Home Blog Page 647

Atlanta Falcons Prince Shembo Waived For His Dog Day Afternoon

prince shembo waived by falcons for dog dying

Believe it or not, dog abuse isn’t part of the summer training camps for the Atlanta Falcons. That may be hard for the nation to believe after the team had to waive Prince Shembo when he was charged in his girlfriend’s dog’s death. The team has tried to move well beyond the mess left in the wake of the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal years ago. This latest embarrassment may cause Arthur Blank to go postal. How any player could put himself in that position is beyond me, especially on a team that fired its franchise quarterback over very similar actions.

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the lack of real news in the NFL right now with Deflategate cooling off. Non-harmful controversy is good for the League in the offseason so I proposed that events similar to Deflategate would keep happening at the end of every season from now on. Allegedly kicking a Yorkie to death is not what I had in mind! In case you don’t know this is a tiny breed of dog. Prince Shembo is not tiny, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing in at 254 pounds.

According to Shembo’s girlfriend, the dog was left alone with the now former Falcons linebacker and when she returned, the Yorky was unresponsive. The pet died at the animal hospital a short time later. She said her boyfriend told her that he had kicked the dog. Shembo’s attorney confirmed that statement, telling reporters that his client was bitten by the dog so he kicked the small animal. Shembo is charged with animal cruelty and the Falcons dropped him like a worthless scratch off lotto ticket on a city street. “We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Prince Shembo,” the team said in a statement. “We are extremely disappointed that one of our players is involved in something like this. Accordingly, we have decided to waive Prince Shembo.” Thanks for those 59 tackles last year.

Prince Shembo dog day afternoon waived by atlanta falcons

I don’t want to paint the entire NFL with a broad brush of idiocy, but how some of these guys have remained out of a jail cell is amazing. Being able to bench 500 pounds and run the 40 yard dash in under 4.7 seconds helps with that I guess. Shembo was simply tasked with babysitting a dog. The end result is the loss of his NFL gig, being arrested, and embarrassing his team along with the NFL as a whole. This isn’t exactly going to help clean up the League’s image when it comes to off the field violence.

I have been a bit critical of Arthur Blank recently for his hesitancy to sign any free agents who are not boyscouts. It’s hard to have a completely clean roster. I don’t want Blank to go out and get the real thugs of the NFL, but I felt like adding some bad boys to the mix would help toughen up the team. This latest news out of Atlanta makes me rethink that. Whatever time and money was invested in Prince Shembo is now wasted. He will never play for the Falcons again. Blank has tasted the bitterness of an animal cruelty scandal and paid dearly for it. Shembo wasn’t running a dog fighting ring like Mike Vick, but the young linebacker isn’t nearly as important as Vick was back when he was released by the Falcons.

Things like this happen I guess? Although I am hard pressed to think of anyone I know ever purposely injuring a dog bad enough to have to be taken to the vet. If a dog bit you or I, I am sure our reaction would not be the best, but kicking it to sleep permanently? I just don’t get it.

There should be a babysitting service for NFL knuckleheads. Some of these guys simply can’t be trusted to be alone. Even knowing about how their league is so concerned about its image right now is not enough for guys to keep their noses clean. Players like Shembo need to hire a bodyguard of sorts, not to protect the player. The living beings around these players are the ones in need of protection. This doesn’t have to be an expensive service. Give a homeless guy a taser, hangout with NFL nimrod 24/7, and instruct him to zap the NFL guy if it looks like he is about to do something stupid. You know like kill a three pound dog, set a bus full of nuns on fire, get a neck tattoo, or choke a girlfriend.

Kei Nishikori vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: 2015 Roland Garros French Open

kei nishikori vs jo wilfriend tsonga 2015 roland garros french open

A rainy day at the Roland Garros tennis grounds in Paris limited Day 8 action from the 2015 French Open. However several matches were still completed and some quarterfinalists are known in both the men’s and women’s draws.

On the men’s side, Kei Nishikori of Japan was the highest ranked player to advance. Nishikori defeated Teymuraz Gabashvili in straight sets to advance to the French Open quarters. Nishikori, in the round of eight, will face his first true test of the tournament as he has picked up one of France’s best hopes for a French champion.

kei nishikori beats taymuraz gabashvilli 2015 french open

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a one-time Grand Slam finalist and Nishikori’s next opponent, is playing strong tennis again. The current World No. 15, since making the 2008 Australian Open final, has always been a dangerous player on tour.

However Tsonga, now 30 years old, had not been much of a factor on tour through the opening of 2015. Furthermore, in 2014, he failed to make any Grand Slam quarterfinal round. But on Sunday Tsonga, with a victory over Tomas Berdych in four sets, bucked that trend and re-established himself as a Grand Slam threat. Nishikori does hold a 4-1 heads-up advantage over Tsonga and most would expect the Japan No. 1 to advance to the semifinals.

jo wildried tsonga vs kei nishikori 2015 roland garros

Stan Wawrinka also advanced to the quarters on Sunday, defeating Gilles Simon in straight sets. Wawrinka will make only his second appearance in the Roland Garros quarters following a loss in 2013 to Rafael Nadal at that stage. Who Wawrinka will face is not clear yet as Roger Federer and Gaels Monfils appear to be involved in a coin toss with one another. The two players split the two opening sets of their fourth round match before play had to be suspended for the day.

On the women’s side former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic advanced to the quarters with a win over Ekaterina Makarova. She’ll next face upstart Elina Svitolina, a player who is emerging as one of the more talented young players on the women’s tour.

The other two women’s matches did not complete on Sunday, which should make for a jam-packed day of tennis on Monday. In one postponed match, veteran Flavia Pennetta and Garbine Muguruza will meet on Suzanne-Lenglen Court on Day 9 (not before 11am). In the other suspended match, Lucie Safarova and Maria Sharapova will meet on Philippe-Chatrier Court (also not before 11am). It’s this latter match that Federer and Monfils will follow, a match that partisan French fans should be very interested in if Monfils can make it interesting.

The three postponed matches will be additional, weather permitting, to a full slate of other fourth round matches. Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic, the respective World No. 1s, are both expected to play on Monday. Furthermore, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, and Petra Kvitova will also be in action as those three former Grand Slam champions look to book their spots in the round of eight.

With the tournament now more than a week old, not much has changed in terms of who is expected to win the women’s and men’s draw. There have been few headlining upsets and the favorites remain Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic in the women’s and men’s draws respectively.

Chicago Blackhawks Win Game 7: 2015 Stanley Cup Finals

jonathan toews helps chicago blackhawks win game 7 stanley cup finals 2015

The Chicago Blackhawks, a franchise familiar with post-season success in recent years, are back in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals. A veteran-laden ‘hawks lineup had no trouble winning game seven of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night, even though Chicago were on the road.

Chicago opened the scoring early as Jonathan Toews scored at the 2:23 mark of the first period. He would add another not ten minutes later to give the Blackhawks a firm 2-0 lead.

Chicago would only continue to build on that lead in the second frame as Brandon Saad scored his sixth of the post-season. Then Marian Hossa scored another to give the Blackhawks what would prove to be an insurmountable 4-0 advantage.

chicago blackhawks win game 7 stanley cup finals 2015

Anaheim attempted to mount a comeback but it began perhaps too little too late. Ryan Kesler scored Anaheim’s first goal at 18:51 of the second, pulling the Ducks to within three. More than halfway through the third Corey Perry scored what would be his final goal of the 2015 playoffs. The teams would exchange goals after that to give the ‘hawks a 5-3 victory in game seven.

A big difference in the game was how it was played between the pipes. Corey Crawford, despite giving up three goals, performed impressively. He faced a barrage of shots from Anaheim, making 35 saves on 38 shots faced.

Frederick Andersen, relatively inexperienced in big games when compared to Crawford, was perhaps the weak link. Facing only 26 shots on the night, Anaheim fans might have expected a winning performance. However Andersen allowed five goals on those 26 shots and with no margin for error in a do-or-die situation, it proved costly.

The Blackhawks will now face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals. The series will begin on June 3rd from Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay. The Lightning may have a home-series however Chicago are considered favorites to win (source: -125 with BetVictor).

How Much Longer Can Kickass Torrents Survive Government Problems?

kickass fighting on with government

The Pirate Bay has been and is probably still one of the most well-known and well established torrent search sites, and not long after the government began investigating them, Kickass Torrents was soon the next hot torrent site.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term torrents it is used to describe a small file that contains information on how to download a film, album, piece of software or a number of other types of information via a peer to peer sharing platform.

kickass torrents government problems

Torrents are the most popular way in which people download illegal content such as films and is very hard to detect and prevent because of the nature of the platform in which these files are shared. Specifically each file is shared from a pool of individual computers that happen to have the file on them and the torrent file itself keeps track of this information and provides it to new downloaders.

Files can be downloading bit by bit from many different computers around the world, moving on to the next available computer when one disappears. This makes the system very well distributed and gives it no single point of reprisal or punishment, should the authorities get involved which of course they do on a regular basis.

The advent of this type of file sharing has seen an entire industry spawned around it from software development to server management, file hosting as well as companies who simply provide search facilities for the torrents themselves.

The Pirate Bay are one such company that provide a torrent search engine – sort of like a central place where you can come and search for torrents which ultimately provide the whereabouts of illegal content to download and view.

Of course torrents and peer to peer sharing are simply part of a file transfer technology and is not necessarily used just for illegal content. Equally The Pirate Bay is effectively just a search engine and they would argue that again they are doing nothing illegal although of course the authorities disagree.

The Pirate Bay have been disturbed by the authorities a number of times and have their servers and in fact their entire operation shut down because of this. The Pirate bay are back in operation at the time of writing this article and now have a distributed server architecture that they say is untraceable, leaving no physical equipment that can be taken down by the authorities.

how much longer for kickass torrents

Despite these new measures the company’s operations have been seriously affected by the downtime that they have suffered and have led to close competitors including Kickass Torrents taking the top spots on Google as well as the lion’s share of traffic from the Pirate Bay.

Of course this is terrible news for the Pirate Bay in one respect as they will lose their market share along with their profits as Kickass Torrents take over, however they are also moving themselves out of the lime light which can only be a good thing seeing as the authorities are intent on destroying all forms of these torrent sites.

In fact considering that Kickass Torrents now have a global Alex ranking of 87 (meaning that they are arguably the 87th most popular website in the entire world) it is extremely likely that they will now be attracting the attention of the authorities and it is also likely that they will eventually be taken down as well. In fact the authorities could well be building a case against them already.

The main reason that these sites are in the lime light is due to the fact that they are a centre for illegal content and that is really what they are primarily used for – not to directly download illegal content of course, but they act as a facilitator for that illegal content.

In particular film companies and people involved in the music industry are directly affected by the use of torrents and they both lose out on billions of dollars in revenue every year as their respective content finds its way onto torrent sites and becomes illegally downloaded.

If you look at the problem simply then it is of course wrong – the content produced by companies is effectively being stolen and distributed for free which in turn is ruining the industry. Having said that there is a certain romance to file sharing and to the fact that this freedom of sharing that was spawned by the Internet is now providing some sort of justice to the world, allowing content to become available to everyone regardless of their ability to afford the prices that companies charge for it on the retail market.

The sharing of these files via torrents does also highlight the extortionate rates at which the content has been sold for in the past and it is no secret that the illegal sharing of music and films has indirectly led to a reduction in the prices that are charged for the content on legal platforms as well as having facilitated the adoption of new sharing methods and platforms for this content.

For example, there are many services offered now that provide similar types of access to the content legally as those illegal platforms do. Napster was one of the first companies to start providing streamed content to the mainstream and in fact moved from illegal file sharing into the legal equivalent many years ago. Since then other companies including Spotify and Netflix have developed similar more modern file sharing systems that provide much more cost effective access to film and music by employing modern technology.

Perhaps as these different forms of content become more affordable the use of illegal torrent sites will decrease, but will the authorities be able to stop them before that time? Probably not.

Aaron Hernandez Car Auction Not So Hot

aaron hernandez car auction not so hot 2015

A year ago, nearly everything Aaron Hernandez being auctioned was getting scooped up for crazy high prices. A jersey went for over a thousand dollars and recently someone tried to auction off his jail ID until ebay intervened and shut it down.

aaron hernandez jail id auctioned 2015

Back in March, a secret jailhouse message book supposedly by Hernandez sold for two thousand dollars, but the owner of a 2001 Grand Marquis once owned by the former New England Patriots football player is having trouble unloading on ebay. The car was driven by Hernandez during his college days as a Florida Gator and you can only imagine what kind of black light confessionals you could find on that upholstery! The current owner states that he purchased the car right after Hernandez was drafted, and the original bill of sale comes with the car showing that he paid $8,000 for it when he originally bought it.

aaron hernandez car auction 2015

Interestingly enough, if you think the car looks familiar, well it’s the kind favored by many policeman back in the day so it might have been a bit of foreshadowing on his part when he bought it.

aaron hernandez front seat car auction 2015

Here’s everything you can get for this piece of ‘memorabilia’:

You are bidding on a 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis that was previously owned by former NFL Star Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez owned the car during his years as a Florida Gator and I purchased the car directly from him after he was drafted. Included is the clear title, receipts from various accessory purchases for the car ($2600 in audio equipment that is still in the car),his registration and insurance card. The original bill of sale signed by Mr. Hernandez is with the car and you can see where he paid over $8,000 for the car at the time of purchase.The car has been garage kept for the last 2 years and is in great shape. There is only 80,9XX miles! The car is available for local pick-up in Nashville, TN or can be delivered in person for an additional $599. Thanks and Good Luck

The Grand Marquis is currently up on eBay (the favored place to sell convicted murderers items), but it’s only had one bid at$4,999.99 with only two days to go. Many times, when a celebrity has just been indicted, there memorabilia gets hot up through their conviction. Not long after, people lose interest as attention spans nowadays are that of a gnat.

 

Chicago Blackhawks vs Tampa Bay Lightning: 2015 Stanley Cup Finals

chicago blackhawks beat anaheim ducks stanley cup playoffs 2015

The odds have been against the Chicago Blackhawks reaching their third Stanley Cup Finals in six years, but the wildcard team made it look easy on Saturday night when they quickly defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Who would have thought that weeks ago the team that seemed worn down and just plain worn out from so many games could turn it around just when they needed it? The Ducks thought they had it too as the media was pretty set on them meeting up with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Blackhawks proved they had it in them on Game 2 which turned out to be the seventeenth longest game in NHL history.

The Blackhawks made their dominance known in the first period in what was easily a masterful game where they were never threatened by the Ducks at Honda Center. They may have been trailing in the Western Conference finals 3-2, but that’s a distant memory as they will go on to the Stanley Cup Final and face the Tampa Bay Lightning who defeated the New York Rangers in seven games on Friday.

“They played better than us tonight,” Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf said after a game in which his team trailed 4-0 at one point. “I’m not telling you they’re a better team than us. I’m telling you they played better than us tonight, played good enough to win.”

Elsewhere in the room, there were admissions that Chicago proved itself to be the worthy victor. Not only did the Blackhawks withstand a barrage of hits in the series, they responded with sharp execution around the net when it mattered most.

ducks lose to blackhawks stanley cup playoffs 2015

Getzlaf’s opposing captain, Jonathan Toews, showed his championship mettle by scoring the game’s first two goals and at 13 minutes, 45 seconds of the second period, Chicago’s lead bulged to 4-0.

“They came to play,” said Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, who fought tears after committing two giveaways and finishing with a minus-two rating.

“I made a couple plays I wish I could’ve had back. Those are hopefully things I can learn from, and try to do better next time.”

The Ducks, after posting 31 come-from-behind victories this season, had little chance at a rally this time after scuffling for scoring chances throughout most of the first two periods until Ryan Kesler scored with 1:09 left in the second.

“You put yourself down four goals in a Game 7 … the comeback kids can only come around so often,” Fowler said. “Credit to them. They were the better team tonight.

“It’s miserable, an awful feeling, we let a lot of people down. We had a special thing going. For it to be over is a pretty surreal feeling.”

Not only has Anaheim lost four consecutive Game 7s dating to 2009, they’ve blown 3-2 series leads and lost Game 7s at home in three consecutive seasons. Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau dropped to 1-6 in Game 7s.

“We took ourselves a round further, but, ultimately, that Game 7 we’ve got to be able to finish,” Getzlaf said.

The Ducks started the night trying to prove their demons were in the distant past. Instead, they were reduced to again witnessing the separation between where they are and what it takes.

Toews went to the net early, a good place to be considering Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen was struck by a flood of 19 goals (one into an empty net) in the final four games.

Toews saw a blue-line shot from Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson skid through and bounce off the goalie’s left leg pad. Toews whipped the rebound to the net for a 1-0 lead 2:23 into the game.

Then, an intercepted pass from Jakob Silfverberg left the Ducks’ forward to desperately reach for Chicago’s Brandon Saad, a hooking penalty.

On the power play, Toews struck again for his ninth postseason goal. He worked the puck around the Ducks’ defenders, got it back and sent a high shot that beat Andersen to his left. The second-year goalie faced only six first-period shots, giving up the two goals.

In the second period, Saad made it 3-0 after only 1:18, and Hossa right-footed a rebound that Andersen gently pushed to his left with his stick at 13:45. Officials reviewed the goal and found there was “no distinct kicking motion” by Hossa, letting it stand.

Chicago is now 11-4 in elimination games since 2009.

Words weren’t needed to document the collapse. The somber look on Ducks forward Patrick Maroon’s face, the anger of a stick-slamming Matt Beleskey and the quiet of the 17,375 in attendance said everything.

“We expect more — better results,” Maroon said.

“This is going to be in the back of my head all summer long. We wanted a better season, to chase after the Stanley Cup. That’s what we play for, what we dream of. You’ve got to take the opportunities in front of you.

“Two games –— not one, two — we had the opportunity.”

blackhawks vs lighting stanley cup finals 2015

The Hawks never blinked. A sweet shot from Kesler late in the second briefly injected some life into the crowd, and Perry scored with 8:24 left to make it interesting. But Hossa killed the push with a steal and a drawn penalty, and Brent Seabrook sealed it with a power-play goal, as blindsided Ducks fans were mostly drowned out by the sizable Hawks contingent, who chanted and cheered and danced in the aisles throughout the anticlimactic conclusion to an otherwise unforgettable series.

“I can’t put a timetable on it,” Kesler said when asked when he’d get over this one. “Probably never.”

And so it’s onward for the Hawks, who have now won nine playoff series in three years, the gold standard for the salary-cap era — a middling and meaningless regular season behind them, another shot at yet another championship ahead.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” Kane said. “But it’s a great step.”

The Stanley Cup Final will open with Game 1 in Tampa on Wednesday.

Roger Federer vs Gael Monfils: 2015 Roland Garros French Open

roger federer vs gael monfils 2015 french open

Roger Federer may have beaten Gael Monfils at the Roland Garros three times before, but the Swiss Maestro is not going to take anything for granted as he’s openly commented in interviews that Monfils is a force to be reckoned with now. Sunday will be the pairs thirteenth meeting in which Federer has won eight but Monfils has won their two most recent matches, both on clay in straight sets. Obviously, one big reason why Federer is not taking anything for granted.

Federer has had an easier time at the 2015 French Open after receiving a very lucky draw where he didn’t have to face the powerhouse trio of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic until the fourth round.

roger federer takes on gael monfils roland garros 2015 french open

“He’s played me tough throughout my career,” Federer said. “Especially the last four, five years now, he’s been tougher for me to play against.”

It shapes up as the most intriguing singles contest of the eight on the schedule Sunday, when rain is in the forecast.

Switzerland’s Federer is, of course, a 17-time Grand Slam champion.

France’s Monfils has one only major semifinal appearance to his credit, but it came in 2008 at Roland Garros, where the showman-at-heart feeds off the partisan fans’ support.

“He’s at home. He’s very strong. He loves these kind of matches,” the second-seeded Federer said. “So I know the danger.”

Monfils’ past two matches were five-set comeback victories, part of a 10-3 record on such occasions at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament. He’s one of only two men in the professional era, which began in 1968, with 10 career five-set wins at the French Open (Harold Solomon went 10-1).

That means two things: Monfils has a way of pulling out tight matches — and he rarely reaches the latter rounds at Roland Garros with all of his energy available.

“If I could win in three sets,” he acknowledged, “it would be much better.”

[pdf-embedder url=”http://movietvtechgeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/round-four-roland-garros-2015-french-open-draw-schedule.pdf”]

Here’s a look at what else is happening at the French Open on Sunday:

[2] Roger Federer (SUI) vs. [13] Gael Monfils (FRA)

Third match, Court Philippe Chatrier

It’s the 13th installment of the Federer-Monfils series, the No. 2 seed with an 8-4 edge and a 2-0 lead at the French Open, with wins coming in 2008 (semifinals) and 2009 (quarterfinals). Most noteworthy going into this match, however, is Monfils’ two consecutive wins against Federer in the last six months, first in the Davis Cup final on clay and then again on the same surface, a few weeks ago in Monte Carlo.

Monfils is the acrobatic, never-say-die Frenchman who is the toast of this tournament, and perhaps as much of a draw as Federer for French fans. Friday he escaped from a 1-4, double-break deficit in the fourth set while down two sets to one, coming back to beat a dazed Pablo Cuevas in front of an enthralled crowd at Court Suzanne Lenglen. Such matches for Monfils are de rigueur for him here.

“Especially the last four, five years now, (Monfils has) been tougher for me to play against,” said Federer. The winner of this match will meet Stan Wawrinka ofSwitzerland or Frenchman Gilles Simon.

[14] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs. [4] Tomas Berdych (CZE)

Second match, Court Philippe Chatrier

Tsonga joins Monfils as one of five Frenchmen in the fourth round, and meets the big-hitting Berdych for a shot at the last eight. Berdych leads this head-to-head by a count of 6-2, their most recent meeting coming last month. That was the first time they’ve played on clay (Berdych won that, too). Tsonga – and his famed leaping fist pump – has flown through this draw, not dropping a set en route to a sixth fourth-round appearance here. Can he make a third quarterfinal, however?

[2] Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. [13] Lucie Safarova (CZE)

Fourth match, Court Suzanne Lenglen

Beset by a cold, Sharapova hasn’t sounded good this week in Paris (she has a constant cough because of it), but she sure has looked good. The defending champion has dropped just 17 games through three matches and meets the Czech lefty who has just one win in five matches with the Russian.

[7] Ana Ivanovic (SRB) vs. [9] Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)

First match, Court Suzanne Lenglen

Unable to peak for the majors in the last 12 months, Ivanovic, the 2008 champion here, will look to overcome the consistent Russian Makarova, a semifinalist at the U.S. Open last September and January’s Australian Open. It’s the third time these two have met, both previous meetings (they’ve split 1-1) coming in Grand Slams, though not since 2011 in Melbourne. “I really feel I have to focus in my game and try to impose that on opponent,” said Ivanovic of her approach. “I have a certain path and tactic I want to follow.”

CLOSE TO THE QUARTERS

The other women’s matches to determine quarterfinalists will be 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic vs. No. 9 Ekaterina Makarova, No. 19 Elina Svitolina vs. No. 29 Alize Cornet, and No. 21 Garbine Muguruza vs. No. 28 Flavia Pennetta.

David Ferrer vs Marin Cilic: 2015 Roland Garros French Open

david ferrer takes on marin cilic at roland garros 2015

David Ferrer truly earned his entry into the fourth round of the 2015 French Open after playing three hours eleven minutes to defeat Simone Bolelli 6-3, 1-6, 5-7, 6-0, 6-1. It was exhausting enough watching the intense match where the Spaniard was truly pushed to the brink, but he was able to push back just as hard.

He goes up against ninth seed Marin Cilic next, and if he wins, he could be facing Andy Murray which could possibly take him up against Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.

Ferrer will next face ninth seed Marin Cilic, who earlier advanced to the fourth round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over No. 23 seed Leonardo Mayer.

The Croatian hit 37 winners and saved five of the six break points he faced in the two-hour, five-minute match.

With the victory, the 26 year old achieved his best showing at Roland Garros for the third time. He reached this stage in Paris in 2009 (l. to Murray) and 2010 (l. to Soderling).

“My first priority for the French Open was to win some matches to get the confidence back I’m needing in the matches,” said Cilic. “I was not looking so much for the result, as the clay-court season this year hasn’t been the best.

“The mental approach to 2015 was to keep rising and to get closer to the top. I have a bit [of a] handicap as [I] started the season basically in April, but, still, that goal stays, and I feel that if I’m going to be doing the things right and if I’m going to be playing well, it won’t be too far.”

marin cilic vs david ferrer 2015 french open

[pdf-embedder url=”http://movietvtechgeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/round-four-roland-garros-2015-french-open-draw-schedule.pdf”]

Spain are experiencing their worst French Open campaign for almost 20 years despite having Rafa Nadal and David Ferrer through to the fourth round.

The duo, who met in the 2013 final, are the only two male Spaniards in the last 16, a rarity for the claycourt specialists who last suffered an annus horribilis in Paris in 1996 when Francisco Clavet was their only representative at the same stage.

While nine-times champion Nadal advanced with an uneventful three-set win over Russian Andrey Kuznetsov, seventh seed Ferrer needed five sets to beat Italian Simone Bolelli.

A generation shift could explain Spain’s mediocre year, according to veteran Ferrer.

“Tommy Robredo, Nicolas Almagro…have been injured and the Spaniards had to play against strong opponents,” the 33-year-old Ferrer told a news conference after his 6-3 1-6 5-7 6-0 6-1 triumph.

david ferrer beats simone bolelli 2015 french open

“From time to time you have five or six Spanish players. But of course we are getting older and there’s a new generation coming in.”

Five of the top seven Spaniards in the APT rankings are 30-plus while the best hope on the women’s side at Roland Garros is Garbine Muguruza.

The 21-year-old is the last Spanish female left in the draw and will play Italian Flavia Pennetta on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.

Novak Djokovic vs Richard Gasquet: 2015 Roland Garros French Open

Novak Djokovic is keeping on his powerhouse roll that has kept him the number one ranked tennis player in the world for over 148 weeks now after defeating Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday at the 2015 French Open. The Serb is determined to grab his first Roland Garros title, but he’s on a crash course with Rafael Nadal, who wants to get his tenth unprecedented title. Naturally, we’re hoping to see them on the court battling it out as they will be fighting to the end for this one before going on to possibly take on Roger Federer.

thanasi kikkinakis loses to novak djokovic french open 2015

Ranked 84th, Kokkinakis never stood a chance against the top-ranked Serb. He dropped his serve three times and could not force a single break point in a match lasting 1 hour, 49 minutes.  The Serb hit 34 winners to just 12 unforced errors as he claimed the pair’s first meeting.

novak djokovic vs Richard Gasquet french open 2015

Djokovic is on a 25-match winning streak. Since finishing runner-up to Roger Federer in the Dubai final in February, the right-hander has lifted trophies at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Rome. Indeed, he has lost just two matches this season; his other defeat coming in the first week of the year against Ivo Karlovic in the Doha quarter-finals.

Next up for Djokovic is No. 20 Richard Gasquet of France, who played later Saturday and beat No. 15 seed Kevin Anderson 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5, 6-4. The 28-year-old Djokovic is looking to win Roland Garros for the first time and become just the eighth man in history to complete the career Grand Slam after Andre Agassi, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Roger Federer, Rod Laver, Rafael Nadal and Fred Perry.

Earlier, two-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray extended his impressive winning streak on clay, reaching the fourth round after beating big-hitting Nick Kyrgios 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

The third-seeded Briton, who lost in the semifinals last year against nine-time champion Rafael Nadal, was hardly troubled on court Suzanne Lenglen.

After Kyrgios saved a first match point with a stunning forehand at the net, Murray took his next chance by returning a serve with a powerful two-handed backhand from the back of the court that zipped past the Australian.

He beat the 29th-seeded Kyrgios for the second straight Grand Slam, having knocked him out of the Australian at the quarterfinal stage earlier this year, and has not dropped a set against him in three meetings.

Next up for Murray, who hasn’t lost a match on clay this season with titles in Munich and Madrid, is Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, who beat 17th-seeded David Goffin of Belgium 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

’’This is the best I have played on clay. The results would obviously suggest that. Never won a clay court tournament, never been to the final and had many wins against any of the top guys for a while on clay,’’ Murray said. ’’Obviously in Madrid, I managed to do that against Kei (Nishikori), Milos (Raonic), and against Rafa.’’

U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic also advanced to the fourth round in style with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win against No. 23 Leonardo Mayer of Argentina, while in the women’s draw fourth-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic and former finalist Sara Errani of Italy both advanced. But 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone went out.

Later, Nadal was playing against 120th-ranked Andrey Kuznetsov, while top-ranked Serena Williams was facing two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka.

Under bright sunshine, Kyrgios entertained the crowd more than he threatened Murray.

After retrieving a good lob with a superb shot through his legs, he then raised his arms in triumph to milk the point..
Under the watchful eye of coach Amelie Mauresmo — a two-time Grand Slam winner – Murray broke in the seventh game to lead 4-3, and overcame a brief wobble in the next game.

Trailing 15-40, he saved two break points, the second with a flicked backhand lob from the back of the court that drew enthusiastic applause.

Kyrgios, when 5-2 down in the second set and after dropping his serve for the second time, called for some medical assistance. Briefly, he wore some white strapping on his wrist and elbow.

’’I wasn’t near 100 percent. Not to take anything from him. He played unbelievable,’’ Kyrgios said. ’’I will do everything I can to get ready for Wimbledon. I think that’s my best chance to win a Grand Slam.’’

Kyrgios held at the start of the third set after saving three break points and then broke Murray’s serve with a whipped forehand from the back of the court that whizzed past Murray before he could get across to it.

But, after Murray broke straight back, Kyrgios whacked a ball angrily out of the court.

The other teenager in the third round, 18-year-old Borna Coric of Croatia, was facing American Jack Sock.

Meanwhile, Kvitova — the reigning Wimbledon champion and a French Open semifinalist three years ago – won 6-3, 6-2 against Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania, seeded 30th. Errani, seeded 17th, beat No. 10 Andrea Petkovic of Germany 6-3, 6-3 and Schiavone lost 7-5, 6-4 to Andreea Mitu of Romania.

Madison Keys, a 16th-seeded American, lost 6-4, 6-2 to 23rd-seeded Swiss Timea Bacsinszky

Rafael Nadal vs Jack Sock: 2015 French Open

rafel nadal vs jack sock french open 2015

Rafael Nadal continues his smooth rundown of opponents at the 2015 French Open after defeating Andrey Kuznetsov 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday. Nadal is vying for an unprecendented tenth title in Paris, while powerhouse number one ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic, is vying for his first win at Roland Garros.

Rafa will be facing the last American standing at the open Jack Sock in the Round of 16, which will be their very first meeting on any court. This should make for an interesting match indeed.

jack sock fourth round of french open roland garros 2015

If Nadal’s confidence was ebbing in the prelude to Roland Garros, when he failed to win a title on the European clay-court swing for the first time in a decade, then the restorative powers of a first week in which he has resembled his old self more closely with each passing round should not be underestimated.

The Spaniard was indomitable in the early stages, reeling off nine of the first 10 games. He broke Kuznetsov in the Russian’s first five service games, taking a two-set lead in just 90 minutes. He secured the decisive break in the third game of the third set The sixth seed fired 33 winners, converting on eight of 14 break points in total.

“It will be not fair if I say that I am not happy about what happened this first week, being fourth round without losing a set,” said Nadal. “I think playing solid, consistent. That’s what I need to. Then I arrive the second week and you know that you have to go that extra step to have chances. So I hope to have a good practice tomorrow and be ready to play a great match on Monday, because I will need it.”

jack sock vs rafael nadal 2015 french open

Greater tests lie ahead, of course – most immediately a last-16 meeting with Jack Sock, the rising American who accounted for Grigor Dimitrov in the opening round – but Patrick McEnroe’s pre-tournament prediction that an early defeat might persuade Nadal to quit the sport entirely is starting to look a trifle overstated. The Spaniard’s chances of extending his collection of French Opentitles into double figures, a feat that would make him the only man in history to win the same major 10 times, look an awful lot better than they did on the eve of the tournament.

Certainly Nadal was too good for Kuznetsov, a former junior Wimbledon champion who is coached by his father, Alexander, and has yet to progress beyond the third round of a major. The rangy Russian hit some fine shots, not least when he briefly thwarted Nadal’s efforts to close out the second set, but if the defending champion felt constrained in the more cramped environs of Court Suzanne Lenglen it did not show.

“I enjoyed my first match on Suzanne Lenglen,” said Nadal. “I think I’ve been playing a little bit better. Playing here in Paris is always amazing for me. Things are going better, and being in the fourth round is a great feeling.”

The win keeps Nadal on course for a projected quarter-final clash against the top seed and world No1 Novak Djokovic, who earlier won 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 against the talented Australian teenager Thanasi Kokkinakis. Djokovic, twice a beaten finalist at Roland Garros, won in an hour and 49 minutes to stretch his recent unbeaten streak to 25 matches.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://movietvtechgeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/round-four-roland-garros-2015-french-open-draw-schedule.pdf”]

“He has a lot of talent and strength,” said Djokovic of an opponent regarded, alongside compatriot Nick Kyrgios – who was earlier beaten in straight sets by Andy Murray – as the next great hope of Australian tennis. “He has plenty of time to do great things. I hope he does as he has a lot of qualities.”

Sock needed just under two hours to dispatch Croatian 18-year-old Borna Coric 6-2, 6-1, 6-4, firing six aces and 31 winners, while converting on five of 10 break point chances. The American was dominant on serve, claiming 88 per cent (30/34) first serve points and staving off the lone break point faced.

The Nebraska native, who became the first American to defeat a Top 10 seed at Roland Garros in 15 years with a first round upset of Grigor Dimitrov, reached his first Grand Slam fourth round. Sock has discovered his top form on clay in 2015, having also won his maiden ATP World Tour crown last month in Houston. His previous best result in the French capital was a third round finish (l. to Lajovic) last year.

“It was a good day for me,” Sock said. “I was fortunate enough to play great tennis. And once again, things I was looking to do I was able to do that very well today. In general, I think he plays pretty far behind the baseline and kind of lets the opponent maneuver the ball a little bit. He’s a great defender, makes a lot of balls, and is very quick. I usually feel pretty good when I’m hitting a lot of forehands, especially from the left side of the court, and able to move the ball around and dictate play. I was able to do that today fortunately.”

Coric, meanwhile, was bidding to become the youngest man to reach the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam since Marat Safin here in 1998. “He just played way too good today,” he said about Sock. “He was serving too big. His forehands were very heavy and I was struggling to cope with that. I couldn’t stay close to the line. He was just playing too good. It was maybe the combination that I didn’t play great. That’s for sure. But I think that the first thing was that he played too good.”

LAW & ORDER: SVU 1622 Finale Noah

law order svu surrendering noah images 2015

On this week’s episode of Law & Order: SVU Olivia had a social worker in her apartment checking on the welfare of Noah. The social worker told her she had passed their tests and that she would now be able to adopt Noah.

law order svu surrendering noah images 2015 759x506-005

At the station the ADA talked to the detectives about Noah’s biological father going on trial for his crimes. Olivia told the ADA she didn’t want her life with Noah to be built on a lie, so records had to reflect that apprehended criminal Johnny D is Noah’s biological father.

law order svu surrendering noah images 2015 759x506

The detectives talked about Johnny D not getting sent back to his home country of Canada after having committed crimes. Nick then told Olivia he had registered for a test to become a Sergeant.

At Johnny D’s trial the D.A. said that Olivia didn’t know that she had arrested Noah’s father when she first took Noah in as a foster child. The judge in the case said she had to speak with Olivia before rendering any decision.law order svu surrendering noah images 2015 759x506-003

In the ADA’s office the lawyer was told that Johnny D wanted to retain his parental rights to Noah. The ADA said he thought he could sell the court on a trafficking charge against Johnny D. He also said that Johnny D might be able to get court appointed visits with Noah authorized.law order svu surrendering noah images 2015 759x506-004

Olivia arrived at the station and told the detectives that Johnny D was about to go on trial. She then asked to speak to Nick privately. Olivia said Tucker told her that Nick taking the sergeant exam was pointless because of his past job performance.

Two women in the Johnny D case were called into the station because they were set to testify at the trial, concerning what Johnny D did. The ADA took everyone testifying into the court room.

law order svu surrendering noah images 2015 759x506-001

During the trial Olivia testified that Ariel, one of the young women in the case, had been locked up and drugged by Johnny D. Olivia also said that they rescued three of the young women Johnny D was using for sex trafficking purposes. She also said Johnny D had taken the young women hostage before he was arrested.law order svu surrendering noah images 2015 758x506

The prosecutor asked Olivia about when Noah’s biological father was disclosed to the police. Olivia said she wanted to make sure Johnny D was brought to justice. Afterwards Johnny D asked Olivia how Noah was doing and said he wanted to meet Noah, but Olivia told him that would never happen.

In the police van, a female prisoner killed a male prisoner who was supposed to testify in court on the Johnny D case. At the prison Olivia and Rollins interviewed the female prisoner who killed the man. Olivia told her she would still have to testify in court but the woman refused. Finn questioned Johnny D on the case and Johnny D’s lawyer tried to give Finn a teddy bear to give to Olivia for Noah.

In court the woman was prepared to testify by Sonny and Rollins. The ADA then came in and asked her the same questions he would be asking her in front of the judge. During the actual trial the woman testified that when she met Johnny D he offered her money in exchange for sex. She said that Johnny D did not beat and rape her and that she had only said that he had earlier to avoid any harm coming to her. Johnny D requested a court appeal that would prevent Olivia from being able to legally adopt Noah.

law order svu surrendering noah images 2015 757x506-002

The ADA said he was calling in favors for Olivia to try and prevent Johnny D from being able to block her from adopting Noah. Olivia then went to talk to more of Johnny D’s victims and asked them to tell their stories in court so the jury would know what Johnny D put them through. Olivia said they would be able to help send him to prison for life. One of the girls said he treated all of his victims like they were worthless. She said they were free now and that Johnny D didn’t control or own them. She also said they didn’t have to be afraid of him anymore.

Johnny D’s victims did testify in court that he had beaten and raped them. They talked about how he shot one of his victims to death. One of the girls said Johnny D forced her to take cocaine and that he told her she would never see her mother again.

law order svu surrendering noah images 2015 759x506-002

Back at the station Nick and Olivia talked about how the day in court had gone.

law order svu surrendering noah images 2015 757x506-001

The next day in court the prosecutor questioned one of Johnny D’s victims. She told the prosecutor Johnny D held her prisoner. She was asked if Olivia pressured her to testify against Johnny D. Then the woman who killed the male prisoner stood up and told the judge to shut up. A courtroom brawl then broke out and Johnny D shot one of the girls that testified against him. Nick then got shot in the brawl. The judge in the case took a gunshot to the shoulder. When the dust settled Johnny D was dead. Nick had to undergo surgery to remove the bullet from his liver.

law order svu surrendering noah images 2015 757x506

In family court a judge awarded Olivia legal custody of Noah and signed off on his adoption. Fin, Sonny and the ADA went to Olivia’s apartment to help her celebrate. Nick and Rollins then showed up at Olivia’s apartment and Nick told Olivia he was putting in his papers to quit working for SVU so he could move to California and start his life over. Olivia compared her working relationship with Nick to her partnership with Detective Stabler. She told Nick he helped her grow and he said he appreciated that. They then toasted to family.

SURVIVOR WORLDS APART Finale: Mike Holloway Survives

On the first part of the Survivor Worlds Apart Finale, Carolyn said that it was fun having Jeff announce at Tribal Council that Dan was going home. She congratulated herself on making the right choice to stay in the game. Mike said that Carolyn knew she was on the bottom yet Rodney and Sierra was still buddy buddy with her. Mike called Carolyn out on not telling himself and Rodney that she had the immunity idol. Carolyn then said that Mike had her back in the game. They talked about the fact that advantages and idols were off the table for the duration of the competition. Carolyn called Mike the biggest threat in the game and said that if alliances were joined, everyone would be stronger.

Jeff then announced the next Rewards Challenge. They had to race under a net and reach the other end of the course while stopping to play with a slide and some tiles. The tiles had to be taken to the finish table and sorted into pairs. There would be three remaining tiles that didn’t have a mate and those three would unlock a combination lock. The first contestant to complete this challenge would get the reward. For the reward, each contestant’s loved one had come to the island. Carolyn’s husband came out first and she ran into his arms, causing Mike, Will and Rodney to become teary eyed.

Jeff asked Carolyn’s husband about their marriage and he said they were high school sweethearts who have been together for close to 40 years. Next to come out was Mike’s mom. They hugged and Mike told Jeff that he has the utmost respect for her. Rodney’s father then came out and Rodney greeted him with “What’s up bro?” He told his dad he was finally at peace after his sister’s death two years ago. Sierra’s dad then came out and she told Jeff her dad was her best friend in the whole world. Will’s wife then came out crying and they embraced. Jeff then announced that whoever won the Rewards Challenge could bring their loved one back to camp with them. He also said the winner would get an advantage in the next Immunity Challenge.

Mike won the Rewards Challenge and Will seemed extremely frustrated that he lost. The other contestants then said goodbye to their loved ones. Back at camp Mike told his mom to sit down and he would get her some water. Mike told his mom he had been on the outs with everyone and that a lot of them attacked him personally. The next day Mike and his mom found a written message talking about the Immunity Challenge. Mike had to go into a maze blindfolded and find four medallions in order to get the Immunity Challenge advantage. His mom was allowed to go in with him and physically guide him around. At the end of their half hour time limit Mike still had not found the immunity necklace and his mother said she felt horrible because she couldn’t help him find it.

Jeff then announced the final Immunity Challenge of the season. They had to be blindfolded and enter a maze. Then they had to race to see who would find the four medallions in each corner of the maze; the first person to find them and find the immunity necklace too would win the challenge. Mike won the immunity challenge for the fourth time and guaranteed himself a spot in the final four competitors for the season.

rodney gay back on survivor worlds apart bare 2015 images

Back at camp Carolyn said she and Mike had a bond and she was going to use that bond to make it to the final four. Carolyn said she thought it was time to send Rodney home because he wasn’t doing anything at camp. Sierra said that she would do anything Mike wanted because she didn’t want to go home. She also told Mike that she was onboard to vote Rodney out. Mike said he didn’t trust anyone in the game.

At Tribal Council Mike once again said that he didn’t trust anyone there. Sierra said she was playing hard and always helped around camp. Will said that if Mike didn’t win the next immunity he was going to be sorry. Rodney asked Jeff to get to the vote so Rodney could prove where he was in this game.

After the votes were cast Jeff counted them and announced that Sierra was being voted off.

The next day the four remaining contestants arrived for their Rewards Challenge. They had to untie knots that would open a gate. They then had to race up a tower, retrieve a key and get to the bottom of a giant waterslide. After that they had to navigate an obstacle course to obtain a puzzle which they then had to solve. Mike was the first person to start solving the puzzle. Rodney and Will were then able to start it as well.

Carolyn was the last to start solving the puzzle. Mike and Carolyn were neck and neck in the race to solve the puzzle first. Once again Mike won individual immunity and guaranteed that he would be among the last three remaining survivors of the season. Will asked if he could do the honors of putting the immunity necklace on Mike and Jeff let him.

Jeff then introduced viewers to the second chance nominees. Viewers got to vote on which former Survivor contestants they would like to see on the show again.

Back at camp, Will said he was proud of Rodney for doing so well in the Rewards Challenge. Mike told Carolyn he was not going to vote her out that night. He said Dan, Sierra and Rodney had all turned their backs on him. Mike told Carolyn he wanted that night’s Tribal Council to end with a Fire Challenge. Rodney said he felt pretty confident he’d be in in the final three and Mike said that if he went home it would be poetic justice.

Carolyn decided to practice making fire in case she had to do it at Tribal Council that night. She said she would have her game face on that night but it was not looking good for her.

That night at the next Tribal Council Jeff asked Will about breaking down and Will said he had a sense of price for having gotten so far in the competition. Jeff said Will paid Mike a lot of respect and Mike said the remaining contestants were family now. Carolyn stated that it was obvious Mike or Will was going home that night. Mike said Rodney had been social throughout the game but hadn’t ever pulled his weight at camp.

The votes were then cast and Jeff counted them. Rodney and Carolyn were tied with the same number of votes, so the two had to compete to see who could light a fire first. After almost an hour of trying to, Carolyn was finally the one to win the Fire Challenge, which made Rodney angry. This left Will, Mike and Carolyn as the final three.

After he got eliminated Rodney said he had become a contestant on the show to get away from problems at home with his family. He said he found peace and he felt closer to his family now.

When Will, Mike and Carolyn got back to camp they had orange juice and champagne waiting for them. They also had bacon and eggs available to make breakfast with. Carolyn said she had to convince everyone she made moves and played a good game.

That night at the final Tribal Council Jeff congratulated Mike, Carolyn and Will for making it to the final three. He then told them the jury was their biggest challenge and that each jury member got to talk to each of the three. Joe congratulated them and said they had to earn his vote and he wanted no BS.

He also told Will to man up and give answers. He told Carolyn she was kind of cold and he needed to see how she outplayed the others. Joe said Mike didn’t do much other than win challenges. It was then Hali’s turn. She asked Carolyn how her being a mother figure to the other contestants stuck her with a disadvantage throughout the game. She said people saw her as a mom and not a player and that the other contestants were younger than her by 25 years.

Rodney then called Will his best bud and asked Will how he was real and true to himself and how he kept it real with the jury. Will said that he knew he was going to be the underdog in the game. He said he is very giving and when he won snacks in the auction he shared them with everyone else. Rodney asked Carolyn about the moves she made during the game and said they confused him. She said that she had liked Tyler but if she had let him stay in the game she wouldn’t still be in it. Carolyn admitted Mike was a backup plan for her to get into the final rounds of the competition. Tyler asked Mike what he brought to the table to redeem himself socially in the game.

Mike said that he wanted to do better socially than he actually had. Mike said to redeem himself he would admit he sucked and maybe he wasn’t as genuine as he thought he was. Tyler said Carolyn had gutted him and asked her to give her something that would serve to redeem her in his eyes. Carolyn said it pained her to vote Tyler out and she didn’t feel good about having done it. She said she did things she wasn’t proud of just to avoid ending up on the jury. Sierra asked Will which trait he saw in other players that he wished he had. Will said that he liked Mike’s work ethic. He also said he liked how Carolyn analyzed every move she made in the game.

Jenn said she liked Will, Carolyn and Mike but that the other people on the jury with her were the most bitter people she had ever seen. Jen defended Mike and said the other jury members treated him badly. Dan said Mike put the wrong people on the jury because he didn’t care about them and that he had no necklace to save him that night. Mike said his biggest regret in the game was losing Dan’s trust. He then publically apologized to Dan for going back on his word.

Shirin said she always hoped Mike and Will would be at the final Tribal Council. She said that Mike had run into camp to save her when no one else would and that she didn’t have parents or friends to save her back home. She said she had made her first million dollars by the time she was 25 years old and that meant more to her than possibly winning a million dollars on Survivor. Shirin said Carolyn was getting her vote because Carolyn had played the game the best.

Jeff then announced that it was time for the final votes to be cast. Once the votes were cast, Jeff walked off with the jar of votes in it and said the winner would be revealed on this week’s live broadcast.

On the live broadcast, Jeff read the votes one by one. Mike Holloway was then announced as the million-dollar winner for the season. Mike then celebrated with his mom and the rest of his family as Jeff gave him the million-dollar check.