Macca

The issue with RG3 is that since his knee injury he seems to have lost his mobility, pace and sharpness. So much so that Washington didn't even really want to suit him up ... there might be other issues as well. I hope he comes good because his first year was very impressive and he looked like he was going to have a bright future ... Kaepernick is another who seemed to have the world at his feet but his form fell away alarmingly as well. Being the QB for the Browns is no easy gig, no matter how talented a QB might be ... Goff and/or Wentz may well be breathing a huge sigh of relief in all reality. Being at the helm in LA or Philadelphia is far more enticing.

And the other big story is the Browns passing up the opportunity to draft Goff or Wentz. Not sure Cleveland know when to pull the trigger and when not to, given their recent history. RG3 might come good but he may not. You don't ever want to be 2nd guessing yourself and it looks like the Browns might be doing just that.

Couple of highlights packages for both Goff and Wentz, Gorgo ... the pundits are saying that they'll go 1 & 2 in the draft. Cleveland have the 2nd pick and unless something changes, they'll just pick whoever the Rams don't pick.

So is it Goff or Wentz? The Rams have probably already decided much like the Demons went after pick 3 to get Oliver. Anyway, both players look to have game but maybe only one of them becomes a star ... choose well and your team might be set up for 10-15 years. Good decision to go trade for that pick too - gotta take chances in this league.

All of a sudden the title race has tightened up appreciably ... and all it took was one round of matches. I 'originally' thought that the title was going to be decided on the last day and that may still happen ... Spurs need to keep winning though. Also, Leicester will miss Vardy and he might be out for more than 1 game.

A 2-2 draw between Leicester and West Ham adds a twist to proceedings. Leicester scoring in the last minute means they're now 8 points ahead of Tottenham ... effectively, if Spurs win at Stoke tomorrow they'll be 5 points behind the Foxes. And they'll need to win at Stoke with only 4 games to go after tomorrow. Spurs need to win out to have a hope of catching Leicester anyway (IMO) Vardy being sent off means he will miss the next game vs Swansea ... and that's probably a bigger blow for Leicester than drawing the game tonight. His 'dive' which brought his 2nd yellow card might have even been given as a penalty ... it continues to confound me why soccer never has a replay facility for incidences within the box. West Ham would be miffed that they didn't win the game but a draw was probably a fair result. I would have preferred a win of course but we weren't at our best tonight (although the Cresswell goal was a beauty)

Still haven't quite given up on a top 4 spot for West Ham but we'd almost certainly have to win our last 6 games and hope that Man City slip up ... big ask for both things to happen but I suppose you just never know (although City seem to have a slightly tougher run home) The Gunners should hang on to 3rd. Anyway, we (the Hammers) have got some nice momentum heading into the new stadium next season (we now just need a rich benefactor to jump on board!) It's Leicester's title to lose now and barring a meltdown, they'll win it. Their last 3 are tricky though, all the same ... @ Man Utd, vs Everton and then @ Chelsea ... hosting West Ham next up and that won't be easy either. Tottenham need to keep winning as well of course. Arsenal are too far back you'd reckon. Here's the table again (this table magically adjusts itself too - I've no idea how that happens)

Here's the playoff picture .... my tips in dark italics (I'll get at least 3 wrong) Washington vs Philadelphia Florida vs New York Islanders Pittsburgh vs New York Rangers Tampa Bay vs Detroit Dallas vs Minnesota Anaheim vs Nashville Los Angeles vs San Jose St. Louis vs Chicago

Looks like the Shark has got some company after that Jordan Spieth meltdown ... hard to believe his 3rd shot into the water on 12 (Jordan's tee shot into the water on the same hole was bad enough but to hit it fat like that was astonishing) Anyway, Danny Willett played very well and is a worthy champion but this year's tournament is going to be remembered for other reasons ... all the same, Willett is ranked 12 in the World and could quite conceivably go on and become a multiple major winner. Once again the back 9 on the final day at Augusta was filled with high drama. Spieth will no doubt be back in contention soon enough but it will be interesting to see how he fares the next time he confronts 'Amen Corner'. .

Yeah, a thrilling finish too ... Hayman is turning 38 in just over a week so to win the Paris-Roubaix at this late stage of his career is some sort of achievement. Broke his arm six weeks ago as well - he wins at his 16th try at the event. Well done Mathew!

Long ball from Drinkwater through to Vardy (again) and just like that, Leicester score. It's so simple in it's execution, but it's worked all season ... defend, defend, defend and then counter attack. Sunderland have to throw caution to the wind as relegation looms large if they lose this match ... 70 minutes in and it's 1-0 in favour of the Foxes. Edit: Vardy scores again late (what an excellent opportunist he is) and Leicester win 2-0 ... now 10 points clear with Tottenham needing to win vs Man Utd tonight to get within 7 points - all the same, it's a tough ask to catch them now. .

3-3 at Upton Park ... excellent game too. Neither side deserved to lose. Arsenal needed the win to keep their hopes alive though ... still, both the Hammers and Gunners put on a great show (Carroll scored a hat-trick whilst Arsenal did have a lot of possession and didn't stop attacking) We'll have to wait for tomorrow night to see Leicester (at Sunderland) and Spurs (vs Man Utd) in action.

The 16 playoff teams are nearly settled and once again the Stanley cup race is wide open ... one could make a case for any number of teams to win it. It's up for grabs, that's for sure. The Bruins may even miss out altogether whilst Pittsburgh have won 9 of their last 10 and might be the team to beat (they'll probably play the Rangers or Islanders first up) Nearly all the division seedings are still undecided with only Washington clinching the top seed in their division (so far) ... once again, it promises to be a fascinating post-season. 2 months of playoff hockey - bliss!

Spurs drop 2 vital points at Liverpool but can Leicester take advantage tonight? (their game vs Southampton starts at 10.30pm - AEST) The Foxes have a chance to go 7 points clear and they've got unprecedented support to do so ... I hope they get the win because it would just add to a great story.

You'll need to win out starting with St Louis tomorrow (our time) ... and then hope Minnesota slips up. It's possible but Minnesota would have to drop at least 2 games ... ya never know

It seems every match involving any of the top 7-8 teams has a lot riding on it ... not forgetting the relegation battle that seems to have settled on one of Norwich, Newcastle or Sunderland staying up (Villa now look completely gone) Palace & Swansea should stay up but both teams still need a couple/few wins each to be absolutely safe. So it's Leicester vs Newcastle tomorrow at 7am (with Benitez now the new boss of the Geordies)

I've been demonised (possessed) Just in time for the footy season - I'm calling it my combative mode.

Watched the incident and putting aside the weirdness of what happened, he'll either cop a lengthy ban or he might cop a smaller sentence or a reasonably small sentence - much depends on what Barry might have to say. He'll almost certainly be out for the next 3 regardless because of the red card. As for 4th spot, I reckon 2nd or 3rd isn't restricted to just a few sides fighting for those prized CL positions ... such has been the nature of the season that nothing would surprise me. At Southampton next up for your blokes - that won't be easy as they're thereabouts as well.

Wow, great stuff hardtack! The great thing with music and all it's genre's is there is a seemingly endless supply - in many ways we're spoilt for choice ... discovering* new music doesn't have to mean it was made recently. I preferred the earlier stuff from Chicago as well ... I've always found it fascinating how a number of bands/artists run out of ideas where as others just change direction and can often remain successful by doing so. *With regards to the movies, great books, some TV etc etc, the same discoveries go on ... (especially with jazz) I tend to treat it all the same way whether it's new or old. .

And Man City can only manage a point at Norwich ... loads of possession but the sky blues just couldn't create enough chances (considering the talent that was show) Now 9 points behind Leicester with 9 games left ... it's getting harder and harder to see them winning the title.

And what Chicago became ended up appealing to many others (who were perhaps born later and missed their early stuff) Music is like that. As an example, Steely Dan started off as a (sort of) commercial band which I was a bit beige about and then went non-commercial with 'The Royal Scam' & 'Aja' (which is the stuff that I really really loved) and then went a bit commercial again with 'Gaucho' (which I really liked but didn't love) And there are numerous people who don't like Steely Dan at all - it takes all types. It's definitely a generational thing and we are all heavily influenced by the period in our lives of say the ages of 15 - 25 (or thereabouts) ... especially around that 17-22 age period. After that, anything new has to be really good for one to accept it readily (IMO) ... or, the music has to remind us or take one back to when we were heavily influenced. Over the years, I've learned to appreciate almost anything. That's my take on it anyway 'ht' ... and then there's the brass influence in rock that seems to only appeal to a certain amount of people. To this day, I still am blown away by the 'Peter Gunn theme' ... Tinsley Waterhouse used to do a great version when I used to see them at the Station Hotel (Prahran) Here's a couple more with that brass influence ... more BST and Chicago (the first clip is a little 'different') ... btw, the other music thread that 'nutbean' started is a beaut - couple of really good venues there with a lot of favourites from the past appearing (not forgetting of course the jazz thread kicked off by JJ)

Here's a couple with a heavy brass influence ... Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago

Osweiler moving is a bit of a shock but money talks (if that was the main reason) ... 72 million is a lot of dosh though. Sanchez being signed by Denver seems a bit bland - have the Broncos got someone else in mind as well? There are strong rumours surrounding Kaepernick going to Denver but he's been made an offer by the Browns (and Kap wants to go Cleveland too - ??) Denver Broncos acquire quarterback Mark Sanchez

And you've got a game in hand too Cards ... what is your run home like?

Yeah, I'm officially excited and it's a very strange feeling ... unknown territory. A bit like our Demons in '87 after only knowing mediocre seasons for so long. The truth is we've got 5 very winnable games of the 9 remaining fixtures when considering how well the team is playing (vs Arsenal, @ Leicester, @ Chelsea & vs Man Utd will all be very tough but we might even snag a win and a draw or 2 out of those 4 games) Then, we'll need 2 of the other 5 teams to really slip up but who knows? Sakho is already making a difference after coming back from injury. It's just great to be part of the conversation. The Spurs/Arsenal game had draw written all over it but Leicester gained another 2 points on both sides ... the Foxes are not over the line yet though ... Ranieri will need to use all his experience and guile to guide them through. And yes, it was a wonderful goal by Harry Kane - one of the best of the season.