SocraTease

No talk of injury, yes? He dominated his first match, right? Leading up to Worlds, he was solid at Final X and previous matches, correct? He was coming off an Olympic Silver, and the finals there was relatively close, if I recall. So consternation is warranted. Sometimes, there are just bad matchups. Or one isn't mentally in the game against an opponent. Or things start off poorly, and seem to go downhill. Look at what happened to Simone Biles. She just lost it for a while. Or the Japanese tennis player. Very elite baseball players sometimes can't buy a hit or get a throw to first. Or, closer to home, Dake and Borroughs getting smashed once ... at the Olympics (was it?). Who knows? Maybe Lee will share something. Maybe not. More importantly, I think, is how he responds the next few times out. I bet most of us who have wrestled or competed in sports at a serious level have a head-scratching loss or two

Who are some of the other big (or at least known) names (to most American fans anyway) who weren't (aren't) there at Worlds this year? Yazdani, Chamizo, Sadulaev (visa issues), Musukaev, Petriashvilli, Dake (lost domestically), Burroughs (lost domestically), Akgul, Micic, Ono (at Penn State), Arujau (lost domestically), Salkazanov, Taylor (retired), Cox (retired), Myles Amine Perhaps some of these faded into the sunset .... ? Or a changing of the guard? Updates on any of these guys?

He lost to Iranian (3-2 I think) to the Iranian, who Snyder will see in the finals. The Iranian put a lot of pressure on him, as Iranians are wont to do with underhooks and pushouts.

The "Democratic" People's Republic of Korea. What a joke. . The regime is a hereditary dictatorship that severely represses its people, and its practices stand in direct opposition to the concepts of democracy and human rights.

Why the hell didn't Carr get 2 for the apparent TD out of bounds? Why didn't Metcalf challenge that? And what kind of "fleeing the mat" was that? (It looked like a normal 1 point push out) So many questions, so little time (left)

Everyone else may need to go down (Dake) or up in weight (Hidlay, Starocci, Marsteller, McCenelly) after Zahid's dominance ... though they might not do so

Are brackets available tomorrow (Friday), which I guess it technically is now in Croatia (and even on the East coast of the US) ... or do they keep us in the dark until closer to weigh-ins? Anyone have a sense (or recollection) about this?

He looks, well, scruffier, which works. But clearly he is not wrestling freestyle right now or he would be sporting a more full beard. It seems to be de rigueur, especially internationally. Hmm. Why is that?

DT vs. Cael

Seems to conflict with this messaging and advertising. Oh, the contradictions:

Yianni is 2-0 against Bajrang

I think he was Olympic Bronze. Also has three Bronze medals at Worlds and one Silver

What a punk that Armenian kid is who boxed ... I mean "wrestled" Blaze. DQ-ed for hitting Blaze some many times in the face and head

Over on the Penn State forum, a lot of the cult members (who preach "In Cael We Trust") are either defending Starocci (passively, actively, or passive aggressively), criticizing the reporting (when they are also unaware of what fully happened), or questioning Bartlett's account, words, or actions in either staying at Penn State through the years or now leaving. It's such a cult obsessed with Iowa; prone to religiosity; and focused on excommunicating anyone who doesn't toe the party line. While one naturally shouldn't "convict" solely on this basis, Starocci's character, as evidenced by his words, tweets, macho posturing and preening, threats to others, and self-involvement have repeatedly raised questions about who he really is; whereas Bartlett comes across as a likable stand-up guy, a supportive team member, and a humble athlete who respects his opponents.

A brief overview of the scandal: https://abcnews.go.com/US/rep-jim-jordan-turned-blind-eye-sex-abuse/story?id=104060698