Tag: Storm

Watch: Dolphins share large waves with California surfers

The acrobatic mammals seem to enjoy surfing large waves as much as their human counterparts.

Bottlenose dolphins, like surfers, love to ride big waves – even if that means sharing the waves with surfers.

The accompanying footage, showing dolphins leaping next to surfers at Rincon near Santa Barbara, was shared Friday by Surfline, along with the  clever intro:

“If you get dropped in on at Rincon, it was most likely on porpoise.”

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A post shared by Surfline (@surfline)

Surfline used the footage, credited to Nick Liotta, as part of its prediction for more large surf to slam the region Saturday, courtesy of a powerful west-northwest swell.

The main surfer in the footage might have been Spencer Fanticola, who commented below the video: “Best wave of my life.”

Despite MLS and MLB moving Los Angeles games, NFL to play Saints-Chargers as scheduled

Despite MLB and MLS moving Los Angeles games ahead of Hurricane Hilary, the NFL plans to play Saints-Chargers as scheduled at leaky SoFi Stadium. Bring a poncho:

A tropical storm is set to make landfall in Los Angeles for the first time in 84 years, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and other decision-makers in the league office are determined to play Sunday night’s exhibition game on its established schedule, per multiple reports.

So the New Orleans Saints will kick off with the Chargers while Hurricane Hilary barrels up the West Coast, with damaging winds and torrential rain expected to hit the area around SoFi Stadium as early as Sunday evening, per the National Hurricane Center. The exhibition game will be broadcast on NFL Network at 6 p.m. CT/4 p.m. PT, and it’s the only football game on the league’s Sunday schedule.

SoFi Stadium does have a roof, but it isn’t a wholly indoor venue. It doesn’t have fully enclosed walls and gaps in the roof have left rain in before. So bring a poncho if you’ve got tickets.

It would have cost the NFL next to nothing to move kickoff up four, five, or six hours to give both teams, officials, fans, and media covering the game more time to prepare for the expected severe weather or evacuate the area. Other pro sports teams like Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels, as well as Major League Soccer’s LAFC and LA Galaxy, decided to reschedule their Sunday games and play double-headers on Saturday.

That wasn’t a viable option for the Saints and Chargers with the Los Angeles Rams scheduled to play at SoFi Stadium on Saturday evening, but the NFL still could have simply moved its kickoff time up a few hours. Instead they risk putting people in danger, and for what? So their panelists can show highlights from Saturday’s preseason games on Sunday afternoon? It’s a bad decision by Goodell and the league office. Hopefully no one gets hurt because of it.

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Seattle Kraken clinch a playoff spot, join Seahawks and Mariners

The Kraken will look to bring the Stanley Cup back to Seattle for the first time since 1917

In only their second year of existence in the National Hockey League, the Seattle Kraken are playoff bound! Seattle clinched on Thursday night following their 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. For the first time in franchise history, the Kraken will be among the few teams to earn the privilege of competing for the Stanley Cup.

It is a remarkable turnaround for Seattle, who finished dead last in the Pacific Division with a record of 27-49-6 in their inaugural season. Now, they will look to bring Lord Stanley’s Cup back to the Emerald City for the first time since 1917… when the Seattle Metropolitans became the first American team to win it.

While it’s an exciting time to be a Kraken fan, the bigger picture here is how exciting it is to be a Seattle sports fan in general. The City of Seattle is in rarified air this year when it comes to their teams.

Joining the Seahawks, Kraken and Mariners are the Storm, Seattle’s WBNA team. This year marks the most teams Seattle has sent to the playoffs since the 2018 season.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 17th, and according to USA TODAY‘s projections, the Kraken could very well take on the reigning champion Colorado Avalanche.

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New York Liberty vs. Seattle Storm odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s New York Liberty vs. Seattle Storm match up, with WNBA betting odds, picks and best bets.

The New York Liberty and Seattle Storm tip off the WNBA regular season Saturday at noon ET at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in the league’s bubble site, or “Wubble” – which the players have been calling it. We analyze the Liberty-Storm WNBA betting odds and lines, with betting advice and tips around the matchup.

The Storm have picked up five consecutive victories in their head-to-head series vs. the Liberty. New York’s last win in the series was way back on July 6, 2017. In addition to going 5-0 straight up (SU) vs. the Liberty, the Storm are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) during the stretch. The Under has also cashed in five of the previous six meetings.

Liberty vs. Storm: By the Numbers

  • We’ll see the long-anticipated debut of Liberty rookie G Sabrina Ionescu, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft. She was the first player in NCAA history to post at least 2,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds and 1,000 career assists while at the University of Oregon.
  • The Storm will be without coach Dan Hughes, who is avoiding the bubble since a medical assessment diagnosed him a high risk if he contracted the coronavirus. He missed time last season due to cancer treatments. Assistant Gary Kloppenburg will step in and serve as the head coach.
  • The Storm (+400) are among the favorites to win the 2020 WNBA Championship, sharing the second-best odds with the Los Angeles Sparks and just behind the defending champion Washington Mystics (+250). The Liberty (+2500) are considered a long shot – only three teams have worse odds.

WNBA season is finally here! Get some action on the 2020 season with an WNBA bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!

Liberty vs. Storm: Key injuries

Liberty

  • G Rebecca Allen opted out of the bubble due to COVID-19 risks.
  • G Asia Durr opted out due to COVID-19 risks.
  • F Megan Walker (COVID-19 concerrns) out.

Liberty vs. Storm: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

WNBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Saturday at 10:35 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Storm 77, Liberty 73

Moneyline (ML)

The Liberty (+450) are an intriguing play as underdogs, but the Storm (-625) are still the gold standard in the Western Conference, and perhaps all of the WNBA.

PASS on the lack of value.

Against the spread (ATS)

The spread is -10.5 for Seattle (-110), and with their head coach leading the way, perhaps NEW YORK (+10.5, -110) is able to keep it fairly close.

Over/Under (O/U)

The UNDER 153.5 (-110) has been a regular happening when these two teams get together. The Liberty should have a nice infusion of offense with Ionescu, but take the Under until further notice.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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