Mandatory News

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Glastonbury"s Donn Cabral Takes Aim At Steeplechase Medal

U.S." Coburn makes history with 3000m steeplechase bronze

In May, Glastonbury High graduate Donn Cabral shared a high school track in Glen Gardner, N.J., with a group of students making up a missed gym class.

Cabral, one of the all-time best American steeplechasers, was getting in an early afternoon workout and politely asked to use Lane 1.

His company will be a little different Wednesday in Brazil.

After four years spent training and preparing in relative obscurity, Cabral, who graduated from Glastonbury in 2008, will run in the Olympic 3,000-meter steeplechase final in Rio de Janeiro.

The final starts at about 10:55 a.m. at Olympic Stadium, where temperatures are expected to be in the 80s.

Cabral, 26, is trying to become the first American in 32 years to medal in the event, which includes running, hurdling and jumping over a water pit on the track. Brian Diemer won the bronze in 1984 in Los Angeles.

It is the second straight Olympic final for Cabral.

In 2012, he ran well, leading for portions of the race, but finished eighth with a time of 8:25.91.

On Monday, Cabral ran 8:21.96, the third-fastest time of qualifying rounds. He was the third automatic qualifier in the third and final heat, which was the fastest run.

All eyes will once again be on the Kenyans in the final. Kenya has won the last eight gold medals in the event and 10 of the last 12. In the qualifying rounds, Kenya"s Conseslus Kipruto had the fastest qualifying time of 8:21.40.

Ezekiel Kemboi, who won the gold medal in 2012 and 2004, qualified with the eighth-fastest time of 8:25.51.

Sport Illustrated predicted a sweep of the event by the Kenyans with Conseslus Kipruto winning gold, Kemboi taking silver and Brimin Kiprop Kipruto getting bronze. At the World Championships in Beijing last August, Kenya swept the medals with Kemboi going first and Conseslus Kipruto taking second. But the Americans enter the meet with their own piece of steeplechase history. It is the first time three Americans have advanced to the final in 80 years.

Hillary Bor and Evan Jager both made the final, each winning a heat Monday. Jager is considered a medal contender after finishing sixth at the World Championships last year. Bor ran 8:25.01 and Jager ran 8:25.86. Bor"s time was the sixth fastest and Jager"s was ninth in qualifying.

Mahiedine Mekhissi, who won the silver medal in 2012, will also be back after finishing 12th in qualifying in 8:26.32.

But Cabral enters the final with his own motivation and momentum.

He is coming off two of his best performances of the season.

After running 8:26.37 and finishing third in the final at the U.S. Olympic trials, Cabral returned to Eugene, Ore., about three weeks later and ran 8:20.72 to win the steeplechase at the Track Town summer series.

Cabral will be pulling on his experience from London in 2012.

In the final four years ago, Cabral mixed it up with the best, getting to the front of the pack early in the race. But on the closing lap, he wasn"t able to close the gap on the leaders. He enters Wednesday"s final more experienced and also healthy, coming off several weeks of training in Flagstaff, Ariz., where he ran at altitude.

Source: http://www.courant.com/sports/olympics/hc-oly-donn-cabral-steeplechase-advance-0817-20160816-story.html

UFC 202 news conference ends abruptly after water bottles, energy drinks get thrown

Fightful.com Podcast (8/18): Vince Russo On Summerslam, UFC 202 Predictions.

What started as yet another odd news conference involving Conor McGregor ended in complete chaos Wednesday at the MGM Grand.

McGregor arrived more than 15 minutes late, after UFC president Dana White began the news conference without the typically tardy Irish superstar, who will fight Nate Diaz in a rematch at UFC 202 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Once McGregor finally took his place on the dais, the situation quickly deteriorated.

Diaz, who appeared to be acting on the directions of his older brother and UFC star Nick Diaz, rose from his seat and walked off the stage in the David Copperfield Theater in the middle of McGregors response to a question just minutes after his arrival.

As Nate Diaz led his entourage toward the exit, he and some of his teammates held up their middle fingers and hurled expletives and threats at McGregor and his entourage, with McGregor firing back from the stage.

You will do (expletive) nothing, McGregor uttered several times. Get the (expletive) out of here.

Soon, more than words were flying through the air.

Water bottles were thrown in the direction of a group of McGregors friends and training partners, several of which were tossed directly back.

From the stage, McGregor grabbed an unopened can of an energy drink and lobbed it toward Diaz and his crew, which included UFC lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez and former UFC fighter Jake Shields.

UFC officials stopped McGregor from leaving the stage to physically confront Diaz, and hotel security and uniformed police officers kept the entourages separated.

An agitated White, who could be heard onstage instructing McGregor not to throw the can, quickly called an end to the news conference.

Sorry, guys. See you Saturday, said White, referring to the rematch between McGregor and Diaz, which will be contested at welterweight and tops a pay-per-view card that begins at 7 p.m.

Nobody appeared injured in the fracas, though several people were struck with projectiles, including rolls of tape.

Early on, it appeared the story of the day would be Whites decision to begin the news conference without the enigmatic headliner.

McGregor regularly shows up late for scheduled appearances, and his rematch against Diaz was removed from the UFC 200 card when McGregor decided not to fly to Las Vegas for a news conference, triggering a public spat between the featherweight champion and the organization.

He has to start respecting peoples time, man, White said of starting without McGregor. Yours, mine, (the other fighters), David Copperfields. Everybody.

Light heavyweights Anthony Johnson and Glover Teixeira, who will meet Saturday for the top contender spot, smiled through much of the drama onstage before they were whisked away by White.

It was not the first time there has been drama between the camps. Before the first meeting in March, a tense news conference in Los Angeles almost bubbled over into a physical altercation. During a staredown two days before the bout, McGregor took a swipe at Diazs hand and the two had to be separated.

Diazs camp also has a history of issues outside of competition, most notably a brawl on a 2010 Strikeforce card on CBS that was triggered when Jason Mayhem Miller entered the cage to challenge Shields to a fight and was violently beaten down by a group that included Nick and Nate Diaz.

The Diaz brothers also were involved in a skirmish with UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov last year while attending a World Series of Fighting event at Planet Hollywood.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.

Source: http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/mma-ufc/ufc-202-news-conference-ends-abruptly-after-water-bottles-energy-drinks-get-thrown

Alberto Del Rio Suspended For Wellness Violation

John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio: SmackDown Live, Aug. 16, 2016
(Photo: WWE)

WWEhas announced the 30-day suspension of Alberto Del Rio (real name: Jose Rodriguez). This is his first Wellness Policy violation of his second stint with the company that started back in October of last year where he was a surprise opponent for John Cena"s United States Championship. The suspension begins tomorrow August 18th.

This isn"t the first time the superstar has engaged in some sort of controversy. Upon his first release from the company back in 2014 when he got into a physical fight with a front desk employee after he made a racist joke at Del Rio"sexpense.

His second run with the company hasn"t been as lucrative as his first even though capturing the United States Championship twice and becoming a member of the League of Nations, he isn"t in the world title picture at all.

With the suspension starting within the week, Del Rio will miss SummerSlamdespite not being booked beforehand, there"s always the case of a surprise appearance to receive some sort of pay day, but that"s off the table now.

Source: http://comicbook.com/2016/08/17/alberto-del-rio-suspended-for-wellness-violation/

Philly"s Nia Ali takes silver as U.S. women sweep hurdles

He wins gold medal for cuteness! 100m hurdler Nia Ali"s son steals the show in Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brianna Rollins, Philadelphia"s Nia Ali, and Kristi Castlin finished 1-2-3 in the 100-meter hurdles Wednesday night in the Rio Games to give the United States its first sweep in the event and only its seventh in the history of Olympic track.

It was a not-all-unexpected result, though this might be an eye-opener: Both 2008 champion Dawn Harper-Nelson and the current world-record holder, Keni Harrison, were back home watching on TV after failing to crack the top three at the Olympic trials.

Rollins won the event in 12.48 seconds. Ali finished at second in 12.59, and Castlin in 12.61.

Ali, a former West Catholic and Pleasantville High athlete who won an NCAA championship at Southern California, clocked at 12.76 in her semifinal heat on Tuesday.

In a recent interview, Rollins, one of seven siblings, said her family didn"t have much money when she was growing up, so they spent a lot of time playing outside.

"We were not fortunate enough to have all the electronics and toys," she said. "I hung out with my cousins and brothers. We"d climb trees, play basketball and football, and challenge each other to races."

She wound up getting a scholarship to Clemson, where in 2013 she won the NCAA indoor and outdoor titles. It was during that summer that she won the world title, ahead of Australia"s Pearson and Great Britain"s Tiffany Porter. She was, at age 21, the youngest woman ever to win that world title.

Elsewhere in track and field on Wednesday, Usain Bolt easily advanced to the 200-meter final. Kenya won yet another steeplechase gold medal, and Ashton Eaton was leading in the decathlon.

As usual, Bolt blasted away opposition in the semifinals of his favorite event, where he is seeking a third a third Olympic gold medal in a row to match his three 100 titles. This time, he will not have to deal with Justin Gatlin, so often his main challenger. The 100 silver medalist finished third in his heat and is out of the hunt.

In a game of cat and mouse, Bolt let Andre De Grasse remain on his shoulder right up to the line. But as they were laughing at each other, Bolt pushed his chest just across the line for 19.78 while De Grasse set a Canadian record of 19.80.

With temperatures reaching 97 degrees on the sun-baked track, Kenya organized a very orderly changing of the guard, with 21-year-old Conseslus Kipruto running away from two-time Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi to set a games record and extend the country"s streak to nine straight titles in the 3,000-meter event.

Kipruto started celebrating coming into the home straight and, as he was flying over the last barrier, was looking behind to see if anyone was still coming. No one was, so he stretched out his arms and raised his fist in victory as he jogged across the line in a showboating extravaganza that would have made Usain Bolt proud.

"I watched the screen. I saw I was far from them, and nobody"s going to catch me, so I celebrated early," he said.

It was his first gold medal following silvers at the last two world championships.

The excitement behind him centered on Evan Jager of the United States clinching silver ahead of four-time world champion Kemboi, who was later disqualified for stepping off the track after a water jump. At 34, Kemboi immediately indicated it was his last Olympic race, swiping his hand in a quitting gesture.

"It"s my conclusion that today, this has been my last track [race] in my career," said Kemboi.

Mahiedine Mekhissi of France was later awarded the bronze medal.

Kipruto took the early lead and then settled behind Jager, surging back into the lead as the bell sounded and finishing in 8 minutes, 3.28 seconds. Jager was second in 8:04.28.

Despite Kenya"s dominance in the event, Jager didn"t want to over-state his best-of-the-rest status.

"It feels like silver, but I"m totally OK with silver," said Jager, the first American to medal was in the event since Brian Diemer in 1984.

Like Kenyans winning the steeplechase, the decathlon is equally predictable. But the quest to become the world"s greatest athlete has recently turned into a question of whether Eaton will keep setting records.

Early Wednesday, he wasn"t fastest out of the blocks, though. That honor went to Damian Warner of Canada, who beat Eaton in a 100-meter heat and set an Olympic decathlon best 10.30 seconds in the process.

Eaton immediately regained the lead with a mark of 7.94 meters in long jump, 27 centimeters more Warner. And he extended it in the shot put. After three events, he has 2,803 points and a sizable lead of 95 over Warner.

In the men"s 5,000, defending champion Mo Farah was just as unworried about the time in his heat. Staying upright was tougher.

The British runner was tripped in the 10,000-meter race on Saturday but still recovered to win his second Olympic gold over that distance. His bid for a second-straight long-distance double faced another scare on Wednesday.

He had a slight trip after being clipped by another runner on the last lap of the 5,000 heats as well, but was quickly back into stride and ran comfortably with the leading pack to finish third in 13:25.25. Bernard Lagat of the United States also advanced.

"I"ve got such a long stride ... I always get tripped up or tangled up with someone," Farah said. "But I managed to stay on my feet. It"s quite nerve-racking."

Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/olympics/20160818_Philly_s_Nia_Ali_takes_silver_as_U_S__women_sweep_hurdles.html

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Dana Carvey Calls John McLaughlin "An American Original"

A Video Tribute to John McLaughlin

Millions all over the world have been mourning John McLaughlin, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 89. Today, one of the comedy greats, Saturday Night Live"s Dana Carvey, shared his memories of the McLaughlin Group host in a tribute statement to TheWrap.

"He was an American original. Quick-witted and funny. I loved impersonating him on "SNL,"" Carvey told TheWrap today.

Carvey explained that it wasn"t difficult to impersonate McLaughlin due to his one-of-a-kind speech patterns. "His speaking rhythms were so quirky and musical that my impression didn"t have to be exaggerated much to get big laughs," Carvey added.

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Days after missing his first episode in years, McLaughlin passed away from prostate cancer on Tuesday. On Sunday, the show opened with a note:

"Dear friends of The McLaughlin Group, Dr. McLaughlin here. As the panel"s recent absences attest, I am under the weather. The final issue of this episode has my voice, but please forgive me for its weaker than usual quality. Yet my spirit is strong and my dedication to this show remains absolute!"

Source: http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/news/a47769/dana-carvey-john-mclaughlin/

What It"s Really Like To Be A Women"s Olympic Beach Volleyball Player

Newly-named Brazilian Beach Volleyball Olympic team validates Rio 2016 berth

Jess Commons | Deputy Editor | 7 days ago

The Debrief: Zara Dampney, who represented Team GB in London 2012 fills us in on the bikinis, rigorous training schedules, leathery forearms and tips on getting sand out of EVERYWHERE.

If you have a look at the beach volleyball themed topics people are searching for on the old Google, theres a number of things that crop up. "Beach volleyball bikini for instance. Beach volleyball bums is another. Not forgetting of course, beach volleyball wardrobe malfunctions.

Sigh.

Hardly the stuff one would expect people to be searching about a serious Olympic sport no?

Each Olympics, the mainstream conversation around beach volleyball tends to drift off away from the important stuff. Away from the speed, agility and athletic ability of the players and more towards, well, bums.

What people are missing by engaging with this rhetoric though is a b****y fascinating sport filled with incredible athletes. Zara Dampney, who represented Team GB at London 2012, is one of them. Zara was lucky enough to grow up in Bournemouth (sand: key to beach volleyball, who knew?) and, after starting indoor volleyball when she was 12 or 13, moved onto beach volleyball about five years later.

The main difference between indoor volleyball (its an Olympic sport too, they wear different uniforms) and beach volleyball is pretty simple. Instead of six players, a beach volleyball team has just has two. Also, beach volleyball is played, duh, on a beach. In indoor volleyball you need much more specialized skills explains Zara. You might be a hitter, you might be a setter Whereas in beach volleyball because theres only two of you have to be more of a rounded player. Also, youve got to be able to jump in the sand. Thats one of the biggest things. Sorry Zara, Im out mate. I can barely walk in the sand.

Leading up to London 2012, Zaras training routine was gruelling. Wed get up, have breakfast, then usually have two sessions a day; one sand session and one physical session, either in the gym doing weights or cardio. Then, around that, wed have like psychology meetings or nutrition meetings, things like that.

Psychology meetings help beach volleyball players connect. Because of course, when youre working so closely with just one other person, you need to get inside each others heads. Dan Goodfellow, Tom Daleys synchronised diving partner famously moved into Toms house in order to sync up mentally with him. Zara and her teammate Shauna Mullin were no different. Youre in each others pockets really. Says Zara who is still, four years on, more like sisters with Shauna. You have to be able to get the best out of each other.

Food too, was an important part of the lead up. We were on a low fat diet but we could eat a lot because we were training a lot. Explains Zara. If we were trying to lean down, you know, to jump high, then we might cut down on things like carbs.

Just like any sport, theres always a risk of injury. Zara says shoulder injuries are common, just from the amount of hitting a player does. Backs are also dodgy areas. Most interesting though is what the ball has done to her forearms. Theyre like leather! She laughs. Compared to other peoples skin there its toughened up so much over the years.

Playing at 2012 was, of course, a dream for Zara and Shauna. They finished 17th not bad for a country that hasnt been represented in the sport since 1996. There was a lot of pressure being the home nation. Zara says. Were not used to playing in front of a home crowd. She says she enjoyed it though and thats the main thing.

People Zara meets are often incredulous about her chosen profession. They react with disbelief People are like Oh my G*d I didnt know you could play beach volleyball in this country! and Is that an actual job? Thats so weird!

The hot topic when it comes to beach volleyball this year is the bikini. Pictures from the Egypt / Germany game showed a stark difference in terms of bodily coverage with the Egyptian team in full hijab-style uniforms whilst Germany opted for the traditional bikini.

The uniform has long been a contentious issue. Up until 2011, female beach volleyball players were required to wear bikini bottoms that were no wider than 7cm at the hip. In fact, in 1999, Craig Carracher the former CEO of Volleyball Australia even said If we can show off these bodies at the same time as presenting our sport then we are going to do that. Cool guy.

These rules have now been relaxed but, while some players opt for long sleeve tops or one pieces, many are still happiest in a bikini. I prefer it. Shrugs Zara. At the end of the day its usually roasting hot, you dont want to be stuck in something thats massive. If you wear bigger stuff the sand just gets stuck in it anyways!

I know the majority of the players are comfortable in their bikinis. She says. So why do people get excited about beach volleyball uniforms specifically? I dont know its so weird. Its like pretty much the same size as what the runners on the track are wearing.

This year, at Rio, body shamers have taken a hit. When trolls attempted to body shame gymnast Alexa Moreno earlier this week, Twitter dealt with them swiftly. Are we finally coming to a point where we the world can, on a base level, view female athletes without succumbing to prejudices about how their bodies should look? I do think people are starting to realise that women are actually very aggressive when they play. Theyre competitive, its not really about what they wear and what their bodies are like, actually they just want to win!

Funding for Team GB volleyball is non-existent right now which is a shame because Zara thinks weve got some very talented players coming up. Theres definitely some athletes there. She says. Its just about time and resources that need to be pumped into them.

If you think beach volleyball is the sport for you though, beware. Youll be covered in sand for the rest of your life. Every pocket of every bag and in the shower. Zara laughs. In your hair, in your ear in your eyebrows. The sand get everywhere you just have to embrace it really!

Zara Dampney is a brand ambassador for Sweaty Betty.

Like this? Then you might also be interested in:

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Follow Jess on Twitter @Jess_Commons

Tags: Rio 2016

At work? With your gran?

You might want to think about the fact you"re about to read something that wouldn"t exactly get a PG rating

Source: http://www.thedebrief.co.uk/news/real-life/olympic-womens-beach-volleyball-rio-2016-20160864508

Elvis Presley"s ER doctor: trying but failing to save the King - Mercury ...

Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (Music Video)

Before the world was stunned by news that Elvis Presley had died on August 16, 1977, a Memphis, Tennessee emergency room intern heard a hospital"s chief resident pronounce the tragic news.

The resident"s pronouncement came after Jerry DeVane, then an acting intern at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, worked in vain to give Presley chest compressions in an attempt to resuscitate him.

DeVane, now of Cleveland, recalled that hectic scene on the 39th anniversary of Presley"s death. This somber anniversary always prompts fans to flock to Memphis to remember the King of Rock n" Roll"s life and legacy.

In an interview with WTVC News in Chattanooga, DeVane said he had grown up in a town called Whitehaven, near Presley"s famous home, Graceland.

Elvis Whitney lights his candle during Graceland"s Elvis Candelight Vigil on Monday, Aug. 15, 2016 in Memphis, Tenn. (Nikki Boertman /The Commercial Appeal via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT (Nikki Boertman)

DeVane said he was just ending his shift when he heard the call for a code in the emergency room. "When I entered the room it was absolutely packed with people," he said.

No one said the singer"s name; DeVane just knew he needed to act quickly.

"I kind of marched my way around the corner of the room and got to the other side of the gentleman who was doing CPR on Elvis," he said. "I didn"t know that at the time, and he seemed to be tiring so I asked him if I could take over for him."

As DeVane continued with the chest compressions he noticed an unusual piece of jewelry around the patient"s neck.

"The gold chain had the letters TCB on it with a lightening bolt."

It was Elvis" trademark insignia, which stood for "Taking Care of Business in a Flash."

DeVane also recalled the chief resident asking questions of the paramedics who had brought him in. When he asked where they had picked him up, the paramedics gave him a strange look and said, "Well, on Elvis Presley Boulevard."

DeVane said, "That"s when it kind of sunk in fully that we were resuscitating Elvis."

But after an hour, it was clear that "The King" was gone, DeVane said.

Presley was 42. The cause of his death remains in question, with the main suspects being an enlarged heart, a heart arrhythmia or a drug habit.

Martha Ross provides celebrity commentary for the Bay Area News Group. Follow her at twitter.com/marthajross.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/celebrities/ci_30259077/elvis-presleys-er-doctor-trying-but-failing-save