Category Archives: Yahoo

The inordinate lust for wealth, fame and power, which is driving the youth crazy nowadays, has reached an alarming stage that silence has become complicity. That the get-rich-quick syndrome is corrupting the youth and dealing a death blow to the noble values on which society is constructed, is no longer news.

It is observable that the importance attached to material wealth is one of the major factors. This exaggerated value induces the youth into despicable acts such as gruesome killings, swindling, bizarre lifestyles and fetishistic rituals. It also robs the people of the consciousness of the proper dignity of labour. The hitherto respect for education and drive for knowledge suffer in result.

The people caught in this malaise throw money with callous abandon and spend it as if tomorrow no dey. Quick money through fraudulent means is so widespread that it challenges genuine growth and progress. Mahatma Gandhi was right when he enlisted wealth without work as one of the seven social sins. It corrupts and attacks society at its foundation.

The situation bespeaks surrender to the allurement of the goddess of mammon, by which a sector of society idolises money as a measure of success and greatness. Sadly, the effect of this celebration of noonday robbery and daylight fetishism is already telling on society. Without a doubt, the current nightmarish situation is difficult to abate because wealth and power are gripping. Their pursuit is bankrupting the residue of the noble values on which our society stands.

Since many parents accept, and some pastors bless, and numerous chieftains of towns and villages celebrate the ill-gotten wealth, the end is not in sight. It is a dawning of a new regime of money worship; people are silenced or bought off with money. So, many people resort to the principle of if you cannot beat them, you join them.

The effect of this Yahoo misadventure is that these bloodletting young people gruesomely and heartlessly sacrifice young ladies and sometimes their parents to pursue wealth. They engage in other bizarre acts and rituals like cannibalism, drug abuse, and sex with blood relations. They feast on peoples faeces, offer their relations in ritual sacrifices, strip themselves naked in public, and throw and spray money on people for ritual purposes.

But the list is not yet exhaustive. Stories of the victims abound and they are narratives of mysterious and premature deaths of casualties and their perpetrators alike. Nothing gotten through fundamentally evil means endures. The devil helps no one; he can only bet to get one into his fold. The signs that this delinquency is inflicting grave harm on society are the unimaginable atrocities committed in the name of Yahoo business and their consequences.

The dastardly evil of the Yahoo culture and its attendant criminal fetishistic practices and ritual killings is one more pointer to parents complicity and the failure of families and social institutions. The fake lifestyle it represents and feeds wrongly presents itself as human flourishing, which it is not. It is a nemesis to everyone who will not stand up to the government to provide jobs, teach morals to our children, and desist from celebrating materialism and luxury.

The whole society suffers when its young engage in evil practices. No one is free. Everyone is in trouble. They recruit young people and brainwash them that education is a scam, without practical positive value. The ostentatious flaunting of ill-gotten wealth attacks societys basic moral foundations. Many look helplessly while these unconscionable youth prowl around, looking for people and values to destroy.

The reality of Yahoo boys is symptomatic of the malaise in society. It advertises the total breakdown of the institutions that protect and promote societys mores and ethos. It is a failure of families and cultural and religious organisations to invest adequate energy, creativity and commitment in the formation of the youth. Unfortunately, our society is eagerly bent on bequeathing to the future an array of malformed, crooked and dangerous criminals and social misfits.

The path to solution includes knowledge and awareness of the nature and magnitude of the problem and mobilisation and deployment of social and spiritual resources against the bad situation. It entails solidarity of action by all institutions of society, and respecting the principle of subsidiarity, by which each institution operates in its sphere of influence without intimidation, disruption or domination.

With the above position, families will be galvanised as the most fundamental factor in rescuing society. If families had adequately acted as the basic education and character formation centres, this crisis would not have reached this alarming stage. Parents need to re-envision parenting beyond the provision of the material and mundane needs of their children.

They should realise that engaging in child-bearing contains an intimate responsibility of child-rearing, the ramifications of which include character formation and humanisation. Families focusing only on academic training most likely produce sophisticated evil geniuses and intelligent criminals. Such efforts that exclude adequate human, moral and spiritual formation distort the education of children. At best, it produces malformed and badly educated graduates whose consciences and consciousnesses are focused on satisfying appetites for power, pleasure and possession.

As a matter of urgency, social institutions must declare a state of emergency for youth formation. Families must wake up to their responsibilities, ditto cultural and religious organizations. The Church, for instance, is invited to reflect on her contribution to the formation of families to discharge their responsibilities, realising the peculiarities of these millennial and Gen Z youth. It is still possible to change the tide, but it requires creative engagement and total commitment to the crisis.

This piece is a silent scream to the entire society to wake up to her responsibility of salvaging society from the youth-turned-Internet fraudsters. It is an invitation to condemn the fraudulent practices and be intentional about rejecting the proceeds of such lifestyles.

Suppose society fails to divest honour and recognition from people of such evil character; in that case, the affirmation will be a compliment, and an encouragement and approbation. Through our actions and inactions, we have to withdraw the fuel that feeds this dangerous fire and make a bold statement that our society cannot bless fraud, approve of fetishistic lifestyles and beatify sin. We must stop the rampage and transform the evil Yahoo boys into good Google men. Fr Adimike wrote via: findfadachigozie@gmail.com

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Yahoo boys on rampage: The youth and Internet scam - Guardian Nigeria

Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick, left, chats with head coach Sean Payton while warming up during NFL football training camp at the team's headquarters, Thursday, July 27, 2023, in Centennial Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

NFL training camps are officially in full swing, with veterans reporting across the league. Stay up to date with Yahoo Sports on the latest news, highlights, injuries, holdouts and everything else you need to know.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick was carted off at practice on Monday with a non-contact leg injury. During the team's first fully padded 7-on-7 drill, Patrick slipped on the grass as he started to run and fell to the ground.

Head coach Sean Payton said later on that looked like Patrick had torn his Achilles.

Practice injuries like this are always tough, but in Patrick's case it's particularly brutal. He tore his ACL on Aug. 2 last year and missed the entirety of the 2022 season. Now, just when he was on the comeback trail, it looks like he's going to miss his second consecutive season with an injury he sustained in training camp.

Yahoo Sports' NFL team of Charles Robinson, Jori Epstein and Charles McDonald will be spread across the country in the coming weeks to cover it all. Follow Yahoo Sports on social, join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football League, and gear up for kickoff to the 2023 season Sept. 7 in Kansas City.

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NFL training camp tracker: WR Tim Patrick carted off at practice, Broncos fear Achilles injury - Yahoo Sports

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The Mega Millions jackpot climbed to $1.05 billion Friday night after no ticket had all six of the winning numbers. That means theres still a chance 1 in nearly 303 million that someone could take home the grand prize after the next drawing, on Tuesday night.

Even though a person is more likely to get eaten by a shark than win the lottery, it hasnt deterred Americans from spending more than a few dollars in hopes of becoming rich overnight. In 2021, Americans spent over $105 billion on lottery tickets. In 2019, the average U.S. adult spent about $320 a year on them.

While lottery systems vary by state, a percentage of the revenue generated from lottery ticket sales is used to fund public programs, like schools, senior centers or infrastructure projects. Its worth noting that five states Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah dont have lotteries due to a mix of concerns over the impact on low-income families, gambling addiction or competition with existing gaming operations.

People who buy a lottery ticket may see it as a low-risk investment for a chance to win hundreds of millions of dollars, which can be life-changing if the right steps are taken.

Whether winning will change your life for the better, however, is the subject of fierce debate. Lottery skeptics note that, depending on the state, taxes and mandatory federal withholdings can chip away significantly at ones total winnings.

Theres also a laundry list of horror stories about big lottery winners whose golden tickets led to strained family relationships, bankruptcy, prison or even murder.

But research indicates that such anecdotes about the dark side of winning the lottery are the exception, not the rule.

In 2018, researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research who surveyed a large sample of lottery winners in Sweden reported that they found little evidence in support of the hypothesis that winners often consume frivolously following a win. In fact, the study found that large-prize winners appear to enjoy sustained improvement in economic conditions that are robustly detectable for well over a decade after the windfall.

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Another study by the Swedish Institute for Social Research at Stockholm University found that more than a decade later, winners of large lottery prizes were typically more satisfied with their lives than non-winners or those who had won smaller amounts. The same study notes that life satisfaction is not the same as happiness, and that the difference in happiness reported by large-prize winners and the other groups was not statistically significant.

These findings echo those produced in 1978 by one of the first studies on lottery winners, which compared happiness levels among winners, non-winners and paralyzed accident victims and found no significant difference.

After a California player took home the $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot in July, lotto enthusiasts nationwide are now looking ahead to Tuesday nights Mega Millions drawing, which could result in a winner of the fourth-largest grand prize in that games history.

The lottery will ruin your life

Winning the lottery is probably one of the quickest, most surefire ways to ruin your life were serious. Not to mention your odds of winning the lottery are slim to none. If youre looking for financial peace, youre not going to find it in winning the lottery. Dave Ramsey, Ramsey Solutions

Money wont buy happiness

If you weren't happy yesterday you wont be happy tomorrow. Its money. Its not happiness. American businessman Mark Cuban to Dallas Morning News

Winner beware: Be disciplined or lose the money

I know a lot of people who won the lottery and are broke today. If youre not disciplined, you will go broke. I dont care how much money you have. Sandra Hayes, a Powerball jackpot winner who split the winnings with co-workers, to Associated Press

Hey, big spender have a financial plan in place

We like to say it doesnt cost you to dream. But it does if your fantasizing about instant wealth robs you of a realistic plan to create financial stability for yourself and your family. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post

Financial stability can be achieved without winning the lottery

Daydream how the win would make your life better, and then figure out how you can create this change in your life even if you dont win. Ive spent nearly the last two decades working with sudden wealth recipients people who have come into a windfall overnight. Sudden wealth can radically improve a persons life, but its certainly not a requirement. Robert Pagliarini, Forbes

Money can buy happiness, sort of

Having more money makes people less stressed and more satisfied with their life. Money might not buy happiness, but it buys a lot of things that make the pursuit of happiness easier. Kelsey Piper, Vox

Actually, being rich is pretty awesome

Ive been rich and Ive been poor, and I like rich a whole lot better. Weve lived in big, fancy houses. I drive a Jaguar. Weve gone on cruises. I cant complain. Richard Lustig, a seven-time grand-prize lottery winner, to Time

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Is winning the lottery all it's cracked up to be? - Yahoo News

Were getting close to the teeth of fantasy football draft season, and its time to talk about mistakes. Im going to run back some of the mistakes from last years column, and Ill add two fresh mistakes at the bottom. Youre welcome to offer your own lessons learned, Im all ears: @scott_pianowski.

All summer long, we try to show you how to play fantasy football the right way, whatever that means. Obviously, its a nuanced and shifting discussion, and obviously, its all contextual. What works best in my hometown league might not work best for your hometown league. Theres a lot of season-to-taste in this game.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for free today]

But sometimes we need to take a step back and focus on how suboptimal thinking sneaks into our decision-making. Thats our mission for today, to patch some of the leaks that might be holding you back.

Here are nine common mistakes that fantasy managers, even good ones, often make. The first six are a review from last year and previous years; weve added three fresh ideas at the bottom.

Draft like a champion today, gamers.

I know this feels painfully obvious, but its a common error. I know, because I make it myself sometimes and theres no reason for it.

Its no fun to read the rules or audit the settings, I get it. In some of the leagues I play in, the rulebook is long and unwieldy, a cumbersome read. And like so many fantasy managers, Im in a ton of leagues (too many to count), so at times it becomes tempting to cut this corner. But if youre not clear on the game youre playing, errors are sure to follow.

So lets just make sure we put in the work and plug this leak. And Im not just talking about scoring rules, Im talking about every setting tied to a league. A common mistake tied to this: often managers are unaware of when free agency starts or when the waiver process begins. Thirty seconds in your online calendar today can cover you for a missed opportunity later.

Modern baseball theory holds that sacrifice bunts are rarely a good idea. The game is dominated by launch angles and home runs, to the point that giving up an out and advancing a runner from first to second is rarely the proper play. When you hand outs to the other team, you cap your scoring upside.

What does this have to do with fantasy football? Well, when you go out of your way to draft the NFL backups of your primary starters (especially at running back), youre essentially bunting. Youre capping your upside. Youre playing for the small inning.

In the early part of the fantasy season, I want you to play for the big inning. I want you to try to build the most dynamic juggernaut possible. Sure, you can draft backup running backs, intriguing stash-and-hope runners, but do it when its not tied to one of your primary starters. Draft the backups that benefit if your opponents encounter bad luck. Build a roster that can improve not merely survive when chaos happens.

I dont want you to draft like your early picks are going to flame out. I want you to draft like your early picks were the right picks. Stop playing it safe and capping your ceiling.

Lets be clear, the understudy back can make sense later in the year much like bunting can make sense in a baseball game, later in the day. The winning scenario narrows the later we get in any contest, and with that in mind, you act accordingly. If youre crushing the league come early November and you want Tyler Allgeier for Bijan Robinson insurance because your roster doesnt have bigger problems that need solving I can sign off. Youre already put a crooked number on the board.

In August, thats the wrong way to think. Your goals should be much loftier the day you start assembling your roster.

Fantasy sports are essentially a game of opinions, your best guess against my best guess. The best fantasy managers are going to have plenty of takes. You compete for a few years, take down a trophy or two, you get some confidence and even some ego.

But remember, the NFL is a snow-globe league, the American sport with the most year-over-year variance. Its also the fantasy sport where context matters the most. A journeyman running back might become fantasy royalty if he lands in the right offense. And a walk-in Hall of Famer like Randy Moss can fall off the planet when hes on a team like the 2006 Raiders.

I have plenty of strong player and strategy takes today, just like I did a month ago, three months ago or six months ago. But everythings written in pencil. When the facts shift, Im willing to change my mind. And when nuances that I overlooked are brought to my attention, Im willing to change my mind, too.

The goal is to figure out the new season before your opponents do. And with that in mind, you have to be willing to be selectively aggressive when opportunities arise.

Paradox of Choice is a fascinating concept, the idea that otherwise smart people can be overwhelmed by alternatives. Its not uncommon for a fantasy manager to tell me they prefer a roster of minimal depth over a roster of fantastic depth because they arent forced to make difficult choices every week. (Obviously, a deep roster can often be traded into an even more-dynamic set of starters, but lets ignore that for now.)

Some managers are afraid to bench a player because said player cost a lot at the draft, or in free agency.

Some managers are afraid to make a trade or a FA move because theyre obsessed with how bad theyll feel if the decision turns out to be wrong. Friendliest Loss remains a pox in our decision-making world. Too many fantasy players will settle on the choice that will give them the least amount of pain if it turns out to be wrong no matter if that choice reflects what they view as the most likely winning scenario.

Dont be afraid of making a mistake, amigas and amigos. Tricky decisions are like bluffs in poker if you dont have one blow up on you every so often, you are playing far too conservatively. Fortune favors the brave. If you insist on keeping both of your feet on first base, youll never be able to steal second.

Im not suggesting you do wacky or crazy things just for the sake of it. I still want you to make good decisions, sound decisions. But focus on the likelihood of your decision working, and what the payoff may be. Dont get tripped up on what the regret will feel like if youre wrong. Thats not how successful people think.

I generally dont touch the preset rankings in any draft applet, because I want to know what most of my opponents are looking at. But that doesnt mean I rest back in my chair and scroll through tweets and emails between picks. Im constantly working on some kind of list, be it an off-applet list Im maintaining, or adding and arranging player names in my online queue.

A tidily-arranged queue will be your best friend if you get bumped offline mid-draft and will spare you a potentially disastrous auto-pick. Its also a good way to keep late-round sleepers fresh in your mind, especially with the sleepers who might be buried on the sites preset rankings. If youre doing an offline draft, you can still maintain a queue a pen and a scratch sheet of paper will do. Just keep it away from curious neighbors.

Its common to hear established fantasy players zealously proclaiming their disdain for Average Draft Position, noting how they draft to the beat of their own drummer. And hey, I get it; at some point, you have to go get the players you believe in. But you at least want to have a general idea of what slot those players might command in a free market.

When I examine ADP, I like to focus on the trending market, how rooms have drafted in the past week or so. Deeper-rooted ADP is going to be more buggy and less useful. At the end of the day, you want to undercut the market slightly on the later-round picks you covet, not blow the market out of the water. Dont take your hidden gem in the sixth round when context clues made it clear you could have waited until the 10th round or later.

Most fantasy football drafts will take place in August, and thats a hotbed of NFL news. Injuries, depth-chart adjustments, trades, perhaps even suspensions; stuff is going to happen. And with that, its imperative you take a news lap the day of your draft, just to make sure youre up on the latest and greatest NFL news. You want to make the most informed choices you can, and that requires youre not the last person to know about a hamstring gone awry.

The NFL schedule is such a big deal, the league somehow creates a buzzy event of its release and reveal. Its a little funny when you think about it we already knew the games, just not the sequencing but its another case of the NFL flexing its muscles as the dominant sports league in North America.

I want you to be aware of the schedule, but I dont want it dominating your picks. Bye weeks are a low-end tiebreaker when Im drafting, not something that proactively influences my picks. By the time most of my players take their bye, my roster is likely to be significantly different, with new strengths and weaknesses. I want you to play fantasy football with a microscope, not a telescope. Lets focus on whats in view now.

If Im going to use schedule shape to influence my picks, its on the margins. Consider the defense and special teams position. The Jets D/ST is a hotly contested draft commodity, but the early-season schedule looks treacherous New York opens with the Bills, Cowboys, Patriots, Chiefs, Broncos and Eagles for the first six games, then its a Week 7 bye. The Jets D/ST doesnt really see home-run spots until December. Given the stream-heavy nature of the D/ST position, I wont have New York on my target list. I want easier sledding in the first quarter of the year.

The earlier youre drafting, the less important it is to draft a kicker or defense. You can add that stuff later; why not get an additional high-upside running back pick on your roster? This well-known strategy has a converse, of course; if youre drafting right before the season, thats when you might as well fill that K and D/ST spot.

Injury rates fall down significantly late in the summer most teams dont use important personnel in the final preseason game so your odds of hitting a home run with your final-round lottery ticket are significantly less. When I draft in early September, I have the early schedule in mind and want a D/ST thats ready to cause mayhem in Week 1.

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Fantasy Football: How to avoid the most common draft mistakes in 2023 - Yahoo Sports

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will formally welcome its Class of 2023 on Saturday. This week, Yahoo Sports is highlighting each member of the nine-man class, leading up to the big ceremony.

Don Coryell never won a Super Bowl or even made it that far. He won just three playoff games in 14 seasons as an NFL head coach, never more than one in any postseason.

He had a 111-83-1 record as a coach in the NFL, which is good but not one associated with a Hall of Famer. He had fun teams, particularly the San Diego Chargers of the early 1980s, but never ultimate success.

Coryell isn't being inducted to the Hall of Fame because of his record or postseason wins. It's because when you watch the NFL, you see offenses still using some of Coryell's innovations in the passing game.

Coryell might not have won big, but he changed the way the game was played.

Coryell introduced a pass-heavy offense which was dubbed "Air Coryell" in his Chargers days to a run-first NFL. He wanted to make a defense worry about the entire field with deep routes and spread formations that weren't common to that era of the NFL. Coryell's offenses were heavy on motion, unlike the rest of the league then. He lined up tight end Kllen Winslow in different spots to stress a defense, something other coaches would copy years later but flummoxed defenses back then. He forced defenses to start using extra defensive backs, which is the norm today.

Coryell was running an offense that looks very familiar in 2023. He was just doing it four decades ago.

Don is the father of the modern passing game," former Rams coach Mike Martz told Voice of San Diego. "People talk about the West Coast offense, but Don started the West Coast decades ago and kept updating it. You look around the NFL now, and so many teams are running a version of the Coryell offense. Coaches have added their own touches, but its still Coryells offense. He has disciples all over the league. He changed the game.

Every NFL offense borrows something from Coryell's scheme. That's why he's going to the Hall of Fame.

Coryell doesn't have a record that would lead one to automatically assume he'd be in the Hall of Fame, but he was a good coach.

At San Diego State, Coryell was 104-19-2. His innovative offenses allowed SDSU to overcome talent deficits. He would become the first coach to win 100 games in the NFL and in college.

He then went to the NFL and helped lift the St. Louis Cardinals out of the doldrums, winning 10 games his second season. He won NFL Coach of the Year that season. Coryell had a good run with the Cardinals but never won a playoff game with them.

He spent eight full seasons with the Chargers and they finished top five in total offense every season. The Chargers led the NFL in passing seven of eight seasons, and finished second once. Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner and Winslow put up tremendous numbers and made the Hall of Fame.

Had the Chargers not gone 0-2 in AFC championship games in those years, Coryell might not have had to wait so long for his Hall of Fame call. At the end of the 1980 season, the Chargers were upset at home in the AFC championship game by the Raiders, a wild-card team. The next year, the Chargers won one of the greatest playoff games ever, a divisional 41-38 overtime win at the Miami Dolphins. The next week they played the Cincinnati Bengals in the "Freezer Bowl," with a wind chill of 59 degrees below zero, and lost.

Ultimately, Coryell's legacy goes beyond wins and losses. That's rare for any NFL head coach. But Coryell's spot in the Hall of Fame was well earned.

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2023 Hall of Fame: Don Coryell's offense changed the NFL, even if it didn't win a Super Bowl - Yahoo Sports

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll was giddy, greeting his quarterback with an emphatic high-five and a slap on the helmet after Daniel Jones connected with his tight end on a long touchdown pass during the team portion of practice on Monday.

But this time, it wasnt prized tight end trade acquisition Darren Waller stealing the targets and the headlines. Rather, it was second-year tight end Daniel Bellinger who found the end zone twice.

While this performance is likely not indicative of a major role in 2023, Bellingers emergence on Monday, in many ways, epitomizes the mindset and desired approach for the Giants offense in 2023. As wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins and safety Jason Pinnock both put it: Its pick your poison.

Before opponents are forced to pick who they focus on trying to slow down within this group, though, Daboll will have to make some choices himself, as the Giants currently have upwards of 10 wide receivers who could legitimately make the roster battling for spots.

It really is what training camp is for, Daboll said of the ongoing competition among wideouts. Thats why were out here. I think everybody deserves an opportunity. Those that deserve the opportunity should get the opportunity. And then what they make of it is up to them.

Perhaps overshadowed by the ceremonious return of Saquon Barkley and the impressive showings from Waller, this wide receiver corps features a unique, non-traditional mix of size (or lack thereof) and positional versatility. And although the pecking order remains up in the air, its clear that New York will not be adhering to its Giants epithet in 2023.

Seven of the Giants' wide receivers, WanDale Robinson, Sterling Shepard, Parris Campbell, Jamison Crowder, Cole Beasley, Jaydon Mickens and Kalil Pimpleton, are listed at 6 feet or shorter, with each known for their short-area quickness and thus having primarily played in the slot previously.

The rest of the unit includes 2023 third-round pick Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Jeff Smith, Collin Johnson, David Sills and Bryce Ford-Wheaton, all of whom bring some size and field-stretching ability.

Aside from Beasley and Crowder, though, this group is almost entirely unproven and somewhat injury-prone. Shepard and Robinson are still working their way back from ACL injuries last year, while Campbell, whom New York signed this offseason, has had his growth stunted by injuries to this point. While this could lead to questions come September, for now, the openness of the depth chart is serving as motivation.

Its a competitive room, said Hodgins, who broke out with eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown in the Giants playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings. You want to be able to sit here and know that you gotta work day in and day out because you got people all around you who can make plays, and I feel like thats what I love about our room.

The wild card, of course, is Waller, who has also struggled to stay on the field in the past but could serve as a hybrid, unicorn-type tight end due to his rare combination of size and speed.

Every other safety or DB whos probably 5-foot-11 has to probably take two whole strides for his one, Pinnock said of the Giants new tight end. Youre playing catch up really the whole time.

For the Giants' pass-catchers, the reality that comes with having a plethora of comparable targets in the running for meaningful snaps is that there likely will be less opportunities, as snap counts are likely to vary depending on the opponent and game plan. But in 2023, the Giants have bigger aspirations than just individual accolades, and thus they are embracing the committee approach.

I think we have a lot of unselfish guys on our team that are able to take on that role and understand that every day you may not have five catches, Hodgins said. You just have to be ready for when it does come your way.

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Giants' pass-catchers are wielding uncertainty to their advantage - Yahoo Sports

AUCKLAND, New Zealand The U.S. players diagnosed their debilitating ills before coaches had even reached the locker room. They jogged off a field in Wellington last Thursday after a dispiriting first half. As their Dutch counterparts strolled toward the tunnel, leading 1-0, the Americans moved with purpose, and then began hashing out flaws. Starters shared perspectives from the heat of battle. Reserves shared sideline viewpoints. Coaches eventually shared video. All involved were very direct, midfielder Andi Sullivan recalled. And although the conversations were nuanced, the overarching diagnosis was simple.

We weren't in sync, Sullivan admitted two days later.

They looked like a shell of their once-dominant selves because their press lacked coordination and aggression. The USWNT used to strangle teams by defending from the front. On Thursday, they attempted to press out of a mid-block, but I saw indecision everywhere, former forward Tobin Heath said on her postgame show.

We were looking for somebody else to do something, Heath said. Everybody was kinda looking around like, Who steps? Do you step? Do I step? How do we get the ball? And it looked like we were being toyed with.

An effective press requires 11 in-sync players. It requires understanding and trust. Forwards read certain triggers a back-pass, for example, or a loose touch and sprint at opposing defenders; teammates take those cues and follow, shutting off passing lanes, and suffocating opponent attacks before they begin. A coordinated effort can force turnovers, and disrupt an opponents coordinated movements or dissuade fluidity.

But the U.S. did hardly any of that in Thursdays first half, especially after the opening 10 minutes. It failed to get pressure on the ball, which permitted the Dutch time and space to create midfield overloads. One of those overloads created a goal and sparked all sorts of questions about the USWNTs tactical readiness at this 2023 World Cup.

We knew that the Netherlands they werent gonna be a massive threat, Heath, a two-time World Cup winner and soccer junkie, said. I thought we were more of a threat to ourselves, with our decision-making defensively, than they couldve been to us.

The Netherlands (in orange below) set up in a 3-5-2 that, on paper, matched the USWNTs 4-3-3 player-for-player. The U.S. defended with forwards on center backs, fullbacks on wingbacks, center backs on strikers, and midfield three versus midfield three.

But the U.S. knew that Lieke Martens (No. 11), a playmaker shoehorned into a striker role, would drop into midfield to create something of a 3-4-2-1 shape. Players were prepared for this, Sullivan said we watch a lot of film.

Their apparent plan to cope with it was multifaceted. Sullivan would shuttle side to side, between Martens and Dutch No. 10 Danille van de Donk, as best she could. Her midfield partners would also shut off passing lanes; fullbacks could pinch in from the weak side; center backs could step in to prevent Martens or van de Donk from turning.

All of those solutions, however, depended on U.S. forwards putting pressure on the ball.

Without that pressure, the Dutch had time to swing the ball side-to-side and manipulate the U.S. midfield. Martens had time to sneak into pockets of space; defenders had time to pick their heads up and find her. And all of that happened in the critical 16th minute.

The Dutch dragged the U.S. to the far sideline. Sullivan slid over, shadowing van de Donk, leaving Martens on the weak side, seemingly inaccessible.

But then the Dutch swung the ball back to center back Stefanie van der Gragt. U.S. forwards rotated without urgency. Van der Gragt had space to stride into, and time to pick up her head. When she did, she saw U.S. right back Emily Fox pulled toward the sideline by her opposite number, and Sullivan stretched between van de Donk and Martens, leaving the latter free.

Martens received the ball on the half-turn and skipped by Sullivan, into acres of space. Orange jerseys flooded forward, and pretty soon led 1-0.

Sullivan acknowledged two days later that, honestly, I needed to do my job better, and just commit and get over faster. I think that happened a few times in the first half that I would wanna fix.

But she also needed help from teammates. A coherent press would have given her time to get over, and wouldve allowed the USWNT to get a grip on the game. Instead, the U.S. lost touch with it; the Dutch dictated it. The goal wasnt an isolated incident. For long stretches, the U.S. front five couldnt even get close to the ball.

We got a little bit stretched, and weren't getting that much pressure on them, defender Naomi Girma said.

The result was an overwhelmed midfield, but I think that starts with our front line, Heath noted. And its what the players hustled into halftime knowing they needed to sort out.

They largely did sort it out, and improved in the second half, and earned a 1-1 draw though an injury to van der Gragt and some conservative Dutch tweaks helped.

In the second half, we came out a lot more on the same page, midfielder Savannah DeMelo said. We all needed to go together or we all needed to stay together. And it was more about being in sync with one another.

The worry, though, is that they failed to adjust on the fly and failed to get it right from the start.

Some players have cited their relative unfamiliarity with one another. In 2019, the USWNTs starting 11 was essentially set nine months in advance; four years later, its been in flux. A lot of other years, we've had a consistent group in the whole time, forward Megan Rapinoe said Sunday. Whereas this time around, we've had players coming back from injury, we've had different lineups, we've had players playing with a lot of different people around them, and not having that consistency.

So, I don't think this is anything that anybody was really worried about, she added. We knew we were gonna have to build into the tournament, and just understand that's where we are.

But the time for building has almost elapsed. The time to get in sync is now. The U.S. likely wont win this World Cup without a coordinated press. Systematizing it requires communication but also shared understanding and belief. Forwards must know and trust that midfielders and defenders will follow their lead but midfielders and defenders can only follow instinctively when forwards trigger the press consistently at agreed-upon moments.

It's always like a chicken-egg situation, right? Sullivan explained. Like, if you don't step high enough, then it's hard for people behind you to read. And if people behind you aren't reading it, then it's hard for you to go.

All of that, for 11 players that had never shared the field as a single unit until this month, is definitely a challenge that we're going through, Sullivan said.

Portugal, on Tuesday, in a game that the U.S. cant afford to lose, likely isnt talented enough to expose the Americans like the Dutch did. It's also "a lot more conservative than aggressive," U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski said Monday. A more impactful fix in Tuesday's game, Rapinoe argued, will be attacking width. I think we got quite narrow against the Netherlands, and it enabled them, even when they got tired towards the end of the game, to still get players around the ball, and stop our creative flow quite a bit, she said. Positional discipline in the attacking phase will spread the Portuguese defense and unlock space in which the USWNT can playmake and flourish.

Before long, though, more elite opponents will come knocking. Some, such as Spain, would be far more potent than the Netherlands. The U.S. cant afford 45 minutes of indecision and discombobulation.

Andonovski, when asked Monday about how he plans to synchronize things moving forward, noted that Rose Lavelle's introduction as a second-half substitute "helped with some of those triggers and aggressive pressing." Lavelle, who has been on a minutes restriction since recovering from a knee injury, should start against Portugal and beyond.

But Andonovski seemed to believe that the U.S. problems stemmed from the Dutch goal. "I think actually it started well in the beginning," he said. "The moment we got scored on, there was a little bit of hesitation. And when you go in to press, if one player hesitates, that kills the press. So, it just became a chain effect. One player hesitated, and then that affects the next player, so the next player starts hesitating, and obviously it results in the way it did, where Netherlands just took the game over."

More here:

The USWNT diagnosed their biggest flaw in Dutch draw. Can they fix it? - Yahoo Sports

Philadelphia 76ers Host 1982-83 Championship Team

Julius Erving has had the same five best players of all time ever since he was 15. He's not changing it now for the modern game.

Dr. J sat down with an interview with Joy DeAngela and she asked him about his top 10 players of all time list. His answer is not what you expect (hat tip Basketnews for the transcription).

"I have five guys who are untouchable Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor. That's my all-time best team. Everybody else has to be on the second or third teams, and I made this decision when I was 15 years old. I'm sticking with it now all these years later. There is no order. I think West and Robertson would be in the backcourt. Elgin Baylor would be in the frontcourt with Wilt and Bill Russell.

The next group of guys would be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Ervin 'Magic' Johnson, probably Karl Malone. I always argue with my son where Tim Duncan belongs, and he's like, 'He belongs ahead of Karl Malone for sure.' I'm taking Karl Malone and that last position... I like Tiny Archibald."

When DeAngela asks him about current players such as Stephen Curry or LeBron James, Erving said he only names players whose careers are over.

He's Dr. J, a Hall of Famer and Philly legend, and we won't argue his list. Baylor may be the star player most underrated by modern fans, who don't always understand he was the first to popularize playing above the rim. Karl Malone over Tim Duncan may not be the call I would make, but one can argue it, at least. No active players? I think we have reached the point in LeBron's career where there is a large enough body of work to say he is top 10 all-time. But it's Dr. J's list, and if he wants the also underrated Tiny Archibald on there, so be it.

It's definitely a deviation from the standard, but it's an interesting top 10.

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Julius Erving's all-time top 10 includes Tiny Archibald, no active players - Yahoo Sports

It's almost time to cheer on the USWNT in the 2023 Women's World Cup. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

Soccer fans, get the jerseys ready and the coffee brewing, its time for the 2023 Womens World Cup. The US Womens National Team (USWNT) took home the World Cup trophy back in 2019, and in 2015, so its no surprise that US audiences are ready to set their alarms for some awkward start times and tune into all the soccer action at the Womens World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. With 32 teams playing 64 games, theres a lot to follow on the field. Heres everything you need to know about where to watch the Womens World cup, the full Womens World Cup schedule, where to stream World Cup games and more.

Best way to watch World Cup games on Fox and FS1

Dates: July 20-August 20

Locations: New Zealand and Australia

TV Channel: Fox

Streaming: Sling, Fubo

Livestream: VPN

The Womens World Cup opens on July 20 and runs through August 20, 2023.

Day one will feature three games played across New Zealand and Australia: New Zealand vs. Norway, Australia vs. Republic of Ireland and Nigeria vs. Canada. Opening day of the Womens World Cup kicks off bright and early for U.S. audiences, beginning at 3 a.m. ET.

Since 2015, Fox has the English-language broadcast rights to the Womens World Cup in the United States. Telemundo will broadcast the Spanish-language coverage. Both Networks will show each of the 64 games live.

Out of the 64 games, Fox will air 29 including all of the quarterfinals, semifinals and final on its flagship, over-the-air network (which you likely already have on your TV). The rest will air on Fox Sports 1, which might be a bit trickier for you to access.

If you dont have access to Fox and FS1 (or Telemundo), check out our recommendations to help you watch the Womens World Cup in 2023.

(Photo: Sling)

Starting at just $20 for your first month, Sling TV's Blue plan offers Fox and FS1 in select markets, along with 41 other channels. A Sling subscription also includes 50 hours of free DVR storage, so if youre worried about missing any of the early morning World Cup action, you can always record games. With no tricky contract to get out of, at $20, Sling blue is an easy and affordable way to watch the entire month of World Cup games.

(Photo: Julio Cortez/Ap Photo)

Fubo TVs Pro tier gives you access to Fox and FS1 (make sure to check your zip code for eligibility) along with tons of other great channels for watching sports like ABC, CBS, CBS Sports Network and Ion. At a total of $75 per month, the live TV streaming service is definitely the priciest option on this list, but will allow you to watch every World Cup game, and still leaves you with major savings compared to a traditional cable package. Fubo subscribers also get 1000 hours of cloud DVR storage, so you can record those early morning games to watch later. The platform also offers a 7-day free trial period, so you could catch some of the Women's World Cup totally free.

Get over-the-air Fox with a digital TV antenna

BBC and ITV will share coverage of the Womens World Cup in 2023, with all 64 matches shown across the BBC network, on ITV and ITV 4. That means if youre in the UK, you can also tune into World Cup coverage totally free on the BBC iPlayer or ITVX. But what if you're outside of the UK? Say, across the pond? Dont worry, weve got a hack for you:

(Photo: ExpressVPN)

ExpressVPN offers internet without borders, meaning you can tune into the BBC and ITV's free UK coverage of the Women's World Cup this month as opposed to paying for Fox and FS1. All you'll need to do is sign up for Express VPN, change your server location to the UK, and then make a free BBC iPlayer or ITVX account. Be sure to check the BBC coverage schedule to find out which games you can watch where.

ExpressVPNs added protection, speed and range of location options makes it an excellent choice for first-time VPN users looking to stretch their streaming abilities, plus, it's Endgadget's top pick for the best streaming VPN. New users can save 49% when they sign up for ExpressVPNs 12-month subscription. Plus, the service offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you're nervous about trying a VPN.

(Photo: Peacock)

All 64 World Cup matches will be available to stream with solely Spanish coverage on Peacock! Starting at just $5 a month, a Peacock subscription is the easiest way to stream live sports and events airing on NBC. On top of access to the World Cup, youll also get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation and The Office and even recent theatrical releases like Book Club: The Next Chapter, Renfieldand soon the Super Mario movie. For $10 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.

This years Womens World Cup is playing out across five cities in Australia and four in New Zealand, with the 64 games split between ten stadiums. The two Oceania countries are the first co-hosts of the Womens World Cup. What does this mean for U.S. soccer fans? You may want to stock up on coffee.

This years World Cup time difference is inconvenient, to say the least. Those nine host cities are across four time zones, anywhere between 12 and 16 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. Luckily, the U.S. team plays their first two games at an easy 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT). Unfortunately, the USWNTs third game is at 3 a.m. ET. So to catch Megan Rapinoe, Trinity Rodman and more of your favorite USWNT players live in action, you'll need to set your alarm accordingly. For more on the USWNT headed into the World Cup, check out the Yahoo Sports guide to following the U.S. team through the tournament.

Of the 64 total matches, 54 kick off between 12:30 a.m. and 7 a.m ET. Half of the elimination games start between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. ET. So be sure to set those alarms! And if you cant tune into a late night game, Yahoo Sports will have you covered with updates.

2023 Womens World Cup US broadcast schedule:

All times Eastern.

Wednesday, July 26

Group C: Japan vs. Costa Rica (1 a.m. on FS1)

Group C: Spain vs. Zambia (3:30 a.m, on FS1)

Group B: Canada vs. Ireland (8 a.m. on FS1)

Group E: United States vs. Netherlands (9 p.m. on FOX)

Thursday, July 27

Group E: Portugal vs. Vietnam (3:30 a.m. on FS1)

Group B: Australia vs. Nigeria (6 a.m. on FS1)

Group G: Argentina vs. South Africa (8 p.m. on FS1)

Friday, July 28

Group D: England vs. Denmark (4:30 a.m. on FS1)

Group D: China vs. Haiti (7 a.m. on FS1)

Saturday, July 29

Group G: Sweden vs. Italy (3:30 a.m. on FS1)

Group F: France vs. Brazil (6 a.m. on FOX)

Group F: Panama vs. Jamaica (8:30 a.m. on FOX)

Sunday, July 30

Group H: South Korea vs. Morocco (12:30 a.m. on FOX)

Group A: Switzerland vs. New Zealand (3 a.m. on FOX)

Group A: Norway vs. Philippines (3 a.m. on FS1)

Group H: Germany vs. Colombia (5:30 a.m. on FS1)

Monday, July 31

Group C: Japan vs. Spain (3 a.m. on FOX)

Group C: Costa Rica vs. Zambia (3 a.m. on FS1)

Group B: Canada vs. Australia (6 a.m. on FOX)

Group B: Ireland vs. Nigeria (6 a.m. on FS1)

Tuesday, August 1

Group E: Portugal vs. United States (3 a.m. on FOX)

Group E: Vietnam vs. Netherlands (3 a.m. on FS1)

Group D: China vs. England (7 a.m. on FOX)

Group D: Haiti vs. Denmark (7 a.m. on FS1)

Wednesday, August 2

Group G: Argentina vs. Sweden (3 a.m. on FOX)

Group G: South Africa vs. Italy (3 a.m. on FS1)

Group F: Panama vs. France (6 a.m. on FOX)

Group F: Jamaica vs. Brazil (6 a.m. on FS1)

Thursday, August 3

Group H: South Korea vs. Germany (6 a.m. on FOX)

Group H: Morocco vs. Colombia (6 a.m. on FS1)

Get over-the-air Fox with a digital TV antenna

Visit link:

How to watch the Women's World Cup 2023: Full broadcast schedule, streaming info and more - Yahoo Sports

'Love Is Blind' star Deepti Vempati didn't talk about her eating disorder with family growing up: 'I used to live this double life'  Yahoo Life

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'Love Is Blind' star Deepti Vempati didn't talk about her eating disorder with family growing up: 'I used to live this double life' - Yahoo Life