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Gunnarsson's OT plea: 'Need one more chance'
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Breaking News
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 23:52
BOSTON -- St. Louis Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson struck up a conversation with coach Craig Berube in the team's restroom before Game 2's overtime against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.
This would become the postseason's most unlikely setting for one of its grandest predictions.
As Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist relayed afterward, Berube told the team that he was using the bathroom after the third period when Gunnarsson walked up and stood next to him.
"And all Gunnarsson said to him was, 'I just need one more chance,'" Sundqvist said. "It was true, apparently. It worked out."
After ringing the puck off the post late in the third period, Gunnarsson scored the winning goal in Game 2 at 3 minutes, 51 seconds of overtime, draining a shot past Tuukka Rask from the blue line on a delayed penalty against Boston.
The Blues' 3-2 victory knotted the Stanley Cup Final at a game apiece. Game 3 is set for Saturday in St. Louis.
It was Gunnarsson's first career playoff goal in his 57th career postseason game -- and just the third time in NHL history that a player's maiden playoff tally came in overtime of a Stanley Cup Final game.
"I don't score too many, but nothing comes even close to this," Gunnarsson said. "So it's a pretty good feeling right now."
Gunnarsson had every reason to make his powder room proclamation, because he had beaten Rask twice before at TD Garden this season. On Jan. 17, he blasted a shot from the slot past Rask in a Blues win, one of just three goals he scored in an injury-riddled season. On Wednesday night in Game 2, with 1:57 left in the third period of a 2-2 game, Gunnarsson beat Rask with a shot, but it hit the iron and trickled away.
"[I shot it] as hard as I could, yeah," Gunnarsson said of his third-period shot. "I knew I had it past him, but then I saw it sitting in the crease. I was hoping someone would poke it in, but that didn't happen.
"But luckily I was able to score in the OT."
Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said Gunnarsson made that "one more chance" count.
"That was an absolutely howitzer," Parayko said of the winner. "He's an unbelievable defender. I've been here for four years, and he does it all. He's been outstanding."
Despite his success in Boston, Gunnarsson isn't exactly known for his offensive acumen.
"I liked hearing it," Berube said of Gunnarsson's talk before overtime. "He hit the post in the third there and he felt good about himself, obviously, which he should have. He had a hell of a game, I thought, and I'm really happy for him that he ended up getting that game winner."
It was the kind of moment the Blues searched for in their Game 1 loss to the Bruins, needing someone to make a play as they trailed by a goal deep into the third period. In Game 2, they were a different team in a variety of ways -- controlling the game with their forechecking, keeping the Bruins' offense in check and getting high-danger scoring opportunities against Rask deep into the game.
But they needed a play in overtime, and Gunnarsson provided it.
"First game we weren't happy; today, we came out flying, and I think we played a great game for 60-plus minutes," Gunnarsson said. "That's just the team we are. We come back like that. We never give up. For me to put it in there and get the winner, it's a great feeling."
The goal gave the Blues their first Stanley Cup Final victory in franchise history, sending the series back to St. Louis, where a sold-out watch party was flush with anticipation for Saturday's Game 3.
The goal also forever entered the Carl Gunnarsson Urinal Goal Proclamation into the annuls of Stanley Cup playoffs lore.
"You don't hear that story very often. That's not a place to have a conversation," Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said. "But I guess it works."
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LeBron James' sons will attend Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California, in the fall, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.
Bronny James, 14, and Bryce James, 11, are moving from the Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, to Sierra Canyon, which enrolls students from preschool to 12th grade. A source said the James family's decision was motivated by basketball.
The Los Angeles Daily News reported that Bronny James is expected to be teaming up with Dwyane Wade's son, Zaire, who also is transferring to Sierra Canyon.
Bronny James will enter the ninth grade next season. Zaire Wade is currently a junior at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida.
LeBron James indicated that the two teenagers would be joining forces in the fall with an Instagram Story post on Wednesday night.
Sierra Canyon was home to the sons of former NBA stars Scottie Pippen and Kenyon Martin last season, when Scotty Pippen Jr. and KJ Martin played there.
Bronny James already is a social media star, amassing 1 million followers in 24 hours after joining Instagram this week.
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NEW YORK -- The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals are set to play at London next season in a two-game series at West Ham's Olympic Stadium on June 13 and 14.
St. Louis will be the home team for both games, according to a draft of the 2020 preliminary schedule obtained by The Associated Press.
Chicago will be at Philadelphia from June 8-10, then has a pair of off days. The Cubs will be off June 15 and then start a homestand at Wrigley Field against the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox.
"I've had experience traveling over there and the time difference is pretty dramatic, especially when you go that way," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday. "When you come back, you're always able to catch up, when you're going back in time as opposed to forward in time. I don't even know what to expect in something like that. You know your head's going to be swimming a little bit, you've got that brain fog, you just do."
Players are used to traveling coast to coast in the U.S., but that is a three-hour time difference. Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward said he has never crossed the Atlantic.
"It's going to be like nothing we've ever experienced, so I won't know until we get to it," he said.
The New York Yankees and the Red Sox are scheduled to meet in Major League Baseball's first games in Europe, at London's Olympic Stadium on June 29 and 30. Having converted the venue to baseball for that series, MLB expects to get the field prepared more quickly the second time around.
"Once you get there, you're going to have a lot of adrenaline, you're going to probably be well enough to play those games and be excited and charged up," Maddon said. "When you come back adrenaline's gone, and then you get back into this regular schedule, that would be the larger concern. But having said all that I think it's great. I'm a big fan of Europe. If jets could even become more efficient, I think it would be a great situation to have a team or teams over there. That would be really the kind of expansion you're looking for. But it would have to be a scheduling thing. It would have to be all kinds of considerations just based on jet lag because the brain fog will beat you up. "
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First place in their respective groups, thus a direct entry to the semi-finals, Chile eventually overcame Cuba, the no.5 seeds; similarly, in an equally exacting engagement, Colombia secured the verdict in opposition to the Dominican Republic, the no.3 seeds.
Backbone of the Chilean win was Daniela Ortega. She recovered from a two games to nil deficit and the brink of defeat in the third to beat Daniela Fonseca Carrazana (7-11, 6-11, 13-11, 11-9, 11-6), before in the vital fifth and deciding match of the fixture, overcoming Idalys Lovet (11-6, 4-11, 11-9, 11-4).
The one further win for Chile was secured by Paulina Vega; in the crucial third match of the contest, she secured a full distance win in opposition to Lizdainet Rodriguez (4-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8). The wins for Cuba were secured in the opening doubles contest when Idalys Lovet and Lizdainet Rodriguez beat Judith Morales and Paulina Vega (11-8, 11-8, 11-7), followed in the fourth match by success for Daniela Fonseca Carrazana in opposition to Judith Morales (11-6, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9).
Meanwhile, for Colombia, facing the Dominican Republic, the player to step forward was Cory Tellez. She partnered Maria Perdomo to doubles success against Esmerlyn Castro and Yasiris Ortiz (11-8, 11-8, 12-10), before in the third match of the contest accounting for Yasiris Ortiz (11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 4-11, 11-8). Two wins from Cory Tellez set the scene for Paula Medina, in the vital concluding match of the fixture, she accounted for Esmerlyn Castro (11-7, 11-8, 119).
Notably both wins for the Dominican Republic were both recorded by Eva Brito, in the second match if the fixture, she recovered from a two games to nil deficit to beat Paula Medina (8-11, 4-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-8), in the fourth contest rather more comfortably she overcame Maria Perdomo (11-9, 11-6, 11-5).
The final is scheduled for Wednesday 29th May.
Entry and Schedule of Play
2019 Latin American Championships: Participating National Associations
2019 Latin American Championships: Entry List
2019 Latin American Championships: Schedule of Play
Seeding
2019 Latin American Championships: Seeding – Men’s Team & Women’s Team
2019 Latin American Championships: Seeding – Men’s Singles & Women’s Singles
2019 Latin American Championships: Seeding – Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles
Draws & Results
2019 Latin American Championships: Men’s Team – Group Places & Main Draw (Wednesday 29th May)
2019 Latin American Championships: Men’s Team – Results (Wednesday 29th May)
2019 Latin American Championships: Women’s Team – Group Places & Main Draw (Wednesday 29th May)
2019 Latin American Championships: Women’s Team – Results (Wednesday 29th May)
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Penultimate round places reserved, fielding the trio comprising Nicolas Burgos, Andres Martinez and Manuel Moya, Gustavo Gomez on support duty, Chile recorded a 3-1 win in opposition to Puerto Rico’s Sebastian Echevarria, Angel Naranjo and Gabriel Perez.
Gabriel Perez and Angel Naranjo gave the Caribbean island the best start possible by beating Nicolas Burgos and Andres Martinez (7-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9) but that was to be sum total of their success. The South Americans seized control, Manuel Moya beat Sebastian Echevarria 11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 5-11, 11-7) to be followed by Nicolas Burgos who overcame Gabriel Perez (11-9, 11-8, 11-5). Chile in the ascendancy, Andres Martinez accounted for Sebastian Echavarria (11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9) to bring matters to a conclusion.
A convincing win for Chile, it was even more convincing for the Cuban trio Jorge Campos, Livan Martinez and Andy Pereira in opposition Guatemala’s Hector Gatica, Allan Gutierrez and Heber Moscoso.
Efficient and displaying no charity, a 3-0 margin of victory was posted. Jorge Campos and Livan Martinez secured the doubles at the expense of Hector Gatica and Heber Moscoso (11-7, 7-11, 11-8), before Andy Pereira defeated Allan Gutierrez (11-5, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8) and Livan Martinez returned to the table to end matters. He accounted for Heber Moscoso (6-11, 11-9, 13-11, 17-15).
The final of the men’s team event will be played on Wednesday 29th May.
Entry and Schedule of Play
2019 Latin American Championships: Participating National Associations
2019 Latin American Championships: Entry List
2019 Latin American Championships: Schedule of Play
Seeding
2019 Latin American Championships: Seeding – Men’s Team & Women’s Team
2019 Latin American Championships: Seeding – Men’s Singles & Women’s Singles
2019 Latin American Championships: Seeding – Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles
Draws & Results
2019 Latin American Championships: Men’s Team – Group Places & Main Draw (Wednesday 29th May)
2019 Latin American Championships: Men’s Team – Results (Wednesday 29th May)
2019 Latin American Championships: Women’s Team – Group Places & Main Draw (Wednesday 29th May)
2019 Latin American Championships: Women’s Team – Results (Wednesday 29th May)
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Westchester ready, entries open for inaugural ITTF 2019 Parkinson’s World Championships
Published in
Table Tennis
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 15:29
Organised under the auspices of the ITTF Foundation, overall eight competitions will be staged; men’s singles and women’s singles events will be held in three categories, the class in which a player competes depending on the level of impairment. In addition, open to all, a men’s doubles and a women’s doubles event will be staged.
Matches throughout will be best of three games; in the men’s singles and women’s singles events, play will take place in two stages. The initial phase in the singles events will be in groups followed by knock-out; players finishing in first and second places in each group advance to the main draw, all others to the consolation. Both doubles events will be based on the knock-out formula.
Open to all players who suffer from Parkinson’s; applications may be submitted by individuals or by national associations, the entry is wide open. If you have never played table tennis before and you meet the diagnosis requirements you may play; just I suggest you buy a table tennis bat very quickly and start practising!
Attendance at the Westchester Table Tennis Center on Friday 11th October is mandatory; classification starts at 8.00 am. Later in the day at 6.00 pm the Delegates Meeting will be held, at this meeting the draw for the doubles event will be made; the following day at 12.00 noon the draw for the men’s singles and women’s singles events in each of the three classes will be administered.
Packages including accommodation at the nearby Sheraton Hotel (4 star) or Comfort Inn (2 star) are available plus transport from and to the airports of John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA Code: JFK), LaGuardia Airport (IATA Code: LGA) and Newark Liberty International Airport (IATA Code: EWR).
The tournament is the brainchild of Nenad Bach and Will Shortz; they are the Event Directors, they form the ideal partnership. Simon and Garfunkel or the 1992 American Basketball Team must step aside, they are the “Dream Team”!
Nenad Bach is a musician and peace activist; the sport of table tennis creates harmony, it brings people together from all walks of life, every conceivable land mass on planet earth is member of the International Table Tennis Federation. Also, to succeed you need a good rhythm to your play.
Now, Will Shortz is the puzzle creator and crossword writer for the New York Times; I have the ideal task for him! Give him the schedule to organize; that’s the biggest puzzle of all!
Full Information
2019 ITTF Parkinson’s World Championships: Prospectus (issued on Wednesday 29th May)
2019 ITTF Parkinson’s World Championships: Entry Form (Early entry by Thursday 15th August, final entry by Tuesday 10th September)
Venue
2019 ITTF Parkinson’s World Championships: Westchester Table Tennis Club
Ping Pong Parkinson: 2019 ITTF Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championship
Hotel Accommodation
2019 ITTF Parkinson’s World Championships: Sheraton Tarrytown Hotel (4 Star)
2019 ITTF Parkinson’s World Championships: Comfort Inn (2 Star)
Deadline Dates:
Initial Entry Form: Thursday 15th August
Final Entry Form: Tuesday 10th September
Changes and Substitutions: Tuesday 1st October
Accommodation Form: Friday 27th September
Room Cancellation or Amendment: Tuesday 1st October
Contact:
For further information kindly contact:
Nenad Bach, Tournament Director
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Will Shortz, Tournament Director
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Freddy Almendariz, Competition Manager
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Westchester Table Tennis Center
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Destination unchanged but massive entry increase
Published in
Table Tennis
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 18:03
by Ian Marshall, Editor
Furthermore, there is another common factor; five champions return, all seeking for repeat success.
In 2009, in the men’s singles events, Norway’s Tommy Urhaug won class 5 and the open wheelchair class, the Slovak Republic’s Peter Mihalik emerged victorious in class 4, Romania’s Bobi Simion secured class 6 gold. Likewise the host nation’s Piotr Grudzien emerged the class 8 champion; all appear on this year’s entry list.
Similarly, in the women’s singles events, the names of Sweden’s Ingela Lundbäck and Poland’s Malgorzata Jankowska compete. In 2009, Ingela Lundbäck secured the class 4-5 and open wheelchair titles, Malgorzata Jankowska succeeded in class 9-10.
Names to note and for the host nation there are three names in particular, not present a decade ago that catch the eye.
Notably, in the men’s singles events, winner earlier this year at the Lignano Masters in northern Italy, a class 2 athlete, Rafal Czuper is on duty, as in class 10 is Patryk Chojnowski, the London 2012 Paralympic Games gold medallist and the current World champion. Meanwhile, for women, in class 9, the name of Karolina Pek appears, gold medallist alongside colleague Natalia Partyka in the class 6-10 team event in Rio de Janeiro.
“The entry in Wladyslawowo is sensational. I’m doubly motivated to win my homeland. In 2009, I was not in the national para team, so I did not have the opportunity to play.” Rafal Czuper
Positive but Rafal Czuper faces a most difficult task if he is to claim gold, in the same class appears the name of Frenchman, Fabien Lamirault, gold medallist at the Rio Paralympic Games and the reigning World champion.
“We played a dozen or so times, unfortunately, he was always on top. I believe that I can win against him in Wladyslawowo. I will direct all my efforts to the men’s singles and not play in team event.” Rafal Czuper.
A severe test ahead for Rafal Czuper, for Patryk Chojnowski, on duty in April at the Liebherr 2019 World Championships, he is the clear favourite.
“I won at the Paralympic Games in London, I won at the World and European Championships, if nothing bad happens to my health, I think I can handle Para Polish Open ” Patryk Chojnowski
Add Karolina Pek, gold medallist at the Lignano Masters earlier this year, under the guidance of Andrzej Ochal, the head coach, Poland is very much in line for honours.
“Our team consists of almost 30 players; we have a very strong team. Looking objectively, over half of our players and competitors can stand on the podium.” Andrzej Ochal
Titles for Poland, it may well happen; one fact is certain, nine classes in the women’s singles, class 1-2 and class 7-8 being combined, all 11 for the men, three days of intense competition await.
2019 Para Polish Open: Latest results and main draws
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Update day one: Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour Platinum China Open
Published in
Table Tennis
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 18:44
Quick understanding
A first appearance on the international stage, Japan’s Koki Niwa and Mima Ito have clearly established a good understanding; in the opening round of the mixed doubles event they beat Slovakia’s Lubomir Pistej and Barbora Balazova, the no.2 seeds (11-6, 7-11, 13-11, 13-11).
Problems for the second seeds, not for the top seeds; Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem accounted for Laurens Tromer and Britt Eerland of the Netherlands in straight games (11-9, 11-5, 11-7).
Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour Platinum China Open: Schedule of Play Thursday 30th June to Sunday 2nd June
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OCALA, Fla. – Big Frog Motorsports has announced Tanner English as the full-time driver of the team’s M&W Transport No. 58 Dave’s Towing/XR1 Rocket Chassis/Clements Racing Engine dirt late model.
“We decided back in April to run a few races together to see if it would be a good fit for both of us. Seven races later, and we are both pleased about where we are at, so Tanner [English], and I have agreed to make him the full-time driver for our team,” said team owner Augie Burttram. “We’ve taken Tanner to several places new to him in the past month, and he’s shown a ton of potential. As we get more time to gel, and as he gets more experience at some of these tracks, I have no doubt that we’re going to win some races.”
For the 25-year-old English, he’s found the partnership with Big Frog Motorsports to be a natural fit.
“Augie [Burttram] and Mike [Rey] have been just awesome to deal with,” English said. “Even though we’ve had some bad luck on a few nights, we’ve already had some good runs, and I think there’s clearly a potential there for us to be a contender every time that we hit the track.”
English will also continue to pilot the Tommy Pope-owned No. 22 Super Late Model in select races, as well as his personal No. 96 car.
In fact, Big Frog Motorsports is going to take the month of June off to prepare for a run at the Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals title with English in July.
“We’re going to go through our car and make sure it’s all good to go for the Southern Nationals. While we are doing that, we are going to help Tanner at some of the UMP Summernationals events that he plans to run in his own equipment,” Burttram revealed.
English is the two-time defending Schaeffer’s Oil Mid America Racing Series champion.
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CONCORD, N.C. – It’s been well documented over the past five years that Martin Truex Jr. and Cole Pearn make a formidable driver and crew chief combination.
However, questions were raised following the pair’s move from Furniture Row Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing during the offseason whether they would be able to continue their recent magic together.
Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway made one thing very clear: the pairing hasn’t missed a beat.
Truex and Pearn captured their third Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of the season with a come-from-behind effort, rallying back after Truex bounced off the wall in the first quarter of the race to take the lead in the second half before powering away with a four-wide pass for the lead down the stretch.
It tied Truex with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch for the series wins lead at the midpoint of the regular season, as well as proved the point that it doesn’t matter what organization Truex and Pearn are working for, their chemistry is going to take them to the top of the scoreboard all the same.
Asked whether the transition from the now-shuttered Furniture Row Racing team over to Joe Gibbs Racing has been as seamless as it appears to have been, Truex was quick to offer an affirmative.
“The move to JGR this season has been really good for us,” said Truex. “Obviously, to be sitting here halfway through the regular season with three wins is a big deal, and I feel at home at Gibbs. I feel like I’m part of the team, and I know the way things work and I know what they expect of me, and I’m really comfortable just being myself and having a lot of fun.
“It’s a lot of work,” Truex added of racing at the Cup Series level. “It’s a big challenge to win races at this level, but I’ve definitely really enjoyed it. I look forward to hopefully just continuing to do what they brought me here to do, and that’s win a lot of races.”
Since linking up together at the start of the 2015 season with Furniture Row, Truex and Pearn have collected 20 Cup Series victories together. Many of those came with the No. 78 car, which for most of its tenure was a single-car unit that overpowered many of the multi-car juggernauts of the sport.
The last three wins have come as one piece of one of those juggernauts, which took more to get used to than many outsiders might realize, Pearn said.
“The transition and looking at it now, it’s going well, but it’s come with a lot of hard work,” noted Pearn. “It’s been a lot of adjustment. But when you land in a company like we did, you’ve just got to count your blessings and realize how fortunate you are, because we could easily have been out of a job, and yet here we are with a great organization and we’re winning races. I’m incredibly thankful for that.”
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