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William Griffith, Jr. said he was just minding his own business walking home last Saturday afternoon following his job cleaning elderly peoples apartments when he got a very unwelcome greeting from a fellow pedestrian on a Cincinnati sidewalk.

Surveillance video shows a man approaching Griffith from behind and sucker punching him in the head.

The blow crumpled the victim to the pavement and knocked him out, WCPO-TV reported, citing Hamilton County court documents.

I was stunned, Griffith told WXIX-TV. I couldnt believe it. I mean, the dude came right up from behind me

He told the station he doesnt know his attacker who is seen on video walking away right after the sucker punch or why he did it.

This generation, I dont know, Griffith told WXIX. Im old school. Im 54 years old I dont know their motives I mean, just to have fun?

After the surveillance video hit social media, it was identified as the infamous knockout game, WCPO said a scary pastime in which pedestrians are randomly punched and cellphone videos of the assaults are often posted online.

Griffith suffered facial cuts, a black eye and a broken jaw and said if the attack on him was a kind of game, he doesnt find it amusing.

I mean if you wanna get a thrill, do something positive, he told WXIX.

If theres any silver lining in this situation, 29-year-old Keith Capell was arrested Wednesday and was charged with felonious assault in connection to the incident, WCPO reported, citing a complaint filed in the case.

Capell was in court Thursday morning and given a $260,000 bond, WCPO noted, adding that the presiding judge said he was frustrated by the limitations given him in setting Capells bond.

Capells attorney said the victim threatened [Capell] with a knife, WCPO reported, but the prosecutor said that wasnt true.

Capell also had less than 1 ounce of heroin in small baggies when he was arrested and was charged with possession of drugs, WCPO added, citing the complaint.

(H/T: Truth Revolt)

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Sucker punch from behind on city sidewalk knocks out man, 54: 'This generation, I don't know.' - TheBlaze.com

Before Steve Moore became an entrepreneur, he led record-breaking expeditions.

The co-founder of Flight Club a chain of venues where punters play rounds of social darts can trace his start-up journey to 2010, when he embarked on a nine month-long circumnavigation of the globe, executing the epic trip in a mode of transport more suited to a dozen miles than 25,000: a fire engine.

The whole project was ridiculously ambitious, remembers Moore, who lost his firefighter father to lung cancer the year before and wanted to raise money for charity. We planned for 28 countries and five continents plus a Guinness World Record for the longest journey in a fire engine.

It was a mammoth operation that required an intense year of preparation and research. There was a crew of 25 co-drivers, who would swap in and out along the way, plus fixers in most of the countries.

There were about 200 people involved, says Moore, who knew nothing about logistics and project management at the time. I took some truck maintenance and Russian classes, and went on an SAS survival course.

Returning to London in 2011 and having raised 120,000, Moore reflects that he was inspired, if a little sore from his off-road adventure. The biggest takeaway was realising the potential of what you could achieve with just people getting them to work together and calling in favours.

People-power is precisely what Moore would use when he swapped fire engines for dart flights a year later. In 2012, he and Paul Barham, an old friend and Flight Clubs other co-founder, were catching up in a Croydon pub. There were some young people having a blast playing [knockout game] Killer on a dart board. We saw an opportunity.

The duo wanted to bring that same energy and fun back to darts, which they felt had become dated and dull. The plan was to launch with a London venue: a fully-functional bar that served food and hosted competitive darts party games in booths.

Moore drew on his experience of putting together a team for the fire truck trip, surrounding himself with people who knew what he didnt.

I had never owned a bar, but a friend from school ran nine in the capital, so we got hold of him. A friend from university also owns an accounting company, so we asked for some help. Calling in favours is crucial when starting a company, he adds.

We went nuts on focus groups, doing three or four a week for about 18 monthsSteve Moore, Flight Club

Answers were less forthcoming for the darts experience itself. Moore's Flight Club vision was to have camera-based, auto-scoring technology at every oche, to show where on the board the darts hit.

The scores would be recorded live, flashing up on a screen next to the players, who wouldnt have to spend time chalking-up points and doing mental sums to work out the scores.

The problem was that it hadnt been built yet.

We knew that [sports tech company] Hawk-Eye had tried it, but failed, says Moore, who even put the challenge to PhD students as part of a country-wide university competition. No one could figure it out. Again, Moore leaned on other people, leveraging his network of contacts to solve the fundamental issue and secure a key hire.

We knew a camera systems contact who supplied Hawk-Eye with its kit, says Moore. He knew a specialist who worked with Nasa [on autonomous in-flight refuelling systems] and who might have the answer. That person was Dr Jason Dale and he did. Hes now the companys technical director.

With Dales tech, the co-founders could finally build a working system, having brainstormed dozens of darts games with chalkboards and Excel spreadsheets on a test board in Moores living room.

We went nuts on focus groups, doing three or four a week for about 18 months, he adds.

The team was still very nervous when a dozen oches were installed at their launch venue in Shoreditch. When we opened the doors [in 2014], we thought that a few people would come in and play, but we were full, says Moore.

I remember thinking: this sytem was just in my loungeand now weve got hundreds of people using 12 of them.

That first day was so unenjoyable, says the co-founder, who admits that the team took a huge risk on the tech side, having tested it in such a limited environment before rolling it out for commercial launch.

The business employed a neat trick to deal with any blips, by selling the first few weeks as a hackathon, making the experience of finding a glitch a fun game, rather than a disappointment. If people found bugs, we would offer them a free drink, which they loved, jokes Moore.

We put every single penny back into the productSteve Moore, Flight Club

Today the company employs 20 people in its tech team. Theres more rigorous testing and constant innovation, which prevents Flight Club from becoming a one-trick pony, where a customer might play all the games, experience the lot and never come back, thinks the business owner.

Refreshes and new releases are written into our business objectives we launch four new things a year, explains Moore. Instant video instant replays, for example, will be available to players by the end of September.

Business owners must beware of resting on their laurels, warns the co-founder. Even though were booked out five months in advance, were constantly refreshing the games, even the interior design, to keep people coming back. There are companies in our sector that are now coming off their peak, because theyre not reinvesting, butwe put every single penny back into the product.

Moore also invests in staff. For a small company, we put a lot into our training academy, because youre only as good as your general manager, he says. Were in a sector with traditionally high staff turnover, but retention for us is great, because were growing at a rate that can fulfil a lot of peoples career ambitions.

Poetically, Flight Club employs 180 people across its two sites (the second is in Bloomsbury). Last year it registered turnover of 8m and its website claims that more than 19.5 million darts have been thrown so far.

On the horizon are new venues, with a Chicago Flight Club opening in February 2018. Moore says that hes also looking at Melbourne, Oslo and Hong Kong, as well as new locations in the UK, such as Bristol and Manchester.

Weve had zero issues, he explains. Theres never any trouble, beacuse people are so engaged in the activity.

"The biggest credit to us and what we do is mobile use; no one is on their phone at a Flight Club venue anywhere else, people have their heads down, texting and browsing Facebook.

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Flight Club co-founder: Innovation is written into our business objectives - Telegraph.co.uk

The 2017 Gold Cup soccer tournament of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) kicks off in New Jersey this Friday starting a series of matches which leads up to a knock-out semi-final round in the Rose Bowl on July 23.

This years Gold Cup tournament the 14th edition will be played at 14 different stadiums across the United States from July 7 to 26.

Established on September, 18, 1961, the Gold Cup organized by CONCACAF was held once after every two years. Last time it was staged in 2015, the tournament was hosted by the United States. In 2015, a total of 26 matches including the final match were played in 14 different venues in the United States.

This year, nine stadiums will be used in the group stage with each stadium hosting two games from the same group on the same day.

Two stadiums will host the quarterfinals with each stadium hosting two quarterfinal games on the same day. The semi-final games will be played on July 22-23 with the winners advancing to the final match on July 26.

Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey will be the venue of the first two games on July 7 with French Guiana going against Canada in the first game of the tournament.

The second games for Group A will be played at Houstons BBVA Compass Stadium. Group A concludes at the Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The three stadiums to be used in the Group A games are the only soccer-specific stadiums to be used in the tournament. The 2017 Gold Cup will feature four first-time hosts: Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas); FirstEnergy Stadium (Cleveland, Ohio); Levis Stadium (Santa Clara, California); and Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee).

Returning in 2017 are ten previous Gold Cup host venues: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (2009, 2011, 2013); BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas (2013, 2015); Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2009, 2015); Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California (1996, 2000); Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida (2011); Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey (2011, 2013); the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California (1991, 2002, 2011, 2013); Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado (2013); Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas (2015); and University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (2009, 2015).

The winner of the 2017 Gold Cup will be assured a spot in the next CONCACAF Cup, a single knockout game to qualify for the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup, unless that same team claims the 2019 edition of the Gold Cup.

Read more here:
Pasadena Now Gold Cup Soccer Tournament Kicks Off Friday ... - Pasadena Now

Union-Revolution 5 things: Back to MLS grind after Open Cup exit

CSN

Union vs. New England Revolution 5 p.m. on FS1

Fresh off a gut-wrenching end to their 2017 U.S. Open Cup, the Union (5-7-4) return to MLS play to host a team in the Revolution (5-7-5) they could end up battling for one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots.

Here are five things to know:

1. Bruised but not beaten Recovering from games four days apart is always a difficult task; recovering from a grueling 120-minute knockout game that ended with a brutal shootout loss to the nemesis New York Red Bulls is even tougher.

But although head coach Jim Curtin said he felt like he and the players let down the fans, hes confident that theyll be up for a quick turnaround.

We will have some fresh legs, Curtin said. With the competitive roster, we have guys we plug in and dont really miss a beat. Thats a strong thing to have. Were a real balanced team and its a group Im confident will be fresh. Even the 120-minute guys are feeling pretty strong and ready to turn it around and go again.

Indeed, four regular starters goalkeeper Andre Blake, defenders Oguchi Onyewu and Ray Gaddis, and midfielder Ilsinho didnt play at all vs. the Red Bulls on Wednesday and another (Chris Pontius) only played 15 minutes.

And as for the guys who went the full 120 minutes, Curtin is feeling good about their effort and recovery, specifically pointing to attacking midfielder Roland Alberg.

It was his best game in a Philadelphia Union uniform, the Union coach said.

2. Gold Cup absences Theres good news and bad news on the international absence front.

The bad news? The Union will be without captain Alejandro Bedoya, whos currently with the U.S. national team leading up to start of the Gold Cup next weekend. And the Union are 5-1 in the last six games Bedoya has started.

The good news is Blake, who was dealing with a minor rib injury, is set to make one final start in Philly before joining Jamaica for the CONCACAF tournament. And hes coming off a monster performance in the Unions 1-0 win over D.C. United last weekend.

The Revs, meanwhile, will be without striker Juan Agudelo (U.S.) and midfielders Kelyn Rowe (U.S.) and Gershon Koffie (Ghana). All three were part of Saturdays U.S.-Ghana friendly, though only Rowe got into the game, earning his first USMNT cap.

3. All eyes on Jones With Bedoya gone and Warren Creavalle hurt, 20-year-old midfielder Derrick Jones has a big opportunity in front of him as a starter for Sundays game and potentially a few more after that.

In Jones last start, he was shown a red card that led to a 2-0 loss to the Red Bulls on June 18. But he said hes learned from that experience and is eager to temporarily take the spot of a player like Bedoya.

I look up to him every day in training, on the field, in games, Jones said of the Union captain. He tells me to play my game, keep doing what Im doing.

Curtin said the first half of the season has gone well for Jones, who began the year of a starter before transitioning to a reserve role. But he expects more from the promising young homegrown.

This is a big time for him now with Ale being out for these next two games, the Union coach said. Hell have his hands full. But his fearlessness is what [sporting director Earnie Stewart] and I love in him and its what we see every day in training. We know hell be up to the challenge.

4. Players to watch Revolution: New England is missing some key players with Diego Fagundez suspended and others injured on top of the Agudelo, Rowe and Koffie international absences. But in striker Kei Kamara, the Revs still have a marquee veteran striker who can turn a game on its head.

Union: This could be an important game for Ilsinho, whos dealing with a calf issue but figures to start at the No. 10 attacking midfield role. And he may need to have a big game to keep that spot, considering Alberg is coming off such a good game and Adam Najem an up-and-comer at the No. 10 spot had an excellent performance vs. the Red Bulls four days ago, according to Curtin.

5. This and that In their Open Cup game Wednesday, the Union finished with 27 shots but only scored once, leading Curtin to have the players work on finishing during practice this week.

Maurice Edu, who hasnt played an MLS game since Sept. 20, 2015, participated in training this week but still has no timetable to return.

The Revs have yet to win on the road this season, going 0-6-3 in nine matches.

The Union are 2-0-1 in their last three meetings with the Revs, outscoring them 8-1.

With seven assists, Revs midfielder Lee Nguyen is tied for third in the league.

Goalkeeper Ryan Meara stopped Fafa Picaultand Felipe did the rest, catapulting the New York Red Bulls over the Union in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, 1-1 (5-3), in added extra time penalty kicks on Wednesday night at Red Bull Arena.

Its devastating for the guys, Union manager Jim Curtin said to reporters. I couldnt be prouder of the group in terms of the effort we put in. I thought we showed a lot more fight, a lot more heart, a lot of grit, balls, guts, whatever your adjective is, we had more of it.

Roland Alberg and Chris Pontius kept pace with the Red Bulls early in penalties, but a heroic diving stop by Meara on Picault was the difference. Red Bulls veteran Sacha Kljestan gave his club the 4-2 lead but was matched by rookie Marcus Epps, opening the door for Felipe to finish the contest.

I missed, Picault said to reporters. I shot it and he made a good save. It hit the post and thats it.

Despite guessing correctly on nearly all of the Red Bulls attempts, Union backup keeper John McCarthy was unable to make a stop. Meara finished with one.

After qualifying but losing in the tournaments title game in 2014 and 2015, the Union failed to make it out of the quarterfinals last season. This year, the club, which defeated the Harrisburg City Islanders in its first match, wasnt able to survive the Round of 16.

Meanwhile, the Red Bulls advance to face the New England Revolution on July 13 at Harvard Universitys Jordan Field. The Revolution defeated D.C. United, 2-1, on Wednesday.

Trailing by one and after nearly 90 minutes of futility, Alberg and the Union hit gold in the 86th. Launching a long-ball pass into the box, Jack Elliot stunned the Red Bulls back line as the volley landed at the feet of a nearly offside Alberg. The Union No. 10 turned and fired off a shot that beat Meara far side to lock the match at 1-1.

Roland Alberg put in an incredible shift in terms of work rate and effort, Curtin said. Character to come back, this group has that.

But that wasnt the only scoring chance for the Union. Despite shaky defense early, the Union owned the games first great opportunity, when Picault, whose finish was suspect all game, broke free on a breakaway in the 18th minute. His low shot was sloppy and body-stopped by Meara to keep the game scoreless.

We had them on the ropes in their building and we didnt quite finish them off, Curtin said.

It was one of 27 attempts on goal throughout the contest for the Union.

We created enough to win, Curtin said. We should have won tonight.

While the Union missed chances, the hosts took control. In the 41st minute, Bradley Wright-Phillips pounced on a Josh Yaro turnover and slid a centering pass to Kljestan, who easily placed his shot through McCarthy and in for the 1-0 advantage at the half.

We have to regroup and refresh, said Curtin, whose club is set to face the New England Revolution on Sunday at Talen Energy Stadium. This is why our sports science department gets the big bucks. Well be ready to go.

USA Today Images

CHESTER, Pa. -- Sportsmanship isnt dead. In the 74th minute of Saturdays 1-0 Union win over D.C. United at Talen Energy Stadium, Luciano Acosta knocked midfielder Haris Medunjanin out of bounds. Trekking in from midfield, referee Sorin Stoica immediately threw up the red card to eject the United's Acosta from the match. Moments later, play restarted with Acosta still in the game. "All I know is I saw the red card, turned around and next thing I know is hes still on the field," Union center back Oguchi Onyewu said. The red card was pulled for what Stoica believed was Acosta kicking Medunjanin. Unaware that the referee could even rescind the card, the Union man honorably disputed the kick and Stoica pulled the ejection. "I rescinded the card because [Medunjanin] stated that he was not kicked after the play, which was the initial decision I made," Stoica told a pool reporter. Medunjanin explained his side. "I saw the red card and spoke with Acosta and he was saying that he didnt kick me," he said. "I said I didnt feel it also. I went to the referee and he said, 'did he kick you?' and I said, 'no he didnt kick me, I think it was just a push.' Thats why it was no red card for me." He then took a shot at New York Red Bulls player Felipe, who drew a red on the Unions Derrick Jones last Sunday in what the club believed was a dive. "I hope Felipe was watching from last week," Medunjanin said. "I wish he could say the same. I think you need to be honest and I felt like it was just a push."

Union manager Jim Curtin, who admitted he may not have been so honorable in Medunjanin's position, was proud of his player.

"Its not a red card, and I have to give a lot of credit to Haris," he said. "Hes a person that I respect a great deal. Its an incredible act. I think its something you could show to not just young kids but also a lot of the adults that play in professional soccer because what he did is very honorable. Its the right thing to do." While fair play Medunjanin gained respect from Curtin and United coach Ben Olsen, who called him a classy player and classy human being, he was grilled by his teammates, who found the scenario humorous. "I dont know whose team Haris is on, I really dont," Onyewu said jokingly. "I dont know if Haris and the referee or Haris and Acosta are actually best friends, I dont know. Maybe they are going out later tonight and they didnt want any bad tension?" They also found it perplexing.

"I didnt think that was possible, Medunjanin said, a sentiment echoed by Onyewu. The referee chose to do it so you need to respect that. I can talk now and be honest. Maybe if it was a draw, it wouldve been a little different." But it happened and Medunjanin can walk away with three points and an unofficial award for being a class act.

"Everybody said thanks for the fair play, Medunjanin said. Nice gesture of you and thats it. The coach came over to speak with me and I said, 'no problem this is football. We fight for the three points, but we need to be honest.'"

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Union-Revolution 5 things: Back to MLS grind after Open Cup exit - Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia

DEL STONE JR. @DelSnwfdn

Social skills for the modern age we all need to work on:

1. The queenly wave (the hand moves side to side from the wrist, the arm does not move as the muscle action is discreetly concealed by arm-length white satin gloves).

2. The recovery from the discovery of not being invited (suppress the widening of the eyes, the doleful down-register of the voice, that momentary ache in your gut when you realize you were not cool enough to be invited to a,b,c. ... whatever event/party/witch burning).

3. The silent belch (a hitch in the breath followed by a peristolic contraction of the diaphragm and the subtle release of Cheeto-scented breath).

4. Like envy (So-and-so likes everything whatitz posts but rarely likes anything you post and do you really care - OF COURSE you care, at least enough to start plotting vengeance).

5. Work on your selfie mug expression the eyes widened in surprise and the mouth an excited I found Waldo O, or the eyes half-lidded, a Marilyn Monroe smile as you peek over a pair of Ray Ban Aviators. Maybe you could pencil in a mole beneath your eye. You think?

6. Learn how to use Photoshops teeth-whitening feature. Either that or stop chewing tobacco.

7. The fear you will traumatize young children by posting photographs of yourself online. Get over it. You are beautiful, even if youre ugly. I know this.

8. Demand the first right of refusal. You dont really want to go to that school play, but you do want to be asked. See Item 2.

9. Work on your general knowledge. Of course you know everything there is to know about 13 Reasons Why, but do you know what year the Magna Carta was issued by Jay-Z?

10. Learn how to properly grip your mobile phone. NO, you do not pick it up with your thumb and forefinger as if it were a dead rat (it is very much alive, unless youve depleted your battery). Nor do you hold it with your fingers touching the screen leaving a crime scene smear of fingerprints. You should hold it with the back of the phone in the palm of your hand and the screen facing forward, as if it were your personal force field against the world. And this is most important: DO NOT PUT IT DOWN, EVER. Not even when youre in the bathroom. Have a bowl of rice handy for when you drop it in the commode.

11. Communicate the fact that you dont actually want to receive telephone calls. Sure, you own a mobile phone. But that doesnt mean you want people calling you. They can text, email, Instagram, Snapcrap or use any number of vacuous social media platforms to communicate with you short of calling, because you are a proud sociopath of the Digital Age and the words interpersonal communication are NOT in your lexicon.

12. Work on your righteous wrath. Everyone online is consumed by righteous wrath, whether theyre sincerely angry or not. You see, its all an act and you are expected to play along. You must be angry about various causes, which leads me to

14. Yes, I skipped 13. Thirteen is bad news. But not this: Pick your causes. Here are some correct causes: reforestation, fighting hunger, saving animals, late-night comedy. Here are some incorrect causes: National Socialism, anything fried, movie cigarettes, the knockout game.

15. Work on buying local. If you can find a T-shirt, or a car, thats made locally, be sure to let us know. Then go on social media and crow about it.

16. The road rage mobile phone fake-out. Somebody does something crazy in traffic. In the past you would have simply returned the favor, resulting in a multi-county high-speed chase ending in a roadside beating and possible structural damage to surrounding fences/road signs/store fronts. Theres an easier way. Hold up your phone, as if youre taking a photo of the offenders vehicle. Then pretend to dial 911 and talk to an imaginary dispatcher as youre gesturing at the offenders vehicle. Then, put down the phone and give an evil smile to the offender. They will drive away and leave you alone.

Contact online editor Del Stone Jr. at (850) 315-4433 or dstone@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on twitter at @delsnwfdn, and friend him on Facebook at dels nwfdn.

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DEL STONE JR.: Social skills for the new millenium - The Northwest Florida Daily News