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs, two of the leading baseball analytics sites on the internet. Not only do they not see the Diamondbacks being much improved from last year, they actually envision them being worse.

Baseball Prospectus PECOTA system sees the Diamondbacks as a 79.8-win team. Similarly, FanGraphs ZiPS projections has them at 79 wins. They are projected by PECOTA to have the eighth-best record in the NL, two spots ahead of ZiPS forecast.

Both sites envision the Diamondbacks once again sitting at home come October while the Dodgers, with an average of 100 wins between the two projections, run away with the division.

They do not love us, Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen said. That is a true statement.

Of course, none of this means the Diamondbacks should cancel the season. Baseball predictions are difficult. This is true for both the computers and the so-called experts. Every year, the projection systems are wrong about a number of teams for a variety of reasons, including unexpected breakouts, injuries, trades, et al. And the systems tend to be conservative in their win-total predictions; most teams that are alive in October outperform their projections, and rare is the club that is projected to win 100 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) runs the bases against the Oakland Athletics during spring training at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Feb. 23, 2020.(Photo: Michael Chow/The Republic)

The Diamondbacks, of course, do not agree with what the projections are saying. And, in some cases, neither do those running the projections. PECOTAs general ambivalence to the Diamondbacks was a topic of discussion within Baseball Prospectus before the projections were released last month, according to Harry Pavlidis, BPs director of research and development.

They were a team that kept popping up, like, Shouldnt they be better? Pavlidis said. Everybody was surprised. That might be a little low.

What the projection systems do, essentially, is look at each players track record, compare it to track records of similar players in baseball history and then spit out a most likely outcome for the upcoming season, taking into account how others before them have aged.

A player who, say, hit well in the minor leagues then did the same for his first two seasons in the majors at ages 23 and 24 would likely be viewed as a safe bet to do it again in Year 3 at age 25.

But the picture can get cloudy when a player is coming off an unexpectedly good year, one that looks like an outlier compared to his past performance. Or when he suddenly performs well in the majors at a more advanced age. Or when a host of other considerations, like home ballpark, division or health, are baked into the equation.

Hazen obviously does not agree with the projections, but he also doesnt seem to have a problem with them. He understands the models that shape them, and, he said, his teams internal projections, which also take into account information that isnt publicly available, use similar methodologies. He said the teams in-house projections are not vastly different from the 79-win seasons expected by PECOTA and ZiPS.

The issue both systems have with the Diamondbacks, essentially, is that they do not envision the team having enough elite players or even an above-average unit within the team.

Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Kole Calhoun (56) runs back to the dugout after an inning against the Oakland Athletics during spring training at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Feb. 23, 2020.(Photo: Michael Chow/The Republic)

Thats kind of the story of the projections, said FanGraphs Dan Szymborski, the creator of ZiPS. It kind of has all aspects of the team around average: average rotation, average bullpen, overall an average offense.

According to ZiPS, the Diamondbacks lineup will have one truly valuable player -- second baseman Ketel Marte -- surrounded by a collection of average to slightly above-average regulars. And even Marte isnt projected to be the player he was last year. Marte was worth 7.1 WAR (wins above replacement) per FanGraphs last season; ZiPS projects him at 3.7 this year.

That is normal for star players, however, when it comes to projection systems. They often set the bar so high that the system believes it is unreasonable to expect them to clear it again.

Hazen, of course, sees things playing out differently than the projections.

The two biggest factors for us are probably age and theyre projecting regression for some of our elite players, Hazen said. We would choose to argue with some of that in that our elite players are young, and we believe the guys that theyre dinging for age, theres reasons to believe why they should still (be productive). The aging curve is a curve; there are guys who outperform that consistently.

The Diamondbacks could believe, for example, that new right fielder Kole Calhoun will be better than the 1.1 WAR that PECOTA projects because his numbers from previous years were dragged down by him employing a swing he has since abandoned. Or that Christian Walker has only recently begun to approach his potential and will prove to have a longer shelf life than the mostly anonymous comps PECOTA assigned to him, including Victor Diaz and Jerry Sands.

Each system has things to like about the Diamondbacks. Marte, for one. His new teammate, Starling Marte, is well-liked by PECOTA, as is another offseason addition, Madison Bumgarner.

But the player the systems might like most is right-hander Zac Gallen, who has made only 15 starts in the majors. PECOTA has him as a 2.9-win player despite projecting him for only 137 innings. ZiPS has him at a 2.5 WAR in 148 innings, which Szymborski called a pretty bonkers projection.

But its not enough, apparently, to lift the team as a whole. Of course, this isnt new for the Diamondbacks, who have outplayed the projections fairly significantly in two of the past three seasons and they were on target to do so in 2018 had they not fallen apart in September.

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Outperformance is a tricky thing to bet on, Hazen said. (But) Ive said this a number of times: Dont look at the manager (Torey Lovullo) and his coaching staff and look at bullpen moves on a given day to assess how the manager is doing. To me, look at that. Look at the consistency of outperformance in certain areas that the team has driven year over year.

Pavlidis said there are certain team characteristics that can often lead to outperformance, most of it involving smart deployment of players, including platoons and bullpen management. In recent years, the Diamondbacks also have seemingly done well at getting more than expected out of many of their players. That has been particularly true in the starting rotation, whether it was Zack Godley in 2017, Clay Buchholz in 2018 or Alex Young last year.

Still, for as underwhelming as a 79-win projection might seem, it still does not leave the Diamondbacks too far out of a playoff spot in a clustered National League. They might be well behind the Dodgers, but PECOTA gives them an 18.8 percent chance of winning the wild card.

Right now, the Diamondbacks could break either way, said Pavlidis, who said their projections have roughly a six game margin for error. Theyre close. Theyre kind of on the cusp. If anything, I wouldnt worry if I was a fan. Yeah, we have a shot. The Dodgers are better, but the Dodgers are better than everybody. Can they fight for a wild card? Yeah.

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.

At Surprise Stadium:RHP Luke Weaver, who failed to get through the first inning in his first outing of the spring, had another rough opening frame but managed to work into the second on Tuesday night. Weaver gave up two runs in the first on two hits and two walks, throwing 31 pitches. He struck out CF Bubba Starling to open the second and was lifted from the game with his pitch count at 38. Besides putting my fielders to sleep, throwing a bajillion pitches in the first inning, again, and getting my heart rate above the normal limit, I think it went well, Weaver said. I think Im trending up. Weaver said he was happy to see he was again touching the mid-90s with his fastball velocity. He said he feels good, which is no small consideration for a pitcher who missed most of last year with elbow problems. And he said his command issues were mostly due to adrenaline-related mechanical issues that he does not think will be difficult to correct. Im getting a little frustrated out there not putting away guys, letting them stay in the at-bats, Weaver said. We call those kill pitches, those putaway pitches, they arent landing where I want them to. But thats just reps and getting out there and getting it done.

At the plate: After several games in which their offense was nonexistent, the Diamondbacks saw some positive signs in the early innings. In the first, DH Carson Kelly had a lengthy at-bat against Royals RHP Kyle Zimmer that ended with a single to center. RF Kole Calhoun walked and C Stephen Vogt hit a hard line drive to center. The Diamondbacks didnt score, but it was more noise than they had been making in most innings in recent days. They broke through in the second. With two out and nobody on, CF Tim Locastro was a hit by pitch his second already this spring then scored on 3B Domingo Leybas double into the right-field corner. 2B Josh Rojas followed by launching a two-run homer to center field. Calhoun added a solo home run of his own in the fifth, taking former Diamondbacks closer RHP Greg Holland deep.

Extra bases: The game was delayed an hour as police investigated a possible bomb detected by a police-trained dog, who alerted officers to a vehicle parked outside the stadium. 1B Jake Lamb committed an error in the third inning, failing to find the bag at first while taking the throw from Leyba.

Wednesdays game: Diamondbacks LHP Madison Bumgarner vs. Indians RHP Aaron Civale, 1:10 p.m., Salt River Fields.

Excerpt from:
They do not love us: What the projection systems have against the Diamondbacks - AZCentral