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THURSDAYS BIG STORIES My cup runneth over

Dear Claudio,

You dont know me, but I have an idea that could improve Leicesters performances between now and the end of the season. Just follow this five-point plan:

(1) Tear down the fixture lists at the training ground and blacklist all websites containing the same information on the clubs wifi network.

(2) Every weekend, before you play, tell your players you want them to be at their best for this VERY IMPORTANT CUP MATCH, which DEFINITELY ISNT JUST A PREMIER LEAGUE GAME despite the branding on their shirts and the claims of the guy who reads the teams out. Thats all just one big clerical error, for this is a KNOCKOUT GAME.

(Optional) If Riyad Mahrez is playing, tell him its a European match and Real Madrid scouts are in the crowd.

Leicester City's Andy King scores their first goalReuters

(3) If someone starts to question why youre playing your ninth cup match in a row, mumble something about the Intertoto Cup or the Fairs Cup or the Cup Winners Cup, maybe with the odd dilly-ding, dilly-dong thrown in for old times sake. That should put them off the scent.

(4) If it doesnt, sell them. Even if its Wes Morgan or Kasper Schmeichel. In fact, especially if its Kasper Schmeichel.

(5) Watch the points roll in.

Thats it. Let me know your thoughts.

Regards,

The Warm-Up

Video - Ranieri: Cup win important for confidence

00:35

The Daily Mirror report that Arsenals players held a team meeting earlier this week in an attempt to clear the air in the wake of their recent downturn in form. The Gunners were stunned by Watford a week ago and then predictably annihilated at the weekend by Chelsea, a team who cravenly cheated by actually having a midfield.

Thanks to a remarkable journalistic effort that definitely extended beyond the confines of our wild imaginations, The Warm-Up can exclusively reveal the list of topics that were discussed in the meeting:

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger thinks rivals Chelsea are "super-favourites" for the Premier League titlePA Sport

Gabriels teeth are they too white? Double-barrel names: the official power rankings Whats your favourite flavour of crisp? Hectors facial hair and possible solutions Things we can do to stop Alexis hating us. The worrying decline in the number of dressing-room selfies since May. Institutional crisis or just forgetfulness?

Will these talks be enough to propel Arsenal back into the title race in the weeks ahead? Probably not, to be honest.

Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez shows his frustrationReuters

Hearty congratulations to Deportivo Alaves, who are through to the final of the Copa del Rey for the first time in their history. Their two-legged tie with Celta Vigo wasnt exactly a classic, but a late goal from Edgar in Wednesdays second leg was enough for El Glorioso (solid nickname game there).

Theyll play Barcelona in the decider, but even getting there counts as a major success for the Basque side, whose fans were certainly in jovial mood at the end of the game.

West Ham fans will doubtless be pleased to know that Dimitri Payet has wasted little time finding his feet back in France. He marked his first start since returning to Marseille with a goal in the comfortable win over Guingamp a result that lifted them to sixth in Ligue 1.

Its worth noting the number of empty seats visible in the clip below, which will surely have come as a disappointment to Payet. He thought his days of playing in a hushed Olympique stadium were behind him.

The Rossoneri had lost four games on the spin before Tuesdays trip to Bologna and looked doomed again when both undisputed Liverpool legend Gabriel Paletta and midfielder Juraj Kucka were sent off before the hour mark at Stadio Renato DallAra.

But Vincenzo Montellas men found some previously-untapped reserve of grit, clinging on to their clean sheet and snatching maximum points at the death thanks to a goal from Chelsea loanee Mario Pasalic. Theyre still lagging behind in the race for the European places, but hats off for a gutsy display.

2017, Gerard Deulofeu, Domenico Maietta, Bologna-Milan, AFPAFP

Adam Lallana. A llama. Yeah, that might have been funny for, oh, six seconds in your head, but Jesus Christ, youre going to have to explain this literally every time you sunbathe/go for a swim/have intimate relations with someone.

Kevin-Prince Boateng has been around the block a few times, so its little surprise that his interview with The Guardians Sid Lowe is a compelling read, touching on his difficult upbringing, Jurgen Klopp, Nelson Mandela and plenty more besides.

Erm well this is awkward. Theres pretty much nothing on the schedule. A good day to do some life admin or phone your parents. Say hi from us!

Tom Adams is due back from the tattoo parlour just in time to pen Fridays Warm-Up. Expect a llarge number of llaughs.

Read the original:
The Warm-Up: A foolproof plan for saving Leicester's season - Eurosport.com

Barangay Ginebra and Alaska face off for the last spot in the Philippine Cup semifinals. Photo by Josh Albelda, ABS-CBN Sports.

MANILA, Philippines -- Only one spot remains open for the 2017 Philippine Cup semifinals, either Alaska or Ginebra will take it as the PBA quarterfinals continue Tuesday at the Big Dome.

Following a huge 85-81 win last Sunday, the Gin Kings have erased Alaska's twice-to-beat advantage to set up this knockout game vs. the Aces.

The winner will move on to face the Star Hotshots in the next round.

Down by as much as 17 points in Antipolo City, the Gin Kings once again proved their never say die spirit to steal the victory from Alaska.

Still, the Aces were the no. 2 team in the All-Filipino for a reason so don't expect Alaska to not fight for its playoff life.

The lone Tuesday night game at the Araneta Coliseum is set to tip off at 7:00 p.m.

This article originally appeared on the ABS-CBN Sports website.

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.

Here is the original post:
Aces, Gin Kings fight for last semis spot in knockout game - ABS-CBN News

Basketball

By Paul Lintag on Feb 05, 2017 09:48 PM

Antipolo City --- The barangay worked its magic again.

Down by as much as 17 points, no. 7 Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel rode a big second-half effort to shock no. 2 Alaska, 85-81, in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals Sunday at the Ynares Center here.

After managing only 29 points in the first half, the Gin Kings exploded for 33 in the third period alone, outscoring the Aces by 20 points to completely erase a 33-50 disadvantage and go up 62-54 entering the final quarter.

Jvee Casio would carry the fight for Alaska in the final 12 minutes, cutting the Ginebra lead to two, 78-80, with a little over two minutes to go.

That's when things got wild.

First, Sol Mercado fed Kevin Ferrer for a nice baseline floater to give Ginebra a four-point lead. Moments later, Mercado took it upon himself to score another layup for what should have been a more comfortable 84-78 cushion with 44.8 seconds left.

After the Aces closed in, 81-84, the Gin Kings had the chance to ice the game with Mercado at the stripe for two.

He ended up missing both free throws before Japeth Aguilar grabbed a crucial offensive rebound to put LA Tenorio back to the line for another pair of charities.

Although Tenorio wound up only making one, it was enough for the Gin Kings to hold on, forcing a knockout game set for Tuesday at the Big Dome.

Tenorio finished with a team-high 16 points for Ginebra while Aguilar and Scottie Thompson scored 15 apiece. Mercado added 12.

"It was tough out there. Basically all we've done is just tie the series. Now it's all tied up, and that's what we had to do, we had to tie the series. So we just have another game. We're not gonna be happy about this one, we're not gonna be cheering or high-fiving. Because basically all we did was tie the series," head coach Tim Cone said.

Abueva led the Aces with 20 points and Casio came through for 16.

The scores:

GINEBRA 85 - Tenorio 16, Thompson 15, Aguilar 15, Mercado 12, Devance 10, Marcelo 6, Helterbrand 5, Ferrer 2, Cruz 2, Caguioa 2, Ellis 0, Taha 0.

ALASKA 81 - Abueva 20, Casio 16, Thoss 9, Cruz 9, Manuel 9, Pascual 6, Hontiveros 6, Exciminiano 3, Racal 3, Magat 0, Mendoza 0, Galliguez 0, Jazul 0.

Quarterscores: 13-23, 29-41, 62-54, 85-81

---

Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8

Read the original here:
NSD alive and well as Ginebra forces KO game vs. Aces - ABS-CBN Sports

Rain or Shine's James Yap fires a jumper against the GlobalPort Batang Pier. Photo courtesy of the PBA Media Bureau

MANILA, Philippines A three-game losing streak has plunged the Rain or Shine locker room into frustration but the Elasto Painters remain confident that they can work out their issues in time for the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs.

Rain or Shine's losing streak hit three games on Sunday, after a 99-117 loss to GlobalPort that saw them give up a career-high 44 points to Terrence Romeo. They had previously dropped games to league-leading San Miguel and woeful Meralco.

Their loss to GlobalPort puts Rain or Shine (5-5) in a must-win situation heading into Wednesday's game against Alaska (6-4), as they still need a victory in order to clinch a quarterfinals seat.

Otherwise, they may find themselves in a knockout game against Blackwater (5-6) for the last berth in the playoffs.

"Frustration," Gabe Norwood answered quickly when asked about the mood in ROS's locker room. "We're all disappointed in ourselves."

"Medyo struggling kami ngayon, and medyo 'di maganda ang tinatakbo ng team," admitted Jeff Chan.

Coach Caloy Garcia has called out players for "playing for themselves," and veteran big man Beau Belga expressed his disappointment at their defense as well. James Yap, for his part, acknowledged that the Elasto Painters lacked communication inside the court, further compounding their problems.

Chan won't deny that their losing streak has come at perhaps the worst possible time, but he is also optimistic that they can bounce back.

"May tiwala ako sa team," he said. "We'll find ways."

"May kaunting (frustration), pero hindi reason 'yun," he added. "For me, kailangan talaga magkaroon ng sense of urgency now."

Norwood noted that though the Elasto Painters may be frustrated right now, the answer to their problems still lies within their own team.

"I told the guys in the locker room that we have problems tonight, but the answer is also in our locker room. We can easily step up in the next game and take care of business and be in a great spot," he said.

"We got a lot of tough guys and we just gotta continue to rely on one another to get it done," he added.

Moreover, Norwood noted that this is not the first time that Rain or Shine has dealt with adversity. They memorably started with a 1-3 record in last season's Commissioner's Cup, but still went on to win the championship in that conference.

"I'll go to battle with these guys any day of the week," Norwood said emphatically.

"We're just going through some things, and we have to figure some things out. But at the end of the day, hopefully we can get this next one, and in the playoffs, anything can go," he added.

Yap, for his part, stressed that the Elasto Painters need to put their recent struggles behind them and put all their focus on Alaska.

"Ngayon, medyo tagilid kami. So hindi na namin iisipin 'yung bagay na 'yun. Kailangan, sa Alakas pa lang, ibuhos na namin 'yung mga natutunan namin sa basketball, para makapasok sa quarterfinals," he said.

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)

See the article here:
ROS players stay upbeat despite losing streak - ABS-CBN News

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A former Missouri State University student who said he was the victim of a so-called "knockout game" attack outside a 2012 fraternity party has been awarded $1.63 million in damages, though he likely will collect only $630,000.

The lawyers representing Trevor Godfrey, 25, said in a news release the Omicron Kappa chapter of Omega Psi Phi didn't do enough to create a safe environment at the party before Godfrey was struck from behind and knocked unconscious, the Springfield News-Leader reported.

The Omicron Kappa chapter was the sole defendant after Omega Psi Phi and several individuals were dismissed from the suit before the case went to trial recently. Godfrey's attorney, Steve Garner, said $1 million in punitive damages aren't covered by the fraternity's insurance and can't be collected, though insurance covers the $630,000 in actual damages.

"MSU has great rules to protect those who attend fraternity and sorority parties and those who come in contact with the party. In fact, I cannot imagine any rules that are better," Garner wrote in an email. "This was an instance where the rules were not followed and there was no security to monitor this party. I have nothing negative to say about this fraternity."

Hal Meltzer, an attorney for the Omicron Kappa chapter, didn't immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press.

Springfield police said no charges were filed, and the case is closed. A Springfield police report said people attending the party reported they didn't see or know anything. A responding officer wrote in the report that besides finding Godfrey bloodied and "very disoriented," another person reported he also had been struck in the head.

MSU president Clif Smart said around the time of the attack the administration did everything it could to "help find out who the assailant is" but was unsuccessful.

Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com

More:
$1.6 million award in 'knockout game' lawsuit against frat - Southeast Missourian