The Royals farm system continues to improve, but is still ranked in the middle, according to organizational rankings by top talent evaluators. ESPNs Kiley McDaniel ranks the Royals 17th in baseball, Keith Law of The Athletic ranks them 15th, and Baseball America ranks them 14th in lists that came out this month. The rankings are based mostly on evaluations done last year since there was no minor league season, with additions and graduations factored in.

McDaniel used a dollar value to correspond to prospect rankings, adding up each systems value to come up with his rankings. He has the Royals right behind the Yankees and Dodgers farm systems and ahead of the Cardinals. He notes it is a top-heavy system that is ordinary after the top seven, but that theres a real shot Kansas City leaps into the top 10 of next years list after adding the No. 7 overall pick in the draft to its system.

McDaniel ranks infielder Bobby Witt, Jr. as the top prospect in the system and the #17 prospect in baseball. McDaniel notes there are concerns about his ability to make contact, but he has posted big exit velos and he could hit for enough contact and draw enough walks to get to his 25-30-homer power in games while also providing premium value on the basepaths and on defense.

Keith Law likes the investment the Royals have made in college pitching, and he is very high on lefty Daniel Lynch, who he ranks as the top prospect in the system, and the #17 prospect in baseball. Law writes that Lynch has elite stuff from the left side with an improving arsenal with a high-90s fastball, plus slider, and now a plus change up. Law writes that the real test of the system will be how some of their players who struggled in 2019, such as MJ Melendez and Nick Pratt, bounce back after a year focused just on development at the teams alternate site.

Baseball America notes the Royals farm system is still very pitching-heavy, but Witt provides an anchor for a team that still needs to find some more big bats for the future. They have four Royals on their top 100 prospect list, the most Royals prospects that have made the list since 2015. Jackson Kowar comes in at #95 with a plus fastball and double-plus changeup, although they note that his success may depend on getting his curveball to be average. The #14 farm system ranking for the Royals is the highest the farm system has been ranked by Baseball America since 2015.

The Royals will have the seventh pick in this Junes draft, plus a competitive balance pick after the second round, which could help their rankings. Pitching prospect like Asa Lacy, Daniel Lynch, and Jackson Kowar have a chance to graduate off prospect lists this year, but there are some intriguing arms like Jonathan Bowlan, Austin Cox, Jon Heasley, and Alec Marsh that could jump onto radar screens. Outfielder Kyle Isbel could bounce back from injury, and Melendez, Pratto, and slugger Seuly Matias could get on track after a rough 2019 season. The Royals could also get a chance to see what 2020 draft pick Nick Loftin can do, and outfielder Erick Pea could show off his five-tool talent.

More here:
Royals farm system ranked in the middle by talent evaluators - Royals Review

The Checks and Balances Letter delivers news and information from Ballotpedias Administrative State Project, including pivotal actions at the federal and state levels related to the separation of powers, due process and the rule of law.

This edition:

In this months edition of Checks and Balances, we review executive orders issued by President Joe Biden (D) that rescinded executive orders related to the administrative state issued by former President Donald Trump (R). We also examine the reintroduction of the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (REINS Act) in the 117th Congress as well as new federal legislation aimed at strengthening the nondelegation doctrine.

At the state level, we take a look at a ruling from the Oklahoma Supreme Court that reaffirmed the nondelegation doctrine in the state; executive agency reorganization efforts from governors in Vermont and South Dakota; and two constitutional amendments in Pennsylvania aimed at limiting the governors emergency powers.

We also highlight a new analysis that found a federal regulations-to-laws ratio of 19-to-1 in 2020. As always, we wrap up with our Regulatory Tally, which features information about the 113 proposed rules and 235 final rules added to the Federal Register in January and OIRAs regulatory review activity.

Biden revokes Trump executive orders on the administrative state

REINS Act reintroduced in 117th Congress

Federal legislation aims to strengthen nondelegation doctrine

Oklahoma Supreme Court decision reaffirms nondelegation doctrine

Governors focus on agency reorganization

Pennsylvania voters will decide whether to limit governors emergency powers

____________________________________________________________________________

New analysis from the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) found that the number of regulations issued by federal administrative agencies outpaced on a 19-to-1 ratio the number of laws passed by Congress and enacted by the president in 2020. Congress and the president enacted 178 laws in 2020 while federal agencies issued 3,353 regulations. The same analysis found the following regulations-to-laws ratios over the past decade:

Federal Register

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

OIRAs January regulatory review activity included the following actions:

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Checks and Balances: REINS Act reintroduced in 117th Congress Ballotpedia News - Ballotpedia News

Pitchers and catchers report to the Padres side of the Peoria Sports Complex on Wednesday, the beginning to perhaps the most anticipated season in San Diego in more than two decades.

It was just a few months ago that the Padres, powered by the emergence of Fernando Tatis Jr. and with Manny Machado earning every penny of his megadeal, finally pushed their way back into the postseason. Then General Manager A.J. Preller doubled down on opening the Padres window to contend with arguably the busiest winter of anyone in the game.

He added aces. He re-signed one important bat and reeled in another from Korea. In the last week Preller began addressing the back of the bullpen.

Only time will tell if its enough to unseat the defending World Champion Dodgers in the NL West, but well begin to have a better idea of just how the 2021 Padres will come together as we get a better handle on these five pressing stories heading into camp.

News that Mike Clevinger would require Tommy John surgery further heightened the concern for the health of Dinelson Lamets right elbow/biceps. Both were nonfactors in the postseason. Clevinger will not pitch again until sometime in 2022, but Lamet has undergone platelet-rich therapy and has pushed his throwing program to mound work.

Thats the good news.

The problem is no one can be certain of Lamets health until he begins pitching regularly, which finally will happen in Arizona.

The 28-year-old right-hander returned from Tommy John surgery in 2019 and finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2020, striking out 12.1 batters per nine innings and posting career bests in ERA (2.09), WHIP (0.855) and walk rate (2.6 per nine innings) over a 69-inning, COVID-19-shortened season.

Even without Clevinger, the Padres have no shortage of ace candidates hello, Blake Snell and Yu Darvish and Lamet could be better than any of them if he can pick up where he left off before he walked off the mound Sept. 25 with what turned out to be a playoff-ruining injury.

With some order of Lamet, Snell and Darvish leading the rotation, Joe Musgrove joining the mix and Chris Paddack looking to rebound from a disappointing sophomore season, the Padres rotation, one through five, could be the clubs deepest and most talented yet.

Thing is, the depth beyond that quintet could prove just as important as the season stretches from 60 games back to 162.

No pitcher in the majors threw more than 84 innings in 2020 (Darvish was fifth with 76). Starting pitchers tend to account for 200 innings in a given season and the Padres will have to find a way to get their inning total from 520 last year back to more than 1,400.

Even without accounting for the nagging injuries that pop up in a season, safely bridging that gap Darvish is the only pitcher on staff with a 200-inning season on his resume and that was back in 2013, before his Tommy John surgery could require inserting other pitchers into the rotation at times or even going with a six-man rotation through portions of the season.

Candidates from the 40-man roster to pick up some of those innings include left-hander Adrin Morejn, right-hander Michel Bez and perhaps right-hander Reggie Lawson later in the season as he pushes through his Tommy John rehab. Other names to know that might be further along developmentally than top prospects MacKenzie Gore and Ryan Weathers include right-handers Jacob Nix, Pedro Avila and Nabil Crismatt and left-hander Daniel Camarena.

Speaking of Gore, the Padres said an out-of-whack delivery was predominantly what barred him from making his MLB debut in 2020 like Weathers and former teammate Luis Patio. Well, that and the organizations insistence on keeping Gore one of the top pitching prospects in the game in the rotation.

Having worked almost exclusively at the alternate site in 2020, Gores performance this spring should provide the first real opportunity to gauge just how close he is to contributing this year. The same goes for Weathers, who hadnt pitched above low Single-A when the Padres called him up for the playoffs.

CJ Abrams, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, has played in just two games above rookie-ball but also impressed in last years alternate site work. Other youngsters with a chance to show how far theyve come this spring include 2020 draftees Robert Hassell III, Justin Lange and Jagger Haynes and 2019 second-rounder Joshua Mears.

With Kirby Yates signing with the Blue Jays and Trevor Rosenthal still on the open market, the Padres bullpen will look markedly different than it did after nine relievers pieced together a 4-0 shutout to advance out of the wild-card round.

Left-hander Drew Pomeranz and right-hander Emilio Pagn are the leading candidates to close games, but the Padres have deepened that portion of the roster with the additions of Mark Melancon and Keone Kela, although the team has not confirmed either signing.

Beyond those four, well get a better sense of where left-hander Matt Strahm is coming off another offseason knee surgery, whether left-hander Jose Castillo can finally beat the injury bug and just how close right-hander Mason Thompson might be to contributing. After years of development stalled by injury and inconsistency, Thompson was a fall instructional league standout who pushed his fastball up to 98 mph in short bursts while flashing a power slider.

Another name to keep an eye on is James Reeves, a left-hander acquired from the Yankees for Greg Allen who has been a lefty-killer (.152 lifetime average vs. lefties) over four minor league seasons.

The Padres already had the NLs runner-up rookie of the year when they gave $28 million over four years to Ha-Seong Kim, coming off a 30-homer season in Korea. He was expected to push Jake Cronenworth at second base and bounce between shortstop and third base and possibly even the outfield when the Padres brought back the switch-hitting Jurickson Profar on a three-year, $21 million deal.

Profar played all three outfield spots, second base and first base in 2020 in addition to serving as an occasional designated hitter. Of course, the DH is not returning in 2021, leaving the Padres needing to devise just how to get enough playing time for Profar, Kim and Cronenworth.

Read more from the original source:
Five Padres spring training stories to watch - The San Diego Union-Tribune

FERGUS FALLS, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Otter Tail Corporation (Nasdaq: OTTR) today announced financial results for the year ended December 31, 2020.

2020 SUMMARY

(in millions, except per share amounts)

4Q20

4Q19

2020

2019

Operating Revenues

$

226.8

$

215.7

$

890.1

$

919.5

Net Income

$

18.7

$

20.4

$

95.9

$

86.8

Diluted Earnings Per Share

$

0.45

$

0.51

$

2.34

$

2.17

2020 HIGHLIGHTS

CEO OVERVIEW

Otter Tail Corporation achieved outstanding financial results in 2020 despite the economic impacts from the global pandemic. These results are attributable to the collective efforts of employees across all of our operating companies, said President and CEO Chuck MacFarlane. Our Electric segment led the way with a $7.7 million increase in net income primarily driven by capital investments in energy generation and regional transmission projects. Our Plastics segment increased net income by $7.0 million driven by strong construction markets and favorable market conditions driven by supply constraints and rising prices. Manufacturing segment earnings were down $1.9 million primarily due to the impacts of COVID-19 on sales volumes. Our corporate costs increased $3.9 million mainly due to a $2.5 million committed contribution to the Otter Tail Corporation Foundation.

Employees across the organization performed admirably during the year despite the challenges presented by COVID-19.

Otter Tail Power Company executed on a record year in capital spending, driven by two significant projects that marked major milestones in our generation resources transition.

Our Merricourt Wind Energy Center, a $260 million 150-megawatt (MW) wind generation facility began commercial operation in December. The facility generates enough energy to power more than 65,000 homes.

We expect our Astoria Station, a $152.5 million 245-megawatt natural gas-fired combustion turbine generation facility, to be substantially complete in the first quarter of 2021. This facility complements our wind generation with more dispatchable capacity than our soon-to-be retired 140 MW Hoot Lake Plantwith projected carbon emissions 85% less than historic Hoot Lake Plant levels.

Otter Tail Power Company announced in September the $60 million Hoot Lake Solar project. This is a 49.9megawatt (MW) solar farm we plan to build on and near Hoot Lake Plant property in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The project will include up to 150,000 solar panels and generate enough energy to power approximately 10,000 homes each year. The location of Hoot Lake Solar offers us a unique opportunity to re-use our existing Hoot Lake transmission rights, substation and land after retiring Hoot Lake Coal Plant in 2021.

Otter Tail Power Company continues to enhance its generation mix as it transitions to a cleaner energy future while maintaining low rates in the region for its customers. By 2023, up to 35 percent of our energy is projected to come from renewable resources.

Otter Tail Power Company filed a rate request with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) in November. Investment in cleaner energy generation and smarter technologies primarily are driving this request along with rising costs for providing electric service. In December the MPUC approved our request to begin recovering $6.9 million or a 3.2 percent increase on an interim basis in January 2021 as it considers our overall request to increase revenue $14.5 million or 6.77 percent. Even with this increase Otter Tail Power Company will continue to have some of the lowest rates in the country.

Otter Tail Power Company continues to benefit from strong rate base growth investments. These investments represent over 85 percent of our total capital spending over the next five years and include regulated investments in renewable generation, technology and infrastructure, and transmission assets. We expect this to result in a projected compounded annual growth rate of approximately 5 percent in utility rate base from year-end 2020 through 2025 and to deliver value to customers and shareholders. We continue to make system investments to meet our customers expectations, reduce operating and maintenance costs, reduce emissions and improve reliability and safety.

Our Plastics segment had a record year, maintained production in a time when some competitors did not and continued to see strong market demand as new home and other construction continued through the pandemic.

BTD Manufacturing was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic primarily in the second quarter as many of their customers had temporary plant shutdowns. BTD did an excellent job of managing staffing and inventory during the year to help mitigate the negative impact on sales. The recreational vehicle and lawn and garden end markets did experience a rapid recovery during the third and fourth quarters last year as they began to rebuild depleted inventories.

Our long-term focus remains on executing our growth strategies, which are expected to increase shareholder value. For the utility, our strategy is to continue to invest in rate base growth opportunities and drive cost efficiency within our operating and maintenance expenses, which will lower our overall risk, create a more predictable earnings stream, maintain our credit quality and preserve our ability to pay dividends. Over time, we expect the electric utility business will provide approximately 75 percent of our overall earnings.

The utility is complemented by well-run, strategic manufacturing and plastic pipe businesses, which provide organic growth opportunities from new products and services, market expansion and increased efficiencies. We expect these companies will provide approximately 25 percent of our earnings over the long term.

Our strategic initiatives to grow our business and achieve operational, commercial and talent excellence continue to strengthen our position in the markets we serve. We remain confident in our ability to grow earnings per share in the range of 5 to 7 percent compounded annually from a base of $2.34 in 2020. And we are announcing our 2021 earnings per share guidance to be in the range of $2.39 to $2.54.

CASH FLOWS AND LIQUIDITY

Our consolidated cash provided by operating activities was $211.9 million in 2020 compared with $185.0 million in 2019.

Investing activities included capital expenditures of $371.6 million in 2020 compared with $207.4 million in 2019. The increase in capital expenditures was primarily for construction of Astoria Station and the Merricourt Wind Energy Center (Merricourt).

Financing activities in 2020 included the issuance of $75.0 million in long-term debt at Otter Tail Power Company, $75.0 million borrowed under the Otter Tail Corporation and Otter Tail Power Company Credit Agreements and net proceeds of $49.7 million raised from the issuance of common stock. Proceeds from the debt and equity issuances were used to fund a portion of Otter Tail Power Companys construction program expenditures in 2020. We also paid $60.3 million in common dividends in 2020. Financing activities in 2019 included net proceeds of $99.0 million from the issuance of long-term debt at Otter Tail Power Company and $17.0 million from the issuance of common stock. Proceeds from the debt and equity issuances were used to fund a portion of Otter Tail Power Companys construction program expenditures in 2019 and to repay $12.6 million in short-term debt. We paid $55.7 million in common dividends in 2019.

The following table presents the status of the corporations lines of credit at December 31, 2020 and 2019 :

2020

2019

(in thousands)

Line Limit

AmountOutstanding

Letters of Credit

AmountAvailable

AmountAvailable

Otter Tail Corporation Credit Agreement

$

170,000

Read the rest here:
Otter Tail Corporation Reports a 7.8 Percent Increase in 2020 Diluted Earnings per Share to $2.34, Increases Quarterly Dividend 5.4 Percent and...

Hello, and welcome to the L.A. Times soccer newsletter. Im Kevin Baxter, The Times soccer writer, and we start in the German Bundesliga, where many young American players have recently gotten their starts.

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The one were focusing on today is Matthew Hoppe of Yorba Linda. Colleague Dylan Hernandez recently told part of his story through conversations with Hoppes father and former coaches. Now Im going to let Matthew fill in the blanks of his rapidly accelerating career himself.

Last year, in his first season in Germany, Hoppe did little to raise eyebrows playing for Schalkes U-19 team. But when the coronavirus shut down European soccer in March, Hoppe returned home to Yorba Linda, where he used the four-month break to work with his father, Tom, his first coach, on small details within his game.

The most important for me were first touch and shooting, said Hoppe, who trained two and three times a day.

The work paid off, because when Hoppe returned to Schalke in the summer, he was a different player. Soon he was scrimmaging with the first team, even scoring a goal against the players whose jobs he was trying to take.

That earned him his first Bundesliga appearance in November.

I was able to show that I can compete with players on the first team, he said. And they gave me my debut and I havent looked back since.

Why look back when the future is so bright? In his third start, Hoppe scored a hat trick, the start of a streak in which he scored five times in 11 days. By the end of January, he led the team in goals, had collected the jersey of Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski as a gift, and signed a new contract through the 2022-23 season.

Everything changed so fast, in the span of a month or a half or two months, he said. There have been some moments where I was able to take a step back and look at all thats happened. It is crazy.

Becoming an overnight sensation took years of work, though, beginning in grade school when his parents made him choose between flag football, baseball and soccer.

It was obviously soccer, he said. I trained every day with my dad, and thats where I got a lot of my love for the sport.

But if Hoppe, a month shy of his 20th birthday, would seem to have found success quickly, he had to endure years of frustration and disappointment first. He was always good enough to get an audition, it seemed, but he never made enough of an impression to break through.

On his club team, he played in the midfield alongside Efran lvarez, but while lvarez would go on to score 11 goals in 17 games with U.S. and Mexican youth national teams, Hoppe was never asked to suit up. While lvarez moved quickly through the Galaxy academy ranks to the first team, Hoppe, then just 5 feet 4, was cut.

At the elite Barcelona residential academy in Arizona, Hoppe was originally overshadowed by future Galaxy defender Julian Araujo, now a U.S. international.

It didnt really bother me that much. Obviously, theyre good players, Hoppe said of the snubs. Even though it was frustrating at times, I just had to keep working hard and keeping trying to prove I belonged there and could play with the best players in the U.S. and the best players in the world.

The Barcelona coaches helped make that happen. Impressed by Hoppes soccer instincts, they moved him from the midfield to striker and he responded with 29 goals to lead all U-19 players in U.S. Soccer Development Academy competition. Shortly after, Schalke offered him a spot in its developmental system.

It was my dream, ever since I was young, to play in Europe, to try to be a top player in Europe, he said.

Moving half a world away to a place where he doesnt speak the language was a tough transition for Hoppe, who lived in a team house and studied German in between practices.

Its hard to be away from home, away from your family, he said. But its a good experience and Im able to learn a lot here. My German is getting better. I am able to understand everything that the coaches are saying in the meetings and in the trainings. I just need to improve on speaking it.

There were struggles on the field too. Hoppe acknowledges he had a lot to learn and the learning curve was steep. But the chance to train with the first team helped, as did the knowledge that the Bundesliga had patiently nurtured the career of several young Americans, including Chris Richards, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Tyler Adams, Josh Sargent and Weston McKennie, who left Schalke 13 months after Hoppe arrived.

It gave me some confidence and hope that Americans can play in the Bundesliga, that they can play at the top level. Especially young Americans, he said. That was helpful to me.

Hoppe said his success hasnt changed his daily life, other than dealing with additional media obligations, such as a 30-minute teleconference last week with about a dozen U.S. reporters. The additional recognition helped in other ways too, as when Lewandowski, arguably Europes best player, literally gave him the shirt off his back after a game last month.

I asked for his jersey after the game, Hoppe said with a grin. He gave it to me.

A week later, he received a new contract although some might differ over whether that qualifies as a reward or punishment given that last-place Schalke (1-14-6) seems certain to be relegated.

The biggest goal is to help Schalke stay in the first division. Thats where my focus is right now, Hoppe said. I want to keep scoring goals, keep helping the team any way I can.

Hed also welcome a call-up to the national for next months friendly with Northern Ireland a summons that seems likely given that coach Gregg Berhalter is in need of a healthy, physical No. 9, a profile Hoppe, now a strapping 6 feet 3, fits.

Im looking forward to whatever the U.S. national team has for me, he said. I cant wait.

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Three months into the European schedule, the popular notion around the Premier League was that Manchester Citys season and Pep Guardiolas stay with the team was about over.

After a lackluster 2-0 loss to Tottenham in late November, City was 4-2-3 and languishing in the bottom half of the league table. Couple that with a 2019-20 season in which it finished 18 points behind Liverpool while losing nine games most in the Guardiola era and the second most in a decade and it seemed clear the star-studded team needed new leadership.

Turns out rumors of Peps demise were greatly exaggerated, though, because City hasnt lost since that Tottenham game, winning 16 straight and going unbeaten in 23 in a row in all competition. And it has trailed just once for 22 minutes, in an FA Cup game during that time, outscoring opponents 55-6 with 17 clean sheets.

Its arguably among the most dominant three-month runs by a first-division team in English soccer history, and its one Guardiola accomplished largely without two of his top players in Sergio Aguero, who hasnt started a game during the streak, and Kevin De Bruyne, who hasnt played in nearly a month.

Guardiola pegged the turnaround to a mid-December draw with West Bromwich Albion that left City ninth in the standings.

I felt this is not the team I recognize. I didnt like what I saw, he told reporters over the weekend.

So he called an emergency huddle with assistants Juanma Lillo, Manuel Estiarte and Rodolfo Borrell and Txiki Begiristain, the teams director of soccer operations.

We had to reconstruct the team from that point, Guardiola said. We had to return to our game move the ball quicker, do more passes, stay in position, run less with the ball, do it together. The qualities of the players did the rest.

The coaches made some technical changes too, the most important of which was moving midfielder Ilkay Gundogan forward. He is one of 14 players who have scored during the 16-game winning streak, finding the back of the net a career-high 11 times in the last two months, beginning with a goal against West Brom. And goalkeeper Ederson, who conceded seven goals in Citys first three games, has pitched 18 shutouts in 24 games since.

Guardiola also benefitted from the play of Joao Cancelo at right back and 20-year-old Phil Foden, who has been a workhorse on the wing and in the midfield.

The reason why we have done what we have done so far is exclusively the personality and the talent of the players, Guardiola said. We have a few intelligent players here. When things are going bad, they step forward.

For all of Citys star power, however, Guardiola said his team lacks a superstar such as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, a player who can win the biggest of games by himself.

I would love to have a player who scores every single game four goals, he said.

But, he added, not if he had to give up the players he has now.

I wouldnt change any player that we have right now, he said.

The Embassy of Qatar made a $40,000 donation to the community foundation of the Orange County Soccer Club to support healthy, active communities in Southern California. The club said the donation will help fund clinics, mental health resources, equipment distribution and academic programs. Last fall, the embassy gave $15,000 to the team to support its partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

The embassy, based in Washington D.C., also gave $25,000 to LAFC to support similar work empowering youth through athletic and mentorship programs. The awards were made on the second Tuesday in February, which is national sports day in Qatar.

I have always viewed Orange County Soccer Club as a local soccer club with global reach and huge ambitions, OCSC owner James Keston said. Establishing a strong relationship with the Embassy of the State of Qatar in the United States, especially in light of the fact that Qatar will be hosting the World Cup in 2022 and the United States will follow by hosting in 2026, is another important step for OCSC in putting ourselves on the global soccer map.

The Galaxy will continue what, at best, can be considered a modest roster rebuild this week by promoting a handful of players from Galaxy II, their USL Championship affiliate. But the team also announced Monday it had signed Jamaican international Oniel Fisher, a versatile defender/winger whom D.C. United elected not to keep in November. Fisher, 29, provides backup at both outside back positions as well as in the midfield and could prove to be a valuable addition. The Galaxy also signed midfielder Carlos Harvey, 21, who made six appearances last season on loan from Panamanian club Tauro. The Galaxy, who entered the week with 23 players on their first-team roster, are continuing their pursuit of Argentine attacker Cristian Pavn. ... LAFC, whose roster is at 26, added five players during the offseason, strengthening the defense with the additions of outside backs Marco Farfan, from the Portland Timbers, and Kim Moon-Hwan, from South Koreas Busan IPark, and the offense with forward Corey Baird, who will enter training camp next month competing to fill the open spot left by the departure of Brian Rodrguez to Spain. ... The Galaxy have turned their home at Dignity Health Sports Park into a drive-through COVID-19 vaccination center this week with a goal of vaccinating 20,000 people, aged 65 and over, from vulnerable and underserved communities. Vaccinations are by appointment only.

No ones been able to consistently train and play, and I think that if there is a silver lining in this, its that all of our bodies could have probably used a break that we would never have gotten until we retired if not for this pandemic.

Coronavirus survivor Alex Morgan, who will make her return to the national team in Thursdays SheBelieves Cup, searching for a positive in the wreckage COVID-19 has had on both world-class soccer players and the population in general.

Until next time...

Stay tuned for future newsletters. Subscribe here, and Ill come right to your inbox. Something else youd like to see? Email me. Or follow me on Twitter: @kbaxter11.

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Soccer newsletter: How Matthew Hoppe made it in the Bundesliga - Los Angeles Times

On the day after New Years, the Atlanta Hawks entered the fourth quarter with a four-point lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that has toiled at the bottom of the Eastern Conference this season and likely will for its remainder. While the Hawks may have led by as many as 15 points in that game, what ensued that night was a weak quarter and a half of basketball for the Hawks, resulting in a 96-91 loss to one of the leagues worst teams. This seemed harmless enough at the time, but it was the first sign of a concerning trend that Hawks fans have watched unfold as the season continues.

Since the Hawks torrid 4-1 start, they have gone 7-14 and find themselves with more questions than answers thus far this season. Here, well evaluate four such games where the Hawks failed to secure a win despite being in the lead late in the game (vCLE, vNYK, @DAL, vIND). What we will uncover is that a combination of costly late turnovers and mental mistakes, poor defensive execution, and an overall lack of engagement and passion in crunch time have led to these painful late collapses. As such, the blame rests across the entire organization from the players failing to execute, to coaches failing to adjust, as well as the overall struggles of this team battling significant roster turnover and injuries amid an unprecedented season. So, lets focus on a choice selection of pivotal moments in each of these games that changed the momentum and resulted in Hawks losses.

As referenced above, the Hawks led by as many as 15 points in this game (67-52 with 6:31 left in the 3rd quarter). From that point on, we began to see some of the early glimpses of the problems that cause these late game collapses. The back-to-back turnovers in the clip below are typical of young teams. Kevin Huerter tries to force two bad passes to Bruno, and it backfires, leading to an easy dunk for JaVale McGee (Shaq voice) on the other side. One other point to note, this occurred while Young was on the bench, meaning Huerter was being tasked with ball-handling duties. The lack of a consistent and stable back-up point guard has exacerbated these issues.

In the final four minutes of the 3rd quarter, the Hawks had nine offensive possessions, which had these results: two made shots for four points and six missed shots (2/8 for 25%). They also conceded three offensive rebounds, had a shot clock violation, and a technical foul to boot. By the end of the 3rd quarter, the Cavs were within four points. Bask in the sheer majesty of these consecutive offensive rebounds for the Cavs, resulting in a JaVale McGee three-point play (the Hawks made McGee look as good as he believes he is).

In the 4th quarter, Atlanta continued to struggle with the same issues that plagued them in the 3rd. The Cavaliers won the 4th quarter 26-17. Trae Young had one assist and three turnovers in the 4th quarter, including going 2/7 from the field (28.6%). The poor shooting isnt a disaster, defenses get stingier in the 4th, but the turnovers are the bigger issue.

In the clip below, with the Hawks down by one, Young gets good penetration after a Collins pick. Young draws Larry Nance Jr. towards him and get Nance to bite on a hesitation dribble, but Young misses his patented floater. No real problem there, thats a good shot. He succeeds in getting his own miss, but rather than pulling the ball out to reset for a decent look, he brings the ball low and tries to force a pass into the post to Collins. That mistake in a close game down the stretch is the type of mental error good teams cant afford make. Good look, bad luck, bad mental error typical of a young player trying to do too much.

In the final two minutes of the 4th quarter, the game just turned against the Hawks. Drummond gets an easy dunk after taking the ball away from Young, just as Young is about to run the break off a Cavs turnover. Then, Sexton hits the dagger over Bogdanovic, who didnt even have a hand in Sextons face in a tie game with 30 seconds left and five seconds on the shot clock.

The Knicks game was eerily similar to the Cavaliers game just 2 days earlier. Once again, the Hawks had a 15-point lead in the 3rd quarter (82-67 with 4:47 left), and by the end of the 3rd, the lead was cut down to four. The Knicks went on a 17-6 run in the final 5 minutes of the 3rd quarter. The clip below typifies the effort at the end of the 3rd. Knicks rookie Immanuel Quickley dribbles to RJ Barretts side of the floor, showing a DHO, but Quickley fakes the handoff blowing past Reddish for the easy dunk. Goodwin points to Reddish to switch on the handoff, but Reddish fails to recognize the switch to engage Quickley at the point of attack, so he gets caught flat-footed on the blow-by. That blown coverage pulls the Knicks within 7 points of the Hawks with just 30 seconds left in the 3rd.

Knox hits a three-pointer to end the quarter, and the Knicks are within striking distance of the lead, despite being down 15 points earlier in that same quarter. Each side trades baskets for the majority of the 4th quarter, and its all tied at 99 at the half-way point of the period. Atlanta had four turnovers in the 4th quarter (too many) and three of those came after the six-minute mark. See two of those turnovers below. In the first, its difficult to say exactly who is to blame here (if anyone).

Its unclear if this is a play called by Lloyd Pierce or if this was a read by Young. In either case, posting up Hunter on Austin Rivers isnt a bad decision on the surface, but its always about time and score and in a tie-game with six minutes left that shouldnt be the first option. Randle does a great job digging down on the entry pass to steal the ball from Hunter.

In the second clip, with 10 seconds left on the shot clock, Reddish receives a tipped skip pass in the corner and attacks the basket. He has the dump off pass to Collins in the lane when Mitchell Robinson (one of the most talented shot-blockers in the league) steps up to challenge, but Reddish decides to elevate; realizing half-way up that he couldnt finish, Cam tries to force a pass to Collins anyway.

Obviously, Reddish made the wrong choice, but the offense at this point had stalled. Young hadnt found any avenues to probe and needed a bail-out skip pass that barely reached its target. One could argue that Bogdanovic or Huerter would have been more equipped than Reddish to make the right read, but at the same time you need Reddishs defensive prowess for the other end of the floor, so the lineup decision isnt without merit. These turnovers were on consecutive possessions for the Hawks, and completely killed the offensive flow. Despite the fact that the Knicks didnt actually score off those turnovers, the damage to the Hawks momentum was done.

The final clip demonstrates the Hawks penchant for missing opportunities and simply not doing the little things required to win games. Austin Rivers razzle dazzles for nearly five seconds with the shot clock winding down and is forced into a very bad shot with John Collins coming to contest. The mistake here for the Hawks occurs when Huerter and Hunter dont box out Julius Randle, who is averaging 11.1 rebounds/game (as of the writing of this piece).

Theyre both caught ball-watching with Rivers pounding the ball into the hardwood, so when the shot goes up, Randle is able to sneak between them and sky for the put-back. Hunter in particular misses the box out and fails to put a body into Randle diving to the rim on Rivers drive. With the game on the line, a missed box out, failing to secure the rebound after a bad shot, can be the difference between winning and losing.

The Hawks had 18 offensive possessions in the last six minutes of the game, they scored on only four of those possessions, missing 10 shots to go along with two turnovers, and an offensive foul. The Hawks shot 7/21 (33.3%) in the 4th quarter to the Knicks 9/16 (56.2%), losing the quarter 29-20 along with the game.

Over a month later, the Hawks held their largest lead on the Dallas Mavericks at 81-68, with 5:30 left in the 3rd quarter. Unlike their previous collapses, the Hawks managed to mostly limit the damage through the end of the 3rd quarter and took a nine-point lead into the 4th. The downfall was delayed to the beginning of the 4th quarter instead, with the Hawks failing to score in the first two minutes of the quarter (four offensive possessions). And yes, in case you were wondering, one of those four possessions was a 33-footer from Young with 16 seconds left on the shot clock.

Atlanta suffered an even more devastating scoring drought from 7:49 to 4:44. In that time, the Mavericks enjoyed a +10 advantage, from being down five points to being up five points, while the Hawks missed 5 shots and committed an offensive foul. The most revealing possession in this stretch featured the type of uninspired, disengaged offense that has plagued the Hawks throughout these late game collapses.

As Huerter receives the ball on the wing, we see Young immediately recede to nearly half-court. Having your most potent offensive weapon 40-feet away from the basket is not a sign of an organized offensive strategy. Reddish never moves from the corner, Collins drifts around no-mans-land between the mid-post and the elbow, so Huerter is left with no options after his unsuccessful drive attempt other than kicking it out to the always-ready Gallinari for a contested 3-pointer.

The lack of movement, creativity, and energy falls on the players, but the absence of a cohesive strategy or a solid go-to play with six minutes left in a tie game falls under the purview of the coaching staff. Theres a lot that went wrong here, and it indicates the lack of direction and engagement that seems so common in these meltdowns for this team.

The offense picked back up for almost exactly one minute as the Hawks scored 8 points from minute 2:03 to 1:05. Unfortunately, that didnt matter as the Mavericks scored 5 of their own points in that stretch. The most critical of these came on a Dorian Finney-Smith wide open 3-pointer. Snell gets burned on the Brunson drive, so Gallinari really has no options, but he may have been better served staying home as Brunson seemed to have a tough angle to finish. Not to mention, Gallinari has struggled with mobility, and he would have had no chance to show help and get back to his man at the perimeter.

Its difficult to point at one single thing here, the Hawks were missing Bogdanovic, Hunter, Rondo, and Dunn in this game, all of whom are better defenders than Gallinari. The first two likely would be on the floor in this scenario over Gallinari, and they may have made a better defensive play here. This is just as much part of the story of the Hawks late game struggles as any other example presented in this piece.

Atlanta lost the 4th quarter 37-27, standing in stark contrast to the 2nd quarter where the Hawks outscored the Mavericks 30-19. Directionless offense and a few less-than-perfect defensive moments are more than enough to let a team like Dallas slip back into the game, and the Hawks paid for it. Over a month after the Cavaliers and Knicks games, the Hawks seemed to make zero improvements in these late game situations.

At 96-87, Atlanta held their largest lead of the game against Indiana with 9:33 left in the 4th quarter. In the nine and a half minutes that followed, the Pacers outplayed the Hawks to the tune of a 38-17 run, while they shot 70.6% from the field to the Hawks 37.5%. Some of this certainly was attributable to Atlanta simply missing open shots. Find two such painful examples in the clips below. Nothing stands out as particularly wrong here, theyre wide open looks for good shooters, they just didnt fall. It happens.

So, what did the Hawks do wrong? The problem started before these wide-open shots were missed, indeed even if they had fallen, the Hawks still might not have won. Similar to the Mavericks game a few nights earlier, the offense fell apart down the stretch with players making poor choices that didnt put their team in a position to win. Collins takes a contested 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in the shot clock and no one under the rim. The reason why Collins shoots such a great percentage from 3 (39.1% as of the writing of this segment) is that he takes those shots in rhythm, not forcing up shots like he did in the clip below.

Finally, and perhaps the most common issue cited in this film session, there were critical turnovers, the worst of which came when TJ McConnell stripped Young after Young seemingly forgot that McConnell was right behind him after he was denying the entry pass to Young just moments before. These kinds of mental lapses are unacceptable in the 1st quarter, let alone down by 2 points with 4:50 left in the game. McConnell is the kind of savvy veteran who can pull these types of moves off, but these antics become even more prevalent in the playoffs when everything is on the line. The star point guard cant afford to make mistakes like this when it really counts.

All told, the Hawks lost this game by 12 points, giving up a blistering 41 points to the Pacers in the 4th quarter. Indiana outscored Atlanta 20-8 over the final 5:12 of the game, the latest in a slew of late collapses that have riddled the Hawks season thus far.

Theres never just one reason why a team struggles. While its easy to point the finger at the coach, or at the star player, or at the GM, more often than not its a combination of those things and many others that can cause inconsistency and a lack of execution. However, the prevalence and pervasiveness of these late-game stumbles have grown from slightly concerning to full-blown worrisome. Across the four games that this piece analyzed, there were some overarching themes and insights that we could take away.

First, and most obvious, this team has struggled with injuries, as well as incorporating the 10 (!) new roster additions this season (Im including Capela as his first in-game minutes came this season). Few Hawks fans realize this, but only Young, Huerter, and Collins were on this roster in this 2018-19 season.

Second, this team is prone to making poor decisions and has not demonstrated the polish required to finish games. In the breakdowns above, we saw the Hawks forcing bad passes and bad shots, blowing coverages in high-leverage defensive possessions, missing box-outs, failing to put a hand in the shooters face, forgetting to clear the backcourt. These are the types of things that win close games and separate the ok teams from the great teams.

Finally, and this builds on the above two points, the Hawks simply dont look engaged and passionate. Obviously, they all care about winning, but have they shown that they are willing to go above and beyond and do the little things it takes to win games? A lot of this does fall at the feet of the coaching staff, its their responsibility to drive buy-in and hold players accountable. But those players also need to be open and available to that coaching, they need to execute their assignments and the game-plan.

If theres one main takeaway from this research, it once again be that there is never just one reason why a teams struggles. Its a collection of failures. Unless, the Hawks work to address these challenges, across every facet of the organization, and get these young players engaged and passionate, they have no chance of turning around this season-killing trend of blowing winnable games. Well all be watching with intent, hoping that they figure it out.

Read more here:
Film Session: How and why the Atlanta Hawks have struggled to close out wins - Peachtree Hoops

General Motors has been talking up its electrification game for some time now, yet it has only had a single electric vehicle among all its brands: the Chevy Bolt EV, which was first launched in 2016. That changes today as the 2022Chevrolet Bolt EUV makes its debut alongside a refreshed version of the original Bolt EV.

While the two all-electric hatchbacks are the latest step in the automaker's march toward its plan to stop selling internal-combustion vehicles, they are not built with the Ultium electric vehicle flexible architecture or batteries that they say are the company's path to the future. Instead, they are both built on the bones of the original Bolt EV.

Though this may be an evolutionary dead-end technologically, the vehicles do have plenty of value to offer prospective buyers. For starters, take a look at their prices. This newly refreshed and improved Bolt EV actually has an MSRP $5,000 lower than the 2021, with its base price of $31,995 (includes destination charges). The slightly larger Bolt EUV gets a slightly higher price tag at $33,995.

Now let's take a look at exactly what buyers will be getting for their money, starting with the smaller of the two. The refreshed Bolt EV has undergone an impressive transformation. Though the exterior metal is pretty much the same, the redesigned fascia is distinctively different from the original.

It front looks more modern, taking cues from Chevy's latest design language. Slim daytime running lights, which double as turn indicators, now sit at the hood line in place of the headlights of the previous design,with its actual headlights cloaked within blackened trim below. Around back, the taillights have also evolved into a soft rectangular shape, and tie things up quite nicely.

Stepping into the cabin, we see an even bigger transformation from the outgoing model year. Gone are the acres of hard plastics that previously lent it an economy-car vibe. Instead, soft-touch surfaces make the interior much more in-line with pricing.

Also gone is the vestigial upright gear selector in the center console. It has been replaced by buttons and a pull toggle, which opens up space and adds a more modern feel. Fans of one-pedal driving where letting off the accelerator pedal instigates generous amounts of regenerative braking, allowing drivers to not use the brake pedal in most situations will be happy to learn one of those buttons will specifically apply that mode. And that's in addition to the steering wheel paddles which traditionally applied increased regenerative braking in the Bolt EV.

19 Photos

The Bolt EV also gets a new 10.2-inch touchscreen in the center stack with a fresh layout and allows for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. With regards to connectivity, it also features a 4G LTE wi-fi hotspot, along with (optional on the Bolt EV, standard on the EUV) wireless charging for phones.

The seats, which were previously a point of many complaints, have been replaced by a much-improved design, which not only look better, but which should also be more supportive and comfortable. With contrast stitching and a subtletriangular geometric pattern, they certainly look better, and pair well with the new and sportier flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Mechanically, the car is much the same as it was, offering a more-than-adequate 200 horsepower (150 kilowatts), and 266 pound-feet of torque. This allows for acceleration from 0-to-60 miles per hour in less than seven seconds. The battery is, again, 65 kWh and good for 259 miles (417 km) of GM-estimatedrange. The pack comes with an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty on both vehicles.

For charging at home, the Chevy Bolt EV can charge at a rate of 11 kW with an EVSE (home charging unit) capable of that output. If you can live with the slower, but still adequate, charging rate of 7.2 kW, the automaker is offering an optional (standard with the EUV) charge cable that can plug into a 220-volt outlet. It also comes with an adapter that will allow users to plug into a 110-volt outlet, which will add about 4 miles per each hour it's plugged in.

DC fast-charging remains the Achilles heel for the Bolt EV and EUV, though now it is standard equipment on both. While most electric vehicles today allow for power intake rates over 100 kW, owners will have to settle for a 55 kW maximum. While that may be slightly inconvenient for trips over 400 or so miles, it can still add 100 miles of range in less than 30 minutes.

The 2022 Bolt EUV may share the same platform as its electric stablemate, but is 6.3 inches (161 mm) longer over all. Chevrolet says this gives it crossover SUV-like proportions. While that may be subjective, what is certain is that the wheelbase of the EUV is 2.95 inches (75 mm) longer than the Bolt EV's, so should offer a slightly smoother ride. It also offers over 3 inches more rear legroom, making this an even better family vehicle.

From the exterior, the differences between the Bolt EUV and EV are subtle. Despite a strong family resemblance, the two actually share no exterior metal. Like the EV, the Bolt EUV, has similar slim DRLs located high on the fascia that double as turn indicators. Its tail lights are similar, that not identical to those on the Bolt EV.

Moving to the interior, the basic layout is identical to the Bolt EV. However, while they both share optional additions likeheated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats, only the EUV has a check box to add a panoramic power sunroof.

Being slightly larger and 90 pounds heavier, the Bolt EUV offers slightly less GM-estimated range than the EV at 250 miles (402 km). This also means it will added slightly fewer miles in a given period of time while DC fast-charging: 95 miles in 30 minutes.

18 Photos

Safety

Though their price tags may be geared to value-seeking customers, the Bolt EV and EUV do not skimp on safety features. They both come standard with "Chevy Safety Assist," which includesautomatic emergency braking (AEB), forward collision alert, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, following distance indicator, IntelliBeam (automatic headlight high-low beam switching), and front pedestrian braking. Both have a rear vision camera as standard as well.

Rear cross-traffic alert, HD surround vision, and adaptive cruise control are all optional.

The Premier trim level of Chevy Bolt EUV will have the option of Super Cruise, an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) that adds auto-steer to adaptive cruise control on certain pre-mapped roads (over 200,00 miles worth in North America and increasing). Additionally, it has a driver monitoring component and will disengage and give warnings if the driver takes their attention from the road ahead for too long.

Conclusion

Both the EUV and refreshed EV will enter production later this spring and be available from dealers this summer. For those who want a nicely-appointed Bolt EUV as early as possible, Chevrolet is offering a launch edition featuring Super Cruise, a sunroof, unique wheels, special badging and an illuminated charge port for $43,495, which can be reserved on its website.

The new Chevrolet Bolt EUV and refreshed Bolt EV are terrific additions to the electric vehicle landscape. The Bolt EUV in particular, with its increased rear passenger leg room and longer list of standard equipment, represents a value well worth considering over pricier competitors. In addition to finding a home in a good many family garages, we would not be surprised to see ride-share operators adding these to their fleets as well.

See the rest here:
Chevy Bolt Goes Big With New EUV And Newly Refreshed EV - InsideEVs

The Falcons finished in the basement of the NFC South, something that hadnt happened since 2007. Their slow, multi-stage implosion from 2017 through 2020 ended with a 4-12 whimper, and that mercifully led to the organization making sweeping changes and trying to bring in fresh perspectives.

Will that lead to an immediate rebound, a long-term return to relevance, or will it be more of the same for Atlanta? That question wont be answered for a while, but at least one outlet likes the teams chances of pushing their way back up in the NFC South this year.

Heres the high level reasoning from Pro Football Focus:

The first is that they were not as bad this past season as their record indicates. Despite earning the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Atlanta actually finished the year at 18th in PFFs ELO Power Ratings. The second is that a perennial powerhouse in the division the New Orleans Saints could be primed to take a step back following Drew Brees retirement and an offseason with plenty of question marks when it comes to the salary cap on the horizon.

As PFF also notes, the offense should be good again in 2021, with the upgrade from Dirk Koetter to Arthur Smith providing quite a bit of that juice. The addition of Dean Pees at least provides some level of hope that the defense will be consistently better, even if expecting a one year jump to good is probably a bridge too far. Theres little question that Atlanta is talented enough on paper with the right additions to take a substantial step forward, and thats why the Falcons are second on this list behind a capable 49ers team.

There are several obstacles, of course, that remain likely to keep Atlanta out of first place in the NFC South. The first is a Buccaneers team that intends to reload for another title run with Tom Brady at the helm, and while no team has repeated since the 2003-2004 Patriots, their chances of snagging the division with the talent on hand is high. The Panthers and Saints are unlikely to be bad teams next year, so long as both of them at least get capable quarterbacks in the fold, and so it will be a true fight just to push into second place. I like the Falcons chances against a New Orleans team that is going to bleed some talent and a Carolina team with a rookie quarterback at the helm, but so much remains to be done before I can feel great about it.

Atlanta can make some noise with an effective offseason and what we all hope is a better coaching staff. Im just not quite ready to predict something as wild as them knocking off the defending Super Bowl champions for the division crown in February.

Go here to read the rest:
Can the Falcons jump from the basement to an NFC South title in 2021? Pro Football Focus thinks so - The Falcoholic

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Old/New BusinessThis item is included to acknowledge that there may be matters not anticipated by the Chair that could be raised during the meeting by other members of the Committee/Board, by staff, or by the public.

This press release was produced by the Town of Dedham. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Originally posted here:
Dedham Zoning Board Of Appeals Will Meet On February 17 - Patch.com

Upon advancing to her first major fourth round on Saturday, Jessica Pegula grabbed the blue marker to write on the on-court camera lens, as is customary for winners at the Australian Open. She could have written anything.

Before saying hi to her sister, she wrote: "Let's go Jen Brady!"

Brady, her longtime friend and fellow American, was up next on the same court at John Cain Arena and had asked Pegula for a shout-out on Twitter.

Soon after, Brady joined Pegula in the round of 16 following a victory over Kaja Juvan -- and by the end of the day, two other Americans had followed suit. Shelby Rogers overcame a 4-1 start to beat Anett Kontaveit in straight sets, and on the men's side, Mackenzie McDonald -- ranked No. 192 in the world -- defeated Lloyd Harris to make his second major fourth round.

There were no fans at Melbourne Park on Saturday for the first time since the lockdown was put in place, but despite the strange circumstances, the remaining American contingent shined -- and continued to show support for one another.

"It's so cool, seeing all these girls I grew up with, and we've known each other for so many years, do really well and play some awesome tennis and on the biggest stages," Rogers said after her match. "We're all supporting each other. We have some fun chats going on. It's really cool to see us all keep going."

The foursome joined fellow American Serena Williams, who had advanced on Friday, in the second week at the tournament.

2 Related

The American women have had great success at Grand Slams in recent years -- led, of course, by Williams -- with major titles from Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin and a slew of others in perennial contender status. There are 18 Americans ranked in the top 100, and there is consistent representation in the second week of Slams from the group, although Brady, Rogers and Pegula are more recent additions to the list. At the 2020 US Open, Brady reached her first career semifinals, Rogers reached the quarters for the second time at a major and Pegula had her then-best run at a Slam with a third-round showing.

"We've got a multigenerational group of players at the top of the game on the women's side," said Martin Blackman, the general manager of player development for the USTA. "And I think that also puts things into perspective -- from Coco Gauff to Serena, to all the players in between, there's not a lot of burden that's being placed on one player right now. And I think that really helps everybody, and takes some of the pressure off."

While Williams continues her quest for her record-tying 24th major title, her cohorts can fly somewhat under the radar. Jennifer Brady (age 25), Rogers (28) and Pegula (26) didn't have the early success of Williams, who won her first major at 17, or receive anywhere near the attention placed on 16-year-old Gauff, but they've been quietly and steadily working on their games and improving week to week, year to year. Seeing the success of one another has only helped fuel them further and provided self-belief.

"I think the pandemic and everything we've gone through over the past year has helped the players look a little bit outside themselves," Blackman said. "Tennis is such an individual sport, and you have to be so focused on yourself and every little detail, but I think things have come into perspective. They genuinely like each other and are happy for one another, and being part of our Billie Jean King Cup team has created a really healthy environment for our top women.

"A lot of [the success we're seeing] is demonstration effect. In any given Slam, we have four or five women in the quarters, some of the other women who maybe haven't gotten there yet can say, 'If she can do it, I can, too.' Each win raises the bar and raises the level for everyone else."

Although the American men haven't had comparable success -- Andy Roddick was the last countryman to win a major in 2003 -- and McDonald is the only one remaining in the singles draw, McDonald still has support from the remaining women. Brady was one of the first to text him after his win on Saturday, as the two played collegiate tennis at UCLA.

"I was just texting with Mackie," Brady said. "I'm so proud of him, happy for him that he's made the fourth round here. I think he's also pretty excited for me, as well."

Many of those who know McDonald appreciate all the 25-year-old has been through, not just to get to the second week at a Slam, but to playing tennis at all. After making his first round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2018, he suffered a potentially career-ending injury in 2019 when he tore a hamstring tendon off the bone while playing in a doubles match at Roland Garros. He spent the rest of the season recovering from surgery, unsure if he would ever play again.

He made his return in 2020 and needed to use his protected ranking for entry in Melbourne. But he has more than made the most of the opportunity.

McDonald's ranking is expected to rise to No. 136 and would only improve if he keeps winning. That will be an uphill battle, as he next faces Daniil Medvedev, the No. 4 seed and 2019 US Open finalist, on Monday. But Blackman, who frequently watches McDonald practice at the USTA's National Campus in Orlando, Florida, has been impressed with his unrelenting work ethic and said he might be up for the task.

"I think he matches up well against Medvedev," Blackman said. "Medvedev is a great player, and he will have to play his best tennis to beat him, but I think on paper, it's a pretty good matchup because Mackey likes to move forward and take the ball early. He keeps the ball relatively flat, he's got a good second serve return. He's playing with house money now, so he shouldn't put any pressure on himself and just play the match he wants to play."

Even with no fans, McDonald will have a fair amount of support on the grounds at Melbourne Park on Monday. And, as none of the Americans will be facing one another, they will all be rooting for one another to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. If Pegula and Brady were both to win their matches, it would set up a quarterfinal match between the two -- something Pegula immediately embraced when told.

"That would be fun," Pegula said. "I mean, I hope that's what happens to be honest. Yeah, I think we're probably just focused on our next match.

"Jen is awesome. I'm always rooting for her to win. She's a great person. I mean, that would be ideal, honestly, for us [to play against each other]. I think that would be really cool and good for American tennis."

See the rest here:
The remaining Americans in the Australian Open are shining, and rooting each other on - ESPN