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Milos Raonic & Kei Nishikori Hit Fourth Round: 2015 Miami Open Masters

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March 30, 2015

Milos Raonic & Kei Nishikori Hit Fourth Round: 2015 Miami Open Masters

Milos Raonic started out strong for the fourth round of the 2015 Miami Open Master but suddenly lost his steam in the second set giving his opponent Jeremy Chardy a glimmer of hope. As we know in tennis, the game can always turn on a dime, and that’s what wound up happening letting Raonic move forward into the fifth round.

Milos Raonic moved into the fourth round at the Miami Open presented by Itaú after fending off No. 31 seed Jeremy Chardy 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(3) on Monday.

The fifth seed awaits the winner of ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov and No. 22 seed John Isner in the Round of 16.

Raonic served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, but the Frenchman earned the crucial break back. An overhead smash into the net by the Canadian gave Chardy the second set, forcing a decider. The Thornhill, Ont., player seemed to lose control of his powerful serve in the second set, giving the ATP Tour’s 38th-ranked player a chance to upset the world No. 6.

Chardy continued to outplay Raonic in the third, leading for most of the set.

But Raonic rediscovered his serve in time, finishing the match with 20 total aces.

Chardy lost when his return of a Raonic serve bounced weakly before hitting the net on the decisive match point.

The 24 year old, who fired 20 aces and hit 39 winners, clinched the victory in the third set tie-break after two hours and 10 minutes.

“[Chardy] started playing more freely and I sort of went the other way,” said Raonic. “He played good the second set. I thought he played better than I did in the third set.”

With the win, Raonic improved his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Chardy to 6-0.

In Miami for the fifth time, Raonic’s best showing was a quarter-final appearance last year (l. to Nadal in three sets).

Fourth seed Kei Nishikori tore into the fourth round of the Miami Open presented by Itaúon Monday with a 6-2, 6-2 dismissal of Viktor Troicki.

The Japanese star advanced in 63 minutes, converting five of his six break points against an ailing Troicki, who required treatment for an injury to his left side during the match. It was Nishikori’s 20th victory of the season and set him up with a fourth-round clash David Goffin.

“I was almost perfect on the court this morning,” said Nishikori. “It’s really exciting that I’m playing good here. Maybe he was hurting a little bit, but still I was giving him a lot of pressure with my return. He has a great serve. So I think it was a great game today.”

The 25-year-old Nishikori is looking to win his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown this week, having reached his first final at this level last year in Madrid (l. to Nadal). The right-hander captured his eighth ATP World Tour title earlier in the year in Memphis (d. Anderson) and finished runner-up in Acapulco (l. to Ferrer).

Earlier, No. 18 seed Goffin needed 76 minutes to beat Jerzy Janowicz 6-4, 6-3 for a spot in the fourth round. It is the first Round of 16 for the 24-year-old Belgian in Miami, equalling his best showing at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament (also Cincinnati in 2013, l. to Djokovic).

A run of seven straight games steered Alexandr Dolgopolov to a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Thomaz Bellucci in the third round. Trailing 3-5 in the first set, the Ukrainian, nicknamed ‘The Dog’, reeled off the next seven games to lead by a set and a break, claiming victory in 88 minutes.

The 26-year-old Dolgopolov is bidding to reach the quarter-finals in Miami for the second year in a row and goes on to face either World No. 1 Novak Djokovic or Steve Darcis.

BETTER CALL SAUL Ep 108 RICO Recap: Jimmy & Chuck

Shane Mclendon

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March 30, 2015

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BETTER CALL SAUL Ep 108 RICO Recap: Jimmy & Chuck

Rico is the name of this week’s ‘Better Call Saul’ episode, and it’s not the name of another criminal that Jimmy McGill has to deal with. The show starts out with a flashback to Jimmy working in the mail room at the Hamlin law firm back in the days when Chuck was was becoming a living legend. He gets some good news in the mail and he is super proud to share the news with Kim and his brother Chuck. It seems Jimmy has been taking courses through the mail, before online college was prominent, and has passed the bar exam. For all we know he has bought the degree and just learned on the job. Jimmy is smart enough to pass the test no doubt, but he is not above taking shortcuts as we well know.

Chuck is proud of him, but doesn’t seem overjoyed that he wants a job at his law firm. Howard Hamlin is not feeling it either. He tells Jimmy that they can re-evaluate his job prospects in six months after a conversation we miss as viewers, telling him the reasoning behind closed doors. This private conversation may be no big deal or it could be revisited later on. We know Vince Gilligan never tires of flashbacks.

Things are going pretty well back in the present day. Kim gets back to her cushy office after being exiled temporarily due to the Kettlemans. Jimmy keeps the elderly clients rolling in with his genius marketing. His latest client he visits at her retirement home, Sandpiper Crossing. He does his thing, helping her craft a solid will. The trouble is that she only has about $40 to pay him. Her allowance will be coming in the next week so she can pay the rest then. It takes a minute for that allowance comment to soak in, but when it does he digs deeper and finds that the nice old lady is getting ripped off by the retirement home. They are simply billing her ungodly amounts for basic items like toilet paper. The sad thing is that this stuff really goes on in the real world. Where there is a little pile of money, shady people are trying to get their sticky fingers on it. This scam is pretty slick since it only gets each resident for a few hundred a month. That is low key enough to remain hidden, but very profitable when multiplied by thousands of elderly residents.

Jimmy goes to check in with his brother and tells him of the findings. Jimmy is planning on cashing in with a class action suit against the giant real estate group that runs Sandpiper Crossing and a string of retirement homes. According to Chuck, they need to establish a pattern of fraud to be able to get the ball rolling.

If Jimmy thought he was just going to stroll back into Sandpiper and take whatever evidence he wanted, he was naive. The watchful secretary / gatekeeper let him know he was no longer welcome there and he sees another employee shredding away in her office. Jimmy is a quick thinker and his go to move is to fake an upset stomach. I failed to see his reasoning since I am not a great legal mind like Chuck. He heads into the bathroom in order to craft a legal order, on the back of a legal pad and continued on a roll of toilet tissue. The guy is resourceful and absolutely tenacious. What he lacks in skill, he makes up for with a bulldog like determination. The legal order is to stop the shredding of evidence immediately. It may be of some help down the road, but in that lobby it wasn’t very effective as he was physically removed and the shredding continued.

Mike got some good news when his daughter in law called to ask for his help with some babysitting duties. The rugged old guy could not have been happier to be of some help.

Since Jimmy couldn’t stop the shredding legally, he would have to get the evidence another way. That way turned out to be dumpster diving. You can only imagine the putrid smells of a dumpster used by a senior living community. I envision giant diapers among other horrific items. Being the cool character he is, Jimmy fields a phone call while inside the nasty dumpster, telling Sandpiper’s lawyer that he has to whisper since he is at the opera! Jimmy eventually finds the documents he sought in a much cleaner trash bin. They are all shredded of course and he heads to Chucks to try and piece some of the invoices back together. Most lawyers would have given up before jumping in a poop filled trash bin. They certainly wouldn’t try to tape together tiny strips of paper by lantern light.

Chuck puts enough pieces back together once Jimmy passes out from exhaustion. Jimmy awakes to find his big bro has found the smoking gun needed along with another big factor that involves the RICO Act. Chuck is excited by this case and wants to work with Jimmy. This is cool for the sibling duo, although there is bound to be a conflict with Chuck being connected still with the Hamlin firm. Kim using their printers for case files is only going to muddy the waters even more. If Jimmy is able to get over on the Sandpiper crooks you can rest assured that Howard Hamlin is going to worm his way into some of the profits.

It seems like a weird place to meet, but I guess Jimmy and Chuck didn’t want to hide his affliction, so the Sandpiper lawyers sauntered into the unlit dining room of Chuck McGill. Crazy Chuck is not very steady for the meeting. He is really only there as a figurehead to intimidate the Sandpiper guys, who have been very respectful of his past work. Jimmy is on the attack right away while the Sandpiper team offers $100K as a settlement for what they are calling some accounting errors on a handful of residents. Nice try. Jimmy isn’t having any of that. Dude did not jump in a dumpster for such a piddly amount. He brings up the RICO Act since the facility has been buying some supplies from other states. The RICO Act is a real law that gives law enforcement lots of leeway when it comes to any criminal activity that crosses state lines, including fraud. The Sandpiper guys were very confident until this threat was put on the table. They were squirming immediately and the old legal shark smelled the blood. Chuck told them it would take 20 million dollars to make all this go away. Chuck was made for this profession. It’s too bad he has been hindered by his mental issues in regards to electricity.

Mike is seeking work from the shady veterinarian who patched his gunshot wound up. Mike sees his daughter in law is struggling financially and he can be of little help working a toll booth.

The last scene shows Chuck hard at work on this big case. He and his brother are a great team and has found his FLOW once again. He forgets himself as he does work he loves, so much so that he heads outside to retrieve a box from the car. He is cured….if only temporarily. The worst thing he ever did was stop working. Chuck IS a lawyer. Law is his practice. Without it, his mallody met no resistance as it took over his life.

Just two more episodes remain this season and the second season is locked in already. This show has been a godsend for Breaking Bad fans. BB ended just when it should have without dragging on just to get ratings. BCS hasn’t been a replacement for an all time great TV show. It has been a very good addition that can stand on its own two feet.

Final Four Is Finally Set For NCAA March Madness 2015

Rick Bouch

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March 30, 2015

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Final Four Is Finally Set For NCAA March Madness 2015

The second weekend of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has ended and with it comes the March Madness Final Four: Kentucky, Duke, Wisconsin, and Michigan State. Head coach John Calipari’s Wildcats enter the final weekend of play with a 38-0 record, the first team since UNLV in 1993 to enter the Final Four unbeaten. They will face a formidable opponent in Wisconsin (35-3) in the national semifinals. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski enters his 12^th Final Four (tying John Wooden for the most ever) and the Blue Devils will face surprising Michigan State, which a month ago was on the fringe of even making the tournament. Here’s how they made it.

Michigan State Surprises

The Spartans (26-11) entered the tourney as a seventh seed and promptly defeated second-seeded Virginia for the second year in a row to make the Sweet Sixteen. Denzel Valentine then responded with a big second half to lead MSU to a 62-58 win over No. 3 seed Oklahoma. Valentine finished with 18 points, 13 in the second half. Senior guard Travis Trice led the Spartans with 21 points. With the win, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo made it to the Elite Eight for the ninth time in his 20 seasons in East Lansing.

Trice and Valentine then did it again in a 76-70 overtime victory over Louisville in a thriller in the regional final in the East Region. It was Trice who scored off of an offensive rebound with 31.7 seconds left to play in overtime that drove the dagger into the back of the Cardinals, who finish the season 27-9. Trice ended the game with a team-high 17 points while Valentine added 15 points, six assists, and two steals. The win gives Michigan State its ninth appearance in the Final Four, their seventh under Izzo.

Duke Reaches Final Four For 16th Time

With his youngest team ever, Krzyzewski defeated Utah, 63-57, and then followed up with a phenomenal defensive effort in a 66-52 victory No. 2 seed Gonzaga in the South Regional final. Freshman Justise Winslow sprained an ankle early but finished with 16 points. Fellow frosh Tyus Jones added 15 and national player of the year candidate Jahlil Okafor, another freshman, had nine points and eight rebounds.

Gonzaga was looking for its first ever Final Four appearance. It took a four-point lead, 38-34, just prior to the first TV timeout in the second half, but Duke responded with a 9-0 run and never looked back. Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer, a transfer from Kentucky, would finish with 16 points but missed a crucial layup with under five minutes to play that would have tied the game. Sophomore Matt Jones also scored 16 points for Duke.

This is Duke’s first Final Four appearance since 2010 when they were also champions of the South Region. They went on to win the national championship that season. The Blue Devils will face Michigan State in the national semifinals.

Wisconsin Returns To Final Four

One year after defeating Arizona to reach the Final Four, head coach Bo Ryan’s Wisconsin Badgers did it again. Senior Frank Kaminsky and junior Sam Dekker combined for 56 points as the Badgers took care of the Wildcats, 85-78. Kaminsky scored 29 and Dekker hit 5-of-6 from 3-point range to finish with 27. It was Dekker who kept Arizona from sneaking back into the game with two 3-pointers in the last two and a half minutes. It was also a new career high for Dekker, who had set his previous career high with 23 points in a win over North Carolina to get to the Elite Eight.

Wisconsin will now face its third rematch of the tourney – besides Arizona, the Badgers beat Oregon again earlier in the tournament – when they face the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, Kentucky. Arizona bowed out before reaching the Final Four once again. The Wildcats haven’t reached the Final Four since 2001 when they lost to Duke in the championship game.

Unbeaten Kentucky Looks To Establish Record

A perfect 40-0…can it be done? The final week of the college basketball season will tell us if it can and will happen. Top seeded Kentucky will take on Wisconsin in one of the national semifinals, entering the game with a perfect 38-0 record. They almost were upset as they needed some late free throws to defeat the third seed in the Midwest Region, Notre Dame. The Wildcats made their last nine shots to defeat the Irish, 68-66. Sophomore Andrew Harrison hit two free throws with just six seconds left to seal the victory.

The win gave Kentucky its 38^th win. There have only been three teams to reach that win total. Ironically, all three teams have been coached by Calipari. The Wildcats thrashed West Virginia to reach the Elite Eight. The Final Four appearance will be the 17^th in Kentucky history, which ties the school with UCLA for the second most in history. North Carolina has the most appearances in college basketball history with 18. The Final Four begins Saturday, April 6, from Indianapolis.

Digital Drivers License: Helpful Or Another Easy Hack?

Tech News

Marius Manuella

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March 30, 2015

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Digital Drivers License: Helpful Or Another Easy Hack?

As the capabilities of modern technology improve and as more and more people become connected to the Internet we are seeing more and more services moving from physical to virtual, and such is the case with the digital drivers license.

A great example of this would be photography which used to be very much a physical activity; the user would take some photographs and once the camera was “full” would have to remove the physical film, take it to a shop to have it developed into printed photos and then collect those photos, take them home and store them somewhere.

Photography was an ideal candidate for digitisation and now the de facto standard for photography involves an almost entirely digital process – photographs are now almost always taken in a digital format and when the time comes to take those photos off of the camera it is normally done via a storage card of some sort that will be connected to a PC allowing the photographs to be downloaded. Once downloaded onto a PC they can be uploaded and sent to an online photo printing service where they will be printed and sent out via the post.

The advantages of this digitalized version of a much loved activity are obvious and abundant – the amount of storage is far greater, the ease of transportation and backup of the photographs is better and more flexible and in fact the entire process is much more streamlined and much easier for the end user.

Even more so, having this practice of photography connected to the digital world means that the fruits of photography can be easily shared amongst friends regardless of the distance between them.

There are many other service delivery models and physical activities that are now being digitalised and using technology to their advantage including shopping, home heating, navigation, air travel, ordering coffee and many more.

The latest item on the list for digitalization and one that marks quite a big step in the digital evolution is the driving licence.

Currently being implemented in several US states including Delaware the digital version of the driving licence will be much the same in look to its physical counterpart and would still be accessible and presentable when required but it will be stored on the owners Smartphone or similar device and would have many additional features due to it being in digital format.

Some of the key benefits that are being sited by the US government include additional security and fraud prevention capabilities as well as the possibility of real time data being available to the app that will contain the driving licence information. This real time data is not only useful when details have been updated but also when security checks are required the data can be confirmed as accurate and fully up to date.

There is some scepticism with this move, as there always is with the digitalisation of key services. Security is obviously a key concern that comes along with the digitisation of the driving licence – of course there are new benefits in terms of security and fraud prevention but there are also new dangers that come with this medium as we are all aware and it brings with it an increased chance of hacking attempts as well as the possibility that driving licences could be fraudulently created in this new digital format.

In addition there is a very real risk of identity theft that comes along with this new format.

Having said all of that, there are risks associated with any medium and like all things digital there are of course new risks that were not present in older physical formats and methods of information retrieval but that is really a given and whilst there are new threats it is arguable that the benefits and capabilities definitely out way the bad points.

As technology evolves it is becoming very clear that there are far ranging possibilities that come with it for the improvement of our every day lives including enhanced communications, much more streamlined processes and also enhancements in the security and protection of our society.

In very much the same way that technology revolutionised crime scene investigation and criminal identification the digitisation of service today will most definitely revolutionise many things, especially in terms of security and safety, as it is further adopted.

Driving licences – often used by the police and other security services for identification is a great example of how technology can assist the security services – having the driving licence digitalised will mean that people can be instantly identified, matched up to a global database and there is also the possibility of a much greater amount of information being available at the same time including additional photo ID, background information and perhaps many other facts.

Whilst this may scare some people in terms of the safety of information and also privacy there is no doubt that this availability of global and real time information will be an asset to the security services and aid in the safety of our society.

There are some concerns that it will pose a problem having the driving licence in digital format when it needs to be displayed or presented to someone – this will of course mean handing over your Smartphone or tablet to the police or whoever requires the licence for inspection and some see this as a problem. Of course this situation is not ideal, but it is only a problem posed by the initial adoption of the new technology and there are definitely ways to circumnavigate this issue – for example it is quite likely that once the adoption of the new driving licence increases there will be additional technologies that come along with it – such as secure transfer of information. For example, it may be the case in the near future that police instantly receive details from your Smartphone, via Bluetooth of similar means, regarding your licence information. Whilst this may once again seem like a possible invasion of privacy, the great thing about the digital medium is that everything can be logged and audited on a much more granular level – so for example the “stop and search” requirement could be pre-validated, a log of the times of data transfer could be kept and every part of an altercation between pedestrian and police could be logged in real time and sent for central storage.

Celebrity Gossip Roundup: Cookie Says Sorry, Prince Sued & Wiz Amber Play It Rosy

The Curvy Girl Diva

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March 30, 2015

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Celebrity Gossip Roundup: Cookie Says Sorry, Prince Sued & Wiz Amber Play It Rosy

This week’s rumor mill, we are starting it off with some updates from last week with our favorite Cookie having to crumble and say sorry to the LAPD after accusing them of racially profiling her son, and Prince gets sued from a former The Voice contestant.

Everyone’s Favorite Cookie, Taraji P. Henson, Apologizes To Cop For Profiling Claim

So remember when Taraji P. Henson (aka Cookie from Empire) accused members of the LAPD of racially profiling her son during a traffic stop and at the University of Southern California (USC)? Well come to find out, it didn’t go down exactly the way she thought. Video from the dash cam of the cop who pulled over her son Marcell Johnson, 20, shows exactly what took place during the encounter and it has Henson back pedaling over her comments.

It appears that the Glendale Police Department felt the need to release the video after the star made comments about the profiling to Upton Magazine, which was published last month. In the interview, she said that her son was a victim of racial profiling in Glendale and at USC.

I get why the Glendale Police Department wanted the video to be made public. Taraji does have a lot more pull now that she is on Empire and she didn’t hold back about how she feels Apparently, USC has felt the need to publicly address the situation too. John Thomas, the director of public safety released this statement:

“We encourage reporting of allegations of bias and I hope for the opportunity to have a conversation with the young man and his mother.”

With everything that has come out, Henson did release a public apology (via Instagram of course) to the officers acknowledging that maybe, just maybe she overreacted a little bit.

“A mother’s job is not easy and neither is a police officer’s… Sometimes as humans we overreact without gathering all of the facts. As a mother in this case I overreacted and for that I apologize. Thank you to that officer for being kind to my son.”

Well at least she knows how to say “I’m sorry.”

Prince is Getting Sued

It is not often that we hear a lot from Prince and when we do, it is usually exciting, unusual or a little bit of both. Well here recently, in the midst of his Hit and Run tour with 3rdEyeGirl, he is being sued by a producer for singer Judith Hill a former The Voice contestant (yea I know… I don’t know who she is either).

The reason for the lawsuit involves a free download link of Hill’s album, Back in Time, being sent via a Live Nation mailing list, by Prince in an email.

Now the thing about the whole ordeal is that Hill really has nothing to do with the actual lawsuit per se and it actually seems like it is being done out of spite by Jolene Cherry, the producer of the album. The story goes that Hill, who was under contract with Cherry, took the music they had already worked on and collaborated with Prince who then gave the music away for free.

There is so much going on with this lawsuit. Just know that Hill had a chance to work with Prince, but the contract she had with Cherry didn’t allow it so she pretty much broke it to work with Prince anyway and now he is being sued. Cherry had this to say in the suit:

“Judith Hill’s first album – Back in Time — is now out, but rather than cheering along with her, the people who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop her career and album and worked to position Hill for her first release (as well as those who co-wrote many of the songs) are sitting dumbfounded on the sidelines while Prince gives away their investment for free…”

Now for the record, it’s Prince! He can do whatever the hell he wants. But from a legal aspect I get it and I think I would feel a certain kind of way too if I were the producer. We’ll see how it all works out because to be fair, those that worked on the project should be able to reap the benefits.

Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose Play Nice for their Son

It seems that possibly, maybe, hopefully Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose are getting past their difference for the sake of their son. They are reportedly focusing on co-parenting two year old Sebastian and it might have something to do with a track from the Furious 7 soundtrack entitled “See You Again.”

In the song, Wiz says “How could we not talk about family when family’s all that we got?” which is a very true statement.

The smoke from their going back and forth about who did what to whom has calmed down which is allowing them time to really be there for their child who is by the way deliciously cute.

Ending a relationship is never fun and it especially sucks when one or both parties accuse the other of cheating. In situations that involve children, it makes it even harder. The best thing that can be done is for each adult involved to try their best to move on and let things go.

Johnny Manziel Leaving Rehab In April & Browns Not Wanting HARD KNOCKS

Jackie Warner

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March 29, 2015

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Johnny Manziel Leaving Rehab In April & Browns Not Wanting HARD KNOCKS

Last Sunday, rumors surfaced that the Cleveland Browns were the front-runners to be featured in this year’s edition of HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” Then, last Monday brought news that Johnny Manziel is set to be discharged from rehab in early April, giving him plenty of time to participate in the team’s offseason workouts and prepare for training camp. It just seems like yesterday that Manziel was heading into rehab, but we know for a fact that the Browns will not be volunteering to be part of “Hard Knocks,” which isn’t much of a surprise.

The NFL could still get the team to appear on the show this summer even if it is against the teams wishes. This was said by Browns coach Mike Pettine who cited all the increased media attention on Johnny Manziel as the biggest reason why the team isn’t volunteering.

“You just weigh everything in,” Pettine said at the NFL Annual Meeting, via ESPN.com. “Because being a part of Hard Knocks, having been there, knowing they’re going to look to cover the team’s biggest current storylines, it’s obvious that he would be a point of attention.”

It’s an obviously touchy situation for a team that invested a first-round pick in the former Texas A&M star last May.

“When we decided not to volunteer for Hard Knocks, we discussed everything that was involved with it,” said Pettine, who appeared on the show in 2010 during his time with the Jets. “(Manziel) is certainly something we needed to consider.”

Just a coincidence? Well, yes, probably. But the two stories are reminders, even after a headline-grabbing free-agency period, that Manziel’s attempt to prove he actually belongs in the NFL, not to mention in a starting lineup, will be one the league’s most fascinating stories.

Citing sources, ESPN reported Monday that Manziel is expected to leave rehab in early April, although Cleveland General Manager Ray Farmer said that the final determination on when or whether the quarterback gets released from treatment is up to those currently overseeing his care. Manziel cultivated a rock-star image as a hard-partying icon at Texas A&M, where he won the Heisman Trophy, but he suffered through a disastrous rookie season with the Browns and entered a rehab facility for unspecified reasons in early January.

According to the NFL calendar, teams that have the same coach from the previous season, which includes Cleveland (Mike Pettine), can begin offseason workouts on April 20. Manziel would seem to need all the repetitions and instruction he can get, given that his NFL playing experience consists of appearances in five games and two starts (one he left early due to a season-ending injury).

Even in limited duty, Manziel’s passing stats left much to be desired: 18 completions in 35 attempts for zero touchdowns, two interceptions and a 42.o rating, plus 29 yards and a touchdown on the ground. However, Farmer indicated that the artist formerly known as “Johnny Football” will be given a chance to compete for the starting job, along with offseason acquisition Josh McCown, as well as holdovers Connor Shaw and Thad Lewis.

“If he is prepared and he demonstrates the things that he needs to demonstrate, then yeah he should get every opportunity to be the guy,” Farmer told ESPN.

But we all know that HBO is smart enough to also know that the Cleveland Browns & the mess of Johnny Manziel will make gripping documentary television and watching someone trying to get back on their feet is a ratings winner. My bet is that HBO and the NFL will be pushing the Browns onto the small screen during their training.

Earnest Byner Has Walked In Brandon Bostick’s Cleats

Shane Mclendon

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March 29, 2015

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Earnest Byner Has Walked In Brandon Bostick’s Cleats

Remember the name Brandon Bostick? You probably don’t, unless you have a photographic memory or you’re a diehard Green Bay Packers fan. He is the young man who let Seattle’s onside kick bounce off his hands in the NFC Title game. If you are a football fan there is no doubt you remember that pivotal play, if not Bostick’s name, in one of the best games of the 2014 season.

A couple of months have passed and the young tight end has tried to move on. He is no longer a Packer and will try to start fresh in Minnesota. No matter where his career takes him in the up and down world of the NFL, he will never forget the play that helped Seattle make one of the most improbable and exciting comebacks in NFL history.

One guy that has helped Bostick deal with the aftermath of his gigantic mishandling of the pigskin in front of millions of viewers, is one Earnest Byner. Bostick says Byner reached out to him and has been like a life coach to him. If there is one guy that can relate to what Bostick has gone through following the onside kick bobble, it is Byner. The former Cleveland Brown was a star running back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, who has the misfortune of being best known for one play, “The Fumble.”

Byner was the workhorse that kept Cleveland in the AFC Title Game in 1988 versus the Elway led Broncos. He was steps away from crossing the goal line to give his team the lead with about a minute to go when the unthinkable happened, he coughed up the football. I watched this game as a kid and felt sick to see this bruising running back laying on his side on the cold turf of Mile High Stadium with the realization that he just gave the ball back to the Broncos and left his team dead in the water. I remember feeling absolutely sorry for this guy who carried his team the entire game only to have this happen to him in the end. It was an eye opening lesson that the world was not a fair place. Not fair at all.

There are differences in the two players’ roles in their teams’ failures in title games. Bostick’s gaffe happened on an onside kick, a play that is utter chaos and anything can happen. Byner was stripped on a basic running play where he had one man to beat in order to score a touchdown to put his team ahead. No one expected Bostick to be a hero and if he secures the onside kick he is applauded, but soon forgotten after the game. Byner was a big reason Cleveland was even in the game versus Denver after being down by three scores in the first half. Byner was a star and Bostick was a role player. There was plenty of blame to go around with the Packers’ meltdown. Bostick just happened to be the focal point at the time. Byner’s play was the focal point since it happened with so little time left on the clock and it appeared a foregone conclusion that he would rumble into the endzone with the clear path before him.

Byner’s fumble was more costly than the botched play by Bostick. The Packers defense could have made a stand, but folded like a cheap Walmart tent. Byner’s turnover ended the game for all intents and purposes. That said, Brandon Bostick has had to deal with a different level of hatred from disappointed fans. Sure Earnest Byner had to deal with psychos sending him death threats. But those idiots had to go to the trouble of sitting down to write out their venomous thoughts with a pen and paper. The only thing between rabid Packers fans and a misspelled death threat was 140 characters sent from their smartphones. Social media has made it much easier and quicker for fans to get right to spewing hatred when a player fails their beloved team.

Earnest Byner came back from his on the field collapse. He went on to win a Super Bowl in 1992 after being traded to the Redskins. When he finally retired he was at #16 on the all-time rushing yards list. Not too shabby for a guy that could have let that one play in Denver ruin his football career.

Hopefully Brandon Bostick can find redemption as well. He will enter his third year in the league with a chance to erase the bad memories of the 2014 NFC Title Game. There is no point in reliving bad memories, but obviously it will be hard to put that play out of his mind. There will always be opposing fans that will remind him of his lowest moment, but those fans should heed the words of Marshawn Lynch after his Seahawks’ Super Bowl loss when a reporter was wanting the running back to blame his coach for a bad play call. “We play football. It’s a team sport.”

Rafael Nadal Knocked Out of 2015 Miami Open By Fernando Verdasco

Jackie Warner

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March 29, 2015

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Rafael Nadal Knocked Out of 2015 Miami Open By Fernando Verdasco

Rafael Nadal was storming out at the beginning of the 2015 Miami Open Masters, but he met his match after losing three sets to Fernando Verdasco. This loss could result in Nadal going from third to fifth spot in the worldwide rankings. Rafi looked a little out of sorts during the first set which easily gave his opponent the chance for his 6-4 match.

Fernando Verdasco halted Rafael Nadal’s quest for a first Miami title, knocking his compatriot out of the Miami Open presented by Itaú on Sunday to reach the fourth round.

It is the second-straight win for Verdasco over Nadal (also the Round of 16 in ’12 Madrid), after the World No. 3 beat him 13 times in a row.

The 31-year-old Spaniard awaits the winner of No. 23 seedGuillermo Garcia-Lopez and Juan Monaco in the Round of 16.

Verdasco troubled Nadal in the first set, breaking in the eighth game when his opponent served an untimely double fault. The 28-year-old Spaniard broke back immediately in the next game, but Verdasco challenged again, earning a set point on Nadal’s serve. The World No. 34 clinched the first set due to a forehand error from Nadal in 43 minutes.

Nadal turned the tide in the second set, breaking Verdasco twice to win the set in 45 minutes and force a decider.

World No. 34 Verdasco achieved his best showing in Miami in 2009 and 2010, when he reached the quarter-finals both years (l. to Murray, l. to Berdych, respectively).

March Madness 2015: March 26 Recap Kentucky & Wisconsin Move Ahead

Shane Lambert

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March 29, 2015

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March Madness 2015: March 26 Recap Kentucky & Wisconsin Move Ahead

Saturday’s results in the 2015 March Madness NCAA basketball tournament saw two teams qualify for the Final Four in Indianapolis. The Kentucky Wildcats, with a victory over Notre Dame, claimed one spot in the national semifinals while the Wisconsin Badgers, with a win over Arizona, claimed another. Those two teams will now meet next weekend in what will be a highly anticipated match-up.

For Kentucky, the Final Four appearance is certainly nothing new. The Wildcats, including this season, have qualified for four of the last five Final Fours. The school was also a mainstay in college basketball’s final weekend for much of the 1990s. All totaled, the 2015 NCAA tournament will mark the school’s seventh appearance in the Final Four. Despite surviving a close shave against Notre Dame (68-66), Kentucky should enter the Final Four as the clear odds-on favorite to win the national championship.

For Wisconsin, the Final Four appearances are much less numerous. However the Badgers are making a second straight appearance in the Final Four following last year’s run. Overall Wisconsin has made the national semifinals on four occassions now, including a run in the year 2000 and also another way back in 1941, the only year the Badgers won the NCAA basketball championship.

The national semifinal between Kentucky and Wisconsin is a rematch from the same round in the 2014 tournament. Last year the Wildcats defeated Wisconsin 74-73, thanks in no small part to a deep three-pointer by Aaron Harrison in the dying seconds of the game.

Kentucky, who would go on to lose the NCAA championship game to the Connecticut Huskies, will looking to redeem themselves. They are under some pressure heading into the 2015 Final Four as the current group of Wildcats, many of which were not on the 2012 national championship team, stand to be tagged as chokers if they do not complete the 2015 tournament with a win.

There is further pressure on Kentucky as they were the No. 1 team entering the tournament and they remain undefeated heading into the final weekend.

Wisconsin, with a 35-3 record, will not feel the same pressure. However the Badgers are a better team than the Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish, a team that pushed Kentucky to the brink of elimination. With two blue chips in Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky the Badgers are more than capable of upsetting the Wildcats.

Another point that has to be made is that the Wildcats have not actually played a team as talented as Wisconsin this season. Kentucky’s 38-0 record is impressive but that is a record compiled against teams outside of the top five. Many of those teams they have absolutely drubbed, including West Virginia, but the 2014/15 Wildcats, in Wisconsin, will be facing their toughest opponent to date.

The national semifinals will take place on Saturday, April 4th. The Kentucky/Wisconsin game may very well be the “final before the final” as I think whoever wins between them will win the national championship. While odds on the game are not yet released, I expect Kentucky to be over-rated and I think Wisconsin may be more into the game than many will expect.

Andy Murray Trying for 500th Win At 2015 Miami Open Masters

Jackie Warner

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March 29, 2015

0

Andy Murray Trying for 500th Win At 2015 Miami Open Masters

Andy Murray just keeps moving ahead in the 2015 Miami Open Masters, and today he beat Santiago Giraldo sending him to the fourth round. If the British tennis player beats Kevin Anderson on Tuesday he will become the ninth active player and the 46th man in the open era to reach 500 victories. The Scot surpassed Tim Henman’s mark of 496 career wins in Indian Wells last week, giving him the open era record for a British player.

Andy Murray dismantled Colombian Santiago Giraldo’s hard-hitting game to claim his 499th career win and reach round four at the Miami Open.

The Briton, seeded third, won 6-3 6-4 and will play South Africa’s 15th seed Kevin Anderson in the last 16.

Another victory would make Murray the 46th man in the open era to reach 500 match wins.

Rafael Nadal is in action later on Sunday, while women’s top seedSerena Williams beat Cici Bellis 6-1 6-1.

Murray, 27, lost heavily to Giraldo in Madrid last year but made amends in Miami, where he lives and trains for much of the year.

The Scot attacked his opponent’s second serve from the outset, breaking in game six on his way to the first set and then powering 4-0 clear in the second.

There was a late revival from the now free-swinging Giraldo, who saved two match points and broke serve at 5-2 and saw off another two at 5-4.

It delayed Murray but did not derail him, and the world number four finally sealed victory at the fifth attempt thanks to a net cord.

Looking ahead to a potential landmark win on Tuesday, Murray told BBC Sport: “Getting to 500 wins is a lot. There’s not loads of players that have done it.

“Hopefully it happens in a couple of days, if not then hopefully later on in the year I’ll win another match and have the opportunity to win many more.

“It’s a nice milestone to reach when I get there.”

Andy Murray will seek to attain a second match-wins milestone in less than two weeks, when he battles Kevin Anderson on Tuesday at the Miami Open presented by Itaú.

Ten days removed from taking sole ownership of Great Britain’s Open Era match-wins record in Indian Wells, Murray closed in on joining the ‘500 wins club’, dispatching Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-4 for victory No. 499.

“It’s nice, because when you see the list of the players that have won that many matches there aren’t loads,” said Murray. “I think there are only 40 or so players that have done it.

“I obviously want to try and win more, and hopefully still have quite a few years ahead of me left to add to that number. It’s a lot of wins. It’s not easy these days to win that many matches, so that’s a good sign.”

Murray would become the ninth active player and the 46th man in the Open Era to achieve the feat.

The two-time Miami champion (2009, ’13) moved into his fourth consecutive Round of 16 at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. He fired five aces and 19 winners, converting on three of five break chances.

“I played well,” Murray added. “I thought it was a good performance. I hit the ball pretty clean. He came out and started swinging a bit towards the end of the match and made it a little bit tricky, but I thought for the most part I played very well.”

The third-seeded Scot is off to a strong start in 2015, owning an 18-4 record following a fourth Australian Open final appearance (l. to Djokovic) and a semi-final run in Indian Wells last week (l. to Djokovic). He will seek a fourth win in five FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against Anderson, having claimed their two encounters last year at Wimbledon and the Valencia Open 500.

Anderson turned aside Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-4 to open proceedings on Court 1 at Crandon Park. The World No. 17 moved into the fourth round for the first time since 2011, when he streaked to his first of five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-finals (l. to Djokovic). The top South African broke Mayer in the ninth game of both sets, earning the win after one hour and 29 minutes. Anderson won 83 per cent (33/40) of first serve points, capitalising on all three break opportunities.

Gael Monfils needed one hour and 34 minutes to end the comeback debut of countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 7-6(4) at the Miami Open presented by Itaú.

Monfils closed the gap in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, moving to 2-4 against Tsonga. The Frenchman’s lone previous victory came at the 2010 Open Sud de France.

No. 17 seed Monfils, who converted on two of three break points and saved four of five faced, is contesting his first ATP World Tour event since reaching the Marseille final last month (l. to Simon). Tsonga, who was competing in his first tournament of the year after suffering an arm injury, had a pair of set points on Monfils’ serve at 6-5 in the second set, but was unable to capitalise.

Monfils will face either Tomas Berdych or Bernard Tomic in his first Miami fourth round appearance since 2009 and third overall (also 2005).

RHOA Ep 17 Season 7: Therapy Without NeNe Leakes Proves Best

The Curvy Girl Diva

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March 29, 2015

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RHOA Ep 17 Season 7: Therapy Without NeNe Leakes Proves Best

This week on the Real Housewives of Atlanta, the high drama picked right back up where it ended last week. If you don’t remember what went down, all you have to know is the ladies finally did the group therapy that NeNe Leakes wanted them to have with Dr. Jeff and it was not pretty. Mrs. Leaks herself was the one to walk out on the session and was not too nice to the good doctor either if I might add.

Anyway last night, we saw just how well NeNe can multitask because her storming out did not prevent her from remember her manners. And by remember her manners I mean saying high and waving at people as she left the building but still throwing so much shade at Dr. Jeff.

Yes, the kind man who was trying help her and her friends…. I mean… hell I don’t know what to call them, was told that he needed to worry about his license being revoked as he tried to reason with her to go back up stairs. Come on now NeNe really? Now what did the good doctor do to warrant that kind of threat? Oh what, he didn’t stop people from calling you out on your shit? This just goes to show that some people can give but she sure as hell cannot take it.

Dr. Jeff, apparently not one to let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch, goes back upstairs to get continue the session. They make some progress and the doctor even gets them, for the most part, to agree and see that their experiences do connect them in more ways than just being full of themselves.

Their Kumbaya moment was of course not without some back and for the between them. Kenya Moore and Porsha went at it but come to their senses and calls a truce (hmmmm I wonder how long that is going to last). Right before they say it’s all good Kenya calls Porsha something I am pretty sure she has no idea what it means- a revisionist historian. Porsha drops her mouth wide open in shock proving exactly what he all know to be true.

They then decide to make video for NeNe (awww isn’t that sweet) but Kandi Burruss refuses to be in it, which I can totally understand. She and NeNe Leakes are not the best of friends and the what the she has carried Kandi in the past, why keep faking it? Just be real. If you don’t like the girl, you don’t like her and keep it moving.

All of this, obviously, doesn’t face NeNe because this chick is at home, with Greg practicing for her stint on Broadway as the fairy godmother in Cinderella. This scene here also just goes to show highly these women think of themselves because she had the nerve to say out of her mouth that the fairy godmother has more speaking roles in the play than anyone else. Hmmmm, okay NeNe. If you say so. Girl, Bye!

She gets the video the girls, save Kandi, made is in her own way does not accept it. She complains that the others can say sorry and that be the end of it but when she does it, people still bring it up later. I don’t apologize that often so when I do it’s a big deal.” You are damn right NeNe. Stop doing shit to people and you want make so many enemies. Duh.

Meanwhile. Kandi is still upset that Phaedra didn’t come to her about how she was feeling and feels like she told the whole world but her. It probably has to do with the fact that she heard it from NeNe too. Here we see just how connected and boogie Phaedra is who is fellowshipping with T.D Jakes daughter Sarah. This is interesting here but this chick, a pastor’s kid, got pregnant and 13 and is recently divorced. Wow, what have you been taught all of your life? They bond over their similar experiences.

Later, Claudia Jordan (and this is why I fucks with Claudia) reached out to Dr. Jeff on her own via Skype. You can tell that she really wants to be a part of this group in a positive and healthy way. He tells her to really harness her power, which is apparently something she wants to do with the group, she should plan a trip abroad (because that always works out for them). Claudia and Porsha rally their respective troops to get them onboard with the plan.

Kandi doesn’t really want to hear it because, “We can’t even have dinner together, how are we going to fly around the world?” That’s what I want to know Kandi.

Phaedra Parks of course, with all of drama may not go because of the kids. She speaks to her friend Ronne Kaplan and she’s all good on the prenup front (Apollo won’t get a damn thing in divorce). Ronne encourages her to consider the fact that the kids should see their father, in prison. Then Ronne asks the million dollar question: Why the hell did Phaedra marry a convicted felon to begin with? All for love is pretty much what she says.

We will see what happens next week as I am sure it will be explosive as usual.

Adrian Mannarino Ousts Stan Wawrinka From 2015 Miami Open Masters

Jackie Warner

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March 29, 2015

0

Adrian Mannarino Ousts Stan Wawrinka From 2015 Miami Open Masters

Stan Wawrinka was cut short today in his match with Adrian Mannarino at the 2015 Miami Open. The Frenchman beat Wawrinka in straight sets, and he continues playing like this, he could face Rafael, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or Andy Murray. If that happens, it could be quite the match to watch.

Adrian Mannarino sprung the upset of the week at the Miami Open presented by Itaú, ousting seventh seed Stan Wawrinka in straight sets Sunday.

The 26-year-old Frenchman is playing the best tennis of his career, reaching his second straight ATP World Tour Masters 1000 fourth round. A finalist at the Heineken Open in Auckland to open the season, Mannarino is on the precipice of a career-high Top 30 spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He will face Dominic Thiem with a quarter-final berth at stake.

stan wawrinka ousted from miami open masters by adrian mannarino

Thiem has been a force this week at Crandon Park and the Austrian young gun did not let up, outlasting Jack Sock 6-4, 6-3 in 84 minutes.

A potential glimpse into a future rivalry between two of the ATP World Tour’s hottest rising stars, the steadier Thiem fired 14 winners, while saving the lone break point faced to progress to the fourth round. The unseeded 21 year old claimed his 10th match win overall at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level and is in the midst of his most successful run, having also defeated 10th-seed Feliciano Lopez earlier in the week.

Sock, who was contesting just his second tournament of the year following pelvic surgery in December, is off to a strong start to 2015 after a Round of 16 finish in Indian Wells (l. to Federer). He did not drop a set en route to the Miami third round in defeating Go Soeda and Fabio Fognini.

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