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Dont’a Hightower has officially announced his retirement from National Football League, after playing for 9 seasons on the field; he wrote a retirement letter to The Players’ Tribune on Tuesday.
“Today, I am officially retiring from the NFL,” Hightower wrote. “I know these announcements always feel bittersweet, but I can’t think of a better story than the one I wrote in New England. A decade, three Super Bowls, two Pro Bowls, and the birth of my son — all playing for one franchise.
How many guys have a story like that?
“So this is a happy day for me, and I just wanted to let you all know how much I appreciate you embracing a Southern kid from Lewisburg, Tennessee.”
Hightower has been an essential tackler for the Patriots’ defense, he earned two Pro Bowls to further solidify his ring and generated 569 total tackles, 27 sacks and one career interception. He won two national championships in college at Alabama too.
Before his Pro Bowl 2019 campaign, Hightower opted to sit out the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He came back in 2021, playing 15 games, and earning 64 tackles and 1.
5 sacks. In 2022, he did not play.
In Hightower’s first Super Bowl victory over the Seattle Seahawks, as a player for the Patriots, he made of the most unsung plays of the game, tripping Marshawn Lynch at the 1-yard line. The play set up Malcolm Butler’s famous interception to seal the Lombardi Trophy for New England. If not for his tackle, that match would have ended differently.
“When I look at that first ring, I think about the Marshawn tackle,” Hightower wrote of the play.
“When I saw Seattle line up in that I-form, I knew Beast Mode was getting it, and I knew they’d been gashing us with that strong-side lead all game. I knew he was going to walk through a huge hole if I didn’t take a risk. It’s funny how things come full circle because when I was at Alabama, Kirby Smart used to always tell us, ‘Never ever go behind a block unless you’re sure you’re going to make a play.’
“Well, I wasn’t sure. But I figured we had nothing to lose.
So I ripped up under Okung and shot my shot. All I saw was Marshawn’s two legs churning, and I just prayed to God that I could clip him up or something.
I reached out … and you already know what happened next.”
What happened next was that Dont’a Hightower went ahead to secure the first of the three Super Bowls which he would win later on.
Hightower now joins the Patriots’ all-time greats.
The 22-year-old has also been looked at by West Ham and Tottenham but could land at the Emirates this summer as Arsenal are keen on expanding their attacking numbers.
Okafor broke into the limelight last season, scoring 14 times in 34 appearances for the Austrian side Salzburg.
The Swiss striker enhanced his reputation further with ten goals in 20 games ahead of the World Cup.
The striker’s contract at Red Bull Salzburg is up next summer, reducing Salzburg’s chances of commanding a fee for the striker who they signed in 2019 from Basel.
But further interest in Italy from the likes of Milan duo Inter and AC will increase their hopes of driving the price as high as possible.
Tottenham’s chances of finishing in the top four took a big hit last weekend as they conceded three late goals to blow a two-goal lead in a 3-3 draw with Southampton. After the game, Conte accused his team of lacking professionalism in a 10-minute rant that also aimed at the club’s culture over the last 20 years.
His outburst and other related issues have led to speculations that he wants Tottenham to relieve him of his duties. It has now been reported that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy could finally sack Conte this week.
If Conte departs, Frankfurt boss Glasner has been eyed as a perfect replacement. According to German publication Bild, the 48-year-old, whose contract expires in 2024, has been contacted by Tottenham.
The Austrian boss guided Frankfurt to an impressive Europa League win last season. However, they could not beat Serie A leaders Napoli in the last 16 this year.
The long-serving left-back will earn a salary of €38m next season, including deferred wages, which puts him in the bracket as one of the highest earners in Europe.
But with Barca required to reduce their wage bill by more than €200m if they want to sign players or register new contracts, Alba will likely be let go.
After weeks of eliminations and player debuts, the World Baseball Classic has reached its final, and it promises a thrilling major event for baseball fans whose love for this game is boundless with USA VS Japan.
With no days off after defeating Mexico, the Japan National Team is set to face the United States Baseball National Team in the final. This final is special because two Anaheim Angels teammates will play on opposing sides. The phenomenal Shohei Ohtani will play the legendary Mike Trout for the World Baseball Classic championship.
Japan has a fantastic team which houses Masataka Yoshida who has been the most industrious player throughout this tournament. Yoshida is 9 for 19 with 2 home runs, 13 RBI and 5 R. These are the most RBI gotten in tournament history, so Ohtani is essentially an addition to an already star-studded team.
Team Japan’s win over Mexico was what brought them face-to-face with Team USA which has also done its fair share of destruction throughout the WBC. The Cuba National Team was their latest victim in a 14-2 match.
United States of America: Mookie Bets RF; Mike Trout CF; Paul Goldschmidt 1B; Nolan Arenado 3B; Kyle Schwarber LF; Will Smith C; Pete Alonso DH; Tim Anderson 2B; Trea Turner SS.
Japan: Lars Nootbar CF; Kansuke Kondoh RF; Shohei Ohtani DH; Masataka Yoshida LF; Munetaka Murakami 3B; Kazuma Okamoto 1B; Tetsuto Yamada 2B; Sosuke Genda SS; Yuhei Nakamura C.
In USA VS Japan, Merrill Kelly will pitch for the U.S. as he gets his shot for the finals. Kelly is a righty who plays for D-backs and started during the Pool C finale vs Colombia. He scaled through three innings and allowed two runs on four hits.
For Japan, Shohei Ohtani already said he would not be ready to pitch, so the team may use Shota Imanaga instead as the starting pitcher.
How can fans watch the United States VS Japan?
Fans can watch the match on FS1. They can also live stream it on FoxSports.com, the Fox Sports app, fuboTV or YouTube TV.
Detroit Red Wings VS Florida Panthers maybe thanks to the NHL, but it was a 6-game point streak and 5 victories that led the Panthers (4th in Atlantic Division) to Detroit, where Red Wings (7th in Atlantic) will be waiting to secure their 3rd victory in the last 12 matches.
If you’re betting on this game, use these NHL Predictions Today by MatchPlug for Detroit and Florida. Find the picks, and odds too carefully laid out by experts.
Detroit Red Wings VS Florida Panthers Preview NHL Regular Season
The Detroit Red Wings lost for the second consecutive time, for the third match in their past four games (1-3-0) and for the ninth time in their last 11 (2-8-1) after a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on their home ice on Saturday.
Pius Suter (12 goals, 20 points this year) delivered a tie at 1-1 at 6:55 of the opening minutes, before Colorado scored two markers in the following two periods, plus a power-play strike and a shorty.
The Red Wings who forfeited a league-high 12 short-handed tallies this season, now place nine points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 2nd Wild Card spot of the Eastern Conference, with one game in hand.
Goaltender Ville Husso (25-18-6 this season, with a 2.97 GAA and a. 901 save percentage) conceded five goals on 21 shots in 45:16 of play on Saturday before being replaced with Magnus Hellberg (3-7-1 on the season with a 3.04 GAA and a .917 save percentage), who turned aside two shots.
Hellberg has never played the Panthers before, while Husso has already posted a 0-1-1 career total against them with a 3.04 GAA and a .917 save percentage. The Red Wings are 10th in the least goals netted per game in 2022 -23 (2.93), 15th in most goals allowed on average (3.25), 18th in power play (20.9%) and 19th in penalty kill (78.2%).
Betting On The Florida Panthers
Season Record: 35-27-7
1XBet Spread: -1.5
1XBet Total: Under 6.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.99
BetMGM Spread: -1.5
BetMGM Total: Over 6.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.53
The Florida Panthers got their second straight victory after extending their present point run to six outings (5-0-1) after a 4-2 win against the New Jersey Devils at FA Live Arena last Saturday.
Florida gave up two snipes in the second period to go 2-0 down before burying four unanswered markers in the last frame, plus three in a span of 2:30 to take a 3-2 lead ahead of an empty-netter 21 seconds from time. Sam Reinhart (26 goals, 51 points this year) tallied twice for the Panthers, now trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 2nd Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference by a single point.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky dispelled 33 shots last Saturday, registering a 23-17-3 total for the season with a 3.00 GAA and a .904 save percentage. He picked up a 23-6-1 past record against Detroit with a 1.87 GAA and a .938 save percentage. Alex Lyon on the other hand (3-2-1 on the season with a 3.89 GAA and a .892 save percentage) is historically 0-0-1 against the Red Wings. Lyon has a 1.73 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
The Panthers are 4th in most goals scored per game this campaign (3.48), 10th in most goals forfeited on average (3.36), 13th in power play (22.2%) and 27th in penalty kill (74.2%).
MatchPlug Prediction
On the records, the Red Wings may stand a chance to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, trailing behind the 2nd-Wild Card seed, the Pittsburgh Penguins by nine points with a game in hand.
However, the points, in reality, are completely different. The Red Wings dropped 9 out of its 11 decisions, losing by a margin of two tallies in 6 of them.
The Florida Panthers are presently riding a four-game winning streak against opponents in the Eastern Conference, and are 12-5-1 in their most recent 18 fixtures, winning by over one strike in 7 of them.
The winner of Japan VS Mexico will face Team USA for the World Baseball Classic title on Tuesday. So, in this preview, we will be examining the strengths of these two countries and the possibility of one of them winning tonight’s matchup.
Mexico for one part has the power of Randy Arozarena and Julio Urías, but Joey Meneses and Rowdy Tellez stealing the WBC spotlight and getting labelled “Team of Destiny” seems to check out.
But, the most challenging match Mexico will play in this tournament will happen tonight in Miami which is the quarterfinal between them and present favourite Japan. There is no team with a higher OPS (.996) or a lower ERA (1.80).
MatchPlug discusses this semi-final while examining how bettors should bet. We also laid out some MLB Predictions Today to help you get started on your wagering.
Predictions and Betting Preview for Japan VS Mexico Pirates WBC Playoffs
Shohei Ohtani may have appeared for the last time for Team Japan on the mound in the WBC. This is due to him being scheduled to play in the Los Angeles Opening Day starter on March 30th. Ohtani pitching in the semis or finals would be too close to this game, so he would be the starter for the quarterfinal instead.
Roki Sasaki will be starting for Team Japan in place of Ohtani. To put Sasaki’s past WBC starting in perspective; out of 66 pitches, 21 clocked at over 100 mph.
Masataka Yoshida hit a couple of hard-hit balls against Italy, Kensuke Kondoh has been shelling out extra-base hits and walks, while the star himself, Ohtani has been delivering greatness with an OBP of .625.
The fine mix of MLB talent and young stars from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league has made Team Japan patient enough to wait till they can destroy another unsuspecting team in the WBC.
Betting On Team Mexico
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 3.032
1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 3.00
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 8.5
Team Mexico hasn’t been tested against the kind of destruction Japan will bring for them in this tournament, except that time they played against Colombia in the opening. Guillermo Zuniga reached 102 mph, going for two strong innings, striking out four and allowing only one hit. That was the only game Mexico lost in this competition (5-4).
Patrick Sandoval will begin the pitching for Mexico, he is a Los Angeles Angels left who depends on a sinker that placed top 20 in run value last season (-8), and he is a magician whose curveball spin ranked in the 87th percentile in the league last season. Sandoval is second in the Angels rotation for a good reason, behind Ohtani (this will make today’s game sensational).
But, even if Sandoval can muster three or four innings, Japan has shown that there’s nothing they can’t handle. Japan has a pool of talent in a great blend of other outstanding talents who are dangerous in the field, not to mention Shohei Ohtani who has sacked many other countries in the WBC.
MatchPlug Prediction
Backing the favourite which is Japan, would be the smart thing to do for Japan VS Mexico. One good reason for this is Yu Darvish a world-renowned pitcher on their squad, who emerged in the quarterfinals.
Japan wanted to ensure that Italy couldn’t make a serious comeback. They deployed Darvish who is one of the most dangerous hurlers in MLB this season. He was effective of course, allowing one earned run in two innings of work.
Mexico has done well in making it this far in the WBC. However, having Japan as the favourite doesn’t mean this country shouldn’t be given flowers. It only remains to be seen how they’ll fair against Japan.
Charlotte Hornets VS Indiana Pacers is between two Eastern Conference teams looking toward playoffs, hoping to reach it.
Indiana takes the road as the Pacers take a trip to face the Charlotte Hornets tonight. They were defeated 141-121 at their home court by the Philadelphia 76ers in their last game, failing to cover the line as 4.5-point underdogs.
The Charlotte Hornets on the other hand, also lost to Philadelphia 121-82 at home in their previous game last Friday night, failing to cover the line as 10.5-point underdogs.
In this regular season, the Pacers have a 72-51 advantage over the Hornets and have won the two games both teams played. This includes a 116-111 home win in their most recent match on 8th January.
MatchPlug in this preview delivers the most accurate NBA Predictions Tonight, picks, and odds for Hornets VS Pacers. You can also visit our website to get previews for other NBA games too.
Predictions and Betting Preview for Charlotte Hornets VS Indiana Pacers NBA Regular Season Game
Venue: Spectrum Center, Charlotte
When: Monday, March 20th, 2023
Time: 16:00 GMT
Teams to play: Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers
The Charlotte Hornets fumbled their 4th straight match as they were beaten by the 76ers at home last Friday at home. They entered Sunday only 22-50 on the season and dropped to the bottom of the Southeast Division, 16 games behind the Miami Heat for the top spot.
Charlotte was 14th in the Eastern Conference standings and has been eliminated from contesting for the playoffs. Against the 76ers, they were down two after the opening quarter and within one halfway through the second before Philadelphia extended to a 12-point halftime advantage.
The Hornets forfeited a 16-2 run to begin the second half and turn the game into a rout. They were held to 33.7% shooting from the field, including a meagre five of 35 from three-point range, and were crushed 62-35 on the boards in the game. Terry Rozier paced them with 14 points in the loss.
This season, they are 27th in the league in scoring offence with 111.2 points per game. Charlotte places 8th in the NBA in rebounding, as they take 44.7 boards per contest and 18th in assists with 24.9 dimes per contest. The Hornets are 24th in scoring defence with an average of 117.5 points per game this campaign.
Terry Rozier is second on the Hornets with 12.3 points plus 4.2 rebounds and five assists per game this tournament. Gordon Hayward (14.2 points, 4.3 boards, four assists), Kelly Oubre Jr. (20.3 points, 5.3 boards), P.J. Washington (15.2 points) and Dennis Smith Jr. (8.7 points, 4.7 assists) are solid contributors on the offensive end of the court. Nick Richards (7.8 points, 5.9 rebounds), LaMelo Ball (23.3 points, 8.4 assists), Theo Maledon, Cody Martin, James Bouknight and Bryce McGowens are expected to provide rotational depth for Charlotte.
The Hornets rank 28th in threes per game with 10.6 per contest and 30th in three-point field goal percentage by shooting 32.7% from beyond the arc.
Martin played only 7 games this season: because he had knee surgery in November and the last time he played was on January 14th: he is still out presently. Ball had an ankle injury on February 27th while playing against the Detroit Pistons and is said to be done for the year. Bouknight also had an ankle injury played only one game since January 4th and missed the last 22 games. Williams hurt his thumb and missed four games since getting injured against Detroit.
Betting On The Indiana Pacers
Regular Season Record: 32-39
1XBet Spread: -1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.912
1XBet Over/Under: Under 234.5
BetMGM Spread: -2.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.75
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 234.5
The Indiana Pacers lost again in three games after they were defeated at home by the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. They became 4th in the Central Division, 18.5 games behind the Bucks for top sport.
Indiana was 11th in Eastern Conference standings, 18.5 games behind Milwaukee for the top spot, 7.5 games behind the Brooklyn Nets for the final playoff spot and 1.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the final spot in the play-in tournament.
When playing against the 76ers, the Pacers led 12-4 four minutes into the match, before they have outscored 30-12 the rest of the game by 10 after the opening quarter. They trailed by 11 at the half and couldn’t get closer than five in the second half before Philadelphia broke away.
Indiana scored 51.7% from the field, including 12 of 31 from a three-point range, and won the rebounding battle 41-30, while allowing the 76ers to trash them to 61.4% shooting in the contest. The Pacers were led by Aaron Nesmith with 25 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.
This year, the Pacers are 11th in the league in scoring offence with 115.9 points per game for the season. They are 24th in rebounding with an average of 41.5 boards a night, and 6th in assists by giving 26.8 dimes per contest. Indiana ranks 28th in scoring defence allowing an average of 118.3 points per game yearly.
They are led by Tyrese Haliburton in scoring with 20.8 points including 10.4 assists per game. Benedict Mathurin (16.6) points, Buddy Hield (17.1 points five rebounds, 2.7 assists), Myles Turner (17.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 blocks), Jalen Smith (9.3 points, 5.7 rebounds) and Chris Duarte are strong scoring options for this season. Aaron Nesmith (10.1 points, 3.8 boards), Isaiah Jackson, Andrew Nembhard, George Hill, Jordan Nwora, James Johnson, T.J. McConnell and Oshae Brissett are other players on standby for Indiana.
The Pacers rank 24th in the NBA in field goal percentage as they shoot from the floor as a team. They are 5th in threes per game, splashing 13.9 triples per contest and the team is 13th by shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc on the year.
Injured players for Indiana are – Duarte who missed the last two games due to an ankle injury, and Haliburton injured his knee and missed the last four matches, only returning March 9th against the Houston Rockets. Mathurin had an ankle injury, he too played last on March 9 against the Rockets, sitting out the last four games: there is no update about his return.
MatchPlug Prediction
Both the Hornets and Pacers have had a challenging season, with Indiana unravelling in January and the majority of February before finding their footing a bit late.
Indiana is saddled with player injuries lately, but they still found themselves within a close distance of securing a spot in the play-in tournament, as the regular season hits its final month.
Charlotte is one of the four teams that were eliminated from competing for the playoffs, as they had challenges winning games throughout the season. They have their work cut out for them, as they struggle with getting their motivation up.
Indiana has enough motivation to play tonight’s game and this might be what they need to crush the failing Hornets once and for all this season in Charlotte Hornets VS Indiana Pacers.
The Red Devils are the frontrunners to sign the England man, whose contract with Tottenham expires in 2024. However, according to The Times, Erik ten Hag’s side will have to shell out £100 million ($122m) in a single up-front payment.
Tottenham and club chairman Daniel Levy are not keen on selling their star striker to a direct rival and will try to convince him to sign a new deal at the end of the current season.
While there is substantial interest from clubs abroad, the 29-year-old will prefer staying in the Premier League as he wants to break Alan Shearer’s record of 260 Premier League goals.
Liverpool reportedly wants to make a summer move for £44 million, rated Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer.
According to Calciomercatoweb, the Reds see the Serbia international as a great option to strengthen their midfield after a disappointing season and can sign him for £44m.
