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Comparing Metta World Peace’s Flying Elbow to Raffi Torres’ Cheap Shot

by on April 24, 2012

Some athletes just will never learn the difference between aggression and violence. The best way to teach them is to slap them with lengthy suspensions and hefty fines.

For Raffi Torres of the Phoenix Coyotes, that means a 25-game suspension for his hit on the Chicago Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa. It is a well-deserved punishment for a repeat offender and a lifetime goon.

For the ironically named Metta World Peace, a suspension will be forthcoming as well. Hopefully, it will be a big one. I think it would be appropriate if he sits 10 to 15 games.

Let’s put these two dirty plays side-to-side, starting with Torres’s, and determine which one was more severe.

Raffi Torres

Torres left his feet to hit a player who didn’t have the puck in the head. That’s unacceptable on three fronts.

But it was a hockey play, even if it was a dirty and illegal one. It occurred within the flow of the game, and though it was poor judgment by Torres, you will see a peel-back hit like that happen from time-to-time.

But Torres deserved the suspension he received nonetheless. He’s a repeat offender, and he provided the perfect storm for the NHL and Brendan Shanahan to send a message in what has been a rather violent postseason.

Torres took out one of the Chicago Blackhawks best players in Hossa, who had to be taken away on a stretcher. since suspensions have been doled out in part due to whether or not the play in question caused injury, it’s no surprise Torres got hammered.

But, just as importantly, the play created even more bad publicity for the league, and they had to put their foot down.

Had it been a player with a lesser history of dirty play, the suspension would not have been 25 games. But history catches up with us all, and in this case, Torres’s history as a goon came back to haunt him.

Metta World Peace

What the hell was he thinking?

This didn’t come in the midst of a rebound, or in a scrap between the two players where tempers between the pair were high.

Nope, World Peace threw an elbow at James Harden after a routine dunk for absolutely no reason at all.

In the real world, that’s called assault.

Metta World Peace is a joke. He’s a sideshow, a loose cannon that can’t be expected to control his own emotions or aggression. instead of adding anything to the game, he constantly finds a way to take away the integrity and dignity of the sport.

Under no circumstance is what he did acceptable. truly, if the NBA simply banned him for the remainder of the regular and postseason, I’d be fine with it. It simply isn’t acceptable to toss elbows around like that and inflict damage for no reason.

Again, if he and Harden had been scrapping and things got intense between the two and that happened, it would be different. Harden would have helped to escalate the situation, and while throwing an elbow at someone else’s face is never tolerable, it would have been more understandable.

But this was deplorable. He can give himself a new name or claim he’s changed all he wants—World Peace remains the black eye of the NBA.

Verdict

Torres’s hit was undoubtedly more dangerous. He approached Hossa at full speed, leveling the entirety of his weight into him as his shoulder drove into his chin.

But World Peace’s hit was more astonishing. He just threw an elbow at the side of James Harden’s head, seemingly for no reason. Maybe the two were getting chippy before that, but that simply doesn’t warrant going Jon Jones on someone.

So Torres wins for the blatant disregard to another man’s well-being he displayed. and World Peace wins for the sheer insanity and inexplicable nature of his action.

And the NHL and NBA loses for both.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets always hit the spot, like Philip Humber.

Pittsburgh Penguins (48-25-6) at Boston Bruins (47-28-4), 7:30 p.m. (ET)

by on April 21, 2012

with three games remaining until the playoffs, the Boston Bruins have nothing left to do but get ready to defend their Stanley Cup championship.On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Penguins have plenty to play for.the Pens look to keep their grip on the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed this evening with a victory over the Northeast Division-champion Bruins.Boston secured its second division title in a row and the second seed in the East with its victory over the new York Rangers on Sunday night. the win gave the Bruins six more points than the Senators with three games to play and Boston owns the tiebreaker with four more non-shootout wins.Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has lost four of its past six games and Sunday afternoon’s 6-4 setback to visiting Philadelphia trimmed the Pens’ lead over the Flyers for the fourth seed in the East to just a single point. Both teams have three games remaining in the regular season and the Flyers host the Rangers this evening.with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh likely to meet in the first round of the playoffs, the Penguins might not want the fourth seed and home-ice advantage. the Penguins have lost all five of their games versus the Flyers at the CONSOL Energy Center since it opened in October of 2010, giving up five straight goals to Philadelphia on Sunday after getting first-period tallies from Steve Sullivan and James Neal.Sullivan ended with two goals, Chris Kunitz tallied and Sidney Crosby, Pascal Dupuis and Evgeni Malkin all ended with two assists. Malkin leads the NHL with 104 points, while Dupuis has logged nine goals and 10 assists over a 14-game point streak, the longest such run in the NHL this season.Marc-Andre Fleury yielded five goals on 25 shots and was prevented from matching Tom Barrasso’s franchise record of 226 career victories.”I think we did some really good things,” Crosby said. “The big thing for us is that we made some big mistakes. We had some good chances, but we can’t afford to make mistakes and expect to win.”Crosby, who has missed most of this season due to concussion-like symptoms and a neck injury, also took exception to a cross check from behind by Philadelphia’s Brayden Schenn, and a hit by Pittsburgh’s Joe Vitale on Danny Briere sparked a melee with 63 seconds left to play that saw all 10 players on the ice engage. Penguins assistant coach Tony Granato also got into a heated exchanged with Flyers’ head coach Peter Laviolette, and both were tossed from the game.”Sidney took exception to a hit,” Bylsma said of the scrum. “There were 10 guys joined together near center ice and, from what I can gather, their coach didn’t like a hit, took a stick and broke it over the glass, and that stick ended up in our bench.”The Pens and Flyers will meet again in Pittsburgh on Saturday to end the regular season. First, the Penguins will take on a Bruins team that is coming off a 2-1 victory over the Rangers, their seventh in the past nine games.Dennis Seidenberg and Patrice Bergeron scored the goals and Tim Thomas made 33 saves to lock up the division. Zdeno Chara, named the NHL’s second Star of the week on Monday, logged an assist to give him eight points over a five-game point streak.”Theoretically, we have plenty of time to get that extra two points, but why wait,” Thomas said about securing the division title. “We had a chance to seal it up and take all the hope out of Ottawa’s sails. It’s nice to do.”Boston will now use its final three games this season to get ready for the postseason and could be without center Gregory Campbell due to a bruised foot that held him out of Sunday’s win.the Penguins have won four of five and seven of their last 10 versus the Bruins, including four straight in Boston. That is one shy of the club-best five-game win streak the club had in Beantown from March 27, 1993-March 4, 1995.Malkin was named the NHL’s second Star for the month of March after leading all skaters with 23 points in 15 games. He posted his fourth five-point game of the season with a two-goal, three-assist effort versus the Jets on March 20 and has four points in three games versus the Bruins this season.

Pittsburgh Penguins (48-25-6) at Boston Bruins (47-28-4), 7:30 p.m. (ET)

Miami Heat Trivia: Are You On Fire?

by on April 20, 2012

The Miami Heat might not have had the greatest of times in the 2007 season, but those of you who are Heat fans still burn for victories. As you hold onto the chance that next season will burn brighter, you hope that a fire will be lit under some of your favorite players. until next season begins, you have the history of the Miami Heat to keep you company, or at least occupied. Take our Miami Heat quiz to find out if you’re on fire or if you could use a few more coals.

1. Businessmen Ted Arison is credited with helping bring NBA basketball to Miami. he is also credited with being the founder of what cruise line?

a. Carnival Cruise Lines

b. Celebrity Cruises

c. Royal Caribbean Cruises

2. who was Miami Heat’s first head coach?

3. In the Miami Heat’s inaugural season, they set an NBA record by losing how many games before gaining their first victory?

4. What year did the Miami Heat make the playoffs for the first time?

5. when Pat Riley became head coach, he surprised everyone by trading Glen Rice and Matt Geiger for whom?

d. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

6. In the late 1990′s, what team did the Miami Heat develop a huge rivalry with?

a. the New York Knicks

b. the Orlando Magic

c. the Charlotte Hornets

d. the Jacksonville Jaguars

7. following the 2000 Olympics, Alonzo Mourning was forced to miss most of the NBA season because of what?

c. A kidney disorder

d. he was busy washing his hair

8. where did Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade attend college?

a. Marquette University

d. Wellesley College

9. on December 12, 2005, what happened with the Miami Heat?

a. Shaquille O’Neal was acquired in a trade

b. Pat Riley became head coach for the second time

c. Dwyane Wade scored 100 points

d. the team went Christmas Caroling

10. who did the Miami Heat beat in the 2006 NBA Finals?

a. the Houston Rockets

b. the San Antonio Spurs

c. the Dallas Mavericks

d. the Harlem Globetrotters

Answers: 1. a. Carnival Cruise Lines; 2. c. Ron Rothstein; 3. c. 17; 4. b. 1992; 5. c. Alonzo Mourning; 6. a. the New York Knicks; 7. c. A kidney disorder; 8. a. Marquette University; 9. b. Pat Riley became head coach for the second time; 10. c. the Dallas Mavericks.

See how you did:

9-10 Correct: you know your Miami Heat: it’s fair to say you are hot. no one holds a flame to you.

6-8 Correct: Maybe you’re not hot, but you’re definitely luke warm.

4-5 Correct: not horrible, but not great either. you could benefit from setting the furnace at a little higher temperature.

Less than three: Ice Ice baby.too cold.

Miami Heat Trivia: Are You On Fire?

March Madness Notes

by on April 19, 2012

UCLA didn’t become the Number 2 team in the country on accident. The Bruins won 28 games this year beating Maryland, Michigan State, Michigan, Stanford, Washington State, Arizona, etc. they have key players in every position. Even though the Bruins have earned their ranking they’ve also had a lot of help. UCLA has rolled down the Pac 10 stretch, with 7 straight wins to leave Stanford in the dust. although, some people think they may have gotten lucky their last 3 games.

The Bruins knew senior night on a Pac 10 rival floor would be hard to win. it was made even harder when Lute Olson came to honor Arizona’s seniors for their final home game. The Bruins almost blew a 67-63 lead with less than 50 seconds but then started to get lucky. Jerryd Bayless only connected on 1 out of 2 free throws late. after they batted the rebound out of bounds, Arizona had a chance to win or tie but Bayless missed the buzzer shot and the Bruins walked away with the W.

The zebra led the Bruins out of harms way, forcing an overtime session where UCLA went on a 14-4 run to beat the Cardinal 77-67. they were in trouble for most of the game. The Lopez twins were all over love and the Bruins ended up with a season low 18 points in the first half. however, thanks to coach Ben Howland’s ability to make halftime adjustments, they ended up with a 45 point second frame.

Josh Shipp’s shot with 1.5 seconds left gave the Bruins an 81-80 victory over Cal. however, it was questionable as to whether or not the shot should have counted. Shipp’s jumper appeared to come from behind the backboard which would have been in direct violation of NCAA rules which states that the ball should be out of bounds when it passes over the backboard from any direction. Despite requests from an angry Cal coach Ben Braun, Dave Libbey said that the play was very close and not reviewable. Cal forward Ryan Anderson was mugged by Westbrook and Shipp with 17 seconds left which forced a turnover that gave Shipp a chance to win the game.

The real question going into March Madness isn’t whether or not the Bruins are getting calls, it’s how long it will last. things always seem to have a way of evening things out in the end.

Penguins Seek A 60-Minute Effort In Game 4

by on April 18, 2012

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) — Two painful truths are present for these Pittsburgh Penguins.

One, they have dominated the Philadelphia Flyers for considerable stretches of periods and still lost.

Two, they have fallen asleep for considerable stretches of periods, directly contributing to those losses.

Both have combined to result in a 3-games-to-none hole in which the Penguins will attempt to climb out of in this first round series against Philadelphia. Game 4 is at 7:30 p.m.

“We’ve got to find a way to put together a full game,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “That’s really what it comes down to. I think there has been a lot of periods in games where we’ve looked really good, but there’s also times when we’ve made big mistakes. We’ve got to put a full game together here.”

From the drop of the puck in Game 1, Pittsburgh was the far better team. However, the third period was a different story, as the Flyers tied the game and then won it in overtime, 4-3.

Game 2 featured another dominating first period and a 3-1 Penguins advantage. The following two periods were far more inconsistent and the Flyers ended up with a 8-5 win.

More of those inconsistencies carried over into Game 3 and, despite Jordan Staal putting the Penguins ahead, 1-0, Philadelphia constantly had an answer to Pittsburgh’s offensive output. The Flyers eventually won, 8-5, beating the Penguins in nearly every facet of the game.

“I don’t think we are frustrated. We’re not happy about the situation,” Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said. “they are close games. We’re making mistakes and they make us pay every time. I think right now we need to just play one shift at a time, play one period at a time and making sure we win those shifts, win those periods. We’ll go from there. There is no plan of trying to get a goal back or anything like that. we just have to focus on (the) next shift every time.“

A large factor in the Penguins’ woes has been special teams play. All told, Philadelphia has nine special teams goals — three shorthanded and six with the man-advantage.

That, Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma says, has to stop to provide any chance of coming back in this series.

“We’ve given up nine special-teams goals,” he said. “That’s been a big factor in games. in Games 2 and 3 it’s really (been) the factor in the game. Both the shorthanded goals and the power-play goals we’ve given up have been a real factor. in Game 1, we (lost) the special teams (battle, too).”

Bylsma added that special teams struggles are in stark contrast to what the Penguins were able to do in the regular season, which has contributed to three losses to start this series.

“Minus the one empty-netter, the other ones have been four in the offensive zone for Philly, three on the rush and two from turnovers in the neutral zone. those are the breakdown of those goals. But the real factor, and I think it’s different from what we saw before, was special teams situations, both our penalty kill and the shorthanded goals. “

Which brings to mind the whole 60-minute effort idea, which was echoed throughout the locker room Tuesday.

With consistent effort for 60 minutes comes fewer penalties and, typically, a better chance to win than was the case in Games 1, 2 and 3. Crosby said Pittsburgh will “leave it all out there” tonight in Game 4.

“everyone has got their own reasons for why we’re losing and their own opinions,” he said. “They’re entitled to those. But we know in this room we still have yet to put a game together. That’s no one’s fault but our own. There’s nothing we can do about that now. The only opportunity that we have is to make it better next game. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Shea Weber Needs to Be Suspended for Dirty Hit at End of Game on Zetterberg

by on April 13, 2012

Shea Weber is going to receive a phone call from the NHL‘s Department of Player Safety for his actions at the end of the game against Detroit and there is a good chance he will be suspended. there should be no doubt or thought involved because there is something fundamentally wrong with what Weber did as the final seconds ticked down.

No place in game for Shea Weber play at buzzer.

— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) April 12, 2012

Shea Weber is going to pay for that hit to the head of Henrik Zetterberg with seconds left. @TheTripleDeac

— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) April 12, 2012

Quick GIF of the Shea Weber brutality. Honestly, the more I see it, the longer the suspension becomes. I mean, from 1 to 2 games.

— Greg Brady (@bradyfan590) April 12, 2012

What transpired at the end of Nashville’s win against the Detroit Red Wings is something that is commonplace within the confounds of a WWE ring. that alone summarizes the physicality of what transpired.

With the clock ticking down and a Nashville victory all but ensured, the puck is tied up against the board and Weber decides to slam Henrik Zetterberg’s head “into the turnbuckle.”

In this instance Weber, like a WWE goon, sends a shot to the back of Zetterberg’s head before ramming him face first into the glass. there is a good chance that Zetterberg could have been severely injured as a result. it is good that Zetterberg wears a visor and it softened the blow.

This is the playoffs and emotions are running rampant but this act is simply inexcusable. These hits and acts are what gives the league a black eye. Hockey is a physical sport but with seconds left in the game, there is no reason why a player should be throwing cheap shots.

This is the case especially considering that Weber is the captain and leader of the Nashville Predators. By all accounts, Weber should have known better and exhibited some restraint.

Not only was the act wrong, there is a good chance that Weber will miss some games and by extension he will have hurt his team. the NHL has a good chance to set the tone on what will and won’t be tolerated in the playoffs. while hockey is a game with inherent risks, this is something that needs to be reviewed and used as an example.

If Weber gets off scot-free, then it may as well be open season for all hits in the NHL playoffs.

Tom Urtz is an NHL Featured Columnist.

For more NHL news, updates and alerts about players:

Shea Weber Needs to Be Suspended for Dirty Hit at End of Game on Zetterberg

Bulls star Derrick Rose should return for Knicks tilt

by on April 10, 2012

AHN Sports Staff

Chicago, IL, United States (AHN Sports) – His groin pain subsiding, Chicago Bulls superstar guard Derrick Rose should be able to play Sunday when his team squares off against the new York Knicks.

The Bulls have gone a league-best 43-13 this season despite Rose missing 22 games due to various injuries.

“I think it’s up to me if I want to play a certain amount of minutes,” Rose said, according to ESPNChicago. “I know that if it’s a close game, no matter how many minutes they allow me to play, I know that I’m going to want to go out there, probably fight somebody to go out there. but I should be all right.”

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau expects the best from his player should he return.

“You won’t know until he gets out there because of the amount of time that he’s missed,” Thibodeau said. “He’s never missed an extended amount of time like this before. but every other time when he’s come back, he gets up to speed pretty quickly. He’s been putting a lot of extra time in, so hopefully he’ll be ready once he’s out there.”

Rose is averaging over 22 points and 8-plus assists per contest.

Bulls star Derrick Rose should return for Knicks tilt

Carmelo Anthony, Jeremy Lin Injury Updates: Latest Status for Game vs. Magic

by on April 9, 2012

UPDATE (10:30 a.m.): According to Al Iannazzone via Twitter, it’s a no-go for Jeremy Lin against Orlando on Wednesday night:

The prognosis is good for Carmelo Anthony, but not so much for Jeremy Lin.

Both New York Knicks stars are currently battling injuries, but Anthony expects to be back in the lineup when the team takes on the Orlando Magic Wednesday night. The status of Lin, who missed Monday’s win over Milwaukee with a sore knee, is more uncertain.

While speaking at an event for Steiner Sports on Tuesday night in New York, Lin told the New York Daily News’ Peter Botte:

It’s day-to-day, so we’ll see how it goes, but it feels better than [Monday]. … The guys have been working all season so they’ll be ready. We’ve had guys missing before and have been OK. That’s the beauty of depth and we have some. Hopefully now we can show it more than ever.

Anthony, who led the Knicks with 28 points and 12 rebounds against the Bucks on Monday, tweaked his groin in the win but insisted on ESPN Radio that he will be available “for sure” on Wednesday.

After kicking off March with a six-game losing streak, the Knicks have rebounded with wins in seven of eight games, and those winning ways must continue if New York’s postseason dreams are going to stay alive. The Knicks are currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, two-and-a-half games behind the seventh-place Boston Celtics and two games ahead of the ninth-place Bucks.

The injuries, however, extend beyond Lin and Anthony. forward Amar’e Stoudemire is sidelined indefinitely due to a bulging disk in his back, while Jared Jeffries is out with a knee ailment.

The Knicks have been able to compensate for the injuries with depth, and that must continue while Stoudemire, Lin and Anthony get completely healthy. Iman Shumpert and Baron Davis have picked up some of Lin’s slack for the last few games, particularly against the Bucks on Monday. in 35 minutes, Shumpert tallied three assists, 11 points and a steal on 4-of-8 shooting, while Davis chipped in seven assists and 13 points in 34 minutes.

At the moment, the Knicks are confident this kind of production from bench players will continue, and they are unwilling to consider the consequences if it doesn’t, which is the right attitude. as Steve Novak told the New York Daily News:

We’ve tried to be as consistent as we can through the whole year knowing there’s going to be injuries because of the schedule.

When we’ve had guys out, it was huge for our team’s growth the way guys responded and played, and just getting the opportunity to be out there more. this is once again one of those times where guys need to step up and fill those roles.

For now, Anthony appears to be fine, Lin is on the mend and the Knicks are winning, so there’s nothing to worry about. if the injuries continue to be a problem, the team starts sliding and Milwaukee surges, only then it will be time to sound the panic button.

Baylor’s Jake Miller Named Co-Big 12 Baseball Player of the Week

by on April 4, 2012

IRVING (April 2, 2012) – Baylor shortstop Jake Miller was named Phillips 66 co-Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday. This marks the third straight week a Baylor player has won the award.

Miller earned his second career Big 12 Player of the Week honor after leading the Bears to a 4-0 record with a three-game sweep of Oklahoma State and a midweek win at Houston. the sweep of OSU gave Baylor a 9-0 record in Big 12 play, which is the best start by any team in league history.

Miller, a junior from Houston, Texas, hit .529 (9-for-17) with two runs, two RBI, one double and a stolen base during the week. he had three consecutive multi-hit games and twice tied his career high with three hits in a game.

In a return to his hometown, Miller went 3-for-5 with two runs, a double and one RBI in Tuesday’s win at Houston. That game was Baylor’s first win at Cougar Field since 2001.

Miller went 3-for-3 with one RBI and a sacrifice bunt in the Bears’ series-opening win against Oklahoma State on Friday night. he drove in the game-tying run with a RBI single in the sixth, and in the eighth inning his sacrifice bunt moved the eventual winning run into scoring position. he added two more hits in Saturday’s game and had a 12th-inning single in Sunday’s series finale.

With nine hits during the week, Miller raised his season batting average from .250 to .295. he enters Tuesday’s game against Texas State riding a career-long nine-game hitting streak. He’s hitting .417 (15-for-36) with seven runs, one double, two triples, six RBI and two walks during the streak, which started two games after the Bears began their current 11-game winning streak.

With the additions of Logan Vick’s Player of the Week honors on Feb. 27 and March 19, and Max Muncy’s award on March 26, Baylor has tied a school record with four Big 12 Player of the Week honors in the same season. This marks the third time in program history the Bears have had four honors (2004, 2011, 2012).

Texas Tech holds the Big 12 record with five Player of the Week awards in 2004. Baylor is responsible for three of the eight times a Big 12 team has had four honors in the same season. Additionally, Baylor’s eight Player of the Week honors in the last two seasons are the most in a two-year span in program history.

Baylor puts its longest winning streak since 2003 on the line when the Bears host Texas State at 3:05 p.m. Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark. the Bears are expected to send sophomore Dillon Newman to the mound against Texas State redshirt freshman Taylor Black. following Tuesday’s game, Baylor heads to Missouri for a three-game series against the Tigers beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday.

BAYLOR’S BIG 12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (2011-12)

Chris Slater, 3/14/11

Find Dodgers Tickets to Check Out Each and Every Dodgers Game

by on March 28, 2012

Going your way to the Dodgers Stadium? if you do, you are one of the many who would die for a single Dodger Ticket that will allow them to see their favorite team in the stadium. America loves LA Dodgers but California gives them a great shout and nobody in Los Angeles do not know who the Dodgers are.

To witness the fantastic home runs in St. Louis Cardinal Stadium, you just don’t need the easiest way to travel to all the games the team has but you also need to have the right passes to access the stadium. the LA Dodgers have cycle of games in many stadiums and all you want to have is the Dodgers ticket.

Obtaining these tickets could be accomplished from any accredited ticketing centers. you can easily see these ticket centers and booths in shopping places. you can also consider the quick and simple way to get a hold of these tickets by going online and visiting some web sites to book you a seat for the next Dodgers games. there is certainly many sites that you possibly can find online and getting the tickets has never been so easy. one way you can do to get Dodgers tickets is becoming a member of the Dodgers club to obtain specific tickets to many games within the country and in inter-league competition.

Depending on the issuing center, getting Dodger tickets depending may give you more than just a ticket. you can get free snacks, or get free travel expense. you may also take other freebies that will be issued from time to time.

One of the good reasons why you need to have these tickets is the cool new segment of Bleacher Beach. you also can drop by at Mannywood and get some interesting souvenirs signed by your favorite Dodger player.

Having these tickets lets you to enjoy every game of the LA Dodgers everywhere they play. See them when they make home runs after home runs and truly feel the excitement of watching the LA Dodgers. It’s a great idea to get your Dodgers Tickets and feel the excitement of see the team in action.

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