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Here's wishing one and all a most Happy 4th of July ! Fargo is around the corner... I believe that the Budapest ranking tournament is also coming soon as well... Enjoy the day off... AND, stay safe! D3

The Brands are going to stay several years past their expiration date. They will continue to have respectable finishes at the NCAA in the top 3 or 4 for their tenure (Thanks to Bob). They will keep the fan base happy by naming Spencer as an assistant, then when rumblings start to happen, Spencer will be named the "Associate Head Coach" to quiet people down. He will stay in this capacity for several years until the Brands farewell tour year which will be when they are in their early-mid 60's. Tom will stay on in some made up position in the athletic department in an "advisory" role. Terry will run out of Carver one last time, hop the fence, and keep going, resulting in a "Whatever Happened to Terry Brands" thread by Jimmy.

“Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: ‘For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.’” Michael W Smith

ONCE UPON A TIME I wrestled in middle school in ILLINOIS. Our family then moved to Texas for a year, and I wrestled for Western Hills High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Not to sound like too much of a Midwestern wrestling snob, but I was varsity as a freshman at the first practice of the season. The big tournament for us was the Metroplex championships, which involved all of the high schools in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. That's where I encountered my first wrestling hero. He was just a kid like me—probably a freshman as well—but he was super slick on the mat, a sensational wrestler, wore a very cool singlet and was blind. Stephon Breedlove is a name that I have never forgotten. At the tournament, I watched all of his matches and rooted for him the whole time. As a blind wrestler, he always started matches with his hands on his opponent. His opponent was also given this advantage. In neutral, the wrestlers had to maintain contact by rule. How did he know where his opponent was going? How did he know where his opponent's legs were? It was an amazing sight. And yet he dominated that bracket and won a city championship as a freshman. I had heard rumor at the tournament that he was a National AAU champion, and that kind of explained it. Recently, I decided to look up this amazing fellow. The University of Texas at Austin archive had an image of a young Stephon Breedlove learning to read braille. They spelled his first name wrong, but this was still an amazing find. Later, I discovered that he wrestled at Paschal High School in Fort Worth before transferring to Fort Worth Country Day, although he also wrestled for the Texas School for the Blind. Next, I discovered that he had matriculated to that very same University of Texas where he had learned to read braille and eventually graduated with an honors degree in Government. He went on to law school at UT and practiced law in Houston, married a beautiful woman and fathered two children. And so, with that background information, I decided to call my first wrestling hero. We ended up having a lot in common—from education to work experience to family—and not just one wrestling tournament in a large Texas metropolitan area. IWB&F&B: When did you start wrestling? BREEDLOVE: In Sixth grade. IWB&F&B: Did you ever wrestle your brother, who was an amazing athlete in his own right? [He is sighted] BREEDLOVE: No. He was interested in basketball. Haha! IWB&F&B: Did you wrestle for Paschal High School in Fort Worth for one year? BREEDLOVE: Yes. IWB&F&B: Do you recall that DFW Metroplex wrestling tournament? BREEDLOVE: Yes. IWB&F&B: Did you have extra help from any coach? BREEDLOVE: Yes. Coach Murph at Country Day and the Texas School for the Blind. IWB&F&B: Where else did you wrestle? BREEDLOVE: There were tournaments in Canada and Europe. Also, there were AAU tournaments. IWB&F&B: What advice would you give to wrestlers? BREEDLOVE: Go straight at them and take them down. [I think he meant it metaphorically, as in don't dilly-dally around and get after it.] IWB&F&B: What advice would you give to wrestlers without sight? BREEDLOVE: Be ready for obstacles and GO FOR IT!

Happy Birthday ‘Mericans!

As far as national anthems go, the USA's is pretty good. Besides, Ray Charles ain't topping this:

This would be my vote, tell me you wouldn't be pumped up for battle after hearing this song.

This. I’m all about this.

50 hour bath done @135 Now ready for 3 hrs on the Webber Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well it's the thought that counts.

Best one I’ve made yet. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Probably my favorite pics from the day

oh ffs.

Happy Down the Brits Day!

Right back at ya, D3

The mission statement, the challenge, and working with motivated A players. —— As per Musk: “So the goal is to have Twitter be the best source of truth, the most timely and accurate source of truth, even if the truth is something we don't want to hear or unpleasant or whatever, but have it be timely and accurate and where you can really understand what's going on.”Mar 7, 2023 —— Twitter's mission is to give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly without barriers.

Not now. I am trying to increase the family balance over the work priority, saying no to requests more often, and I think more about coaching than work. Not so long ago, yes.

Yep that's it... I watched that a few years ago. Wrestling is extremely difficult, but doing it with a disability and being successful with it is beyond impressive. Guys like Hamil, Robles, Ackerman, etc. are the toughest of the tough IMO.

I think there’s always going to be some subjectivity, but don’t think we should be really adding more. I could get on board with a shot clock of some sort though. Maybe something like: Whoever has choice in the 2nd and 3rd periods has 1:00 minute to score (which could possibly include going over 1:00 in RT, and could also possibly be null if the other guy scores instead) or they receive a stall call. Using the 1:00 mark in the period would make it a little more simple for refs to keep track IMO, and they are already keeping track of who had choice at the start of the period. For one I think this would encourage more guys to choose bottom and we see more mat wrestling, which seems to be a concern of some that with the 3pt takedown it will just become all neutral wrestling. This could also help how we often don’t see any stall calls until there’s ~15 seconds left in the match when they don’t mean much.

@Husker_Du What are your predictions on where Cody Merrill to land? He is one of the last big time recruits in this class. I know you said Stanford is still in the mix but I’m curious on what his recruiting process may look like now. I’m excited to see him at Fargo against a great field of HWT prospects at Fargo

nice set up, Rasta

I had never heard of A Shot in the Dark before. The link to the trailer I posted I found when searching for a different TCNJ wrestler. Anthony Ferraro would have been at TCNJ around 2014-2018. I recall seeing a blind wrestler represent TCNJ at a tournament maybe 10 years earlier than that. As I recall he needed a teammate to lead him around by the arm and I'm pretty sure he won his first match by fall. There was more applause than normal and he stood up with a big smile on his face and his teammate lead him off the mat. It was pretty cool. I'm pretty sure it was this guy - Brandon Scott. Here is a little info I found on him. "Ferris was also proud of coaching Brandon Scott, a blind wrestler who was a two-time district champion and placed fourth in the region twice under Ferris’s tutelage." https://archive.centraljersey.com/2002/03/01/scott-continues-to-win-and-takes-home-district-22-title/

Picture floating around various corners of the internet with Trump and Nauta together today, despite a judge’s order that they not see each other. Yet another charge added to the docket. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wonder what percentage of young voters will see they’ve been used as a political pawn? Combine this with inflation, rising interest rates, urban destabilization, funding wars, etc., some might feel they were better off with the prior administrations policies.

Interested to see some of these cooks come out tomorrow…. I got a dozen or so people coming, big menu: St. Louis Ribs; pulled chicken; pulled brisket, Mac n cheese, variety of melons, variety of veggies, home made cucumber salsa. Added some furniture down at the PitDock, but man it’s going to be a hot mutha…..

As of Jun 26, these are the numbers of entrants per https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/11072503-mens-freestyle-entries-for-the-budapest-ranking-series 57 - 23 entrants 61 - 14 entrants 65 - 23 entrants 70 - 15 entrants 74 - 19 entrants 79 - 14 entrants 86 - 28 entrants 92 - 11 entrants 97 - 20 entrants 125 - 19 entrants The number of entrants for non Olympic weights is fairly drastic. They have no more than 15 entrants averaging 13.5 entrants per weight. The Olympic weights have more participants with an average of 22 participants. For what it is worth. mspart

Amen. For so many reasons

Christ! Wrestling can not get here soon enough...

This is the thing for me, leaning more the conservative side of things but no way in hell I could ever vote for Trump or any MAGA. Policies are great but as we have seen policies change at the stroke of a pen, and can do so every four years. But as soon as someone takes it over and establishes themselves as the authoritarian ruler of the country.......that's all over. And that can't take place without the help of people in places like congress and judicial benches.

I know I'm not who you asked, but I'm going to chime in anyway. Answer... Most of them from some number of years ago. The BIG problem I have with current R policy is economics. Truth be told, pure volume wise, I have more problems with D policy, but the rape and plunder of the Middle Class by the Rs' (mostly) policy outweighs the rest for me. Rhetorical question... Are those rich guys pockets ever going to get full? (I know the answer.)

Someone got realllllly bored during the derecho

Well, death hasn't stopped me from hanging up the ban hammer yet.

this 100%

Master Yoda was only 2'2". Argument invalidated.

Like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so I decided to go to Morganville which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So, I tied an onion to my belt which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel. And in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on ‘em. ‘Give me five bees for a quarter,’ you’d say. Now, where were we? Oh, yeah! The important thing was that I had an onion on my belt which was the style at the time. They didn’t have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones.

Ted Williams was one of the greatest hitters of all times. He didn't last long as a manager, though, because he couldn't understand why everyone couldn't hit .400 like him.

I’ll bite: Spencer is more desirable for the Iowa job. Jordan is more desirable for every other job.

Interesting timing for this announcement. Seems like JG has always been a tweener for the Olympic weights. Not powerful enough to bump up and beat the best at 74kg, but too strenuous of a cut to 65kg to compete at the peak levels he reached at 70kg in non-Olympic seasons. Another guy who seems to fit in this same category is Zain Retherford. Hoping James can beat the odds.

Just call it top NCAA placers instead of top wrestlers. All they did was rank them in order of placement points. Not exactly a deeply thought out set of rankings.

cool info. Logan Stieber however was not an Olympic champ.

Never say Never. I wish James all the luck in the world. I would think he could make a good run of it. mspart

Haha, nice try. This forum is chock full of Twitter links. Mike Parrish made a daily habit of posting Twitter links to rile up conservatives. Followed by an lololol of course. How about you stop following me and leaving me personal messages.