The Thought Report

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: NFL

The NFL’s 102nd season will kick-off on Thursday after we saw Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV. The Bucs will of course be looking to defend their title and they certainly have the offence to do it. Rob Gronkowski, Leonard Fournette and Chris Godwin are just some of the attacking weapons the team has.

Their defence is similarly strong with three guys who had at least eight sacks last season in Devin White, Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett. Week Four will provide a very tasty game with the Bucs going to New England to play Brady’s former team, the Patriots.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be looking for revenge this season after losing the Super Bowl to the Bucs. Patrick Mahomes provides explosive offense especially when he has the likes of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Travis Kelce to throw to.

The Buffalo Bills impressed last season and will again be one of the teams to watch this year. Quarterback Josh Allen threw for over 47,000 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2020. They made it to the conference championship game but lost to Kansas City. A conference finals revenge rematch could be on the cards this season.

Aaron Rodgers is still looking for his second Super Bowl after his 2010 victory and the quarterback will hope his Green Bay Packers can go all the way this time. There were a lot of offseason rumours that Rodgers had requested a trade but he hasn’t gone anywhere.

The Cleveland Browns are no longer an NFL team to laugh at and they have a lot of potential this year. Their offence already looks good so it’s all about bringing their defence up to scratch. Baker Mayfield will have to play his best if the QB wants that contract extension.

The Tennessee Titans have an offence that includes Julio Jones and A.J. Brown who can easily score 30 or more points on their opponents. This would be a great stat if it wasn’t for their defence giving the points right back. If the Titans want to progress this year, they must tighten up their defence.

QB Lamar Jackson and his Baltimore Ravens have a hard year ahead of them due to injuries. Rashod Bateman is going to miss the first three games and Marquise Brown is still recovering. But it’s running back J.K. Dobbins who had Pro Bowl potential, who is the biggest miss.

The New England Patriots and the New Orleans Saints will both be interesting teams to watch this season. New quarterbacks for both sides will make a huge difference to how they perform.

One player to watch this season will be the first overall pick of the NFL Draft 2021, Trevor Lawrence. The Jacksonville Jaguars now has a national championship winning quarterback in their side but Lawrence will have a lot to do. The Clemson University alum will look to improve on the Jaguars’ terrible 1-15 record from last year.  

They lost two preseason games before Lawrence put on an impressive display in their third game against the Dallas Cowboys where he threw two touchdowns. All eyes will be on him to see how he performs in the regular season.

Rookie Trey Lance is another one to watch at the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers have been inconsistent in past seasons and a lot of that has been down to their QB issues. Lance will battle for the position with San Francisco’s starter Jimmy Garoppolo, who spent most of last season injured.

Lance impressed at college level with the Minnesota native winning two national championships in the FCS, the second tier of college football.

The opening game will see Tampa Bay play the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott is ready to lead an attack that may well turn into one of the best of 2021. How they fair against the Bucs will be a good projection of where they will end up this season.  

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: Sushant Singh Rajput - A Suicide India Ignored

On the 14th of June 2020 Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead, hanging from the ceiling fan at his home in Mumbai, India. The Mumbai Police released a report in July which concluded that the 34-year's old cause of death was “suicide by asphyxiation.” This ruling led to a media circus, political pressure and huge public outcry which ultimately resulted with India’s Supreme Court announcing in August that the Central Bureau of Investigation would carry out their own inquiry. It is now April of 2021, almost a year after the tragic incident and the case is still not over. The simple fact is that India refuses to accept that Sushant took his own life. There are many conspiracy theories to say it was murder. He was murdered by Bollywood insiders some say, the film industry of India where it was said that Sushant was an outsider even after delivering several career-worthy performances. People blame Sushant’s actress girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, calling her a witch who performed black magic and that she was poisoning him with medicine to cause mood depression. India have clung onto these ideas because to them, suicide is not an acceptable cause of death.  

The media coverage surrounding Sushant’s death was huge, so huge that at times India’s TV networks were giving it more airtime than the story of the COVID-19 pandemic (which as of now, India is in the midst of a deadly second wave of). Information, whether real or fake, was being shown on TV screens for hours, including photos of Sushant’s dead body. Noone was talking about suicide, depression or anything to do with mental illness, even though the Mumbai Police report said that Google searches hours before the death showed Sushant reading about “painless death”, “schizophrenia” and “bipolar disorder.” India refuses to recognize mental illness and the media doesn’t help by trivialization of the matter. A TV channel even went so far as to say that because Sushant looked happy in a video a few months before his death, he did not have depression. Bollywood has not helped with India’s view of depression being seen as a character flaw with their incorrect portrayals of those who are depressed shown to be either crazy or constantly sad.  

Sushant’s therapist said she had to come forward and confirm that the actor had bipolar disorder after seeing everything the media was saying. This was a brave thing to do and although she is being sued by the family for professional misconduct, I commend her on revealing the information. The media has to be much more responsible but they constantly show their limited understanding of mental health issues and their lack of ethics in a world where the only thing that matters to them is ratings. On the 3rd of October, 2020, a medical team representative working as part of the CBI’s investigation said there was no evidence of a struggle and the cause of death was concluded as suicide. This was what the Mumbai Police had said in their report back in July.  

Mental illness is very difficult to understand but it is real. Depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as well as many other forms of mental illness, are real. I was a huge fan of Sushant’s and I remember calling my mom the day of his death. I was sobbing and saying over and over again, “Why didn’t he ask for help?”. I have suffered from depression myself and it is only recently that I have found myself ready to talk about it freely but I do not live in India. If I was the same depressed girl in India, maybe I would not have spoken out due to the cultural challenges in understanding mental illness. Maybe I would have felt alone and broken and seen no way out than to take my own life in order to stop the pain. Sushant Singh Rajput did just that but instead of understanding and learning from this tragic death of an amazingly talented individual, India has turned it into a media and political circus that has gone on for far too long.  

Sushant was a son, a brother, a friend and millions of people adored him. His death needs to be acknowledged as what it was, a suicide. If it is not, mental illness will continue to be ignored in India and many more will suffer. Educate yourself and maybe you will recognize someone who is struggling and you can reach out to them. Before it is too late. Death is a horrible thing but if anything can come from Sushant’s story, it should be that mental illness can be fought if we just stand together. It affects 1 in 4 of us and India needs to do better. On the 14th of June, 2020, 34-year-old Sushant Singh Rajput took his own life. Please, do not let it be in vain.  

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: Kate Beckinsale

British actress Kate Beckinsale is all over town promoting her latest movie ‘The Only Living Boy In New York’ and she is doing it very stylishly indeed. The 44-year-old appears to have chosen timeless black as the chosen colour for her recent outfits. Out in New York, the rain can do nothing to dampen this brunette beauty’s look of plunging jumpsuit with peep-top sandals and sunglasses.

For her recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel she chose black leather leggings and  a peplum top with poofy net sleeves, not forgetting her trademark sunglasses.

Finally the premiere of the movie saw Kate in a strapless gown with a corset and lots of lace detail. It was the perfect dress to showcase her slim figure. ‘The Only Living Boy In New York’ sees Kate playing an older woman seducing a younger man and when she looks this good, you can’t blame anyone for giving in to her charms.

[thethoughtreport]

‘Inside Edge’: A Bold Glimpse Into India’s Favourite Game

The opening scene of Episode 1 is guaranteed to dispel any thoughts you may have that ‘Inside Edge’ is your typical Indian drama or Bollywood movie. The star player of the Mumbai Mavericks, Vayu Raghavan (Tanuj Virwani) is busy indulging in extra-curricular activities and a side of cocaine with a team cheerleader as the rest of his side, who are in the middle of a match, anxiously search for their best batsman. Vayu has no qualms about making everyone wait and refuses to don a helmet as he finally makes his way onto the pitch. This is the beginning of the audience’s look at what goes on behind the scenes of the Mavericks, a T20 franchise playing in India’s Powerplay League.

Richa Chadha stars as Zarina Malik, Bollywood heroine and co-owner of the Mavericks. When financial problems threaten the end of the team’s existence, she is forced into bringing the seedy and suspicious Vikrant Dhawan (Vivek Oberoi) in as the new co-owner. He has plans for the Mavericks and they have nothing to do with the best interests of the cricket team.

As the series unfolds we meet team captain Arvind Vashishth (Angad Bedi) who is dealing with marital problems off the field as well as a growing attraction to Zarina. Prashant Kanaujia (Siddhant Chaturvedi) is the new bowler from the small village who everyone loves to bully. Talented and in love with the game of cricket, he struggles to do what is right when he is asked to fix the first match of his professional playing career. Batsman Vayu may be the star of the Mavericks but as effortless as his batting is, he struggles to win the heart of the woman he loves, TV reporter Meera Nagpal (Sarah-Jane Dias).

‘Inside Edge’ is ultimately a struggle between right and wrong, set against the backdrop of India’s favorite game, cricket. Blackmail, drugs, match-fixing and murder are all a sordid part of it in this series. It’s bound to ruffle a few feathers but there is no denying this is an exceptional series with an outstanding cast. The conflict between Zarina and Vikrant is as explicit as the language used throughout the show and Richa and Vivek play the characters brilliantly.

The question is who will win in their struggle for power. Will Zarina’s love for the Mavericks ensure their integrity or will Vikrant’s hunger for success lead them all to chaos?

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: Rotimi

Rotimi is a name you should know whether it’s for starring in the Starz TV show ‘Power’ or for being a musician. If you don’t know him, allow me to introduce you. I first noticed him in the show ‘Boss’ (incidentally also on the Starz network) in 2011. This was basically his big break and around the same time he started releasing his music which was in the style of contemporary R&B. One of his songs was even featured on the show in which Rotimi played a drug dealer.

In 2015 50 Cent signed the American to his G-Unit label and things really started heating up for the model. Rotimi was added to the cast of the show 'Power’ as a series regular and also landed a recurring role on the show 'Battle Creek’. Also in 2015 Rotimi released the single 'Lotto’ featuring 50 Cent followed by the project 'Royal Wednesday’ which also garnered the hit 'Situation’. Just this summer he released another project titled 'Summer Bangerz’ which includes the single 'Doing It’.

Rotimi has been compared to a number of artists including Trey Songz and Chris Brown and I wouldn’t argue with these comparisons although I do think Rotimi has his own flavour. There is no denying that he is one talented individual, equally so at acting, singing and even modelling. Being signed to G-Unit and having 50 Cent behind him is only going to help Rotimi reach the top where he deserves to be. Right now he is working on his first album, as well as shooting for 'Power’ and the Larenz Tate and Meagan Good movie 'Deuces’. He’s a busy guy but he will only continue to thrive and show everyone just how 'Power’-ful he is!!

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: Jared Allen

Carolina Panthers’ defensive end Jared Allen announced his retirement from the NFL with a very creative Twitter video. In the clip, Allen is wearing a cowboy hat and says it’s time to ride off into the sunset, even though there is none. He rides off on his horse across a snowy field. Allen’s career spanned 12 years and he was the NFL’s active leader in sacks with 136. He played in Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos with a broken right foot that suffered in the Panthers’ divisional playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks. Kony Ealy is likely to take over Allen’s position at right end. Ealy had 3 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in the Super Bowl.

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: Sports

The Toronto Raptors’ unbeaten run came to an end on Friday night, as they fell to the Orlando Magic 92-87. In contrast the LA Lakers won their first game of the season, beating the Brooklyn Nets 104-98. On Saturday the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off an impressive win over the Chicago Bulls in OT. It was a close game throughout regulation but the Bulls did not score a point in OT. The final score was 102-93 to the Timberwolves with 31 points from Andrew Wiggins. The Philadelphia 76ers and the New Orleans Pelicans both fell to 0-6 over the weekend and the Brooklyn Nets fell to 0-7. The 76ers lost to Orlando, the Pelicans to the Dallas Mavericks and the Nets fell to the Milwaukee Bucks. Golden State Warriors remain undefeated with a 103-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Chelsea lost to Stoke City 1-0 on Saturday, making it their 3rd successive defeat, something which hasn’t happened since 1999. Jose Mourinho’s men have now lost 7 out of 12 of their league games. Marko Arnautovic’s 53rd minute strike was enough for Stoke to come away with 3 points. Jesse Lingard scored his first Manchester United goal as his team beat West Brom 2-0. The other goal was a late penalty scored by Juan Mata. On Sunday Liverpool lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace after a late goal from Scott Dann stole the win for Palace. Tottenham almost beat Arsenal 1-0 but Kieran Gibbs scored in the 77th minute to steal a point in the London derby.

Things are really heating up in the NCAAF as Notre Dame took on the Pittsburgh Panthers. DeShone Kizer was impressive as he threw for 5 touchdowns and ran for another. Will Fuller caught 7 passes for 157 yards and 3 scores as Notre Dame won 42-30 to improve to 8-1. Clemson Tigers took on the Florida State Seminoles, a team they haven’t beaten in 4 years. That changed on Saturday as Clemson’s defense rallied to come back from a 10-6 halftime deficit to win 23-13 and remain undefeated. They clinched the ACC Atlantic Division with the victory. The Ohio State Buckeyes also remained undefeated with a 28-14 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. I expected a lot from the LSU Tigers and Alabama game but in the end the Crimson Tide totally dominated to win 30-16.

The Cincinnati Bengals played on Thursday night, beating the Cleveland Browns 31-10 to go 8-0. The 3 unbeaten teams heading into the weekend were the Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos. The Panthers had a thriller against the Green Bay Packers when Aaron Rodgers rallied late. It was 37-29 to Carolina but Green Bay were at 1st & goal. Panthers’ defense came up strong and at 4th & goal, Rodgers threw an interception and that was the game. Carolina remains perfect at 8-0 and Cam Newton is now being talked about as a potential MVP. The New England Patriots easily beat the Washington Redskins 27-10 to also remain undefeated. The New York Jets beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-23 to snap a 2-game losing streak and go 5-3. Their next game is on Thursday against the Buffalo Bills and former coach Rex Ryan which will certainly be interesting. The New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans game was a close one and went to OT. In the end, Marcus Mariota came out on top, throwing a TD in OT to get the 34-28 win.

In La Liga, Real Madrid suffered their first loss under Rafael Benitez, losing 3-2 to Sevilla and allowing Barcelona to go top of the table. Sergio Ramos scored after 22 minutes with an incredible bicycle kick to give Real the lead but Ciro Immobile equalized 10 minutes before halftime. Ever Banega and Fernando Llorente added to Sevilla’s goals. James Rodriguez scored in stoppage time but it was too late. To make matters worse, after Ramos scored he landed heavily on his left shoulder, the same one he recently dislocated and had to be substituted. Now comes the international break and then it’s Clasico time. All bets are off.

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: NBA

It was an amazing game between the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder with plenty of lead changes throughout. In the end, it was the Bulls who came out on top, mainly due to Derrick Rose’s best performance so far this season. It finished 104-98 to Chicago with 29 points for Rose. Kevin Durant put up 33 points for the Thunder but it wasn’t enough as OKC fell to 3-3 after starting the season 3-0. The Bulls improve to 4-2 and will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. Oklahoma’s next opponents are the Phoenix Suns. Minnesota fell 96-84 to the Miami Heat to go 2-2 whilst the Heat improved to 3-2. Damian Lillard had a great night for the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring 27 points in a 115-96 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Portland are now 4-2 and will face the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Meanwhile the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors remain undefeated at 5-0.

[thethoughtreport]

Photos: Country Music Awards

The ladies looked stunning at last night’s CMA Awards in Nashville and here are my picks for the best-dressed on the red carpet. Host Carrie Underwood looked lovely in a Gauri & Nainika coral dress with a peplum top and train in the back. She added earrings and rings and did a smokey eye with nude lips to finish. Kimberly Perry stunned in an asymmetrical black dress with a thigh-high slit. The perforated detail and sky-high nude heels completed the sexy look. Pregnant Jana Kramer glowed in a dazzling gown that made her look like a mermaid. The tousled hair was perfect to finish off the outfit. Looking good ladies!!

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: Sports

Real Madrid were in action in the Champions League today and beat PSG 1-0 to book their place in the last 16. After a 3-1 victory against Las Palmas at the weekend to remain top of La Liga, Madrid continued their winning ways today but it was significantly more difficult. PSG had plenty of chances with Adrien Rabot hitting the post, Edinson Cavani’s shot being cleared off the line and an Angel Di Maria free-kick hitting the bar in the final minutes of the game. Nacho Fernandez was the difference for the Spanish side, scoring the only goal of the game. It was a difficult angle but Nacho made an immediate impact, scoring minutes after coming on to replace the injured Marcelo.

Manchester United left it late to score at Old Trafford, with Wayne Rooney heading the ball goalwards in the 79th minute to beat CSKA Moscow. It was United’s first goal in 404 minutes after three 0-0 draws. Manchester City join Real Madrid in the knockout stages after an easy 3-1 win over Sevilla. Raheem Sterling scored after just 8 minutes with Fernandinho’s header making it 2-0 just two minutes later. Wilfried Bony wrapped it up just before half-time.

The Carolina Panthers are now 7-0 after last night’s 29-26 victory over the Indianapolis Colts but they certainly didn’t make it easy for themselves. Cam Newton fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line, Luke Kuechly let what would have been a game-winning interception slip through his fingers and then Tedd Ginn Jr. dropped a touchdown pass in overtime. In monsoon conditions the Colts had two early turnovers and the Panthers were in control leading 23-6 with 11 minutes remaining but then everything went wrong. Carolina’s defense crumbled and Indianapolis came back to tie the game and send the game to OT. The score should have been 24-23 to the Panthers but Graham Gano missed an extra point in regulation. In the end Gano atoned for his sins with the game-winning field goal. Carolina are now the only undefeated team in the NFC. Their next game is against the 6-1 Green Bay Packers on Sunday and they certainly won’t be able to make the same mistakes again without being punished.

7-1 Notre Dame debuted at No. 5 in today’s inaugural College Football Playoff rankings. They beat undefeated Temple on Halloween night with DeShone Kizer hitting Will Fuller with a 17-yard TD pass with 2.09 left on the clock to win 24-20. It’s the third time this season they have come back from being behind in the 4th quarter to win the game. Kizer had 299 passing yards and a 79-yd TD run on the night.

The Chicago Bulls are 3-2 after losing to the Charlotte Hornets 130-105 today and face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. OKC are 3-1, their first loss coming against the Houston Rockets last night, where they fell 110-105. Before the Bulls the Thunder will play the Toronto Raptors tomorrow. Washington Wizards are now 2-1, losing 117-110 to the New York Knicks. The San Antonio Spurs are the Wizards next opponents. The Knicks went 2-2 after falling 94-84 to the Spurs last night and have a big game against the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night. The Minnesota Timberwolves are 2-1, suffering their first loss to the Portland Trail Blazers last night and will play the Miami Heat next on Thursday. Portland are 2-2 after two losses to the Phoenix Suns but picking up a 106-101 win over the Timberwolves and will play the Utah Jaz tomorrow. The Golden State Warriors remain undefeated after an impressive 119-69 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies and will face the LA Clippers tomorrow night.

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: NBA

A lot of teams were in action last night and it left plenty to talk about. The Washington Wizards beat Orlando Magic 88-87 thanks to John Wall who scored with 12.7 seconds to go to get the win. Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 24 points whilst Wall had 22 and 5 blocks. Victor Oladipo scored 17 points and got 11 rebounds for Orlando. Wizards only managed 15 of 25 from the free-throw line. The Philadelphia 76ers lost 112-95 to the Boston Celtics but all eyes were on the 3rd overall draft pick, Jahlil Okafor who led the 76ers with an impressive 26 points on his NBA debut.

It was another victory for the Chicago Bulls against the Brooklyn Nets. The Bulls won 115-100 with 24 points for Jimmy Butler and 15 for Derrick Rose. They were dominant, shooting 54% whilst the Nets struggled and missed all 9 of their 3-point attempts. Shane Larkin started as point guard for Brooklyn after his trade from the New York Knicks. The Toronto Raptors started poorly but outscored the Indiana Pacers 69-54 in the 2nd half to win 106-99. DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 25 points on the night.

The New York Knicks are a totally different team from last season and gave fans something to get excited about as they beat the Milwaukee Bucks 122-97. Derrick Williams scored 24 and Kristaps Porzingis got 16 on his NBA debut. New York’s lead hardly dipped below double digits in the last 30 minutes on a night where Carmelo Anthony scored 11. The Bucks were without Jabari Parker who is out with a knee injury and not expected to return for a couple of weeks.

Russell Westbrook led the Oklahoma City Thunder with 33 points and 10 assists as his team beat the San Antonio Spurs 112-106. Kevin Durant got 22 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 32 for the Spurs. The 3rd youngest team in the NBA, the Portland Trail Blazers, beat the New Orleans Pelicans 112-94. CJ McCollum scored a career-high 37 points whilst Damian Lillard had 21 points and 11 assists. Anthony Davis led New Orleans with 25 points.

The most emotional and poignant result had to be the Minnesota Timberwolves coming back to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-111 in their first game since the sad passing of head coach Flip Saunders at the age of 60. Ricky Rubio had 28 points and 14 assists in a game where Minnesota came back from a 16-point deficit to get the victory. Lou Williams looked certain to score at the final buzzer for a Lakers win but somehow he missed. Somehow. Nick Young did score a 3-pointer from 40 feet to beat the 1st quarter buzzer, a highlight of the night for sure. Kobe Bryant scored 24 on the first game of his 20th season. The 1st overall draft pick, Karl-Anthony Towns had an impressive debut with 14 points and 12 rebounds whilst the 2nd pick D'Angelo Russell was quieter for LA with just 4 points and 3 turnovers.

Other results were Detroit Pistons beating the Utah Jazz 92-87, Cleveland Cavaliers winning 106-76 to the Memphis Grizzlies and a surprise 105-85 defeat for the Houston Rockets at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. The LA Clippers beat the Sacramento Kings 111-104 and the Dallas Mavericks won 111-95 over the Phoenix Suns. Rookie Justise Winslow had an impressive 1-handed dunk over 3 defenders in Miami Heat’s 104-94 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: NBA

The NBA season tipped off yesterday and there were some big opening day match-ups. The Chicago Bulls took on the Cleveland Cavaliers and it was good to see Derrick Rose starting, albeit with a mask to protect his repaired orbital fracture which he sustained on the first day of training camp. It was an intense, closely-fought game but it was the Bulls who came out on top 97-95. In the day’s other big game, defending champions Golden State Warriors played the New Orleans Pelicans. I expected this one to be a lot closer but the Warriors dominated throughout. The final score was 111-95, helped with a very impressive 40 points from Steph Curry who was on fire. The other result from opening day was the Detroit Pistons beating the Atlanta Hawks 106-94.

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: Toronto Blue Jays

It was probably the craziest inning ever seen in baseball but the Toronto Blue Jays managed to pull off a great comeback that allowed them to advance to the ALCS for the first time since 1993. They went 2-0 down to the Texas Rangers in the ALDS but they managed to win a very high-strung Game 5. At the top of the 7th, a deflected throw back to the mound by Toronto’s Russell Martin allowed the Rangers to score in a controversial call that riled everyone in the arena up. There was a delay of almost 20 minutes as umpires tried to come to a decision on the call. Fans in the stands threw trash onto the field which didn’t help matters. Finally the game got back under way. At the bottom of the 7th Jose Bautista hit a beautiful three-run home-run which gave the Blue Jays a 6-3 lead which held up to allow them to win and progress further. The scenes of celebration were incredible and the Blue Jays will begin their ALCS campaign on Friday. They have not just the city of Toronto behind them, they have the whole of Canada on their side.

[thethoughtreport]

Interview: Jerome Messam

Jerome Messam is one of the top running backs in the CFL but even more importantly, he is one of the most humble and down-to-earth players in the league. The Saskatchewan Roughriders have not had a great season and even though the playoffs are far out of their reach after last week’s loss to the BC Lions, Messam has not lost hope. “We have to stay positive. We know that the team we have on paper is the best in the CFL. That being said, we had a lot of injuries and we’ve had to have a lot of young guys step up. They’ve had to play a bigger role than they were expected to and that’s been a factor in our record.”

Messam is vying with the BC Lions’ Andrew Harris in terms of rushing yards this season and I wanted to know how the Saskatchewan player rated himself. “I’m pretty hard on myself, I’m very critical of my game and I still think there’s room for improvement. I’m beginning to master my craft as a running back. Running comes naturally but it’s all the other things beside that like recognizing defences, pass protection and catching the ball well out of the back field. If I had to give myself a rating out of 10, I’d give myself a 9.5,” he smiles.

Messam says there are a lot of guys who talk trash on the field but the worst one? “I gotta give it to Kyries Hebert from Montreal. Ky talks a lot of trash but he backs it up so he can do that. There’s a couple of other guys but he stands out the most. Juwan Simpson talks some trash too,” Messam laughs. Being a great running back doesn’t come easily and there’s a lot of preparation to be done. “Usually I try to get a good pre-game meal in, try to load up on my carbs. After that I go over my plays. I find a good playlist, I usually have one set up from the night before of things I want to listen to. I just put my headphones on, lock in and get ready to go out there and play.”

There’s no doubt that Messam has had an incredible season and an incredible career and his most memorable moment can only be one thing. “Being able to walk across that stage in 2011 and be the ‘Most Outstanding Canadian’. It was a great time and hopefully I get to do it again this year.” The Saskatchewan fans are amongst the most loyal in the league, even when their team is down and Messam has a message for them. “We appreciate all their support, they’ve stuck with us through a tough season and we’re doing our best to put a good product out there on the field for them. We just hope they can continue to keep supporting us. Go Rider Nation!”

The Roughriders face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in tonight’s must-win game. They need to win their remaining 4 games and hope other results in the CFL go their way if they have any chance of making it to the playoffs. Do they still have a chance? Yes and even though it might be slim, ask any Saskatchewan fan and they’ll tell you, a chance is a chance. Never lose hope.

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: NBA

Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant both played in their first games since February in this week’s pre-season games. Melo had 17 points in the New York Knicks’ 100-81 win over Brazil’s Baura, shooting 8-for-10 in 20 minutes. Not bad for Anthony in his first start since he had knee surgery. Durant was similarly impressive in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 122-99 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, shooting 5-for-8 in 22 minutes with 4 assists. Durant had 15 points on the night in his first start since having multiple foot surgeries. Can’t wait for the season to start!!

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: CFL

The Calgary Stampeders became the first CFL team to clinch a playoff spot after the Montreal Alouettes lost to the Ottawa Redblacks. It’s the 11th year in a row that the defending Grey Cup champions make it to the post-season. Henry Burris certainly wasn’t showing his age in Ottawa’s win over Montreal as the 40-year-old quarterback set a new CFL record for most completions in a game with 45. Burris also ran for 2 touchdowns and threw for 2 in the 39-17 victory. On a very windy night in Hamilton, Calgary beat the Tiger-Cats with 2 FGs in the final minute from Rene Paredes with a score of 23-20.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Edmonton Eskimos. Lirim Hajrullahu missed 4 FGs, 2 of which hit the posts and also missed a convert. He made one to take the score to 23-21 with 1.02 left on the clock and it looked like Winnipeg had won it. It wasn’t to be though as quarterback Mike Reilly got Edmonton into FG range quickly and they scored to win it 23-21. Winnipeg were clearly devastated when the game clock expired.

Jonathon Jennings had a great game for the BC Lions as they beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 46-20. Jennings looked more like a seasoned veteran than the 3rd string quarterback as he threw for 4 TDs and even caught one. The Lions are obviously anticipating Travis Lulay’s return but if Jennings keeps playing like this, a tough decision may have to be made about whether Lulay should start.

[thethoughtreport]

Focus: Sports

It was not a good weekend for a lot of top teams in both La Liga and the English Premier League. Chelsea suffered their 4th loss in just 8 games, losing 3-1 to Southampton who won at Stamford Bridge for the first time in almost 14 years. Graziano Pelle got a goal as well as Steven Davies and Sadio Mane. Jose Mourinho will definitely be feeling the pressure. One manager who has no pressure anymore is Brendan Rodgers who was sacked an hour after Liverpool drew against Everton.

Manchester United were expected by many to beat Arsenal but in the end it took only 20 minutes for Arsene Wenger’s men to totally dismantle them. The first 2 goals, from Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, came in the space of 74 seconds and Sanchez scored another to make it 3-0. They could have had more but that was the final score and Louis Van Gaal’s men have a lot to look at and try and fix.

Over in La Liga it was the big derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. League leaders Villarreal and Barcelona both suffered defeats and Real could have gone top with a win. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be. Karim Benzema scored early but substitute Luciano Vietto equalized in the 83rd minute and the game ended 1-1. Real were lucky they didn’t lose and have goalkeeper Keylor Navas to thank for that. After Sergio Ramos tussled with Tiago Mendes in the box, Atletico were awarded a penalty but Navas denied Antoine Griezman. The Costa Rican also made a superb late save when Jackson Martinez was on target to score what would have been a winning goal. Real missed a big opportunity to capitalize on other results in the league but are only a point behind Villarreal. Diego Simeone ran up and down the sideline when Atletico scored and it’s safe to say it was an exaggerated, uncalled for reaction.

Notre Dame suffered a heartbreaking loss to No 12 Clemson in NCAAF. Defensive tackle Carlos Watkins stopped quarterback DeShone Kizer from getting the 2-point conversion that would have tied the game with 7 seconds left and forced overtime. The Irish had 4 turnovers that all came in the 2nd half and luck was certainly not on their side this week.