title: Naseem Shah (cricketer)

text: In September 2019, he was named in Central Punjab's squad for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament. In October 2019, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named him as one of the six players to watch ahead of the 2019–20 National T20 Cup tournament. He made his Twenty20 debut on 13 October 2019, for Central Punjab in the 2019–20 National T20 Cup.


title: Naseem Shah (cricketer)

text: On 15 September 2021, Naseem Shah took the crucial 2 wickets in the final of the 2021 Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which helped st Kitts and Nevis Patriots register their first CPL title.


title: Naseem Shah (cricketer)

text: In January 2022, he was signed by Gloucestershire County Cricket Club to play in domestic tournaments during the first half of the 2022 season in England. In April 2022, he was bought by the Welsh Fire for the 2022 season of The Hundred, also in England. However, Shah was ruled out of matches for a month, after picking up a shoulder injury in his first match for Gloucestershire.


title: Naseem Shah (cricketer)

text: In October 2019, he was named in Pakistan's Test squad for their series against Australia. In November 2019, he played in the three-day warm-up match for Pakistan against Australia A. He made his Test debut for Pakistan, against Australia, on 21 November 2019. His debut was appreciated by many senior cricketers, such as former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis and former England captain Michael Vaughan, the latter being impressed by the 16 years old touching 147 kph or 91.3 mph in his first ever over. The following month, he was named in Pakistan's Test squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka. In the second match, he took his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. At the age of 16 years and 307 days, he became the youngest fast bowler, and the second-youngest among all bowlers, to take a five-wicket haul in a Test match.


title: Naseem Shah (cricketer)

text: He was initially named in Pakistan's squad for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, but after his impressive start in Test cricket, he was withdrawn from the U19 team. In January 2020, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a statement on Naseem being withdrawn from their U19 squad. They reiterated that it was due to cricketing reasons, and not concerns of his age, stating they have checked and verified the ages of all cricketers who could play in their U19 team.


title: Naseem Shah (cricketer)

text: On 9 February 2020, in the first Test against Bangladesh, at the age of 16 years and 359 days, he became the youngest bowler to take a Test hat-trick. In May 2020, the PCB awarded him with a central contract ahead of the 2020–21 season.


title: Naseem Shah (cricketer)

text: In June 2020, he was named in a 29-man squad for Pakistan's tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, he was shortlisted in Pakistan's 20-man squad for the Test matches against England. On 21 August, he was named in Pakistan's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad, also for the series against England. In November 2020, he was named in Pakistan's 35-man squad for their tour to New Zealand. In October 2021, he was named in the Pakistan Shaheens squad for their tour of Sri Lanka.


title: Naseem Shah (cricketer)

text: In August 2022, he was named in Pakistan's ODI squad, for their tour of the Netherlands. He made his ODI debut on 16 August 2022, for Pakistan, against the Netherlands. Later the same month, he was named in Pakistan's T20I squad for the 2022 Asia Cup. He made his T20I debut on 28 August 2022, against India.


title: Naseem Shah (cricketer)

text: On 7 September 2022, Naseem Shah made history by delivering 2 sixes against Afghanistan, one after the other in the last over with no more wickets in hand, qualifying Pakistan for the finals of Asia Cup'22.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Superman: Doomsday is a 2007 American animated superhero film adapted from the DC Comics storyline "The Death of Superman", which focuses on the death and return of the superhero Superman. Released by Warner Bros. Animation, it is the first film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Despite the similar style of animation and Bruce Timm's involvement, the film is not set within the DC Animated Universe created by Timm and Paul Dini. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the animation and more violent tone than previous adaptations but called it a disappointment, but grossed $10 million on a budget of $3.5 million, making it a commercial success.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Superman and Lois Lane are romantically involved, but Lois is not happy with him not revealing his secret identity to her. While digging, workers from LexCorp unearth the spaceship of Doomsday, a genetically-engineered super-soldier that is highly hostile toward any life form it comes across. It massacres the digging crew and begins a rampage towards Metropolis, killing animals and humans on sight. When Doomsday reaches Metropolis, it decimates the military until Superman arrives. Superman and Doomsday engage in a fierce battle across Metropolis, with Superman eventually winning. But the victory is short-lived as Superman succumbs to his wounds in Lois' arms.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Lex Luthor kills Mercy Graves, his personal assistant, to ensure no one else knows of LexCorp's involvement with Doomsday's release. The world mourns Superman and Metropolis honors him with a memorial. Superman's friends cope with his death in various ways. Jimmy Olsen takes a job at a tabloid newspaper "The National Voyeur", Perry White becomes an alcoholic, and Lois, having realized that Clark was Superman, visits Martha Kent for counsel.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: In Superman's absence, Metropolis is overwhelmed by criminals. Toyman uses a giant mechanical spider to hold children hostage. Lois decides to save them herself, but Toyman tries to kill her and a little girl. Superman digs out of his grave and saves Lois and the girl, apprehending Toyman. He doesn't seem quite the same, but Lois dismisses it as shock. She becomes suspicious, however, when Martha tells her that Clark has not called home.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: The resurrected Superman is revealed to be a clone created by Luthor who is keeping the real Superman's body preserved in a tube, unaware that Superman is, barely, still alive. He periodically tortures the clone Superman in a special lead-lined room. A robot from the Fortress of Solitude detects that Superman is still alive, recovers his body, and begins restoring him to health.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Meanwhile, the clone's attitude darkens when he hears that Toyman killed a child. In retaliation, the clone abducts the villain and kills him in front of the police station. The city is stunned and the clone threatens the populace into abiding by the law. This convinces Lois and Martha that this is not the real Superman.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Lex berates the clone, orders him to find Superman's corpse, and threatens to kill him if he misbehaves again. The clone deduces that a lead-shielded kryptonite pellet is in his brain, and removes it. Lois tranquilizes Luthor and searches his files with Jimmy, discovering that Luthor is cloning an army of Supermen. Lex awakens armed with a gun, but the original clone saves Lois and Jimmy, destroying the cloning facility and the yet-to-be-awakened clones. Luthor hopes to ambush the clone in a panic room, but the clone simply locks him inside and tosses the entire room into the street. This latest presumed murder triggers military action which fails.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Superman is revived and resolves to confront the clone, although his powers are not fully restored. To improve his odds he dons a "solar suit" and brings a Kryptonite gun. The two battle and Lois manages to hit the clone with a kryptonite blast. The clone destroys the gun, but the Kryptonite canister sticks to the clone's chest and Superman vaporizes it with his heat vision. Before dying, the clone tells Superman to protect the people. Lois is sure of the real Superman once he kisses her, and the crowd is similarly happy now that they know that the real Superman is alive. At Lois' apartment, Superman reveals himself to be Clark Kent, and Lois embraces him with elation.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: At LexCorp, Lex is revealed to be critically injured and in a wheelchair, but still alive. He smiles, musing that there may still be a way for him to destroy Superman.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Despite similar animation styles, the film used new animation models, and is only loosely based on the DC Animated Universe that lasted from 1992 to 2006, with a few allusions to the older series, as well as the Fleischer Superman series, found in the Fortress of Solitude.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Writer/director Kevin Smith made a brief cameo in the film, during the scene in which Superman apprehends Toyman. As Superman carries Toyman off, a man (modeled after and voiced by Smith) remarks, "Like we really needed him to bust up a mechanical spider, right? Lame!" This is a reference to the Warner Bros. Superman project that he and film producer Jon Peters collaborated on, which never came to fruition. According to Smith, Peters wanted Superman to fight a giant spider in the film's third act. Smith revealed in his interview film "An Evening with Kevin Smith" that he incorporated this and Peters' other ideas into his script. Tim Burton was eventually brought onto the project, and discarded Smith's screenplay, wishing to employ a different screenwriter. A giant mechanical spider eventually was used in the climax of the 1999 Warner Bros. film "Wild Wild West", which Peters co-produced.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: The film was released on September 18, 2007. Before the DVD release, the movie was first screened at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 26, 2007. It made its U.S. broadcast premiere on Cartoon Network on July 12, 2008 in a heavily edited format.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: "Superman: Doomsday" was exclusively available on DVD with a collectible packaging depicting Superman bursting through the movie's logo. It was the only film in the series originally released without a special edition.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Following a year later was a two-disc special edition DVD release. The special features included a retrospective look at how the "Death of Superman" comic came to be, a look at voice actors, as well as a "Defeat Doomsday" game with a 10-minute preview to the next animated film; "".


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Release of a Blu-ray version was announced with a release date of February 26, 2008, but was delayed.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Warner Home Video released a new "Special Edition" Blu-ray and DVD, featuring new bonus materials on November 25, 2008.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: The film's generous amount of violence and profane language garnered a PG-13 rating from the MPAA. This is the first time an animated Superman project has ever received such a strong rating. Most of the more visceral deaths take place off-camera; however, the fight sequences are very intense. During the Doomsday vs. Superman fight scene, Superman coughs a puddle of blood onto the ground, perhaps the most visual use of blood in the entire film. This marked the start of DC animated films featuring more adult content compared to previous projects and a majority of subsequent DC Universe Original Animated Movies would receive a PG-13 or R rating.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: The soundtrack to "Superman: Doomsday" was released on October 26, 2007. The music was composed by Robert J. Kral. The soundtrack listing:


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: The film received favorable reviews from critics. Following the screening at Comic-Con, and its release on DVD, the movie garnered mostly positive reviews, with some reviewers commenting it was a marked improvement compared to other recent DC animated adaptations; some commented it raised the bar for the follow-up to the live-action "Superman Returns" which had been released the previous summer. Many also agreed it was also better in comparison to the recent animated films Marvel Studios had released based on their characters (such as "Ultimate Avengers"), in part due to the more adult and action-packed story in keeping with its PG-13 rating. Many reviews spoke highly of James Marsters' and Adam Baldwin's voice acting as Lex Luthor and Superman, while reviews of Anne Heche's portrayal of Lois Lane were mixed.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: Not all reviews of the film were positive. DVDTalk.com, while praising the film's look and its technical presentation, called the film "a massive disappointment" and also negatively commented on the film's short running time and its lack of adherence to the storyline of "The Death of Superman" comics. James Deaux of Earth-2.net gave the movie a score of 5.5 out of 10, claiming the movie was far too overhyped and the result was not a bad, but a mediocre product with "many instances of...lazy writing, confusing animation, a couple of glaring plot holes and some mediocre voice acting." He also criticized the title of the movie given that Doomsday has such a minimal role in the film.


title: Superman: Doomsday

text: The Top 100 DVD sales chart for September 18–23, 2007 revealed that the film was placed at #4, and was two spots ahead of the season six release of "Smallville", a Superman related television show. "Variety" made a report three months after the DVD's release, on DTV movies becoming very popular, and revealed that the DVD sold 600,000 copies, 30% more than what the studio predicted. At the present time, "Superman Doomsday" is the highest selling film from the DC direct-to-video series selling more than 680,000 units.


title: Alexander Molony

text: Alexander Molony (born September 12, 2006) is a British actor. He will make his film debut as Peter Pan in the Disney film "Peter Pan & Wendy".


title: Alexander Molony

text: He was previously cast as the lead in children's animation "Claude", on Disney Junior. He is also known for playing the son of comedian Romesh Ranganathan in the Sky sitcom "The Reluctant Landlord", Ooo-Ooo the Monkey in "Raa Raa the Noisy Lion" and Alex the Chick in "The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales". He also appeared as Young Macduff in the RSC's production of "Macbeth at the Barbican", alongside Christopher Eccleston and Niamh Cusack.


title: Australia men's national basketball team

text: The Australian men's national basketball team, known as the Boomers after the slang term for a male kangaroo, represents Australia in international basketball competition.


text: Since the late 1980s, Australia has been placed among the world elite teams as the Boomers have reached the semi-finals at both Summer Olympic Games and FIBA World Cup on many occasions. Originally a member of the FIBA Oceania region, Australia nowadays competes at the FIBA Asia Cup where the Boomers were the dominant team at their first appearance. The FIBA Oceania Championship mostly consisted of a three-match competition against the other regional power, the New Zealand Tall Blacks.


text: Before the formation of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1979, Boomers players were selected from state leagues around the country, with Victoria, South Australia, and to a lesser extent New South Wales the dominant states. After the formation of the NBL, players began to be selected almost exclusively from that competition during the 1980s and 1990s.


text: Occasionally players were selected from outside the NBL. Mark Bradtke made his Boomers debut in 1987 while attending the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) before he entered the NBL. Luc Longley made his debut in 1988 while playing college basketball in the United States. Other Australian players enter the Euroleague and the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the U.S. The Boomers's roster for the 2014 World Cup included five NBA players: Cameron Bairstow with the Chicago Bulls, Aron Baynes with the San Antonio Spurs, Matthew Dellavedova with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Dante Exum and Joe Ingles with the Utah Jazz. Three other players who were ruled out of the World Cup due to injury also played or would later play in the NBA, namely Andrew Bogut, Ben Simmons and Patty Mills.


text: Several players on youth national teams are student athletes at the AIS or in the US college basketball system. Some players (e.g. Longley) made the senior national team while at US schools. By the early 21st century, almost half of the squad played outside Australia. For the 2012 London Olympic Games, only two members of the Australian squad were based in the country – Peter Crawford and Adam Gibson, with the latter being the only Australia-based member of the 2014 World Cup squad.


text: Australia has participated in the Olympic men's basketball tournaments 15 times. The Boomers won a bronze medal against Slovenia in the 2020 Olympic Games, making Australia the first team from outside the Americas and European regions to ever win a medal at the event. Australia has also participated in 12 FIBA World Cups without winning a medal, making Australia the nation with the third-most appearances at the tournament without winning a medal, behind Canada and Puerto Rico (both 14).


text: Australia debuted on the international stage at the 1956 Summer Olympic Games held in Melbourne. Australia did not fare well in the competition, as they defeated only two sides (Singapore and Thailand), finishing 12th. The seeds were sown for Australia to become a regular team in international events.


text: After not qualifying for the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome, Italy, Australia returned to compete at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. The Australians improved on their position in Melbourne, to be ranked ninth at the completion of the games. After failing in their bid to qualify for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, the Australians were left in international isolation.


text: They did not play again in a major international tournament until 1970, when the team qualified for the FIBA World Championship for the first time. The team finished in 12th place, with their sole victory coming over the United Arab Republic.


text: At the 1972 Munich Olympic Games Australia changed its guards. Lindsay Gaze made his coaching debut, after he had played at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Australia again finished ninth, but close defeats to Czechoslovakia and Spain left the team just a few baskets away from advancing to the second round. Eddie Palubinskas was the holder of the second highest scoring average of the tournament.


text: At the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, Eddie Palubinskas finished as the top overall scorer, and set three Olympic scoring records, including the most points scored in a single Olympics to that time, with 269 points. The Boomers defeated Mexico, 120–117, in an overtime game, and defeated Japan, 117–79, as they moved to the second round of the tournament for the first time, on their way to an eighth-place finish.


text: In 1978, the Boomers headed to the Philippines for the 1978 FIBA World Championship. Australia played their most successful tournament to that time, defeating Czechoslovakia, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines (twice), and playing eventual gold medallist Yugoslavia, losing 105–101. The Boomers advanced to the semi-final round, and placed seventh.


text: In the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, the Boomers played their best Olympic tournament to that date, equalling their 1976 finish of eighth place. The Boomers defeated eventual silver medallist Italy, 84–77, in the preliminary round, but due to a three-way tie with Italy and Cuba, the team failed to advance to the final round, despite 5 wins and 2 losses.


text: Two years later, the 1982 FIBA World Championship was held in Colombia. The Australians finished in fifth place.


text: The Boomers were captained at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games by Phil Smyth, and introduced coach Lindsay Gaze’s 19-year-old son, Andrew Gaze, to the world stage. Australia advanced to the second round, following victories over Brazil and West Germany. A loss to Italy, and a 16-point win over Egypt, left the Boomers in a must-win situation against Spain, to advance to the medal round. Spain went up big early in the first half, but the Boomers fought back, ultimately losing by a score of 101–93, ending their medal hopes with an Olympic best seventh-place finish.


text: The 1986 FIBA World Championship was a bit disappointing for Australia. Losses to Uruguay, Angola, and the Soviet Union during group play kept the Boomers from advancing, and the team finished 17th. Due to a FIBA rule allowing one naturalised player per squad at the World Championship, American born point guard Cal Bruton made his Boomers debut at the age of 32.


text: In 1987, the Boomers faced a home series against the Soviet Union (known as the Wang Superchallenge) and although they lost all 6 games, the team, with all players drawn from the NBL other than Australian Institute of Sport attendee, 6'10" (208 cm) centre / power forward Mark Bradtke who was making his debut for the Boomers as a 17 year old (Bradtke would make his NBL debut in 1988 with the Adelaide 36ers).


text: Motivated by the 1986 FIBA World Championship, Australia showed up to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games with quite possibly its most talented roster to that date. Captained by Phil Smyth, the team included Andrew Gaze, Damian Keogh, Darryl Pearce, Ray Borner, and future Chicago Bulls triple NBA Championship winning centre, 7'2" (218 cm) Luc Longley who was attending the University of New Mexico. The Boomers breezed through the first round, losing only to gold medallist Soviet Union and silver medallist Yugoslavia. Finishing third place in their group, Australia advanced to the quarter finals, where they defeated Spain in a closely fought game, by a score of 77–74, sending the Boomers to their first ever semi-finals. They were beaten by Yugoslavia in the semi-final, and then lost to the United States (including future NBA Hall of Fame player David Robinson), who ended Australia’s dream run with a 78–49 victory in the bronze-medal playoff. Despite the disappointing loss, the Boomers’ fourth-place finish was their best ever result at an Olympic Games (or World Championship) and solidified their status as a rising team.


text: Australia flew off to Buenos Aires for the 1990 FIBA World Championship. Led by Andrew Gaze’s 24.3 points per game, fourth most in the tournament, the team defeated China, Brazil and Argentina (twice) on their way to a respectable seventh-place finish.


text: At the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, the Boomers looked to prove their fourth-place run at Seoul was no fluke. In the first Summer Olympic Games since the Soviet Union’s dissolution, and the first that FIBA allowed professional basketball players to play in, Australia played to a respectable 4–4 record and sixth place. The 1992 Olympics saw the return of NBA center Luc Longley for the Boomers.


text: Prior to the 1992 Olympics, the Boomers played in a 3-game home series against a visiting "All-Star" team headlined by NBA and NCAA college basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Boomers won the series 2–1 including attracting a then Australian basketball record 15,000 fans to the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne. The Boomers also played in the 1992 NBL All-Star Game at the AIS Arena in Canberra against the "USA Stars" (made up of import players in the NBL) which was played on 4 July and was promoted as the "Independence Day Challenge". The Boomers won the game 149–132 with Andrew Gaze scoring 43 points.


text: At the 1994 FIBA World Championship at Toronto, Andrew Gaze starred for the Boomers, leading the tournament with an average of 23.9 points per game. In victories over Puerto Rico, South Korea, and Cuba, Gaze scored 34, 31, and 30 points, respectively. Australia finished with a 5–3 record, and finished the tournament in fifth place. This was Phil Smyth’s last World Championship appearance as a player


text: Smyth, the teams long-time captain and point guard would play one last time for the Boomers in March 1995 in Game 4 of a 5-game series against the touring Magic Johnson All-Stars in front of a packed house (12,000) at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. The Boomers lost in both Adelaide and Brisbane and were ultimately swept 5–0 by the All-Stars (who included former NBA stars Magic Johnson and Mark Aguirre), they pushed the visitors all the way in Game 3 at the National Tennis Centre, while Games 4 (Sydney) and 5 (Perth Entertainment Centre) went into overtime. The series however saw the Boomers without 4 of their usual starting 5 with only Andrew Vlahov who captained the side playing all 5 games. Missing for the Boomers were Andrew Gaze (playing in Greece), Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke and Luc Longley who was playing for the Chicago Bulls.


text: The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games were another solid showing for Australia. Led by Andrew Gaze, and featuring Shane Heal, the team rolled through the early competition, losing only to eventual silver medallist Yugoslavia, and scoring over 100 points in every other preliminary game. In the quarterfinals, the Boomers played a hard fought game against Croatia. The game came down to the wire, as forward Tony Ronaldson hit a 3-pointer to win the game, and advance Australia to the semi-finals. There they met the United States, who were powered by a roster of professional NBA players, and the Boomers were defeated 101–73. Lithuania would defeat Australia in the bronze medal game, and the Boomers equalled their 1988 fourth-place finish.


text: Just prior to the 1996 Olympics, the Boomers played the USA in a warm up game. The game, played at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, was won 118–77 by the USA, though Heal topped all scorers with 28 points including hitting 8 of 12 three pointers. Heal had a running battle with NBA superstar Charles Barkley during the game with the two almost coming to blows at one point, though they hugged in mutual respect on-court after the game.


text: Following their exciting run at Atlanta, the Boomers showed up in Greece, for the 1998 FIBA World Championship with high hopes. Shane Heal and Andrew Gaze both finished among the top five scorers, with averages of 17.0 and 16.9 points per game, respectively; but a loss to the United States knocked Australia out of medal contention. The Boomers finished the tournament respectably with wins over Canada and Brazil, and walked away with ninth place.


text: The 2000 Summer Olympic Games projected to be an extremely exciting affair for the Boomers, as they played as host in Sydney. Despite losses in both of their first two games, Australia recovered nicely, and won their next four games over Russia, Angola, and Spain, to propel them into the quarter finals, where they defeated Italy. But Australia’s first basketball medal was not to be, as France won the semi final match, and Lithuania captured the bronze medal game. Although their goal of medalling was not achieved, the Boomers gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about, on their way to a fourth-place finish.


text: After failing to qualify for the 2002 FIBA World Championship, the Boomers came into the 2004 Athens Olympic Games hungry for victory. Captained by Shane Heal, and featuring future NBA Draft first pick Andrew Bogut in his international debut, Australia fought hard on their way to a ninth-place finish.


text: In early 2006, Australia entered the first ever Commonwealth Games basketball competition in their home city of Melbourne and went through the tournament undefeated to claim the gold medal. Later in 2006 at the FIBA World Championship in Japan, Australia was led in scoring by Andrew Bogut, C.J. Bruton, and Jason Smith. Despite their efforts, the Boomers failed to qualify for the playoff rounds, and finished tied for ninth place.


text: The Boomers entered the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with one of their more talented rosters to date, which included Andrew Bogut, C.J. Bruton, Captain Matthew Nielsen, and Patty Mills, in his international debut. Despite his youth, Mills had a hot hand, scoring over 20 points on several occasions, and leading the team with an average of 14.2 points per game. Australia made the quarter finals, but gold medallists United States put the Boomers away late in the game, ending their run with a seventh-place finish.


text: The Boomers qualified for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey and placed 10th overall. In 2011, Melbourne-born number one NBA draft pick Kyrie Irving considered declaring his international allegiance to Australia in order to compete in the 2012 Olympics, but eventually opted to wait for international selection for the United States.


text: Despite Irving declining the offer to represent his country of birth, the Boomers entered the 2012 London Olympic Games with arguably their most talented roster since 2000, though they were missing their star centre Andrew Bogut, who was out with a broken ankle. Australia made the quarter finals with a 3–2 win–loss record, but gold medallists United States put the Boomers away late in the game, ending their run with a seventh-place finish again.


text: Following the London Olympics, Brett Brown announced his decision to step down as Boomers head coach, citing his desire to spend more time with his family in the United States. As of December 2012, Basketball Australia was yet to announce his replacement, although one of his assistants, dual National Basketball League championship winning coach with the New Zealand Breakers, Andrej Lemanis, was one of the favourites to win the job.


text: By winning the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, Australia qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. Australia was drawn into Group D, alongside Lithuania, Slovenia, Angola, Mexico, and South Korea. After suffering an opening round 90–80 loss to Slovenia, Australia bounced back, stringing together three consecutive wins over South Korea, Lithuania and Mexico, the first time in 16 years that Australia had won 3 consecutive matches at the FIBA World Cup. However, in their next match Australia suffered a 91–83 loss to Angola, which came despite leading by 15 points in the middle of the third quarter. This result, combined with Lithuania's 67–64 win over Slovenia, meant that Australia finished third in their group, qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament.


text: Because Australia would finish third by losing, and that finishing third would benefit Australia more than finishing second, combined with the absences of fit key players Aron Baynes and Joe Ingles led to allegations that Australia deliberately lost their game against Angola in order to finish third in their group, and as a result, avoid the United States until the semi-finals, with Slovenian basketballer Goran Dragić posting "Basketball is a beautiful sport, there is no room for fixing the game like today Australia vs Angola!! @FIBA should do something about that!" on Twitter. However, these claims were denied by Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis. On 26 November 2014, Australia was cleared of tanking by FIBA.


text: Australia met World No. 7 Turkey in the knockout stage of the tournament. Australia suffered a 65–64 loss to Turkey, ending their World Cup campaign, meaning that for the 11th World Cup, Australia would return home empty handed.


text: Leading into the 2016 Rio Olympics, Australia saw a surge in locals being drafted into the NBA. Along with former number 1 NBA draft pick Andrew Bogut, Dante Exum was taken with the fifth pick in the 2014 NBA draft and Ben Simmons was selected with the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft, adding to already established Australian NBA players in Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles and Aron Baynes. Forward Thon Maker was also drafted with the 10th pick in the 2016 NBA draft. Despite Exum, Maker and Simmons electing not to compete in the 2016 Olympics, the Australians equaled their best ever performance by reaching the semifinals and losing their bronze medal playoff with Spain by one point.


text: In August 2015, FIBA announced Australia would be joining the Asian basketball zone for future tournaments, starting with the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. The Boomers were victorious in their inaugural Asia Cup appearance and turned their attention to 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers against Asian opposition. In July 2018, during the 3rd quarter of their game against the Philippines for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification (Asia), Filipino player Roger Pogoy hit Chris Goulding with a hard foul causing teammate Daniel Kickert to retaliate with an elbow strike which sparked a full-scale brawl between the Australians and the Filipinos. Suspensions and fines were handed off to those involved including players from both teams, Filipino coaches and the referees for failing to control the game.


text: At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, led by veterans Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, and newcomer, Matisse Thybulle, the Boomers managed to claim their first ever international medal, defeating a Luka Doncic led Slovenia, 107 -93. Mills would score 42 points in the decisive match. The Boomers went through the group stage undefeated, and Mills would be named to the tournament All-Star 5. Additional Australian player were drafted into the NBA with first round draft picks including 2020 pick 18 Josh Green, 2021 pick 6 Josh Giddey and 2022 pick 8 Dyson Daniels.


text: Andrew Gaze holds the record for most appearances with the Boomers at 297 international games. Gaze also holds the record for the most points scored by a Boomer.


text: The Australian National Basketball Team defeated the United States Team 98–94 in Melbourne, 24 August 2019, for the first time.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (), is a Canadian rapper, record producer, DJ, and record executive. Often credited as Canada's "hip hop ambassador", he is regarded as one of the country's best hip hop producers, and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip hop.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: A native of Toronto, Offishall began his career in the city's mid-1990s underground hip hop scene, as a member of The Circle. He released several independent 12" singles, a debut album ("Eye & I"), and an EP ("Husslin'"), before signing with major label MCA Records in 2000. The following year, Offishall released his second album, "", spawning the "Billboard" hit "BaKardi Slang", which popularized Toronto's nickname "T-dot", and the minor hit "Ol' Time Killin'"; both singles became his signature songs. After failing to release the "Firestarter Vol. 2" album in 2003, on MCA, and later Geffen Records (which absorbed MCA), Offishall briefly returned to the underground scene, releasing several more independent 12" singles.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: In 2005, Offishall's third album, "Fire and Glory", was released in Canada. That year, he collaborated with R&B singer Akon for the first time, starting a musical partnership that lasted until 2010. In 2007, he signed with Akon's Kon Live Distribution label, through Geffen, and released his fourth album, "Not 4 Sale", the following year. Its first single, "Dangerous" (featuring Akon), became a top five hit on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and was certified triple platinum in Canada. Offishall released two gold-certified singles, "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" (featuring Keri Hilson or Rihanna) and "Body Bounce" (featuring Akon), before leaving Kon Live in late 2010. Since then, his latest singles have been released on his independent label Black Stone Colleagues Inc. In 2012, Offishall released "Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself", a collaborative mixtape with producer Nottz.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: In 2013, Offishall became the creative executive director of Universal Music Canada's A&R team. Two years later, he released his fifth album "" under the label. On April 8, 2021, Offishall was promoted to senior vice-president of A&R for Universal Music Canada.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: Harrow was born in Scarborough, Ontario, in the east end of Toronto, and raised by Jamaican immigrant parents. From the ages of 2 to 13, he lived in the city's Flemingdon Park neighbourhood. He moved back to Scarborough for two years, before finally settling in Oakwood–Vaughan, in the city's west end. While in high school, he would throw parties at the Alexandra Park Community Centre. He also is a former York University student (Philosophy) but did not complete his degree.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: He started rapping at the age of eight and was winning competitions by the time he was 12. At age 14, he performed live on stage for the first time, with Nelson Mandela in attendance during Mandela's first visit to Toronto following his release from prison earlier that year (1990). By 1993, he decided to change his alias "KoolAid", and went by the moniker "Kardinal Offishall" after being inspired by the great 17th century French politician Cardinal Richelieu. That year, Offishall co-founded The Circle, a collective of artists including Choclair, Jully Black, Solitair, Tara Chase, and Saukrates. In 1994, he made his first recorded appearance on Saukrates' single "Still Caught Up".


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: Kardinal was signed to a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music Canada at the age of 20. In 1996, he released his first single "Naughty Dread", which was featured on the "Rap Essentials Volume One" compilation and earned him a Juno Award nomination for Best Rap Recording. In 1997, Kardinal released his debut album "Eye & I" on Capitol Hill Music. The only single from the album, "On wit da Show", had considerable video play on MuchMusic. The album received rave reviews from music critics. AllMusic stated that Kardinal "blended soul, dancehall, reggae, hip-hop, and a wholly inventive approach to beats on his 20-track debut album, "Eye & I"." Unfortunately, the album was poorly distributed in Canada, and a lack of radio support resulted in the album receiving limited commercial attention. Over 4,000 copies of the album were sold in its first three months of release. In 1998, he was featured on the Juno-winning single "Northern Touch" with the Rascalz, Choclair, Checkmate and Thrust. The following year, he produced Choclair's hit single "Let's Ride".


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: "Husslin" was an EP released on April 11, 2000. It was released independently on Figure IV Entertainment and distributed by Fat Beats Records in the United States. The title track, "Husslin'", was one of the hottest 12" singles of 2000. "And What?", featuring Saukrates, was released as a single in 1999. "Husslin'" and "Mic T.H.U.G.S." also appear on Kardinal's second studio album, "". An updated version of "U R Ghetto When", known as "U R Ghetto 2002", is on the "Quest for Fire" album. In 2000, Kardinal signed with MCA Records. He released the album "Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1" in 2001, which spawned the hits "BaKardi Slang" and "Ol' Time Killin'".One year after its release, 25,000 copies of the album were sold in Canada. It received generally favorable reviews from music critics. "The Source" gave the album 3 out of 5 mics. RapReviews.com gave it a 7/10 rating, calling it a "mixed bag," and stating "there are also some perfect 10's to be found here." "The A.V. Club" gave the album a favorable review, praising its "impressive musical and lyrical consistency." AllMusic gave it 2 out of 5 stars, noting that Kardinal "displays only flashes of promise here." The album was nominated for Best Rap Recording at the 2002 Juno Awards.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: After MCA folded in 2003, Kardinal's highly anticipated follow up album "Firestarter Vol. 2: The F-Word Theory" was shelved along with the music video for the single "Belly Dancer" featuring Pharrell, and Kardinal eventually found himself without a label. Had the album been released, there would have been production from Timbaland and The Neptunes, among others.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: For the 20th anniversary of "Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1", Kardinal released "Firestarter", a capsule clothing collection in collaboration with urbancoolab, an artificial intelligence fashion platform.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: In 2004, Kardinal released an independent mixtape titled "Kill Bloodclott Bill" with his production company, Black Jays, and he also released his second major-label album titled "Fire and Glory" on November 15, 2005, through Virgin Records in Canada only. Hits on "Fire and Glory" include "Everyday (Rudebwoy)" and "Heads Up". RapReviews.com gave the album an 8.5/10 rating, stating ""Fire and Glory" is a better album than "Firestarter Vol. 1"," and "aside from having better lyrics than most of his counterparts, Kardinal's unique style also sets him apart." The album was nominated for Rap Recording of the Year at the 2006 Juno Awards.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: "Not 4 Sale" is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, released September 9, 2008, on Kon Live/Geffen Records. It is his second international major-label album, after 2001's "Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1". It was a critical success, spawning the top 5 "Billboard" Hot 100 single "Dangerous", and the minor hit "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)". 11,869 copies of the album were sold in the United States, in its first week of release. It debuted on the "Billboard" 200 at number 40. As of February 15, 2009, the album has sold 34,822 copies. In Canada, it debuted at number 8 on the Canadian Albums Chart, with 4,247 copies sold in the first week. The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics. AllMusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "an entirely solid album", also stating "this freedom fighting and socially conscious writing is tempered with hooky club tracks that never fail."[14] "USA Today" gave it 3 out of 4 stars, noting "his potent blend of hip-hop and dancehall gives him a flavor all his own."PopMatters gave the album a 6/10 rating, writing "although many of the tracks here are glossy pop productions, Kardinal has not really changed since he was first heard in the '90s."The album won the award for Rap Recording of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: In 2008, he was featured on the Just Dance (RedOne Remix) by Lady Gaga, part of the EP "Just Dance (Remixes, Pt. 2)". In 2010, he was included in the Young Artists for Haiti's version of "Wavin' Flag" in an effort to raise money for disaster relief. He starred along with many Canadian stars. Also in 2010, he was featured in Raghav's single "So Much". In 2011, he collaborated with Canadian dance-pop act Audio Playground on their gold selling single "Famous", which reached #28 in Canada and #10 on the USA Billboard Dance charts. In 2011, he collaborated with singer Karl Wolf on his single "Ghetto Love".


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: In 2013, Kardinal Offishall, along with Madchild from Swollen Members, were featured on Canadian hip hop artist Classified's self-titled album on the track "Look Up". He also appeared on the charity single "True Colors" by Artists Against Bullying. On December 16, 2013, Offishall joined Universal Music Canada as Creative Executive Director of A&R. Aside from developing Canadian talent, he has also expressed interest in developing international talent, stating "I'm searching the world for superstars." On October 30, 2015, Kardinal Offishall released his fifth studio album "Kardi Gras, Vol. 1: The Clash" which spawned the hit single "That Chick Right There", which reached number 68 on the Canadian Hot 100.


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: On June 4, 2019, Kardinal Offishall released a new single called "Run" which was used as the Toronto Raptors theme song during their championship run in the 2019 NBA Finals and also serves as the first single off his upcoming album "Pick Your Poison".


title: Kardinal Offishall

text: In October 2021, it was announced that he will be a judge on the second season of "Canada's Got Talent", which aired in 2022. He also made a guest appearance as a fictionalized version of himself in the debut episode of the CBC Television sitcom "Run the Burbs".


title: Carl Crawford

text: Carl Demonte Crawford (born August 5, 1981), nicknamed "The Perfect Storm", is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He batted and threw left-handed.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford is best known for his nine years with the Rays, during which he was considered one of the best baserunners in baseball. He led the American League in stolen bases and triples four times each while with Tampa Bay.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford is a native of the Fifth Ward area of Houston. He participated in the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program, and attended Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, Texas, and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. As a child, he was on the same little league team as Michael Bourn, who also played in MLB.


title: Carl Crawford

text: In high school baseball, he began working with former #1 pick Willie Ansley after his sophomore year. He batted .638 as a senior. In the summer of his junior year in high school coach Ansley advised him to get on a team that played in the same tournaments that Josh Beckett played in so he could be seen by the pro scouts and Crawford joined the Pasadena Stars select baseball team. It was there that he gained his first real exposure to Major League Baseball scouts. So intent on capitalizing on this exposure, he was advised by coach Ansley to skip basketball his senior year to concentrate on baseball so that his knees would be fresh from the beginning of the season. Crawford was offered scholarships to play basketball as a point guard at UCLA. He also had an option to play college football as an option quarterback at Nebraska, USC, Oklahoma, Florida, and Tulsa. He had originally signed a letter of intent to play football for Nebraska, but he turned down both offers in favor of a baseball career.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford was drafted by the Devil Rays in the second round (52nd overall) of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft.


title: Carl Crawford

text: In 2002, the Tampa Bay chapter of the BBWAA named Crawford the Devil Rays' Most Outstanding Rookie, and he earned International League Rookie of the Year playing for the AAA Durham Bulls.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford made his Major League debut at the young age of 20 on July 20, 2002, against the Toronto Blue Jays. His first hit was in that game, a two RBI single off Steve Parris. He hit his first home run on August 10 off Shawn Sedlacek of the Kansas City Royals. He played in 63 games for the Devil Rays in 2002, batting .259 with 9 stolen bases.


title: Carl Crawford

text: In 2003, Crawford had a breakout season, batting .281 with 54 RBI and leading the league with 55 steals. Along with Juan Pierre, Crawford was co-winner of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum James "Cool Papa" Bell Legacy Award for 2003.


title: Carl Crawford

text: In 2004, Crawford stole 59 bases, again leading the league and posting the second-highest total in the majors that season. He batted .296 with 11 home runs and 55 RBIs. Crawford also hit a league-leading 19 triples. He was selected for the All Star Game, played in his hometown of Houston, and was named Devil Rays team MVP in 2004 by the BBWAA.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford batted .301 in 2005, becoming just the third .300 hitter in Devil Rays history, joining Aubrey Huff (.311 in 2003) and Fred McGriff (.310 in 1999). Crawford also posted career highs in hits (194), home runs (15), and RBI (81). He again led the league with 15 triples and placed third in steals (46).


title: Carl Crawford

text: On July 5, 2006, against the Boston Red Sox, Crawford became only the eighth player in history to get 200 stolen bases before his 25th birthday. Crawford finished the season with career highs in batting average (.305) and home runs (18), joining Hall-of-Famer Rogers Hornsby as the only players in Major League history to increase their batting average and home run totals every year for five straight years. He won a Fielding Bible Award for his defensive excellence in left field during the season.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford was named an All-Star for the second time in 2007, becoming the first Devil Ray to receive the honor more than once. He homered in the 6th inning of the All-Star Game, on a 3–2 pitch from Francisco Cordero of the Milwaukee Brewers.


title: Carl Crawford

text: In the second half of the season, Crawford had a sore right wrist which had been bothering him for some time, and did not hit a home run for a period of 42 days. Prior to a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, he had an MRI and was listed as doubtful to play because of the wrist. However, he pinch hit as the game went into extra innings and hit a walk-off home run, ending his drought. This kicked off a run of four homers in ten games. In August, ESPN.com named Crawford the Devil Rays' "Face of the Franchise".


title: Carl Crawford

text: On April 11, 2008, Crawford accumulated his 1,000th hit, making him the eighth player to hit 1,000 and steal 250 bases before turning 27. In game four of the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox, Crawford tied an ALCS record with five hits in one game, going 5–5 and stealing two bases. After the season, he won his second Fielding Bible Award.


title: Carl Crawford

text: On May 3, 2009, Carl Crawford tied a modern-era record by stealing six bases in a game against the Boston Red Sox, part of a team-record eight total stolen bases. On July 14, 2009, Crawford represented Tampa Bay in the 2009 All Star Game, where he was named MVP for a leaping catch at the top of the 8-foot outfield wall to prevent a possible go-ahead home run by Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe.


title: Carl Crawford

text: In 2009, he had the best range factor of all starting major league left fielders (2.34). He won his second consecutive Fielding Bible Award and third overall at left field.


title: Carl Crawford

text: On July 31, 2010, Crawford reached 400 stolen bases. He is the 7th player in history to reach that mark before his 29th birthday. On August 17, 2010, Crawford hit the 100th triple of his career, joining Ty Cobb as the only major league players to hit 100 triples and steal 400 bases before the age of 30. He finished the 2010 season with a career-high 19 home runs and 90 RBIs.


title: Carl Crawford

text: The Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted Crawford the Most Valuable Player for the Rays in 2010. Following the conclusion of the season, Crawford was given the Gold Glove Award, as well as the Silver Slugger Award.


title: Carl Crawford

text: On December 8, 2010, Crawford signed a seven-year, $142-million contract with the Boston Red Sox. Crawford struggled to begin the 2011 season, batting .137 and stealing only 2 bases in his first 12 games. On May 3, he hit his 1,500th career hit, a single against Dan Haren of the Los Angeles Angels in the 3rd inning, becoming the 588th player with 1,500 or more career hits.


title: Carl Crawford

text: For the 2011 season, he batted .255 with an on-base percentage of .289. Through 2011, he had the third-best career fielding percentage (.990) among all active major league left fielders, behind Ryan Braun and Reed Johnson.


title: Carl Crawford

text: However, on the last day of the regular season, his unsuccessful attempt to catch a ninth-inning line drive off the bat of Robert Andino was ruled a trap, allowing the Baltimore Orioles to walk off and completing Boston's historic nine-game September collapse that denied them a postseason berth.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford injured his left wrist in January 2012. He had wrist surgery to repair cartilage damage, but had discomfort in his elbow and was told he had a sprained ligament.


title: Carl Crawford

text: He began the 2012 season on the 60-day disabled list. He had a rehab assignment with the Gulf Coast League, Double-A Portland, and Triple-A Pawtucket to recover from both injuries. Crawford made his 2012 regular season debut on July 16, 2012, against the Chicago White Sox.


title: Carl Crawford

text: On August 23, 2012, Crawford underwent season-ending reconstructive Tommy John surgery to repair a chronic ulnar collateral tear in his left elbow. For 2012, he batted .282/.306/.479 in 117 at bats. After being traded to the Dodgers, Crawford voiced his unhappiness with the Red Sox organization and the city of Boston, claiming that the baseball environment was "toxic" and that he was in a "depression stage" with Boston.


title: Carl Crawford

text: On August 25, 2012, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers (along with Josh Beckett, Adrián González, Nick Punto, and $11 million in cash) for James Loney, Iván DeJesús, Jr., Allen Webster, and two players to be named later (Jerry Sands and Rubby De La Rosa). Despite initial concerns that his injury would keep him out for the first part of the 2013 season as well, Crawford made his Dodger debut as the starting left fielder and lead off hitter on Opening Day 2013.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford got off to a hot start with the Dodgers in 2013, hitting .308 with 4 home runs in the month of April. In 2013 with the Dodgers, missing almost one full month with a hamstring injury, he played in 116 games and hit .283/.329/.407 with 6 homers, 31 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases.


title: Carl Crawford

text: In the 2013 NLDS against the Braves, Crawford hit three home runs, including two in Game 4, which gave the Dodgers a huge boost and allowed them to beat the Braves in four games.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford had a slow start to the 2014 season, hitting just .191 in the month of April. However, he bounced back with a strong month of May, hitting .333. On May 27, Crawford suffered a sprained left ankle in a game against the Cincinnati Reds and was placed on the 15-day disabled list the next day. He was reactivated on July 10 after a rehab assignment with the Albuquerque Isotopes. Crawford finished the regular season with his highest batting average since leaving Tampa Bay. He hit .300 in 105 games, with 8 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases.


title: Carl Crawford

text: On April 27, 2015, Crawford tore his oblique muscle in a game against the Giants and was placed on the disabled list. He did not rejoin the Dodgers active roster until July 21. He appeared in 69 games for the Dodgers in 2015, hitting .265.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford spent the first two months of 2016 as a backup outfielder/occasional pinch hitter. In 30 games, he hit .185 with a .230 on-base percentage in 81 at bats. On June 5, Crawford was designated for assignment with approximately $35 million remaining on his contract. On June 13, he was released by the Dodgers. In a 2017 interview, Crawford said that he declined offers to try out with other major league teams after the Dodgers released him and was planning to retire when his final contract expired.


title: Carl Crawford

text: In 1,716 games over 15 seasons, Crawford posted a .290 batting average (1931-for-6655) with 998 runs, 309 doubles, 123 triples, 136 home runs, 766 RBI, 480 stolen bases, 377 bases on balls, .330 on-base percentage and .435 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .989 fielding percentage playing at left and center field. In 39 postseason games, he hit .260 (40-for-154) with 21 runs, 5 doubles, 7 home runs, 16 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 6 walks.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford was included on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame class of when it was announced on November 22, 2021. His ballot eligibility lasted only one year as he failed to receive any votes.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford's cousin, J. P. Crawford, also plays baseball. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1st round of the 2013 MLB draft, 17th overall.


title: Carl Crawford

text: In December 2013, Crawford announced his engagement to Evelyn Lozada. Crawford has a son with Lozada and two children from a previous relationship. In August 2017, the couple called off the engagement. His son, Justin, was selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB draft.


title: Carl Crawford

text: In May 2020, Crawford was arrested and charged with assaulting an ex-girlfriend in the presence of their one-year-old daughter.


title: Carl Crawford

text: On May 16, 2020, a five-year-old boy and 25-year-old woman drowned in the swimming pool during a party at Crawford's home in Harris County, Texas. The child's mother filed a lawsuit against Crawford that June.


title: Carl Crawford

text: Crawford is CEO of 1501 Certified Entertainment, an independent record label based in Houston. In early 2018, the label signed hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion, who quickly rose to fame with a string of hit songs. All of her releases from 1501 Certified are now marketed by 300 Entertainment and distributed by Warner Music Group. In March 2020, several months after she signed a management deal with Roc Nation, Megan Thee Stallion sued 1501 Certified and Crawford, claiming they were blocking her from releasing music while refusing to renegotiate or terminate a contract she called "entirely unconscionable." In an interview with "Billboard" magazine, Crawford denied wrongdoing, insisted the contract was generous for a new musical act, and characterized the lawsuit as an attempt by Roc Nation to intimidate him into renegotiating.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: Morning Glory is a 2010 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Roger Michell and written by Aline Brosh McKenna. Starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson and Jeff Goldblum, the film tells the story of an upstart television producer who accepts the challenge of reviving a morning show program with warring co-hosts.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: "Morning Glory" was released in theaters on November 10, 2010, by Paramount Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $60 million against a $40 million budget.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: Aspiring news producer Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) has dreamed since childhood of working for the "Today" show, but her dedication to her career puts off potential suitors. Laid off from her job at "Good Morning New Jersey", her mother advises her to give up her dream before it becomes an embarrassment. Becky perseveres, and receives a call from IBS News, which is seeking a producer for its struggling national morning show, "DayBreak".


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: After a discouraging job interview with executive Jerry Barnes (Jeff Goldblum), who dismisses both her and "DayBreak" as also-rans, Becky is brushed off in the elevator by one of her heroes, veteran television journalist Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford). Seemingly against his better judgement, Jerry hires Becky as "DayBreak"'s executive producer, and she moves to New York City.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: On her first day, Becky realizes she has signed on to a show in turmoil, lacking in direction and money. After meeting acerbic, long-suffering co-host Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton), Becky fires the lecherous co-host Paul McVee (Ty Burrell), to her co-workers’ delight. She chooses an unwilling Mike as Colleen's new co-host; under contract to IBS, he has escaped being utilized while still getting paid. Becky finds a clause in his contract requiring him to accept an official job offer or lose his salary, forcing him to comply.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: Becky meets Adam Bennett (Patrick Wilson), a fellow IBS producer who worked with the difficult Mike. They begin dating, and he is initially supportive of her dedication to her job. Contemptuous of morning television, Mike tries to sabotage his "DayBreak" debut by getting drunk. He refuses to banter, rejects segments he feels are beneath him, and antagonizes Colleen.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: Jerry informs Becky that IBS wants to cancel "DayBreak", blaming her for the ratings’ further slump. After a heated confrontation with Mike, Becky snaps and decides on a radical approach to save the show. Persuading Jerry to give her the show's remaining six weeks to vastly improve ratings, Becky sends Ernie (Matt Malloy), "DayBreak"'s weatherman, on stunts such as riding roller coasters and skydiving.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: Colleen joins Becky's campaign to rejuvenate the show, appearing in colorful segments that help the show's ratings, but Jerry remains unconvinced. Adam, not realizing what is on the line, teases Becky about how caught up she is in improving the ratings; seeing this as a criticism she has heard from other men, Becky walks out.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: With the six-week deadline approaching, Mike shows interest in doing a story on a sauerkraut festival, surprising his colleagues. Becky accompanies him, but realizes he is going to the Governor's summer house instead, and informs him that the show will be cancelled. Undeterred, Mike confronts the Governor on charges of racketeering, breaking the story of his arrest on live television. Mike tells Becky that he was similarly over-committed to his job, at the expense of his family and personal life.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: The live arrest increases "DayBreak" ratings enough to secure another year for the show, and Becky receives a job offer from the “Today” show. She reconnects with Adam, and lashes out at Mike for his stubbornness. Becky accepts the job interview, with "DayBreak" on in the background. When Colleen tells Mike that his refusal to adapt has driven Becky away, he walks off air and storms the kitchen. Becky watches in shock as Mike presents a cooking segment, expertly showing viewers how to make a frittata. Becky runs back to the studio, deciding to remain at "DayBreak".


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: The premise of the film was partially inspired by Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys", where Harrison Ford's role was akin to Clark while Diane Keaton's role was akin to Lewis and Rachel McAdams' role was akin to Clark's nephew Ben. Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna and producer J. J. Abrams "dreamed of having Harrison Ford in the film" from the point of early script development. Shortly after Abrams cast Harrison Ford as Mike Pomeroy, Roger Michell took over as director.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: Despite their long careers in Hollywood, Keaton and Ford had never met prior to "Morning Glory". Harrison Ford explained: "We have been working in the same business, different branches of the business. She was in the intellectual branch and I was in the running, jumping and falling down branch. So, we never had the chance to work together. But it was a real pleasure to finally get that opportunity." "Morning Glory" marked Keaton's and McAdams' second film together. They previously co-starred in the 2005 comedy drama "The Family Stone". Billed as a starring vehicle for McAdams, she initially felt she was unsuited to the role because "I'm not funny. So I said, 'if you need me to be funny, you might want to look somewhere else'". Roger Michell, the film's director, had a number of dinners with McAdams and persuaded her to join the cast.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: The film's theme song is "Strip Me" by Natasha Bedingfield. A song called "Same Changes" by The Weepies was recorded exclusively for the film. David Arnold also composed the film score. No official soundtrack was released, though the following songs were used in the film:


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: The film was originally scheduled for release on July 30, 2010, in the U.S. It was then pushed back to November 12, 2010. Finally, Paramount Pictures shifted the release date to November 10, 2010. In its opening five days, "Morning Glory" earned about $12 million at US box offices, which was considered a poor result for a film with major stars like Keaton and Ford. On its release date, it debuted at number 3 behind "Due Date" and "Megamind", though the next day it dropped to fourth place when "For Colored Girls" beat it to third. It kept on switching from fifth to fourth place several times until November 19, when it dropped to sixth. For the week of November 19–24, it stayed at number 6 until finally sliding to tenth place. It stayed in theaters until January 20, 2011. Ultimately, the film earned more than $31 million in the United States, and over $27 million internationally for a worldwide total of almost $59 million.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: The press emphasized that it was another box office disappointment for Ford. With the exception of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", Harrison Ford had not had a hit for a decade. Steven Zeitchik wrote in the "Los Angeles Times": "What's most disappointing about ""Morning Glory"" is that, after a decade without a comedy, Ford's turn in something more spry was supposed to mark a new chapter by getting him back to his crowd-pleasing ways. But the movie's disappointing performance adds one more nail in a coffin that's been enveloping Ford's career, 'Buried'-style, for years." Jeff Bock, a box-office analyst with "Exhibitor Relations", told "TheWrap": "When Ford wears that iconic hat, he can still crack the box office bullwhip, but outside of Indy it's become a tougher case."


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: McAdams was disappointed that the film failed to find a larger audience, remarking that "I only hear these businesspeople: 'Well, no one was sure who it was for.'"


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 55% based on 178 reviews, with an average rating of 5.98/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "It's lifted by affable performances from its impeccable cast, and it's often charming – but "Morning Glory" is also inconsistent and derivative." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: One of the main criticisms about "Morning Glory" was that the film did not provide any substance about television and the media unlike "Network" (1976) or "Broadcast News" (1987). Peter Howell of the "Toronto Star" wrote: "You'll think of "Broadcast News" and "Network" watching it, and possibly lament how the film ducks the tough issues of media accountability and culpability that those films dealt with decades ago. (...) Are they [director Roger Michell and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna] trying to say anything meaningful about television and the media? If so, they've failed." Stephen Whitty of "The Star-Ledger" noted that "Broadcast News", as opposed to "Morning Glory", "was also about something – the conflict between faked telegenic "moments" and hard-news reality (...) And that's what made it not just a fun film but a classic." He concluded: "It's a good enough movie. But it came this close to being great."


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: The critics who enjoyed "Morning Glory" pointed out that the film was funny and entertaining. James Berardinelli of "ReelViews" wrote: "Despite the conventional manner in which the story is resolved, "Morning Glory" generates enough entertainment, good will, and genuine laughs to make it hard to dislike [...] It fits into a shrinking category: the old-fashioned, not-too-raunchy, character-based comedy. It's gentle, unforced and, despite its flaws, likeable. It doesn't blaze new trails or astound with its wit but, more likely than not, you'll leave the theater with a smile, and that's certainly worth a recommendation." Lou Lumenick of the "New York Post" said: "This unofficial update on the news-vs.-fluff wars does get in some good shots at the wacky world of morning television... It includes more than a few clever lines, and boasts a stellar cast." Andrew O'Hehir of "Salon" described the film as "a brash, lightweight backstage comedy that looks lovely, doesn't insult its audience and uses its stars, both young and old, to terrific effect." Ty Burr of "The Boston Globe" wrote: "The movie's a pleasant and occasionally hilarious ride, even if there's a bait-and-switch at its core." Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" awarded "Morning Glory" three-and-a-half stars out of four. He stated: ""Morning Glory" is funny entertainment to begin with, and then Rachel McAdams transforms it. And Harrison Ford transforms himself. (...) This is the kind I like best. It grows from human nature and is about how people do their jobs and live their lives."


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: Most critics stressed that one of the assets of the film was the performances of its all-star cast. Harrison Ford got strong reviews for his performance in the film. Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" said: "Ford doesn't venture beyond his usual acting range, but within it he creates a character with a reluctantly human inside." Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" called the film "a tart, terrific comedy that gives Harrison Ford his best and funniest role in years." He added: "The iconic Han Solo and Indiana Jones shows real comic chops as Mike Pomeroy." According to Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly", "Ford is still a magnetic hunk of gray-granite movie star, and in Morning Glory, he finds a way to trick up his deadly somber, shifting-quicksand delivery into a shrewd and amusing acting style." Joe Neumaier of the New York "Daily News" wrote that "Ford is the most casual he's been since "Working Girl"," while Colin Covert of the Minneapolis "Star Tribune" stated: "Ford's gravitas and comedic irritability are in perfect balance here." Rex Reed of "The New York Observer" noted: "All of which gives Harrison Ford a role that fits him like a condom. He gets to be gruff, granite-faced, mean-spirited, rude and pessimistic, never cracking a smile and scowling like a rat just died in the studio's air-conditioning pipes... The cast is perfect (scowling irascibly like Clifton Webb, Mr. Ford has never been this good)."


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: Several critics also liked McAdams' performance. Manohla Dargis wrote in "The New York Times": "Ms. McAdams plays her role exceptionally well: as the young actress on the verge of the big time, who can win the boy, tame the beast, flash her panties and make you smile without making you cringe, she is a natural."


title: Morning Glory (2010 film)

text: Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" stated: "Though the film's advertising gives the impression that McAdams is one among equals, the reality is that this is her show. (...) she's never carried an entire film as completely and as easily as she does here." Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" compared Rachel McAdams' performance to Amy Adams' Academy Award nominated role in "Junebug". Keaton's performance was praised as well. According to "ReelViews", "Keaton is so good at her part that one can see her sliding effortlessly into an anchor's chair on a real morning show." Critics said that there was good chemistry between Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford. Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" stated: "Ford and Keaton are delicious together." For Rex Reed, "Some of the on-camera bitchery between Mr. Ford and Ms. Keaton is laugh-out-loud witty." But it was also noted that Keaton was underused in the film.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: James Riley "The Baker" Blake (born December 28, 1979) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. During his career, Blake amassed 24 singles finals appearances (winning 10 of them), while his career-high singles ranking was world No. 4. His career highlights included reaching the final of the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup, the semifinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics (upsetting world No. 1 Roger Federer en route), the quarterfinals of the 2008 Australian Open and 2005 and 2006 US Open, as well as two titles at the Hopman Cup (2003, 2004) and being the American men's singles No. 1. Blake was a key performer for the victorious United States 2007 Davis Cup team, going 2–0 in the championship tie vs. Russia at second singles.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: In 2005, Blake was presented with the Comeback Player of the Year award for his remarkable return to the tour. Later, in 2008, Blake was awarded another honor by the ATP, where he was named the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake's autobiography, "Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life", co-written with Andrew Friedman, discussed his comeback after his 2004 season. It was released on July 3. 2007, and debuted at No. 22 on the "New York Times" Best Seller list.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake announced that he would retire from professional tennis after the 2013 US Open, where he suffered a first round singles loss in five sets against Ivo Karlovic and a three-set doubles loss.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake was born in Yonkers, New York, to an African American father, Thomas Reynolds Blake, and a British mother, Betty. He has a brother Thomas, who has also been a professional tennis player, and three older half-brothers: Jason, Christopher, and Howard, and a half-sister Michelle.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake started playing tennis at the age of five alongside his older brother Thomas. When he was 13, he was diagnosed with severe scoliosis, and for five years as a teenager he was forced to wear a full-length back brace for 18 hours a day, though not while playing tennis.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: The Blake family moved to Fairfield, Connecticut when Blake's father's job selling surgical supplies took him from New York to Hartford, Connecticut. Blake attended Fairfield High School, where a schoolmate and childhood friend was future musician John Mayer. Blake was inspired to pursue tennis after hearing his role model Arthur Ashe speak to the Harlem Junior Tennis Program. Brian Barker was his first (and longtime) coach. Blake left Harvard University, where he was a member of the A.D. Club, after his sophomore year to pursue a career in professional tennis.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: At the age of 21, Blake saw his first Davis Cup action in 2001 against India and became the third person of African-American heritage to play for the Davis Cup for the United States (after Arthur Ashe and MaliVai Washington). Ranked no. 120 in the world, Blake accepted a wild card into Cincinnati Masters. He beat a qualifier and Arnaud Clément to reach the round of 16, where he met Patrick Rafter. Blake came close to winning the first set (falling in a tiebreak), and after dropping the second set, Rafter, according to Blake's autobiography, complimented him at the net and boosted his confidence immeasurably by saying, "Now do you believe you can beat someone like me, or even me?" Blake's name became more recognizable worldwide after he pushed the eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt to five sets at the US Open.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: In January 2002, Blake won the 2002 USTA Waikoloa Challenger in Hawaii. A month later in Memphis he posted his first win over a top-10 ranked opponent, Tommy Haas, who was then ranked no. 5, and reached the final, losing to Andy Roddick. He reached the quarterfinals at the ATP Masters Series (AMS) event in Rome in May and the final at Newport in July. In August, in Cincinnati, he won his first career ATP Tour title and his first ATP Masters Series title: it came in doubles with Todd Martin, making Blake the first African-American male to win a title of any kind in Cincinnati's 101-year history. He was also the first African-American to reach a final in Cincinnati since 1969, when Arthur Ashe reached the doubles finals with Charlie Pasarell. The next week in Washington, he won his first ATP Tour singles title, beating Andre Agassi in the semifinals and Paradorn Srichaphan in the final. At the US Open, he reached the third round, where he again faced the top-ranked and world number one Lleyton Hewitt for the rematch of the previous year. In an entertaining match Blake was again defeated in five sets.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: In 2003, his best results were a quarterfinals appearance at Indian Wells; a round of 16 finish at the Australian Open, Cincinnati, and Miami; a semifinal appearance at San Jose, and a finals appearance at Long Island, where he lost to Srichaphan. Blake was eliminated from the US Open in the 3rd round by Roger Federer.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: 2004 was a difficult year for Blake. In May, while practicing with Robby Ginepri for the Masters event in Rome, he broke his neck when he slipped on the clay and collided with the net post. Blake fractured his seventh vertebra, but did not sustain any nerve damage and was ultimately able to make a full recovery from the injury. In July, his father died of stomach cancer. At the same time, Blake developed shingles, which temporarily paralyzed half his face and blurred his vision.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake's injuries and personal issues caused him to post relatively poor results for the first half of 2005. By April his ranking was 210. He decided to play the Challenger circuit, the "minor leagues" of tennis, in order to regain confidence and get more matches. In May he entered events in Tunica, Mississippi and Forest Hills, New York, and won both. He rejoined the ATP circuit and by August reached the final at the International Series event in Washington, D.C., where he fell to Roddick. He was given a wild card into AMS Cincinnati, drawing Federer in the first round. He then won the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven, Connecticut, defeating Feliciano López in the final. After New Haven he was ranked 49.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake accepted a wildcard into the US Open where he had a memorable run. After defeating No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the round of 32, Blake beat Tommy Robredo in four sets to reach the quarterfinals where he faced Andre Agassi. The late-evening match is considered one of the greatest classics in the tournament's history. Blake was up two sets and a break in the third when Agassi made a comeback to eventually win in a fifth-set tiebreak. After the match Agassi said, "I wasn't the winner, tennis was". Later in October at the Stockholm Open, Blake won his third ATP tour title, defeating Srichaphan in the final. Blake finished 2005 ranked 22 in the world.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: At the beginning of 2006, Blake won the title at Sydney, taking his fourth ATP tour title defeating Russian Igor Andreev in the final. At the Australian Open he was seeded 20th, and despite losing in the third round to Spaniard Tommy Robredo he broke into the top 20 for the first time in his career. In March he beat Hewitt in the final at Las Vegas for his fifth ATP tour title. At the first AMS event of the year Indian Wells, Blake defeated Robredo in the third round and world No. 2 Nadal in the semifinals, reaching his first career ATP Masters Series singles final, losing in the final to Federer. By reaching the final, Blake became the first African-American man since Arthur Ashe to reach the world's top 10.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: At the French Open he defeated Spaniard Nicolás Almagro in four sets in the second round, to become the last remaining American, and then was beaten by Frenchman Gaël Monfils in five sets. Beginning the grass court season at the Stella Artois Championships, he defeated Andy Roddick in the semifinals, losing to Lleyton Hewitt in the final. Ranked No. 5, Blake took part in the International Series at Indianapolis. He won the singles title, defeating Roddick (for the second time in 2006). At the US Open he reached the quarterfinals, losing to top seed and defending champion Roger Federer. In that match Blake won his first ever set against Federer, winning the third set in a tiebreaker 11–9.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: In his debut appearance at the Thailand Open in Bangkok, Blake won his seventh singles title, defeating Jarkko Nieminen in the quarterfinals, Marat Safin in the semifinals, and Ivan Ljubičić (for the first time) in the final.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Two weeks later Blake won his fifth title of 2006, defending his 2005 title in Stockholm, defeating Jarkko Nieminen. For the first time, Blake qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. He went 2–1 in the Gold Group, defeating No. 2 Nadal and No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko, while losing to No. 6 Tommy Robredo. He qualified for the semifinals, beating defending champion David Nalbandian, losing the final to Federer. Blake finished 2006 at a career-high World Number 4 and as the highest-ranked American tennis player.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: In 2007 Blake won at the Sydney International for the second consecutive year. However, he then suffered a disappointing loss in the Round of 16 at the Australian Open, losing to tenth seed and eventual finalist Fernando González. In February, Blake made it to the final of the Delray Beach tournament, but lost it to the Belgian Xavier Malisse in three tight sets.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: At the 2007 Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, as the defending champion, he was involved with a deep controversy. It was one of the several tournaments experimenting with the new round robin format, and Blake had lost his first match to Evgeny Korolev. Korolev lost his other match to Juan Martín del Potro. In order to advance to the quarterfinals, Blake had to defeat Del Potro in straight sets while losing five games or less. This would result in a three-way tie, with Blake losing the fewest games. With Blake leading 6–1, 3–1, Del Potro retired. This eliminated Del Potro from the three-way tie as he failed to complete one of his matches. Korolev then moved on to the next round, breaking the tie as he had defeated Blake in their direct match. Soon after, the organizers overruled the tournament guidelines, giving Blake a place in the quarterfinals. The following morning however, they changed the decision once again and as a result, Korolev re-advanced to the quarterfinals, while Blake was sent away from the tournament. Shortly after this incident, the ATP decided to cancel the round robin format, reverting any tournaments planning a round robin draw to the standard single-elimination draw.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: During the summer hardcourt season, he advanced to his second career ATP Masters Series final. At AMS Cincinnati, he beat Alejandro Falla, Nicolas Kiefer, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Sam Querrey and Nikolay Davydenko en route to the final before falling to Roger Federer. He won the singles title at Penn Pilot in New Haven, Connecticut, and reached the final at Los Angeles, losing to Radek Štěpánek in three sets after having three set points in the first set. In the second round of the 2007 US Open, he won his first career five-set match against Fabrice Santoro. Blake made it to the fourth round, where he lost to No. 10 Tommy Haas in five sets, despite having match points in the fifth set. In September Blake and the rest of the US Davis Cup team defeated Sweden to reach the finals against Russia.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake lost in the third round of Paris to Richard Gasquet and thus finished outside the top eight players, losing his chance to defend the points he gained as finalist in the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup. In the 2007 Davis Cup finals Blake won his match against Mikhail Youzhny after Andy Roddick had beaten Dmitry Tursunov in the first rubber. The next day Bob and Mike Bryan won the doubles rubber over Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko, sealing the Davis Cup win for the United States. Blake also defeated Tursunov in the last match of the finals to give Team USA 4–1 win.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: At the Australian Open, Blake defeated his first round opponent, Chilean Nicolás Massú. He then defeated compatriot Michael Russell. In the third round, he fought back from two sets down to beat French veteran Sébastien Grosjean who had beaten him in each of their three previous meetings. In the fourth round, Blake beat Marin Čilić in three sets to advance to the quarterfinals, his best showing yet down under. In the quarterfinal, Blake faced world No. 1 Roger Federer, and fell in straight sets. Although out of the Australian Open, Blake's ranking jumped back into the top 10 to No. 9 following his best performance in the tournament yet.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: In Delray Beach, Blake made it to the final for the second consecutive year, but fell to No. 244 Kei Nishikori of Japan in three sets in the final. At the 2008 Pacific Life Open, Blake reached the quarter-finals before losing to Rafael Nadal in three sets. They met again in the next tournament at the 2008 Miami Masters also in the quarter-finals, and again Blake lost to Nadal in three sets. Blake then started the clay court season at the River Oaks International tournament in Houston, Texas. In his second ATP final of the year and his first career clay-court final, Blake fell to Spaniard Marcel Granollers.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: In August 2008, Blake represented the United States as one of its three men's singles tennis players in the Beijing Olympics. In the quarterfinals, he gained one of the biggest wins of his career with his first ever win over Roger Federer 6–4, 7–6. At the time, Federer was ranked as the world's No. 1 men's player. His semifinal match was against Fernando González, the Men's Singles bronze medalist at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Blake had a triple match point in the final set, but would go on to lose 11–9. He then lost the bronze medal match to Serbian Novak Djokovic.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: In the US Open, Blake was stretched to a 5 set thriller against American teenager Donald Young in the first round. Blake easily won his second round match after Steve Darcis retired and then lost to friend and fellow American Mardy Fish in the third round in straight sets.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake defeated Frank Dancevic in the first round of the Australian Open. His success continued in the second round after deposing of Frenchman Sébastien de Chaunac in a match laden with spectator noise and bad line calls. Blake went on to face the 18th seed, Igor Andreev, in the third round and beat him. He lost in the fourth round in straight sets to the 2008 runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: At the 2009 Estoril Open Blake advanced to his first clay-court final on European soil, after beating second seed and former Estoril Open champion Nikolay Davydenko in a rain-interrupted semi-final that was carried over due to bad light. Blake was defeated by Spain's Albert Montañés later that day in the finals. The 28-year-old Montanes saved two match points at 4–5 in the second set and fought back to beat fourth-seeded Blake in two hours and 14 minutes.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: At the Aegon Championships at Queen's Club, Blake defeated Ivan Ljubičić, Sam Querrey, and Mikhail Youzhny to reach the semi-finals. He then reached the final after Andy Roddick retired with an ankle injury in the first set when the score was tied at 4 games all. He then went on to lose in the final to Andy Murray. After being eliminated in the first round of the singles, Blake partnered with compatriot Mardy Fish at the Wimbledon Men's Doubles. The Americans advanced to the semi-finals where they lost to defending champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić despite winning the first two sets.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Following a 3rd round loss at the 2009 US Open to Spain's Tommy Robredo, Blake split with longtime coach Brian Barker. He was replaced by Kelly Jones.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: At the 2010 Australian Open, Blake lost to fourth seed and US Open champion Juan Martín del Potro in the second round in five sets (8–10 final set). He then missed the clay court season due to a knee injury. Blake returned to action at Wimbledon, where he lost in the first round to Robin Haase, during which Blake accused ESPN commentator and former WTA player Pam Shriver of disrupting play due to her overly loud commentary from the box situated above the court behind him. This led to a verbal exchange between the two during the match. After the match, Blake declared that if his knee problems did not subside he would consider retirement. Blake, who refused to take any anti-inflammatories for his knee, called his performance "embarrassing" and said "I can't beat these guys at 80 percent." Despite these comments, Blake played the US Summer hard court season, and reached the third round of the 2010 US Open, where he lost to eventual finalist Novak Djokovic. Blake finished the year ranked outside the Top 100 for the first time since 2000.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Between the beginning of 2011-2013, Blake remained ranked outside the world's top 50, due to recurring injuries and loss of form. During the three seasons, he reached a single ATP-tour semifinal, at the 2011 Stockholm Open. At the US Open in August 2013, Blake announced his retirement.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake was primarily an offensive baseliner. Blake was known for possessing one of the most powerful forehands in the game, with a solid transition game, and an effective serve and volley. Blake also possessed extremely quick footwork, although many claimed that he needed to work on changing direction. Blake's reputation as a "shotmaker," combined with potentially high-error flat groundstrokes made his style of play notably flashy, characterized by both a high number of winners and unforced errors. In turn, this made Blake's game somewhat streaky, as evidenced by his playing history.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake worked with Prince to create a new racquet with Prince's O3 technology. However, he did not feel comfortable with this racquet. So, he switched back to the Dunlop Sport Aerogel 200, then the 4D 200, for the 2009 season. He changed to Wilson at the start of the 2010 season, using the new Six.One Tour strung with Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power 16L strings at high tension (60+ pounds). He did not feel comfortable with this racquet either. Therefore, he switched back to Dunlop again. After the US Open of 2010, he began to test out rackets for Head. As August 26, 2011, he announced he will use Donnay rackets as his choice and using a customized Donnay X-Dual Pro. His clothing sponsor is Fila, with whom he started working in 2009 after using Nike for most his career. He has his own clothing line named Thomas Reynolds Collection after his father.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake enjoys golf and basketball and is a fan of the New York Mets. He was featured on Bravo's second edition of "Celebrity Poker Showdown" but placed 2nd after losing to Maura Tierney.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: Blake was also a red pro on "Full Tilt Poker", though he has not been active there since shortly before Black Friday. He appeared in "People" magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue. He is good friends with singer/songwriter John Mayer, who also attended Fairfield High School. When Blake was invited by Virginia's Anthem to do a cancer charity game honoring his late father, he invited Mayer, Andy Roddick, and Gavin DeGraw to perform.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: On September 9, 2015, Blake was thrown down to the sidewalk, handcuffed, and arrested by a plainclothes New York City Police Department officer in front of the Grand Hyatt New York after being mistaken for a suspect of interest. The officers were relying on a witness and photo of a suspect that looked similar to Blake: they mistook him for a credit-card fraud suspect staying in the same hotel. Commissioner William Bratton apologized for the mistake and stated the "arrest raised serious questions about [the officer's] actions" but denied allegations of racism. Blake sued, but withdrew his claim, saying he wasn't looking for financial compensation, "on the condition that the city establish a legal fellowship to investigate police misconduct and advocate for victims of brutality."


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: The violence of the arrest has prompted Blake to take a more active stand on police brutality against minorities. He has requested a meeting with Bratton and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. He has also written a book, "Ways of Grace: Stories of Activism, Adversity, and How Sports Can Bring Us Together", published in June 2017 that details the incident and his shift to activism as a result. Blake was subsequently sued for defamation by the officer who had mistakenly arrested Blake as the book portrayed the officer "as a racist and a goon". The lawsuit was dismissed by a judge in September 2018.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: In 2008 Blake established The James Blake Foundation, which "invests vital seed money at the leading-edge of science: speed up the most promising work, and shortening the time it takes to turn lab discoveries into better treatments for patients." Since 2005, he has hosted Anthem Live!, a charity tennis exhibition and musical event in Virginia and New York City to raise money for cancer research. In July 2008, Blake established the Thomas Blake, Sr. Memorial Research Fund to support cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The fund was named in memory of his father, who died from gastric cancer in 2004. Nike and Fila, which sponsored Blake, created T-shirts for Blake's charity, the J-Block program, and proceeds went to the Cancer Research Fund.


title: James Blake (tennis)

text: As of 2019, the most recent year for which IRS data has been published, Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities, gives the Blake Foundation a failing Encompass Rating Score of 15 out of 100.


title: Alberto Ascari

text: Alberto Ascari (; 13 July 1918 – 26 May 1955) was an Italian racing driver and a two time Formula One World Champion. He was a multitalented racer who competed in motorcycle racing before switching to cars. Ascari won consecutive world titles in 1952 and 1953 for Scuderia Ferrari. He was the team's first World Champion and the last Italian to date to win the title. This was sandwiched by an appearance in the 1952 Indianapolis 500. Ascari also won the Mille Miglia in 1954. Ascari was noted for the careful precision and finely-judged accuracy that made him one of the safest drivers in a most dangerous era until his death.


title: Alberto Ascari

text: Ascari remains along with Michael Schumacher Ferrari's only back-to-back World Champions, and he is also Ferrari's sole Italian champion. As the first driver to win multiple World Championship titles, he held the record for most World Championship titles in 1952–54; as a result he is one of 4 drivers to have held the record for most World Championship titles. Juan Manuel Fangio held the record in 1954-2002 (jointly with Ascari in 1954) and Michael Schumacher has held the record since 2002, although Schumacher now also shares that record with Lewis Hamilton.


title: Alberto Ascari

text: When Alberto was a young child, his father, Antonio, who was also a famous racing driver, died in an accident at the 1925 French Grand Prix. Alberto once admitted that he warned his children not to become extremely close to him because of the risk involved in his profession. Unfortunately, his warning proved true when he was killed during a test session for Scuderia Ferrari at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Ascari was notoriously superstitious and took great pains to avoid tempting fate. His unexplained fatal accident – at the same age as his father's, on the same day of the month and in eerily similar circumstances – remains one of Formula One racing's great tragic coincidences.


title: Alberto Ascari

text: Born in Milan, Ascari was the son of Antonio Ascari, a talented Grand Prix motor racing star in the 1920s, racing Alfa Romeos. Just a fortnight before Alberto's seventh birthday, Antonio was killed while leading the French Grand Prix in 1925 at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, but the younger Ascari had an interest in racing in spite of this. Such was his passion to become a racing driver like his father, twice he ran away from school.


title: Alberto Ascari

text: He raced motorcycles in his earlier years. At the age of just 19, Ascari was signed to ride for the Bianchi team. It was after he entered the prestigious Mille Miglia in an Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, supplied by his father's close friend, Enzo Ferrari, in 1940 that he eventually started racing on four wheels regularly. He also married a local girl the same year.


title: Alberto Ascari

text: When Italy entered World War II, the family garage, now run by Alberto, was conscripted to service and maintain vehicles of the Italian military. it was during this period, he established a lucrative transport business, supplying fuel to army depots in North Africa. His partner in the enterprise was a fellow racing driver, Luigi Villoresi. The pair did survive being capsized in Tripoli harbour along with a shipment of lorries. As their business supported the Italian war effort, it made them exempt from being called up during the war.


title: Alberto Ascari

text: Following the end of World War II Alberto Ascari began racing in Grands Prix with Maserati 4CLT. His teammate was Villoresi, who would become a mentor, teammate and friend to Ascari. The pair were successful on the circuits in the North of Italy. Soon he was bestowed with the nickname "Ciccio", meaning "Tubby". Formula One regulations were introduced by the FIA in 1946, with the aim of eventually replacing the pre-war Grand Prix structure. During the next four transitional years, Ascari was at the top of his game, winning numerous events around Europe. He won his first Grand Prix, the Gran Premio di San Remo in 1948 and took second place in the RAC International Grand Prix the same year, at Silverstone.


title: Alberto Ascari

text: Ascari won another race with the team the following year, Gran Premio del General Juan Perón de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. His biggest success came when he and Villoresi signed for Scuderia Ferrari. The team boss, Enzo Ferrari, had been a great friend and teammate to Antonio Ascari, and had taken a keen interest in Alberto's successes. That year, 1949 with Ferrari team and won three more races that year.